ã€ŠSage&#x27;s Reclamation [Pokemon SI]ã€‹


 The Thirty Thousand Steps

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    Chapter One: The Thirty Thousand Steps

    ¡­

    I didn''t know know who I was, but I knew where I was. Sort of.

    If I had to guess just by looking around, I''d assume I was on a mountain in Japan, near a Torii shrine gate made of stone. I couldn''t see anything in the distance, I considered climbing to the top of the gate to see more from the peak but I couldn''t. For one, I couldn''t, for another, for another these weren''t my hands.

    This wasn''t my body, the last thing I remember was falling asleep after a long day of studying and working at my day job and then I was standing near this gate. I was older in my previous body, if I had to guess judging from the height I felt I had, I was maybe fifteen at most.

    I appeared to be wearing a simple blue t shirt and brown shorts, I remember just wearing gym shorts and socks when I went to bed.

    The surrounding mountain view was cut off by very tall trees in all directions, this mountain, or gigantic hill for all I knew, was huge, and quite tall.

    So tall in fact that there was nothing no matter where I looked except trees and a downward facing forest in all directions from where I stood.

    I didn''t know exactly where I was, but the best course of action would be to find someone and ask them. This didn''t feel like a dream, but something close to it.

    Judging from the small path carved out of old wood and stone slabs leading up to the gate, it looked like people probably existed in this world. So I suppose that was a plus besides being completely lost.

    I began to walk down the path and I heard the chirping of birds, birds in trees so tall I couldn''t see them.

    Trees, trees, trees, and birds of a kind I couldn''t identify. The chirping was pleasant, but what came next wasn''t at all.

    I came upon a small stream created by falling water out of the mountain and saw a small bird sitting on a tree branch sticking out of it, merely resting there.

    That looked like¡­a Pidgey.

    It was a regular forest bird, but it looked almost exactly like the Pidgey that existed in the Pok¨¦mon world.

    I blinked rapidly, turning around, wondering if I wasn''t seeing things or if the previous birds I heard calling to each other were Pidgeys too.

    Was this actually a Pok¨¦mon? WherewasI?

    I decided to start running now, the sooner I found someone to talk to and figure out anything, just anything, the better.

    I returned to the path and started to run.

    Eventually I ran down the path quickly enough to find out a very solid, very scary fact:

    Pok¨¦mon existed in this world. And this wasn''t a video game, this was real life.

    This wasn''t like,a wild Vigoroth appeared, no.

    A fully grown ape type beast made the ground shake when it swung off a tree from nearby and cut me off in the forest path in front of me.

    Its nostrils were flaring, it seemed to be studying me, smelling me.

    I had no defenses against this thing, it was several feet taller than me and made of muscle. I had no weapons, no combat training outside of a year and a half of karate, and not even a Pok¨¦mon of my own.

    I knew hands down this was a Vigoroth, the red color on the top of its head, how perfectly white its fur was, the fact that it roared and called much how a Pok¨¦mon would.

    I got scared enough to start back pedalling in an attempt to run a bit, and that was when the Vigoroth roared, pounding its chest.

    Why did the video games always make Pok¨¦mon not seem so frightening!?

    I ran for my life, I didn''t know if this thing wanted to eat me, take me to its young, or perhaps just try to defend its habitat, but I ran.

    I tried my best not to trip over a few rocks and tree branches as I sprinted through the mountain off the path.

    Every time I thought I had gotten some distance on the Vigoroth it slashed a tree or some bamboo out of the way and roared, as if to remind me it was still right on my tail.

    I tripped so many times that I almost smacked my head directly onto a tree trunk, I scratched my hands so many times I was bleeding.

    There was no way I could outrun the ape, it probably wouldn''t get tired after hours of running, and here I was, out of breath after twenty minutes of this chase.

    One small hill, a tree branch, even more scratches on my forearms and legs. It was a miracle I hadn''t fallen hard on my face, gotten knocked out and eaten, and the Vigoroth was still chasing after me.

    I gasped in pain.

    I had run in a sort of zig zag for long enough down the mountain for almost half an hour, barely pausing to catch what little of my breath I could before realizing the Vigoroth was still right on top of me.

    My luck had run straight out.

    A tree root caught my foot and I couldn''t break my fall, I tumbled down a mossy hill for a bit and by the end, I had likely sprained my ankle at best, or fractured it.

    Either way, I couldn''t run anymore.

    All I could do, was hide. And pray it wouldn''t find me.

    I first heard its breathing.

    It seemed to be sniffing the air near the trees nearby.

    The Vigoroth climbed a tree peering around, I inched closer beneath the boulder I was laying against to hide.

    I was almost sure I was safe when the Vigoroth was strong enough to smack the giant rock out of the way, sending it crashing into a huge oak.

    I stumbled backward, hands raised, my life flashing before my eyes. It was going to grab me, throw me, slash me with its claws, something, when suddenly Bellsprout began attacking it.

    It was the strangest thing I''d seen in my life, and after today, that said something.

    As if trained in martial arts, Bellsprout worked as a team, wrapping their vines together and hitting the monkey repeatedly with focused, coordinated strikes.

    The Vigoroth was fast, strong, and big enough to fight back with ease, but it was certainly losing.

    This was the moment where I could limp away to safety, but instead someone helped me to my feet.

    "Are you alright?" a kind voice asked.

    Bald monks in appropriate robes had appeared, one had a staff.

    I nodded and muttered my thanks as the monk with the staff walked forward as the scuffle between his company''s Bellsprout and the wild Vigoroth ensued.

    "Leave." the monk commanded loudly but calmly, as if the Vigoroth could understand and obey.

    It roared angrily in response, pulling the flower Pok¨¦mon off its face with a single hand.

    In the blink of an eye, multiple monks stood in a semi circle around him and raised their left hands forward.

    Magnificently, they muttered in a strange tongue and a small green light appeared to settle over the clearing where they saved my life.

    The Vigoroth began to pant, appearing to calm down. Either through magic, or through being calmed enough by said magic to realize it had no reason to keep struggling, the Vigoroth left.

    It climbed up another tree, and swung away into the forest.

    I was amazed. These few men and among the weakest Pok¨¦mon I could think of, defeated an incredibly fast, strong, and wild beast that had me running for my life with a few choice words and a tiny bit of Aura.

    The sage with the staff turned to me. "You must be lost."

    "Yes. I-I mean I am." I muttered in an obvious tone. "Um, thank you for-"

    "Where are you from?" the monk cut me off casually.

    "Johto."

    I sounded unsure of myself, and I realized what a bad idea it was to lie to people who clearly knew how to use Aura and had trained Bellsprout to such a degree.

    "Hm."

    The monk tucked his staff into the sort of cloth belt holding his robes together and then seemed to nod to another sage.

    The nod was returned, and the last thing I remembered was the monk holding his thumb over my forehead and then whispering. A similar green light appeared and I fell completely asleep.

    ¡­

    I woke up on a cot laid on a wood flooring.

    Nearby was some water, my ankle was bandaged up, and I still had no clue where I was.

    I was in a religious place, that was for sure. Apparently inside a sort of temple or shrine, I didn''t raise my voice to get someone''s attention.

    I weakly rose to my feet and gasped.

    I could''ve sworn just a bit ago my ankle was completely fractured, now it was all but good as new.

    I slid aside the wooden door to find someone, likely a monk, to talk to.

    There was one, much younger than the others who saved me already, sitting outside my door.

    "Excuse me, can you-"

    He stood up, shushed me quietly and kindly walked inside my room with me.

    I lowered my voice. "Can you tell me where I am?"

    "Almost at the top of the thirty thousand steps. Takujimi Shrine." he said.

    "Where is that?"

    "You claimed to have been from Johto right? You''ve never heard of my order?"

    I had a solid idea what it was but didn''t protest. I also knew I was likely in the mountainous region north of Johto and Clair''s Dragon Gym in Blackthorn City, but knew nothing else.

    "I''m sorry, I am just, horrifically confused right now."

    "It''s alright, I think I can help clear everything up for you."

    The monk gestured to the door and expected me to follow him.

    "What''s your name?" I asked, almost whispering as we walked through the hall.

    "Inoru." he muttered, as I could tell the doors nearby simply led to other bedrooms the monks used. "The Elder at my temple told me I had to learn the ways of Takujimi and Elder Toji before I could become an Initiate."

    "Is that why you''re so much younger than everyone else?"

    It wasn''t saying much, he appeared to be in his mid to late twenties when everyone else was around twice that age or more.

    He chuckled lightly.

    "I suppose so. Everyone starts out as a Novice, then an Initiate. And only after enough Monks at a temple deem you so, you''re the Elder, or leader of a shrine."

    "How many shrines are there?"

    "Only three ones of this size and significance. I know you''re lost but, why are you so curious?"

    "You guys seem to have magic. Or aura, from what I know, you can do that in."

    I paused. The Pok¨¦mon world, or the version of it where this was.

    "It''s called Speech, passed down through generations of monks who learned it from Mew, according to legend. Very few people in the world have it, let alone Sages, I never was able to even learn the basics of it."

    "Could someone teach me?"

    Inoru said nothing, answering by sliding aside another wooden door. A bit rude, but not unfair judging from the fact that we just met.

    I looked inside and saw several crude paintings of, from what I could tell, was a history of the mountain Inoru was trying to tell me.

    I tried to piece together each frame on my own but Inoru explained anyway.

    "A great evil spread from the peak of the mountain thousands of years ago to lands everywhere around it. Without clear purpose or reason, it brought fire and wrath wherever it went."

    From the drawing, it looked like Giratina, but I could be wrong.

    Inoru crossed his arms beneath his robe. "Mankind was on the precipice of destruction. Pok¨¦mon of all kinds were driven wild beyond measure beneath its presence, and with help from a Kami, humanity was able to drive the evil back to where it came."

    Valleys on fire around the mountain were drawn, probably skipping over some very dark stuff, I could definitely tell Mew was helping as it was illustrated, but as to what purpose or how I couldn''t.

    "Afterward, our Order of Sages was established in three main corners of the world to forever protect civilization from the Terror should it return. To keep humanity''s favor with the spirits well enough to earn their trust and guidance, should we need their help again."

    The final frame was what looked like ancient lords from the times of Pok¨¦mon Legends Arceus standing on a large wooden stage or platform, giving some sort of mandate to three monks kneeling in old green robes in front of them.

    I was asking myself an obvious question.

    Did random teenagers show up on the mountain unnanounced without any Pok¨¦mon or form of identification? Especially a mountain so dangerous?

    After thousands of years, these sages would reasonably infer I was from another dimension, and possibly the same as Giratina, and therefore, the exact threat they were made to deal with.

    I didn''t get if it truly was Giratina, from what I knew, Pok¨¦mon weren''t truly evil, none of them were.

    Right?

    "So." I said slowly. "Am I allowed to leave? What am I going to do?"

    From how slowly Inoru answered I could tell that the answer wasn''t up to me.

    "Am I going to be killed?"

    He shook his head. "No. We don''t see a reason to do that at all actually."

    "Can I have any say in what is to be done with me?"

    "I don''t believe so."

    This new body of mine might be young, but I believe I had a say.

    "I think I''m going to wait until they''re ready to see me before I say anything."

    "That would be wisest." Inoru bowed his head slightly.

    It turned out the bed I was sleeping in was his room, so I returned there and he told me he''d get me when the Elder of the Shrine was ready to see me.

    ¡­

    "Do you have a name?"

    I was standing in front of the raised table in a large mess hall of sorts in the temple, except without chairs of any kind, where the Elder and twelve of his closest and likely most veteran Initiates were sitting next to him.

    "Not one from this dimension I think."

    They murmured a bit.

    "Why didn''t you tell me the truth in the forest?"

    I recognized the bald Sage with the staff.

    "Because I didn''t think any of you would believe it."

    The Elder nodded, and stood up. "That was exactly what I was hoping to hear. None of us know for certain who you are, but until then, you will not be permitted to leave."

    Well I promise I''m not some evil spirit that looks human I swear.

    "Alright."

    "Please, follow me."

    ¡­

    I walked with the Elder of Takujimi as he guided me through the temple, nightfall was quickly approaching and he spoke with me calmly.

    "Wait. You''re telling me that people from all over the world would come here and pray?"

    "Of course. This was where the Sprits helped save the world millenia ago." he said. "This was the spiritual and religious center of the entire Pok¨¦mon world. A few decades ago, Pok¨¦mon, like the Vigoroth who attacked you, began acting more ferocious."

    "On the." It was almost a comical name. "Thirty thousand steps?"

    That''s a whole lot of work needed, but I got why.

    "Yes, the thirty thousand steps to the mountain top."

    I remembered the Torii gate. "Which is where I um, entered this world?"

    "I believe so." the Elder said. "Our Order is fading, as odd as your arrival has been, it might be a sign."

    "A sign for?" I trailed.

    "I''ve never had an apprentice. Perhaps I''m being tested for a higher purpose, one unclear. I will teach you the ways of the Order. I will teach you what I can to test if you are indeed something dark from the other side of the Great Gate, about connecting yourself to Pok¨¦mon, to the Spirits, to whatever I can."

    I nodded.

    "When I determine you''re ready. You will accompany a small group of Initiates I choose to go collect our yearly supply of rice from the bottom of the mountain. From there, you will be free to travel the world as you wish."

    "Thank you." I bowed my head to him.

    The Elder introduced himself. "My name is Toji Fujiwara. Are you ready to become a monk?"

    I didn''t have much of a choice. It would be best to have help on my journey now wouldn''t it?

    "Yes."

    We bowed to each other.

    ¡­

    By apprentice, the Elder meant I was essentially his sandal bearer. By far the youngest monk of the entire temple, I did most of the grunt work.

    I kept his rice warm, I served him water. If he needed to review scrolls or discuss anything with his most trusted Initiaties, I would be at the door, ready to do anything but not listen or say anything.

    That was for most of my time.

    I shared a temple with about eighty bald guys who all practiced calligraphy, the traditional use of the Naginata, Staff, and Bow, as well as other several other arts.

    Almost each Initiate Sage had a Bellsprout, and every single Monk at Takujimi had a purpose.

    To either learn and master a craft, or teach it.

    Classes were taught, all over the massive grounds in the temple high on the mountainside on Kyudo, Karate, and several other things back in my world that were traditional Japanese arts.

    But these Sages had been practicing it and perfecting them for centuries, these were essentially warrior monks dedicated to the peace of the world from Giratina or a threat like it, but the evil they had fought was gone for so long that they had deteriorated to the point they more or less faded from memory.

    For my first week, the first half of my day was accompanying Elder Toji everywhere he went.

    I woke up before anyone else in the entire temple, keeping his sandals warm.

    I helped a few other Novices, despite technically not being one yet, cook breakfast. Consisting of a single bowl of rice and some water.

    Then I made sure that if Toji needed something, I went and fetched it for him. I learned calligraphy quickly enough so that if he needed a certain scroll he needed to copy or something I could go and find it.

    Then I went to calligraphy class and the study of old manuscripts, or kyudo and karate, taught by Initiates who had studied it for almost fifty years since they were very young children. I wasn''t bad at any of these arts, in fact I appeared to be pretty good at them.

    But it would simply take years to even master the basics, and to hopefully harness my Aura, if I had any or was able to harness any to begin with.

    Prayer was daily.

    Mew was in fact some sort of deity, and from what I understood, the Lake Guardians had helped it save the world.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    There was a large shrine in a huge hall where everyone picked a spot, lit candles in a massive circle around the tall and bronze statue of Mew, and all prayed in silence, kneeling with their hands crossed and eyes closed.

    It was awkward for me at first, but eventually I got used to it.

    I was not allowed to startwatchingthe most entertaining part of my day until the end of my second week.

    Sparring.

    Some Initates were so skilled they could use both bits of Aura and karate to battle some Pok¨¦mon, mostly Bellsprout and the few Hoothoot they had trained.

    Otherwise, they had Bellsprout fight each other as well as Hoothoot.

    The matches weren''t epic, but they were interesting.

    Near a gigantic waterfall directly next to the main pagodas the temple was mainly made out of, in a large circle made of stone, the main Initiates in charge of the karate and Pok¨¦mon training classes both chose both people and Pok¨¦mon to spar.

    The matches were relaxed but still intent on improving everyone to their best. Initiates and even Elder Toji technically weren''t strictly teachers as well, they too would attend classes of all kinds to either watch and or learn.

    I saw some Monks move so fast and strongly they could knock Bellsprout out of the ring with just a staff. But they weren''t superior at all.

    The Bellsprout were great too, all these exercises were made to help build trust and fighting skills between monk to monk, Pok¨¦mon to Pok¨¦mon, and of course, between sages and all Bellsprout and Hoothoot.

    Once a week I''d see someone use some sort of aura in an attack or on defense, from what I understood, everyone here was trying to perfect it. But only a couple ever came close to even knowing the fundamentals of it.

    Everything was an art, practiced and perfected for thousands of years in this temple. The objective of this was to keep mankind''s favor with Mew and mythical Pok¨¦mon like it strong enough if what happened thousands of years ago did again.

    Everyone bowed and smiled out of respect.

    Everyone had a purpose, idleness was nonexistent.

    Technically I should''ve been given at least one hour to relax or practice any art on my own but I was determined to be too new to be given any sort of free time. The only time I had to rest was when I went to bed or at lunch in the middle of the day, when I could sit down and talk to the only sort of friend I made.

    Inoru.

    He was an orphan, technically like myself, but he had made a pilgrimage all the way from one of the only two other temples of our kind on the planet, all the way near the Kalos region.

    It had taken years.

    He told me the entire Pok¨¦mon world was more or less connected by high speed rail, but he had to make it on foot accompanied by the only other Initiate from Kalos, the instructor for my Calligraphy class.

    Inoru started his journey when he was twenty two, and he was currently twenty six.

    He hadn''t seen or been remotely interested in gathering knowledge for competitive Pok¨¦mon battling. All he did, was travel, talk patiently, and learn respectfully.

    Not from trainers, but from everyday people.

    Every night before I went to sleep I thought about this temple.

    Its simplistic but ancient hidden beauty, how everyone acted and sought to help each other master each craft.

    I looked out from my window at the darkness of the mountain below, in the small room the monks had found for me sharing Inoru''s as they were able to make a new bed for me on the floor across from his.

    I thought of home, if I missed my old life or not.

    I thought of what was out there for me. I had so many questions.

    Was Giratina really responsible for everything the monks claimed it was? If so, then why? Where was Mew? Or Red? Or Ash Ketchum? Did I have and could use aura? If so, should I use it to train Pok¨¦mon and explore the world with the ultimate team?

    The Order has spent dozens of centuries focusing almost purely on the physically and above all, spiritual connection between the Pok¨¦mon world and humans. Didn''t it deserve to grow and help more?

    Only when Toji determined, if he determined, could I begin to take the journey to start to answer these questions.

    There really were thirty thousand steps leading up to the peak of the mountain. Because the mountain was so big, there wasn''t a single light you could see from my bedroom in the shrine.

    Everything was dark but the moon offering the only light of any kind in the temple.

    After almost seven weeks of living at the temple, donning the same robes any Sage would, I saw another light.

    A purple light as I slept.

    An Espeon, an Espeon was in the temple at night. It was standing there quietly near the edge of my room.

    I didn''t know anything about Espeon, or even the few Pok¨¦mon I had taken classes on. But I did know there were only three Espeon in recorded history, because it was simply that rare for trainers or anyone to develop friendships that strong with Eevee.

    Apparently, Eevee were pretty rare on their own. And training Eevee to evolve on their own was even rarer, I guess the games really simplified things and so did the anime in a way.

    One Espeon was the house pet of a very wealthy lord near the end of the Legends: Arceus era. Another was raised as a rumor by Red, a person who I was simply too new to be answered any questions about. And another Espeon was the only of its kind in existence, owned by the current World Competitive Pok¨¦mon League champion.

    I ignored all the questions I had about all these things, pushed them out of my head. An actual Espeon was in my room.

    Inoru didn''t seem to be awake, nor did I want to wake him either for this, I could actually be seeing things.

    It seemed to want me to follow it around the temple, and the gem in its forehead kept glowing faintly.

    So I got out of bed, and started to walk after it.

    ¡­

    The Espeon led me throughout a temple I already knew well. The courtyards and a few halls to study calligraphy and other arts in.

    Eventually the Espeon led me towards the very edge of the temple, marking the start of the day''s journey hiking back down the mountain into the northern rural area of Johto.

    I looked at it. "What?"

    It, I couldn''t tell if this Espeon was female or male, simply slunk up to a nearby stone carving to hold candles, and casually licked the back of its paws.

    "You want me to leave Takujimi?"

    With a mere wave of its nose towards the bottom of the mountain, the Espeon then slipped past me and into the darkness of the vast expanse of wilderness surrounding the shrine.

    At some point afterward, I must''ve walked back to my room, and slept.

    ¡­

    "A dream huh?" Inoru boredly asked, slightly raising his gaze from his usual bowl of rice at midday.

    "I''m telling you it didn''t feel like one, something was odd about that Espeon. Like it was alive, I''ve never had a dream like this before in my life."

    Inoru finished his rice quietly.

    "I don''t know much about Espeon, but they''re seen as spiritual symbols of the friendship between humans and Pok¨¦mon." He muttered. "A few people do dream of real Pok¨¦mon every now and then, but never of Espeon."

    I didn''t question the massive difference between my previous understanding of Eevee''s psychic evolution and this one. "So what did my dream mean?"

    "I don''t know." said Inoru kindly and softly. "But Elder Toji might."

    "Am I allowed to ask him? Isn''t he some sort of authority on spiritual matters?"

    "No. But he''s the closest thing one may find to it."

    "Then I''ll ask him after lunch."

    Inoru seemed to be refraining from saying something.

    "Yeah?"

    He sighed. "Dreams of Pok¨¦mon, as rare as they are. Often have some sort of meaning, typically about destiny."

    "So I shouldn''t tell Toji?"

    "The decision is yours. But you''re not from our world, you technically have no reason to listen to us."

    I shrugged. "Besides the fact that I owe the Order my life."

    "I respect you enough to tell you this. It''s possible, likely even, that your destiny to learn about Pok¨¦mon and life, lies well beyond the Order of Sages."

    It seemed he reached his point. I thanked him silently with a nod Inoru returned.

    ¡­

    I decided to tell Elder Toji everything while he attended to the only garden, a small one, in the entirety of Takujimi temple.

    Something told me the seeds here were more than rice, possibly involved somehow with the raising of Bellsprout or maybe even a possible Oddish.

    "Hm."

    Toji nodded a little, moving on to practicing some calligraphy on a scroll he brought with him.

    "During this dream, was the Espeon able to speak to you?"

    "No," I said. "But it did tell me it thought I should leave the temple."

    That much was clear Toji gathered, from how much he thought on it.

    "I want you to challenge the Espeon should you encounter it during your dreams again."

    "Challenge it how?"

    ¡­

    In the mess hall, Toji taught me how to play Shogi.

    Monks only had a single hour of leisure time during the day, and several of them decided not to use it. A part of me felt like Toji used his to master playing Shogi for spiritual purposes, or for the Order''s several millennia long dedication to the perfection of character, industriousness, and mind.

    I didn''t see the Espeon when I went to sleep for the next few nights. But when I did, the dream was similar.

    I again, rose from my bed, and I instead beckoned the Espeon to follow me this time.

    "I''m not leaving this place, not yet anyway."

    Its left ear twitched curiously, and it''s silver eyes gleamed momentarily, deciding to follow me after a short pause.

    I led it to the mess hall, and was shocked.

    The Shogi set was there, I could physically hold it and set up the board. Never had I been in a dream where an item felt so, real. Everything in typical dreams I had were intangible, the faces unrecognizable typically, and I couldn''t really hold or touch anything with my hands.

    The Espeon cautiously jumped up to the seat opposite mine like a cat would.

    It appeared to know how to play Shogi, and oddly it was quite good at it too. It used its tail with a very high level of dexterity, able to move Shogi pieces with ease.

    "I actually prefer regular chess. You know, white and black pieces, checkered board."

    My psychic feline friend had no comment.

    It beat me at Shogi. Soundly, even worse than the few practice games I played with Toji.

    "Can we uh, try again?"

    The Espeon was kind enough to help me set up the board.

    And then I discovered something shocking again. The Espeon could use its tail to communicate with me.

    It knew I had told Toji about the dream.

    It was pointing up to the comfort where Toji sat while teaching me about strategy for Shogi. It seemed to wave its tail about indicating that Toji was wrong, and his strategy was better.

    Did I know enough about Shogi to tell if the Espeon was right? No. But I did know this was starting to freak me out, and was starting to heavily warp my perception of reality a lot, which after everything that happened, said a lot.

    I decided to leave the room, the Espeon quietly watching me leave the mess hall and our Shogi game still in progress when I returned to the bedroom I shared with Inoru and returned to sleep.

    ¡­

    I knew these weren''t dreams, I was a little mad that Toji couldn''t tell me the truth.

    My routine at the temple continued for a couple days, not once was I permitted to enter the sparring circle, technically because I didn''t even have a name to be called up to the ring with.

    Everyone, if they wanted to talk to me, just referred to me as Orphan, or Boy.

    Not that I minded, both were true.

    Toji never raised a question about the Espeon again, until I got tired of waiting and was accompanying him from watching a Kyudo class he checked in on.

    "Why didn''t you tell me I was talking to some sort of spirit?"

    Toji raised an aged eyebrow as we walked down the wooden hall to the rare Calligraphy lesson he was about to give.

    He glanced at me. "You''ve studied here for almost two months, and through this whole summer, what was one main thing you learned?"

    Tough question. Every task or question he gave me was a test, a test to see if he could let me leave the temple. The choice wasn''t mine, he had a small army of slightly magical warrior monks and Pok¨¦mon that could capture me with ease and bring me back here if he really wanted.

    "There is something well beyond the physical world we reside in. Even in a lifetime, we cannot fully understand it."

    "Correct." Toji said softly. "I do believe your soul visited the spiritual plane our temple resides in."

    "The Espeon knew I talked to you about it. It knew, how could it know? How?"

    Judging from the look on Toji''s face, there was a lot he wasn''t telling me.

    I was a bit too stunned to speak for a moment. "You''ve talked to it before. Haven''t you?"

    Toji frowned.

    "As a young man like yourself. I too was tempted to leave Takujimi. To leave the Order."

    "You''re acting as if going anywhere without permission is almost like. Sacrilege. Bad enough to be punished for."

    "You are living proof the Gate we guard isn''t inactive. The first proof in recorded history since the days of the great Terror. I can''t let you leave until I''m sure you''re worthy and able."

    I hesitated to use the name Giratina.

    "If I''m," I paused. "Evil, and supposedly some sort of spirit or demon in the form of a person without knowing about it. Why is it that I''m not bad at any of the things I''ve learned?"

    "You still know very little."

    I held my temper.

    "I can use a bow, I know some karate, I can write the basic characters for calligraphy. I know plenty about the Pok¨¦mon the Order specializes in needing to know."

    "You''ve not shown any mastery in these arts simply because you''re so new at them." he repeated himself quietly.

    I sighed. "It sounds like I might not even be allowed to leave."

    His silence told me he wasn''t fully sure about that decision either.

    "You''re serious." I deadpanned. "From what I know, I have a connection to the spirits so unique, that only you and I have been the only ones to ever communicate with one. If I''m evil, why is this Espeon even talking to me?"

    Toji crossed his arms, his gaze changed.

    "Before Pok¨¦mon from this mountain all but completely destroyed civilization, it was believed they weren''t inherently evil. Truly, it seems they are not. But they can be addled by things from the Other Side."

    From dimensions beyond this one. I believe Pok¨¦mon canon established this to be true.

    "And because I''m from there, you think I''m destined for evil? Or the same fate?"

    Elder Toji looked me directly in the eyes. "I don''t know what you''re destined for. Maybe you''ll be the greatest Pok¨¦mon trainer who ever lived. Or you''ll take my place someday, or maybe you''ll stay as an Orphan here and not even become a Novice."

    Toji sighed. "The one thing the Order cannot ever know is the future. It is not my place to choose your fate for you, only to prevent its destructive capacity."

    There was no destructive capacity good god! How much longer until I can prove I can be allowed to leave?

    "Elder Toji, I swear that-"

    "Please listen child. I don''t wish to hear anymore about this spirit or your dreams. There are thousands of scrolls here for you to read if you need their wisdom instead."

    He said all he needed to.

    I was about to say something but stopped myself.

    "I''ll do so."

    "Never assume the easy and quick path in life is the proper one. There are no shortcuts to mastering our ways. Please, get to your next lesson."

    I bowed to him, and he sent me on my way.

    ¡­

    Living like a monk wasn''t fun, but it did have an aspect I enjoyed.

    Sure everyone here was male, at least in their forties, bald, wearing the same dry robes I did, but their craft did speak to me in a way.

    Because I did feel like I actually was improving.

    The karate teacher actually complimented me when we were practicing sparring, which came right after basics and forms.

    No one really went easy on me even though I was newer and younger than the entire class.

    But I actually managed to land a pretty solid hit on Inoru after several weeks of trying.

    It was a reverse punch to the midsection that I managed to land when I timed his jab.

    In calligraphy I had started to move on to the more complicated characters, and I could finally read the scrolls in our library I needed to understand my dreams.

    Especially because Toji said I was on my own from now on.

    He did seem to have all the answers, but the one he always gave me all said and done was that I needed to find my own.

    And so I did.

    Some nights I couldn''t sleep, and I was permitted to study scrolls under candlelight in the library with a few other monks.

    They didn''t tell me much, they didn''t tell me much about Pok¨¦mon either. But they did tell me that I needed to keep looking.

    More reading, more lessons, more progress in archery, karate, reading and writing, as well as Pok¨¦mon studies.

    Espeon did not appear in my dreams. For weeks, it had no interest in guiding me anywhere or anything or even popping into my mind for a quick game of Shogi and some one sided banter.

    Summer soon passed into fall.

    I could spar with some Initiates, landing some hits here and there, and was allowed to watch Elder Toji teach almost a fourth of the entire monastery on how to properly heal injured Oddish. My first real lesson being allowed to actually interact with Pok¨¦mon.

    I was allowed to start sparring properly in the main ring near the big waterfall. I would always lose but I didn''t truly mind as long as I did better in my next match.

    Enough time passed that after deciding for months, I picked a name.

    Nico, or Nick and Nicolas, also written asChinnenthrough my calligraphy.

    Apparently I picked the right name and could write it correctly, because some Initiates had seen my progress and diligence in their classes and requested as a group that I become a Novice in the Order.

    The sages saved my life in late May. The start of my Pok¨¦mon journey really began one night in late October.

    My head was shaved, I was given new robes, and with the entire monastery watching in silence, Elder Toji formally welcomed me as a student of the Order.

    A massive honor, sure being part of this worlds version of the Sprout Tower monks, wasn''t the same as a Pok¨¦mon trainer, but I had to start somewhere.

    I was glad it happened, because it meant myself and the only real friend I had sort of made, Inoru, were technically on the same level as we were the only lower rank Novices in the temple.

    ¡­

    After my first real month of training as a Monk, I could recite several poems from ancient Elders and priests of all sorts who worshipped Mew and other spirit related Pok¨¦mon.

    I could fire arrows using traditional Kyudo style bows with a level of accuracy I was impressed with myself for.

    I could spar competitively with a few of the other Novices, and barely with some of the Initiates well both during karate and in the ring next to the waterfall.

    I honestly felt like this monk thing was starting to come together.

    And just like that, it came back. The Espeon had returned to my bedroom within my dreams.

    "Up for a game of Shogi?"

    It nodded.

    ¡­

    I served us both some tea, a benefit of helping serve tea wherever Toji went was getting quite good at it with so much practice.

    I still didn''t know if I was in the spirit version of Takujimi temple, but nonetheless I was able to locate a tea set exactly how I could locate the Shogi set.

    It was odd, my tea tasted the same as it did outside of my dreams.

    "Want some?"

    The Espeon accepted, curled its tail around the bottom of the cup and lapped from it like a kitten drank milk.

    It appeared to like it.

    "So, are you a male or a female?"

    No response.

    "Male?"

    The Espeon nodded.

    "Are we in some sort of spirit plane. Or just my dreams?"

    He said nothing.

    For a really awesome ultra rare and psychic cat, this Espeon wasn''t the most communicative.

    I asked something else.

    "Can you lead me safely down the mountain if Elder Toji ever let''s me leave?"

    The Espeon raised its tail, waving it slightly from side to side as if to sayEh.

    The temple was alright, but I wanted to test what I''d learned here in the past five months out in the real world. What if the Order''s methods were wrong?

    What if they were right? What if they really were the truth?

    There was so much to learn and do outside of this mountain that I felt stuck here. I wanted to leave, the only reason why I wanted to stay was because I had a feeling I might not ever see this Espeon again if I didn''t obey Elder Toji.

    "If I go, will you miss me?"

    The Espeon again gave me another mild wavey response with his tail.

    I chuckled, and I could''ve sworn he was amused. I came closer that night than any other to actually beating him in Shogi.

    "Good game." I stuck my hand forward.

    The Espeon looked confused for a second but then got it.

    He curled his tail around my hand and shook it.

    ¡­

    I was returning back from another late night study session, I had poured over a set of scrolls in the library describing a strange Aura ritual able to lock a Pok¨¦mon or person''s spirit in place for eternity, essentially locking them into a coma forever, when I heard something odd.

    "He can write his name and those of others well sure," an Initiate said with disapproval. "He can learn fighting, archery, history, and about Pok¨¦monmuchfaster than most of us could at his age as well. But is he truly worthy to ever leave us?"

    I recognized his voice, my Calligraphy instructor.

    I tucked myself quietly into the hallway where the most experienced monks were having a secret midnight meeting. I stumbled upon it with complete coincidence, someone left the door open a little bit.

    I could see another sage move some old paper cards around. "The first Pok¨¦mon anyone first ever interacts with greatly describes the nature, true character and destiny of him or her." he said, muttering calmly. "Vigoroth." he seemed to look at the card.

    "Vitality, fierceness, strength."

    Another sage, one who I believe specialized in leading weekly kata in sync with Bellsprout in the main courtyard spoke. "Espeon. Spirituality, connection, patience."

    "Sums up the boy perfectly." I heard Toji said. "Very patient, very good student."

    "I say we never let him leave. His connection to the spirits and the eternal plane is too strong to ignore."

    "I say wedolet him leave as soon as possible. It''s clear he has no true desire to learn outside of his fascination with knowledge." He was wrong but I wasn''t going to interrupt. "He has no connection to our plight to defend Johto and Kanto or anything, so why bother teaching him?"

    Everyone seemed to have a murmuring argument for a moment.

    "Why don''t we send him back through the Great Gate where he once went through?" an Initiate said. "Surely he must miss home."

    "Only Mew and other mythical Pok¨¦mon were known to have such powers." Ari grunted in disappointment, as if he''d already considered the option.

    "Ari." Toji muttered. "Wake up Novice Inoru and bring him here. Do everything within your power to make sure Nico is not disturbed. I believe he''s fallen asleep in the library yet again anyway."

    That was my cue to dash back to hide in a nearby hallway before being caught for eavesdropping.

    I was almost caught by a passing Bellsprout bringing some tea and a hot towel to its owner by the time Inoru was walking back down the dark wooden hallway with one of my teachers.

    ¡­

    "Inoru. We are about to vote on the fate of young Chin." I respected Toji somehow even more for addressing me by both my traditional name and my more regular one. "What is your opinion on him?"

    My calligraphy teacher, Ari, spoke up when he took his spot through the shadows of the room I saw on Toji''s left. "You may be only a bit older, but you know him better than anyone. I trust your judgement since your days as my pupil at Inabaraki."

    "He''s honest and kind, but besides his debt to the Order for saving his life. I doubt if he''d intrinsically desire to want to learn our ways." said Inoru quietly. "He simply is not from our world."

    "See?" Ari scoffed.

    "However, I do think that''s a good thing actually. Something we all need."

    Ari balked and Toji was intrigued. "Speak freely Inoru."

    "The Order hasn''t received new Novices who weren''t orphans or runaways for almost sixty years. Technically speaking, Nico is only here for interdimensional reasons out of his control. He wants to learn, because hewantstolearn."

    "Pah! I don''t trust him." Ari crossed his arms. "He almost seems to know about the names of several Pok¨¦mon well before I''ve even taught him how to write them."

    Almost like I''ve played the games and seen the anime.

    "I trust Nico, I trust he can actually add something the Order hasn''t ever had. And that''s recognition. We only have a few followers outside of our three main shrines, why not expand our name?"

    Another Initiate raised his voice slightly, speaking very disapprovingly. "I hope you are not suggesting what I think you are suggesting."

    "I am. Nico should be allowed to travel the world as I did, except, not just between temples. He should be allowed to battle Pok¨¦mon competitively. He should be our Order''s first real Pok¨¦mon trainer."

    An Initiate laughed loudly. "Insult our dedication to Mew and our religion to defend the world against Dark Spirits and whatever the top of the mountain may bring? Disgraceful."

    "What''s disgraceful is not letting our Order grow or evolve." I could see a hint of Toji nodding through the shadows the single candle the sages were using made in the room. "I''m not saying we should build a team, or even actively go and recruit trainers or Pok¨¦mon Rangers to join the Order."

    Even the suggestion of such a thing grew some murmurs.

    "But Nico should be allowed to leave, and not sooner or later.Now. Because if we wait too long, he might not be young enough anymore to fully appreciate the rest of the world. I know I sure feel that way everytime I talk to him."

    I think that was a sentiment the entire room wish they didn''t share. This was millennia of knowledge and perfection of completing the friendship physically, mentally, and especially spiritually between mankind and the Pok¨¦mon world, and most of it was stuck on the fringe of the planet in eternal solitude and practice.

    "We shall vote tomorrow morning." Toji said. "Everyone retire for the night, and we''ll convene in the morning."

    I couldn''t wait to tell Espeon in my dreams that I was possibly going to leave.

    But I didn''t see him again.

    ¡­

    The thirteen, or the highest ranked and most experienced sages in the entire monastery summoned Inoru and I shortly after breakfast and normal classes resumed.

    "You two boys have made us proud." Ari said, as if Toji had spent the entire morning forcing him to grit his teeth and say it. "It''s time for the acknowledgment of your progress."

    I wouldn''t call Inoru, a twenty six year old man just a boy, but if I was as old as Ari, maybe I would.

    "Nico." Toji looked to me from the comfort he sat upon in the middle of the line of monks. "You may have only begun your studies barely half a year ago. But you''ve shown to have the heart and mind, to at least begin your training to truly become a monk."

    Toji instructed both of us calmly. "I''m assigning both of you on a special pilgrimage. The world needs to be reminded of its true roots in the bonds between Pok¨¦mon and man. And the best way to do that is on the greatest stage of all, with the youngest among us."

    Inoru and I looked at each other for a moment. We knew what that meant, making it to the top of the league Red had formed after winning enough titles to tie competitive Pok¨¦mon battling together globally. As Sages of the Sprout Order.

    "As if trophies, medals, and glory can ever amount to the decades on a mountain our ancestors shared in honor of Mew." scoffed Ari quietly.

    Toji ignored this calmly. "For this journey, despite your age Inoru. You will be raised to the rank of Initiate as conditional recognition as the few monks within these halls to have ever traveled between shrines."

    "Thank you."

    Then why wasn''t Ari allowed to go with us? I didn''t like him very much for several reasons, but we would definitely need his help. But if there was one thing I learned at this temple, there was a time to question anything.

    The Elder bowed back slightly to Inoru when he bowed his head.

    "Nico. I want you to obey Inoru at all times, he will be your teacher in all matters during your travels."

    "I will. Where must we go first?" I asked.

    Ari removed a small map from the sleeves of his Initiate''s robes and used a small bit of Aura to float it towards us.

    "It''s a day''s journey to the bottom of the mountain." Toji said as I looked over the old manuscript illustrating the far northern ends of Johto. "There is the village we buy our yearly supplies from. All the information and direction you two must need to travel to the Johto region will be there."

    "We all wish you good luck on your travels." said Toji.

    Inoru and I bowed deeply to the thirteen wisest, most spiritual, and best Pok¨¦mon sages on the planet.

    And they also bowed back.

    ¡­

    Inoru and I barely had time to gab about our historic pilgrimage when Toji knocked on our door.

    I slid it aside and he spoke in his usual calm and kind voice to my new travel guide. "Initiates Ari and Brandon will introduce you to your new Bellsprout. Nico, this way."

    I exchanged smiles with Inoru. We both knew how big a deal it was that the thirteen had decided to let someone start training a Pok¨¦mon essentially still as a Novice.

    I followed Nico until we reached the small Pok¨¦mon nursery only Toji and a few others were allowed to go near.

    I saw an injured Oddish sip from a pool of herb infused water as I followed the Elder.

    "We found him just a few weeks ago while searching for berries, I''m sure its mother was slain in a disagreement with another Pok¨¦mon. I was able to fix his arm in under an hour, but it''s in desperate need of a caregiver."

    I almost wanted to shed a tear at how cute he was.

    A baby Slakoth, probably only just a few months old, separated from its mother. Its calm and pure eyes looked so precious and innocent.

    "Why are you showing me him?"

    "I believe your connection to Vigoroths and Slakings will help you raise him, I simply cannot raise a Pok¨¦mon so young at my age. Regular folk use the name starter to describe such Pok¨¦mon. I really believe there''s much more to this Slakoth and your proclivity to them that meets the eye."

    Technically without them, I might''ve starved and gotten lost in this mountain if they hadn''t sort of led me to being saved by the monks.

    "Wait, you''re letting me raise a Slakoth? Haven''t I angered the nearby Vigoroth enough already?"

    Despite it being months ago, Vigoroth were not known to be forgiving or remotely merciful.

    "While you and Inoru definitely do not have the capabilities to protect yourselves properly today. Vigoroth have actually been docile for the first time in decades since we saved you from one. By Mew, I swear, you will be fine Nico."

    "I owe you a uh."

    A hug. Everything in the world.

    This man risked everything, his religion, everything he knew for probably north of seventy years of intense study, just to take a chance he was making the right choice for the future of the order.

    "Does this mean I can let my hair grow out now?"

    Toji chuckled deeper than I ever heard him, or an Elder ever should.

    "I suppose it does." He took a necklace with wooden beads and a pendant of Mew on it off his shoulders and placed it on mine. "Here. So the spirit''s blessing may protect you on your journey."

    Toji sighed and glanced at the sky, checking the time. "I need to gather everyone before we all say our farewells. Get your things ready."

    He laid the baby Slakoth much how a koala clings to its mother around my shoulders too.

    I think I was the first monk ever to be under the age of twenty to be placed in charge of a Pok¨¦mon. Or allowed to leave a temple without needing to go to another, or sent to compete or even compete to begin with.

    "What are the Order''s rules on uh, marriage?"

    "If you believe a romantic partner has been properly revealed. Then you will be allowed to be married."

    "And for Inoru?"

    Toji shook his head with a tiny smile. "There are no rules for your journey child. You will learn what you need to, how and when you need to. Clear your mind of needing to achieve, and focus, on growth, patience and always,learning."

    Should be the Sprout Sage Order''s motto.

    "You do that, and you have my word, everything will fall perfectly into place."

    "Thank you Elder Toji."

    I wanted to hug this man, but he left before I had the chance.

    ¡­

    The entire monastery, Hoothoot and Bellsprout included, wished us farewell on our journey.

    I even shook Ari''s hand out of respect.

    "I''ll always practice my scripts before bed."

    He scowled. "Safe travels Chin." he said grumpily.

    They waved and bowed as one, all one hundred and seven sages, Bellsprout, and Hoothoot.

    I began to leave with Inoru and I both carrying staffs for both travel and defense.

    We began to descend down the thirty thousand, or likely twenty five thousand steps from this height I guessed, steps.

    "I think they all made the right choice about us."

    "I don''t even want to think about what might happen if they''re wrong." Inoru muttered.

    Before we left, two statues flanked the entrance to descend the mountain. One of Umbreon on the left, and Espeon on the right.

    Yin and Yang, subtle, monks who probably carved this thousands of years ago.

    I looked at Espeon''s stone eyes, wondering if I''d ever see him again.

    I held my Slakoth tighter to me as we started to walk down each step carefully but quickly, Inoru''s new baby Bellsprout clutched to the pant leg of his robes with each movement.

    I really hoped Espeon, and hopefully, Mew, were looking over us on this journey. Because it was a veryverylong road ahead.

    "You ready?" I asked.

    Inoru looked back at Takujimi Shrine, probably wondering, like myself, if we''d ever see it again.

    He responded with a smile and a nod. "Yeah."

    I smiled back and followed him further down the mountain.

    ¡­

 Old Ties

    Chapter Two: Old Ties

    ¡­

    "So do you think the sages were right about." I paused. "Everything?"

    Inoru and I had been walking down the mountain with a baby Bellsprout and Slakoth clung to our shoulders for the past four hours, only occasionally taking breaks to grab some water we brought with us.

    "We''re not supposed to question it. I mean, you''re here right?"

    "That shouldn''t be enough proof. There''s no way any Pok¨¦mon can truly be evil." I said quietly.

    Inoru stopped in the middle of one of the thousand stone slabs leading all the way down Mount Takujimi.

    "Nico. This journey will only work properly if you trust everything Elder Toji taught us both."

    "Well he said we weren''t supposed to have any rules as we went. That the best way to experience the journey was in our own way."

    Inoru brushed past me as I stood on the same step as him. "Then we should forsake everything the Order taught us?"

    "Well not everything but-"

    "A few of the Initiates had a point, a part of all this is to remind the world of its roots in tradition."

    "And also of our progress, we have to grow outside our boundaries the Order set so we can learn at our best."

    Inoru sighed. "Sometimes I feel like you don''t really listen to everything we say."

    "I am listening, I just think that our responsibility is to live a little out there. Maybe train and live a bit like regular people outside the mountain, meet some girls-"

    "Girls!?"

    Inoru looked at me seriously for a moment. "We''ve taken a few steps away from the mountain and that''s the first thing on your mind?"

    "It wasn''t yours?"

    "I was taught to desire one thing." said Inoru with pride. "Knowledge, and the perfection of my character. Without that, there''s no one alive who can save the world from itself."

    "Wait you mean that?" I trailed.

    We walked in silence for a bit.

    Then Inoru fed his Bellsprout a bit of rice from some he carried in his pack. The Pok¨¦mon gladly ate it and nuzzled his hand with her head.

    "There are theories, that humanity strayed so far into materialism, greed, and degeneracy, that whatever came through the gate was trying to punish us for our sins."

    "So we can never enjoy life a little."

    "We''re monks Nico. We''re not allowed to enjoy life at all, that''s the point of all of this."

    I frowned. "From what it sounds like, you''re the only one who doesn''t like the Order."

    Inoru said nothing.

    After a moment, I sighed. "Ino, come on man-"

    He descended the mountain a bit quicker.

    "Look I didn''t mean to-"

    Inoru frowned. "Despite the shortened use of my name, I don''t particularly care about what you said." he said, not looking at me as his hurried pace down the mountain continued. "Even if we''re exhausted, I don''t care. We can''t stay on the path during nightfall."

    I agreed. If a nearby Vigoroth or something was able to smell my Pok¨¦mon, it could reasonably guess I had stolen him from a member of its tribe.

    "Then we shouldn''t walk slowly at all."

    I was happy to hear Inoru''s previously grumpy tone change when he saw how fast I started to walk down the mountain with him.

    "Wait! Be careful not to trip!"

    ¡­

    The sun had just barely peeked behind the horizon for an hour by the time Inoru and I made it to the very bottom of the mountain.

    And finally, there it was.

    Lights. A village.

    People who weren''t monks.

    "Where are we supposed to sleep?" I wondered.

    Inoru sighed, looking around. "I was told they don''t really have a shrine here of any sorts. I suppose out in a nearby field if we can find one."

    ¡­

    I was able to mix some water and rice paste into a thick mixture soft enough for my baby Slakoth to eat.

    I was literally sticking a baby bottle into its mouth and watching it sip from it like it was my own child. The cutest thing I''d ever seen.

    "It seems. Happy." Inoru said.

    "It''s not female Slaking milk." I shrugged. "But it probably gets the job done."

    Inoru nodded quietly.

    I petted the Slakoth''s head quietly, he closed his eyes and began to rest.

    "Have you thought of a name?" asked Inoru.

    We were both in the middle of some villager''s corn field. I think we were both so tired from hiking for nearly ten hours straight we couldn''t move very much off our sleeping bags.

    "No."

    That reminded me.

    "I''m sorry about earlier. I didn''t mean to-"

    "It hurt because it was true." Inoru admitted.

    "What did?"

    "What you claimed. I am a bit unhappy with the Order."

    "Why? You passed tons of cute chicks and never once was allowed to talk to them with Ari over your shoulder?"

    Inoru laughed a tiny bit.

    "No. I''m upset for the same reasons you are."

    "Such as?"

    "I''m almost sure they''re hiding the truth from us. Elder Toji is among the greatest scholars of the history of Mew, spirits, and anything related to them in the history of the Order." I nodded in agreement with this. "And it''s still unclear as to why humanity was almost destroyed by Pok¨¦mon."

    "It could be our destiny to make the name of the Order legendary in competitive Pok¨¦mon battling."

    "And it could be our destiny to leave it for good."

    I paused for a moment.

    "Yes. Yes it could be."

    I noticed Inoru had stayed quiet for a bit longer than we sometimes usually did while in deep thought when we talked. Because he had fallen asleep.

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    I took a note as technically still Inoru''s subordinate, and went to sleep as well.

    ¡­

    The next day, our morning consisted of merely eating some heated up rice, checking in on and feeding our Pok¨¦mon, rolling up our sleeping bags into our pack and walking into town for directions.

    For the first time in over half a year, I set my own routine, choosing when to wake up, and what to do. Finally.

    The village was tiny, no more than about three or maybe four thousand people lived here, and from what I understood, the only purpose behind it was the same one it had for centuries. To produce enough rice and vegetables to keep its citizens fed, and to help Takujimi Shrine.

    We found an elderly woman sweeping up outside her shop, but she couldn''t give us a decent map to go into the Johto region.

    "Every week on Thursday at six thirty in the morning sharp, a truck carrying meat comes in through the east road. Other than that, we make everything on our own. Clothes, food, medicine, you name it."

    "Is there no other way to travel quickly outside of this village?" I asked.

    She scoffed. "You''re sages aren''t you? Kamarino is over a hundred kilometers down that road." the old woman sighed after nodding in the direction of the closest village, shaking her head. "I''m sorry boys. I can''t offer you more than that." she said before returning to sweeping.

    "I''m not in the mood for another multi day hike." I turned to Inoru. "What do we do?"

    "Maybe you should both go back up the mountain the way you came."

    We both turned around.

    "What?" I just asked.

    Four local youngsters, followed by a Rattata and a Pidgey, apparently aged between six and eight, all appeared out of a nearby alleyway between the few buildings in this town.

    The boy with the light blue hat and grey shorts spoke up. "You heard me. Get outta here, take your rice you don''t ever pay for, and go."

    I looked at Inoru, waiting for him to react.

    "We''re looking for directions to get out of the mountains and the countryside to get back into Johto. We''ll be out of here as soon as we can."

    "Good." the boy said. "Don''t let the door hit you on the way out."

    We ignored his rudeness and turned around.

    Suddenly I felt a bit of food hit the back of my head. The same kid had thrown some nearby fruit and dirtied the back of my scalp.

    "Hey." I laughed it off. "Not cool."

    I sighed, shaking my head as it looked like Inoru was going to say something before my Slakoth did something for the first time I''d ever seen it do anything besides look cute and eat.

    He climbed down off my shoulders, scooped up some nearby produce, and flung it back at the boy''s shirt.

    The youngsters giggled again, this time at their scrappy and rude leader.

    Before he could do anything, he was hit in the stomach by the same old shopkeeper who helped us, a little. She used her broom to push him away sharply.

    "Run home Mikey." the elderly lady said. "You don''t want your mother to hear about what you''ve been up to."

    He was still scrappy. "You got lucky."

    I found it adorable how tough this kid was trying to act.

    My Slakoth was looking up at me as if to say ''did I do well?''

    "Never partake in another''s immaturity." I said, and the baby Pok¨¦mon clutched onto my shoulder.

    Inoru sighed. "That was random."

    It honestly didn''t. It seemed like he really had something to say. I knew boys like that in my previous life, not bullies, but those who tried to act tough by making trouble when they had no reason to.

    "I''m sorry miss," I spoke to the shopkeeper again. "But on which end of town does that kid''s family live on?"

    "The one throwing fruits off my stand at you?" she laughed. "I''d avoid staying here any longer than you need to."

    "She''s right. We need to either find a way to make it to Kamarino or get onto that truck soon."

    I insisted again. "Where does he live?"

    "Well if you must know, down by the stream on the southern side of the village."

    I bowed my head in thanks to her, and she bowed back slightly.

    ¡­

    "Every second longer we spend here, is another second we''re not actually fulfilling the pilgrimage the Order gave us by finding the next town."

    "Just trust me on this Ino."

    "Please, stop calling me that."

    I knocked on the door of a very shabby house far from the rest of the village like a few of the others I saw.

    A woman in her early thirties, with a bandanna keeping her hair back and an apron, answered the door.

    "Yes?" she asked.

    "Does Mikey live here?"

    "He does, has he gotten in trouble with the Order or something?"

    Inoru smiled up from his feet. "He threw food at us trying to impress his friends."

    "Seriously, he''s not in trouble-"

    The woman turned around and yelled. "Michael Richardson, get over here now!"

    She pulled the kid over by his ear and almost threw him towards us. "Apologize to these nice young monks immediately mister."

    As I watched Mikey''s half assed apology, I decided to handle this how Elder Toji did. That was the first thing I asked myself.

    How would my teacher react? I don''t think he was acting out this way just because, there had to be a reason.

    I knelt to Mikey. "Look. I swear I''m not angry, I just need to know. Why did you throw that at me?"

    "I don''t know. Because I thought it''d be funny."

    I smiled. "Your village has been friendly to my temple for the past few thousand years. Why change that? What do you want Mikey?"

    The boy didn''t know how to respond.

    "This is my Pok¨¦mon. He''s young, like yours. Do you recognize him?"

    The two still didn''t like each other, judging by the death glare they gave each other.

    "He wanted to protect me, despite how much bigger I am than him. Tell me, is there anyone you want to protect by what you did today?"

    Inoru spoke up now. "Yeah we should probably go. He said he was sorry Nico."

    Mikey''s mother chimed in too. "Yes he''s quite mischievous-"

    "My dad."

    "Why did you want to protect your father?"

    Mikey shrugged.

    I looked up at Mikey''s mother with a slight look of curiosity. "And where is he now?"

    "Keith''s busy."

    "Busy doing what?"

    "This has gone a bit too far Nico, we should-"

    "It''s fine," Mikey''s mother sighed, waving us in. "I''ll make you two some tea."

    ...

    Inoru watched Mikey and his Bellsprout play with some very old toys in front of an equally aged TV set as Mikey''s mother made us a drink.

    "Thank you." She bowed her head in return after I sipped from her tea cup and spoke. "Tell me what you can. If, you can."

    The woman shook her head slightly, barely looking at me.

    "Mikey''s always been a good kid, at least until recently. Two years ago, Keith''s identical twin was sick, had some sort of very rare growth. So sick he could only get help in Goldenrod City''s main hospital."

    I nodded as she continued.

    "Of course, we couldn''t afford it. I mean, look at this place, and our hometown can hardly survive two bad harvests in a row as it is." she sighed. "With nowhere to go, we tried asking the monastery for help."

    I couldn''t imagine going through any of this.

    "Keith''s brother um," she swallowed. "Passed away shortly after we helped him up the mountain."

    I looked at Inoru. "Did you know?"

    He shook his head. "I only was transferred last year."

    Mikey''s mother went on. "Keith wasn''t the same after that. He became irritable, he couldn''t focus on work, housecleaning, or anything the same way he could before. There''s a small bar on the end of town where he spends most of his time now. His brother''s family sends whatever help he can from the nearest village over after they moved away."

    I hadn''t remembered feeling this sad in a long time.

    Cancer. Depression. A town too poor to help in either aspects. Back in my old world these were so common the stories were everywhere.

    But in the world of Pok¨¦mon? The worst hardship anyone went through was maybe losing a Pok¨¦mon battle, at the end of the day, it was kid''s stuff. The anime and show were marketed to children.

    This? But this? This was heartbreaking.

    Inoru saw the look on my face. "Can you give us a second?"

    "Of course."

    Mikey''s mother took him away from the TV and Inoru and I talked in their living room.

    "I know what you''re thinking."

    I sighed. "It''s what Elder Toji would want us to do."

    "It wasn''t the temple''s fault."

    "Regardless of whether it was or wasn''t. This town needs our help."

    I looked at the faded picture of Keith''s twin brother, it was clear this household suffered a loss so deep it was a part of this man.

    "You''ll never become a great trainer if we spend our time helping every single town we pass through."

    I scoffed. "A great trainer needs to start being a good person."

    "Nico! Wake up. This isn''t our problem, and it isn''t anyone''s fault. There''s no way our temple would just let someone die. I''m sure there was nothing we, or this town could do. Back then, or now."

    I balled my fists, moving my eyes away from the picture of Keith, his wife and son, and his twin brother''s family who from what I could tell from the dilapidated land around the house, was helping run this farm years ago.

    "No." I turned around at him.

    "No?" Inoru asked. "I''m sorry, I''m your teacher, I wasn''t asking-"

    "No!" I yelled. "Kick me out of the Order, go back up the mountain, and tell the thirteen right now. I don''t care! I don''t care what you say, but I will never. Ever turn my back on people who need me!"

    "I care too, but we can''t cure a man of despair and alcoholism on our own. Even trying is a disservice to what our Order stands for. We don''t help, we don''t do anything, until a problem stands directly in our path."

    "I''m all for being vegetarian, and kind and patient. But there''s a difference between pacifism, and apathy."

    I turned to the hallway, ignoring Inoru''s next words. "You can come out now."

    Mikey and his mother slowly exited the room.

    "I''m sorry for intruding so much in your own house and lives. But I can''t leave until I''m sure I''ve helped in some way."

    Mikey''s mother shrugged. "But, how can you help? The only time I see Keith anyway is when he''s here blaming the monks or dropping food off."

    "I know." I sighed. "But I have to at least try. The tea was delicious. Mikey, come here please."

    He approached me.

    "Hey, you''re a tough kid, but I need you to act a little tougher for me okay?"

    He took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay."

    "I need you to get along with someone I know you don''t like for a few hours okay until I can go get your dad. My Pok¨¦mon can''t go with me, he''ll stay here for a bit alright?"

    "Alright."

    "Thank you."

    Mikey''s mother bowed her head back to me again, and I bowed back.

    I left Inoru there standing, thinking.

    ¡­

    I was trying to locate the only tavern in the entire town, a bit easy to do so since a fair number of already decently tipsy men were already heading in that direction.

    When I reached the front door, a man and woman were smiling and allowing guests in, smiling and bowing her head to them.

    I sighed in thought. What was I doing?

    "Hey."

    I turned around with a smile. "Inoru."

    He had almost definitely left his Bellsprout with Mikey and his mom for a bit while we figured this out.

    "A smart monk would''ve left the village the second that kid started throwing stuff at us. I mean, we abandoned our Pok¨¦mon-"

    "For a few hours."

    "And are about to go into a bar-"

    "To help heal a family by bringing a father back home to his wife and children."

    "But none of that matters." Inoru sighed.

    I looked at him.

    "Because I know you''re doing the right thing Nico. Because you care about doing the right thing."

    This was the moment I knew, that I could finally embrace Inoru no longer as just my mentor for the rest of this journey.

    But after months, as my friend.

    "Yeah man."

    I offered a fist to bump, which after some silence, Inoru figured out to bump in return.

    ¡­

 The Returning Wave

    Chapter Three: The Returning Wave

    ¡­

    There was a concept in traditional martial arts and karate that existed for moments like these: never go looking for a fight, period.

    Whether it was justified, or deserved, it didn''t matter.

    Likewise, many techniques were centered around returning an opponent''s size and aggression right back towards them. A decent grappler or judoka would be able to flip a person twice their size to the ground using the proper technique and sense of momentum.

    If someone put out aggression and malice out into the world according to traditional martial arts, typically, it would be returned at one point or another in some way shape or form.

    The owners of the bar were a bit surprised to see us try to enter their bar, being monks, but they ultimately didn''t mind after we told them we were looking for someone.

    "Keith. Uh," I paused. "Keith Richardson."

    "He''s inside." the couple bowed to us when they bowed and the husband waved a hand, letting us in.

    We bowed back and walked in.

    This tavern was probably the only place to get a real drink in the entire town, so it was really run down, but it did look a decent bit like most Japanese bars out in the countryside I''d visited the time I went in my past life.

    A few picture frames of past towns, as well as a few people gambling and drinking using games the bar already had.

    Keith was rather easy to spot.

    He looked someone who hadn''t bathed or showered that regularly. He sat at a barstool naturally, several empty beer cans next to him.

    The man was well built, and a bit tall, and was calmly drinking alone.

    I walked up to him and asked. "Keith?"

    He didn''t even glance at me. "Yeah?"

    It was him then. I cleared my throat. "Your son threw some fruit at my head earlier today. I''m not mad but um, I think I figured out why he did it."

    Now he looked at me.

    Keith drank from his beer with a shrug, glancing up at the TV playing in the bar. "So can I, you had it coming." he chuckled.

    "Look, I don''t mean to meddle. But your family needs you, the state of your house just, isn''t right."

    "You tellin'' me how to help my family kid?"

    "No. But your son shouldn''t act out like that, not when it''s not his fault."

    Keith sighed. "You know your group of sages up on the mountain claimed to be among the best healers in the world. My brother went up all those steps once."

    The light chatter of a few men drinking, eating, and playing cards nearby continued for a bit.

    "And he never came back down." admitted Keith painfully.

    I spoke kindly. "I''m sure we did all we could."

    "How could you be? I asked them what happened. I was told it was out of their hands, and now I lost my brother, my farm, and everything I ever had because I put faith." He sipped from his beer. "In a group of people who always need our help, but refuse to ever give it back."

    "Elder Toji isn''t perfect, but I know him well. He''d never let your brother die, my Pok¨¦mon is one he rescued from its dead mother in the wilderness."

    Keith shrugged again. "Quite frankly I don''t care about your business, and I don''t get why you do either about mine. Next time your lot is in town, I won''t let my kid throw things at anyone. Problem solved, now scram."

    "That''s not the point. You''ve abandoned them, you''ve-"

    "You think I can see them after what I let happen?" slightly raising his voice, Keith shook his head. "I couldn''t find the help my brother needed, and with him gone, and his family in another town. I can''t run my farm at all, I have to find work wherever I can around town doing odd jobs."

    I got it. "So out of shame, you barely see your family."

    "I''m way too busy working elsewhere to help too. This is the only opportunity I have. You''re too young, and too blinded by your useless clique of monks to see it."

    I still refused to let him aggravate me. "All I ask is that you return to your family. Your wife and child need you, and you-"

    "And then what? Let them starve? I can''t run a farm like that with just three people in the state that it''s in."

    "You should at least try."

    "What do you know about farming? All you do is eat food you were given as a gift, in fact, I bet almost all the rice you''re carrying in that pack is from this village. Isn''t it?"

    I glanced from Inoru, our backpacks, and then Keith.

    "The one purpose of your entire monastery is to help us. Protect us from spirits that have been a myth basically for thousands of years." Keith crushed his entire beer can with just one hand with ease. "Pray for better crop yields that never come! The only thing I''ve ever seen you all do, is fail to save my twin brother!"

    His words were loud enough to shift the air of the entire bar.

    The barkeep even stopped cleaning his glass, changing the TV station casually with a raised eyebrow.

    "Your brother didn''t deserve to die, but your family should not suffer further from the loss of an uncle, as well as a father."

    "Who are you to tell me anything? How old are you? Thirteen?"

    I looked aside for a moment, then back into Keith''s clearly brown eyes. "Fourteen."

    "You''re a fourteen year old monk raised in a cozy little mountain shrine. Never had to work on a farm or have a real job in your entire life. And you think you can tell me where I need to be and what I need to do?"

    "I promise you. Drinking and isolating yourself from your own family, it''s not helping anyone. That won''t bring your sister in law and her children back to your farm to help. And it won''t bring your twin back either Keith."

    A bar patron almost jumped when Keith rose out of his bar stool, almost a full head taller than me.

    "I''d leave this town, I''d leave right now and never come back kid. If there''s one thing you don''t do, it''s tell a man how to live his life when you''ve already ruined it."

    "There has to be a way I can change your mind."

    He balled his fists for a moment, I wasn''t scared, but he relented exhaling quickly. "I was raised in a pretty traditional household, it''s not right for me to discipline another man''s child. But I don''t have to put up with your out of place suggestions in my life any more."

    That was it, it was out of my control then.

    I had asked politely, I had tried showing him that punishing himself would only punish those he''d care for.

    I felt nothing but pity for this man and his family, and above all, this town.

    An important member of this village was drinking himself to death finding whatever work he could around to scrap together what money he could to barely feed his wife and child. Living on a slowly deteriorating farm worth less and less every year.

    I couldn''t look Keith in the eyes with how sorry I felt for him, and I walked outside with Inoru.

    ¡­

    "You did all you could." said Inoru kindly.

    "He''s right, I shouldn''t have meddled."

    "We should find a place to sleep for the night. It''d be smart to just hike for two days to Kamarino, we''ve left our Pok¨¦mon long enough at the Richardson farm anyway."

    "Wait."

    We turned around, Keith and a few other local men had left the bar, speaking to us. They walked down the steps to our place in the dirt path leading out of the inn.

    "You went to my house?"

    I nodded. "I had to understand why Mikey was acting so scrappy. I could tell he was hurting most likely."

    "He''s eight years old, kids act out when they''re that age."

    "Is that why he hates the monastery as much as you do?"

    This was why I left my Pok¨¦mon back at the Richardson farm, I couldn''t let them see the mess I had to solve before we moved on from this town.

    "You don''t talk to my wife or my kid when you''ve got a problem like that." Keith said, looking right at me. "You talk directly to me, you got that? Me."

    "Is there a particular reason you came out here or?" Inoru said.

    Keith pointed to the other end of the village. "Your time''s up here gentlemen. If you''re not collecting food for the shrine, there''s no reason for you to stay."

    He wasn''t wrong. That was the only reason monks came by here, but it was wrong.

    We didn''t talk to these people, we didn''t help these people, we didn''t even seem to know or acknowledge these people.

    One wouldn''t be remiss to think we didn''t even like these people, when they were not at fault, for anything going on in their lives.

    I sighed. "I''m sorry Keith. I''m sorry your brother died, and I''m sorry my temple aren''t exactly the most social or transparent or clear of people." I''d been there and almost still was. "But I promise you, nor you nor the rest of your town deserve what happened to it."

    Suddenly, Keith shoved me back onto the dirt.

    "I didn''t make myself clear apparently. You, and the condescion of yourself and your teachers is over here. I won''t let anyone see you all anymore except if it''s to give the rice you all never earned."

    Inoru helped me up. "You know we can''t fight you, why bother?"

    "To prove a point," said Keith bitterly. "I''ll escort you out myself if that''s what it takes."

    "We were just leaving." I admitted truthfully.

    "I mean I''ll drag you out of here right now, whether you want me to or not."

    Keith looked strong enough to pick up both Inoru and myself right now by the scruff of our necks and dump us on the road to Kamarino. But I respected both him and myself too much to let him do that to us.

    "My Slakoth and your son are probably playing together back at your house. Calm down Keith."

    "A Slakoth?" one of Keith''s drinking buddies spoke up. "Could''ve sworn I heard a Slakoth threw some fruits right back at your kid earlier."

    Keith glared at me with fire in his eyes, so mad he could barely speak for a moment.

    I had seen this exact anger before, a rage to grab and hurt me. Men in my previous life had shoved me around out of either ignorance or boredom, perhaps a complete lack of care to take their meds that day or something. I had been bullied plenty of times, at least harassed physically, but this adult man had no right to do and say what he did.

    But the last time I was genuinely afraid for my safety, at least scared for my life, was when I ran from the Vigoroth over six months ago.

    But I wasn''t afraid anymore. I was done with running, no matter if the price meant disregarding pacifism.

    "Final warning kid. Get out of here."

    I shook my head.

    A monk needed to be stoic, and never look for a fight. But this was my pride challenged, I didn''t care if Keith was twice my size, a full head taller than me, and was this village''s tough guy.

    Elder Toji had studied karate for decades, as had the entire temple. If they determined I was wise and skilled enough to handle myself on the road, I wouldn''t back down.

    I''d never back down until I had proved myself right, and that Keith was wrong.

    "You''re not a good listener."

    Keith''s friends backed off when he began to trudge forward to grab me.

    I used a simple technique I learned from my first classes ever when someone tried to shove me or hold my shirt. I instantly turned to the side, used Keith''s momentum while grabbing his right wrist and holding my forearm hard against his elbow.

    I turned to my right as fast as I could in a semi circle pulling Keith downward.

    The man tripped over his own feet and his own weight and tumbled over.

    Inoru was about to step in, but then Keith chuckled, wiping some dirt off his chin.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "I''m gonna leave you knocked out on the side of the road. When I do, you two better not come back."

    Inoru spoke up as Keith slowly took his jacket off. "This has gone way too far." said Inoru.

    Just because I''m a nice guy doesn''t mean I''m weak. This journey had provided me a test as soon as I started it: a fight.

    And I wasn''t going to run away scared, showing the Order were cowards who didn''t care or didn''t clean up their messes.

    Keith didn''t come running at me, instead he threw the most predictable thing someone in a street fight would do:

    Hook punches.

    I dodged easily, weaving away, and then ducking beneath his wild strikes, quickly grabbing the man from behind.

    I pushed him away pulling out my staff tucked between my cloth belt and my sage''s robes. I tossed it away and waved a hand towards myself.

    Keith grunted and lunged forward, and threw a random football kick to my stomach.

    As I turned at an angle again and parried I threw a back fist with my left hand, an uraken zuki, as hard as I could directly to Keith''s nose. The man was more than tough enough to shrug it off but it succesfully damaged his face.

    People began to gather and watch, and then I heard a sound of a small bit of thunder.

    Best rain always knew when to fall.

    As Keith began to run towards me like a bull to tackle me to the ground, I stood my ground, ran forward a bit to meet him and jumped upwards, hitting him right in the chin with my knee.

    He staggered for a bit and wiped some blood off his face, as I bounced around him calmly in my fighting stance. He appeared to turn around and almost think for a second when he knelt to the ground.

    But the next thing I knew I couldn''t see anything, and my eyes were stinging.

    Keith scooped up some mud from the nearby ground and flung it at me.

    Props to him for fighting smart too-

    He had tackled me to the ground, I covered up hopelessly for a minute, feeling Keith all but break my forearms under his knuckles before I grappled with him for a moment.

    I pulled him into my guard, tying my legs around his waist and pulling him closer, the mud helping my complete lack of physical strength in comparison to him.

    The rain helped me too, I was able to use some of it to wipe the mud out of my eyes, and see a little better. Still partially blind, I continued to struggle with Keith.

    Grappling was common back on Takujimi temple, and despite Keith''s strength and fighting experience, he couldn''t just tear me off and throw me away. I held onto him for dear life.

    I threw a wild elbow that caught him directly on the eye, disorienting him for long enough to pull away and stand up.

    I caught my breath for a moment and cleaned more mud out of my eyes, realizing how bruised my face and arms were after a bit. Unable to register the face punches I took due to the adrenaline and how incompleted Keith threw them as opposed to my own strikes, I was on better ground.

    Keith was shaking his head in disbelief I had put up a fight as long as I did probably as I raised my fists again.

    He came running at me again with his hands up trying to time me with straighter and cleaner punches this time, but with less than a second to counter, I used ushiro geri.

    The spinning back kick.

    I kiai''d at the top of my lungs, throwing all my weight behind the blow, knocking the wind right out of Keith.

    He dropped, all of his weight and strength being his own downfall as he ran directly into a foot to the stomach.

    Keith gasped loudly, eyes widening.

    I made sure my next action would cement the fact that I hadn''t run from a challenge for good. I was never scared, the temple taught me that the Vigoroth who almost killed me was a symbol, a symbol for men like Keith and the challenge they posed.

    Strong, dumb, loud, but wrong.

    I picked up my staff out of some nearby mud and rested it against Keith''s temple, he was about to stand up but I forced him back down to the ground with a leg sweep with my feet, de ashi barai, and looked right at him.

    "He had it coming kid." someone said.

    Keith''s drinking buddy, the same man who told him my Pok¨¦mon had thrown some random produce straight back at his son was now rooting against him.

    "The man challenged you, that''s the way of things," he said.

    It kept raining, Keith didn''t seem to argue against his fate of being knocked clean out.

    Then, I looked at Inoru for a moment, he hadn''t moved from by the entrance of the bar for a second. Technically by choosing violence I had already gone against an extremely important creed of the order:

    The best way to win a fight, is to never look for one.

    I looked back at Keith, and I realized by looking into his eyes how broken this man was.

    The sages had taught me one thing, that people like this only fell further when reaching their lowest point.

    I frowned.

    Unless they had help.

    I lowered my staff and sighed, pulling him up from the mud.

    "I''m sorry." I said honestly.

    Keith sighed too, nodding, the crowd that had gathered too shocked to react as well.

    "Same here."

    Then he knocked me clean out in one punch.

    ¡­

    I realized where I was as soon as I woke up.

    I was back at Keith''s house, laying on his sofa, at daybreak apparently.

    My Slakoth was laying on my stomach, snoozing quietly.

    With a slight headache, I stood up slightly and saw a strange sight. Inoru and Keith were having a conversation like civilized people. No arguing, no insults like last night, the man seemed to be cooking some sort of breakfast calmly.

    Inoru saw that I had woken up and gestured in my direction.

    Keith turned towards me, raised a slightly disgruntled eyebrow, slid all of his food off the frying pan he was using, and then shoved a bowl of rice and eggs towards me. The spoon clattered in it from how quickly he served me some breakfast across the coffee table in his living room.

    "Where''s um, Mikey and your wife?" I asked quietly while picking up the bowl.

    He explained quietly. "They''re outside, I told them I''d help do what little we can to try to put the farm back together."

    Keith was back with his family. He''d seen the error of his ways to some degree at least.

    I ignored the stinging pain in my head as I chewed my admittedly well cooked breakfast.

    Keith crossed his huge hairy arms and fixed his plaid red button up shirt. "You did the right thing, but I wanted to teach you something too before you left."

    I nodded silently, looking up at him.

    "Never let your guard down until the fight is finished. You won, technically." Keith chuckled. "But you don''t stop until you''re sure whoever you''re fighting is done. Be it that their wrist is broken, or they''re sleeping on the sidewalk. Got it?"

    I understood why he decided to reward my mercy with none of his own last night.

    "I don''t think I can remotely forgive the monastery for failing to save my brother just yet. Besides the fact that he was family, he was crucial in helping me and feeding my family and letting me live the normal life I had. But, I sort of owe you a favor."

    Keith uncrossed his arms and shrugged. "I can''t give you anything useful for your trip to the next town, but I can make sure you get there quicker. I worked for the butcher in Kamarino for nearly six years now. He''s about as broke as everyone else around these parts so he can''t pay me close to what I''m owed."

    I nodded again.

    "However, I think he''ll be more than able to do me a favor. That truck he sends every week? I''ll make sure you can get on it with your friends here," he threw his head towards my Slakoth and then Inoru. "Should be enough to settle our debt."

    "It is, thank you."

    Before Keith stepped outside of his house to go help his family do the first bit of farm work they probably had in ages, I spoke out.

    "For what it''s worth. I think your brother would be proud that you helped us."

    He paused for a second, but left.

    Inoru approached me, as if holding his words in this entire time.

    "Did I just kick myself out of the Order?"

    Inoru shook his head. "Keith had that coming to him, he''d been wrongfully blaming the temple for problems it had nothing to do with for the entire night. While neglecting his family for years."

    Inoru rubbed his eyes and smiled. "I''m proud of you Nico, you helped this family what little anyone could. And for it, it helped us greatly on our journey."

    "I think I''d have traded a two day hike over my headache now." Pressing my hand to the bruise on my temple where I''m sure Keith hit me.

    Inoru chuckled deeply and loudly. "Without last night''s fight in the rain, I don''t think you could have ever learned what we both need to in order to make you a great Pok¨¦mon trainer. Let alone the greatest. Fighting and training to fight, are the only ways our Pok¨¦mon will improve at battling."

    I smiled.

    "The truck shows up early tomorrow morning. I''d suggest we help that poor old woman running her shop a bit, I don''t think she''s had anyone sort food or clean for a while." Inoru suggested, waiting for me to finish my breakfast.

    ¡­

    She ended up appreciating our help a bit, but was unfortunately so broke she couldn''t give us a meal for helping her. Not that it mattered, as this part of the Pok¨¦mon world was so poor that I wasn''t surprised it took so long to drive to part of Johto I remember from the games and anime.

    The old woman ended up letting us stay in a small storage unit among some boxes with some air conditioning and blankets in the back of her store before she closed up shop.

    When the sun rose again the next morning, it was barely six in the morning.

    Inoru and I had to get up early and had actually used an alarm clock, the only form of payment the woman could give us for our help, to get ready for the truck''s arrival.

    Kamarino''s butcher truck arrived selling meats to the few people able to afford so in the entire town, including the old lady who we helped.

    The truck was among those exact delivery trucks I saw dozens of times in Japan in my old world, small and white, with a wooden barrier lining its cargo area, now filled with boxes of meat.

    She tried explaining. "These two monks are-"

    The man driving the truck smiled and nodded. "My boss already told me who they are. It''s all fine."

    "Thank you very much." all three of us bowed to the driver.

    As I helped unload a few boxes the woman spoke. "You two boys should get going." her crow''s feet wrinkled as she bowed her head and smiled. "You''ve already helped enough."

    "Thank you for giving us a place to stay tonight."

    "Better here than out on someone''s farm land or on the side of the road." she smiled back to me.

    Inoru and I bowed to the elderly shopkeep and then left to get on the truck.

    ¡­

    About four minutes since leaving the village at the bottom of the mountain, I heard a small sound.

    "Waiiiiit!"

    I looked into the sideview mirror on my left, Inoru was kind enough to stay with all the boxes of meat with his Bellsprout.

    Mikey Richardson was running at full speed, waving and panting along the old and worn roads out of his town as I drove away.

    "Stop the truck." I said kindly.

    The driver kindly nodded and lightly pressed the brakes.

    I got out of the car and watched Mikey take his hat off, smiling.

    "Thanks for-" he gulped, still panting. "Thanks for-"

    "There''s no need for thanks," I said.

    "There really isn''t, we''re not about that." chortled Inoru.

    Mikey took a deep breath. "I needed to give something to you."

    Out of the few pockets of his shorts, Mikey drew a letter and handed it to me. "My mom told me to give you this. It''ll tell my aunt to give you a place to stay for what you did for us."

    The card described where to find the lady''s house in Kamarino.

    The theme these parts of the country told me continued to humble me: no one around here had much. But if you helped them, they''d acknowledge it and help you in return what little they could.

    "Thank you Michael. How''d your dad feel about your mom''s decision?"

    "She didn''t tell him, I didn''t too. But wait-" Mikey smiled up at me. "My dad beat you up didn''t he?"

    I shook my head. "I lost my first fight, not a great start to my career as a Pok¨¦mon trainer."

    "My mom thought you were just trying to reach Johto to start traveling to another shrine."

    I shook my head. "My Slakoth might be kind of young, just a baby actually. But I promise you, I''ll be the best trainer from Johto''s northern mountains in history."

    "More like the only one!" laughed Mikey. "No one can ever get out of here to compete!"

    I smiled, kneeling to the kid. I saw the look in his eyes, the same one probably too many people his age around the world had to start their Pok¨¦mon journeys too.

    I had seen this before watching Gravity Falls, and found it as a kind way to say goodbye.

    Looking around in my backpack, I pulled out and handed a spare piece of cloth in case I lost my current belt to Mikey.

    "Hey!"

    I took his hat from him, every good trainer needed one. It was light blue and simple, why not use it?

    "Here."

    I tied the cloth piece around Mikey''s head like a bandana.

    "You wanna be a trainer too right?"

    "Yeah!" his dissapointment at switching head coverings with him dissapeared instantly. "They''re the most rich and famous people ever! And train the strongest and coolest Pok¨¦mon in the world! Everyone I know wants to be one."

    The driver of Kamarino''s meat shop honked his horn lightly.

    I gave him a quick nod and kept speaking to Mikey. "I heard you and my Slakoth actually became friends right?"

    "I mean we stopped fighting and played with my trains a little bit." he said shyly.

    I smiled and nodded. "Shows you might become a decent trainer if you can go from enemies to friends with a Pok¨¦mon."

    Mikey nodded a little bit, smiling and putting his hands on his hips with pride at himself. "Yeah! I can, I can, can''t I?"

    "Anyone can be a trainer. No matter what anyone tells you, it''s the trainer that makes the team, not the other way around."

    I stood up and turned around.

    Mikey spoke I almost got back in the truck. "I''m sorry for throwing stuff at your head. If I knew my dad was wrong about monks, I never would''ve done that."

    "He''s not entirely wrong. Most of us never really see or do much outside of our mountains, but I do think we''re trying our best."

    "Keep trying your best."

    I nodded back to Mikey. "You should keep trying your best too, at, being a Pok¨¦mon trainer someday right?"

    He nodded yet again with another smile.

    I got back into the delivery truck, and I saw Mikey waving at me through the rearview mirror, his reflection getting smaller and smaller by the second.

    I waved back, seeing the tiny Rattata sitting on the ground by his side chitter and crawl up onto his shoulder when he turned to walk back to the village.

    "You''re the weirdest sage I''ve ever met." admitted Inoru.

    The delivery driver and I both chuckled as I spoke. "Yeah, I''m not afraid to fight or solve other people''s problems."

    "It''s not that Nico." he said. "Everything about you is odd, even you know, besides the obvious."

    Yes, I''m not from your dimension. Thanks for the reminder man.

    "Elder Toji can''t expect me to make the best team in Pok¨¦mon battles if I can''t even battle a person myself. A good trainer leads by example."

    "Good way to live." Inoru admitted.

    I turned to the delivery driver. "So, how exactly do I get into competitive battling?"

    "I don''t know too much myself but I do know the basics." the middle aged guy said in his deep but calm voice. "My cousin tried it a few years back."

    "How''d it go for ''em?"

    "Terrible, and she wasn''t even half bad at it either. She was a bit younger than you, had a way better Pok¨¦mon. Think she had a Rapidash or something."

    Hey, Slakoth''s still a baby alright?

    I kept listening as he kept driving along the road to Kamarino.

    "According to the new rules, each subregion within each region is allowed to enroll a certain number of competitors depending on their population count. Technically, our region is so unpopulated we can only enroll a single person in WCPL, I think it''s a minimum of a few thousand people per competitor or something, depends on the subregion too, they change the rules every year."

    The World Competitive Pok¨¦mon League, right.

    "To even qualify for a battle to get your trainer''s card, you have to win two matches sanctioned by an official Pok¨¦mon League judge. The only one in our entire region is nearing retirement, so you better hurry to get ready."

    I would.

    "Once a month in Kamarino, people from all the villages nearby bring their kids to watch and compete in a small tournament. They get a medal and some pictures, and everyone gets a participation ribbon or something, little kid things really to celebrate the history of the town. Point is, this is where you qualify. You win this tournament? You can qualify."

    I got why he knew so much, his cousin had actually won this.

    "Now Violet was a pretty good trainer, managed to somehow train with her Ponyta long and well enough to get it to evolve, and had battled from ages ten to twelve. And she failed to win the qualification tournament in Blackthorn City three times in a row. That was a while ago, now she helps me work for our boss in Kamarino every once in a while."

    I could guess well enough who that was, the owner of the butcher''s shop who owned this truck.

    "So, right now, to qualify to be a trainer, you not only have to be the best Youngster, yes I know you''re a teenager. I said Youngster," the meat delivery truck driver laughed a bit, seeing the look on my face. "In your entire subregion, but you have to place in a tournament with the other best Youngsters in the entire Johto region to get your trainer''s license."

    "How often do they hold this tournament?" I asked as we passed through the far northern farm lands and countryside between the mountains north of Johto.

    "Also once a month."

    "So wait, Johto only has a few dozen new trainers a year, what if too many people from your subregion are qualified for a trainer''s license?"

    "They make the lowest ranked of them all battle with the challenger. And the winner gets the spot."

    I laughed in disbelief, Inoru was shaking his head too. "Why is it this hard? I get a competitive Pok¨¦mon League is supposed to be you know, competitive. But still."

    "Why do you think?" the driver said. "It''s the number one most desired job in the entire world. Every kid grows up wanting to be a world champion in Pok¨¦mon battling but only a single one in history was young enough to do it."

    Red.

    "You think kids dream of having my job?" the meat delivery guy scoffed, waving a hand to his truck''s steering wheel. "Or wanting to be a banker or a doctor? No. They want to battle at the top for as long as they can, and then retire and start a Gym in their hometown. The reality of the world is, there are simply too many people trying to do the same thing all at once. And that''s battle Pok¨¦mon."

    This was a scary prospect and it made too much sense.

    Even if you had above average talent, a pretty good starter, and a few years of experience, you might not even be one of the lucky few to even become a trainer. I get why Red set up the WCPL like this, he had to create a fair, quick, and efficient funnel system for the tens of thousands of people around the world trying to become the best, to the one who really was.

    This was just the amateur league to reach the Pros, actual WCPL was probably far more competitive and difficult than this.

    "Let me guess. No one''s seen Red in ages."

    He chuckled. "Of course not. Last I heard he went for some kind of search to catch Pok¨¦mon towards Mount Silver, and rarely anyone comes back from there. Even he didn''t, and that was eight years ago."

    "How old would be now then?"

    "By now um, twenty four. One of his friends from his hometown took over his spot after a few years of trying, girl named Leaf."

    I sighed.

    "So how did Red exactly set up this league?"

    "Jeez you really are a monk aren''t you? Everyone knows this." the driver smiled and I just shrugged it off. "Uuuum." he stroked his slight beard. "Red became Kanto champion at ten, Johto and Kanto technically had the first Indigo League tournament to challenge the Elite Four the next year, so he won it at eleven."

    I kept listening. "The next five years he went around the entire world winning matches at the highest level almost non stop until he disappeared shortly after helping everyone make the League in the process."

    Calling Red a legend, a literal myth on par with Mew or any legendary Pok¨¦mon was an understatement. As a teenager, he became the best trainer who ever lived. For all I knew, Ash Ketchum wasn''t even born yet, or was currently trying to climb the ranks after the same title Red had acheived.

    The games had made the challenge of being a trainer so easy, even the anime did too.

    But now I knew the little Slakoth I had resting on my arm had a long way to go, as did I.

    I had promised the monks the chance they took on me wouldn''t fail. Even beating Keith into the mud would mean nothing, next to competing on the grandest stage of all.

    ...

    ...

    ...

 Slacker to King Someday

    Chapter Four: Slacker to King Someday

    ¡­

    The countryside of far northern Johto was beautiful, of course, being one I didn''t even know existed while playing the video games and watching the anime.

    Tucked inbetween the mountains well north of Blackthorn City and Mahogany town, lay acres of farmland in all directions, a few villages, and apparently, an ultra important temple and mountain, Takujimi.

    It was honestly a bit interesting to see just how much of northern Johto looked like Gunma, a moderately rural prefecture of Japan with a low population count, and a gorgeous countryside.

    Stalks of corn fields seemed to dot the landscape, followed by rice fields as well. Everything seemed to be farmland in all directions, or more mountains, and the closer we got to Kamarino, the more houses I saw.

    Which made me wonder, how come I never heard of this area of the Pok¨¦mon world prior? It clearly had some importance to it right?"

    I asked the truck driver, a calm and aged man well into his thirties with a frizzled beard and cargo shorts. "Why is this part of the country so unpopulated?"

    He shrugged. "Well decades ago this actually used to be a pretty popular tourist attraction for trainers and ordinary people alike. Everyone wanted to pay their respects at Takujimi temple, and the villages around all profited."

    "Then the Pok¨¦mon on the mountain started to act very aggressively, and the myth behind the mountain started to fade away. One thing led to another, and Kamarino''s train station only sees a few new passengers every couple of months or so."

    The meat delivery truck driver threw his nose upwards a little. "Alright. There''s the town."

    It was the largest village I''d seen so far, wasn''t saying much, it was a total of two here in Johto. But it was fairly decently sized.

    Between the mountains separating Johto from the roads to the Pasio region, lay this massive valley where a couple villages were built. The largest of them all it seemed was Kamarino, which had a population above 70,000 according to the sign we passed.

    Kamarino didn''t appear like a village completely out of time like the one I had just passed through. It had a high speed rail station going right through it and the mountainside on the other end.

    It was large enough to have cobbled roads, even a few large sections of farm land cultivated into a school and such.

    I passed the train station and watched about four people standing there getting off the mono rail.

    A businessman, a married couple, as well as a teenager clearly getting back from high school in I assumed Blackthorn City.

    Young children chased a tiny Rattata with very loud laughs, the Pok¨¦mon had stolen one of their sandwiches during what I assumed was lunchtime. So three of them ran and tripped a little bit after the Rattata all around the schoolyard.

    The truck driver hit the brakes in front of the butcher''s shop. "Alright boys. End of the road."

    "I''ll never forget this, thank you."

    He shrugged. "All I did was save you hiking for a day and a half, maybe a bit more."

    "No I mean." I stuck my hand out. "Here."

    Inoru and I bowed deeply to him. We all shook hands, I got his cousin''s name, Violet, in case we needed someone to ask for specifics on Pok¨¦mon battling, and we were on our way.

    "Alright let''s go."

    "Let''s go where?" asked Inoru, clutching his Bellsprout to his chest, scooping it up from the ground with one hand.

    "Find out how to start training our team."

    ¡­

    In the village center, I read a small paper pinned to a large cork bulletin board.

    Kamarino Youngster Matches - All ages and ranks allowed to compete.

    Then there was a symbol of the World Competitive Pok¨¦mon League, a Pok¨¦ball with the golden letters WCPL was printed on it.

    On the first Saturday of each month, Youngsters will be permitted to battle in the town square for official WCPL Youngster medals. Rules will follow modified League competition, and follow a tournament bracket format. All competing Pok¨¦mon must be cleared for combat by Doctor Yuu, 57-11 Iorina Lane.

    Interesting. This village was so large it had actual addresses.

    "So we have to find this Doctor Yuu, get our Pok¨¦mon checked, then-"

    "Uh. Nico?"

    I turned. "Yeah?"

    Everyone buying some clothes or food in the village center was staring at us. I had no idea what was going on. Was my robe really messy or something?

    I felt a bit weirded out and then asked an elderly lady sitting down holding her cane near a clothes shop.

    "Why is everyone staring?"

    She shrugged with a wrinkled smile. "No one''s seen a monk of the Sprout Order for almost seventy years. I quite frankly can''t remember seeing one outside of a shrine ever."

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    I turned around, smiling and waving at everyone. "Hey guys, we''ll be moving on shortly in just a bit." I chuckled, seeing them all awkwardly return to their business. "Yeah."

    I smiled at the old woman who helped me. "I''m sorry, obviously, we''re new in town. How can we find Doctor Yuu?"

    "You see that inn over there across the street from a caf¨¦? Follow the road between them up the hill for a few blocks. When you see the school house, you''re going to turn right and walk for almost twenty minutes. His house will be in a small neighborhood, nearest a closed newspaper station."

    I was surprised by how detailed her directions were. "You know it?"

    "Everyone knows it." she shrugged. "Pok¨¦mon help us all in our daily lives, with farm work and work of all sorts, even the occasional Rapidash race. We go to him all the time in case they get hurt or sick."

    I was confused. How did people race Rapidash without getting, seriously burned?

    "We should get going, thank you for your help." Inoru appeared quickly and said, before bowing to the old lady who nodded back.

    ¡­

    Yuu was a man with white hair in his late fifties who ran a licensed medical practice for both Pok¨¦mon and people in the northern end of town. He had a calm, kind look and the kind of glasses that hung off his neck by a string for easier use.

    "Hello there." He was done with another patient as I walked in with my Slakoth, and Inoru as always carrying his Bellsprout on his shoulder. "How can I-"

    He must''ve noticed we were monks, shaking his head and continuing. "How can I help you today?"

    "I''m here to compete next month. How do I get my Pok¨¦mon cleared for the tournament?"

    "Well step into my office, and I''ll take a quick look."

    ¡­

    "Hm." Yuu sat Slakoth down on his patient''s table and ran through the basic tests, going through a normal check up like he would on a person.

    He seemed to be interested in measuring Slakoth''s arms and legs, and total height with a measuring tape he took out of his desk, confusing me, but ultimately not bothering me, he was a doctor.

    "How old is he?" Yuu asked as he checked Slakoth''s pulse.

    "Um." I blinked. "The Elder from my shrine found him as a two week old newborn out in the woods around. I think a month and a half ago?"

    "A two month old Slakoth, and he''s." he was clearly seeing something I didn''t. "This tall. Odd, and curious, but certainly nothing dangerous."

    Yuu pointed to a small machine in his office. "That''s a Bio Scanner, helps me determine if there''s anything wrong with your Pok¨¦mon at all in terms of physiology. Can he stand over there for me?"

    "It''s okay buddy follow the doctor."

    Yuu helped the Slakoth off the table, and even held his hand, knowing he was still a baby as he waddled around, following him to the Bio Scanner.

    A decently loud beep filled the room for a moment, there was a short red light and a spin of an X-Ray looking panel, and then Yuu checked his computer.

    It took him about five minutes but Yuu pulled a paper file out of his desk, seemed to be considering something, and then nodded. "Alright, as I thought." he said.

