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Chapter XVIII - To Move On


The boy adjusted the tight collar around his neck in discomfort. The dress shirt and tie combo was much too tight for his liking.

"Sit still, Grayson," the young boy's father scolded. "Now, we need you to be on your best behavior. Don't touch anything."

The young boy nodded in defeat and dejectedly popped open the car door. His mother exited the vehicle as his father paid the fare to the rented driver. He'd gone out of his way to reserve a ride from a professional company rather than use a taxi service. He was, after all, a man of great taste.

"Best behavior," his mother mouthed in repetition. The boy nodded exasperatedly, working again to try and fix his tie to make sure it wasn't choking him.

The airplane ride had been bad enough wearing it, but now he was no longer in the air-conditioned cabin. Mistralton was a humid city, certainly, and he certainly wasn't looking forward to staying an entire week and a half.

He took a moment to mull over the large Gym complex. The facility was officially closed as of right then, but faculty members went about in preparation for the celebration. A stage was being built for the commencement the following day, while dozens of others worked on the gardens outside to make sure they were in pristine condition. Others were painting the pink and blue structure with the greatest precision possible.

"Why're we even here?" the boy complained in the heat.

"We're supporting your aunt Skyla, so we're not going to complain."

"But for wha-"

"Shhhshh," she snapped. The boy was quick to fall back into line.

"Anna!"

Both heads turned as a lean, young figure stepped out of the Gym's main doors and began sprinting in their direction.

"What is she wearing?" the mother spoke from the corner of her mouth as she approached her husband from behind. Skyla was rapidly approaching, her lean stomach fully shown in what could only be guessed to be her Gym uniform.

However, in contrast to her disdain, the boy's mother put on a show of affection and forced a smile. "Mikayla, it's so good to see you!"

She let out a surprised 'oof' as the younger girl, crimson red hair swinging about haphazardly, brought her in for a tight hug.

"Oh Arceus, it's so good to see you! But it's not Mikayla anymore! Nope, I'm Skyla now."

"Skyla… That's an… Interesting name."

"The league had me actually change it," she giggled. "A bit more fitting for a Gym Leader, and I love it."

"Well, then… We're all so, so proud… Skyla…"

"But look at you! Wow! Jeffrey, it's always great to see you too! And look at little Grayson here! I haven't seen you since you were a baby!"

"Ray," the boy muttered under his breath. Thankfully, nobody had heard him. His parents had scolded him in the past over his use of the nickname.

"Here, come in, come in. The Gym is my home now, and standing out here is useless!"

Skyla excitedly assisted Jeffrey in grabbing a few of the bags. Meanwhile, Grayson's mother pulled him ahead of the group and towards the front door, as if to get him away from the situation.

The day went by uneventfully, mostly in the living room of the Gym's residential area as either side shared stories. Skyla was the one speaking most often, giving a basic narrative of her time as a trainer before participating in the city-wide election to choose a new Gym Leader.

Being one of the only eligible eight-badge trainers for the role, she already boasted a monotyped team she'd trained throughout her ten years as a trainer. Also, what better type of team to take over the Mistralton Gym than a flying-type team? The previous Leader had a Dark team, despite the city's main source of income stemming from their airport, the world's largest. Her bubbly personality and qualifications for the role led to a landslide election in which she was selected as one of the youngest Gym Leaders in history.

The commencement ceremony was scheduled for the next day, prompting Skyla's limited amount of family to travel and see her.

That night, the boy could hear his parents bickering as he pretended to be asleep across the room.

"She's out of control," his mother said in disdain. "This lifestyle has completely ruined her."

"Don't act like this isn't what we expected. They're disgusting creatures, honestly. Useful as pack animals, sure, but this. She's completely ditched everything she had in order to walk across the country with beasts. The fact that we're related to her!"

"It's my fault… She's my little sister, and I didn't know to teach her to know better before it was too late."

"The best thing we can do is to try and not make the same mistake with Grayson. We stay here for the weekend, then never talk to her again. You can do that, can't you?"

The boy's mother sighed. "Of course, dear…"

Grayson didn't know what to make of the conversation. From what he observed, Skyla had been nothing but nice to him and his parents. Why did they loathe her so much?

The next day was busy, certainly. Skyla had greeted her small family of relatives with a large breakfast before giving them a full tour of the facility. She detailed she'd forgotten to show them around the complex in the excitement of seeing them the previous night.

The boy found himself engrossed when they arrived in the training area of the Gym. It was vacant, as was the rest of the complex, but he could see the workout equipment left unused. He felt a faint sense of intimidation, and imagined the room filled to the brim with monsters of every kind.

"Do you like Pokémon, Grayson?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders in indecision as his mother intervened.

"No, no… Never has really been of interest to him."

Skyla's smile faded ever so slightly.

"That's alright! I bet you'd love them if you got to know them, though… Maybe another time."

The boy's parents sent one another uncertain glances, yet the boy found himself slightly intrigued. He'd tended to ignore his friends' adamancy about getting their very own Pokémon when they were to turn ten in three years' time.

The boy never shared the same drive. Of course, it was interesting to watch a battle every so often, but the Pokémon looked like they were getting hurt fighting while fighting one another. He'd been kept as far away from them as possible, anyways. He was quite scared of them, honestly, if they were as frightening as his parents had detailed them to be.

The commencement ceremony occurred a couple of hours later without a hitch. The boy, feeling some interest in the nature of Pokémon as a result of the earlier conversation, ditched his parents after Skyla had been officially declared the Gym Leader of Mistralton.

He was soon to find his aunt, wading through the crowd and accepting handshakes.

"Grayson!" she called as she noticed the young boy swerving in and out of people in the crowd. She approached and bent over so she could speak to him on his level.

"What, you got lost?"

The boy shook his head.

Skyla looked around with a glance of mock caution.

"Hey, follow me. I got somethin' to show ya."

She took his hand and began running through the crowd, ignoring the passersby who wished her well with the future of the Gym.

