Author's note: Here's the second chapter. Oh, do note that the battle scenes I write are based on the manga's principles, not the anime. They're more realistic and logical this way.

Chapter 2 – Dragon Warrior

While he was travelling on his own at the age of ten, he passed through the Meteor Falls, near Fallarbor Town, and came across a powerful Dragon Tamer named Nicolas, who offered to further train him after seeing his battling style. Young and vain at the time, he rejected the offer. He eventually took on the Pokémon League challenge, but lost to the last of the Elite Four, the Dragon Master, Drake, who told him that he was too proud. He tried returning to Meteor Falls, to seek Nicolas's help, but he was the one who got rejected this time, though was told to prove his worth to earn the apprenticeship.

-3rd April 2006-

Brendan was at home in Littleroot Town, still in bed, sleeping soundly. Suddenly, a loud howl filled his ears, which caused him to wake up abruptly. Turning his head to the side of his bed, he found his father, grinning widely, and his Poochyena, nicknamed Chase, looking at him. He checked the clock on his wall and barely saw, in the dark, that it was 4 am in the morning.

"Dad..." he started to groan.

"Morning, son! Hurry up and get ready, because we're going to see what wild Poochyena do at this time of the day today!" he said loudly. Before leaving the room, he also said, "Isn't it exciting?"

Brendan was sure he said that last sentence to annoy him, so he rolled his eyes. He let his head fall back onto his pillow and covered his entire head with his blanket. As soon as he did that, he felt a sharp pain on his foot. He lowered his blanket from his face quickly and looked to see Chase chomping on his left foot. It looked back at him with eyes that said, "Get up or I'll bite harder."

He sighed. "Fine... I'll get up now."

The black and gray puppy-like Pokémon released his foot and let out a small yip of approval. Brendan sat up, yawned loudly and stretched his arms. On the way to the door, he grabbed his towel that was hanging from a chair, placed it around his neck and went to the bathroom to freshen up. Once he was done, he went inside his room to change. He wore a clean set of his usual black and red Trainer outfit. He checked his reflection in the mirror in his room and simply brushed his hair back with his hand, before putting on his headband.

When he opened the door, he found Chase sitting loyally outside, obviously waiting for him. When it saw him, it got up to its feet and wagged its tail, lolling its tongue out. It barked once at him and bounded off downstairs and outside the house, expecting him to follow. Brendan did, and he was led to the front of the lab, where his father was, waiting in his jeep that he used to drive recklessly with. Today was the first day he became his father's own personal assistant since he returned from the Pokémon League. He figured that he would take a short break from battling and help his father in his research for a while, thinking about his next step in life at the same time.

"Hop in, Brendan! We'll take the jeep first, and then we're going to have to walk on foot at some point," he said.

Brendan lifted Chase up and placed it at the back of the jeep, where it likes to be, before getting onto the jeep. As he closed the jeep's door, he could not help but wonder if his dad was going to be the cause of some accident later, and hoped that he would not.

"Okay, Dad. I'm ready. Let's go," he said, and the ever-excited Chase barked, copying him.

Professor Birch already had the engine running earlier, so he switched the jeep's gear higher and drove towards the wilderness of Route 101. Brendan was told that they would head for higher grounds, near a certain cliff, where the pack of Poochyena they were supposed to research were expected to be found. He could clearly see a hiking trail for travelers who walk on foot and a marked path for vehicles such as his dad's jeep to traverse upon.

After about half an hour's drive, the Professor stopped the jeep and turned off its engine. He placed his index finger on his lips, telling Brendan to be quiet. Very carefully and silently, they hopped out of their vehicle. Professor Birch had brought a briefcase with them, full of research papers and observation notes. Brendan was given his own kit, so that he could jot down information to be recorded in the laboratory's computer by Joshua, the lab assistant, later. Chase intelligently followed with light steps.

They walked, and occasionally hid behind bushes and trees until a flat, earthy clearing ending with a cliff at the end came into sight. Not only that, there were three adolescent Poochyena sleeping in the middle of the clearing. The early morning sunlight shone dimly over their grey and black fur, creating a beautiful glossy look. Brendan found it exciting, watching the beauty of nature that surrounded him, simply observing out of curiosity.

