A/N: I have returned...

Chapter 3

The Duel: part 1

The Keeper found attacking trees a great stress reliever and method of training. Every strike that drove itself into the wood, combined with the feeling of the trunk splintering under his power, gave him a rush of excitement.

That being said, he didn't punch the wood with his bare fists. To do so would be incredibly painful, not to mention stupid. Instead, he implemented various attacks he was taught to develop strategies against future enemies.

The bark in front of him shattered from his Thunder Punch, and the wood chips fell to his feet. He levitated another log into the air and floats it in front of him. Sometimes, he would imagine that he was facing a real opponent. As he psychically lifted up a log he closed his eyes in concentration.

A violent criminal threatens to shoot him unless he complies to his demand.

WHAM! They fell to his mighty Power-Up Punch. He brushed their remainders away with his foot, before the next challenger rose up.

An evil head of organization has plans to rule the world.

CRACK! They're no more, thanks to another Power-Up Punch. This time, multiple logs flew up, and circled him. Faster and faster they spun, blurring around him.

A group of government officials attempt to bring him in for experimenting on how he's able to use Pokémon powers.

With a yell he unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, each surrounded by various forms of energy while they lay waste to the imaginary adversaries. This was textbook material: charge up your attack while dealing minimal amounts of damage before revealing the big surprise and take the victory home. Within a minute, all the logs were reduced to pieces of wood and nothing more. He held his pose, a fist held out in the air where a log once was, before he sighed. He recollected himself before looking around, viewing the still twilight.

He was alone, as he liked to be. Small rays of light filtered through the leafy canopy over him, heralding the arrival of dawn. Silence surrounded the Keeper, something he didn't have much of before he abandoned his role. And now that he did have it, it was eerily peaceful.

A small growl reached his ears.

He turned on the spot, trying to locate the source. After several seconds of confused searching, the growl is heard again. He felt his cheeks flush, realizing that the culprit was himself. The sound that met his ears meant feeding time, a period he did not enjoy. Months and months of living with his captors deprived him of his senses and morals; he did anything he wanted to. Now that he was back in his world, he would have to cope with their definition of morality while finding a place of refuge.

Some activities, like training and meditation, would've been thought as reasonable or permitted. Feeding time, on the other hand… he was certain that he would be thought as an animal if he was seen in public while feeding.

When he was first introduced to the concept, the Keeper was, he begrudgingly admitted, repulsed by the idea. When he was given the various benefits that arose from it, he was forced to accept and proceed with it. He was not proud of it, but found he would get more energy from it than usual methods.

Disgusting and untamed as it was, it was efficient. And had to be better than mingling with those four, right?

He nodded in response to the unasked question. Yes, yes it did.

He stalked off into the woods, ears straining to pick up any sounds that would give away the location of prey. For some minutes, there was nothing. Then, he turned to see bushes shiver. Ducking behind a tree, he held his breath as he saw the Pokémon come out.

A colossal bear, just a few inches shy of the Keeper. Its body was covered in brown fur, with a tan-colored ring on its chest. Its face seemed set in a permanent scowl as it sniffed the air. While it might've easily scared away smaller Pokémon, his aggression was nothing compared to the Keeper's powers. Ursaring, he thought, as it marched past him. Should provide more than enough energy.

He silently stepped out from his hiding spot, and into the open. He lowered his hood while simultaneously removing his mask, something he would do only when he was alone. A branch snaps under his bare foot, but he isn't looking for stealth. In order for this to work, he would first have to get the attention of the victim. It worked, as the Pokémon twitched its ears and turned around. Upon seeing the Keeper, the Ursaring bore its fangs in a defensive manner. However, the Keeper isn't intimidated. He stepped forward, keeping eye contact. The wild Pokémon snarled, not seeming to understand his intentions.

He took one more step. The Ursaring, deciding it was not having any more of this, swung a claw at the Keeper. He raised a hand, catching the attack and fiercely gripped the large paw. The Pokémon looked surprised for a second, before tugging his arm. But the Keeper didn't release it.

After some more useless struggling, the Keeper met the Ursaring's eyes. It ceased its attempts to free its arm and stared back. Its eyes were narrow, with black pupils, usually scaring any smaller Pokémon. But not the Keeper. If anything, Ursaring should be the one scared. With his free hand, the Keeper put a finger to his lips, like he was shushing the Pokémon.

