Alright, Party People! This is my longest chapter yet, and in the next few chapters things are going to start getting some explanations. This will all happen while the other of Journeys is covered: like I said, this will be a long fanfiction, but there will be changes in the original plot.

Please leave a review: I want your feedback on this story and knowing whether you guys like it or not really helps me tweak my writing to make it better: constructive criticism is always welcome!

Now, enjoy this brand new 9k word chapter.

As the next hour went by, and the matches passed with victors and losers, Goh sat and waited for the inevitable match with Ash. May and Korrina had brought back lunch after Chuck's battle, and now he was sitting between the two girls and Goh, eating a sandwich. Alice was on the other side of the locker room, chatting with a friend of hers before she left for home. Raboot sat in his lap, with Arron sitting next to his seat, napping.

"So, Ash is up next, huh? How do you think his battle is going to end?" Goh asked

May shrugged. "It can't end well, that's for sure. Ash is at his worst when he's angry, because then he becomes more predictable, more sloppy. I have a feeling he isn't going to make it far."

"We're talking about the same Ash, right? He's gotten a lot tougher since the last time you've seen him. He fought my Mega-Evolved Lucario and won. That's saying something."

May remained silent, so Goh inserted his take. "I've never seen him this angry before, but Korrina's right, May: he's a lot tougher than before. If he makes good decisions, he'll go far."

"I hope you're right, Goh. But I would also like to see you win. Ash has been a bit spoiled today: he's used to people heaping praise upon him because of his young age, and he hates criticism, especially when it's true. It all comes down to how self aware he is, Goh."

He sat silently, watching the next match with rapt attention.

-and for our next contestants, a young man from Pallet Town named Ash Ketchum! You might recognize him as a tough young man with big aspirations, and more importantly, a finalist and semi-finalist in many leagues, as well as the winner of the Orange League and the Alola League. And all at the age of thirteen! Put your hands together for this young star!-

If the crowd was wild before, they had gone absolutely feral when Ash entered the midday spotlight, all cameras panned on him as he palmed his Pokeball of choice quietly. Pikachu was nowhere to be found, probably sequestered away somewhere private. The cameras then panned to his opponent.

-and facing him is some new-blood with a venomous attitude, Chance Lagrange, a native to Kalos and one heck of a rising star. Winner of the Kalos league and ready for bigger and better prospects, be ready to see a clash of titans today!

Ash threw out his pokeball, revealing Riolu ready to fight. May instantaneously facepalmed, as if Ash had done something wrong. On the screen, Chance grinned as he tossed his pokemon out: a rugged Toxtricity. It lazily eyed it's opponent before adopting a fighting stance.

-Ash seems to be feeling confident today, using his newest pokemon against one of Chance's veterans, but Ash has a habit of beating the odds, so we'll see how this goes. Instant death rules apply! Begin match!

Both Toxtricity and Riolu rushed towards each other with blinding speed, each intercepting a punch meant for the other. Riolu attacked with a point blank vacuum wave, sending Toxtricity stumbling back before punching it in the gut, causing it to vomit up a poisonous goop that sizzled on the ground. May winced and Goh averted his eyes, although Korrina's eyes remained glued to the screen.

Riolu rushed in to continue the combo, but Toxtricity dodged before kicking Riolu away and charging it's electric organ on its chest. In a flash, it's body erupted with energy, sending a thunderbolt slamming into Riolu and practically frying him. Riolu yelped and was sent flying backwards before Toxtricity caught up with him and kicked him in the stomach while he was down.

Riolu quickly recovered, but Toxtricoty was prepared, belching a spray of toxic acid all over Riolu just as he had prepared to defend himself, sending the dog pokemon screaming in pain before releasing his grip, only for Toxtricity to trip him and kick him to the ground again.

May had covered her head with her hands in obvious distress, fingers open so she could watch the battle. "Ash is an idiot, what was he thinking, sending Riolu out like that? Didn't he just catch it?"

"He and Riolu have been training a lot recently. My guess is that he wants to gauge Riolu's level of improvement, but that's insane: why do it now? Why risk the battle festival."

"It's a power move," replied Korrina, eyes still glued to the screen. "He's sending a message, if his weakest pokemon can defeat such a capable trainer, then his strongest pokemon can beat any of his opponents. He's trying to demoralize the competition."

May's brow scrunched in skepticism. "That doesn't sound like Ash."

"Ash is first and foremost a risk taker. He's willing to sacrifice this entire tournament to send a message. Sadly, I think that this time Ash overplayed his hand."

As the battle continued, Korrina's prediction seemed to prove itself correct. Toxtricity maintained a mild yet consistent edge on Riolu, wearing down the young pokemon's defenses with vicious poison attacks. After several more minutes, both Toxtricity and Riolu were badly damaged, but Riolu was both poisoned and stunned, wheezing from the effects of the thunderbolts and the poison on his nervous system. Toxtricity approached, preparing for a counter strike that never came and kicking Riolu across the field, sending the small pokemon rolling in the dirt and retching from the poison.

-Riolu seems to be in severe distress! Will he be able to fend off Toxtricity, or will Ash be eliminated in the first round?-

But Riolu wasn't out of the fight yet. The little pokemon punched Toxtricity again, and again and again, leaving nasty bruises all over the toad pokemon's body. Toxtricity resisted the damage, gritting it's angular teeth, before fighting back with it's own moves, charging it's fists with electricity.

Riolu was losing. Toxtricity was just too strong, both physically and in skill. Riolu received another scathing cone of poison to the face at point blank range, which the young pokemon foolishly attempted to rub out of his eyes. Toxtricity slammed his foot into Riolu's stomach while he was distracted, and then his fist in his chest, sending him flying into the edge of the Arena. Before Riolu could react, another thunderbolt pinned him, causing him to jitter and spasm.

