Lucki

.

Lucki returned to Route 104. "Silver, today I want you to practice keeping your attack going. See how long you can sustain a water gun. Flare, do you know ember?" He nodded. "Okay then, we'll practice aiming that."

They trained for a few hours.

"I'm exhausted," complained Silver.

"You've been working hard," agreed Lucki. "I guess you deserve a break. Why don't you go swimming?"

"Swimming?" Silver repeated uncertainly, casting a glance to the nearby lake shore.

"Sure. Don't all squirtle like swimming?"

"I don't know. I've never gone swimming," admitted Silver.

"Then you definitely need to," Lucki stated. "Go on, try it out."

Silver nodded and headed over to the shoreline. She gingerly entered the shallows.

Lucki turned back to Flare, only to realize he was no longer there. The fire type had trotted away a few yards. He looked playful, his tail wagging slightly, then ran a few more feet, looking over his shoulder at her as if daring her to chase him.

"Hey, come back here!"

She chased him about for several minutes before managing to catch him. It wasn't that hard, though, once she started to try. "Whew..." she sighed. "I guess you're not tired out. You up for more training, then?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Back to target practice then."

At lunchtime, the three took a break to eat and rest.

"Hey! Stop!" a man's voice shouted as someone raced past Lucki. By the time Lucki had processed she had seen an older teen in the heavy red outfit of a Team Magma uniform, hood up, with one hand wrapped around the handle of a plain grey briefcase, his pursuer had reached her side. He was an older man with brown hair in a dark grey suit, breathing heavily.

"You're a trainer," he gasped. "Please, can you catch him?"

Lucki looked at the Team Magma member's retreating figure. He was heading into the Petalburg Woods. She nodded, recalling her two pokemon, and took off after him.