Chapter 9: Rivals and Reoccurrences

"You're right Laurence. Best omelet I've ever tasted," Cody admitted as he took another bite. It was a beautiful Sunday morning in late August, and Laurence had invited Cody and Heather to breakfast at a café near the park. They were eating at one of the café's outdoor table so they could get some fresh air. Despite the beautiful morning, the park was pretty empty of people for a Sunday.

"Told you so," Laurence said as he took another bite of his. "I ate here yesterday before I went to the gym. It's amazing when you find little places like this that serve good stuff. I'm gonna look for a good food place like this in every town that serves good food."

"You could probably make a book about that," Heather suggested. "Make a book about all the good restaurants for trainers in Skitrex to visit in various cities. It would probably sell really well, considering the current trainer boom in the region."

"You know Heather, you're probably right," Laurence replied. "If this trainer thing doesn't pan out, I'll be a food critic."

"That's the spirit," Cody said. He finished his omelet and leaned back in his chair. The waitress came by and took their payments as the conversation continued. "So Laurence, if you're leaving tonight, we're gonna battle before, right?"

"Sure bro, whenever you want."

"How about right now?" he asked.

"Okay man, sure. I just have to go pick my monsters up from the pokémon center."

"Cool, I'll go with you," Cody said as they both stood up.

"Wait, where are you two battling?" Heather asked curiously.

"We'll do it here in the park. They have an old battle plot that we can use."

"Okay, I'm just gonna wait around here and enjoy the sun. See you two in a little bit." With that, she stood up and walked away into the park. Cody couldn't help but notice how short her jean shorts were.

"Nice ass," Laurence commented once she was out of earshot.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Cody groaned as he began the short walk back to the pokémon center. Laurence followed.

"Well, I hope you realize the hole you've dug yourself into by traveling with her," Laurence continued. "It's going to bug you forever."

"Yeah, I know, but I have to," Cody sighed. "I just wish she didn't start looking twice as good the moment I turned her down." It was one of those "wanting what one couldn't have" moments.

"It's only gonna get worse if she finds a boyfriend, bro. Then it'll be too late and you'll be crying yourself to sleep, asking yourself why you didn't jump when you had the chance."

"Laurence, it's good to know I have your support in this situation," Cody said sarcastically.

"Hey man, that's what I'm here for," he replied as if he hadn't heard Cody's tone.

The two trainers reached the center, and Laurence went up to the front desk to get his pokémon while Cody waited near the door. He couldn't wait to finally battle Laurence. He had been wanting to do it since he caught Bastion, but he knew he wouldn't have been ready at the time.

"Hey kid," called a boy's voice from the sofas. Cody looked over to see the boy who's Charmeleon defeated Eagle the day before. He was sitting on one of the sofas with a fierce looking Nidorano stationed by his feet.

"Hey," Cody greeted back. "Jared, right?"

"Yes," he answered. "Look, I saw you walk in and I wanted to apologize to you for yesterday. You seemed very eager to congratulate me on my win, and I didn't ask for your name."

"Oh, that?" Cody asked. He had completely forgotten, but being called "kid" by the trainer who couldn't be older than Laurence bugged him.

"Yes, I feel that that was rude of me and I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, it's all cool," Cody replied. "It's Cody by the way. Cody Storm."

"Well, nice to make your acquaintance Cody," he said as the two boys shook hands. He had a firm grip. "You battling Eagle this week?"

"Yup, both me and Heather have battles this Saturday. I'm kind of antsy. I've never been in a gym battle before."

Jared chuckled. "I remember my first gym battle. It was pretty intense." His Nidorino stood up, walked over to Cody, and began to sniff his shoes. Cody noticed that its back right foot was wrapped up in an ace bandage.

"What happened to his leg?" Cody questioned curiously.

"Who, Nidorino?" Jared asked. "He got pretty banged up in our battle with Eagle. His Skarmory tore up his knee pretty bad, so he's gonna be out for a few days."

"Wait, Eagle uses a Skarmory?" Cody asked with intrigue, remembering the Skarmory he had fought the other day.

