I'm really sorry about how long it took me to upload. I was busy with work, as well as writing the Pilot chapter for another Fanfic I will be updating. Don't worry, I'll be updating this on a much tighter schedule, so I'll upload more frequently. Anyways go check out my other Fanfiction, Iconoclast, and make sure to review. I really appreciate your feedback, as I use it to improve my story, so if you don't review and get mad that I made a creative choice you disagree with, that's 100% your fault.

Enjoy.

"Go, Tyranitar!"

Kane tossed out his Ultra Ball with newfound vigor, his massive pokemon falling to the ground with a titanic thwomp. Tyranitar regarded Arron angrily, it's eyes narrowing at the mere sight of its opponent. Goh had never seen or even heard of a Tyranitar before, so he pulled out his pokedex, letting it load. Kane didn't seem to mind, waiting patiently as Goh analyzed his new foe.

-Tyranitar, the devastation pokemon. Tyranitar wanders through the mountainous regions in search of powerful opponents, leaving death and destruction in its wake. Any unworthy foe is ignored, and any worthy challenger is battled to the death.-

Goh gulped. Trevenant had already been strong, and despite Arron's victory, he was still scratched up and badly bruised. But Arron wasn't phased: he was intently focused on his new opponent without a single distraction. Tyranitar seemed equally as bemused, not recognizing it's opponent between fits of restless rage.

Tyranitar snorted, kicking up dust with it's breath alone, and stomping it's foot in irritation. It wanted blood, and Kane seemed to know that. He snapped his fingers casually. "Tyranitar, use stone edge."

Tyranitar howled in rage before slamming it's foot into the ground, producing a wave of sharp stones that jutted from the ground like blades. They traveled towards Arron like a missile, but instead of moving, he charged a strange, white energy in one of his hands. As the rocks were about to intercept, he slammed his fist into the stone, shattering it like glass and sending a wave of white energy and stone shrapnel back at Tyranitar. The stone did nothing against it's thick hide, but the blast was enough to catch Tyranitar off guard, sending him back a few feet.

Without even taking heed from Goh, Arron launched himself forward, running on all fours in a similar way to a werewolf, before charging up more energy and slamming his fist into Tyranitar, who caught it with it's own outstretched hand. Arron followed up with another punch into Tyranitar's jaw, sending it stumbling backwards before Arron unleashed a Salvo of devastating strikes, each with enough force to echo like thunderclap upon impact. Tyranitar, however, wasn't too fazed, and he was able to headbutt Arron with brutal force, sending him sprawling to the ground. Arron recovered just in time and rolled to the side before Tyranitar could crush his chest with his gigantic foot.

Kane seemed surprised that Arron was able to keep up with Tyranitar, and despite the clear disadvantage in overall power Arron was able to evade Tyranitar's blows with his speed and agility. Tyranitar was obviously becoming frustrated, and despite Kane shouting orders, Tyranitar had drowned them out so it could have a fulfilling battle with a worthy opponent.

"Arron!" Goh shouted, "Use your… uh… big beam attack!"

Arron looked back at him with an irritated look, as if he were saying what the hell are you talking about. This brief distraction allowed Tyranitar to prepare a much more potent attack. Dark energy began to manifest from it's maw before erupting towards Arron, briefly engulfing him. Goh gasped, but Arron simply swatted the aura away like it was smoke and leapt forward, inflicting a savage uppercut onto Tyranitar's chin before landing on the ground just below it and leaping upward, uppercutting Tyranitar again, sending the massive pokemon stumbling backwards.

Tyranitar growled before unleashing a massive roar, stomping it's feet in anger. Arron stared at it, unfazed, his lack of emotion engaging it even further. Tyranitar charged forward, it's hands swinging wildly until one connected with Arron's chest, causing Arron's feet to grate against the ground as he absorbed the blow with both of his hands around Tyranitar's wrist. Tyranitar attempted to slug Arron with his other arm, only for him to dodge to the side. Finally, Tyranitar bit down on Arron's shoulder, crunching on the metallic-bone plates and causing him to flinch in pain and anger.

Goh knew the battle couldn't continue on like this. While Arron was able to avoid or even redirect most of Tyranitar's attacks, each one that landed hurt significantly more than any attack Arron could dish out. Tyranitar's thick hide was just too strong for Arron to deal any significant damage beyond a bruise. And besides, Arron was exhausted, Goh could see it in his stature and his constant panting.

Kane snapped his fingers to signal Tyranitar to recede, and despite it's previously uncontrolled anger, it did. Arron backed up as well, clutching his shoulder with crimson blood dripping from his armored shoulder. He let a guttural sneer seething through his teeth as he scraped his claws against his thigh armor, producing a high-pitched whine akin to nails on a chalkboard, causing both Tyranitar and both trainers to cover their ears in distress. Arron grinned at their pain, especially the pain of his opponent, the suffering fueling his bloodlust. It seemed that even now his wretched vices still remained.

He released his hand from his shoulder, the wound now miraculously gone, and laughed cruelly. Then he charged forward, scraping his claws on the ground as if to sharpen them before a pearl-white energy similar to that of his hyper beam etched charred crevices in the ground where they had been moments before. As he approached, Tyranitar huffed, steam venting from his nostrils as he prepared to charge and swing the horns on his head in an attempt to impale Arron.

