AN: Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoyed the prologue, which is not going to be the same structure as the rest of this book. Before you continue reading, I want to make a couple of notes that aren't in the summary (or need to be expanded upon):

1. I have received a "heads-up" about a certain group of people who are going around and flaming stories that don't fit their personal head cannon. I don't have an issue with harsh reviews, so long as they bring valid criticism (even if displayed poorly). Flames will be promptly ignored.

2. This is a story that combines the world of Pokémon with Christian values; in fact, the God of the Bible is a big foundation of this story. If that offends you in some way, then this story isn't for you, and I hope you find another one to your liking.

3. The main character is not an exact replica of Gold/Ethan. It's more of my OC than anything. However, besides the first couple of Chapters, the main character will normally be addressed as Gold.

4. I can't promise a consistent schedule, as I have many other priorities to deal with first, such as college, but the goal will be at least once a month (hopefully more).

I think that's all I need to mention for now. Thank you for taking your time to read this. I hope you enjoy the adventures of the legendary guardians! Sincerely, MGC

Chapter 1

The New Normal; A Haunting Past

Two years have passed since that dreadful encounter. The trainer was now lying on his bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling of his room. Sunlight was peeking through the curtains of his window, creating golden rays that danced across his bed. The TV was on across the room, playing some pokémon battle between a random trainer and a member of the Elite Four over in the Sinnoh region. The noise seemed distant, despite being only a few yards from his bed.

The boy looked over at his mirror from his bed, and despised what he saw. His white skin had gotten paler from being inside for so long. His black hair was completely ruffled, despite just getting a hair cut recently. He couldn't see most of his pajamas, but he knew he was wearing a blue and white stripped shirt with black sweatpants. Despite not his favorite appearance, the child was grateful for how comforting his pajamas felt.

He glanced slowly over at his hat over on his desk. It was a black cap with a big golden stripe down the middle. He remembered wearing it backwards right before leaving New Bark Town on his journey two years ago; it made his mother laugh as the boy tried to convince them that wearing hats backwards was cool. It slowly brought a smile to his lips, but it disappeared as quickly as it came as the rest of that day played in his mind.

He also caught a glimpse of his clothes neatly washed and folded next to his hat. A red jacket with black wrists and a white collar, a black t-shirt, and black shorts were all stacked on top of each other next to his hat. His red and white shoes were on the floor next to his chair. The boy would give anything to be able to get up and put them on, but he knew that would never happen now. Tears came to his eyes as the pain of his lost dream came fresh at him once again, like a recurring rainstorm.

"Alex! Lyra's here, and she brought gifts!" the boy could here his mom calling from downstairs. Immediately, he snapped out of his thoughts and quickly dried his eyes, making sure he was done sniffing and his voice was steady before replying.

"Ok, Mom," Alex replied, trying to keep his voice as firm as possible, despite his breakdown just a moment ago. He momentarily heard footsteps before his best friend, Lyra, appeared at the top of the stairs. Lyra was wearing her usual attire: a red shirt with a white collar and blue shorts with suspenders. Her brown hair was partially hidden underneath her white bonnet tied up with a red ribbon, but Alex could still see her hair separate into two curls that went down to her shoulders. Her white leggings went way up past her knees, ending in a black horizontal stripe. He couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of jealousy at Lyra's more tanned skin due to her playing outside so much, but he shoved it down quickly. Her brown eyes were warm, and she smiled as she looked at her friend.

"How ya' doing, Alex?" Lyra asked, her voice bright and cheerful.

"Oh, you know…" Alex replied, gazing around the room for a second, before replying. "Just lying around." That got Lyra to giggle, which made Alex genuinely smile. His family and friends were the only thing keeping him up throughout the day.

"Are you up for some video games?" Lyra asked, holding up a controller; she must have brought her's over from her house.

"Maybe later," Alex shook his head, not in the mood to play anything, and quickly came up with an excuse. "This fight's getting intense."

Lyra turned to the TV, which was now playing a new challenger facing off against Bertha, the Ground-type specialist of Sinnoh League's Elite Four. The challenger was a lot more perky than previous contenders, and as the fight went on, it turned out the challenger used crazy but effective strategies, and in the end, won the match.

