A/N: I made mistake with the last chapter; just correcting that to say that there's one more chapter after this one before you guys are all caught up here. Chapter 14 is turning out to be really difficult, but even slow progress is progress.

This chapter was originally posted on ao3 on 2024-08-23

Ecruteak City was always bathed in a hue of sunset. Even at noon, the sky was painted with an artist's streak of orange and yellow. When sunset truly came around, it always fell just the right way to become a glint behind the Bell Tower, and it made the city all the more stronger in its presence and as far as Dewott was concerned, power.

His face stung as he ran a paw along his chin. He was sure that it wasn't going to scar, and if it did, it wouldn't be something too noticeable and for once, that was for good reason. To say King had surprised him would be giving him too much credit. Still, King was stronger than he looked, and a scar from someone that was anything but a practiced fighter would be infuriating; he shouldn't have given him nearly as much trouble as he did. Dewott leaned against the wall, locking eyes with a few loose-leaf Pokemon at their trainer's side as they went by, and passing over the ones that ticked with instigation. He would have normally been eager to take them up on their challenge and get a pulse on where he stood for himself. It usually ended like he figured it would: with his reactions just a breath faster, and his observations just that much sharper. They would roll into the battles after that and his progress would turn him into an ultimate force.

Jaret's Arcanine had been the only one that had stopped that, and King had been the only one to be able to repeat that, and Dewott watched numbly as Nurse Joy brought King up from behind the desk and to Seria, and with nothing to be seen of the blows that Dewott had managed. They'd healed up before King had even been taken in. It was one thing to be stalled and forced to change your approach; it was another to be shown to be utterly ineffective. He had said three rounds would have been enough, that a well practiced Aqua Cutter or his near-perfect Aerial Ace would be enough to make due on his promise.

King had stopped him every time. Bitterness burned into his face, just at the precise moment that Seria turned to him with a face caught somewhere between pity and welcome. His eyes went to the side askance and he kept them there, even as footsteps that were definitely hers etched closer. They stopped further away than usual; a glance flickered in her direction for a moment.

"Do you miss your old trainer?" Dewott didn't answer, paw on shell as he prepared for practice. "What about his other Pokemon? Were they your friends?" Dewott took to form, then to execution. "Okay, I guess that's a dumb question since you don't trust me." Seria sighed. "Did you want to go back?" Dewott scoffed, but the question stopped him mid-swing, and Seria tensed. His face twisted and he glared into space.

This ditz, this "Seria" didn't know anything. For all her meek attentiveness, she had only made things worse. He felt her shift, probably backwards as she should have. He had had enough of her temerity. She would need to be different, much stronger if she wanted to call herself caring for him, and that was something he could never allow, not with Virgil being the way that he was now, and that made him clench his teeth in frustration; it wasn't as if Virgil was really even there anymore anyway. He snatched his arm away with a glower when she went to comfort him, and Seria drew back with a startled cry. Dewott's blade was already out and open,point spraying to life and holding Seria in place' The entire world froze, until it didn't.

A Pokemon flashed in his direction, and Dewott spun and he lowered himself, clipping the Pokemon's underside with a well-timed Slash that incapacitated the Pokemon immediately. His eyes flashed out into the rest of the center's waiting room. The trainers had been quick to gather around, at least a solid four of them clicking open capsules and calling their Pokemon forward. The Krokorok he saw was the toughest one here, and for him, the easiest to take down. His paw tightened around his scalchop.

"Even in a Pokemon Center, you're still as brutal as ever." King stepped forward, and through the trainers, all of them floored at his speech. His hands were behind his back as he looked on toward him, and that meant that even now, Dewott was nothing for him to worry about. Dewott snarled; King held up a hand. "You're in a Pokemon Center. Can't you have some decency? Pokemon are here to be helped and healed. Not to deal with your snooty and minkish behavior." He pointed to the door. "If you still want to be abrasive as you are, then we are free to move outside, and I will force you into submission again. You couldn't have forgotten about our agreement already, have you?" Dewott's eyes rolled over the center again, over the trainers, over the Krokorok and abysmal collections of Furret and Noctowl, and then they came back to Seria. The glint of pity he picked up in her eyes sent him storming from the center.

The first thing he laid his eyes on when he stepped outside of the center had been the tower, and it only soured his mood even more. The tower loomed unchallenged above everything else in the city and the history it carried settled over and was inhaled by everything. He had learned Aerial Ace here from a Bisharp-Marowak duo under the sharp eyes of their trainer, an Otoshi that he wasn't sure was still in the city now and Virgil had helped him perfect it after that. Or at least, very nearly. Otoshi called it something different, "Kotra-ran Flash" that was faster than any other Aerial Ace Dewott had ever seen, and fast enough to even fell bird Pokemon employing the same technique, or even cleave through the unbreakable. It was the pinnacle that Dewott had never been able to reach.

