Adapting to an Unwanted Life (Pokemon TF)

[Swag Striker]

Warning: This fanfic will have dark themes in certain chapters. I'll say it now and won't be giving a warning before each chapter

I'm uploading this from Fanfiction.net. I wrote this story to help improve my writing technique before starting to write proper novels. I'm uploading on this platform, Space Battles and soon A03 because fanfiction.net is glitchy and makes it hard for people to give reviews, so please give any form of critique, I won't be offended by anything. I will be copy and pasting from fanfiction.net the current 12 chapters which will have more info about what I was doing at the time and the reviews others have given me, but if you want to add to them then please do so despite the fact that I may have already learned from them.

 

[Swag Striker]

Chapter 1: pride leads to consequences

A/N: Hi all. I'm a new writer who's hoping to increase his writing skills and one day become a professional author. I'm writing this fanfic to increase those skills and would very much like any feedback in the review section. This fanfic isn't solely for the plot and is really what comes to my mind at the moment, but obviously, I'll make sure that the plot is enticing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon only my original characters. Pokemon is owned by Nintendo and that includes its characters.

And with that out the way, enjoy.

Chapter 1 START

"And in conclusion, its hooked claws are sharp enough to slightly pierce through the ice, so it doesn't slip through the icy terrain when running for its prey... and done" he finally finished the ending of his report. He swiftly put the pen down in the mug containing the rest of his utensils along with the clipboard, letting out a banging noise and letting out a sigh of relief that had been waiting for hours to come out. He sat down, lift his aching legs onto the desk, and took a sip of his cold tea. He didn't expect himself to take this long, but the polar bear that the staff had started to call Jimmy, felt like being lazy today and made it harder to record any data.

No use complaining now. After another sip and another minute of relaxing, he took another sip and then waited for another minute. Yeah, I'm bored already. Despite being upset about the uncommon long session of waiting for the subject to yield any results, Theodore Nieoldiek wanted something else to do. His ever-thinking brain couldn't stand not being occupied with something, doesn't matter what it is as long as it was something. Other than his work in this well-known vivarium, he didn't have anything else to do. He's been looking around for a while now for a hobby, but whenever he tried something it felt dull. For some reason, studying animals and their adaptations in nature always came back to his mind.

He looked towards Jimmy, who was lying on his side in the small makeshift cave. He walked and knelt next to the glass of the artificial habitat. It wasn't so big that it fully encapsulated the same feeling of being in the Arctic, but it was good enough for their studies. When the polar bear noticed him, he quickly got up and immediately went into a hunting position.

Such a strong creature. Can rip up seals into shreds. The bear was slowly treading along the makeshift snow.

Have so many adaptions coming from generations of evolution for you to survive and grow. Jimmy's eyes were completely focused onto Theodores' and his claws were out, not only to move through the icy layer underneath the snow but to tear his head off.

Even the smaller things like your semi-webbed paws are essential to your survival. If a few things were missing from your DNA you would die. All of these things work together to make you at the top of your particular food chain. However... The polar bear struck, powerfully lunging with a widened maw that could crush a watermelon with ease. His teeth met nothing but glass. Theodore didn't flinch even slightly as he saw small scrapes being left on the glass before Jimmy kept staring at him in the eyes.

You will never be at the top. You will never reach greater heights. You will never be anything more than what you are now; a polar bear stuck in captivity for the rest of its life until you fade away into dust. Then thrown out just for the process to repeat itself. Do you even know that this home of yours is fake? Is there any thought in that brain of yours other than food and taking a shit? Of course, there was no response as the polar bear turned to walk back into its cave ready to sleep till the next day, only to eat and excrete again.

Theodore let off a proud smirk. We, humans, can see beyond the horizon and innovate something new from something so basic. Even from the bare minimum, we can be a force to be reckoned with. Take a stick and a sharp rock, BOOM a spear which, when handed to a single human, can kill most things in nature. Give a spear to multiple humans and even the largest of animals isn't safe. We don't just stop there- it's not enough to satisfy us- we go further to invent things you aren't capable of thinking of. You should always remember- if you could- to learn your place in the world, beneath ou-

"Hey, you gonna check out or stand there looking at Jimmy all night?" A familiar voice shouted from the door, startling Theodore.

"God damn Nathan! You scared the crap out of me", he held his beating heart that steadily slowed down. He walked up to Nathan, who stopped leaning on the door frame and saw the old Nintendo DS in his hands. "Still playing on that thing. I didn't know we were in 2012. I don't even remember any other game I used to play on mine other than Mario Kart" he leaned over to see what game he was playing.

"Not right now. I need to earn this final gym badge that I've been dying on for the last 2 days" Theodore didn't push on after seeing the few beads of sweat running down his colleagues' forehead, but his curiosity pushed him to ask what game he was playing.

"What game is that? Woah!" he had to duck his head to dodge the backhand aimed at his face. It was a narrow dodge. Nathan removed all his attention from the DS screen to look at him in complete shock as if he had just committed a crime.

"Seriously! You don't know what Pokemon is? Dude, what kind of childhood did you have or have you spent your entire life looking at animal anuses all day?"

"Oh. Is that what it was? Yeah, I know what it is, but I've only ever watched the cartoon. Never was interested in the games. I didn't think the ads for the game were very interesting, but I'm glad I stuck to the cartoon. I heard each season was pretty much the same, so I only watched the current one at the time which was black and white. Dang that was pretty good, wasn't it." he looked at the screen again and saw the almost downed Garchomp Nathan was using. He was currently playing Pokemon Platinum. "I've always been fascinated with their designs. They're really cool. Especially the dragons like the one on your screen. What's it called again?"

"Garchomp" Nathan replied dismissively before jumping in utmost joy with arms in the air as he finally beat one of the hardest bosses in the game. "Yeeeesssss! After 3 days of sleepless nights after shifts, I've finally beaten him! His Pokemon are at such a high level. I've been grinding for so long and it's finally paid off."

"Garchomp... Garchomp. I'll remember that." They went past their boss's assistants' desk while Theodore placed his long-written report down next to the papers of his other colleagues and walked to the end of the hallway to the car park.

"Guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow then" Nathan said with a smile.

"Sure, whatever" Theodore left, turning his back on Nathan's waving hand. He wouldn't consider him and probably never would. At most, Nathan would only be an acquaintance and he made sure to treat him so. That was probably why some of the staff disliked him since they all liked Nathan's cool, cheerful nature.

Theodore was really good at his job, like really good. It's what happens when you've been studying high-level biology- mostly anatomy- even before becoming a professional biologist. This was most likely why those staff members wouldn't call him out for his cold behavior, as it would upset their boss for potentially having a great biologist leave his lab and costing him valuable data to use and sell. Money talks people. Money talks.

It didn't upset him that this very reason was also why he never had any friends. He hadn't had any since his childhood. It wasn't just because all the kids thought he was weird due to his constant animal projects, but he genuinely didn't want to befriend them because he thought they weren't worth his time or his greatness.

He went away in his car, went to his apartment, to his bed, and immediately covered himself in the duvet before sleeping.

Dumb animals. Who needs them anyway? He closed his eyes, shoving away those hateful thoughts he had of almost all those around him. He quickly fell into unconsciousness and let the darkness cover him.

- (In the dream world)

In the realm of dreams, the line between reality and imagination blurs as Theodore caught himself moving through a swirling vortex of memories and emotions. The vibrant colours and shapes of blurred memories decreased the deeper he went until he found himself transported to a surreal realm that seemed to exist beyond the boundaries of space and time. He was standing on hard, glass-like ground. Bathed in pale, icy light, the landscape appeared as a crystalline wonderland with towering ice formations that varied in size, with ones nearby as big as a house, and some as big as mountains in the far distance.

The air was filled with a delicate chill that caressed his skin, leaving behind a tingling sensation. When he looked up he could see shimmering auroras that painted the sky with ethereal hues. Hold on a second.

He shouldn't be having this amount of control and sensation in a dream. For him to be able to touch, see, feel, and be able to control his decisions as much as he could if awake shouldn't be possible... except. He pinched his arm. Nothing. Slapped his face hard. Again, nothing. This has to do something. He put his left elbow on his right knee and pushed down his left forearm using his right hand in an attempt to break it.

SNAP

It broke, but Theodore didn't scream. It didn't hurt, so he placed it back to how it was as he realised that he was currently in a lucid dream. A hint of excitement rose from his conscious figure's chest. This was his first time ever having a lucid dream. He's read descriptions of how it felt like from university studies when he was studying the human brain and, after the wish of having one himself that night, he's got one.

However, before he could start thinking of what to do with his almost infinite possibilities, he felt a cold chill gush through him.

In front of him was a mysterious figure. Their silhouette was swathed in an enigmatic mist that seemed to dance and weave like wisps of frozen breath. Glowing eyes, as ancient as the universe itself, gazed upon him with an intensity that bore into the very core of his being. The haunting voice resonated in the air, carrying a weight of wisdom from immemorial, as if the echoes of countless generations spoke through it, wrapped in an otherworldly wind.

"Theodore Nieoldiek, I have been watching you for a while now." the voice declared, its words resonating in this icy terrain. "Your entire life has been lived around your pride in humanity. Ever since you were a child you've always been fascinated by science and wanted to know the secrets of the universe. However, you have only been looking forward through a very narrow keyhole and will never see beyond that."

Theodore didn't expect this in his lucid dream; not a voice talking to him. However this thing had appeared can piss off from whatever figment of his imagination it had come from. Didn't it know how long he's been waiting for this opportunity? He was about to ignore the entity's words, but when he heard the words 'pride in humanity', he couldn't help but humor the entity's words for just a bit then get on to what he was doing.

"Well what do you expect? Humanity has come a long way from just sticks and stones. We have traveled to the moon, made ways to communicate with each other over very long distances, can see planets from millions of light years away. We have achieved these things because we adapt to our surroundings and grow using our unrelenting perseverance and will continue to do so forever. A spider can't do this. A whale can't build a particle accelerator. Heck, the gorilla, the second smartest species on the planet, can't even build a basic log house. So, after hearing all this, what do you mean that I'm only seeing through a narrow keyhole when we are the ones who are rightfully at the top?"

"It's true that humanity has accomplished many things using its blessing of being the epitome of intelligence and capabilities, and it's something I admire to a great degree. However, you have also caused much destruction and bloodshed on to yourselves and your environment." the voice spat. "Have you seen an ant cause pollution to the sea- killing millions of sealife for its own pleasure? Have you seen a dolphin cause racial genocide over others' faith? Have you ever seen a tiger captivate its own species to be sold as slaves?" Theodore took a moment to respond.

"I guess it's what makes us winners." It was a truly horrible thing to say. How could one be okay with this if it meant being at the top. All those screams and all that blood spilt just for you to sit on the peak. Theodore would regret those words later down the line. He just had to wait for that moment to come.

"Intelligence only brings ruin if it isn't paired with wisdom. The ones who understood this were the ones who were the true apex of your species. They realised that even though they had to adapt to their surrounding, if they remained righteous and moved forward with true strength coming from their mind and hearts, they will be able to reach what is beyond that narrow keyhole. I know it sounds like optimistic nonsense, but think about it for a moment, if society as a whole got rid of its arrogance and decided to take responsibility, how far would humanity have progressed in such a short amount of time? I'm not saying be a pacifist; violence/war is a part of humanity, but you should be a warrior who knows when to keep the sword sheathed."

Theodore didn't want to put up with this crap any longer. He couldn't comprehend the words the entity was saying due to his sheer arrogance. Although, the entity wouldn't let have a choice in the matter.

"Your pride blinds you from the beauty and true accomplishments you can bring to the world, but you have been given a rare opportunity to transcend the confines of your human body to explore life from a different vantage point." he didn't want to hear this gibberish any more, despite the truth of the entity's words. He tried to will the being out of existence and bring forth a lion, so he can begin his observations. It didn't work.

Huh, is this not how you're supposed to do it? Why isn't this thing going away? He wondered, perplexed. From what he had read, lucid dreams can be whatever the user wills within the dream using his conscious.

Suddenly he felt a strange sensation like the very fabric of the dream's reality seemed to unravel around him. In a second, he was even open in a torrential maelstrom of sensations.

"You have to let go, Theodore. It's the only way to save yourself from self-destruction." Waves of searing pain surged through his entire body, causing him to convulse with agony as his body was undergoing an agonising transformation. "You have to let go!"

His limbs twisted and contorted, shortening and reshaping in ways that defied the laws of nature. Bones cracked and realigned, fusing together to form the formation of his new structure. He looked in horror at his hands and toes, once so familiar to him, melded into sinewy paws, each digit elongating into razor-sharp claws.

The pain had gotten excruciatingly worse when each of his thousands of muscle fibers was torn and reattached into specific shapes; compact and strong to fit his new form. The pain he felt was unlike anything he had ever experienced. Each nerve screamed in dire protest.

He clutched his chest, trying to anchor himself amidst the chaos of sensations. His heart thundered in his chest and he gasped for breath as the agony intensified. A cold sweat beaded down his newly shaped forehead as his skin erupted; the once-familiar strands of his human hair fell off like an insect's skin when molding, and out came a flurry of thick and sleek fur of red, grey and white. It was a lustrous coat of midnight-black fur.

And finally, the process was over. The metamorphosis was complete. Theodore fell forward in exhaustion onto his new arms. His body started to pulse with a gentle light- a celestial radiance that spread throughout his entire being, the soft luminescence swirled around and danced around his foreign organs, muscles and bones. It felt like being wrapped in a tender embrace that gradually rode all of the pain.

However, Theodore was too mentally drained despite the healing he had received. He wanted to sleep to forget what happened here, but he was already asleep. He's felt pain in dreams before during the rare nightmare that popped up like that one time when he got continuously stabbed by roadmen on the street, but this was beyond compare to that or anything before. It was too extreme that if he was able to think at the moment he would think that this wasn't actually a dream, but something else. He's not sure what, but something else.

Fatigue caught up to him. His conscious figure's eyes rolled back as his arms tiredly gave in and he fell forward face flat. His eyelids closed and the sound of his small, fresh body dropping onto the icy floor echoed throughout the landscape. He saw darkness again.

- (in the other world)

Urgh what happened? Why do I feel so weird? Theodore tried opening his eyes only for them to quickly snap shut. It was too bright, he assumed, as he couldn't really make out an image in a split second with his half-awakened mind. He was about to try again until he heard the loud howling of a very furious ice storm a short distance from where he was laying down. He could recognise one easily from his many trips to the Atlantic Laboratory of Mammal Biology to study mainly sea creatures there. But why am I hearing that sound at home? Is my phone playing up?

This time he slowly opened his eyelids, cautious of the bright objects on top of him. When they were fully opened, he rubbed his eyes to clear them from the blurriness. The first things he saw were the small stalactites of ice hanging from the ceiling, varying in size. They emanated a dim glow that lit up the whole area enough for him to see. He moved his eyes and saw the smooth stone of the caves walls that didn't show a crack nor any sign of wear.

Where am I? There's no way I'm in a cave in the north. I've not been kidnapped by vegan cultists, have I? I hope not, those guys would torture me by feeding me nothing but broccoli all day. His mind was in a haze of confusion. He struggled to come up with any answer to the situation in front of him. As he took a moment to think, he heard the rhythmic drip of water echoing from the cave, the sound resonating like a distant heartbeat, and the cool air that surrounded him bringing a sensation of grounding. Well, there's no other way than to get up and see exactly where he is if he wanted answers.

A wave of dizziness washed over him as he attempted to stand on his legs, but this body felt unfamiliar and unsteady, as if it was something he'd never moved before yet knew how to move like an instinct. He placed a hand on the cold, damp, rocky ground for support until he felt a wrong sensation on his hand. He couldn't feel five fingers anymore, but only 3 big ones. He looked at his what the fuck!

His human arm was no longer there. It was replaced by a sleek, lean, short arm covered in grey fur. His hand now turned paw had 3 huge, white claws that looked like the ivory tusk of an elephant, sharpened to be knives. He looked down at his legs and it was the same thing there. Shortened, muscular legs with toes replaced by claws. His feet were slightly wide, probably to spread his weight throughout the bottom of his feet and decrease pressure whenever he walked.

Panic began to surge within him as he struggled to comprehend what happened to him. The dream, it wasn't fake! Everything in there was real; the voice, the icy place, and the transformation. He was sent to some dimension and talked to an otherworldly being and then- he paused when trying to recover the memory of the transformation itself. He knew it had happened, but due to the extreme and unrelenting pain he felt during it, his mind was forcefully keeping him from recalling the trauma his body went through.

The overwhelmingh sensation of being disconnected from his own body enveloped him, and he staggered as he tried to stand upright using his new arms to try to balance himself. He wanted to walk forward and his new legs felt like little, nimble appendages that seemed to defy gravity with every step. After a few clumsy steps, he fell forward. He needed to get used to his new body's proportions and center of mass. Another attempt to walk again, he stumbled and lost his balance, struggling to maintain control. He let out a small growl as he got up one more time to try again. This was like an experiment. Walk and see which muscles he needs to use at a time. It was like one of his observations at the lab except now he was in the shoes of the subject observing himself.

After ten slow and steady steps that grew quickly in speed, he realised that his new contradictory instincts that came with the body was helping him learn to move, so instead of going against it, he let it guide him around the cave. He felt a small tinge of joy as he immediately knew how to walk and was making some circles, it was like he had been walking like this his entire life.

Looking around the cave, he thought it was huge, much bigger than anything he'd seen. Although, he also thought of the possibility that, instead of the cave being big, he had gotten smaller. There was nothing he could use as a way to measure himself. The stalactites could have been big due to how wet the cave used to be. A small pebble on the floor would have been a good reference to use, but it felt like weak evidence. He needed something better.

This thought was immediately snatched when a part of the caves wall was slightly covered by a thin layer of ice and he could see a blurred image of himself. His heart started to lightly pound in his chest. What was he going to see? Was it going to be some sort of monster that you would see in the movies? From what he can make of the blurred image, it was going to be something daunting. With a deep breath, he mustered the courage to walk toward the icy mirror. As he got closer, the image got clearer and clearer until he stood a few feet away from it, his features being as clear as day.

His main body was feline; slender like a tiger's and covered with the same fur as his limbs. They flowed like a cascade of shadows, accentuating the streamlined contours of his form. He had a red-furred tail that he somehow didn't notice when walking. The same red fur was on his neck, but very long which made it look like a scarf. A head that was as big as his main body. Gracefully curved ears that were pointed and looked capable of hearing sounds from a very far distance. A yellow gem on his forehead. A small stubby nose. However, what was the prominent feature of his face were the two big, glacial-like eyes that were counterparts of his human eyes.

This was a familiar form he's seen as a child. No, it can't be can it? He was now a weavile, a Pokemon that lived in the cold, mountainous hues of the Sinnoh region and was seen many times in the Pokemon cartoon. Specifically, the diamond and pearl season. It was most famous for being a partner of Paul, the next stuck-up rival for Ash Ketchum. Why was it here? Theodore wondered. Why is it looking at him in the face? He wanted to deny it with all his heart, but his scientific mind wouldn't allow him to. It was himself he was looking at in the mirror. He was the weavile.

That being! He was the one who did this to me. Turned me into this thing. That bastard! When I get my hands on him I'll strangle him to death. Theodore took a moment to think why the being would do this to him until he remembered the conversation. Does he really think I'll value others if he turns me into a weavile. Fuck that. Humans are the best and nothing will change that fact. We dominate others and put them beneath us where they belong. Let go of my pride pfffft it's just accepting reality. Now forget about that. What do I do now?

He looked outside the entrance of the cave and saw that the storm had subsided. He also saw the adjacent mountains and found that they were much much taller than they should be. No mountain on Earth has ever been that big, so it's official, he had decreased in size. With some quick maths; using the average size of the mountains he was surrounded by, and their distance from his viewpoint, he estimated that he was around 3 ft 7. A small size should help hiding from the dodgy governments we now have, he wondered, not excited about what would happen if he were caught.

He needed to move forward. He couldn't stay in this cave if he wanted to get turned back into a human. He'll have his normal life back and prove that being wrong and give him a slap while he's at it. He may not know where to go exactly, but getting down this mountain would be a start.

He looked down from the snowy mountainside he was on and saw the long road down. He couldn't even see the end of the snow he would have to cross. He sighed. Yeah, this is gonna be a long day.

 

[Swag Striker]

Chapter 2: fighting with hatred

A/N: Hi all, thanks for all the support you've shown me, I really didn't expect my first chapter to do this well. I would appreciate it if you gave me some feedback via reviews; constructive criticism is always welcome.

Btw some facts may be made up about Pokemon and I'll be changing some things like settings sometimes for the sake of the story. I may have learned science to a high degree, but I might write things which aren't fully accurate/sci-fi ish although most things will be true to the real world.

And with that out the way, enjoy.

Chapter 2 START

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK!" Theodore kept screaming while scrabbling for a way to stop his descent down the icy mountainside. His heart was pounding and adrenaline was racing, every fiber of his being focused on the desperate need to regain control.

It started with looking down at the cave's mouth, gazing out at the vast expanse before him. Despite how pissed off he was a moment ago, he caught his breath and stared in awe at the view. The Mona Lisa had nothing on this. This was different from the times he was transferred to the north for his research. The first time he came out of the private jet and looked at the new biome, he thought nothing of it, but now it felt different and he was astonished at what he before thought wasn't a big deal.

Not having a set pathway down, all he could do was slowly climb down, but that failed quickly when his feet slipped on the icy underlayer. Now he was skidding on the snow moving franticly with his blood moving around his brain many miles per hour in order to find a solution. There was no instinct for Weaviles when in this predicament. How can you find an ice type slipping on ice, ridiculous!

When the untrained human is in a fast-paced environment, no matter how much knowledge they have, they will do what first comes to mind. Theodore slammed his right paw on the ice and his claws slightly pierced it, slowing the fall as they let out a loud screech. His eyes widened when he saw a small hillside sticking out underneath the path where he was falling. He was still going at a speed. He clenched his eyes, bracing for the impact.

"OW!" He fell on his butt. That's got to leave a mark. Slowly pushing himself outright, he took stock of his surroundings. The cliffside provided a small pocket of safety. It was completely flat, so it was no big deal if he fell on his ass again. Finally, something that doesn't cause me a panic attack. Fucking being. Actually, he needs a name if I'm going to curse him because I suspect I'll be doing that a lot moving forward.

At least now he could experiment and find a solution to his slipping problem. He took a step and immediately moved his arms to balance himself as he almost slipped. Another step and another close call to falling. He took a breath. He was a bit calmer now that his head was straight. He was patient; developed after many hours of waiting for animals to move a single inch. He looked down in contemplation. Surely Weavile has an adaption that I'm missing otherwise these cold mountainous areas wouldn't be its natural habitat. There must be a way.

He noticed a small detail while staring at his feet claws. They weren't flat like a gorilla's nails nor too curved like a tiger's. They're slightly curved and look similar to a polar bear's in structure. That's when he realized how he could walk on the ice. He shifted a bit of weight towards the end of his feet and tried walking a few steps. Success.

"Ha ha. Knew it wouldn't take long." After orientating himself properly on the steep mountainside again, he slowly climbed down. The claws offered a great amount of grip and would get rid of any beginner climber's anxiety. After a fair distance, he started moving quicker as he was getting more familiar with his Weavile form. Each step that had once been a dangerous hazard now felt like an intricate dance beneath his nimble claws.

After what felt like a few hours, Theodore turned to see a lush green forest in the distance. Its tall sturdy trees looked like a canopy with the tops holding the snow from the earlier snowstorm a stark contrast to the rest of the land. Eager excitement surged through his veins as he took in the sight and thought of the possibilities it could lead to. There's a high chance that there's gonna be a cabin belonging to a local hunter. I could do a sneak attack the next time he comes out and attack him in a way he wouldn't suspect, afterwards take his resources and find out precisely where I am. If ther-

However, as he was looking out, he had accidentally leaned too far forward, his agile body tilting precariously. Panic flickered in his glacial eyes as he realized his mistake, but it was too late. The ground beneath him gave way, and he found himself tumbling forward as his claws were let loose.

Time seemed to slow as he plummeted through the air. The world around him became a blur of colours and sensations, the wind rushing past him in a dizzying whirl. He tried desperately to recover for a moment and use his claws again to slow his descent, but he kept rolling down, quicker and quicker until he rolled to a tree within the forest.

With a jolt, he hit its trunk headfirst, the impact sending a shockwave throughout his body.

"Awww who put that there? I can't even get somebody's insurance like this." He unsteadily got up. The tree had also felt the impact and the snow the branches were holding onto dropped onto him, encompassing his body, but leaving only his head sticking out. "Pluh pluh. That shit tasted like dry ice. Um... well shit. I can't move my limbs and I'm stuck in a giant snowball isn't this just fantastic?"