Then he unleashed a wave of psychic energy, concentrating the power through his unblinking eyes. He knew he had succeeded because seconds later, the Ursaring's eyes glowed blue. Its arm slackened in the Keeper's hold, becoming limp. As the surge of psychic power abated, the Pokémon softly groaned. He released its paw as the Ursaring toppled backwards, landing with a resounding crash. By the time the Keeper lowered his hand and walked over to it, it was asleep.

He considered what he was about to do a terrible act of self-survival. It was something that should never be done, or thought up in the first place. But as he heaved the Ursaring onto its stomach, he knew that he had no other choice. Berries would sustain him for less than half a day, if he could find any. The people who he had come across would have food only for themselves, not for a fifth traveler. Besides, they already disliked him.

He dropped to a knee just beside the Pokémon's thick head. He parted a small patch of fur, exposing the skin. As he felt each of his teeth sharpen, he recalled the phrase he spoke each time he would do this.

"What I am about to do right now," he whispered to himself, "is for the sake of my existence."

And he plunged his fangs into the Pokémon's neck.

"Where is he?" Clemont frowned. "He should be here."

The group had finished preparations the day prior, with Ash putting all of his effort into training his Pokémon before the big showdown.

Morning came, with Ash being up at the crack of dawn, unable to sleep due to the battle looming on the morrow. Deciding that sitting around wouldn't benefit he roused his Pokémon and they got to training with him. The others got up, breakfast was quickly prepared and eaten, and they waited.

Sunrise came and morning followed, and they continued waiting.

And they waited some more. Yet there was no sign of the stranger. Noon was fast passing by, but he was still absent. Ash sent Talonflame out to search for him, in case he forgot about his challenge today, but his Pokémon returned later, reporting that he hadn't been able to find him.

"Is there any chance that he's going to show up?" Bonnie asked boredly, a sandwich in her hands. Dedenne nodded in assent, nibbling on an Oran Berry. The group had resisted to break out the food, in case the stranger appeared in the middle of their lunch, but eventually they gave into their hunger.

"The way he spoke yesterday made it sound like he would leave as soon as he could," Clemont commented, keeping his food out of Chespin's reach, who was drooling and making attempts to grab his trainer's food. Ash agreed with a small nod, taking a minute to stop scarfing his food down to speak.

"But when I confronted him, he said he promised to come back," he said. "He has to show up, right?"

The blond inventor shrugged, holding his Grass-type with one hand while he ate his food. In truth, Ash was inclined to agree with him: he wasn't sure what to think about his opponent, or if he would appear to fight them. He was rude, but not in the haughty, prideful way like Gary used to be. He said he was strong, though he didn't brag about his strength. He was really mysterious.

Along with the fact that he could use Pokémon powers. That alone made him all the more intriguing.

While he returned to eating his sandwich, Ash turned to Serena, busy grooming Eevee's fur. Her Pokémon was relaxed, sighing as her trainer smoothed her fur out. Her smile made Ash slightly jealous because she was on the receiving end of her attention. He wanted to be in her place, to be-

He shook himself out of his stupor. What was going on with himself? He figured that it was from lack of sleep, but a small part of him was whispering it was something else. Something stronger than jealousy.

Ash's cheeks turned a pale shade of salmon pink, though the only one nearby was Pikachu, and he was occupied with eating his food. He shouldn't think about that; he was her friend. He quickly finished off his lunch, and Pikachu, sensing his eagerness to resume training, followed suit. Brushing crumbs off his chin, he stood up and sought out a clearing to train.

When he found a place that wasn't crowded by trees he sent out his Pokémon and gave them their sparring partners: Noibat with Talonflame and Hawlucha, and Greninja against Pikachu. He wasn't able to get a sixth member since Goodra chose to stay behind at the marshlands, but he could fix that another time. In the meantime, he gave his Pokémon their assignments and stood back to watch them train.

He watched them train closely, trying to find any flaws that might come up in their fighting routines. The only problem was there weren't any, since they were so efficient and well-trained. He grinned at them, imagining the surprise in his opponent at how strong they had become.

He was so engrossed in studying their training that he didn't notice someone come up behind him.

