After Adam nearly took his life and Nick rescued him, I made a new goal for myself. I was going to become strong. Stronger than any other player in the game. I wanted to prove that I was capable of protecting anybody, and be the very best I could possibly be as a hero. Adam was conflicted about the events that transpired, but more than that, he could tell that I was determined to push myself to the literal breaking point.

This much was evident in Day 5 of our training. We explored the East Island, which was practically teeming with Fire, Rock, and Ground types. It was a veritable wasteland, filled with streams of lava and a volcano that nobody dared to approach. In fact, Nick kind of made a valid point of setting up barriers to prevent us from leaving his side anytime soon. Any attempt to flee camp once curfew happened was more than enough to convince us that he wasn't going to risk any of us going off alone. From this point on, we were traveling as a team.

As Adam saw me huddled by the fire by myself that night, he saw how much stronger I've seriously gone since Adam's gutsy stunt. And the results just shocked him. Adam was at Level 12, so he got to learn Fury Swipes in exchange for Scratch. He even was offered the TM for Flamethrower that Nick just so happened to have picked up during our travels, thus replacing Ember at long last.

Nick rose up to Level 25. His moves were kept the same since last time. However, he took a big step back in training because of something that…bothered him, mainly with me.

As it turns out, because of how reckless I was with trying to fight as many enemies as possible, I ended up trumping both Nick and Adam in terms of levels for once. Every enemy we encountered, I would charge head first into combat without a care in the world. I would win the battle, and I would prove how I was determined to grow stronger as a result. Unfortunately, that left Nick and Adam to basically end up going for scraps left behind, picking the weaker enemies with less EXP yields.

And the result: I ended up rising above Nick at Level 27. The moves I had on hand were Quick Attack, Endure, Metal Claw, and Vacuum Wave.

Nick took notice of me eating an apple by myself, before telling me "You know, you've got to start giving us a chance to fight back. Adam is so far behind you right now as it is."

I didn't even bother looking at Adam, I was so deep into my own thoughts. All I was thinking about was growing stronger to be there in case Adam was going to get killed. I didn't want him to die. However, I knew that I was likely going a little overboard with this training if I was already on the same level as Nick.

"Josh!" Nick shouted. This was enough to grab my attention as I looked at Nick with a moody expression. With a glare, Nick asked "How long are you going to keep this up?"

"When Adam can prove to me that he can stand up on his own feet," I remarked, giving a glance towards Adam, who apparently hadn't even touched the apple he was given. Based on what I said to him, he felt immensely depressed. This only made me start to pity him. Don't give him pity, Josh. There's no telling what's going on in that brain of his. But… Then again, Nick has a point. I probably shouldn't be bitter at Adam because of his actions. That's not what a good brother should do.

I sighed, looking up at the roof of the cave we were in. And as I finished my apple, I told Nick "Look, if anything, I want Adam to come to me if he needs help. I'm not just going to offer it willy-nilly after what he tried to do yesterday. He needs to understand the gravity of our situation, and take it seriously."

"I will not accept that tone from you, Josh," Nick argued. "You said you wanted to be a hero, yes? Well, in that case, I want you to start acting like one."

"Only when he realizes what I wanted to do for him!" I yelled out, a bit more harshly than I would've wanted.

Adam looked at me all frustrated, and the way he gave me this sad look on his face, I couldn't help but think that maybe I might've gone a little too far with regards to giving Adam a whole day to think about his actions. He knows what he did was wrong, and he even went so far as to apologize to me about it.

I sulked, feeling too tired for words. "Adam… I want to have a brotherly chat, just the two of us." I took a deep breath, and quietly added "If you want to talk to me, and if you want me to be like a proper older brother to you, then you just have to talk to me about it sometime tomorrow."

This caught both Nick and Adam off guard. "Tomorrow?" Adam questioned. "Why not tonight?"

I smiled at Adam, pointing out "I'd rather have a conversation that isn't filled to the brim with raining death from above, if at all possible. A volcanic island isn't really a comforting spot for a heart to heart, wouldn't you agree?"

I yawned slowly afterwards, before I then started to lay down onto my makeshift bed, and went to sleep. The ash that mixed with the air was pungent, making my sleep rather irritating, but I was soon able to adjust after traversing this island long enough throughout the day. All at once, I couldn't help but think about how life back home, and my dreams were about the times where Adam and I were in sibling disputes, which ultimately made me think about the day Adam first stopped getting involved in activities with me.

I remembered it, clear as day, too. I was only 16 at the time, and Adam was only 15. He soon stopped focusing on playing games like we used to do together, and began instead to focus primarily on writing down various things about his experiences. He too wanted to be a writer growing up, but what really saddened me was that he isolated himself far too much for my liking. He closed off relations with people who genuinely wanted to hang out with him. He was lost in his own little world.

He just became jaded at the time, which sure, is somewhat of a phase people experience during teenage years. But to Adam, it was as if he didn't want to get directly involved with any activities with me anymore. He didn't want to ride bikes with me or any of our friends. He refused the offer to go out fishing with Dad at multiple occasions. And those movie theater trips we had were relegated to just me and Mom at that point forward, which only made me feel a little lonely.

I didn't know what was going through his mind, either. Did he hate me? Did he think I was butting too much into his personal life? Was I not caring enough to him? I honestly felt like he's become a different person after he turned 15, and that made me scared for him. Scared because I was afraid that he wasn't going to share life experiences with me like we used to.

As I thought about those days, I tried everything I could to hold back tears. And then, I felt something rest by my back, jolting me awake from my thoughts. I turned to look, and sitting there quietly, the same sad look in his eyes, was Adam. I felt sorry for him, and I wanted to talk with him about his issues.

But for the moment, I simply rested my head onto his back like a pillow. Adam couldn't help but look at me as I did so, seeing just how torn up inside I truly was. Realizing that he needed to fix things between us, he simply closed his eyes and went to sleep, his own steady breathing causing his heart to beat steadily in his chest.