Skyla led the boy out of the crowd and back into the front doors of the Gym. The guards on duty let them by without so much as a word. They ran through the empty lobby and through a wide set of sliding-glass doors. The boy stopped in awe at the scene before him.

It was a simple battlefield, equipped with empty stands to the right of where he now stood.

"You ever seen a Pokémon battle before?"

"Well, uh… Nope," he said quietly, looking away. "On TV a few times, but mommy and daddy didn't like me watching that kinda stuff."

"Now why's that?"

He shrugged.

"Okay then… C'mere."

The boy approached his aunt as she unclipped an item from her belt and placed it in his outstretched palm.

It was a simple, red-and-white Pokéball. It was the first time the boy had ever held such an item. From what he knew, there was a living creature inside such a small space, right in his hand! He let his mouth drop.

Excitedly, Skyla crouched and grabbed onto the boy's shoulders from behind. Lowering her voice to a tone of mock-seriousness, she told him what to do.

"You're the trainer now, alright? These Pokémon, they're what you battle other trainers with for glory, but it's so much more than that! You're friends with your teammates, and you help each other. No trainer is anything without their Pokémon beside them, and many Pokémon don't know how to fight without a coach to guide them."

The boy could slowly feel himself getting excited. He felt like he had so much power, holding the ball Skyla had given him.

He paused for a moment, however, and stepped back.

"They hurt each other, though… I don't like that."

Skyla took a moment to absorb his concern before laughing openly. Grayson was taken aback for a moment.

"No, no, that's not it at all! A good trainer knows their Pokémon's limits and when to stop. And besides! It's like humans boxing! The Pokémon that fight love doing it, and the Pokémon that don't shouldn't have to."

Grayson was confused. The Pokémon liked fighting?

"Now, imagine you're getting ready to battle. This is a really important battle, too, and your Pokémon are pumped and ready to go! Whenever you're ready, go ahead and send out your first one!"

The boy paused for a moment. What if his parents were to come in and see him? They wouldn't be happy, certainly, but Skyla was his aunt. He was supposed to listen to her.

So, he followed directions, gasping in awe as the ball seemingly exploded in the air with a brilliant shine after he threw it. As the light faded, he realized that in its place, a large creature was hovering in the air with wings as large as he! It was magnificent!

"You wanna battle with me?" Skyla proposed, stepping up beside the child.

"W-what?"

"I'm a Gym Leader now, which means in order to get stronger, you have to battle people like me to earn badges. You're gonna get a head start on all your friends by fighting me. I'll even give you a Gym Badge if you beat me. How does that sound?"

The boy gulped in anticipation before nodding quickly.

"Alright! Do you know what species that is?"

He shook his head quietly.

"That's Terry. He's what's called an Unfezant, and a really strong one at that."

The boy nodded, clenching his fist as his confidence grew. An Unfezant. Skyla said he was really strong. How could he lose?

"If you have an Unfezant, then I have a tough battle ahead of me… I think I'll choose…"

Skyla reached down to her belt once more and plucked another ball. This time, she threw it, the white light materializing into another bird. This one was much more stocky, sporting black feathers over pink skin.

"Delilah the Mandibuzz. A scary one, that's for sure. You can beat her though, right?"

The battle, ironically Skyla's first as a Gym Leader, was soon to commence. Skyla gave the boy a short talk about what moves Terry the Unfezant knew. Moves he could use to overwhelm his opponent and become victorious.

The 'battle', if one could even call it that, was a slaughter in favor of Grayson. Despite shouting only the two moves he remembered at random intervals, he'd prevailed! After one, last Wing Attack, Delilah fell, fainted.

Skyla, amused by the situation and thankful for the act her two teammates had helped her arrange, returned the acting Mandibuzz and instructed Grayson on how to retrieve the Unfezant.

That day, a new world was opened in Grayson's eyes. He met multitudes of Pokémon of all different types before his parents found him. Gym Leaders from all over Unova were present, and he was disappointed, to say the least, when they respectfully declined his challenge to battle them all after Skyla had introduced him.

Yet, he learned the names of many different species that day as well. From the silly Vanilluxe to the scary Hydreigon. He learned the names of many Gym Leaders as well, all of whom he would eventually defeat in combat.

That night, with the victorious Terry released from his ball, Skyla came to tuck him in. It was then she rewarded him with her Badge, a legitimate one, for his efforts and success in defeating her earlier that day.

"You like being called Ray, right?"

Grayson's eyes lit up. "How did yo-"

"I heard you earlier… And, to be honest, I don't care what your parents say. I think it's a great name."

Grayson beamed, smiling as Skyla stood up and exited the room.

He couldn't sleep that night, to say the least. His parents were out with Skyla, enjoying dinner at a restaurant for grown-ups. Breaking his bedtime rule, he excitedly turned on the TV and began watching Pokémon-related programs. There was so much to learn after all, and the experience had been exhilarating.

It was an entirely new world to the boy, one he had not known even existed twenty-four hours before. A world he was determined to leave his mark upon.

And so it began. It was on that night he commenced in counting down the days before his tenth birthday. Convincing his parents would be a feat in itself, but he was determined.

He would one day become the greatest trainer to ever live.


I eventually fell asleep on Skyla's lap despite the cooling air outside. It was dusk by the time I'd let myself go under, in quite a serene setting despite the chaos over the past few days.

Now, though, it was time. I was asleep, and that meant only one thing was coming.

"Mew. I need to talk to you."

I hadn't spawned in a single instant into the void I knew to be my mind. Rather, I simply became aware, as if I'd already been in the position I now found myself in for hours.

"That was fast. Thought I'd have you already in Somin's dreams by the time you figured out where you were."

The legendary popped into existence in front of me, bobbing up and down in the air lazily. I hated to ruin her lackadaisical manner, but words needed to be exchanged.

"I can't see Somin tonight."

