Sacrifice and Subjugation

by MetalDargon

Not just anyone can be the Champion. But what determines whether or not someone has the potential? How does one truly prepare? In a world fraught with danger both near and far, a boy pursues the answers to those questions. But the Pokemon League is a brutal institution, pushing trainers to their mental and physical limits . Only the strongest succeed...

20. Chapter 20: Ethical Complications

Chapter 20

In the morning, I distinctly remember reflecting on the efficacy of training as a means of thawing my anger. I had been ensnared in the restrictive embrace of self-pity and self-disappointment the previous day, but by morning, all of those detestable emotions were absent from my mind. I knew that nothing had changed, because I would continue to push myself and my team to our limits, and there would be no time to hold petty grudges. And I knew that, when I returned to the Azul Melee in the future, I would not lose.

I suppose Keith must have thought that I was bipolar, because he looked upon me with confusion when I greeted him in the morning with a smile on my face. "Umm, is everything alright?" he asked, failing to mask his bewilderment.

"Yeah," I said. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"It's just that, last night, you were pretty mad. Now you look like you just woke up in a bed of Eevee," he said, scratching his head through his black hair.

I laughed and replied, "Just cleared my mind. I feel better today."

"So we're good then? Nothing bothering you anymore? The Melee is behind us now?" Keith asked, with a hint of sarcastic prodding.

"Dammit, yes!" I exclaimed. "What's done is done. Being angry isn't helping my team get any better, ok?"

"Alright, alright. Just checking," Keith said with a laugh, putting his hands up in a peacemaking manner. "So what's your plan from here?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Hmm," I said, thinking. I brought out my PokeDex and opened the map. A long journey lay ahead of us along Routes 13, 14, and 15, leading us through expansive prairies and mild forestry. In all, a little over 300 miles lay between us and Fuchsia City if we decided to follow the Routes. "I want to follow the routes to Fuchsia. With three practices every day, and about 10 miles of walking beside that, we could reach Fuchsia in early October - about a month from now."

"Three practices?" Keith asked, sighing. "Two is perfectly fine, you know? We would still get plenty of training, and we would reach Fuchsia a bit earlier."

"You are welcome to go at your own pace," I said succinctly. "This is my plan and I have a lot of training planned for my team. We will need the time."

"No, it's cool. I'll stick with you. Though I can't promise I'll participate in each practice session," Keith said.

With that understanding established, we prepared for our first practice and subsequently the very lengthy journey in front of us. The subject of my team's first practice was one against many. The Azul Melee showed me that my team needed to learn, more than anything else, how to fight against multiple opponents.

So, I instituted a drill in which one of my pokemon would fight multiple others at the same time. I started off simple, telling the multiple pokemon on the opposing team to only use one move against the single defender. Within a week, they were allowed to use moves from custom move sets, which still limited their attacks but gave them variety.

Unsurprisingly, my pokemon adapted quickly, and their game improved when facing multiple enemies. Conveniently, our skill was put to the test after about three and a half weeks, right after we had reached Route 15. The test we faced, though, was different from the many previous trials through which fate had led us. The circumstances of that day included the awakening of a side of me that had mostly lain dormant up until that point.

The morality of my actions during the incident was dubious at best. One could argue that the outcome justified the method, but the counter-argument would have held just as much weight. What can be agreed upon, despite its ethical uncertainty, is that the method yielded results. The results and their consequences, however, manifested both immediately and far after the events of that day.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) –

It was any ordinary day out on the routes. My team and I trained with as much dedication as we would any other day of the week. Keith had sat out for the second session of the day, having participated in the first, and nothing seemed amiss. Azrael was honing his hyper beams, Rufus was practicing his ability to meld with the shadows of the dense foliage, Gilles and Ceto were working on their protection abilities, and Dante was conditioning his teleportation skills.

At some point during the session, Dante teleported into the clearing with his eyes glowing particularly bright, and urgently assaulted my mind with three words, lacing them with repulsion. J'Kun! Empty ones!

My mind did not comprehend the statement for the first couple of seconds after he appeared, but then it dawned on me and my mood darkened. My reaction was apparently noticeable enough that Keith asked, "Zach? Is everything okay?"

I ignored Keith's question and asked Dante, "Are you certain?"

I am, Dante replied, his mental words laced with the same malice as before. While I was teleporting, I felt the call of a distressed mind and investigated. As we speak, a young Yeshku is fighting his way out of a hard rock structure with his trained companions.

"Zach? What's going on?" Keith pushed.

"Meteors…" I said, gathering my hunting bow and any other useful gear.

"Arceus damn it!" Keith exclaimed. "What the hell are they doing all the way out here? And just what the hell are you doing!?" he added.

"There is someone in trouble right now," I replied, not stopping. "The League won't respond in time to help him."

"Do you hear yourself? These are Meteors we're talking about!" shouted Keith. "They are killers! Do you even know how many there are?" Azrael lifted his lip and growled at Keith, but Keith ignored him.

J'Kun, there are many. Their numbers are over 30, Dante answered in my mind.

"I know who they are, and there are a lot. But that's no excuse to let a kid die," I said.

"So you will willingly endanger not only your own life, but also your pokemons'!? Instead of waiting for the professionals to show up, you will take them on alone!?" Keith demanded.

"This is the right thing to do. The kid needs help, and we are the League for all intents and purposes here. Our duty is to protect," I said, hiding part of the whole truth in which I despised the Meteors and wanted a chance to fight back against them.

"But this is way out of our league, Zach! We are more likely to get killed than to save the kid!"

"Look, Keith. I'm not going to force you to come. I'm done arguing; the kid is in danger, and the more time we spend arguing, the more time the Meteors have to kill him. If you want to help, you are more than welcome, but you don't have to," I said impatiently, strapping the last of my gear to my clothing.

"Gyah, Arceus damn it all! This is so stupid! I'm coming, but if I die, I'm haunting your ass forever!"

I smiled and turned to my pokemon, "Dante, where are they?" I asked.

I will take you there. I will also take the sarcastic one. It is not incredibly far, but I might be tired after, Dante replied.

"Thank you, Dante," I said. "Keith, after Dante teleports me there, he will return for you."

"Brilliant," Keith responded sarcastically.

I turned to my pokemon and said, "This is going to be dangerous. Prepare yourselves." I then recalled them, turned to Dante, and nodded. Dante walked up to me and we disappeared, reappearing with a pop amidst a shroud of deciduous foliage.

I looked around. The clearing is two hundred feet ahead, Dante said before disappearing. Another five seconds passed before Dante reappeared, holding onto a serious-looking Keith. I watched his eyes dance around the environment, looking for any sign of danger, but when he found none, his shoulders visibly eased.

I sent a message to Aoro, alerting him of our situation since I knew that he would respond more quickly than anyone else. Then I nodded, returned Dante, and released Gilles and Rufus. Keith released his starter, Luke, and Nel. Our choices in pokemon were made with silent travel in mind.

Without further ado, we quietly sneaked north until the trees broke into an artificial clearing, which was roughly in the shape of a trapezoid. It featured three long, windowless, concrete buildings curving around the three smaller sides, two more long buildings situated along the extended side, and a pentagonal landing pad in the middle, which was visible between the buildings. The landing pad also held a docked helicopter.

From where we stood, it appeared as if there were no patrols, which I attributed to the trainer's situation. It was also quiet apart from the natural sounds of the woods around us. "So," Keith whispered. "We hop in, grab the kid, and then hop out?"

"I don't think it will be so easy…" I whispered back. "We will need a distraction. I'm going in so I need you to wreak some havoc up here."

"And how do you propose I do that?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know! Think of something," I quietly exclaimed.

"Ugh. I must be out of my mind," Keith said as he released Iko.

I released Dante in turn and asked him if he could locate the kid. The Yeshku is underneath the ground. Over there, he replied, pointing towards one of the two long buildings at the trapezoidal clearing's base.

"Good luck, Keith!" I wished him earnestly, and then recalled Dante. Keith nodded and I ran along the tree line around the complex until I was near the building Dante had pointed out. Rufus was focused and breathing evenly, and Gilles was quietly giggling. I released Azrael and said, "It's time, Azrael. I need you to dig under that building. See if you can detect a trainer and his pokemon underground, and lead us to him."

