Author's Note: It seems that this story has become more weekly than Best Wishes Revised. Maybe it's because this story is a bit darker. But I am also having some fun with this one.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.


Chapter 3: Black Fire

The day following the night of the cage tournament did not start out easy for Rachel. Because she had stayed out so late and the massive headache she had gotten from the shock collar she had worn in the tournament, Rachel had an extremely hard time pulling herself out of bed. That morning, Rachel's daily lecture from her mother had been even more agonizing than normal. The rest of that morning did not go much better. Though the walk to school was uneventful, Rachel had little choice but to attend her usual morning classes that morning after being caught smoking in the restroom with Trisha the previous day. After what seemed like an endless morning, the lunch break finally came. And Rachel met up with Trisha out behind the school.

"Hey there sunshine." Trisha greeted looking her usual chipper and smug self. "Boy, you look like crap."

"How is it that you don't?" Rachel asked in a tone that suggested she was in no mood for pleasantries.

"I've been doing this way longer than you have, remember?" Trisha reminded her as she pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Here, this might help a little."

Rachel quickly pulled a cigarette out of the pack. Trisha then got out a lighter and lit the cigarette up before pulling out one of her own. Rachel inhaled and leaned against the brick wall of the school to relax.

"Oh yeah, that's much better." Rachel declared as she exhaled. "So… when's the next cage tournament?"

"Next week." Trisha answered after taking a puff. "You really wanna do that again, huh?"

"I told you, I want to take down Silver." Rachel reminded her.

"Hey, you know Silver doesn't show up at every one of these tournaments." Trisha told her. "There's no way to know if he'll be at the next one."

"Oh he'll be there." Rachel said with absolute certainty. "He told me after he beat me last night that I interest him as an opponent. If I'm right, he'll show up just to see if I enter again."

"Wow, I guess we'll both need to train then." Trisha said looking a bit surprised. "I know a good place we can do it too. We can even start today. Of course we'll have to ditch school a little early, as if we haven't done that before."

"Let's do it tomorrow. Today I just wanna go home and crash into bed." Rachel told her.

"Whatever." Trisha said with a shrug.


On the afternoon of the following day, Rachel and Trisha cut classes and went down to another shady part of the city. Both of them were wearing the same outfits that they had worn to the last cage tournament. After a quick bus ride and only a brief two-minute walk, the two had come to what looked like a small rundown shop covered in graffiti. Upon entering the shop Rachel saw that the shelves were very rare and hard to find items that any Pokemon Trainer would want, and many of them were at outrageous prices. In moments the shopkeeper came out of the back room to greet them, and Rachel was greatly surprised to find that it was Caster Dice.

"Well now, if it isn't the lovely Trisha Lighting and her masked friend." Caster greeted. "Tell me something Ms. Curtis, why do you cover your face like that?"

"When I was eight, a Tentacool hit me in the face with an acid attack." Rachel lied confidently. "Got a problem with that?'

"Yikes! No problem at all." Caster assured her. "So, what can I do for you ladies?"

"Well for one thing, did you get that item for my Electabuzz yet?" Trisha asked.

"Oh that, I'm afraid I'm still having trouble tracking one down." Caster said apologetically. "You know how hard one of those things is to find."

"Damit Caster!" Trisha said angrily as she slammed her hand hard onto the top of the counter. "You told me you get me an Electirizer if I did that favor for your younger brother! And it ended up being a pretty big damn favor!"

"Look, I'm doing my best Trish." Caster told her. "Besides, my brother Mitch said you had a pretty good time."

"Well… he was hot." Trisha admitted. "Him and that friend he ended up bringing with him. But I couldn't sit down for a week after that without an icepack, so you owe me big!"

"Uh Trish, what did…?" Rachel began to ask.

"You don't wanna know." Trisha told her.

"Hey, the second I get an Electirizer in, I'll let you know." Caster assured Trisha.

"Okay, fine." Trisha sighed. "Look, we're not even here for that. Rachel wants to train for the next cage tournament that coming up."

