Welcome one, welcome all, to my first story on the site! I don't wanna hold you up from getting started, so I'll just go out and say that because this is my first story, I'm an overall inexperienced writer. This is the first work I've ever made that exceeds 15,000 words, let alone shared with others. As a result, I would be absolutely overjoyed with criticism, whether it be positive or negative (as long as it's constructive)!

Anyways, that little blurb being said, I'd like to give a huge thanks to ShadowCreeper5, who has been reading through my story pre-release to provide much-needed criticism and reception. Go ahead and check out their story, "Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rebirth," on his account. It's an amazingly great read with deplorable popularity by comparison!

This chapter, just like all the other chapters in this story, were written a while in advance, and I will only start posting once I determine I have a considerable buffer for editing/changing story in unuploaded chapters. When necessary, I'm going to go ahead and give a status update for what's ahead writing-wise, but these will be few and far between.

NOTE: I've changed the first chapter to a Prologue, as I wished, in my most recent revamping of the first few chapters, to begin the official story with the beginning of the next. However, the following events still provide some important characterization and introduction I wished to keep.

Without further ado, I'll go ahead and end this little note, and get started with the story!

Prologue: Gone

"You ready?"

I closed my eyes as the question was proposed. My knees felt weak at the prospect. There was no backing out now, no retreat back to the safety of my room, and most definitely no way I would let myself chicken out again.

"Yeah…" I confirmed, unable to hide the quiver in my voice, "Let's do this…"

Drayden nodded silently, towering above me by at least a foot. He held out his large hand, a gesture I returned by grasping and shaking it.

"This will be a four-on-four battle," he began shortly afterwards, "I myself am not allowed to switch, though as challenger, you may do as you please. No items are permitted. The referee will call all knockouts, and penalties are in order should a rule or battle clause be broken. Understand?"

I nodded, swallowing. "Heard it a billion times before."

"I'm sure. It's not everyday the Eighth Gym receives a serious challenger."

"Thanks, I guess."

I couldn't help but avert my eyes towards the few people on the sidelines of the battle. I'd specifically requested a closed match due to the nature of my nerves, but I probably should've looked closer at the waivers I signed before entering. The glare from at least a dozen cameras in the otherwise dark room only put more weight on my shoulders. Was this being broadcast live?

Drayden nodded. "Best of luck to you, then."

Choosing to ignore the spectators further, I turned away from him as he did the same. Trying not to shake further with nerves, I clumsily walked to my side of the field, seemingly miles away. I struggled fruitlessly to calm my breathing as I focused on taking one step after the other.

I was scared, to be perfectly honest. Was I making a fool of myself? I had little to no strategy to speak of, for Drayden would surely see through most anything plausible I could patch together. The abruptness of the decision to actually challenge this Gym only a few days after arriving in Opelucid was hardly helping.

Present, however, was a faint sense of optimism. The fruit of my labors! My team and I had been dreaming of being Eight-Badgers for years! However, I never thought the prospect would be so terrifying. What was to come after this? Had we trained enough? Was I going to hurl halfway through? This was by leaps and bounds the most important encounter I'd had in my years as a trainer.

I didn't think we were ready. I was ready to procrastinate and stall for as long as possible before even trying to challenge Drayden, but I couldn't resist the unanimous push from my teammates to at least try.

While I myself had been reluctant to step through the Gym's doors, they seemed to adamantly believe we were ready. Who was I to deny them if this was what they wanted? Their trainer? Hardly. I'd long since lost any illusions of authority I may have had over my team years prior.

They were the superpowered beasts that won all our matches and raised me to where I was today. I was just the goon that yelled commands from the sideline, enjoying the fruits of their labor. And yet, they knew how important this was to me, even if I had hoped to emulate the opposite.

"Tell me right now you're absolutely positive you want to do this. It's a whole month if we lose."

"Yeah, a whole month more to train and be ready. This is everything we've worked towards for six years, Ray. Six years. You'd keep that from us just because you 'don't know'?"

"Of course not… I just don't know why you guys are so enthusiastic about it. It's a piece of metal I pin to a case and never take out of my bag. A title I get to put in front of my name. How is that worth it for you?"

I'd never received a straight answer.

I swiveled back around to face Drayden as I stopped on my side of the battlefield. Mimicking his movements, I unclipped a single Pokéball from off my belt and enlarged it in my hand. My hands twitched around the button, as if I was sharing the excited-yet-nervous energy of the being inside.

All was silent. The room was held in a dramatic sort of suspense, weighing down like iron.

"Throw!" the referee called from his post high above the field, prompting me to gulp once more in anticipation. Forcing confidence, however, I called out for all to hear.

"Let's do it, Axle!"

I pressed the button on the device and tossed it as high as I could. From it came a blinding white light, escaping from its captivity in the ball and rushing forwards to the ground like a fluid. It gathered in one area, seemingly solidifying and building until it it settled into the shape of Axle, a Swampert. His blue skin gleaned under the harsh stadium lights, a fresh coat of moisturizer having been applied the afternoon before the fight.

