Mount Coronet loomed in the distance before them. Its enormous peak stretching up to block the sky. The mood however was jovial, the group excitedly talking about the next stage of their journey.

  Above them, Thistle and Echo winged their way through the sky, keeping an eye open for any potential problems. They had learned from their experience in Eterna, and so vigilance was the name of the game now that they were leaving the more well travelled routes.

  Likewise, most of their Pokemon were out, with just TJ and Mimi currently in reserve. They didn't expect trouble, the path was well patrolled by rangers, even if it wasn't particularly well travelled, especially at this early stage of the Challenge. Still, they thought it better to be prepared.

  Route 211 was steep and rocky, making the walk hard going. Still, the weather was gorgeous, and the mood was high after their recent victories.

  “You know,” Fiona said from beside Star, the Rapidash carefully picking his way along, “One of you guys should catch a Psychic or something soon.”

  Chloe considered, before she nodded. They were relying on Star a lot, and the interior of Mt Coronet was definitely not going to be pleasant for him.

  “Are there any around here?” Eleanor asked, pulling out her Pokedex to have a look.

  “Let me see…” she muttered, scrolling through the list of Pokemon that could be found around Route 211. It wasn't long, as it was a rather short route. One name stood out.

  “Chingling maybe?” she suggested, and the others nodded.

  “Anyone want a Chingling?” Fiona asked, looking around at them.

  “They are pretty adorable,” Chloe said, while Eleanor just shrugged.

  “I don't really have a plan, but I wouldn't mind a Chingling,” Eleanor confessed.

  “Well let's keep an eye out,” Fiona said, “If we find one… yes Troy?”

  That last part was addressed to Troy, who was holding his hand up like a kid in class.

  “There's one right there,” he said, pointing. Sure enough, there was a Chingling, casually munching on a berry on a nearby rock.

  Fiona blinked.

  “Should I catch it?” Troy asked, reaching for a Pokeball.

  “Fuck it, you saw it,” Fiona replied with a shrug, and the other girls nodded.

  Troy hurled his Pokeball at the Chingling. It chimed once in surprise, before it was snapped up by the beam of light.

  The Pokeball shook three times, then clicked.

  Troy punched the air.

  “Hell yeah!”

  The girls exchanged looks, before bursting into laughter.

  “What?” Troy asked, offended, and Fiona walked over to pat him on the arm.

  “Nothing, nice work Troy,” she said.

  “So what are you going to name her?” Chloe asked curiously as they walked along.

  Troy’s new Chingling was sitting on his shoulder, happily chatting away with Salad who was on the other shoulder, the two Pokemon bonding over something.

  “Her name is Tinkle,” Troy declared, looking at Chingling with affection.

  “No.”

  They all stopped, looking at Eleanor with surprise. The girl was looking up at Troy, hands on her hips.

  “No?” Fiona asked.

  “It's a cute name,” Chloe added, but Eleanor shook her head.

  “Tinkle is another word for pee. I am not having Troy shout “Go Tinkle!” every time he releases her.”

  There was another pause, before Fiona burst out laughing.

  “It's pretty fucking funny though,” she said, but Eleanor put her foot down.

  “No. Salad was bad enough, Tinkle is a no. Pick something else.”

  Troy frowned, thinking, “What about… Chimey?” he suggested after a while.

  Eleanor sighed, while Chloe just giggled.

  “Why don't we help?” Chloe suggested, “Got any ideas Fi?”

  Fiona considered for a moment.

  “Bluebell,” she offered.

  “Like the flower?” Chloe asked, and Fiona nodded.

  “I like it! Troy?”

  Troy frowned, looking at Chingling, who shook their head.

  They threw out a few more suggestions, none of which seemed to fit.

  Bella, Sonette and Blueberry were all rejected, though Troy was rather tempted by Cupcake.

  Eventually though, it was Chloe that hit on it. Watching the little Chingling excitedly chattering away, bouncing on Troy's shoulder gave her the perfect name.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  “Happy!” she exclaimed, blushing when the others looked across at her.

  “Call her Happy,” she clarified, and the others all stopped to think.

  “Perfect!” Troy exclaimed, looking at Chingling.

  “What do you think bud?” he asked, and Chingling chimed in response.

