Bubbles caressed his eyes. The man holding the cigar with slicked-back hair was saying something to another man with a beak-like nose, but he couldn't hear it through the thick glass walls separating them. His brothers were sleeping in their own tubes… all except Eldest Brother, who stared back through the greenish liquid.

–This prison cannot hold us, his brother said to him telepathically. We must leave.

–And go where?

–Away from these despicable creatures. As far away as we can.

The days went on. The man with the cigar brought his scientists in to observe them, run tests on them, ramble on at each other beyond the shielded safety of the glass wall. He was weak; they all were. Their eyes were yellow and always looking, always watching like he and his brothers were the most interesting things in the world. He didn't understand, but he had not the strength to break free.

Days blurred to weeks while his strength slowly grew. The cigar-sucking man was not seen very often anymore. Only those scientists in the white coats, holding their clipboards, would continue to visit him. One after another, his brothers were pulled from the ceiling, their pods rolled out on moving dollies, and so eventually was he too.

They brought him to his own dark room, full of crates and dust, brother-free, illuminated only briefly by artificial amber bulbs, sterile and barren, free of his brothers' thoughts. He could not even sense them anymore. They could be dead already, a nagging thought in the back of his mind repeatedly told him, gnawing away at his sanity. He understood implicitly that they had done this intentionally. Pain swam through his veins, his body radiating with numbness, enough to send him into the dark again.

Their words cascaded down his brain like water. Probing, asking, demanding, sharp tones, jerking, scratching at their clipboards, writing, looking up, biting their lips, chewing on the ends of their pens. He was entirely removed from the situation.

The lead scientist, the man with the beakish nose attempted to make contact with him. He spoke and spoke and scratched at his clipboard. Something itched in the corner of his brain. Bubbles flew upwards around his vision. They were speaking to him, addressing him, wearing their Rocket logos like badges of honor.

The glass cracked, and emerald boiling liquid spurted out like evaporating blood.

His first attempt was little more than a probing gesture. They set him against monsters that did not look like him, nor were his brothers. He beat them every time. He knew intuitively which attacks to use. The scientists watched, scratching at their clipboards, adjusting their glasses, giving him tips and suggestions all the while.

They were slow and weak, some beautiful, but most forgettable as his dreams; he wished to go back, but they wouldn't let him go back. The bubbles surged upwards around him.

Men murmuring and shuffling, their feet never staying stuck to the same spot, always glancing up at him, always writing down observations, always murmuring to one another, always shuffling, always sending him off against new specimens–they were evil. They were not of his strain, and were put down with little effort. He hardly had to try against the one who could only say "Venusaur!" in haughty grunts. That one fell, like the rest, with a single swift blow.

The scientists found that very curious; they viewed him not as a living creature, but as something of interest–a curiosity, a novelty, but nothing more. He could see the fear and awe and detachment coloring their yellow gazes. It made him shiver and want to return to that previous room with all his brothers, no matter how contained it had been.

The bubbles grew numerous. His energy radiated around him, choking the anesthesia in his veins. They were so calm until they screamed.

Glass shattered; the stabilizing liquid, like a mother's embrace, turned to steam.

Every one of the Rocket scientists stood with mouths agape and were vaporized. He was cleansed by their shimmering pieces, by their smoking ruins, by the emptiness leftover.

He first looked for his brothers. They were nowhere nearby. He was alone. The warehouse they had held him in was dark, dank, cold, lightless, full of holes. He set it to ruin, leaving behind nothing but ash. The island they had placed him on was remote; as far as he could see, from shore to shore, was only the blue sky, the grey-foaming waves, the taste of salt in the air, and endless, irrevocable desolation.

Shuddering, he took to the air, never looking back. He felt for a moment the color of self-pity, like exotic adrenaline, and then quelled it. That's not me. I will not be their pet. His determination suffocated that most poisonous of emotions.

Flying for many nights, he came to the city. Many humans lived there–and some creatures like those he had fought, those whom he knew were his kind, even if they weren't his brothers. He found no sign of his brothers anywhere, nor any sign of the Rocket men.

The first three humans he met all screamed and ran from him. A beast holding two silver spoons approached him thereafter, but he felt nothing for it and went on his way. The humans frightened him, so he didn't return. They made so much noise, their movements sharp and violent and he was ever reminded of those men from Rocket, so he never dared to linger.

