The morning came sooner than I would've liked. Unlike on the previous route, we couldn't camp far enough away from the road not to be annoyed by passing cars. Every hour or so I would be woken up by the rumbling underneath me or by headlights flashing at me. So, when I woke up, I felt like I got no sleep whatsoever.

My Moemon, as usual, had no such trouble. Even the insomniac, Bailey, looked no worse for wear. They whispered amongst each other until they noticed me wake up, and then they raised their voices to let me listen in.

"But if we reach Cinnabar that way, then you'll have to spend days recovering," said Stacy. "It isn't feasible."

"Oh, let her do it," said Rose. She opened her mouth, and then she glanced at me and smiled. "Although, I don't believe it's her choice."

"No, unfortunately," said Olivia. She looked at me as well. "Arthur will understand."

"What's up?" I asked, rubbing an eye. "What about Cinnabar?"

"Oh, we're planning our next moves," said Christine. Behind her back, she was giving Olivia a stern glare. "After we beat the Hunters."

Before I could open my mouth, Stacy quickly said, "We understand it will be dangerous, but we're assuming we all survive our inevitable encounter."

"No, no, that's a good idea. Keep being optimistic." I crawled from my sleeping bag through the grass and into their circle. "So, what about Cinnabar, then? I only caught the tail end."

"We were discussing travel," said Stacy. "Either we take a ferry, or you ride Olivia."

"Ride Olivia?" I repeat, giving her a look. "I know she's a water Moemon, but that's an ocean. I don't know if I could even survive that kind of travel."

"Oh, I'd certainly keep you safe, but I understand your reservation," said Olivia. "A ferry would be safer."

"Olivia would be more fun," added Annie, and the others shushed her quietly.

"Maybe," I said half-heartedly. "How many days would it take?"

"No more than one day of travel, I'd assume," said Rose.

"You don't get seasick, do you?" asked Annie.

I shrugged. "Never really been out to sea before." I smiled at Olivia. "As fun as it might be, I think I'd rather just go on the ferry. That way you all won't be stuck in your Moeballs for a whole day."

Olivia looked mildly disappointed, but the others nodded. As I stood up to put away my sleeping bag, I suddenly felt uneasy. Something was coming. I looked to the road and saw a car in the distance. As I stared at it, some of my Moemon joined my side.

"Why do I hate that?" I asked. "Am I getting your magical Moemon senses?"

"It's more of a sense of danger gotten from experience," said Stacy. She followed the car as it approached. "Good to know that you're getting it."

"Is it?" I mumbled, looking at my watch, making sure the others weren't in battles. The first two groups had reached Fuchsia by now. They must've traveled through the night. "You know I wish I hadn't."

"We know," Stacy said quietly.

The rest stood along the path. We all watched as the car slowed down and pulled off to the side. A sports car, incredibly nice and incredibly expensive. A door opened, and a man climbed out. I immediately recognized the long face, a smug, haughty smirk below golden eyes and sleeked-back blonde hair. The mouth opened, and a nasally voice called out, "I've caught up with you, Challenger!"

Immediately, I called Quinton. I dropped my hand to my side as it rang, and I heard Quinton's muffled voice call from my wrist.

"Challenger?" I repeated, loudly. "Why refer to me as that? You know my name!"

"Oh, do I ever," the voice said. The man crossed both roads without looking and hopped over the barrier separating it from the bike path. He had both hands hidden in pockets of a grey three-piece suit. A golden earring in the shape of a trophy hung from his left ear.

I tapped underneath my eyes with my middle finger. "You wearing contacts, or did you catch something?"

He blinked at that, looked somewhat offended. I knew I had him pegged instantly. I knew how much of a douche he'd be. To prove my point, he responded, "Clearly someone of your ilk wouldn't understand my legacy."

"Obviously not, rich boy, I'm not here to mingle with the upper class," I said. "I'm trying to avoid assholes like you."

At that, the man held both arms outstretched. Golden watches rested tightly on both wrists. "Then, Challenger, you'll no doubt notice you've failed."

"Run," I heard from my wrist. Quinton understood now. I pretended to crack my knuckles and managed to hang up on him. I wasn't going to let him get found out.

