People scattered the seats, Luke amongst them. He waved at me, and I nodded back. Hunter X was also sitting patiently, talking to a blonde woman next to him. His attention was entirely on her, but she looked at me with a curious smile on her face. It didn't take much to deduce that this woman was one of his group of Bounty Hunters. I memorized her face. Very pretty, with soft blue eyes and long, flowing blonde hair. Unlike her partner, she didn't dress extravagantly. She didn't look intimidating; she appeared calm and observant. Her eyes gazed at me casually, but there was a deep intelligence behind them.

"So you're the challenger?" Came a voice echoing from the other end of the gym. I tore my eyes from this strange Bounty Hunter to see another beautiful woman staring at me.

Misty had certainly aged well in the last decade. She grew her orange hair out so that it flowed below her shoulders; she'd grown taller, standing over six feet, and she'd developed more. She stood with one hand on her hip, the other pointing at me, a smirk on her face.

"I'm the challenger," I confirmed.

But she shook her head. "I heard the gossip," she rephrased. "You're one of the Challengers."

I nodded. "Does that change anything?"

"It isn't often we have to clean the pool," said Misty. "I just wanted to make sure. It doesn't change anything, but the way. I'm still going to come at you with everything I've got!"

She pulled a Moeball and looked at it. "I saw your battles. I'm glad you have a strong Roselia on your team. You're going to need her to beat me."

I patted Rose on the shoulder. "She's our star," I said. "She'll beat your entire team."

"We'll see," Misty winked. "Now get ready!" She threw the ball into the air. It popped open, and a young child materialized from it. The first of her team of three: A Staryu.

"Don't worry," I whispered to Rose. She stared at me with a confident look. She wasn't worried in the slightest. "You can take them."

"I can," she agreed, nodding. "I have complete faith in us."

She stepped onto the platform and was pulled through the water. The two Moemon stared at each other as the referee got into the position.

"Both trainers ready?" He asked. I nodded. Misty nodded. "Then begin the match!"

"Swift!" Misty commanded. Her Staryu fired both arms forward, palms outward, and glowing stars shot out from her hands. They struck Rose, who kept her arms in front of her face, and most of the stars simply glanced off her.

"Mega Drain!" I countered, and Rose attacked.

"Dive into the water!" Misty shouted. Rose managed to hit the Staryu with the Mega Drain as she was jumping. The Staryu struggled, but she was already moving and managed to reach the water before the attack could conclude. Rose kept her palm aimed directly at her as she swam through the water, but she couldn't continue the attack.

The girl was swift in the water, clearly in her element. I was wondering how we were going to counter her speed when Misty solved the problem for me. "Twister!" She commanded.

The Staryu paused for a moment and then started twirling. As she spun faster and faster, the water around her began to spiral and swirl, and soon a whirlpool formed. The platforms wobbled with the waves, and Rose had to drop to her knees to keep her balance.

The whirlpool began to rise, and a tornado of water formed spraying everything with water. I could feel a small suction even so far away, and that suction looked much stronger as close as Rose was. I watched in horror as she lost her grip on the platform and was swallowed by the twister.

"Rose!" I shouted.

I could see Rose through the water, spinning in the air as she twirled helplessly in the twister's grasp. She was looking down, her eyes focused on something. The Staryu was directly below her in the eye of the tornado. She had a clear shot, and as she was twirling she tried to stabilize herself and aim at her. Somehow, she managed to fire off her Mega Drain, and in an instant the tornado disappeared. Water splashed downward, getting everything wet, and Rose splashed into the pool.

When everything cleared, Rose and Staryu were both floating at the surface. I felt a moment of panic before Rose flipped over and swam back to the platform.

"Are you okay?" I shouted.

Rose looked at me, breathing heavily, and nodded. Misty recalled the Staryu and threw her Corsola out. A few moments passed, and then the second match began.

"Ancient Power!" Misty shouted. The Corsola raised her arms in the air, and rocks from the pool's floor began to rise to the surface.

"Mega Drain!" I shouted. Rose didn't waste any time. Before the rocks could breach the surface, Rose raised her palm. The Corsola felt the effects immediately, and the rocks floated to the floor and sent sand flying as they landed. Their owner didn't stand a change, completely drained of all of her health in a single hit.

I was somewhat surprised by how easily the Corsola went down. Rose's arm dropped limply to her side as she stared at her fallen opponent. Misty didn't seem concerned, keeping that same smirk on her face.

"Before we start this next fight, can I ask you something?" She asked.

I shrugged. "I guess so." Rose was exhausted, and I was debating switching her out. This would give her some time to recover.

"I heard there were a lot of you Challengers this time," she said. "Are a lot of them in the audience?"

I didn't even look. I wasn't going to sell them out. I didn't know who was watching. "Nope. I didn't tell anyone. I don't know where they were."

