Training went by rather smoothly after Josh's brief (albeit random) scuffle with Sabrina. Once everyone calmed down from the sudden bit of excitement, training officially began. I ended up spending the next couple of hours training with Nolan as a way of understanding how to use my own strengths as a form of defense. He was rather informative, if a bit vague about the details, telling me that whatever defense I needed to iron out would entirely be up to me. Of course, I had no idea how I could utilize my own strengths as defense, since I always pictured the notion that if a move is meant for offense, it was likely going to be for offense.

"That's where you'd be wrong, Adam," Nolan pointed out. "Remember what Herr Josh demonstrated by using his own forms of defense in the fight earlier?"

"Yeah, I saw it," I admitted. "He ended up blocking a Shadow Ball with a Bone Rush, and then he tossed an Aura Sphere in the air and kicked it. Heh, I have to admit, that was a creative offensive technique."

"True, but it also acted upon defense," Nolan stated. "Josh appears to be a quick thinker. A strategist. He would ultimately come up with a way to use his own strengths to his advantage, even utilizing them as defense whenever possible.

"Take for instance his Bone Rush. On the surface, it looks like a method of offense, but he found a creative use for it to act as a form of defense as well. If I recall correctly, you only have moves based around offense, ja?"

I nodded, looking at my hand, remembering the multiple times I've set it on fire to fight against my foes. "My moves are all based on offense, yeah. But I still don't see how I could utilize them defensively."

"That's because you need to be certain that your strengths are utilized in ways that don't just bring in major damage, Adam," Nolan stated, grabbing my arm as he stared at me intently. "True strength is not what you are able to find through flashy offensive moves alone. Your true strength still lies within, so what we need to do is let it out."

As soon as he gently let go of my arm, he quickly assumed his defensive stance, locking his shield onto his body. "For example, while I may take a defensive form to boost my overall chances of taking hits, the opposite may also be true. I happen to know a move called Power Trick, therefore swapping my offense and defense stats whenever I change forms. Try to hit me while I take a defensive form, Schüler."

Gulping, I ended up begrudgingly throwing a punch at him. The moment that my fist made contact with the shield, a loud clang sound was heard, and I could've sworn my fist made contact with solid concrete it hurt so hard.

I winced a little as I gently rubbed my fist, while Nolan laughed. "See? Solid defense, ja?"

"Argh… Yeah, I see that," I answered.

"Gut, mein Schüler. Now…" Before I had a chance to ask him what he's talking about, he suddenly glows a mixture of blue and red for a second, before he looked at me and said "Alright. Now strike me again, the same way you did before."

I nodded, and I struck him again with the same kind of force. Only this time, I was able to knock him back a few feet from my strike, taking me entirely by surprise. I was honestly quite stunned to see that he was knocked back by me at all. Smiling, I looked at my fist again, and I chuckled. "Look at that! I think did it!"

"Ja, but that's only because I purposefully chose to weaken my defense stat," Nolan said, shifting back to carrying that shield of his in one arm. "However, the same rule can be applied here. Try striking me while I'm in offensive mode."

I nodded, and I landed a strike on him, only to once again feel my hand sting from just how tough his defense turned out to be. "Woah… That's pretty cool."

"Of course, that's only because of Power Trick," Nolan said. "My defense is now my offense. My offense is now my defense. I would only assume the use of Power Trick if I even decided to use any method of showing mercy to my opponents. Such as now, in fact…"

Unexpectedly, I saw a silvery glow emanate in front of Nolan, and the Aeigislash ended up moving his arms in a motion that reminded me of…

Wait… He wouldn't! Holding up my arms in a panic, I yell out "Nolan! What are you doing!? Nola-!"

The next thing that happened, the silvery light became a beam of energy, which Nolan fired straight at me, knocking me back as I felt the intensity of the blast all around my body. I groaned as I slowly rose back up, clutching my head from the pain.

Nolan went back to setting the shield on and went back to defense mode, audibly panting as he tried to steady himself. "Uffda! That really knocks the wind out of me…"

I bare my teeth in anger, glaring at Nolan with a snarl. "Grrr… A little warning next time! What the hell was that for!?"

"A new move I thought of trying out," Nolan answered. "It is called Steel Beam. Though, I've heard it's a difficult move to manage. Now I can see why."

I groaned as I got back up onto my feet. "Well, don't ever use that on me again. I could've died, you know!"

"If I was giving it my all, you could have," Nolan pointed out, which in turn grabbed my attention. "I only opted to use Steel Beam because my other attacking move, Sacred Sword, would've cleaved you in twain. I also intentionally used Power Trick to lessen the damage, and thankfully took note that you were technically resistant to Steel-type moves. It seemed like a good idea to test out my new move that way without hurting you too badly, finden Sie nicht auch?"

A growl was building in my throat, and I almost ended up losing my temper over something so trivial. Still, there was something else inside of my mind that told me that I should just calm down, and just accept that this was all a part of the training…if I could call it that.

I clenched my fists, and took a deep breath. Looking back at Nolan, I give him a quizzical look, but I understood perfectly well what it was he wanted to do. However, I still had to know… "What was the purpose of your stunt just now?"

"To train you in understanding that every decision you make on the battlefield could have dire consequences if not carefully thought out. I made sure that I was able to look out for your safety, first and foremost."

I couldn't ignore his reasoning there. Giving a toothy smirk, I look at the Aegislash and start boasting with confidence. "You think I'm not careful enough?" I bemused. "Come on, Nolan. Josh and I have been surviving together for years, so you don't have to be too careful around me, right?"

"Then explain your plan of attack when you go out into a battle," Nolan stated. "How do you handle your opponent whenever they're in your vicinity?"

I playfully shrug. "I don't know. I just…instinctively do what I think would hit the opponent hard."

"That's not good enough, Adam," Nolan interjected. "You must understand that in combat, especially for you, it's all a matter of life and death. You can't just instinctively fight every opponent in your path. Sometimes, you must take extra caution when it comes to your enemies."