"Aw, c'mon Ray. I know you and him are fighting, but-"

"Mew, this isn't about some stupid argument. We're in gigantic trouble, and I don't want Somin here to weigh on my conscience. He's not the best decision maker in the world."

She was quick to close her eyes frustratedly.

"What did you see?"

"Alder's coming. Alder, the champion Alder. I read a letter he sent to Drayden, and he was pissed, Mew. Pissed that Drayden was 'helping' me."

The feline let this sit in her head for a moment.

"Mind imagining someplace, y'know, less dark? I can't think."

I simply nodded my head after absorbing the command. The last time I'd tried this ended in failure.

"You want me to get Vita in here? She's good with this kind of stuff, isn't she?"

"Sure, fine. Look, I don't care about Somin doing much if everyone's here. Are you able to do that?"

"Probably not. Three max is all I can manage right now. So you get one choice outside Vita, if any."

I thought for a moment.

I still need to get Misa in here. I need to keep a slot open. Would Vita really be the best at this?

"Scratch that. I need you to bring someone else in here with us later, someone who can help. Get Victor. He's the best when it comes to rough decisions like this."

"Aye aye, captain," Mew saluted sarcastically before tumbling in the air. I rolled my eyes and got back to concentrating on scenery.

The courtyard in Drayden's Gym was the first place to come to mind. Dusk, when I'd fallen asleep. The sky had lit up in an amazingly orange color as the sun began its hiding behind the rolling hills leading to the faraway Twist Mountain Range. The air was crisp, cool, the kind that bit at my nose and made me want to pull the hood of a sweatshirt over my head. The soft gurgle of the mini waterfall as it connected with the pond of fish below. The gray stepping stones scattered amongst the neatly-trimmed, luscious grass, and separate from the concrete trail of similar hue. Lastly, the wooden benches, smoothed over by age to be void of splinters and cracks.

"Damn, nice job."

I opened my eyes. I hadn't even concentrated on recreating the landscape, yet here it was before me. I supposed imagining it was more than enough, leading me to question why it hadn't worked when I tried it before. Perhaps my ability, however limited, to conjure visual illusions had helped in that regard?

"Almost done, and just to say it, you look really nice, you know that?"

Curious as to what she meant, I looked down at myself and stared for a moment in silence, pondering what was wrong. It was my normal Zorua body, that I'd apparently grown entirel-

"GAH!" I screamed, hopping back. As soon as I began thinking of the prospect I was no longer human, even within my own mind, my form fizzled out of existence, black fur replaced with tanned skin as my perspective grew in height.

"The hell was that!" I spewed angrily. "Why wasn't I human?!"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"No! I felt completely nor-... Completely normal."

"Exactly. You startin' to get used to being a Zorua?"

"No! I just… I stopped thinking about it for a bit. That has to be it."

"Well, your consciousness just automatically popped up as a Zorua. Think that says a lot about how much better you're adjusting, huh?"

"Mew, cut it out! I hate this body, I really do!"

"Doesn't matter if you hate it, silly. Only matters if you start seeing yourself as a Zorua without having to think about it. One time, I lost a bet and had to be a Weedle for a few years. No matter how much I didn't like it, I got so used to that body that by the time I reverted back, it took forever for me to get used to being good 'ol me again."

"Right… Whatever, just… Forget it. Where's Victor?"

"Not asleep yet. Can't drag him here while he's still awake. No power in ball, remember?"

"Do we wait for him, then, or…?"

"You said you wanted me to see someone else tonight? Who?"

"The Axew," I said straight up, prompting Mew to flinch.

"Yeah… About her…"

"What?"

She scratched the back of her head guiltily. I rolled my eyes.

"Is it because you didn't go to tell her off like I asked?"

"No!... Maybe…"

"Don't worry about it. We worked things out, and this is about something else."

"Ray, she doesn't sleep."

"What?"

"I haven't seen her sleep once since I've been here. Even if she's kinda sleeping, her mind's waaaaay too active to wrangle her in here."

"Nightmares, then?"

"Like, really bad nightmares if she's actually asleep. You got any idea what her deal is?"

"Maybe… Okay, while we wait for Vic, then, I got something important to ask you.

"What's that?" Mew responded, floating towards me with a tilted head. I motioned my head over to one of the benches and had the legendary follow me as I sat. She laid her torso over my right shoulder, letting her hind paws drape over my back carelessly.

I looked towards the orange sky, caught forever in its brilliance within my mind.

"I have no idea who to trust, Mew. On the outside, it's all so confusing. Drayden's been giving me major red flags, but he's spoken out for me. Skyla I can probably trust, but I can't bring myself to tell her anything. And even then, Alder, who's obviously against Drayden here. If Drayden's bad then Alder's good, but Alder sounds like he hates me."

"Where're you going with this?"

"I need someone to talk to, Mew. Someone I can trust."

"What's wrong with me, then?" she asked innocently. I could hear a bit of mock offense seep into her voice, as if she were jealous.

"Nothing, Mew, but we only get to talk to each other for so long, and with a ton of limits. I… I've reached out to Misa."

"The Axew? I thought you hated her."

"Well, yeah. She's big-headed and really egotistical, but she's sincere, and I know why she has a confidence complex now. Her parents abandoned her before we got to Twist, Mew. If nothing else, she's got no opinion towards anything happening, and doesn't have enough information to make her own conclusions."

"You two made friends, then."

"No. We're not friends."

"Oh ho," Mew laughed sarcastically, "mind telling me what you are, then?"

"Acquaintances, accomplices, whatever. It doesn't matter what she is to me, it just matters that I think we can trust her. I want to tell her I'm a human."

After I finished speaking, Mew mulled over the idea for a few moments.

"Is there a point? From what you've told me she sounds pretty hard-headed. I don't think she'll take you seriously."

"I'll show her proof, then, it doesn't matter. The important thing is that I wanted your input on it. I really feel like I need to get this whole thing off my chest, and I could really use someone to help me out when the time comes to break out. If you still haven't noticed, I got no idea how to fight or do anything."