Honestly, he was wondering if he was in some sort of anime or a crappy fanfic written by a noob. It was starting to feel that way with these annoying cliches or his luck was bad today. He struggled more, but it was useless. The snowball had him completely immobilized.

"What are you doing?" asked a small innocent voice. Theodore looked slightly up and saw a polar bear cub? No, it's a Cubchoo, but why is there a Pokemon here? No. Please no, anything but that! There was no denying what he was seeing in front of his eyes. He was stuck in the world of Pokemon; a very famous anime/game made for kids and now he is one himself. Am I in the show or is this just a parallel universe? Forget it, I'll leave this train of thought for later, but for now find a way to get here.

He stared at the 1-foot polar bear cub-looking creature. There wasn't much difference except it was bipedal, had cyan fur covering its head and neck, and a constant runny nose with a snot bag falling from its nostril. Disgusting. It looked like a teddy bear that a little girl would undoubtedly dote over.

"I've never seen a Pokemon like you before. But mommy does tell me to stay in the cave until I'm older, but I'm a big boy now and can go anywhere on my own. Hey, do you want to be my friend? You will be my first one and we can play all sorts of games." He sounded excited.

"How old are you?"

"I'm half a moon cycle old."

Moon cycles? What kind of measurement is that? Oh, the Cubchoo has never encountered a human before, so wild Pokemon must measure their age by the phases of the moon instead of the Gregorian calendar. Humans still use this in the lunar calendar, but society generally read time via the cycle of the sun. Maybe trained Pokemon use the moon too? If I had to calculate, half a moon cycle is around 15 days. Theodore smirked. Perfect, he's a child.

"Okay kiddo, I'll be your friend."

"Yay!"

"And as your new friend, I'll be the first to pick a game. How about we play a game of digging."

"Digging? How do we play that?"

"It's simple. You dig me from this snowball as fast as you can, then I'll do the same with you. Understand?" Cubchoo was confused about the game. He wasn't in a snowball himself for his new friend to dig from.

"Okay!" He said excitedly before moving to the entrapped Theodore and using his small paws to dig away at the snowball that was twice his size. Theodore was kind of impressed at how quickly he was removing the snow. He could feel his limbs move around a bit as his cacoon was weakening.

Just a bit more. When it was small enough, he exploded himself free and sent small debris flying everywhere. He clenched his fist and arched his back and grinned fiercely. Freedom will always feel wonderful.

"Wow, that was fun! Is it my turn now?" He looked back at the Cubchoo and saw the innocence in its face. How incredibly naive. It was one of the things Theodore hated the most. He pitied the fools who thought the world was filled with people who collect roses and dandelions. That face would make anyone obey except Theodore; having no effect on him.

He walked away and dismissed the exhilarated child, but he followed him in glee.

"Go away kid. I have no more use for you."

"B-but I thought it was my turn now?" Cubchoo tilted his head cutely in confusion.

"I said get lost!" Theodore turned around and brought down a hard backhand across the Cubchoo's cheek. The child fell onto the floor before bringing a paw to his stinging right cheek. He stayed there and cried; tears and wailing gushing out loudly where even a Pokemon from a mile away could hear it.

"Annoying brat." Theodore said before casually walking away again and ignoring the Cubchoo's cries. So if there's a Cubchoo here that means I'm in the Unova region. Good because that was the only season I've watched. It was over a decade ago and I don't remember much, but it's better than being in another region. If I get exposed to the sites in this region I might remember more things. Maybe even a way to go back to Earth?

I don't know what forest this is, but forests are usually near a city or a small town. Heading there would be a good place to figure out what to do.

He didn't even move 10 metres until stopping. A loud thudding was constantly heard and reverberated in the empty forest. The ground shook with each footstep which made him freeze. Coming out from a small clearing was a gigantic Beartic that looked like it could topple down small trees; the next evolution of Cubchoo.

When she looked at her son and saw the small bruise, she immediately ran to him making the ground shake even more.

"Snowball!" She cuffed him into her arms. His snuffling decreased when he saw his mother.

"Mommy. T-that bad guy hit me. I j-just wanted to play, b-b-but waaaah!" He went back to crying again. The mother having heard enough, snarled menacingly before putting on a soft motherly look on her face.

"Don't worry dear, I'll take care of it. You just go back to the cave and don't come out of it again, alright? Will you listen to mommy this time?"

"Yes"

"Then go on ahead. I'll be there in a moment." When he went with his small chubby legs and left their sight, she stared at Theodore angrily, the snarl coming back. "How dare you! He's an innocent child why would you hit him?! Don't you have any dignity? I've never seen a Pokemon like you before, but I know that no species would do something so horrible."

"Ha ha ha ha. Oh please. Hitting him is like swatting a fly, irrelevant. I don't feel anything doing anything against dumb creatures like you." Apparently, that wasn't the response she was looking for. She stomped towards him until they were only a few feet away from each other. Theodore had to look up to meet her angry eyes, but wasn't intimidated the least by her despite her being 3x bigger than him.

He's been face to face with animals much larger than him already. What threat could she be to him? Her fist glowed bright red before she swatted him across his body. Theodore didn't even touch the floor until he was sent well away.

"W-what was that?" He said, shakily getting up. He groaned when lifting himself with his now aching right arm. He saw the Beartic slowly coming towards him. The temperature rose quickly despite the very cold wind brushing against his fur. His eyes dilated and fur rose.

This was no joke he realized. There was no special glass to protect him from the dangerous beast that was getting closer and closer.

It was the first time he'd ever been physically attacked in his life. After all, no matter how much he was hated by people from his childhood up to his colleagues, they've never taken any action other than a complaint to the teacher/superior, in which case didn't bother him at all. The artificial habitats for animals like elephants or hippos; there was some way where he would be safe if they ever tried to attack him.

As Mike Tyson said 'everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face'. The unfamiliarity of the situation along with his heart suddenly pumping led him to do what others would do. Either fight or flight and Theodore chose flight.

"Oh no you don't." The Beartic chased after him. He didn't look back for a second, instead his Weavile instincts guided his senses as he kept running through the dense forest, using his agility to weave through them and slow her down. He could see details he never would've noticed before from the small gaps that would be the best to move through to the many small humps of snow covering tree roots that he avoided tripping over.

The Beartic luckily stumbled over one giving him time to see a dead darkened tree up ahead standing on its last legs. Its truck was cracked all over and was bent on one side. It only needed a slight push for it to topple down. perfect. It was just beyond a large clearing. She was getting closer now. Even though a Weavile is meant to be way quicker, Theodore isn't finely tuned to his new running pattern yet and now the wild Beartic was getting too close.

Oh no! Sweat was falling down his forehead like a waterfall as frantic thoughts were filling up his head. I'm going to die! She lifted up her paw, claws out and ready to strike. He was only a metre away from the tree when she brought it down.

"Argh!" He powerfully jumped to the side while she- unable to stop her moment- collided into the tree. CRACK that was the last straw and it came crashing down on her back. She was stuck under its weight and unable to get up.

Theodore sprinted further into the forest while she was trying her best to lift the trunk off of herself. Jumping over a fallen log, brushing past withered bushes, and avoiding slipping on muddy patches, he was so focused on getting away that he almost went past a large boulder that was the size of a house. He hid behind it before taking a small peak around.

The Beartic had somehow managed to lift the tree, but it was fine as long as she didn't know where he was. After looking around she sniffed the air which made his eyes widen. Crap. Polar bears can smell prey from many miles away. It's how they find seals on the edge of water. He turned back when her nose was bringing him to the boulder. She had lived in this forest for many years. She knew what smells were not naturally in here.

"Come out now. There's no point in hiding. I'll give you a chance if you show yourself to apologize to Snowball then I'll forgive you." There was only the noise of the trees rustling. Theodore had forcefully slowed his rapid breathing into small deep breaths while keeping himself as still as a statue. "Stubborn brat. If that's what you choose then so be it."

She crawled around the boulder like a tiger ready to pounce.

"Hah Found you...huh?" She wasn't expecting to see Mycena Acicula; a small mushroom adapted to cold environments and can be found growing on decaying wood, mosses, or in soil. It often has a slender stem and a cap that can range in colour from pale to darker shades.

She thought she had found the small Weavile, but ended up finding a rare mushroom. He must be far now. Believing that chasing him further would be senseless, she turned and slowly left for her cave.

Theodore waited till she left and much longer just to be sure she was gone. Peaking over, he only saw the fungi that had saved him from who knows what and silently thanked god that it was there. He stayed motionless, trying to calm his breathing and planting a hand on his beating heart. They slowed down allowing him to finally think normally.

What just happened? Never before have I felt like that. He looked at his arms, still shaking in the aftermath. He'd been running throughout the forest fearing for his life. A-am I scared? Is this fear? No...No no no no no. NO! I'm not scared, I refused to be from that thing. How dare it make me even think that! No, I'm not scared.

He clenched his teeth and eyes were filled with fury. He couldn't feel the icy wind as his body tightened with pure rage, refusing to believe it was inferior to that little creature. His pride wouldn't allow him to admit defeat to the Beartic. I will hunt it down and destroy it. Make it pay for what it tried to do no matter what it takes even if I have to give up my hand for it.

That was when he vividly remembered what happened before that mess. Her fist glowed a bright red. If I remember correctly then that was the move rock smash. Of course! I'm a Pokemon now and all Pokemon can learn special moves up to a maximum of 4. That Beartic's done it. I'll tear it apart using I don't know dragon claw, I guess? What moves do I know anyway?

He looked himself over. His sleek Weavile form, once elegant and composed, now bore marks of the pursuit- testaments to the intensity of the chase and the nasty terrain. His midnight-black fur, which had once shimmered with an ethereal glow, was now matted with patches of snow, dirt, and pine needles. The iridescent crystals that adorned his body were dulled by the residue of the chase, the luster subdued by the chaos of the pursuit. His fur was ruffled and uneven, strands sticking out in disarray as if the very forest had tried to grab onto him.

There were also small abrasions and scratches underneath them and on his skin, souvenirs of branches and underbrush that had sneakily tugged and scraped against his form. One of his pointed ears bore a little tear, it was actually from the close encounter with the Beartic.

He didn't care though as his eyes were drawn to a towering tree- the kind that stood as a testament to time's passage. A surge of inspiration gripped him, and he saw it as an opportunity to test his newfound abilities.

With a purposeful stride, he made his way to the base of the grand tree, its towering presence casting a protective shadow over the snow-laden ground. He recalled the Pokemon moves he had read about when he was 11 years old and watching Pokemon black and white. He was eager to channel the essence of the Weavile he had become.

Taking a deep breath, Theodore's eyes glowed with determination. He envisioned the move in his mind- a graceful display of power that would surely beat even the toughest of opponents to the ground. He focused on his claw, aiming to conjure that power into a force that would embody his essence.

With a swift movement, he leaped into the air, his lithe form twisting as he endeavored to execute the move. He extended his paw, expecting some sort of mystical energy to respond, to form into a manifestation of his intent. Yet, to his dismay, nothing happened. No shimmering blade of frost appeared, no power surged forth.

His second attempt was met with the same disappointment. Despite his intense concentration, the power he sought to summon remained elusive. He leaped, he focused, he tried to draw upon the energy that was now part of his being. But each attempt was met with failure, the silence of his unresponsive claw a reminder of his uselessness when against the Beartic after she had punched him on his side.

"Forget this. This is just a waste of time. I'll find it and teach it a lesson with or without a special move. I hope to make it squirm from pain till it begs for forgiveness. These sharp claws should be good enough" His heart pulsed with a fiery resolve, and at that moment, the failed attempts at summoning a move seemed trivial in comparison to the raw hatred surging within him.

He began to move through the snow-covered forest, his steps purposeful and resolute. The intensity of the chase had not been in vain- it had ignited a fire within him, a fire that refused to be quenched by failure.

"It's clear whose footprints are whose. Mine aren't deep enough compared to hers, maybe that explains why she sniffed the air instead of just looking at my footprints." He followed them back for a while till he returned to the spot where the chase had initially begun.

"Now there's too many footprints here, some obviously belonging to other species of Pokemon. Great, now how am I going to find her?" He scanned the area, his ocean-blue eyes searching for any sign of the Beartic. But to his dismay, she was nowhere to be seen. His heart sank, a mixture of frustration and disappointment gnawing at him.

"This isn't going to be a bitter pill for me to swallow. I promised I would find you, no matter what." He circled the area, his gaze narrowing as he scoured the further surroundings. She did mention something about a cave; her child had wandered off from there out of boredom, but a curious kid could go miles without feeling like he's in danger.

His ears twitched, his senses on high alert, but nothing availed. He couldn't help but feel a surge of anger rise within him- anger at himself, anger at the situation, anger at the Beartic for evading him.

Just as his frustration threatened to consume him, a new sensation washed over him. A subtle shift in the air, a whisper of scent that carried on the wind. His nostrils flared, and he inhaled deeply out of curiosity for what it was. The rush of air carrying with it a myriad of scents- the crispness of snow, the earthiness of the forest floor, and something else- the faint but distinct aroma of a polar bear.

His heart quickened with renewed anticipation, and he turned his head, following the trail of scent with his enhanced sense of smell. The world seemed to narrow down to that singular sensation, his focus unwavering as he picked up the trail. He brought his nose up and kept inhaling, each one guiding him closer.

Hold on a second. What am I doing? This is something dogs do not us humans. He paused for a moment wondering if he was lowering himself down to the level of dogs. I'm still a human from within no matter what body I'm in. My train of thinking proves that... but that Beartic. I want to hurt it so badly.

He forgot about his animalistic behaviour as rage hazed his thoughts and went back to sniffing. With each step, the scent grew stronger, guiding him through the intricate labyrinth of the forest. The world around him faded into the background as his nose became his compass needle.

And then, in the midst of silence, he caught sight of her- a flash of white against the snowy landscape. The Beartic stood before him in front of her cave on the side of the mountain's base, its gaze meeting his with a mixture of curiosity and recognition. The tension in the air was palpable.

"Mommy what's going on?" Her son was standing behind her leg, gripping it in fear as he saw the Weavile who struck him standing with a malicious smile. The smile looked unnatural like it wasn't from this world. She had seen some very mischievous Pokemon in her lifetime, but none had a smile like that, no one.

"Go inside Snowball."

"But mommy-"

"I said go inside!" She shouted and the little Cubchoo reluctantly went to the deep end of the cave away from sight. She didn't want to shout at him, but she felt that something bad was going to happen if the Weavile's expression wasn't enough of an indicator.

As they faced off, an electric current seemed to crackle in the air when their eyes met. Theodore's snarl etched an intense determination onto his features, a fire that burned fiercely within him. Yet, it was the sinister undertone of his expression that caught the Beartic off guard.

The Beartic's stance faltered imperceptibly, its own confidence wavering in response to Theodore's unsettling demeanor. The glint in his eyes and the predatory curl of his lips seemed to weave a tale of an unrelenting force. It was an aura of dominance, an unspoken challenge that sent a shiver down the Beartic's spine.

Theodore POV:

I lunged forward with determination burning like a blazing fire. The Beartic's eyes locked onto my form. Her massive frame seemed to tense, its powerful muscles coiled with an instinctual readiness. I didn't care that she was 3x my size, I can't lose and let her prove herself superior.

Despite wavering, she brought back a fist and summoned a familiar energy into it. Yet again she was using rock smash. I froze, eyes dilating and fur raising as I remembered the severe pain when she did it before. I closed my eyes in fear which was a big mistake proven when I felt the force of the blow send me backward.

Fuck that hurts. If I knew how a broken bone felt I would say I broke one. Damn, how does that one strike hurt so bad? Her bigger mass shouldn't give her that much more force. That's it! Weaviles are both dark and ice types which are weak against fighting type moves like that rock smash making it super effective against me.

I ignored the slight shaking within me and sprinted towards her with much more caution. I can't afford to let her hit me again otherwise it's game over. The Beartic growled fiercely and summoned the power of the same boring special move which made me-

No, whatever you do don't close your eyes! Force them open or I'll tear them off. Keeping them open by fighting off the human instinct to blink, I was surprised to see the attack unfold with an unexpected sluggishness. My reflex kicked in, and I swiftly sidestepped the descending strike, a mix of astonishment and adrenaline coursing through me. The realization that the Beartic's move was slower than I had anticipated ignited a spark of opportunity within me- a chance to turn the dynamic of the battle.

"Got you now ha ha ha" I furiously swiped multiple times at her legs. She's bipedal and has huge legs if I stop her mobility then such a large creature won't be able to move around and that's when I destroy her. Yet as my claws connected I was shocked. Her hide proved to be a formidable defense as my strikes barely left a mark. I remembered that all species of bear play by biting and scratching only because their hide was thick enough to withstand it.

Infuriation churned in my chest as I retreated. For a moment I tasted victory and loved its flavour until it was replaced with the taste of my sweat. I wasn't going to accept my razor-like claws being useless when they were the best weapons I had on me. I rushed in repeating the sequence again to see another slash of mine not even making a scratch. Fuck that! This thing deserves pain. As I grappled with my rising emotions, a memory stirred from the back of my mind. Weird, I don't remember doing anything like this before.

Like a boxer slipping past a jab after practicing thousands of times, I felt something akin to that except it was a move I had never practiced with. I focused on that unfamiliar energy within me and channeled it into my right claw. In a burst of darkness, an ethereal shadow had surrounded my entire forearm and taken solid form. It was a shadow claw!

With a heavy strike more powerful than the ones before, I cut through her defenses and left behind a trail of darkness that marred her otherwise impenetrable hide.

Triumph surged within me as I saw the impact of the move. That one strike was enough to leave three deep wounds on her legs. I don't know why it wasn't bleeding when it should be from that depth. (Actually I don't want Pokemon to bleed or break bones especially in battle. I might write parts in the future where Pokemon will bleed, but for now just ignore this plothole).

She let out a loud yelp before falling down and rumbling the ground; the weight of her defeat echoing the clearing.

My eyes remained fixed on her, a mixture of relief and exhaustion flooding my senses. I could feel the adrenaline slowly ebbing away, leaving behind a sense of accomplishment that mingled with the heaviness in my limbs.

The sound of my rapid breaths gradually slowed, each inhale and exhale a rhythmic reminder of the intensity of the battle. As I stood there, my heart still pounding in my chest, I couldn't help but feel a surge of pride- of course I would win there wasn't any doubt that I would. See guys what did I tell you? You can't beat humans it's as simple as that! And now I'll truly put it into her why you shouldn't think otherwise.

Gingerly stepping forward, I approached the fallen Beartic, the snow crunching softly beneath my feet and being the only sound heard in the now silent forest. The sight of her still form served as a reminder of the challenges I had faced, the obstacles I had overcome, and the depths of my newfound abilities.

It's getting hard to walk.

"Do you see it now Bearshit? What made you think you could possibly win against a human when you never stood a chance? Don't look at me like that, it's simply nature or rather your own incompetence. Look at you; a once proud predator now brought to the floor. You know what, I really wanted to tear you into pieces and leave it for the wolves to eat." I brought the shadow claw to her eyes- they were still on. She clenched her eyes waiting for the promised pain to come.

"But That pathetic face of yours is enough for me. It reminded me of the animals back at home when they were sad from a more painful experiment. Their whimpers were like music notes to my ears. I hope you've learned your lesson you weakling of a mother."

3rd pov:

When she heard the word 'mother' she cast a longing glance back at the small cave. Her gaze fixed on the entrance, her thoughts lingered on her son before a sense of fierce protectiveness welled within her.

Theodore deactivated the shadow claw, his claws now returning to their normal size. He turned to leave her in her pained state. The weight of the encounter was evident in the way he carried himself, his every movement reflecting the toll the battle had taken.

BIG MISTAKE

One should never turn their back on their opponent until the very end and Theodore would learn this the hard way. With a burst of energy that defied her wounded state, she channeled her remaining strength into one last, potent attack.

At the corner of his eye, a sudden movement caught his attention. An explosive orange burst of energy was hurtling toward him. It was huge and looked like a strike of lightning that was about to evaporate him. He barely had time to react as the Beartic unleashed a hyper beam, the attack surging forward intensely and not giving his reflexes time to kick in, taking him off guard.

The impact was staggering as a searing wave of force and energy collided with his form. Agonizing pain radiated through him as he was sent flying away, his world spinning into chaos. The forest seemed to blur as the attack's power subsided. Somehow it was stronger than the rock smash despite the latter being super effective. She really must have put her all into that last attack.

Theodore pulled himself out of unconsciousness to dodge the small obstacles he was about to roll into. He fell into another steep hill and slipped down it without being able to latch onto the ice for recovery.

I don't *huff* *huff* have enough energy *huff* left. And couldn't move out the way of the larger obstacles and had to take them head on, adding more bruises onto his heavily injured body. Pain rose with each impact. The forest's trees were quickly decreasing in density as he fell until they were no more. Now the only obstacles were rocks ranging in size instead of the small sharp branches stuck in the snow that were cutting and piercing him.

The sound of his labored breaths mingled with the harsh grating of rock against his form. His attempts to regain control were futile, his body at the mercy of gravity's pull until he collided into a hedge of bushes at the base of the hill. The prickly embrace of foliage provided a sudden halt to his chaotic tumble.

-(Somewhere close)

"Aaaaahhhhh. Isn't the smell of all these flowers just wonderful Athena?" Said a young girl in a satisfied tone.

"Ralts Ralts." Responded her companion also with a satisfied tone.

This was Sarah a short, young girl venturing forth on her journey. With wide, curious eyes the hue of an amethyst, she took each step with an exuberance that mirrored the colourful world around her. She had a stubby nose on a well-rounded head and a white metal hairband on her long purple hair. Her attire was what you would see from a young girl; a simple knee-length white dress with a purple cardigan over it that had a love heart on it. She wore long pink socks covering the rest of her legs and purple pumps.

It's clear that she liked the colour purple. She also held a brown strap along her waist with 6 small button pockets that could hold a shrunken pokeball. It was new, something her parents bought for her 2 days ago before she left for her Pokemon journey.

Walking beside her was a Joyful Ralts. She was a foot-tall humanoid covered in a white dress that was actually longer than her whole body, so it was dragged behind her when she was walking. Short green hair covering her large red eyes and a blunt red horn protruding from the top of her head. She also smiled, her demeanor mirroring the girl's happy spirit. She was practically the living embodiment of cuteness.

"I can't wait to battle in the Striaton gym. Then we'll win the Striaton Gym badge and put it in the case, so it's no longer empty. Isn't it exciting Athena, we'll win and be one step closer to going into the league then we'll bring the trophy to mom and dad. They'll be so proud." She almost felt like skipping her way to the gym.

"Ra Ra Ralts." The small Pokemon imitated her trainer's excitement. She too wanted to make her parents proud. She was born only a few moons ago, but could remember the loving gaze her parents and human family showed and thereforth had the resolve to accompany Sarah in her journey to win the league. Just you wait, in no time they'll win.

*Rustle* *Rustle*

They both turned their attention towards the huge hedge of beautiful bushes, clipped and maintained daily. Having the silence broken, they were curious at what caused the unexpected disturbance. A Pokemon perhaps they both thought. It was common for some bug/flying Pokemon to be living around there as there were some delicious, ripe berries growing there during the summer. Or It was because of the quality gardening here making it a great place to nest at.

As the bushes parted, a figure emerged, and the sight that greeted them left them momentarily stunned. It was Theodore, his once sleek Weavile form now battered and bruised, cuts and scratches marring his fur like battle scars. The vivid hues of his icy blue eyes were dulled by pain and exhaustion, and his movements were a stark contrast to the grace they had always witnessed in their own Pokemon friends.

Horrified, the young girl rushed forward, her heart throbbing with empathy and concern. The Ralts followed suit, her cute demeanor replaced with fear when seeing the amount of wounds he had. The state of the Weavile was a jarring contrast to their expectations, leaving them grappling with a mixture of shock and empathy.

"He-help me" He whispered before finally fainting. Dark swirls replaced his eyes. She held herself back not knowing what to do. She's never seen such a sight before.

"Uhh what can I do? What do I do?" she said to no one while shaking.

"Ralts Ra Ralts" The small Pokemon was tugging on the bottom of her dress. When she looked at her she saw her pointing at her strap where her Pokeball and a few spare ones were stored.

Genius! she thought at the idea. Enlargening the spare pokeball then throwing it at him, he was absorbed into it. After shaking for a bit it left off a ping since he couldn't try to fight against it. Grabbing it quickly, she ran towards the Pokemon centre- the short Ralts having a hard time to catch up- and ran pass the automatic doors before they could fully open.

