For those who enjoyed my first posted story, I'm sorry to say I'm going to be changing my focus to this one. The other story followed the same path we see others face all the time. They go through the league, learn a lot, and eventually come up short. We've seen it done time and time again. Then, as I was preparing my fourth chapter, I realized that there is so much that has yet to be explored in the Pokémon world. There is so much more than just taking on the Pokémon League.

So that's where Circuit comes in. It follows the protagonist as he and his trusty Pokémon go through Circuit battles in order to claim dominance and power. These tournaments pay a good amount of money and allows him to network and strive for his goal of starting a league in his own region (which is a made up one for the sake of the story). Of course there will be adventure and all of the things you love about the Pokémon universe, but I'm twisting reality a bit and bringing you into my world. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter One: A Different Kind of World

"I think - whether it's music, literature, sport, art, whatever you want - there's nobody who can stop us if we only apply ourselves with the singular objective of being the best in the world."

Enda Kenny

"And there it is, Blaze is activated!"

The crowd went wild upon seeing the flame on the flame pokemon's head erupt, increasing his Fire-Type moves by a considerable amount. With one fist on the ground and another over the white fur on his stomach, the infernape prepared to give it his all.

The infernape's trainer appeared to be a boy roughly seventeen years old. His clothing style closing resembled that of his infernape: a white t-shirt with golden swirls, brown pants, white shoes, and blue fingerless gloves. On his head was a cap that was orange and red, almost resembling fire.

"How will this exciting battle come to an end?" the announcer continued.

The infernape took a step forward, and steeled himself for what was to come. He wasn't alone. He never felt alone. Not with Solomon in his corner. The two of them had been inseparable ever since the day they met. They traveled Sinnoh together, challenging the gyms and trying to compete in the Sinnoh League.

They travelled to the Kanto Region, the Hoenn Region as well. They learned so much in their travels. But neither of them ever dreamt of doing more than that. Until Solomon had a new dream. The infernape shared his passion for it and accepted Solomon for who he was.

The two of them weren't the only ones with aspirations. They had goals, but so did everyone else. And one of those people stood before them now. Another boy, though he was a little younger. He wore a teal shirt and dark blue shorts. Standing before him was his gliscor.

"You can do this Natsu!" Solomon called out to his infernape. "The Sandstorm finally let up, so we can end this quickly!"

"Thanks to you using Toxic on yourself, you've completely healed. Finish this up with Guillotine!"

Biff shot forward, he looked just as fresh now as he did at the beginning of the battle. Natsu was covered in sand still and wasn't moving so well. He had taken some hits during the raging storm and ended up getting poisoned as well. His breathing was rough, but his intense stare showed that he wasn't ready to give in just yet.

"Use Acrobatics to dodge it and then use Fire Blast! Let's take advantage of Blaze!"

Just as Biff's claw was about to clamp onto Natsu, he flipped through the air, over Biff's head, and fired a torrent of fire that seemed to break off into multiple streams.

"Watch out!" Mathis cried out, but it was too late and Biff had taken the brunt of the attack. He winced in pain, but he was still going strong. Thanks to his Poison Heal ability, some of the damage from the blast started to heal already. "He's still dangerous, so let's get Sandstorm started back up!"

"Natsu-" — Solomon called out. Upon hearing his name, the infernape landed on the ground and charged forward. — "use Blaze Kick!"

Just as the Sandstorm started to pick up, Natsu flipped through the air once more and attempted to kick Biff on the top of his head. His leg hit nothing but air (and sand) and his attack crashed into the ground, picking up debris.

"Finish this with Sand Tomb!"

"Get away from-"

Natsu cried out in pain as the sand wrapped around him and started crushing his body. The tomb of sand let up and he dropped to the ground, his body limp. The raging Sandstorm let up to reveal Biff standing a little ways behind him. Solomon ran over to his fallen partner and lifted his head to place it on his lap.

"You did great, buddy. Go ahead and rest."

The crowd erupted in cheers. Biff and Mathis both raised up their arms in victory and then embraced each other happily. It hadn't been an easy victory for them, and based on Solomon's past with Mathis, he knew this was the first Circuit he had ever won.

Returning Natsu to his pokeball, Solomon made his way over the Mathis. "It was a great battle. We will have to pay you back next time."

The two of them shook hands and the crowd erupted again. The announcer had been drowned out for the most part, but his voice was finally gaining ground once more.

"Mathis has won this Circuit and will move on to the next stage! We look forward to seeing how well he competes with the other Circuit winners in the future!"

Although he was used to it, the hotel room was lonely. He had travelled with other trainers in the past, but they no longer saw eye to eye. They chose to continue taking on the various Pokemon Leagues around the world. They wanted more adventure than he did.

It was hard to explain to them that he wanted to get a Pokemon League started in his own region, Sceles. His dream was to simply be a gym leader or a member of the Elite Four, using Fighting-Type pokemon. Natsu would naturally be his ace.

His dream wasn't an easy one though. He needed money. Lots of money. And he needed more cooperation from the Pokemon Association. They didn't see any reason for a League in Seles, but he still fought for it. He originally had partners, others from Seles, but they eventually abandoned the idea.

