Leo awoke in his hospital bed feeling refreshed for once, which he found oddly fitting considering how yesterday went. It felt like something was going his way for once. He sat up feeling unusually energised. There was still pain leftover from his sunburns, but it was hardly overwhelming so he moved without even a wince.

Dressing up with haste, and grabbing Tynamo's Pokeball from his bedside, Leo strode through the extremely familiar halls of the Castelia Pokemon Centre until he took the elevator downstairs, only to find that the building was surprisingly barren. Not even a nurse was stood behind the front desk.

For a moment, Leo was confused, but when he found a clock it suddenly made sense.

5:39

"I'm early." Leo stated the obvious. "Way too damn early in fact."

Unlike most people, Leo had always hated staying in bed until late day. It was part of why he despised being bedridden, asides from the pain and discomfort of course.

It was kind of perfect though, wasn't it?

Whipping out Tynamo's Pokeball, Leo swiftly released him and nearly looked away when he materialised in a lightshow. He had so many questions about how that was possible, but for now he had to focus on the floating fish that was staring at him expectantly.

"Alright." Leo began. "I promised you that we'd get to the top, rise above the rest, and we will. But as of right now? We're at rock fucking bottom."

Tynamo narrowed his eyes, but reluctantly nodded in acceptance. It was true, they were both weaklings. Leo was a newbie Trainer, hardly more than a baby, and Tynamo was as unrefined as they came. A pitiful excuse for a unit, no matter what angle you looked at it.

But, as Leo always said, there was a silver lining.

"But, that just means we can only go up from here." Leo firmly stated. "Yesterday, you had the courage to say goodbye to your home to become my partner. That took courage, to upend your entire life like that and throw yourself into my arms. However, all of that will be for nothing if we don't work our asses off."

Expecting things to be handed to you was the mindset of the unexceptional, and Leo wouldn't allow himself to grow any such expectations. If he wanted to succeed as a trainer, and if he was going to make good on his words last night, then all he could do was grin and rack his brain.

"Tyna!" Tynamo yelled out with fervour, much to his delight. He'd shown noticeable grit last night, which made Leo's smirk widen. He really hit the jackpot, didn't he?

"Then how about we get started?"

Leo gripped his notepad hard as he stared at Tynamo. The electric type seemed to be preparing himself for something, eyes shut as though he were trying to focus, and eventually Leo just turned his focus elsewhere.

The battle grounds behind the Pokemon Centre were open at all times, which made it the perfect place to test the capabilities of his only Pokemon. It was rudimentary, to get an idea of just what he was working with, but everyone had to start somewhere and Tynamo needed to start improving if they wanted to be ready in time for the League Circuit to begin. Though he had just under four weeks, that wasn't time they could afford to spend slacking.

He'd looked up if there was a way to analyse a Pokemon's moveset, and apparently there were only two devices that could do that.

First, there was a Rotom Phone. It was a ridiculously expensive piece of tech that was made by a company in the Paldea region, and even the cheapest models went for tens of thousands. Needless to say, that wasn't an option for him.

The second was even more unlikely: the Pokedex. They were handed out exclusively by Pokemon Professors, and only sponsored trainers are lucky enough to get their hands on one.

It made no sense why these weren't mass produced and made compulsory for every League trainer, but Leo wouldn't linger on it. The Pokemon World was mad enough.

What Leo did linger on, however, was Tynamo's moves as he looked down at his notepad and held back a grimace.

Tackle

Charge

Water Gun

Magnet Rise

These were the attacks Tynamo had demonstrated so far, and Leo couldn't say he was impressed. But, he hadn't expected to be.

Leo scratched his growing stubble as he entered deep thought. Water Gun was a bit of a surprise, though he really shouldn't have been too caught off guard. Tynamo did live in the water afterall, so it made sense they'd adapt lije regular old animals did. The move was almost laughably weak though, so they'd need to practice if it was going to be viable.

He couldn't remember Tynamo learning Water Gun in the games. Maybe his metaknowledge wasn't as valuable as he thought, or he just had a bad memory. Either way, it did unfortunately reinforced the fact he was no expert.

Other than that, Tackle was as basic as it got, Charge wouldn't get any use without an electric attack, and Magnet Rise was essentially magnetic floating... which Tynamo already did with Levitate, so it was pretty redundant.

Like he said, it wasn't much of a start, but it was a start nonetheless.

Leo's ear twitched when he heard the sound of sparks, forcing him to snap his neck upwards to gaze upon his starter. Electricity was beginning to gather around his skin, sparks vaguely forming a veil over his form, but Tynamo's eyes were squeezed shut and he was visibly struggling to hold it together.