"It's not like you'll not fighting the dragons when the time comes. Simple as that. I doubt even Somin could take them on if they actually tried. Think our best bet is to run at the first chance we get."

"What if we get separated, then? What happens?"

"I track you and come pick you up. Nothing stopping me from lifting you up and flying you wherever you need to go, even if I can't teleport you."

"You're missing the point, Mew."

"Ray, do whatever you want," Mew said indifferently, shrugging her shoulders. "We'll make plans with Victor including and not including the Axew, and see what he says works for the rest of your team. Sound good?"

"Fine, fine. There's other things we need to talk about, though."

"Like what?"

"Vicus, mainly… Also Drayden. Misa says he can understand her, like she's not a Pokémon."

"That's… Weird?"

"I know! I mean, she could just be mistaken, but there's been so much stuff going on that I have no clue what to think about it. Do you think it has something to do with whoever Vicus is?"

"Ray, I got no clue, honest. I've started losing awareness of where I am, to be honest. It's like, I've not moved for so long that I stopped seeing things. I don't even know if Vicus is with me anymore, to be honest, and even if he was, I don't know what I can do. He leaves the room whenever someone comes to visit, so I don't even hear anything to boot."

"Well, uh… What do we do, then?"

"You're the only one that can do anything right now. Keep pressing, see if you can find out who this guy is. To escape, one thing needs to happen. I need to be released"

"How do I do that? If Vicus is next to you all the time, then-"

"Doesn't matter. Explore the complex a bit, and see what you find. I'll always be here, and as long as they don't know you're you, what are they gonna do if they find you?"

Mew was right. I would be scolded, and even punished, certainly, but in the end, I was a hatchling. None of my actions would have major repercussions as long as I remained that way in their eyes.

"Hey, someone's waking you up."

"Huh?"

"You're fading… Ray? You hear me?"

"Mew?"

I looked down at myself. My form was fizzling out of existence. Slowly but surely, the scenery around me crumpled as I became more transparent.

"Damn. I'll see you tomorrow. Good luck with telling the Axew, and don't worry about planning. I'll talk to Vita and Victor about it tonight. Get some real rest for once, take a break. I'll seeya around."


I groggily opened my eyes as I groaned. I felt none of the vitality I'd felt within my mind with Mew. Rather, I was pretty unhappy with being woken.

"Shh, shh," a soothing voice spoke as I felt myself being bounced up and down about in a smooth and calm way. I felt the faintest sensation of being carried, but gave no mind to it. I simply shifted around for a few moments before calming and closing my eyes once again.


I didn't want to get up. This was simply one of those peaceful mornings in which everything was perfect. Unlike the previous day, after having had blood drawn, I felt anything but restless.

I simply reveled in the act of letting my mind go blank, silently enjoying the serenity of my surroundings, whatever they may be.

I only chose to open my eyes as I felt yet another shift in movement beside me, promptly followed by a set of fingers twirling through the pompadour of fur atop my head. I blinked a few times to adjust.

"Morning, Nox," Skyla said sweetly. I laid on top of the sheets, nestled in against her side. She was now awake, and scratching the top of my head. I stretched absentmindedly, an action she took as approval.

A feeling of contentedness rose within me. She seemed much better off in mood than she had during the previous night.

"I didn't think you would want to stay outside last night, so I brought you in to stay with me. Is that alright?"

I smiled for a moment before nodding. Despite my predisposition against the gesture, her repeated scratching felt rather nice and reassuring.

"Ray… Never told me about you. I'm happy he hatched you, though. I'm sure he would've made a great guardian."

I nodded solemnly for a moment, careful not to react in any way as to reveal my identity. Skyla smiled softly.

"Sorry, I've been going about this a bit quickly… Have we really introduced ourselves to each other?"

I shook my head after mulling it over for a few seconds. The small interaction on the walk to the train while we were in Timberline hardly counted.

"Well, I'm Ray's Aunt, Skyla, another Gym Leader here in Unova, but I'm from far away. I'm Ray's mother's sister, and we were very close to each other."

I nodded slowly in understanding.

"Drayden's letting me stay here for a little while until everything gets sorted out with your trainer. But until then, we can be friends, right?"

I hardly waited a moment before nodding. I was eager to catch up with the Gym Leader, and begin making up for the period in which I'd completely shunned her as a human. If I had the opportunity of being born again, why not fulfill that life with rectifying the mistakes of my past self?

Who was I kidding? I was still Ray Alston, nothing had changed. I was in a new body, sure, but internally, I was entirely me. Or at least I hoped so.

"Your Axew friend was apparently asking about you last night after you fell asleep. Do you want to go get some breakfast?"

My mind flitted back for a moment to the decision I'd made in regards to telling Misa my identity. I let my gaze wander for a moment in retrospection. Mew gave me full discretion to do as I pleased, so why was I feeling hesitant? I'd already committed to confiding in Misa for the time being. If so, why did my legs feel heavy when I tried standing?

Skyla took my attempts to rise as an affirmative to the question. She shifted herself in such a way as to escape the sheets that otherwise held her captive, crossed the room, and opened the door before waiting as I followed suit.

Light flooding into the hallway from the various windows in the main living area relayed the information it was already well into the morning. I thought for a moment about how I'd been told of a hatchling's inclination to spend most of their time asleep, which would explain how I felt not at all odd following the passage of at least two thirds of the last 24 hours in unconsciousness.

Nobody was in the kitchen or the living room, oddly. However, I was happy for the company in the form of Skyla. She soon asked where my food was, leading me to point with my snout towards the cabinet in which Skipp, more often than not, kept the food I'd been told as being specifically designed for hatchlings to aid in their development. It tasted like mush, yet, much like the milk I'd been subjected to before growing small teeth, I'd grown begrudgingly used to it.

