Ryan pointed at her boldly. "I'm going to smoke you! Logan, get the rotisserie ready!"

"If you think things are going to be just like they were last time, you're sadly mistaken!" Jessica responded, gritting her teeth. "My Pokémon have become much stronger since then!"

"Yeah well I'm the Indigo League Champion, so wooooohooooo!" A shiver went down his spine; it felt good to tell her that, although she probably already knew. "I'm immortal!"

She grasped a Poké Ball in her right hand. It looked real menacing. "Shut your face before I make you!"

"Children, children, adolescents and teenagers!" Sebastian the butler said in a droll tone as he tugged on his mustache. "Please settle down. There will be no Pokémon battling at this hour of the night! If you even wake up one of my distinguished, loyal paying customers, I'll kick all of you out!"

That was a nasty threat, and Ryan half wanted to throw that old gizzard into the sea for daring to make it. But they couldn't afford to sleep on the beach, especially not on the very first night of their glorious vacation, so he begrudgingly pocketed Thurnax's ball, and motioned for the others to follow him inside. He didn't so much as look at Jessica. She followed with two adults, and Ryan was struck by the fact that she probably needed them.

Luckily, the suite he had reserved had multiple rooms, each separated by paper-thin walls and shoddy-looking doors. Ryan had primarily chosen to rent out that room so that Alex could get some peace and quiet whenever his brothers called him up to ask him about the dishes, but as we don't speak of the dark times, that's the last time Ryan ever thought about that.

By the time they had all crowded their way inside the main hall of the champion's suite, that weird looking fellow who Ryan could only assume was Jessica's father had wandered into Ryan's and Logan's room, noticing the pile of Lava Cookies stacked boldly upon a table. Without asking anyone, he walked right up to the plate, took the cookie second from the top (the choicest one), and bit into it.

Logan screamed and threw a Poké Ball into the side of that dude's face. He dropped the cookie, which was kind of sad, but Ryan didn't really see the big deal–he much preferred MooMoo Milk, personally. The man let out a dramatic shriek and fell, the cookie crumbling all over the carpet. Dang, someone's gonna have to clean that up. Out came Echo, Logan's steadfast Scyther, and after he made a few swipes at the man's long blue hair, slicing open his shirt and just barely missing one of the important arteries, surely, the thief got the message and ran scampering back to his side of the suite.

Jessica looked rather embarrassed as she stood in the doorway to her room glaring at Ryan. Her mother yelled shrilly, "James, what are you doing?"

"Aw… come on, Jesse, I was hungry! It's almost midnight… we can't even get room service! And besides, our room doesn't even have a mini fridge!"

"Get over yourself, you imbecile!"

Man he's pathetic, just like that kid we met on the beach. However, this James fellow was nothing like that other guy, so such a comparison was nonsensical at best.

"Just you wait," Jessica breathed, her cheeks flushed deeply.

"What about that Gilly guy, though? Why didn't you bring him along?"

"He had to do the laundry, and I never heard from him again."

"A likely story!" Logan sneered, pointing rudely at Jessica. "Don't trust her, Ryan, she's got somethin' cookin'. Look at her eyes, she's a demon! She literally crawled out from under a rock, and I bet underneath all that makeup she has green-looking skin… And I just know when nobody's watching, she runs around screaming that Poké Sm4sh is the best one of all!"

She stuttered, "Y-you take that back…!"

"Come on, be natural! Show everyone your true colors!"

"C sharp!" Ryan interjected to little fanfare and no applause.

"Aw, I'm so hungry," James complained, falling to his knees, and staring lustily at the plate of cookies. "Come on, can't I have just one more bite, pleeeease?!"

"You're a literal vampire potbelly goblin!" Logan countered. "Thank you and goodnight."

He flicked his wrist, and Echo shot forward, slamming Jessica's door shut. "If you open that door, Echo'll send all of you to the moon!"

There was no reply from behind that door, although Ryan could have sworn he heard one of the lamps getting thrown into something that was not inanimate, but that was just speculation.

"You should've bought enough cookies for all of us," Rahul complained to Logan. "Don't you know that you can't even get those in Kanto? I've been dying for some Lava Cookies for hours!"

"Then go win a Pokémon League and make big Poké Bucks and buy yourself a whole storage container full of 'em!"

With that, Logan slammed the door to Ryan's and his room as well.