"Impressive, my boy," Bertha complimented. "You have proven both your strength and your love for your pokémon. But will you be able to take out the next two, I wonder?"

"You bet!" the challenger cheered, literally jumping around in joy before running up to his Empoleon and hugging him. "Way to go, buddy!"

"Empoleon!" the big-water type pokémon cried out triumphantly.

"We'll be back soon, after these commercials," the news reporter announced before the TV swapped to an advertisement about the PokéMart.

"That was…interesting…" Lyra sweat-dropped. "I don't think I have ever seen a trainer battle like that before."

"He did catch Bertha off guard," Alex pointed out, now actually intrigued by what he initially used to simply distract his friend. "His ideas were actually insane enough to work."

"…Oh! I nearly forgot!" Lyra exclaimed, before running back downstairs. Meanwhile, Alex was still laying in bed. He would love to get out and walk downstairs and follow Lyra to wherever she dashed off to, but he was unable to move his legs. When the creature hit him against the tree, his lower spine was broken, which paralyzed him from the waist down. Fortunately, the doctors were able to heal Alex to a point where he could sit up, but that was about it.

Soon, Lyra rushed up to Alex's room again, this time holding both a flute, and a gift-wrapped present.

"Hope you like your birthday gift!" Lyra cheered, before handing over the present. It was wrapped in sparkling red gift-wrapping paper. The box was the size of a handheld device, and Alex started to get excited. He had an idea of what it was, but he wanted to see it first before jumping to conclusions.

"Go ahead, open it!" Lyra encouraged him. Alex eagerly tore through the gift-wrap, and he couldn't hold in his glee when he saw the latest updated Pokégear now firmly in his hands.

"I thought you'd like it," Lyra giggled. "It also has the newest features similar to the Pokétch in the Sinnoh region, including a digital watch, berry finder, day care checker, stopwatch, alarm clock, counter, pedometer, and dowsing machine."

Alex was already flipping through all the different apps, trying out each different one.

"How did you get the money for this?" Alex wondered.

"That's why I have this!" Lyra showed her flute. "I've been playing tunes around the town, and I eventually got enough tips to afford it."

"What were you playing?"

"Just a tune my mother would play for me."

"Could I hear it?"
"Sure! I just hope I get the bridge right…"

"Wow," Alex breathed after Lyra finished her performance. "I would definitely pay for that!"

"Oh, stop it!" Lyra laughed. "You're making me blush!"

"But doesn't that song sound like it has lyrics?" Alex questioned.

"It does, but whenever I ask my mother about it, she says she forgot the words. She does remember something about 'oceans' and 'waves' though."

"Hm, well somebody has to know. Maybe the author will come visit town one day."

"Or we can go out and find them!"

Alex's bright expression immediately darkened, and his smile became much more somber. He looked down at his legs as they started this argument again. "Lyra, you know I'm not able to go anywhere."

"You don't know that!" Lyra protested. "They have recovery programs-"

"That we can't afford," Alex interrupted. "No matter how many tips you get; this town doesn't have enough money for half of the cost."

"Well there has to be something!" Lyra insisted, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Would you at least try going out on a wheelchair?"

"Again, that's expensive!" Alex countered. "Besides, I'd rather not head back out into that forest even more vulnerable."

"But you won't be as vulnerable! Cyndaquil has been training really hard for you, ready for you to go on your journey." That statement pierced Alex right through the heart. He and Cyndaquil had grown closer in the past two years, but despite all of Cyndaquil's training, Alex still decided against going out again, mostly because he had seen the state Cyndaquil was in after just one blow, and he decided he never wanted to see that again. He didn't care if he never fought in a single pokémon battle again; he'd rather be safe here.

…No, that's not true, Alex admitted to himself. There's nothing more I would want to do than battle, but there's no way that's possible for me now…at least, not yet…

"Alex, let's have a pokémon battle!" Lyra suddenly declared. Alex looked over at her incredulously, before laughing.

"Don't joke like that, Lyra," Alex sighed after a moment. "There's no way we could fight in here."

"Then let's go outside!" Lyra persisted. "You're going to have your first official battle today! I know there's nothing more you would want!"