Skyla herself had only ventured outside of her room once before in the wake of the attack following our arrival to Opelucid. Yet, in sharp contrast to the mood swings I'd seen her struggling with in Timberline and last night, she seemed rather content. I gave myself a small bit of credit for such a shift in behavior. I liked to think my company and connection to Ray helped her heal, if only slightly.

How would she react to the discovery I was actually her nephew, however? She would have to know in the end, wouldn't she? Or, if I played my cards correctly, I could play it all off and nobody would be any wiser. They would have to question, however, the disappearance of Nox the Zorua, having been such an influential and integral part of the complex for even a short period of time.

It'd been about three and a half weeks since the incident itself took place. Nearly a month in a body that wasn't my own. It would be impossible to dispose of such a persona that had grown from relationships I'd made and recreated during this strange period in my lifetime.

I'd made it nearly halfway through my breakfast when the door leading into the courtyard flew open and crashed against the back wall. A bulky figure had quite the struggle fitting through the door itself.

"Goddamnit," Crag the Druddigon muttered to himself. "This sort of crap is the reason I sleep in the TEC."

"Oh! Good morning, Druddigon!" Skyla exclaimed, opting to act as if she hadn't been sheltered away during the previous week.

"Sure, hi, whatever," he blew the Gym Leader off as he popped through the doorframe and into the kitchen. Even from my vantage point on the countertop, he towered at least three more feet above me.

"Kid, you're comin' with me," he stated with brevity, focusing a pair of dull yellow eyes on my reaction. I was confused, to say the least. Was Drayden to have another unannounced event that required my presence?

I thought it better to comply rather than argue with the bulkiest member of Drayden's team. Sighing, I said a quick goodbye to Skyla and regrettably found my way off the counter and onto the floor. I waited patiently as Crag turned and took a few moments to push his jagged, useless wings back through the door.

"First lesson," he iterated as we began making our way across the courtyard and towards the TEC. "Don't make me come find you. You ain't gonna be waitin' on anyone when you're fightin', so what's gonna happen is gonna happen only if you want it. Got me?"

"Uhh… Kinda? What's this about?"

"It's your lucky day, kid. It's about damn time you learned when to fight."

"W-wait," I stuttered, the gears turning in my head. This only spelled disaster. "We're doing this now?"

"When else? When the enemy's bangin' at our door? Nah, nah. You're gonna learn, all right, and learn quick, too. I been told you're a quick learner."

"Maybe? I don't know?"

"Well, the other one's already in the TEC, workin' with Vulcan. And I'll be damned if I let myself fall behind Vulcan and his old ass."

I couldn't help but snort somewhat at the statement.

"You think I'm funny? Well good! Cause I fuckin' am! Funny until the actual work starts. That's when everyone quits laughin'."

He flashed an item he'd been apparently holding in one of his claws before tossing it into the air. I let it fall to the ground in front of me, perplexed.

"You ain't gonna catch it? At least do me the courtesy of pickin' it up and bringin' it back to me."

With the statement, the Druddigon stopped dead in his tracks. I did likewise.

"Go on. Pick it up and bring it back. Fetch."

I sent him a confused glance.

"Do I have to repeat myself?!" he roared. I felt my heart kick into action as his voice shook the ambience. I could even feel a rumble beneath my paws as his command reverberated amongst the inner walls of the courtyard. I took no extra time before chomping down on what was revealed to be a slice of Sitrus before taking off towards him as fast as my injured leg would allow.

"Don't you let a drop of that fall into your mouth! You gotta earn the energy!"

He laid out his claw as I drew close. Careful to heed his command, I simply tilted my head in such a way to where I could drop it without issue.

He paused for a moment before standing back up to his full height. I looked upon him with a sense of intimidation.

He proceeded to wind up and throw the slice across the grounds. I looked at him confusedly for only a moment, a glance met with a harsh stare from the greater being.

"You gonna get that? I think it slipped," he scowled, glance quickly shifting into one of hunger. I wasted no time in taking off again, for fear of being met with another one of his roars.

The slice of Sitrus was now considerably dirtied by the grassy patch it'd been thrown in. I grabbed it and sprinted back towards the looming Druddigon, giving no mind to why I was performing such a mundane task. I would've ran miles if he told me to, not out of respect, but purely from an instinctive intimidation I couldn't help but deny. The behemoth could tear me limb from limb effortlessly if he so desired.

I dropped the Sitrus slice in his outstretched claw again. He waited about four seconds then threw it again, in near the exact same spot. I only sent him a small, exasperated glance I hoped he didn't see before running to retrieve it once more.

This exchange, as embarrassing as it was, went on for approximately ten minutes. He always threw the slice in nearly the exact same spot, and it only got progressively more disgusting to handle as time went on.

Every time I'd stopped for even a moment to rest, he'd either roar at me or send me an aggressive glare. I combed my mind multiple times to determine what I was doing wrong. There had to be a reason, right?

I eventually got into the rhythm of the constant back and forth movement, and could complete the circuit in as little as ten seconds. Despite my leaving early more often than not, however, Crag always maintained his four-second gap before tossing the Sitrus slice again.

During one attempt, I'd only been two feet away from ground zero as it fell. After retrieving and bringing it back on attempt 58, as I counted, I simply sprinted back to the site, stopped, and watched as the slice completed its arc in the sky and landed in front of me.

The next attempt, 59, was the first one I'd actually tried catching the slice as it fell. Lack of coordination, however, meant I miscalculated where it would fall. It hit me square between the eyes. I wasted no time in trying again.

Something was different about Crag on attempt 60, when I'd succeeded in catching the slice and trotting back. The Druddigon simply grabbed hold of it, but paused as I sprinted back to the landing zone. He hadn't moved so much as a muscle, prompting me to return. Was it finally over?

"Swallow it this time," he simply said as he tossed the slice straight up in the air. Questioning not how undoubtedly filthy it was, and instead simply glad to be finished running, I tracked it, opened my mouth, and let the tarnished piece of Sitrus fall in. It practically disintegrated by the time it bounced off my tongue. I made quick work of chewing and swallowing it, grimacing at the disgusting taste.

