Floaroma's Champion

by LowePlays

While out on a walk a boy from Floaroma finds a menacing beast. Using modern technology, he captures the monster. After it comes to accept the boy, both travel to become the best. For fame and fortune! Both strive to become the best, the Champion. But the path is not as easy as they might think... This story was inspired after MetalDargon's work in Sacrifice and Subjugation.

10. After an Eterna

Well, after an entire day of raging at War Thunder Japanese tanks, I decided to start writing. What is it, almost four? Yeah, I'm a lazy bum on the weekends. I know, I should write faster, but I've been demotivated...

I'm not really in the mood to make one of these writer's intro thingies, but it really means something when you leave reviews. Thanks for the reviews, simronchouhan and Jackltc00. Good to know you enjoyed the last chapter, even with the faults.

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One of the kids stepped up with a flashy Pokeball in his hand, complete with a league sticker. He had an uncertain smile, but a swaggering stride. It was kind of contradicting, but made me laugh. It was a small snicker, but a laugh all the same. This probably wouldn't last very long, but I was confident they didn't have anything too powerful if they were fresh from Oreburgh.

"Even with that Dragon of yours, you don't stand a chance against my Blade!" It made me curious what Pokemon he would name Blade, but the image of a Scyther or Pawniard came to mind. Though it might be a bit tougher if he did send out one of the two, I doubted he'd have actually captured one of them.

"Right, then send it out and we'll see. I don't think I have time to mess around with children." I might have been slightly too cocky, but when the kid sent out his Pokemon, I almost paled. I'd never seen this one before, and it honestly scared me. It was a floating sword, sheathed in it's elaborate scabbard. A tattered red cloth hung from the grip, slowly waving in a non-existent wind.

I scanned the sword Pokemon with my PokeDex and looked at it's details. It was a Pokemon called Honedge, a possessed sword from several years ago. It was the first stage of it's evolution. Not much else was listed. Other than saying it was something akin to something found as family heirlooms or in ruins of medieval buildings.

"So, all you've got is a family heirloom, huh? Should be a piece of cake to take out. I think I can even see a little rust on it, near the hilt." I smirked with confidence and moved in an exaggerated fashion. Like a possessed saber could do much. If anything, it was probably only made for looks rather than power. "Akuma, looks like your opponent has appeared. You ready?"

"You've got some nerve, talking like that! Blade is way more powerful than that lame Deino! I'll show you!" Hearing the name again, I saw how generic and lame it was. Naming a blade Blade was just stupid. Besides the Pokemon, the trainer was full of cliche lines and probably generic moves.

"I do believe he's insulted you, Akuma," I said with false shock, before feigning annoyance. "C'mon already, kid. Everyone's watching, and I'm getting tired of arguing."

"Get him, Blade! Cut him up!" Rolling my eyes, I called for Akuma to give it a little puff of breath. She looked around, left and right. Since the Honedge was floating, it made little noise. It moved silently through the air, until it was ready to strike. The sound of a sword being drawn was all Akuma needed to focus in on it's position less than two meters from her.

The small group of kids backed up as blue flames engulfed the ghostly blade and lit up the dark forest. The young man, probably an adult, actually stepped forward and leaned on the wooden checkpoint. I saw him in the corner of my eye, and I questioned why he even wanted me to battle. The fact he was interested made me cautions, yet curious.

"Akuma! Move in close and bite it in half!" Getting the upper hand from surprise was a common tactic. Even if I didn't know the result of the first attack, I didn't hear either Akuma or the Honedge make a sound. Before I could understand the outcome, the sword warped beside Akuma, coming straight out of her shadow. Looking to the kid, he had a cynical smile on his face.

Damn it! I opened my mouth to try to make a noise to warn Akuma, but the sharp blade had already swung.

Having sharp senses and lightning reflexes were the only things that saved her. She escaped danger by using her longer tail to knock the falling edge away from her body. Even should I saw blood running down her side, she was still able to continue fighting. I sighed and focused on the Honedge. It was a tricky one, if it was able to simply warp around like that.

Following my earlier order, Akuma opened her jaws and a shadowy set of teeth materialized around the phantom blade. They chomped down from a distance and held it in place, as well as dealing some damage. The Honedge started shrieking, sounding like a mixture between fingernails against a chalkboard and some man screaming though metal. It was a creepy sound, forcing me to cover my ears.

"Blade, use your edge! Just kill that Dragon already!" The boy I was facing seemed worked up, versus me. My blood was simmering and my hands were clenched, but my head was level. If he made a desperate stab towards me, Akuma would be able to defeat him. The plan was perfect.

The sword's scabbard floated near the blade, and I saw a face on the surface. A single eye and a ghostly smile was looking at Akuma with a glare, but occasionally glanced at me. Every time it did, shivers ran down my spine. It was true I wanted a ghost Pokemon, but fighting one was not fun.

Looking at the Honedge, I imagined it wouldn't be able to use anything other than physical, up and personal attacks. When the sheath and sword crossed, I was surprised, before deafened from the sharp sound of metal against metal. I covered my ears to block out the ringing and I was sure Akuma would be trying to do the same. It honestly felt like my ears would bleed.

When the ringing stopped, I looked up to see Akuma and the Honedge still fighting. Her teeth were keeping the blade in place, but also kept her from releasing any flames without injuring herself. While she could probably still release a flame, it would most likely burn her maw. Worse, it could also make her loose grip on the metal.

It was a stalemate, so either one of them had to withdraw to attack again. I didn't want to say anything in case the kid countered. I wouldn't take the chance, but he might. I just hoped the battle would stay in my favor, because Akuma might get tired of holding the sword in place.

"Blade! Retreat, then go for the Trainer!" Hearing the decision he'd made, I called Akuma to retreat as well. I saw the Honedge sink into the ground, through Akuma's shadow. I felt the hair rise on the back of my neck and I rolled to the side just in time for Akuma to leap over me. She used her body and claws to capture the Honedge underneath her.

"Akuma, do it. You know what I want you to do." An understanding order was given to cripple the opponent's Pokemon. Giving my enemy an extra negative to chase me. Akuma started off with bending the sword, resulting in a piercing shriek. She opened her maw and gathered a blue ball of energy to attack the pinned ghost underneath her.

After an explosion, the kid tried to recall his Pokemon, but the Pokeball would not work. A bubble of fear started to form in my throat, afraid I'd accidentally just killed his Pokemon. The blade Pokemon was lying underneath Akuma, it's tip bent and it was covered in dirt and soot. The golden guard was flaking and didn't look nearly as elegant as before.

"Blade!" The kid rushed to his "Pokemon", even though it was more useful as a sword as what had possessed it. I didn't exactly feel bad about hurting his Honedge, but I was afraid of what would happen if it was dead. Thoughts of the Ranger from two days ago made me a bit nervous. He'd said my Pokemon was dangerous, including the fact I'd already been given an official citation, I was on the fence.

"You killed my-" The kid was outraged, but the guide stepped between him and me. "What are you doing?! Get out of my way, or I'll cut you too!" The boy picked up his Honedge and held it as if he would attack the man, but it's weight dragged his arm down. It was a full steel Kalosian sword, after all.

"Just shut up, Angus! It's a ghost Pokemon. After you repair the medium, Blade should return good as new. Besides, you've got three other Pokemon. You've lost, now pay up and move on." Four Pokemon, huh? No wonder he'd won against Roderick. Angus stepped up and threw a few crumpled bills at me. It was nice to know his Pokemon wasn't permanently dead.

"This won't be the last you've seen of me, Kabage or whatever! I'll beat you to getting the Eterna Badge, so you'd better be ready when I beat you after that!" I thought it was weird that he'd be gripping a ghost's medium, but with it being dispersed, it seemed safe. With the fact that most ghost Pokemon feed on those that touched them, it was strange he'd readily grab it.

Some of the kids of Angus' group approached me to apologize, but I just gathered his money and pocketed it. Akuma didn't have much blood leaking from her shoulder, but she was still injured. I didn't really care about their friend's behavior. My cocky attitude was changed to concern for Akuma, a higher priority than children. Well, younger trainers, at that.

Now was the time I wish I'd bought more than just Pokeballs. A few potions, and maybe a few Pokemon snacks. They would've helped in a situation like this.

"I'm sorry these kids caused you any trouble," the older trainer apologized. "I just wanted to see what you were made of, don't take it personally. It's interesting to see such a young trainer like you with something as dangerous as a Deino. Though you probably have shortened your lifespan. Those creatures are named the Irate and Brutal Pokemon for a reason. Even if you are only two or three years younger than me."

"It's fine. I was itching for a fight anyways. But I think I'll make sure my life lasts long enough. Akuma wouldn't harm me too bad. She's pretty loyal to me. We've been together for close to six or seven months now. I think I'm alright."

"I wouldn't be so certain. A Deino is still very dangerous, so I wouldn't take her lightly. They're one of the strongest Dragon lines, even if they do have a few disadvantages."

"You sound like you know a lot about Deino. Are you some sort of expert of something?" Memories of the time I'd spoken to the Pokemon Guild Leader before the Gate. He'd warned me as well, showing me scars of his encounter with Dragons. Something about getting two warnings about my Pokemon seemed a little strange, but it also gave me confidence. If anyone could train one right, I'd make sure it was me.

"I'm just someone who's heard the rumors. Haven't you? The four Hydreigon on top of Mt. Coronet have been fighting the Haxorus up there. It started about a week ago, if I remember correctly. Right before these kids nagged me to show them through this damned forest."

"Why'd you accept the offer, even if you hate kids, and this forest? You could've easily done something else."

"Why'd they even ask me? I don't have any Psychic Pokemon, but they saw one of my battles out here and forced me to lead them. And somehow managed to pick up a decent balance of money. Seriously, twelve fifteen-year-old boys and girls can pay a lot." Ah, so they basically bribed the guy.

"Well, it was fun battling and all, but I should care for my own Pokemon. Sorry for breaking the kid's, Angus', Pokemon. Hope he can recover it soon. I don't want to be the reason he lost his Pokemon."

"Don't worry about it. He should be fine after a day or two, though he will be a pain until then. I'm not exactly sure about repairing a sword, since I'm not a blacksmith, but I'd imagine it shouldn't be too difficult. Besides that, he's been a pain in my side since the beginning. He deserved to be taken down a notch. You honestly helped me."