    "Your Slakoth has one and a half times the height, strength, and potential battle ability than even the above average species his age. He''s in perfect fighting shape, and fully grown into Slaking, will likely accrue the skill and size of even highly ranked WCPL fighters."

    Inoru looked at me in confusion. "I''m sorry, what?" I asked with a slight chuckle.

    "It''s quite common for Pok¨¦mon around your shrine, we''ve never been able to determine why Pok¨¦mon around places like Mount Silver and Mount Takujimi are naturally so much more powerful than their counterparts elsewhere."

    Yuu took off his glasses by merely sliding them off his nose. "Tell me what you can about Slakoth''s behavior."

    "Um, he''s a fairly normal Slakoth. He just, eats and sleeps all day mostly, hangs around on my shoulder constantly since I don''t have a Pok¨¦ball for him."

    "No but, during an altercation, during training. How does he usually act?"

    "I wouldn''t know about training him since I was going to start doing that right after we were done today. But we''ve only been in one altercation."

    Yuu clicked his pen with a nod, raising his clipboard. "Describe it to me."

    "Well in the village at the bottom of our mountain, a small child threw fruit at my head. I wasn''t remotely hurt or even insulted, but Slakoth got down off my shoulders, and he threw fruit right back at him too."

    Yuu paused, his pen froze. "I''m sorry what?"

    "He threw fruit at the kid."

    "And then what happened?"

    "Nothing, but Slakoth looked just about ready to fight this kid, and the Pok¨¦mon him and the other kids had with him too."

    Yuu blinked rapidly, shaking his head for a moment.

    I was curious. "What?"

    "The Slakoth line are among the laziest, if not the laziest Pok¨¦mon in existence. For one to try to defend you without you specifically asking it to, especially at such a young age, is very odd."

    Now Inoru piped up. "Isn''t it common for baby Pok¨¦mon to grow such a strong attachment to their trainers though?"

    "Absolutely, but not enough to go against the behavior of their own species most often. It basically never happens." Yuu tore off one of the pages he had on his clipboard. "This might be explained by the fact that your Slakoth is extremely unique, coming from Mount Takujimi''s forests."

    "So wait." I looked at the paper. "I passed?"

    "Slakoth is more than ready to begin WCPL Youngster training. Granted I don''t think it''ll be easy, even at the pace for baby Pok¨¦mon, several of them simply don''t understand nor like it. In case of any injury or stoppage, I''m always right near the ring, so you''ll be seeing me next month."

    Yuu looked about done with me, not even asking if I had more questions. "You there," he said softly to Inoru. "Want to get your Bellsprout cleared for sparring?"

    "Oh no." he smiled a bit. "I''m much too old to being competing, I''m twenty six."

    "I know trainers who started in their thirties, it''s your call, but you won''t get another chance to start off on the same foot as your traveling companions." he nodded towards myself and the baby Slakoth Yuu placed back in my arms.

    Inoru shrugged. "That doesn''t really bother me."

    "Well then if you don''t mind me asking. What brings you out to Kamarino? The monks haven''t tried competing in anything here in Kama Valley for the past. Three, four, thousand years? What''s changed?"

    I smiled. Yes, I had a name for this part of the country I like traveling through so much, thank you Doctor Yuu for an otherwise meaningless name to anyone else.

    "Well," said Inoru. "Most of it is private Temple affairs. But we were put on a special mission to help Nico here become a Pok¨¦mon trainer."

    "Really? I thought monks didn''t believe in fighting for sport, or even fighting in general."

    "They made an exception for me." I said.

    "Then you are one extremely unique sage in my opinion." said Yuu. "Since you''re new in town, I can give you some tips."

    I listened carefully.

    "Your Pok¨¦mon should maintain regular hygiene after training every day, it''s just a health thing. Secondly, you are going to need to be extremely patient when training him, I can''t tell you how many times kids have brought their team to me wondering if something was wrong with them. When they simply were trying to push their Pok¨¦mon too hard or too slowly."

    "Alright, thank you."

    "This will be the most important advice I can give you. There is a great space in town to train your Slakoth, there is a large grass courtyard next to the community garden, I''ll give you the address." he said, likely writing it down. "It''s completely open and free for you to use most hours of the day, there''s some shade and water if you want to take a rest. And I wouldn''t worry about your Pok¨¦mon making a mess of things, you''re training a baby Slakoth not a Slaking, you can train him as much as you like over there."

    He passed me the address on a slip of paper and spoke. "Will that be all gentlemen?"

    We both nodded.

    "Pretty much yeah." I said.

    "Thank you so much Doctor Yuu."

    "My pleasure, I look forward to seeing what you and your Slakoth can do next month."

    I smiled, I did too, I''m sure Slakoth would do great. All I had to do was get to training him.

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

 Kama Valleys Last Tournament

    Chapter Five: Kama Valley''s Last Tournament

    ¡­

    In a small clearing besides a garden and besides some buildings, I trained Slakoth for the first time.

    I sighed, speaking calmly. "So, this will be our first lesson together."

    His face changed from a blank and tired expression to a happier and more attentive one.

    "As a Slakoth at this stage of competition, the only weakness you''re going to have is against other types. Why does it seem like I know much more about Pok¨¦mon battling than I should?"

    The Slakoth merely kept smiling up at me.

    Well, it was because I''d seen the anime, played the games, and came from the world that designed Pok¨¦mon from the ground up. But here it was real, this was a real living thing, a two month old baby Pok¨¦mon that would listen and do whatever I''d say to help it improve.

    "Copy me okay?"

    "Laa¡­." the baby Slakoth turned in the direction I did.

    "Keep your left hand forward, keep your knees slightly bent, and your chest turned to the side."

    It was a simple karate fighting stance, I''d explain this strategy better when Slakoth began competition.

    "Then bounce, forward, and backward."

    I had a total of two years of karate experience, even in official competition. Karate and Pok¨¦mon battling were quite different, but at this level, not too much. Pok¨¦mon only really knew how to use physical moves, barely very hard hitting and high level special moves yet.

    No one knew how to use Ice Beam or Thunderbolt, almost every Pok¨¦mon at this stage never knew how to use anything more advanced than Mach Punch.

    I would train Slakoth exactly how I was trained to compete in karate sparring as a young adult in my previous life, the same drills, the same techniques, the same concepts.

    "Always be aware of your opponent''s front hand."

    I stood in front of Slakoth and explained, faking a jab to his head. The baby was so convinced this was just a game or something completely unrelated to actual combat that he didn''t remotely flinch.

    "This, is the jab. Kizami zuki, front hand punch. For you, it''s called Scratch. Okay?"

    "La!" Slakoth chirped happily in acknowledgement.

    "Watch. This, is how you jab."

    I showed Slakoth the proper point style execution of the jab, and Slakoth followed.

    Then I had him practice the jab with his left claws, scratching off some pieces of bark off a nearby tree on by one.

    "Your opponent''s will mainly try to land moves like Hi Jump Kick and especially Mach Punch. You can''t let these techniques land on you. Okay?"

    Slakoth nodded with that same dazed smile.

    I knelt to Slakoth. "When you get in the ring, your opponent won''t be able to hurt you. But you have to protect yourself at all times. Right now, this is how you block a punch. Go ahead, use Scratch on me."

    Slakoth tried to jab, and I leaned my head aside, raising my rear hand, my right, to shield my face, and my left to completely deflect his claw. Then I instantly showed him how to use the backfist as a counter, it was a simple karate technique.

    The back of my knuckles almost struck Slakoth on the temple.

    "Right now, Pok¨¦mon at your level won''t be that much quicker than you. But in the future, you have to move very very fast in the ring. But for now, this is what you need to focus on, your handspeed."

    I gripped Slakoth''s claws lightly. "You need to not use Scratch wildly, every strike, must, be, decisive. Got it?"

    Slakoth nodded repeatedly.

    "Now, I have to train your footwork. Staying close to the ground, bouncing forward and backward a little bit, instead of up and down. Makes you more explosive, decisive, and quicker in sparring. Try it."

    One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and eight. Then we switched sides, continuing to bounce forward and backward just a bit again and again.

    I worked up a bit of a sweat and kept going. "Another very important technique in karate, the style you need to remove the only weakness you''ll have going forward. Is the reverse punch, gyaku zuki."

    "There is, the reverse punch to the body."

    There was a light thudding sound when I dropped all my weight onto my front foot and twisted forward, lightly showing Slakoth how to punch to the midsection. "And the reverse punch to the head, jodan zuki."

    I simultaneously parried Slakoth''s front hand downward while punching an inch away from his face. Again, the baby Slakoth didn''t flinch, either because he was too young to get the seriousness behind this, or because he wasn''t scared at all.

    "Chudan zuki." I showed him the reverse punch to the body against the air. "Is the quickest and most effective counter against your opponent trying to attack you. Whether he''s jabbing, or rushing you, or trying to kick you, you have two options."

    I drew a line with my left hand in front of my face. "All these attacks at the level of baby Pok¨¦mon come in a straight line. Tackle, Scratch, even things like Bubble or Ember. Are coming directly at your face or here."

    Slakoth watched closely as I drew a line up and down my hip to my ribcage from my side facing front stance, or fighting stance. "You have three options when being attacked. First, you can angle outward, make it miss completely."

    "Or, you can lean backward, counter." I showed him a round kick with my front leg to the jaw area.

    "Or, you can throw the reverse punch." Slakoth nodded as I leaned my head off angle from an invisible incoming jab to my face, and threw the gyaku zuki to the midsection. "This interrupts your opponent''s attack by landing your own. And immediately after doing so, space out again."

    I got back into my front stance, and fired off the kizami, or the jab.

    "Strike again, that''ll do some damage. You ready to practice this?"

    Slakoth nodded excitedly.

    ¡­

    We had four weeks to work on all of this, and I think I more than got Slakoth into fighting shape.

    He wasn''t particularly fast, not nearly as fast as I needed him to be later on, but for now, he was fine.

    Slakoth practiced only the strikes I taught him, he couldn''t necessarily form a fist very well with his claws, so instead I taught him the motions for punching, modifying it with open hand techniques for his sake. Essentially, he became a very low level karate fighter after a few weeks of training.

    I''d start off every lesson with footwork to warm up, then we''d work from 10 AM to midday for two hours every single day.

    I''d have Slakoth practice his modified open handed reverse punch against a tree to strengthen his hand strikes, as well as then practice the jab against me. Having a Pok¨¦mon, even a baby, Scratch me in the face wasn''t a good idea, so I would constantly had to borrow debris and random trash from nearby trash cans to let him practice.

    I''d pick up stuff like worn out pillows and hold them up near my face. I''d commit to a jab punch and make Slakoth dodge by taking his head off angle and leaning forward to twist off his rear hand and scratch my chest, protected by a body protector for Pok¨¦mon training Inoru had found for me.

    It was solid enough to stagger me barely and stop my momentum, and Slakoth instantly followed it up by firing Scratch again but to my face with his front hand. I used the pillow to block, and he slashed it right open.

    I nodded, impressed with such a young Pok¨¦mon''s strength after only a few days of karate fundamentals.

    "Very good, and angle out!"

    Slakoth panted, smiling as he moved away facing me, still bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet, in his fighting stance.

    "Great job, go again."

    I didn''t have any agility ladders or cones to work with, so I merely had Slakoth mimic everything I did.

    Practicing footwork by bouncing in my fighting stance from left to right, then every time I''d land in a new spot, throwing the reverse punch to the body, getting into my stance, resetting my guard, and firing the jab and reverse punch to the face.

    Working on Slakoth''s timing was easy, I''d just attack repeatedly and make him counter with his hands.

    However, I needed to work on Slakoth''s explosiveness too.

    The best work for plyometrics I found was having Slakoth do squat jumps, and also do jump squats with me from one end of the clearing to the next. It was great physical training for me too so did it alongside him.

    Slakoth wasn''t exactly a naturally born karate fighter, or even born to be great at Pok¨¦mon battling from what I gathered, but everything I told him to try, he more than tried.

    Everything I corrected, he worked twice as hard to fix. Despite only being two, now almost three months old, Slakoth wasn''t stupid, and could perfectly comprehend all the lessons I gave him.

    Slakoth wasn''t smart though, nor a genius in the ring, but he listened, he worked harder than anyone I''d ever seen at fighting. I think it was for a reason I realized about two weeks into training.

    Slakoth had barely known his mother. Unfortunately, back on Mount Takujimi, he had lost his parents who had likely squabbled with others in the Slaking line. So, Slakoth had never known affection or a family well at all.

    To compensate for that, I could tell Slakoth had somewhat imprinted on me as its parental figure. It was extremely attentive whenever I spoke to it, incredibly happy whenever I complimented its progress, and worked as hard as it possibly could for the training I set before it.

    Slakoth dedicated himself to my training and a bunch of methods like bowing to each other from our knees at the beginning and end of every lesson without any confusion or question. He didn''t question me, he didn''t frustrate me, he was essentially the perfect karate student.

    To improve his kime, or the power behind each of his techniques, I practiced kata with Slakoth. I focused on how to perfect his blocks, the crispness and kinetic foundation to his body behind his blows.

    I only knew the first five Heian katas, the ones you learned all the way up to brown belt. And I started from the first form, Heian Shodan with him.

    I never would''ve imagined a Slakoth could actually make a karate kata look well done.

    Finally, the day of the tournament came.

    ¡­

    Kama Valley had a total of seven villages including a Pok¨¦mon Ranger''s outpost that had a reasonably sized settlement sprout around it.

    However, I found out only two other people had signed up to compete against me.

    "Not what you were expecting huh?" Inoru asked, the Bellsprout he sort of trained these past weeks resting on his forearm.

    I shrugged. "Sort of."

    The Youngster Tournament took place in the middle of the town, in a large courtyard where all the shops and stands I found the first day I came here had been cleared out. The town center was converted into a large competition area.

    A decently sized pagoda stood in front of the small mayor''s office who had deployed a few clerks to help run the tournament, even though it was tiny.

    Myself with only Inoru to support me, and a boy and girl of seven and eight respectively had all come with their parents. Only a few spectator''s had shown up.

    A teen girl with brown hair and yellow dress and hairband leaned against her Rapidash boredly almost the entire time, chatting with a few tournament officials who had tried to make conversation with her. I hadn''t seen her before, but assumed she was Violet, the butcher shop''s employee''s cousin.

    I signed a waiver, and was luckily cleared from having to pay a small participation fee because of my affiliation with the Sprout Order and Elder Toji.

    "Okay then, let''s see here."

    A young man and woman standing behind him wearing white ''Volunteer'' shirts, a judge from the Pok¨¦mon league began to speak. He held a piece of paper in his hands, likely the brackets, and was a professional looking gentleman well into his sixties, balding with white hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He even wore a pair of glasses to read the brackets.

    The referee had a full formal black suit with slacks and a button up as well as a suit and tie, with a gold World Competitive Pok¨¦mon League, or WCPL button pinned.

    "Is a, Barry Waters from Tiniet Town here?"

    A very small boy with a stern looking father and a Tyrogue raised his hand.

    "How about Jenny Stone? Jenny Stone?"

    "Here." The girl with pigtails and both her wealthy looking parents and an Oddish raised her hand.

    "Nico of Takujimi?"

    I raised my hand. Despite being a monk and a teenager, the judge barely blinked an eye that I was competing with children half my age.

    The judge drew a pen from his blazer, and seemed to strike a name from the list, someone had not shown up to compete.

    "Alright. First, I need you all to know to calm your nerves. These are in fact live matches, but Doctor Yuu over there." the same man who cleared our Pok¨¦mon physically for competition nodded. "And I will be aware at all times that you and your teams will not be injured. I personally helped judge the final matches between Red, Blue, and the Elite Four several times over the years. And was also chairman of the official WCPL for a bit."

    I wasn''t really nervous and neither was Slakoth anyway, but that was nice to know.

    "Before the fights begin, I need you all to remember something. This is not life or death, these are matches where everyone gets a medal, and is added to the history of Kama Valley''s competitive battling scene. Your Pok¨¦mon must protect themselves at all times, and parents," The judge''s tone became much more stern then. "May not be allowed to give advice of any sort during actual matches. Obey my directions at all times, fight hard and fair, if any rules or orders are disobeyed. You will be warned, afterward, asked to leave the ring if that continues."

    Everyone more or less nodded.

    The judge fixed his glasses. "Alright. Jenny, congratulations, you have automatically moved forward to the next round. The boys will fight then instead for the first semi final, Barry and Nico, you''re up first to compete for the bronze medal."

    He removed a stopwatch from his blazer and clicked it. "All of you have five minutes to warm up and go over strategy. Nico and Barry, ensure your team is ready to spar shortly. First, parents and team members, please exit the ring.

    Soon, only us three, our Pok¨¦mon, and the judge alone remained on the cobbled steps under the giant gazebo in the town center of Kamarino. Despite this being a historic albeit monthly occasion, only about twenty five people were specating, most friends and family of the friends and family of the competitors.

    "Face that direction."

    Oddly, we seemed to face in the direction of Kanto and likely Mount Silver.

    "Bow." the judge ordered, bowing with us.

    "Face towards me."

    We did so.

    "Bow again."

    Both volunteers oddly seemed to stand at either corner of the gazebo and were watching the ring carefully.

    ¡­

    "You''re facing a Tyrogue. He has a type advantage being a fighting type, but we already practiced and prepared for that didn''t we?"

    I kept kneeling as I spoke to Slakoth, the baby Pok¨¦mon nodded and smiled again.

    "I need you to take this match seriously. We''re not just practicing in that clearing anymore, this is a real match. This other Pok¨¦mon will seriously hurt you if you let it, nothing too bad since there are judges and stuff, but never let your guard down until the judge stops the match. Got it?"

    "La!" Slakoth crossed his arms.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    "Go line up, get ready." the Slakoth marched off to the edge of the courtyard where the fight was about to begin.

    I turned to Inoru, walking forward from the galleries. "You ready for this?"

    "Yeah. I had a feeling we''d have a type disadvantage in the first round, I figured it was the only way Slakoth was gonna be able to lose this."

    "What did you focus on in training?"

    "This early on, I''m getting the feeling speed and timing will be the name of the game. I worked on plyometrics and explosiveness, just trying to get as much speed and fast twitch power out of Slakoth''s calves as I can."

    Inoru turned towards Barry''s father, a bald man with a long beard who seemed to advising both his son and his Tyrogue, showing them strikes and explaining.

    "They seem to be underestimating you most likely."

    "If only type advantages were everything."

    The judge spoke loudly, clicking his stopwatch. "On your lines." he gestured towards the spaces in front of him drawn with tape.

    Slakoth and Tyrogue walked forward from the shade the courtyard''s gazebo offered into the sunlight.

    Barry''s father offered his last bit of advice before taking out his Pok¨¦nav, starting to record the match.

    The judge''s voice had a familiar tone to the usual HAJIME matches in my previous life, "Begin!"

    "Mach Punch, go go go!" Barry shouted in his sharp voice.

    I fixed my blue hat, turning it around. "Come on Slakoth what are you doing?"

    He all but completely forgot all of his training for a bit, leading to a bad start for me. He almost got punched directly in the jaw, and was driven straight out of the ring blocking wildly and randomly.

    "Stop!" the judge yelled strongly but not rudely.

    The Tyrogue might''ve appeared to be a bit aggressive, but his training was clear. This was likely not the Tyrogue''s first match, nor real sparring session.

    Slakoth returned to his line.

    "That''s a warning for exiting the sparring area." he raised a finger towards Slakoth, a volunteer jotting something down behind him. "Two more warnings of any sort and you''ll face disqualification. Ready? Begin!"

    Tyrogue casually bounced off his line, resuming his explosive but still shelled up boxing stance. It kept trying to kickbox Slakoth, finding he was lacking reach and speed, but had enough power and guard to ignore any sort of counter.

    Slakoth was able to block a very hard and random round kick to the midsection, it sounded like it hurt, but I could see striking Slakoth''s elbow ended up hurting Tyrogue''s foot more than it hurt Slakoth.

    Slakoth began to fire a jab and a reverse punch to the body combination but Tyrogue merely shifted away without so much as blinking at the clear speed and power behind the blows.

    "Tackle and Hi Jump Kick! Get him Ty!"

    Tyrogue roared before Slakoth was barely able to angle out and dodged the attempt to tackle the fellow baby Pok¨¦mon to the ground. As his jab slid harmlessly off Tyrogue''s thick temple spike, Slakoth had a split second to dodge the Tyrogue''s spinning wheel kick.

    Slakoth leaned his head back just in time, and Tyrogue all but cartwheeled away to recover.

    Tyrogue kept his chin tucked, elbows in, and guard tucked, continuing to bounce around on his heels, bobbing and weaving randomly to keep Slakoth guessing.

    Barry kept trying to get Tyrogue to land a quick kick on Slakoth but it kept failing. Slakoth simply had too much reach and was actually quick enough to counter.

    Slakoth landed the first real hit of the match and Scratched Tyrogue''s chest cleanly immediately after another one of Tyrogue''s round kicks missed. It barely seemed to affect it but deep down I could tell it had helped Slakoth''s confidence in the match grow to land a clean hit.

    "Mach Punch, use your hands Tyrogue!" shouted Barry in his tiny voice.

    I didn''t even need to give any orders, Slakoth had already practiced what to do when someone was trying to throw straight punches to his face.

    He stepped off angle, made Tyrogue miss. And when Tyrogue reset his guard, got a bit closer and tried to combo him again, Slakoth interrupted the combination dead in its tracks.

    He slipped his head off angle, Tyrogue''s left fist missing his face by inches, while his right claw dug clean into Tyrogue''s chest. So deeply and so hard that Tyrogue had the wind knocked clean out of him, pausing for just a moment to recover.

    Slakoth used this split second opening to space out, and fire his front hand as well as his rear hand. Both Scratches I had modified to be more effective in a karate straight punch style landed straight on Tyrogue''s chin.

    The first merely throttled its head a little bit, but the second one sent it spinning backwards.

    "Get him Slakoth, now now now!-"

    "Stop!"

    The judge paused the match and I called Slakoth over by my side.

    "You''re doing great buddy. He''s gonna come after you again now, keep your hands up, keep doing what you''re doing."

    "La." the baby Pok¨¦mon grunted in acknowledgement.

    Injuries must''ve happened without judges blinking an eye in actual WCPL, but these were in fact baby Pok¨¦mon, I didn''t blame the judge at all for stopping the fight.

    Slakoth and Tyrogue lined up again, curiously, Tyrogue didn''t seem to be faking toughness of any kind. The clean scratches on its face barely seemed to bother it.

    "Way to tough it out buddy!" Barry smiled and cheered.

    "Ready!? Continue!" the judge roared from his spot in the shade between where Barry and I were giving advice.

    "He''s looking to combo you, just keep your distance for now."

    "You just got rocked Ty! Give it back to him!"

    This Tyrogue was tough as nails indeed, and besides the fact that it had clearly been trained well, it was able to make Slakoth work really hard.

    Several striking combinations including Hi Jump Kicks that Tyrogue was quick enough to recover from cleanly after barely missing to Slakoth''s head and midsection, as well as plenty of punch combinations, ended up making Slakoth stay on his toes for several minutes.

    The other baby Pok¨¦mon kept bobbing and weaving, using its front hand to keep Slakoth at a safe distance, and then it kicked Slakoth hard¡­in the leg.

    Slakoth dropped and before Tyrogue could overwhelm it with punches I surprisingly, even to myself, had trained it well enough to pull Tyrogue into its guard. The baby Pok¨¦mon struggled for a bit before the judge paused the match seeing neither Barry or myself had orders of any kind to give, made them separate after a moment, and continued the match.

    Slakoth''s leg was weak, but I spoke up.

    "We barely practiced checks, but try to work on them."

    Due to Barry''s youth, as well as his Pok¨¦mon''s they tried the leg kicks again, but Tyrogue ended up kicking Slakoth''s shin instead of its ankle again. Slakoth immediately continued to check every single low kick Tyrogue tried, and the match changed, Tyrogue stopped attempting leg kicks.

    Tyrogue shook this off without even blinking, and pressured Slakoth with its hands, straight punches, rolling his own head out of the way of Scratch counters. Slakoth greatly impressed me, the pain in its leg must''ve been crushing but it kept fighting as if he just stepped into the ring.

    What followed was Slakoth combining his savage mountain Slaking and Vigoroth roots with the refined explosive and precise strikes I gave him.

    And a speed match of proportions I don''t think the crowd was expecting followed.

    The crowd actually began to cheer every time a blow landed.

    Slakoth faked, and pressured Tyrogue into a corner. Before Tyrogue could clinch and spin away or do anything at all, Slakoth lowered its front hand and delivered the strongest Scratch I''d seen directly to Tyrogue''s face again at the same time roaring at the top of its lungs.

    "LAAAA!"

    As Slakoth''s power hand blasted Tyrogue in the face, the baby fighting Pok¨¦mon instantly ducked and clinched, trying to recover.

    Slakoth struggled to pull the tinier Pok¨¦mon off himself before Tyrogue landed a hook kick at close range by gripping Slakoth by the elbow and pulling into the kick.

    Slakoth''s head whipped backward, wincing, before Tyrogue spun into a back kick taking advantage of the stagger he induced.

    Slakoth went spinning backwards, quick and tough enough to stop tumbling away across the paved stones of the courtyard. Dust settled in the trail the flying Slakoth set, and Tyrogue glared at him, panting, and raising his hands again.

    I squinted, how many hits could this damn thing take?

    "Get back in your stance," I ordered as an equally confused Slakoth stood there. "Scratches, jodan and chudan, let''s go, no clinches, no kicks, just go get him."

    "Counter Ty counter!"

    Slakoth''s face level Scratches made Tyrogue roll away in a somersault, crossing both of his hands together to block and then clinch with Slakoth again.

    As Tyrogue tried using its front hand and Mach Punch by proxy again, Slakoth merely bounced away, and then landed yet another Scratch, this time to the midsection while on offense this time.

    Tyrogue was still absolutely fine, despite how much damage he took.

    Slakoth dodged a pair of face punches again and as he and Tyrogue clinched, this time Barry spoke.

    "Rapid Spin!"

    Despite it clearly not being meant for close range, Tyrogue showed its adaptiveness.

    Tyrogue was able to sweep Slakoth off his legs, despite it being a full head taller than Tyrogue, and punch it as hard as it could in the center of his chest.

    "STOP!"

    Slakoth was wheezing as Tyrogue raced back over to Barry.

    I spoke to Slakoth quietly. "It''s okay, get back up, get your feet out from under you."

    Slakoth coughed. "La¡­"

    He returned to his line, ready to fight again. I was proud of how fast he had recovered from such a hit.

    "Ready!?"

    Tyrogue ran out from the shade again, raising his hands and getting into his stance.

    "Continue!"

    Slakoth caught Tyrogue''s leg when it attempted a Hi Jump Kick again as soon as the fight started again, this time with a side kick, and with a backfist Scratch, popped Tyrogue''s nose very hard. Now staggered, Tyrogue dodged blindly and then clinched with Slakoth yet again.

    We had only drilled this technique a few times before, but it worked perfectly. This was the moment Slakoth amazed me and convinced me he was a blessing of a starter. Gripping Tyrogue''s arm as hard as it could, exactly how I trained him with the karate counter out of the clinch, Slakoth finally kicked.

    His foot crashed into Tyrogue as hard as it could kick, and struck it directly on the left side of its midsection. A resulting THUD, could be heard all the way behind me.

    Tyrogue caught its breath by backpedalling with its hands up, and Slakoth just went after it. Roaring, Scratches everywhere, just beating Tyrogue into a corner.

    This time it couldn''t recover, no Mach Punch or Hi Jump kick combos, no clinching and head movement or angles to dodge attacks to the body. Nothing.

    Slakoth just overpowered it.

    Tyrogue just barely ducked under a Scratch so powerful I could practically hear it through the air. And then it took another Scratch straight to the center of its chest again, furious, precise, and as powerful as Slakoth could send it.

    With a roaring ''LAAA!'' Slakoth was about to start wailing on a Tyrogue that keeled over on the ground.

    "STOP!" the judge yelled louder than he ever had before.

    "Stop!" I said too, wondering if Slakoth would be willing to stop despite a chance to end the match right in front of him.

    Barry looked worried, but a slight mutter and shake of his head between him and the judge told him he had to stay at his Trainer''s post.

    Yuu and the referee checked up on Tyrogue, and after raising him too his feet, and the baby Pok¨¦mon balling his fists and nodding after catching its breath and recomposing himself, the judge seemed to nod in return before walking to his spot beneath the gazebo''s shade.

    I almost though the match was going to continue despite the fact that Tyrogue seemed to ignore an immense amount of pain in his chest.

    "Winner!" the judge raised a hand towards Slakoth on his line.

    A few people in the crowd were confused, but less confused when they saw just how hurt Tyrogue really was and how tough the baby Pok¨¦mon had been. It had bruises and scratches up and down its face and midsection, and was tired beyond belief.

    Barry was only a single head taller than it when they hugged, but removed his Pok¨¦mon instantly when seeing how hurt and tired it was.

    "Return buddy, great work."

    An ever familiar sound echoed, and the Tyrogue returned to its ball.

    Slakoth trotted back up to my side, arms crossed, still ready to fight. "Relax, you took some hard hits. I need you fresh for the next round."

    Slakoth didn''t really get the sound of that. "Laaa!?"

    "I said, rest. Please."

    I let Inoru and a medic used a Potion to start washing up the bruises on Slakoth''s leg and temples as Iooked to the other end of the gazebo.

    Violet, or the girl with the Rapidash I heard of and assumed she was, was kneeling to Barry and speaking, as her father gave advice too.

    "Your Pok¨¦mon''s strong and fast. But you need a better strategy to fight Pok¨¦mon equally as fast and strong that are also bigger, alright?"

    The boy was successfully holding back his tears, "Alright."

    I nodded in respect. A tough Trainer with a Pok¨¦mon just as tough. That Tyrogue moved almost like a Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan already in my opinion, Slakoth had his work cut out for him in his very first fight ever.

    Violet took a side facing fight stance as she knelt, demonstrating with her front hand. "That Mach Punch of your Tyrogue is great. But he has to time it better, try to cover more distance. Build better combos, some more footwork, and you''ll be winning matches in no time I promise."

    I thought the girl might hate me for some reason, because it seemed like she took pity on Barry for some reason. Instead, she nodded slightly in respect back at me after we made eye contact.

    A volunteer walked up to me after her and her male partner were done talking to the center judge. "Your next round begins in just one minute."

    "Slakoth. You ready to go buddy?"

    Yuu was about to protest but Slakoth jumped right off the medic''s table and instead of limping or whining, immediately stood by my side.

    "Nice, don''t underestimate this Pok¨¦mon. Never underestimate them."

    "Laahh!"

    ¡­

    It seems we should''ve though, at least a little.

    This girl''s Oddish was fast, but was extremely weak and not used to real battles at all. From what I gathered, her parents had their daughter doing all sorts of extra curriculars, and likely thought throwing Pok¨¦dollars and time at everything could give results.

    Slakoth merely dodged several small green Absorb spheres easily before closing the distance and smacking the Oddish away with a slash.

    While I could tell Jenny really wanted her Pok¨¦mon to win, and in fact had spent a lot of time and effort on her Pok¨¦mon, her strategy was weak, and her Pok¨¦mon had very little sense of timing, distance, or combinations.

    All Oddish had was Absorb and a Sweet Scent that looked like she had only practiced it against stationary targets, not mobile ones or ones trying to counter or attack. Oddish also had a tackle, but Slakoth had already proved very easily that you had to strike it hard with hands or feet to do damage.

    And even then.

    Oddish''s size disadvantage was worsened by the fact that Slakoth wasn''t slower at all. It could control the tempo and pace of the match with ease, and every moment was his.

    The match was over in under a minute. The judge stopped the match when Oddish was knocked clean out after Slakoth timed a counter as hard and quick as he could.

    Oddish tried running up to Slakoth to use Absorb on it directly in its chest and midsection but Slakoth Scratched it out of the air at full power. It was the unfortunate Pok¨¦mon equivalent of a trained baseball home run hitting a miniature bean bag chair.

    Oddish struck the ground, bounced away unconscious, and Jenny cried, starting to sob.

    I felt a bit bad for this girl, maybe because it was clear that the Pok¨¦mon in the previous round had put up much greater of a fight and had landed several hits in return.

    "Winner!" the judge ignored the girl''s tears as she ran forward and scooped up her knocked out Oddish from the ground.

    ¡­

    The judge''s cleared all three Pok¨¦mon from not needing to stay overnight at Yuu''s medical practice and then everyone began to applaud as the girl volunteer announced the results.

    "In third place, Barry Waters! Barry! Waters!"

    The crowd applauded as the young and tiny tough fighting Youngster bowed and smiled, accepting his bronze medal.

    "In second place. Jenny Stone!"

    The rich girl with the Oddish taking a rest in its Pok¨¦ball sniffled and frowned, bowing as the judge placed a second place medal around her shoulders.

    "Good job." the judge said stiffly.

    "And in first place. Nico. Nico of Takujimi Temple!"

    I bowed as a gold medal was placed on my shoulders. I shook the judge''s hand and smiled, the man barely nodded.

    My first tournament, my first ever win in the WCPL. Sure they were Youngster matches, but still.

    "Arms in."

    Everyone stood in attention at what the center judge said.

    "Bow."

    Everyone applauded now.

    ¡­

    The 173rd and final Kama Valley Youngster Championships came to a close.

    The judge, both volunteers helping him decide matches and keep track of the brackets, Doctor Yuu, and myself, Slakoth, Jenny, Oddish, and Barry and the toughest Tyrogue I''d ever imagined all posed for a picture.

    The picture was printed out and placed on a wall.

    Some pictures were so old that they were long before the WCPL ever existed, and used to be annual tournaments with much more serious competitors. They were even in black and white.

    I looked at the wall with a bit of awe.

    "Great job man." Inoru said, starting to shed a bit of that ''Initiate'' exterior the monks made him have.

    "Thanks dude."

    A few spectators from Kamarino shook my hand, and I actually wanted to congratulate Barry on such a great match, but something told me I wouldn''t see him again after a while.

    "Hey."

    I turned, Violet was standing there, three Pok¨¦mon sitting in their Pok¨¦balls on her belt.

    This was a real Trainer. Sure not a very successful one from what her cousin told me, but a real one nonetheless.

    "Great battling today."

    "Thanks, I think your cousin told me about you. I think he-"

    "Look." she interrupted casually. "I don''t often say this. But you need to get into bigger matches asap."

    I looked around, Inoru and I glancing around. "Um. I planned to."

    "What are you doing for lunch?" asked Violet.

    "Probably just heat up some rice and talk about training."

    "You ever hit up the best grill in town? It''s only a few blocks away." She put her hands in the pockets of her jean jacket.

    I shook my head. "No."

    ¡­

    We ate at a nearby traditional restaurant together.

    "Three steak bowls with fried rice please."

    I interjected. "Um, we don''t eat meat."

    "I''m sorry?" Violet was confused. "Oh right, you''re monks. Two rice bowls with eggs, and I''ll have the steak bowl."

    Violet turned to me, drinking her miso quietly. "That Slakoth of yours moves way too well for a baby. How old is he?"

    "Three months."

    "Three months?" she laughed. "I needed wayyy longer with Ponyta to get her to be that precise with her attacks. I found this odd, how did you train a Slakoth so well in karate? And then make it effective in competition?"

    "No one''s really using special moves that well yet I guessed. This will be Slakoth''s base, until I can get him to figure out more diverse attacks and stuff."

    Violet shook her head. "I knew the sage''s would probably include martial arts to some degree if they ever got into competing. But never like this."

    "So wait, you''re still interested in battling?"

    "Never stopped being." she said casually. "I''ve just been looking for an excuse to spend my racing winnings elsewhere, travel back to actual Johto for a bit."

    "I''m sorry but." Inoru was asking the same thing I wanted to know too probably. "How do you race Rapidash exactly?"

    "We have fireproof suits. You do know Rapidash aren''t dangerous until they actively try to hurt you right? You, what was your name again?" Violet turned to me.

    "Nico."

    "Okay Nico. Here''s what I suggest, I''ll help you train from now on. I''ll be your coach if you let me."

    I turned to Inoru, he had no qualms with adding another traveling companion to our group. Even though we both knew the Order of Sages was pretty particular when it came to young women.

    "Why do you want to coach me?"

    "It took a while, but I only got as far as barely placing into the League. I think you can go much farther with the right tools, and as a local of Kama Valley too, it''d help me a lot."

    "I''m in. Ino, are you?"

    He grunted, eating the noodles one of the waitresses gave him with a shrug. "It''s rude to reject help from strangers without good reason." he said using his chopsticks calmly.

    I turned back to Violet across the table we all sat on cushions at. "So. Quick question."

    "Yes?"

    "As my new coach, what do you advise I do?"

    "Try building a much more diverse arsenal for Slakoth. He''s a great physical fighter, but he has no special capabilities yet. You figured out, quite quickly I have to admit, that fighting types are all he''ll be weak to for a while, right? But you haven''t ever considered something important."

    "Yeah?"

    "What if there''s a fighter you meet that can match or exceed your physical abilities?"

    I actually hadn''t considered that. Probably because it was so unlikely to happen yet.

    Violet sighed. "Slakoth''s naturally fast and strong, especially for his size and his species. But you got a bit lucky today. I know the Waters family pretty well, they used to run Chuck''s Gym over in Cianwood before he took over."

    My eyes widened. "Really?"

    "Gordon Waters was absolutely incredible, really really great trainer, but he was the only Kama Valley local to ever get a gold medal in any WC Johto events. Even still, you know."

    I did. Even that is as far as our area gets in Pok¨¦mon League stuff.

    "His son had only trained a few months with him, I think this was his second or third time ever competing, but his first in a real Youngster match. He was absurdly tough, but if that Tyrogue had a bit more stamina and experience, and was smarter with his jab and that round kick. I don''t think you could''ve put him in a corner at the end like you did."

    I agreed with a quiet nod.

    "Look, your team will never go farther than your strategy lets it."

    "What team should I build?"

    Violet seemed to be in deep thought for a moment, the nearby chatter of the restaurant continued as we all still sat cross legged around the table.

    "You have a natural aptitude for training normal types, one I''ve only seen a few times before. Munchlaxes and Snorlaxes are almost impossible to find, but I''d recommend it. But Teddiursa, Teddiursa would be amaaazing for you for sure. I also recommend Growlithe, but that should come later."

    "So wait, you do have a Trainer''s license?"

    Violet looked a bit embarrassed for a second.

    She shook her head. "I have what''s called a Temporary Pok¨¦mon Competition badge. I haven''t won enough events to compete anywhere, but I''ve been around long enough and spectated enough events to sign up wherever I need. Franklin, that''s the guy who judged your match, was my coach for a while, he set it up with special permission."

    I smiled. "Wow, really?"

    "Yeah, he trained me since I was super little. Now coaches can''t give any advice during the actual fights of course. But before and especially after your matches, they''re so so crucial."

    "So have you ever been a coach before?"

    "Not really."

    Inoru was giving me a look.

    "I''m not doubting anything about her, I''m just curious as to what she''s been up to."

    Violet laughed a bit. "It''s fine."

    She bowed and accepted the steak bowl with rice that was placed in front of her. "Thank you very much." she smiled before looking at me. "Now, how did you train your Slakoth?"

    "I trained him like he''d be in a traditional karate competition, then I trained alongside him doing almost everything he did."

    "As if, you''d be the one fighting too?"

    "Yup."

    Violet shrugged. "That explains a lot. You didn''t give a lot of orders, but I could tell how much your Slakoth trusted you. It wasn''t lazy at all, from what I can guess, because you worked with it so much and so hard," she said after swallowing her food. "Look you can only use a single Pok¨¦mon in competition until you get your official Trainer''s badge. For now, focus on Slakoth only. But just know that expanding your team can really help Slakoth grow because he''ll have others to spar and practice with."

    "Thanks."

    I began to eat as well, the whole time, Violet talked to me about her experiences in WCPL, and the journey ahead.

    I looked at the gold medal Kamarino''s last ever Pok¨¦mon Youngster League would ever give out and read the inscription. It was made of metal with a gold tint, in the shape of a Pok¨¦ball with each type in a small ball in a circle around it.

    First Place - WCPL Youngsters - Kama Valley Sub-Region

    I smiled, this was just the start of a very long journey.

    "You know, it''s sad to say. But I think all the kids who want to become trainers here in the valley are gonna need to go to Blackthorn City from now on."

    "Franklin''s retiring that soon?"

    Violet nodded quietly. "I want to become a judge like him someday. But that''ll take decades, decades of experience doing the same things he did. Coaching, Training, competing, spectating. And then I have to come back here to even apply to become a judge."

    I sighed, even judging these kinds of matches was tough. Told me a lot about how competitive this was all going to be.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    A/N:

    Hey y''all thank you all for the reviews lately, I greatly appreciate them. This is my first time writing Pok¨¦mon battles, so I hope I did them well. Feel free to let me know your thoughts and suggestions for this chapter, and I''ll see you all soon. Thank you and goodbye, stay safe everyone.

 Blackthorn City

    Chapter Six: Blackthorn City

    ¡­

    I shook Mikey Richardson''s aunt''s hand.

    "Thank you so much for letting us stay here this past month."

    "My pleasure." the woman smiled.

    She didn''t do very much for us, all she gave us was a spot in the back of her barn. They had ran a smallerfarm after leaving Mikey''s farm on the edges of Kamarino, and had let us stay there for a month as long as we helped with chores and such here and there.

    Inoru and I walked back to the train station still wearing monk''s robes like always.

    "Your hair." Inoru said.

    "What?"

    "It''s grown back." his Bellsprout chirped quietly as he clung onto his leg.

    I raised Mikey''s old light blue cap and passed a hand along my scalp. I was growing peach fuzz, and soon would be growing my hair back fully.

    "Why aren''t you letting it grow out too?" I asked.

    Inoru sighed. "As your teacher it wouldn''t be right."

    "As a matter of fact. As long as we keep the Order''s principles and everything we learned from the temple, why do we even have to keep wearing monk''s clothing?"

    Inoru looked away in thought, and then back at me. "I don''t know if Elder Toji would approve."

    "All he said, is that we''d have to make this journey our own. Look at what we already did, about five weeks and we''ve already helped a family reconnect with their father. And we started competing in the Pok¨¦mon League."

    "You can start wearing normal clothing if you want from now on. But I''ll be keeping these robes on until the day I die."

    I nodded and then looked at him. "I understand."

    We both looked as Violet approached.

    "Well here you go guys."

    She handed us two plastic Pok¨¦balls, I inspected them a little at first glance. They were very simple balls that appeared to have nothing inside of them, they shrank and grew with the touch of a button, and were made of a simple metal mechanism inside.

    The Rapidash trainer smirked.

    "You don''t use these, right. Well look, you need to keep your Pok¨¦mon in them when you use the train, they''re very strict about that." explained Violet. "They can cause a whole mess and might even get into fights with other Pok¨¦mon. It''s best if you put them in there."

    "It''s best to do this now instead of later buddy. You ready?"

    Slakoth let go of the pant leg of my Sage''s robes.

    He gave a quiet and tiny nod.

    "Return."

    Inoru''s Bellsprout almost gasped seeing Slakoth enter the Pok¨¦ball for the first time, taking a step back on the train platform.

    Inoru chuckled, returning him without warning.

    Violet crossed her arms. "Do you two have any money?"

    "We''re monks." I said respectfully.

    "How do you eat or sleep anywhere? Do you two only own some rice, a staff, and the clothes you''re wearing?"

    Inoru and I looked at each other slowly and then back at Violet.

    "I guess I''ll be covering all your train tickets then."

    "How do they work?" I asked.

    Violet seemed to register the fact that Inoru and I were raised on a mountain. I myself never was from this universe until less than a year ago, but was also completely unused to living in the Pok¨¦mon world.

    I knew Pok¨¦dollars were the equivalent of Yen in this universe but still.

    "Well when you''re given a trainer card, or even if you just use a Pok¨¦nav, everything you earn or spend is wired directly to a bank account. And that bank account is connected digitally to your ''nav. Makes buying Pok¨¦gear, train tickets, and food much easier."

    Violet explained a bit further. "For instance if you place in the top ten at any WCPL tournament, you get a certain amount of money. You need to use that money typically as entry fees for other tournaments, and anything else you might need."

    "So you can build a career off training?"

    "Sort of," sighed Violet. "I''ve tried my best in the past. But I''ve still needed to get into racing with my Rapidash, along with doing other jobs out in the country. Most kids starting out as Youngsters need their parent''s support and they tend to get it, others find already established programs and sponsorships if they''re lucky or skilled enough."

    I looked at my Pok¨¦ball carefully.

    "Don''t worry, until you get registered with the League, I''ll cover all your expenses."

    "Thank you Violet."

    She shrugged. "Eh, it helps me a lot too. I get coaching experience not to mention my own team can grow from all this as well."

    A small chime went off, and everyone on the platform began to shift.

    It was uncanny how much like the bullet trains in Japan this train was.

    "Now boarding for."

    A more robotic voice was over the intercom.

    "Blackthorn City station."

    The more human voice was heard now.

    "Please mind the gap, and stay behind the yellow line."

    ¡­

    We took our seats, showed a staff member our tickets, Violet had brought ours, and secured our Pok¨¦balls within a glass case next to our seat.

    If there was one word to describe what it was like to take the high speed rail connecting the entire Pok¨¦mon world together, it was surreal.

    The countryside reminded me of the empty and vast landscapes I saw as a child watching Spirited Away at times.

    With large open pools of water, a few rice paddies, and very tall mountains surrounded by seas of forest. Then, we entered actual Johto.

    I looked outside the window in careful thought.

    I had visited Japan only once before in my previous life, but the resemblance it shared with the Pok¨¦mon world was actually scary. The mannerisms of the people, the trains, the country, the degree of respect and industriousness.

    Even everything Violet showed me on her Pok¨¦nav was similar to the messaging and social media apps and systems used in Japan and even back home in my previous universe.

    "Are you okay?"

    "I miss home." I admitted.

    Violet shrugged. "Well wait, where are you from? Mount Takujimi like all the other monks right?"

    Inoru was snoring with just a hint of noise, he had dozed off while reading a book he had found on the history of the best Grass type Pok¨¦mon trainers.

    I told Violet the easiest thing I could. "I''m from Takujimi, yeah."

    "The temple, is that all you know?"

    From this universe? "Yeah."

    "Really? Because it seems like you haven''t been a monk for very long."

    I looked at her. "What makes you say that?"

    "You grow your hair out. I could''ve sworn I heard you telling Inoru earlier you wanted to wear regular clothes. You don''t really seem to use that staff as a walking stick or at all." Violet shrugged. "You don''t seem like a very materialistic person but I have to ask, have you really been a monk for your entire life?"

    "Yes."

    "Then why don''t you act like your friend at all?"

    "It''s the duty the monastery gave me ironically. To find out on my own what the world held for me and the future of the Order of the Sprout Sages."

    Violet squinted. "Huh. They let you leave? Just to train?"

    I nodded.

    "I don''t know much about the shrines or who''s in charge of them. Just that they never let you leave until you''ve been with them for a very long time. How old are you?"

    "Fourteen."

    Violet shook her head. "I''m sorry for asking so much."

    "I''d be confused too, who are your parents? One of them are the brother of the nice guy who drove me from the bottom of Takujimi right?"

    Violet glanced at me up and down. "There''s not much to tell. My uncle raised me on a ranch that bred Rapidash, he was a racer his entire life around Kama Valley. One day he said if I wanted to raise a Ponyta, I''d have to do it from very young."

    I listened closer.

    "At six years old I rode a Ponyta for the first time, and she became the first part of my team. About four years later I got into battling here and there, my uncle started letting me compete seriously when I was about twelve or so. Then I got a Hoothoot, it''s a Noctowl now. And I also have a Murkrow."

    "Why even try to compete? I get it''s the most prestigious thing anyone can do around here. But it seems like you could''ve helped run your uncle''s ranch, or maybe gotten another job with ease."

    Violet put her hands in the pockets of her red jacket. "I never really thought about it. But if I had to say, it would most definitely be because I feel like competing is the best way anyone can raise Pok¨¦mon. It''s what I feel I need to do with my life."

    "Where''ve you competed?"

    "Mostly just Johto, I haven''t really had the chance to compete in Kanto or anywhere else but I managed to get third place in a tournament hosted in Viridian City last year."

    I smiled. "Nice."

    I turned, after about almost two hours by high speed rail, I looked past the window of the bullet train and saw Blackthorn City.

    It wasn''t a metropolis or a huge bustling city by any means, but it was a very well sized city. From the hills high above the town where my train was passing, I could see the entirety of Blackthorn City, and by extension, a whole lot of Johto.

    Johto, like Kanto from what I understood, was situated on plains surrounding the mountainside where I was trained by the monks. Again, eerily similar to the towns and cities filling Japan back in my own world.

    I could see other towns in the distance, were all of them just like the ones from the video games or anime, or also ones I didn''t know of prior like Kamarino?

    "Now reaching."

    The robotic voice of the woman took over.

    "Blackthorn City station."

    ¡­

    The doors to the train hissed open, and I wasn''t too impressed with Blackthorn City.

    But it was decently pretty, as well as nothing like I remember from the games. It wasn''t just a few houses barely resembling a town, in fact, there was a whole city here.

    And then for the first time in my life, I saw a real Pok¨¦mon Center.

    "Come on, we gotta get you registered and stuff." said Violet.

    Inoru had just woken up from his nap and was more than happy to instantly let his Bellsprout out and carry it on his shoulder.

    I however, was content with leaving Slakoth in the pockets of my robes still in his Pok¨¦ball.

    "Look mama, monks!"

    The woman shushed her tiny son and holding his hand, held her back to his side.

    The Pok¨¦mon center was exactly how I was expecting it to look. It basically looked like a hospital, but the waiting area was much bigger, and the only staff was a single pink haired woman.

    "Welcome to Blackthorn City."

    Violet bowed her head back. "I need to get Nico here registered for the monthly Johto Youngster Open."

    "Can I have your full name please?"

    "Nico, er." I paused. "Nico of Takujimi?"

    The Nurse Joy tapping on her computer seemed to accept that just fine.

    "Can I see the Pok¨¦mon you''re traveling with?"

    I handed her the Pok¨¦ball in my pocket.

    After a quick moment, she had placed it within a three by two box for Pok¨¦balls and handed it back to me. "Your Pok¨¦mon has absolutely no health conditions and is ready for competition."

    Wow, this town already makes Kama Valley look like some sort of backwater. It took Nurse Joy here a total of four seconds to tell me what Yuu back in Kamarino needed several minutes to do.

    "This Pok¨¦ball has been assigned an ID number for use in all future WCPL events."

    Violet smiled a bit. "Can I get a separate room from these two? Is that available?"

    Nurse Joy nodded. "Absolutely, I''ve let Brody know you''re in town in case you wish to train and to give you both access to the Gym. Enjoy your stay!"

    Violet led me up through the electric staircase to the second floor of the Pok¨¦mon center where there appeared to be a large number of hotel rooms.

    "Wait, so who''s Brody?" I asked. "He''s part of the Blackthorn City gym?"

    "Exactly. He''s one of Clair''s Junior trainers. The more important ones are the guys who find new dragons for her to train and stuff or take their team to compete everywhere. I gotta make a call back home. Here."

    Violet opened her Pok¨¦nav, seemed to check something, and passed it by the reader next to one of the hotel room doors. "I''ll see you two in a bit."

    We smiled and waved to her before she went into her own room.

    The interior of the Pok¨¦mon Center bedrooms were decently neat, nothing too impressive or that stood out. It was just a very standard hotel room from what I was used to.

    "I have to get one of those Pok¨¦navs, without it, and Violet." I sighed, sitting on my bed. "I don''t think I''d have any chance to compete."

    Inoru was feeding his Bellsprout. "I think you need to pay for one."

    And I didn''t have a single Pok¨¦dollar to my name.

    "They''re just so useful. Pok¨¦navs can process special room keys, money, and messages everywhere you need."

    "Who would you even message? Everyone we know except for Violet doesn''t even have a phone."

    "Still, it could be useful on the road," I said.

    I let Slakoth out of his ball.

    He looked around for a second and he focused on me.

    "Hey, we''re in Blackthorn City now to train and compete. The next time I call you out, you have to be ready for battle."

    "La!" he said instantly without question.

    "Thanks, keep resting though."

    I recalled him to his Pok¨¦ball within a second.

    Someone knocked on the door and I answered it.

    Violet had changed into a tank top and sweatpants. "You tired at all?"

    "Not particularly."

    "Great. Let''s get you over to Clair''s gym."

    I paused for a moment. "Um. Do you think we could find a place to get some clothes first?"

    "I thought you didn''t wear anything but your monk get up."

    "I''m trying to be a Pok¨¦mon trainer someday, might as well look the part. Plus this hat of mine honestly does not go with sage''s robes."

    Violet laughed in agreement. "Sure thing."

    ¡­

    I found a small shop near Clair''s gym and absolutely refused the offer the store owner made to sell me a hat at a better price as part of a combo with my regular cargo shorts, t-shirt, and jacket. I still kept my necklace Elder Toji with the wooden Mew pendant.

    "He seemed confused." Violet looked back and I looked at myself in the reflection of the store, just trying to get a feel for how I stood out amongst the small crowds of people passing in Blackthorn City.

    "I didn''t want to explain what this hat meant to me."

    "It does look old though, but yeah, why does it mean so much?"

    I looked across the street. "We should probably get to training."

    "Right."

    From the outside, Clair''s Gym wasn''t so much a large simple rectangular building like it appeared in the Pok¨¦mon games. Instead it looked like a gigantic indoor arena, complete with several floors and see through glass window panes lining the outside.

    On the very outside of the longest wall of glass was a large banner showing a picture of a young woman in her twenties. She had blue hair and eyes, almost comically the same shade as some cotton candy I must''ve seen when I was younger at a carnival or something in my previous life.

    Behind her on the banner, were pictured several Dragon Pok¨¦mon, all of them staring directly forward.

    At the bottom was written in gold lettering with the WCPL logo next to it: 2x Johto Regional Champion, 1x Kanto Regional Champion. CLAIR''S FIGHTING GYM.

    So Clair never made it to the Elite Four, but was the closest thing to one in terms of Gym leaders.

    "Come on, let''s get started." she broke my train of thought started by looking at the Gym from the outside.

    ¡­

    We walked in and there appeared to be TVs lining the walls of a very large pair of waiting rooms, even a snack bar.

    The TVs were all turned off, from what I could tell, regular Gym challenges and any competitions she hosted here were all in the actual arena past the, now closed, sliding electronic doors.

    "Hi there, how can I-"

    The young man behind the desk stopped typing and stood up, shaking Violet''s hand. "Man it''s been a minute, how''ve you been Vi?"

    "I''m okay, this is Nico, I was hoping to use some of the rooms."

    "Absolutely," said the young man, now offering to shake my hand. "Brody Nicks. I help run Clair''s Junior competition team and manage all gym challenges."

    I smiled. "Let me guess, you like dragon Pok¨¦mon?"

    I noticed how Brody was dressed like a Cool Trainer, or an Ace Trainer from the games, specifically from the second Generation of the video games. He had blonde hair, and a red track suit with white lines running it, and a symbol of a Dragonair circling the acronym ''CFG''.

    He chuckled, letting go of my hand. "We''re allowed to train all types, Dragons and Ghosts are trickier than any other kinds to train. But yes, I do focus on Dragon types. Where are you from?"

    "Takujimi Shrine." I said.

    Brody was confused for a moment. "Oh, you checked into the Pok¨¦mon center just about an hour ago. Nurse Joy told me all about you."

    He walked behind his desk starting to click on his desktop PC, Violet appeared to be waiting for something.

    "What does CFG stand for? Clair''s Fighting Gym?" I asked.

    "Absolutely!" Brody said cheerfully. "Classroom''s four and six are open, you down for a battle later?" he glanced at Violet.

    "Maybe some other time. I''ll take room six."

    There was a small sound on Violet''s Pok¨¦nav and I could tell she was probably sent a digital key to use one of the rooms.

    I walked with Violet towards one of the rooms. "Why''d you decline the match? I thought you weren''t supposed to do that?"

    "Because Brody mostly uses it as an excuse to ask me out."

    I chuckled. "Ah."

    ¡­

    I realized that Clair''s gym was many things, not just a Pok¨¦mon gym where trainers challenged her for the Rising Badge.

    It hosted a great deal many class rooms, both regular ones with desks and a white board, as well as classrooms resembling different terrain for Pok¨¦mon battles. The gym was also one huge arena for tournaments for Pok¨¦mon battle competitions.

    I could tell that the arena could easily seat thousands under the right organization. The gym was so large that it took Violet and I almost eight minutes to find Classroom 6.

    "Here we are."

    A swipe of her Pok¨¦nav, and we were ready to train.

    The classroom was merely a bit of flat and empty earthy terrain with a few large rocks here and there.

    "Okay then, let''s see your Slakoth again."

    He proudly roared with a quick La, and got into his regular fighting stance.

    Violet took a slow look at her belt, as if taking a moment to think which Pok¨¦mon would work best for her training.

    "Show ''em what you got Murkrow!"

    The jet black bird gave a small coo, and then spun around in the air for a moment, fluttering jaggedly about with random rough wing flaps.

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    "How''d you catch one?" I asked.

    "Long story, I''ve only been working with him for a few weeks now. But he''ll be perfect for this."

    "So wait, we just battle now, or what?"

    Violet shook her head from across the Classroom''s sparring area. "No that''d just be too basic. I want to help teach your Pok¨¦mon two moves that he''ll really need to focus on for this next tournament."

    I listened quietly.

    "I''m going to teach him Faint Attack, and then I''ll help you work on whatever physical attack it is you want Slakoth to practice."

    "How does Faint Attack work?"

    "Murkrow, show him."

    Slakoth knew Murkrow was going to attack him, so he began to change angles, still facing Murkrow. The bird Pok¨¦mon then fluttered suddenly in a very fast zig zag towards him, and then suddenly appeared directly to Slakoth''s left when it was just at its right.

    Murkrow loudly struck Slakoth with his talons and despite Slakoth being quick enough to cross his arms and block, the blow was strong enough to send him sliding backwards across the ground of the classroom.

    He smacked wildly against a small boulder behind him, and Slakoth shook his head, getting right back into his stance.

    I squinted for a quick second, thinking.

    Then, I told Slakoth what to do calmly. "Go for the same attack, we''ve worked angle changes before, just try to time it out of Murkrow''s field of vision."

    It turned out Slakoth was actually fast enough to pull off a quite direct, but decently weak Faint Attack on Murkrow even thought it was fluttering a solid seven feet off the ground or so.

    Slakoth''s claw glowed a dark red for a moment and then smacked hard into Murkrow''s feathery pelt. It squawked in annoyance for a moment, shrugging it off mid air and then continuing to hover in the air with its wings.

    I looked in confusion at Violet now. "It''s a Dark type move, it''s not meant to be too effective against him anyway."

    I knew that. But why was it a special attack? I could''ve sworn this was a physical move.

    Either way, I continued drilling Faint Attack with Violet''s Murkrow.

    From what I gathered it was a very effective move, but it wasn''t as simple as it seemed. Slakoth seemed to be activating some sort of energy in him to use the move at a very particular time, possibly as a sneak attack that only worked when an enemy Pok¨¦mon couldn''t see him for a split second.

    It made no sense to me how or why this worked, but I didn''t question it. More than anything, I could tell Slakoth was naturally good at this move, possibly as he, like Slakoths I think could in the third Generation of the Pok¨¦mon video games, learned Faint Attack naturally as they matured.

    Slakoth wasn''t tired at all after a solid half hour of timing Faint Attack better and taking tips from Violet and I to make it cleaner and smoother.

    "Great job," said Violet. "What else do you want to work on?"

    "Can Slakoth learn Counter or Hammer Arm? With Fighting type attacks, I don''t think most Pok¨¦mon will be able to stop him after a year or so."

    Violet shrugged. "Well, you never know. Also, your Slakoth''s a little young to start practicing moves that advanced."

    "How does Counter work?"

    "Counter''s tricky. Counter requires your Pok¨¦mon to absorb and return the energy an enemy Pok¨¦mon gives it during a physical attack."

    I was confused. "So he has to get hit to hit back?"

    "Not necessarily, but it needs to be timed perfectly, sometimes within a second of the execution of an opponent''s technique. Then it becomes a Fighting type move as opposed to a Normal attack. I''ve never liked Counter, so I never tried it, but I can still help you with it here and there.."

    I was still confused. Some attacks were clearly one type or another, or physical or special, but they were so specific as to why, that it made it hard for me to wrap my head around.

    I moved on, speaking directly to Slakoth. "Okay buddy, Murkrow''s just going to try to Peck you, try to time any of the moves I''ve taught you right as he begins to land and make him miss."

    "La!"

    Murkrow was decently fast, much faster than Slakoth I gathered due to his age, size, and Violet''s training, but Slakoth was still able to time his attacks well.

    He''d slip his head off angle just how I taught him while throwing a Scratch like a reverse punch to Murkrow''s body, his peak missing Slakoth''s face by inches.

    However, there was something missing from the attack, from what I could tell, decisiveness. The blow needed to be critical in order to be effective.

    Slakoth seemed to start timing Murkrow''s speed and movement better as time went on, and we were an hour and a half well into our training when Slakoth seemed to active Counter for the first time.

    I had taught him to use the round kick sometimes as a counter, but never the hook kick, or ura mawashi. It was beautiful.

    Murkrow was flying at Slakoth with Pecks, possibly even straying into Drill Peck territory judging from its speed and power, sort of disobeying Violet''s orders but still, and again got timed. Slakoth leaned back and his left leg rose up and smacked Murkrow directly on the head with his heel.

    It must''ve been Counter, because Murkrow was actually¡­knocked out.

    Fighting type moves were regularly effective instead of super effective as Murkrow was both a Flying and Dark type Pok¨¦mon, but the blow was powerful enough to render Murkrow unconscious. All I knew was that this blow in particular was better and cleaner than all the rest Slakoth landed on Murkrow.

    It gave a tired squawk on the ground as it laid next to Slakoth.

    Violet and I were too shocked for a second to react as she slowly withdrew Murkrow''s Pok¨¦ball, and then quickly recalled him.

    Judging from the look on her face, she was too impressed to really say much for a moment.

    "Should we call it a day?" I asked.

    Violet was still silent for a moment.

    "That might be best." she managed to say.

    ¡­

    I looked at the picture of the podiums of the previous two years worth of monthly first, second, and third place medalists in the Pok¨¦mon battle tournaments Clair hosted here. "So you''ve never won here huh? Your cousin told me you have to win two before you''re allowed to compete."

    "I''ve only made it as far as the semis one time. But no, my cousin was wrong. You can compete here as long as you have any sort of official WCPL medal." I knew I had one. "But you need two ranked wins of any kind before you can win the Johto Youngster Open and become an official trainer."

    I didn''t know how to explain how confused I was.

    "Look." Violet shook her head. "All you need to know is that you have one medal now. You need to at least make it as far as a quarterfinal in this next tournament to get your second, and qualify for a battle to get a trainer card."

    Again, the anime made it seem so easy. You picked a starter and off you went!

    "I should get Murkrow healed, let''s get back to the Pok¨¦mon center."

    We did so, and the training for the next tournament began.

    ¡­

    The next few weeks were extremely similar to the training I had prepared on my own for Slakoth''s first ever competition in Kamarino.

    Violet told me everything, and made sure I was prepared for everything I could, to do my very best at the upcoming Johto Youngster Open. Like Kamarino''s last competition of these kinds, all ranks were allowed to attend, and they were slightly modifying WCPL rules.

    Blackthorn City''s Gym was going to host over two hundred Youngsters from around the entire Johto region, including myself, all of whom would be aged between the minimum age of eight, to as old as seventeen.

    Actual trainers would be allowed to compete, but very few often did unless they found actual competition in the tournament to improve their teams.

    All Pok¨¦mon had to be Baby Pok¨¦mon or first stage evolutions and needed to be registered with a proper ID at a Pok¨¦mon Center.

    Inoru and I worked on our Sage stuff every day, he didn''t seem to mind too much that I wore both my monk''s robes as well as my Pok¨¦mon trainer''s clothing just as regularly. I never took off my Mew''s necklace though, Elder Toji himself gave that to me.

    Likewise, Slakoth was improving steadily, and was working on the main three attacks that I found would be most effective at this tournament. Scratch was the main tool of his, Faint Attack would be reserved for Special attackers or those weak to Dark type moves, and Counter was a last resort in case all else failed.

    Slakoth became so skilled with the karate I gave him that he could use Scratch with his legs as well, as he could kick very easily now.

    We also kept working on ways to maximize the speed and striking power Slakoth possessed, as well as any grappling that might come up in the event a Pok¨¦mon tried to throw, sweep, or grab Slakoth. The truth was that most Pok¨¦mon League judges stopped the match at this level soon after Pok¨¦mon began to clinch, if they were even able to clinch, because it just turned into a wild struggle match.

    Eventually, the day of the tournament came, and I felt Slakoth, Inoru and I, and our very helpful and kind coach, Violet, were all ready.

    Slakoth was in his Pok¨¦ball, now a few months old with over two months of formal competition training, and I got in line to check in.

    The number of people at Clair''s Gym that Saturday was astounding.

    ¡­

    Inoru was clutching his Bellsprout to his chest, his staff tucked between his sash and sage''s robes as he walked in. "This many kids compete in Pok¨¦mon battles?"

    "There are more every single year." Violet said casually.

    I fixed my cap, the top of my head was always a tiny bit itchier than usual every since I actually started growing my hair out more.

    We moved forward in line and we were already there to sign in.

    A girl a bit younger than me wearing the same CFG uniform all of Clair''s staff used smiled as we walked up to her desk. "Hello there. Name and Pok¨¦mon please?"

    "Nico, I''m with my Slakoth."

    She had a small Pok¨¦ball reader connected to her computer that I saw Nurse Joy use as well when I signed in at Blackthorn City''s Pok¨¦mon center last month.

    I placed Slakoth in his ball there, and a few second later the girl spoke. "Thank you."

    I smiled back and placed the Pok¨¦ball back into my pocket.

    "Spectator fees are five hundred Pok¨¦dollars each. Only one person may be allowed to accompany you inbetween the rings and warm up areas at all times."

    Violet paid for her ticket and Inoru''s with a quick swipe of her Pok¨¦nav, and the girl smiled at us after handing me my competitor''s badge on a lanyard.

    "Enjoy the tournament!" she said.

    Then, I was allowed to walk forward and see the majesty of the arena. And it was eye widening.

    There were easily over a thousand people sitting, talking, and about the stands.

    The main interior of Clair''s gym was simple. The rings were not set up yet, they were made of traditional light blue tatami puzzle mats ironically, although I could tell they were made of special material to withstand the occasional fire and claws of Pok¨¦mon battles.

    Inbetween the six fully sized rings were decently sized rectangular slits with some sort of mechanism in them, and in the center of the entire Gym, all the judges and officials were listening to a single young woman, also in her official WCPL uniform.

    Clair, the Gym Leader herself was hosting the tournament and running it calmly.

    She was hosting the regular Judge''s Meeting that happened just before every single tournament.

    Clair bowed deeply to begin the tournament, everyone applauded, and all the judges, about fifty of them, bowed back.

    The judges were an array of multiple different people, but from what I understood, one way or another, they had all competed in WCPL for several years to become an official judge.

    The staff members were members of Clair''s gym and their friends and family, they were in charge of organizing the entire tournament and helping the judges run actual matches.

    "Group A, please report to Warm Up area 1." a man said over the intercom. "Group A, please report to Warm Up area 1." he repeated. "Thank you."

    I checked my competitor''s badge, I was group C, sitting in a secluded corner of the stands away from several others.

    I realized just why this tournament was a spectator event. This was a combat sport, but one more popular than football, baseball, or anything I knew back home, this was where everyone watched their kids compete in what everyone and their brother competed in when they were younger.

    I even recognized a few Youngsters from the Kanto region judging from their competition jackets.

    From the ceiling dozens of feet high hung a giant white banner titled:

    Youth World Competitive League Blackthorn Tournaments - Hosted by CFG

    Clair''s Gym had a competition team here, not that I think the judges would be biased towards them, Red clearly set this up to be as fair as possible. They wore the same CFG jackets a few others used, but were dark blue instead of red and white, and their team was easily around fifty people, parents and family members included.

    Gyms from around the Johto region were here, including other teams that I didn''t recognize. Some people like myself appeared to be competing without a Gym leader who taught people how to coach them, and instead banded together privately out of local towns or cities.

    Almost everyone was largely using Normal and Flying type Pok¨¦mon, along with the occasional ice type or Psychic type. Why just simple Normal types? They could become much more competitive Pok¨¦mon at later stages of Evolution, but I understood why they did it for now. These were the best Pok¨¦mon for trainers who hadn''t been competing for very long to raise.

    There were also just regular Blackthorn city citizens in the stands by the hundreds, this was again, a spectator event, people were fans of all this across the planet.

    Violet muttered to me. "That''s, where you should be focusing on." she looked away from the stands, and towards the actual arena floor.

    She pointed over to the warm up area.

    Every Youngster had a Pok¨¦mon, and a coach, sometimes one of their parents. The Youngsters would warm up with their Pok¨¦mon, sometimes personally, sometimes with both.

    There were team meetings in the stands, and members of those teams trickled down to one of two warm up areas.

    A large number of machines began to rumble, hissing as they whirred to life.

    The six rings were given the appearance of small hockey rinks, as thick white walls with Pok¨¦mon battle proof plexiglass windows on them rose from beneath the stage, creating corridors between them, the center of all them were Clair and a few members of her staff sitting around a large table.

    After a few minutes, staff members began to take pairs of boys and girls from the warm up areas to one of the rings in groups of eight or so. The order was specific, each staff member had a piece of paper with them to keep track of the brackets for each division.

    From what I understood, each ring needed an undisputed winner through, and they wouldn''t leave that ring to compete elsewhere until that winner was declared.

    Violet looked upset for a second, chewing some bubblegum quietly as she sat in the stands next to me.

    "What?" I asked her.

    She shook her head, her dark hair in a ponytail through her trainer''s cap shaking with it. "That kid, you see him?"

    "The one with the Buneary? I thought those were only from the Sinnoh region."

    "You can find Pok¨¦mon of any kind from anywhere if your parents or sponsors are rich enough."

    A Youngster of anywhere from about eleven to thirteen was warming up with his coach, and I chuckled, recognizing Brody as his instructor.

    "He beat me in the semis the last time I competed here. He might''ve lost in the finals, but still."

    "What was his name?" I looked at Violet.

    "Gold."

    I needed a second to look closer at him. Wait, as in Gold, the trainer, the protagonist of the second generation of the games?

    Sure enough, it was him, same black hair and gold eyes. Was he the same person I knew of canonically? Most definitely not, all they shared was a name and an appearance right?

    Why wasn''t he training a Cyndaquil here?

    "Where is he from?" I asked.

    "New Bark Town I''ve heard, but whatever Pok¨¦mon he was raising didn''t cut it for Clair''s gym. Apparently, Gold''s dad was some sort of bigshot in CFG a few years back before Red started competing."

    Gold was being walked to a ring with his Buneary and a few other kids.

    "So then, what happened to his real starter?"

    "Clair, or well, the people Clair puts in charge of training her teams of Trainers, get help from a bunch of nerds. People who run simulations of all their battles with a bunch of computers."

    "Seriously?" I was confused.

    "It''s not how I was taught to train or battle." Violet sighed. "They took footage of as much as they can from Red''s days creating and running the League and tried to boil it down into numbers, statistics, and everything that takes away from the dynamic nature of battling."

    I glanced at the match in Ring 4, where Gold was taken to.

    "So, how do they get a computer simulation from something as unpredictable as a Pok¨¦mon battle?" I asked.

    Inoru muttered. "And I wondered why the Sages believed society abandoned the true nature of Pok¨¦mon in favor of materialism and glory," he said tiredly.

    "It''s simple, look at that fight." said Violet.

    A member of a privately owned team using a Zubat was facing one of Gold''s teammates on CFG with a very furious and admittedly strong Rattata larger than the ones I''ve ever seen.

    The Rattata hissed, its tail curling.

    Its teeth glowed white, the Youngster in charge egging it on loudly from her Trainer''s box.

    The Trainer in charge of the Zubat winced, the Rattata leaped off the ground, was able to time the Zubat''s flying and movement and pin it to the mat with its teeth.

    "Those three judges looking over the match look familiar?"

    A loud buzzer went off from a nearby ring as I nodded, one was in charge of stopping the match in case of any injury or penalty or anything else, and two were helping them with¡­I didn''t know what.

    "Yeah? It''s like Franklin''s judging from Kamarino, with help from two others."

    Violet nodded. "Exactly. The TV screen above each ring has a timer."

    It did, the current match between the Zubat and the Rattata had a minute and a half left, counting down from two minutes according to matches in other rings that hadn''t yet begun.

    Violet explained. "The clock runs for two to three minutes for each round depending on the level of the match. In several cases, most Pok¨¦mon simply in lower levels of the League aren''t skilled, fast, or powerful enough to deal enough damage to each other to knock them out or injure or disable them to the point they''re out of commission."

    I nodded.

    "If there''s no knockout, all three judges watching the match get a vote depending on the battle. They more or less consider each stage of the match and who was most dominant or landed the most effective hits throughout. Watch this fight, who do you think is winning?"

    It was obvious to me. "The Rattata."

    It continued to be always several steps ahead of the opposing Zubat, always quicker, always more effective with its attacks. The Rattata just had a much better Bite, and could even use Hyper Fang pretty well. The Rattata was smarter, better, just a much quicker and more effective Pok¨¦mon in battle than the opposing Zubat.

    The Zubat''s bread and butter, Leech Life, and the occasional Wing Attack, never landed remotely close to the Rattata. Meanwhile the Rattata was doing just about whatever it wanted to land hits.

    The buzzer in Ring 4 went off when the clock reached zero. The buzzer there then switched to a different sound. A sort of whistle sound was heard, all three judges watching the match stepped forward and stood at attention, arms to their side.

    Then, the whistle went off again and all three judges raised their hands in favor of the CFG fighter, towards the red colored right side of the ring to the center judge, opposite directly to the blue colored side on their left. The TV screen changed from the timer showing 0:00, to 3-0, Winner: Landry Coulson, CFG.

    I could read another TV in the distance with a name I didn''t recognize but something that made sense. It clearly showed what a knockout looked like scoreboard wise.

    Stoppage, Winner: Grace Heeley, Unaffiliated

    Violet turned to me. "Gyms like Clair''s have enough money to hire what''re called Simulation Battle specialists. They consider all the factors you just saw, a Pok¨¦mon''s agility and speed, their timing, moveset, what aspects of physical or special fighting they excel at. They consider the Trainer''s personality and skills, and make a simulation of what Pok¨¦mon would be best for them to compete with."

    "But if computers determine everything, what''s even the point of battling?" I asked.

    Violet sighed quickly. "I''ve asked myself that for the past few years. Point is, the wealthier trainers tend to win, always, because of stuff like simulations."

    I was actually a bit, mad at Clair, I don''t know if it was her fault particularly. But from what I gathered, she had probably ruined Gold''s relationship with his Cyndaquil, just because a computer said so.

    Technically I had no idea if Gold actually trained a Cyndaquil in this universe, I still didn''t understand how Professors gave out Starter Pok¨¦mon or how that all worked here.

    I wanted to win this tournament for a different reason now. Not just because of a responsibility given to me by the sages.

    This was for Cyndaquil, or at least. The fun and joy I had of how regular classic Pok¨¦mon battles were supposed to be.

    ¡­

    I was kneeling near the edge of the ring where Violet was speaking to both of us. "Even in the first rounds these matches can be tough, remember what we worked on."

    I shook Violet''s hand and we bowed to each other.

    "You ready Slakoth?"

    The Pok¨¦mon didn''t even respond.

    A staff member let us into the ring.

    The ring was about twelve feet by twelve feet, except just a bit bigger, flat and empty, and three judges were standing there.

    Behind the glass and white walls of the ring, were a staff member with a computer in charge of controlling the scoreboard, and another judge as well as another staff member in charge of the brackets.

    The judge beckoned both Pok¨¦mon forward with a nod and pointing towards the mat in front of him.

    "Ready?"

    My Slakoth took his stance, the Sentret across from the mat from him merely stood there.

    "Begin!" the center judge roared.

    Slakoth began to bounce around on the balls of his feet, or well, claws. Sentret took a weak stance, starting to circle Slakoth as well.

    Slakoth struck first, I heard the crowd roar nearby when the incoming Scratch, or one two punch combination came in hard directly to Sentret''s face.

    From the first exchange I could tell how easy this fight was going to be.

    Sentret weakly tried to parry the first claw, failed, staggering a bit under the jab, and the incoming cross knocked it clean back, putting it on wobbly legs.

    "Stop!"

    The referee looked to the Trainer''s box. "Can you continue?"

    "Get up Sentret, hands up! Use quick attack! Come on!"

    The referee took that as a Yes from the boy in the other chair and then resumed the match.

    "Ready!? Continue!"

    Sentret kept its distance for a bit, then quickly got onto all fours, starting to rush towards Slakoth and I realized how well I trained this Pok¨¦mon.

    Using the Sentret''s momentum, he turned, more than strong enough to pick up the Sentret and fling it towards the wall.

    The crash that resulted was so strong the center referee didn''t even hesitate to check for a knockout.

    "Winner!" He raised a hand towards my side of the ring on his right.

    I smiled, I had a decent feeling we might be the best today.

    Between rounds, I let Slakoth rest, Violet and I went over strategy, and we watched other rings and a few people stood out to me.

    Only three other kids at this tournament seemed remotely competitive, the rest were clearly behind.

    The first was Gold.

    His Buneary was unlike anything I''ve ever seen. It only really used Quick Attack, Jump Kick, and Pound, but it could even use Endure if it was quick enough, basically blocking the few attacks fast and strong enough to land directly on it.

    "Fight!"

    The referee removed his hand between Buneary and a Smoochum.

    Buneary looked like a real fighter, just bouncing quietly on the balls of her feet, hands up, eyes forward, just like my Slakoth.

    The Smoochum''s Pound was really a very weak punching attack followed up by a grab, it missed Buneary by so much it was funny to me, it was already dodging the second Smoochum faked and then began to commit to the attack.

    Buneary continued to strut around the ring, bouncing casually, it didn''t look remotely nervous, despite the roar of the crowd, the Ice type Pok¨¦mon, her coach was barely giving advice.

    "Quick attack!" Gold said and a split second later he won the match off one simple move.

    I saw Gold watch as Buneary struck first, and practically blurred forward from the sheer amount of speed it had. Smoochum began to use Powder Snow, shooting ice and hail from her mouth for a moment before Buneary''s foot rocked directly across her jaw in an explosive kick.

    Buneary was quickly declared the winner, and then bounced up to high five Gold.

    Slakoth''s next match was against Gold''s teammate with the strong Rattata.

    "Fight!"

    I thought it would be a harder fight for us but Slakoth wiped the floor with him.

    Literally, Slakoth was able to pick up Rattata as it dodged a Bite attempt and drag him across the mat, the rat Pok¨¦mon completely unable to escape his grip.

    Slakoth stopped sliding its face across the puzzle mat tatami and then flung it straight at the wall. Rattata was fast enough to break its fall and turn around, hissing with widening eyes.

    "It''s hurt! Let it come to you!" I said. "Stand your ground!"

    The Rattata had no choice, it had to do something.

    Gold''s teammate said something but the Rattata wasn''t listening, so enraged it just ran towards Slakoth again, this time with Hyper Fang.

    Slakoth merely side stepped again, pinned the rat to the floor with his foot and crushed the Rattata in its exposed ribs with a punch.

    The Scratch was devastating, even the Rattata''s eyes showed it was clearly knocked out.

    I turned, seeing a few CFG nerds in the crowd typing on their laptops, as the parents were muttering nervously amongst each other. A few other people in the stands applauded me happily.

    A girl with jet black hair and a Pichu was absolutely kicking ass in the other rings.

    Matched up against an Elekid, it was all skill and strength based, no types really involved.

    The Pichu''s tail was like a whip, and the girl was an amazing Pok¨¦mon trainer, every move she ordered to be used, every bit of advice, instantly worked.

    Elekid was pinned against the wall, barely landed one hit to be struck with two different ones in return. Its opposing Pichu beat it 2-1, when it should''ve been 3-0 in my opinion.

    Slakoth and I faced a Spearow, and then a very tricky Doduo we managed to beat by decision.

    Violet smiled, hugging me when I reached the fourth round. Inoru and a few others were applauding me in the stands.

    "Whooo!" I recognized one of the kids CFG had beaten cheering for me in the stands.

    "First fans." Violet smirked.

    The last of all the Youngsters competing I found competitive at all left in this stage in the tournament was the only Youngster around really smart, or from what I gathered, skillful enough to effectively train Fire type Pok¨¦mon.

    It was a quiet ten year old with light hair, a green team jacket from Kanto, with a Magby that was tough enough to shrug off basically anything that could land on it, and an Ember so hot it was basically a lower tier Flamethrower.

    A Spearow fluttered about, trying weak version of Drill Peck and very quick Pecks, but Magby blocked or directly took all of them.

    In the next round, Slakoth annihilated a kid''s Pidgey, which was quick, but over used Wing Attack, and was eventually timed. Slakoth was able to use a perfectly placed Faint Attack to the Pidgey''s dive and with a furious swipe of its red glowing claws, shot it away.

    The crowd roared when Pidgey struck the wall and slid down it with a quiet coo, and it was clear the fight was over.

    "Blue side, winner!" I was on the judge''s left in the ring, the crowd cheering for me seemed to have grown as each round went by.

    ¡­

    I sat in the stands as everyone took a short break, and the announcer began to speak into his microphone from the table he sat next to Clair.

    "All winners in their final ring report to the judge''s table. All winners in their final ring report to the judge''s table."

    I walked up to the table and was handed a large coin, and then it had even slipped Violet''s mind even though she was supposed to keep track of what round I was in.

    I had actually placed in one of the four quarter finals. Meaning out of over two hundred competitors, I had placed in the top thirty two.

    I had done it. I had gotten the two wins necessary to get to the match to compete for a Trainer Card. Which was several rounds away.

    But there was only one place a month where someone could get something like that. And that was in the Grand Finals, not even the finals of Division B where I was placed.

    There was no one of note in my Division except for the little boy with the Magby, I had to ignore Violet for a moment. She was actually nervous for me because she knew I''d do well, but had no clue I''d actually make it this far on my first try.

    Inoru wasn''t allowed to leave the stands, so I was mostly on my own.

    Violet had done her best in helping me train Slakoth, the most she could do is give me advice for what to expect from the Youngster I''d face in the next round.

    ¡­

    Then the real tournament began, and it was odd how much easier the matches were for me than they were in the previous rounds.

    I faced a Weedle, Spearow again, and the first strictly Poison type ever, an Ekans.

    Only the Ekans proved tough at all, from what I could tell, the Pok¨¦mon had plenty of potential, it was the Youngster in charge of training it who lacked any sort of strategy, skill, or resourcefulness. All he did was try to spam Acid and Poison Sting, these attacks were so ineffective and slow, that Slakoth could''ve dodged them in his sleep. It kept trying Poison type attacks under his Trainer''s insistence.

    And when that wasn''t working, and Ekans had already gotten hit with Scratch and Faint Attack very hard, a few times, it had switched over to Wrap, which was a very bad idea against such a fast, strong, and skilled Normal physical attacker like Slakoth.

    Slakoth literally tied Ekans into a knot when it tried to use Wrap on him, and then Slakoth kicked it against the edge of the ring ruthlessly with a roundhouse kick style Scratch I''d helped Slakoth practice a whole lot.

    I nodded. "Great job Slakoth! That''s what I''m talking about!"

    Slakoth nodded back to me.

    "Winner!" the judge declared raising a hand to his right as the boy on the left side of the ring sniffled, crossed his arms gruffly, and recalled his snake Pok¨¦mon, running off to complain to his very tired coach.

    I squinted at him. What a bad attitude, he was literally the only reason his Ekans wasn''t that good, a more than fine Pok¨¦mon raised by a below average trainer.

    When I turned around, I realized something very fast.

    Violet was staring at me, so shocked she couldn''t speak for a second.

    "What''s up?"

    Then it hit me again.

    I was in the semi finals, I was able to get a trainer card if I won just two more rounds.

    ¡­

    As the entire arena full of rings were cleared, all that remained were the judge''s table, where Clair, and several other WCPL officials were sitting.

    In front of her, was a massive ring, complete with two chairs behind solid special protective plexiglass made for battling, where two judges were going to be sitting. It was bigger than the average twelve by twelve used for all the Youngster matches, all the lights in the arena were turned off and focused on a huge thirty feet by thirty feet ring.

    I was running through the previous rounds as I stood on the stage with Violet. It was hard to believe basically an entire tournament had flown by in just about two hours. I was processing the matches more well after they happened than sooner.

    Besides the Ekans, that Spearow and Weedle were so weak, just why were so few trainers that showed up at least above decent? I realized that the Pok¨¦mon each Youngster had were all around average or only got better as the rounds continued. But the Trainers for each of them, not every Trainer was the best, making something very clear to me:

    It was the Trainer that determined the performance of their Pok¨¦mon in sparring and the results the Pok¨¦mon trainer received, not typically the other way around.

    An announcer, a tall bald gentleman with glasses and a beard, stood on the stage with us. "Alright ladies and gentlemen, we are about to begin our semi final matches. One of the boys or, girl on this stage will be walking away with a forty thousand Pok¨¦dollar scholarship prize, and an official WCPL trainer card given to them directly by Clair''s Fighting Gym."

    Forty thousand didn''t seem like a lot, but I estimated each real world Japanese Yen to be the equivalent of a single Pok¨¦dollar in this universe.

    The crowd hadn''t grown that much, even if the total audience size had grown to almost twelve hundred people, because several others left as soon as their kids or team lost. And the reason I gathered was because no one made it as far as I did, not in their first try ever at a Youngster event of this caliber.

    "To decide the winners of Division B, we have these two young gentlemen right here. We have Mark Stafield from Viridian City Gym."

    He bowed his head to the moderate applause, his Magby standing right in front of him. His coach was a kindly looking old man with a green tracksuit jacket and a cane who I shockingly now recognized was Professor Oak. I contained my degree of surprise by holding my breath to not gasp for a second. This was a member of Blue''s competition team. Again, the man next to him was the one and only Professor Oak.

    I had too many questions to ask about all this but then I was announced.

    "A newcomer to the Youth WCPL scene, Nico Takujimi, er, Nico of Takujimi. He competes out of Takujimi temple in Kama Valley, with his coaches Violet and Inoru."

    I bowed my head to a lot of applause, but I could tell a few in the crowd were shocked at what the announcer said. As if the rumors that spread throughout Blackthorn City, during the tournament were true.

    "To decide Division A''s final. From Olivine City, competing unaffiliated. Grace Heeley, coached by Jennifer Heeley."

    The girl with the Pichu bowed, as did her Pichu, almost making me laugh. Her mother was a very beautiful and kind looking woman who gripped her daughter''s hand with the tiniest hint of tears in her eyes. I could only imagine how many times they''d attempted to get this far in this tournament.

    "And last but certainly not least, we have Gold, fighting from New Bark Town. Clair''s Fighting Gym''s one and only Youngster prodigy. Two time Blackthorn City silver medalist, three time Goldenrod City bronze medalist."

    The roar from the crowd was all but deafening. Hundreds of Blackthorn City residents rose to their feet to applaud for what they considered to be, their next representative in WCPL, moving from what they likely thought was a Youngster yesterday, to a Trainer today.

    "The judges have allowed all competitors to use ten minutes to review tactics and warm up. Good luck, to all the young men and women on this stage."

    Everyone in the arena applauded and I left the stage as Violet muttered to me.

    "You hear that?"

    "Hear what?"

    The applause continued, again, an entire section of the crowd was cheering for me.

    "Get ''im Takujimi!"

    "Us small towners can do it!" a man in the stands yelled. "Yeah!"

    "You just made Youngster League history in competitive Pok¨¦mon Battling, no one''s won as quickly as you have today. If you play your cards right in this next match and hopefully the next, you can start challenging the lower tier gyms in just a few months."

    I blinked, realizing what I had just accomplished.

    I had managed to raise my Slakoth so effectively, so strategically, and so well in terms of its typing, abilities, and competition, that I had won all but a few of my matches by knockout. Made it all the way to the semis in my first tournament.

    And I was standing on a stage with the likes of Blue''s students, possibly students of his students but still, and about to be handed a medal by Clair herself.

    It was a bit overwhelming but I needed to keep my head clear. Regardless of how I placed, I needed to coach Slakoth the best I could.

    Elder Toji placed faith in me for one thing, and for another, I absolutely refused to let Gold win this tournament. What his fighting style stood for was the complete opposite of what I did. And why I was here.

    For all its flaws, Pok¨¦mon was at least supposed to be fun.

 Trainer Gold Wants to Battle

    <div>

    <div>

    Violet used most of our time in the warm up area discussing what sort of advice I should give to Slakoth during the next round of the tournament. And funnily enough, I didn''t have to give very much, Slakoth had most of it figured out.

    I had expected Magby to be a much tougher match for Slakoth than he seemed to be, but Slakoth handled him beautifully.

    His trainer, Mark from Viridian City, clearly knew what he was doing, as did Magby, but Slakoth completely outmatched the Fire Pok¨¦mon.

    I knew the fight was finished when Slakoth took the full brunt of Magby''s Ember head on, merely crossing his arms in front of his face to block, and he barely cared about it. In fact, it looked like Slakoth was more amused than anything instead of singed or burned.

    Magby''s Tackle was decent, and he even had the beginnings of a good Fire Punch, but trying to outstrength Slakoth was not going to work.

    Slakoth was simply quicker, stronger, and more effective with all of his strikes, especially both Faint Attack and his incredibly refined Scratch. In just one tournament, Slakoth had massively improved his fighting over several rounds.

    Mark''s Magby was tough enough to continue fighting without any injury at all despite the clean hits he took, it was clear though. Slakoth was completely beating it, Magby could barely keep up at all with its best move, Ember, clearly ineffective against Slakoth.

    From what I understood, Slakoth was simply too strong physically to really be damaged by Magby''s flames. Its skin and muscles too well built from all the practice I had put him through and his stance to withstand the impact of the Ember itself.

    And that was even if Magby could time an Ember on a Pok¨¦mon like Slakoth with footwork as great as his.

    The buzzer rang and then all three judges stood at attention from their boxes.

    The whistle rang once, two judges voted in favor my side, red, and oddly, one in favor of blue, Mark''s side. The whistle rang again, and the center judge raised a hand towards me.

    "Winner!"

    2-1 wasn''t what I felt happened, this match was 3-0, even if Slakoth opted to drain Magby''s confidence in his abilities to take his Embers head on instead of dodge or counter them with Faint Attack like I knew he could''ve done easily.

    I rested with Slakoth on the side of the ring watching the next match up close.

    Buneary versus Pichu was actually much more competitive.

    The fighting style of both Pok¨¦mon was so similar, that even with Pichu''s Iron Tail and Thundershock, that it was a pure speed based match.

    Pichu was trying to time Buneary''s head and body movement to land very strong spinning Iron Tails to the midsection as Buneary in turn was trying to counter. Buneary''s Quick Attack was like a bullet, the best Normal physical attack I''d seen during the entire tournament.

    Gold''s advice and training was so good with his Buneary, that it was able to figure out when Pichu was about to start charging up a Thundershock, and interrupt it with a very solid Pound in the form of a right cross to the body.

    Buneary was so fast, such an explosive Pok¨¦mon, that it was easily the quickest Pok¨¦mon I''d ever seen with my own eyes. I guess Clair helped Brody, who in turn helped Gold train it that well.

    Grace Heeley''s Pichu was tough enough to continue battling after taking a nasty flying kick directly to the jaw. However it was clear it had been hurt and the judge''s took note of the clear drop in Pichu''s performance nearing the last thirty second of the match.

    All three judges voted in favor of Gold and I agreed, Pichu had put up one serious fight, but Buneary clearly had hit it critically once, when Pichu hadn''t come close to landing such a significant strike.

    ¡­

    Violet had too much to say during the time the judge''s let us talk.

    "Hey."

    Violet stopped. "Yeah?"

    "Can you give us a minute?"

    She nodded instantly, taking her spot in the stands next to Inoru.

    I knelt, speaking to Slakoth. "Your performance today out there was probably unlike anything these people have ever seen. That Buneary''s fast, strong, and very smart, but you''re faster, stronger, and smarter."

    "La."

    "I need you to tap into something I''ve never asked of you before. Your anger. You- you may not remember where we come from. But our home is just a monastery, from villages like Kamarino and the town at the bottom of Takujimi mountain."

    Slakoth nodded.

    "Don''t fight angry. But remember, everyone here is expecting you to lose. Their fancy simulations can''t ever beat that Scratch of yours. This is also the first round I need you to start using Counter, but save it for the most decisive time."

    I then looked aside and then right back at Slakoth. "The knockout. This goes to decision, and we might actually lose okay?"

    "La!"

    "Go get ''em."

    I stood up, looking to the other end of the ring.

    Gold was done talking to Buneary, the bunny Pok¨¦mon bounced off its feet and hi fived Gold as I''d already seen before.

    The center judge gestured forward, Buneary entered from his left on the blue side, Slakoth from his right on the red.

    "Ready!? Begin!"

    Slakoth and Buneary began to bounce on the balls of their feet, circling each other.

    The amount of cheering in the stands was astoundingly loud, but I could clearly hear the hopping from both Pok¨¦mon.

    Buneary attempted a sudden Jump Kick but Slakoth was already dodging and changing angles by the time her front leg was throwing a roundhouse.

    Buneary kept putting pressure on Slakoth, and I realized something very frustrating. Buneary could use Endure.

    Sure, the judges liked how Slakoth landed the first strike of the match, a very solid Scratch with his left claw, his front hand, right on Buneary''s chin. But it wasn''t remotely damaging.

