Author's Notes: Oh lawd, this has not been updated in forever. Don't worry guys, I haven't totally lost interest, but you get two chapters this update to kind of make up for it. Oh yeah.

PLEASE be sure to check out the pokemongx community on Livejournal. People have been doing loads of totally awesome fanart, including some freakishly accurate faux screenshots. Go look at them and be in AWE.

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Turn 7

A Forbidden Move! The Truesdale Brothers

Bright beams of light swept over the ocean. The lighthouse's glow penetrated the thick, early morning fog that had fallen over the dock, steering errant boats away from the island. As the shafts of light circled the pier, they briefly caught a tall form standing at the edge and gazing out into the sea silently. They passed in seconds, leaving him in darkness once again. The only clue that he was there was the faint, golden glow of seemingly disembodied rings.

Alexis zeroed in on those rings and drifted over the pier. With a wave of her hand, the misty fog parted for her like a curtain. The Gardevoir floated to the Umbreon's side, maintaining a respectfully wide berth. She tilted and watched him quietly for a moment before she spoke.

"You're worried about him, aren't you, Zane?"

Zane's only reaction was a faint ear twitch. He didn't shift his gaze from the sea. "I'm a Dark-type. You can't read my mind, not from that distance."

"I don't have to," Alexis smiled faintly, but it fell into a frown. "So, what exactly are you worried about?"

Zane's ears lowered slightly, and his dim red eyes closed. "He shouldn't be here. I don't even know why he enrolled. Fighting isn't in his blood."

Alexis turned her head to face the ocean with him. "Maybe he just wanted to follow in your footsteps."

"He's going to get hurt."

"At some point, yes," Alexis conceded, "We all do, but it's how we get stronger. Have some faith."

Zane didn't reply.

---

The sound of heavy footsteps, furious knocking and angry shouts managed to rouse even Jaden out of his slumber. He made his way over to the door, half asleep, rubbing his eyes as he opened it. "Where's the fire?"

"You must be Jaden Yuki!" A female Sharpedo and her squad of similarly dangerous morphs loomed over the entrance to his dorm room, all dressed in military uniforms. Jaden's antennae drooped. They had to be campus security.

"Guilty as charged," He grinned up at the shark weakly, but his fangs paled in comparison to what lined her jaws.

She narrowed her eyes and glared past him, into the room. "And you," she pointed at the confused Eevee just waking up, "Syrus Truesdale!"

Syrus whimpered and followed Jaden to the door, but made sure to keep the taller boy between him and the shark. "Y-yes ma'am?"

"The school board would like to see you two immediately," she barked, and a few of her officers moved to escort Jaden and Syrus out of the room, "You're coming with us to receive your punishment!"

"Punishment?" The two boys exchanged glances and frowned.

The trip to the conference room was quiet and filled with dread. The Disciplinary Action Squad kept them moving at a pace that should never be expected of recently awoken teenagers. Jaden yawned and tried to see if it was possible to nap while walking, but the sharp prod of one of the officer's night-sticks to his back told him it wasn't the best time to experiment. They were soon shoved into a dark room with tall video screens, and left to face the head faculty.

Chancellor Sheppard's face was the first to appear, front and center to the boys. Crowler and a few other teachers came up on the other screens. Syrus was sorely tempted to hide behind Jaden again, but he swallowed his fear and stood beside the bug, trying to look brave despite the fact he had his tail between his legs.

"Well, boys, I'm sure you know why you're here," Sheppard spoke in a friendly, even tone.

Jaden scratched his head, "Actually, I could use a little filling in."

"You know full well what you did!" Crowler shrilled, "Trespassing in the forbidden dorm is -- it's forbidden! Those are grounds for expulsion!"

"Expulsion?" Syrus's ears fell until they were limp behind his back, "We--, we had to go in, sir!"