Of course she knows me so well… Alex thought, wincing on the inside. How am I supposed to go outside, though?

"Ms. Sarah!" Lyra called down to Alex's mom.

"Is he ready?" the woman downstairs answered.

"I think so!" Lyra suddenly grabbed Alex and positioned him so he was sitting on the edge of the bed, despite his protests. He had been in this position before, but he never enjoyed it as much. His feet just dangled below him, unable to move according to his will. Suddenly, his mother came up the stairs, looking at Alex with hope flaring in her eyes. Before Alex could even ask what was going on, his mother came over and lifted him over her shoulders, giving him a piggyback ride.

"M-Mom!" Alex yelled, shouting as she brought him downstairs, and headed for the door.

"W-w-wait! Stop!" Alex screamed. Too late. The door opened, and for the first time in a long while, Alex came face to face with the outside world. The sun was blazing high in the sky, which was as blue as the sea, with no clouds in sight. The trees in the distance were swaying gently due to the spring wind, which helped with the bright sun and warm temperature. Closer to the boy was the entrance sign; he couldn't see the words from where he was, but he knew it said: "Welcome to New Bark Town!" Over to his left, Alex could see the river the town was next to; its waters were rippling in a calm manner. Alex could faintly remember swimming in those waters in previous years, before…

With a sudden snap of realization that he was outside, on the back of his mother, in front of all the pedestrians walking around, Alex's cheeks flushed in fury and embarrassment.

"Mom! You're embarrassing me!" Alex flared. His mother simply laughed as Lyra ran over to stand a ways away from the both of them.

"Okay, Alex, let's go!" Lyra called out. Some nearby people turned their way, and murmured their surprise at the scene developing in front of them. Lyra pulled out her pokéball, gripping it tightly before throwing it towards the field between her and Alex.

"Go, Marill!" Lyra called out as the pokéball landed on the ground. Suddenly, a blinding sky blue light flashed from the ball, soon forming into the shape of Lyra's pokémon, a Marill.

"Marill! Marill!" the pokémon cheered as it hopped up and down, her tiny arms and legs waving around wildly. Her round blue body made her look like a ball with two big ears was bouncing on the ground. From behind her small black tail swung back and forth, letting the blue ball at the end of it flailing wildly.

"Go ahead and call your Cyndaquil, Alex!" Sarah encouraged her son. Alex was still seething; he couldn't believe he was in this position, but now he had no choice. Once his mother had her mind set to something, she wouldn't stop until her goal was accomplished. Reluctantly, Alex pulled out Cyndaquil's pokéball from his pocket.

Sorry, buddy, Alex grimaced. Hope you're ready.

Pushing away his uncertainty, he hurled the pokéball towards the field. "Go, Cyndaquil!"

In a flash, his partner pokémon came out.

"Cynda! Quil!" the fire-type pokémon cried out, before looking around. Realizing the setting of a battlefield, the pokémon leaped into the air excitingly before turning towards Alex. Alex looked back with surprise and confusion at his pokémon.

"You see?" Sarah pointed out. "Cyndaquil's been waiting for you all this time. How can you say no to the fight?"

It's not like I could walk away if I wanted to. Alex retorted inwardly, but seeing Cyndaquil's happy expression did ignite a spark in his heart.

"You sure you're ready, Cyndaquil?" Alex asked warily. His partner gave a confident nod, much to the boy's surprise. Okay, I guess we're doing this!

"Battle start!" Alex's mom declared.

"You can move first, Alex!" Lyra offered.

"Okay!" Alex replied, pausing to determine which move to use.

Wait, what moves does Cyndaquil even know? He could have learned new ones since his training.

"Perhaps I can help."

A familiar voice called out to the boy. Alex turned to his right to see none other than Professor Elm himself walking towards the arena.

"Hi, Sarah, how are you doing?" Elm greeted Alex's mother. The woman smiled back.