    Buneary seemed to tense up just as the jab was about to land, lessening the damage when it was able to Endure the hit completely with a very well trained move.

    Slakoth was able to counter Buneary''s Quick Attack with a slip off angle and by trying to punch with his rear hand to Buneary''s sternum. But the bunny Pok¨¦mon was far too quick, it had already flown past, trying to throw a kick to the head from a new angle.

    Slakoth dodged and then kept his hands up, still pressuring Buneary.

    "Faint Attack go!" I shouted.

    As Gold began to give advice of his own, Buneary already countered.

    It was so quick that it was able to catch Slakoth during his attack. His hand was glowing bright red about to bury his Scratch in when Buneary hit him with a spinning back kick.

    Slakoth took the blow to the midsection at full force, but his bigger and stronger body was able to take it a bit easily. He slid back a bit, too staggered to finish his attack.

    "There you go! Beautiful!" said Gold from the other end of the ring.

    I shook my head. "Keep your distance for a second Slakoth! Time him!"

    It was impressive just how fast and effective this tiny bunny rabbit was attacking with its hands and feet. Its Jump Kick, Pound, and especially its Quick Attack were all so strong that Slakoth was having trouble countering them at all, all he could do was keep his distance.

    Slakoth threw a random Scratch with his rear leg to Buneary''s midsection, and the crowd roared when it smacked loudly off Buneary''s tiny forearm as it angled away, blocking.

    I sighed, Slakoth was having trouble connecting with anything serious. Granted, Buneary was too, but there had to be a way to pin this thing, despite how light on its feet it was.

    "Just use Quick Attack, your hands Buneary, nothing else!" said Gold.

    Buneary began to seriously pressure Slakoth with the jab and the reverse punch, and wow. Was it explosive.

    I could hear two very loud pops on the mat when Buneary was launching off the mat onto its front leg, trying to throw a one to straight punch combination directly to Slakoth''s face.

    He dodged both but I didn''t like it, he was on defense.

    "Remember your basics Slakoth! The body."

    That was able to snap some sense into him, and now Slakoth was playing it closer to the Buneary. An odd decision against a smaller Pok¨¦mon, but it didn''t matter.

    Buneary began to punch and it was already hit.

    I heard another pop on the tatami as Slakoth transferred all his weight onto his front claw, his left. He turned his entire body into the reverse punch, the right cross to the midsection, his claws glowing white.

    I smiled with pride. Judging from its technique and power, this Scratch had just become a Slash really.

    "Stop!"

    The crowd was roaring.

    Buneary had gotten hit cleanly across the body so hard it had flown across the mat and hit the white barriers marking the walls around the puzzle mat squares.

    The judge checked on it before turning and nodding to the judges behind him.

    I thought he was going to call the fight and give me the win before he yelled back at his post.

    "Continue!"

    Slakoth got popped right in the face with a right hand. Buneary had literally jumped onto his left arm, and socked him right in the jaw using Pound.

    Slakoth was able to dodge the next attack and fling Buneary away, easily starting to circle out to regain his bearings.

    I could hear all the local Blackthorn City citizens continue cheering as Buneary spun into a Jump Kick.

    Slakoth blocked with both arms, and a loud crack was heard splitting the air as Buneary''s foot smashed into his guard.

    This rabbit was more than impressive, I''d never seen anything land so consistently or so strongly directly on Slakoth''s blocks right next to his head or body since he battled that Tyrogue from Kamarino village.

    It was so fast, so clean, it only focused on four attacks, kicks and punches from both hands and feet, but it was so effective with them.

    One second Slakoth was facing one direction, Buneary had attacked him from a different one, Slakoth turned to counter as Buneary again missed, the crowd roared. And then Buneary had already gotten away.

    Buneary fired two quick strikes to the midsection, both missed as Slakoth angled out and then dove right back in with Faint Attack.

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    I was so proud. "Theeeere!"

    Buneary went flying again from the blow and then easily dispersed his fall by dragging its front paw across the mat to slow down.

    Buneary growled, its ear twitching before releasing a deadly fast combination.

    Slakoth blocked a Jump Kick right to its rib cage easily, but Buneary was fast and explosive enough to spin mid air to crack Slakoth in the temple with a Pound using its other foot.

    Slakoth staggered back after that, dodging further attacks before being able to time a grab on Buneary''s fist, dragging its wrist across the air and flinging it away.

    This wasn''t good.

    Slakoth and Buneary were certainly even, but Buneary was certainly going to win this by decision. Slakoth was just barely behind on the number of effective strikes he landed, and Buneary was ahead.

    "Go after it! Hands! Combinations!"

    Slakoth listened and did so beautifully.

    Buneary buckled as it was pinned against the edge of the ring, blocking another fully powered Slash right to the body.

    It slipped away, ducking its head away from the right hand Scratch to the face before bouncing away easily to the center of the mat.

    Slakoth followed planting itself in its fighting stance, waiting for Buneary''s response.

    Buneary tried faking an attack to bait a counter from Slakoth, but unsurprisingly, Slakoth was so quick and adept at reading strikes at this point he knew when to actually attack.

    And he did so so well, that he activated Counter for the first time in this entire tournament.

    Buneary attempted to throw another one two attack, popping forward loudly across the mats, its feet transferring each bit of power perfectly, before being knocked out.

    Buneary was beginning to use its Quick Attack, and throw a right hand to the face, still flying forward when Slakoth hit him with a perfectly timed spinning hook kick. His right claw glowed for a moment and I was certain it was a Fighting type attack.

    This was far more effective than anything else Slakoth had managed to land on this freakishly quick Buneary.

    The heel of Slakoth''s claw smashed right into Buneary''s face, and the crowd simultaneously went ballistic when the kick made contact.

    Slakoth stopped roaring with his Laaa, and Buneary fell, hard, rolling away.

    I could see Gold watch from his chair slightly jaw dropped. It looked like his Buneary had rarely gotten hit in general, if ever, but never this fast or hard.

    The center judge saw Gold''s Pok¨¦mon not move for about ten seconds.

    He stood at attention, hands at his sides before speaking. "Buneary is unable to battle. Winner, red side!" he raised a right hand towards me.

    I blinked in disbelief, Slakoth was turning back at me with a smile as Gold drew a Pok¨¦ball and recalled his Buneary from his Trainer''s box.

    "All competitors!" the head judge of the tournament, the one who was just in charge of my match said. "Line up."

    I could tell Gold was more confused than upset at why he lost, but him, Grace, Mark, and I all lined up on the side of the ring.

    All three judges presiding over the past three fights all turned in one direction.

    "Face that way. Bow."

    We did so with them.

    "Face us."

    We did so, and bowed when ordered to do so.

    Then, the mat and trainer''s boxes were removed by the same machinery from earlier in the tournament, and then the entire arena began to applaud.

    "In third place!" the announcer said as we were on a podium on the same center stage. "Grace Heeley."

    Everyone applauded for her, myself included.

    A bronze medal was placed on her shoulders, including a certificate showing she placed in this event and was given prize money of some kind.

    "Also in third, Mark Stafeld!"

    Everyone applauded too.

    "In second place, Gold!"

    A silver medal was given to, an ironically named Gold.

    "And in first place, Nico Takujimi!"

    I bowed my head forward, shaking the hand of one of the corner judges of my previous two matches after he placed a gold medal around my shoulders.

    I was also handed the same certificate including the amount of money I''d won.

    "Representing the WCPL, our very own Clair. The winning-est Gym Leader in the history of the Johto region, will be presenting one of the chosen twelve Youngsters this year shown to be skilled enough to become an official trainer in the Pok¨¦mon League."

    Clair walked forward, still wearing her black suit and tie like all the other judges, and bowed to us.

    All four of us on the stage instantly bowed back.

    Clair handed up to me a glass placard and trophy, inside of which laid the physical copy of my new Trainer''s badge. The picture on it was the one the Pok¨¦mon center needed to be taken of me in order to compete in today''s tournament.

    Clair turned, smiling and posing with the rest of us on the podium when everyone snapped pictures. Including an official photographer of the event who was likely going to add this to the walls of tournaments I saw in this arena earlier this month.

    I saw Inoru in the stands, shaking his head in disbelief and smiling at me. I had never seen Violet cry before, and I don''t think she was doing so, but this was the closest I''d seen her.

    ¡­

    The judges had allowed us all to talk in the warm up area, I took this as an opportunity to talk to Professor Oak who was talking to one of the judges. From what I understood, they were friends.

    "Excuse me." I told Mark. "Is it okay if I talk to your coach?"

    He shrugged, not appearing to be one for words. Mark merely fixed his green Viridian City Gym team tracksuit jacket and gestured ahead with a slight nod.

    I walked forward and shook Professor Oak''s hand.

    "Ah. Excellent performance today young man," said Oak. "My name is Professor Samuel Oak, I am a um." he cleared his throat. "Mostly retired competitor in the Pok¨¦mon League as well as a full time Pok¨¦mon researcher."

    "You''re from Kanto, right? What''re you doing leading a team all the way up here in Blackthorn City?"

    Oak smiled at me, nodding to the judge who he was talking to who clearly had to leave.

    "Well my grandsons are constantly pestering me to use the bits of Pok¨¦mon knowledge I have to give their gym an edge in competitive battling."

    "Grandsons?" I asked.

    "Of course," said Oak. "Blue might be several years older than Gary, but I assure you. Those boys will do anything to help improve the performance of their team. Even if it means taking me out of Pallet Town every once in a while."

    So if Gary was Blue''s younger brother, which made sense, they were technically different people. Didn''t that mean Ash should be here too, even if Red was here?

    "Tell me about who''s on your team."

    Oak chuckled quietly, shaking his head. "You have quite a bit amount of interest in a team that barely proved to be as much of a challenge to you as Clair''s was."

    "Please Professor, I''d really appreciate it."

    He sighed, thinking for a moment.

    "Well we have Mark here of course, he started about six months ago. As a condition for helping train the team and coach at competitions, I insisted young Ash Ketchum join Viridian City Gym''s team as well. Then we have Bryce, Lana, and Kim, all of whom like Mark joined through scholarship programs around western Kanto."

    "Small team considering Blue''s accomplishments."

    He smiled. "I know, Blue''s livid with himself at the few number of medals he''s actually accrued in the few years he''s run the gym. What sparks such genuine curiosity over my team?"

    "I''ve heard you were a really great Pok¨¦mon trainer, and still are right?"

    "Not necessarily. I started a bit like yourself, almost raised my Tauros first before my Charmander. Always found Normal types much simpler to raise than most others."

    Violet appeared with Inoru.

    "These must be your friends. It''s good to meet you, I''m Professor Oak. Who might you two be?"

    "I''m Inoru." he said, still holding his Bellsprout. "I''m from Nico''s shrine in the mountains."

    "I''m so glad to see the Order of the Sprout Sages finally competing for once. Bringing some much needed diversity to Pok¨¦mon battling. And you?"

    "I''m Violet, Nico''s coach."

    Oak checked his watch. "I''m afraid our train heading back to Viridian City leaves in only a few hours."

    "Can I hear from you again?"

    "Pallet Town is largely closed to visitors. I''m afraid news of Red''s fame and accolades has turned it into the most famous village in the entire world. The tourists are downright too much sometimes."

    I could see that happening.

    "However, if you wish to contact me, talk to my grandsons in Viridian City. Blue is rather busy these days, what with trying to get his title back from Leaf and running a Gym. But I''ll let you know you plan on stopping by sometime."

    "Thank you Professor."

    "A pleasure meeting you three." All three of us bowed to Oak and the Professor bowed back a bit.

    I could barely get a word in to either Violet or Ino when someone else appeared.

    A lady in a CFG uniform appeared, speaking to me sternly. "Gym Leader Clair would like to see you now."

    "Can''t I, you know. Talk to my friends for a split second?"

    "Now." the lady repeated firmly but not loudly.

    Violet smiled. "It''s okay, we''ll be waiting for you."

    ¡­

    The elevator through Clair''s gym up to her office wasn''t too long, there were only six floors.

    It was more uncomfortable than anything, and eventually the lady left me at the front door of Clair''s office, I expected this woman to be Clair''s secretary.

    "The door''s right over there, just go right on in."

    "But I-"

    She had already left.

    Why did she want to speak to me?

    The door was already ajar and I looked around her office when I walked in. I was given the impression Clair was basically the undeclared mayor of Blackthorn City.

    Wow did this woman look rich, important, and powerful.

    From afar I could tell Clair was beautiful, but from up close her attractiveness was almost threatening. She might''ve been well into her twenties, but this girl was sexy in a powerful, and intimidating way.

    "Hello there Gym Leader Clair." I said promptly.

    "Mr. Takujimi." she said in a smooth and calm voice.

    "That''s not technically my last name."

    I guess I technically emigrated from outside Johto and Kanto to get here so I get it though.

    "Then would you prefer me to call you Nico?"

    "What should I call you?"

    "How about your new coach and team leader?"

    She cut right to the chase it seemed. I doubt she reached this position of power in her life by beating around the bush.

    I glanced around her office and then back at her, taking a seat across from her at her desk.

    "You want me to join CFG?"

    Clair shrugged, leaning back in her large office chair. "Why not? You show an incredible talent for Pok¨¦mon battles. This is only your second event and you''re already a trainer."

    I instinctively curled my hand around the Pok¨¦ball containing Slakoth in my pocket. A part of me was a bit creeped out and felt safer knowing my Pok¨¦mon was away from her.

    "How did you know this was only my second competition?"

    "I called Franklin Reiher out in Kamarino. He said the last match he ever judged was yours. Despite his age and pride, he was able to admit to me how impressed he was."

    "You know Franklin?"

    Clair barely pushed her upper lip up. "Kama Valley was technically part of the same sub region I look over until Franklin retired. I had to know who he was. But I want to talk about you, specifically. What do you want?"

    I was silent for a moment.

    "Money? Fame? Any Pok¨¦mon you can think of? I can find that for you, I mean. Look." she chuckled in a very simple and deep laugh. "A few local newspapers already called when they heard someone beat this tournament in their first attempt."

    "Can I just ask what my next step needs to be now that I have a trainer''s card? Then, I''ll give you an answer to your offer."

    Clair nodded slightly. "Fair. The next step you have to take is to challenge Gym leaders, it''s a simple process. You need to win a Trainer''s Event every time before you challenge a Gym. It''s a tournament just like this one, but Trainers instead of Youngsters compete."

    I nodded back.

    "I recommend you try to challenge Falkner''s gym. He''s not weak by any means, but the shoes his father left behind for him to fill are." Clair paused, shaking her head from side to side slightly. "Too big. A fine Gym for you to challenge first."

    Clair smiled slightly. "Now. About my offer, what''s your answer?"

    I said nothing.

    "You don''t have to answer now. But I understand you don''t even have a Pok¨¦nav, you have no money or equipment while traveling. No idea what sort of team you should build, no strategy in mind. I can offer all that and more."

    I looked back at her. "You have the makings of a champion. Hundreds have been trying for years what it took you two months to achieve. Nico, you join my Gym''s competition team, and I can make you the next Red."

    I had made my decision.

    "My answer is no."

    Clair raised a light blue eyebrow. "No?"

    "No," I repeated. "It''s not because I don''t respect you or how good your team is. It''s because I don''t like how you treat your students. Or, the students of your students."

    "What''s wrong with how I treat my students?" Clair asked, out of curiosity judging from her tone.

    "Gold, what Pok¨¦mon did he use to train?"

    "I believe it was a Quilava, he won it through Elm''s Starter lottery system. He was skilled enough with it to get Brody''s attention one day."

    I took a deep breath, almost balling my fists. "The monks taught me that the first Pok¨¦mon you encounter tells you everything about who you are. Separating Gold, or anyone from that. That''s, that''s not right."

    Clair chuckled a bit at me. It was starting to get a bit annoying.

    "What?" I asked.

    "You know what my first Pok¨¦mon was?" asked Clair in a patronizing, tired voice. "A Pidgey. I started training here in Blackthorn City when I was seven. It was a perfectly fine Pidgey, but it wasn''t meant for me."

    I kept listening.

    "I trained with that Pidgey for almost two years, I actually still have it. And I barely ever won. One day I figured out that unless I took battling seriously, there was no reason to even try." Clair smiled. "And I went into the Dragon''s Den that day, knowing the danger it posed to my life. And since then, I''ve been able to stand on relatively even ground with Lance on a couple days."

    "That girl and that monk you''re traveling with. They might help you win a few more matches sure. But when you''ve already gotten a couple badges and you''re thinking about competing in the really important tournaments? Actually making a go for the Indigo League?"

    Clair shook her head a tiny bit. "People like that can''t ever get you far in life Nico. Some of us are destined for greatness. Most, just aren''t. They can only ever be mediocre at best."

    I sighed. "To be fair, I know how badly I need money. And strategy. But if I''ve gotten this far without much of the former, then I''ll be fine."

    "And what is your strategy exactly?"

    "Why should I share that with you? You''ve made it clear you have no respect for the people I train with."

    Clair''s expression changed.

    She visibly sat more stiffly in her chair now. "Alright then. You''ve made your point."

    "Please don''t make me have to make it again."

    "Before you go, I found as much information as I could on you. Your age, Training style, Pok¨¦mon, all of it. And you know what my simulations said?"

    I really didn''t care but I didn''t want to be rude. "What did they say?"

    "It said your starter should be an Eevee."

    I was a little shocked at this but didn''t say anything.

    "And even stranger, it said your starter could eventually become an Espeon." Clair chuckled at this in disbelief. "Now, this was only a preliminary test, but still. Does any of this seem odd to you?"

    I hesitated, and then, I lied.

    "Yes. Yes it does."

    I didn''t even ask for Clair''s permission to leave her office. I was my own person, she couldn''t just send me places like she was a school teacher and myself her student.

    As I walked downstairs, I wanted to find Violet and ignore as much press Blackthorn City''s reporters would have for me. This was the most important sport in the world, and I had just broken a local record just by winning this tournament in my first attempt.

    I had no interest in the kind of game Clair wanted to play with me. In raising Pok¨¦mon purely as number based tools to become champion. Pok¨¦mon were so much more complex than a simulation, they were living breathing creatures that didn''t deserve to be tossed aside and replaced just because a computer program said so.

    No, I was fighting for a new reason now.

    To always prove her wrong. One day when I was ready, I''d come back here to Blackthorn City and defeat her.

    And then I''d eventually become as good as Blue and Leaf someday, hopefully.

    ¡­

    That night, despite how thrilled Violet and Inoru were that I won, we decided to just eat dinner in our rooms. Just eating some simple noodles I cooked in a microwave.

    Afterward, I fell asleep and something strange happened.

    I woke up, and there was the same Espeon from my dreams, the one I hadn''t seen in months. Sitting on my windowsill.

    Before I could say anything, all Espeon did, was nod, from what I could tell, in approval of what I did today.

    Then, Espeon vanished without a trace.

    I looked down at my chest, I was still wearing the wooden pendant Elder Toji gave me carved into the shape of Mew. Something told me the connection the monastery shared to the spirits was so strong, I was talking to some sort of guardian of Johto. Or at least, Takujimi shrine.

    Then, I returned to sleep.

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

 A Ceremonious Wedding

    I woke up the next day after the Blackthorn City Youngster tournament decently hungry. Taking a quick look around the room in the Pok¨¦mon center, I realized Inoru must''ve already been downstairs.

    "Morning." I saw Violet yawning as Inoru quietly sipped his morning tea.

    "Morning Chin." Ino said, still using my more traditional name.

    "Morning." Violet stretched her arm slightly as we all began to eat around the table in the Pok¨¦mon center lobby.

    I watched her slide a familiar device across the table towards me. "What''s this?"

    "It''s a gift. Open it up."

    I did so, and saw the touchscreen light up, before some text appeared across it.

    Pok¨¦Nav - Version 6.11

    "You got me a Pok¨¦Nav?" I smiled, "Thanks Violet."

    "Well I used some of the money you gave me after your win last night. Plus you get a discount now that you''re a Trainer."

    Bill Masaki, known as Bill to me in the prior universes, seemed to have invested further with his riches earned from making the Pok¨¦mon Storage System. He was the one who developed the Pok¨¦Nav, this world''s equivalent to the smartphone, except he was the only one making it.

    Somehow, Bill was even richer in this universe.

    As I set up the Pok¨¦Nav, I was asked to scan the Pok¨¦mon Trainer card onto it so that now I''d have a digital copy. It seems I had a balance of 31,990 Pok¨¦dollars, and a record of 2-0 in WCPL Youngster League, and 0-0 in WCPL Trainer League.

    I saw something odd as I scrolled through the Pok¨¦Nav''s ranking function. I was ranked twenty first out of all the Youngsters in the WCPL just from my first two tournaments, and it made sense. Getting first place gave a certain number of points that was miles ahead of second, even as hard as a silver medal was.

    "Might want to check the news." Violet ate some cereal with a grin, seeing the look on my face.

    I found the news app and I was among the headlines.

    Local Youth Tournament Has Record Broken

    Below was a picture of the podium from last night, Clair was holding the physical copy of my Trainer''s card with myself, Gold, and the bronze medalists from the tournament.

    Nico Takujimi, traveling with another monk based from Kamarino, and a coach named Violet Fernandeen, managed to win the Blackthorn City WCPL Youngster event in his first ever try. On the podium with him, was Youth League veteran and Celadon City Sport''s pick favorite for Youngster of the Year, Gold, from New Bark Town.

    Clair and Nico''s coach both declined to comment on the story.

    Takujimi was using a young Slakoth throughout the tournament, not ever seen before in competitive battling throughout Johto. At fourteen, Takujimi has been the only person from Kama Valley to have ever been ranked in the top 100 in WCPL in either the Junior (Youngster) or Senior (Trainer) levels.

    Breaking further WCPL Youth records, this Slakoth won almost every round by knockout in the first minute or so of most matches. One can only guess what this young trainer''s next tournament will be, with such a start like this.

    "Yeah, what will my next move be?" I wondered aloud.

    Then I noticed how almost every single person in the lobby, even one or two actual Pok¨¦mon trainers about to head out that morning, were occasionally staring at me.

    "Jeez, it''s just a Youngster event." I sighed.

    "You know how hundreds try to get to where you are, you know. After your first try." said Violet. "Including myself, it takes a lot more time to get ranked. Or even remotely noticed."

    I nodded a bit.

    "I know enough about battling that your next move should be expanding your team." said Inoru, as Violet nodded.

    "Mm." she put her mug of coffee down. "Agreed."

    My eyes widened when I checked my social page. Even though I had only had a Pok¨¦Nav for a total of ten minutes, people already began to follow me.

    Many people were.

    "What Pok¨¦mon do you think I should add to the team?" I looked at Violet.

    "Growlithe and Teddiursa are no brainers in my opinion. They just fit your style too well." she muttered. "But in your hands, you can turn Munchlax and Eevee into forces to be reckoned with."

    "Huh." I said. "What about that sixth spot?"

    "That''s thinking just a little too far ahead." Violet slightly turned her head. "But in my opinion. You should pick a strong Flying type Pok¨¦mon."

    "Glad I have time for that spot, because I haven''t even considered it. Where do I find a Teddiursa or a Growlithe?"

    Violet smiled and shrugged. "You have a ''Nav now, just use it."

    A few searches later and I got my answers.

    Teddiursa were decently easy to find, it''s just that their mothers were incredibly protective of them. And by the time they were mature enough to be on their own, they were decently strong as wild Pok¨¦mon. They, conveniently, were along the route I''d have to take to get to Cherrygrove City.

    Growlithe on the other hand was basically everywhere, it was just a matter of picking one.

    They were abundant in the Pok¨¦mon mansion on Cinnabar Island, as well as in plenty of forests between Ecruteak, Violet, and Olivine City gym. The issue was they had become so common, that breeders had started monopolizing selling Growlithe to new Trainers.

    I could already tell the quality between each breeder varied heavily, but the sooner I could start raising a Growlithe the better. And from what I understood, it would take a few weeks before I could even begin to look for Growlithe to capture and train naturally.

    I chatted with Violet and Inoru while eating my breakfast, and by the time I finished it, my social app for the Pok¨¦Nav had blown up.

    Well over two hundred people had already followed me, including Clair''s gym, who I begrudgingly accepted, as well as Professor Oak''s official page for information on Pok¨¦mon and safety when traveling on routes.

    Oddest of all, a woman by the name of Madame Muchmoney had messaged me, personally inviting me to her wedding.

    "Weird. Am I right?" I asked.

    "Not really." Violet shrugged when throwing away a small empty plastic cup of fruit she had just finished. "Muchmoney is one of the richest people in Johto, she probably just wants the clout that you showed up to her wedding."

    I still found it funny how in the Pok¨¦mon anime, people could still have surnames like Muchmoney.

    "Clout?" I scoffed. "I''ve only won one tournament."

    "Nico." I was surprised how casually Inoru switched between my names. "It should be obvious that you''ve broken competitive Pok¨¦mon battling ground."

    The WCPL didn''t just hand out Trainer badges, that was very clear, one tournament win of any sort meant I was better than hundreds of Youngsters who had shown up that day to compete. In fact, only twelve Youngsters a year were good enough to get them. Even Gold didn''t have one yet and he was the best active Pok¨¦mon Trainer I''ve met so far.

    "Yeah, I uh, I get it."

    Inoru spoke humbly again. "You don''t have to go if you don''t want to."

    "No no, I''ll um. I''ll go." I sighed. "I just don''t have anything nice to wear, and also." I checked the location. "It''s on a ranch north of Cherrygrove city."

    "When is it?" asked Violet.

    "Five days from now."

    "Let''s catch a Teddiursa on the way down there. The hike over to Cherrygrove is only about three days, gives us a full day of leeway, and over a day''s worth of time to catch one."

    I checked my Pok¨¦Nav, we didn''t have much choice between that and paying for another number of decently expensive rail ticket.

    "I''m ready to go." I said. "You guys?"

    "Way ahead of you, I already bought the honey that typically attracts Teddiursa."

    Inoru already had taken his staff out from his belt.

    And like that, we were hiking south from Blackthorn City towards Cherrygrove City.

    ¡­

    Johto''s route 45 was a much easier trek than I was expecting.

    More than anything, Violet and Inoru set aside time with me to challenge other trainers on the road, and that''s where I made the money back I spent on Great Balls.

    The Pok¨¦mon trainers who traveled rarely ever had badges under their belt, and if by some coincidence they did, they typically weren''t even that good or weren''t really using their main team, which was odd from what I understood.

    The trainers on the road would merely cross paths with me, we''d make eye contact, and we''d have a match right there and then.

    Because it was a much less formal match, there were no judges. Just Slakoth facing off against the typical Spearow and even our first Pidgeotto.

    Pidgeotto was actually a bit tricky, since Slakoth was mainly used to the average Pidgey, but it largely didn''t matter. Slakoth''s Counter and Faint Attack were so well developed by now it knocked a Hiker''s Pidgeotto flat out within a few minutes.

    I was hoping to see some more interesting Pok¨¦mon on the road while battling but unfortunately, the most these Hikers and a couple Youngsters had were a mix of Pidgey, Pigeotto, Spearow, and Rattata.

    Slakoth actually appeared to be nearing evolution in a matter of weeks according to my Pok¨¦Nav''s Pok¨¦dex function. This was a good sign since I actually wanted Slakoth to be in his early Vigoroth stage by the time I could challenge Falkner.

    On the road, collecting a solid three thousand Pok¨¦dollars from passing trainers, I talked with Violet about my team.

    After settling on Teddiursa as my next Pok¨¦mon, she agreed Growlithe was a must add, otherwise I''d be training solely Normal types, making my style and squad a bit predictable this early on.

    I already had a perfect team in mind for eventually challenging the Elite Four if and when I made it that far, it was just going to be a very long time.

    My starter Slakoth would become a Vigoroth and then Slaking, along with Arcanine, Ursaring, Snorlax, and Espeon as well possibly a Dragonite.

    I had done enough research on my Pok¨¦Nav as well as talking to Violet and Inoru to realize that only three out of those six could be acquired through methods regular Trainers could. Dragon type Pok¨¦mon were some of the hardest, if not the hardest Pok¨¦mon to raise in the entire world.

    They were extremely difficult obedience wise, possessed a very diverse move pool that required deep knowledge of Dragon typing to become effective with, and above all, were harder than the vast majority of Pok¨¦mon to catch.

    Espeon was almost impossible to find, because Eevee were almost impossible to find. Eeveelutions were among the best Pok¨¦mon anyone could add to their team, and assuming you could find an Eevee, you''d have to somehow have a bond strong enough with it to evolve to Espeon, which as I knew previously, almost never happened.

    Snorlax was somehow about as tough.

    Munchlax were rarely around, occasionally raised from daycares and given away to a few Youngsters via a yearly lottery system based on performance in the classroom from a few kids in school, but more than anything. Snorlax themselves were absurdly rare. Most were known to be large and lazy enough to completely block roads, but had been cleared out since Red began training, which was mostly how he had one on his team.

    Eventually, near nighttime, Inoru and I set up camp and we set up our bait for a Teddiursa.

    It was entirely possible an Ursaring could sneak up on us in the middle of the night, but Violet had sent her Murkrow out to scout around for that specific purpose.

    I slathered on the special honey we had bought onto a tree and waited. And waited, and waited.

    And we waited even more.

    Inoru meditated while Violet checked on her messages from home as well as her Noctowl. I was getting sleepier by the second.

    ¡­

    I must''ve dozed off while watching the tree we set for a trap for Teddiursa when I slowly woke up.

    I thought the entire plan had been a failure if we had attracted Pok¨¦mon I wasn''t interested in capturing.

    There was a small glowing light breaking the darkness of the clearing, Inoru and Violet were both asleep with Violet''s Noctowl watching from a nearby treebranch.

    After my vision focused, I could see that the glowing light was a Teddiursa''s crescent mark. It had climbed up a bit of the tree trunk and was using its claws to soak its hungry mouth in honey.

    I didn''t know why it was called the ''Little Bear'' Pok¨¦mon, since it was decently sized, easily almost two and a half feet tall and strong from what I could tell. I was expecting an oversized Teddy Bear and it just wasn''t one really.

    I quietly rose from my sleeping bag, and prepared a Great Ball in one hand and then hurled it right at the unsuspecting Teddiursa.

    Then, echoed the loud echo from releasing Slakoth from his ball.

    "That bear tries to run, pin it down and Slash it."

    My starter Pok¨¦mon nodded, understanding in seconds.

    "Wussgoingon?" Violet woke up, her dark hair a mess.

    The Teddiursa struggled within its ball, the Great Ball dipping once, twice-

    It broke free, looking around the clearing, panicked.

    Slakoth pinned the bear to the forest floor, growling. The Teddiursa was strong enough to break free but was met with a nasty Slash to the side for trying to escape.

    It went flying away, kicking dust up as it rolled before striking the tree it was just licking honey off of with a small thud.

    I wasted no time at all, and threw another Great Ball right at it.

    The Teddiursa was sucked directly into the ball, and this time it had no energy left to struggle.

    The Great Ball clicked with a satisfying ping, and I smiled. I had caught my first Pok¨¦mon.

    Violet muttered her congratulations before grumpily turning in her sleeping bag.

    She wasn''t happy at all when I woke up Inoru and we had to remind her we had to leave before the Teddiursa''s mother figured out where it went, if it was even young enough to have one who cared.

    ¡­

    Around midday the next day after Inoru handed everyone''s lunches, I set Teddiursa free for the very first time.

    I never got tired of hearing the sound of releasing Pok¨¦mon from their Pok¨¦balls.

    "Hello."

    The Teddiursa stared blankly at myself, Slakoth, and Inoru. Violet was calling her uncle back in Kama Valley.

    This Pok¨¦mon was easily among the most adorable I''d ever seen, it had large dark eyes and the sweetest least threatening complexion on its face. I truly wondered just how I was supposed to train this thing into a competitive beast like a ferocious high level Ursaring.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    "My name''s Nico, I also go by Chin or Chinnen. I''m trying to make a name for myself in the Pok¨¦mon League. That''s where, we battle Pok¨¦mon against each other for badges and medals and ranking."

    Nervous, the Teddiursa sucked on its right paw adorably at the mention of a fight. Its tiny short and puffy tail began to wag a tiny bit.

    "Say hello to your new teammate. This is Slakoth."

    Teddiursa recognized the Pok¨¦mon tackling it and beating it but didn''t seem remotely upset or vengeful. I could tell this Pok¨¦mon was genuinely good natured and had just begun to leave an Ursaring''s nest, at best probably.

    "La."

    Slakoth bowed his head slightly. The Teddiursa merely kept licking its paw.

    I took out my Pok¨¦Nav, switched it quickly to the Pok¨¦Dex function and scanned the Teddiursa.

    (+Dex Entry

    -Pok¨¦mon Information: This Pok¨¦mon has approximately 31% of its potential battling energy left, and would be considered in the early adolescent stage through standards of the World Competitive Pok¨¦mon League.

    It is also male and eight months old.)

    And I remembered the days when I had to take my Pok¨¦mon to Doctor Yuu back in Kamarino to get all this information. Every time I used all this technology I became a bit homesick.

    It wasn''t a baby by any means, to help myself understand itself better from the Dex, in terms of my experience with the video games, it was probably about level thirteen, just a bit under Slakoth, but it seemed noticeably kind and a bit nervous.

    Violet appeared, clicking her Pok¨¦Nav into her belt. "We''re not too far off from Route 46, a few more days and we''ll be in town for the wedding."

    Inoru sighed. "You''re earning all this money on the road beating other trainers, and I still don''t know what you''re going to wear to this wedding."

    "You''re just going to wear those same sage''s robes aren''t you?" asked Violet.

    "I was talking about Nico." Inoru looked at her quickly.

    I recalled Teddiursa back to its ball. "We''ll figure it out later, for now, we should get off the road as soon as we can."

    ¡­

    For the next few days Slakoth mopped up whatever Trainers crossed our path on routes 46, 29, and the entrance to Cherrygrove City.

    The paths themselves weren''t all that significant, and least of all the Pok¨¦mon. The most we saw were some nice trees, flat dirt road that made up the actual routes themselves, and some of the least skilled and most average trainers I''ve ever met.

    However, I met a particularly interesting Phanphy trained by a Youngster named Phil decently close to Cherrygrove City.

    The Phanphy wasn''t anything special, in fact I knew there was only a minute or two left before Slakoth probably knocked it out with a Slash kick with its rear claw. But I still decided to experiment.

    I sent Teddiursa into a match for the first time.

    He actually did much, much better than I was expecting, Violet and especially Inoru were impressed.

    What Teddiursa lacked in timing, technique, and speed, he more than made up for in sheer strength and fearlessness. I thought he''d be a bit scared to fight, but all I had to do was promise Teddiursa some honey and he went wild.

    Almost a little too wild but it was appropriate.

    The Phanphy he was facing only had a very weak Rollout and a decent Tackle, while Teddiursa had a pair of Fury Swipes that were honestly some of the strongest I''d seen.

    He wasn''t a wild Pok¨¦mon anymore technically, but it was noticeable that this Teddiursa was used to scrapping with its siblings or other young Pok¨¦mon back in the forests next to the mountains of Route 45, almost entirely using its claws.

    After being beaten around, hard, the Youngster recalled his Phanphy and sighed.

    "He''s a bit of a brute," the small boy said before opening up his Pok¨¦Nav to send me the money electronically. "But he''s way too tough."

    I smiled, that Phanphy got off lucky. Slakoth wasn''t in the best mood facing such weak opponents and I could tell he wanted a challenge before evolution and facing Falkner soon.

    ¡­

    "Here." I placed Teddiursa into Violet''s lap.

    Teddiursa was the happiest small bear I''d ever seen when he got his honey as a prize, scooping it up from a jar and sucking on his paws hungrily. I made sure to buy honey that still sweetened from the Pok¨¦mart, but that had protein infused to help a growing Teddiursa and Pok¨¦mon like it get stronger as time went on.

    "Hi!" the girl he sat upon chirped kindly.

    Teddiursa turned around slowly to Violet on the park bench in Cherrygrove City. Violet kept smiling widely at the Teddiursa, and he slowly turned back around to enjoy his victory honey.

    I chuckled at the sight. Great battler, great instincts and quite strong for his size and experience, but quite awkward in fact.

    For being called Cherrygrove City, there weren''t very many cherry trees everywhere, nor was it really a city. Even Kamarino was twice the size of this town.

    Other than a couple cherry trees, a Pok¨¦mart and Pok¨¦center, there was almost nothing of significance here except for a few houses.

    Inoru returned from walking back to the Pok¨¦mart and the short walk around town. "I think you''re out of luck man."

    "Why?" I looked at him.

    "The only clothes I could find that you could buy were the Pok¨¦mon trainer outfits like the one you already use."

    I sighed, shaking my head. "Great. Well at least I still have my sage''s robes."

    They weren''t the prettiest clothes ever, but they were certainly significantly mine. The silk they were made from were simple, but certainly unique, they were cool enough that you could tell they were sewn by hand with special silks.

    I opened my Pok¨¦Nav, which I found infinitely better than the old Pok¨¦gear that was actually still on sale since it required you to buy a Map Card too. And eventually I found information on Violet City.

    Apparently, it was the place in Johto outside of Takujimi Temple that Inoru and I most, belonged.

    The story behind Sprout Tower, according to Elder Toji, were that three monks who specialized in training Hoothoot were allowed to spread the word of our religion. That cooperation and acknowledgement of the spirits were what bound us to this world and protected us from evil spirits.

    They created Sprout Tower to help grow everything we preached, but unfortunately, as I knew, worship of Mew and what the Order of the Sprout Sages taught hadn''t grown much.

    Our sister temples to Takujimi were as far as Kalos and even Unova. However, our cousin, or a possible ''descendant'' temple if such a thing existed, was in Violet City.

    I turned to Inoru. "So after the wedding, we''re going right to Violet City?"

    "There''s nowhere else we should go in Johto if not there first." Inoru muttered.

    I nodded, checking the time on my Pok¨¦Nav.

    It was one in the afternoon, the day right before the wedding. I guess all I really could do was train Slakoth and Teddiursa for the remainder of the day before camping out near the city.

    ¡­

    The wedding was on a ranch that was actually about a three hour walk from Cherrygrove City itself. Inoru, Violet, and I were used to very used to hiking so it wasn''t a big deal at all.

    I arrived and changed nearby, into the cleanest I''d ever could make my Sage''s robes look. Inoru, likewise, tried to appear as presentable as possible.

    Violet showed up in a loose and flowery yellow dress and all of us walked up together at the reception.

    "May I see your invitation sir?" a man in a butler uniform asked.

    He fixed his glasses when I showed him my Pok¨¦Nav screen.

    "Excellent, the ceremony will begin shortly. Feel free to help yourself to some refreshments."

    The wedding was between Madame Muchmoney and a very rich man from Olivine City. He, from what I knew, had a huge financial stake in all the high speed bullet trains connecting the entirety of the Pok¨¦mon world together.

    What didn''t interest me were the bride and groom, heck. I was so poor I couldn''t even bring a proper wedding gift, although I think Muchmoney knew that.

    She was already there, greeting several guests of the wedding with her classic Granbull on a leash she held in her wrist.

    The other guests were who interested me. All of them were friends and family of the Muchmoney''s as well as others.

    It appeared those who were business partners or even good friends of the families had showed up. The air was light and calm, everyone was just drinking tea and water, as well as eating some crackers they handed out before the ceremony got started.

    "I don''t think I''ve been around this many rich people in my entire life." Violet muttered quietly, looking around under the gazebo.

    I noticed the look on Inoru''s face.

    I largely agreed with his sentiment. Profit was what greatly drove a lot of the Pok¨¦mon world, even battling.

    But I don''t agreed with his thought that profit was the sole driver of everyone who battled, or those who sought to improve means of travel here.

    I recognized a few Pok¨¦mon Gym leaders were even here, which told me the degree of influence money and prestige had. Jasmine from Olivine City, Clair of course was there, even Chuck, who was a friend of the groom from years prior it seemed.

    Eventually it was my turn in line.

    The bride gripped her leash as she smiled at me. "So glad you could make it Mr. Takujimi." the pudgy blue haired woman said.

    I refused to correct her on my last name. "Thank you Madame, good fortune on your wedding."

    "Congratulations on breaking Youth WCPL records in your first real tourney." her husband smiled. "We''ll be keeping a big eye on your future endeavors young man." I shook his hand too.

    Yes I''m sure he''d be watching my career with great interest.

    The entire affair was starting to bore me until the minister for the event, a Sage from our cousin sect from Violet City arrived.

    He had a big bronze pendant in the shape of Mew hanging off his chest and had several beads. Instantly, I paid my respects.

    "My brothers from Takujimi Shrine." It was so nice to not meet someone so snooty and high class from this event for once. "How is Elder Toji doing? How is his health?"

    "The Elder is fine." Inoru and I shook his hand. "The entire temple sends its hello."

    "And who might you be?" the monk asked.

    Violet smiled. "I''m Violet, I''m Nico''s coach."

    "Really? Didn''t the temple give you a proper guide for competition?" the Initiate asked me.

    "They did." Inoru cleared his throat. "I more or less help continue Nico''s training as a Novice in the order as he grows his team."

    "Interesting." the monk fixed his staff, a thin metal pole with a bell attached. "One day when you two become Initiates you can study at Sprout Tower, you more than have my invitation."

    "I''d love that." I smiled back at him.

    ¡­

    I witnessed for the very first time in my life, what it was like for two people to have a wedding in the Pok¨¦mon world.

    They set up an arch, above which where Mew appeared to be engraved as a man was bowing its head to it.

    The monk began to speak.

    "Since the dawn of time, spirit and humanity have been one. But to every fire there is fuel, to every passion there is desire." the monk I was speaking to earlier said.

    Judging purely from the way the bride and groom were looking at each other, I think they genuinely loved each other. This union, mostly at least, wasn''t for money.

    "The great Spirits who saved our world taught us to value our lives, our planet, and our friends and companions we call Pok¨¦mon more than anything. But the most special value one can hold is the value of a true partner, a companion who will be with us in this life and to the next."

    The monk smiled and bowed a little bit. "A husband and wife. Friends, family, Madame Roberta Allison Muchmoney and Lowell Curdwell, are here to be united in mind, spirit, and body for eternity. May Mew bless their union."

    He finished tying a small cloth band between their hands and then placed his hands upon them. There was a small moment of silence, and then the monk raised his voice a little.

    "May your love grow forever."

    The crowd began to applaud, myself and Inoru respectfully, Violet was decently moved by the ceremony.

    And then the wedding ceremony actually began.

    ¡­

    I actually was reminded greatly of what it was like from religious ceremonies back in my previous world.

    The rhythmic clapping and music, the dancing.

    I almost cried at the sights.

    It was an odd cross between the wedding I remembered from the beginning of the Godfather and religious parties I''d been to in the past.

    The old men from all over Johto chatting, laughing, drinking in the corner of all the white tables around the dance floor.

    Small children chasing each other around as everyone crowded the bride and groom with lavish gifts. The few Pok¨¦mon everyone brought were watched over by Jasmine herself, quietly leaving her Steelix to join in the festivities.

    "You gonna ask her to dance?" asked Inoru when he saw me notice this.

    "Nah." I turned. "Leaving already?"

    The monk shook my hand and we bowed to each other slightly. "Of course. It''s a long hike back to Violet City on old legs. I hope you two boys aren''t getting anywhere by monorail."

    "Uh." I cleared my throat.

    He laughed. "I''m only joking. Enjoy the night."

    I saw Violet dancing with the son of one of the wealthy men who arrived to the wedding. She actually seemed to be enjoying herself.

    I didn''t dare go near any champagne, limiting myself to some cold ice water. Inoru was actually going to get some when I saw a guest arrive a few hours late to the wedding.

    Judging from the way everyone turned and greeted him, even Jasmine and the groom of the party from the moment he walked in I knew he was important. And then I realized he was probably one of the most important men in the entire world.

    This was Bill, the creator of the Pok¨¦mon Storage System. The equivalent of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates in this world. A man as recognizable and known as Red.

    Eventually, I was too shy to say anything to him except he grabbed a drink and seemed to walk past my table.

    "Not one for dancing?"

    "Oh! Uh. No."

    He sat down in the empty chairs next to me as the sun began to go down. "It''s nice to meet you."

    "I already know your name."

    "I think I know yours already." Bill smiled at me. "You''re the sage in training who beat Clair''s best junior trainer in your first tournament right?"

    "Yeah."

    He smiled, taking a bored glance around the wedding. "These things are always a snore. Glad I could meet someone here who''s remotely interesting."

    "Then why come here?"

    Bill shrugged. "Both Muchmoney and ol'' Lowell up there have a significant stock in my company. Also."

    Bill chuckled, looking over at Clair in a very alluring black dress chatting with other guests of the wedding. "I wanted to see the look on Clair''s face after her team was beaten in their home court by a newcomer. A monk no less."

    The music of the wedding played quietly as he looked at me.

    "I was curious about that by the way. How many years have you spent with that Slakoth?"

    I explained. "Two months, well two and a half by now."

    Bill almost choked on his champagne. "I''m sorry- Two months?"

    He appeared to be in deep thought. "I imagined you must''ve spent years on Mount Takujimi actually raising this Slakoth to be this good. But for you to do it so early."

    Bill shook his head. "I heard you declined Clair''s offer to join her team."

    "How?" I was confused.

    "She talked to me about you. Said she was convinced my software for Pok¨¦mon battle simulations was dead wrong. She simulated Buneary''s fight with your Slakoth a dozen times before the final, and you lost pretty much all of them."

    I shrugged. "Odd."

    "I know." Bill went on. "I''ve designed almost every piece of hardware and software the entire planet uses in regards to Pok¨¦mon. Or, in general." he said. "But I''ve never met or heard of someone as unique as you Nico."

    He kept looking at me.

    "I can offer you more money than you can possibly imagine to join my gym."

    "You have a team?"

    "I own a team. I help Samuel Oak run Viridian City Gym''s competition team, pay for all their gear, train tickets, anything they might need."

    I chuckled. "Why am I not surprised? Every single person I''ve met just wants to use what I''ve got to better themselves."

    "Have you ever wondered just how important these next few months might be for your entire Pok¨¦mon League career?"

    I took back what I said in seconds. Now I knew Bill never battled Pok¨¦mon very much, but he was smart and rich enough to transform himself into Jigglypuff and back. I should be listening to his every damn word.

    "That girl over there." Bill recognized Violet in the crowds of people on the dance floor. "She''s what? Fifteen?"

    "Sixteen." I said.

    "By the time Blue Oak was sixteen he''d already won second place at World Championships to none other than Red. They were childhood friends." Bill leaned back in his chair, finishing his champagne. "Blue proceeded to win the year Red disappeared near Mount Silver. He and Leaf have been trading the World Championship crown for the past ten years with a few others in between."

    I nodded.

    "And that''s not counting how many years Blue and Leaf have completely dominated battling here in Johto and especially Kanto since they were about ten to twelve years old. There are only two teams around that can possibly help you anywhere. Clair''s, the best in Johto. And Blue''s, the best in Kanto."

    "You want me to uproot everything, leave the Order behind, and come to Viridian City to make Blue my new instructor?"

    I had one instructor. The man who saved my life, Elder Toji.

    Bill shifted in his chair, scoffing. "Since your win at Blackthorn City, have you spent any time at all actually reviewing your sparring footage? I have. Your Slakoth is one of the best trained Pok¨¦mon I''ve ever seen period, regardless of sheer experience or power. Granted it''s extremely early in your career to say such things, but I sponsored Blue to international stardom."

    I nodded. "I know what greatness looks like and how to foster it. How do you train your Pok¨¦mon?"

    So many people ask this.

    "I train alongside them, physically, mentally, in every way I can, I try to instill the values and skills the monastery''s karate gave me."

    "Your ideal partner for competition is an Eevee, specifically an Espeon right?"

    I shifted in my chair. "Yeah." I said uncomfortably.

    "I own two Eevee''s. I can have one transferred to your PC tomorrow morning."

    "Just like that? I haven''t signed anything, agreed to anything." I sighed. "I, I literally haven''t earned anything."

    "You''ve earned my respect." Bill said. "You told Clair no. That alone takes backbone of which I can''t typically find nowadays. I can''t imagine a fourteen year old boy on this planet who''d turn down the degree of knowledge and resources she''d have at her disposal in order to seek their own path in WCPL."

    "What I do works. What Elder Toji and the monks taught me works. Hard work, discipline, that comes first. Everything else just falls into place, no need for so many fancy gizmos or money."

    Bill smiled. "I see now what your gift with your Pok¨¦mon truly is. Why you brought something to Blackthorn City no one''s ever seen before."

    He blinked. "It''s humility. It can only ever really come from a Sage, maybe actually joining a team would ruin that. Keep doing what you''re doing."

    "That Eevee. I''ll send it back the moment I see it in my PC."

    "I wasn''t going to send it." said Bill. "However. I can tell you where to find one."

    "Where?"

    "Most Pok¨¦mon don''t truly come to you if that makes sense. You come to them, if you''re indeed fated to find an Eevee. You''ll find one naturally." Bill smiled. "I''ll give you a challenge."

    I listened.

    "After you''ve collected a couple badges here in Johto after. I don''t know. A few months possibly a year. Come to Viridian City, challenge some of Blue''s team members."

    I was confused.

    "The boys. His younger brother Gary Oak, Ash, a couple of them. I guarantee you, you''ll probably impress him. If what you seek is to truly train Pok¨¦mon to the best of your ability, regardless of the medal, badge, money, or what have you."

    It was a bit spooky how Bill was smart enough to determine just how I trained my team.

    "Then you''ll earn a Growlithe he''ll raise personally by that point as a small pup. His Arcanine''s mate is pregnant. In a few months, he''ll probably try to find someone to raise his Growlithe, I think the rest of the litter he''ll give to his grandfather''s farm."

    Now I was interested.

    "You seem like the kind of person who likes to earn things, never let them be handed to him. In that case, challenge Blue''s team. You won''t regret it."

    Bill left the table. "Your best bet in the future is to never doubt your own instincts. If you really aren''t going to join a team, look inward."

    That made me think.

    Look inward.

    ¡­

    An hour or two of the wedding passed.

    And it really got me thinking.

    I didn''t ask Jasmine to dance, I didn''t even talk to her. I didn''t talk to anyone.

    Look inward?

    That was the best the Pok¨¦mon world''s Steve Jobs could give me?

    Eventually I stood off to the side, watching Jasmine''s Steelix sort of corral the smaller Pok¨¦mon like a few Snubbull into a circle with its tail.

    "It''s a very nice night for one to be brooding."

    I turned around. "Ironic."

    Inoru smiled. "How are you?"

    "I''m fine Ino."

    "What''s on your mind?"

    "What Bill told me. I might not be living up to my full potential as a Pok¨¦mon trainer if I don''t pick a gym to represent. Clair''s and Blue''s are some of the best in the world."

    Inoru laughed quietly.

    "What?"

    He leaned on the pillar of the gazebo where we both watched the Pok¨¦mon play together. I even had released Teddiursa, with a strong reminder from me to play nice, with the others left at the wedding.

    If there was something Teddiursa appeared to be above everything, it was obedient, despite its recently tamed wild nature and brute strength.

    "Nico, Mew left faith in humanity to be worthy of its sacrifice. Of its decision to save us from-"

    "A great evil no one remembers."

    Ino smiled. "Yes. An evil no one remembers. Elder Toji is one of most knowledgeable sages we''ve ever had, I traveled the world for years just to learn from him."

    "And?"

    "He, and the most important Inititates in our entire Order, trusted to keep humanity''s spirit pure. And they chose you Nico to represent us in something they''ve never done before. They saw something in you, your past, your character, your heart." Inoru shook his head. "And in my opinion, your karate."

    "My karate." I said flatly.

    Inoru looked back at the wedding celebration only Violet was left to enjoy mostly.

    "You''ve trained your Slakoth so well in martial arts it knocked out the best Pok¨¦mon Youngsters had for years in a single afternoon. If you can''t see what the monk''s saw in you, then there''s no point in competing anymore."

    I nodded. "That''s what Bill meant by looking inward."

    "What you teach your Pok¨¦mon can''t be taught from a computer, or representing someone else''s style." Inoru tapped the center of my chest with his staff. "It lies, in here."

    I think it really did.

    ¡­

    We left just about twenty minutes before the actual wedding celebration finished.

    Violet had an amazing time, I''m pretty sure she got that rich kid''s social on her Pok¨¦Nav.

    Inoru mostly enjoyed the music and while he didn''t dance, I could''ve sworn I saw him tap his foot.

    More than anything, my conversation with Bill really helped me re-evaluate myself, my new ranking as an official Trainer in the Pok¨¦mon League. And how to move forward.

    As we all began to walk to our campground I spoke to Violet.

    "Great night huh?"

    "You rubbed elbows with a few celebrities. Missed the chance to ask a real Gym Leader for a dance." she teased.

    I ignored this. "I have to ask you, how do these tournaments work to qualify for a Gym challenge?"

    Violet sighed. "The rules for WCPL badges and competitions change almost every year. And the schedule changes every few months."

    "So?"

    "So, the next tournament in Violet City isn''t until the end of next month."

    I had over six weeks to prepare.

    "What are the rules like?"

    "The same you''re already used to, except this kind of tournament is far smaller than the one you won in Blackthorn City. There are typically around thirty competitors, depending on the tournament. I think they even squeeze in a few Youngster matches just for medals."

    Violet continued as we kept walking. "You can use a maximum of two Pok¨¦mon, they don''t allow anything higher than second stage Evolutions. Switching a Pok¨¦mon out is instantly considered forfeiting it for the rest of the match."

    So you can only do it once. Smart.

    The benefit of using Normal types here never seemed to go away. Teddiursa and Slakoth were still only weak to Fighting types, which, mainly used physical moves, at least Slakoth so far, seemed to really excel at using and countering.

    As much noise over my victories could go on. I wasn''t doing this for fame, this was for the Pok¨¦mon. I was sure I could prove mine were the best fighters, and if I couldn''t, I could prove they were really great ones for sure.

    I think I had yet to let them down honestly, and I never planned to let up. But Bill was right, I think I had to look inward first to help them grow.

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

 The Wavering Tower

    Violet City appeared to be one of the nicest cities I''d visited in the Pok¨¦mon world. Granted, I''d only seen a few others, but it still was.

    It was situated on a large hill, and was decently expansive, with several houses, and even a couple of towers. While Violet City greatly resembled Blackthorn City in size, in wasn''t remotely as similar in the layout and structure of its buildings.

    Violet City had prettier, less traditionally Japanese buildings in favor of more modern style towers and houses. Running directly through the center of the town and out to the rest of the Johto region, was a large glass tube that housed the high speed monorail, or bullet train connecting all major cities together.

    "We should''ve taken the train." Violet winced, despite being a Pok¨¦mon trainer for so many years, she wasn''t used to hikes like the one Inoru and I went on.

    I smiled.

    Technically I wasn''t used to these hikes either, the difference was, the physical side of my training in Takujimi temple greatly enhanced my endurance, particularly in my legs and arms.

    "The train detracts from the beauty of Johto." muttered Inoru in his ever calm tone.

    "Yeah." she scoffed. "Tell that to my feet. So Nico, where to first?"

    "Sprout Tower." I said instantly. "Although um."

    "What?"

    Ino and I looked at each other.

    "Nothing."

    It wasn''t unheard of for women and girls to visit Sprout Tower. But staying there?

    This would certainly be awkward.

    ¡­

    The same Initiate who officiated Muchmoney''s wedding greeted us at the front door of the beautiful Sprout Tower. Flanking the tower were several great ponds that resembled lakes, and a single curved wooden bridge over them. It was a multifloored pagoda that was almost eerie in how it waved from side to side. In that, you couldn''t really tell it was moving until you were almost close enough to walk inside of it.

    "Welcome brothers." he smiled and shook our hands.

    "Initiate Mino." I shook his hand. "Thank you for letting us stay."

    "Anything for students of Elder Toji. Elder Li will see you shortly, this way."

    His Bellsprout cooed quietly when helping him open the massive wooden doors to the entrance of the temple.

    The first floor had a few sages chatting and a few even praying in the corner to a statue of Mew behind a glass case.

    Everything was largely silent, except for the swaying pillar dead in the middle of the tower. It was odd, it almost felt alive.

    I couldn''t stop staring at it.

    It almost looked like, a Bellsprout.

    "This way this way." Mino smiled when leading us towards a hall out of the central corridor.

    ¡­

    Elder Li had long white hair and a deep blue robe. He welcomed us in the Sprout Tower mess hall, significantly smaller than the one I had back home in Takujimi.

    A Novice passed him some tea on a wooden tray before he sipped from it.

    "Elder Toji sent us a letter from the Great Mountain just last week. He wished for a report on the progress of your journey."

    "Well." I cleared my throat. "I''ve managed to qualify to actually compete in the Pok¨¦mon league."

    "So we''ve heard. You weren''t wearing your uniform as a member of the Order when doing so."

    He casually drank his tea as Inoru and I looked at each other nervously.

    "Um, I didn''t think I had to." I said. "Elder Toji said the journey would reveal itself as I took it. The rules for doing so the same."

    "I have to admit. When I received his letter and heard the news, I was very surprised to hear one of the best sages I''ve ever seen would allow a pair of Novices to travel alone through Johto. Not only to compete, but with such a degree of freedom."

    Inoru looked right at him. "Do you disagree with his decision?"

    "He''s the Elder of the most important temple in the entire world." said Li. "He can decide what he wishes. However, I think it''s high time you told me the exact nature of your training."

    I nodded a little. "Ino-. Inoru and I wake up around sunrise everyday, and we go over our kata. Occasionally we spar a bit, then he reviews all the calligraphy I need to know."

    "We meditate two hours a day with our Pok¨¦mon, we still have a vegetarian diet." Inoru added. "Then Nico trains his Pok¨¦mon''s combat abilities until around two in the afternoon."

    "And the Pok¨¦mon Elder Toji chose for you was a Slakoth, correct?"

    "Yes." I said calmly.

    Li put his tea cup down slowly, raising a very bushy and white eyebrow while rubbing the top of his bald head.

    "All of this isn''t exactly breaking Order tradition. But it''s extremely odd. The quickness behind the assignment of your pilgrimage, choosing Pok¨¦mon outside the two we must all specialize in."

    Li crossed his arms. "I will permit you both to stay here until after your challenge with the local gym. I may not be your teacher, but I will be far more in line with our ways than Toji has been with either of you."

    "Yes Master Li."

    "We haven''t had overnight visitors here since- Well." he shrugged. "Since I was a child. We have a Sage in training here also named Nico, did you know that?"

    I did. That''s why I chose his name, I thought it was appropriate.

    "No, Elder Li."

    He looked between us. "For as long as you stay here, you wear your robes. You work with your studies twice as much. Johto has its eyes upon you."

    Li looked over at Violet, who he hadn''t remotely acknowledged until now. "Mino told me you''re Nico''s coach for battling Pok¨¦mon."

    "Yes."

    "You can visit this shrine whenever you please. Just know, we don''t permit members who aren''t of the Order of Sages to stay with us."

    Violet nodded. "I completely understand."

    "I''d like to speak to Nico alone now please."

    Violet and Inoru bowed, and left. The only sound in the entire mess hall was that of a few nearby Sages practicing archery in a courtyard right next to us.

    Li looked at me. "I''ve known Toji since we were barely Novices. Tell me, how exactly did you become his student?"

    "I was an orphan."

    "At thirteen? Or fourteen? You ascended all thirty thousand steps to ask for his help?"

    I didn''t know how else to explain this. "Elder Toji found me in trouble on the mountain. After he saved my life, and gave me a home. I decided to repay that debt, by trying to one day become Pok¨¦mon League World champion."

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    "In my opinion, Toji should''ve sent you on a pilgrimage specifically to learn each different Shrine''s style. Even if there are only a few around the globe, I implore you. Do not consider anyone''s opinion but Initiate Inoru''s during your journey."

    "Well, why not?"

    "He''s the only person Toji instructed to watch over you during your journey. He chooses people to do things for a reason, chooses Pok¨¦mon to be raised for a reason. And he assigns pilgrimages for a reason."

    "What is that reason?"

    Li nodded to me. "That reason will reveal itself when you yourself master the ways of our order. I want you sparring with Mino for the next three days. Only then, may you be permitted to learn anything else from our temple."

    He dismissed me with a look to the door.

    ¡­

    "What did Elder Li say?"

    I glanced around the courtyard right outside the mess hall where everyone was just done with kyudo.

    "Violet left didn''t she?"

    Ino nodded.

    "Well, he said there was a reason why Master Toji assigned me on this pilgrimage. Referenced it being a great honor. I asked what that reason was."

    "It is a great honor." Inoru said. "That''s why you don''t question it."

    "What?"

    "You should know this by now. You don''t question the Elders, you don''t question the reason for anything the Order does."

    "But, because I did. Isn''t that why Elder Toji let me leave so soon, with my own Pok¨¦mon?"

    Inoru really didn''t have an answer. Which coincided perfectly with Mino arriving with his Hoothoot on his shoulder.

    "Novice Nico, this way please."

    ¡­

    We stood in the center of another courtyard, this time one behind the Sprout Tower in a large sparring circle.

    I didn''t know what to do exactly. He was my instructor for the next few days, I only did as he said.

    "Well, let''s see who you''ve been raising."

    I nodded, tapping both Pok¨¦balls with me to expand their size and releasing Teddiursa and Slakoth.

    "Interesting." Mino merely said.

    The Bellsprout with Mino took to his side, meanwhile his Hoothoot went out.

    "Slakoth, stay with me. Teddiursa, get ready to spar."

    The bear growled and lowered into his stance, his front paw on the ground, the other in the air behind him.

    "You ready?" asked Mino.

    I nodded quietly from the other end of the sparring ring.

    Then, it truly surprised me again why sages didn''t get into competitive battling before me.

    This Hoothoot was the best trained of its kind I''d ever seen. It wasn''t particularly fast, but it was absurdly precise. It seemed to have very great positioning and its decision making throughout the entire spar was amazing.

    Mino''s Hoothoot seemed to only attack when needed, defend when needed, and was otherwise completely out of range of Teddiursa''s claws the entire match.

    Now, Hoothoot was also unable to land anything very significant on Teddiursa either, but during each combination, Hoothoot came out slightly on top.

    Its Peck was pretty decent, but the speed and power in which Teddiursa could time Fury Swipes or especially Scratch put it at a decent distance away.

    Even though Hoothoot was a flying type Pok¨¦mon, I had trained Teddiursa well enough on the road between here and Blackthorn City, that it could decently limit Hoothoot''s mobility. It was able to predict Hoothoot''s flutters and attacks well enough to pin it against the edge of the ring.

    Teddiursa actually began to land cleanly with both of its claws, very powerfully, and I saw Mino give the first real order of the match.

    "Reflect!"

    A strong screen of light appeared in front of Hoothoot, protecting it from Teddiursa''s strikes for a moment.

    Very nice. I hadn''t seen Reflects that well developed yet at all really.

    Hoothoot and Teddiursa again returned to barely missing combinations on each other, until Teddiursa got hit so hard he was almost knocked out of the ring.

    Hoothoot hit Teddiursa flush with Take Down. And it looked like it hurt significantly.

    After almost ten minutes of fighting, it was the cleanest significant strike either Pok¨¦mon landed, I decided to call the match there.

    "Great job." I admitted, to both Mino and my Pok¨¦mon.

    I recalled Teddiursa as Mino spoke. "For such a young Pok¨¦mon, your Teddiursa appeared to be quite strong."

    "Yeah, I knew that." I smiled. "But thank you Mino."

    "No but, not just that. It''s timing and especially its speed were quite advanced. How long have you been working with it?"

    "Under a month."

    "Impressive. Can I see your Slakoth in action? I''ve wanted to practice with him since I heard of your win in Blackthorn City."

    I looked at my starter calmly. "You want to let Teddiursa rest for a bit?"

    "La!" he said proudly.

    "Okay then."

    Mino switched out Bellsprout for Hoothoot as well, and the fight began.

    Even though I could tell Mino had trained with Bellsprout for years, and clearly knew exactly how to draw out the greatest amount of precision, speed, and power out of moves like Vine Whip, Stun Spore, and Acid. It didn''t matter.

    Slakoth bashed Bellsprout to pieces.

    It wasn''t even close.

    Every second Bellsprout was trying to attack, it got hit with Counter or Slash. If Slakoth was trying to take the initiative and strike first, Bellsprout barely had a chance to react or return any sort of aggression.

    More than anything, Slakoth was ridiculously quicker, which I could tell Mino was surprised by because most Slakoth weren''t known to be that fast.

    Before his Bellsprout could get knocked out after taking a very hard Slash right to the midsection of the Grass type, Mino called out.

    "Enough. Bellsprout, come here."

    The Pok¨¦mon sadly waddled back over to the sage.

    Mino seemed to be thinking for a moment. I could tell Hoothoot was his main, but I was pretty sure he was wondering if Slakoth wouldn''t be able to beat it on his first try.

    I had nearly outmatched both his Pok¨¦mon''s experience advantage with sheer speed and physical strength. I think Mino''s next move was appropriate.

    "I want to spar you personally. I can tell how much your karate has influenced your Pok¨¦mon''s fighting style."

    I obliged him, and took Slakoth''s place in the middle of the sparring circle.

    Our match was actually very competitive, I didn''t realize how much sparring on the road with Inoru every day and then training in karate alongside Slakoth and Teddiursa had helped me.

    Mino mainly used his kicks, but he had a very strong reverse punch too. I mainly stuck with the jab, side kick, and especially my own reverse punch too.

    Mino had better timing than me, but I mainly kept him moving back constantly with some powerful combinations.

    He landed a solid round kick and a reverse punch to the jaw, and I managed to score two side kicks to the midsection, as well as a jab acting as a counter when I saw Mino begin to attempt a leg sweep.

    Mino staggered back after that, covering up.

    The proceeding few minutes were inconclusive, we were both unable to connect with anything on each other.

    Panting, Mino spoke. "You good?"

    I waved my hand from side to side. "I''m good for today yeah."

    Mino agreed, taking the small cloth pads he wore on his hands as gloves.

    I did the same, and we sat down next to each other. Mino drew a pouch of water from his robes and offered it to me.

    I shook my head. "No thanks."

    Mino then drank from it and mumbled. "I see now why from, at least a physical perspective, Elder Toji let you start your journey so young."

    "I wasn''t nearly this good when I started competing."

    "Oh, I can imagine. But you seem to realize which weaknesses you naturally might have and attempt to fix them. Your youth gives you and your team a great degree of speed, so you try to make up for it by adding physical strength."

    I nodded. "Thank you Mino."

    "What I''m curious about, is how the sages at Takujimi let you leave so young from a spiritual perspective."

    I was quiet for a moment.

    Mino looked at me. "Can you tell me why though?"

    "Just a moment."

    Mino sipped from his water pouch again with a small nod.

    I released Teddiursa from his ball. "You good to go again?"

    Teddiursa completely shrugged off the Take Down from earlier and nodded.

    "Slakoth, work on grappling with him."

    The two then happily began to wrestle with each other in the sparring circle behind us. I just wanted them to cool down together. It would help build trust between them and start trying to have a bit of fun after training.

    I turned to Mino. "The spiritual aspect of my pilgrimage is mostly private."

    "I talked to Inoru. You seem to have a decent grasp of all the scripts and histories, you meditate, and I see Elder Toji trusted you with something very special." Mino nodded to the pendant of Mew I wore around my shoulers. "What I mean to say is."

    He sighed.

    "I can tell Elder Toji made the right choice with you."

    "Well. Your own Elder doesn''t seem to agree."

    Mino chuckled. "Elder Li never approves of very much. But I can tell he''s at least willing to give you a chance."

    He looked around the trees surrounding the courtyard and then back at me. "You''re probably going to win this next tournament. And then it''s extremely likely you''re going to win your first gym badge."

    I was waiting for him to get to his point.

    "None of that matters or will start to matter until you discover your purpose. The Order teaches us, that all Pok¨¦mon and mankind were created in harmony with each other, their purpose, was peace. The swaying of Sprout Tower is a symbol of that, regardless of everything moving at the same time always, in spirit and body, it is also at rest with each other."

    I''d read too many scripts saying this to count, but he was right.

    Mino pretended to be holding a small seed, holding his hand out. "From birth, the great spirits have a plan for every one of us. What we''ll do, how we''ll interact with Pok¨¦mon, and what we''ll become. In an ideal world, you''d remain fully dedicated to the Order of Sages, bring peace upon the mountain. And then the world can go back to worshipping Mew by visiting Takujimi."

    He moved his hand away.

    Mino kept explaining. "Elder Li tells me when he was a boy, everyone in Violet City, and around the entire world, would journey to Mount Takujimi at least once in their life. Pray to Mew, thanking Mew for saving the world, and leave."

    "You think my destiny is to bring that back?"

    "Not just that. But while in theory every sage, or, person in a way, must find Mew. Maybe your actual destiny is to find Mew, by finding Mew."

    "Is that even possible?"

    Mino sighed. "Some say Red found Mew, which is why he never returned."

    I could probably tell Mino and everyone I knew exactly where he was. Again, I didn''t.

    "Some Pok¨¦mon are so strange and powerful they''re myths. Ask yourself if you perhaps can go and find them."

    Mino stood up and I spoke calmly to him. "No one''s really seen the Pok¨¦mon you''re talking about. They might as well not even exist."

    "If someone had told me a fourteen year old Novice with practically no training could place in the Pok¨¦mon League within his first few months of competition. I wouldn''t have believed them. And yet here you are, the only sage in the entire world allowed to have hair on their scalp."

    I realized his point, rubbing the top of my head when I remembered.

    "I''ll teach you everything I can. Your Teddiursa can learn Counter, as well as Take Down believe it or not. Faint Attack, Thrash, Slash. If your Pok¨¦mon can maximize proficiency in these moves within the next few weeks before you compete again, you won''t just win. You''ll dominate."

    I liked the sound of that.

    "Domination is an odd thing to the Order." said Mino. "Technically, you''re the exception. You''re supposed to show your strength, while any sage isn''t allowed to."

    "Is there some sort of lesson in that I''m not getting?"

    "Probably. Let''s go get some dinner, you can think on that later."

 The Three Spirits

    For the next three weeks I trained and lived at Sprout Tower.

    Sprout Tower was definitely one of the nicest places I''d lived at. The temple back on Mount Takujimi didn''t really have a nice view, despite how high up it was, it was too high up. There was no view of the surrounding countryside of the Johto region despite how high up Mount Takujimi was.

    From the fourth floor of Sprout Tower, I could see a great deal of Johto, and at night, the city skylines of the entire region lit up the countryside like a very beautiful and expansive set of colorful birthday candle.

    Sprout Tower possessed some of the most knowledgeable monks on battling, Pok¨¦mon, and all the arts I had to master back when I just became a Novice, I think one could find anywhere.

    Karate, calligraphy, kyudo, all of them.

    The Initiates of Sprout Tower had a very similar demeanor and degree of experience to those of Mount Takujimi, the only difference was that they were significantly friendlier and more insistent on learning from others.

    Back home in Takujimi Shrine, everyone had their own style. Ari insisted only the exact same form of calligraphy he was taught, was the only way to teach, because that was the way of his teacher.

    Here it was different, as long as the characters written were clear, and you could effectively read the sentence and could tell if the character was meant to be another, it was fine. Likewise, the rest of the temple had a simple vibe.

    You had a bit more freedom, you could be a bit more expressive, the temple had rules, the traditions went back for centuries. But you could more or less start learning more from others and teaching them a bit, even if you weren''t the Initiate assigned to teach a class.

    Sprout Tower was only five stories tall.

    The lowest story was where everyone prayed daily and ate, I went back to wearing my robes like everyone else, and Violet occasionally would pop in to spar with me in the courtyard behind the temple. The second story was for several classrooms, including a prayer room.

    The third story was a main meeting for Elder Li''s council of Thirteen as well as a hall for writing and everyone''s rooms. And the entire fourth story was the library. The fifth I didn''t know about, I simply was told, I was not allowed to go near, under any circumstance and couldn''t know what was up there.

    Stuff like this was just business as usual as a sage at this point.

    Guests weren''t really all that common at all in Sprout Tower. Contrary to the games, one wasn''t allowed to just show up announced and start battling Sages or visit the temple. You had to send a letter, typically by Hoothoot, to the Tower, where an Initiate would approve it and send an exact time when one would be allowed to visit.

    Violet was an exception, she was still permitted to visit the temple since she was a friend of a sage, myself and Inoru, but only could battle myself in the courtyard behind the tower for training purposes. And she really couldn''t see or do much else.

    Inoru dug himself deeply into hours of meditation and raising his own Bellsprout, these were some of the best and most experienced Bellsprout trainers in the world, so I didn''t blame him at all for this.

    This was the first time in months where I had returned to the same routine I had when I first became a Sage.

    However, it was clear I was treated with significantly more respect.

    I was given over an hour of free time to pursue whatever art I wanted to perfect that day, or even to relax. I was allowed to pick my class schedule so long as I told the Initiates in charge of being the necessary class instructors ahead of time.

    The amount of growth I felt not only in myself, but in both my Pok¨¦mon, Teddiursa, and Slakoth, was tremendous.

    So much so, that Slakoth''s evolution to Vigoroth happened very organically, despite Slakoth still being quite young.

    I had known Slakoth was approaching evolution for a while. It had grown much taller and larger, and it had much more mature features in its muscles, face, and even its tail was a bit longer.

    While sparring Mino one evening like any other day, Slakoth knocked his Hoothoot clean out.

    The two had multiple intense matches over the last few weeks, but this one in particular was the most competitive. Slakoth was in his element, countering, dodging, everything, and he Slashed Hoothoot right as he began to attack.

    Witnessing Pok¨¦mon evolution for the first time was something surreal.

    Slakoth''s body seemed to shift and turn in front of me, the accompanying white glow around it softening the drastic and rapid change in his height, weight, and fur.

    A few seconds later, my Slakoth had become a Vigoroth.

    Vigoroth was still noticeably my Pok¨¦mon, despite how it was now in his second evolutionary stage.

    He was still clearly quite young, but Vigoroth now had a short but bright plume of red hair around the top of his head. His fur was a clear crystal white, instead of his usual grey that had slowly turned more and more clear over the preceding weeks.

    Vigoroth also had a pair of fangs that stuck down from his mouth when closed.

    He turned around the sparring circle, confused. His claws had grown much bigger, sharper and longer. I wondered if he was confused if he was still in his old body or not.

    "Hey buddy." I asked, as Mino immediately healed his Hoothoot. "You okay?"

    Vigoroth cutely shook his head.

    I knew this was my same Pok¨¦mon for sure, but the moment that sealed it for me was when I looked into Vigoroth''s eyes. The same baby Slakoth I had taken across Johto and Elder Toji had placed in my care was still him.

    The young Vigoroth then recognized where he was standing, and I could tell he soon realized he was just done with battling at Sprout Tower.

    "Yeah that''s right. You evolved, it''s a perfectly natural part of maturing as a Pok¨¦mon." I said.

    My voice guided Vigoroth back into his own head.

    "It''s not completely unheard of for Pok¨¦mon to evolve from their youth into their second stage after a few months." Mino said with strong approval. "However I suspect the degree of dedication into teaching him karate and fighting must''ve greatly helped him grow."

    "Thank you." I bowed to him slightly.

    Mino was able to revive his Hoothoot with ease.

    The Flying type was soon right back into the air again, and Mino spoke. "What better way to test your Pok¨¦mon''s new evolution than with a battle?"

    "Sounds good to me." I smiled.

    Vigoroth shared the same sentiment, got into his fighting stance. I could hear a bit of gravel crunch as Vigoroth raised his hands and fixed his feet against the old stone of the courtyard''s engraved sparring circle.

    It was then when I realized I had probably raised one of the best Normal type Pok¨¦mon I could think of.

    Vigoroths were known for being a bit too wild. Between the gigantic amount of physical power of a Slaking, and the complete laziness and tiredness of Slakoth, Vigoroth was a perfect balance, but was only known to show it with fury.

    My Vigoroth was anything but imprecise and wild though, and I could never have been prouder of him for it.

    While Hoothoot was insanely accurate, Vigoroth was untouchable. Which was odd, because as Slakoth, he typically only gave a few more hits than he took.

    But now, Vigoroth''s Slash was so strong that the air alone coming off his claws sent Hoothoot spinning in a different direction. Its wings offset by the power of the blow alone.

    It took a single Counter from Vigoroth to blast Hoothoot and send him flying across the sparring circle.

    Vigoroth seemed perfectly comfortable in his new body. He hadn''t lost his old timing and technique, if anything, he was simply much more energetic and stronger.

    Much more energetic.

    While I learned that my Slakoth and likely, when he became a Slaking, lacked the complete boredom and lax with battling that accompanied all of its species. This Vigoroth in particular seemed to possess a degree of energy and potential for battling I doubted most could''ve ever lacked prior.

    A few sages who were watching the spar got interested.

    Mino revived his Hoothoot again, but allowed other monks to participate.

    The ensuing competition was mostly king of the ring. In which, everyone was trying to get either myself or Vigoroth to capitulate so a new king of the ring could appear. And everyone could challenge them.

    We had competitions similar to this back on Takujimi, however they weren''t too common.

    Now, I could tell what happened:

    Vigoroth''s new evolution had added explosive and energetic power to his already refined and razor sharp technique.

    A few rounds later of knocking out a few simple and simply trained Bellsprouts and Hoothoots, and I turned, seeing Elder Li on the second floor of the pagoda watching. Inoru had even seemed to be inbetween classes with a few other Initiates to watch the match.

    I had put Vigoroth to spar with one of the best Initiates Sprout Tower had to offer. Mino was only a bit behind him in experience, but still, this match would be very competitive.

    I had seen well trained Bellsprout back in Takujimi beat Sages who knew how to use Aura back in Takujimi, so I didn''t underestimate it at all.

    When the fight began, Vigoroth, was just doing his thing.

    His front hand punch, or kizami zuki, was just a very quick and direct Slash attack that kept catching the Bellsprout on the nose.

    The Bellsprout had perfect control over his sharp vines, whipping out multiple across the sparring circle. Vigoroth dodged by rushing forward to avoid them and then kicked Bellsprout in the chest with both claws.

    Bellsprout crumpled, and then spun around as his Initiate spoke.

    "Bellsprout, Razor Leaf!"

    Vigoroth then took one of the hardest hits I''d ever seen him take.

    Bellsprout''s leaves all grew across its body. Screaming loudly with effort, Bellsprout''s leaves all flew forward at high speeds, glowing a bright green. I could even hear them whistling through the air like arrows from the number and speed they had.

    Vigoroth crossed his claws to protect his face and chest. But the degree and speed of the leaves all sharply cut right through his fur, his legs took the worst of the damage.

    I heard Vigoroth roar, almost dropping to a knee.

    "Hands up!"

    Vigoroth instantly got back into the fight, even I wasn''t expecting him to be able to keep fighting after that.

    Then, Vigoroth used Roar. I was even more impressed because I technically never taught him it.

    Vigoroth''s voice was so powerful that the Initiate facing me protected his face from the amount of wind generated. This was a roar so loudly I''m pretty sure I saw a flock of Pidgeys flutter away from the forest nearby.

    The Bellsprout didn''t flee, but instead, rooted itself to the ground of the sparring circle through the bits of dirt exposed with its vines.

    Bellsprout was about to return to its fighting stance when Vigoroth had already delivered four Fury Swipes right at its face.

    The Bellsprout tumbled, used Vine Whip to simultaneously reposition as well as counter attack as Vigoroth proceeded to seriously impress me. I still didn''t understand how it could spar this well.

    Vigoroth''s Slash tore through razor sharp vines I had known had taken years of development to become effective with on the part of the Initiate I was battling. One after another, Vigoroth''s claws tore through vine after vine like they were nothing.

    Vigoroth again built up speed and then connected with a Slash type reverse punch to Bellsprout''s face.

    Bellsprout shook it off in seconds and then turned around gliding away with Vine Whip connected roots, fast enough to fire Razor Leaf from mid air.

    Vigoroth then blocked while Roaring.

    Several of the Razor Leafs shook and waved away, the remaining ones cutting through Vigoroth''s strong arms or missing entirely.

    "Oro!" bellowed Vigoroth so loudly to the point even I winced at the sound.

    Vigoroth didn''t waste a second, leaping through the air off its legs throwing a blinding number of Fury Swipes.

    Bellsprout evaded and then Vigoroth hit the ground so hard that its right claw dug directly into the stone of the sparring circle.

    Turning around, Vigoroth flung the rock embedded into its hand right at Bellsprout, only for multiple Vine Whips to slice through it, right at Vigoroth.

    Vigoroth amazed me with perfect use of kata, it turn around using a move from Heian Sandan, sticking its claw out, turning around to slip the vines behind his back before grabbing all of them in one claw.

    Vigoroth must''ve ignored all the pain from the razor sharp vines in his hand before turning his body and using as much of his strength as possible to slam Bellsprout right into the sparring circle.

    The blow was so strong the ground actually shook for a second.

    When the dust settled, the Bellsprout was somehow still standing, although on very shaky legs. Vigoroth wasn''t surprised, still ready to fight.

    Both were about to strike again before I heard Bellsprout''s Trainer speak.

    "Enough." the aged Initiate said. "I''ll concede."

    His Bellsprout clearly protested but he had none of it. The Initiate beckoned his Pok¨¦mon over to his side and cross the sparring circle after I recalled my Vigoroth.

    I shook his hand.

    And then, the man bowed to me, and I bowed back.

    It was the best fight my team had had for quite some time.

    ¡­

    I tried to finish my dinner early that night.

    "Going somewhere?" Mino could tell how quickly I was eating.

    "I wanted to catch up on some scrolls." I shrugged, finishing my bowl of rice quickly.

    While the Pok¨¦mon world had an abundance of food, not to mention one of the largest varieties of food I''d ever seen in my life. I only really ate rice.

    It was the staple diet of all sages, and I didn''t really mind. Sometimes the rice had cooked vegetables mixed in it, other times it came with some sauce. Other than that, that was the diet I had.

    Even as a vegetarian, I really felt like three to four square meals of rice, or sauce and vegetables was more than enough to live.

    Inoru shrugged. "I''m just glad you''re interested in our histories." he said dryly.

    Mino looked around the mess hall of Sprout Tower, people were murmuring about my battle earlier here and there. "I''d say you''re ready for Falkner now."

    "Just be lucky that Elder Li didn''t challenge you himself." said Inoru.

    I glanced at him. "Why would he?"

    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    "Your Slakoth is quite young despite its skill. Evolving into Vigoroth so quickly," Inoru shrugged. "It''s not that he disaproves. But sometimes Elders pick very special moments in order to hone their skills."

    I had heard of Elder Li''s Pok¨¦mon. He was the one of the few sages to ever raise a Bellsprout past Weepingbell into Victreebell. I also heard that this Victrebell was so experienced and well trained, in the event of Violet City ever coming under attack, no one called the Pok¨¦mon Rangers or Falkner first.

    They called Elder Li to defend them.

    From what I gathered, Elders had such experience and knowledge of Pok¨¦mon that they were essentially very secluded and religious Gym leaders.

    "If Vigoroth lasted longer than four seconds in that match I''d consider that a victory." I admitted.

    "I personally haven''t ever seen him battle anyone despite his years," Mino shook his bald head. "There''s no way Master Li would ever challenge anyone. Although."

    "What?" I asked.

    "Some Trainers who do manage to beat all the Initiates in the temple, as difficult as that may be. Do often earn themselves a proper match with him. It''s technically never happened."

    "I''m wondering. If we respect peace so much." I said. "Why do we have such a respect for Pok¨¦mon battling too?"

    "We don''t." Mino shrugged, sipping some water from a wooden cup.

    Inoru shifted where he sat on the comfort next to me. "You''ve been part of the Order for months. Why ask this now?"

    "Because I get we''re supposed to be prepared for a threat like." I never knew if Giratina was technically a name yet in this world. "The one we faced. But in what way is battling spiritual?"

    I also really wasn''t allowed to ask too many questions until I had spent a while as a sage.

    Inoru explained calmly. "Pok¨¦mon often don''t trust their Trainers unless they can help them battle properly. All Pok¨¦mon grow with experience, traveling, training, but battling is something else entirely."

    "The scrolls say a battle of spirits is what''s truly behind an actual Pok¨¦mon battle." added Mino.

    "So, a battle of willpower between Trainers."

    Inoru sighed, seeming to scratch his chin in thought. "Willpower is actually a good extension of what Pok¨¦mon should be. They''re our partners and our friends. But it''s almost as if we fight through them to express ourselves and grow as people, helping our Pok¨¦mon grow in the process."

    I looked around the mess hall, starting to get this entirely.

    Everyone I had faced today, and Mino too, here in Sprout Tower, were actually very skilled Pok¨¦mon Trainers.

    Bellsprout weren''t particularly strong Pok¨¦mon at all. In fact, they were some of the weakest anyone could really train as a main. But I had yet to see a weak Bellsprout trained by a Sage.

    There was something there, as if the sages could understand the spirit, or the will of these Grass type Pok¨¦mon. As if their gentle and unassuming nature actually had a great degree of strength behind it.

    I thought back to my first time ever witnessing how Bellsprout were trained and used in combat.

    A Vigoroth from Takujimi, where Pok¨¦mon naturally were much stronger than anywhere else their counterparts were in the world, was about to kill me. And it only took about three Bellsprout to almost completely disable it. If it wasn''t for the sages wanting to be kind, I think they easily could''ve knocked the Vigoroth out instead of merely restraining it.

    They trained Bellsprout as if they were equals. They did kata alongside them, trying to physically match the gentle, flowing, and swaying bodies and nature Bellsprout had.

    Which reminded me.

    Instead of shock or some kind of traumatic stress when seeing a Vigoroth since the time I almost died to one, I wasn''t scared of today.

    I trusted that baby Slakoth even if it was the same species as a rabid ape Pok¨¦mon that nearly outright killed me.

    Because I connected to it, traveled with it, helped it grow.

    I nodded.

    "I got it." I stood up from the mess hall.

    Even the battling of Pok¨¦mon was more spiritual than I imagined.

    Mino and Inoru bowed their heads back when I bowed to them. "I''ll see you all tomorrow."

    ¡­

    On Pok¨¦mon spirits in particular, was an entire section of the library.

    Sprout Tower''s library was the entire third floor. Monks and sages who had lived in Johto for thousands of years collected as much knowledge as they could.

    Some of it was actually useful, the rest was. Just philosophy I think.

    But on Pok¨¦mon spirits, there weren''t any rituals of any kind, nor much actual history to describe. Many monks seemed to theorize that Pok¨¦mon had spirits, possibly connected to their Trainers and humanity by proxy.

    However there simply were no facts monks had to support this. All of this was based on counts of the deep trust and friendship Pok¨¦mon and humanity had.

    One sage was about to drown during a flood over thirteen hundred years ago. A collection of wild Bellsprout recognized the monk, possibly for being part of an Order dedicated to honor them and their nature, and saved his life.

    I put that scroll away. The illustration was helpful, but I still largely couldn''t wrap my head around the concept of the spirits of Pok¨¦mon.

    Because the only spirit I''d ever interacted with during my entire life was gone. The last time I''d seen Espeon was during a very short dream in Blackthorn City.

    I read as many scrolls as I could. It was well past midnight by the time I found one useful.

    Almost all the monks were gone and I was reading by candlelight.

    The scroll was one of the oldest I''d seen, which was saying something.

    There was a rough drawing of Mew, to it, were three circles connected to it, each containing even rougher drawings of Mespirit, Uxie, and Azelf. I gathered that after the spirits disappeared, all that remained were oral recounts of their physical appearances.

    From my knowledge of calligraphy and history, I could discern almost everything on the ancient parchment.

    It was written almost two thousand years ago, by Elder Simos of Sprout Tower.

    The Great Spirit, Mew, the source of all Pok¨¦mon in existence, defeated all forces from the Other Side, around today, nearly two hundred and twenty years ago. With It, were three aspects of Mew and Its connection to humanity that sprouted and helped humanity survive its darkest moment.

    Uxie, the birth of knowledge and humanity''s physical connection to the world around it. Azelf, the birth of willpower, and humanity''s spiritual connections. And Mespirit, the birth of emotions, theorized to be humanity''s religious connection, a mixture of both Azelf and Uxie''s aspects.

    Last seen near the Sinnoh region, these three Pok¨¦mon are said to tether all three of these aspects together. And are responsible for maintaining complete balance and harmony between mankind and everything it surrounds itself to.

    I put the scroll down, thinking.

    Just why in the world did everything here have a rule of threes almost?

    Every generation. Three Pok¨¦mon on the covers of the games. Three legendaries. A starting trio from every starting village.

    Leaf, Red, Blue.

    Rayquaza, Groudon, and Kyogre.

    And now, Uxie, Azelf, and Mespirit.

    Three evolutionary stages. At least in most Pok¨¦mon.

    Pok¨¦mon had spirits for sure then. But where did they go after they passed? Were Ghastly and other Ghost Pok¨¦mon reincarnations and different manifestations of other Pok¨¦mon who had died?

    I looked over my shoulder, around the darkness of the library.

    What was this Espeon doing following me around? If it was a spirit, then what was it doing and why?

    I dug a bit further into the scrolls, and determined that spirits were of course, extremely rare. Ghost Pok¨¦mon were completely different than spirits, but spirits rarely ever appeared to humans.

    If they did, counts said they had to do with stories of fate, mystery, and heroism.

    In the absurdly rare case spirits appeared, they often led people to their destiny. To found kingdoms and even civilizations in the case of Mew and the three lake guardians. Saving humanity from Giratina is what soon led to the start of the Kanto and Johto regions.

    But other scrolls said that from birth, everyone had three aspects. A spiritual, a physical, and a religious mixing the first two.

    If spirits were our guides to our fate, at least from a physical side. Then who was my guide from a physical or religious side?

    "It''s a bit late don''t you think?"

    I saw Elder Li appear, a Bellsprout following him with a lantern.

    "Oh I''m sorry um, I suppose it is."

    "Do you usually stay up this late in Takujimi shrine?"

    I nodded. "I used to yes."

    Li sighed tiredly. "I can see things changed there since I left. Only Initiates assigned to write scripture and histories are allowed to be up this late."

    "I''m very sorry Master Li."

    "It''s alright, you are from a different temple after all."

    I still got the impression this person didn''t particularly like me.

    "Forgive me but, have I done anything to offend you?"

    "You''ve done nothing at all. I just never understood the full context behind your pilgrimage. Did you know what the first pilgrimage ever was?"

    I shook my head.

    Elder Li explained. "When Mew and the other spirits disappeared. Our Order''s first mission was to find them again. When that failed, about, three hundred years of searching later. We assumed it was due to our character and morals."

    "The spirits were normally seen after the defeat of the, other side?"

    Li nodded. "Not too normally but yes, they were around. Kingdoms arose, and humanity was not too engrossed in the materialism and competitiveness that drove it to where it is today yet. However, the spirits all but vanished nonetheless."

    I kept listening.

    "Over the past two thousand years, pilgrimages were established to create solidarity and friendship between the different styles and knowledge that grew from the great temples in Johto, Kalos, and Alola. However, the most recent pilgrimage was a very rare one."

    I nodded. "To find Red." I said respectfully, understanding what he implied.

    "Exactly. For the first time in history, the Order of the Sprout Sages partnered themselves with the Pok¨¦mon Rangers in an attempt to find him. And not even a trace of him was found, and we searched all over Mount Silver."

    "We?"

    "I led the expedition personally, it was only about a decade or so ago. Not even his Pok¨¦mon, or traces of his Pok¨¦mon were found. It was if Red had disappeared into thin air, all his Pok¨¦mon along with him."

    "I get he created the Pok¨¦mon League because he was so good at battling around the entire world. But what made him so special to the Order?"

    Li placed the lantern on the table where I was reading scrolls. "Because he didn''t speak, some wondered if he was selectively mute or just mute. And yet, he seemed to train his Pok¨¦mon better than anyone ever has."

    "He could''ve been able to interact with his Pok¨¦mon in a way we didn''t understand yet." I suggested.

    Li shrugged and spoke nonchalantly. "Some said he was able to communicate with Pok¨¦mon psychically, others said they just trusted him a great deal more than anyone else."

    "And what do you say?"

    "I say things like this." Li raised a very busy eyebrow picking up the scroll on Mew and the Lake Guardians. "Are not worth your time."

    "That''s not what Mino said."

    "Mino is your battling instructor. Inoru was assigned to advise you on all spiritual or Order matters."

    I squinted at Li. "Is this about the incident in the sparring circle today?"

    "There was no incident. You keep proving Elder Toji''s decision, I''ve known him since we were boys and it''s what convinces me the Order is one the right path despite him doing something so. Odd. However."

    Li picked up the scrolls I was reading. "You are much too young to be concerned with matters of spirit and fate. About the myths of Pok¨¦mon no one''s seen or heard from for centuries."

    "They exist though."

    "They do, or at least there was a time when people saw them." admitted Li. "I know what you''re looking for in these halls. Knowledge, a purpose beyond battling."

    I smiled, that was exactly what I was looking for.

    Li nodded kindly. "I can give you one, one much simpler than the vague goal of finding Mew or Red someday. Because people have been trying much harder, with far more resources, with far more time to no result."

    I looked up at Li from the dusty floor of the library. "What''s the purpose?"

    "When I was still an Initiate, a young man by the name of Giovanni failed to win the Pok¨¦mon League title when it was still in its infancy. His next attempts also failed. He was still skilled enough to eventually become a Gym Leader in Viridian City, and he used the power and prestige that came with it to secretly found an idea."

    I watched Elder Li cross his old arms, the folds of his robes lying together.

    "That idea, was called Team Rocket. A powerful group of individuals seeking to create a society where Pok¨¦mon were little more than slaves to mankind, that there was no purpose to them or anyone else in their way, other than the creation of power and profit. An idea popular enough to appeal to a great number of people."

    I knew the truth. "And he was defeated by a kid."