Azrael snorted and started tearing into the ground. I followed behind him, dodging falling pieces of earth. I was only able to keep up with his pace because I could run freely and I did not have all of my travel equipment. It was dark for a minute or so, but then when he reached the basement of the building, light burst around Azrael as if he was eclipsing an underground star.

Immediately, the sound of gunfire reverberated through the tunnel, and Azrael recoiled violently. I needed to dive backwards in order to avoid being run into, but I saw why he flinched soon after. There were tears of red starting to run down Azrael's neck below two small holes, and another in his right shoulder.

After I saw Azrael's injuries, all priorities were dropped. Rage filled my blood and I recalled him, vaguely noting that his health had only dropped to 74%. I did not take the time to think about Azrael's actual health; only that he had been shot three times; by the same sick bastards that use terror to advance their agenda and who had killed so many before.

The rescue mission now took on a different characteristic. I loosed Dante, glowered, and said, "I need you to shield us," anger wracking my body.

Y-yes, J'Kun, he answered. I had never once heard fear in Dante's words, but I believe that he was truly frightened by my state of mind at the time. He did not hesitate, though, and erected a reflective screen over us. From then on, the full extent of Dante's focus was necessarily allotted to the screen since he was covering multiple teammates.

"Gilles," I said, turning to my ghost. "Don't attack the kid. But you can take out the Meteors however you want." Gilles' perpetual grin widened as he let out a horrible cackle and faded through the wall of the tunnel. "Rufus, stick by me and use Con-pulse when you can." Rufus acknowledged my command with a huff.

"Let's go!" I exclaimed, and I jumped into the hall with my bow raised. The sounds of yells now accompanied the gunfire as I saw Gilles materialize in the midst of a group of five Meteors, slicing the neck of one with a shadowy claw and sending blood splattering on the remainder of the nearby Meteors.

While looking for a target, I noted that I was standing inside of a large underground facility lit by dull, dim lights. Crates dotted the ground, a few forklifts were scattered around the vicinity, and foot-wide palisades held up the ceiling. I noticed then that a few smaller crates had been hastily flung to one corner of the room and a large portion of the Meteors' attention was focused on spraying bullets in its direction. I also noticed the bloody shell of a Heracross corpse lying in the middle of the room next to four dead terrorists.

The rest of the Meteors' attention was now concentrated on the new threat: me. I shot an arrow at one of the Meteors who had a rifle leveled at me, catching him in the sternum, but bullets riddled the screen around me. The screen was not strong enough to protect me completely. The bullets still passed through the barrier and pounded against my body, leaving large bruises. At first, only two bullets hit me, but they hit me on my right thigh and on my gut, knocking the wind out of me.

At the same time, Rufus let out a bone-chilling howl and sent a concentrated dark pulse into the nearest Meteor who was standing about eight feet away. The black pulse was about two feet wide and hit the woman in the center of her mass. The effect was similar to a point-blank shotgun blast, nearly rending a large hole through her chest. She was thrown onto her back and did not move, but a pool of blood formed around her.

I fell back into the tunnel, heaving from the decelerated bullets that had hit me, and instead of being discouraged, my rage flared to new heights, driving me back into the fray. I released another arrow upon entering the facility, catching a Meteor between the eyes while I sustained a bruise on my ribcage from another bullet.

I quickly rounded on another target, elongating an arrow and landing it in the woman's throat. I then looked over to where Gilles had been fighting and saw four bloodstained bodies on the ground, some writhing in pain, while the fifth was attempting to flee. Before the terrorist could run more than five feet, a ball of shadows hit him in the back of the head. He fell forward to the ground, and when he landed, half of his skull collapsed into dust.

Gilles shrieked in sadistic glee from where the shadow ball had materialized and disappeared again. At the same time, I felt the shockwave of another of Rufus's attacks. I saw a new Meteor fly off of his feet screaming, with a gaping wound around his stomach and pelvis. As I paused, momentarily stunned by the sheer carnage my team and I were wreaking, three more bullets hit me, bruising me in the chest, left ankle, and left forearm.

Once more, I fell back into the tunnel. J'Kun! Dante's voice thundered in my mind. Don't falter!

"Argh!" I groaned, pained by the bruises on my body. "Sorry, Dante. I'm good now." I shook off the mental shock of the bloodletting and my anger returned anew. First it was Azrael, now they had shot me. My fight with the Meteors was already personal, and now their actions were only fueling my rage.

I ran into the room, stopping briefly to shoot another Meteor in the head, and dived behind the cover of some boxes. Rufus was beside me the entire time and Dante remained in the tunnel so that he could remain hidden while he maintained the transparent, bubble-like shields over each of his targets. My dive to safety was accompanied by another reverberating shockwave from Rufus and a distant, pained shriek.

I sat behind the boxes, hearing some gunfire while I caught my breath. I looked over to the corner of the room and it seemed as if much of the gunfire allotted to keeping the trainer pinned down had been reassigned to keeping me and my team under control. With little thought, I took a risk and sprinted to the other side of the chamber, only being hit once in the side by a stray bullet.

When I reached ten feet from the crates, a yellow furry mass hurdled over them and landed in front of me. With a snarl, it slammed an electric fist into my chest and flung me backwards. I tumbled back as Rufus snarled in challenge before releasing a stream of fire at the new adversary. When I came to a stop, I looked up to see an Electabuzz fleeing from Rufus back into the quarter-circle of crates with singed fur.

Luckily for me, Dante had been shielding me. That punch might have been fatal if I had not been protected. Instead, I was left with a large bruise across my chest. I groaned angrily and crawled behind a crate, with Rufus falling back to my side protectively.

Most of the gunfire was still focused on me so I cursed and said, "Rufus, Charge-pulse, then Flamethrower," and pointed to a group of six Meteors taking cover behind a few crates on the other side of the room. Rufus's body started to heat up and the temperature rose ten degrees around me before he shot forward with his body wreathed in flames. He reached the group of terrorists in less than two seconds and slammed into one of them, sending and audible crack resounding through the room. Without stopping, Rufus then sent out a dark pulse bubble.

The blackness hit every Meteor in a ten-foot radius and knocked them off of their feet. Rufus then bathed all of the prone terrorists in fire, resulting in a cacophony of agonized shrieks. Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Gilles was terrorizing another group of terrorists. I was alerted to his terrorization by a host of coughing men and women.

I looked over and saw a group of four Meteors coated with black liquid, and then Gilles' face appeared before them, vomiting out another putrid black liquid. Once the black liquid touched the Meteors' bodies, they let out bloodcurdling shrieks and fell to the ground convulsing, spitting out blackened blood.

A pained yelp broke my attention on Gilles and I looked over to see a new group of Meteors standing in the bottom of a stairwell. They had rifles leveled at Rufus and were concentrating their fire on him. Rufus had little to hide behind and was being pummeled by the vicious spray of lead before he fell to the ground. My heart skipped a beat and I returned him to his pokeball, seeing his health at 7%.

Rufus's near death experience fueled the fire behind my rage even more, and I released Azrael, pointing his pokeball's laser pointer right beside the entering group of Meteors. He appeared with a pissed off roar, and immediately tore into the group of terrorists. They all screamed in surprise before they were cut down in flurry of claws, fire, and teeth. Azrael sustained more bullet wounds, as Dante had not been given a chance to re-summon a protective barrier around him.

But Azrael did not falter or wait for Dante include him in the barrier. He surged across the room towards a smaller group of three Meteors and drew their fire from me. Azrael's enormous size was a blight on his health for once, as it was not difficult for the Meteors to hit him. The bullets, however, did not injure him as much as I expected them to. The lead pellets peppered his skin, which pissed him off more and more, eventually forcing him into a frenzied state which I had not seen him enter in a long time.

Azrael bellowed and the entire building shook. Since I was in a similar state, myself, I was not as nervous as I should have been. After all, Azrael just caused an earthquake while we were under a concrete building. Portions of the room caved in and Azrael let loose a hyper beam which disintegrated a large, rough hole into a horrified Meteor.