"So, is this it? I thought Hunter X was going to be my Bounty Hunter," I said.

At the mention of that name, his eye twitched, but he composed himself quickly. "Hunter X is no longer relevant. I am Hunter E." His eyes fell upon my Moemon. "And I will be your reaper."

I felt icy air above my shoulder. "Say the word," Bailey whispered.

"No," I whispered back. "Not even for this douche.

"Although," said Hunter E. "Even he isn't as irrelevant as Hunter G."

Hunter G? "Why'd you mention her? She isn't a Hunter anymore, right?"

He grinned. "In a way, yes." Then he reached back into his pocket and pulled out a Moeball. "I challenge you, Challenger. My team against this one you've scavenged."

"Scavenged?" I repeated. "Should I be scared of the team you bought? Why the fuck are you even a Bounty Hunter if you don't need the money?"

"Nobody doesn't need money," said Hunter E. "And, whatever you may assume about me, know that I am not inexperienced. I've trained my team for months for this. I wanted an easier opportunity, but you took that from me."

"Sorry for running," I muttered. "Made you waste a good tank's worth of gas, I'll bet."

He merely smirked and sent out his first Moemon. A Hippowdon, a woman with deep red eyes, a large hippo's mouth on top of her head that frankly looked ridiculous, and a black saddle from which sand poured and piled around her.

I looked at the Hippowdon's stats. Level forty-five. Unnerving but not terrifying. "Physically defensive," I said. "Rose, can you handle this one?"

"I believe I can," Rose replied, giving Annie a quick hug. "I hope to put these new moves to good use."

"Damn right you will."

As Rose came forward, Hunter E frowned. "Not going to send out that Samurott? Why not your Staraptor? Do you believe you will defeat my Hippowdon in a single hit? You'll be sorely disappointed."

"You're wasting time taunting me," I shouted back. "No referee, remember?"

"Of course-" he began. He noticed Rose hadn't stopped moving. His eyes opened wide. "Earth-"

"Petal Dance!"

Rose twirled around, quickly gaining speed until she was nothing more than a green blur. As she spun, pink petals shot out from her, cutting and slicing the Hippowdon. But her opponent recovered quickly and stomped the ground, causing the battlefield to shake and split open. The entire bridge swayed from the impact, and Rose was knocked off balance. The ground continued to split underneath her, and while she managed to avoid getting trapped in the newly-opened cracks, she couldn't dodge the chunks that shot up at her.

"Damn it, Hunter, we're on a fucking bridge!" I screamed. Thankfully, none of the cracks affected the road nor the supports.

"I'm not naïve, Challenger," Hunter E shouted back. "Yawn!"

The jaws on the Hippowdon's head opened wide, and a white cloud shot out. Rose barely managed to get to her feet before the cloud hit her full in the face, dazing her.

"Oh shit, Giga Drain, quick!"

Rose held up a hand and pointed it at the Hippowdon, who had started stomping the ground again. The shockwave along with the dizziness caused her to lose her concentration, and she wobbled, unable to concentrate.

"Rose, concentrate!" I shouted.

"Concentrate!" Annie shouted, her scream piercing the air.

At the sound of her voice, Rose suddenly snapped to attention. She held her arms steady despite the shaking, despite the rocks that pelted her. Suddenly, the shaking stopped, and the Hippowdon screamed in pain. Rose's opponent dropped to her knees, trying desperately to punch the ground one last time, but the last of her strength left her, and she fainted.

Rose dropped her hands, breathing deeply. She took a step back and then dropped to the ground.

"Rose!" Annie screamed, rushing forward.

"She's fine!" I shouted at her. "She's asleep!"

I noticed Hunter E, fuming, had recalled his Moemon and prepared to send out another. I wouldn't be caught unaware. I pulled out my own Moeball and recalled Rose. She disappeared in a red light. Replacing her, a Skarmory slammed into the ground. Annie held her ground, glaring at the Moemon.

"No recalling your Moemon before I've sent out mine!" Hunter E roared.

I checked my watch quickly. No rules had been established. "Should've said so before the battle! As far as I'm concerned, anything goes!" I looked at my Lairon. "Little Annie, knock the shit out of her."