"Well, I guess it's fine. He was pretty aggressive. What ever his problem is, I don't want any part of it."

"What's your name, kid. I'm interested in you and your Pokemon."

"Kael Lorano, from Floaroma."

"Lorano, huh? I'll be sure to keep my ears open for you. I'm sure that, with a Deino, you should make some sort of news." I gave the man a quick nod before calling to Akuma. I was done here, and I was iching to get going. The daggers being stared towards me were an obvious sign I wasn't welcome.

I kept glancing over my shoulder at the kid named Angus. His friends kept tousling his blonde hair and some of the girls seemed a bit close to him. While it was unimportant, I decided I didn't like the guy. Something about him didn't sit right with me, even if he wasn't holding the Honedge anymore. There was just something off about him.

Shaking it off, I continued through the forest, down the path. Sticking to road was the best option for now, but only because I didn't feel like facing any tougher Pokemon than the Honedge. Trainers on the trail would be adequate experience for Akuma and Thorn. On top of that, I needed to help Thorn evolve sooner than later.

Sighing, I pinched the bridge of my nose. It was stressful to be with people, especially smaller kids. Akuma started making strange noises, turning from side to side. She seemed to be a bit anxious after the fight with the Angus kid, but after she caught a small Bunneary in her jaws, I shook my head.

The whole forest was an entire pocket of stress. Annoyances, at most, but it was still tiring. Considering that I only had a limited amount of time. Sarah was waiting for me in Eterna, so it's not like I had time for side quests. So I had no time to hesitate. Shaking my head, I picked up the pace while Akuma enjoyed her snack.

.

By the time it was evening, I'd already encountered a Meowth prowling the forest floor. I guessed it was looking for something shiny, but with it's medallion on it's forehead, it made it quite hard to resist. Plus I was hungry. Two for one logic at it's finest.

After Akuma started the fire, I tried to skin the Meowth with my knife. Unfortunately, the skin of the Meowth wasn't as easy to separate as I'd expected. When everything was said and done, the meat was a bit roughed up, but I had the beige fur off of the cat. In a few separate pieces, sure, but still. All that was left was the medallion.

Seeing as it was fused to the skull, it was difficult to break off. Of course, I still managed, but only after breaking part of the skull underneath it. With it's brain spilling out, I had no use for the head. It was easier just to lop it off. Akuma had her meal by swallowing it, bones and all.

I'd done it a dozen times before, and cooking was simple as always. Not that I wanted to be a chef or anything, but I would say I'd gotten better. It was a fast meal, seeing as the Meowth was only a few ounces of meat. Akuma was happy enough to clean up while I put up the tent.

Battling with that kid had exhausted me, even if I wasn't even doing much in that fight. Groaning, I just laid there on my sleeping bag. The pain ceiling of the tent didn't help. Thoughts of the recent days were worrying me.

The Honedge, even if it was aiming to take my life, had been broken. It could return, according to that older trainer, but I still felt bad for not doing anything to really apologize. The sound of its shrieks resounded in my head and I grabbed the bridge of my nose and sighed. All I was doing was giving myself a headache.

Deciding not to think about it was easy enough, but actually doing that was harder. I just couldn't stop thinking about it. It probably was a bad idea to even try to hurt it like I did, but I didn't expect it to actually die.

Rolling onto my side, I ran my fingers through Akuma's fur. She always calmed me down. Considering that I'd been with her since the beginning of this journey. While Herdier was my childhood friend, nothing could replace Akuma. We'd shared too many battles together for that.

Sighing again, I held up the two Pokeballs I'd used on the Seedot and Pachirisu. I still hadn't let either of them out yet, since I didn't know whether or not I was keeping them. It wasn't the best idea to catch the Pachirisu, and the Seedot was an accident. I was strongly considering it, even if it did cost me two Pokemon. They were set as reserved Pokemon on my PokeDex, but I honestly didn't know what I was going to do with them.

When I sold the Luxio, it was more out of spite. I had hardly considered it's battle potential, but it's not like I was going to keep it anyways. One of those had killed Stein, so there was no way I'd actually use it. Indecision was a pain in the butt, even after thinking it through clearly.

Shaking my head, I tried to clear my thought by practicing some martial arts and doing pushups. I knew I was still rusty on exercise, seeing as I was out of breath before the fifth push up. Still, I kept going. Until my head felt like my ears would implode and my fingers were numb, I continued to lift myself off the dirty forest floor.

After the pushups, I rested for a minute before doing some punches and kicks. It wasn't like I remembered anything. The only reason I'd memorized anything was to progress. With no reason to remember it anymore, I just forgot. Much like school and all my classes.

Akuma just "watched", listening to my breathing and movements, while she laid in the entrance to my tent. She didn't really move, just observed my fighting. My training. I thought about training with Thorn, but with the sun having gone down already, I wasn't so sure. I'd let him out to heal yesterday, but I wanted to give him one more day. His wound still hadn't healed.

Finally, when my shoulder and forearm were burning, I flopped on the ground and I checked the scabs. The one on my forearm was still sealed, but was slightly inflamed. However, my shoulder had a bit of blood leaking from it. I groaned at I'd have to clean it up later. Mainly because I didn't feel like patching myself up.

Instead of caring for myself, I crawled into the tent and took of my coat and hoodie. My body heat was enough to keep a house warm. This tent was warm enough as it was.

Akuma laid down next to me as I was back to looking at the boring tent ceiling. Sighing one last time, I rolled on to my side and closed my eyes. This day had been long enough. Besides, my pillow had a sweet voice. Who could resist that?

.

The sound of high pitched wailing pierced the atmosphere like a spear to the heart. My ears felt like they would go deaf from the noise. Looking around, I recognized the forest clearing as the one near Oreburgh. Instantly I shook my head. This was that Dream. The one of Stein and the Luxray. I heard the crackling of breaking rocks mingle with the screaming.

Out of the trees, a man emerged. He was the Pokethief from the other day. Blood pooled out of his chest and was smeared across his face. I felt my breath catch in my throat and fear made my spine tingle. My arm and shoulder burned and I looked down. Blood was leaking out of my wounds.

Looking back to the man, I saw him smiling with a large knife in his hand, dripping with blood. A red pool was expanding at his feet, with fragments of rock lying in it. I knew it was Stein, it just had to be. I'd buried him! Why was he here!?

When a Honedge appeared, I knew what was going to happen. The ghostly shadow behind it wavered and distorted, before the tassel at the end of the handle reached out for me. The fabric manifested into a hand and wrapped around my throat. I struggled to breath as I felt my air pipe close off.

I woke up with a yell as I gasped for air, sweat dripping down my forehead. Akuma jumped up and listened for any attackers. I saw her teeth bared in the darkness. In the silent, except for my heavy breathing, there were no intruders or enemies to be heard. When she couldn't find a threat, she opened her mouth and whined.

"Sorry. Just had a bad dream. Don't worry about it. You can go back to sleep." I sat up and tried to catch my breath, but my hands kept shaking. I unzipped the front of the tent and stepped out, after seeing that Akuma was sleeping again. I didn't bother bringing my hoodie. With my body burning as it was, I didn't need it.

Outside, the night was dark and cold. Even if it was usually colder by now, it was still could. Sinnoan or not, it was still cold. My internal heat was burning, but my skin was cold from my sweat. I climbed up into a tree and sat there, watching the forest floor. I was tired from climbing the tree, but the dream was still fresh in my mind. I didn't want to sleep again.

After I came down from the tree, I was shivering from the cold. I'd calmed down enough to even be cold. I wandered back to the tent and closed my eyes. I laid my hand on Akuma before falling back to sleep, hoping no other dreams would assault me.

.

The whole next week was pretty bland. All the trainers I met, even if some of them were older than me, only two defeated me. It was a bit painful to hand over a wad of the cash I'd earned, but most of it had already been given to me. Thorn took it better than Akuma, so it was a bit better than having to calm down both of them.

Thorn had accepted it like he had before, just closing his eyes and resting in the sun. Akuma, on the other hand, needed to prove she hadn't disappointing me. She lit a tree on fire, tore a bush clean out of the ground, and tore a Digglet to pieces before I stopped her. It wasn't surprising she was a sore loser. I was as well, somewhat.

Even though I lost twice, I'd won several times for every loss. I still made a hefty profit. My cocky attitude might have been my downfall in both of my defeats, but that didn't stop me from beating several other trainers. I felt bad for one or two, who had rediculously weak Pokemon, but since they were traveling to Jubilife for the exam, I didn't take their cash.

While I decided to keep the Pachirisu, it was more as a pet than a fighting partner. They were weak, but that just meant I could carry it while in towns and cities. Since it didn't have a purpose, and without even knowing it's gender, I named it Fuzz Ball. Not that it was spherical, but because it's tail was at least the same size as it's body. Most of it was fur, making it look fuzzy.

It took several sessions together to get it to behave passively, as it was still quite wild. Being the forest, it's home, made it harder. Any moment I let my eyes off of it, Akuma or Thorn had to get in it's way. The trees probably were my enemy in this sort of situation.

The Seedot, while I knew what it evolved into, I didn't know if I really wanted to keep it. It was an accident to begin with, that I caught him in the first place. Besides, even if I did evolve it into a Nuzleaf, where was I going to find a Leaf stone to evolve it again. The price for one most likely would be a pain in and of itself.

There were several Pokemon that were considered unknown. Pokemon like Aegislash and Gengar. Both are well known Ghost Pokemon. Even though a few of the more popular or powerful trainers have them, most don't know the methods of their evolution. Some that even have these Pokemon don't know how they evolve.

Secrets like breeding and evolution are heavily guarded, and only revealed to certain people. Some of the secrets had been revealed decades ago. Shiftry, a powerful Grass type, could only be obtained with a special evolution stone. Some say it was a Dark Stone, while others believed it was a Leaf Stone. I wasn't sure about it myself, but I guessed it would be the Leaf Stone. The truth was always valued higher than lives, so the exact details were unknown.

After the words from that guide traveling with Angus and those kids, I looked to the News and read reports on the four Hydreigon that lived on top of the mountain were attacking the late Champion's Haxorus. It had caused several dark clouds to circle the peak. Some people had written in, saying it would turn out to be a repeat of the hurricane from a year and a half ago. It lead me to try and research into Hydreigon as much as possible.