"Wow, you must be as big a glutton for punishment as your friend Trish here." Caster said to Rachel. "Well, I think I can help you out. Follow me."

Rachel and Trisha followed Cater into another door in the back of a shop. The door led down a short dark hallway to another door, one made of thick grey metal. Caster opened the door and flipped the light switch inside, revealing a small stadium with metal walls.

"I know this place is a closet compared to the arena," Caster said as Rachel and Trisha followed him inside, "but it should serve your purposes." He then went over to the far wall and opened up a small hatch. From it he pulled out two black metal collars, and then walked back over to Rachel and Trisha. "These collars work pretty much the same as the ones used in an actual cage tournament, only they don't have as much juice. There's a computer here that'll register the hits to your Pokemon and shock you, just like in the arena."

"I don't mind wearing the collar, but why do I need one to train?" Rachel asked as she took the collar from Caster.

"To build up you endurance." Caster explained. "At lot of times in a cage tournament the shocks from the collars will get strong enough to wipe a competitor out. And when that happens they're out of the tournament, even if your Pokemon can still fight. That's why it's a good idea to train with some low voltage collars in order to build up some stamina."

"Hey Caster, I can take it from here." Trisha said as she put on her collar. "You just worry about running this shop of yours."

"Check, have fun you two." Caster said as he exited the room and closed the door behind him.

"So Rachel, you ready to throw down?" Trisha asked.

"Bring it on!" Rachel said as she put on her collar.


Rachel and Trisha continued to train throughout the week and on into the weekend. Each day they had sneaked away from school early or out of their homes to go use the small arena in the back of Caster's shop. The morning of the day of the tournament finally came, and Rachel began her normal walk to school, secretly but eagerly awaiting the night that was to come, the night when she could be free of her wretched destiny for at least a few more hours. As Rachel turned that first corner she once again ran into Hope and her Chansey.

"Hi Rachel." Hope greeted in her usual cheerful manner. "Mind if I walk with you this morning?'

"Whatever." Rachel said indifferently as she continued on. Hope and Chansey immediately followed behind.

"…You know, it's been a little while since we last saw each other." Hope noted. "I haven't been seeing you around school lately. Have you been sick?"

"Nah, I'm fine." Rachel assured her.

"…Rachel, is something going on?" Hope asked hesitantly. "I've been hearing from a few people around school that you've been sneaking off with that girl, Trisha Lang."

"So what if I am?" Rachel said with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Well, you know I don't like it when you hang out with her." Hope reminded Rachel. "That girl is bad news."

"Yeah? Well Trish is the only normal person who doesn't treat me like just another Officer Jenny clone!" Rachel yelled.

"What about me?" Hope asked looking a bit hurt. "Don't you consider me to be a normal person?"

"…Lately I'm not so sure." Rachel admitted. "It seems like every day you act a little more like just another Nurse Joy."

"Is that so bad?" Hope asked. "Both of our families have wonderful and important legacies. My family heals Pokemon, yours protects Pokemon and brings those who would do them harm to justice. Don't you want to help carry that work on?"

"Damn it Hope! Nobody sees us as individuals!" Rachel told her. "I'd think of all people you'd be the one to understand how I feel!"

"I see you as an individual, and you see me as one. Shouldn't that be enough?" Hope replied. "Rachel, I'm really worried about you. I'm afraid that you're involved in something that will get you in real trouble."

"Save your breath and don't worry about me." Rachel told her. "And keep your nose out of my business." With that, Rachel stormed off, leaving a very worried Hope and Chansey behind.


Eventually the night had finally fallen and Rachel and Trisha had entered the next tournament. The competition had been just as brutal as the last, but in the end both Trisha and Rachel had made it to the semifinal round. But in an odd twist of fate the two girls were paired off against each other. Yet though Rachel and Trisha were friends, they did not hold back against one another, nor did their Pokemon. As the battle between Scorch and Electabuzz raged on down in the arena, a girl wearing a white hooded sweatshirt, black sunglasses, and a white stocking over the lower half of her face watched the battle intently.