"Hey."

He jumped, rapidly spinning around on the spot, picturing Team Rocket. Thankfully he was wrong; his Pokémon stopped their training to see the newcomer, who chuckled apologetically.

"Sorry," Serena said, rubbing the back of her neck, "I just wanted to see how training was going. You looked like you were really into it."

"Oh, uh, I was good," Ash stammered, trying to hide his embarrassment, "I mean, they were; um-" he sighed, "yeah, I was. They're doing really well."

"That's good," Serena said, smiling one of those smiles that made Ash's stomach flutter. He still didn't know why they did that to him. "I'd like to see his surprise when he realizes he messed with the wrong people."

"Yeah," he said, "he's going to have trouble getting past us."

"Especially you."

"Yeah. Wait- me?" Ash asked in surprise. His Pokémon decided to take a break from training and exited the area, leaving the two of them alone. Serena nodded firmly. "Why?"

"Well, you're a Pokémon trainer. You tend to have really strong Pokémon. You've seen tactics that were used in other regions so you can use them to your advantage. And," she blushed, "I believe in you."

Ash wasn't sure who was blushing stronger, him or Serena. He chuckled nervously, scratching his cheek. "Uhh… wow, thanks for that. It means a lot."

She nodded with a smile.

"But you shouldn't give yourself less credit."

"How so?" she asked, tilting her head quizzically.

"Well you may be a performer, but you're Pokémon certainly aren't weak. I wouldn't be surprised if they helped us out against the stranger. It just shows that you're a good trainer, too."

Serena's blush deepened, and she held a hand over her mouth. Ash thought he could make out a smile, but before he could look into it Bonnie emerged from the bushes, Pikachu beside her. "Hey guys! Whatcha up to?"

Both of the teens looked away hastily, doing their best to get rid of their crimson cheeks.

"Oh, just training," Ash said as Serena replied, "Talking!"

Bonnie giggled mischievously, in a way which made Ash nervous. When it came to Bonnie and tricks, she was a little demon, plotting a practical joke that could affect anyone, though it seemed to center on Ash and Serena.

A second later Clemont appeared after Bonnie, panting with effort from carrying his pack and moving the branches aside. He looked irritated, as if Chespin had managed to get away with his food.

"Bonnie, what have I told you about your vegetables?" he scolded. "You can't leave until you've eaten your greens!"

"I don't like eating my greens!" she pouted. "They taste yucky."

"It doesn't matter: vegetables will help you grow strong. Until then, you can't move from the table."

"But what if the stranger shows up?" she asked.

"Well he hasn't yet, so you have plenty of time to get them eaten."

They began bickering with each other, causing the onlookers to sigh. Ash turned to Serena and started to speak, but Pikachu's ear twitched and he looked up. He pointed upwards; "Pika pi!"

"Something wrong, Pikachu?" he asked. The twins were too busy arguing to even notice, but Serena looked up at the sky with Ash. Among the cloudless sky was a black speck, twin trails of red streaking behind it. Ash squinted, trying to get a better picture.

"What is that?" he asked aloud. "A Pokémon?"

The others looked to where his gaze lingered, squinting their eyes to try to make out the strange object. An ominous quiet had fallen on them all as they studied it, tensed up about its identity and intended destination.

"What kind of Pokémon is that?" Serena asked. "I don't think I've never seen it before."

"I'm not sure," Clemont responded. "Although I'm not sure it's really a Pokémon."

Pikachu growled in response, sparks flaring from his cheeks. Ash stared back up at the object flying through the sky, both apprehensive and intrigued by its approach. It wasn't exactly a Pokémon or airborne vehicle, thankfully not Team Rocket's balloon. They tended to use the trademark balloon for their schemes or some other mech, but this was too small.

The flying object was closer. The red streams behind it were actually trails of fire, streaking behind and propelling it forward. It almost looked human, arms held out at the side as they flew towards them, wearing a... grey jacket...

It clicked. The raven-haired trainer's jaw dropped as he let out a small groan of disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me."

The others shared a look with him before they looked back at the approaching object. They seemed to also recognize it; Serena's mouth opened in shock while Clemont sputtered for a plausible explanation.

