"Go Ninetales!"

"Go Clawey!"

Ninetales was a beautiful Pokemon, Ryan thought, and it towered over his poor Golduck like VY Canis Majoris compared to a lonely hydrogen atom. He had only ever seen Ninetales on television before, and now seeing one in person, in all its glory, Ryan was colored very impressed.

"Confuse Ray!" Olivia commanded.

Ryan tipped his top hat Olivia's way before beginning, because he was a gentleman and a scholar. "Clawey, use surf!"

Before Clawey could ride that wave, however, the Ninetales shot forward and fired a Confuse Ray. Ryan desperately wanted Clawey to avoid it, but alas, his Pokemon had not the speed, and the attack hit him straight in the chest. Clawey fell over. Ryan took out his Pokedex and pointed it at Clawey. His Golduck had stood up by this point and was now looking this way and that, visible question marks popping up around its beak. Ryan had never seen such a thing happen before. Heck, he hadn't even believed it was possible for question marks to materialize out of nowhere until just then.

"Clawey is confused!" Dex droned.

"Oh no! Oh jeez!" Ryan was horrified. He saw his chances slipping. "Come on Clawey, surf all over that Ninetales! Don't hurt yourself in your confusion! Please!"

"Duck, gol? Gol, duck?" Clawey quacked. He then brought up his surf around him and rode an impressive wave right into Ninetales. It was a direct hit. Ninetales stumbled back, shrieking in pain. Its fur soaked and its body bruised, the fire Pokemon then collapsed onto the ground, defeated.

"Whooooo!" Ryan whooped, punching the air.

Olivia returned Ninetales, then dismounted from her Rapidash. "All right, Rapidash, it's time we teach this kid a lesson! Go get 'em!"

Rapidash lept through the air impressively and landed right in front of the question mark-plagued Golduck.

"Rapidash, Take Down!"

"Body Slam it, Clawey!" Ryan yelled.

The Rapidash glided forward as if it was flying and tackled the small Golduck easily, even as it was slightly damaged by the recoil of the attack. Ryan winced as he watched his Golduck hit the floor hard. Bruises and scratches were clearly evident on its body now. Clawey winced and cried out, but it stood up to retaliate with a Body Slam. However, as he tried to, the Golduck accidentally punched himself in the face with a hard fist and fell over again.

"Clawey has hurt itself in its confusion!" Dex assured its master.

Ryan shook his head and slumped his shoulders. "That's exactly what I didn't want to happen!"

"All right, another Take Down, Rapidash! Don't let up!"

"Oh brother…" Ryan breathed out as he watched the entire scenario play itself out again. The fire stallion charged his Golduck, hit it to the floor and hurt itself slightly in the recoil. Once again, Golduck was hurt lots. This next time, Ryan told the blue Pokeduck to use his surf attack. The Golduck obliged and hit the Rapidash with a swift water attack. A flicker of hope caught Ryan then, for he saw how critically the attack had hurt Olivia's Pokemon. The Rapidash shuddered and stumbled back.

"Don't give up, Rapidash!" Olivia said, trying to console her fire 'mon.

Ryan didn't even hear the attack she told him to perform, though, for he was already yelling to Golduck again. "Rock it out with surf again! Make it rain, Clawey!" Ryan screamed, shaking his maracas as if to appease the rain gods. "Make it raiiiiiiiiin!"

The Golduck took that command to heart and ran at the Rapidash. It started galloping right at Clawey, closing in on another fearsome attack. However, as the Rapidash got up to him, Clawey jumped out of the way, and his opponent went flying by, preparing a deadly Fire Spin for but an open space. Clawey flipped over in midair (because he was an acrobat with many years of training in the Pokemon gymnastics league), created a water wave and rode it upside down right into Rapidash's left side. The Rapidash didn't even know what hit it before it collapsed to the ground, defeated.

Olivia looked visibly frustrated with that defeat. Ryan laughed aloud. She seemed even more annoyed by his gloating than her own failure to outsmart him so he tipped his hat to her again. She must not have seen the gentleman's gesture when she spoke, "You're not half-bad, but this is the end of the road! You won't win this time! I'll show you who's boss! Go Flareon!"

"Flareon?" Ryan repeated, puzzled. "I thought Blaine's other Pokemon was an Arcanine."

"That was my father's Pokemon. Flareon's mine. And you'll see, he's a lot more deadly, too."

"We'll see alright," Ryan swore. "Clawey, use your Body Slam attack!"