    "Yes, Red was younger than you when he defeated Giovanni mostly on his own. However, following Giovanni''s defeat, he disappeared. Organized crime groups, pretensiously calling themselves Teams, have spread to other regions since then. And conveniently, Team Rocket''s top officers stayed out of custody."

    I was curious. "So who was in charge of bringing them to justice?"

    I was under the impression a group of identical women called Jenny, were the entire police force of the Pok¨¦mon world.

    "The Pok¨¦mon League is largely responsible for handling such things. The Order of Sages did not have the numbers at the time to make such a difference, even if we had the training."

    "Now, even less so." I admitted, remembering I was basically the only new member of our religion in many years.

    "Precisely. Rumors have spread, even to our temple, that members of the old Team Rocket are attempting to restore their power. I cannot advise you to after them yourself."

    "Why not? I can handle them."

    Elder Li appeared to be thinking for a moment.

    "Child, you are the most gifted Pok¨¦mon Trainer our Order has undoubtedly ever produced. If Elder Toji didn''t see this potential I doubt he''d have ever let you leave the Great Mountain. But I will never ask of you to risk your safety or life just because of this gift."

    I blinked, confused.

    "Giovanni''s crimes, and those inspired by them. Did more than just steal Pok¨¦mon. Their degree of malice, and thirst for power and control, drove them beyond the average criminal. Into a syndicate of villains with no boundaries or morals of even the slightest kind."

    "Then how could Red beat people that dangerous?"

    "Because he was just that talented at training Pok¨¦mon." said Li very softly.

    The look in his eyes, and the look he gave me. Was one of extreme worry and concern, I didn''t think Li actually cared this much for me.

    I knew Red was good. But he beat Team Rocket, became the World champion of the Pok¨¦mon League, and united the globe under a system of battling and high speed rail in under a decade.

    In a way, he saved the world. Or at least put off a serious threat to it for a long time.

    "When Elder Toji set you on this journey, he knew of Rocket. At least, I know that he knew of the dangers the modern world of Pok¨¦mon gave. Kama Valley is beautiful, as poor and rural as it is, no one seeks anything there anymore, but our Order never forgets a thing. Toji offered you a choice Nico."

    I was beginning to understand it.

    "The ability to do good, and restore the Order to the respect and prestige it once had. To remind the world of Mew''s sacrifice to save civilization. Or the ability to do even better, to do your first task, and to find and defeat true evil."

    "I thought this whole time, evil didn''t exist here."

    Li was confused. "You didn''t?"

    "No."

    "Then Toji taught you as little of the world as I suspected."

    I should''ve been right.

    Sure Giratina might''ve tried to burn down everything for some vague, lost to history millenia ago reason, but he''s a demon Pok¨¦mon from a dimension inbetween my old one and this one. But as similar as this world was to Japan, a place I had visited prior, there was something seriously off about everything I saw here.

    As poor as Kama Valley was, and as real as its problems were, it still seemed to lack truly real issues nonetheless.

    Crime, extreme violence, conspiracy, and greed. Even war.

    My journey through Johto so far taught me that this world was essentially fictional, at least through the eyes of my old reality. There wasn''t even graffiti or a hint of trash on the streets, everyone was kind, respectful, and smiled. Everyone had a job, or a purpose of some kind.

    Everyone, everywhere, even the Pok¨¦mon, at the end of the day, were good natured, even if they could be dangerous like a lot of wild Pok¨¦mon.

    But I hadn''t expected this. For Team Rocket or villains in this world, to be well, criminals who of course didn''t play by the rules. When I watched the anime or played the games, at the end of the day, the villains of Pok¨¦mon were just Saturday morning cartoon bad guys.

    Bad guys, who were actually a threat.

    I wanted to ask myself, just how truly bad were Team Rocket and other groups like it in this world?

    "You''re not ready to face such things yet. Are you?"

    "I''m not." I admitted, shaking my head in disappointment.

    "The talent you possess, and those of your Pok¨¦mon, will only grow. You cannot seek to help the world in ways you can''t yet. However, when you''re a bit older and more experienced. You can use these gifts of yours to truly do good in the world. To do better than battle for competition."

    I smiled at Elder Li. "Thank you."

    "You''ve very welcome."

    "How did Team Rocket operate?"

    "It''s getting late."

    "Tell me. Please."

    He saw how badly I wanted to know.

    Elder Li scooted a chair out around the library table, sitting down next to me.

    "Team Rocket operated mostly in the shadows. They didn''t try to steal Pok¨¦mon unless it was through very subtle means."

    "How?"

    "Bribes, replacing them with others, or very similar ones. Giovanni''s biggest mistake was when he attempted to steal Red''s Pok¨¦mon. That put him in direct opposition to the Pok¨¦mon League because Red was so known, and so talented."

    Elder Li continued patiently. "I was only recently elected to become Elder of Sprout Tower when this happened but. Team Rocket attempted to do anything to gain its power, but it was always very strategic about where and what to do. When Red uncovered Giovanni''s plans to try to take over the Pok¨¦mon League through subterfuge, and strong arming, that was when he defeated him shortly afterward."

    Elder Li shook his head. "What you need to know is that Giovanni''s main goal was using technology and Pok¨¦mon through any means necessary in order to take over everything he could. A very subtle and calculated man, one who was more than clever enough to slip through Red''s fingers following his loss to him."

    A mafia boss, his power was generated through the false appearance of legitimacy, but grown through lies and force.

    Possibly cloning, tactics, and working from the shadows. Team Rocket wasn''t as stupid nor nearly as brutal and up front as I was expecting.

    "Go to sleep. If you want to find Red, or find Mew? You cannot do so in one day. Even one month, or even a year. It will likely take you the rest of your life."

    "And what about Team Rocket?"

    "They don''t exist anymore, they''re only a rumor now Nico."

    "Thank you, Master Li."

    The Elder and I bowed to one another, and I left.

    I went to bed that night thinking of the Order of Sprout Sages. I realized just why I stuck with them so much despite the freedom Elder Toji had gave me.

    While I owed Elder Toji my life after he and the sages saved me from that Vigoroth. Gave me a place to stay when I would''ve otherwise certainly died by starvation or at the hands of a wild Pok¨¦mon on Mount Takujimi. He taught me something I respected Elder Li for giving to me to:

    Purpose.

    I''d learned the world of Pok¨¦mon was greatly about the pursuit of glory, respect, and honor.

    Everyone I''d battled likely started training hearing about Red. A kid from some small town in Kanto with just a Charmander, who one day became the greatest and most famous battler who ever walked the planet.

    He was so famous that those who grew up with him and competed alongside him, like Blue and Leaf were extremely famous.

    The Order, like it did tonight, taught me something I''d greatly respect it for.

    You didn''t win your fame or honor. You earned it for yourself.

    You were supposed to train and raise Pok¨¦mon to the best of your ability for the sake of raising them. Ironically, all of this publicity I rose for the Order was supposed to teach them about our methods.

    Everything, every Pok¨¦mon move, every bit of training, every battle, starts with connection. Connection to the Pok¨¦mon, its needs, growth, and its uniqueness.

    While Teddiursa was a great Pok¨¦mon of mine, I don''t think it''d ever trust me to the degree Slakoth, or now Vigoroth did.

    Because I raised him since he was barely a newborn unfortunately misplaced from his dead mother near the temple. In a way, I was essentially his parent.

    The severity of the effort Vigoroth put behind his battling was why he won, and that was only something the Order could teach me to this degree:

    Empathy.

    ¡­

    I spent a lot of time researching things on my Pok¨¦Nav during my breaks the next morning well outside the temple when I caught up with Violet.

    Team Rocket, or crime of any sort, was barely on the news app.

    From what I gathered, despite Gold canonically being the one to bring down Team Rocket''s second attempt to rise to power, they didn''t exist anymore. Or at least, were too small or smart to do anything.

    Another thing I checked regularly were the WCPL rankings.

    Each tournament, including the yearly World Championships, gave a certain number of points depending where you placed and which tournament.

    Ranked first in the entire world was Leaf, this year''s world champion, but only behind by a couple tournaments was Blue Oak.

    Then there was Cynthia, ranked third by a tiny margin too, who was actually in charge of running the entire Sinnoh region''s Pok¨¦mon League, followed by a number of other Trainers.

    Slakoth''s evolution to Vigoroth had gone much smoother than I was expecting, but rather than focus all of my effort towards him and make this tournament a walk in the park, I decided to change my strategy.

    I wanted Teddiursa to be my new main for this tournament. Of course, Vigoroth would always be my starter, but Teddiursa was no longer this clueless cutesy teddy bear I found licking honey off a tree in the woods.

    In fact, he appeared to settle directly into my objectives for the highest performing Pok¨¦mon team I could produce rather quickly.

    Teddiursa took training seriously, he rarely stuck his paw in his mouth anymore even if there wasn''t any honey on it. He didn''t ever look at me in confusion or annoyance during sparring, no. His eyes were on his opponent, he stayed in the fight and fought how I needed, until the moment I said so.

    While it did in fact take weeks, I was able to refine Teddiursa''s very aggressive and admittedly powerful raw strength, into clean, precise, and effective strikes and techniques, that although they were basic and Normal type moves mostly. Were extremely effective, at least against the veteran Pok¨¦mon of the fellow monks I had here at Sprout Tower.

    Teddiursa''s best attacks were definitely Scratch, Fury Swipes, and the occasional Faint Attack. He had even started to learn a low level Slash, but it still need a whole lot of work to be as effective as Vigoroth''s.

    Teddiursa didn''t pick up Take Down, Thrash, nor Counter as well as I needed, but everything else he used so exceptionally I didn''t really mind. These were tools he''d likely perfect after another month or so, maybe more.

    Vigoroth, despite his debut in the last tournament, was supposed to be my secret weapon ironically. The entire point of my strategy was for Teddiursa to do so well, that I wouldn''t even need to use Vigoroth.

    In the unlikely event Teddiursa took enough damage for me to switch him out, Vigoroth would absolutely smash anything left in front of him. The best sages at Sprout Tower, studying and raising Bellsprout for decades, fought very evenly, or in fact lost some matches with Vigoroth even on his worst days.

    Teddiursa wasn''t that far behind him, in fact, despite Vigoroth possessing a clear edge, Teddiursa was decently close in battling skill and strength to Vigoroth.

    I was proud of their growth, and was looking forward to continuing to compete and train with both of them soon.

    Because my Pok¨¦mon journey was still a very long road ahead, I was just about to challenge my first gym this weekend.

    ¡­

 First Gym Badge

    I was actually a bit disappointed.

    Not by Falkner''s Gym, it was actually very nice, even compared to Clair''s gym back in Blackthorn City. It had very ornate architecture commemorating Falkner''s family''s love, respect, and skill with Flying type Pok¨¦mon, and was largely made of bricks, wood, and stone, more like a giant cabin instead of a Pok¨¦mon gym.

    There were four main mats like last time, except there was a far smaller crowd, and two floors in the cabin like gym to watch the Pok¨¦mon battles.

    The main issue I had with the tournament was the actual competition itself.

    Somehow, only Gold was the only person able to find a tournament and win it in order to compete today between today and the several weeks prior during Blackthorn City.

    And, the first rounds were extremely easy.

    Teddiursa was actually a bit confused when I threw him out of his ball and he had to match against anything that wasn''t a Hoothoot, Bellsprout, or even Vigoroth.

    When he realized it was a real match he appeared to think ''oh, we''re fighting'' and the match was over about four short exchanges later.

    Houndour, as solid as a Pok¨¦mon as that was, barely lasted two hits before being bashed and thrown agains the side of the ring. His Trainer was actually decent, a respectably ranked guy from Olivine City, but it was over in the first minute.

    Houndour was completely unable to connect with its Ember, and at short range, its jaws were totally unable to overcome Teddiursa''s raw strength. A single Scratch to the ribs and Houndour had the wind knocked completely out of it.

    It went down, the judge paused the match, and Teddiursa ended it with Fury Swipes uncontested to Houndour''s snout as soon as the fight began again.

    Despite an Ekans and a tough Geodude requiring some tricky uses of Counter, Teddiursa barely took even a hint of damage.

    I was already in the semi finals when I was starting to get a bit bored, until I realized just how well Gold was doing.

    I could see Violet, never approving of him like always, pouting in the stands as the same Buneary who once beat her at Blackthorn City, bounced around the mat and kicked a Pidgey in the face, right out of the air.

    Again, the white barriers around each ring did their jobs, catching Pok¨¦mon or fire or whatever the battle sent around before they could slip into the galleries.

    Buneary ended up winning the round three judge''s vote to none, and Gold was so confident he actually switched out his Buneary even though it was fine.

    It was there when I saw him using Quilava for the first time.

    And if I thought Buneary was good the first time I battled it with Slakoth, this Quilava was even better.

    Solely using Smokescreen, and Quick Attack, Quilava absolutely annihilated an Aipom. It was just playing with it the entire round, scaring it with random weak Embers to move it into a perfectly timed Quick Attack, and then dissapear right back into the smoke.

    It was hard to see through all the smoke, but Quilava appeared even faster than Buneary, which was quite an accomplishment.

    Quilava then disobeyed Gold''s orders instead of playing it safe, and knocked out the Aipom with Flame Wheel, where I realized the true extent of Quilava''s power. And that, this was the Pok¨¦mon that lead Gold''s pacing in Red''s footsteps in the previous series. Buneary was more than fine, but this Quilava was a powerhouse.

    Its Flame Wheel was so strong that the Aipom was injured, and one of the walls making the indoor hockey rink looking ring scorched completely black.

    The arena only had around fifty spectators in it, Trainer events were a lot more private unless they were big name tournaments with bigger name people, and everyone who lost had mostly left. But everyone was quiet after Quilava knocked out that Aipom.

    Everyone knew Gold was good, but not good enough to injure a Pok¨¦mon. Injuries were common in Trainer battles, they were of course never intentional but nonetheless a possible result in matches.

    The Aipom was fine, it just had a rather burnt tail, but it was clear that Quilava was no joke. It was better than I was expecting, and I had played Pok¨¦mon Crystal using Quilava when I was younger in my previous life.

    My own semi final match wasn''t nearly as eventful.

    The girl opposing me had to tearfully recall a Sunflora and Zubat within a minute and a half of Teddiursa Scratching them nonstop.

    Teddiursa dominated the fight the same way he dominated the previous rounds.

    First he hit his opponents fast and hard, they typically couldn''t prevent it, and if they did, they only prolonged the inevitable Fury Swipes or Scratches. Their own attacks were typically not quick or strong enough to be remotely effective against Teddiursa''s sheer strength.

    Even though it blocked everything head on, if it wasn''t quick enough to dodge for some reason, Teddiursa''s stance and body was so strong that enemy attacks didn''t seem to affect it at all. Physical or special, of any type or from any range.

    After hitting his opponents very hard, it was clear to both my opposing Trainer and her Pok¨¦mon that it''d be best to keep their distance.

    And from there, it was clear Teddiursa was winning by judge''s decision, and all he had to do was wait. And then he attacked again, and again, he was attacking uncontested pretty much the entire match.

    These were very hard shots that just kept landing, the girl in the other chair had no choice.

    Teddiursa won the match by the first capitulation, I ever saw. I had made my opponent forfeit by switching out both Pok¨¦mon.

    Then there was the final.

    ¡­

    Violet had too much to say, yet again.

    However, yet again, I had my own strategy.

    I knew Teddiursa could beat Buneary any day of the week. Buneary could slip some shots in, but she only held a tiny advantage in speed, and Teddiursa grossly outmatched Buneary in strength.

    These were two purely Physical attacking Normal types with more or less the same fighting style.

    Unlike Slakoth, Teddiursa was far more aggressive, timed his attacks worse, but made up for it with sheer physical power and ruthlessness. He had a controlled rage to his battling that as was shown prior, even made people quit.

    Then I realized that the size of the crowd had more than tripled, and the reason why made sense.

    Most of the Trainers here today were either young, inexperienced, or unskilled, a strong mix of all three. Granted I wasn''t that old or experienced either, but my skill level, along with Gold''s put us a step ahead of the rest of the thirty or so people competing.

    A few people were even recording the match on their Pok¨¦Navs.

    Gold and I then lined up to begin the final of the tournament to challenge Falkner''s Gym.

    The center judge gestured forward, and Gold threw out his first Pok¨¦mon.

    "Go Buneary!" he shouted.

    The bunny Pok¨¦mon punched the air rapidly when she landed on the mat, doing a sudden backflip.

    "It''s all you Teddiursa!"

    He growled when I sent him out from his Great Ball onto the mat.

    "Ready!?"

    The center judge then yelled, gesturing with both hands to begin the match. "Begin!"

    Buneary struck first, attempting uses of Quick Attack, but I had drilled Teddiursa prior on how to deal with it.

    After Slakoth''s match with Buneary almost a month ago, I realized that in the event Buneary was able to use Quick Attack, Teddiursa''s best bet was to time her with a reverse punch to the midsection.

    The tiny bear''s knee dropped as he transferred all his power into a perfectly timed Counter.

    As his claw created a super effective hit, Buneary had the wind knocked clear out of her from the punch right to the center of her chest.

    Buneary dropped, but had the agility to bounce away before Teddiursa could follow it up.

    "Shake it off, you''re just getting started Buneary!" said Gold.

    After that initial blow, Buneary was hesitant to try and land anything after that, and Teddiursa was just doing his thing.

    He controlled the mat, sure Buneary moved just a tiny bit faster around the ring, but his positioning, and his decision making was far superior.

    Teddiursa was in complete control of the match after the first thirty seconds. Buneary was practically driven out of the ring from how well Teddiursa faked and repositioned himself, I had worked on his footwork for weeks and now I could see how well it had improved.

    I checked the timer from my Trainer''s box.

    There was only a minute and a half left on the clock.

    "Do something Buneary, go after him!"

    Teddiursa easily dodged spinning round kicks to the face, the last one glancing harmlessly off his claws when Buneary attempted a follow up spinning back kick to his midsection.

    Teddiursa circled her around the ring, planted his feet and then struck.

    Buneary took another massive hit, this time four Fury Swipes all to the temple as Teddiursa timed her Jump Kick.

    Buneary covered up and tried using her head movement, to no avail. Teddiursa landed flush with both hands repeatedly, and she barely staggered away.

    A minute to go, Buneary had no answers. She was down, two hits to nothing, and so far, it appeared only if she knocked out Teddiursa she might win.

    But that wouldn''t happen.

    "Dizzy punch let''s go!"

    Nope. Teddiursa just barely moved back, parrying with his front paw, and Buneary missed entirely. She bounced away in time again to avoid getting countered, but it didn''t matter, nothing she did was connecting at all.

    It took me a moment, but I figured out that Gold likely had spent far more time with Quilava than with Buneary. Buneary wasn''t a weak Pok¨¦mon by any means, it''s just I had determined just exactly how to counter her fighting style and maximizing Teddiursa''s timing and strength advantages.

    With fifteen seconds left on the clock, I could tell the rematch the crowd was waiting for wasn''t really there yet.

    But it was certainly brewing in the next round.

    Teddiursa had utterly dominated this fight, Buneary''s speed and skill placing her out of knockout territory for the duration of the match. But she was barely close to touching Teddiursa.

    Eventually, the buzzer rang, and I could see Gold shaking his head.

    The electronic whistle blew, then it blew again and all three judges voted in favor of me.

    "Round one. Red side, winner." The center judge raised a hand to his right.

    Gold called Buneary over to his chair, seemed to talk to her patiently but reproachfully for a bit. After he gave his advice, he dissapointedly sighed and recalled her to her Pok¨¦ball.

    It might''ve only had a bit of action, but this match told me Teddiursa was more than capable of fighting Quilava. He was just going to have to try a lot harder.

    "Remember what we worked on okay?"

    The bear Pok¨¦mon nodded to me, wiping his chin with his left paw.

    After winning the first round, the judges let Teddiursa rest for a minute and a half. But I don''t really think he needed it.

    More than anything, I just let him walk around the mat, trying to review our strategy in his head when it came to Quilava.

    If it wasn''t for my previous knowledge of how Quilava fought and moved, from the anime, games, and seeing Quilava fight a bit. I think even Vigoroth would''ve had his work cut out for him.

    The judge gestured forward to begin the fight.

    "Pick up the pace tonight Quilava!"

    Gold threw out a Pok¨¦ball and out popped a Quilava a bit larger than the average ones for his size according to the Pok¨¦dex function I''d read earlier on my Pok¨¦Nav.

    It circled its tail for a second and then sang. "Laavaaaaa!" the plumes of fire on its back glowed for a second.

    Teddiursa was already still on the mat, lowering himself into his stance.

    "Begin!"

    Teddiursa found himself in a thick plume of smoke after Quilava instantly activated Smokescreen the second the match began.

    We had worked on this, I wasn''t nervous.

    Rather then stay in the middle of the mat, Teddiursa backpedaled to the corners of the ring where the Smokescreen was at its weakest.

    Quilava, and Gold, wanted this, for Teddiursa to move to a position where he still couldn''t see Quilava strike.

    In the darkness of the smokescreen, appeared a spinning flaming ball, giving Teddiursa under a second to dodge. As he did so, Teddiursa blocked to protect his face from an Ember.

    Quilava was so fast and skilled it could pull out of a Flame Wheel mid air, and bask Teddiursa in flames from his mouth.

    Teddiursa likewise knew Quilava would temporarily be out of the Smokescreen he created, and took advantage of the split second opportunity.

    Using Tackle, a move that Teddiursa a decent amount of time to learn effectively considering he typically couldn''t do it, Teddiursa overwhelmed Quilava with its superior physical strength and pinned it to the mat.

    Whether it was Slash or Scratch, I couldn''t tell. I could see Teddiursa load up his claw in the air and then dig it directly into Quilava''s flank. The Fire Type howled loudly, spinning onto its front paws to push Teddiursa away with its back legs almost like a donkey kick, or a back kick.

    Teddiursa blocked easily, but the stagger was strong enough to allow Quilava to slip back into the smoke and shake off the power of the massive hit to its torso.

    I smiled, even though the match just started.

    Judging from the fact that Quilava seemed to be hiding in the smoke for a moment, allowing Gold to give advice as Teddiursa was more or less unable to attack, I realized just how hard Teddiursa had Scratched its flank.

    Any harder, and Teddiursa might''ve actually cut Quilava.

    I was right.

    A few seconds later, and Quilava shot out Embers from inside the smokescreen like a fiery machine gun. However, because Teddiursa could easily discern the bright red fire from all the black smoke, it gave him more than enough time to start closing the distance from Quilava''s location while dodging.

    From how fast Teddiursa was moving and how many Embers were shot, by the time Teddiursa reached Quilava, all the smoke was gone.

    And I could see that Teddiursa had Scratched Quilava so hard, that his right claw had left a massive mark in the right side of his body. Its blue fur had three clean cuts in the shape of Teddiursa''s claw.

    Returning the favor, Quilava barreled into Teddiursa''s stomach at full speed with another Flame Wheel. While Teddiursa blocked, it didn''t matter, Quilava got what Gold wanted. He was able to light parts of Teddiursa on fire.

    Not wasting a second, Quilava used the opening Teddiursa''s distraction at being lit aflame temporarily caused, and used Quick Attack.

    Teddiursa had to tear up the mat underneath him so slow down the severity of his slide under the strength which with Quilava had hit him.

    "Swift!" shouted Gold, trying to land another hit.

    Again, I said nothing. Teddiursa knew what to do.

    Teddiursa ran forward towards the heat seeking stars Quilava shot at him as fast as his little legs could carry him, and somersaulted beneath them at the last second.

    With Tackle, Teddiursa grabbed and turned Quilava before he realized what was happening.

    "Break free-"

    Quilava''s own Swift struck him very hard, sure Teddiursa took some damage from the flames on Quilava''s back, but it wasn''t nearly as bad as being grabbed and shoved directly into his own attack.

    Teddiursa then instantly moved away, despite the blow, Quilava was more than capable enough to ignite his back and make Teddiursa run or get seriously burned at close range.

    Teddiursa still fought smart though, flinging Quilava away to create some distance and then center himself back on the mat again.

    Gold seemed to be in deep thought, and I spoke for the first time in the entire match.

    "Hands up, but let him come to you."

    Teddiursa barely looked over at me, ready for whatever came next.

    The slight pause the match was over almost as soon as it started.

    "Embers! As many as you can!"

    Teddiursa''s ability to strafe incoming firebolts while closing the distance between him and his opponent still impressed me. It was if he considered weeks of avoiding Vine Whip to be the same thing, when the attack came in completely differently.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Quilava was able to see Teddiursa coming and about to evade in time, but Teddiursa hit him with a spinning back kick.

    "Irraaaa!" the bear roared when activating Slash with his back foot.

    Quilava went flying back, but was able to use Flame Wheel to recover from the blow and then accelerate towards Teddiursa, burning the mat completely black in the process in its wake.

    Teddiursa did not have the time nor the mat space to dodge in time, only able to block. And wow, I realized what a bad idea that was.

    Because Teddiursa then got hit so hard he was knocked off his feet, tumbling with tiny flames all across his body and struck the mat even harder.

    I could hear the crowd gasp.

    "Stop!" the center judge said.

    I watched as Teddiursa leaned over, blinking repeatedly.

    He got his feet out from under him when I thought the match was already over.

    Teddiursa picked his hands up, getting back into his stance, clawing the air repeatedly while growling.

    "Continue!"

    Quilava tried the same Flame Wheel again, but measured his distance incorrectly and gave more than enough time for Teddiursa to counter. I get why he did it, Teddiursa got dropped, and it looked like he was finished for a second.

    But still, Teddiursa merely side stepped at the last second, and reached into the Flame Wheel, grabbing Quilava by the leg.

    The strength and power by which Teddiursa slammed Quilava right into the mat made the floor almost shake. I heard Quilava again shriek in pain and then tumble over, spitting furious Embers to make Teddiursa reposition.

    I glanced at the center judge, luckily he said nothing because I didn''t want them to stop the fight.

    Quilava''s back left leg was at least sprained, probably broken from how hard Teddiursa had thrown him into the mat. His right flank was slashed down past all its fur, and it was still releasing so much fire that Teddiursa had to keep its distance in attempt to recover.

    Quilava seemed to get his strength back just momentarily enough to barrell past Teddiursa one more time.

    Teddiursa dodged, too confused at dealing with the severity and quantity of fire Ember and Flame Wheel was producing in the entire ring. The mat had become a mini oven, slowly heating up more and more making Teddiursa sweat while Quilava was in his element despite his injuries.

    With under a minute left to go in the match, I saw Teddiursa get knocked clean out for the first time ever.

    Quilava attempted another Flame Wheel, knowing he''d get countered, at the last second he timed when Teddiursa would try to grab him or hit him with Scratch or Fury swipes and then basked Teddiursa in flames.

    At close range, with the fury and quantity of Embers Quilava spat onto Teddiursa, this more resembled a mid level Flamethrower to me.

    And Teddiura could not get up.

    He dropped to his knees from the fire, and before Quilava could strike again, the center judge stopped the match for a second time.

    "Stop!" he roared.

    Teddiursa couldn''t move, it was panting, hurt from the blow. He had patted away enough fire to be safe, but his entire front was scorched.

    The center judge walked forward from his box as Gold called Quilava right over and spoke to him very quickly.

    After checking on Teddiursa, the judge made a call I completely agreed with. I was actually about to recall Teddiursa to his Great Ball as there was no way he''d be able to fight at all after being Burned and hit that hard.

    "Teddiursa is unable to battle! The winner of this round is Quilava!"

    Barely.

    I could tell there were small moments here and there where Teddiursa had connected with a Fury Swipe or two, or a small Scratch between exchanges.

    The crowd applauded and cheered, and I nodded in respect across the ring to Gold when I recalled Teddiursa.

    Then, I released Vigoroth.

    Gold''s Quilava turned around, and the entire crowd instantly went quiet.

    The Roar Vigoroth released was powerful enough to send wind through Quilava''s fireproof, slashed, and blue fur.

    It didn''t shake, not even for a moment, but I could tell Gold had a decision to make.

    "Can you continue?" the center judge turned to Gold.

    I don''t think Quilava had any fight left in him. He most certainly appeared to have some, but he had gotten hit so much, and so hard, that there was no way Vigoroth wasn''t just going to beat it with ease.

    Even under normal circumstances, I was sure Gold knew even Quilava would struggle against Vigoroth.

    Then Gold made a decision I think I''d forever respect him for.

    He humbly stood up and bowed and returned Quilava to his Pok¨¦ball.

    "Winner!" the center judge turned towards my chair and raised a hand.

    I looked to the crowd, and never saw Brody from CFG look so upset in his life.

    ¡­

    Violet however, was ecstatic.

    "That''s two times we showed up CFG." she hugged me after we all got our medals on the podium.

    Inoru chuckled at her words. "A job very nicely done Nico."

    "Thank you." I bowed to him.

    I looked at the Pok¨¦ball in my hand.

    I was unbelievably proud of Teddiursa. He did his job. Vigoroth was only let out of his ball for a moment and he didn''t even have to fight.

    Moreover, Teddiursa was basically nearing a stage in his growth mature enough to begin getting ready to become an Ursaring. After scanning his ball with my Pok¨¦Nav, I found out that he was just now reaching the young adult stage of his development.

    And it showed just how much he had grown tonight.

    "Congratulations."

    I shook Gold''s hand. "Dude. You did so well today."

    Gold laughed, raising his gold cap and passing a hand across his jet black hair. "Thanks man, I was actually hoping to get a rematch with that Slakoth of yours. But I guess I missed my shot." he said in a calm, but strong voice.

    "You''ll get another chance."

    "That''s what I wanted to talk to you about."

    I looked around the arena in Falkner''s gym. There were a few other Trainers chatting nearby, the judges had already packed up everything from the tournament.

    "I''m all ears."

    "You''re the first person to really beat me. I''ve been doing this for a very long time, and all my losses were some very close decisions, or, myself on my worst days."

    I''d been there when I competed in karate myself in my previous life.

    Gold sighed, shrugging and speaking in exasperation. "Until you. You don''t have a Gym behind you, until last month, I heard you didn''t even have a ''Nav."

    "So what''re you trying to say?"

    "Brody and I got into an argument. And I wanted to let you know that you proved something to me I didn''t expect to see from anyone, well, ever." Gold chuckled, shaking his head. "All CFG''s simulations try so hard to emulate Red with numbers. That we never realized how he became world champion in the first place."

    That was a bit of irony I never realized either.

    "On his own, doing what you''re doing. Making a strategy, changing it if it doesn''t work."

    I was still a bit confused. "Why''re you letting me know this."

    "What am I hoping for here, that the third time''s the charm? I don''t think you''re that much better at battles than me. It''s just a matter of strategy and training, and the mindset you bring to competition."

    Gold sighed. "My parents are gonna kill me for this but um, this past month of training when I got Quilava back on my team. It was the best I felt in the ring after a very long time, since I first started Training and competing actually. And I brought my old starter back suspecting correctly you didn''t use simulations or techniques from Gyms at all."

    Yes. Gold improved in one month, more or less how much I did with my own team in the same amount of time.

    He smiled at me, still speaking respectfully. "I''m going to find my own path to becoming the best Pok¨¦mon Trainer I can be away from CFG. I think I can beat you someday, but I''m going to do it on my own."

    "Looking forward to seeing you again."

    We shook hands.

    Violet spoke to me smugly after she watched Gold walk away. "You think Clair''s gonna hate you even more now?"

    I wouldn''t blame her. Gold walked away from a very close final match and a silver medal, as well as likely coming back to win this tournament and definitely secure the Zephyr badge next month with ease.

    "No, actually. I think Gold made the best choice stepping away from doing exactly as she always said. That," I gestured toward Gold in the direction he left. "Is how you make a rivalry. No bad blood, no name calling. Just pure respect for each other as Trainers."

    What really impressed me is how after not using his starter for such a long time, how Gold was able to compete so goddamn well with it.

    "You think you''ll see him again?" she asked.

    "Definitely."

    "He''s not as good as you though." said Violet proudly.

    It didn''t matter.

    Canonically, Gold beats the return of Team Rocket, Lance, and finds Red on Mount Silver and defeats him. From what I can tell, he''s probably even better than the avatar of the second generation of Pok¨¦mon games.

    Because here he''s a person capable of making his own decisions, he''s not a video game character. Gold has the skills to use a Pok¨¦mon he didn''t compete with for several months and instantly bring it back to fighting shape in a matter of weeks.

    I saw Brody finish chatting with a few other coaches from a pair of Gyms before he left the stands.

    "Hey man, great match today." I shook Brody''s hand.

    "Thanks, but I don''t think you''ll have to worry about me hovering around Gold at tournaments any longer."

    "I heard."

    Brody ignored Violet smirking at him as she talked to Inoru behind me. "You''ve made Clair and I." he gave a very long and tired sigh. "Reconsider our entire strategy actually. We''ll still use simulations, but losing our star student."

    Brody looked off at the black carpet leading out of the arena in Falkner''s Gym. "That shakes teams to their core. I hope to see you one day bring pride to Johto in competitive battling."

    "I''ll do my best Brody."

    We bowed to one another.

    As I saw him walk away, I realized something.

    Falkner was probably going to be an easier win than Gold. Not that Gold was remotely easy, in fact he was the only person tonight who technically made me use Vigoroth.

    Which made me realize something, it was Vigoroth''s turn.

    ¡­

    Over three hundred people attended the monthly Gym challenge to Falkner. Several Trainers qualified to challenge Falkner for the Zephyr badge, but I was the only person scheduled to match.

    Even still, people knew I was there.

    "The rookie all star from Kama Valley." I heard someone in the crowd murmur when Violet, Inoru, and I all walked past them.

    I signed in with my Pok¨¦Nav''s digital Trainer Badge function at the luxurious hotel front desk type lobby, and a staff member of Falkner''s gym arrived.

    The entire arena had changed overnight, I suspected machinery similar to those in Clair''s gym was used.

    A huge completely glass sealed skywalk replaced the galleries, replacing the second floor of the cabin looking arena from last night only about twenty feet high in the air.

    The bottom of the arena had the standard green and white Pok¨¦mon League ring, including two Trainer''s boxes.

    I was told to stand and wait next to one of the pillars holding up the skywalk.

    Across the ring, I could see a young man at least around two years older than me wearing a white sash, and traditional blue Johto robes and jacket. Judging from the look on his face, despite how calm he looked, I could tell Falkner was dealing with quite a situation on his hands.

    This was his home court, but everyone knew this was probably his first real challenge since inheriting the Gym from his father.

    The head judge from last night''s tournament, a man who I believed help run Azalea Town''s Gym a few years ago, stepped foreward between either side of the ring along the edges and spoke into a microphone attached to his chin.

    Falkner and I stared off as the judge spoke. "This official Pok¨¦mon League Gym challenge will not have a timer nor scored judge''s decisions. Only two Pok¨¦mon of no stage higher than second evolution will be permitted to be used. When I deem a Pok¨¦mon can no longer battle or has been switched out, it has been removed from competition."

    The judge looked between us. "When one Trainer has lost both Pok¨¦mon from competition, the other Trainer will win the challenge. Bow, shake hands."

    "Good luck." Falkner said.

    I shook his hand calmly. "Thanks."

    The crowd applauded.

    I was pretty sure I was going to win, the only annoying part were all of Falkner''s fangirls in the stands making so much noise.

    The center judge gestured forward and I released my Pok¨¦mon first without a word.

    "Oro!"

    Vigoroth pounded his chest, walking forward on his front paws like an ape, getting ready for the match.

    "Let''s go Fearow!"

    The great Beak Pok¨¦mon spun forward after being released from his ball, crowing loudly.

    "Begin!"

    "Whirlwind!" I heard Falkner shout.

    Crowing, Fearow began to create giant gusts of wind throughout the arena.

    I was forced to dig into my Trainer''s box and hold on tight.

    Vigoroth knew what to do.

    He dug his claws into the earth floor of the arena to tether himself, and emitted his massive Roar.

    I could see the crowd gasp as Fearow shook in the air for a moment under a blast of air from Vigoroth''s mouth so powerful it pierced through its Whirlwind.

    Vigoroth launched so hard off the ground through the whirlwinds he Tackled Fearow to the ground.

    Its claws glowing white, he buried Fury Swipe after Fury Swipe directly into Fearow''s neck and face.

    The Beak Pok¨¦mon wriggled free with a blocked smack with its beak for good measure.

    "You okay Fearow?"

    The Flying type Pok¨¦mon responded with a quick crow and then dove in sharp with Drill Peck.

    Vigoroth merely side stepped, grabbed Fearow by its long neck and flung it hard against one of the galleries.

    It shook it off, only to see Vigoroth flying through the air throwing a Slash launching off its powerful legs.

    Vigoroth dug its claw right into the gallery post, shaking the entire skywalk in the process.

    Roaring again, Fearow wisely began to keep its distance.

    Vigoroth launched off the skywalk, bouncing from skywalk glass to skywalk glass like I saw its kind do back on Mount Takujimi.

    Vigoroth proceeded to nail Fearow right in the beak at full power, with a beautifully timed flying Slash to the jaw.

    "ORO!"

    Fearow fell out of the air, and Vigoroth was still directly on top of it, its claw raised, ready to strike.

    "Stop!"

    The judge waited to see if Fearow was knocked out or not yet, and when it rose back into the air weakly, he spoke.

    "Continue! Continue!"

    "Get it together Fearow! Snap out of it!"

    I egged on Vigoroth, there was no way I''d tell him to calm down with Fearow on the ropes. "More aggression! Go after it come on!"

    Vigoroth didn''t need to be told twice.

    Desperate Whirlwinds and Drill Pecks had absolutely no effect, if anything they just put Fearow in closer range of its very sharp, powerful, and quick claws that seemed to scratch and slash Fearow a million times per hour.

    Fearow was just desperately trying to regain its bearings, but Vigoroth refused to stay in spot on the ground.

    In fact it leapt around the arena explosively, either throwing Slashes right to its beak, timing Counters every time Fearow foolishly attacked and tried to get in range, or just outright running around the ring at the bottom of the arena.

    Vigoroth was strong enough to dig its claws into the ground beneath it and start hurling chunks of earth right at Fearow.

    A very crude and admittedly ineffective Rock Throw or maybe Rock Slide, but if a single one hit Fearow''s wing super effectively, it was game over.

    "Come on Fearow! Combinations!"

    Again, its Whirlwind was completely ineffective.

    While Vigoroth could definitely just Roar through with its claws dug into the ground to avoid being knocked off balance into a Drill Peck, Vigoroth had gotten so used to the Whirlwinds he had timed their patterns.

    He determined exactly the rhythm of Fearow''s wings beating the air to leap right onto it.

    Vigoroth jumped about twenty five feet right through the air and connected with a leaping Slash again, this time right in Fearow''s chest.

    Fearow tried to dodge but its own Whirlwinds spun it right into Vigoroth''s claws.

    Fearow collapsed, and crumpled against the arena floor.

    I could see Falkner wince and shake his head with an annoyed groan when the judge spoke. "Fearow is unable to battle!"

    The crowd was cheering, his fangirls shouting from the stands inside the skywalk.

    Falkner seemed to cycle through several Pok¨¦balls, likely picking which one to choose before he haphazardly threw one out.

    "You got this Pidgeotto!"

    No, no it didn''t.

    By this point, as a Slakoth, and even in the last month as a Vigoroth, Vigoroth had gotten so used to battling flying Pok¨¦mon such as Pidgey, Pidgeotto, and especially Hoothoot and Spearow, that this Pidgeotto was just a quicker, larger, and better trained version of Pok¨¦mon he understood like the back of his hand.

    "Wing Attack!"

    "Counter." I said calmly from my Trainer''s box.

    As fast as Pidgeotto was, it just worked to Vigoroth''s advantage. As he was quick enough and his timing good enough to more than use Counter with ease.

    Turning with the direction of Pidgeotto''s swooping strike, Vigoroth turned and spun it, flinging the Pidgeotto directly into a karate block I had taught it.

    It was the equivalent of a bird''s momentum being redirected into a brick wall out of a very fast dive. Pidgeotto''s outstretched wing struck Vigoroth''s structured forearm, that with its stance, it cracked against it the way I saw birds smack windows in my previous life.

    Pidgeotto''s wing was clearly injured, and before the center judge could do anything, I heard Falkner audibly gasp as Vigoroth picked up the bird and hurled it right against one of the gallery pillars.

    I winced, almost feeling the impact from my Trainer''s box right down to my own feet.

    The dust settled, and a knocked out Pidgeotto laid completely knocked out.

    Without even so much as a scratch on it, Vigoroth turned and beat its chest, Roaring again victoriously at the top of its very powerful lungs.

    I was so proud of this Pok¨¦mon right now I had no idea what to say.

    The judge actually stuttered.

    "T-The winner of this Gym challenge. Nico, of Takujimi!" he raised a hand to his left, to the blue Trainer''s box I sat in.

    "What!?" I clearly heard a girl from the skywalk say.

    Falkner almost seemed to need a second before drawing his Pok¨¦ball and recalling Pidgeotto.

    He seemed to mutter to it for a second, and like that, I had earned my first Gym badge.

    ¡­

    Similar to Clair, he invited me to his office through one of his staff members after our match.

    "Impressive stuff." he managed to say.

    I looked around his office.

    There were pictures of his father, a man who looked very similar to Falkner, in his twenties, battling what looked like Professor Oak in a photograph still in black and white.

    Falkner shook his head, chuckling. "I heard you were good but um, I didn''t think you''d be this good."

    "I always do my best."

    "Here."

    Falkner opened his desk drawer and pulled out a small box. He opened it, and offered a small piece of metal with his hand.

    "You more than earned it."

    It was a silver medal with the WCPL logo on it, made in the shape of a bird''s wings. On the back was written today''s date.

    "Why is there a date on it?"

    "Some people have figured out how to fake badges and such."

    I scanned it with my Pok¨¦Nav, and sure enough, my ranking changed. Making a bit of sense.

    "My father raised a lot of these Pok¨¦mon since they were quite young." Falkner muttered, placing said Pok¨¦balls in a glass case on a cabinet in his office. "He told me Bird Pok¨¦mon, and Flying types, weren''t exactly superior to all others."

    I nodded quietly.

    "But they possessed a beauty and a style that surpassed most. Your Pok¨¦mon appear to have a different kind of beauty. A raw degree of speed, power, technique, and timing I''ve rarely seen elsewhere. Never in those seeking to challenge their first gym."

    He seemed to be thinking of what to say next.

    "Wherever you go next, you have my respect Nico. I had literally never even heard of Kama Valley before we met today."

    "Thank you, Leader Falkner."

    "I understand you''ve been invited to challenge Blue Oak''s team in Viridian City."

    I was surprised he knew what Professor Oak had told me. "How did you-"

    "Gym Leaders like to talk." he smirked slightly. "Jasmine, Blue, and I are among the few Gym Leaders across regions close enough to stay in touch despite how busy we might get. My advice to you is to go as soon as you can to Kanto and learn what you can."

    Falkner went on kindly. "You are still." he paused. "A solid year, maybe more, from ever challenging Blue directly. But all the kids on his team would be amazing work for you to spar with. A couple of them even earned a badge or two already, and are most certainly on your level."

    "Can I ask something of you?"

    "Sure." Falkner said.

    "I talked to Violet about this but she never had a solid answer."

    "Your coach?"

    I nodded and then answered quickly. "Mhm. I wanted to know, why are there so few quality trainers in Johto? I''ve only seen one or two outside of all the Gym Leaders?"

    "I''ve asked myself that a lot recently. You can consider me an authority on this since, well. It''s my job to know who''s up and coming in the Pok¨¦mon League."

    Falkner shifted in his comfy looking desk chair. "Other than yourself, and of course Gold who I know will likely be challenging me next month. There is only one Trainer I''ve heard from with a shred of notable talent."

    "Her name is Crystal, I think she also goes by Kris or some such. She''s from New Bark Town, trains a very strong Crocnaw. I think there might be one or two more, but I haven''t heard of them."

    Falkner cleared his throat. "You have three Pok¨¦mon League gold medals from tournaments, as well as your first Gym badge. Considering you''ve only been training for, four months I think. People are going to talk about you."

    He paused, seeming to stare off blankly. "Because with four months, no one can get that far."

    "People already have started talking about me."

    "I know, but, having been there when I was growing up. Block out all that noise, focus on your training. And you''ll always be better than you were yesterday."

    He sounds like he was speaking from experience. "Fan girls distracting you?"

    "You have no idea." Falkner sounded exhausted. "I have one more bit of advice, one that might become apparent when you actually visit Kanto."

    "Yes?"

    "Everyone who Blue Oak will be training when you arrive to practice with. They''ll be the ones like Gold who actually have a shot of beating you someday."

    "I already figured."

    "Take care Nico. I look forward to hearing more from you soon."

    I shook Falkners hand, tucking my new Zephyr badge into my pocket.

    ¡­

    That night, we were already taking the high speed monorail to Viridian City. I had already earned more than seventy grand worth of Pok¨¦dollars from battling this past week so I was more than able to afford it.

    In our compartment, Inoru had actually gotten so bored at listening Violet ramble excitedly non stop he had actually fallen asleep.

    I had been on my Pok¨¦Nav, again reminiscing at its similarity to the smartphone in my previous life.

    Through its social app function, I realized Gold had started following me, as well as Viridian City''s Gym official page.

    I had been in touch with Professor Oak through the app and he told me that Blue''s Arcanine, which was actually the son of his own Arcanine, had recently given birth about a month early.

    While the delivery had been a success and everything was okay, all the resulting Growlithe in the litter were completely healthy. In fact, they were just as strong and healthy as Blue''s and Professor Oak''s had been when they were puppies too.

    Falkner had been kind enough to tell the press to not bother me during my journey to Kanto, and to make an accepted request for Johto''s up and coming trainers such as myself, Gold, and Crystal, as well as others he''d tell Oak about. To be allowed to train with Blue at Viridian City.

    It was here where Samuel Oak made it clear to me just how seriously Blue took battling.

    The difference between him and Leaf wasn''t that he wanted it more than Leaf, he had wanted it too much. The rivalry between him and his childhood friends, including Red, was so great, it had completely shaped who he was.

    Blue was a world champion, even if him and everyone else knew he was never as good as Red, he damn near was at one point. Leaf was barely better than him too, and she was currently ranked first in the entire world.

    He didn''t leave Viridian City, in fact, he hadn''t stopped training except to go compete in World Championships, and no other tournaments really, since he took over its gym years ago.

    In fact, he was rarely spotted outside the gym at all, even though he knew the locals there very well for over fifteen years.

    Violet looked over at me, realizing Inoru had dozed off and fallen asleep. "What is it?"

    "Blue might not even consider giving away any of his litter. Not even to his little brother." I put my Nav away.

    "Yeah I heard Gary Oak was pretty decent, but I get where he''s coming from. That line of Arcanine are basically the most experienced in battles of their kind. How''d the monastery feel about you leaving so soon?"

    "Elder Li wasn''t happy, but he agreed it was time for me to go."

    Violet scoffed, rubbing her eye. "You''re going to be training with the best Pok¨¦mon trainers your age in Kanto and Johto. And he wants you cooped up in Sprout Tower instead?"

    "I''ve only just begun my training as a sage."

    Violet shook her head, speaking kindly. "There are no trainers like you Nico, the monks know that."

    "Still, if it wasn''t for the monks, I''d never have gotten this far."

    "Balancing being a sage and a trainer is tough, I get it. But at one point, they have to realize you''ve done more with their style in months than they did for the past two thousand years. The knowledge you''ll gain about Pok¨¦mon from people like Blue is invaluable."

    "I know."

    Violet smiled. "You know what we''re doing right?"

    "What? What are we doing?"

    "We''re on the path to possibly make you Pok¨¦mon League champion someday."

    "I wouldn''t go that far."

    She chuckled happily. "Think about it. Nico, you''ve gotten your first gym badge after only competing for a few months. That already puts you on the same level as people like Gold, and several others who''ve been doing it for years and are only now earning badges. At this pace, it will only be a matter of years, before you can take on the World Pok¨¦mon League itself and become the best anyone''s seen for a while."

    I looked at her. "I know I''m doing well but, how can you be so sure?"

    "Only a few people have ever really done it. Red, Leaf, Blue, Lance, and Cynthia. Red had six world titles, Leaf two, Blue has two, and Lance and Cynthia are the only ones who ever placed at that level too with bronze and silver medals. They mostly started like you did, they had a type, and built a team around it. Their style was unique."

    "How is my style more unique than anyone else''s I''ve faced?"

    Violet smiled. "You win! It''s that simple."

    I guess that made sense.

    This trip to Kanto I actually looked forward to much more than challenging Falkner''s gym.

    Gary Oak, Blue, even Ash Ketchum. I''d be training with these people for an entire weekend, and I''d grown up as a child in my previous life living through their exploits.

    Playing video games with them as avatars, watching cartoons of them.

    And now they were very real people who''d be people with their own styles Violet mentioned.

    With that in mind, I couldn''t have felt more grateful. Every passing second that took me closer to Viridian City I couldn''t wait.

    I didn''t even really want to raise that Growlithe pup we''d all want, I was just there to learn. Not to win.

    As much as Violet went on about winning, that''s how I felt about competition in general.

 Land a Hit

    Viridian City was so similar to how it appeared in the anime it was actually a bit eerie.

    It looked precisely like a painting or something, a still from a 90s anime of Gunma, Japan, from my childhood. The pale green mountains surrounding the town, the moderately sized city with buildings of all sorts stretching decently high.

    Violet, Inoru, and I, collected our Pok¨¦mon and left the train station, surprised to see Professor Oak standing in the lobby.

    "Hey, it''s good to see you again Nico." he shook my hand.

    "Likewise Professor. Are you going to take us to the Gym?"

    "I''d have offered to hail you a taxi, but luckily, it''s just in walking distance from here. Congratulations on winning your first Gym badge, you again made the news." Oak said with pride.

    "Thank you Professor." I said kindly.

    "If I may," said Inoru. "What exactly are the parameters of Nico''s training this weekend?"

    "Well it''s Blue''s firm belief that this upcoming generation of young Trainers stands more of a shot of beating Leaf for the World Pok¨¦mon League title than he currently does. He wishes to see what Johto''s new Trainers can bring, while giving some tools of his own."

    Violet smiled. "I''m really looking forward to seeing a world champion in action."

    "Well I''m afraid that''s just the thing." said Professor Oak warmly. "My grandson only wishes to allow Nico to participate."

    "But, we''re his mentors." said Inoru.

    "Blue is aware of this. For this weekend''s purposes, he wishes to see how Nico would act in new competitive environments he previously wasn''t used to."

    Violet and I made eye contact really quickly.

    We had expected this.

    Viridian City Gym was for Trainers of such a high skill level that they only had between fifteen challenges for an entire year. It was the Gym champions from other regions came to compete against first before qualifying to compete in several tournaments.

    And several of those ended up with Blue winning within Pok¨¦mon League rules.

    We all knew Leaf was as good as Blue, the only difference was, that Leaf didn''t have a Gym, and trained mostly on her own.

    "That''s fine." Violet said after Inoru nodded.

    "Thank you." Oak bowed his head. "Nico, follow me."

    "I''ll catch up with you guys after training."

    ¡­

    I never in my life would''ve expected to have been walking around Viridian City with the Professor Oak as he led me to Blue''s gym.

    A young delivery man on a bicycle rang his bell at Oak as he smiled and nodded back to him.

    "So how''s Mark? What''s he up to?"

    "He''s visiting his family in Vermillion." said Oak as we waited for the crosswalk light to change.

    I was confused. "He won''t be training with us this weekend?"

    "Gary and Ash are Blue''s closest students, he tutors them personally. The rest of the team are technically still Youngsters. You''ll be practicing with others who recently got their first few gym badges earlier this year."

    I smiled. "Oh, well that makes sense."

    "Are you excited to train with Blue?"

    "I''m sure he''ll be tough but not too tough on us."

    "Blue''s many things. But light on his trainees, I don''t think so." said Oak.

    I looked at Oak. "So how did Blue decide I deserved to be invited?"

    "He watched all the sparring footage of your last three competitions. He never thought much of the Order of Sprout Sage''s style, until he heard of you. I sent him your profile over the Pok¨¦Nav app, and he agreed shortly afterward."

    "But I''m still wondering, what does he get out of all this? Shouldn''t he be focused purely on Ash and Gary?"

    "Well, on the world stage at least, Johto and Kanto are largely considered the same region. Blue has a bit of a vendetta against Leaf at this point from how many times they traded Rank 1 in WCPL."

    Oak sighed, smiling and speaking in reminiscence. "I''ve known them both for almost twenty five years by now, and as much as they both wanted to keep up with Red. After he disappeared, they both dedicated themselves to proving their style was better than the other''s like no one I''ve ever seen."

    "Did they help Red with his other endeavors outside the Pok¨¦mon League?"

    "Here and there." Oak shrugged a bit.

    "So then, it''s true what they''re saying about Team Rocket? That they might come back?"

    Oak''s expression changed from wistful to worried.

    "Where did you hear about this?" he looked over his shoulder at me as we crossed the street.

    "The Elder at Sprout Tower told me."

    "Did your Masters send you on a mission against them?" Oak put his hands in the pockets of his lab coat.

    I shook my head.

    Oak looked at me with a serious but kind tone. "Listen closely Nico, I don''t want you going near Team Rocket no matter what. If you spot any activity you suspect to be related to Rocket, notify myself or the Pok¨¦mon League immediately."

    "I will."

    "Red never listened to me when he battled Giovanni for the first time. Luckily, I was right in assuming he had the skill to remove that twisted man from power. I do not wish to disparage your abilities nor those of those you''ll meet today, but please. Never challenge Rocket directly."

    "Yes Professor."

    "Ash and Gary are too headstrong to ever listen to me about such things, I expect Crystal and Gold to be rather neutral when it comes to intervening potentially. But you Nico, I will always place my faith in you, having come from the most important monastery known of, to always be responsible."

    The Viridian City Gym was in sight.

    Oak smiled. "I''m sorry for speaking to you in such ways."

    "It''s your job. I imagine the Pok¨¦mon League owes you and Red more than anything."

    "Oh you have no idea." Oak said exhaustively, shaking his head thinking of what I assume were memories.

    Viridian City Gym was a lot humbler than I was expecting for a World Pok¨¦mon League Champion like Blue.

    All that was there was a very ornate orange building with some marble pillars and a fountain out front.

    We walked in, and instantly I heard a nasally voice shout.

    "Gramps!"

    The sliding doors hissed closed electronically behind us.

    Two kids looking about a year or so younger than me, Gary Oak, and Ash Ketchum rushed up to us.

    "I thought you wouldn''t be in town until next week Professor." Ash said.

    Gary''s hair was a spiky dark mess, similar to Ash''s, but his was hidden under a hat.

    "I have business in Pewter City for the next few days so I thought I''d stop by. Nico here probably could''ve found his way here but I thought it''d be best to introduce you three in person."

    Gary crossed his arms, unimpressed. "So you''re supposed to be the guy everyone''s been talking about huh? The most overrated thing Johto''s had since Ampharos?"

    "Don''t listen to him." Ash said in a kinder, albeit lighter voice. "I''m Ash from Pallet Town, this rude guy here is Gary, my teammate here in Viridan City''s Gym''s comp team."

    We shook hands.

    It was actually a bit weird to see Gary and Ash apparently supposed to be teammates. They were even wearing the same black matching Oak Competition Team jacket. Gary''s had a G. Oak stitched in white on it, and Ash had A. Ketchum as well.

    The two other teens in the simple lobby of the Gym slowly walked up to us two.

    "You''ve met Gold already of course. And this is Crystal."

    Crystal was a girl that looked exactly as I was expecting. Similar to Ash and Gary, her appearance matched precisely what she wore during the anime and games. She had deep blue hair in a sleek ponytal, and a white top and shorts. Gary and Ash''s exception were that they wore clothes showing that they were Blue''s students.

    Although, it was clear, Gold, Ash, Gary, and Crystal were just a few years older than I remembered them.

    "Hi." Crystal said in a kind tone.

    "Hey there." I turned, looking back at the number of trophies, medals, and awards Blue had been given, displayed around the Gym''s lobby.

    I kept feeling the ground shake for some reason.

    There was a muted yelling sound, and Oak seemed to smile.

    "Well I''ll leave you in the hands of my grandson. Er, my older one here at least." Oak turned to me. "If you need anything, just give me a call. Enjoy your stay in Viridan City Nico."

    "Thank you Professor."

    The second he left, Gary spoke in his nasally voice again. "Dang, he gets the key to the city just from getting a single badge. Wish he was that excited when I got my first."

    "Well how many do you have?" Crystal asked.

    "Probably more than you."

    Gary reached for his belt. "Wanna test that?"

    I sighed, walking past them.

    "Where are you going?" asked Ash.

    "To focus on what we''re all here for." I said respectfully, walking forward.

    I opened a glass door and entered a small arena.

    There were three rows of stands lining an area above a huge rocky field.

    In the middle of a field, was a gigantic Blastoise slamming its fist repeatedly into a machine.

    The machine should''ve been knocked clean off its hinges from the power of the Blastoise, it was using Aqua Jet repeatedly, accelerating at full speed with its front hand extended. Using its Water type abilities to fly forward like a rocket and pound the machine as hard as it could.

    Blastoise''s roar every time it struck was almost deafening, as well as the shaking that accompanied how powerfully it could land such a simple and direct technique like Aqua Jet.

    "Took y''all long enough." a much calmer, deeper, and smoother voice similar to Gary''s said.

    Blue Oak pressed a button on a console he carried with him and the machine soon folded itself into the arena floor.

    I blinked, realizing just what being a World Champion in the Pok¨¦mon League meant:

    Presence.

    Blue''s voice was unique and strong, although still a bit familiar.

    Blue was a man approaching his twenty fifth birthday, with a cleanly shaven face, wearing a black tank top a noticeable amount of muscle, and the same cut of messy hair as Gary''s. Except his hair was a far lighter shade of brown. He wore a silver necklace, and didn''t appear to have a single Pok¨¦ball on his belt despite owning some of the Pok¨¦mon with the highest skill level around in WCPL.

    Gary smiled widely, "Sorry bro, I got carried away by-"

    "No excuses, front and center, all five of you."

    Instantly, all of us lined up directly in front of Blue and his Blastoise, hurrying our way down the stands.

    Blue put his hands into his jeans, glancing at us five. "For the next few days, you five, will be a team. Some of you may already know each other, or just met. But the team I want to propose, is meant to last through all the tournaments you''ll see each other at."

    "After this training is over, most of you might not see each other again. Except in competition. Cynthia, as well as other top Gym Leaders in each region are probably doing what I''m trying to do right this very second. Offer her wisdom and advice in order to better prepare local, and younger trainers in her region the best she can to make her region the most competitive."

    In other words, if Sinnoh is teaming up momentarily when it comes down to the World stage specifically, we should too.

    Blue turned slightly. "This, is Blastoise. He''s been my partner for the past fifteen years, and he''s the only reason I''ve gotten as far as I have in my career. This entire training will focus you all on your basics, on your entire strategy, and how you battle at all."

    Blastoise looked terrifyingly powerful enough to casually punch a hole through steel with either its limbs or its water cannons.

    "It''s based on your starter. I already know which starter all of you have, but for this training, your starter is all you will be using. So go ahead, let''s see them."

    Awkwardly, we started getting a Pok¨¦ball out and then released them.

    I would never get sick of the sound of Pok¨¦balls crashing open.

    Gary released a very confident looking Wartortle, Crystal a tough and shorter than average Crocnaw, and Gold the same silent but deadly Quilava I was used to.

    After I released my Vigoroth, I noticed something.

    "Pikachu!"

    While raising Slakoth from a baby was certainly something, nothing compared to the adorableness of Ash''s Pikachu.

    It was clearly male, and from what I could gather likely possessed a tremendous amount of energy. But I remained my composure, especially at how incredibly adorable this Pikachu appeared to be.

    "Alright, I don''t know a whole lot about you three." Blue turned to Gold, Crystal, and I. "But I know enough to see whoever chose these starters made the right choice at least for the superficial stuff. Now it''s time to see if you five are really meant for your starters."

    Blue walked aside, his Blastoise almost making the earth shake with each step.

    "Go ahead, get warmed up. Run laps, spar, and do what you must. I will merely observe, give suggestions where I feel needed, and then will give you today''s challenge."

    ¡­

    I was trying to focus on Vigoroth''s practice with Pikachu, over the sound Crocnaw battling Wartortle made.

    "Do you mind!?" Ash asked in annoyance.

    Wartortle''s Bubble attack kept interrupting our drill.

    Gary merely gave him a shrug and kept battling Crystal.

    Ash turned. "Sorry, anyway, back to it. Pikachu, Quick Attack again!" he pointed forward with a fingerless blue glove covered finger.

    Even going at a fraction of its usual speed to help Vigoroth time it, Pikachu was barely giving Vigoroth an inch. The drill we were working on was maximizing Vigoroth''s timing, reflexes, and counters.

    Pikachu was supposed to strike first, and be able to cleanly land an attack. Pikachu moved so quickly, and hit so hard, and its fur was so static prone, that Vigoroth would either recoil, miss, or outright get hit every time.

    "Not bad." I admitted.

    I heard Blue give advice from what would''ve been the arena''s Judge''s Box. "I see what you two are going for, but let Vigoroth strike first now."

    "Fine. Fury Swipes." I ordered, hoping Vigoroth would catch the seriousness in my tone.

    Ash''s Pikachu wasn''t like I was expecting. The fact that it was willing to get into a Pok¨¦ball and take training very seriously at such an early start in Ash''s journey probably showed the degree to which Blue had influenced his upbringing.

    Pikachu was forced to use Thundershock at close range from how close Vigoroth got to clawing its face.

    "Piiiii!" the mouse roared.

    Vigoroth was able to slip his head out of the way at the last second and then spin into a wheel kick, catching Pikachu right on the jaw with Scratch as it angled out.

    "Huh?" Ash looked confused. "How did it do that?"

    I didn''t blame Ash for his response, it was unusual for Pok¨¦mon to pick up karate how I taught them.

    The electric type mouse bounced away, able to recover with the balance its tail offered and then release another Thundershock.

    Vigoroth blocked with its claws, both strong and skilled enough with its guard to barely take a hint of damage compared to a slightly rattled Pikachu.

    Giving a Roar, Vigoroth fixed its stance and kept bouncing like a karateka, we were just drilling here but I was glad Vigoroth was able to realize just how much Pikachu was holding back to keep this at a practice level and not a live match.

    Crystal and Gary on the other hand were basically treating this like World Championships even though they just met.

    "Rapid Spin!"

    Wartortle tried to crack Crocnaw in the jaw by withdrawing into its shell and spinning off the ground, but Crocnaw merely used Bite and caught it mid attack.

    "Smash it down Crocnaw! Get her girl!" coached Crystal.

    Wartortle did not appreciate being slammed repeatedly into the ground by Crocnaw''s powerful jaws and then made Crocnaw spit her out with a Water Pulse inside her mouth. Being a Water Type, the attack had almost no effect but was annoying enough for Crocnaw to clean her tongue and shake her head, getting right back in the fight then after.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    I turned back to my match, not that Vigoroth needed much help.

    Ash and I silently agreed that I would go first with some sort of Normal type attack, Pikachu would counter, and then we''d switch. It was purely based on timing and speed, not looking for anything nuts.

    I heard Blue''s stopwatch beep.

    "Alright guys, rotate."

    We moved clockwise, now it was my turn to practice with Crystal.

    "So you wanna drill, spar, practice a move, or what?"

    I shrugged, confident enough in her style.

    "Vigoroth, return whatever Crocnaw gives you."

    Crystal smiled across the small rings we set up. "I like the sound of that. Crocnaw, Ice Fang!"

    Attacking Vigoroth with anything but long range attacks was a really bad idea, and Crystal soon figured out why.

    As Ash had realized and adapted too very quickly, Vigoroth''s style was entirely karate based. And because it was naturally much faster, stronger, and sharper than most Vigoroth anyone could find being from Takujimi, Vigoroth looked like it was playing with Crocnaw.

    The moment Crystal realized how hard her Pok¨¦mon walked right into a counter Slash to the body she reconsidered, and focused on timing Water Guns.

    I could tell Crocnaw had an absurd degree of power in her jaws, but I had trained Vigoroth way too well to get caught with basic biting attacks like Crunch, Bite, or Ice Fang. His reflexes were just too good.

    It helped keep Vigoroth''s blocking and evasion sharp, and kept him light for when facing other long range special moves.

    "Switch!" Blue called out a few minutes later.

    "Great work." Crystal said.

    "Thanks."

    Then I drilled with Gold.

    It was a bit awkward and odd to become training partners with someone I was actually just competing with a few days ago, but Gold was casual about it.

    "Quick Attack."

    Gold seemed to stop relying so much on Smokescreen.

    Unlike Crystal, Gold fought a whole lot smarter. Not just because he knew my style better having fought me twice before, but Quilava was a better match up. I could still tell when Crocnaw learned a wider variety of attacks she could become trouble for my team though.

    Vigoroth and Quilava were keeping their match casual, always listening to our orders, not trying too hard yet until we said so while still staying in the fight.

    "Okay, now I defend, you attack."

    "Right," I said to Gold with a nod. "Vigoroth, Rock Slide."

    It was technically an attempt at Rock Throw but I didn''t know if it was one still. Vigoroth very roughly dug chunks of earth out of the ground around him and then hurled them at Quilava. Like in their last match, they missed by a lot, but I was just trying to improve the move at all.

    "Switch!"

    Already? Man I was just getting started.

    Gold and I bumped fists and we rotated again.

    Now I faced Gary, and as I was expecting this was a lot of fun.

    If we were testing if these were meant to be our starters and if we understood them well, then Gary certainly was supposed to have a Wartortle.

    Wartortle was cocky, quick, mean, and above all: slippery.

    Wartortle would Rapid Spin for one minute, make Vigoroth change angles and throw Slashes while getting hit right in the chest with Water Gun. It wasn''t hard enough to remotely stagger Vigoroth, but was successful in distracting Vigoroth long enough to quietly roll behind a rock still withdrawn into its shell.

    "Bite!" ordered Gary.

    Wartortle popped out from behind a small boulder as Vigoroth unsuccessfully smashed a few others apart trying to find her, when Wartortle latched onto his arm.

    It looked a bit painful but all Vigoroth did was Slash her away hitting her right in the face, and then use Faint Attack, sending the turtle flying across the ring.

    Wartortle hissed in annoyance at Vigoroth, when she tumbled onto her back, before withdrawing into her shell and rolling away behind another rock to time another attack. Yet again, Vigoroth overwhelmed Wartortle''s next strike with perfect timing and much superior physical strength.

    I could tell Vigoroth was certainly winning by the time Gary''s brother called out again.

    "Okay everyone last round."

    I was then using all the equipment Gary set out for us to use.

    I had Vigoroth run laps around the third ring he made out of the small arena Viridian City gym had for battles, and use a training machine for conditioning his Physical machines as well as cones and stuff for footwork that Blue was nice enough to set out for me after I asked.

    Vigoroth and I paused when Blue hit the buzzer between rounds for the last time for practice before the challenge.

    "Alright everyone, gather round."

    Blue had all five of us and our Pok¨¦mon stand around him in a semi circle when he used the elevator from the judge''s box to lower himself into the arena.

    "Today''s challenge is simple." Blue crossed his arms, it was actually a bit funny how much Gary tried to imitate him earlier. "Land a hit."

    "I''m sorry?" Crystal asked.

    "That''s right." Blue said. "Land a hit." he repeated.

    "Land a hit?" Ash was confused. "On who?"

    Blue smiled. "Who do you think?" I immediately got what he implied. "Blastoise." I eyed the veteran of fifteen years of Pok¨¦mon League battles at the highest possible level standing right next to Blue.

    "But that''s like." Gary''s eyes widened. "Impossible."

    "Leaf does it all the time," Blue said casually with a slight shrug.

    "Well Leaf''s a world champion and we''re not sooo¡­" Gary looked aside.

    "Look, some of you were going too hard during these warm up matches." Blue looked at Crystal and Gary. "And some of you too lightly." he looked at Gold and I.

    I didn''t like how he said that, however, he was a world champion and I was in his gym so I didn''t say anything.

    "This will find a good middle ground. You five have to learn and adapt to any situation. To keep things fair, Blastoise will only be permitted to use Withdraw and Rapid Spin." said Blue smoothly.

    So? Blastoise could literally just use Bubble and we''d still be toast.

    In fact, trying half as hard with just Surf would knock out all five of our Pok¨¦mon in one clean go.

    "You five can use whatever you want. Combined attacks, Special, Physical attacks, whatever you feel is necessary. If you land cleanly and hard enough to clearly deal damage to Blastoise, you win the challenge."

    "What do we get if we win?" asked Gary.

    "That''s not the point." I muttered, trying to strategize at all how we were supposed to even get close to landing a hit on one of the best Pok¨¦mon for battling in existence.

    This Blastoise grew up battling Red''s Charizard from when they were raised right out of Oak''s lab. Blue had gotten several gym badges with this Pok¨¦mon before any of us were even born.

    "Whoever lands the hit gets their choice of a Growlithe from the litter I know all of you want to adopt from." said Blue quietly.

    Crystal''s eyes perked up.

    I could tell Ash was staring at Pikachu with a look like ''this is what we''ve wanted for a really long time.''

    "I''m in," Gary said confidently.

    "Me too. You ready buddy?" asked Ash.

    "Pika!"

    Crystal and I nodded to each other.

    Gold was about to say something when Blue just muttered. "I wasn''t giving any of you a choice in the matter but yes, I''m glad to hear you''re in. We''re ready when you are."

    Blue didn''t even give any orders to Blastoise, merely nodding to him and walking to his Trainer''s box.

    ¡­

    We spread out through the stands.

    Technically, we were about to battle a world champion. Five on one, and he was using an extremely minute amount of Blastoise''s total abilities, but still.

    Blue called out. "You guys get the first move, the point of the exercise is to make Blastoise work! Not the other way around!"

    How were we even supposed to touch this thing?

    Blastoise''s shell was marked from hundreds of battles including facing people like Cynthia at her best. I''m pretty sure there were matches when Blastoise damn near Surfed through one or two of Red''s best Pok¨¦mon when they were younger.

    He used the same buzzer he''d been pressing to indicate the end of a round or start of a round to indicate the match had begun.

    "Crocnaw Bite it!"

    "Pikachu! Go!"

    All of our orders just seemed to yell over each other, but from what I could tell our Pok¨¦mon got the picture.

    Pikachu used Quick Attack to time an Electric attack, Quilava Dig, Crocnaw and Wartortle Water Gun while attempting to close the distance to Bite, and Vigoroth wisely began to draw nearer slowly under my coaching attempting to see an opening.

    The precision and speed with which Blastoise countered or dodged absolutely everything we did to it was like nothing I''d ever seen.

    Before Pikachu was able to Thundershock Blastoise at close range, Blastoise had countered and sidestepped its Quick Attack and hurled it aside. Blastoise appeared to see Quilava fly out of the ground within a second, arrive in its peripheral vision, not even looking at it when he just Withdrew his head a little, redirected it with his right hand, and let Quilava fly right at Crocnaw and Wartortle''s combined spray.

    "Whoa! Not cool! What''s the big idea guys!?" Gold was not happy over how badly Quilava got drenched.

    Crystal and Gary argued over each other, not even noticing how Blastoise was about to send their Pok¨¦mon flying about like bowling pins when Blastoise began to fly around in his shell.

    I was able to yell loudly enough to catch their attention. "Vigoroth! Slash!" I yelled desperately, at the top of my lungs. "Now!"

    His Roar split the air of the Viridian City Gym arena, launching across the air.

    Vigoroth leaped in time and saved a confused, Quilava, Crocnaw, and Wartortle from getting smacked by Blastoise''s Rapid Spin with a lunging overhead Slash. It was random but direct enough to prevent the attack, but Blastoise still was able to seriously stagger Vigoroth with ease, no small feat.

    Blastoise instantly was about to pop right out of his shell and right onto his feet, this time his eyes focused on Ash''s Pok¨¦mon.

    "Pikachu get out of there!" Ash yelled.

    Despite Pikachu''s energy and speed, Blastoise just barely missed hitting with a Rapid Spin against the wall of the arena right behind Pikachu.

    Blastoise had to reposition after the impact, but it didn''t count. Technically the Blastoise hit itself, and it really looked like it felt nothing at all.

    Again, Blastoise merely turned and waited for us to do something.

    "Crocnaw, Bite it again!"

    "Guys wait-" I shouted.

    They didn''t listen, I suspect they took such a walloping of their Pok¨¦mon personally. "Thundershock!"

    "Dig and Flame Wheel!"

    Again, Blastoise was just playing with us.

    Crocnaw almost got knocked right out when Blastoise grabbed it by its open jaw and flung it into Pikachu''s Thundershock.

    Wartortle was about to hit Blastoise right in the leg with some sort of quick Bite or Tackle but used Rapid Spin at the last second to send Wartortle flying away, smacking the arena wall.

    "Wartortle!" Gary yelled in surprise.

    Vigoroth was left alone to deal with Blastoise, and Vigoroth knew he''d meet a similar fate if he attacked, but was able to deal with the ensuing Rapid Spin if necessary. We needed a plan, Vigoroth was the only Pok¨¦mon not getting outright bodied or thrown into friendly fire every four seconds.

    Was my strategy just better? It was my first day practicing at this gym but that might''ve been the case.

    I sighed. "Time!"

    I looked over to Blue. "Time! Is it- Can we, can we call time-"

    Blue boredly hit his console in his pocket and a buzzer rang out. "Whaaatever." he called out with another shrug.

    I began to cross the edge of the stands over the arena and approached Gary and Ash, Crystal and Gold appeared on the other side.

    "You guys need to give me a freaking opening." Gary said. "Wartortle almost had him."

    "Yeah before he kept getting smacked." Crystal taunted.

    "How''s your Crocnaw liking that electric sandwich? Tasty?" asked Gary sarcastically.

    Crystal looked angry enough to punch Gary in the face.

    I raised my voice slightly. "Stop it!"

    Their attention snapped to me, Ash fixed his cap. "We need to change our strategy."

    "Right." agreed Gold.

    Crystal and Gary stopped bickering, gave each other a death glare, and turned back to me.

    "Well Johto boy." Gary snorted. "What''s your suggestion?"

    I knelt drawing in the gravel near the red side Trainer''s box in the arena. "Look."

    I explained. "Blastoise keeps positioning himself in an area of the ring where we can''t attack it. He makes sure he constantly has his back to the arena wall, where sure, he has less room to maneuver from when we engage, but doesn''t have to deal with being attacked from behind."

    All four of them looked at the rectangle I drew of the ring, as well as dots indicating Blastoise, Wartortle, Pikachu, Vigoroth, Quilava, and Crocnaw.

    "How are your Pok¨¦mon doing guys?" I looked up at them.

    "Umm¡­" Crystal winced.

    We looked over at the arena below.

    Quilava wasn''t tired, but clearly was wondering if attacking Blastoise again was a smart choice after it was thrown into an allied attack. Wartortle looked pretty hurt after being thrown right into the wall by its older counterpart, but looked too eager to get payback on Blastoise.

    Pikachu and Vigoroth looked fine, but Crocnaw was damn near out from that last hit, it looked decently dazed and exhausted.

    "Yeah. Either we win this next attempt, or we''re going to lose a Pok¨¦mon, one by one until we fail the challenge." I admitted.

    "And then no one gets that Growlithe." Ash said sadly.

    "Okay here''s the plan." I began.

    I drew a V shape towards Blastoise from the edges of the ring. "Ash, Gold. Simultaneously use Quick Attack to draw a counter from Blastoise."

    "Won''t he just use Withdraw?" asked Gary.

    I shook my head. "He knows that''s game over. At that range, if Pikachu slams right into its shell, it can just use Thunder Shock, the only super effective move we have on the table against Blastoise. He has to move forward with Rapid Spin."

    Crystal nodded, watching me draw a line forward with an arrow.

    "Wartortle and Crocnaw will bathe Blastoise in Water Guns, they won''t be effective, but it won''t matter. All we have to do is pin down Blastoise for long enough to get behind it. By that point, Vigoroth will slash it in its back."

    "Wait." Ash was confused. "How did it get there?"

    "Unless Blue tells it to turn around, which will be pointless since it''ll expose its back to the others. Vigoroth will have already snuck around during all this and attacked." I drew a circle in the gravel from the shape indicating my Pok¨¦mon. "His Slash is strong enough to probably knock Blastoise off balance to let Wartortle hit it in the face with Rapid Spin."

    "You want," Gary frowned. "The biggest, brightest, and most obvious Pok¨¦mon we have. To be our stealthiest one here?"

    "Haven''t you been paying attention?" I asked. "Blastoise knows Vigoroth has been playing defensively this entire time and doesn''t engage unless he sees an opening, which, hasn''t happened yet. There''s no way he''ll care about him during any of this."

    "Time''s up!" I heard Blue shout.

    I stood up, drawing the plan away with my foot. "Trust me on this guys, it''s all or nothing here."

    We spread out, checked up on our Pok¨¦mon real quick, and then Blue hit the buzzer.

    Gold and Ash shouted in unison. "Quick Attack!" they said.

    From either edge of the ring, Pikachu and Quilava began to sprint towards Blastoise at full speed.

    Blastoise saw this coming from a mile away and already began to advance, drawing into its shell to use Rapid Spin. Only to be met with another combined Water Gun from Crocnaw and Wartortle.

    This time, they must''ve listened to their trainers and tried as hard as they could, all or nothing here indeed. These Water Guns resembled very low level Hydro Pumps.

    It was strong enough to make Blastoise stop and leave his shell. Water Type moves were about as effective against Blastoise as a fly against a bus windshield, however, the combined water gouts were able to redirect the spinning of his shell and reposition.

    This entire time, Vigoroth had done his job properly.

    "Blastoise look out!" Blue said the first thing he did during the entire challenge.

    "Oro!"

    Blastoise barely began to turn around when suddenly, I saw Vigoroth draw every ounce of strength he had in him and hit him right in the shell with a huge Slash.

    The hit wasn''t remotely effective, but it didn''t need to be. Wartortle was drawing close enough from the other side of him to strike.

    The smaller turtle Pok¨¦mon flew forward as Blastoise had to turn around again to see the incoming Rapid Spin.

    Blastoise began to Withdraw its head back into his shell, trying to block and redirect the Wartortle away with its hands when Wartortle flew through.

    Its shell smacked directly into Blastoise''s eyes as it drew its guard up around it.

    Combined with being hit from behind at full power from Vigoroth, it was enough to stagger Blastoise, get him off his legs, and fall forward. Did it really damage Blastoise though? Certainly not.

    It should''ve been a hit effective enough to draw a response from Blue still, but I guess in terms of effective and countable WCPL damage it wasn''t enough.

    Blastoise fell onto one knee, and I didn''t realize how much of an opportunity Ash had this entire time.

    "Now Pikachu! Thundershock!"

    Blastoise couldn''t Rapid Spin away this time, not after being knocked off balance and needing more than a second to get back on both feet or into its shell.

    "Piiiii!"

    Blastoise was fried at mid range and like that Blue hit the buzzer.

    And a good thing too, because Blastoise was actually looking a bit angry at what just happened. His eyes had widened and even Gary''s cocky Wartortle took a step back, and all the younger Pok¨¦mon in the ring, except for my own, were wondering what would happen if the match suddenly became for real.

    I doubt Blastoise would''ve hurt the rest of them, but one solid Surf certainly would''ve resulted in all of us recalling our Pok¨¦mon or having them knocked out.

    Blue spoke out. "Hey!"

    Blastoise looked up at him.

    "You did fine. Great job."

    Blue recalled his starter back to his Pok¨¦ball.

    With a very long sigh, Blue shook his head. He actually seemed to smile for a second.

    "All five of you, my office."

    ¡­

    Blue''s office was like nothing I ever saw.

    There were pictures of Leaf, his sister, and of Blue with his original team.

    As well as. What appeared to be a picture of Red and Blue at the very first World Championships at maybe thirteen or fourteen over a decade ago in the finals.

    Blue appeared and the five of us stopped chatting, watching Blue enter his own office.

    Blue took a seat in his chair and we all looked at him quietly.

    He cleared his throat, looking at Crystal. "Alright, first off. I wasn''t expecting that much from you today. You can come back tomorrow bright and early, I have a lot of advice."

    "Thank you." she bowed her head.

    "You four are something else entirely." Blue turned to us. "Gold. Your Quilava didn''t do a whole lot, I could tell how hesitant you and Nico were in the warm up rounds to save up energy for the challenge. And that being said, when the challenge came you two really weren''t as aggressive as you should''ve been."

    "And as I was expecting too." Blue admitted. "You two."

    Gary and Ash looked a bit ashamed.

    "Fought way too aggressively. Especially you Gary."

    "Hey man, I''m not used to their styles and-"

    His older brother shook his head instantly. "I don''t wanna hear it. You should''ve known better."

    "Well I''m the one who got the hit in! I won the challenge."

    "No. I did." Ash said.

    Gary raised his voice slightly. "Neither of you won the challenge. The only person who performed at the standards I set today was Nico."

    Even I was confused.

    "How?" I asked.

    "Yeah, how big bro? This is like, weird." Gary muttered.

    Blue explained calmly. "Crystal. I can tell you''re a nice girl, but you shouldn''t have responded to my brother''s immaturity. Gold, as I''ve said, until everyone assured you they had your back, you didn''t fight as aggressively as you should''ve. Ash, you overall did fine but could''ve held back in some places."

    Blue shook his head at Gary. "And you."

    Gary couldn''t say anything.

    "Just because Nico let you get the winning hit doesn''t mean he didn''t come up with a better strategy than you had. He was the only one today who was here to train, and kept his head clear, very important for League battles. He was willing to let someone else get the prize, so long as it meant the team won the challenge."

    Blue slightly raised a finger. "All of you need to know this. There will be moments in competition where you have to make sacrifices, to adapt, to think outside the box even when things look hopeless. It took you landing a weaker hit today to land the one that mattered."

    I nodded in a deep understanding of what he meant.

    "Nico, was the only one today who was willing to catch the subtleties of battling in order to achieve victory. That''s why he''ll be the one I''ve chosen to train one of my newborn Growlithe."

    Gold looked a bit disappointed but ultimately seemed okay. He already had a very powerful Fire type as a starter.

    Crystal looked devastated, but humbly accepted Blue''s decision.

    "I knew my Pikachu was better."

    "Well I was the one who let it land a hit in the first place!"

    Gary and Ash started blaming each other, outwardly upset until Blue shut it down again in seconds.

    "I don''t wanna hear it." Blue said quietly and they stopped instantly. "You four can go home, I''ll see you again in the morning. Nico, this way please."

    ¡­

    Viridian City Gym actually had a small Pok¨¦mon Center, or at least, a healing station where Blue let me put my Pok¨¦balls containing Vigoroth, who more than deserved some rest, and Teddiursa.

    "Congratulations."

    Blue led me to a small nursery.

    "Take your pick."

    It almost brought tears to my eyes when Blue drew a key and opened the door.

    If Blastoise was one of the best fighters competitive Pok¨¦mon ever knew, then Arcanine was the same thing but for a few Fire types. This was one of Blue''s staple Pok¨¦mon, and he would always be second best to only the best of all time.

    Arcanine, and his mate, were some of the most impressive looking Pok¨¦mon I''d ever seen.

    They had a bright orange-ish white mane filling their hide, along with red fur with deep black spots. Gorgeous dark eyes, and then. Seven of the most adorable Growlithes I''d ever laid eyes on. I''d only seen a couple between here and Mount Takujimi, but these felt special, just by looking at them.

    "Can I, can I touch them, can I-"

    "Yeah of course, go ahead." Blue spoke out. "This is Nico, you can trust him."

    Both Arcanine merely kept panting despite their Trainer''s words, nursing their newborns.

    I knelt down, one of the Growlithes stopped playing when I reached down to pet them.

    "Hi."

    "Arf!" The Growlithe chased its tail in a circle and put its paws up on the material of my pant leg.

    "How old are they?"

    "About six weeks. They won''t have the teeth nor paws to even do drills for another month or so, but you can still train them in listening and obeying and such." Blue sounded like an expert, which, he most certainly was. "After another week or two, I''ll have the one you pick transferred to your PC."

    His two Arcanines seemed to trust Blue more than well enough to let me go near their children.

    I looked around the room, all the equipment, toys, and wallpaper.

    This was hands down the best Growlithe nursery on the planet. I felt luckier than so many people I didn''t know how to feel right now.

    I sighed. "This, doesn''t feel right." I said guiltily. "There are enough pups here to give to everyone who helped me win today."

    "I know." admitted Blue. "But this is part of the lesson too. Part of the lesson I want them, and you especially to learn. Losing today, helps you win tomorrow."

    I nodded a bit sadly.

    Blue tilted his head slightly. "Hey. This is another important lesson too. If I had never lost to Red, again and again. I never would''ve become the Trainer I am today, I never would''ve become Viridian City''s Gym leader. There can only ever be one winner from a competition."

    "So, does that mean you miss him? Miss Red I mean? If it''s too personal I can-"

    Blue paused.

    He looked back up at me. "Do you miss your temple?"

    "Honestly yeah," I admitted. "I was really lost at one point, and the temple gave me clarity, direction, everything I needed to start my journey."

    "So your temple is your home?"

    I nodded quietly.

    "Well, Pallet Town is my home. After Red disappeared, I didn''t go back and visit it, because, without Red there." Blue shrugged. "It felt like a part of that home was gone. Almost like losing a family member."

    "Is that why it''s closed off to tourists?"

    Blue was the one who nodded quietly too.

    "I''m sorry he''s gone."

    "Can I see your necklace?"

    I showed him my carved pendant of Mew.

    Blue seemed to smile a bit. "I don''t consider myself a particularly religious person. But after seeing the amount of maturity and wisdom you had, that I really wish my brother could have sometimes. I want to learn more about this."

    "I''m sure Elder Li would be more than happy to accommodate you at Violet City."

    "I''m undecided," admitted Blue. "But I want you to know you''re welcome to train here whenever you like. You were leading that Vigoroth through hellfire tonight, and cause it trusted you well enough, your entire team won."

    I played with one of the Growlithes when Blue spoke, just humoring it by rubbing its head when it kept leaning its paws on my shin. "Um, anyway. I can tell you about each one of these, I''ve raised them myself. Despite Gramps and Daisy insisting, I wouldn''t let anyone else touch them until they were old enough."

    Wow.

    I knew Blue took this Kanto Johto pseudo team seriously but still. Especially because at any given tournament I''d have to give Ash, Gary, and the everyone else my best same as I''d need them to give me theirs.

    "Tell me about this little guy." I said, pointing to the Growlithe that rushed up to me first.

    Each had a small collar with a number, I assumed Blue really cared about figuring out how they played together and how they could grow differently to each other.

    "This is one of the middle daughters of the litter. Nothing too significant about her, a bit playful but nothing notable besides her friendliness."

    "That one?"

    "That''s the youngest. Plays well with the others, a bit shy, she has a huge appetite, biggest I''ve ever seen in Growlithes."

    This Growlithe seemed a bit smaller than the others.

    "And that one?"

    "One of the older ones. His favorite game seems to be the same one my own Arcanine had growing up as a puppy."

    "Aaand. That Growlithe?"

    "The oldest. Biggest of the bunch, doesn''t like to play too much, but stays closest to his parent''s side more than any of his siblings."

    Despite being larger than the rest, the oldest Growlithe appeared a bit coddled by its parents. His mother''s tail was curled around him and protected him from the wild playfighting and chasing of his siblings, the entire time, he observed.

    I sighed, not knowing which one I liked. The others seemed just as fine a pick too.

    "Can I have some time to think about it?"

    Blue smiled. "Honestly I''d prefer you do. Shows you take competing even more seriously than I was expecting. Your team is still mostly in its infancy, even if your Slakoth just evolved, and your Teddiursa is about to."

    "How''d you-"

    Right. He''d watched footage of all my competitions.

    "Any advice from seeing all my stuff?"

    He shook his head. "Not really. You''re going to hit a wall if you don''t branch out and try to figure out heavy special attackers or other types besides Normal Pok¨¦mon. Growlithes are a great place to start so I get why you want to think so much about this."

    Honestly, this was the hardest decision of my life so far.

    Blue checked his Pok¨¦Nav. "I''ll send you detailed files on each part of the litter. I''ve run some preliminary tests on how I think they could do in the ring. But honestly, performance wise they''re all pretty much the same."

    "Really?"

    "I made sure of it." Blue said simply. "However, it is really important you pick one that you feel matches you, your personality, and your team the best. I have to head out, you go ahead and leave, I have to lock up the gym after I get everyone fed."

    "Thanks for everything Blue. See you tomorrow."

    He gave me a small nod before getting to work.

    ¡­

    Outside in the lobby, Crystal was leaning on a couch side as Gold, Ash, and Gary all were talking on it.

    I think they were expecting me to come out with a Growlithe in my arms.

    "Well?" asked Gary as the four of them approached me.

    Ash nudged him but I shrugged. "I couldn''t pick one yet."

    "Look Nico, you, kinda saved our behinds today." Gold admitted.

    "I was doing fine." Gary puffed his chest out.

    "No. You weren''t." Crystal said.

    Ash smiled slightly. "I know you three are from Johto so um, do you want to get something to eat before you all have to leave tomorrow?"

    Become even closer friends with people who I might have to face in tournaments like the Pok¨¦mon League and others and such? Sure why not?

    "Sounds fine to me." I nodded a bit in return.

    ¡­

 The Puppys on Fire

    I think the best days of my life so far were being trained for an entire weekend under Blue at his gym in Viridian City.

    I was actually enjoying the training I got for Vigoroth.

    He sparred well with Pikachu, Crocnaw, Wartortle, and Quilava.

    However, I was able to observe and test Vigoroth''s skills well enough to the point where it was clear he had an edge over all of them.

    Pikachu''s main advantage was a tremendous amount of overwhelming speed and energy. He didn''t hit particularly hard unless he managed to time a blow well enough.

    His bread and butter was Iron Tail, Quick Attack, and above all Thundershock.

    Pikachu''s Thundershock could be a counter, a first strike, anything. It was versatile enough to stop Vigoroth dead in his tracks sometimes and reposition, when very few attacks he blocked or just attacked through didn''t matter to him typically.

    The more I spoke to Ash and trained with him I realized just how similar he was to his counterpart in the anime and anime movies canon.

    He was hopeful, kind, and vigilant to become a Pok¨¦mon master. But the biggest difference I saw between him and his canon counterpart was that he was actually competent at battling.

    Ash wasn''t unbeatable or anything, but he certainly was a great deal calmer and far more skilled with Pok¨¦mon then I expected him to be. I only really remember him losing championships in the anime, and only earning his Gym badges through coincidence, pity, or comedy. Sometimes a combination of all three.

    This Ash appeared to have the same hope and bravery the original Ash had, but with a far greater degree of strategy and cunning for battles refined through Blue''s training.

    Opposing that, Gary was a great deal more pathetic than I remember him being.

    Maybe it was because he was trying so hard to impress his brother. Which, was never going to happen since he was almost on even ground with Red, the greatest Pok¨¦mon trainer who ever lived.

    Gold however wasn''t a disappointment.

    Blue continued to pressure Gold to make his Quilava fight harder, when I didn''t blame Gold for holding back so much.

    Quilava was in my opinion the second best starter during training besides Vigoroth.

    Wartortle had almost the same degree of training, experience, and natural ability as Quilava, and Quilava ran circles around it. Even with a blatant type disadvantage.

    It was just because Gold was so much more relaxed during battles.

    Gary always had something to prove, he always tried too hard, even with his talent. And Gold read him perfectly.

    The only Pok¨¦mon Trainer I felt was very clearly a step behind the rest of us was Crystal. Despite the fact that she already had a couple badges, I''d yet to see Crocnaw land a single solid hit on Vigoroth, not even a glancing blow.

    I surmised that she only made it this far because of how strong Crocnaw''s Ice Fang would''ve been against both Bugsy and Falkner.

    However, all of our Pok¨¦mon and ourselves learned a great deal from Blue.

    He had the skill and experience of a multi-time world champion, but the patience and intelligence of the best battling instructors I''d ever met. I would never forget, for the rest of my life, how hard it was for five different Pok¨¦mon attacking at the same time, to land a single hit on his Blastoise when all it was doing was using Rapid Spin with its shell, and Withdraw.

    I don''t think there were very many Pok¨¦mon who could genuinely hurt Vigoroth, but if there were, it would probably be that Blastoise. I still felt relief when Blue ended the challenge there when it seemed Blastoise was actually a bit angry.

    Asking enough people for advice on which Growlithe to pick, Inoru, Violet, and even Ash, I went with the one that I felt suited me best.

    The first born, who''d be the opposite of the runt of the litter.

    I didn''t like how sheltered he looked around his mother, but just by looking into its eyes and seeing it play with his siblings once. I could tell the degree of untapped potential this Pok¨¦mon had was unlike anything I''d ever seen.

    As great as Vigoroth was, our first impression wasn''t like this. Teddiursa likewise, didn''t come close.

    ¡­

    Blue sent us all of with barely a speech, just a quick goodbye. "Thanks for coming this weekend guys, I''ll see you when I see you."

    We all bowed to him, and then that was it.

    After three days training with one of the best trainers who ever competed, I only learned that I couldn''t learn nearly as much as him in a year. Not even three. Maybe within a decade, I could have the degree of planning, tactics, knowledge, adaptability, and sheer skill in battling that Blue had. Maybe.

    ¡­

    Gold quickly waved to us and walked towards the train station.

    I shook hands with Ash. "It was great to meet you."

    "You too. Hopefully we can get a great match in during a tournament or somethin''." Ash shook my hand.

    I turned kindly to Gary Oak.

    Gary shrugged, ignoring how I just wanted to say goodbye to him, rubbing his nose. "I gotta get back to Pallet, my family needs me for help on a research project Gramps is doing."