"Whoa man, you seem pretty pissed off," Ryan observed coolly. "Chill out. It's just some cookies."

"You don't understand, Ryan. Granddaddy Clefable is a great and terrible ruler! He demands perfection from all of his subjects! He's going to make me pay for that cookie!"

"Well this is the first I'm hearing of Granddaddy Clefable, and let me tell you something, I couldn't care less about whoever the heck that jabroni is."

"Ryan, you better not be so lackadaisical in his presence, or he'll get real furious."

"And then what? Is he going to throw me into the ocean?"

Logan calmed in an instant, a tiny smirk coming to his face. "You wish. Just don't say anything, how about that? It's better when you don't talk, because then you can't make a fool of yourself."

"Alright sounds good," Ryan yawned. "Well anyways, considering I paid for this trip, I think you should be pretty happy with how things have turned out."

"I won't be happy until I sail to the moon with all the Clefairy and Clefable!" the other boy said madly.

I wonder if he had too much MooMoo Milk. The boy's actions reminded Ryan suddenly of Kelly, and he remembered how much he missed her. The mood dimmed in an instant. "Well anyways, you should keep your nonsense to yourself, man. I gotta get some sleep. I'd prefer if I didn't wake up in the middle of the night to find you rambling in the corner to yourself like I did back during the Indigo League."

Logan's icy blue eyes grew wide. "Oh my Deoxys, Ryan, you heard that?!"

"Well, I wasn't going to mention it, but then you decided to room with me again instead of Rahul."

"That's because Rahul never stops talking about Derny Sandcastle. I can't stand it. I dunno how Alex puts up with it."

"You coming with us to the Ember Spa tomorrow?" Ryan asked him.

"Nah, I gotta visit my fam, fam."

Man this guy's going off the deep end. Granddaddy Clefable must be really important. He can't be faking this. Nobody can be this neurotic on purpose. "Don't ever say that again, goodnight."

"Neieieieueueuaua!" Katagiri chirped politely from Ryan's shoulder.

"Goodnight heretic," the other simply replied, returning Echo to his ball.

Katagiri was a passive boy, a good boy, the best boy, reminding Ryan very much of Alakazam before he had evolved. There was a certain regalness about the pose he assumed on Ryan's shoulder, his chest puffed out, his shoulders stout and high, his gaze withering and distant, that suggested, beneath the blanketed veil of imperial grace, a certain awkward artlessness that he had adopted in his infancy, mimicking Ryan himself. There was no point to this speculation, Ryan knew, but focusing on anything but Granddaddy Clefable and his troupe of Alpha Centauri exiles was to be preferred.

He waited until Logan had fallen asleep before stealing a cookie of his own.

The next day, Rahul rose at the crack of noon and beckoned Alex and Ryan come with him to the Ember Spa on One Island, which was annoyingly far away from Resort Gorgeous. He would have invited Logan too, but he had already left before anyone else had woken up, and surely he was off doing something very important that will be expanded upon immensely at some point, maybe.

Alex didn't want to go in the spa again, after visiting it with everyone else last night.

"Oh, come on, Alex, are you serious?! You have to come with us, it's the best, there's going to be so many people there… you can relax, finally!"

There's never a moment's rest for Dishmaster Supreme, Ryan knew. He wondered how Alex was dealing with his sacred duty now that he was so far from home; indeed, Alex had been furiously texting on his phone throughout most of their time awake so far, no doubt relaying instructions about how to do a perfect dishes run for the best brother of all, Dean.

Regardless, Alex was stubborn as a Bonsly, and he would not be swayed. The most he agreed to do was go to One Island with them, but that was because he wanted to see Mount Ember, for reasons that are too obscure for Rahul or Ryan to comprehend.

They arrived at One Island after an unspecified amount of time and proceeded down Kindle Road, where they encountered a balding man with cracked glasses screaming, "Don't run into the Tall Grass!"

Rahul sprayed himself in the eyes with Max Repel, but he didn't even cry, so Ryan kind of respected him a little.

As they were walking, suddenly, Rahul stopped and pointed at Ryan. "Hey, what's your Froakie holding, Ryan?"

"Huh?"

"It looks like a piece of candy," Alex stated.

Indeed, the thing that Katagiri was clutching between his froggy little paws was a round blue ball with a red 'F' painted on one side. It smelled very sweet.

