Island Wolf: Hey peeps, time for an update! :) I'd like to say thanks to everyone who favourited, followed and reviewed - you guys are too sweet! I would just like to stress again that if you guys notice any glaring grammatical errors or see anything you really don't agree with just send me a message or tell me in a review; I love constructive criticism, that's how I learn and it's really quite helpful! And y'know if you see things you like feel free to comment on those too :3 Anywho, onwards to chapter 2!

Disclaimer: I dun goofed last chapter and forgot to put this in - I do not own pokemon, or any of its characters unfortunately. I just like to play with them from time to time.

May quickly lost track of time as they drove. She'd long since given up trying to count the number of turns and mapping their route in her head. All she'd managed to figure out was that they were headed north, perhaps north-west. To be completely honest she was getting fairly nauseous as her body was subjected to the unexpected shifts in position, taking sharp turns she couldn't prepare for. She tilted her head back against the seat rest, taking slow, even breaths through her nose – it would be extremely undignified to vomit all over the back of the car. She'd almost managed to doze off when the vehicle jerked to a sudden halt and she wound up slamming her nose into the back of the seat in front of her, eliciting a quiet snigger from someone nearby. The door next to her was opened and her blindfold was unceremoniously ripped off, leaving her blinking against the sudden brightness. Half-blind she nearly jumped out of her skin when someone took her by the arm and brusquely pulled her out of the SUV. She heard the swish of automatic doors and felt warmth wash over her as the entered a building. Her vision slowly cleared and she saw that they were standing in a lobby-like area. It was a sleek, modern design; the walls were black with silver and red decor breaking up the dark expanse, the colour pallet matching the reception desk and stylized seating areas. The floors were black marble that glittered subtly in the fluorescent lighting, polished to a mirror-like finish. All in all it was, to her great surprise, an incredibly stylish space.

"Finished gawking yet?" Maxie sneered as he entered her field of vision. He held out his arm and gestured for her to take it. "Come, I'll show you to your quarters."

She looked at the proffered limb incredulously. "Beg pardon?"

Maxie rolled his eyes at her scepticism. "Your living quarters Miss Maple – please, I am a gentleman, but you are starting to try my patience."

"My apologies, I just don't recall you expressing such gallantry to me in the past." May retorted as she looped her arm through his. He smirked, but said nothing as he started leading her down the maze of hallways. It wasn't long before she realized why he'd wanted to keep her close. She recognized many of the faces they passed, having battled them personally in the old Lilycove hideout and the undersea cavern where they'd first found Groudon. Gone were the brazen uniforms of the past, replaced by simple well tailored business suits, but those eyes still blazed with the same bitter hatred they had held ten years ago when they saw her. "Friendly staff."

"Which is why you are not to wander these hallways unless accompanied by myself, or at the very least one of your pokémon and only with my expressed permission. There are a lot of people here who remember you and the humiliation you subjected them to and more than a few of them would like a little...retribution. Do I make myself clear?"

"Inescapably."

"Good," he said as he led her into an elevator, seemingly determined not to look at her. "I have taken the liberty of having some of your possessions transported here. Oh, don't looks so hopeful, we are not giving away this location to your compatriots at the League by doing so."

"I'm not concocting some grand plot to take down your organization," she sighed and then looked at him with a wicked smirk. "I've already done that once before."

He glanced down at her and flashed her the ghost of a smile. "Perhaps, but I'm a suspicious individual by nature and you know what they say about old habits."

After a pregnant silence the elevator lurched to a halt with a muted ding and the stainless steel doors opened with a soft hiss to reveal another long corridor. Unlike the ground floors this hallway was devoid of any other Magma personnel and was dead quiet aside from the soft hum of the lights and the distant wailing of the winter wind. He led her to a steel door at the far end of the hall complete with a numbered keypad. Faster than she cared to observe he punched in a six numbered code and the door slid open. The automated lights switched on as soon as the door had opened revealing a small, but cozy looking suite. The walls were a dark shade of burgundy and the floors were outfitted with plush beige carpeting that matched the armchair wedged into the corner and the heavy duvet draped over the queen sized bed. A curtained window was set in the wall by the bed and a narrow hall led to what she presumed was a bathroom. Her shock must have shown because she heard Maxie laugh.

"What? Were you expecting the dungeons? I assure you that can be arranged."