The fact that some believed that a stone was necessary to evolve a Zweilous was chocked up to the extremely long amount of time it spent as a Deino. It worried me if Akuma could be overpowered the older she got. It was certain, but it was my fear. I didn't want her to lose more than she already had.

We made great progress towards Eterna, passing several of the Checkpoints. Some days I didn't bother following the trail, as it did curve and bend in some places. I tried to make sure Akuma and I walked as much as possible, but stopped for meals and training.

Thorn also recovered from the slash on his side. I'd made sure to let him drink up as much sunlight as possible, until the gap sealed and left a lighter green scar. And even then, that didn't last long. The chlorophyll filled the seal and returned it to it's proper color. He didn't have to worry about scars like us Hu-mans. He was a plant, after all.

I was still a bit reserved to train with him, but once we started, he didn't seem to be in any pain or discomfort. If anything, he was relieved he could actually do something. Akuma healed up as well, even after being my main fighter for the majority of the battles. Fuzz wasn't much of use during training, but with two Pokemon practicing nearby was intimidating.

Most of the checkpoints were just wooden signs and statues for the most part, but a few were real landmarks. The last real landmark on the way to Eterna was the Old Haunted Chateau. While it was still on the way, I knew it might slow me down. And after the nightmare, I didn't feel like seeing any more ghosts.

For the most part, I didn't stay around people long enough to really talk to them. I just took their money and left, to be honest. Sure, it was nice to see that civilization still existed, out here in the forest, but I didn't really want anyone to talk to me. I just felt... I don't know... Like I was creep? Like I wasn't someone to be trusted?

Even though my knife didn't have any blood on it, and I washed it at every opportunity, I still didn't like to keep in on my hip anymore. The memory of stabbing that man haunted me, and made the knife feel dirty and unsafe. It hadn't bothered me at first, but with the fear that I'd killed someone hanging over me, I didn't want to be the result of another injury.

The trail was boring. Not many Pokemon, other than things like Weedle or Venipede. Bugs were fine as part of the scene, but they didn't do too well as food. I knew Sarah would've hated them, as she had said she hated bugs. Honestly, they were more of a nuisance than disgusting. Akuma only enjoyed burning them, before being disgusted at the taste.

Some time after my second battle that day, things started to get...weird. I'd turned off the path for a "shortcut", not that I lost my way, when the trees started bending and waving, as if they were being melted. A headache started to form just watching. When the ground started to turn, I lost balance and fell on my ass. Akuma growled at the trees, but I just couldn't stand.

After things started changing, I just closed my eyes and sat up. My head felt like it was sitting from the scene, and I was starting to feel motion sick. Even though I wasn't moving, I saw that it was. I grabbed the sides of my head and held it between my knees. Akuma made strange noises, but I couldn't focus on where they were coming from. Directions were hard when they changed every few seconds.

When everything returned from being distorted, Akuma hung her head in shame. Guessing, it was probably a Ghost Pokemon. It was my natural response to events like these. If Akuma couldn't get it, the Pokemon was probably like Ghastly or something. Haunting a Medium made easier to touch, even if the medium could become ethereal. The Honedge proved that when it sank into the ground to teleport.

I groaned as the nausea faded. I nearly puked, but I held myself together. Even if I did want a Litwick, after dealing with all the recent ghosts, I didn't know if looking for one in the Haunted Chateau was a good idea. Would I even be able to train one? All the research notes and documents I looked up on Litwick claimed it was dangerous, but after I'd caught Akuma, I thought I'd be okay. Now, I was unsure.

Akuma continued to just mope while I stared at the ground through my legs. It must have been half an hour before I moved from the ground, and by then my legs had fallen asleep. The next few minutes were a bit painful as blood returned to them, but after that, I halfheartedly called for Akuma to follow. That was my first encounter with true illusions.

Several days later, I had a similar experience while off the trail. It was like the world had turned into a kaleidoscope and spun around again. Akuma growled and screeched at the attacker. My headache returned and I stumbled while the world changed colors rapidly. The ground felt solid enough, but whatever was throwing my senses into wack was only messing with my sight.

It stopped after about a minute, but not before I felt something slam down on top of my head. Shaking my head, something fell off me and the illusions stopped. While it's focus was on me, Akuma helped by engulfing it in her incendiary breath. I only saw it for a moment, but I recognized it as a Zorua.

Once the flames cleared, the Zorua was gone, but a new Pokemon was in it's place. A brown Bunneary was there, and squeaked from the burns on it's side. While I did take a bit of pity on the injured Bunneary, I didn't fall for the obvious trick. Having been tricked twice, I was not going to fall for an illusion a second time. Besides, the tail was grey and red, not brown and white.

Tossing a Pokeball from hand to hand, I expanded it and waited for the right moment to capture it. This one would be useful, on top of being able to help Akuma develop her dark powers. While it might rowdy now, I didn't need it following me and casting illusions that made me sick to my stomach.

After a raking from Akuma's claws, the Zorua released it's illusion. Deinos are blind, so illusions didn't work. Scent and sound couldn't just be masked from her that easily. With it given up it's innocence, it retaliated with a set of lupine claws. They almost harmlessly scratched Akuma, but she took advantage of the short distance and Headbutted the Zorua to the ground.

That was my chance. I tossed my Pokeball on it, forcing it to disappear in a flash of red light. I snapped my fingers and watched the circle slowly change from red to green. Half way through, though, the Zorua burst from the ball and leapt onto Akuma's back. It's small but sharp fangs bit into her neck.

As strong as Akuma was, she couldn't reach what was on her back. That required my assistance. Rushing forward, I booted it off her back. While my heel grazed her back a bit, Akuma was able to retaliate with her own teeth. Both tried to lock with the other's throat, but they were both about the same size. An equal fight.

Akuma might have been blind, but in such close proximity, she knew where she was aiming. The Zorua gnashed it's teeth, but was only ripping out strands of fur. I didn't know how I could help, but the fact stood that I didn't really need to.

Even with the Zorua getting inside and underneath Akuma, she just used her superior strength to force it to the ground. It was helpless while pinned, but it also meant she couldn't do much either. With only two more Pokeballs, I didn't feel like wasting them.

It seemed like the Zorua and Deino came to an agreement as they both jumped away from each other. They began circling, with Akuma making strange screeching noises while the Zorua started whistling a high pitched bird call. The smooth shell of the Pokeball was under my fingers and I began sweating in anticipation.

A jet of blue flames shot across to the Zorua, catching it in the side and singeing it's grey fur. It obviously felt the pain from that one, falling and crying while I just watched. My blood felt like ice and I burned to throw the Pokeball and capture it already. Patience was important in a situation like this.

The boom from the Dragon's Rage didn't echo like it would over a plains. It was instead concentrated and made my ears hurt. After the dust settled, the Zorua was still and laid with several dead leaves on it's fur. I took the opportunity to throw the Pokeball and catch it.

The dark lupine Pokemon disappeared in a red flash and the Pokeball fell to the ground. The red circle started counting down to green and I watched as it changed. My hands were sweating from the tension. Akuma growled at the last impact point, the fallen Pokeball, and waited for the Zorua to make a move.

When the green circle turned white and disappeared, I was confident enough to approach it. Even though I'd only really caught it to stop the kaleidoscope illusions, it would probably come in handy later. No clear ideas or plans came to mind when I thought about it, but I was sure it would be useful. It could hide behind illusions and shadow, and could even disable opponents. I picked up the Pokeball and pocketed it. My third combat Pokemon.

After I registered it to my PokeDex, I called for Akuma to follow. She understood what it meant for me to catch a Pokemon. It was addition to the team, like Thorn. That, or it was my way of fighting. Seeing through Akuma's eyes was, at best, a guess. While I'd gotten better at knowing what to expect from her. Her nature was pretty predictable, seeing that she was territorial and protective.

I returned to the trail, since it wasn't much of a shortcut anymore. Enough time has been wasted on the Zorua. Trees passed by while I rubbed my temples. Even though my nausea and dizziness was gone, a lingering headache still annoyed me. Sighing, I focused on the path and continued along it until dark.

.

It was the sixteenth of March by the time I reached the Haunted Chateau. While I didn't feel like searching for a Litwick in the ruins of the collapsed building, it was only because I didn't know if I could handle it. Still, I did look at it. The roof had fallen in and left most of the walls in tact. The front wall had collapsed a bit, allowing me to see into the top floor.

It was still in great condition, considering it's age. While it was collapsed and in disrepair, it was still chock full of Ghost Pokemon. Even though there weren't too many Pokemon inside, it was rumored to attract more to replenish those that are captured there. Still, I didn't feel like going in.

Akuma made a whining noise when I called her away from the Chateau. I looked back at her, and she made motions to go towards it, but I called her away. We didn't have the time to waste on training in the Chateau. She moped around while she followed me away from the mansion.

It might have been hypocritical of myself, saying I couldn't waste time. I'd been training almost every night since Thorn recovered. It might not have been necessary, but I needed to do it. We worked on abilities with Akuma, to help her strengthen Thunder Wave and Dragon's Breath. Even if the distance increased, Akuma was unable to sustain it for very long.

I had Thorn practice and exercise his physical side of combat. He'd always been fragile and frail, so I helped him develop his defensive strengths to things like bruised and shallow cuts. He sparred against Akuma when possible, or simply just developed his strengths with Akuma. She and him were growing stronger.

Fuzz was still a bit rebellious and didn't bother listening to me. It usually just had to be returned to it's Pokeball and repositioned to a more restraining place. While I managed to get him to stop running away from me and my team, but it mostly just threw stuff at us. It was annoying, but I had to keep trying. Even if it was never going to fight, I still wanted to have it obey me. Carrying it would give me some more status as a trainer, but only if it was actually obedient.

That was every evening, before Akuma and I went hunting for dinner. Fuzz Ball ate berries, so I didn't worry about hunting for it. Thorn only needed sunlight and water, and Akuma just required a single Pokemon. Though she usually ate more than that. The Zorua I'd caught... Well, after reading the Pokeball's health report, the kick I'd given it had broke two of it's ribs and it suffered from second degree burns.

I continued down the path for hours. The trees were beginning to thin out, getting younger and smaller the further I went. The end of the forest was nearing. I faced a few trainers either passing me or on their way back from Eterna. Some faced me in battle, but some of the girls didn't want to battle me. Cowardly, but understandable. I guess only Sarah and July were different.