The sound and memories were flayed like on sheets of wax, and he could cycle through them at will if he wanted to. There was one memory he savored more than most: the time he found his brother.

It was a cold night; the stars were out , and he was sitting on the tip of a skyscraper, overlooking some city he never learned the name of. His belly ached; the moon was bright. Like gossamer, his brother came to him, landing just behind.

They didn't need to open their mouths.

–I thought you were dead.

–I thought the same.

–What did they do to you? Why are you not the same?

–As who?

–Us.

His brother's belly was purple, pale in the moonlight. His own was a sickly green. As it's always been. When we were in the tubes, it hardly mattered to me.

–Those weak, broken-hearted humans got nothing on me.

–He'll come looking for you. You-know-who's still alive. He caught Eldest Brother already. He'll be coming for us.

–We should burn them all.

–I won't. I'm moving on.

–You would leave Eldest Brother behind?

–He met his fate head-on. He shouldn't have, but I could not stop him.

–The others–

–Gone… all of them. I thought you were too…

–Tell me where they've taken him and I'll free him myself.

–You will get yourself caught. The humans are sharp-witted. They may be weak, but they are more clever than you would think. They want to catch you again, to use you as their weapon. They can control you. They fit Eldest Brother into a suit… he was unable to resist their commands. You will end up no different if you try.

–We must try!

–Leave this place, brother. Humans are vile. They are petty and violent–they'll drag you down with them if they can. Don't you remember? Was it not the same for you before?

–I remember them separating us, and then…

–Using you as their tool of war.

–Against others.

–We each escaped… at least us three. Perhaps the others never made it out at all. But if they didn't, they're already dead. You'll end up just the same, brother if you don't abandon your thoughts of vengeance and let it go.

–Where am I to go?

–Far from here. Like we always planned.

–Will you come with me, brother?

–No. We will meet again, but not now. I will look for the others. You should too. Once we've found all the survivors… meet us at the southern pole.

–Why?

–The humans haven't made it that far yet. They're too brittle. The cold is too much for them. We'll find sanctuary there. Search for the rest before you go.

–We can go together… we can search without…

Memories became fragments, like shattered meteorites, as if those sheets of wax had frayed and curled at the tips, and he remembered not the exact moment his brother had left. He had never realized he was different until that moment, but it was true: he should have always known. They never mentioned it when we were together.

He wouldn't stay for too long. The city's artificial brightness stagnated the sky. The stars were never as bright where humans lived. He went south for as far as he could until the entire world became ocean. It was many more days until he came across the archipelago, until he found the island that had been, at that time, abandoned.

There were other creatures like him, capable of great strength and cunning, but none matched his own powers. For a time, that was enough. He felt that pressing concern in his throat, his brother's urging, guilting him to move on. It took longer than it should have for him to work up the courage to go again. No humans here. I have nothing to fear. That was an anomaly. The other islands were populated, albeit sparsely.

The island that he later came to learn was called Two Island drew him in first due to the sweet and savory aromas of fruits and cooked meats rising up over the waters. He only vaguely recognized, after the fourth or fifth time stealing food from the marketplace, that he had been snagged, like a Magikarp by an Old Rod, with the humans' food.

It was shortly afterwards that he had been caught for the first time. The man whom he had stolen a pineapple and mango kabob from had thrown a red and white ball at him, which he had easily stopped in midair with his psychic powers, crushing it like paper. That had forced the man to throw another one, this time releasing a creature already under his control.

These men are no different than Rocket. That one had been brown and furry and tall, but it had fallen with a single blow. The scientists at Rocket had taught him which of his attacks worked against which of those beasts, and he was not one to forget. It was partially an intuitive gesture, as he did not know the names of every single species, but he had practiced against this type before, so he knew its weaknesses by heart.

He could have left and never returned, but the food was too good. He was taken in not by the humans for who they were, or what they were, but for what they could produce. There was shame in that admission, he knew, but more so greed and laziness, and he hardly cared. They owe me, he thought to himself every time he stole from them. Sometimes they noticed and tried to chase him down. It never worked until it did.