Multiple people- trainers and others- yelped and complained when she pushed past them. They were much larger than her, but she didn't care as she would get this poor soul healed. When Nurse Joy saw a kid rushing towards the counter, she thought it would be the rare instance where they got too confident and lost on their first gym battle, but what she heard next made her immediately go into action.

"N-n-nurse J-joy this Pokemon i-is hurt real bad. If you don't h-help him now something b-bad will happen. PLEASE HELP HIM!"

 

[Swag Striker]

Chapter 3: A new family

A/N: Hi guys, I know it's been awhile and I'm sorry about that, so I made this chapter extra long just for you. Let me know what you guys think in the reviews.

Chapter 3 START

Athena's POV:

The Pokemon centre was bustling with activity, trainers and their companions coming and going from the front desk where they either collected their pokeballs containing their Pokemon from the Audino working there or leaving them there to be healed. Some sat on the side and waited as most of the time the healing process didn't take long or at least that is what I concluded from seeing some trainers immediately leave after having their pokeballs taken away for only a few minutes.

It was a good thing that Nurse Joy wasn't needed right now and her Audino assistant could deal with all the trainers as she was currently talking to Sarah, who's sitting beside me. Her racing heart from a while ago after the unexpected encounter with the battered Weavile had subsided after hearing what Nurse Joy had to say.

I watched her talk with that warm smile. I wasn't able to understand all the words that were being conversed because I'm still very young, but I still can pick up a lot of words humans use when speaking. When Pokemon hatch from their eggs, they are able to comprehend the basics of human and Pokemon language very quickly, even quicker than human babies. It's only for a short period of time, about a moon cycle which is why it's good to engage with hatchlings as much as you can during this moon cycle.

It's still not fully understood why this mechanic exists in Pokemon, but researchers believe that it's an evolutionary trait we've developed when Pokemon were heavily used for war in the past. They were bred for war, so they needed to quickly understand at least the basics of human language especially attack moves, so they could be put in the front lines.

I was able to make out a few key words through their conversation like lucky, capture and most importantly healed. I loved that word. It always brought me and everyone else happiness and it was the one that I understood the most. When Sarah's mother was ill a week before our journey, my mother who's an Audino used her healing abilities to help cure her. I was in such awe that I excitedly asked her what she doing and she explained that she used her healing abilities to help others who are injured. Thereon I admired her more and became fascinated with healing even though I wanted to be a fighter.

"He has been treated and is resting comfortably now. He's one tough Pokemon, but even the strongest need a helping hand sometimes."

Sarah nodded, her relief evident in her eyes. She couldn't help but smile and I could sense her emotions going from anxious to happiness which made me also feel happy.

"Thank you so much for taking care of him. I was really worried when I saw him like that. I don't like seeing Pokemon in distress so when I saw him all beaten up, I couldn't help but jump in and help." Nurse Joy's smile widened, pleased to see the selflessness within the new trainer.

"It's our duty to help trainers and their Pokemon in need. We're always here to provide care and support. He'll be conscious soon, so you can see him after I bring him here." She turned and left through the long hallway.

Theodore's POV:

When I woke up I wasn't surprised to still see that I'm back in the forest. Did I really fall asleep in the middle of nowhere though? In a new world where flaming dogs and massive bees exist, it would be a careless move that I would never do, so why am I just randomly in this annoying place again? I would've at least gone to the mountainside and warmed up a fire in a cave or make a camouflaged tent on the treetops.

However, the feeling of tranquility hit me, stopping all questions in my mind.

"Wow. I've never felt like this before." I flexed my fists and felt like I had the strength to crush a skull with it. It wasn't like that before.

"Then lets try this...Woah! Hey! Ahhh!" I luckily landed on my feet and not my head after I took a high jump and was surprised by the distance I reached. This is amazing! I could feel the freedom I now possessed to be able to do what I want. I smiled. With a few more sloppy acrobatic moves that I've seen on YouTube, I now realize that this is how my body is meant to be at full strength.

"This is the best sleep that I've ever had. I didn't know you could feel this refreshed after just another night. Is this what those guys are on about when they say sleep is important because if it is then I've been missing out." And as much as I would love to keep jumping around, I would rather spend the energy trying to find civilization.

When walking a few steps I saw something very strange. I wasn't in the same forest before heck it was only a group of trees I just walked out of. I was in some sort of miniature snowy landscape like someone had shrunken Antarctica into an island. Although it was freaky, it did make it enchanting in its own diminutive way. A tiny mountain dusted with a delicate layer of snow. A quick-ending river with a few icy patches floating on it.

However, what was the most disorientating thing to see was the absolutely pitch white background in the sky and beyond the view of this island that reminded me of the first time I met with the being. Actually, before I carry on narrating my perspective, I'm going to call him Shinigami because calling him 'the being' all the time is annoying and yes I know that is a Death Note reference. I just saw an episode and remembered the name...anyway back to the story.

Am I dead, like actually dead this time? What else could have happened. I must have died from the Beartic when I turned around and let my guard down. Dang, a rookie mistake that cost me my life. At least I beat it. Sure it may have killed me, but I proved that I'm the superior one. Imagine if it had won due to it being better than me. Just the thought of that makes me shiver in fear.

"So this is Weavile purgatory or something. Gotta say It's not that bad. I haven't played on a PS5, but if that was here, I think it would be quite chill. Pun not intended. I walked to the edge to see if this island was actually floating or where the small river's water was going to.

*Bump*

"Ow." I couldn't look over the edge because when I got there a glass plane hit me. It was very high-quality glass as It was completely transparent. I felt over it and yep, it expanded over the whole island like a dome. My heart clenched tightly for a very brief second thinking that I was trapped in here until I put pressure on my claws and there were scratch marks over the glass.

Excellent! If I can scratch it then I can definitely break it. And sure enough, after a few hard punches cracks started to form. I smirked.

"Hah! If they think that I can be trapped here like a zoo animal then they have another thing coming." After a few more punches, the cracks expanded so much that many pieces fell out at once and formed a hole just big enough for me to fit through. Behind the hole wasn't the Garden of Eden, but a pitch-black background that was darker than anything I had ever seen. Even more than Kim Jong Un's soul.

It was ironic and a bit creepy to see completely opposite colours in their absolute forms next to each other and it made me take a step back from whatever was behind the hole.

"I can't be arsed to sit in this icy winterhole, so wherever you're gonna take me better be prepared for my gracious furry ass." And I dived in, ready for any unexpected scenery that would unfold onto me again.

Nurse Joy's POV:

While I was walking to the Restoration Machine, I couldn't help but think again about that Weavile. How did it get so injured? It was a wild Pokemon, so while they do tend to fight they never get pushed to this extent. If a fight occurs one side backs off after a few blows. It reminds me of when some trainers come in with their Pokemon companions very injured after pushing them too far during training, and I have to tell the stubborn trainers off.

Also, the data I got from the automatic scan in the restoration machine was messed up, like literally. The data didn't come out right like the time when I was still an assistant and placed a pineapple to scan. Anyway, I should just be glad that Sarah was there at the time and captured him in a Pokeball. The Restoration Machine can heal Pokemon in their pokeballs completely, but can only be done once every week. I won't go into the details of it because it's not important.

Many trainers don't know this but you can capture a fainted Pokemon only if it's in a very dire condition just in case something like this happens.

When the doors automatically opened, I saw the Weavile already out of its pokeball standing in confusion. Not a shock as he had been captured without a battle. I let out a giggle after seeing him curiously looking around the room, cutely. They aren't native to Unova, but Sinnoh, and even though they can be found rarely in other regions, they aren't found in the wild of Unova.

So how did this mystery get here?

Theodore's POV:

I swear it's annoying how I get transported from one place to another. Where's next your mother's ass? It was so nice in that little island ohh the sensation I felt there was like no other. Maybe I should have just stayed there if I'm going to be sent to some other place... Nahhh that isn't my style, I only move forward and trample on others.

looking around the room, I found myself in some sort of hospital-looking ward except it was only the actual architecture and there weren't any beds or anything. There was one thing, a large intricate looking machine that had some futuristic effects that you would find in a sci-fi movie. It had six spherical molds on the top. There were many of them in rows, each connected to their own single plug. The one I came out of had a pokeball on it.

So I'm still in the Pokemon world huh? Hold on, if what I was in was the inside of that pokeball then that means I've been captured. But I didn't face a trainer or any human for that matter, I was still looking for a city.

"Hello Weavile."

"WEEAVE" I jumped a few feet in the air after hearing a voice from behind me. Unexpectedly, it was a young woman dressed in pink and white nursing clothes; it was Nurse Joy from the anime. I wonder if the 12 sisters look exactly the same now that I'm seeing this without cartoon graphics. She approached me before kneeling so we could get to eye level.

"He he sorry about that Weavile." she chuckled. "You are in the Pokemon centre because you were badly injured and then saved by a very kind girl. I had to say, it was quite a shock that you gave us, but don't worry now, you've been completely healed."

I was saved? That's a strong word to use for a medical professional.

"Hey lady, my mind is a bit fuzzy so I'm going to need you to fill in some details."

"Come, I can take you to her right now." She ignored my request. I don't like rude people.

"I just asked you someth-"

"Follow me" She turned away and walked to the door.

"Hey didn't you he-" And that was the first time I truly heard what was coming out of my mouth. This entire time I hadn't realized what I was saying because every conversation I had was as if I was talking to another human being in English, but now that I intently listen to myself, I only hear the word Weavile. I now remembered that Pokemon only speak using their names.

So that's how it works; something in the Pokemon brain that automatically translates what other Pokemon are saying. This is bad. If I couldn't speak to people then how am I supposed to find Shinigami or get the resources to do it. Nurse Joy was at the door so I hurried to her to meet the girl. I'll deal with this issue later.

When we got there I was instantly tackled by a mini wrecking ball, a bit of spit flew out my mouth. She hugged me tightly with a vice-like grip.

"Arggh! Get off me you weirdo!" I pushed the ball of cloth away and escaped the hug. I almost suffocated and panted for a moment before regaining myself.

"Hi there. I'm Athena." said a sweet young voice. I looked around, but no other child was there. Oh there she is. A ralts? I didn't expect one to be in Unova, but they appear in all regions don't they. She was a third of my size, so small kids back at home would have kicked her like a football if they saw her on the sidewalk without even realizing what she actually was.

"Uhh Hey?"

"I'm sorry about that, I'm just so glad you're okay. You have no idea how scared I was back then. Anyway, my name is Sarah and this is Athena, my partner."

I honestly don't know what to think of this. A little girl and Ralts were my amazingly powerful saviors. My chest squeezed and face scrunched as my pride took a big blow. It was just cringey to believe that I wanted to forget it. I should at least know what happened though. I may not be able to talk to the girl but I can talk to the Ralts.

"Hey Ralts."

"My name is Athena."

"Uhh sure. Tell me what happened to me that I w-"

*GROWL*

3rd POV:

A sudden and unexpected sound broke the conversation- a low, rumbling growl emanated from Theodore's stomach. His eyes widened in embarrassment as he was flustered by the untimely interruption. Nurse Joy, with a warm chuckle, leaned closer to him.

"I think someone's hungry." She remarked, her laughter filling the air. "Don't worry, the cafeteria is open, but it'll close soon. You should all grab a bite to eat, it has been awhile since you've been sitting here Sarah."

The young girl grinned, her Ralts sharing in her excitement. Theodore, though still slightly embarrassed, nodded in agreement. Yes food sounds like a good idea. I haven't eaten in about... I need to eat right now. Watch out chefs because daddy's hungry.

The cafeteria was just like the ones you would find in a secondary school. Round tables and all. The girl, Sarah, told me and Ralts to wait at the table on the edge. It was next to a wall made of glass showing the view of a well-kept garden. She went to the food section to get us our lunch. Damn it I forgot to tell her what I wanted. Please bring me a steak. Pls pls pls.

But then he remembered something more important.

"So Athena. Tell me what happened. Where was I when you found me and why was I so badly injured that it got Nurse Joy acting like I was about to die?" The small creature who had to use Sarah's bag to boost her up to a seat, turned to face him.

"We found you by the forest down the street." she said simply. "You came out and looked really really sad, but don't worry, Sarah and I helped you and got you all healed up."

So I was in fact injured heavily. What could have caused it, the only thing I remember before this is... YES! Now I remember. The end with the Beartic. It used what I assume was hyperbeam when I turned around. Shit I shouldn't have done that, I should have expected it. Stupid stupid stupid. You should never turn your back on an opponent. It will never happen again.

"I'm so excited to have you as my big brother. I've never had one before." she said with a smile.

"What do you mean older brother?"

"Oh Sarah hasn't told you yet, but she said that you're now my big brother. You're so cool. We'll go train, then beat the gym, then train then build a sand castle, then beat the gym wait did I already say that? Then we'll..." Theodore shut off the rest of her rambling, contemplating what she said.

Big brother... Theodore remembered coming out of that pokeball back at the restoration machine. I've been captured. Nurse Joy said it was necessary to get me back here but now that I'm officially that girl's Pokemon, she has my future in her hands or at least that's what they think. I'm a human, not a Pokemon and if they think I'll be treated like one of those circus animals then they have another thing coming.

It was back in his childhood when he sat on the couch and it was the first time he had watched the Pokemon black and white cartoon. He was excited to see creatures with extraordinary abilities and unique personalities. But as the episodes unfolded, a sense of disappointment washed over him.

In those early episodes, Pokemon often seemed to act like loyal servants to their trainers, obeying their every command without question. At first, he thought that it was just a plot thing that the writers didn't want to deal with, but instead rush things to the good part, so he ignored it. However, he saw no development of their partner's character. Sure there may have been some things here and there but that was it. Most partners just came and went for their trainer's convenience.

The concept of the Pokemon world, where these incredible beings formed partnerships, had left a bitter taste in his mouth. It was as if the very essence of what made Pokemon remarkable was being overshadowed by the notion of subservience.

As he watched, he couldn't help but draw a comparison between Pokemon and domesticated animals, like dogs. It had left him with a lingering belief that these creatures, despite their incredible powers, were somehow inferior, reduced to mere tools for human desires.

Screw being in a team of Pokemon, I've got better things to do. Help this girl win the Unova league? She doesn't even look like she can go through the forest by herself. Theodore woke up from his thoughts after hearing the clang of 3 plates on the table. Sarah sat down next to Athena and started her pasta with chilli con carne. Athena herself dove into the Pokemon food like one would in a swimming pool.

"What the hell is this shit, is this Pokemon food? It looks like you took a dump and smeared it over some pebbles you found on the street. Fuck's sake it's not even in a plate, it's in a bowl." It felt like karma had hit him after his monologue of Pokemon being like pets then he is the one eating from a bowl.

However, as the aroma of the meal wafted up to his sensitive nose, his mouth began to water uncontrollably. It was a struggle to resist the enticing scent that his stomach was begging for, and he found himself torn between his reluctance and the tantalizing promise of a satisfying meal.

He looked at Sarah's pasta and would rather eat that instead. He almost pounced on it if it wasn't for the fact that he didn't know whether Pokemon were allowed to eat human food. He didn't know if Weaviles had the same digestive enzymes as humans that could break down human food or if he would find himself like a dog eating chocolate. He could be poisoned and not the status type of poison, but death poison.

He didn't want to risk it. Arghh but... Survival triumphed over pride. If it was any consolation, at least he could say that he proved his statement right; humans will adapt to any case to win. With a trembling hand, he picked one of the pieces up to his face. A bead of sweat went down as he stared at it. Come on! It's for survival. It's for survival.

*Crunch* *Crunch*

A second passed but for Theodore, it felt like an eternity. Immediately, he was scooping fistfuls of the food and devouring it greedily, his earlier reluctance completely forgotten. It was surprisingly delicious, a mix of textures and tastes he had never experienced before. This taste, it's like if you get your favourite food then times it by ten then... I can't even think anymore. The taste is that good!

Sarah and Athena paused from eating as they watched in amused astonishment when the Weavile was practically shoveling the food into his mouth.

"Wow you really were hungry weren't you." she said sweetly with slightly widened eyes. "I've never seen a Pokemon eat that fast before and I've seen my dad's Snorlax eat." She couldn't help but chuckle at this sight. Theodore took a small pause, his bowl only having a thin layer left.

"I have been told that I eat a lot. Most of my bag back at work had my lunch and a bunch of snacks, but what can I say. A genius's brain needs energy to think, although I've never had something as delicious as this." Truly, when was the last time he could enjoy a meal like this. Before, everything used to taste bland and had lost its flavour back when was in the lab, obsessed with his research. Truly, when was the last time he could sit down and instead of thinking about science, he could taste his food?

Right now it was like his eyes had opened slightly to something he couldn't see before.

...

Theodore finished the rest of the bowl in one swoop. He looked at himself and the crumbs all over his coat and claws. He frowned and grabbed a tissue that was on Sarah's tray before wiping it off. Sarah was amused as she figured that Weaviles were on the graceful side. She and Athena were now done with their meals, so she took the plate and bowls before leaving the table.

"You two stay here alright, I'm just going to give these to the front." Theodore ignored her as he immediately dropped from his seat before stretching his limbs. A few cracks were heard as he groaned in satisfaction.

Alright, I've been fed, healed, and now ready to get out of here. He tries to take a step towards the cafeteria door, but a childish voice called out to him.

"Where are you going? Sarah told us to stay right here." She gets down by holding on to the side of the chair before dropping. She's so small. "We have to wait for her."

"Listen kid, you and uhhh kid helped me out and apparently saved me. So for that, I kindly give you this handshake." It was more like a finger shake with her small hand. "And a wholoping fuck you." He said before leaving again.

"What does fuck mean?" For god's sake.

He swiftly turned, hand raised and eyes glowing. He snarled at her annoyance and was about to move, but a small potent jiz from his heart went around his body, stopping him from any movement. Then to his shock, the Ralts in front of him was no longer there but was instead a familiar Cubchoo looking at him in curiosity. He sighed and put down his hand that was threatening to be enveloped in shadows.

Perhaps it isn't a good idea to be running around without any resources or guidance. She also has my pokeball which is kind of now my prison.

"Is everything okay? I thought I told you both to stay at the table." Theodore jumped slightly when Sarah appeared right behind him. Her voice was slightly worried and that was when he noticed some of the surrounding trainers and their Pokemon staring at them. Whoops was I a bit too loud?

"Nothing is wrong Sarah. Me and Athena were just having a delightful conversation." He knew she couldn't hear him, so he had to put up an expression to get his message across. He forced a smile that felt foreign and uncomfortable. He hoped it was convincing enough to hide his true feelings, but the ache in his cheeks told a different story.

"Yeah, I learned the word fuck" He was glad Sarah couldn't understand her. She put up a genuine smile that radiated brightly before kneeling down to him face to face.

"Hey Weavile, I know we haven't been together long, but I want to offer you the opportunity to join the family."

"Weavile?"

"You can journey with us throughout the region and then we can beat the Unova league and become the champions of Unova. So what do say?"

"Hah! You winning the Unova league, I would like to see you try. I bet you can't even beat the first gym, but I'll entertain you for a bit." He nodded and Sarah smiled even wider.

"Great! welcome to the team, I promise you won't regret it. We'll have so much fun together!" She said, eyes dancing with enthusiasm. "So first things first is a name. All members of team Sarah must have a nickname."

Theodore shot a glare at her that could freeze a Magmar. His name is Theodore Nieoldiek, a renowned biologist who's been part of many papers and won't be called anything else. He won't accept any she gives for this mockery.

"How about Sweety?" She suggested, ignoring his glare.

"Oh come on this isn't diary of a wimpy kid." That name reminded him of the scene in the third movie where they bought a dog and fought for what to name him. He shook his head.

"Then what aboooouuuut Fifi?" He facepalmed when she jumped, thinking it would be so cute to name him that. Again he shook his head, furiously as his patience was wearing thin.

"NO! THAT'S NOT EVEN A BOY'S NAME! You named Athena after a Greek goddess you could at least say Hercules. Not that I'd accept it anyway, but it's better than your other suggestions." They continued to exchange responses. One giving childish names meant for a girl's hamster while the other kept shaking his head to the point he became dizzy.

"Noooooo! Please just stop, I can't handle the cringe!" He huffed as sweat was starting to form and... was he cross-eyed? "I know you're a teenager- a petite one at that- but this is ridiculous."

He wanted to simply say his name was Theodore, but this damn language barrier prevented him from doing that. That will need fixing soon if I want to make my intentions clear. Sarah, seeing his dissatisfaction, relented.

"Alright, since you don't like them we can think about it later. Weavile return." she pulled out his pokeball and his eyes widened in alarm. He instinctively extended his arm to halt the process.

"NOO-" his world blurred and twisted as the red beam sucked him into the pokeball where he met a familiar gaze. He sighed tiredly. Sarah and Athena exchanged surprised glances when the pokeball on Sarah's sash opened and emerged Theodore in a flash of energy. It was an unprecedented sight for both of them; They've never seen a Pokemon autonomously exit their pokeball before. The Weavile stood before them, panting and clearly irritated, fixing an icy glare at them.

"Don't do that again." He growled, his frustration evident. Although, Sarah was unfazed.

"I guess having you out is okay. There's only two of you so far so I won't mind. Besides, you're pretty tiny." The comment did elicit a faint blush, a reminder that he was about the size of a child. "I've already booked a room for us, so lets go. We're planning to challenge the Striaton Gym first thing tomorrow so an early night is in order."

He looked outside and saw that the sun was giving off its last rays of light as it descended into the horizon. Did I wake up that late? I have been running around in a foreign body in a place where any person would die without supplies, so it's a reasonable indulgence.

When they got there, he couldn't help but be astonished. After getting the keys and going to the bedroom, he didn't realize how big the Pokemon centre was until he the number of floors on a signboard. The centre was part of a large hotel meant for traveling trainers when they were getting their gym badges.

Actually entering the room had given him a large feeling of nostalgia. The bedroom- along with its facilities like a shower, fridge, TV, and a few other things- were almost a replica of his own back in his old world. He can remember when he first kept a pet Daddy Long-legs in the corner and removed each of its legs to see how it would move. It's only been a few days and I already miss it... Dang this feels a bit wierd. I've never reminisced about my stuff before.

"What's wrong?" Athena asked next to him, startling him.

"What makes you think anything's wrong? I'm not scowling am I?"

"It's just that you see I can feel a weirdness from you I haven't felt since me and Sarah left home." She can sense my feeling of nostalgia!

"How...how are you able to do that?" She giggled, happy to tell him about her feeling power.

"My horn picks up emotions that others send out, so if someone is happy, I can sense their happiness but if someone is sad then I sense their sadness. I don't like sadness, I would rather have everyone be happy."

"So It's true, the Ralts evolutionary line can sense others emotions. I just remembered that it's one of your most famous abilities. Awww this is so awesome!" This was the first time she sensed happiness from him, so she smiled widely too. "How does it work; do you pick up chemicals from the air like warrior ants when attacked or is it like sea turtles who sense the magnetic field of the Earth or maybe it's..."

Athena just stared at Theodore while he kept walking in a circle and spewing words she couldn't understand, but she kept smiling as she now sensed intense curiosity, stronger than the one she felt after being born. It was so concentrated that after a moment, she had to block off her horn's sensor cells when they got overloaded. This only happens when the emotions from the person weren't just mere feelings but obsessions.

"Athena Weavile it's time to sleep." Sarah called out, already in her pyjamas and tucked into bed. Athena jumped onto it- to Theodore's surprise- and tucked herself in too. They both looked at him as Sarah patted the spot next to her to which he rolled his eyes.

"Pfft you're not my mother." He huffed before climbing in anyway. He shivered from the immense comfy fluffiness of the cover which he didn't expect. If this is made of Mareep wool then our sheep would pale compared to them. It's like I'm in a capsule of comfort... Actually, it's a bit too comfortable.

"Weavile can you tu-" He switched the lamp off by pressing the discrete button at the top of it in his first attempt before she could get a word in. Smart.

Little did she know what he was planning as she hugged her Ralts and mumbled goodnight. She wouldn't be expecting to wake up in the morning to realize her new furry friend missing. It was taking a lot of will for Theodore to keep his eyelids open as the darn bed kept pulling him to the depths of sleep. He had to fight the desire for what could be the absolute best sleep he was to ever experience if he wanted to execute his plan and having droopy eyelids wasn't helping.

must resist... I must resist. Come on Theodore think about escape. Just.. j-just think of being free and...

He went to sleep.

However, a persistent nudge from his brain, a small whisper reached out like a beckoning hand, compelling him to awaken. Grudgingly, he woke up and rubbed his eyes before looking out the window. It was still pitch black out there, so he jumped out much to his dismay, and carefully tip-toed around the room.