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye with much of the same worry I held myself. Attempting to be a compass, however, I nodded ahead towards his opponent, mouthing, 'you got this' to reassure him.

I gathered afterwards that I failed miserably in my efforts, as Axle sent me an even more anticipatory glance. I shrugged, unable to think of anything else. Was he expecting a rousing speech?

Drayden had since sent out his own Pokémon, an Altaria. The dragon leaped off the ground and caught the air beneath its cloud-like wings, proceeding to meander through the air as it waited for a command. The stage was set.

"Drayden's Altaria versus Alston's Swampert… Commence!"

I felt adrenaline nagging at me to strike first. Biting my lip, I tentatively called out my first attack.

The two Pokémon exchanged hard hits for quite a while. With the niche of possessing a rock type arsenal, however, Axle obviously had the advantage, and was able to steadily push the Altaria back.

We followed our simple strategy thereafter to the best of our ability: back the dragon into a corner with Muddy Water, where it couldn't fly away, before pummeling it with Rock Slide after Rock Slide. As the battle progressed, Axle's attempts to do so became more coordinated, but more easily predictable.

The plan worked beautifully at first, and Axle had even managed to make a few hits with the super-effective boulders. It seemed, however, despite the fact I could hardly see the dragon, it was able to maneuver impossibly quick for a creature its size. Our first folly came as I got comfortable with our advantageous position.

It seemed to finally catch on, succeeding in firing a Dragon Pulse through the opaque tidal wave used to entrap it and hitting Axle directly. As he lost concentration, the barrier and all subsequent attacks disintegrated.

"Roll left!" I shouted as the weakened Altaria came on the offensive. Axle complied, only catching the aftershock of a Moonblast hitting the exact spot he was in prior.

The two Pokémon stood in a standoff for quite a while. I tried making another strategy, as it was fairly obvious the previous one wouldn't work well if tried again.

"Let's try Muddy Dirt, Axle," I said, indicating a strategy that'd been previously established between us. "Improvise a little at the end, it's still a flying type."

The dragon had since started moving about rhythmically in the air, forming a blue aura around itself. I clicked my tongue, recognizing the Dragon Dance.

"Hurry," I said, this time much more loudly. Axle began the strategy, nothing more than a few, simple moves strung together.

He started with a Rock Slide to distract it and a Muddy Water as further diversion. I noticed the Altaria couldn't help but be hit a few times with boulders, not to mention being clipped by the top of the Muddy Water tsunami as it passed.

When it turned to Axle to retaliate, however, it noticed he was gone. It took a few seconds for it to realize where he'd escaped. By then, it was too late to dodge.

Axle burst from the ground in a shower of wet dirt, shot upwards towards the dragon like a rocket, and knocked it out of the sky with Return. It squawked as it hit the ground.

The Swampert refused to relent. A devastating combo of Rock Tomb and Rock Slide led to its inevitable entrapment under an impressive amount of boulders. Somehow, it was still conscious.

"Stone Edge will finish it!" I revealed, letting some of the excitement leak into my voice, "Knock it out now!"

"Altaria, Sing."

I looked up with wide eyes towards Drayden. The old man was looking on the scene with indifference.

I hardly had time to register what he'd commanded as the notes began to fill the air. I'd long since learned the move wouldn't affect me if the user didn't intend it to, so I was forced to watch as everything fell apart.

Axle had since reared up on his hind legs to execute the move. However, as the song progressed, he began to wobble. He slammed down on the ground as hard as possible in order to execute Stone Edge, but it proved useless. He slumped to the floor moments afterwards, asleep.

As I let my hands go lax and fall from my face as the song receded, I felt something begin to stir inside me. Grimacing, I let air hiss through my teeth with a silent curse.

"Swampert is temporarily unable to battle," the referee declared uselessly from his stand. "Drayden has invoked the Sleep Clause, rendering him unable to put another opponent to sleep for the remainder of the battle. Challenger, send out your next Pokémon."

As if I didn't know already. Thanks a ton.

"Cheap move on my part, I'll give you that…" Drayden began, "But I hope you didn't expect me to lay down and die, correct?"

I chortled as I returned Axle. "I guess not… Of course, if using Sing gets you results… It's just…"

"A perk of being the final Gym in the circuit means I'm able to make an effort in my battles. Not my hardest, not my most lenient, but know I've been training with my team for decades before you held your first Pokéball…"

"Why don't you just sweep the floor with me then?"

Drayden laughed. "The Gym Challenge is meant to be a difficult, not impossible task. Enjoyable. Competitively fun. The Elite Four and the Champion are a different story, the real deal. Best to look there if you want a real challenge."

"Doesn't that just mean you've already decided whether or not you'll let me win?"

"The million dollar question."

Cocky, isn't he… Maybe it's just for the cameras, who knows? Brycen acts like this too, and his battles are televised sometimes.

"Send out your next Pokémon. The Battle isn't over just yet."

