She stared out at the water, feet dangling in the coolness. Suddenly, a cute bark came from the other side of the river. Reis laughed at her Spheal's antics as he hopped into the water and swam to her feet. With another, louder bark, the plushy creature blew a few crystals of snow and the surface of the water froze, only to be washed away by the current.

"You can't freeze a river like that, Flooro." Reis giggled, addressing her pokemon lovingly.

In reply, the Spheal hopped out of the water and onto his new trainer's lap.

"Sphee!" He cried, rolling into the river again and splashing Reis with his flippers.

She laughed again as she splashed Flooro back, sliding into the water and beginning to chase the little furball around.

You and Flooro are still playing happily in the waters when you notice a dark shadow drifting below you.

Suddenly, a fairly large Goldeen splashes out and tries to attack Flooro!

Reis quickly swims to the place she had sat on, grabbing the edge and preparing herself to help Flooro if he gets hurt. The little fluffball doesn't have the speed to dodge most attacks out of the water, but being in the water might have a different affect.

"Try a powder snow, Flooro! Attempt to freeze the water around it." Reis calls from behind her beloved Spheal.

Flooro struggled to gain distance from the angry Goldeen, and shot out a blast of snow from its mouth.

The temperature dropped, and the waters turned to ice. Goldeen dropped down, trying to move properly.

Reis, without a great move set for Flooro, ponders what to do. He has no physical attacks, which she would have used now, but she then decides that a water gun might substitute for a physical attack. Water does have mass, after all, and can be slammed at things.

"Water gun, Flooro."

Flooro launched a Water Gun, blasting the Goldeen into the air. It crashed down upon the ice, hurt. It struggled, and used the ice to its advantage this time, sliding forward with a Tackle.

Water Gun: 4 HP damage (+2 for use by a Water-type), 100 Accuracy
Tackle: 4 HP damage, 100 Accuracy

Flooro: 16/20 HP
Goldeen: 12/18 HP (-2 for crashing on ice - ouch, -2 damage for Water-against-Water-type attack)

Reis winced visibly as her pokemon was hurt by the Goldeen, but she knew that she could not prevent it.

"Powder snow, Flooro. It's easier for you to roll around on the ice, so don't be afraid to do so to dodge, if you can."

Flooro sent more showers of Powder Snow through the air, and soon the waters were caked with ice. Goldeen, not having legs, found it hard to move.

Reis knew she had time, so she decided to go defensive for a while.

"Defense curl."

Goldeen floundered on the ice for a while, but then focused its energy and whipped its tail, or rather half of its body, to one side. The momentum caused Goldeen to slide into Flooro, who was safely curled in a ball. Flooro shook the hit off, not badly injured.

Flooro: 14/20 HP (+2 defense, next physical attack -2 damage)
Goldeen: 12/18 HP

Reis nodded, though she still flinched a bit as her pokemon was hurt.

"Flooro, powder snow yet again!"

Flooro reared up from its Defense Curl and unleashed a wave of Powder Snow.

Powder Snow: 4 HP Damage, 100 Accuracy

Goldeen is still slipping on the ice, and couldn't avoid the attack. It tried to control its movements and slid forward to launch a Tackle.

Flooro: 14/20 HP
Goldeen: 8/18 HP

Reis's expression became less scared by the second. She called out commands confidently and obvious pride in her pokemon shone in her eyes. Her trust was now completely in the Spheal.

"Flooro, powder snow, yet again!"

The Goldeen struck Flooro on the side, knocking it over. Flooro quickly spun right side up and sent another chilly burst of snow over Goldeen. The fish was frosted, and it shivered meekly as it tried to break away from all the ice.

Flooro: 10/20 HP
Goldeen: 4/18 HP

Reis could feel an excitement through her, though her concern for Flooro was always there, nagging at her. She smiled, proud of the Spheal's strength and courage.

"Finish it off with another powder snow!"

There was no way for Goldeen to launch an attack now - not with all the ice. Flooro launched a final Powder Snow, and Goldeen was blasted unconscious.

Winner: Flooro - You have gained 35 exp! =O

Yay! ...Um, what now?

Reis cheered, quickly swimming over to the Spheal resting on the ice. She patted his soft fur, and he barked back at her, obviously proud of his achievement. With another bark, he clapped his flippers together, barely able to get them to touch. His trainer laughed at the little pokemon's antics.

"C'mon, Flooro, let's go get dried off."

As you and Flooro leave the water, Flooro decides to roll around at your feet instead of being carried. As he rolls around, you notice he has a few scratches from the battle. They don't look deep, but perhaps a visit to the local Pokemon Center would be a good idea. You spot one a short distance away, and Flooro barks at you for no apparent reason.

Reis smiled at the little ball of fluff, then gestured towards the pokemon center.