The stranger from the day before was flying. He flew towards them on tongues of fire streaming out from his open hands. His arms were held out at his sides, steadying himself during his flight. Surprisingly his hood stayed on his head, though it threatened to come loose from the mighty wind buffeting it.

He suddenly held his arms out in front of him, causing him to freeze midair and stay in place as if he wore a jetpack. He quickly angled his arms downward, palms open and fingers outstretched to allow more flames to expel. He slowly closed his hands, dimming the flames and he gradually descended until he came to the ground and the fires were extinguished. He stepped towards the awestruck group, putting his arms in his pockets.

"We meet again," he said. The others remained silent, stunned at his entrance, except for Pikachu and Dedenne, who growled and sparked their cheeks defensively. He turned towards the Pokémon, unfazed by their intimidation; "And hello to you, too."

"You… can fly," Ash finally said, pointing at him. He snorted in response.

"Of course I can. What's your point?"

"Well, you're so," Clemont struggled to find a response, before settling on "adamant."

"The shock of having powers wears off in time," he shrugged. "But I didn't come here to waste time talking. I believe a battle is in order. Should we proceed, or should I leave?"

"You're still rude," Bonnie muttered. The stranger looked at her but made no response. They each moved towards their positions after Ash recalled his Pokémon, Pikachu looking both eager and furious. Serena and the Lumiose siblings sat on a fallen log at the edge of the clearing. Ash recalled his Pokémon and took his place on the battlefield.

"I hope you're ready for this," he said to the young man opposite him.

"There will be no idle talking," he responded, flexing his fingers, "let's get this over with."

"Pika!" Pikachu said, leaping from Ash's shoulder and taking a defensive position, sparks crackling from his cheeks. Ash, however, was reluctant to let his best friend get beaten down again and refrained from choosing him.

"Hold on, Pikachu," he said as his Pokémon glared at him, "I don't want a repeat of yesterday."

"Pika, pika!"

"I know you aren't weak, but you seriously got hurt yesterday. I don't want to do that to you again."

"For the love of Necrozma, let him battle."

Ash looked up in surprise. It wasn't Serena who had spoken, neither Clemont nor Bonnie. The newcomer was staring at both of them from under his hood. He nodded as he flexed his fingers.

"You want him to battle?" Ash asked. "Why?"

"He needs a chance to redeem himself from yesterday's encounter. I attacked him outside of the battlefield, it's only fair if he try to earn his redemption. That is, if he's strong enough."

"Pika pika! Pikachu!" the Electric-type shouted at him from across the field. Ash could hear the defiance radiate from his words and felt a swell of pride for his Pokémon.

"All right then, buddy," he said. "But not yet. I've got to let you rest and let everyone else have a shot first. Deal?"

"Pi!" the electric mouse firmly nodded, taking his place on his trainer's shoulder. Serena and Bonnie had taken seats over on a fallen log to watch the battle, while Clemont assumed the role of referee. He raised an arm.

"The battle between Ash Ketchum and," he announced, then paused. He looked over at the stranger; "Can you say what your name is?"

"X."

"X?" Bonnie asked. "What kind of name is that?"

"X is the name I will substitute for this battle. If I lose, then I will tell you my real name."

"Wouldn't it be easier to use your real name right now?" Ash asked.

"No. Start the battle already."

Clemont sighed, mostly out of irritation than exhaustion, but raised his arm nonetheless. "The battle between Ash Ketchum and," he hesitated, " 'X', will begin-"

"Just him?"

The words that came out of X's mouth caught the referee and opponent by surprise. They stared at him, unable to tell if he was joking or genuinely confused.

"Yeah. Just Ash," Clemont said. "Is that wrong?"

"When a member of a pack is attacked, all able fighters band together and retaliate. You," he pointed at Clemont, "you said you were a Gym Leader, correct?"

"Well, yeah." X turned to look at Serena; "You're a Pokémon performer?"

"Yes," she said, worried with where this was going.

"Then the three of you should fight me."

The reaction was instant: Ash's eyes widened, Clemont's jaw dropped, and Serena paled. Bonnie tilted her head in confusion, frowning at his statement. "But that wouldn't be very fair for you."

"It's nothing," he waved a hand dismissively. "I've fought packs of wild Mightyena and Houndoom. Three humans are nothing."