Arron sprung forth, ready to strike, but instead of attempting another physical blow like Tyranitar expected, he instead lashed out with his claws. Now sharpened and imbued with the ice pokemon's vorpal energy, they cleaved through Tyranitar's thick hide like it was made from tin foil, blood splattering on the ground next to them both. Then Arron struck again like a bolt of lightning, his other set of claws embedding themselves into Tyranitar's chest, even more blood drenching the ground, turning it into a morbid paste. Tyranitar gasped in surprise, retching from the pain and internal trauma. Arron ripped his claw from Tyranitar's chest, swinging it to clean it

of blood as if Tyranitar's ichor was some sort of filth. Tyranitar stumbled backward a few steps, croaking, before falling to the ground in shock. Kane returned him to his pokeball, his face morphed into one of confusion and disturbed silence.

"He is truly a monster, just as I was told."

Goh watched Arron in abject horror. While there were no rules against maiming opponents, as Pokeballs would send injured pokemon into a state of stasis as well as stabilize all wounds, what Arron did was so close to murder it wasn't even acceptable. He could have pierced Tyranitar's heart for all Goh knew, and if Arron's expression was anything to go by, he had no remorse in doing so. But it wasn't a face of morbid enthrallment either but rather a blank stare, as if Tyranitar was just another obstacle in a pursuit of victory. This was second nature to him.

Kane cracked his knuckles and sighed. "Fine, I'll concede, this creature is a worthy opponent. But don't think you've won." Kane's scowl morphed into a sneer. "That board may say you have three pokemon left but we all know you only have one. And I intend to rectify that number to a zero."

Goh grit his teeth, tearing his focus away from Arron's bloodlust. "You keep talking and then you fail. Shut up and battle me, I want to finish this already."

"If you insist."

Kane tossed out another pokeball, this time a hulking Magmortar. It's two fuming arms pointed at Arron like gun barrels. It was stern and focused, and unlike Tyranitar it seemed completely in control. It huffed thick, acrid smoke from it's nostrils before rolling it's shoulders. Kane snapped his fingers again. "Use a flamethrower."

Two bouts of searing flame exploded from it's arm-cannons right at Arron. Instead of dodging, Arron stood there, allowing the fire to consume him. Goh screamed at Arron in an attempt to catch his attention, but it was no use: the cacophony of roaring flames drowned out his shouts and orders. Arron's silhouette was unmoving, as if the fire didn't affect him at all. That or his willpower was far greater than any pain the flames inflicted upon him.

Kane's Magmortar halted the gust of flames, revealing a scorched but otherwise unharmed Arron, who seemed more annoyed than anything. Kane seemed surprised by Arron's hardiness, but his hesitation was brief. "Magmortar, use fire blast."

Magmortar growled in compliance, a massive plume of fire charging between it's hand-like appendages, far hotter than a simple flamethrower. Arron didn't waste any time responding, charging another hyper-beam in his maw with murderous intent. Both hesitated for a moment, sinking more power into their attacks to match the other. Magmortar lost his patience first, launching the white-hot fireball at Arron, who sidestepped it and unleashed his Hyper-beam. Magmortar attempted to dodge, but the hyper mean grazed his arm, coating it in frost.

Magmortar hissed in anger, the frost refusing to dissolve on his arm despite the intense heat. Goh was amazed by it's greyish-white consistency keeping it solid on Magmortar's arm.

Arron scraped his claws across his armored Pauldrons once again, the metallic screech echoing off the shallow walls of the Arena. The spectators in the crowd covered their ears in pain and shock as Arron smiled wickedly. Magmortar beat his tube-like arms together in an attempt to intimidate Arron to no avail. Arron stopped sharpening his claws, baleful energy surrounding them so condensed that it practically dripped off of them. His mouth frothed with bloodlust, his eyes narrowed and focused. Arron was ready to rip apart another enemy.

For the first time in the whole match, Kane seemed intimidated. He swallowed before snapping his fingers to get Magmortar's attention. "Fireblast. Now."

Magmortar howled and raised one arm instead of two, supporting it with his other arm underneath. It focused, a white-hot blast of fire congregating at the base of it's tube like magma. The frost spread rapidly, causing Magnortar to flinch in pain. In a split-second, Arron charged towards magmortar like a blur, his clawed feet leaving noticeable spiderweb cracks in the ground from the force he was using to run. Then he leaped into the air, planning to land on Magmorter and maul it. Magmortar, seeing Arron's intentions, unleashed it's fire blast at the last moment, the condensed fireball intercepting Arron's left shoulder with a blinding flash and an explosion, sending bloody bone fragments across the Arena and leaving his shoulder charred and exposed, the armor ripped off with energetic force. Arron snarled like a wild animal, a wild, enraged gleam in his eyes. He descended on Magmortar, slicing downwards with his wicked claws and leaving a nasty gash in it's flesh, splitting it open like a ripe fruit. Blood splattered on the ground, staining the sand crimson red.

Magmortar stumbled back, in shock. Arron charged forward again, his injured arm trailing behind him as he attempted to cleave Magmortar in two with his wicked claws. Magmortar was able to sidestep the blow and slam it's hefty arm into Arron's snout with a loud crunch, blood dripping from his scrunched nostrils. Arron didn't seem fazed, swinging his claws again, but Magmortar blocked the next strike with it's tube-like arm, the claws only creating shallow cuts. Magmortar retaliated with another punch, this time to Arron's chest, shattering several ribs and puncturing his left lung. Arron coughed up blood before head-butting Magmortar away, causing both of them to stumble backwards.

