The rain poured around Anya and Gogoat as they sped down the streets. It wasn't as fast as Anya would have liked—what she wouldn't give for her bike right about now—but it got the job done. Besides, Gogoat seemed to like the rain. Anya wondered if it was because he was a Grass-type; she'd heard they liked rainy weather because it helped to nourish them. She'd have to ask Cilan about that later. Either way, Gogoat was nearly unstoppable, barreling through the roads with all the force he could muster, with Anya cheering him on the whole way. She knew he could sense her urgency. They had to get to Black City, and they had to get there soon.

The ride to Black City was, thankfully, much shorter than Anya had thought it would be. Maybe it was because Gogoat had been picking up speed, but still, Anya wasn't going to look too much into it. As they reached the city limits and rode further in, Anya's grip on Gogoat's horns tightened. She would have to talk to the pack leader, the same Zoroark that had almost killed her just a few minutes ago. Fucking hell, did she really have to do this? Her throat felt weird, her stomach was churning, and every part of her felt frozen with fear.

Show 'em you care.

The words came back unbidden, though they were a much-needed reminder. Anya could be scared later. These people were surely scared, too, and they needed someone to keep the city safe.

"Oh, fine, fine," Anya grumbled as if anyone could hear her. Though fear still tugged at her heart, Anya urged Gogoat along slowly, hoping the Grass-type picked up on the need to make no sudden moves. Gogoat's hooves seemed to pound against the asphalt road, though Anya knew that wasn't really the case. He walked up to Zoroark, his movements slow and steady, just like he'd read her mind. Anya gently stroked his side, whether to reassure Gogoat or herself she didn't know.

The Zoroark's pack leader was glaring at a Trainer's Aggron, apparently getting ready for battle. Anya sighed as she recognized the Trainer, a notable outdoorsman by the name of Gene. People liked Gene, and they listened to him… even when he was calling for Anya to be fired. "Now look at what you've done!" he said, glaring at her, just like always. "You cursed this place with those damn Dark-types, and now we're dealing with all this! I can't believe the League ever made you a—"

"Wait a minute, Gene." Anya had to force the words out past her heart pounding in her throat. "Zoroark doesn't mean any harm. Their home was displaced by the storm—"

"And ours was ruined!"

"Let me finish." Anya noted with a slight grimace the buildings damaged by the storm. Gene hadn't been wrong; Anya made a mental note to help in fixing that later. "They were forced to leave their home in Lostlorn Forest because the storm damaged it. They're only here because they're trying to make a new home; they don't mean to hurt anyone. Am I right in that?" she added, turning to the pack leader.

Zoroark seemed to consider its options for a moment. The tension disappeared from its posture, and its shoulders relaxed as if something had been lifted from them. Zoroark nodded, its eyes on Anya. It looked at her with something like respect, and Anya smiled. It hadn't meant any harm. It was just trying to protect its pack, the way she was trying to protect the city. It wasn't Zoroark's fault the storm had ruined their home; Anya probably would have done the same thing if she were in Zoroark's position.

"If my Gym Trainer and I found a new place for your pack to live, would you leave this city alone?"

Zoroark nodded again.

Anya grinned, though her heart was still pounding like crazy. "Then I have great news for you. We did. Get the rest of your pack and meet me at the city limits!" she called, steering Gogoat back the way they had come. Anya took a second to look back at Gene, who was now glaring at her with an expression that clearly said "you'd better fix this."

Anya only hoped she could.


It took a bit for Zoroark to gather all of its pack. As Anya waited at the city limits, giving Gogoat a Poke Puff to reward him for his hard work, she could see the group of them running around through the city's streets. It was almost funny, seeing such a big pack of Zorua and Zoroark all gathered near the city limits, with the pack's leader at the helm. Anya gave the citizens who were watching a smile she hoped was reassuring. Everything would be fine.

She hoped.

Gogoat ran off at Anya's signal, carrying her back to Lostlorn Forest as the pack followed behind her. For a while the only sounds in Anya's ears were the pounding of Gogoat's hooves and Zoroark's paws hitting the ground. Her heart thrummed in her ears, seeming to match Gogoat's steady rhythm.

Show 'em you care.

Her grip tightened on Gogoat's horns, and Anya silently urged the Mount Pokemon to hurry. The faster the pack was back in the forest, the faster all this would be over and they could focus on rebuilding what the Zoroark and the storm had damaged. They just had to get there.

The trip to Lostlorn Forest seemed to last ages and only a second at the same time. Either way, Anya held back a sigh of relief as she slid off her cousin's Pokemon. Rewarding Gogoat with another Poke Puff, Anya turned back to the Zoroark and Zorua now watching her expectantly. "I'm sure Lionel's found a great spot by now," she said with a small grin. Her heart still sped up with uneasiness whenever she looked at the leader, but that would just have to stop. It was water under the bridge by now, she told herself. Besides, that Zoroark was no different than she was. It was trying to protect its pack, just as she was trying to protect the citizens.