"This will do I'm sure," she replied, rolling her eyes at his poor attempt at humour. He smirked and turned away from her.

"My quarters are on the uppermost floor should there be an...emergency. Now, I expect you in my office at seven AM sharp – it's two floors up from this one, last door at the end of the hall," he said.

"And what is it that I will be doing exactly?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at his back. Maxie glanced at her over his shoulder, dark brown eyes regarding her carefully over the rims of his glasses.

"Whatever I tell you to. Oh, and don't think about trying anything - I'll be watching."

With that he stepped over the threshold and the door slide shut behind him with a soft hiss. It was then that May noticed the small security camera sitting ominously up in the corner just above the door, looking down into the main part of the room.

"Oh you sick fuck," May spat, pulling her lips back over her teeth in a sneer before reaching down and plucking a pokéball from her belt. She enlarged the white and red capsule and depressed the centre button. It opened with a mechanical click and bright light shot forth, rapidly solidifying into the shape of her Mightyena. The canine turned tightly in place, ears picked and tail raised curiously as he studied his surroundings, so suddenly foreign. May dropped down to her knees and he immediately trotted forward into her open arms, rearing up on his hind legs to drape his forelimbs over her shoulders in the canid version of an embrace. May sighed and buried her face in the thick fur of his neck. "What the Hell have I gotten myself into?"

Gabriel growled low in his throat and pulled away, wagging his tail in a comforting manner. Cracking a small smile she reached out and scratched him behind the ears. "Right, right I'm up to my neck in this mess now, it's too late to go feeling sorry for myself. C'mon let's try to get some sleep."

May rose and suddenly realized that she had no form of spare clothing or nightwear. Swearing under her breath she cautiously made her way to the bathroom. It was small, but there was a well equipped stand up shower and a brightly lit vanity – and it was thankfully camera free. She quickly wriggled out of her jeans and removed her bra, leaving her in her underwear and sweater she'd hastily donned before leaving Littleroot. It was a far cry from her flannel pyjamas, but it would have to do – she hated sleeping in denim. She all but ran to the bed, flipping the security camera an obscene hand gesture as she dashed by. She slid beneath the duvet and was very pleased to find her bare skin greeted by Egyptian cotton sheets; Maxie might've been a self-righteous bastard, but the man had good taste...at least where room furnishings were concerned. Gabriel jumped up on the bed shortly after and settled himself down by her feet, though no doubt he'd end up on her pillow by morning. He'd always been sneaky like that.

Maxie folded one leg over the other and slowly stirred his coffee as his eyes travelled over the sprawl of monitors lining his desk. His lips twitched in a fleeting smile at the middle finger that flashed across one of the screens as a lithe shape dashed across it. Good, let her feel uncomfortable – if he was going to be stuck with her he was damn well going to get some sport out of the situation. He took a deep swallow of his coffee and lowered his gaze to the dossier open in front of him.

May's picture was clipped to a thick stack of files, some were official legal documents, others were hand-written notes and photographs, all tracking the former Champion's movements since her first ascension into the League all those years ago. Maxie smirked behind the rim of his mug. Hoenn's heroine wasn't the pure little paragon anymore it would seem. Just over four years into her reign she'd dropped out of the League. Soon after she had disappeared from the public eye, become a near penniless recluse drifting from region to region - she was even homeless for a short time...well, well.

The former crime lord leaned back in his chair and flipped the file closed. She hadn't changed much physically, a little taller perhaps with a more womanly figure than she'd possessed ten years ago (that had been plain to see on the monitor), but one thing was certain; May Maple had grown up, the rose coloured glasses had been smashed and her iron will had been tempered and hardened to cold steel. There was no fear in those brilliant azure eyes when she looked at him and her tongue, as sharp as her gaze to be sure, was dying to pick a fight.

And he loved a good fight.

May wasn't sure if it was Gabriel's tongue sliding wetly against her cheek or the incessant knocking on her door that woke her up. Groaning, she reached up to push away the canine's face. He whined and sat back on his haunches while she got up from the bed, hastily wrapping a sheet around herself. She glared at the camera and indelicately flipped it the bird. This was going to be a morning ritual she could tell. Without warning the door slid open to reveal a middle aged woman in a crisp business suit standing at the threshold. She cut an imposing figure; there was nary a wrinkle to be seen on her clothing and her greying hair was tied back in a severe bun. She was holding a large duffel bag, but as soon as the door opened she dropped it unceremoniously onto the floor.

