Author's Note: Thank you everyone for your continued interest in Zayn's adventure! Your excitement helps propel this story forward! Also, I'm still accepting OCs for minor characters and a few for the Syndicate, if anyone else is interested in participating in this journey.

Shout-Outs: Thank you pain1516 for your amazing review! I hope you continue to enjoy the journey!

Chapter Five: Know Thy Enemy

It was already dark by the time they made it to Santalune City. Zayn slowed to a walk, allowing the group to pull ahead as he surveyed the quiet city.

The street lights flickered to life, casting a soft glow over the streets as people strolled between the buildings, laughing and talking as they absorbed the crisp night air. In the center of town, surrounded by well-manicured hedges and a beautifully maintained flower garden, was a two-tier white-bricked water fountain. It seemed peaceful here, and served as a reminder to him that he was far from the hustle and bustle of Lumiose City.

Ghost nudged Zayn's leg, whimpering as he glanced up at his trainer. It had been a long, hard trek as they maneuvered through the woods at the group's pace, which was slow enough. At one point they had gotten lost, and it had taken three hours of bickering between the hot-headed Iona and the stubbornly energetic Harry before finally they found their way to the city's edge. Tempers were short, even for him, as they entered the Santalune City Pokémon Center.

The motion-sensitive interior lights blinked to life, illuminating the vacant lobby as they filed in. Zayn was the last to walk inside, the door whooshing shut behind him as he shrugged the knapsack off his shoulders with a grunt—it had been a long trek, indeed. A low hum vibrated in the air as the calming tones of classical music emanated through several wall-mounted speakers, and Zayn felt relieved as some of his stress from the day's travel dissipated. With a sigh, he propped his bag against the nearest couch and sank himself into the cushion. It wasn't as soft as he would have liked, but it sure beat walking all day, and he was too tired to complain.

"Welcome to the Pokémon Center!" a lady with a kind face and wide loops in her pink hair greeted them, a little too loudly, stifling a yawn as she emerged from a hidden room behind the counter in the center of the lobby. "How can I help?"

A large, fluffy pink pokémon with bright green eyes and a white nurse's hat wobbled next to her, grinning sleepily as it chirped, "Wigglytuff!"

Harry stepped towards the counter, holding out a pokéball as he pushed himself up on the tips of his toes to help him see over the edge. "Nurse"—he squinted at the name tag dangling from the collar of her wrinkled uniform—"Joy, can you heal my Rook?" He pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "He got injured in battle."

The nurse nodded, taking his pokéball and gingerly handing it to her assistant. The wigglytuff shuffled to the back of the clinic, singing to itself as it disappeared behind a swinging door. Nurse Joy smiled as she turned back to the group, but even from his seat Zayn could see the exhaustion that lined her face. "Now, does anyone else need their pokémon checked for the night?"

The giant with long limbs and shaggy brown hair, Jared, stepped forward and unclipped a pokéball from his belt. "My charmander," he said as he placed his starter on the counter. The nurse nodded and placed the ball on a slotted tray.

As the other members of the group each stepped forward to place their pokémon on the tray, Zayn glanced down at the houndour by his feet. "You should probably get checked, too." Ghost cocked his head to one side and whined.

Before Zayn could reply, Morgen walked over to where he sat and flopped down on the couch. "Aren't you gonna get your team checked?" she asked as she leaned forward to scratch Ghost between the ears. The houndour's leg started to thump against the tiled floor, and Zayn felt a tinge of jealousy at how comfortable his partner had become with the older girl in just a short time.

"Ghost doesn't like strangers," Zayn muttered, although his houndour was making it hard for even him to believe those words as he rolled over and exposed his underside to Morgen's hand.

"He has to get used to them sometime." She giggled, cooing at the pokémon as she rubbed his belly. "Yes he does! Yes he does!"

It was just too much.

"But a checkup wouldn't hurt." Bolting up out of his chair, Zayn motioned for Ghost to follow as he walked up to the counter. Nurse Joy smiled at him as he unclipped Squirtle's ball and placed it on the tray. "I have two," he stated, pointing down at the reluctant houndour.

The nurse nodded and, picking up the tray full of pokéballs, made her way to the back. Ghost hesitantly followed, shooting Zayn one last glance before disappearing behind the swinging door.

"Well!" Harry exclaimed, breaking the silence that had fallen over the Pokémon Center as he clasped his hands behind his head. "Guess now we just gotta wait."

The redhead, Iona, rubbed at her eyes as she lowered her aching body into a chair. "Harry," she sighed, untying the blue bandana from around her head and letting her wavy locks curl over her shoulders. She turned and gave the young boy a pointed look. "Shut up."

A few of the others chuckled as Harry stuck out his tongue, but Zayn sighed and shook his head. There was still some animosity between the two from their heated argument earlier in the day, it seemed. Conflict did not sit well with him; in fact, he usually did his best to avoid it. Why did I agree to this again?

