A Winkle in Reality

[ApiLol123123]

Thanks for the chapter, eager to read the next one!!!

 

[HankPankylol]

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoy. If you REALLY like it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

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The dim light of the strangely dark morning dwindled behind us as we entered the Pokémon Tower, a long stone corridor leading in. Torches blazed on the walls, but did little to combat the cold that set in. Lavender was a chilly place, yet the second I stepped over the threshold to the mausoleum, the temperature plummeted.

What the light did, however, was illuminate the ancient, faded murals carved into the entrance. Slowing down a little, I fished out my flashlight and turned it on, the artificial light revealing etchings of Pokémon and humans alike, each accompanied by the exact crudely drawn figure of a woman clad in a long dress, face shrouded in a veil. A boy with a Nidorino in his arms was gently led by the shoulder as they entered the towering gates. A Machamp with a human cradled in its four arms, following in the footsteps of the swaying kimono. A group of warriors carrying a casket aloft, surrounded by a whole score of veiled women as they ascended the steps.

The sounds of Gary's footsteps growing distant forced me to hurry up, yet there was still time to notice that the drawings continued down the long hallway, every depiction showing the arrivals bent and broken, dragging still bodies along, but always guided by the woman.

So taken in by the art that might've been as old as Indigo itself – if not older – I almost walked into Gary as he stopped at the end of the entrance. Catching myself, I peeked around and couldn't blame him.

Smoke hung like mist – and maybe partly was – filling the room with a haze that extended endlessly in all directions, small balls of blue flame hovering amidst the clouds like tiny suns. The far walls were barely visible, and so was the ceiling, an immense expanse of drifting vapour obscuring everything with a blanket of swirling white, like we'd stepped through a portal to another dimension. Dark spots seemed to move behind the fog, indistinct shapes wavering and dancing in the light. There was a chill in the unnaturally still air, colder than even outside, and the scent of incense, earthy with a hint of spice, lay heavily.

Remembering Fuji's words about even the bottom floor being dangerous, I tensed and looked closer. It took a moment, but as I made out the origins of the shadows, a chill went down my spine that had nothing to do with the temperature or the otherworldly vibe.

Headstones.

A countless number of them. Every time I moved my head, new ones peeked through the smog, an army of reminders for the centuries of fallen lying beneath our feet.

I swallowed thickly, nervous despite having expected exactly that, Eevee mewling in discomfort as Herc and Siren moved out in front of us, Growly and Squirty mirroring them on Gary's side.

Seconds passed as we waited there on edge, the hairs on the back of my neck rising. Neither Rick nor Selene was within sight, but there weren't any Ghost-Types either. In fact, there didn't seem to be anything within sight.

Maybe they took care of the Pokémon and went ahead-

"Your companions have already gone to the second floor."

The speaker didn't flinch as a twisted sword, two jets of water, and a burst of flames passed by right over her head, but the cold intensified for a moment, and my breath hitched. A veil covering the young woman's face fluttered in the slipstream of the attacks, the white, thin fabric hiding her head and hair. A black kimono, adorned with lavender and purple flowers, covered her short, slender form, her bare feet curled under her as she gently ran a cloth over a gravestone. The overly long sleeves dragged along the rough stone floor with her every move, and yet remained pristine, not an ounce of millennia's worth of dust and grime clinging to them.

"Fuck me, where did you come from!?" I couldn't blame Gary for the sentiment, my own heart beating in my chest. Only Hercules remained calm, the Electabuzz barely glancing at the girl he presumably noticed before she spoke.

"I was here long before you. In some ways, I have always been here." It was hard to tell whether her attention was on us or her task – unable to see her eyes – but she paused her cleaning to lift a long piece of paper, the surface covered in ink symbols I didn't recognise, and hung it over the stone. "My name is Miko. I am a Caretaker here." Her voice sounded young, not much older than ours, but it was hard to tell with her deliberately low tone.

I curled an eyebrow at the very Japanese name. They seemed to crop up occasionally – like Bill's last name being Masaki – but the Clans didn't use them, so I didn't understand the custom.

"Yeah, whatever. Have you seen that big-ass Haunter or a pair of cosplaying losers? I presume that's who you meant went upstairs." Miko nodded, not reacting to Gary's inflammatory words.

"To reach the next floor, follow the lights." She indicated to the floating Will-o'-Wisps, and I swore they bobbed gently up and down at her attention.

"Should you be in here by yourself? Heard the Ghost-Types come all the way down here." I asked, staring at the suspicious flames. My sixth sense was screaming that it was not just fire.

"The Old One has only been here for a short amount of time." Lighting the dual incense sticks in her hands, she waved them around for a moment, mumbling words to herself that I couldn't make out. Yet, for a second, I could swear that the mists solidified around her and the phosphorescent blue flames flared up, the unheard words being whispered from all around us as she placed the smoking incense in a small pot. "Eventually, even down here will be dangerous to outsiders, but it has not reached that point yet. The spirits down here are more used to humans, so it takes more to make them actively hostile. Beyond that, we Caretakers have little to worry about."

Gary and I exchanged looks at both her words and the creepy phenomenon she pulled off, before Gary picked the conversation back up.

"Well, if it's that dangerous, you wanna get off your ass and help?" She shook her head, still gently wiping the headstone.

"It is not our place to interfere. The Tower is home to the dead. You would ask me to care for the physical remains and chase away the spiritual ones?"

"Yes. Yeah, that sounds great." I replied, Gary nodding along with me and scowling down at the… priestess? Shrine maiden?

Finally turning from her task, Miko turned her hidden face towards us. I couldn't see her features, but there was a smile in her voice. "I am sure they feel the same way about you." Then she returned to her task, acting like we weren't there. Gary threw his arms out and huffed loudly, storming off between the gravestones in the direction Miko had indicated.

"Thanks," I said to the strange girl. She turned her head one last time, and my mind played a trick on me, a flash of red orbs – crimson, baleful, and familiar – shining through her veil.

"It is our duty to help those who cross the boundary. Pokémon or not, coming or going."

I blinked at her words while she slid along the ground to the next name-engraved stone. I went to ask her what she meant, but a loud shout of 'Peri!' alerted me to Gary being little more than a blurry shadow amongst the smoke, and I had to hurry off.

I'd get her on the way back.

Finding the staircase that led to the second floor was both easier and more complicated than I thought it would be. On one hand, Miko's advice to follow the lights was a little vague, and we ended up walking in a circle twice. It was somewhat awkward when we passed the girl, but she didn't say anything and merely kept tending the graves.

Everything looked the same. The walls were rough and uneven, hundreds of grave stones crammed together in clusters, whole lineages laid to rest side by side. The center was slightly easier to move around in, but the sameness became disorienting swiftly in the haziness.

On the other hand, once we'd thought to have Growly – who, unlike Sol, had actually had some tracking training – stop us from crossing our own trail, it didn't take that long to find the ancient, chipped steps carved into the wall that led upwards. The staircase was narrow and open to one side, forcing us to walk in a single file as the ocean of white wafted around and hid the ground from sight, but we made it eventually.

Stepping out on the second floor of the Pokémon Tower, I really wasn't sure what I expected, but if it was more mist, then I sure got it. Even though the second floor should be smaller than the first – given the somewhat conical nature of the Tower – it didn't feel like it. The sides and roof were shadowed suggestions of enclosure, nearly gone in the haze, and the graves seemed taller and even more cramped. I didn't understand the customs of what floor you were buried on, but I could've sworn there were somehow more on the second floor than the first.

Gazing into the veiled room, I cocked my head. There was something there. The lightest of noises, on the very edge of my senses. It was so low and part of the background that it took me a moment to register. It was difficult to separate into distinct sounds as they all blended together, yet I managed. Voices chanting in a choir, the faintest of laughs, ethereal whisperings.

"You hear that?" There was a bead of sweat on my neck, and I took a step closer to Herc. There was a pressure in the air that had my heart picking up, and for a second, I swore I could see a plume of vapor from my breathing.

"Hear what?" Gary peered around, hands ready to release the rest of his team. Growly whined nervously, eyes darting around and nose twitching constantly, but even she didn't seem to pick up on the muted chanting.

"Never mind, I guess." I took a deep breath and put on my big girl pants. I wasn't going to get scared off just because it was creepy. "Same thing, I suppose? Follow the lights."

"Yeah." There was an extra edge to his voice as we started creeping forwards, picking a row of hovering flames to begin with. Whatever feeling there was on the first floor was much stronger on the second, as if there was a physical pressure to the obscuring fog that increased the gravity, and it had us all paranoid.

Especially when, as we approached the chosen fire at an oddly slow pace that hardly brought us closer, I noticed something.

"It's moving."

The words had barely left my lips before a high-pitched giggle echoed in the mists. The bluebell flame flickered and morphed, splitting into two eyes with yellow pupils. The fog swirled and coalesced into a physical shape, gray fluttering cloth rising to a horn in the middle of the forehead as the leftover material wavered in an imaginary breeze.

The Shuppet laughed at us, closing its eyes and sticking out an overly large, pink tongue to blow a raspberry.

Which meant it never saw Siren's Water Gun coming before it struck it in the center of mass, sending it careening into the mists with a noise not unlike a deflating balloon.

"Fucking asshole ghosts," Gary grumbled.

"At least it wasn't full-blown aggressive yet," I retorted, frowning at our surroundings. Something was… off. The Pokémon Tower had me on edge since the very beginning, yet something changed. The light movement of the fake wind, the near inaudible whispers from all around, it had all just… stopped. "I think we need to hurry, though. They might not appreciate-"

That was as far as I got, as my words proved to be prophetic. A rush of wind and an unearthly screech were my only warning as another Shuppet, bigger than the first, came rushing out from behind a nearby tombstone. The scream gave enough warning that our teams met it with a flurry of elemental energy, but the Ghost-Type dove, slipping into the shadows cast by the Will-O'-Wisps.

The darkness undulated at the presence of the Shuppet and – much quicker than the Pokémon had been moving on its own – the shadow stretched like an eel and rushed across the ground. The Shadow Sneak snuck between the legs of everyone in its wake, emerging right in front of Siren with a ball of crackling, lavenderish-purple forming in front of its wide open maw. The Feebas' eyes grew wide, but she was too slow to get out of the way before the Shadow Ball would be launched.

But I wasn't.

THWACK!

The Ghost-Type howled as my ruined blade swung like a golf club and sent it spiraling off into the distance. Taking the opening, I wasted no time in grabbing Gary by the shoulder and dragging him along.

"What in the-how? You can't hit ghosts with a sword!"

"You said it yourself, it's barely a sword at this point. Turns out, hit enough Ghost-Types with something, it gets pretty good at it." I'd first seen it during our trip to Lavender. The Pokémon had been training while I'd been trying to see if I could salvage the sword, and an errant Shadow Ball had gotten a little too close. On instinct, I'd lashed out and bashed it away from me with the weapon. Soaking something in Distortion enough left an impression. "Now, focus! No way that's the only one."

The ethereal muttering picked back up, only faster. Angrier. Fog and shadowed graves churned aggressively as we passed, hidden eyes following us as we power walked forward. I pulled Gary sideways as he made to follow another dancing flame, saving him from being caught up in the six others that floated up to join the first now that their trap had been ruined, the hypnotic pattern they drew upping the volume of the ominous chanting.

In return, the Oak's swift reaction had a lurking gastly caught in Growly's Bite-enhanced jaws before it could jump me from a corner I'd missed. The void-esque Denial energy of the Dark-type move dug holes into the non-corporeal body of the Ghost/Poison-Type, the Distortion bound to the toxins dissolving on contact as the ghost froze, a pained grimace stuck on the disproportionately large features. The Gastly was thrown aside in our hurry before it got seriously injured, but I imagined it wouldn't hold up long under that type of attack.

As the situation got hairy enough that I released Sol myself – despite the relatively little space he had to move between the headstones – the presence of two Dark-Type moves had the Ghost-Types of the second floor staying back for the most part. Small Shadow Balls came from beyond view or behind cover, but they were pretty easily neutralized with Water Bullets or Embers detonating them prematurely.

A face of bone, shaped into an almost comical representation of a skull, emerged from under our feet as we walked over a patch of extra dark floor we hadn't noticed. The black cloak of the Duskull – with a pair of crossed bones on the back – lacked limbs, much like a Shuppet, but there was a more solid presence to the Pokémon that some of its fellow pure Ghost-Types lacked. The sole crimson eye swung between the eye sockets like a pendulum as it lunged towards me, its edges growing hazy and indistinct as purple energy leaked from it. Hercules instinctively swung a fist towards it, but the ghost passed right through the unenhanced arm of the Electabuzz and past the ring of guards that surrounded us squishy humans. It was closer to Gary, who tripped as he scrambled to back away, but completely ignored the brown-haired boy, eye fixated on me for some reason.

Why did ghosts have such a hard-on for me?

My sword was down, and it would take too long to raise. I had no choice but to turn as best as I could and brace for impact, knowing it was going to hurt.

The Duskull intensified the sustained Shadow Sneak covering it, almost upon me-

-only to get swallowed up by the red light of a PokéBall opening, the light expanding in Duskull's path. The macabre mask of the Ghost-Type twisted into a surprised expression as two massive jaws formed from the energy, and the Requiem Pokémon exploded into a cloud of Distortion as the red leaked from the blue skin, Betty's Bite obliterating the ghost as she released herself from her bonds.

I wasn't sure if Ghost-Types could actually die or how that worked, but if they could, then that Duskull was fucking gone.

Behemoth the Bagon screeched her challenge to the entire tower, ready to take on every single inhabitant. A massive Dragon Breath caused steam to explode and a howl to echo from the background as the fog contracted in an unnatural way. Betty stomped her foot eagerly and lowered her head, ready to charge headfirst into danger-

-and squawked indignantly as her PokéBall once again swallowed her up and sucked her into the containment device.

Sorry, baby, but we really did not have the time – or the strength, if I was being brutally honest with myself in the privacy of my own head – to fight through every floor. She'd get her chance when we either found the Black Fog or got trapped.

Betty's reveal seemed to have drained the last courage of the surrounding ghosts, but I didn't let it fool me, even as we finally found the staircase and made our way up. It hadn't escaped my attention that everything we'd seen so far had been stage 1 evolutions.

I highly doubted that was going to continue. No, things were going to get a lot harder if Fuji's comment about the huge Haunter we were after not liking to fight fair was true. Having to battle through an entire gauntlet before even seeing the boss sounded like an excellent way to stack the deck.

As did the Tower itself, which was definitely unfair.

On the second floor, it felt like gravity had been doubled. On the third, we stumbled briefly as it flipped, and a single step felt like it would send us soaring. I knew that wasn't actually true, but the feeling of familiarity only grew the further up we got.

"The hell is this shit?" Gary mumbled, shifting uncomfortably and rolling his shoulders.

"Distortion. So much of it that it's starting to overtake reality." I ignored the weird look he gave me, taking the lead. "We need to hurry. We don't want to stay for long." I highly doubted it would grind away and change our very nature the way Giratina's world had done – not without lingering in the tower for years – but why take the risk.

My skin tingled as the smoke brushed it, curling around and almost embracing me. A lavender hue of Distortion dyed the previously white haze, the otherworldly nature visible as we progressed further up. The sides were fully gone at that point, the graves more elaborate than ever – statues of Flying-Types with wings spread stood protectively over dozens of names, whole stacks of molten wax still lit with more ghostly blue flame. The background hum of whispers was louder than ever, with distinct tones and pitches emerging.

-oooom!

And in the distance, a muffled explosion. The fog wavered for a moment as the shockwave blasted through, before settling again nearly immediately.

But it was still enough.

"That's them!" Gary called out, Growly rushing ahead, ears standing straight as she headed towards the sound. I followed more slowly, eyes darting around. The third floor was significantly more affected by the Distortion than the earlier floors had been, and yet, there wasn't a single Ghost-Type in sight. Oh, they were definitely there. I felt them in every corner, every shadowed nook and cranny of the towering carvings of stern-faced warriors and fierce Pokémon, heard their voices in the air, and tasted them on my tongue.

But I couldn't see them. There were no attacks, no sneaky Shadow Balls or sudden Shadow Sneaks.

Nothing.

I didn't trust it for a single second.

"Peri, over here! Hey, morons, what the shit are you doing!? This ain't the place for a picnic!" Gary waved me over from up ahead, hurrying over to a group of silhouettes that huddled on the floor. I sped up, only to slow back down and eventually stop, every instinct screaming at me. Yeah, the Ground- and Rock-Types didn't look like they belonged in the Tower, so it was probably 'Mountain Man' Rick and 'Hex Maniac' Selene.

But why were they curled up on the ground, and where were their assailants?

A chunky Onix snaked around the duo and hid most of them from view, the gigantic serpent rumbling like an earthslide as it saw us coming. Standing guard around it, a brown and yellow, hedgehog-like Pokémon slid its enormous front claws together before the Sandslash smoothed down the spiky growths on its back. On the other side, bouncing back and forth on segmented legs that contracted and extended like springs, was a brown, humanoid Pokémon that seemed to lack a head, the torso extending up past the shoulders, and holding a pair of eyes with black sclera and white pupils. The Hitmonlee moved to get in our way, but before it could, a bushy head of more hair than beard popped up over the Onix's body.

Gary was almost there at that point, showing a spectacular lack of care for the large Pokémon staring him down, and I wasn't that far behind.

Which meant I saw the moment Rick laid eyes on us, and the blood drained from his already pale and sweaty face. The untrimmed beard parted, and the first nearly understandable words I'd heard came out of his mouth.

"NA, DN'T! I'S A TRP!"

It wasn't hard to get the sentiment, though.

Especially when, around us, the oddly calm and abandoned mist began swirling in circles, first slowly, then faster and faster. Black and purple bled into the smoke, completely obstructing our vision as we were caught in a tornado of Distortion. Cackles and giggles surrounded us, the large eyes of Gastly's hurling around gleefully, the clawed hands of Haunters briefly forming as they grabbed more of the fog and dragged it with them into the twister-style Ominous Wind. The chanting grew louder than ever, the red jewels of Misdreavus standing out against the dark backdrop as they joined the choir of large, indistinct figures with big hats that lurked on the other side.

We were trapped.

"GET BEHIND THE ONIX!" I screamed over the screams of both the ghosts and the howling wind, grabbing Siren and Eevee and jumping clean over the Rock-Type snake, quickly joined by Sol and Hercules. Reaching back over, I grabbed Gary by his shirt as Growly did her best to push him over and dragged him the last part of the way, throwing him down beside Rick and Selene. The hiker was crouched over the Hex Maniac with a canteen of water and a cloth, the woman lying on the floor in a fetal position. Now that I was close, I could hear nonsensical mumblings falling from her lips, her eyes darting around to things I couldn't see.

"What happened!?"

"I dn kw! Hr Pokm wnt czy an tn se js collp!"

Oh, for fucks sake, why was I stuck with these people?

"Gary, Pidgeotto!" I called out, throwing out Betty's PokéBall to the other side of Onix. The huge avian joined the Bagon as they both materialized with vicious cries, Betty's stream of dragonfire burning a smoldering trail into the congregation of Ghost-Types, and Pidgeotto briefly dispersing a side of the whirlwind with a blast of wind from his massive wings as he took to the air.

"Ey, wake up!" I kicked the downed Selene in the ribs, trying to rouse her to no avail. Cursing, I gave it up quickly and chose to work with what we had.

"Sol, Flame Wheel, Betty, Dragon Breath!" The Growlithe snorted at my words and leapt back over Rick's Onix without hesitation. Mid-air, he curled into a ball as his pelt seemed to come alive, orange flames appearing from his body and coating him in a more standard coloration for a moment, before the fire fully erupted and surrounded him in an inferno. A glowing trail was left on the floor as he bounced a couple of times before rolling towards the tornado-

-and straight through it as the wall of formless Ghost-Types and Distortion energy parted before him with a cacophony of laughter, allowing the canine to pass right through.

Said laughter was quickly silenced, though, as a Sheer Force-empowered Dragon Breath ripped them apart again. Curses and insults in languages that time had forgotten – and had never existed in the first place – spewed at Betty along with a couple of Shadow Balls exploding against her scale-covered hide, but the Titan tanked the blows with little difficulty, throwing herself mouth-first into the fray. She quickly reemerged, spitting and hacking from the toxins, but she could withstand it for a while.

Siren and Squirty had teamed up under Gary's command, the 10 days we'd spent training paying off. Squirty unleashed a wide spray of water in a cone, drenching the ghosts for a moment, before an equally wide blast of Ice-Type energy froze them whole. It wasn't a proper Icy Wind, as Siren still couldn't pull that off even with Vulpix's help, but her experience with temperature was enough.

"Herc, Thunder Gloves! Eevee, back him up!"

The Electabuzz whirred in agreement and pounded his fists together, sparks springing between them as he joined the rest on the other side of the Onix barrier. Lightning jumped up and down his forearms as he held them up and focused, dual Thunder Punches igniting. His tail swung side-to-side with cracks! of thunder as he stepped forward and started swinging, the cloud spasming and sparking as his hands carved through it in a flurry. Plumes of smoke struck out at him, trying to force him back towards the rest of us, but a Shockwave had them retreating in pain. The Thunder Punches faded for a moment, the charge spent on the ranged move, but he swiftly got them back up.

It was far from perfect. He still couldn't hold it while using any other move, not just Electric-Type, so Quick Attack was out of the question for now.

However, evolution had brought more than just larger electric reserves.

Hercules almost blurred with speed in the same way Growly did, hands a flurry of sparks as a barrage was sent and landed in a heartbeat before he footworked himself out of the way of the returning attack.

My heart swelled for my boy. I hadn't known him for long, yet he had come so far. I knew better than to say it out loud, but he could make a decent argument for being my strongest.

Speaking of coming a long way. As good as Hercules was, there was still a long way to go before we were anything close to perfect. A strategic retreat had the Electabuzz following forward into a trap that saw the miasma surround him on all sides, pouring down on him like the Red Sea collapsing on the Egyptians. Lifting his arms to block, Herc found he didn't need to as a swirling ball of Distortion tore through the incoming waves, making them flinch and scream out in pain as the very core of their beings was threatened. Pulling back to the greater whole, it wasn't fast enough to prevent Eevee from focusing twice more, another two Shadow Balls punching holes in the mass.

The Ghost-Type moves were stronger than usual, I noted. The Normal-Type could reliably pull off the move, but some of the surrounding Distortion got pulled in when she formed the attack.

It wasn't that different from how the Ghost-Types had managed the tornado we were stuck in. Using the energy around us to power moves they couldn't pull off alone.

Good to know for when we got out of there.

My fingers touched Vulpix's ball before I removed them. It was tempting, but not only was I not super comfortable directing the Ice/Fairy-Type in battle, but she also wasn't that strong quite yet. Plus, I thought as I eyed the blackish-purple miasma that made up much of the tornado, Poison would rip through her in an instant.

No, shit would really need to be desperate for that.

Though it was getting there.

There were too many of them. For every one we took out – and we'd done enough damage for 50 ghosts at that point – three more took their place, seeming to spawn from the Distortion that hung so heavily over the Tower. At the rate things were going, we'd run out of steam long before they did, even without the poison slowly grinding us down.

So we had to switch strategies. While we were there to fight the Black Fog, retreating to the second, or even first floor, for a moment to regroup and plan might not have been a bad idea.

It was clear that we'd underestimated the Pokémon Tower. How the hell could so many Ghost-Types just be allowed to hang around?

Or was it because of the Black Fog?

"On my mark," I had to still speak pretty loudly to be heard over the chaos, but I tried not to let the ghosts listen in, if they cared enough to, "we're all going to attack the same spot, where Betty is. When there's a hole, we run through and get to the stairs, alright?" I could see Gary's face pinch up and his teeth grinding together at the idea of leaving before we did what we came to do. "Once we get downstairs, we can regroup and replan, fuck, call in some reinforcements, maybe. Gary, this ain't doable like this!" For a moment, I was afraid I wasn't going to get through to him – a feeling I understood – but thankfully, he swallowed his emotions and nodded swiftly.

"Fine!"

"Good!" I sighed as Rick lifted Selene over his shoulders, getting ready to move. "On me. One."

I scanned the swirling darkness as it was ripped into by streams of elemental power and blurring fists of energy.

"Two."

Hitmonlee's hands devoured the light like a pair of black holes as they rent the ghosts apart to great success, Herc teaming up with the Fighting-Type to push deeper than either could alone, though they made sure to never get stuck on the other side. A ring of fire surrounded us as Sol gained enough speed that he couldn't simply be dodged. The flames lingered for a moment as I got his attention and made him stop in front of me, the aftereffects hiding us from view for a brief moment.

"NOW!

"FLAMETHROWER!""ICE BEAM!""SHOCKWAVE!""RCK BRRG! IRN TL!"

I had to shield my eyes as the world lit up with white, a torrent of energy rippling through the air as Onix roared and swung its glowing tail through the trap. The Ominus Wind dispersed for a moment under the combined force, leaving an opening for us to rush through.

"GO, GO, GO!"

We sprinted through the disoriented and injured ghosts as they tried to pull themselves back together enough to stop us. Emerging on the other side, I wanted to cheer at our success, but we weren't out of the woods yet. We still had to get to the stairs and then hope they didn't follow us down-

-wait, why was it so dark?

We slid to a halt as the path forward suddenly darkened, as if it was night time. The Mist swirled as a howling gale tore through the room, the temperature plummeting. The ghosts' screams behind us quieted as the very air itself froze.

Sweat ran down my face as I slowly looked up and up, gulping.

Uh-oh.

Covering the whole horizon, I wouldn't have known that the mass of void-black was a Haunter if I hadn't been told. Blood-red eyes as large as my whole body wavered in and out of reality, arms the size of trees tipped with hands littered with holes. Needle-like teeth as long as people bared in a grotesque smile as the Black Fog hung over us.

There was an air to Ghost-Types that other Types, except for maybe Dark, lacked. A certain sense of wrongness, of something twisted. There was a reason they had a spotted reputation, and it wasn't just because their exact relation to actual ghosts of the departed was unknown. There was something about the inhabitants of the Distorted Realm that simply made humans uneasy, that raised the hairs on the back of their neck and made them uncomfortable. A surety that the being before you was fundamentally 'other'.

Staring into the Black Fog's eyes as the massive ghost leered down at us, I think it was the first time I had seen genuine, actual malice in a ghost.

Ghost-Types wanted to scare you, to affect. They fed on it, the emotion, needed it like humans required air.

The Black Fog would gladly starve. It wasn't about survival, not really. The Haunter would gladly light the world on fire and laugh at the flames.

It was about hate.

For the Black Fog hated every single one of them for daring to exist. It wanted them gone and the whole world with it.

It had spent decades, if not much longer, scouring the sickly solid realm it had found, and it would not rest until everything resembled its true home.

---

I wanted to fit the whole fight with the Black Fog into this chapter, but I had too much fun with the Tower, plus I'm sick, so I'll wrap it up next time. Probably.

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoyed. If you REALLY liked it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

 

[ApiLol123123]

Thanks for the chapter, eager to read the next one!!

 

[HankPankylol]

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoy. If you REALLY like it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

---

Deep, thunderous chuckles echoed through the misty third floor of the Pokémon Tower. A monstrous shadow hung over us, a mass of toxin and darkness in the imitation of a Haunter, saliva dripping from the Black Fog's person-sized tongue as it licked its bared teeth hungrily. Hate and sadistic pleasure radiated off the monster like a stench, the air visibly twisting and warping with the strength of the Distortion leaking from it.

I didn't dare take my eyes off of it, but I could feel the other, lesser Ghost-Types, starting to recover from the combined attack we'd used to break out of the Distortion tornado. The unharmed ones – stronger Pokémon lingering in the fog as their subordinates wore us down – gathered around us in a loose circle, keeping a wide distance from their boss, yet close enough to cut us off.

Well, shit.

"So you're the bitch that's keeping me from using the Tower!" Gary didn't seem to share my apprehension, taking a step forward confidently, and speaking louder to be heard over the sizzling of the floor in front of him as the spit gnawed through the old stone like a Muk. "Well, get out of my way, or I'll kick your ass back to wherever cowards like you hide when strong people come around!"

I smirked despite myself at the words. The Black Fog, on the other hand, narrowed its eyes at the disrespect and drew back a little, the void-esque miasma coalescing to solidify the Haunter further, a deafening shriek blowing the surrounding mist into a frenzy. My companions covered their ears with shouts, but I managed to fight through the wave of head-splitting pain and nausea with difficulty.

Guess we were doing it, then.

"BLAST IT!"

Icy beams punched through the Black Fog, rocks the size of my entire body wrenched from the ground and hurled at the ghost, a blinding lance of electricity following close behind.

All of it passed through the humongous Haunter with no effect; the rocks too physical to harm it, and the elemental attacks were too narrow to be more than mosquito bites.

The rest was another story.

The ancient terror hissed loudly, making the other ghosts flinch, as its toxins boiled and evaporated under the dual Flamethrowers and forceful Dragon Breath. Holes opened up in the miasma, allowing the rest of the flames to pass through harmlessly, but the heat definitely bothered it. The enormous eyes gazed on our group, locking on something in the back. With a growl more suited for a Mightyena, the Black Fog thrust its arms out to the side.

My eyes widened as the flowing limbs disappeared into the fog, vanishing up to the elbows. Following its gaze, I turned around to try to warn the others.

Too late.

Eevee and Clefairy, meanwhile, had started gathering the necessary Distortion for Shadow Balls, the crackling orbs of purple and black forming in front of them. Eevee's knack for ranged attacks had shown itself when learning the Ghost-Type attack, and hers was clearly bigger.

That might've been why the Black Fog's right arm reformed behind the Normal-Type first, massive fist slamming into the fox and sending her flying my way. The air was knocked out of my lungs as I caught her, stumbling and falling to the floor from the force. Unhurt, I quickly checked Eevee, finding her eyes to be closed and her chest moving unevenly. Gently feeling with my fingers, I found several broken ribs before I quickly put her in her ball and got back up.

Holy shit. That wasn't even an attack.

Back with the fight, Gary had been quick enough to use the slight delay to recall Clefairy and re-release her at his side. The tiny Fairy-Type was launching Shadow Ball after Shadow Ball at the looming horror above them, but every time the orbs got close, something happened to them. Their edges became frayed and fuzzy, their cohesion dissolving, and by the time the attacks reached the Haunter, they were little more than unfocused gusts of Distortion that barely bothered it.

Some kind of Distortion control?

Even with that, the Black Fog pulled back, a hovering nightmare as it allowed the lesser ghosts to close in and do its dirty work for it.

Coward was right. Fucker wouldn't even fight us.

Hitmonchan vanished into his ball as I watched, Sandslash's claws a blur as it tried its best to defend its Trainer from the mass of ghosts that were slowly closing in. Above them, Onix's massive maw opened, pitch-black void energy gathering. The Dark Pulse tore and ripped at the surrounding Distorion and made it flinch away like an animal, an inaudible scream that I could taste rippling through the third floor of the Pokémon Tower.

A huge fist formed under the Rock-Type and swung up in an uppercut, forcing Onix's mouth to slam shut and the Dark Pulse to dissipate. Cracks spread through Onix's jaw, pebbles raining down on those covering under its massive bulk as it swayed drunkenly. For a moment, I feared I was about to watch the large Pokémon crush its teammate and Trainer, but unlike Eevee, it managed to shake it off and stay up.

My ruined sword swung left and right, Gastly and Shuppet feigning attacks only to pull back before I could get them. Two grabbed the blade mid-swing and forced me to put my whole weight behind it, or lose it. A pair of Water Bullets from the nearby Siren saved my weapon, but the distraction was enough for a pair of Haunters to swirl together and surround the Water-Type. I recalled her fast, but didn't dare put her back out without knowing how much she ended up breathing in, Raticate's fate clear in my mind.

It took less than a minute before the sword was wrenched from my grip anyway and thrown into the mist.

Things were going real bad.

"GARY, PIDGEOTTO! TWISTER!"

He didn't question me, yelling up at his Pidgeotto as it hurled by, closely pursued by a cloud of Ghost-Types. Under normal circumstances, the massive Flying-Type would've out-flown the immaterial Pokémon, even with its bulk, but not only was it restricted by the size of the room – which, despite the Ghost-Types best efforts, wasn't actually endless – everywhere the bird went, a new group of taunting spirits awaited it.

Leaving him to wrangle the bird, I did my best to corral Sol, Betty, and Growly together in roughly the same area, without screwing up the whole battle. We were getting pushed closer and closer together as the ghosts circled, and I could see them getting ready to pull that tornado shit again.

Well, two could play that game.

Or four.

"PERI!"

Trusting him to have pulled it off, I waited until the back of my hair started swaying in the sudden wind before yelling out my command.

"FLAMETHROWER!"

The mist among the ghosts before me and right in the Black Fog's face began moving while the three Pokémon inhaled. Swiftly, the movement became faster and faster, swirling around in circles. The huge Haunter made to pull further back, but got caught up in the tornado that spawned under it, a massive, towering twister springing into existence and dragging dozens of howling Ghost-Types into its tearing winds. The Black Fog still didn't seem to take any actual damage, but it was held in place for a second.

More than enough for three streams of orange flame to streak across the distance and hit the whipping storm.

BOOOOOOOOOM!

The Pokémon Tower shook as the Twister exploded, a tremendous pillar of billowing flames roaring to life as the Dragon-Type enhanced tornado lit up like a bonfire. The mist that hung so heavily was blown back by the shockwave, a whole horde of ghosts losing their physical shapes under the force and heat. The cold air was eradicated and became uncomfortably hot, forcing me to avert my face from the conflagration. A shrieking scream filled the air, the fiery tornado flailing and moving as the Black Fog fought to escape. The column bulged oddly before exploding once more, a shower of sparks hanging in the air for a moment before they were snuffed out as the fog came rushing back in, a smoke cloud hanging in the air.

A shiver went down my spine as the temperature dropped again, plummeting past what it had been before, my breath visible as a vast shadow moved in the smoke.

The Black Fog was shaking as it reappeared, patches of toxins whipped clean in a different way than its previous semi-coporalism. Steam rose from its fraying form and plumed out of its gaping mouth. Titanic red eyes were glazed over as it continued to shake, pupils so shrunken they might as well have been completely gone.

