A small gathering was held in Verdanturf Town in which May and Wally were the subjects of. May's Combusken stood across from Wally's  Azumarill. All was silent until their commanding voices broke the silence.

"Azumarill, Aqua Jet!" Wally commanded.

"Thunder Spin!" May called out.

Lightning crackled in his fists as Combusken powered up. In a swift motion, he loosed a blast of flames and began to spin, the lighting following the flames in a spiral pattern upwards. Azumarill rammed into the barrier with great force, receiving a powerful shock while getting caught in a tornado of flames and electricity. Combusken had been shot back and was getting up from the heavy blow with difficulty.

Wally clenched his fists and tried to think of a way out of the trap that he had walked right into.

May's really good. Since she battles like a Coordinator instead of a regular trainer, I can't tell what she's doing. It's as difficult as battling Brendan but more complex. Brendan's Pokémon are just really tough, May's are tricky. Gah! What do I do!?

"Thunder Pledge!" May commanded.

What now!? Wally panicked.

Fire mixed with lightning as Combusken slammed his feathered fists into the ground, causing pillars of electrically charged fire to rise up and surround Azumarill.

"Azumarill! Aqua Jet straight up!" Wally declared suddenly.

Azumarill winced and shrouded himself in water which was painful due to the electric currents mixed with fire. He rocketed upwards and tried to avoid the pillars. He was nearly home free until they closed in and created one gigantic column of fire and electricity. In a desperate move, Azumarill loosed a high pressure blast of water that sent him hurtling away from the flames to safety.

He landed and breathed heavily, his chest heaving in exhaustion. Combusken was breathing equally as heavy.
_______________________________________

Brendan's heart could not calm down as he lay beneath a collapsed Courtney. Courtney relaxed atop his chest, her body pressed firmly to his while she smiled at him sleepily. She gently flicked his nose and laughed.

"Three rounds, not bad Brendan," she smiled playfully.

Brendan took a deep breath. "Easy for you to say," he laughed.

Courtney snickered and kissed his nose. "I figured you might want a little extra good luck before you take on your next challenge," Courtney replied.

"Well...that was certainly...plenty of it," Brendan breathed.

"My pleasure," Courtney purred, nipping his ear before pulling away and resting on him again.

"So...I thoughtabout your offer," Brendan began.

Courtney tilted her head. "Oh? Have you now?"
_______________________________________

Miles winced as he soared through the skies towards the springs of Lavaridge Town. He needed a good, long soak.

I thought sparring with Courtney was intense. That was just...crazy. That woman really doesn't pull any punches. That was just amazing. I'm probably going to be sore for a while after that. I admit, I knew she was wild, but that was just...

Miles looked at his gloved hands. His wrists ached quite a bit. Miles shivered and shook his head, rubbing his neck where he'd been bitten.

She's crazy...but then again, Courtney is my boss and we're pretty much on equal footing. She kicks like a donkey though. Sheesh...

Miles made his descent and touched down. After recalling Flygon, he took a deep breath and walked as casually as possible to the center to change.
_______________________________________

Shelly closed her eyes as she let the hot water from the shower do its work. A smug grin plastered itself on her face as she began to clean herself off. She was very satisfied with the recent turn of events. And the fact that Miles was putty in her hands for a few hours was enough to put her in a good mood. It was odd. She detested him, and enjoyed making him squirm. She had to admit, he put up quite a fight.

Now that was a good time. For a Magma Dog, he certainly knew a lot of tricks. It's as they say; keep your friends close, and your enemies closer, Shelly grinned, reaching for her shampoo.
_______________________________________

Courtney stepped out of her bathroom after a quick wash. She wore a lavander robe. Brendan had a spare change of clothes. Courtney slid onto Brendan's lap and nestled her head in the croik of his neck.

"I have a surprise for you," Courtney began, leaning up to kiss his cheek before standing up.

"You do? What is it?" Brendan inquired curiously.

Courtney smirked, waltzing into the back room for but a moment before returning.

"Close your eyes," she commanded.

Brendan shrugged and complied. Courtney grinned and sat in his lap and tapped his nose.

"Open them..." Courtney demanded.

Brendan opened his eyes to see a tennis ball sized light green sphere with the same pattern as the Latiasite, only the colors in the middle were two shades of green enclosed by a light red.

"Do you know what this is?" Courtney questioned, containing her excitement.

"That's...that's a Mega Stone!" Brendan replied, remembering the look of the Eon Twins stones.

"Mhmm...and do you know who for?" Courtney queried again.

Brendan studied the colors. There was only one Pokémon with those exact color patterns. His eyes lit up with recognition.

"Sceptile!" He exclaimed excitedly. "But when did you-how did you-?"