Whenever the pack moves out, they would attempt to follow them unnoticed. Brendan was surprised that the whole job was more tiring that it looks. They had to travel on foot quite a lot, swiftly but silently, which took much effort, and sometimes had to climb up very tall trees to hide or get their bearings. Despite so, he liked the little adventure with his father and Chase. He could already tell that he was going to enjoy helping his father out.

-15th April 2006-

Brendan had now become quite accustomed to performing the Professor's researches, and was often exhilarated when his father told him to go out in the wild, even if the location is just too near to his house. He loved being in the trees, with his shirt off, feeling the breeze of the wind and smelling the earthy smell of the outdoors, which seemed to help him forget about his loss at the Pokémon League and his rejection with Nicolas. His hurt pride had seemed to heal little by little with time.

One day, he had just finished noting down the location of a flock of Taillow and Swellow, and so jumped down from the tree he was in, to run back to the lab and tell his father. He did not see the girl walking on the ground and ended up landing right in front of her, shocking her out of her wits. When he did notice her, though, he could not help but let out a laugh before holding out a helping hand to her.

"Hey, missy! Sorry I scared you like that. I was just getting down from this tree here because I was done with my observation for today already. And now I've got to get back to the lab."

That was the first thing he said to her; May, the daughter of the famous Gym Leader of Petalburg City. They introduced themselves to each other and walked to the Pokémon lab together, because both of them were headed the same place. It turned out that they were supposed to have met earlier, what with their fathers being good friends and all, but since Brendan set out on his journey as a Pokémon Trainer earlier than May, being a year older than her, they never had the chance to meet.

They quickly became friends and started to spend more time with each other. May often came by to Littleroot Town, as she would only stay at home if she had stayed in Petalburg City. She would get pestered by her fans if she was out and about the city. Being with Brendan was always fun and exciting, as he liked to take her out to the woods with their Pokémon, or it was fun even if they simply took a walk around Littleroot. Brendan told her many stories that happened during his adventure as a lone Trainer.

-1st June 2006-

One day, the two decided to go into the forest again, as it was becoming their routine. They were laughing merrily as they headed towards one big tree that became their usual place to hang out.

"Really? Is that what the man did? That's silly of him!" May said, still giggling.

"I know! My Pokémon and I just couldn't stop laughing," Brendan said, who also chuckled.

At the base of the tree were its large roots that protruded through the hard earth in some parts. Brendan stepped on it and grabbed onto the lowest branch he could reach, hoisting himself up. Then, he reached his hand down, to help May up. They climbed up to one more thick and strong branch above them. They sat next to each other, letting their feet dangle down, and looked out to the other trees in the forest.

"May..." Brendan began, breaking the silence. "This morning, I checked my mailbox and found an invitation from the owner of the Battle Frontier facilities, Scott."

May turned to look at him with her pair of beautiful sapphire-blue eyes.

"He's inviting you to Kanto?" she asked slowly, before going completely quiet. Both of them did not say anything, but she then spoke up again after a while, "When are you leaving?"

Brendan shifted in his position. "Umm... As soon as possible, actually. Maybe... tomorrow."

May lowered her head. "Tomorrow...? Are you sure you have to leave so soon? Have you thought about it?"

"Yes, I have. I'm very sure I know what I want. I need to get stronger, May. I have a goal to achieve..." he told her. "I've been astray from my training for a while now. It's time I get back on track. You understand, right?"

"Yeah, I do... I haven't thought about it that way..." she realized. "I'm sorry; I should've supported your decision. It's what you should do, after all," she finally said with a small smile.

Brendan gave her a sideways hug, surprising her, and said, "Don't fret. I'll be back. We'll meet again someday. I promise."

May closed her eyes and enjoyed the warm feeling of Brendan's hug, assured by his promising words.

The next day, May and her parents had come to Littleroot Town in the morning, to see Brendan off to Kanto. Both their families were outside Brendan's house. Brendan's parents kept hugging him over and over, while giving him advices, especially his mother. Even Chase kept yapping at his feet.