It didn't take the rest of the Ghost-Types going still for me to realise that it wasn't shaking from fear.

It was rage.

The two Growlithe collapsed to the floor from the ungodly, sickening howl that left the Black Fog, multiple times stronger than the earlier Screech. Betty was still standing, but only for a moment as the immense maw opened further, jaw literally touching the floor, and an ocean of purple winds poured forth in a torrent. I had only a moment to see it before my vision was obscured by blue scales, Betty shielding me from the Ominous Wind with her body. Distortion tore at my clothes and screamed in my ears as it rushed past, before the tidal wave finally ended.

Looking up, my heart dropped to my stomach at the closed eyes and open mouth of Betty above me. It was the first time I had ever seen the Bagon unconscious, and the sight shook me more than I'd have thought.

Recalling her, she was quickly followed by Sol when I saw the similarly unconscious Growlithe – I presumed that Growly being gone meant that Gary had already done the same.

Panting, I took stock of the situation. On the plus side, the other Ghost-Types had been blown clear as well, and judging by the lingering patches of thick Distortion, many of them had been 'killed' or whatever the fuck happened to ghosts. We were still outnumbered 100-to-1, but progress was progress.

Unfortunately, I couldn't see Squirty anywhere, so the Wartortle was probably down. Taking the unexpected opportunity, I opened Siren's ball to see if she could still fight, and then returned her instantly when I saw the purple lips and dull scales.

I fucking hated poison so much.

That left us with Hercules, Graveler, Clefairy, Pidgeotto, Sandslash, and Onix. Six out of the 14 we started with. Turning to Rick in order to see if his Onix could maybe pull off another Dark Pulse, my already aching heart stopped for a moment.

"Rick? RICK!"

The heavyset man didn't respond, lying on the floor in a crumbled heap. Blood leaked from under his long hair, and what I could see of his face was pale under the beard. Sandslash stood over him, and that was all I had time to see before Onix curled around the two protectively, tightening its massive body into a gapless shield and taking them out of the fight at the same time.

Leaving us down to four out of 14.

Fuck me.

"NO!"

Swinging my head around, I cursed like a sailor when I saw the small pink Pokémon surrounded by Ghost-Types as it toppled over, the Clefairy going down to the part Poison-Types around it.

That would've been bad enough, but when the red beam of a PokéBall was blocked by a Duskull, I knew it was about to get a lot worse.

"GARY, DON'T!" My words fell on deaf ears, the boy sprinting into the mass of miasma with a wild look in his eyes, throwing himself over Clefairy and covering the Fairy-Type with his body. The surrounding Gastly and Haunter cackled at their new toy, jabbing the boy with poisonous limbs. Purple marks spread across his pale skin as the twisted gases did their work, and I knew the only reason he didn't die in the first few seconds was that they weren't done tormenting him.

"PROTECT HIM!" I called out to anybody who could hear, to almost no response. Onix was an unmoving pile of rocks, curled around Mountain Man Rick, Selene, and Rick's Sandslash. A few Misdreavus and a Mismagius hovered around them, pain and fear-inducing whispers hammering the sedimentary snake.

Hercules and Graveler were back to back, six pairs of hands smashing through ghost after ghost, clouds of Distortion left in their wake.

For all the good that did.

The ones disturbed by Herc's Thunder Punches, at least, were forced to retreat for a bit to recover; however, Graveler might as well not have bothered for all that its attacks did. A loud fart noise left the wagging tongue of a particularly large Gastly, one of the Rock-Type's fists sticking through half its face, before it was sent screaming into the mist by a Shockwave from Herc that bought them a second before a new horde was upon them

Up above, Pidgeotto was forced to abandon its attacks, swerving and dogging frantically as its pursuers grew closer and closer, black and purple marking more and more of its body as it got slower and slower.

Alright, Peri, going to have to do it yourself.

I made it all of seven steps before I was yanked to a stop by something grabbing hold of my hand from behind. Whirling around, I was met by a crooked rip in black fabric shaped like a grin, bared teeth yellow, a zipper hanging from the corner of the giant mouth. Above, crimson eyes with a black slit for a pupil shone gleefully as I tried to tear my fingers out of its grasp to little success.

Floating backwards, the Banette didn't seem to even notice my struggles as it dragged me away from the others and further into the swirling mass of ghosts surrounding us.

I'd had pretty good luck throwing down with Pokémon, but it was the first time I was on my own against a fully evolved one, and the difference was stark. Any thoughts in the back of my head that I was getting close to people like Bruno vanished when the pure Ghost-Type yawned mockingly, hiding its mouth with one hand while still pulling me along with the other.

It was like trying to stop a train with my hands.

Seeing no other option, I stopped resisting and jumped at the Banette, at least catching the bastard by surprise as its eyes widened before my forehead hit it between the eyes in a headbutt.

The Banette seemed stunned for a moment as my skull sank about an inch into its own before rebounding without doing any damage. Our eyes met before it grinned even wider and reared its head back as I'd done.

CRACK!

My nose shattered in an explosion of blood against the suddenly extremely hard face of the Banette, my vision swimming as I stumbled back. I had a brief moment to hear the cackle before it headbutted me again, sending me to the ground.

CRACK!

Blood poured down my face and roared in my ears. Copper stained my tongue as I bared my teeth in disbelief and sheer fucking rage, untrained, useless fucking aura rippling through my body while I bashed my forehead into the floor in frustration.

Again.

It was happening again. Every godamn time I did anything, anytime I thought I was moving forward or getting stronger, something came along to kick my teeth in.

Kurt.

Proton.

The Lab.

Mt. Moon.

The S.S. Anne.

I was so tired of getting kicked around. So unbelievably, bone-deep, fucking done with having to just watch as others around me got hurt for me or because of my actions.

I had to do better. I had to protect them.

I would protect them!

They placed their trust in me, and if I had to wade through poison and Distortion until all my flesh melted off to repay that loyalty, then so be it!

My fingers graced something on the floor, something cylindrical. A long tendril of some sort wrapped around my forearm, but I didn't care. There was nothing but mindless emotion in my mind as I grasped it and whipped around, screaming as I swung the long stick-thing at the Banette, nothing but a primal drive to protect the little family I'd started building for myself.

The ghost screamed in pain as its doll body was carved open, a glowing purple line bisecting the Ghost-Type across the middle. Energy rushed from the wound; the physical body the Banette needed to stay in the physical realm tore and leaked its true essence. Clawed hands tried to pull the rip closed, but were unable to do anything as the deep purple object in my hands came back around to slice open its neck.

With the sound of air leaving a balloon, the Banette threw itself backwards to avoid a third cut, almost black energy lingering in the air like blood in the water as it fled the fight entirely.

Panting and swaying, exhausted and almost certainly slightly concussed, I looked down at my hands as the purple left the object. Purple eyes reflected back at me from the blank metal, a double-sided blade resting in my hands. The bottom of the sword widened into a thick, golden guard with a slit in the middle and a golden handle. Attached to that handle was a long blue ribbon that widened towards the end and was currently wrapped around my forearm, anchoring the blade to my arm.

As if it felt my gaze, the slit in the middle of the guard moved slightly and opened, a bright blue eyeball with a black, slit pupil looking up at me. We stared at each other for a heartbeat that felt like an eternity, something lightly brushing against me in a non-physical sense I usually associated with Psychics, before the Honedge closed its eye again and rested easily in my palm.

I stared down at the sword-shaped Pokémon, feeling the surprisingly light weight and incredible balance of the Steel/Ghost-Type.

I-wha-...

Whatever. It was something, and that was what I needed in that moment. The rest could come later.

As soon as I held it up against the ghosts that had been watching me, black-purple Distortion leaked from the Honedge and coated the blade in a Shadow Claw. Eyes blinking rapidly, covered in blood, and lit up by the unearthly light, I was sure I looked quite insane, but there was still a deep sense of satisfaction when the ghosts backed up a little.

It was almost as good as when the first Shuppet fell apart under Honedge's blade.

Carving through them, it soon became more me chasing them than the opposite as the weaker Ghost-Types fled in the face of something that could actually hurt them. The slower ones were sliced apart, Gastly screaming as they imploded with a pop!, the whines of Misdrevus ringing in my ears as they dissolved. If they had ganged up on me, I was sure they could've killed me quite easily, but the inhabitants of the Pokémon Tower – or at least the Black Fog's subordinates – took after their leader.

As soon as they were faced with something that could actually hurt them, they turned into cowards and fled with their tails between their legs.

Oh, how I longed to chase each and every one of them down. I wished I could spend hours hunting them and showing them what happened when you fucked with me and mine, introduce them to Betty in a one-on-one setting.

But I had different priorities. Dripping with sweat that threatened to freeze on my skin, I made it to Onix's massive bulk, where Herc and Graveler had been forced as well. Shaking off the hands that tried to pull me behind them, I charged on, swinging Honedge around like a maniac to clear them away from Gary. The prone boy was in remarkably good shape for how many Pokémon he'd been surrounded by, but as he recalled Clefairy and Hercules and Graveler covered our retreat back to Onix, I knew that was on purpose.

The grunts didn't have permission to kill us.

Sharp clacks atop the still Rock-Type heralded Pidgeotto being left alone as well and landing atop Onix, the massive avian bowing over in exhaustion. I hadn't known birds could sweat, but liquid dripped from soaked feathers, the bulky Flying-Type having been forced to stay on the move since the battle began. Herc and Graveler were doing better, stamina beasts that they were, but even then, it had been a long battle.

And it wasn't over.

The ghosts kept their distance, swirling around as a vast shadow reformed above them. The horde parted as the Black Fog, smaller and much more real than I'd ever seen it. It still towered over us, each tooth in its mocking grin longer than my arm, but it was a solid black, having forced its miasma together as a normal Haunter would.

I was sure it made it more vulnerable, but we were in no position to take advantage of it, and I imagined it also made it a lot more dangerous.

Plus, how'd you eat without being physical?

It approached slowly, casually, bobbing side-to-side in a way that reminded me of a human skipping. Fuck, it even did a twirl as it came to a halt before us, the remaining Ghost-Types cheering at the little performance, though it was far from as loud as they had been in the beginning. The Black Fog seemed to pick up on that as well, twisting its head 180 degrees without moving its body to glare at the crowd, getting a much louder response that made it turn back around with a pleased expression.

What a drama queen. It really, really sucked that the fuck would be the one to kill me. Why couldn't it have been something cool?

At least it wasn't Proton. I would've killed myself if that's how I died.

Taking a deep breath, I concentrated as best as I could and held up Honedge point first towards the Haunter, Hercules on my left, and Graveler on my right. The massive ghost held up its hands and shook in faux fear to another round of laughter, the spectators having learned their lesson and dialing the volume to eleven.

I briefly thought about giving Honedge to Herc, as the Electabuzz was a lot faster and stronger than me, but the ribbon around my arm tightened at the thought, and I abandoned the idea. I had a vague idea of where the ghost sword had come from, and if it wanted to go down in my hands, so be it. It was highly unlikely it would change much anyway,

Apparently finally having had enough of grandstanding, the Black Fog suddenly surged forward, jaws stretching grotesquely to swallow all three of us whole. Stepping forwards I judged the distance and swung Honedge to hit it before it hit us. Glowing rocks and a Thunder Shock sped past, but even though they actually managed to do damage that time, the Black Fog tanked through it and came down upon us.

Might as well get one more in.

The edge of the sword passed inched from the giant mouth, and I wanted to close my eyes in disappointment, having wiffed the last opportunity I'd ever have.

Until I noticed the reason I'd missed: the Black Fog had stopped moving.

The stench of rot and toxic waste blew in my face as the cavernous maw hung open over me, quivering as the Haunter tried to surge the last bit forward and swallow us up. Its eyes darted around to look for the source of its sudden immobility, and I followed its gaze down its huge body to its tail. Somehow, the ending appendage had sunk into the ground, a large pool of black spreading across the floor and holding the old nightmare in place.

"Oho. Seems I finally got you, coward. Just needed some tasty bait."

The Black Fog's already huge eyes bulged ridiculously as the hoarse voice of an older woman echoed through the mist.

The spectating ghosts reacted much worse.

Screams and shrieks, almost as loud as the fire tornado from earlier, filled the air as over a hundred Ghost-Types suddenly ran for their lives. They dove into every shadow available, hid behind whatever tombstones hadn't been knocked over by the battle, and those who were too slow for that clasped their hands over their eyes and lay down on the floor in what I could only call the ghost version of fetal position.

The sharp crack of a cane on stone slowly grew louder as silhouettes emerged from the fog.

"Tch, look at the mess you've made, you old bastard. Who do you think is gonna clean this up, huh? That's very unkind of you, making so much work for my girls."

A somewhat hunched figure walked in front of the group, pale wooden cane banging against the floor. Whitish blonde hair crowned her head, a trio of ghostly blue Will-O'-Wisps circling above like a halo and casting deep shadows over her wrinkly face. A lavender dress clad her body as she slowly approached, with a large gem in the neckline and a white, apron-esque piece of clothing over it.

Under and behind her, her shadow stretched much too far, a titanic void-like hole in reality that undulated unnervingly.

On either side of the too-dark shadow walked a line of five other women, 10 in total. I had to rub my eyes at what I was seeing, but the sight remained the same. All 10 of them were wearing the exact same black kimono with lavender and purple flower print, a black veil hiding their faces. All of them were the same height and walked at the exact same speed in an eerie display.

What in the world? Were they clones of Mito? Was Mito a clone? Was that the old lady I saw on the porch in Lavender?

My head hurt, and not just from the broken nose.

"Seems only fair if I'm terribly unkind to you as well, doesn't it?" The old woman cackled, completely immune to the glare from the monstrous Haunter.

The Black Fog didn't take well to the comment, swinging a massive arm towards her with a howl. I jerked forwards instinctively as she didn't move, sure I was about to see her smeared across the tiles.

Instead, a swirling hole of voidish purple opened up before her and swallowed the fist all the way up to the wrist. Reality itself shuddered around the 'portal', the air vibrating with the amount of Distortion packed into the technique.

The Black Fog screamed as it tried to rip itself free, its other hand flailing around before it, too, was caught in a hole in reality. Trapped by all three limbs, the ancient horror that had terrified Lavender and beyond for decades – centuries, I was starting to believe – was completely stuck, unable to move. The half-Ghost-Type mist vibrated with its shrieks of fury, its jaw falling as it prepared its massive Ominous Wind-

-part of the woman's shadow darted forwards, a colossal hand of black reaching up and grabbing the Black Fog by the jaw and slamming it shut. The huge eyes widened as Distortion exploded from where its nostrils should be, the Haunter shaking as its own attack ran wild inside itself and wrecked its body.

"Now now, none of that." The woman was still moving forwards, the black-clad girls following behind her loyally. "How many years have we been doing this? Feels like a lifetime. It's almost sad, you know. This being the end." The woman reached into the pocket of her apron and retrieved an UltraBall, the black and yellow ball shining in the reflected light of her ghostly crown. For the first time, I saw fear enter the Black Fog's eyes as it shook and fought even harder to escape its bonds. "Almost, anyway. Don't you worry, I'll take good care of you. Eventually. Maybe. Got some frustrations to work out. I'm sure you understand." Her chuckles had a multi-layered echo, each more twisted and distorted than the last.

Straining as hard as it could, the Black Fog's eyes rolled around frantically as the woman came to a stop right in front of it. Scowling down at her, the roar it let out did little more than blow her hair back as she yawned mockingly.

Suddenly, something else glinted in the enormous blood-colored eyes. It glared at the woman and the girls behind her, then at Gary and me, as it went completely still. A wet gurgling noise of disgust came from deep in its non-solid chest as said breast began expanding, growing larger and larger as the hulking Haunter inflated, still glaring at us with nothing but hatred.

My eyes widened as I realised what was going on.

It was going to blow itself up rather than be captured.

It would sooner die than work with a human.

"So that's how it is, huh?" The previous levity had left the old woman's voice, and I couldn't identify what had replaced it. "Didn't think you had it in you. Good for you, I guess. Spare yourself a lot of pain."

Her shadow stretched again, crimson eyes not unlike the Fog's own dotting the black as it rose in a bubble of semi-translucent Distortion. I could see the Fog through the screen as it continued to grow, soon pressing against the strange Ghost-Type Protect – or whatever it was. All the while, its eyes remained on the woman, not an ounce of hesitation or fear in there, not a single thing to be found other than hatred and disdain.

I had to agree with the woman.

I didn't think The Black Fog was capable of suicide.

I could almost respect it.

Boom!

The explosion was muffled, nothing more than a thump announcing the end of the legendary Black Fog. The oily-black shield expanded with the force briefly before imploding completely, swallowing whatever remains the Haunter left behind with a wet burping sound.

Snorting, the old woman turned to look at us, her pinkish, almost red eyes peering down at us mockingly.

"Awww, did the big ghost scare you? Don't you worry, Aunty Agatha brought plenty of fresh diapers."

Agatha, Ghost Mistress of the Indigo Elite Four, simply cackled again at the glare I gave her, sounding way too much like the Black Fog for my taste.

How illegal was punching Elite Four members?

---

This illness is kicking my ass, and I'm not super pleased with this chapter, but oh well.

Honedge has been born, fun stuff.

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoyed. If you REALLY liked it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

 

[The Radiance's Follower]

A honedge ? How many Rare pokemon does that make now ? Agatha is very punch-able. yes.

 

[Pandaemonium04]

That's his former sword right? A sword thats been part of much death and violence that eventually gained an ability to attack the incorporeal which was further Seeped in a distortion cloud, it makes sense that it returned as a honedge. Plus it seems very comfortable in Peris hand, despite lore wise ur should have killed peri. Perhaps the reason why modern honedge kill anyone that try to wield them is cause they're all former swords with history and they refuse to be touched by anyone besides their true master-which unfortunately means that by the time a honedge forms, their wielder is already dead.

Maybe there's Kalosian knight families where Honedge are passed from one master to their child where only the particular families are allowed to wield them. Could be a cool worldbuilding aspect

 

[ApiLol123123]

Thanks for the chapter, eager to read the next one!!

 

[HankPankylol]

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoy. If you REALLY like it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

Sorry for the delay, only just got home.

---

Gazing out over the strewn rubble from the smashed gravestones, the pools of toxic miasma feebly struggling to pull themselves together, and our exhausted, injured group, Agatha of the Elite Four clicked her tongue idly while tapping her cane to the same beat.

"All in all, not bad at all. Far better than I was prepared for to get that ancient bastard. Why, everybody's alive! Will miracles never cease?"

"No thanks to you!" It would probably be smarter to keep my mouth shut, but the emotional whiplash was still catching up to me, never mind everybody except Hercules being unconscious.

Well, plus the Honedge wrapped around my arm, but I still had to figure that out.

"I very much disagree. In fact, I'd say you're alive because of me. You were warned about going inside, weren't you? You should be on your knees, thanking me for my graciousness. " She didn't even bother looking at me, instead glancing over her shoulder to the rows of veiled girls with a glare. "Well? Don't just stand there, get to it! Do you need me to wipe your bottom as well?"

In a flurry of dark cloth, we were suddenly surrounded by the kimonoed girls as their own Ghost-Types made their appearance, each of the grave tenders accompanied by at least one Misdreavus and a Gastly.

"If you would be so kind as to release your Pokémon, good sir," I squinted at the one that stopped by me, trying to peer through her facial covering. Next to me, Hercules held out his hands without issue – purple and black veins pulsing angrily against the irritated skin, fur mostly dissolved – letting the Gastly disperse into a toxic cloud that swirled around his poisoned appendages while the Misdreavus chanted softly.

"Mito? That you?" I questioned, then released the rest of my team, once I saw that even Gary did as asked without making a fuss. The Pokémon attending Herc immediately switched targets to Siren upon seeing her, a thin line of toxic blood drawn from her mouth and into the Gastly as her scales shone dull, Distortion being pulled from her by the other ghost.

"No, it is not. My name is Miko, good sir." The girl had me questioning my own sanity as I could've sworn she sounded just like the one from earlier. Maybe I got the name wrong?

"Do you have, like, a twin or something?"

"We are all brothers and sisters here." I heard the smile in the nonsensical answer and felt my eyebrow twitch. I'd had just about enough of the pretentious mystery garbage they insisted on in Lavender.

Before I could show my growing displeasure, the Lavender native was unknowingly saved by Agatha.

"Don't bother, child, they won't tell you. They have a long tradition of not answering anything in a straight manner. Think it adds to the atmosphere." As she was talking, the old woman hobbled over to the curled-up Onix. "Up you get, you big lump." Prodding it a couple of times, she got no answer.

Lifting her cane, she started banging it against the Rock-Type with considerable force. "OI, GET OUT HERE, YOU LAZY BASTARDS! I'VE FIXED YOUR MESS ALREADY, ENOUGH HIDING!"

Still nothing. A twitch developed in Agatha's left eye.

"Ignore me, will you. Show them why it's a bad idea to ignore Mommy, won't you, sweetie?"

I cringed slightly at the sudden sugar-sweet voice the Wraith of Kanto – as I'd heard her addressed – even as her shadow parted and a section darted around Rick's Onix. Expanding, the wide-brimmed hat of a Mismagius popped out, mouth open much wider than should be possible.

I had just enough time for my eyes to dilate and my hands to clamp over my ears before a Screech that rivaled the Black Fog's ripped through the air, only much more concentrated. A cone of rippling air vibrations blasted straight into Onix's face, and whatever organs it had that passed for ears, its eyes leaping open instantly.

"OOOOOOOOOONN!" The massive Pokémon cried out, flinching away so violently that it smashed its head into the floor on the opposite side, unfolding in the process. In the middle, a bleary-eyed Mountain Man Rick fell over, having tried to stand up after his sudden awaking, and almost landed back on the Unconscious Hex Maniac Selene.

"Have a nice nap?" Agatha mocked as another pair of Caretakers rushed over to the last injured members of our party. "You were told to wait until the Fog had been handled. The sentiment is… nice, I suppose, but graves are for the living. The dead don't care, and throwing your life away is a poor way to show your appreciation."

Rick mumbled something in response that I couldn't hear – or be able to understand even if I could make it out – and reached into the side pocket of his backpack. I blinked in surprise when his hand returned, clutching a black PokéBall, Gary stiffening beside me.

Mr. Fuji's words returned to me about the two others besides Gary and me who were going in.

One for money and one for mourning.

Now I felt bad for laughing at the guy.

"Amateurs," the Ghost Mistress snorted, moving on and poking the downed l Selene non-too-gently with her cane, "always thinking they know best. I warned the silly girl, but did she listen? Of course not, bah! Arrogance of youth, I tell you."

Rick looked over at me and pointed to himself in silent question, making me shrug in response. She might just have been talking to herself.

"Whatever. All's well that ends well, or whatever you kids say." Agatha shrugged, turning back to the rest of us. "The girls will get your Pokémon back on their feet and show you to an empty grave so you can do your business. Afterwards, I highly suggest you leave my tower before the little ones take your continued presence as an invitation to a round two."

I nodded despite the many, many questions I had about the Pokémon Tower, recognizing that it wasn't the time. Instead, I moved to sit down next to Gary, only for a cane between my shoulders to force me back up.

"Are you burying someone?" I didn't even get a chance to respond before she continued. "Didn't think so. Saying goodbye is a private event. Have some respect."

I instinctively wanted to protest, but Gary's face caught my eye at the last moment. Turning to look, he quickly averted his own gaze, but I got the message.

"Fine," I did my best to sound as neutral as possible. I understood. It kind of hurt a little, but I got it. "I'll… wait outside, I suppose."

"You can help an old woman up the stairs, more like. I need to check the upper floors, and my knees aren't what they used to be." Even the tenders of the Pokémon Tower looked at the officially second strongest Trainer in Kanto in disbelief. "We can talk about that thing on your arm on the way. Leave your PokéBalls here; the girls will bring them to you after."

"No fucking shot." The words left my mouth before I even had a chance to think about it, but I stood by them. While tips on Ghost-Types from a Ghost-Type Master sounded awesome, there was no way I was leaving the rest of my team alone for it.

I'd done… okay, figuring things out for myself up to that point, thank you very much.

"Oh?" Hobbling over to me, one of Agatha's pink eyes glinted vermillion while the other matched the ethereal blue of the Will-O'-Wisps above her. The clack of her cane echoed deeply as she planted it in front of her, her seemingly frail body appearing to loom over me despite my height advantage. My breath was visible, cold sweat gathering on the back of my neck. The earlier feeling of being watched returned with a vengeance as the fog seemingly closed in on me. I gulped, feeling pinpricks on my Adam's apple, like sharp canines grazing my flesh. "Do you think I'd need to separate you from your Pokémon if I had ill intentions?" Bone white flashes between her purple lips, needle-like teeth poking through.

I gritted my teeth, but not even I could delude myself into believing the answer was anything other than the truth. The Black Fog had been kicking our asses basically without effort, and the Elite Four member treated the Haunter like a kid.

"... no."

"Good, then shut up and carry my bag."

I grunted in surprise as her shadow once more moved, a large, lavender handbag being launched out with a comical spitting noise and hitting me in the chest. The owner of said bag had already started shuffling into the mist without waiting for me.

Struggling with myself, it was ultimately the Honedge wrapped around me that decided for me. As much as I genuinely, truly hated leaving my team behind, getting tips on an unfamiliar Type – especially one as notoriously difficult, if not outright dangerous as Ghost-Type – from one of the greatest known Masters in the Region, if not the world, had to take precedent.

Turning to Hercules, on account of being the only one up, I didn't bother lowering my voice, knowing the black-clad attendants could hear me as I handed over my belt.

"If they even twitch suspiciously, you start swinging, okay?"

The Electabuzz grunted and held out a hand for a fistbump. Returning it, I patted him on the shoulder, ignoring the slight shock I got, and reluctantly turned around and left them behind, venturing into the surrounding haze.

Thankfully, Agatha didn't move very fast, and I caught up quickly. Even then, the others had already disappeared behind us, so second thoughts were useless.

Almost as if she could hear my thoughts, the Ghost Mistress glanced at me from the corner of her eye as she led the way, navigating between the gravestones without looking where she was going.

"Feel free to wander, if you want. I might even remember to pick you up."

I wanted to retort with something witty, but a large statue of a Raticate mid-leap appeared out of nowhere, forcing me to dodge.

"With this much Distortion around? I'm not that dumb." I grumbled, picking up my pace. Despite limping along casually, I could've sworn Agatha was speeding up.

"Distortion? Been talking to Psychics?" She asked, taking a turn as the wall suddenly came into existence in front of us, the staircase to the fourth floor straight ahead of us. It was a little annoying, waiting for her to grunt her way up the fairly long flight, but I held my tongue for once.

"One or two," I answered her question cagily. The Elite Four member might have saved us, but that didn't mean I was going to trust her automatically.

"Distortion." She mused as we strolled through the all-encompassing fog. In contrast to how Gary and I'd fumbled our way around, Agatha moved with an absolute surety, not as much as glancing around as she led the way. We also got to the stairs leading up to the fifth floor in minutes. "It's not a bad name. Better than Ghost-Type, anyway, bah! Superstitious fools, yapping about things they don't understand."

"So they're not actually ghosts?" I looked down at the still Honedge. Good to know I didn't have a dead person attached to me.

"Depends on what you mean." Or not. "While it's true that the fundamental building block of a Ghost-Type comes from the deceased, that's like saying a plant is the ghost of a seed. Just because something comes from somewhere doesn't mean it stays that way. Ghosts are no different." As we walked, the shadows of graves and monuments grew taller and taller, soon as tall as me, and then taller. Whispers grew louder, almost distinct, but they were different from earlier ones. In the presence of the Black Fog, they had felt inhospitable and hostile, a predator lurking just out of sight. In contrast, after the Haunter's death, they were… friendly was the wrong word, but there was a neutrality, a simple curiosity. "How much do you know about the Distorted, as you said. How they come to be, how they sustain themselves?"

"Fuji said they feed off emotions." My new Vulpix and Gary's Clefairy flashed through my mind. Was there a connection between Ghost- and Fairy-Type?

"For someone that friendly, the old man plays his cards close to his chest. Or he hasn't learned anything about ghosts since moving here, but I doubt he could keep himself from poking something for more than a few days." We walked in silence for a bit as Agatha visibly mulled over her answer. "It's technically not wrong, what Fuji said. It's about the emotions, yes, but it's about more than that. I don't care enough to get into it, but as even a simpleton like yourself must've noticed, Pokémon has a certain… energy."

"Grant called it Aura. Talked about people using it too." That was a lie, but even if Agatha questioned the old man, there was a decent chance he'd assume that he'd done it and forgotten.

"Senile fool, giving babies knowledge they're not ready for." Her lip curled, a flash of too sharp teeth peeking through as the light reflected off her shining eyes. "Thought the whole point of these rules and changes was to keep kiddies out of the way. Bah, whatever. If you get yourself killed, it's your problem, not mine. Aura is one name, yes; Type energy, Chi, Ki, the power of the soul. If you know where to look, you'll find a hundred different terms, but it's all the same shit. It's the essence of a being, the truth of their existence aligned with a natural force. Pokémon are capable of manipulating this force, or energy, instinctively, but as you said, some humans can do it too."

"And what does this have to do with Ghost-Types not being dead people or Pokémon?" Furthermore, how did the Distortion World fit into that?"

"Is that really the question you want to ask?" Agatha suddenly stopped and turned around, both hands planted on the top of her cane as she stared at me.

Looking around – to no avail, as I could barely see a few feet ahead at that point, Agatha's face hazy despite me being right in front of her – I frowned to myself. Unlike the fourth floor, we'd been walking for a while. The Ghost-Type Master and Lavender native was undoubtedly more familiar with the Pokémon Tower than I, but I guess even she could get lost. Which was a problem since the Distortion saturating the world around us had rapidly increased-

I stopped, my breath hitching with the freezing air, feeling it scorch my lips on the exhale before shooting out of my mouth as a plume of vapor.

"This is not the fifth floor."

"Took you long enough. Your senses are terrible, hah!" Her cane lashed out, the mist swirling as it almost blurred in and out of reality, warping and twisting before it struck the side of my head, entirely physical.

"OW! What the shit!?"

"That should've passed right through a human." She hummed easily, leaning forward to get right in my face. "Or a normal human, at least. But then, who can remain ordinary when they've gone where you have?"

I froze at the implication, head snapping up from where I'd been rubbing my cane mark just in time to see the old crone take a step backwards and literally vanish right in front of my eyes, the fog moving around her and leaving an afterimage for a second before it faded.

"I knew the truth from a hundred feet away. You reek." I held out Honedge as I spun around, trying to find the voice that came from all around. A deafening sniff inches from my ear. I whirled around, blade swinging, to see the giant fanged grin fade into the fog, the haunting eyes of the Gengar lingering for a moment.

"You've tried to smother it, to deny it, but you can't hide from me. No matter how many years pass, Distortion itself is imprinted on your very being. I know where you've been."

A shadow darted by me, and then another on the other side. A dozen more followed, surrounding me in a cage of gleaming fangs, crimson eyes, and foul snickers. I did my best to track them, yet had no real chance of doing so, even as Honedge began pulling left and right on its own, guiding the tip of the sword for me. Without even realising, I started backing away, heart in my throat.

And then I bumped into something. I whipped around, Steel-Type slicing through the air with a whistle, only to hit a pale stick with a metallic clang! Agatha's eyes burned down at me with an unholy inner light as light purple Distortion covered her cane and protected it against Honedge's edge.

Feeble old lady, my ass.

"Well? Are you going to lie?"

Fuck her, and fuck her parlor tricks, too.

"Fuck you! I ain't lying about shit! Yeah, I've been to that weird-ass place! What's it to you, hag!?"

Her face changed, and for a moment, I thought I'd pushed too far. Instead, she reared back and let out the first non-threatening laugh I'd heard from her.

"HA! Ah, you're all piss and vinegar, ain't you? I like that. Here." In a flash, she'd reached up and grabbed my hurt nose between her fingers. I didn't have time to respond before she wrenched her hand to the side, a sharp crack! ringing out as the broken bone was realigned.

"OW! Fucking leave me alone, you bitch!"

All I got in return was more laughter as she suddenly bent her knees and moved to sit down, despite there being nothing beneath her. Whatever horde of Ghost-Types she kept in her shadow solved that, surging up and making a chair for her to sit on. When she waved her hand behind me, I saw that another, much uglier stool had been made for me as well. It didn't even have a backrest.

I promptly ignored it.

Or tried to anyway. When I didn't sit, the stool flew upwards, hitting me in the back of the knees to make me crumple onto the seat, and then lowered again.

"What's it to me? Curiosity, mostly. It's so very rare to find a human that survived spending more than a fraction of a second there. It's extremely rough even for me, and I've forgotten more about Distortion than you've ever learned. And yet, based on how deeply you've been marked, you were there for much, much longer than any I've ever met. It's quite fascinating. Beyond that, it's also the explanation for your questions."

"And how's that?" Being completely honest, Agatha had me on edge in a way Walter and Grant never managed, even when the former was threatening to cut my head off.

"As I said, aura, energy, whatever. Every being has it, whether they can control it or not. This power has a… flavor, I suppose, an imprint of that being. The philosophically inclined interpret that as being our soul, if you want to be romantic. Regardless, sometimes something will die, and that energy will… slip through the veil. Maybe the local Distortion is particularly high."

She gestured around them, and almost as if on command, a hundred random Ghost-Types flew through the mist before disappearing again.

"Other times, the being in question is more than a little twisted in the first place, and simply feels more at home there. You've been." Her eyes glazed over, and I could've sworn she shivered. "You know it's no place for us. We're beings of law and order, of carefully maintained processes and logic. That place is the opposite. Random doesn't even begin to describe it, but I hardly have to tell you. Spend enough time there, and the boundaries start fraying. The nice, orderly, logical beings that we are become-"

"-Distorted." I finished for her.