"Ummm..."

"These are yours, Mr. Stone arranged to have them brought here for you," the woman said tersely. With that she turned sharply on her heel and walked away.

"Rude," May grumbled and pulled the duffel bag inside. She hefted the large bag on the bed and opened it, sighing with relief when she saw the spare clothing and toiletries inside. "Thank you Steven!"

She pulled out a pair of black dress slacks and a blue silk blouse, laying them carefully on the bed before digging around in the duffel bag again until she found her shower supplies. Raising her middle finger to the camera one last time, she dropped the sheet and headed into the bathroom. The shower was a little slice of heaven. May sighed contentedly as the hot water sluiced over her bare skin, slowly working out the tension from her muscles. She leaned her head back against the tiles, enjoying the contrast of the cold ceramic tiles against her heated skin.

"Fuck," she breathed. The gravity of what she was about to do was settling heavily on her shoulders. She was going to be working for Maxie, following his orders, doing his bidding, act the part of his little lackey – it was going to humiliating. The man had a vindictive streak a mile wide. Still, this had been her idea so there was no use griping about it now. It wasn't so bad really, the room was comfortable and he'd been more civil than she'd expected. Reluctantly, she got out of the shower and quickly dressed (in the relative privacy of the bathroom...she really had to do something about that camera). She didn't bother to dry her hair, but rather twisted it up into a loose bun, she was going for functional here – Maxie was the last on her list of people to impress. She left the room with Gabriel in tow and rode the elevator up two floors. The metal doors parted to reveal a hall way practically identical to the one she'd just left save for it ended with a set of black double doors bearing the Team Magma emblem in scarlet. Taking a deep breath she knocked three times and a muffled voice bade her enter.

It was a larger space than she'd anticipated, but very well designed. The floors had the same black tile finish as the lobby and the walls were painted charcoal grey set with silver light fixtures at regular intervals. The rear wall was made up entirely of massive windows whose height spanned from floor to ceiling, letting in a great deal of natural light – or would have were it not still the gloom of predawn. Still even in the darkness she could make out a forested river valley sprawling in the distance. It was a lovely view she had to admit, and judging from the height they must have been situated on a plateau overlooking the valley. Looking back at the room she saw a large desk situated in the office's centre, piled high with stacks of paper work and a large spread of monitors, some screening security footage from various parts of the building and others projecting data readings from seismic monitors and other equipment stationed around Magma's various outposts in the region.

Maxie was sitting in his office chair, back to her and made no move to acknowledge her presence. May felt her mouth twitch in the first stages of a sneer. He was doing this on purpose she knew, but she wasn't going to rise to the bait. She swallowed her anger for the moment and cleared her throat audibly. "You did say seven o'clock right?"

There was a beat of silence before the chair swivelled around and he finally turned to face her. He was dressed very similarly to yesterday, though he'd removed his suit jacket and draped it over the back of the chair. He made no effort to be subtle as he looked her up and down over the rims of his glasses. "I did," he nodded. "Since Tabitha has gone with your compatriots you'll be taking over the majority of his more mundane duties. You'll be spending your days up here with me, compiling data readings and highlighting any anomalies. I trust you can handle it?"

There was a challenge in his voice, a question of her competency. Well if that's how he wanted to play...

"Oh I think I can," she replied with a smirk. "I just hope you can keep up. Reading must be such a strain at your age."

His eyes narrowed, but he smiled and gestured to the empty office chair beside him. "Well then we better get started. Oh, and I have to say I approve of your choice of pokémon Miss Maple."

May chose to ignore the remark and quietly took a seat. Well, at least it was comfortable. She picked up the notepad and pen that had presumably been set out for her and started to scan the spread of monitors. "You might want to at least give me the specifics of the monitoring system if you want an accurate record."

"I want you to focus on the monitors on the bottom two rows, they monitor seismic and oceanic activity throughout Hoenn. Spikes in regions of interest will be noted as targets of future investigations." he replied without looking at her as he pulled another stack of paperwork in front of him. May frowned, but turned back to the computers nonetheless. They lapsed into tense silence, she watching the monitors, he slowly plodding his way through the stacks of paper work taking up a great deal of space on his desk. Speaking of which...