"I did a little digging. I searched pretty much everywhere with no luck until I came across a certain collector..."
_______________________________________

Courtney stepped out of the elevator on the top floor of the Devon Corporation. She had a few questions about the package that Team Aqua had tried to obtain. She would have made Miles do it, but he was in Lilycove getting materials for the suit. Mr. Stone sat in his office chair, his assistant beside him going over improvements to new products they were considering making.

Hearing the elevator, Mr. Stone looked up to see Courtney. She was wearing a white button-up top and black skirt. She had a clipboard in hand.

"May I help you Miss?" Mr. Stone queried.

Courtney zoned out for a moment before allowing herself to focus.

"As a matter of fact, you can Mr. President." Courtney stated with a wry grin.

"There was a report about a month ago about some hooligans that were running a muck here and in Slateport City. My employer has asked me to gather the facts so that an investigation may be conducted," Courtney stated, tapping the pencil on the clipboard.

"Odd, I thought the police were already undergoing investigations. Unless you're from another branch perhaps, then what questions do you have?" Mr. Stone responded.

"Guilty as charged. Now, it's been circulated that they were after something from your corporation. What was it exactly?" Courtney questioned the President.

Mr. Stone laughed. "It was something for Captain Stern. He was making a submarine and needed parts for it. What parts they were, is classified information I'm afraid."

Courtney nodded and wrote down what was said.

"Thank you. I do believe that will be sufficient. Now for the second reason I came here. You are a collector of sorts, yes?" Courtney queried.

Mr. Stone stroked his chin.

"Yes, my son and I have collected thousands of rare things together. Why, is there something particular you are after?"

"Mega Stones. One for a Sceptile if I'm to be specific," Courtney replied with a chuckle.

"Ah, let me see..." Mr. Stone muttered, looking around his desk for the drawer with the keys.

He found the correct drawer and opened it up to reveal a stash of keys, neatly placed and labled. He took out the one he needed and headed to a safe and unlocked it. After a few moments he pulled out a light green sphere.

"This is the only Sceptilite we have. My son recently found it. These are pretty costly I'm afraid," Mr. Stone informed.

"Money isn't an issue," Courtney replied casually.

"Well, if you have one hundred fifty thousand Pokédollars, it's yours," Mr. Stone stated. "And that's several times lower than Kalos too, so it's a deal for you."

Courtney winced a bit at the price. She would have to dip into her savings.

"Just out of curiosity, why that one in particular? If you don't mind me asking," Mr. Stone inquired.

Courtney smiled faintly and reached into her bag.

"It's for someone else. You might know him, he's become pretty well known as of late. He goes by Brendan," Courtney replied.

Mr. Stone smiled. He chuckled as Courtney reached for her card. "If it's for him, just take it as a gift..."
_______________________________________

"So he just gave it to you?" Brendan asked, staring at the smooth stone in his hand.

"Indeed. It seems your name carries a lot of weight around here. Are you aware that you have a fanclub? I mean...your friends do too, but you have become pretty popular," Courtney laughed, gently stroking his face.

"I found that out earlier. It's weird, but I could get used to it," Brendan chuckled.

Courtney grinned. "Just don't let the fact that you have fans go to your head. A man with an ego that swells faster than his libido is unattractive."

Brendan stifled a laugh and then sighed.

"So...wanna come watch my gym battle?" Brendan inquired.

Courtney dawned a smile and pressed her lips to his, lingering for a while before pulling away. "I don't think work will get in the way of that. Maxie hasn't needed me at all today, so I'm free."

"Soooo, that's a yes?"

"Of course. Just let me get ready first," Courtney replied, standing up to head into the other room to get dressed.
_______________________________________

Wally and May sat under a tree and sighed in relief. Their battle had been a close one with May coming out with the win after her Pikachu battled Wally's Kirlia. The battle was exhausting.

"That was actually fun," Wally stated happily, not at all sad that he lost.

"I agree! It was a fantastic battle. You are getting much better," May complimented.

"Thanks. I want to be able to beat Brendan one day. But I will need to work twice as hard as I do now," Wally sighed.

"Chin up! Brendan may be good, but he is still learning too. Even he makes goofball mistakes," May laughed.

Wally chuckled along with May. This was turning out to be a great day. He had a battle with a friend and now he was having a fun conversation. He still needed to prepare for Flannery. Practicing with May helped him a lot. He just needed to refine his skills a bit more.

"Wally! May! The cookies are ready!" Wally's mom called.

The two friends exchanged glances and smiled. May stood up and walked with Wally into the house. _______________________________________

And that's all for this chapter. Little bits of information here and there. Brendan now has a Sceptilite! The mighty grass dragon shall rise! Brace yourselves, the battle will be intense!