A/N: Been a while since the last chapter. Personal life took over for a bit. I hope to get back to doing a couple chapters a week as we reach the conclusion of this fanfiction. Remember to leave a review. I always appreciate them.


The battle was going according to plan. My Decidueye's speed was effectively handling Castor's Diggersby. I was being aggressive making quick attacks here and there waiting to set up a knock out hit. To Castor's credit he was calm and didn't allow my Decidueye to get a knock out blow.

7 minutes into the battle Castor changed the battle around.

"Diggersby, use Dig!"

This began a continuous dig drilling by Diggersby across the field. With about a dozen holes the battlefield has been stretched to the underground.

After Diggersby attacked and bulldozed Decidueye it jumped back into a hole. It kept doing this causing Decidueye to become irate.

Decidueye reacted exactly how you would expect it. He took it upon himself to attack the opponent, something that has worked every single time in previous battles.

It didn't this time. Decidueye's inability to calm himself led to his downfall. Diggersby kept on attacking and hiding until Decidueye made a rash decision to go into the hole. With a smug look on his face, Castor yelled out "Earthquake!"

Diggersby quickly popped out of the hole and created an earthquake.

"Dammit," I whisper to myself.

I stand there waiting for Decidueye to pop out of a hole undamaged but I know that is wishful thinking. I see him slowly dig himself out of a hole and slothfully glide onto the floor. He's finished.

I go to grab his Pokeball to forfeit the round and toss it. However, Decidueye hits it back at me.

"It's over Decidueye. Get in your ball," I say.

Decidueye doesn't look at me. It tries to get up but falls back down. It's right wing is battered and immobile.

The sight pains me and causes me to look away for a second.

"Looks like your Decidueye wants to die. Ah well, Diggersby use Wild Charge."

Diggersby is immediately shrouded in electricity and starts to charge towards Decidueye.

"Decidueye, get out of the way!"

He doesn't. He keeps his eyes on Diggersby as it approaches.

Just before Diggersby lands it's attack Decidueye quickly roles onto it's bad wing. In one quick moment it connects with Diggersby head with it's other wing. The contact between the two Pokemon causes dirt to shoot up from the ground and cloud the two Pokemon.

When it clears the two Pokemon are knocked out so the announcer declares that both of them unable to battle. He seems stunned by the turn of events as does the crowd based on their quiet reaction.

I know what happened.

When the replay shows up on the jumbotron the crowd sees what I saw. Decidueye used leaf blade knowing full well it was going to faint in doing so.

Decidueye gave me a fresh and even start in round two of this battle. Both Castor and I were even when we shouldn't be. We continue to stay relatively even through the battle until I'm forced to send Toxapex out. Toxapex has continued to not listen to me at times. As the battle against Castor's Salazzle raged on Toxapex started to lose.

"Toxapex, use Scald now."

It uses Liquidation instead. However, the attack misses. I tell Toxapex to use Scald again but instead it tries to use Liquidation again. This time however, as Toxapex charges to hit Salazzle it trips on one of the holes that Diggersby had created earlier in this match.

Salazzle makes quick work of Toxapex.

"I can't rely on this Pokemon anymore," I say to myself as I recall it.

I can sense the battle getting away from me even though we are both down 4 Pokemon. I know Castor's last Pokemon is Primarina. I've already used Decidueye and Oricorio. All I have left is Mudsdale and Passimian.

I look down at the ground as I contemplate my next choice when Skitty looks up at me intently. It hops and headbutts Mudsdale's Pokeball. Then Skitty nudges in the direction of Castor as if it is telling me to use Mudsdale right now.

And so I do.

It has the type advantage so I should feel confident. However, with Primarina looming I'm still at a disadvantage.

As the battle begins I realize that the ground is hampering Mudsdale from moving. Toxpex's attacks caused some of the mounds of dirt to become muddy. The mud was sticking to the bottom of Mudsdale's feet impacting it's mobility.

Will anything go my way in this battle?

What little faith I had started to disappear. I was beginning to grow frustrated with myself. I was supposed to be focused on battling Castor but all I'm doing is battling myself. I'm choking and I know it. I'm better than this and I know it. People expect me to win and I know it.

I look up at my box and see worried faces. That's when my eyes meet with Aaron's. He looks at me with such intensity that I've never seen from him. When he nods I felt a wave of energy surge through my body.

I look at the field and watch the battle unfold for a few moments. I watch as Mudsdale slumbers in the mud as Salazzle continues to pick away at him.

"Dragon Rage," Castor orders his Pokemon.

I have an epiphany. As Salazzle approaches Mudsdale I tell my Pokemon, who is stuck in the mud, to swipe the mud into the face of Salazzle. The little Mudslap causes Salazzle to miss his attack.

"Mega Kick!" I order Mudsdale and watch it lift it's hind legs into the backside of Salazzle.

Mudsdale is able to get out of the mud when Salazzle uses a Flamethrower attack.

That was Castor's first mistake.

The extreme heat from the attack causing the ground to dry up. There is very little mud now giving my Pokemon free reign to gallop.

"High Horsepower!"

Salazzle fails to get out of the way and faints on impact, bringing Castor down to his final Pokemon.

Primarina will defeat my Mudsdale. I know this. However, I simply can't quit without trying to do something.

"Earthquake!"

It doesn't faze Primarina but it causes fissures and fractures in the ground. The underground tunnels caused by Diggersby have caused parts of the battlefield to give way.

Castor's Primarina levels Mudsdale with a Hydro Pump attack leaving me with 1 final Pokemon.