Still, Virgil and Dewott had gotten good enough at it to make it their own. In fact, they had gotten great at it, and aside from the lucky few, no one escaped Aerial Ace. If he hadn't been so stupid, then he would've ended up back here with Virgil, and maybe, just maybe there would have been a chance to bring him back. His paw clutched tight around his scalchop, then flashed to life, the point coming to hover just before King.

"You really are just an insufferable thing, aren't you?" His hands were there in their customary place: clasped together behind him. Dewott turned the edge of the blade on its side to poke at an unflinching King; King sighed. His tone was less condescending than usual. "Why do you insist on being so difficult?" The question caught Dewott off guard and his grip slackened just a slight bit. "It was your curiosity that got you into this situation, and your loss to me that solidified your place here as we speak." Dewott snarled, but the indignation disintegrated immediately under King's glare.

Then, it softened.

"Seria told you her reason for taking you in, and I know that you're not fool enough to not understand that." The edge on Dewott's scalchop dulled into normalcy, and fell back to his side as he watched King pace carefully, curiously to and fro. "You've acted like a caged animal this whole time, even when it was your choice to come along with her. If you found her to be so frustrating to you, then it really makes no sense at all why you acquiesced in the first place." Dewott did his best to scowl but his expression flagged as he clicked his shell back into place at his thigh. He gave a low murmur and King stopped.

"This place must mean something to you," King remarked. "Especially since you've stared at the tower specifically. I can only guess that you've been here before with your trainer?" Dewott didn't reply. King exhaled, more heartily than Dewott would have thought. "Ah, of course you have. All of that training you do wouldn't suggest anything else." King faced him then, eyes sharp but also tinted with understanding. "Out of all of the techniques I've seen you use, your Aerial Ace is the one that you practice and use the most." Dewott's eyes narrowed.

"There's heart there, and you're very proud of it." King paused, then added, "I would have thought this was something you would be able to see, and understand. She may not look it, but Seria is more practiced than you give her credit for." Dewott scoffed, and King's lips curved in amusement. "I'm sure an un-initiated sloth like myself has no idea of a warrior's code but," King's amusement brought teeth. "The body is only a piece. A warrior should never neglect his heart nor his mind." King didn't wait for his response after that, his nod humble and curt before turning back and leaving Dewott in silence.

Juliet had opted to return Casanova to his ball so that she'd be able to take him back to Violet City but Liza had shut down the idea immediately, and left Juliet with an adamant reminder that the Charicific Valley was rugged, isolated, and none of them had a Pokemon at the moment that could even get them from the valley to begin with.

On top of that, Casanova had quite literally bled for his opportunity, losing the fight but surviving a slam that should have killed him. The fact that he still was able to move at all pushed him over the threshold needed for acceptance. There was no way he would throw all that away, and Juliet knew that. So it confused Virgil to watch a girl who was so in control in so many ways be anything but that. When Liza had told her that Casanova's wounds had to heal naturally, Juliet had nearly gone berserk, and that had landed her into hot water with a few of the Charizard there and had only been spurned when they all took pity on a battered Casanova that barred their way.

He sat next to her now on the outside of the valley, down by the body of water that stretched impossibly blue and impossibly far flanked by craggy sculptures of Charizard. When he looked a little closer, he could see that the sculptures were a commemoration of Charizard belonging to Scales of the past. They sat in silence as a finger wound tight in her hair.

" 'The wounds from battle must be healed by nature. Every scar earned here is proof of their training time and time again.' " She shuddered at Virgil's words. "I know what you're thinking, and Liza did say that."

"I don't need you to state the obvious," she murmured.

"Of course not. Why do you think I was mocking her?" Juliet sighed.

"I just can't believe I wanted to bring Cas to such an awful place."

"It is the wild, you know. And they're fully evolved. There's no way you really thought—"

"I'm more than willing to fund a center here," she spat sourly. "Liza is the guardian of the valley. A protected area obviously means that there's probably a body trying to protect it, and that they appointed her. So why don't they have something here in case something goes bad?"

"Because it's the wild," Virgil repeated. "If the Charizard dislike trained Pokemon so much, then I wouldn't be surprised if they stopped any actual attempt at getting in and developing this place or the outskirts." Virgil grunted. "You couldn't put that together?" She didn't answer him and her shoulders slumped; his chest tightened.

"Juliet," he began, and then paused. She forced a hollow laugh.

"I think that's the first time you've actually called me by my actual name."

"Well, what else do you expect me to call you?"

"Something rich girl related." She snorted, but didn't look at him. "Maybe you should stick to the name calling. You might hurt yourself if you don't."

"...Did you just call me stupid?" She shrugged.

"Probably." Her tone was flat. "You looked really confused when you said my name, so I don't think it's rude to assume." He watched her with a hard stare; there was still no reaction.

"I am confused," Virgil retorted. "I—we don't know anything about you, and being dodgy about what I've been trying to ask you doesn't help either." Juliet sighed, and cold nudged itself into his chest where he thought fire would've been. "And, for how secretive you seem to be," She shifted at the slight dip in his voice. "I'm confused why you dragged me along for your Charizard's trials or whatever. If you're trying to rub in the whole thing from earlier—" She turned to him with fury.