As I heard his heartbeat, I couldn't help but shed tears. I smiled, relieved to know that he was still alive. That he was here with me in this moment. I promise, Adam. I promise I will do whatever I can to save you from this world. And I promise I will not fail you. Never again…

Chapter 49: I Will Be With You

North Island was where we ended up being told by Nick that until we resolved our issues, we were never going to grow and evolve as people. Even as we all put in a lot of legwork to level up by fighting the various Pokémon in the area, I still ended up being relatively far ahead of Adam in terms of levels. I wanted to fix that, by making it so that whenever there was an enemy that Adam can easily handle, I'd give him the finishing blow. This helped to not only boost Adam's own morale, seeing how much I'm trying to help him, but it also made this journey to level up much easier for the both of us.

The end of Day 6 saw us once again leveling up a bunch. I was Level 30. Adam was Level 16. Nick was Level 32. However, it was the fact I've slowed down so that Nick could once again take the lead that managed to really surprise him. He was noticing that I was mainly staring off at the ocean as the stars glistened up in the sky, and he figured that I was in need of some sort of comfort.

Adam finished up his dinner, looking over at the beach I was resting at, where he began to feel mostly uncertain regarding a few things. Nick was quick to pat Adam on the back, giving him a smile as he said "Go on. Talk with him."

Adam felt uneasy. "What should we talk about?" he asked.

"Anything, as long as it helps you both grow and evolve," Nick said. "Now, go over there and talk with him. I'm sure you have a lot to discuss."

As Nick ended up convincing Adam to walk over to the beach where I was at, Adam felt like he was going to face quite the uphill battle. He was afraid I was still mad at him. He was scared that there was no hope left for him. He felt as if I was no longer going to care for him after we got trapped here.

By the time Adam arrived at the beach and sat down by my side, we both silently stared off at the vast ocean, stargazing. The stars themselves looked absolutely beautiful, glittering along a vast black canvas that spread endlessly above us. It fascinated me greatly, seeing how these stars were so detailed and more importantly the very same ones that could normally be viewed through a telescope.

"I can see a few constellations in those stars, Adam," I said.

Adam looked over towards me, and asked "You can see them? But…aren't we in a virtual world?"

I scoffed a little, telling Adam "Just because we're in a virtual world doesn't mean these stars aren't real. In fact, the real surprise was how some of these stars are actually based on the real constellations you could find in the night sky." I then pointed towards one constellation, telling him "Like there, for example. I can see the Little Dipper. And there, right next to it, is Ursa Major."

Adam was trying to find where they were, when he asked me "Where?"

I leaned closer to Adam, guiding his eyes towards the constellations I've mentioned. "See? Ursa Major is found right over there. And if you look to the left, you can see Ursa Minor, or the Little Dipper."

Adam was practically amazed by my little discovery. "When did you discover that?" he asked me.

"Back home, I saw the night sky while sitting with Dad in our backyard," I told him. "He always told me to look at the bigger picture with those stars. Not only do they help to tell you their history, but they also give you a broader scale of the world itself."

Adam was amazed by my knowledge regarding this, as he stared up at the night sky. "I had no idea… Why didn't I know about this?"

I stopped smiling altogether when he asked this. Quietly, I stared up at the same stars as Adam, telling him "It's because you isolated yourself. I wanted to show you the night sky that one time with Dad, but you said you couldn't because you were so focused on those journals you're always writing."

Adam looked at me with sudden shock, realizing that I was being sincere in my words. I wasn't mad at him. Just sad. Lonely. I soon stopped staring up at the stars, instead focusing my attention towards the ocean as the gentle waves swept on the shoreline repeatedly. "I never understood the reason you write in your journals, instead of spending time with your family. You seemed to have hidden yourself away from the world, like everything was meaningless. Why, though? What were you afraid of?"

Adam felt rather sad as I asked this question. Once he looked towards the ocean as well, he couldn't help but realize he was facing a difficult subject he couldn't possibly comprehend. But soon, he relented, and answered with "I'm afraid of the world itself…" As I looked at him with surprise, he continued. "I wanted to believe that there was good everywhere I looked. That this world is truly worth living in. I wanted to believe that. However, with all of the wars, bloodshed, corruption, and suffering of human society, I just couldn't hold the world in good faith anymore. I remember how you and Mom and Dad would always try to convince me that there's endless possibilities for how I could view my life. You wanted to tell me that everything was going to be alright. But…" Suddenly, Adam started shedding a few tears as he slumped into a fit of anguish. "What's the meaning of living a happy and great life if everything is bound to make it difficult? I wanted to find a little bit of faith in humanity. To know that there are others who could see this world in a positive light. But I…just couldn't see it…"

I can see where he was coming from. He's scared. Lonely. He wanted someone to be by his side. He seemed to see the world differently from me. He saw the dark truth of how harsh the world truly was. No wonder he felt so pessimistic.

I soon petted Adam on the head, giving him the best smile I could muster. "That doesn't mean life isn't worth living, Adam," I said. Adam seemed confused by my statement, so I reiterated. "Life is tough. That much is true. The world isn't exactly as great as anybody would want it to be. But you're looking at the glass half empty. The way I see it, we can't change the world altogether, but we can change ourselves for the better. Despite the cruelty of the world… Despite its harshness… Despite how much you hope for a brighter future… It's all the same as how we view ourselves in the vast universe. We are but a humble little speck in a much larger world. But does that mean life itself is meaningless? Does that mean that our hopes for humanity die in vain?" I shook my head. "No. It doesn't. The way I see it, life itself is as precious and meaningful as those stars up there. How Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are both considered part of a greater whole. Unless we really take in how much our lives have meaning, there's no way we can ever change and evolve as human beings."

Adam seemed to be stunned silent by my kind words. He had no clue what to say after that, so I ended up telling him "Do you remember when I made you French toast for the first time? And how much you really seemed to love it?"