With a deep breath, Anya walked into the forest. Branches cracked under her feet, and the entire place felt much more open than people claimed. Zoroark led its pack, keeping them in line as Anya led the way through the trees. A Psybeam tore through the sky above them, the flash instantly catching everyone's attention. Anya grinned; that would be Lionel and his Meowstic.

She led the pack of Dark-types just a bit further, through the remaining trees and small groups of wild Pokemon playing on the forest floor. Occasionally a tall root or branch threw Anya off balance, but she managed to keep herself upright long enough to get through the forest to where Lionel waited.

"Took you long enough." Lionel grinned at his cousin, his two Meowstic standing next to him. The male one looked particularly pleased with himself; Anya guessed he was the source of the earlier Psybeam.

"Yeah, yeah," she said with a dismissive wave. "Ready to show them what you found?" She looked back at the leader Zoroark, who was watching her with a face that clearly said "this had better be good."

Lionel took a step back, showing off a clearing similar to the one he and Anya had found earlier. It was wide and open, perfect for the pack, and the grass looked especially soft. Berry trees and bushes could be seen nearby, and in a stroke of luck the light seemed to hit the place just right. It was heaven, or at least Anya was sure it would be so to a Zoroark pack with nowhere else to go. She turned around to look at the leader, silently asking for thoughts.

Zoroark watched the place for a moment, slowly walking towards the nearest tree. It touched the grass with a paw as if to check it, examining a nearby berry bush. Anya held her breath, bracing herself.

With a satisfied expression, Zoroark swiped its paw across the bark of the tree, leaving the signature claw marks that noted a Zoroark's territory. It turned to look at its pack, who, if Anya was guessing right, all looked quite relieved and happy to have a home they knew, and they all rushed into the clearing with happy cries among them. The leader watched them all enter before looking at Anya curiously. She held out her hand with a shaky smile. "I hope you and your pack are happy here."

Zoroark made a noise that sounded like confirmation, shaking Anya's hand with a paw before running off after its pack members. The Gym Leader sighed in relief, her shoulders relaxing as her voice shook. "If I never see one again…"

"You okay?" Lionel approached his cousin with a concerned frown. "You look kind of shaken up."

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, let's just get back to the city." Anya put her hands in her pockets to stop them shaking. "You think Gogoat's up for it?" She dug around before handing Gogoat's Poke Ball back to his Trainer.

"I think Gogoat's up for anything as long as he gets enough Poke Puffs," Lionel said with a laugh. He grinned, taking the Poke Ball back and pressing the button to let Gogoat out. The Mount Pokemon huffed, dragging his hoof along the ground as he looked at his Trainer impatiently. Clearly, the long trips in quick succession were not agreeing with him. "Just one more," Lionel soothed, running his hand up and down Gogoat's nose. "Just one more, and then you can take all the rest you want, okay?"

Gogoat seemed appropriately comforted, and Anya and Lionel climbed onto his back with little trouble. Lionel wrapped his fingers around Gogoat's horns, silently urging the Grass-type along with a few encouraging murmurs.

Anya's shoulders relaxed as Gogoat started to leave Lostlorn Forest. They were far from done; they still had to help with the damages from the storm. Still, things were improving, at least, and that was all she could ask for.


Gogoat handled the trip back to Black City like a champ, and Lionel rewarded him with several Poke Puffs and the promised long rest inside of his Poke Ball. Once the two Trainers were within city limits and Gogoat had been returned to his ball, Anya noticed a group of people fixing up what looked to be an outdoor market. She sent out her Inkay and Scraggy, both of whom were immediately regarded with suspicion by the people working.
"Need any help?" Anya asked, undoing her hair from its usual pigtails and tying it into a long white ponytail at the back of her head. "Inkay and Scraggy and I can do whatever we need to."

"Hmph." Gene, who seemed to be in charge, watched the Gym Leader and her Pokemon with suspicion in his eyes. "I suppose so, if you don't mind some heavy lifting."

"Not at all." Anya smiled as she and Scraggy lifted up some poles and fabric from a vendor's tent.

"Sure you wouldn't rather be in your fancy club?" the hiker asked with a laugh. "Surprised you weren't hiding in there all this time."

Anya sighed. She'd known the whole Zoroark ordeal wasn't going to get her unanimous support, but still…

"Listen." She watched Gene carefully. "I know I may not be your first pick for a Gym Leader—hell, I may not be on the list at all. But I care about this place just as much as you do, and if I haven't proved that already I don't know how else to. You don't have to like me; I'm not asking that much, but please. People listen to you. At least give me a chance."