The entire day passed with Akuma slightly put off by not getting a chance at the Chateau, but she perked up at the chance to battle. Spending day after day with her, I was starting to see she enjoyed battling more. Sighing, I pinch my nose while watching her after we walked away from another win. To be honest, I was getting tired of these battles. They were getting way too easy.

By the time the sun set, I'd set to training already. I tried to get my own exercises in at the same time, but today I wasn't feeling it. Watching my Pokemon was the best I could do, occasionally showing Thorn what to do or attempting to talk to Fuzz Ball. It still didn't listen to me, but instead just hid behind it's large and fluffy tail.

After training for a good hour and a half, I called it and returned both Fuzz and Thorn. Akuma was still recovering from her exercises after I stopped her. Once she was ready, we went to a stream and I let her drink. I also let out Thorn momentarily so he could absorb some water as well. He did look a little droopy, I noticed.

We went further into the forest for a good meal. Akuma had a sharp nose and ears, so she didn't have much difficulty finding something. Even if it wasn't an electric type, which I'd discovered I quite enjoyed, it was still meat. After Akuma killed one of the two sleeping Slakoth, she went after the second one to eat herself. They never saw it coming and slept through it all.

It was a bit weird to find Slakoth so near the ground. I'd read that they were always near their food of leaves and berries, but why were they stuck to the side of a tree's trunk? While Akuma ate, I took the first Slakoth off the tree and made sure to break off it's sharp claws. They were dangerous to even look at. They'd be even worse if it was a Vigoroth. Luckily, there were no markings of one nearby.

Once we were finished with the Slakoth, I lead Akuma back to the stream for her to wash and drink before setting up camp nearby. I set up the usual pit for the fire and the tent. It didn't really matter where, since there was plenty of room when the trees were small enough for me to wrap my arms around and fairly spread out. Akuma laid down once she lit the wood I'd brought, relaxing.

The Slakoth was a strange creature to eat. Not saying I'm some sort of connoisseur of any sort, but it was mostly fat and there was hardly any actual meat at all. I still ate it, but it was basically like eating a Pidgey legs coated in batter and deep fried in solid grease. Wait, it basically was just like that. Without the Pidgey, though.

After the dinner, I laid down on the grass. It had been a while since I'd seen grass like this. Even back when I started into the forest, the grass was still trying to grow. It also told me I was almost there. I'd probably be leaving the forest by tomorrow, and arriving in Eterna the day after.

And then I'd see Sarah again.

My thought shifted onto her. Now that I was so close, I couldn't help it. What was I going to say to her? What would she say to me? I pulled at my longer hair, having neglected cutting it while I was at home. Was it too long? My insecurities felt like huge problems, especially when I thought of Sarah.

Breathing, I calmed down enough to say it was fine. It'd been a while, sure, but I doubt she'd simply say I looked stupid or something. Maybe my clothes or hair needed fixing, but after all the battling I'd done, I'd probably have zero troubles with that. I sighed and relaxed.

Akuma padded over to me and sat down next to me when she bumped into my shoulder with her nose. My hand drifted over and rested against her rough dark fur. It was getting darker blue, almost purple, but it might've just been the moonlight. I ran my hand through it and felt her bones and muscles under her skin moving against me. She was my partner. I just hoped that didn't change.

I got up after a few minutes and headed to the tent, Akuma behind me. Yawning, I stepped inside and sat down. I took my bag and coat off and pulled out Sarah's blanket, the one she'd given me. She hadn't asked me about it, nor had she really messaged me about anything.

Maybe she was upset with me, or perhaps she just didn't want to talk to me? Either way, we'd agreed to meet in Eterna, so that could be the only reason she was even going there. I laid back and wrapped myself in the blanket. Why did I have to think of this now? It hadn't been a problem before, so why was I worrying? Even if I knew it was stupid, the though was stuck in the back of my mind.

Akuma laid next to me and relaxed, while I stared at a cloth wall. Why did I have to think of Sarah? Maybe it was my desperation for someone I was familiar with or normal human interaction? Even after all the people I'd meet and beaten over the two weeks I'd been here, by I didn't talk much with anyone. It was mostly me just taking money from them. Yeah, real friendly, but it's not like I did much else. Well, there was those two times I gave a bunch of money to more powerful trainers. But that was still limited communication. It was literally just, 'Aw, man. I lost. Here's your money, and I'm leaving.' As friendly as hard icicles.

Even with more developed Pokemon than mine, Akuma was very powerful for her age. Most were weaker compared to a Dragon, and especially a Deino. Even with a disadvantage, she was pretty strong. It gave me confidence, remembering that she was so near to me.

Rolling onto my back, I laid my hand onto Akuma's coarse black neck fur. While staring up at the ceiling wasn't much better than the wall, I was calmer now. I wasn't exactly crawling out of my skin worrying about what Sarah thought about me. Sighing, I closed my eyes and slipped off to sleep.

.

The next day spent mostly walking. I didn't see many trainers on the road, so it was mostly just boring trees, grass, and falling blossoms. Akuma didn't like when the tree petals fell on her face. They were mostly a bore for me, but I didn't mind. It was quite peaceful, really.

PokeDexes were great tools. They were the very symbol of being a trainer, holding all their personal information. They even had access to the internet. Using an internet-based map in a forest however, was not that effective. Trees did, after all, block electrical signals.

As such, my predictions were wrong. By the time it was dark, the forest was still around me. While I had reached paved roads again, it was still a while from Eterna. The trees were getting small, sure. But I'd hoped this would've been the end of it already. Which meant I could possibly be there by Spring. Thinking of it, I made a small smirk. It was still Winter, but with the blossoms falling, it already looked like Spring.

Akuma stuck close to me, now that we were getting near the exit. More open space made it hard for her to follow echos and sounds. I don't think she felt she was in any danger, but she just felt more comfortable following my path. It's understandable, since I could see and she couldn't. No way I'd lead her into a pitfall or something.

Following the road, we spent several hours until the last of the trees fell behind us. There was still the occasional sapling, but it was definitely the end of the forest. Once I was out of the tree line, I checked my PokeDex map and saw I was still a ways off from Eterna. Probably a day or two. It also told me it was that today was the eighteenth.

Walking was better with the change of scenery, though. The grassy fields and bright sunshine was nicer than a dank and dreary forest. Akuma didn't enjoy it as much as I did, but she didn't complain about it. Of course, she didn't complain about much. She didn't know anything other than blindness and me as her guide.

Stretching, I continued down the path until dark. Once the sun set, I ventured off of the paved path and searched for anything to eat. Even if I was out of the forest, there were still some Pokemon to be found. Unfortunately, nothing really popped out at us. Even berries weren't edible, being the beginning of Spring. Flowers weren't berries.

That didn't mean Akuma cared. She ate the flowers out of curiosity and hunger. I picked one of the flowers she was eating and took a bite, before I immediately spat it out. Looking to Akuma, I almost laughed when I saw her eating another flower. I wasn't sure if she even cared about the bitter taste. She just went ahead and ate more.

I stopped at a place with shorter grass and two trees overhead. Akuma had eaten a dozen flowers, though she didn't seem to like them anymore. She just destroyed them now, rather than eating them. While it was funny, I couldn't ignore the feeling in my gut. Turning to her, I asked her to find any sort of meal nearby.

Understanding, Akuma sat down and started sniffing. Her superior senses could find most anything, whether it be air, ground, or sea. It didn't take her long to find something and she raced of towards it. Following, I saw her stumbling over the uneven ground. When she spotted, she started digging into the ground with her claws.

Akuma was proud when she pulled a pair of Pachirisu out of the hole. I felt my tongue tingle in anticipation. Even though I carried a Pachirisu with me, it had become one off my favorite things to eat. I complimented her and took one of them. She simply tore into the other and had a proper meal.

Once we were back at the clearing, I was a bit uncomfortable. After being in the forest for so long, I didn't feel safe unless under some sort of cover. The two trees above only blocked from above, not from the side. If anyone was walking along the road, they'd see me from the fire. Too obvious for comfort.

Still, I had to cook the meal. It'd be stupid to eat like Akuma, and I knew that. It'd be stupid not to. Groaning at the discomfort, I pinched my bridge again. I sighed and gave up. I already had the dead Pachirisu and it wouldn't help letting it go to waste. I stood up and started grabbing some branches and sticks for a fire.

Being out in a field made it harder to find branches around in the grass, but the two trees did have a few to offer. Breaking some also helped, though they didn't have many stiff ones. I brought my finds to a pile and used my flint and steel for once to light some grass. It took several sparks, but I eventually got it going.

The Pachirisu was easy to skin and I stored the pelt in my bag. I letted the blood and gutted it before impaling it on a spit. It was a bit sad, imagining my Fuzz Ball being impaled, but I knew that wouldn't come for a long, long time. Hopefully never. As I set the spit to cook, my thoughts drifted to combat.

When I reached Eterna, I'd be registering for the gym battle. That meant I'd be facing grass types. While Akuma had her incendiary breath, Thorn only had his poison from his spines. I realized he only knew his primary grass types. Even though he was close to evolving, the best attack he had was Razor Leaf.

I could use Fuzz Ball, even though he did need a bit of training. He wouldn't run anymore, but he would much rather attack me than an opponent. Of course, I'd never actually tested him with an opponent. It wasn't that I meant to use him in battle, but he could fight. Shaking my head, I knew that wouldn't work. I had already promised I wouldn't use him, so I wouldn't.

Nothing came to mind to help me in the fight against the Grass Gym Leader of Eterna. All I had to count on was Akuma. She was my strongest Pokemon, as well as the one with a type advantage. As such, she'd be the one carrying us, me, to victory. I just hoped she could handle it. After all, it was just plants.

The smell of burning meat caught my attention and I lifted the Pachirisu out of the fire. I blew on it to try and save it from charring, but the skin was already black. Sighing, I flipped it and made sure to pay closer attention. Once it was properly cooked, I took it off the flame and rested it against my leg.

My knife was useful to help salvage the burnt side. I scrapped several bits off of it, but most of it was inedible. At least, I didn't want to eat it. Sighing again, I mentally slapped myself for forgetting my meal and letting it burn. Instead of whining about it, I just turned it over and dug in.

It wasn't as skillfully prepared as before, but the same electric taste excited me. A bit dry, but it was still good. After I cleaned up the cooking stuff, which mainly visited of throwing it in the fire, I laid in the grass and thought about the gym. While I was worried, it was laughable compared to my worried about what Sarah thought. Man, my priorities are screwed way up.