The move was obviously unpractised, but Leo could tell that Tynamo had the outline of it figured out. He recognised it as Shock Wave, which would be a welcome addition to his arsenal as an electric type attack. The fact it never missed was just the icing on the cake.

The move inevitably cut out, leaving Tynamo panting and disappointed. If he had a human face then he'd be scowling fiercely. He tried yet again to summon the beginnings of a Shock Wave, but after a few seconds it sputtered out and the white eel shrilled in agitation.

"You don't need to be disappointed." Leo soothed him. "Getting frustrated won't help us here, trying the same thing over and over won't get you any better at using Shock Wave. How about we start with something else, something a bit easier to fix."

Tynamo took a moment, breathed in, and he sighed before nodding.

"Good. For a starter, we should fix your Water Gun. No offence, but the power I saw behind it was way too low."

Leo stepped back, making sure he was a good enough distance away from Tynamo, then opened his arms. "Your aim is to be able to splash me with Water Gun from over there. Think you can do it?"

Tynamo, seeing the challenge, grunted in agreement.

"Alright, then show me!" Leo yelled with an excited grin.

The eel opened his mouth, sucked in air, and fired a stream of water... that had such low power behind it that not even a third of the distance was covered.

This would take a while.

It turned out that Pokemon training was... a lot different than what Leo had imagined. For a starter, it was nothing like in the games he'd played as a child.

It was like bashing your head against a wall over and over again just to come up with something that would up your game.

"Okay, that was better than when we started." Leo clapped his hands together as Tynamo finished his final Water Gun, which, whilst noticeably more powerful than before, still wasn't strong enough to strike him. He could tell Tynamo's frustration was building, so there was little point to continuing. "But we should move on to something else. It's obvious that we aren't going to be able to improve Water Gun any way other than by using simple repetition, but that isn't a problem we can solve today."

Tynamo looked down with a huff of fatigue and bitterness. Leo considered consoling him, but Tynamo apparently didn't need it as he raised his head and bobbed it up and down, so he kept silent.

After nearly a minute of waiting, Tynamo nods firmly as a sign that he's rested up enough that his fatigue from firing off so many Water Guns has faded. Leo personally wasn't sure how much energy firing a Water Gun took, but generating so much liquid had to be draining in some manner.

"Alright, we've gotten progress done on Water Gun-" Granted, that progress was still disappointing. "-so, now we'll be trying to learn that move you were using before. Shock Wave, right?" He asks with intrigue.

Tynamo nodded, suddenly looking excited.

"Good. Right now you don't have any reliable offensive move, so Shock Wave will be a must if we're going to challenge the first Gym in Castelia." Leo added. "I don't expect you to get this right today, but we're definitely going to be ready by the time out first Gym battle comes around."

Apparently, Tynamo was on board with that, since he cried out with as much fierceness as he could muster... which wasn't much at all, but the thought still counted!

"Now, use Charge." Leo instructed, earning him a confused look. "I want to see if building up electricity before you use Shock Wave will give you a little boost. Come on, we don't have all day!" He pushed, feeling slightly pushy.

Tynamo didn't need to be told twice as sparks started to rapidly fly off his skin, so much that Leo felt his hairs stand up as he stepped back. The attack appeared unnaturally polished when compared to his other moves, even if he was no expert. Ozone began to taint the air around Tynamo, causing his eyes to slightly water and his nostrils to tingle as the technique finished and left Tynamo literally vibrating with static as the electric type winced.

"Now, Shock Wave." Leo uttered out, instinctively dashing backwards.

It was a good thing he did too, since a few seconds later, and with some focus, Tynamo's energy began to take solid form and a wave of pure electricity was discharged that travelled in a ring that covered every direction.

Suddenly, Leo felt like an idiot. He'd failed to account for the fact Shock Wave was indiscriminate, and as a result he was left running with as much force as he could muster.

Surprisingly enough, his efforts weren't in vain. His body's movements were surprisingly swift, and Shock Wave was disappointingly slow. The electricity, funnily enough, only moved at the speed of a tidal wave, and cut off before it could even graze him. The attempt seemingly wounded Tynamo's pride, since he slumped with little of his usual coolness.

Leo was almost insulted, but he knew Tynamo meant no harm. He was just disappointed in his performance so far.

Walking back over, Leo's footsteps earned the attention of his Pokemon as he stared into their eyes. "Don't worry, the fact you could pull that move off was a big step forward. We'll improve, I promise."