Jared cleared his throat, drawing the group's attention as he gestured to the other side of the clinic. "I'm gonna call my parents real quick," he said, pointing out the phone booths lined up along the far right wall. "The service is free, in case anyone else wanted to call their folks." His voice was deep and hollow, booming from the depths of his chest like a drill sergeant calling out commands to his troops. Between his voice and his height, it was no small wonder why the group had nicknamed him the Giant.

Morgen pushed herself up from her seat on the couch and stretched. "Guess I should call my 'rents, too." She yawned as she made her way over to the phone booths. Iona and Harry followed soon after, elbowing each other out of the way as they fought to be the first one there.

With all of the phones currently in use and his legs growing weary from standing, Zayn bit back a yawn and walked back to the couch. Even if he did attempt to call Jenny tonight, chances were that she was already asleep. I'll try tomorrow, he thought as he sat back down. She knew that he could take care of himself, and she had Manny there to keep her company while he was away. Besides, he was far too tired to try and hold a meaningful conversation with anyone at the moment. She'll understand.

"Don't you have anyone to call?" a voice whispered, pulling Zayn away from his thoughts. Angel stood over him, her eyes inquisitive as she peered at him over her glasses. She had loosened her pigtails some time ago, letting her crimson hair sweep down her back like a small cape.

Zayn shook his head and pointed to the group. "Everyone's using the phones right now."

"That's not what I asked." Angel sat down on the arm of the couch and crossed her legs, her eyes never leaving his gaze. "Don't you have anyone back home, waiting for your call?"

Zayn had not expected that question to hurt as much as it did. His chest tightened, as if his lungs were slowly filling with lead, and he had to clench his fists to help fight off the tears that welled in his eyes as the memories he had tried for nearly five years to suppress came flooding back in waves.

He remembered his father's growing aggression towards his family; his mother, submissive to the physical manifestation of that man's anger; his father suddenly abandoning them, without so much as a word; his mother's brief depression as she struggled to cope with the loss; he and his mother, together, traveling the world and the joy he had felt at their new-found freedom; he, begging his mother to go to the beach before leaving for the Hoenn region; his mother, murdered in cold blood right before his eyes in the very train station she had wanted to avoid. The memories assaulted his mind like a hurricane, and for a while he thought that he would drown in the murky waters of his grief.

A few moments had lapsed before Zayn realized that Angel's question remained unanswered.

Taking a quick breath, willing the memories back into the depths of his subconscious, he glanced up. "She's asleep," he muttered before he could even stop to think of a proper response. His eyes widened at the slip. Had he meant to say that?

Angel raised a curious brow. "Your mother?"

"My sister." Officer Jenny would never be his mother, but she was as damn good a sister as anyone he could think of. Surely that counted for something.

Before Angel could reply, Nurse Joy emerged from the back with a huff. "Your pokémon are all ready to go!" Her smile faltered as she smoothed the wrinkles from her uniform and placed the tray filled with pokéballs down on the counter. Her wigglytuff bounced behind her, the white nurse's hat askew on its head and the pokéball Harry had handed over clutched firmly between its fingerless hands.

Taking the interruption as a blessing, Zayn got up and made his way to the counter. As he picked up Squirtle's pokéball, Nurse Joy gave him a pointed look. "Are you the kid with the houndour?"

"Y-yes?" Zayn stammered, taken aback by her appearance. She looked winded, her hair tousled and her uniform bunched up in places it shouldn't have been, as if she had been wrestling with a tauros for the last half-hour and lost.

Nurse Joy crossed her arms as she motioned to the wigglytuff next to her. "We had to restrain him," she explained as the fluffy pink pokémon disappeared once again into the back.

Zayn's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?" he exclaimed, drawing all eyes toward him as he slammed the palm of his hands on the counter and glared past the nurse. He could feel his anger rising as he envisioned Ghost locked up all alone in the back, whimpering, scared and confused. "Why did you do that? You better not have hurt him!"

"Hey, Zayn—" Jared said, placing a hand on his shoulder, but despite his bigger size Zayn shoved him off. This was supposed to be a place of security and relaxation, and they lock up his partner? Where was the compassion in that?!

"Kid, relax." Nurse Joy said, forcing her tone to remain calm as she distributed the last of the pokéballs. "He's fine, trust me. He just got a little out of hand during the exam is all."

An excited bark drew his attention away from the nurse. Bounding through the swinging doors like a bat out of Hell, thick nails clicking on the tiled floor in rhythm to his yaps, Ghost ran around the counter and slid to a halt at Zayn's feet. The houndour barked as he jumped up and nuzzled Zayn's outstretched hand, and the boy could only laugh as he scratched his pup behind the ear. He was fine; the houndour was happy and unharmed, just as the nurse promised.