Axle was incapacitated, sure, but not yet declared unfit to battle by league standards… He'd hopefully wake up soon enough to be used later in the battle.

Knowing this, I felt uncomfortable sending out perhaps my greatest advantage in this fight, the only Pokémon on my team to resist Dragon Type moves. If I could send him out quickly to take out what fraction of stamina the Altaria still held onto, however, maybe it would be for the best.

Subtly biting my upper lip, I caressed the fifth Pokéball on my belt before detaching and enlarging it.

Without words, I released Victor, a Durant, in a flash of bright light.

Upon being released, he crouched and put on a war face, crunching his mandibles with great force. I noticed, however, the small twitches and shivers he couldn't help but show. I appreciated the attempted intimidation tactic, but I knew his nerves were high, this being his first Gym Battle.

"It's weak, Vic," I called out. "Axle fell asleep, so we'll be put in the lead when you take out this Altaria. No big deal."

He affirmed he'd heard what I said by crouching even lower to intimidate his foe. I'd at least helped in instilling a small bit of courage.

The Durant didn't have the skill or experience to match up against his teammates, certainly, but despite his generally jolly nature, he had the heart of a warrior. I doubted he would let himself fail.

"Drayden's Altaria versus Alston's Durant… Commence!"

Drayden decided to take initiative this time around, ordering a Dragon Pulse from his Altaria. Within a matter of moments, the blue-tinted projectile was hurtling across the field.

"Sidestep right!" I commanded in response.

Victor did just that, hopping swiftly out of the way. What would have been an otherwise ineffective projectile fizzled out before it could reach me.

"Get as close to it as possible! Dodging is first priority!"

As Drayden ordered yet another attack off, Victor leaped quite some distance in the air before reconnecting and splitting open the earth below him. He fell in the crevasse as the Altaria's attack sailed overhead.

All became silent. I tried looking for clues as to where the Durant would resurface but found none. At the very least, we'd spoken about strategy while training in the past, and he hopefully knew what to do without my command.

The Altaria was on high alert, but refused to panic. Instead, it held completely still, hoping to notice the slightest and most subtle movements of the ground.

Subtlety was not Victor's style, however. Without even a moment's notice, the ground erupted as if something had crashed into it. There, directly to the left of the Altaria, a brilliant silver shine told me Victor already had an attack ready. Iron Head, by the looks of it.

Drayden seemed to be prepared, however and spoke a command before Victor could even make contact.

"Fire Blast."

Point blank range. A double weakness to fire. Oh gods, of course his Altaria had Fire Blast! Sure, it was a Hoenn-native Pokémon and I wasn't entirely familiar with the species, but nearly every dragon in existence got some sort of fire coverage! My eyes widened as the attack took no time at all to charge and release, prompting a short, interrupted squeal of surprise from Victor.

I shut my eyes tight, unwilling to see what followed.

You never thought to look it up?! Arceus, I'm an idiot!

I felt like hitting myself over the head with something hard for not thinking of such a potential fiasco. I'd sent Victor into a slaughter. His first Gym Battle, a slaughter!

Struggling to compose myself, I acted like the whole scenario hardly fazed me as I brought down my hand from my face. Silently, I grabbed Victor's Pokéball and unwillingly looked up towards the battlefield.

Victor was unconscious, as expected… But so was the Altaria. I froze for a moment as the gears turned in my head. What happened?

"Both Durant and Altaria are unable to battle. Tie game at three to three!" the referee affirmed. I looked at him with an eyebrow raised, as if the results he gave were a joke.

It took Drayden's voice to make the puzzle pieces fit. "It seems your Durant somehow outlasted the damage caused long enough to take my Altaria down with it. Surprising, I'll give you that."

"I-I… Victor…"

"Do you wish to continue? I'd understand if you'd like to stop now."

"Y-yeah, of course I want to keep going…It's just…"

He did it? How?! There's no way he wouldn't have been KO'ed instantly!

Drayden progressed the battle without me, releasing yet another dragon onto the field. This time, it was a Druddigon. It smirked devilishly upon seeing me.

Fumbling, I quickly returned Victor and gripped his Pokéball roughly for a moment. Pride creeped into my facial expressions, though I meant to keep it hidden. He'd done it.

"Ok… We're still in this," I whispered to myself.

I let my hands run over the second ball on my belt for a moment before I shook my head. Instead, I felt and grasped the fourth ball. I wanted the aerial advantage to stay ahead of the game.

Silently, I released my third battler, a Braviary, onto the field.

"Good to go, Jet?" I asked as the white light faded. I could have sworn I saw the slightest of glimmers in his eyes that gave me all the answers I needed. Despite being his first Gym Battle as well, his confidence and courage was true and displayed more than publicly.

He adjusted himself by pacing in place for a moment before the referee started the battle.

"Drayden's Druddigon versus Alston's Braviary. Begin!"

Before I could even shout out a command, the Braviary was off like a rocket, pushing his newly evolved body to the absolute fullest. I could hardly even blink before he was mere feet in front of the Druddigon, firing off multiple attacks at once.