"My word, what a brain on you. Clearly, the scientific community has missed out on quite a gem." I flushed a little at the incredible dryness in her voice, especially when our chairs giggled. "Yes, we become Distorted, as the brainiacs call it. By its very nature, the Distorted World rejects everything from this realm and tries to grind it down to change it to match its own idea of reality. But as I said, there is a flavor, an imprint, left behind in the aura. Not a personality, which is why Ghost-Type is as misleading as it is. What was once the most loyal Pokémon in the world can stand right in front of its previous owner and won't recognise them. But for those strong of will, the very core, the predominant trait, might remain. Maybe it's fear."

Once more, the darkness beneath her undulated, a noxious cloud seeping from it. Needle-esque teeth in a giant grin and huge eyes that rolled around dementedly hovered over the Master before disappearing again. "Maybe, they were a particularly skilled speaker or singer." The whispers returned, but augmented a hundredfold, ominous chants that made my head ache and eased my broken nose at the same time, echoing throughout the Tower, led by a figure in a frayed cloak and a massive hat. "Or, maybe they were a warrior so loyal it was engraved on their soul and who gave their life for their liege."

That time, both our eyes fell on Honegde, the sword Pokémon still doing its best impression of an inanimate object.

"So… technically ghosts, but not really?"

"Now you're getting it." I wasn't getting shit, and my head hurt.

"Of course, it rarely affects us humans without killing us, but it happens. We aren't just one emotion, though. We become erratic, impulsive, prone to following our slightest whims without thought for the consequences, losing our shit at the slightest provocation. And that's without being a bundle of angst and trauma like you."

So my early thoughts were right. Aura was affecting my emotions. And, whether Agatha knew it or not, the Distorted World wasn't just Ghost-Type energy.

Giratina was part Dragon-Type after all.

"... how do I control it?"

"There are several ways," she didn't seem bothered by my problems, but then, if what she was saying affected her as well, then why would she? "You seem to be going the Bruno way, all discipline and control, boring shit like that. The fact that you've made any progress on Fighting-Type energy speaks to how close you were to straight-up becoming a Ghost-Type yourself. You little trip has left you quite malleable How'd you get out, anyway?"

-a roar that made his cells cry in anguish ripped from the god in front of him as IT lurched towards him, hatred shining in ITs gaze and maw opening wide as IT swallowed him in one bite, teeth ripping through him as he let out a scream and-

"A giant dragon thing ate me."

She stared at me, jaw dropping a little, and her eyes growing wide before she caught herself.

"... as I said, fascinating." I did not like the way she looked at me when she said that, so I moved the conversation along, even though I had many more questions.

"Honedge… it used to be my sword, right?" A brief crack of the metallic eyelid flashed a sliver of blue before the Ghost-Type went back to ignoring me.

"It did," Agatha confirmed.

"So, what, you just hit enough ghosts and then a new one gets born?" That sounded surprisingly easy.

"You think you're the first to hit a Ghost-Type with something a couple of times? People have been running around swinging everything a Ghost-Type has ever possessed, trying to make their own. It takes a lot of Distortion, your own internal one helped in your case, but usually environmental. This Tower has been used for it by family after family, Clan after Clan. Many a Banette was born here."

"Including your own Clan?" Spending time with the Pebble and Waterflower Clans had helped my knowledge of Kantonian politics, but I hadn't heard of any major Lavender Clans.

"You think I'm a Clan brat? Ha! No, no. No Clan has ever lasted long in Lavender. All get too big in their britches and think they can control the Tower. Never lasts long. Nah, while I was born here, it wasn't to anyone special. Didn't even own the house I was born in. Or was allowed to stay there in the first place. Plenty of empty houses in Lavender to squat in."

"Huh." That… surprised me. I wasn't sure when it happened, but I kind of started associating strong Trainers with powerful backers.

I really was becoming an elitist.

"Was that a glimmer of respect? Oh, my old, cold heart feels all warm!" She pretended to faint, her Gengar catching her and fanning her with a faux panicked expression before sitting her back up and diving back to her shadow. "I looked into you. Guess you've seen people like my parents over in Orre, before you showed up on that fucking dick, Oak's, doorstep."

"Why do all you dusty fossils hate the Professor so much, anyway? Grant said something about a treaty or something?" Seriously, Grant, Walter, Blaine, and now Agatha. What the fuck had he done that pissed off basically everyone he used to know?

"Suppose little Sammy doesn't flaunt the good old days." The chuckle she let out was bitter, her gaze distant and lost as she stared at a random grave, her cane tapping a beat against the stone floor. Her shadow grew tendrils that wrapped around her in a facsimile of a hug, but she waved them off with a huff. "Enough of that, I'm hardly a child. I've told you plenty, much more than most get, so you'll have to get the details somewhere else. Shouldn't be that hard with the auspicious company you keep, rubbing shoulders with the Clans." She paused again, then eventually restarted slowly.

"The Rebellion, or war, or whatever you wanna call it… it wasn't good. The Clans of Johto and the Sevii Islands struck with no warning and managed to wreak quite a lot of havoc before we could muster a response. We knew they weren't happy with things, but nothing pointed to open conflict."

She sighed and sank into herself. For the first time since I'd met her, despite the wrinkles and white hair, Agatha actually seemed old.

"Those were dark days. Whole towns were wiped from the map in a blaze of dragonfire, children pulled from their homes and given a Pokémon so they could be sent to the front lines. It was the first large-scale conflict since the invention of the PokéBall, you see, even if they weren't as advanced as they are today. We had Acorn Balls, of course, but they were hard to make, and even the Clans rarely had more than a couple of dozen at a time. Average Trainers and their partners had to get around physically. And then, all of a sudden, kids younger than you had half an army in their pockets. It was chaos."

I could imagine, snippets of the Rocket Lab and the S.S. Anne running through my mind. I hadn't considered how much that invention must've changed things – in my head, the PokéBall was a standard of the franchise that had always been there.

"And then, one of those snot-nosed kids on our side started pulling his weight. I was hardly better myself, but at least I was growing hair on my privates, which is more than can be said for Oak." She chuckled at my grimace before the brief moment of levity left her. "But, as everyone and their grandma knows these days, there was something special about Samuel Oak. A talent, a drive, an intellect that couldn't be denied. Soon, he was in charge of his own squad, then company, then battalion. Battle after battle won, piles of corpses left in his wake. It took a couple of years, but few could disagree when he was promoted to general and then Champion. We pushed Johto back further and further, and the victory was all but assured. The men were celebrating, command talking about what we'd do with their leaders. Many were in favor of wipping out the Blackthorns completely, and maybe even Mahogany, to make sure they could never pull shit like that again. And then…"

"He signed a peace treaty," I completed her sentence again, the pieces coming together. All but one. "Why? If the plan was to kill them all, then why?"

"For that, you'll have to ask him. I've poured my heart out to a stranger enough for one day." Agatha shrugged. "But that's the gist. As you can guess, a lot of us weren't happy about that. So the fucker abandoned his rank and fled to the ass-end of Kanto to play in his Lab. The pussy."

"... I see."

"No, you don't." The old woman groaned as she stood up, her back popping like gunshots. I stood with her, our seats of solidified Distortion fading back to her shadow. "And I don't feel like making you. You've gotten enough secrets. Finish up here, grab your friends, and fuck off." With those parting words, she spun around and began limping away into the mist.

"HEY!" I yelled, trying to follow her, yet it felt like I was on a treadmill, none of my steps moving me forward. "You're supposed to lead me out of here! And what business!?"

"Lead you out?" The words drifted back even as she became a silhouette that rapidly grew smaller and smaller. "Blind brat! The stairs are right there!" I could vaguely make out a gesture to the right, and following the direction, I did indeed suddenly see a wall with a downwards staircase.

The movement also allowed me to see something else out of the corner of my eye, something down at ground level.

A rock. Specifically, an almost rectangular stone that had been rounded at the top, identical to thousands I'd passed on the way up the Pokémon Tower.

"... thank you." I was almost whispering, but even then, I didn't doubt she heard me.

Looking around, I couldn't find anything to etch into the stone with. At least, nothing I didn't already have.

"Do you mind?" Based on the complete lack of reaction, I assumed Honedge was indeed okay with being used as a writing utensil. It was going to take some time to get used to the total lack of both facial and verbal expressions.

Kneeling, I tried to take my time, but I wasn't a writer, and using a full-length sword wasn't ideal either. Despite that, and the frustration of it not being perfect, I didn't mind as much as I thought.

It was the thought – or in this case, the symbolism – that counted.

Standing back up, I sighed deeply while looking down at the words I'd carved.

Here lies the Vulpix, Ra

A brave, strong, and loyal friend

He deserved better

And no matter how many years pass

He will never be forgotten
​

The letters were crooked, the lines drifting across the stone. The words were inadequate, and I had nothing to bury.

And yet, it felt good.

"I don't care if I have to tear this tower down stone by stone, I'm finding my way back up here," I swore to the grave, whipping the slight dampness from my eyes as I looked around. Honedge tightened around my arm as I stood there for a time, before finally sighing and patting the headstone as I turned to the stairs.

"I'll be back. I promise."

The stairs continued for much longer than any of the others, the enclosed staircase lit by torches to prevent falls. As I descended, I felt the Distortion in the air fade rapidly, and by the time I stepped out into the very lightly misted room, with the walls and ceiling visible, I knew with certainty that I was back on the first floor.

And standing there waiting for me was a kimono-clad female with a black veil concealing her face. She was already bowing by the time I saw her, holding out both her hands to support my belt with six PokéBalls on it.

"Honored-"

Snatching the belt, I ignored her and immediately headed towards the exit while putting it back on.

I'd had enough of the Pokémon Tower for one day.

Or so I thought, until I saw Gary kneeling by a tombstone. Sighing, I came to a stop a respectable distance away, shuffling around until he heard me. The brown-haired boy rubbed furiously at his eyes while coughing, his team gathered around him – looking tired and beaten, but still standing – before he quickly recalled them. Walking close once he'd had a chance to recover, I pursed my lips at the nice and even writing on the stone.

In honor of Raticate

I am sorry
​

Damn Gary.

Silence lingered for a moment before he spoke up with a scratchy voice.

"When does it get better?" I didn't need to be the genius Agatha had mockingly called me to understand what he was talking about.

"Honestly?" He nodded, not even bothering to insult me for the silly question. "Like any intense emotion, it dulls somewhat with time." I looked at him, filled with wrath, grief, and fury, and just felt hollow. "After a while, you realise you've gotten used to it. And that really fucking sucks."

We were silent for a minute, staring down at Raticate's grave.

Gary broke first.

"That sounds shitty."

I chuckled without humor. "Yeah, it is. On the other hand, we-"

I stopped, blinking down at the marker next to Raticate's.

Here lies the Vulpix, Ra

A brave, strong, and-
​

What the fuck?

"Man, fuck this tower," I complained, spinning around and heading for the exit, Gary right on my heels as he laughed.

"Seriously, we should tear this shit down and build a Pokémart instead."

Arriving at the tunnel leading back out, I completely ignored the girl, who may or may not be Mito, who bowed as we passed, instead hurrying through the corridor.

We both sighed with relief as we emerged into the dim light of Lavender, the cloudy sky seeming almost comforting after the bullshit of the Pokémon Tower. Though I could've sworn the sun still hadn't moved.

On second thought, screw the whole town. I was so done with its garbage.

On cue, my PokéDex beeped, making me fish it out with a sigh.

"That Bill?" Gary asked.

"Yeah, still him."

"Tell him to come to Lavender and give us a Teleport. Fuck walking to Celadon."

I raised an eyebrow at him, confused. "Thought you hated the guy."

"Dislike, first of all. Second, we got bigger things to worry about." His eyes were hard as he looked out over the horizon. "That was a shit show. If we're going to take down that Rocket base you talked about, we need to do better, and it would be stupid to ignore a resource like that. In fact, while you're at it, tell him to bring some premium-grade Fire Stones. We need more power for this."

I thought about it for a second before shrugging. I'd partly refrained because the Oaks had a problem with the man, but I wasn't going to ask twice.

Time to wring a billionaire dry.

---

So much exposition, but I had fun.

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoyed. If you REALLY liked it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

 

[The Radiance's Follower]

Time to wring a billionaire dry.

Click to shrink...

You literally can't. No matter how much you wring out. Money appear from nowhere and everywhere.

So the Honedge is his own sword. That's freaking metal. I wondered why it was attached to him so much. Now we know why.

 

[ApiLol123123]

Thanks for the chapter, eager to read the next one!

 

[HankPankylol]

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoy. If you REALLY like it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

---

"Upper incisors three inches… back molars appear slightly sharper than the average Bagon… tongue is-AH! Crikey, that was a close one!"

"Can you hurry up!?" I grunted, feeling my tendons straining against the 500-ish pounds I was holding back as it lurched forward.

"Science cannot be rushed!" Bill Misaki chirped brightly and leaned back in, like he wasn't less than an inch from losing a finger mere seconds before.

Suicidal lunatic.

Hercules whirred his agreement, the electric burr rising and falling in pitch as he slid forwards in the grass a little, the Electabuzz securing his footing and yanking backwards with a mighty heave, Betty snarling as the burly arms around her midsection pulled her out of biting range. I wasn't sure how much my own grip around her neck was helping, but at least it gave me access to her jaw and a chance to save Bill's hand from the snapping teeth. It was really Herc's strength and Siren's threatening glare that was doing all the work.

Those Fire Stones better be fucking worth it.

"You know," the scientist continued while typing furiously on a large I-Pad-esque device, gesturing to the large scale he'd brought. He turned to look at Gary as he spoke, paying no attention to the loud groaning, cursing, and screeching as I tried to get Betty to stay in one spot long enough for an accurate measure. "I knew I would be getting a call from Peri one of these days; no man can hold out for long against those kinds of incentives, but I never thought you would be here as well, Beri! I imagined Sammy warned you off. Old chap threw a wobbly last time we worked together."

"It's Gary, not Beri, you fuckin-..." Gary trailed off into an angry mutter, taking a deep breath to centre himself and closing the box with the pair of Evolution Stones. Plastering a fake smile on his face that was less than convincing, with all the quivering and stormy eyes. "Nah, Gramps speaks very highly of you, sir! Thank you so much for helping us out."

"It is no trouble, my boy, no trouble at all. Especially if Sam has gotten his knickers unwadded, though that was not the impression I got the last time we spoke." Normally, I'd have been impressed that Gary sucked at pretending so much that even Bill saw through him, but I was a little busy trying to dodge the spray of dragon fire that immolated many of the colourful flowers around us, leaving large swaths of charred wreckage behind.

Based on the smell of burning hair and the weak Water Gun that Siren doused my head with, I was having limited success.

At least I got the weight, a whopping 487 pounds. It was also fortunate that Bill was still facing away when he threw me a tape measure, so he didn't see the very rude gestures I directed at him before I got back to it.

Why did Betty have to be so difficult as soon as other people were around?

"Oh, well, you know that old man," Gary tried to deflect, "he barely remembers if he put on socks that morning, so, you know…"

"Hmmm," Thankfully, the billionaire left it alone after that. "So, you lads are evolving your Growlithe. I will not lie, that sounds very exciting."

"4'10!" I exclaimed, letting go of the angry Dragon-Type and letting her run away to hide behind Sol, who was getting his sunning time in. It took less than a minute for them to be chasing each other across the flowery meadow that Bill and his Alakazam had Teleported us to. "And a half. Fuck me, can't you just trust me when I give you the numbers?"

"That is not very scientific of you, mate, and you were an inch and a half off anyway."

"I'll make you an inch and a half off…" I was glad I kept that to myself; I wasn't quite sure what I meant. "As for the Fire Stones… I don't know. Maybe."

"What!?" Gary clearly hadn't been expecting that answer. "The hell you mean, you're not sure!? Did you learn nothing in the Tower!? We need that power!"

"Yeah, sure, I agree that we need to be stronger," I assured him, "I'm just not sure this is the best way. They're not even a year old yet, Gary. I don't know if they're ready."

"They'll be fine." I looked at Bill for his input, not trusting Gary's cavalier attitude. As much as I'd love to see Sol as an Arcanine, I'd rather wait than risk causing him permanent damage by rushing.

"Hmm?" The only adult human in the large, Celadon training ground looked up from his notes again, having started to ignore us as soon as the attention wasn't on him for a millisecond. Well, I said only adult human, but there were a few other Trainers hanging out on the other side, mostly just socialising with their teams. I'd noticed quite a few Grass-Types among them, but I supposed that was to be expected from the city of the Grass-Type Gym. "Oh, I would not fret too much about it. While evolution is not my primary field of study, Fire-Types are generally sturdy and fast-growing. Not as much as, say, Bug-Types, but who wants a Bug?" He laughed at his own comment, Gary snorting in reluctant agreement. Several of the nearby Trainers glared our way, not intimidated by my returning stare. In fact, some of them seemed to be getting ready to come over before they saw Sol, Growly, and Betty running around, Vulpix and Clefairy on their tails, and thought better of it.

My eyes lingered on the ones that looked at little too long, suspicion flaring in my mind.

Who knew which ones were reporting to Team Rocket, or were actual members themselves?

It wasn't paranoia if they really were out to get you.

"Stone evolutions, and non-strength-based evolutions in general, are often easier," Bill continued, either oblivious or uncaring about the reaction he got from the others. "Typically, if the Pokémon is not ready for evolution, they will refrain from using it. There are exceptions, usually due to conscious or unconscious pressure from their Trainers, and people have been arguing about the right time to evolve for centuries, but I am sure it will be perfectly fine."

Was I the only one who wanted to make sure before we made our Pokémon go through an unnatural, potentially harmful metamorphosis? Or was I overthinking it?

"Anyway!" The green-haired man clapped his hands, and the Alakazam he never recalled grabbed his stuff telekinetically and began packing it up. "While this has been absolutely lovely, and I am simply chuffed that you called, Peri, my lad, I do have other things to do today, so I do not have the time to faff around. Cheers for the data, both on Bertha-"

"Betty." I corrected him, to little effect.

"-and on that stunning Vulpix. The gits on that terribly backwater island were so reluctant to share. I know several blokes who will pay a proper fortune for this stuff."

"Speaking of pay…" I 'hinted'.

"Come now, mate, those are top-shelf Fire Stones!" Bill snatched the case from Gary without even asking, once more ignoring the insults that followed. He popped the lid and held it up to my face. The orange rocks shone in the midday sun, the flames in the centre flickering and dancing despite their physical nature. I couldn't deny that the two Fire Stones were quite a bit larger and shinier than the Thunder Stone Nurse Joy had given Ash in Vermillion, but I wasn't sure how much that actually did. "They are enough to turn a Magby into a Magmortar! Well, not actually, but you get the idea. You will not get these anywhere without knowing the right folk. That is a hefty price for a preliminary peek at your Bagon, innit?"

"Sure, for Betty, but you yourself said that you haven't been able to get anything on Alolan Vulpix." I pointed out.

"And I still have not, other than a brief physical. Greed is good, my boy, but you have got to learn when to push and when to wait for the next time. A good impression will get you further than endless pushing."

I had to swiftly reach down and grab Honedge's handle, making me unable to avoid Bill when he reached up to ruffle my hair. It had taken over 30 minutes to convince the Steel/Ghost-Type to stay in it's PokéBall long enough that we could Teleport without its innate Distortion screwing it up, and it had been attached to my hip ever since. Apparently, it had been holding its elaborate, brown sheath with three holes in the top behind my back while we'd been in the Pokémon Tower.

"Whatever."

"That's the spirit! Tata, lads!" We didn't have a chance to say anything – which wouldn't have been nice, anyway – before the man vanished alongside his Psychic with a slight twist of space in a very smooth Teleport.

"Dickhead!"

"A smarter than I thought dickhead. You need to hit up some other scientists, make him Ponyta up to stay ahead of the competition." Gary chimed in before turning back to our teams. "So, you done being a bitch and ready to get this show on the road?"

"Excuse me for actually caring about my team, unlike-" I bit the rest of my comment off, an uncomfortable silence settling in as Gary's face turned red.

Trying to move on before my mistake could linger, I threw out a thought I'd been having for a while.

"I think we should get the Badge before attacking the base."

"Who gives a fuck about the Badge!?"

"Didn't you hear Proton? They'll be looking for Betty, and by extension, me-"

"And you think giving them more time for a response is the right idea? Is that sword freak sucking out your brain!?" Honedge vibrated against my palm as I held myself back. I'd started it, so it was only fair.

"They already know we're here!" I glared over at the other Trainers, a couple of their heads spinning away to seem like they weren't listening in. "And maybe you're the one that didn't learn shit in the Tower or the S.S. Anne! You think a single evolution will be enough to take on a whole base!? There's no way there's not an Executive down there, and if they're even close to as strong as Proton, we'd be fucked!"

"Then what, huh!? You wanna just fuck off, forget everything and act like it didn't happen? Go, then! I'll do it myself-"

"Shut up for just a second!" I drew in a deep breath, trying to centre myself like Champy had shown me back at Oak's Reserve as Gary crossed his arms demonstrably. I'd fallen out of meditating over the last couple of weeks, since leaving Cerulean, actually, but Agatha's words hung heavily in my mind.

I needed to control my emotions and not just act on my impulses, hard as that was. That kind of shit was what got me in trouble back in Mt. Moon.

"We need more people." I softened my voice deliberately, trying to gear down the conversation. It had taken multiple fuck-ups for me to get to learn that lesson, and it was still fresh for Gary. "Maybe if I called Walter-"

"Fuck no!" Gary instantly rejected.

"Walter helped on the S.S. Anne!"

"No, he helped after the Rockets had already left the S.S. Anne! Somebody called and warned them, and the only one we told was him!" I didn't have a good response to that. Surely I wasn't getting scammed by the Admiral, right? "And beyond that, he won't do shit in another Clan's territory, not even the fucking Gardeners!"

I had to concede that Gary probably knew more than me on that topic. Walter did seem pretty concerned with Clan politics.

"No," he continued, taking one of the Fire Stones and whistling for his Growlithe, "We're on our own, and that's fine. We're strong enough to-"

"Gary? Peri?"

The sudden voice from behind had us spinning around, Honedge flying out of its scabbard and slicing through the air before I managed halt it. I looked up, ready to snap at the idiot who snuck up on someone with a visible Ghost-Type, only for the words to die on my tongue when I realised that I recognised them.

"Green?"

Sure enough, it was indeed Gretchen, or Green as she preferred. I hadn't seen the girl since we got our Pokémon back in Pallet Town, but not much seemed to have changed. She'd switched out her hat for one of straw, and coupled with her green sundress and flipflops, she had a farm-girl vibe going on. Behind, a knee-high green Pokémon followed after her, the main body a twisted stalk, with the plant-esque Grass-Type's hands ending in a blue and red flower, respectively. The Rosalia blinked up at me curiously before seeming to get bored, bouncing over to one of the untouched patches of vibrant flowers.

"Hey!" She was all smiles, stepping forward and hugging Gary, the boy freezing in response. It would've been funnier if I weren't forced to awkwardly pat her on the back with one hand, the other still holding Honedge. I really needed to get the ghost under control. "Long time no see! I didn't know you guys were in Celadon!"

"Back at you. Didn't think you would still be here." I remembered her talking about her brother teleporting her to Celadon, but I figured she'd moved on by then.

"Well, you would've known if you bothered writing," she huffed, hands on her hips, before she relented with a sigh. "Though the same can be said about me. Guess we've all been busy getting used to being real Trainers, huh?"

"Uh-huh, something like that," I grunted noncommittally. Gary crouched down to pet Growly, trying his hardest to appear uncaring about the conversation.

"Anyway, yeah, the City of Rainbow Dreams has got a hold of me," she laughed while I rolled my eyes at the pretentious nickname for Celadon. "It's fine, though. There's still plenty of time to get my Badges before the Conference starts, and I'm still learning tons from my brother and the other Gym Trainers. This is so neat, though, we're all in the same spot again! Well, other than Jonathan."

"Ash is here?" That surprised me. I'd have thought they were further along, given the time Gary and I spent walking to Lavender.

Bill's Teleport really saved us a lot of time.

"Yeah, he and his friends. I can't believe he's travelling with two former Gym Leaders. I'm so jealous. Guess that's the goofy, friendly attitude for you."

I looked at Gary meaningfully. He appeared confused for a moment before our previous conversation came back to him, and a look of intense disgust overtook his features.

But he didn't say no.

Unaware of the silent conversation – though I saw her eyes narrow a bit at the exchanged looks – Green continued.

"You guys are here for the Badge, right? Have you signed up for a match yet?"

"No, not yet."

"That's great!" She beamed, grabbing us both by the wrist and tugging us towards the centre of the city. "I know the secretary! I'm sure we can get you squeezed in early! The city is being overrun right now with Trainers, so you'd have to wait a while otherwise!"

"We were in the middle of something!" Gary finally snapped, yanking his hand out of her grip. Green appeared startled and upset at his rough reaction.

"Oh, uh, sorry, Gary…"

"It's been an… eventful trip," I tried to hint. The girl's face fell, a sympathetic expression replacing the hurt, and she reached out a comforting hand to squeeze Gary's shoulder.

"Ash told me. About the S.S. Anne, I mean. I heard about it on the news, but I didn't know you guys were there… Gary, I'm so sorry about your-"

"Whatever." He shrugged off her hand and turned back to his Growlithe. "It's fine." I grimaced at the glance she gave me.

It was definitely not fine.

Anything further was cut off by a bright shining light erupting right before us, the Fire Stone in Gary's hand pressed against Growly's snout as the canine and stone both lit up with energy.

It was my first time seeing an item evolution, and I watched with interest despite my reservations. The glow grew more intense as the stone dissolved and seeped into Growly, who was completely hidden from sight by the blinding light. Slowly, much more slowly than Herc's evolution had been, the Growlithe began growing, a series of cracks ringing out as everyone nearby stopped to watch. Snarls and a whimper left the Fire-Type as her legs lengthened and body thickened. From being little more than three feet tall, the dog-shaped star grew to tower over all of us, over six feet tall, with a large protrusion extending from her tailbone.

Finally, after over a minute of bones shifting and tendons snapping, the energy faded, being absorbed back into Growly, and the newly turned Arcanine stood before us.

The orange, black–striped Pokémon panted, her large beige head held low, her whole body shaking from the exertion of the foreign transformation. Large tufts of similar beige fur covered her massive chest as her lungs billowed for air, tongues of flame blowing with every exhale between large teeth, and more shaggy pelt extended from the back of her ankles and the knees of her hindlegs. The largest difference, other than more than doubling in size, was the large, two-foot tail – beige as well – with a kink in the middle that wafted behind her.

Getting her trembling under control, at least somewhat, the mighty Fire-Type stood up to her full height, looming as she gazed upon us with her black eyes.

"Damn," Gary mumbled, stepping forward without fear. It wasn't common, but neither that rare, for a Pokémon to change its attitude towards its Trainer after evolution, as Ash's Charizard did in the canon. The metamorphosis changed the brain as well, with completely new hormones pumping through their body and neural pathways reconfiguring.

In the best-case scenario, the Pokémon refused to listen.

In the worst case, the Trainer didn't get the hint before their Pokémon showed.

Gary didn't seem to have any concern about that as he sank his hand into the large patch of fur on the Arcanine's chest, even as the breath from a mouth large enough to engulf his whole head blew back his hair. There was something close to reverence in his eyes as the hand moved up to behind the ear and began scratching.

Nor did it seem he had any cause for concern as the huge canine closed her eyes and leaned into the touch, enormous tongue lolling out of her mouth.

Growlithe line and their loyalty. Had to love it.

"Why don't Green and I go and get those Gym battles arranged while you two get reacquainted?" I suggested, Gary nodding despite not looking as if he were paying attention. Still, he handed over his Pokédex without issue. "Watch Sol for me?" I asked, watching my own Growlithe slink over to Growly, his tail furiously wacking, as I recalled the rest of my team.

Well, other than Honedge and Eevee, but that was more their choice than mine.

"Sure."

Satisfied with the response, I gestured for Green to lead the way, and we soon left the field behind.

"A little early to be evolving the Growlithe, isn't it? They're not that old." Green echoed my own concerns, looking over her shoulder as some of the onlookers started approaching, PokéBalls in hand.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, but it seems like it turned out fine. I do wanna call the Professor before following suit, but-HEY! NO!"

Having trotted along after my heels, Eevee had crouched down and leapt up to take her normal place on my shoulder.

Honedge didn't like that, and I barely managed to yank the Normal-Type out of the way before the sharp edge of the sword could part her head from her shoulders.

"ENOUGH OF YOUR SHIT!" I lost my temper, holding it up. For once, the sky-blue eye was wholly focused on me. "You do not try to hurt the team, do you fucking understand! I will not tolerate that shit! I'll throw you back in the tower before letting you touch them like that, understand!?"

Harsh, harsher than I needed to be, maybe, but I was serious. If Honedge couldn't handle being around others, then it had to go.

It stared back at me for a moment before the eye shifted to the side, and a slight shiver ran through the blade. The same sensation of something brushing my mind that I'd felt the first time I picked it up returned, and even though no words were spoken, I got the feeling that it submitted.

Loyalty was something it understood.

I sighed, running a hand down my face as the fury and fear left me as swiftly as they arrived, leaving me feeling quite bad about my anger.

"I'm sorry, that was harsh. I shouldn't threaten you like that. You're young and new to this, and I haven't shown you how to behave yet. I-" Abruptly, I remembered that we weren't alone and sought to put the conversation on hold. For a little bit, anyway. It was something we needed to further address very soon. "We'll figure this out later. For now, don't attack anyone unless I tell you to, okay?"

There was no pseudo-telepathy that time. Instead, the sword Pokémon tugged itself out of my grip, hovering in the air as the large, hand-esque shape its ribbon ended in brought its sheath up, and it slid inside.

Then it dropped like a rock. For a moment, I thought it was being dramatic, but as it hit the shadow beneath my feet, it slid inside like the ground was water, and was soon completely gone from sight. The only thing that remained was a slight chill by my feet, and a lingering presence that reminded me that it wasn't far.

Oh. Guess I didn't need to teach it Shadow Sneak. That was something, at least.

Holding up Eevee with my other hand, I checked her over to make sure I was fast enough. I couldn't find any wounds, but her eyes were wide as they met my own, and she was clearly shaken.

"You okay?" She nodded. Even though I didn't really believe her, I still put her back on my shoulder gently, where she pushed against my neck. "Don't worry, it won't happen again. I won't let anything happen to you."

Finally turning back to our companion, I expected many things from Green. Shock, fear, anger, disdain over how I handled it.

What I didn't expect was a sympathetic smile.

"Ghost-Types, huh? Guessing you just got it?" I nodded dumbly. "Yeah, it takes a bit to get used to. Honestly, I still have trouble with mine sometimes, and its supposed to be one of the easier ones. I don't even recognise yours."

"You have a Ghost-Type? I thought you wanted to be a Grass-Type Master?" All I got in response was a wink as she resumed walking, turning around to keep eye contact with her hands behind her back and an impish smile on her face.

"Were we going to the Gym?"

Shaking my head, I followed her, one hand caressing Eevee the whole way.

Guess I was wrong about nothing having changed with her. That was a lot more confident than I remembered her.

We soon left the training ground behind, navigating through low hedges and stone benches, surrounded by more flowers and colourful plants, and made our way back to the centre of Celadon City.

As much as I wasn't really a person who enjoyed frollicking among the flowers, I couldn't deny that Rainbow City was arguably the prettiest of the major cities I'd been to. Like a fusion of the modernised Vermillion and the beautiful Cerulean, Celadon's buildings were towering behemoths of glass and steel, multistory structures outnumbering all others. Unlike the Sunset Port, however, each building was a work of art. The steel beams twisted, the glass panels curving with them and reflecting the banners and flowers everywhere.

And I did mean everywhere.

Lining the streets and each side of the entrances to the buildings, there were flowers in every colour imaginable. In every empty spot where more than a single weed could be grown, there were plants that lent their sweet aroma to the air, and where stalls and stores were set up, they sold flowers or flower products. And what seemed like every 10 feet, there were miniature parks, with fountains containing statues of Grass-Types – often from the Oddish line – spewing water and cooling down the humid temperature. Somehow, despite Cerulean being filled with water, Celadon was much wetter, a perpetual pressure to the air that made my t-shirt stick to my skin. The inhabitants' and tourists' clothing reflected that: loose and billowy, and in as many colours as possible.

Given that Green was right in there being a lot of people, probably the most crowded place I'd ever been, it was quite a sensory overload. The people were polite enough, stepping to the side to let us and each other pass, calling out greetings and moving aside to chat, but the more time passed, the less fond I became of big gatherings.

A consequence of hanging out in the wilderness, perhaps, but I wasn't looking to change it. People sucked most of the time.

Unlike Vermillion, however, as we got closer and closer to where I presumed the Gym was, I still saw signs of the history the city had. Sprawling mansions with carefully maintained lawns and hedges stood majestically in rows as we got to what I assumed was the Clan quarters, marble statues and excessive wealth on display everywhere. Opulent didn't even begin to describe the houses, literal gold and precious metals inlaid in carefully carved pillars, the light bouncing kalidoscopicly off what I swore were windows of pure crystal.

They were also completely empty. We walked past dozens, yet beyond the humans and Pokémon tending the plants, I didn't see a single member of Clan Gardener, as Gary had called them. It was quite eerie.

However, despite the undeniable aesthetics of the city, I couldn't wait to leave for one simple reason.

"Fuck, that reeks!" I couldn't hold in a gag anymore, pulling my shirt up over my nose. There was an underlying stench of decay and chemicals that permeated the city, but it was mostly overshadowed by the monstrous amount of flowers. However, as the Gym got closer and closer, so too did the smell.

Fucking hell, Celadon was known for their perfumes!? What was wrong with people's noses!?

"Really, you think it's that bad? Most people find it literally intoxicating. The first few weeks I spent here, it felt like I was permanently high if I wasn't wearing my nose plugs. It's the manure and chemicals, plus the specialised Glooms. How in the world they turn it into something that's legal to sell, I don't know, but I swear it's magic. Well, that or the truckloads of chemicals they bring in every day. I don't know what they even do with it; it's like three times more than they sell."

"Surprised it's not 10 times more to counteract that horror. Fuck, it's almost as bad as a Muk!"