"You were the only person I had there, and the only person that I could've had for support." The words came out bitterly, and Virgil sucked in a breath. "It's stupid, and I don't really even know why I felt like I could do that but…You're the only person that I really even know here." He winced.

"...Is that because you know what you can do?" Virgil was surprised that she hadn't hit him then, but the edge in her eyes sharpened even more.

"You're the one that's looking," came a pointed reply, but she deflated seconds after. "But, you're right. If anything, I'm sure I could've gotten you to do whatever I needed you to do, but I also meant what I said. You're the only person I know here, so why wouldn't I bring you along?" She turned away and brought her knees to her chest; her voice was muffled. "I just can't believe this…" Her eyes went back to the lake, and she was silent.

They had to have sat there for ten, possibly even 20 minutes in silence and Virgil couldn't quite think of anything to say. He was just as dismayed and taken aback by the valley himself. He had heard of trainers before wanting to bring their Charizard to the valley before, but he never figured he would have ever seen the practices, and as far as he was able to tell, none of those trainer's Charizard would've been comparable to Juliet's.

"Why's his name Casanova?" He made a face at such a stupid question. She turned to him.

"Are you serious?" Virgil shrugged.

"He doesn't really seem like the gentle type of Pokemon." It was a stupid question, and he really wished he would have thought of something with actual substance. The last thing he needed to see was her eyes turned down on him in ridicule, like everyone else that knew who he was. She chuckled, and that, surprisingly, hadn't escalated into a chastising laugh. It was reserved, timid, and…soft.

"Liza called him out on it," she replied, her voice small. "He might not look or act like it, but he's…kind of a romantic. It started as a joke when he fell in love with a friend's Quilava…"

"And…?" She laughed.

"He wouldn't let me call him anything else after that. I think he thought it was going to help him get the girl." Virgil grunted.

"And all he got himself was a helping of heartbreak…" Juliet laughed again.

"Maybe so, but he's resilient." Then, her voice dropped again, this time, tinged with a bit of frustration. "He can be a handful when he battles female Pokemon. He'll try to show-off even more than he already does. It's kind of annoying…"

"Sounds like he'd never actually fought a female Pokemon that'd actually make him take them seriously until now." Her lips pressed into a line, then broke back into a small smile.

"Yeah, you're probably right. The third Scale was a female Charizard, and I could tell he really tried to get a little grandiose…" She frowned. "He won, but still…" She huffed. "Ugh, he's like my brother." Virgil whirled to her in surprise.

"You have a brother?" Her hand flew to her mouth, as if she could take the words back. "You mean there's more than just one of you?"

"You make it sound like that's a bad thing." Virgil opened his mouth to respond; he snapped his mouth shut instead. He didn't need to ruin this moment. The Charicific Valley was a brutal place, and secretive or not, the least he could do was to try and keep her spirits up. That, and she was turning out to be more personable than he thought.

He remembered at that moment that he had questions.

And it must've shown on his face. Juliet turned to him, lips curved in a shadow in an already familiar smile. "Before you interrogate me," she began. "Can I ask you something?"

"Uh, sure."

"I didn't expect all of this comfort here just now. What's gotten into you?" Virgil swallowed air.

"You never told me who you were." Juliet rolled her eyes.

"Don't change the topic."

"You've done that ever since we've got here!"

"And you're gonna ruin your chance for me to tell you something because you don't wanna answer my question?" He sighed, harried.

"I just…thought that you could use some comfort is all. It sounds like you've had your Charizard for a while."

"You can call him 'Cas' if you want." Juliet quipped. Virgil ignored it and took a quick breath to compose himself.

"You…also did get us here and helped with Viola like you said you would. So, this is the least I could do. Happy?" She smiled, then nodded. "Okay, good, because now you can—"

"Juliet Grey from Sunyshore City, Vanessa and Alexander Grey are my parents. I'm the second child and first girl. Yes, Connor Grey is my older brother, no I don't know where he is." She batted her eyelashes at him, hands cupping her cheeks to add a flair of dramatics. Virgil had never met someone so disdainful of her own privilege.

He liked that about her.

"Well," His eyes dropped to the dirt as he struggled for words. "I hadn't expected all that at one time."

"You did say you wanted to know who I was, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but one bit at a time." He paused. "Although… I can't say that I know anyone from your family." The air shifted, and it made Virgil look back up to her. He had caught the sight of her eyes before, numerous times in fact, and nearly all of them had been in that alleyway, but the way they looked now this time was different.

He had never registered how striking they were: An expanse of blue that had melted from the hardened ice from her earlier glaring. The flickering in them seized him immediately.

"You mean…You actually haven't heard of any of them? Not a single one?" Virgil shrugged.