"So, where exactly do you get the funding for all of this?" she asked, not looking away from the span of computers.

"I sense an accusation in there," he said, smirking ever so slightly in her peripheral vision. "If you must know it's all perfectly legitimate. Not all of my activities were of questionable legality, I happen to have an expansive business empire in Hoenn, a perfectly lawful one."

"Alright, alright no need to get shirty," she grumbled. A flash on one of the monitors caught her eye and she hastily jotted the information down. "Hey, look at this – Mount Chimney is producing some strange seismic output, even for a volcano. The latest vulcanologist reports state that it should be in a dormant state, we shouldn't be seeing these kinds of readings."

Maxie removed his glasses as he leaned closer for a better look at the flashing monitor. He frowned and made a small noise in the back of his throat before replacing his spectacles. "Hm, you're quite right. We've been picking up similar readings for the past week. It's likely Cipher-related construction – it's the perfect place for a regional base of operations, hard to get to if the lift is shut down and you can see an assault coming from miles away from the top of the mountain."

"Should we inform Steven?"

"I will inform Mr. Stone myself later this evening Miss Maple. Now, if you would please return to your duties."

"Yes Sir."

It wasn't long before the hours started to blend together. A snow squall had picked up across the valley, severely reducing visibility much to her displeasure – she'd been hoping to at least watch the sunrise. She rested her chin on the heel of her hand, staring out at the swirling wall of white buffeting the windows. A chill had started to creep up her spine and it was suddenly very hard to breathe...

"Miss Maple!"

The sound of Maxie's voice, sharp and commanding, snapped her out of her reverie and she sucked in a desperately needed breath of air as she clutched the edge of the desk, trying not to fall out of her chair. "Gods dammit!" she hissed, placing a hand over her pounding heart. She glared at him and was met with a raised brow and a look that was half amusement and half irritation.

"Ah, decided to rejoin us have you?" he remarked snidely. "I was under the impression that you were a competent individual, was I wrong?"

"I beg your pardon?" May sniffed, reseating herself and straightening her blouse. He smirked at her nastily and gestured to one of the computer monitors. May felt her face heat up as soon she saw the flashing window in the top right corner of the screen, highlighting a sudden and severe drop in oceanic temperature in the great trench. It had only lasted for three seconds before the temperature had returned to normal, but she had missed it in her state of distraction. "I – I –..."

"That will be all for you today Miss Maple, you will return to your quarters immediately," Maxie said, setting down his pen and leaning back in his chair to fully face her. "Your evening meal will be brought to you there and you shall remain confined to quarters until tomorrow when you will join me here at o-seven hundred."

"But I -"

"Dismissed Miss Maple, Admin Courtney will be taking over your duties for the night shift. I suggest you vacate before she arrives – she has already expressed great displeasure at your presence here."

"Fine," May spat. Humiliating Courtney in front of her boss was a tempting prospect, but right now it felt like her head was about to split open and her blouse was starting to soak through with the cold sweat she'd broken out in. Gabriel followed her, emitting a low whine as he kept as close to her side as he could. Maxie watched her go before his earthen brown eyes flicked over to the security monitor to see her enter the room and promptly fling herself down on the bed where she lay unmoving. He frowned as he watched her – he wasn't sure what to make of her little episode. Her medical records were clean, but that had not been a simple case of daydreaming. She'd been staring out the window when her eyes had glazed over and all the colour promptly drained from her face. He'd have to keep an eye on that.

Maxie shook his head and picked up his pen again. Oh how he despised paperwork, but alas it was one of the cons of managing an organization of this size. Didn't do much for his carpal tunnel though.

"That was fucking awful," May groaned into her pillow. She heard Gabriel whine and felt him gently press his paw onto her back. She rolled over and scratched the fur under his chin with a tired smile. "Hey, I'm okay...just bloody embarrassed."

Gabriel let out a low 'woof' and wagged his tail. Without warning there was a knock on the door before it opened with soft, pneumatic hiss to reveal the attendant from this morning holding a covered tray and an unwavering scowl. May hastily rose to retrieve it from her and was given a sneer for her troubles. "Leave the tray outside the door when you're done."