Misty nodded, although she kept that smirk. I couldn't read her; I didn't know if she believed me. "Fine, I guess I'll be saying this a lot. You learned something from fighting Brock, right? About how trying to brute force your way through a fight isn't always the best way to win?"

I hesitated. I won through sheer luck. "Sure," I said uncertainly.

"Well as the second gym leader you'll face, I'm here to teach you how to win a battle of attrition," she said. "You won't be able to beat my Starmie in a single hit."

"There's always a Critical Hit," I joked. Secretly I hoped that I could get lucky two gym battles in a row.

She threw out her Moeball, and a young woman appeared. The Starmie stared at Rose with a cold, calculated look. Rose straightened up as soon as her opponent materialized.

"Are both trainers ready?" The referee asked.

Misty nodded, but I asked, "Rose, do you still want to fight?"

She turned around. There was a determination in her eyes. She still felt like she had to prove herself. She made no head motion; I understood everything from a single look.

"We're ready," I said, nodding.

"Then begin the match!"

"Swift!" Misty shouted.

"Mega Drain!"

This Swift was much stronger than the Staryu's. The stars were larger, and as Rose was preoccupied with holding her Mega Drain she was completely exposed. She flinched with each hit, but she kept her palm firmly aimed at the struggling Starmie until it ended. The moment the Mega Drain ended, both of us shouted commands.

"Finish her!"

"Recover!"

And then the battle of attrition made sense. Starmie held her arms in front of her and glowed white. Rose glowed green as she used her Mega Drain. The Starmie clearly looked pained, but she held firm. The two were at a standstill. If I let Starmie recover fully, everything we'd done would've been erased, but if I continued, then she was just going to recover again.

Worry Seed wouldn't have worked. Growth could help overpower the recover, but it'd be too slow. I had one last move.

"Get close to her, Rose!" I shouted. "While she's recovering."

"Get ready to Rapid Spin," Misty shouted. "The moment she gets close!"

But Rose had stopped her Mega Drain and leapt into the air. As she got closer, the Starmie stopped glowing white. Time seemed to freeze.

"Stun Spore!"

"Rapid Spin!"

Rose bashed her roses together, creating a storm of yellow particles that sprayed the air. The Starmie twirled with incredible speed, creating winds that sprayed the particles everywhere. Rose was blasted by the winds and flew away, landing in the water. As she surfaced, the Starmie dropped to one knee. I was relieved; some of the particles had gotten through.

"Mega Drain," I said when Rose got onto the platform.

"Recover," said Misty. Her smirk had dropped. She knew it was only a matter of time.

A few moments of the Starmie recovering from the constant pain passed, and then the paralysis took over. She flinched, dropping to a knee, her white glow fading. Rose stepped forward, and her glow brightened. A few seconds later, and the Starmie had fainted. Rose faded and sat down.

"The winner is Arthur!" The referee announced.

Rose was pulled back to me, and I jumped to the platform as soon as I can. I grabbed her and held her in a tight hug. I could feel the others jumping onto us to get in on the hug. The platform wobbled dangerously.

"Guys, guys!" I shouted. "Careful! We're going to fall!"

They didn't care. They were too happy to care. We stayed clumped up, the seven of us, for so long, completely deaf to the uproars from the audience.

We separated and walked over to Misty. She shook my hand and held out the blue droplet that was the Cascade Badge.

"Congratulations," she said. "You earned it. You've trained your Roselia well. Just make sure you don't get overconfident."

"I won't," I promised.

The audience swallowed us as we exited the battlefield. I fought my way through the people, nodding and smiling my way through the throngs of people, eventually reaching the bleachers. I climbed enough steps and moved enough so that I found myself right next to Hunter X. He didn't seem surprised to see me, barely glancing at me. He was one of the few still sitting.

"Can we talk outside?" I shouted, barely hearing myself over the crowd.

He looked annoyed, sighing as he got to his feet. We moved through the crowd, grabbed my Moemon as they were being interrogated, and managed to exit the gym. Not enough people noticed us leave in the chaos, so we weren't followed. I took a deep breath as I reached the fresh air.

"That was fun," Christine said, disappointed. "Why did we have to go?"

"That was terrible," Stacy muttered.

"I was so scared!" Annie cried.

"We need to talk," I said. "Without this audience harassing us."

Hunter X shrugged. "Talk away. I wanted to watch your friend fight."

I looked at him in confusion. "My friend?"

"The tall one with the curly hair," Hunter X said, mirroring the curly with his fingers. "He was talking to Misty as soon you won."

That described Eric, but Hunter X shouldn't know that I knew him. I shrugged innocently. "I don't know him."

Hunter X furrowed his brow in frustration. "Kid, I said I wouldn't fight you until you were ready, but if you're going to lie to my face I'm going to reconsider. You know him."

