Lucas ran.


    Sprinted.


    Faster than he ever had in his life. The sound of vicious growls and crackling electricity grew ever closer behind him. He panted, huffing and puffing as the predatory galloping thrashing against the moonlit grass reminded him of just how unprepared he was.


    "Why? What did I do to deserve any of this?!" he cried, his voice choked with repressed sobs.


    His white scarf streaked behind him, and his black, grassy hair was tossed about in the cold wind as he ran for his life.


    He glanced behind him—


    "AAAAAGGHHH!!"


    His heart seized, nearly exploding when he saw it.


    When he saw them.


    Shrouded in strings of jittering electricity and growling with bloodlust:


    An enormous Pokémon with a thick black mane around its snarling, furry blue face charged powerfully towards him from afar. Its deathly golden eyes pierced the darkness with a laser-like stare that made Lucas want to collapse and die.


    What had he done to come face to face with a Luxray?


    But it wasn''t alone.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    At its sides, more volatile electrical amber eyes gleamed at him. The ferocious feline hisses streaked into his ears as an entire Lux pride chased him down a hilly slope of grass surrounded by pine trees. Furious Luxio bared their terrifying fangs at him, their glares draining him of the will to fight. Even the little Shinxes, fluffy baby-blue balls of static death, growled and streaked across the dark grass like bolts of lightning.


    He had veered off the main gravel route and was now struggling not to stumble through tall strands of treacherous grass as he ran, and ran, and ran.


    Lucas''s lips trembled, quivering hopelessly as he cried internally over his inability to take control of any situation he was thrown into.


    Why was it that he was always being tossed around by everything and everyone? Always clueless about what to do, always finding himself in the worst possible scenarios.


    Always crying and crying, with no power to change anything.


    Always taking the back seat in his own life while his environment dictated his fate.


    He couldn''t control Azure. He couldn''t control anything. Powerless—


    He lost his balance, stumbling into a tree and slamming his head against the rough bark as the sound of vicious panting and crackling filled his ears.


    He was screwed.


    No Pokémon he had could fight a pride of bloodthirsty Luxio and Shinx.


    Definitely not an alpha Luxray either.


    Suddenly, as if heaven itself was calling to him, telling him it was time to give up:


    Bells.


    Chiming and jingling rang in his ears loudly. Really loudly, in fact—


    Emerging from the grass all around him, their wings vibrating with urgency, a fleet of large red insects singing loudly in ringing tunes flew towards the charging pride.


    Kricketune after Kricketune, enraged by the chaotic electric outburst, let out wrathful cries, swinging their knife-like appendages at the wild cats like scythes.


    The alpha Luxray roared, enveloped in blinding light, and an all-out war erupted.