"...And that's what happened. Do you have any idea why she reacted like that?" I asked cautiously, wondering if I'd accidentally stepped onto a landmine.

The man in front of me was Professor Oak, who had finally been able to make enough time to talk to me after I mentioned that Chee had practically had a panic attack right in front of me. He sat hunched over his desk, writing away at a series of papers in front of him.

The office was dark and moody, a dark space with nothing but a desk with a chair, a small lamp and a grandfather clock up against the wall. The ticking of the clock pendulum swinging back and forth was all that you could hear for a few moments, before Oak sighed.

The older man leaned back, meeting my gaze with a tired face. "I see, and I thought she'd been improving after meeting you... Perhaps it's still too early."

He pursed his lips, seeming to weigh something in his mind for a few moments. After what felt like several minutes, he sighed again and stood up. "Alright, the two of you are close and this does relate to your sponsorship conditions. I'll fill you in on the basics."

Oak gestured for me to follow, and we left the dark study in favour of a more inviting room with some armchairs and an inviting atmosphere. An unlit fireplace suggested that this room was the location of choice for staying warm in the winter months.

"Chee is... An unusual girl, to say the least." Oak began, sitting in one of the armchairs. "She's talented for sure, but she has a lot of eccentricities. I'm sure you've noticed her talent for battle, even though she hates fighting people."

I nodded gently.

"But well, there was an incident a year ago-And ever since, I'm afraid she's been deathly afraid of touching any Pokemon directly. An irrational fear of touching any Pokemon with her hands. Her cheek? Fine. Her feet? Just dandy. Even if she's wearing gloves, it's no problem, but if there's even the faintest possibility that she'll touch it with her bare hands..." Oak lowered his face in thought. "Truth be told, I don't really know what set it off. She's not the easiest girl to communicate with at the best of times, and every time I try to ask she just starts freaking out."

I continued to nod, my own thoughts whirring in my brain. "...That's why you wanted me to be here?"

Oak looked at me appraisingly. "...Yes, something along those lines. I was hoping that having someone she gets along with be a part of our training might help her break out of her shell a little."

He leaned forward, staring at me rather intently. His posture triggered my anti-interrogation training, and I stiffened automatically. We sat in silence for what felt like an eternity before he spoke again.

"I can't get a read on you." Oak said quietly. "And I'm very good at reading people."

"Whatever do you mean?" I answered, the calm in my voice not betraying the torrents of emotion swelling beneath the surface. Oak didn't respond, leaning back into his chair and leaning his head into his hand again.

The silence hung for what felt like an eternity. I didn't dare to move as the stare fixed to me made my skin crawl with unease. I felt like a Butterfree caught in the web of an Ariados, unable to do anything but stay completely still and pray I hadn't been noticed.

Finally Oak let out a sigh, letting the tension in the room fade back to normal levels. "I suppose it doesn't matter. I'd hoped Chee would warm up to Battles and overcome her fears with time, but perhaps it was a lost cause from the outset." Casually he reached over to a small coffee table and lifted a newspaper to his lap.

I frowned a little at his comment. "Uh, sir...?"

"What, are you still here? You don't have to wait for me to dismiss you, you can leave when you want." He responded absentmindedly, flicking through the pages.

"Ah no, I just wanted to say that I think she has warmed up to battling. At least a little bit."

Oak froze in place like a statue. He turned an eye to look at me again. "...What do you mean?"

"Haven't you been paying attention the last two weeks? We've been battling every single day since I got here. It's become a real game for us-If I win, we spend the day focussing on training, and if she wins, we focus on whatever she wants to do."

I shrugged. "This morning I tried to dodge our morning battle and she got upset with me, insisting that we follow the routine."

Oak folded the newspaper back onto the table, his attention had fully returned to me. "You're saying Chee was actually looking forward to a battle?"

"...Yeah well uh, we maybe cheat the rules a little bit but-"

"How do you 'cheat the rules', exactly?" His words were cold like a frost breath.

"...It all started because I can tell what she's thinking."

I explained our back and forth mental match as we each contrived strategies to fight each other on equal terms. I started to get quite into it as I described how we fought more and more desperately, the battles getting more intense and exciting with each passing day.

Once I'd caught Oak up to speed, he looked at me curiously with his hands together in front of his mouth.

"...Fascinating. But if I might ask, what possessed you to start physically interfering with her? I'm sure you know, but they won't let you get away with those sorts of antics anywhere in officially sanctioned matches."