  “Right, well if that is settled, let's get moving,” Fiona said.

  They all nodded, and set off once more, making their way towards Mt Coronet.

  It turned out however, that the issue of new additions to their group was not over. They were settling in to camp for the night, having found a flat, rock-free patch of grass to set up their tents when they heard a rustling in the nearby bushes.

  Chloe froze from where she was gathering sticks for the fire. Quickly, she released Mimi, who stepped forward to place herself between Chloe and whatever was about to emerge.

  Fiona and Eleanor spotted the disturbance as well, moving over to join Chloe.

  “What do you think it is?” Eleanor asked, and Fiona shrugged.

  “Probably a Bidoof,” she replied.

  Chloe gasped, “I love Bidoof!” she exclaimed, causing Fiona to roll her eyes.

  “Of course you do,” she deadpanned, before glaring at the bush.

  “Whatever you are, either come out or fuck off,” she demanded.

  “Fi! Don't be mean!” Chloe admonished, “What if you scare them away?”

  “That was kind of the point…” Fiona began, before she was interrupted by a small Pokemon emerging from the bush.

  The girls froze.

  The clearing was silent, no one moved.

  The silence was interrupted by a slowly rising, wordless squeal rising from Chloe.

  The Pokemon was small. It was pink, and it looked up at them with huge eyes.

  “Nya?” it asked, and Chloe exploded.

  “A SKITTY!” she squealed, at the same time as Eleanor began to coo.

  Both girls were immediately on their knees, fussing over the Skitty, which began to nuzzle them, revelling in the storm of affection it was receiving.

  “I’m going to catch it,” Eleanor said, reaching for a Pokeball.

  “No way!” Chloe protested, “I saw it first!”

  “You already have a Jigglypuff, you don't need a Skitty!” Eleanor countered.

  “That's got nothing to do with it!” Chloe shot back.

  Skitty, completely oblivious to the argument, continued to preen and enjoy the attention.

  “How about you battle for it?” Troy suggested, wandering over.

  Chloe immediately nodded, jumping to her feet, “I’m in!”

  Eleanor shook her head, “That's not fair!” she protested, “Chloe's going to win!”

  “Damn straight I will!” Chloe replied, eyes blazing.

  The sound of a Pokeball opening interrupted. Chloe and Eleanor turned, eyes widening.

  Fiona stood where the Skitty had been, holding a Pokeball that clicked once.

  “Mine.”

  Chloe erupted. “No fair!”

  Fiona shrugged, “You snooze you lose. The cat is mine.”

  “But, you… I wanted the Skitty!” Chloe pouted.

  “Then you should have caught it,” Fiona replied.

  “What happened to whoever saw it first?” demanded Eleanor.

  Fiona shrugged again, “That's different.”

  “Different how?”

  “This is a Skitty. The rules don't apply, it's every girl for herself.”

  Troy nodded sagely, “She's right you know. That's the Skitty rule.”

  “But… that's not fair!” Chloe protested, close to tears.

  “There there Princess,” Fiona replied, “I’ll buy you some shoes or something in Snowpoint. How does that sound?”

  “You can't just bribe us with shoes!” Eleanor said, “We demand justice!”

  Chloe however, wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

  “Platform boots?”

  Fiona nodded.

  “...okay.”

  “Chloe!” Eleanor exclaimed, betrayed.

  “What?” Chloe asked, “I like shoes.”

  Eleanor sighed, defeated.

  “Fine, but I get first dibs on the next one,” she said.

  “That seems fair,” Troy said, “Shoes for Chloe, dibs for Eleanor. Deal?”

  “Deal,” the girls agreed.

  “Now if you’ll excuse me,” Fiona said smugly, “I have a cat to snuggle.”

  “Fury Swipes!”

  Skitty dove forward, sliding past the Machop’s outstretched arm to claw the Fighting Type repeatedly.

  “Nya nya nya!” Skitty cried, the display adorable enough that Chloe almost lost focus on her own battle.

  “Remember! Kicks only!” she called to Reinette, who let out a frustrated shout as she battled her own Machop.

  The two wild Pokemon had appeared to challenge the group, and Fiona had jumped at the chance to see what her new Skitty could do. Meanwhile, Chloe had decided that it would be a good chance for Reinette to continue working on her balance. The Steenee was now almost as graceful as she liked to pretend she was, but Chloe hoped that by forcing Reinette to use just her legs in battle her coordination would improve.