Using Air Slash as cover, he would dive in and use Crush Claw or Aerial Ace with amazing speed. His haste proved to be detrimental, however, as the attacks were lacking power or force. The opposing dragon simply held up its arms to its face.

I narrowed my eyes when I saw a slight shift in the Druddigon movement. Fearing retaliation, I ordered Jet to fall back.

Thankfully, he listened, pushing away with his powerful wings and driving the Druddigon back. Simultaneously, Drayden had ordered an Iron Tail. Jet had just fallen out of reach.

"Get over here, Jet," I commanded, breathing a slight sigh of relief.

As the Braviary approached, still facing the Druddigon, I let my mind scroll through potential strategies.

"Ok… No more blind attacking. We need calculated and strategic hits, and that thing is tanky as hell. I know you're excited, but calm down, alright? Don't try to be a hero."

He landed on the ground before looking at me out of the corner of his eye, obviously miffed.

Stomp stomp stomp.

Both Jet's and my head turned towards the sound of banging. The Druddigon was now charging, its fist glowing a faint orange.

"Okay, Tailwind… Then fake right and go left with Crush Claw. Make sure it stings. If you can go for a Superpower also, do it. Make sure you don't get hit."

Jet followed my directions to a tee, interrupting the Druddigon's charge with Tailwind before taking off and diving for its torso.

He was able to get the Crush Claw off without a hitch, but had to abandon the Superpower as the dragon spun quickly, hoping to knock Jet out of the sky with Dragon Tail.

As he dodged, he was left completely vulnerable to a follow-up attack. The Druddigon hardly had to make an effort in order to clamp its jaws, now ablaze, around the Braviary.

Instead of simply letting go after the Fire Fang, however, the Druddigon reared up and slammed Jet into the ground.

"Between its legs!" I screamed as the dragon lifted its foot to stomp on the Braviary. Scrambling, Jet escaped through the new gap.

Instead of ensuring his safety, however, Jet proceeded to initiate both a Wing Attack and a Superpower once he came up behind the dragon.

He was left completely open to a subsequent Iron Tail, launching him across the field and back towards me.

"The hell did I say about using attacks haphazardly?! This Druddigon has five times the experience you do, Jet, and it's going easy on you! Chill out and make a plan!"

Getting back to his feet was a task in itself, but I could see the remorse in his eyes as he flinched. His right foot was completely unusable, and as a result, he solely stood on his left.

"You alright?" I asked shortly after. He looked at me and nodded.

I looked over to where the Druddigon was standing, and for whatever reason, not charging again. It was breathing heavily.

"Okay, you're not the only one to have taken damage," I assessed back to Jet. "It's probably just a few more hits away. Hone Claws."

Noticing Jet was preparing to boost his physical power, the Druddigon took off again, bounding across the field in giant leaps.

What followed was an exchange much like the last. Jet weaved in openings, and thankfully only firing off attacks when he was completely open to do so. Mainly, he made sure to steer clear of the Druddigon's mouth and tail.

Drayden kept up with it all, much to my amazement. I had let Jet take complete control during this exchange due to the fact I would only hold him back. Drayden, quite the opposite, directed his Druddigon through each and every movement as if the whole scenario had been rehearsed. Every sidestep and turn, every missed lash or bite.

Jet was by no means an expert flyer. He'd only evolved quite recently, and due to the lack of flight experience with wings as long and powerful as the ones he now used, mistakes were abound. I'd tried to reason with him before the battle, though he insisted he had trained nonstop in flight since evolution. He wouldn't take no for an answer.

A single stumble was all it took for the Druddigon to land a gnarly Revenge.

Jet was slammed straight into the ground beneath, and I swore I could've heard a sickening crunch.

Despite it all, however, he was still conscious. He coughed and sputtered after the breath was knocked out of him.

Enough was enough. I unlatched Jet's Pokéball and held it up silently.

He stared at me with a mask of betrayal. I mouthed the words 'I'm sorry'.

He would have none of it. He kicked off the ground from where he was and straight back towards the Druddigon. It let out a grunt of surprise in response.

Jet, to the best of his ability, darted around the beast and got a single talon around one of the dragon's legs. He then began to flap his wings.

Sky Drop?

He lifted the behemoth off the ground and began slowly ascending, cringing with every single painful thrust of his exhausted wings.

The Druddigon, after getting over its shock, smacked its tail into Jet's backside. The Braviary remained unfazed as he simply reached out with his other foot as grasped the dangerous appendage firmly.

The Druddigon was left defenseless as it rose higher and higher. Jet even did as much as to peck it on the head every so often to keep it in check.

He'd made it to maybe forty feet off the ground when he suddenly let go, allowing the dragon to be taken by gravity. As a final, parting gift, Jet spun in the air, firing off two Air Slashes that hit the dragon on the way down.

It crashed with a groan, giving itself up into unconsciousness.

"Druddigon is unable to battle! Braviary wins the round! Alston leads three two."

I let out a laugh of sorts, more astonished than anything. I then shot a nervous smile at the Braviary as he returned.

