Ash's Story (Part 5: Modern Sinnoh)

Chapter 95: Observation

After the Fullmoon Island quest was finished, we returned to the road with the Lunar Feather's glow still fresh in my memory.

Canalave's harbor slowly fell behind us, but I kept thinking about Sailor Eldritch's son opening his eyes. The League, Aaron's battle, Marley's garden, Shaymin, and Cresselia had all reminded me that winning did not mean the journey became simple.

Lillie walked beside me while Pikachu rode on my shoulder. The Ground Medal was not ours yet, and Bertha was waiting somewhere ahead.

Dawn checked the map as we moved toward Route 222. "Bertha was seen near here with Roland."

"Roland is with her?" I asked.

Gladion looked ahead. "That probably means she wanted a quiet place to test you instead of a formal League room."

Daniel adjusted his glasses. "Bertha always treated battle as an act of noticing. A road makes sense for her."

Tox glanced at the sand under our shoes. "Roads also show footprints. Observation begins before the battle."

Pikachu's meaning came thoughtfully. "Then we should look before we run."

"That sounds like Bertha already got to you," I said with a small laugh.

Route 222 opened wide beside the sea, with the sunlight reflecting off the water and long grass bending in the wind. Farther down the path, Bertha stood beside Roland near a rocky training field. She looked calm enough to be waiting for tea, not two League winners.

Roland had set stones around the field to mark the edges, and the battlefield was not flat. Some places were sandy, some were cracked, and some had hard rock rising just high enough to trip a careless Pokémon.

That alone told me Bertha had chosen this place on purpose.

In a normal stadium, the field could be repaired and cleared between matches. Here, every step would change something. Every hit would leave evidence for the next Pokémon to use or suffer from.

Lillie noticed it too. "She wants us to fight the ground as much as her Pokémon."

Bertha heard her and smiled before we reached the field. "Good. You are already watching."

Bertha smiled when she saw us. "Ash, Lillie. Good to see you again. I suppose you defeated Aaron?"

"Yes," Lillie said. "And we want to battle you next."

Roland gave us a cheerful wave. "She has been watching the road since morning. I think she knew you were coming."

Bertha chuckled. "Observation is useful before a battle too."

I stepped forward. "We remember what you told us before. Observation is the key to victory."

"Well, well," Bertha said, eyes bright beneath her gentle expression. "You are quite the adorable trainer, but you have also got a spine. Would you show this old lady how much you have learned?"

I nodded. "I will battle first."

Lillie stood beside Dawn, Gladion, Tox, and Daniel. "I will go second."

Bertha took her place across the field and held up her first Poké Ball. "Then observe carefully, dear child. The ground tells stories before it strikes."

"Quagsire, start us off," Bertha called.

Quagsire appeared with a relaxed smile, swaying as if nothing in the world could bother it.

"Carnivine, I choose you!" I called.

Carnivine snapped into the air, vines twitching eagerly.

Bertha raised an eyebrow. "Starting with Grass against Water and Ground. Sensible, perhaps too sensible."