I've never even been much of a fighter. Ironic, considering what species I was. But even I had to admit that Nolan's words were very true. Whenever Josh and I would fight enemies in the open, he would give me some commands to do, and I would generally follow through with them. On the other hand, whenever I was alone, I would choose the fast and efficient approach of attacking the opponent really, really hard. There was one time where Josh reprimanded me for being too careless, but that was years ago. Back when we were on the Zero Isles, in fact…

Smiling at Nolan, I placed a hand on his head (or hilt? I don't know, I've never known what being a sword was like). "Alright. I'll try and be more careful."

"Ja. That's a good mentality to have," Nolan said.

"Although, there is one more thing I wanted to say to you," I said with a grin, hiding my open hand behind my back.

"Oh? And what's that?" Nolan asked.

In an instant, I lit my fist on fire, and tried landing a solid Fire Punch on him. However, what happened instead was that the moment I moved in for the punch, Nolan seemed one step ahead of me, and used King's Shield to defend himself. I growled at Nolan in frustration. "Seriously!?"

Nolan chuckled. "You are quite predictable sometimes."

For the record, I wanted to get back at him for firing a Steel Beam at me, but clearly, I wasn't going to do that if he knew what was coming. Utterly defeated, I just carried on with training like I was supposed to. We interchanged between instructors occasionally. Nolan supplied defensive tactics; Chris provided stamina and endurance training; and Cross ultimately showed me how I could potentially link my moves into combos that can easily mop the floor with various oppenents (his example being a Calm Mind and Aura Sphere combo, where he instantly chucked one of the energy spheres after his Calm Mind ended).

After a few hours, we were given time to relax a bit more until we started training again hours later. It was already High Noon, and we all needed a break. Cross instructed that we would all reconvene again in around 5 hours.

Approaching Josh after Cross's instruction, I could see he was busy stretching his arms and legs, all the while Rose was sitting next to him, feeling rather winded from the training she had to endure. As I sat down next to the both of them, I asked "So, what should we do to relax?"

Josh couldn't help but look at me with a smile. "We've been at this for three hours, and already, you want to take a breather?"

"Please tell me you're joking right now," I bemused.

Josh stopped his stretching, and chuckled, admitting defeat. "Okay, you've got me there."

Rose sighed, looking up at the sky. "I never thought training would be so exhausting. All that Cross seemed to want me to do was battle again and again so that I could go up in levels. And in interval periods, he would give me, and I kid you not, gummi shakes."

Josh chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, there's probably a good reason for that. Compared to us, you don't have the same kind of strength or skills for combat."

All at once, Rose glared at Josh, and Josh quickly realized his mistake and nervously went a little pale. "What I meant was that you needed to catch up to us if you're going to stand a chance against Team Delta, that's all! I'm not saying you're not strong! I would never say that. You know… How you're actually quite…decent in combat… I never would call you weak. Ever! It's insulting to hear that, especially from a teammate!"

Rose sighed and gave him a stern look. "Nice save," she joked.

"Yeah…"

Josh and Rose soon looked at each other earnestly, and the two of them both started laughing over the intensity of their expressions earlier. Josh was the first to stop his laughing, as he looked up into the clouds, giving a smile showing he was content with his place in the world. "You know, it's days like these where I would wish to go outside in the real world, and go out for a jog around the neighborhood. I even wished that I could go out there when the sun was at its brightest, take a trip to Dad's hunting lodge down the hill, and look at the beauty of the Mississippi."

This caught Rose's attention immediately. "Your dad was a hunter?"

Josh nodded. "He's an amazing guy, our dad. He's an honest and reasonable man. Always thinks about family and friends like they're people that should be cherished and protected. If I leave this world, I want to be a man like that."

Rose smiled at Josh's reminiscing, and before long, she gave a look towards me. "What about you, Adam? What do you plan to do when you get out of this world?"

This was such a sudden thing to ask me, I almost tensed up. "Me? Uh… I… I just…" I struggled to find the right words so that I can answer Rose's question. However, that made me really think about it a little closer. What do I want to do when I leave this world?

Chapter 29: The Chessmaster

I couldn't find an answer. I mean, for the past three years, all I've ever wanted was to escape from this prison that was the virtual world. But now that I really think about it, what exactly did I do with my life back home? Josh was always up and active, trying to make friends, taking scenic walks in nature's beauty, and finding every new experience in his life like an adventure that was waiting to happen.

Me on the other hand? What did I do when I was at home before all this started?

I write journals of my daily life, which started getting repetitive as the days droned on, and on, and on. I…play games during my spare time…alone… I watch movies, writing down lengthy essays on my thoughts regarding them. I catalogue my interests in ledgers on a daily basis, changing topics every few days to a few months.

But the real question remains: What do I want out of my life?

I've never given much thought to where the future would take me, and I would casually just go along with the flow, as time's endless river kept guiding me towards the next part of my life. But because of that, I've never planned things out as much as others my age would've done. There were other people back home who had dreams they wished to fulfill: see the world; become an artist; write a novel; start a family. So many branching possibilities, and not a single one seemed to grab my attention for very long.

That is…until the day that Josh introduced me to PMDO. He gave me a chance to finally do something outside of my usual safe space. I only logged in for a month, evolved into a Torracat, and logged out once Josh finally found people he thought would be perfect to start a team with. Josh was always the idealist. Seeking out new adventures and opportunities whenever possible. That sense of childlike wonder would always radiate off of him, and to many, it felt infectious. To others, it could be a tad annoying.

And strangely enough, after spending a month playing PMDO, after all was said and done and I left the game behind me, I oddly felt…strange. Like a piece of me was left behind, and I just couldn't figure out what it was. Every night after my first month, I would have dreams of exploring caves with Josh. He would be a Lucario, and I was an Incineroar. Our favorite Pokémon, no less. It felt as if it was something that was a dream that I wanted to achieve.

But then I would wake up every night, coming to the realization that I could never really have that dream come true, because it wasn't real. I was deluding myself with that mentality, and I could tell that staying focused on the dream rather than reality was going to make my expectations shatter once I finally reached adulthood. I was afraid that I could never rekindle that spark that I felt for so long.

Then the incident happened. I was almost killed by a deranged teen with a knife, my own human body trembling as I was huddled towards a wall. I thought at that moment that once I died, I would've lost the dream that awoke something inside of me. I was just another nameless victim to be piled on to the numerous boys and girls who couldn't accomplish much of anything in their lives.