Akuma didn't bother me while I was eating, but once I was finished, she wouldn't leave me alone until she got what was left. I didn't mind, my head was somewhere else entirely. Scenes of what could happen during the gym match played in my mind. Some went well, ending with the badge in my possession. Other's ended with a dissected Deino and Budew on the ground. I just couldn't shake the feeling I wasn't prepared.

I didn't know what to really do, now that I was so close to Eterna. There was only so much time I could put into training until I had to battle the leader, and I didn't have much more time. I had to meet Sarah and beat it soon. She'd waited long enough after my earlier procrastination.

Since it was getting late, I set up the tent and crawled inside. Akuma followed behind and I zipped the flap closed. While I was still thinking, I didn't want to. Too many worries kept coming to the surface. I pulled out my PokeDex and looked at it, holding it above me. What was I going to do if I lost? Would I just... lose? Or would it be worse?

Sighing, I dropped it onto my stomach. What good was it going to be, worrying? Why was I even caring about this stuff now? I was confident three days ago, so what changed? The only person that probably could help me was Sarah. Maybe my parents, but I hardly wanted to ask them for assistance. Opening up my PokeDex, I decided to send her a message.

Sarah,

I'm probably going to get to Eterna by tomorrow or the day after. I'm going to challenge the gym, but I don't know if I'm going to be able beat it. What should I do? I'm not sure I have enough time to train, so I need your help.

Thanks, Kael Lorano

It was difficult to write the message, and I never really liked asking someone for help. On top of the fact that she rarely talked to me anymore, I didn't know if she would tell me any useful information. Still, it was a good idea to give her a heads up. I didn't know what she'd been doing for the past two weeks, but at least she knew I was almost there.

Rolling over, I wrapped myself in my blanket and laid my hand against Akuma's back. She didn't do anything, and I realized she was already asleep. Smiling, I decided it was best to do the same. I closed my eyes and relaxed.

.

All day, my PokeDex told me I was close to the city. While it said that, the only thing that told me I was close was the increasing amount of farms around. Several plots had been recently tilled and some had trees growing. A few ranches held Pokemon like the common Sunkern and Budew. I thought about visiting to ask about Thorn's progress, but I decided to keep going.

Out in the fields, it was harder to find Pokemon in the open. Several of them feared trainers, but Akuma was the real source of fear around me. The only Pokemon that challenged us were trainers' Pokemon. Even when we beat them, they didn't offer much in terms of a meal. Akuma took over as the tracker, even though she usually did that anyways.

As we did get closer to Eterna, the battles became harder and harder. Some of the trainers I met were also training for the upcoming gym match. They were tougher than the newbies is faced in the forest, but Akuma won most of the time. Unfortunately, I lost for times in one day. An all time low.

And Sarah didn't send me any sort of message after an entire day.

It wasn't until the next day that I reached Eterna city. I spent another night in the wilderness, even if a barn was about two hundred meters away. I was anxious to get to a comfy Pokemon center bed, a meal I didn't cook, and Sarah. I wanted to talk to her so bad. In truth, I was a Magikarp out of water without someone else helping me. And Akuma just wasn't responsive as another human.

In the morning, I talked to Akuma while I packed up camp and used grass to scrub the pot before setting off. I was anxious, and when I was nervous, I tended to talk. It made me a little embarrassed when a farmer would look at me while I talked to Akuma, before he hid behind his crops at the sight of a Dragon. The fact that someone, or multiple someones, were scared of Akuma, that was new.

Still, it's not that I minded. They were farmers, like my parents. It's obvious they weren't Pokemon trainers or even that well informed about Pokemon. That, or they were just cowards. I wouldn't judge them, but they were my main source of discomfort.

The road became better in the maintenance department, which surprised me a bit. Floaroma and Jubilife hadn't put this much effort into their roads, and Oreburgh didn't have room to do so. Seeing streets like these, ones that were a half a dozen kilometers away from Eterna, it was just strange. The only other reason there would be roads would be for the farms and ranches out here.

But finally, I turned around the corner and I saw the edge of the city. While it was still a ways away, it was surprising the I'd missed the tall buildings. The mountain was closing in, creating a valley, but hiding the tops of the buildings was unexpected. I was almost surprised when I saw how tall they were. Before I reached the city boundaries, I withdrew Akuma, just in case.

Ten minutes was all I needed to rush to the front of Eterna City. Several houses stood with unlit lamps hanging off the sides. They looked similar to Lampent I'd seen in pictures, but several pictures also showed Lampent as totally different lamps. The shape made my spine tingle, but since they were all parallel, I knew I could breathe easy.

It was an honest maze. Even with the maps, the streets went in several diagonal directions. It made it really difficult to show the direct route. Or even the proper route.

When I did reach the Pokemon Center, I was almost fed up with the ridiculous road design. Whoever made it was an absolute loser at his job. Even if the city was made a long time ago, it still annoyed me. I walked through the sliding door and was immediately greeted by Sarah.

"You're late!" She jumped off one of the chairs and landed in front of me, scaring me onto my ass. Her hair was shorter than before the holiday, but looked pretty cute. Her blue eyes stared at me with a glare, before she smiled and laughed at me on the ground.

"You didn't need to scare me. I know I'm late, and I'm sorry." I imagined my cheeks were blazing red while I looked around the lobby. The trainers waiting around were looking at the two of us, probably laughing. Even though I was embarrassed, I was still happy to see Sarah again.

"C'mon, it was funny. Besides, you were late and deserved a reward. Namely, getting scared silly. Now c'mon and turn in your Pokemon so we can get going already." Sighing, I stood up off the floor and brushed off before heading towards the counter. When I pulled out four Pokeballs, Sarah seemed surprised. "Been busy catching in the Forest?"

"Well, how many have you caught over the holidays?" I turned back to the Nurse Joy and asked her to take care of my Pokemon. I was sort of expecting her to try and do something, but she simply accepted the Pokemon and put them in a tray. After she checked my PokeDex, she started typing on the computer and working.

"I've only caught a Sandile since December. I mean, it was caught for me, so now I have three Pokemon." She turned away and leaned against the counter. I guessed she was annoyed with me, but I couldn't tell.

"Sir? We can return your Deino, Budew, and Pachirisu after a few minutes, but we're going to have to keep your Zorua for a full three hours. And you should remember to feed your Pokemon regularly. Even while inside a Pokeball, they still experience hunger."

"Right. I'm sorry about that. I caught it while in the Forest and didn't want to let it out in case it was injured. That was about... a week ago?" The nurse nodded and took my Pokemon away. "And what are you laughing at," I asked, turning to Sarah.

"You caught a Pachirisu? You've got to be kidding! Oh- Oh, my Arceus, that's good!"

"Stop laughing! I only caught it to be a travelling partner! I'm not planning on using it in a fight." Sarah still laughed at me and my choice of a partner. The Nurse returned and sat at the desk before asking what else we needed.

"Uh, you said my Pokemon could be returned, but why not my Zorua? Just wondering."

"The healing machines can heal cuts in a matter of seconds. The injuries underneath are a different question. Broken bones take hours, and exhaustion and a number of other ailments just add on to how long a Pokemon has to spend in the machine. It sometimes also has to depend on how many people are using the machines. Each one only accepts one trainer's Pokemon, so it can cause a bit of crowding."

Nodding through the useless information, I thanked the nurse. Sarah followed me, and I couldn't help looking at her over my shoulder. I wasn't sure what to say to her, but I was still happy to see her.

"So, when do you plan to buy me dinner? Since you were late, you get the bill."

"Wait, what?" I almost tripped as we walked out of the sliding glass doors. "When was that decided? Besides, I just got here! Where would I find diner, other than a Miltank burger?"

"C'mon. I've been around here for over two weeks, so I think I know where to find something. And we've got all day to walk around and stuff, so I suggest you keep your eyes open. Am I right?" Groaning, I agreed with her request. I could go along with the punishment of my tardiness. Besides, it was just dinner. It didn't have to be anything special, right?

"So, how've you been? I know you said you don't celebrate Arceus day like every other person, but did you... You know."

"Yeah, it was alright. I spent a lot of time training though, so I hope you're ready for later." Wait, what?

"You're serious about fighting? Well, that reminds me. I'd asked about some help the day before yesterday, but you never responded. So, I was wondering if you could answer my question?" Sarah stopped and smirked at me when I turned back for her.

"You haven't been training enough, have you? Well, I guess you'll just have to see how strong you have to be once you face me." Proudly, she pulled out her PokeDex and showed me a second and green badge on the key chain. So, I really was late to the party. I was already falling behind Sarah, and I didn't want that kid with the Honedge to catch up to me.

"Fine," I groaned, following Sarah down the sidewalk. I'd wanted to beat the gym leader together, but I guess that was already out of the question. "But I have been training. My wallet can tell you that."

"Well, then I guess we know who's buying dinner. Guess who?" I nearly facepalmed at my own statement. Looking around, anywhere but Sarah's smug face, I tried to focus on the buildings. I wanted to get familiar with the mess of a city.

We made our way to the gym, which at first glance, looked like a glass palace. Sarah didn't look as impressed as I did, but since she'd seen it several times before, it wasn't that unexpected. Still, I was left with my mouth hanging open at the design. It was one thing, seeing the Oreburgh Gym built like a crude rocky building. But this was just extravagant as royalty! How did the league afford things like this?

"Stop gawking at it and hurry up! The gym isn't going anywhere, and we've got things to do. I'd much rather get this out of the way so I can go shopping! Among other things, I need some stuff." She tugged my arm through a few groups of people.

"Couldn't you have done that before I got here? I'm just saying, you've been here for two weeks."

"I haven't been here in the city the entire two weeks, you know. I beat the gym last week, and have been in the fields around town until you messaged me."

"And you didn't respond."

"Forget it. Just go and get registered. I'll meet you back at the Pokemon Center in an hour." Sarah dropped my arm and started walking away, almost exasperated.

"Sarah, wait!" My call didn't stop her. She didn't even look back and slipped into the crowd without saying a thing. Sighing, I mumbled a few colorful words under my breath. What was wrong with her? What was wrong with me? Shaking my head, I walked into the gym.