Arron wheezed, a dark bruise forming on his side. Magmortar wobbled from side to side, it's blood pooling around it rapidly. The battle was coming to an end, but it was still unclear who would actually win. Goh partially hoped that Arron would win, but he secretly despised that possibility: Goh felt useless due to Arron's almost autonomous behavior in battle. He was also horrified by Arron's bloodlust: he had never witnessed such a relish of battle from any pokemon. Arron seemed to relish by slaughter and carnage, especially when he himself was wounded. The sight of blood pushed him farther than Goh could have predicted, far enough to nearly defeat the strongest trainer's three pokemon in a tournament single handedly. To Goh, Arron was an uncontrollable monster that was unleashed from it's cage, the small Arron that could fit

into his lap like a cat gone. What was in front of him was all of Arron's worst traits magnified and molded into a massive being.

Arron growled and limped towards Magmortar, slashing into his opponent's flesh with newly-blunted claws, ripping skin and muscle like tin foil. Magmortar attempted to swing, but it couldn't land a blow on Arron due to its blood loss. Magmortar fumbled backwards, falling over and twitching in pain as Arron howled in triumph, his animalistic instincts taking over. Kane returned Tyranitar to its ball, rubbing it sentimental, before turning to Goh with a solemn look. Then he approached him, the audience silent with anticipation.

Goh returned the heavily injured Arron, who was wheezing from exhaustion and pain, back to his pokeball before walking up to meet Kane himself, steeling his brow for whatever vaingloriousness Kane would subject him to with pride. He wouldn't be put down by Kane, no matter how shaken he was with the events of the battle.

They met in the center, Kane looking down at him with what almost looked like disgust. Goh sneered back at him with enough indignation to have Arron be taken aback."So, it seems that your pokemon," Kane formed his words with a certain venom to them. "Was able to beat me. What I don't understand is how you can feel so triumphant about your victory. The methods your pokemon use are execrable at best."

Goh scowled. "Do I look like I feel triumphant? I never wanted to battle you, not like this. I was forced to battle you by someone who knows better: you said it yourself. And my victory hinged on Arron's tenacity, not my skill." Goh looked down at his feet as he kicked the dry dirt around with the toe of his sneaker. "This didn't feel like a victory. I didn't fight you to win, I fought you so I could leave this Arena with some dignity.

If it was even possible, Kane's death glare seemed to only deepen. "That was a stupid decision. Nobody would have held it against you if you had forfeited the match and gone home. Whoever told you to battle me clearly had no intention to clean up the mess if you hadn't gotten exceptionally lucky."

Goh didn't respond at first, his passion running out as he co templates Kane's words. He had gotten lucky, in a way, but it was also Arron's sheer will that had carried them to the finish line. That or his bloodlust. But the more that Goh thought about the battle, the more his conscience steered towards the latter. Was it possible that Arron only battled for the thrill of bloodshed, no matter what the stakes were? He wasn't himself in the Arena, he was violent, angry and uncompromising, but unlike the antagonistic and antisocial Arron he had dealt with before, this form of Arron was just bloodthirsty. It was as if he was a completely different creature.

Goh shivered those thoughts to the side. "Luck or not, I won and you lost. What's done is done."

Kane snorted. "This conversation is nowhere near done. What happened out there was incorrigible. Your beast nearly killed all three of my pokemon, and not on your orders. It's dangerous, and you know it."

"All pokemon are dangerous."

Kane shook his head. "Unhinged, then. Unpredictable. Deranged. Crazed. However you want to put it, you obviously cannot control it, and you are unleashing a risk every time you battle with it. Take this as my warning: you are incapable of being a trainer, and if you keep battling, someday you're going to get somebody killed."

Before Goh could respond, Kane turned and walked towards one of the two exits, stuffing his pokeball into his belt. Goh just stood there for a moment, demoralized by the fact that he believed what Kane said. He didn't feel like a trainer when he battled with Arron, he felt like an onlooker: a spectator. Despite Kane's maliciousness, his words held some weight, and they seeped away the confidence he had in himself just minutes before.

He felt the eyes of the crowd searing into him like heat lamps, and he didn't want to appear odd, so he left for the locker rooms so he could pack up and find a secluded place to reside in for the rest of the day.

Goh was tossing stones into a small pond nestled somewhere in the public park, secluded from the more crowded areas like the walking paths and gazebos. The wind had picked up, sending the sweet-smelling nectar of wild honeysuckle into the air. Hisnpokeballs were in his bag, and his notepad and colored pencils were beside him, a crude sketch of Nelliel drawn from memory on one of the many pages, her solemn smile and platinum eyes strikingly different from her green hair.

Goh didn't know why he had the sudden desire to illustrate her, but he couldn't help himself. Maybe he feared he might stop dreaming about Hueco Mundo, about the two hollows who had saved his life in another world. Or maybe it was because he had found maternal behavior towards him comforting. Either way, he took the time to brush up on his drawing skills and create a rough recreation of the woman he barely knew.

It showed her looking back with her head turned, her hollow hole barely peeking from under her ragged brown sack-clothes. Her hands were around the back of her neck as if she was stressed, and her legs were spread out as if she had just finished running, her ragged brown skirt fluttering in the wind behind her, only covering what It had to. Some would've called it provocative, but to Goh it was uncompromisingly true to form: her lithe physique and effeminate beauty helped draw more details from his memory. It wasn't completely finished: he couldn't remember the shape of her sword hilt, or exactly just how long her hair was, or exactly how her

musculature was formed, but he was fine with that. It didn't need to be finished, just recognizable enough for him to remember his dreams when he saw it.