"Flareon, Body Slam him right back!"

The two Pokemon flew into the air like a couple of drunk Pidgeys trying to mate and soon they collided with a sickening thud. Ryan winced as he saw a bright white light encapsulate the two Pokemon; then, their two bodies fell from the air like sacks of potatoes and crashed into the ground. The great metal chains holding up the platform shook violently for a few moments, and a few splashes of lava jumped onto the side nearest Ryan. He saw that Golduck was lying crumpled on the ground, not moving. He quickly pointed his PokeDex to Clawey and shouted:

"Hey, Clawey, get up! Come on, you can do it! You can beat Flareon!"

"Clawey has fainted," Dex droned softly.

Ryan grasped onto his blue hair and briefly contemplated pulling it all out. "Gahhh! Come on, Clawey, don't do this to me! Not now! We're so close!" He knew how close he was. A single surf would cause Flareon to faint. He just needed Clawey to do one more attack.

"Looks like your Pokemon's finished," Olivia laughed. "Let's go, bring out the next one. I don't have all day, kid."

"I'm not a kid… I'm fourteen! I'm a man grown." Ryan mumbled to himself. After a brief stare-off with Olivia, he sighed and called his Golduck back into a Pokeball. He considered who to bring out next. Abra would get KO'd with one Body Slam, he knew. There was no way his Charmeleon would be any good, either. And Matata… she was a grass Pokemon - not even worth considering. He fingered Abra's Pokeball and prepared to throw it onto the platform ahead of him when suddenly a commotion started up behind him. Ryan spun around to see Nurse Joy chasing after a Pokemon which was coming right at him like a train without brakes.

Dragonair. Ryan stepped back, his heart aflutter in his throat. The Dragonair slid right up to him and and nuzzled up against his neck. He just stood there, arms out to either side, unsure of what to do. Heck, he didn't even know if what he was seeing was real. Could he be dreaming? Had the heat and hunger finally gotten to him?

"I'm sorry… so sorry!" Nurse Joy panted as she finally reached Ryan. Ryan could have sworn that she was even more beautiful than the last Nurse Joy he had seen. She had just the right shade of pink in her hair. "That Dragonair escaped from the Pokecenter. I've been trying to chase he down all afternoon!" When she saw how affectionate the Dragonair was acting to Ryan, she narrowed her eyes. "Hey, I know you! You're the one who brought that Dragonair in!"

"Y-yeah, that's me…" Ryan said, trailing off as he turned around to glance over at Olivia standing on the far side of the volcano. "Uh, I'm in the middle of a Pokebattle right now…"

"Oh, I'm dreadfully sorry!" Nurse Joy said politely. "This wasn't your Pokemon, right?"

"No," Ryan spoke honestly. "I just found it hurt in the woods, so I brought it to you."

"Well, I guess we can keep her at the Pokecenter until her master comes to claim her. Here, let me put the Dragonair back in this Pokeball…"

"Neeee!" The Dragonair shrieked. She pushed her body against Ryan's, trembling tremendously.

"What's that?" Nurse Joy cocked her head to one side. "She's scared? She must not want to go in the ball."

Ryan shook his head. Why did this have to happen now of all times? He knelt down next to the Dragonair, who was bobbing up and down, her entire body shaking in fright. She had moved behind Ryan as far away from the good nurse as physically possible. He pet her on the head to calm her down and spoke, "Hey, don't worry, Dragonair! It's just a Pokeball. Besides, once your master finds out you're here, they'll come and get you!"

"Nee eehh ne!" Dragonair growled. Ryan tried to move her around him for Nurse Joy to take, but the Dragonair would not budge. Her eyes were as wide as something that is wide and she seemed to be pleading with Ryan. He faltered, seeing her like that.

"I… I think she wants to stay with me…" He thought back to how standoffish the Dragonair had been back when he had found her and saved her from the clutches of that insane bratty girl, Sophia. And now it was as loyal to him as any of his stalwart companions. Ryan looked up at Nurse Joy, bewildered by his realization.

She nodded, knowingly. "It seems that Dragonair knows you saved her. And now she only feels safe around you."

"But what about her original master? Won't they be mad? I can't just steal their Pokemon!"

"Her original master must have abandoned her. You said she was all alone and wounded in the forest. No good Pokemon Trainer would ever leave one of their Pokemon like that. That must've been when Dragonair broke out of the Pokecenter! She wanted to make sure that you didn't forget her too."