Solomon tightly gripped Natsu's pokeball, staring at the fire engraving at the top of it intently. He had almost won today. It would have been his first Circuit victory since starting them. That was another thing he needed. Being someone well known would surely help his goal.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. He wasn't expecting it, so he he was caught off guard and almost fell from his bed. He quickly collected his composure and walked across the room and opened the door. "Can I help you?"

Standing there was a man that he recognized from the Circuit. His expensive suit and shiny dress shoes were all Solomon needed to see to know that this man was probably one of its sponsors. "I just wanted to let you know that I was impressed today, kid. Your opponent had an advantage over you the entire time and you never let up. You have real heart."

Solomon didn't want to sound rude, but he couldn't help but respond honestly. "I lost today. So heart really doesn't account for much. What exactly are you trying to do, anyway?

The man laughed. "I just don't want to see a talent, such as yourself, quit doing Circuits. I saw you were down, understandably so I might add, and I wanted to give you some encouragement. You and that infernape are quite the pair."

Solomon still didn't understand the visit, but he accepted what he was told. He was always cautious of people, but he was always willing to give them a chance and hear them out. He didn't want to show others that he didn't trust them, especially someone like this man who had the money and the power to help him achieve his goal.

"Natsu and I have no intention on quitting the Circuits. We need to keep competing until we are able to face the champion."

The man looked into the room for just a moment, but went back to staring into Solomon's eyes. He was clearly waiting to be invited in. "What if I told you that I could get you just that?"

Solomon considered his words, but having noticed the man acting strange decided that the conversation had reached its end. "I'm sorry, but we aren't ready for that. Natsu and I will earn our right to battle him, no need for shortcuts."

The man didn't react to any of it. For a moment, Solomon thought he may have offended the man. He felt perhaps this man was truly genuine and that he had missed a huge opportunity. "The proposition stands. I can see you're a little preoccupied, so we can continue this conversation later." The man walked away without a word.

Solomon watched him walk all the way to the end of the hall and turn down the direction of the elevators. He slammed the door shut and took in a deep breath. His heart was pounding and his stomach was churning. His body clearly felt something was off about that man, so he was happy to have ended the conversation so easily.

He learned long ago that some people were thugs, no matter what their social status was. For all he knew, the man wanted to come in and steal Natsu. It wouldn't be the first time someone has tried. It probably wouldn't be the last. The world wasn't so kind and because of his past experiences he was always alert and on guard around other people.

As he started to stand, there was another knock on the door. This one much lighter than the business man's knock. He didn't want to open the door this time. He wanted to just ignore whoever this was and just move on. Another knock, this time a little harder.

He slowly opened the door to see a familiar face. He then opened the door all the way. "Come on in," he said happily.

Mathis made his way in and the two of them sat on his bed. Mathis stared at the ground, twirling his fingers in the process. "Did the man in the suit visit you tonight?"

"Yes, he just left actually. What's wrong?"

"Well, there was something strange about him. He started offering me a battle with the Circuit champ and trying whatever he could to get me to trust him. At least it felt that way. Something wasn't genuine about the way he talked."

Solomon understood exactly how he felt. He had the same feeling about the man and didn't really know how to label him.

"I actually looked into him. He isn't a part of the Pokemon Association. Nor is he part of the staff of the Circuit. I just wanted to tell you to watch your back. I know you only travel with Natsu, so things could get dangerous for you."

"I appreciate the concern, but me and Natsu will be fine. I'm almost positive that he was just a thief. He lost his chance to steal from us, so he is going to move on."

Mathis' face went white. "I thought the same thing until I saw others following me. That's why I came to your room."

Solomon thought about it for a moment. "Maybe we should travel together for a little while. That way we can have each other's backs. I bet Natsu and Biff can take all of them on at once."

"I'm afraid that is incorrect," the voice of the man in the suit came from behind them. They both turned around to see him standing on the other side of the bed.

"How did you get in here!?" Solomon panicked, grabbing Natsu's pokeball.

Mathis didn't hesitate and had Biff's pokeball in hand as well. "Why are you following me? What is it you're after?"

The man in the suit started laughing hysterically. "Im not after anything."

There was pounding on the door. Both Solomon and Mathis jumped in surprise. Solomon made his way over to the door to see three other men in suit's standing there, waiting to get in. The man that was in the room started laughing hysterically again. When Solomon turned back to see him, he was gone.

"I only looked away for a second," Mathis proclaimed. "What is going on here!?"

Solomon looked through the peeping hole again and saw no one. He was drenched in sweat. His heart was racing. He knew Natsu wasn't rested enough to take on four trainers at once, and if he had to make a guess, he would say Biff wasn't either. "Maybe we should call the police."

More pounding on the door followed by hysterical laughter. Then a cold response. "Contact anyone and no one will ever find you again."

The two of them felt like caged animals. And given the threat, plus the ability for the man in the suit to just enter the room, they didn't dare contact anyone. Neither of them said another word. There was nothing they could say. They needed to wait long enough for Natsu and Biff to be recovered. Until then, they would have to accept whatever fate fell upon them.

As you can tell, this is a different kind of story and a different kind of world. But let me say this, there is nothing that is planned for this story. Everything I write will be from the top of my head. It kind of let's me get all of these silly, psychological, and horror based concepts out. So I ended this on a cliffhanger. I hope you enjoyed this, because I sure did.