Ash frowned. He didn't like people who bragged about their achievements. People who lied about what they did? That was even worse. And yet… there was something about his attitude, the way he stood, that made him wonder: had he actually lived in the wild? His clothes looked as if they had been subjected to Fury Swipes, and his lack of shoes made the suggestion more likely.

"Are you sure about this?" the Kantoan asked. X looked at him, and Ash could've sworn he heard him mutter about uneducated swine.

"The sooner we fight instead of mindlessly waste time, the sooner I can get out of here. Start this already."

Ash hesitated, then turned to Clemont and Serena, who helplessly shrugged in reply before getting on their feet and walking over to the battlefield. Clemont looked over at his sister; "I guess you'll be doing the refereeing, Bonnie. Think you can handle it?"

"Of course! I learned from the best, big brother!"

Clemont's cheeks burned furiously and Ash snickered. It seems the Lumiose boy had yet to accept appraisal without turning redder than a Tamato berry. Regardless, Clemont nodded to Bonnie and drew a Pokéball from his belt.

"The battle between Ash Ketchum, Serena, Clemont and X will now take place. Trainers, send out your Pokémon!"

"Hawlucha, I choose you!"

"Pancham, come on out!"

"Okay Chespin, let's battle!"

Three voices echoed across the field, three Pokéballs were tossed into the air, and three different Pokémon materialized from flashes of light. The Pokémon gave a cry of their name, then became confused at the lack of enemy Pokémon.

"I will be your opponent today," X said, directed towards the three small Pokémon. All of them gasped, Hawlucha looking back at his trainer for confirmation. X let out a frustrated sigh; "Really? Have you never fought a human before?"

"Well, they're accustomed to fighting Pokémon," Clemont said, "it's not really normal for someone to take on them by themselves." Then he shot a sideways glance at Ash, "unless you're a certain trainer from Kanto, no offense."

"None taken."

X exhaled before he clapped his hands together. As he drew them apart a rod of blue light appeared, small but growing longer as his hands moved farther apart. The whole pole grew into a spear, roughly as long as X was tall. He twirled it in his lands like a baton before he held it alongside him, the point just brushing the ground.

"Does this suffice as a demonstration of what you will be fighting?" he asked the awestruck trainers.

"How… how did you do that?" Serena asked. Her curiosity was shared with Bonnie and Squishy, who poked his head out of Bonnie's bag to watch the fight.

"I'll keep that information to myself."

"Is that all you can do?" Ash asked. His curiosity was piqued more than his irritation: watching someone create a weapon out of thin air was a sight, but he was more interested in what else his opponent was able to do.

"Absolutely not. But don't expect me to go through every move I can use at full strength. I will use what will be necessary to fight you."

"Okay then," the raven-haired trainer threw his hand out, "then let's do this. Hawlucha, use Karate Chop!"

The avian luchador rushed at his opponent, raising a wing and yelling out his name. At the same time, Clemont called out for Chespin to use Pin Missile, and a dozen glowing needles were fired at X. Serena gave no command; she just waited, tensing up as X stood there. He didn't react when Hawlucha drew nearer, or when Chespin's attack got closer.

At the last second however, the fighter sidestepped, holding his foot out and causing Hawlucha to trip and crash into a stump. X lifted an energy-coated hand at the needle-shaped missiles. Each one of them froze, similar to Pikachu's Thunderbolt from the day before. Except this time, instead of throwing his arm to the side, X closed his hand into a fist. The attack collapsed in on itself, Chespin's attack vanishing in an explosion of smoke.

"What?!" Clemont sputtered, "that wasn't- how did- what kind of attack was that?"

"Have you never seen a move that cancels out incoming attacks?" X asked nonchalantly, then tsked. "And I thought you were a gym leader."

"Take that back!" Bonnie shouted, stomping the ground.

"Nene!"

"I didn't say anything, I was just implying that your brother is an inexperienced gym leader who hasn't seen moves like mine."

"Well I bet I have," Ash said. "Hawlucha, follow up with Flying Press!"

The flying and fighting type shook the dust from his feathers and leapt upwards before making a rapid dive on his fighter. And just like before X just raised a hand at Hawlucha, causing him to freeze midair. The human battler flicked his wrist and Hawlucha was sent flying into a tree, hitting the truck and falling to the ground.