"Damn fucking right I will," Annie said, nodding. As the Skarmory, grey-dressed with red knife-like wings jutting out from her back and a grey horn atop her head, grinned, Annie knelt forward and charged.

The Skarmory waited until Annie was close, and then she leapt into the air, soaring above. Then she waited until Annie had slowed to a stop before diving down, spinning like a drill.

Annie noticed. I didn't even have to shout. She was the one who waited now. She had knelt down, her palm on the ground, waiting. And then as Skarmory was about to strike, she gripped the ground and pulled out a massive chunk of the earth and swung it. Skarmory hit her target, but Annie certainly hit hers. The Skarmory spun out of the air and fell between the cables.

Hunter E ran to the edge and pulled out his Moeball. As he desperately attempted to recall his unconscious Moemon, Annie rubbed her head and walked back to us. She noticed quickly that Rose was at my side, and she broke into a run. She collided with Rose carefully and held her tight.

"You weren't asleep long," Annie whispered into Rose's hair.

"It's my ability," said Rose. "Remember? Natural Cure."

"Give her a few moments in her home, and then she's as good as new," I added.

"Sorry," Annie whispered. "I didn't think much about it. I was worried."

"That was a magnificent hit," said Rose. "Very well done."

As I looked back at my opponent, I realized he was still at the bridge's edge staring down at the water below. "Hey," I shouted, and he looked at me as if he'd forgotten I was there. "If you lost her down there, now's the time to surrender and get her. You're clearly outmatched."

But something ignited in his eyes. A raging flame. He jumped back from the edge and glared at me. "You will not best me again. I'll kill every one of your Moemon."

"Say the word," Bailey whispered again, but I shook her off.

"You're wasting time fighting with me when you should be saving her!" I shouted. "Whatever your goal with me is, it's not worth it."

But that logic didn't get through to him, either. Instead, thrust his hand into a pocket so hard he almost ripped a hole, shoved out a third ball and chucked it at the ground. The ball exploded, revealing a Cloyster, a woman in a blue swimsuit and who was almost completely covered in a massive purple shell.

At seeing this, I looked back at my relatively-normally-dressed Moemon. "Man, it's times like this where I really remember you aren't human." Then I turned back to my fuming opponent. "You should use her to save your Skarmory."

"Stop stalling!" Hunter E shouted back. "You're wasting time, too. If my Skarmory dies, it's on you, too!"

"How fucking dare you put that on me?" I jabbed a finger at him. "You're the asshole who challenged me. You're the sociopath who won't even make sure one of your Moemon – someone you said you've trained – is okay! Go fuck yourself!" I shook off my anger, closing my eyes to calm myself. "Fuck that guy," I muttered. "Bailey, end this battle."

Bailey teleported from my side right to the Cloyster's face. She snapped her finger, and a purple flame latched onto the Cloyster's shell. The Will-O-Wisp spread up the shell and pulled itself onto the Moemon, dancing around on the skin.

"Shell Smash!" Hunter E commanded, and the Cloyster grabbed the edges of its shell and slammed them together. Cracks shot up through the shell, and the protective layer shattered. Shards flew everywhere, but they seemed to pass through Bailey. "Icicle Spear!"

The Cloyster picked up pieces of her shell, which glowed bright blue and formed into shards of ice. Then she tossed all of them, each one aimed directly at Bailey. My Moemon barely moved. Barely reacted. But as each spear was just about to hit, she teleported away, and then teleported again, and again, and again, dodging each one perfectly. As the fifth and final spear flew toward her, she blinked out of existence and then reappeared right in front of me.

She never turned around, never motioned toward me, but I heard and saw the bright black sphere charging in her hand behind her back. She let it charge a moment longer, and then she teleported again. This time, she reappeared right behind the Cloyster, and she threw the Shadow Ball at her opponent's back. The Cloyster took the hit hard and hit the ground.

Hunter E stomped the ground in frustration. "Pick yourself up!" He demanded. He glared at me. "You're going to make a fool of me?"

"Oh my god, this guy," I whispered, then I shouted, "You need to give up and save your Moemon, dude! This isn't going to end well!"

And, suddenly, his entire demeanor shifted. And I knew exactly how bad that was. "Oh, you're right," he said, calmly, and then he looked at his Cloyster. "Explosion."