Just as brusque as she had been this morning the woman turned sharply on her heel and disappeared from sight as the door slid shut behind her. May blinked, staring at the door for a moment before shaking her head. She set the tray down on the desk and was quite pleased with what she found when she removed the metal cover. "Let's see, stuffed chicken breast, grilled asparagus, rosemary potatoes...not bad at all."

She made quick work of the meal (she hadn't realized how hungry she'd been until the smell of proper food had filled the room) and quickly changed into her sleepwear. The food had helped her headache, but she still felt weak and unbalanced. She slid beneath the covers and Gabriel quickly jumped up onto the bed and snuggled firmly into her side, licking her nose for good measure. May giggled and rubbed at the soft fur of his chest. "You are too cute. Now, let's get some sleep – hopefully tomorrow will be better."

After an hour or so of tossing and turning May rolled onto her side and stared at the wall. The League, Cipher, Maxie...Fuck, her mind wouldn't stop racing. She gripped the sheets tightly – every instinct she'd developed over her years in the wilderness was screaming that this situation was going to get much worse before it got better. Bow your head and weather the storm.

May smiled as her father's words echoed in her mind. How many times had she called him, scared, stressed, frustrated – that had always been his response before he told her that he loved her. She thought about the picture of Norman Maple standing between his wife and daughter with a ridiculous grin on his face standing in front of the Petalburg gym that sat on her bedside table at home.

"I miss you guys so much," she whispered. She would never forget that phone call, watching the news report flash across the screen from a cheap hotel room in Goldenrod City. 'This just in, the MV Moira has struck a reef off of the coast of Sootopolis and has cap sized – we're getting reports of numerous casualties...'

May closed her eyes and drew a deep, steadying breath. Bow your head and weather the storm.

The rest of the week proved to be just as miserable, if not more so, as the first day. While she refrained from allowing herself to slip up when it came to the environmental monitoring, her health continued to deteriorate. She'd had to leave the office several times a day under the pretence of using the restroom so she could vomit. Still, she'd staunchly refused to let Maxie know anything was wrong, making sure to meet his sly criticism with her own scathing remarks and periodically rubbing at her cheeks to make sure the colour stayed in them. Today though – it was getting difficult. Her head was pounding and she was desperately trying not to shiver despite wearing her heaviest cardigan. She could barely focus on holding her pen, let alone parry Maxie's verbal lunges.

"Miss Maple are you quite alright?"

"Of course," May hissed through clenched teeth. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Hn, you usually give me a far more flippant response for starters."

"I'm fine."

Without warning he reached over and grabbed the arm of her chair, turning it sharply to face him. He stared her down over the rims of his glasses for a painfully long moment. May held her breath as those dark brown eyes bored into her before he rose and extended his hand. She raised a brow at him and Maxie rolled his eyes. "Miss Maple, if you would?"

Sighing, May eventually relented and accepted his hand – secretly she was glad for his gentlemanly conduct; she wasn't quite sure if she could have stood on her own. He led her down the hall to the elevator where he selected one of the sub-basements and the lift lurched into motion. The movement made her stumble, but Maxie's hand was at her hip to steady her with annoying swiftness. She growled and glared at him

"Where are we going?"

"Where do you think?" he replied, looking over at her with an expression halfway between malice and amusement. "You've been, dare I say it, docile all day."

"And that's a problem for you?"

"In a manner," he replied slyly. "Part of the reason I agreed to your proposition was the chance for a little – retribution. I want to face the girl who brought my empire to its knees, not a League lackey."

May narrowed her eyes, though she felt herself beginning to smile at the revelation. She'd been spoiling for a fight all week, if he wanted to face the Tauros he was damn well going to get the horns. The elevator came to a slow stop and the doors slid open to cold darkness. When they stepped out from the lift a series high powered halogen lights snapped to life overhead to reveal a massive battling arena. She felt her lips curl upwards into a smile and she moved out of Maxie's reach, standing under her own adrenaline fuelled power. She strode forward without a word to the left side of the field while Gabriel took the centre, forelegs stiff and mane bristling. Maxie smiled and took his place on the opposite side of the field. He removed his glasses and placed them in his breast pocket. "Customary six on six?"

"If you think you can handle it."