Tynamo looked to be in consideration for a moment, until he looked slightly away with a low shrill. The silent 'you'd better mean that' was plenty loud though.

Leo slumped down against the sofa kept in the Pokemon Centre's bottom floor, his legs slightly tired from spending hours on his feet whilst Tynamo was on the very edge of consciousness by his side. The guy had worked himself to the bone, and only stopped when they were forced to leave and make way for a pair of Trainers who wanted to face off on the battlefields.

A good amount of people were now present, since the hours had gone by, but he paid them little mind. A few cast glances his way, but turned their heads whenever he met their eyes. It was funny, how easily unnerved people were just by his gaze.

Leo quickly checked the clock, and felt some surprise.

10:03

He blinked. "Damn, we really used our time, didn't we?"

Tynamo gave a weak huff at the question, too exhausted to give a proper response. The Pokemon Centre could mend wounds, but a Heal Pulse did little in the way of fixing pure exertion. Plus, since he wasn't participating in the Gym Circuit, the Pokemon Centre would charge you for having his Pokemon fixed up. A charge he really couldn't afford pay.

The thought of his financial situation brought out a heavy sigh. Never in his life had he been well and truly destitute. Being a Fireman wasn't the most lucrative profession, but it was still more than enough to live on, especially when you lived with someone else. Here though, in the Pokemon world, he truly had nothing. Wasn't that a humbling thought?

No degree, no diploma, no school history to speak of. If he didn't make it as a Trainer then, realistically, he was fucked.

"My life is a mess." Leo muttered, voice utterly dry.

"Greeting, my good man, you wouldn't happen to be the owner of that Tynamo sleeping on by your side, would you? If so, then we have a most serious matter to discuss."

Leo is cast away from his troubling thoughts to address whoever clearly called him out, only to burrow his brows when he met the blue eyes of an unknown teenager.

Just a few steps from the sofa, a finely dressed boy with a practiced smile on his face was present. His bright, almost popping, blonde hair was well combed and every strand was put perfectly into place. On his right hand, two rings laid. He gazed over Leo, only having eyes for Tynamo.

That put him on guard.

"Is there something you need..." Leo trailed off, clearly poking for a name.

"Ronan." The boy took a seat almost uncomfortably close, crossing one leg over the other as he offered a hand. "Ronan Everest."

"Leonardo Moore, but my friends just call me Leo." Like a grownup, Leo took the offered hand, even though the boy sent off a few alarms in his head.

The now named Ronan flashed a smile. "A fine name, and there is something I need from you, Leonardo. I turned fifteen years of age months ago, you see, and as such, like every young boy in our fine region, I desire to become a Pokemon trainer. You understand this, no?"

"I do." Leo answered, already disliking every part of this. Why did he get the feeling this kid was trying to sell him something?

"And, just as the best Pokemon require the best trainer to maximize their potential, the best trainer requires the best Pokemon. I'd be wasting my potential as a battler if I were to pick up the scraps." Ronan sighed melodramatically. "But, unfortunately, I feel that my potential may be squandered by the latter. Finding a Pokemon that suits my high standards is rather difficult, you see."

Leo looked down at Tynamo who, whilst still exhausted, had enough strength to give him a 'what is this guy doing?' look, and it mirrored his own thoughts perfectly.

Ronan snapped his fingers, regaining his attention. "You seem like a sharp fella', so I'll cut right to the chase. I am interested in purchasing your Tynamo from you, and am willing to part with any named amount, within reason of course. What say you, my fine fellow gentlemen."

Hearing that, Tynamo suddenly didn't look so tired anymore. He rose up, visibly triggered and enraged as he looked upon Ronan with palpable loathe. Maybe it would have raised his eyebrows in another situation, but this time his temper was completely justified.

A few trainers had their eyes drawn to the three of them. They took notice of how aggressive Tynamo was starting to get and some looked upon him with judgement, like he was meant to reign in his partner, whilst others reached for their Pokeballs.

Leo turned away from them, instead giving Ronan a critical gaze as he took in a deep breath.

"No." Leo said. The words were short, simple, and fast, unlike anything that had come out of Ronan's mouth in the last few minutes.

Hearing that, Ronan's mask slipped ever so slightly, but it was put back on shortly after. If he was angered by those words, then it wasn't being shown. He was just befuddled, as though he'd been surprised by the fact a trainer wasn't totally willing to just sell off their friends like property.

Ronan lets out a single chuckle "Hah, has anyone ever told you how sufficiently amusing you are, Leonardo? But, this is no time for jokes. Name a price, and I will pay to the best of my ability."