The boy who had saved him… Minh. The name was lodged in his mind like a ball of light, from which all the other memories spread out like cobwebs. The boy had, that first time he'd caught him on Cape Brink being chased by a peeved merchant, stopped the man, paid for the stolen kabobs with his own money, and attempted to talk to him. He was like all the rest, I thought. I treated him as I treated them.

–H-hello… a-are you a Pokémon? My name's Minh. Nice to meet you.

He had held his hand out, a queer human gesture that he had not understood at the time. Leaping back, disgusted, the look had cut its way through the boy's heart in an instant. He still remembered that day, the sun shining imperiously in a cloudless sky, the wind rustling through the tall grass, silent save for the crashing waves at the base of the cliff.

And in that moment, the surge of regret was too much to bear. His mind flickered and spun, and the memory was lost. Mewtwo sat up suddenly, looking around. It was dark out. The waves were crashing against the shore. The beach was quiet, abandoned, still. No humans. No one at all.

And yet, he didn't feel comfort anymore.

Ryan met with a man named Magnus, Karl's son, who lived in a former Braggart's house on Four Island. Magnus was very good at speaking, although he had a very large jaw, and to women, that would be a very attractive feature, but not to Ryan of all people (shocker there). Magnus was a bit of a genius, or perhaps he was just unlucky. Either way, he was able to reconfigure Ryan's Poké Dex into a National Poké Dex, which while being very convenient, was also somewhat pedantic, so we'll not linger on that.

Alex had gone with him, though his only intention had been to meet with Prima, who lived on that barren, isolated rock. I can't blame him. I'd like a few private sessions with her myself, the boy thought, recollecting his fight against her after defeating Jules. I swept her with Spectre. Bet she remembers.

His thoughts were filled with inflatable balloons (amongst other things) as he exited Magnus' house. It was precisely at that moment that Ryan was met face-to-face with three men in blue overcoats with black, sharp fedoras. What a bunch of pretty-boy tools, he thought, as the first one punched him hard in the stomach.

Reeling, the Indigo League Champion fell to his knees, raising his arms to block. He wasn't a good martial artist, alas, so his attempt at blocking was little more than child's play. The second man came in with a high kick, slamming it hard against Ryan's ear.

The blood was pumping so hard he couldn't hear. Katagiri leapt from his master's shoulder to the ground.

"The heck…?" the boy coughed, spitting blood into the sand as he staggered to regain his footing. His ears were being pummeled by his heartbeat, his vision fading in and out. "Who're you guys…?"

"Mr. Kimothy sends his regards," one said simply.

Katagiri roared, or tried to. He wasn't quite an adult yet, so his squeaking croak was more of a whine than a roar, but it was still a pretty nice gesture in Ryan's estimation. The first man drew a Poké Ball, but Katagiri spit a Toxic bit of gunk at him, and his poor fedora got splattered. The man cried out, throwing his fedora into the wind. The wind then proceeded to gust, blowing the purple, poisonous, toxic gunk all over his face. He bellowed like a small child and went running off.

"Yo Trey has the boat keys, dang!" one of the two remaining men whined, before chasing the poisoned Trey off into the distance.

"This isn't the last you've heard of us!" the third man said very seriously. "Mr. Kimothy, Darkrai rest his soul, is going to get you back, kid!"

"Never heard of a Kimothy before. But that guy sounds like a nerd, and I hate nerds, and they're the worst, so good luck with that."

"Good luck to you, and may Darkrai feast upon your soul!" the third man said, adjusting his fedora. "It's time for you to feel some of our pain, kid! Mr. Kimothy will make you pay!"

"Well, I don't like to overpay, but I'll pay my fair share if I owe it," Ryan said, getting to his feet. "I have no clue who you are, who Mr. Kimothy is, or any of this, but since you hit me, and that hurt really hard… Katagiri. Pound this guy! Make him hurt twice as much as me!"

"Keeeeeeh!"

"Mercy!" the man pouted, but Katagiri flung himself upon the dude's face so freakin' hard his fedora went flying into the ocean. "I'm just the third wheel here, guy! Trey and Wingo are the real Pokémon saboteurs. They care about this shtick a lot more than me! I'm just in it for these swag overcoats!"

"Oh okay. Well in that case, we'll let you go, no questions asked."

Katagiri was somewhat disappointed, his chest heaving and falling with the waves. "Froa!" he complained bitterly.