So distracted with the stench of death and misery, I didn't even take in the Gym as we got there, simply hurrying in through the door, though that did little to help. It was so bad my eyes started watering, and Eevee, who hated her PokéBall, jumped off my shoulder and sucked herself into the capture device to escape.

The inside of the Celadon Gym, as might be expected at that point, was highly colourful. The walls were covered in banners, paintings, and – mind-blowingly – more flowers, though the dominant colour scheme was green and gold. The paintings depicted humans alongside Grass-Types, most of them in clothing that reminded me of the Gravetenders in Lavender, with elaborate hairstyles. I imagined it was old members of the local Clan, but I couldn't concentrate on anything but the smell. This close to the source, I got a hint of what Green was referring too, my head feeling a little light.

Green moved to a desk where a red-haired, older teen girl sat, wearing a dress similar to Green's. She looked up, a pair of green eyes peering out through large glasses perched on a nose stuffed with giant plugs.

"Hi, Petunia!"

"Green, hi! If you're looking for your brother, he just left, I'm afraid." The teens voice was nasally due to the nose-plugs, but still understandable.

Green shrugged, not bothered. "That's fine, I'll catch up with him later. But I was actually looking for you. You know that favour you owe me?"

"You mean the favour you used literally two hours ago?" The older teen didn't appear impressed.

"Come on, I just need two more spots."

Petunia hesitated for a moment longer, eyes darting between us. Like a Sharpedo sensing weakness, Green leaned even further across the desk and began whispering. Despite not being that far, I genuinely couldn't hear what they were saying. The only hint to how it was going was Petunia's face crumbling further and further, before, with a giant sigh, she slowly began typing on her keyboard.

"Okay, fine, but this is the last time, Green! I swear, you were so nice when you first got here. You've spent too much time with Rose."

"Aw, I love you too!" Giving the older woman a big hug, which she half-heartedly returned, Green turned around and gave me a secret thumbs up, which I returned.

And like that, five minutes later, we were walking out of there with two battles set up for the very next day.

More importantly, I was able to breathe again and let Eevee back out of her ball. I'd even call it progress when my shadow didn't twitch as she retook her position, though she still eyed it wearily.

"How the hell did you swing that?" I asked my companion as we left the foul odor behind.

"Come on, let a girl have her secrets." I shook my head, still unused to the new attitude.

"Gotta agree with Petunia – and do all the Gym workes have flower names? She mentioned a Rose – you've changed since Pallet. Celadon's been good to you, then?"

"It has," she nodded, looking out over the almost painfully colourful city as it glittered and moved with the wind and the motions of the people. It really was quite a sight. "I'm not any closer to being a Gym Leader. Honestly, I'm probably even further away now than I was. I've learned a lot about the Clans and the League in the past couple of months, and I understand how unlikely it is. But that doesn't mean I've given up."

"I'm glad to hear it, and if it helps any, I believe you can do it more than I used to. I've mostly learned that the Clans and League are a mess, and they primarily operate on a 'who can punch the hardest' principle. I'm sure you can get there." And I truly was. She slipped my mind with everything that had been going on, but Green was easily the nicest of the kids I used to hang out with, and she deserved it. If nothing else, I hoped I'd altered things enough that she wouldn't drop out of being a Trainer.

Maybe I'd put in a good word with Walter and Grant, should a spot open up.

"Thanks, Peri." She smiled at me brightly, eyes closed in cheerful squint.

Checking my watch, I saw that it hadn't been that long since I left the training field behind. At the same time, though, it had been more than five minutes, which meant that Gary had probably killed someone and needed me to help bury the body. "I should get back before someone does something stupid. And by someone, I mean Gary."

"Yeah, that's fair. Just-..." She clearly wanted to say something about the other boy, but held it in. "Take care of him, please? How about I grab Ash and we meet up for dinner later? I know a great place that caters to whole teams."

"That sounds good," I agreed. That would give me time to call Oak. Maybe get an actual plan figured out as well, if Gary could keep his chill for five minutes. "I'll leave you to it, then. Send me the address."

"See you, Peri!"

Watching her fade into the crowd of tourists, I navigated through the masses myself back in the general direction of Gary, though I stopped once I found a rare, empty spot where I could get some privacy.

Sitting down on the bench surrounding a fountain, I threw some veggie treats to the loitering Sunflora and Budews. Watching them sway with the real flowers as a gentle breeze tickled my nose with a semi-artificial blossom scent so heavy I couldn't help but sneeze, I eventually sighed and pulled out my PokéDex.

It needed to be done, and being a pussy about it wasn't going to help.

The call didn't even have time to beep once before it got picked up, and Professor Samuel Oak appeared on the screen.

He'd looked rough the last time I saw him, but if he'd gotten any sleep in the two weeks since, it couldn't have been more than a couple of hours. The guy looked like a raccoon, with bags under his eyes so dark and heavy they resembled makeup, the wrinkling surrounding them deeper and more numerous than ever. His usual lab coat was missing, and a stained t-shirt was all that covered the older man.

Surprisingly, though, the nearby area looked cleaner than I'd expected, and the man himself seemed to have showered fairly recently. Almost certainly due to Delia, the horrifically sweet woman that she was.

Looking at him, I searched for any signs of the fighting machine Agatha had claimed him to be, but all I saw was a man driving himself mad with worry.

"Peri. It's been a while."

I grimaced at the extremely even tone, but didn't actually feel that bad. Sure, it sucked for the Professor, but Gary really took precedence at the time.

"Hey, Professor-"

"How's Gary?" I didn't mind the interruption.

"He's… good, I guess. Considering the circumstances."

"What does that mean, 'good'? Is he withdrawn, quiet, angry, vengeful? What do you mean, good!?" The calm quickly vanished, the man's extreme concern leaking through.

"I mean that he's focused on training and getting stronger. We've just arrived in Celadon and got matches for our fourth Badges tomorrow."

"None of that explains his emotional state! How's he coping with the loss, how was Lavender? If it wasn't for Fuji calling me, I'd have Teleported down there myself! What about the Black Fog!? It's been active again recently and-"

"Hey, hey, hey," I held up a hand to interrupt him. "I get that you're worried, I really do, but I'm not the guy for this. I'll try talking him into calling you, which I've already done, mind you, but if he needs more time, then he needs time. He-" I hesitated for a second before going on. I didn't want to betray Gary's confidence – he would talk to his grandpa when he was ready – but I did feel I owed it to the Professor to throw him a bone. "I think he feels that you treat him like a child, but equally… Samuel Oak's left some big shoes, you know? Even if some people don't like the… footprints, or however this metaphor works. I think he's… embarrassed is not the word, but you know."

Oak buried his head in his hands and dragged them down his face, staring through the screen with hollow eyes.

"In other news," I changed the topic uncomfortably. "Gary's evolved Growly, and I wanted to check in with you that it was safe to do the same, or if I should wait a bit. We got a second opinion that said it was fine," leaving Bill's name out of it seemed wise, "and she appears to be fine, but figured I should ask."

"Already? That is fast, I agree with you," he hammered some keys on his computer and read something on a different monitor, some of his usual energy returning as he got some work to distract him. "I would have liked to be there, and if you intend on following suit, I insist on Teleporting over, but it shouldn't harm them, no. Normally, I would give you a longer explanation on the intricacies of Evolution Stones, but I'm afraid much of it would be lost over the phone. Put simply, unlike normal evolutions – where the Pokémon needs both physical maturity and enough stored up energy to be able to complete the semi-instantaneous, partial metamorphosis – the Stone provides the necessary power and, as such, can be done earlier than most others. Within reason, of course."

"That's not to say that there are no potential downsides." He went on. "Pokémon evolved with Stones tend to have more… rigid, internal energy than others. Some find it a little harder to learn new moves after evolution, as the power comes with a certain solidity not unlike the fossilised nature of the Stones themselves, but it's by no means a hard rule. So, while I would ordinarily advise waiting a little longer, get some more experience manipulating Fire-Type energy, I can't deny that the thought of you two having some more firepower would let me sleep easier at night."

"Right." I tried to parse the information. So Arcanine not learning any new moves after evolving in the games was kind of right, but not really. "Thanks, Prof. I'll try to pop by for a visit before long, let you get some real data on Vulpix and Honedge. 'Till then, you'll have to make do with what the PokéDex can tell you."

"Luckily, that's still more than most scientists could figure out with a full lab." I snorted at the casual arrogance. He didn't even seem to notice it himself, like it was self-evident. "But… please don't wait too long on that visit. I understand that I can be… difficult, or hard to approach when it comes to personal matters, but Gary and his sister are all I have left, other than my team, and I haven't heard from Daisy in-nevermind. Just… for an old man's sake."

"We won't. Bye for now."

"Goodbye, Peri. Try to stay out of trouble. Please."

The screen turned black, reflecting my face back at me, and I felt sick.

It felt shitty lying to the man, especially when he was vulnerable for one of the first times I'd seen, but how the fuck was I supposed to tell him that his grandson and I were about to raid a whole-ass base full of terrorists and said grandson planned to be pretty bloody about it?

Felt like a 'better to ask for forgiveness than permission' type of thing.

---

Green reappears, more confident than the last time we saw her. I like her as a pseudo-counter to Peri and Gary, who haven't been having the greatest of times. Being a Trainer and outside of Pallet has been good for her.

So far, at least. Let's see how long I can refrain from traumatising a character.

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoyed. If you REALLY liked it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

 

[ApiLol123123]

Thanks for the great chapter, eager to read the next one!!

 

[HankPankylol]

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoy. If you REALLY like it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

---

"GARY, ARE YOU OKAY!?"

"Fuck off."

"I'M GONNA TELL MY MOM YOU SAID THAT!"

"Wha-Come on, don't be a bitch!"

"YOU'RE GONNA GET IN TROUBLE!"

"Gary, stop being rude. Ash, grow up."

"You're not my mom, Gretchen."

"Don't call me that!"

"EVERYONE SHUT UP AND STOP YELLING!"

"YOU'RE YELLING TOO, MISTY!"

I inhaled deeply through my nose, held it, and let it out slowly through my mouth, even as it ticked and spasmed. Calm, Peri. Control. Don't sink to their level or start a fist fight.

Even if it would be oh-so-satisfying.

"Guys…" I tried, to little avail.

"YOU'RE SO MEAN, GARY!"

"Trying to hide how much he sucks, no doubt. Sad, really."

"Okay, you wanna go, let's go! I'll put you in the PokéCenter, so I won't have to hear your annoying ass voices anymore!"

Whimpering reached my ears from beneath the table, and I felt the fury smolder.

Well, maybe just a couple of punches. To the throat.

CRACK!

Everyone under the large tarp flinched as Brock's Geodude smashed its hands together with a rocky thunderclap. The oldest teen amongst the group reached up and removed the earplugs I hadn't seen him put in, and gazed over our group.

"Are you done?" There was something in his voice, something disappointed and stern that managed what no amount of threats could and made all of us sink into our chairs. "Good. Now, apologise to all the nice people who simply wanted to have a nice meal and instead had to deal with that."

Sure enough, the two dozen or so other people at Rosalia's Blossom were giving us sideeyes, a group of older ladies in colorful dresses and enormous hats not bothering to lower their voices as they complained about the 'youth of today', in between massive gulps of their wine glasses.

"""Sorry!""" Ash, Misty, and Green called out, Brock nodding apologetically.

I shovelled in a huge mouthful of noodles instead, meeting Brock's gaze blankly. For once, I didn't do shit.

Predictably, Gary didn't join the rest either, but the redness of his face and his reluctance to meet anyone's eyes said it all. It made me feel a little bit sad, honestly. If there was one upside to all the yelling, it was that Gary forgot himself for a moment and fell back into old routines.

As much as it had been pissing me off as well, I didn't really get the big deal. There were more than fifty feet between the large circular tables – each fit to hold a dozen people or Pokémon – and there was plenty of noise around as everyone had at least one of their Pokémon out and about, either chomping through their food or loudly playing around the enormous field of the restaurant. Half of the large outdoor area was shaded by a large tarp set up to provide some protection from the sun, while trees and flowers dominated the other half, with a small lake and rivers snaking up towards us. Siren had already inhaled her seaweed dish and was terrorizing the other Water-Types.

Though, to be fair, among the six of us, we did have 30-ish Pokémon running around, every member of our teams either enjoying the heat and – gag – sweet scent of Celadon, or eating the admittedly tasty food. As it turned out, Eevee, Vulpix, Gary's Growly, and I were the only ones who thought the city reeked. Everyone else had been caught up in the intoxicating aroma.

Looking over as Sol furiously rubbed himself against a patch of flowers, lying on his back and rocking back and forth even as he kept sneezing, I was reminded of Shannon talking about Gloom addicts back in Orre.

If my team got hooked on that shit, Erika was going to regret having so much flammable stuff around when I burned it to the ground.

Anyway, as I said, everyone was there, except Honedge, but that wasn't my fault. I hadn't been able to get it to come out of the Shadow Sneak since it went in.

Few Ghost-Types actually ate food, or at least food as we thought of it, and it was primarily the more biological. I hadn't really noticed, but Honedge had been siphoning parts of my Aura slowly and steadily. Not enough to do anything, but I did wake a little later than usual, though still before dawn.

So the sword stayed in my shadow, suckling my soul teat. I would have to find something else to get it to come out every once in a while. I couldn't really pet it, but maybe it needed honing?

Hehe, honing the Honedge.

A soft pawing at my leg made me look down into glacial blue eyes as Vulpix crawled up into my lap and whined for attention, nudging my free hand with her chilly snout.

I hesitated, but gave in to her insistent demands and petted the soft tuft of fur between her ears as she rubbed her head against my torso. The travel between Cerulean and Lavender gave me enough time that I at least didn't have flashbacks every time I looked at her, but that didn't mean I was super comfortable with the situation.

But progress was progress. It had worked out in the S.S. Anne because I was with people who could cover my dumb ass, but being lost in my own memories was guaranteed to get me and my team killed.

Having someone that friendly on the team was also good for the others. Especially Eevee, as the Normal-Type in question crawled up my leg and pushed Vulpix aside to get access to my other hand. The Evolution Pokémon wasn't… hostile or anything, but she hadn't truly bonded with anyone either. Siren and Hercules were hyperfocused on training; Betty and Sol were – for the most part – quite happy together.

With any hope, the two fox Pokémon could be something similar to each other.

Of course, seeing pets getting handed out inspired jealousy.

"Don't do it, I swear to-OH COME ON!" My chair tipped backwards, and dumped me on the grass as Sol took Vulpix and Eevee as permission to try and jump into my lap as well, his desire to be a dick overcoming whatever caution he had of Vulpix. In the end, I was buried under a mountain of happily panting, flower-smudged fur as the Growlithe squirmed around on top of me.

Which only drew Betty's attention to the cuddle pile. The two smaller Pokémon had the good sense to flee before the Dragon-Type dove belly-first onto us, even Sol groaning at the weight.

Struggling, I gave up, unable to move until they decided their fun was over. I could vaguely hear the others' laughter and silently swore my revenge.

Thankfully, my Pokémons attention span was horrific, and it didn't take more than a few minutes before they were running off again, closely followed by Hercules, whom I'd entrusted to watch Betty while we ate. Getting to release her in public was nice, but it also meant making sure she didn't screw around too much.

That poor Rhyhorn. It was just trying to be friendly.

"Yes, yes, yuck it up," I grumbled. Despite the nice surroundings, good food, and the company… well, spending time with my team was nice, but I couldn't calm down enough to enjoy it. "Listen, we gotta talk about something."

"Yeah, sure, not trying to change the topic at all." Misty's chuckle trailed off when she saw the serious expression on my face and how Gary immediately shut down. "Oookay, not just changing the topic. What's up?"

I hesitated, exchanging glances with Gary. How'd you start that kind of conversation?

"We've found a Team Rocket base, and we're going to destroy it."

Abruptly, apparently.

"WHAT!? YOU FOUND A-MMMMMHHHH!" My hand slapped over Ash's mouth hard enough that he rocked back in his chair, arms flailing. Luckily, Pikachu was sitting on the table – having snatched the provided bottle of ketchup and was downing the whole thing – so the mouse didn't have to worry about falling off.

"Shut up, moron!" I hissed, eyes darting around like a hummingbird. Nothing seemed to be wrong, but I didn't trust it at all. "Do you wanna warn them!?"

"What do you mean you've 'found a Team Rocket base'!?" Green had gone pale at our words, leaning in over the table. "Where, here? In Celadon? We have to tell the Gym and Officer Jenny!"

"No way!"

"Absolutely not!"

She seemed genuinely confused, taken aback by our swift answers. "B-but why!? If Team Rocket is in the city, the authorities need to know!"

"We can't trust them!" Gary jabbed a finger at Brock and Misty. "The shitty Clans have already shown how untrustworthy they are! No way the Gardeners are any better, not when it's underneath the fucking Game Corner!"

"The hell you say-!" Gary kept going, uncaring about Misty's and, to a lesser extent, Brock's outrage.

"They definitely have at least some of the Gym Trainers and cops on their payroll, and we don't know who. No, we can't tell anyone. We're on our own, so I say we bust in there, rescue the Pokémon, and kill all the Rockets!"

"That's not a bad idea." I pointed to Gary to signal my agreement.

"Absolutely not!" Green appeared less enthused. "That's a terrible plan! Are you even listening to yourselves!? E-even if you're right about the police, there's no way we can do something like this on our own, and I trust the Gym!. We need to tell Gym Leader Erika. My brother can-"

"Are you fucking dumb!? There's no way they don't know about a giant secret base in their casino!"

"I agree. Don't look at me like that, it's a valid point!" I said in response to Green's frown. It was. Building a whole underground base would've taken a while, even with Ground-Type Pokémon, and they needed a ton of supplies to keep that shit operational. There was no way the normal cops weren't at least on the Rockets' payroll. "I'm not saying they're all on the take, but between Sevii-the Orange League, I mean, Pewter, and at least Cinnabar, Team Rocket is way too well connected to take the chance. I know it's not ideal, but it's our best chance."

Ash's face had firmed up, the boy clearly on board already, and Misty seemed to be coming around as well, despite the whole Clan thing Gary mentioned. Brock didn't seem as convinced, but it was Green who really was against it. She hadn't been through the same shit we had. From her perspective, the Gym and League had been nothing but helpful and supportive.

But that didn't mean she was right.

"But-" Gary didn't allow her to get a word in.

"This is not a fucking discussion, it's a courtesy! We're going, with or without you! And I swear to Mew," his finger was right in Green's face as he leaned in, teeth bared in a snarl and eyes more than a little crazed, "if you fuck this up, if you fucking warn them, I'll-!"

"Okay, that's enough of that. Let's calm down a bit." I yanked him back before he could say something he'd regret. Already, as soon as he was done glaring at me, his face twisted once he saw the shocked look on Green's face. "Listen, I get that this isn't your usual thing, and I'm sure your brother is a nice guy who doesn't know shit about this, but we can't risk it. Who knows what kind of shit the Rockets are doing down there, and they'll fuck off at the first sign of trouble."

Sorry, Green, but I was with Gary. I couldn't risk you screwing it up.

"That's why we'll need to hit them hard and fast, and rescue the Pokémon down there before they can react. Now," I went on before she could interject again, "that doesn't mean we can't do something to alert someone once we get going. Blowing up the Game Corner seems to be a good start."

Green still didn't appear to be on board, but both Ash and Misty seemed fired up. Brock, meanwhile, was looking around at the other diners with a frown.

"Regardless of how we handle this, we shouldn't be talking about it in the open. They probably already know we're here, and they might decide to make the first move, even without knowing that we're going to attack them."

"I doubt they'll attack while we're in the city. We're strong enough to cause a ruckus, and why let on that they have a presence in Celadon where there are people around to help, as well? Makes more sense to track us into the wild and hit us while traveling."

"Still, you're not wrong," I scowled around, not seeing anything suspicious right off the bat. But that didn't mean it wasn't there. "We shouldn't have this conversation in public. Meet us in our room in the PokéCenter-"

"Are you crazy!?" Gary looked at me like I was stupid. "If they're in the casino, who knows if they're in the PokéCenter too! No, we'll sleep outside."

I shrugged, not really minding. I could buy a bigger tent then. It was getting a little cramped in the old one.

"Fine, meet us outside Celadon in the morning. We can do some quick training to familiarise ourselves with each other's teams."

---

My eyes darted upwards for a second before lowering to the book held in front of my face again, pretending to read the words as I turned the page before repeating the motion as my target entered the building.

Average height and build, short dark hair, and an overly arrogant way of walking?

Definitely the same guy. That made 18 people who'd entered the Game Corner and seemed to vanish. Sure enough, a few moments later, a ding! came from my PokéDex as Brock confirmed that the guy had been let into the employee-only backroom.

"How'd it go?" I didn't bother looking; I easily identified Gary by the way he threw himself down on the bench, making the whole thing threaten to tip backwards.

"Stupidly easy. What the hell's the point of Gyms when they suck this much? It was my fourth Badge, as well!"

"Thought you didn't care about the Badge."

"I don't!" The petulance in his voice wasn't the most charming thing I'd ever heard. "But if I'm gonna do it, might as well make it worth my time! Besides, that fucking White Herb, or whatever they're smoking over there, is fucking noxious! Aww, my head. I feel high as shit."

I didn't bother responding. My own Badges hadn't necessarily been the hardest thing I'd ever done, other than Walter, crazy old man that he was, but despite my not liking or trusting the League, I didn't hold that part against them. My experience didn't really reflect the average.

Instead, I just handed over the book I'd been using as a decoy and pulled my hat slightly up as I stood, Eevee jumping to my shoulders. "Guess I'll go have a look myself. You good?"

"Yeah, yeah," he waved me off. "Go beat her up, not that that's a challenge. I'll keep an eye on this place. They'll never know I was here."

I lowered my sunglasses to look at his unblinking stare locked straight on the Game Corner, slouched on the bench.

"Right."

Whatever, nothing to be done. I'd just have to hurry up and whip Erika real quick. From everything I'd heard about her, from both Ash and Gary, as well as online, that shouldn't be a problem.

And then, once the Rainbow Badge was out of the way, the actual plan could begin.

The trip through Celadon was extremely confusing, even with street signs and an eventual digital map on my PokéDex. Something about the plentiful – and bountiful – gardens and parks, combined with the looming multistory buildings, messed with my head and sense of direction. I was convinced I passed the same carefully maintained greenhouses three times.

Watching as a small swarm of hexagonal bee-esque Pokémon, with black pinpricks for eyes and a mouth like a smiling V, flew around a large bush bursting with blue Oran berries that seemed on the verge of bursting through their skin, I tilted my head and got a little distracted.

Another, bigger Pokémon danced gracefully between the berry bushes, a scarlet flower with white-spotted petals upon its head; the flower had golden filaments with red anthers, resembling a crown. Dark and lighter green, linear leaves flowed from under the hat-like growth, one of the lighter ones on the back of the head as long as its body and resembling hair. Said head and abdomen were white, and its eyes, beady and seed-like, were a light shade of red. More green, linear leaves served as arms, and a large, light-green, tulip-shaped cluster of leaves seemed to drape over the body, resembling a dress.

Seeing the Lilligant and Combee dance happily after inspecting another fruit – a pink, vaguely heart-shaped one – I shook myself from the daze and continued towards the Gym, making a mental note to buy some berries before we left.

It wasn't something I'd spent much time looking into, but surely, making my team eat a shit-load of magic berries wouldn't hurt them.

Thankfully, we already had a planned trip to the famed Celadon Department Store either after my match, or the day after – depending on how it went.

Finally, I managed to stumble into the old Clan quarters and navigate my way through the dilapidated ghost town that stood as a reminder of the city's history in the ever-changing landscape outside the walled-off area.

In rather stark contrast to the Celadon Gym, I noted as the building came into view. I'd been too put off by the smell the last time to really look, so I took my time approaching. The stink was still there, but a whole day had me acclimated enough to no longer be in instant danger of vomiting.

Much like the rest of the Rainbow City, the Gym couldn't seem to decide if it wanted to be new and pretty, or historical and ancient. Surrounded by another massive lawn full of ancient statues depicting humans and Grass-Types forgotten by time, the Gym itself rose tall, a glimmering structure of steel beams and stained glass. Roughly circular, the lower, main part of the building was modern and new, with large glass windows that exposed well-lit corridors with people walking by, allowing them to peer out at the trees and flowers, fountains spewing glimmering water that reflected off the walls.

And above, slightly off from each other and tilted in a way I imagined the Sensational Sisters would call 'stylish', five hexagons of pink glass hung like the petals of a Vileplume. Each of the 'petals' – divided into six quadrants each – glowed in the sunlight, throwing the colored rays towards the skyscrapers looming around the older part of the city, bathing Celadon in hues of pink, the tilt and angle of the hexagons changing the nuance from almost white to bright crimson.

Maybe I spoke too soon. Celadon was pretty, if nothing else.

City of Rainbow Dreams was still stupid, though.

As I wandered down the paved path leading towards the front door, Pokémon leapt around me, playing and frolicking in the grass and flowers. Humans mingled among them without concern, sitting on benches or blankets with their bare feet in the dirt or even the water of the fountains. It was a postcard-esque image of happiness and carefree people enjoying life.

Or, I mused as one guy who was balancing around on the edge of a water feature lost his balance and took a tumble into the water. His friends around him laughed hysterically, as did the guy himself as he emerged, soaked to the bone, and slipped again, vanishing beneath the surface as he tried to get out. The whole process was repeated another three times before the man managed to roll out onto the lawn, choking on water and laughter while making mud-angels as the dirt beneath him got wet.

Or, they were more than a little high. Even with some resistance to the all-encompassing Gloom pollen, I was lightheaded. Who knows how hard it was hitting normal people?

Okay, enough fucking around. I needed to get it over with before I joined the hippy crowd.

The lobby was the same as I remembered. Bright colors, comfortable seating arrangements facing large screens showing a compilation of various shots of Gym Trainers and Pokémon training and battling, Petunia, the receptionist, over in the corner, with her protruding noseplugs.

And the ever-present stench, of course. It was working: the more I was exposed to it, the more I could see the appeal, like a parasite slowly convincing its host that it wasn't that bad. I'd wrapped a handkerchief that I'd borrowed from Gary – because of course he had a handkerchief – around my neck and soaked it in some perfume from Green. It took the worst and let Eevee stay out, but it wasn't good enough.

"Don't suppose I could get a pair of those?" I asked Petunia with a pained smile, pointing towards my nose.

"Oh, you're Green's friend! Periwinkle, right?" I nodded as she searched for me in the database. After a moment, she winced and looked back up apologetically. "I'm afraid we only allow noseplugs for third Badge or below, and this is for your fourth. I'm really sorry."

"Not your fault, I guess." I wasn't happy about it, but truly, it wasn't her fault. Presumably. "But why, though? You guys just like drugging people? Too shit at battling, so you have to cheat?" My tone got a little harsh towards the end, but I couldn't hold it in. When I thought it was just a bad smell, that was one thing. But now that I knew it was essentially low-tier mind control? Even if it was harmless and, arguably, made the people happier?

It itched in my body with every breath. My esteem for the League fell with every day.

To my surprise, Petunia rolled her eyes and all but agreed with me. "Kind of. Since it's mild and has been argued not to be that different from something like Koga's poison, we get away with it, but you're not the first to complain, and won't be the last. At least it's restricted to the higher badges, though. I've heard that back in the day, the Gardener kids were basically raised in it."

"Damn." I didn't have anything to say to that. It sounded like it had gotten better, but that didn't mean it didn't still suck.

"Yeah." We stared at each other for a moment as her face got redder and redder. "Uh, I mean, I-I don-the Gym Leader is ready for you now!"

"Right. Thanks." I quickly left her behind, hearing a giant sigh and the sound of her forehead hitting her desk as I walked through the indicated door.

Man, that woman needed some more self-esteem. She didn't do anything wrong, don't know why she got so embarrassed.

Stepping through another door a little deeper inside, I whistled, impressed, as I came out in the main part of the Gym, a wall of humidity slamming into me. Despite being surrounded by much the same environment, the Celadon Gym was still probably the largest Gym I'd seen so far, maybe even bigger than Cerulean with all their pools. Trees stretched high in the enormous greenhouse, tropical species that I recognised from Sevii visible among the fake forest, vines climbing up the trunks. As expected, flowers were everywhere, but again, they differed from the ones outside. Shapes and colors I'd never seen were everywhere, their numbers small as people in large overalls and hats tended to them to protect them from the pink-ish light streaming down from the glass ceiling.

It was extremely humid, tropical, even. Sweat formed on my forehead immediately and the scent of earth, leaves, and hundreds of Pokémon was so strong it almost covered the Gloom scent.

Almost.

I lost count of the number of Pokémon I saw as I wandered through the Gym, asking a man and his Bayleaf for directions. The yellow dinosaur-esque Pokémon swung the leaf dangling from its head towards part of the enclosure, which I rewarded with a treat. Grass-Types were, of course, the most numerous – arguably followed by Poison-Type, given the amount of Oddish and other dual types I saw – but I was surprised by the number of Bug-Types. Mostly Combee and Beedrill, the wasps glaring at me when I got too close to their nests, but Beautifly and Dustox flew around among them as well as they spread pollen on the plants.

There were a couple of Bulbasaur relaxing near their Trainers, and as I neared the center, I swore a few of the trees shifted to keep facing me, slivers of red briefly cracking open before closing again.

I had an idea of what Ghost-Type Green had gotten her hands on.

Becoming more and more convinced they were fucking with me as the lightheaded feeling grew stronger, a headache coming with it, I finally gave up on the Gym Trainer or gardeners or whatever and simply walked to the middle.

The middle of Celadon Gym was different from the rest. I'd seen multiple patches of roughed-up dirt that people had used for training, but the center was clearly designed for it. The grass was short and missing in some spots, with divots where craters had been smoothed over poorly, and the nearest trees were far enough away to be out of the line of fire. A small lake sat to the side of the clearing, with a few rocks littering the field, but otherwise it was big and open, with little in the way of surprises or advantages to offer.

And in the middle of the obvious battlefield, barely visible under the mass of blue-green vines, were a pair of feet that stuck out, clad in old school slippers. Walking closer, I raised an eyebrow when nothing happened, a deep snoring audible now that I was so close. Lightly tapping the pile with my foot, I took a step back in case it was taken as hostile.

No need, as it turned out. A pair of large eyes, spherical and white, opened blearily to look at me. We blinked at each other for a while, the overly large Tangrowth staring sleepily.

"Uhh, I've got a match? With Erika? You've seen her?"

The huge Grass-Type kept looking at me blankly for a moment. It took so long that I thought it hadn't understood what I meant and went to speak again, when all of a sudden, the metaphorical lightbulb went off in Tangrowth's eyes, and it started wiggling excitedly.

Was being dumb a species thing? The one I'd met on Sevii had been the same, other than also being an absolute killing machine. Guess that was not the worst trade-

-I reared back as something was suddenly shoved right in my face, way too close to be comfortable. I could barely make out a pair of closed eyes and a softly open mouth before a couple of squirming vines followed me with Erkia Gardener's unconscious form held tightly.

A red hairband held back glossy black hair in a bob-cut, or at least did normally. At the time, it was dangling limply around her face as her head rolled around with the movements of her Grass-Type. Her skin was porcelain white, which surprised me, as I'd thought a gardener type would be more tan than that, and was only made more so by the subtle make-up she wore, bright red lipstick contrasting starkly. A green kimono that transitioned into yellow hid her body, large sleeves dancing as her arms were jerked around by Tangrowth's increasingly forceful attempts to show her off, and a long red skirt covered her lower half. She was young, a couple years older than Brock, but not much older than twenty.

While I was taking her in, her closed eyelids began flickering. Warm and bright emerald eyes cracked open, a delicate hand coming up to rub at them sleepily, as her deep red lips stretched in a monstrous yawn, and the Gym Leader woke up.

The noise of its Trainer being awoken exited the Tangrowth, and I found the almost doll-like woman shoved back in my face as she came to.

"T-Tangrowth, what is it? Are you hungry again-Oh." Somehow, it took the girl several seconds to notice her face inches away from a stranger. I backed away again, preparing myself for the reaction. "Hello. Are you here for a battle or to buy something? The store is the other way, I am afraid."

"Wha-Oh, uh, yeah, I-I'm here for a battle. Periwinkle, uh, Petunia said you were ready for me?" I looked at her as she dangled in the air, trying her best to stretch while being held off the ground. "Do you need a moment?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, I am ready." The Gym Leader yawned again and softly patted her Pokémon's vine. The huge tentacle monster warbled sadly as it pulled her away from me and over to the other side of the field, gently disposing her on her feet. "Thank you, Tangrowth." Turning back to me, I was once more surprised when Erkia bowed towards me. It wasn't the deepest bow, but still. "I must apologize. Such a first impression is not becoming of a Gym Leader. I am-" another yawn, and she swayed on her feet for a moment. "I am very tired, I am afraid. Most people find our special Gloom very pleasant smelling, but there are outliers. I myself become-" Yawn. "Become so very tired."

"Could be worse. At least you're not stuck with it smelling like a Skuntank's asshole. Seriously, it reeks."

"Oh?" Something changed in the sleepy gaze as she reached into her sleeve and pulled out a PokéBall. "I am very sorry to hear that. It is always a shame when our perfume fails to please. That being said," a Trainer came over, flanked by a pair of human-sized palmtrees with legs. Each of the two Exeggutor heads, six in total, blinked dumbly while flashing with soft green Psychic power as a barrier sprang into existence around us. "If I am being honest, it is even more upsetting to hear you insult it. The recipe has been in my family for centuries, and I will not stand by as you besmirch it. This is your fourth Badge, yes?"

"It is." I agreed, feeling the urge to rip and claw starting to flood my body as I palmed the only PokéBall I hoped to need.

"That is good," Erika nodded, satisfied. "The boy who was here before you. He was rude, but despite his words, I could tell he didn't mean them. But you really think it smells bad. That is an insult, and it is one I will repay."

The referee raised a hand and spoke. "This will be a four-on-four battle, for a fourth-level Rainbow Badge! One substitution allowed for either side, the challenger to release their Pokémon first! Gym Leader, are you ready!?"