Whoops mustn't forget about my pokeball. He clenched the prison within his hand that almost cracked it. Silently, he reached the impending obstacle standing in his path, the door. He trod lightly, thanking god that his Weavile form- built for stealth- didn't bring out a faint squeak from the floor, before easing the door behind him. He took a deep breath before moving onward.

Pass the hallway, to the stairs to ground 3 where there should be another set of stairs taking him to the exit. Excited, he navigated through the hospital, ready to be hugged by liberty. At least that's what he thought. After maneuvering past some trainers who were going to their rooms, no doubt to challenge the Striaton Gym or to see other magnificent sights, Theodore found himself in a storage room.

"Brilliant! I went through the whole hospital like a badass ninja and now I'm stuck. I can't even ask anyone except their pets for some directions. At least give me some time to fix this stupid language barrier! Why doesn't this Pokemon hospital have any signboards, the place is massive." As he looked around at the many boxes sorted out in neat piles, he contemplated. Maybe this wasn't a bad idea. He might find something useful in his journey as he didn't know how currency or shops worked.

They never explained that in the anime they just showed them asking for something then getting it. Ooooh They have some flavoured Pokemon food! At the top of a huge stack there lied in big bold letters. GIOVANNI'S PREMIUM BEEF & VEGETABLE POKEMON FOOD. The thought started to make him salivate and unconsciously climb up to it. He didn't bother stacking shelves as he thought his new Weavile skills could let him climb it right?...Right?

When he reached the top, his weight shifted unsteadily, causing the stack to wobble. With a sudden bad angle of footing, he fell all ten feet, landing with immediate pain spreading all across his precious backside. The Stack also fell apart and like Jenga blocks, crashed onto the ground causing a loud noise to echo around the room. However, the heavy crate of Pokemon food fell down on his furry head with a cringeworthy snap.

After waking up again, he looked around in confusion and his answer came from the many crushed cans, ripped papers, and other items scattered across the floor. It was one hell of a fall. Holding his head from the pain, he walked out to find the exit whilst looking like a zombie from the walking dead. He groaned from even the slightest of noise as his headache was beginning to worsen.

"This looks good. Clean and bright lights fit for the front of house." But when he fully opened his eyes and rubbed them off their blurry mess, he saw a few teenage girls all focusing on him. One had stopped her applying her lipstick just to see the new arrival and after a moment of awkwardness, many things quickly happened.

For the trio of girls, they had carried on what they were doing. Sometimes the odd Pokemon stumbled into the bathroom, but who cares; they weren't interested in human parts. But for Theodore, he rushed out of there like his life depended on it with a myriad of thoughts. Many of them being apologies while the rest were about the consequences he could potentially face after seeing some underage girls in the bathroom.

Covering his eyes as shame took over his body and made him run without any direction, he didn't realize he was running directly into a wall. He felt the impact and guess what... fell unconscious ag- no wait. The Pokemon body is, including the bones, stronger than a human's, so he wasn't Mr Lewis to cut his eyebrow on it. (Guess where that reference is from in the reviews). However, the unsteady shelf above him had finally broken, and the many metal gadgets it was holding had fallen, hitting his head and sending him back to the shadow realm.

Fuuuuuuuck ami I dead yet? God please take thy soul already, I can't be arsed with this shit. He woke up with a pounding head, wishing to find the darn exit before

"What time is it!?" He looked out a nearby window. Struggling to reach there, he was glad it was still night, but the sun was beginning to rise and show its celestial rays. He had to hurry before they awake or it's goodbye freedom.

He took one step before almost dropping as his nausea made the world appear upside down. It was a struggle before he got his bearing, but after 13 minutes, he finally found what he was looking for. His eyes sparkled and his furry ass tingled from the sight of the waiting room, if the setting wasn't obvious.

"Nurse Joy isn't here too delightful! Freedom my darling, I've missed you" He walked towards the exit. "I know I haven't visited in a while but please understand that I've- you know what forget the formalities and lets just kiss." And yes he was about to kiss the naked fresh air that will hit his face as soon as the doors open.

"INCOMING!" He felt his spine break as he was powerfully knocked back by a little pink puffball whose looks disguised the wrecking ball she was. She was carrying a huge crate of medical resources above her and carelessly ran through the waiting room. She wasn't even paying attention to who she ran into.

"Happiny, how many times do I have to tell you to stop running through the centre like that! Honestly, one of those packages will end up on somebody's head one day." Nurse Joy scolded her, arriving after tending a patient to see how her new apprentice was doing. She let out a weak frown as she knew it will take this one a bit of time to get up to scratch with her ecstatic behaviour. "Hey, are you okay?!"

She spotted a grey and red plushy laying behind the reception desk. After close inspection, she let out a breath of relief. She obviously recognized who the Weavile was, and apart from a nasty bump on his head- almost hidden from his shaman hair- he was fine. But why is he here, shouldn't he be in Sarah's room or did he somehow wonder here? That's careless of Sarah. She didn't carry on the thought; you see weird things when dealing with Pokemon.

At first, she thought of getting Happiny to take him to Sarah's room but removed it immediately. She would end up breaking down the door or his back. I need to get to another patient so I can't go through the entire hospital myself... what do I do? She jumped back slightly after hearing Theodore groaning. He got up, dismissing her outstretched hand, and limped back to his room through subconscious directions.

Opening the door and not bothering to be stealthy, he hopped into bed and pulled the remaining blanket onto himself. Sarah and Athena were still asleep despite the constant creeks he left. Good, because he really wanted to be in heaven's pocket without hearing another voice.

(Timeskip)

The two got ready; bathing, brushing, and getting dressed swiftly as today would be an exciting day for them. Athena grinned as her trainer groomed her dress, making it as smooth as a Perloin's fur. Sarah was beautifully humming in the background. They weren't exactly subtle, Theodore put a pillow over his head and wanted to scream in anger. He's lived alone his entire adult life and doesn't put on background music when writing reports.

Seeing this, Sarah threw his blankets off, revealing him to the bright sunny sky.

"Rise and shine Weavile, today is the day we take on the Striaton Gym, so I need everybody in tip top shape." He grumbled but got out anyway before walking to the bathroom. "Wait, don't you want me to brush you. Athena's given me 5 stars."

"Ralts Ralts."

"I can ready myself, I'm not a child." It only took a few minutes for the two to finish off the remaining makeup; it made them more adorable than they already were. He too was done; bathed and groomed surprisingly well for someone who's only been a Weavile for a few days.

"Wow." Sarah gasped at his majestic appearance. She didn't see him other than being bruised or scruffy, but now she just wanted to hug him all day long. If this is how he's meant to look like then she's sure he would destroy coordination battles in Sinnoh.

They packed their things, thanked Nurse Joy for everything then left the centre. Theodore was slightly nervous as he hadn't seen the city before and didn't know if it represented the anime or something else. After seeing the excited nature of Athena he couldn't help but get a bit angry at himself.

Come on man she's a child and you're the one getting nervous. Pull yourself together.

"There's no shame in being nervous you know. When I came to the city for the first time, I was nervous too." Athena said.

"Nervous? I'm not nervous just ready to beat the gym leader." Athena's mouth made an 'o'.

"But the feeling you're releasing is the same Sarah did after leaving for her journey. I can remember the face she made is a bit like yours, but don't worry I'm here for you."

"...Sure." When they got through the door, he immediately scouted the streets. "My god."

The view was wonderful. The buildings, tall and wide, were the peak of modern architecture. The bricks, paint, and windows weren't weathered in the slightest as if new. They were taken care of frequently. They were adorned with colourful banners and decorative facades loomed overhead.

The streets themselves were captivating. Made of cobblestone, they wove through the heart of Striaton, where people with their Pokemon strolled leisurely, creating a lively tapestry of sights and sounds. It drew him in, the smiling, cheering, laughing paired with the clean streets which weren't polluted in the slightest, reminded him of Shinigami's words. It went something like 'you gain more from looking after your community'. He wanted to reject them, but his logical mind kept a feeling at the back of his head, one that considered them true.

Walking the path to the Striaton Gym, they went past lushus parks and gardens that provided great pockets of greenery for relaxation. There was a Leavany gently pushing a small boy on the swings as his parents were seated on a royal bench, watching in delight. There was great joy with the families as they kept smiling like nothing was wrong with the world.

"...Hmph."

If Theodore could remember correctly, the anime proposed the Hym's interior as a restaurant and after some words, Ash got to pick his opponent although he picked all three of the triplets.

Cilan's Pansage is a grass type and is weak against ice type attacks that I should be able to use. Perfect, this should be an easy battle. Hopefully, the kid isn't dumb enough to not use me and use the Ralts. Actually, it's her first gym battle so she might. Hmm this could be troublesome oh yeah If you're thinking why I care, it's because of last night. You don't get knocked out three times in a row unless something earie is happening, so Shinigami might be doing some crap to keep me with her and 'learn my lessons' fucking sloppy twat.

He knew it would be best to move forward then see his next steps. They arrived at the Striaton gym and a feeling of nostalgia hit him. He was sitting on the couch and confused at seeing a restaurant inside a museum-like building and now seeing it for himself brought some excitement. Curling his toe claw, he moved ahead of Sarah and opened the door himself.

The two girls' cheery smiles fell to confusion at the many tables and the three familiar waiters catering to a few people. It wasn't rush hour right now, so most tables were empty. Sarah just stood there not knowing what to do, she expected a battlefield where she could put her skills to the test, but found this. One of the waiters, Chilli saw her and came.

"Hello ma'am, if you could take a seat at table 4 then I'll take your order."

"Oh no you see I'm actually here for a aaahh!" she was nudged to the table where she couldn't help but sit down as Chilli brought out his notepad and pen. Theodore looked over the menu to see many delicious wonders which he genuinely to try. That was an odd thought to him because before, he wouldn't care about the taste of his food only his work.

"So ma'am what would you like to eat. We have some great sales today like the dessert menu has an exclusive 10% off or you can have today's special; a lobster supreme." Poor Sarah was a little overwhelmed and shyly asked.

"I-i'm sorry but I think there's been a misunderstanding. I'm Sarah and I'm looking fo-"

"And with the special comes a great mojito; freshly cooled and a delight to have in this wonderful weather."

"No sorry b-but I-"

"Or if you're a vegetarian then we have-"

Theodore couldn't help but enjoy the show. He was grinning with his legs on the table while Athena looked neutral, she had never seen Sarah this flustered before.

"Alright pretty boy that's enough." Theodore pulled Chilli's attention. He looked at him in confusion, first from the need of disturbing him when he's giving service then at the species of Pokemon he is. Aren't all three gym leaders connoisseurs?

He started to throw a few jabs at the air which made Chilli alert of what he was conveying.

"Oooooohhhhhh you want a gym battle. I see I see. Boys looks like we got another one." The other 2 waiters heard their sibling and all went towards the back wall. The customers knew what this meant and moved away in preparation for the spectacle.

"Alright Sarah I'll grant your request."

"So you're a challenger then you'll receive a welcome as pleasant and hot as a new day's sun."

"No I think we should be cool like a refreshing water... chilled of course."

The families that were eating cheered happily as they saw their stars in the spotlight. They couldn't help but be ecstatic at the sight of the first gym battle for the day. Theodore felt deja vu at the sight before him. Replace Sarah with Ash and it will be exactly the same scene from the anime.

"I don't understand what's going on." Sarah timidly said.

"We're the Striaton triplets and we will be your gym leaders today. So now it's showtime." They got into their poses as the back wall opened up, revealing a large Pokemon battlefield made of a rocky ground layer and filled with many boulders. On each side was a stand for the trainers and overlooking them were elevated seats for the spectators that were taken up by the families.

The challengers looked in awe at the first time of seeing a battlefield firsthand instead of behind the screen.

"So now is the time for you to choose who your opponent will be."

"I have to select one of you to battle?"

"Correct! You can choose either me, Cilan, Chilli or Cress. Beating either of us classes you victorious against the Striaton Gym and will earn you the trio badge. Before choosing here are our partners." They all released them from their pokeballs.

"Pansage!"

"Pansear!"

"Panpour!"

All monkey Pokemon whose fur represented their types looked in anticipation at me and Athena. Athena was clearly nervous seeing her first opponent first hand, but Theodore didn't look impressed. Actually, he had a bit of a weird expression... it was the same one he had when he kept toying with the test monkeys by taunting them with their food. Ah, it was funny when I kept putting food in front of them then taking it away. How they kept struggling and jumping around in rage but could do nothing.

"I'm honestly not sure who to pick."

"WHAT! Didn't you do any sort of preparation it's your first gym battle for god's sake. Pick Cress, he's the best bet we've got." Theodore pointed at the blue-haired gentleman.

"U-uh okay. I guess I'll pick Cress then."

"Excellent choice madam. I'll make sure your first gym battle will be an experience of a lifetime." Chilli went to the spectator seats while the battlers went to their stands. Cilan stayed on the side to be the referee of this battle.

"Panpour you're up!"

"Panpour."

"Athena I'll pick you. Sorry Weavile, I said to Athena that our first gym battle would be together, but in the next round I'll pick you." So he was right in his hypothesis, but that's fine, he could see how well they battled together and if things get ugly, he'll jump in and win this.

"Sorry to tell you this madam but there are no substitutions. You can only use one Pokemon in this gym battle, so your Ralts will be the only one who can battle."

Now that made his heart rise a bit. If they lost then that will delay them on their journey and will keep them in this city. He needed to move forward if he had any hopes of going back to his human self again. Sarah Athena you better not lose. He stood behind Sarah to watch the match.

"Attention for our first battle at the Striaton Gym, it's Sarah the challenger against Cress the gym leader. Only one Pokemon each and when one side is unable to battle, the battle is over. Begin!"

"Alright Panpour lets start with watergun." Cress made the first move as Panpour released a steady stream of water across the field, aimed right at Athena.

"So um uhh Athena jus-" It was already too late. Athena yelped as she was struck in the chest and sent flying back, hitting the boulder behind her. It was clear that a good amount of damage had been done when she had difficulty standing despite only being hit with one attack. Her evolution line is not known for their defense which is why most trainers tend to work on their speed.

That's a flaw. If you don't learn to take a hit then when you do you're down for the count. Just from that clash I can already see where this is heading.

"Again Panpour. Hit her with watergun but more power this time." Cress's eyes narrowed, seeing how weak Athena's defense capabilities were, and was intending to take advantage of this weakness.

"Athena jump to the right, don't let it hit you!"

At least Sarah's learning. If she didn't dodge that then the dent on the boulder would've been on Athena's skull. I only hope she gets her battling mode on because, at this rate, she's gonna get pummelled.

"Now Athena use hypnosis."

...

"Seriously, you don't even know your partners' attacks!" Theodore exclaimed as the poor Ralts stood in confusion about what the attack was meant to be. Cress didn't wait around for Sarah's next command as Panpour let out another water gun aimed at her legs. She leaped to the top of a nearby boulder, narrowly dodging the attack meant to send her back to the end of the field. Cress was planning to keep spamming watergun until Sarah would finally counterattack.

And now was the perfect time; Athena had the vantage point on the monkey and could use her lines specialty- ranged attacks.

"Now Athena use tackle." Unfortunately, she used the one attack she wasn't meant to use and Athena leaped from the boulder and like a cannonball, was going to tackle Panpour.

The monkey's too nimble, you're not going to hit him.

"Panpour gracefully dodge." He easily moved out the way of the upcoming attack like he was walking in the park or swinging from a tree in his case. Athena only hit the rocky ground and cried out in pain. The aura of confidence Theodore felt from her left long ago.

"Alright that's enough." Too frustrated, Theodore jumped to the field in the middle of the two combatants and stopped any other command from being released. Everyone looked at him confused. "Athena go back to your dumbass of a trainer, I'll deal with this myself." She did as she was told, too upset from her poor performance to reprimand him for interrupting their highly anticipated battle.

Cilan watched on and couldn't help but look in pity. This was against the rules but he might make an exception this one time; the trainer clearly had no idea what she was doing and didn't prepare in the slightest. Usually, he would send such trainers back, but seeing the bold blue eyes of this Pokemon whom he's never seen before and only heard about, made him conclude his decision.

"Usually I would call this a disqualification, but just this once I'll give the challenger a free pass. If you want you can let your Weavile battle instead or you can choose to forfeit and come back another time. If you do decide to the latter then perhaps some preparation would be a good idea."

"No!" Sarah declared. She was appalled at her own performance and felt terrible at what she had put Athena through due to her own negligence. She didn't even know her own Pokemon's attacks what kind of trainer does that! She didn't want to lose, she didn't want to turn back after the whole build up. Later she'll fix up her mess, but for now, she just wanted to win. "I want to carry on battling. I pick Weavile to be my next Pokemon and I know he'll win."

What else was she going to tell her parents, Sorry guys I lost because I didn't know my own Pokemon's attacks. It left a bitter taste in her mouth just thinking about it.

Theodore looked slightly impressed at her unwillingness to give up. He'll have to win this himself which was fine, he would never allow himself to be ordered like a pet in his life. He shooed her away with his claw and her eyes lowered to the floor at the dismissal.

"If we're all on board now then I think it's my turn. Panpour water gun." Using this attack from small range made it less effective, but Theodore quickly sidestepped, not wanting to get hit.

He could smell the subtle fragrance of Cress's cologne lingering in the air, a strong ocean breeze which aggravated Theodore and after a quick glance to see his smile, his resolve to win increased massively.

"Your trainer thinks I'm like the pitiful Ralts, but I'll show him his wrong!" In a burst of energy, he lunged at Panpour who was startled, not used to an opponent moving without command. He sent a flurry of sloppy punches, swipes and kicks which were all dodged effortlessly as Panpour kept jumping around the battlefield, from boulder to boulder. Theodore didn't let up and was determined to do some damage, so he followed using his new mobility to steadily catch up.

"Now Panpour double team." Theodore's heart jumped in shock when his fist went directly through his face, a phantom ghost disappearing and leaving Theodore to hit nothing but air. He looked around and everywhere were many Panpours looking at him with a slight gleam in their eyes.

They're just fake clones made by the double team, they can't do anything except look at me. Problem is which one is the real one.

He was swiftly turning around to eye each one to see if he could recognize the real body. Not knowing how good the illusion's effects were, he tried to see if there would be any slight deviations that would give him away. Nose, tail even shadow were how they were meant to be if the bodies were real.

He didn't hear the command for Panpour to use swipe before he brought his arms to hug himself as the many monkeys jumped at him, ready to attack but only one's attacks caused two cuts on him.

Theodore slipped on a rock and quickly crawled back as his fur rose and eyes dilated when looking at the monster who was once half his size to suddenly become humongous, leering with a calm smile.

H-how dare he! How dare you! It reminded him of the Beartic when he was being chased through the forest running as though his life depended on it. He felt small fickles of memories of his heart pounding and adrenaline rushing. He wouldn't accept something as humiliating as that no way.

Cress's smile fell a little when looking at the field. The air around him grew a bit denser, something he hadn't experienced before but when watching the Weavile who just stared at his claw with a menacing scowl, his skin grew colder.

Theodore's claw shook in anger. He won't accept it no no no no NO!

Remember what you felt. Remember when you wanted to crush that Beartic like the tiny ant it is. She was not the predator but you were, ready to devour her. An ethereal shadow grew out of his wrist, growing in size and enveloping his whole forearm, solidifying and becoming a dangerous clawed gauntlet.

"Let's see how you like this bitch!" A great attack from Theodore soared to the nimble Pokemon's head, set on ending this match right now. However, he missed yet again. His eyes widened.

That's it! Monkeys are known for running away from prey because of their lack of strength against other animals. Let's see how he deals with this surprise. Another attack was meant to be coming for Panpour so he stepped to the side and was momentarily stunned when the claw didn't go past him but was only halfway in motion. It was redirected to where he was now.

A scream of great pain echoed through the hall as Panpour clutched onto his head where three deep cuts laid. Cress's tongue stilled at the unexpected change of battle after he was so sure he was gonna win.

Luckily for him after a jump to the other side of the field, Panpour recovered and although he struggled, he kept standing.

"We need to end this in one final move, finish this with watergun the most powerful one you've used!" From the other side of the field, Panpour inhaled and filled his inside with the most condense water he's ever done as a gym leader's Pokemon.

Theodore wasn't idle, he ran quicker than even from the Beartic, nimbly maneuvering through boulders and using his feet claws to make sure he didn't trip on the ground similar to a cheetah when sprinting.

Panpour released the powerful jet of water as it broke through many small boulders, leaving only dust in their path. He smiled at the display.

"Ha ha now I've got you!" Emerged Theodore, jumping through the dust and with a mad smile, summoned a shadow claw and thrusted it downwards.

Panpour jumped at the silly attack- didn't he learn that he can just out maneuver him, but that's when he realised. There were boulders all around him, blocking his little frame from any escape. Not even a small hole for him to monkey through.

His attack landed and boy if the painful cry wasn't enough to tell everyone the battle was over then it was certainly the black swirls on the eyes of the fallen Pokemon.

"Oh no." Cress sighed, taking out his pokeball and returning Panpour before giving it a smile. "You battled well Panpour, we'll get you healed up in no time."

"P-Panpour is unable to battle and Weavile wins meaning the victor is Sarah the challenger." Cilan announced after a moment of silence. The audience watched in awe at the rare display of strategy coming from the first Gym in Unova. It was even better that the Pokemon fought by itself against a recognized Gym leader and won.

Cress walked over along with his brothers with a small tray containing a badge with 3 gems that showed their respective hair colours. Sarah looked at it in awe, her first gym badge in the Unova league and the first milestone to becoming champion.

"Congratulations Sarah, this is your proof of beating me and the Striaton gym. It's called the Trio badge, you've earned it." Cress said even though he didn't mean that last part. Sarah and the crowd smiled nervously as they too knew it was true. The battle was a complete mess, filled with irregularities. Cress would have told her this if that look of determination from earlier wasn't an indicator she would change herself as a trainer.

"Thank you and thank you Cilan for giving me that extra chance."

"It's not a problem. It was a unique spice when your Weavile used Panpour's strength against him, something you don't see with beginning trainers."

"Thank you, I'll make sure to improve so the next gym leader will see a whole different Sarah." Everyone waved her goodbye as she left with her Pokemon by her side. They went outside where the sun was shining even more than before.

Great, now we can finally go to Nacrene City. There's a library in there, so maybe I'll find something interesting to read... or I'll have to battle for Sarah again. I don't want to do that so I might need to help her and Athena improve.

"I can see you want to go to Nacrene City Weavile, but first we're going to be going to the Dream Yard. I was thinking a new friend would be helpful for the next gym."

Or maybe later...

 

[Swag Striker]

Chapter 4: the dreamyard

A/N: Hi guys, I hope you like this chapter, and don't forget to leave a review at the end of what you think; it can be anything.

Chapter 4 START

The Dreamyard was considered one of the wonders of Unova. Despite being a research laboratory, many tourists made sure to take a tour inside and see the numerous kinds of wonderful projects there. It was also a great place to meet a renowned Pokemon professor, who would pop up from time to time.

It was made to research greener ways of producing energy using the powers of Pokemon other than electric types. This could include taking advantage of certain grass types' enhanced photosynthesis capabilities, the body heat of fire types, etc. However, the most notable of all were the ones surrounding the dream mist produced by a Munna or its evolved form, Musharna.

Dreams have always been considered a mystery, so when the opportunity came to study what they're capable of, lots of sponsors came to enlarge the facility into a towering sci-fi glory. That was when it really popped off. A few of the smaller yet significant projects had been completed so more focus was put on the 'Dream Science' project.

Unfortunately, something went wrong. They don't know what caused it, but a huge explosion near the ground floor destroyed its surroundings and came down crashing the rest of the tower. The steel framework collapsed, the glass windows shattered, and families were crushed. The tourists outside also felt the impact. It was all over the news, known as one of the worst things to happen in Unova.

The team trenched through the surrounding landscape, looking in interest at the gray architecture hiding behind a chipped brick wall. It was a distance away. Sticking out were steel beams bent from their original position like pins in a string ball. The second floor mostly had no ceiling, so the sun shone on the completely discolored walls. The ceiling that remained was chained together to stop more devastation from happening.

They were all surprised when they could walk through the grass like how they would in the park even though they expected there to be debris everywhere. Guess they must've cleaned everything outside for safety. Actually, why did they come here? Oh yeah, Sarah's mom used to be a doctor here and luckily didn't have a shift that day. If it was even one day earlier… Sarah cut off the thought before it could continue. So she recommended her to come here, thinking it would be a good learning experience.