"He did in my battle," Jared answered. "It was probably the most challenging of his pokémon to defeat."

"I see…" Cody said as his voice trailed off. He remembered the battle a few days ago with a Skarmory, which made him envious.

"So…" Jared continued, "this Heather girl. I was chatting with her yesterday. She your girlfriend or something?"

"Her? No, we're just friends," Cody said as he swallowed his bitter feelings with those words.

"Really. That's strange. You don't see a lot of guy-girl trainer pairings traveling around that are just friends. Or I don't, at least."

"Yeah, you're right," Cody agreed. This conversation was beginning to get more and more awkward.

"Yeah I was gonna say," he continued. "Because she's pretty cute."

"Then maybe you should ask her out," Cody blurted out.

Why the hell did you just say that! his mind raged. He felt as though he just took a Hyper Beam to the chest.

"Oh really?" he replied, smirking a half smile. He stood up and stretched. "I have to go train. I'll be seeing you around, Cody." With that, he and his Nidorino walked over to the elevator that led to the center's training gym, leaving Cody to idle in his own foolishness.

"Dude… What the hell did I just witness?"

Cody turned around to see Laurence standing behind him. His face was an indescribable combination of disgust and disbelief.

"Uh… how much of that did you hear?" Cody asked. This was not his greatest moment, and his cheeks were showing it.

"Enough to put my forehead in my hand and shake it," Laurence answered before doing just that.

"Look, let's just go battle. I don't want to think about this," Cody said, though it wasn't leaving his thoughts any time soon.


The two boys stood on opposite sides of the old battle plot in the park. Heather was on the sidelines, ready to record the battle with Cody's new camera. They had agreed on the amount they'd bet and they were each going to use three pokémon, no switching.

"You ready to lose?" Laurence asked smugly.

"I don't know the meaning of the word," Cody shot back. In truth, he had only lost a few battles by that point, so he felt pretty confident, aside from the fact that Laurence's Machop probably outclassed all of his pokémon with the amount of training it had accomplished in comparrison.

"Let's see what you're made of then," Laurence shot back.

"Fine! Let's go-" before Cody could release his Larvitar onto the field, Mars released himself from his pokeball, ready to rumble. "Or Mars," Cody sighed as the Diglett let out a battle cry of squeaks.

"Hey, it's cool. I'll choose a random pokémon too!" Laurence compromised. He picked up all his pokeballs and shuffled them before randomly tossing one onto the field.

"Rii, rii!" shouted the little Pachirisu as it entered the field. Cody saw Laurence go pale. No matter how tough the little squirrel was, its electric attacks weren't going to do much against a ground-type pokémon.

"Uh… Maybe I take back what I said about the rando-"

"Too late!" Cody cut him off. "Mars, Dig!" The little mole popped under the ground and popped up seconds later beneath the squirrel to send it flying. The Pachirisu landed on its feet and managed to use a Quick Attack against his opponent before he could go back underground. It was wickedly quick.

"Shake it off, Mars! Scratch it!" Cody shouted.

"Bolt, Charm!" Laurence commanded. As the Diglett rushed the squirrel to strike him with his claws, the Pachirisu didn't flee. Instead, he gave Mars a cute look and let out a sweet sounding cry. Mars stopped dead in mid-swipe, questioning whether or not it should hit something so cute. "Now Tail Whip!"

"Mars, what are you doing? Hit it!" But before Mars could come to his senses, Bolt had given him a nice slap with his tail before avoiding Mars's various claw swipes. When Mars finally managed to hit with a scratch, the Parisichu didn't seem that phased. Its Charm must have had a residual effect on Mars's mindset.

"Bolt, Quick Attack again!"

"Mars, Mud Slap!" The two pokémon charged each other at lightning fast speed and traded blows as they passed each other. Even though Mars managed to partially blind his foe with mud to the eyes, he was panting. The squirrel was already draining his energy.

"Don't give up Bolt! Quick Attack!" Laurence yelled. The blinded squirrel tried to strike the tiny mole, but Mars took advantage of this side effect and dodged the attack perfectly.