"Scorch, finish this now with Dragon Claw!" Rachel commanded down in the arena.

Scorched charged forward with blue glowing claws and slashed Electabuzz across the chest. Electabuzz fell to the ground unconscious. At the same time Trisha received a powerful electric shock from her collar and fell to her knees.

"Well, looks like the show's over for Electabuzz." Caster announced into the microphone in his booth. "The winner of our second semifinal round is none other than the mysterious Rachel Curtis!" Everyone in the audience except for the girl in sunglasses cheered loudly as Trisha got back to her feet and called Electabuzz back to its Pokeball.

"Damn girl, you've gotten good!" Trisha told Rachel. "Let's hope you do as well against your next opponent."

"Don't worry, I will." Rachel declared.

"Good luck then." Trisha said before turning and walking out of the arena.

"Okay, now for the main event!" Caster announced as he walked back out into the arena. "For the final round of this tournament, our mysterious Rachel Curtis will be facing a trainer who needs no introduction. Still fresh from his latest victory over Tessa Frost, please welcome back to the arena, the undefeatable… Siiillveeeerrr!"

Through the door on the other side of the arena emerged Silver, who once again a cold yet angry look on his face. Much of the audience cheered loudly and chanted Silver's name as he took his place on stage. Both Rachel and Scorch narrowed their eyes at the redheaded trainer.

"Well, you actually came back." Silver observed with an arrogant smirk. "Let's hope you can entertain me as well as you did the last time."

"Oh I promise you, you'll be blown away." Rachel declared.

"Alright, now that I'm safely out of danger from getting caught in the crossfire," Caster announced after reentering his booth, "let the battle… begin!"

"Go Croconaw!" Silver called as he threw out a Pokeball. The crocodile Pokemon emerged from the ball and stood ready to battle.

Both Scorch and Croconaw glared at each other for a moment before suddenly crying out. As soon as they did, both their bodies began to glow with a bright white light and change shape. The audience fell silent and looked on with amazement. When the lights cleared, Scorch had grown to almost six feet tall. His neck had grown longer and he had gained large powerful wings. Scorch's skin had turned black, with his stomach becoming grey and the inside of his wings becoming red. His arms had grown somewhat smaller and the single pseudo-horn on the back of his head had been replaced by two small horns on the sides that pointed backward. Scorch's whole appearance resembled that of a European dragon.

Croconaw meanwhile had grown to a height of about seven feet. It back had become more hunched and the red spikes on its back had become far more pronounced. Its snout and tail had grown longer, as did its arms, which had gained well-developed clawed hands. The animal pelt pattern on its torso had vanished, but between its hips was a large yellow V-shape.

"Sweet merciful crap! I do not believe what we've just seen here!" Caster declared. "Silver's Croconaw has just evolved into a Feraligatr, and Rachel's Charmeleon, Scorch, has just evolved into a black Charizard! We can forget whatever battle we were expecting her tonight, because now we're about to see something a thousand times more epic!"

"Our Pokemon seem eager to battle each other." Silver. "Let's just see how strong they've become."

"Scorch, use Wing Attack!" Rachel commanded.

"Feraligatr, counter with Hydro Pump!" Silver ordered.

Scorch quickly took off into the air with a flap of his mighty wings. Feraligatr fired a powerful stream of water from his jaws at Scorch, but the black fire dragon quickly moved out of the way of the attack and began flying at the gator Pokemon. As Scorch flew at Feraligatr its wings began to glow with a white light. In a flash Scorch rammed his left wing into Feraligatr's chest and retreated high into the air behind it. Silver was hit by a powerful shock from his collar.

"Okay, now use Dragon Dance followed by another Wing Attack!" Rachel commanded.

Scorch twisted his neck and tail before flapping his wings twice and slashing the air with his claws. He then roared as his body briefly glowed with a bright blue aura. At unbelievable speed, Scorch flew at Feraligatr from behind with glowing wings and hit the gator Pokemon in the back.