I only realized my own danger in the structure when a nearby pillar splintered. With a curse, I forced myself to run away from it before the ceiling collapsed. Azrael had gone out of control, and I returned him before he killed everyone, including me. Portions of the room were on fire, and the smoke was beginning to coalesce at the top of the room, raising the temperature in the room quickly. At that time, I released Ceto beside me.

"Ceto, I need you to put out the fires and use Scald-gun on the remaining Meteors." She wasted no time pouring water over the larger fires. Then I shouted, "Dante, re-summon the barrier!"

Yes, J'Kun, Dante said in my mind. The mental words were strained, as if he was expending much effort. The barrier fell, and before it could come back, Ceto was hit in the side by a stray bullet. I prepared to recall her, but she turned to face the source of the metal slug with a very pissed-off expression emblazoned on her face. When she found her attacker, she let out a high-pressured, boiling stream of water at him.

The scalding water gun hit the man in the face and broke his neck backwards. She then turned to another and repeated the process. When she finally finished, five more Meteors had broken necks and burned, bubbling skin on their faces. Taken aback, I looked at her health and saw that the bullet had taken 15% of her health. She hovered back to me, the barrier shimmering around her.

"Good job, Ceto," I said, turning my attention to assessing the situation again. Ceto angrily huffed in response, looking for another Meteor. At that point in time, not many Meteors remained alive. Few enough remained that the Electabuzz hurtled over the barricade once more and sprinted on all fours towards the closest terrorist to the staircase. Upon reaching him, the Electabuzz punched him in the chest with an electric crack, and the man fell back. The Electabuzz then turned to meet another Meteor who had just shot it in the back and opened its palm. A powerful bolt of electricity passed into the terrorist, causing the terrorist's hands to catch fire and his eyes to pop like red balloons.

After that, the Electabuzz let out a feline roar and another figure emerged from behind the barricade. After violently kicking out one of the crates, a Machoke then ran out while carrying a boy on its back. It headed to the staircase in front of which the Electabuzz was waiting. En route, the Machoke glanced over at me and Ceto but kept running.

The Electabuzz also looked at me and Ceto and gave me an incomprehensible look before bounding up the stairs in front of the Machoke. There were still around six Meteors remaining, and they continued to fire their rifles as us, but Gilles and Ceto dispatched them quickly. Afterwards, I called out to Dante, who dropped the barrier and walked out of the tunnel towards me with a small amount of lethargy.

J'Kun, there are more above us. The Yeshku and his companions are under duress, the loyal Gallade told me.

"Thank you, Dante," I replied quickly before hurrying to the staircase. I heard more gunfire coming from above and the roar of the Electabuzz. My body ached but I willed it to move, fueled by an overpowering desire to stop the Meteors and protect someone from them. Dante followed behind me, Ceto beside me, and Gilles above me.

We climbed the stairs quickly, Dante erecting another barrier around us, and when we reached the top, we met with a similar environment. It was a wide open floor with a few cave-ins. Crates were organized for efficiency in rows, though, and Meteors were positioned behind them, using the gaps between them to fire their weapons. The Machoke and Electabuzz had taken cover behind the back row of crates, and the Machoke had collapsed a portion of it to block their left flank.

Soon after I appeared at the top of the staircase, my presence was noticed. "What the hell? There's another one!?" I heard. I dodged a spray of bullets and then heard, "Is that the same kid!?"

I did not hear much after, for one Meteor had thrown a flashbang grenade and caught me by surprise. The world went bright and a shrill ringing exploded in my head. When I came to, my pokemon were standing around me protectively, taking bullets in my defense.

J'Kun, we cannot stay here! a voice said amidst my clouded thoughts. I looked around and saw that, even though my team was protecting me with their bodies, they had not recovered from the flashbang. The same was true for the other trainer and his pokemon.

Through hazy and incoherent vision, I saw a Meteor run up to the barricade, jump over the crates, and put a handgun up to the back of the Machoke's head. I did not hear the gun fire, but I saw the Machoke's right eye blow out from its head and its body drop to the ground. The trainer who had been carried by the Machoke fell to the ground as well.

The trainer had bloody spots on two different parts of his body, which explained why he was being carried. It also explained why he did not rise from the floor. Instead, he froze, and I saw the Meteor raise his gun, the trainer's eyes widen, and blood splatter on the floor underneath the trainer's head.

The Meteor did not have a chance to finish the Electabuzz, for before the Meteor could aim his gun at the electric feline's head, it had turned him into a meat battery. When the electricity hit the Meteor, the lights above flickered. I felt sick, but I forced out the words, "Gilles, the lights."

The overhead lights then began to progressively shatter, darkening the room more and more. By the time the lights were all destroyed, my hearing had returned, albeit severely strained. In the darkness, Gilles ran rampant and unhindered through the forces of the Meteors. Screams of pain rang out in the darkness, and I could see silhouettes being torn apart.

A single source of light pierced the darkness as the door to the outside opened, and I saw a Meteor enter holding a rifle. I drew an arrow and shot the man in the chest, but two more terrorists entered after him. One's head bent back at an unordinary angle after a jet of water him, and the other fell to the ground seizing from a bolt of electricity. The Electabuzz ran through the open door right after.

Before things could become worse, I ran over to the fallen trainer's body and searched for his PokeDex. Finding none, I snatched his pokeballs and ran to the open door. Outside, I found a building on fire, another collapsing, and around 15 Meteors shooting at another building. I also saw one man directing the terrorists' fire and I immediately assumed that he was some sort of leader.

J'Kun! That one is not empty! Dante exclaimed in my mind. At the same time, the man looked over to us and locked eyes with me. A look of confusion passed over his face, and then a look of fear before he yelled something and pointed at me. Then he turned and started to run toward the helicopter on the landing pad.

Half of the Meteors redirected their fire at us and I yelled, "Dante, keep us safe! Gilles get that man! Ceto, help Azrael!" I then took out Azrael's ball and released him in the midst of the Meteors' forces. Azrael emerged still enraged and sent a large wave of earth surging out from under him in all directions. The bulldoze hit every Meteor in a twenty-foot radius and sent them flying back. Many of them were also buried by the wave of dirt.

Azrael then started using various attacks to dismember helpless Meteors while Ceto sniped others. All the while, I ran to intercept the man who was running to the helicopter. Before he could reach the helicopter, though, Gilles pulled through and appeared in front of him, forcing him to stop in a hypnotized daze.

Without missing a beat, I pulled out another arrow bolt and shot the leader in the thigh. The man fell down to the dirt and shook off the hypnotism. In triumph, I looked down at him with disgust, but he rolled over and leveled a handgun from his hip. My mind hardly registered what was happening as he pulled the trigger, but the bullet passed through the barrier and hit me in the forehead. With an unrealized gasp, I fell back and lost consciousness.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) –

I blinked and my vision cleared. There was pained groaning coming from beside me. Other than that, all was silent. I painfully sat up and looked around.

Dante was standing over the Meteor leader who was cradling the smoldering stump of his right arm in his left. Ceto and Gilles were hovering directly above him, staring him down. Azrael was laying on the ground thirty feet away.

J'Kun, are you well!? Dante asked, his mental voice hysterical.

I groaned as my body protested from movement. I did not remember what had happened, so I said, "I think I'll be fine. What happened?"

The earth wyrm needs your help. He has collapsed from combat, he informed me hurriedly.

I shook off some of my confusion and returned Azrael, finding his health at 2%. I immediately felt anxious when I saw that and said, "Legendaries… What the hell…?"

Dante remained quiet, but the silence was broken by the sound of quickened footfalls. I looked up to see Keith sprinting across the clearing towards me with his Luxray. He reached me and exclaimed, "Mother of Mew! What the hell happened to you?"

I gave him a confused look and I saw his eyes move to my forehead. I then reached up and touched a sore spot, earning me a pounding headache. The migraine also brought memories of what had happened previously. Without thinking about how close I came to death, and how Dante's barrier kept me alive, I was filled with anger once more, and I looked over to the injured Meteor.

"Zach, calm down!" Keith yelled when I drew my knife and made a move towards the Meteor, glaring at the man. "Dude, he's down!"