"I am indeed." One wouldn't think it, given how nonchalantly she was acting.

"Challenger, are you ready!?"

Tch, didn't even flip a coin to see who released first. She was genuinely offended by my insulting her shitty perfume.

Didn't change my answer, though. I'd give her another thing to be upset about when I kicked her ass.

"Ready!"

---

Really not my favourite chapter, but it just wouldn't come out.

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoyed. If you REALLY liked it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

 

[The Radiance's Follower]

The recipe has been in my family for centuries, and I will not stand by as you besmirch it.

Click to shrink...

Some people just don't like perfumes. I can stand it but I personally don't like it. I prefer more of a smell free situation.

 

[HankPankylol]

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoy. If you REALLY like it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

---

There was a beat of silence as Erika and I stared at each other, but I quickly broke it. There was no need to think. My strategy had been cemented before I stepped foot in the building.

"Go, Sol!"

The Growlithe materialized near the center of the field, woofing happily. He took a huge breath inwards, eyelids flickering, before exhaling explosively as he swayed unsteadily.

Right. He was probably the most affected by the Gloom on my team. Forgot about that.

"A magnificent Growlithe," Erika complimented us, studying the canine with a smile as he flopped to the ground and began rolling around, trying to cover himself in Gloom, "and with a better sense of taste than his owner. Not that such a thing is hard."

"Get up, you idiot! At least try to act like you're as ferocious as you look!" I clapped my hands loudly to get his attention. The drugs certainly weren't helping, but I honestly dreaded his behavior when he evolved.

He'd never take anything seriously again.

Sol snorted disgruntledly at my interruption, but did at least stand up, even if he was still more interested in the nearby flowers than the PokéBall that arched through the air and released his opponent very close to Erika herself.

The red light took the shape of a three-foot-tall bipedal creature, with very simplistic hands and feet, and as the energy faded, the blue skin became visible. Four red, spherical petals, with one white spot each, topped its enormous head – bigger than the rest of its body – like a crown, surrounded by four reddish-brown leaves. For a second, it looked as if, much like its Trainer, the Pokémon was sleeping thanks to its squinted shut eyes, but I knew better.

Even with the incredibly thick, viscous, and white liquid that slowly crawled past the Gloom's thin and purple lips and drooped towards the ground in an almost foot-long strand.

I hated everything about that, and Gloom instantly shot up my list of least liked Pokémon, to just under Mr. Mime and Ditto. Seriously, how did an entire art team look at that thing, and not a single one of them went 'why is it drolling semen?'

Weirdo perverts designing things aimed at children aside, I couldn't take the Grass/Poison-Type too lightly. At the end of the day, it was still a Gym Leader's Pokémon.

That, and as soon as it appeared, the intoxicating smell increased heavily, making me pinch the bridge of my nose as my headache instantly kicked up a notch.

"Since your Growlithe likes our perfume so much, allow us to give him a closer sniff. I will make an exception to our 'no free samples' policy."

Some of the tension leaked from me a little at the sight of the second evolution. As the fourth Badge was considered the 'professional' Trainer level – the point where making a career out of it was a legitimate option – it was also where third-tier evolutions showed up. While most of the PokéNet agreed with Gary and were mostly shit-talking the Grass-Type Gym, there was still respect directed towards her main Vileplume, Venusaur, and Tangrowth – the floppy vine monster standing behind its Trainer, jumping around excitedly at the sight of Gloom.

I probably wouldn't have to worry about the first and third of those, though. Both of them showed up in seventh- and eighth-level Badge matches, so seeing them in fourth-level matches would likely raise concerns.

But the Venusaur was fair game. So despite her words, she wasn't going all out right at the beginning.

The referee looked between us. "Are both Trainers ready?"

We nodded. He nodded back and dropped the flags he'd pulled out of thin air.

"Then begin!"

"Agility!" I barked, hoping to mitigate Sol's biggest weakness right off the bat.

"Sweet Scent, Gloom."

I cursed as my decision immediately backfired. Agility had kind of fallen to the wayside in favor of more firepower after Cerulean, so Sol wasn't the fastest with the move, Psychic energy flickering unsteadily in his eyes as he directed it to his muscles.

Certainly much slower than a Gloom using the move it had been bred and raised for. The Grass-Type held its arms out to its sides and began spinning around on its flat feet. The bulbous flower atop its head pulsed and released an orange powder at the same time, the pollen-esque substance sparkling in the pink-tinted sunlight as it was carried outwards in waves by the wind generated by Gloom's movements.

I'd done some research on Gloom – both because of Erika's fondness for the evolutionary line and the stench – and had to admit that Celadon's specially raised and trained specimens were impressive. Usually, a Gloom's scent had much the opposite effect, repulsing the vast majority and attracting only a few. Managing to flip that and turn it into a near-universal drug once more reminded me that things were not as simple as when it was all fiction.

Pokémon were amazing creatures, and it was always worth trying new shit, even if it was a long shot.

"Shit, Flamethrower! Don't let it touch you!" The second the aromatic attack spread, my eyes crossed and my vision blurred for a moment. I could only imagine how rough it was for Sol.

We had to get rid of it fast.

Fire-Type moves – even ones as newly learned as Flamethrower – came to the Growlithe a lot easier, thankfully. The Sweet Scent had barely reached the halfway point for the vast majority disintegrated under the stream of flames pouring forth. The column of fire wavered side to side from Sol's unsteadiness, giving Gloom enough time to jump to the side, allowing the super-effective attack to pass by with only a minor wilting of the leaves on its head.

There was a small part of me that noted that although the Flamethrower had a lot of oomph to it, nice and wide, the range wasn't quite there yet. We'd need to resume work with Growly at some point and get the kinks ironed out.

But that was for another time. The rest of me was consumed by the chance to hit the Gloom before it could start its bullshit again.

"Flame Wheel, Sol, get in it!"

The Agility hadn't had enough time to work properly, but there was a little extra pep in his step when my Growlithe growled – actually growled, for once – and jumped forwards, curling into a ball as flames leaked from his mouth and an inferno engulfed his pelt, a giant flaming wheel burning a path through the grass towards the recovering Gloom.

Guess he'd had enough of the drugs, too, at least now that we had to battle.

"Razor Leaf, sweet Gloom."

My brow furrowed at the order, but I kept my guard up. Maybe it was some nasty variation with poison.

The long leaves hanging like hair around Gloom's head glinted with green energy and snapped in Sol's direction, the tips breaking off in a barrage of razor-sharp foliage. A few stray projectiles went rogue, carving grooves in the ground and embedding themselves deep under the surface, while the rest continued flying towards the incoming Growlithe-

-and instantly wilted and turned to ash upon contact with the Flame Wheel, the Razor Leaf gone before it had the chance to break through the spinning coat of flames. The only reason Gloom got away with only a glancing blow – which still sent it tumbling to the side, several leaves gone and scorch marks across its left side – was Sol's poor accuracy, blowing past the Weed Pokémon and smacking into the Psychic barrier.

Uhh.

"Sunny Day, Gloom. We are not out of this yet." I cocked my head at Erika's continued even tone. Gloom struggled and groaned, but did manage to get back up to its feet while Sol shook his head furiously to try and clear it.

Maybe… maybe it was a newly evolved Gloom?

"Let 'em, then Morning Sun. Get that shit out of your system."

Gloom cupped its hands together, an orange ball of light filling the space. With another moan, it threw the Sunny Day upwards. The ball expanded as it rose, growing larger and larger before it reached its zenith just beneath the glass ceiling. There it hung, imitation rays of sunlight pouring down on us like the sun it was meant to resemble.

Both Pokémon tilted their heads to absorb the light, glowing as the energy seeped into them and was put to use mending their wounds. Grass-Types were, on average, better at healing moves like Morning Sun or Synthesis, since they were… well, very plant-esque. I didn't have one myself, so the exact details were a little beyond my grasp, but it was something about photosynthesis.

One of the exceptions, however, was Growlithe, or more exactly, Arcanine. It was the first time we used it in combat – partially on account of being the first time we'd met someone that could use Sunny Day – but it was one of the moves we'd put the most time into.

I tsk'd as that focus only allowed us to keep up with the Gloom, its lighter and wrinkled skin and leaves smoothing out at the same rate as Sol started straightening and stopped swaying. Shit, if it had Chlorophyll, it was essentially getting double the boosts we were.

"And a healing move as well." Erika continued. "A strong Pokémon, certainly at a fourth Badge level. Solar Beam."

"Roar, then Flamethrower, smoke that plant!" She wasn't getting out of her ass-whooping by flattering us.

Lowering its head, Gloom pointed its flower at Sol, a small ball of golden-green light blinking into existence. It expanded rapidly thanks to the Sunny Day, growing from a seed to a fist in a second, the grass around it swaying in the sudden wind generated by the swirling sphere, a light whine filling the air.

Suddenly, without any signs, it exploded, the side facing us disappearing and letting the blinding bright beam of Grass-Type energy scythe through the air, just one second after the shockwave of Sol's Roar reached the stinky creature. I had to squint my eyes through the light, yet still saw what happened. Gloom flinched from the loud sound, the Solar Beam going wide and ripping through the ground – leaving a molten trench behind, whose edges shone with heat – before curving up to strain against the Psychic barrier and finally fade.

Even with most of the energy coming from the faux sun above, Gloom still needed a second to recover from the attack. That second was enough time for Sol to inhale again and unleash another cone of searing flame, the very edges tinted the lightest blue from the added power of Sunny Day.

By the time it ended, only scorched earth remained as Erika lowered her PokéBall and the referee raised his flag towards the Gym Leader.

"Gym Leader Erika's Gloom had been defeated! The score is 0-1 in favor of the challenger! Gym Leader, please release your second Pokémon!"

That… that was it? Was Gloom down?

"Oh, poor Gloom. I had hoped to weaken your Growlithe some more with our special scent, but I suppose I should have known better. Battling is not my specialty, unfortunately."

That… okay, that made more sense. It was a strategic choice, rather than a strength-based one.

The PokéBall containing our second opponent hit the ground and opened, revealing the next fighter.

Standing taller than almost every human I'd ever met, other than maybe Surge, at 7 feet tall, six pairs of eyes blinked at me with various expressions – the left half lidded, the middle narrowed in a scowl, and the right crossed as it drooled slightly on itself. Palm-like leaves hung down like hair from the top of the light-brown tree trunk which ended in two thick legs with two-toed flat feet, dangling over the three coconut-shaped heads.

Psychic power flared briefly in each of the Exeggutor's set of eyes as it sent thoughts between the three different heads, each with its own brain, before all six orbs locked onto Sol.

"Perhaps defense is the key to bringing you low, however. Exeggutor is a stalwart wall against my enemies. He will not fall as easily."

"The second battle is about to begin! Are both Trainers ready?" We indicated as much. "Then begin!"

"Flamethrower again!"

"Screens."

The Fire-Type move washed over a rectangular shield of transparent Psychic power, with a green tint, that appeared right in time to protect the Exeggutor. Even then, the Grass/Psychic-Type groaned in discomfort as the heat made its leaves crinkle up.

Still, the Light Screen held long enough for the Flamethrower to end, and almost immediately, another wall of mental energy overlapped as a Reflect joined the defense.

"Spores, Exeggutor."

I scowled. What was with her and drugs?

"Wide Ember, try to clear it!"

Triple groaning again, Exeggutor shook its large body, motes of green, venomous purple, and dull yellow appearing everywhere, though primarily focused around the three heads. Sol's Ember covered a twenty-foot span, incinerating many of the spores as they drifted through the air, but the Coconut Pokémon kept making more, sending them in multiple directions rather than clumping them together.

Eventually, Sol ran out of breath and had to stop, yet impressively, Exeggutor kept it up, wave after wave of harmful specks leaping from its body, glittering like a three-colored rainbow.

Say what you would about Erika – and I would later – but she sure knew how to train a Pokémon for a specific move.

I opened my mouth to get Sol moving, only to realise that it wasn't necessary as the mist of effect spores came to an end.

Gazing over the field, I realized my mistake.

The spores never crossed my side of the field. They hadn't been aimed at Sol to begin with.

Like the end result of a group of unicorn clowns binge drinking and throwing up everywhere, a wide circle of the battlefield around Exeggutor sparkled like confetti. The sticky particles clung to whatever grass had survived Sol's flames, and mixed with the dark soot left from what hadn't made it, to make an unapproachable zone.

Sol couldn't get close, and in the time it would take to clear it, they could just set up again.

"And now, the stage is set. Exeggutor, Bombardment."

Bowing its crown a little towards us, a glowing white, egg-shaped ball of Normal-Type energy was born in the blink of an eye between the three heads. With a fwoosh! sound, the Egg Bomb flew high up into the air in an arc – swiftly replaced with another as Exeggutor repeated the move – and came flying down towards Sol like a mortar.

BOOOOOM!

Upon impact with the ground, the Egg Bomb exploded like… well, like a bomb, clumps of dirt and dust launched by the force. Sol yipped as he was caught on the edge of a nearly 10-foot-wide blast, saved by Exeggutor's poor aim.

However, it was unlikely to matter that much when there were already three more raining down towards us.

"SOL, MOVE! AGILITY!"

The Growlithe took off with his own spray of dirt, four paws digging into the earth for purchase as he dodged and weaved between the explosions. The half-finished Agility from the first battle allowed him to stay a little ahead, a new bomb soon dropping behind him or to the side every second as Exeggutor got into the groove.

Slowing down a little to try and at least finish the first Agility, Sol stumbled as the next Egg Bomb landed a little closer. Another sent him to the side, and a third off his feet as he slid across the field. Thankfully, Exeggutor had been aiming where he'd been going, giving him enough time to get back up before the Pokémon-turned-artillary reaimed.

The slight amount of damage was worth it. The pause had given Sol enough time to pull off the speed boosting move, making him fast enough to stay ahead and even try to counterattack. A strong Ember peppered the dual screens protecting the Grass-Type, making them flicker for a moment, but they held.

Okay, area denial, personal shields, and ranged bombardment. Better, definitely better than the Gloom.

Seeing a clever firing pattern almost catch Sol off guard by guiding his movement, I decided enough was enough. I had faith in Sol's ability to outlast the larger Pokémon, but why take the chance?

He'd never been a defensive fighter anyway.

"Fuck the spores! Flame Wheel, as strong as you can!" Lowering my voice, I told Sol the rest of the plan. "Ready with Brick Break on my signal, then Bite and burn until it gives."

Reacting instantly, my Fire-Type turned so hard he almost went fully horizontal, kicking up a wide spray of earth as he faced the Exeggutor. Barking, fire engulfed him as he threw himself forwards in a roll, a Flame Wheel almost half again as large as his first blazing as it bore down on the Gym Leader's Pokémon. Spores evaporated into gas in his wake, hovering briefly over the ground before being swept away, unable to affect him through the inferno.

More Egg Bombs came, but they had to arc more and more straight up, slowing them down and letting Sol close in.

"Direct shot, Exeggutor."

Or, until Exeggutor bent a full 90 degrees at the waist and fired directly at Sol.

BOOOOOM!

The bomb hit right in front of him, blowing up a smoke screen for a moment. I clenched my fist, trying to steady my breathing and calm my Aura. There was nothing I could do but put my faith in him.

Something that was rewarded as Sol emerged from the dust cloud, smoke, and flames clinging to his form as he leapt through the air. The remains of the Flame Wheel trailed behind him like a cloak of fire as he reared back a brightly glowing paw, as best a dog could.

"Protect." I half smiled, half snarled at Erika's infuriatingly calm words.

I'd love to see her stay so smug after the next part.

The emerald shield of hexagons snapped into being with decent speed, fast enough to catch Sol as he descended, much like the Egg Bombs earlier, Brick Break colliding with the Protect with the sound of a gong.

And a series of rapidly spreading cracks as it started to fail.

"Exeggutor, dodge!" It was the first time she had raised her voice during the battle, and I smirked as I finally cracked the superior facade.

Yeah, you'd better be worried, especially with such a shit command.

Exeggutor froze, one leg going left and the other right, the different heads trying to move in opposite directions and freezing instead.

Getting a flaming, human-sized dog to the face as a result of its Trainer's vagueness. The Protect shattered like glass under Sol's Brick Break before the Fighting-Type move faded and was replaced with a maw full of Dark-Type energy as the Growlithe hit the Exeggutor and brought them both to the ground.

Less than two seconds later, Erika's PokéBall saved her Pokémon from a painful mauling. Exeggutor was not defenseless upclose, but it was definitely a losing proposition.

"Gym Leader Erika has withdrawn her Pokémon! Does the Gym Leader wish to use her substitution!?"

"No," Erika sighed, having regained her composure, "I will not force him to suffer through the Dark-Type energy those Bites inflicted. Exeggutor is defeated."

"In that case, the score is 0-2 in favor of the challenger! Gym Leader, release your next Pokémon!"

I could respect that. Exeggutor definitely had more in the tank, especially when it would get to restart at range, but I'd never fault anyone for thinking about their Pokémons health.

Besides, that battle had gotten me excited, a feeling that only increased as Erika's third Pokémon was released.

4 feet tall, most of the bipedal, dinosaur-and-kangaroo-esque Pokémon was green, but the head, neck, and tail were beige. On top of its head was a green, mushroom-like cap with beige gills underneath and a round, red berry-like growth with a hole in the middle on either side. The eyes were oval and black, sitting over a beak-like mouth, and with frilled segments around the base of its neck. Each of its hands and feet had two red claws, almost like a velociraptor. At the end of its long tail, a gathering of plant-like growths turned the tip into a club.

As she had done after each release, Erika had some words. "Very well, if wearing you down won't work, then perhaps meeting you on your own terms will do the trick. Breloom is more than happy to play with such brutes."

The Breloom clawed at the ground with a snort, tail smashing a crater into the soil.

"Are both Trainers ready?" A pair of nods. "Then begin!"

"Charge!"

"Charge."

Both Pokémon took off like lightning, meeting in the middle of the field with a loud thud!

And it was almost immediately clear that Breloom was losing.

Oh, it was fast, hands blurring as it launched a series of jabs towards Sol's head, only to jump back before the responding Ember could catch it. Its tail came curving around and, rather than using it as a weapon, it stuck it out to trip Sol, getting a couple of blows in and dancing back.

It was also skilled. As much as it pained me to admit, it might be better than Hercules in terms of pure fighting ability. Its feet were nimble and constantly moving, feinting left and right to make Sol commit, and then punishing him for the mistakes. One time, I was sure we had it as Sol did his own feint and jumped straight for Breloom's head, only for the dinosaur to do some kind of judo bullshit and redirect Sol over its shoulder, punting him across the field with its tail.

I would even say it was strong. Following a close call with an impromptu Flame Wheel that left burn marks across its side, Breloom managed to get under Sol. Muscles visibly straining against its skin, it heaved and again sent Sol flying an impressive distance and got in a quick Bullet Seed.

But for all those compliments, I knew I wasn't just being biased when I said that Sol was better.

A jab was dodged under, and an Ember forced the Grass/Fighting-Type to jump back, but while it was still in the air, its eyes widened and its arms crossed just in time for the Alpha Growlithe to crash into it. Flames billowed around him as he maintained the opening stage of Flame Wheel – something I would need to remember – to coat himself in fire. Two-clawed hands hammered into his side, making him flinch with every hit, yet his own blow had Breloom shaking and crying out. A heavy sweep of the club-like tail forced Sol off the struggling Pokémon, but that only bought it enough time to roll out of the way of another Ember before Sol was on it again.

Maybe if the Sunny Day hadn't been up, it would've been different. Maybe Breloom would've been able to leverage its greater skill into something more closely resembling a draw. Maybe if Exeggutor, or even Gloom, had managed to get some effects on the Shiny Growlithe, they could've worn him down, or at least set their last teammate up for better success.

Hell, if Erika would just actually get into it, maybe she could've pulled off a sick substitution that would bring some tension back into the match.

But that wasn't the reality we lived in. In the real world, around five minutes after it had been sent out, Breloom fell to the ground, eyes closed, its green, rubber-esque body oddly shiny from burns.

And then it was recalled. Sol was panting fairly hard and nursing the ribs on his left side, but even with the ultra-cautious mindset I'd come into the Gym with, regarding injuries, I didn't feel the need to even ask him if he could keep going.

"Gym Leader Erika withdraws her Pokémon! The score is now 0-3, in favor of the challenger! Gym Leader Erika, please release your last Pokémon!"

"Oh dear," even down 3 Pokémon to my 0 and a useless substitution, she still didn't seem to care. Whatever brief outburst I'd pulled out of her was gone. If anything, she looked less interested than when we started. "This does not look good for me. Under normal circumstances, I might have offered to surrender here. You have more than demonstrated the proficiency for your fourth Badge – or your Growlithe has, at least – and there really is no need to put our Pokémon through anymore harm. However, not only do you not seem the type to accept, but I do not feel like extending the offer."

"Uh, what a scathing insult," I rolled my eyes as Sol took the chance to lie down, sighing heavily as I whistled at him and forced him back up, "just send out your last Pokémon so we can get this over with. As you can see, you're putting him to sleep."

"As you wish." Her last PokéBall flew through the air, and I readied myself for her Venusaur. Surely, the third-stage Kanto Starter would be able to at least make Sol work for it.

So imagine my disappointment when the Pokémon that popped out wasn't Venusaur. Sure, the large, pale green, quadrupedal, reptilian Pokémon that resembled a sauropod dinosaur was a third-stage starter Pokémon. It had a long, well-defined neck, a pair of eyes with yellow irises, a short, rounded snout, a pair of antena-like feelers, and a stubby tail. Each of its feet ended in a set of three white claws. Around its neck, a large, pink flower with six petals and a frilly white edge bloomed beautifully.

The Meganium threw its head to the side and let out a surprisingly deep cry, a lovely fragrance spreading that I'd normally like a lot, but I'd had more than enough of smelling shit.

More importantly, what was the Meganium doing here, and where was my PokéNet-renowned Venusaur?

"You seem disappointed." Erika caught me gaping, hiding her smile behind her enormous sleeve. "Were you expecting something specific? I know your type. It has become clear that I cannot beat you in battle, but there are other ways of punishing you. You enjoy battling. One might even say you love it, and as such, I am sure you have done your research online. You likely expected my Venusaur, if I remember those objectifying tier-lists correctly – as if battling is all there is to Pokémon. But no, I believe this is a more fitting end to our bout."

"Are both Trainers ready?" My agreement was a lot more reluctant that time. "Then begin!"

"Screens, Mega."

"Flamethrower," I sighed, only absently noting that it was the first of Erika's Pokémon that had a nickname.

The beginning of the battle was much the same as the one against Exeggutor; Sol's long-range Fire-Type moves were repealed by the Light Screen.

But there were differences.

A second pair of screens appeared as the Meganium focused, soon followed by a third. A constant barrage of ill-aimed Razor Leafs kept Sol at bay as the Grass-Type set up, trembling from the strain of using three moves at the same time. The attacks faded by the fourth set of shields, yet it was only by the fifth that I realised that the Johto starter was glowing softly.

And then it was ready.

"Frenzy Plant."

My jaw dropped as I realised I'd been played. Denying me a good fight, my ass!

The ground of half the field began undulating and buckling. With the sound of a rockslide, the earth burst open as something large forced its way up, an enormous root, with strands hanging limply along the length of the brown stalk. Further along, another gigantic plant ripped itself from the ground, then another, and another, until eight, fifty-plus-feet-long roots loomed over us, each as thick as the trees in Viridian Forest.

Welp.

"Venusaur is not quite as good with this move, and you seemed disappointed with our raw power. Hopefully, this will change that."

Bitch.

Like the arms of a giant, the roots whipped down towards Sol, three of them overlapping to provide more width. The first was dodged easily, its size working against it. The second was harder with the shaking from the first impact, but he got around it.

The third graced him and made him fall even as another three came down.

"SOL!" I yelled, almost concerned for a moment. It would take all of them hitting to actually have a chance of causing serious harm, but even Sol wouldn't stay standing after taking that kind of damage.

Not that I'd needed to worry.

Gathering himself, Sol crouched and focused, glaring up at the branches hurling down at him. Psychic energy of another Agility flared briefly around his legs, and with an explosion of dirt, he jumped up right as the fourth Frenzy Plant came swinging, avoiding the whip-like tip and landing on the root itself.

Like in an anime, the Growlithe sprinted up the root, leaping across to another as it struck the first. Up and down, left and right, he jumped as the remaining plants twisted around themselves, trying to get him. The one he was standing on jerked downwards at the same time as another tried to club him, only for the canine to latch on to the underside as it passed over him and allow it to fling him over towards Meganium. Curling into a ball, fire exploded from him in a humongous Flame Wheel, the biggest I'd seen him make, the speed of his descent and rotation making it look like a comet was about to strike Meganium dead on-

-and hit nothing as the Grass-Type vanished, leaving Sol to tumble across the ground as his glory was stolen, the dog whining as he looked around, confused.

"Ah, well. We tried." Erika sighed, putting her last PokéBall away and replacing it with something smaller and shinier as she approached. "You have a strong Pokémon, which both is a compliment and not. Several times, there were smarter paths that you skewed in favour of a frontal assault. That is something that would have cost you against a more equal opponent. Regardless, you have shown ample aptitude, and as such, it is my honor to present you with the Rainbow Badge." She held out her hand, the flower-shaped Badge shining in her palm, each of the eight petals moving from red to yellow, green, and then blue before coming back to red.

"Thanks, I guess," I mumbled, taking and turning the Badge over in my hand before putting it in the case. I knew I should be happy, even with everything else that was about to go down, but I'd been happier getting the Thunder Badge, and I'd barely looked at that thing.

That was the 'professional' level of Training? That was where the Gyms were supposed to get hard?

I had more issues with Brock for the first Badge, other than that Frenzy Plant at the end, and even that turned out to be more visually impressive than anything.

What a scam.

"Usually, I would say that I hope you will stick around to take in the sights. Celadon is often hailed as the most beautiful Kantonian city, after all, but I am afraid your taste does not seem refined enough to appreciate our charms. That, and I find you unpleasant."

"Charms, sure," I snorted, "if you've had a lobotomy. Nah, you can keep your trash stink. We'll hit the Department Store in the morning, and then we're gone." I made sure I didn't raise my voice, keeping it normal. Wouldn't do to spook the prey.

"Then I wish you safe travels." And with that, Erika yawned and walked back towards where I'd found her, barely making it halfway before getting scooped up by Tangrowth's eagerly waiting vines.

I took my leave with mixed feelings. On one hand, I loved a good battle, and that couldn't be described as such, even if I was feeling generous. On the other hand, I won without any major injuries that couldn't be fixed with a Potion or two, plus a few hours in the sun.

Which meant that we were basically ready. Now, we baited the waters a little more.

And then we went for the kill.

---

While the battle was somewhat of a let down for Peri, I hope that wasn't the case reading it. I had fun writing it, at least.

Erika not being that strong is due to a bunch of reasons, partly Peri being stronger than his number of Badges would indicate, and other reasons we'll get into later.

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoyed. If you REALLY liked it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

 

[The Radiance's Follower]

My man was rude as f wth.
What did Erika do to you ?

Even in the game as long as you have a fire Pokemon you could roll over Erika pretty easily.

 

[HankPankylol]

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoy. If you REALLY like it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

---

Sol barked at me and jumped back when I went to touch him, tail wagging up a storm as he spun around in a circle a couple of times before coming back to me and repeating the process.

"Okay, calm down. Hey, I'm serious!" My words weren't having any effect. "Well, I guess you don't want it then!"

That got his attention, making him almost stumble as he rushed over and sat down in front of me, whining impatiently and scooting closer.

"There you go." Scratching his chin, I gave him some attention while taking him in one more time. It was an hour or so after my disappointing match with Erika, and we were outside of Celadon, hiding in a sizable clearing among a copse of trees. The others were still in the city, keeping an eye on the Game Corner while trying not to draw attention to themselves.

Which was likely a doomed effort, to be honest. While I'd admit that I'd come to care for them – a little, a tiny, itty bitty amount – subtlety wasn't their strongest suit.

Or mine, for that matter.

My team gathered around Sol and me, with varying levels of attention. Vulpix had given up almost immediately, seeing as she wasn't the center of attention and tried to engage Eevee, and after that failed, Hercules, in some playtime, but they refused, preferring to stick around and watch. Since then, the Ice/Fairy-Type had moved back with a deeply offended huff and was grooming herself demonstrably, refusing to look at the rest of us.

Everyone else, barring Honedge, were watching curiously. Even Betty was silent for once, sitting with her stubby legs splayed out in front of her and eyes full of envy directed towards her friend.

It was a special day, after all. It was only the second time it happened for us.

"Everyone says it's okay," I gazed into the yellow-orange of the Fire Stone in my hands, seeing the internal flame shift and move. I'd done a bit of research on the evolution stones, and there wasn't that much publicly available – that I could understand, anyway. There were a lot of scientific papers on the effects of the evolutions, and some mineralogical forums speculating on the origin of such concentrated Type energy that it gained physical form and solidified.

But they were still very much a mystery. Which didn't ease my nerves.

"I don't know why I'm being such a pussy about this. I guess I just don't want you to be stunted or held back just because I was impatient. If being the strongest Arcanine you can be involves waiting, then that's an easy choice, but-HEY! Get off, you fat bastard!"

Being taken to the ground and buried under the Growlithe, Sol's warm and wet tongue dragged up my forehead and into my hair as the dog groomed me. I grumbled, yet still sank my hands into his soft fur, enjoying the last moments before things changed.

But we were on a clock.

"Alright, up you get," I clapped his side, making him jump up with his tongue flopping out of his mouth, "enough standing around. Here."

I thought he might be ceremonious about it, slowly approaching the Stone as I held it out and touching it with a sense of reverence.

I should've seen the overly enthusiastic tackle coming. At least I managed to let go and push him away before Sol's large shape erupted into light like a star going supernova, bathing the clearing in light.

Despite having seen the process with Growly literally the day before, it did nothing to diminish the awe I felt as Sol's quadrupedal form grew and grew, getting taller and wider than his already large frame.

Especially when he reached Gary's Arcanine's size and just kept going, shooting past first the six-foot, and then the seven-foot, mark without hesitation.

By the time the blinding light faded and our group was able to take in the newly evolved Fire-Type, every single one of us had to crane our necks to meet the fist-sized, black eyes as they in turn darted between every member of the team before landing on me as we stared at each other.

Growly had been an impressive specimen, not disappointing Flame, the Growlithe's mother, and standing over seven feet at the shoulder.

Sol's head, bigger than my torso, hung 8 feet over the ground, and that was with him slouching a bit. Almost as if hearing my thoughts, the Arcanine straightened up, peering down his nose from what felt like double my height. His width was even more impressive, if possible. Sol had always been stocky, but after evolution, he was built like a Taurus, hard, bulging muscle shifting with every movement, even under the thick fur.

Like the other Arcanine I'd recently seen, there were paler patches of fur on his chest, legs, and tail, but where they'd been beige on the female, Sol's were pure white, like when he was a Growlithe. Likewise, the almost electric yellow pelt with black stripes still remained, but as I watched it shine in the sunlight, I could've sworn it shimmered and moved in the heat, flickering like fire. Unconsciously, my hand moved up and – in a truly dumb move when faced with a newly evolved Pokémon whose behavioral changes hadn't been explored – buried my hand in the thick fur, watching my fingers disappear under the coat. It had always been warm, yet as an Arcanine, it was like a heating pack, scorching heat barely contained by a soft wrapping.

Remembering myself, I looked back up to find his great head inches from me, dark eyes staring down at me with the most inscrutable expression I'd ever seen on the lazy dog.

"... wow." Great start, Peri. "I mean… wow. Are you oka-OOPH!"

My answer came in the form of what felt like over a thousand pounds of happily panting dog pushing me over with his snout and flopping down on top of me. The air in my lungs was violently expelled in a loud oomph! Even as a Growlithe, he'd been heavy. As an Arcanine, there was no chance I'd be able to move him or breathe.

Slapping him, he shifted around to take some of the pressure off of me. At the same time, it also gave the ridiculously huge canine the ability to lick my face over my protests, saliva lightly steaming despite the warm day.

I don't know what I'd been worried about. As if the slobbering beast would ever have the will to be an issue.

That was clearly way too much effort.

Finally getting off me, the gigantic dog looked and sniffed at himself curiously. Spotting his newly elongated tail, he twisted to try and grab it, spinning in circles until his new form made him trip over himself.

"Right, need to get that worked out before tomorrow. Everyone, gather around!" I clapped my hands to get their eyes on me, having to do so an extra couple of times to get Vulpix's attention, the drama queen. "We're on a deadline and need to get Sol as used to his new body as possible before the attack. So with that in mind," I rubbed my hands together with a smirk, "we're going to be doing some full contact Tag, where everyone is it and trying to get Sol. Ranged attacks are allowed." There was something gratifying about seeing the enormous Arcanine's eyes widen until they threatened to pop out of his skull.

Thought he'd get to take it easy after evolving, the lazy bastard, but no. Presumably, the Rockets were going to see our match against Erika and expect a Growlithe, which is why I waited so long.

Now I needed Sol to be combat-ready enough for the deception to pay off, and we had less than 24 hours to get there.

"Let's get to work."

---

The Celadon Department Store was the largest shop in the original Pokémon games, and the seller of many items only found in the building. The exclusivity part didn't hold up, but the sheer size and renown did. There were only a few shopping centers in Kanto that could compete, and perhaps a singular one better.

The building reflected that. The outside was what you'd expect, full of banners and advertisements. Most of them were focused on plant-based products, like perfumes, Pokémon food, special shampoo, and oils that promised various 'Master-level results'. Of more interest was the more Trainer-oriented stuff, like the extra strength Repels, the 'all natural' Potions – which seemed to just be mashed up Berries – and so on.

Probably worth a look, which was fortunate, as pretending that it was the only time we'd swing by was the whole point.

Though it was entirely possible that it truly was the only time we'd come to the Department Store, depending on how things went. Optimism had kicked my ass one too many times for me to take our success as completely guaranteed.

