cait stared at the handsome fellow for an embarrassingly long period of time, her mouth slightly agape as she had found herself swept up in a challenge she hadn't asked for.

"i - what - " 

finding herself suddenly unable to form a proper sentence, she opted to shut her mouth and attempt to categorize her thoughts whilst simultaneously making sense of her predicament. 

'what do i do? what do i even say?' 

flustered by his sudden appearance, and by the combined presence of his pokemon whom faced her. 

"i mean i want - i just - " 

she clasped her hands before her, dipped her head, and struggled to come up with a potential 'quick fix' to such a troublesome scenario. it was only after taking a few deep breaths that she managed to calm herself before retrieving two pokeballs from the steel bands secured 'round her wrists. her hands trembled terribly as she did so, her gaze flitting about. 

"r-right." 

her butterfree and beautifly would appear before her once their respective capsules had been tossed. 

'i get the first move. gods, what are steel-types even weak against?'

she honestly had no clue, and she feared she was terribly ill-equipped to even handle a team such as this.  

"butterfree, use 'tailwind'!"  

cait looked to her beautifly, pursed her painted lips, and just barely managed to come up with an idea within the span of a few seconds. 

"beautifly, 'stun spore'!" 

the pair executed their moves in response to the verbal command, with their speed being doubled as a result of the strong breeze being whipped up. the 'stun spore' was also positively effected by the winds as the spray of toxin sped toward the hardy pair. 

she had very nearly lost all focus once the gym leader referred to her as 'dear', stifling a quiet little titter as her face grew hot.

'focus,' she thought. 'just try your best and focus.'

cait was pleasantly surprised that her hastily put together plan had produced a positive outcome, the escavalier rendered temporarily immobilized. unfortunately, her butterfree would suffer a direct blow from the bisharp, 'tailwind' having failed to offer the necessary speed needed to deftly dodge the bipedal steel-type. 

'is she okay?' 

the butterfree required only a moment to effectively recover, having maintained a sloppy hover before righting herself and refocusing, her compound eyes flitting between her two potential targets. 

'okay, i'll just - ' 

"use - uh - mmm." 

'c'mon. think. think faster.' 

"butterfree, use 'giga drain' on bisharp! beautifly, use 'super sonic'!" 

"butterfree?" 

"beaut?" 

both pokemon remained stationary, cocking their heads to the side with bewildered expressions pinching at their rounded features. 

'oh.' 

the warmth that had previously warmed her cheeks now grew intensely hot as cait very quickly realized that she had somehow mismatched their respective move sets. 

"oh, gods. i can't believe - " 

"i'm so sorry, sir." 

the girl ran her hands through her mass of green curls in exasperation as he approached her whilst offering up that infectiously warm smile of his. 

"i don't mean to waste your time." 

'i guess i wasn't really ready for something like this.' 

visibly disheartened by her initial failure, she released a hefty sigh that made her weary state far more obvious. she was a terrible mixture of embarrassed and anxious; and it didn't help that she was doing this in front of someone whom she idolized. 

"i'm not a challenger," she said. "i don't care about a badge. i just really wanted to meet you. to see what right looked like."  

cait paused, attempting to calm herself down by taking a few deep breaths, a slight tremble present within her words. 

"i'm a fresh recruit for the league," she admitted. "before i joined i never really battled, you know? my butterfree and beautifly were basically just pets before all of this." 

she rubbed her face, her eyes stinging somewhat. 

"gods, i must look like an idiot right now. maybe i should go?" 

"potential?"

disbelief edged her tone, her frown having lessened but still remaining firmly in place as she stared at the man before averting her gaze. 

'he's probably just trying to be nice.' 

but despite this, she nodded, having situated herself comfortably at his side. she peered into the water, and was half-tempted to dip her hand into it. 

'it's been a while since i had enough free time to swim.' 

"butterfree - beautifly." 

she beckoned for her companions to come closer, the pair obeying the simple order and fluttering before her. they appeared to be concerned, having taken notice to her downtrodden mood; and cait couldn't help but smile fondly at them, reminded of the very first time they had met. they had been a gift for her eighteenth birthday, and she had been utterly delighted to have received the caterpie and wurmple. 

'my very first pokemon.' 

"i've got a long way to go," she said, her gaze shifting to look past her companions. "i'm just worried i won't have enough time to prepare for what's coming. rocket's at our door and what happened to kanto could just as easily happen to us if we aren't fully prepared." 

'gods, i sound sad. pathetic, even.' 

still, it felt so good to say it. she hadn't opened up like this for a good while, and she felt a weight gradually lift itself from her shoulders as a result. 

"i think that's why i want to be a little like you, if that makes any sense. you don't seem to be at all intimidated by all of what's happening." 

his promise to keep her safe left her feeling strangely uncertain. gods above, the young woman knew she wanted nothing more than to graciously accept his offer. something about his mere presence urged her to do so and play the part of the damsel in distress.

'it'd be so much easier to go down that path - but i can't just leech off of someone else. it wouldn't be right.' 

"thank you, sir."

she took a moment to shift her gaze and peer up at him, taking in his handsome features and his physique. both his physical attributes, his deep voice and his tone spoke of someone whom was meant to lead both men and women. 

'i wonder how much pressure he's under?' 

cait was aware that a leader's responsibility extended far beyond their gym. they were expected to lead and manage a plethora of underlings that looked to them for some form of guidance. and now that they were at war, there was likely far more pressure that had been placed upon the man's broad shoulders. 

"but i think others need you far more than i do." 

it was strange being so close to someone whom you idolized, especially one whom proved willing to offer you the attention you hadn't realized you wanted. no one had ever truly sought to offer her such a thing aside from her parents, and it caused something within the woman to flutter pleasantly. 

"why did you become a gym leader?" she asked. "and was it all worth it in the end?"