We have two more chapters before the final matches of the Coliseum. Enjoy, and please review.

Note: I am not the man among men, Chuck Norris. Ergo, I don't own Pokemon.

As FireRed stepped off of the boat and onto the dock of the volcano, he couldn't help but contrast the dock of Pyrite to here. Pyrite had a homier feel, with a wooden dock, with water splashed about, as well as foot traffic from sailors. Here was different. The dock was stainless steel, and was brand new. Water splashed up onto it, but the water drained from the steel just as quickly as it came. Pyrite was an actual port; there were restaurants, other ships, and other trainers. This was just a steel bridge leading into a cave. Here is different, FireRed thought.

Stepping on the steel dock, he felt another hand grip his, followed by a comment. "Here is where my troubles begin," Pearl slowly said. FireRed glanced at her, long enough to make eye contact. Gold exited the ship behind them, followed by a group of trainers in suits and sunglasses. Pearl spoke to FireRed quietly as the group walked down the planks. "Those are men whose rank allows them to bypass the preliminary challenges altogether…" then, responding to FireRed's thoughts. "Gold was probably meant to fight as to sell out tickets to that day." FireRed didn't care about having his thoughts read today. There was too much on the line today to worry about the fine details like privacy.

The crew was seven people altogether: FireRed and Pearl, Gold and Silver, and the three men who strutted around like they owned the place. They had two things in common: they had all, by one way or another, managed to avoid the preliminary challenge today, and they all vied for the Pokemon Master title. As they neared the base of the volcano, the party was silent. Each was to his own thoughts: could victory be seized, be it a title, redemption, or a life? The next few days would decide.

Eevee paraded in the No Man's Land between Creo and his men, and Ruby and Michael. Creo was visibly enraged, driven to the point of shaking. Ruby was confused. If Creo had known the plan from the beginning was to fry Suicune, then why did it actually succeed? Ruby hastily retired a wounded Blaziken to its ball, and grabbed the next Pokeball off of his belt. As long as Ruby had known Michael, Michael only had his Eevee, and didn't need any other Pokemon. Ruby was out two Pokemon out of the three that he always carried with him, and Michael was out of healing potions. Ruby stared down the enemy, knowing that the next move may well be his last.

Creo retired his Legendary, and looked at his feet. After a moment, he began to laugh to himself. First, the laughter was quiet, but built up to boisterous laugh, with his head thrown back. Creo's two goons looked at themselves for a moment before turning their attention to the battle at hand. Creo finally gained his composure, and looked Ruby in the eye. He was no longer the calm young man that attacked Ruby less than twenty-four hours ago; Creo was mad.

"What drives you, Ruby?" Creo roared. "Is it just your way of ruining what any group tries to do in Hoenn? Is it because you love Sapphire that much? Or do you just want to annoy the hell out of us? Why?"

Ruby, in the face of a trainer fully capable of defeating Michael and himself, smirked. "A little here, a little there."

Creo sighed. "Either way, I can't fight without any useable Pokemon. So…" Creo exited the Secret Base, drawing his Pokenav from his vest pocket. As he exited, he snapped his fingers at the goons. The nodded to themselves and moved for the opposition slowly.

Michael cracked his neck. "So, you pathetic grunts think you can take us? Be my guess. I can handle the two of you blindfolded."

The male goon said nothing, and the female tilted her head slowly. Birch, gone pale from his wound in the shoulder, gasped aloud. "Ruby—be careful! They aren't human!"

Ruby looked back a split second before it was too late. As Wally turned white with fear, the goons turned into a multitude of colors, becoming nothing but blurs with eyes. The figures shrank slowly, and two more legs grew from their chests. The clothes were torn to shreds in the process. When Wally opened his eyes again, standing in the goons' place were a full-grown Arcanine and a magnificent Ninetails, both with fangs dripping with saliva and bloodlust.

Michael was speechless, and Ruby hadn't let out a Pokemon out of fear for the fate of which one came out of the ball. Wally spoke up in a stutter, "Is that a…P-P-Pokemorph?"