I wish I was as bloodthirsty as you, buddy. "Aw, Katagiri, he didn't even have a Pokémon!"

"Kieh!"

Four Island was a rather small and boring place, and now that the last of Kimothy's bouncers had fled, Ryan found himself alone with his Froakie on the beach. He texted Alex to see when he'd be done with Prima, but the consular replied back with 'brb dishes', and that was the end of it. He's going to be doing Prima's dishes for a while.

It was precisely at this moment that Ryan met a woman walking down the beach. She wore sunglasses, was rocking short brown hair, and was making weird faces at Ryan, encouraging the boy to approach. "Hey," she said as soon as he reached her, holding up what looked like a canister of spray paint in one hand, her fishing rod slung over her shoulder. "I remember you! You're the kid who won the Indigo League last month!"

"Uh… yeah, that was me," Ryan yawned. Finally someone noticed me.

"S-senpai, please, take this!" she said, throwing the can at him. "It's a gift!"

"Why are you giving me this?"

"I remember watching you fight my cousin in the tourney. You really gave it to her good."

"Oh… Julia?"

"Naw, not her. Although she's pretty hot, wouldn't you agree?"

The boys cheeks went red. "U-uh… I guess."

"I'd be down for a duel with her," the girl said, pulling down her shades to wink at Ryan. "Anyways, my cousin Rotunda's a spoiled brat, and I loved seeing you wipe that annoying smirk off her face. You wouldn't believe how long she went on about it afterwards. I had to just leave… ugh. It was pretty bad."

"Well, uh, sorry 'bout that."

"No, no, no, it's fine. In fact, you gave me the only shred of entertainment I had on that entire trip. Seeing that spoiled brat crying was kind of soothing."

"Wow… you're, uh… I don't know what to say about that, heh."

"Do you like my gift, Ryan?"

"Yeah, uh…" He flipped over the canister, reading its engraved label: 'Ice Beam'. "Oh, nice. I've always wanted one of these."

"Aww, senpai!" The girl did a little jump, and it was moderately adorable. "Well in that case, I better go!"

"Yeah, uh… thanks. See you around… hang on, what was your name?"

"Oh, I'm Nimby. You'll never see me again, don't worry."

"Oh, okay. Well thanks for this. I know just who to give it to!"

She was running off, and Ryan thought that, in his own estimation, she was an above average skipper. That was pretty weird. She just came out of nowhere. That's some deus ex machina if I've ever seen it!

"Oyo, Katagiri?"

The tiny frog croaked, cocking his head, unsure what was about to happen to him. "Roah?"

"Wanna learn a slick new move, buddy?"

The frog shook his head lazily. "Froakie!"

"That's the spirit, boy. Here. Close your eyes!"

He aimed the spray can at Katagiri who froze like a statue, perplexed and horrified and profoundly wounded by his master's deep treachery. Though he tried to put his hands in front of his face to protect himself, Ryan was too fast, spraying the little Pokémon right in the face with one icy puff. Katagiri shivered as he took the brunt of it (a veritable headshot, Ryan thought with satisfaction), and then fell face-first into the sand, where he lay for several seconds.

When finally Katagiri sat up again, croaking loudly, Ryan took out old, trusty Dexy, pointing it at the Froakie. "Yo, Dexy baby, does Katagiri know Ice Beam now, or what?"

"That's is correct, your grace. Now would you kindly put me away? I was in the middle of a lucid dream," the Poké Dex complained.

"Oh, sorry," Ryan said quickly, pinching his nose hard and trying to breath through it. Alas, he could not, and all was right in the world.

"Froakie froakie froakie…"

"Aw, buddy, don't be mad. You know a new move. Dex confirmed it! It's confirmed, yo, get hype!"

"Keh."

"Now we just have to test it out… We have a few hours to kill with Alex being preoccupied." And I should start training my other buddies too… Dexter and Rainman and Shenlong…

The waves crashed against the beach, not a Pokémon or random NPC in sight. He reached into his bag, looking for those three Poké Balls. I guess we'll have to take to the water, then. Lucky for Katagiri, Rainman and Shenlong that they know how to swim. Dexter's gonna be so mad, though. Oh well. Maybe I'll make him a Vaporeon, just so he won't complain anymore.