    Crystal had no such qualms about saying goodbye to me. "I think you''ll do great on the road ahead to the Pok¨¦mon League."

    "Well the Conference isn''t for another year so, plus I''ll totally beat you there." Gary stuck his hands in his pockets, chest puffed out.

    Ash said nothing, glancing back at me from his teammate. "I''ll see you around Nico. Take care."

    "Likewise."

    The two boys walked towards the direction of one of the exits of Viridian City, which I imagined let them go straight back home. I could only guess at how many times both of them had ever walked through it.

    Crystal sighed. "I should probably start going home too."

    I could see Violet on the other end of the street from outside Blue''s gym.

    "Looks like I gotta go too."

    Crystal and I awkwardly nodded to each other before I waved and left, leaving using the crosswalk.

    Violet smirked when I walked up next to her. "She''s cute."

    I ignored this. "I thought Inoru was taking me back to Johto."

    "We needed to talk, I''ll explain better on the train."

    "About, what?" I didn''t like her tone.

    "Just be a bit patient Nico."

    ¡­

    "You have to go back to your uncle''s ranch?"

    Violet leaned back in her chair in the bullet train compartment we were taking back home. "Look." she began. "Half of his employees had to quit after most of the valley''s farms got flooded."

    "There was a flood?"

    Kama Valley wasn''t really known for floods from what I knew.

    She explained. "The levees everyone built to hold back the main river coming out of the mountains were ancient. No one had the money to rebuild them so." Violet shrugged sadly as Inoru nodded in agreement.

    I looked at Inoru. "You''re in agreement, you''re letting her leave?"

    "It''s not up to you." Violet interrupted before Ino could open his mouth. "To be honest Nico, you''re learning too fast for me to give any sort of advice anymore. I think in your past four competitions, I gave a grand total of two sentences worth of advice."

    "So?"

    "It wouldn''t be an issue if I didn''t feel I had more work and things left for me to do in Kama Valley. After adding your new Growlithe, you have a full team to work with for the foreseeable future. Not to mention, you have more than enough money now by battling to take care of yourself."

    I shook my head. "That doesn''t matter. Violet, I thought you were gonna be my coach for like. Ever."

    "Judging by how easily you were keeping up with kids this weekend who actually had badges and some sort of strategy. I''d say there isn''t much left for me to coach you on."

    I bit my lip, shaking my head.

    "I''m sorry," Violet said.

    She was supposed to be my mentor. Like Ino right?

    "Let me guess, you want to stay at Sprout Tower now to study better?"

    Inoru chuckled, I could tell he was a bit insulted. "Unlike Violet, I took a vow to keep you up to date on all your studies as a monk. My place is with you, making sure you can eventually become an Initiate."

    I looked back over at Violet. "How come this is the first I''m hearing about this?"

    "The day you won in Blackthorn City I could tell you were going to outpace myself and any advice I could really give you. Then you beat Gold twice, and then you beat Falkner without even taking a single hit."

    I understood.

    Violet seemed to stare off blankly in thought and speak. "And then, a world champion gave you a Growlithe from Oak''s lineage of Arcanine based solely on the trust and performance you showed in his gym and in competition. Genetically speaking, there are no better Fire types to start from scratch with, except for maybe those other world champions raised. Tell me Nico, be perfectly honest. What can I teach you at this point?"

    It was a prospect I''d ignored for a while until now because I actually enjoyed having Violet around.

    She wasn''t particularly quirky, funny, or interesting, but she really seemed to deeply care about how I progressed as a trainer. She seemed to know exactly what the rules were like for battling and traveling, and where to go and what to do. But now that I''d figured out all of that out, even battles, I knew how much better my Pok¨¦mon were at fighting than Violet''s. It was something I didn''t want to admit, largely because letting Violet go would partially prove Clair and Bill right about her.

    But they were wrong, I didn''t need them. I think I needed Violet as a mentor and a coach though.

    I frowned. "But I''d miss you." I admitted.

    Violet looked at me up and down a bit. "I know, I''d miss you."

    "I''d miss you too." Inoru seemed to admit with a strong degree of humility.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    This, I noticed right away. The only home Inoru ever knew besides the Shrine he came from before, was Takujimi. And I''d yet to see Inoru ever remotely mention our home temple.

    "I''d miss both of you as well. But no one can help my uncle now but myself."

    "Didn''t you say you wanted to become a Pok¨¦mon league judge?" I remembered.

    Violet sighed sadly. "Yeah, I, I really did. But between running my uncle''s ranch someday and maybe earning enough as a judge, who, tend to volunteer for the most part. I have an easy choice to make."

    I couldn''t say anything for the rest of the twenty minutes until we reached Cherrygrove City where we''d have to take different trains.

    ¡­

    "Do you really have to go?" I asked.

    We stopped hugging.

    Violet inhaled quickly. "Yeah," she muttered.

    "I''ll be fine if you go but, I feel like you really could''ve enjoyed a lot watching me earn more badges and then eventually competed at the Conference for the first time."

    "It is a little under a year away and I''ll certainly be there. But, I agree, I''d miss a lot between now and then."

    "So, I have your Nav ID?"

    Violet smiled. "You do. Don''t beat yourself over what happened, we technically only know each other out of circumstance."

    "What do you mean?"

    "If my cousin hadn''t driven you to between your mountain and Kamarino. We never would''ve met."

    "Violet please um, if you get the chance. Let me know how Mikey Richardson''s family is doing when you get back to the valley. I don''t think they have any form of communication with the outside world in that town at all."

    "Just let me know who to look for and where." Violet smiled. "And, I''ll let you know as soon as I go."

    "Okay." I said.

    We waved to each other, and she soon boarded the monorail headed back to Kamarino. Inoru and I got on the platform across from hers, and then left towards Violet City, where we''d have to hike to Azalea Town.

    ¡­

    Inoru must''ve noticed how much time I was spending staring at the Pok¨¦ball where my new Growlithe resided.

    "Thinking about your training with Blue?"

    I shook my head quietly.

    "Nico." I looked at Inoru, he wasn''t particularly affectionate, but I appreciated the hand he placed on my shoulder. "You''re missing an important part of why Violet left."

    "Which was?"

    "The whole point of her coaching you until now was so that you could become a Trainer without coaches. Or at least, a Trainer able to grow our home''s name further than she ever could. She never would''ve left unless she was sure her place was elsewhere. Unless you really didn''t need her anymore."

    But between racing and raising Rapidash for a living, I would''ve picked helping me compete. It was just that much more interesting, but I did understand how much her uncle''s ranch meant to her.

    Inoru seemed to smile, crossing his arms in the chair next to me. "She was important in helping you get this far sure but. You never would''ve been this good if you didn''t have what it takes."

    "Thanks Ino."

    "Remember that when people notice or mention that Violet left your side in the upcoming gym challenges."

    It wasn''t as big of an undertaking as I had considered.

    If Crystal could beat Bugsy, then I most certainly could, no offense to her, she just wasn''t nearly as skilled as everyone else I practiced with at Blue''s training this past weekend.

    ¡­

    Azalea Town had a very similar layout and simple beauty to Cherrygrove City, although it was far larger.

    Inoru and I checked into the Pok¨¦mon Center to get a room, and then I was able to train in a safe clearing in the woods near the town.

    I was a little upset over Violet leaving so quickly when I had only just gotten my first Gym badge, but I remembered she wasn''t the only companion I had on this journey. I had ones that would be there from the very beginning all the way to wherever this ended.

    My Pok¨¦mon.

    First I released Vigoroth and Teddiursa from their balls.

    They both looked fine after lots of training and spoke to them.

    "You guys did great recently, but I want to start working with a new member of our team okay?"

    Teddiursa lightly scratched the back of his own paw while Vigoroth gave a deep nod in acknowledgment.

    "He''s a Growlithe, and he''ll be the one I''ll be picking to challenge the Gym leader in Azalea Town."

    Not being picked for something he could tell was so important seemed to slightly irk Vigoroth, but he merely nodded back. Teddiursa seemed to be wondering what the purpose of the team meeting was if we weren''t training or eating.

    I took a deep breath and released one of my favorite Pok¨¦mon I knew from anywhere.

    A Growlithe pup, the grandchild of Professor Oak''s own Arcanine, and Blue Oak''s Arcanine''s direct offspring.

    This Growlithe was a bit larger than average according to my Pok¨¦dex, male, and appeared to have a very sheltered, calm, but attentive demeanor.

    "I''d like you to meet my team," I said to the pup. "This is Vigoroth, my starter, my main partner for battles." I introduced kindly.

    "Oro." the ape Pok¨¦mon growled.

    "Arf!" the Growlithe barked back sharply, his tail wagging as he sat on his rear, tail down, eyes up at me.

    "And this is Teddiursa."

    Growlithe leaned forward, too shy to lick Teddiursa''s face or paws, instead just giving him a good sniff with its adorable black snout and then looking back at me.

    "I''m gonna do my best to train you to become even more skilled and famous than any of the Growlithe in your family. But you gotta give me your best, can you do that for me?"

    "Arf!" the pup barked, nodding and panting. His tail was wagging so much that I wondered if he understood we''d be training, not exactly just playing nursery games like he did at Blue''s gym for weeks.

    Growlithe didn''t so much as blink when I recalled Teddiursa and Vigoroth, and then got to work with training him for battles.

    So far, Growlithe only knew how to use Bite and Roar, both of which were extremely underdeveloped. Not that I blamed him, he was nearly eight weeks old and this was the first instance he was ever separated from his mother.

    While Growlithe seemed to possess a degree of speed, endurance, and agility Vigoroth and Teddiursa didn''t nearly seem to have when I began their training. He had a noticeable issue, his demeanor. This was very clearly a baby Pok¨¦mon. He''d chase wild Sentret much in the same way dogs in my old world chased squirrels when I was trying to condition Growlithe''s Ember or fire abilities. Growlithe also was under the impression we were still just playing a game, not training for anything serious.

    Growlithe was very well trained from the bit Blue explained, he''d respond instantly to any of my orders, and would stop goofing off the split second I asked. However, he was so young that despite his potential, he didn''t grasp at all the importance of what I taught him.

    "When you bite." I explained. "Don''t stay latched on for more than a few seconds to your opponent. Unless you''re planning to throw them around or pin them to the ground, you''re just asking to get countered. Okay?"

    Growlithe had his head tilted at me cutely, then smiling and panting with an affirmative barking. "Arf arf!"

    I used the basic drills I''d read about for Growlithes to determine where they excelled or how to draw out the most from them in combat. I used a stopwatch on my Pok¨¦Nav to time sprint laps, making Growlithe run at top speed from one end of the forest clearing to the other.

    It appeared Growlithe had well above average speed for sprints, telling me Flame Charge would be an excellent move for Growlithe to learn.

    While I knew that teaching Growlithe things like Bite, Crunch, and other Dark and Normal physical attacks would be easier for me after the work I''d gone through with Teddiursa and Growlithe. The main barrier I found I''d have was with maximizing the effectiveness of Special attacks.

    Growlithe''s best Fire type move this early on was most certainly Ember, I''d seen it used a few times so far in competition, so I told Growlithe exactly how I wanted it to look.

    "Draw up as much energy as you can in your mouth, starting in your stomach. And then spit out a big fireball, okay Growlithe?"

    The pup''s tail wagged for a moment, he lowered his head, and readied himself like he was going to release a great big bark. And then, a tiny and pitiful bundle of weak flames flew out from his jaws, lightly scorching the nearby grass black.

    It was so small that the flames stopped there, they didn''t spread out anywhere else or seemed to even burn the grass that badly.

    Growlithe looked back at me, panting and smiling again, either waiting for my next order or wondering if it did well, I couldn''t tell which.

    "Um, try to focus on creating a Flame Charge. Just try to coat yourself in fire, and then run at that tree head on."

    Confused, but then obliging, Growlithe seemed to will himself ablaze. It took about over a minute for him to realize he lacked the incendiary capabilities yet to remotely use moves slightly advanced in any fashion, before my new Growlithe seemed to have an idea.

    His eyes and ears perked up, and he started to chase his tail.

    Growlithe spat out the same cute Embers in a circle all around it, this time being strong enough to catch the grass on fire a bit. Then Growlithe flopped backwards, trying to bathe itself in fire¡­

    Or scratch his back, I couldn''t tell.

    Growlithe proceeded to set his paws on fire too, and then he stood up back on all fours, slightly on fire enough to resemble some form of Flame Charge.

    It was actually a bit cute to see how hard my Growlithe was trying to impress me when I knew the move had taken so long it would be incredibly useless in a real match. However, Growlithe''s fur managed to stay on fire, and its flames even grew a bit stronger as Growlithe ran forward at full speed at the tree and smacked against it.

    I was worried Growlithe might''ve hurt his head, but he was fine, in fact the only result from headbutting the tree was that a Hoothoot fell out from the branches above, likely waking it up.

    It irately squawked and then realized Growlithe probably wasn''t worth the trouble when it was still completely ablaze while panting at it calmly.

    The wild Hoothoot seemed to possibly consider an attack when it began to flap up into the air, and on a dime, Growlithe''s entire composed, cheery, cutesy, and calm demeanor changed.

    He bared his fangs, growling and scrunching up his face threateningly, as if Hoothoot was a real danger to me, when it technically never was.

    I considered sending out Teddiursa to let him send this Hoothoot off packing but I stopped myself, wanting to see how this would play out.

    Growlithe Roared, unsuccessfully scaring the Hoothoot off.

    Instead, Hoothoot dove forward with a spinning Peck, and Growlithe instantly pounced forward explosively with his jaws, catching Hoothoot flush by the face with a Bite mid air. He listened to my earlier advice well, smacking Hoothoot against the ground once, hard, and properly, and watching as the Hoothoot struggled to get back on its claws, it then fluttered off into the forest.

    All the hair on Growlithe''s neck were still on end, the pup still growling, before in an instant after the Hoothoot was well out of sight he calmed down. He immediately took to my side, panting and smiling sitting on his rear, eyes up, ready for more orders.

    The speed at which Growlithe was able to transition smoothly from drills, to fighting off a wild Pok¨¦mon, a very weak one but still, to going right back to practice was truly impressive. I didn''t even have to say a word and he already knew exactly what to do and how to do it.

    I looked off in the direction of the wild Hoothoot.

    Without the need for orders or Special moves, Growlithe fought off a wild Pok¨¦mon in his first day of training and I barely had to give an order or switch him out with another member of my team. I could only imagine the degree of sheer ferocity, speed, and power this Pok¨¦mon could bring to the ring if I could figure out his Special moves like Flamethrower someday.

    I wanted to see what else he could do.

    "Growlithe, try Ember again."

    After another hour of practice, I managed to get Growlithe''s Ember to be somewhat effective. The grass nearby was able to stay on fire for just a couple seconds before the flames dissipated, but his Bite still remained his best move so far.

    Growlithe''s Roar wasn''t too bad either, but above all, his Flame Charge showed the most potential. It would be several weeks before Growlithe would be remotely good with it during actual matches, but it was still a great tool to have.

    He didn''t appear tired at all after over an hour and a half of training, but I still decided to end training there.

    "You did great today Growlithe, we''ll work on all this and more tomorrow."

    I recalled Growlithe to his Pok¨¦ball, and then returned to Azalea Town''s Pok¨¦mon Center to eat dinner and rest up for tomorrow.

    ¡­

    Inoru and I decided to cook our dinners inside our room in the Pok¨¦mon Center and then eat. It wasn''t that complicated, we just boiled a bunch of rice and vegetables together.

    "So you miss Violet?" asked Ino.

    The obvious answer was yes, but it was tough to explain exactly how much I missed her or why.

    Inoru smiled. "You know her being gone should remind you of a very important part of your journey."

    "Don''t you mean, our journey?"

    Inoru shook his head slightly. "I''m to teach you the ways of the Sprout Order. Not much else outside of the wisdom the sages can offer."

    "Mm." I put my water bottle away in my backpack after I sipped from it. "What should Violet being gone remind me of?"

    "Family." said Ino simply before he blinked.

    I listened to him calmly with a nod.

    "You see, Violet''s uncle is the only family she has left. The sages taught me that the only family the monastery can have is their devotion to truth, peace, and the fulfilment of our salvation by Mew."

    "Is that why the monks never leave the shrines?"

    Inoru nodded. "It''s part of it, yes. Your family is different than mine in that sense, your obligation is to do more than seek spirituality. Your family, are your Pok¨¦mon. Every victory you have, every time you and your team grows. You build this family, and never forget that I''m your family too."

    "Thanks Ino."

    "I''m gonna go rest, I''ll see you in the morning."

    I nodded back to him before I sighed, checking the time.

    Inoru went into one of the two beds our room had, before I considered checking out one of Azalea Town''s few locations worth visiting.

    Its Charcoal Kiln wasn''t really interesting to me, I was sure Growlithe holding Charcoal could have better Fire Type attacks. I wasn''t sure how it worked, nor did I feel like researching it, but all I knew was that WCPL rules were very clear on how battling worked.

    No items at all, either used on Pok¨¦mon or them holding an item, and switching out a Pok¨¦mon instantly resulted in its forfeit.

    I actually liked both rules, more so the latter, because if trainers could switch out Pok¨¦mon at will, in theory. They''d switch constantly until they had a type advantage or a neutral type match up.

    It was only eight forty PM, sundown was barely an hour or two ago.

    I planned on only visiting this place once anyway, so I decided the sooner the better.

    ¡­

    Azalea Town was prettier at night actually. There wasn''t a whole lot to see or do, but the lights were decently colorful, and there was even a fountain near Bugsy''s Gym.

    As I approached the Slowpoke Well, I noticed something strange.

    There were two young men in their early to mid twenties speaking outside of it. One wore a long trench coat and a cap, the other a light brown rain jacket and jeans.

    I began to walk up to them when one turned, barely paying attention to me.

    "Well''s closed kid," he said. "Go home."

    "I thought the Well closed at nine."

    That''s what it said on my Pok¨¦Nav, although it wasn''t completely out of the ordinary at all for places to close early in any city I''ve been to.

    "Didn''t you hear him?" His buddy said gruffly. "Beat it."

    Despite his rudeness, I didn''t really feel like visiting a dark well filled with nothing but Slowpoke was worth fighting over¡­until.

    I was walking away and sighed, realizing just who I had been talking to.

    Team Rocket.

    Or at least, two very shady individuals who had no reason to be in charge of a Well that was typically closed with a locked metal grille.

    I always wondered about this. If their objective was to make the stealing of Slowpoke tails less conspicuous, why not wait until after everyone was asleep, the Well was closed anyway, break in, steal the tails, and then leave.

    However, I could tell whoever was in charge of this operation hadn''t done crime in a long time, was a bit incompetent, or both. It was also possible these Rockets were confident there was likely no one with the bravery and or skill possible to stand up to them or figure out what they were doing.

    I had played the games after all.

    The smart thing to do would be to report this to Professor Oak or possibly an Officer Jenny. But I wasn''t sure if she or her twin sisters existed or not, not to mention if they could get here in time before the Rockets all left with the Slowpoke tails.

    On the other hand, Team Rocket and groups like them felt a bit different in this universe than what I understood from canon. They felt more like a mafia or organized crime group more from my world, only using force when necessary, and so well that it could look like an accident in many cases.

    Did I do something? Did I tell someone?

 Slowpoke Well

    I immediately checked my backpack to make sure I had whatever I''d need to clear the Well of Rockets for the next few hours.

    A few Potions, as well as an assortment of other battle items I could use to keep my team in good shape between rounds. Not that I expected much from any of these people.

    Again, before I went forward, I realized that by striking first, I was going against the methods of the Sprout Order by choosing violence before anything else. But this was different.

    Rocket was dangerous, they had no business in Slowpoke Well doing who knows what to the Slowpoke down there.

    It took me a moment, but I settled on knocking out both guards by the Well entrance first instead of just sneaking past them or challenging them to a Pokemon battle. These were criminals after all, I had no reason to play by their rules.

    I went running up to them at full speed, and before the taller Rocket could react I spun and hit him with a modified Age Uke, or rising block. Instead it was a spinning strike with a forearm directly to the eye.

    He gasped, falling.

    Before his friend could draw a Pokeball, fight back, or do anything, I hit him with a simple Jodan zuki, a reverse punch directly to the face.

    "What the-" one of them muttered.

    Both of them staggered a little bit, and I followed it up with a knee to the chest and a backfist, as well as an elbow across the temple.

    I looked at both grown men completely knocked out at my feet.

    So much for them being tough enough to guard Team Rocket''s operation down there.

    I pulled aside their coats expecting to find black uniforms with the sharp red R, however they appeared to wearing regular clothes underneath.

    This was actually a bit smart, if in fact Team Rocket enjoyed staying secret or operating from the shadows until absolutely necessary, keeping their subordinates in regular clothing or sworn to secrecy was a better option.

    I wasn''t a fan of stealing Pokemon, but I suspected the Pokemon on their belts to be the likes of Rattata, Koffing, and Zubat. Just the very basic Rocket Grunt style Pokemon that had nothing but brutality and no training.

    I replaced the Pokeballs around their belts with empty ones, and then slipped the actual ones in small holes I had Growlithe dig around nearby trees.

    Then, I removed the metal grille covering the top of the Slowpoke Well.

    Growlithe whined a bit.

    "You scared buddy?"

    The pup merely panted, looking into the darkness below completely confused as to what we were doing or who were the men I attacked.

    "Don''t worry, it''s all for the best." I promised when he followed me down the steps into the Well below.

    ¡­

    There were two floors to the cave according to a small sign by the Slowpoke Well entrance, and it was a largely dark and empty cavern, where I couldn''t see anything except for a small path made by lamps.

    I was also surprised to see there weren''t any wild Pokemon around the cave at all, nor a single Rocket from what I could tell.

    "Hey you!"

    I turned, a man of a similar age and appearance to the thugs outside began to run towards me. He released an Ekans that hissed sharply when it appeared, and spoke loudly again.

    "How''d ya get in here? What''re you lookin'' for?"

    "Uh." I couldn''t come up with a very good answer.

    Honestly, how did you tell someone you already knew they were stealing Slowpoke tails or something with no prior indication they were.

    "Last chance kid, state your business or turn around and leave the way you came from."

    I squinted in thought for a quick second.

    "Growlithe! Attack!"

    He then hit the Ekans with the best Ember I''d ever seen him use.

    It quickly dawned on both of us that these Pokemon, were not like regular Pokemon. Rockets used Pokemon that were starved and abused, mainly to keep them desperate to battle and win at all costs.

    They didn''t realize that malnourished Pokemon with no training or real battling experience at all, didn''t make for good fighters. This was technically Growlithe''s second ever match, and he was running circles around this Ekans.

    Ekans'' Poison Sting, a simple bite from its sharp and poisonous fangs, missed Growlithe by inches, as he expertly dove around slightly, and then rolled aside.

    When Growlithe stood straight up, he moved right back in with Bite, and latched onto Ekans for a quick second, released Ember at point blank range.

    The purple scales of the Ekans were burnt clear black.

    "Keep going!" shouted the Rocket grunt.

    Why? Not only had it already lost, but it was completely hurt.

    All it took was another simple but well timed Bite, and Ekans went down.

    "Tss!" the Rocket recalled his Ekans with a grunt of frustration. "Let''s see how you like this!"

    Growlithe did in fact like it very much.

    His Rattata was even less of a fight, too wild and unfed to really know how to spar. These Pokemon had potential, it''s not like they would always be too weak to be decent. It''s just that they fought with so much desperation and unrefined technique, that Growlithe was able to counter or dodge literally everything they did.

    Without another Pokemon to use, the Rocket grunt just stood there awkwardly before I ran forward and knocked him out cold with a round kick to the jaw as hard as I could muster.

    After he crumpled to the cave floor blank eyed, I again looked through his jacket, and nothing he wore or had with him implied he was part of Team Rocket.

    For all I knew so far, these were just some very shady guys who liked hanging out in Slowpoke Well when they shouldn''t be here.

    The next Rocket grunt I found guarding the set of carved stone stairs that would lead to the actual Slowpoke Well below. I could actually hear the sounds the Slowpoke made nearby.

    He saw me coming from a mile off and already released his Pokemon.

    His Zubat was equally as terrible as his friend''s, despite him giving the appearance he was a bit older and tougher than the guy I already defeated a bit far back in the cave.

    When he drew his next Pokeball, he gave a small wail when I dropped him with a punch to the face. I checked, not that he had any other Pokemon left to use anyway.

    I walked down the steps and could see a few men working on something, and I was unable to discern exactly what it was until I got close enough. And it was honestly disgusting.

    Slowpoke tails could grow back I think, but that wasn''t what bothered me. They, these men, one of whom had green hair and a black suit and tie, had put all the Slowpoke into pens. Separate from all the pools of water along the cave floor they used as a watering hole.

    They were using a sort of guillotine like machine to slice off the tails of every single Slowpoke they could find. Several had already passed out or worse from all the blood loss having their tails removed created.

    The fact that I could tell they had possibly murdered innocent Slowpoke just for profit was nothing short of infuriating to me. I was no fan of Slowpoke, but they didn''t deserve death and suffering for their brethren just because their tails were so coveted.

    I attacked without warning.

    I released Teddiursa from his ball and set Growlithe on the other Rocket Grunt too as soon as I came into their eyesight.

    The cave''s only source of light was some old gasoline lamps anyway, I practically struck out of the darkness.

    Teddiursa grabbed one of their Ekans they already had out by the neck and slammed it mercilessly into a rock nearby. I wasn''t messing around here, I made that clear to him the second I let him out.

    I was proud of Growlithe for having already noted how serious this was when he latched onto a Rocket Grunt''s sleeve with his jaws and yanked him towards me. Defenseless, he ran straight into a back kick from me. With the wind knocked right out of him, I hit him with a knife hand to the temple and he dropped without a sound.

    The remaining Grunt couldn''t put up a fight. His leader, or boss of sorts in the suit merely watched with a bored and raised eyebrow as he drew a Rattata.

    It was knocked out in seconds by Growlithe and then he merely covered up, bracing himself for the quick knockout I gave him.

    "Useless." the man in the suit said, sneering over his subordinates lying on the cave floor around him.

    "I suggest you run."

    "Mm." he smiled, looking at me. "Not very monk-like now is it to threaten and beat people now isn''t it?"

    How did he-

    "I know who you are Nico." he said. "Most of the Johto region does with your quick rise to fame. My true name is unimportant, but you can call me Proton."

    I think I knew who he was. "You work for Team Rocket as some sort of officer."

    "You can meet my bosses if you''d like." Proton offered, technically not denying it. "You show a great deal of promise, strength, and initiative. Showing little mercy to men twice your age."

    "They deserved it, as do you. You''re killing and abusing Slowpoke for a quick buck."

    With surprising speed, Proton drew a Pokeball and released a Koffing in seconds.

    The Poison Gas Pokemon hovered above the Slowpoke Well floor.

    "Run child. Run before you get involved with forces and players well out of your caliber."

    I was no coward.

    Teddiursa ran to my side, and Growlithe''s hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He appeared ready to destroy Koffing.

    "Ember!"

    "As you wish." Proton muttered tiredly.

    Koffing was a bit tougher than any of the regular Team Rocket Pokemon from earlier.

    It wasn''t that quick or strong, but instead had a decent use of moves like Smog and Sludge. Growlithe was more than skilled enough to dodge these, but had trouble landing his own Ember or Bite.

    Growlithe appeared ferocious though, he understood the severity of the situation the second he must''ve seen how a few Slowpoke weren''t moving after having their tails removed.

    It took some time, Proton giving plenty of orders to try to help Koffing land anything, but eventually Growlithe connected with a beautiful Bite right near the edge of the purple edge of Koffing''s body.

    Koffing groaned and fell a bit out of the air, and the second Growlithe touched the ground again, he twisted on his paws and smashed Koffing right into the ground.

    "No! Koffing use-"

    Growlithe used the quick stun he got on Koffing to follow it up immediately with the strongest Ember I''d seen him use. He bathed the Poison type Pokemon in enough flames to singe it completely black.

    The calculated and technique enhanced rage Growlithe tapped into was something I didn''t think he had. He was a very kind and obedient puppy, but he had listened to my words, and felt that this cave had something very twisted behind it.

    I was truly proud he stepped up when I needed him to.

    However, I was almost a bit nervous. With the degree of ferocity Growlithe was putting into the match, I was wondering just what Proton would do to me or my Pokemon if we lost. Not that I blamed Growlithe for going this hard, the second Pokemon had probably died for this greedy and horrifically disgusting operation I had actually asked him to take these fights that seriously.

    "Watch that Ember Raticate! Destroy this child''s Pokemon!" Proton balled his fists. "Now!"

    Proton switched out Koffing for Raticate and the match turned just as ugly.

    Raticate was quick and furious, but lacked the technique and skill Growlithe had by miles.

    Growlithe was timing Raticate so well, that he was able to just run away and Raticate''s Hyper Fang had smashed its own teeth apart. By attempting to knock out Growlithe cold, Raticate did more damage to itself, when Growlithe dodged and bit directly into a large rock.

    Its giant teeth had chipped, and enraged, Raticate went after Growlithe even harder for this. However as Raticate rushed Growlithe a second time, now, Growlithe released another Ember at point blank range as a counter.

    The Fire type attack was so strong, even its poor eyes were burned.

    Proton ignored the pained cries of his Pokemon.

    "Get up! Raticate, get up! Now!" yelled Proton. "Get up and fight!"

    I think Raticate was having trouble seeing anything at all after taking a fireball directly to the eyes, I''m sure some time in a healing station like those Pokemon Centers had would fix it right up. But still, this seriously unsettled me by how insistent Proton was that he hadn''t really lost yet.

    Proton patted his belt for another Pokeball, and must''ve realized he didn''t have another one. I realized the same thing too, except sooner enough than him to walk past his injured Raticate.

    And then I punched Proton in the chest so hard it made all the previous strikes on his associates look like love taps.

    He dropped, clutching his side underneath his suit.

    I kicked him in the face quickly, but not hard enough to render him unconscious I made sure of that.

    He spun away across the cave floor, chuckling.

    Proton wiped his lip, standing up slightly. "They''re just Slowpoke, they''re just Pokemon you idiot."

    "They''re not my favorite Pokemon, but what you''ve done to them is just-"

    I again dropped him with a round kick to the stomach when he feebly attempted to throw a punch at me.

    Proton laughed, wheezing and gasping for air. "Just what? Wrong? They''re stupid, and useless. Even their evolved forms don''t offer much of a sale. Slowbro, Slowking? You think anyone will give a penny for them? You think anyone will care? You think Pokemon are worth anything except profit?"

    "So you think you''re justified in what you did?"

    "They''re. Pokemon." Proton panted, sprawled out on the cave floor, looking at me. "Some of the weakest and dumbest of them all. I only use different ones because they''re slightly easier to use to steal and hurt others."

    "You''re not justified at all, you''d never want one of your own legs cut off and sold for profit."

    "Do it." Proton laughed, looking over at the horrific machine he used to cut off Slowpoke tails and nodded. "Do it kid, you''d become an even better officer in my operation than I ever could be."

    I paused, refusing silently.

    After I shook my head, I felt a bit saddened by the entire situation.

    The only remorse I felt was that soon, I could walk out of this cave, try to forget this happened, and contact the League to come and arrest these people.

    "Great work." a new voice said.

    I looked over at the top of the stair case to the higher area of Slowpoke Well.

    Someone had tied up the four Rocket grunts I breezed past and pushed them down the stairwell. They fell over each other and groaned in pain together, their captor slowly walking down the stairs.

    He stepped into the lamplight, and I sort of recognized him.

    I picked up Proton from the cave floor slightly and then elbowed him in the nose as hard as I possibly could to knock him clean out.

    "I''ll be taking it from here." the fellow teenager said calmly.

    This was clearly Silver, slightly different from what I remembered of him.

    He had clean brown hair, a very mischievous smile, black gloves and shoes, blue trousers, and a black jacket with red edges.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    "Taking it from here?" I asked. "What do you mean?"

    "I mean you saw nothing here today. These pricks always have cash, I''ll even split half of it with you."

    "Cash?" I was still confused.

    He pointed with a gloved finger. "You see that box over there?"

    I turned and looked.

    Near the cave wall, on a plastic white table with a computer atop it, was a tin box.

    I heard Silver''s voice as I turned and opened the box. "Some folks like to pay Rockets up front if they''re desperate enough for what they can offer, or, they keep all the money they stole and earned with them at all times. Keeps the crews reliant on the boss for missions, but still self sufficient enough to extort whoever they can find."

    I looked at all the cash in the box. Until now, I wasn''t aware Pokedollars had a physical form to them, but there were tens of thousands worth of notes in the metal box. All told, well over a third of a million Pokedollars.

    "I''ll split that with you." He repeated, and I turned and looked at the mysterious kid. "Just, all you have to do is never tell anyone what happened here."

    I couldn''t do that.

    Mostly because the severity of the crime of possibly killing Pokemon for money was too big to ignore. Especially if this was in fact Team Rocket according to him.

    "So." I said to the sort of stranger. "You want me to ignore everything that just happened here. For a ton of money?"

    "Just about." Silver crossed his arms. "I was waiting for an opening all night until you came along."

    "And you didn''t bother to help?"

    "You didn''t seem to need any." he shrugged slightly. "Last chance. Take your cash and go, or I''ll have to make you leave."

    I weighed my options for a moment.

    Lie to the authorities for this person I just met, or do the right thing. What happened in this cave couldn''t be swept under the rug, I wasn''t that kind of person, and what happened here too...wrong.

    "Before we do this, I have to know. What is your business with these people?"

    Silver leaned back in exasperation and sighed, rolling his eyes. "Really?"

    "Tell me." I said calmly.

    In the blink of an eye, Silver had drawn a small Pokeball from his pocket and expanded its size with a click of a button.

    "They owe me a great deal."

    "How much?" and how did he know so much about Team Rocket?

    "More than you can imagine," he said very calmly.

    Silver tossed the Pokeball and released a Zubat.

    I took a quick glance at Teddiursa and Growlithe.

    Both were completely fine, they hadn''t even been scratched a tiny bit throughout the entire night.

    "Go get him Growlithe."

    He barked.

    Silver was standing near the bottom of the entrance of the staircase, probably to prevent any Rockets from sneaking off. I saw him tie up Proton too with the others while he let Zubat begin fighting Growlithe.

    Because at least in the beginning, he didn''t need any orders.

    Team Rocket didn''t exactly have a fighting style.

    I learned this early on, every single Pokemon Trainer had their own flair when it came to battles.

    Gold favored patience, strategy, and timing. His Quilava was supposed to cut off the ring as much as possible and then start striking as hard and fast as he could, gathered strength, then attacked again. I myself focused on timing as well, trying to teach my Pokemon to attack in ways and from places that maximized the effectiveness of their strikes, generally through karate.

    But Team Rocket just seemed to make all their Pokemon desperate to win their fights by abusing and starving them. This reflected in their battling, as there was little to no technique or style behind each move, just brutality, desperation, and wildness trying to overwhelm their opponents with raw force.

    Silver was the first Trainer I''d met, whose style was a perfect balance between the wild and brutal nature of Team Rocket, and the strategy and finesse Pokemon Trainers had.

    His Zubat was equal parts smart and brutal, it would zip around the air of the cave.

    Silver was smart enough to teach his Zubat how to use echolocation, staying quiet in the darkness of the cave before striking.

    It became almost impossible for Growlithe to land a strike, it could only use Ember to light up where he thought Zubat was, before narrowly dodging, or directly taking Leech Life or Bite.

    "Supersonic!" shouted Silver.

    Growlithe barely dodged the rings of high pitched sound Zubat swooped out of the darkness to release like a bomber plane.

    Zubat was quick enough, and the flapping of its wings in the darkness quiet enough, that it could be anywhere at all times within the cave. And Growlithe couldn''t see it.

    And when he struck from the darkness of the cave, Growlithe could barely react in time.

    However, Growlithe was able to barely time Zubat with a well placed Ember. The puppy tucked into a ball and dove forward just as Zubat appeared.

    Its Wing Attack almost shaved off a bit of Growlithe''s fireproof pelt as Growlithe tucked out of the roll, and a small fireball it shot from his mouth hit Zubat in the back.

    "Yeah!" I said proudly.

    Zubat wavered a bit out of its flight path, before soaring back up into the darkness.

    Now Growlithe knew he had slowed down his opponent a little, and I ordered quietly.

    "As many Embers as you can! Light up the cave wall!"

    He didn''t give Zubat a chance to recover from the slight burn on its back. The entire roof of the cave was then covered in a series of red fireballs, and when one got close enough to Zubat to reveal where it was, Silver spoke.

    "Poison Fang!"

    Zubat''s jaw opened and it began to dive.

    Growlithe moved aside at the last second, and then Zubat crumpled against the cave floor. It seemed to recover from the self inflicted blow for a moment, but then Growlithe explosively launched forward and caught it by the neck with a Bite before it could flutter off.

    Zubat wailed sharply, and then Growlithe just overwhelmed it with repeated Bites.

    "Return." Silver said without a shred of emotion.

    Growlithe was still releasing Embers by the time Silver wisely recalled Zubat, not letting up the fight for a second. I''d have to commend him later for taking this match as seriously as he should''ve.

    I watched as Silver didn''t even hesitate to throw out his next Pokeball, from what I gathered, because it was likely his last.

    "Areeef!"

    The Grass Pokemon pawed the ground slightly, rolling its neck.

    Silver''s Pokemon was a Bayleef, which made sense. Gold was given Cyndaquil, Crystal Tododile, and Silver had gotten the last one, a Chikorita, but how exactly, I didn''t know yet.

    What I did know, within under a minute, that Bayleef was easily the best Pokemon I''d ever gone up against, except for Blue''s Blastoise.

    Bayleef had Zubat''s strategy, speed, and timing, but along with multiple times more raw power and a far larger moveset. Bayleef didn''t have to move an inch, in fact it merely hopped out of the way when Growlithe attempted Ember again.

    I was proud of Growlithe, this was his first day really battling anything significant, and he had done excellently.

    The moment when I realized Bayleef''s Vine Whip completely outmatched Growlithe, pinned him to a corner and allowed Bayleef to easily Tackle him against the wall, I recalled him.

    He had plenty more fight in him, but I knew it was going to be a matter of time before he lost.

    The sheer difference between how easily Bayleef could land its own attacks, and how impossible it was for Growlithe to even get close to landing his made it clear. He had no chance, not this early on in his development anyway.

    "Getting tired already?" scoffed Silver.

    Even with a type advantage I knew Growlithe was going to lose. Vine Whip wasn''t even that good of a move, but Bayleef had utterly overwhelmed my Growlithe with it in seconds.

    "You''re up buddy."

    Teddiursa stopped watching from near my leg, walking forward.

    "Vine Whip again!" shouted Silver.

    Teddiursa had his work cut out for him, the only reason he didn''t struggle as hard as Growlithe was just due to experience.

    Even though he was used to fighting Grass types like Bellsprout for weeks at Sprout Tower, Bayleef was something else entirely.

    Because Bayleef was just so much smarter and faster than anything he, or even myself, had faced. Bayleef also possessed more precision and strength behind its attacks than anything my team had faced in a real battle.

    Bayleef would spam Vine Whip attacks, using too many razor sharp vines for me to count to pin Teddiursa down. And by the time he was almost done with running forward, Scratching them out of the way to put Bayleef in range of his claws, Razor Leaf bodied him.

    I had gotten paper cuts before, but the severity, size, and number of razor sharp leafs Bayleef unleashed was astounding, I could only imagine what it was like getting hit with dozens of paper cuts at the same time. Bayleef appeared to summon a windstorm worth of bullet like grass and blow it right at Teddiursa.

    Teddiursa had no room to dodge, not enough time to block, and his pelt was shredded to pieces.

    Even if he evolved during this battle, Teddiursa wouldn''t win this.

    Teddiursa almost fainted after this one attack, but stayed in the fight just barely. This was the first time I saw Teddiursa fought as if he had something to prove, taking the Razor Leaf personally.

    Teddiursa was quick enough to land Faint Attack, and what looked like Slash from afar, I couldn''t tell from how fast he timed it as a counter against Bayleef''s Tackle, but ultimately, it didn''t matter. Because Bayleef was able to recover any damage Teddiursa landed on it with Synthesis.

    Silver didn''t even have to say anything when Teddiursa finally found his footing and began to connect with his claws. Teddiursa had to pause to catch his breath, and Bayleef seemed to lean its head back, release glowing spores from the ring of leaves around its neck that floated in the air, and then healed any damage to its body Teddiursa had scratched away.

    I think I might actually lose this, because Gold was the only person to ever actually reach Vigoroth on my team during a real match. And his Quilava was already too injured to really continue.

    Bayleef was able to counter the next combination of attacks Teddiursa sent his way with a simple Poison Powder, and I knew it was there that I lost.

    Bayleef repositioned, and let Teddiursa''s energy slowly drain away under its poison, as the poisonous spores Bayleef released slowed down Teddiursa, and sapped away his strength.

    Even if Teddiursa was now able to land cleanly, which was incredibly difficult even when at his fullest strength, poisoned, it was even harder somehow.

    The second I saw Bayleef easily set up Reflect, making Teddiursa''s claws miss, and merely knocked Teddiursa away with the leaf on the front part of its head as a Tackle, I recalled Teddiursa.

    He was fighting a losing match with no way out there.

    I still technically had Growlithe, Teddiursa even could still fight despite all the hits he took, but there was almost nothing they could both do.

    I immediately sent out Vigoroth.

    "Oro!"

    Bayleef and Silver didn''t seem fazed by the Roar of an announcement Vigoroth made when he made it onto the field.

    Then, I realized just how badly I needed to win this fight.

    If I lost this match, I would have to leave. Silver was too powerful of a Trainer to lie to and tell the authorities, the Pokemon League needed him to help take down Team Rocket, or at least not be completely unwilling to work with them in every sense.

    Lying after I left would cement that. He was not an enemy I wanted to make.

    And I couldn''t stay either. Without any Pokemon to battle his Bayleef, Silver could literally just tell his Pokemon to just pick me up and dump me outside the Well.

    "Hey."

    Vigoroth looked over his shoulder.

    This was the first time I ever said this.

    "Go all out," I ordered simply.

    Vigoroth seemed to think about this for a moment, and then looked across the cavern floor at Bayleef with a nod.

    Then, the match began again.

    It took about three seconds for Bayleef to realize Vine Whip was pointless.

    Vigoroth had Teddiursa''s experience with Bellsprout and then some, not to mention it was so much faster and stronger that it had dodged a single pair of vines to use its claws with Slash against Bayleef''s head.

    Reflect barely saved it in time, and Bayleef flew away, its Vine Whips helping it to reposition just barely.

    Silver looked thoughtful and then began to order. "Keep your distance, use Razor Leaf!"

    There. At least melee-wise, Silver realized Vigoroth was much too fast and strong to challenge on even ground.

    "Block! Whatever you do, don''t get hit with Poison Powder!" I said.

    Vigoroth tried taking cover behind small boulders, but Bayleef''s Razor Leaf was so strong it actually split them apart like they were made of paper mache.

    Then Vigoroth turned, and I saw his body glow a bit brighter for a moment, taking the full brunt of the tremendous blow like it was nothing. Sometimes my Pokemon were nothing short of amazing.

    He was learning Endure during battle.

    Vigoroth wasted no time, realizing when the storm of leaves were done blowing at him to start attacking. He flew through the air, throwing Fury Swipes, roaring. Making the ground shake when he landed in the spot Bayleef was before it dodged, Vigoroth turned and Roared again.

    The Roar was so loud, I felt a few pebbles fall, shaken from the Roar, and hit the ground from being embedded in the cavern roof.

    Bayleef didn''t even blink at this, nor did Silver again, and they continued to battle it out.

    Bayleef made Vigoroth cover up again with a long range Razor Leaf, to attack again. The long green leaf blade on the top of Bayleef''s head glowed green for a moment, and then it rushed forward in a Tackle. This was a bad idea, because it and Silver should''ve known attacking Vigoroth at close range would never work.

    But it did.

    As Vigoroth tried Slashing away, but Bayleef already activated Razor Leaf again, not giving Vigoroth nearly enough time to raise his guard and use Endure, or even remotely block.

    He ducked aside to protect his head as he angled out, but the rest of his body was not so lucky. The wind Razor Leaf created as well as the leaves, were so strong that Vigoroth was actually forced to slide back a little, the rest of his body heavily sliced up in tiny bits all over.

    Ignoring the clear amoutn of damage this made, Vigoroth then dug his claws in, and burst forward like a track runner. As fast as the counter Vine Whip was, it didn''t matter, Bayleef was flying backwards. It was able to duck its head out of the way of an overhand Slash, but its flank wasn''t so lucky.

    The hit to the side was so strong, Bayleef was sent soaring off its legs its Vine Whips tethered to the walls of Slowpoke Well for extra mobility snapped off, crashing into the cavern wall behind it.

    "Great job! That''s what I''m talking about!" I shouted.

    "Oro!" Vigoroth nodded, Roaring again.

    A few rocks crumbled and fell around Bayleef in the rubble it created, but it gave Vigoroth enough time to use Endure again when Bayleef split apart all the cave that collapsed around it with a furious Razor Leaf. When Vigoroth lowered his guard and then chucked a rock straight at Bayleef''s face when it repositioned elsewhere along the cave wall, it didn''t matter, Bayleef used its Type advantage by just lowering its head. The rock split directly against the leaf on its face.

    That leaf was just as sharp as all the leaves Bayleef could use with Razor Leaf it appeared.

    Vigoroth could tell Bayleef was starting to heal with Synthesis, but gave it no time to complete the move, forcing Bayleef to dodge a Slash so powerful it split apart the cave wall like it was nothing.

    Even battling at half strength having landed a significant strike each, both Vigoroth and Bayleef appeared evenly matched.

    Vigoroth could just Slash or Endure anything that was close enough to touch him, and Bayleef had such tremendous mobility with Vine Whip, and such great use of Reflect it could also just block anything close to it. However, there were a few small moments where Bayleef was fast enough to slip in a few bits of its Razor Leaf before Vigoroth could use Endure.

    Vigoroth had smashed about three different Reflect shields apart with ease, but each time he did so, he just let Bayleef counter with Razor Leaf, or slip away out of its claws.

    As hard as it had been, I had certainly landed more hits on Bayleef as the fight continued.

    Vigoroth was connecting with both claws, using Slash and Fury Swipes in split second openings Bayleef created in the middle of an attack or while dodging.

    However, within a second, Bayleef started moving far faster than it used to before, and then I remembered Bayleef''s ability I''d read from the Pokedex. Because of Overgrow, Bayleef''s Grass type moves were far more effective when reaching the last third of its potential battling energy.

    So as hard as it had been until now, taking two of my Pokemon, and a little over half of Vigoroth''s health, Bayleef was now even stronger.

    Its Razor Leaf now almost made Vigoroth blow over entirely, the wind created in the leaf storm powerful enough to make me raise my own hands and squint.

    Even with Overgrow, Bayleef''s Vine Whip still wasn''t an effective attack against Vigoroth, he was just too experienced from all the practice at Sprout Tower when it came to dealing with it. But the degree of speed and mobility Bayleef had with Vine Whip, using the vines to tether to different parts of the cavern while attacking or dodging, was almost impossible to deal with.

    Vigoroth was caught flush in the middle of an attack, trying to go for another one of his jumping Fury Swipe attacks launching through the air, but Bayleef had repositioned itself so fast used Razor Leaf to blow him away, countering at just the right time.

    The cuts all over Vigoroth''s arms, legs, torso, and a bit of his face told me Bayleef and Vigoroth were both easily on their last legs.

    Vigoroth looked exhausted, tired to the bone, from how hard he had to push himself, how many times and how hard Razor Leaf had landed flush. I was still amazed he was able to keep fighting.

    "Finish it! Finish it now Bayleef!" yelled Silver.

    Bayleef leaned back slightly and then roared, mustering as much energy as it could to bellow and release the strongest Razor Leaf yet.

    I then did something I hadn''t tried until now. "Attack Vigoroth! Use Slash!"

    "Oro!"

    Because Vigoroth started moving just after the Razor Leaf began, the first few leaves missed him, forcing Bayleef to change its trajectory. Until now, I had refused to let Vigoroth attack and only block, by the sheer number and sharpness of the leaves.

    But now, Vigoroth created his own opening. Timing a space through the leaves with how fast he could explode forward and launch across the cavern.

    Razor sharp leaves missed his face, chest, and legs by half an inch in some spots, and then in the blink of an eye, Vigoroth connected with a Slash directly to the face.

    Bayleef couldn''t duck or Vine Whip away in time and its red eyes widened.

    Silver didn''t react at all when Bayleef got rocked with a claw straight across the head and then it went stumbling backward.

    Bayleef was on shaky legs, trying to stay standing and then it collapsed.

    Silver tilted his head slightly, waiting to see if Bayleef would rise up again.

    "It gets up, wail on it," I said. "Fury Swipes, nonstop."

    I wondered if Vigoroth would''ve been able to throw a single Slash after all this anyway, but I admired Vigoroth''s grunt of acknowledgment regardless.

    Vigoroth was panting, more tired than I''d ever seen him when Silver recalled Bayleef.

    He didn''t even look at his Pokeball when he made it smaller, clicking the button on the front of it, and tucked it away. "You want to be such a goody two shoes? Fine. Do whatever you want with all the money and Rockets here, I don''t care."

    It dawned on me how pointless this entire confrontation was.

    "Why don''t you." I tutted. "Why don''t you help me? To help me take down Team Rocket within the law? The Pokemon League could use you. You could be an amazing Trainer."

    "The work I''m doing is far more important than a stupid badge or trophy, or being called a champion. I thought you''d realize something like that as a monk." I realized he knew who I was from the articles of me online. "You''re better than I''d heard of, but still disappointing in your goals."

    Silver then turned and walked up the stairs of the cave without another word.

    And then I''d wondered if I could train Pokemon besides Normal types as well as Silver had raised his Bayleef. Because that was the closest I''d ever come to losing a match, one more Razor Leaf and Vigoroth actually would''ve lost.

    Proton and the other Rockets hadn''t moved this entire time. I saw that Silver had tied the rope around them too tightly to let them so much as twitch.

    It was time to announce this to Pokemon League, that Team Rocket had returned.

    ¡­

    An Officer Jenny, who I was surprised did in fact exist here, was outside the well in a squad car.

    "I''m telling you, I''m not a Rocket, I work in an independently organized group of-"

    He grunted when Jenny shoved him in the back of her car. "Yeah I don''t care." she said in a sharp voice, she slammed the door shut.

    Professor Oak had been sent from Pallet Town the moment I had told the authorities what happened. He was Red''s mentor during his entire rise to fame, and the Pokemon League had given him the position of managing and containing any Team Rocket related activity.

    Bugsy and a few other Trainers tasked with the safety of Azalea Town appeared as well, speaking sternly to, or rather, lightly interrogating the criminals I had apprehended down in the cave.

    Oak and a League official were speaking to me.

    "So all the Slowpoke I found, are they alright?"

    "They''re in dire condition, some of them lost enough blood to need to spend some time in the nearby Pokemon Center." said Oak. "I made sure the rest will be able to grow their tails back in a few months."

    I frowned. "So did any of them, die though?"

    Oak''s silence was enough to tell me at least one probably did.

    "There was nothing you could''ve done kid." the League official muttered. "The Slowpoke we found were already bleeding out for hours before you found them."

    "I hope Proton rots in jail for what he did." I shook my head.

    "Why didn''t you call me sooner?" asked Oak.

    I wondered if I should include Silver in my report.

    "What?" Oak noticed my tiny bit of silence.

    "Someone showed up wanting to deal with the Rockets himself without telling anyone."

    "What was his name?" asked Oak.

    I sort of already knew but wasn''t sure. "He didn''t say."

    "What did he look like?"

    "About my age, a little older. He had a Bayleef, and wore mostly dark clothing, brown hair and eyes, a bit gloomy."

    Oak and the League Official looked at each other.

    "Who was he?" I asked.

    "No one''s ever known his true name. The orphanage he was from just called him Silver," Oak said. "I''ll have to let Professor Elm know he''s just been spotted."

    "Why?" I said.

    "He claims Team Rocket stole Elm''s Chikorita for him instead of him stealing it himself. Either way, he''s resisted any attempts we''ve made to question him."

    I was confused. "So he''s technically a criminal?"

    "Since the stealing of Elm''s Pokemon is under vague pretenses," said Oak. "Being the most severe of his so called crimes. He isn''t a criminal, at one point he helped facilitate a great deal of Pokemon trades. Somewhat illegal exchanges, but nothing too nefarious to warrant an arrest."

    "I battled him, he said he wanted me to pretend nothing happened down there in the well in exchange for money."

    Oak shook his head kindly with a smile. "You''ve done well tonight Nico, er. Aside from calling me much later than I''d hoped."

    "But I have so many questions, what is Silver''s history with Team Rocket?"

    "That''s classified." said the League official. "With the rise of these Teams in almost every region we know of, Team Rocket is the problem of the WCPL and all the local authorities working with it."

    Oak and the official muttered to each other and then the other man walked off.

    Oak turned to me. "I thought I told you not to face Team Rocket alone."

    "Other than Silver showing up and saying so, I''m not sure if this was actually Team Rocket."

    "Team Rocket refuses to allow any evidence of their operations trace back to them," explained Oak. "If we hadn''t handled this the way we did tonight. You could''ve made some very powerful enemies Nico."

    "I wasn''t going to let Bugsy deal with them and wait for them to show up, I''m challenging him soon. And I knew I could''ve dealt with them on my own, and I did."

    "You got lucky," Oak warned. "As you must''ve noticed Team Rocket has no rules, they have no morals, no desires, no goals beyond power and profit. They do not show a hint of empathy towards anyone, even children."

    "So then what about Silver?"

    "Don''t worry about him, he''s the League''s problem, not yours. I''ve already told each Gym Leader in Johto and Kanto alike to keep an eye out for him and to apprehend him if necessary if he refuses to reveal what he knows of Rocket."

    "What''s up with his Bayleef anyway?"

    Oak put his hands in the pocket of his white lab coat. "It started like a Chikorita like any other, Elm raised it personally since she was a newborn. Soon after Gold and Crystal won the Youngster lottery, Elm''s Chikorita disappeared. We confronted Silver when he was battling with one just like it, but he''s refused to say anything about the incident besides blaming team Rocket for it."

    "Wait, then it was Rocket who stole it?"

    "We''ll never know. The incident even put Elm into a great deal of scrutiny over the security of his lab. Right now, the press will be asking all sorts of questions, mainly as to how it''s even possible the League allowed Team Rocket to reorganize at all after Red dismantled it entirely." I wanted to say more but Oak interrupted me. "Go get some rest Nico, you''ve been battling criminals all night."

    I had, it was sunrise now.

    "These things are my responsibility. I almost lost Red once, I refuse to lose Trainers of generation after his either." said Oak with a tired smile.

    "Yes Professor."

    I nodded to him and then left back towards the Pokemon center.

    Silver was more skilled than any other Pokemon Trainer I''d ever met, at least those who were just starting to build their teams. His Bayleef alone possessed more speed, power, technique, versatility, and timing than any other I''d seen except for those at the World Championship level.

    He came closer than anyone else to knocking out my Vigoroth, and pushed him to go all out in order to defeat Bayleef.

    Bugsy might not seem like that much of a challenge with the natural talent Growlithe possessed, and how fast he was learning to fight from actual matches. But I knew that Whitney wasn''t going to be as easy as Bugsy, and battling someone like Silver really reminded me just how seriously I needed to start taking training my team again.

 Second Gym Challenge

    I was eating breakfast with Inoru as he read off the news at the table.

    "Whispers of the return of Team Rocket have appeared from Azalea Town. The usually peaceful and Slowpoke themed town was suddenly changed when strange men were caught selling Slowpoke tails." Inoru went on. "Themes reminiscent of old Team Rocket bases taking over old Game Corners, with the same equipment and Pok¨¦mon used to take over Slowpoke Well were present. Is this the return of dark forces to the Kanto and Johto region?"

    I kept eating my cereal in silence.

    "The authorities declined to comment any further as to how exactly the men were apprehended, and if in fact, Team Rocket has returned to operation. Heads of Team Galactic and others around the world remain at large, as organized crime, appears to continue to grow globally."

    I could practically feel the disapproving look on Inoru''s face as he looked at me.

    "You wouldn''t happen to know anything about that?"

    "Nope." I said calmly.

    "You mysteriously wander out of our room last night, and today a bunch of criminals are arrested?"

    I looked up at Inoru tiredly. "What do you want me to tell you? So I wanted to get Growlithe used to better battles, what''s the big deal?"

    "What''s the big deal?" Inoru sighed longly, passing a hand over his bald head. "Protecting the lives of innocent Pok¨¦mon was one thing, but needlessly putting yourself in danger was another."

    "I was looking for a serious challenge. Rocket didn''t give it to me, but the night didn''t end up being a complete waste."

    "Then who did give you a challenge?"

    There was no point in not telling Ino if I''d already told Professor Oak.

    "Someone named Silver. He''s a very strange and mysterious guy but-"

    Ino looked up from my Pok¨¦Nav, handing it back to me. "But?"

    "He''s hands down the best Trainer I''ve met, except for Clair and Blue of course."

    "How so?"

    I explained. "His Bayleef is super well trained, as well as naturally quick and strong. There''s just something off about him, it''s hard to put into words."

    "I''d say to try to face him the next chance you get, never fear defeat. But always seek to improve."

    "Thanks Ino, I will."

    He nodded back to me slightly.

    I cleared my throat, standing up. "Well, better get to it as soon as I can. Have to sign up for the tournament to challenge Bugsy''s Gym."

    "Want me to come with you?"

    "We already finished all our studies together for things for the Order. Unless you really want to, I don''t see the point."

    Inoru calmly accepted this and walked off back to our room in the Pok¨¦mon center upstairs.

    "Here you go." Azalea Town''s Nurse Joy said with a smile.

    "Thank you Nurse."

    I smiled back to her after I finished my breakfast. She had returned my three Pok¨¦mon on a plastic tray, all of whom had been through a very decent fight after battling Silver last night.

    I put all three Pok¨¦balls back into my belt, and walked off towards Bugsy''s Gym.

    It was easily less impressive than any of the other Gyms I''d visited so far, but it was still pretty. Bugsy''s Gym was simple, it was a large rectangular one story building. All the galleries for Gym

    challenges and tournaments were on a raised walkway protected by see-through glass.

    The Gym itself was mainly a dirt floor forest containing several Bug Pok¨¦mon and from what I could tell, Bug type Trainers who regularly raised their bugs in the forest enclosure would''ve been there.

    The front desk was small, just a single young woman wearing a light green t-shirt with white outlines and a WCPL logo near her shoulders. "Hello there, how can I help you today?"

    "I''m here to sign up for the tournament to challenge Bugsy."

    "Absolutely, your Pok¨¦mon Trainer ID please."

    I stuck my Pok¨¦Nav into the slot she requested, easy enough, it was a smartphone type of device anyway.

    "Hm."

    I saw the girl''s face scrounge up for a second.

    "What is it?"

    The Azalea Town Gym staff member looked right at me. "You''re Nico of Takujimi right?"

    "Yes?"

    Why wouldn''t I be?

    "According to your performance in your past two competitions, only Gold from New Bark Town has proved to be of any real challenge to you," she said, reading off her computer. "The WCPL might take competition very seriously, but we''re also equally fair. You don''t need to battle in the tournament."

    I was confused. "Seriously?"

    "There''s really no point after all. Our records show that Gold just signed up to challenge Falkner''s Gym in Violet City again. All Trainers at or around his rank are not competing yet, and until one does appear, there''s no point wasting your time nor that of anyone else''s."

    That made sense but was my team really that good?

    Now that I thought about it, yes, it really was. Gold''s team completely outpaced everyone else''s that day, and he was even better than Crystal in my opinion despite the Type disadvantage for his main. And I''ve beaten Gold twice now.

    "So what do I do?" I was a bit confused.

    "Well." Bugsy''s staff member smiled weakly. "Normally we''d have you challenge some of Bugsy''s other Trainers to see if you qualify anyway. They''re the ones you might see around the enclosure raising a few of the Pok¨¦mon."

    She shrugged. "But, they''re all pretty busy these days. If you''d like, I can have you challenge Bugsy directly. How does that sound?"

    "Sounds perfect. How long do I have?"

    The girl clicked on her laptop for a bit. "I can have you challenge Leader Bugsy in either two or four weeks."

    "Two weeks sounds great."

    "Excellent. Just to let you know ahead of time, the match will be three on three no running clock. Good luck and we''ll see you soon!"

    "Thank you." I bowed back to her and then left.

    ¡­

    I picked a comfy spot on the outskirts of Azalea Town near the wilderness where I trained last.

    Then, I let out my entire team into the forest clearing.

    I tossed out Teddiursa''s Great Ball, and Slakoth and Growlithe''s Pok¨¦balls.

    The three Pok¨¦mon all stood there, Teddiursa quietly shifting his back paws through the grass as Vigoroth stretched. Growlithe chased his circle really quick and then barked.

    "Hey everyone, great job last night. We weren''t expecting Silver at all, nor him to be that good, but we pushed through."

    "Arf!" barked Growlithe happily.

    Vigoroth shrugged, not at all shaken by how tough of a match Bayleef was for him despite the fact that Silver''d almost beaten my entire team with him. Teddiursa looked too spaced out to say anything, or maybe he just didn''t think much of how badly Bayleef had beaten him.

    Growlithe was simply too cheerful with more training ahead that he didn''t say anything.

    I asked myself, was my team really shaken from our first encounter with Team Rocket? From what I can tell, it barely was.

    They knew how serious of a threat they posed with how innocent Slowpoke were hurt. They fought as hard as they could, and that was it. They took the fights to that level, and adapted as necessary.

    As far as I could see, they were ready to go right back to training.

    I nodded. "Okay. Today''s a special day. Vigoroth, you''re with Teddiursa."

    "Oro." he grunted in a low voice to acknowledge this.

    "Growlithe, today I''m training you. For the next two weeks, I''m going to maximize your performance in the ring. If I play my cards right, Bugsy won''t even need to see the rest of the team in action."

    The puppy was too happy to realize just how much of a responsibility this was. That or too young to understand my tone.

    "Let''s get started."

    I had Vigoroth work on ways to improve Teddiursa''s Slash. Both of them were Pok¨¦mon, there was little they could do to communicate very strategically, but Vigoroth was more than happy to show Teddiursa just how much technique and power there was behind his Slash.

    As both of them worked with each other, I put out cones and hoops to drill Growlithe''s timing, reaction speed, and overall, the effectiveness of his Ember.

    This wouldn''t just be his best attack against Bugsy, this would be Growlithe''s bread and butter until he approached the stage he''d mature into Arcanine and begin using things like Fire Blast and Flamethrower, months from now.

    I held out specialized pads I''d bought to train Growlithe like I was using boxing mitts, making sure my arm didn''t get scalded in the process, but luckily it came with protectors against such things.

    About an hour and a half through training Growlithe''s counters and combination attacks with Ember, Bite, and Tackle, and I felt a strange glowing sensation on my face.

    I turned, and Teddiursa was evolving.

    I didn''t notice it, but Vigoroth had helped Teddiursa''s Slash improve to the point where his body had matured well enough to become an Ursaring.

    Light swirled and glowed from Teddiursa, his body changing and growing taller and a bit wider, until. A large bear Pok¨¦mon appeared standing in the forest clearing, Teddiursa having grown into him.

    Unlike Vigoroth, he didn''t appear remotely confused or proud of his evolution. Maybe Teddiursa, now Ursaring, was just too spaced out unless during fighting to really care all that much.

    I then returned to Growlithe, and honestly, he did quite well.

    Every bit of advice I gave him he listened to perfectly, and executed with dispatch.

    By the end of the day, I was satisfied, my team was barely tired, and they''d all practiced exactly how I asked them to.

    ¡­

    For the next two weeks, that was my routine.

    I woke up, did all my prayers and scroll studies with Ino for about an hour, ate breakfast. Wandered around Azalea Town, maybe read a book or two, then trained my team from midday to four in the afternoon.

    I began to ask myself questions, about details in Growlithe''s performance to maximize how well he did in the ring.

    How exactly did his Ember attack physically get stronger? Were his lungs merely used to producing better fire as time went on?

    This led me to a different question about three days into training.

    Growlithe''s paws moved quicker, his reflexes got sharper, and he moved with more confidence and decisiveness when I put him to lightly spar Ursaring.

    This was all clearly physical improvements, Growlithe''s skills improved the more time in the ring he got with the rest of the team. But down to the details, like the muscles within his legs, how exactly fire was produced from his body, how could I improve it?

    I began to research online just how exactly Fire type Pok¨¦mon conditioned their bodies, how they maximized performance.

    Blue could''ve probably made millions if he sold books on how he raised his Arcanine, heck, I needed one right now, and I''ve have paid really good money for one. But instead I came to a very simple conclusion.

    Even Special attacks, at their core, were based on physical traits.

    Sure, Growlithe''s Ember was most definitely a Special Fire type attack. It didn''t have to make contact, it was a fireball of sorts. But the manner in which it was produced from his body, mainly his lungs and his mouth, the speed, power, and above all, how hot the fire itself was, was based purely in the physical strength of Growlithe''s.

    How he grew, how used to producing Ember his body had become.

    I tested out this hypothesis over the course of five days, focusing purely on ways to maximize Growlithe''s performance with simple physical improvements.

    Jogging up and down Azalea town everyday chasing the puppy back and forth. Buying toys for him to chew, giving Growlithe plenty of time while I read around a campfire, or checked my ranking on my Nav.

    Timing sprints, trying to maximize the fast twitch muscle fibers within Growlithe''s legs to make him as explosive and quick as possible.

    I took a quick video of Growlithe sparring Ursaring one day, and then five days later after I began implementing all this into his training, and the results were a bit shocking.

    Night and day. Two completely different universes.

    Growlithe was already a very strong Pok¨¦mon before, he was naturally quick and strong because of his bloodline being the grandson of Oak''s own Arcanine, and the son of Blue''s. And, credit to myself, skilled from the basic drills I gave to Ursaring and Vigoroth, I adapted to Growlithe.

    But now, the difference in just a couple of days was glaring.

    Sure, it wasn''t like he beat Ursaring or anything, but the clear difference in how much harder of a fight it was for him was astounding.

    The regular jogging exercise of course didn''t just improve Growlithe''s stamina, it helped make his lungs and diaphragm much stronger. As I had guessed, his breath was much stronger, his Ember was just better.

    How to improve fire breathing? Improve breathing first.

    And his Bite too.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    How to make Growlithe''s biting quicker and stronger? He''s a puppy, I gave him stuff to chew for almost an hour every day, and let him run around me, timing his attacks with a bone.

    I would use it like a toy, running around letting him chase me, offering it to him, somersaulting aside, standing up, moving left, right, forward, and backward, the whole time Growlithe playfully believing it was a game.

    But really, I was improving his reflexes for combat. He''d see the bone appear? Good, he''d Bite it.

    It actually got Ursaring frustrated. The bear was young, but very large and strong, Growlithe was infuriating to him.

    He''d move to one angle, strike, fake, move to another, fake, move into another direction, pepper Ursaring''s chest with Embers to stall, then move to a different direction.

    Growlithe''s boundless puppy energy wasn''t exactly a hindrance ever, but now it was a blessing. Vigoroth and Ursaring never had any complaints about daily training, but it never looked fun for them.

    Growlithe on the other hand wouldn''t ever get tired, he loved sparring, he loved the drills, he loved jogging up and down Azalea Town.

    He basically never got tired, and unlike Vigoroth and Ursaring, he didn''t see this as just a serious routine for competition. To him, it was pure games.

    And that I think, after much consideration, I really enjoyed.

    ¡­

    The day of Bugsy''s challenge, Inoru was in the stands with me just chatting casually. He knew what strategy I had going into this, he didn''t have much to say.

    Most of Azalea Town basically stopped all of what it was doing that day to see my challenge, not that I blamed them. I had won my first tournament in Blackthorn City and people were talking about me on the News function of the Pok¨¦Nav already.

    I checked in at the front desk, bowed at the edge of the ring like I did when I battled Falkner, and shook Bugsy''s hand.

    Bugsy was a teen boy of about fifteen, wearing a classic Bug trainer uniform with lilac colored hair. Green shorts and button up top, with black shoes.

    I was given the impression Bugsy was a genuinely good natured person, but Azalea Town wasn''t the most competitive Pok¨¦mon town.

    Pretty much everyone in the stands were lovers of Bug type Pok¨¦mon, or their children were kids in Bugsy''s program who were studying Bug type Pok¨¦mon all over Johto and parts of Kanto.

    Just by the way Bugsy could wave and smile at the crowd and they smiled back, there was a history here. That Azalea Town knew who Bugsy was, that he was a part of the town.

    Regardless, the match began.

    I was blue side on the judge''s left, and Bugsy was red, on the judge''s right.

    Bugsy''s first Pok¨¦mon was Butterfree, a very pretty looking butterfly Pok¨¦mon with shiny white wings.

    Growlithe wasn''t impressed, I tossed him out from his ball after I expanded it in my palm.

    "Arf arf!" he announced, his tail wagging as he lowered his snout, looking directly at Butterfree calmly.

    "A Fire type huh?" asked Bugsy in a light and kind voice. "Don''t think this''ll be easy just because you have a type advantage."

    Under normal circumstances, I would agree, except that Growlithe was actually pretty strong regardless of his typing I''d seen from our training.

    A WCPL official judge waved a blue and red flag down together at the same time. "Begin!" he shouted.

    "Butterfree, Poisonpowder!" said Bugsy.

    The butterfly Pok¨¦mon released small purple spores from its body and used its wings to wave them towards Growlithe quickly. He didn''t even need to dodge, merely burning the poison away with a striking hot Ember.

    "Okay, set up Bite!"

    Butterfree hovered left and right, darting around the air trying to avoid Growlithe''s path, until it suddenly avoided another set of spores, I think they were Stun spores being orange instead of purple like earlier, and latched directly onto Butterfree''s side.

    It tackled Butterfree down, shaking the Bug type Pok¨¦mon in the air like a chew toy before spitting it out.

    "You okay Butterfree?"

    The Bug type didn''t respond to Bugsy''s words, it just silently looked at Growlithe big red, and now angry eyes.

    "Then put pressure on him! Attack!" said Bugsy.

    Butterfree''s Confusion was actually pretty decent.

    Growlithe was unable to evade or do anything to stop the Psychic move from hitting him, and a wave of light Psychic energy hit him right in the pelt.

    It barely seemed to scratch him however, even despite how well placed it was. I suspect it was because Growlithe was already moving in a different direction by the time it hit him, and only the edge of the Psychic wave struck him.

    Contrary to what I was thinking, Growlithe wasn''t automatically Confused by the move, if anything he seemed sharper after it landed.

    His fight with Butterfree began to wrap up by the time Growlithe began to use Ember.

    I again, was incredibly surprised by how such a young Pok¨¦mon could absorb drills. As tricky as Butterfree was, gliding this way and that, always using long range attacks like its Stun Spore and Sleep and Poison Powder, as well as Confusion, Growlithe just did his thing.

    As if he was still working on target practice back in the forest clearing with pads and mitt work, moving Butterfree where he wanted around the ring with ease. He faked Bites, then committed to real ones, dashed out of the way of counter attacks to continue to pressure Butterfree-

    Then wham!

    Butterfree was hit right in the head with an Ember fireball.

    It went spinning out of the air after that, and suspecting it was injured, the judge paused the match instantly. "Stop!"

    Butterfree struggled to its blue feet, and then was able to get back into the air.

    As I suspected, despite giving a few strong attacks Growlithe merely evaded, countered by burning through it with Ember, or outright ignored, it was a matter of time before Growlithe connected with a third and final attack.

    An Ember again, this time right in the chest as Growlithe timed its movement through the air after it missed Confusion for the second time.

    "Butterfree is unable to battle! The first round goes to the blue side!" The judge raised a blue flag.

    Bugsy recalled the knocked out Bug type Pok¨¦mon. "Great work Butterfree, let''s go Beedrill!"

    Beedrill was actually a bit trickier.

    Twineedle almost landed flush directly on Growlithe''s face, Beedrill buzzed forward very quickly, aiming with both its sharp needles on either arm.

    Growlithe just barely avoided the attack in time, hurriedly somersaulting away in a ball, but Beedrill flew away before Growlithe could counter with Ember.

    "Just keep doing what you''re doing." I said from my Trainer''s box next to the ring.

    Beedrill really only had Twinneedle. Both Rage and Fury Attack were just slight alterations of its first attack, with Growlithe was already able to deal with right off the bat.

    Meaning, Growlithe just had to figure out his timing, keep up the pressure, work on combinations, and just as I suspected. It just took some time for him to connect with Ember.

    He began to duck around and dodge Beedrill''s needles, and as the other needle approached during a combination of Fury Attack, Growlithe coated Beedrill''s entire body in a single Ember.

    The audience almost gasped and appeared awed by the move. The judge didn''t even have to check if Beedrill was knocked out.

    "The second round goes to the challenger from Takujimi Temple!"

    Bugsy appeared confused for a second.

    Growlithe was just getting warmed up and he was down to his last of three Pok¨¦mon.

    So far, I didn''t think his Pok¨¦mon were weak by any means, it''s just that they possessed the same training and abilities that Growlithe did. Sure Bugsy''s Pok¨¦mon were more experienced, but that was heavily offset by Fire being super effective against Bug Type moves, and not ineffective the other way around.

    Bugsy pulled out his last Pok¨¦mon, and as I was expecting, it was the toughest of the three.

    Scyther proudly announced itself with a quick slash at the air with its bladed arms, hissing loudly as it took a fighting stance, its wings doing a quick shimmer and shake in the air.

    "Give it all you got Scyther!" said Bugsy with equal strength.

    Here we go, Bugsy using his main against my youngest and newest Pok¨¦mon.

    Scyther was significantly faster than Growlithe, in fact, as it dodged Growlithe''s Ember with ease while using Agility, it then transitioned instantly into Quick Attack.

    And shockingly, Scyther almost sliced away a whole bit of Growlithe''s pelt with that attack.

    In fact, I could even see a few of the fireproof hairs on Growlithe''s tail get cut and released into the air when Scyther only managed to connect onto his back.

    Growlithe spun, lunging forward to attempt an explosive Bite, but Scyther had already whizzed away to the other side of the ring.

    Before myself or Growlithe could do anything, Bugsy ordered. "Slash!"

    Scyther slightly telegraphed the attack by leaning back and readying his rear arm, then raising a great deal of dust as it blurred across the ring and nearly landed flush directly across Growlithe''s torso, neck, and legs.

    Growlithe tucked into a ball at the last second, and before Scyther''s other arm could so much as twitch, I saw it release the strongest Ember he had yet, which was saying something.

    Growlithe roared with his Ember, basking the entirety of Scyther''s back with fire.

    Shrieking, Scyther spun around in the blink of an eye sent Growlithe flying to the other end of the ring when it cut it right across the body and neck with its other arm.

    A dust cloud was raised from the blow, and the judge paused the match.

    "Stop!"

    "Great work Scyther! Nice Cut!"

    When the dust was cleared, I was looking at a different Pok¨¦mon.

    Growlithe hadn''t evolved or anything, that wasn''t possible without at least Fire Stone I think, but the look in Growlithe''s eyes were different.

    Panting quietly, the puppy was growling, lowly, and angrily, the hairs on the back of its neck standing up on end.

    I had a choice to make, and I made it instantly.

    "Growlithe!"

    He looked over at me.

    And all I did was nod twice, slightly pushing my lower lip against my upper one.

    Growlithe looked right over to Scyther, its glare resuming.

    "Continue!"

    The judge had barely finished speaking by the time Growlithe rushed forward, spitting Embers at a million miles an hour.

    All the grass of the enclosure began to lit ablaze, Scyther''s back had recovered quickly, the Pok¨¦mon more than strong enough to give it right back.

    Scyther''s blurring Cut attacks was insane. This Pok¨¦mon was so fast with its wings that Growlithe had to either Ember through it to make Scyther change angles and stop attacking, or dodge by the skin of his teeth.

    Growlithe and Scyther went back and forth, Ember.

    Quick Attack.

    Bite, two Embers.

    Scyther''s Quick Attack, followed up by so many Cuts I could barely see them all, bordering on Fury Swipes.

    By the end of its somehow, either through sheer determination or timing too fast for me to really register from the speed of the battle, Growlithe had latched onto Scyther''s arm.

    Before anyone could react, a fireball seemed to glow within Growlithe''s maw, and the next thing I knew Scyther''s right arm was burnt completely black.

    "Stop!"

    I smiled, calling Growlithe over to me, giving him as much advice as I could while the match was paused. I had no choice, the fight was moving so fast, Growlithe was constantly trying to use Bite or Ember, or moving around the ring.

    Either because Bugsy was the local gym leader, or through a bit of luck, the judge let the match continue. Not that I was complaining, this match was getting great.

    The battle continued with Scyther fighting with one arm and a slightly burnt back, and if I thought this Pok¨¦mon was tough when it was still fully healthy, I hadn''t seen anything yet.

    Scyther hissed, concentrating deeply and then taking a stronger stance after its torso glowed white for a second. My eyes widened when I realized just how much power Scyther would be able to put behind one attack.

    Focus Energy.

    One clean Slash and I might have to actually bring out Ursaring or Vigoroth.

    Growlithe didn''t give him a chance, it merely timed a series of Embers despite just how fast Scyther could move.

    The Bug Type Pok¨¦mon was relentless, it could zip around the ring so fast I could feel my hair fly backward as it chased after Growlithe with one arm as if its life depended on it.

    However, the match was mine.

    It''s not like Growlithe had gotten faster during the match or anything, it had just gotten smarter.

    Scyther was still quick, very quick, faster than Growlithe by a longshot. However, the degree of precision by how Growlithe could position himself around the ring, and the timing behind how he could use Bite and Ember made Scyther reposition or take a completely different action repeatedly.

    Quick Attack alone should''ve wrapped this up minutes ago, and I should''ve been switching out a knocked out Growlithe with Ursaring, but I didn''t. This puppy was just too determined, adaptable, and vicious.

    I''d seen Growlithe take fights seriously against faster and stronger Pok¨¦mon, even with a type advantage like against Bayleef. But with an extra two weeks of training, and an Ember that had improved leaps and bounds, Growlithe was getting better before my very eyes.

    Scyther would block Embers away from its chest and head with repeated swipes at the air with its bladed arm, even using its burnt one to block. But it began to tire.

    Growlithe began to win the long game, sneaking in Bite occasionally, another Ember, this time on the leg or another wing.

    And that really took the speed out of Scyther.

    Eventually, as Bugsy began to give another order, Growlithe used another Ember, landing flush on Scyther''s chin, neck, and upper chest with a very strong fireball.

    This time it was so strong that even with a block it went flying back. The Fire type attack struck Scyther too hard now, and it couldn''t get back up.

    And Azalea Town''s resident Bug specialist''s main, Bugsy''s Scyther, went down and couldn''t move.

    "The winner of the challenge is Nico!"

    The crowd began to applaud and I was a bit impressed.

    Not just by Growlithe, he had done far better than I had needed him to do. But by Scyther.

    This Pok¨¦mon took multiple super effective hits, and not only continued to battle. But kept a fully fresh Growlithe one attack away from a KO at all times.

    That, was really impressive.

    After recalling Scyther, Bugsy crossed the other edge of the ring by going all the way around it, and then shook my hand.

    "It''s been a while since I''ve had a battle that good."

    Not me, just about two weeks.

    "I''m really proud of Growlithe," I said, patting said Fire type pup''s head as he happily sat by my side. "He puts in so much effort during training, listens so well, and grows so much."

    "I can tell." Bugsy removed a Hive Badge from his pocket, handing it to me. "You earned it, I can''t wait to see what you''re up to next."

    "Thanks." I smiled. "Your Scyther is, really really good. Strong, fast, I wasn''t expecting it to be that great."

    Bugsy squinted at me for a second. "Um, haven''t I seen you somewhere?"

    Well I have been living in your town for a month now.

    "I''ve had a news segment about me in the past."

    "No, I mean, recently."

    I shrugged and smiled, not really wanting to bring up the Slowpoke Well incident. "I jog around a lot, you might''ve seen me working out."

    "Alright then. Good luck Nico."

    "Thank you again Gym Leader Bugsy."

    ¡­

    I was eating my dinner that night after Ino went up to bed.

    I had spent so much time petting, congratulating, and playing with Growlithe that it was already well past nighttime.

    "Hello."

    I looked up, seeing a pretty young woman with pink hair appear at my table. She wore glasses, and wore a green sweater and jeans.

    "Hello?" I asked in confusion.

    "My name is DJ Mary, I''m here in Azalea Town to interview you."

    I was curious. "You''re a reporter?"

    "Of sorts. I help Goldenrod City broadcast news about the Pok¨¦mon League here in Johto and Kanto all over the entire world."

    I chuckled. "I''ve met four people my age with the same number of badges, why aren''t they getting your attention right now?"

    Technically five, Silver hasn''t competed yet, but his skill level is certainly around mine.

    "Well, they aren''t monks. For one." Mary sat across the dinner table from me in the Pok¨¦mon Center lobby. "And secondly, I know the kids you''re talking about. They''re great Trainers, but they all had sponsors at one point, and they''re more experienced than you by a year or two."

    I shrugged, wiping my mouth with a napkin. "And why not get a statement from Bugsy?"

    "I already did, do you." she paused. "Not want to do the interview?"

    "No, I- I do, I just want to get your thought process first before we begin."

    "Understandable. Mind if I record this?" she showed me her Pok¨¦Nav.

    I shrugged again, putting my dinner away.

    "So, Nico. What started your interest in training?"

    I was very young, and I liked the video games. Hard to explain.

    Chuckling, I gave her an answer she''d comprehend better. "Shortly after I joined the Order of the Sprout Sages this year, Elder Toji determined I should go on a pilgrimage."

    "Why?"

    "That''s a question I''ve asked myself a lot recently. The best answer I can give you is he saw it in Mount Takujimi''s best interest."

    "Tell me about Takujimi."

    "Takujimi is my home. It''s where I was taught the basics about being a sage."

    "You''re a monk."

    "Yes."

    Mary was confused. "But you don''t dress like a monk."

    "No."

    "And you actually live outside the shrines."

    "Yes."

    "Then, forgive me for asking, what part of your life actually aligns with the sages?"

    I shrugged, explaining. "I wake up every morning to study scripture written by other sages thousands of years ago. I meditate with a Bellsprout, do kata with one. And I''m a vegetarian."

    "How have the sages changed your view on Pok¨¦mon?"

    "They defined it. When I first began training under Elder Toji, the first thing I was told was that humanity was saved from the brink of destruction by Pok¨¦mon. Specifically, one."

    "Mew. Right?"

    "Yes." I nodded to Mary. "According to legend, Mew had help, but ultimately Mew saw something inside humanity that was worth saving. It''s, my belief, as well as the belief of the sages, that that something was a deep spiritual connection. The one responsible for exactly why Pok¨¦mon trust people so much, and can form such strong friendships."

    "So your mission through battling is to spread awareness about the belief of the sages. About the sages in general?"

    More or less, but I''ve found that it was more than that.

    "Elder Toji mainly sent me out on a journey to test myself. To test what the Order knew in practical terms about Pok¨¦mon in the modern world. The Order is capable of supernatural things, mystical things, things beyond the understanding of any person."

    "Like what?" asked Mary.

    "Could you ever imagine two, three, maybe four Bellsprout tie a Vigoroth to the ground. And convince it to flee? We''re talking about a fully grown Vigoroth from Takujimi, the strongest you can imagine."

    Mary shook her head. "No," she said quietly.

    "No, of course not. I''ve seen sages have connections to their Pok¨¦mon so strong, they''re almost a single entity. I wouldn''t be surprised if some monks could communicate with their Bellsprout or Hoothoot psychically."

    "Where is Mount Takujimi exactly? Until yesterday morning, I''d never heard of it."

    "Mount Takujimi lies in the highest peak near the mountain ranges north of Johto. Blackthorn City shares a rail line with Kamarino, a small village in Kama Valley, that''s, my home. It''s mainly used as a trading hub, between all the farmland north of Johto and, the actual region."

    Mary nodded a little bit. "So you''re the first person from your valley, to ever compete in the Pok¨¦mon League?"

    "Yes," I said simply.

    "Not just the first monk, the first person."

    "Yes."

    "What makes Mount Takujimi so special to the monks?"

    "It was built thousands of years ago to help protect civilization from a great evil. I heard Team Rocket was on the news this morning. Well, before the Johto region, or any civilization, really existed, they didn''t have Team Rocket or anything like it." I explained the legend. "Some sort of entity, be it a Pok¨¦mon or spirit, spread like a virus from Takujimi, all across the globe. Pok¨¦mon would act as if they were possessed."

    Mary nodded again, continuing to listen.

    "All Pok¨¦mon completely became wild and fierce, destroying everything they could find. Until Mew saved us, it appeared like the end of the world. Takujimi Shrine was built so that if one day that evil returned, we''d be ready. That humanity would have experts in how to raise our Pok¨¦mon, to live as people, so that such a catastrophe would never happen again."

    "Do you think that evil could ever return?"

    I was living proof, right now, talking to DJ Mary, that that gate we guarded led to another dimension. Probably one where Giratina or something resided if I really thought about it.

    "I don''t see a reason why it should or shouldn''t. The legend of Mew and the Lake Spirits is why I''m really battling. It''s, why I''m here, competing in the Pok¨¦mon League. It''s a cautionary tale, you have to truly value your Pok¨¦mon in order to understand them. I don''t think Mew would''ve ever saved us, unless Mew saw a reason to do so, a value, something special, something worth saving."

    "Then, how should we value our Pok¨¦mon? How should we value them?"

    "I might be a sage but I''m only fourteen," I said simply with a smile. "I''m not an expert nor a philosopher. If you want a key takeaway from who I am in all this, I''m just trying to bring a new philosophy to Pok¨¦mon battles. Not trying to prove anything religious or political."

    "I''ll put that in the article then."

    I shook DJ Mary''s hand.

    "Here."

    Mary took out a plastic card from her wallet and handed it to me.

    "I expect you''ll be in Goldenrod City soon enough to challenge Whitney. Show that to any of our crew and you''ll be allowed backstage for interviews and more. Thank you for your time Nico."

    "And thank you Mary."

    We bowed to one another.

    Suddenly, Mary stopped before she left. "I know you''re traveling with another monk, but would you like to share a compartment on the train I''m taking back to Goldenrod?"

    "I was actually going to walk."

    "Really? You must be earning huge amounts of money winning badges just a month apart," said Mary. "Surely you could afford a ticket."

    "It''s not about that," I said. "Sometimes you need to travel, it helps you train your Pok¨¦mon better if you try to meet people on the road to learn from them or battle."

    Mary paused again.

    "I don''t know anything about Mew or really about your religion. But I have to say, seeing how you''ve beaten Bugsy without losing a single Pok¨¦mon, when just a matter of months ago I had no clue what Mount Takujimi was. Says a lot about you."

    It also says a lot about how right the Elders probably were. But I didn''t blame Mary for this at all.

    "Thank you for the interview Mary."

    "You''re welcome, I''ll be seeing you in Goldenrod City soon enough."

    I then handed my tray back to the staff members helping Nurse Joy run the Pok¨¦mon Center with a bow, and then left upstairs to my room.

 Growlithes Growth

    For the past two days, Inoru and I hiked and camped through Ilex Forest.

    It was hard to describe, but I was sure mythical Pok¨¦mon existed just by how it felt to be in and walk through the forest. Almost as if Celebi was real, hidden within the forest, magically.

    Maybe it was the eerie way the forest felt,

    After a bit of searching, I stumbled upon Celebi''s shrine.

    It was a simple and tiny wooden structure upon some stilts near the forest center.

    The entire shrine looked ancient, in fact, I could tell the metal hinges keeping the doors of the shrine intact had been replaced several times. Its wood had clearly needed to be replaced as well, and it some of the offerings placed to Celebi clearly went back ages.

    Inoru cleared his throat. "Should we?"

    I nodded without a word.

    Inoru and I lit some incense, knelt in front of the shrine with our hands in our lap and eyes closed, for well over half an hour in silence in prayer to honor Celebi.

    After we were done, we stood up, and were about to leave.

    "Ino, what can you tell me about the spirit this shrine pays its respects to?"

    He gripped his walking staff. "Well, the Elders say that hundreds of years ago, when Azalea Town was still too small to be connected to other villages. A great blaze started by bandits ended up burning the entire town to the ground."

    I nodded. "And?"

    "The villagers prayed for a miracle to save their fallen family members and their lost home. The Protector of Ilex Forest appeared and granted their wishes, turning back time to before Azalea Town was burnt to ashes," explained Inoru. "The spirit had managed to let the villagers keep their memories, and they were able to dispatch the bandits and save their town. This shrine has been built and maintained since then, to honor the spirit forever."

    I always wondered that.

    As I already knew, deities in this world were Pok¨¦mon. In my old world, technically fully sentient and intelligent beasts.

    "So then, how come no one in Azalea Town mentioned Cel-" I stopped myself. "The spirit? We were just there?"

    "It''s mostly a myth. Most Pok¨¦mon capable of forever changing mankind''s destiny disappeared long ago." Inoru said. "I highly doubt anyone will ever witness them ever again."

    I looked over at the Shrine, and within its small open doors.

    There was no open slot to put in a GS Ball, not even a small drawing of Celebi to indicate the shrine was meant to honor it.

    As we moved on and walked down the forest path, I kept talking to Inoru. "You really think these Pok¨¦mon aren''t real?"

    "Whether they are or aren''t will always be impossible to know, I think." he muttered. "The first lesson we as monks learn and teach, is that these Pok¨¦mon are meant as cautionary tales. As reminders of humanity''s flaws and weaknesses, Pok¨¦mon, or at least, the great spirits lost to time, saved us assuming we''d honor their memories and sacrifices."

    "That''s why we don''t eat meat, and why we live in solitude, pray, and seek to perfect the ancient arts every single day."

    "Yes." Inoru said. "The first sages were never students of Mew, yet only seemed to worship and study Mew''s decision to save the world from utter annihilation. That connection, at least in part, is Speech."

    "Aura." I added.

    "Mhm." Ino nodded. "Some monks have a connection to the eternal plane so strong, have understood themselves, the world around them, and Pok¨¦mon so well, that they can speak to Pok¨¦mon''s spirits. They can, in a way, directly influence the minds and emotions of Pok¨¦mon greatly, and those of people as well."

    I remembered the day the monks saved me back on Mount Takujimi.

    They were using Aura to calm a wild Vigoroth and force it to flee. I wondered, just how did this power exist? How did one use it, and if I had it or not?

    "I''ve only seen the use of Speech once, the day I was taken into Takujimi Shrine."

    "Speech is the most ancient and noble art, I myself never could learn much of it at all."

    "How does one attain the use of Aura?"

    "You can''t," said Inoru. "You have to be born with it. Elder Toji and a few of his Initiates are the few monks alive who can manipulate Aura. It''s what makes Takujimi temple so special, why I went on such a pilgrimage to learn of it. Only through endless dedication and study of the other arts can one hope to discover they can use Aura."

    Which meant that even if I kept waking up every single morning to study calligraphy, archery, karate, history, prayers, and everything else Inoru and the Sages could teach me. I might not even be able to use that power.

    It was things like these that really cemented the fact that the Pok¨¦mon world was well, a world, with realistic rules and qualities that still differed it from my old one.

    All the cool and super interesting parts of the Pok¨¦mon world such as legendaries, and Aura, which were saved for things like the Pok¨¦mon films, and characters like Ash Ketchum, weren''t really that available for people like me or even the average person. Or at all.

    I kept walking alongside Inoru towards Goldenrod City in thought.

    This just made a lot of sense to me.

    As a young child, I always imagined that if I was in the Pok¨¦mon world, Pok¨¦mon like Mewtwo and Articuno would be very easy to find and catch. That they were always programmed to be in the same spot, a cave or a dungeon where you would just go up to them and catch them.

    Just waiting for a child to capture them and make them, beings able to rewrite the entire fabric of reality or oftentimes capable of infinite psychic power, ready to be made partners for fighting in competitive battling. In this world, it seems like that could never be the case.

    The entire basis for my religion, and the beliefs of the monks, were predicated on just that. That there were some Pok¨¦mon you simply couldn''t catch, based purely on their uniqueness, rarity, and power, even if they were Pok¨¦mon. Finding them alone was a journey unto itself, if they even still existed.

    Mew was a deity or an entity as powerful and infinite as Giratina, but it saw something in humanity worth saving. It wouldn''t have really been affected by humanity''s destruction but Mew still intervened and actually risked its safety for our sake.

    And the question monks asked themselves, and I asked myself every day, was, why?

    Whatever the answer was, it was our job to nurture and guide that reason. And I''m pretty sure I knew the answer, probably.

    I looked over at Growlithe, the fire puppy happily following me and warding off Paras.

    It was most likely our connection to Pok¨¦mon, one I planned to maintain better and better with my own as time went on.

    ¡­

    For the next four days, Inoru and I hiked toward Goldenrod City.

    It should''ve taken less time, but we took the scenic route, made sure to set aside as much time as possible for training both myself in the arts of the Sprout Order, and my team.

    Inoru and I sparred near waterfalls and old ruins deep within Ilex Forest every single day, meditated together, and studied scrolls.

    But the greatest amount of growth I saw was in my team, who I felt began to come into their own.

    Ursaring''s greatest attribute was his physical strength. He wasn''t slow by any means, but often held enough power behind his blows to keep up with Vigoroth based on raw damage. Ursaring typically only used Fury Swipes, and Slash, with a novice grasp of Faint Attack.

    Growlithe''s greatest attribute was speed. His battle with Scyther had greatly sharpened his reflexes and taught both him and myself that speed and timing was the deciding factor in a Pok¨¦mon battle between landing blows and not. Growlithe had begun to perfect Bite and Ember above all, appearing to have all the necessary tools to one day learn Flame Wheel and eventually Flamethrower.