Pokemorphs were, in essence, mythical creatures that could change their appearance into any species, be it human or Pokemon. They were rumored to exist around the time that Red had disappeared, but only tabloids had picked up on this. Pokemorphs were the things of the imagination from trainers who couldn't catch the Pokemon they wanted, so they imagined one that could transform but have a human-quality consciousness. Michael scoffed the idea. "Bullshit—Pokemorphs don't exist! Eevee, go!"

The cave was dark to the point that you could step on your own feet. Through the many paths that they had come across in the last hour, the only thing keeping Sapphire from despair was the childlike hand in hers. LeafGreen had been stumbling and whimpering from the outset of this task, and with good reason: she was still afraid of the dark. Despite being nearly a woman, she hadn't yet grown over her childish fears. The two girls were all that each other had. Neither had spoken in quite a while. There was too much at stake, not knowing what waited beyond in the tunnel that seemed to have no end.

LeafGreen stumbled slightly, and lost her grip on Sapphire for a split second. "Sapphire--!!" LeafGreen called out, scared of being left alone. Sapphire grasped the hand in the pitch-black darkness. LeafGreen stopped panicking, and began to get back to walking.

Sapphire collided painfully into a wall, banging her nose, causing her to curse under her breath. Sapphire called out, "LeafGreen, do you feel anything here?"

"Yeah, I think it's a door."

"Feel around for an opening. Don't worry, I'll be right next to you." Sapphire wasn't so much trying to calm LeafGreen as trying to calm herself.

Sapphire felt around the wall for a knob or switch, hoping that she hadn't come to a dead-end. She continued to rub the wall for a few seconds before a loud click sounded. The wall split in the center, giving way to an intense white light. Sapphire had to shield her eyes from being blinded. A voice rang from the walls: "Only one may pass at a time."

This is it, Sapphire figured. She looked at LeafGreen. Who would take the chance, and who would wait for the door to open again? Sapphire asked the question to nobody, "How long will it take for the door to open again?"

"I sound every time a trainer is eliminated in these walls," the voice responded, in deep monotone. This was a battle that one of the girls was about to enter. Sapphire swallowed hard, as did LeafGreen. This wasn't good; LeafGreen's last battle was lost due to her Pokerus and Sapphire had been out of commission due to what Emerald called, Full Synchro, or whatever it is.

LeafGreen gave Sapphire a nudge in the hip. Sapphire looked at her quizzically, and LeafGreen smiled shakily, trying to grow up and hide her fear. "Go on," the child said, "I'll catch up!"

Sapphire understood instantly: this could be their last time seeing each other, since one of them may well be eliminated here. However, in Sapphire's experiences at Battle Tower, the last thing she needed was a companion saying straight-out that they may never meet again. It was best to remain optimistic. Sapphire grinned back. "I'll be waiting at the finish. You'd better join me!"

With that, Sapphire walked into the light of the room, leaving LeafGreen alone and whimpering.

The Ninetails ran straight for Eevee, and a lesser Pokemon would already be defeated from an attack of its caliber. Eevee was no ordinary Pokemon. Eevee leapt to the ceiling, dodging the attack, and having a good angle from which to counterattack. Michael commanded, "Use your Hydro Pump!" Eevee opened its mouth, and a resulting blast of water shot from the little creature and into the waiting Ninetails' back, causing it to scream out in pain.

Arcanine wasn't one to let an ally down. It leapt at Eevee, knocking it down with a tackle in mid-air. Eevee collided with the hard rock ground, crying for only a moment before bouncing up and regaining its footing. Eevee now stared down both the Arcanine and Ninetails.

Ruby came back to earth, feeling through his belt for a Pokeball. The one left wasn't going to do him much good; Mightyena hadn't been properly healed since that night with the Shadow Pokemon. Ruby called to Wally. "Hey, spectator! Do you think you can lend us a hand?"

"What the hell do you think my Gardevoir can do, Ruby?"