"Oh, just helping out my son with his first battle," Sarah replied. Alex greeted the professor with a smile. It had been a while since he last saw Elm; he was usually cramped in his lab due to his work. He had made a breakthrough on pokémon eggs two years, but was stuck due to no one being able to deliver his work to Mr. Pokémon, who lived past the next town, which meant at least a day's travel through the wild. After the sudden attack on Alex two years ago, not even the adults of New Bark Town were willing to try their luck for a day. Since his incident, the police force did a search around the forest for the beast, but found nothing. Eventually, Professor Elm was able to deliver the research himself, but it slowed down his work significantly, leaving him to stay indoors and experiment when he wasn't traveling.

"A pleasure to see you up and about, Alex!" Elm said with a smile on his face.

"Thanks, Professor," Alex replied. "but I'm not sure what to do. I think Cyndaquil might have learned some new moves, and I don't know what they are."

"Ah, I see," Elm's eyebrows furrowed over, and he brought a hand up to grasp his chin. After holding that pose for a few seconds, the professor gave a wordless shout of exclamation and snapped his fingers.

"I've got it!" the professor shouted. "I'm going to give you one of these!" Reaching into his lab coat, Professor Elm pulled out a small, red rectangular device and handed it over to Alex. Keeping himself steady on top of his mother's shoulders, Alex leaned over to grab the device, careful not to drop the fragile-looking object. The boy quickly discovered the device could be flipped open, and after doing so, he instantly realized that he was looking at a newly-designed Pokédex.

"B-b-but Professor!" Alex stammered. "This is for-"

"Pokémon trainers." Professor Elm finished, both finishing Alex's sentence and answering the boy's question.

"I-I can't! I'm not a trainer!" Alex insisted. "I can't go out and travel the region. I can't go to gyms, I can't go to the League. I-I can't…"

"Alex," Elm started, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder before continuing. "if you'd only have a little more faith, I think you'd be surprised at what you can achieve. You can have a pokémon journey, can battle gyms, you can go to the league. You can win! And it starts now, with this first battle, which will forge a great path ahead of you filled with wonder, discovery, amazement, and love. Otherwise, you'll be stuck in your bed for the rest of your life, finding little to no purpose and accomplishment."

"…My bed's pretty comfortable," Alex mumbled.

"Alexander!" the boy's mother scolded before Elm raised a hand, dismissing the quip. Calming down a bit, Sarah sighed before resuming in a calmer manner. "Surely you can't be satisfied with just your bedroom. Your pokémon certainly isn't."

Again, Alex looked back at his partner, Cyndaquil, who gave an encouraging cry and erupted flames from his back. A feeling began to rise in Alex's heart; one he had thought was dead and would never return. One that revitalized his spirit, and gave him excitement for the future.

Hope.

Maybe they're right. Alex pondered. What if I actually can start now? He looked out at the two pokémon, now sitting as they waited for Alex to decide to continue or not. Well…no better time than now to find out.

Slowly, Alex turned on the pokédex, and took a picture of his partner, Cyndaquil. After a second, the Pokédex beeped and stated:

"Cyndaquil, the fire mouse pokémon. It is usually timid in nature, and always curls itself up in a ball. If attacked, it flares up its back for protection. Current moves are: Smokescreen, Ember, Quick Attack, and Flame Wheel."

"Wow!" Professor Elm exclaimed. "Your pokémon managed to get to level 19 all on its own. I'm impressed."

"Well, Cyndaquil certainly has had the motivation to train," Sarah replied.

"Wait, Cyndaquil…" Alex realized. "Were you training because you thought that if you were strong enough, you would protect me if we ever went on a journey?" The pokémon turned and gave a warm-hearted smile before nodding. "I…don't know what to say…"

"How about enough talking!" Alex's mother answer, fired up. "And have a pokémon battle!"

Alex gazed at the field in front of him. Both of the pokémon were on their feet, raring to go. Excitement poured through Alex's body, and suddenly, he couldn't wait to get started.

"All right, let's do this!" Alex cheered. "Ready, Lyra?"

"Of course!" Lyra yelled back from the other side of the field.

"Battle start!" both of them shouted.

"Cyndaquil, use Quick Attack!" Alex commanded. The fire mouse replied with a short cry before flaring up its back and charging at the Marill at blinding speed. Before anyone could utter a word, Cyndaquil had already rammed his opponent and sent it back several yards. Everyone was frozen in awe at the fire mouse's blinding speed for a split second as Marill tumbled backward.