"Well, I did hear about a 'Connor Grey' becoming Hoenn league Champion last year—" Juliet sank. "B-but I didn't think he was your brother! How many secrets do you have?"

"I wish that one could have stayed hidden," she grumbled. "And it blows my Lily of the Valley top four out of the water..." Virgil gawked.

"Both of those blow mine out of the water! What do you mean top four!?" She bade a hand.

"Connor actually won the cup that year." He had hoped that she was fucking with him, but the plain and nonchalant expression had told him that she was in fact, quite serious. A Hoenn League win was impressive. Any of them were, but Hoenn paled in comparison to the Lily of the Valley.

"You mean your brother actually beat Steven?" Her brow wriggled at that.

"Someone's a little outdated. Steven resigned beforehand. If you have to know anything about him, it would be that he's rock-crazy. I guess you could say a geologist or something of the sort." Another environmentalist type, Virgil noted. Juliet had said that bored, and he was sure that Viola would have been up in arms about Juliet's casual dismissal of the whole thing.

"Wallace took his place though," Juliet continued. "And, Wallace is strong, but he's not Steven Stone strong." She shrugged. "I'd assume that's who he beat." She gave another wave of her hand. "But still, I also really don't know how true that is. I've tried to visit him before and see if it was really true, but was told that the 'Connor Grey ' I was telling them about had never participated. So… maybe you're right and it's just the wrong Connor." She shrugged again. "I haven't seen him in a while, and he's a handful anyway." A brow went up but Virgil was quiet. "But speaking of secrets, you don't seem like you have to hide yours too much."

"I don't have any," Virgil grumbled low.

"Oh, come on. You're her splitting image." His face twisted.

"I don't have any." It came out sharper the second time and her recoil had been harsh and twisted her eyes into a deep scowl that re-centered him, and made him shrink in shame. That wasn't the response or tone he had wanted; it hadn't been the intention. It wasn't—

"Geez, okay. Well, you have your mom's looks, but maybe your dad's temper. Forget I said anything."

"They're both laid back," Virgil blurted. "The…temper is just a me problem." He had said that tightly, and with that familiar note of distress that Jaret picked out in Happy Town, and probably something that anyone that got close to him would be able to fish out. "I-I just," Shit. He was stammering. How had everything flipped on its head so fast? "I just don't need anyone getting the wrong idea about my parents is all. The temper is something I'm trying to work on while I'm traveling and—" Her finger pushed his lips together shut; she grinned, bashfully.

"Look, you don't have to lie about it. Just say that you're under a lot of pressure. Alice Tonelia had one of the best runs at the Lily of the Valley ever. It's a tough conference." Her finger left his lips and they dropped open in disbelief. He looked away with a murmur.

"It's at the top of the Triple Crown of leagues, and even if she lost, she made history." Juliet giggled.

"Don't you think I know that? Alice Tonelia inspired so many people, especially girls to really wanted to try their hand at battling. There was a massive hype around Golem for a while there."

"It wasn't even her best Pokemon…"

"No, but definitely the most entertaining. Her Pinballing strategy was brutal." Virgil sighed. "Oh," Juliet laughed, and it felt like light. He couldn't help but smile too. "Sorry about that. But, I'm not here to put you in your mom's shadow, like some other people might."

"I'm guessing you saw the battle?"

"Yeah, but everyone knew who you were up against. If it helps, everyone was watching Jaret instead. And anyone watching you was already way impressed." She paused, and then warmed him with another smile. She needed to stop that. "I know I was."

"You were? With what?"

"Oh, right. I forgot that you said he'd be fine. I wonder if he'd try to challenge any of the Charizard here though…"

"Dewott still didn't win."

"Well, no. But you don't remember your match? The one where you came from behind because of Dewott?" Virgil couldn't stifle the pride that came to his face. She was making his brooding very hard. He was looking at her now, smiling back at him. "All I'm saying," she continued. "Is that I'm surprised that you're hiding the fact that you're her son."

"And you?" Juliet shrugged.

"What about me?"

"What about your parents? You mentioned them earlier and all, and people really seem to know who you are. Is that because of them?" Her shift was immediate, a hollow nothing manifesting in the space between them to settle strong on his shoulders.

"Alexandre and Vanessa are decent trainers, but since I get my name from my mother, she's convincingly the stronger of the two, probably."

"So why be such a fan of my mom when yours is good too?" She went rigid and his chest tightened, but she turned to him with a third smile that left him…hollow..

"Tonelia is better," was all she said at first, taking a breath and a moment to gather the energy to speak. "Golem was a fan-favorite. But, so was the Luxray she had too. My little sister adored that thing."

"So, you're not a fan of my mom's, but your sister is?"

"Yeah," she replied shortly. "She begged Vanessa to get her one, and when she didn't, we went out and caught a Shinx." There was a fume of disdain in her voice; it dissipated quickly. "So, Tonelia holds a special place in my heart for me. How can I not when she's inspired my little sister so deeply?"