"Well yeah," I began excitedly, as I had gotten quite invested in my storytelling. "But when you're on the battlefield-"

I felt my skin go cold as I stopped dead in my tracks. Oak's curious gaze had turned to a suspicious glare as a slip of my tongue had doomed me to his decision. I wrenched my head away from him, not wanting to meet his eyes. "I-I mean, when it really comes down to it, a battle is... Uh... It's like a mini war simulation right? All's fair in love and war as they say, haha..."

The pressure in the room was intense, you could have cut the air with a Leaf Blade-And it would have felt less dangerous than the words that Oak spoke next.

"How much do you know, Boy?"

"...Less than I would like to." I admitted. "All I really know is that something bad is going to happen, and I want to get stronger before it does."

The silence hung in the air, and I felt a prickling sensation around my neck as the memory of having my head decapitated rung back from my future. I sincerely hoped I would not meet the same fate this time around.

"...I really can't read you. I don't like that-But that talent is why I agreed to sponsor you, so perhaps it's for the best..."

I blinked a few times in surprise, I'd begun to honestly expect to find my head detached from my shoulders any second, but when I looked at Oak again his expression had softened. "You're right boy-Something is happening. And I'm afraid I can't tell you anything about it."

The older man leaned back in his chair, the years showing in his face for the first time since I'd met him. "Well, it's not really something we should burden a child like you with anyway. It'll all be for the best if it just winds up being the paranoid delusions of an old man."

I felt a twinge of guilt in my gut. I'm sorry Professor, but you're not being paranoid at all.

...

On my way back to my room, I passed ever so briefly by Chee's room. It had already been around an hour since we'd separated, but when I walked past the door itself I could hear muffled sobs from the other side.

Oh Chee... What happened to you?

I placed a hand gently on the doorframe, which I noticed seemed almost like it had been singed by fire at some point in the past, a handful of black burn marks on the edges. The door had seemingly been painted over, but there were traces of burns at the bottom as well.

They were all old-Nothing had happened recently- but I couldn't help but wonder if these were related to whatever had happened to her in the past.

The Nameplate next to the door had been scratched out as well, with a printed piece of paper reading 'Chee' plastered right above it. Something about the scratches on the nameplate felt wrong to me, but I couldn't place why.

"...Hey." A voice quietly called out form behind me. It belonged to the arrogant brown-haired boy whom I had clashed with on many occasions, but his expression was softer than usual as he stared at the door. He put a finger to his lips, and gestured for me to follow him.

Blue took me to his own room, which in contrast to my expectations was filled with the colour orange. His bedsheets were designed with a fire decal, and the walls had been painted a deep orange-tinged red. On the walls were posters of various fire-type Pokemon, and a book on Pokemon battle signed by Blaine-The fire type Gym Leader- sat proudly displayed in a case next to his desk. Only the workbook on his desk broke the theme, having a bubbled pattern on it's cover.

Blue sat down on his bed. "I think I can guess what happened, but just to be clear... Did she actually touch it?"

I shook my head. "I pointed out there was a hole in her gloves, and she freaked out before she touched anything. She was about to touch Yeller though."

Blue seemed to let out a sigh of relief, something I wasn't used to seeing from the young boy. "That's good. In that case, just give her some space. I'll try to talk to her tomorrow, see if I can get her to calm down."

I stared at him appraisingly. He didn't seem to appreciate my gaze, as his softened expression soon returned to his signature frown. "What, why are you looking at me like Grandpa does? Do I have something on my face?"

"No I just... Didn't expect you to act so nice."

Blue was quiet for a moment. "Well, it's... I was there when..." He trailed off, tilting his head in a clear struggle to decide what to say. "I'm no good at this delicacy stuff... Look, the two of you are friends, right?"

I nodded quietly.

"...Just don't abandon her, alright? She really needs to have a friend right now."

"Aren't the two of you friends?"

Blue's expression sharpened, and I saw him tighten his grip. "No. No matter how much we might both want to get along, we will never be friends." He looked down, a rare hint of sadness in his eyes as he whispered. "Not anymore."

A moment later, his expression was back to his usual brash and arrogant self. "Now get out of here." He snapped. "I'm trying to sleep."

I didn't object, retiring to my own room to sleep for the night.

...

Day 15 at Professor Oak's Lab:

It had only been two weeks since I'd arrived at Professor Oak's Lab, but when I opened the door to my room and Chee wasn't there to greet me, I was left with an intense feeling of unease. I checked the battlefield with a small hope that she would be training for her next battle, but I saw no sight of her.

So I went to her room, knocking gingerly on the door. "Chee, are you still there?" I asked softly. "It's morning now."

I was met with silence. I knew that Blue was planning to talk to her, and he probably knew how to get through to her better than I did, but I still wanted to try. "We haven't settled what to do for today, and I promised not to try and dodge our daily battles so... I'm here if you want to."

