Craw panted. This was really something. He didn't know why but it was really hard for him to beat that Sneasel. It was a dark and ice type so he should have double advance over this Pokémon but how should he beat a Pokémon that was able to dodge every attack he sends towards it? He growled and tried to attack it again. This time he used Ice Punch and like every time before the Sneasel dodged the attack. This time Craw was prepared. He had prepared for a second attack that should take the Sneasel by surprise. He grinned as he swiped his foot from the side towards the Sneasel trying to kick it with his Blaze Kick. But suddenly the Sneasel was gone. It just vanished. He looked around confused and heard a clapping sound from behind him. He turned around ready to attack but there was just Anubis. "Well done. I expected nothing less of you." He grinned. "You are the first one who actually managed to hit him."
Craw was confused and looked around. "W-Where..."
Anubis chuckled. "He was just a Substitute. Nothing to worry about."
Craw looked extremely confused.
Anubis smiled. It was a smile of proud. "You are really getting better at this. Get some rest. You can watch the others if you want."
The strange room that was around them dissolved and revealed that they were still on the training grounds. Around him were many bubbles that showed all others still in their fight with the very same Sneasel as he was fighting.
Craw grit his teeth. "What the hell is going on here?"
It was the 6th day of their training and as they reached the training field Craw suddenly was in some sort of ancient ruins and a Sneasel started to attack him out of the nothing.
The others had their trouble hitting the Sneasel.
Craw looked at them. "Magic Room..."
Anubis grinned. "Yes, very good."
Craw looked at him. "Why?"
Anubis chuckled. "We wanted to get you by surprise. You should find yourself in a situation that you are not used of. Parker is a specialist in dodging and avoiding to get hit. Substitute, Detect, Fake Out and Agility. He is really hard to hit and you have to get really creative to hit him. if the enemy tries to use an area move he attacks with Fake Out or uses Detect."
Craw nodded. "He was pretty tough..." He sighed and looked to Brighton. "If I could control my aura I would probably have been able to take him out much earlier right?"
Anubis looked to him with curiosity. "Yeah. Do you want me to teach you how?"
Craw nodded. "It would be really good to learn how to use my full potential..."
Anubis grinned. "Good. Come to room 645 tomorrow. We will start training then. It will be tough and hard and you will have to take a lot hits but maybe you just need that one day to learn how to channel your aura. Once you are able to see with your aura you can train it yourself and you will get better yourself."
Craw nodded. "Sure."
Then Brighton's Magic Room dissolved and he looked around confused. "What in the name of..."
Anubis grinned. "Oh here I stand and thought you would be a weakling from your pampered life but you disabuse me. Very good Brighton. You are the second one."
Brighton looked to the Lucario confused.

Anubis looked at all the group. "Well this went mediocre. Some of you were very good and even broke the previous record in getting him and some even got beaten up by Parker. Please thank him for the work he had with you for this lesson."
Everyone bowed down in front of the Sneasel thanking him.
"Parker you can go now. Thank you."Anubis looked to the Sneasel.
The Sneasel just grinned. "Nah no big deal. I am open for sparring if you want to train with me." He waved to everyone and then went back to the guild.
It was close to noon and everyone just waited for Anubis to announce it would be lunch break but he just stood there staring at all of them. "OK. I have one thing before we go for lunch. Here." He held up a simple chain with a pendant on it. It was a slim silver pendant that had an oval form. in the middle it had a blue gem in form of a drop. "Any idea what that is?"
Brighton looked at it amazed and lifted his arm.
Anubis grinned and nodded. "Brighton?"
"It is a power enhancer! A very rare item that is able to enhance all powers of a Pokémon for a limited time. While this time the Pokémon moves faster, hits harder, has higher defenses, have enhanced sight and so on. The boost comes with a cost tho since it makes you faint as soon as it runs out of energy." Brighton looked at it amazed. "I only saw one once in my life and I heard they choose the Pokémon that can use it."
Anubis smiled. "Yeah that pretty much sums it up but it doesn't choose as you call it. Every of these enhancers have their own aura and this aura resonates to only one specific aura. That makes it very rare to see a user of a power enhancer. Even aura users like me can't tell if a power enhancer fits to someone or not. They are found in really tough dungeons in the last level so the guild has some of them. To give you a little... incentive to train harder we will take one out of our stock every week from now on and test the ten best of the group with it. If it resonates to you you can keep it."