-Riolu is heavily stunned! Ash seems to have lost this match, but it isn't over until one of the pokemon is unconscious.-

The camera panned over to Ash, who was visibly angry. He was clenching his fist and gritting his teeth in between shouting orders. Chance, on the other hand, while focused, seemed relaxed and at ease, knowing his victory was assured. And Arron didn't disagree with him. Ash had made a patently stupid decision, sending that runt to fight a capable foe, and he deserved to lose. But Arron couldn't help but feel a twang of guilt for Riolu. Sure, he was annoying and sometimes clueless, but this wasn't a fight he started, nor was it fair. Ash had sent his pokemon into the equivalent of a slaughter with no warning or choice just so he could stroke his own ego, and to Arron that was unforgivable. It reminded him of Aizen.

Although, Ash was just a kid making a bad decision out of anger. Arron knew all about that: it had cost him his life after all. But Ash needed to grow up soon: he was already thirteen after all.

All the while, Riolu's determination was rather admirable: despite his disadvantage and severe injuries, the little dog pokemon was still putting up a fight, although at this point it was rather pointless. Tears streamed down his cheeks, dyed a nasty purple from the poison that had buried it's way into his eyes and nostrils, and he was panting heavily as he swung wildly, his coordination shot from his impaired senses and fried nerves. The strength of his hits were diminishing as well, exhaustion taking its toll. Arron could tell that despite fighting dirty, Toxtricity was still a better fighter overall, and while the hulking toad pokemon was injured, it was still full of energy. Riolu just didn't have the body or skill to win this fight.

After a few more minutes of what seemed like abuse, Riolu collapsed on the ground, Toxtricity's knee firmly planted between his shoulder blades. Riolu squirmed and struggled, but Toxtricity merely wrapped his arm around Riolu's neck and squeezed, choking him out while delivering a sequence of soft electric shocks to deter further resistance. It was a gruesome sight, but nobody intervened: meaning what toxtricity was doing was apparently completely legal. The crowd had stopped cheering at this point, now silent with dread and trepidation as Riolu was slowly put to sleep by Toxtricity's cruel yet effective methods, scratching at Toxtricity's arm to force him to release his iron grip, yet Toxtricity was unyielding.

Riolu finally gave in, blacking out from the lack of oxygen, his little arms falling limp on the ground and Toxtricity rising up from his unconscious body, silent and mournful. This wasn't a victory, Arron could see the lack of pride in his eyes, but it was still necessary. Ash collapsed to his knees, in shock that his wild and foolish gambit hadn't paid off. Chance wasn't smiling either, but was rather disturbed by how the fight had ended.

While certainly painful, compared to how it could have gone on for much longer, it seemed almost merciful in a way.

The announcer stuttered for a moment before continuing with his job. -Riolu is unable to battle, which means that Chance is the winner!-

Ash solemnly kneeled down and cradled Riolu in his arms before wiping the poison out of his eyes and returning him to his pokeball to heal. The Television cut to commercial break, and Arron looked back at the crew. Goh looked like he was going to be sick to his stomach, while May had covered her mouth, a few scant tears slowly dribbling from her eyes. Korrina, who seemed to be more composed than the others, had a grim expression plastered on his face.

"I'm- I'm going to sit by the beach while I wait for my match. Are you guys coming?"

"Sure." Replied Korrina, but May Shook her head.

"You guys go ahead: I need to have a long talk with Ash."

Goh shivered at her tone of voice: it was monotone, but underneath the surface it carried a hint of rage at Ash's recklessness. Goh decided that it would be better for his health if he didn't intervene.

"I'll stay here and make sure she's okay," said Chuck. "You guys go have fun."

Korrina nodded and took Goh by the hand, gesturing for his pokemon to follow her. Raboot hopped off the table and Arron followed her, watching May warily as if she was a bomb that could explode at any moment.

Goh and Korrina sat on the seashore, aimlessly flinging seashells into the water and drinking lemonade they had acquired from a local stand on the boardwalk. The midday sun was oppressive, being mid-july, and thus a thin sheen of sweat had already built up on Goh's forehead, but it somehow felt better than the sanitized and conditioned air of the locker rooms underneath the stadium. They had been silent for a while, but the silence was unbearable to Goh: he just didn't know how to approach the situation. So he figured he'd take the safe route.

"Is Riolu going to be okay?"

Korrina nodded. "I would think so: that poison isn't lethal, it just hurts a lot, although he might be blind for a few days. I don't know how bad his wounds are, but if they were life threatening, he would have been wheeled out of the stadium on a dolly. We'll go visit him later, once May is done with Ash."

Goh pursed his lips. "So… about Ash-"

"I know what you're going to say Goh: Ash's actions were completely unjustified. Riolu was much younger and much weaker than Toxtricity, and he had no type advantages. As far as I'm concerned, Ash threw him to the wolves. He deserves whatever May is doing to him."

Goh looked down at the sand, filling a small shell between his fingers. "Do you think this is my fault?"

Korrina looked up at him, confused. "No, why would you say that? Of course this isn't your fault."

"It's just that… well, if I hadn't said what I said to Ash on the plane, then he probably wouldn't have hurt Riolu like that-"

"Don't even say that," replied Korrina, a concerned look in her eyes. "None of this was your fault. Ash made his own decisions, and now he's facing the consequences. You are only responsible for yourself, okay?"

Goh nodded, and Korrina sighed. "Good. Now, we just have to wait until your match and then we can go visit Riolu. Then maybe we can find a way for you and Ash to patch this up."