I heard a muffled scribbling noise, follow by the tearing of a piece of paper. A few seconds later, a piece of paper slid out under the door frame. I picked it up, reading it.

You win today.

I let out a long sigh. "Alright, if that's what you want. Come out whenever you're ready." I answered, as I sat down by the door to wait.

A few hours passed by and eventually Blue came over as he'd said he would and sat beside me. He told me that I should go 'train or whatever', and he'd try to cheer up Chee. To be honest, I wasn't really feeling in the mood anymore, but I decided to go do some basic exercises anyway.

When I was entering the Pokemon Enclosure, I encountered Professor Oak again, who was carrying a large bucket of Pokemon food. He was wearing a set of exploration gear, thick boots, a jacket with many pockets, thick gloves, and the same cowboy-esque hat I'd seen him wear when he came to my house.

"Good morning Cyan." He nodded to me with a smile. "Good to see you're training seriously."

"Uh, yeah... What are you doing?"

"Feeding the wild Pokemon here to keep them friendly. If they get too hungry, they'll start attacking you guys unprovoked again. I do have to do my part to keep this place a safe training environment."

It wasn't something I had considered, but it did make sense. The Pokemon here were relatively safe to be around-At least compared to the ones I'd met in the Pallet Town woods.

"Ah right, I never finished telling you my conditions, did I?" Oak mused. "Sorry, I've been rather busy lately. If you want to come with me, we could talk about them now."

I nodded.

...

The vines and bushes rustled heavily as Oak forced his large frame through the woods, pushing branches and thorns aside without a care in the world. I mostly shadowed him, doing my best to dodge the plants that swung back down to try and hit me.

"Well the first condition is, as I said before, to get stronger. If you keep training here, in a few months you will probably be ready to undertake the Gym Challenge. But if you go right away, you'll just get squashed."

Oak stopped by a particularly thick tree with a knotted hole in it's centre, and started shovelling Pokemon food into the hole. "I do have a bit of a reputation to maintain, you understand. I don't mind if you can't clear the whole circuit in one go, or if you can't reach the Elite 4, but I'd like you to beat at least the first Gym when you encounter it."

Satisfied, the older gentleman wiped his brow and continued pushing forward in a new direction, and I followed behind him as best I could. Not long after, we left the wooded portion and came to a small pond, which Oak waltzed into without hesitation, reaching a floating log which he pulled to himself, and again began to fill with food.

"The second condition is... Well, you said it yourself. Things are headed in an uncertain direction. I'd like to be able to call in a favour when you become a Champion Level trainer."

...For protection, I suppose?

"There's a few myths I'd like to look into... Rumours of powerful Pokemon. If the Pokemon are even half as powerful as the tales say, going after them without at least a couple Champion Level trainers by your side would be tantamount to suicide."

Legendary Pokemon. Of course.

There were many tales all throughout the world of ancient and powerful Pokemon, dismissed as myths and legends for years.

Until the war broke out, and suddenly a handful of them appeared in the barracks of other region's armies. Most notably Unova's Kyurem, a ferocious Ice Pokemon that had laid waste to many a battlefield-And Rayquaza from Hoenn.

I felt a shiver in my spine. The fact that Kanto had been unable to find any of their legendary Pokemon was one of the reasons we were considered to be one of the weakest regions. Because of the pressure placed on us by that, we became an easy target after Johto had been wiped out.

I nodded slowly. "So you're trying to build up some Champions so that you can go look for this Pokemon?"

"That's certainly part of it." Oak answered plainly. "I already sponsored Lance when he was younger, so I already have one Champion who owes me a favour. Ah, but don't feel too pressured if you can't make it that far." Oak pushed away the log, and tossed a few bites of food into the water itself before walking back out of the pond.

"This way now." He gestured towards a more rocky and dry part of the enclosure, which I had not yet visited. I followed behind him carefully, cautious of the Pokemon that I might encounter there.

"To be honest, I have a bit of an ulterior motive for sponsoring you specifically." Oak continued. "And it ties into my third condition." He paused, making sure I was paying attention as we scaled the rocky plateau.

"I want you to take... Chee, with you when you go on the Gym Challenge." He finished his thought finally.

"Why?"

"Chee has already attempted the challenge once-And she has the skill for battle, I'm sure of that much- Unfortunately as I'm sure you've seen, she's bad at communicating with people. She's also pretty shy around people she doesn't know yet." Oak hoisted himself up onto a ledge, then reached an arm down for me. "Grab hold lad."

I did so, and pulled me up in a sudden motion, placing me on top of the ledge. At the top I could see a large nest filled with bird Pokemon, which Oak started scattering food across. "She couldn't work up the courage to actually travel far from home. She got too scared and came back. I think if she had a friend to journey with her, she'd be able to take the challenge properly."

