"Didn't you hear me?"

Justin snapped away from the family of Geodude he'd seen and back to reality as he turned to Red. "Sorry. Got a bit lost in my thoughts there for a moment. Rock Tunnel has really been integrated well. The Pokemon here look very happy. What were you asking?"

Red sighed. "How long have you been able to use Azelf's powers the way you did last night?" Justin shrugged. "I'm really not sure. I just sort of… tapped into it. I was in so much pain, I just… had to do something. Accessing it wasn't intentional, but once I had it I just… told the pain to stop."

Red hummed in thought for a moment. "So you gave the power a vague command and it interpreted it with intelligence? Incredible, but risky. What if it had decided to stop the pain by killing you? I think you'd better stay away from that power for now, or at least give it more specific commands. There's no telling what you could accidentally do." Red flipped his hat forward as they emerged from the tunnel. "We're here."

Justin looked around. After waiting for so long to get there, Lavender Town was… really unimpressive. The entire town was made up of quaint houses and small shops. The only exception was the absolutely massive Radio Tower standing near the curve of the mountain. If someone had seen just that building, they might have thought Lavender Town to be hugely advanced. Red scowled at it when he noticed Justin staring curiously.

"That was once the site of the Pokemon Tower, the largest Pokemon Cemetery in Kanto. It was replaced with this a good few years ago. I was training in Mt. Silver at the time after initially becoming Champion of Kanto, and for some reason the league wasn't able to find me, so my opinion ended up never being considered." Red sighed. "I wish I could go back and fight this. Progress is good, don't get me wrong, but tearing down that place, and disrespecting the burial site of all of those Pokemon… it's nothing short of horrible. Come on, we're going over there."

Justin turned in the direction Red was walking. A house about twice the size of the others stood before him, decorated with flowers and memorials to Pokemon that Justin could only assume existed as a partial substitute to Pokemon Tower. In the windows, Justin saw several Pokemon in extremely well-kept furnishings, many of which were being tended to by residents of the town.

"This is the Pokemon house. It used to be Mr. Fuji's home, but he decided to refurbish it into a place to care for orphaned or abandoned Pokemon. Many trainers come here between League seasons to help care for them. It's not just abandoned Pokemon, either. Mr. Fuji welcomes anyone who doesn't feel they can handle the responsibility of caring for Pokemon to leave them here. It's the responsible thing to do, but unfortunately, many people are too prideful to do it."

Justin looked gravely at the house. "And then they make others suffer for their mistakes." Red nodded. "Come on. Mr. Fuji should be inside."

As they opened the doors, Justin felt hundreds of eyes piercing him, both human and Pokemon alike. Most of them immediately recognized Red with widened eyes.

A young woman who looked maybe two years younger than Red strolled up to them, looking down at a clipboard. "Welcome to the Pokemon house. Are you here to volunteer, adopt, or - Oh, Red, it's you! It's been quite some time, hasn't it? I believe since the last time you left Kanto." As Reina spoke, Red was suddenly jumped on by something moving as a blur. The Pokemon, which Justin now recognized as a Marowak, practically smothered Red.

Red laughed and nodded in agreement. "It certainly has. Reina. And Marowak, you've grown! I'd like you both to meet Justin. He's a trainer from Jiman who's been learning from me." Reina smiled and waved at Justin, who responded in kind. "Is Mr. Fuji here? I need to speak with him as soon as possible."

Reina shook her head slowly. "Mr. Fuji is in his house. He's become ill in the past few days. The whole town has been pitching in to make sure he was taken care of. I'll take you there, but please try to keep the conversation brief so he can rest."

Justin couldn't believe Mr. Fuji lived in the house he saw before him. About a block down from the Pokemon House, but not even a quarter of the size. He'd expected it to be a tad bit smaller at most considering Mr. Fuji's previous career as a scientist. He really dedicated everything to the Pokemon House. Justin felt an icy baritone nearly overwhelm him as it voiced its opinion in his mind. He did. His generosity is bound only by what he has to give. Justin recoiled, surprised Mewtwo would address him. The last time they spoke, Mewtwo seemed to only care about him because it would help Red… somehow. Justin still didn't believe he'd be able to help Red that much, especially in a fight.

Reina opened the door slowly. "Remember not to speak too loudly. He doesn't need a headache and an illness at once." Justin nodded as he followed Red inside.