Goh looked back at Korrina. "How? He's taking this so personally. He wants to be right."

Korrona placed a hand on his shoulder. "Well, sometimes you can't be right. Ash has had his fair share of victories, so it's only natural for him to be wrong sometimes as well. Besides, this might have started on the basis of pride, but now somebody's really hurt because of it."

Goh nodded. "Okay then. So what match is currently going on?"

Korrina took a glance at her smart watch. "Match thirty seven. You'll be up soon, since the rookie matches tend to end quicker."

As Goh and Korrina continued to talk about their upcoming battles, Arron sunbathed, as usual, while contemplating the current situation. Arron could tell that Korrina was downplaying Riolu's condition: he could tell that the little dog pokemon was heavily injured and wouldn't be fighting for at least two weeks, given the severity of his wounds. Arron could still see his fur and skin burning from the poison when he closed his eyes.

It's not as if Arron was disturbed: he was used to pointless cruelty. Hueco Mundo was full of those who took pleasure in the pain and suffering of others; just because you ended up as a hollow didn't mean you didn't deserve to burn in hell. Then there were those who killed for sport, like Grimmjow, and those who killed out of rage and anger, like Nnoitra. Where Arron fit on that scale, he didn't exactly know, but he wasn't exactly a

saint. Arron had the metaphorical blood of an untold number of souls on his hands: he was no stranger to death.

But what made the difference was it was Riolu who was at the receiving end of the suffering. Hollows were born to die, so to speak: they were a mal-effect of an unkempt universe, as far as he knew, and thus their entire existence was spent clawing tooth and nail for the leftover scraps of their humanity until they resembled something real. They died by the millions every day and nobody batted an eye: a result of an uncaring cosmos.

But Riolu was a living, breathing and relatively innocent creature that was forced to fight an unwinnable battle. That wasn't fair, as far as Arron was concerned, because his purpose wasn't to do so. Riolu didn't deserve that kind of punishment, no matter how constructive it might be for his character.

Arron swatted his tail in the sand, sending some of it flying. Arron hated it,but it reminded him of himself. Arron, from the start, was fighting an unwinnable battle. First, surviving in Hueco Mundo. Then protecting his sister. Then, plotting against Aizen. For all intents and purposes he should have died a long time ago, yet he didn't.

Maybe he misjudged the little creature.

Arron sighed, needing a distraction, so he wandered off near Lucario, who was staring out at the sunset, feet in the shallow water. He seemed distracted, almost unhealthily so. Arron decided to break the ice and see if he could get some information out of him.

"What's eating at you?"

Lucario snarled. "Nothing you should be concerned about."

Arron snorted. "Christ, is your entire species full of pricks or are you and Riolu just especially unlikable."

Lucario audibly groaned. "Pot, meet kettle."

Arron was surprised by the incredibly apt response, but his smirk never wavered. "Hey? I know I'm a dick. You just act all moody about it."

"Again, pot, meet kettle."

This time, Arron's smirk died. "I'm not moody."

"Word spreads fast. Apparently, you're the biggest emotionally compromised jerk this side of Kalos. At least, that's what Pikachu told me."

"That doesn't make me moody."

Lucario shrugged. "Witnesses confirm otherwise."

Arron chuckled. "I wouldn't consider Pikachu to be a particularly unbiased source."

"I find him to be very trustworthy."

Arron shrugged in retaliation. "Your loss."

"I prefer to think of it as yours. Now go away, I'm trying to think and your pestering is disrupting my chain of thought."

"About what? Who you'll be smashing next?"

"It'll be you if you don't shut up."

Arron's grin returned. "Make me."

Faster than a blink of an eye, Lucario conjured an ethereal bone and threw it like a javelin at Arron, who just barely evaded it and retaliated with a cloud of debilitating frost. Lucario should have been blinded by the ice crystals, which had the consistency of thin sand, but he seemed to know exactly where Arron was. With a grunt, Lucario hurled another Javelin just as Korrina and Goh registered what was going on, and they both heard yelling from their respective trainers to stop, Korrina especially heated.

" Lucario! Stop it right now or I swear I'll keep you in that pokeball for a week!"

Lucario stopped dead in his tracks, but unlike Lucario, who seemed to have an healthy fear of his trainer and her disciplinary actions, Arron had no such fear of Goh, and decided to use that distraction to his advantage by slamming his tail into Lucario's side with all his might, sending him sprawling to the ground and gasping for breath. Korrina yelled even louder, before grabbing Arron by the scruff and dangling him in the air like a misbehaving kitten, much to his chagrin.

"Both of you, stop it right now before I get really angry!"

Lucario let out a pathetic whine as he clutched his side, a dark bruise forming underneath his blue fur. Arron snarled at him viciously before Korrina sprayed something onto his eyes that was reminiscent of that hellish concoction Ash had used on the train, causing him to gag and paw at his face to relieve the pain. Korrina dropped him to the ground, him writhing in the sand like a fish.

"Arron, are you okay?!" Goh shouted, but before he could reach down and pick up Arron, Korrina pushed him back. "Goh, put him back in his pokeball. We're going to have a talk later."

And with that, a red haze overcame him, and he was forced back into his personal hell.

Goh was nervous.

He didn't know why: it was supposed to be an easy battle. Max was even less experienced than Goh, and his newly evolved Dewott wasn't that impressive. It should have been an easy battle.

So why was he nervous?

Goh knew the answer: it was because he wasn't using Arron. Arron, despite all his flaws, was his most capable pokemon already. Goh hadn't had to use him in a battle yet, but he knew how powerful he was.