The conversation was suddenly lopsided.

"Oh, well, I didn't realize you had a sister too." Juliet grinned. "Do you know where she is at least?"

"She's still in Sinnoh. It's been seven years since she's started, but she never really showed any real desire to come out to other regions," another hollow laugh. "Not unless she could go with me, anyway."

"And, you didn't let her?"

"It's better to let her get herself together in a region that she's familiar with."

"For seven years?"

"She's a girl with many interests," Juliet retorted. "Even if one of them was watching Tonelia's battles all the time." Virgil sighed.

"Yeah, like her sister, I guess."

"And that means?"

"You sound like you have a lot of interests too. You coordinate and battle." He had laid the emphasis on thick. He still couldn't quite believe her top four claim, and he was going to make sure that she never forgot that. "You also get into back-alley brawls with roughnecks on contest nights looking like—" He caught himself, and so did Juliet, her voice running through him textured like velvet.

"Looking like what?"

"L-like you shouldn't be there," he stammered. "But that's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying—"

"Is that you really can't believe that I have money and is still actually a person?" It was a plain remark. "I'm mostly self-taught, but I had a friend back home with a Hitmonchan and Grappleoct that showed me a few things. Or at least, enough to deal with thugs in an alley."

"All of that for the Cat's Eight?"

"Well, why not? Gotta have fun somehow, right?" Her laugh dried up seconds after. They turned back to the body of water and fell silent. He tried his best to ignore that unsettling nothing between them, even as it grew exponentially heavier. He'd been managing well, until it morphed into a finite something: weight.

"So what's gotten into you?" She had asked the question with a perfect sudden-ness, that was equal parts unbalancing and centering that sent Virgil clamoring for a response that he had found but was too slow to get out. "Since we're sharing secrets and all."

"I told you, I don't have any." She gave him an annoyed look. "Well, besides who my mom is."

"Then that freakout about your friends is a normal thing that happens?"

"You don't think it'd be weird if I didn't do that? It sounds like a pretty normal reaction after being blindsided by a Charizard if you ask me."

"It's weird that you think a murderous tirade is normal. You didn't see what I saw." Virgil paused to look over her expression and to weigh his next words carefully but was struck by a thought that twisted his face into an irritated scowl. There was no way that Juliet could be seeing anything like the three of them. He hadn't heard thunder or caught wisps of cold air in his sight. He only ever saw her for exactly what she was.

"Then tell me," was all he managed. Focus tightened his body and strung his mind; he waited.

"You couldn't do anything when Cas scooped them up, could you?" Virgil deflated, frowned and then shook his head in admission.

"All I could do was stand there, and deal with that Jenny and weirdo photographer." Her face twitched at the latter mention. "But, I got off fine because of him and Jaret's Arcanine…" He leaned his lip into his legs to muffle himself. "I thought they were going to die…" He pressed his lips harder into his legs when her eyes fell on him again, anything to not look at her directly.

"You would've killed me over them, wouldn't you?" Virgil threw his reservations aside a that remark, and he turned to her bewildered.

"No way. You might be a little annoying, but I would never actually try to kill you. And, Viola's fine and alive now. There's no reason to even try."

"Like I said," Juliet repeated. "I don't think you saw what I saw. I know that look, and I know it really well." Virgil tried to ignore the dry patch knotting together in his throat.

"I guess having a lot of money has its downsides too." She huffed amusedly.

"You could say that, but I was just… surprised at the reaction you had for them. You don't seem like you've known them for very long." Virgil pressed his lips together. She was right. He had only known Jaret for about a week now, and Viola for only a few days.

And he would throw his life away for the both of them without question.

"They're…"

"Your friends, right?" Juliet sighed, also a bit amused and a little dejected, resting her chin in a hand and casting her eyes, again back out to the lake. "I'm not here to judge you. I think it's nice that you're so open about your friends?" Virgil stifled his surprise. Him? Open?

"I just wanted you to know that," Juliet continued. "And, that… I'm glad that they weren't hurt either. I really didn't mean for anything to get out of hand…" Virgil was quiet for a moment but gathered the strength for a hollow marionette of movement in his face; he had never been good at faking, but he hoped that he got his point across.

"If that's the case, I'm glad that Casanova is okay, too." Juliet turned back to him with a small smile.

"Please, call him Cas."

They had to have spent hours down in Liza's library, and Jaret had quickly pieced together that this was simply Viola's element. She busied about the library, cross-referencing and committing notes to a personal database that she kept both in a personal laptop and her Pokédex. They had managed to gather other bits of info, although nothing quite stood out to him other than the quote he had caught earlier. The other books that he had gone through had been closer to taxonomy and all things dragon related. The hunt for information on the legends dwindled as quickly as it came, and he had made note of a book, "Valley of the Singed". He had picked that one up earlier and he wasn't surprised in the slightest that Viola was roving over it now.

But all of the research was getting tiring.