Crag had already begun walking towards the TEC. I simply panted in defeat as I conceded to trail him.


"There's always a hidden answer, some way to get past, everythin', and fightin's no exception."

This was the first real lesson I'd been taught, and throughout the entirety of the day, he'd made sure those words were ingrained within my skull enough times to last me a lifetime.

Somin, Vulcan, and Crag all had widely different styles of teaching. Vulcan's method was most desirable in my mind, as it seemed Misa was having a relatively fun time hopping about with the simple agility exercises she performed across the tournament grounds. The Haxorus, an obvious choice as her mentor, gave her pointers every so often, including the use of her tusks as a weapon.

Somin's method of self-teaching was frustrating, certainly. I hadn't forgotten his instruction to practice cultivating my energy into a move, even with the miniscule amount of direction he'd provided. His method was one of self-discovery, in which I could find whatever method worked best for me and build off of it.

Crag's methodology, conversely, was hell. It seemed he forgot at any given moment that I simply appeared as nothing more than a hatchling. While the change of treatment was refreshing, I couldn't call it at all enjoyable.

He would teach the simplest of points through the most convoluted of lessons, as if I couldn't simply take direction without proving each and every theorem regarding battle he whizzed at me.

A majority of our time was spent in a single exercise, a 'game' Crag liked to called 'Don't Let Go'. The object of the game was simple. I was to jump and dodge a few, effortless attacks the Druddigon would throw at me before finding a suitable spot in which I could use my jaw strength, or lack thereof, to bite down on the Druddigon in any place possible. That was the easy part.

The difficulty of the game came as the Druddigon began spinning, and trusted me to hang on as he writhed about. Of course, a lack of prominent teeth was an issue, but on top of that, the Druddigon's skin hurt. As in, painful to the touch. It felt like his scales were as sharp as thorns. It was a rare occasion, certainly, in which I was able to hang on for any more than three seconds.

His justification for the exercise? Jaw strength was a key attribute of Dark-types, a generalization I'd never once heard, especially considering the Zorua line didn't even naturally learn Bite, let alone Crunch. Was an exercise of this caliber truly necessary?

I found myself pleased, however, when faced with and given the ability to overcome situations that would have previously caused harm and further injury. The astroturf grass caused for some smooth landings more often than not as my jaw strength failed me. I learned rather quickly how to land safely on a whim, regardless. If anything, the exercise was useful in learning recovery following a hard hit. My leg was holding together rather well, and, as promised by Seraph the previous night, I must have been 'fully healed'. The nurses the previous day had completely cleared me for all sorts of physical activity.

In addition, the bandage had been removed upon entering the TEC with Crag. The lack of covering of the site of the injury prompted a chilling feeling whenever I was to move excessively. The fur around was shaved and slowly growing back in, and looking at the jagged scar that remained and would show prevalently for all time remaining in this body was unsettling.

Crag, for no other reason besides his having the largest Dark-type arsenal on Drayden's entire team, had been selected to be my mentor in battle technique and instruction.

After perhaps three or four hours of exercises consisting mainly of 'Don't Let Go', Crag stopped, and instructed me to do likewise.

"Alright. You're smart enough to know battling ain't all physical activity. You gotta keep stamina up in your core, don'tcha?"

I nodded quickly, struggling to catch my breath. Once again, I found myself struggling to keep up with the Druddigon's exceedingly quick pace, giving me no time to protest the sudden transition into a new life of training.

I supposed it was for the best. I wasn't exactly enjoying myself, but I had some reassurance in the notion that I was on the path to learning how to hold my own in a fight. Such had been one of the more anticipated aspects of my new life, and the last thing I wanted was to be forced into another situation like the attack when arriving in Opelucid.

"I been told you can do Illusions. How much you done so far?"

"Uhh, well… I can speak for a bit with illusions… I've only been able to make myself see something once, and it was nothing close to the real thing."

"Huh… Well, we start there then. Show me a Druddigon."

"W-what?"

"You heard me, didn'tcha? You got a nice, beautiful, and perfect model here to work offa, too. So get to it."

Crag paused for a moment before looking away and muttering to himself. I watched as he crossed the field and reached into a bag that'd been placed haphazardly on one of the benches.

Without warning, he chucked the item into the air. Recognizing the same exercise as earlier, I was quick to hop into action and wait for it to fall. It met the object, yet another fruit slice, by rearing up on my hind legs and jumping as it came into range. I fumbled the object within my mouth for a moment before biting down, hard. The juice squirted out of my mouth and down my throat without any predetermined pattern as I chewed and swallowed. The taste indicated to me the Berry was Sitrus.

"A'ight, go for it."

Without any further question, I stared roughly at the Druddigon, taking note of each and every jagged corner, each individual color, even so much as his facial expression. I made sure to burn the image of Crag within my mind as I closed my eyes, opened a connection, and tried recreating the image.

It was much more difficult conjuring a being of this size, however, than a simple apple, which was all I'd been able to accomplish previously. I started from the bottom up as if I were trying to photocopy the dragon through the illusionary connection. Even then, I could feel the connection begging for more energy in order to receive the sheer amount of information needed to relay the image of the dragon. I could mentally create the Illusion, but I didn't have near the power required to complete it.

I was only able to make it about halfway up before my endurance ran thin and I had to stop. The Sitrus had hardly helped.

"That it?"

"I think that's all I can do."

"I ain't one to judge you on how much or how little you can do with Illusions, but I sure as hell know if it takes that long to do somethin' that little, you done already lost the fight. Work on it."

I nodded solemnly. At least now, however, I had a legitimate reason to practice my grasp on Illusions. As far as I knew, I was still ahead of the metaphorical curve. Most kits around the age of my body were only just learning to walk.

"You ever done a move?"

I shook my head.