Jaden raised a defiant fist and joined Syrus in protesting. "Yeah! We had to save ---"

"I don't want to hear any excuses!" Crowler narrowed his eyes, his piercing voice silencing both of them. But then, a sly smile took the place of his furious scowl, and he tilted his head, "But... We're going to be fair. How about a little wager, hmm? We'll settle this with a fight. Win and we'll forget this entire incident. Lose, and it's goodbye Battle Academy!"

"You wanna fight me?" Jaden blinked, and then grinned enthusiastically, "Sure! Right here, right --"

"Not me, you Moltres slacker!" Crowler hissed, and the other teachers winced, "But I do have someone in mind. Someones, in fact. Since this is a crime you both committed, you and little Syrus there will be fighting together, in a tag match! Two against two! I even have everything already arranged."

"Well! Isn't that helpful?" Sheppard smiled approvingly, "I'm sure you two boys will do just fine. Just don't go getting into any more trouble, all right?"

"Sure thing, Mr. Chancellor dude!" Jaden saluted him sloppily, and Crowler rolled his eyes. The screens cut off, and Jaden bounced on his ankles. "This is great, Sy! Looks like we're not gonna be in trouble after all!"

Syrus had gone quiet. He was sure Jaden could have won against any opponent Crowler could throw at him, but if he had to fight alongside him... "If we win," he croaked softly.

"No ifs about it," Jaden said confidently, patting Sy's back, "We'll mop the floor with whoever Dr. C's gonna match us against. It'll be fun!"

Syrus's response was less than enthused. "Fun... right."

---

Chumley entered the dorm room he shared with Jaden and Syrus. His ears were down, and he had a dejected look on his face. Before he could report his bad news, he was interrupted by a flying Tackle attack from the room's shortest occupant.

"It worked, right? Didn't it? Didn't it?" Syrus begged him for the answer, clinging to the older boy's shirt collar.

The Snorlax sighed and shook his head. "Sorry, Sy, the Chancellor said that the match was settled. Alexis and her friends were there too. He wouldn't listen to any of us. You're stuck with Jaden."

"More like Jaden's stuck with me," Syrus sighed as he released Chumley's jacket, defeated.

"Don't talk like that, Sy," Jaden sat across the room from the other two, and was the picture of nonchalance. He had his feet up on his desk, wiggling his chitin toe-claws in a shaft of sunlight that spilled onto his work area. His chair leaned back at a potentially dangerous angle, and he had one arm crossed behind his head. He held the other out in front of him, and squinted between his two talons like a painter trying to scope out perspective for a landscape. His tongue curled out of the corner of his mouth in concentration, and his antennae wavered in the air like delicate instrumentation.

"You know I'll hold you back, Jay," Syrus hung his head, until a faint rattling sound reached his sensitive ears. He blinked and looked up.

"No one else I'd rather have by my side," the bug continued, smiling, though he didn't take his gaze off of whatever he was scrutinizing. Syrus followed his line of sight to a dim and dusty lamp that lit up that side of the room. Apparently, it was the source of the strange shaking sound. Its lampshade shivered in the air, of its own accord, though Syrus noticed it got louder and more violent when Jaden narrowed his eyes.

Without warning, the Venonat snapped his claws. "Disable!"

The lamp cut off and the room lost most of its light. Jaden rocked back in his chair victoriously, laughing until he pitched back far enough to lose his balance. He fell onto the floor with a crash, and blinked up at a very confused Syrus and Chumley.

"Er, Jay... What are you doing?" Syrus crouched down to make sure he was okay. Jaden shook off the fall and leaped to his feet.

"Same thing we're gonna go do," Jaden grabbed Syrus's wrist and started tugging him outside, "Practice!"

"Wha --- Jaden! Wait!" Syrus stumbled after the taller morph, "I don't have any moves like that!"

Jaden paused and smiled back at his small buddy. "You don't need any, Sy. All I want you to do is fight me!"

Somehow, this did little to reassure Syrus.

