Summer and Weldon arrived in Fallarbor Town, where a Pokémon Trading Card Game event was about to start. To their surprise, their friend, Samir, was a former promising duelist who was forced to abandon the game due to a shocking incident. The pair decided to help the budding archaeologist overcome his fears by sneaking him into the event. There, they met two people from Samir's past, and one of them challenged him to a match. It was a tough match, but Samir was able to persevere and win. After parting ways, the Trainers plan the next part of their training. But someone related to Olive could potentially derail the mood. Who is this person, and how will Olive respond?

Chapter 27- The Lightning Warrior

I yawned as Lightning and I ate breakfast in the Pokémon Center cafeteria.

"Didn't you get enough sleep, Summer?" the Raichu asked as she picked up more Cheri Berries from her bowl.

"I thought so...or maybe because I'm more used to waking up early now that my brain doesn't know how to wake up like before."

"Speaking of waking up early, I'm surprised Weldon hasn't been forcing you to get up like usual."

I picked up a small clump of scrambled Chansey eggs with my fork. "Now that I think about it, he still seems to wake up early as usual. He even told me to start training without him on some days. I wonder what he's been up to."

"You're not worried, Summer?"

"Not really. I trust Weldon."

She smirked. "I see…"

I gave her a playful smile. "Why don't we start with your training first then?"

"Uh… Let's not…" she muttered as she stuffed her mouth with more Berries.

Weldon then approached us. "Sorry I'm late to breakfast."

"That's okay." I noticed his windbreaker jacket covered in sweat. " What did you do? You look like you were sprayed by a Squirtle. Or you get too close to Mt. Chimney."

He chuckled. "Good guesses, but no. I did some jogging; the early mornings aren't so bad around here."

"Oh that's good. I'm surprised you didn't want me to join you."

"You deserve to sleep in every once in a while. Besides, I enjoy being by myself on occasion."

"I feel the same way. Anyway, what's the plan for today?"

He looked at his Pokégear. "We can start training near Meteor Falls. I've read it's a good location for physical and mental training. I'm going to scout the site first, so you can come by when you're done eating."

"Meteor Falls…" Why does that sound vaguely familiar?

But my thoughts were interrupted when Weldon grabbed an Oran Berry muffin from the buffet table and headed out.

"He seemed eager to leave," Lightning mused as she finished her breakfast.

I sighed as I drank my Pinap juice. "I have a feeling I'll know why sooner or later."

Fifteen minutes later…

Lightning and I walked along the path west of Fallarbor Town. A warm breeze was a nice relief from the stifling heat that will soon follow. Weldon was sitting under a tree, staring at the mountains. When he saw us approach, he smiled.

"Looks like you found a training spot, all right," I teased.

"Hey, I'm still getting used to this humidity!" After we laughed, he said, "There's the river you two passed, the mountain ranges, and these nice grassy fields. Where do you want to go first?"

"Hm…. Since the next Gym will be a Fire type one, it'll be good to let the Pokémon not participating to get in some training now. Then when it gets warmer, the Pokémon I'm using will have their turn."

"That's some good reasoning, Summer. You're getting better at battle preparations."

"Thanks to my coach." I let out Olive and Rocky. "You can work on your Pound attack on Rocky, Olive."

"S-Sure, Summer."

The two moved to the nearby grassy field to practice.

The Kantonian leaned into the rough bark. "I've been meaning to ask, Summer. How come we're not heading to Lavaridge Town right away?"

I sat next to him while Lightning curled next to me. "Well, I saw on the news that the direct route is temporarily closed. So we would need to go up Mt. Chimney, then down on Jagged Pass."

"Ugh…just when I thought we're avoiding the volcano for sure… Well, if that's the only way to get there for now, I guess we have no choice."

Suddenly, a panicked Olive ran over and hid behind me.

"Wh-What's wrong, Olive?" I asked. But she was speechless.

Rocky slithered over. "We were by the steps towards the mountains when we saw a Trainer with his Pokémon. That's when Olive ran away."