Inside, several plants grew along the walls. The vines and stems used the steel of the walls to create a lattice of greenery. It was very nice and soothing, until the crowds ruined the mood. If outside was bad, inside was two times worse. The fact that there was a queue for the registration desk was unfamiliar, as well as the sounds of battles going on inside. I'd been in the Gym while battles were taking place, but when the place was roaring from the crowds, it was something else.

It was safe to assume the place wouldn't fall or break since most battles didn't get that crazy, but there was a lot more people interested in watching the battles this time of year. On top of that, the trainers were better than fresh meat. They could hold their own against a Gym leader and put up a good fight.

Focusing, I walked up to the line and waited for my turn to put my name forward. I wasn't patient in lines, but it helped that there was a monitor showing the battle from LeagueLive. It also gave me a chance to see what kind of Pokemon the Leader here would use. Knowing that they were mostly grass wasn't enough to be confident. I still had my doubts, but Sarah had helped lift a few. She'd beaten it, after all.

It took an entire battle to make it to the front of the line. Once I was there, I calmly asked for a battle with the leader. The lady behind the counter asked for proof of a badge and PokeDex. I was then asked, out of the four Pokemon I owned, which would I be using. Selecting both Thorn and Akuma, I knew I'd be using them. But my finger hovered over the image of my Zorua.

Would it be wise to include it? I'd had little time with it, and none of it was exactly training. Of course, I also had Fuzz Ball, but it was a stubborn piece of work. Not to mention, couldn't put up a fight. It wasn't going to participate. Breathing slowly, I decided to include the Zorua. Even if I didn't use it.

Then I payed up the three grand required to register. It was a real pain to fish out so much cash for one thing. Of course, compared to a house, it was nothing. The woman thanked me and allowed me to proceed with my business. She handed my a slip of paper with the date of the twenty third. I solemnly put my thinner wallet back in my pocket and went to a bench to watch the rest of the battle.

Of course, since a lot of people had the same idea, the best spot I could settle for was on the ground. Every bench, chair, and potted plant was taken. I made do with the hard stone with my bag and focused on the screen.

A Carnivine was facing off against the challenger's Vulpix. It's fur was already a bright copper color, but it only had four tails. It wasn't that old. Considering it was in a gym battle, it had to be strong, though. The Carnivine didn't look too bad, but it did have one of it's green mouth spines broken.

The tailed Pokemon ran at the plant and covered itself with fire for a Flame Charge. It looked effective and knocked the Carnivine to the ground. I assumed it was unable to battle since the Gym Leader called back her Pokemon. The crowds roared and I felt it through the ground.

"Man, Chelsea is getting it handed to her. Just who is that trainer she's facing?" Almost in an answer to the question, the camera panned over to him while he returned his Vulpix. I instantly remembered that shaggy blond hair and messy clothes. It was Miles. I was surprised to see him battling at the same time I was here.

The crowds were not entirely sure how to take the field being empty, as the battle hadn't ended yet. When Gym leader Chelsea sent out a Grovyle, Miles sent out a Pidgeotto. The two began a flurry of attacks, but the Pidgeotto easily avoided the Grovyle by going higher. From there, it sent down strong gusts that knocked the Grovyle to the ground.

It took several more attacks to knock the Grovyle out of the battle. By then, it's leafy tail and been torn off. I didn't know how serious the damage was, but it didn't look good. It was quickly returned and the final Pokemon was sent out, indicated by the small Pokeballs shown at the bottom of the screen. The third Pokeball opened and Miles was left with all three in his counter.

Miles kept his Pidgeotto on the field, or rather, in the air, while Chelsea pulled out her final Pokeball. She send out a strange Pokemon, on I didn't expect at all. A small steel egg, with green thorns protruding from it, sat in the dirt. It was a strange stand off for a few minutes before the Pidgeotto attacked bit the gust of wind.

The steel shell easily repelled any breeze thrown at it. It's dense shell and shape kept it in place. In retaliation, the small Ferroseed began to arc electricity. A quick blast of electricity and the bird fell out of the sky, knocked unconscious. This must be the Gym's counter to flying Pokemon.

When the Vulpix was sent out again, I knew the battle would end quickly. A few fire attacks ended the match and Miles was given the victory. He shook hands with the gym leader and he walked away. The crowds cheered before the next challenger was called and Chelsea's Pokemon refreshed.

After the crowd calmed down, I stood up and picked up my bag. I was starting to leave when I saw Miles coming to the rewards desk. I wanted to raise my hand to signal him, but he was instantly swarmed by people the second he stepped into the lobby. Interrupting a crowd is not in my best interests. Being shy isn't always my style, but I was still hesitant to do anything.

"Hey! Kael, right!?" Looking back, I saw Miles waving over to me. How was he able to recognize me after so long? And from this distance? I sheepishly waved back. Miles pushed through the hoards of questioning people. Once they saw me though, most backed off and let him pass.

"Miles, right," I asked, feigning ignorance. "Good to see you again. And good job earning your second badge." His blonde hair was unruly and shaggier than ever, and looked like he hadn't even combed it since the day I saw him. While I still had a thing against his way of dressing.

"That's right," he answered with a salute. "Nice seeing you too. Did you think you'd just sneak off without saying hello to someone who helped you? And that reminds me... Where's your second badge?"

"Eh. I haven't battled her yet." A small laugh was all I could give for my excuse. "But I did just issue my challenge. I should be facing her in three days. No big deal."

"Ah, I see. Well I guess I just have to come and watch. Seriously, I gotta take a look at that Deino of yours. And I want to see that Budew again as well."

"You can see them when I get them back in a few hours. You don't have to wait until the battle."

"Wait, what? Why do you need to wait for hours to get your Pokemon back? I may have misjudged you if you treat your Pokemon that badly."

"No, that's not it. One of the Pokemon I caught in the forest was badly injured. It's just easier to collect all of them at once."

"Well, Arceus, you don't have to kill them to catch them, you know?" Miles laughed and I had to join in. As soon as he did, a dozen people pushed me away. They were eager to talk to Miles after his impressive win. Taking it as my que to leave, I slipped out the front door and breathed easy.

Checking the time, I noticed I still had time to waste before I was supposed to meet up with Sarah. Making the best of the situation, I walked down the street and stepped into a small cafe. I didn't really know what I was doing, but I felt like getting something to eat.

Sitting at one of the tables, I picked up the small block menu and looked through what they had. Unfortunately, everything was either coffee and veggie-based dishes. Of the four available, only the Oddish cake sounded good. When a man in a suit came to take my order.

When they brought out a thin green slice of cake with a leaf sticking out of it. I also had a cup of coffee given out to me, which was decorated with a cream leaf. It was unbelievably fancy for my taste. Still, I payed up and enjoyed the experience. Most of the customers were trainers like me, but some were older than me.

The coffee wasn't bad, but I didn't enjoy the amount cream dumped in, but the cake was surprisingly sweet. The fact that the green and healthy cover hid a sugary layer of filling. It was pretty nice, even if it wasn't my style. Even though I didn't know the name of the place, I knew I could come back later.

I didn't spend long eating my food, though I wasn't in a hurry. The sugar felt like a buzz after going without for so long, but I held myself back from buying another. Once I was finished, I walked out and checked the name. The Elegant Petilil was going to be my number one reason to return to Eterna.

.

Spending a lot of time just exploring the city was boring, but it was nice seeing all the monuments around town. The park of statues of legendary Pokemon stood in a circle around an old oak tree. It was cool to look at, as well as finding a museum if Sarah wanted to visit one.

Still, the time I had to wander around was short. I didn't have much time to just walk for hours. Since I was already in the more tourist-oriented part of town, I could only really visit the center of town. There were several places I wanted to visit, to learn more about my own Pokemon, but I'd made a deal.

What made me jealous of others was the amount of trainers walking with their Pokemon. I had Fuzz Ball, but it wasn't exactly tamed. Most likely outcome would be everyone getting an electric shock. It wouldn't end well, since most would take that as a challenge. On top of that, it was illegal to battle in the streets. Being arrested was not on my list of todos.

Since I didn't have my own Pokemon with me, I probably looked like any other tourist. Take away my Pokemon and that's exactly what I was. It was a nightmare come true, if that ever happened. That would probably be what would have happened if I hadn't found Akuma and gotten my Mom's permission to catch it.

The sliding doors opened when I got near and I stepped inside the Pokemon Center, half expecting Sarah to jump me like before. When she didn't I looked around and couldn't find her. Sighing, I dropped my bag near one of the arm chairs and dropped onto the seat.

I still had to wait another hour before I could get my Pokemon back, so I couldn't train. I had a Seedot in my bag, but I was planning on selling that. In short, it was boring. It was a boring five minutes before Sarah walked through the doors and waved over to me.

"Hey, listen," Sarah said, sitting next to me. "I... have to apologize about earlier. I was mean to you and you're probably frustrated and tired after the forest. So, if you want, you can do whatever you want today. Go where you want."

"Well, it's not like I'm the one who knows the place. This is my first time in Eterna, after all. I'll just let you lead the way." I tried to laugh it off, but Sarah just looked relieved.

"By the way, when is your gym battle? You know I'm going to go watch it." Sarah pulled out her PokeDex to mark the date. I told her the battle was in three days, and she set an event for the day. "Oh, but I can't stay for three days. Since I don't have a battle, I can't stay at the Pokemon Center for more than two days, unless I pay up."

"I don't mind being in the wild a little longer. Tomorrow sounds fine, but it would be nice if we could be back by the twenty second. And I should probably tell my parents about my battle, but I'm a bit nervous to."

"Wow, the Dragon Boy is scared to talk to his mommy? Arceus, that's lame. Just man up and talk to them. You pansy."

"It's not that I'm really scared, it's just that I didn't leave on the best of days. My dad actually thought I was going to stay and even asked me to help with the fields."

"Farmer boy doesn't want to do his chores?"

"Stop mocking me! I'm just a little cautious, okay? What if they're mad at me?"

"You know, I don't remember you being this scared. You didn't worry when you faced the Oreburgh gym, did you? So why are you worrying about Chelsea?" She was right about that. When did I get so scared? Why was I so worried? If I had Akuma, I would have no problems.

But parents were a different story. They weren't something you could just beat with Pokemon and ignore them. They were parents, after all.

"Fine, you're right," I said, accepting her sage advice and observation. Opening my PokeDex, I wrote a simple and short message to them, including the date of my battle. I didn't add a single detail about the forest, or anything for that matter. I took a deep breath before pressing the send button and leaning back.