Norman gave him a pat on the back and said, "Think carefully and wisely as you plan your strategies. The Battle Frontier is a tough challenge that requires you to fully trust yourself and your partners."

"Thanks, sir. I'll remember to do that," Brendan replied with a smile.

He then turned to May, who looked gloomy. He placed his hands on her shoulders and she looked up into his eyes.

"You'll be back...?" she asked in a voice so low, it sounded like whispering.

"I'll be back," he said firmly and hugged her again.

-29thJuly 2007-

"Arcanine! Summon your most powerful Fire Blast!" Brendan shouted, despite feeling greatly fatigued.

The Arcanine skidded to a stop and opened its mouth wide. The Regice under Pyramid King Brandon's command was advancing towards Arcanine as it did so. Arcanine's pupils glowed orange and a fiery aura engulfed its whole body. Regice raised both its ice prism-shaped arms, preparing to use a Hammer Arm attack on the flaming-bodied Arcanine. Just before Regice managed to land the attack, Arcanine's fire aura burst out into five directions, shooting out in large streams of flame.

The whole arena of the Battle Pyramid's top level was suddenly heated to an extreme point. Both Trainers shielded their faces with their arms but it turns out that they were not in the way of the flames; narrowly missing them by standing exactly in the gaps that were formed by the five-directional fire. Billows of thick grey smoke and the cries of both Arcanine and Regice filled the arena.

"Arcanine!" Brendan called out worriedly.

He was just about to run towards the center of the arena, where the two Pokémon were battling, to check up on his partner, but the wiser Frontier Brain Brandon stopped him.

"Don't! Stay where you are! There's no telling what could happen with this thick smoke around!" he yelled, then coughed several times.

After what seemed forever, due to the tension and suspense in the air, the smoke finally cleared out. Brendan strained his eyes to see his prized Arcanine still standing proudly in the middle of the arena, though panting heavily. Regice had not managed to hit Arcanine with Hammer Arm, but instead had received the worst of the Fire Blast and had fallen.

Brendan posed triumphantly and gleefully called out, "Yes!"

The Pyramid King looked calm and in control of himself. Regice was slowly rising again. Once it was back on its cone-like feet, it moved forwards, in a motion that seemed like skating, heading for Arcanine.

"No, not yet," he said.

Brendan was still smiling. "No, of course not," he said and pointed a finger at the Iceberg Pokémon.

It had not melted or showed any signs of it, but deep-black charred marks were all over its ancient ice body. Brendan was pointing at its 'face'; the seven yellow dots that formed a cross. Two of the dots were blackened by Arcanine's strong Fire Blast, altering the pattern.

"What? No way!" Brandon remarked, obviously shocked.

The 16-year-old Trainer uttered his command, "Arcanine, Take Down."

Arcanine barked once and charged towards Regice, who was weakened due to the pattern on its face being altered. It took the hit directly and was thrown backwards into the wall of the Pyramid. The yellow dots stopped glowing, indicating that it had been defeated.

The referee of the match, Samuel, announced, "Brendan, the young challenger has won!"

Brandon looked at his Regice, and then at his challenger. He closed his eyes and nodded in approval. "Grand victory, it was, young adventurer. Congratulations, you are worthy of this Brave Symbol, thus completing your Battle Frontier challenge," he said with a smile.

Brendan went to accept the little badge-like symbol and fitted it in his Frontier Pass. It was the seventh and last of the Symbols that could be earned. Brendan clenched the Frontier Pass in his hand tightly.

"Thank you..." he said to Brandon. "I've learned a lot with each of the battles that I had here. They're all definitely memorable. I believe I could move on to reaching my goal again now."

"You're a brave one, young Brendan. I wish you luck in your upcoming challenges in life!"

Brendan nodded and turned to leave. "I can go back to Hoenn, now..." he whispered to himself.

-3rd August 2007-

He was leaning his arms against the metal railings on the upper deck of the S.S. Tidal, feeling the cold, biting wind that slapped him across the face. Even though it was bitterly cold outside, Brendan went up to the deck because the hall of the ferry was just too full of noisy people. He was trying to decide whether to see Nicolas yet or not. He admitted that he had grown tremendously in power, but he wondered if his skills now were enough to convince Nicolas of his worth to becoming his apprentice.