The Cloyster struggled to her feet as we all processed what he'd said. "Explosion?" I looked around. The Cloyster began to glow a bright white. "We're on a fucking bridge, you fucking psychopath! What the fuck-"

Then I felt something heavy surround me, and my entire world turned pitch black. I felt myself being pulled back, several feet back, as the explosion ignited a distance away. A massive earthquake rocked my feet, and my entire world felt it was going to collapse. I heard the metal around me groaning and shifting. The sound, while muffled by my protective shield, shook my eardrums, like a thousand cracks of thunder rocked my head at once.

My head rang. I couldn't tell if I was moving or not. The world moved around me, but I couldn't tell. I tried pushing my shield away, pushing through the night-black feathers, and a small beam of golden sun peeked through.

Upon feeling my struggle, my protector let go, and light filled the darkness. Stacy still kept around me, holding me close. I could feel my other Moemon around me, huddled around.

We hadn't moved far. The crater was just a hundred feet away. But it was a massive crater, one that covered half the bridge, from tram rail to road. It looked deep, but I couldn't tell if it had completely broken through. The metal wires still held firm, all of them. The bridge wouldn't collapse.

"Fucking… psycho," I groaned, holding my throbbing head. At least I wasn't deafened. "How're the rest of you?"

"We fled in time," said Rose. "Baily was unharmed."

"Which only makes that even more stupid," I spat. "Using Explosion on a Ghost Type? On a bridge? What the fuck… Where is that piece of shit?"

Several of them pointed across the crater, where Hunter E lay unconscious against the railing. His Cloyster wasn't far away, also knocked out.

"How loud was that?" I asked. "Think they heard in Celadon?"

"It will be discovered soon enough," said Stacy, nodding down the bridge. A pair of headlights signaled an approaching car.

"Can we leave?" asked Olivia. "Are we running from a battle?"

I checked my watch. I wasn't in a battle anymore. "No, he blacked out," I said. "We're free. We really should get out. We don't want to stick around."

"Where do we go?" asked Christine. "The bridge is only one way."

"I'll take you underneath," said Stacy. "You should recall the others, quickly."

I nodded. "Is that okay with everyone?" The others nodded. All except Bailey. I looked at her pointedly, and she stared back. "What?"

She then held out her arms. "I won."

I hesitated, watching her emotionless face. "Now?" But she didn't react, so I approached and pulled her in for a quick, awkward hug. I let go, tried pulling away, but she held me for a moment, until she was satisfied, and then she let go. "Okay, are we good?"

Bailey nodded now, so I recalled the others and grabbed onto Stacy. She approached the edge, and for a moment we stared at the water hundreds of feet below. I felt a familiar sense of vertigo before I felt the ground drop beneath me. We soared gently down a few feet until we were underneath the bridge, and then Stacy guided us directly underneath. I got a good look at the underbelly of the Explosion, and while it didn't puncture through the metal, it did cause a serious dent.

We heard the car stop above us, but that was all. We glided slowly down, matching the angle of the bridge, for a good few miles. Then, she softly landed on a metal railing and made sure I was safely on it as well. She didn't let go of me, but she leaned against a support and breathed deeply.

I refused to look down. I rubbed her arm. "Thank you, again," I said. "You reacted so quickly. I might've gotten caught."

At that, she smiled. "I was one of your last guardians," she replied. "The others shielded you as well. We all ran away as a unit, but we were all between you and the blast."

"Oh, that's good. Really good. Sometimes I feel I don't deserve you."

"But you do, and we deserve you, and we're together because of it," said Stacy. She looked up at the bridge. More cars had passed by during our glide, one of which blared the familiar sound of a police siren. The dent had long since vanished. "Teaching Self-Destruct and Explosion to Moemon is illegal."

"That right?" I couldn't imagine why.

Stacy nodded. "It was outlawed centuries ago due to the potential terroristic applications."

"Centuries? Must be one of the oldest laws."

"I'm sure humanity back then was terrified when they realized our destructive power."

"That I can believe as well," I said. I patted her shoulder. "You need more rest?"

Stacy nodded, wincing slightly. "You're too heavy."