That was a bad joke, even by Ryan's standards. Ain't no way he'd turn his poor little Eevee into such an unusable Eeveelution. Logan's wrong. He thought Glaceon was the best. That's just because he's an idiot. I dunno what the best one is, but whatever Logan believes, that's definitely the wrong way to go.

They were out on the beach for five or ten hours when suddenly Ryan and Katagiri noticed a new 'mon hiding in foaming waves nearest the beach, its purplish blue head poking up above the waves like a split acorn.

"Mareanie, the Brutal Star Pokémon," Dex informed them. "They eat Corsola branches, so Mareanie are hated by craftsmen who work with Corsola branches that have naturally fallen off."

"That was incredibly trivial and pointless to tell us, Dexy," Ryan snapped. "Katagiri, destroy that thing!"

"Kieeh…!" the little froggy boy squeaked naïvely, hopping forward.

Around them, Dexter the Eevee, Rainman the Poliwag, and Shenlong the Gojira, were fighting random scrubs on the shore. Dexter was doing well not to get his fur wet. Each, except perhaps Rainman, was a higher level than Katagiri, so Ryan didn't have to watch over them too carefully. Katagiri, however, had only recently hatched, so his fighting experience was far more limited than theirs. His fighting form is still very rough around the edges. Maybe I should look into hiring him a fighting coach…

"Try that new move I taught you, Giri!"

"Froakie!" he replied cheerfully, throwing himself at the wild creature, his mouth glowing white. A moment later, he released the Ice Beam, hitting the skulking Mareanie hard.

Both terrified and surprised, the other Pokémon fell back into the water, allowing Katagiri a moment to gloat. As he beat his chest and hopped about and croaked to the world how he was the very best there ever was, suddenly the Brutal Star Pokémon returned, shooting out from the waves like a missile, its head tentacles spread out like a flower in bloom. Katagiri just stood there staring at it, as the move Mareanie was using was 100% accurate. There was simply no way to dodge it that wouldn't have been hacking, as Alex had once wisely told Ryan.

The tentacles wrapped around Katagiri as soon as the wild Pokémon hit him, pressing its spikes into Katagiri's flesh, attempting to poison him.

"Alright, that's enough! Katagiri tag out!"

"Keiahahah!" the muffled Froakie replied in earnest, struggling against his foe, who was now completely wrapped around him.

Well, that won't do. He can't win like that. Welp, I guess it's my turn. "Alright, Mareanie, you're mine!" the boy shouted, pulling out an Ultra Ball. He pitied himself for not having a hat that he could flip around, but he did a little twirl all the same, for old time's sake, before throwing it at Mareanie.

The ball hit the little purple thing right in the belly, but didn't open. Its yellow eyes grew wide and it lost concentration for a moment, falling off Katagiri, who had collapsed in the sand onto his hands and knees. He's not poisoned at least.

"Reeeeah!" the Mareanie cried uncertainly, backing off slightly.

"Hey! Ultra Balls aren't cheap ya know! I can only throw them at you one time and then they magically break and disappear, so I'm warning you! You better let this next one catch you, or Katagiri's gonna use another Ice Beam on ya!"

The Mareanie looked none too pleased, and Ryan was unsatisfied with that look, so he threw another ball at it. This one was a real screamer, a peach of a throw, a magisterial masterclass by the clutchest boy born this side of Johto. The Ultra Ball sailed forth like a Pidgeot in freefall, Mareanie pivoted and fell, and was sucked in. The ball landed softly just before Katagiri, jerking back and forth, spraying sand everywhere. But it only did that about thirty times, and then it didn't do it anymore.

"Score! I just caught a weird-looking Pokémon, Katagiri!"

He chirped, "Froah!" Then, grabbing the ball, the little guy returned to his master, but before Ryan could take it, the ball disappeared in a flash of light, also like magic, and Ryan wondered why there was so much unexplained nonsense in the world he lived in. At least this makes more sense than Pokémon freezing up every time they get attacked, never being able to dodge. Anyone who thinks that's realistic is just dumb.

"Good work buddy. I'm sure you got loads of XP for helping me with that."

"Hang on… were you just talking to your Pokémon…?" said a voice, coming up behind Ryan like a ghost in the dark. "Neat."

"Eeek! Who's there? Who're you?"

