"Dark Pulse."

Zorua spun, leaping in the air. Drayden's axew shielded itself with its arms, but it was too weak to provide any real resistance.

The move hit, knocking it back onto the gym's metallic flooring with a thump. It didn't get up afterward.

"Axew is unable to battle," the ref called. "King wins!"

He smirked. Zorua bounded up to him, grinning like a fool.

We did it! Woo!

"Yup," King said. He held out a Pokeball, and zorua disappeared inside it. He hooked the device back on his waist. "That we did."

Drayden returned his Pokemon to its Pokeball, then started to walk toward King. The dragon-type gym leader was jacked with rippling muscle, even in his old age, and had a snow-white beard that covered his lips. For someone who looked so fierce, though, the battle hadn't even lasted five minutes. King knew the gym leaders changed what Pokemon they used based on how many gym badges the challenger had, but, still. That was a walk in the park.

"Nicely executed, son," Drayden said, holding out a veined hand. King eyed it, then shrugged and took it in a handshake.

"Thanks," he said. He took his hand away, and in it gleamed the black and gold Legend Badge. "Are all gyms this easy?"

Drayden grunted. "No. There's only so far someone can get on strength and intelligence alone."

"You sure about that, old man?" King chuckled. "Those are pretty much the only two factors that determine the outcome of a Pokemon battle. That combination was what allowed me to beat, not just you, but win the whole Vertress Tournament."

The gym leader eyed him up and down. King was about to say something when Drayden turned on his heel and started on his way. King blinked.

"You'll see, son," Drayden said as he walked. "One of those gym leaders will open your eyes sooner or later. Shame it couldn't be me."

King frowned as the man disappeared behind a sliding glass door that led further into the gym. What did Drayden know that he didn't? King was all for learning new things, but what could be a factor besides the trainer's intelligence and the strength of his Pokemon?

He turned, heading for the gym exit. The trainer's determination? Typing advantage, too, but that counts under intelligence.

He shrugged, eying the badge in his palm. He pinned it to his shirt.

It didn't matter, in the end. At the rate he was going, he'd be at the Pokemon league in the blink of an eye. No battles lost, yet. If he'd started way back when, chances were he'd already be the Champion of the whole damn region.

The doors slid shut behind him as he stepped out onto the streets of Opelucid City. The orange sun hid behind the tall, black buildings that reminded him of Castelia City. The people, too, were the same, all bustling about wearing skirts or suits and holding black briefcases. Bronze painted the sky, and the clouds flared with reds and oranges under the setting sun. Wind whipped at his hair as he started down the sidewalk.

Both zorua and rufflet were performing well, though neither had evolved. He figured it was about time for a third Pokemon. Wonder what the best-

"Wow! Are you King?"

He stopped. His eyebrows furrowed themselves into knots. Who in the?

He glanced over his shoulder and didn't immediately see anyone until he looked down. A kid, probably around six or seven, stared at him with wide eyes, hands clasped before himself. A little ways away, a man waved at him and watched. Probably the kid's father.

King spun and squatted down. "Yeah, sure, that's me. Do I know you?"

"You're the trainer with the zorua with the rip in its ear, right?"

King grunted. "Yep."

The kid squealed. "Can I see him?"

King eyed him, taking zorua's Pokeball from his waist. Probably knows me from the tournament. Well, can't say it isn't nice to be admired, eh?

He held out the Pokeball. "Alright. Here. Go on and throw it."

Amazingly, the kid's eyes got even wider. He took the device in both hands as if it were the greatest thing he'd ever held in his life.

"What… what should I say?"

"Hm. Zorua, I choose you!"

The kid danced on his feet. "Okay, okay, here I go!" He threw the Pokeball, away from any people. "Zorua, I choose you!"

Zorua appeared. It looked around curiously.

"It's like I'm an actual trainer!" The kid beamed.

King stood and ushered zorua over. "Damn straight, bud. Er, I mean, yeah, it is!"

Hey, sir! Whose this? Hi! Who're you?

The kid squeaked with excitement, again, when he realized zorua could talk. King let them do their thing as the father came over to introduce himself.

"Hey, thanks for that," he said. "Brandon's a big fan of yours ever since we saw you in the tournament. Come on, Brandon, let's leave the good man alone."

He waved to King with one hand and took his son's hand in the other. They walked away into the crowd, the kid bubbling over how much he wanted a zorua, and the dad promising he'd find him one and let him have it all to himself.

What's with the look, sir? Sad he paid more attention to yours truly?

King grunted. "Yeah, right. Come on, let's go."

Zorua hopped onto his shoulder and made himself comfy. King joined the stream of people and noise moving down the street.

We're we going, sir?

"Gym battle. I beat the first, so, as it goes, we're off…"

He froze. People shouldered past him, cursing. The flow eventually curved around him, but he wasn't paying any attention: he was looking up at a big flat-screen TV on the side of one of the buildings.

Sir?

"Hold on," King said. "Listen."

"… Reports say that the man at the head of these recent break-ins," the news lady announced, "is the same perpetrator who escaped from a temporary holding cell in Vertress City mere days ago, leaving behind a nearly destroyed police station in his wake. Police first arrested him for leaping into the arena at the end of a government-sponsored tournament, stealing a microphone, and proclaiming that all Pokemon are suffering. His current whereabouts are unknown, but police are working tirelessly at the scene…"

A picture flashed across the screen. A mug shot of a man with long green hair. It was him.

Hey! I remember him! Zorua said.

King nodded. "Looks like he's starting to take action. How stupid can you be? All to save Pokemon when they don't even need saving." He started walking again.

You think they'll catch him, sir? Red-handed?

"Dunno. Doesn't matter. I'm focusing on one thing and one thing only."

He glanced at the screen, then turned his attention forward, ignoring the news. "Come on. I've got another gym badge to win."