Ash clenched his fists and yelled, "Stop cheating and fight!"

"Cheating? Who says I'm a cheater?" he countered, idly tossing his spear between his hands. "All I'm doing is avoiding your moves. Is playing defensive wrong?"

"No, but the way you're defending is unfair. You aren't letting them touch you; our attacks won't even hit you thanks to that one attack of yours. It might as well be stalemate or our Pokémon will faint from exhaustion."

"True, I suppose," X mused. "So would you rather I not use any attack evasions and simply switch to offensive?"

Ash started to answer, then hesitated. If X was purposely trying to make them force his hand, what kind of attacks should they expect? Could he undergo something like Mega Evolution? After a second of internal debate, he nodded.

"Very well."

X held the spear between his hands and clapped them together and it simply vanished. After doing so he snapped his fingers and disappeared.

Literally. He vanished from sight. One second he was standing there, and the next he was gone.

"Wha-?!" Serena exclaimed. "Where'd he go?"

"Did he run away?" Clemont asked.

Ash looked at the trees opposite him. The trees no longer seemed welcoming or friendly, instead possibly hiding a certain hooded fighter, lying in wait to ambush them. Was it his imagination, or was the rustling of the leaves actually footsteps as X ran away? Was the breeze on his neck really X breathing as he stood behind him?

He whirled around, expecting him to be standing there.

He wasn't.

"Where are you?" Ash called out. Not even a second later-

"Here."

He yelped as X's voice hissed in his ear just inches away and he flung a fist out, connecting with invisible fabric. A hiss was heard, and Ash felt something slap him across the face. Rubbing his cheek he watched as X reappeared momentarily, before clapping his hands together and disappearing again.

"He's invisible!" Clemont exclaimed. "Chespin, Vine Whip all around!"

"Pancham, Dark Pulse, follow Chespin's lead!"

Both Pokémon threw their arms out, firing a pair of vines and a pillar of dark energy. They faced back-to-back, allowing a small chance for their opponent to hide themselves as they swept across the battlefield. However, their search for him was vain as they found nothing.

"Are you done?" X's voice asked, somewhere on the ground in front of them. Hawlucha, deciding he had had enough nonsense, leapt at it before Ash could reply. At the same time Pancham fired another Dark Pulse at the same spot. The Fighting and Flying type met empty space and Pancham's attack collided with him. The Playful Pokémon went wide eyed, averting his eyes from the avian wrestler, suddenly interested in the grass.

Hawlucha, however, was having none of it, shouting at the Fighting type across the field. Pancham protested, trying to defend his attack as an accident, but words fell on deaf ears as Hawlucha rushed at him, readying an attack.

"No Hawlucha!" Ash yelled, trying to get his Pokémon under control. Despite his prowess in combat Hawlucha's biggest weakness was being offended easily. Any accident caused by either Pokémon or human directed to him was seen as an attack to his identity. "Pancham didn't mean it."

The avian luchador rose a fist up, ready to strike the panda-like Pokémon in comeuppance. Teeth gnashed in a frightening appearance, arms twitching as he considered his choices. Ash could only wait with bated breath as he prayed to Arceus that his Pokémon would pull through.

Finally, after eons of agonizing waiting, Hawlucha lowered his fist and, with a loud harrumph, turned his back on Pancham. Ash exhaled, thoroughly relieved that chaos hadn't broke loose.

"We're sorry, Hawlucha," Serena said, slightly bowing to Ash's Pokémon in apology. Pancham followed suit in hopes of making quick amends, the battle forgotten by both parties, it seemed. The bird Pokémon looked at Pancham, then at his trainer. Then back again to the Pokémon. Then, with a soft smile he held a hand out, inviting his friend to reconcile.

"Lucha," he said, softly yet with a firm undertone so he wouldn't appear too soft. Pancham blinked, then returned the smile and shook his partner's hand. Ash grinned at the sight, happy to see two friends make up for a mistake-

The sound of a snapping twig made his head shoot up as if it were a gunshot. He scanned the trees in hopes of locating the culprit but couldn't see anything save for the trees. He thought he could hear a quiet muttering about being more careful-

X!