But then…Josh rushed in, and was able to take that teen's life. All of this in an effort to save me. Why? Why go to such lengths after I just accepted what fate had in store for me?

Josh cried as he cradled the lifeless body of the attacker. Several students kept on calling him names. Monster. Killer. Lunatic. At least, that was what I interpreted from the babbling of students over Josh's loud anguishing screams.

And yet, as the police drove in, several concerned parents mourned the losses of the three students that died that day. I would've been the fourth, if Josh hadn't jumped in at that moment. Josh's own childlike innocence vanished that day. As the both of us were reunited with Mom and Dad, I could see that the vacant stare of Josh's eyes showed a soul that had been permanently scarred and stained with blood.

I was concerned for him, of course. I wanted to be there for him. However, I too was ultimately traumatized for life from such an intense near-death experience like that. If anyone needed comfort, it should've been me. And yet, Josh and I sat in opposite ends of our room, waiting until one of us could make the call to just hug the other, and whisper in their ear "Everything's going to be okay."

That never happened. Josh and I were alone with each other's thoughts. Mom and Dad comforted us, sure, but Josh and I haven't had the time to really connect with each other ever since I left PMDO. I thought that once Josh assembled his team, that was the end of that. I didn't have to bother with that world ever again.

The nightmares came in. I was running from a killer with a knife. I looked ahead, and Josh was there, looking at me as I tried to reach out for him. He had a pained look on his face, wearing a dark-blue hoodie as he looked over his shoulder to see me. And yet, no matter how far I tried to reach out to him, he would be a great distance away, and it didn't take long until I could feel the cold hand of death upon me as the killer grabbed my shoulder, and plunged the knife into my chest.

I woke up in an instant, panting heavily as I felt at my chest, feeling some relief knowing that I was only dreaming. It was around 5 AM when I woke up, and the weather appeared to be storming outside. Always a pleasant mood, I would think sarcastically.

However, as I looked over at Josh's bed, I found he was already wearing the VR headset, having logged into PMDO. I didn't know what he was doing in there all of a sudden, but the one thing that was on my mind at the time was how he must've been feeling. Nervously, I dug up my own headset, and logged into the game. Coincidentally enough, it was raining, much like it was IRL.

I was able to track down Josh's location by asking for directions if anyone has seen a Riolu anywhere, wearing a red scarf and supposedly looking immensely terrified/upset. They guided me towards Ethereal Forest, just a short distance away from Talis.

I found Josh after a couple of hours. However, the look on his face was that of shell-shock. His mind clearly wasn't in the right, and he wanted to continue with this helpless façade of blissful ignorance instead of owning up to the truth of the world. Josh claimed he didn't know what would happen if he did return home. He was too afraid of facing the real world, especially after everything that's happened.

He looked lost and afraid. However, he soon gave me a pass, telling me that it was the thing that would give us a chance to finally achieve our dreams. Dreams of greater adventures and discoveries. He looked to be mentally unstable, so I only agreed to do this because I didn't want Josh to devolve into something I couldn't recover.

However, little did I know, that this very action would trap me in this world. A world in which I've only been dreaming about for the past month at the time. A world which I've technically longed to return to, only because I began to feel more alive in there than I did in reality.

But as soon as I ended up using the pass, my whole avatar was enveloped in an ethereal light, I could feel my body break apart into pixels, and my whole vision started fading to a bright white before instantaneously blacking out.

Once I woke up, I found that I was soaking wet from the rain, still a Torracat in the virtual world. However, as I looked over at Josh, who woke up earlier than I did, his eagerness soon turned into bone-chilling horror. I asked him what's wrong.

His response: "I can feel my heartbeat."

I didn't think much about it at the time, but I quickly learned the significance of that. Heartbeats equal blood. And blood equals the very thing that we thought was impossible being brought into reality for us.

We were stuck here, unable to escape.

What should've been a dream for me was now a never-ending nightmare, even at this point in my life where I'm doing training at the Solace Guild. The first few days were the worst. I could never be used to standing on all-fours. This was compounded by the fact that if I died here, I may never return to the real world. That very thought terrified me.

Every night on the Zero Isles, I would dream of returning to the real world, and I was afraid that I wasn't strong enough to achieve that goal. I was afraid that I was slowing everybody down. I was in a dark place at the time, uncertain of what the future would hold for me, because every single day felt like torture. I wanted to give up and just accept that my life was just cruel and unrelenting, and that nothing I did would accomplish anything.

But the person who guided me, the one who was there for me when I needed him the most, was Josh. Since then, he has never left my side, always doing his part to keep me safe, telling me encouraging things that lifted my spirits. He even showed how much he truly cared as he embraced me in a hug almost every night on the Zero Isles, telling me that if I gave up, he would have nothing left to live for. Wherever I went, he would follow. In life. And in death.

The final day on the Zero Isles was the first time in my life where I decided to take action, choosing to make sure that Josh was kept alive. He inspired hope in me, and I didn't want that hope to die down. This was a partial repayment of what he did for me back in the real world, and to me, it felt like the one thing that needed to be done. I didn't want to lose Josh. Not to the elements. Not to a wild Pokémon. If he failed to inspire hope, then that flame that kept our team going would diminish.

It was Nick, our mentor throughout our training, who gave us the moniker of Team Inferno. He told us that whether or not that inferno was a blazing flame of hope or despair would be up to us. We would make use of that team name in whatever the situation called for.

For me, Team Inferno takes two meanings. It was either going to mean a flame of despair, indicating how this world would be the equivalent of Hell itself if we don't put up any resistance. Or, it could be a flame of hope, showing that as long as our spirits burn bright, we would inspire others to take on the crusade to help those in need. The name Inferno felt fitting, especially considering that we were going to have to give it our best efforts if we were to survive.

So every day, I would help Josh with missions, partake in training with him, and even share stories of our adventures whenever we were given the chance to. Oddly enough, Josh always kept the fact our original team name, Team Ignis, was disbanded. Not once were we able to say anything regarding the fact we were the tragic duo of EmanationJ an FireKat. Josh was strict about that, wanting to keep the past dead and buried, wallowing as just another nightmare that has long since passed.