He had managed a few more inquiries and found manuals about training, although nearly all of them, like the rest of the books, were geared towards Charizard and the likes of dragons. It was too exhausting to maintain the effort.

That exhaustion had brought him back to and through the main living space and outside the home. Virgil had been gone for a while now along with that Juliet. He had also heard Charizard battling from deeper in the valley, and that meant that Virgil had probably been pulled into the trials somehow, and that was if he didn't volunteer. The way that his eyes settled on Juliet was not lost on Viola, who had made sure to point it out to Jaret after they had left; Virgil would be alright.

Where his attention really settled was on his Pokemon, to Arcanine and Dragonite. They stood with each other, each with a Charizard across from them. The Charizard looked fresh, and the one across from Dragonite, a little afraid. Jaret's Pokemon on the other hand, were taxed a little more and Jaret noted the rise and fall of their bodies.

Those two were running a gauntlet again.

The Charizard were strong here. Very strong, yet Arcanine and Dragonite had each moved first, relying on and confounding the Charizard with their speed. Dragonite caught a Dragon Tail on his arm that he threw to the side, just as Arcanine had opened up his opponent's guard with his Flash Fire. The two of them felled the Charizard in a single burst of power.

The two of them were strong. And when they turned around to see him, he flashed them a goofy thumbs up, and that earned him an ingratiating smile from the both of them, and a paw held up in recognition from Dragonite. They turned back to the two Charizard to help them to their feet, Dragonite flying off with them to somewhere else in the valley. Arcanine had leaped from his place to slide down from his place to the valley floor and pursue them on foot; Jaret wondered where they could 'have possibly been going. He parsed out a wild form at the bottom of his sight.

"If you're wondering about your friends, her Charizard passed." Liza came to a stop in front of him, hands on hips and with an abysmal smirk.

"It's a little early to call Juliet my friend. She did kind of cause us some issues."

"Hm, well that was unexpected. You don't really seem the type for grudges."

"I'm not," Jaret agreed. They're a lot of work. But I think I'm a little more worried about how Viola might take to her. Swellow's doing a lot better thanks to Virgil's Lucario and Leavanny but still, her Charizard hurt him pretty bad."

"It was a pretty good burn, and I understand her concern, but she has nothing to worry about. Her Charizard's Blast Burn was sub-par at best. It could never cause the kind of damage a real Blast Burn could do." Jaret's eyes became stone.

"I think you'd take that back if you saw it."

"I have, and this happens to be my final assessment."

"But—" She held a hand up.

"Before you start with the 'tutor' only thing, Juliet said the same thing, and I'll say the same thing: The Charizard in this Valley are all very strong, and by extension, the Blast Burn that is learned in the wild is much more potent than a Blast Burn taught by a tutor."

"Even if it's a technique developed by humans." Liza nodded.

"Even then." The upturn of her lips had vanished, and she was watching him levelly. "I know it doesn't seem possible at all, but Pokemon aren't stupid. You know that. If we can learn something just by watching, then don't you think they could do the same?" She shuffled a little closer; she was frowning.

"Do you know how Blast Burn is taught?"

"I'm sure the details are a little complex, but the general idea is that it's 'innate equilibrium' or something, right?" Liza cocked a brow and the smirk cropped back up.

"You've really scoured over the library, haven't you?" Jaret chuckled.

"Well, to be honest, you don't really seem the type." Liza chuckled in return.

"Yeah, I get that a lot, but in Veritas and Variation, there's a section on techniques, their roots and how techniques can manifest in different forms." She paused. "Have you ever been to a contest?" Jaret wrinkled his nose. "I'll take that as a no. But Coordinators tend to tap into the idea easier than trainers do. Innate Equilibrium is just that: an internal equilibrium."

"It's technique control, " Jaret replied bluntly. "You don't have to make it sound so fancy." She glared and Jaret held down a laugh. "But I get it. I read through that one enough to get the general idea but I still don't understand how this allows a tutored technique to—"

"You didn't read the roots section, did you?" Jaret's words caught, and then he laughed. "I, uh, sort of hit my limit before I could." Liza's glare sharpened. "Hey, you can't deep dive on an empty stomach!"

"The root of Blast Burn lies in Hyper Beam and it's a technique that can be learned by any fully evolved Pokemon." Jaret's smile morphed into incredulity.

"You mean that—"

"Technically, any fire type Pokemon can learn Blast Burn if it's evolved far enough, but the amount of work it would take in the wild is immense. It's never been done before by a Pokemon in the wild before until recently." Jaret narrowed his eyes.

"The Charicific Valley has a Charizard that's actually done this?"

"The only Pokemon to have ever done so in the wild." Jaret brought a hand to his mouth in thought.

"...There's only certain Pokemon that can handle the tutoring for Blast Burn. If tutoring is an incomplete but easier way to do it, then why don't other fire-types take to it as easy…?"

"You're talking about the Innate Pokemon." Jaret's face twisted, annoyed.

"Is that what they're calling them?"