Justin studied the old man laying before them carefully. He didn't seem to have any defining features, aside from the longest eyebrows he'd ever seen on a person, and the most sincere smile he'd ever seen on top of that. Justin felt as though he could feel the kindness in his voice as he spoke… as well as his regrets. "Red, Is that you?" Red smiled and lightly grabbed Mr. Fuji's hand. "It's me, Mr. Fuji." Mr. Fuji began laughing as he sat up to pull Red into a hug before recoiling into a coughing fit. After about twenty seconds of coughing up a mixture of phlegm and small amounts of blood, Mr. Fuji got his lungs under control. He took a sip of water before he spoke again. "My apologies, Red. I wish I could properly welcome you back, but I'm not really feeling like myself. In any case, what can I do for you?" Mr. Fuji barely noticed Justin, though whether it was from old age or simply focusing on Red, he couldn't tell.

Red sighed. "I wish I had come here with better news, but I need advice. A criminal is currently at large in Jiman, one who possesses Mega Evolution. I'd be more confident if it wasn't something as fast as Beedrill, but with the way things are going it seems like I may need an edge to win. The nuclear option has also been rather disinterested, so its reliability is uncertain."

Mr. Fuji put his head in his hands and thought for a long while. "I'm honestly not sure what reasonable battle strategy you could employ against an enhanced Beedrill," he eventually responded, "I can only imagine how its speed would overwhelm someone effortlessly." Justin scowled as he thought of Blitz and the condition he'd been put in by Andre. "But I can offer you these." He pulled out a small box from beside his bed and opened it. Inside were two stones, one of which Justin immediately recognized. It was smaller than the other stone, but shone a brilliant rainbow hue and was bursting with latent energy. "That's the stone Team Hurricane's leader held before his Beedrill changed! The other one looks similar to the one Beedrill held. What are they? And how did-"

Red cut him off. "The small one," he said, "Is a Key Stone. The Key Stone forges a bond between the trainer and the Pokemon holding the Mega Stone, which is the larger one, and creates an energy current between them powered by the bond the two participants share, resulting in Mega Evolution. So, Mr. Fuji, which Pokemon is the Mega Stone for?"

Mr. Fuji smiled. "Charizard. The other Mega Stone I gave you provides a form that taps into a Charizard's draconic side, increasing his abilities a fair bit across both offense and defense. This Mega Stone, however, channels Charizard's power greatly into fire and elemental attacks, ignoring most physical prowess. This should give you the strength you need to defeat that Beedrill."

Red placed the box in his bag, then turned back to Mr. Fuji. "I can never repay my debt to you. You've saved me on far too many occasions." Before Red could continue speaking, Justin was nearly bowled over and consumed by his mind as the presence of a cold mind entered the room. He and Red turned to see Mewtwo standing before them, looking genuinely saddened and - was that a tear? Justin simply stared on nervously, while Mewtwo and Mr. Fuji looked at each other tentatively.

Father.

"Hello, Mewtwo." All tension was quickly cut as Mewtwo disappeared from Justin and Red's minds, walked over to Mr. Fuji, and wrapped him in a tight hug.

Father, you're fading. This sickness cannot be treated here. Please let me help you.

"No. I've known for a while now that my fate was coming. I'm satisfied. I want to fade, as you put it."

You won't fade, Mewtwo said, practically in tears, I won't let it happen. They could ruin your body a thousand times, but I won't let your spirit fade. Thanks to you, and to Red, I see the world differently than I once did. I want to make sure this world stays safe and help Red to guide it on the right path. I was given the gift of life, and despite my impure birth, to reject my gift and this world is selfish. With a father like you, my selfishness... would be an embarassment.

Mr. Fuji shook his head and smiled at Mewtwo and nodded, no longer needing words to convey how he felt. As he let Mewtwo go and laid back onto his bed, closing his eyes, something snapped, and Justin felt all of his fear of Mewtwo fade, allowing himself to clasp Mewtwo's shoulder with his hand. Mewtwo looked at Justin, clearly surprised by how... human Justin seemed to treat him, but eventually just turned his gaze back to Mr. Fuji. Justin just stood in silence. Mr. Fuji wasn't dead yet, but he could tell that it wasn't far away. And yet still, he spends his last days giving advice and support to others, rather than worry about himself.

The truest example of a compassionate being, Azelf said, the world will be sore from his loss for a long time to come. Justin was almost surprised when Mewtwo nodded in agreement instead of berating Azelf as a lesser Psychic.