"Now, was that too hard? Now, stop being a baby and let's go!" Sarah pulled me out of my chair and dragged me out of the Pokemon center. She pulled me down the street and lead me around town.

We visited the circle of legendary Pokemon statues. While I'd already seen it, Sarah claimed it was her favorite place in the city. I knew she wasn't religious, but she obviously loved Pokemon. I went along with the her and admired the stone carvings. They were nice, but the people around the park worshiping or praying made it a little awkward.

After we left the park, Sarah led me down the streets and showed me to several shops and venues. While I didn't feel like buying anything, we did visit the PokeMart, and I did need some supplies. I bought a potion, as well as half a dozen Pokeballs. I did consider buying a better ball, but the price for them was still more than I was willing to spit up.

Sarah didn't buy anything, having spent the last hour doing exactly that. We left the shopping districts behind and traveled back near the tourist area, which contained more cafes and bars. Sure, the museums and monuments were nice, but seeing the Elegant Petilil again was more inviting than dusty displays.

What, I'm a sucker for cake?

We didn't actually see the cafe, but seeing all the other similar restaurant made me crave more sweet food. It was mostly us just chatting while we walked around, but I couldn't help glancing around at the candy shops. Eventually, we made our way to fancier restaurant to eat at, though it was only around five.

Still, Sarah insisted we eat now. Apparently, my face said I was hungry. I guess that meant I was caught. Walking inside, I immediately saw that we looked particularly out of place.

One, everyone was wearing formal wear and I was dragging in travel-worn casual clothes. Two, most of the people were older than us at almost seventeen. Try twenty as the low. Three, I was out of my element with waiting for a table. I'd never really eaten out in my life until I became a trainer, and that was just Miltank burgers, which was also new to me. Floaroma was just a boring place, wasn't it?

At least there was one plus side. We weren't early. People were still eating and few were just leaving. While they did laugh at me, along with me going red in the face, I was saved from being the only one in the house. Being alone in a fancy restaurant with Sarah? Yeah, then I'd ask to be impaled by a charging Tauros.

Being the complete idiot, I missed the sign ordering us to wait, and nearly got yelled at by the staff. Sarah caught me by the collar before I made a fool of myself, though. Once I saw the sign, I knew I'd already gotten near the edge of moron. Waiting at the lobby, I couldn't help but try to hide near a plant. I was already embarrassed.

"How are you two doing tonight," the waitress asked us, gesturing us to our table. "Can I get you anything to start off with?" Both Sarah and I took our seats before taking up our menus. At first, most of the food looked great and appetizing. Until I saw the price tag, that is.

Paying almost 500 Poke Dollars per dish was unbelievable! On top of that, I'd agreed to pay for Sarah's meal as well! Arceus damn it all! My wallet was not going to be happy after this. Glaring at Sarah, I knew she must have planned this. Why did I agree to something like this?

"I'll have... How do you say this one? This one?" Sarah showed her menu to the waitress, who simply nodded and turned to me. Looking at the options, I scanned for one of the more cheaper deal in the main section.

"How about this Cordon Bleu or however you say it? I'll take that." I wasn't exactly sure, but it was somehow Pidgey wrapped around cheese. How they did that, I had no idea. Why wouldn't it just lay open?

"Alright. Any drinks? But if you order wine or alcohol, I'm going to need some proof of age."

"Just water for me," I interjected. I wasn't really prepared to pay for juice or soda, so hopefully Sarah wouldn't order anything of the sort.

"I'll take some Pecha juice."

"Very well. I'll be back in a few minutes with your order. I'll leave you to enjoy your time together." Looking between the waitress, as she walked away, and Sarah, who was looking at the menu again. If only my face wasn't burning from this entire situation. Why did I agree to this?

"So? What now? We just... talk?" Sarah looked as nervous as me, a light pink on her cheeks.

"How was your trip through the Eterna Forest? You never told me... Well, really anything."

"It wasn't really that interesting, to be honest. But, you haven't told me anything either. Why don't you start off?" Thinking back, I remembered the kid, Angus, and his Honedge. That would be a good place to start.

While I started explaining my fight with Angus, the waitress brought our drinks. For me, clear water with a lemon. Sarah's was a pink drink with a slice of Pecha floating on top. I thanked her before returning to the story. Sarah nodded through the tale, until our meals were brought to us.

When I had a small dish served to me, with a folded piece of Pidgey meat on it. Sarah's dish, consisting of a salad with several bits of meat scattered through it. It didn't look particularly tasty, considering how much green was in it. I instead stopped my story to enjoy the meal.

Sarah didn't say much while she was eating, but she did start her story between bites. She started off with when she was traveling by Floaroma. She only passed through on her way to Eterna Forest. She claimed to have followed the path loyally, but seeing as I had problems even seeing the dirt path, I doubted she had 100 percent accuracy.

Still, I listened while I enjoyed the gooey cheese and tender Pidgey. We'd both finished our meals by the time Sarah reached the Haunted Eterna Chateau. She continued her story without the distraction of food, though she didn't go into extreme details. When she got to her gym battle, she hardly said a thing, other than she won. After that, she simply said she spent the time in the base of the mountains.

"-and then you texted me and I came back into Eterna City."

"Which is where we are now." I took a sip of my water and leaned back in my chair. "That's about the same as my story, really. But, yes, I did catch a Pachirisu." Sarah immediately snickered when I mentioned what I'd captured. "Wait, that's not everything. I don't plan on using it for battle or anything. That's what I caught the Zorua for."

"You caught a Zorua? Those are pretty rare in Sinnoh, so you're pretty lucky. I wish I'd bought one, or at least found one to catch." I felt my heart jump at the sound that I'd got something rare. On top of that, Sarah was impressed. Bonus points!

"It honestly found me. A real pain in the ass, if you ask me. Those illusions are crazy."

"What'd they look like?"

"Imagine a kaleidoscope or a... A picture, but with inverted colors. It was something like that. Seeing that stuff gave me a headache. Among other things." The mental image of me, in the fetal position, and the swirling colors that had made me puke. Just thinking about it made me nauseous.

"Oh, that isn't very impressive, I guess... I was expecting it to be something like projecting a house or some sort of trap for us Trainers. They are notorious for that, you know."

"Well, it did morph into a Bunneary before Akuma attacked it. Though it wasn't a perfect copy, I'd say it was pretty good."

"But it wasn't exact, was it? It would have been better if it had been able to completely cloak itself in an illusion..." Bonus points lost. Still, it is a rare Pokemon, like she said. It was something I was going to keep for a long time. If I ever tamed it, that it.

"What about your Pokemon? Did you catch anything during the break?" I questioned her while sipping my water.

"Well, I still have Yami and Perry, but I did catch a Shroomish in the forest. After Perry thought it was a berry, he dragged it back to the camp and I caught it when it started attacking. To be honest, I thought it would have attacked Perry before he made it back to me."

Comparing stats and accomplishments, our journeys with one of the two having already beaten the second gym. Still, we joked around and discussed the goings-ons of Sinnoh. Other than a few minor crimes and petty thefts in Sunyshore and Canalave city, the really big news was the storms above Mt. Coronet showing the fights between two dragons. More accurately, the Haxorus and Hydreigon on the peak.

After a few minutes, the waitress brought our bill to the table and my gut dropped when I saw the number. It was almost 1,500 Poke dollars, and I had to pay in full! No wonder this place was full of fancy clothing and food. Sighing, I pulled out a thick wad of cash and placed it on the tray the receipt was on.

It was painful to say goodbye to all my hard work over the past month after only thirty minutes. Still, we'd already eaten. While I wasn't happy about it, I was obligated to pay up. Then, once the bill was out of the way, Sarah and I exited into the lamp lit streets. I pulled my hood up to cover my neck, feeling the cold air touching my skin.

It was already getting dark, even though tomorrow was the equinox. Putting my hand in my pocket, I still had one Pokemon on me that I needed to take care of. Remembering back before Oreburgh, Sarah had stated she didn't want to visit another again. Better to ask, though.

"Hey, Sarah? I need to go to the Pokemon Guild for something. Are you coming, or are you going to head to the Pokemon center?" Considering the options, Sarah shrugged and I lead the way through the city. Lucky me I had a PokeDex with a map.

After wandering through the mess that is Eterna, we finally made it to the Guild. It was larger than other ones, but functioned the same. The worst part was dealing with the man behind the counter, though. I wasn't the only one trying to talk and get a deal. Everyone was trying to push ahead, to take their turn to go first. Pushing ahead of them was the only way for me to get my money.

Seedot aren't rare. They're a bit harder to find that, say, a Caterpie, but were still everywhere. The Pachirisu had an easy enough time finding them. As such, once I was able to trade with the man, all I got was a lousy 300 Poke bucks. Sarah was annoyed by all the crowds as they pushed to hand over Pokeballs for money. In my eyes, it was chaos incarnate.

It might have been an exaggeration to it was chaotic, but it was true people were pushing, shoving, and arguing. While there was, at most, half a dozen people. It was just a struggle to push people aside so I could do my business. If there was a line or a system to ration the amount of customers, maybe it would have been better.

Well, at least it fits the style, I guess.

When I left the Guild, Sarah gladly following, the sun had already rendered the streets dark. Checking the time, it was no wonder that it was almost half past six already. Suggesting a walk back to the Pokemon center was somewhat casual, but I was honestly exhausted from the events of today.

"Hey, wanna buy some ice cream," Sarah asked as we walked by a shop. "C'mon, it's only 100 per scoop." She poked my elbow until I agreed, which I couldn't resist. Sighing, I accepted before stepping up to shop front. The glass display case had a dozen flavors.

"It's a bit early, but why not? I'll buy some. But you can buy your own, right? I don't have that much money."

"And who was it earlier who was bragging about their deep pockets? C'mon, Dragon Boy. Just one scoop?" She was using me, wasn't she? She had to be, to be begging me to buy ice cream. I couldn't help rubbing my temples.

"Fine, but only one scoop. Go ahead and order." I stepped aside for her, and let her take her flavor. The shop owner looked at Sarah expectantly, waiting for her to choose a flavor. She took a few moments to see the flavors before ordering an orange colored one. When she had her ice cream in a cone, I chose chocolate. Lame and generic, but it still tasted awesome.

After paying all the money I'd just earned, both Sarah and I walked away eating our frozen desserts. I don't know exactly why she'd want something cold when it was cold enough outside, but something as sweet as ice cream... Who could resist that?

