Chapter 12

It truly was long ago; not physically, nor temporally. It was long ago for me, mentally. Though my goal and passion to become the best has stayed in the forefront of my vision, my perspective has changed more times than I care to remember. Witnessing the challenge in Saffron City marked the point in my journey when I started to see myself, and what I wanted to become, differently.

I stand up and stretch my restless muscles. Who knew these ceremonies and buildups were so damn long and boring? My companion seems to share the sentiment as the room heats up more than ten degrees in a matter of seconds. Perhaps my discontent is rubbing off on him. Calm. I'm past that…

The muffled cheering has not died down in the slightest. The heat in the room has rapidly become sweltering, so I walk over to the water faucet against the wall to slap water onto my face. The liquid is cool and I immediately feel more relaxed, though the heat in the room does not leave. I look up to the mirror above the tap and see groomed and spiked dark brown hair and groomed dark brown stubble. The water runs down my face, reaching the indented line that mars my right cheek and travels down to my neck.

I sigh and shower more water upon my face. 'This is a world of monsters', passes through my head and I look into the eyes of my reflection. Greyish hazel eyes look back at me, almost tauntingly. What? You can't deal with a little tension? Do something about it. Or sit your ass down and chill out. Dark maroon eyes loom behind my shoulder, peering at me through the reflection. In a split second, the maroon irises turn a pitch black that covers the eyes entirely. Before I know it, my eyes have changed to match his, and I am hit with a burst of adrenaline.

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On the morning after the Saffron City Leader challenge, I met with Sheila and Chris in the PokeCenter lounge. As we were looking at our calendars in the warmth of the building, Sheila suddenly started crying. Chris and I were bewildered and enquired as to why. "Don't you all realize it?" she asked between sniffles. "We missed the Winter Solstice celebration AND the New Year's celebration!"

Chris and I were taken aback. We had indeed missed it while we were on Route 5. It was almost an entire week after New Year's; we must have been so focused that it did not even occur to us. There was not much to say at that point. After all, we could not turn back time. We once again put off leaving for Vermillion for another day so that we could respect the holiday season with alcohol and warm spirits.

During the day, I checked my PokeDex for messages for the first time since Cerulean, and found a message from my parents wishing me happy New Year's. I ended up calling them and wishing them a happy belated New Year's and informed them of our progress. We celebrated at a local pub called The Machop Shot, but Sheila and Chris did not feel festive enough to go crazy with it. It was not much of a holiday season for us, and it honestly felt disappointing. However, we sucked it up and continued on.

Before we left Saffron City, I thought for a while on the supplies we ought to bring, and I voiced those thoughts to Sheila and Chris. The main difference between Route 5 and Route 6 was the caliber of competition. The trainers competing on Route 6 would either be training for the Vermillion City gym or the Celadon City gym, which were at my badge level and higher, respectively.

In other words, the competition would be much more difficult. For that reason alone, I suggested that we overstock on potions with stronger potencies. From our winning streaks on Route 5, we had each amassed a significant amount of cash, which would be put to good use on potions. Also, if our journey past Route 5 was any indication of our impending passage through Route 6, then we would need to purchase travel food for our pokemon and ourselves. Although we were able to hunt at night, we only ever caught enough food to barely get by. If anything, the products of our hunts could be viewed as supplements.

Chris and Sheila both agreed with me on each of my suggestions, so we stocked up on potions and food before setting out onto Route 6. My prediction about the level of competition was quickly proven correct within our first few fights. Instead of crushing our opponents for the most part, Sheila, Chris, and I found ourselves competing in fairer battles. I was forced to use my potions much more often than I had on Route 5, and they were used up quickly.

Despite the difficulty of our competition, the strain held some benefit for my pokemon. As pokemon progress to higher levels, the amount of experience in fighting and survival required to raise their level also increase, making it more difficult for them to rise to the next degree. As such, my pokemon were beginning to slow in their ascent. However, as a result of my pokemon finding more evenly-matched fights, they grew stronger almost as quickly as they had on Route 5. Furthermore, since they were forced to push themselves harder and win consistently, they could continue to rise more rapidly than their peers.

At first glance, one would find it beneficial and even fortunate that their pokemon could grow in strength so fast, but I started to wonder if there were any adverse side-effects for rapid leveling. My trepidation only grew as we progressed along Route 6, though I kept my thoughts to myself.

Sheila and Chris tried to train their Torchic more often, in order to raise them up to the competency of their teammates, but they tended to be much lower in level than their opponents. I also chose to use Ceto more than my other pokemon at first, until she became closer in level, and I was able to boost her up within a couple of days. Overall, it took us twelve days to traverse the fifteen miles to Vermillion City.

On our second day of southward travel along Route 6, our group was approached by a couple who challenged us to a double-pokemon battle. Both the guy and the girl seemed to be a year or two older than myself. When they hailed us for a challenge, the girl asked, "So which one of you wants to sit out? This is double battle; not a triple."

Chris, Sheila, and I looked at each other before Chris said, "I'm going to sit this one out. I want to give my pokemon a rest." He had almost lost his previous match, and his pokemon were fairly worn out.

"Alright then, so you two!" the girl yelled cheerfully. I looked to Sheila and she smiled.

"Ok," she whispered, "I'll use Kara and you use Ceto." I nodded in agreement; I had never fought with a teammate.

At our mark, all four of us released our pokemon. Ceto hovered in front of me, Kara stood in front of Sheila, a Mr. Mime stood in front of the guy, and a Breloom bounced in front of the girl. With a second of quick thinking, I told Sheila, "Paralyze them or put them to sleep. Take out the Mime first." Then I looked to Ceto and said, "Ceto! Smokescreen."

Sheila called to Kara next, saying, "Stun spore!"

Our opposing team of two then said, "Light screen! Stun Spore!" The Mr. Mime brought its white hands up and a bubble shimmered around the Breloom. The Breloom brought its tail around and flung spores at Ceto and Kara, who was flinging spores back at the two opponents. Ceto was also busy filling the air with black smoke.

Since everyone was remaining stationary, they were all hit by the spores, leaving them struggling to move. Luckily for Ceto, I had been training her, along with my other pokemon, to resist them. Although all of my pokemon had developed a strong resistance to the spores by now, they were not immune, so she had to hurry and knock out her opponents before the spores could have an effect. Kara, ironically, had less of tolerance towards her own spores because she never had to endure the effects.

Kara still moved quickly forward and let out a long whistle. While she did so, the Mr. Mime cast reflect upon the Breloom, creating another overlapping barrier which engulfed the Breloom. Shortly after, it received a blast of scalding hot water to the head, causing it to soundlessly writhe in pain. The Breloom was affected by the spores and, while it tried to charge Kara, it ended up freezing in place instead. It then fell asleep upon hearing Kara's whistle.

We now had a small amount of time to take care of the Mr. Mime before its partner awoke. "Ceto! Scald again, and then twister!" I ordered. The Mr. Mime then cast a light screen upon itself before it was hit by some magical leaves from Kara and Ceto's scald.