    He had limitless energy during battles as a very young pup, but I had been able to refine that vigor into skill with drills and experience from my main:

    Vigoroth.

    Vigoroth by far was the best Pok¨¦mon on my team, and besides Blue''s Blastoise, the best one I''d seen compete in the Pok¨¦mon League.

    He combined the overwhelming physical strength Ursaring possessed with the explosive and near infinite energy and speed of Growlithe. Vigoroth''s Slash alone was precise, fast, and strong enough to likely cut through whatever was in front of him, and if it wasn''t, he was adaptable and tough enough to keep going anyway.

    With constant practice and drills, Vigoroth''s fastest attack was Fury Swipes by far, which would likely be able to work as a deterrent or set up for other moves.

    But Counter was Vigoroth''s secret weapon, which was the only Fighting type move I''d been able to teach Vigoroth despite how much karate I practiced myself, and taught it every single day. I highly expected it to be the deciding factor in my upcoming battle against Whitney.

    ¡­

    Inoru, someone I knew who valued the honoring of the great Spirits, or several mythical Pok¨¦mon, and the studies of the Order, actually seemed impressed for a split second when we came into view of Goldenrod City.

    Bellsprout and Growlithe following us, we hiked over a tall hill overlooking the metropolis just after sunset, and Goldenrod City was indeed a city.

    Goldenrod was so large and expansive it appeared to be the capital of the entire Johto region. The city''s night skyline was gorgeous, a colorful painting of lights against the night''s sky that stretched as far as the eye could see.

    When we walked inside the city, the resemblance I saw to Kyoto and Osaka was uncanny. I had visited Osaka and Osaka Castle in my previous life once before, and it looked nearly identical besides all the Pok¨¦mon around.

    The waterways running under a few of the streets and a couple of bridges, I felt like for just a moment, I was back in Japan walking around Osaka.

    Several people on the street recognized me and wanted a picture on their Pok¨¦gear and such.

    And with that, the talk of my arrival in Goldenrod City began.

    Goldenrod City''s Pok¨¦mon Center was actually part of a giant skyscraper, from what I understood, Goldenrod City''s Gym was so large it could host tournaments of any size, so people typically came from all over just to compete here.

    So, the size of the Pok¨¦mon Center was adjusted to accommodate that.

    I was able to register to challenge Whitney from the Pok¨¦mon Center itself, and was allowed a week at most to prepare.

    Whitney was particularly busy it seemed, she did modeling I think and helped promote tons of Miltank products, and helped girls from around Goldenrod City build their own teams.

    Whitney''s fame in a city this big proved my earlier assumption about Clair. Clair appeared to be the unofficial mayor of Blackthorn City, and in part, Whitney, the unofficial mayor of Goldenrod.

    And it made sense, Pok¨¦mon battling was the driving sport of the entire world, as I knew and continued to understand with the bit of popularity I myself had gotten, every single kid wanted to grow up to become a Pok¨¦mon trainer.

    Whitney''s skill level and respect in Goldenrod were equal, the top restaurant in the city was booked for weeks simply because the owner received the endorsement of being Whitney''s favorite restaurant.

    Miltank products were absurdly popular because of her, and after some digging through the days I trained, I found out why.

    It wasn''t just that Whitney was the local Gym leader, everyone knew who Whitney was. Whitney used the wealth generated from her Gym to fund the communication tower DJ Mary, the reporter I met, worked at.

    She was literally part of the reason why all of Johto could stay so interconnected. Goldenrod City''s Radio Tower helped run servers for most of Johto''s connection to the Pok¨¦net, this world''s version of the internet.

    And her skill level alone helped fuel that.

    Gold and Crystal beat Bugsy very recently and immediately challenged Whitney. Both had lost, she had swept their entire team using just one Pok¨¦mon. I had done enough research, both online and by talking to local Goldenrod citizens that Whitney regularly beat trainers of a much higher skill than mine when challenging her for a badge. After a long enough stay in such a large city, I came to a simple conclusion:

    Whitney was the cutoff line between good trainers, and great trainers.

    It wasn''t unheard of at all, for trainers she beat to come back and defeat her in turn for her badge on the second and usually third try, but those with a very promising start to their competitive Pok¨¦mon careers, typically found their Whitney challenge as a fork in the road.

    Toward becoming the best of the best, or never even qualifying in tournaments like the Indigo Conference to challenge the Elite Four.

    Only a few trainers had ever beaten Whitney on their very first try, only those like Red, Blue, Leaf, and champions from other regions as well. All those who had lost on their first try didn''t ever get so much as a bronze medal in the Indigo Conference.

    I had studied as much of her footage online as I could, talked to as many people, and trained as consistently and diligently as I could in the prior days, and developed a strategy I think would help add me to that list.

    ¡­

    The morning of my challenge to Whitney, I drank some tea and ate some toast, thinking of how exactly the WCPL was organized.

    Currently, I was in what was more or less what I called the bronze tier of the World Competitive Pok¨¦mon League. Trying to figure out my team, challenging Gym leaders, and competing in mostly local tournaments. Around the seventh or eighth Gym badge level was the maximum.

    Then there was the silver tier. Those ready to compete at tournaments like the Indigo Conference, which included the very best from Johto and Kanto, that Ash Ketchum typically lost during in the first few seasons of the anime. You needed a first place win at the Indigo Plateau Conference to challenge the Elite Four, otherwise, you never qualified.

    Gold tier were the top ten or so Trainers in the entire world. Those who not only won at their respective Conferences in their regions but also beat the Elite Four to become Grand Champions.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    I had strategized and researched well enough to determine that only Gold tier Pok¨¦mon Trainers could beat Whitney on their very first try at this stage. Despite only being typically the third or fourth Gym challenge for most Trainers, Whitney''s record in all of her challenges was leagues better than those in the rest of Kanto and Johto.

    I checked Whitney''s official WCPL profile. To date, to those who challenged her on their first attempt, Whitney has only given out about seventeen badges, after running the Goldenrod City Gym for over a decade. When she was challenged on an average of one to three times a month.

    She had gained second and third place ribbons with her official team she didn''t typically use for challenges as far as Unova and Sinnoh in tournaments that typically included the likes of Volkner and sometimes Lance.

    I was ready though. I felt ready for this match.

    As I approached the arena, even with Inoru by my side, I felt nervous for the very first time in my life for a Pok¨¦mon battle.

    Since I knew it was the first time I might actually lose.

    ¡­

    Goldenrod City''s Gym was an arena like no other. While the actual competition area was merely a floor made of simple earth with the classic white painted outlines for the ring, surrounded by green walls. The stands were gigantic, held in place by machinery that could adjust for size based on how many rings there were.

    Since there was just one standard WCPL ring for today''s challenge, the stands could seat thousands. And unfortunately for my nerves, the galleries were mostly filled.

    I think it was because I was the first person in a long time people theorized even had a chance of defeating Whitney on their first try. Everyone knew how good she was, I did, and I mostly spent my time talking to Inoru or training.

    I checked in, warmed up a little bit next to the ring and stretched, and then sent my team out of their balls.

    Growlithe hadn''t ever seen so many people gathered in one place in his life, Ursaring was a bit surprised at how many people were in the stands but more or less just shrugged it off. Vigoroth had his arms crossed, listening to me intently.

    "We went over our strategy earlier this week guys. Always listen to me if things don''t go to plan, I''ll tell you what to do. We got this." I had to lie about how on edge the size of the crowd was putting me. "Don''t worry about the noise. Just listen to me."

    "Arf!"

    Growlithe understood my orders on a dime, no longer having that mischievous and innocent glint in his eye to always play instead of taking battles seriously through actually fighting through them. He sat on his rear directly by my side, ready for battle.

    Ursaring lowed and sharpened his claws, Vigoroth simply nodded without a sound.

    I returned Ursaring and Vigoroth when I heard the crowd begin to cheer.

    Thousands cheered as the Sweetheart of Goldenrod, The Incredibly Pretty Girl Trainer appeared from the other end of the competition area from the locker rooms.

    I was surprised that someone who had given so many youngsters on their Gameboys and Nintendo DS'' so much grief could be so attractive in real life.

    Whitney was an absolutely gorgeous, admittedly quite busty, and fair skinned girl of twenty six of average height wearing a pink and white outfit.

    Just by looking at her I could tell she possessed Clair''s strength and cunning for Pok¨¦mon battles, but with something she severely lacked: charisma.

    Young girls, aged from as young as seven or eight, to their late teens filled the stands, cheering for Whitney loudly.

    I spotted DJ Mary and her camera man ready to record the match, Inoru not far from her in the stands.

    A Pok¨¦mon League official gestured for Whitney and I to shake hands. "This will be a standard three on three Gym challenge, no Pok¨¦mon beyond secondary evolutions will be allowed. No timer or decisions, good luck to both of you.

    "Good luck," she said as we crossed the edge of the ring and did so.

    "Thanks."

    I think I''d need it, but I needed to keep my nerve.

    Whitney released a Nidorina, and Growlithe merely bounded forward from my side.

    "Begin!"

    Contrary to what I was expecting, what I thought would be a ditzy and aloof vacuous girl the Pok¨¦mon Games implied, ended up being one of the best Trainers I''d ever encountered in my life, possibly up there with Blue.

    I thought Growlithe would blow right through her earlier Pok¨¦mon and make it right to Miltank in a flash, but he didn''t. He actually needed to work.

    Growlithe had actually taken a solid Tackle before landing enough Embers to put Nidorina out of commission.

    A few in the crowd, mostly her fan girls, groaned in disappointment, but thousands cheered when Growlithe knocked out Nidorina.

    "Great job!" I said.

    He didn''t pant and wag his tail, warmed up and ready for the next battle.

    "Don''t think this one will be as easy!" chirped Whitney from the other end of the ring. "Clefairy, go!"

    After she switched out her Pok¨¦mon, Clefairy, actually ended up being easy. Easier than Nidorina somehow.

    Metronome and Doubleslap would''ve been effective¡­had Growlithe not already been warmed up and more than ready to sink his fangs right into Clefairy.

    A couple Bites and Whitney was speaking quickly from her Trainer''s box to her rattled Normal type. "Attack Clefairy! Use your combinations!"

    Growlithe was much too good at controlling the distance between him and Clefairy to be hit with anything significant.

    "Use Ember!"

    The Clefairy soon shrieked when Growlithe basked it in flames.

    She stumbled over and with the entire side of her body burnt black, Clefairy struggled to stay on her feet.

    "Clefairy is unable to battle. This round goes to Growlithe!" the judge waved a blue flag upwards to his left.

    Raising an eyebrow, Whitney glanced at the judge before recalling her Clefairy. I actually disagreed with that call too, but I think both her and I knew that Growlithe had her.

    "That beginner''s luck ends this round!" I heard a girl shout out from the stands.

    I didn''t think so, so far, the plan was working.

    While taking two more hits than I was expecting, as opposed to zero, Growlithe had made it to Whitney''s final Pok¨¦mon.

    "You know what to do Miltank!"

    Mooing much how a cow did, Whitney''s Miltank was released from her Great ball.

    "Ready? Begin!"

    Miltank''s Stomp was so fast Growlithe was caught right in the snout.

    Launching off her rear hoofs, Miltank struck Growlithe with her front hooves just as the flames began to build in his jaw to release an Ember.

    With a smack Growlithe went flying, quickly shook his head and recovered, moving around the ring to readjust.

    "Use Stomp again!" shouted Whitney.

    This time Miltank missed, but Growlithe barely got away.

    Growlithe''s Ember barely dealt any damage, Miltank was more than easily able to evade, or just outright tank the blow on her thick hide with an impressive amount of physical defense.

    After landing another Stomp cleanly, this time right on Growlithe''s side, I got a bit nervous. Before, I remembered my strategy.

    There was no way Growlithe was going to be able to beat Miltank, nor Ursaring, I knew this, just stall and disable, stall and disable in order to help Vigoroth finish it off.

    "Duck and roll Growlithe!"

    "Arf!" the pup yipped, remembering what we practiced, seemingly shaking off his own nerves from facing such a strong Pok¨¦mon in the ring.

    Being hit twice so fast and so hard didn''t shake Growlithe when it should''ve otherwise when I knew Growlithe was a bit younger, starting to fight very defensively.

    That did what I wanted, it got Whitney thinking, needing to switch from Stomp to a move I knew she''d try eventually.

    "Rollout now Miltank! Use Rollout!"

    The cow Pok¨¦mon tucked forward into a ball and began to roll forward at Growlithe like a boulder.

    He had more than enough time to somersault aside and dodge, but fearlessly moved forward right towards Miltank, taking the blow head on. Despite dealing a fierce amount of damage with how much of her weight she rolled over Growlithe, my strategy was successful for this stage of the match.

    If Growlithe had the timing to turn and latch onto Miltank''s udders that''d work and he''d be crushed under her weight. If not, he''d be crushed by her back, and latch on regardless.

    Growlithe ended up still being able to fight despite being crushed by Miltank''s back, using Bite to stick to her like super glue.

    This puppy had been burning through chew toys ever since I returned from Viridian City, Growlithe wouldn''t let go of Miltank''s back no matter what happened.

    As Miltank continued to roll, despite her speed, Growlithe was more than quick enough to use Ember at point blank range.

    It didn''t appear too effective, he was just burning Miltank''s back after all. But it was successful in stopping Miltank''s Rollout, out of confusion as to what was happening more than anything.

    Before Whitney Miltank for that matter could react, Growlithe quickly popped right off Miltank''s back onto the ground, and latched directly onto Miltank''s udders.

    "Miltank get him off of you! Now!" she shouted.

    The damage had already been done.

    Growlithe combined Bite and Ember into the same attack, my Duck and Roll had worked, just a tiny hit away from being knocked out and on his last legs, the puppy had bitten and burnt Miltank''s udders.

    "Heal yourself! Use Milk Drink!"

    Miltank could only produce half the milk she could otherwise, Growlithe had burnt two of the four teats necessary to limit her Milk Drink.

    I knew going into this that all of Miltank''s moves in this battle would be very effective. Attract, Rollout, Stomp, and especially Milk Drink. Ursaring and Growlithe''s job would be to limit each of them in order to let Vigoroth land the final blow, they''d never be able to win so why bother?

    Whitney was actually both surprised and amused at my strategy for a moment before speaking. "Just finish this off Miltank!"

    She didn''t need to be told twice.

    On tired legs, Growlithe was Stomped to the other edge of the ring right against the wall, and then squished again with Rollout not nearly able to evade anymore, knocked out cold.

    "Clever." Whitney smiled, nodding slightly.

    I recalled Growlithe. "Growlithe is unable to battle! Miltank is the winner of this round!"

    Ursaring didn''t have much better luck.

    Miltank''s Rollout was a nightmare, Ursaring''s size and strength were enough so that it wasn''t totally devastating, but he could not land his own strikes, at least not effectively.

    Ursaring growled, trying to land anything on the cow that kept spinning around him endlessly.

    He lunged forward, using Slash to slightly knock Miltank off balance.

    As she uncurled from her ball, Ursaring rocked backward, as Stomp, and Miltank''s hoof, crashed right into his snout.

    Ursaring restabilized as Miltank was about to curl into a ball again to use Rollout.

    Instead, mostly out of rage, Ursaring blindly swiped to pick up Miltank with a claw. Even with Miltank''s weight, Ursaring could pick up the Milk Cow Pok¨¦mon by one leg and dangle her upside down in the air off the ground slightly.

    Without a moment''s hesitation, Ursaring did as I had instructed earlier, to drink Miltank''s Milk.

    A few in the crowd laughed thoroughly as Ursaring squeezed some milk from Miltank''s udders before she smacked him in the snout with a hoof in annoyance. It wasn''t enough to damage him, but enough to get him to drop her.

    Whitney chuckled. "He''s trying to manipulate your Milk Drink in his own favor. Protect your udders Miltank!" she said, trying to keep a straight face.

    Ursaring barely healed from the move, and Whitney and Miltank had already adapted, but I got what I wanted. It appeared to keep Whitney on her toes judging from her words, likely wondering just what else I had up my sleeve.

    So far, all I''d done to her Pok¨¦mon was cut her healing option in half, but Ursaring''s job wasn''t done.

    Sure he wasn''t going to be quick enough to land Slash effectively against Miltank but that didn''t matter. I could use Ursaring in other ways. While Ursaring didn''t know Earthquake yet, I had modified the move well enough so that Ursaring could limit Rollout''s effectiveness.

    While Rollout was a Rock type move, it worked best on the terrain Whitney had in her gym. A flat earthy surface that offered no resistance or friction. So, as Ursaring clawed and grabbed aimlessly at the cow rolling about everywhere, he made a giant mess of things.

    He''d stomp around and flail, roaring, making sure to dig his claws in as hard as he could, over reaching his strikes so that he could rupture and split the earth apart.

    Soon enough, despite taking several hits, Ursaring was successful, Miltank''s Rollout was slightly worsened by how choppy and cut up the entire ring was. He barely landed one Slash against Miltank''s flank before I saw her send an almost three hundred pound Bear Pok¨¦mon flying like a bowling pin, smacking against the wall behind him.

    It was a tradeoff, allowing Rollout to build strength and damage while slightly limiting its effectiveness. It was the most Ursaring was going to be able to do.

    "The round goes to Whitney!" the judge waved a red flag.

    Miltank kept spinning and using Rollout, smoothing out the ground beneath her, overturning my strategy. I had to respond quickly.

    "Come out swinging Vigoroth!"

    Then, the crowd almost gasped collectively.

    Vigoroth showed off the degree of timing, reflexes, and technique all my karate and his battling experience had given him.

    Miltank''s own Rollout worked against her. It had grown so powerful that Vigoroth would''ve certainly been knocked out and the match over, but instead, he spun on his leg into Ushiro Geri, the spinning back kick.

    The ground cracked and split around Vigoroth from the blow as he used Roar victoriously, almost in a kiai.

    Miltank went flying backwards, tearing up so much of the ground from her Rollout being stopped that a massive dust cloud rose.

    When it settled, the crowd seemingly gasped again.

    Vigoroth was bouncing on the balls of his feet his left hand forward and his rear hand by his chest, in a classic karate fighting stance.

    Miltank rose onto her hooves, quickly drinking some of her own milk, half again from Growlithe''s earlier Burn he landed on her udders.

    That was when I knew Counter was working, the timing was effective enough to land a super effective fighting move.

    "Go get him Miltank!" shouted Whitney, pointing forward.

    Vigoroth bounced in place, waiting for Miltank to attack.

    Miltank tucked into Rollout, flying forward, at the last second, she launched off the ground into Stomp, sending a flying kick directly to Vigoroth''s side.

    He turned, grabbing her leg and smacking her directly against the ground, hard.

    Miltank was able to turn and spin away as the ground shattered around Vigoroth''s claw, failing to finish her with a smashing Slash attack.

    Vigoroth released the pieces of earth embedded into his claws, by flinging them right at Miltank, but these missed completely when they struck her spinning body, again using Rollout.

    Miltank''s Rollout again failed when he stood in front of her until the very last second, using a leg sweep to time his leg to trip Miltank as she spun.

    Miltank easily recovered and turned to face Vigoroth on all fours, pausing for just a moment before the battle continued.

    For the next few minutes, Miltank and Vigoroth traded blows, Rollout against Slash.

    Going back and forth, the crowd roared and cheered every time a strike landed, the two even for a bit.

    Vigoroth was having trouble, because he couldn''t control the ring like he otherwise could''ve with Pok¨¦mon who weren''t constantly in a ball rolling around. Miltank''s speed and power with Stomp were greatly enhanced by Rollout.

    And all the earth Ursaring had torn up to hamper Rollout''s speed and effectiveness was more or less smoothed out of the way or merely blasted apart by the power behind the exchange of blows.

    Miltank crashed right into a block into Vigoroth''s right arm, supported by his left, and the entire arena seemed to shake for a moment.

    He wasn''t rattled despite the blow, and the match continued.

    Vigoroth was just waiting for the right time to start landing Counter, and he did.

    Miltank repeatedly kept using nothing but Rollout to either crash into Vigoroth directly, or to make him change angles where she could time a Stomp attack with her hooves on Vigoroth''s torso or head.

    Vigoroth would sidestep and throw a round kick, again the back kick, and the red glow that appeared for a second on his legs as this happened indicated this was Counter.

    The timing Vigoroth had was saving the match, he''d have been flattened by Rollout minutes ago if he hadn''t mastered this move.

    The Milk Drink Milktank had sipped while dodging Vigoroth''s Slash attacks when she paused from Rollout was barely healing the damage these blows inflicted. This match was a team effort all the way, right down to the final bell.

    Vigoroth saw that Miltank was getting winded, as much strength and healing as she had, Miltank could only take so many super effective Counters.

    Before Miltank could tuck again into another Rollout, Vigoroth timed her yet again, having taken enough hits to slow down her Rollout that much.

    Vigoroth grabbed Miltank by the arm and then used an uppercut style Slash directly to Miltank''s head, sending her flying backwards.

    "Stop! The judge shouted.

    Vigoroth froze and then, when the dust settled, the judge spoke again.

    "Miltank can no longer continue! The winner goes to the challenger from Takujimi!"

    I won.

    I almost couldn''t believe it for a moment, and then several in the crowd rose to their feet in applause.

    ¡­

    "I expect Mary will want an interview."

    "Yeah, right."

    Whitney calmly sat in her simple looking office, I was holding the Plain Badge she had given me.

    She wasn''t crying, because as I had realized even before the match began, she was an adult woman in her mid-twenties. Not a young girl anymore.

    "So," she said in a sweet voice. "How''d you do that?"

    My knowledge from the video games mostly. The anime helped, somewhat.

    No matter what starter you picked, you didn''t have super effective hits to knock out Miltank before her Rollout flattened you. Her strategy was to use Normal types that relied heavily on Physical attacks, that was more or less what let me be so successful until this point.

    "Vigoroth''s Counter," I said simply. "He''s always been sharper in the ring since I taught him karate."

    "Karate?" Whitney said. "Didn''t know a Vigoroth could learn that. You impressed me today, I imagine you impressed a lot of people."

    "Thank you."

    "I have a bit of advice for you. Moving forward, you''re going to find Gym leaders whose style matches yours. Some who have a certain kind of appeal."

    "What kind?"

    Whitney shrugged. "Mine, except they might be willing to use it to manipulate you."

    I wouldn''t mind that kind of manipulation honestly. But I admitted that I did see her point.

    "Chuck has his karate, Clair, I think has already tried to get you to join her team. They''d really want to help add you to their Gyms. But never seek any path but your own." said Whitney. "Have you ever heard of the phrase. If I can''t have something, no one can?"

    "Yeah."

    "Johto thinks like that in a way. We''ve never had a world champion. Kanto''s had three, Sinnoh a couple. But Johto''s never even placed in world championships."

    "Really? Never?"

    "Never," Whitney said flatly. "You and your Vigoroth have the makings to make it that far. And I suspect you wanted to prove that today."

    "I was actually a bit nervous. Just had to hide it so my team could perform."

    "That''s perfectly natural." Whitney smiled. "Great job today."

    "Thank you Gym Leader Whitney."

    Inoru hugged me when I left her office.

    "I''m so proud."

    "Let''s sneak out of this city and onto Ecruteak, shall we?"

    Inoru was more than happy to dodge the fanfare and journalists with me. "Let''s." he smiled.

    ¡­

    That night, I knew just how many people wanted to talk to me.

    Goldenrod City was a center for telecommunication for much of the Pok¨¦mon World, and I had beaten who was essentially the mayor of that city in a Pok¨¦mon battle in my first Gym challenge.

    It was the hardest I''d ever seen Vigoroth have to battle, even harder than when he battled Silver''s Bayleef.

    On a small hill overlooking Goldenrod City''s truly gorgeous night skyline, I released my team from their balls as Inoru napped, his Bellsprout sleeping soundly nearby.

    "Great job today guys."

    Growlithe had been healed quickly at a Pok¨¦mon Center we found nearby, as had Ursaring.

    "You all did exactly as I asked, you really came through, and I could not be prouder of you all." I said.

    I was hoping these three Pok¨¦mon, especially Growlithe, could understand just how well they had fought today.

    "This was the best you''ve ever done in competition, and I could not ask for a better team. So thank you." I smiled.

    Growlithe walked forward a bit, and nuzzled his head into my shin, whining slightly. I rubbed his head, grateful that the puppy understood just how, grateful I was for him.

    Ursaring seemed to scratch his side, bowing his head slightly.

    And Vigoroth nodded deeply. His stoicism was something I deeply appreciated, and days like these and battles like the one he had against Bayleef really helped illuminate his growth.

    He truly looked up to me as some sort of parental figure, even now with how big he''d grown. The loss of his mother from such a young age, and me raising him all the way from the nursery in Takujimi shrine made him fight with a degree of intensity I had not seen.

    Vigoroth absolutely refused to lose during a match. For me. Based on the pure desire to win behind his battling, was what helped him carry through to victory over Miltank today.

    Even during matches like today''s, he battled as if his life depended on it.

    I didn''t know how my team would grow or where we''d all end up, but I was happy for how well they did.

    I had gotten three Gym badges in as many months, and was well on my way to earning my fourth soon.

    I took out and looked down at the pendant Elder Toji gave me I always wore with me, wondering if I''d ever see Espeon again. And if I would ever had a chance of owning an Eevee, or being able to raise it into an Espeon either.

 Blues Team

    It took about two days, but the entire region of Johto and Kanto knew who I was.

    I''d walk along the road on Route 39, and young trainers who''d normally challenge me without blinking an eye were quietly trying to keep as much distance as possible between them and I. Just hoping I wouldn''t say anything.

    I didn''t really understand why, since battling trainers on the road between cities was the main reason I bothered not just using the high speed bullet train to get everywhere. It was a great way to keep the team in shape with lower level spars before more competitive matches in cities.

    When I reached Olivine City, it began to sink in just how famous DJ Mary''s article on me had made me.

    "There''s Nico from Takujimi," a girl whispered to another Youngster, "He''s one of the strongest trainers around."

    I glanced at them as we kept walking around the sleepy but gorgeous beachside town of Olivine. "Guess that''s why no one wants to battle me in casual matches anymore."

    "At least they''re talking about the temple," Inoru muttered as his Bellsprout remained seated on his shoulder.

    ¡­

    Olivine City''s Gym was a simple rocky arena, but much smaller than the colosseum Goldenrod City had.

    Unlike most Gyms, there was no front desk or staff. Only a single girl I recognized well.

    "Hello there."

    She was easily the most beautiful girl I''d ever seen in my life. Which was saying something after meeting Clair and Whitney. She had pretty, long, and clean light brown hair, flawless pale skin, and an incredibly adorable smile.

    "My name''s Jasmine." she was petting an Ampharos'' head in the two plastic chairs that were supposed to be Olivine City Gym''s lobby. "You must be Nico."

    "It''s a pleasure to meet you."

    Jasmine spoke in a very light and dreamy voice. "I heard you were coming as soon your defeat of Whitney was on the news. If you''re looking for a battle, I''m afraid we''ll have to make it quick."

    "Why''s that?" asked Ino.

    "I have to leave for Jubilife City before midday." Jasmine removed a Pok¨¦ball from her jacket and recalled her Ampharos.

    I hadn''t even checked in at the Pok¨¦mon center yet, I really just swung by the Gym to see if it was even open. I wasn''t thinking we were even going to spar today, but that didn''t mean I wasn''t ready.

    "Alright then, let''s make it quick." I nodded as Jasmine nodded back in agreement.

    ¡­

    A large part of this felt very¡­unofficial.

    Jasmine didn''t even have a judge present, technically as a WCPL Gym Leader she didn''t need one, she''d only need to give a badge to someone she determined had performed well enough to earn it.

    We faced off against a very large earthen rectangle like any other ring, and I released my Growlithe.

    "Go boy!" I said.

    The puppy barked and chased his tail a little bit, he looked a little too cheerful today as if this wasn''t a real match. Jasmine released her Magneton, and Growlithe still didn''t look to be taking the fight too seriously.

    With Inoru as our only witness for the match, Growlithe and Magneton began to battle, and all it took was landing a single solid Thundershock to wake him up.

    I should''ve told Growlithe before the match started that this was for real and not just a training session, because he was going way too easy. The pup actually yawned as Magneton zeroed in close and attempted to Tackle him.

    Growlithe blinked, barely singed by the blow, all of his fireproof hairs standing on it from getting zapped. In a single bark, the pup actually got his head in the game, and stopped fooling around. Growlithe''s Ember wrapped the match up closely, a large dust cloud forming when the Magneton was hit cleanly while attempting to set up more Thundershocks from long range.

    The floating set of magnets were covered in fire, as Growlithe pounded it with a blazing tackle, growling very loudly.

    Jasmine lazily recalled Magneton without a word and sent out her next Pok¨¦mon from a Great Ball.

    A huge steel-clad behemoth practically the size of the entire ring went out next, and despite how huge Steelix was, Growlithe didn''t look shaken up one bit.

    "Use Iron Tail!" said Jasmine.

    Steelix missed so badly it was almost comical, sure the puppy was a whole lot smaller than Steelix, but it was so much quicker that Steelix looked like it was treading water.

    Steelix fell victim to the same disadvantage Magneton had. It was a Pok¨¦mon of average ability being coached by a girl who more or less wanted to get the match over with, and was at a severe type disadvantage.

    Rock Throw as well would''ve been a very effective hit, but Growlithe''s evasion had gotten so good, and the Pok¨¦mon so much quicker, that it missed completely.

    A part of me wondered if Jasmine knew that Whitney''s level of prestige and respect in Johto meant she wouldn''t have been much trouble for Growlithe.

    "Dig!" Jasmine said with a tone that erased any doubt in my mind that she or her team weren''t trying. The level of desperation in her voice told me she really was doing her best.

    Steelix then burrowed within the ground, and again, what would''ve been a super effective hit had Growlithe been so much faster than Steelix the move missed entirely.

    Steelix tried flying out of the ground, but was so slow that Growlithe was able to start to feel the rumbling beneath his feet and dashed away, coating the entire left flank of Steelix''s metal armor in flames the entire time it unearthed itself.

    Growlithe had Ember all day, he was landing at will with it.

    Exhausted, outmatched in every way, Steelix collapsed after Growlithe beat it to the point he was dashing along his metal protected spine basking his back in fire.

    ¡­

    "Congratulations."

    My fourth gym badge.

    It was hard to believe I''d made it this far after only competing in the Pok¨¦mon League for a few months.

    "If you''ll excuse me, I need to get ready for my trip." then Jasmine locked up the Gym and left a sign.

    Gone to World Championships. Will be back next week!

    The girl then walked off in the direction of Olivine City''s lighthouse.

    Before I could begin to process the note she left, I looked at the Mineral Badge in my palm, using an app on the new Pok¨¦tch I had bought to scan the badge''s serial number. I checked on my Pok¨¦Nav and soon enough, I was ranked in the top twenty Junior trainers in Johto and Kanto, which meant any trainers competing in WCPL under the age of sixteen.

    I received a message from Professor Oak.

    Hello Nico, please visit the nearest Pok¨¦mon Center as soon as you can. Thank you.

    ¡­

    I wondered what he could want.

    Growlithe was barely injured at all except from the bits of rock that had dug deeply into his flank against Steelix, and the few Thundershocks Magneton had hit him with a few minutes ago.

    I used my Trainer''s ID function by placing my Pok¨¦Nav into the Video Calling machine in the Pok¨¦mon Center lobby.

    It took a few moments, but then Professor Oak joined the call.

    "Hello Nico, how''re you?"

    "Fine Professor."

    He fixed his glasses. "Now, as I understand it, you''re currently in Olivine City judging by your profile?"

    That''s the speed of the internet. Although I think he just happened to check after calling me.

    "I am, why?"

    "Blue has personally invited you to come to the World Championships, he wants the same people who went to his gym for training to watch him compete."

    I was a bit shocked. "Really? T-That''s an honor but it''s a little out of my budget."

    "Blue has enough sway with the tournament committee to have gotten both you and Inoru your tickets." Professor Oak said.

    "Thank you Professor," I said, as we both bowed our heads.

    As expensive as tickets to World Championships were, that didn''t mean this trip was going to be cheap. It wasn''t like I was broke or anything, having beaten four Gyms and battled plenty of trainers on the road in between, but getting a hotel, food, and any other expenses would be-

    I smiled at the Professor. "How soon should we go?"

    "As soon as you can actually," Oak said. "I recommend you go before train tickets to Sinnoh get any more expensive. Good luck on your journey and safe travels, I''ll see you in Jubilife."

    He ended the call and I turned to Inoru.

    "Wow." I managed to say.

    "It''s not like you''re competing against the best in the world." Inoru pointed out.

    "Yeah but," I gulped. "Blue invited me to watch him compete. Me, someone who he trusted with his Growlithe and, that''s it."

    Inoru crossed his arms. "Nico. This is a very big honor, but you don''t need to feel overwhelmed."

    I couldn''t even imagine it. I hadn''t been much farther than Mount Takujimi all things considered. Even Viridian City was just a few hours away by highspeed rail.

    But Sinnoh? And World Championships, where Red created the World Pok¨¦mon League?

    Inoru cleared his throat.

    "Right, we should get going."

    ¡­

    I really hoped we could come back to Olivine City someday, the beaches really were beautiful.

    I''m sure we would, it was the only way to get a ferry to go to Cianwood to challenge Chuck.

    On the train platform, I saw Jasmine.

    Feeling a bit nervous, I boarded the same passenger car as her.

    "Hi."

    Jasmine smiled, surprised to see both Inoru and I ready to go to Sinnoh with her. "Wasn''t expecting to see you two. You''re headed to Worlds as well?"

    "Yeah, you got a lot to look forward to at that competition right?" I asked. "A lot of matches?"

    "Me? Compete?" Jasmine laughed. "Heavens no."

    The doors to the car slid closed and we took our seats across from her.

    "No, I''m going because Clair invited me."

    "You know each other?"

    Jasmine shrugged. "All Gym leaders know each other."

    "No I mean, well enough for her to invite you."

    "Oh," Jasmine said. "Well we''ve been friends for years."

    "We didn''t get along that well when we met." I said.

    "I heard." muttered Jasmine. "I expected you to be quite the challenge. You were good enough to convince Gold to quit her team."

    "It, wasn''t that straightforward."

    Jasmine looked over to Inoru. "I expect you had a large part to play in how good Nico''s team''s gotten."

    "Well why is that?" Inoru said.

    "Aren''t you Nico''s mentor?"

    "Yes." Inoru replied. "But there''s much more to it than that."

    Jasmine was intrigued. "Tell me."

    "In many ways, Nico tutors himself in battling. I myself only starting raising my Bellsprout just after Nico and I left Takujimi Shrine."

    "How?" Jasmine said. "I was under the impression sages spent their entire lives raising Pok¨¦mon."

    "Everyone starts off as a Novice, they''re technically not inducted into the order after a month or so of determining if they possess the character to become a monk," explained Ino. "After you become a Novice officially, only after years of training you become an Initiate."

    "And what does that mean?" asked Jasmine.

    "Initiates are allowed to raise a Bellsprout, they''re basically a measure of how well they understand what the sages know." Inoru explained. "Eventually, if you become an Elder, and the most senior Initiates in a temple elect you to do so, you''re the leader of a temple."

    Inoru glanced outside the window at the incredible passing countryside of Johto heading eastward. "Elders are the caretakers of all the Pok¨¦mon in the temple. The Pok¨¦mon Nico and I started out with were raised initially by Elder Toji, Takujimi''s Elder. They''re the only ones allowed to raise anything other than a Bellsprout, or Hoothoot in Sprout Tower''s case."

    "Then, why was Nico''s first Pok¨¦mon a Vigoroth?" asked Jasmine.

    Inoru and I looked at each other.

    "It''s a long story," I said.

    "We''ve got hours until we reach the main terminal in Celadon City and take the train to Jubilife." Jasmine shrugged. "Tell me."

    I squinted in thought, then looking at Jasmine with a wince. "I can''t even really tell you the truth behind most of what happened during my first few months at the temple."

    Inoru decided to put his foot down. "Elder Toji decided Nico needed a special pilgrimage to spread word about the temple. He instructed me to go with him and watch over him."

    "I want to hear the story about that pendant." Jasmine looked at my necklace containing a carving of Mew.

    "It was Elder Toji''s." I said. "He gave it to me the day I left Takujimi."

    "So the monks let you stay a monk, but also wear clothes like a regular person? To do whatever you wanted."

    "Almost whatever I wanted," I said. "I can still have a girlfriend though," I added with a shrug.

    Jasmine sat a bit stiffly, smoothing out her skirt down her legs and looking out the window quietly.

    A very silent rejection.

    I tried to break the tension. "Ino can have one too, I made sure to ask before we left."

    "Not that I intend to pursue anything other than the perfection of our ancient arts." Inoru raised an eyebrow, looking at me with disapproval for a moment.

    "So, how often do you stay in touch with the temple?"

    "Hm." Ino rubbed his chin at Jasmine''s question. "We sent a Hoothoot to Takujimi when we left Sprout Tower. I think Elder Li will send word to us as soon as he gets a message back."

    "Why don''t you use technology of any sort? Why do you never eat meat or wear regular clothes? Except you Nico."

    I explained. "Mew saved humanity, we believe it was because there is a higher purpose for us. A deep connection to Pok¨¦mon and the spirits. Materialism, vanity, fame, that all disconnects us from that purpose."

    "But you''ve done nothing but battle and gain fame since you started competing," said Jasmine lightly. "Isn''t that the opposite of that?"

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "Elder Toji saw something in Nico, truthfully, I see it too." Ino said. "He believes that he can do something significant. Be it discover or recover something no one''s seen, or do something no one''s ever done."

    "To make the temple famous again," Jasmine said. "Because this is the first I''ve heard about it in a while."

    "The decision wasn''t taken lightly. Many Initiates thought Nico wouldn''t be ready for this challenge or that he shouldn''t have been allowed to leave." said Ino.

    Jasmine now looked at me. "I must say, you''re the most unique trainer I''ve met in that case. What do you think is the end goal of the journey you were sent on?"

    Win World Championships someday? Find Red? Find Mew?

    "Do what I''m doing now I guess, have people talking. Soon enough, I can have people coming back to yearly pilgrimages to Takujimi Shrine. And our Order will be restored." I shrugged.

    "Well it''s certainly working so far."

    Inoru muttered in agreement. "Indeed."

    ¡­

    Blue had to wave off hordes of reporters when he boarded our train.

    "God, what a nuisance." he almost had to push away a particularly annoying man trying to record Blue''s voice on his Pok¨¦Gear.

    Oak chuckled. "Well when you barely leave your Gym except to go to Worlds, that tends to happen."

    Ash Ketchum, Oak, Blue, Gary, Crystal, and Gold all entered the train compartment I had picked Jasmine and Inoru. This train was bigger with a sleek white and blue paint job, there was enough space for everyone as they all took their seats. The central terminal of Celadon City, was supposed to take us directly to the heart of Jubilife.

    After almost eight hours.

    I looked over at my fellow Johto trainers. "How long have you two been in Celadon City?"

    The doors to the passenger car began to close.

    "Oh we just got here." Gold said.

    "Yeah, we came as soon as Professor Oak told us he got us tickets." said Crystal. "I''m so excited to see Blue become World Champion again."

    "Hasn''t happened for a few years admittedly," he said in his calm smooth voice. "But I do feel I got a really good shot."

    I watched the way he put his hands in his pockets as he said this with his usual casual air. "How many people do you have in your division?"

    "One hundred and twenty-seven." Blue said. "The first four rounds are just to get to the quarter finals."

    "What''re the qualifications to compete?" I asked.

    "Easier than you''d think," answered Blue. "You need to be ranked in the top twenty in at least one of all nine regions. Then you need sixteen badges or more, and the League has to personally verify your team is ready to compete."

    "What does that mean?"

    "It''s not too common, but severe injuries can happen during matches at the World Championship level." Blue took out his Pok¨¦dex for a moment from his jean pocket, glanced at it, and put it away. "Red put my Raticate in the hospital for nearly three months when we were still kids, stuff like that but sometimes far worse. The League sends someone to make sure your team is good enough to not let themselves get hurt like that."

    "Oh." Gold looked grave, Crystal, Gary, and Ash looked a bit nervous too.

    Oak chuckled. "Don''t you lot worry, it takes years to reach such a level. And the Pok¨¦mon that compete at the highest degree possible are never in any real danger."

    "They aren''t?" I wondered.

    From what I gathered, Red, Blue, and trainers like them raised Pok¨¦mon to the closest to legendaries in terms of skill and power except from regular Pok¨¦mon instead.

    "Of course not," said Blue reassuringly. "Until a Pok¨¦mon has fainted, they''re never in any danger of being damaged permanently in any way."

    "What''s this I hear about you challenging team Rocket?" asked Ash.

    "I hear it''s a bunch of bogus." Gary snorted. "There''s no way one of us could handle Team Rocket all on their own."

    Oak looked like he wanted to tell his grandson to knock it off, Gary''s older brother wanted to as well, but both Blue and Oak said nothing.

    "It wasn''t Team Rocket that was a threat, it was who showed up afterward. Guy who acted like he was bigger than Team Rocket, but not really a criminal. Very shady anyway, even his Zubat was great."

    "Silver," said Gold.

    "You know him?"

    "I''ve run into him a few times." Gold was clearly trying to sound tough. "His Bayleef was no match for me though."

    Oak laughed. "I remember Professor Elm calling me the morning after you two fought. Apparently, you lost."

    "No, I didn''t!" Crystal laughed at this.

    "How can a Quilava lose to a Bayleef?" Gary looked stumped.

    "Silver''s just that good. He almost beat me." I said.

    "He did?" Crystal looked very surprised.

    Ash was curious too. "How did he almost beat you?"

    "His Bayleef is something else, there''s just something off about Silver, it''s hard to describe."

    If there was one thing I didn''t appreciate, it was how much Oak let on that he knew but didn''t tell. I knew a fair bit about Silver from playing the games, but not anything worth mentioning.

    "Anyway," I looked at Crystal. "How''s everyone''s teams coming along?"

    "Fantastic," answered Gary proudly. "I caught a huge Fearow and won a Scyther during a tournament. Bugsy''s trainers hosted a bug type catching contest in Pewter near Viridian Forest, and I got first place."

    "I decided to go with Krabby and Sentret." Crystal didn''t add anything more, possibly because she was working on Pok¨¦mon she didn''t want us to know about. Knowing Crystal, I don''t think that was the case however.

    "I''m raising a Pidgeotto and a Charmander," Ash said. "I managed to get Pikachu to pull off Volt Tackle last week."

    "What about you Nico?" asked Crystal as Oak pulled out his laptop next to her to probably start working on research.

    I cleared my throat. "I still just have Growlithe and Ursaring. Those are the three I''m working with right now."

    "So besides Blue, who do you think has a shot at winning Worlds this year?" asked Gold.

    Everyone began to chatter.

    ¡­

    Jasmine tended to talk more with Oak, Inoru, and Blue, while Crystal, Gary, Gold, Ash, and I spoke.

    For hours we talked about battles, what life at home was like. I began to suspect Gary, Gold, and Ash might''ve had feelings for Crystal. They acted differently when she wasn''t in the train compartment to go get some food, but that might''ve been me.

    I guess she was the only girl in the group.

    Well past sundown, the train began to pull into the Sinnoh region.

    If I thought the view of Johto region''s nighttime city skyline was beautiful I hadn''t seen anything yet. Sinnoh was larger and much more colorful, wider, and much more expansive.

    Jubilife wasn''t even the biggest city in the entire world, which surprised me since it was far bigger than Celadon which I had passed through, based off of Tokyo.

    That night, we all said goodnight and we went off to our hotel rooms.

    The Pok¨¦mon Center in Jubilife wasn''t really one Pok¨¦mon Center it was multiple, and with the dozens of trainers coming in from all over the world, they were already packed.

    As large and beautiful as Jubilife was, I wasn''t able to enjoy it for long, the moment Ino and I checked into our room, I changed, showered, ate some noodles I bought from the lobby, and fell asleep almost instantly.

    ¡­

    I don''t think I''d ever seen so many people gathered anywhere at any one time.

    Tens of thousands of people all gathered in Jubilife Stadium, filling the gargantuan colosseum from top to bottom. In the lobby lining up to my place in the stands, I caught glimpses of Cynthia, and even Leaf, the current world champion.

    Both young women looked exactly as I was expecting, and I even saw Volkner, getting ready to compete, shortly after debriefing his team of a few teenagers and even one adult trainer.

    The tournament staff had been able to transfer part of the Eternal Fire from Kanto, said to have been given from Ho-Oh, used as part of several opening ceremonies for official League tournaments. Every judge for the tournament stood in full uniform, over sixty dozen competitors, some in their team jackets, other just wearing the outfits I remembered a few of them wore from the games and anime, were out on the arena floor as well.

    A tournament official walked up a large number of steps, and lit the brazier to commemorate the start of the World Pok¨¦mon League Championships.

    I applauded, alongside the thousands around me.

    And then, the tournament began.

    Blue gave myself, Gary, Crystal, Gold, and Ash a short run down of how the entire day was going to go. Jasmine had already found her family that had invited her and was going to spend the tournament with them spectating. Blue told us the rules, that we were all accustomed to, all of us having Gym badges, as well as which Pok¨¦mon trainers to keep our eyes on.

    In the very first round, in four smaller arenas spread out in a plus sign around the central main colosseum, Blue had to face a very strong trainer from Unova named Bryson. The arenas appeared to be huge tennis courts in a way really, with large metallic walls separating the rings to prevent battles from crossing into each other.

    I was in the stands alongside Blue''s team, cheering.

    Inoru was silently watching, always keeping his Bellsprout by his side, that actually appeared a bit shaken up by the sheer power of the battling.

    In the very first round, Pok¨¦mon trainers were only allowed to use two Pok¨¦mon, switching out a Pok¨¦mon meant its forfeit, and as always, no items could be used.

    The center judge for Blue''s match I recognized as one of the top WCPL officials from Kalos, an aged balding man with a neatly trimmed white beard, and a strong competitor in his day, and part of the first Gyms in the region.

    "Begin!" he shouted, throwing his hand down.

    Bryson''s Krookodile moved faster than most Pok¨¦mon I''d ever seen, and speed wasn''t even its best asset. And while it was quick by most Pok¨¦mon standards in terms of stats, it wasn''t among the fastest.

    Blue led with a Rhyperior, a Pok¨¦mon he''d only been working with earlier this year as Gary told me, which ended up being a mistake.

    Rhyperior''s Earthquake was so strong that it even shook the stands a little bit, and Krookodile countered with a degree of versatility and ingenuity I didn''t even think Pok¨¦mon could have outside of my own team.

    Krookodile was able to move quickly and decisively enough through the quaking earth to grab Rhyperior, reaching the epicenter of the earthquake to avoid the majority of the damage. In the blink of an eye, so fast I almost missed it, and Krookodile hit Rhyperior with Outrage.

    Krookodile''s whole body glowed red, and it went ballistic, hitting Rhyperior so hard with its tail and fists, that even her stony armor cracked.

    Rhyperior was on shaky legs after that, and when Krookodile pinned her near the edge of the ring, narrowly avoiding Crunch and Stone Edge by the skin of its rock piercing teeth, the judge stopped the match.

    "Stop! Back to your lines."

    "Rhyperior snap out of it!" said Blue. "Counter his Stone Edge with your own!"

    That proved to be the wrong decision, Krookodile''s Stone Edge was far better, and the number, power, and speed, behind the rocks he could levitate and strike towards Rhyperior blasted through her own.

    Rhyperior was able to tank most of the hit based on her typing and toughness, but she wasn''t so lucky on the next attack. Rhyperior wasn''t given enough time from being staggered to follow it up with another attack, and Krookodile landed flush with Crunch, directly on her shoulder.

    Krookodile''s jaws were so powerful the entirety of Rhyperior''s stony shoulder seemed to crack, and Rhyperior was forced to take a knee.

    "Stop!"

    Rhyperior was barely able to get back onto her feet.

    "Can you continue?" the judge looked to Blue.

    It took him a second, but he wisely withdrew Rhyperior. She was caught before she could even regain her footing.

    "Man." I heard Ash say next to me. "I didn''t think we''d lose the first fight of the entire tournament."

    "It''s not over." said Crystal.

    I shook my head. "I agree with Ash. Blue still should''ve been able to win the first match up even if he only had a year to work with Rhyperior."

    "A year isn''t enough time?" Gold was confused.

    "At the World Championship level, evidently not," I said quietly.

    Blue needed a second to think, and my respect for Bryson instantly elevated when I saw who Blue sent out next.

    He went with his main, his starter, who everyone knew was his best Pok¨¦mon.

    Blastoise took his fighting stance, and Krookodile didn''t appear shaken, not even for a second.

    Krookodile went down swinging, but Blastoise decisively knocked him out, no need for the judge to even ask before declaring a knockout.

    Blastoise landed three consecutive hits, and Krookodile barely was able to get one, a single Stone Edge off as Blastoise was missing his Ice Beam. Blastoise wasn''t really going all out, not even during a World Championship match, but his Ice Beam was so powerful, that momentarily each time it went off, the air got a bit chillier for a second, even several meters away in the stands.

    I could feel the cold laser from out here, each time it fired.

    Blastoise then bodied Krookodile, as his Surf filled the arena for a moment, and the amount of water he summoned flooded the ring. Krookodile couldn''t even dive underground to dodge, instead lifted into the waves.

    Blastoise sent Krookodile flying so hard from the water type attack that Krookodile broke apart the ground beneath him when he fell, spinning as he went. I could tell by its eyes that Krookodile was not getting back up, at least not until it visited a healing station at the Pok¨¦mon Center.

    Bryson grimaced, muttering to his Pok¨¦mon when he recalled him, then sending out his next.

    His Bouffalant packed a serious punch, charging forward as fast as it could as its horns glowed a bright gold.

    "Giga Impact!" I heard Bryson shout.

    Blastoise''s stance, toughness, and technique were so strong, that just by Withdraw-ing into his shell, he avoided most of the damage. Admittedly, the Bouffalant hit Blastoise so hard that his shell went flying, but Blastoise easily repositioned midair by using his water canons to gain balance, and then land on his feet.

    As powerful as Bouffalant appeared, Blastoise again just overwhelmed it with the raw strength behind his blows.

    Blastoise used Ice Beam to pin Bouffalant down near the edge of the ring, and before hitting it with a Hydro Pump from hell.

    "Ouch." Crystal gasped, sitting next to me in the metal bleachers.

    My ears hurt a little from how much water, and how quickly it was leaving Blastoise''s water cannons, battles at this level were loud from the power behind the blows. Bouffalant couldn''t dodge or counter, not from how fast, hard, and large the water type attack was.

    "Stop!" the judge shouted instantly based on how strong of an attack the Normal type took.

    Bouffalant was knocked clean out, that Hydro Pump had all but sent it flying out of the ring. No small feat, considering the Bouffalant was strong enough to send Blastoise into the air with any attack.

    "The winner of the match is Blue from Pallet Town!"

    Blue crossed the edge of the ring and shook hands with Bryson as we all applauded in the stands.

    "I knew my big bro was gonna wipe the floor with that nobody." Gary chuckled.

    "Blue is still well, Blue." Gold, Ash, and Crystal didn''t disagree with me. "But the fact that any trainer forced Blue to go from experimenting to go with his main meant Bryson pushed him."

    "Why would Blue experiment at World Championships?" asked Ash.

    "His confidence I suspect." everyone was surprised Inoru said anything at all, he''d stayed quiet almost all day. "Blue was sure he could try new things with new Pok¨¦mon based on the fact he could always use his Blastoise if all things failed."

    He wasn''t wrong, not at all.

    Blue walked up to us, taking a water bottle his younger brother handed to him.

    "Thanks Gary," he smiled at us. "You guys get breakfast yet?"

    "Yeah I already ate." said Gold, everyone more or less muttered in agreement.

    "Your Blastoise is incredible." Inoru said.

    "Thank you, Nico here was able to land a hit on it during training." Blue said confidently.

    Ash smiled. "You did amazing Blue."

    "Ah, I''m not satisfied winning my first match two one, gotta readjust a little bit before my next fight."

    Gary scowled. "You had to remind me." he said angrily.

    "How long until your next match?" I asked, hearing the crowd from a nearby battle cheer together.

    "About two hours, you guys wanna walk around? I''ll catch up with you all in a moment, I have to get Rhyperior to a healing station."

    I nodded. "Yeah I want to see a few fights."

    "Great, I''ll meet you by ring five at eleven later."

    Gary walked off to follow Blue, and the rest of us walked out of the stands to try to see some other matches.

    ¡­

    What proceeded was some of the best battling I''d ever seen in my life.

    Even those who lost were the smartest, strongest, and by far, most skilled Pok¨¦mon trainers I''d ever seen.

    Blue, as I was expecting, was right about who to keep my eyes on in the earlier rounds of the World Championships.

    Cynthia wasn''t even using her mains, Milotic, Garchomp, or Spiritomb, and still won her first match two nothing. She used one Pok¨¦mon, Glaceon, using two moves, Shadow Ball, and Quick Attack.

    Even at a type disadvantage against a Magmortar and a Magcargo, Glaceon didn''t even take a single hit. Cynthia''s Glaceon had incredibly advanced timing, distance management, and spacing.

    Despite Glaceon''s speed, Glaceon would appear to always be in a position that suited it, landing a Shadow Ball in a split second just as Magmortar or Magcargo would try to land super effective Fire type attacks.

    If Glaceon didn''t land, that was fine, it would hit them with a Quick Attack, dash away, and reposition somewhere else in the ring, waiting for their next attack.

    While Glaceon was incredible, Cynthia''s coaching of her Pok¨¦mon was better. She seemed to know exactly what advice to give, when to tell Glaceon to pressure, when to fight defensively, and what attack to use.

    Volkner and Leaf had to face each other in the first round.

    Volkner was a man in his thirties with spiky blonde hair, he had a bright blue jacket, matching several trainers he brought with him from Sunyshore City.

    Leaf had long brown hair, and was wearing a short red skirt, blue socks and tank top, as well as her signature white cap.

    Volkner had brought a large number of people from Sunyshore City to spectate, and there were over five hundred people, enough to pack the bleachers nearby shoulder to shoulder ringside. Leaf''s entire family from Pallet Town was there, and from what I could tell, a decent portion of the town was there as well.

    "Let''s win this Luxray!" shouted Volkner.

    The Gleam Eyes Pok¨¦mon roared loudly when its paws hit the flat earth of the ring.

    Leaf smiled. "Okay folks, let''s do this." she said proudly from her Trainer''s box.

    She tossed out a Pok¨¦ball and the largest Venusaur I''d ever seen was released. I had only seen a few during footage of Pok¨¦mon battles online, but this Venusaur was huge.

    "Ready? Begin!"

    The shouting made it difficult to discuss the match at all with anyone else on Blue''s team I was there watching with.

    Volkner was actually giving Leaf a run for her money, unlike how I was expecting.

    While Luxray went down after a mostly dominant match by Venusaur''s monstrous Vine Whip, Volkner''s next Pok¨¦mon rivaled Blue''s Blastoise in terms of speed, technique, and sheer power.

    Volkner''s Electivire was so fast that its Electric type attacks made Ash''s Pikachu look slow by comparison. Sure, Ash was just starting to compete but still.

    "Let''s go Leaf!" a Pallet town girl shouted.

    "Get ''er Volkner!" someone else cheered.

    Venusaur put up a very good fight, and I found out what Petal Blizzard was.

    Silver''s Bayleef whipped up a tornado of razor sharp leaves using Razor Leaf, and it was still among the strongest attacks Vigoroth ever got hit with, but it didn''t hold a candle to Petal Blizzard. Petal Blizzard was like four different Razor Leafs but the leaves moved like homing missiles, controlled directly by Venusaur.

    The attack was decently damaging but Electivire was unlike most Pok¨¦mon I''d ever seen.

    It was so hard to hit it that despite battling World Champion Leaf''s main for several minutes, it had only taken two Vine Whips right to the torso, and a Petal Blizzard head on.

    Electivire on the other hand had been able to latch onto Venusaur twice with the red tipped wires sprouting from its back, and zapped Venusaur with Thunder.

    Leaf was trying to come up with something to tell Venusaur to gain control of the match but I heard a single giant electric SNAP in the air, like someone stuck a giant fork into the world''s largest electrical socket.

    All over the shouting, cheers and nearby battling.

    Electivire had activated Thunder Punch, and the amount of electricity it was building in its hand had temporarily crisped a lot of the air around it.

    I had already just begun to realize what the sound was by the time Electivire blurred across the ring while Venusaur attempted to dodge. In a violent yellow flash, Electivire punched Venusaur cleanly across the snout, sending it flying.

    "Venusaur!"

    Leaf''s starter struggled to its feet, clearly paralyzed.

    It then collapsed, not knocked out, but not able to continue by any measure.

    Everyone from Sunyshore cheered and there was a pause in the fight as Leaf recalled Venusaur and began to strategize.

    "How come Volkner''s never placed in World Championships before?" I muttered to Ash.

    "From what I can tell he probably has." Ash instantly checked his profile on his Pok¨¦Gear. "Looks like he hasn''t. I guess World Championships are just that competitive."

    You don''t say.

    Leaf''s next Pok¨¦mon was released from an Ultra Ball, the crowd gasped, even though a few of them had probably seen one before.

    It was an Espeon, a Pok¨¦mon I had never seen outside of strange visions I had during my dreams, Leaf possessed one of the few in existence and I was about to witness it battle.

    Espeon was the Psychic Eeveelution, with sheer light purple lavender colored fur that almost looked transparent depending on how the light hit it. In the center of its forehead lay a bright red ruby or gem of sorts, redder than even the strongest paint I''ve seen. Espeon had a forked tail, and light purple eyes with white irises.

    I immediately removed my ''Nav and scanned it with my Pok¨¦dex function.

    I''d have to read the entry later because one of the most competitive matches I''d seen in my life was about to begin, Leaf''s Espeon was female according to the Pok¨¦dex.

    "Begin!" the center judge shouted.

    Electivire had barely taken a step forward when it had to slip its head out of the way. Espeon''s cry was a melodic but shrill scream, much how a cat mewled or screeched when she attacked.

    A large pink beam had almost struck it right in the face, Electivire had under a second to dodge Espeon''s Psybeam released straight from her mouth.

    I could only imagine how much damage that psychic laser would''ve dealt if Electivire hadn''t dodged.

    The following exchange happened instantly despite all the action.

    There was another giant electric snap in the air when Electivire struck, attempting to hit Espeon with a Thunder Punch.

    Espeon dodged, dashing around the edge of the ring so fast she kicked up a small dust cloud.

    She repositioned as Electivire turned to face her, and Espeon actually split the ground apart under her next attack.

    Espeon''s ruby glowed an even brighter red and a massive wave of psychic energy was released in an expanding circle outward. There was no chance to block this. Espeon''s Psychic attack probably could level buildings or at least a sizable house, it was a miracle Electivire was able to stand up at all after that, let alone fight.

    All of this had taken place over the course of about two seconds, that was just how quickly Espeon and Electivire fought.

    "Electivire, use Thunder! Give her all you got!" Volkner shouted.

    Enraged at being rocked, Electivire crossed his hands, charging his entire body with the electricity the wires from his body released.

    A massive rush of electricity flew forward as Electivire tracked Espeon''s dashing around the ring, and for a split second, I saw Espeon''s slightly forked tail twitch in the air. She changed directions, dodged a Thunder so powerful it fried the wall behind it completely black, and countered.

    Espeon''s Quick Attack was a psychically enhanced move, she rushed up to Electivire and hit it twice across the face with her tail, which she had augmented with the energy stored in her forehead gem judging by how her tail was glowing a light shade of pink.

    Electivire actually staggered after the blow, and the moment Espeon landed back on the ground she blew Electivire away with another Psychic.

    Electivire tried to tether itself to the ground to avoid some of the damage with one of its black wires to no avail, and he struck the edge of the ring on one of the metal border walls so hard the ground shook.

    Electivire struggled to its feet, and began to activate Thunder Punch as Espeon hit him with Psychic again.

    This time, Electivire had no chance to dodge, and shook against the metal wall under the power of the light pink energy wave, a huge ringing sound emitted from Espeon when she released the attack.

    Electivire slumped over, completely knocked out.

    The center judge raised a blue flag to his left. "Leaf from Pallet Town is the winner!"

    Everyone was silent for a moment.

    Espeon quickly licked the back of her paw, her ear twitching

    And then they burst into cheers, even Volkner''s fans from Sunyshore applauded, he had been able to take out the reigning champ''s starter.

    ¡­

 A True Rival

    Blue had beaten another trainer I''d never heard of before today, this time with far less effort than he needed in the previous round.

    We all went to get lunch together after that, and there was something I couldn''t stop thinking about.

    It was about just how powerful and quick Espeon was. It could clearly predict Electivire''s movement, and its speed and reflexes were further enhanced by its psychic abilities as well. It had an unbelievable amount of psychic energy, possibly infinite from what I could tell.

    Volkner''s Electivire had enough power to send Leaf''s Venusaur flying across the ring in a single punch, and it had taken three fully powered Psychics cleanly, with Espeon barely looking tired.

    Just how could any Pok¨¦mon possess that much power if it wasn''t a legendary? Was it just that well trained, or was Espeon that special?

    I think it was a combination of the two.

    "Tomorrow''s the last of the qualifying rounds," said Blue after he finished his sandwich, everyone listening closely. "By the end of tomorrow, I should be in the quarter finals. They''re letting us use three Pok¨¦mon instead of two now."

    "Who are you facing?" I asked.

    "Drake of the Elite Four. Top ranked trainer from Hoenn, no one''s better from that whole region except for him." said Blue.

    "Cynthia looks to be in great shape this year." Oak said.

    "So does Leaf," I said. "I don''t think there''s anyone who can beat her Espeon, except for you."

    "I''ve only done it once," Blue admitted. "Besides Red, I''ve been the only one able to do it at all."

    That made too much sense.

    "How''d he beat her?" I asked. "Let me guess, with his own Espeon."

    "His Snorlax helped too," said Blue. "That was during the last World Championships before he disappeared."

    If Espeon was this great, then I was glad it was a Pok¨¦mon I supposedly shared a spiritual connection with according to the monks.

    Oak, Inoru, and Blue were still finishing their dinners while the rest of us were talking, already done. Crystal checked something on her Pok¨¦gear, all of us clearly ready to go.

    Blue nodded. "You all can go on, I''ll see you tomorrow by Ring Eleven for my next match."

    Ash pushed his chair in, following me for some reason along with everyone else when I decided to walk off from the restaurant.

    "So, do any of you think we can actually reach this level someday? Even the second strings on a lot of everyone''s teams here are amazing." wondered Crystal. "I didn''t think Pok¨¦mon could ever get this good at battling."

    "I know I will, I don''t know about the rest of you," Gary said proudly.

    Crystal snorted loudly at this this, making Gold chuckle and Gary glare at her.

    "What even makes everyone''s teams here so good?" Ash asked. "I get they have a lot of experience, but that can''t just be the key to everything."

    I began to walk a bit aimlessly in the direction of the rings and back towards Jubilife Stadium.

    "From what I understand, it''s their strategy. Picking strong Pok¨¦mon and then grinding away years at tournaments isn''t what makes them great. I think they know they have to choose Pok¨¦mon that really click with them." I said.

    "That''s kinda obvious I''m not going to lie." Gary laughed.

    "No, it''s deeper than just that," I responded. "It''s like Blue said, your starter has to be a Pok¨¦mon you''re destined to start with and build your whole team around. Your whole battling style, your strategy. Each of your Pok¨¦mon don''t just need to be good, you need to intrinsically understand and improve them because you understand each other."

    Ash smiled at Gary. "Not so obvious now is it?"

    "Shut up."

    I approached the rings used for the qualifying rounds approaching Jubilife Stadium. I recognized a few members of the team of trainers Cynthia brought with her.

    A few teenagers, including a girl with blue hair, who obviously was Dawn, and a young Barry and Lucas.

    They were practicing in the rings, likely because they had nothing better to do like us while waiting for their older coaches compete tomorrow.

    Barry had chosen Turtwig for his starter, training with a Grotle, Lucas, Dawn''s male counterpart from the video games with black hair and a red beret, was training with a Prinplup, sparring lightly with a Monferno.

    "Sinnoh people." Gary scoffed. "They don''t look that great."

    They did honestly, Gary really had a penchant for acting tough when he knew he was around strong trainers.

    Just judging by how Dawn''s Monferno warmed up practicing basic drills with Lucas'' Pok¨¦mon, I could tell their team was heavily skilled.

    We neared the edge of the ring, a few of us leaning on the railing to get a better look, a few others chatting and using our Pok¨¦gear.

    Suddenly, the blonde in the group turned towards us and spoke.

    "I''m sorry, don''t you all have somewhere to be?" asked Barry.

    Crystal was confused. "Sorry?" she asked.

    "It''s rude to stare, you guys are trying to steal all our moves!" Barry pointed towards us.

    "Yeah we can just move on," I said.

    Gary didn''t appreciate this one bit. "We''re not going anywhere, you can''t just boss us around like that!"

    "This isn''t a private Gym, it''s a public training area while the tournament is between rounds," Crystal said. "We''re fine where we are, if you''re uncomfortable, you have to go."

    It was a rare occasion when Crystal agreed with Gary, so I could tell something was brewing.

    "Just ignore them Barry," said Lucas, turning away.

    "Nice hat." Gary laughed at Lucas'' beret.

    I didn''t like the hat that much either but I didn''t think it was worth making fun of.

    "Nice hair," Barry muttered. "If it was any messier it would be like you had a Sandslash on your head."

    A few people laughed, and Gary''s hand instinctively went to his belt to reach towards his Pok¨¦balls. "You''re one to talk about hair. Wanna back that up in the ring you-"

    "Excuse me," I heard a light voice say. "What''s going on over here."

    "Oh- Ch-Champion Cynthia." Ash stuttered.

    Besides her status in competitive battling, I didn''t blame Ash for his reaction. Cynthia had some of Clair''s overwhelmingly intimidating beauty, but had a far kinder and softer appeal.

    "These people just showed up and started spying on us, doing their best to get an edge over us in future competitions," Barry said.

    "Now hold on, this is a public ring." muttered Cynthia. "However, it seems like things were escalating when I walked over."

    "They made fun of Lucas." Dawn, who had been quiet until now said.

    "Who''s they?" Cynthia''s expression changed, glaring over at us.

    Everyone inched away from Gary, who smiled nervously.

    "It''s my fault Miss Cynthia," I said quickly.

    Cynthia turned to me. "You must be Nico."

    "You''ve heard about me?"

    "Of course I have, the first monk from the order of the sprout sages to ever compete. The best Junior trainer from Johto and Kanto."

    "Well I wouldn''t say the best-"

    "I would," Cynthia said strongly.

    Cynthia looked over at the group of me, Crystal, Gary, Gold, and Ash. "I think the safest way to resolve this is with a battle."

    "Heck yeah!" Gary laughed.

    Barry nodded. "Let''s go."

    "Not you two." said Cynthia. "Dawn, how would you like to battle Nico?"

    "It would be my pleasure." Dawn told her coach.

    I heard Blue''s voice. "I thought you lot might be over here."

    Gary turned. "How''d you know we were here?"

    Blue glanced at his little brother. "A few people saw you all walking back towards the Colosseum. Cynthia," he said stiffly. "How are you doing?"

    "Just fine thank you. I was going to suggest a battle between your protege and my own." Cynthia looked towards me.

    "Well Nico is actually mostly self taught." he said.

    "His performance in the ring suggests otherwise, along with his line up." Cynthia crossed her arms, likely referencing my Growlithe. "Should we get this show on the road?"

    "I don''t know, Nico, do you need to warm up first? Or are you backing down from the challenge?"

    "I don''t need a warm up, I''m in."

    Everybody began to prepare the ring for competition and Blue took me aside. "Whatever you do, don''t lead with your starter. It''ll all make sense later."

    Then, he left without another word.

    ¡­

    Gary spoke to me before I walked to the trainer''s box. "You didn''t have to stand up for me you know."

    "I know, but I did it anyway."

    Gary seemed to appreciate it as our friends spoke to me.

    "Good luck Nico," said Gold.

    "Yeah good luck." Ash said as Crystal then spoke too.

    "Yeah you got this."

    I turned towards the ring and they walked away.

    Cynthia and Blue were both presiding as judges over the match.

    Dawn fixed her white beanie throwing a Pok¨¦ball forward, releasing a Luxio.

    "Come on, let''s go Growlithe!"

    "Begin!" said Cynthia.

    There were a few cheers around the ring when the match started, and immediately it was evident that Luxio was quite solid.

    I actually snuck out my Pok¨¦Nav mid fight to get a look at its possible entry and stats by how impressed I was.

    Growlithe was almost timed with a few simple Sparks right off the bat as he attempted Tackles, just barely dodging.

    Growlithe landed the first hit of the match, a very solid Ember when Luxio drew a bit closer, wanting to use her Thunder Fang.

    "There you go." I said.

    It wasn''t too damaging, but forced Luxio to keep her distance for a bit.

    Luxio caught Growlithe with a basic counter, stepping back to make Growlithe''s rudimentary Flame Wheel, which was really a very explosive fiery Tackle, zapping Growlithe with a strong Spark, releasing electricity from its body and instantly changing angles in case Growlithe struck afterward.

    Growlithe shook it off, barking and chasing Luxio around the ring attempting to tackle her again.

    "Come on boy, use your Ember!" I said.

    Luxio had side stepped Growlithe so widely that after kicking up a large dust cloud in the process, he almost smacked himself against the side of the ring.

    Dawn coached Luxio calmly. "You''re doing good, keep your distance, watch your timing."

    Growlithe missed another Ember widely.

    "Good, stay moving." I heard her say as Growlithe began to look a little nervous.

    He wasn''t used to Luxio''s style, the Electric type was built heavily around counters and timing, he got hit so quickly with Spark that one time he was wondering what was going on.

    Eventually, Growlithe began to fight a bit patiently and waited for Luxio to make the next move.

    Growlithe managed to land another Ember directly on Luxio''s chest at the same time as Luxio latched onto his back with Thunder Fang.

    The two tussled for a bit, merely wrestling like a pair of puppies.

    "Stop!" Cynthia shouted.

    Dawn''s Luxio wasn''t anything special, it was simply very calm and relaxed. Growlithe''s Embers merely didn''t bother it despite them landing flush twice. For the rest of the match, something became very clear to me:

    Luxio and Growlithe possessed a very equal amount of physical ability, it wasn''t like one''s attacks were better than the others, Luxio was just calmer. Had better timing, and understood the distance Growlithe needed to land his attacks, and for Luxio to land hers.

    The reason why was simple, Luxio had excellent footwork, Dawn had likely spent a lot of time working around very simple traps. Drawing in a little closer, baiting an attack, making it miss, and immediately countering with the same attack, Spark, and moving aside.

    Growlithe was being led around the ring like a bull and a matador.

    "Growlithe, calm down! You''re falling for the same trick." I said.

    He was hit three separate times with the same attack, there was really nothing he could do despite my coaching. He knew he had to deal some sort of damage with how many hits he had taken, and Luxio was calmly just biding her time.

    Luxio eventually finished off Growlithe with a simple but very powerful lower level version of Discharge.

    Luxio used Charge to generate electricity within her body, and then smacked Growlithe away with Tackle, blowing through his own that he was trying to set up, drawing closer and closer slowly but surely.

    Growlithe quickly rose back to his feet, but I could see small yellow shocks sparkle through his legs and flank starting up from his paws, wincing.

    "Stop!"

    Cynthia raised a hand to her right, towards the red Trainer''s box, looking directly ahead at Blue.

    Blue seemed to need a moment, thinking while he looked at Growlithe. After a few seconds, he raised a hand toward Dawn.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    "Winner." Cynthia said proudly as I heard Barry, Lucas, and a few of the Sinnoh trainer''s cheer.

    I recalled Growlithe. "Good effort buddy."

    He certainly lost, but I think he could''ve kept fighting for a bit. But I agreed with Cynthia, risking a fight during Paralysis was dangerous.

    I took a deep breath. This was going to be anything but easy.

    "Do it Ursaring!"

    Ursaring sharpened his claws when I sent him out.

    He roared so loudly that all the static producing fur on Luxio shook with wind flowing through it, the Electric type not even flinching at the Roar.

    Luxio charged with Electricity, starting to blur around the ring.

    Ursaring''s eyes began to dart around the arena, and I could see the size of the crowd grow out of the corner of my eye.

    He growled, managing to time Luxio perfectly with Slash.

    "No!" I heard Dawn shout in surprise.

    I saw her grip the railing behind her Trainer''s box raised slightly about the ring, her eyes widening.

    Luxio shook her head, getting back onto her feet.

    Ursaring bounced in place, still in his karate stance.

    Luxio didn''t make her next attack obvious, roaring loudly when sending Spark Ursaring''s way. He merely sidestepped while spinning, and chucked a huge piece of the ground using the momentum of the dodge as Luxio began to charge at him.

    "Stop!"

    Rock Slide landed flush, Luxio actually flinched. Glad we''d been able to work on that.

    Again, Luxio shook it off.

    I was too into the fight to show any shock on my face.

    "Continue!" Cynthia shouted without hesitation.

    Dawn''s team had it all, good training, trust in her words, adaptability, speed, strength, timing, skill, everything. A part of me wondered if I could win this thing.

    Ursaring began to track Luxio around the ring, bouncing on the balls of his paws, his claws up and his guard prepared.

    And then, Luxio hit Ursaring so hard the crowd gasped.

    Luxio timed Ursaring just as well as she timed Growlithe earlier, except this time, she was far more ferocious in her strike, putting everything behind it.

    Ursaring got in range to hit Luxio with a Slash combination, explosively dashing forward, almost leaping forward so hard he broke apart the earth beneath him, as he attempted fully powered punches to Luxio''s head and body.

    Interrupting the combination in its tracks, Luxio blurred forward, and it looked like a thunder bolt hit Ursaring directly in the stomach.

    Paralyzed, with the wind knocked clean out of him, Ursaring actually took a knee, which had only been done before against the toughest of opponents.

    "Stop!" Cynthia said as Luxio was still recovering from landing the strike, shifting so quickly around the ring she kicked up a dust cloud.

    "You stay on him the second he gets up!" Dawn said as Luxio chirped and nodded.

    "Luxiii!" she howled proudly.

    I had a decision to make quickly.

    How badly did I want to win this fight?

    Ursaring could actually get hurt if he went on, and I still held a bit of pride that my team, for as many hits as they have taken and given, never had gotten injured. Did I risk it, even if it meant defeat?

    The crowd was watching and growing, cheering, all of my friends, all of Dawn''s watching too.

    "Ursaring, fight like today is your last chance ever! Use Earthquake!"

    Cynthia nodded, looking forward at the middle of the ring. "Continue fighting!" she said loudly.

    Luxio was about to do her best to interrupt the attack again with her own but Ursaring actually leapt over the charging Spark Pok¨¦mon. When he hit the ground, the bellow Ursaring released was almost deafening.

    "Raaaaa!"

    Ursaring''s claws almost glinted in the early afternoon sun, and when he struck the ground, trying to blast the ground apart as if he was trying to destroy it with everything he had, he erupted the earth apart like a ripple effect.

    I had to grab ahold of the railing from my blue side Trainer''s box, wincing through the tiny bits of earth and dust released into the air.

    I guess the crowd never had to deal with that, always being too far away from the battles and protected by force fields, but up close, man, it felt like I took that hit.

    I was so proud of Ursaring, even if he didn''t win, he toughed it out, fought through a bit of possible Paralysis, and having the wind knocked out of him, to perfectly execute a move we''d barely practiced until now.

    Through the dust cloud, I saw Luxio step forward.

    When the dust settled, Luxio was on very shaky legs, struggling to stay standing at all. Eventually, she collapsed.

    "Come on, you can push through!" said Dawn. "I know it!"

    When Luxio began to draw back onto her feet beginning to charge up with electricity again, and Ursaring was about to strike, Cynthia shouted.

    "Stop!"

    She turned to Dawn. "Recall Luxio, concede the round."

    Technically, judges couldn''t say things like that, but it was an unofficial match that was more or less a practice fight. Cynthia was using her pull as Dawn''s coach to, from what I can tell in her eyes, consider Luxio''s safety.

    The girl actually took a moment, but withdrew Luxio.

    There was a beat.

    Cynthia stopped the entire match to discuss something with Blue, I was too far away to hear what they were saying.

    When Cynthia went back to her post at the main referee''s box, she spoke. "Blue and I are permitting the match to continue. The remaining two Pok¨¦mon on either team will proceed without the normal reservations for Trainers under the age of seventeen."

    I turned to Dawn, knowing what that meant.

    The only rule during the match was don''t get knocked out, all out.

    I''d only technically fought that way once before, but it was in a cave, to prevent Silver from covering up Team Rocket''s abuse and murder of SlowPok¨¦ for his own profit.

    "We shall not stop the match in case we believe one of the Pok¨¦mon are under threat of injury. Until a Pok¨¦mon or Trainer themselves no longer wish or are able to continue, the match will not be stopped. Do you two accept?"

    "Yup." I said in a voice as tough as I could make it.

    Dawn nodded without a hint of emotion.

    "Continue!"

    Dawn sent out a Floatzel in a flash.

    "Watch out for those claws at all costs, give it everything you got." said Dawn. "Everything!"

    Floatzel appeared to nod.

    Ursaring and Floatzel proceeded to try to maul each other, I hadn''t seen Pok¨¦mon spar this hard during one of my own matches in my whole life.

    Ursaring was warmed up from taking down Luxio, and it appeared to have fully recovered from whatever damage Luxio dealt, at least mentally.

    While Floatzel more or less moved as fast as Luxio, this time using water type moves to enhance her mobility, evasion, and speed, she certainly hit much harder. Which was fine, because in one exchange, Ursaring proved he could take it.

    Floatzel''s Aqua Jet was really a jab, a Quick Attack except Floatzel was able to blur across the ring creating a water slide beneath her feet with the water she could release.

    Ursaring was starting to move around the ring when he got caught flush, right in the chin, he reeled, slipping his head off angle from the next blow.

    Floatzel chittered, sliding along the edge of the wall as she slipped a Rock Slide.

    Ursaring didn''t appreciate the strike at all and missed where Floatzel stood with his claw by a mile. But it didn''t matter, the intention was to create an Earthquake.

    "Perfect!" I shouted.

    The earth again erupted like an egg smacking against concrete, and the resulting yolk was an unstoppable wave of earth spilling in all directions.

    Ursaring''s power was outmatched by Floatzel''s speed, she activated Aqua Tail, and hyper powered water covered her tail. Floatzel struck the ground so fast and hard that she blew right through the Earthquake, preventing any damage furiously.

    She proceeded to combine it with Aqua Jet again, this time flying at Ursaring with a flying kick with her tail.

    Ursaring side stepped, grabbing Floatzel by the arm and hurling her aside.

    Mid air, Floatzel was unable to reposition properly, but Ursaring smacked her from long range already with Rock Slide, my bear Pok¨¦mon quick enough to actually see and use the opening.

    Floatzel and Ursaring traded blow after blow, both landing flush, Slash, Aqua Tail, even Surf.

    Ursaring was strong enough to block and take the Surf head on, but the sheer amount of water Floatzel summoned knocked him off his feet, sending him right into the barrier around the edge of the ring behind him.

    He was staggered, dodging Floatzel''s Quick Attack by the skin of his teeth, barely rolling aside in time to let Floatzel hit the wall with her white glowing fist.

    She hissed, drenching Ursaring again with a Water Gun this time. He blocked, raising his hands to avoid the attack, but Floatzel was running towards him the whole time.

    Ursaring saw the building Aqua Tail through his guard, slipping his head off angle as he spun into a counter. It was a kick I had seen in my past life doing karate, a spinning hook kick, catching Floatzel directly on the chin.

    "Nice work Ursaring! Perfect."

    Floatzel blinked repeatedly, hissing after she landed and going right back into the fight.

    "Let''s go Dawn!" I heard someone shout when Floatzel and Ursaring traded four consecutive attacks, all missing by a hair.

    Ursaring attempted to sweep Floatzel''s leg as I had taught him but was countered, walking directly into Aqua Jet while doing so.

    I then heard a crack. And the crowd gasped, a few groaning.

    I thought Floatzel had broken Ursaring''s jaw, my Pok¨¦mon was not getting up. I was a bit worried, and I drew my Pok¨¦dex.

    "Ursaring is unable to battle." it said he was fine without any injury, and I sighed, drawing my Great Ball. "Floatzel is the winner!"

    Many in the crowd cheered as I withdrew Ursaring.

    "That was your best round ever, you might have won this for us."

    I looked at the Pok¨¦ball in my hand holding Vigoroth, and then I looked forward across the ring at Floatzel. It looked warmed up, not winded, but still, I could tell that it was only a hit or two away from being knocked out.

    I sent out Vigoroth already giving advice.

    "No room for error! You still have another round ahead of you though."

    Vigoroth silently wiped his claws together, getting into his fighting stance.

    Floatzel versus Vigoroth was a competitive match, but Vigoroth held a clear edge.

    Vigoroth''s claws were simply too quick and struck too hard for Floatzel to get close at all to land with Aqua Tail or Quick Attack. Using Water Gun also was mostly ineffective, Vigoroth could block it for days, and had the reflexes to avoid Floatzel''s attacks to his knees since she knew aiming high would block his view of her.

    Vigoroth still fought cleanly, and he only needed to land one blow.

    It was Counter, a reverse punch to the body, or really, a Slash to the body just as Floatzel began to strike with Aqua Tail at midrange. Vigoroth''s claw glowed red so I knew he had activated the Fighting Type move perfectly.

    Floatzel did not get up from that in fact, I was mostly sure that her rib had been seriously injured, she was sputtering up water and slumped over on the ground.

    "Winner of this round, is the blue Trainer, Nico!" said Cynthia raising a hand amidst cheers to her left.

    Dawn was a bit pale, not knowing what to say when she withdrew Floatzel. I don''t think she was used to anyone hitting Floatzel as cleanly or as hard.

    If it was any consolation, even after fighting Silver, neither was I with my own team getting hit like this.

    It took a moment, but Dawn released what I guessed was her main.

    "Go Monferno! Wrap this up!"

    I could finally face Dawn starter to starter, this was what Blue probably wanted to tell me. Vigoroth would''ve wasted energy fighting her first few Pok¨¦mon.

    Which meant Monferno was a Pok¨¦mon he needed every ounce of energy to fight.

    "You''re fighting Bayleef here." I said, making Vigoroth take notice. "Bayleef, at close range, and better."

    Vigoroth looked back at me, almost worried. I merely nodded to him.

    "Oro!" he said, nodding and then the crowd roared.

    Monferno began to fight Vigoroth so well that I almost longed for the days we fought Bayleef. Vigoroth had certainly improved since then, but Monferno was the most versatile and creative Pok¨¦mon in the ring I''d faced.

    Again, I wish I was against Bayleef.

    I couldn''t tell if it was using Mach Punch or Close Combat from how fast it was hitting Vigoroth with super effective fighting moves. However, it only took being hit once for Vigoroth to realize the pace and severity of the match.

    Monferno was basically like a moving fireball with fists. In fact, because he was so dextrous, he could strike upside down, using his legs like they were flaming fists during a very powerful Flame Wheel.

    However, Vigoroth countered with Endure, taking the blow head on before instantly transitioning to a haphazard Body Slam. It wasn''t pretty, but the shoulder tackle was furious enough to send Monferno flying.

    I realized that the best way for my Pok¨¦mon to learn blows we''d only practiced moderately in training was to battle. To battle and battle and battle like they were battling now:

    All out.

    Sure it was a whole lot more dangerous, but besides Bayleef, Dawn''s Monferno was the first Pok¨¦mon I met that could actually beat Vigoroth.

    But Vigoroth wasn''t making it easy, he and Monferno were going toe to toe seconds after their last exchange right in the center of the ring.

    The crowd was cheering, I could hear Ash and Gold with them.

    They''d trade hits as if it were a phone booth fight, dash to a different area of the ring, Monferno would disengage with Flame Wheel, a fiery flying spinning kick, just barely avoiding Vigoroth''s jab of a Slash by an inch.

    Monferno had Ember, but he only used it once to realize that Vigoroth was more than skilled enough to avoid being hit with special long range Fire type attacks.

    Not that it mattered, Monferno was a heavy physical attack, based in Normal, Fighting, and Fire type moves, which was right up Vigoroth''s alley since the day he stepped into the ring.

    But I started to notice something between the exchanges. Monferno was the first Pok¨¦mon I''d ever seen to outfight Vigoroth at close range, just at trading strikes. Sure Vigoroth wasn''t outright losing, but he was not getting the best out of the majority of the times they tried to hit each other with all out claws.

    "Close combat!" shouted Dawn.

    Monferno roared, still lit aflame from head to toe.

    "Take it head on, hang in there," I said.

    Vigoroth tucked his chin in, protecting both his head and body with his arms and using Endure again.

    Monferno blurred up to Vigoroth and proceeded to hit him four straight times with two punches, a round kick, and a punch.

    "Now!" I said as Vigoroth lowered his guard and grabbed Monferno before he could move away in time, rushing forward in a combination attack with Fury Swipes. It didn''t matter that Monferno was quick enough to sneak in a Mach Punch to the body, he was already overwhelmed by the sheer number of punches Vigoroth sent his way to commit, forcing him to angle out directly into the hardest hit I''ve ever seen Vigoroth strike any Pok¨¦mon with.

    Vigoroth''s Slash was a round kick, a hard one, with his rear leg, landing directly on Monferno''s head.

    "Ooh!" I heard someone in the crowd say as several gasped.

    Monferno collapsed, stumbling backward, falling onto his back.

    "Finish him now!" I said, knowing Vigoroth might not have another chance.

    I blinked and somehow, Monferno had grabbed onto Vigoroth.

    He was clutching onto Vigoroth''s arm, slipping his head out of the way of a punch. I could tell Monferno''s vision was probably still blurry, but he was grabbing onto Vigoroth at all costs. Hitting him with Scratch multiple times, Vigoroth roared.

    "Perfect!" shouted Dawn, gripping the railing with both hands. "Keep that up! Try Flare Blitz!"

    Monferno had lit Vigoroth on fire, and to make matters worse, he was digging deeply enough into his chest with both claws that he had Scratched aside a large portion of Vigoroth''s fur.

    I knew this was obviously bad, Vigoroth didn''t know how to pull him off, "Get him off of you-"

    Monferno''s roar seemed to be louder than every sound in the ring, the cheers, my coaching to Vigoroth, Monferno''s flames glowed hotter, and the Playful Pok¨¦mon''s face even seemed to sprout fire through its war cry.

    Monferno spun mid air, planting his feet directly next to Vigoroth as he struggled, swiping aimlessly around him to try to pull, Scratch, or Slash at anything to get Monferno off of him. Monferno then twisted holding Vigoroth with both hands, using all of his strength to toss Vigoroth over his hip, slamming the bigger Pok¨¦mon into the ground next to him so hard he cracked the ground apart.

    So hard that a few rocks were raised into the air afterward.

    The earth was already choppy from the earthquakes previously in the match, but now there was a Vigoroth-shaped hole directly into the ground.

    Monferno didn''t need to finish him off after that, Vigoroth wasn''t moving.

    I blinked, gulping, slowly pulling my Pok¨¦dex out.

    "Vigoroth is unable to battle. The winner of the match," Cynthia raised a hand to her right and the red side. "Dawn!"

    My Pok¨¦dex told me that Vigoroth was knocked out, just looking at him could''ve told me that, but more importantly, it told me the only real injury Vigoroth sustained was a fractured shoulder bone. He''d need to rest after he visited a healing station, but he''d be fine.

    Monferno wasn''t injured on the other hand, but damn near it. His head was bruised from how hard of a kick he took to the head, and he had taken Slash multiple times all over his body judging from the state of his fur. He was panting, nursing what looked like a deep cut on his arm from one strike in particular Vigoroth hit him with.

    I recalled Vigoroth, unable to think or say anything for a moment.

    My first real loss. There was no bad judging, it wasn''t like Cynthia or Blue were stopping the match at decisive moments right when I could strike, and then claiming my Pok¨¦mon couldn''t fight anymore when it could.

    I had actually lost.

    The crowd cheered after I crossed the edge of the ring and shook hands with Dawn.

    "Great fight," Dawn said.

    I said nothing, merely shaking her hand.

    It was hard to know what to feel after losing to an opponent that was as pretty as she was.

    "You okay?" Ash asked as I stepped out of the ring.

    "Yeah," I said blankly. "Vigoroth barely chipped his shoulder, he''ll be fine."

    "No I mean," said Ash. "Are you okay?"

    "I''m fine." I shrugged.

    I was not.

    ¡­

    There were a few more matches people had while practicing, and I asked myself.

    How?

    It wasn''t my team, they had gone well beyond what I expected from them today. While Dawn''s team was certainly good, I don''t think they were particularly more experienced than mine. I hadn''t won based on a matchup, it wasn''t like I got out special attacked and couldn''t compensate with more physical based attacking.

    I was in the bleachers, far from the action, it was already nightfall a few hours later and I had already healed up my team. Blue and Gary had returned to their hotel room, and everyone was able to give me some space.

    As I was expecting, Dawn was top ranked. What I wasn''t expecting, was that she was ranked first, higher than any person in the Sinnoh region who wasn''t a Gym leader, Elite Four member, or Champion like Cynthia, who was World Champion, and her coach.

    According to her record, Dawn had been training since she was twelve, taking medals since she was thirteen, and winning her third ever Gym badge a few months ago at fourteen. Her profile I found on my Pok¨¦Nav, had so many medals, meaning she was heavily experienced in battling, and winning battles for years.

    The rankings, like mine back home in Johto and Kanto, did take into account the speed of when you won medals, and how early in your career you could win them.

    However, she''d been in Pok¨¦mon battling related schooling and events since ten, meaning she didn''t qualify for a lottery system like most other Youngsters. She had proven above and beyond in her younger years she had what it took to be a Pok¨¦mon trainer, the Sinnoh sect of the Pok¨¦mon League knew she deserved a starter.

    She won her first ever tournament with a very young Chimchar just last year, and later, an event that was technically the equivalent of Youngster World Championships, making me feel a lot better about a 3-2 loss.

    As close as the loss would seem on the scoreboard, she knocked out three Pok¨¦mon of my Pok¨¦mon against myself who knocked out two of hers, this loss was decisive. All said and done, our best Pok¨¦mon were out on the field against each other, hers was scratched up, a bit tired, but not injured, and mine knocked out completely cold.

    The loss told me two things.

    Mainly that it might take past two years for Vigoroth to evolve to Slaking, at least one more and a few months from where I''m at right now considering how many months I''d trained Vigoroth, and that Flare Blitz and Counter shared something in common. They both needed to be that perfectly timed strike with perfect technique, in order to reach maximum effectiveness. And Flare Blitz didn''t have an exact technique behind it, it could be a strike, or a throw like Monferno pulled off on Vigoroth, which was more or less tackling it to the ground or almost headbutting it.

    I put my Pok¨¦Nav away.

    I was upset for several reasons.

    I was mad that I lost.

    I was mad that I lost with so many people watching. Sure we weren''t part of the real World Championships of course, but it happened with two actual World Champions officiating the match as judges.

    With tons of people and teams around who were competing, including our friends from our respective regions.

    And I was mad, because I know this loss was completely my fault. Dawn''s Pok¨¦mon had lots of experience, plenty more than mine, but I couldn''t tell during the match because I was too focused on my Pok¨¦mon, but I had watched the footage later and it was clear:

    Dawn''s Pok¨¦mon deeply trusted her.

    Floatzel was in trouble a couple times against Ursaring, and Dawn made several decisions with her coaching that combined with the trust Floatzel placed in her, brought her the win.

    I was sure my Pok¨¦mon trusted me too, but I don''t think I coached them enough, or as well as Dawn coached hers.

    I simply did not do enough research on Dawn''s team, or strategize well enough prior to the match. Regardless if I didn''t have time since the battle was impromptu, I should''ve been able to on the spot.

    The floodlights to the rings outside Jubilife Stadium began to be shut off.

    "All coaches and teams still practicing or sparring, exit the competition area immediately. The tournament will resume at 9:00 tomorrow. All competitors, please leave the competition area immediately. Thank you." I heard a WCPL official say over the intercom.

    I began to walk down the bleachers, shaking my head as I walked back to my hotel.

    I needed to work more with Growlithe, even if he did above and beyond how he realistically should''ve against a team like Dawn''s, he needed a stronger special arsenal for high end ranged combat. His Ember was great, but I think he was getting mature enough to start trying Flame Burst.

    He had gotten bigger, his reflexes better, and his body quicker and more agile. His Ember had been getting hotter, the flames wider and bigger.

    I had researched how exactly a Growlithe became an Arcanine, and it wasn''t just putting a Fire Stone on a Growlithe''s forehead and it just evolved. It was a process that still involved a Fire Stone, but was much more complex than that.

    This loss today really woke me up to just how little experience I had at the end of the day when it came to battles.

    Dawn might''ve had one fewer badge than me all said and done, but still had a stronger strategy I think, she had tested her team through more, and her starter simply fought better than mine.

    Dawn''s Monferno knew Close Combat, Flare Blitz, Flame Wheel, and Mach Punch, and more importantly, he knew how to use them extremely well.

    Blue was right, I was going to hit a wall unless I figured out special attackers, and I felt like I was already hitting it.

    I still had a long way to go when it came to learning Pok¨¦mon, but now I had a goal. To beat Dawn someday, because I don''t think she would sit idly by after I came a single Pok¨¦mon away from beating her.

    ¡­

 The New Pokemon World Champion

    I spoke to my team in my hotel room quietly.

    "I know we took a hard loss today guys, you all fought very well. But all said and done, Dawn was ready for us."

    Vigoroth didn''t say anything, Growlithe merely panted and looked at me blankly, Ursaring hadn''t even been knocked out like this before, even against Bayleef.