Holy cow! Professor Elm thought in amazement. That's not the speed of a level 19 Cyndaquil! What in the world did that pokémon go through?

"Wow, that's fast!" Lyra cheered. "But this fight's just begun! Marill, use Water Gun!"

A super-effective move. She's not holding back, Alex pondered. Time seemed to slow down as he prepared himself; Marill was just beginning to charge her attack. Cyndaquil needs to dodge it. Marill had just started pouring water from her mouth. He's fast, so another Quick Attack could both dodge the attack and damage her Marill in the process.

"Cyndaquil, dodge with another Quick Attack!" Alex said just after Marill's attack started streaming through the air towards the fire mouse. Reacting quickly, Cyndaquil dashed right out of the Water Gun's pathway, and rammed into Marill once again.

"Great job, Alex!" Sarah complimented her son.

"You're a natural at fighting," Elm agreed. People had begun to circle around to view the battle.

"You guys are pretty good," Lyra complimented as Marill straightened herself out. "But we're nowhere near done. Ready, Marill?" Lyra's pokémon turned towards her trainer and gave a cry of approval before turning back and glaring at Cyndaquil, who was on all fours, the flames on his back burning even hotter. "Okay, then use Defense Curl!"

Marill curled itself up into a ball as best as it could, and Alex realized that by doing so, Marill's weak points were less visible.

Her defenses have increased! Alex he thought. Now Quick Attack won't do as much damage. We need a stronger move if we want a chance to beat her before she becomes too strong. But does Flame Wheel have enough attack? Hm…only one way to find out.

"Cyndaquil, use Flame Wheel!" Alex ordered. Cyndaqul nodded and began running towards Marill. Unlike the last two times, however, Cyndaquil also spewed out flames from his mouth, which engulfed the entire pokémon as he charged forwards. Then, Cyndaquil began rolling across the floor, creating the image of a flaming wheel.

"Isn't that not very effective, though?" Sarah questioned. "Marill's a water-type pokémon, so fire-type moves won't do as much damage as usual."

"That's true, but it's still stronger than Quick Attack," Elm assured. "Primarily due to the stab advantage."

"Stab?"

"Indeed. When a pokémon uses the same type of move as itself, then the move's power is boosted. Therefore, because Cyndaquil is using a fire-type move, and because he is a fire-type pokémon, the move's power is boosted. So, even though the move's damage will be halved because Marill's a water-type, the stab will still make it stronger than Quick Attack."

"Wow. That seems confusing," Alex stated after Elm's explanation. Meanwhile, Cyndaquil had landed a direct hit onto Marill, and sure enough, Marill seemed to have taken around the same amount of damage as before, despite the defense increase. However, Marill was still standing after the blow.

Whew. Alex thought. Despite three direct blows, Marill's still standing. She sure is strong.

"Use Defense Curl again!" Lyra shouted. Marill complied by rolling herself up even more. "One more time!" Marill did so again.

What's she up to? Alex wondered. How do I handle this situation? …It may be best now to do damage from afar.

"Cyndaquil, use Ember!" Alex commanded. Cyndaquil had made his way back to Alex's side of the field, and was now spewing tiny flames towards his opponent. Marill faced them head on; the flames barely did any damage. Meanwhile, Lyra was smirking, obviously ready to unleash her strategy.

"The time is now!" She suddenly cried. "Marill, use Rollout!" Already rolled up into a ball, Marill started speeding up towards Cyndaquil, who took the attack head on, but not well. Marill's attack sent the fire mouse flying into the air for a second, before landing back next to Alex and his mother.

"Keep using Rollout!" Lyra shouted. Marill turned around, still spinning around in a ball, and headed towards Cyndaquil again.

"Dodge it!" Alex cried, hoping that his partner could avoid it. However, the attack connected once more, sending Cyndaquil even further away. "Cyndaquil! No!"

Cynda…quil

With a gasp, Alex saw himself back in the black forest, his partner lying in front of him, bruised and beaten.

Rain pouring down.

Flashes of lightning.

Boom!

Red liquid seeping from his leg.

Sharp yellow eyes.

Crack!