Goh didn't understand why he was so enamored with the enigmatic visions he had received, besides the fact that they drew very real parallels to the real world, but he wanted to understand what they could mean, if anything.

He flipped over to another page and pulled out his pencil, sketching the outline to another figure, a masculine figure. Tier Arron was noticeably different from Neliel in his disposition, dark and brooding but also bitterly humorous. He didn't smile, at least he hadn't since Goh had met him, but his eyes conveyed his emotions enough for you to recognize his current mood. His loose white pants with the tattered kilt-like blouse around the waist partially covered the rock he was sitting on, his eyes looking down onto his interlocking fingers, as if he was contemplating something important.

Goh remembered even less about Tier Arron, since he had been around Neliel much longer, but he still recalled enough to put the basics onto paper and illustrate a faithful recreation of the warrior. His hollow-hole was bigger than Neliel's, and without anything covering his chest it was incredibly conspicuous.

Goh had become so engrossed in his art that he didn't notice Ash and May searching for him, calling out his name, until Ash entered the clearing behind him, quietly spying on him as he colored in Tier Arron's aquamarine eyes. Ash tapped on Goh's shoulder, nearly causing him to jump out of his skin.

"Oh, sweet mother of-" Goh nearly squealed, his voice jumping up a few octaves. He accidentally tossed his light blue colored pencil into the water, and with a scowl, he quickly buried his notepad back into his bag, self-conscious about what Ash's response to the art would be.

"Goh, May and I have been worried sick about you, what happened?" Ash seemed genuinely concerned, "one moment you and Kane were talking and the next we couldn't find you anywhere. It was like you just disappeared into thin air."

Goh shook his head, his heartbeat returning to a normal pace. "I just… wanted some time alone, to think about… things."

Ash gave him a scrutinizing look. "What did he say to you?"

Goh sighed. "I don't want to talk about it."

Ash placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Goh, it's okay, whatever that jerk told you doesn't matter: you beat him!"

Goh let out another sigh, this one with a much more disgusted tone. "No, I didn't beat Kane; Arron did. I couldn't even control him out there, he was just so vicious. And he nearly killed all three of Kane's pokemon! You saw the blood and the cuts and…" Goh curled his lip in disgust and shame. "I was useless out there, And you know it."

Ash didn't respond right away, instead contemplating how to respond. "Maybe you can't control him, but I was there, listening. I heard you ask him, and I saw him respond." Ash became quieter as he spoke. "Maybe you two have some issues now but… maybe you guys can close that gap. Arron cares, and you do too."

Goh wasn't convinced, but he knew that ash wouldn't let up if he continued to mope. "Alright, then, but I need to start training: I can't just rely solely on Arron for every battle."

Ash nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. Now come on, May and Korrina are waiting at the pier. Korrina wanted to talk to you about something."

Goh sighed through his nose. "I don't want another philosophy lesson from her."

Ash looked at him, obviously having no clue what he was talking about. Goh rolled his eyes. "At the beginning of the tournament, she went on about my 'connection' with Arron, about how it was important that we think alike. It kinda sounded like she was making up a bunch of garbage, but I didn't question her at the time."

Ash chuckled. "May told me something similar about Riolu earlier."

Goh snorted before standing up, slinging his bag over his shoulder. Then he stretched his legs from crouching for so long, his knees and ankles sore. "So, where on the pier are we heading?"

Ash shrugged. "They wanted to hang out and watch the ships enter and leave the docks, and Korrina figured we could walk down to the deep water to swim. The water's supposed to be really great this time of year."

Goh gave him a curious look. "But we didn't bring swimsuits!"

Ash fished around his bag for something and tossed an article of clothing at Goh. Goh barely caught it, before unfolding a pair of sharpedo-print swim trunks.

"I came prepared, figured you could blow off some steam after that battle."

Goh rubbed his arm in hesitation, still desiring some solitude. But when he looked over at Ash, he saw his concern and he didn't want to keep worrying his friends.

"Yeah, I'd like that."

Ash grinned. "Cool, let's go before it gets crowded again. Everyone is eating lunch at home or in the Cafe's, so the pier boardwalk shouldn't be too crowded."

So they walked down one of the many paved paths throughout the thick woods of the park, benches lining beside it every few dozen yards. Some nuts and fruit were beginning to sprout on the trees, and berry blushed had become lush and ripe. Young kids with wicker baskets and their pokemon had begun to gather nature's abundance while many of the local pokemon peered from the trees, having grown accustomed to the presence of humans. Young Fletchlings that had recently left their nests gathered around children on the branches above, hoping to pick at their baskets, while a wild linoone curled around a tree cautiously, using the brown bark as a kind of pseudo-camouflage as he scouted for loose baskets to steal and eat from.

Closer to the wider open fields, couples packed picnics to eat under the hot midday sun, sharing charcuterie and strong cheeses with refreshing white wines and fruit. It was idyllic, and very foreign to Goh, who was more used to the bustle of the city even after his parents moved farther away from Vermilion City, and while Shalour was indeed a larger city, it was spread out amongst rolling hills and vast planes, and very few buildings beyond hotels and civic structures ever reached higher than three stories. Shalour let it's tradition and stunning neo-gothic architecture define it rather than population density.

"So, how did your battle with May go?" Goh asked, hoping to burn some time as they left the park and walked down an empty street. Ash shrugged. "Fine, I guess. I used dragonite."