"I know him," I confirmed, defeated. "His name's Eric. He isn't really a friend, though, but we're planning on traveling together."

Hunter X nodded. "See how easy telling the truth is? You give me info that I want, and I'll do the same to you."

That part got me. I didn't want to give him anything. "What info?"

"I'll figure that out as we talk," Hunter X said. "The price you pay for wanting to talk to me. So talk, kid."

It was worth the risk. "Who was the woman you were with?"

"One of my group. Hunter L, they call her. She's the smartest person I know. She pegged you from the moment she saw you."

"Pegged me as what?"

"Someone to look out for," Hunter X replied. His eyes moved behind me, looking at my Moemon in turn. "And if this is your team, then I don't doubt her."

He looked back at me. "That was a good fight. Not the cleanest or the most diverse, but for so early in your adventure, it was entertaining enough. I'd never take that away from you. But there are others who would. Hell, I traveled with a couple of sick kids who became Hunters to do just that. So put your Moemon away unless you want to get challenged by someone."

The moment he finished speaking, I felt someone sharply tap my shoulder. I turned to see Stacy nodding quickly. She glanced toward the Southern side of the city. She sensed something. Without any hesitation, I recalled all of my Moemon back into their balls.

"There! Now if you weren't talking with me, you'd be downright inconspicuous!" Hunter X said.

"We should be safe in the city," I muttered.

"You should," Hunter X agreed. "That doesn't mean you are. Better to be cautious, kid, especially when you have a bounty on your head."

"Why aren't you hunting the bounty?" I asked.

"Not in it for the money," Hunter X shrugged. "Most of them are. The two assholes I'm with are. They aren't true Hunters. Not like the few of us who've survived all these years. We like hunting Challengers who are worth hunting. The killing… that's the worst part. That's something you can only get used to. You can't ever like it."

"You've killed a lot of Moemon, then," I said bitterly.

He smiled sadly. "Yeah, kid, I've killed a lot. Thirty-eight across thirteen battles. I could name each one if you asked me. That stuff never fades."

"Then why keep being a Bounty Hunter?" I asked. "You must have millions of dollars… you could retire."

"I don't do it for the money," Hunter X repeated. "I do it for the thrill. I could retire, yeah, and I do have millions. But retiring is boring, and watching Challengers rise is exciting. Gives me something to look forward to." He punched my shoulder. "You're special, you know. You've got this entire damn region excited about something. I want to make sure it lasts long enough for me to get my excitement too."

Then he stopped smiling. "Now my question. How many of you guys are left? How many did you start with?"

"We started with thirty," I recounted. Then I gave him a slight lie, hoping he wouldn't notice. "Fourteen of us are left. We're all in this city." I wasn't going to sell Hannah out. She was living in Pewter in peace. She didn't need Bounty Hunters watching her.

"All of you guys about the same age. What, fifteen?"

"Eighteen," I said bitterly.

He nodded. "Eighteen, got it. You probably all knew each other before this happened. That's how they get large groups, you know? Herd them up somehow and bring them here. They always know each other. It makes it more exciting."

He smiled longingly. "I've lost three times facing you Challengers. Twice last year to that last large group. The two last ones left. If I was a betting man, I'd have pegged both of them as winners."

"But they didn't win," I said, knowing the story.

"But they didn't win," Hunter X nodded. "After they battled me… not even a day later, they were at each other's throats. I don't know what happened. I just know I was never more disappointed. They crippled each other. One of them survived with his starter Moemon, but he didn't last long."

"I've heard," I said.

"Good. It's good to know your history. I don't want you to repeat it," Hunter X said. He put his hand to his chin in thought. "I can't remember exactly, but last year only eight made it to Cerulean, so if fourteen made it in your group, I expect a lot more from you all. Just don't turn on each other."

"We won't."

"Also, watch out for us," Hunter X said darkly. "You guys have the luxury of the media being forbidden to stalk you guys, so you can keep in secret for a while. But if an idiot like me is able to sniff some of you out – and by the way, you gave a lot of clues to narrow it down – then the other Hunters will have no trouble. Hunter L already found six of you in the crowd. Won't take her long to see others."

"Fuck," I muttered to myself. The price for information. I might as well have pointed them out on my own.

"That one is another, I'm guessing," Hunter X nodded behind me. I turned to see Quinton walking up to me, his Moemon in their balls, staring curiously at my conversation partner.

"He's a Hunter," I said before Quinton could open his mouth. "He's figured us out."

"Already?" Quinton asked, surprised.

"I had a little help," Hunter X patted my shoulder.

Quinton looked at me in horror. "Arthur? What did you do?"

"He wanted info," Hunter X replied before I could. "He paid the price. Of course, I don't think I'll be sharing what I know with HQ for a while. I can't promise my partner will do the same, but she's compassionate enough when she's in the mood."