    "Moving forward, I''ll do as much research as I can on our opponents ahead of time. I''ll work around everyone''s weaknesses better, and come up with a better strategy. But I have to say, I''m really proud of all three of you."

    I crossed my arms. "Against one of the best opponents we can find out there, with almost no preparation, you all managed to bring Dawn down to her last Pok¨¦mon. It was her main, but still. With more time, I guarantee you all, I can shape this team into some of the best anyone''s ever seen."

    I wondered if any of them doubted my words.

    Vigoroth was always too emotionless and still to ever emote. If he showed anything besides trust in battle, it was a sheer amount of rage towards my enemies, people who meant me true harm like Team Rocket.

    Growlithe had grown from a very sheltered pup into one a bit too cheerful, playful, and sometimes out of touch with the severity of things. We had lost a match at world championships, an informal and impromptu practice battle but still. And he looked like it was business as usual.

    Ursaring''s pride had been severely rattled. The news of Vigoroth''s defeat at the hands of Dawn''s Monferno must''ve made him reevaluate himself, I suppose a part of him always knew the only part of the team that was truly undefeatable was my starter.

    I returned all three Pok¨¦mon to their balls and Inoru entered my room.

    "So this was the first time you ever lost a Pok¨¦mon battle."

    "Yup."

    "How''re you feeling?"

    I had taken a seat down at the small table in my hotel room finishing a pack of noodles I cooked out of a pot of hot water the hotel had let me use.

    I spun in the chair and faced Ino. "I don''t really know how to feel."

    "Well why''s that?"

    The more time passed, the less bad I felt about the match.

    First, it was clear this wasn''t Dawn from the anime, or at least, it was a far more mature version of her. She was no longer bumbling around Sinnoh like she was at the start of the anime, being no selled by wild Buneary and struggling to catch a single Pok¨¦mon. This Dawn was possibly the most competitive Pok¨¦mon trainer her age one could find around the entire world.

    "Even if I can learn how battling works much quicker than most can." I shrugged. "Doesn''t mean I have much more experience than people like Dawn."

    "A humble way to put it."

    Dawn was fourteen, from what I gathered, she had started her Pok¨¦mon journey years prior going through all the things she had in the anime. This was the result, someone far less unsure of herself and her abilities. I didn''t know her well enough to determine if she was the Dawn I knew, but she was certainly the best opponent I''d found so far in Pok¨¦mon battling.

    It showed in her battling, and likewise, I noticed that too about a few of the other kids.

    While Gary and a couple of others tended to bicker childishly, the usual antics of chasing weaker younger Pok¨¦mon, and what I''d considered to be wastes of time when watching the original anime as a teenager were gone. Because everyone I knew here was simply older.

    There were still children, and they acted like it, but they were teenagers.

    "What''re you thinking about?"

    "I''m wondering how much I should re-evaluate my strategy when it comes to battling."

    "Nico you lost one match, I don''t find the need to go that far." said Ino kindly.

    "I wouldn''t. My team works so hard, Vigoroth fought so well. I really do think this loss to Dawn fell solely on me. I will never let them suffer for my mistakes again."

    If watching the opening rounds of the World Pok¨¦mon Championships had taught me anything, it was that a team needed to be eclectic, both within the ring, and with each other. They''d need to cover each other''s bases.

    Should a team be split into threes, each team member had set objectives. To gauge a team''s training and reflexes, or to mainly deal damage and prepare a following Pok¨¦mon to land the final blows and knock it out. Or possibly others I hadn''t considered until now.

    When Blue told me to not lead with Vigoroth, it made sense, but it''s obvious to me now there''s an entire side to battling I didn''t understand yet, just behind a single decision like that.

    Not only to the lineup of Pok¨¦mon when you allow them to battle, but which ones to choose. The attacks you want them to focus on, what kind of style you want to develop for them.

    Dawn''s team was versatile, not only in their moveset, and how well they could apply them effectively no matter what Pok¨¦mon or type they faced, but their own typing as well.

    Vigoroth and Ursaring mainly battled with the same moveset and style. Until now, it didn''t matter because Ursaring would just wipe the floor with teams of a lower skill level, but facing better opponents like Dawn, I could go with better options. Or at least ones that would allow the team to be much better and more well rounded.

    I glanced at Inoru getting ready for bed as I continued to think.

    Blue told me any team needed to be built around its starter.

    I already had a fire type, another normal type would be redundant. The same forces around places like Mount Coronet and Mount Silver that made regular Pok¨¦mon much sharper and stronger than their counterparts elsewhere around the world made Vigoroth one of the best starters I could''ve had.

    I decided to wait until the end of World Championships before making any final decisions when it came to my team.

    "Who does Blue face in the next round?"

    Inoru spoke calmly. "Drake I believe."

    "Should be a very close match." I had only glanced at his profile once or twice, but he was a very good Trainer.

    ¡­

    It was a close match. One of the closest ones, and I''d seen some good matches until now.

    With each proceeding round of the tournament, the opponents just got better and better. The crowds got larger as the matches drew ever closer to Jubilife colosseum.

    Drake of Hoenn''s Elite Four was amazing.

    Blue led with Pidgeot, a Pok¨¦mon he had been with since the days he used to battle Red in his tweens.

    Pidgeot was responsive to Blue''s advice, quick, adaptable, and very powerful with Air Slash and its Double Team made it so quick that I had trouble keeping track of it with my eyes, let alone being able to see it land strikes.

    However, Drake knocked it out in under four minutes.

    Drake Altaria fought very patiently, and the battle in the sky became a whirling dance of Ice Beam and slashes of air so powerful they reverberated against the force shield protecting the crowd making them all gasp every few moments.

    I saw May from the Hoenn region cheer for a second as a huge bright flash of sky blue light struck Pidgeot when it attempted to merely Tackle Altaria at full speed.

    "Oh!" Gary winced as his older brother''s Pok¨¦mon went down.

    The crash shook the ground, and the center judge rose a red flag to his right, Blue instantly scrambling to switch out his knocked out Pidgeot for another Pok¨¦mon.

    "Arcanine! Use Extremespeed!"

    For a split second I heard something sharp ring in the air, like a jet plane when it took off.

    As soon as the crash of a Pok¨¦mon leaving its ball rang, a fiery blur struck Altaria.

    There was a glow of red light on the faces of hundreds of people in the bleachers roaring when Arcanine blurred and caught Altaria on fire with a blindingly fast tackle attack.

    If I thought some Pok¨¦mon were fast before, it was Blue''s Arcanine that made me reconsider them all. The father of my own Growlithe fought with a tenacity, precision, and power that had Altaria scrambling to stay in the air.

    Arcanine convinced me to what I thought was true before to arise again. While Arcanine was certainly quick, quicker than the vast majority of Pok¨¦mon I''d ever seen, what made its speed hidden, was its positioning.

    Arcanine was constantly moving around the ring, pressuring Altaria back and back with Flamethrower and by dashing forward, it seemed to have boundless energy and speed. But unlike a puppy, when Arcanine did strike, it was with a sense of timing that was brimming with confidence.

    Arcanine never doubted, not even for a second, that his blow would land, and his opponent''s wouldn''t. Altaria''s Ice Beam had knocked out Pidgeot in one shot, and Arcanine erased it with Flare Blitz.

    Arcanine jumped off his legs into the air, striking as Altaria''s Ice Beam materialized.

    There was a massive explosion in the air as a glowing red blaze shaped in an outward spiraling X flew from Arcanine''s maw. When the dust settled, Arcanine had used Crunch, snapping his jaws tightly around Altaria''s nape. The ground cracked when Arcanine struck the floor using the Dragon type Pok¨¦mon to disperse his fall.

    I applauded with the rest of the crowd, cheering with the rest of the folks who had come out from Kanto to support Blue.

    What an incredible performance. Arcanine was on the level of Leaf''s Espeon, if not even higher.

    Drake recalled Altaria, muttered something to it, and released Salamence.

    Drake''s Salamence was gigantic, and I finally understood why Dragon Pok¨¦mon were so feared. Dragon Pok¨¦mon, were well, Dragons.

    They had the size, strength, and durability in their hides most Dragons did. Arcanine''s Flamethrower could probably melt directly through solid steel or something and Salamence through off multiple direct strikes as if they were nothing.

    Arcanine could counter on a dime.

    Salamence would move in one direction, cause a massive impact right near where Arcanine stood to create a Rock Slide, an explosion of earth directly where Arcanine stood. And Arcanine had already angled out, blasting the entire side of Salamence''s neck with Flamethrower as it evaded.

    Arcanine would take a fully powered Dragon Claw to the snout, blowing through a combination of Extremespeed with Flare Blitz to blast Salamence at long range, as Salamence flew towards it like a fighter plane.

    I hadn''t seen this happen yet, but Blue had actually yelled for a moment, with a tinge of anger in his voice to Arcanine. I couldn''t discern his words, but his tone was there.

    And thirty seconds later or so, Salamence, a Dragon type feared throughout Hoenn, was blown to the other side of the ring with a fiery Body Slam, and Salamence fell like a meteor.

    When Salamence landed, Arcanine literally pounced on it.

    Salamence struggled for a moment, I saw a bit of Dragon Breath fly into the sky, narrowly missing Arcanine''s head, and I could hear Drake yell something through the crowd''s roar.

    Even through the force field, I could feel just how hot Arcanine''s Overheat was. Similar to Flamethrower, Arcanine was building up a torrent of flames from its jaw and breathing it onto Salamence, but this was more like a small volcano erupting directly in front of hundreds of spectators.

    Drake''s Salamence, which normally would''ve had a very strong resistance to Fire type attacks, had simply taken too many hits, and had been overpowered by the degree of aggression Arcanine possessed.

    Salamence was burnt to a crisp, and I could tell from afar it couldn''t move. Not even an inch.

    Drake solemnly drew a Pok¨¦ball and switched out Salamence.

    And oddly, Blue switched out his Pok¨¦mon as well.

    "Why did he do that? Forfeiting one of his best Pok¨¦mon after it only took one hit?" asked Gold as the crowd kept cheering around us.

    "I doubt Salamence hit Arcanine that hard." Inoru said, holding his Bellsprout on his chest and in his arms in the seat next to me.

    "He did."

    Crystal and Ash seemed confused, but unable to ask for clarification, Blue and Drake were down to their last Pok¨¦mon.

    Salamence had actually hit Arcanine hard enough to make Blue speak desperately. I knew him well enough by now, he wouldn''t have done that unless he was convinced Salamence possessed the ability to end the match a hit or two later.

    Only by landing enough damage to seriously shake both Arcanine and Blue could something like that happen.

    Drake sent out Flygon next, and had the most intense match I''ve seen yet with Blue''s Blastoise, which was saying something.

    I also learned how PP from the games worked exactly.

    Pok¨¦mon possessed near limitless stamina, but their capacity for very powerful moves like Hyper Beam and Flare Blitz was finite.

    Blastoise was being very careful with how it used Ice Beam, mainly it stuck to Hydro Pump, Withdraw, and Rapid Spin.

    Drake''s Flygon knew Fly, Dragon Rage, Crunch, but above all it tried Dragon Pulse. As quick, powerful, and accurate as these attacks were, Blastoise was spending almost the entire match within his shell.

    Only during select moments could Blastoise position himself in the ring to slice through the air and score decisive Water type attacks to slowly but surely weaken Flygon.

    Flygon was landing hit after hit, right against Blastoise''s shell as it flew around the ring, spinning non stop like a top. But no matter what it tried, Flygon couldn''t deal enough damage cleanly to pierce Blastoise''s shell.

    In a single hit, Flygon was almost completely frozen.

    Flygon was about to zero in and use Crunch on Blastoise''s neck when he looked like he was going to reposition and attack but was able to mislead Flygon, juking him out near the corner of the ring.

    Flygon tried to slip away and flutter off but Blastoise released the strongest Ice Beam I''ve seen yet from his mouth, landing straight on Flygon''s neck. Freezing its entire eye, left wing, and left side torso.

    Flygon shook in the air and fell straight to the ground, weakly about to breathe fire on its own body to unfreeze itself. The moment Blastoise looked ready to release a Hydro Pump, I saw the red laser from Drake''s Pok¨¦ball recall Flygon.

    Everyone cheered, including myself.

    "Great battle," I admitted.

    "Amazing." Ash agreed.

    Drake and Blue soon shook hands, and then Blue was in the quarter finals.

    ¡­

    Cynthia won her match 3-0 to proceed to the quarter final round as well, in one of the most dominant displays I''ve ever seen. Her opponent''s Pok¨¦mon struggled to land a single hit at all, and it wasn''t like they didn''t belong in the world championships, they just weren''t nearly as good as Cynthia.

    I was expecting Clair versus Leaf to be a lot more competitive than it actually was. Leaf''s Venusaur ended up no selling every single one of Clair''s Dragons and their attacks.

    All she did was spam Synthesis to recover the bits of damage Clair dealt inbetween landing Sludge Bomb, Razor Leaf, and even Vine Whip.

    I was a bit disappointed that the only representation Johto had in the World Championships lost in the fourth round of the tournament, but I did see what people meant when they said Johto had to step it up in competition.

    The next day was a bit of a blur.

    For the next twenty four hours all I could think about, speak of with Ash, Gold, Crystal, and Gary, even Inoru, was this tournament, everyone in the brackets, and the resulting matches.

    Blue, Cynthia, Leaf, and Lance all battled it out in the quarter finals against other trainers, some I''d never heard of but were still amazing. Only Lance faced someone I''d heard of before, Drasna, from Kalos'' Elite Four, who Lance was able to defeat narrowly due to his slightly superior understanding of Dragon Pok¨¦mon, who were the basis for both teams.

    ¡­

    Following the quarter final round, was a sunny, warm afternoon on a Saturday in Jubilife City Stadium.

    Tens of thousands of people were in the stands, applauding as Blue, Leaf, Cynthia, and Lance all bowed in before competing.

    There was only one judge present, and everyone was about to face off in a giant ring, the classic flat earthen terrain with rectangular white boundaries painted on the edges.

    For a split moment, everyone stopped cheering when Blue and Leaf prepared to send out their first Pok¨¦mon of the semi final round.

    Despite everything going on, Blue had secluded himself from everyone around him after the quarter finals. He had needed time to get focused, his head clear, and his strategy in order knowing he''d face the current World Champion in the semi final.

    Professor Oak, Gary, Crystal, Ash, everyone important and close to Blue were standing in the finals waiting for the match to begin.

    Blue was on the center judge''s right, on the red side, Leaf, on the blue side, his left.

    Blue led with Arcanine, and Leaf with Ninetails.

    Leaf''s Ninetails was one of, if not the most beautiful Pok¨¦mon I''d ever seen.

    Ninetails was a female fox like Fire Type, with nine sharp yellow red tipped flowing tails, and some of the most gorgeous yellow fur I''d seen a Pok¨¦mon have.

    The rules for the match were simple, knockout elimination only, withdrawing a Pok¨¦mon meant its forfeit, and for the first time, all six Pok¨¦mon on the standard team could be used.

    Arcanine and Ninetails went to war.

    I now understood why there were Psychic Pok¨¦mon used to this degree to shield the spectators from battles, even more so than the earlier rounds.

    Ninetails and Arcanine were like two miniature suns battling it out.

    I remember in my old life what it was like spending the day outside on the average summer day in California, and the sunny atmosphere certainly didn''t help here. Ninetails and Arcanine were making the entire stadium glow so hot it made me miss the days of my past life.

    All attempts Arcanine made to use super effective hits like Dig were rebuffed, and even the fighter jet like Extremespeed Arcanine had was being countered by Flamethrower.

    In the end, Arcanine barely eeked out a win in the first round. Ninetails and Arcanine ended up clashing both with Flame Charge, a high intensity Quick Attack with both Pok¨¦mon lit on fire trying to tackle each other.

    Arcanine was lucky enough to break Ninetail''s leg with Crunch as they both escaped the struggle, and Leaf requested a short timeout to determine if she was going to withdraw her Pok¨¦mon or not.

    Leaf''s Dragonite easily rivaled the best Dragons I''d seen on Cynthia or Lance''s team. Arcanine was able to catch his breath and shake of Ninetails blasts in the prior round well enough to give Dragonite a great match.

    And Leaf and Blue went back and forth.

    It was today where it truly cemented for me how good of a trainer Red was.

    Not only was able to inspire what was the protagonist of the anime series, the boy sitting next to me, Ash Ketchum. But for Red''s entire childhood and even after forming the World Competitive Pok¨¦mon League.

    In the crowd, people roared, cheering each time Dragonite landed a hit, or Arcanine did. When Arcanine was switched out instantly, Blue proudly and loudly sending out his Machamp, I felt a rushing degree of adrenaline and fun I never had before.

    Not even during my own battles.

    I felt like history was being made, that these battles were part of a story.

    Specifically, the chapter of a person who left most of it behind.

    For the fact that Red never lost to neither Blue or Green, trainers as amazing as the ones I were witnessing battle in the years, that he spent battling competitively against the best in the entire world, also in tournaments like this, made sense why he''d have the prestige to form something like the WCPL.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    Blue and Leaf were competing better than they ever had in the previous rounds, impressive considering I think their battling was flawless since World Championships started.

    "Dragonite is unable to battle!" the judge said after Machamp panted, barely breaking a sweat from countering Hyper Beam and Outrage with nothing but four furious fists and sheer technique and muscle. "The winner of the round goes to Machamp!" he raised a red flag to Blue.

    "Yeah!" Gary cheered.

    I applauded as did Inoru, as Gold, Ash, and Crystal were roaring with the rest of the crowd.

    Leaf looked troubled, glancing at Dragonite in her Pok¨¦ball before taking another one out of her bag.

    This semi final round was unlike any other. Because Leaf and Blue were using their full team of six Pok¨¦mon, including several they hadn''t used yet a lot, or at all in some cases, they had to adapt to each other quickly.

    Leaf went with Nidoqueen, hoping to capitalize on her resistance to Fighting type moves, but it didn''t matter. Blue''s Machamp was poisoned after three minutes, raising her attack with Guts.

    Machamp countered beautifully with Earthquake, timing Nidoqueen perfectly as she tried to strike with Poison Jab again.

    "A stunning attack!" I heard the announcer say over the cheers, as Leaf quickly withdrew her knocked out Poison type Pok¨¦mon, scrambling to strategize. "How will the reigning champ respond now?"

    Leaf sent out a Wigglytuff next.

    "Ha!" Gary scoffed. "Like that''s going to do anything! That means Machamp will have taken out three of Leaf''s team instead of just two now!"

    I wasn''t so sure about that.

    Espeon would''ve been a no brainer to stop Machamp''s momentum, there was no way Wigglytuff''s Type advantage alone would be enough.

    It wasn''t, but Wigglytuff''s training and Leaf''s coaching certainly helped.

    With simple but very strong moves like Dazzling Gleam, Leaf was able to maximize Wigglytuff''s type advantage and keep him in the fight. Machamp was being Charmed too, much to Blue''s frustration, and Wigglytuff was quick and skilled enough to avoid a lot of Machamp''s moves, despite the Pok¨¦mon being much faster than its other counterparts from what I''ve seen.

    With plenty of attitude, Wigglytuff waved to the crowd when using Play Rough to split right through Machamp''s Focus Punch.

    "And that returns the ball to Blue''s court! The score is four four, who will break the tie next?"

    It was Blue, decisively.

    Blue sent out Blastoise, who wiped the floor with Wigglytuff.

    Wigglytuff had no answer to Blastoise''s Hydro Pump, it couldn''t outrange or evade like it could Machamp in the previous fight, and Blastoise actually completely bodied the smaller Pok¨¦mon.

    One shattering Body Slam out of Blastoise''s spinning shell and I felt the wall of the arena shake when Wigglytuff struck it and comically slid down it.

    "Go Venusaur!"

    The arena was silent for a moment after the cheers and applause from the previous round.

    Starter to starter, the first Pok¨¦mon these two ever used. A crucial round. Every round was crucial, but this meant a possible turning point, or more bad news for Leaf.

    Leaf''s Venusaur had a notoriously slow start to this tournament, but Clair had been just what Leaf needed, but everyone was wondering if she had what it took to bounce back completely.

    "Seed Bomb! Follow it up with Petal Blizzard!"

    Venusaur launched a huge seed out of the plant she had on top of her body, flying right into the air, and it exploded with a sharp bang. Dozens of tiny glowing bullet like pieces of razor sharp bark began to coat the sky, falling right towards Blastoise.

    "Counter Blastoise! Get outta there!" yelled Blue into his microphone near the Trainer''s box.

    Blastoise spun into his shell, using Rapid Spin and Ice Beam to become a flying tornado of frost and shell.

    All of Leaf''s otherwise super effective Grass type attacks were blocked by whizzing beams of ice, the few ones that made it through simply were not numerous or powerful enough to pierce Blastoise''s shell.

    Blastoise pinged off the edge of the arena wall, its strategy continuing to freeze away anything Venusaur threw close to it.

    Blastoise''s Ice Beam had been so continuous, that all Venusaur had to do to dodge was merely step out of the way. Likely a move her Bulbasaur was used to since evading Squirtle''s Bubblebeam during Blue and Leaf''s youth.

    "Why don''t you stop running around and fight me like a man!?" asked Leaf, tauntingly. "Or are you going to hide in your little shell all day!?"

    While the crowd reacted loudly I realized something. Leaf and Blue''s rivalry likely stemmed since childhood, since they both had to keep up with each other and Red since their journey started. Leaf was doing something, touching a nerve within Blue that I gathered likely had been there for over a decade within Blue.

    Whatever she tried, it didn''t work, as smart as it seemed.

    "Go for it Blastoise!"

    Blastoise knew there was something hidden up Venasaur''s sleeve the second he attacked, and I proudly watched as Blastoise spun out of his Rapid Spin to leap over Venusaur''s Solar Beam.

    Leaf saw Blastoise jump and shouted. "Dodge i-"

    When Blastoise struck the ground, he seemingly combined Dig and Earthquake into the same attack, digging into the ground with his spinning shell of death sending Venusaur tumbling away. Venusaur''s typing allowed the move to have regular effectiveness, and her counter was soundly interrupted.

    She caught her footing, but was staggered well enough to give Blastoise a solid opening.

    Contrary to what I expected, Venasaur could still fight fine after launching Solar Beam, but it didn''t matter.

    I stopped cheering, shivering for a split second before a huge white glow of light flashed before me.

    The air through the force fields WCPL Psychic Pok¨¦mon had set up heavily chilled for a tiny moment. The sky became darker. Blastoise leaned back, and then stomped, roaring at the top of his lungs. The arena itself seemed to shake, almost the air too, everything was shaking.

    The sheer amount of ice Blastoise sent Venusaur''s way blinded my view of the battle for a moment.

    Blastoise''s Blizzard attack froze Venusaur solid. She tried to use Vine Whip, any sort of the tools she had at her disposal to dodge, block, or counter, but it didn''t work.

    The Venusaur-cicle upon the ground dripped for a moment and the judge proclaimed loudly. "This round goes to Blastoise!"

    The digital scoreboard screen marking each of Blue and Green''s Pok¨¦mon sang for a moment, as Arcanine and Machamp were out, and Leaf''s Ninetails, Dragonite, Nidoqueen, Wigglytuff, and now her Venusaur were knocked out.

    Blue was up five to two in the semi final. One more Pok¨¦mon and he''d have beaten Leaf by four Pok¨¦mon.

    However, everyone knew Leaf had saved the best of her team for last.

    Espeon had quite the battle on her hands, but managed to pull off a stunning upset, and the greatest performance of the tournament so far.

    Blastoise went down swinging, and hard.

    Blastoise pierced Espeon''s hyper intense Barrier psychic shield with a single Ice Beam, sticking her right front paw to the floor of the ring as she evaded just in time.

    As Blastoise rushed forward to finish Espeon, his jaws outstretched with Crunch, Blastoise took a back kick right to the chin. Likely injuring her own foot in the process breaking through the ice, Espeon foresaw the attack, twisted around and used Double Kick to knock Blastoise away.

    Blastoise hid in his shell but it didn''t matter.

    Espeon jutted him to the other side of the ring with a ringing Psychic blast that actually tore through the floor of the ring.

    I winced, watching as Blastoise struggled to his feet.

    The crowd cheered when he retreated back into his shell.

    Blastoise was yet again sent crashing straight into the arena wall, and now, one time too many. Espeon knocked out Blastoise with repeated Psychics.

    Blue''s Exeggutor was an absolute beast, dealing sharp amounts of damage to Espeon''s flank and tail with repeated Leaf Storms and quick mid-range Grass type moves. But it too was overpowered by how strongly Espeon could attack with Psychic as well as predict and counter his attacks.

    Blue only had two Pok¨¦mon remaining, and for his next choice, he went with Alakazam.

    Contrary to what I was expecting, two Psychic Pok¨¦mon battling was not a very boring stall fest or a staring contest. Alakazam and Espeon were doing their very best to blast each other to the other side of the ring with constant special attacks.

    Espeon knew Psystrike, and when I saw how powerfully Alakzam could dodge and counter by levitating himself around the ring, I knew the match was soon over.

    As quick and powerfully as Espeon could strike from practically any range, her leg was injured from battling Blastoise in the round before last. Alakazam was damn near matching even her ability when it came to special attacks.

    Espeon seemed to be approaching her last breaths with how much Alakazam was driving her, making her dodge constantly, sending her this way and that around the ring. Firing off a Psychic, flying through the air to then somersault beneath Alakazam''s counter attacks.

    Espeon summoned a great deal of energy and released another Psystrike.

    A great big pink beam of Psychic power centered from her forehead, lasering directly towards Alakazam.

    He merely parried it off both of his spoons expertly, likely with great help from his Barriers.

    Alakazam grunted loudly, and began to form a great dark ball of energy in front of his chest. In under a second, he flung it outwards towards Espeon.

    The following moment replayed in my mind over and over.

    Blue defeated Leaf with two Pok¨¦mon left able to battle.

    Espeon was trying to deflect the incoming Shadow Ball, likely by forming another Psychic shield which didn''t work this time. Alakazam''s strike exploded right on her nose, making her head whip back before reeling away.

    Espeon tumbled across the ring, kicking up a giant dust cloud.

    Everyone cheered for Blue when Espeon''s eyes remained blank, the Psychic type merely laying there unconscious.

    "Blue from Pallet Town defeats reigning Champion Leaf, and proceeds to the final round! What a stunning performance by Blue!"

    Gary was yelling, jumping up and down in his seat, even hugging Ash.

    Oak was applauding calmly along with the rest of the crowd.

    ¡­

    I had a feeling Blue was going to win in the next round, and I was right.

    Cynthia soundly defeated Lance and proceeded to maul Blue''s Exeggutor, and narrowly defeat Arcanine and Pidgeot.

    She gave a great fight, even managing to go toe to toe with Alakazam and Blastoise, but both Pok¨¦mon knocked out her entire team.

    I think overcoming the greatest rival Blue had since Red and knowing he had the best chance to regain his crown lit a fire in him unlike anything I''ve ever seen. He turned what should''ve been a match he had a solid chance to win but still quite difficult for him, into one that was a bit tough for him here and there but he always remained in complete control of.

    During the award ceremony, Blue stood on the podium with Cynthia to his right, and Leaf and Lance to his left. Everyone who participated in the tournament, like in the anime, were given some sort of recognition for having competed.

    The director of the entire WCPL took a bronze medal laid on a special cushion and placed it around Lance''s shoulders, and Leaf''s. Cynthia was given a silver medal, and then.

    I heard something I might not ever be given the opportunity to be invited to hear by the man himself. Looking on alongside tens of thousands on the greatest stage of all, in the middle of Jubilife Stadium.

    "Your new Pok¨¦mon World League Champion, for his third year in history. Blue! From Pallet Town!"

    ¡­

    Despite him dedicating himself to competition more than anyone else I''d ever met, since he never even left Viridian City with how much he desired to train. Blue was a very humble person.

    He refused most interviews after winning the title, and I found him quietly visiting the Pok¨¦mon Center, or its equivalent in the Jubilife Stadium.

    "The champion wishes to see you now." Nurse Joy invited me towards her infirmary.

    Gary, Oak, and a few others were a bit surprised he wanted to speak to me first, as well as alone, but they said nothing. Inoru didn''t budge either.

    I smiled to Blue as his Pok¨¦mon were being all healed up in front of him. "Congratulations."

    The same six Pok¨¦balls that likely had been submitted to the Hall of Fame many times were sitting in their Healing Station while Nurse Joy viewed the results through her computer.

    "Thank you, the last time I won at Worlds was." Blue chuckled, crossing his arms. "I think five years ago. I truly wonder if I''ll have an opportunity again."

    "Seriously?"

    Blue nodded grimly. "My team never slackens, neither do I in the gym but. The game keeps changing, even with the same Pok¨¦mon, different trainers keep popping up with newer and better strategies. Even for me, it can be tough to keep up."

    "Why did you want to talk to me?"

    "I couldn''t tell you this without my brother around, or anyone else. Can you, give us a minute?"

    Nurse Joy smoothed out her skirt. "I''ll be back in five minutes to make sure the last of my scans clear your team."

    Blue smiled, watching her walk off and then leave through the sliding doors. "Standard League rules, any match after the quarter finals require a full rundown of your squad before you can leave. Anyway, what I wanted to ask you, was this."

    I was quiet, looking at what was now, the most respected man on the planet, his calm brown eyes and calm complexion.

    "Why do you think I won?"

    A very complex question, even tougher to answer.

    Cynthia made a few mistakes with her coaching and lineup, likely under great pressure knowing the roll Blue was on coming right from one of his greatest victories ever. But even still, she should''ve made the match tougher than it was.

    Leaf however was the deciding factor, from very early on in this tournament, I think Leaf alone was the only person who could''ve been able to beat Blue, no matter by how close of a margin.

    Then I remembered the most critical thing Blue ever taught me. Your starter meant everything.

    "Blastoise beat Venasaur, all said and done. Your strategy was better, because your starter fought better."

    Blue nodded. "I was pretty sure you were going to say that. Of course, in some cases, a starter can still lose but the trainer can win the match. But in my opinion, no team is solid if its not entirely built around their starter. What helped Blastoise win?"

    "You. Venusaur has beaten Blastoise several times in the past, but I could tell by how he listened to you, obeyed all the drills you put probably put him through constantly. To fight how he was supposed to, his trust in your strategy, his calm in the ring. You can only get that when fighting under a trainer you''ve known pretty much your whole life."

    Blue smiled strangely.

    He reached into his black jacket and pulled out a badge. "Here."

    I looked at it after he handed it to me.

    I recognized it, it was the Boulderbadge from Pewter City''s Gym. Judging by the date on the back, this badge was quite old. It even used the physical serial and record number the Pok¨¦mon League used to use before everything became digital.

    "This is something quite special to me. Your Growlithe is improving, one day I hope it can surpass Arcanine in the ring at some point. But I wanted you to know the start of my Pok¨¦mon journey was spent doing the wrong things."

    He pointed at the Boulderbadge. "And it all started with that badge."

    "Why are you giving me this?"

    "To remind you that you''re a very perceptive kid. Much more mature and understanding then I was when I was your age. I won that badge much earlier than I was honestly ready for, think I still have footage of that match with Brock. I managed to beat him but, even then it should''ve been much cleaner."

    I got his message. "You were rushing yourself. To, to stay ahead of Red?"

    "Exactly," he said in his smooth voice. "To this day I''ve never beaten him, some matches were closer than others. But I''ve only been able to win at Worlds when I came to terms with the fact I''d never be able to."

    "So, you''re giving me this badge to, to remind me to not rush myself?"

    "Among other things. Mainly that I''m proud of your growth, I see how you''re building your team. And above all, that you get the most important connection and true victory you can have."

    Blue smiled lightly. "The connection to your starter. The trust in the process."

    "Thank you, Blue."

    "I also wanted to tell you that I''m sorry."

    "Oh. Why?"

    "I can''t train you the way I can train Ash and Gary. Even if you lived in Kanto, I wouldn''t want to intrude on your growth. However you continue competing, please, don''t let anyone change your path."

    Glad to hear this again. And if Blue, the new World Champion told me I was doing something right.

    "Your instructor, the one who trains you in the ways of the monks," said Blue. "He told me how you placed the blame for your loss against Dawn squarely on yourself."

    I said nothing.

    "Nico, your compassion for your Pok¨¦mon is immense. For that, you''ll have my respect."

    ¡­

    As I slept that night, I was visited by someone I hadn''t seen in a long time.

    The Espeon. He was back.

    "Up for a game of shogi?" I asked.

    I was in a schoolhouse, one I didn''t recognize, sitting down at a desk opposite the quiet spirit.

    Suddenly, one materialized in front of us, and he moved first.

    I smiled, playing with him.

    It was the closest game of shogi we ever had, refreshing as I hadn''t seen him for a very long time. As the game neared the end, I realized something.

    He was letting me win.

    Subtly, but he was. There were small opportunities he didn''t take advantage of, certain times he let me put my pieces in better spots.

    I squinted, looking at him, wondering if he knew what I knew.

    "No." I shook my head.

    The Espeon tilted his head at me a little.

    "I''m not winning like this, you have to give me your best," I said. I stood up, waving my hand aside. "I forfeit."

    The Espeon slinked down from his spot in the chair opposite mine in the schoolhouse, and then approached the front door.

    He looked back at me, and I heard a voice in my head.

    "That was all I needed to hear."

    I was shocked. I knew I was in a strange dream of sorts, but I think the Espeon just spoke to me. His mouth didn''t move, but I could tell it was trying to say something.

    "You can talk?" I asked.

    "Some much more coherently than others, but all Pok¨¦mon can communicate with humans to some extent. At least they have the will to do so," Espeon said in my mind, with a masculine, calm, and smooth voice.

    "Yes but, how, who are you?"

    "Follow me."

    I walked with the Espeon outside the school house, then I looked around.

    I had no earthly idea where I was, but I was definitely somewhere I could tell was¡­fake. Or plastic.

    The cars were all made of tin, the people cardboard cutouts, it was one adorably small town, except I was just as miniscule as everyone around it. Then I noticed the train tracks, and a few engines. They were actually life size, but the problem was, they were clearly made to be toys or models.

    Judging solely from the material they were made from.

    "Where, am I?"

    Espeon''s tail flicked in the air as he began to lead me through the town. "This is Mew''s Playground. You actually waited here for a bit, even if it was too quick for your memory to process."

    "Mew has a playground?"

    "Mew is the youngest of Arceus'' children. He created the Gods of Time, Space, every God in existence. Finally, he made the God of Spirits, Mew, from which, the spirits of every living Pok¨¦mon are connected to."

    So in the grand scheme of things, despite being a deity that saved humanity, Mew was a child compared to how long other God or Mythical Pok¨¦mon lived.

    I nodded, looking around the train model town, fake barbershop and billiard hall above it. "So Mew''s real?"

    "Very real. Thousands of years ago, I was the house pet and sigil of the first lords in the Johto region. Before my spirit passed from this world, lord Mew gave me a choice. To forever carry out his will and be humanity''s guide back to the spiritual, or pass into the Eternal Plane."

    I looked around, realizing where I was. "So this is, limbo?"

    "Of sorts," said Espeon.

    "And you''re Mew''s¡­ward?"

    "An extension of his will, to do his work while he rests. For gods, a month passes as quickly as a second to them, so a quick slumber, or nap, for Mew would be the equivalent of decades in your time. I was initially set to guide the Elders and their monks for centuries, I mostly guided heroes throughout time as well. Great Trainers, those whom humanity''s fate relied on. Like Red."

    "You''d rather spend eternity helping humanity rather than pass into the spirit world?"

    "All spirits have a purpose. Humans blunder their fate so often, I decided to take Mew''s duty for him since he would have to work so much. Mine is to make sure Mew must never need to awaken again and let humanity reach the point they''d need his help again."

    I shook my head, laughing. "What the hell do I have to do with any of this?"

    Espeon slunk up to a nearby toy mail truck, large enough for him to sit upon its hood and still be at eye level with me. "There are two points on your planet that directly connect to the Distortion World. Mount Coronet, and Mount Takujimi. Mount Coronet''s protector became one of the first Umbreons, I, Mount Takujimi''s protector."

    I remembered my first day in the Pok¨¦mon world. The Torii, said to be a symbol of passing into the spirit world.

    "So, that gate at the peak of the mountain was a real gate?"

    "Yes. I needed someone with a deep connection to Pok¨¦mon, one who truly understood the sanctity of their connection to mankind. Who''d be patient, one who''d." Espeon chuckled, closing his silver eyes and smiling in a way. "Never turn their back on those who needed him."

    I remember telling Inoru that at the foot of the Great Mountain to help Mikey Richardson''s family.

    "So then, why am I here?"

    "I initially was going to let you figure that out. And while it seemed you were on the right path, you needed some stronger guidance."

    I watched Espeon open his eyes, and for a moment they glowed white.

    The model train town melted away, and everything around me was white as well for a moment. Small screens of sort began to appear and Espeon explained.

    "All Pok¨¦mon and humans possess aura. Monks like yourself are the only humans with the ability to manipulate it directly."

    Espeon showed me a graphic of a Pidgey, inside a glowing white circle.

    "Thousands of years ago, Giratina, the protector of the Distortion World, grew envious of the connections humans made with Pok¨¦mon. When a Pok¨¦mon''s aura is fully connected and bonded to that of humans, they possess psychic connections, happening more often than not in those times."

    The Pidgey, and a dark silhouette of a Trainer who also had a white circle, glowed, a line appearing between them glowing just as white.

    Espeon likely showed me his own memories of those times, with Pok¨¦mon possessed by Giratina running rampant and destroying towns. Their eyes were glowing bright red, with a shadowy glow above their bodies.

    "Some claimed humanity was being purged of its sins. Others believed no Pok¨¦mon deserved the complete respect of humanity after this. Eventually, lord Mew saw humanity''s connection to Pok¨¦mon as sacred and worthy of sacrifice."

    I saw a castle, similar to those I knew from the Shogunate era of Japan under siege, burning as possessed Pok¨¦mon ran rampant. Pok¨¦mon who were knocked out¡­or worse, had their eyes glowing red as well when they woke up.

    Espeon was battling alongside his master, an old lord fighting with a katana alongside his attendants. I think they were fighting to the death, soon to be completely overwhelmed.

    Suddenly the fighting stopped, and a very grim fate for the fortress was paused.

    Espeon saw a huge pink beam arc outward and wipe away the dozens of Pok¨¦mon attacking the castle. Their eyes stopped glowing red, and they seemed to wake up. Espeon closed his eyes, and I saw his master looking upward, above the highest tower in his castle.

    Both knelt, bowing their heads to a strange glow.

    I couldn''t see it well at all, I think because I was watching most of the battle from Espeon''s perspective, but it was likely Mew.

    "With help from other spirits, Mew saved humanity from extinction."

    "I already knew that. Well not that it actually happened until now, but I knew besides that, I knew that"

    Espeon showed me a different kind of screen. "What you don''t know, is that civilization is approaching a different kind of fate."

    A small board meeting between the agents of Team Rocket, and other groups in a large conspiracy.

    "Secret societies of great and evil power. Angered spirits. What lord Mew tried to teach humanity long ago, and what your teachers within your Order try to teach, is that what can be given, can be just as easily taken away."

    A gigantic fire seemed to be hitting Ecruteak City. A massive jet of flames was striking buildings so strongly, that entire towers within the town were falling over. People were running, scared for their lives.

    From what Espeon implied, Ho-Oh was punishing a town.

    "But, I thought Pok¨¦mon spirits or mythical Pok¨¦mon were supposed to protect humanity."

    "Some do, others protect Pok¨¦mon, others merely react to how humanity as a whole is acting. Only you can save humanity."

    "Why would Ho-Oh attack innocents?"

    "Mew, despite being immortal, was willing to risk everything based on what was seen through the bond humanity held with Pok¨¦mon. The opposite can be done if humanity is doing the opposite."

    That sunk in. If humanity was openly violating and abusing Pok¨¦mon, spirits could turn against humanity just as easily as doing the opposite might mean spirits saving civilization.

    "But even if Team Rocket captures legendaries and uses them. Somehow. How could that reflect on all of humanity?"

    "It matters not. If these abuses continue to happen, the spirits will see humanity as a failure. People like you need to fight for the spirits."

    I was confused. "How am I supposed to do that? Professor Oak and the League beat Team Rocket before, they could do it again."

    We returned to the model train town.

    Much like a cat, Espeon licked the back of his paw, yawning widely and showing his fangs. "That was before Rocket was able to develop technologies and power to harness the spirit of the mythical Pok¨¦mon."

    That raised the question. Was Mewtwo a thing? The ability to do such a thing would indeed pose astronomical problems if Rocket hadn''t done so but now could.

    If you could gather a DNA sample from pretty much every species of Pok¨¦mon in existence, as tough but, ultimately do-able as that would be to do. You could theoretically produce Mew''s genetic matrix.

    "You could."

    I was surprised. "You can read my thoughts?"

    "All of this is taking place within your head Nico. Espeon are, after all, Psychic Pok¨¦mon." his forked tail waved and flicked in the air. "But for lack of better terms. Yes, I can read your mind."

    "Look I''m just one person, and even Professor Oak and the Pok¨¦mon League had help from Red in taking down Rocket and groups like them."

    "That is correct." Espeon mumbled, blinking at me. "Which is why I can teach you how to manipulate Aura."

    "You can-. I''m sorry what?"

    "The monks wisely considered you too young and too new to develop such abilities. But with the proper training, especially you can use Aura. You will need it moving forward."

    "Why me?"

    "Because your spirit has already crossed between universes. And you possess an abnormally high amount of altruism, for others, and especially for your Pok¨¦mon. That is crucial in the bonds and trust a Pok¨¦mon''s aura can connect to a Trainer''s."

    "All I did was not blame them for my loss to Dawn."

    Espeon nodded. "You raised Slakoth as if it was your own child. His growth is a testament to that. Against forces like Rocket, and even when you faced Mikey''s father, Keith. I''ve seen you possess the character necessary to truly be worthy of my teachings."

    "So then, how will-"

    "Goodbye Nico. I''ll see you tomorrow night."

    "Wait-"

    ¡­

    When I woke up, I was back in the hotel room I shared with Inoru, for our last day in Jubilife City before we returned to Johto.

    During breakfast, I was in deep thought.

    Espeon''s spirit resided in limbo. But it was so powerful, and Mew had trusted it with the ability to see directly into our world, and he''d been following me ever since I came into the Pok¨¦mon world.

    But limbo was a playground of sorts, Mew was a deity that by sheer comparison to Arceus and other Pok¨¦mon like it, was an infant. How Mew was able to determine a model train set was the most appropriate place to play in, I have no idea, but when I was an infant that stuff was fun for me too.

    Eventually, when we were on the bullet train ride home, I spoke to Professor Oak who sat in the aisle across from me.

    "Professor, what can you tell me about Espeon?"

    He put his laptop away. "Well my boy, I can''t tell you much more than what little is known about them. Espeon are the strangest of the Eeveelutions, and among the most strange Pok¨¦mon in existence. While they possess all the basic qualities of Pok¨¦mon like Alakazam, telekinesis, aspects of mind-reading, and possibly mind control, they''re among the few Pok¨¦mon which share traits with Pok¨¦mon of myth."

    I was even more curious. "How so?"

    "Only Pok¨¦mon such as Mew have been said to possess as much psychic energy as Espeon, at least the Espeon of legend which disappeared thousands of years ago. Espeon''s biology and physiology have been studied extensively, but all we''ve found is their eyes seem to see things we can''t."

    Spirits. Aura. They could see them, and were the few Pok¨¦mon able to manipulate them.

    I can''t believe I didn''t realize it sooner.

    "Leaf''s Espeon is one of a kind, but it does not have the same characteristics or degree of power older Espeon did. From what we can gather, only when a bond between an Eevee and a Pok¨¦mon Trainer becomes unlike any other, can an Eevee evolve into an Espeon."

    The aura connection the Espeon from my dreams told me about. That made sense.

    Oak chuckled. "I''m not surprised a young trainer like you wants to know more about Espeon. As Leaf has proven, they make for some of the most valuable partners one can have."

    Inoru shrugged, looking at the Professor. "Nico was like this back at our temple. He tore through every scroll we had on old legends about Pok¨¦mon and the spirits."

    "Strange." Oak scratched his chin as the Sinnoh countryside flew by our window in the train compartment. "Most nowadays don''t believe in such things, least of all teenagers like yourself Nico. Pok¨¦mon from the stories haven''t been seen for centuries, some believe they never existed at all."

    "Do you think they existed Professor?" asked Ash as Gary, Crystal, and Gold talked nearby sitting around him.

    "I''ve asked myself that many times." admitted Oak. "From a scientific standpoint, it''s not entirely impossible for mythical Pok¨¦mon to govern entire aspects of our existence. Characters humanity has, time, space, other dimensions, it''s clear some Pok¨¦mon like Espeon do stretch beyond our purely physical interpretation of our world. However, there is one part of mythical Pok¨¦mon that separates them from all others."

    "Which is?" I asked.

    "Their single quality that makes them impossible to consider as Pok¨¦mon." Oak smiled. "Being Pok¨¦mon."

    "How?" Ash was just as confused as I was.

    "One of the first common qualities Pok¨¦mon were known to possess were that they were tameable. They could be caught, taught to battle other Pok¨¦mon, and even ten year old children could make them do their bidding. It would be laughable to consider Mew, the supposed savior of humanity and the spiritual guardian of our planet, considered as a child''s pet."

    I know right? Wait.

    That made me think.

    How did I explain to Oak that I needed to face Team Rocket alone? That they already had the ability to seriously put the entirety of humanity in jeopardy? It was hard even for me to understand.

    Did I tell him? A part of me knew I needed help, but on the other hand. I was chosen for a reason right?

    ¡­

 Update

    This is not a chapter rather, a chapter addressing the previous chapters.

    So I''ve noticed that long time readers and fans of the fanfic criticized the fanfic for the choices I made. Even rewriting the chapter didn''t seem to undo the damage, and I can''t blame anyone, because the changes in tone were drastic. The previous chapter will have a note at the end marking it will be rewritten, and a newer chapter will be released soon to rewrite it.

    For this reason, I want to reiterate my intentions, which is to spruce up the character development and pacing of the fanfiction. It''s been made clear Nico is an absurdly strong trainer, given a more realistic take on the Pokemon world with how every single kid on the planet would want to battle Gyms, funnel systems would be put in place, given trainers like Red being able to become world champions.

    For that reason, I don''t just want the fanfic to be purely about Nico battling Gyms, after spectating world championships and completing four Gym badges, I believe it''s high time to begin to change the pace of the fic. Maybe Nico can make brand new additions to his team and explore new areas of the Pokemon world.

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    The reason why I had Nico start at Moomoo farms was because he would fall into a funk following his loss to Dawn, and Whitney would support him. Given the reviews I had before, Dawn''s character needs to be better developed and the reasons for her being such a good trainer need to be developed further potentially.

    Team Rocket also needs to be changed. Teams like Plasma have been able to capture legendaries like Reshiram and Zekrom as per N, but it is extremely rare, and knowing this, will completely affect the writing of the fic from now on.

    I also want to know how I''ve written the characters and world. Nico is the main character of course, because the connection to his Pokemon and reasoning behind the religion of the Sprout Order makes sense to drive him to battle. I established his resilience and altruism early on, so I''m wondering if other characters were lacking development too.

    Overall, I want everyone''s thoughts and suggestions, I realized I took steps I shouldn''t have while writing the most recent chapters I''ve uploaded and wanted to gauge interest in the fanfiction since taking a recent break. Thank you everyone for reading, I greatly appreciate it.

 The Off-Season

    Chapter Twenty: The Off-Season

    ¡­

    Murkrow squawked in the sky while I glanced upwards at the summer sun, protecting my eyes with my hand.

    "Urkrooow! Urkroow!" they cried.

    One flew down to snatch a bagel a lady dropped onto the beach, her son chasing a ball tossed to him by his father.

    I sighed, I should''ve visited Olivine City''s beach earlier.

    Something was odd about this beach. For some reason, I recognized a judge from a WCPL tournament, for some reason everyone here happened to be a trainer or previously competed.

    Just why was that?

    I had packed some sunscreen for the trip, Ino was chilling with his baby Bellsprout on a towel in the sand, and the sun was bright. A few folks were playing volleyball with a Machamp I think saw win Kanto regionals in a decently competitive circuit, and I was enjoying my time off from competition.

    This funk losing to Dawn had put me in was honestly putting me in a bad state, and I knew I had to bounce back. So taking a short summer break was exactly what I needed.

    My team was really enjoying themselves, Growlithe, despite being a Fire type, loved being in the water. He never strayed too far from my spot in the beach however, despite paddling around happily.

    Vigoroth and Ursaring were wrestling and rough-housing in a small sand pit they built for themselves, a few nearby children watching them as they built their own sand castles.

    The water was a clear crystal blue, I could see schools of Fish Pokemon swim together in the far distance.

    I heard a small bell chime and a familiar girl in her twenties was wheeling a cart around, selling Miltank dairy products such as ice creams and ice cold milk of various flavors.

    I wanted one, but quickly a line formed almost the instant she appeared from the beach nearby.

    All the men, young and old, wanted to buy her products, even families of trainers and Gym officials visiting the beach.

    I decided to swim with my Growlithe in the water for a bit to wait for the crowd to disperse and then later as I dried off, I approached the ice cream cart.

    "Hello, can I - Oh. Hey Nico."

    Being a teenager didn''t have a whole lot of perks, but I had to keep the usual hormones that came with it under control when approaching the girl who had drawn a decent bit of attention from everyone at the beach. Whitney, Gym leader of Goldenrod city, was showing off her perfect skin, curves, and large bust in a white bikini with pink outlines that matched her beautiful hair.

    "Hi there Whitney, can I have some." I cleared my throat, looking at the menu printed on the side of the cart. "Original flavored Moomoo Milk?"

    "Sure, that''ll be eight hundred Pokedollars please." she chirped.

    Pricey, but smart, there was no snack bar, this was the only way to get any sort of drink or food on this beach. Goldenrod City owed a whole lot to the brand she created. I handed her the cash and Whitney opened the ice cream cart and handed me the ice cold milk.

    The flavor was delicious and a great refreshment from the scorching summer sun, I then saw as my dog appeared then afterward.

    "Taking a short break from training I see. How-" Whitney then yelped.

    Growlithe dried himself from the ocean water by shaking himself violently.

    She giggled, wiping some sand off her thigh. "Nice to see you too Growlithe."

    "Arf!" he panted, smiling and wagging his tail as he sat in the sand next to me.

    "You know, I didn''t think I''d ever see the day a monk came to this beach."

    "How come everyone here was or is involved with the Pokemon League in one way or another? It''s been bothering me all day." I asked.

    Whitney shrugged. "There a few other beaches around, but this one in particular was frequently visited by Olivine City''s founder, a great trainer. Eventually, so many trainers came to the beach so often the town just made it a trainer exclusive zone. You weren''t asked to show your Trainer''s badge or any sort of ID for coming here?"

    "No."

    It actually made me a bit happy to hear Whitney''s watery laugh. "Makes sense people know you that well now Nico."

    "Thanks."

    I turned back to the beauty of the surrounding and mildly popular beach around me in thought.

    That always reminded me heavily of just how revered trainers were in the Pokemon world. Everyone wanted to be them, to the point where kids had to compete to become them from the sheer number of children trying to become just like Red.

    It made perfect sense to me, that a world like this would even have a beach more or less exclusive to trainers alone.

    I turned back towards Whitney. "Wait so, aren''t you a gym leader? Why do you have to come to this beach yourself to sell ice cream and stuff?"

    "Apparently whenever I sell stuff personally it does way better then when I''m not there." Whitney shrugged and even a subtle shake of her upper body was bouncy. "Guess being known as the Gym Leader of Goldenrod helps that much. And what brings you here?"

    "I''ve kind of hit a rough patch after losing my first battle. Was hoping to clear my head and strategize for the upcoming season to win the rest of the Gym badges and make a go for the Pokemon League tournament itself."

    Whitney smiled a bit. "A funk you say? Well I don''t often run into those, but when I do, I go back to where I grew up."

    "And where''s that?"

    "Moomoo farm of course. My family''s actually visiting today, that''s also why I''m here. I can talk to them to let you stay for a week or two."

    I thought about for a second. "I think that''d be great."

    "Alright." Whitney nodded towards Ino nearby. "How goes your monk training?"

    "Same old same old. And running your Gym?"

    She chortled. "Can''t say any of you newbies have done as well as you have Nico. Miltank only needs about two minutes before she''s sent all my new challengers packing."

    "Ruff!" Growlithe sniffed the edge of her cart, smiling and wagging his tail when he sat back down.

    "Right." Whitney took out a bowl and poured some milk for him. "I remember how much your Growlithe liked Miltank''s milk during our last battle. That was actually really clever of you, you''re a very." Whitney paused. "Unique trainer."

    Growlithe lapped up the milk bowl placed on the sand happily, his tail still wagging happily the whole time.

    "I keep being told so."

    I saw another familiar face. "Excuse me for a second."

    She had other customers. "Nice catching up with you."

    "Same."

    Ash was accompanied by two people I thought he wasn''t going to be otherwise.

    "Hi there Ash."

    "Oh hey Nico, you''re here in Olivine too?"

    "Sure am, who are these two?"

    "Misty and Brock. They''re friends of mine from Kanto, Professor Oak said I could still be a part of his competition team so long as I kept in touch."

    I was wondering, why this sudden change now?

    I shook their hands. "Glad to meet you two."

    "You''ve made quite the name for the Bellsprout temples in the League," Brock said kindly. "Think you could offer any particular tips for Pokemon breeding?"

    "Not really. Why?"

    "I''ve heard the monks of Takujimi breed their own Bellsprout, making them among the most well trained in the entire world. Is that true?" he asked me. "I''ve always wanted to know."

    I shook my head. "Only really high ranked Initiates know the specific details of how to breed and raise Pokemon, every thing else I''ve had to learn on my own."

    "Really? Because I thought-"

    Brock stopped talking, all but running off towards Whitney''s cart.

    Misty sighed, holding her beach ball of her hip wearing a simple blue bikini. "I apologize for him, I''m looking forward to seeing you compete in Kanto too."

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    Damn I know I just met this girl but I had to admit she looked good.

    "Man, Brock''s having a ball today." her friend from Pallet Town said dryly.

    I thought being my age now Ash would understand, because I really couldn''t blame him at all.

    Just what I needed during my break from training, a reminder of my first defeat.

    ¡­

    The day at the beach offered a perspective to me I hadn''t realized until now.

    My decision to remain in the Sprout Order was one I often wondered about. If it was the best decision, if it was the best path forward. And the truth was, that it still was.

    Even being surrounded by hot girls, young women with long smooth legs, breasts of various sizes all clad in bikinis and round bottoms. I wasn''t fazed by my decisions.

    Granted, the Order was unclear to me if I was allowed to date or not, I still found it something I don''t know if I was interested in yet. But it was a simple fact, that the beach was appealing to me.

    And any other monk in the entire world would not be allowed to partake in such a pleasure, the oath to study the mythos and power of legendary Pokemon and their impact on the world was too much. It was a lifelong journey, one so deep and spiritual, that even after death, some monks were said to continue studying it.

    "Interesting, isn''t it?" I heard someone say right next to me.

    The Espeon from my dreams was laid out, yawning, showing feline teeth as he relaxed next to the beach towel next to me.

    "What''re you doing here?" I said in my thoughts.

    His forked tail waved in the air as he laid in the sand. "You aim to become a world champion, or discover Red, or find legendary Pokemon. All of which the Sprout Order has been unable to do for its entire history, and yet, you doubt them."

    "I don''t doubt them."

    He licked his paw, rubbing the top of his own head. "You just wondered if the decision to stay with them was correct."

    "No it''s just, dating is a natural thing. A good thing. And the Order seems completely removed from it, they pretty much banned Inoru from dating during his years they made him walk across the planet between temples."

    "Because attachment to the spiritual, is detachment from the physical."

    I sighed. "Ho-Oh, Lugia, Mew and Celebi. The lake spirits. These are real, physical Pokemon, all of whom govern essential aspects of our existence. Why would admitting, real, physical, and natural things, be bad, or detach ourselves from worshipping them and respecting their sacrifices."

    "Because the Mythical Pokemon are unique, they are spirits who maintain the balance of the entire world in order. Pokemon, that while physical, are so powerful, that they could both protect or destroy civilization if they so desired. The Sprout Order remained the protectors of all the knowledge about them and our dimension for thousands of years Nico, they''re not mistaken on matters of love."

    "So then, you''re saying I could leave the Order and you could stay with me?"

    The Espeon surveyed the ocean, its shimmering blue water with calm silver eyes, before I heard him sigh.

    "I don''t know, my duty is to guide you. To be Toji and Mew''s paragon in order to help you protect the earth."

    "Another thing, you keep acting like I''m supposed to be this big hero. And yet, I''ve never seen actual evidence the Legendaries would betray humanity."

    "Then you haven''t been paying attention."

    "Then you''ve been concealing information from me, besides from Team Rocket, I''ve- Hey!"

    The Espeon''s image in my mind on the surrounding beach disappeared. Dick.

    I looked around for him, thinking. "Espeon!"

    "Sup dork," I heard a girl say, flicking a beach ball of my head. "How''re ya?"

    Annoying.

    I turned, looking up from the ground at this girl, her excellent body hidden in a crystal blue and white two piece bikini showing off her great skin. I hadn''t talked to her in a while, wondering if she ever went by Kris, instead of Crystal.

    "Fine, actually."

    "How''ve you been? Haven''t seen you since World Champs."

    "Honestly, I haven''t had the best time as of late."

    "Still upset over Dawn?"

    "That''s only part of it, you wouldn''t understand."

    Without even asking, Crystal smoothed out my beach towel and sat next to me. "Try me."

    I sighed, actually grateful someone was taking the time to listen. "This is sort of a secret, but Ino and I are supposed to undergo a great deal of responsibility."

    "I mean, yeah, you''re monks who''re supposed to battle. No one''s ever done that before."

    "Right, but I mean."

    I looked at Crystal measuring whether or not I should tell her this, this girl was sweet, a bit of a klutz, I could even see her Crocnaw hidden in the sand, trying to hunt wild Murkrow unfortunate enough to land nearby it. But I saw her as trustworthy really.

    "Look, the knowledge the Sprout Order has is supposed to be enough to help me do things no one''s done."

    "Such as?"

    "Finding the Pokemon of myth, even if no one''s ever seen them."

    "To catch them?"

    I was confused. "What, catch them? That''s impossible, they''re powerful enough to-"

    "Then why go after them?"

    These were basically gods in Pokemon form.

    "I''m honestly not sure yet. But all I know, is if I''m supposed to do what I''m supposed to do. I''m going to need more help than Ino''s."

    "Are you asking for my help?"

    I thought about this.

    Crystal wasn''t a bad trainer by any means, but I''d honestly be keeping her around in case I ran into Team Rocket or any other threat larger than them. But for all I knew, she could be a whole lot more useful than I imagined initially.

    "I am."

    Crystal appeared to think for a moment, and then stood up, wiping sand off herself. "I''ll talk to Gold, maybe we can spare some time now that we''re in the off-season of training."

    "Thanks, Crystal."

    "No problem Nico."

    She smiled at me, which was honestly a nice feeling to see, and then she walked off. I didn''t look off after her when she turned around, ignoring what I knew in my mind would be great to look at.

    The hormones that came with being a teenager were not fun, I needed to cool off.

    Which was convenient, there was a beach to swim in.

    I saw someone''s Buizel jet around underwater, and then, a bit farther off from the shore, I saw schools and schools of fish Pokemon swim about.

    It was honestly shocking sometimes how I forgot. This world was teeming with Pokemon, there were supposed to be so many Pokemon in this world you couldn''t look somewhere without seeing them.

    In the skies, in the water, anywhere on land.

    So many Luvdisc, Goldeen, and other fish Pokemon. Everywhere, their colors practically creating a light show beneath the crystal clear waves.

    I was starting to run out of air, coming up to the surface.

    The Buizel swam up to me from the coral reef below and chirped. I realized he was wearing a collar, one with a lifeguard symbol on it.

    "Sure I can''t swim out this far, or even farther?"

    He refused, still ushering me back to shore.

    "Fine."

    When I dove underwater again, a familiar pink feline spirit appeared next to me.

    "Oh great, it''s you again."

    "Don''t grumble Nico, I''m here to help."

    "For what?"

    "Follow me."

    I saw the ancient Espeon spirit float through the water.

    I looked around for the Buizel, I was sure both him and his owner wouldn''t be happy I was ignoring orders, but if Espeon had something to show me.

    You bet I was going to follow him.

    He led me far to the bottom of the ocean trench, right before a massive drop off and an undertow.

    "You''re going to have to jump."

    "What''re you crazy!?" I looked at him, bubbles escaping my mouth in surprise.

    "This is the only way you''ll see what I need you to. Jump."

    I was practically running out of air already, but I highly doubted Espeon was going to have me killed. I trusted him.

    Fine.

    It was a very uncomfortable experience, and I''m sure the lifeguard was going to have a heart attack, but by the time the water was done tossing me into a current like a complete ragdoll.

    Halfway through it I was scared for my life, terrified the undertow would smash me against rocks or just carry me out completely to sea where I''d drown, but Espeon stayed with me, and I was sure I''d be safe.

    Then, I reached a beautiful, strange, and likely utterly hidden and secret sight. Of a kind of coral I''d never seen or heard of before. It was completely unlike the rest back near the shore, there weren''t any Pokemon nearby, not even the odd Octillery.

    The corals were all made of strange, glowing colors, and there was clearly a break inbetween them that led to what appeared to be a cave.

    "Hurry." urged Espeon.

    I obliged him, didn''t have to tell me twice, it was starting to hurt how much I had to hold my breath.

    ¡­

    I gasped for air when I came up, seeing the interior of what appeared to be a cave deep underwater.

    "Where is this?" I asked aloud, not worried about people nearby anymore.

    "I sensed some of Lugia''s energy here, I believe this cave was hidden in the event someone sought him again."

    I looked around, the rocks glowing and the cave appeared beautiful, but clearly ancient.

    I needed to dive underwater one more time, and did so. The cave beneath was built into a sort of U shape, and when I came up, it appeared to be a dead end.

    However, there was clearly a weaker part of the wall of the rock. I think I could use my Pokemon, but that ran of the risk of water starting to fill the bits of air I had left under here.

    "If I tunnel through that wall, I won''t die will I?"

    Espeon shook his head.

    I drew my hand into my pockets and clicked on two Pokeballs, expanding them. Then, I realized both Ursaring and Vigoroth, both of them completely confused at where we were.

    "Hey guys, I need your help."

    Their attention snapped to me.

    "Think you two can break through this wall for me?"

    I still was unsure of how HM Strength, or Rock Smash worked here, but my boys picked it up at least what I needed pretty fast.

    With sheer brute strength, the Normal types practically had the walls of the entire cave shaking as they tunneled through. When I reached the other side, Vigoroth followed me, walking like a gorilla on two fists Ursaring looking about quietly as well.

    "Oro." Vigoroth murmured in amazement.

    "Trust me buddy, I hear you." I said.

    The cave was something out of a fairy tale or a picture book. Something, or someone had crafted a silver statue of Lugia out of the wall of the cave, and the light glowing of the rocks created reflections that led to cones of light reflecting on one, tiny, beautiful feather.

    It was the Silver Wing, or, its equivalent here.

    Honestly I wasn''t too surprised it could be hidden, in the Game a very rich radio tower director just has it, here you need a spirit to guide you.

    "Sorry about this guys, you''ve both earned a snack later."

    Before they could refuse or do anything else as I saw them nearing the Wing, I Returned both of my Pokemon.

    I turned to Espeon. "Why show me this?"

    "I''m afraid that what I warned you about is happening sooner."

    "What warning?"

    Espeon glanced at the cave. "What is present here?"

    "The Silver Wing."

    "No Nico, look deeper. Feel, close your eyes."

    It took a moment, but after I tried connecting myself through silent meditation, it was clear. Lugia, Lugia had been here, or possibly a spirit they trusted to bring one of their feathers there.

    And the cave was utterly brimming with Aura. So much so that I hadn''t felt so much anywhere in my entire life.

    I opened my hands, and walked forward, pressing my hand to the wall of the cave.

    Through shaky and scratchy images, almost like a bad television broadcast, I saw images.

    Of Rocket scientists around a huge computer, DNA data from what was likely every Pokemon in the world to comprise Mew''s genetic signature. And in a massive vat tank laid what appeared to be an embryo, of a much more sinister version of Mew lying asleep as a baby, wires and a helmet covering its tiny head.

    Then there was a second image, of a cave deep within the mountains of a Johto, a huge red bird rested, just from its wing span, likely one of, if not the largest Pokemon in existence.

    When I saw Ho-Oh''s eye flash open, angrily, frustratingly, it shook me awake.

    It almost felt like Ho-Oh was looking right at me.

    I gasped, tearing my hand away from the cave.

    "They''re they''re real." I panted out.

    "I told you they were."

    "Ho-Oh''s going to attack a city in Johto, aren''t they?"

    "Yes." Espeon said calmly.

    "When? Where?"

    "This isn''t the only reason I brought you here Nico, hold the wing."

    "What?"

    "The wing Nico, grasp Lugia''s feather."

    I walked forward to the engraved platform where the Silver Wing rested, and I held it lightly within my right hand. Then, I felt all my worries, all my questions slip away.

    I was trusting in Espeon''s words, in Lugia.

    It was a soothing experience, just holding and looking at the beautiful silver feather.

    "Now, reach out, try to channel the Aura of the cave."

    I had only basic Aura training before, or what amounted to it, but I closed my eyes. I could hear rocks moving, and tiny bits of water floating.

    When I opened my eyes, rocks and a small ball of water from the other part of the cavern''s U part, fell. I was levitating things.

    "So the wing gives me powers?"

    "No, your Aura already lies inside you. My guidance, your spirit and character, need to be so pure, so in line with the teachings of Mew. That you can activate these abilities. It''s your connection to the great spirits Nico, this is what makes you able to do this. Remember, you are never the producer of the power of legendary Pokemon, merely its humble conduit."

    "Thank you Espeon."

    "Don''t thank me yet, you still have a town to save."

    "I''m still going to ask Gold and Crystal for help."

    "By all means."

 Wrath of the Gods

    ¡­

    It was hard to rest easy knowing there was going to be a catastrophic attack against humanity for the sins it had caused.

    Then I asked myself that night, ''What sins?''

    Pok¨¦mon were abused, they always were. But I wondered, just why though?

    It had to be because Mew''s own image was bastardized for power. I had no idea where Mewtwo was, but the only reason I could gather that Ho-Oh was going to attack when it never had any reason to otherwise, was because Mew''s existence in this world was different.

    Mew was never viewed as a deity in the original Pok¨¦mon series, at least, it wasn''t seen as the savior of all of humanity, and serving as the symbolic link between mankind and all Pok¨¦mon. So for Mew''s image to be turned into a living weapon, a thrall for humanity''s power, made a whole lot of sense.

    But what troubled me wasn''t the reason for Ho-Oh''s attack. That much was inevitable.

    It was why? And when?

    About twelve hours later, after some uncomfortable silence as I cautiously prepared to challenge my fifth Gym, I got my answer.

    The strike wasn''t in Johto. It was in Kanto.

    I had prayed to Mew for every night for fifteen days straight, every morning when I woke up, and every night when I went to bed.

    And the message was clear, I don''t know why. But I could see it.

    Fuchsia City.

    ¡­

    Blue Oak lived a relatively straightforward life.

    He had no girlfriend, despite being well into his twenties he barely had a social life.

    His sister Daisy popped into his gym in Viridian City every now and then, but besides her, he didn''t talk to anyone outside of everyone he was training.

    It was his duty to train the best kids in Kanto to follow in his footsteps.

    Following his victory at the last World Championships, Blue decided he was going to focus more on his team of up and coming Trainers.

    Blue''s team consisted of several Pok¨¦mon, he had captured hundreds over the years since his youth, but his main six were mostly the same he used since he battled Red when they were ten.

    He had Blaistoise, Arcanine, Pidgeot, Alakazam, Rhydon, and Exeggutor.

    Each of his Pok¨¦mon were so skilled, strong, and experienced, that on their own with light instruction from Blue he could help his younger brother, Gary, Ash Ketchum, and a few other kids from Kanto trying to become the next best in the world like him.

    One morning, he got a phone call.

    As he watched training from the stands, Blue spoke.

    "Hey gramps."

    Oak spoke seriously, not even bothering with formalities. "Blue, you''re needed in Fuchisa city immediately."

    "What for?"

    "I don''t know, the message came in from Pok¨¦mon League high command. Rocket activity has spiked dangerously, whatever they were stealing it was high grade chemicals, and they''re still around. Something to do with Pok¨¦mon genetics."

    Blue sighed. "Wait, Rockets stealing chemicals? How come this is the first I''m hearing about it?"

    "I can''t say, but you need to go. Now."

    Blue understood his tone.

    ¡­

    Ash and the other kids were confused as Blue suddenly canceled training for the day and had them standing around the front entrance.

    "Is it Team Rocket?" he said.

    "I can''t say," Blue muttered, releasing his Pidgeot, her harness already drawn.

    Gary was curious too. "I get that it''s League business, but you look worried out of your mind big bro. Can''t you tell us anything? Anything at a-"

    "Go home tonight everyone, tomorrow morning. I''ll be able to speak to you all."

    No one dared say anything, Blue was done fixing his harness to his Pidgeot in under a second.

    In a flash, Pidgeot spread her wings, and Blue was flying south from Viridian City Gym''s front lawn.

    "What the heck is going on?" asked a girl on Blue''s team of Trainers.

    "It can''t be good, whatever it is." said Gary. "Daisy said he''s been running this Gym for over ten years. And he''s never cancelled class or skipped training, not even one day."

    ¡­

    The second Blue arrived in Fuchisa City, something was very off.

    There weren''t Team Rocket posters or graffiti hidden in the alleyways, nor too much crime. In fact, other than police reports showing Rockets did in fact manage to steal lab supplies, there was almost no sign of them.

    But Blue knew right away there was a very good reason why he was called, and it wasn''t just Team Rocket.

    Something was seriously wrong with Fuchisa City.

    Pok¨¦mon were acting strange, even people too. More on edge, stressed, and anxious.

    Pok¨¦mon rangers had been deployed, as missing Pok¨¦mon were reported all over the city. Calls across the Kanto region began to reach Pok¨¦mon ranger centers of typical Pok¨¦mon bird migrations specifically avoiding Fuchisa City, and other wildlife was affected also.

    A fistfight even broke out over a small disagreement near the Safari zone over haggling prices for a roving trader''s goods.

    Blue and the local Gym leaders, Koga and his daughter Janine, spent all day, until the middle of the day, just trying to figure out just what was going on.

    There was speculation of Team Rocket putting some sort of simulant in everyone''s food and water, Pok¨¦mon''s included, but then they realized what it was, and it was something no one had seen for centuries.

    Almost thousands of years.

    ¡­

    I had arrived in Fuchsia City in the nick of time.

    It was unlike what I was expecting.

    Even though it was certainly a regular Kanto village, with a few thousand people, only one tower stood up among the rest. A large belltower near the town center completed with a large clock. Just after it struck midday, Ho-Oh had appeared.

    Crystal and Gold asked me on the whole bullet train ride over just why we were heading out to Kanto for no particular reason at all in the middle of the morning.

    But all I told them and Ino was ''I needed their help.''

    Ino asked one question. "Are the spirits involved?"

    I gave him a nod, and Gold and Crystal both were mostly silenced. Inoru was the only adult in the group and that was reason enough for both of them.

    We reached Fuchisa City and barely had enough time to leave the train station by the time we felt it.

    I realized immediately what it was.

    Ho-Oh''s Pressure.

    Pressure was a Pok¨¦mon ability held mostly by Legendaries, but in some cases others. But until now, I had no idea how powerful it could be depending on the Pok¨¦mon.

    It allowed Pok¨¦mon, or Mythical Pok¨¦mon in this case, to exert their feelings. The entire world around them, all their emotions, all their stresses, were felt by everything around them.

    In this case, Ho-Oh''s rage was so massive that even before it arrived, people were fighting a bit in the streets. Not too much that Fuchsia City was a madhouse, but still.

    Then, as Ino, Gold, Crystal and I all stood in the old paved streets of Fuchisa City, a shadow appeared over the town.

    No one had seen the bird all day, despite how large and bright it was, because it able to fly so high that no one could see it for miles. Mythical Pok¨¦mon were able to do things like that, things that even by Pok¨¦mon standards, were supernatural.

    When Ho-Oh soared out of the clouds and down into the ground, I witnessed just how large and strong the bird was.

    Each Mythical Pok¨¦mon represented an aspect of humanity''s connection to something. Spirits, time, mind, matter. Ho-Oh''s connection, was between the sun, and society. No wonder, because even for a regular summer''s day, it was unbearably hot for hours, the sun was unnaturally bright.

    Kanto''s summers were mild at best, today it was easily well into the 110 Farenheit range, if not above that.

    And when Ho-Oh appeared, the way the sun reflected off its wings created dazzling displays of colors, tiny funneled rainbows in all directions. At first people didn''t even know what they were looking at.

    Some were shocked, others amazed, some fearing for their life being confused beyond reason.

    No one knew what Ho-Oh was really supposed to look like, only stories. It was so large that its full wingspan offered shade for the entirety of a well sized village like Fuchsia City. It had gorgeous red wings, a long golden beak, and a layer of white and green feathers beneath it.

    Its white underbelly was so incredibly clean that one could be mistaken for appearing to spot it as the whitest thing in existence. Every one of its colors was striking, more vibrant, elegant, powerful, and unique than anything else I''d ever seen.

    Ino could tell what it was, and he dropped to his knees.

    I would''ve followed suit, but what happened next stopped him and everyone in seconds.

    When Ho-Oh perched itself sideways on Fuchisa''s main belltower, the ground shook slightly. A third of the town was blanketed in a golden reflection from its tailfeathers. Then, Ho-Oh released a sound, one so powerful a small earthquake occurred around the entire town, Fuchsia City was shaking for almost six seconds straight.

    Ho-Oh''s warcry was so strong that every wild Pok¨¦mon fled instantly. Even a few people began to scream and run for their lives.

    The Sun God spread its wings and dove high up for a second, and when it dove down again, it began to blanket the entire town in fire.

    Raging, giant, vicious bright red plumes of flames so strong they made Ho-Oh''s own appearance appear miniscule by comparison.

    "What in the!?" Ino jumped up. "By the name of Mew-"

    "Why is that Pok¨¦mon attacking!? What even is it!?" barked Gold.

    Crystal turned to me. "Is that why we''re here?"

    "I wasn''t sure if it would happen today, er. Doesn''t matter, point is, we have to save as many people as possible before Ho-Oh consumes the entire town."

    Ino shook his head. "It''s one of the Holy Spirits, the sign of humanity''s connection to the sun and rainbows themselves. I''ve read scrolls on it, it is the spiritual embodiment of color! It cannot be evil, it must be reasoned with!"

    "Whatever it is," Gold was already releasing Quilava, and a Quagsire he''d caught. "It''s not friendly!"

    A woman gripped her baby to her chest and began to run right out of town in the street next to us.

    "You always have a plan." said Crystal. "Right?"

    "This isn''t Gym practice," I noted obviously. "We have to save as many people as we can."

    ¡­

    Police officers were guiding people out of the town, but several streets were cut off by destroyed cars, and giant walls of flames. Whatever Ho-Oh breathed, it wasn''t normal. It had a level of destructive and flame potent capacity beyond any regular fire, even by Pok¨¦mon standards.

    Sacred Fire, was part of Ho-Oh''s own will, not meant able to be extinguished by any normal methods.

    The ''battle'' Blue, the best Trainer I''d ever met was having against Ho-Oh was more like a one sided beatdown.

    He began to throw out as many Pok¨¦mon as he could, Water types that weren''t even on his regular team, and none of them could leave a dent against him.

    Blastoise''s fully powered Hydro Pump should''ve sent Ho-Oh packing, but it barely seemed to annoy it.

    Crystal''s Crocnaw was having trouble putting out the fires at all, as well as the entire town''s fire capacity.

    "Help me!"

    I turned from ordering Ursaring to move aside cars and debris to help people trapped in an alleyway escape.

    "Oro!"

    Vigoroth was able to help me climb up a burning building, and we managed to rescue a small girl with her baby Rattata.

    I looked to the sky, watching Ho-Oh shriek and bask another section of the town in flame. If it was mad at Team Rocket alone, I''d get it, but the docks of Fuchsia city were destroyed by the beginning of this.

    Gold appeared to be on the verge of tears halfway through. Almost all of his Pok¨¦mon had fainted, and several were very seriously injured.

    Quilava was meant to withstand a volcano''s worth of heat, and it was beaten to a pulp from the amount of Sacred Fire it had to go through to rescue civilians and Pok¨¦mon from the buildings around. It wasn''t burned, just simply hurt from the sheer amount and degree of the fire it was running through.

    Crystal''s Crocnaw was starting to run out of juice, it could only spray water for so long, and Blue''s Pok¨¦mon were dropping like flies. One by one, against Ho-Oh itself.

    Inoru gripped my shoulder as we stood in the center of the burning town. "Nico. We have to go. Now!"

    "You know me. I will never, turn my back on those who need me!"

    "But if we stay here, we''ll die!"

    It hurt to admit it, but he was probably right.

    The Sacred Fire from all around us began to reach the streets, Crystal and her Crocnaw pulled back, and back, and back. Both of them exhausted. Gold was so upset over seeing his exhausted and bruised Quilava that he was kneeling, holding him in his arms.

    Ho-Oh''s Fire Blast was so powerful that its plume of flames struck a tall tower over, cutting us off completely from the town center. Its fire attacks were so strong that it could cut through several layers of brick, concrete, steel.

    Throughout all of this, Espeon wasn''t here, prior to the battle, he told me that ''my instincts would guide me.''

    Not that I blamed him, there was very little for him to do.

    I thought all was lost, until Leaf arrived from Pallet Town.

    She began to release Pok¨¦mon from the air, riding the back of a Togekiss.

    Togekiss and someone''s Fearow hit Ho-Oh at the same time with Hyper Beam. Togekiss, despite its decently high Special attack stat and years of experience, couldn''t leave a dent in Ho-Oh.

    It didn''t even try to block or dodge, Togekiss might as well as have been using Lovely Kiss or something.

    Ho-Oh turned, somewhat annoyed, and sprayed Leaf with a Flamethrower plume the size a decently average oil pipeline. She certainly would''ve died atop her Togekiss if it didn''t pull away and dodge by spinning at the last second.

    I noticed something.

    "Where''s Growlithe!?"

    I turned, seeing a huddled group of civilians a Nurse Joy and a few others were attending to near the relative safety of the town''s exit at the end of the street I stood upon.

    "My Growlithe! I just sent it into these buildings, where is it!?"

    "It''s in those apartments, right down that block!" an old lady called back out.

    I sprinted at full speed in the other direction.

    "Nico!" I heard Ino yell when I ran into the apartment building.

    Ursaring was available as Vigoroth was probably still rescuing others.

    He cleared a massive amount of rubble out of the way near the apartment buildings entrance, and four seconds later I realized how hot it was in here.

    The walls were on fire, everything was on fire. There was so much smoke that it was hard to see anything that well.

    "Growlithe!? Growlithe are you in here!?" I asked, narrowly avoiding falling through a wooden staircase that was collapsing from all the flames.

    I heard the pup''s yelps.

    As I started to walk up, Ursaring''s weight collapsed the lower part of the staircase with a deafening ''crack.''

    We were momentarily split up, and he remained behind.

    "I''ll be fine!" I said, seeing the bear Pok¨¦mon fail to leap up to my spot near the exit to the fourth floor. "Just get back to the others, we''re all getting out of here!"

    I saw large amount of burning debris fall from above, blocking my view of Ursaring when he stepped back into the other floor.

    I turned, and began to chop, push, punch and kick aside some planks and furniture that trapped the entrance to someone''s one bedroom apartment.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    A little boy was gripping Growlithe for dear life, the two pinned beneath a couch that had fallen from the hole in the roof above them.

    With great effort, I pushed the entire thing off of them and they pulled away.

    I rubbed Growlithe''s head, grateful to see him alive as the little boy whimpered.

    "I-I can''t find my momma."

    His leg was definitely broken.

    "It''ll all be okay, here."

    I loaded the kid onto my shoulder as Growlithe was in enough shape to follow us.

    "Do you know the way out boy!?" I said.

    Growlithe had no defense against the piles of debris between holes in the walls and roofs, and the exit out of the apartment was blocked when I returned to the door I had busted through.

    I ran over to, and kicked open a glass window by the balcony. The fire escape was melted apart, hard steel would melt apart from even being close to the heat blasts Ho-Oh unleashed.

    I turned, there was only one way off this balcony and this building had maybe another twenty minutes tops before it collapsed.

    I looked around, there were no flying Pok¨¦mon nearby that could help me.

    Did I jump? Between a broken pair of legs and near certain death, I''d rather have crutches for a few weeks.

    Then, I suddenly began to float into the air, Growlithe along with me.

    The boy on my shoulder began to wail in surprise, when suddenly, we were lifted off the ground of the balcony and onto the street safely nearby.

    I thought it was Blue''s Alakazam at first, but it appeared to be Leaf''s Espeon instead.

    "Thank you." I breathed out.

    As if to say ''you''re welcome'' the Espeon licked the back of her paw and bounded away, likely to help other folks.

    I followed her to the town square, which was beyond ruined at this point.

    Blue dismounted his Pidgeot, whose wings had been singed from even being close to Ho-Oh''s rage at this point.

    "Nico!?" Blue appeared both disapproving and worried for my life at the same time. "Get out of here!"

    "I came to help, you-"

    "There is no helping! Get out of here before you die! Save your friends!"

    He wasn''t wrong. Growlithe and I could barely help Blue escape, but I could at least talk Blue out of guiding Ho-Oh away from the town instead of battling him here with everything Blue had.

    Blue had no opportunity to argue, Ho-Oh blazed a path of fire so powerful that if he hadn''t dodged with help from his pair of Arcanines, he would''ve died. The earth, stone, and debris around the town square was charred to pieces, the very ground shattered by the weight of the Fire Blasts.

    All of Blue''s Pok¨¦mon using ranged Special attacks were mostly being recalled, Ho-Oh''s Sacred Fire, Flamethrower, and even the state of the town began to take a massive toll on his team.

    Before long, even Blastoise remained as I helped his team rescue other people from Fuchsia City''s town square and the decimated buildings around.

    One of his Arcanines, I think the mother of the litter I''d adopted from, had to be recalled safely to Blue''s Greatball.

    It was Blue, Arcanine, Growlithe, and I against the might of Ho-Oh. Leaf and the other Trainers in the air were just pestering it at this point.

    I had to recall Growlithe after he was exhausted, the pup had already helped save dozens of people, he had been pushed well past his limits. Both Vigoroth and Ursaring showed up soon after, and even they were done, I had to Return them as well.

    Leaf''s Espeon was returned, as were most of her best Pok¨¦mon. If I wasn''t mistaken, a few died, although not from the teams of the World Champions.

    Leaf fell, at least, she had to catch her breath in a part of the town in deep cover from Ho-Oh''s attacks.

    Blue''s Pidgeot was recalled too, and now he faced Ho-Oh almost alone.

    The gigantic bird''s Body Slam was just a swooping attack with its claws. It rushed forward, diving out of the air and trudging up debris, cars, and causing Blue and Arcanine to be sent spiraling backward.

    ''Nico!'' I heard the spirit of Espeon say in my head. ''The wing!''

    I remembered, pulling the silver feather from my pockets.

    I looked up, Ho-Oh was facing off against Blue on the ground, right in the middle of the square.

    Arcanine rushed to defend his master, but Ho-Oh batted it away with its beak, barely needing any effort in its neck to flick it away.

    "Arcanine!"

    It slumped with probably several broken bones over a nearby wall of a building.

    Blue was defenseless, what was he going to do? Rush Ho-Oh with punches and kicks?

    But Blue showed no fear, just pure hatred as he stared down Ho-Oh with sheer anger at the scene he''d caused. Saying nothing, Blue staring off against Ho-Oh was probably one of the most badass things I''ve ever seen anyone do.

    I had already cut the distance between the two of them in seconds during all of this, and I had no thoughts only feelings.

    Just three words.

    "Lugia! Protect me!"

    In a giant flash of light, a white Barrier activated around Blue and I.

    Releasing a massive screech first before the attack, the mythical Pok¨¦mon attempted to scorch us away into ashes. Ho-Oh was blasting us both at point blank range with Flamethrower. The fire formed beautiful colors and rainbow lights all around us.

    My fist clenched around the Silver Wing, the barrier continued well through Ho-Oh''s blast, fire continuing to stream past us as if we were in standing in a glass tube, underwater in a river of flame.

    Ho-Oh stopped breathing fire, looking at us. Confused for half a second, almost wondering why we weren''t dead.

    Still feeling Lugia''s presence through my hand and my entire body, I yanked forward punching towards Ho-Oh itself, as if I could feel invisible strings attached to each of my fingers. Suddenly, the waters surrounding all of Fuchsia City engulfed the burning town, killing all the fires Ho-Oh created around us.

    I looked right at Ho-Oh as if to say:

    Your move.

    Something struck Ho-Oh''s back several strikes from Flying Pok¨¦mon I believe.

    I lifted my eyes, seeing several other Trainers in the dozens, arrive on the backs of flying Pok¨¦mon, even a Dragon or two, and by that point Ho-Oh left, fleeing the city as quickly as it had appeared.

    I don''t think Ho-Oh felt it was in any real danger, more than it was too much of an annoyance to it to keep fighting at this point.

    The God of Rainbows and Sun spread its wings and left, and in its wake, left a devastated town.

    I don''t think Kanto, Johto, or even the world would ever be the same ever again.

    Blue spoke to me. "How did you do that?"

    "Same way I managed to do everything in the Pok¨¦mon League until now. What I learned from the monks." I nodded a bit. "Trust in the spirits."

    Blue, almost too confused to say anything for a second, typically a bit stoic and snarky sometimes, moved forward.

    And the man hugged me.

    Then he collapsed. He had no energy left from battling, and he was severely burned all over his back.

    "Blue?"

    I looked him over, extremely worried. "Blue!?"

    "Blue!"

    ¡­

    "2,336."

    There was what was called an ''Emergency Peace Summit'' typically called when two regions of the Pok¨¦mon world experienced war, great instability, or events like what just happened.

    Professor Oak stood in a large room in Goldenrod City, meant for debates like this.

    The world''s best Trainers, politicians, Gym Leaders, Elite Four members, Pok¨¦mon champions, and those in charge of several organizations were in attendance. The leaders of the Pok¨¦mon Rangers, my own religion, the Sprout Order, groups of all kinds were here.

    "2,336." repeated Samuel Oak. "That''s the final death count we have for this ordeal."

    He began to speak, using a powerpoint presentation of sorts through a large blue screen, the rest of us sitting in darkness and silence.

    "At 13:06 two days ago, a massive bird Pok¨¦mon appeared out of the sky. And without warning nor reason, completely burned down Fuchsia City." Oak turned a slide over. "This Pok¨¦mon has never been seen by any Trainer or person alive, in fact, most have gone their lives without catching a glimpse of it."

    He went on. "Records of this beast date back hundreds of years, using sources provided by the Sages, this Pok¨¦mon is named Ho-Oh."

    A picture of Ho-Oh screeching as it nested on Fuchsia''s clock tower as the town burned all around it was shown on screen. "We have, as of now, no idea where it came from, what its motives were. Nor how a Pok¨¦mon of this size and power can even exist. Within an hour and a half, nothing but rubble remained of the entire town."

    Oak paused.

    "The only thing we have at our disposal as of now, is one question. What do we do next?"

    "We pray for Mew''s forgiveness."

    A few gasped, lights returned to the room when Oak ended his presentation and a few monks entered through the hallway.

    Elder Toji had removed himself from Takujimi, the first time in history most likely. A few people were following him, including the Sage who I recognized officiated Muchmoney''s wedding.

    Oak was curious. "What do you mean pray for forgiveness?"

    "The spirits only reveal themselves for a reason. They only attack for a reason, and they will only pass judgement for a reason." explained Toji. "For Ho-Oh to raze a town, it must be furious with humanity."

    "But why?" asked Champion Cynthia.

    A few began to murmur to each other, and Toji passed by me.

    "Toji, I''m so sorry if-"

    "You''ve done beautifully child." Toji said calmly, smiling at me lightly. "Don''t worry, you''ve done nothing wrong."

    "Who cares why the bird did it!?"

    A big booming voice erupted, a man resembling Guile from Street Fighter in both height, muscle, hair, and clothes stood up.

    Oak spoke quietly. "The assembly recognizes the Gym Leader from Vermillion City." he said, almost an afterthought.

    "Over twenty three hundred innocent people were murdered. It doesn''t matter if a Pok¨¦mon, or a myth, or anything did it. We need to put together an army. And destroy it! Now!"

    Surge had emphasized his words by pounding on the table Oak had his presentation with both fists. The man was so strong he had left indents.

    There was a strong amount of murmuring of agreement.

    "You may try. And you will fail," advised Toji quietly.

    Surge crossed his arms. "I''ve never lost a battle in over thirty years. The twerps who show up at my Gym win one time in three hundred and seven. What makes you think Ho-Oh will be any different?"

    "The Spirits represent aspects of our very existence. Of humanity''s connection to the physical world around us. They are the measures of our character as a species." explained the Elder of Takujimi Shrine.

    "Really?" Surge grinned widely. "Tell me old man, if this supposed God is so fair? Why did he just burn a town to the ground? How can it keep our world in balance?"

    "Has anyone noticed how much hotter it''s gotten since yesterday?" Toji sighed as the room realized his point, stroking his long white beard, resting his staff on the ground. "Summer will last longer, and until the Gods are placated. We will only continue to suffer."

    Cynthia rubbed her chin. "I understand why Pok¨¦mon that haven''t existed for centuries would come out to punish humanity. If, and only if we actually committed sins worthy of that. That begs the question, which sins?"

    Toji spoke. "I believe my student will be able to explain."

    All eyes turned to me.

    "Um."

    "Go on." I heard Ino whisper behind me.

    "My name is Nico, I''m from Takujimi Temple. This is hard to explain, but I saw Ho-Oh attacking a town through a vision."

    A few murmurs were spread but Oak spoke. "What vision?"

    "It was in a cave where I found this."

    I revealed part of Lugia''s wing.

    I handed it to the Professor, and Oak observed it. "I''ve studied Pok¨¦mon all my life, no Pok¨¦mon possesses a wing made of this material." he held it up to the light. "It''s not platinum, nor silver, nor any other kind of metal. Yet, a metal all the same."

    "No Pok¨¦mon would have it but Ho-Oh''s exact opposite. His water type counterpart." I said. "I was at the beach, and a spirit lead me to a shrine to Lugia."

    "Why not tell anyone the attack was going to happen?" challenged Surge instantly.

    I nodded. "I did, I told Oak something very dangerous was going to happen from Ho-Oh and to alert the Pok¨¦mon League. I knew nothing else except that it was going to happen soon and somewhere in Johto. I was wrong, and he made the right call in sending people to where Rockets were last spotted."

    Cynthia shook her head, putting her hands on her hips. "So you foretold the attack? Not impossible. But what about the reason for it?"

    "And why not say anything until now?" asked Oak.

    I thought of Rocket''s creation of Mewtwo.

    "Team Rocket was able to recompose Mew''s genetic matrix. They collected DNA samples from every Pok¨¦mon on Earth, to reconstruct Mew''s genes in a computer. Then they built a weapon."

    Surge spoke up first amidst the chatter. "What kind of weapon?"

    Sabrina, the Psychic type Gym leader, looked at me cautiously, oddly silent despite everyone around her being so vocal.

    "The kind so strong, that if it matures, it could probably reshape the planet as we know it." I admitted. "His name is Mewtwo, and it probably explains Team Rocket''s revival and success."

    There was some light chatter and Oak looked to me. "What makes you gather that?"

    "Ever wonder why Team Rocket was able to do so well? To make people and Pok¨¦mon disappear so easily? To hide in plain sight? It was something I realized when Ho-Oh attacked. Some Pok¨¦mon are so powerful, that their presence, their mind, can shape everyone''s thoughts, feelings, and knowledge around them."

    Oak scratched his chin. "That much we already knew. But you''re saying Mewtwo''s power is beyond that? Several factors above the abilities of the average psychic Pok¨¦mon."

    "That''s exactly what I''m saying. Team Rocket was able to design a Pok¨¦mon as powerful as Mew itself and if not, far stronger."

    "Then why doesn''t it break free of Rocket''s control? Think for itself? Act for itself?" asked Cynthia.

    "Because it doesn''t yet understand what freedom means," I said. "When I saw it in my vision, it was small, like a baby. It probably views Team Rocket like some sort of parental figure. And when kids grow up, they stop listening to their parents."

    I imagined the peril of Mewtwo going off on his own, and what that would mean.

    "They rebel."

    "A Pok¨¦mon of this caliber, is it possible to even exist? Can it be worthy of so much suffering to upset, as the monks say. Gods?" asked Oak. "Pok¨¦mon have indeed several unique and world altering qualities, but none I''ve found to such an extent."

    I agreed with his qualms. Until Ho-Oh, who only appeared ultra destructive, no one knew much about Pok¨¦mon''s mythos outside of old scrolls and legends.

    Eventually, after several Psychic Pok¨¦mon specialists discussed for a minute or two, they reached an agreement.

    Sabrina nodded silently, fixing the whip strapped to her waist from where she sat in the white briefing room.

    "Then we''re all in agreement," said Oak. "Everything the monks have said is true. And we should do what they advise next."

    "Hold on." Surge crossed his massive arms. "We don''t have to follow them for a thing. Their entire job is to make sure stuff like this never happens."