Goh raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, you lost?"

Ash gave him a dirty look. "What makes you say that?

Goh snorted. "Because if you won you'd be in a much better mood."

Ash seemed almost offended, but Goh knew better. "That's not true… okay you're probably right. Fine, I lost. May's gotten a lot stronger since I last saw her a year or two back. She's got a stone set now, and her Blaziken can Mega-Evolve."

Goh became much more interested in the conversation at the mention of Mega-Evolution. "I've heard of that and seen it in books, but I've never seen it face to face. Chuck told me she had a set, but I'd she can use Mega-Evolution, why didn't she use it in her battles like Chuck did?"

Ash shrugged. "Maybe because she just didn't need to. Her Blaziken is her strongest pokemon, and it hits like a truck."

Goh nodded. "Yeah, probably."

They walked in silence for a little longer before they reached the boardwalk, the smell of the ocean becoming prominent. Ash spotted a set of changing booths down near the edge of the

pier, a few people mingling about. Ash also spotted Chuck, leaning against the railing as he chatted with Korrina, both wearing swim clothes. Korrina was in a cream-colored bikini while Chuck wore a pair of black swim-shorts. Korrina spotted them and waved, a knowing smile on her face as she walked up to the both of them.

"Hey, Goh, I saw the battle. Pretty neat that you beat Kane."

Goh wanted to speak up, but Ash stepped in. "He doesn't want to talk about it right now, Korrina, let it go."

Korrina glared at Ash, but sighed and rolled her shoulders. "I guess we can talk later, then. I just wanted to congratulate him, after all."

Korrina sounded innocent, but Ash seemed to know better. He didn't back down, instead raising his eyebrow. Korrina backed off, surprised at Ash's sudden protectiveness over Goh.

"Hey, guys, there's no reason to get so heated!" Said Chuck, obviously attempting to diffuse the situation, but it was too late. Korrina walked past him, inwardly irritated. "It's over, Chuck, I won't pester the kid."

Chuck sighed in relief. "That's all I'm asking."

Chuck sighed in relief before composing himself. "Now that that nasty stuff is over, you okay Goh? You seem a bit tense."

"I'm fine, Chuck, I just have a lot on my mind."

Chuck patted his shoulder encouragingly. "Okay, I'll take your word for it, kid. Now, let's go swimming, the water's nice and warm today. We'll have a good time, you'll see: you might even catch a few new pokemon while we're here."

Goh chuckled nervously, knowing inwardly that that was the opposite of what he wanted. still, he appreciatedChuck'sefforts to cheer him up. "Yeah, I guess I could."

Chuck grinned. "Alright then. Go get changed and we'll go swimming. May's be here in a bit, too, said she had something to deal with."

Goh shrugged. "We'll see her then. I'll go get changed. And Chuck?"

Chuck turned back around, waiting for Goh to respond.

"Thanks."

Chuck smiled and nodded. "No problem, kid."

The water was, in fact, very nice.

Goh swam farther out, away from the pier and boardwalk and near the mounds of sand that protruded from the water where ships didn't sail through, just to be safe. Plenty of water type pokemon used the mounds and reefs as shelter from predators, or as places to sleep. Seaking, Finneon and Magicarp were common, swimming in schools to dissuade predators from attacking them. A few a cloysters hung around on the floor, waiting to snatch unsuspecting prey. A lome sharpedo eyed a group of Seaking from behind a forest of seaweed.

Ash swam nearby, apparently following him for some reason. Ash was probably concerned, noticing some recent changes Goh had gone through over the past few days. Then again, a lot of things happened in the past few days, including Arron's evolution.

Goh felt weird still calling him Arron. Every stage in a pokemon's evolution had a unique identity and traits that morphed from the former. It was what happened with Raboot when she evolved from a Scorbunny: the once cheerful and lively rabbit pokemon became distant and full of angst. Only the simplest of pokemon, those who displayed less intelligence and expression often remained the same in temperament.

But Arron, beyond his increasingly violent tendencies, hadn't changed a bit. He was still distant, still moody, and still quite antisocial. He hadn't changed in any way except for his physical form, much to Goh's chagrin. Goh had inwardly hoped that Arron would change for the better when he had evolved, but it seemed that Goh's hopes for Arron's negative traits to dissipate had been quashed. For all intents and purposes, Arron had become worse due to his increased size and strength. Now he could bully more pokemon without consequences, not that he had a habit of bullying lots of pokemon, only a select few.

Like Riolu.

Goh remembering Riolu made him inwardly groan as he swam through the kelp forest, a small waterproof camera in hand. It was no secret that Riolu hated Arron's guts, and it was even less of a secret that Arron loved to antagonize Riolu in any way he could. Arron might have shown some restraint when they visited Riolu in the hospital, but Goh knew that wasn't a permanent arrangement. Arron would return to his malevolent ways when they returned to Kanto, with all the more muscle mass and power to back them up.

Goh just wanted to find a way to help Arron through whatever he was dealing with. It didn't help that Professor Cerise refused to allow Goh to be with Arron when Gardevior and her trainer were rooting around inside his mind. Goh didn't know for certain, but Goh hated it when his privacy was violated, so the idea of someone seeing inside of his mind, his most private sanctum, made Goh shiver. He could only imagine how Arron felt, probably enraged beyond

comparison that he was forced to sit and stay while his secrets and past were unearthed like they were artifacts in an excavation.