But she couldn't hide a smirk. "You've just got to get stronger," I teased.

We paused as another siren sounded overhead, this time heading south. The same police car, probably, no doubt having apprehended Hunter E. "Great, so we might have to see him in Fuchsia." I stopped, then sighed. "Oh, knowing our luck, we absolutely will. No 'might' about it." I carefully sat down, clutching the metal beam tightly. "Why did he say Hunter X is no longer relevant? Why'd that guy attack me instead?"

"Since you know we'll see him again, you could ask him," said Stacy.

I gritted my teeth. "I don't want to see that asshole. I don't want to ask. I'd rather talk to Hunter X and figure it out from him. Man, I never thought I'd actually want to talk to that guy." At that moment, my watch rang, and I nearly lost my grip. I managed to clutch the bar in time, and the instant I jumped Stacy also bent down to help me balance. I nodded my thanks to her and answered it.

"Arthur?" Quinton whispered. "Please, please, please tell me that explosion wasn't you."

"Depends on what you mean by 'wasn't'," I said, lowering my voice in turn. "Why're you whispering?"

"Max and Laura aren't too far away. I just want to get the story from you, alright?"

"Another Bounty Hunter attacked me. I was beating him soundly, by the way, but then he had his Cloyster use Explosion on the bridge. Knocked a chunk out of it. Sounds like police came from Fuchsia and took him south."

"Police sped out of Celadon as well," said Quinton. "They haven't come back. But you're okay? You're all okay?"

"We got out before any of the first responders came," I answered. "Flew underneath the bridge. We're still under it, actually. Nice view if you're okay with heights."

"Arthur."

"We're fine, Quinton. All of us. Like I said, we were beating him soundly before he pulled out that stupid Hail Mary. Apparently, it was illegal, as well, so that Hunter's going to jail soon."

"But it was a Bounty Hunter."

"He said his name was Hunter E. He mentioned Hunter X. He mentioned Hunter G, strangely."

"Hunter G? Why?"

"My question too. He also knew I was a Challenger, so I'd very much believe he's a Bounty Hunter."

"Okay, so, should I warn the others? Are we in trouble? Is that attack happening now?"

"Honestly, man, I have no idea. You and I both know Hunter X was supposed to be the one to fight me. It's obvious. But Hunter E said that Hunter X wasn't relevant, and I have no idea what that means." I paused in thought. "He also said that I took an opportunity away from him, and fuck if I know what that's supposed to mean either."

Silence on the other end. "Uh, any thoughts?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, Arthur, I'm not sure. You've never seen him before, right?"

I shook my head. Then held the watch to my ear expecting a response.

Stacy tapped my head. "He can't see you."

I frowned at her. "Habit. Normally I'm better than that." I spoke into the watch. "Sorry, my brain's still rattled from that explosion. No. Never seen him before."

"Maybe Hunter X will have a better idea?" asked Quinton. "He always appears at annoying times."

"Haven't seen him since Vermillion, though, and there were plenty of times he could've appeared to be annoying," I said. "I don't know. I'm sure I'll see him eventually."

"I have a bad feeling about that, Arthur," said Quinton quietly. "I'm regretting our silence."

"Then tell them. You're right there. Hell, travel with them when you're all ready to go so you have numbers. I wouldn't be surprised if it happened sooner." As I finished, there was silence. "Uh, hey, are you guys ready to leave Celadon?"

"Max and I have finished our battles," said Quinton. "Laura's struggling, so we're waiting for her. Neither of us wants to abandon her. But, we feel she's close."

"Good to hear. Good on you for keeping her in the competition," I said. "I haven't really kept tabs on the others. Are they rushing forward?"

"Actually, as far as I've seen, they're waiting. Sam apparently lost someone in the preliminary battles, so they both stopped to train."

"Oh, wow, I'm sorry for him. That's the first one lost in a while," I said.

"Yes, it was hopefully a wake-up call. But we'll see how long that lasts."

"Know what caused it?"

"It's the Fuchsia Gym," said Quinton. "Obviously, poison."

Poison. What a fucking way to go.


Arthur:

Christine the Charizard

Stacy the Staraptor

Rose the Roselia

Olivia the Samurott

Annie the Lairon

Bailey the Banette