Guilt for his outburst filling his chest, Zayn looked up at Nurse Joy. "I'm sorry, nurse. I was just—"

Nurse Joy shook her head. "Don't apologize." She sighed, allowing a small smile to grace her chapped lips. "You care deeply for your friend, I get that. He's hardly the first pokémon to be nervous and uncooperative." Her brow then furrowed as she glanced down at Ghost. "But that scar across his back, it isn't recent. And he was a little dehydrated." She pursed her lips as Wigglytuff shuffled behind the counter. "Your houndour is unusually large for his breed, but other than the dehydration he's in remarkable health."

"Thank you." Zayn nodded, rubbing Ghost's ear. "He's been with me a long time." Ghost looked up at his trainer, tongue lolling out of his mouth as he showed off his best toothy grin.

Iona cleared her throat, gathering everyone's attention as she stretched her arms up above her head. "Well, now that everyone's all healed up," she started, picking up her duffel bag and slinging it over one shoulder. "Where do we crash for the night?"

Nurse Joy turned her gaze to the redhead and sighed. "I figured you kids were new trainers." She gestured to Wigglytuff, who chirped and sauntered to the other side of the clinic and up a flight of stairs. "Wigglytuff will get the rooms ready. You're lucky we have the space; usually in the spring and summer, we're all booked up."

"Fail starters," Harry whispered as he pocketed his pokéball.

Whether Nurse Joy had heard him or not, she made no mention of it as she bent down and picked up a box. "Now!" she exclaimed, digging through its contents and laying them out on the countertop. "As new trainers in Kalos, I presume you will all be taking the gym challenge?"

A chorus of yeses replied back, and Nurse Joy nodded in approval. "Good. You will all be needing these badge cases, then." She held up one of the items from the box: a long, thin black case with the Kalos Pokémon League's symbol emblazoned on the lid.

Everyone began to crowd around the counter, their excitement bubbling to the surface as they each accepted their own case in turn. They were made of a smooth, durable metal, the inside lined with a soft red velvet and divided into eight cushioned slots. Even though it was light, Zayn could feel the weight of its importance as he tucked the case into his pants pocket. After everything that's happened on just his first day, it all still felt so surreal to him.

"You will also be excited to know," Nurse Joy continued, once again gaining everyone's attention, "that the first gym is local, and it opens its doors right at ten." She then plopped a clipboard down on the counter with a loud clink. "Only three trainers are allowed to compete in one day, as per League regulations—"

"What d'ya mean only three?" Iona spoke up, elbowing her way to the front. "I've seen these things on TV, the battles aren't long! How's that fair?"

Nurse Joy sighed. "Look, young lady," she explained, tapping a pen against the clipboard. "I don't make the rules. I just follow them. Besides, between each battle the gym leader must bring their pokémon in here to rest up before the next challenger, otherwise it wouldn't be a fair fight. And proper healing takes time. These battles can be intense, and not just for the challengers."

Iona stepped back, and Zayn could hear Morgen whisper—"Ease up, Pepper!"—from behind him.

Angel stepped forward and glanced at the clipboard. "So what're the times?"

Nurse Joy handed her the pen that she had been thumping against the counter. "There are two separate days that you can sign up for, since there are six of you. The first day is tomorrow, with the openings scheduled for 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. The second day of challenges will be two days after tomorrow, with openings scheduled at those same times."

From the back of the group, Iona shook her head. "So if I'm gonna battle last, I'd have to wait three whole days?"

"The twenty-four-hour gap between the first group of challengers and the next group allows for rematches the following day, should any trainer lose on their scheduled date and request a second chance," Angel explained, and Nurse Joy nodded in agreement.

"Well, Rook and I don't plan on losing!" Harry piped up, but Iona was far from convinced.

"This is ridiculous!"

"These are the rules set by the International Pokémon League Organization." Nurse Joy crossed her arms as Angel signed the sheet of paper attached to the clipboard. "If you refuse to comply, there are plenty of other options available to you outside of the gym challenge."

"Great," Iona huffed. "So I'm stuck here in this small-ass town for the next four days."

"No one's forcing you to stay, Pepper," Jared spoke up as he took the pen from Angel and signed the clipboard. "You can always quit the gym circuit now and become a breeder."

Iona rolled her eyes, but argued no further as she waited for the Giant to hand her the pen.

"I think it'll be a good thing," Morgen stated as she took the pen from Harry. "One silly little battle and then rest and relaxation before another long trek to the next town." She handed Zayn the pen and walked back to where she had left her bag. "Necia and I could use the time to bond more!" She smiled as she patted the pokéball strapped to her belt.