All in all, Goh felt helpless, and he hated that. He hated that even when he did win, the victories felt empty. And now his friends were watching him like hawks because they were worried about him.

He surfaced above the bluish-green water, gasping for air and looking around. The pier was a distance away, a few ships leaving for fishing trips and tours. Aside from Ash, the rest of his friends were tossing a beach ball around in some shallower water, May and Korrina playing keep-away with Chuck, who was leaping from the water for the ball to no avail. Ash seemed content to watch the schools of fish pokemon, glancing at Goh occasionally to check on him. Goh sighed, irritated with the attention, but he was willing to let it go since it was obvious Ash was obviously concerned about his friend.

The wind was picking up, whipping his messy, wet hair around his face and neck and causing him to squint. Dark clouds from farther north were beginning to gather, obviously ready to rain on the town in a matter of hours. Ash surfaced a few seconds later, noticing the wind as well. He eyed Goh before motioning for him to follow. "It's been a while, we should head back. Besides, I'm hungry."

Goh nodded. "Yeah, me too. And I don't want to get caught in that storm."

Ash snorted. "I thought that was a given."

Goh rolled his eyes and began swimming for the pier, remaining at the surface so as to not get lost underwater. Ash, meanwhile, submerged again, sinking further down and watching the pokemon as he followed Goh's outline on the surface.

Between strokes and gasps for breath, Goh spotted May and Korrina swimming towards them, which seemed odd as Goh was obviously heading for the shore. It wasn't until he saw their panicked faces that he knew something had gone wrong.

May got to him first, panting for breath while paddling to remain afloat. "Goh, we gotta get back, something's happening!"

Goh, startled by her desperation and panic, stuttered. "Wha-what do you mean? What's going on?"

Korrina caught up just in time to relay the rest of the information. "There's…" she gasped for breath, attempting to finish her sentence. "There's a crowd gathering in the market, and they're angry. Nobody knows exactly why but grandfather told me they were after someone!"

Goh could believe his ears. "What, like torches and pitchforks? That's lunacy!"

Korrina shook her head. "Not here it isn't. At least, not in this context. Someone's been accused of witchcraft."

Ash surfaced, confused. Goh barked a nervous laugh. "What? We aren't in the dark ages anymore, nobody really thinks witchcraft exists, right?"

Korrina gave him a solemn look, and Goh quickly lost faith in humanity. "No… no, that can't be right, you guys have to be playing a prank on me."

Korrina rubbed her temples. "We don't have time for this. I got a call from grandfather, he wants us back in the gym as soon as possible. He's going to try and mediate the situation but I think it might be too late."

Ash seemed completely confused. "Woah, hold up, wait one second! Where are the police? It can't just be your grandfather, right?"

Korrina didn't answer. "We have to get back to shore before it begins storming. Believe me, you don't want to be put here when it's raining."

With that, Korrina took off, swimming for the shore, with May following close behind. Ash gave him an alarmed look before swimming after them. Goh swam back to the pier as fast as he could, still confused by the whole situation.

A woman was accused of witchcraft? That was so stupid it made Goh inwardly grimace. How could anyone believe something as stupid as that? What did that even mean? It sounded purposefully vague.

The more he thought about it, the more sure he was that this was just a big misunderstanding. Sure, the people of Shalour were different from those of the mainland regions, but they were still rational human beings.

Right?

He reached the pier and climbed up the rungs of the steel ladder, crawling onto the wooden boardwalk. Frantically, he put his shirt back on and crammed his pants and vest into his bag before slinging it over his shoulder and bolting down the street to the market, Ash right in front of him and May and Korrina far off in the distance. He could hear shouting farther away, like someone stirring up a crowd with a speech.

Worse than that, he smelled smoke.

The scent of burning wood made him run faster, hoping to diffuse any potentially violent situation.

Goh got pretty close to the market before somebody snagged him by the back of his shirt and pulled him back. He felt a large hand at the back of his neck and turned around, seeing Chuck holding him back.

"Chuck, what gives?! I need to go and stop that mob!"

Chuck looked at him like he was a lunatic. "Are you out of your mind? You can't just run into that crowd, you'll get mauled!"

Goh stopped for a moment to think about the implications. "Oh." He said quietly. "I didn't think of that."

"Oh, you don't say!" Chuck said condescendingly. "Goh, you have to think things through! Running into an angry mob isn't thinking things through. You're acting like Ash."

Goh flinched at the comparison, knowing Chuck was serious. "So, what are we going to do? I can't just let Ash, May and Korrina go there either if it's that dangerous!"

Chuck's eyes widened. "What? How could you let them do something so stupid? I thought you were the smart one!"

Goh was beginning to get agitated. "Look, it all happened so fast. I need to go up there and help my friends."

Chuck grumbled for a moment. "Ok, fine, but I'm going with you, I can't with good conscience let you stroll in the middle of a violent crowd."

Goh harrumphed, irritated by the constant concern he was receiving from his friends. But he knew that this was different, this was a very real and very dangerous situation and to ignore Chuck's warnings was stupid. So he sighed and swallowed his pride, knowing he could voice his grievances later: right now was the time to save his friends from doing something potentially stupid.

"Alright, Chuck, but we have to hurry, the market isn't far and they had a big head start. We have to get there now."

Chuck pulled one of his pokeballs from his bag and tossed it into the air. "Alright, Mudsdale, let's go!"