One thing that I still kept from my past, however, was that I wanted nothing more than to return home.

Josh and Rose had already left to get some lunch on their own. Josh suggested he and I go to Chateau Damascus for some cuisine, but I opted instead to just mull things over back at our room in the guild, promising to meet up with him once training can continue later that evening.

The entire time I was wandering the halls of the guild, my mind raced back to what led me to that part of my life. And now, I was once again given the question of what it is I want in my life. What Rose asked me should've come easy, but…nothing. I was drawing a blank, much like how my life has been up to that point.

I arrived at my room, hoping to get some time to relax a little. I opened the door, ready to plop down on my bed as I went inside, only to then jump in shock at the sudden appearance of Lucian the Meowstic sitting on my bed reading "Rita Heyworth and Shawshank Redemption" to himself. He turned to face me, closing up the book, before saying "Why, hello again, BlazeTiger."

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM!?" I yelled exasperatedly.

"I thought I'd come over here to cheer you up," Lucian said. "After all, you have been rather dour as of late."

"That doesn't excuse the breaking and entering!" I stated.

"I'm aware, but this is quite important," Lucian insisted, getting off of my bed as he looked up at me. He adjusted his glasses as he stared at me blankly, saying "You have a lot on your mind, and I'm going to do whatever I can to help cheer you up. And in turn, I'm sure that with a clear idea in your head on what must be done, you can finally answer the question 'What do I want to do with my life?'"

I started to sputter incoherent syllables, wondering how he was able to know what was in my head, or how he knew I was going to be going up here to clear my thoughts, or how he could tell my mind is clouded by many thoughts going on in my head at once including the concept of my fate in this grand world of ours.

However, questioning it wasn't going to get me anywhere, so I decided to calm down, take a deep breath, and try to address the Meowstic in the room. "Alright, I'll bite. What is it you want to do?"

Lucian smiled innocently, and levitated up to my eye level with Psychic. "Funny you should ask, because it's really quite simple. You and I are going to play a game. That's all."

"A game?" I asked curiously. "What…kind of game? Rock, Paper, Scissors? Tic-Tac-Toe? Uh…marbles?"

Lucian gave a slight chuckle over my naivety, like my attempt on playing a simple little game to make him leave a little quicker wasn't what he had in mind. So, he ended up adjusting his glasses, and suddenly, a purple rug and a pair of matching pillows blipped into the room. He gave me an inviting look, and said "Please, have a seat."

I witnessed him fly off towards the pillow that was closest to the window and facing the door, leaving me to look at the only other open seat in the room. Okay, this guy is clearly up to something, I thought. Lucian's always been rather vague and cryptic (not to mention quirky and unpredictable), so there's no telling what he has planned here.

Without further questions, I sat on the opposing pillow, facing Lucian as he set his book down to his right. As he looked at me again, he sat up straight, and with such a jovial mood about him, he gently spoke "Now, I've heard that you and Team Inferno are to compete against Team Delta this Saturday. Your main flaw is that you tend to just…go with the flow, so to speak. You've always been a passive and reactionary person, without a single iota of interest in showing your hidden potential."

I knew he was bizarre, but I didn't expect him to say something so weird right off the bat. "So…your point is?"

"My point is that you need to improve your critical thinking capabilities," Lucian suggested. "I would suggest doing some reading, but that would take way too long. So, I've decided to come up with a very simple solution. Every game revolves around strategy. Videogames, your forte, require quick thinking and fast reaction time. But…knowing you, you seem to be a fan of JRPGs."

I averted my gaze as I decided to speak honestly to him. "I've…played a bit of Pokémon, here and there. But…that was ages ago."

Lucian adjusted his glasses. "From what I've gathered up about you from numerous outside sources, I have discovered that you not only played Pokémon, but also a little bit of Final Fantasy and Fire Emblem. But please, correct me if I'm wrong."

Heh. I've never even played Final Fantasy or Fire Emblem, I sheepishly thought. It was Josh who played those games. I've only spectated him playing them.

"Well, this makes things a bit of a challenge, but surely, some muscle memory could flash in and get you through this," Lucian said optimistically.

"Look, what is it you're suggesting? Enough of the vague nonsense already," I said.

"My my my. Willing to start so soon, are we?" Lucian soon clapped his paws together, closing his eyes, as the whole room suddenly started shaking. While I was nervously looking around to find what it was he was doing, he was quick to continue talking. "Games like Final Fantasy and Fire Emblem play off various principles in the JRPG genre. Final Fantasy promotes the idea of planning what your team does against a random monster encounter, each one assigned a class that designates them to particular roles. Whereas Fire Emblem is a tactical game, where you plan out where your units go on a grid-based board in order to defeat your foes. Since the latter will be our focus for the next couple of hours while the former will be addressed in your training, I have proposed we play…"

The humming of the air started to make my fur stand on end, as Lucian opened his eyes, and they glowed a vivid green. I didn't know what it was he was suggesting, but whatever it was, he was going a bit overboard with the dramatic flair. As the room kept shaking around me, the open space between the two of us hummed and vibrated more and more until…quite anticlimactically, the dramatic flair abruptly stopped as Lucian dug into his bag and immediately slammed a chess board right in front of me.

I gave a slight chuckle of relief as Lucian casually started setting up the chess board with the pieces. "You really got me there for a second, Lucian," I quipped. "For a second, I thought you were tapping into another plain of existence."

"Pfft! Why would I do that? It'd be a huge waste of my talents. Way too exhausting," Lucian said jokingly. "Besides, I can only peer through the fabric of space and time to see the future. Can you even imagine what it's like to constantly see every possible outcome every waking moment of your life? I'm telling you, it's a headache."

"But seriously, why all of the dramatic flair to announce we're playing Chess?" I asked curiously. "Josh and I used to play this all the time back in high school."

"True, but did you ever beat him in a fair game?" Lucian asked me.

That's when I began to feel nervous. Wait, did I play fair with him?

"The answer to that question is 'No,'" Lucian explained. "Josh was merely going easy on you. Told me himself."

"Wait, he told you?" I asked. "When was that?"

