Author's Notes:

To the guest reviewer by the name EOP:

You asked what I plan to do with Mewtwo and team Rocket. To be honest, I don't have anything planned for Mewtwo yet. I was thinking the other day that I may do a separate story with him, since he doesn't really fit into my main story (he's one of my favorites by the way!). As for Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres; you'll see all three (some sooner than others!) sometime in this volume (volume 1 Kanto, volume 2 Johto, etc.)

Has anyone seen the new trailers for X and Y yet? The new Pokémon look great! Not to mention it has been confirmed that the characters will be customizable; including race! Being a mixed with multiple races myself, I think it's great to play with someone with a little color! Jet was originally going to be a Hispanic trainer, but I decided he should look like Red instead.

I definitely can't wait to see what Pancham evolves into! Gogoat looks pretty sweet too! I'm reserving my judgment for the other two, but I always tend to like the early Bird-Normal types. Plus it learns Flame Charge, which means it has a little diversity early in its repertoire!

The new region looks awesome too, as well as some of the features; riding your Gogoat and what-not. You can sit on benches, now! BENCHES, BITCH!

P.S.

Thanks again to Vriley for looking over this chapter for me!

The Burning Pit

Jet came to the conclusion that leaving Scyther out on the field to face AJ's Sandshrew was extremely irresponsible as a trainer. He recalled her in favor of someone with a with a little more fire power.

AJ was not happy. "Are you fucking kidding me?" AJ taunted, "You're bitching out on me? Sure you can give it out well enough, but when you're the one taking it-"

Instead of responding, Jet sent out his next Pokémon, "Go, Thorn!" Jet's Charmeleon landed in the sand pit ready to do battle. Tina whispered in Bill's ear, "What's he doing? Charmeleon is at a type disadvantage against Sandshrew!"

AJ cracked his whip twice and yelled, "Rollout!"

Jet called to his own Pokémon, "Dragon Rage!"

Sandshrew rolled toward Charmeleon at an alarming rate, and ran right into his Dragon Rage. The attack blasted Sandshrew back to the far end of the pit.

Though Dragon Rage was successful in interrupting Sandshrew's Rollout, it didn't do a heavy amount of damage to the Pokémon himself. Sandshrew recovered quickly and went underground at the sound of his Master's whip.

As soon as Sandshrew went underground, Jet yelled, "On the rail!"

Charmeleon knew what Jet meant, and jumped from the pit to the rail above it. Normally, Jet would have his Pokémon follow their opponent underground. In this case, however, being underground with Sandshrew would put Charmeleon at a disadvantage. Besides, Jet had a better idea.

"Thorn, heat the sand with Flamethrower! Let's see if we can't get Sandshrew to come out and play!"

Charmeleon grinned and released a huge torrent of flames into the pit below. Many of the trainers watching the fight had to back away for fear of their safety. The heat radiating from Thorn's maw was incredible; Jet found himself starting to sweat just by standing near it for more than five seconds.

Sure enough, after a full minute of intense heat, Sandshrew jumped out of the pit and landed on the rail across from Thorn. AJ cracked his whip and Sandshrew ran on the rail toward his foe.

Jet called to his Charmeleon, "Show him your Fire Claw, Thorn!"

Thorn's claws began to glow red-hot as he ran into his opponent. Both Sandshrew and Thorn began slashing and dipping at each other while balancing on the rail of the sand pit. Jet knew the reason AJ didn't take the fight back into the pit was because the sand was still hot from Thorn's Flamethrower.

He obviously thought Sandshrew would be able to take on Thorn one on one with his claws, but he was wrong. Thorn's Fire Claw attack was leaving deep scratches and lacerations all over his foe's front. While Sandshrew was obviously at a high level, Thorn's evolution into a Charmeleon coupled with his brutal training had clearly put him at an advantage.

Seeing this, AJ cracked his whip and yelled, "Aerial Ace!"

Jet told Thorn, "Dig!"