Chuck's Mudsdale appeared in a burst of chromatic light, the horse pokemon shaking it's muddy mane in irritation. It eyed Chuck expectantly before whinnying and snorting, kicking it's hooves on the ground. Chuck approached Mudsdale, arms outstretched, before rubbing his hands

through Mudsdale's thick mane. Mudsdale snorted again, gentler this time. Chuck whispered to him, as if he was trying to convince him to do something.

"Hey, hey, ill get you some tamato berries later. I just need you to take me and my friend here to the center of town. It's a ways away and some friends need help. Is that okay with you?"

Mudsdale snorted again before rubbing against Chuck affectionately, causing him to chuckle. "Love you to big guy, I'll make sure to get you plenty of tamato berries."

Mudsdale bent over, allowing Chuck on his back and Goh behind him, his arms gripping around Chuck's waist for stability. Then, with a nudge from his heels, Chuck encouraged Mudsdale to take off, galloping down the street with a few sparse pedestrians making way for the horse pokemon. Goh held on like a madman, watching the buildings blur past as if he was riding in a car.

"When we get there, we might need to intervene. There's no telling what'll happen when we get there, especially if Ash or Korrina decided to do something reckless already."

Goh thought about that for a moment as mudsdale made a sharp turn around a corner. "What about May?"

Chuck shook his head. "She's smarter than that. I hope."

Goh sighed. "So, how do we intervene? Isn't that what you just told me not to do?"

Chuck chuckled. "Yeah, but this is different. Our friends are in danger and we might have to distract the crowd before this gets any worse. Then we can skip town or something, so we can wait for things to cool down."

"What about the tournament? We're at the final sixteen!"

Chuck shrugged. "I value my wellbeing over a tournament. Besides, there'll be plenty more tournaments in the future. Right now we just need to get out of this mess safely."

Mudsdale kept charging down the road, swerving around people and whinnying as his windswept mane kept slapping in Chuck's face comically. The sun was starting to set in the horizon, and up ahead Goh could see what looked like little pinpoints of light in the distance. He inwardly hoped those were street lamps and not torches, but the flickering of the redish-orange dots made his heart sink. Somebody angered a sizable group of people, and now things were becoming out of hand.

After a few hundred more feet, Mudsdale stopped and whinnied in concern, cantering around as if to say 'no, go back'. Chuck sighed but rubbed his hands through Mudsdale's mane in an attempt to comfort him.

"Hey, I get it. It's okay, big guy, I'll put you back in your ball and I'll make sure to get you those tamato berries."

Chuck's calming words didn't seem to help much, but Mudsdale relented, allowing himself to be returned to his ball. Both he and Goh then looked down the street, seeing the outline of a massive crowd, some holding what looked like makeshift signs and others holding a few torches that flared in the light of the sunset. The crowd seemed more perturbed and nervous than angry, but it was clear that they were there for an obvious purpose.

"Goh, stay behind me, I'll make sure the crowd disperses," he then pulled out a new pokeball, tossing it in his palm. "Alright, Feraligatr, let's do this!"

Chuck tossed his pokeball, his massive Feraligatr spawning g in front of them like a massive beast. Feraligatr let out a seething hissing sound, like water rushing down a pipe, before expelling the energy into a deep, bellowing howl. It then raked his claws on the ground threateningly before looking back at his master, as if waiting for orders.

Chuck approached Feraligatr, scratching under its chin, eliciting a content rumble from the creature before it leaned on him affectionately. Chuck wrapped an arm around it and pressed his head against it's chest like he was listening to it's heartbeat. "Feraligatr, I need you to help me disperse that crowd. Don't hurt anybody, just scare them off."

Feraligatr rumbled in confirmation before approaching the crowd, some of the bystanders backing away to avoid the massive pokemon's wake. Others began insulting it, like it was in collusion with the 'witch' of all people. Most disregarded it, thinking it was just the pokemon of one of the pokemon of some of the people assembled, and that it wouldn't harm anyone.

"Feraligatr, make them clear our, but don't hurt anyone."

Feraligatr nodded and bellowed again, catching the attention of the gatherers and forcing them to step aside, allowing him to pass. The crowd split into two, revealing a path for then to walk to the center of the gathering, where Gog spotted Korrina, Ash, May and Gurkinn along with a few dozen more people who seemed to have more common sense than the mob that had assembled, all shielding an oddly familiar woman dressed in a magenta cloak and a velvet and carob brown dress. They were standing between her and the mob, who had long since calmed down, but still had a dangerous aura about them, as of there was some unspoken ultimatum in the air.

"I've seen that lady before, this morning, actually." Said Goh. There's no way that's her, right?"

"What are you talking about?" Replied Chuck, "when did you meet her? We've only been here for a few days."

"This morning, I woke up early and decided to waste some time before I had to fight Kane. I explored for a bit before finding her stall in the big market square. Her name's Fayette, she lives in the area."

Chuck chuckled. "Did she seem like the witchcraft type, or did she sell anything spooky?" Chuck asked the last question with a hint of sarcasm, causing Goh to chuckle as well.

"You have no idea."

"Well, that makes sense. Freaky witch lady sells charms or something and the local prejudices or whatever start to flare up. It's probably happened everywhere at one point."

"Maybe, but when I asked her, she said she'd lived in Shalor her whole life, or at least that's what it sounded like. Why would they start accusing her of witchcraft now?"

Chuck shrugged. "Maybe she did something that tipped the scales. We better find out if we want to diffuse this situation anyway, so we might as well pique our curiosity."