Theodore desperately wanted to see the inside, salivating from the unique experiments the Pokemon world had in store for him. Pokemon are much more durable than a stupid ape. I want to see the testing they did on them. Unless they were more on the lovey-dovey side then the research they'd gained wouldn't be much

After a long walk that didn't even cover most of the Dreamyard's perimeter, they reached the gigantic gate.

"Do not enter." Theodore read the red graffiti. "I don't know if you know this gate but I listen to my own rules." He tried to push the double doors to no avail. The rust accumulated after so long kept the doors together.

Plan A failed then it's time for plan B

"Wait what are you doing?! We're here to sightsee not break the law." Sarah exclaimed.

"Who cares there's no one here. Besides don't you have other things to worry about like your Pokemon's moves?" He sneered. But she couldn't understand what he was saying so in disregard, he jumped the whole ten feet onto the wall.

"Fine you big meanie, we'll go inside." She pouted before looking for a way to get in. It was just a wall but she wasn't a climber to climb through the small cracks.

"Athena, do you know psychic?" Theodore asked. She shook her head. Right because they gain it once becoming more powerful. How should I get them over?

He looked around for anything on this side of the wall. There certainly was debris the cleaning team couldn't be bothered to clear up. There was a long rope on the floor. Some barrels too, probably empty. There wasn't anything useful here either except broken concrete and steel beams. Pondering around, he noticed something on the overhanging ceiling. There were three rotating pipes that used to be used as part of an elevator when constructing the wall. Theodore clicked his fingers.

That's it!

"Sarah." He got her attention.

"Weave Weave Wea Weavile Vile Wea." He said, pointing at the ceiling over her head before jumping down on his side and getting the rope before jumping over. Attached to the end was a big rock. The two girls looked in wonder when he jumped and wrapped the rope around the three pipes in a weaving way. It was long enough for the rocky end to reach them.

"Weavile Weave." He was now pointing at the rock.

"Y-you want u-us to get on it?" She asked unsure. Even when he nodded, they were still uncertain but got on anyway. Athena jumped into Sarah's arms before Sarah planted her feet onto the rock and held the rope.

"Aleyoop!" Theodore jumped down. Sarah and Athena gasped when they were moving against gravity and smoothly reached the top of the wall. Taking a step, they looked down at the whole ten feet. Theodore jumped back whilst still holding the rope. He then demonstrated his use of the rope slowing his fall down the other side of the wall via the rock. Throwing the rope to Sarah, she did the same thing.

No one spoke when walking through the junkyard grassfield to the remains of the facility.

"How did you do that?" Athena jumped off of Sarah to walk beside him. She looked at him in admiration, curious Of the mechanism she'd never seen before.

"It's called a pully system. With the pivoting points, you can create tension force from the ceiling to the rope and reduce the amount of force needed to pull someone up. It's how I picked you both up despite weighing less and I've lost you haven't I?"

"…I know what tension means." She said sheepishly.

"The more cylinders you wrap the rope around the easier it is to pull someone capiche." She nodded.

They reached the building. Despite losing its height, it was still humongous in width. Most rooms they saw were exposed as no walls were covering them. There was a signboard remaining on its last legs next to the doorway. On it was the plan of the first floor. It was simple. Most were facilities for tourists most definitely run down now. There was one in particular catching Theodores' eyes, 'Data Room'. My man legged it before Sarah could put her arm out. She didn't bother chasing him, if he had the intelligence to do what he did back then then he could probably navigate the place without getting lost. On the other hand, Sarah was interested in the facilitated battlefield. Slightly ecstatic she went off, looking forward to any tips she could gain to help her as a trainer.

Theodore's POV:

"Awww how good it feels to get my hands on a computer." I quickly reached the room. At first, when entering, I was pissed off at how run down the place was. Moss was growing in the corner, there were pieces of glass I narrowly maneuvered through, and the still intact Pokemon test tube had nothing in it. However, once removing the spiderwebs under the desk and blowing the dust off the monitor, I booted up the PC and got aroused by the screen glowing. It took a moment for it to show the desktop which was more advanced than one back at home.

"100 petabytes holy shit!" I looked into the computer's info

What kind of storage is that! And such processing power! For what is considered a slightly advanced computer it is too far forward than ours which makes it all the more exciting!

Going onto documents, I didn't have the patience to read through the files' titles so clicked on a random one. Forget about a synopsis and just get reading.

"Yes, it worked, they didn't need a password. Come on babes show me what you got. Let's see it's 20th October 2023 and during the 26th test, we finally got a signal. After recalibrating the electron gun's wavelength to a certain frequency, they were able to collide with the dream mist particles and cause a higher generation of electricity compared to what we started with. Considering the amount of dream mist produced by a single Muarnna is about insert numbers and units here then these results could bring us a cleaner/higher energy source than any other method used." My jaw dropped. For a moment I didn't see the room around me as the words in front of the screen etched themselves into my brain.

Do you have any idea what this means? It means these guys were incredibly close to finding a better way to generate electricity than even nuclear fusion. If you didn't know, we on Earth were currently investing tons of money, labour, and time into a project called ITER which was meant to emulate the sun and produce energy by sacrificing mass. After 35 years we barely have anything to show for it. Incredible, simply spectacular. I have nothing but utter admiration for the ones who accomplished this research.

All they needed to do was build more electron guns and from there it would have been energy heaven. If the facility hadn't blown up, the people of this planet would have reached a new age.

In the midst of my thoughts, my pointed ear flicked towards the right wall after hearing a sound. It was so small that if it weren't for these sensitive ears then there's no way I would have noticed. Probably some screeching metal.

"So now to the next day, the file says- HEY! Whichever of you two is whimpering quiet down or I'll slap you. Don't you know a genius is at work here, I don't want to deal with a papercut…. Jesus Christ." I facepalmed. The only good thing I've come across in this world and it gets disrupted immediately. Listening carefully, I noticed that the whimpering wasn't too far off from here. Actually, it's on the other side of this soundproof room.

"The exit should be right about here. There we go. Alright, which cocksucker is disturbing my love time. Is it you- what the hell happened to you?" What am I looking at right now? It was a bipedal dog creature. It was sitting on its skinny black legs. It had black fur in its twiggy torso that contained dirt and little sticks and protruded a small lackluster spike. Its blue face was the biggest indicator that it was based off of a canine creature with its black fur moving up to its eye, covering it like a mask. There were two tear-drop bangs on the side of its head looking like they were able to sense something. Its eyes though were a very dim red like they had no more weight to them as tears easily fell down its cheeks.

"Why is a Riolu, tied by its hands, feet and muzzle, sitting in an abandoned facility… unless you were used in a science experiment. Yes! So the humans in this universe are just like at home- abandoning others for power." The Riolu flinched when I mentioned the word 'power'.

I went to remove the small rope tied around his muzzle to hear an explanation, but when close, he weakly shrugged back. His legs moved so slowly, it was clear he had no energy left. I moved closer and reached for the rope despite the strained turn he tried to make.

"Now that you can talk, fess up. Who left you? I know a high-class professor doesn't have the heart to do this." He responded with silence, looking at the ground with those half-lidded dim eyes. At first, I thought he couldn't due to extreme thirst, but after a solid 10 seconds

"…Useless…" He muttered with the voice of a young boy. It was raspy like scraping metal with sandpaper

"Hm?"

"I am useless." This time it was louder but came out more lifeless. "..trainer abandoned…too weak…"

"Using my all-knowing brain I can put it all together. Your dodgy-looking trainer saw you as a gold bar because of your evolution line and took you in but after losing so many battles compared to the rest of his strong Pokemon, he tied you up, made up some sob excuse for doing what he's doing then left you." His eyes fully opened for the first time before looking at me gobsmacked. Got it on the dot.

"So now that you've chosen to take his words to heart are you just going to sit there and slowly decay away?" The Riolu once again looked towards the ground, squeezing himself with his arms more as a cold breeze of wind flew past.

This is so juicy. Sitting on a small smooth Boulder over there, I grabbed a small pile of rocks at the side.

"Useless." I threw one at him. He didn't respond at all.

"Hey useless, I'm calling you." I lazily threw more, one at a time just to get the satisfaction of it.

"Your trainer *clunk* abandoned you because you're weak *clunk* you're a useless *clunk*. You're a loser." This is nice.

"Loser loser loser." I didn't know it but deep within the canine's head were these words reverberating over and over again.

Riolu POV:

Loser loser loser loser loser loser loser. These words wouldn't escape from my mind. They kept coming over and over again like rain droplets onto a puddle during a dark, gloomy thunderstorm. It was then that I remembered something.

(Flashback)

"Riolu use brick break!" A mug voice called out. I ran towards the flying Pidove, jumping into the air, ready to give him my strongest attack.

"Hah your Riolu hasn't been able to hit my Pidove once. Pidove use air slash." His wings glowed brightly before he descended with immense speed. I had no time to react as a strong combination of a punch and a slice hit me in the stomach, sending me to the ground. It was hard to get up but I can keep going…just a bit more. My eyes slowly closed before turning into black swirls, the last thing I see is Conner getting out my pokeball with the similar look he gave during my previous losses. Although, this time I had a bad feeling about it.

"Useless." I barely hear before getting sucked in.

(Present)

Conner said I was useless and now he is too. Am I really so useless, why can't I do anything right? All I wanted Conner was for you to be proud of me, but no matter how much I tried, I kept failing. Sniff I'm sorry I was too weak to do what you wanted me to do. It's okay though, I'm going now forever and ever and hopefully, you'd have found a better partner than such a stinking Pokemon like me.

…

But I don't want to go. Why WHY am I so useless!? I don't want to be weak, I want to win. Please somebody out here, help me. Sniff.

"Sniff…please…"

"Hmm got anything to say, if you do make it worthwhile."

3rd POV:

"…want strong not…uselesss…" He struggled to get out. He looked at Theodore with red eyes filled with more tears. They stared at him, their hues becoming a brighter shade of red as they held a small bit of hope. Theodore took a step back as an unfamiliar feeling hit him.

His eyes were those of that of a puppy being kicked, but there was the oddity. Theodore used to cause those when injecting mid-stage vaccines into puppies to see their effects. Not going to lie he may have punched a few to get them to comply better. They had shown similar eyes- the look of abandonment but this time was slightly different. Somehow it moved him. Maybe it was because of the intelligent difference between the dog Pokemon and an actual dog- he can talk after all. Theodore didn't know but he certainly didn't like the feeling.

"Urggg fine! Get up." He walked up to him.

"Huh?"

"I don't like pitiful beings who never win. I reject weakness and only respect power. If you truly want to be strong then you have to do everything in your power to get it. Or you can simply fade away, forever knowing that you gave up as a loser. So do you want that huh do you truly want to stop being useless." Riolu gave a small nod.

"Then get up and make a difference. There's a little girl with a Ralts looking for a new partner or as she would say a new family member. You can join because God knows she certainly needs the help. Having a Riolu in the team would be anyone's dream and I know she's going to put in the effort to train you and her Ralts." He didn't forget the look of conviction when Cilan told her to work on her glaring weaknesses.

He used his claws to carefully cut off the remaining ropes, allowing the Riolu to move freely. It took a bit of effort, but he did manage to get up while using the wall behind him as support.

"Holy shit, you're malnourished as fuck. Stay here, you can't be moving without any energy. I'll see if I can find any Pokemon food around here. It's a research facility so there's probably some long-lasting cans somewhere." And he left.

Sarah's POV:

I was here. It was a small battlefield made from blue metal which had dent marks. There was a lot of rubble from the ceiling on it making it impossible to battle on. It was surrounded by many sensory-looking objects and had a few seats on the side. At the edge was a small glass pane where a room filled with computers faced the field.

They went to it as the field had no use for them but the research may help. Psychic types are usually researched the most and Athena was a Psychic. She entered and switched on the light. She looked over the computers. Broken. Then the papers. Shredded. Maybe the books might have something. A Felines Guide to- no. The Muscle Fibres of a Machop- no. A Trainer's Guide to Battling by Shauntal of the Elite Four YES this is what I'm talking about.

Page 1) if you're a starter trainer then you may be thinking 'How do I win my first gym badge'. Well no worries, I got you covered even if you lost your first battle because you didn't know your Pokemon's moves.

"…Anyways."

And that should be your first step; learning your partner's moves. This will determine how you should battle e.g. if your Pokemon has more long-range attacks then you should try to keep them at a distance. If they have more short-range attacks then you should keep them close to their opponent. Also, che-

"Ralts!" Athena startled me with a loud shout. She pulled my sleeve desperately and pointed to the back door of the room. She didn't have that smile of hers that I always see. I didn't hesitate to pick her up and go where she wanted me to.

After walking through the mossy hallways, Athena kept pointing at the various junctions in silence which gave me a sense of unease. As we got closer to wherever we were heading, her soft grip held my arms tightly. I've seen her like this before and I didn't like it.

After a few more empty hallways, it was then where I heard a loud cry.

"Munna!"

Coming from the next room was the cry of a Pokemon I hadn't seen before. Peeking around the corner, I saw it had a round body, its skin a soft shade of pink, and it had a distinctive pattern resembling floral shades on its plump cheeks. The ruby eyes were large and expressed fear. Its overall appearance was charming and somewhat dreamlike.

I would have thrust my arms at something so cute, making sure it would be cuddled next to me if I ever wanted to go to sleep. However, I couldn't when seeing how terrified it was. Sneakily ducking behind what was left of a wall, I looked at the more clear view and saw 2 people talking.

There were 2 men with average looks you could find from any generic guy; normal height, normal physique, and normal features. However, they were dressed in the same clothing. They wore loose white and grey hoodies, gloves and boots with a black shirt and trousers underneath. The most notable feature was their emblem which portrayed a P over a black and white shield. I had seen these type of people back in Accumula Town where they were preaching something about Pokemon liberation. I didn't really get what they were saying, I was paying more attention to some strawberry drops in the sweet shop at the corner.

They were towering over the Munna, their shadows encompassing her as she anxiously tried to back away. It was hard when she was right in the middle of the two.

"Come on Munna give us your dreammist!" The one with black hair shouted. Munna only squinched her eyes together.

"Come on Munna give it to us!" The other one with ginger hair also shouted yet yielded no results.

"GIVE IT TO US!" My breath got stuck in my throat while Athena looked on with completely wide eyes. He had just kicked the Munna powerfully, making her cry out in pain. I can't believe what I'm seeing. Did that just happen? I almost dropped Athena to the floor.

"Woah dude!" His partner shoved him back from the Munna. Like getting out of a trance, he realized what he did.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry." He shakily apologized to them both. He looked at the pink Pokémon before unsteadily taking a few steps back and using his hand to hold his other arm. Pokemon abuse from a human was considered a severe taboo, not because of the physical attack itself as it didn't do much, but more of a symbolic sense.

"It's okay dude. But please don't do something like that again. I think you've been spending too much time with that scientist."

"Brrrrr don't remind me. I can't believe Lord Ghetsis thought bringing him to Team Plasma was a good idea. I trust the Lord but seeing him replace Professor Colress with that madman does make me question what he was thinking."

"I know, and you've seen a few more experiments of his compared to me when he asks for your assistance sometimes."

"Yeah, after the first few times, I was done. I couldn't handle seeing such horrible and inhuman behaviour from someone. He had no sympathy for those Pokemon, NOTHING! Is he even a human being, those were things no human from this planet would ever do." His breathing was quickening.

"Dude calm down. We'll just get this dream mist and go home." He relaxed his friend. I think that is the first sign of a panic attack.

I can't keep watching the poor Munna be attacked like this. I was admittedly scared from what was in front of me but I'm not going to run away no matter how much I want to hide and forget about this whole thing.

Although, how am I supposed to win? I already lost horribly against the Gym, so why will anything end up different here…OF COURSE! It's exactly like the book said, you need to learn about your Pokemon's attacks before going into battle.

Taking out my Pokedex, I went to Athena's information which was automatically put in when I captured her. Regrettably, I had the settings on 'read out loud' mode.

"Ralts's moves are confusion, psybeam, and double team." A robotic voice said aloud, startling all three people including the Team Plasma members, letting them know of my presence. There was no point in hiding, so I stood up and faced them. They looked at me in bewilderment.

Why would anyone be in this abandoned facility? But they smirked after seeing Athena.

"Well well well look at what we've got here. A little kid and her Ralts wondering about lost in their tracks. Shouldn't you have been walking along with mommy while holding her hand?" He laughed as he grew closer to me.

"Yeah, now hand it over or we'll take it away from you. " they had taken out their pokeballs, attention away from the Munna, and now onto me. This is what their goal is; Pokemon liberation.

I tightly hugged Athena, there's no way I'm going to give away my best friend.

"Go Partrat!"

"Come Purloin!"

The respective Pokemon came out and immediately stared us down. I shook slightly. I was nervous, but I'm going to take the first charge.

"A-athena use psybeam at the Patrat." She released a beam of purple rings at him and it was surprisingly fast that he didn't even get to dodge it. He yelped and was knocked back quite substantially.

Wow, I didn't know Athena had that much power. Despite being only born a few weeks ago she packed quite a punch.

"Purrloin use fury swipes." The Purrloin had unsuspectedly jumped at Athena from the side, striking her with many swipes with her long glowing claws.

"Ralts!"

Oh no! She won't last much longer if this keeps going and that Patrat is already getting up. Two on one really isn't fair.

"Athena jump and use confusion on Patrat!" She evaded a swipe by jumping onto the erected pipe behind her. Her eyes glowed blue before staring deeply into Patrat.

"Come on Patrat, we can't let a little girl beat us. Use tackle." But he couldn't because when he looked into Athena's glowing eyes something strange happened to a few of his senses. The Plasma grunt watched on as he kept tackling against the left wall, hitting it with his head until small cracks started to appear. But it was too late, by the time his senses went back to normal and he broke out of the confused state, the cracks increased in size until the whole wall collapsed onto him, burying him in the rubble.

…uhhh great. I totally meant to do that.

"Now's our chance Athena, we can win if we take of them while they're isolated. Use psybeam again." She tried from her elevated spot but Purrloin was too quick.

"Dodge it then use sucker punch." If that hits it will be game over. It was then when I remembered something.

'If your Pokemon has more long-ranged attacks then you should try to keep them at a distance.'

"Use double team." Purrloin stopped her advancement and froze in her place as there were now many copies of a Ralts all around her. She growled at each one that was looking at her with a calm smile. However, the one furthest away from her smiled a bit menacingly.

"Psybeam the most powerful one you've got!" All clones were charging up their attack. The grunt and his Purrloin watched anxiously; helpless to do anything. She was right in the middle of the clones without anywhere to jump. They all released a large psybeam that were double their normal size and hit her.

"Purrloin!" The grunt shouted, wondering if his Pokemon was okay, however, he was stupefied when she got back up without any visible injuries. In fact, it was like she wasn't attacked at all. "Whoops, I forgot dark types are immune to psychic types. Ha ha ha Purrloin finish this off."

Athena kept taking steps back when Purrloin's claws glowed white again. She kept walking back until she bumped onto the corner and looked at her awaiting misery. Sarah watched on while tears started to form in her eyes.

"N-no Athena."

3rd POV:

"PEAKABOO!" Everyone looked at the grey furball who came sprawling in with a shadow-enveloped claw and slammed the surprised Purrloin to the other side of the room.

"Weave Weavile."

"Big brother I'm so glad you came!" Athena jumped and clung to Theodore's face. She cried as teardrops fell onto his fur, staining them while he was trying to get her off his face.

"Ghtt ggrreet ge-get off me! Jesus Christ, why do you have such an iron hug?"

Behind him was Sarah who held her heart in relief. Her friend had come just in the nick of time. She thought she would lose and they would take Athena forever. She wiped her tears as a new sense of hope lit up in her heart.

Theodore sprinted with his shadow claw.

"Quickly Purrloin dodge it." Fortunately, even Purrloin couldn't match the speed of a Weavile, especially a power hungry one. With one more devastating slash, she was out.

"Grr Purrloin return."

"That's one down, one more to go." He watched Patrat, who had finally dug himself out of the rubble, get ready for what was looking like a tackle.

"Patrat use bide." Charging himself with the damage he had taken from the walls collapse, he gained a powerful red glow and went to tackle Theodore. The grunt smirked. This was Patrat's most powerful attack and it has never failed him so far. Theodore uppercutted him and he fainted.

"That was dramatic." He said as the grunt returned his Pokemon before they both ran away. They left the Munna, who shivered when they went passed her.

Sarah collapsed. Her heart was racing a thousand miles per hour. In one hour she had faced more stress than she had ever faced in her entire life. Athena walked to her before she was quickly swooped and given a look-over. She was fine, not that badly damaged.

"Oh yeah by the way, here's a Riolu." He casually pointed at the rare, famous Pokemon like you see it every day on TV. He was fearfully peaking around the corner, observing her behaviour. Sarah noticed how thin his arms were and how his cheeks drooped like sacks. Her heart welled when she saw the after marks of the ropes and immediately knew what happened to him.

She gently walked over to him, slower after he retreated around the corner.

"It's okay it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I don't know who did this to you but I'm not like him. You can trust me." She went around the corner and the Riolu was sitting and heaving large amounts of air. His stomach hasn't fully digested the canned Pokemon food to give him the energy to move anymore. The walk here was already straining enough. His eyes showed fear when she opened her arms.

Sarah saw his bangs slightly rise which was a sign a Riolu or Lucario was sensing something using its aura. He must be sensing whether her feelings were genuine. He was shocked. He couldn't sense any sort of fake emotions from her. There was no darkness in her aura. He thought for a moment.

Can I really trust her?

It was a risk he didn't want to take. Already giving his trust to a human didn't pay off so why should she be any different? Her arms wrapped around him in a gentle hug like a mother would with her child. She soothingly caressed his fur.

"I told you can trust me silly." She giggled. "I'll help you get back on your toes, and I promise I won't abandon you. We will look after you; me, Athena and Weavile will be your new family."

She took out a pokeball.

"Do you want join us?" Riolu hesitated to put his paw onto the pokeball, but ultimately let himself get sucked into it. He made his decision and was taking a risk because he wanted to be happy.

He wanted to feel loved.

Theodore yawned at the scene while Athena watched in delight.

"Yay new big brother! Or is he little brother?"

"He's definitely older. Anyway, now that you guys have got a new member, can we please go to Nacrene City."

"Mhmmmm I agree. I don't like this place, it has weirdly dressed people who are really mean."

"That was Team Plasma; the liberators of Pokemon trainers. Thou holy people who truly think they're doing what's best for the world. It's like a cult. And their cult master, Cyrus, has done a great job at tricking them." Theodore maliciously smiled.

And that's what makes him such a good character, he lies to others to get what he wants.

"Anyway, now that the PC's emergency battery finished, I have no reason to be here. Let's hurry to Nimabasa City already."

They all left through the same route. Theodore was pleased by the whole experience; learning the anatomy of a new creature, seeing this world's advanced technology, and slapping a cat across the face. What more can one man ask for? However, Sarah was uneasy. The sight of a Pokemon being abused and one being abandoned and left to starve had her stumbling a bit across the grass. She stared a hole into the Riolu's pokeball.

I promise you'll get the love you deserve, no matter what.

The Munna was watching them leave. Her crying had stopped as she was left stupefied. D-did they forget about me?

They were on their way to the Pokemon centre much to Theodore's dismay, despite only leaving it a few hours ago. When asking Nurse Joy to heal the Riolu she caught, without telling her about his special circumstances, she simply nodded and did so. She thankfully didn't read his data as she assumed it was a normal catching.

Afterwards, she let him out in a quiet area in the park. He was still malnourished, but clearly in better shape. His fur was clean, his toned muscles were sticking out of his healed skin, and most importantly his eyes were brighter. They now held a small crimson glow.

"Hello Riolu, I brought you to the Pokemon centre and you're already looking much better. I want us to introduce ourselves properly this time. My name is Sarah and these are my partners, Athena and Weavile."

"Hi, I'm Athena!" She squealed delightfully.

"I'm not actually her partner I'm just going to be using her for my own benefit." Theodore crossed his arms.

"And as a new member of the family you get to have your own name. I was thinking Anubis would be good." Theodore looked at her wide-eyed.

Tha-that's a pretty good name. I know some Pokemon were inspired by ancient Egypt mythology but I didn't think they would have some sort of history with them here.

Riolu liked the name, so he weakly nodded.

"Great! I said I wouldn't abandon you, so to show that promise I'm going to leave you out of your pokeball. We're going to Nacrene City which isn't too far away." She said before going in for a small head pat. Anubis recoiled when her hand got too close. She pulled back in wonder before Anubis slowly walked and hid behind Theodore.

"What are you doing?" He asked him.

"I d-don't like humans." He said, looking at Sarah anxiously.

"I don't care, why would us humans care when someone isn't of use to us? I just hope you aren't going to be behind me this whole walk."