At Sheila's command, Kara threw out some briars and then resumed flinging her sharpened leaves at the Mime. After shooting boiling water onto the Mr. Mime, Ceto sucked in air and then released a gust that transformed into a small vortex. Unlike the flying-type move Gust, Twister is a dragon-type technique whose winds are much faster and dense. The technique condenses the wind into a quasi-physical, spinning battering ram which can cause great harm to those that get in its way.

The small, dense tornado slammed into the Mr. Mime, causing its light screen to flicker, and propelling the mime pokemon backwards. However, the Mr. Mime released some magic leaves right before the twister hit, and they embedded themselves into Ceto's hide, causing her to cry out in pain. Unless I found a way for her to evolve into Kingdra, Ceto would be weak to grass-type moves, like Magic Leaf, as well as electricity.

Ceto continued to throw small tornados at the Mr. Mime while Kara giga-drained it. Throughout the entire time, the Breloom slept and its spores festered. The Mr. Mime managed to send a purple beam at Kara twice, hitting her and causing her poisonous veins to coagulate. They were beams of pure psychic energy, which disrupt and alter the cellular and physical composition of poison and venom molecules. Since Roselia have poisons running through their bodies, the Psybeams had a significant impact on her. She managed to stay conscious, though, as the Mr. Mime was finally knocked out from Kara's and Ceto's dual attacks.

Seconds after the Mr. Mime fell, it was recalled and Ceto blasted the Breloom with a twister. Kara released vines from her roses which plunged into the soil, and she started sucking nutrients from the ground to speed up her healing processes. The battering twister jolted the Breloom awake, and it started running towards Ceto, though it was visibly have trouble doing so, due to the spores that wracked its body.

Ceto continued to blast it with twister after twister, though it grew closer until it swung its tail around, creating a shockwave that battered Ceto. Ceto, I could see, was finally starting to feel the effects of the spores, because her attacks were slowing, and the power of her twisters was suffering. Kara stayed where she was and started flinging magic leaves at the Breloom in the meantime. The Breloom launched several forceful attacks, but Ceto's skin was tough. As the Breloom froze up again, it was subjected to more unrelenting attacks from Ceto and Kara, finally resulting in it passing out.

As the Breloom lost consciousness, Ceto disappeared in a bright flash of light. As the light diminished, Ceto's form emerged, four feet tall. She retained her deep green color, but her scales were now thicker, larger, and sharper. She had large ridges on both sides of her head, and her fins were now larger and jagged. I could even see her front scales leaking a clear liquid which I knew to be potent venom. She had evolved into a Seadra and I was ecstatic.

"Great, Ceto! You look amazing! Good job!" I cheered, and then returned her. The remaining pokemon on the field were returned and the couple took out another pair of pokeballs. This time, I looked to Sheila and said, "Use Larry and I'll use Azrael. Larry's Thunderwave won't affect him." Sheila nodded and we both released our pokemon.

The couple released a Nidorino and Nidorina. The three-and-a-half-foot-tall purple and blue rhino-like pokemon were covered in barbs that glistened with venom. They immediately charged and Azrael sent a massive wave of dirt to intercept them. The wave was wide; made in such a way that it would hit both pokemon. However, since the wave was wider, it was also thinner, and the Nidorina plowed through, though significantly slowed down. The Nidorino, however, could not break through, and was thrown back and buried.

Larry followed up by sending out a wave of electricity that passed harmlessly over Azrael's scales but hit both of the opposing pokemon. I then yelled, "Azrael, continue bulldozing! Don't hit either of them directly; they have venomous barbs that can easily poison you." Azrael rumbled his affirmative and continued. Larry started sending multiple bolts of lightning at his closest opponent, keeping his distance.

Just like that, Azrael kept the Nidorino and Nidorina at bay with his bulldozes and kept them from progressing too close. Larry shot multiple lightning bolts as well, which damaged them from his distance. Within a couple of minutes, both of the opposing pokemon lay unconscious. Larry then surprised us all by bursting into yellow light. He emerged as a four-and-a-half-foot-tall yellow, bipedal pokemon with black stripes on his tail and long neck. He had a red orb on his head and on the end of his tail, a single gray toenail on each feet, and thin but wide arms. One of his arms was shorter than the other, remaining a permanent reminder of his Ursaring attack.

Sheila squealed and ran over to Larry, drawing him into a tight embrace and laughing. The couple was not as cheery; they had just lost the battle and were required to give us our monetary earnings. Two evolutions in one battle, one of which was a third evolution – it was an amazing coincidence.

Nine days passed and we were immersed in battling. On the eighth day, even though we used our potions only when we needed to, all of us had run out. As a result, we had to rest longer, which slowed us down significantly. I had to hunt alone so that my pokemon could heal, and on the tenth day, I ran into some trouble while searching for prey.

Armed with my bow and my hunting knife, I had already snagged a few Rattata and Buneary. They hung from the thin length of rope I carried on my shoulder as I walked back to camp. I walked along a game trail in a particularly heavy-wooded area until I reached a small clearing. I carried a flashlight, but lately I had not been using it as often. I found myself capable of seeing fairly well in the moonlight, and as a result, I chose not to waste the batteries.

As I entered the clearing, two silhouettes emerged from the tree line on both sides of me, each turning on a flashlight. When the lights hit my eyes, I was forced to squint as the sudden influx of light was slightly painful. One of them said, "Alright, what have we here?" The other followed up with, "Looks like someone's lost. You know what happens when people get lost around here?" The other voice then said, "They lose their money, their clothes, and their pokemon. Speaking of, you can give us your pokeballs now. And don't even think of releasing them," he threatened. I heard the sound of metal sliding over metal as he drew a knife.

By this point, they had approached me, and I could see their faces past their torches. One had a bushy beard and the other was clean shaven. "I hate to break it to you guys, but I don't have any pokemon on me. They're back at my camp with my friends. I don't even have any money on me; I just got done hunting for dinner."

"Oh that's a pity. But why would a trainer not take his pokemon with him in the dead of night? I think you're lying," the one on my left said.

"Search me if you don't believe me," I challenged. It was cold out and I decided that I was not going to let these guys take my clothing. Plus, there was no telling what they would do if they did not get what they wanted. I would be free to tell the Rangers if they let me go, and they probably knew that.

"I think that's exactly what we'll do. Drop the bow or get cut!" the same guy ordered. I acquiesced and released my weapon. It clattered onto the ground and I spread my arms. The guy with his knife drawn kept the weapon readied while the other reached toward my belt. I spied an undrawn bowie knife at his belt, along with two pokeballs.

As soon as his hand touched me, I quickly grabbed the guy's knife and drew it out of its sheath, bringing it up and slicing his arm with the same motion, making him drop his flashlight. I then brought the knife down just as quickly, cutting his leather belt and causing his pokeballs to fall onto the ground. When I moved, the other man lunged towards me, but I jumped straight up, brought both of my legs to my chest, and kicked out into his center of mass. His knife managed to nick my shoulder, but my evasion limited his attack to the fabric of my jacket.