---

The Eevee followed Jaden down to the beach, in the shadow of a short cliff overlooking the sea. Chumley sat at the top of the cliff, looking down at his friends and acting as an unofficial judge. "Remember, guys, this is just practice, don't do anything that'd land someone in the PokeCenter."

"Naa, don't worry!" Jaden waved off Chumley's concern, and made a show of stretching and knuckle cracking. "You ready, Sy?"

"No," Syrus croaked and stood his ground awkwardly.

"Well, you better get ready," Jaden pointed at him, "Our opponents aren't gonna give us any breaks, so I'm gonna give you all I got, and I expect the same from you!"

Without further ado, Jaden lunged forward and dropped into a running charge, spreading his arms wide and grinning as he aimed for the cowering Eevee. For a moment, Syrus was petrified, but at the last second he threw himself down. He hit the ground digging, and Jaden had to cough and pull back from the explosion of dust and flying dirt chunks. Soon, there was only a sloppy hole in the ground where the smaller boy had been. Jaden tensed. His eyes and antennae swept the length of the beach, trying to anticipate when and where the second half of the Dig attack would strike...

But the dust cleared enough to see into the hole, and Jaden he realized it wasn't going to come. Syrus had completely neglected the attack portion of his move, opting instead to curl into a ball at the bottom of his hole and hide behind his tail. Jaden slumped slightly, but he shook his head and put on a friendly grin.

"Forgetting something, buddy?"

"Wha?" Syrus peered up at Jaden over the tuft of tail fur he was gripping tightly. He lowered his ears when he realized he was caught, and looked away. "I'm sorry, Jay, I just don't have it in me. I can't do this..."

"'Course you do, pal," Jaden kneeled down and leaned over the edge of the hole, reaching out his hand to help his friend out. "You came to Battle Academy for some reason, right? You just need practice!"

"I--" Syrus hesitantly reached out and started to uncurl, trying to stand on the uneven soil. He took Jaden's hand, and blinked. The bug-type's claws weren't as sharp as they looked, and though it felt like the boy had an exoskeleton, it was beneath a layer of something flexible and skin-like. It was a lot softer than Syrus had expected --

But losing his concentration caused him to lose his balance, and he tipped to one side when the dirt shifted under his feet. Both he and Jaden yelped as Syrus inadvertently yanked him down into the pit. They landed in an ungraceful pile, and Jaden started laughing almost immediately.

"Man, Sy, that was great! It was sneaky and it used your size to your advantage!" Jaden sat up, but unlike his friend, he hadn't forgotten that they were supposed to be fighting. He wasted no time in reaching over and gathering up Syrus in a grappling hold. "You have to be quicker about hopping out of the hole though!"

"I-I didn't mean to, it was an accident!" Syrus scrunched up when Jaden pinned him to his chest, unable to do anything but shut his eyes tightly. "I'm sorry..."

"Sy," Jaden sighed over his friend's shoulder and loosened his grapple. It became more of an impromptu hug, "More fighting, less apologizing. You're not gonna hurt me, and I'm not gonna hurt you, so just relax and let's have some fun, okay?"

"I -- I just don't know what to do," Syrus lowered his head, "I mean, I kind of remember the fighting classes and stuff we have, but I just totally blank out when I'm actually in the arena, and I get scared... I'm such a wuss."

"It's okay to be a little scared," Jaden smiled, leaning back against the dirt wall of the pit, "That gets the ol' adrenaline pumping and the heart racing! It's my favorite part of the fight! There's nothing that'll happen that a trip to the PokeCenter won't fix, so I just give it my all and have a blast."

"But I don't even have anything to give, Jay! I don't even know any good moves," Syrus slumped against his friend, looking up over his shoulder at him.

"Well, here," Jaden finally let him go and stood. He hefted the smaller 'morph up with ease, so he could scramble out of the hole, then dug his claws into the side of the pit and scaled out by himself. Once on the surface again, they both brushed themselves off.