"I take it you want to go there?" She asked the rolling Spheal. The critter blinked its huge, cute eyes once, then started somersaulting towards the building.

"All right, all right." Reis giggled, running after her Spheal. They reached the pokemon center, and she opened the door, face still flushed with laughter.

The ever-friendly nurse notices you as soon as you come in. She smiles, seeing your positive attitude towards your Spheal.

"I suppose you're here for a healing, yes? As always, it's free of charge. Out-of-Pokeball healings will take a little longer, I'm afraid..." A Chansey shuffled up with its obscenely wide smile plastered on its face. Bending over with some difficulty, it picked up Flooro and took him in back. The nurse watched it leave.

"While you're waiting, why don't you read a magazine or get to know one of the other trainers?" She asked.

There were several trainers there, either waiting impatiently or tending to their Pokemon. A tough-looking guy was feeding what looked like raw steak to a Carvahna bobbing in one of the tanks that lined the center. They were obviously intended for aquatic Pokemon. Another girl had a Marill on her lap and was gently stroking the mouse's head. Outside you could see three little boys- one with a Pidgey, one with a Spearow, and one with a Taillow. They seemed to be having some sort of play-fight. The town had a generally peaceful mood, and underneath it all you could still hear the babbling of the brook.

Reis nodded, watching Flooro go, then turned around somewhat reluctantly. It didn't take long for her to decide which trainer to talk to. She was more or less the kind of person to jump at things without thinking much first. And the person with the Carvahna seemed interesting, to say the least.

"Hi." Reis said cheerfully, walking up beside the boy and looking intently at the pokemon in the tank.

The boy didn't move at your words, but muttered a simple "hi". For such a tough-looking guy, he seemed a little...sheepish?

Noticing that you were still standing there watching, he said quietly, "Um...this is a pretty healthy Carvanha, isn't it?"

Reis peered into the tank, right at the ferocious-looking pokemon. She tilted her head slightly.

"Yeah, it does. Is it yours?" She asked, looking back at the trainer.

Dropping the last chunk of meat into the tank, the boy withdrew his hand. Looking down at his lap, he murmured, "No, it's my brother's. He asked me to watch Carvahna, since he broke his leg and can't go out to train with it for a while. I've been doing my best, but..." The boy trailed off, then looked at you. "I guess I'm not that great of a trainer," he finished.

Reis smiled down at the fish in the tank, tapping lightly on the glass to get its attention.

"Well, if you're new at it, you can't be expected to be the best. I just started a little while ago myself." She paused to blink at the Carvahna, waving her hand at its huge jaws.

"Though, the only reason I won is probably because Flooro, my Spheal, is really awesome. I love that little fluffball." Reis's tone was praising, not bragging, and she finally stopped staring at the pokemon in the tank long enough to flash the boy a small, friendly smile.

The boy didn't smile back. He seemed to be tense and nervous. "But that's not all," he said. "There's a pool nearby, and there's this other kid who always goes there. My brother doesn't quite like him and... he asked if I could challenge Ricky to a Pokemon battle and... defeat him. But I--"

He looked down and sighed.

"You'll never know if you don't try, now, will you?" Reis continued to smile, ignoring the fact that he hadn't grinned back.

"I'll go with you to cheer you on, if you want. Once Flooro's healed, of course." She stood up straight. "I love that little fluffball."

The boy looked at the floor, thinking about it. "I guess..." he said, sounding a little more confident. Looking up, he added, "Maybe... maybe Carvanha and I should train first. A little, at least."

"Umm... I'm not so great with Pokemon, and you seem pretty close to your Spheal... could you maybe help me train?" he asked, looking up at Reis with hopeful eyes. "I'm Ben, by the way," he noted.

"I'm Reis, and sure. We'd love to. I can't wait to tell Flooro." Reis glanced over to the nurse, looking forward to telling her Spheal about his next battle. He would love the new opportunity to get stronger.

"He should be out any time."

A few minutes later, Nurse Joy walked by with Flooro in her arms. "Here you go, Reis," she said with a smile. "Your Spheal is in perfect condition."

Ben turned over and returned Carvanha into a PokeBall. "Um, we should go somewhere near water - I don't Carvanha will do very well on... land."

Reis patted Flooro on the head, and the latter gave a rough bark in return. He hopped out of the nurse's arms and rolled to his trainer's side.

"Flooro likes it better in the water, anyway, right?" She asked, smiling down at the Spheal, who barked in reply and nodded his head.

"Back to the river!" Reis called with strange enthusiasm. She walked briskly out of the pokemon center, heading towards the river, and only stopped to see if Ben was following.

He followed, but slowly. The Carvanha's Pokeball was in his right hand, and he gripped it tightly, as if he were afraid it was going to fall and break. He glanced towards the river, running a bit to catch up to Reis. He forced a smile. He seemed to be attempting to be optimistic, but it was apparent he was unsure of himself.