Red stood up. "Let's allow him to rest, okay?" Both Justin and Mewtwo nodded. "We've got another stop. I need to call in another favor. We're headed to Indigo Plateau." Justin's eyes widened as he nodded and felt nothing as Mewtwo teleported them.

x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x

Justin would have yelled at Mewtwo a thousand times over had it not been for what he'd just witnessed in Mr. Fuji's house. He understood perfectly well that Mewtwo couldn't just drop them in the middle of the place. What he didn't understand was why Mewtwo felt it necessary to leave them an hour's walk from the offices. There weren't that many people outside in the evening. He didn't mind the walk itself, but still held his tongue. At least it gave him more time to marvel at the sheer power exuded by Indigo Plateau

The colossal domed building was larger than any he'd ever been to, as he expected. It held basically an entire city of league personnel and all of the facilities required to efficiently operate and deploy anywhere in the region. What confused him more than anything was the aesthetic. Why isn't there a single bit of Indigo? I get that it's not where the name comes from, but the people who made this are very dull. He received a chuckle from Azelf at that, and continued his staring in silence until he bumped awkwardly into Red.

Regaining his composure, he looked ahead to see someone approaching them. Though he didn't recognize him personally, he could tell who they were by their uniforms: ACE trainers. The ranks of ACE were made up of trainers who demonstrate large amounts of potential or skill in the conferences but don't quite make it past the conference or the Elite Four. The League hired these trainers for more money than Justin would know what to do with, and uses them as an extra police force in addition to the Gym Leaders or Elite Four, depending on where they're stationed.

"Halt!" The one on the left said, "Before entering Indigo Plateau, you will have to undergo a thorough examination." Justin shuddered at what that meant and made a face. Noticing, the ACE trainer laughed. "A mental examination, to make sure your mind isn't under the influence or anyone or anything seeking to harm the people here. Champion Red is exempt due to… extraneous conditions. I doubt anything could get into his mind."

Red held up a hand. "Conditions, sir, that are matched by my friend here. Legends have branded him. The examination will not be necessary. We're here to see Blue." The ACE trainer nodded and motioned for them to follow him. Justin mulled over what Red had said. "Branded?"

Red nodded. "A term for those who have had their bodies or minds affected by Legends. It comes from a time when we didn't understand the Legends as well as we do now, when we perceived them as nothing more than monsters or deities, depending on who you asked. I'm personally not a fan of the term, but using my own term would probably cause issues and changing it at this point is just a waste of time." Justin just nodded. There are definitely more important things than changing terminology happening, he thought as he clenched his fist. He was going to stop Team Hurricane. They'd made this too personal for him to ignore.

After winding through corridors for what felt like an eternity, the three stopped at a gigantic door that nearly blinded him due to how polished it was. The ACE trainer left, and Red stepped inside, followed by Justin.

The room looked larger than two Pokemon houses, just based on Justin's eyeball measurement. Throughout the room were several of the most powerful Pokemon in the world, almost enough to make up three teams of six. Perched far above them were a massive Pidgeot and Dragonite, who dwarfed the Crobat hanging on the underside of the ledges near the roof. On the wall to the left was a massive aquarium that could probably fit Mr. Fuji's house inside of it, where a Blastoise and a Gyarados were apparently attempting to show each other up by lifting a boulder larger than the Pidgeot he'd just seen. Scattered around the room were hulking masses, some distancing themselves from each other, though most were in groups. An Arcanine and Umbreon curled up next to each other, and elegant though they were, he saw nothing but lean muscle on both of them. Justin's vision managed to catch a glimpse of a Weavile jumping from wall to wall, eyeing him carefully. He felt a sudden chill as a Gengar emerged from the shadows and stuck its tongue out at them before sinking back in. He turned to the right and saw a hulking Machamp using a clearly angered Golem in place of weights. Much to the Machamp's annoyance, he felt the weight lifted from his hands by an Exeggutor whose heads started laughing in unison. On the left, a Heracross putting all of his effort into pushing back a Rhyperior who seemed rather uninterested, while an Electivire cautiously fed from a generator behind them. Looking toward the back of the room, he saw a massive desk, which he imagined was made out of materials more expensive than all of his own home, with piles upon piles of neatly organized paperwork, which continued to be organized by an Alakazam the moment a new piece was completed.