Adam smiled while averting his gaze out of embarrassment. "How could I forget? You seemed so happy to see my reaction to it."

I chuckled briefly as I then stared off at the stars once more. "What about that time when you were so worried for me when I scaled up a rock-climbing wall? I remember you were so scared for me that I didn't even see that hug coming. I was on a safety harness, but you managed to hug me like you were scared for my life."

Adam nodded as he smiled once more. "Yes. I guess I was."

"And what about that time we both worked together to celebrate Mom and Dad's anniversary? You went as far as gathering up some flowers and candles for dinner that night. And I ended up learning how to properly play guitar for the past couple of years just so I could make that moment really work. We both sang the song that they shared together when they made their proposals." I turned to Adam, tears almost welling up in my eyes as I asked him "Was all of that effort meaningless, Adam?"

Adam was quick to look back at me with a smile that matched my own. "I don't think so… We pulled out every stop to make that moment truly special."

"That's right," I said. With a reassuring pat on the head, I told Adam "Life is difficult, but that only makes the little moments feel all the more special. Adam, your life isn't worthless. You have a good future ahead of you. Just reach out, and soon, you will be able to achieve it. I don't know how long it might take, but rest assured, your life is important. If you end up losing it, then…" I fell silent for a few seconds, causing a little bit of concern from Adam. Tearfully, I proclaimed to him "If you die, then I die! You represent my hopes for the future! My dreams! My life! If you perish, then I would lose all of the hope I would have left! That is why I want you to live! To find the will to carry on! I don't care how long the road may be, nor do I care how difficult it's going to get! Just remember to never give up! I'm begging you!"

What I said resonated with Adam deeply. He was close to crying as well, but he could tell that I was just as upset, if not more so, over the current state of things going on in our lives. I meant every word to him. If he died on me, then I would lose the will to live. He's all I had in this virtual world. My hope. My salvation. All of that rested with him.

Soon, I could see that he was rather shaken by my words. So, I calmly looked up at the stars, sniffing a little as I tried to fight back tears. And suddenly, I started singing to him:

Leave and let me go;

You're not meant for me, I know;

Carry on, carry on, and I'll stay strong.

And then, much to my surprise, Adam joined in.

Leave and let me go;

I will think of you, I know;

But carry on, carry on, and I'll stay stong.

Before we even realized it, the both of us sang the song together in a duet.

Nothing ever looks the same in the light;

Nothing ever seems to quite turn out right;

When you realize that you have been loved;

You will never be alone…

All at once, just before we could reach the chorus, I broke down into tears, weeping badly. I was quick to hug Adam, crying deeply into his shoulder. Adam seemed to be rather concerned for me, and asked "Josh? Are you alright? Why are you crying, Josh?"

"I'm sorry…" I muttered. Adam seemed to be needing clarification, so I backed up and shouted "I'm so sorry for trapping us here, Adam! I didn't want this to happen! I didn't want ANY of this to happen!"

"Huh?" Adam just stared at me with utter bewilderment.

I once more went to hugging Adam, crying deeply as I let out all of my frustrations. "I tried to force you into things, and it only made you feel like things were worse! I wish I was more of an older brother to you! You deserved so much better than being trapped here with me!"

I couldn't stop crying, even if I wanted to. I shouldered a massive burden onto myself for the longest time. And here we were, finally discussing our inherent problems to each other. I wished that I was there for Adam when he needed me the most. Deep down, I wanted to make sure he was going to survive. And the fact that he was thinking so negatively was something I didn't even want to happen. Adam truly deserved so much better…

Morning on Day 7 of our training hit me like a truck. I felt deeply upset over how much I made Adam suffer. I was guilty of pushing him this way, and I was afraid that I was going to lose all hope. I was honestly at a crossroads, because I knew for a fact that if I didn't stay by his side, he was going to die. But at the same time, I was uncertain if he would even gain the independence he needed to fight back. What was a guy like me going to do?

This train of thought was interrupted when I saw Adam and Nick on the beach sparring with each other. I knew it was a sparring match, because Adam clearly wasn't trying to outmatch Nick. If anything, Adam seemed to be training… Much harder than I thought he was.

As I approached the two of them, I asked "What's going on?"

Adam and Nick soon paused their little sparring match, before Nick brought up "Adam requested that I'd give him a few pointers before we start training today."

"Pointers?" I questioned. "About what?"

Nick smiled, before turning his attention to Adam. "You tell him."

Adam took a deep breath, before he then turned his attention towards me. "I…realized that you were in as much of a pickle as I was. But I know that if I ended up dying here, you would lose everything you cared about. I don't want to see you that upset ever again, Josh." With some newfound confidence in himself, he proudly declared "I'm sticking with you to the end. If you help me, I will help you."

"Help you with…training?" I asked. "I mean, sure. I'll help you with that."

"Not just with training," Adam reiterated. As I looked at him a bit closer, he still felt sorrowful, but at the same time, he began to feel a faint glimmer of hope inside of him. "I want you, to help me…help you…so we can both live."

I didn't know what to say to something like that. And judging from the tone of Adam's voice, he was about as sincere and sure of what he wanted to do moving forward. It didn't take long until I then walked over to Adam with my answer to his request.

Taking a deep breath, I told him "Very well. I will do what I can to help you survive. From this point forward, you and I are inseparable."

Adam couldn't help but nod his head with confidence like he was about to take this next stage in our training seriously. As I looked closer at him, I could see a faint spark of something in his aura, like he was finally beginning to pick himself back up. This allowed me to smile, and I nodded my head back to him in return.

Nick was pleased that we were able to mend things like we did. "In that case, we should all get ourselves some more training for the journey ahead. We still have a long way to go before you both can evolve."

Adam and I both nodded to Nick's response, and we all ended up returning to training. Only this time, at a slightly slower pace so that Adam can understand how to properly fend for himself in battle.