"What moves do you know? Any of them, doesn't matter whether you think they're good or not. Even the little moves can kick butt when you use 'em right. I bet you have, uh... What was it... Tail Whip? Why don'tcha try that one?"

"I'll try," Syrus looked back at his tail uncertainly, but closed his eyes and drew his fists up in concentration. His tail swayed back and forth lazily at first, but it soon sped up into what looked like a happy wag. "What's this move supposed to do again?"

"I think it's supposed to get your opponent to lower his guard or something. I'm not sure how you use it in a fight, though. It's just... cute!" Jaden grinned toothily, eyes following the fluffy tail distractedly. Syrus wasn't quite so oblivious though -- he put two and two together and perked his ears.

Hit with inspiration and a sudden burst of confidence, he briefly reeled back before launching himself at Jaden with an imprecise, but enthusiastic Tackle attack.

"Naaa!" Jaden's arms flailed as he was caught by the surprise attack, stumbling backwards. But his large feet and gripping talons gave him a steady balance, so instead of pinning him to the ground, Syrus was only able to plow into the taller boy's side. When he realized he wasn't going to be able to topple Jaden, he slumped and dropped his hands to his sides.

"That was good, Sy!" Jaden was undeterred, and he reached over to straighten Syrus's shoulders. "But you've gotta learn to throw your weight around better -- like this!"

Jaden took the opportunity to sling an arm around his friend, and he brought them both to the ground with a loud thud. Up on the cliff, Chumley grimaced. Any semblance of a real fight had quickly dissolved into laughter, squealing and playful wrestling. Jaden was bigger and stronger, but Syrus had a habit of kicking up dirt in a desperate Sand Attack and squirming away while the other boy coughed and gagged. Soon they were just chasing each other around the beach, giggling and horsing around like they had both regressed about ten years in age.

"At least Syrus is enjoying himself now," a feminine voice suddenly spoke up beside Chumley, and the Snorlax looked up. Alexis was hovering a few feet away from him, peering down at the boys roughhousing on the beach.

"Yeah, but I think they totally forgot about practicing," Chumley shook his head.

"Maybe Jaden's trying to get him to loosen up," Alexis smoothed out the white skirt that doubled as the lower half of her body and sat in the middle of the air like a meditating yogi. "Look..."

She motioned down to the beach, where Jaden had finally pinned Syrus so fully that he couldn't wiggle away. He was holding onto the Eevee's wrists and pinning the smaller boy's chest down with his shoulder, and he had trapped Syrus's tail between his knee and the sand. Syrus's giggles faded as he became frustrated trying to escape, and he started to frown, before apparently being struck with an idea. He grinned up at Jaden with one of the taller boy's victorious grins, and the small Eevee started to glow.

Jaden blinked down at him dumbly, "Na?"

But whatever attack Syrus had been ready to launch was cut short as another expression crossed the boy's face. His look of victory suddenly became one of shame, and his glow died abruptly. It was profound enough to make Jaden release him and sit up, head tilted in concern. "Sy? What's wrong?"

Syrus flopped back onto the rock and looked away, "N-nothing, Jay. You got me, I can't win."

"Oh, come on," Jaden shook his head and pulled Syrus up by his shoulders. "What were you gonna do, and why'd you stop?"

"I wasn't -- really..." Syrus hesitantly lifted his gaze, and realized he just couldn't lie to his friend. He shut his eyes and drew his knees up. "I-it's a move I can't use anyway."

"You looked like you were gonna use it just fine to me," Jaden leaned in intently, refusing to give up his inquiry. "What move was it?"

"T... Take Down," Syrus admitted, ears folding back behind him limply. "But it doesn't matter, I can't--"

"You know Take Down! Why didn't you tell me that sooner? You coulda kicked my butt all over the place with that!" Jaden laughed, shaking his head, "We definitely need you to practice that move, Sy, that could be what wins our fight!"