"Gods, Jet, there's no point in getting hurt for it… I already told you all, I'm the only one getting any benefit out of this."

He sent me a stupid look. What I said wasn't entirely the truth, and he caught onto it immediately. Jet's egg was a gift after my many, many attempts at beating the sixth Gym. He was literally bred from two Pokémon who fought daily on one of the most successful teams in the world. Of course he would be more inclined to care about these fights.

"Good job though… You did good," I added on as a consolation. Deep down, I was proud that he was able to show off the personal care he'd put into this. His constant strive to be the best was simply innate, I supposed. He did good about not letting his ambition consume him, even if he was stubborn beyond belief.

He turned back around as Drayden sent out his next Pokémon, a Flygon. It stood on the ground, staring at us curiously.

I, once again, held up Jet's ball to retrieve him. He glared at me.

"No way. Somin's completely fresh, and probably'll be able to take this thing out easily. You did your job, Jet."

He narrowed his gaze even further.

You need Somin for the Haxorus.

Though I couldn't hear Jet, that glance was all I needed to know what he was trying to convey. I rubbed the bridge of my nose frustratedly. "Don't tell anyone I'm a bad trainer because you get yourself beat up all the time."

He sent me an odd look, turning back around as if to ignore my further protests.

"Just… If you're gonna go through with this, just try to stall for as much time as possible so we can get Axle up and ready to go. I meant it this time. Conservative hits. Only attack if you are 1000% sure you can get it without drawing a counter."

The referee was staring at me, waiting for a decision.

"Jet's stayin' in," I called up. He nodded.

"Braviary versus Flygon… Begin!"

Drayden nodded in respect for a moment at me as his dragon took flight. The rapidness of its bug-like wings kicked up dust and debris. It quickly became invisible, obscured completely by the sandstorm.

"Tch… Jet, Tailwind and Air Slash. Blow that cloud away."

He did as commanded, revealing nothing as the dust cleared. The Flygon was missing.

"Dodge right!"

Jet did just that, jumping away from the Flygon just as it emerged from under the earth. It followed up with a late Rock Tomb, just grazing the Braviary.

"Stay away from it!"

Jet tried getting off the ground to fly, but gave up after a few seconds. He'd sustained too much damage.

The Flygon dove back into the ground.

"Damn, it's too fast. Get a Superpower ready and wait to release it. It's just too quick to get away from, even if you were able to fly. When it resurfaces, you give it everything you have, got it? Everything that's left in the tank, even if it means you can't move, because this attack is sure as hell knocking you out regardless."

Jet nodded, bringing the tips of his wings together. He began glowing a faint orange.

I was watching the ground intently for any sign of movement. I acted upon the slightest shift possibly detectable.

"Six!"

Jet obeyed, spinning fully around before lighting up the ground with his charged Superpower before the Flygon had a chance to break totally free. It did eventually emerge, seemingly unfazed, spinning into the Braviary with an arm stretched out.

It caught its breath as the telltale royal blue tint of a Dragon Claw subsided. Jet wobbled for a moment before falling forward, the power behind the last attack leaving him too weak to stand.

The referee called out the results as I withdrew the exhausted Braviary. Rolling my eyes at the stupid courage of the Pokémon, I latched his ball back on my belt.

"Is your Braviary alright?" Drayden shouted from across the field.

"He's good. If I didn't know him any better, I'd say he's a complete masochist. Thrill of battle I guess, never gonna understand it."

"Two versus two in that case… You've done well so far."

"I'm getting this done, today… You'd better watch out, because I don't plan on waiting any more than I have to."

"Big words. Let's see if you can back it up."

I smirked and unlatched the second ball of my belt; an Ultra Ball. I held it up to my mouth for a moment and closed my eyes. Without picking up Drayden's attention, however, I spoke a single word to the device before pressing the button and unleashing my best battler.

A Steelix, and quite a menacing one at that. Somin really outdid himself this time. His ability to intimidate a foe was astounding. The Flygon, even with the type advantage, flinched for a moment.

"Iron Tail! Knock it out of the sky!"

Somin uncoiled and sprang forth at astonishing speed, headed straight for the airborne dragon. The Steelix leaped off the ground in a violent spin akin to the moving blades of a helicopter.

Panicking, the Flygon ignored its trainer's command to use Rock Slide to protect itself and instead dove underground. Somin sailed over the Flygon and dug the end of his tail into the ground to halt his momentum.

"Earthquake!"

Wasting no time, Somin twisted each of his body segments in preparation before slamming into the ground. A shockwave ensued, the apparent force enough to disorient even me.

The Flygon emerged slowly on the other side of the battlefield, obviously weakened.

"Ice Fang, Somin!"

"Earthquake, stop it in its tracks," Drayden countered, remaining cool and collected. His Flygon shot its trainer a quick glance before refacing the Steelix.

Somin sprang forth once again, using his many body segments to effectively push and pull dirt to move him forward even quicker.