"Whoa, what is it?" Rahul asked.

"Whatever it is, it's definitely not rare candy." The Indigo League Champion did not hesitate to toss the piece of candy into his mouth. "Oh man, that's pretty good. Do you have any more of those, Katagiri? Where'd you find it anyways?"

"Veeero!"

If I pretend like I understand what he's saying, everyone will be a lot more impressed with me. "Yeah, alright, sounds good."

"What'd he say?" asked Alex.

"Oooh, he just said that was a treat he made 'specially for me. Sorry Rahul… next time I'll ask him to make you one too."

Rahul looked rather peeved. "You better."

As they reached the hot springs, which were located at the far northern peak of the island, in a rather remote and barren and un-peopled region of One Island, nary a wild Pokémon or rustled Legendary Denier to be found, a young red-haired boy who looked like he had just bawled his eyes out for the camera came sprinting out of a hole in the rocky, mountainous, hilly conglomerate that surrounded the trail like Beedrill nests. Steam drifted up from the entrance to the Ember Spa behind him, and it looked as if for a moment, vapor was rising from his own skin, like he was melting.

Too bad he didn't.

"Woo, I'm a creeper, but I'm not creepy! Hahah, I make myself laugh," he laughed, sticking his tongue out to the side. "Doo doo doo, I challenge you!" the boy said clumsily, pointing at Ryan.

Why's it always gotta be me, yo?! "No, that's quite alright. Why don't you just move along?"

"Yeah, why do you want to challenge him anyways?" Alex said. "Don't you know who he is?"

The boy shook his head dispassionately. "Meh, who cares?"

This dude's an absolute scrub. "Why do you even want to fight me?" Ryan asked. "I literally just met you."

"Your bandana doesn't match the rest of your outfit," the boy said, snickering to himself. It's always excellent when the only person laughing at the joke is the one who made it, but Ryan couldn't fault him too much for that rookie mistake, for he too succumbed to such cringeyness on a daily basis. "Dere, I said it. Fight me!"

A little baby Magmar flew out of a Safari Ball.

"You do know that I got this little guy, right?" Ryan said, scratching Katagiri behind the ear. "He'll just use Bubble and it's game over, man."

"Calm down. Just because we're in the middle of a Pokémon fight doesn't mean you can criticize me. Doo doo doo, I didn't MEAN you had to use a Water Pokémon, jeez. By the way, the whole reason I chose him was because in that episode where Dio called Jojo a man who was a–"

"Okay, I'm going stop you right there. First off, nobody gets the reference, and secondly, I hate that song! Katagiri, end this fool with a Bubble!"

The little Magby, who looked more than a little like his master, fainted before the red-haired boy could think up anything clever in response. "…" said the trainer. "What the heck?! How did you do that? That's no fair, I don't want to play this game anymore. Goodbye. Not for real doo doo doo but I want to bring attention to myself again."

"Alright, good luck with that," Rahul grunted, ushering Ryan into the Ember Spa's entrance.

"Oh. Oh, oh, look at me! Don't you feel sorry for me? He took out my Magby in one move. I can't believe it. My favorite Pokétuber said Magby is the best baby Pokémon of all time! It's not fair. Life isn't fair! I should be able to beat him with ANY of my Pokémon."

Alex folded his arms and looked mighty unimpressed. "That lazy, self-pitying attitude won't make anyone sympathetic towards you. You're just being pathetic."

"Wow, okay. I don't think you understand. I bought the girl I like a fifty Poké Dollar necklace for Pokémas, alright?! Does that make me a bad person…? Really? You should be praising me. It's not a humblebrag if it's real life. I'm being serious right now. I didn't share that information for any other reason than to gain a little sympathy, and you can't even give me THAT? Seriously? That should be good enough for you. Wasn't I a nice guy? Why doesn't she love me?"

"Look man, we've all got our issues. Do you honestly think whining about yours in front of me is going to accomplish anything?"

Ryan wanted to stay and watch, but Rahul simply dragged him into the steaming maw by the wrist. He really likes feeling good all the time. I wish I could be like him, but then my brain would atrophy before I even get back home.

The hot springs of the fabled Ember Spa were arranged like a series of pools, which to a bathhouse regular like Rahul made more aesthetic sense than fairly opaque crop circles, but I digress. There was a tepid pool nearby, and that's where several no good mediocre plebeians were lounging about, discussing the multifaceted, love-fear dysphoria rendered viable only by overloads of dimethyltryptamine leaking out of one's third eye.