The struck man flew backwards and landed on his back, dropping his flashlight, while I landed on mine. I rolled backwards and grabbed my bow, dropping the knife. These series of events passed by quickly, and I even surprised myself with the speed of my reactions. Time was moving slowly for me, and I was able to take in the entire situation in the dark. I felt at home in the dark, and it made me more confident.

Due to the fact that I kept my shells in loops on the cuffs of my jacket, it took no time to find one, retract it, and notch the arrow onto my bow. From my crouched position, I saw the first assailant cradling his arm and searching the ground for his pokeballs in dark. The other was rising, so I fired an arrow into his right arm, making him drop his knife. I then drew another arrow and shot the other man in his non-wounded arm.

The assailant I had dropkicked stood up and made a grab for a pokeball, so I picked up his partner's knife, and then threw it at him. Whereas I had no practice throwing knives, I did have practice throwing baseballs, and I was able to impact the man on the forehead. The knife hit broadside, so it cut the man, but it was not a deep wound. It left him stunned for a couple seconds as I notched another arrow and shot him in the kneecap.

He let out a scream and fell to the ground. The other man took that moment to kick me in the side, hard. I fell to the side, dropping my bow, and drew my own knife. He continued towards me to stomp down on my head, but I rolled toward him, dodging his clomp and situating myself between his legs. I brought my knife upwards, slicing him across his right thigh. When he flinched, I rolled back to another crouch.

I then moved towards him and physically shot in low for a leg, grabbing his left and bringing it up to my chest. I used my foot to sweep his only grounded leg, and he fell to his back. Though he fell, I kept ahold of his leg and sliced the back of his ankle, severing his Achilles tendon. Amidst his pained shrieks, I found his pokeballs. I looked to his partner and found him writhing while holding his leg.

I put the pokeballs in my pocket and made a move to the guy with the injured knee. Just then, a pokemon appeared in front of me. The light came from the prone man's pokeball, and I dived past it before it could become oriented. Before it could do anything, I had positioned myself behind its trainer and placed my blade at his neck. "Recall your pokemon, now! If it makes a move towards me, I will cut your throat!" I threatened furiously.

Now that I was looking at it, I identified the pokemon as a Nuzleaf, the grass/dark pokemon. It made a sudden move, and I broke skin on my assailant's neck. Immediately the Nuzleaf disappeared into its pokeball as its trainer said, "O-ow! Ok, ok!"

"Hands up, asshole!" I yelled. He complied and I took his pokeballs. I then took out my PokeDex and called the emergency hotline. The Ranger told me he was on his way, and not to move because he would be tracing my Dex. Around three minutes later, I heard a roar and I felt the ground shaking. Soon after, Rufus darted out of the forest, glowing red, and stopped in front of me, baring his teeth at the two prone criminals. I could still hear Azrael's roar in the distance and could still feel him approaching. One minute later, he came stomping out of the woods, and he saw Rufus standing over one of the assailants.

When he reached me, he made a move to rip apart one of the people, but quickly stopped him. I then said to both him and Rufus, "Well, you guys are a bit late, you know? But thanks anyway," I laughed. "I'm fine, and the Rangers are en route. How did you even know I was in trouble?" Rufus whined and Azrael grunted. "Hmm, so you could both sense something was wrong, then?" For some reason, I knew exactly what they were trying to say to me, despite not speaking their languages.

"Well, just keep watch over them until the Rangers arrive," I directed. Azrael stood over one while Rufus stood over the other. I crouched over both of them and retrieved my arrows, ripping them painfully from their wounds. I also took my assailants' knives and set them to the side with my hunted pokemon. After about ten minutes, two Rangers descended into the clearing atop a Fearow and a Pidgeotto.

They approached us with flashlights and released an Arcanine and an Arbok before ordering, "Return your pokemon, trainer."

I replied, "Well you see, their pokeballs are back at my camp. My pokemon ran here when they sensed I was in danger." Azrael's lip curled and he started growling.

"Then order them to get back!" one of the Rangers ordered.

I looked to Azrael and said, "Back up to the tree line, please." I then looked to Rufus and repeated myself to him. They both complied and backed up. The Rangers' pokemon were not recalled and watched my pokemon warily.

"So these are the crooks who assaulted you?" one asked. I replied yes, and one of them said, "Seems like this is not the first time you've turned someone in," while looking at his Dex.

"What can I say? I guess bad people are drawn to me," I said facetiously. I could see his eyes roll.

"Well let's see what we can find out," he sighed. The other Ranger piped in, "You really messed these guys up. Did they have pokemon on them?"

"Yeah. One of them released a Nuzleaf but I made him return it. Here are both of their pokeballs," I said, handing them over. One of the Rangers accepted them and linked them to his Dex.

From there, the Rangers discerned the location of my attackers' camp with the help of a Snubbull. It tracked where they had come from with its powerful sense of smell, and the Rangers found a cache of stolen pokeballs, clothing, and other belongings. With that kind of evidence, I was let of the hook and told to keep up the good work. I then made my way back to camp.

When I arrived, Ceto was hovering near the outskirts of the camp, and Gilles was floating thirty feet above the fire. Sheila and Chris looked frightened and alert as we entered the area, and both rushed over to me, leaving their pokemon behind. "What happened!? Azrael and Rufus just took off all of a sudden, and Ceto and Gilles got defensive. Are you alright?" asked Sheila.

"Yeah. Two guys attacked me with knives and I defended myself. Azrael and Rufus were a little late, but I was able to hold my own," I said, trying to play it off as a trivial inconvenience. But Sheila was not having it.

"Are you serious!? Don't act like this isn't a big deal! You could have been hurt really badly or killed!" she said in her hysteria.

"But I wasn't! I'm fine. I just want to eat what I caught and get some rest. Can you help me?" I asked, desperate for her to calm down.

"How do you manage to get into trouble so often? Ugh! I'll help you but you need to be more careful!" she said, exasperated.

I sighed and looked at Chris. He looked just as concerned, but he did not voice it. He simply clapped me on the side and said, "Take someone with you next time, even if it's one of our pokemon."

I sighed and said, "Fair enough," before sitting down to clean my kills.

Later, along Route 6, if my pokemon were too exhausted to battle, I allowed Chris's Zoroark to accompany me. He was calm and composed for the most part and never showed any distaste for my hunting methods. The night passed and we continued our trek in the morning.

Battle after battle we fought, and foe after foe we dropped. I must have battled another hundred or so trainers. Interestingly, I noticed that the majority of trainers we came across were my age or older. It is probably because many people get hung up at the earlier gyms and have to spend time training in order to raise their teams to the necessary level.

I lost three battles on that trek. All of them occurred in the final three days, and all of them were due to the extreme exhaustion that my pokemon felt. Sheila lost a couple more than I and so did Chris, but we all held very impressive win-loss ratios. As a result, our pokemon collectively saw another large jump in aptitude.

By the time we reached Vermillion, Azrael had reached level 40, Rufus had reached level 38, Gilles had reached level 37, and Ceto was level 35. Sheila's team ranged from level 36-30, not including her level 20 Combusken, since evolved from her Torchic. Finally, Chris's team ranged from 33-25, including his Combusken.

