Double update chaaa! This story is too much fun to write - all without a single outline. Well, I do have an outline - it's in my head. I suspect I'm not the only person to just wing stories here on fanfiction though o_o""

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

Chapter 4: An Alley Scuffle

By the time they had found a path that led directly to the city, the warm Saturday afternoon became a crisp late summer evening. With the sky a little darker, the exhausted, haggard pair finally took their first steps on real pavement, a relief after the uneven walk on grass, dirt, and roots. They were no less than amazed by the size of Amicitia as they walked beneath its entrance arch. While not as massive as the region's famous Dignitas City, compared to a life in the simple town of Primordia, the city made the pair feel small and very inexperienced. They walked upon a patterned road wide enough for people and bicycles alike, and the buildings were multiple stories high.

"So this is a city?" Cyrano managed to choke out, his voice filled with awe.

Freyr glanced at him, a grin barely gracing his lips. "You seem extraordinarily fascinated," he remarked with a hint of teasing in his voice.

"Yeah, well," Cyrano said, tapping his heels against the patterned street, "I may not be easy to impress, but you gotta admit this is awesome."

As evening began to roll in, the people were starting to wrap up their day. They walked slowly through the streets, perhaps off to finish up one final errand before relaxing in the comfort of their homes. Cyrano and Freyr walked slowly on the main street, feeling a little subconscious. They likely looked a little scruffy after a couple hours' walk and jog in the woods.

"Perhaps we should find a place to stay?" Freyr suggested.

Cyrano didn't answer. He suddenly felt utterly exhausted. The skirmish in Primordia from earlier seemed to catch up to him, making his limbs feel heavier quite abruptly. Drained, he stopped walking right in the middle of the street.

"What were we thinking?" he heard himself say before he could stop the words from coming out.

Freyr looked taken aback. "Cyrano?" he asked softly.

"We're just a couple of reckless kids," Cyrano said, despair creeping into his voice. "I mean, honestly, Freyr, what chance do we stand against those guys? They're probably part of an even bigger organization. And we're just two kids with unevolved animas! What chance do we have? We might as well give up and just hope the authorities will get my sister and the others back."

Freyr looked like he wanted to slap Cyrano, to put some sense into him, but he was so shocked by his friend's sudden change in attitude that he did nothing. The pair just stood there in the street, causing a few people passing them to glance with concern, but no one stopped to help.

Suddenly, someone on a battered bicycle rode up to them. "Hey kid, are ya sick or something?"

Freyr looked up apologetically at the stranger that had approached them. "He's just in an extremely sad funk at the moment," he told the arrival.

The boy, scrawny with rather small eyes, glanced around quickly. Then he peered at Cyrano's drooping head, eyes narrowed. He grinned.

"Come and follow me," he chuckled. "You two look mighty weary. I got a spot here in town where you two can rest yourselves down. Maybe yore pal over there will feel a tad better."

The boy dismounted his bike and walked the pair towards one of the large apartment buildings ahead of them. Instead of going up to the front door, however, he turned and started going around to the back. He slid through the narrow alleyway between the two apartment buildings.

"Right this way," the boy called.

Freyr walked with his arms around Cyrano's shoulders. The boy hadn't responded to anything around him since. He seemed to be lost in thought, his dark golden eyes lacking their usual lustre.

They came out to the back of the apartments, which was a wide alley flanked by the buildings themselves and a tall wooden fence on the other side. Freyr frowned and looked around.

"This doesn't look like a-" He was cut off abruptly when Cyrano suddenly pushed him against the fence. A shot of what looked like mud flew past where they had been standing just a few moments before.

Cyrano pulled Freyr to his feet, and the two of them quickly took on a defensive stance. Two boys who looked to be their age stood on one side of the alley, while the boy with the bicycle stood on the other end, blocking the only other exit. He was grinning maliciously.

"Nobody messes with me and gets away with it," he was saying. "You thought you could Leer me and win, twiggy boy? I may have lost that fight, but I won't lose this one!"

"You rock, Jaze!" one of his lackeys crowed.

Cyrano glared. "So my hunch was right," he growled. "You are that kid who bumped into me back at Primordia. So you work for that mob of criminals?"

"Criminals? Ha! Such a primitive way of talking about Team Reaper. Everything we've done is all for the sole plan of improving this world that we live in."