In the middle sat a young man, who Justin knew was exactly the same age as Red. His spiky hair was well-kept despite how exhausted he looked. He wore a short-sleeved black jacket over a black t-shirt, with collar tilted up and a small chain around his neck. He looked up and smiled. "Red? Oh, man, this ought to be good. What are you doing here so soon? I thought you were supposed to be watching over that other dump. And taking on a disciple, too?" He began laughing hysterically, hand on his forehead, which was fine until he'd laughed for thirty seconds straight, and kept laughing every time he nearly calmed down.

After a solid two minutes of laughter, Blue's Alakazam hit him over the head with one of its spoons, finally getting him to stop. He shot Alakazam a look and turned back to Red. "Well, if you're here, something must have happened. So spill." Red nodded. "There's a nasty group of people calling themselves Team Hurricane."

Justin chimed in. "Yeah, they're kind of like Team Rocket, but they're much lamer." Blue laughed. "So your trainee actually has a sense of humor? He'll be better than you in no time." Red just sighed before continuing. "In any case, their leader can use Mega Evolution. I'm confident I can beat him one-on-one, but if there's anyone else that can use it among them…"

Blue nodded. "I got it, you'll need backup. Just have that freaky Mewtwo let me know when to be there." Blue winced at the mental jab Mewtwo sent his way. "Thanks, Blue. Just one more thing." Blue looked up at Red.

"I'm sorry about leaving you behind. I went to Jiman to clean up the region, and give their league better structure. I never meant-"

Blue held up his hand. "I get it. That place means a lot to you. Just don't get so obsessed with your work that you forget about your friends. Call your mom, too. She's probably been worried sick."

Red's face fit his name as he laughed. "I will. It was good seeing you again. Mewtwo, we're heading back to-"

Justin cut him off. "Hold it!" Red looked at Justin, confused. "What's the matter with you? We've got to get back to Jiman. Team Hurricane could be executing something big as we speak, and we have to continue your training." Justin shook his head and smiled. "There is no way I'm just going to leave Indigo Plateau without seeing you two battle. An age-old rivalry between two of the most powerful Champions in history, who were best friends as kids, and have both defeated the three legendary birds in combat? There's no way I can miss that!"

Blue stood up. "Sorry, kid. No time. You kind of dropped in completely unannounced. Being Champion isn't just battling if someone makes it past the Elite Four. It's getting a bird's eye view of an entire region and allotting resources, people and time in the ways that best help each place. Also, you have to do a lot of paperwork," he said pointing out his not-so-small collection, "but next time, if you come by with a call ahead, I can try and work it in."

Justin stared down Blue, knowing he could do it after a battle. It wasn't going anywhere. Blue just looked at him with confusion. "Why is he lookin' at me like that?" Red just snickered. Before he could stare at Blue intensely enough to get him to concede, the door opened behind them. Justin was about to berate the person who walked in out of sheer annoyance, but forced his mouth closed as a young woman walked into the room.

She wore a pale yellow crop top with yellow boots and white pants. Someone clearly has an aesthetic to uphold. As she strolled over to Blue, Justin noticed her silver-blue hair that looked like it made doors really hard billowing behind her. There's no wind in here. How's she doing that? If she has some weird power and uses it just to make her hair flow, I don't feel nearly as bad about my back. Justin's eyes eventually noticed, despite the headache that had just begun, that despite her slim figure, she had a lot of muscle definition. He shook off that line of thought as he noticed his mouth had begun to hang open. His head started banging like a gong, even harder than before, when she locked eyes with him, and he felt his face getting hotter as she smiled at him, despite the fact that it only seemed to increase the pain even more.

There was no doubt in his mind. "I know you," he remarked, hardly fighting through the pain to speak. "You're-"

Blue interrupted immediately. "Karen, Dark Trainer of the Indigo Elite Four. One of the sneakiest and dirtiest fighters of our time, and one of the many other people on the planet who never learned to knock." She rolled her eyes at that comment.

"You've got a press conference in one hour. Koga said he wants you there. His retirement is thanks to you, after all." Each word magnified the overwhelming headache Justin thought he had under control. As she finished speaking, Justin couldn't take it anymore. He imagined this was what getting hit with Hyper Voice was like as he fell to the ground clutching his head in pain.

Justin's voice was shaky but no less serious. "What are you, some kind of demon?" he hissed out as his eyes glowed a faint shade of blue.

Justin shook his head as he held back the urge to use the power, instead allowing it to wash over him, shakily getting to his feet. Realizing what he had just said, he immediately corrected himself. "I-" he sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I was just-" she put her hand out to interrupt and turned to Blue.