'Jesus, I know this is an anime universe, but this is just ridiculous.' Leo looked around, in complete disbelief, and he was pleased to see that a number of trainers and their Pokemon were staring at Ronan with distaste. At the very least, they were reasonable.

"Okay, maybe I wasn't clear enough." Leo leaned in slightly, allowing his eyes to narrow. "It's not happening, not in a million years, end of story. Is that all?"

For a second, Ronan is silent, his eyes wide. "I'm sorry, what are you saying?" He spoke like Leo was a calculator that wasn't giving him the right answers. "The amount I intend to pay isn't small by any means-"

"I'm sure it isn't Roy-"

"It's Ronan-"

"I don't give a fuck." Leo sharply cursed, levelling the boy with a stare that cut sharp and made him squirm. This guy was like all of Frieda's worst traits- actually no, comparing her to Ronan was just without taste. She had redeeming qualities that overshadowed her not knowing the value of money, if Ronan had those then he sure as hell wasn't showing them.

"Tynamo and me have only been together for a day, but it wouldn't matter if I'd caught him minutes ago. I ain't sellin' him to some kid I hardly know just cos' he offered me a little cash." Leo felt some of his accent slip, though gave it no mind as he stood and looked down at Ronan.

"Take your business elsewhere, boy."

With that encounter finished, Leo began to walk away. Tynamo followed without complaint, seemingly surprised by his words.

One thing Leo had noticed about Tynamo was that he didn't seem to generally like him. Oh sure, he respected him somewhat, he did what he was told, and took to the training they'd begun like a fish to water.

But that, from what he could gather, was purely done because of the benefits he'd been promised via their partnership. There was no instant friendship imposed on Tynamo just because he happened to get caught. Leo wanted to think that they'd become closer, but it would take time. Until then, he'd try to close that gap.

He'd lost his cool back there, even if only slightly, and he'd embarrassed some stupid kid just for a hint of catharsis. That wasn't like him, he wasn't some hot-blooded teenager anymore who picked fights for no reason. He could claim to be an adult in mind only, so if he didn't act like it then could he really call himself one?

Then again, he was in a teenagers body. It must have been messing with his head.

"We aren't finished here!" A familiar voice rung out with hasty footsteps. "You can't just walk away from me!"

Leo didn't dignify that was a response, not slowing on his course for the exit. He technically couldn't leave the Pokemon Centre's premises without someone there to escort him, like Frieda, however he didn't feel like sticking around with that guy lingering. He'd walk around for half an hour, come back, and none would be the wiser.

At least, that was the plan, but then a hand gripped his shoulder and he looked over it to see the reddened face of Ronan. Gone was that fake politeness, that suave act he'd put on, and his icy blue eyes were set ablaze. It made Leo wonder what he'd do next, because if he'd started a fight then he was going down, money or not.

"Do you know just who you're talking to?" Ronan spoke with a mocking sneer. "Do you understand just what I could do to you? I could ruin your life."

"I highly doubt you have that sort of power." Leo debunked, grabbing Ronan's hand and tearing it off. "Now, is that all you have to say? I have shit to do."

Leo really didn't, but the audacity of this boy was starting to get to him. Plus, Tynamo was beginning to get defensive, and he didn't want the electric type to fry this kid and get him in trouble.

"No, it's not."

Leo sighed in exasperation. "What do you want then? I'm not giving you Tynamo, so why don't you-"

"Battle me."

Blinking in surprise, Leo responded. "What?"

"We'll battle, and the victor earns the spoils." Ronan no longer looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel. In fact, he looked like he'd recovered some of his former smugness. "You have the audacity to speak as though you're above me, but I'll be proving that you're quite mistaken. The winner will have claim over the losers Pokemon."

Hearing Ronan explain himself only made Leo more enraged, and he had the sudden urge to strangle the boy in front of him. He'd never been much of an animal activist, nor was he a vegan. In fact, steak was one of his favourite foods, but something about the way this brat just casually betted a Pokemon as though they were just objects touched a nerve.

"I'm not betting my Pokemon just so that you can salvage your pride." Leo turned once more to leave. "I don't accept."

"Then you're nothing but a coward." Ronan spat out.

"Sure, lets go with that." Leo responded, mostly undisturbed by the pathetic taunts as he began to walk...

Only for Ronan to stand in his way again.