But he did. Theodore got annoyed while his female travelling partners giggled seeing his face as his patience was wearing thin. Anubis kept holding onto him and flinched from every movement in his surroundings from the trees bristling to the man promoting his noodle stand. It made Theodore feel like he was being a babysitter to some PTSD kid. To make matters worse, his legs became tired due to his slow recovery.

"C-can you c-c-carry me," He asked, timidly.

"…what?"

"I-I said-"

"I know what you said!" Anubis flinched from the loud shout. "What makes you think I'm going to carry you, I thought you said you were going to stop being useless."

That was the wrong thing to say as he looked down before his eyes became watery. That same feeling from before that Theodore couldn't recognize hit him in the heart. It was uncomfortable.

"Grrr fine! I'll carry you on my back but I'm not holding you, you better hold tightly." He lowered himself a bit so he could get on, piggy bank style.

"Aww that's so nice of you Weavile. Helping your fellow little brother." Sarah cooed.

"He's not my brother nor friend."

"After him can I have a turn?" Athena asked. "It will be like what my dad used to do. I do miss him but I'll see him again in one of those magical glass things. Sarah promised her parents we'll talk to our family back at home once we reach Nacrene City."

"First of all, it's called a monitor. Secondly, no you can't have a turn. I'm only doing it this one time."

They had now reached the end of Striaton City. There was a beautiful garden over a small metallic bridge. It was even better than the ones in the park.

Everyone stared in awe for a moment at the sight before them. At the side there was a small green sign pointing up ahead, saying 'Route 3'.

Theodore was the first to walk ahead. Getting to Nacrene City would be the next step to reaching Shinigami.

It will be a flash before I get back home, just you wait.

 

[Swag Striker]

Chapter 5: testing intelligence and a new face

A/N: 33 favs and 59 follows! That's insane. Once again, thank you all so much for the support, I really didn't expect myself to do this well on my first story on fanfiction. I will start to do a Review Response at the bottom of each chapter from now on, but I won't give any spoilers. After all, this is a write-on-the-move story.

EDIT: I've fixed the Nimbasa City to Nacrene City mistake. As you will see from this chapter the story will have darker themes that will appear in certain chapters moving forward. This is what I want the story to move towards as it gets more plot-filled.

Chapter 5 START

Team Sarah was casually walking along Route 3 for a few hours now. They would have been slightly further ahead if it wasn't for Sarah's constant stopping to dote over the Pokemon inhabiting the grassy land. Right now she was stroking a Lillipup.

"Awww who's a good boy. That's right you are o yes you are." She said, rubbing the small dog's belly.

"Lilli pup pup!" He had his tongue out from the pleasure. "Awww yeah, that hits the spot. Just a little down and yeeeeesssss."

Theodore wanted to observe the specimen but was too busy growling over his aching arms.

"I've been carrying you for over 3 hours. Are you telling me you still can't walk?" He asked Anubis, who had gotten a little too comfortable over Theodore's great generosity.

"I still can't." he replied, digging his head deeper into Theodore's scarffy neck. It was so comfortable that he almost fell asleep multiple times. If it wasn't for Sarah screaming PUPPIES, he would have. Sarah had stopped cuddling over the Lillipup, who had disappeared into the tall grass.

"According to my pokedex, if we keep a steady pace- without stopping for any cuties- then we should reach Nacrene City in 20 hours. Quite close really."

20 hours isn't too long! Haven't these guys heard of a motorway.

"Alright, that's enough." He tried to drop him, but Anubis kept his hold. "I said get off fam."

Sarah looked at the 2 struggling against each other before sighing.

"I suppose this would be a good time for a break. Athena get the table ready we're having lunch." She said, putting down her bag before pulling out a foldable, brown table from it. This startled Theodore. Even in its folded form, the table was way too large to fit into her backpack. His eyes grew larger when she pulled out more camping equipment such as a camp stove and a pan.

He had to know how this was possible. With newfound strength formed from his curiosity, he dropped Anubis who faceplanted onto the ground. He walked to the brown bag.

It's just a simple 35 by 50 bag. That's how it looked like on the outside. It was a normal backpack a child would take to school, not a camping bag that would have many other pockets for extra storage. From what I suspect, it wouldn't need those.

The inside showed a whole different story. Sticking his head in, he saw how huge it was; it contained many more things like a tent and other crap. It was like a rucksack.

"What the fuck is going on?" Looking out again... backpack. In again... Storage unit. He kept sticking his head in and out the backpack that it made him dizzy before falling backwards.

"If I hadn't seen it before I would be startled too." Sarah said. "It has special properties made by psychic type energy that makes the inside bigger than the outside. It's made by Nexacore."

Athena yelped at the name. She had seen them many times on TV.

"I remember seeing their new mango, strawberry ice cream coming out in Castellia City." She gained a dark aura for a moment that caught him and Anubis by surprise. "And we better be the first ones to eat it otherwise...he he he there will be heads rolling."

"...You said that pretty grimly." She broke out of her stupor.

"Huh, what were we talking about again?"

Theodore was thinking in his head about how psychic energy worked. Was it brainwaves coming from their head or maybe it's like the energy I use when summoning shadow claw but they send it as a disorienting projectile or it could be like a Lucario's sensory bangs. Even then it shouldn't be able to change space itself unless...

Anubis watched Theodore go off on one of his rambles again while he was going around in circles. Transverse, dimensions. He didn't get a single word he was saying.

"Hey Anubis, can you help me put the table together?" Athena asked, struggling to reach some parts with her very short arms. She was confused when he turned his head to the distant forest.

"Huh, didn't he hear me? Anubis do you want to help me, I need a tall 'mon for this." She shouted, but again he didn't answer her. She approached him, but when she got close he scruffled back. Her smile fell.

Doesn't he trust us, we did save him from the Dreamyard. I wish you wouldn't hide from us and realise we're your friends. NO Athena, Stop! You shouldn't be selfish. He was hurt by some mean people and needs some space. Athena's smile returned, brighter than ever and filled with resolve. Don't you worry Anubis, you will succumb to our cuteness and be our friend.

She walked back, using the power gained from her new resolution to properly unfold the table and put it upright. Theodore had broken off his rant. Aww I did it again.

He looked at Sarah, wondering what was taking her so long. She was struggling with working out her camp stove and frequently checked the manual before pressing the supposed buttons.

"C'mon work with me, I have to show I can look after myself." After seeing a lack of results for a few minutes, he walked up to her and snatched the manual. He quickly looked over the instructions. So she wasn't struggling for no reason. These instructions are total garbage. The pictures weren't in the best order and the writing part was more wordy than necessary. He could picture himself throwing the whole thing in the bin on a bad day.

Sarah observed her furry friend. He wasn't aimlessly looking around the pages. He can read! He twisted a nozzle of the camp stove where a small red light began to illuminate. He then looked over the manual again before pressing another button, then another, then a final one before the fire had started. She stared at it in bewilderment. This Pokemon had managed to figure out how to start her machine in under a minute whereas she would have been standing for an hour trying to get it going.

She wasn't going to let this go, it intrigued her curiosity. Especially not after what he pulled off in the Dreamyard with that weird pipe trick.

"Weavile did you have a trainer before?" He shook his head strongly. "Then how do you know so much? You're smarter than any Pokemon I've come across heck you're smarter than some humans like you were able to read the manual. Did you learn human language by yourself?"

"...Weavile."

"Heh, should have known." She giggled. "Nevermind, we can explore the secrets of your brain another time but for now, lunch. Athena, Anubis come I've got your food right here." She placed 3 bowls of Pokemon food on the ground. The 2 quickly jumped in like there was no tomorrow, but Theodore glared at his.

Nope. nu uh. I'm not going to eat out of a bowl that's on the ground this time. I may have done it the first time for my survival but this has become too demeaning.

Theodore had an idea. The pebble-looking food had a gravel-like texture that would melt in his mouth. He first got a spare plate from Sarah's bag along with a knife and fork, then placed the food on it. Just like play-doh, he molded it into a familiar gourmet food usually representing the rich. It was a steak; not a good-looking one but hey... it's a steak.

"Ahhhh dinner is served." He cut a big piece and quickly ate it.

"You're going to make it seem like you're a traveling companion instead of my Pokemon." She took a bite from her rice curry.

"I'm neither *crunch*." After finishing, cleaning, and then packing, Anubis approached Theodore with a similar guilty expression.

"C-Can you carry me again?" He asked.

"...No." He turned and walked away along the path. He stopped though, startled once hearing quiet sobbing. No way is he crying? They all saw the small tears coming out. This isn't how I expected the famous Riolu to behave.

"Weavile!" Sarah half yelled. "You should be helping Anubis not making him cry. Come here Anubis, I'll help you."

She scooped him up and cradled him like a newborn child. With his weight, he might as well be one. He didn't look comfortable in her arms though, not relaxing himself into her embrace. Theodore smirked when he saw her bag on the floor.

"Whoops, I forgot about the bag. I can't carry you and the bag so what do I do hmmmm?" She looked at the sky for a moment. Should I ask Athena to- no that wouldn't work. That's when an idea popped into her head, causing her to slightly grin maliciously. This always works.

"WEAVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILE." She cried. Literally. There was a waterfall of tears falling onto the ground. "PLEASE HOLD ANUBIS PLEAAAAASSSEE PLEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"Alright for fuck's sake, I'll carry him just shut your fatass mouth!" His long ears were tightly folded as was Anubis's. Their sense of hearing was higher than a human's, so it felt like a speaker was playing right next to their ears. Athena watched the display, shaking her head in dismay. Here we go again.

"Awwww thank you so much Weavile, I never knew you were so kind." Her tears magically disappeared.

He gave Anubis another piggy bank ride, his arms now recovered. His infuriated eyes contrasted with his ocean-blue irises.

"I'm so-"

"DON'T!" Anubis kept his mouth closed. Theodore mumbled, "A dog like you should be the one carrying me."

To make his day worse small drops of rain fell as dark clouds widely surrounded the forest. The group grimaced as they ran along the path while getting soaked. Sarah quickly recalled Athena and Anubis while Theodore reluctantly stayed out. They ran as quickly as they could as Sarah kept a note in her head, buy a chocolate fudging umbrella.

"Now I know why cats hate water. I feel so heavy."

"There! there's a place over there." she said before they ran to a large flat building in the distance. The sign showed that it was a nursery. Frantically knocking, the door opened where a female teacher with a suit and a skirt had seen their soaked form before ushering them in.

"You're lucky it's a school day otherwise you would have been stuck in that god-awful rain. You can stay in the classroom where I'll be having my next lesson. I'm Emily by the way."

"Thank you so much. I'm Sarah and this is Theodore."

Sarah was drying her jumper near the fireplace where Theodore and Anubis sat. Theodore had already dried off. Athena sat next to a chubby kid, clapping her hands as they all sang the nursery rhyme of ABCs.

"W X Y and Z. Now I know my ABCs. Next time won't you sing with me." She was greatly enjoying herself.

"What are they doing?" Anubis asked.

"They are learning to read and write which is a large part of human language and is greatly underestimated in modern society because they don't see the consequences of being without it. It's very powerful as it allows the preservation of knowledge which brings exponential progress in a species' advancement."

Anubis looks attentively at Emily writing her name on the board. He grabs a nearby pen and paper. He tries to imitate her grip fo the pen but it kept slipping through his fingers.

"Dummy, this is how you do it." He picks it up before placing his fingers in a specific way. "You have an opposable thumb probably due to the bone rush move. It's very useful for grip. Here you go."

Anubis looked again at the teacher's name but narrowed his eyes at each letter when they got too difficult to comprehend. He tried copying the symbols on the board, but Theodore only saw a bunch of scribbles.

"What's wrong? You just saw how she wrote those letters, so you could at least be a little accurate." He took this as a reprimand and stuttered.

"I-I don't know. The symbols when I look at them it it feels like I don't understand them when I know what they are. I-I just...I-" Theodore sat right next to him before holding his paw with his own. He guided his paw to write in an intricate way, showing a symbol he didn't seen on the board.

"This is the letter 'A'."

"A." He repeated, struggling to comprehend the letter for what it is.

"Next is 'N'."

"N." they repeated a few more before ending with the letter S. Anubis held the back of his head in pain.

"Just one last thing. How many fingers am I holding?"

"2." He responded. This proved Theodore's suspicion.

The primary visual cortex gets sent the visual information of written words then transmits the information to two other places in the brain until reaching Wernicke's area for comprehension. The primary visual cortex does exist in Pokemon shown by him being able to read my 2 fingers and give that sign a meaning. However, him having a headache from trying to comprehend a few written letters shows that it doesn't have as many neurons as a human's.

"Do you know what you've just written?" He smirked at the canine's confusion. "It's your name. It is you, 'Anubis'."

He stared in wonder at the word despite the slight pain it was causing to his brain as he tried to absorb the visual information. I've written my name, 'Anubis'. For the first time in so long, he smiled. A genuine smile from his own success and not the one trying to abysmally impress someone. He made sure to ingrain these letters in his head.

"Ha ha, you should see your face. It's like you're 5 years old." Theodore doubled over with mirth.

"I'm 12 moon cycles old." This made him stop his laughing fit.

He's 3 months old yet is able to read and write. a human child 3 times that age would struggle. He wondered what else the young Pokemon would be capable of. After all, they just happened to have come across this teacher's lesson on the alphabet, so who's to say that there weren't other things he could accomplish. Theodore now saw him in a different light.

It made Anubis feel a bit uncomfortable; the look of respect shown on his face is very rarely given to others. I may have underestimated you Pokemon.

The bell rang signalling break time. The kids got excited as it was wet break and they could play with their toys in the class. They brought out a huge box from the corner. Athena got excited before walking over, grabbing Anubis's paw, and taking him to some wooden building blocks that the kids weren't using. They were simple blocks that had the alphabet written on them. This is a good opportunity to test him.

He decided to join them. Athena was building a basic tower while asking Anubis to build the garage, but he didn't know what a garage was so that made it awkward.

"Why don't you build your name. Lets see how well you remember it despite your brain's development."

"How would I do that with the blocks?" He asked.

"Look at the symbols on those blocks. Some of them are the same from before." When he narrowed his eyes on the blocks, the letters from before had become slightly visible. Grabbing the correct ones with a bit of struggle, he built his name.

"Excellent excellent! You showed symbol pattern recognition." Theodore clapped his hands.

"Can you show me how to spell your name." Anubis asked before remembering he wasn't given one by Sarah but is stunned when he hears.

"Theodore."

"Hm?"

"My name is Theodore Nieoldiek." He grabbed some of the blocks and spelled it out for him. Anubis made sure to ingrain his friend's name even more than his own. After all, he was his saviour.

The bell rang much to the kids' dismay. It felt like 2 minutes even though it was actually 15. They reluctantly put away their toys before sitting in rows on the floor again awaiting for the next lesson. Theodore went back to the fireplace, Anubis did too to take a small nap while Athena sat on the lap of a little girl and paid attention to the teacher.

"All right class we're going to carry on our maths lesson from yesterday. Can someone remind me where we left off?"

"It was adding 2 digit numbers." A chubby kid said proudly.

"That's correct Simonns but please put your hand up next time. As you can see class when you blah blah blah."

Athena was fidgeting with her fingers as she looked around trying to understand what the humans were saying. She didn't know what that symbol Emily was writing was. When she added more symbols and called them by their names, it was starting to give her a headache. '2' the only two I know is when I want two more scoops of ice cream.

"Athena, come here." Theodore called her for some reason. She got off her friend's lap which made the girl aww in dismay then sat in front of him.

"I have 2 apples-" He held 2 fingers

"Really! Can I ha-"

"Don't interrupt! Now as I was saying. I have 2 apples, my friend gives me 2 more." He said, holding up another 2 fingers. "How many apples do I have now?"

"4." She simply answered. Good, maths mainly relies on the intraparietal sulcus which Anubis proved Pokemon do have.

"I now have 5 apples. I give 4 to my friend. How many do I have?" Athena didn't answer casually this time, using her fingers like Theodore to help her.

"1."

"Correct." Now for the true test.

"My friend wants 15 apples. I can only give him 3 apples in batches. How many batches do I need for my friend to have 15 apples?" There's no way she's going to get this right. "Here, you can use these lego pieces to help you count. Each lego piece is 1 apple."

It was taking her a while. Once, she had accidentally made a mistake and restarted. Her headache was growing more painful, but she really wanted to complete this for him. It seemed important to him.

"15." Theodore choked on his own spit when he heard that. After hitting his chest a few times, he asked her to repeat herself to hear '15' again. Impossible. I know multiplication is fundamentally addition, but it is its own principle. It's very difficult for us to make a new principle from not learning it before yet she- A POKEMON- was able to do it with ease.

"Incredible. You're incredible Athena." He said softly.

"Really!?" She glowed, all pain disappearing in a second.

"I-I mean." Before he could retract his statement, he was tightly hugged in a bear grip.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Theodore felt another unfamiliar feeling in his heart. It was as if a long-forgotten sensation, dormant for years, had stirred up from its sleep. His chest tightened uncomfortably from the sensation he had distanced himself from.

"Get off me." He growled to which she broke the hug. He stared at the teacher, seeing her write a new set of equations. He wondered. Today has reminded me how powerful writing is and oh my god I'm an idiot. I could have communicated to people through writing this whole time. He facepalmed.

The bell rang again signaling the start of lunchtime and waking up Anubis. Perfect timing as the rain had stopped 5 minutes ago. The kids rushed off to the small yard before Emily could hold them back.

"Heh, kids. So Sarah do you want to join me for lunch in the kitchen? I have a bunch of sandwiches and some leftover cake. If your Pokemon aren't hungry they can play in the yard."

"Thank you so much, Emily I love cake. Are you guys hungry?" They shook their heads. Actually, Anubis was hungry but Theodore told him it wouldn't be wise to eat full meals in the state he's in and it would be better to gradually increase his meal size over time. They went to the yard.

Athena stared down all the different playground equipment at her disposal. Kids were playing on the swings, the slide and some were climbing the climbing frame. She saw the empty playhouse isolated in the corner on top of a sandpit. With no time to waste, she grabbed Anubis's paw and carried him there. He looked back at Theodore with a worried gaze, but Theodore wasn't paying attention to them.

"Let's build a sand castle." He didn't like this; being stuck in this tight structure that was a bit dark. The lonely atmosphere reminded him of the Dreamyard laboratory. Just the thought made him shiver and hug himself.

"Hey, come on." She tugged at him, reminding him where he was. "If you want to be part of the family then you have to let us treat you like one. Here, here's a spade. You first dig some sand and put it in this bucket then you tip it over and veola. Good job, you made your first sand castle."

"Woah." He looked in awe at the magnificent structure only fit for the gods. Then he slammed it. He giggled, finding it amusing to crush the sand castle until realising that Athena was the one who built it. Anxiety hit him as the thoughts of what she would say made him shiver. She's not going to shout at me is she or worse she'll pummel me then tell Sarah. She'll tie me up and bury me under the sand, making sure I can't escape. Theodore wouldn't help me either after seeing the disappointing display.

His thoughts were cut short after hearing a loud unexpected laughter next to him.

"Nice. Let's build more and then we can build a huge pyramid." The anxiety leaves him as he joins her, still a bit hesitant, but happy in their creative activity.

Theodore was incredibly bored as he slouched on a bench in the corner. It had been a whole 2 minutes of watching some snotty little kids messing around uselessly in the yard. Like seriously, go study about black holes or something.

He grabbed a small rock and threw it at a large lego house some of the kids were still building. They cried which made him snicker before walking over to the ones on the swing and then pushing a boy with glasses onto the floor. He scraped his leg leaving a small bleeding wound. The nerdy boy cried loudly from the searing pain.

Emily threw open the door hearing the multiple cries from the other room. Sarah had followed behind her with a concerned look.

"What is going on here!?" Emily angrily shouted, thinking that it was a typical child's fight, especially when seeing Jimmy's injury. All the kids had pointed at an unexpected suspect, the Weavile. She doubled back, confused about why a Pokemon would do that. Sarah had apologised profusely to Emily and the kids before stamping her way to the grey furball with a deep frown. His eyes widened slightly, thinking she couldn't ever be angry with her dandelion personality.

"Theodore, what do you have to say for this! Go and apologise to those poor students, honestly, I would never have expected you of all Pokemon to do something this immature." She can get cross when she needed to be.

"Weavile weave. It wasn't me."

"I know that wasn't a sincere apology. Now go and properly say you're sorry." The shouting was so loud that Athena and Anubis stuck their heads out the mini-house's window to see what was going on.

"Listen brat, I'm not your child, not your Pokemon, and certainly not your friend. You've only been holding me back with your crap when I could have reached Nacrene City by now. You know what forget you, I'm leaving. I don't need you!" He leaped over the 4-foot fence and walked away. Anubis gave immediate chase, but stopped at the fence, unable to jump over with his still recovering legs.

"Wait don't leave me! Please come back!" He screamed, but Theodore didn't look back. Sarah only looked at the grey feline in disdain as he was starting to disappear into the forest.

Wait, why didn't I take the pathway to Nacrene City? Shit. Theodore found himself lost in the midst of large trees that seemed neverending. He tried walking back but ended up deeper in the forest. A slight panic rose at the back of his head as this felt like those stories of people wandering in the forest and never being seen again.

Nah I've got this. I'll show her I don't need her. I can read English and I understand technology what more do you need? Cutting some bushes out the way with his claws, he wandered around for what felt like hours to see the same sight over and over again. He was growing infuriated.

*SNAP*

Theodore swiftly jumped to the side, narrowly dodging a skinny tree that would have crushed him. He was stunned. That was a very random thing to happen to him at that moment. He inspected the tree, seeing its weak trunk before carrying on as normal. Another minute passed.

*SNAP*

"What the fuck!" Another one fell in front of him, so he dived to the right. A loud crunch of its branches was heard along with the rustling of the leaves. The wind had quickly started to grow quicker and quicker until it was like a tornado. Many more snaps occurred as he rapidly glanced at his surroundings, seeing a bunch of trees falling towards him. They gave chase. He sprinted with no direction as many trees kept falling; trailing him. He could hear their crashes getting closer.

There! Just 400 metres away, was the pathway, and behind it was the nursery. There was a small graze of a sharp branch on his back before he dived into the opening.

"Fucking hell that was an experience. There's only one explanation for this." He said before looking up to the sky and bringing up both middle fingers. "Screw you Shinigami, suck my nuts."

Anubis was sitting Isolated, facing the corner of the classroom with Sarah and Athena's worried gazes on him. He was thinking that there was no way Theodore would abandon him. Nu-uh. He saw how impressed his friend was when he had spelled out their names. He could tell from his aura that it was genuine. However, the dark thoughts returned. Maybe it wasn't good enough. I should have been better and not required any help like the Lucario I'm trying to become. My line needs to be beyond that.

The slamming of the door had broken him out of those thoughts and made him beam. It was his saviour. He would have jumped on him if it wasn't for his wearied frown.

"It's only been 20 minutes, it felt like a few hours." He looked at the clock. "Time does fly when you're having fun."

He walked past the stupefied Athena before grabbing Sarah's hand and forcefully taking her to the board. Shinigami's messing around with me whenever I'm away from her. It's clear that the 'lessons' he wants to teach me rely on her and the team, so even if I take away my pokeball I'm still bound to her. I have no choice but to stick with her, but I won't accept being a dog.

Ignoring the teacher, he grabbed a white chalk and wrote on the board. 'LETS MAKE A DEAL'.

They gasped. Emily brought up a shaking finger.

"D-Did your Weavile J-just." Sarah didn't answer and was more interested in what he had to say.

"Go on."

'I'LL STICK WITH YOU AND HELP YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY WITHOUT BEING A PAIN IN THE NECK AND IN EXCHANGE YOU HAVE TO FULFILL MY REQUIREMENTS'

"Which are?"

'I HAVE TO REMAIN OUTSIDE OF THE POKEBALL AT ALL TIMES. IF I REFUSE TO DO SOMETHING I DON'T WISH TO DO OUTSIDE OF THE JOURNEY THEN I DON'T HAVE TO. AND FINALLY, IF WE COMPLETE THE WHOLE CIRCUIT OF UNOVA THEN YOU HAVE TO TAKE US TO SPEAR PILLAR IN SINNOH. ALL OF THESE ARE TO BE DONE UNLESS SAID OTHERWISE'

It was an odd set of requests coming from a Pokemon, but he wasn't an ordinary Pokemon. She gave it a small thought and decided.

"Alright, I can do that. I'm not exactly sure why you would want to go to Spear Pillar though." When going over some memories of the Pokemon anime, he realised that the best way to get back to his universe is to go to none other than the ones who control time and space because he's not going to be meeting Shinigami anytime soon.

