Roma awoke in his tent just as the sun peeked over the castle in the distance. Roma stretched his back and wondered if he should purchase a new sleeping bag soon. Hmm... Eh, this one was still usable; he just had to adjust the filling a bit every couple of hours. He stepped out the tent and started disassembling it. It was a relatively quiet morning, which was fine by him - the Pokémon in Falsmorel Cave were fairly tough. After he battled them, they didn't seem to be in too dire straits. Still, he couldn't help but let them use his Revives. He'd be able to by more at the Pokémon League, anyway. Roma started walking down the path, letting his mind turn around and run through the cave again.

A few birds twittered as he made his way there, singing a pretty song. Roma smiled; it really was a nice day, too - not too hot, not that cold for an early morning, visibility was good. Fall was a nice season. Well, winter was even better, but fall was a good lead up to it.

As he passed through the trellises along the well-worn, grassy path, Roma thought the flowers were rather nice. He didn't recognize any of the blooms, but he figured they were mountain flowers of some sort. Faded white marks and rough grooves covered the rock walls along Victory Road, a sign of fierce battles long past.

Indeed, the region of Agricales was embroiled in bitter war for many years, but for some reason lost to history, it had all petered out around three hundred years ago. The north half of the region, being rocky and mountainous as it was, had excellent defensive positions all throughout it. The Ramaria Sea to the south was always bustling with activity, having the two largest cities in the region there.

The path Roma followed was straight and paved now, with flowers like the ones on the trellises on either side. As the sun climbed higher in the sky, the castle - and the league within - got nearer and nearer. Soon enough, he came to the high gate separating the grounds proper from the road. The ornate iron door was sturdy enough to block a thousand strikes without giving an inch, with what amounted to a metallic mural forged onto it, depicting three great beasts and a shining bird charging to the sun. That wasn't what held Roma's attention, though; no, it was the two people standing in front of the gate arguing that Roma wanted to know about. They hadn't noticed him yet, so he moved to the side of the road as he eavesdropped.

"Alright, one more time, man, I can't tell you what I don't know," said the man closer to the door, who was wearing a strange jumpsuit with bright blue paint on it in odd lines, and had on a hair net.

"I can't accept that!" shouted the other man, with red hair and wearing a long-sleeved white tee. "You have to know something, or you wouldn't be here!"

The man in the jumpsuit shrugged. "I just do what they tell me to, man. It's a living."

"I need to get back in there! I need to prepare for the League. Let me in!" White Shirt shook his arms violently.

"It's a no go, man. I ain't even allowed back in there. Honestly, it's kinda unfair." Jumpsuit looked to the side.

"Why even do this, then? You're doing things you don't understand for reasons you haven't been told."

"Like I said three times now, it's a job. I'm in this for the money. All the reason I need. Arc, clean out your damn ears."

"How much are they paying you?" White Shirt reached down to his pants pocket, then flinched. "I might not have my wallet on me right now, but as soon as I'm back inside, I can-"

"You can't bribe me now, man; I'm already out here. I couldn't help you, even if I wanted to. I don't, by the way, so you might as well try to get help by heading down Victory Road and-" It was at this point that Jumpsuit noticed Roma standing some few yards away. "What the- Who're you?"

"I could ask you two the same question," Roma said. "Why is the League gate closed?"

"You're a Trainer?" asked White Shirt. Roma nodded hesitantly. "Good. We've got a problem - some group of terrorists have seiged Lucky Castle, and I don't know why."

"Why should I help you?" Roma asked. "From what I just heard, this guy doesn't know anything."

"You should help because it'd be better for us both to work together!" He shook his arms angrily.

"I'm jus' gonna let you two settle this," Jumpsuit muttered as he leaned back onto the gate. "Just enjoy the show."

"Why can't you get in on your own? You've got to be a strong Trainer if you're at the Pokémon League."

"My Pokémon are in the castle," White Shirt said. "I was on a morning walk and when I got back, the seige gate was shut tight, and he," he pointed at the Jumpsuit, "was standing in front of it. I've been trying to get anything I could out of him, but he's damn tight-lipped."

At this, Jumpsuit rolled his eyes and spoke up. "Hey, I told you, I'm just as in the dark as you. Arc, you need to make an appointment with the ENT, or what?"

"I need to get in there, too." Roma looked up. "It doesn't look too high."

"You've got a Flying-type with you?" White Shirt asked.

"Whoa, hey," Jumpsuit said. "I can't let you go over." He pulled a Pokéball from a pouch at his side.

"What?" White Shirt's head reared back. "You have a flying-"

"You Trainers usually say some kinda spiel about challenging people, right? So, I'm gonna challenge you to a Pokémon battle. How many flying Pokémon have you got?"

Roma looked at the Pokéball in his own hand. "I've got one."

"Alright. One-on-one, mine versus yours. First one out loses. If you win, I don't try to stop you from going over, and if you lose, you don't go over."

"How do I know you won't try to stop me anyway?"

"I don't have any other Pokémon, man," he replied. He opened his pouch again and turned it over, showing it was empty. "See? Nothing." He smirked, and gestured toward White Shirt. "Fussy over there can ref, so how about it?"

Roma looked between the two men. This really wasn't what he'd expected would happen today. Still, if this was the only way into the Pokémon League, he had to take the chance. He nodded. "You're on."