With a sigh, Zayn pulled the clipboard closer and looked at the last remaining slot: day two at 6 p.m., four hours after Angel's match. He glanced down at Ghost before signing his name. Maybe going last won't be so bad, he thought as he handed Nurse Joy the pen and stepped back. I can watch everyone else battle and study the gym leader's fighting style. It'll be good experience for the both of us.

Nurse Joy read over the clipboard and nodded her approval. "OK, great. I'll send this in to Viola right now so she can prepare the gym for your upcoming battles."

"Wiggly!" the fluffy pink pokémon exclaimed as it bounced down the stairs, drawing Nurse Joy's gaze. "Tuff, tuff!"

With a sigh of relief, Nurse Joy cleared her throat. "Wigglytuff has just finished preparing your rooms for the night. If you would all grab your bags and follow him up the stairs, he'll help you settle in. And finally we can all get some good rest around here." The last sentence was meant as a whisper, but Zayn was still close enough to hear the annoyance in her tone. It had been a long day for her, too, it seemed.

Motioning to Ghost, Zayn picked up his knapsack and joined the rest of the group upstairs. Iona was still fuming about the League's gym regulations, while Morgen and Jared discussed their tactics for the impending battle. Zayn listened idly to their conversations as they mounted the top of the stairs, where Wigglytuff was waiting with their room keys.

"Wigglytuff!" he chirped, handing out the electronic cards and pointing each trainer in the direction of their room. "Tuff!" The pokémon patted Zayn's arm as he gestured to the end of the hall.

"Let's all get some sleep tonight." Morgen yawned as she opened her door and slung her bag inside. "We've got a long four days ahead of us."

Harry pumped his fist in the air, pushing the glasses back up his nose as he laughed. "Rest up if you want, I'll show you all how a real trainer battles tomorrow!"

Iona rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she huffed as she threw open her door and slammed it shut behind her. Standing in the open doorway of her room, Angel shook her head and disappeared into the darkness.

"Well aren't we a cheery bunch," Zayn muttered. Ghost whined and scratched at the door to their room, anxious to get inside.

"Hey, uh, Harker." Zayn looked up just as Jared poked his head out from the depths of his room. "You fight tomorrow?"

Before he had signed up for the last time slot, Zayn was able to get a good look at the roster. He may have been the last, but Jared was the first one to battle the gym leader tomorrow morning. If he recalled the leaders in the Kalos gym circuit, their first match was against the bug-type specialist, Viola. And if he was correct, then the Giant had nothing to worry about.

Zayn shook his head, opening the door and letting Ghost pad inside. "I'm the last one."

"Oh. Well, maybe we can, um," Jared scratched his head as he took care in choosing his words. "Maybe we can, like, talk or something?"

Zayn flipped on the lights and tossed his knapsack onto the bed. "Talk?"

"You know, about the battles."

Zayn rubbed at his eyes, the exhaustion from the day weighing heavily on his shoulders. It's too late for this shit. "You wanna do this now?"

Jared glanced left, then right. "Morgen told me you used to street battle back in Lumiose," he whispered. There was an unnerving excitement in his voice that sapped up any energy Zayn had left.

"So, you want pointers?"

Jared shook his head, chuckling. "No, nothing like that!" He fiddled with the charizard pendant dangling around his neck, his eyes boring holes into Zayn as a devious smile lit up his face. "I wanna make a bet."

He was not expecting that. "A bet?"

"To liven things up a little. You know, some friendly competition. Something I know you'll enjoy." An eager glint flickered in his eyes as Jared licked his lips. "I wanna place a wager on your gym battle."

It was Zayn's turn to laugh. "You're kidding, right?" Before he had left, Jenny had given him five hundred dollars—money she had been saving up all year, she later confessed—for supplies in case he needed some things before he started winning battles. But Viola was a bug trainer, with prize money to be won on top of the first gym badge, and Ghost was part fire. Easy money. "Alright, make your bet."

"I have a hundred bucks that says you can't beat Viola—"

"You're on!"

"—with Squirtle."

Jared's grin widened as he bade Zayn goodnight and slowly closed his bedroom door, allowing his words and their agreement to finally sink in.

Zayn silently cursed, his exhaustion forgotten in light of what had just transpired. "What the Hell just happened?" he hissed, kicking off his shoes as he changed out of his clothes. He had unwittingly agreed to take on Viola with Squirtle, a pokémon he had no experience with in battle—or even out of battle, for that matter—and in the spirit of betting he had also agreed to put a hundred dollars on the line!

"That Jared guy's sneaky," he muttered, flipping off the lights and crawling into bed. He had three days to work with Squirtle; three days to get her battle-ready. OK, that was doable—if he was fighting a roadside trainer, or Harry. But he wasn't fighting just any trainer. He was fighting Viola, the first leader in the gym challenge circuit and light-years ahead of any street brawl he had ever participated in.

Not for the first time in his life, Zayn felt completely in over his head. Shit.