AAAAAGGHH!
Ngh…help…

"Alex!"

Like snapping out of a dream, Alex saw himself back out in the sunny fields in front of his home. Cyndaquil had gotten up, and was looking at him worriedly. Alex realized that everyone was looking at him, and his hand was clutching his chest.

What…? Did I just…have a…?" Alex wondered as he heaved for a second, before able to calm down and breathe normally again.

"You all right, sweetie?" Alex's mom asked him, concern in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Alex replied, although his voice was shaky. "Can we continue?"

"As long as you're up for it," Sarah answered. "Ready to start again, Lyra?"

"Yeah! Get ready, Marill!" Lyra shouted, preparing her partner for round two.

"A little advice, Alex," Elm noted. "Marill's Rollout is doing increased damage due to her previous move: Defense Curl. Also, Rollout does more damage the more times it hits consecutively."

So Cyndaquil needs to dodge it in order for it to do less damage. Alex realized. "Thanks, Professor," Alex remarked, then focused on the battle. "Cyndaquil, use Smokescreen!"

In an instant, Cyndaquil poured out puffs of smoke from his mouth, causing the whole arena to become covered in a gray blanket.

"Marill's Rollout won't hit anything in that," Alex grinned.

"Marill, use Water Gun!" Lyra ordered. A blast of water could be seen exiting from the smoke, but besides that, no damage seemed to have been done.

I wonder if Cyndaquil trained to attack in the dark… Alex pondered for a moment. Well, if we were attacked in the dark, maybe Cyndaquil trained for that scenario. Only one way to find out.

"Cyndaquil, Flame Wheel!" Alex cried out. Silence rang throughout the battlefield as the smoke continued to block all vision. In a few seconds, a cry emitted from within, and Alex knew that Cyndaquil's attack had connected with its target.

"Marill, shoot your Water Gun everywhere!" Lyra cried out in a panic. Streams of water began exiting the cloud of smoke, but none could hit Cyndaquil. Eventually, the smoke cleared, and both trainers could see their pokémon. Marill was panting heavily, bruises scattered across her body, while Cyndaquil had a couple of bruises as well, but was breathing much easier. Both were smirking at each other, eager to win this battle and prove themselves to their trainers.

I should try to end this quickly. Alex decided. I just hope a Quick Attack is enough.

"Cyndaquil, use Quick Attack, and give it all you've got!" Alex shouted out.

"Marill, use Aqua Jet!" Lyra cried out. Marill gave out a battle cry as it enveloped itself in water, before launching herself at Cyndaquil in a jet stream of water.

"Uh-oh," Elm murmured. "Those are both priority moves, but Marill's will do extra damage. Whoever's attack hits first will likely decide this match."

Both pokémon were charging at each other, determination in their eyes, and each step stronger than the last.

I believe in you, Cyndaquil, Alex clenched his fists, hoping desperately that his pokémon would come out on top. Glancing at his Cyndaquil charging forward, he saw a flashback to when Cyndaquil lunged at the beast in the forest. Shaking his head, Alex tried to ignore the panic rising in his chest. This will be different…I know it will.

Finally, after what seemed like hours had passed, the two attacks connected, sending a small shockwave across half the field. Both pokémon were butting heads, until Marill finally pushed hard enough to send Cyndaquil up into the air. Cyndaquil was stunned as he flew through the air, but he quickly recovered, and continued his Quick Attack. To everyone's surprise, Cyndaquil then dove straight towards Marill, gravity making him move even faster, and with Marill's attack already done, the aqua mouse was wide open. In the blink of an eye, Cyndaquil nailed Marill right on the head, causing her to fall to the ground, fainted. Cyndaquil then lands on the ground, still standing proudly.

"Cyndaquiiiiil!" the fire mouse pokémon cried out triumphantly, ever proud of his first trainer battle being a win. People began clapping as they saw the battle draw to a close. Lyra gave a small sigh before smiling and walking to her pokémon.

"You did a good job, Marill," Lyra encouraged her pokémon, who smiled weakly up at her. "Thank you for an awesome and fun battle. What do you think, Alex? Not bad for a first bat-Alex?!"

"Cyn-ngh-cyndaquil!"

Fainted.