"Right," he sighed as well, "Karen's had a lot of exposure to Dark-Type energy. Most rudimentary Psychics or those who have Psychic links get like that around her. I didn't mention it because someone neglected to mention you had Psychic abilities. You shouldn't even be conscious after two words, let alone three sentences. Props for that, kid."

Red grimaced. "He doesn't have Psychic abilities himself, at least not that I'm aware. He's got a link with Azelf." Karen and Blue's eyes widened in surprise, before Karen decided to glance apologetically at Justin and waved herself out. Justin practically collapsed the moment she left as his eyes returned to normal. Breathing heavily, he mouthed a 'thank you' as Blue's Alakazam pulled him to his feet. He imagined the Psychic was uncomfortable, too.

Spot on, kid. I've just had enough exposure to build a good amount of tolerance for her entering as she pleases.

"Hey, kid," Blue said as Justin turned to face him, "You sure it was just the Dark Trainer thing? You were redder than a tomato back there-"

"That's enough," Red interrupted as Justin let a slight look of horror come on to his face before glaring daggers at him. "We really should be going now. I've got one more stop to make before we head back." Justin immediately dissented.

"Like I said, there's no way I'm leaving without seeing you two battle." Justin was ready to argue for hours.

x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x

Shawn looked around the Gym. It was pretty much exactly what he anticipated. A standard-sized battlefield with the standard thematic rock and dirt, after a standard check-in. You know, for a city so obsessed with having a variety of imports, you'd think they could spice up the Gym a bit aesthetically. He almost immediately bit his tongue as he looked up and saw the massive glass observation area.

He looked across the battlefield to see a roughly 35-year-old man, wearing what looked like standard archaeological gear, with fading brown hair neatly combed into place. He was incessantly looking at a rock under a magnifying glass, which Shawn noticed had an old chunk of amber with a tooth inside. An Aerodactyl fossil. He didn't know much about them, but from what he had heard, Aerodactyl are among the most wild and difficult to train fossil Pokemon. When he voiced this to the others, Diana groaned. "What is it?"

She just sighed. "Did you have to remind me? I wasn't able to get my fossil restored because the lab burned down. Cranidos would've been a great addition to my team."

The man put down the rock, as well as the magnifying glass and perked up after hearing their conversation. He sped toward them faster than Shawn felt any man had the right to and immediately began questioning them. "Ah, visitors! Tell me, tell me, what was that you were saying about a fossil? I don't mean to brag, but I know quite a bit about fossils. Elite Four member Ben and myself just got back from an excursion of them! May I see the one you hold? I may be able to assist you in revival from the dark day its life was snuffed out." Shawn's smile widened as Diana showed him her fossilized Cranidos. Kenneth was eccentric, energetic, and spoke every word with copious amounts of passion. He was anything but standard.

Kenneth looked like he was about to start pouring his heart out at the sight of the fossil. "An almost perfectly preserved exo-skull! The number of spikes is exactly as our revivals have generated… this was once a prime specimen! I would be happy to assist you. Follow me!"

"Kenneth?" Shawn asked. Kenneth turned to him with inquisitive eyes, prodding him to continue. "Why do you have that observation area and seats around the arena?"

"Ah," he chuckled, "That place is rarely used. League battles are sometimes held here instead of at the arenas. If an arena is damaged enough that it cannot before the next day's matches, or there simply aren't enough arenas to house the league contestants in one day, which has happened once or twice during the preliminaries, a few matches will be held at this Gym. That area is where spectating league personnel and announcers hang out."

As they entered the back room of the Gym, Diana's eyes widened. "It's nearly identical to the restoration machine from Glazeburn!"

Kenneth nodded. "I got sick of traveling to Glazeburn to revive my excursions for the league, so I had my own machine built here. Guess it's a good thing, too, considering the lab there burned down. Sad thing, that." He placed the fossil in a compartment and motioned for them to follow him. "It will take a while to restore Cranidos. In the meantime, I believe the three of you are here for a Gym Battle?" They all eagerly nodded. "Alrighty, then. Let's get started. He took his place on the battlefield and motioned for one of them to do the same.

Anthony stepped forward. "I'm going first. I had to wait a day last time." He released Grotle. Kenneth smiled as he released his first Pokemon. "This will be a two-on-two match!"

Anthony studied his opponent carefully. Legs that looked like they would barely support its weight stood firm, no doubt prepared to kick Grotle across the arena. Its rounded nose had a sheen to it, though the rest of its body looked like it was covered with dirt, and its slight mohawk looked like it had been kept only because it felt natural. It eyed Grotle and took up a ready stance.

