Hey, guys! I'm glad you all liked the double update last time. I aim to please. :)

Anon: Since you didn't put a name, I'll just call you Anon (means anonymous). You submitted Blaze the red-eyed Chimchar, just to make sure I'm addressing the right person. Yes, you can submit more than one OC Pokémon. If you can, could you add what kinds of relationships he might have with the current characters (or at least the ones you think he'd be around the most, if anyone) and where you want him to be caught by Darren? Thank you!

awyeah21: I'm glad you liked me adding Mikey in. You said she'd be met in Striaton Gym, so I added her in. Spying on others, especially those she wants to battle, seems to fit her in my view. There will be more of her from now on. Oh yeah…LATE HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Indigo Crescent Zephyr 04 warned me that if OCs kept being submitted through reviews, I run the risk of being banned since it breaks 's guidelines. If you want to submit an OC, PLEASE SUBMIT IT THROUGH A PM! I don't want to get banned. Thank you for listening!

With those out of the way, I hope you enjoy this! Onto the chapter!

Chapter 14: Mikey's Challenge

"You can do it, Seashell!" Yorkie cried.

"You go, Shelly!" Buck cheered.

"Win this!" Charcoal shouted.

"Here you go, Smugleaf." Darren smiled as he sprayed the Snivy with the Potion. "There! All better!"

Darkly slowly approached Smugleaf, being cautious. Smugleaf didn't show it but she could tell he was irritated. She was treading on dangerous ground…

"You let her fight for you. Why?" she asked at last.

"Because she kept insisting on it!" Smugleaf snapped. "Besides, if she wants to lose so badly, why should I stop her? Maybe that'll prove how weak she is."

"Is that the only reason?" Darkly questioned. "Seashell doesn't like to battle. Why would she willingly jump in to save you from losing?"

"How should I know? She's stupid and weak!" Smugleaf barked. "Why do you care, anyway?"

"She's still hurt," the Purrloin muttered.

"Huh?" The Snivy looked at her, confused. "Hurt? How? She looks fine to me."

"Do you really think she could escape completely unscathed from that Tepig's Body Slam?" Darkly countered, eyes narrowed. "She may be out of the Pokémon Center but she is still in pain."

Smugleaf froze briefly before shaking his head. "Then that makes her even more stupid."

"Don't you care in the least?" Darkly asked.

"Why should I? It's her fault I'm stuck with this human to begin with." Smugleaf reminded. "Why should I care what happens to her?"

"You sure seemed to care when that Pansage attacked her," Darkly commented, a devious smirk crossing her face.

"I was making sure she wasn't dead!" the Grass-type yelled, glaring at her.

"So you don't want her to die?" Darkly asked.

"I may hate her but wishing death on anyone is pointless. It never happens, anyway. Trust me, I've tried it." Smugleaf snorted. "Besides, the human will try to get more attached to me if she dies. The last thing I want is to deal with a crying human."

"Is that your only reason?" Darkly pressed.

"Is there something you want me to say?" Smugleaf growled, annoyed.

"…That depends on what it is you need to say." Darkly then turned, walking away.

"…What was that about?" the Snivy grumbled. "What I need to say? I don't need to say anything!"

Abandoning that train of thought, he turned to observe the battle. Seashell and the Pansage were fighting. The Pansage was obviously winning due its type advantage. Seashell was trying to take advantage of her Air Slash but it was almost as if…something was holding her back.

"She's still hurt," the Purrloin muttered.

Smugleaf shook his head, refocusing on the battle. He could see Seashell was struggling to keep up with the Pansage's speed. Dodging vines and throwing shuriken were growing harder for her to do.

"Do you really think she could escape completely unscathed from that Tepig's Body Slam?" Darkly countered, eyes narrowed. "She may be out of the Pokémon Center but she is still in pain."

The Snivy started noticing other things. Each time a vine cracked against Seashell's seashell, she flinched. With each quick movement Seashell made, trembles racked her small body. She was gasping, short of breath.

"Don't you care in the least?" Darkly asked.

Smugleaf shook his head again. Why should I care? Everything is her fault. My capture, the enslavements, my injuries… All her fault!