Everyone started talking loud in excitement.
Anubis sighed. "Please be quiet. Now to the ten best of the group. Brighton, Kathrin, Ariela..."
As he heard the Kirlia's name Craw instantly zoned out again.
After some seconds he was forced out of his daydream. "Craw! Hey! You listening?"
He shook his head and looked to the Lucario confused.
"Hey. Come here. Your turn." Anubis grinned.
Something was in his grin that made Craw feel uncomfortable and looked to him confused. "W-What?"
Anubis sighed. "Are you daydreaming or what? You are one of the ten best trainees of this week so come here!"
Craw quickly went to the Lucario. As he came closer to the pendant everyone started marveled at the pendant. It started glowing in an intense blue.
Anubis smiled. "Oh I wouldn't have thought that we would find one so soon! Well Craw... Looks like you just got yourself a power enhancer!" He put the necklace around Craw's neck and smiled. "Congratulations!"
Everyone cheered to Craw amazed and Craw looked at the pendant confused.
Anubis grinned. "Well. Now everyone please I know you are excited and amazed by the outcome like me but don't forget you only have three hours for lunch so let's head back."
Craw looked at the pendant. It was still glowing faintly and felt a bit warm.
Anubis looked to him. "C'mon or aren't you hungry."
He looked to him. "Oh right."
On the way back to the guild Anubis explained that to use the enhancer he had to tap into it's energy like he would to use a move but he had to search for the energy in the pendant not in himself like normally. Craw nodded but resisted the urge to try it out since Brighton explained before that he would faint once the energy of the pendant runs out. So he decided to only use it as last option in really dangerous situations.
The others of the group crowded around him and congratulated him. As Ariela congratulated him he blushed. "T-Thanks."
As they reached the guild and others saw the pendant even more Pokémon crowded around Craw starting to congratulate him and asked him question.
They only stopped and let him alone as Anubis finally told them to let Craw alone.
Craw sighed and so Brighton, Damion and he went to eat some lunch. As they were finished He and Brighton decided to go to their room and talk a bit but on their way up to the 4th floor where they lived Craw ran into someone. As he wanted to help them up he saw that it was nobody else than Ariela. He widely blushed and tried to help her up. "I-I am sorry..."
Ariela smiled. "No worries. I am fine."
Craw nearly zoned out again. Her smile was so beautiful. "I-I am sorry..."
Brighton chuckled. "He actually wanted to say: 'Hi my name is Craw.'. Hello Ariela long not seen. I hope you excuse me for being such a jerk back then."
Ariela giggled. "Nah it's fine. I wasn't much better neither. I knew my father wanted to get your father to engage you with me and acted all stupid just to make you dislike me as if you had any word in it. I am sorry."
Brighton chuckled. "Nah you were pretty nice. The only one back then who was all open to me and didn't act like if they liked me just to get something in reward."
They both laughed and Craw got a bit envious about how good they both got along.
Then the Eevee that was standing behind Ariela all the time frowned. "By Arceus kiss or let it be. I can't bear all this sweet talking."
Ariela grinned. "Don't mind Kathrin. She just needs a boyfriend."
"HEY!" Kathrin thrust one of her paws into Ariela's side who just giggled.
Brighton smiled. "We should hang out sometime but now we have to go. Craw and I have to go before our break ends."
Ariela smiled and nodded. "OK. Till later then. Maybe we can talk after training a bit." He winked to Craw. "And maybe your partner will speak a bit too then."
Craw blushed as the two girls went past him. "I am sorry..."
Ariela giggled. "I know." Then the two disappeared behind a corner.
Brighton laughed. "Very smooth Craw."
Craw lightly hit Brighton's shoulder. "Shut up."
Brighton chuckled.
Craw heard how Brighton said something but he didn't know what. His senses became blurred and he noticed that he was falling but he didn't felt how he hit the ground. Instead he was suddenly in a dark room that looked like a bedroom in a hospital. As he wanted to look around he noticed that he had no control over his body anymore. Instead he was sitting down on a chair. "Are you OK?" He heard his own voice.
"Yeah don't mind me..." He saw down on a human lying in a bed. It was a blond young man with a very pale face and he had his eyes closed. "You are so lucky Craw. You can finally go home..."