"No... I'll give him a greater proof of worthiness. I'll risk it all and return to the Pokémon League," he decided. "This time, though, I'm going to win against that old man Drake!"

He clenched his fists tightly. Just as he did so, the S.S. Tidal began slowing down, and he could finally see the port to Littleroot Town, along with several buildings on land. He began to smile again and his mind was filled with thoughts of home. He ran down the deck and back into his own cabin. It was in a sort of a mess, so he picked up all of his clothes and items and stuffed them into his backpack. He checked everywhere, just in case he forgot anything, and then he heard the sound of the ferry's bell. They had stopped and finally arrived.

He, along with a small group of people who had wanted to stop in Littleroot lined up and got off the water vehicle at the small port. Excited, he ran towards his house immediately, shouting his thanks to Captain Briney as he did so.

He knocked on the door and it was his mother who answered it. She was so delighted to see her son again; she hugged him so tight he could hardly breathe.

"Mom! You're choking me!" he wheezed, trying to laugh.

She let him go quickly. "Oh, I'm sorry, Brendan, dear! I'm just so happy to see you! What a surprise, this is!" she said.

"You know me; I'm full of surprises!" he said. "I've conquered all the facilities of the Battle Frontier in Kanto! And now I'm home, just in time before the Ever Grande Conference could begin, too!"

"Oh? Are you planning to..." his mother began.

"Yep! I'm going to give it another go!" he announced proudly.

His mother, though, was not too excited about it. She hid her slight disapproval by putting on a fake smile on her face, saying, "That's nice, son."

Hoenn's Ever Grande Conference was to be held in a week, and Brendan took that time to rest, mostly doing nothing but lounged around the house or walked in the forest with his Pokémon. He had a lot of his mind; thinking up strategies to use in the League. He already knew what to do. He only wanted to organize his thoughts.

"I have to start being wary of things from now on..." he told himself. He was intent on keeping his composure right when battling this time. He was not going to act rashly and proudly anymore.

During the whole week, his parents decided to leave him alone to his own affairs, so they did not talk much, even at home. His father is always busy, anyway, and his mother seemed to let Brendan do his own thing, without asking too much this time. It was probably because they understood how meaningful Brendan's loss during his last League challenge was to him, and did not want to distract him now, knowing that he's taking the challenge yet again.

-10th August 2007-

The first day of the tournament finally arrived, and Brendan was already in Ever Grande City. He had just finished signing up for it at the main counter. He ignored the stares of other Trainers, who recognized him as the previous League challenger who lost to the last of the Elite Four.

"I'll win against him this time," he thought to himself.

He passed the qualifying, preliminary and final rounds with ease, making full use of his newfound strength and knowledge that he earned in Kanto. He was extremely confident in himself and his Pokémon, but controlled his pride, determined not to let it take over him again. So, he won the tournament and became the one Trainer who was exclusively invited to challenge the Elite Four. He already knew the process, as he had been through it before. He accepted the invitation immediately.

He won against the first three of the Elite Four, just like before, but not without careful planning of strategies. He had realized that even if he made one small mistake, it could change the whole flow of a battle. He, after all, had set his mind to ultimately defeat Drake.

-19th August 2007-

They were in a semi-closed stadium with crimson flooring, where, in the center of the spacious arena, a large Poké Ball design was situated. Lots of spotlights lined the whole room, lighting the space brightly. It seemed that the arena was built over a large pool of purple acid, with big, menacing spikes protruding out of it all over. There were two openings on either sides of the stadium floor, so that one could see the deadly threat down below. The audience to the Pokémon League's Elite Four challenge was to witness the whole battle behind a protective barrier that surrounded the whole stadium.

Brendan was told by the officials that ever since his first Elite Four challenge, a batch of special guests was invited to watch his battles. If he was to win the final showdown, he would finally be able to meet the special guests and enjoy an exclusive victory celebration with them. He lost the last time, so he was never given the honor to meet them.