"Mudbray, use Double-Edge!" Mudbray responded instantly, dashing at Grotle covered in a white aura.

Anthony was ready. "Earth Power in front of you!" Grotle shifted his feet and the ground shimmered as a hole opened directly into the path of the speeding Mudbray, who was unable to slow down in time and fell in. Anthony grinned while Kenneth's brow furrowed. "Next, use Seed Bomb!" Grotle smirked confidently as he tossed a pair of large seeds generated from his branches into the hole.

Kenneth was having none of it. "Double Kick!" Anthony was given no time to react as the seeds were catapulted out of the ground and in front of Grotle before exploding, clouding their vision. As the smoke cleared, Anthony heard Mudbray's next move. "Rock Slide!" Anthony heard a light yell come from below the ground as Mudbray lifted up chunks of rock from the edge of the hole, turning it into more of a small chasm, and dropped them around the arena. He observed as Grotle dodged, trying to figure out what he was planning, then looked in shock as he saw Mudbray leaping from rock to rock, ascending out of the chasm. Kenneth was confident as Mudbray leaped above Grotle. "Stomping Tantrum!" Mudbray's legs shone with a brilliant light as he prepared to dropkick Grotle into the ground.

Anthony wasn't about to let him take that. "Double-Edge!" Grotle was the one who shone with a brilliant light as he launched himself into the air and slammed directly into Mudbray's kick, resulting in a large explosion.

Anthony and Kenneth both eyed the aftermath intently, waiting to see what happened. As the smoke cleared, Mudbray was revealed to be unconscious, with Grotle breathing heavily but looking unharmed.

That was, until Anthony realized that one of Grotle's small trees had been fragmented. It would grow back after a day or two in the sun, but as for right now?

It hurt him like hell.

Kenneth looked surprised as he recalled Mudbray. "Very impressive. Most young Pokemon can't take a hit like that from Mudbray so well. Gligar!" From the Pokeball emerged a small purple and blue… bat? Scorpion? He really wasn't sure. It eyed Grotle carefully and began laughing when it saw Grotle's broken tree. Grotle scowled as Kenneth called out to begin, and immediately threw out several waves of Leech Seed before Anthony could say a word.

Gligar effortlessly dodged between them, laughing after hearing Grotle yell out a challenge. Kenneth smiled. "Finish this quickly. Cross Poison!" Gligar's arms began seeping with toxins as he flew into Grotle, who had no chance of dodging. Grotle decided, once again without Anthony's input, to tap into Superpower and charge right at Gligar. Surprised by this obviously reckless move, Gligar tried to slow down, but was too late as Grotle slammed him to the ground and began mercilessly stomping on him. Kenneth recalled Gligar. "That's enough! It's over, Grotle." Anthony ran to where Grotle was stomping the now empty space rigorously, and put his hand on his head. "It's okay, buddy. Calm down." Grotle looked up at Anthony angrily, but his eyes widened as he seemed to come back to his senses.

Anthony pulled Grotle's Pokeball from his belt. "We'll give you time to fix that tree up later, I promise. Just get some rest; you battled wonderfully." Grotle nodded and looked down solemnly as he was recalled.

Anthony turned to Kenneth. "I'm sorry about Grotle. He just evolved recently, and I think he's still adjusting to it." Kenneth waved him off. "Don't worry. Hopefully that will teach Gligar not to make fun of its opponents. Now then, take these." He handed Anthony a badge and a TM disc. "That Canyon Badge is the second step on your path to the conference this season. And that TM is for Stomping Tantrum. It's a pretty powerful move that gets stronger if used after another move fails. Not quite sure how that works, though." Anthony smiled. He was gonna teach this to someone eventually. He just wasn't sure who.

"I'm up next, Anthony." Diana stepped over to her side of the arena as it was repaired by the league Psychics. She released Piplup. Kenneth released a Silicobra.

"Begin!"

And that's a wrap! I was going to include the other Gym battles in this chapter, but I really wanted to release it today and I'm not sure how I want the other ones to play out.

As for the reason behind this, the first chapter of Excel the Limit was uploaded five years ago! I know I was gone for a long time, so it doesn't really count, but I still felt like it was important enough to warrant uploading this today. These last five years have been an absolute roller coaster ride. Thanks to everyone who's still reading so many years later.