"Dragon Claw!" Rachel commanded. In an instant Scorch flew in close and slashed Feraligatr in the jaw with blue glowing claws on its right arm.

"Big mistake!" Silver declared after recovering from another shock. "Shadow Claw!"

Soon after recovering from the attack, Feraligatr quickly slashed Scorch across his stomach with the claws of its right hand, which were glowing with an ominous purple light. Scorch roared out in pain, and Rachel was hit by a shock that was stronger than anything she had felt before.

"Now use Crunch!" Silver commanded. Before Scorch could recover from the last attack, Feraligatr bit down on Scorch's right shoulder with its powerful jaws.

"Use… Flamethrower!" Rachel commanded as she struggled against another electric shock. Scorch managed to breath out a powerful stream of flames that hit Feraligatr in the back. "Flamethrower again!" Scorch let loose another blast of fire, but the jaws of Feraligatr would just not let go.

"Aw man, this is brutal!" Caster declared. "I don't think either Scorch or Rachel can take much more of this!"

"Rrrgh… DRAGON CLAW!" Rachel shouted. Scorch's eyes widened and in an instant he managed to slash Feraligatr in the shoulder with blue glowing claws, causing Feraligatr to cry out in pain and finally let go. "Use Dragon Claw two more times!"

Very quickly Scorch slashed Feraligatr two more times in the jaw with incredible force. When the attacks ended the gator Pokemon seemed like it was having a hard time standing up.

"Finish it!" Rachel commanded. "Flamethrower!"

Scorch roared and the flame on the tip of its tail burned larger and brighter than before. He then burst forth another powerful blast of flames that hit Feraligatr right in the face. When the attack ended after a few moments, Feraligatr staggered for a moment before finally falling forward to the ground. The audience was silent with utter shock.

"…Holy shit…" Caster said after several moments had passed. "I can't believe I'm saying this but… it looks like Feraligatr is unable to battle! The winner of this match and the champion of this week's Cage Match Tournament is Rachel Curtis!"

The audience then began to cheer for Rachel, some of them even chanting her name. Rachel could hardly believe what she was hearing. She felt as though she was in some sort of wonderful dream. Silver meanwhile had gotten back to her feet and called Feraligatr back to its Pokeball.

"Hmph, it seems that you are a worthy opponent after all." Silver admitted to Rachel. "But I will not let this defeat stand. You had better come to the next tournament to face me again."

"Don't worry, I'll be here." Rachel assured him. Silver huffed one last time before walking out of the arena.


Later that night, Trisha and Rachel had gotten off the bus and began walking back towards Rachel's house. As they walked the two were unaware that they were being followed.

"That was a hell of a night!" Trisha declared. "How ya feeling champ?"

"I'm tired and my head hurts like hell again, but I feel great!" Rachel told her. "I still can't believe I actually beat Silver."

"Neither can I." Trisha agreed. "So now what, are you going back for next week's tournament?"

"Silver wants a rematch, and I intend to give him one." Rachel replied.

"You can't go back!" a voice called from behind, causing Rachel and Trisha to turn. Standing behind them was the mysterious girl in the sunglasses.

"Who the hell are you?" Rachel demanded to know. The girl took of her hood, sunglasses, and stocking, revealing that she was Hope.

"Oh great, Ms. Plain Jane Joy, come to ruin our fun again." Trisha said sarcastically as she crossed her arms. "What have you come to scold us about this time?"

"I heard about that barbaric tournament from someone at school." Hope explained. "And this person told me she heard that you're a regular participant Trisha. I hoped that I was wrong about what was going on, but I saw the whole thing. Rachel, how could you take part in such a brutal competition?"

"Damit Hope! This is none of your business!" Rachel told her. "Just stay out of it!"

"No I won't!" Hope declared. "I can't let you fight in those tournaments anymore Rachel!"


Author's Note: Originally I had planed for Rachel to lose her rematch with Silver, but when I got to that point I felt that it would be a better story if she actually won. In the next chapter, Hope is going to play a fairly important role in this story. But that probably goes without saying.

Please review and let me know what you think.