It took only a few bites of ice cream to give me a brain freeze. While Sarah was busy licking away at her cone, I was holding my head and suffering. Passers looked at us weird since it was still Winter and we were eating ice cream. That, or they were jealous. Sarah laughed at me as well, with a bit dripping from my chin. I laughed as well, though I was still embarrassed.

And something about it felt... boring.

I was expecting to be challenged, attacked, or something. Being aware of it didn't make the problem any better, but my first assumtion was paranoia. It could have also been my battle lust, or maybe a dependence on Akuma? It was almost like I wanted something to happen, to disturb my time with Sarah. The feelings in my chest, which I knew I couldn't admit, they made me uneasy. Almost shaky. It's not like I haven't spent this kind of time with Sarah before, but with how she was acting now was strange. Besides that, I haven't really talked to anyone for several months.

By the time we got to the Pokemon Center, I was ready to get my Pokemon back. Both that they were ready for me to take and that I simply wanted them back. After showing my PokeDex, I happily pocketed Akuma's Pokeball. Thorn and Fuzz Ball, along with the unnamed Zorua, went into my left pocket. With the comfort of my Pokemon, I could finally breathe easy.

"Alright. Well, I'm beat. I think I'll just head to bed. Tomorrow, we can go to your training ground and see how we've progressed. Deal?" I held out my hand for Sarah.

"So you're challenging me now? Alright, fine. I accept." She took my hand before I could come up for an excuse. I didn't want to fight, but it didn't matter. I'd already shaken her hand. Instead, I was stuck stuttering and trying to say something. "But I won't go easy on you," She said, before going up the stairs to her room.

Taking the deal with reluctance, I stood there for a moment before heading up the stairs after her.

.

The outskirts of Eterna were an instant transition to mountains, sloping upwards pretty quickly. Sarah showed me to a small area hidden behind an outcropping, which she said she'd spent most of her time training and fighting. As soon as we stepped into the area, she released both Yami and Perry, but kept her new Shroomish in it's Pokeball. I didn't question why, but released Thorn and Akuma onto the rocks.

"I think Akuma's gotten a bit bigger. And Thorn looks pretty close to evolving. Just look at it's bud, I see a red petal." Looking at them, I hadn't noticed Akuma or Thorn being any different. Looking at Akuma, I noted she was looking a bit larger. It might have been muscle, but remembering how much she eats, it could have been fat. I'd seen Thorn's bud, but he was also growing more leaves around his body.

After a few comments about each others' Pokemon, we began an awkward shuffle while we tried to decide how to start the fight. She knew I would start off with Akuma, meaning she would start off with Yami. Perry would also be able to counter Akuma, being considered a pure or Fairy type.

Thorn was also at a disadvantage against Yami, being a grass type. Either way, I wasn't in a great position. Still, my best possible play would be to lead with Akuma and rely on her choosing Yami as her first Pokemon. She could beat him with her incendiary breath, so that Thorn could beat Perry. It was a shoddy guess at most, but this was someone who was already ahead of me.

"Let's just send out a Pokemon and act like it's for practice," I suggested. In truth, I wanted it to be practice. But this was Sarah, so I couldn't lie to her or go easy on her. This was the chance to prove I was capable of beating the gym, even if I was falling behind.

"Alright. Then I guess we just choose our first Pokemon. You already know I'm going to pick Yami, so what the hell? Yami, let's go already."

"Akuma, you're up. You already know I was going up with my starter. Let's show her what we're made of." Backing up, Sarah and I separated and faced each other from a good fifteen meters apart. While I wasn't behind the outcropping anymore, there wasn't anyone around to see our fight anyways.

Giving out a sudden yell, it was my signal to attack. I'd been working on it for a while with Akuma, trying to do it in every battle, though most trainers thought I was weird for doing it. The idea came to me when I thought about the Drowsee trainer not having to say a word.

While Sarah was busy shouting commands, Akuma had already received hers. She rushed for the lithe and clawed hunter, the fur around her neck sparking. Yami wasn't brainless as to let Akuma simply attack him. When he dodged out of the way, Akuma was already ready to release her Thunder Wave. Being in the near vicinity of her, Yami caught the static shock to the chest and froze.

After my initial shouting, I needed to relay orders by actual vocal commands again. I called the next orders for her to take advantage of Yami's paralysis, as was my battle plan. Of course, that also meant I had to rely on the electricity to be enough to completely immobilize him.

Akuma was easily able to smash into Yami without much opposition. His black and furry body couldn't react fast enough with electricity coursing through his body. He was sent flying across the field and landed hard on the rocky ground. When the dark blue dragon came back around for a second run, Yami was still struggling to stand.

However, at last second, two frosty claws raked across Akuma's side. I saw blood immediately begin dripping and she screeched from the pain. Being in such close proximity, it worked for the Sneasel rather than Akuma. Even if she was a Dragon, her strength was still undeveloped. She was younger than Yami, even if her specialty was in physical combat, rather than ranged.

Spinning on her front leg, Akuma released a jet of blue flames from her maw and covered the dark ice hunter with heat. He began screaming as well, before retaliating with a burst of dark energy. Similar to Thunder Wave, it expanded outwards in a bubble before colliding with Akuma. The force was enough to push her back, but other than that, she didn't seem harmed.

My orders were overlapping with Sarah's as we struggled to fight the other's Pokemon. Being paralyzed, Yami couldn't get up fast enough to fight back when Akuma bit down into his shoulder, which made me rub my own scar. The dark fangs couldn't do much damage by type advantage, but the fact that Akuma knew that allowed her to avoid that disadvantage. Instead, she'd sunk her physical teeth into his flesh.

It wasn't much of a fight when your enemy couldn't fight back. While Yami struggled to attack, and probably could have won, the electricity that coursed through his muscles made it impossible. After Akuma got in a few hits, Sarah called back her Pokemon, returning Yami to his Pokeball. I'd won the first match. Of course, that just meant Akuma had accomplished her mission.

Thorn was up next, facing off against Perry. I recalled Akuma to her Pokeball, since the blood dripping from her side wasn't stopping. I would heal her with a potion later, but for now it would be fine. Being second up, Perry ran out onto the rocky battlefield and faced Thorn. It made me almost laugh seeing how small they were, about to fight.

My trick with Akuma, by shouting to start the battle, was not the same with Thorn. Instead, I called out for him to use his leaves to attack from a distance. Being ranged was simple for both Pokemon. The cute Dedene released a small arc of electricity while Thorn spun to throw three leaves grown from his body.

Both attacks hit their marks, but Thorn was lucky enough to resist the electric attacks. Perry wasn't as lucky and had one of the razor leaves hit his back, while the another grazed his head. It was a good start on my part, but it didn't last long. Perry was much faster than a Budew, running circles around him.

It was obvious Sarah focused on speed and agility when she trained. Thorn couldn't keep up, but since Perry was circling him, all he had to do was stand still and aim. While using stun spore usually worked, restraining foes with painful spores, it was highly inaccurate. Hitting Perry with the small cloud would be almost impossible. Still, he did have a few moves up his sleeve. And I ordered him to use them.

Perry was soon ensnared and Thorn began draining him of energy and life by using Absorb. It wasn't a solid play, as it made direct contact with Perry, but it did give Thorn energy to hold on as he endured several electric shocks. Finally, though he was probably much weaker now, Perry broke free and began squeaking as he charged up electricity in his cheek pouches. The bolt he released connected with Thorn, before sending him backwards.

Thorn was confident and stubborn, and didn't take being pushed around easily. Getting up, he threw a Razor Leaf into the orange and brown rodent. In retaliation, Perry began charging up another bolt of electricity before Thorn could throw another Leaf. I couldn't tell if this was a new attack Sarah had developed, or if it was just a regular attack. While he needed a bit of time to charge his attack, it seemed to be getting even stronger after the third time of striking. Thorn just wasn't fast enough to dodge the straight beam of electric energy.

If Thorn could win, I could keep Akuma out of the battle and away from her weaknesses. I wouldn't hesitate to send her in if need be, but I would prefer not to. Taking risks wasn't necessary, so why take it? Calling out to Thorn, I gave him orders to attack, before he was overpowered by whatever attacks Perry was using.

As a last push effort against the small rodent, Thorn attacked with a flurry of Razor Leaves, most leaving shallow, grazing cuts, but one left a deep cut through his ear. It hung limp near his cute face. Afraid I'd cut it of completely, I returned Thorn to his Pokeball. Running over to Perry and Sarah, I pulled out the Potion I'd been keeping in my pocket.

"Is he alright," I asked, dropping down onto my knee to examine the damage. The ear that was damaged was hanging, but it wasn't as bad as it looked. Handing over the Potion, Sarah repositioned the lobe and sprayed the wound. I watched as it sealed itself and disappeared, leaving only blood and a patch of hairless skin.

"I'd say he's fine, but I was scared for a second there. It doesn't look like it's scarred, but it isn't that pretty. We should check them into the Pokemon Center just to be sure." I agreed with her, without pressing her about my win. Though she was probably more powerful than me in terms of sheer strength, I'd beaten her through a bit of strategy. Now, in the aftermath, it was the logical option to return to heal our Pokemon.

Walking down to town, it was a distant bit of chatting. The air was a bit awkward, since we'd been fighting just five minutes ago. Sighing, I simply relaxed until arriving at the Pokemon Center.

---

I honestly don't want to put this series on hiatus simply because I'm lazy. This story is my favorite, after all my others. It's been going better than the others. But I've been lazy, unmotivated, and I've been going through writer's block. The ideas just haven't been flowing. You know?

Other than that, I'm gearing up for the gym battle. After getting the review that it's going slow, I tried to force it faster. Sorry if it seemed a bit wonky or anything, but I did rush this one.

Again, I'm sorry that it's late and stuff, but I've been getting stuck. I've been writing two or three hundred words a day, so some of the ideas might not click, but I'm content with it for now.

Remember, leaving a review and favoring my story helps me!

Current Pokemon

Trainer: Kael Lorano; SI863FL239A

Pokemon in Possession:

Akuma - Deino

Thorn - Budew

Fuzz Ball - Pachirisu

Pokemon in Preparation:

Zorua - Zorua

Trainer: Sarah O'Perr; SI772SP8HN

Pokemon in Possession:

Perry - Dedene

Yami - Sneasel

Sammy - Shroomish