At the mention of a battle, Jess perked up. Instantly she was afire. Zubat had been hers for only fifteen seconds, but already the duo was faced with a chance to show their mettle. First impressions were everything, after all. "Count me in!" she declared with a peppy smile, and she reached to to her cap to touch her new Pokemon. At first it recoiled from her touch, but when her finger landed between its ears and began to scratch, its mouth opened wide in a gesture of pleasure. "Whaddya say, little guy?", she crooned, and transitioned to rubbing its warm, fuzzy back with a thumb. "Think you're up for a fight?" The Zubat simply squeaked happily, distracted by its new trainer's petting. It released its grip on her hat and clung instead to Jess's palm, so she could scratch it with all four fingers at once. Jess sat back down at the table and continued, "Maybe I'' think up a proper name for you."

Her thoughts returned to battling, and for the first time she actually considered the prospect. What did trainers do in a battle? [i]They stand behind their Pokemon, and...and...uh...call out moves, yeah. What moves, though?[/i] Jess inclined her head to the Professor, never relenting the scratching of her joyful Zubat. "Mrs. Apple, uh, is there some sort of way I can find out my buddy's moves, abilities, that sort of thing? Some kinda index, maybe?"