A bit further back, there was a pool with a Charizard and a Mankey, and Rahul didn't want to disturb them, so they climbed the ladders that were on the side of the pool because why not, all hot springs should be connected via ladders. They eventually found one that was, while not unoccupied, at least pretty hot. And that was pretty hot, of course.

"Hey Ryan, look, it's Chunk."

"Cluck who now?" the boy replied, slightly absentmindedly.

"He's the leader of the Middle-aged Turks," Rahul said with awe. "Literally, here," he said, bringing out his phone, and in a blink of an eye texting Ryan at least fourteen videos, several of which were more than fifty-five minutes long, that he should watch post-haste, if he was to become as enlightened as the big man. "Get back to me when you're done.

"Sure," Ryan replied, pocketing his phone without even marking the messages as read, for to do so would just be getting a goatee boy's hopes up for no good reason.

"So where were we?" Chunk said, clearing his throat. He wore a bath towel in the water, which was just a obnoxious. It was floating all around him like a colony of Weedlings surrounding their master. Chunk looked upon Ryan with a grim and ferocious look. "The second you qualify justice, it doesn't become justice anymore, haha! Google that, and you'll learn the truth, here," he said curtly, throwing a business card at Ryan, but Ryan didn't catch it.

"Who the heck is this guy, Rahul?"

"Quiet, Ryan, let him speak! Don't be rude! Only a coward attempts to talk over their opposition, but we're not going to let that happen again!"

"Look," Chunk said, waving his arms around wildly, "nobody's saying that Poké Balls are prisons, okay? Heh, like really, who's saying that? I can't think of one person. But let's not act like stuffing these poor little creatures into tiny mechanical, sterile, cold, uncomfortable balls is morally defensible, okay? Like, really, just google it. I'm sorry if you–ahem–lack the mental intelligence to comprehend this simple point, but really, the facts are all laid out for you to understand… It's not my fault if you can't. We're not babies anymore. Not everything's going to be spoon-fed to you, alright?"

A tear came to Rahul's eye. He began to clap as Chunk stood up, the towel falling from his waist, leaving a man who wore nothing but a red speedo. I'm not surprised that's his favorite color, Ryan thought. "Isn't he amazing, Ryan? He speaks with such authority and clarity. We've been missing a Pokémon activist like him forever!"

"But what exactly am I supposed to google?"

Chunk Ugo'gir laughed dismissively. "Look, I don't have time to go through every little point and get bogged down in the minutia of low-brow argumentation–look, we all know what this tactic really is (the same dirty tactic you Poképhiles always like to use)–this is the same line of reasoning employed by several Nurse Joys last time I talked about it in Celadon City… But that's beside the point. Look… there is a clear and present danger in harvesting and cultivating Pokémon as mindless warrior-drones for a corporatist society… we need to put an end to this right now, today… And it can only start with every single Pokémon Trainer out there handing over all of his or her Poké Balls and releasing all of their Pokémon into the wild. My idea is safe, harmless, and nobody gets hurt. And most importantly, it's like socking the corporitists in the eye with a left hook out of nowhere, heh, I'll tell ya what.

"Why haven't we done this already, as a society? Why would anyone be opposed to this? I'll tell you why. It's those Pokémon League corportists who just want to make yet another pretty Poké Penny off your hard earned work. Well enough is enough, and quite frankly I don't understand why everyone isn't up in arms over this. It's disgraceful, disgusting, repugnant, outrageous. Just google it.

"It's there–right there in plain sight why they don't want their ad revenue profits to decrease under any circumstances. They're greedy! Greedy! Let me spell it out for you again: g-r-e-d-y. Greedy corportists don't have a place in our new society! Oh, that's the real game, isn't it? As soon as the money stops flowing then we have a problem. It's all out there for you to find. Just look it up. I can't even discuss this–no, no, oooookay, let's get back on track here and settle down juuuuuust a bit–I can't even entertain the perverted ideology that Pokémon only exist to serve the sick, depraved, primitive needs of human beings!" A wry smile blossomed on his toadish face. "Um, news flash people, we can't own Pokémon in the same way we can't own people. It's really that simple… I don't know what else there is to discuss. Case closed."

Is this guy serious?