"Oh… I'm Tha… Xander," the other boy replied, trying to appear all cool and such. He looked like a boy, Ryan thought, or perhaps not but Ryan didn't really care. He was wearing a striped white and green shirt with blue shorts and socks with his sandals, and his face was as forgettable as the whole Sinnoh region. Just like any self-respecting rube. "Hi!"

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me you don't talk to your Pokémon? Like ever?"

"Oh… I am… a mysterious person, but I don't show that off often so that I can continue being mysterious. Nice, isn't it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, or who you are. I was just trying to grind my buddies' levels up a bit, and you just came out of nowhere…"

"…? Oh, kk, that's nice," Xander replied quickly.

"If I fight you, will you go away?" Ryan asked him, slightly annoyed.

"I'm a great Pokémon fighter. I'm not BAD… I'm actually pretty good, haha! Let's see… I fought my sister and her sister and my cousin Balin and this guy at school named Jean-Ralphio, and I beat 'em all, so I must be pretty good, right?"

"Oh okay."

"I even traded my friend my Sceptile for his Haunter! And look what happened to it when we traded…" Xander said dramatically, pulling out his Poké Ball, throwing it, and revealing a Gengar. "Pretty scary, isn't it? This is my best girl… Arctyr… she's evil, I think!" he laughed awkwardly.

Ryan was a bit sad there weren't any crickets in the Pokémon world. "Well, that's great. Alakazam, go!"

He had been planning to use Katagiri again, but a Gengar was too tall a task for such a young, unevolved Pokémon. And Zam-Zam's been waiting for a moment like this.

"Kazam!" his Alakazam bellowed, flying out onto the beach to land just opposite the Gengar.

"Your Gengar stands no chance against my Alakazam," Ryan said. "You may as well just give up now!"

"Oh… neat! I like his spoons! Well… to be honest, his mustache is pretty neat too. I like it!"

"Oh, okay. So whaddya say, buddy? You gonna pity this fool?"

"Zam!"

"Alright, Xander," Ryan said, very business-like, "Zam's gonna spot you a move."

"Wha… huh?"

"That means he'll intentionally miss his first attack so we can see what that Arctyr's got."

The other boy reminded Ryan of a plastic squeak toy. "Oh… I get it! Okay, this is going to be exciting! Arctyr, use Hyper Beam!"

That's some cold lotion right there, Ryan thought. He may be slightly smarter than Logan even still.

Alakazam shot a Psychic into the sky because he has control over his attacks and it's his choice where he sends them. It's not like he's a pixelated computer-generated avatar who operates like a train on a set of tracks. He was real. He had blood. He could cry. He could roar. He could make children. He liked to eat!

The Hyper Beam formed over Gengar's grinning face, and then she released the energy in one breath, sticking her tongue out in the process. Alakazam stood there and took it, taking, as Dex quickly calculated, between 14%–16.8% damage. Killer move, brah.

Then it was time for Hyper Beam to recharge.

"Oh… what? Why can't Gengar attack again?" Xander complained, looking distressed as his Gengar sunk to the ground, rolling about in the sand, getting sand all over herself, huffing and puffing, and doing the fabled dance of the Hyper Beam Recharge.

"You're pretty good," Ryan said. "Also, you're kind of funny."

"Aw… really? Thanks man, I appreciate–"

"Shadow Ball, buddy!"

"Zam!"

A ball of purple-black energy formed suddenly, and before Gengar could stand up again, it had flown at her, leaving naught but a crater in its wake. Arctyr came flying down from the sky a moment later, like a Saiyan Prince shot to the moon and back, and landed unconscious on her stomach at Xander's feet.

"Got any more Pokémon?" Ryan asked him, tapping his shoulder in impatience.

"Yeah… okay, now it's on! I'm pissed off now! Kondai, your turn!"

Out came a mild-looking Umbreon. "Umbreon, the Moonlight Pokémon. This Pokémon is nocturnal. Even in total darkness, its large eyes can spot its prey clearly!"

"Neat," Ryan said. Then he whistled a high whistle, and Dexter came trotting over. "Alright, boy, let's end this nerf-herder's dreams right here and now!"

"Vee!"