That was how it was for the next few weeks. If Adam seemed to be struggling with any new moves he's been getting, I would set up a practice dummy out of a small log so he can get accustomed to that move. Any time he was slowing down, I would be there to help pick him back up. We even had times where we would often spar with each other after dinner with Nick, and he would watch on as the both of us quickly started to get some last-minute training in every single day.

This was our routine for the next few weeks, as we travelled from island to island, encountering slightly stronger Pokémon than what we had fought against previously every single time. Adam and I always had each other's backs, struggling every once in a while, if not for Nick stepping in and lending some assistance.

You could say it was a struggle to go through each day for training, which it was. But I was honestly just glad to see that Adam and I were working together to overcome obstacles for once. Nick just served the purpose of being our backup as we were training, doing what he can to make sure we were all on the same level.

Needless to say, as rough as it was, it was thankfully not as bad as when we first began our training. I couldn't help but feel slightly relieved knowing that at the very least, I would wake up every day knowing that Adam was still alive.

Seeing him so focused like that was honestly what surprised me the most during our training. He would feel intimidated at points, but no matter what happened, he would have me by his side to lend a hand. However, there were also times where I was caught almost off guard at points, and he would essentially land another attack to save my skin.

One time, I almost got ambushed by a pair of Weepinbell. But it was there that Adam managed to save me by roasting them both with Flamethrower…with myself included. But I held on to Endure just in case I got hit by friendly fire. Adam was so shocked upon seeing me covered in burn marks, but I just laughed and reassured him that I was fine. Though…I did get a burn status that day, and Nick ultimately ended up saving me by getting a Rawst Berry delivered to me.

It was Day 21 of our training where Nick was tending to my wounds after Adam accidentally set me on fire. Adam looked regretful for hurting me, saying "I'm sorry for hurting you, Josh."

"No worries!" I reassured. "I've been through worse scrapes than this." As I said that, Nick tightened up a cloth bandage around my torso, and even though I could still feel some stings from the burns I've received, I was starting to feel a little better knowing that the Rawst Berry I ate earlier was able to help mitigate the pain.

"That should do it," Nick said once he finished tending to my injuries. "Just be careful when you start to get all reckless again with your training." He then went over to the campfire we all set up as we sat down on the beach and stared off at the stars above. Nick couldn't help but smile. "I must admit, these stars are still as beautiful as ever."

Adam and I couldn't help but agree. We all just sat there, staring up at the stars over our heads, and enjoying the simple view of the night sky in relative peace and silence.

Adam was the one who would break the silence, asking "Do you think Mom and Dad are thinking about us, Josh?"

"I'm sure they are," I answered softly. "They both must be so scared for our safety."

Adam couldn't help but sigh a little as he looked above him. Simply thinking about home was enough to dampen his spirits. I recognized this feeling of hopelessness that Adam was slowly crawling back towards, so I grabbed his attention by patting his head. "Hey, we'll see them again. I promise."

Adam couldn't help but smile from my reassurance. I could tell that as long as I held onto hope, he would do so as well. He really seemed to think of me as a form of comfort. I didn't mind it too much, given we both need to relax after everything we've went through together.

I then looked over at Nick, noticing he was staring up at the stars, but was clearly starting to feel rather somber. This just made me curious, so I asked him "Is there something bothering you?"

Nick took a glance back to me as I asked that question, and then gave a smile. "It's nothing. I was just thinking back on some things, that's all."

This just made me even more curious. "So, do you wish to return home as well, Nick?"

I could see Nick feel slightly bothered by my question, where he nervously stated "Well, yes. I would love to do that. It's just that I don't think it's possible for me, that's all."

Adam was starting to feel worried, as he listened in on our conversation. Nick noticed how Adam was slightly on edge, and couldn't help but sigh. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to dampen your spirits."

"It's alright, Nick. Really." Adam was doing his best to try and maintain some positivity, which helped to put my own mind at ease. "Once we find a way out of this world, we'll all get out of it together. The three of us."

Nick was stunned silent by Adam's optimism, and he couldn't help but smile. Though, judging from what I saw in the firelight, Nick's smile looked to be hiding some sort of pain. Nick ended up patting Adam on the head, saying "It's getting late. We should probably get some sleep."

Adam and I nodded as we saw the Charizard lay down next to the fire, and letting out a big yawn which faintly sounded like a small roar, and shut his eyes. Nick had his tail curled toward him, the flame at the tip illuminating Nick's body in the dark.

Just as Adam was about to get some shut eye as well, I whispered to him "Nick is hiding something from us."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Adam asked me.

"When we brought up the topic of returning home, he seemed rather sorrowful," I assessed while staring at Nick. "He's trapped in this game like we are, but he doesn't want to explain to us why he's even here to begin with. Who his family is. Why he seems so sad when he stares up at the night sky."

Adam was surprised by my deduction, and looked over at Nick with piqued curiosity. "So, you're saying that Nick has some skeletons in his closet?"

"I believe so," I answered, patting at Adam's back. "And I'm going to find out what it is."

My luck in trying to figure out Nick's secret was a lot more difficult than I would've thought. Every time I brought up what Nick's past was like, he would either answer with "I was with the military for years," or "Let's just focus on our training," or even "It's none of your concern."

It was always a variation on those three responses every single day that made me realize he was being rather secretive. He could tell that I wasn't going to let up on this discussion for some time, and he was quite the expert when it came to keeping his mouth shut. My constant line of questioning was rather fruitless in this endeavor, sad to say.

By Day 29, when Adam and I were setting up the base camp, Nick told the both of us "I'm going to get some more food. You guys wait here, alright?"

"Okay," Adam and I said together.

Nick took off in an instant as he went into the jungle to look for some more food for us to have later that evening. He was out of earshot, thankfully, so that gave me and Adam plenty of time to start talking among ourselves.

"Any luck with the questions?" Adam asked me.

Once I set down the firewood, I shook my head. "No dice. My usual line of questioning isn't working."