How in the world is my Passimian going to beat his Primarina? That's when an idea comes to my head.

Sceptile. I have my dad's Sceptile in my bag right now. That would give me the advantage, but then would I deserve to win if I did?

"No," I whisper to myself. I can't use Sceptile. He's not my Pokemon. I will earn this on my own.

I think.

Castor has become impatient. "Come on already, Splits! I ain't got all day. I wanna prep for my Finals match."

I say nothing. He laughs.

"How about this, if you forfeit right now I won't put your Skitty back in a box? I'll leave you all alone." He laughs again, this time sounding sinister.

"You won't be putting my Pokemon back in a box again," I say.

"Ha! Maybe I'll put you in one then!"

That's when Skitty charges out onto the field. The announcer quickly announces Skitty as my final Pokemon without my say-so.

Skitty stands in front of Primarina looking up at the majestic Pokemon. I try to call it back but it ignores me.

I look up at the jumbotron and see a Skitty icon up there indicating that he is my final Pokemon. If I recall him I lose.

Skitty charges again and hits Primarina with a Double Edge attack. The attack does substantial damage to both Pokemon but Skitty seems unfazed.

When Skitty goes for a second attack Primarina quickly swings it's tail around and hits Skitty away.

"No!" I yell as Skitty lands on the ground.

Skitty quickly hops back up to it's feet and stares down Primarina.

"Moon Blast!" Castor yells.

The attack misses Skitty after I tell him to dodge. However, the next attack hits.

Skitty gets up a little slower this time but charges at Primarina and lands another Double Edge attack.

Castor can see his Pokemon is laboring. The crowd can see it too as they cheer louder and louder for Skitty.

Primarina uses another Moonblast attack that hits Skitty directly. Skitty is sent flying from the blast and lands in a fissure in front of me. Skitty hasn't fainted but is severely injured.

As I stand there I'm brought back to that rainy day outside Rustboro City.

With mud all over Skitty's face I felt bad for it. I had made a makeshift umbrella of sorts on the ground for it. To be honest it was just a bunch of sticks in the ground with my jacket on top of it.

I told Skitty to get under the jacket and out of the rain but when it struggled to get up I knew something was wrong. When I approached it growled at me so I fed it a Sitrus berry. I was able to get a closer look at it's body and saw the bruises and wounds on the lower body. Also, what I thought was mud or dirt under its eye was instead a bruise.

I grabbed my jacket and picked up Skitty and brought it tot he nearest Pokemon center.

After several hours of waiting the nurse told me that my Pokemon was good to go.

"That's not my Pokemon. I just found it outside the city, ma'am."

"Oh, I see. Well that explains the wild and brash nature of the Pokemon."

We stood there for a few seconds in an awkward silence until I asked to see Skitty. I was brought to a back room where Skitty was. It was awake but tired.

"I'm glad you're okay now," I said to Skitty.

Skitty looked at me and then away resting it's head on it's arm. To go to sleep, of course.

"Well if you want you can capture this Pokemon. I'm sure it will be okay with that."

I was unsure about that. I didn't have any Pokemon as I was too young. I always imagined my first Pokemon would be Treecko, not a Skitty.

"I don't have a Pokeball," I replied.

The nurse smiled at me and handed me a Pokeball. I looked at Skitty who wasn't looking at me and placed the Pokeball next to it.

"If you want to come home with me it's up to you," I said to it.

Skitty opened one of its eyes and looked at me and then the Pokeball. Then it closed its eyes as it lifted a paw and tapped the Pokeball activating it. Skitty voluntarily got into the ball and became my first Pokemon.

Looking down at my first Pokemon here on this battlefield is upsetting. To be reminded of the pain it suffered that rainy day by seeing it battered here hurts. Since the first day I met Skitty to the time when Guzma tried to have his Golisiopod use Focus Blast on Skitty on Melemele Island, I've been overly protective of Skitty. I don't ever want to see it hurt.

That is why Skitty is out there right now. This is its way of thanking me after all these years.

Skitty finally moves and looks at me. I feel a tear stroll down the right side of my cheek as I smile and nod.

I listen to Castor tell me it is over. He orders his Primarina to use one more Moonblast.

The blast causes another massive cloud of dirt to clouding the field. I can barely see but I spot Skitty making it's way through the cracked ground below towards Primarina.

Nobody else sees it, especially Castor and his Primarina.

"It's over," Castor says. "I won."

I shake my head.

"You're right. It is over. Skitty, Wild Charge!"

Skitty hops out from behind Primarina and uses the same attack I saw it use against Golisiopod on Melemele Island. I never knew what the attack was until I saw Castor's Diggersby use it earlier.

"Primarina is unable to battle. Skitty and Cameron Alistar win!" I hear the referee say. Castor immediately recalls his Pokemon and leaves the field abruptly.

I ignore all the cheering and walk towards Skitty who is licking his wounds. I get down onto my knees and take my backpack off. I open the zipper and pull out a Sitrus Berry from the baggy I had it stored in. I hand it to Skitty and watch it eat.

"This doesn't mean I'm gonna be nice to you from now on," I joke.

Skitty looks at me with one eye and then proceeds to eat the Sitrus Berry. When it finishes it it decides it just wants to take a nap on the field.

Instead of leaving it there to sleep as the interviewer sets up to interview me, I pick Skitty up and hold him. I hold it like I had seen Caleb do so many times allowing Skitty to fall asleep on his arms; like I did several years ago outside of Rustboro City.