"When we last visited Volcanica, after your little dive into the soothing pool of 2,200 degrees of molten rock," Lucian answered coyly. "He was quick to mention how you and he used to play the game, and told me that he would always find methods of deceiving you into believing you had the advantage."

All at once, memories of Josh playing Chess with me flooded back into my mind. He would tend to go easy on me, considering I've only played the game in the off chance we were able to catch a break in school, like a study hall period or something. More times than not, he said he was running out of moves and pieces because of how he never took me seriously.

"Look," I said to Lucian. "I'm only asking what it is you want me to do with this game? What's the catch?"

"Catch?" Lucian asked slightly confused. "Care to elaborate?"

"Like, you know, if there's like a catch to playing this game with you?" I responded. "Do I lose parts of my soul with each piece being defeated? Do I face any dire consequences?"

Lucian shook his head as he finished assembling the pieces. "You've been watching way too many movies."

By the time the chess board was assembled, Lucian looked at me with a smile, and asked "Do you want the black or white pieces?"

Taking a moment to consider what to pick, I had to think about this carefully. If I choose the white pieces, I get to go first. However, that could only make him think of countermeasures to defeat me if that's the case. Wait… What if he…?

"If you're curious on whether or not I'll be reading your mind or predicting whatever move you make to guarantee my own victory, then don't," Lucian interrupted. "I will refrain myself from any method of cheating. I will not tolerate any kind of method to put you at a disadvantage. I only intend to play a fair game, and we keep playing until you have an epiphany."

"Wh-what? What do you mean by epiphany?" I asked.

"Please refrain from asking any questions that are relevant to the game," Lucian insisted. "Although, I do enjoy the occasional banter, if there's anything you'd like to talk about."

I begrudgingly sigh, partially because of how much Lucian is being weird for the sake of being weird, and the idea that I'm practically stuck here for who knows how long. I mean, I could always back out and walk away if I wanted to… Maybe he's testing me. What if he holds me in place with Mean Look until the match is over? What if he already did so?

"I assure you, I've done no such thing to force you to comply," Lucian reassured me.

"STOP READING MY THOUGHTS!" I stated.

"Then make your decision. Black or white?"

I groaned, resting my head into my hands out of annoyance. "Give me the black pieces!"

"Righto! Just give me a moment!" Instantaneously, the pieces are blipped onto their respective sides. Showoff. "Now, I shall make the first move." Lucian found a pawn somewhere relatively close to the center, and moved it forward by one space. "Alright, your move, Adam."

Looking at the pieces I have on my side, I notice that they're all neatly arranged. Nothing fishy about them. I decided to reach out and move a pawn forward, only when I did, I could've sworn the piece took on a different appearance. Looking down at the pawn, I saw what appeared to be a miniature Meowstic instead of a Chess pawn, as he looked up at me and winked.

I immediately withdrew my hand and rubbed my eyes, only to see that the pawn was no longer shaped like a Meowstic, but was back to being just a regular pawn. Wait… Did I just imagine that? Was I seeing things?

Lucian looked at me with slight concern. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

I hesitated to answer, so I instead cleared my throat and moved the pawn like I originally planned. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

The game continued, and every time he made a move, I would soon follow. Typical turn-based strategy. However, it took me longer than necessary to make any sudden movements, as I took the time to plan things out carefully. I was already a few pawns forward by the time that Lucian took a look at the board, focusing on the pieces themselves rather than me. He looked as if he were lost in thought, picturing something in his head.

Curiously, as I moved my knight forward, I asked him "What's on your mind?"

"Well, right now, I'm thinking about why you're taking so long to make your moves," he answered, moving a bishop forward, taking out one of my pawns. "I was sort of expecting you to pick up the pace as the game kept going."

"And how long do you think that would be?" I asked, moving one of my rooks. "I tend to think things over when I attempt to make a move."

"I see…" Lucian smiled, and he ended up moving one of his knights. "Look, I don't mean to harp on you or anything, but I can't help but notice that it's your lack of initiative and forward thinking that's causing the game to move so slowly."

"And you expect me to pick up the pace, I get it," I stated. "Look, just because I like playing games, that doesn't mean I'm as quick on my feet as Josh is. He and I have different approaches."

"I can see that," he said. "Clearly, out of the two minds, Josh is far more active."

The fact that he said that made me wonder if he was either mocking me, or trying to encourage me to keep up with him. Whatever the case may be, I knew that Lucian wasn't going to slow down at all, seeing as he makes a move as immediate as I ended up making mine. Therefore, the pacing was rather off. I was moving slow and methodical. Lucian was clearly faster and insightful. The uneven pacing from the moment I've started to make my move was a little jarring, but I was willing to see it through to the end.

Lucian looked up at me and gave me a smile. "From what I can see, you tend to give some pretty good strategy. Tell me, when you and Josh played this game in high school, how did you manage to act under pressure? After all, you had such a short time frame, it was only a matter of time until one of you is declared the victor."

I cleared my throat, before I chose to move one of my bishops as I explained what it was like to him. "Well…when we played Chess in high school, Josh and I would often take our time until we ended up wasting the whole hour of study hall. Josh ended up counting the pieces until we were able to see who won based on how many each of us had left. Well…he would often take it easy on me, as you said. He told me that I was ultimately not ready to take him on in a real Chess match. To him, he was the chess master! It's thanks to his love of Chess he would find a passion with video gaming. One thing evolves into another, as it were. Eventually, he and I would pick up Pokémon games from our cousins, since they've played the series for years before we picked it up."

"And…this was in high school?" Lucian asked skeptically.

I nervously looked at the Meowstic before I corrected myself. "This was back during our childhoods, actually."

"Then please, don't veer into any tangents like that," Lucian said with some slight annoyance. "It's a bit of a pet peeve of mine. I'd much rather prefer it if you stayed on topic. Or, if you chose to justify a point where two things connect, try to structure it through the form of a transition. Like, say you played games together as children, which soon turned into an interest playing video games. During your down time in high school, you would play Chess, while back at home, you would play Pokémon, or whatever game suits your interests."

"Okay! I think I get it!" I assured. "I'm sorry if I offended you. I didn't take you to be a stickler for grammar."