"I see." I gently picked her up and stroked her.

Suddenly, my surroundings disappeared and were replaced with a rainy grassland. I must be in a past memory of Olive's.

A young boy with spiky black hair wearing a flashy yellow rain jacket yelled at a wounded Treecko. "Come on, Treecko! This is your chance to evolve!"

A lightning bolt flashed through the sky, causing her to cower.

"Don't be such a scaredy Skitty! Do it, NOW!"

She struggled back to her feet and did her best to elongate herself enough to receive the next bolt. I was then blinded by a flash of light, and when I regained my senses, I was back in the real world.

"Did you have another vision, Summer?" Lightning asked.

"Yeah…" I whispered as I continued to stroke the Grass type. Olive… I can't believe you went through all that.

An arrogant teen's voice sneered, "So, my eyes weren't deceiving me after all."

We looked up to find a boy around our age glaring at the Pokémon on my lap. It was the same person as in my vision, but taller and dyed blonde spiky hair. He wore a camo jacket with a lightning bolt pattern and dark blue jeans that matched his lightly tanned skin and sharp blue eyes. The Sceptile next to him haughtily stared at his pre-evolution.

"Well, well, well. Looks like you're still the same timid, weak Treecko I left behind all those years ago."

I frowned, his rough voice grating in my mind. "Don't talk to Olive like that!"

"'Olive'? Is that what she goes by now? That name's just as lame as the Trainer who accepted her."

Rocky growled, his tail twitching. Not wanting him to act reckless, I returned the Steelix. Lightning stood on all fours and glared at him.

"Who are you anyway?" I asked, trying to avoid talking about her.

"You haven't heard of me? I'm Lín Huánglóng, the next Trainer to be blessed by the Draconids!"

"The…Draconids?"

He scoffed. "You really don't know? How stupid are you?! They're the guardians of Meteor Falls and the caretakers of Dragon type Pokémon and their Mega Evolution Stones!"

Though I was upset at the insult, I hid it with a smile.

Weldon frowned. "So you want your Sceptile to Mega Evolve? You do know what that entails, right?"

Huánglóng patted his Pokémon. "You mean the strong bond between Trainer and Pokémon? Pfft…that's for losers. Training the Pokémon to master the requirements it needs during its Mega Evolution is more my style."

I clenched my fist. "So is that why you forced Olive to be struck by lightning?"

The boy paused. "I don't know how you knew about that, but it was obvious she didn't meet my standards. Zhànshì on the other hand, has excelled at everything and now, he's the perfect Mega Sceptile candidate."

"That still didn't give you a right to abandon her. Because of you, she has a fear of electricity!"

Huánglóng shrugged. "That's her problem, not mine. Besides, she'll never evolve into a Sceptile anyway. You picked a terrible Pokémon to have."

My rage grew against the one who scarred my Treecko. And I wasn't the only one angry.

Lightning hissed, "Don't you dare insult Olive!"

The teen teased, "Aww. Did I hurt the Raichu's wittle feelings?"

She wanted to strike him with her tail but I stood up, my eyes filled with fire.

"You should leave," I growled.

Huánglóng smirked. "You don't scare me. I'll prove my point to you in a battle."

I was about to refuse when Olive glared at Huánglóng. "I want to battle him, Summer."

I was surprised by her confidence. "Are you sure, Olive?"

She nodded. "I need to show how much stronger I got without him."

"Okay. Let's do it." I turned to our opponent. "Fine then. We accept your challenge."

He laughed. "You'll definitely regret it."

We walked to an open area where the grass swayed around us. Weldon glanced at Lightning, making sure she wouldn't cause any trouble.

Once we made the proper distance for the battle, Huánglóng gestured, "Show me what you got."

"Very well. Olive, use Quick Attack!"

She ran towards the fully evolved Pokémon at full speed.

Huánglóng raised his right arm. "Stop her with Leaf Blade!"