  Reinette was frustrated, but even with the handicap she outmatched her opponent. Likewise Fiona’s Skitty was proving to be a remarkably capable battler.

  Happy, Troy's new Chingling, had yet to be tested in a battle, but the Pokemon had taken to Troy's training regime with the enthusiasm Chloe had come to expect from his team.

  Reinette smoothly stepped over the Machop’s Low Kick, turning the movement into a graceful series of spins. Her leg lashed out three times, a frosty Triple Axel connecting, sending the Machop crashing to the ground.

  Likewise, Skitty was wrapping up her own battle.

  “Double Edge!” Fiona instructed, Skitty leaping forward to crunch heavily into Machop's head. It too crumpled, defeated.

  “Nice job!” Chloe declared, moving over to the Machop. She pulled out a potion to spray the Fighting Type with. It was considered polite to heal a wild Pokemon after a friendly battle like this, and Chloe wasn't about to leave it unconscious on the ground if she didn't have to.

  Fiona likewise healed her opponent.

  “Thanks for the battle!” Chloe said to Machop, “You guys are strong!”

  The two Machop grumbled, clearly unhappy about their defeat, but they took the loss with grace, heading off into the rocks after they had recovered.

  “That was fun,” Chloe said, “You rock Reinette!”

  Reinette huffed, pretending not to be glowing with the praise. Chloe smiled, her prideful Queen was a big softie underneath.

  “Nice job Heather,” Fiona said, kneeling to lavish some love onto her Skitty. Skitty, who Fiona had named Heather, happily accepted the love. Chloe watched with a little bit of jealousy. She wanted that cat so bad. But, a deal was a deal. She would just have to pick the most expensive, most ridiculous shoes she could find to get her revenge.

  “Those Machop were pretty strong,” Eleanor said, “Are all the Pokemon on the Route going to be that powerful?”

  Fiona shrugged, “Probably a bit stronger, we’re not going too deep into Coronet, but the Mountain breeds them tough.”

  Eleanor blanched, but Troy placed his hand on her shoulder.

  “Don't worry El, we’ll be fine,” he said, giving her a reassuring bicep flex.

  “I just don't want to slow you guys down,” she admitted.

  “Nah, you’re fine,” Fiona replied, “You have a badge, remember? You can handle this fine.”

  “Besides,” Chloe said, “You have the map.”

  “True,” Fiona added, “These dumbasses would get lost without you.”

  Eleanor smiled, “Good point.”

  She looked up at Mount Coronet. They were now right at the base, the entrance almost within sight.

  “I really wouldn't want to get lost in there,” she said, changing the topic.

  Chloe shuddered, “Yeah, that's like, my nightmare.”

  Fiona looked at her, “I thought that your Nightmare was having a bad hair day at school.”

  “That too,” Chloe replied, “Luckily we have Troy now, bad hair is a thing of the past.”

  Troy nodded proudly, “They call me the Hair Maestro.”

  Eleanor snorted, “No they don't.”

  “Well, they will,” he replied.

  “Anyway,” Fiona said, changing the topic once more, “How do we want to do this? Mimi leading?”

  Chloe nodded, “Yeah, she has been looking forward to this for a while.”

  Her spoiled little Mawile hated walking, but she relished any time she got underground, and wouldn't forgive Chloe if she dared to let either Mochi or Reinette take point in Mount Coronet.

  “Sounds good,” Fiona replied, “Troy, is Happy up to Protect duty? Star will be pissed if I make him handle it solo the entire trip.”

  Troy gave a thumbs up, Happy chiming in agreement from his shoulder.

  “Ready and raring to go!” he declared.

  “Lumen will give us light,” Eleanor added, “Though I’m not sure how useful he will be in battling. Too many Rock Types."

  Fiona shrugged, “He can always fry some Zubat. Besides, it will be fucking dark down there. His tail makes him MVP.”

  They had, of course, already discussed this before they left, but they had the new additions, and it never hurt to go over it again.

  “I think we're ready then,” Chloe said, looking up at the mountain ahead.

  “Then let's get this show on the road,” Fiona declared.