"While he's dazed! Magnitude!" The Diglett started a tremor which caused the Pachirisu to fall on its face. "Now Slash!"

"Bolt, get to your feet and dodge it!" Laurence shouted, but the squirrel was too bewildered to comprehend the order. Mars made his charge, but while he was doing it, the earth seemed to roll alongside him as he approached his foe. With a loud smack, the Diglett had struck the tiny squirrel with a wave of moving land.

"Great Bulldoze, Diglett!" Cody praised as the little mole squeaked triumphantly. His pokémon had learned a new trick.

"Good tr,y Bolt," Laurence sighed as he called his returned the Pachirisu to his pokeball. "That was pretty nice, Storm, but you're gonna need a kiss from Lady Luck herself to win this battle." He picked out another pokeball and tossed it onto the field. His Shellos emerged and gave out a long high cry as the sun glistened over her purple skin.

Cody looked at Mars. The Mole looked exhausted after trading blows with Bolt, but he wasn't ready to give up. "Mars, Dig!" The mole managed an easy strike on the slow-moving slug, but she didn't seem hurt from that at all. The Shellos had used Harden in anticipation of the attack.

"Shelly, Water Pulse!" Laurence commanded. The sea slug shot a watery blast at Mars which hit him directly in the face, knocking him out.

"Good job Mars," Cody said as he called his pokémon back. He didn't expect Mars to last long against a water pokémon, but he had a problem. He wanted to save his Squirtle for the final fight against Laurence's Machop, but now Bastion seemed like the only viable option for the match-up since sending his Larvitar out to fight a water pokémon seemed like suicide.

"Give it all you got Bastion!" Cody cheered as he sent the turtle out to face the sea slug.

"Water Gun!" Both trainers shouted at the same time. The water blasts collided between the pokémon, but Bastion's was much stronger. The water jet collided with the Shellos, but she didn't even flinch.

"Thanks for the boost, Cody," Laurence smirked. "Shelly, Water Pulse!"

"Dodge it, Bastion!" The Squirtle just barely evaded the water blast, but Cody noticed that this Water Pulse was larger than the one that had hit Mars. The Shellos must have been able to improve her own water attacks by absorbing Bastion's. "Looks like we're going to have to avoid using water attacks this round, buddy. Tackle it!"

The tiny turtle leaped above another incoming Water Pulse and tackled the slug head first. "Now bite it!"

"Shake him off, Shelly!"

The Shellos began to writhe and wriggle until it managed to toss the Squirtle off before shooting him with a perfectly aimed Water Pulse. It was a direct hit, but Bastion was nowhere near through. He shook off the blast and withdrew into his shell to use an Aqua Jet attack against the sluggish Shellos, who was too slow to get out of the way.

"Shelly, he's too fast! Use Mud Bomb!" Laurence commanded. After shooting water onto the soft dirt, the Shellos began to shoot muddy balls of liquid at the fleeing Squirtle. Cody grew worried as he watched this chase scene. Each muddy ball that Shelly shot at Bastion seemed to be getting closer and closer to hitting the target. But then, Cody had a bright idea.

"Bastion, jump over your opponent!"

The Squirtle leaped over the Shellos, and the purple slug tried to shoot him down with another Mud Bomb, but she shot the ball straight up into the air, and it ended up crashing down on her.

"While she's dazed, Aqua Jet!" The Squirtle shot his shell into the slugs side and she fell on her back.

"Nice job, Shelly," Laurence called out as he returned the sea slug. He still didn't look too down about the loss, though. "Playtime is over, Storm," he chuckled. "Show them who's boss, Flex!"

In a flash of light, Flex emerged on the field. The little Machop looked extremely confident as he stared down Bastion. Cody knew this wouldn't be an easy fight, even though he was up two to one. He would go from the days where he cheering Flex on to fighting him.

"Focus Energy!" Laurence shouted. The Machop closed its eyes and began to focus.

"Take advantage of this Bastion! Water Gun!"