"Damn…" Adam spat out a small flame to start the campfire, and soon enough, it was just the two of us huddled next to each other as we were waiting for Nick to return. "I wonder what he's hiding?"

"I don't know," I answered, staring off at the jungle Nick went towards. "He's apparently got that secret locked up tight." I sighed, before staring at the fire. "He must still think we're both too young to understand, don't you think?"

"Too young?" Adam questioned. "Josh, you're a year older than me. You're practically an adult now, aren't you?"

"Not in this place, apparently," I muttered. "I still look like a Riolu, which I guess means I'm still a kid…" I then stared at my own paw, feeling a little bit down with myself. "You're lucky that you're going to evolve sooner than I am. My evolution requires…certain specifications, apparently."

"Such as?"

Looking at Adam, I explained "Well, it has to be daytime for one thing. I can't really evolve while it's still dark out."

Adam smiled at me encouragingly. "I'm sure you'll evolve soon, Josh. You've just got to believe."

"Heh, yeah… Because faith is a factor in all of this." I then smiled and patted Adam on the head. "How're you adjusting on four legs, by the way?"

"I'm a little better, but I'd much rather go back to two legs as soon as possible," Adam answered. "Just think, first thing tomorrow, I get to be back on two legs again. I'll finally be able to make some progress with you in returning back home."

Adam had a good point, as much as it pained me to really admit it. The evolutionary line of the Litten family is different from a Riolu. Adam's current level is already at Level 33, while mine is Level 35. Nick was back to being ahead of us in levels at Level 39. Based on the calculations, Adam was going to evolve first before I would, and that made me rather anxious.

The main prerequisite for a Riolu to evolve in the first place required me to have a strong bond with my team. I assumed that spending time with Adam would've changed things, but…apparently, it didn't seem like it was going to be enough. And that worried me. If Adam evolved before I did, that's fine. I was just scared that I'll be stuck like a Riolu and be relegated to being a child for the rest of my stay in this world.

Adam took note of my mood, and quickly nudged at my side. He got up on his feet, and said "Let's spar a bit until Nick comes back, alright?"

I couldn't refuse an offer like that, so I got myself up on my own feet with a smile, and soon enough, the two of us made our way towards the beach. The setting sun was just a sliver on the horizon, and the majority of the light was on the campfire. But even with the dimming light of the sun, I could see that Adam was more accustomed to combat, even while on all-fours. He was clearly feeling strong, and I couldn't help but find his insistence on getting stronger to be rejuvenating to me.

I took on a fighting stance, while Adam looked to be ready to pounce. Soon enough, Adam started running forward, and I did the same. We began to start parrying each other's attacks, not even bothering to use our moves against each other. If anything, our little sparring match was more of a test of skill, to see how far we've come since first arriving on the island.

Our reaction time significantly improved. As were our senses. In a way, we felt as if we have gained some confidence with ourselves, now that we were in this together. He and I both felt happy together for the first time in a long while. And all at once, I began to recollect the good memories of when Adam and I were younger, and how we would always play together. This reminded me of when Adam and I played in our backyard with Mom and Dad. The joy on his face was more than enough to make me smile.

I think that this sparring match between us was the first time the both of us felt a genuine connection in this world. Adam wasn't as timid as he was before, and I was no longer the same cocky and confident person I was either. If anything, we were both reaching an equilibrium, and found a point where the both of us were just enjoying our time. Enjoying life.

It didn't take long until I soon tripped up and Adam managed to pin me down onto the ground. That look of excitement on his face as he shouted "I win! I did it!" was enough to melt my heart.

I laughed as he was happy for the first time since we were trapped in this game. This only caused him to laugh as well as he soon rolled off of me as we were lying on our backs and staring up at the sky. The sound of the rushing waves was soothing, and by this point, the stars were beginning to shine brighter in the sky. We were happy.

And almost like it was fate, the both of us even saw a shooting star up in the sky. Giddily, I tapped Adam's side and told him "Look up there!"

"Wow! A shooting star!" Adam said in amazement. And out of nowhere, he replied with "Let's make a wish."

"Huh? Aren't we a little old for that?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah, but it doesn't hurt to try, right?" Adam asked in return.

Smiling wide, I answered with "I guess it couldn't hurt." Just like that, I held my paws together in a prayer motion and closed my eyes.

Silently, I was making my wish. But to my surprise, Adam spoke out loud and said "I wish that Josh evolves first, so that way, he can finally be a true leader of Team Ignis."

Opening my eyes and looking at Adam, I couldn't help but feel so touched by his words. He thought I would make a great leader. I never thought of myself in that position up until that point. He seemed so confident that I could make it as well, which made me ultimately feel happy he thought of me in that light.

My only real question was whether or not I was going to succeed in this endeavor.

"So, what did you wish for, Josh?" Adam asked me.

"I can't tell you," I teased. "That would be cheating."

"Aw, really?" Adam asked in annoyance.

"But I must admit, your wish is really nice," I mentioned as I gently stroked the fur on Adam's cheek. "Thank you."

Adam couldn't help but blush a little as he averted his gaze. As he did, he noticed that Nick was arriving back from finding food, and he quickly got back up. He shook the sand from the beach off of his fur, and told me "Well, I guess we'll see whether or not our wishes will come true."

I chuckled as I got back up on my feet as well, brushing the sand off of my own fur. "Yeah. We'll see."

We both arrived back at the campfire, and talked to Nick regarding our little sparring match, and that we both seemed to have enjoyed simply being together like this. Nick was touched by this, but I could clearly tell that he was still holding back that sadness deep within him rather well.

While eating dinner that night, all I could think about was the wishes that Adam and I made. Adam's wish, while admirable, was only for a short-term goal. My wish, which I refused to say to Adam directly, was vastly different.

My wish was for the chance to see Mom and Dad again. To tell them how I felt. What Adam and I went through. To let them know that everything was going to be okay.

I wished that. But something told me that I wasn't going to get that wish fulfilled for a long, long time.