The Flygon got its Earthquake off before Somin could reach it, resulting in a slight flinch. The Steelix powered through, however, grasped the Flygon in his mouth with a double-effective move, and slammed it into the ground. The ref didn't even wait for the smoke to clear before calling the round.

"Flygon is unable to battle! Steelix wins the round!"

"Come on back, Somin," I followed up the referee without any hesitation, returning the Steelix to his Ultra Ball. The plan had gone off without a hitch thus far. Somin had certainly made an impressive display.

I figured Axle had enough time to recover after the Altaria's song, meaning he would be the most logical option to start the battle against Drayden's final dragon. I'd rather play safe with Somin. He did his best in short bursts of energy rather than in a test of endurance.

Axle was drowsy, as expected, stumbling around every so often after he was sent out. The Swampert made a concerted effort to nod, however when I asked him if he was alright to battle.

Drayden had since silently released his Haxorus. From the rumors I'd heard, the Pokémon was infamous for being an unmatched battler. Something told me Drayden's earlier statement regarding 'going easy on me' was truthful, and I was quietly thankful for it. If the league had structured the rules of battle to revolve more around a Pokémon's individual strength instead of the human trainers behind them, I would be much more terrified at the sight of this dragon.

"Swampert versus Haxorus… Alston leads two to one. Begin!"

"Dragon Dance."

I clenched my teeth. "Axle, we don't want to let this thing set—"

It had somehow already finished in a time faster than any I'd ever seen, a teal blue haze now surrounding the menacing dragon to aid in its power and agility.

"Uhhh…"

What in Arceus' name? That's insane!

"Dragon Claw."

"S-stone Edge! Make a ring around you and stop it!"

The Haxorus was nearly too quick to see as it was now. In my eyes, it simply seemed to disappear and reappear, now falling towards Axle's position after jumping far over the halo of jagged stalagmites.

"Rock Tomb, seven up!"

Axle prepared and fired the attack while spinning to his left without thought, nearly missing the Haxorus in his haste. The attack did its intended duty, however, knocking away a portion of the dragon's boosted aura.

Axle, too slow to get out of the way, was left vulnerable to an onslaught of attacks. Because of the Stone Edge ring, he was unable to escape.

He took hit after hit, just a bit too slow to return them effectively.

"Mud Bomb in the air. Hang in there just a little more!"

Grunting in the effort it took to stay conscious, Axle raised his maw towards the sky, conjured the commanded projectile of mud, and fired it.

Maybe just two or three hits away from being knocked out, the projectile lost momentum and fell back down, landing in the arena where the Haxorus was dominating. If anything, the Mud Bomb caused the Haxorus to lose its footing for a moment.

"Scald!"

Before the dragon could regain its bearings, it was being blasted by a jet of searing water, pushing it back ever so slightly. Axle didn't relent, keeping up the stream for as long as he possibly could.

The dragon eventually ducked out of the stream and began running alongside it, towards Axle. Before the Swampert could readjust, the dragon was upon him, delivering the final few blows to knock him unconscious. He slunk to the floor as the stalagmites around them both receded.

I could see the Haxorus cringe for just a moment before it inspected a red spot on its left flank. I wanted to leap for joy, considering Axle's Scald had landed the desired burn. The dragon's power would fall sharply as a result.

"Great job buddy," I congratulated him quietly as I returned him and the referee called out the results. The Swampert had been instrumental in securing a win, having assisted greatly in weakening two of Drayden's more experienced dragons. Though he picked up no KOs of his own, his contributions were vital.

The Haxorus was now burned and slowed. The effects of its prior Dragon Dance were now moot.

Drayden himself congratulated me. "Impressive. Leveling the playing field when you're at the obvious disadvantage in experience. The battle's still not over, however."

It will be soon.

I was correct, at least in that regard.

I, once again, detached Somin's Ultra Ball from my belt. Closing my eyes, I released him onto the field.

"Each trainer is at one Pokémon each. The final round is between Haxorus and Steelix. Begin!"

"Let's get this done quick. Crunch to hold it in place and Iron Tail for damage. Don't let it reach you any more than it has to."

Despite his bulky appearance, I knew of Somin's defenses, or lack thereof. Even weakened by a few attacks and a burn, I doubted he would be able to take many hits from the Haxorus.

Somin just barely missed his first Crunch as the Haxorus hopped aside. In retaliation, the dragon lunged forward and began to latch onto segments of the Steelix with Shadow Claw.

No no no… Somin can't take hits like this…

"Get it off, Somin!" I yelled, desperate. The Steelix shook violently to no avail.

He then tried using Iron Tail to swat the dragon off. After a failed few attempts, he finally met his mark. The Steelix followed up by slamming full-force into the dragon as soon as it was off, sending it all the way to my side of the field.

And yet, I celebrated far too soon.

The Haxorus was surely close to unconsciousness, though Somin was a different story. Violet fizzles of light, not unlike static on a television screen, jumped across the Steelix's body. Somin tried hard to make them stop, but eventually failed. He'd taken too many hits and simply didn't have the stamina.