He held out a hand for her to shake to which she did. This was the next step of both of their journeys and one that will forever change their lives.

(someplace else)

"What are we going to tell him?" The black-haired plasma grunt nervously asked.

"Me! You're the one who lost against a baby psychic Pokemon while having a dark type. If anyone should tell him of our failure it's you."

"Do I have to?" He hesitated to walk through the automatic doors. He didn't even want to be in the same room as the Doctor let alone his experiments.

"Ahhhh isn't it my favourite assistant and some other guy. I take it the mission was successful. That Dream Mist will bring wonders to my research." The Doctor was a tall man with scruffy blonde hair and pale skin. He was wearing a lab coat over standard clothing. He had his back towards them as he inspected the edge of the scalpel he picked up.

He dug it deep into whatever he was cutting open and slowly opened the incision. He only wore plastic gloves and nothing more; no mask and no sterilisation as if he didn't care about the subject's life. The grunts had to hold their noses because of the strong smell of iron stenching the room. Doctor Vikasa moved to the side to record some things on his computer. The grunts closed their eyes before they could see the remains of the hapless Pokemon; one of them was traumatized enough. If it wasn't for Lord Ghetsis telling them how this was to help the Pokemon race become free then they would have left Team Plasma.

"Umm well you see sir the thing is, is that we got the Munna and were very close to extracting the Dream Mist but..."

"But?"

"T-There was a trainer with a very powerful Ralts and s-some other Pokemon I don't even recognise and they were a force to be reckoned with sir. She stopped us before we could extract a sufficient amount of the Dream Mist. If it wasn't for her then-"

"Stop." He simply said, silencing them to the point he couldn't hear their breathing.

"Excuses excuses." People exaggerate a story when they're defeated to save face. "I know that it was only a child who beat you. How humiliating it is for Team Plasma to have such weaklings to accomplish our goals, although a Ralts would be an interesting specimen to dissect. One thing I hate in life is weakness. I only respect power and nothing more. I'll let the two of you go this time, but next time failure won't be tolerated, understood."

"Y-Yes sir. Understood sir."

"Then get lost." And they both hurriedly left.

"Pid?" The Pokemon had stirred slightly awake with a numbness in its abdomen growing more and more searing.

"Great you're awake. Perfect timing too as the anasthesia should be wearing off, so while I observe a bit of your organs, I can test your tolerance to pain too. A 2 for 1 deal." The frightened Pidove trembled, her delicate chest rising and falling in shallow, rapid breaths as she watched the menacing tip of the scalpel inching closer and closer. Amidst the silence of the night, only the echoes of her screams pierced the air.

Chapter End

Jeyko: You brought a smile on my face.

CryptidQuest: I definitely am.

Kezoka474: After reading your review I almost thought you were the author. Malice is an interesting word that we'll be seeing throughout the story. Also, Theodore has now given his requests in the deal as he won't allow himself to be a subservient slave.

Clam The Zooted One: Theodore can you come here for a second. "Yeah, what's up." Can you do me a favour and never hit Athena, I think this guy will kill me if you do WAIT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?

Ralmos: I won't be making the characters too complex as this is my first proper story, but I do want them to have their own unique personality and feel more than some cliche anime character. I will try to handle Theodore and Anubis carefully as you're right in how they can go off the rails if not handled properly. Trust me, this story will only get better. Great feedback.

 

[Swag Striker]

Chapter 6: nacrene city

A/N: Not much to say really except enjoy.

Chapter 6 START

"Finally." Theodore said, looking at the gates holding Nacrene City. "FINALLY!"

After an unbelievable, excruciating, painstaking 20 hours of walking, the team finally arrived at Nacrene City, the city known for its famous museum that remained a beacon of its cultural heritage for centuries since it was first built.

Theodore had thrown his furry companion right off his back as he ran past the gates and practically hugged the concrete floor. He'd never thought he would miss the city atmosphere after only being away from it for 20 hours. It reminded him of that time he'd gone camping a decade ago just to prove to himself that he could survive in an unfamiliar atmosphere then threw himself to the nearest hotel once he completed the 60 day challenge. He almost forgot that he did that since he'd immediately move on to the next thing that would hopefully provide him a hard challenge.

The rest stared in awe as they entered the city. It was huge. It made Striaton City look like an ant. There were many buildings that were actually warehouses lent by the city to artists. As they walked pass, they saw them being used as shops to sell souvenirs, jewellery, and miniature artifacts or were used to display the various artwork the artists made. There was one currently using a power sander to carve a foam statue of a Gyarados. It was a magnificent sight to see.

The streets varied in colour as it was like a rainbow wonderland. There were drawings of people and Pokemon in various styles drawn on anywhere where there was space. If that was happening on Earth then it's either a pride parade or some dudes trying to piss off the government.

The two beside her were as ecstatic as children could be at a huge tourist attraction, but Sarah saw everything differently. To her, it felt like freedom tinged with a bit of regret. She was a shut-in who kept her little-girl attitude until she left Accumula Town, wasting her years inside her home. Don't get her wrong, it wasn't because she was held by her parents or she feared the outside, she just wasn't interested in what was out there despite her parent's insistence. However, after she strayed from her mother during a small shopping trip, she entered the forest and saw many Pokemon for the first time. She felt a deep curiosity and happiness seeing them interact with their families and living their lives in strange ways.

She knew she had to see more. Her nights after that day weren't the same as she kept wondering about what was out there. So when she turned 12 and became eligible for the Unovan Circuit, she picked up her bags and left. She knew it was the best decision she made when she felt the peaceful atmosphere upon reaching the gardens of Striaton City.

Theodore wasn't paying attention to the sights around him. He was just glad they finally reached the next milestone after the distraction of the Dreamyard and the nursery. He remembered how Nacrene City had its famous museum which also contained a library. He was feeling giddy at the idea of sitting there with a stack of books about Pokemon anatomy. It would be dick-raising if he found out the workings of the organs responsible for breathing fire or shooting ice beams. He was already drooling from the thought. He walked in front of the team, stopping them in their place.

"Alright you cunts. We're finally in Nacrene City, so we all know the first place we're going to." Sarah caught on from his enthusiasm that they were thinking the same thing.

"You're right Theodore." She pulled out her pokedex and went to the map feature before smiling in glee. "The first place to head to is the mall."

"Library... wait what?" His smile faded to dread when he saw the young girl shaking in anticipation. Oh no, not another distraction.

He kept waving his hand to her. He wouldn't go on her stupid shopping trip.

"Come on Theodore, it will be fun. I can buy you something if you want."

"Nope, ain't happening." He picked from her pocket a small notepad and pen they thought would be useful for communication.

THIS WASN'T PART OF THE DEAL. IT'S NOT RELEVANT TO THE JOURNEY, SO I DON'T HAVE TO GO.

"But isn't buying supplies essential for a journey? What will happen if we run out of food or water or how are we going to stop getting drenched from the rain again without an umbrella?" She smiled victoriously as he tried to write something but nothing would come out. He sighed in defeat and wrote.

I CAN'T ARGUE WITH THAT. YOU GOT LUCKY THIS TIME.

"Yay! To the mall we go." She said, pointing to a colossal building in the distance that towered over the rest. He had a bad feeling about this.

Aaaaaaaaaaaand he stood correct. All those times he disregarded Nathan's complaints about his girlfriend's shopping trips, he had thought they were just him complaining of having to carry 2 bags of clothes around the mall, but now he knew he wasn't exaggerating in the slightest.

He was carrying with his small stature bags upon bags of fashionable clothes. They kept on piling as they walked around the shop even with his new Pokemon strength, he was finding it difficult to hold them. He couldn't see in front of him anymore as Sarah threw another cardigan on top of the red dress. Who wears clothes like these anyway they're too exotic as if they were trying to cosplay anime characters. If you look like this in my world it would be cringe.

"Oooff!" He bumped into a manakin and fell on his ass, the clothes scattering all around him. He deadpanned at Sarah while she looked at him with a sheepish smile.

"P-perhaps that's too many clothes. How about I pick only 2 pairs instead." She decided to be reasonable and kept a knee-length purple dress with a pair of pink wellingtons. She loves those colours, doesn't she.

He sat there with a pair of trousers hanging off his head. He was about to take it off, but that was when he realized something he should have noticed a long time ago. Something very VERY important. Something integral to his very humanity; he was NAKED. This entire time he didn't notice at all as his now Weavile body kept his privates covered up and his fur felt like clothes that were glued to his body. However, it didn't matter now that he was self-conscious of his naked self. He was wide-eyed and looked around himself in instinct, wondering if anyone was watching.

"Are you okay?" Athena asked, sensing his anxiety. He didn't answer as he tried to fight the instinct to cover himself with the clothes scattered on the floor. He gave a slow shaky nod. He gathers the fallen clothes and hands them back to Sarah to put them back in their appropriate place. While heading to the checkout, many thoughts were going through his head as he couldn't leave this issue alone. It felt wrong and it was constant.

I can't exactly wear a shirt and trousers around in public, it would be outlandish. Even a robe would be too much and how would I prevent them from being ripped in battle.

The store member was scanning the clothes. He saw, over her shoulder, the few rows of manakin heads wearing scarves fit for different climates and occasions such as a feathery one one would wear at a fancy party. His eyes widened at the idea. Yes, I can wear a scarf! Sure it doesn't cover my whole body but it will give me some comfort knowing I'm not an animal. I want to be left with at least some dignity while I get around this world like this. Just some.

"You can buy it if you want, Sarah won't mind." Athena said. "Thanks to you in the Striaton Gym, she got a whole lot of cash. That's why she's in this clothing shop as she has a lot of expendable money. She said it herself remember, she was happy to get you something."

He didn't reject the offer as he had to get one of those scarves. It would look normal and wouldn't get in the way of a battle, but it felt humiliating to ask a little kid to buy something for you. He was a grown man and ever since his younger years, he's always tried to be independent even when it came to providing for himself. He reluctantly pulled on her dress and pointed to one of the scarves.

"You want me to buy you that one? Good choice, the colours fit you perfectly." He didn't realize it until she mentioned it, but the scarf was for winter, it was grey and had red tips. What a crazy coincidence that it matched his Weavile form perfectly. The only reason he picked it was because it was similar to the one he had before and could be used as a reminder of home... when did he get this sentimental about his home?

After a quick stop at a camping shop to better prepare them for their long treks, Sarah thought it would be a great idea to go to the cafe for ice cream. Athena was delighted while Anubis was confused about what ice cream was. Theodore, on the other hand, just smiled as he walked through the mall with his sexy self and his new scarf.

They arrived at the cafe and it was huge! There were a lot of people filling the tables. They walked to the front and instead of a person to take their order, there were tablets with the various options offered.

Suddenly, The boys felt a strangling sensation around them. Theodore quickly glanced around as he thought it was one of Shinigami's shenanigans but no. Anubis hid behind him as he felt the aura of the two responsible. He never imagined the sisters who were always bubbly to have this menacing aura to them. Sarah sent a narrowed side glance to the small fairy Pokemon.

"As you know Athena, ice cream has existed for many centuries, first made in Persia to be enjoyed by royalty. Ever since then, it has spread across the world to be enjoyed by many. It has always been the pinnacle of dessert since that time and now has many different flavours."

"But Sarah, we both also know that only one flavour can reign supreme as the best and unfortunately for you, that throne belongs to strawberry." Their fingers dug into the tablet with such intensity that small cracks began to form under the pressure.

"No it's not, it's vanilla!"

"Strawberry!"

"Vanilla!" they were butting heads at this point, pushing each other back and forth.

"Why don't you pick bo-"

"SHUT UP!" They both shouted, making the ice type shrink back awkwardly. He looked at the options ranging from mango to mint and even mixed ones. He contemplated which was the best flavour. I know.

They stopped their pushing competition when they heard the tablet printing out a ticket which Theodore gladly took.

"Chocolate." The ticket said the ice cream cost $10 dollars which is around £8 and to go to table 9 for their order. He wondered how money worked in the Pokemon world as the anime didn't show any transaction whenever a character bought something... Ah who cares, Sarah can deal with that crap. Anyway, as long as we keep winning battles like Athena said then we should be fine.

The sister dejectedly walked to their table slumping into their seats. Heartbroken, they gave Theodore who smirked, the stink eye. But coming from them it only made him laugh.

"Never imagined I'd catch you without that radiant smile. You're usually the epitome of cheerfulness. Perhaps it's in a Ralts's genes," he remarked to Athena. His surprise peaked as she swiftly did a 180 and flashed her trademark bright smile once more.

"Yes, the chocolate ice cream will be great for my tongue. I can't wait for it to melt into my mouth." He sighed and turned away from her. It was annoying how she always remained positive, looking for the best in every situation. He said it could be part of a Ralts's genetics as a joke, but now he considered it. It was disgusting as he never found the point of being positive all the time. It was a weakness; only the desire for victory can bring him happiness.

He says that yet studies have shown that the positive people are the ones who live the longest. If evolution was about survival and giving your genes to the next generation then his point of view would be wrong.

The waiter arrived with the bowl of ice cream that came from heaven. Only $10 dollars for this! There was no time to describe it as he picked up his spoon and dug in with the others. Anubis held his scoop in front of him, inspecting all the different details from the smooth surface to the rainbow sprinkles. He slowly ate it, making sure to get all his taste buds activated. He stiffened. This is amazing. How can humans create such a delicious treat. He made sure to eat as much as he could before the sugar lovers could ravenously empty the bowl. He noticed the curious stare his friend was giving him.

"Am I doing something wrong?" He asked which made Theodore chuckle.

"Nah it's just that chocolate is usually poisonous for canines. Their bodies metabolize theobromine- a compound found in chocolate- much more slowly than humans do, leading to toxicity even at lower doses. I guess you Lucarios and Riolus have the sufficient amount of enzymes to digest it perfectly fine."

"This ice cream is made from poison types, woah." He said adorably, digging deeper into the remains of the bowl. Theodore too took a few spoonfuls, the taste being more apparent than ever.

After dropping off the shopping bags at their room in the Pokemon Centre, they rushed, at his assertive suggestion, to the famous Nacrene City museum. He was excited as he wanted to see all the different artifacts, read many books on Pokemon anatomy, and finish it off with a gym badge. What more can one man ask for. Too bad for him that there was a sign on the door saying 'Sorry but the museum is closed due to the new artifact delivery'.

"What?" Sarah exclaimed. "That can't be right. I booked a gym battle for 2:30 and they didn't tell me they were closed."

She checked her pokedex and it said she was pending for her gym battle. Maybe the battlefield is a separate part of the museum and is still available.

She knocked on the door a few times awaiting a response. Theodore seethed in anger. What kind of service is this. Back at home, this would be the immediate downfall of any tourist attraction after getting swarmed with negative reviews. They better have an answer for this or they'll have to face a shadow claw to the face, better yet, I'll steal their artifacts.

The door swung open, unveiling a middle-aged man sporting short brown hair and soft green eyes. He was clad in a neat sleek grey suit, perfectly complemented by a neatly knotted tie.

"Hello, may I help you?"

"Yes hi. My name is Sarah and I have a gym battle at 2:30, but apparently, your museum is closed." The young man looked at his watch before his brows rose.

"I'm so sorry ma'am, but we will have to move your appointment to a different time. Unfortunately, our shipping arrived earlier than it was supposed to. Lenora, the Gym Leader, had no choice but to sort that out so she'll only be available this evening. Again I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but if you want you can use the library as that section isn't closed.

"Yes!" Theodore yelled. "Library library library."

He kept bounding on his feet with a large smile she hadn't seen on him before. He looked so happy that it would have felt as if she committed a crime if she didn't accept the offer.

"Alright, we'll go." She said with a smile but the man knew it was forced. It looked wrong for a young girl like her to have anything other than a true smile.

"Tell you what, just for you, I'll also give exclusive use of our private training room to train your Pokemon." Now that got her smile to reach her eyes.

The boys went to the library while the girls, who were more interested in preparing for the upcoming gym battle, went to the training room.

"Why don't you go with them? Some exercise would help your condition." He asked the shy Riolu.

"I d-dont really trust Sarah. I'm okay with Athena b-but not her."

"You're an idiot." He said bluntly, making him almost trip over. "Sarah has no bad blood in her. She's naive, kind and too innocent to have any ill intentions toward you. You've read her aura. What's the difference between her and Athena... exactly, nothing."

"Yeah, but still she's a human. I've already been abandoned by one, so why should she be any different."

"Humans are incredibly unpredictable creatures. One can be a tyrant while one can be charitable. You won't find in her what you found in your previous trainer I can tell you that, but if you don't want to trust her then suit yourself. Just so you know, I can spend days in the library reading, so I better not hear any whining if you're bored."

The library was small, about big enough for a secondary school. It was pretty standard with rows of shelves filled with thick and thin books. He wanted to orgasm on the spot. This is what he's calling is. With no time to waste, he grabbed a random book, sat around the small table in the corner and opened the front page of the glorious bank on knowledge. Anubis sat on the chair next to him, narrowing his eyes at the tile, but couldn't make out the letters. There were some he hadn't seen before and there were a lot more.

Pokemon moves from 3000 years ago

Chapter 1: Introduction

Everyone in the current generation assumes that the world has always been a happy dandy place where one could simply become allegable to be a Pokemon trainer at the age of 12. Where one could travel to most parts of the world without worry of wild Pokemon. This was never the case during ancient times back when war was always prevalent around the world. During these times Pokemon who were the most powerful weapons at the time, were constantly being bred to replace their parents on the front lines. However, there was no time to teach them the original Pokemon moves.

Back then, Pokemon were able to learn more than 4 moves that had advanced versions of themselves, although, they would take a long time to learn. So over time, they had evolved parts of their brain to instantaneously learn a basic version of a move. Scientists still aren't sure what the requirements to be met are for a Pokemon to learn a move, but it seems to revolve around using all the individual's senses.

Since the constant wars kept causing detrimental damage on the planet, the Great Pact was formed between all nations of the world 434 years ago where it was sworn that humans will never engage Pokemon in a grand scale conflict nor abuse them for any extreme cause. This is why it is illegal to do either for even a small scale reason other than a type of police force. So now, human-Pokemon partnerships are celebrated via an honourable battle representing-

"Blah blah blah. No one gives a shit about that." He skimmed the rest of the introduction which talked more about the species' relationship till he got to the good part.

Luckily, using their biographies written by scientists at the time. We've been able to identify how some moves looked and functioned. Unfortunately, we and top trainers have been unable to find a way for any current species to perform these original moves. We've recovered the information of 16 moves. On the rest of the chapters, we'll be going into them in detail.

Chapter 2: The Forgotten Move 'Cadence Illusion'

There were pictures of an unrecognizable bipedal Pokemon, long extinct, performing the move.

In battle, the user enters a state of heightened focus and concentration. They move using precise steps in a pattern which creates a mesmerizing rhythm that echoes around them. As they move they create a subsequent trail of afterimage illusions that disorient their enemy.

The move capitalizes the opponent's senses by exploiting all vision, hearing, touch, and smell. So if the opponent sees these afterimages, they will quickly experience horrible nausea and will be rendered from using any of their own moves until recovered. While in this state, the user will use this opportunity to deliver a precise, decisive blow.

This move is the original version of double team, but unlike it, can form continuous illusions as long as the user is moving so it can't be broken with a quick AOE attack. It can also cause some serious temporary effects on their opponent's brain.

It was found in a few manuscripts that those who master this technique can create a fake clone during their movement to confuse stronger enemies who can overpower the nausea. For example, if the user dodges to the right of an ice blast then as long as he has made those precise movements earlier in the battle then they can create a clone who dodges to the left.

Chapter 3: The Forgotten Move 'Techtonic Fist'

This move could only be used by a rock and ground type. The user wou-

When everything was going well, Theodore was interrupted by his small reading session when he heard his unwanted brother rubbing his knees and groaning in pain. He was pissed at how he told him not to whine yet he does it anyway. A weak creature like this should only be disciplined through an appropriate measure. He was about to slap him across the face, but then he remembered the deal he made to Sarah that he wouldn't be a pain in her journey.

Stupid dog. He groaned, but maybe it would be a good idea to help his mobility otherwise he'll be carrying him everywhere. He can also try the original move, sure even champions have never gotten their Pokemon to do it but he is THE Theodore Nieoldiek. No one can be compared to him. He looked back at the images of chapter one and ingrained the demonstrator's movements into his head.

"Alright, let's go to the training area since you wanna be a baby. You'll need some strength training to help your muscles not rest."

He was stunned after opening the door at all the different equipment. Some he recognized as they were either ones you could find at a normal human gym or ones he's used in animal tests, but some he hadn't seen. They were specialized to train different Pokemon types and many types of attack, ranging from ranged to close combat. They walked past the other two, who were doing their own thing, to the dumbells.

"I know how dog and human muscles work and you seem to be the combination of both, so I'm the perfect trainer. Your knees were hurting earlier so to help the patellar tendon you'll start with some wall sits." He moved his back to the wall and put him in the proper position. "There now stay there for 50 seconds then take a small break. Afterwards, do it again another 4 times."

Anubis found the first 3 sets pretty easy but struggled on the last 2. His knees were feeling a searing pain as he kept counting down the seconds, wishing the exercise to be over. He made sure to complete it though as he didn't dare to make himself look like a failure in the first task given to him. Theodore then showed him a couple more exercises- some needing dumbells- and let him get on with it while he was going to try to do Cadence Illusion. Sarah saw them at the edge of her eye, smiling at them working together. They both had issues, but as long as they have each other then hopefully those issues will go way before they know it.

Remember what you saw. Moving to a space, he vividly saw the starting position of the extinct Pokemon. Based on the description, the move could be used in any type of movement including running. but the images were showing a baseline to how to do it. He went to a basic stance before walking incredibly slowly. This move needed precision which he knew he could do. It was meant for assassins which a Weavile was so this should be a piece of cake for him. Slowly and slowly, he was going in a circle around a pretend enemy. Slowly and slowly, the walking seemed more like a recording put on loop as he kept making small adjustments so the opponent would see an echo in his movements. After 20 minutes of walking non-stop, sweat was beginning to fall as the training was frying his muscles and his brain. It took a shit ton of concentration to get his steps to be absolutely the same as the last where even a minute detail would count.

Anubis had completed his exercises and rested on a bench, wondering why his saviour was so focused on walking. When he was taking his last few steps he could have sworn he had seen a blurry copy of him right behind him. After blinking a few times it disappeared. It must have been a sweat falling from his eyebrow.

Theodore moved onto stretches with him which were even more painful, ranging from his calves to his back, but afterwards, he was shocked by how different he felt. By how free he was. He was able to stand perfectly upright like a Riolu should.

"See, you're no longer hunchbacked anymore. Try going through that square thingy." He said pointing at a simple climbing frame in the shape of many cubes. When he tried, he was able to vault through, easily climb, and softly jump down without any issue. Sure, his muscles weren't completely activated yet, but it was a huge improvement compared to an hour ago. There was an increase in respect he had for his friend and his knowledge. He already knew he was smart, but now he thinks he may know everything.

"Good again." Athena blasted another psybeam at the training dummy designed to take impact from psychic type attacks. She wanted to focus more on her moves instead of physical conditioning as she didn't have the body for that yet. The most she could do was work on her evasion.

After the hype of her strategy working in the Dreamyard, it fell apart in the end due to her ignorance of psychic type moves not working on dark types. It was so embarrassing, so this time she checked what type this gym specializes in; it was normal types. She also found out that fighting types were supper effective against normal types. She eyed Anubis as he was sitting on the bench. She didn't want to use Theodore this time as he seemed to be doing everything for her. No! She wanted to do this herself with the Pokemon she caught.

"Athena you carry on. I'll be using you for the gym battle so that psybeam needs to be stronger." She nodded and carried on sending them one after the other. They were noticeably larger and faster than before.

"Anubis Theodore. I have an announcement." She gained their attention. "Later on I'll be using you, Anubis, and Athena. Sorry Theodore, but I have to do this on my own. I wanted to prove myself and show that I can do this."

He whistled at her boldness and respected it. He would always respect someone going over an obstacle for self growth. He could see fellow Pokemon looking at him nervously, wondering what to do.

"Actually, it's a good idea. Those exercises have left you with complete mobility, and you Pokemon have a lot of endurance, so a big stimulant should help your muscles regain their remaining strength. And don't start having those thoughts of self-doubt, only losers have those. Trust me when I say you can do this." He wasn't trying to make it sound like words of encouragement, he was simply saying the facts. A Riolu- a fighting type- going against a normal type is an easy win, but to Anubis, they were. So, ignoring the small whisper at the back of his mind that threatened to grow larger, he pumped his fist into the air.