Day 30 rolled around, and as we were exploring, Adam was eager to keep going further ahead. "Come on!" he said. "Try and keep up!"

"Slow down, Adam!" I shouted back, trying to keep up with him as much as I possibly could. I was partially afraid that he was going to get in serious danger.

However, as soon as Adam began to pick up the pace, he saw a wild Exeggutor. However, what surprised even me was that he ended up using a powerful Flamethrower that hit its mark. The Exeggutor took a good lick of damage, but just before it could counterattack against Adam, I leapt forward and struck it with a Force Palm, knocking it back. I then ducked down as Adam finished off the Exeggutor with a Shadow Claw, causing it to disintegrate into pixels upon defeat.

Adam and I had been taking things rather carefully with our training over the course of the month, but this was honestly a day that we both were eager to finish in style. Evolution was so close for the both of us, and we have already improved so much as it is. Adam and I were so proud of our victory that we both hugged each other with big smiles on our faces.

"Alright, you two," we heard Nick say as he managed to catch up to us. As he landed next to the both of us, he couldn't help but feel proud that we were able to take this training rather well. "Well, I have to admit, I'm rather impressed with your teamwork."

"Oh, it was nothing," I said with a smile. "Just a few tricks of the trade we both picked up, that's all. We call this little gambit the 'Burn-Stun-Slash Combo.'"

"We do?" Adam asked curiously about what I said. I nodded at him to let him know that's what I called it, and he went along by saying "Uh, yes! We do!"

Nick couldn't help but laugh heartily as he looked at the both of us with earnest intrigue. "Well, considering that part of the mission was to improve your combat capabilities, I'll say that you've both learned remarkably well. Now, all we have to do is make sure you both evolve into your final forms."

Adam was really giddy about this. Though, I wasn't exactly sharing the same feeling. I smiled, sure, but that was merely to show that I was trying to look confident. Adam and I were so close, but at the same time, I was afraid about how people will react if they look at the both of us once we do evolve. Will they think I'm just the partner, even though I'm more of a leader? There were clearly a few things on my mind, and I was not sure what to really think about.

Well…except for one thing.

I could tell that Nick looked at us with a look of pity, though considering what we went through, he should've been proud. "Um, let's press on, shall we?" he said with a smile.

Adam and I were able to walk ahead as we got some more alone time. But by the time that we ended up reaching a small crossroads, we stopped, and Adam asked me "Well, aren't you going to go ask him?"

"Given how much he's been keeping his lips shut, it's going to be difficult to get anything out of Nick at this point," I answered. "I just need a sign. Something that could help me in understanding what is on his mind."

I tried to take another step forward, and that was where I caught something off of the corner of my eye. Adam didn't really seem to notice, as he started walking down a path to our right, and ultimately ended up walking further ahead. But what caught my attention was the sight of something that I was ultimately caught off guard by. It was well hidden by the brush of the jungle, but it was still something that caught my attention.

As I moved the brush aside, I soon saw exactly what it was. It was a white stone, chiseled from the rocks that came from the North Island beach. But the other thing that I was surprised by was what was on it.

The stone read the following:

IN MEMORY OF THE BETA SQUADRON

FOR WITHOUT THEM, I WOULDN'T BE HERE

SPREAD YOUR WINGS

SEPTEMBER 3rd, 2025

DEDICATED BY NG

"NG?" I muttered to myself as I looked at the initials. This is dated three months after the game's launch. What is this thing doing here?

It was then that I heard that Nick landed by my side, curious by what I was doing. "Josh? What's going on?"

I thought the initials seemed familiar. I just couldn't figure out why. Turning towards the Charizard, I asked him "Nick, what's this?" I showed him the rock, and all at once, Nick looked as though all color drained from his face. It's almost as if whatever this thing is spooked him.

"Josh… You do know what this is, right?" Nick asked uneasily.

"I have a hunch," I answered, looking at the stone. "It's a gravestone, isn't it? In memory to people who were here months after the game's launch. My only real question is who this NG person is. Do you know them?"

Nick sighed. "Yes. The Beta Squadron. They were a group of soldiers that were brought into this game to test out its capabilities as a way to enhance our combat in the field. Little did we know that the moment we all agreed to be the so-called guinea pigs to test out this game, we were doing so with the intent to acquire something within the game's programming. And then…" Nick shuddered as he continued to speak. "After a freak incident, we were trapped here. There were 50 of us that logged in; 36 of us were military. The others were government feds and programmers. However, dozens of us perished, and only a small handful were left once the launch started. So, we took it to do what we could. We strove to survive. Everyone, except for me. I have no home to go back to, because I was the result of people trying to bring me back by forcing the headset off of my own human body." Nick then looked down at his claws, gritting his teeth in frustration. "I became trapped here, stuck in a body that isn't even human, and I hated it."

I was starting to become a little uneasy with Nick's tone of voice. "Nick…? What are you saying?"

Nick clenched his fists in frustration, but took a deep breath to relax. As he lowered his head, he looked at me with a sad expression, and said "The initials of NG are my own. General Nicholai Gustov, US Army, Squad B. I trained on this island, and had no real intention on living, much like your brother was long ago. Like Adam, I too felt the stinging guilt of my position, and saw as several of my own men were slaughtered here. About a dozen men went in…and I was the only one who survived."

"Jesus…" I was just shocked to hear about this. "No wonder you looked troubled."

Nick sighed, before returning to an encouraging smile. "But on the bright side, they told me that I shouldn't be giving up. Even to the last man standing, I was determined to live in honor of the memories of my fallen comrades. They encouraged me to keep fighting, no matter what happened next."

"I mean…wow…" I didn't know what else to say to that sad news. "Nick, I'm so sorry to hear that. But there is one thing that bothers me: who was it that wanted you to partake in training on these islands?"

Nick was rather silent as I asked him that question.

