Catching Your Eye (Pokemon OCs x kpop F! idol)

IV - A New Face

"One more time, Fanta, use Confuse Ray!"

"Dreavus..."

The Ghost-type turned back to look at her trainer, not even having the energy to scowl at him.

"C'mon, keep going. We'll never beat Key at this rate."

Fanta sighed before floating over to a nearby bush, completely disregarding Dantin's orders. Defeated, he cracked his neck, letting out a sigh before walking over to the tent he'd set up.

When coming to Galar, one thing he hadn't expected was to be camping out in the wilderness with his Pokemon. Admittedly, what little research he'd done into the region prior to his arrival had been focused on the towns and cities he'd expected to be travelling, and not the Wild Area which accounted for a large portion of the region's south area.

"Sobble sobb?" Cody, having recovered from his earlier training session, hopped over to a frustrated Dantin, who sat on a cushion on the ground, picking at his fingernails. The blue Pokemon looked at his trainer, then at his fellow Pokemon, who was now play-fighting with a wild Cherubi. Rather, it seemed more like she was the only one having fun, the cherry Pokemon looking terrified for its life as she spooked it over and over again.

"I just don't know what I'm doing wrong, Cody." Dantin stretched an arm out, his voice straining slightly at the motion. "All those trainers who challenge mom back home, they'd lose and go to train, and then they'd come back and somehow be able to beat her the second time. They make it seem easy."

"Sobb." Cody hopped onto his trainer's lap, giving him a gentle smile.

"Right. I'll figure it out. I hope."

"Dreavus!" Fanta's cry caught both of their attention. Usually it wouldn't be too much cause for concern, but there was a hint of desperation in her tone.

Looking up from where he sat, Dantin could just see a glint of deep pink, similar to the hue of the energy from Fanta's Confusion attack. Only, it wasn't Fanta performing the move. The pink energy cascaded like ripples in the air, surrounding the Misdreavus and seemingly dealing damage to her.

Seeing this caused Dantin to get up from the ground. Cody, barely having time to react, let out a cry as he quickly hopped off his lap. "Sobble!"

Dantin approached the scene, unnoticed by Fanta as she glared at her assailant. When he was close enough, he saw the culprit, standing in front of a bush.

"Ralts!"

At this point, Cody was able to catch up to his trainer, and they watched, side by side, as Fanta stared angrily at her opponent. Dantin realised that she was using her newly-learned move, Mean Look.

"Look, Cody, it's a Ralts!"

"Sobble!"

Though uncommon in Sinnoh, the Ralts line was not one Dantin was unfamiliar with. Every now and then there would be a trainer who came in hopes of defeating Fantina for the Relic Badge, bringing a Ralts, a Kirlia, or, one time, a Gardevoir.

"Misdreavus!" With a loud cry, Fanta let out a burst of dark purple energy directed at the wild Ralts. She'd used Confuse Ray, and it worked. The Ralts shook its head, trying and failing to regain its composure as its head swayed side to side.

An idea popped into Dantin's head at that moment. Maybe just training wouldn't be enough to beat Key. Not to mention the other seven Gym Leaders he'd have to face further down the road. His best bet was to expand his team, and from his experience watching his mother's Gym battles, a fully-evolved Gardevoir or Gallade was a force to be reckoned with, even with the type advantage they had against Fantina's type specialty.