Rahul stepped into the spa, slipped on the first step, and belly-flopped right in front of Mr. Intellectual, spraying him with hot, steaming water. Chunk cursed him and even called him a Voltorb, but Rahul was underwater when he said all those things, so he never heard them, and Ryan wasn't about to be a snitch: not now, not ever, not even for a little extra in the back room.

In truth, Ryan was growing bored with this guy and Rahul's adoration of him, and he literally could not care less about what that guy was talking about. He clearly has no idea what it means to have a bond with Pokémon… to battle together, to persevere against hardship together, to rise above our challenges together… It's not about domination at all. He doesn't understand the fundamental bond between Trainer and Pokémon. It just shows he has no personal experience with that kind of thing.

"Isn't Mr. Ugo'gir inspiring, Ryan? I shared his speech on Pokébook in a few dozen bite-sized chunks," Rahul said proudly, waving his phone around. "That way I know you're watching. That's right, I'm doing good for the world! Darn it, I'm here to make the world a better place for everyone… not just Pokémon Trainers! I'm an internet activist."

Why did I choose to go on vacation with these people?

"Well, yeah, it's time to scoot," Chunk muttered as he obnoxiously wrapped his finger around the curly little hairs around his nipple. "You in? What do you say?" He looked from Rahul to Ryan and back again, flinging them each another business card. "Just promise you can't always pretend to be neutral–can't always pretend to be a robot–and we're good, alright? Are you down for fighting against the corrupt, corportist, weak, spineless, totalitarian, fascist, Pokémonist government?! Well, are you? I need an answer. Heh, you can't sit on the fence about this issue, boys and girls–this affects people's livelihoods! This is serious. This is the real world. Buckle up."

"Oh yeah," Rahul said with a slow grin, nodding his head like a well-groomed Furfrou about to be given some sweet meats by loving master, "I'm totally down. Hey, Ryan, you in?"

This is exactly how cults are started, Ryan realized.

"Greeeeeeeh!" Katagiri chirped.

"So, I guess I'll take that as a yes."

"Nah, Rahul, I'm going to sit this one out."

"Oh. Okay. Well, in that case," Rahul said, adjusting his goatee and deepening his voice, "let's go, Mr. Ugo'gir. The world needs to hear about your brand of Pokémon justice as the leader of the most intellectual political movement of my lifetime, the Middle-aged Turks!"

"But Rahul," Ryan interjected, testing the waters with a single big toe (his favorite, to be sure), "you aren't even close to being middle-aged, and this guy looks like Froggy G after taking a dirtnap in the Mojave Desert.

"I don't understand the reference, so…" Rahul shrugged. "Anyways, tell Alex that I'm going to be gone for a while. I may stop by his family's summer home in Viridian City if I get the chance."

"Rahul… what the heck are you talking about? You were the one who wanted to come down here in the first place! You were the one who swore to me that the Sevii Islands were a great place to spend our well-earned siesta!"

Nonplussed, the big man replied, "Yeah, that's true. And they are."

"Don't you think it's a little crazy to just run off with some random dude you met in a hot springs?"

"No, no, no… I wouldn't phrase it like that." He was stroking his goatee, as if he were thinking. Ryan always hated it when Rahul played pretend. "You see, the Middle-aged Turks' message grabbed ahold of me, and now I just have to act on it! I was a star, Ryan… an internet activist! I'm making a difference. You wouldn't believe how many links I posted on my Pokébook wall… that's real change. That's substance. That's eyeballs on a screen, plenty of clicks, tons of likes.

"Now I feel the calling to join the ground game. Mr. Ugo'gir is responsible for bringing so much weight and nuance and care and thought into this discussion. He's a great guy–he supported Derny Sandcastle, don't you remember? But then when Derny was swindled out of being nominated for mayor of Saffron City by a corrupt political machine, Mr. Ugo-gir jumped on that political bandwagon because he knows when to fight corruption and when to look the other way! He has a level of maturity and intellect that I don't think you can quite appreciate at your age, Ryan, but perhaps one day you'll open your eyes and see."

All this made Ryan feel really tired, and he missed that Magby kid, for he very much wanted to OHKO that Magby several more times in a row. "Well, you're insane, but you're not as insane as Logan, so have fun."