J'Kun, this one is not empty. You told us to stop him. I assume it was for a reason, Dante said, his eyes glowing. His tone suggested displeasure, but I had a feeling that his displeasure was not centered on me. It seemed as if he was displeased with not being allowed to kill the terrorist leader.

"Zach! Come on!" Keith yelled again, stepping in front of me and shaking my arm.

Keith's intervention jarred me from my rage and I realized that I was ready to slit the man's throat. I sheathed my knife embarrassedly and said, "We need to get this bastard to the league."

"No shit," Keith said. "What the hell, man? You just about killed him."

"It's no worse than he deserves," I muttered, and then I kicked him in the ribs.

"Whoa! Not cool, dude! You don't get to decide what he deserves. That is for people much higher up than us," Keith said angrily.

"Maybe," I said, trying to end the conversation. "I'm sorry, alright?"

"Just… dude. Anyway, where's that trainer we came to rescue?" he asked.

"He's dead," I said quietly, remembering over again what happened.

"What?"

"He's dead, alright!?" I yelled. "I tried to save him, but his pokemon kept me from approaching him!" I barely felt tears starting to run down my face. "They carried him away! We were almost out, but… Those bastards! They had a flash grenade! I couldn't help when it went off!" By the end of my explanation, I was crying.

"Zach, you did what you could, alright?" Keith said, changing his tone. "Your heart was in the right place."

My tears stopped flowing as I registered his words. My heart might have been in the right place as far as the trainer was concerned, but I was still confused as to what came over me with the Meteors. I looked into Keith's blue eyes and said with a serious tone, "Keith. Thank you for helping here."

Keith was visibly struck by how quickly I changed paces. "U-um, no problem. It's over now, I think." I nodded and leaned back, noting once more how much my body hurt. "So, uh, who was the trainer?"

"Don't know. He didn't have a 'Dex on him. These are his pokeballs," I said, showing them to Keith. "There was a dead Heracross in the basement and his Machoke was killed upstairs. The Electabuzz managed to escape, but I didn't see where it went."

"Oh…" Keith responded. "That makes sense. An Electabuzz kinda killed one of the Meteors who was shooting at me. It was pretty beaten up, and it collapsed beside that building, there after taking a few hits." Keith pointed at the burning building.

I groaned again and heaved myself up to my feet. "Dante, watch over this… thing," I said, looking down at the Meteor leader. Dante's eyes glowed green in acknowledgement and I trudged over to where Keith had pointed.

Keith did not follow me. I walked around the building and found the Electabuzz's body lying in the grass with red splotches of fur. "You really hit me hard…" I murmured, nursing the bruise on my chest. "I tried to help… You know, I get it, though. I'm sure Azrael wouldn't let anyone near me if I was hurt. I'm sorry I couldn't do more." I kneeled down over the corpse and ran a hand over a patch of singed yellow fur.

When my hand touched the coarse hair, I felt my own hair stand up from static, and, to my utter surprise, I felt the creature move. Its breathing was belabored and weak, but it was still alive. Without thinking, I brought a potion out of my vest and sprayed it on a bullet wound. The bullet ejected from the wound and the wound healed over, but there were many more. I took two more potions and tended to two more bullet wounds. With three wounds healed, the Electabuzz was still injured. However, it looked as if it would likely pull through, so I painfully hurried back to center of the clearing.

Keith was standing in the entrance of the building in which I fought the Meteors when I arrived at the side of the helicopter. "Keith, the Electabuzz is still alive!" I yelled, "I gave him a couple potions, but he's still in bad shape."

"Zach, what happened in here?" Keith asked, his voice low and wavering. Luke was peering into the building around Keith's side.

"The same thing that happened out here," I replied, confused as to why Keith sounded so disturbed.

"Zach, this is just… You did all of this by yourself?" He was gazing at the corpse of a Meteor with an arrow sticking out from his chest.

"Well, I had my team's help," I replied.

"This is… it's-" Keith stopped speaking, turned away from the building's entrance, and purged the contents of his stomach. I ran over to Keith and put a hand on his back, but he batted my hand away. "I-I need a moment," he forced out. Luke was looking intensely at me at the same time, but I ignored him. "I've never seen such… butchery."

Keith then looked at me as if I was a rabid Granbull and I faltered. "Keith, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Dude, you slaughtered them! They were people!" Keith exclaimed.

"People? These are NOT people," I retorted, my voice rising. "They are empty husks that only want to kill other people! They have no souls!"

"Really. I get that they were terrorists, but they were still people," he said, but I cut him off.

"You're wrong! These things left all humanity behind them."

"How would you know that!?" Keith responded angrily.

"Because I've seen it!" I yelled, but then I lowered my voice. "I've seen what goes on in their minds. There's no humanity left."

"Dude, I don't know what you've been through, but this is too much for me. I don't know what to think… If you feel that way about them, then why did you spare that one?" he asked, pointing at the prone Meteor.

"Dante could detect more than emptiness in him…" I replied. "He might be useful to the League."

"If what you're saying is true, then maybe you're right. But I still can't deal with this. I'm going to walk back to the route and wait for help. I can't be here right now." Keith was breathing rapidly and he looked like he was about to pass out.

"Alright. Then I'll stay here," I replied.

Keith nodded and walked without another word. I was left standing next to Gilles, Dante, and Ceto in somewhat of an awkward silence. To escape it, I asked Ceto and Gilles to watch over the Meteor and took Dante with me to the injured Electabuzz.

It was conscious when we arrived at its side, but it continued to lie still in the grass. "Hi, it's me from before," I said. The electric feline only groaned in response.

He asks why you helped him out here instead of leaving him to die, Dante translated.

"Because we survived this. It would be a waste of your life to just let you bleed out," I replied.

The feline sighed and Dante said, He says that he failed to protect his friend, and that it would have been better for you to have let him die.

"I don't agree with you," I asserted. "You know, we came to help you, but we also failed. The weapons that were used against us stopped us from succeeding. We both failed. But I don't think that the world is a better place without you."

He says that he was raised for most of his life by his friend. He does not know what to do.

"At the very least, you now have the opportunity to make your own decisions. But I'll tell you what - If you want, you can travel with me and my team until you figure out what you want to do," I offered.

The Electabuzz was tranquil for a few moments before it sat up. Dante once again spoke to me. He says that he will stay with us for now.

With a solemn smile, I welcomed him to my team. I would need to go through some work to get the Electabuzz transferred to me after the League showed up, but it had agreed to be a part of my squad. I now had the final slot on my team filled.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) –

Within half an hour, the Meteor base was crawling with League officials. The first officials to show up were Champion Volker, Aoro, 3rd Elite McGall, and 2nd Elite Barnes, and they showed up with Keith in tow. Champion Volker and Jean Barnes, the steel elite, immediately rushed off into separate buildings. Aoro stayed beside me and Kain McGall, the psychic elite, looked me in the eyes after peering over my face.

"Zachariah MacAfee?"

"Yes," I responded.

"Return your pokemon and explain the situation," he demanded. He had arrived with an Alakazam and an Espeon and both of them scrutinized me sternly with glowing eyes. I complied, but the Electabuzz still remained outside of his ball, huddled on the ground. "All of them, trainer," the Elite demanded.

"Sir, this Electabuzz isn't technically mine. It belonged to a trainer who died here," I said with as much care as possible.

3rd Elite McGall fixed me with a long stare before saying, "Very well. Explain what happened here."

I exhaled and said, "My Gallade detected a person in trouble. He told me that it was a trainer and he was fighting his way away from Meteors, so I tried to help. I knew that the League would take too long to show up, so I sent a message to Leader Craul and took action." While I spoke, both of the officials examined me closely.

"We burrowed underneath the building where my Gallade had detected the trainer and found ourselves in the middle of a firefight. Some of my pokemon were hit but I fought to draw the Meteors' attention away from the trainer, who was pinned down behind some crates. I tried to help the trainer, but I had to defend myself at the same time, and when enough of them were down, the trainer and his pokemon made a run for it up the stairs.

"Then, when I ran up the stairs after them, the trainer was pinned down again. The Meteors… They had grenades and were able to kill the trainer and his Machoke. From there, I was still in danger, so I fought my way out. When I left the building, my Gallade pointed out that this one wasn't as "empty-minded" as the rest. So, I stopped him from reaching the helicopter and was knocked out in the process."