Wasting no time, Thorn jumped into the sand pit and went underground. Sandshrew was not able to strike with Aerial Ace, so he went into the Pit after Thorn. Jet knew Thorn was at a disadvantage, so he tried to warn him mentally to get out of the Pit and head the sand once more. He was too late, however, and Sandshrew knocked Thorn out of the ground with a strong Dig.

Thorn, instead of taking the full extent of the attack, clenched his opponent as he was hit and held on while winded. Sandshrew was forced to kick off of Thorn's chest to get free. Jet's Pokémon was winded, and had a cracked rib, but he was not out of the fight.

Thinking fast, Jet told Thorn, "Burn the sand!" Thorn took as deep a breath as he could and used Flamethrower on the ground of the Pit. AJ gave his whip one good crack, and Sandshrew jumped back onto the rail to avoid the flames.

Thorn's attack was cut short, however, due to his lack of a good breath. But by putting Sandshrew back on the defensive, Jet gave his Pokémon a small amount of time to catch his breath before his next attack.

AJ yelled to his Sandshrew, "You already have him beat! Look how tired he is! Get in there and use Rollout!"

Sandshrew immediately curled into a ball and began rolling into the Pit. Thorn had caught his breath, however, and sent another Dragon Rage at his opponent. Thinking fast, Sandshrew dodged the attack and began rolling around the walls to build momentum.

Jet told Thorn, "Use Flamethrower!"

Thorn roared and fired his attack. Sandshrew moved fast enough to dodge the attack, but Thorn had covered much of the Sand Pit with flames, forcing Sandshrew to have to redirect his attack again.

Even with a cracked rib, Thorn was highly dangerous and almost impossible to get to for AJ's Sandshrew. He dodged every time Sandshrew got remotely close and showered more flames at the weary ground type. He hit Sandshrew twice and caused burns all over his body. When he didn't hit Sandshrew, he burned the area around him so Sandshrew couldn't even stay in one spot for long. The ground was hotter than ever and filled with flames. The walls were cracked and heated. Even the metal rails glowed red-hot, preventing Sandshrew from seeking refuge there as well.

Just when it seemed victory was assured, however, the fire sprinklers went off in the club. Everyone shouted angrily as water began showering down on them. Bill turned to Johnny and yelled, "Dim the lights and turn on the music, quickly!"

Johnny called for both Pokémon to cease their fight until the fire was extinguished. He then went over to the DJ to get the music put on.

As water rained down on Thorn and his foe, both Pokémon ceased their attacks. Thorn looked to the ceiling at the sprinklers. The water tingled uncomfortably as it splatted against his skin. Jet told him mentally, Get over here, by me! Thorn nodded and jumped into the air before doing an aerial flip and landing on the rail in front of Jet.

Sandshrew went on the rail as well, opposite Thorn, as both Pokémon waited for the sprinklers to douse the fire. Unfortunately, the DJ had to leave due to the sprinklers wetting his equipment. Johnny was able, however to dim the lights to create the appropriate mood. The lights dimmed, leaving only the spotlights over the pit. The crowd calmed down some; but many of the trainers watching the fight began to leave. Jet told Thorn, "Use rest until the fire goes out. I'll wake you back up."

Thorn closed his eyes and fell asleep on the rail. Back on AJ's end, he asked his Pokémon, "How are those burns? Can you still fight?"

In truth, Sandshrew was fucking exhausted. He had been cut open, burned, and was now being rained upon. His wounds were paining him, and his muscles shook all over his body from the sheer strain of fighting his opponent. He looked over at his foe; Charmeleon was sitting on the rail opposite to him with his eyes closed. The water didn't even seem to bother him. Had his trainer taught him to withstand the irritation of water like AJ had taught Sandshrew? If so, then these sprinklers were not doing Sandshrew any favors.

Sandshrew felt his heart drop as he came to a conclusion; he would not win this fight. Not the way he is now. He could barely move his limbs and the pain from their battle was becoming unbearable. He realized with disdain that perhaps he should stop holding on to his current form. Perhaps it was high time he let himself evolve. In truth, Sandshrew was scared. Once he crossed that road, once he let himself evolve, there was no going back.