Lucian adjusted his glasses as he made his next move, taking out one of my pawns once more. Oddly enough, he was only focusing on the pawns. None of my other pieces seemed to grab his attention for very long. I could tell he knew what it was I was thinking from a slight smirk, but he very quickly returned to looking at me with an innocent gaze. Clearly, he knows what he's doing.

This in turn was starting to make me nervous. By the time I looked at the board, I was already down four pawns. As for him, he only seemed to have lost two pieces from me: a pawn, and a knight. I was starting to get a little nervous, my hands shaking as I looked at the board. My mind raced as I was unable to figure out if I can make a move that could take out more of his pieces. Worst of all, he seemed awfully close to the vicinity of my king and queen, ready to strike, but ultimately choosing not to do so. Why, though? Why would he even bother?

"You seem tense," Lucian said suddenly. "Are you okay?"

I gulped nervously. "Yeah. I'm just peachy," I said. I decided to make my next move. I took my knight, and made a move towards his rook, which was in the right spot for me to take out on my next turn, if he fails to take notice the position of my pieces. However, instead, he took the bishop piece from the other end of the board and knocked away a fifth pawn from me.

The bishop in question was in a position to take out my king on another turn if I didn't make the right move. "Check," he said.

As I looked at the pieces I had available, I could technically move the queen in there to defend the king, but it would ultimately cost me my strongest piece if I did so. Neither of my bishops were in a viable position, and neither were my rooks. Gulping, I decided to take back my original plan of taking out his rook and instead focus on the bishop. I looked to see if there was anything I could do. Anything at all. I didn't want the king to fall.

I made my decision. I didn't want his rook exposed and willing to attack any other pieces, but this bishop takes priority. I ended up moving my queen in to shield the king, anticipating the bishop to attempt a strike.

Lucian immediately followed by moving his bishop towards my knight, the very one that was supposed to take out his rook. The stinging pain I felt as I lost a piece that wasn't my pawn was already starting to wear away at my nerves.

"Too bad," Lucian said, lowering his head in shame. "And here I was, thinking I was going to spare your life, little knight."

It was then, I realized I made a mistake. As the knight was picked up by Lucian, I sighed, knowing that I ended up costing myself if I wasn't able to take action. He knew how nervous I was with this, and I didn't know where I was going to keep moving. Regardless, I thought things out carefully, until I ended up eventually making my next move.

This proved to be futile, as every move I make, he seemed to be somewhat ahead of me. Eventually, I ended up losing one of my rooks, my bishops, the remainder of my pawns, and my other knight. I didn't have any chance of beating him, given that he's only lost two pieces, soon made to only having lost six by the time I was down to the final stretch of the game.

Soon, he ended up backing me into a corner with just my king, my remaining rook, and my queen. Of course, where was I going to go from here? I was so scared of what was to come that I stood petrified for the longest time.

Lucian yawned wide, and gave a concerned look at me. "Are you okay, tiger?" he asked.

I sat there, my breathing ragged, my heart racing, my fur standing on end, and my palms sweating. How long have I sat here playing a losing game? I don't even know where to move from here! He's got me cornered, yet not in a state of checkmate yet. Come on, think! What am I supposed to do?

I slowly lifted my hand, wanting to see if I could move the next piece willingly, or fail spectacularly. My heartbeat quickened as I looked, and pondered what I should do next. Where do I go from here?

But then, as I blinked, I could've sworn that the pieces on my side of the board began to take on different appearances. My rook was Cross. My queen was Rose. And my king…was Josh. I figured I must've been seeing things, but since I've never once hallucinated before, this was apparently very strange for me.

All three of my pieces looked up at me. Notable looks of concern dotted their faces. I was letting them down. I was failing to live up to the potential of being a capable strategist. I felt like such deadweight, putting a lot of pressure onto myself, and I was only slowing them down.

"Some birds are not meant to be caged," Lucian said somberly, grabbing my attention.

"W-what? What do you…m-mean?" I stuttered.

"This place, Red," Lucian said as he looked at me. "You, and your clever chess playing brother are just stuck here, betting everything on simple chance. Not even I know what your future will hold, since the possibilities are seemingly endless. If anything, all of your indecision on your life has given me some perspective of my own mere existence."

Uh oh. I hope I didn't end up rubbing off on him in a negative light! "Uh, hey, look, I know I can be a little pessimistic, but there's no reason for you to start contemplating things by this point, you know?" I stated in a hurry. "Besides, if we fail, we fail, right? That's the lesson you're trying to teach me, right? How sometimes, we must learn from our own failures?"

Lucian didn't respond verbally. Instead, his head lowered, and I couldn't tell what was going on through that blank expression of his. He appeared to be looking at my three remaining pieces, a look of pity (I think) strewn across his face. "Josh isn't going to take failure sitting down," he said. "After all, he's been known to stand up and instill something that is bound to rile others to his side. As for Rose, she is so sweet and innocent, being dragged into this whole mess purely of her own volition. She clearly has no clue on how big this whole story truly is. And then there's Cross. When I look at him, he exudes so much positivity it's practically infectious. Even I couldn't help but smile whenever I'm in his presence." Taking a glance up at me, he continued. "And then there's you. You seem to be needing what those three seem to radiate more than ever. You are just a bird, caged up in this very town, perfectly content with staying in one location until things brush over. But life in of itself is not simple, Adam."

I was afraid to ask him, but I had no other option. "You can tell from reading my mind, right?"

Lucian shook his head in response. "I could sense it in your very soul. You long for a means to escape. And yet, here you are, doubting you can ever truly return home, because you can't help but see yourself as a severely flawed individual."

"That's putting it bluntly," I retorted. "The reason I feel the way I do is because I have no idea what I want to do with my life!"

"Clearly," Lucian replied. "However, I have sensed your mind, how you longed for the thrill of adventure, and the risks and dangers that go with it. You're not doubtful because you have no faith in returning home. You're doubtful…because you are afraid of taking chances. Afraid that once you reach your limits, it's over for you. That you never seem to have the drive to give it your all. You intentionally hold yourself back."

That gave me a pause for thought. Did I? I'm the one that's the weak link?

Looking once more at my pieces, I saw they returned to the shapes they were originally. I was at a loss for words. I didn't know whether the pieces took the shapes of other people I know because of my doubts and insecurities, or if I'm starting to lose it.