"I can't use it!" Syrus shrilled suddenly, before looking surprised at his own outburst and burying his face in his knees. "I'm not... s-strong enough."

"Sure you are, I bet you'll be able to do it just fine with a little experience," Jaden tried to encourage him, but he sensed that something greater than Syrus's insecurity was afoot. "Why don't you wanna even try?"

Syrus was quiet, and Jaden scooted up to his side, relentless. "You know you can tell me, right?"

"I-I..." Syrus mumbled, and Jaden's antennae drooped when the bug-type heard his friend's voice crack a little, "I'm not... I'm not good enough, Zane said... Told me I couldn't use it until I was..."

"Wait, back up, who's this Zane? Moreover, who does he think he is to put down on my best bud?" Jaden wondered with a touch of protective anger in his voice.

"N-no, Jay, he's right, I'm not, I'm not good for anything," Syrus's voice wavered, until he suddenly exploded, "And you're going to get expelled because I'm so useless!"

That broke something in Syrus, and he scrambled to his feet, sobbing and running off before Jaden could react. He got up as quickly as he could, "Wait, Sy! Don't say that! You--"

But Syrus had disappeared down the beach, and left alone, Jaden slumped without inhibition. "You just need to believe in yourself like I believe in you..."

Jaden's disappointment was quickly replaced by righteous indignation. He straightened himself and smacked his fist, glaring into the distance. "I'm gonna find that Zane guy and give him a piece of my mind! Where's he get off telling Sy stuff like that anyway! And why should Sy care what some random guy thinks?"

"Because he's not just a random guy, Jaden," Alexis had seen the entire episode unfold from her perch on the cliff, and hovered down to try and quell Jaden's anger before he did something -- well, Jaden-like. "Zane's his older brother."

"Oh," Jaden frowned briefly, before huffing, "Well, that makes it even worse! No one should tell his little brother things like that! I bet he doesn't even know what he's talkin' about--"

"To be fair, he might," Alexis shook her head, "His brother is the Zane Truesdale -- tall, dark and undefeated. He's a senior in Articuno Blue, and he hasn't lost a single match since he enrolled here."

"Was he that Umbreon that was with you when we saw Chazz and Bastion fight?" Jaden wondered, and Alexis nodded. Jaden put on a cocky smirk and struck a pose. "Well, he didn't look like all that to me! Let's see if I can tarnish his perfect record!"

"Wait -- you're not honestly considering challenging him to a match, are you?" Alexis raised an eyebrow, and Jaden laughed.

"Nope, I'm not considering. I've already made up my mind! Zane's gotta lose sometime, and I'll be the guy to do him in! Then Sy can see he's not so great and all knowing after all! You hear that, Zane? Your days are numbered!" Jaden proclaimed to the roaring ocean, raising his talons to the sky.

"Jaden..." Alexis started, but she could read Jaden's mind well enough to realize trying to talk him out of it would be an exercise in futility. She sighed. "Good luck, then."

Though inwardly, she knew all the luck in the world wasn't going to help Jaden. Still, she didn't feel too much dread.

After all, Jaden's interference could help Zane as much as Syrus.

---

However, dueling Zane was easier said than done. So far, Jaden was finding the red tape involved in challenging someone from another dorm more frustrating than an actual fight.

The irate bug stormed down a forest path, mumbling to himself, when a large berry hit his head and bounced off. Jaden blinked and followed the direction it fell from, and saw a tree leaning over precariously. It was weighed down by Chumley, who had managed to climb up into its boughs to chow down on the succulent fruit hidden there.

"Hey, Chum, you know that thing's gonna snap back like a whip when you get off of it, right?" Jaden grinned up at his roommate, and Chumley turned his head down to Jaden.

"It'll be fine, I've done this a whole lot before," the large morph scowled, "What're you doing out here, anyway? I thought you had class now."