A loud cry snapped him out of his thoughts. Seashell was thrown backward by a vine, just barely tossing a trio of shuriken thanks to Air Slash. The Pansage dodged the first two, yelping when the third tore into its left shoulder. Seashell struggled to stand up, only to collapse on her back again. Her breath came in short gasps.

"Seashell!" Charcoal and Yorkie both cried, frightened.

"Get up, Shelly! Hurry!" Buck encouraged.

"She's too weak," Darkly muttered. "She can't keep fighting. She's lost…"

"It has been a fun match, young man. The feelings, the emotion, the friendship between you and you Pokémon…" Cilan smiled. "I hope you will return and challenge me again when you are stronger. For now, it is time for this match to end. Pansage, use Vine Whip!"

"Seashell, dodge it!" Darren cried.

The Oshawott whimpered, slowly getting to her feet. Tossing her seashell into the air, she quickly tossed out all three shuriken before being thrown back by the Pansage's Vine Whip. She managed to barely stay standing. The Pansage dodged the first shuriken but was nailed by the other two. Both Pokémon were barely hanging in there.

"Seashell!" Darren cried.

"Vine Whip!" Cilan ordered.

"She won't be able to dodge it!" Casey shouted.

"She may be out of the Pokémon Center but she is still in pain."

"Darn it!" Smugleaf snarled before he suddenly lunged. "Move it, Seashell! This guy's mine!"

One of his vines wrapped around the Oshawott, tossing her at Darren with enough force to knock the boy over. Glowing leaves erupted from the Snivy's shoulders, ripping apart the Pansage's vines as they struck. The few remaining leaves struck the monkey's body directly, throwing it back a few feet.

"Pansage, move out of the way!" Cilan warned.

The Pansage looked up, only being able to yelp in surprise when a leafy tail crashed into its face. The monkey howled as it was thrown backward, crashing headfirst into the far wall of the Gym. Cilan whipped around, eyes wide in shock. When the smoke cleared, the Pansage lay motionless on the ground.

"…Did I win?" Darren squeaked, just as shocked as everyone else.

"…I believe you did." Cilan returned his Pansage and shook off his surprise, smiling at Darren. "Well, congratulations! I never saw such an attack coming. What a splendid combination, using your Oshawott and Snivy to wear my Pansage out. You have defeated me and thus you now have your first badge!"

Cilan placed a badge, identical to the one Casey received earlier, in Darren's hand. The ten-year-old stared at it before jumping to his feet, whooping for joy. Seashell whimpered as her trainer practically crushed her in a hug.

"I did it~! I did it~!" Darren cried. "I got my first badge~!"

"Good job, Darren. It wasn't that hard, right?" Casey joked, clapping the younger boy on the back.

"I guess not," Darren admitted. Three on one? What was I thinking? The league wouldn't do that!

"That was awesome, Smugleaf!" Charcoal cried. "You sure showed that monkey who was boss!"

"Yeah!" Yorkie instantly agreed.

"You did pretty good, Smuggy…if Shelly hadn't had to save you first, that is!" Buck laughed.

Charcoal and Yorkie instantly jumped in to hold the enraged Snivy back. Buck laughed, dancing out of range of Smugleaf's vines. Darkly sighed, shaking her head before she looked up at Seashell.

"What you did was brave, Seashell, especially for you." the Purrloin commented. "Smugleaf may have lost his second battle had you not stepped in."

"I…I didn't want him to get hurt," Seashell said. "Even if he's really mean sometimes, I don't want him to get hurt."

Darkly couldn't help but smile. "That's very kind, especially in light of what he's done to you."

"Really?" Seashell blushed briefly in embarrassment.

"Really," the Purrloin nodded.

"Hey, now that this match is done…I'm off! See you guys later!" Buck turned, heading for the exit.

"And where are you going?" Smugleaf growled.

"Remember? I have to be somewhere. I'll be back soon, Smuggy, so keep your scales on." Buck snickered.

"As if I'm worried!" the Snivy shouted.

"Awww! I had no idea you cared so much!" the Patrat cried in mock surprise.

"I DON'T!" Smugleaf yelled.

"Yeah, yeah! Whatever, Smuggy. See you la—AAAAAAAHHH!"