Zhànshì's right blade grew out, and he followed his Trainer's motions. When the Treecko got close, he batted her back. She tumbled onto the ground but quickly got up.

"Now, Zhànshì, use X-Scissor!"

The Forest Pokémon raised his arms and both blades protruded with a light blue aura.

As he charged forward, I shouted, "Stop Zhànshì with Screech!"

She opened her mouth and emitted the ear piercing sound waves, causing the Sceptile to stop and cover his ears. After his defenses were lowered, he jumped back towards his Trainer.

Huánglóng gritted his teeth. "So you learned some new moves after all. Let's show them why it's pointless. Zhànshì, Leaf Blade!"

"Olive, use Pound!"

The Grass types' moves collided with each other. But with the Treecko's tail being her only weapon, Zhànshì struck her with his free left arm. She fell back onto the ground but stood up again.

"Zhànshì, use Dragon Pulse!"

The fully evolved Pokémon opened his mouth and shot a turquoise ball of energy at Olive.

"Dodge with Quick Attack!"

She nodded and leapt over the Dragon type move with her enhanced speed. Then she hit her opponent in the chest, making him slide back.

Frustrated, Huánglóng lifted his right fist. "Thunder Punch!"

Zhànshì followed suit as yellow light surrounded his hand.

"Dodge and use Mega Drain!" I commanded.

But Olive was frozen with fear as sparks of electricity emitted from Zhànshì's hand.

Her former Trainer smirked. "Finish her, Zhànshì!"

The Sceptile kicked her into the air before striking her with the electric fist. Olive slammed into the ground and struggled to stand. But when she saw the opposing pair glaring at her, she cowered and hid under her arms.

I bit my lip. "That's enough. I forfeit the match."

As I went over to pick her up, I heard a move charging up. I instinctively looked up and saw Zhànshì over us with the blades of his arms extended. I tried to jump out of the way, but I was worried about dropping the frightened Olive.

Rocky let himself out of his ball and roared, swatting the Sceptile away with an Iron Tail. The Grass type slid back and growled at the angry Iron Snake Pokémon.

"What was that for?!" I yelled at Zhànshì's Trainer.

Huánglóng hid a grin. "Oh, silly me. I didn't realize the battle was over."

Weldon glared at the Trainer. "You knew full well that wasn't the case."

"Whatever. I made my point. Come on, Zhànshì. It's time for us to meet the Draconids."

The pair gave us one last scoff before walking towards the mountains.

Weldon knelt down. "Are you two okay?"

I nodded, but when I looked at my Treecko, she was shaking. "Come on, Olive. Let's take you to the Pokémon Center."

"N-No, Summer… I-I'm all right.."

She escaped from my arms and climbed up the nearby tree. My heart panged from sensing her sadness.

I wanted to talk to her, but I felt the best thing to do was to leave her alone. "Weldon. Can you help Blaze, Lightning, Errol, and Aurora train with Arcanine?"

"O-Oh, sure."

I let out the rest of my Pokémon and allowed Weldon to take them near the mountains for a group training session.

I turned to a worried Rocky. "You can stay with me, Rocky. I know she'll want to talk to you too."

He nodded and slid around the tree. I placed some Sitrus Berries at the base so she could eat them when she was ready. Then, I leaned on the Steelix, and we stared at the rustling leaves. It was peaceful, yet it reflected the sense of unease around us.

I didn't expect Huánglóng to instruct Zhànshì to attack us when the battle was over. Did he really think we were a threat? Ugh! I can't stand those kinds of people… Why would he care if Olive was doing better with me?

The sounds of rustling interrupted my thoughts. Olive moved to my lap, eating the healing fruit.

I petted her and whispered, "You okay, Olive?"

Olive sighed as she looked up at the branches. "N-Not really… I-I thought I've been getting better, b-but I can't even beat Zhànshì…"

"Well, he is your fully evolved form, but that's beside the point. You are improving, Olive. Don't listen to Huánglóng."