Arron was still being punished for causing a fight with Lucario, so essentially he was being confined to his ball and not let out until he could be trusted. Korrina assured him that a day or two of isolation would help curb his behavior, but Goh wasn't certain: Arron was the most stubborn pokemon he had ever met. If anything, isolation would just make him angrier. But he didn't want to go against Korrina, so he played along.

He was exiting the locker rooms and walking down the hall, Scyther at his side ready to fight. Goh trusted Scyther: Scyther was tough as well. He just wasn't as tough as Arron.

Goh had to stop thinking about Arron: that wouldn't do him any good.

He stared at his belt again. What if Duwott was strong, though? May had assured him that Duwott wasn't, but she was much more powerful than Goh, so her sense of scale wasn't all there. Goh realized that despite what he told others and himself, he didn't trust Scyther. He didn't have the experience or the strength that Raboot and Arron had. And since using Raboot in this battle would be a bad idea, his only other option was Arron.

Goh let out a bated breath and pulled Arron's ball out of his belt. He didn't want to reward him for terrible behavior, but honestly Arron picking fights was par for the course. And besides: letting Arron stew would only make things worse.

And Arron wasn't Lucario: Arron held grudges, and as much as Goh wanted to discipline Arron, he also wanted to build trust, not isolate him. Korrina could do what she did with Lucario because they had that trust. Arron didn't have that trust with Goh, and vice versa.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Goh said under his breath. Then he turned to Scyther. "You mind sitting this one out?"

Scyther just shrugged and yawned, obviously uncaring whether he fought or not. Goh took that as a yes and returned him to his ball. Then he popped open Arron's ball to reveal the very unhappy ice type.

Actually, unhappy was an understatement: Arron was seething. He shook with anger like a cell phone on vibrate and he stared Goh straight in the eyes, very displeased with the past three hours of isolation he was subjected to. But Goh wasn't deterred: he wasn't going to be deterred by Arron's poor attitudes ever again.

Arron only ever listened when someone put their foot down, or when they used force. That's what he responded to the best, so Goh would start there.

"Alright, Arron, listen up. I'm tired of you picking fights and I'm tired of you harming others. So, we're going to resolve both of those issues here and now. You are going to stop with the antagonistic habits right now or I'll put you in your ball for a week, and if I even see a hint of teeth I'm going to spray you right in the face," Goh said, firmly. "I want to work with you here, and I've been very patient. But you don't seem to learn from patience so now I'm going to direct. Am I understood?"

To his surprise, Arron seemed to understand, his aggravated expression softening for the most part as he stood there, waiting for Goh to say something else. Goh sighed in relief, glad the conversation hadn't escalated into some form of conflict.

"Right, now we're going to win this battle. I know you can do it, you've faced worse! Just go out there and show the world what you got, Arron!"

Arron rumbled a little bit, as if to emote a sarcastic response, before yawning and eyeing Goh tiredly.

"Don't tell me you don't want to fight: you always want to fight!"

Arron seemed less inclined to fight something than usual, which wasn't normal. "Are you feeling okay? Are you sick? Are you hurt? We can go to the pokemon center, you know."

At the mention of the pokemon center, Arrom became agitated, as if he hated it. Goh couldn't understand why he'd hate a place that actively healed him, but perhaps it was his aversion to strangers. If Arron hated when people came near him, he'd definitely hate one where people touched him.

"Arron, are you going to fight or what?"

Arron grumbled once again, causing Goh to sigh. "Alright, we're going out there since you won't tell me what's wrong."

Goh walked down the hall, Arron following close behind as the bright light at the end of the hall grew larger until the both of them entered the stadium, the sun just beginning to set in the west. The crowd was still large like before but some had gone home for supper or had grown tired of the battles, which made sense, as all the spectacle was gone: these were small battles with younger trainers; people wanted to see titans battling, not newcomers.

Max stood at the opposite end of the stadium, tossing his pokeball of choice in his hand to stifle boredom. When he spotted Goh, a thin smile formed on his lips "About time you showed up, Goh, I thought you were having second thoughts. You can back out at any time, you know."

"I wouldn't be worried about me if I were you."

Max chuckled. "I'm not worried about me at all, either. I'm going to win this battle."

Goh wasn't amused. "You go ahead believe that, Max."

Max tossed his pokeball, revealing his Dewott, which saluted and clutched it's two shells gingerly, as if they were prized possessions. It stared at Arron menacingly before howling in an attempt to intimidate him. Arron wasn't intimidated in the slightest, however, and merely snorted, kicking up some of the dust off the ground.

"So, go ahead and send out Scyther."

At first, Goh was confused, but then he realized: Max thought he was going to choose Scyther to battle. He must have either overheard his conversation with Korrina at the beach or maybe Korrina told him. Either way, Max already chose his pokemon, so there was no going back for him, which gave Goh a huge advantage.

Once Goh reached the marked spot where he was to stand, Max became noticeably confused that he hadn't retrieved Scyther's pokeball yet, or any pokeball as a matter of fact. Then he noticed that Arron was still standing beside him, and the blood drained from his face.

"Wait- Korrina told me you'd be battling with Scyther!"

Goh was taking full advantage of the situation. He would've been more respectful if Max hadn't been a jerk, but at this point he was just enjoying Max's discomfort. It was nice to actually have an upper hand for once. So he shrugged. "I changed my mind."

Max began to sputter for a moment. "But- that's- That's not fair! I was lied to!"

"Nobody lied to you, Max. Not Korrina, not May and definitely not me. Besides, this entire tournament revolves around each trainer predicting who their opponent will use and responding in kind; you chose wrong, and now you have to face the music."

Max grit his teeth. "Whatever, I'm going to beat you either way. Let's do this Dewott!"