A little girl came out from behind Gene—she must be his daughter, Anya thought—and her eyes lit up in recognition. "Miss Anya!" She ran over with a wide grin, and Gene watched the little girl in confusion. The girl turned back to look at him. "She was in the Pokemon Center earlier. She fought a Zoroark!"

"And lost," Anya interjected with a little smile.

The girl waved a dismissive hand, turning back to look at Gene. "She's awesome!"

Anya sighed, her pale cheeks heating up with a blush. Gene just looked at his daughter in a mix of suspicion and intrigue. "You think so, Silvia?"

"Yeah!" The girl—Silvia—grinned widely, the expression making Anya smile too.

"Hmph." Gene seemed to think things over for a few seconds. He fixed Anya with a look, seemingly evaluating her for any hidden motives. "Well. If you're foolhardy enough to fight a Zoroark by yourself for this place, then I guess you're not so bad." He offered his hand, and Anya shook it with a smile.
It wasn't much, not in the grand scheme of things. They still had to rebuild, and Anya knew not everyone in Black City would like her. But people liked Gene well enough to listen to him, and if the Pokemon Center story was spreading… Maybe a Dark-type specialist did have a bright future in Black City after all.


"Whimsicott, Moonblast!"

The expected ball of light formed in front of the challenger's Pokemon. Anya watched it, eyes darting between it and the challenger, before the move made contact. Houndoom did his best to stand up to the powerful impact, but even he couldn't withstand it and fainted. The challenger, a younger boy, broke out into a wide grin. Anya returned it, matching his enthusiasm; she'd never get tired of seeing challengers' faces when they earned their badge.

"Great job!" Anya took the small black badge from the small box of them Lionel was holding. She handed it to the challenger, still grinning with as much confidence as she could muster. "You and Whimsicott were amazing. This is the Shadow Badge. Take good care of it, okay? If you get more badges, maybe we'll see you in the League one day."

The challenger's smile widened, if that was possible, as he put the badge in his case. "Thank you!" He waved, running out of the Gym with his excited Whimsicott at his side. Anya laughed watching them go. She would never get tired of seeing challengers' excitement when they won. True, most of them were kids hoping to be the next Champion or some other lofty dream like that, but it was still a great thing to see. Anya felt honored to be able to do that for them.

"That was awesome!" Silvia yelled with a grin, jumping up and down in her spot. Ever since the Pokemon Center incident, she'd gained a fascination with Dark-types, and Anya had agreed to let her be a Gym Trainer. The girl had potential, Anya thought, and it would be interesting to see what Silvia did with it. As the little girl picked up her Purrloin and hugged it close, Anya smiled.

"Yeah, it was. You and Purrloin ready for the next challenger?"

"Yep!" Silvia grinned at her teacher, putting Purrloin back down. Anya watched the door with a smile. Challengers were getting more frequent lately, and she couldn't be happier. Sure, she might one day complain about challengers keeping her busy the way other Gym Leaders did, but for now, Anya would take it as a win.

In fact, it seemed like things were going great for her. In the week since the Zoroark invasion and the freak storm, the people of Black City had managed to rebuild most of what they'd lost—and what they couldn't fix, they made newer and even better things. Anya's reputation had definitely improved. No one yelled at her in the streets anymore, and most seemed to respect her. Sure, not everything was great; there were still people who disliked her, and Anya knew that would always be the case. Not everyone would like her, and that was okay. But she had finally managed to prove herself, and she had earned the people's respect and trust, and that was enough for her.

The doors to the Black City Gym opened once again, and Anya stood up straighter. Time for another Gym Battle—and hopefully, another challenger strong enough to earn the Shadow Badge.


A/N: And that's a wrap! I was going to put that ending section in a separate chapter as an epilogue, but I figured it works better for an ending than what I originally had. I know this is far from my best work, but I had a lot of fun writing this fic and Anya and Lionel as characters. I hope those who've read this far had fun reading it, too. That's all I think matters, really; as long as one person enjoyed this silly little story (or anything I write, really), then I've done what I set out to do. I'm here to entertain and write silly little (sometimes emotionally devastating) fics for my favorite characters; if even just one person comes away from something I write feeling something positive (or negative, depending on the fic), I'm doing it right in my opinion.

Okay, with all that out of the way, a fun little fact some people may not know: Gene and Silvia are names of actual trainers you can battle in Black City! Hiker Gene has a level 40 Aggron, and School Kid Silvia has two level 44 Pokemon: Beautifly and Dustox. (Thank you Bulbapedia lol.) Obviously I nerfed Silvia a good bit, but I figured having little references to real Trainer encounters through the character names would be a fun touch.