As he stood in the middle of the Poké Ball ring, facing Drake, he thought in his mind, "I won't disappoint my special guests anymore. I'll give them an impressive battle, since that's what they want from me."

The referee stood between them, and instructed them to shake hands; an official procedure that was to symbolize both Trainers' pledge to loyalty to the rules.

"So, Brendan, my boy, we meet again," Drake spoke to him as they gripped each other's hands. "I do hope you are prepared this time. Have you and your Pokémon grown stronger?"

"We'll answer that by just showing you," Brendan replied.

They let go when the referee nodded, and they stepped back. The referee raised a flag and swung it down as he blew on a whistle, indicating the start of the battle. Both Drake and Brendan flung out one of their Poké Balls, jumping backwards as they did so.

"Swampert, start by summoning Hail!" Brendan ordered quickly.

Swampert raised both its strong arms and started to call out to the sky in a strange noise. The clouds, partly visible from the half-closed ceilings of the stadium, began to turn dark and spout lumps of ice. Even though the hail only swirled in the center of the arena, affecting only within a minimum of a few meters in radius, both Trainers could already feel the slight chill in the air, and shivered.

"Shelgon, Protect yourself!" Drake quickly reacted.

A light green sphere-shaped barrier formed and surrounded Drake's Shelgon, leaving it unharmed by the fast-falling ice balls. The hailstones simply bounced off Protect's barrier.

"Using type-advantage moves, are you? Clever," Drake retorted. "But your little Hail won't penetrate my Shelgon's Protect."

"Hmph, that's what you say," Brendan replied. "Quickly, Swampert! Blizzard!"

Swampert now swung its blue arms forwards, pointing at Shelgon, who was still snugly protected under the light green barrier. The same clouds that produced the Hail attack transformed into a more vicious appearance and whipped up a harsh storm of ice. The blizzard tore open the stadium's roof and entered the arena with full might. It was directed and revolved around Shelgon alone, who looked unfazed by Swampert's attempt to hit it with ice-cold attacks.

Suddenly, as it was about to gloat, a large crack formed on its protective barrier. This surprised both Drake and Shelgon.

"Impossible..." Drake uttered slowly.

Just then, Shelgon's Protect move shattered and failed to block Swampert's Blizzard attack. A blast of cold wind, ice and snow struck Shelgon in full force, knocking it out of its consciousness. He waited for the blizzard to subside and then the official referee went to the middle of the arena, announcing Shelgon's unavailability to battle. Drake returned it to its Poké Ball and looked at Brendan at the other end of the arena.

"That was a lucky hit, really. Blizzard has a 30% chance of breaking through a Protect with Hail in play," Brendan explained with a smile.

"You're not going to achieve such a coincidental strike anymore this time, boy! Come, Altaria!"

Drake's Altaria was summoned out of its Poké Ball and it stood on the ground gracefully, fluffing out its cottony wings. Then, it began to waddle from side to side and around in a circular formation, over and over, seeming to dance.

"That's the Dragon Dance..." Brendan whispered in realization. "Swampert, return for now! Shiftry, your turn!" he called out. "Pound it hard!"

Swampert slowly retreated out of the arena's compound and allowed Shiftry, who had been called out of its Poké Ball, to take over the current battle. As soon as it was out, it ran straight towards the dancing Altaria with a raised leafy hand. Once it was closed enough, it struck the Altaria hard in the face. The bird-like Pokémon got up again and growled at it.

"Fury Attack!" Drake commanded.

Altaria glided towards Shifty and began to peck on its body repeatedly, in quick, successive moves. As it ended the assault, Shiftry looked up to show its confident face to Altaria, who began to look pale and weakened.

"Good one, Shiftry! That was Toxic!" Brendan praised his partner. "You know what to do now," he added softly.

While the two were in contact, Shiftry had secretly left a toxic liquid onto Altaria's body, weakening it greatly.

"That's fine," Drake said calmly. "My Altaria can handle this easily. Use Refresh!"

Hearing its Trainer's command, the Altaria closed its eyes and its body emitted a greenish glow for a couple of seconds. When it opened its eyes again, it had completely healed from its badly poisoned state.