Dewott took up another ridiculous pose, but just like it's master it was noticeably uncomfortable, as if something about Arron was disturbing. Goh brushed it aside and nudged the pokemon in question with his foot. "You better do what I say or you'll be sorry "

Arron seemed surprised by Goh's response for a moment, but quickly brushed it off as the announcer picked up his mic and began to provide commentary.

‐Alright, ladies and gentlemen, today we have another pair of young trainers looking to make their Mark: 10 year old Max from Petalburg and 13 year old Goh from Vermilion City are facing off. This one appears to be a special match, though, as Goh has a unique pokemon never seen before, an Ice type called Arron. It's been rumored to already be powerful, so we'll see how well these two perform today. Instant Death rules apply, let the match begin!-

Max pointed his finger at Arron menacingly. "Alright, Dewott, use a razor shell to soften him up!"

Dewott growled in acknowledgement and raced towards Arron like a speeding bullet, juggling it's Scalchop shells gracefully before sliding and leaping like an acrobat, slashing outward with both of them. Arron didn't move a muscle, deflecting the attack off of his back like a turtle. Dewott, obviously surprised, tripped in midair as Arron slammed his tail into the water type like a baseball bat, and Dewott crashed into the ground so hard that it ricocheted off the dirt like a tennis ball, leaving noticeable cracks spider webbing across the ground. Dewott flipped again in the air and landed on its feet, but was breathing heavily and clutching its side, wincing with every breath. Not even a minute into the battle and Arron already broke some of Dewott's ribs.

With such a rock-solid defense and an even more impressive counter-attack, the crowd had perked up immediately, sensing an interesting diversion from a normal rookie battle: they began to notice just how capable Arron was. Arron, for his part, was unfazed, and simply ignored the thousands of eyes peering down at him, but Max didn't enjoy the same luxury, as he was obviously being humiliated in his first real tournament battle.

Goh let out a pent up breath he hadn't realized he was carrying and gestured to Arron. "Alright, Arron, let's return the favor. Use Freeze-Dry!"

Arron seemed confused at first, obvious gears turning in his head, but seemed to make a decision after a split second, releasing a cloud of frost from his across the battlefield like a smoke machine, the air rapidly cooling in temperature and a thick fog rolling everywhere, obscuring the vision of both the audience and the trainers. Goh hadn't expected the fog to be so prevalent, nor had he expected that a fog would have been created at all, but for some reason Arron didn't understand what his moves were. But that was okay: Goh could work with this.

Arron's shadow was visible, but only because he was very close. Goh would have to rely on Arron's wits and strength to navigate the fog, but that was okay: he trusted Arron, if to do nothing else, to succeed in a battle. He'd faced far worse.

But Goh remembered his conversation with Korrina earlier today, and her warning about trust.

When I wanted Lucario to Mega Evolve, I wasn't thinking about how strong our bond is, or how well we worked together, just how strong it would make him, how strong it would make me. I was a bit selfish back then, but we're closer now, and stronger for it, but before we used to be separate actors on the battlefield: he did what he wanted and I essentially boosted his ego and his confidence. I thought that was enough.

They were separate actors right now, weren't they? Wasn't that what Korrina warned against?

For a split second, Goh was going to call Arron back, to get to familiar ground. But then he heard a little voice in the back of his head, a rebellious one, a risk taking one. It asked a very simple question: who cared what Korrina thought?

If Goh was going to build a relationship with Arron, there had to be trust, and trust was a two way street. That was something Korrina never had to worry about. So Goh would trust Arron so that Arron could one day trust Goh.

And sure enough, Goh's trust seemed well-placed. He heard the growing agitation of Dewott through countless growls and the sound of shells scraping across bone, but after a while those noises turned to a painful whine and the sound of more bones crunching as Arron retaliated once again, silently taking down Dewott as the water pokemon attacked blindly. Goh could spot Max wincing from the other side of the Arena whenever Dewott whined or barked from an injury, but nobody could truly see what was happening: they could only hear the carnage.

After about a minute, the noises stopped and the cloud began to dissipate, revealing a completely unharmed Arron and a Dewott that resembled a car crash victim: countless lacerations littered it's body, one of its eyes was swollen shut and the other had an enlarged pupil, as if Dewott had a concussion. But worst of all was it's right arm, which was twisted in an unnatural angle, obviously from a bite. Both of Dewott's shells were littered on the ground as it attempted to balance on it's two feet. The crowd stopped cheering and quickly noticed how ruthless Arron was: poor Dewott looked as if it had just been put through the wringer multiple times.

Even the announcer seemed equally impressed and disturbed. -An incredible if not violent display from Arron, it's reputation definitely precedes its capabilities. This battle is clearly over, but Instant death rules still apply, and Dewott is still in the battle until unconscious. Max can forfeit at any time, however, so if he believes Dewott has had enough, he can forfeit the battle-

Max grit his teeth, the pressure clearly mounting as he juggled whether to retrieve Dewott or attempt to battle for a little longer. Goh thought that the thought of keeping Dewott out was awful, but it wasn't his decision: the closest thing he could do would be to knock it unconscious. So that's what he'd do.

"Arron, finish this battle."

Now that was a phrase Arron seemed to understand. He slowly approached Dewott, eyes focused on it's injuries before collecting frosted energy in his tail. Dewott lifted it's arm to defend itself, but the attack was just too devastating: the blow connected with its head, slamming it into the ground and rendering it unconscious. The crowd cheered, but it was a bit hollow, due to the fight being nowhere close to even. Still, a victory was a victory, even if it was a small one. Max seemed heartbroken that he'd not only lost, but his pokemon was so completely and utterly destroyed.