"I'm guessin' it's pretty similar. This is how we're gonna go forward with this, though. I'm gonna walk ya through how to direct the energy that's gonna be the stuff you use for all the moves you ever do. After that, though, masterin' attacks's just a matter of how you form the energy and use it to your advantage. Got me?"

"Kinda."

"Example. Say, I wanna use Dragon Pulse. Simple as charging my claws with energy, pushin' out the energy in a controlled way to make a ball, then release."

For clarification, he followed his own directions, firing a fairly-large Dragon Pulse outwards only to have it fizzle away within twenty feet.

"Now, I wanna use Dragon Claw. How do I do that?"

"... Well, wouldn't you just coat your claws in energy instead of make a projectile with it?"

"Basically. See? Simple as that. Gets a bit more complicated when you wanna use more than one kind of move, but you ain't gonna be worrying about that for a while."

"Yeah…"

"Whatever. You'll figure it out eventually even if you got no clue what I'm sayin' right now. Let's get to it."

Much like Somin had instructed two nights previous, Crag told me to squeeze my energy from all areas in my body except for my right, front paw. I contracted as hard as I could, eager to finally be practicing. No matter how hard I tried holding it, however, nothing happened. It seemed as soon as I took my attention off of one area, the energy would simply inadvertently flow like water back into the crevasses it no longer occupied.

I shook my head after a while in defeat.

"Don't stop."

"Crag, I-"

"DON'T STOP."

The roar was quick to get me back into a submissive mindset. My ears rang from the sheer volume of the Druddigon's voice.

"Come on! An Elgyem is comin' at you! You're gonna let yourself be fuckin' taken out by a Psychic-type?! You're a Dark-type, and I'm gonna guess Yveltal doesn't take well to disappointments! Make. A. Fuckin'. Move!"

I tried retracting and extending my claws as I flexed every single muscle in the area possible out of sheer helplessness. It seemed, however, an instinctive reaction in my body caused for energy to flood in the area.

In recognition of the sudden shift, I flexed more. Was the action really the correct direction? If I were to concentrate and flex a muscle, energy would automatically flood the area as if to support it. I dug my claws into the astroturf below and shut my eyes tight.

My paw, simultaneously and without warning, caught fire and froze. My senses had no way of describing the soothing-yet-vigorous response to allowing enough energy to make its way to the appendage.

Much to my shock, ceasing in clenching the muscles didn't have an effect on the sensation. Energy still circulated within my paw, now seemingly separated from my core. I shook it vigorously, taken aback by the sudden change of pace.

Was this over-extension? No, I felt perfectly fine. But for the life of me I couldn't get rid of the sensation in my paw.

"Open your eyes, kid."

I hadn't yet gone as far as to do that. Following Crag's instruction, however, I was surprised to find my paw had since become the source of black wisps of energy as they escaped and fizzled out of existence.

"It's a start. Energy's self-sustaining now. You've separated it completely from the core and now it's just a bunch of independent energy that can't escape your paw unless you let it. Feels weird, don't it?"

"Y-yeah."

"You'll get used to it. That wisp stuff is what happens when you're only a little bit charged. It'll actually start glowing when you feed it more power. Now that it's separated, though, it ain't gonna take any extra energy to keep it up. You're charged with as much energy as you let get separated from you. It ain't much, but it's enough to keep itself up. More powerful moves need more of a charge, yada yada yada, you get the jist."

"What do I do now, then?"

"I'll give you one free shot."

"What?"

"Hit me. With your paw. Now."

"Uhh…" I said, resigning to hobble forward while keeping all weight off my paw. I was afraid placing it on the ground would cause something bad to happen. The sensation of fire and ice flowing through the limb was still as intense as it was before.

I stopped a few feet short of the Druddigon's shin, considering I only measured at my full height to just below his knee. Tentatively, I reached out, wound up, and smacked his shin with my paw.

I could feel a vacuum-like sensation as the fire-and-ice feeling in my paw receded, sucked out of my body and absorbed into that of the Druddigon.

"Damn. That almost hurt a little bit."

I felt my ears lay against my head with the condescending jab.

"It's still a start. Now that you got a feel for it, you can feed more energy into any area you want and make your attacks stronger. Careful to only charge yourself when you wanna use a move, though. Once you're charged, that energy's not yours no more. No take-backs. If you discharge it into nothin', fine, but it'll automatically get absorbed if you touch a 'mon. So, say you charge up and accidentally touch my mother. There's no stopping you from hurtin' her old, poor soul, and nothin' stoppin' me from tearing you apart. Got me?"

"Mhmm," I simply said, satisfied. I gave a quick glance over to where Misa and Vulcan were sparring with one another. Misa leapt into the air at a height about twice her size, spun, and clumsily tried crashing down on the towering dragon with her tusks, which were outlined in golden-blue, draconic energy. Vulcan simply reached up and intercepted the hit, absorbing the volatile energy in the process of deflecting the Axew herself.

She was more advanced than I'd imagined. Perhaps it was a better teaching method and personal pointers in the form of Vulcan, but she was doing leaps and bounds better than I myself. I felt a small flare of jealousy sit at the forefront of my mind for a moment.

But, Crag had been right. It was a start.


By the end of the day, I was proud to say I'd succeeded in funneling and detaching enough energy in my paw in order to make it glow, however faintly. Crag had detailed it was the sign of a successful charge. The greater the glow, the greater the indication of how much power was invested. The entire process was exhausting, but I appreciated his allowance of my taking small breaks during this segment.

I remembered Somin had detailed to me my core was like a muscle to be trained like any other. The more I trained it, the more energy it would create. Increasing my stamina was vital to be successful, and now I had the basic keys to success.

I knew how to conjure Illusions. I knew how to charge my limbs with power, though not exactly how to mold it into coherent moves. The rest was on me to experiment and become fluent with. Only with training at my own pace would I become a successful battler.

As always when faced with the prospect, however, I questioned whether or not this was truly necessary. To protect myself was a necessity, of course, but I found myself daydreaming about what I'd be like as an adept battler one too many times. I was becoming hopeful for one of the more interesting aspects of being a Zorua when, if all went to plan, such a life would never come to fruition.