Buck was forced to leap away as a ten-year-old girl suddenly jumped out from behind one end of the curtain. The girl, not noticing the terrified Patrat at her feet, pointed her finger at Darren. She smirked deviously.

"I challenge you to a battle!" she declared.

Darren and Casey both stared in shock. "Uh… Who are you?" Darren asked nervously. Why do people keep popping up out of nowhere around her?

The girl smirked again. "My name is Mikey and I'm a Pokémon trainer! I saw the battle you and Cilan had and I have to say that you impressed me! I demand a battle!"

"Uh… I'd have to heal first. Plus…I'm not really in the mood to battle right now. Sorry." Darren admitted. "Maybe later?"

"Then get in the mood! Heal your Pokémon and let's fight!" Mikey demanded. "I'm not letting such a skilled trainer escape from me!"

"Hey, cool it! Darren doesn't want to fight." Casey said, stepping between the pair.

"Relax! I'll be fighting you next!" Mikey replied.

"Who the heck is this kid?" Buck yelped, hiding behind Darkly. "She just came out of nowhere! She nearly stepped on me!"

"Smugleaf and Seashell are too tired to fight," Charcoal whimpered. "Why can't she wait until later?"

"Some trainers are adamant about battling," Darkly explained. "They won't back down from a fight and won't allow others to evade a challenge."

"What adame… Ada…? That word!" the Tepig asked.

"Stubborn," Darkly replied. "They won't give up."

"Oh…" Charcoal nodded.

Darren and Casey just stared at Mikey. She had long but messy black hair and dark brown eyes. She was wearing a completely red cap with the bill facing backward, a red long-sleeved jacket with two white stripes on both sleeves, a white T-shirt, dark blue shorts with two white stripes on each side, white socks, and black shoes with three green stripes on the top and white shoelaces.

"So, are you gonna heal or what?" Mikey demanded.

"I don't want to fight, okay? My Pokémon are exhausted!" Darren complained.

"Geez! You must be stupid or something!" Mikey grabbed his sleeve, dragging him out of the Gym and toward the Pokémon Center. "If you want to heal your Pokémon, you have to go to Pokémon Center! You must be a real beginner if you don't know that!"

"I know how to use a Pokémon Center, okay? I just don't want to battle right now!" Darren shouted, wrenching his arm free of the girl's grip.

"Geez! Calm down, man! I just want to battle. You guys look really strong, okay? Is it so wrong to want to fight strong guys?" Mikey asked, the smirk never leaving her face.

"It is when we don't want to fight." Casey replied, finally catching up with them.

"Okay, look. I'm sorry. I just get overexcited when I meet strong trainers, okay?" Mikey explained. "If we can't battle now, then maybe later? Tomorrow, maybe?"

Darren sighed. "Fine, I'll battle you tomorrow."

"Me, too," Casey agreed.

"Sweet! Thanks, guys!" Mikey cried. "I'm definitely looking forward to i—"

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud scream. Humans and Pokémon alike looked around, trying to find where the sound came from. Buck was the first to realize its location.

"Aw, man! I hope those creepy knight guys didn't do anything!" The Patrat dashed away.

"Buck! Wait for us!" Yorkie ran after him.

"Smugleaf, come on! Someone's in trouble!" Charcoal cried, following him.

"That came from the Dreamyard!" Casey realized.

"Should we call the police?" Darren asked, suddenly afraid.

"The police won't do anything! Come on, you two!" Mikey grabbed their arms, dragging the two boys with her. "Let's check it out!"

Seashell, Smugleaf, and Darkly followed as their trainer was dragged out of Striaton City and into the Dreamyard. Yorkie and Charcoal were waiting for them at the entrance. Buck was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Buck?" Seashell asked.

"I don't know! We lost him!" Yorkie whimpered, tears springing to his eyes.

"We'll find him. He couldn't have gone far." Darkly purred reassuringly, wiping away the Lillipup's tears with a paw.

"Now that we're here, let's start searching! Ready or not, whoever you are! Here we come!" Mikey cried.

"I don't like this," Darren complained.

He was ignored. Mikey kept going, searching for the source of the scream. It wasn't long before they found something…or someone.