Goh walked up to him just as he was administering medicine to ease the pain, and Max practically hissed at him. "What do you want? Go ahead and gloat, I don't care."

Goh shook his head. "It was a good battle, Max."

"Like hell it was!" He snarled. "Dewott is practically dead! That- that thing nearly killed him!"

Goh looked down and saw Dewott's broken body, and for the first time in his life he felt a feeling he'd never experienced before: he really didn't care. Sure, he felt bad about Dewott's injuries, but those kinds of wounds happened all the time in professional battles and in higher tier gyms. Besides, Dewott would be fine after a day or two in the pokemon center. Goh didn't feel bad for the injuries that Arron had inflicted, because there really weren't any consequences.

He still feigned serious concern though as to not appear a jerk.

"Sorry about that, but injuries like that happen all the time. You guys just need to train more. He'll get stronger eventually."

"Yeah, you say that now, but one day it's going to be you on the receiving end of a beating like that and suddenly life will become unfair. Get a grip: you aren't any more experienced with pokemon battles than me: otherwise we wouldn't be fighting, you'd have fought someone else a few hours ago, so don't act like you suddenly know what you're talking about just because you have a strong pokemon."

Goh shrugged. "Whatever you say. I won't feel bad about winning."

Max scoffed. "You're as bad as Ash."

Goh rolled his eyes. "Stop being overdramatic."

"I'm not. Get Dewott healed up."

Max ignored him and returned Dewott into his pokeball, giving Goh a dirty look before making his way back to the locker rooms to mope or something. Goh rolled his shoulders and knelt down to Arron, who was apathetic as ever, as if Max and Dewott weren't even worth his time. Goh scratched behind his ears and garnered a satisfied expression. "You did good out there, but we have to figure out your moves: we can't have you going out there facing a tougher opponent and not know what you're doing."

Arron snorted and dried off by shaking before giving Goh a look that could have almost been described as condescending, as if he was saying 'whatever, I know what I'm doing'

Goh shook his head. "C'mon, stop being so cranky, we still have to visit Riolu."

Fifteen minutes earlier.

Arron had his vices: every hollow did. Bloodshed was the most common, but some were more… psychological in nature. Like Ulquiorra, Arron definitely enjoyed toying with his prey, being as powerful as he was, since there were very few that could challenge him. Well, that was before he died. It was one of the few traits he shared with Ulquiorra: a necessity to humiliate one's foe.

Now he had a rare but welcome opportunity to indulge in that again. Dewott wasn't even close to a challenge: Arron could sense it's weak spiritual pressure flickering like a wind-blown candle. It's confidence was even wavering upon seeing his aloof expression. But none of that mattered. Right now, Arron was going to have fun, and nobody was going to stop him.

Dewott assumed a fighting stance as Goh and Max began to talk about God knows what, and Arron responded in kind by simply eying him condescendingly. This creature was still far braver than it had any right to be. Arron would fix that.

"Alright, Dewott, use a razor shell to soften him up!"

In a flash, Dewott began to rush towards Arron, but his vision was far more precise than those of a normal human, and he easily predicted where Dewott would strike. Testing its strength, he remained still and allowed the attack to land.

With a thunderous shriek, the shells scraped against his bony plating, leaving a trail of sparks in their wake. But beyond a minor line where the attack landed, the attacks left nothing but the faint heat caused by friction. Arron was disappointed: even Scyther was more threatening.

Dewott's eyes widened as Arron retaliated in a flash, slamming his bushy tail into its chest and sending it slamming into the ground with the force of a sledgehammer striking concrete. Dewott ricocheted off of the ground like a tennis ball and landed face first into a scorpion position with a nasty crack that couldn't have felt good.

Battles like these brought him back to when he was still fighting for Aizen, especially in the false Karakura town against the soul reapers. Hitsugaya came to mind, but that was too far, even for him. Hitsugaya was just a boy. A boy with remarkable skill, but just a boy. Somewhat like Riolu in a way, but Hitsugaya was a real threat to many of the lower ranked Espada, whereas Riolu was practically a newborn compared to the individuals Arron was used to fighting.

Dewott stood back up, obviously concussed from the second impact with the ground. It wobbled to one side before regaining balance and giving Arron a nasty look. Arron, for his part, wasn't really paying attention anymore: Dewott was just that little of a threat.

"Alright, Arron, let's return the favor. Use Freeze-Dry!"

What the hell did that mean? Goh couldn't expect him to just know what he wanted Arron to do by just shouting nonsense. What was freeze-dry? What did that even mean? Arron would just do whatever he wanted, since Goh didn't feel like communicating properly.

He opened his maw and exhaled, feeling his icy reiryoku enveloping his windpipe and prickling up like a swarm of ice crystals. The air he exhaled was condensed into a fine mist with a stinging frost that gradually enveloped the Arena around him. His vision was quickly obscured by his own fog, but that wasn't an issue: his pesquisa constantly blipped like echolocation, outlining Dewott's faint figure with a subtle blue hue. Arron guessed Dewott didn't have such a useful ability.

Dewott frantically searched through the fog, attempting to gain some sense of direction, the fog had a mind of it's own that operated independently from Arron's focus, Muerte Congelada constantly re-condensong it's influence whenever it was disturbed. The frost ung to Dewott as well, solidifying into patches of frost that hindered its movement.

Arron slowly approached like a lion on the prowl. Dewott continued to struggle through the frost like a blind man, using it's shells like machetes to cut through the fog to no avail. Just as Dewott performed another blind swing, Arron pounced, landing on its back and biting into its shoulder, drawing blood. Dewott yelped and dropped its shells, clawing at Arron in an attempt to dislodge him from its shoulder. In response, Arron just bit harder, feeling bone crunch underneath the strain of his teeth. Dewott finally succeeded in throwing him off, only for Arron to rapidly recover and struck dewott across the battlefield with his tail again, crushing several of Dewott's ribs in the process.