"Well, I kinda do, but," Jaden laughed sheepishly and glanced to the side. "See, I skipped it so I could fill out all this paperwork to challenge someone to a formal fight, but Crowler put the kibosh on those plans."

Jaden drummed his chin, then perked his antennae with sudden inspiration. "You've been around here a lot longer than I have -- how do people usually arrange unofficial fights? There's gotta be some way better than paging them with cryptic messages or something."

"Well, not something I've ever done, but," Chumley eased himself out of the crook of the branch and shuffled down the trunk, giving the tree time to straighten. "I guess you just find them sometime when neither of you are expected anywhere, like after school and dinner and everything, and challenge them to their face."

"Hmm... Well, it is almost lunch time," Jaden glanced back in the direction of the Articuno dorm, "Maybe I can run into him before we gotta be back in class! Thanks, Chum!"

With that, he turned and ran off again, leaving a confused Chumley in his dust. "Wait! Jaden, who are you tryin' to fight!"

Jaden looked back as he ran and gave Chumley a thumbs-up. "Zane!"

Chumley did a double take, before following the bug. This he had to see.

---

Syrus couldn't bring himself to leave the comfortable, if not slightly suffocating cocoon he had created for himself in his blankets. In his depression, he drifted in and out of sleep, and his thoughts bled into disturbing dreams.

"You never had a chance!" a shadowy opponent sneered at Jaden, "It doesn't matter how good you are when you're paired with such a weakling!"

With that, the looming morph of indeterminate species struck a battle pose, power gathering in his hands. "Hyper Beam!"

Syrus was helpless, frozen with fear and uncertainty. The beam struck him easily and sent him flying across the arena, landing in a crumpled pile. Jaden shouted something, but it didn't matter. The Eevee felt his consciousness slipping, and as per the rules of a tag team match, when one partner was KO'd, the other automatically lost.

He'd never felt so singularly worthless before. As the world blackened, he barely noticed that he had landed at someone's feet. High above him, a pair of cold red eyes and golden circles shone against a dark backdrop.

His brother's icy voice was the last thing he heard before he blacked out completely.

"Useless."

Darkness still clouded his vision when Syrus woke, and it took some struggling before he realized it was merely his blankets. When he surfaced, he stared at the far wall, haunted and on the verge of tears.

He knew what he had to do.

---

Unfortunately, there hadn't been a whole lot for Chumley to see. Jaden's attempts at infiltrating the Articuno cafeteria were easily stopped by older students, and when he vocalized his reasons for wanting in, he got cruel laughter and a face full of someone's Water Cannon attack. Jaden was still grumbling and rubbing his fuzz off with a towel as they made their way back to their room.

"You'd in a place designed to teach fighting, it'd be easier to actually do it!" Jaden muttered and tossed his towel aside as he entered. He frowned and quieted when he noticed a lump in Syrus's bed the size and shape of a cowering body.

"Sy, you gotta get up, don't let Zane get to you like this --" He started to push back the blankets, only to discover that there was only a pillow beneath them. Jaden's frown deepened. "You haven't seen him today, have you, Chumley?"

"No," Chumley replied, drawn to something on the desk, "I thought he was with you -- looks like he left a note."

Jaden stood on his tiptoes to peer over Chumley's shoulder and they both read the note. The bug's antennae dropped when he had finished. "He's going to do what! We gotta go stop him!"

Chumley nodded urgently, and they both rushed back out the door.

---

Next Time...

Jaden: Man, Sy, where are you? For that matter, where's Zane? I gotta get a piece of this dude!

Chumley: If you try and fight Zane, you'll end up missing too...

Jaden: Yeah, yeah, we'll see! Zane, come out and fight, you jerk! And Sy, you better come back! Or else! I'll... uh...

Chumley: Hope Sy didn't go off and disappear like the other guys... I guess we'll find out. Next time, A Forbidden Move! The Truesdale Brothers, part two.

Jaden: Sy! Zane! I'm comin' for ya!