Aoro stared at me in shocked disbelief. Elite McGall continued to stare, but asked after a while, "How do you know about their mindlessness?"

"This isn't the first time I've encountered the Meteors. Or fought them for that matter. The Champion knows about that and can attest to it…"

"I see," stated the Elite flatly. He then whispered something into Aoro's ear and Aoro frowned. They turned away and walked about ten feet while the Elite's pokemon watched me intensely. Aoro and the Elite talked quietly so that I could not hear them.

Keith did not speak beside me. Before long, the Champion walked out of the building in which the trainer had fallen. His expression was hard as he made a Combee-line straight to me.

"MacAfee," he said. But before he could say more, Aoro and Elite McGall returned and drew his attention. After a brief conversation during which the 2nd Elite returned from another building, Champion Volker said to Elite McGall, "You will take the Meteor and extract his memories. Jean, accompany him. Be wary; you know what happened last time we caught a lucid one. Also, before you get started, send Pierce."

The two Elites nodded and then disappeared with the 3rd Elites' psychic pokemon and the Meteor leader. Around that time, Ace trainers were appearing in the vicinity accompanied with psychic pokemon. After the Elites left, the Champion released Glemdrin, who rose to his hind legs and overlooked the facility. The Champion then released his Charizard, which took to the air and started making wide circles in the sky.

"You look like you've been through hell, kid," Aoro said to me, looking me over.

"I might as well have been," I muttered, not meeting his eyes. Champion Volker interrupted us by walking up to me.

"MacAfee, you will accompany me." Then he turned to Aoro. "Aoro, direct the Aces to start searching the buildings. When Pierce arrives inform him of the situation and allow him to assist you."

"Yes, sir," Aoro responded before running in long strides to the growing group of Special Forces personnel.

The League Champion then took the fallen trainer's pokeballs from me and used his PokeDex in tandem with them to recall the Electabuzz. After the Electabuzz disappeared, the Champion led me back to the place where I had killed so many people. "Is it true? You told Elite McGall that you fought through here? With just your pokemon and the other trainer?"

I told him I did. He walked into the building with me and asked, "So I'm to believe that this bloody battleground in here is mostly your doing?" I nodded weakly. With a big sigh, the Champion said, "What am I going to do with you? You killed so many people here. They were terrorists… But the League does not condone the wanton slaughter of anyone."

I tried to reason with him. "Sir, it was mostly in self-defense. They were trying to kill me and I was trying to save an innocent trainer."

"First, MacAfee, you cannot be certain who the trainer was or what his connection to the Meteors was. Second, you willingly put yourself in this situation. You knew full-well what kind of dangers you would be facing. This is the territory of the Ranger Corps and the Ace Trainer Corps. As a junior trainer, you do not have the right to undertake these kinds of operations."

I did not have anything to respond. "As it is, however, you have performed a great service here," the Champion said, changing paces. "That man is the second lucid Meteor we have caught. The first was killed before the law was passed which allows us to mentally extract memories. You have given us a chance to trace his memories to their key operations. Best case scenario is that we take them down. As far as the trainer is concerned, you are probably correct in assuming that the trainer might not have survived until we arrived. But the fact of the matter is that he still died. Whether or not it was because of your intervention is uncertain. The fact is that you intervened and he died. You make my job more difficult than any other junior trainer, MacAfee."

I continued to remain quiet. "Do you remember what I told you last time you were involved with the Meteors?" he asked. We had stopped above the bodies of the trainer and the Machoke. I told him I did. "Well I will repeat myself anyway. Part of my job is to ensure the protection of civilization from the hostile threat of pokemon and those who use them. You are quickly establishing yourself as a hostile threat and I would much prefer you not to end up like the monsters you killed today. You are walking a fine line, MacAfee.

"You can rest easy for now, though. Kain could not find anything wrong with your story as far as your reasons for showing up. However, there were apparently complications with his ability to see your intentions. Since you have done the country a service, I will return the favor and avoid taking action against you. But be warned; you have officially caught the League's eye. I suggest you make wise decisions in the future. I do not want you to lose your soul, MacAfee. Do you understand me?"

"Completely, sir," I responded.

"Good. Then take a look around you and see what you are capable of, MacAfee. This is the kind of power we are capable of unleashing upon the world. It is not to be used lightly, and taking life – no matter whose life – is not a light matter. Remember that the next time you are faced with a difficult decision. And remember that these kinds of situations are best left to those who are trained to make the tough decisions. The Ace trainers exist for a reason, and if you want to bear the burden of their responsibility, then you should consider joining them. Until then, keep your nose clean."

With that said, Champion Volker led me out of the building which was so filled with death. "Sir, the Electabuzz had shown a desire to accompany me," I said along the way. "How does the League deal with forsaken pokemon?"

The Champion stopped and said, "Not that I don't believe you, but I can't just transfer ownership of a pokemon to you. The easiest way to figure this out would be to set it free and let it decide to let you catch it. But before we can do that, we need to figure out the identity of the trainer." Champion Volker released his Xatu and then released the Electabuzz. After a brief mental interchange, the Xatu nodded and the Champion thanked the Electabuzz. He then took the Electabuzz's ball, entered some information into its holopanel, and gave it to the yellow pokemon.

The Electabuzz looked at the pokeball in its hands and then presented it to me. "Well that solves that," the Champion declared. "Though, that ball is now inoperable. You will need to re-catch him."

I thanked the Champion and brought out a pokeball. As I presented it to the Electabuzz, Aoro returned. While the Electabuzz burst into red energy, Aoro addressed the Champion. "Champion, we've found stores of stolen pokeballs, munitions, and a couple captives."

"Very good. MacAfee, you can go. We have much to do here. Remember what I've told you and don't make me regret my decision." With that, the Champion walked away.

Before Aoro left as well, he said to me, "The Champion's Xatu will transport you to the closest city – Fuchsia. Please stay out of trouble." I nodded and thanked him before Keith joined me and the Xatu teleported us away from the Meteor camp.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) –

The news played over the television and the bustling sounds of PokeCenter staff filled the otherwise tranquil room. We had been teleported to a Fuchsia Pokemon Center, and after we had taken a shower, we both decided to relax in the lounge. Keith and I had not spoken for a while, so I eventually broke the silence between us. "Can you believe that PME is now legal?" I asked.

"A lot of things are unbelievable lately…" he responded distantly.

Growing concerned and frustrated, I said, "Keith, can we just put what happened behind us? This…" I found it difficult to vocalize my thoughts.

"Zach, I am trying to forget about what happened," he said quickly. "I want to know something, though. You said you saw what they thought. What did you mean by that?"

After a brief pause, I sighed and said, "I had Dante psychically extract memories from a Meteor. You have no idea just how soulless they are."

Keith was bewildered. After another brief pause, he said, "I'm sure you know that that was highly illegal. Why did you do it?"

I sighed again and resigned myself to explaining to Keith what had happened during the first Meteor incident. It took a while, but when I finished, Keith had a new appreciation for my view of the Meteors.

"…Wow," he said. "I guess that explains a lot. I can't believe that the Senator's brother was captured." He heaved a sigh. "I still don't know what to think about it all. This day has been so messed up."

"Yeah. Well we can at least focus on what's ahead of us, now," I said optimistically. "Now that we are in Fuchsia, we can sign up for the gym. Also, your parents live here, right? You can visit them."

"Yeah, I can. It's been a while since I've seen them… I want to take a break for a few days before I sign up for the gym," said Keith.

"That's alright," I said. "I want to challenge the gym as soon as possible, but I'll wait for you to beat the gym before I leave." Keith thanked me and I opened the League website on my PokeDex to begin filling out a reservation for the Fuchsia gym.

Before I finished, I received a message from Aoro. It read, Hey Zachariah. I thought you should know that the trainer's name was Brendon Sherwin. He had five badges and was last seen outside of Saffron a month ago. His family was notified. Good luck at the Fuchsia gym.

I relayed the message to Keith and then returned to placing my challenge. Ten minutes later, I had scheduled a battle for the day after the next. I figured that it would be enough time for my pokemon to recover. I would receive them from the center later that night, and we would have an entire day to rest and prepare.