Damnit.

Eevee was being pinballed between the opposition, with Ninetails smacking the poor creature back and forth with Arcanine. Eevee fell to the floor hard, kicking up dust as it collided. Eevee tried to stand, but was unable—its left front leg was twisted, and that bruise on its side wasn't there before. Eevee had never taken such a beating before.

Michael made a move to run for his Pokemon, as would a father to his son. But the Pokemon stopped him, growling and staring him dead in the eye, as though the creatures could taste the fear that Michael had.

Was this the end?

Michael returned his Pokemon to the ball, and Ruby could swear Michael kissed it before retiring it to his belt. Now the trainers were defenseless, staring down two Pokemon with power the likes of which were rare. Eevee's attack had defeated a Legendary; how was it so thoroughly beaten by these Pokemon?

Arcanine and Ninetails leapt for Ruby and Michael, and that's when a flash of light glowed from the corner of Ruby's vision. Before the room faded to black, he could swear he saw something flying.

FireRed and company were now in what appeared to be the waiting room of the volcano. It was a very comfortable room, with expensive couches, Pokemon Centers and Marts, television, and an open buffet to name a few luxuries. The group wasn't exactly in the mood to enjoy any of these things, though. The anonymous boys hadn't said a word and were ravenously attacking the buffet and open bar; Gold and Silver stayed at opposite ends of the room, looking out the large window that gave a glimpse of the sea. Pearl, despite being worried, was not without the appetite that fueled her curves. She, too, could hold her own at the buffet, clearing out the macaroni salad and still keeping an eye on the sushi. FireRed himself merely lay on a couch alone, sipping at his enormous Coke and pondering things.

While on the boat here, he had that dream again.

And then there was darkness…and as the light reappeared, the figures had manifested. He couldn't see their eyes—there were no eyes—but he could hear their voices. They spoke in something he had never heard before, a tongue sounding as though the characters were vomiting and screaming. But oddly enough, he could understand one of them.

"It has awakened…call Launch, let him know it can start whenever he feels ready."

The distressing thing was that Pearl must have seen it, too. At least, she had to have some reason for being quieter than normal.

There were so many questions, yet so many of them involved Pearl. What did she know about the dream? Exactly how much of his past did she know, and how much of his future did she know? Had she already seen a battle with Gold? What exactly was the dream?

He sat alone…it was a metaphor for his life, FireRed now noticed. Ever since he faked his death back at Mt. Silver, his life was seemingly meaningless. What would become of FireRed after he was Pokemon Master? Red would become a name in the world again, resume his state as hero to the weak, vigilante of righteousness. But what of FireRed? Perhaps he could lead life in solitude, letting the title die with him. Regardless, fighting was over. FireRed smiled to himself. He was only fifteen, yet he had already decided that he had fought too much in his life.

How old was FireRed, anyway? He estimated to be about fifteen, but when it came down to it, FireRed couldn't remember his own birthday. It brought a sorrow to him that he couldn't pin down: a cross between leaving behind everything he had as Red, as well as sorrow for not being his own person. Redundant as it may seem, FireRed wished that he still had a family, friends, or at least a birthday.

Perhaps…no, it was too romantic of an idea to hope Pearl would still be with him after the Coliseum. FireRed needed to stick to the plan: defeat Gold.

"All trainers in the lobby please report to the main Coliseum Platform for final counting."

As the announcement ended, FireRed assumed that only meant one thing: the preliminary matches were done. He slowly got up from his couch, pausing for a moment to recognize the beauty of his predicament. He was here to avenge his previous life. How many people have to do that?

FireRed began to walk again, but a hand tugged his. Pearl was beside him, and her smile was all he needed to keep on going. But from the corner of his eye, FireRed noticed something odd: Gold…why was he so down?

Sapphire emerged from a long tunnel, which was surprising. There wasn't a battle at all. As soon as she had entered that room, she walked down a lit tunnel and continued for nearly an hour down the path, finally emerging. The light wasn't what stunned her this time around; it was the sight of the thing she had come for, at long last, here.