The Squirtle shot a blast of water at the Machop, which hit directly, but the foe didn't lose his focus, even though he was pushed back.

"Okay Bastion, you're gonna have to break his focus. Aqua Jet!"

"Now!" Laurence stated. Flex broke out of his stance and ran forward at the Squirtle shell that was flying towards him. In one swift move, he shoulder-tackled the oncoming shell and sent it flying into the ground.

"Back to your feet and use Bubble to slow him down!"

"Jump it!" Laurence shouted. Flex leaped over the stream of bubbles and tried to land a Karate Chop on the Squirtle below, but Bastion barely made it out of the way.

"Tackle him," Cody shouted. The turtle lunged at the Machop, but the enemy was too quick and he punched the Squirtle straight in the nose, sending him flying into the ground again. Bastion rose to his feet after the crash. A trickle of blood was running from his nose, but he had a look of rage in his expression.

"Water Gun!" Cody commanded. This time, the Machop was blasted backward, but he didn't look ready to give up.

"You're playing too sloppy, Cody! Make him submit, Flex!"

The Machop shook off the water and leaped forward to grab the turtle before stretching Bastions limbs like a rag doll. Bastion struggled under the pressure of the submission maneuver. Cody began to feel worried for the first time in the battle. Bastion was fighting at his best, but he was still getting outclassed in battle, and he wasn't sure if Larvitar would be able to hold his own against Flex either.

"Rapid Spin," Cody shouted in desperation. It was a technique they had been working on, but he was unsure if the Squirtle could pull it off. Thankfully, his pokémon surpassed his expectations. Bastion managed to escape Flex's hold as he spun around inside his shell to escape the Machop's grip.

"Now, Iron Tail to the face!" Bastion leaped into the air to smack the Machop with his steely tail, but Flex instinctively grabbed the appendage and swung the turtle into the ground.

"Now, Seismic Toss!"

"Don't give in, Bastion! Water Gun!"

In a last-ditch effort, the tiny turtle shot a stream of water at the oncoming Machop, but the foe just ran through the blast, grabbed the Squirtle, and leaped into the air to deliver a beautifully executed Seismic Toss. THUD! As the Machop stood proudly, Bastion lay in a sprawling heap on the ground.

"You were prime out there, Bastion," Cody said as he returned the turtle to his ball. He looked on at the Machop on the field who was flexing his muscles in victory. Bastion had been pushed to the limit, but he had barely made a dent. "I believe in you Larvitar!"

After the flash, the little lizard stared off against Flex. A look of fear emerged on Cody's pokémon's face. The Larvitar could sense that this opponent had much more experience than he did.

"Karate Chop!" Laurence ordered. As soon as the Machop began to chase down his foe, Cody's Larvitar let out a scream and began to run away in the other direction.

"Damn it, Larvitar, face him!" Cody shouted to his pokémon, but the lizard kept running away. The Machop eventually caught him and threw him into the air before punching him on his fall down.

"Karate Chop!" Laurence repeated, and the Machop made a sideways chop at Larvitar's face. As Flex hit his target, the Larvitar's head was smacked to the side as a glob of spit flew from his mouth. Suddenly, Larvitar just stared back at the Machop. Cody was stunned at the look on his pokémon's face. He looked downright mean. The Machop began to back up, cautiously eyeing the foe. Cody's pokémon was using Scary Face.

"Raaaah!" the lizard shouted as suddenly, all the loose dirt on the battle plot began to swirl around him in a five-foot radius. His Larvitar had created his first miniature sandstorm.

"That's the way, Larvitar!" Cody cheered. "Horn Attack!"

The Larvitar charged the stunned Machop and struck him with his horn. Flex fought back by delivering his own set of chops, but the Larvitar kept chipping away at the Machop's defenses with strikes from his horn and fists. Flex began to struggle among the lizard's assault and the flying dirt.

"Don't let him get the best of you, Flex! Submission!"