Keith left that night to go home while I stayed at the PokeCenter. After having my pokemon returned to me, I released them down in the activity cavern. When I released Azrael, he groaned and lowered his head to me in shame. "Azrael, we survived. Don't be ashamed. It was unfortunate that you lost your temper, but we are all better off now. We have a new teammate." I rubbed the top of his head as I spoke.

Azrael looked surprised to hear the last bit of information. "That's right. The trainer we were trying to rescue; his Electabuzz has joined us." Azrael then looked at me and I had the feeling that he was conveying doubt.

"He is not as strong as you all, but we can fix that. He may have failed to protect his trainer, but we failed to protect each other as well. Go easy on him, alright?" Azrael huffed at that and lay down on the ground right next to me. I noticed that most of his bullet wounds had healed over completely. Apart from a couple discolored marks on his scales, there was no evidence that Azrael had been shot.

I then released Rufus, who lethargically moved to my side and nuzzled my arm. I rubbed the back of his neck and the top of his head before he lay down beside Azrael. His bullet wounds were also healed over, which I was thankful for.

I then released Dante, who bowed his head to me. I put my hand on his shoulder and said, "Thank you, Dante. I'm sorry if I frightened you. I don't know what came over me."

I appreciate your apology, J'Kun. But I believe it is I who must apologize. I wish I could have done more to help. I wish I could have completely stopped the mindless ones' flying metal, Dante replied.

I laughed at that and said, "Dante, you were fantastic. Without you, I would have died ten times over today. I can tolerate pain. You don't think I'm that frail, do you?"

No, J'Kun, Dante said flatly. He did not say anything else but I could tell that he was brooding over something.

"What is wrong, Dante," I asked, concerned about him.

It is nothing I can voice, he replied. My apologies, J'Kun.

"Is it something I should worry about? Will you be alright?" I asked.

You are still my J'Kun. You have nothing to worry about. This is my own struggle.

"Dante, we are a family. My struggle is our struggle. Your struggle is mine and your fellow teammates' as well," I told him, looking him in the eyes.

Thank you, J'Kun... Responded Dante, sincerely. He then paused for a moment before saying, I'm afraid that my actions may have done more bad than good. I am conflicted about this.

"As far as I'm concerned, Dante, you protected your family and helped us attempt to protect those who could not protect themselves. Even if we failed, we still tried, and that is more than anyone else can say," I said.

But there is more to it than that, J'Kun. I wanted to purge them. I wanted to deliver justice upon them.

I sighed and finally acknowledged my own concealed feelings on the matter. "Dante, I wanted that as well. But the situation would have been much more different if there was no one to rescue. We would have contacted the League."

But the situation was not different. It was convenient for our family to kill when we had a goal to achieve. But the underlying sentiment can't be ignored. I helped you indulge those sentiments.

"You think you are a bad influence?" I asked with a laugh. "I see what you mean when you referred to this as a struggle. For now, just know that I don't want to become a monster. You felt the same as I did, and so we will just have to work on it together. That's what family does."

…You're right, J'Kun. I am sorry for my lack of confidence in confiding with you, Dante replied. He was smiling and his eyes were glowing slightly. I grasped his shoulder once more and then released Ceto.

Ceto bowed her head to me, her expression serious. "Ceto, thank you for helping me," I said, rubbing her crest. She squeaked and blew a few bubbles onto my face before hovering over to a small pond. I smiled after her and then released Gilles, who stretched out his shadowy arms and giggled. "You were truly a terror, Gilles," I said, earning me another creepy giggle.

"Alright, everyone!" I announced. "We have a new teammate. He's been through a lot, like we have, but he just lost his trainer. Go easy on him and welcome him in."

My pokemon responded without a great amount of enthusiasm, which I attributed to how tired they must have felt. I then released the Electabuzz. "Hey there, welcome to the team. This is everyone."

I introduced all of my pokemon to the newcomer and then said, "So what did your trainer call you?" The Electabuzz only slumped in sadness.

He does not want his old name anymore. He wants a new name, Dante asserted.

"So, you want to begin anew. Rise from the ashes?" I asked. The Electabuzz nodded. "Hmm," I pondered. "Then, if you have no objection, I will call you Lazarus." The yellow feline nodded again. "Wonderful, now, if you wouldn't mind, why don't you show me what fighting techniques you know."

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) –

"Trainer, I am Diane Mulback. Welcome to the Fuchsia City gym. Here, things work a little differently. You don't just get to challenge Leader Fulton. First, you must prove that you are strong enough. You must beat me before you can progress."

A woman in her late thirties stood in front of me. She had long black hair and blue eyes, she wore black pants and a purple shirt, and she had fixed me with a scrutinizing gaze. "You are Keith's mother, aren't you?" I asked, and she nodded. "Out of curiosity," I asked, "Isn't earning the Marsh Badge enough proof that I'm ready?"

"No, it isn't," Diane replied. "I have different pokemon with different strengths. You have beaten psychics, but poison-types are different. You need to prove that you can stand against higher-level poison types before you face the leader. It prevents many deaths in the ring. Now, on to the business at hand. The difference in this battle is that it is a two-on-two fight. No substitutions and no items. Choose your contestants and prepare yourself."

It was an easy choice for me. Ground types and psychic types were both highly effective against poison types, so I chose Azrael and Dante. I started with Azrael, who appeared with a roar, but Diane did not show any surprise or trepidation. She released an Ariados at the same time. The signal to start was given and I stomped the ground, sliding my foot forwards.

Azrael burrowed, but he was hit by a small spike before he could become fully submerged. It was flung by the Ariados, who was starting to multiply into separate visages. But before it could completely separate from the images, Azrael burst from the ground underneath it. The Ariados was flung into the air, while I continued to issue orders. Azrael kept up the pressure and prevented the Ariados from acting. When the spider landed, it was hit with a strong bulldoze and halfway buried. Then Azrael began to spew flames over it while it shook off the dirt. Before long, Azrael had burnt it into submission and it was returned.

Diane released a Crobat next, and it flitted up into the air upon materialization. I yelled commands and Azrael began flinging large rocks at his adversary. The Crobat dodged them and swooped down to deliver a nasty bite onto Azrael's left arm. On its way back into the air, Azrael hit one of its arms. It erratically faltered in the air but caught itself quickly. It then turned back to attack again.

The Crobat quickly dodged more thrown rocks and sliced Azrael across the neck with its sharpened wing claw. The cut was not deep and did not threaten any of Azrael's veins, but I could tell from my spot that Azrael was beginning to feel the effects of various poisons. His movements were sluggish and the rocks he was flinging were becoming smaller.

Azrael turned the tide of the fight, however, when the Crobat flew in for its third attack. Azrael met its attack with the bulb on his head, slamming it against the Crobat's bladed wing. Azrael was unharmed, but the head-butt stunned the four-winged bat. The Crobat fell to the ground, Azrael's claw glowed with draconic energy, and he jabbed forward into it. The blow pierced the bat's skin and it cried out in pain. It was recalled soon after.

"Congratulations, trainer. You now have proven that you are strong enough to challenge the gym leader," Diane said. "Keith was not exaggerating; you are intense."

"How is he?" I asked. "We've had a tough time."

"He won't tell me anything, but he seems to be doing well. Can you tell me what's happened?" she asked.

"Honestly, Mrs. Mulback, I think it would be best if he tells you once he's ready. I wouldn't rob him of that," I responded.

Diane was visibly frustrated, but she said, "Well, thank you for your loyalty to him. Good luck against Miss Fulton."

I thanked her and left, taking time to stop by the registration desk to schedule my actual gym battle. It was for three days' time. It came as a surprise to me that the wait was so long since the badge level was so high, but my confusion was abated the next morning at the Pokemon Center.

I heard a knock at my door early in the morning and opened it to find two people standing before me. One of them held a video camera and the other held a microphone. The man with the microphone held out his hand and said, "Bryan Hills, LeagueWatch. Are you Zachariah MacAfee?"

I nodded and shook his hand. "Would you mind a quick interview for the viewers? I promise it will not take long; we interview all new challengers to Leader Fulton."