Craw sighed. "I wouldn't call that lucky."
Was that a memory of him? One of the time he was still a human?
The young man smiled weakly. "We will miss you..."
The human Craw looked to the other beds. Some others were lying in them seemingly asleep. Craw nodded. "I will visit you as often as I can..."
The other shook his head slowly. "You don't need to... You live so far away and you will surely be busy enjoying your life..."
Craw took the young man's hand. It felt cold. "How could I enjoy my life without you all..."
The other grinned. "Yeah... sure..." He caughed and opened his eyes. He had heterochromia with one eye being green and one being red. "But don't worry too much... Do you remember what the old guy told us?"
Craw looked at him nervously. "You mean that nonsense about reincarnation?"
The human smiled again. "I think it is no nonsense. I wish that we all reincarnate and meet again in another world..."
Craw heard some device making some beeping sound and as he looked to the side he saw a machine pump some liquid into the tube that went into the human's arm. "Me too. I want to be friends with all of you forever..." He looked to the other beds and back to the young man.
The other nodded. "Then promise me. Enjoy your life in this world and when we meet again in another world... then... tell us... about it..." The blond guy seemed to become very sleepy now.
"I promise I will." The human Craw was now crying. "I promise I will but please don't give up yet Brighton."
That was when Craw woke up again. He looked around confused. Thousands of questions and thoughts were in his mind. Was that just a dream or was it really a memory? Or maybe it was just something in between? Did he mix something up? Maybe he just imagined that he said Brighton? Or he said Brighton because it was mixed up with his present friend? and even if it wasn't mixed up it would be a real coincidence that they meet here in the Pokémon world right? Also Brighton is the son of a king... how could he be the son of someone if he was a human before? Wouldn't he remember being a human? all this and more rushed through his head. A movement in the corner was what waked him up from his thoughts. "Who is there?"
"I am glad you are awake again." It was Anubis. He slowly went to the bed. "Brighton tried to stay awake but in the end he was too tired." He pointed to another bed where Brighton was lying in.
Craw looked at Brighton. What in the name of Arceus... He shook his head to get lost of the thoughts and looked around. "Where are we? This is not our room right?"
Anubis nodded. "You are in the hospital ward."
Craw nodded. It didn't look like the hospital ward he saw in the... whatever it was... but it was without mistake a hospital ward. Maybe it was really just a dream he had and his mind made something up. Yeah that it must have been.
Anubis looked to him. "What is the last thing you remember?"
Craw rubbed his head. "Brighton and I were heading to our room in the lunch break and he said something to be but I couldn't hear what... then I had a strange dream about a hospital and about Brighton and then I woke up."
Anubis nodded. "The doc said he doesn't know what was going on there. Maybe it was the pendant or maybe you trained a bit too hard. However. You should take some break. We will drop the aura training tomorrow and instead you will take a free day like everyone else. Just go and relax somewhere. We can start the aura training next week."
Craw shook his head. "I don't think it is because I am overworked. Actually I never felt better than the last days... Maybe it was just coincidence? Oh right I ran into Ariela before... maybe I hit my head?" As he said that he nearly zoned out again. "Oh Arceus I ran into Ariela... How embarrassing..."
Anubis chuckled. "Well maybe you fainted out of embarrassment. But no you will take the day free tomorrow. Better save than sorry."
Craw sighed and nodded nervously.
Anubis stretched himself. "Good. Try to sleep a bit more. It's still some hours till dawn." He then just left the room closing the door behind himself.
Craw was still thinking about what happened before he finally fell asleep. His dream was strange and didn't grant him much sleep. A giant human was hunting him trying to catch him with a Pokéball.

"So what happened to you yesterday?" Damion looked at him as they went through the city.
"I have no idea. I kinda just zoned out and the next I remember is that I woke up in the hospital ward..." Craw didn't want to tell Brighton about what really happened. Before he was sure about it he didn't want to talk about it at all.
Brighton chuckled. "Let me guess. You were so embarrassed that you ran into Ariela that you fainted."
Craw blushed and looked at him angrily. "Shut up."
Damion and Brighton laughed. They really liked to tease Craw with it.
Craw sighed. He didn't tell Brighton yet why he had so much problems with it. "Where do we wanna go first?"
Brighton smiled. "How about we go to the café first? I would love to get some more of those tarts."