The Machop performed a submission maneuver in order to wear down the lizard's assault, but among the sandstorm and the Larvitar's struggle, it seemed to be hurting Flex more than his victim. Suddenly, the Larvitar let out an ear-piercing screech. Flex lost focus and Larvitar reversed the hold and performed a running body slam on Machop. Laurence had a look of disbelief on his face.

"You're doing great, Larvitar," Cody praised. He was getting really excited, thinking that maybe, his Larvitar would finally win a battle on his own. "Headbutt!" The Larvitar was about to strike Flex in the chest, but the Machop saw this coming and grabbed his horn. Getting to his feet, Flex held the lizard above his head with one hand.

"Vital Throw, now!" Laurence shouted. With a swift, fluid movement, Flex tossed Larvitar straight into the air. As the screaming lizard fell to the ground, the Machop gave him an uppercut to the chin. With one last gasp, the Larvitar fell on the ground. He tried to get to his feet, but failed. The battle was over. Flex stood shakily in the battle plot as the little sandstorm subsided. Dirt was clotted in the cuts on the Machop's skin that Larvitar had made, but he didn't seem to notice. Tough as his opponents were, he had already faced stronger by them.

"Looks like I win, Storm," Laurence laughed. He went up to Flex and gave the little bodybuilder pokémon a high-five before pouring a little bit of water on the wounds so he could scrub the dirt out. "But your pokémon looked amazing. You'll have no problem winning the Tornado Badge. I guarantee it."

"Yeah, it was a great match," Cody agreed. He began to spray his Larvitar with a potion. The little pokémon managed to stand up and looked into his trainer's eyes, almost as if to ask "did I do good?"

"You were great, little guy," Cody answered as if his Larvitar had actually asked the question. He was still upset that the Larvitar had not managed to win, but it was okay, given how his cowardly Larvitar had shown much improvement in such a short period of time.

"I've never seen him use Sandstorm before," Heather said in awe as she approached Cody to give him his video camera. "He got a lot better."

"Yeah, there just might be hope for him after all," Cody chuckled as he patted the lizard's forehead.

"Pay up Cody. Daddy needs a new pair of shoes," Laurence commented as he walked over. Cody groaned and counted out the bills he owed Laurence.

"Don't feel bad, loser," Laurence chuckled. "You were actually making me sweat."

"Just wait 'til next time," Cody stated. The loss was beginning to bother him less as the minutes passed. Even though he didn't win, his own pokémon managed to beat Laurence's newer pokémon with ease. Eventually, they would catch up with Flex as well. Knowing that was enough reason to smile.


The next week had rolled by like a whirlwind. Eventually, more trainers needed rooms, and Cody and Heather were forced out of the pokémon center's living quarters and into a motel. Paying for a room sucked, but it was better than sleeping outside.

Laurence had left on the day of the battle. His next plan was to head for the electric gym in Kito Grove down south. It would be a two-month trip, but he was excited nonetheless.

Despite being a Friday night, Cody was in the room, re-watching battles from the last week on the TV that his camcorder was hooked up to. His win-loss record for the week had been pretty nice, so he figured he could beat Eagle without a hitch. He just hoped that his Larvitar and Mars would be able to pull their weight.

"Hey Cody," Heather said happily as she entered the room. She was dressed up nice in a red blouse and jean shorts, and her hair was wavy instead of straight. She must have curled it before she went out, but he was doing his best to ignore how cute she looked. "You still watching those things?"

"Yes. Mostly the Larvitar clips," Cody sighed. "I don't get it. He's is doing well, but he still can't win against another pokémon unless he gets help from the others. I mean, I know Bastion will do well, and Mars… well, he'll do well enough against birds for a ground-type pokémon. But Larvitar…"

"You'll do fine," Heather replied in an attempt to ease his nerves. "You're really stressing. You've had battles on the mind nonstop." She sat down on his bed in order to get his attention. "You should go out sometime. You need some 'you time.'"

"I'll take some time off when I win," Cody stated, yawning. He looked down at Larvitar and Mars who were already curled up on the floor in a deep slumber. "So, how was your night with Jared?" He hated to ask, but he had to be a good friend.

