Two days had passed since the assault on the Silicon base. It wasn't easy; Amber almost died from the poison. Luckily, Gloria had the idea to go the Pokémon Center for help. There, the nurse and her helpful Audino were able to help Amber. She'd spent the rest of that day, and all of the next unconscious. They took her to the hotel to rest. Leo was with Gloria, helping her out while Sarah and Shawn were waiting outside. Amber was still a little slow and it had only been a few hours since she'd woke up. Leo couldn't get her to say much, and she kept staring at the floor by her feet. She was sitting on the side of her bed with her head in her hands, looking downright miserable.

Gloria couldn't help but worry about her. It wasn't like the usually cheerful girl to be so quiet. She sat down beside Amber and put a hand gently on her shoulder. For a moment, Gloria thought about what she could say. She decided to just start slowly.

"You sure you're okay? If you're still tired, you can stay longer."

Amber was quiet for several long seconds. Then she sighed and looked up. "I'm a mess. I can't stop thinking about what they were gonna do to me back there." She looked right at Gloria and asked, "What if I'm not the only one? What if they do it again? I'm so scared..."

Gloria sighed knowingly. She knew the line of thought all too well. It was the same things she often asked herself after her modification. "I feel for you. I do. I worried about the same stuff back when Sarah and I were fighting Team Rocket."

She seemed to pause and contemplate that for a few moments. "Really?"

Gloria smiled gently and nodded. "When I was first transformed, I went wild for about six months. When I regained my senses, Bulbasaur was all I had. I didn't even have Sarah." Gloria sighed and continued, "Sorry. I went off on a little rant there. My point is, I won't let them take you again. You have my word."

Amber grinned a little. "Thanks."

"Hey, you finally got her to talk." Leo's sudden comment made Amber jump a little. "Oops. Sorry. Didn't mean to spook ya."

"Leo..."

He took up a spot on the other side of Amber. "You sure you're okay?"

She nodded, but lowered her head again. "I'm sorry. You put yourselves in danger because I'm weak..."

Gloria shook her head. "That's not true."

Amber looked between Leo and Gloria, "If I was strong enough to protect myself, none of this would have happened! I...I've made a choice." Amber stood up. "I'm gonna become stronger, no matter what. Not just for myself, but so nobody has to protect me anymore!" The look on Amber's face was surprisingly fierce and serious. Gloria was surprised again. This was a side of Amber she hadn't seen before.

Leo cut her off. "Listen! Its not your fault. We're in this together now. I know I said I didn't want to get involved earlier. That was just me being selfish..." Leo smiled a little and pulled out a Pokéball. "But enough of that. If you really want to become stronger, then let's start now."

Amber nodded and looked right at both of them. "Whatever it takes. I'm tired of being the weak one here."

Gloria suddenly got an idea. "Hey, Amber. Ever fought a triple-battle before?"

"No. What's that?"

Gloria scratched her head. As far as she knew, triple-battles were originally fought only in Unova. Their popularity had grown over the last few years, and Gloria wanted to try a three-on-three battle herself. She should have known Amber wouldn't know how to fight a triple-battle.

"Its basically a three-on-three battle." Leo answered. "Good idea, but I only have Flare and that Pidove."

Gloria smiled. "I'll let you borrow my Luxray. She's a little feisty, but she's a good girl."

Leo frowned. "I don't have any badges. Do you think she'll even listen to me? She's kinda strong-willed..."

That's right! In all of this mess, Gloria totally forgot about the Gym challenge! "Good point. Maybe we should do that first."

Amber nodded again. "Yeah. I want to prove I can do this. I'll go first."

Gloria's smile broadened. "That's what I want to hear! I'll be cheering you on!"

"You won't get yours?"

Gloria paused and thought for a moment. She did want to get a badge. She had six from Kanto, four from Johto, and no Unova badges. Part of her reason for coming all the way here was to take on some Gyms here.

But there was a big problem: Silicon. If they stuck around in one place for too long, those henchmen would catch up.