    Toji shook his head. "As Nico has explained, this new Pok¨¦mon lies well outside the capabilities of any. Detecting it and the suffering it has caused to draw the judgment of the gods. It is, impossible."

    "Organized crime around the world is at an all time high." said Surge in his gruff angry voice. "Mythical Pok¨¦mon have come back into existence after thousands of years of being shrouded in legend. And at any time, some rampaging fire bird God can kill our children, our friends, everything we know, and you''re saying it was impossible to stop? That we deserved it?"

    Toji just nodded.

    There was some arguing before Oak called for order.

    "Nico, you''ve seen these Pok¨¦mon through your visions," said Oak. "What would you advise?"

    "I have no idea where Mewtwo is. I don''t know how Team Rocket is using it exactly, or how abusive to Pok¨¦mon Mewtwo is letting them be. All I know is, they caused so much suffering, they perverted Mew''s image so well by their creation and use of Mewtwo. That it reflected this poorly on humanity as a whole."

    Toji nodded. "My student is correct. The gods aim to teach us all a lesson, our existence is a blessing. A harmony given to us by the spirits, that can be given as easily as it can be taken away."

    "Oh give me a break."

    A few took Surge''s side as he waved a hand. "This isn''t rocket science. We rally every Trainer strong enough to fix this, find this Psychic superweapon, set it free, or kill it if it wants to keep causing more harm. Then we find the Pok¨¦mon that burnt down Fuchsia City, and either capture or kill it."

    "Weren''t you paying attention?" asked Cynthia. "It was just proven it''s the reason why the sun functions normally."

    Surge sat back down with a sigh. "Ah. No sun in my book should murder thousands just because some lab rats butchered Mew''s power for their own gain."

    Oak looked at me. "Again, what are you-"

    "Why''re you listening to him? He''s like thirteen."

    "Fourteen." I said. "I think I-"

    "He has four Gym badges, the only person here who trained him at all were the monks." Surge interrupted again. "Sure he can see some spooky shit through the spirits or whatever. But it doesn''t solve our immediate problem. We have no defense against these kinds of Pok¨¦mon."

    "That isn''t the problem." said Cynthia. "We have to fix crime. We stop Team Rocket, and the Gods will be calm again."

    "These are false gods!" claimed Brawly, a Gym Leader from Hoenn. "We shouldn''t be burned alive because such a small fraction of us only abuse Pok¨¦mon for profit."

    "False gods?" asked someone else. "They just showed that these gods are real."

    "One vicious bird and some promises about visions don''t prove jack." Surge rubbed his eyes. "Sorry sweetheart."

    "I''m with him. This is all way too convenient," said Volkner respectfully. "Nico of Takujimi begins to climb the ranks of the Junior Pok¨¦mon League faster than anyone ever has, the entire time, bringing attention to the Sages, experts on myths, for the first time in centuries. Now, right after a massive Spirit attack, all of a sudden he''s supposed to be an expert on world affairs?"

    Agatha of the Elite Four scoffed. "Not world affairs, just the matters of spirits. I''m with them and I''ve raised Ghost Pok¨¦mon my whole life."

    Oak began to call for order soon after someone insulted Agatha under her breath causing an uproar.

    "Nico, ignore the arguments on both sides. Tell us what you want to do next to deal with this Mewtwo situation."

    I was a bit shocked.

    I doubted Oak had the ability to get everyone to help me. But from what I understood, he would fully take my advice.

    I also got why he did it, no one in the room could agree on anything.

    "I think I need to train. I need to raise my resiliency and capacity with my visions until I can locate Mewtwo himself. Then we can at least stop Team Rocket from drawing so much blame for us from the Gods."

    "Gods." scoffed Surge. "They''re Pok¨¦mon like any other. Just more powerful and angrier, what''s the big deal?"

    Agatha thwacked him over the back of the head with her cane. "By Mew! Let the boy speak."

    "Why you ratchety hag!-"

    When Surge stood up, Gengar appeared out of the white floor of the briefing room. Despite the sight, Surge didn''t back down.

    Instantly, his Pok¨¦mon appeared, ready to fight.

    Raichu, resting silently at Surge''s feet this whole time curled up in a ball, burst between them, electricity sparkling within his cheeks as he growled. In a fighting stance, tail curled up high.

    "Enough of this!" demanded Oak.

    "You and this witch are working together for once." Surge balled his fists. "I just can''t figure out why yet. This kid shouldn''t have a say in anything! I''m putting together a group of my own to deal with this! And you can''t stop me!"

    "He can! And he should."

    Everyone in the room froze.

    Blue was being wheeled in on a wheelchair drawn by a Chansey.

    The state of a World Champion was enough to make everyone calm down. Most of Blue''s body was bandaged from all the burns, a decent bit of his face still covered from soot. I doubt the doctors were able to get it off given that Ho-Oh''s fire magic was so strong that regular water had no effect.

    "B-Blue, you should be-"

    "That wing you''re holding Gramps," he interrupted him calmly. "I saw Nico do something with it."

    I shook my head slowly. "Look you don''t have to say anything."

    "You''re too modest for your own good," said Blue. "I''m sure you''re all wondering why Janine couldn''t be here."

    That wasn''t on my mind until now, but she was one of three Gym leaders unable to attend.

    "Koga has passed. They found his body buried close to where I was battling Ho-Oh. I thought he was catching his breath or saving his town halfway through the battle but, I was wrong. Janine is grieving, she left the hospital at four in the morning." announced Blue.

    There was silence.

    Cynthia was curious. "Blue. You said Nico did something with that wing. Tell me what it was."

    "He did some sort of spell with the feather. Ho-Oh was going to douse me in fire, my entire team was down, Leaf was injured and had needed a second to jump back in the fight. Nico ran up to it, stood right in front of that thing with nothing but a piece of silver in his hand, and stopped the fire. Then he put out the flames all over the whole town by enchanting the water."

    "How?" asked Surge.

    "Barrier," explained Blue. "I don''t know how he did it, but the flames didn''t touch us."

    Oak looked down at the Silver Wing in his hand, now understanding what it meant, handing it back to me.

    "Did you know you could do that?" asked Ino.

    I shook my head. "All I knew was that if I didn''t act, Blue was going to die, I knew the Wing was special too."

    "Great instincts." admitted a Gym Leader from Kalos.

    Oak then spoke. "Then it''s decided. Nico will choose, if you said you wanted to train. I will make the arrangements for you to train wherever you choose until this is resolved."

    Everyone agreed, Surge and the semi faction that had formed through all of this merely stayed quiet or looked disapproving but silent.

    I made eye contact with Sabrina. "Would you be able to help me with my visions?"

    "Not yours. Yours have a psychic element to them, but lie beyond my abilities," she said in a soft, ethereal, yet somehow striking voice. "This new kind of Pok¨¦mon, the mythical or legendary kind, the kind you seek. It''s not something I would know how to connect to or understand."

    I began to turn away from her but she spoke.

    "You''re always welcome in Saffron City, our doors are open for any advice you might need."

    After Clair, I think I had enough of sexy older Gym Leader girls trying to sway me to their side thank you very much. Granted I don''t think Sabrina meant it as a flirt, given the severity of the situation.

    "Then, who would help me?"

    "What about your teachers?" offered Oak.

    Ino shook his head. "I''m no expert on the spirits, despite how much I''ve studied them."

    "The precise training Nico is looking for is Aura training." said Toji. "It''s something that no one can really master within just a few years. And it''s not something I can teach to Nico right away."

    "Well why not?" asked one of Misty''s sisters.

    "With the right control of Aura, as shown with how Nico saved Blue''s life," explained Elder Toji. "One can become more powerful than anyone else alive. The things that they''d be capable of are, well. Limitless. It''s too much for anyone to have knowledge of, even Nico."

    "Don''t think we have much of a choice in the matter. He''s the only one who can see stuff like this coming," admitted Elesa, of Nimbasa City.

    Oak asked Toji directly. "You''re refusing to teach your own student this? Even with the consequences being as disastrous as Ho-Oh just proved?"

    "You forget," muttered Toji. "It was straying from Mew''s teachings of patience, virtue, honesty, and humility that led humanity down this path in the first place. Nico is talented, and kind, and as he has shown, able to risk his life for others. But he is still young, teaching the use of Aura is restricted to those who have committed decades of their lives to the Sprout Order."

    The outcry over this was massive.

    "Master," Ino whispered.

    "Every Sage you''ll meet will agree with me on this. Even if I taught Nico everything I knew about Aura it would undermine its purpose. You are not taught the lessons of the spirits for power, even to defend others. You do it for its own sake."

    "Then you''re a shittier teacher than I initially expected," Surge muttered, standing up.

    "Where are you going?" asked Clair.

    "To find Team Rocket and this freakshow they have locked up spreading enough chaos to bring the spirits back. I have only two words for how people who mess things up that badly deserve mercy."

    He balled his fists as he began to leave the room. "Fuck. That." he grunted out.

    People began to follow him.

    Volkner. A few other Gym leaders, mayors, and a governor or two followed him as well.

    Chuck, a beefy but good natured Gym Leader from Cianwood City began to laugh, surprising everyone throughout all this.

    He slapped his knee as he chuckled loudly. "I know who you should train with!"

    I was confused. "You do?"

    "Sure, me!"

    "You?"

    "I don''t know anything about the spirits. But I know you love karate! So long as Oak gets the paperwork to prove it, I can help you get back in touch with yourself. Then, I''m sure you could get the right visions to find that Mewtwo. And er, save the world and what have you."

    Oak sighed. "I don''t think that-"

    "Let me think about it." I smiled lightly.

    "Really? Awesome kid, let me know."

    "Are you sure you want to train with Leader Chuck?" asked Oak.

    I nodded silently. "I''ll have to think about it for a bit, but I''ll let you both know."

    "Very well it''s settled. We''ll be on our highest alert for signs of Team Rocket and their experiment on Mew," I began to stand up, and Oak spoke. "Meeting adjourned. If you need more information about Cianwood or anything else, I can help you Nico."

    "Thanks, Professor."

    I wanted to thank Blue for what he did, but he had a question.

    Blue knew the Silver Wing still offered the only real method of countering Ho-Oh. "They''ve been unable to clean my face. Think you could-"

    "Definitely," I said instantly, smiling.

    I don''t know why, but I had the feeling Blue and I were going to always be friends after what I went through today.

    I still wanted to be friends with his students though. I think I''d reach out to them after I found a good way to find Mewtwo.

    ¡­

    That night when I slept in the Pok¨¦mon center, I woke up and was still asleep, clearly still in my bedroom.

    "Hello?"

    A pair of red eyes were staring back at me. An Umbreon was sitting on Inoru''s bed.

    "Hello," Umbreon spoke in my mind, blinking at me. "You seek a Master, a Sensei for your karate and your Aura right?"

    A Pok¨¦mon spirit appearing in a vivid dream was nothing new to me. The only surprising part was meeting an Umbreon for the first time.

    "For sure, I have no idea how to find Mewtwo or stop Team Rocket. Or bring balance again to stop Ho-Oh and the other Legendaries from being so angry again."

    Umbreon nodded. "I do know someone, someone who has fully mastered Aura and would be willing to teach you."

    "Mastered Aura? But like, that''s impossible. Elder Toji is the only master of Aura in the world, and he''s like a million years old."

    "Never doubt the impossible Nico," Umbreon said in my mind with a smooth, masculine voice similar to the Espeon I was used to. "After today, you shouldn''t."

    Right.

    "If you''re interested, go to Mount Li-Yan, it''s near a village just a few miles west of Olivine City towards Hoenn."

    "But what''s there- Hey, wait!"

    I woke up again, this time, I knew I was back in the real world and not the spirit type version of it as Inoru was in his bed asleep and there was a digital clock.

    I ran to the wall the Umbreon had phased through.

    The window was facing west from here in Goldenrod City. That meant, the Umbreon spirit was someone''s Pok¨¦mon. Or at least, another spirit guardian with some sort of connection to a real mountain, same way Espeon had a connection in the past too.

    I mumbled quietly beneath my breath. "Mount Li-Yan, is that even real?"

    Espeon spoke in my mind. ''It is, just. Be careful.''

    "Be careful? So it is real?"

    No response. Man, these spirits were annoying sometimes.

    If there was something I needed right now, it was Aura training. People had died, I needed to act.

    And despite all their flaws, spirits never lied.

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

 The Ancient Way

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    Chapter Twenty Two: The Ancient Way

    ¡­

    The first thing I decided to do was pen a letter to Inoru.

    He had been an excellent trainer until now, but everything I knew told me I would have to seek the Umbreon on my own. Spirits led you to your destiny, that much was certain.

    And whoever or whatever lied upon that mountain would have to be my teacher, at least for now. I would have to, for now, step aside from my learnings under the monks of Takujimi and the Sprout Order.

    The following morning, I left the hotel room I was staying in with Ino and the letter explaining my journey to master Aura. He obviously knew the importance of my mission, and if that was the case, he and Toji should be willing to accept my judgment.

    ¡­

    It was quick ride by the international high speed rail system to go from Goldenrod to Olivine, it only took about three hours.

    When I reached Olivine, I decided to message Professor Oak and Chuck, letting them know I''d find an alternate teacher in the meantime before I sought knowledge from them to detect Mewtwo.

    I began to hike west from Olivine with little more than a backpack, some Pok¨¦mon items like one I''d bought from a Goldenrod''s Department store, my walking staff, and followed by Vigoroth and Growlithe.

    Growlithe was good at spotting Pok¨¦mon tracks in case any wild Pok¨¦mon were nearby, and although he could more than hold his own in a battle. Vigoroth was the one I needed to scare or fight them away.

    Oddly, the air in the forests was¡­calm.

    Pidgeys twittered in the air, fluttering from branches to branches. The sunlight softly filtered through the expansive forest roof, the air was light and dry, even as hot as it was, I didn''t feel it too much as hiked westward.

    I felt like I was being watched.

    After walking for a bit, I realized I was being followed by a Spinarak. A small bug Pok¨¦mon.

    My Pok¨¦dex feature told me it was female and about as old as the rest of my team. A perfect fit, at least, it was worth catching.

    As soon as I began to draw closer, the Spinarak shrunk into the shade of a tree, and soon completely disappeared from sight when I approached.

    Shame.

    After about half a day''s journey worth of traveling, I found Li-Yan.

    Most mountains west of Johto didn''t have a name, but I talked to a few villagers who knew the area in a town I found a couple miles north just in case.

    Li-Yan was an older name for a mountain people avoided pretty much at all costs. It was well out of the way from the few trade and travel routes, the Pok¨¦mon there weren''t vicious, but it was just eerie. There was just no reason for going near it other than being seriously creeped out.

    And I got why.

    When I approached, the degree of silence and fear set in. I could tell there wasn''t one Pok¨¦mon at all, but if there was its¡­signature, was muted.

    Growlithe couldn''t spot any Pok¨¦mon tracks of any kind, and there weren''t any Spinarak nor Pidgey nests at all in sight. It was all just so quiet, and oddly a bit dark despite how much sunlight there was from Ho-Oh''s remergence.

    I had no signal at all with my Gear, other than general directions and a small compass I brought, I was utterly lost.

    The mountain was difficult to see at all, I couldn''t spot it from a distance, and the forest was so thick and expansive that it was difficult to tell where to go.

    Around the campfire that night, Growlithe whined, curling up next to me.

    I rubbed his head. "I know buddy, I''ll figure it out soon."

    At least I hoped I did.

    Until now, I could rely on the general density of Pok¨¦mon activity for where the mountain was. Spinaraks, Sentrets, and Pidgeys were in the active zone just west of Olivine.

    I was in what was called a huge ''dead zone'' my initial location for where I thought Li-Yan was, and it was actually four and a half hours south in terms of hiking. I circled it in red on my map.

    I would assume towards the dead center of the circle the mountain would lie, but there was nothing to indicate that. The mountain was supposed to be huge, like any, but the sheer amount of forest here was nothing except a vast ocean of trees.

    The problem with being in a completely empty zone is that I had no spiritual signals to lock onto. In mostly populated areas of Johto, when I meditated or even just walked around, I could feel how alive everything around me was.

    At least in terms of people and Pok¨¦mon.

    Here, there was nothing, nothing but trees in all directions.

    I thought I was completely lost until I realized something.

    Umbreon and Espeon were Pok¨¦mon that were highly adept at viewing and understanding Aura, at least in Espeon''s case. Aura was linked to one''s spirit, and therefore their emotions.

    If I could create emotions powerful enough, maybe I could send up some sort of Aura flare for the Umbreon to find me again. I doubt it had been following me all the way from Goldenrod City.

    ¡­

    Throughout my dreams, I felt anguish.

    That of barely saving Blue''s life. The plight of Kanto and the entirety of humanity at the mercy of the Spirits, with an entire town blazed to nothing in the course of an afternoon.

    It was there, that Umbreon found me.

    I woke up, at just around sunrise, and I realized my plan had worked.

    Umbreon was able to locate my spiritual signature with how focused and concentrated on my emotions I became. I went with sadness because it genuinely was the truest emotion I felt.

    Kanto was in shambles, other than Surge''s escapade to bring Rocket and Ho-Oh down with whatever he could scrounge up, everyone was relying on me, a fourteen year old kid to find answers to whatever the hell was going on.

    Mewtwo. Ho-Oh, whatever.

    Umbreon silently led me a bit deeper into the forest, south east ward according to my compass, and I arrived at the foot of the mountain.

    It was there that I began to ascend, far less than the thirty thousand steps to Takujimi, rather more like three hundred.

    Umbreon disappeared out of sight when I began to view what was a monastery hidden well out of sight.

    It wasn''t exactly a monastery, rather a. It was hard to describe.

    Only through my deep understanding of martial arts in my prior life, did I understand what I was looking at. I found it odd how civilizations modeled themselves after another, much how Johto and Kanto looked very similar to real life Japan.

    This enclave of monks appeared to resemble a Kwan, or rather a traditional Korean dojang, that lived in the mountains of Southern Korea where Tang Soo Do, Taekwondo and Korean karate was born.

    There were a few kids training in the carved stone amphitheater below, none of them paid any attention to me when I arrived walking down the steps from the forest entrance to the Kwan below.

    Nothing about these kids was particularly notable. Except how young they were and the traditional karategis they were wearing.

    In fact, what interested me more was their teacher.

    "Silver?"

    He hadn''t changed much from the last time I saw him, and I had only seen him last at SlowPok¨¦ well.

    He was wearing a white Gi with black outlines and black karate pants, a small golden badge likely signifying he was the main assistant instructor.

    "Stop. Attention."

    The kids stopped practicing their strikes and sweeps, they looked forward and their hands snapped to their sides.

    Silver looked at me up and down. "Haven''t seen you in a minute. What brings you here?"

    "A uh, Umbreon spirit led me here. I''m pretty sure I''m supposed to start learning from this place."

    "This place isn''t for you." muttered Silver. "You''re too much of a goody two shoes to learn from Master Yan."

    "Yan? I''m pretty sure he sent me."

    "Doubtful."

    "Like I said, it was an Umbreon-"

    "He must''ve made a mistake."

    I raised an eyebrow. "Can I talk to him or? Are you just going to be sneering at me all day?"

    I could tell Silver''s class of kids looked extremely interested in what I had to say. But he barked at them, they bowed, and dispersed.

    "Let''s, get this over with." Silver rolled his hair.

    I began to follow Silver who appeared to begrudgingly lead me towards the simple, but admittedly traditional buildings that weren''t too far off from the monasteries I was used to at Takujimi and Violet City.

    "So wait, you''re a monk?" I could see older classes of students training in the background behind Silver.

    "Not a monk," scoffed Silver. "Those who wish to train with Master Yan must obey his teachings. But only a few must actually adapt to training as a monk."

    "So then who were those kids I just saw back there?"

    "They were like me once. Either lucky enough to be born into the right family, or members of our dojo found them to be talented enough to learn. Some stay, others are brought in under special circumstances."

    Made sense, it was almost impossible to find this place.

    Two monks wearing darker robes than the ones I was used to, were standing guard near the front entrance by the main, three story tower bowed when we entered. I nodded back to them.

    ¡­

    I walked into a small courtyard complete with a pond and tree hanging above it where an old man was sitting.

    Next to him, an Umbreon appeared to be sleeping on a rock.

    "Master Yan?"

    "This must be important for you to interrupt my studies." he said in a calm voice.

    "A traveler has come to learn from you."

    His studies consisted of a few old manuscripts, nothing like what I''d ever read in my whole life. Not even the few restricted scrolls I''d snuck a tiny look at in the libraries of my old temples weren''t this¡­old school.

    He turned around, he was old. About as old as both Toji and Master Li from Sprout Tower, but rather a bit younger. His clothes were jet black, unlike the brown and occasional green and white robes the other monks tended to wear. He had a red mountain stitched into his robes.

    Instantly, I could just understand the degree of power he held.

    When he turned to look at us, the air appeared to shift. As if everything was calm when he was reading, to attentive when he saw me.

    "You, you two know each other." he glanced between myself and Silver.

    I nodded. "We''ve met."

    Silver appeared to judge me for this.

    "How did this meeting happen?" asked Yan.

    "I was attempting to free SlowPok¨¦ from Team Rocket, they''re, evil. I don''t know if you''ve heard of them. Silver appeared and tried to fight me."

    Yan stroked his long white beard.

    He wanted to explain. "Well I was trying to-"

    "I wasn''t asking you." interrupted Yan. "I was asking our guest."

    "We battled each other with Pok¨¦mon. I barely managed to win, and I was left with the impression he was a criminal. Except not one in league with Rocket itself."

    Yan rubbed his chin, glancing at me. The man had dark eyes, and a very threatening gaze, but he ultimately looked harmless.

    "You seem to have a question in mind."

    I looked around the tranquil garden Yan was reading in. "I have several actually, but my main one is this."

    I looked at Yan up and down with a shrug. "I thought Silver was from an orphanage. How could he have studied under you?"

    "His orphanage was broken up when he was seven."

    I was confused. "Broken up?"

    "Silver''s father was an evil man, unfortunately, I never met him. But I knew of his power, of his anger. He was trying to find Silver, and students of mine operating in the city he was raised in saved him and brought him here."

    I kept listening.

    "Silver reached a part of his training where he was ready to begin learning how to raise Pok¨¦mon. I sent him to find his own, and he stole one from someone else."

    "That was Team Rocket, I-"

    "Silence!"

    I resisted the urge to laugh, the old man looked ready to slap Silver.

    Yan seemed to take a deep breath, squinting at me thoughtfully.

    "You¡­you have the Great Spirits following you."

    Silver perked up, no longer ashamed, now interested.

    "Come with me."

    ¡­

    He led me, alone, towards the back entrance of the monastery, and through the wilderness a bit.

    "Your name is Yan, why''s that? That''s part of the mountain''s name."

    "I''m afraid I can''t tell you that yet," Yan mentioned.

    I followed him through the stone steps until we reached the bank of a large lake, almost an ocean. It was beautiful, it must''ve been a huge body of water connected to all the ocean south of Johto, just far to its west.

    "How could, how could a place like this not be known? How could your school be so secretive?" the hidden beauty of his monastery was unlike anything I''d ever seen.

    It was shocking, even after creating a split in a river of Ho-Oh fire to save a world Pok¨¦mon champion''s life.

    "Anything is possible through Aura."

    I looked at him, and one moment he was standing here, and another he basically appeared somewhere else.

    "You can disappear from sight. Cast your voice for a thousand miles. Move faster, strike harder, and become stronger than any man alive, and be like a shadow all the same." explained Yan. "With Aura, it is possible to do almost anything."

    Yan chuckled.

    "You can even move across dimensions."

    "Wait, you know-"

    "I know everything about you, Nico."

    Yan explained, Umbreon appeared out of the shade from the trees hanging over the river bank.

    "My familiar told me someone had managed to win four Gym badges in the Pok¨¦mon league in their first year of training. They''d earned the ability to represent the Sprout Tower in competition. And recently, I learned you had saved Blue''s life. You became able to channel the great spirit Lugia with nothing more than a feather and your wits."

    "But how-"

    I froze, shocked to my core.

    Yan reached out, and the metal feather within my clothes floated to his hand.

    He admired the Silver Wing, chuckling as he looked it over.

    "How did you do that?" I asked, breathless.

    Yan chuckled. "As I''ve said, with Aura anything is possible."

    "Then how come the monks never taught me how to use it?"

    "Toji." Yan shook his head. "He was never the best student."

    "You knew Elder Toji?"

    "I have something else to show you."

    ¡­

    Within the tower, he took me to a room with a full tatami mat.

    There were shrines to Mew, medals, trophies, and shockingly.

    A picture, a picture in black and white.

    A picture of three boys kneeling in seiza in front of a man sitting on a cushion. It took me a second, but I was able to recognize all three of them.

    Toji, Li, and Yan were all sitting together facing the camera with whoever their old teacher was. The man who had sent me on my journey had a classmate completely omitted from every part of my school''s history.

    The other pictures were equally as shocking.

    In the early days of the Pok¨¦mon League, Giovanni was battling Professor Oak, the two boys likely in their mid to late teens across a massive arena in what I gathered what either Viridian City or Goldenrod''s main stadium.

    "You, you lied to Silver."

    "I''m sorry?"

    I turned to Yan. "You know who Silver''s father is. It''s Giovanni isn''t it?"

    "Another old student of mine, yes, and how do you know who Giovanni is?"

    "Um¡­I found out through-"

    "You''re not from this dimension Nico. That''s why you''re so powerful. It''s why the spirits can follow you so well, why I know an Espeon is following you around. Your appearance combined with the emergence of Ho-Oh was no coincidence, which is why I sent Umbreon to find you. It was time to begin your training."

    "What kind of training, tell me exactly?"

    Yan moved past some candles, muttering. "Long before humanity developed the tools and technology to master Pok¨¦mon, they lived in competition with them to survive."

    I listened.

    "They had no weapons, no Pok¨¦balls, no swords, no armor. Humans and Pok¨¦mon weren''t always friends, in fact, Pok¨¦mon could''ve destroyed humanity."

    "I know, Mew saved them."

    "No, I''m talking about before that. Far, far before that."

    My eyes widened.

    "The only tool humanity had was their bare hands, and Aura. To defend themselves from the elements, plague, famine, and of course Pok¨¦mon. These teachings have been kept from you Nico, from the world, every Elder in every temple on this planet knows this secret. And these teachings are how to master Aura."

    Yan spoke. "Have you studied Biology?"

    In my prior life but yes. I nodded.

    "Anything that is alive, be it a plant, a Pok¨¦mon, a person. A tree, anything. Anything has Aura, it is the vital signature of life, not a purely spiritual connection. You can draw from this power, move objects that contain it, channel it, and transfer it. Do almost anything with it."

    I replied, calmly, almost begging. "Can I learn this power?"

    "Not from your old Masters Nico." Yan muttered. "You want to learn the ways of Aura? You wish to become a Pok¨¦mon master? It starts with one thing alone. You must abandon almost everything you''ve learned until now. And swear to me, swear to me you''ll do as I say."

    I knelt on the tatami before him, in seiza, and I touched my forehead to the floor.

    "I swear I''ll learn from you, Elder Yan."

    "Rise Nico, your training begins this afternoon."

    ¡­

    In the days that followed, I learned a very different, albeit admittedly similar version to what Elder Toji taught me upon Mount Takujimi.

    All of humanity existed in the present of spirits. Pok¨¦mon weren''t just animals, but were like us, except that the spirits gave them superior and extraordinary abilities.

    There was a method and a philosophy behind just why Pok¨¦mon battled, why they existed, what our duty was to train them. Toji taught me were had to be humble, we were blessed that Pok¨¦mon obeyed, that they lived in harmony with us.

    That our world prospered so much in their presence, because of Pok¨¦mon like Mew to begin with.

    What Yan taught me little by little, was that humanity at one point wasn''t so different in power and ability from Pok¨¦mon themselves.

    He revealed this to me by having me observe matches between Pok¨¦mon like a wild Darmanitan captured from afar brought into spar with one of Yan''s decently experienced fighters.

    What followed would forever change me.

    Yan''s monk was able to defeat the wild Pok¨¦mon. With strikes, the man, only in his thirties, was moving with the speed, power, and skill of a mid-level fighting Pok¨¦mon. Moreover, the monk was able to unleash attacks similar to those I''d seen Lucario use.

    Such as Aura Sphere.

    It dealt the finishing blow.

    A few of the students watching flinched, Yan''s student stepped forward and struck the Darmanitan''s leg. His hand flashed blue for a second, it was clear he had punished the Pok¨¦mon for losing.

    As I watched Silver mutter something to the younger kids observing nearby from stone benches, I spoke to Yan.

    "Why did he attack him again? His opponent was disabled."

    "It''s a lesson repeated through generations. Defeat leads to destruction, humanity was not powerful enough to stop Giratina. We had to rely on Mew''s salvation."

    Yan walked with me on the nearby ridges near trimmed hedges and bonsai, his beard waving slightly as he walked. "We can be grateful yes. Or we can ensure we never need to rely on the spirits for anything ever again."

    I was surprised. "But the spirits govern almost every aspect of our existence. The earth, sun, moon, time, space, we-"

    "Society may not ever find a way to control things like the flow of time. But with Aura, there are ways that even threats like Giratina and Ho-Oh, would never affect us the way they did before."

    I looked at Yan, slightly confused, but still trying to process the lesson.

    "You mentioned this special Pok¨¦mon, the one designed to destroy and control anything it can. With the right training, you can not only locate this Pok¨¦mon. But challenge it directly."

    Fight Mewtwo, the Mewtwo in a one-on-one? Not yet, I doubted I ever could actually.

    "How did Giovanni end up running off to become the leader of Team Rocket? Could he use Aura as well?"

    "Giovanni was talented, very talented actually. But he never had the ability to manipulate Aura himself. It was something he passed on to his son too."

    Right. I hadn''t seen Silver able to do anything like that yet, even with how skilled his Bayleef was.

    "You raised him then? Trained him from youth the same way you raised Silver?"

    "No, Giovanni had his own home, even if it was a trouble one. Students with their own parents and homestead travel by boat to nearby villages where their parents drop them off for daily classes."

    I was curious, walking by a class practicing their forms as I followed Yan. "Drop them off? Wait, like a daycare?"

    "Consider it a school of several sorts, for almost all ages. Families have visited Li-Yan since the foundation of Mount Coronet''s school."

    He turned to me slightly, leading me around the elegant and ancient monastery. "Have you heard of Mount Coronet''s protector?"

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    "Vaguely. It''s an Umbreon isn''t it?"

    "Yes. The same way schools like Mount Takujimi formed with Espeon as their emblem, their sigil and spiritual figure. Other dojos sought Umbreon."

    "Well why''s that? I get Umbreon are only slightly less rare than Espeon in most cases, but still."

    Yan smiled a bit, the students nearby kiai''d when they practiced their strikes in unison, in long lines of six for a class of two dozen on a large stone floor.

    "Espeon and Umbreon have extremely similar abilities. Only that Umbreon cannot manipulate minds through the same methods Espeon can."

    I listened quietly.

    "You see, while Espeon can only be evolved through only the most intense, trusted, and spiritual of bonds between any Eevee and their trainer. The same must be said by Umbreon, only their birth is at nighttime, not the daytime like Espeon''s."

    "Right." I said.

    Yan turned, stopping underneath the shade of a hanging tree. "This is not merely coincidental, Umbreon''s bond is built on fears and anger, anguish and strife. Not love nor passion, the emotions Espeon feed off of to bond with their trainer while still an Eevee."

    I nodded. I didn''t think this meant Umbreons were evil, there was no such thing as a bad student, only a bad teacher.

    "Where there is light, there will always be dark. Umbreon admits the truths we lie to ourselves constantly in. The apathy towards the hopeless, a carelessness and vanity that led to the creation of Rocket in the first place. Umbreon admits these faults, they see the darkness within us. And they''re not afraid of it."

    That was actually¡­beautiful now that I thought about it.

    Yan smiled, looking around the monastery. "The secrets of Aura, behind the spirits. I can teach you all of these things. And if you''re patient enough, there is something else I can teach you."

    "What is that?"

    "To follow the steps necessary to raise the spirit that follows you constantly. Espeon."

    I don''t think the old man could see Espeon following me, I realized it was something else.

    Umbreon told him. Yan''s Umbreon.

    ¡­

    As the weeks progressed, I became infatuated with everything Yan taught me.

    I was his personal student, something that instantly arose the jealousy and eye of Silver and many around him. Yan''s assistant instructors shut down any talk that this was special treatment, instead stressing this was to help the situation of the world around us with Ho-Oh''s attack.

    It became a well known secret that I carried Lugia''s feather, a symbol and conduit for the power of Ho-Oh''s opposite.

    I learned a lot about opposites. How everything had an opposite, Ho-Oh reflected the sun, while Lugia reflect humanity''s connection to the moon.

    We ate pork and beef within the temple, at least, their farm raised equivalents. I wasn''t sure monks were supposed to eat anything with their rice, at first I was hesitant, but then I grew to love it.

    And realized why. Muscle building wasn''t crucial, but it was viewed as a necessary part of training like any other within Li-Yan.

    Ho-Oh was the reason why the sun shined, giving life to the entire planet. Why the waves moved, why so much of life was kept in harmony, was because of Lugia. And for some reason, one that no one really knew, not even me, Lugia''s blessing had saved many lives.

    My life, Blue''s life, and with the results of the battle against Ho-Oh, several thousands with the glowing white waves and stopped what would''ve been the most unstoppable wildfire in world history.

    Unlike Elder Toji, Yan hid barely any secrets from me.

    There was no restricted section to the library. Any techniques were allowed during sparring, victory was paramount above honor, friendship, anything else. This was showed in training, and everyone was tougher and better fighters for it.

    It was a philosophy harsher than anything I was used to, but I felt myself become better for it. Far better.

    My Pok¨¦mon didn''t understand nor like the change at first, but I felt them grow. I wasn''t able to fight Vigoroth just yet, but from what I learned and taught to them, they understood and Vigoroth would be able.

    Ursaring''s sheer physical strength was able to increase tremendously, and Growlithe became fiercer and larger.

    In just a month, Growlithe''s flames were strong enough to resemble slightly weaker Flamethrowers and my pup was now maturing well into the largest physical stage it would ever be. This, I found out through my studies, meant that it was likely that Growlithe was reaching the comparative levels of the late 40s and early 50s in the video games where Growlithes typically evolved without damaging their potential growth.

    I didn''t want to use the Firestone just yet, I preferred to wait and see just how it worked out later.

    Regardless, I was in the best physical, mental, and spiritual state I had ever been.

    I hadn''t been able to pinpoint Mewtwo''s location even during my dreams. Just to understand how he felt, what he was up to, and his pain. Which should''ve been quite powerful, but I found nothing.

    From Lugia''s slumber however, I could feel it snoring from the Whirl Islands.

    The Great Moon Spirit, able to control the weather with just its wings, was sleeping. I couldn''t exactly see where, but I could feel its presence.

    Not just from the Silver Wing, but in my mind. I meditated peacefully, after hours of concentration, able to feel every breath the Great Spirit took.

    With every breath, I could feel the water around the pond I sat in move, my eyes still closed. Every inhalation, the water rippled towards me, and every exhalation, it rippled out.

    I tried matching Lugia''s breathing itself, timing my breath to how Lugia breathed. The effect on the water was stronger, I could feel it from where I sat amongst the carved stones.

    When I opened my eyes, I reached out.

    I barely felt the Silver Wing glow in my chest, just by reaching out, I could feel how the water flowed in my palm, as if it was a part of me.

    The water in the pond formed a ball, as if I was able to carve and control it with my bare hand. And the ball floated upwards, dripping slightly.

    I released it, then bowing to Lugia.

    "Thank you, for giving me this gift."

    ¡­

    I was walking towards a lesson with Master Yan when I saw someone else walking up ahead through the path made of stone tablets.

    It was Silver and another Initiate in Yan''s order.

    All three of us were in our GIs, Silver wore a black belt, and his buddy a few year less experienced than me wore a brown belt. Like in traditional Shotokan karate, at least, the most traditional kind possible, there were no colors for the belts.

    Everyone wore white as a Novice for their first few years of training, and then when becoming brown and preparing to take a test to become an Initiate after three or four year, and black belts were awarded to those who had passed Yan''s test.

    "So, off to another lesson you never earned eh?"

    I ignored Silver''s buddy chuckling, trying to ignore them.

    Silver stopped me, standing in my direct path.

    "Trust me Nico, this isn''t the place for you."

    "My acceptance into your clan here says otherwise."

    Silver snorted. "I voted against it."

    "Because you''re jealous man, leave me alone."

    "What''s there to be jealous of?" Silver spoke up calmly. "Where are all your friends?"

    "What?"

    He crossed his arms. "Gold, Inoru, even that ditzy girl Crystal. They''re not here with you anymore."

    "And what''s your point?"

    "My guess is they didn''t want to spend time with you. No one likes you Nico, at least not here."

    "If you''re just gonna childlessly insult me Silver, no point in-"

    Silver looked at me angrily. "I said you don''t belong here! You didn''t earn your spot, that mess at Fuchsia City was a fluke. You have no connection to Master Yan''s teachings, nor the spirits."

    "Have more of one than you."

    Silver raised an eyebrow. "What did you say?"

    "I said you''re jealous of me. Jealous I''m skilled enough to draw Yan''s personal teachings, because he doesn''t want to bother with you anymore. I''m off learning how to save the world because I earned it dude. Go teach kata to a bunch of little kids."

    Silver balled his fists. "You. Me. Sundown, we finish this. Bayleef versus any one of your three Pok¨¦mon. Or we battle ourselves. I don''t care how, but we do this."

    Why bother?

    How would Elder Toji react? That used to be how I used to ask this question like when I met Mikey in that village at the bottom of Takujimi.

    I hated this guy. He''d been nothing but rude and obnoxious since the day I met him. He was willing to overlook the murder and mutilation of innocent Pok¨¦mon just for his personal gain, and now he was insulting my journey to try to save the goddamn planet. Just because he was jealous.

    You know what?

    Fuck that.

    With a single breath inward, I was able to sense all of the water in Silver''s body thanks to my training. Quite a lot of it, most of the human body was water.

    In a single blow, Silver went flying off of his feet as if he was stuck by a cannonball. The moment my fist made contact with his chest, I sent every bit of water I could sense, in the same direction as my strike.

    The reverse punch to the midsection, or right cross to the body.

    His friend stepped aside, speechless as Silver groaned on the ground, crumpled after hitting a tree.

    "I''d be jealous in your shoes too. But that''s not my fault, I told you to leave me alone."

    I walked over towards him as he struggled to get up. I gripped his uniform by both lapels and socked him in the nose with my forehead.

    Then I ripped off the golden badge Silver wore on his chest, keeping the metal pin for myself.

    ¡­

    I walked into Yan''s garden, who was reading scrolls. He was always reading, I never saw him away from a manuscript unless he was teaching or meditating.

    "You attacked my top student."

    I was surprised. "That was almost two minutes ago. How''d you know?"

    Umbreon slipped into sight from the shadows of the rectangular shaped brick walls of the back patio. "I see everything that goes on here."

    True. There was nothing Umbreon''s red eyes couldn''t see. A bit creepy, but I had no real need for privacy on this mountain any more.

    "You''re a bit early for today''s lesson." muttered Yan.

    "I had something to ask."

    "Questions aren''t patronizingly shunned here boy, ask away."

    I nodded. "I know. But this one''s a bit personal."

    "Hm." Yan waved a hand, going back to his scroll.

    "Elder Li of Sprout Tower. He''s your brother isn''t he?"

    Yan froze, looking back at me. "Where did you gather that?"

    "Your names, the name of this mountain, the line of work you''re both in. Logically, I gathered the two of you were brothers."

    Yan nodded slowly, as if thinking it over.

    "Who was your teacher?" I asked quietly.

    "Our father," admitted Yan. "We were trained together in Takujimi many years ago. Toji was the only boy of our class able to hold our level of talent for both the martial arts and the spirits. So he taught the three of us personally."

    "So every monk I knew back home, they were just as skilled as the ones I met here. Able to battle far more than just Bellsprout, and do some kata and archery?"

    "He lied to you and kept you weak." Yan looked at me, turning around on his chair. "Toji didn''t want to swallow his pride and admit the Sprout Order would hold you back. That your powers are far too great to spend hiding away in a mountain studying everything just the way he wanted to, or chipping away at the Pok¨¦mon League."

    "What''s wrong with the Pok¨¦mon League?"

    "Nothing. Considering the greatest Pok¨¦mon champion of all time disappeared without a trace, following in his footsteps wouldn''t be the most worthwhile endeavor."

    He had a point but Red was. That was- Anyway.

    "Are you mad about Silver?"

    Yan merely shrugged. "He challenged you. You defeated him. Now, even though you lack his experience, you can teach classes in your own time outside of our studies the way you see fit."

    "But, I''m just a white belt. I just took this badge because I hated seeing him wear it."

    He chuckled.

    "What is it?"

    "You need to stop being afraid of your abilities Nico. Your powers are a gift, they should be used for your own benefit. Your path is a righteous one, to reclaim your own power."

    I was curious. "My own- Power?"

    "This whole time since you''ve left Takujimi Shrine you''ve only wanted to bring glory for Toji''s sake. To become a monk, to spread publicity about the Sprout Order by rising through the Pok¨¦mon league. What for?"

    I was silent, watching Yan leave his seat and speak to me quietly.

    "Outside of the trio I was raised in, your connection to the spirits is unlike any I''ve seen. Why try to hold that back, why not try to set things to be shaped in your own way?"

    I was confused. "You mean. Stop looking for Mewtwo and try to stop Team Rocket?"

    "No I mean abandon the Sprout Order entirely. You''re already my student, you''ve grown smarter, tougher, better."

    I shrugged. "I was taught that was all a means to an end. Not something to be proud of, nor a weapon."

    "Taught by who?" Yan asked. "A man who squandered your talents? Who, after you desperately needed it. Refused to teach you how to harness your powers to save the entire world?"

    "He was afraid I could use it for my own benefit, not the greater good."

    "Greater good." scoffed Yan.

    He suddenly tapped the center of my chest with his right index finger.

    "You make your own greater good Nico."

    "I will do it, but first you have to answer another question of mine?"

    Yan raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

    "Your Umbreon. It''s pregnant isn''t it?"

    Yan looked at me, slightly impressed. "How did you know?"

    Because cats in the real world who were pregnant had very similar behavior. Not to mention every scroll I tore through on Eevee, Umbreon, and Espeon led me to believe his Umbreon was carrying kittens.

    "There is a price for everything, my price for using everything I''ve brought here is an Eevee. Toji taught me everything I know, he offered guidance when I first came here. If I''m going to betray him fully, I need assurance."

    I nodded a bit to myself. "And that assurance is the open-ended purity of a newborn Eevee."

    Yan chuckled. "I''ve taught you properly. Very well. Umbreon is due next month, you will continue your training then I take it?"

    "Beyond a shadow of a doubt."

    ¡­

    I decided to keep the pin, but not wear it. I just let Silver''s friend teach classes when I tossed him the badge without another word at dinner.

    They could teach classes however they liked for all I cared, I was here at Li-Yan for me.

    That was what Yan taught me.

    I did pushups on concrete until my knuckles bled.

    Yan glanced at it, scoffing. "Pain is only a sign of those too weak to understand our teachings. You grow strong, the pain leaves."

    "Yes, Master."

    After some time, I grew strong enough to be able to split boards apart with flying spinning kicks. I could strike through some bricks.

    Victory was all that mattered here, and that was right.

    I needed victory. Humanity was in shambles at the hands of Ho-Oh, caused by letting Team Rocket run rampant, and after hours of meditation, I could barely find any hint of Mewtwo, in my dreams or elsewhere.

    I never in my life would''ve imagined Lugia''s blessing would allow me to bend water to my will. It was only scratching the surface of what I could accomplish with Aura.

    I could form small balls of energy able to explode and strike others like Aura Sphere, I could feel people walking and talking through walls.

    I could hide in plain sight wearing regular clothing so long as I sensed that the person''s Aura needed to be completely disconnected from mine. That one was tricky, but Yan taught me to understand my own Aura and those of others so well, that I could form a temporary bubble around me where my entire life force, my entire existence.

    My clothes, limbs, organs, all of it, were completely out of the eyesight of someone walking by. It simple required a deep amount of studying on how Aura worked in light, eyes, and the way the human body perceived the world around it. Because Aura was simply my life force, it could be projected to control and manipulate someone''s eyes.

    Yan did it to me the day I met him. Now, I knew how to do it.

    Aura could power my body, I actually grew able to battle Vigoroth.

    It was a battle everyone anticipated so much that almost the entire monastery came to watch.

    I had watched Vigoroth grow for months, and now, it was time for him to grow for us both to grow.

    Vigoroth was hesitant at first, but after the first blow, he engaged fully.

    However, I taught him just about everything he knew. I was there for every battle.

    Still, I ended up losing all things said and done, but Vigoroth failed to knock me out. Despite being able to disappear from Vigoroth''s sight despite standing directly in front of him, and having his speed and strength.

    Vigoroth appeared confused, not knowing what to do when I was down.

    I caught him off guard when he walked towards me and I struck him with a spinning kick I built off the ground.

    I panted, getting ready to strike again. To finish the fight.

    But when I looked into his eyes, I didn''t see a beast that had tried to kill me. I saw the same pair of eyes, belonging to the baby Slakoth I held in my arms that Elder Toji gave to me.

    "What are you waiting for?"

    I paused, still holding Vigoroth down.

    "Finish!"

    Gritting my teeth, I chopped Vigoroth on the shoulder.

    Then, I returned him to his Pok¨¦ball.

    I half expected Yan to be mad, but instead, he just smiled, tapping his staff against the ground to where he sat.

    "You learn more quickly than most others. Especially in how to remove your mercy."

    I was curious. "Why is that? I get that''s been part of the lesson until now, but why never show mercy?"

    "Did Ho-Oh show you any mercy when it tried to kill you outright for no reason?"

    I thought for a second. "No?"

    Master Yan stood up, knowing the entire school was listening.

    He began to pace about on front of me in sparring deck of concrete.

    "Did Team Rocket show the world any mercy? Corrupting Mew''s own image for selfish power? To enslave the minds of others, to create a super weapon only they controlled? One capable of destroying anything in its path?"

    "No," I repeated, and everyone muttered in agreement.

    Yan raised my hand, speaking as he lifted it up with his staff. "This boy is the only hope to find Mewtwo. To find any semblance of hope. There is only one way forward to destroy the enemies of humanity and usher in a new era of peace."

    Yan spoke calmly. "Without mercy, without weakness, without pain, nor any sort of fear, nor allowing for any feelings of doubt towards our enemies. When you seek to fight someone, you destroy them. That is all, there is nothing else."

    "You hesitate, you die. Society, with all of its technology and mastery of Pok¨¦mon." Yan shrugged and scoffed. "Hesitated. And it stands to die in the face of the rage of the Great Spirits. We either return to our roots, or we die too."

    I barely looked at the Pok¨¦ball in my hand containing Vigoroth when I put it away.

    ¡­

    I thought for a moment in the passing weeks in my training.

    About what Yan said. About mercy, about weakness, and survival.

    Were we really living life as if it was a constant war? A hopeless battle? Was winning the only thing that really mattered at all in life?

    Prior to when I fought Ho-Oh? No. I had no idea things were this dire.

    But they truthfully were now. Ho-Oh razed a whole town because Mewtwo was created without the consent of almost the entire planet.

    And now, both Team Rocket and the Gods were going to basically take over and or destroy everything if we didn''t come up with a solution fast.

    I had never treated Vigoroth like I did before today. But Yan''s teachings were harsh, harsher than any I''ve known of, but they were fair.

    How was humanity supposed to defend against Pok¨¦mon with nothing but their bare hands during prehistoric times? A pack of cavemen would last three seconds against a pair of Houndooms using clubs and rocks.

    Even though that was when Pok¨¦mon and humanity alike were such savages they had to kill and compete for food to stay alive, things were that serious now. Humanity had no defense of any kind against the wrath of Ho-Oh.

    This was the hottest summer in history, breaking records by over ten degrees and a summer that technically hadn''t even ended. The sun was working improperly, let''s say Celebi stopped working and they were upset too.

    Days would last longer, if hours could function at all. Time wouldn''t function the same. Maybe certain historical figures were transported around time itself, creating paradoxes the likes no amount of technology from Bill could ever fix.

    Thousands have died, and it would appear like nothing compared to those who would die if I couldn''t find Mewtwo.

    That was the night that I focused on my mission. That I used Yan''s mission.

    I channeled all the hate towards Team Rocket, towards the pain Fuchsia City suffered at being burnt to ash for nothing.

    I thought of the sorrow I felt having to rub Blue''s face while trying to clean it, a Pok¨¦mon World Champion, second to only to the mythical figure of Red, the greatest trainer who ever lived.

    He was in a wheelchair, I needed to enchant some water with Lugia''s feather to clean his face. Who knows the kinds of effects Ho-Oh''s ashes would have on people''s lungs or eyes?

    That all broke my heart.

    And I used that pain to focus myself, my dreams as I meditated before bed every night. My anger became my weapon.

    ¡­

    I was standing across a massive lake. With crystal clear water, one that stretched for miles, as far as the eye could see.

    But in the center where I stood, laid a green island. The grass, almost comically fake, completely green, greener than any grass I''d ever seen. The wind flowed through it, created from gusts I could not know how.

    Out of the water, I felt with my Aura sense, something, a being, unlike any Pok¨¦mon or person I''d ever been around.

    One more powerful, more strange, more dangerous.

    This was Mewtwo.

    He was young, younger than I could''ve ever imagined.

    Mewtwo possessed the same features I remembered from the games, anime, and films, but was actually shorter and smaller. I imagined he was still in his infancy, in some test tube pod of some kind hooked up to all sorts of machines.

    The brazen, calm, and fierce purple eyes of the most powerful Psychic being to ever exist, next to Mew itself, looked at me.

    "Who are you?" I asked. "Are you the being I''ve been looking for?"

    I heard Mewtwo''s masculine, soft, and yet, strong voice echo in my mind. "I believe so. My name is M2, designed as the world''s first Psychic supercomputer for humanity''s betterment."

    "Betterment? Do you have any idea of the pain you''ve caused?"

    "My creators view society as a failed state. Pok¨¦mon are seen as humanity''s friends, when they possess far greater speed, strength, power, and numbers than anyone."

    "And your solution is to have Team Rocket take over the world and enslave Pok¨¦mon and people alike? Or set them free and set chaos alike?"

    "Rocket''s plans are proper Nico."

    "You know my name?"

    "I''ve never met you. But through every mind I''ve crossed, you''re the most talked about teenager on the planet. Many news outlets covered it up or switched the narrative, but you''re responsible for saving Fuchsia City."

    I crossed my arms as Mewtwo floated nearby. "You''re aware of your existence. And that you abuse of the minds of dozens of people, leading to political instability and subterfuge. Is what caused Ho-Oh to attack in the first place?"

    "He attacked for several reasons. The first is that humanity has no respect for the spirits, only one in one hundred people are religious today. And your rise to fame didn''t change that."

    I was still frustrated with him. "You do realize Team Rocket''s ways won''t fix anything right? It''ll only make problems with the spirits worse right?"

    "I don''t care, and don''t need to. Team Rocket''s world is the only one where I can reign supreme. It''s what I was designed to do, it''s what I learned."

    I felt like yelling. "Your, your image your original. Was the kindest, sweetest, most powerful being to ever exist. If it wasn''t for Mew, every Pok¨¦mon on Earth would be either dead, or a slave to Giratina. And so would every person."

    "That''s a story forgotten to time Nico."

    Mew turned and faced me, his strange, pale, almost feline features a bit nauseating to look up at up close from how strangely he was designed. "One no one bothered to believe no matter how well you told it."

    "Excuse me?"

    Mewtwo was able to project news streams and coverage of Fuchsia right into the strange mindscape he resided in. "The truth was, again, obscured."

    He was right.

    "You were the one who saved the town. Not local authorities, not the Pok¨¦mon League, not anything else. It was you. And not a single person knows that you were the one who stopped Ho-Oh that day."

    "Wh-What?"

    "You really didn''t think not giving a public statement wouldn''t hinder your cause? Even if you did manage to get anyone to listen to you now. It wouldn''t matter. If you''d have said your piece back then, no one would''ve believed you either."

    "Believed what? That Lugia''s Silver Wing and I could-"

    "That a fourteen year old, or anyone for that matter. Has these kinds of abilities, that the Spirits are real. Team Rocket doesn''t run any news stations Nico, you''re the one who truly seems capable of stopping the Spirits. And you''ve been scorned."

    I saw news footage pushing Lieutenant Surge and his warband as heroes. And his cause had gained loads of traction, I''m pretty sure he was either used a figurehead, or part of this directly.

    I heard Mewtwo speak in my mind as he floated behind me. "I could''ve been designed as a Psychic superbomb. Designed to just crush anything that crosses my path with my mind. And while I think I can certainly do that, I was also designed for something else."

    Mewtwo explained. "Every mind on earth is connected through Aura. Mew, at one point, was able to keep everyone, and their Aura by extension. Safe. They bonded Pok¨¦mon and mankind together."

    "Right."

    "My mind was designed to access this Aura network, that everyone lives in by merely existing, at will. To be able to control any mind at will, to cause simple errors in people''s memories, and even disable the powers of almost any Psychic Pok¨¦mon."

    And I thought the Legendary Pok¨¦mon were powerful. I was right about part of this, but I had no idea just how much he was capable of.

    I turned around, and spoke. "Mewtwo- Er. M2. Let''s make a deal."

    "I don''t think you''re in a position to negotiate. But I''m all ears anyway, you''re the first mind I''ve come into contact with I can''t unfold nor infiltrate."

    "I think humanity''s at least worth a shot."

    "Really? After all they''ve done to you? The little they''ve done for you?"

    I shrugged. "You''re too powerful to exist as a pawn in Team Rocket''s game."

    "Admittedly, so are you to be in someone else''s too."

    Touche.

    "Look. One day we can battle, settle this dispute between us. Just, not soon."

    Mewtwo crossed his arms, I could hear the strange Pok¨¦mon noise he made when he grunted and looked at me, his tri pronged feet resting on the grass below him. "I aim to take over the world actually. As soon as I please."

    "You don''t have to. The same way you think you''re entitled to power, the same way you can choose whatever you want."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Did it never occur to you with your abilities you could just live out your existence on a private island of some sort? Almost like this one. Create a society, or even just a home however you want? Team Rocket brainwashed you, or at least, they sold you a story that would serve them perfectly."

    Mewtwo sounded very much like a child again. A very intelligent, almost hyper-intelligent, but very emotionally immature child.

    "Live life? Without power?"

    "Exactly! Seek the world the way you want to. With your abilities, you choose your fate. If you live sickened by what you see, all bunched up and bitter over everything. Then yeah, you''ll want to destroy everything because from your point of view, everything you see is worth destroying. It''s a self-fulfilling prophecy."

    Mewtwo was blank.

    "There is beauty in this world, you just have to want to try to see it. I promise, just look for it. Experience life outside of that tank you''re floating in, with your own two hands and feet. Maybe you''d be happier for once seeing anything outside of this mindscape."

    "I''m not too sure on this yet Nico. But I''ll be willing to at least consider it."

    "See you around then?" I asked.

    "Hmf." Mewtwo turned his nose up at me.

    ¡­

    I found Yan in his study, deciding to skip breakfast altogether just to tell him.

    "I found him."

    "What?" the man asked, looking up from his notes.

    "I found him, I found Mewtwo." I said quickly.

    "Where is he?" Yan asked.

    Great question.

    I looked at Yan calmly. "I don''t know yet, but I think I sped up the time it would take for him to realize that still working for Rocket is a mistake."

    "Doesn''t fix the fact that Mewtwo still must be destroyed." Yan stood up, "Come with me."

    His nursery for his Umbreon was actually a small room next to the tatami where the pictures of Giovanni and Li, Yan, and Toji were.

    I had seen many Pok¨¦mon over my journey so far.

    Powerful Pok¨¦mon, small Pok¨¦mon, powerful Pok¨¦mon, Pok¨¦mon of all sorts.

    But I don''t think anything ever would compare, not even seeing Growlithe with his parents, compared to seeing Yan''s Umbreon nursing newborn kits.

    She was licking the back of the head of a tiny Eevee. Their sibling was sitting right next to them in the basket.

    Eevee was probably the cutest Pok¨¦mon I''d ever seen. At least, the most innocent looking, the most pure, the one who just appeared¡­

    The most open ended.

    Any Pok¨¦mon I''d ever seen had a predetermined path, not just for evolution, but for their personality and types. Some Pok¨¦mon were a bit more mischievous than others, but ultimately, they shared many similar characteristics.

    Guess this litter was smaller.

    But just by looking at Eevee, it was unlike anything I''d ever seen. I had no idea what sort of Pok¨¦mon, or just what this Pok¨¦mon could become.

    It was called the Evolution Pok¨¦mon, because from what I could tell, it was more open ended than anything I''d ever met. It could evolve into just about any Pok¨¦mon type, its tiny light brown eyes so filled with life, its light brown fur.

    I understood now why this was one of the rarest Pok¨¦mon on Earth. Because no one had any idea where they came from, I guess now I had to ask.

    "Where''s your Umbreon''s mate?"

    "It was another Umbreon, I''m afraid they disappeared months before your arrival."

    Another Umbreon? Yeah that made sense. You needed not just one, but two of a super rare kind of Pok¨¦mon to not only find each other, but also be compatible enough to produce an Eevee.

    "You''ve earned this Nico. We do not like prizes nor awards at this temple. But if you''re to ever master the ways of the spirits. You will need a guide like Eevee."

    Equal size, equal personality given they were both two weeks old and equally coddled by their mother. Hard choice, both male too according to Yan.

    I just went with the one I saw first.

    "Him."

    "We don''t fully appreciate the use of Pok¨¦balls, but you''re welcome to use one now."

    "Er. Hi."

    With a tiny nod, Yan asked Umbreon to permit me to hold her newborn.

    Eevee felt safe in my hands, he was so small he fit perfectly within my left forearm. I''m not sure why, maybe because it was too young to understand much else, but the Eevee looked happy.

    "Return."

    The Pok¨¦mon did not refuse entrance into the Great ball I''d brought.

    "Well done. You''ve reached the final step in your training."

    "Which is?"

    "You''ll see tonight."

    ¡­

    At dinner, I was randomly blindfolded.

    My blindfold was removed, and almost two hundred people sat surrounding me. The only lights on the main courtyard were four torches, it was well into the night.

    Every single student of the monastery was there, either in GIs or wearing monk robes.

    "Nico of Takujimi."

    I turned.

    Every major monk or karate student of Yan''s, Silver, Yan himself, and a dozen others were sitting at a long stone table.

    "It is time for you to resume your conquest of the Pok¨¦mon League. Not in our name but in your own," announced Yan.

    I looked around at all the monks and students, silent.

    "To become the ultimate Pok¨¦mon master, skilled in Aura, Pok¨¦mon, and anything necessary to achieve total unification and harmony between mankind and spirits. You must return to the path you once sought, but by your own methods. This time, not blinded by pain, fear, mercy, or weakness."

    I could see my things packed already.

    I listened. "I''m ready."

    "Not yet. There is one final test that remains."

    Wearing a karategi, a monk appeared, walking up, bowing, and holding a black belt kneeling in front of me to my left.

    The other appeared to my right, holding a scroll and a knife.

    I read the scroll, it appeared to be some sort of sacrifice ritual involving Aura extraction.

    I turned towards Yan. "What is this?"

    "Your final test," he said. "Those with Aura must pass this test in order to reach their true potential and become invincible. In order to tap into your power, you must sacrifice your humanity. Your weakness, down to its last shred. You must become only a conduit of your abilities, driven fully by your desire to restore balance to the world."

    Yan stroked his beard, nodding to me. "Nothing can stop you."

    "Okay. How do I do that?"

    A pair of monks brought someone they had kidnapped before me. I was uneasy already.

    They brought the man to his knees right in front of me, and then, removed the hood from his head.

    It was Inoru.

    "Ino?"

    I hadn''t seen him in months, how did he-

    "Let go of your past Nico." Yan said calmly. "Embrace yourself. If you absorb your true potential, with Aura, you can lock someone within their own their dreams forever. You can take the power of their own soul, and add it to yours. You can do almost anything, your amount of and control of Aura is that great."

    I looked at the knife in my hand and at the person he aimed to have me cut into.

    "You''ve already learned so much. This is the apex of your Aura training. Make your choice. Let your friend live, or achieve limitless power. Let your friend live, or stay weak forever."

    This should''ve been an easy no right?

    I mean as dire as things had been, I never had to kill someone.

    Ino had always been there for me, for months. Until recently, that is, but that had actually been my own choice to leave him behind.

    But despite all I''ve learned, and that I certainly wasn''t the same person I was when I started this. I had never had my fullest doubts until now.

    I realized what I just told Mewtwo earlier applied here.

    This whole time, Yan was conditioning me. This was likely how Giovanni ran off, even a man as evil as him must''ve been terrified at tests like these. A school this merciless, this cruel, it made sense that Yan was teaching incredible amounts of power in exchange for becoming like him-

    Evil.

    From small things at the beginning, eating meat, technically breaking my movement away from only eating rice when in the monastery.

    To accepting Yan''s lessons. To striking Vigoroth, and Silver. To constantly doing knuckle pushups until I could condition weakness out of my body.

    The whole time, I was learning how to abandon any kindness within me, any pity of any kind.

    On the one hand, Yan had a point.

    I had no family within this world. I''m not sure if I ever belonged here. And power and perfection could be mine, with just one use of a knife and a few choice words from this scroll. If I didn''t act quickly or swiftly enough, Fuchsia City would only be the beginning.

    All the pain and suffering recently could be stopped.

    But on the other hand, Yan was wrong.

    I had abused my Pok¨¦mon to get here. I wouldn''t abuse anyone else to get further. I would not kill anyone or anything for power, or for anything else. The ends did not justify the means if I had to abandon who I was to get there.

    And I almost did until now.

    I had saved Blue''s life, I wasn''t the kind of person to take the life of one of the few friends I''d made until now for power, and I also made a promise when I started this journey:

    I would always help someone who needed me.

    Clenching my jaw, I bent the water in Yan''s body to my will, to toss him to the side, and began to free Ino using the knife.

    "Foolish boy!" he yelled, getting up quickly from the ground. "Seize them!"

    Chaos and confusion began when I started to release my Pok¨¦balls, keeping Eevee safely tucked in my belt.

    As Vigoroth sharpened his claws looking around I apologized. "Sorry about hitting you before-"

    "Oro!"

    My three Pok¨¦mon were ready for battle. No questions asked, no need to draw in the environment or situation, they just knew they were needed.

    A few monks began to run, a few others stayed and fought, drawing Pok¨¦balls or just getting into a fighting stance.

    I drew my backpack towards me away from the high table.

    "Hey boy, catch!"

    Growlithe snatched the Firestone I''d been glad I kept from all those weeks back from Goldenrod within his jaws.

    I didn''t know how this was supposed to work or-

    Growlithe, like always understood the gravity of the situation, unleashing as much firepower as he could with just his evolution.

    A few enemy Kwan members gasped, reeling back.

    A huge blaze of fire erupted from Growlithe''s body, spewing fireballs everywhere as his body began to contort. Growlithe''s body began to grow.

    Taller, longer, his paws increased in size, as his tail.

    His entire body erupted in fire, and Growlithe became Arcanine.

    Sparks and embers erupted off the massive dog''s hide as he pawed the ground.

    To prevent Pok¨¦mon and enemies from stepping on the platform as easily, he created a giant fire ring around us.

    "They''ve betrayed the dojang! Stop them!" I saw Yan order.

    Then another betrayal I wasn''t remotely expecting happened.

    I saw Silver appear behind Yan, and despite how shitty of a person he was with his manipulation and violence, I didn''t want what happened next to occur.

    "Think I can find well enough what happened to my father now on my own you old shitbag."

    Then he Bayleef pelted him with Razor Leaf, I realized that whether on accident or not, Yan was failing to get back up.

    My eyes widened, that was.

    "You didn''t have to!-" I cried.

    I saw Yan reeling, rolling over on the ground. In a bloody mess, he stopped moving after a moment. The shock of seeing me choose the right path must''ve blinded Yan to Silver suddenly killing him, whether intentionally or not.

    Silver appeared a bit shocked by this, but given the gravity of the situation I don''t know if murder was what he was going for. Just a very powerful attack from his Pok¨¦mon at least for sure.

    Then I was confronted by a new choice.

    Either save Silver''s life, or let Umbreon tear him to pieces.

    Seeing her owner slain, watching him try to heal his own wounds aimlessly with Aura, Umbreon shrieked and flew out of the tower of the monastery.

    She battered aside Bayleef who had burst to the rescue in seconds. Bayleef barely was able to put up a fight against Umbreon for a few moments until-

    Her red eyes glowed, and ripped giant stone statues out of the ground the size and weight of cars with her mind.

    I wondered if we were going to win this.

    "Hey."

    Inoru had my back, punching and kicking a few monks out of the way when they managed to jump over the fire ring Arcanine created.

    "Thanks for saving my neck!"

    "All my fault, I think we''re trapped here."

    Inoru raised his fists. "If we die, we die with honor."

    Hell no I wasn''t dying here.

    But seeing the sheer number of monks, karatekas, and Pok¨¦mon I was facing, yeah he might''ve had a point.

    I seriously wondered if I could escape Umbreon''s fury over the death of her master, and if I could escape the temple with my life.

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

 Umbreons Fury

    <div>

    <div>

    ¡­

    The battle turned ugly fast.

    Arcanine was releasing enough fire so that anyone, Pokemon or otherwise who crossed instantly caught ablaze. Those who made it through were pummeled by Vigoroth or myself, as well as Inoru.

    "Save Silver!" I had to order just in time as Umbreon levelled massive stone statues at him.

    Arcanine loaded Silver onto his spine and leaped right into the small protective circle we''d built up around the middle of the platform.

    "I still think we got a chance here." I wiped the sweat off my brow.

    "Same." exasperated Silver.

    Alas, we were probably quite wrong.

    Umbreon''s Shadow Ball and Dark Pulse alone were horrifyingly powerful. Even though Elder, or rather I''d say, Dark Elder Yan was more or less out, his Umbreon was furious for having killed him.

    I tried summoning large rings of water to protect us using the Silver Wing, but to no avail. I had no real luck with the sheer number of monks around us, and how powerful Umbreon''s attacks were.

    "I have an idea. Cover me."

    "What?"

    "Nico!" shouted Inoru desperately seeing me run forward.

    I had enough control of the water to freeze it in place and make a bridge to the temple.

    I had dodged the heat off of myself long enough to break into tower where there was something else I needed to collect. Some of Arcanine''s Embers had made their way inside, so I was running out of time.

    In all her rage, Umbreon had forgotten one of her two kittens were in danger, and I had to rescue them from this place.

    With a few water gouts right at Umbreon, I was able to get her attention when I went back outside, where the continued ass-beating we were withstanding told me one thing:

    "We need to leave." I said, still carrying the other newborn Eevee in my pack.

    "Right."

    "Silver, Vigoroth will give you a ride. And let''s go!"

    Vigoroth helped by lifting Silver onto his back, and then Ino and I both mounted Arcanine''s back. Despite only just now getting used to his bigger body, Arcanine was able to bound off at full speed away, making a very fiery exit.

    ¡­

    Arcanine and Vigoroth eventually made their way back to their Pokeballs, where we began to approach civilization again.

    Olivine City, and wow had the world changed, and not for the better.

    Police were organized and mobile. Led by officer Jennys most likely, those carrying rifles followed by normal types and the occasional Growlithe were walking around.

    Near the town center were homeless families.

    They were asking for change with signs written ''Lost our homes in Fuchsia City - Anything Helps''

    I gave them a few Pokedollars and they smiled at me, it was a family of three, a mother with a little boy and girl.

    "What the hell happened here?" Silver asked me.

    "The Great Spirits judged society based on Team Rocket and our lack of spirituality with how technological our world has gotten." Ino told him. "Nico was given the gift to connect with Lugia, saved what remained of Fuchsia City from utter annihilation."

    Silver nodded. "I had heard that Ho-Oh had returned."

    Crime seemed more apparent, news stations included worried reports about all the fear surrounding Ho-Oh''s burning of Fuchsia, and Lieutenant Surge''s warpath against anything.

    I''ll give him this, him and his Surge Squad appeared successful.

    "Those monks can jabber on all day about how much prayer works." he was being interviewed after busting another Rocket hideout. "I don''t see the holier than thous getting their hands dirty and arresting scum like this." Surge threw a thumb behind him.

    "Nico!"

    I turned, glad to see my friends.

    "Crystal! Gold! It''s so good to see you."Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    "It''s so good to see you too. I-" Crystal paused. "Wait, what''re you doing with him?"

    "Well we''re. We were just." Silver looked at me, the five of us awkwardly in the way of Olivine City''s lightly bustling central courtyard. "What are we?"

    "Very tense and awkward friends."

    "How did that happen?" asked Gold.

    I explained faster than the words could come from Silver''s open mouth. "There''s a dark side to the Monks from Takujimi. I found out the hard way they helped raise Silver. He repaid me by-"

    Silver looked guilty.

    I wanted to tell them everything. The haunting curse Umbreon could''ve placed on us over the extremely, deeply, strongly distressing fact that Silver more or less outright murdered Yan with his Bayleef. A testament to its strength in the most dire of situations but still.

    "Showing his true colors when it mattered most." I decided to say. "Speaking of which, there''s something I need to show all of you. But not out in public."

    "Where then?" asked Gold.

    "My mom and I live just a few blocks away, we can help."

    ¡­

    Crystal''s mother was a very sweet middle aged woman with hair of the same dark hue of blue and an apron. She made tea for everyone while I revealed what the temple had given us.

    Two baby Eevees I released.

    Gold choked on the crumpet Crystal''s mother served him, Crystal gasped, color rising in her face.

    Silver crossed his arms, chuckling. "You actually got them out. Nice."

    "I''ve already picked this one, I was just wondering what to do with the other."

    "You could donate it to Professor Elm." suggested Crystal across the table as Ino began to review some monastery scrolls I''d brought him.

    Gold shrugged. "Keep both?"

    "Why not sell it?" Silver muttered.

    Crystal looked at him crossly.

    "What? Why do you think billionaires like Bill are the only ones who have them? All I''m saying is that Eevees are worth a ton of money for a reason."

    "I''m not selling this Eevee."

    It seemed to curl up beside its sibling on the kitchen table. They both desperately seemed to miss their mother, and were conjoined at my side.

    I felt very bad for them and everyone''s situation. But the abuse Yan inflicted on everyone was so bad that-

    It was best not to think on it.

    "Actually Silver, why don''t you raise it?" I realized who needed a warm show of friendship the most in our group.

    "Why not?" asked Silver.

    "You''re a criminal." Gold and Crystal said in unison.

    "Am not."

    "Are too." Crystal said.

    I sighed. "You have no idea what Silver''s past was like."

    His complete lack of stuff like mercy, morals and decency was either beaten out of him on the streets, taught to him as correct by Yan, or worse, was removed by-

    I had Elder Toji when I came to this world. He had other luck.

    Silver accepted the Eevee. "Thank you Nico."

    "You''re welcome."

    "What is wrong with you?" asked Gold.

    I shrugged. "You have to want to make peace sometimes."

    "Ridiculous," muttered Crystal.

    I started to feel less and less welcome by the second as Crystal looked at me disapprovingly. I decided to leave quietly when I had the chance with Ino and Silver.

    ¡­

    Near the central courtyard, Silver spoke.

    "Thanks for you know. Everything." he said in a hushed, low tone.

    I wanted to show him mercy. So he didn''t have to suffer, his entire life he''d been suffering and that was a big reason he took it out on Yan who was responsible for a decent portion of it.

    I turned, looking to the streets.

    No wonder crime had gone up in Johto and Kanto. No wonder people were hopeless and scared.

    Nowhere was safe from a Spirit attack, Rockets were on the rise, and no one had any answers. Well, I felt the urge to give them.

    I looked at the Mew pendant I always wore with me.

    Give me strength.

    "Please sir," another woman, different than the one I had given a few Pokedollars in charity to spoke to me. "Anything helps, my son is sick."

    I sighed, thinking.

    "Let me see your son."

    The family was living in an alleyway here in Olivine.

    The son was still covered in the ashes from Ho-Oh''s Sacred Fire. So powerful that the boy was still coughing.

    I lifted my hand and used some water from Ino''s canteen to heal the boy with the Silver Wing.

    "You''re, you''re a miracle worker!" the woman shouted in shock, seeing her son breathe normally for a change. "Who are you stranger?"

    "My name is Nico."

    "Tell me, how could things like this happen? My son was lucky, he got to live."

    I sighed.

    I allowed Ino to pass me some scripture so I could read from it. Old monk manuscripts explaining who the Great Spirits were and why they were so important. I found these from Yan''s temple, who even though he was evil, still included Sprout Order texts banned from reading.

    "In the beginning of time, man competed against Pokemon for survival. It was a losing battle, but through the grace of Mew. Everything coincided, in a delicate balance through aura."

    I continued.

    "Aura spun the Pokemon and human lives together on the same destined path. Mew designed the Lake Spirits, as well as other Mythical Pokemon to be responsible for this balance. A Pokemon responsible for the sun, for the moon, for the waves, for time and space, and for a realm outside our comprehension."

    The woman looked at me in shock, when I looked up from the scroll other random people on the street were listening.

    "But how did you exactly get the ability to connect with people and Pokemon as well as you do?"

    "I''m not really certain. But the Sprout Order gives me answers, and after this last ordeal I had out in the woods." Ino smiled at me. "I''ll be a monk for the rest of my life now."

    An Olivine City man scoffed. "I''m with Surge on this one, as a monk you should''ve been able to prevent this tragedy. You''re a fraud."

    "Hey!"

    I turned, a little surprised to see how quickly Gold and Crystal had changed their minds about me. But happy to see they had my backs regardless.

    "Nico, is a hero." said Gold. "I was in Fuschia city when this happened. He risked his own life to save dozens of others. He even saved Blue''s life, the one and only."

    "I''ve seen it too." Silver said as Crystal nodded in agreement.

    The man moved on with a shrug, but the crowd listening to me began to swell.

    Grown adults were listening to me as if they were children being read a bedtime story, from all walks of life. Those displaced by the fires of Fucshia, to the well off citizens of this sleepy beachside town.

    I told them how Mew truly saved humanity from annihilation, that Ho-Oh struck because we strayed so far from Mew''s life.

    I told them to not obey the lies the current news was spreading, that more hatred and focus on competition and materialism that Surge and his squad spreda wouldn''t fix the issue.

    I told everyone, to pray to Mew.

    And it really almost made tears slip out when I realized how much I''d changed so many people''s lives for the better.

    There was a group of about fifty to sixty people chanting together to Mew.

    It was a little at a time, but I was helping everyone rise up together.

    It would take a while to work, but we''d be okay in the long run.

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

 Mastering the Pokemon League

    ¡­

    I had always dreamed of being Pokemon League champion.

    In my prior life, I grew up playing the Pokemon video games and watching the anime. So nostalgia played a large part in my journey through the Pokemon world. And while I personally knew Ash Ketchum now, something else had changed.

    I knew I wouldn''t have to undergo the Pokemon League challenge on my own. I had friends rooting for me.

    Ino, Crystal, and Gold.

    I kept up with my monk studies daily, making sure to read scripture while practicing public prayer and open discussion on Mew.

    I decided to challenge Chuck''s gym in Cianwood City.

    His team normally would''ve been a challenge, with heavy physical and Fighting type attackers with my Normal type team, but instead I went with Arcanine first.

    Arcanine was an absolute beast.

    My beloved canine grew well into his second evolutionary form, and by this point, just starting with him, I won most battles.

    Arcanine''s standard attacks included Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Ember, Flame Charge, and I was in the process of having him perfect Extreme Speed.

    Arcanine was also learning Dig.

    Eevee was a tricky addition because I was already challenging Chuck''s gym by the time he could become relevant. He was practically a newborn when the rest of the team were around Evolution 3 in their paths.

    Vigoroth was about 75% there towards evolution, and I reviewed data on Ursaring from other regions to find out that he could evolve into an Ursaluna. A prospect I more than envied one day.

    Chuck''s Gym was a walk in the park.

    He was using a Hitmonchan, Primeape, and Poliwrath.

    Only Poliwrath appeared to be of any real danger, I had Arcanine solo the entire damn thing.

    ¡­

    There was a roar in the arena, spectators cheering and making noise with plastic clappers as Arcanine and Hitmonchan had a fiery duel.

    Hitmonchan threw Ice coated jabs, a right hook, slipping a fireball.

    He wasn''t fast enough to stop Arcanine from closing the distance in a rapid dash, and closed his jaws directly on Hitmonchan''s torso.

    Chuck banged his Trainer''s box''s metal guardrail speaking. "Counter! One two! Uppercut!"

    Arcanine then ignited himself and Hitmonchan at point-blank range, Hitmonchan''s punches meant nothing.

    "1-0, the score is in favor of the challenger from Takujimi!"

    Chuck switched Hitmonchan with Primeape, and the story continued.

    Chuck''s Pokemon were beefy, quick, and possessed refined strikes. But Arcanine would just dash forward with a developing Extreme Speed and Flamethrower combo.

    I spoke from my Trainer''s Box when Chuck frustratedly switched a knocked out Primeape with Poliwrath.

    "Use Dig as a counter boy!"

    "Poliwrath, Surf this pup outta here!"

    Poliwrath was unsuccessful, and as soon as the massive wave of water missed and crashed violently on the ridges of the arena, Poliwrath narrowly dodged Arcanine''s Dig attack.

    Poliwrath then tanked the low effective hits of the fireballs, turning to use Focus Punch.

    Arcanine was more than fast enough to dodge, diving in close now with a strong Crunch.

    The lack of effective moves Arcanine possessed against Poliwrath were meaningless, because over time, the crowd noticed that in terms of sheer strike volume Arcanine was winning three to one.

    Eventually, Chuck''s exhausted Poliwrath gave in under one Extreme Speed too many, and that was that. I had earned my fifth Gym badge.

    My team, that had undergone a fiery exit from clandestine Monk training under Master Yan, returned from the wilderness stronger than ever. Fighting for your life teaches you that fighting for competition just isn''t the same thing and it showed in every battle Nico had as he continued through the Pokemon League.

    I fought Morty''s ghosts in Ecruteak City Gym to thunderous applause.

    Arcanine and Gengar were going back and forth, dazzling the crowd with flying fireballs, a rapidly disappearing and reappearing Gengar throwing Shadow Balls.

    They tended to miss and explode wildly to where Arcanine was standing, before blasting Gengar with Flamethrower before he could disappear again.

    A few more traded shots and Gengar went down.

    "The winner of the match, Nico from Takujimi!"

    For my seventh badge people were already talking. My friends and I were enjoying a cafe out in Olivine City when the radio played something special.

    "This is DJ Mary, live from Goldenrod City. I''m here to let you know about an up and coming trainer you should keep your eye on. I''ve already covered him on my show! The one and only, Nico from Takujimi Temple."

    I grinned, swallowing my sandwich as Crystal and Gold patted me hard on the back laughing.

    "I may not believe too much in religion, but this kid''s track record makes me believe in him alright." DJ Mary said. "He''s got not three, four, not five, but six Gym badges in his first half year of competition. I don''t know about you, but he''s made of some stiff stuff. The Pokemon League certainly has their hands full with this all star rookie!"

    With her kind words, I moved on to Mahogany town, where I had the easiest time absolutely blindsiding the entirety of Mahogany Town Gym with Arcanine.

    Arcanine had a flair for the flamboyant, knowing we held a massive type advantage, and of how many people had come to watch us.

    "Arcanine, use Fire Blast!" I ordered.

    One shot knockout for his Swinub. Although I did actually need to switch in Vigoroth to take out his Dewgong.

    Man, my puppy was no longer a puppy. This absolute juggernaut of a fire type Pokemon had scorched through three different Gyms in as many weeks.

    Pryce''s best Pokemon fell knocked out to Arcanine in a matter of minutes. Piloswine, his main, was both slow and weak to fire, so Arcanine blazed through him quickly.

    Soon, Pryce shook my hand and placed a Glacier Badge within my palm.

    ¡­

    We were all relaxing, the four of us, on the grassy plains near Blackthorn City.

    Gold was a bit of a loudmouth and always a bit scrappy, he''d grown a bit more confident and headstrong since the first tournament we met. It was ironic how it came full circle that my challenge of the Pokemon League would begin by challenging Clair''s gym.

    There was always something off about Silver. Like the rest of us, he had gotten his Gym badges a bit after I did. By a difference of weeks, none of them had the seventh badge, and Silver had just gotten his sixth. I mostly used the catch up time for my friends to get their own badges to do preaching work for the temple.

    But Silver was always a bit more intense, a bit more serious. I was the only one who knew the truth about where he came from.

    Crystal, the only girl in the group, took somewhat of a motherly role. She''d always check on us, and was the snootiest when it came to things like dressing properly or with hygiene. I asked her if she grew up with siblings, and I was thoroughly surprised when she said no.

    Then there was me. Nico.

    Gold rubbed Arcanine''s belly, the canine fire best laid out on the grass with us as Crystal''s Feraligatr chased a few of Silver''s Pokemon. He stretched out more as Gold petted him.

    "You''ve been quiet." said Gold. "Everything okay?"

    "Yup."

    "We all know that''s not true." said Ino. "Not with that tone."

    "I''m about to set a Pokemon League record before I have my own go at the tournament. I imagine I''d be." I sighed, thinking out loud. "Telling DJ Mary everything in a live interview at some point. About why I''m fighting, what I''m fighting for."

    "And, what are you fighting for?" Crystal asked, rubbing Azumarill''s head.

    "To spread the word of Mew. I even saw graffiti made in Mew''s image, saying to ''Never Forget Fuchsia.'' My words and actions are changing the lives and more and more people everyday."

    "So you''re happy you''re winning?" wondered Gold.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    I smiled. "Very happy."

    I had good reason to be, even if there was a large portion of those in the Pokemon world who were suffering.

    I was surrounded by friends, and I always spread Mew''s truth to the planet everywhere I went, more and more each and every day.

    I knew I was going to beat Clair, more than anything, I was hyping myself up mentally for the tournament. The best Trainers in the Johto and Kanto region would clash to select who could then be named Regional Champion and challenge the Elite Four.

    No small feat.

    ¡­

    I walked into Blackthorn City Gym amidst thunderous applause.

    The ring wasn''t anything special, except that it was.

    It took place in a large stoney field bowl, hanging over battlements with lava here and there to pop the eyes.

    The next fifteen minutes were a bit of a blur, despite how well I led the match.

    Clair opened with Dragonair and I decided to give Arcanine a break, leading with Vigoroth.

    My main proceeded to wreck Clair''s team, Dragons or not, Vigoroth was an absolute unit.

    "Dragonair! Use Dragonbreath!" she said, after her first Pokemon, a young Dragonair, had already fallen to Vigoroth''s honed rage.

    Vigoroth dodged with ease, proceeding to use Focus Punch, or rather a strong variation of it.

    The right cross directly on Dragonair''s frame was a shattering Fighting type blow.

    Tutting, Clair Withdrew her last Dragonair, and switched it for Kingdra.

    Vigoroth proceeded to wail on Kingdra, literally. He would dodge the powerful but mis-timed long range special attacks and then close the distance to do what I called ''Donkey Kong'' smash. Where he would dig into the Dragon type with both claws one at a time as if he was an ape.

    This followed for some time, until eventually Kingdra collapsed.

    "And the winner of the match is Nico!"

    My friends surrounded me with congrats and compliments as the crowd roared in favor of me.

    Clair begrudgingly gave me the Rising Badge without any words. Not that I needed her approval.

    I felt deeply grateful for where I was in my Pokemon journey.

    I had started feeling like Clair wanted to use me as her pawn. And now here I was, bombarded with questions by reporters asking.

    I already had a phrase prepared.

    "I''m focusing on the community."

    That was more or less what I wanted to spread, and I wanted my message to be spread.

    ¡­

    "So I''m here in the studio with the prodigal son of the mountain monasteries, Nico." DJ Mary sat across from me in her recording booth in downtown Goldenrod City. "Nico, how does it feel to be the trainer to earn all eight badges in their respective region faster than any since Red?"

    "Well personally I think I feel grateful. My monastery supported me greatly when they sent me on my way. As I always say, my Pokemon''s performance is tied to their spiritual connections to me, not their physical ones."

    DJ Mary looked inquisitive. "But even you admit the facets of modern tech help give every trainer their edge right?"

    "Sure but, look what happened. We relied so much on technology Ho-Oh burned down an entire city."

    "As the Sprout Order''s representative in the Pokemon League, what is your opinion on that attack? What is it all tied to?"

    I explained.

    "First, Ho-Oh is a result of a much larger problem. Team Rocket, the return of the spirits being so violent, these are symptoms of a huge lack of meaning and purpose behind daily life. In most cities around the world today, people are connected almost purely to the physical side of doing things with no regards for the spiritual."

    "So they should believe in the word of Mew? Your gospel."

    "Either mine or anything higher than just their Pokenav. Why do you think Team Rocket gained so many followers? Because we set everyone to Red''s standard with the funneling tournament system. And any trainer not able to meet his mythic level or damn near it, falls out."

    "So you''d change that system?" asked Mary.

    "Definitely. At least allow for all trainers to challenge Gyms regardless of their certification status with the Pokemon League. And you know what, there''s a lot we did that Red wouldn''t agree with either."

    DJ Mary shrugged. "Like what?"

    "Like turning him into a god. I never met Red personally, but it seems that just because he broke so much ground in the realm of competing globally with Pokemon, we built a false idol out of him. We focused so much on his achievements we never focused on why he battled so hard to begin with."

    "And what reason was that?"

    "Just for the sake of it. Pokemon battles help decide champions and that''s it. Red was among the first Trainers to use their Pokemon to save the world, and he did. His connection to his team was far more than just achievement based. He deeply respected his team, and they felt the same way for him. That''s Pokemon raising at its core: Trust."

    "So your general argument is that we''ve lost trust with our Pokemon."

    "Trust in every way we do things. I was at Fuschia City, I know how hard it was. But don''t worry DJ Mary, I will set things right. For all you listeners, keep your eyes and ears peeled."

    ¡­

    It started with just a couple of us offering shelters with tents on our small hill outside Blackthorn City. Those displaced by the Ho-Oh attacks and forgotten by society, everyone, was given a home.

    But then DJ Mary got word out about all the good we were doing.

    It was the holiday season, weeks of me streaming through the Pokemon League at record pace had led me to the snow-ey days.

    Men and women, children, those young and those old, all came to our camp.

    We sang songs, we built monuments in honor of the fallen, and we danced in circles around bonfires.

    I needed scripture to read from, so I used the first three scrolls on Mew''s sacrifice to save humanity by giving himself a physical form as a sort of religious book.

    It was printed and sold, including exact instructions for how to build chapels.

    I thought about naming our blossoming community New Fuschia City, but that didn''t sit well with me as the reconstruction of that city was still ongoing.

    So I settled on: The Commune.

    Everyone in the Commune lived in complete harmony with everything around them the best they could. Their Pokemon, the ground and waters.

    We more than offered a sanctuary, we were a peaceful place, dedicated to worshipping Mew. In my dreams, I often found Espeon musing that we had in fact created the first corner of true civilization in line with Mew''s original vision in thousands of years.

    The Commune gave everyone a house, and a reprieve away from the devastation caused by Ho-Oh and Team Rocket.

    I was expected to be leader of this community, however, I had little experience in the matter. So I organized a team of monks in charge of ordaining the whole group.

    They were a collection of Sprout Sages from all over the Kanto and Johto regions, such as the one who administered Muchmoney''s wedding, who were in charge of leading all prayers.

    The Commune soon became a place, just south east of Blackthorn City, where all Pokemon and Trainers, regardless of their pasts could see Mew''s light.

    People came to us hungry, they came to us cold and needing shelter, and we were working around the clock to finally do some good in the world of Pokemon.

    The Commune was intended for a way to study Mew''s gospel without needing to solely review it through the lens of a monk. We held open prayer groups, so that those misplaced by Ho-Oh''s attack could see that the spirits were not all bad.

    Day by day it grew, we were growing the community with more people and more shelters. The large amount of wealth I''d built battling my way to the top of the Pokemon league I re-invested into my community by building the commune.

    ¡­

    "I would just spend so much time at work you know."

    A man from Cherrygrove city gave a tearful confession, all of us were discussing our past sins and mistakes in a circular group setting in our main chapel.

    "Both my wife and kid, I never had enough time to see them. I would do anything for my son, anything. Except be there for him, to give him the right amount of time. And then, Fuchsia City, and that bird- I''m sorry."

    He broke down a little, likely thinking of his lost family members, and someone rubbed his shoulder.

    I nodded to him. "It''s always best to let things out than keep them in."

    "Brother Nico."

    I looked over at a newer member of our Commune, just an average woman from Goldenrod city who decided to join.

    "Have you ever seen Mew himself?"

    Everyone in the group perked up and looked towards me.

    "No, not yet."

    "And why''s that?"

    I explained calmly. "The Great Spirits only appear to people during moments of great crisis for the existence of humanity. If an entire city or swath of country would be on the verge of annihilation, a Spirit would appear."

    "So why did we get no warning about Fucshia city?" someone else asked.

    "I was warned. But the message was cryptic, I''m afraid the Spirits are so all knowing and powerful that it can be a great benefit to us. Or a great cost."

    I looked around at the group.

    "Think of the sacrifices you all had to make to be here. How much you''ve lost or had to give away. I''m still undecided if the Pokemon League is worth pursuing after everything I''ve learned about existence and the spirits."

    The group listened as I went on.

    "What about us makes us so special that we can become as great as Red once was? What about humanity was so special that Mew, a god of Spirits, the one and only uniter of all Spiritual Aspects, allowed us to be bonded to Pokemon?"

    "We just are," I said. "Mew is supposed to be inspirational, he set an example for us. And I think Red actually met Mew, and when he found out we weren''t what he initially had set out for us to be. He left."

    I smiled, group was then concluded and my message was further spread.

    ¡­

    An hour later, there was a letter placed on my nightstand.

    Dear Nico,

    I''m sorry I didn''t have the courage to tell you this face to face, but I have to leave. There is no room for me in the Commune. The community you''ve built here sees Mew as merciful and forgiving. When all my life, I''ve never known that.

    How can there be a good destiny for every one of us when I''ve never met my father? When I''ve been assailed by Team Rocket from birth, and completely unable to pursue my own path in the Pokemon league. But you should have the answers right?

    But you don''t. You''re fourteen just like me, and you''ve only done what you did in a scant couple of months. I didn''t have monks to raise me like you did, and yet, everyone looks to you for answers. They formed this entire community around someone who''s never been in the outside world for longer than a year.

    You''re not a fraud, but I hate you. I hate everything you stand for.

    You destroyed my home, you destroy so much. And I will never understand you for it.

    Stop trying to forgive me for things I did of my own accord, no one needs your so called wisdom. Not Gold or Crystal, no one in the Pokemon League, and no one in your commune.

    I hope our paths never cross again.

    Sincerely, Silver

    I understood his pain, but him choosing to leave the only community who''d truly give him a home meant he was seeking something he never really had his whole life:

    Power.

    He was robbed of all his autonomy, so his sense of control auto corrects to seeking as much personal power.

    Master Yan''s Umbreon fed off that energy, as did Team Rocket, and in a way Mewtwo.

    I felt very upset when I read that letter and I learned Silver had fled the Commune to seek his own path. He always struck me as a loner, and now I knew the true reason why.

    He was in a deep amount of pain.

    Inoru had entered my room. "We''re setting the stage up for a speech. What''s that you''ve got there in your hand."

    "Silver''s goodbye letter. He hates me."

    Ino blinked. "How can he hate you? Look at how much good you''ve done. You''ve brought dozens, no hundreds of people from all across Johto and Kanto together."

    "I know why he hates me." I put the letter away in my pocket. "But I''ll be fine, don''t worry."

    ¡­

    Hundreds had gathered to watch my speech.

    I had inspired enough people that some wore silver necklaces with Mew''s insignia upon it in the crowds. I gave my speech from a podium on a stage surrounded by the wooden amphitheater I had built, as well as all the wooden huts and cabins encompassing the center of the Commune.

    "Thank you all for coming my friends."

    I cleared my throat.

    "I had planned a very in depth speech saying a whole lot of things, but the truth is." I lifted Silver''s speech, starting to talk. "I can''t get my message across to everyone."

    "I''ll never forget that day, when the most powerful people in the Pokemon world met, and even after revealing the truth, Lieutenant Surge still wanted to declare war against Team Rocket and the Spirits."

    I went on. "The truth is every single one of us was born with a gift. Mew imparted some of his Eternal power when he saved humanity from extinction. We use this power every day, when we choose to do good deeds, to impart mercy and wisdom instead of brutality and destruction."

    "Pokemon are not our slaves, conduits for nefarious purposes to start a dark order. Like the kind Team Rocket aims to build. Rocket and the groups inspired by it around the world, have raised sins against humanity so high, that the Spirits chose to punish us."

    I raised my hands upwards. "But I promise you, each and every one of you. In the same way we were punished, we can be rewarded. In times of great need, if communities can chant and pray hard enough together. The Spirits will listen."

    "Which is why, to show the unity of this new Commune and the gospel of Mew I aim to spread. I am declaring I will be challenging the Pokemon League directly."

    A few gasped, a couple of others cheered.

    "I will be competing in the Pokemon League Tournament in two weeks." I stated calmly.

    The applause from the Commune was huge, and I tucked Silver''s letter into my pocket.

    I''d keep it with me, as a reminder that I couldn''t reach everyone, just like with him and Surge. But I''d do my best to keep pushing as highly as I could in the Pokemon League and then afterward taking down Team Rocket to get my message out to whoever I could.

    ¡­