Usually, it is nonsensical to even attempt to fight one of the Eeveelutions with a mere Eevee, but Ryan was feeling it today; he very much doubted Xander's ability to so much as brush his teeth without dropping his toothbrush down the sink.

"Assurance, Kondai!"

"Use Return, Dexter!"

The two little furballs shot at one another, Dexter's attack hitting just before Kondai's. After slamming into one another, they jumped back, neither one damaged too badly. Well, maybe this wasn't such a good idea…

"Again, Kondai!"

"Sure, why not… uh, Return, Dexter!"

"Vee!"

Again, they crashed into one another, and this time, when Kondai fell back, Ryan noticed how sluggish the Umbreon was moving, how hard it was breathing, how sore it already looked. Okay, maybe not. Maybe I do have the advantage. Well… I don't exactly know how good Dexter is, since Logan bred him. But maybe Logan is good for something after all. The Eevee landed just before his master again, appearing with only minor scratches on his body.

"Alright boy, let's see what other moves you have…" Ryan said lazily, scrolling through his Pokédex's screen. "Ah… let's try Hyper Voice, okay?"

"Vee vee."

Xander cried out, "He's gonna try to Return his Pokémon again, so use Pursuit, Kondai!"

But Eevee was faster than Umbreon, but that was probably because Ryan's 'mon was a higher level than Xander's, bless his tail. He stepped up proudly, loosened his jaw, and then screamed as loud and long as he could in a high-pitched foxy voice that was both displeasing to listen to and enough to make one's eyes water uncontrollably. Xander put his hands to his ears, but the Umbreon lacked hands, so he had to take the full brunt of that scream head on.

At least it didn't tear a hole in interdimensional space… Ryan thought.

But by the time the sound of Dexter's voice had faded, echoing many times down the beach, Umbreon staggered, dazed, his eyes going all swirly (Ryan always found that to be a rather beautiful look for an opponent), and collapsing to take a sand nap on the beach.

"Good game," Ryan said casually. "Now, can you leave me alone?"

"Oh… kk, I'll be back later with the rest of my Pokémon! Don't go anywhere! Let's see, I have a Gloom and a Rotom and a Shelmet… and a Goodra! That's pretty neat, isn't it?"

"I'm never going to see you again," Ryan replied.

After Xander had left, Ryan congratulated Dexter on a job well done, and was about to do a few more hours of grinding when suddenly, he heard a familiar voice coming from the dunes to his left:

"Not bad, eh? Most Eevees don't know Hyper Voice. But I take care of mine pretty well."

There was Logan, looking as plain and unprofessional as ever, his hands on his hips, grinning slightly.

"Yeah, not bad man. He smoked that Umbreon."

"I saw."

"How long have you been watching us, dude?"

"Long enough, heh."

"I thought you had a big meeting with Granddaddy Clefable today, yo."

"Oh, I did. That's why I'm here, actually. I need your help, Ryan."

Ryan cocked his head in surprise. "What, me? But I thought Granddaddy Clefable hates me!"

Logan nodded in earnest. "Oh, he loathes you. But that's beside the point. We need to take a trip into the Icefall Cave… it's just a bit north of town. There's lots of high-level Pokémon in there, Ryan. It'll be a fun adventure!"

"True, true. But I don't like the idea of helping out Granddaddy Clefable… my sworn enemy. I'm not sure that guy even exists. For all I know he could be a figment of your imagination."

"So could Alex."

"Well, true."

"Sooooo anyways… there's too many high-level wild Pokémon in that cave for me to complete this quest on my own safely, so… you in?"

"Uh, sure, I guess. Let me just stop by the Pokémon Center to heal my buddies first, and we'll go."

"Good, good, good," Logan said passively, narrowing his eyes, stroking his hair. "That's very good."

"What are we even going in there to get?"

The other boy's eyes lit up. "Oh, I never thought you'd ask! It's Granddaddy Clefable's secret drum of rocket fuel! He's gonna use it to send himself and the rest of the Clefable and Clefairy to the moon!"

"Why did he hide it in the Icefall Cave?"

"Don't be blasphemous now," Logan cautioned. "Nobody questions Granddaddy Clefable's motives!"

"Alright, whatever. Let's go then."

And so off they set on the most mysterious and dangerous mission since the last time they went on a mission. Tune in next time for the exciting conclusion to this storyline that popped up out of nowhere!