"I doubt we'll have time. If we stay in one place for too long, we'll be easy targets for Silicon." Amber's face fell at the mention of Silicon, not that Gloria blamed her one bit. She quickly recovered and looked at Gloria with a determined expression.

"Then I'll just have to be stronger than them!"

Gloria blinked in surprise. Hearing Amber's resolve was a bit out of character for the timid girl. She nodded back and stood up with her. "I'm glad to hear it, but we can't take them lightly."

Leo nodded and gestured outside. "I'm gonna go and let Sarah and Shawn know you're up. Let's meet up by the Gym later." He smiled mischievously at Amber. "Don't run off." Leo left the room with a big grin on his face.

Amber looked at Gloria and asked "Do you think I overdid it?"

Gloria just shook her head. "Not at all. I'm psyched to see you so intent on this. Now, let's go. It would be rude to keep our friends waiting."

Amber stood at the doors to the Gym again. Part of her was still a little nervous, but she'd made up her mind. Continuing to be scared of everything only made her vulnerable. Being vulnerable was also a kind of weakness. She wasn't going to let herself be weak anymore. Readying her new found resolve, she entered the back arena again.

"You're back." Said Cheren. He was standing up on a platform at the back of the arena. "I'm sorry about earlier. We were closed for a while thanks to that meteor." He looked across the arena at Amber as she approached.

"I'm ready when you are." Amber readied Fang's Pokéball as she took up a spot on the right side of the arena.

"I see that." Cheren smiled at her, walking over to the opposite side. "I liked how you fought against my students the other day. Show me that spirit again!" He threw out a Pokéball of his own, revealing a small, brown rodent with beady red eyes. "Patrat will be first!"

Amber threw her own ball. "Fang! It's you!" The little Axew emerged with a chirrup, brandishing his one tusk.

Cheren looked at the Pokémon critically. "Its missing a tusk. Can it still fight?"

"SHUUUU!" Fang hopped up and down, obviously upset at the accusation. He swung his head back and forth, swiping that blade-like tooth at the air.

Cheren backed up a step, clearly a little put-off by Fang's little display. Amber chuckled and smiled at Fang. "Ready boy? Let's go!" She pointed to Patrat. "Do that Dragon Rage thing!"

"Patrat. Detect!" The little mouse squeaked and dove aside just as Fang belched out a stream of blue fire.

Amber thought a moment. Detect obviously enabled the Patrat to evade Fang's Dragon Rage easily. Maybe a weaker move would work better. She remembered how Fang's claw attacks were doing only a little damage to Audino during the fight the other day. That should work. "Fang! Scratch it!" Instead of scratching the Patrat, Fang suddenly started scratching at a nearby rock. "What are you doing? That's not Patrat!" Fang seemed to ignore her and just kept scrabbling at the rock. Amber groaned and shook her head. Fang sure picked a bad time to be stubborn!

"Hone Claws, hm? I see. I'll follow suit! Patrat, Work Up!" Patrat started hopping around, waving its little arms in the air. Amber was puzzled. Just what in the world was Fang doing over there? She could see the clawing did make his little nails sharper. Maybe he knew he needed to sharpen them up. Amber had no idea Fang knew how to do that!

"Okay then. Now Scratch it!" Fang charged forward, slashing at Patrat with his claws. It was a brutal hit, and the rodent squeaked in protest.

"Don't let up! Bite!" Patrat lunged at Fang, sinking its huge incisors into Fang's arm. He shrieked and tore away, but it was obvious the bite took its toll. "Finish the job! Tackle!"

"No! Fang! Dragon Rage!" Fang seemed to brace and lashed out with a viscous punch just as Patrat flew at him. It caught the Patrat in the stomach, and it was thrown down. Amber stared wide-eyed in surprise. Another trick! Fang sure had his share of surprises today. She wished he'd follow orders though.

Cheren seemed less than amused. "Oh yeah? Counter this! Patrat! Bite again!" Fang tried to punch Patrat again, but his aim was off and he wound up with his fist in Patrat's mouth. Patrat chomped down hard, grabbed hold of Fang, and threw the Axew aside. Fang skidded across the dirt some ways and didn't get up. Patrat seemed dizzy and wobbled on its feet, falling down on its butt. Amber recalled Fang and reached for Audino's ball. She made to send out Audino, but Shadow's ball wriggled out of her pocket and popped open.

