Azure lay lifeless on the black grass. It was over.


    "Azure, return!" Lucas cried, holding out the Piplup''s Pokéball as bright light spilled out of it.


    But the penguin rolled away from the light, getting up and limping out of its way.


    Lucas gritted his teeth.


    "You LOST! You can''t fight anymore, that thing''ll kill you! I get not wanting to give up, but this is too much, Azure, RETURN—"


    A horribly explosive screech zinged in Lucas''s ears. Azure stared at him, utterly rejecting any notion of losing.


    Lucas''s eyebrows crunched his face in twisting rage.


    "ARE YOU STUPID?! Azure—"


    But before he could even finish that thought, another streak of searing lightning fired, lighting the inky black with vicious yellow as it entangled Azure and fried him in a stuttering burst!


    The bird collapsed to the ground once again.


    "NO!!", he turned his head at the Shinx, which wagged its spark-tipped tail that looked like a string of electric wire.


    Lucas gritted his teeth, his heart pounding as he pictured it playing out in his head before he charged the charged-up feline, lunging at it to pin it to the ground. But the baby-blue electric devil sidestepped his advance effortlessly, hissing aggressively at him as it scratched his back.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    The sharp pain of its savage claws slicing through his jacket and digging into his skin made him scream out.


    The first of many.


    Lucas jolted and cried, being ravaged by the Pokémon''s static scratches. His jacket was torn and ripped by its carnage-causing claws, blood leaking out of his body from the slits it scratched into his skin.


    But right as he thought he was about to be mauled to death, light thumps drummed on the grassy ground, the sound of furious stomps–


    Azure BASHED his head into the wild Shinx, taking it down once again!


    The two little beasts tumbled in the black grass once again, sparks flying from the Shinx''s now-glowing body that looked like a star.


    Its fur was smothered in a gleaming coat as it clawed and clawed away at Azure, who tweeted furiously, pounding it over and over again in a bloody mess.


    Lucas sat up, paralysed again, the burning sting of sores squeezing tears out of his eyes.


    He was such an idiot, so enraged that he''d completely lost his mind and gone berserk.


    What was he thinking? He was so stupid! Charging at a WILD Shinx as if he had any hope of catching something as agile as that with his bare hands to beat it up!


    Catch it in his...wait!


    Something sparked in Lucas''s brain, blood running down his face from an open scratch. Why hadn''t he just done this from the start?


    He frantically took off his backpack and rummaged through it, throwing everything out—potions, repels, boxes, parcels—snatching a white box that rattled with millions of balls.


    He tore it open with no thoughts behind his actions, causing tons of shiny orbs to spill out onto the grass, licked by the moon''s faint bluish-silver glow.


    He grabbed hold of one, feeling it inflate in his palm before FLINGING it like a rock at the Shinx, THWACKING it dead on its head and enveloping it in a bright blue light.


    1...2...3.