Even my dumb ass could learn after being punished often enough.

Eventually. Somewhat.

As the automatic sliding doors opened, we were greeted by the wall of noise I'd started to get accustomed to in Celadon, dialed up to eleven. Hundreds of people rushed back and forth between individual shops, carts full of items. In the center of the ground floor was a wide selection of ordinary PokéMart things, like standard Potions and Antidotes, while there were open doors along the sides, leading into separate areas. Above, a bunch of signs with arrows indicated the way towards different floors, each catering to a specific interest.

"MAN, THIS PLACE IS AWESOME! SUCH A SHAME THAT WE'RE LEAVING SO SOON, LIKE, IN A COUPLE OF HOURS!"

"Inside voice, Ash, please." It was probably a good thing that Green was the one to ask him. The rest of us wouldn't have been so nice and might've said too much in the heat of the moment. "But yeah, it is pretty great, once you know where to go. The middle stuff is being sold by the Gym, while the smaller stores are mostly private sellers. You can find just about everything here."

"Tell me about it," Misty nodded agreeingly. I'd been surprised how well the two girls got along, given their respective temperaments, but they made it work, somehow. "I remember visiting as a kid. I thought I could spend the rest of my life here without leaving once."

"YEAH, LEAVING! Something we're also doing when we're done here, REALLY SOON-AW!"

"Stop yelling! You'll give us away!" Misty hissed, kicking Ash in the shin again.

"Misty, everyone's looking at us!"

"Because you started it!"

"No, it's because you kicked me!"

"No, it's your fault!"

"NO, IT'S Y-"

I clapped one of my hands on either of their shoulders, leaning in between them with a disarming grin.

"If you don't shut the fuck up right now, it's going to be my fault your teeth are on the floor." I glanced at Misty, the girl I'd been trying pretty hard to impress. "No offense, sweetie, but it's seriously not the time."

Damn Team Rocket. Didn't even have time to be horny anymore.

Misty's nose scrunched up in disgust at the term of endearment. "Never call me that again. Or any pet name, for that matter."

"No promises." Not giving her a chance, I raised my voice to get everyone's attention. "Okay, let's split up. We need an ass-load of medicine, first and foremost. Green, you know the place the best, mind grabbing it? Take the moron with you as well to help carry. "

"HEY, WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MOR-MMMMMHHH!"

"Sure, Peri." Green smiled somewhat weakly, one hand over Ash's mouth and the other taking him by the collar as she dragged him away towards the escalators.

"She better not fuck this up," Gary mumbled darkly, staring after Green. Before I had a chance to respond, he grunted something about food and stalked off, bumping into the other shoppers on his way.

"What a dickhead," Misty snorted, making me give her a look. "What, it's true! Even you're not that bad!"

I frowned, pretty sure that was an insult, and tried to think of a response. Brock decided to be a grown-up, however, and cut me off.

"As much fun as this is, we really do need to get moving. While the others are getting the stuff, we can take a look at the TMs."

Misty shrugged and walked off, me following along behind them and pondering my choice of companions.

They did like me, right?

The second floor greeted us with a large banner with the text 'Trainers Market!', flanked by a pair of PokéBalls. Beneath it was the tagline 'Top Grade Items for Trainers!'

And while I couldn't tell the quality from a distance, I would give them something.

They had a lot of stuff.

Rows and rows of plastic trays containing colorful disks, ready to teach hundreds of different moves. At a glance, the Department Store didn't have the S.S. Anne's selection – which, fair enough – but there was definitely a whole lot more to choose from.

Quantity was a quality all of its own.

Further in, gleaming rows of PokéBalls – Normal ones, Great Balls, Love Balls, Premier Balls, and so on. There was even a limited selection of Ultra Balls under lock – shone from display cases, smaller stores showing off a collection of Evolution Stones out in front of their shops.

Then there were the more uncommon things. Weight vests, made for a variety of body types, targets for target practice, whole cubes of metal for lifting or punching. Something I hadn't considered was the books and pamphlets full of anatomical drawings and information about Pokémon for people who didn't have a PokéDex.

Any other day, I could've spent hours getting lost amongst the rows of items.

But not that day.

"You got it?" I turned my head, pretending to read the back of a Solar Beam TM, mumbling to Brock out of the side of my mouth.

"Yeah," he whispered back, checking out a Rock Slide TM. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him lift a hand to his waist and tap one of the four PokéBalls on his belt. "Did it while you were battling."

"And they didn't suspect anything?"

"No," he sighed, shoulders slumping. "I hate this."

I wished I had better words for him. "Yeah, well, at least you'll know more soon."

"Not sure I want to know more." That was entirely fair as well.

Changing the subject, I sighed and placed the TM back on the shelf. "Wish I hadn't blown all my cash on the S.S. Anne. Or Erika paid more. There's some good stuff here. For the future, I mean, I know we don't have time right now." Best keep it vague, letting our presumed watchers think I meant us leaving.

"I'll make you the same deal I made with Ash and lend you the money, but," he cut off my protest with a raised finger and a stern look, entering 'Dad Brock' mode, "you will be paying it back! We'll set up a monthly repayment plan, to be sure. I wouldn't do it normally unless you were desperate – if you're old enough to be a Trainer, you're old enough to save your money if you want to buy something – but the Department Store truly has some good things, and it would be a shame if your teams had to miss out."

"... alright fine." Him being that firm about the repayment actually made me feel better about it. I didn't want to feel like I was taking advantage of the guy. "In that case, can you help me pick out an oil for Honedge? I know Steel-Type ain't your speciality, but close enough."

"Sure," he nodded, raising a hand and waving over Misty when he caught her eye, "let's grab the others and go together. Might as well get stuff for all your Pokémon at once. Luckily, you're with a future Breeder, so I'll show you the good stuff!" He puffed his chest up exaggeratedly.

"Knowing you, Pokémon is gonna be the only thing you're breeding."

He deflated comically. "Why you gotta do me like that, Peri?"

I shrugged. "Somebody's gotta remind you of reality."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't, I'm charming as shit."

"Now who needs reminding of reality?"

The banter continued as Misty joined us and jumped into the verbal sparring headfirst, and then we all ganged up on Ash when we found him again.

It was a good distraction for our next move, keeping the topic light as we did our shopping on the Pebble Clan's dime, getting loaded up with special shampoos and oils that Brock insisted we needed, the teen getting increasingly animated as he got to indulge in his favourite hobby: Pokémon care.

The whole time, though, the actual purpose for the trip lurked in the back of my mind.

The bait was set, the trap ready. Now we just had to actually do it.

Easy.

---

The Celadon Game Corner was, from the outside, a normal casino. A single-story building with a giant flashing sign saying 'Game Corner!' and another displaying 'Huge Prizes!'. It was located in one of the busier parts of the Rainbow City, quite close to the Department Store and not that far from the old Clan district.

Prime real estate.

Inside, the first impression was much the same, I decided as I stepped through the doors, adjusting my enormous sunglasses and straightening my hat. There was an almost palpable sense of desperation and sadness that pervaded the larger room, over 50 slot machines lined up on one side of the room, a constant 'BlimBlimBlim' followed by a negative buzzer providing the customary gambling theme song. Other tables had different games, many of which I recognised. One was just Black Jack, with no alterations, and another was a weird version of Poker. There were tables for dice, cards, roulette, and the usual.

And in the back, behind the large cash-in desk with dual receptionists and a pair of large, burly guards standing watch, was a single, unmarked door that said 'Employees Only'.

"You look ridiculous." I flinched from where I was hunched over a slot machine in the back, hidden from sight. Turning around, I lowered my sunglasses and pulled the fake beard down around my chin.

I kept the hat, ratty coat, and hood on, though.

"Where's your fucking disguise!?" I hissed, seeing Gary with his hands stuffed into the pocket of a hoodie, a cap pulled low over his hair.

He sneered at me in return, looking me up and down condescendingly.

"Bro, I guarantee you that you look way more suspicious than I do. You see a lot of tiny homeless guys in here?"

While I grumbled to myself, we were joined by Misty and Brock, who both had followed Gary's example of a hat and oversized clothing.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Misty questioned me.

"A disguise! What are you-" Again, I was interrupted by someone in a huge jacket that went down to their knees, a gnarled branch serving as a cane despite the leaves still attached. An exasperated Green stood over the weird hobo's shoulder, as the guy with an obviously fake beard that was a completely different color than the black hair poking out under his top hat, beamed at me.

"Hey, guys! It's me, Ash! Bet you couldn't tell, huh!?" I stared at the Ketchum for a moment before removing my beard and stuffing it into my pocket with a sigh.

"Alright, fuck it, who cares at this point. Right, so we're all here now-"

"Uhhh, excuse me? Do… you guys need help, or?" While we'd been distracted, a pimpled teenager around Brock's age had approached us. Based on the shirt he was wearing, with a winking Voltorb under the text 'Celadon Game Corner', he was an employee of the establishment. He probably saw a group of – let's be honest – pretty suspicious characters arguing and came over to see if anything was wrong.

Mistake.

The guy tried to scream, but was blocked by my palm as my hand clamped over his mouth to muffle the sound. At the same time, Gary kicked him in the knee while Misty pulled him closer, and in short order, we were all sitting on the poor guy, hands tied behind his back and Honedge at his throat.

We then handled the close call very maturely and calmly.

"WE'VE BEEN MADE!"

"THEY KNOW WE'RE HERE!

"ABORT, ABORT!

"FUCK THAT, CHARGE!"

"FORWARDS!"

If the gamblers of the Celadon Game Corner had bothered looking up from their games, they'd have seen six people, two of whom were trying way too hard to be anonymous, sprint across the casino floor towards the desk area.

One of the guys standing guard stepped forward with a raised hand, the other resting on a PokéBall at his waist, looking bored despite the speed we were coming in with.

"Hold it there. Form a lin-AAHH!" Whatever else he was going to say was cut off by Brock's Geodude being released and thrown at him, the sentient rock knocking him out with a punch to the jaw. Meanwhile, Pikachu jumped the second guy, leaving the way to the door clear. We ignored the receptionist as she screamed, and the people behind us finally registered that someone was essentially robbing the place, and I kicked the door to the back area open.

BANG!

"What the fuc-" The man rising from his seat at a small round table didn't have time to say anything else before a chair hit him, followed closely by another, and then finally me as I got close enough to grab him. A few punches to the face, and he was down with a flattened nose. Looking up, I could see that the other two with him were down as well, Starmie and Clefairy having handled them.

"Good job!" I praised, while outside we could hear glass breaking and people yelling as the looting began. I didn't pay it any mind, focused instead on the next door. It was a heavy one, made of steel and multiple massive locks, reminding me of the one from Sevii.

Guess the Rockets used the same designer for their bases. Made sense.

Regardless, it crumbled like paper under Sol's Brick Break. I had to recall the Arcanine afterwards, since he wouldn't fit into the newly exposed tunnel, but the help was still great.

"Go, go, go!" I waved the others through, waiting for the last one – Green as she fumbled with her pocket for some reason – before bringing up the rear as we descended the staircase. I trusted Brock to at least hold on for a moment before I got there.

Based on the sounds coming from ahead, that was exactly what had happened as well.

By the time I stepped off the last step, I barely had time to release Siren and Eevee, the Feebas hitting a slithering Ekans with a Water Gun, before the last of the three people – dressed in black Team Rocket uniforms that made my blood boil and Gary take a deep breath through his nose – were unconscious on the ground alongside their Pokémon.

"Which way!?" Brock yelled back, and that was an excellent question. We were standing in a large corridor, wide enough for five of us to stand shoulder to shoulder, and well over ten feet high, that split into three directions: left, right, and middle. The surfaces were hard-packed dirt that had been burned to turn it clay-like, and artificial blue light shone down from a row of fluorescent lamps in the ceiling.

As soon as I saw that the path split, I knew it was coming, and Gary did not disappoint.

"We split up! Me and Peri right, Brock and Ash left, girls middle!"

"That's a terrible idea!"

"You can't be serious!"

"Are you stupid!?"

"We don't have time for this, come on!" Gary didn't care about the others' protests, grabbing me by the arm and dragging me off. I could've resisted, but we didn't have the time to argue. I'd just have to trust that the others would be fine.

And like that, the plan was ruined.

It was eerily quiet as we ran, feet pounding against the hard ground. One good thing about splitting up was the extra space we had for our teams. Our dual Arcanines were out in front: Hercules, Betty, and Graveller on their tails, while the rest hung back with us squishy humans or protected us from behind. Like last time, Siren was in my hands while I kicked open door after door, looking for anything to fuck over the Rockets.

The Fire-Types rounded a corner up ahead, muffled shouting ringing out.

"What the fuck is that!?"

"Are those Arcanines!?"

"Wha-AAAAAHHHH!"

Shoes skidding across the floor, I followed them while Gary panted after me. Four Rockets stood protected behind their 11 Pokémon as they faced Sol and Growly. Even as I ran up to join them, another two came out of the door lining the tunnel, adding another five Pokémon to the total.

Once upon a time, that would've spelled the end of our little caper. The sheer numbers would've ground us down; whatever strength advantage we had wouldn't be enough to overcome the disparity.

That was a while ago, though.

"Get them!"

The Arcanines took off like cannons at my words, Growly leading the charge with her greater speed. She more closely resembled an orange jet as her graceful form crashed through the enemy formation, Raticate and Houndour flying through the air as she punched a hole.

A hole Sol was more than willing to exploit.

If Growly had been a jet, sleek and fast, Sol was more of an old-school bomber, slow and lumbering. Yet, when he hit the disoriented Pokémon and Trainers, it was like a nuke, a third of our adversaries down in seconds as he trucked through.

I'd been too distracted – and bad myself – to notice the previous times I'd fought Team Rocket, but as I'd been running through my memories in preparation for the latest assault, I'd realised something.

Most of the Rockets weren't that good.

The Executives were out of our league, sure, but there were only a handful of those. Even people like Scott from Mt. Moon – who, in hindsight, was probably around the fourth or fifth Badge level – were squad leaders.

The average Team Rocket Grunt was lucky to be at a second-third Badge level.

I ducked under a screaming Grunt's arm as he swung a random pipe at me, taking his chances with the Trainers rather than the Pokémon ripping through the Rockets like wet paper. He likely regretted that when I grabbed him by the wrist and elbow, directing the piece of metal into his jaw with a spray of blood and broken teeth. An Ekans, the Grunt's I presumed, leapt at me with a hiss. That hiss turned into a shriek when Honedge shot up from my shadow and carved a deep wound into its side, sending it flying into its Trainer with a smack of its scabbard. I grabbed the Steel/Ghost-Type to keep it from killing them both, as we had bigger priorities, yet when I looked around, I saw that the battle was more or less over already.

"Arrrrgghh, you dumb brat!"

"Fuck! You!"

CRACK!

I turned around in time to see a Grunt with an arm bent the wrong way, on his back, with Gary on top of him with his fist pulled back.

CRACK!

The green eyes of the man rolled back into his head instantly.

But that didn't stop Gary.

CRACK!

"FUCK!"

CRACK!

"YOU!"

"Gary." I tried, but he didn't seem to hear me.

CRACK!

"GARY!" He slapped my hand away, eyes wild and pupils blown out from the adrenaline as he panted like his life depended on it. Looking behind me, seeing his team watching him seemed to bring him back to reality, and he gazed down on the beaten Grunt and his own blood-soaked hands with shock.

Sighing, I knelt to check the guy's pulse. He was going to be eating through a tube for months, and his nose would never recover, but there were a few faint bubbles in the blood leaking from his mouth, his chest moving slowly.

"He's still alive." A huge sigh of relief left Gary, something he immediately seemed embarrassed by. "Yeah, turns out it's a whole lot easier to say you're going to kill everyone than actually doing it."

"You did it, though." I grimaced at the muttered words, checking our surroundings. It really wasn't the time to have the conversation, but I needed Gary to be mentally with me.

"Gary, I don't remember what happened on the S.S. Anne. I blacked out." His jaw dropped open at the words, but I pushed him ahead before he could respond. "We don't have time for this. Don't worry about their lives right now; ours are more important. Trust your team and think about it later. Just take them down and move along. We can't lose our shit on every one of them individually."

His expression firmed, and he nodded, but I knew it was easier said than done. I'd just have to keep an eye on it.

Thankfully, Gary's moral quandaries didn't stop him from fighting, as we rounded a corner and ran into another two Grunts. Literally ran into, Gary falling on his ass like the almost sickly thin guy who hit me.

"What the-" the rest of his words were interrupted by my foot to his temple, his head bouncing off the wall as his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed. Turning to the side, I grabbed the other guy in a headlock as he was about to stomp down on Gary, the other boy frozen on the ground while the Pokémon took care of the Rockets'. The Grunt struggled in my grip but eventually went limp.

I reached out a hand to help Gary up, neither of us saying anything. More rushed steps from behind had our Pokémon readying moves, only for it to be Green and Misty that came around the corner.

"Peri, Gary!"

"Hey girls!" I greeted, Gary silent by my side until I elbowed him subtly. "What a surprise! Come here often?"

"Save it, dude," Misty rolled her eyes at me, "it's so not the time-"

WHAAA! WHAAA! WHAAA! WHAAA!

An alarm went off, a horrible screaming sound echoing down through the corridors as red lights started flashing. Misty gave me a superior look, as if to say 'see', while I rolled my eyes back at her and we started running again.

Another half dozen Grunts and doors passed by before we finally got somewhere. At the end of the corridor we'd been running down, a wide set of double doors stood, bigger than any we'd seen before. Seeing the size, Sol and Growly didn't bother hesitating and hit them at speed.

BANG!

Slowing down, we shared confused looks as the Arcanines slid to a halt and began whining, Sol going so far as to turn around and come back to me for comfort.

"What is it, boy, huh? Aren't you supposed to be a big, dangerous Arcanine now?" I scratched behind his ears as he pressed his head against my chest, slowly moving him so I could go around and take a look inside myself.

I understood immediately, staring into the large room, almost as big as the lab in Sevii. And that wasn't where the similarities ended.

Rows of cages stood in lines, each holding a Pokémon. Beeping filled the room, so much of it that it was audible over the siren, as hundreds of different machines displayed numbers and diagrams. Next to them, bags filled with chemicals in all colors of the rainbow slowly dripped their contents into IVs, the plastic tubes leading to the cages and into their prisoners. An Eevee stared ahead blankly, no reaction, even as my own Eevee approached. A Rattata in a larger cage than the others ran on a wheel, the metal spinning so fast that I thought I could see smoke as the tiny rodent's chest rose and fell like a piston. To my surprise, I saw a few Pikipeks as well, one hammering its beak into a piece of wood like a machine gun, while another stared at the floor of its cage blankly. There were other foreign Pokémon among the test subjects, a pitch black ball of curled up fur catching my eye.

Were some of them from the S.S. Anne?

Boxes were spread throughout the room, some able to hold tons and others the size of milk crates. My eyes lingered on the stylish, yellow G painted on the side of one of the smaller ones, a sense of familiarity stirring before something else drew my attention.

In the back, a section of glass cages held Gloom. Unlike the others, they were not injected with chemicals. Instead, tubes ran from the bottom into large bottles, each slowly being filled by the Grass-Types nectar.

-A pidgey mindlessly bashed its head against the bars of its cage, two wings beating furiously. The other pair of wings laid limply at its side, fresh stitches visible where they were attached below the natural ones-

I grit my teeth, pushing the memory away. I was fine.

I was fine.

Besides, other than the 'patients', the place was empty.

"PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"

Or not.

Sharing looks with the others, I indicated for them to spread out and come from the sides as I proceeded straight ahead. The sound had come from behind the Gloom cages, and as I slowly inched around it, I held up Siren like a rifle. Making eye contact with Misty and Starmie, I mouthed a countdown, and as one, we jumped around the cages, ready to deliver a beating.

"PLEEEEEASE, I'M SOOOORY!"

Crouched down with his arms over his head, a bald, middle-aged man in a lab coat shook in fear, shrieking as we came close. Sensible, white sneakers covered his feet, and a pair of boring brown pants made him look particularly non-threatening.

Especially with the growing dark stain on the front of said pants. My nose wrinkled at the scent of ammonia.

Ew.

However, we hadn't talked about what we'd do with non-combatants, so I was a little lost.

Gary wasn't.

"On the fucking floor, Rocket scum!"

"I-I'm not a-a Rocket, I sw-swear!" The man fell to his knees, honest-to-god tears starting to well in his eyes. "T-They k-kidnapped me! M-m-my name i-is Kevin. I-I'm a scie-scientist from Goldenrod. T-t-they took me from my house and, and, made me do experiments-"

"Uh-hu," Gary snorted, moving forward with Squirty at his side, "A likely story. On the ground bitch, before I put you there."

"N-NO PLEASE!" Kevin cowered, already on the ground.

"It's okay," Green assured him, putting a hand on his arm and smiling comfortingly when he flinched at the touch. She shot Gary a look, making him stop in his tracks. "We're here to help."

"Yeah," I agreed, keeping an eye on the door, "we'll get you out of here, but you've gotta stay behind us. Up, now."

Kevin looked between the six of us, clearly not super comfortable with his rescue team being a bunch of children. Still, he nodded shakily and got up on trembling legs.

"V-very well, I-I am in your care." He really didn't sound enthusiastic about it.

Then again, I'd already gotten distracted myself, looking over the crates. Seeing an open one, I went up to it and peered inside, eyebrows shooting up at the contents.

"Green, I think I found where all those chemicals you were talking about are going."

Sure enough, inside the crate and separated by a wall of what looked like wool, were container after container of liquids, labels, and warnings covering the outside.

"This makes no sense." She mumbled, looking into one of the craters herself. "How could they steal this much without anyone noticing? This is worth millions upon millions."

"Close to a billion, actually, if you include the whole base," Kevin said, staying behind me as we looked through the room. Seeing another open crate, I pushed the lid fully off, leaning over to look inside-

CLANG!

"Tsc!" Kevin the scientist scoffed, sparks leaping from his knife as it strained against Honedge, inches from where he'd tried to drive it into my neck. From so close, I could see that his suddenly very focused eyes were a dark magenta. "Good reflexes. Unfortunate."

I stared, shocked at the sudden betrayal, but the cries of surprise from the others pulled me out of it.

Taking a swing at the scientist, he jumped back to avoid the blow, his lap coat falling off him to cover his escape.

Landing a distance away, he took off the button-up shirt to reveal a big red TR on his black shirt. Reaching up to his forehead, we looked on, stunned, as he found a seam and pulled his skin off, the removed bald cap to expose a lavender-purple mohawk, the sides of his head buzzed short. Doing the same to his chin, a patch of beard was uncovered, the same color as his hair.

At an unseen signal, three Grunts rushed in through the door to stand behind the revealed Team Rocket leader.

Taking it by the handle, I pointed Honedge at the mohawked man. "Not kidnapped, then. I take it based on the clown outfit that you're the leader of these losers? I gotta say, your guys suck."

"Oh, I agree. An unfortunate side effect of being a criminal organization is that the recruitment options are a little limited. I'm simply pleased that this batch can put their pants on without assistance." The purple-haired man paid no mind to the semi-insulted, mostly confused looks the Grunts exchanged. "But yes, I am indeed the Executive assigned to this base."

He swept down into a low bow that felt oddly sincere. "I am Petrel, Executive Petrel, Team Rockets resident master of disguise. I have to say, I'm surprised your Honedge saw through me. Many haven't."

"You're not that good." I lied. Bullshit. I'd fully bought the kidnapped scientist angle. "Playtime's over, though. I'm-

"Periwinkle." Petrel interrupted, smiling at my nonplussed face. "I know. You should hear Proton complain about you. Still, as much as I enjoy the man's misery," the sound of feet against the ground as another four Grunts ran into the storage room, "the boss is insistent. I'm afraid I'll be taking you and your Pokémon into custody. Or your bodies."

"I'll leave the choice to you."

---

Ah, Petrel. What a goofy gobber. Doesn't he know that tricks are for kids?

In canon, he's disguised as Giovanni!? For some reason!? That stupid, so I changed it.

Also, Sol's evolution. I know it's early (in-story, at least) and there are going to be ramifications.

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoyed. If you REALLY liked it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

 

[ApiLol123123]

In canon, he's disguised as Giovanni!? For some reason!? That stupid, so I changed it.

Click to shrink...

The guy with a pink Mohawk disguises himself as Giovanni?!?

Thanks for the great chapter, eager to read the next one!!!

 

[HankPankylol]

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoy. If you REALLY like it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

---

Stuck deep underground in the Game Corner Team Rocket base and trapped inside their lab filled with cages and chemicals, while being threatened by a Team Rocket Executive and more and more Grunts arriving by the minute, things looked kind of grim.

It was hard to believe things weren't that far from the plan.

"So, this is some kind of drug research base? Man, you guys are so lame. You can't even get a Pokémon to join you. At least Sevii was doing some sick shit, not just trying to compete with literal children." I goaded, keeping an ear open for any sign of Ash and Brock. We needed them for the next part.

"Again, you are not wrong," Petrel sighed, straightening his mohawk. A faint trembling ran through the ground, glass clinking as it shook. So they were still alive, good. "For beings so proficient in violence, it's astonishing how often they refuse to engage in our type of operation. Distasteful to be sure, but better than the alternatives. Sevii…" The Executive drifted off, an expression of what seemed to be genuine remorse flashing across his face. "... needs must. The goal justifies the means, no matter the cost."

And there it was. Guy had me worried for a second, acting like a real person. Good to know he was as much of a scumbag as all the others, just a better actor.

"I'd been told you had a Growlithe. In fact, I saw as much in the video of your battle against Erkia. Guess you've prepared for this." Petrel continued, looking over Sol with appreciative eyes.

"You're damn right I have. Now do yourself a favor and tell me where Proton is, and we'll only break most of your bones." The words were as much to poke at Gary as a genuine demand. I needed him angry, too lost in the sauce to think about it too much.

Based on how he stiffened and almost took a step forward if not for Clefairy holding him back, I succeeded.

"As much fun as that would be, I'll have to pass, unfortunately, despite your… preparations." Petrel drawled. "But evolution takes some time to get used to. Let's see if it was a mistake." He spread his arms wide, gesturing to the test subject holding area with a small smile on his face. I tensed at the implications. "So crowded in here for such a large Pokémon. It would be a shame if one of the poor creatures got hurt in your eagerness." The Grunts released their Pokémon at the threat, 23 of the usual Poison, Dark, and Normal-Types that were so prolific among Team Rocket snarling and hissing at us. The temperature rose as fire smoldered behind a trio of Houndours gnashing teeth, the Denial tainted flames hot enough to melt right through the cages.

Fuck.

I didn't have the time to think about it, though, as taunting Gary turned out super effective.

"Enough! Enough out of your stupid, murderous mouth! You'll tell me where he is! Water Pulse, Thunderbolt!"

"Icy Wind! Swift!" Despite my reservations, helping was definitely better than standing around with my dick in my hand. Attacking while facing away from what were essentially hostages seemed wise.

Until that could be changed, anyway.

Petrel whistled and snapped his fingers, making six of the Grunts step forward alongside their Koffings, the cancerous-looking Poison-Types smiling dumbly as they gathered together.

"""""Koffing, use Protect!"""""

Instead of the five separate Protects I expected, I was shocked when the hexagonal slats merged, expanding to cover the whole group in a single, almost complete bubble of double-layered energy, the Rockets within nothing more than shadows behind the thick shield.

The attacks from our side merged together, Hercules throwing a Thunder Shock in for good measure. The swirling sphere of half-frozen water crackled with electricity, the stars of Normal-Type energy spinning around violently inside like a miniature tornado.

"Hydro Pump!"

When the combination move was almost upon them, Starmie hovered off the ground and spun furiously. The ruby in the middle of the starfish glowed brightly as eight streams of water shot from the purple arms and met in the middle before hurling forward in a torrential river. The Hyper Pump hit the super-enhanced Water Pulse right as it was about to strike the Protect and made it explode violently in a monstrous tidal wave that washed over the combined shield.

I didn't waste any time, immediately turning away before seeing the results.

"Break the cages, get them out!"

Green wasted no time following my orders, the pale-faced girl eager to do something that wasn't life and death combat. Misty had her Staryu help as well, while I patted a whining Sol, the huge Arcanine moving around nervously, bumping into a cage and then another when he tried to move away

"Flamethrowers, buddy, just stay by me." Up ahead, Gary snarled as his team spread out to surround the smoke and vapor hiding Petrel and the Grunts, making no mention as an eager Betty moved to join them, refusing to stay in the back. "Guess we're making sure nothing sneaks through. Vulpix, stay!" The fox-like Pokémon didn't respond, joining Clefairy's side eagerly, legs shaking and pupils dilated.

It was the first time I'd used her for anything beyond training and all the intense emotions were overwhelming.

Sol huffed, moving in front of me and spreading his thick legs wide, ready to move in whatever direction was needed. Growly did the same, the smarter of the Arcanines understanding the issue.

And not a moment too soon.

WISSSHHH!

A barrage of glowing purple needles pierced through the veil, whipping it away to reveal a half a dozen Ekans, led by an Arbok, with their jaws wide open to expel a constant stream of Poison Sting. Clefairy did her best to shield everyone with a wide Light Screen, but quickly had to give it up in favor of a Protect around Gary, his Kadabara manifesting to join the defense.

That left the rest of us on our own. Squirty had his shell for protection, and Hercules was fast enough to dodge, but we weren't so lucky. Vulpix cried out as the needles ripped through her wispy pelt, her eagerness and inexperience leaving her too far forward compared to the rest. Betty roared with fury and simply trucked through it while storming forwards, infuriated at the venom spreading through her veins yet again. A pair of Koffings' use of Protect managed to block her Dragon Breath but shattered under the resulting Brick Break that smashed through and straight into one of the Poison-Types. The Koffing's face caved inwards and it went flying backwards, hitting a Grunt in the chest and smacking them both into a wall where they collapsed, unmoving.

Starmie caught another bunch of the Poison Stings with a soft sea-blue wall of Psychic power, however, that still left a lot that were headed straight for the captured Pokémon.

"NO, GUARD THEM!" Sol stayed rock steady despite me trying to push him, crouched in front of me, Siren, and Eevee. I felt a low growl rumble through him as the needles flew past us, and the sound of glass breaking and the shards chattering to the floor.

"CAREFUL WITH THE TEST SUBJECTS, THEY ARE WORTH MORE THAN ALL OF YOU COMBINED! DON'T LET ANYONE OUT! GET THEIR POKÉBALLS!"

A red, white, and black blur shot overhead, a Grunt screaming as the coked-up Pikipek I saw earlier did its best to jackhammer through his skull. Siren gurgled furiously when a Spearow tried the same with me, the larger bird falling to the floor as an ice cube with a solid thunk! from her Ice Beam.

A Rattata squeaked desperately as it ran straight into a wall, a bigger, male Eevee staggering up to my own drunkenly, yipping at her flirtatiously before Sol smacked him away cautiously. Farther away, I spotted a Dratini – I couldn't believe the Game Corner actually had them – trying desperately to drag another away, the second one blinking lazily at the ceiling completely boneless.

Feeling something bump into my leg, I looked down and frowned when I didn't see anything, despite the same soft thing hitting me again. However, I didn't have time to worry about the invisible Pokémon. Honedge responded to my need and leapt into my hand, my fingers barely touching the hilt before it left again, piercing through the large lab as I threw it. The air behind Gary flickered and something else previously invisible dropped the pretenses. Bone-white, razor-sharp claws sliced down towards Gary's back, Honedge getting there just in time.

CLANG!

For the second time that day, my Steel/Ghost-Type saved a boy's life, Gary whirling around and all the blood leaving his face as he stumbled back from how close to death he came.

Narrow, red orbs with black eye-lash-esque markings glared balefully at Honedge for getting in the way, sharp teeth bared in a snarl. The short ears of the bluish-black cat-like weasel twitched in agitation, a long, red feather on its left ear – matching the three from its backside – moving with the motion. On its forehead and chest were oval, yellow gem-like protrusions.

The Sneasel growled viciously, pressing down at Honedge with its four, long claws, two at the end of each long and lanky limb. The sword Pokémon shook with effort to keep the Dark-Type at bay, but was being pressed further and further back. A duo of Houndour backing up a quartet of Raticate engaged Sol with Siren and Eevee backing him up. Growly rushed past me to help her Trainer and it looked like we'd be fine-

-my senses screamed at me, my arm lashing out automatically at something on my left. Reality twisted as another Illusion dropped, my eyes landing on a round, smooth shape. The disk of silver material held at the end of a string jumped and shook with Psychic power, gluing my attention to the pendulum. Behind the focus, a large, bulbous nose twitched with satisfaction, sleepy looking eyes blinking lazily. Five thick yellow fingers gently swung the string side to side, the smooth rocking motion making my head feel fuzzy as the lab faded away until my entire world was the pendulum, while the other hand scratched at a white fur mane around the humanoid Pokémon's neck.

"There we go, let's all calm down," Petrel's voice came to me as if underwater, my eyes growing half lidded as they lazily tracked the pendulum, a trail of afterimages left behind while I fell further and further under the Hypno's sway. I couldn't see it, but the Petrel standing behind the Grunts and giving orders shimmered and wavered before the illusion faded away. "That Honedge is more annoying than I'd thought, but we figured it out. Now, recall your Pokémon, if you'd be so kind-UGH!"

Something hit the Hypno in the face, sending the Psychic-Type back into its Trainer and falling on top of him. As the two scrambled to get up, I shook my head, dizzy. A soft thud! alerted me to the invisible Pokémon dropping to the floor. A flash of Grey and pitch-black appeared for a heartbeat, greenish-blue eyes looking around blearily before the air shimmered and it disappeared again.

"Absolutely not! It was funny when you did it to Proton, but I won't let you do it a second time! Haunter, Sneasel, grab the special specimen!"

Steel-like claws screeching as it slid against metal, Sneasel disengaged with Honedge and jumped back towards us. Honedge instantly dipped into the shadows, a large pool of black spreading and speeding across the ground, but even the Shadow Sneak was too slow. Hercules swung a Thunder Punch at the Dark-Type as it ran past, but the agile weasel easily slid under it. The Sneasel flickered with a white glow I recognised as Quick Attack, vanishing from my eyes and reappearing right in front of me.