Maxie smirked at her flippant reply and unclipped a pokéball from his belt. He pressed the centre button and tossed it skywards as the red and white orb enlarged and split open with a brilliant flash of white light. The light solidified into the hulking shape of a Camerupt. May let out a hissing breath between her clenched teeth. The massive bovine had always given her trouble, it was a deucedly tanky pokémon and stubborn to boot. Gabriel was going to have his work cut out for him. "Gabriel run in with a Crunch, quickly now!"

The canine's ears flicked back, pressing flat against his skull as his lips skinned back over his fangs in a fearsome snarl. He darted forward, turning into a dark blur as he sprinted across the field. At the last second he feinted left and circled in behind the slow moving pokémon, coming up on its right flank before the creature even knew what was going on and sunk his fangs in deep. Camerupt bellowed in heaved his bulk left and right trying to dislodge his attacker.

"Keep calm Hephaestus, use Flame Burst!"

The Camerupt tossed his head and the air around his bulk started to shimmer with heat. Before May could issue a command a sheet of flame expanded outward from Camerupt's form. Gabriel yelped and relinquished his hold, skittering back across the arena nursing a badly scorched mouth and several patches of singed fur. May cursed, she'd underestimated her opponent and Gabriel had paid the price. This would clearly have to be a distanced battle for the moment – so be it. "Gabriel, compose yourself – Dark Pulse!"

The Mightyena sat back on his haunches and howled, long and loud. A ripple of dark energy expanded outwards, rushing across the field at an alarming speed and slammed head on into the Camerupt. The bovine pokémon's forelegs buckled and his front end went down hard.

"Good now start charging up!"

"Don't let him finish, Earthquake!"

Hephaestus, lurched himself up and reared back on his hind legs. When he slammed down onto all fours a massive energy wave ripped through the ground, tearing up the stone floor as it rushed across the field. "Gabriel hunker down, don't break focus no matter what!"

The dark canine laid down flat as his outline started to glow with building energy. The Earthquake struck with terrifying force, throwing up massive chunks of stonework and sending a dust cloud rushing over the field, reducing visibility to zero in a matter of seconds. May raised an arm to protect her eyes from the flying debris, squinting against the dust. It slowly settled, Camerupt standing at the far end, but Gabriel was no where to be seen amongst the heaps of rubble until -

"Now!"

A heap of loose stones suddenly exploded skyward and Gabriel emerged, charging with his head down like a bull, his body glowing brightly with energy. "Giga Impact!"

Gabriel opened his mouth and roared as he slammed into Hephaestus' exposed flank and the two pokémon went down in a snarling heap of tangled limbs.

"Gabriel, disengage!"

The Mightyena released his hold on the Camerupt and darted backwards, snarling fiercely despite the fact that his legs were shaking badly. For a moment it looked like Gabriel was going to go down, but looking past him she saw the Camerupt lying on his side, completely out cold. May smiled savagely.

"Looks like I take the first match."

"Don't be so cocky Miss Maple," Maxie said as he withdrew Camerupt and selected another pokéball. "We've only just begun."

May grinned and withdrew Gabriel, selecting a new pokéball of her own. With a wild laugh she opened it and her Blaziken emerged in a brilliant flash of white light, wrists igniting with bright flame as he took up an elegant fighting stance. Maxie mirrored her actions and soon a Crobat emerged with a savage hiss, hovering over his side of the field.

"Aerial Ace!"

The Crobat became a large purple blur as the bat-pokémon dove towards Blaziken and slashed the large fighting bird pokémon across the chest before he even had time to react, sending him reeling. The fighting-type let out a gravelly grow as his wrists ignited again and he took up his original stance. "Good job Rikesh! Use Flamethrower!"

Rikesh opened his beak to let loose a massive jet of red-gold flame, the fiery stream causing the nearby stones to crack from the heat as it barrelled towards the Crobat. The elusive bat, however, merely hissed and barrel rolled out of harm's way whilst Maxie smirked.

"Excellent, use confuse ray!"

There was little May could do but watch as Crobat shrieked at an ear piercing frequency that sent Rikesh staggering, shaking his head in vain to throw off the attack. He stumbled, lashing out at targets that weren't really there, blinking dazedly as the flames on his wrists died down to a dull smoulder. "Rikesh come on, you can shake this off!"

"Wing attack, now!"

Crobat shrieked again and flew up high, his wings gleaming as if coated in a shining armour as he angled them sharply and dove down towards Blaziken at top speed, fangs bared in triumphant glee. Without warning Rikesh raised his head, eyes gleaming with a savage fire as his wrists ignited once again.