I came out of the day sore from physical exercise, but fulfilled through learning one of the most important things to know about my new body. Crag was an intimidating figure, certainly, but his motivation through intimidation was what allowed me to proceed without question.

I only began questioning the brevity of the transition into battling lessons as I was crossing the courtyard with Misa back towards Drayden's residence. She was going on about how awe-inspiring of a battler Vulcan was, but I found myself questioning why Drayden had waited for such a little time after my healing before pressuring me into battling. Alder was coming, which may have been a factor, but was it something I would have to worry about?

"So, you gonna show me?"

"Show you what?"

"Jeez, at least try to pay attention when your Master's talking… Show me what you learned, shortstack!"

"Oh, uh, well," I said, looking away for a moment. I paused before flooding my paw with as much energy as I could manage in order to impress even somewhat. My accomplishments paled in comparison to hers, so I went as far as to slightly overextend myself to engulf my paw in a consistently-radiant shade of deep purple.

"Huh. Whatever. Not as strong as you say you are, huh?"

Somewhat miffed, I stopped, pivoted, and wasted no time in slamming my paw into the Axew's stomach. I felt the heightened sense of the vacuum as the small dragon absorbed my volatile energy.

As she reeled in obvious shock I burst out into laughter. She took a few steps back before correcting herself, leaning over, and panting.

"The hell was that for?! That hurt, prick!"

"Sorry!" I yelled with no meaning behind the word, "Stronger than you thought, huh?"

She sent me a devilish glare as I saw the faintest of golden-blue outlines engulf her tusks. I took it as indication to run, and so I did, taking off in a random direction while laughing openly.

"Get back here!"

I ran in circles for about half a minute, happy I was able to outpace the bipedal creature with my extra legs. She'd nearly caught me twice, jumped, and dug her tusks into the ground where I'd been not a moment prior. Despite the imminent danger of being hit by the attack, I felt elated and alive.

"Coward!"

"Guess I'm faster, too!" I taunted back, setting my sights on the grassy patch of the courtyard. I stopped and, looking confidently back towards the Axew, charged my paw once more.

"We doing this, then? Rematch from a few weeks ago?"

"Oh, you're so on, shorty! I'm gonna crush you!"

"Try it."

Misa, finally glad I was remaining still, lowered her head and charged. I did likewise, digging my claws into the dirt below to gain momentum. With my paw still charged, I stopped dead a few feet before I would have otherwise collided with the dragon, instead sidestepping in the hopes of knocking her away as she passed.

However, all she had to do was correct her movements with a simple head turn. As I leapt forward with paw outstretched, she whipped her head to the side, catching her left tusk under my elbow. It dug into my ribcage, and I got to feel the full brunt of the draconic energy as it flooded my system.

It was a feeling I hadn't felt before… I could feel each and every bit of Misa's power as it invaded my body and attacked my core. My energy levels dropped significantly, leaving my muscles weak and sore after only a single hit.

By the time it fizzled out, taking with it a large majority of the energy I had within my system of the time, I was on the ground several feet away, struggling to regain my breath. Despite the rapid exhaustion to set it due to the lack of energy in the wake of the attack, in addition to the less noticeable physical pain to flare up from my ribs, I began giggling uncontrollably.

I'd skimmed Misa with my paw during her pass. She was in much the same state as I, having already absorbed the energy before, now compiled with the damage I'd just accomplished.

I struggled to get to my feet, woozy yet elated. I'd gotten the life beaten out of me in such a simple exchange, yet I felt more alive in the following moments than I ever had.

"Misa, that was awesome!" I cheered. My first actual battle! Ever! It was exhilarating! Energy was quick to replace itself within my body. My core seemed to be reflecting my emotions in its productivity. How had I not been told how invigorating a feeling it was to be in a battle? Was it my own psyche, or an instinctive response to such a natural occurrence for my body?

"Ah, shut up already, wouldya?"

I helped the Axew to her feet. She seemed to be in an even worse state than I, having taken not one, but two of my attacks, however weaker they were in comparison to hers.

"Another tie?"

"No! You got a free hit on me! That ain't fair!"

"Life's not fair."

She groaned and took a moment to seethe. She was quickly regaining her strength as well, and began making way towards the pool in the opposite corner of the courtyard. I followed her excitedly.

She wasted no time in dipping a hand into the water and bringing it up to her mouth to drink.

"You sure that's clean water?"

"Tastes fine to me."

I shrugged and turned towards the natural water feature. My muscles locked for a moment when faced with it. I was more than happy to lay down by the edge, however, in a much less movable position. I reached forward and lapped up a few gulps of the frigid water with my tongue.

"So."

"So?..."

Misa cleared her throat, "You talk with your imaginary friend last night?"

My stomach dropped. I'd forgotten in the moments prior of the commitment I'd made to tell Misa my secret. I could still retract if I wanted to.

"Yeah… We talked for a little bit," I said simply, hoping to stretch the conversation for as long as possible.

"You gonna tell me your secret, then?"

I looked away and into the pool of water before me, caring not for the feeling of apprehension to rise as it shifted and swirled about. If I were to tell her, there wouldn't be a better time to do so.

And yet I remained silent, quietly embracing the calm before the storm. If I were to tell her, there would be no way to predict her reaction. My life, as a result of trusting her enough to tell her, could have just as easily strayed into a downward spiral from which I would never be able to recover.

Despite my best efforts to put it out of my mind, I found myself slowly acclimating to that idea.

And yet, there was no way out.


I'm glad to say I'm fairly proud of this chapter and how long it took to write. I completed about 95% of the entire chapter during one, four-hour sitting, not including editing. I believe the constant train of thought helped greatly in making a generally solid chapter.

One of the more anticipated aspects of Ray's character, in terms of my writing, was the reveal that the name itself, Ray, was merely a nickname he later adopted as a true name.