Taking a breath, I looked sternly at Lucian, and asked him "What was the purpose of this game, anyways?"

"To show that you can't keep living in the shadows of the past, Adam," he answered. "What has happened happened. Nothing we ever do will change what occurred in the past. It's fixed into place. You and Josh got stuck here because of something that you both didn't want to happen. About how Josh risked his life to protect you. And how Josh feels lingering regret over his actions."

I furrowed my brow as the Meowstic kept on giving me vague hints. His demeanor was enough to make me start to look bitter towards him. I don't know Lucian all too well, but one thing I did know…

He's just pushing me until I break. That's what he's doing.

"You must accept that you and Josh are a cat and dog pair that have opposing ideals," Lucian continued. "But more importantly, you must understand that the reason Josh has done so much for you is because you haven't given your best effort since the Zero Isles. If you continue to restrain yourself, your future will be bleak, and wrought with heartache. To guarantee a better future for not only yourself and your friends, you will need to stoke the flames in your heart, and do what you have to in order to inspire your friends."

I was afraid he was going to say that. And yet, how could I be able to inspire others like he said? I had no idea how I was going to do that. These thoughts were enough to make me anxious, causing my body to tremble, and leaving me uncertain if I wanted to continue pursuing this pointless battle. I thought I already was giving my everything as it were, but then this Meowstic had the gall to say I was holding myself back.

I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth as I felt a little insulted by the idea that I was feeling weak. How he made me feel less and less confident with myself. Why would he-?

Wait…why am I feeling this way? I'm getting all worked up…but why though? Is this how I feel, or is this just the Incineroar part of me nagging at the back of my brain?

I gave a huff as I moved my queen out of range from my king, taking out one of Lucian's pawns. However, Lucian then moved his bishop to the edge of the board, placing it in line with my king, sighing in disappointment. "Checkmate."

The game was over. I lost. The stinging feeling of losing the game permeated my body like an electric jolt. I winced and lowered my head in defeat, acknowledging the loss I felt.

"Well, that was certainly an experience," Lucian said, placing the chess board away. "I hope you manage to get over the loss with a new sense of perspective."

"I won't lose…" I muttered.

"Hmm?"

"I won't lose if it means that we'll be stuck here," I said more confidently. "I swear to you, I will be able to beat you at your own game." I pointed my clawed finger at Lucian, my own voice booming with renewed vigor. "I want to challenge you again to a chess match, Lucian! I won't give up! If you say that I need to build up my confidence, then teach me! Show me how to be strong! And I promise… Once I get back home, once I go back to being a human again, I will chart my own course for the future! You can't push me down one path, L! I am willing to forge my own destiny!"

Lucian stared at me blankly without a single word emerging from his mouth. I panted after giving my declaration, wondering why he didn't show any emotional reaction at all. My own burning passion lingered for a good, long, silent minute, all the while we just stared at each other, not even moving.

However, the moment passed, and I lowered my arm. My head cleared up, and the emotional baggage I had building up inside of me was fizzling out. The feeling inside of me quickly changed from ambitious, to solemn, to regretful. I felt as if I shouldn't have snapped like that. Having given in like that…scared me.

Just as soon as I was about to say I was sorry for snapping at Lucian, he smiled, followed by a rather sudden and playful chuckle. Ooookay… Not the reaction I was expecting whenever I vent out like that…

Lucian soon calmed down, sighing as he placed a paw near his chest. With a smile, he said "So you do have fire in you. Here I was, beginning to worry." He looked over at me cordially, the smile ever present on his face. I was slightly confused by his reaction. "Today's game was all but a test to prove your worth as a fighter."

"Huh?" I was in utter disbelief at his actions. "But we didn't even fight!"

"True, but every battle is determined by numerous factors," Lucian stated as he adjusted his glasses. "When it comes to battle, it is all about three things in particular: physical strength, endurance, and mental fortitude. However, that last one was the purpose of this very exercise."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"To put it simply, I was going to see if you have the wherewithal to build yourself up," he answered. "You didn't have much confidence or drive before we started, and now, I can see the ambition to keep going still burns brightly within you. And to think, that this was only the first game."

"Wait, first game?"

Lucian nodded, looking at me with a smile. "These games are to better yourself as a fighter, Adam. I'm doing this as a way to pay myself back for Josh."

Well, I knew that Lucian was strange enough to challenge me to a game of Chess, but under the request of Josh? That was a surprise.

"Of course, he didn't phrase that I would be building you up through Chess, specifically," Lucian stated. "He merely told me that if you were going to pursue your chance at freedom, you need to build up more confidence against your opponents. Learn to walk in shoes that, up 'til now, you've only experienced on an external level. You're holding yourself back…but that's only because I was tasked on finally letting that Incineroar inside of you finally break free."

I guess I should explain myself, given I am being put on the spot. You see, Incineroar are known as the Heel Pokémon. Any professional wrestler would know that the term "Heel" would refer to the role designated for the antagonist. I found this out the moment that I burst out into a fit of emotional rage when Josh and I sparred with each other at one point, and to Josh, it came as quite the shock. It was Volt who told us both why I acted the way I did. I hid some sort of temperament that only boils up whenever I'm in a conflict. The fact he said heels were designated to villains in professional wrestling was an idea that scared me. Josh ultimately took offense to that notion, and said I was not a villain in the slightest, which I appreciated.

Despite this, however, Josh and I have had mutual fits of anger boil up at points. I can't help but imagine that Josh was the one getting angry just so that I would seem better in comparison. In truth, I'm not a bad guy. But the moniker I've been given, of being this fierce and powerful adversary, it…didn't sit well with me at all. When I chose to play as a Litten when I first logged in, I never would've imagined having to build up this urge to fight. This desire to give in to my own instincts and show off my power to an adoring crowd. Granted, I liked the attention and admiration we were given, though I was unsure of whether it was because we were working hard and growing stronger as a pair, or because of the fact I was an Incineroar, and that this was all a part of who I am as an Incineroar.