Meanwhile, Petrel's own shadow undulated and darted off, intercepting Honedge, the two shadows colliding and freezing. The puddle of Distortion vibrated and quivered, an extra-dimensional battle taking place on the border of the material plane and the Distorted World.

The Sneasel barely seemed to care about me, not even sparing me a glance. Instead, it lashed out with its sword-like claws at the spot where the illusion-using Pokémon was last seen.

"ARRRGHH!"

The claws carved through my flesh with ease, slicing deep into my ribs as I grabbed the fluffy, invisible Pokémon and cradled it to my chest, spinning around to protect it. I felt my bones bend under Sneasel's strength, threatening to snap them, but thankfully, the angle was off. The claws slid off my ribcage and exploded out of the side of my back in a spray of blood, barely missing my spine.

I collapsed to the floor, still holding the drugged and squirming mammal close to me. Above me, Sneasel squeaked in fear itself as with a thunderous roar that made the ground shake, Sol ignited – literally – and tackled the Dark/Ice-Type off of me, the ground shattering under the force as he went to town on it.

A foot kicked me in my new wounds, rolling me over to lie on my back, blood leaking from between my teeth as I tried not to scream. Hands fumbled with my own, trying to bend my fingers back to get me to let go, Petrel scowling down at me.

"I tried to be polite, tried to have some manners, but no. You just wouldn't go for it. Fine. What's one more regret added to the pile? I'll-ARRGHH! BRAT!"

"Shut up," I groaned, the Executive falling next to me with my foot in his crotch. It hurt to breathe, and I was probably going to bleed out at some point if nothing was done, but I wasn't dead yet.

Something Petrel regretted when I let go of the invisible Pokémon and rolled on top of him.

"Wait, wait, wai-AW!"

CRACK!

I got off one, two, three good ones with my right fist, splitting the purple-haired man's lip and eyebrow open on my knuckles, blood spraying out of his nostrils. It hurt like hell to move my left arm, but I didn't let that stop me. Petrel was a skinny guy and his attempts to defend himself didn't amount to much; his hands were easily brushed aside.

Unfortunately, he was still conscious when an intangible force seized me, like an invisible giant had grabbed me in its fist and lifted me off the Rocket Executive. A muffled whimper escaped my throat as the force encompassed my whole body, squeezing tightly.

"PERI!"

Somebody screamed my name, but I couldn't tell who, too distracted as my bones creaked. Feeling like my eyeballs were about to burst, I forced them open, seeing the Hypno shuffle towards me with murderous eyes. One stumpy hand was held out towards me while the other held the wildly spasming pendulum, the whole tapir-humanid lit up with purple Psychic energy.

"AAAAHHH!" I couldn't hold my scream as the telekinetic crushed me even harder, my wounded ribs holding on for dear life. Black spots began dancing in front of my eyes, mixing with the brightly shining, white light that filled the room.

"OH COME ON!" I recognised Petrel's voice screaming as I suddenly dropped to the floor. I looked up in time to see a bunch of arm-thick vines wrap around Hypno, encompassing it like a cocoon. It was soon shredded as Petrel's Haunter abandoned Honedge to replace Sneasel as Sol's chew toy. The Dark-Type was like a blender, vine after vine turned to mulch on the ground, yet more kept coming.

"VEEEE!"

A deep, trumpet-like roar accompanied a large shadow as my saviour stepped over me, a massive, squat shape of solid blue-green, bumpy skin. From beneath, I could see the triangular head with a wide mouth, two teeth poking out of the upper jaw, and four from the lower. On top of its head, two small, pointed ears with reddish-pink insides twitched at all the new sounds.

It was quadrupedal, with three clawed toes on each massive foot as the amphibian stepped forward. As it moved past, I could see that a large pink, white-spotted flower had bloomed on its back. The flower was supported by a thick, brown trunk surrounded by green leaves from which dozens of vines emerged.

"Peri!" Green shouted again, running over to me. I groaned as she rolled me over, ripping my shirt to expose the two long cuts from the Sneasel. I tried to protest, but she ignored me, pulling out a 'special' Celadon Potion – uncaring that we were out in the open, surrounded by enemies.

She trusted her newly evolved starter to keep us safe.

Venusaur roared again as it overwhelmed the Sneasel, ensnaring it completely. A frost cone of air blew from the slim predator's mouth, freezing the closest vegetal tentacles, but it was too late to stop it from being slammed up into the ceiling with force. The frozen vines shattered and were replaced with new ones to whip the Sneasel down into the Hypno.

BOOOOM!

A shockwave blasted through the room, more than a few cages falling over and breaking on the floor. From my position, I could see a Clefairy – not Gary's, thankfully – convulsing on the floor, a number of Poison Sting needles sticking out of it. A little further away, half of a Gloom's flower lay on the floor, the cut bisecting it surgically smooth. The Dratini I had seen earlier cried out mournfully as its fellow stopped moving completely, mouth open and eyes glassy.

I grit my teeth and struggled against Green's grip, feeling the numbing agents in the Potion kicking in and doing absolutely nothing against my anger. Especially when a jagged, ice-blue lance flew from the crater Venusaur had made with Sneasel. The large Grass-Type groaned as half its front froze over from the Ice Beam, straining to shatter it with its thick muscles as Sneasel leapt out of its hole, glaring at the dinosaur-toad-thing. Venusaur had a thick layer of insulating fat under its rubbery skin, making it less sensitive to rapid temperature shifts than most Grass-Types, but it didn't make it immune.

"This is getting annoying, children!" I couldn't see Petrel anywhere, and based on the whining and licking I was suddenly subjected to from a fretting Sol, he had taken his Haunter with him under his illusion. "If you're quite done with the unexpected helpers and sudden evolutions, I'll-!"

"GUYS, WE'RE HERE!"

I closed my eyes with a sigh of relief. The high-pitched yelling had never sounded quite so sweet.

A forking bolt of thunder cracked through the door, striking two Grunts and their Raticates and sending them screaming to the ground. It was quickly followed by a jet of water and a plume of fire as first a yellow mouse, then a blue turtle, and finally a red reptile ran through the door. The Koffing tried to turn around to deal with the pincher attack, but a flurry of rocks shot through the air, hitting each of the Poison-Types with precision as Brock's Geodude, Brock himself, and Ash ran into the room.

Appearing in the middle of the room with his Hypno, Petrel closed his eyes briefly and rubbed his forehead.

"...I got nothing."

"YOU'RE ABOUT TO HAVE THIS FIST! GET THEM, PIKACHU, THUNDERBOLT!"

"PIIIIIIIIII!"

Yellow lightning exploded as the combat started once more, Gary and Misty attacking from our direction and Brock and Ash from the other.

I supposed it was up to me to get the last ones out of their cages.

"Peri, you've gotta stay down!" Green tried to push me back down without hurting me, accomplishing little in the process. My heart ached as a high-pitched whine reached me, Vulpix limping over to me. Purple spots shone through her ethereal fur, beads of sweat freezing even as they formed on her forehead. I didn't even wait for her to reach me before snatching her up in her PokéBall.

"Help me with the last," I grunted, ignoring her words and starting to work on the first cage. The Hoothoot within spun its head around so fast I could almost hear it while I messed with the lock, cursing when it refused to cooperate. My bleeding had stopped, but the drugs in the Potion had taken my left arm completely out of action.

"But-!"

"Green, just fucking help me here!" She jumped at my scream, yet started on her own cage anyway, hands shaking terribly as she kept glancing back at the action.

She just needed to keep her shit together for a little bit more. We were almost there.

"Sorry, little guy," I mumbled to the Hoothoot, pulling my knife from its scabbard. Striking the pommel against the glass, I looked away as it splintered and fell apart. The Normal/Flying-Type didn't even wait for the glass to fall, jumping up through the hole instantly, leaving blood and feathers behind on the jagged edges.

I was quickly surrounded by my Pokémon, Siren glaring alternately at everyone else and at me, clearly distressed at my injury. Still, they helped get the cages open and fended off the most aggressive of the Pokémon. I couldn't blame them for lashing out after everything that had happened to them over who knew how long they'd spent in Team Rocket's captivity, but that didn't mean that it wasn't annoying.

I also noticed that some of the cages seemed to open on their own, with the latches and locks popping without anyone touching them. Or, at least, visibly.

Guess my sneaky friend was still around.

I left the Glooms to Green, at her own insistence, and watched her release a Gloom of her own. The captive Grass-Types seemed to have most of their faculties intact, and she managed to get them to stop releasing their pollen before opening the cages.

There was still quite a cloud released with each opened, air-tight box, but it definitely helped.

And then, as I was looking around, I couldn't see any more captured Pokémon. Most of them were huddled by the back wall, those with the least chemicals in their systems helping care for those who could barely walk.

The rest were up by the fighting. And I did mean, 'by' the fighting, as most of them were lying on the floor, unmoving. The majority was still alive, but accidents happened, and a lot of the Pokémon were too hopped up on whatever the Rockets pumped them full of to care about their own lives.

Still, it was as good as we were going to get. Which meant that it was time for the last part of the plan.

"BROCK, NOW!"

The former Gym Leader didn't have time to answer verbally, but I saw his hand move down to grab the new PokéBall on his waist.

But the most telling reaction was that Petrel saw the same thing and widened his eyes, his Hypno's pendulum bouncing wildly with light purple energy to bring up a Barrier while they backed up frantically.

"MOVE BACK, MOVE BACK!"

Brock's face fell even as he pressed the button and unleashed the Pokémon within, fury and grief battling. If Petrel knew about the Pokémon Brock had gotten sent over from Pewter – while trying to keep it quiet – then there was no doubt about it.

High-ranking members of the Pebble Clan were working with Team Rocket.

The implications of that would have to wait, however. First, our ticket out of the secret underground base had been released.

The red light of the PokéBall grew and grew, rising to rival even Sol in height and surpass him in width. The energy shattered with a careless motion of the titan beneath. Brownish-gray skin peeked through thick, orange plates of rock that covered the behemoth's head, shoulders, arms, waist, and knees, each enough to withstand a Snorlax's best efforts. A pair of blades protruded from the elbows of the bipedal Rock-Type, three blunt, grey fingers on each hand that spun as the Pokémon looked around idly. A massive tail tapped the ground with its huge, club-like end, a ripple running through the earth like it was water. On top of the enormous shoulders, an elongated head curiously looked around. A large horn extended from the nose, divided into three sections by two slanted rings that made it resemble a drill, with another, smaller horn set above it. Red eyes peered around with a surprisingly gentle look, a pair of orange rectangles acting as eyebrows above the orbs.

"Rhyperior!" Brock yelled in the sudden silence that followed the emergence of the huge, final evolution of Rhyhorn. I wasn't sure how rare the enormous Pokémon was, but it had been hard to find anything on it on the PokéNet.

The Rock/Ground-Type groaned, the ground shaking at the sound as it scratched at its belly. I knew Brock said the old Pewter Gym Pokémon was pretty strong, but I felt like he undersold it. "Rhyperior, listen to me!"

"TELEPORT, YOU DUMB FUCKS, GET OUT OF HERE!" Whatever veneer of calm and almost-sane behavior Petrel put on slipped away as the Executive saw the writing on the wall, screaming at his subordinates while running towards his Hypno.

He had just enough time to recall his Sneasel and Haunter before Honedge pierced through his thigh, and a Shadow Ball from Eevee struck the Hypno in the face, both of them hitting the ground.

Meanwhile, Brock finished the mission off.

"Rhyperior, find an empty spot in Celadon above us and bring this room up!"

I could see Petrel swearing even louder while clutching around the wound on his leg. He knew his Pokémon and refrained from actually grabbing Honedge, but that didn't really help him.

Rhyperior groaned again and looked up towards the ceiling. A couple of Rocket Grunts managed to release Abras or similar and Teleport away, but the vast majority was forced to watch as Rhyperior stilled for a second and then jerked its arm upwards.

"WOAH!"

Everyone was forced to the ground as the surface suddenly surged beneath us. The ceiling undulated and flowed like mud, forced to move out of our way as the several-hundred-square-foot room was ripped through the earth as if it was liquid. The rumbling was incredible, machines falling over and breaking on the floor, whatever cages were left intact after our breakout crumbling, chemicals and drugs spilling everywhere. It was hard to breathe for a moment, and with my wound, it felt like I was getting no oxygen. I began wondering how deep the base had been buried, when all of a sudden-

"WOAH!"

-We were airborne as the lab came to a stop as suddenly as it started moving. The momentum carried us up a few feet before gravity reasserted itself and we fell back down. I groaned pityfully into the dirt, squinting at the sudden sunlight and coughing up some blood.

Man, I'd gotten my ass kicked. But, gathering myself enough to look around, I had to smile when I saw that we were surrounded by stunned pedestrians, a lot of them sitting on the ground where they had been thrown when Rhyperior moved them aside.

The plan had worked. Fuck yeah.

I winced as the remaining half of a store collapsed onto the newly brought up Rocket Lab, the other half of the building buried under us.

Okay, so the plan mostly worked. Still a fucking miracle.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

I looked over to see a bunch of people come running over, a horde of Pokémon following them. It took me a minute because of my condition, but I recognised them as Gym Trainers. Feeling a chuckle wheeling up, I grinned at Petrel, feeling high as the realization set in.

We did it. I did it.

I finally got a win over Team Rocket.

"End of the road, dickhead. Better not drop the soap, they love little, twinky bitches like you in-"

"YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!" Hands grabbed my own and forced them behind my back, a pair of cuffs tightening around them. It took me a stunned second to register that everyone, including us, were being arrested.

And then I exploded.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN I'M UNDER ARREST, CAN'T YOU SEE THAT THEY'RE-UUUHHHHHMMMMMM!" Something soft and expansive was shoved into my mouth, muffling me.

"My, my," a voice cut through all the bedlam, the crowd parting to allow a figure through. Colorful kimono, bowl cut-esque hair, and sleepy eyes, Erika, the Celadon Gym Leader, took in the scene before locking onto me, "When I called you unpleasant, I didn't think you were going to attack one of my establishments."

I stared at her incredulously, unable to believe my ears. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a smirk briefly cross Petrel's face before he hid it.

Son of a bitch. They were gonna sweep it under the rug. Just someone assaulting the Game Corner's underground facilities. At worst, the Rockets were led by me.

No. No. Where were Officer Jenny or the normal police? There had to be someone who would ask some questions.

"Now," Erika continued, a faint noise reaching my ear before it was buried under the spectators, "you will be coming with me-"

-oooooOOOM!

A faint boom in the distance cut her off, the Gym Leader looking around for the source with a frown.

She didn't have to look far.

BOOOOM!

Another explosion, much closer as something hurled out of the sky, faster than the sound barrier could handle. A large, orange blur shot towards the ground and pulled up at the very last second, a hurricane being carried in its wake. A sandstorm was kicked up from the force, everyone covering their eyes as the flying Pokémon – for what else could it be – landed, and a shadow hopped down from the massive silhouette.

Stepping forward, a long cape flapped in the wind his mount had stirred up. Spikey, pink hair, swept back from the wind. A pair of crimson orbs that gazed around, meeting and holding everyone's eyes until they looked away. As they met my own, a pressure fell on my shoulders, the air growing heavy as I could've sworn the black pupils turned into slits for a moment.

I'd felt it a couple of times. Champy and Oak's other Pokémon. The Leviathan of Cerulean. Walter's team. There was a weight to strong Pokémon.

None of them had felt like the man did. None made my heart seize with a glance.

Behind me, Betty whined and cowered as the red eyes landed on her next, unquestionably becoming slitted and draconic.

I didn't need introductions. Nobody in Indigo – fuck, most of the world – did.

Lance Blackthorn, Champion of the Indigo League, had arrived.

---

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoyed. If you REALLY liked it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

 

[ApiLol123123]

I think you missed a threadmark..

Thanks for the great chapter, eager to read the next one!!!

 

[HankPankylol]

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoy. If you REALLY like it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

---

Silence. Despite being surrounded by more and more gathering spectators, with 15 members of a terrorist organisation lying on the road and even more Gym Trainers, there was hardly a sound to be heard. New arrivals would ask the people in the back what was going on and then join in the stunned gaping. Erika looked like she was smelling her city for the first time, face scrunched up while getting even paler than her already light skin.

And then they recovered.

"CHAMPION LANCE!"

"OH MY GOD, IT'S LANCE!"

"HE'S SO HOT!"

"What's the Champion doing here!?"

"Man, look at that Dragonite! What a beast!"

"SIGN MY SHIRT!"

"SIGN MY BREATS!"

"SIGN MY WIFE!"

Lance Blackthorn didn't as much as glance at the exploding crowd, ignoring the cheers and screams. Instead, his red eyes with slightly elongated pupils stayed locked on me, staring me down without blinking. A long, black cape flowed behind him in the last turbulence of his landing, dust clinging to his navy bodysuit with orange lining. Fingerless gloves clad his hand, scars covering his fingers, and thick boots covered his feet.

Sweat formed on my brow under the weight of the gaze. There was a physical presence to it, an unmistakable feeling of being scrutinised by a greater predator. My hands curled into trembling fists, everything except the exceptionally tall, lanky, pinkish-red-haired man forgotten under the pounding of adrenaline and aura. Betty whined again and pressed closer to me, the Titan Bagon shivering under the Champion's attention.

Behind the six and a half foot tall man, his Dragonite snorted as it stretched, lazily scratching at its stomach with claws strong enough to demolish steel. While its Trainer was the tallest human around, head poking up over the crowd with ease, the Dragon-Type made him seem puny.

Over nine feet tall, the bipedal, reptilian Pokémon had light orange scales, each larger than my outstretched palm. Its eyes were large and greyish-green, a round snout with small nostrils opening to reveal fangs longer than my fingers before the jaws smacked close with bone-breaking force. A pair of long, thin antennae sprouted from the top of its head with a small horn set between them. Its underbelly was cream-colored and extended from its neck to the tip of its lengthy, tapering tail. The arms were thick and the legs bulging with muscle, ending in three claws each. Dragonite's wings were small relative to its body with teal wing membranes, but 'small' was incredibly relative, and they jetted out a good five feet on either side before the Alpha Dragonite folded them along its back.

Recovering from the unexpected guest, Erika stepped forward and addressed her boss.

"Champion Lance, we were not expecting you-"

"Clearly." There was an underlying growl to Lance's deep voice that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, Betty shrinking even further behind me. "What is this? Explain."

It very clearly wasn't a question.

"Of course, Champion. This group of criminals broke into the Game Corner, trying to rob it, I assume-"

"You mean Team Rocket?" Even as he spoke of them, he still didn't look away. "Why didn't you say that? They're wearing uniforms. Also, that doesn't explain all the science shit, or the unconscious Pokémon. Explain better."

"Yes, Champion. My apologies, Champion." It was gratifying to see the bitch fidget after she tried to frame us and have us arrested, but that would only last as long as she didn't convince the Indigo Champion that we were guilty. "We were still trying to figure out the details ourselves, but I thought it prudent to detain the criminals-"

"So you handcuff the children without uniforms first?" I almost fell over as Lance finally - finally – moved his eyes away from me and over to Erika, the Gym Leader, trying to match my feat of keeping eye contact, yet failing in seconds. "That sounds stupid. Are you stupid, Erika? Is that it? Are you a mouthbreathing moron, incapable of-"

"Lance."

Glancing over his shoulder, the Dragon-Type Master rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue at the new, sudden voice that interrupted his tirade against Erkia. Dragonite, on the other hand, smiled doofily and waved one massive hand, letting out a deep, low-pitched croon that I remembered from Bill's recording at the lighthouse.

Standing behind the two, the last kaleidoscopic twisting of space fading after their Teleport, were two new figures, one a man and the other a Pokémon.

Like Dragonite, the new Pokémon was

bipedal, but that was where the similarities ended. Its lower body consisted of rounded hips with strong, thin legs that ended in flat feet with three, wide toes. It had a thin green torso with a sharp red plate going through its chest and back, like it had been impaled through the heart. Its arms were green and wiry, a slight spike extending from the elbow. Its head resembled a gladiator's helmet, with a white face, red eyes, and a teal crest with two spikes extending from each cheek.

It was my first time seeing one, but I recognised the Gallade instantly. The Fighting/Psychic-Type crossed its arms behind its back and bowed deeply to first Lance, and then Dragonite, before straightening up and standing at attention behind its Trainer.

Erika didn't get as much as a glance.

The man I also knew instantly, even if it was also the first time I'd seen him in person. Beyond being almost as famous as Lance, I'd seen a picture of him back in his grandfather's house.

Almost as tall as Lance, the first word that came to mind was 'muscles', which was also the second and third word. Completely shirtless, the man's darkly tanned torso was on full display. Every muscle strained against the skin, each strand of individual fibre rippling under a network of veins. He was immensely bulky and wide, yet without an inch of wasted body fat or useless mass. The man's clothing was minimal: a pair of white martial arts pants held up by a black belt and a pair of thick, metal wristbands full of dents and scratches. A hairband kept the long black hair out of his face.

As Bruno, Fighting-Type Master of the Indigo Elite Four, crossed his arms over his massive chest, dark eyes under prominent eyebrows staring Lance down, I was reminded of Champy, Oak's Machamp, back at the lab.

What the hell was he doing in Celadon? Shit, what was Lance doing there?

My heart froze as a thought occurred, despite Lance's displeasure with Erika. Surely the Rockets' connections didn't extend that high, all the way into the Elite Four.

But Bruno was a member of the Pebble Clan, Grant's grandson, even.

Thankfully, Lance rolled his eyes at the martial artist and clapped his hands loudly, getting the attention of everyone.

"Alright, wrap it up! Get them up and in cuffs, all of them," there was nothing subtle about the side eye he gave Erika, the young Gym Leader shrinking into herself a little as everyone looked at her, face hidden behind her hair. "Let's take them…" The Champion looked around searchingly, quickly getting an answer from Bruno.

"The Gym is closest."

Nodding, the tallest person among us – except one guy in the back of the spectators who was obviously crouching a little to make himself shorter – kept going, voice strong and commanding.

"Gym it is. We'll use the Gym Trainers' Rooms. I want them separated." He didn't bother asking for permission. "And someone get Jenny. Could use an actual professional here." The Celadon Gym Trainers shuffled awkwardly at the jab, yet moved forward towards the Rockets, still on the ground.

"And you," I didn't need to look to know Lance was addressing me. I could feel his attention hitting me like sunlight. "Recall your Honedge before I take it out."

Blinking in confusion, I looked over my shoulder for the guy who had cuffed me, only now wondering how Betty had gotten around him to hide behind me. The answer was easy to find, though the Gym Trainer's face was pure white as Honedge floated in front of his throat, a thin line of blood running down his neck where the blade touched skin.

"Honedge." It was promising that the Ghost-Type responded in only four seconds.

"Good. No, leave him be." Lance waved off the group, getting ready to jump me. "I'll take his statement myself."

---

I stretched my arms as, with a screech of metal, the cuffs holding my wrists together snapped under Bruno's strength, the Elite Four not so much as grimacing at the feat.

"He could be a criminal, you know." Lance pointed out, kicking his feet up on the desk in front of him and knocking a bunch of papers and a photo frame off of it without a care.

"Doubt it," Bruno grunted, moving over to lean against the wall to the side, face neutral as his eyes bounced between Lance and me as he crumbled the metal into a ball and threw it in the trash.

I looked around uncomfortably, hands twitching. We'd gone straight to the back of the Gym and into what I presumed was Erika's office. Sweet-smelling flowers littered most surfaces and hung from the ceiling in pots. The floorboards were in light wood, old and scratched, despite looking newly polished. Book cases covered what space wasn't filled with flowers, except behind the large desk filled with paperwork – or at least it was before Lance threw himself into the chair. Behind the piece of furniture on the back wall was an ancient mural carved into the wood. Detailed, yet faded, figures filled the space, both human and Pokémon, but I couldn't make out the details.

After letting the silence linger, Lance jutted his chin at the chair in front of the desk, throwing a PokéBall up and down casually.

"Sit. Explain."

I did as I was told, eyes on the PokéBall while I talked about 'overhearing' the Rockets talking about the Game Corner and making our plan. I recognised the various scratches that marred the metal, and there was no doubt in my mind that it was Betty's ball Lance was playing with. My Pokémon had been recalled, other than Honedge, and the Champion had confiscated my belt himself.

A slight upturn of his mouth told me that he knew it too. Honedge stirred in my shadow at my emotions, but I forced them down with a deep breath and kept talking. As much as I wanted to, there was absolutely nothing I could do to Lance to get my team back. Even if Honedge attacked, I was certain Bruno could turn the sword into a pretsel with his bare hands.

As my explanation wound down, Lance hummed while spinning Betty's ball on his finger.

"So, you heard about a terrorist base and decided to attack it with your little friends? Despite how that turned out for you on the S.S. Anne?" I nodded reluctantly to Lance's question. "Alright, I respect that. Took balls, if not brains." I blinked at the compliment, surprised.

"Uh, thanks, I guess?"

"Why not tell the authorities?" Bruno came up with a much more sensible response.

"What, like your Clan? Couldn't help but notice that they keep showing up every time I run into the Rockets." Not smart, spilling my suspicions about the Pebble Clan, but I had to know. Bruno was a master of stoicism, staying stonefaced despite the accusation, but I thought I caught a glimpse of surprise in his eyes.

Lance laughed. "Yeah, Bruno, should he have spilt the beans to that old fuck Grant, or maybe Erika, useless girl that she is."

"Talk about your Gym Leaders properly." Lance rolled his eyes at the reprimand.

"Speaking of," I said, "why were you coming to Celadon anyway? You've got good timing." I narrowed my eyes at him, getting an unimpressed snort in return.

"If you're accusing me of working with a terrorist organisation in my own country, you're somehow fucking dumber than you look and sound. Almost as stupid as your name, even. The fuck kinda name is Periwinkle? Are you a five-year-old girl?"

"The fuck kinda hair colour is pink? You get vomited on by a Clefairy?" I shot back reflexively, before freezing. Shit. The guy had me all the way on edge.

Tension filled the air between us again as he took his feet down from the desk and slowly got up from the chair, staring at me all the while. It was a struggle, but I managed to keep eye contact as he loomed over me. Seeing my resistance, a corner of his mouth curled up to reveal a hint of canine.

"Stop it." It was Bruno's turn to roll his eyes, uncaring of the glare he got for ruining the Champions' intimidation attempt. Instead, he looked at me impassively. "Anything else you want to tell us?"

"Nope." Even if I had something, Lance was acting like a dickhead, and I wasn't sure I could trust Bruno.

The black-haired man nodded. "I have called in the League personnel to check the basement."

His moment gone, Lance leaned back against the desk, sending more paper to the floor. "Fucking unbelievable. A whole-ass base, in the middle of a city. You see how much product they'd stolen as well? Erika's gonna be lucky if I don't throw her in jail. After breaking all her bones, of course."

"If she can't do the job, then she can fuck off, simple as that." Lance waved his hand carelessly. " I have no use for incompetent weaklings."

"The Clans won't like that."

"The Clans will do as I fucking tell them, or they can fight me about it." They stared at each other for a while before Bruno inclined his head in my direction.

"We can talk about this later. In private."

Lance grunted and redirected his focus my way. "Whatever. Got more important things, anyway. You, boy." I glared at him, getting a flash of a smirk. He definitely knew my name; he mocked it earlier. "Tell me your price for the Bagon."

Not that shit again.

"Not for sale."

"Try again." The Champion of the Indigo League wasn't so easily dissuaded. "This will be much easier if you cooperated."

"Fuck you." The words were a whisper as they escaped my lips. Again, not smart, but seriously, fuck him. How was he the Champion of Indigo? How was he even an adult!?

No wonder Bruno showed up so quickly. Lance clearly needed a babysitter everywhere he went.

"The hell you say!?" Lance didn't like being talked back to, evidently, pushing off the desk with a scowl. A single step brought him right back in front of me as he glared down at me. "Fucking repeat that."

"I said fuck you!" In for a penny, in for a pound.

"Okay, tough guy," Lance leaned down closer. That close, I could see the process as his pupils elongated and became slitted, see the red darken to the hue of blood. "Let's do it your way. You're being charged as a criminal right now. I can let that stand, fuck, I can push that through." Ice filled my veins at his words, everything except his dumb, smug face fading. "You don't get Pokémon in prison, and someone has to take care of them." I'd never felt Honedge's mental presence so keenly. I felt the phantom sensation of its hilt in my hand and knew the blade was less than a second away. "So, how about that instead, huh? Do you prefer-"

"Lance! Enough!" Lance stepped away, and I let out a deep breath as Bruno came to my rescue. Either because he saved me from prison or from killing the Indigo Champion.

Something about Lance's behaviour had bothered me from the beginning, in more ways than one. Beyond just being unprofessional, there was something familiar about it.

It reminded me of Betty.

Worse, it reminded me of myself.

"Even a fencesitter like you has to admit that letting a kid run around with something like that is stupid! If anyone deserves a Titan Dragon-Type, it's me!" I stared at the Champion of the Indigo League, the strongest Trainer and leader of two regions, as he damn near pouted and whined about not getting his way.

That… that wasn't how I acted, surely?

"I'm more concerned with the camera on his shoulder."

Head snapping around, Lance scanned me and quickly locked onto the shoulder-mounted camera I'd picked up in Cerulean. Faster than I'd seen anyone other than a Pokémon move, he blurred across the room and grabbed the camera, the small device being crushed to pieces as he closed his hands.

Shame I had to ruin his party.

Not.

"It's backed up directly to Professor Oak's lap, so it's already saved." A small lie. It was connected to my PokéDex, but that was in turn connected to the database, so it was, in essence, correct.

BAM!

Both of the Champion's hands came down on the armrests on either side of me, the wood splintering under his strength. Trapped by the corded forearms, I felt a low growl vibrate through his chest and rattle the chair as a snarl formed on his face, his eyes fully slitted. Cursing myself, I couldn't keep it up and averted my eyes to the floor. Shame, humiliation and anger flooded me as he snorted and leaned even closer, pressing the advantage after my submission.

Suddenly, a large hand lined with scars clamped down on his shoulder and pulled him away, Bruno in his face as the two large men glared at each other nose-to-nose. Some kind of silent conversation passed between them as Lance glanced back at me with a different, softer look in his round eyes, before snorting again and throwing my belt filled with PokéBalls on the desk. Shaking his head, the Champion rubbed his eyes while storming out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him.

SLAM!

"You have the deepest condolences of the Indigo League." The words sounded routine coming from Bruno's mouth, the large martial artist looking out of place as he crouched down and started picking up the paper Lance had spilt. "I would greatly appreciate it if that footage remained private."

"And what do I care about what you fucking assholes appreciate, huh?" I spit, heart pounding in my throat.

"Not much, I imagine." Standing back up, he straightened the pile of papers before turning to me. For a while, he looked at me with a blank expression, not protesting when I'd had enough and yoinked my belt off the desk. Fumbling with the clasp due to my shaky hands, I instantly felt a little better from the familiar weight. Once I'd sat back down, rubbing my face with my hands, he spoke again. "I have a proposal for you."

"Is it for you and your asshole boss to fuck off and leave me alone?"

"If you wish." I was surprised at the answer. "Otherwise, I have an errand to run in the wilds of Fuchsia. It might take a little while. If you promise to keep that footage to yourself, I will let you join me for the duration."

I stared at him, shocked. Of all the things I'd thought he'd say, inviting me to join him for training hadn't been one of them.

"Why? You don't know me. Why would an Elite Four member waste their time with me?"

"A couple of reasons. One, so you won't release the footage. Two, my family has wronged you. Three," something softened in his inscrutable eyes, " I saw your match against Brock. My grandfather likes you."

I waited for him to continue, yet he simply stared at me, an awkward silence setting over us.

"So, what," I asked, "you feel bad? That's it? You realise how suspicious that is, right? Especially when members of your Clan keep trying to kill me!"

"Then don't come. I'll send you a waypoint, do what you want with it." He shrugged uncaringly, going over to the door. Opening it, he looked at me over his shoulder. I expected a last-minute persuasion attempt, another piece of bait dangled in front of me. "Goodbye."

Click!

Staring after him, I deflated in my chair, covering my face and letting out a muffled scream.

What an absolute disaster of a meeting.

I didn't know how long I had spent in the office, but eventually, I decided to leave before someone came to kick me out. Poking my head out of the door, I didn't see anyone, so I hurried down the corridor and around the corner before anyone could think to stop me.

And slammed straight into someone who fell to the ground with a groan.

"Green?" Sure enough, the girl accepted my hand and let me pull her up, dusting her clothes off with a grumble.

"And here I was going to get Gym Leader Erika to make sure the Champion wasn't too hard on you. Guess I can spare myself the effort."

"You were, huh." The rage hadn't dissipated fully, and it flared back up as her words reminded me of something. She looked at me weirdly, picking up on my voice and moving back as I took a step towards her.

"See," I took another step closer, making her bump into the wall trying to get away, "Erika and her goons were damn fast on the scene, almost like someone warned them. And, before we went down into the hideout, I could've sworn I saw you stuff something back into your pocket. But, obviously, that's wrong, right? After all," another step and we were basically nose-to-nose, "we agreed that we wouldn't tell anyone. And you wouldn't go behind our backs, right?"

As she cowered before me, a small voice in the back of my head told me that I was overcompensating after being shown up by Lance, and I needed to back off, but I smothered it, letting the rage fuel me.

Which left me extra surprised when she stiffened and suddenly raised her head. There were tears at the edge of her eyes, and she was shaking a little, but there was a hint of the new spine Green had developed when she placed her hands on my chest and pushed me away angrily. She wasn't strong enough to move me, but I stepped back with the motion, too shocked to stay.

"Yes, okay, I called my brother! And I would do it again!"

Even though I knew it, it still stung to hear it. "Why!? We fucking agreed to handle it ourselves!"

"No, you agreed!" She pushed me again, but I resisted. "You and Gary! I told you it was a bad idea, I told you! And look what happened!"

"It went fine!" I insisted. Nobody was dead, and we got the Rockets. It was unquestionably the smoothest operation I'd been a part of.