Dewott landed on its back this time before quickly recovering, but Arron had already pounced again, tearing into Dewott's arm with a vengeance. Dewott struck with one of its shells onto Arron's side to no effect, which only angered Arron more, causing him to release Dewott's arm and slam his forehead into its face, a Bala charged and ready to detonate. The erosion was quiet and reserved, but it was enough to devastate Dewott, giving it a mean black eye and most likely worsening its concussion.

Dewott was a mess. Its body was broken, to say the least: Arron didn't remember breaking it's arm but it was hanging down it's side like a limp sock, it's other arm supporting it. Massive scratches and lacerations covered its body, leaving pools of blood seeping at its feet. It wobbled side to side from blood loss and from being concussed, but it was still determined to finish the fight. It was still determined to win the battle, which was admirable in a sad way.

"Arron, finish this battle."

Arron prowled around Dewott like a predator, eying the injured pokemon with trepidation. Even a cornered rat could bite, and while Arron wasn't too concerned, his instincts still remained after years of fighting.

After a few moments, he decided to take the simple approach: he charged a Bala on his tail and swung, impacting Dewott's skull with the force of a locomotive, finally knocking Dewott unconscious.

The crowd was quiet, like when Riolu had battled Toxtricity, but he didn't care if the crowd wasn't happy with how he dispatched his enemies. He wasn't there to please them, he was there to fight for Goh, and that's all he was concerned about. The announcer kept babbling about how Dewott was unable to battle as Goh and Max met near the center of the field to talk about something Arron couldn't give a single crap about.

Arron knew he shouldn't have indulged, he should have dispatched Dewott early on, but he just couldn't help himself. This place had too many moral restrictions, and he hadn't been able to truly blow off steam since he last fought Raboot. While that wasn't long ago, he had a penchant for retaining a lot of irritation.

Goh ended his conversation with Max, who seemed more pissed than anything, and walked back confidently. Something about the boy seemed a little different, he was less… spineless somehow. Before today Goh was never confident in himself unless he was just catching random pokemon. Now, he walked with a stride. Perhaps it was temporary, just the aftereffects of winning a battle. But maybe Goh was confident because he won with him, Arron the rambunctious deviant. He didn't know how to feel about that, and he certainly didn't want the boy to get cocky based on Arron's strength alone: that was an easy way to get killed.

Either way, Goh reached down to him and scratched behind his ears, which was satisfying to say the least. "You did good out there, but we have to figure out your moves: we can't have you going out there facing a tougher opponent and not knowing what you're doing."

Arron snorted irritatedly. Of course he knew what he was doing, and he didn't need this kid commanding him to win. Goh would probably cause more trouble than it was worth anyway. Also, what the hell was a move? Did these trainers really declare their next moves out loud? That seemed incredibly stupid: why not just rehearse with pokemon before the battle andbthen let them improvise?

It was a rhetorical question, of course. Arron knew exactly why trainers commanded their pokemon: so they could grandstand and receive all the credit. The people watching saw pokemon as instruments rather than individuals, like how onlookers at a Nascar race would view the stock cars each driver rode in. He meant nothing to the crowd as an individual, but rather as a living weapon to be used for spectacle, and the irony was despicable yet familiar.

Goh gave him an odd look before gesturing towards the exit. "C'mon, stop being so cranky, we still have to visit Riolu."

The pokemon center in Shalour was a two story building that blended in with the surrounding city block. It sat on the corner of a traffic light and was unusually busy due to the battle festival which was hogging up much of the available nurses. Another Nurse Joy as well as several other nurses sped through the halls with a purpose to make sure all the vitals of their injured clients were nominal and their needs were fulfilled. A myriad of guests were seated in the waiting room, from trainers and fans to travelers and everyday inhabitants of the coastal city.

Arron and Goh stepped through the sliding doors and into the waiting room, finding a seat next to May and Chuck and sitting down, Arron curling up into a ball on Goh's lap like the socialite he was. May seemed distracted, but despite the day's so-so events, Chuck clearly wasn't deterred.

"Dude, that battle with Max was pretty cool! I didn't know your pokemon was so tough, those scalchops didn't even leave a scratch!"

Goh rubbed the back ofnhisbhead sheepishly. "Yeah, it was pretty cool, but it was all Arron, I didn't really know his moves, so he just improvised."

Chuck seemed astonished by that. "Really, well that explains why I'd never seen a freeze-dry like that before. But how did Arron see and fight Dewott? You think he has another sense or something?"

Goh shrugged. "Not a clue. He just… does things, and I don't know how it's even possible for him to do them. But then I have to remind myself that I live in a world with pokemon, and there's a lot of things we don't know about them."

Chuck was silent for a moment before responding. "Well, there's obviously something special about him. Didn't nurse Joy in Verdanturf say he was really young?"

Goh nodded. "Yeah, about two years old. The professor was really surprised by how strong he was as well."

Chuck cocked an eyebrow. "What professor?"

"Oh, I thought I told you, me and Ash are traveling on the behalf of Professor Cerise in Kanto and checking out some of the phenomena he points us to along the way."

Chuck seemed impressed. "Sounds pretty cool kid. I started out with just my Treecko in Rustboro, and I found Onyx and evolved him. They've been my two top fighters to this day, since they compliment each other."

"Who gave you the treecko?" Asked Goh, genuinely curious as to how most trainers started out.