"Fire Punch!"

Crobat flared out his wings in a desperate attempt to slow himself down and swerve out of the way, but it was far too late and the fighting-type's flaming fist slammed into him, sending the bat hurtling across the arena to slam into the far wall where he crumpled into a twitching heap. Maxie scowled and silently withdrew his defeated pokémon. "Well, it seems you aren't completely incompetent."

"Pity I can't say the same of you," May smirked. "You may as well give up, you couldn't beat me all those years ago and from what I've seen there's no danger of that paradigm shifting any time soon."

"Then I shall have to remedy your thought process! Alexia!"

May squinted against the light of the emerging pokémon and was startled to see a Ninetails sitting serenely on the shattered arena floor. It was quite possibly the finest specimen she'd ever seen, with a gleaming coat of cream and fierce ruby eyes that missed nothing as she scanned the field, glowing with a proud fire. May let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"She's beautiful."

Maxie looked startled for a moment at her awed admission, but made no comment. Instead he whistled sharply and the Ninetails got to her feet, tails spread proudly.

"Hypnosis!"

May was snapped rudely back to reality and let out a curse as the vixen's eyes started to glow with a sinister light. Rikesh immediately began swaying on his feet, blinking owlishly before his eyes slid shut and he dropped down to his knees, trapped deep in slumber.

"Now, use Fire Blast!"

"Rikesh wake up! WAKE UP!"

Her cries fell on deaf ears and she was forced to throw herself flat behind a pile of debris to avoid being torched by the massive five-pronged fire blast swept over the entirety of the arena. She heard Rikesh bellow, pulled harshly back to consciousness by the devastating attack. May got back to her feet and inwardly cringed – despite being a partial fire type himself Blaziken was in rough shape, shaking violently as he struggled back to his feet.

"Rikesh, quickly now, use Focus Blast!"

Rikesh closed his eyes and held his clawed hands one above the other in front of his chest as a sphere of blue light slowly started to build between them, pulsing brighter and brighter as the energy gathered and condensed. Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he lunged forward, one leg slamming into the ground with earth-shattering force as he pushed his hands forward and sent the energy ball hurtling across the field. Maxie smirked, his features thrown into sharp relief by the blue glow of the incoming attack. "Alexia, Protect."

"No!"

The vixen narrowed her eyes as a field of pale green energy surrounded her just before the Focus Blast would hit. There was a thunderous boom as the two energy fields collided, sending a shock-wave rippling across the field. It was all for nought though as Focus Blast dispersed over the protective sphere surrounding the Ninetails. "Now use Dig!"

Ninetails reared up before slamming her forelimbs into the earth, sending up a shower of dirt and rubble as she burrowed her way beneath the ground. May cursed under her breath, scanning the field frantically for any sign of the vixen. There, she almost missed it, but out of the corner of her eye she saw the ground to Rikesh's left started to bow upwards.

"Rikesh use Brick Break to your left!"

The Blaziken turned sharply on his heel and slammed his fist into the arena floor, shattering it from the force. It came too late, however, as he was immediately blown backwards as the Ninetails burst out of the ground and slammed her bulk into him with a low hissing, growl. Rikesh was sent hurtling backwards, gouging a shallow trench in the arena floor as he slid backwards and slammed into a support pillar where he lay unmoving. May gaped at the Ninetails as she calmly walked back to her side of the arena and started cleaning the dirt from her fur. She withdrew Blaziken and whirled around to face Maxie.

"Holy – why the hell didn't you bring her out ten years ago?" she spluttered, dragging a hand through her hair. Maxie smiled and gently stroked the vixen's head.

"I have my reasons. Now, shall we continue or are you going to surrender? The latter choice would be your wisest course of action."

May put a hand on her hip and smiled, selecting another pokéball. "Not on your life! Let's go Persephone!"

Her Altaria appeared in a brilliant flash of life, emitting a bell-like tone as she drifted onto the field.

"Alright, let's get things up in the air, Fly!"

Island Wolf: Aaaand scene - I forgot how much fun it was to write pokémon battles! I'm sorry this seems so repetitious when compared to Ashes, I did borrow heavily from the old draft for elements of this chapter, but I promise things will start to pick up next chapter :)