By that time, I started noticing some disconcerting traits of my pokemon. They had jumped in level so fast that their fighting techniques were suffering. From what I had researched on my PokeDex in the time we spent resting, I knew that at their current levels, Azrael would normally have learned a powerful move called Dragon Rush, Gilles would have learned Dream Eater, Rufus would have learned Embargo, and Ceto would have learned Hydro Pump. However, due to the fact that they had spent so little time learning how to use their current moves, their bodies were more concentrated on becoming proficient with their known moves.

This was the problem with "power leveling" as it has come to be known as. This is the reason that Rare Candies, or PokeRoids, were outlawed. They drive a pokemons' bodies to develop faster than they should, causing the pokemon to learn how to use higher-powered techniques without the necessary control. It is dangerous, and cases have shown that sometimes the pokemon can cause harm to itself by underestimating its own power.

I voiced my concern to Sheila and Chris, and showed them my research. They were also very alarmed at the new information; so much so that Sheila fretted over her pokemon, and even went so far as to claim that she was a horrible trainer.

I knew she was just being melodramatic, and it took little effort on my part to calm her and assure her that she was not a bad trainer; this training method had its benefits and disadvantages. We would be going through the wilderness beyond the routes on the next leg of our journey to make up for shortfalls of the Grinder. It calmed her down for the most part, I guess.

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When we arrived in Vermillion City, we were greeted by the smell of saltwater. Even though it was horribly cold, the ocean breeze was refreshing. The sound of crying Wingull filled our ears, along with the sound of ocean-side industry. Our first task was to check in to a Pokemon Center and schedule our gym challenges. We received our appointments for three days in the future, and relaxed in the food court. At that point, I noticed that all of my clothing had suffered horribly throughout my journey. I made a point of remembering to shop for clothing the next day. Until then, a shower and the PokeCenter sweats were acceptable.

I called my parents and notified them of my gym battle date, and they were happy to hear that I was safe in Vermillion. I also sent a quick message to Aoro Craul, notifying him of my battle. Sheila and Chris followed suit and called their parents to notify them of our progress. For the rest of the day, we lounged. We watched LeagueWatch and the news, but limited our action to activities with low energy requirements, such as observing and commenting on Leader Joyce Vanderstein's battle style.

We came to the conclusion that powerful moves dominated Leader Vanderstein's strategy. She hardly used strictly paralysis-inducing techniques unless her opponent was resisting her pokemons' electric attacks, which already possessed an inherent probability of paralysis. I knew that Ceto would have to sit this one out because she would not last long against electric attacks.

Beyond LeagueWatch, we were all fairly alarmed at current events. According to the news, nonviolent PokeAdvocate protests in front of a Pewter City BioTech warehouse had escalated into a riot. The employees were beaten, and the building manager had gone missing. By the time police reinforcements had shown up to intercede, the manager had been abducted and the crowd had started vandalizing the store's wares.

"Legendaries…" cursed Sheila, quietly.

"No kidding," I added. "Let's watch some more LeagueWatch; this is a little too much for me right now." We all agreed and switched the channel back.

As we studied Joyce Vanderstein's challenges, Chris, Sheila, and I started to mentally prepare. Our battles were three days ahead, but we knew that we needed to have the correct mindset. In the morning, we retrieved our pokemon and went our separate ways for the day. I visited the local Trainer's Trader, BioTech, a trainer outfitter, and the barber. I sold the knives I took from my Route 6 attackers. I bought new pants, socks, underwear, shirts, a jacket, and boots.

I bought the T.M.'s Ice Beam and Surf for Ceto. Surf allows a pokemon to control waves of water, or condense them from the moisture in the air and the surroundings. It also allows a pokemon to carry its trainer over water by creating a perpetual wave on which to ride like a surfer.

I bought the T.M. Flame Charge for Rufus, with which he could cover himself with fire and rush his opponent. I purchased the T.M. Rock Slide for Azrael, which would allow him to raise large rocks into the air and hurl them at his opponents.

And I purchased the T.M.'s Toxic and Venoshock for Gilles. Toxic immediately fills an opponent's veins with poison if it hits, draining its strength. Venoshock will allow a pokemon to fire poisonous, acidic liquid over an opponent. It will also react with any existing poison to increase the technique's effect.

Those T.M.'s drained the remainder of money I had made on Route 5, but I still had the large sum of money I earned while on Route 6, so I did not bankrupt myself. After buying the T.M.'s, I linked them with their respective pokemon and headed to the barber. My hair had grown long and wild over the past couple months, and I had it cut to a length of about two inches with some light styling.

I returned to the Pokemon Center after that, and found Sheila and Chris. Chris had also visited BioTech and an outfitter to change his clothes, and Sheila had also paid for a haircut, but kept her hair long. They were chatting when I arrived and smiled at my presence. When I sat down, Sheila said, "So Chris and I were having a discussion and maybe you can help us with it. Chris seems to think that short hair on women is more attractive than long hair. He says thinks it would be easier to take care of in the wilderness. But I like long hair, even if it is more difficult to take care of. What do you think?"

I felt like it was a loaded question, but I answered truthfully. "I don't have anything against women with short hair, but personally, I prefer longer hair. I like the way it looks." Chris pouted as Sheila smiled triumphantly. Oh well.

After that, Sheila asked me, "Hey, I want to go somewhere but Chris said he wants to laze around here. Do you want to come?"

"…To where?" I asked cautiously.

"It's winter and certain cold-weather ocean pokemon are hanging out on the beaches. I want to go look for a Spheal and it would be nice to have some company," she replied.

"Oh, ok. I guess I'm fine with that," I said. Chris shrugged and continued to lounge on a sofa while Sheila and I departed. We went past city limits so that we could use our pokemon, and we made our way to the shore. While we traveled through the suburbs, I let Rufus walk beside me, and when we reached the shore, I released the rest of my pokemon. Ceto immediately dove into the water, and I noticed how much faster she could move herself now that she had evolved. Gilles hovered overhead and Azrael trudged along in the sand.

After an hour of walking along the beach and circumventing impassable beach formations, we found a large group of pokemon resting on the shore. Seal, Krabby, and various flying sea pokemon littered the shore, but no Spheal, so we moved on. The beach continued to stretch to the south, and we followed it. Most of the time, Sheila remained quiet. She would occasionally bring up a random topic to discuss, but for the most part, we traveled relatively silently.

At one point, after another hour had passed, I actually found myself curious about Sheila's upbringing. I asked her, "Hey, Sheila. How was it growing up in Hoenn?"

"Well, it's a bit colder than here. Especially during the winter, but it was okay. I had a bunch of friends in high school, and my father was really protective. I guess my popularity might have had something to do with my dad being who he is," she explained.

"I wonder what it's like; having a lot of friends," I replied. "My school was small, so there weren't a whole lot of people to choose from. But even then, my parents actively discouraged me from hanging out with students who wanted to be pokemon trainers. The only ones they did not have a problem with were prospective college students and my sports teammates, but I didn't mesh with them."