"Mama!" Shadow said, looking straight at Patrat. "Shadow fight now! Shadow help!"

Cheren looked completely astonished. "A talking Absol!? That's new to me!"

Amber swallowed hard. She was worried about Shadow's strange power. Though she was barely conscious at the time, she remembered Shadow's furious outburst clearly. What if he did that again, here in the Gym?! She thought it over for a moment, then decided to continue. If Shadow started to lose his temper again, she'd just recall him.

She thought about the fight with Audino again. The attack he did with his horn was a good one. Megahorn wasn't it? That should do. "Alright. Let's do it, boy! Megahorn!" Shadow hissed and charged forward, brandishing that horn like a sword.

"Detect!" Cheren ordered. Again, Patrat dove out of the way, leaving Shadow to skid out on the dirt.

Amber thought fast. "Do it again!" Shadow whirled around and raced for a second strike.

"Patrat! Detect!" Patrat tried to dive aside, but Shadow's horn caught the little Pokémon in the side, flinging the rat like a doll. Patrat laid still and didn't get up.

Cheren withdrew the KO'd Pokémon, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "Don't count me out yet! Lillipup, come!" He threw a new ball out. A tiny tan puppy with a fluffy, white face emerged. It yipped and bounced about, clearly eager to fight.

Amber considered her tactics again. This Lillipup seemed very energetic. It looked like maybe several quick shots might be better than one big attack like Megahorn. She looked the Absol over, noting his sharp fangs. "Um...bite it!" Shadow just tilted his head and stared. Amber tried again. "Come on Shadow! Bite!"

"Mama?" Was Shadow's only response.

Cheren sighed. "You know, Pokémon can't use a move they haven't learned. Try something else."

"Uh..." Amber was a bit flustered. She had no idea Pokémon had to learn to do their moves. She wondered if Shadow might be able to claw the Lillipup instead. He did have some nasty looking talons. "Claw it!" Shadow bolted at Lillipup, lashing out with his razor-sharp claws. It was a direct hit, and the puppy yelped.

"Work Up." Lillipup started bouncing up and down, just like Patrat was doing earlier. Amber wondered just what kind of move that was.

"Do it again!" This time, Shadow seemed to rush Lillipup with such speed that Amber didn't even quite see when he connected. She knew it hit though; Lillipup was knocked on its haunches, whimpering. "Huh? What was that...?"

Cheren gave Amber a critical look this time. "Quick Attack, hm? Looks like your Pokémon know a few tricks. Well, so do I!" He pointed at Shadow. "Tackle!" Lillipup leaped and threw itself at Shadow. Shadow swung his head, catching Lillipup on his horn and flinging the puppy off. Lillipup ran at Shadow again, this time slamming into him from behind. Shadow stumbled and shook himself off.

"One more!" Shadow's third attack sent Lillipup across the arena. It wobbled back to its feet, weaving and dizzy. "Oh no! That wasn't enough...!"

"Now! Tackle!" Lillipup's next charge sent Shadow tumbling over.

"Shadow!" He didn't get back up; he was unconscious. Amber was flustered. Now what could she do? She shook her head. Maybe she should just give up...

"Do you want to continue?" Cheren asked. "If you surrender, then..." Cheren started to reach for his Pokéball

"Don't give up, Amber!" Leo called out. "You've still got Audino! Use it!"

"It's not over! Go for it!" Gloria cheered. "Fight to the finish! This is where you really shine!"

She wasn't sure Audino could fight too well yet, but it was all she had left right now. She withdrew Shadow. Lillipup didn't look so good. Maybe she could win if she could just land a hit or two. "You're next, Audino!" Amber released the Pokémon. She thought quickly about what Audino could do. "Try hitting it!" Audino, still grinning broadly, ran at Lillipup, raising a paw in preparation for the attack.