Ryan looked down at the Dragonair, his mouth agape. He couldn't believe it. "So… I can take her?"

Nurse Joy did that thing that they do in the Pokemon anime where they just grunt and nod and Ryan knew what it meant because he lived in the Pokemon world.

Ryan turned back to the Dragonair and patted it on the head. "Hey Dragonair! So you wanna stay with me, huh?" Dragonair barked and bobbed its head enthusiastically. Ryan beamed. "Alright! Welcome to Team Ryan, the best team in the Pokeworld! Whoo!" He looked back to Nurse Joy and gave her a thumbs up. "Thanks for helping me with this, but I've got a gym battle to win!"

Nurse Joy said her farewells and wished Ryan luck, but Ryan knew he had already gotten lucky. He'd gotten a Dragonair.

"Hey, what's going on over there?!" Olivia shouted from the other side of the volcano.

"I'm just choosing my next Pokemon."

"Well hurry up!"

Ryan ignored her and took out his PokeDex, thrusting it into his new Pokemon's face impatiently. "Hey Dexy, does Dragonair know any water-type moves?"

"This Dragonair knows Surf. And please do not call me Dexy," his PokeDex replied.

Ryan's face lit up. "Awesome! I'm gonna wreck house with this Dragonair! We're gonna party like it's 1998! Thanks Dexy!" Ryan pocketed his irritable machine and then pointed to the stage. "Go Dragonair! Let's bring the heat! Beat that Flareon!" He shook his maracas menacingly at Olivia, but she was probably too far away to hear them.

"Flareon, Body Slam it!" Olivia shouted as soon as the dragon-type Pokemon entered the stage. The Flareon howled and rushed forward, but as it reached Ryan's Pokemon, it suddenly dropped to the ground, not moving. Flashes of electricity flew over its head, Ryan swore. "Oh no, she's paralyzed!" Olivia moaned, disappointed.

"Paralyzed?" Ryan repeated, briefly confused. Then he remembered his Golduck's last attack. "Oh! Clawey's Body Slam must've done it! Holla at my boy!" Ryan took out Golduck's Pokeball and jiggled it up and down to holler at his so called boy. "All right, let's finish this! Dragonair, Surf your way to victory!"

The Dragonair nodded and conjured up a wave of water. And she surfed that wave so beautifully, it would have brought a tear to Ryan's eye had he been a sad sappy sucker. Within a few moments, the entire hanging platform was sopping wet and the paralyzed Flareon had fainted. Olivia frowned and returned the Pokemon into its Pokeball; then, she jumped forward onto the precariously hanging battle platform and gestured for Ryan to join her. The boy scrambled forward to meet her.

Olivia was smirking when he reached her. When he came up to her, Ryan really saw how cute she was. Her wavy blond hair was hanging around her shoulders and skin color was the perfect island tan. As he stepped forward, the good trainer caught the scent of her perfume and briefly was he enthralled by her presence. When she used her hand to motion him forward, he lunged as if he was in a stupor and attempted to kiss her. The Gym Leader, however stepped back.

"Whoa, I'm just giving you your Volcano Badge, dude. No need to take it further than that…" she laughed nervously.

"Oh, right, thanks!" Ryan said, his face going scarlet as he plucked the shiny badge from the girl's outstretched hand.

Ryan knew Olivia was trying to alleviate the embarrassment hanging in the air when she next spoke. "You fought well today, kid."

I'm not a kid. I'm basically a grownup, Ryan thought. Can't you see that?!

"You kind of lucked out with paralyzing my Flareon, but I guess everyone gets lucky sometimes, huh?"

And if I didn't have Dragonair…

"Keep training your Pokemon, and learn more about Pokemon strategy. Who knows, maybe I'll hear about you winning the Indigo League some day! Just keep fighting confident and stay humble. That's a big part of winning a battle. Don't let your opponents outsmart you."

"Thanks," Ryan replied meekly, his shoulders thrust forward and his head down. "You're a good trainer too."

He wanted to tell her she was pretty. He wanted to let out all of his feelings; but, like the volcano bubbling underneath their feet, he didn't allow any outburst. He held his tongue. Ryan had made a fool of himself once already today, and he was not keen on making a second. So the boy said his goodbyes to Olivia, turned around, and walked out of the Gym. He would return to Kelly and show her what he had won while she slept off a mighty orange juice hangover. He would gloat and boast, but deep down inside, Ryan would not forget Olivia. He only wished that once he won the Indigo League, like he knew he would, he could return to her and things would be different.