"Oh, it was fun," Heather replied, pushing one of her curly locks from the front of her face. "He's kind of funny. Like, not in a humorous jokey way, but in a socially awkward sort of way. But he's really sweet, even though he's kind of serious."

"Sounds fun," Cody asked, trying to sound disinterested. It was the second time that week she had gone out with him. She seemed to really like the guy for some reason that was on Cody's understanding. Talented as Jared was, Cody found him kind if dull.

"He told me something interesting about you," Heather continued as her voice grew more serious. "He told me that you recommended that he ask me out."

"I might have said something," Cody murmured. He wanted to forget about the whole thing. He was getting focused with his training, and those random emotions were causing problems.

"Well," Heather finally said in an attempt to end the conversation. "I'm going to get ready for bed. Big day tomorrow."

"Yup," Cody replied. "Oh, and just so you know, Bastion is in the bathtub. He likes to play in the water after a long day Just letting you know so he doesn't scare you."

"Okay, thanks Cody."

He went back to watching the clip of Larvitar fighting a Drowzee. Re-watching the same battles had grown boring, but he was beginning to notice how his pokémon moved and thought. His current goal was to help them add his strategies to their instincts so that they would be able to think abstractly like he could. Such goals seemed very far off and could take years to teach, but with the right training, he would find a way to make it happen. Suddenly, he felt his eyes growing heavy. He slowly removed his pants and nestled under the sheets.

"I'll just nap for a few minutes," he thought to himself as his consciousness began to fade.


Darkness: it surrounded him in a cold embrace once more.

"I'm having the dream again," Cody said out loud, shivering in the abyss. "What is this place?" He looked around, but all he could see was a light mist. He tried to walk forward, but his position didn't seem to be affected by his attempt. Nothing made sense.

He then remembered what the voice had said last time he had this vision. "Remember that I am real!" it had said. But what did that even mean? Wasn't it just a dream?

"I know you're here!" Cody shouted into the empty space. "Whatever you are, I know you're watching! Where are you!"

No answer. He sat down and sighed. What was the point of having the dream if nobody was going to try and scare him?

"Always thinking about yourself," the eerie voice said. Cody stood up and looked around. He could see nobody. The voice seemed to come from all angles.

"Where are you? Show yourself!"

"You are an arrogant child, Cody Storm. And what do you have to be arrogant for? You are but a petty trainer in a large world," continued the mysterious being.

"And yet it's worth your time to haunt my sleep?" Cody questioned.

The voice began to laugh. "You make an excellent point, child. In your current state, you are lacking. It's your potential that I desire."

"Okay then," Cody replied. He began to feel calmer in the conversation. Nothing dangerous seemed to be happening, despite the creepiness. "Then what's the point of all this? Are you supposed to be Freddy Krueger or something? Why don't you just kill me already if that's what you want?"

"Kill you?" the voice chuckled. "Who said anything about killing you? That would be such a waste." A dark hand stretched from the darkness and moved a strand of hair out from in front of Cody's face. He flinched at the chilling touch. "Besides, in my current form, I am incapable of killing you. I can only visit you in this way."

"In what way?" Cody asked.

A fanged mouth extended from the darkness and stopped right in front of his eyes. "In your dreams," it whispered before disappearing again.

Cody just stared into the darkness and he began breathing faster and faster. "Whatever this is, it isn't real. It isn't real. It's just a dream."

"You are correct, this is just a dream. A dream that I control. That I manipulate. That I design. You're in my realm now, Cody."

"Just what do you want?" Cody shouted. So many fearful thoughts flowed through his mind.

"I want you… but not now. Not yet. When the time is right, you shall do as I say, for you have my mark."

"And if I say no?" Cody asked.

"Excuse me?"

"This is just a dream. You said it yourself. Eventually, I'll wake up."

"True," the voice said. "But who is to say I won't be back when you fall asleep again?"

"Does it even matter?" Cody asked. "You can come creep me out all you want, but it's not going to matter if you can't kill me or anything."