"Don't let that happen, Lillipup! Dodge!" Cheren's order only made Lillipup look at him. It never saw Audino rush it and slam the hapless pup with a slap. Lillipup fell and didn't get back up, and Cheren withdrew the Pokémon. He paused and stood there for a moment. Amber was somewhat flustered again.

"Sorry. Did I go overboard?"

Cheren grinned. "Are you kidding?! That was the best fight I've had in months! I was starting to wonder if I'm being too hard on new trainers."

Amber sighed in relief. "So, I won?!"

"You sure did!" Cheren walked over to Amber and smiled. "You've earned this badge. Take it." Cheren drew out a Basic Badge from a pocket and held it out to Amber. She was stunned. She won! She actually won! Shock quickly evolved into a huge grin as she reached out and took the badge. She couldn't believe it. Now she had one badge. She was officially on her way to becoming a true trainer.

She spun around, brandishing her prize before her friends. "Yes! I did it! I did it!"

Leo laughed and playfully smacked her on the shoulder. "Easy there, champ. This is just the beginning."

Cheren nodded. "Don't get ahead of yourself. There's seven badges to go. Of course, you'd be no match for my usual team. Few would be."

Amber paused as a thought struck her. Did he let her win on purpose!?

Cheren chuckled. He must have seen the look on her face. "Don't get me wrong. I really tried out there. I always do. Its just not fair to junior trainers to use a fully-powered team. Besides, I'm specializing in Normal-type Pokémon in this Gym."

Amber looked at Gloria, wondering why she'd been so quiet. She noticed Gloria was staring at something above them. Amber followed her gaze and blinked in surprise. A tiny, tan and orange creature was flying around in circles, fire spouting from a V-shaped crest on its forehead.

"What is that thing...?" Amber asked.

"I...I'm not sure. Its too fast!" Gloria replied.

"I've heard of this Pokémon, but I've never actually seen it!" Cheren responded. "That's Victini, the god of victory! What's it doing around here?"

Victini circled around several more times, flying this way and that and chittering and whistling. It almost sounded like Victini was trying to say something. Amber looked down at Gloria. Her eyes were wide and she shook her head.

"Victini's...warning us..."

"A warning?" Cheren looked up again. "Against what?"

Gloria's voice was tense. "W-A-R.."

"War!?" Amber looked back at Victini. Victini suddenly begun flying around in a new pattern. Amber suddenly realized it was forming letters with a trail of smoke and fire. First there was a H. Then an E. Next, an L. Then a P. Next, a U. and finally an S.

What could that mean? Before Amber could even react to that, Victini shot off in a blazing trail, headed north. For a long while, all three of them stood in silence.

Leo spoke for everyone. "Did it just ask for help? It spelled out 'help us'..."

"Whatever it wanted, it just went north." Gloria looked down at Cheren. "What's up north?"

Cheren shook his head. "Its just a bunch of unmapped territory. Nobody really goes up there."

Gloria was staring off into the distance where Victini flew. "War...Help...Us...What's happening?"

Leo scratched his head. "Beats me. We better regroup and figure this out."

"Wait." Cheren cut in, "There's too many coincidences here! First that meteor, then those attacks on trainers on Route 19, and now Victini!" He looked between them, almost as if expecting a protest. "These things only started happening when your group showed up! Do you know anything about it?" Cheren folded his arms stubbornly and shot his analytical glare at the group.

Amber exchanged looks with Gloria and Leo. It looked like Cheren was suspicious of them for some reason. But wait. Attacks on Route 19?! Was he referring to her kidnapping? Amber did her best to explain her story, and eventually Cheren seemed to settle down. By the time she'd finished, his expression changed from accusatory to concern.

"The Silicon Movement... I've never heard of them before." Cheren sighed and shook his head. "They're clearly a very dangerous group. I'm sorry I snapped at you. How about we go and heal our Pokémon? We'll talk about this at the Pokémon Center." As Amber left the gym with Leo, Gloria, and Cheren, she couldn't help but keep on wondering about Victini.

Why would a god of victory send out a plea for help?