Damion smiled. "But don't eat too much! I have something I want to show you and you shouldn't eat too much before that or you will regret it."
Craw looked at the Buziel. "What is it?" The Buziel knew the city much better than Brighton and Craw since he had lived here some years already.
"That's a surprise but I promise you will enjoy it." Damion chuckled.
Brighton shrugged. "Then I will only take one of the pomeg-nanab berry tarts."
Damion grinned. "You won't regret it I promise!"
So they went to the café and ate a bit. While they were eating they drank something that reminded Craw to actual coffee. As he asked he was told that it was made of some kind of bean that is found on an island in the southern sea and Craw had to think that the Pokémon world and the human world maybe aren't so different at all. They chatted a bit about the training and how amazing it was that Craw got the pendant. Damion even wanted to know how it is to use it but Craw told him about his decision to only use it in case of need. So they finished eating and went on to where Damion wanted to go. After a while they left the city and Brighton and Craw wondered where they were going but Damion didn't want to tell them anything.
As they finally arrived where Damion led them Brighton was overjoyed. "A hot spring!"
They stood in front of a huge natural hot spring that was surrounded with a fence so nobody could spy on the bathing Pokémon in there. A small hut was right next to it working as entrance and washing house where they had to wash themselves first before they went into the water of the hot spring. It was probably to prevent the water to get too dirty. They didn't wasted much time since even Craw was excited to take a hot bath again. As they finished washing themselves they just jumped into the hot spring not noticing that someone was already there.
"Hey! Watch out!" An Eevee splashed them with some of the water. "I was enjoying my bath here!"
Brighton chuckled. "Aw c'mon Kathrin. Don't be such a downer. He started swimming around a bit. Damion on his side started diving and swam around happily. The water type was now in his element and he visibly enjoyed it.
Craw looked to the Eevee. "I am sorry. We were a bit too rash." He looked around a bit nervous.
"Ariela isn't here yet. She wanted to buy something and come a bit later." Kathrin stated.
Craw was embarrassed that even the Eevee seemed to know about what was going on in his head. "Is it really that obviously?"
The Eevee looked at him. "You could hold a blinking sign in shape of an arrow pointing on you with 'I love Ariela' written on it and it wouldn't be much more obvious."
Craw slowly sank into the water and wished he could as well sink into the ground. This was just too embarrassing to him. He decided to let the Eevee alone and swam to Brighton. Damion was luckily too busy enjoying the swimming so he could talk with Brighton alone a bit. "Hey can we talk a bit?"
Brighton looked to him and shrugged. "Sure."
Craw went with Brighton to a bit more separated part of the hot spring. "It is about Ariela..."
Brighton sighed. "You mean because you love her?"
Craw nodded. "Well... it is complicated... I don't remember my own life but I remember a lot about how the human world works and one thing is worrying me... You see in the human world it is not OK to love a Pokémon... They can't really say something or at least humans don't understand the Pokémon language and that is why we consider them as a totally different form of life. It is a moral thing and since we can't really understand what the Pokémon says to us we... It's so hard to explain... Do you kinda understand what I mean?"
Brighton sighed and nodded. "I think I know what you mean. So you were told your whole life it is wrong to be together with a Pokémon right?"
Craw nodded. "It is still in me and I don't know if it really would be right. Especially since... I don't know what will happen with me after I am done with what I am sent here for..."
Brighton looked to him nervous. "You mean you could disappear?"
Craw nodded. "Who knows. I read some stories that I could find about the other humans. They all say that the humans were sent back and even tho some tell that they came back here I don't know if that also counts for me..."
Brighton nodded. "I understand. But you know what? Who cares? You are a Pokémon now. You may have been a human but now you are a Pokémon. Also the human world is not the Pokémon world. Who cares about what is considered right or wrong there? You are here now and who should judge you about it? Me? I am fine. Anubis or the other leaders? I doubt they would have something against you enjoying your life a bit."
Craw sighed. "But-"
"No buts. You should start doing stuff you like. What reason you have to save our world if you don't enjoy your life here?" He looked at him with a serious face.
Craw sighed. "Well... you are maybe right..."
Brighton nodded. "Yeah and now go out there and tell her how you feel about her."
Craw squeaked. "Hey! Don't push me."