"Having friends is alright. You didn't have to worry about pleasing a lot of people at the same time. It was nice, but it took a lot of work. …And my grades weren't exactly the best. But I wanted to become a trainer, so grades weren't as important to me."

"How did your father feel about you leaving Hoenn?"

"Well, I didn't really tell him until I arrived in Viridian. He was pretty upset that I didn't tell him. I really should have told him at least, but I didn't want to fight with him. It was kinda the point of leaving, haha," she said with a laugh.

"Yeah, I get that. At least my parents are beginning to support me now. Have your parents started to accept your desire to train yet?" I asked.

"Yes and no. My dad accepts it but he still pushes for me to quit. My mom is pretty supportive, though. I wish dad was more understanding."

"I know what you mean," I said.

"Did your parents ever train pokemon?" Sheila asked me.

"Kind of. My parents never participated in the League, but my father did have the Rapidash breeding business. It's sort of training, but not like this. My mom helped on occasion because she love the stallions," I responded.

"I guess that makes sense," Sheila replied. "Both my mom and my dad trained. My dad lost one of his team in his final match against our fourth Elite, and my mom never made it past the third gym. I don't think your parents really know what training is like, and I think it scares them. Your dad at least has some experience in dealing with pokemon, but your mom doesn't. I can understand why they would be afraid for you."

"I guess so. It was just never an option for them, though. There was no argument about it. I literally had to enter the league behind their backs and catch my own pokemon without them knowing. I realize they just want the best for me, and that includes my safety, but this is my passion."

"I think they're beginning to see that," Sheila said with a smile, looking at me with her bright green eyes. "It's hard not to see for me and Chris. I hate to say it, but even though I beat you when we first battled, I don't think I could do it again. Not now, anyway."

I did not respond, and she continued, "I can see why your pokemon respect you. You join them in training, you put yourself through all kinds of hells that are completely avoidable, and come through in the end. And you've sacrificed things that most people wouldn't. In the end, it's all for one reason, I think; you really do want to be the best," she said with admiration.

"It's more than that," I replied, feeling flattered. "This world is full of people and creatures just trying to survive. Whether that be by working for a living or existing in nature, it's a constant battle for survival. I don't just want to be the best; I want to rise above it all, and I want to bring my pokemon with me. I don't want my dreams to die in the fires of incompetence, for my dreams are shared by my pokemon. I can't let them down, and I know they won't let me down. I know this way of life will change me in one way or another, but it's what I want to do with my life."

Sheila simply smiled without replying. We walked farther down the shore until we came upon another herd of water pokemon. This time, the majority of them were Spheal and Sealeo. There were even a couple Walrein in the group. After some thought, Sheila decided to try to catch a Sealeo because she did not want to train a baby. We had to circle around the herd to find a Sealeo near the edge of the large group, but when we did, Sheila sent Kara forward.

Kara whistled and put it to sleep, accidentally doing the same to a couple Spheal in the direct vicinity. I then had Azrael stomp forward on one side, with Rufus approaching on the other, both blowing fire to scare away the others in order to isolate the Sealeo. It worked for the most part, clearing away many of the pokemon.

Two Spheal remained asleep, and without command, Azrael stopped in front of them and ate them. They were small enough to take two bites each, which made their deaths quick and relatively painless, given that they were asleep. It actually reminded me of the way Kira used to eat Mareep. Sheila had a look of horror on her face, but she continued with her plan.

Kara started to wear the Sealeo down after it woke up, while Azrael and Rufus barred its escape. After a short but tense battle, and two broken pokeballs, Sheila had a new Sealeo for her team. She immediately named it Wilbur after finding out it was male.

I congratulated her and we started our hike back to Vermillion. Azrael grew tired of the walking after a while and nuzzled his pokeball, after which I returned him. Gilles also grew bored, so I returned him as well. Ceto followed in the ocean and Rufus continued to walk at my side. Sheila only walked with Larry and Lady, since her other pokemon wanted to sleep in their pokeballs.

Our conversation on the return journey was not as personal as it was at the beginning, but we still enjoyed ourselves. As we progressed, the sun started setting. At sundown, we were still around an hour from Vermillion, but we did not complain. It might have been cold out, but the company was warm. However, at one point after the sun set, Sheila said, "You know, I'm planning on going home after I beat the gym at Celadon…"

I was quiet for a while. Eventually I said, "I guess I could understand why. I… I wish you would stay, though."

Sheila was quiet for a while, as well, but then I heard her giggle before she said, "You could always come with me. But I don't think you will. I will come back, though. You don't have to worry about that. I started the Indigo league and I plan on finishing it. But after I win my fourth badge here, I will return to beat my dad. And I'll probably go to the next gym to prove that I can beat it. After all, I don't want to look like the fire gym scared me away…"

"Yeah. I wish you luck with that. I can't imagine having to battle my own father… I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too," Sheila responded.

We were quiet for a long time after that, but shortly after Sheila responded, I felt her hand on mine. We walked the rest of the way to Vermillion in the growing darkness, holding hands and relishing the non-stressful time we had.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) -

The gym thundered like a storm while we sat in the waiting room. The lights would occasionally flicker, seconds before another trainer was called in. Rufus sat beside me, as loyal as always; Pierce sat beside Chris; and Kara beside Sheila. This time, my battle would come before Sheila's and Chris's, and I waited in suspense.

The minutes ticked by. Three trainers left; two trainers left; one more. Finally, a gym trainer called my name, and I stood up. Sheila and Chris both gave me thumbs up, and I walked into the arena. The stands were full and the top of the gym was a glass dome. It allowed the sunlight in, and reduced the hazard of electricity frying any overhead lamps.

Joyce Vanderstein stood on the sideline at midfield, waiting for me. She had abnormally yellow-colored hair, which was short and spiked. She wore yellow and black form-fitting leather, and black boots. Her eyes were brown, she was about a foot shorter than Leader Craul, and she was muscular. When I reached her, she held out a fingerless-gloved hand and shook my hand firmly. "Welcome to the Vermillion City gym. Two phases, two potions, two switches. Do not attack me or the crowd unless you want more than 50,000 volts to light you up like a light bulb. Now, link your Dex with mine," she ordered in a different accent than mine or Sheila's.

Her voice was higher in pitch than I would have expected, and she was very methodical. I linked my PokeDex with hers and three pokeballs appeared next to my trainer profile. My trainer profile had also updated to include my gym battle record. It read Victories: 2; Forfeits: 0; Losses: 0. Three appeared next to the gym leader's profile, as well, and she said, "Good luck, trainer. Take your position at the challenger's podium."

I nodded and took my place. The challenger has taken his position! Let's see what he sends out first! As soon as the siren called, I released Gilles. The challenger has summoned a Haunter! What a frightening ghost that is! A large blue and yellow canine appeared in front of Leader Vanderstein. It had spiky yellow fur, a bent tail, and static crackling through its fur. Immediately, I yelled, "Shadow sneak, then hypnosis!"