"H-How do you know?" she responded with tears in her eyes. "I can't even land a strong blow against Zhànshì!"

"Your improvements aren't just on the battlefield. For one thing, you weren't able to touch Lightning when we first met you. You wouldn't even get near her, let alone look at her."

"W-Well, yes, b-but…"

"And then you got better at handling Electric type attacks despite your fear of electricity. Plus, you learned new moves from all of our training."

"Th-Then how come I haven't evolved yet?! I-I mean…isn't that the only way I can get better?"

"Evolution for you won't be as complicated as you think. But the big question is, what is your reason for doing so?"

She paused. "Wh-What do you mean by that, Summer?"

I stroked her chin. "I understand you want to evolve. But is it because you want to become stronger on your own terms, or because someone told you you had to?"

"O-Oh… I see... W-Well…I…I don't know… I want to become stronger, but what if my personality changes too much? W-Will I become mean like Zhànshì?"

"I don't think Zhànshì is really that mean; I think he's just emulating Huánglóng's cruel mannerisms. And I won't force you to evolve if you're not ready to. I want you to make that decision yourself."

"B-But…when will I know?"

Rocky lifted his head and said, "You'll know, Olive. I went through something similar myself."

"R-Really, Rocky?"

He nodded, allowing her to climb onto this head. "I was also abandoned by my former Trainer who thought I was too weak for his strict standards. Although Summer was the one who caused him to release me, she not only made sure I was all right, she also wanted me to join her team. Though I was hesitant to trust her at first, it was when she didn't scold me after losing to my former Trainer that I understood I made the right decision."

"B-But why did you decide to evolve, Rocky? W-Weren't you happy being an Onix?"

"I was, really. But I knew I needed to get stronger to better support Summer. I was willing to evolve, even change my typing, so I can be the best Pokémon I can be for her. And that includes helping my teammates, like you."

She smiled. "R-Rocky…"

I lifted her up. "If you decide to evolve, Olive, I know you won't change too much. Just remember why you want to do in the first place, okay?"

"Why I want to evolve… I'll think about it…"

The sound of thunder suddenly interrupted the serenity.

"Wh-What was that?" Rocky inquired.

"I don't know… It's not supposed to rain today."

I stood up as Weldon and my Pokémon ran over.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked.

A scream echoed through the grasslands.

Olive shuddered. "I-It's Huánglóng…"

"So it must have come from the mountains, most likely Meteor Falls if it echoed like that," Weldon surmised.

"Then let's investigate." I returned everyone and was about to return Olive, but she climbed on my shoulder.

"I-I want to see what happened!" she exclaimed.

I nodded, and we ran towards the mountains and into a large cave opening. Meteor Falls was a yellow limestone cave with various waterfalls and pools of water. Water from the surface dripped along the stalactites onto the stalagmites below. Remnants of a meteorite were found in the walls and floor.

As we continued on the main path, we found Huánglóng and Zhànshì laid out on the ground, panting. A familiar cloaked man stood over them, laughing.

"Is that really all you have?" Hamestrin taunted as his Manectric sneered.

"W-We're not done yet!" the teen protested. But he and his Pokémon were severely hurt.

The man looked up and crossed his arms. "So, you two finally show up. I can't believe you wasted my time on this pathetic pair."

"Hamsetrin!" Weldon snarled. "What do you want from me now?!"

"Relax. You're actually not my main target this time."

"What're you-?"

The cloaked figure turned to me, causing my heart to skip. "Manectric and I want our revenge on you and that Treecko of yours."

His Electric type smirked in agreement.

"Th-That weak Treecko?!" Huánglóng gritted his teeth. "H-How could-?"

"Quiet. We're having a conversation here, kid."

I looked at my nervous Grass type. "What do you want to do, Olive? It's up to you."

To my surprise, she gave a clear answer. "I'll do it. I can't let them hurt anyone else."

I glanced at our fallen rivals before returning my gaze to Hamsetrin. "We accept your challenge, Hamsetrin."