"Shiftry, move in and land a Cut!"

Shiftry rushed towards Altaria again, preparing to slice it with its razor sharp leaf. Before it could reach its opponent, though, Altaria opened its beak and started singing beautifully. The enchanting melody rang throughout the stadium and entered Shiftry's ears. Immediately, it stopped moving and its eyes began to droop down. Finally, it fell down on the floor, fast asleep.

"Altaria, prepare your Sky Attack!"

Altaria flapped its wings in response and stretched out its long neck to seek out Shiftry's main point of weakness. While it was searching, Shiftry suddenly woke up, due to its Early Bird ability. Realizing Altaria's preparation, it quickly rolled up into a ball of shaggy white hair that had the appearance of a big mass of tangling spider web. Despite Shiftry's conservational action, Altaria had already found its point of weakness. It took off into the air and flew around the stadium for a while, beginning to be engulfed in red flames, before turning sharply and dived down towards the hunched down Shiftry.

Altaria hit Shiftry hard with its beak and wings, hoping to completely defeat it. Shiftry remained still and unmoving. The referee had begun to approach Shiftry, to confirm if it had lost consciousness, when all of a sudden, Shiftry stirred slightly. The referee noticed it and quickly backed away again, which was a smart move because he barely managed to avoid Shiftry's oncoming attack.

"Unleash your Bide attack now!" Brendan yelled.

Shiftry rose in a quick motion, swung its arms up and created a blast of air using its leafy fans, directing it towards Altaria, calling out an eerie cackling noise at the same time. Altaria was caught in the attack and fell backwards due to the strong force of the wind. That was not enough to defeat it, though it was heavily weakened. In fact, both Pokémon were already in their worst conditions, struggling to stay in the battle. Shiftry staggered down on its knees after unleashing its powerful attack.

"Last one... Aerial Ace," Drake said to his Altaria.

With a soft hum, it disappears in a flash of a second, and appears again behind the tired Shiftry, slamming hard into it. Shiftry finally fainted on the floor and the referee announced its loss. Brendan called it back inside its Poké Ball.

"It's okay, Shiftry. You've done enough," Brendan said to it kindly. He took out another one of his Poké Balls and summoned his third Pokémon. "Aggron, get ready to battle!"

The Iron Armor Pokémon gave out a proud roar in reply. It lifted its heavy legs and started to run towards Altaria, who was vulnerable and weak on the ground. Aggron rammed into it with its steel head, knocking it out, and Drake was forced to use his third and last Pokémon, Salamence, also his powerhouse.

"You don't stand a chance now," said Drake.

Aggron stiffened up for a while when it saw Salamence in front of it. The same one had been its opponent the last time, and it lost to the big Dragon Pokémon. It felt intimidated by it and took a step back.

Brendan cheered for it and urged it to go on, calling out, "Aggron! Please don't back out now! You can do this! You have friends to back you up! Shiftry, Swampert and I will be rooting for you! We know you can do it!"

Swampert, who had been watching the battle next to Brendan all this while, nodded and flung its arms around, cheering for Aggron, as well. Aggron looked at them and felt a surge of newfound strength in it. It turned to face Salamence again and growled menacingly.

"Interesting... Such a strong bond," Drake noted. "Very well, Salamence, use Dragon Claw."

"Use your own Dragon Claw, Aggron!"

Both Pokémon's claws glowed white and were locked against each other's when they hit. They struggled to push their claws towards their opponent. After a long tense moment, the two of them skidded backwards, failing to land a hit on either one.

"Hm, I see. Use Flamethrower then," ordered Drake.

Salamence opened its mouth and a stream of fire shot out of it. Aggron, too slow to evade it, was hit and sustained a good deal of damage.

"Iron Tail!" Brendan told his Aggron.

Aggron rushed towards Salamence, with a steely shine covering its tail, and pounded it with the hardened tail.

"Ram into it with Headbutt!"

Salamence lowered its head. Aggron quickly strengthened its body with Iron Defense. Salamence butted Aggron in the stomach region, and though it did not feel the pain as much, the force was enough to send it skidding backwards. Without realizing it, Aggron lost its footing and fell backwards, down into the pool of acid down below the arena.