Gilles shot in, using his shadow to essentially teleport behind the electric hound, and punched it in its haunches. The Manectric immediately turned and bit Gilles with a dark-powered chomp. Gilles screeched, but within seconds, the Manectric was hypnotized in place. "Great! Now back up and send some shadow balls at him!" The ghost has immobilized Leader Vanderstein's Manectric! Let's see what he does next!

Gilles did so, sending powerful orbs of shadow that impacted the Manectric's defenseless body. He shot two in quick succession, and the second one impacted the ground after the Manectric woke up and dodged the ball with impressive speed. At the leader's order, the Manectric spewed a cloud of light brown smoke, which assaulted Gilles and forced him out of his ethereal plane of existence. He continued to send balls of shadow at the electric pokemon, landing one more. His shadow balls were powerful and caused the Manectric's defenses against the attack to lower each time. The Manectric was not finished, however, and rushed Gilles, its speed giving it momentum which carried it through the air.

The Manectric's head crackled with energy as it collided with Gilles' form, sending a physical jolt of electricity coursing through his body. Gilles had toughened up, though, and withstood the hit. The Manectric fell, landing on both feet, but Gilles had already begun his next attack. As soon as the Manectric hit the ground, another shadow ball impacted its back, and it plowed into the ground, unconscious. And the challenger's Haunter is victorious! Those are some powerful shadow moves!

The Manectric was returned, and Leader Vanderstein said through the speaker, "Good job, trainer. Now switch!" I followed her orders and switched Gilles out for Rufus after praising him for a job well done. A metal pokemon that looked like three circular magnets arranged in a floating, vertical triangle appeared before Leader Vanderstein. A Houndoom! Leader Vanderstein is going to have a tough time with this one! Rufus immediately charged towards the Magneton so that he could use his flamethrower.

While Rufus approached, the Magneton sent out a ripple across the field, causing arches of electricity to crackle all over the ground. While Rufus was forty feet away, he sent out a powerful stream of fire that impacted the steel/electric pokemon and caused it to glow red. It responded by sending out a wave of static, causing Rufus's muscles to seize and his body to stop moving. Rufus tried to power through the paralysis, but it took him a little while.

During Rufus's fruitless efforts to move, the Magneton sent out a high-pitched sonic wave, which made Rufus whine and start hitting his head on the ground violently. The challenger's Houndoom seems to be trapped in Leader Vanderstein's combo! How will he escape? Finally, the Magneton sent a powerful bolt of electricity at Rufus, empowered by the electric terrain, and Rufus howled in pain after it hit him with a crack! In that instant, though, Rufus overcame his confusion, and sent another stream of flames coursing over the fire-weak pokemon, and it collapsed. The challenger's Houndoom is victorious! What an impressive display of fire!

"You continue to impress, trainer. Now switch again!" I sent out Gilles again, saving Azrael as my trump card. Leader Vanderstein knew the levels of my pokemon, but not their types, so I could keep him a secret and use him against her phase-two pokemon. Gilles appeared in front of me and the announcer shouted, the challenger has sent out his Haunter, again! In front of Leader Vanderstein appeared an orange rodent with black streaks. It was a Raichu, the evolved form of Pikachu; three times bigger, and hosting a longer, whip-like tail with a jagged, thunderbolt-like tip.

"Ok, Gilles! Shadow Ball!" I yelled. The Raichu was fast; much too fast. The shadow balls hit dirt and grass, missing their intended target, as the electric rodent zoomed across the field. It reached Gilles and sent a wave of electricity coursing through him, identical to the thunderwave sent by the Magneton. Gilles was able to hypnotize the Raichu, in spite of his paralysis, and followed up with another shadow ball.

The ball impacted the Raichu, but it was not taken down. It rocketed back, dividing into three different images, only one of which being the Raichu's true form. As it did so, I told Gilles to hypnotize it again. He did so, and all of the images froze. He sent a shadow ball crashing into one, making it dissipate. He tried to send another, but his nerves seized up and prevented him from letting loose the attack. And finally, he sent out one last orb, hitting another potential Raichu image.

The ball impacted the Raichu and caused it to shudder, revealing it as the real electric rodent. After the second hit, the Raichu started looking worn out, telling me it would probably only take one more hit to drive it unconscious. As Gilles prepared to hypnotize the Raichu, Joyce Vanderstein called her pokemon over. She tossed out a potion, which exploded like a gas grenade at the Raichu's feet, and I could see it become livelier. Crap, she's healing it. Gilles managed to hypnotize it again, and I switched out Gilles for Azrael. The challenger has switched his pokemon out for… A Gabite! What a change of strategy! Looks like the challenger has revealed his secret weapon!

I stomped orders, and Azrael rushed towards the incapacitated Raichu, sending a wave of earth crashing into the stunned gym pokemon. It did not rise from its prone position, and was recalled amidst a thunderous cheer from the crowd. What a spectacular show! This means the trainer advances to Phase two!

"Since you've only used one of you switches, I assume you will be switching your Gabite back in if I tell you to switch him out. Alright then. Good strategy. Prepare yourself now," Leader Vanderstein said, evenly. It was unsettling how calm and emotionless she was.

A yellow and white fox appeared in front of the gym leader's stand. It stood about two and a half feet tall and its fur was spiked in all directions. It was a Jolteon, one of the fastest land pokemon alive. I instantly knew her tactic when she ordered it to speed up. She was going to make it nigh impossible for Azrael to hit, and then wear him down over time.

Not if I can fight back. I ordered Azrael to whip up a sandstorm, and a powerful storm brewed in moments. It immediately took up an area with a forty-foot radius. The Jolteon immediately shot through the storm with a quick attack, and pounded Azrael with its weak slam, and then appeared outside of the growing storm less than a second later, pawing at the particles of sand in its eyes.

The sandstorm grew and it became more violent, picking up rocks the size of golfballs and sending them hurtling throughout the vortex. As the Jolteon sped through the now-eighty-foot-wide storm, it appeared on the other side again, though with a mark of red on its shoulder. If it wants to wage a battle of attrition, then bring it on! As it sped through again, a wave of dirt rushed out from within the storm, missing the electric fox, and crashing harmlessly onto the field. The Jolteon appeared on a different side, with more evidence of battery from the storm.

This happened three times more, until the pivotal moment of the battle; the Jolteon's attack became predictable, and when it rushed in, it was blasted backwards by a powerful bulldoze. I could hear its bones crack and it was returned instantly. The Challenger is victorious! Congratulations! The crowd roared again as I made my way over to Leader Vanderstein.

"Congratulations!" she said energetically. "On behalf of the city of Vermillion, I present you with the Thunder Badge." She placed it in my hand and continued, "You have trained your pokemon well, and know some strategy. I hope to see you again in the future with a formal challenge. Now, proceed to the victor's booth and claim your prize money and T.M. Thunder Wave. Good luck with the remainder of the League!" She clapped me on the back, making me flinch and sent me on my way.