"Great. Let's back up a bit, so we don't ruin the pretty gate, huh?" He leaned up and walked back down the path. Roma and "Fussy" followed.

"Are you both ready?" White Shirt asked where the path turned from carefully-laid stone back to dirt. "This will be a one-on-one Single battle between the challenger and the challenged. They will use only their Pokémon that can fly. Neither battler may use items. Ready?" They nodded. "Send out your Pokémon!"

Roma threw a red-and-white Pokéball into the air and from it came a flash of white light; when it cleared, a shining, metallic bird with a sharply-angled face and slatted wings took a battle stance. A months-old scar ran across her right eye. Jumpsuit, likewise, sent out a purple bat with a large, droopy mouth and purple, spotty wings. It was a Golbat, Roma knew, and a local one. It definitely wouldn't be too tough to fight.

"Begin!"

"Tamaha, use Metal Sound!" At Roma's cue, the metal bird unleashed a harsh, grating noise from her wings, sending shivers through the spines of everyone present.

"Golbat, shut it up with Swift!" A light came from the bat's throat and stars erupted from its mouth, swirling around and striking its opponent in the back.

"Tamaha, you okay?" She looked back and nodded firmly. "Good. Glad you're a Steel-type. Now, use Steel Wing!" Tamaha lumbered up and brought its metallically-shining wings down on the Golbat.

"Dodge, Golbat!" It rolled backwards and out of Tamaha's range with seconds to spare. "Looks like your Skarmory's too slow, huh?" the jumpsuited man said. "It probably can't even bring you up, can it?"

"She can," Roma said. "She's tough."

"Right," he said, rolling his eyes. "Well, I'm not gonna get paid if I let you over, so Golbat, Curse!"

"Curse?" Roma said. Curse was a move that lowered a Pokémon's speed in exchange for physical power; he knew that much. Why bother using it on a Pokémon that was fast, against something good against physical attacks?

Roma's questions were answered, but his confusion only grew, when the Golbat seemed to pantomime driving a spike into its own skull, then stumbled backwards in pain. Roma's confusion turned to fear when Tamaha cried out in a similar pain and shut her eyes tight. "Tamaha, what's wrong?"

"Curse works differently for Ghost-types," White Shirt said. "It takes a Pokémon halfway to fainting, then drains its opponent."

"Hey, ref, aren't you supposed to be impartial?" Jumpsuit said, crossing his arms.

"Official battle rules," he replied. "You weren't gonna tell him, right?"

"How do I stop it?" Roma asked, balling his hands into fists. "Is there some kind of item, or - ?"

"You can't," White Shirt said. "Just beat him before I have to call it out."

Roma searched his mind for any way to finish this fight before Tamaha got hurt any more. "Tamaha, climb!" She shook her head to clear it, then charged at the wall.

"Pft, good luck hitting me there," Jumpsuit said, "Golbat's the other way!"

Tamaha dug her claws into the rough stone and clambered up the cliff, spreading her wings into the air and taking to the sky.

"What?!" He leaned his body backward to follow her up the wall, then threw out his arms to steady himself. "Golbat, use Swift, and knock it out of the sky!"

"Tamaha, kick off the wall!" As the Golbat fired off another set of stars, Tamaha flew into a wall and rebounded with the impact, while most of the stars struck the same spot she'd just bounced from. A few still hit her, but the damage was minimized. "Great, keep climbing!"

"Crap! Golbat, after it!" The Golbat flexed its wings and took off, soaring straight at Tamaha. "Wing Attack!" Its wings began to glow a bright blueish-white.

"Beat it down!" Roma called.

"What?!" White Shirt shouted, wide-eyed. Tamaha whirled around and smacked the Golbat straight down into the paved stones. "Oogh." He flinched.

"Stall and use Steel Wing!" Tamaha turned to the ground and pulled her wings back. As she slowed in the air, she began to lose altitude and sank like a stone. Her wings lit up with that shiny, metallic glow Steel Wing made.

"Crap, Swift!" Tamaha brought her wing down. The Golbat fired Swift. A cloud of dust obscured the rest, though.

White Shirt sliced his arms through the air. "That's enough! This match is over." As the cloud settled, the faint forms of Tamaha and the Golbat became visible, Tamaha on top and immobile, and the Golbat barely able to struggle beneath her.

"Tamaha," Roma said, running over to her. "You fought pretty well, but you definitely can't fight anymore," he said, loudly enough for White Shirt to hear.

"I agree," he said. Roma sent a red beam of light from Tamaha's ball to her unconcious body, enveloping her and bringing her back into it.

"Looks like I win, then," Jumpsuit said.

"Your Golbat can't fight either. This match is a draw."

"Yeah, but I did my job." He likewise returned his Pokémon, then waved a V-sign with a smug grin. "You guys can't get over the gate, right? Mission accomplished, and I keep my paycheck."

White Shirt slapped his forehead. "Ah, of course! How could I have-"

"Whatever, it doesn't matter now," Roma said. "Let's head back to the gate, maybe there's a way to get through we don't know about."

Uneasily, the two of them started walking back to the wrought iron gate, with the man in the jumpsuit following behind.

Author's Notes

I'm posting this on FFN now, but you can find the remainder of the fic on Ao3. As of this point in time, there's 38 chapters. I'll post these... once a week, maybe? I'll figure it out. I'm gonna be editing this one, though, so maybe you'll wait for this one.