"Cyrano? How did you... what's going on?" Freyr hissed in his ear.

The boy called Jaze laughed. "Aw, is your poor little friend trying to make you feel better after you were oh so droopy in the street?"

"Where is my sister?" Cyrano shouted.

Jaze shook his head. "'Fraid they're too far away by now. And they'll be even farther after I'm done with you. Didja know they let me and my pals over there stay and bring our vengeance upon you? Then we'll be hiking outta here using this teleport gem." He shoved his bike aside and stuck a hand into his pocket, pulling it out to reveal a dark teal orb clenched between his fingers. "A pity it's got one use left, but then again that's all we need to catch up. And it only costs one anima to make! Pretty impressive, right?"

Cyrano was about to ask what he meant, but the boy pounced. His hand became a fiery fist. Cyrano and Freyr both dodged it, jumping to opposite ends. Cyrano turned around to face his opponent, but he was quick. In moments a fist, one without fire this time, connected with his face, sending Cyrano tumbling to the ground. He rolled straight into the wall of the building.

"Cyrano!" he heard Freyr call. Cyrano stood, gasping, and just as Jaze's fist was about to hit him again, he ducked underneath and pounded him right in the chest. The other boy stumbled back and flung his hand out. A small ball of fire shot out and struck Cyrano in the left shoulder. He cried out as red-hot pain shot through his body. He dropped down and rolled so the flames on his clothes died out, but it was so painful, almost too painful to get back up again.

Great, a Grass-Type against and Fire-Type, he thought to himself. I don't think I know enough moves that are even good enough against him. Cyrano scrambled to his feet and briefly saw Freyr fighting against the two lackeys a few feet away in the alley. He caught a glimpse of his friend knocking out a buck-toothed boy with a well-placed Force Palm. He barely brought his attention back to Jaze in time, and managed to leap away from another Ember shot.

"C'mon, twiggy boy!" Jaze taunted. "Whatcha gonna do, Leer me again? Is that the only move you know? Your Pound is nothing against my Fire Punch! I've got Chimchar with an awesome egg move and you can't stop me."

"Well, I have an egg move too!" He swung his arm out angrily, sending out sparkling leaves of magic. Jaze tried to dodge, but a Magical Leaf always hits - they struck him and he screamed as he slammed into the fence. Then he laughed harshly.

"I barely - felt a thing," he said through gritted teeth. Though Cyrano was sure he was bluffing, he knew that a Grass-Type attack wouldn't be as effective. Suddenly he heard coughing. Cyrano looked and saw the remaining boy blowing some kind of purple cloud out of his mouth. Some it of had hit Freyr in the face, and now he was swaying, coughing. The other boy punched him roughly and he slammed into the fence.

"No!" Cyrano ran at the other boy, ignoring the spray of sludge coming from the other boy's hand that had struck him on the chest. He leapt at him speedily and knocked him down. The boy fell and weakly squirmed, showing Cyrano that he was already finished. Then he turned around and his heart sank at what he saw.

Jaze had Freyr's head locked in his arms. His friend was gasping weakly, giving out occasional cries of pain.

"Haha! Better surrender now," Jaze snarled. "Would you rather let me beat you to a pulp, or are you so scared of being singed by me that you'd rather watch your friend slowly suffer from poisoning?"

Cyrano stared at Freyr. He was trapped in a helpless situation. He didn't want to admit it, but fire terrified him. He was scared of the blazing licks of pain fire brought upon his skin. But he couldn't bear to see his friend suffer. He stepped forward. "I-"

"Put him down."

A trembling voice rang out in the darkening alley. Cyrano and Jaze turned to the narrow path they had entered from and saw a boy standing there. He was holding out his hand, straight at Jaze, aqua blue eyes peering out through a mop of light brown hair. Two more people stood just behind him - a girl with a pink shawl and pale blue eyes, and another taller boy with a green patterned scarf.

The smaller boy, whose hand was still outstretched towards Jaze and Freyr, looked visibly scared, yet his eyes blazed with determination.

"Put him down," he said in a quivering voice. "Or else I'll Water Gun you both."

Pokemon battles! Uh I mean... an alley scuffle? Teenage boys with pokemon powers scuffling in an alley? I don't know! But thanks for reading, and remember, any review is supremely appreciated ;D