That was some relief. "Quinton, before you make any assumptions…"

Quinton shook his head. "Arthur, it's done. It was only a matter of time, anyway." He definitely seemed disappointed. "Why were you even talking to him?"

He didn't wait for my answer. He moved past me and looked directly at the smiling Hunter. "How many of you are there?"

Hunter X sighed. "You Challengers and your questions. Don't even let me introduce myself… Hunter X, by the way. There were twenty of us, but then J had his little episode, so now there are nineteen."

"Fewer than I thought," Quinton noted.

"When it becomes illegal across the region, people don't like to associate themselves with us as much. There used to be dozens. Personally, I like it a lot more now that it's more exclusive."

"Quinton, we should go," I said softly.

"But we only just met!" Hunter X clapped his hands together. "We should get to know one another."

But Quinton looked at him darkly. "No, we shouldn't. I don't know why Arthur is associating with you, but I won't. You aren't our friend."

Hunter X's grin darkened. "You're right. I'm not. Smart of you to realize. Alright, if I'm not wanted, I'll be on my way. Take care, kid, and congrats on the win. I might see you again in Vermillion!"

With a wave, Hunter X turned his back on us and walked away. When he was out of sight, Quinton stared at me as darkly as he did to him.

"You did know he was the enemy, right?" He asked.

"I did," I said uncertainly. I had to admit, although he was brash, he had a certain charm about him. He did seem to want me to win, and I liked the confidence he had in me. He didn't seem like an enemy.

Quinton, of course, didn't believe me. "Never talk to him again," he said. "You've already done enough damage."

I didn't appreciate being scolded. "Hey, I don't see you getting info on these Bounty Hunters. Thanks to me, we know how many there are, and we know who two of them look like."

"Wonderful," Quinton said bitterly. "Then we only need to worry about seventeen others who we don't know. I'm proud of you, Arthur."

I rolled my eyes. We stood in silence for a bit. Then Quinton sighed. "I missed your battle."

"We won," I said. I pulled out the Cascade Badge. "Rose destroyed the entire gym."

"And she evolved," Quinton noted. "Congratulations, Rose."

She smiled. "Thank you. I wish you luck in your battle as well."

"Are you leaving soon?"

"When Eric and Luke are done with their battles," I said. Quinton seemed surprised, so I quickly explained that I didn't want either of them to come. "Do you want to join us?"

Quinton shook his head. "I'd like another day to train. Garrett and I talked about leaving in the next few days. We'll simply meet you in Vermillion City."

"Sure, I'm okay with that." I said. "Want to cheer them on? I think Eric's still battling."

[hr]

We entered to see Eric just defeating Parker. He jumped in joy and leapt off the battlefield. He'd apparently won flawlessly. As he rushed past us, he gushed out that he was running to pack before Luke fought. Luke took his place, and we watched him struggle with Parker and Diana. He had a Tynamo that was able to do a decent amount of damage, but she was weak and had to be recalled after just a few hits from the Horsea. His Klink was able to defeat the remaining Moemon, but it certainly wasn't clean.

The crowd had thinned by the time Eric was able to face Misty. His Servine made quick work of Staryu and Corsola. When his Servine had taken out a chunk of the Starmie's health, he quickly switched her out for his Psyduck who used Disable when Starmie used Recover. Unable to use that, the Starmie was swiftly defeated by two solid hits from Servine. It was clean and surprisingly well planned. He'd learned.

A while later, Luke had his match. Again, Tynamo defeated Staryu and Corsola with little trouble. It was the speedy Starmie that gave him a lot of trouble. His first move was Thunderwave, immediately paralyzing Starmie. But then Starmie used Bubblebeam, and it was a Critical Hit. Tynamo was blasted by the barrage of bubbles and sent crashing in the wall. She didn't survive.

Luke pushed forward, using Spoink's Confuse Ray to further hamper the Starmie's ability to attack. Luck just wasn't on his side. A Bubblebeam struck Spoink, damaging her heavily and forcing Luke to switch her for his Klink. He used Thundershock, damaging Starmie enough to force her to recover. However, after being paralyzed once and hitting herself in confusion, she decided to Bubblebeam twice, hitting Klink twice in a row. Although his Moemon was in dangerous health, Luke wanted to risk the attack. Starmie dodged the Thundershock, and her Bubblebeam was on point.

Luke lost his starter. His Ariados finished off the Starmie, but the damage was done. He got his badge with both of his fallen Moemon in his arms, and he left the gym without another word.

Arthur:

Christine the Charmeleon

Stacy the Staravia

Mandy the Mankey

Rose the Roselia

Olivia the Dewott

Annie the Aron

Eric:

Sarah the Servine

Glenda the Psyduck

Shelly the Shuckle

Hilda the Hippopotas

Luke:

Arianna the Ariados

Grendel the Spoink