Brendan called out to it in concern, "No! Aggron!"

Even Drake and his Salamence themselves looked surprised. They had not meant to send it into the acid at all. Everyone in the stadium was silent and is at a loss for words. Just when all hope seemed lost, Aggron was seen to be climbing onto one of the giant metal spikes protruding out of the pool, with traces of purple acid slipping off its Sturdy body. It smiled at Brendan and jumped onto the arena platform again, ready to resume its battle. Everyone sighed in relief.

"Ah... That's right, Steel-types are immune to Poison..." Brendan muttered, scratching his cheek with one finger. "Okay, then, Aggron! You still up for it? Go for it and use Double-Edge!"

Salamence, still shaken from its accidental murder attempt just now, was not quick enough to avoid Aggron's Double Edge attack. It roared loudly when it was hit. It fired a large fireball at Aggron, which was its Dragonbreath. By this time, Aggron was already weakened enough to faint after another hit, Brendan realized. So, he ordered it use Double-Edge again and let Swampert do the rest from there. As predicted, Aggron fainted after ramming into Salamence one more time, and the two Trainers were down to their last Pokémon.

"Good job, Aggron. Rest for now. You have done your part well," Brendan said to it before sending Swampert out into the arena once again.

"Salamence, are you doing fine?" Drake asked his Pokémon.

Salamence replied by flapping its big red wings, anxious to win the battle for his master. It charged at Swampert and landed a Crunch attack on its left arm. Swampert retaliated by using Hammer Arm with its other one, slamming it hard onto Salamence's neck.

"Swampert, that's great! Now use Mud Bomb!"

Swampert shot out a ball of mud from its mouth and got it in Salamence's face. The mud had entered its eyes, and it was shaking its head, trying to lessen the irritation in its eyes to no avail. Swampert looked at Brendan, and they both nodded at the same time.

"Ice Beam!" Brendan said out loud, with Swampert shrilling its call at the same time.

It stood with its legs apart and took aim at the flailing Salamence. It opened its mouth and a light blue-colored glowing ball of energy formed in it. A similarly colored beam shot out of it and went straight into Salamence, who froze in the attack and was unable to battle anymore. The referee held Brendan's and Swampert's hands up, announcing them as the winner; Hoenn's new Champion. Brendan jumped up high and punched a fist into the air. He then hugged his Swampert in his joy.

The audience cheered loudly and clapped their hands like thunder. Horns and celebration music were sounded and Brendan could almost feel the numerous camera flashes from all around him. The walls behind Drake opened up and out came a group of people. They were his very own parents, the President of the Pokémon League, the previous Champions, all the Gym Leaders of the Hoenn region, and May, along with several other people he could not name. He realized that these people were his said special guests.

"May..." he softly whispered her name, before being bombarded by his congratulating guests.

His parents hugged him tightly, while the others would either pat him on the back or shake hands with him, congratulating him loudly. He responded to each of them, and noticed that May was patiently waiting for him to finish. Once he did, he calmly approached her with a lop-sided smile on his face.

"So..." he began. "You're the current holder of the Ribbon Cup now."

"And you're the Hoenn Champion now," she replied.

He closed the door to his suite and sighed heavily. He felt good and bad at the same time. He had just experienced his first kiss that night, with May, the one he knew he loved. Though that was the case, he never verbally admitted his love for her, and even stopped their kiss abruptly. He had to do it and control himself. He remembered that he was supposed to begin training with Nicolas after defeating Drake. He made a promise. He had to uphold a commitment. He realized his responsibility. But he hated seeing the look of confusion and disappointment on May's face earlier.

"I'm sorry for what I did..." he admitted to himself. "But it was necessary. I just couldn't put you in danger, May. I love you. And there's something I must do alone. I'm sorry..."

He spoke these words out in a breathy whisper, planning to present his apology to her the next morning.

But he never did.