"I may not be able to kill you," the voice murmured. "But I can make you wish you were dead."

Suddenly, the dark hand shot out from the shadows and penetrated Cody's chest. He let out a scream as immense pain urged through his pores and he looked down at where the hand had entered. No blood came out, but the hole where the hand had entered looked real.

"Remember, Cody," the voice said over Cody's screams. "Remember this moment forever!"

"Cody! Cody wake up!" Heather shouted in panic.

Cody began to thrash as he came to. Unaware of his surroundings he began to shout as he grabbed the girl that was trying to hold his shoulders down, not recognizing who she was.

"Cody, please calm down!" she cried frantically. He finally realized where he was, and he calmed down. He also noticed that in his panic of frantic struggle, he was grabbing one of Heather's breasts. He slowly loosened his grip, feeling blood rush to his face in embarrassment, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Cody, I was so scared," she said with fear in her voice. "You were murmuring in your sleep and then you started tossing and turning and thrashing and I didn't know what-" she stopped in mid-sentence as she noticed there were tears welling up in his eyes. "Cody, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine, I just had a bad dream," he blurted as he quickly wiped the tears out of his eyes. He was humiliated that Heather had seen him so vulnerable.

"Cody, do you nee-"

"I need fresh air," he interrupted. "I'm sorry I woke you ." He left the bewildered girl in the motel room and went to stand on the balcony, leaning against an iron beam that supported the roof above. A cool breeze blew against his face. He was only wearing a t-shirt and boxer shorts, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

"What the hell was that?" he asked himself.

"He has visited you, hasn't he?" crackled a voice behind him.

That voice. It gave him more chills than the cold air of the evening. He spun around and was shocked to see her: the old crone who read his fortune in Kindle City.

"What the- I know you," he gasped as he tried to remember her name. "Madame… Madame Stella. You were the one who freaked me out in… Wait, what the hell is going on? Why the hell are you here?"

"He has visited you, hasn't he?" She repeated again, ignoring his questions. "He has come to you in your dreams once more. You must be vigilant and prepared for his arrival."

"Wait, who? How did you know I was having a nightmare?" He began to back away from the old woman. "This is all just so wrong. You need to leave me alone. I don't even know you or what you're doing here."

"Denial will not save you, marked one," Madame Stella said as she took several steps closer to him. Just the smell of her rancid breath was enough to make him cringe. "The Dark One will come again, and you must have the courage to face him."

"What does that even mean?" Cody asked desperately. "What does any of this mean?"

"When you are ready, he will reveal his plans for you. Until then, you must be wary. When he comes, you must show no fear in your heart and your mind. He will plague you in the night, and you must not forget that he has the power to make men go mad. Remember that, young Cody Storm." She slowly turned around and walked away down the balcony. Cody just stood in confusion.

"Who the hell are you? Why won't you say anything that makes sense?" She didn't answer him as she disappeared around the balcony's corner. "And how do you know my name? How the hell did you find me?" No response. He walked to the end of the balcony and looked around the corner of the wall. She was nowhere in sight.

"This is too strange," he groaned as he walked back to his room. It was no use going crazy over something that he couldn't understand. As he re-entered the hotel room, he noticed that Heather was asleep again. He felt like a creeper watching her as she slept, but he couldn't help himself for a moment. She looked so at peace.

I shouldn't have pushed her away when she woke me up, he thought to himself. She was only trying to help. Of course, she probably wouldn't have believed him if he had told her the truth. He could barely believe the experience himself.

I just need some sleep, he thought to himself as he laid back down on his bed. Preferably without some stupid reoccurring nightmare.

"Weik, weik!" squeaked a small pokémon. Mars had woken up and had jumped up on the bed and began to lick Cody's face. He stroked the Diglett's fur and held the little mole close to his body, embracing the warmth.

"I promise you," he whispered to the mole and himself as he remembered the nightmare's words. "I promise that I won't remain a petty trainer forever."


This chapter was edited on 1/10/18. There may still be continuity or grammatical errors. If you notice any, please alert me in a review or a private message.