AJ leaned in and asked urgently, "Sandshrew? Buddy? Are you ok?"

Sandshrew began evolving. He felt a rush of energy flow through every part of his body and saw a bright light. He felt as though his body was stretching itself. He felt a tingle on his back as spikes began to grow there. Before he knew it, he was no longer a Sandshrew, but a Sandslash. It felt fucking awesome!

Sandslash looked over at his opponent. Charmeleon's eyes were now open and he was growling. Time to get to work!

Sandslash ran into the Pit to meet his foe. Charmeleon, upon seeing Sandslash enter the Pit, jumped in after him and immediately shot a torrent of flames at him.

Sandslash quickly jumped the flames while curling into a ball. He almost hit Thorn, but the attack was narrowly avoided. Sandslash did not relent, however, and quickly transitioned from a Rollout to a backhanded Slash. He cut Charmeleon on the nape of his neck, earning him a roar of pain and a tongue of flames which were easily avoided.

Sandslash went in for more. He slashed and cut at his opponent quicker than ever. No longer was his foe's evolution a problem. He was fast yes, but Sandslash was much faster. He had given his foe over nine lacerations in a manner of seconds before jumping out the way to avoid more flames. He was going to go underground to finish his opponent with Dig, but the sand was soaked from the sprinklers. Besides, Sandslash did not need Dig, he had Rollout. And so, he rolled into a ball, and shot at his foe.

Jet watched with bated breath as Thorn jumped in the air and sent a Dragon Rage at his opponent. The attack missed; Sandslash was a lot faster thanks to his evolution. Jet knew it was a good thing Thorn had trained with Mantis to avoid her blades, otherwise he wouldn't have survived Sandslash's close quarter attacks. Still, Jet's Pokémon was bleeding all over the place. He had to end this now.

"Thorn, use Rage!"

Rage was a technique that intentionally brought out a Pokémon's killer instinct in a horrible fit of anger. Jet did not like using it against other trainer's Pokémon in case Thorn went too far and killed them, (which happened all the time with wild Pokémon), but somehow Jet figured Sandslash could take the heat.

Thorn's anger and hatred began to rise. He sent multiple torrents of whitish, blue flames at Sandslash which caused a great deal of steam to rise from the Pit. The flames hit Sandslash and knocked him back. He did not stop though, and went in for another Rollout.

AJ cracked his whip in the air. Sandslash stopped using Rollout and transitioned into an Aerial Ace. Jet told Thorn mentally, Hidden Power! Thorn released a burst of energy from all sides to negate Sandslash's attack. It only worked partially, however, and soon they were fighting each other in close combat again. As Thorn's rage grew, he began using more and more reckless attacks.

He ignored his foes claws and went in with Metal Claw, than Fire Fang. Sandslash left multiple gashes on Thorn's back before he let go and transitioned to an over the shoulder throwing attack. Sandslash landed against the wall of the Pit. Thorn charged at his opponent with Flame Wheel. Sandslash jumped to avoid the attack and clanged to the wall with his claws. Next thing Jet knew, both Pokémon were now fighting a vertical battle on the wall of the pit, using their claws to hold them up.

As Thorn used Ember while wall crawling, Jet got a sudden flashback of a huge Dragonite facing off against multiple foes while clanging vertically onto the deck of the sinking SS Anne. Jet remembered the fierce battle that happened in the rainstorm and felt his heart beat with anxiety as Thorn sent multiple flames at his foe.

The battle at hand, coupled with the water falling from the ceiling was giving Jet flashbacks to the night he was almost killed aboard the doomed cruise ship. He was thankful, therefor, when Thorn pounced at his opponent and sent both Pokémon crashing back into the wet sand.

Thorn now had Sandslash's back, and used another Fire Fang. Thorn also dug his claws into his opponent's wrist, pinning him to the wet ground. Soon, the sprinklers washed blood from both Pokémon into the sand, and Sandslash cried out with pain as he was helpless against Thorn's white hot fangs. AJ had no choice, he had to recall him.