He figured that even if he told her, she would try to look for him, and that would only risk her life. No, he thought. He must not give her or anyone he knows any idea where he is going. He will undergo special training under Nicolas the Dragon Tamer's guidance in the deep parts of Meteor Falls alone. Nicolas is a stranger, nevertheless, and Brendan knew he could not fully trust him yet. Who knows what his real intentions are? By not informing anyone, he hopes to keep Nicolas away from them; keeping potential danger away from his loved ones.

Then suddenly, he thought of his own safety. He clenched his jaws tight. What if anything happens to him? No one will be able to contact or find him. His mind juggled several thoughts and suggestions, until he finally decided that he would tell only one person he could trust the secret training with; his father. So, in the morning, he awoke extra early and went to see his father.

Coincidentally, Professor Birch was up early, too, and planned to take a short stroll around Ever Grande City's beautiful flower gardens. Not wanting to disturb his wife in her peaceful sleep, he quietly left her in the room, leaving a note for her, in case she wakes up later. When he opened the door, he was surprised to see his son in front of it.

"Why, Brendan, my boy! You're early!" he exclaimed, quietly, as he shut the door.

"Yeah, Dad. So are you. You're going out for a walk?" he asked.

"Yep! Join me, son. We'll have a father-son moment!" he said cheerfully.

"Exactly my thoughts..." Brendan said slowly.

From that point, Professor Birch could sense that there was something serious going on in Brendan's mind. He wondered what it could be, now that his son had won the Pokémon League's Elite Four challenge. They finally entered the large garden. It was filled with all sorts of flower species. Some are commonly found anywhere, while some are rare and never seen. The two of them were amazed by the flower arrangements that matched in harmony and perfection. Some small Pokémon were found there too; Beautifly fluttering about and Zigzagoon bounding around. The morning was so peaceful and wonderful that Brendan almost forgot to talk to his father about his intention to train further.

"Oh... Dad, I need to talk to you about something. Something..." Brendan started.

"...important?" Professor Birch finished.

"Yes," he replied, a bit surprised. "Did you guess?"

"You could say that. Your look said it all. So, what's on your mind?"

"I'm not sure if you'll support me on this one, Dad..." Brendan said, unsure. "But, here goes..."

He explained, as best as he could, to his father about how Nicolas first approached him and offered him extensive training and everything else. The Pokémon Professor listened intently, but his face had a blank expression on it, so it was hard for Brendan to read his father's reaction. When he finally concluded his story, he received a real reaction.

Professor Birch smacked the back of his head hard.

"Brendan, you stupid boy," he sighed. "Why did you wait so long to tell me? You could've told me when you got back home after your first League challenge. I thought everything was fine even when you suddenly asked to help me with my research."

Brendan said nothing.

His father placed his hands akimbo and said, "Well, a promise is a promise. I admire you for your strong passion in Pokémon and strength, and for wanting to keep a promise you made based on your own decision. Therefore, I give you full permission to begin your training with this Dragon Tamer, Nicolas."

That caught him by surprise. Brendan looked up in disbelief and asked, "What? You... agree?"

"Didn't you hear me, boy? Do you need to be smacked in the head again? Or did I hit you too hard?"

"Err... No, I..."

"I have a condition though," Professor Birch continued.

"Name it, Dad. I'll follow it."

"I have to come along with you," he said.

Brendan thought about it for a second and agreed. "Okay, we can tell Mom we're extending our research. Go on a road trip. We shouldn't let her worry about us."

"I might feel bad about it, but it's the best thing to do, I suppose," Professor Birch said uncomfortably. "Alright. When are we leaving?"

Brendan turned back to look at his father. "In three days..." he said. "...we're going to the Meteor Falls."

At the entrance of the Meteor Falls, Nicolas stood like a grand statue. Beside him, a blue bird-like Pokémon with cottony wings wrapped around its body sat perched still, too. He knew about Brendan's winning battle with the Dragon-type user Drake of the Elite Four. Now, he is waiting for him to show himself, as the said victory was enough to prove him worthy of his special training. He turned his head to the direction of the setting orange sun.

"I will be waiting for my student to arrive now..." he told his Altaria, who hummed in return.

Author's note: Whoops. Exceeded my expectation again... There's a third chapter, people! Read and review! Thank you!