I agreed and they waited for me to get fully dressed before conducting the interview in the PokeCenter lounge. "We are here today to speak with Zachariah MacAfee, the newest challenger to the Fuchsia gym," the reporter opened. "Mr. MacAfee here carries an undefeated gym record, and is this year's Junior Indigo Champion. How do you feel about your upcoming battle?"

"I feel good about it," I said.

"I bet!" the reporter said enthusiastically. "What have you been up to since the JIC?"

"I've been training out along the southwestern routes."

"Do you think all the training has fully prepared you for the Fuchsia gym?" he asked.

"Well, I wouldn't challenge the gym if I didn't think I would win," I said, annoyed.

"Of course, of course! No doubt your starter will prove most effective against Leader Fulton's poison types." Bryan then looked at the camera. "For those of you who did not watch the JIC this year, Mr. MacAfee's starter was a monstrous Garchomp. If you beat the gym, what will be your plans?" He asked, looking back at me.

"I will start training for the next. I will Island-hop to Cinnabar and then challenge its gym," I replied.

"Wonderful! Well, good luck Mr. MacAfee. That's all the time we have. Don't forget to tune into Fuchsia LeagueWatch in two days at noon to see Mr. MacAfee's battle!" He finished with a broad smile and shook my hand again before bidding me farewell.

I returned to my room and retrieved my PokeDex, finding a message waiting. It was from Sheila. In the message, she told me that she finally earned her seventh Hoenn badge. She barely passed the challenge, though, and her sister had come to watch. With that win, Sheila had passed where her sister had stopped in the League. She also only had one gym remaining.

I congratulated her and wished her luck on the last gym. I also told her about my impending gym battle and the introduction of Lazarus to my team. Then I sent a message to my parents letting them know about my match. Afterwards, I made plans to train outside of city limits until the day of my battle.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) –

The room was wavy and tinted red. I was sitting in a chair looking at a painting of Raeda on the wall. Her screams echoed around the room, but I could not see the source of the shrieks. Though the more I looked at the paining on the wall, the more lifelike it appeared. Eventually, I saw the wings in the painting flutter. Before I knew it, Raeda was climbing out of the painting, paint dripping off of her body.

I made a move to stand up but found myself bound to the chair. Raeda's screams intensified as the blurred painting-like Raeda crawled down the wall and across the floor to me. I couldn't scream. I couldn't move. She crawled up my leg and up my shirt until she was looking me in the eyes. Her mandibles clattered together and sent shivers down my spine.

Next, Raeda shoved one of her claws over my eye, and I felt an intense pain. I trembled in the chair as I felt her trying to tear apart my face. Suddenly, as if by a burst of adrenaline, I shook my head violently and tossed her off. She hit the ground and splattered like a paintball. Her screams reverberated around the room at exponential levels and then-

I woke up in a cold sweat with my head pounding. It was the morning of my battle. All I could think was, "No, not now…" The Meteor incident already weighed heavily on my mind, and I did not need the added stress of defending myself against a malicious ghost.

With a groan, I sat up and looked at my clock. It showed 3:23 A.M. Curiously, Rufus had not started growling or made any protective move whatsoever. He was roused by my change of position, but he did not look as if he sensed anything wrong.

"Rufus, I need you to keep an extra-watchful vigil from now on," I told him. His ears perked up and his eyes narrowed while he peered around the room. It seemed to me as if the Banette was growing stronger and was somehow keeping itself hidden from Rufus, which made me incredibly nervous.

I tried to go back to bed, but I found it difficult to remain asleep for more than an hour at a time. At 7:00, I decided that attempting to get more sleep was pointless, so I rose from the bed and took a shower. Afterwards, I gathered what I would need for the gym and left my room, bringing Rufus along with me. I paid for a hearty breakfast with multiple cups of coffee.

From there, I had Dante teleport me out of city limits so that we could hold a warmup practice before our gym battle. For the battle, I decided to use all of my pokemon with the exception of Lazarus. There were no pokemon on my team whose type was weak against poison, so I was very confident about the match. Lazarus would have made a good addition to the team for the battle, but I had not had the opportunity to direct him in a battle yet, and I did not think that it would be appropriate to have his first battle in a gym. I also did not want to put too much stress on him so soon after his trainer died.

After we finished, I gave a final pep talk before Dante teleported me back to the city. From there I signed in at the gym and waited an hour and a half for my match. The crowd had a higher turnout that day, which was noticeable from inside the waiting room. The cheers of the crowd nearly caused the building to vibrate. Apart from me, four other trainers were challenging that day.

I was scheduled to battle first, but I still needed to wait until noon. When I walked out onto the field, I understood why. Apparently, so few trainers challenge the Fuchsia gym on a regular basis that the gym schedules all challenges for the same day, and then makes a big deal out of it. It draws in a large crowd, and consequentially, a large amount of income, for that one day. Also, it is possible that with less-frequent challenges comes more hype from spectators.

The arena ground was dim, there were a couple pools of water, and there were a few small shrubs. Other than that, the field was grassy and barren. Karen Fulton stood at midfield with black leggings, a formfitting long-sleeved purple shirt, and a thick belt. She had shoulder-length black hair, jade eyes, and regarded me professionally, shaking my hand when I approached.

"Welcome to the Fuchsia City Gym, trainer. My name is Karen Fulton and I am its leader. Please link your PokeDex with mine," the gym leader told me. I complied and my statistics appeared on the large screens above us. "You may only use three healing items, you may only change out your pokemon three times, and you may not attack the spectators or me. Now take your position and good luck."

Ladies and gentlemen, for our first fight, we have this year's JIC champion! The crowd roared in excitement while I hurried over to my designated area and waited. When I was told, I released my first pokemon, Ceto. Leader Fulton released a gigantic writhing mass of sludge onto the field and I immediately gagged from its stench.

I also received flashbacks to the first Meteor incident, seeing the pre-evolutionary form of Leader Fulton's Muk swarming Prescott's motionless body. Leader Fulton did not wait for me to adjust to the Muk's overpowering presence. She yelled orders to her pokemon and the Muk launched a glob of sludge at Ceto, which she caught on her dense head plate. It did not seem to do any serious damage, but I could see the toxic sludge smearing in her eyes.

I knew that I would need to work fast. Muk poison is fast acting and severely crippling. "Surf-pump!" I yelled. "Then Ice Beam!" Ceto brought forth all of the water from the nearest pond and sent it crashing towards the Muk, which had minimized its size. However, it was still incapable of moving out of the way and was hit by the wave. As part of the move, Ceto had held back a portion of the wave in front of her and condensed it while the wave surged towards her opponent. As soon as the wave dispersed, she released the reserve of water as a powerful hydro pump, hitting the Muk in the center of its mass.

Chunks of muck flew from the wound and Ceto followed up with a beam of ice. It missed its target, though, because the Muk minimized itself again and scooted out of the way. "Brine!" I yelled, knowing that the Muk had absorbed some of the water into its body. Ceto managed to hit the creature and its body dispersed while wracked with spasms. It was recalled.

The challenger has defeated Leader Fulton's first pokemon! the announcer called out.

"Good job, trainer. Here is my next," the gym leader's voice rang out from the speaker beside me. She released a large purple moth next. I knew it as a Venomoth, and I knew that it also held very potent poison. Right off the bat, the Venomoth flung powder at Ceto and fluttered up into the air.

I was ready for an immediate action so I had given Ceto orders right off the bat as well. Before the powder hit her, she had blasted the Venomoth with a current of boiling water. Ceto immediately fell over onto the ground after the powder hit her and the Venomoth started pouring spores onto her. I recognized them as paralyzing spores, and knowing that she was also starting to suffer from the Muk's poison, I recalled her.

The challenger has forfeited his Seadra! Who will he send out next?

I sent out Rufus, knowing that he would be able to take out the bug quickly if he could avoid its bug-type attacks. "Charge-blast!" I yelled. Rufus shot forward like a bullet, wreathed in fire, and collided with the moth. The Venomoth was showered with flames. Then, while he was in close, Rufus inhaled in preparation to send a fiery ball at his adversary. Before he could however, despite its injuries, the Venomoth sent a beam of bug-type energy streaming into Rufus's face. Rufus recoiled in pain, but he managed to release the ball of fire right into the Venomoth's body at the same time.