Brighton chuckled and turned Craw around before really pushing him around.
"Hey!" Craw tried to stop him but Damion saw what Brighton tried to do and quickly helped him. "Hey that's unfair!" Then Craw bumped into something. It already dawned him why Brighton and Damion pushed him around and as he looked what he bumped into he saw nobody else than Ariela. "By Arceus I am so sorry!" He blushed again and as he turned around to scold Brighton and Damion they were already fleeing.
Ariela giggled. "It's OK. Nothing bad happened." She looked past the Riolu to Damion and Brighton. "Could it be that they wanted to tell you something with that?"
Craw's face was now red like a tomato berry and he wanted to sink into the ground. She was even more beautiful this close up to him. "Uh... I don't know... I am sorry... They act like little kids..."
Ariela giggled. "That's fine. I wanted to speak with you anyway." She smiled calmly.
Craw looked at her nervous. Her smile was so beautiful. Why was it so beautiful? He sighed. "W-What do you want to talk about?"
Ariela looked to Kathrin who had watched the scene for a bit. "Could you please let us alone for a moment?"
Kathrin rolled with her eyes and turned to go after the boys. "Fine. I will let you two lovebirds alone."
Now even Ariela blushed a bit. "C'mon."
Kathrin gave her a glance. Craw couldn't tell what it meant but it definitely had a meaning.
As the Eevee was gone Ariela smiled to Craw. "You seem to feel very conflicted about me. Why is that so?"
Craw looked to her confused. "W-What?"
Ariela smiled. "Don't you know about my evolution line? We have a hidden ability as well like your line. We can sense the emotions of others around us."
Now Craw really sank into the water. He wanted to disappear and never appear again. If she really could feel his emotions she knew everything about his feelings for her.
"No need to be embarrassed." She helped him up again and gave him a little kiss on his cheek. "Even tho you are kinda cute when you are shy like this."
Now he didn't know what he should think. He felt embarrassed like never before but at the same time he felt like if he was in heaven. She had actually kissed him. Sure it was only onto the cheek but she kissed him!
Ariela giggled. "By Arceus today your emotions are a roller coaster of feelings."
He looked to her confused. "I-I..."
Ariela giggled and took his paws. "How about we go out some time? Like a date? then we can talk about everything and till then you have time to sort your thoughts and calm a bit down?"
He sighed. Her hands felt so soft and warm. "O-OK... I-If you really want to..."
Ariela giggled and nodded. "How about next week?"
Craw nodded nervously.
"Then we have a date." She smiled and let go of his paws. Then she turned and went after Brighton.
Craw just stood there for some time watching her go before he sank into the hot water. He couldn't believe it. He had a date with Ariela...

Brighton grinned. "And? How did it go?"
Damion chuckled and looked at the Riolu.
Craw sighed and glared at the two. "Next time you two do something like that I will beat you up."
Brighton rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah... Now tell us already. What did she say?"
Craw sighed. "We have a date next week."
"Whoa we have a Romeo here!" Brighton grinned widely.
Damion chuckled. "I knew you'd do it!"
Brighton chuckled. "You already have a plan?"
Craw sighed. "Could we please drop that topic for now?"
Brighton and Damion chuckled but much to Craw's pleasure they dropped it. Instead they talked about the training. Damion proudly told them about the new move he learned, Aqua Tail. It was a pretty strong water type move that he could use by swinging his tail at the foe.
Brighton told them about a new way to use Agility. He didn't even know before the training that he could enhance the field of the move so that even the team members could profit from it.
Craw on his side explained how he was able to beat the Sneasel.
As he finished they already reached the guild. Brighton smiled. "Craw I think we should talk with the leaders about something.
Craw looked to him with curiosity. "Why that?"
Brighton smiled. "Well. About Damion and maybe about others too."
Craw got the hint. "Yeah. I asked Anubis about it not long ago as well but he didn't give me an answer... Maybe if we talk with all leaders together and demand an answer?"
Brighton nodded. "That is a good idea."
"What are you two talking about?" Damion looked to them confused.
Brighton smiled. "Maybe you will see soon. We will meet you later!" He grabbed Craw's paw and ran up to the elevators.
As they reached the top floors the Incineroar and the Hariyama were guarding the elevator again. They didn't even waste time to talk with the two. Instead the Incineroar just went into the elevator and drove up. Just about 3 minutes later he came back down again. "Anubis will meet you in his office."
