A/N: Guess who's finally finished all their exams? I can finally get back into my regular update schedule! You have my word that there will be no sudden several-month-long hiatuses for a while. Life has just kept me busy.

Now, without further ado, to the story!

Rok's heart thundered in his chest as he stepped into the room, like pack of pineco were Exploding behind his ribs. His marks were burning, and he knew he must be glowing like a full moon, but at the moment he couldn't care less for the terrifying aura that was probably clinging to him.

All he cared about was not screwing up.

"I've done battle training before." He muttered to himself, "I can do this. It's no different from the tests we had to do back at the village."

Now if only his last test hadn't been so disastrous, that might actually be reassuring.

The panels shifted, and the robot pokémon jumped into the room. Rok gulped, his attention darting between them.

There were five, thankfully recognisable. A beedrill, a gumshoos, a raticate, a pidgeotto and…

A zangoose.

Great.

As one, the robots moved to attack, their slightly distorted growls and shrieks grating at Rok's ears like seashells being scraped together.

He yelped and reflexively opened his mouth, letting loose a stream of golden stars that exploded across the robots' silvery hides. A growl slipped between his teeth as Rok crouched lower, assuming a stance more ideal for a fight.

This was a test, so he couldn't afford to panic. It wouldn't be enough if he won, he needed to do well.

The fake raticate was the first to recover, charging forward with a shriek. Rok narrowed his eyes and darted forward, ducking under the gnashing jaws and fixing his teeth into the robot's neck. Surprisingly, the false flesh gave way, and he tasted sparks before pulling away, the raticate mimicking a pained screech as it fell.

But Rok had to let loose a pained cry of his own as what felt like dozens of tiny thorns dug themselves into his side.

"Umbreon!" he spat in frustration, and tried not to think about how that was the first time he'd used the wild-speak of his evolution.

He shot a narrow-eyed glare at his new attacker, the beedrill. With a snarl he tensed his muscles, letting the purple close over his vision as, for the second time in his life, he used Pursuit. Letting his limbs take control, he jumped up and knocked the beedrill out of the air, digging his fangs into its body. More sparks popped on his tongue as the robot went down, and a feral grin pulled itself across his face.

But he can't let his guard down no, no, no, that's how the beedrill had managed to get the drop on him in the first place and he couldn't let that happen again not if he wanted to tear all of these enemies to shreds!

The gumshoos raised forward, serrated teeth glowing brightly, but before it could even get close Rok let loose a swift attack, the volatile stars leaving dark, smoking scorch marks all over the gumshoos, which didn't even have time to fake its own pain before Rok darted forward in another pursuit, leaving it a wreck.

Three down, two to go.

The pidgeotto screeched, its beak glowing and elongating as it dived down, ready to punch a hole into Rok's form with the full force of a peck. Rock just grinned, jumping back and letting the false bird pokémon slam itself into the floor. From there, it was simple to dart in and Bite its neck, bringing it down.

And that just left the zangoose.

Rok growled as he looked at the robot. He could nearly hear the snarls of the real zangeese he'd fought several days ago with smoke, nearly feel the bruises they left on his body.

And he could absolutely feel the still-unfamiliar power thrumming through his being, so unlike the gentle energy that ran through his veins as an eevee.

If it wasn't for those zangeese, he wouldn't have evolved. He wouldn't be an exile from his own home. He wouldn't be stuck in a world where his species was enough to warrant the hatred of other pokémon.

This robot wasn't those zangeese. Giratina, it wasn't even a real zangoose! But it would serve as suitable practice until Rok could rip into the real things and taste blood instead of electricity.

"Zangoose!" The robot roared, as it darted towards him, but Rok stood his ground. Something was pulsing, deep within his mind, a compulsion building within his consciousness, ready to be set free whenever he wished it.

And he wished it.

Rok's vision flashed a whole rainbow of colours as the energy was released, pushing itself out through his eyes as swirling orbs of colourful light. They swirled around the robot, sinking into its form. The robot teetered on its legs, its eyes seeming to roll around in its metal skull before it…punched itself in the face.

Rok grinned. Ah, Confusion! This'll make things much easier, and much more satisfying.

As the zangoose slashed its own claws across its torso, creating a sparking tear in its own body, crouched, his vision going purple. As his legs propelled him towards the Confused robot, Rok couldn't help but smirk.

How fitting, to bring down a zangoose with the power they'd inadvertently forced upon him?

Rok slammed into the robot, and it quickly collapsed.

Rok smirked, relishing the smell of smoke from its crumpled form, the electricity crackling from the tears in its hide.

For a moment he could almost imagine that the smoke was the gasping, choked breaths that heralded death, and the sparks were spurts of red blood bubbling over red and…

White…

Fur…

All at once, the tension left Rok's muscles, leaving his legs shaking with the weight of his body that suddenly seemed as heavy as a boulder. He stumbled away from the broken robot, bile rising up from his throat and only sheer force of will kept him from vomiting all over the training room floor.

He tore his gaze away from the robot, trying to focus on his paws instead. But seeing the sleek, black fur only brought his mind back to the blood-thirsty rage that had consumed him just moments before.

And this time he couldn't stop himself from retching, splattering spit and stomach acid all over the shiny silver floor panels.

There was a click, and Rok's head snapped around, eyes wide and marks burning and oh Arceus his marks his stupid cursed marks dear Xerneas he's going to be sick all over again-

The door to the training room opened, and Atala stepped in, her intense gaze fixed on Rok's shuddering form.

"Come with me."

A/N: Well. That was intense.

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