I was not able to see the damage that the fireball wrought, for the gym leader recalled her Venomoth immediately. She proceeded to release a five-foot-tall bipedal frog with purple and maroon colorations while the commentator announced the Venomoth's defeat. What followed was an uplifting display of the development of Rufus's dark-melding skills.

The leader's Toxicroak sprang forward and attempted use a feint attack on Rufus, but Rufus somehow managed to counter the attack. His body took on a shadowy aspect in the dim lighting and he appeared beside the frog as it attacked to deliver a fiery bite to its arm. The Toxicroak then started lashing out with various fighting moves, but Rufus quickly moved away through the shadows.

When Rufus was far enough away, he released a torrent of fire and kept it trained on his opponent. The Toxicroak fled until it was no longer in range of the flamethrower, and I noticed that its back had caught fire. It rolled around on the ground to put out the fire, but in the meantime, I was issuing orders. Rufus powered up a hyper beam and sent it straight at his opponent, who disappeared into its pokeball at the last moment.

Folks, that was an advanced dark-type technique! The trainer has now defeated all of the first round pokemon!

"You have trained that Houndoom well, trainer," Leader Fulton told me. "It is no easy task to teach that technique. Granted, it was still rudimentary, but it was effective enough. Good job! Now, change out your pokemon for round two!" The gym leader then released a 20-foot-long purple snake. It had a colorful hood that flared out once it saw its opponent – a Gallade.

"Dante, keep your distance and use swords dance!" I called out. He teleported to a good distance and his blades started to glow. Dante then teleported away in order to avoid a stream of acid which had just been spat at him by his opponent. "Psycho-cuts, Dante!"

Dante sent psychic blades streaming at the Arbok, but the snake dodged half of them and leered horrifically at him. Dante had to teleport away quickly after as the Arbok struck at him, clearing the distance between them in a split second. When he appeared behind the Arbok, it sprayed black liquid onto him. The liquid coursed into open orifices and through his skin to start poisoning him.

Dante sent a few more psychic blades at the snake, teleporting afterwards, but the snake anticipated his move and sent another stream of black liquid at him once he materialized. I instantly recognized the combo. It was the Bloodboil combo, and it hit Dante, causing his body to spasm and flinch. In that moment, the Arbok closed the distance and lined up to strike. I prevented it from happening by returning Dante.

The Trainer forfeited his Gallade! Leader Fulton is gaining momentum!

I released Azrael next, calling out commands. Azrael submerged before the Arbok could reach him. But before Azrael could reach the snake, it slammed its tail on the ground and shook the earth. Azrael clawed his way above ground soon after, shaking and bleeding. I stomped more commands and he raised a wave of dirt to send crashing into the snake. The Arbok was sent careening back, and when the dust had settled, the snake was limp.

Leader Fulton's Arbok is down! She has one left!

The next opponent that showed up on the field looked like a pair of interlocked purplish-black clouds. It was a Weezing, and as it hovered over the ground, it immediately released gas into the vicinity. The gas poured towards me, but a team of Koffing sucked up the noxious fumes before I could be affected by it.

The Weezing rose above a large bulldoze before it sent a blob of sludge at Azrael, catching him in the eyes. Azrael roared in pain and blew a stream of fire at his opponent, who withstood the flames and sprayed black liquid onto Azrael, causing him to writhe in agony. Leader Fulton was using the Venoshock technique with impunity, and it was destroying my team.

Azrael was not down, though. I called for him to use his draconic techniques and he rushed forward swiftly, violently colliding with the Weezing in the air. After that, as he flared his wings to stabilize his descent, he released a beam of pure energy at his adversary. The Weezing was sent flying away by the force behind the hyper beam, but it was still capable of issuing another attack.

The Weezing sent its own hyper beam back at Azrael. When the beam dissipated, a transparent shell flickered around Azrael before falling, and Azrael propelled two coffee-table-sized rocks at the purple cloud. Before they hit, the Weezing was recalled and the crowd roared.

Leader Fulton's Weezing was forfeited! The challenger wins!

Leader Fulton motioned me over to the center of the field and I left the trainer area to meet her there. When we were standing in front of one another, she said, "Congratulations, MacAfee. You have won the Fuchsia City Gym Challenge. As such, you are awarded the Soul Badge." She handed me the badge and continued. "Proceed to the Victor's Booth to claim your prize money and the TM, Toxic. I'm sure you know what it is. Continue to improve and good luck on your journey to Cinnabar Island."

I thanked Leader Fulton and walked out of the arena amidst the din of spectators. Keith was waiting for me with a smile on his face, though I could tell that something was not quite right. Perhaps it was the way that he smiled. Whatever the reason, my suspicions were vindicated later that night.

Keith congratulated me and offered to take me out for a beer in celebration. I agreed and met him later that night after I gave all my pokemon except for Gilles to the Pokemon Center for treatment. That night, over a glass of beer, Keith said, "Zach, I've learned a lot traveling with you. It's been one of the most valuable experiences in my life. With that said, I need you to know something."

"What is it?" I asked, immediately filled with trepidation.

"It's time for us to go our own ways, Zach," he said with lowered eyes.

"…I see," I said.

"Look, like I said, you have been an amazing teacher and an amazing friend. But it's time to go solo again," he said quickly.

"This doesn't have anything to do with what happened a week ago, does it?" I asked.

"It might have a little to do with that…" Keith answered. "But I did tell you when I teamed up with you that I wanted to see the eastern seaboard. We've done that and are now back in the League. I was planning on going my own way once we got here, anyway."

"…I see. Well, I hope that what happened doesn't hurt our friendship. I hate to admit it, but I did enjoy your company," I said sullenly.

"What happened, happened, dude. I get why you did what you did. I don't hold anything against you, so you and I are good," Keith explained. "Trainers may team up occasionally, but we're solitary creatures."

That last sentence resonated with me. "I've heard something like that before …You're right."

"I know," Keith replied with a wink.

"Well, here's to keeping a winning gym record, and to the best of fortune on our future adventures," I said, raising my glass. Keith raised his as well and tapped it against mine.

"Here here!"

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I woke up early the next morning to my PokeDex ringing. When I answered it, I was shocked to hear the Champion's voice on the other line. "MacAfee, congratulations on your recent victory. We need to speak."

"Absolutely, sir. When and where?" I answered, instantly wide-awake.

"I assume that you are still in Fuchsia or are still near to the city. Am I correct?" he asked. I confirmed his assumption and he continued, "Then meet me a mile east of the Ranger's post on Route 19 in an hour."

"Yes, sir," I replied, and he ended the call. I quickly gathered my belongings and retrieved my pokemon from the center before leaving. Half an hour later, and atop Azrael's back, I was landing at approximately the location that the Champion and I had agreed upon.

Around ten minutes later, I saw Glemdrin's mighty form descending from the sky. He landed with a whumph,and Champion Volker dismounted in one fluid motion. The Champion then walked quickly over to me and shook my hand.

"I'm happy to hear that you are doing well," he said. "And not getting into more trouble."

"Thank you, sir," I replied. "What did the League find out about the Meteor who was captured?" I asked.

"A lot, MacAfee. A lot," he responded. "But that's not the reason I asked you out here. I have information about your Garchomp's lineage. The scanner brought in results that pointed to two particular bloodlines - a Garchomp bloodline and a Dragonite bloodline." He paused and allowed me to take in his words. "My family's researchers in Blackthorn were able to trace your Garchomp's particular Dragonite line back to a singular entity: Buliwyf. Buliwyf is a very old and very powerful Dragonite. And what's more, Buliwyf sired Glemdrin."

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Current PokeDex Update

Trainer: Zachariah MacAfee; KA523VI979

Pokemon in Possession:

Azrael – Garchomp

Gilles – Haunter

Rufus – Houndoom

Ceto – Seadra

Dante – Gallade

Lazarus – Electabuzz

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Author's Note: So this chapter was pretty intense. A lot of stuff happened and I was able to start advancing the plot a little more aggressively. Please write your impressions/opinions/support/constructive criticisms/etc. Thanks!