I waited for Sheila and Chris, not surprised when they both emerged victorious. Chris, however, struggled somewhat. To celebrate, we found a hole-in-the-wall bar called Daniel's Pub to enjoy a few drinks without the hassle of a large crowd. We still did not escape a few "congratulations" and looks of admiration, but we were luckily able to end the night without any drama.

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After our gym battle, we contacted the Fighting Dojo and issued a challenge. A couple of days passed and we walked through the doors. Sheila did not intend to participate, but Chris and I strode in with determination. We were greeted by a man clad in a black dobak, with a red and black belt tightly wrapped around his waist.

You two are challengers then? He said, eyeing us up and down.

"Yes, sir," said Chris with enthusiasm.

"Then make your way to mat 1," he replied impatiently.

We continued on to a large area of padded flooring. The floor beneath it was wooden, and the bleachers were as well. We were assigned a competitor, and then told to wait. Chris went first. He was instructed to spar a kid slightly younger than him, while he chose one pokemon to fight. He chose Rey, for fighting-type pokemon are weak against psychic attacks. The rules were simple: two fights at once, and the first contestant to win, pokemon or human, won the match. Also, it was an above-ground match for the pokemon, meaning that ground-type moves were difficult to pull off. I instantly recognized the bias towards fighting types, but held my tongue.

The fight did not last long. The young martial artist kept Chris on his feet while he struggled to command Rey. However, Rey already had his orders, and pummeled his opponent while Chris tried to hold his own. After a few rounds of using the psychic technique called Confusion, Rey mentally slammed his opponent into submission. At the end of the battle, Rey evolved into a Golduck, making it a double-win for Chris. That ended the fight, and Chris was awarded a focus band, which supposedly allows pokemon to remain conscious even after sustaining a hit that would otherwise knock them out.

I was next, and I let Azrael participate. I took my position in front of a martial artist slightly younger than myself. As soon as the battle started, I told Azrael to fight his battle, without direction, but not to destroy the building. I then said, "Race you to victory!" He faced a Lucario, which gave him the type advantage, but the Lucario was much faster, dodging Azrael's claws.

In the meantime, my adversary launched a series of kicks and punches. After getting punched once, I shot in for both of his legs and took him down. My history of wrestling really helped in that fight, and I knew that for a challenger's first attempt, the Dojo assigned beginner martial artists as competitors. Like the Nugget Bridge, you could challenge the Dojo multiple times, each time facing a more advanced opponent. For now, I faced a novice fighter, though he was still a challenge.

After taking him down, I positioned myself over him and started laying into him with my fists. To his credit, my opponent endured my attacks, and rolled to his stomach. From there, I slipped an arm around his neck and started to choke him out. Unlike the sport of wrestling, the Fighting Dojo was much more violent. For instance, I could not punch, kick, or choke out an opponent in competitive wrestling. In the Fighting Dojo, the competition was everything-goes combat. I choked him out before a hand came into my vision and called for me to cease.

My opponent had tapped out, leaving me victorious. I looked over to Azrael and saw that his opponent had been returned, but not knocked out. Soon after, I was told that I won the match before Azrael, and I was awarded a focus band. Later, I teased Azrael that I had beaten him to the win, and he gave me the silent treatment in response. However, even if Azrael was angry about losing the race, I was able to show him that I was not simply falling behind him.

After I collected my award, I was approached by a man with a black belt tied around his garments. He said, "Now that you've beaten stage one, you can challenge again at stage two. There are five stages; the fifth being a challenge to the Dojo Grandmaster, Shaw Tashiro. We institute a mandatory meditation period of one month between each challenge, so please come back when you are ready."

He then bowed to me and Chris before sending us on our way.

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We wasted no time in leaving for Celadon. During our stay in Vermillion, we had had ample time to shop for supplies, leaving us free to depart as soon as we finished at the Fighting Dojo and after our pokemon were healed at the PokeCenter.

We all left the city, taking Route 6 for a mile before we started veering to the west. Multiple trainer challenges were expected, and could not be avoided, but we did not lose any of them. As the trainers grew scarcer, and the snow under our feet grew less disturbed, wild pokemon became more common. Eventually, when we could not see a trainer in any direction at all times, I released all of my pokemon. Azrael, Gilles, and Rufus relished the opportunity to hunt, and pursued such activity with gusto.

Their enthusiasm was lost on my two human companions, though. As we progressed further, the edge of Route 6 loomed closer, wreaking havoc on their nerves. I tried to reassure them, but to be honest, I was slightly nervous myself.

However, unlike my companions, I did not let it dampen my spirits. I could finally get back to the type of training I enjoyed, and nothing could burden my spirits. That is… Except for him.

I heard a Pop! And a figure appeared in front of me. After nearly falling back in shock, and after keeping my pokemon from outright killing the supposed assailant, the person revealed himself. I instantly felt my mood being ruined. Alex stood beside his evolved Natu, a Xatu. It stood as tall as Alex, and Alex gave a somewhat feigned look of shock when he saw me.

"Well this is quite a coincidence. You see, Nero was practicing his teleportation skills and now I'm face-to-face with just the person I wanted to see," he crowed arrogantly.

"Interesting. I don't share the sentiment," I said angrily. "You're lucky that my pokemon listen to me; they just about killed you. I was tempted to let them!"

"Oh, get over it you big baby. I want a battle! This time I won't lose!" he taunted.

"For the love of… When will you get it through your thick skull that I don't want anything to do with you? And if this is going to become a common occurrence, I promise you that you will regret it. I don't tolerate stalkers," I threatened.

"Oooh, I'm scared. Stop pussyfooting around and draw your first pokemon!" he yelled. I let Gilles go first, and he released his Azumarill. Immediately, it was shooting water and ice at him, but the fight did not last long.

I yelled, "Gilles, energy ball!" and Gilles powered up his grass technique. An entire tree nearby wilted before he shot a green translucent orb the size of my head crashing into the water pokemon. The force of the orb had broken both of her arms backwards, and the blue and tan fur on her stomach was blackened. She was immediately returned.

"Gah! Fuck this!" shouted Alex before he released his Skarmory, Apollo. Azrael immediately bellowed with rage, Gilles shrieked at a higher pitch than I had ever heard from him before, and Rufus erupted into furious barking, lighting up like a match at the same time. Sheila, Chris, and I also immediately gawked in shock and outrage upon seeing his pokemon.

It resembled a Skarmory, but with several major differences: it had doubled in size, its eyes were bloodshot, its body was so buff that it looked painful, and it was screeching crazily. It looked exactly like the Golbat that had killed Raeda.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?" I yelled. "IS THIS SOME KIND OF A JOKE?" Chris and Sheila were all yelling similar reprimands. Alex just looked bewildered at our reactions and sent his pokemon in anyway.

"Stop trying to get away from this battle!" he yelled, and Azrael charged forward, sending a powerful wave of dirt at the Skarmory. It burst through the center, but Azrael did not slow his charge. They clashed, and this time Azrael was the one to falter, even though he was so much larger than the metal ostrich.