And then they were gone. Vanishing into the mist, Chunk at no point approached any of the cubbies or pack areas to get his clothes. He just walked right out of the Ember Spa in his red speedo, and Ryan felt as if he could hardly make sense of the world anymore. What's happening to everyone? Why are they all acting so irrational?

He didn't much feel like relaxing in the spa anymore, although Katagiri seemed to want to stay. "I'm sorry buddy; we need to go talk to Alex about this."

Katagiri whined. I want to be lazy too. And I wish Rahul meant as little to me as he does to you, because that feeling is definitely being reciprocated…

He looked out over the hot springs. He swore he saw that Rustled David guy sitting in a pool not far from him, shirtless, bare-chested, rambling to his compatriot (a queer-looking Wartortle) that Ultra Maximum was an amazing movie, simply the best, and anyone who didn't like it was a horrible person and a stupid one at that.

"Did you see the pecs on Brad Van Darn? Or how he took out all those bad guys all by himself?" David was saying in a high-pitched voice that carried across the water more effectively than a wild Butterfree's Sleep Powder. "That's what they were going for in the movie–they literally wanted all the fangirls and fanboys to drool over him. That's what their intent was! You can't say they failed… he's so ripped! I could stare at him all day, Tortly! Couldn't you?"

"War war," muttered his companion.

Amidst the rising vapor and the heat, Ryan felt so alone. The pointlessness of all of this bore down upon him from every side, as if squeezing the life out of him. He had thought becoming champion of Kanto would make these feelings go away, but now more than ever, he didn't know why he felt so hopelessly paralyzed.

Rahul walking off like that hurt him deep. But the moment self-pity flushed into his mind, he felt only revulsion at himself for being so weak. Ryan recalled what Alex had said to that boy with the Magby only a few minutes ago. Let it go dude, he told himself. You're the champion. What is there to fear?

Already satiated, perhaps already having forgotten Rahul, Katagiri yawned, snuggling up against his neck, and fell asleep. Were it so easy.

"Yeah, I'm not surprised. He'll be back, don't worry." Alex gazed out upon the shore. "There aren't any powerful wild Pokémon on this island, so my training's not been very effective. Are you ready to leave?"

Ryan nodded. "You gonna ride Tsunami back to the hotel?"

"Actually, I was thinking we should stop at Four Island."

"Why there?"

"That's where Prima lives."

Ryan grinned. "Oh, I get it. Well, you have excellent tastes, sir. I gotta see this."

"No, I don't mean li–"

An explosion cut through the air, followed by a wall of fire that climbed its way up one of the ships at port. Then, Officer Jenny and her pack of Growlithe came into view. He could hear her voice, but could not make out what she shouting as she pointed up at the ship. A moment later, her five Puppy Pokémon unleashed another wall of fire upon the boat.

"Well, that can't be good," Alex sighed.

"You think we should see what's up?"

"May as well. Maybe they found that thief they were looking for."

"I don't think trying to incinerate a thief is what most Officer Jennys would consider standout police behavior, Alex."

"Oh, okay."

Alex could jog, but running at a full sprint, he had a hard time keeping up with Ryan, so the champion waited politely for Alex to catch up to him. When finally Alex did reach the shore, Officer Jenny had already whistled for her Growlithe to retreat.

"Morning, officer," Ryan said in a very mature tone. Yeah, that's right. I'm a man, a real man, a man's man. Just gotta act cool now, Ryan. Ease into it. "What seems to be the problem?"

Jenny shook her head. "Oh, it's those darn Painted Dragons. They're up to no good again. This time, it looks like one of their lieutenants has called in a fleet of his minions to surround Mount Ember!" She pointed at the volcano rising above the waves not so far offshore. Surrounding the tiny offshoot island were dozens of boats, ships, and vessels.

"They won't let anyone enter Mount Ember! They've blocked off every one of the cruise liner routes as well!"

Alex reached them, finally, and Ryan was surprised that he didn't ask them if they missed him, which was a crying shame. Can't miss opportunities like that, yo. "So…" he said, catching his breath, "how long has this been going on?"

"Just started this morning. I heard that when Lieutenant Miyazaki landed on the shores of Mount Ember, he immediately forced every tourist to leave by threatening to take their Pokémon if they stayed."

Ryan shook his fist at the sky. "The nerve!"

Alex's gaze was beyond them. "There's a reason they chose Mount Ember. Ryan, I'm sure you've heard of the legend of who lives at its peak?"