Chuck's grin receded a little. "My old man got him for me as an egg before he passed. Treecko still reminds me of him: the two had a special bond, even though I hatched him."

Goh became quiet. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Chuck shrugged. "What's done is done, kid. He was a good man, and I want to make him proud from beyond the grave, wherever he is. Who knows, maybe he's up there, rooting for me."

Goh nodded. "That's a nice way to look at it."

Chuck nodded, but playfully punched Goh on the shoulder to lighten the mood. "Stop with all the depressing stuff, kid. Let's talk about that battle."

Before they could go into the battle with Dewott, May interrupted them. "Have you two seen Ash? I haven't seen him all day and I still have a bone to pick with him."

Chuck shrugged. "Nope, but he's probably avoiding you, and I don't blame him. You can be scary when you're mad."

May rolled her eyes while Goh sniggered. Behind her though, Korrina and Lucario arrived through the door, obviously looking for them. "Sup nerds," she said casually, "what are you guys talking about?"

"About beating up Ash." Said May, still annoyed by Chuck's prior comment. "Have you seen him?"

"Have I seen him? No. Do I know where he is? Yes. He's back at the gym, talking to my grandfather. Apparently he wanted to ask Ash a few questions."

"About Riolu?" Asked May.

Korrina just shrugged. "No idea. Apparently it was important enough and private enough for grandfather to ask him to come to the gym after he dropped Riolu off at the pokemon center earlier today."

Both May and Chuck gave her a funny look. "What? Was it something I said?"

May pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "You mean to tell me that Riolu had been here the whole time? We were waiting for Ash to show up with him!"

"Hey, I thought you guys knew what was going on. I guess Grandad didn't want anyone eavesdropping or anything."

May sighed. "Well, let's go see him then. We'll confront Ash when he gets back."

Ash was nervous. He hadn't been alone with Korrina's grandfather before, and he didn't know the man too well. Hell, Ash didn't even know Korrina that well, he'd only known her for a year or so and laid her sporadic visits here and there ever since he'd traveled to Alola.

So for him to call Ash to have a private talk in his Gym, well that meant something wasn't right, and Ash knew he was going to be the guilty one.

The gym itself, like with many other hereditary gyms, had the homes inside the gym, separated from the Arena by thick walls. Ash had never been inside Korrina's home before, so he took his time looking around and making a mental image of what he saw. It was rather large, about the size of a two story townhouse, yet it was directly attached to the gym, hanging off the back as an extension. The dining room was separate as well, kept in it's own room away from the kitchen. This was where Ash found Gurkinn.

He was sitting on a dining chair, angled away from the table itself and with what looked like a glass of lemonade in his hands. He was bent over, swirling the glass absent-mindedly until he noticed Ash enter, to which he sat up and nodded.

"Thank you for coming."

Ash nodded back. "Of course."

Gurkinn gestured to one of the dining chairs.

What followed was a short bit of awkward silence. "Do you know why I called you here?"

Ash was silent for a moment before responding. "About the battle earlier."

Gurkinn shook his head. "While I'm very disappointed with how you handled that battle, how trainers conduct themselves outside this gym is not my business. No, I called you here to talk about something else."

Ash was surprised yet relieved that Gurkinn wasn't going to rip into his character, but that did raise some questions about what Gurkinn wanted to know.

"Ash, I want you to tell me everything you know about this pokemon, this… Arron."

Ash was quiet for a moment before responding. "With all due respect, I think Goh would be a better source of information than me: he is Arron's trainer, after all."

"But I trust your word more than I trust his. I know you're an upstanding individual. I don't know if I can say the same about Goh."

Ash shrugged. "Why wouldn't you trust Goh to tell you the truth? He has nothing to hide."

Gurkinn groaned. "Ash, please just cooperate with me here, I only have a few questions to ask."

Ash stared at Gurkinn for a moment before relenting. "Fine, but I'm going to tell Goh we talked about this."

Gurkinn sighed. "If you must. Now, I know this is going to sound… odd, but does Arron have a hole in his chest?"

Ash's guarded expression contorted into one of confusion. "What- what do you mean by that?"

Gurkinn sighed. "It was a very literal question. Does he or does he not have a hole in his chest, as in a physical hole. I'm curious about his bodily attributes."

Ash shook his head slightly. "No… he doesn't. Is he supposed to?"

Gurkinn shrugged. "You tell me. I've never encountered one of his kind before."

Ash didn't know how to respond. "No- well, not that I know of. He's covered in this thick bone armor that hides most of his body. But how could a pokemon survive with a hole in their chest, or at least one like Arron. He needs a heart to live."

Gurkinn coughed into his hand awkwardly before continuing his interrogation. "So, I guess you don't know then. Very well, I'll move on to the next question: where did you find him?"

Ash instantly responded. "In Verdanturf town, although he was first sighted in the outskirts scavenging for food."

Gurkinn scratched his chin with interest. "And yet I've been told that Arron came with you willingly. Somehow I don't believe that."

"What makes you say that?"

Gurkinn didn't respond, continuing to scratch his chin as if he was putting a particularly difficult puzzle together. "I'd like to meet Goh and Arron tomorrow. I've already changed their placement on the order for earlier tomorrow. He'll be facing the one who beat you today. They'll fight Earlier and then I can invite you and him over for lunch tomorrow, along with Korrina. Just the four of us. How does that sound?"

"Sketchy."

Gurkinn chuckled. "Fair enough. But just humor me, I'll explain more tomorrow."

Ash sighed. "Fine. But isn't it unfair to move Goh up the rankings?"

"He was obviously miseranked: we'll see how he does tomorrow. Against a more capable foe. Now, you better go back and talk to May, Korrina told me she has quite the bone to pick with you."