He chuckled. "I knew you would. Manectric!"

The Discharge Pokémon jumped forward and pawed the ground. Olive climbed down and stood in front of him, her pose unyielding. Weldon and Lightning moved over towards Huánglóng and Zhànshì, making sure they were okay.

"As usual, ladies first."

I waved my arm forward. "Olive, use Quick Attack!"

"Manectric, do your Quick Attack."

Both Pokémon slammed into each other head-on before jumping back to their original positions.

"You have improved since our last meeting. Manectric, use Fire Fang."

With fire emitting from his teeth, the blue Pokémon lunged at her.

Seeing that he was too close for Screech to work, I shouted, "Counter with Pound!"

She stood on her hands and swung her tail upwards at Manectric's left cheek. Growling, he shook off the pain and returned to his Trainer's side.

The man laughed. "You're much bolder this time around. But it won't be much use to you."

I smiled. "We'll see about that. Olive, Mega Drain!"

"Manectric, Discharge."

The energy sapping move collided with the blue sparks, but the latter eventually broke through and struck Olive. As I expected, she took the move well and shook off the sparks.

"Quick Attack, Olive!"

She dashed forward, but Hamsetrin refused to let up. "Catch her with Fire Fang."

"Dodge, Olive!"

She tried to change direction, but Manectric caught up with her and chomped onto her tail. She cried in pain as he shook her and tossed her back over to our side. Olive returned to her feet and flexed her tail. Thankfully, it wasn't badly injured.

Manectric snarled, signaling what he wanted to his Trainer.

"Very well then. Use Thunder."

The Discharge Pokémon closed his eyes. The room started to get cold as a large storm cloud formed overhead.

Olive froze with fear, so I shouted, "I know you can overcome this again, Olive! Fight your fear of electricity!"

She took a deep breath and braced herself. Now fully charged, Manectric howled and sent the large lightning bolt at the green Pokémon.

She gritted her teeth and, with her eyes open wide, she shouted, "I WON'T LET YOU WIN!"

She stood up, although with some difficulty, and glared at our attackers. In that instant, her body began to glow.

Summer's Pokémon:

Blaze (Blaziken, male): Brave Nature, Blaze Ability, moves: Fire Punch, Flamethrower, Blaze Kick, Sky Uppercut

Errol (Noctowl, male): Rash Nature, Keen Eye Ability, moves: Psychic, Confusion, Hypnosis, Air Slash

Aurora (Dewgong, female): Calm Nature, Thick Fat Ability, moves: Water Pulse, Ice Beam, Aqua Tail, Signal Beam

Lightning (Raichu, female): Adamant Nature, Static Ability, moves: Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Thunder Punch, Grass Knot

Rocky (Steelix, male): Lonely Nature, Rock Head Ability, moves: Stone Edge, Crunch, Dragonbreath, Iron Tail

Olive (Treecko, female): Timid Nature, Overgrow Ability, moves: Pound, Screech, Mega Drain, Quick Attack

Weldon's Pokémon:

Venusaur (male): Serious Nature, Overgrow Ability, moves: Solarbeam, Body Slam, Sludge Bomb, Vine Whip

Fearow (male): Adamant Nature, Keen Eye Ability, moves: Drill Peck, Steel Wing, Fury Attack, Aerial Ace

Golem (male): Bold Nature, Rock Head Ability, moves: Rock Slide, Earthquake, Rollout, Double Edge

Gyarados (male): Sassy Nature, Intimidate Ability, moves: Surf, Ice Fang, Payback, Waterfall

Arcanine (male): Naughty Nature, Flash Fire Ability, moves: Hyper Beam, Extremespeed, Flare Blitz, Fire Blast

Electabuzz (male): Rash Nature, Static Ability, moves: Thunder, Mega Kick, Thunder Punch, Shock Wave

Questions for the Chapter:

What did you think of Huánglóng and Zhànshì?

What did you think of Summer and Rocky's talk with Olive?

Will Olive beat Manectric?