I don't even remember what I ate for breakfast this morning. Luckily, he didn't have to say that out loud, for as soon as Alex's question had left his lips, two men jumped from the dog-scorched ship, Poké Balls in hand, their sleeveless blue-and-white striped shirts revealing arms covered in tattoos of Pokémon–some Ryan recognized, and many he did not. They were large men and tall with scarred, salt-beaten faces reflecting the harshness of lifetimes at sea.

"We're taking this island. I'd suggest you start running," the one with the brown beard and missing front teeth said.

"This island belongs to the Painted Dragons now! You better run before the Lieutenant gets here. He's got a scorched-earth policy for resistors."

Before Jenny could speak, Alex stepped forward, taking a Poké Ball out of his bag. Looking the two Dragons over without fear, he threw his ball, revealing a Gardevoir, slender as a melting candle, who now stood between the two groups.

I've never seen him use his Gardevoir before… these guys don't know who they're messing with!

Alex spoke commandingly, "Selena! Send these two back to where they came from."

"Oh, that's how it's gonna be? I'm afraid it's two-versus-one, punk. Don't you want to call your friend over to help ya?"

"I don't need him."

Ryan shivered. Why's he gotta be so cruel? I'm the champion, not him!

The clean-shaven man had only half a nose. He looked like he was twice as old as Ryan's father."Whatever. Your loss. Either way, I'm spoilin' for a fight."

"Ain't nobody try to burn our ship. That's good metal… the Visenya has been in service for longer than you've been alive, kid. And don't think we've forgotten you," the bearded fellow sneered, pointing a gnarled, stubby finger towards Officer Jenny. "You'll get your turn, officer."

"I'd like to see you try," she smiled back. "But it looks like you have more pressing concerns."

The waves were lapping against their ankles. Spitting, the bearded man threw his Poké Ball, revealing a Gurdurr; his companion quickly threw his ball, bringing out a Mightyena. It was pretty convenient Ryan knew the names of these Pokémon without Dex's help, but he wasn't complaining.

"Dazzling Gleam!" Alex said coolly.

As the wind picked up, the incoming waves began foaming at the tips. He never heard which attacks the Painted Dragons had planned, for Selena the Gardevoir was beyond them. One burst of light was all it took, echoless and unmerciful, and her combatants dropped. The waves came in and went out again, and both were returned. The pirates exchanged a look.

"Selena, prepa–"

"The boss's comin' for you, you can count on that!" the shorter, noseless one squeaked, leaning over, grabbing a handful of sand, and throwing it at Alex with the force and passion of a Hippowdon wannabe. Every grain turned to glass before reaching him.

They remained where they were standing for only a moment more before their survival instincts kicked in, and both men went running back to the smoking boat, knowing full well to remain any longer would surely see them being thrown rather far and rather hard into the rough-and-tumble battle theater that was the open ocean.

They don't even know about his Gyarados. He could destroy them all.

Needless to say, when they wanted to flee, the two men were remarkably quick-thinking. Jenny had barely thanked Alex when the pirates' boat started to ease out of port, the ropes falling from the dock, coiling deeply in the churning sapphire sea.

Something behind his eyes twitched, and his vision reset. "I got this," he whispered, only allowing Alex to hear him. "I'll be back, man."

At no point did Ryan ever think this plan of his through rationally. At no point did he consider the irrationality of what he was doing. Shame had already buried its teeth in the softest parts of his mind. He was running; the ship was pulling away; Jenny let out a cry; a Growlithe howled with forlorn pleasure; Alex said nothing, merely folding his arms and watching in silence.

Ryan really tried to land the dismount. That would have been cool as heck. But the reality was that as he approached the edge of the dock, and as the little fishing boat started pulling away, the gap between the plank bridge and the water grew wider, and he couldn't slow down.

I'm the Indigo League Champion, he thought to himself, gritting his teeth and leaping through the air, the dock behind, the blue, sun-soaked waters bubbling artificially as the boat cut through the currents. There's no way these random guys can beat me. I'm good.

But at that moment, he crashed into the side railing, flipping hard over the edge and landing with a hard crash against the side of steering room. Stars exploded in his vision; Ryan gasped for air and reached for a Poké Ball, and that was when he felt the man jerk him up and up and up, a hard, calloused hand wrapped tightly around the boy's neck.