I saw recognition light up across Drayden's face, meaning it was now time to take action.

"Drop it Somin! Save your energy for the end of the fight!"

After looking at me for a moment, the Steelix closed his eyes, purple sparks turning into a haze that engulfed him entirely. When it cleared, what was left behind was something much smaller and much more frail than a Steelix, though still my best fighter.

"Alston's Steelix has been revealed as a Zoroark! The battle is still on!"

Somin's Illusions were the most dangerous thing about him. Through years and years of meticulous practice, he'd mastered the art of disguising himself in battle much more than other Zoroark with his experience. He had mastered the ability of emulating what my commanded attacks would feel like, if he was physically able to conjure them. This technique, however, took insane amounts of precision and a considerable toll on his energy stores.

"Dark Pulse, Somin. Finish it!"

The Zoroark, narrowing its eyes, leaped into the air and began in an all-four sprint towards the Haxorus. The dragon had since gotten back up.

Somin averted course as the Haxorus's arms lit up in a sickly green color, instead bouncing backing up to a safe distance. The dragon rushed towards the Zoroark with an X-Scissor ready.

Somin outstretched his arms, preparing and firing off a Dark Pulse just before the Haxorus made it. The dragon's attack still landed, although uncalculated.

Somin twisted his entire body, countering the attack with a roundhouse kick to its face; a Foul Play. He flinched ever so slightly as it landed, but powered through it.

He chained attack after attack, now seemingly desperate to finish the battle. Without his disguise, his greatest advantage, he had little left.

The Haxorus was kept at bay, energy slowly being drained by the combined effects of Somin's onslaught and its burn. It made yet another attempt at an X-Scissor, coming into contact with Somin's chest. The super effective move did little to deter the Zoroark.

After one more Dark Pulse to push the dragon back, Somin stood still, panting. Purple energy sparked to life in both of his claws, zipping and snaking around the surface as if it were electricity. He was getting ready to finish.

The Haxorus seemed to notice something just then, as if an apparition had appeared just behind the Zoroark. Tentatively, while Somin stood back and continued preparing his final attack, the dragon held up a claw to the side of its face and wiped a bit of the edge of the blade that lied there.

Whatever it saw didn't comfort it. It looked up to Somin just as the Zoroark became fully ready.

It spoke a few words in a sullen tone, words only itself and Somin could understand.

They seemed to anger Somin even further. Screaming with effort, he smashed his claws into the ground as a violet wave of malicious energy materialized and made its way towards the Haxorus. The dragon didn't even try to dodge the Night Daze as it connected and sent it flying, unconscious before it hit the ground.

The referee called the results within seconds, overwhelming me with joy. I pumped my fist in self-celebration before looking towards Somin.

His chest heaved, paws hanging heavily down by his sides. He looked at me and shot a smirk in my direction. I smiled back.

His eyes then rolled into the back of his head as he fell face-first into the dirt. My smile faded ever so slightly.

Simply thinking he was exhausted, I leisurely jogged onto the field, rummaging through my bag for a Potion.

Even without Illusions, he was able to prevail and defeat Drayden's strongest Pokémon, albeit weakened. Nonetheless, I was positively ecstatic. It was time to celebrate.

I basically collapsed on Somin myself in one, giant hug, all while he was still on the floor. He didn't respond whatsoever, not even with an indignant grunt.

It was then I became worried. His breathing was shallow, and it took me a few moments to make certain he was alive at all. He looked rough.

"You okay, bud?" I asked, shaking him. No response.

It was then I started noticing a liquid flowing into my jeans from where I kneeled. Gasping, I looked down.

"Somin?!" I urged, shaking the Zoroark even more. Blood was pooling into a progressively larger area around me, and I doubted it was a coincidence.

Panicked, I looked for the source. It didn't take long to find it, a long gash seemingly running up the length of his outer left leg, just below the knee.

"Somin! Oh gods!" I yelled, leaping over the Zoroark and kneeling at the site of the wound. I took my shirt off as fast as I possibly could before pressing it up against the Zoroark's leg.

"Holy shit holy shit holy shit," I muttered to myself, shaking my head. "SOMIN!"

No response.

My breathing became ladened as blood soaked through my shirt and spilled over my hands. Thinking quickly, I snatched his Ultra Ball from my belt and pressed the button to return him. All I heard was a dull click. I tried a few more times, desperate, but nothing happened.

Yelling, I threw it away in frustration. Somin's energy output probably wasn't enough for the Pokéball to recognize his signature. He'd fought too hard. It was useless!

"No! Come on buddy!"

I was scared to death. He was leaving. I could feel the tears start welling up.

"Someone get help!" I screamed, looking around. Both Drayden and the referee had disappeared. The cameras were still there, much to my chagrin. Yet, they were hardly my concern at the moment.

I thought for a moment, and silently thankful I hadn't used her in battle, I released my starter, Vita. The Serperior let out a happy noise at being outside. That was, until, she saw my face. My eyes were puffy and tears were now streaming violently down my cheeks. She turned, her expression now worried, towards Somin. When her eyes fell upon him, her demeanor changed entirely as she let out a surprised squeak.