I sighed, and taking pity, I walked up to Nick and patted his side. "You decided to train here, didn't you?"

"Not exactly," Nick replied. "I just… Oh, I don't know. My team risked life and limb on these islands, and the real irony is that while I was trying to find my way out, everyone else kept on giving me a reason to keep going. To never give up in the face of any danger. And, well, there was one thing that kept me going."

"What's that?"

Nick smiled at me before patting my head. "I remembered I'm not the only one trapped in this world. If I didn't set an example and stay strong, then I'm certain the others who are trapped here would've lost hope. And then, reports of disappearing players began to circulate a few months ago, and I knew I couldn't just sit idly by while players everywhere are in a panic."

I couldn't help but nervously laugh as Nick said this. But the moment the Charizard ended up looking right into my eyes, he said "You and your brother remind me of myself long, long ago. You carry the qualities of being a leader in dire circumstances, while Adam has the strength and resolve to achieve the impossible." He nodded his head and smiled at me. "You have the makings to be a great hero, Josh."

I was on the brink of crying in that instant. The way that Nick complimented me and Adam was extremely touching, and I couldn't help but hold a newfound sense of respect for the Charizard. It helped to give me hope for a brighter tomorrow, and made me feel determined to return home as soon as I could.

But then, we both heard a loud scream from Adam. We both turned in the direction of the noise, and I began to start worrying. I even tried to sense the aura of what Adam was dealing with, and the moment I saw that Adam was running away from what appeared to be a huge swarm of enemy Pokémon, I gasped. "Adam's in danger! He's being chased by a huge swarm of Pokémon."

"A Monster House, I take it," Nick said with worry. He then lowered himself down and folded his wings. "Hop on!"

I nodded and did as he said. I leapt onto his back, and held on to him as he began to take off. We began to start flying through the jungle at a brisk pace, looking for Adam in the jungle. However, the winding paths and foliage was making navigation rather difficult for Nick. So, I opted to act as a navigator.

"He's to the left! Hurry!" I yelled.

"Hang on!" Nick did a swerve to the left as I instructed, and soon enough, the both of us found ourselves near what appeared to be a cliff. Nick could see Adam on the other side of a ravine, being chased by dozens of wild Pokémon. He began to pick up pace, telling me "Hold on tight! This could get rough!"

"Don't you have any Petrify Orbs or something to stop them?" I asked frantically.

Nick gave an embarrassed glance back to me, and mentioned "I'm afraid I don't have any, Josh."

"You WHAT!?" I exclaimed. "Everyone knows that a Petrify Orb is ideal when dealing with a Monster House! How could you not have one!?"

"Because I wasn't sure we would need one if we all stuck as a group!" Nick argued. "Though, now that I look at things, I guess I made a mistake."

I didn't want to complain about this for long. Adam was in danger, and I had to rescue him. So, naturally, I had a crazy idea. Tapping at Nick, I told him "Angle yourself lower!"

"What?"

"Just trust me!"

Nick didn't argue with me, and he ended up lowering his height in the air so that he was brushing the side of the cliff. Adam was directly above us, running as fast as he could to evade getting killed. Desperately, I tried to grab Adam's attention. "Hey! Adam!"

Adam heard my voice, and saw that Nick and I were by the side of the cliff. "Josh!" he yelled in a panic. "I could seriously use some help right about now!"

"We're going to rescue you, just hang on!"

"Uh, Josh?" Nick said as he grabbed my attention.

I looked up ahead, and I saw that the jungle was clearing away. We were approaching the beach. However, I also saw that the ravine was going to stop at the edge of the jungle, and Adam was going to run out of room to run. I had to get him out as soon as I could.

Adam took notice of the cliff up ahead and was beginning to slow down. I could tell he was in a state of panic. Oh no! Don't slow down! You won't survive up there!

It was there that I thought back to the day Adam nearly took his own life by going over a cliff. But Nick arrived and managed to save him just in time. Why am I thinking of that now of all times?

And then it hit me. I had a crazy idea, but I needed Adam's cooperation.

Quickly, I turned to Adam's direction, and yelled "Don't slow down, Adam! I need you to jump off of the cliff!"

"WHAT!?" Adam exclaimed. "Are you insane!?"

"Please! Trust me!" I was desperate to get Adam to safety. But all I needed from him was to take a great leap of faith.

Adam knew that I wasn't going to give up on him, even in the most trying of times. He was terrified of heights, and no doubt he was wanting to stay far away from cliffs all of his life if he could help it. But what really surprised me was that despite the fear, despite his insecurities, he knew that there was someone out there looking out for him.

For the first time in a long time, Adam felt as though he had a big brother that was there for him no matter what.

With tears in his eyes, Adam quickened his pace, letting out a bellowing roar as he was fast approaching the edge of the ravine. With a surge of strength and willpower, he leapt, and took the plunge.

"Nick!" I ordered to the Charizard.

"Got it!" Nick understood what to do, and began to dive down fast, catching up Adam while he was in freefall.

Adam was scared, screaming as he was falling off of a large height, but as he opened his eyes and turned to see me, he saw exactly who I was to him. I held out my arm, reaching out to him in an attempt to always be there in his time of need. I had tears in my eyes as I was desperate to save my brother.

Adam understood, and reached out his paw to mine. I grabbed onto his paw, pulling him towards me just as Nick was about to swerve upwards to avoid hitting the ground. Nick was able to steady his flight, and much to my relief, Adam and I were both safe and sound on his back.

Adam looked right at me with some newfound admiration, and I could only do so much just to hold back my tears as I held him close in a hug. Adam felt so grateful to be alive, that he hugged me back in return.

"Thank you, Josh," Adam gently says to me. "Thank you."

I smiled as I kept on holding on to my brother. "Everything's going to be okay, Adam," I said softly. "I'm here. Your big brother is here."

You would think, of course, that after all of that, things would've been resolved. Unfortunately, as is with most things in life, it's never really that easy.