"Yeah." I answered thoughtfully. "I don't have any problems with doing that."

"It would be a huge relief if you could see her through to the end, even if you can't clear the challenge yourself." Oak smiled at me. "Although I think you'll do just fine."

"Once the two of you have had more time to get to know each other I'll tell her, but keep it quiet for now. I don't want her having another panic attack." Oak warned, gesturing with a finger in the air. "We'll want to make sure she's up to the idea first."

The professor dusted off his hands and pulled off a glove, using that hand to ruffle up my hair. "Thanks for listening kiddo, that's the full list of conditions, and I'm done now so you can head back to whatever you were doing."

"Thank you for making time for me, Professor." I bowed my head slightly, before gently lowering myself back down the ledge and making my way back to the main building.

...

After eating lunch, I decided to return to the pallet town park since it had been a long time since I'd gone to see the kids there. When I dropped by, it was reassuring to see that the kids were still following the regime I'd set up for them when I left.

Brittney quickly noticed my arrival, trotting over to meet me. "Leader! Where have you been, I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Haha, sorry. I ended up being dragged into Oak's Lab, and I've been pretty busy there lately." I answered sheepishly, succumbing to my habit of rubbing the back of my neck apologetically.

"Eh...?" The brunette's eyes widened in shock. "Wait-Leader, did you get sponsored by Professor Oak!?" She all but shouted over the field, and the kids nearby all turned to look at us.

"U-um, yeah? It was pretty hard to..." I began, but was cut off by the girl excitedly grasping my hands together.

"That's so cool! Congrats Leader!"

I was overwhelmed by the group of approaching trainers swarming over me, each offering their congratulations and asking if I'd be available to train them again soon. After being pestered, I eventually promised that I'd come out and help them train tomorrow.

"...But if I want to come help you guys tomorrow, I guess I'll have to beat Chee again..." I mused, folding my arms. "I need to come up with a new strategy to beat her, she's already adapted to the old one..."

I glanced over at my partner, Yeller, who had recently learnt a new move I hadn't really had a chance to practice with-Focus Energy. I began to form an absolutely devilish idea for a new technique-If I could make it work, it would allow me to overcome the difference in power between my Rattata and Green's Bulbasaur, but it was an idea that I'd never even attempted in my past life.

Frankly, it was a ridiculous thing to ask of my partner but...

I met the eyes of my Rattata, sitting on my shoulder. Oh? Looks like you've got a powerful idea there partner! I'm game to try! His eyes responded to my intent.

My partner, Yeller, was even more insistent on refusing to give up than I was.

"Hey guys, there's something I want to try-Can you help me train today?"

The group of kids all looked at each other, and Rick was the first one to speak up. "Of course we can! What do you want us to do?"

...

A few hours later I stood at the Pallet Town park battlefield, with Yeller reigning victorious over another battle. It had taken some time, but I'd managed to get a complete grip on how the new move worked-And I'd already come up with a working strategy. "It's a little shaky, but sure enough it works, huh?"

Yeller toppled towards me, dizzy and worn out from our hours of practice. I gently stroked his head. "Good job buddy. I can't believe that worked!"

-Focus Energy.

As a Pokemon move, it's a rather strange one.

By covering themselves in a strange blue energy, the Pokemon makes it possible to land a 'Critical Hit', where the place they hit on the enemy Pokemon will take all the blue energy the Pokemon gathered, doing twice as much damage as the attack would normally do.

Landing a critical hit is not guaranteed, but the odds of it happening are fairly high. Why then, does barely anyone use the move?

There's two obvious reasons.

The first is that after a critical hit is dealt, the effect immediately goes away. The second is that the move itself takes multiple seconds of remaining still in preparation, and in many cases it would be better to simply attack or raise the Pokemon's strength in that case.

But if there was one thing Red had taught me in my past life, it was that Pokemon moves were more flexible than they appeared-Just look at what I was already doing with moves like Quick Attack and Tail Whip- and as such, I began to consider the nature of Focus Energy.

The Pokemon needs to Focus, obviously, but how much does 'staying still' actually matter for the move?

I felt an evil smile come to my lips. "Next time Chee and I battle, I'm gonna win for sure!" I exclaimed, pumping my fist.

I felt Rick put his hand on my shoulder, and I met his gaze as he cleared his throat. "...I mean yeah it's impressive but... That's definitely cheating."

"What? No it's fine, I-"

I felt a hand on my other shoulder, this time belonging to Brittney, who looked at me sympathetically. "Leader, I'm sorry... That's totes cheating."

...I tried not to let their comments bother me too much.