She shifted her body to slither around the Zoroark's head, effectively propping it up slightly with her midsection as she brought her face towards the wound. She didn't even need my command as she started to use her Synthesis.

I leant in to assist the snake, spraying a Potion over the wound. My knees made a sloshing sound as they were further inundated in my friend's blood.

I solemnly noticed Somin's breaths were gradually more shallow as I continued to tend to the gash. Vita had done all she could with Synthesis, having already covered his left leg in a near-opaque covering of powder. She moved on to the rest of his body while I took off my undershirt and created a makeshift bandage for a portion of the wound. The other shirt was now useless to me.

The bleeding had slowed significantly thanks to the combined medical treatments. However, a gash this large wasn't that easily fixed, so I was stuck doing all I could to cover the entire area with my hands and some cloth.

How long had it been since he passed out? I wasn't quite sure. It seemed, at least for me, that time was simultaneously slowing down and speeding up, and the entire concept of the minutes flying by was lost on me. The only thing I had in order to tell the passing time was the weak breaths and heartbeat of my Pokémon.

I'd possibly even started hallucinating. My memories of the time were hazy, but a recurring hallucination of a dull pink glow somewhere inside the wound would not leave my mind. It was a friendly presence, relaxing even. It was helping.

Rushed footsteps resounded behind me, but I didn't care much, considering my thoughts were entirely focused on preserving the life Somin still had.

"Out of the way! Out of the way!" a feminine voice shouted from somewhere behind me, effectively bringing me back into real time. I turned to face the voice, not daring to move an inch from where I knelt. Running towards me was none other than the resident nurse of the Gym, a field med-kit and two Pokéballs on her person. Behind her stood Drayden, watching us with a worried eye. I didn't bother to give him notice, instead shifting my attention to the nurse, who had since grabbed one Pokéball and released its contents.

The light materialized into a pink creature with an egg in a pouch on its stomach, not unlike a Kangaskhan with a child in tow. The creature was oval-shaped, and came out of the ball wearing a white hat with a red cross depicted on it.

Reluctantly, I started moving away, making room for the nurse to help. I didn't want to have to leave Somin, especially now. Even if it might prove beneficial for him, my mind was now running on instinctive reaction rather than calculated thought.

When she arrived, the nurse took a moment to assess the damage before taking the spot next to me in an attempt to block the remaining area of the gash. She turned towards her Chansey, and nodded as it let off a Heal Pulse and a Soft Boiled.

The Nurse, using a free hand, opened her kit as she released her second Pokémon, a green, dinosaur-looking quadruped, sporting a blooming flower around its neck. The Meganium started to Synthesize alongside Vita, still snaked around Somin's limp body.

What the nurse was holding as she retreated from her kit made my heart sink into my stomach. I stared at her with wide eyes, pleading. She pushed for me to move, but I wasn't going anywhere. He needed me. He did. He needed me.

Did she really have to use the tourniquet?

She sighed in defeat, but instead of allowing me to help, she motioned her Meganium towards me. I didn't notice, though, having since fully turned my full attention back towards the Zoroark.

The saline dripping from my face mixed with Somin's blood, turning it a wispy pink color. I found my mind focused on that sight, and wasn't able to wrench myself from it. The pink of his blood mingled with the hallucination of that pink glow.

The Meganium had advanced on me, and started to gently nudge me away as the nurse began to wrap the bandage at the other end of the cut. I didn't budge, my mind still focused on the liquid, the color. Everything around me was shut out. All that was left in the world was Somin and I.

The Meganium looked back towards the nurse defeatedly. Closing her eyes in frustration, the nurse whispered a command to her Chansey.

The Pokémon approached me with a look of apprehension. I decided to ignore it as it politely tried pushing me away.

It sighed, reached out an arm, and laid it on my shoulder. I was quick to assume it was trying to comfort me, but I was promptly proven wrong.

A quick shock flowed through my body, causing my muscles to seize. In the next moment, my grip relaxed as I was no longer able to keep it up.

Everything from my neck down was completely and forcibly relaxed. I fell away, backside landing in a pool of blood.

I saw something right then, nothing more than a pink blur of motion in the ceiling. I hardly cared as I began screaming and grunting as I tried fighting the sudden paralysis.

A pair of large hands grabbed both of my wrists. Suddenly, I was being heaved up, eventually coming to rest slung over a shoulder.

Drayden began walking away, carrying me with him. I was in full view of the treatment of my dying friend. The nurse was now directing Vita as she and her own Pokémon did all they could.

It was as if nobody could hear my screams, but I sure as hell did. I called everyone all sorts of interesting names, all the while trying to break free and go back to help. In the end, it was no use.

No one could hear me, that was, except for the pink blur. As it darted about the corners of my eyes, I was completely unaware of its attention to my emotions and reaction. How could it be? It was just a hallucination.

As far as I was concerned, though, I was leaving, and Somin was already gone.