Apollo attacked with such fervor that Azrael was almost overpowered. It was as if it did not feel pain, or fear for its wellbeing. It simply attacked desperately. Azrael blew fire in its face, melting some of it off, but it powered into Azrael, knocking him off balance and driving him backwards. He eventually fell to his back, and Apollo kept running… Straight at me.

"Apollo! Get back to the fight! What are you doing!?" yelled Alex, but I did not hear him. I saw the crazed monstrosity growing closer and looking at me with the same eyes that killed Raeda. I froze.

Luckily for me, Rufus, cloaked in a raging fire, slammed into the side of Apollo, throwing him to the ground. He then started to breathe a steady line of fire onto the bird's prone body. It did not stay down for long, though. It launched itself to its feet and whipped a metal feather around, sinking it into Rufus's side. He yelped while being hurled ten feet to the side.

Immediately after, the Skarmory rushed the next closest entity: Chris. He backed up in fright, but the Skarmory was already upon him, whipping its knife-like blades around. I rushed forward as well and tackled Chris to the side. As I clenched, waiting for the impending pain to erupt on my back, I heard Azrael's roar, and the shrieks of all of our pokemon. I barely managed to hear Alex yelling, "Give my ball back, you fucking ghost!"

I looked back to see all of our pokemon swarming the Skarmory, with the exception of Gilles, who was flying away from Alex with a red pokeball; presumably Apollo's. Each pokemon of ours was either releasing an attack onto the metal bird, or trying to avoid its retaliations. I looked back to Chris and found a wide bloody gash stretching from his chest to his left arm.

After a few moments, Azrael pounced onto the Skarmory and latched onto its neck. With an abrupt twist and jerk, he broke the Skarmory's neck. He then started tearing into the corpse. All the while, Alex was shrieking at us. As his Xatu attempted to teleport Alex away from danger, Rufus sent multiple dark pulses slamming into the psychic bird, disrupting its psychic processes. He did not stop until the Xatu lay on the ground, breathing heavily.

For once, Alex genuinely looked scared as our pokemon descended upon him. They kept him in place while I wrapped Chris in bandages. After I finished, Chris stood up and approached Alex, with me at his heels.

"W-what are you going to do? Kill me? Rip me apart like Apollo?" I looked around and saw Sheila standing a few feet behind us.

"What the hell did you do to Apollo!?" I demanded.

"What the hell do you care!? None of you fucking business!" he spat back.

"Oh, it is my business, Alex. You had better tell me," I threatened.

"OR WHAT?" He yelled.

Chris was the one to respond. "Or else Pierce is going to turn your Xatu into a feather pillow." I was slightly surprised to hear that from him, but I was too angry to question it.

Alex glared at him and said, "Fuck you! You wouldn't!"

Chris looked to Pierce, and Pierce rushed the prone green bird. He started hacking into Nero like he was made of paper. Blood and feathers filled the air around him, and I could hear Alex screaming. Sheila's voice was almost as loud.

That seemed to have an effect on Alex as he said through clenched teeth and teary eyes, "Nero! Noo! You're all going to pay for this!"

I was shocked at this point beyond words or action. I saw Sheila crying and holding her hands over her mouth, and her pokemon were gathered in front of her. Even Gilles was looking at Chris with a serious face. Chris responded, "Not if you don't tell us. I warned you what would happen." His voice was cold and ruthless.

Finally, Alex said tearfully and in defeat, "I was approached in Cerulean by a man who saw our match at Nugget Bridge. He said he could give my pokemon an edge over yours, and gave me an experimental drug."

"Where did he get it!?" I demanded.

"I don't know!" Alex yelled back. "I was desperate, so I didn't ask. I only had to pay a few hundred 'bucks for it, and the guy said it was legit. He said there were tests!"

"Are you serious!?" exclaimed Sheila. "You would do that to your own pokemon? And just to get back at him?" she said dumbfounded, pointing at me. "…You're insane."

"Shut up!" he screamed. His tears flowed down his cheeks freely and he looked like he was suffering. Two of his pokemon had just been killed in front of him, one of which was downright murdered. If I was not so mad at the lack of information and the circumstances around his Skarmory, I would have felt bad for him. Even then, I felt a twinge of guilt. I felt sad for his Skarmory. Alex had driven it mad with his insane obsession.

"Call the Rangers," Chris said flatly.

I looked at him and did not even question it. I called the Vermillion Rangers and sent for medical evacuation, as well as police assistance. When I hung up, Chris said, "Alright, Pierce, that's enough." The area around us became subtly brighter. The pile of green feathers and blood morphed into a still-breathing Xatu. My mouthed hung agape like a fish, and Sheila's was no different.

Chris looked to us and said with a grim expression, "That was all just an illusion created by Pierce. I'm sorry it scared you, but I'm not sorry for doing it."

Alex's face was a mix of shock, anger, and relief as he said, "Nero! You're ok!" Nero shifted slightly, clearly still in pain but at least he was not dead. We let Alex return Nero to his ball, but we kept him on his back. After about twenty minutes, two Rangers touched down. One of them happened to be one of the Rangers who had helped me the last time I called in.

"Sir, I'd like to report this person," I exclaimed, but the Ranger cut me off.

"Please return your pokemon immediately, trainers," he said seriously. I nodded and acquiesced, releasing Alex from Azrael's aggressive captivity.

"He teleported to us and immediately challenged me to a battle," I continued. "In that battle, his Skarmory attacked me and managed to wound my friend Chris here." I motioned to Chris, who was being strapped onto a Fearow. "Our pokemon protected us, and the Skarmory didn't make it. I also want to report pokemon abuse. I'll let you observe the corpse. He drugged it with some type of enhancement that drove it crazy." By the time I finished explaining, Chris was being flown to Vermillion.

"Geez… This is a lot," the Ranger sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm going to need you all to come back with me to Vermillion. I'll summon a few more Rangers to accompany us." I nodded and Sheila walked up to me.

"Chris really scared me tonight…" she said.

"Yeah, me too," I replied. Whereas I had no qualms about killing Apollo, I did not see how Nero could deserve it.

"This is all too horrible," she said, starting to sob. She then hugged me tightly, pressing her forehead into my jacket. I let her, but I felt like I was forced to relive one of the most painful moments of my life. Raeda screamed in my mind, the Golbat glared at me, and now Apollo's bloodshot eyes were added to the picture. Who sold Alex that drug? Who is responsible for the Golbat that killed my Raeda!?

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Current PokeDex Update

Trainer; KA523VI979

Pokemon in Possession:

Azrael – Gabite

Gilles – Haunter

Rufus – Houndoom

Ceto – Seadra

Trainer: Sheila Farris; HOMA884457

Pokemon in Possession:

Kara – Roselia

Larry – Ampharos

Lady – Ledian

Shade – Kirlia

Charlie – Combusken

Wilbur – Sealeo

Trainer: Christopher Johnson; KA592SA230

Pokemon in Possession:

Pierce – Zoroark

Rey – Golduck

Jade – Ariados

Shiro – Combusken

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Author's Note:

A lot happened, and I'm starting to get plot moving, so I hope you all enjoy! And thank you for the new reviews; I really appreciate the feedback.