In the moment between Hawlucha and Pancham he had completely forgotten about the opponent and cried out "Look out, Hawlucha!" just as a figure materialized, glowing spear in hand. His Pokémon turned in time to see X leap into the air, seemingly frozen in place. Hawlucha could only watch as the enemy fell on him-

With seconds to spare Pancham shoved the Wrestling Pokémon away from the impact zone. Hawlucha went sprawling, though his indignation was overcome with shock as he turned to the panda Pokémon and reached a wing out, "Cha, lucha!"

"Pancham, no!"

X fell on the Pokémon; the resulting collision sent a small cloud of dirt into the air, hiding both partner and enemy from view. When the dust settled the sight of the young man grasping Pancham by the throat made everyone gasp.

"Touching, I'm sure," he scoffed, watching his prey struggle in his clutches, "that your Pokémon forgive each other so easily over petty squabbles. But it sickens me to see such content."

"Let him go!" Ash yelled, voice tinted with fury and panic alike. "He's gonna choke!"

"Oh, please. I know the required strength needed to restrain his breath and how strong it would take to crush his neck. He isn't gonna die… not if you force me to."

"Please!" Serena cried, practically pleading with watery eyes. "Let him go please!"

Hearing the raw emotion in Serena's voice ignited a fiery wrath in Ash's bones, filling him with the need to strangle X in an act of revenge. If this wasn't a battle Ash would have his opponent on the ground and beat the living crap out of him. Pancham struggled uselessly against his vice like grip, paws failing to reach the fighter's elbow. Noticing the Pokémon's strugglings X turned to Pancham. "Feisty little one, aren't we?"

"Cha LUCHA!"

Ash had known his Pokémon as an avid fighter, if not a little hotheaded. Still, he had a "decently-sized" heart for those who he considered his friends. Now, however, Ash had underestimated the size. Probably more like big enough to warrant shouting when a friend was threatened and, if looks could kill, X would be dead where he stood.

"LUCHA! CHA HAWLU HAWLUCHA!" Ash couldn't understand all of what his Pokémon was saying, but he could get the gist: drop my friend or I'll tear you to pieces. If X was intimidated however, the hood covered it. He instead chose to get on a knee and wave Pancham around as if taunting the unfortunate Pokémon.

"You want him that bad, do you? Bad enough to threaten my life?"

"CHA!"

"Well then," he got to his feet and swung the Playful Pokémon, "catch him if you can!"

And he flung Pancham into the air, making him shriek as he rapidly flew up. Hawlucha yelled out as he watched his partner soar into the sky and hopped sporadically along the ground, building speed before he launched into the air after his friend.

"Tch. And here I was hoping you'd be at least a challenge."

He clapped his hands; illusory shapes drifted into existence, silvery white blobs taking places at his side. They began to solidify, taking shape until they resembled copies of himself, complete with hood over their heads. The real X- Ash assumed it was the real one since he clapped his hands and called out "At arms!"

The copies tensed, each forming an azure spear and aiming it upwards at the Pokémon.

"Steady, steady..."

The other trainers cried out in alarm. Too late, Ash realized what they were about to do, but before he could call out in warning-

"Fire!"

The dopplegangers hurled their weapons at the Pokémon, the following explosion drowning out Ash's cry for Hawlucha. Two figures dropped out of the smoke cloud, beaten and bruised beyond what should be acceptable. Once they hit the ground, they didn't bother getting up. Bonnie stood frozen in place, before remembering her duty as referee.

"Hawlucha and Pancham are unable to battle; X wins!"

All right, screw it. I've put this off long enough, think it's time I get back into the flow of writing. I've started a 30 day OTP and have since then been inspired to get back to this story. I've put this together after several prolonged months and am hoping to get back on schedule.

Battle scenes have not been my strong suit. I'm planning on splitting this sequence into three chapters; stay tuned for that.

So as the Keeper demonstrated he kinda has an addiction to blood. I'm using the Skyrim style/whatever-the-word-is-I'm-thinking-but-can't-say, in the sense that his powers grow the longer he refrains from consuming blood, and drop to just above average when he satisfies his cravings. That being said, he doesn't wholly rely on just blood for energy: berries are a satisfactory replacement in the absence of any Pokemon.

Please r&r. Any advice and criticism is appreciated.

Have a good day!