Sapphire looked around. The battle platform was huge—maybe the entire size of Littleroot Town—and the place had an audience at least twenty stories high, without a ceiling. It was ridiculously intimidating, but Sapphire loved it. Here was where her life as a trainer would climax.

She looked around, and saw more trainers. They all stood single file dead center of the massive platform, staring to her left. They were a motley crew: of the mere ten trainers standing before her, only two others looked scruffy and tired enough to suggest that they had to endure her same ordeal. A beaten Yellow winked at Sapphire, smirking. The others looked clean, and were probably the trainers that had somehow already secured a place in the finals.

Wait…where was LeafGreen?

Sapphire shakily walked to the line, taking a spot next to a kid her own age, with spiky chestnut hair and a brown over-shirt. She looked at his hand, connected with the girl next to him. Lucky fellows.

A voice rang out from the stadium and reverberated from all of the walls, making the thundering voice seem as though it was God Himself. Sapphire shook when the masculine voice rang out.

"Trainers, I beseech you. You come from opposite ends of the known world; you trained at opposite spectrums of the training mythos. Yet here, you all will fight for the one title that will endure our entire civilization.

"Some of you come from Hoenn, some from Kanto and Johto, maybe even from our own Orre. That will no longer matter. Starting tomorrow, the matches will begin. They will not be one-on-one affairs like you are undoubtedly used to. These matches will have you selecting from a pool of your three most trusted Pokemon. You will be free to switch between them, but once any of your Pokemon is felled in battle, then you lose.

"Without further ado, I must…"

"Wait! Wait for me!!"

The line of trainers looked down the corridor that Sapphire had emerged; only one breathed with relief. LeafGreen was here, alive and well and in the finals of the Coliseum. The girl had taken a beating, with her outfit torn to pieces, to the point of her black skirt and matching leggings almost being considered suggestive with the amount of skin they were exposing. LeafGreen ran to Sapphire instantly, embracing her in a giant bear hug.

The voice continued. "Without further ado, I will now release you to your rooms for the last night of someone's life as normal Pokemon Trainer."

From high up in the stands, an irritated Giovanni sat in the seats so high up that the trainers looked like raisins on a wedding cake. He was, as usual, surrounded by his posse of CEOs, which were rapidly clicking away on their handheld blackberry-type phones. However, Giovanni had company in the form of Emerald. The two were a stark contrast. Giovanni was an old duffer, with a cane and a hunched back; Emerald slouched in his seat, hair spiked up, with the stereotypical lanky body of teenagers; Giovanni wore a brown tuxedo; Emerald's outfit was merely a light sweater and jeans, with an emphasis on green.

Emerald yawned and stretched, laughing at Giovanni as the old man stirred in his seat. Emerald inquired, "Hey, what's the big deal? So what if the guinea pigs down there are strong like hell; I can take them. It's what I do."

"That's not it all, Emerald. Your superior…"

"Ah, I get it. You don't think Launch will be able to get your power by the end of the Coliseum? Why?"

Giovanni didn't have it in him to talk about the one trainer who declined his invitation, who was conveniently in the same country as LiH's operation. Either way, LiH would have to come through. After all, this was primarily their campaign.

Emerald continued. "So, what's the plan after the guinea pigs are done playing their little game?" Emerald said this with distaste at quite a few of the competitors. He could recognize the blue trench coat and white robe anywhere. How could both Wes and Zasalamel make it into the finals? Emerald had only once even seen Wes, but the man had that aura that Zasalamel had: an obnoxious one.

Giovanni frowned. He had longed to say a line like the following one since manhood began, but it wasn't his alone. That was an understatement; Team Rocket couldn't dream of making such a plan as LiH had. Team Rocket was a pawn. Having to share menace sucked.

Regardless, Giovanni commented. "After the game…I don't think I need to explain that."

End Hesitation VIII: Here My Troubles Begin