"You…need to get…out of here…please…"

Cry of protest.

Darkness of the forest.

Snap!

AAAAGGGGHHH!

Grrr…

Shnk!

"Ngh…help…"

Can't breathe…I-I can't… Alex couldn't think. Pain was seizing his chest, darkness surrounded his mind, and he started to lose feeling in his arms. He felt like he was drowning, gasping for air so his body could be satisfied. However, nothing helped with the stabbing pain in his chest, and soon enough, Alex couldn't feel anything else but the pain…

Slowly, Alex opened his eyes, a red glow surrounding his room. He soon figured out that he was in his bed, and Lyra was sitting by his side, worry flashing in her eyes.

"You're awake!" Lyra gasped with relief, quickly giving her friend a brief hug before turning towards the stairs of his room. "He's awake!"

"Okay! I'll be up there shortly" Alex could hear his mother answer back up from downstairs.

"You okay?" Lyra asked gently. Alex didn't know how to answer. The last thing he remembered was collapsing while having his first battle with Cyndaquil against Lyra. He didn't even know if he and Cyndaquil had won.

"Ugh…what happened?" Alex decided to reply with. He needed to know why he couldn't remember most of the day.

"You won the battle!" Lyra mentioned with excitement. "But just as it had finished, you fell off your mom's back. She…she carried you back here, where you've been asleep for the rest of today."

"Why…why did I pass out?"

"According to Professor Elm, you had a panic attack."

Alex froze for a second, before trying to relax his nerves and act confusingly.

"What's a panic attack?"

"I'm not sure myself, but-"

"Lyra, dear," Alex could hear his mother at the top of the stairs. "Can you give us a moment."

"Oh, okay," Lyra replied, and Alex could hear the disappointment in her voice.

"Thanks…for the pokémon battle," Alex said, still feeling a little weak. That made Lyra brighten up a bit. She simply smiled and nodded before leaving the room. Alex's mom made sure that Lyra was far enough away before turning back to Alex. She sat down on the side, and took a deep breath before starting to talk.

"I talked with Professor Elm about what happened," she began. "He believes you had what's known as a panic attack. It's a very confusing topic, but he believes it may have to do with what happened to you two years ago."

Alex grimaced; he really didn't want to talk about this, but there was no way he could dismiss it now.

"How does that work?" the boy asked, trying to keep his voice from straining.

"Panic attacks can be triggered due to immensely stressful events. Seeing Cyndaquil hurt like it was back against that beast may have triggered it now." She gave a pause to let Alex understand the situation before continuing, and her soft gaze hardened slightly. Her voice took a sudden suspicious tone: "After some research, I found out people who can receive these frequently may be scared of going outside…Alex, have you experienced these panic attacks before?"

Alex didn't answer, now suddenly terrified that his mother figured out what he was hiding. Knowing that his silence was enough, Sarah gave a sigh.

"Alex, you could have told me," she comforted. "What, did you think I was going to hate you?"

"…no," Alex mumbled, turning away from his mother. "I…I didn't want to say anything because…" he could feel his voice quivering as tears started to go down his face. There was no point in hiding his fears now; his dreams were shattered. "…because I thought i-if you knew, then I'd never be able to go on a journey, because it's too dangerous, right?" Sarah's eyes flew wide. "That's what you and the professor were talking about, right? Whether it would be safe enough or not for me to go?" His mother didn't reply, but Alex knew that her silence was enough.

I thought there would be a chance…Alex thought bitterly. But because of these attacks, I knew that if anyone ever found out, I'd have to stay in the town forever.

"I see…" Sarah realized. "You weren't objecting to the battle because you didn't want to have one. You didn't think you were ready for a battle just yet…"

Silence was shared between the two for a few minutes before Sarah reached over and patted Alex on the head.

"Everything's going to be okay, sweetie," Sarah comforted. Alex just rolled over in his bed (to his best ability), facing away from his mother and towards the wall. After another minute of silence, Sarah leaned over and kissed her son on the back of his head, before getting up and walking back downstairs.

After she left, Alex let his emotions go. Tears fell uncontrollably down his face, and sobs escaped from his mouth.

It's over. I'll never be a pokémon trainer…