Craw and Brighton went into the elevator and drove up to the guild leader's offices. As the door opened Anubis already stepped inside. "We will drive up to the dome. The others are waiting there. It is better if the other's don't know that we always meet there."
Craw nodded. It was clear it would just spread more rumors if the others hear that they meet in the dome so often.
It was very quiet as they drove up. Craw looked to the statues that were in front of them. "I would like to know something. Who are these Pokémon?"
Anubis looked at them. In his eyes was sorrow. "They are the four Pokémon that were present at the death of the old Craw... The most know them as heroes that killed Craw but in truth we were just present. Craw was already deadly wounded from the fight against the army that the countries put together to fight him. They all know about what was going on. We only set them there as facade..."
Craw looked at them and then at the dome. "You maybe didn't notice it but in my eyes they are holding the dome up and in the dome is Craw's statue. So they are holding him up so everyone looks at the beacon and without knowing they make everyone enlighten them with Craw's statue."
As Craw said that he could see a tear running down Anubis' face. "Thank you. I never saw it this way..."
Craw smiled. "No problem."
Then they reached the dome. As they stepped out of the elevator the others were already waiting. "Why you wanted to speak with us?" Zaviro was the one who spoke.
Brighton looked to Craw. "I think the best is if you tell them."
Craw nodded. "I want to tell Damion about everything. I know you will need to seal his mind as well if we tell him but he is our friend and he is very reliable. He will also join our team as soon as we are done with the test this month. It is unfair to him if we talk about things that have to do with me being a human and he has to go away so we can talk freely."
The eight looked at them and then looked to each other. Diamond was speaking up this time. "We have to discuss this..."
Craw shook his head. "No. It is a fact. You should accept it. If you wouldn't be I would have told him already and you were the ones telling me that you don't want to influence my decisions. You just wanted to be there as guide and support. Now you can support me."
Again Brighton felt this authority in Craw's voice.
Anubis looked at him. "Please let us a moment to talk about it. It won't be long."
Craw sighed. "Good but we will wait here."
Anubis nodded and the eight went a bit away to talk without the two eavesdropping.
Brighton looked to Craw. "You really have some authority. I don't know why but I felt it. You should be very careful with that."
Craw looked to him. "You sure?"
Brighton nodded.
The eight leaders seemed to be finished and already came back to them. "OK fine. We know you will probably have more of these in future. I know Damion for quiet a while now and I know he is reliable. But please talk with us about it in future. We would like to check if they are really reliable before you tell them about everything."
Craw nodded. "I can't promise anything but I will try."
Brighton nodded. "That will be Craw's decision who should know about it."
Anubis nodded. "Yeah." He sighed. "When you see Damion come with him to my office. Don't tell him anything yet. We will tell him together."
Brighton and Craw drove back down. They didn't need long till they found Damion.
Brighton grinned. "Hey Damion. You ever were in the guild leaders office?"
Damion looked at them surprised. "What? Of course not. You can only get in there if you are invited..."
Craw chuckled. "Well then today it's your lucky day."
Damion looked at them speechless.
Brighton grinned. "C'mon. Anubis want to talk with you." He went ahead followed by Craw.
Damion didn't know what to say. "Wait... WHAT?!"
Craw grinned. "You gonna see the guild leaders office."
Damion was extremely excited. He asked many questions but the two just stated that he will see himself. As they finally reached the elevator to the guild leaders office the Incineroar didn't even took his time to drive up and ask. He just stepped aside letting the three in. Damion was already jumping from one feet to the other in excitement.
"Hey stop this! The elevator is shaking from it!" Brighton was pressing onto the elevator's wall.
Damion looked to him with a big grin. "Sorry I am just so excited!"
Craw sighed. "Well let's see if you will still be when we are done."
Brighton rubbed his head remembering the headache. "Yeah you should be more cautious with your wishes..."
Then they reached the office. As soon as they were in Anubis' room the Lucario stood up. "Welcome Damion. We have to talk."

Author's note: I am not as confident with this chapter as I was with the previous... Some things didn't go as good as I had them in mind but I think it sums it up pretty much. Let's see how the next chapters work out.

Still looking a beta reader for grammar mainly. Some help with good sentences would be cool too.