"They've always called them that, and they're typically Pokemon that the regional professors carry, or stay in places like this. There can be multiple reasons why places like the Charicific Valley exist."

"True, but I'm guessing that this is because of poachers in particular, right?" Liza nodded.

"There's a lot to them, but Innate Pokemon are just naturally good at learning how to maintain and apply equilibrium. Knowing intrinsically how to do that and having a tutor lets them take to it really fast, but in the wild and places like this, it's different."

"Is that Charizard still here? Do you think we might have already ran into him?"

"You'd know him if you saw him. He's one of the biggest Charizard here, and that doesn't clue you in, then his black scales will."

"Black scales?" It clicked for Jaret then. "He's a Shiny? The strongest Charizard here is a Shiny too?"

"He is, and he thrums with that innate energy. Innate Pokemon have much higher levels of it. It even manifests in their specific abilities..."

"You're talking about Blaze and the other abilities, aren't you?" Liza nodded.

"It looks like all of you are quick on the uptake." She sighed. "But, that's also a main reason why the professors carry Innate Pokemon, or at least, have access to their protected spaces. They're there to study and understand them and their 'innate-ness'."

"I can't help but think that when you say 'innate energy', you're talking about type-energy."

"Not quite, but they are related and equilibrium applies to both. You balance both energies for the best kind of efficiency. That's your Innate Equilibrium. Type-energy is emergent. So... if there's enough Innate Energy and you give it enough time, a type will manifest in proportion to the Innate."

"So... the higher the Innate..."

"The more concentrated the type-energy," Liza replied with another smile. "Yeah, you're getting it!" Jaret gawked.

"So, most of the other Pokemon are locked out of those moves because they simply don't have it?"

"More like, their bodies wouldn't be able to handle it. Even Innate Pokemon are forced to rest when they use them. And if they have to rest, then what do you think that would do to non-innates?" Jaret was silent, and Liza fell into that same silence as they both watched his Eevee closely.

"You know," she suddenly said. "They say that shinies also have more of that innate energy, and that's why they have their colors. If that's true, then a shiny Innate Pokemon would have absurd levels of Innate Energy."

"Then that would mean that a Shiny Pokemon just hits harder, and that an Innate Pokemon's techniques would be even stronger than that," Jaret remarked quietly. They each kept their eyes on Eevee.

"You're right," Liza continued. "I've also told your friends that this Charizard is the only trained Pokemon that was accepted so firmly." Eevee had gone to sit where Arcanine and Dragonite had been. She was pouting and indignant on her haunches that Arcanine had left without her; her grayed fur meant so much more now.

"Why so?" Jaret asked.

"Onyx is a Charizard raised exclusively in Blackthorn."

"So he was already strong to begin with…" Liza nodded.

"But it was also him that learned Blast Burn on his own, and now, it's a required benchmark test for any who want to get into the valley." Jaret went quiet. Liza pushed past him then, but paused to toss a curious look over her shoulder. "Actually, a question."

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever heard of Mastery?"

"Mastery? As in, mastering a hobby or something? This isn't some other esoteric Blackthorn thing, is it?" Liza smiled at that.

"I'll take that as a no. Just forget about it." Her laugh was small. Jaret pursed his lips together firm.

"I actually have a question for you too..." She turned to him, brow arched.

"Are you from Blackthorn? Is that Charizard actually yours?

"I know the trainer that left him here and he still visits when he can. As for Blackthorn..." Her flash of teeth went to the ground. "Liza Sieghart is just a girl that loves nature and her dragons..." She had shrugged when she said that. "But, it was nice that we had this conversation and all, but I think that I'll go ahead and get some rest. Your Arcanine and Dragonite are really impressive, and the Charizard here really have taken a liking to them. But, be sure to get some rest." Jaret kept his eyes on Eevee as he nodded, and Liza's footsteps disappeared into the house.

Jaret made his way over and plopped down next to his Eevee, and she turned to him pouting, but with the smallest tinge of tears and hurt. Jaret frowned at first, but managed a small smile.

"I know you get frustrated that Arcanine won't take you places, but he's trying to protect you." She frowned, but then stamped her paws in defiance. "Arcanine is really strong, and I know you want to get as good as him, but it takes time. That battle we had with that photographer's Blaziken was too dangerous for you, Eevee. You've got to take baby steps." She shook her head in defiance and stamped her paw again. Tears came up with her when she looked back up. She wanted to be strong so very badly, and it made Jaret's heart sink.

He frowned as he reached out to scratch behind her ears, and it deepened when Eevee curled herself into a ball when she nestled closer to him; she fell asleep quickly. He was scowling now. Eevee had always been rambunctious and quick to battle, and always babied by Leavanny when she set out to emulate Arcanine. And Arcanine taught her the best he could and so did he. It had gotten her from being a rambunctious tough talker to an Eevee that packed a surprising punch. She had improved so much, had battles at Happy Town with a win over Salvador's Zangoose that left her especially proud, and it was enough to let her and Jaret know that she might have been the baby, but she wasn't a slouch; she was strong.

