The Pantheon

Chrysanthemum Island

Ashley exhaled deeply, stretching her arms over her head as the sun warmed her skin. The soft rise and fall of Vulcan's breathing made for the best pillow she could ask for—fluffy, warm, and just the right amount of squishy. The Arcanine let out a contented huff, barely acknowledging the fact that he was being used as furniture.

Mars, curled up against her side, flicked his tail once, the embers at its tip glowing slightly before settling. His eyes were half-lidded, arms folded like he was too cool to be cuddling up with his trainer—but the way he leaned just a little closer whenever Ashley shifted told a different story.

The beach was... fine. It was a little too crowded, a little too polished, the kind of tourist-trap setup with overpriced drinks and beach chairs that cost extra to rent—basically, a Gary Oak paradise. But the sea itself? That was something else. The water was crystal clear, waves lapping gently against the shore, reflecting the bright midday sun in rippling patterns.

And Venus—Venus was in her element.

Ashley propped herself up on one elbow, adjusting her sunglasses as she watched her newly evolved Vaporeon weave through the water. The fear and hesitation that had once stiffened her movements were completely gone now. She ducked beneath the surface, her sleek body cutting through the waves effortlessly before re-emerging with a playful twirl. Neptune trilled in approval, nudging her along with his head, while Gary's Wartortle and Kingler flanked her, keeping up with the impromptu training session.

Ashley could hear Kingler's aggressive clacking even from here, which probably meant he was being unnecessarily dramatic about something. Wartortle, on the other hand, was egging Venus on, swimming ahead and looking over his shoulder like he was daring her to catch up. Venus narrowed her eyes, flicked her tail, and surged forward, easily closing the distance.

Ashley grinned. "Look at her go! She's finally got her groove back."

Eva, lying beside her on a towel, propped herself up on her elbows and nodded. "Told you she would. She just needed time." She squinted at the water, watching as Venus easily matched Wartortle's speed before flipping underwater in a perfectly executed roll. "I think she might actually be faster than Wartortle now."

Gary, stretched out beside them with his arms behind his head, cracked one eye open. "Hey, hey, hey. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. My Wartortle has technique."

Ashley snorted. "Right, because technique totally matters when Venus just smoked him."

Gary sat up, brushing some sand off his shorts before pointing toward the ocean. "First of all, it's called pacing. Wartortle is pacing himself. He's been swimming longer than she has today."

"Oh, please," Eva scoffed, sitting up fully. "You realize you don't have to defend your Pokémon's honor every five seconds, right?"

Gary scoffed right back. "You realize that it's not my fault all of my Pokémon are objectively better?"

That earned him a face full of sand.

"HEY!" He spluttered, shaking his head wildly as he tried to get the grains out of his hair. "What the hell, Ketchum?!"

Ashley casually brushed off her hand, not even bothering to look guilty. "Oops. Hand slipped."

Eva was giggling next to her, trying (and failing) to look innocent as Gary continued his dramatic suffering.

Nate, who had been sitting off to the side watching his Dugtrio and Sandslash have a very strategic game of tag with Mercury, finally decided to chime in. "Y'know, I think this might be the most relaxed I've ever seen all of you. I mean, normally there's a tournament, a training session, or a coordination appeal brainstorm." He gestured toward Ashley. "You're actually sitting still. It's a miracle."