What was left of the crowd cheered for Thorn as the sprinklers finally stopped. Thorn, in turn, roared and let loose a tongue of flames. The Pit was a wreck. There were puddles everywhere of water mixed with sand mixed with blood. The walls were cracked ad damaged, (even melted in some places!), and steam began to rise from the bloody sand as Jet recalled Thorn. He had taken too much damage, and probably wouldn't be up to the next bout.

AJ dropped his whip and called to Jet, "This ain't over yet, boy! I still got more up my sleeve! Go, Poliwrath!"

As Poliwrath was sent into the Pit, Jet found himself conflicted on who to go against him. His first choice was Spark, but the entire club was now soaked to the bone with water. One good Thunderbolt from his Raichu may just kill everyone there. That plan went out the window. The only other Pokémon he had on him that could take on a Poliwrath was Hydra, (Who would no doubt scare the living shit out of everyone there), and Pugsly.

"Go, Pugsly! Let's finish this!" Jet's Primeape landed in the pit with a dull thump. He faced his opponent with excitement; he was ready to beat the living shit out of Poliwrath.

"Pugsly, use Thunder Punch!"

"Poliwrath, use Water Pulse!"

Poliwrath shot a pulse of energy at Primeape, but the latter jumped the attack and came down with a hard Thunder Punch. Though the attack was an electric one, the charge was small and focused enough so that the only person harmed was AJ's Poliwrath. The attack didn't take away a lot, though, and Poliwrath struck back with Mega Punch. He knocked Primeape back and followed up with Body Slam.

Primeape was able to make a quick recovery before Poliwrath's Body Slam hit, and struck his opponent with multiple Thunder Punches. AJ called to his Pokémon, "Use Ice Beam!"

Pugsly narrowly avoided his foe's attack and went in for another Thunder Punch. Poliwrath was ready this time, however, and caught his foe's arm before sending him flying against the wall.

Pugsly repositioned himself in midair so that his feet hit the wall first. He then kicked off, and Jumped at his opponent; right when Poliwrath unleashed another powerful Ice Beam, however.

Poliwrath shot his Ice Beam at Pugsly and hit him head on. The attack not only was a clear hit, but it froze Jet's Pokémon solid.

"Primeape is unable to Battle, Poliwrath is the winner!"

The crowd cheered one last time as both Jet and AJ recalled there Pokémon. Jet found himself greatly disappointed; he thought Pugsly would put up a better fight.

Johnny announced to the disgruntled crowd, "A little hectic, but there you go, folks! AJ Thompson, still undefeated!"

The handful of trainers that made up the crowd began to congratulate AJ on his victory. After the fight, however, those who remained to see the outcome began to disperse. Finally the only ones left in the club were those who worked there, AJ, and Misty.

Jet looked over to AJ and said with a grimace, "Come with me to my office, I'll write you a check."

Thankfully, it had not rained in Jet's office, so his bag and everything within was dry. Jet pulled out his checkbook and asked AJ, "No hard feelings about what happened with your Pinsir, right? I really didn't mean for that to happen."

AJ was stone faced since winning the match. He portrayed no emotion when saying, "Don't worry about. Happens all the time. Not the first time I've lost a Pokémon in a battle, and certainly won't be the last."

Jet felt bad. He had never had any of his Pokémon killed, but he knew the pain. After all, his Raichu was once shot through the gut! He himself thought Spark was not going to make it out alive. But to see it happen like that, cut in half before your very eyes, had to be brutal.

Jet handed AJ the check and asked, "You still want to head to the power plant with me and Bill tomorrow? I understand if you don't."

AJ took the check and turned toward the door, "I'll be there." Then he left. Jet ran his fingers through his hair. Seeing AJ the next day would be awkward as hell. Whatever he had just told Jet, chances are this would turn into a grudge.

The door to Jet's office opened again, and Misty entered. "Hey," she said, "Bill wants you out front. The fire department is here. He says you got to talk to them, since your still the manager."

Jet nodded and followed Misty out the door. He only hoped to god people wouldn't start asking for their money back.