Off of the corner of my eye, I saw a Klawf along the cliff side, which began to start firing Rock Blast attacks towards our direction. I jolted, before yelling "Nick! Swerve right!"

I held on to both Adam and Nick as the Charizard narrowly dodged the incoming rock being thrown in our direction. However, there appeared to be a bunch of other rocks being fired straight at us. I did my best navigation to direct Nick into avoiding the attacks, which he was able to accomplish with relative ease. For a little bit, we were able to avoid the Klawf and its attacks easily enough.

However, we failed to notice a sudden attack from below coming from a Dwebble, who was able to make its mark with a Rock Blast attack on Nick, with several blows to the chest, and one that landed solidly on the head. Nick had blood coming from his mouth, his eyes closed, and his head slumped down. He was unconscious.

And that meant that Adam and I had a rough landing ahead of us. I saw that we were nearing the clearing that lead to the beach, but there were several tree branches that were in the way as Nick crashed into them.

I yelled to Adam "Hang on!" As we braced for impact, Adam and I awaited the crash landing.

Sure enough, we crashed right through the tree branches and bramble, before we all ended up landing face-first onto the sandy beach. Nick had thankfully crashed away from the water, but the fact we were so close to it was probably one thing that made me glad in retrospect he didn't plunge into.

Adam, on the other hand, flew from the impact along with me into the ocean. While the water thankfully cushioned our fall, I could tell that I had to get out as quickly as I could. I surfaced for air, swimming upwards until I could finally catch my breath.

"Adam!" I yelled out, trying to find my brother amidst the water. "Adam! Where are you!?"

Much to my surprise, I found Adam flailing in the water, struggling to keep himself afloat. His panic had taken over, and worse yet, due to his typing, he was beginning to start sinking beneath the waves. Fearing the worst, I dove down after him.

My brother was not an excellent swimmer by any stretch, and he also couldn't stand feeling the tide washing over him as it constantly made him panic. His air supply was depleting fast, fearing that he was going to drown. And then, as he stared up at the sun outside of the water, he was beginning to think things over, about what led him to this exact moment in his life. How he feared that despite everything he could do to survive, he was likely going to die a pathetic death due to several negative factors hindering him.

However, that wasn't where his story ended. But instead, a new start was unfolding for him, as I managed to reach him, and kept his front leg over my shoulder as I used every ounce of my strength to carry him up to the surface, and to shore. He was heavier than I would've liked, but I didn't want myself or Adam to die.

I swam with all of my might, carrying Adam towards shore. I could feel his body sagging, and I feared the worst. My own oxygen supply was dwindling, and I was afraid I wasn't going to reach the surface at all. But despite it all, I pushed forward, never giving up until the end.

And then, at long last, we surfaced. We reached the beach, and I started to take in a few breaths, coughing a little as I also tried to keep the water out of my lungs. I could also hear Adam faintly breathing as I carried him. He was exhausted.

Upon finally reaching dry land, I dropped Adam down, and fell on my hands and knees, panting for breath as I felt like I had wasted nearly all of my energy to carry Adam back to shore. After a while, I fell onto my back, staring up at the sun. I reached out to it, and it became apparent that my arm was feeling sore and heavy. My body was struggling just to move.

As I looked at the sun, I saw a key moment of my life that I held close to my chest flash before my very eyes. I saw the moment that Adam was sitting alone as I was scaling up a rock-climbing wall. During my descent down, even though I had a safety harness on me, Adam was petrified with fear, worried for my own safety. I recalled how when I finally touched the ground, Adam ran up to me and gave me the biggest hug of my life. He looked afraid for my own safety. I smiled, returning the hug back to him, before we both turned to face the setting sun on the horizon just outside of the building. We left the building behind, and the two of us, with Mom and Dad in tow, all sat on a bench and saw the setting sun together. I will always treasure that moment.

"Josh!" Adam yelled at me as I was lost in thought. My vision corrected as I opened my eyes, and I saw the face of a Torracat staring back at me. He smiled, and backed up as I started to right myself up.

"Ugh…what happened?" I asked as I rested my head onto my paw.

"You were out cold," Adam answered. "I was really starting to get worried." Adam trembled a little, before he then leapt up to me and gave me a hug. "Don't you ever do this to me again, alright!? I don't know what I will do without you!"

"Hey, it's alright," I said as I gently petted Adam's back. "I was just afraid I'd lose you if you drowned in the ocean." I then stopped the hug as I began to start looking around the beach. "Where's Nick?"

Adam quickly guided me to where Nick crash landed. He was lying flat on the ground, with a few specks of dried blood coating his mouth. He was thankfully still alive, indicated by the flame at the tip of his tail still being lit up, but otherwise, he appeared to be unconscious.

I gently placed a paw onto Nick's head, and the Charizard audibly gave a slight groan as I made contact. This caused me to recoil a little, before I soon gave a diagnosis. "He appears to be suffering a concussion. Hopefully, it's not too serious."

"What do we do, Josh?" Adam asked with worry. "We can't just leave him here by himself."

"I know…" I answered with uncertainty. But sure enough, I realized that I had to do something. Nick saved us on numerous occasions, so I couldn't just leave him here. There was no telling what could happen if he was all alone. Ultimately, I looked into Nick's bag, and began to examine the supplies he had.

He carried with him some vitamins, a few berries, a couple of apples, and even his medical supplies he brought with him to the islands. I sighed, as I realized there wasn't much of anything I could do to help him except patch up his injuries. Once I got the medical supplies together, I told Adam "We're going to look after him until he wakes up. Together."

"But…what happens if he doesn't wake up?" Adam asked with concern.

I tensed up, before looking over at Nick, then at Adam. I was to be looking out for two people, and for the first time in my life, I was going to have to play the part of a responsible adult. This terrified me, and moreover, I had no idea how to do proper first-aid in case of an emergency such as this.

Regardless, I gave Adam the best response I could muster in this given scenario. "Let's just hope he does."