'Can't this guy take a hint?' Leo wondered, having to stomp out the temptation to just have Tynamo shock him unconscious. Now that he thought about it, between Frieda and this punk, he had kind of a knack for running into rich teenagers. Hopefully that trend wouldn't remain.

"We aren't finished here!"

"Yes, we are." Leo sighed aloud, which only seemed to make Ronan madder. "Look, Tynamo is tired from training, I've got stuff to do, and most importantly: I don't want to."

"No! If you cannot fight now, then we'll battle here tomorrow! You won't shrivel your way out of this bout you common miscreant!"

"Fuck you, you're probably a pathetic trainer anyway!" Leo snapped, feeling his patience give way. "You think you're hot stuff because you have daddy's money to fall back on, but you couldn't be a real Champion if you paid them to throw the match!"

It was strange, he hadn't talked like that for a long time. It was like plugging in an old video game console and trying to remember all these combo moves you used to have memorised. You flubbed it a bit at first, until you latched onto a memory and held on with a death grip!

"You're a waste of my time, so save yourself the embarrassment and leave me alone." Leo glared back, unsure of how his emotions suddenly got so out of control. Was this why teenagers were always so moody?

Ronan bristled, before speaking in a tone so audacious it made him physically nauseous. "Those claims have no base whatsoever, and if you wish to prove otherwise then you will face me in battle!"

Leo tried to calm himself, but at this point it was like dropping an ice cube into a bonfire. He should have simply backed away, his pride hadn't even really been damaged. And if it had, hypothetically, then Ronan's had been struck much harder. It would have been a win to simply walk.

A rather hard tap to his leg garnered his eyes away from Ronan, and onto Tynamo. His starter's eyes were set alight with something fierce, and it was obvious what he really wanted: to put this punk in his place.

And, Leo agreed.

"You know what? Fine. Me and Tynamo will kick your ass." Ronan smirked, but it faltered when Leo continued. "But I set the terms, so listen close. First, we meet here in a week's time, 10 O'clock, don't be late."

Ronan scoffed. "You intend to make me wait an entire week?"

"Yes." Leo spoke, unflinching. "Two, if you win then sure-" Leo looks at Tynamo's eyes for permission, which he grants with a nod. "-you can take Tynamo."

Before Ronan's smirk can return, Leo adds. "But if I win, then I get ten thousand Pokedollars. It has to be in cash too. My partnership with Tynamo is worth far more than just money, but I'm feeling generous today. Show it to me before the match, then I'll accept."

For a blessed few moments, Ronan is actually silent, and Leo finally realises that a crowd had formed around them. It was strange, getting tunnel visioned like that, however now that he was hearing their murmurs and whispers he felt slightly uncomfortable. Like always, he tried to ignore it.

Eventually, Ronan's infuriating grin makes a triumphant return and he scoffs. "Only ten thousand Pokedollars? Very well, I accept your terms. You're a pathetic trainer anyway, so it won't make a difference."

"Keep it coming." Leo whispered, staring daggers straight into Ronan's eyes. "Your words mean absolutely nothing."

He'd been through over a week of emotional and physical agony, this might as well have rolled off him. Ronan held his gaze for a few moments before he faltered and diverted his eyes to the side. He wouldn't lie and say that didn't give him a dash of satisfaction.

"I'll be meeting you in a week's time. Prepare for complete humiliation, you pitiful fool." Ronan gave one last insult before he turned around and walked away. He probably felt the need to have the last word, so Leo opted to remain silent and watch his back leave.

He stayed silent until Tynamo gave him a firm nudge in the side, snapping him back to reality as he turned to face a crowd of hard stares.

"The show's over." Leo uttered, glaring into the group. Maybe it wasn't the right response, but the last thing he needed to deal with was an army of nosy bystanders. "Get out of my way."

His words are met with surprisingly little resistance as the crowd of people meekly made way. He walked past them with great haste, Tynamo floating close behind as he approached the Pokemon Centre's elevator, where he could return to the safety of his room and think with greater clarity.

Only after Leo had entered the elevator and begun the trip upstairs did he allow his glare to drop in favour of sighing explosively.

Just what had he gotten himself into?

If you want to support me, then look towards The Magician 565 in the place of patrons. I am a pretty broke student all things considered, so if you want to read additional works of mine then the donations would be much appreciated. I hope to write for you all, and if you could show your support more openly then I'd be happy to crack down!

Additional chapters:

Rising To the Top - 5

Now It's My Turn - 1

An Outlier - 5

The All Mighty Earth - 5

Power Grasping - 3

Dealing With Darkness - 2

God of Destruction - 5

Counterattack - 5

Total - 31