But not strong enough.

It was a notion that reminded him keenly of the photographer from Violet City, the one that had a slightly familiar face when he thought about it, but commanded a Blaziken and Salamence by his side. They were strong enough to be a part of the 600 without question, and Jaret was sure that they were, especially with how the Violet City Jenny had reacted to the battle. Their battle had ended in a draw because of Jenny too, but throughout the entire battle and despite how strong Jaret knew he was, that photographer had been aloof—-unbothered.

Jaret was strong, but maybe he wasn't strong enough.

The sun was still high but had started to wane slightly, and Jaret took Eevee into his arms as he stood. The rest of the daylight was going to burn faster than he would like, and getting a headstart on getting comfortable would go a long way. He glanced outwards and deeper into the valley and hoped Arcanine and Dragonite weren't going to be too much longer. He headed back to Liza's.

His lip pressed against skin, a forehead, and he leapt back startled. Eevee had leapt from his arms groggily, but she landed well enough. She yawned, but her throat tightened to catch it that sent Eevee into a sputtering fit of coughs.

"You must've paid a pretty penny for that one." She had eyes like a lynx, narrowed into knives that looked to pick the two of them apart, darting and flicking at first across Jaret and then, to Eevee. Her lips crept back, into a vicious, pleased glint of teeth. "Lustered Pokemon are rare enough as is." She knelt down as she leered, and Jaret put a foot out to block her leering when it sent a shiver through Eevee. "She's beautiful," came a hushed tone. And then she was up again, and still smiling.

"I found her," Jaret retorted sternly. "I would never buy a Pokemon."

"Hmmm," She paced back and forth slowly. "So you mean to tell me that Jaret King is famous and lucky?"

"Am I supposed to know you?"

"I wouldn't say you're supposed to, but it'd probably make things easier for you." She said stretching. She brought her hands down slowly, her hands trailing down her side.

They stopped at her waist. She snickered.

"But it would make it a hell of a lot harder for me." Her finger brushed at her waist and Jaret heard a Poke-ball shimmer open, and felt the air bend. She was attacking.

"Eevee, move!" Their space exploded into debris. Jaret hit the dirt with a thud, and rolled, bounding to his feet the next instant. Eevee took form on the other side of the blast. Relief washed over him and he turned to the woman with venom in his eyes.

She reveled in his dismay, was enthralled in the face of it, and her smile remained a full display of fangs and satisfaction. Majesty hung in the air next to her, with eyes just as bladed as her trainer and guarded powerfully by scales; most dragons were, and Jaret cursed his luck that Dragonite and Arcanine hadn't come back yet; a Kingdra was bad news.

"She's gorgeous," the woman repeated. "And even if you didn't pay any money for her, I know that there's plenty of people who will." Jaret's hand was at his waist and he found nothing; Eevee was the only one he had for now, and Jaret muttered irritably under his breath.

It was such shitty timing to come across a Pokemon thief.

He had gone through the form times innumerable, and every time, he would fine-tune something new. It came with the training: discipline was necessary. But so was rest, and Dewott sank to his knees, paws across the top of them to help center himself and his breaths. His body thrummed with effort, and he had been at his training for the last hour. He had seen—felt Seria come by to watch him from time to time, only to turn away with that pleading look of hers before leaving him be. She was certainly persistent, and the thought brought an amused grin to his lips. He frowned when he remembered King's words.

He fell back into contemplation, and brought his techniques to his mind. His feet were just a little too off, and it affected the quickness of his draw. His lunge was also just a breadth too fast and his weight would shift to barrel him too far forward; it put unneeded strain across his center. He brought the corrected image into his mind, and a hazy memory of Otoshi and his Marowak before he climbed back to his feet. This was going to be the last set. He set himself to form.

And cleaved through fire.

He pivoted to the right, eyes sharp with grim countenance. His scalchop was already splashing to life with Razor Shell.

An Arcanine was there, and staring back at him, and immediately, Dewott knew this one was different. The immensity was a little off and not quite there, body a little more limber and lithe, signaling that he probably relied more on his speed or fire attacks than Jaret's. A homely smirk crossed the Arcanine's lips; Dewott bristled annoyed. There was only one Arcanine for him, and this one was not it.

"Take it easy Arcanine," Dewott whirled toward the voice with a scowl to a boy with the same smirk as the Arcanine. He was the Arcanine's trainer, and an uncouth one at that. "You know, they say your face can get stuck like that if you keep it that way for too long." Dewott's scowl grew deeper. The boy threw his hands up. "Alright then, don't say I didn't warn you." Dewott's grip around his scalchop wound tighter; his glare didn't change, and the boy shifted at that; he seemed… excited. "Well then, sis says I gotta snag you so don't make it too hard for me, got it?" The keened edge of that boy's voice hadn't been lost on Dewott. But even so, Dewott showed no signs of backing down.