This mentality, I guess, is why I tried to be more like how I would be IRL, rather than embrace my own Pokémon nature. I was afraid that I would only out myself as a bad and disrespectful person if I really did go all out. Sure, I had occasional outbursts of emotion, but that was mostly it. Most of the time, I was only going to just be who I am, and be Josh's little brother (well, little in the relationship sense, since I was taller than him physically).

I am afraid of myself, and what would happen if I just unleashed my full strength. My true nature. I honestly don't want people to think of me as anything more than a nice guy. One who unintentionally makes a few clumsy mistakes every once in a while.

And yet, Lucian was the first person I've met that didn't flinch or feel terrified by my sudden outburst. It was as if he has no sense of fear in the slightest.

Just…who are you…?

"I'll have you know, I'm not at all afraid of who you are," Lucian said. He patted my cheek, a gentle smile showing on his face. "However, it's only a matter of time until you can show your true potential. Josh told me about how you hold yourself back for his sake. And now…I figured that you need to finally give it your all, and fulfill that promise you made to your brother."

I was at a loss for words over how soothing and gentle Lucian sounded. His smile hid something that not even I seem to know about. He's smart, but also…mysterious. An enigma that seems to be like a voice of reason.

It isn't long until he starts walking off towards the door, before he soon turns around and digs into his bag. "Oh, I almost forgot. I have a little something to give to you."

The Meowstic ended up pulling out a TM from his bag, and he levitated it towards me with Psychic. As I took the disc, I saw that it was red-orange in color. A Fighting-type move? "What's this?"

"Think of it as a consolation prize for our game," Lucian answered. "I'll be arriving back here on a daily basis up until your eventual fight with Team Delta. Until then, I can only hope this move proves to be of use to you." He winks as me, and he soon leaves the room, leaving me all by my lonesome once more.

Everything that he said to me during and even after our Chess match was…interesting, to say the least. Whatever his goal was, he seemed to be doing so to help me. If I was being honest with myself, the fact he was the first to not recoil when I lost my temper was oddly reassuring. It was like…he didn't think of me as a big, scary guy. He saw me for who I was. A scared, lost, and insecure person. And me venting like that must've been something he was anticipating, and he considered it a good quality for me to be honest with myself.

Whatever Lucian's goal is, I still have several questions to ask him that need answers. It's as if he knows how to plan his moves in anticipation to what comes next. A genius in his own right. It was like the world of this game was a chess board, and I was a piece in it. And he claimed to be guiding up on a course for a better future, so in turn, he himself was a chess master.

I dreaded the time when we would meet again, and how much I was going to get answers for. But for now, I was just glad to have gained something in return. I lost the battle, but I felt as if I have grown from this experience.

I look at the TM more closely, and I saw the name of the move that he gave me as a consolation prize. "Bulk Up." I winced a little at the name of the move, but it was then I recalled what I went through with Nolan earlier that day. "You need to be certain that your strengths are utilized in ways that don't just bring in major damage, Adam… Sometimes, you must take extra caution when it comes to your enemies… Your true strength still lies within, so what we need to do is let it out."

I sighed, taking a look at the TM carefully. I was unsure if I could really go along with using this move, especially since I'm only trying to fight against my foes through offensive means. But…if I was to utilize some sort of defense… Could this prove to be for my benefit?

The next thing I knew, I heard thunder roaring from outside of my room, and I saw that the sky was becoming cloudy. I knew I had to get stronger. And if this was some sort of omen, I had a feeling that a big storm was coming…and I needed to utilize everything I've got in order to win.

The thunderstorm was rolling along the eastern regions. The winding Milotic River was calm and tranquil, but the moment that the storm was getting closer, it spelled out a foreboding sense that something was going to shake its very waters, leaving nothing but devastation in its wake. Flying Pokémon were seen retreating from the upcoming thunderstorm; the Water Pokémon feeling unsteady as they swam in the waters of the river; the Pokémon on the land were taking extra precautions to hide from the intense storm that brewed in the distance.

And sitting alone, hiding in the top of a tree, lied Zeraora.

He took notice of the upcoming storm. He quickly realized that if he didn't seek shelter, this storm could prove to be one he couldn't possibly overcome. However, to him, the storm wasn't the one that was brewing in the sky. To him, the real storm was the quintet of Pokémon pursuing him as they were descending from the mountains, fast approaching the river.

"Hmm… An Empoleon I can take no problem," he muttered to himself. "The Mienshao and Dusknoir seem to be a decent challenge. The Tyranitar could prove to be difficult if I'm not careful. But…"

As Zeraora took a look at the team of Pokémon in the distance, he was quick to make out that among them was the Charizard he fought against before. The one who forced him into running and hiding around the eastern region. He proved in the past to be quite the formidable opponent. Nevertheless, Zeraora was not going to be played for a fool ever again. This Charizard was powerful. And he was the only one that Zeraora recognized that made his palms shake.

Zeraora clenched his fists together, looking at the coming storm, and hearing the sound of thunder building up.

He smiled. "I guess it's my lucky day. That Charizard won't even know what hit him."

He got up and stood on his branch, staring at the group as they were just leaving the mountain pass. "This time, things are going to be different. This time, I'll be the one who will be victorious. Your days, Charizard, are numbered. Once I'm through with you, you will be thanking me for releasing you from this wretched world you ever so struggled in…"

Zeraora was going to move, but then, he began to recall what it was that the Lucario he faced against said to him. "We have numerous reported deaths by YOUR HANDS… Killing other people doesn't justify serving a noble cause!"

And all at once, Zeraora trembled. The tone of the Lucario's voice rung through his ears. He stared once again at his paw, unsure of himself for the first time since he fought with Austin. Why was he feeling this now of all times? What made him afraid of what he must do?

He gripped his paw, taking steady breathing to calm himself down. Once he finally felt like he was soothed of all his doubts, he once again saw the quintet of Pokémon as they were slowly approaching the river. Thunder roared in the sky, and flashes of lightning were starting to be noticed over the mountain peaks. All at once, rain slowly but surely started to pour down from the clouds, soaking up the trees, and causing the waters of the river to ripple. The wind started to pick up, and Zeraora could feel that the trees were starting to sway back and forth from the gales.

"A storm is coming… Time to make my move." And as the lightning flashed, Zeraora leapt from the trees, and vanished into the storm, ready to strike.