Chuck followed closely behind Feraligatr as he cleared the way, making sure to avoid the townsfolk as best as he could. Goh felt the eyes of the townsfolk on the as they made their way to the center, the small fountain serving as a kind of barrier which to cower against when you were outnumbered three to one. Gurkinn saw them and scowled, obviously unhappy that his daughter and her friends already endangered themselves, but he obviously had bigger fish to fry.

"I'm asking all of you to just return to your homes; we don't want anyone to get hurt." Said Gurkinn, his brow sweating. "Just disperse and we can discuss this later in a more civil fashion."

Most of the townsfolk mumbled, but one swung her sign around in anger. "Tell that to my son! He entered that forest and hasn't come back yet."

Chuck snickered, eliciting a dirty look from Goh. "I bet you she has a house made of gingerbread in the forest, and she leads young children to it with candy."

Goh sneered. "You're awful, Chuck, she just lost her kid."

"Oh, I'm sure he's fine."

"You don't know that."

"Maybe not, but you have to admit that this whole situation is quite absurd," Chuck replied "Just because some people go missing in the woods doesn't make her a witch, it just makes some people irresponsible."

"Have some empathy, Chuck, her son's gone. Besides, that kinda explains why people are angry. But why is she?"

They continued to speculate as the woman ranted and raved at Gurkinn, tears streaming from her eyes. Goh noticed his pained look, and Goh understood why. Gurkinn, first and foremost, was a grandfather. He obviously cared deeply for Korrina, and he knew that he'd feel the same kind of grief this woman was feeling if he ever lost her. Thus this woman's frustration was completely justified.

As for the rest, well, goh could understand that as well. It made sense that people would become superstitious; fear was a powerful feeling, and there were few fears stronger than the fear of losing loved ones. Goh didn't know exactly how he was so certain of that, but it just felt like the right train of thought, as if he had lost someone before even though he hadn't.

Maybe it was just because of his helicopter parents. He understood their fears a little more now, even if he still ultimately disagreed with how they confronted them.

"I'm very sorry for your loss, ma'am, but we've sent in search teams beforehand, and even they went missing. Those woods aren't safe, in fact they're off limits and they've been off limits for a long time." Gurkinn sighed, obviously wound tight by the tension of the now quiet mob. "I'm sure everyone here agrees that what you and many others have suffered over the past few decades is incredibly painful, but retribution without certitude is not our way. We are a people of civility and equality, not violence and irrationality!"

The crowd was starting to disperse, much to the relief of Gurkinn and the rest of those who stood up for the lady. Fayette's expression concerned Goh, however, with her anodyne and almost smug expression, as if the woman was foolish to try and accuse her of witchcraft. It seems that Gurkinn noticed it as well, as he turned to face her with a dark and irritated look.

"Those last words apply to you as well, Fayette. Follow the laws and avoid that forest, or I may no longer be able to protect you from the anger and judgment of the townsfolk. I will not put my life and the lives of those I care about on the line because you refuse to follow the rules like everyone else."

Fayette scoffed. "Or what, you'll expel me? Do as you wish, Gurkinn, it means little to me. I thank you for your assistance today, but if it is so dangerous for you I'd prefer if you were to not do so."

"So you'd rather die than simply afford those woods? It's dangerous, how you haven't died while wandering in there is beyond me."

Fayette shook her head and turned to leave before providing a response. "I don't expect you to understand why I do anything, Gurkinn, but just know this: my beliefs are everything to me, worth everything to me, even my life. If the people of this city are so nearsighted and barbaric as

to lynch an old woman for practicing her beliefs, then let them continue with the savagery they call 'civility'. I will die in peace, my soul a part of the Godswood. "Beyond that, maybe they should learn to be a little more tolerant instead of pointing fingers and blaming everything they don't understand for their problems."

Gurkinn snarled at Fayette. "The nerve of you! Tolerance won't bring that woman's son back!"

Fayette simply shrugged. "And neither will killing me, yet you see the brutish methods they choose to resort to. If I die then I die, but whether I continue to wander the Godswood or my body is buried within it is no different to me except for the amount of blood there will be on the hands of these townsfolk. Let their ignorance and abhorrence of me damn them."

Goh couldn't believe how much Fayette's facade had changed, from the odd yet kindly old woman he had met the same morning to the judgemental, cold and smug woman he had just witnessed rip Gurkinn a new one with words. Goh couldn't even fault her; she was practicing her beliefs, no matter how odd they were, yet in a way it all felt wrong. Something about the whole situation stunk.

As Fayette made her way down the street and to the edge of town, Gurkinn balled and uncalled his fists, breathing heavily. Korrina walked up and placed a hand on hisbshoulder, but he tensely removed it and ran his fingers through his thinning hair. "The gall of the woman, I swear it's going to give me an aneurysm one day."

Korrina cleared her throat. "Grandfather, we should go home, It's late."

Gurkinn sighed, the sound of her voice seemingly soothing the flustered old man. "You're right, it is getting very late. Everyone, just go home, most of you have a big day tomorrow anyway."

Everyone prepared to leave, all except for Goh, who crossed his arms. "We still have something to discuss."

Gurkinn waved his hand as if Goh's grievances were petty. "I know what you're going to ask about and I'll tell you tomorrow. Right now I just need sleep, my head is pounding from the stress."

Goh wanted answers, but he relented, choosing to hold Gurkinn to his promise instead of causing future conflict. He followed Ash back to the hotel, ready to sleep himself.