"You almost died, Peri!"

"Almost doesn't count."

"Yes, it fucking does!" She was fully crying by that point. "It really does! I was scared! I was really scared and worried, so I called the adults!"

"The Gym is absolutely in on it! Did you see how quickly that sleepy bitch was to blame us!?"

"Well, maybe if you weren't such an asshole, she wouldn't think that! You have to admit that it looks very suspicious!"

"Looks suspicious!?" I looked at her incredulously. "What, that the other guys were wearing Team Rocket uniforms!? That there was a giant secret base under her casino!?"

"Okay, she acted a little rashly, but so did you! You and Gary riled each other up and wouldn't hear anything against it!"

"And so what if we agreed!?"

"I don't want Gary to turn out like you!"

Silence filled the corridor. Green covered her mouth in shock at her words while I stared at her, feeling the sting burn.

"I-I didn't mean that-"

"Whatever," I cut her off, raising my hands and walking backwards. "Just-whatever. I'll get out of your hair before I drag you or others down to my level." With that, I spun around and power walked down the hallway, ignoring her voice behind me.

"Peri. Peri! I'm sorry!"

I kept moving, leaving Green behind. Though I noticed she didn't try to follow me. Guess she didn't feel that bad about her words.

Whatever.

Rounding another corner as I stormed through the Gym with no direction, passing by several people in officer uniforms, as well as some official black ones with the Indigo symbol over the heart that I didn't recognise. None of them tried to stop me, so I figured I was fine to be out and about.

That was reinforced when I saw Misty leaning against the wall beside a door, the orange-haired girl waving at me.

"Hey. Figured they let you out when Bruno grabbed Brock. Everything okay?"

I nodded, not wanting to get into it. Misty, awesome person that she was, didn't press. "Yeah, I'm fine. Ash's still in there, then?"

She nodded, gesturing toward the door beside her. I nodded and went to start some random conversation to keep my mind off the last two interactions I had, when I stopped.

Maybe it was the argument with Green that had me shaken, but I was hit with a strong desire to make sure Misty and I were okay.

"Hey, listen. I know I haven't been the best at keeping in contact, and stuff, and I'm really sorry abo-" I was interrupted by a raised hand.

"Dude, calm down, it's fine." I blinked in surprise at the easy acceptance.

"Really?" I should've probably just taken the out she gave me, but I wasn't that smart. "I'd have thought you'd be more upset."

My heart sank at the almost sympathetic expression on her face. I really should've taken the out.

"Peri, we've gone for dinner twice, and have known each other for less than a month. I've… enjoyed our time together, and I'm up for another date the next time we're in the same place, but it's not like we're in a relationship. Who knows what the future looks like, but right now we're travelling all around the region, and maybe beyond, separately. Not really the time for going steady, you know?"

"Oh. Right. No, th-that makes sense, yeah." I averted my eyes, wanting to be anywhere else. Her words made perfect sense, and it was a much more mature way of thinking than my own, but fuck me, that still stung. "Hey, listen, I gotta find Gary, make sure he's okay. I'll catch you later, okay?" It was a terrible excuse, and she definitely didn't buy it. It was childish as all hell, yet I needed to get out of there.

"Peri…" Her sigh trailed me down the corridor while I waved at her over my shoulder, cringing at my own behaviour.

God dammit, that was pathetic. I needed to get my shit together. So what if a couple of people I thought were my friends didn't fuck with me as much as I thought? Who cared?

Definitely not me, that was for sure.

I ended up taking the wrong turn several times, lost in my thoughts and feelings, but a helpful young officer eventually pointed me to where Gary was being questioned and even let me know he was done.

It really helped to have friends in high places, apparently. Ash was the only one still being questioned, and I imagined that would only last until the Professor got the news.

By which time I expected to be far, far away from Mt. Oak when it exploded.

As such, I walked right past the pair of policemen stationed outside the room and headed straight in, swinging the door open without care.

"Dude, you're not gonna believe what a fucking asshole Lanc-" I stopped in the doorway, first meeting Gary's panicked eyes that closed in resignation, the boy leaning back in the dining chair he was sitting in.

And then my eyes moved to meet the thunderous glare of Professor Samuel Oak as the grey-haired man turned from where he'd been looming over Gary.

…

"... Wrong room-"

"Sit. Down." Yeah, I thought as much.

The scraping of the chair legs against the floor was deafening as I sat next to Gary at the round, lightly-colored wooden dinner table, both of us doing our best not to look at each other.

The room was bare, nothing much beyond the table, other than a fridge, a bed, and a TV, which left me, unfortunately, deprived of things to focus my attention on other than the very angry man in front of me.

"Well!?" The Professor barked, all but trembling with feelings. In the corner behind him, I noticed Aly, his Alakazam, calmly polishing her spoons while watching.

"Well, what?" I flinched at the furious glare and disbelieving gaping I got from the two Oaks. Okay, Peri, you're upset, but don't blow everything.

"Oh, I don't know, I thought I would just pop by and see-what do you think I'm talking about!?" I'd never heard the man yell like that before, and it didn't feel great that it was directed at me. "I can't believe you, Peri! Either of you, but you especially! What in the world were you thinking!?"

"Well-" I didn't get to say a second word before he cut me off.

"Oh, I know what you were thinking! Nothing, nothing at all, not a single thought running through your head!"

"I-"

"You lied to me!" It was the very real hurt in his voice that stung the most. "You looked me right in the eyes when I asked you to take care of Gary, and you lied to me! Tell me, were you planning this little…" He fumbled for words, another first, "... little excursion, back then!? Well!?"

I hesitated, but it quickly became clear that he was waiting for an answer. "... yes."

"I can't believe this." The Pokémon Professor sounded genuinely shocked. I glanced at Gary for some assistance, but the boy did his best not to meet my eyes. "I trusted you. I-I took you in, I fed you, clothed you…"

"And I appreciate all that, I really do!" I'd had enough of just being lectured at and spoke up to defend myself. "But sometimes, there are things we have to do, things that are necessary-!"

"Do not speak to me of necessity!" He hissed, jabbing a finger in my face. "You don't know the meaning of the word, the dark, depraved places-!" He cut himself off, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. I quickly took the chance.

"But I do! Team Rocket needs to be brought to justice-"

"Whatever the cost." Most of the anger was gone, leaving exhaustion and disappointment. That was worse somehow. "No matter who pays it, you, your team, your friends. You brought children into a life-or-death battle; you brought my grandson into that place despite promising me that you wouldn't let him go down that path."

"Don't talk about him like he's five, he can make his own decisions, right, Gary!?" I looked at him for support again, but got nothing. Whatever had made him willing to talk back to his grandfather on the S.S. Anne, whatever strength the grief had given him, was gone.

"I don't know if I can do this." The Professor rubbed his face tiredly, looking at me like I was his favourite dog who'd bitten someone. "I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt, but you've gone behind my back time and time again."

"Professor, I-"

"Peri, I don't know if I can continue being your sponsor."

It felt like I'd been punched in the stomach, Gary gasping beside me at the threat. It wouldn't take away my license, but I would lose the stipendium Oak gave us, as well as the ability to keep my Pokémon at his Reserve.

But more than anything, it meant he didn't trust me.

"... whatever. I don't wanna be your Trainer anyway." He didn't say anything, simply waving Gary over and gesturing to Aly. "Yeah, get the fuck out of here, you too, coward!" Gary didn't respond to my taunt, eyes locked on the ground as his grandfather grabbed him by the shoulder. "Fuck off, both of you! I don't need your overly controlling, sulking, bitching every time I call you! Fuck you, you pussy, hack, bitch, and fuck you too, you-"

In a twist of space that was nearly unnoticeable, they were gone.

Leaving me feeling more alone than I'd had in a long time.

---

I spent a long time thinking about Lance's personality and how I wanted him to be. In the anime, he's a good, helpful guy, and in the Manga, he's a villain.

So this is where I landed. A man so strong that he was made the leader of two regions because no one could stop him. Someone who can raise a whole team of Dragon-Types and not just keep them in line, but make them thrive.

Also, not terribly dissimilar to Peri himself.

Peri's behavior was always going to bite him in the ass. Sucks that it happened at the same time, though, like a combo of emotional gut shots. But sometimes, it has to get worse before it gets better.

When I think about Pokémon, one of the first things I think of is "Journey", and I wanted this story to be that, both physically and emotionally. Peri has a long road ahead of him, and I hope you'll stick with me for the trip.

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoyed. If you REALLY liked it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

 

[The Radiance's Follower]

Leaving me feeling more alone than I'd had in a long time.

Click to shrink...

At least now he has a clean slate... right ? Nothing but up from here on out. Just gotta find some legendaries and take control of the world to show them how wrong they were to abandon him.

 

[HankPankylol]

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoy. If you REALLY like it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

---

I took a deep inhale of the clean air, letting it stretch my lungs for an uncomfortable amount of time, before releasing it with an explosive pah!

Unquestionably, the best part of leaving Celadon behind was the lack of stench.

My PokéDex vibrated in my pocket for the millionth time, going ignored as it had for the last few days.

The worst part of leaving Celadon behind was definitely the way I'd done it, running away like a sulking child.

I'm not sure how long I stayed in the room where Gary had been interrogated, but it hadn't been more than a minute or two. The PokéNet had given me the address and website of a local Teleport business, and the window an exit. The last of the money I'd won from Erika – and I noticed the scummy Gym Leader didn't give me a TM as was required – had gotten me to the front of the line, and within a few hours, I'd been leaving Vermillion with a backpack bulging with stuff I never got to use down below the Game Corner.

I knew that the way I left shit was only going to make it worse. I started kicking myself as soon as I vaulted that window frame.

But I just… I need to be alone for a bit. Without all the shit..

Another deep inhale, except, as I let it go, it was a scream that echoed over the Fuchsia outskirts.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

"AAAARRRRRWWWWARARAR!"

"BAAAAAAAAARRR!"

"Indeed, my friends, indeed," I nodded sagely, gazing out of the terrain with my team. Sol and Betty were the only ones to join my shouting, but I knew the others did the same in spirit, even if Siren wiggled in my arms at the loud noise.

Probably. Vulpix, at least, if she hadn't been a little off since we'd left. I'd pumped her full of Antidotes, but the poison must've hit her hard.

The edge of the Fuchsia territory wasn't that different from the other side of Vermillion that I'd already seen, but I could already see the signs of that changing. Despite being even further south than Cerulean and Celadon, the massive lakes and abundant plant growth had started to disappear, replaced by long stretches of grassy fields. The trees were taller and straighter, unlike the ground which dipped and rolled into gentle hills.

Plenty of space.

I hadn't decided if I was going to take Bruno's offer or not, however, despite how much it could fuck me over, I was leaning towards saying yes. Training with an Elite Four wasn't a chance you got every day, even if it was suspicious.

I just had to be sure I made some preparations.

Maybe I should've given Walter a little more to go on than 'if I'm dead, it was Bruno of the Elite Four'.

Nah, Walter was a chill guy; I was sure he took it very calmly.

"This is gonna be our home for a while," I declared. We had a lot to do. "So get used to it. First," I slapped Sol's flank, having to reach up to almost shoulder height to do so. And to think he still had plenty of growing to do. "Get down, you big lump-NOT THAT WAY!" I huffed as the huge Fire-Type landed on me. Getting my hands under him, I groaned and strained, bench pressing the Arcanine off of me, much to his panting amusement.

Extracting myself before Vulpix could jump on, to her whining disappointment, I grabbed onto Sol's nape and heaved myself up. I had to spread my legs uncomfortably wide to fit over his enormous back, feeling the shift of his muscles under his fur.

I grinned. Riding the dog had been something that had been on ny mind since I'd first seen Flame, back on my first morning at Oak's.

I flinched at the reminder, but refused to let my shitty personal life ruin the moment for me, burrowing my hands in the almost scalding pelt to get a good hold.

"Okay, buddy, now take it easy this first time-AAAAAHHHH!"

The world blurred for a fraction of a second before I lost my grip and was sent flying backwards, tumbling across the ground. Rolling for what seemed to be an eternity, I finally came to a stop, spitting out grass and dirt to the loud amusement of my team.

I rubbed my aching ass while Sol noticed that I was gone and tried to stop, tripping over his own paws and crashing himself.

Add that to the list of things to work on.

---

"Alright, let's see what evolution actually did for you, and how much we screwed up by not waiting longer." We'd made camp for the day, despite the sun still being high in the sky. A medium-sized cliff face blocked the shearing wind that blew away the humid air, leaving Fuchsia somewhat chilly. The area in front of our tent was wide and open, with plenty of room to train without bothering the locals.

Sol huffed indignantly at the suggestion that there was anything wrong with him, bumping his head into my smaller torso and sending me back a step.

"Hey, you heard Oa-" the name stuck in my throat, forcing me to clear it awkwardly. Stupid old man. Wasn't even real; none of them were, just dumbass characters from a children's game, no matter how much that had been disproven. I'd long since lost any notions that it was all fake.

I didn't need them, though, fake or not. I had my team, and that was more than enough.

"As I said," I continued, re-grabbing Sol's attention as I'd lost it while in my own head, "there are supposedly downsides to evolving you so young, even considering the benefits. We know you're fast, though we will need to work on actually being able to move at that speed, which is not even including Extreme Speed." That made him lower his head with a whine, embarrassed. He hadn't been able to maintain a straight line at top speed without crashing, never mind turning, and it clearly bothered him to have his body disobey like that. He was used to physical stuff coming to him with incredible ease. "However, your fire is going to be… stiff, I guess. Inflexible. What in the world that looks like, I have no idea, but that's why we're here. So!" I clapped my hands before pointing at a large rock. It was already littered with holes and craters from the others using it for practice, so I didn't feel bad about ruining it further. "Flamethrower! Keep it tight!"

Inhaling deeply, Sol's white chest puffed up mightily. His bright yellow pelt seemed alive in the sunlight as an aura of shimmering air enveloped him, the ambient temperature spiking several degrees. Despite the power I was feeling, I had to raise an eyebrow as a second, and then another, and a third passed with Sol still focusing his techni-

The great canine's head snapped down, jaws opening with a loud bark that heralded the flickering flames at the back of his throat.

BHWOOOOSH!

A pillar of fire, as thick as a man and nearly solid, with flames so dense it almost looked like a liquid, poured from Sol's mouth with a scream of igniting air. Orange and yellow bathed our surroundings, overshadowing the sun high above, as the tongues twisted around themselves, the very edges of the Flamethrower dyed white as the grass, and plants wilted beneath the Fire-Type move. It slammed into the boulder, washing over and parting around it like a wave, while I had to turn away from the heat, shielding my face with my palm. The cone widened as it went, even though I told him otherwise, the sheer power beyond Sol's ability to keep under control. The Flamethrower only lasted for what felt like a heartbeat before fading, yet a bright streak of light was imprinted on the inside of my eyelids as I blinked furiously to try and clear them, Sol happily panting as we took in his work.

The ground was hard and smooth, a slight trench formed from the melted earth and rocks, shining like glass in the rays of sunlight. The closer it got to the rock, the shallower the trench, but the glassing continued all the way to the edge of the rock, where it met the slowly cooling droplets of lava as they rolled down the target.

I whistled, impressed at the sight.

The top half of the boulder was gone, the glowing, cherry-red slag pooling towards the ground being the only remains left. The rest was sagging under its own weight, softened by the ludicrous heat it was exposed to and pre-weakened by being hammered by Hercules and Betty. As we watched, another section started sliding, falling onto the scorched earth with something between a thud! and a plop!

"Damn, definitely a power boost," the Arcanine's tongue rolled out happily, steam waving from it as he flopped to the ground and rolled over to his back for belly scratches. "But that was a long pause to start. Was that to show off, or how long it actually took you to use the move?" He didn't seem to care, nudging my hand to get me back to it. "Answer my questions, and I'll give you your loving, you attention-whore. Could you have done it faster?"

He deflated with a mighty sigh, turning over to face away from me. I nodded and patted his side in sympathy.

So it wasn't to show off.

By the time we'd reached Celadon, as a Growlithe, Sol had been able to do an okay Flamethrower in less than two seconds.

As an Arcanine, it took a little over four. That was more than double.

"Well," I started slowly, feeling the guilt I was already carrying increase, "that's a little more than I was hoping for, I'll be real. Yet," I reassured him, "not insurmountable. I've been doing some more reading online, and it's not like it means you can't learn the more advanced moves or get faster. It's just gonna take a little more. Meanwhile, your physical skills are only going to grow from here and probably end up higher than they could've been. It's a trade-off, but one I'm sure we'll make work. It's just going to take some effort." He didn't appear convinced, ears flat against his skull at the thought of all the work ahead of him. "Don't whine, you giant baby! You gonna let the others get away from you? They'll evolve too, one day, and if you keep slacking off, they'll leave you behind!"

"Did you see where she went?" I asked as I was leaving, looking for the other Pokémon that was supposed to be training with Sol. The Arcanine whined and shook his large head, seeming quite distressed at the absence himself. I sighed and mentally added it to the list of shit I had to handle

It took a little while to get him up, but eventually, I left him to it, secure in the knowledge that he'd stick to the training I gave him. I had him alternate between Ember and Flamethrower, leaving Flame Wheel for when he was a little more used to his body. Then he was doing sprints, before resting with Morning Sun and repeating.

Which left me free to check in on the others before somebody inevitably blew something up.

I stopped nearby, looking on as yellow thunder splashed harmlessly against the cliff, exploding in a shower of sparks.

"Looking good, bro!" Herc wired back, flexing his biceps at me. I laughed and echoed the motion, making the Electabuzz grunt in approval before turning back to his training with an uncharacteristic sigh. "Don't you start whining as well. I'm counting on you to be one of the mature ones around here," I jabbed him in the ribs playfully – suppressing my yelp at the spark of electricity that zapped me and left the finger numb – to make sure he knew I was kidding. "Whatever we can figure out about hand-to-hand, I guarantee you that Bruno can teach us more in a few seconds. He's literally the strongest Fighting-Type user in the region. It makes more sense to work on your electricity, even if it sucks. Thunderbolt is a big step forward. The difference in power from Thunder Shock will be capacity training all by itself. Now, show me again."

Hercules wirred in agreement, pushing aside his complaints about not being able to punch something. Instead, he started windmilling his arms around in circles, a faint hum of power growing louder and louder as arcs of electricity jumped across his fur.

With a cracking sound, he threw his arms out, the current exploding into a crackling aura of lightning before it sprang from Hercules' hands and ripped through the sky with a sharp crack! leaving the scent of ozone hanging heavily in the air.

"Hey, not bad!" I kept my hands to myself, the leftover charge that clung to the Electric-Type palpable from feet away. "The power's getting pretty good! A little more, and we can start working on the shape manipulation." I whipped out my PokéDex, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the dozen missed calls and messages, and quickly found a video of an Electabuzz using Thunderbolt. "You see how narrow the bolt is? That's the real difference from Thunder Shock. More than double the power, sure, but condensed to less than a fifth of the space." The screen lit up yellow as the thunder blew a large rock into smithereens. "It's fast as well, but I think that's also from the pressure. We'll figure that part out."

Herc nodded consideringly, rubbing his chin in a move I was sure he'd picked up from me as he studied the video, making me replay it a couple of times. When he went back to training, his arms whirled around even slower than the already sluggish pace, and the charge wasn't quite as strong.

On the other hand, the resulting blast was more of a ball of lightning than the uncontrolled blast Thunder Shock was, and noticeably faster, too, making me nod in satisfaction.

He knew what he was doing, as long as I came around occasionally to keep his mood up.

"Keep it up," I encouraged and moved along, head in a swivel to find my missing teammate. Fortunately, she wasn't that complex, so figuring out the most likely hiding spot was easy enough. On the way there, though, I detoured to the last three Pokémon training.

"Is she being too hard on you girls?"

Eevee scoffed while Vulpix whined agreeingly, until a steamy spray of water to the face made her sputter. Siren levitated over and bumped her back in line, brushing against me with a gurgle, before the fish turned drill sergeant ran her troops through the target practice again.

My eyes lingered on the Feebas, seeing the speed and force with which she gathered her water and let it loose, burrowing into the cliff with ease. It wasn't a Water Gun, yet also not quite a Scald, but somewhere in between. She had the technical parts down very well thanks to relentless practice and her temperature manipulation was coming along well – as her method of keeping Vulpix in line showed.

All she needed was more power and she'd have mastered the move. That might take a while, however, burdened as she was by her species.

I'd give her the new TM I'd picked up at the Department Store when we got to Bruno's waypoint, just to make sure she didn't fall too far behind.

Eevee had a similar, yet different problem, being that I didn't know how to train her. She definitely favored long range, so Hyper Voice and Swift were obvious.

But the problem was her evolution, or rather, all the possible evolutions. Since she wasn't sure what she wanted to evolve into. If I had her working to learn something like Icy Wind or Ember for a Glaceon or Flareon, and she then turned into the opposite type, she might very well lose access to those moves. Like Arcanine or other Stone evolutions, the Eevee line was very attuned to their element and had a hard time with other Types. It was apparently fairly common for Eevee trainers to lose months, if not years, of work upon evolution.

Add in that I still wasn't sure if she wanted to stick around…

The list of problems grew and grew.

"And what about you?" I asked the other fox Pokémon. "You seem a little tired, even though you slept in. You okay?"

Vulpix whined again, pawing at me softly. The hesitation I felt with her was diminishing day by day, but I couldn't exactly say that it was gone.

And wasn't that just another thing to add to my pile of failures. I couldn't even care for my Pokémon properly.

Reaching down for her, she clung to my arms despite not having hands to do so, wrapping her paws around my wrist, her tails curling like she wanted them to join in on the hug.

In terms of training, I was moving into the unknown with a lot of Vulpix's moves. Things like Quick Attack and Icy Wind were easy enough between Eevee and Siren.

But I had no idea where to even begin when it came to something like Fairy-Type energy. It was a lot more complex than simply telling the fox to 'use your other energy'.

I'd tried and only gotten more demands for attention for the attempt.

Baby-Doll Eyes was the only Fairy move we'd managed so far, and contrary to what I'd hoped, it hadn't served as the jumping point I'd hoped it to be.

"There, there," I reassured the ball of whispy floof. I'd hoped Siren and Eevee's work ethic would rub off on her in the way emotions had shown to affect the Fairy-Type, counteracting the weird mood she had been in, but it seemed to have had limited success.

"Tell you what. If you work really hard the rest of the day, I'll let you be the first to be groomed tonight." That got her attention, her eyes snapping open and darting up to meet mine. When she saw I was serious, she spun around, jaws opening as she inhaled. On the exhale, a cone of cold air, specked with snowflakes, blew across the 50 feet the trio had been set up from the cliff, grass becoming tipped with frost in its wake. The stony wall wasn't frozen over, but I could see the thin layer of frost covering it.

"Try and see if you can get Ice Shard to work," I said and stood up, winking at Siren's disapproving look – according to the fish, strength was reward enough, and she wasn't fond of my tendency to bribe Vulpix, Betty, and Sol. "I leave you in Siren's tender fins. Try not to piss her off too much. I've given her free rein over you."

The expressions of fear on the small canines at the gleeful look in the fish's eyes had me chuckling as I finally moved to our missing member, trusting the Feebas to not overdo it.

Or at least leave them alive, if bone-tired.

After that, it was just a short hike before I was gazing out over the green, yet somewhat barren and rocky plains from atop of the short cliffside. I gave the slumped reptile sitting by the edge and looking outwards a moment to acknowledge me. When that didn't happen, I sighed again and sat down beside her.

"Not like you to miss a chance to light shit on fire. I thought it was your second-favourite thing, after fighting."

Betty grumbled and looked away from me. Reaching out, I flicked her nose with a frown as she half-heartedly snapped at me, before grabbing her by the back of the neck. Digging my fingers into the steel-hard muscle under her bone-crest, the Dragon-Type turned to a softly keening puddle as I massaged the built-up tension out.

"Is it because Sol evolved before you?"

The Bagon froze, but couldn't deny the pleasure of her neck being relieved from the weight of her large head, and growled softly in agreement.

I'd figured. While Betty's mood was whimsical at the best of times, she usually didn't have any problems letting everyone know about it, and punishing them for it. For her to hide away, it was a little more serious than her standard tantrums.

"Betty, evolution isn't something we can rush – well, I guess we did rush Sol's, but setting that aside. It's gonna happen when it happens," I felt the bottom edge of her bone dome brush against my fingers, seeing how long it had grown since she'd first hatched, "and you're close, like really close. Any day now, you're gonna evolve into a Shelgon." She was practically vibrating in anticipation at my words. "But I doubt it's going to be as fun as you think it'll be."

She looked at me like I was stupid, hissing in disbelief. "It's true. Have you seen a Shelgon?" I pulled up a picture of one, seeing her eyes devouring the bone-covered, spherical Dragon-Type. "You like that, huh? Well, here's a video of one walking." A little bit of her excitement faded as the Shelgon on screen waddled slowly forward. Betty enjoyed running around, and that was gonna be tough when she was the size of a house. "So don't be in too much of a rush to grow up, please. For both of our sakes." It was going to be a complicated mess of emotions when my little baby started growing up.

She shook me off of her, pulling herself from the near-trance I'd lulled her into, and stood up. Hissing in denial at my words, she roared a challenge for all of Fuchsia to hear, her high-pitched voice carrying far into the horizon. Raising her stubby arms, she waved them around like they were wings, imagining she was already a mighty Salamence, ready to reduce the world to ash.

And, with a great leap, she hurled herself from the edge of the cliff, screaming in joy the whole way down before the cry was replaced with a distant thud! and the sound of an Arcanine having a heart attack as a Bagon fell from the sky and nearly hit him.

Well, at least she wasn't sulking.

---

"Definitely a mistake, letting you evolve," I grumbled, stretching my arm as far as it could and then pulling it towards myself, feeling the brush comb through the thick fur. I was forced to rely on touch, as the brush itself was completely lost under the pelt. Finishing the stroke, I groaned and lifted my arms, feeling my back pop after having leaned over the Arcanine for so long.

Sol snorted, his jaws smacking a couple of times before he began drooling again. I'd been brushing the stupidly large dog for over 30 minutes and had only just gotten done, even with it being somewhat rushed. Shit, all the others – except Honedge, who I'd left for last – had taken around the same amount of time combined!

Leaving the lazy beast to slumber next to the campfire – snoring Betty curled up against his stomach as she realised there were advantages to her friend's evolution – I moved back to my spot in front of the tent and sat down, letting Vulpix retake her place, pressed against my left flank. Eevee was on the other side of the Ice-Type, letting her tail brush against my arm, while Siren sat on my right.

Taking out a soft cloth and the oil Brock had recommended, I began the process of extracting my Ghost-Type from my shadow. It took a little, Honedge having grown very fond of hiding out in Shadow Sneak, but we got there eventually. The single blue eye stared up at me as I lay the blade across my lap and applied the oil to the fabric. A strange vibration ran through the sword when I gently ran the white textile along the steel, eyelid closing until only a sliver of colour was visible as I made sure to get every crook and slight chip to the blade.

Hercules was sitting on the opposite side of the campfire, a bowl of food in his hands as he lounged. I could see the eyes of the humanoid Electric-Type slowly closing inch by inch, only to snap open as he sat up properly, barely saving his high-protein meal from falling to the ground. It was funny. Herc could fight all day and still be raring to go – even more energetic than he started sometimes – but a few hours of electric capacity training and he was drifting off mid-dinner.

Judging Honedge to be suitably oiled, I replaced the cloth with a metal tube. Popping the lid open, I gently sprinkled iron shavings along the blade. As it turned out, Steel-Types didn't just pull metal out of thin air when they'd been injured or scratched. It wasn't something I'd known until Brock had told me, but most Steel-Types lived off a diet of ores and minerals anyway, so they got the necessary metal naturally. In Honedge's case, however, since he didn't eat at all, I had to be the one to give him the required materials.

I didn't mind. If anything, it kind of made me happy that there was something I could do for him, something I could help with as he helped me.

Letting the sword Pokémon slide semi-gracefully back into my shadow, I looked around our little camp and made an executive decision.

"Alright, bedtime, everyone." A chorus of groans was my answer; nobody moved from their place other than Herc snapping awake again. "Don't give me that! You're all sleeping anyway and if it starts raining, you're gonna whine and complain about it, and then it's everyone's problem. Into the tent, let's go."

Digging my hands under him, I heaved as hard as I could to try and lift Sol up, Betty whining as she was disturbed. It wasn't until a sleepy Hercules joined me that we managed to get the Fire-Type up, and he damn near fell back down.

Arcanines connection to the sun was no joke. As soon as the sun set, he was out like a light.

Yawning myself, I reclined against the warm, huge dog as he curled up in the back of the tent, behind my sleeping bag. The tent I'd picked up in Celadon wasn't really a tent in the way my previous one had been. Instead, it was more like a white, enclosed, fabric pavilion, big enough to house all of us twice over.

And it still wouldn't be enough when everyone was evolved.

Hercules took a seat by the entrance, leaning against one of the posts and crossing his arms. He wasn't a cuddler, but at least he had started sleeping inside the tent, rather than on the other side. I appreciated the attempt at keeping guard, but between everyone's senses, there wasn't really a point. Especially with Honedge abandoning my shadow to lurk outside, the unsleeping Ghost taking the duty of keeping us safe.

I groaned as Betty flooped half onto me and half onto Sol, out like a light against her two favourite beings. Vulpix took my other side, and in a rare display, Eevee cautiously trodded closer as well. I didn't say anything as our eyes met, but as she curled up next to Vulpix, softly pressed against me, I was happy to see that my plan to have the two interact was paying off. Drifting over the top of them all, Siren tried to be nice and let the others stay close to me, but I snatched her out of the air and laid her on my chest.

Closing my eyes, I tried to let sleep take me, pushing all thoughts of my shitty social life aside and revelling in the slowing of my team's heartbeats as they slowly drifted off, the tent soon filled with heavy breathing and light snores.

It was a little hard, and they grumbled, but I managed to turn over to my other side, pulling something soft closer. Based on the temperature, it was Eevee, the fox snuggling closer with way more affection than she'd show when awake.

A few minutes later, I struggled onto my back, staring up at the roof of the tent blankly.

I couldn't sleep.

It was a lot easier to say that I didn't want to think about it than it was actually not thinking about it. Misty's pitying eyes, Green's tears, Gary's downturned face, they all flashed through my mind, refusing to let me go.

Sighing, I carefully maneuvered through the sleeping Pokémon and out through the flap. There was no getting around Siren waking up, the fish would be impossible to make stay anyway, and Eevee woke as well, but I waved off Hercules when his eye cracked open, and he made to get up and follow me.

No need for everyone else to wake up because of my problems.

A slight chill let me know that Honedge had joined me as I stepped out into the night, the campfire still flickering away. A breeze brushed against my bare upper body, fairly warm for being so late at night. I'd left my pants on as a precaution. You never knew when you needed to rush from your tent, and doing so dick flapping was awkward for everyone.

Taking a deep breath of the night air, I listened to the sounds of Hoothoot as they ghosted through the blackness, skittering legs of Bug-Types brushing through the grass and bushes. The grass was wet between my toes, tickling against my skin.

Pulling out my PokéDex, I stared at the black screen in indecision. Gary could go fuck himself, cowardly bitch that he was, and Green was a whole mess.

But Misty didn't deserve me being an asshole. Her words had been entirely reasonable and I took them like an incel, losing my shit because the girl I'd known for a month wasn't madly in love with me.

I should really read her messages, at least. She deserved that muc-

I spun around at the sound of a branch snapping much closer than I'd have thought. That was the whole purpose of leaving the fire lit. Normally, you'd put out a fire when you went to bed, but in the middle of nowhere, it helped keep the local Pokémon away. So whatever was lurking, it was more than a little-

I blinked, seeing the green orbs doing the same as I locked eyes with a blonde woman in her early twenties. She looked like a floating head at first glance, her lower body fading into shadows like camouflage, but as I watched, the skin-tight black shirt and black cargo pants stuffed into black boots became visible.

As did the Misdreavus floating beside her, presumably the illusion user who had hidden the woman.

"Uh, awkward," the woman's voice was slightly husky in a way that sounded fake and like she was trying way too hard, "I'd hoped you'd be sleeping."

Well, that sounded ominous.

"You're Perwinkle, righ-" the newcomer was cut off as a shockwave of sound exploded like a bomb right next to me, both the woman and I flinching from Eevee's Hyper Voice.

But as Hercules burst out through the entrance of the tent, wide awake at once, I got the point.

"You've made some powerful enemies, boy." It would probably have been more threatening if she weren't knuckle deep in her ear, trying to get her hearing back. "Shame they sent me after you. For you, that is."

Of course it was Team Rocket, it always fucking was. Behind me, the flap to the tent flew open again as Betty and Vulpix came rushing out, having taken a little longer than Hercules.

The blonde's gaze lingered on Betty.

"There's target 1." The woman's eyes slid to Sol as he stumbled out like he was drunk, yawning mightily. "And there's number 2. Lovely."

And like that, the bitch had volunteered to be a target for my frustrations. I was going to feel a lot better when I'd pounded her face into mush.

---

And so begins the Fuchsia arc. It has been a while since we really focused on the training and bonding process, and we're going to get a lot of that, plus some battles and plot. But it will slow down a little. Since Vermillion, it has been very action-oriented, and while that's fun, I really do enjoy character work.

Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoyed. If you REALLY liked it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.

 

[The Radiance's Follower]

"You've made some powerful enemies, boy." It would probably have been more threatening if she weren't knuckle deep in her ear, trying to get her hearing back. "Shame they sent me after you. For you, that is."

Click to shrink...

She don't know what she is getting into. Periwinkle is a straight up slayer. He goes for the kill. Not that 1v1 bullshit. With a full team he is going for the trainer not the lame ass mons.

 

[DreadKnight22]

Add one more to the corpse count (I don't remember if he's killed before). Though if she's also pretty well acquainted with the "hit with literally everything at once" tactics, she might prep to toss all her 'mons out too.

 

[ApiLol123123]

Thanks for the chapter, eager to read the next one!!!