Sarah took out her pokedex to scan him before the same thing would happen like in Striaton Gym.

"This Riolu is male, 2 months old, and has no special abilities. His moves are quick attack, detect, and brick break. Warning! Weight is under the average amount; suggested to feed healthy Pokemon food in small amounts consistently t-"

"Yes, we already get that part. So with these moves how should I use you in battle?" She hummed to herself in thought. Based on that book and his species' fighting style, I should only use him in close combat. His moves prove that too. I can bring him close to his opponent using a quick attack then use his other attacks to inflict damage.

The closing of the door broke her out of her stupor. Came in a large black woman with a simple white shirt, and loose blue trousers. She had a large blue afro and wore a smile that radiated strength. She knew immediately that this was the gym leader of Nacrene City, Lenora.

"Well well, hard at training I see. That's good, I always like to see trainers hard at work. Hi, I'm Lenora and you must be Sarah." She stuck out her hand which she took.

"Yes, that's me. I came here for a gym battle, but it got cancelled." Lenora's smile slightly fell as she crossed her arms.

"I'm very sorry about that. I told the guys yesterday that the delivery for the extinct Pokemon was meant to be tomorrow, but they still somehow mucked that up and I had to push forward my schedule. Luckily, it didn't take as much time as I thought so if you want we can have our gym battle now, but looking at your Pokemon, I don't think it would be wise to do so." She said before Sarah saw the 3 of them slightly huffing in exhaustion. "Tell you what, I'll open the museum early tomorrow morning so I can have a battle ready just for you. It will be at 7:30 sharp. Will you be able to make that?"

"Yes!" They officially organized the time before Team Sarah left for the Pokemon Centre. Sarah left the boys in the room as she wanted to talk to her parents like she'd promised she'd do when reaching this city. She was in front of a video booth wearing a nervous smile while clenching her dress as she didn't know what their reaction would be. She felt a small hand on top of hers. Athena gave her a small nod, telling her it would go okay. The booth showed an image.

"OMG! Dear, come quickly it's Sarah. She's reached Nacrene City." Exclaimed a woman with gentle eyes and a warm smile that lit up her face. Her hair, usually styled in a practical yet stylish manner, frames her face in soft waves or a tidy bun. She wore a soft, oversized sweater paired with faded jeans, giving off an effortlessly casual vibe.

Swiftly came a man who beamed in excitement. Dressed in sturdy jeans and a faded t-shirt, he embodied the resilience of the everyday worker striving to provide for his family.

"Woah my little orchid I didn't think you'd be there that quickly. How are you so far on your journey, it must have been quite difficult."

"Thanks dad, it's been quite the trip. I didn't expect half the stuff I've encountered so far. I guess you were right when you said it will be difficult, but it's okay because I'm a big girl." She said placing a fist on her chest. Her parents though didn't share the same enthusiasm.

"Are you okay, do you need more money or a new bag?"

"Or did you lose your pokedex. Dang it, I knew we should have put a GPS in her bag." They both yelled.

Her smile faltered before she sighed. She knew they would react like this, they always did when she suggested going on her journey. What did he say about a GPS? It was hypocritical how they were the ones who insisted she leave her home to do something else other than watch TV yet now they're acting like this. They tried to discourage her from entering the circuit and become a normal traveller, but with her resolve, she refused and left through the door of their house.

"Guys relax, I'm fine. I've got Athena here to protect me and I've got two new Pokemon to join my team. They're not here right now as they were tired from their training, but they're super cool. One of them is a Riolu, like an actual Riolu can you believe that! He was abandoned by some trainer and got hurt real bad, so he doesn't trust me much, but he'll eventually overcome it. It's a work in progress. And the other is a species I've never seen before, and he's so smart. He was able to read my camping manual and turned the stove on. And guess what, he can write in English. I've never seen a Pokemon able to do that before."

Everything she said didn't help her parent's anxiety. They just wanted her to at least have a normal journey, and with a small desire, have her fail the circuit and come home, but this... this sounded like something else. For now, they'll carry on supporting her and see where she goes.

"Alright dear, but always remember that if you ever need anything, we're right here."

"Mooooom I'm not a baby. I can take care of myself."

"Yes but still, you'll always be our little baby, and Athena dear, your parents are here too if you want to talk to them."

"Ra Ralts!" Her parents, a Galade and an Audino showed up. She was excited to see them again. Her mother was a doting character whereas her father gave a cool stoic look but she knew he wanted to see her too. He just didn't want to look like a softie. They had asked her how she was and if she was training right.

"Trust me, when we come back home, we will come as champions. It'll be the strongest Gardevoir ever, that's a promise." They were glad to hear that; a fighting Pokemon should always aim to be at the top. With everyone's final goodbyes, Sarah and Athena went back to their room.

"Alright misters, we all smell like trash after that trip so it's bath time." She said getting out the bodywash, conditioner, and other stuff. "What are you guys waiting for, let's go in."

There was no way Theodore; a grown ass man was going to jump in the showers with a little girl. For the other two it wouldn't matter as they were kids, actually, no Pokemon would care but he wasn't an ordinary Pokemon now was he. He got his notepad out from underneath his scarf; it was a convenient place to put small objects in without them falling out.

I ONLY SHOWER ON MY OWN

She stared at the words in confusion before shrugging.

"Alright then mister privacy, I know you like to sing in the shower and are too shy for us to hear your beautiful voice."

"That's no-"

"But I'll respect it. It's not like we're going to have to pay for it. Come on Anubis, I really want to see how you'll look all groomed and stuff." She picked him up by the scruff of his neck before he could resist. She was already daydreaming what the end result would be.

She locked the door on all three of them before getting undressed and shoving them into the shower cubicle. He didn't like this at all. His arms were shaking in fear. Having the door locked, getting stuck in this small room, and having a human reaching for him. It was a replica of that day.

"Huh, your fur has a lot of dirt in it." She said as his now wet fur was still stiff from the dirt. He didn't realize there were droplets of water falling on him. He was breathing slightly quicker as his muscles tightened He looked over at Athena who was already washing herself with bodywash as she knew what she was doing. Honestly, how can she be in this encased space and not find it imprisoning. When she noticed his stare, she could only smile like how she always does, oblivious to his inner thoughts. He then remembered what she said to him in the nursery.

If you want to be part of the family then you have to let us treat you like one.

This was not something he liked. He didn't want to take the leap but screw it. He'll take the risk of falling into despair again if it means he can live a better life. Relaxing his muscles, he let himself have the bodywash put on him by Sarah, who was happy to encompass him in the whole thing. He knew what Theodore said about her that she'll never hurt him or make him do something he doesn't want to do.

"It's a good thing I bought the one that helps muscles relax, perfect for fighters like you."

Ooooohhh that feels good. It was pleasurable as she rubbed the muscles aching from training. Also, his fur wasn't getting pulled every time he moved and was now as smooth as that time he got groomed in Conner's mansion; back when he was first born but he'll not think about him for now. Right now, it was just this.

After drying off and leaving the shower, Sarah got out her special unknotting comb and began doing her thing to Athena. Theodore couldn't care less of her treatment and took some of Sarah's toiletries to the shower, taking a spare towel from her bag.

It only took a few minutes with how small Athena was for it to be his turn. He had to say, he was impressed by how smooth her dress turned out to be. He could hear all sorts of giddy sounds from behind him as he was getting brushed. She brushed everywhere from his face to his tail. He looked down at his torso where his fur wasn't sprouting in random directions. He was excited to see the final result.

The move to the mirror. His jaw dropped as he saw his reflection. He was absolutely majestic, more than any Riolu to had seen before not that he has, but he knew that they were nothing compared to him. He looked complete. He turned to Sarah with a smile. It seems like the risk to let his guard down around her paid off. There was still some anxiety at the back of his head, but it was still a step forward to happiness.

"Alright, I'm out. What the hell you look so happy. I've not seen you smile like that before." He snatched the comb from her hand and began grooming himself as he looked at her handiwork. It was a different sight to see a Riolu how they should be. He didn't want to admit it but the word adorable was in his mind. Although he was still skinny, it was way better than 2 days ago. It amazed him how quickly he was recovering. It should only take about a week for a full recovery. These Pokemon may have some genes he would want to look into.

Anubis POV:

After we ate, we all tucked in together early. We wanted to be ready for tomorrow's battle. Everyone else had fallen asleep before me as I looked up to the ceiling and wondered about my time with these guys so far. They were interesting and not what I expected. From my experience in Conner's team, I was at first treated about the same as I was now, but after the losses started to pile up, that was when things changed. I got dirty looks from him and his other extravagent Pokemon constantly bullied me.

It definitely was surprising how these guys didn't abuse me when I first met them, they actually helped me improve and it's only been two days. Athena was fun to play with, she always exuded this cheerful aura. Sarah felt like a mother figure; always being protective. Theodore was cool, he was smart and strong and always knew what he was doing. Although, he was strange for a Pokemon, but that might be because I'm still 3 moon cycles old and haven't seen enough of the world yet. This is how I feel about each of them even though I haven't experienced what a family feels like since I was bought as an egg.

This can really be my new family.

I closed my eyes with a relaxed smile on my face.

Tomorrow, I'll win. Not just for them, not just for approval, but also for myself.

For the first time in my life, I felt a resounding confidence well up in me. It was a nice sleep that night.

Chapter End

PurelyHilarious: Thank you very much. This fanfic is a combination of many things like science, character, etc. I wanted to add my own input into the transformation fics.

Ralmon: I've looked into how to make a better villain introduction and there were some changes I could have made. I won't change what I've done since we'll be seeing more of his character later on.

 

[Swag Striker]

Chapter 7: I did it!

Chapter 7 START

Ghetsis was upholding himself with the strong confident pose he held when facing the sages, the grunts, the people; no matter who he faced he would never waiver. This was required if you had the ambition to take over the entire Unova region and reign above all others. Everyone would know to bow down in respect wherever Ghetsis went. Even Alder, the current Champion who truly deserved that title, would realise his place and submit to him.

However, for the first time in his life, he struggled to uphold himself as he looked at the calm yet deranged eyes of his newly appointed scientist. They were alien. He acquired him after he saw how his abilities triumphed over Colress's and sent the latter packing without a single glance. He wanted to achieve his goals and achieve them now. He had no time for second-rate subordinates to help achieve them.

"How is your research getting along Doctor, it won't be long before we go to meet the legendary dragon. If we want to liberate Pokemon from the evil humans then we'll need to show them that they are causing nothing but oppression to them. We need a legendary Pokemon's power if we want to accomplish this dream."

"It won't be long now. I assure you I will give you the results I promised. I only need more subjects to study before I can make the mind control device. Without them, this will take longer and make us more susceptible to the authorities."

Ghetsis took a small glance over Vikasa's shoulder before quickly pulling back. It made him furrow his brows. His experiments were inhumane and a complete turnover to the culture the current generations were brought up in. Sure, you get those who are downright evil committing crimes like murder, rape, and all sorts but it was very rare. It's unfortunate that he was willing to go to this extent for his dream but it was what it was.

"I will get you more once the operations team reaches Nacrene City. They will kidnap some Pokemon when they are in their Pokeballs in a Pokemon Centre away from their trainers."

"Thank you. I too want Pokemon to be away from such oppression." No, I don't. "And these ones's sacrifice won't go in vain." Ghetsis nodded his head.

"Carry on with your work."

Don't tell me what to do. He goes back into his lab where the doors shut themselves separating him from the leader of Team Plasma. The fucking idiot thought he would actually listen to his pathetic whims. He walked past the few tables that each contained a Pokemon with their body parts open up. Noticeably, they were all bird type Pokemon one could find in the Unova region. Opened wing flaps, removed muscle tissue, one even had his ribs open. The good thing was that they were dead and didn't have to deal with any more suffering.

He placed his hand on a particular place on the wall. It wasn't any different from the rest of the lab. It made a small hissing noise before slowly opening up, revealing a dimly illuminated room with more lab equipment. These ones were more high-tech as they showed pristinely detailed features on them. There was a large mechanical square bed in the middle of the room that had what looked like a scanner connected to it as an overhang.

It's been a month now since I arrived in this world and I've got to say, I'm lovin it. Having been taken away from Earth to a new world with technology beyond what we could've fathomed, it just shrivels my balls. As a scientist, I had no choice but to quickly learn what this world contained and it didn't disappoint. Gadgets, medicine, and even space travel have advanced highly.

However, nothing compared to the discovery of these strange alien creatures called Pokemon. This world didn't only have humans as the highly populated species. These marvellous creatures were ones you would find in a fairy tale. They had fantasy-like appearances based on the normal species on Earth like foxes and cats, but they were able to harness the elements for fighting similar to magic; being able to shoot flames and conjure shields.

I had to learn about them, they were more important than any type of technology this world had to offer me. If there was a chance to find another sentient creature, who could potentially be the apex species of this world, then I had to know about it.

Immediately I got to work. I found Team Plasma, replaced Colress in exchange for my superior biological knowledge, was provided with a home, food, and most importantly a lab, and started to find out as much as I could about them.

...I was severely disappointed. At first, I was excited to find out that they were, in fact, sentient possessing intelligence far beyond Earth's next two smartest creatures, the ape and the dolphin. There was no way the human nature would allow them to just be without some sort of control and I stood correct. Looking at this world's history I found a disappointing revelation. They never fought for their own domination instead they acted as tools for us, dying to fulfil our needs. This was even when they could have easily wiped out the human race, but now it's too late. This society has advanced too much and my species has proven itself to be at the top.

This isn't what I wanted. I wanted to see if there was a creature that could surpass the status of a human, but I guess no matter what world we're in, humanity will always remain at the top. No matter.

He walked to the large table that had much machinery coming out of its sides connected to the singular creature in the middle of it. It was a Galarian Sirfetch'd that found itself in the Unova region somehow, and now part of a grand experiment. He was currently asleep with cords attached to various parts of its body but were mostly attached to the brain, the throat and the heart.

I will have to create the ultimate being myself. This world is inhabited by nothing by inferior creatures even the humans are weak. Where was the rampant crime, where were the people eating each other over competition?

This is the research I'm actually working on. The mind control device will be a side thing to impress Ghetsis, but my focus is mainly on this. He will be the first step to achieving my goal. I will create the creature who will dominate this world and destroy anyone who stands in his way. 'Why?' You may ask. Simple. because I hate weakness, so all those who aren't able to stop me deserve to be beneath my power.

It's not as messed up as you think it is, not at all. The world is always operated by those in power- mostly gained from tyranny- so this will just be a step up from that, and if you ask the question 'what if the creature turns on you?'. It won't, I'll make sure of that. I'm not dumb enough to fall for that cliche.

He was looking at the vitals shown on a tablet protruding from the side of the bed. Everything was stable from the heartbeat to the brain activity, but for some reason, the Sirfetch'd remained in its coma. The first and most important stage of the project was increasing a creature's intelligence, so he transferred some parts of a human brain from a child he kidnapped from the countryside to this Sirfetch'd. He didn't know why, but its species was greatly compatible for it.

This would be considered an outlandish experiment or a useless one. It would have labelled him stupid if he tried it back home as combining two brains is far beyond impossible. He sighed as he sat down on the adjacent chair. After 2 weeks nothing major has happened. He shouldn't think that he would get results in only 2 weeks despite the fact that he shouldn't get any at all, but he liked quick results.

BEEP...BEEP...BEEP

The holter monitor was starting to get really annoying. He gripped the tablet tightly. Perhaps he did get over his head. I mean what was I thinking? He slammed it down on the nearby desk before swiping aside some diagrams. There was no way this was going to work. He huffed in place, placing a hand over his eyes as they were starting to turn red.

BEEP BEEP

He gasped, immediately picking up the tablet to read the heart rate. That was different. No, maybe it was just a one-off.

BEEP BEEP...BEEP BEEP BEEP

The monitor was showing a pulse that was increasing in rate. He quickly turned to the table. The Sirfetchd's eyes were slowly opening and his mouth parted to take in deeper breaths. He threw the tablet on the floor, ran to the table and yanked every single plug that was attached to him. He carefully inspected the Pokemon as the Sirfetchd's eyes weakly stared at the doctor. He was starting to regain more of his consciousness as his vision was clearing up.

"I...did it?" Vikasa asked not believing what was in front of him. "I did it! I ACTUALLY DID IT!"

"S-s-s-ff-th-"

"Shhhhh it's okay it's okay." He assured him with the most gentle whisper he could muster. He looked at him like one would to their newborn baby. "You, my beloved creature, have become the first of those who've been improved."

(with Team Sarah)

"Alright, you two it's time to bring our A game. This is the real deal." Sarah said to the two companions beside her. "We're bringing home our next badge."

"Are you nervous?" Athena asked Anubis, sensing the small burn of anxiety in him.

"Don't worry. Even though I lost my first gym battle, which was definitely Sarah's fault." She mumbled the last part. "I know we're going to beat Lenora's Pokemon."

"Y-yes you're right. We've got this. I've got this." He took a deep breath and tried not to think too much about it. All those doubts were just whispers in his mind, they don't exist. As long as he didn't listen to them he'll succeed.

"It's good to be confident. The trainers who are able to beat me have to have it. The only ones who get lucky are those who are rich enough to buy some strong starters." Lenora said leading the group past the library along with her husband Hawes.

Now that made it harder for him to ignore the thoughts, especially since he was bought by a rich household, but couldn't fulfil his end of the bargain. They reached the end where the two stood facing them while standing next to a bookshelf.

"Before we begin our battle I like to have trainers study up on what's coming their way in the future as a Pokemon trainer. If you fail to prepare then you prepare to fail. I would recommend starting off with this book." She said pointing at the thick book behind her.

Sarah's smile fell. She had been waiting for a gym battle since yesterday, got her booking cancelled without any kind of notification, and is now told she has to go through a study session before she can actually battle her...This felt illegal.

Why are they smiling like that? She raised a brow at the duo. Something was going on here, did she miss something? Instead of thinking too much about it, she took the book that Lenora recommended to her. If she was going to read one she might as well pick the one the Gym leader suggested.

As soon as she tried picking up the book she let go as there was a slight rumbling around her. The bookshelf itself was slowly moving apart and revealed a staircase going below. Lenora smiled at her goofy face.

"It never gets old does it dear."

"Nope, it certainly doesn't."

"What is this?" Sarah asked

"It's the battlefield of course. You see I do a test on every trainer who wants to earn their gym badge. Seeing their reaction tells me what kind of trainer they are. 9/10 they don't pick the book I tell them to as they would rather go their own way. That shows either arrogance or solitude. The ones who like to rush through life without planning pick the thinner books, thinking it would get them their gym battle faster and the others would pick ones they're interested in which shows that they haven't gotten their priorities straight. If you're going to have a gym battle then you should have your mind in the game. All of us Gym leaders know what we're doing and we'll teach those who truly want to become amongst the top."

Sarah could only watch her in awe as she now realised how knowledgeable and experienced Lenora was. She had to ask.

"What is it you see in me, what kind of a trainer am I?"

"You Sarah are one of the uniques. You're shy, naive and I can tell you've been a shut-in for most of your life. You want to go out there to prove yourself, but find yourself quite lacking." Sarah didn't like what she was hearing despite it all being true. Lenora's smile widened.

"But you have a good and strong heart. One that will never waver against any challenge. As long as you keep true to yourself and don't change the path that you're on then you will accomplish your goals. Well, come on then we ain't got time to waste."

They went to their respective positions before Hawes called out the rules.

"This is the Nacrene City gym battle between Sarah, the challenger, and Lenora, the Gym Leader, will begin by each selecting two of their Pokemon, and when either the Gym Leader or the challenger's Pokemon are left unable to battle the battle will be decided. In addition, both Pokemon can be freely substituted at any time."

Lenora took out a pokeball from her pocket and let out her first Pokemon, a Lillipup. Sarah squealed, bringing her hands to her crying heart at the adorable little puppy. She pulled out her pokedex while shaking in delight and pointed it at him.

"Lillipup, the puppy Pokemon. The long hair around its face provides an amazing radar that lets it sense subtle changes in its surroundings." The robotic voice said. Sarah was slightly annoyed that it didn't tell her any other information, but it was expected since he wasn't registered to her.

"Since you're bringing out Lillipup, I'll bring out Athena." The Psychic Pokemon jumped from Sarah's side to the plane dirt battlefield, her smile vanished as she eyed her opponent. It was battle time.

"Let's start this off Lillipup with Roar." He inhaled a large amount of air. Team Sarah had to hold their ears when he let out a huge roar that shouldn't be coming from a Pokemon his size. It sent waves of sound to their side but didn't do any damage to Athena.

"...What did that do?" After a moment Sarah questioned the results of the Roar when nothing happened.

Lenora eyed the three pokeballs on Sarah's sash. The Riolu was sitting on the side as the battle went along, so she knew that one of them belonged to the Weavile.

"Where's your Weavile?"

"I didn't want to use him for this battle as I've been too reliant on him so far. I'm going to show the Nacrene City Gym Leader what Sarah Grace can do. He's at the library, it's like his natural habitat."

Well there goes that opportunity

"I told Lillipup to use roar as it's a move that forces the trainer to switch their Pokemon. I wanted to surprise you and see how quickly you can adapt to a new situation without time to plan, but I guess I can't do that. It's good to try to be less reliant on someone whom you've depended on for so long, so let's see what you can do." Her Lillipup let out a bark as he got into a defensive position.

"We'll fulfil your request. Athena use Confusion." She sent a large ring of yellow energy to her opponent.

"Dodge it." Sarah's eyes widened when Lillipup dodged to the side with incredible speed. He's quick.

"Now use Take Down." An orange aura surrounded him as he dashed to Athena.

"Q-quickly use Double Team." Athena spread many clones around her side of the battlefield just in time as Lillipup went through one, dissipating it. Sarah sweatdropped as the move looked like it could have caused a lot of damage. "Use Confusion again."

Athena sent another Confusion but it was again dodged.

"Shadow ball." Lillipup opened his mouth gathering the energy for the growing ball before shooting it.

"Double Team." Athena sent another wave of clones with one of them facing the shadow ball and dissipating.

He looked around, wondering which one was the real one. It's not often you get beginning trainers with Pokemon who could use Double Team. He used his facial hair in an attempt to find her; any physical difference in the area as an illusion wouldn't trigger his hair. It was hard, but he could discern which one she was.

"Use shadow ball; multiple but weak." He sent the four shadow balls at her. Sarah clicked her tongue as she knew that this was a great counter for another round of Double Team.

Athena narrowly dodges them as she kept hopping back when a shadow ball almost hit her. These weaker ones were also slower but Lillipup's attack were already too quick. She huffed in place.

She's getting tired. Double Team is a move that requires a huge amount of energy. Weak but multiple she said. I didn't even know you could do that. She knew this would happen from the very start. Is this the strategist of a Gym Leader.

Sarah felt a surge of admiration within her before she smirked as she stared at Lenora's eyes. She wasn't going to give up so easily, not without putting up a fight.

"Use Psybeam." Athena sent out a purple beam of consecutive rings. The training yesterday wasn't for nothing as it was quick enough to hit the dumbfounded Lillipup. He staggered, trying hard not to fall down as the attack did a lot of damage.

"Good, I see that the fruits of your training are going to pay off today...if you win. Use another Take Down." She shouted, intending to end the round. Lillipup surrounded himself in the same orange aura before dashing to Athena.

Athena braced herself for the impact. Lillipup's charge was already a metre away from her. Everyone became confused when he changed direction and ran to the side, hitting his forehead onto the wall causing small chunks to break off. He had to sit down as the recoil did a huge amount of damage to him. Both trainers saw from his eyes that he was confused, it came from the Psybeam.

Sarah smiled as she planned to take advantage of it.

"Now! Keep using Psybeam until he goes down."

"Don't let them, land the next Take Down!" Lillipup charged his attack again which came close to hitting Athena but a slight deviance led him to hitting the wall near her. He needed to sit down from the recoil. Using his vulnerable state, she sent many powerful Psybeams as quickly as she could. Sarah knew that if he broke out of his confusion then she would lose this round.

Lillipup yelled in pain as they overwhelmed him. Swirls appeared on his eyes as he fell on his side, fainting. Sarah jumped into the air in victory as she had won the battle. Athena limped her way towards her side getting a ruffle on her green hair. One down, one more to go.

"Well done for defeating my Lillipup." Lenora said, recalling him before grabbing another pokeball. "But here comes the true challenge. Watchog come on out!"

Out came of the red beam a maroon meerkat with huge frontal teeth and yellow stripes. He stood up straight with his arms crossed giving his challengers a serious glare. It was a bit intimidating like seeing a bouncer staring completely at you.

Sarah didn't bother scanning him with her pokedex when her adrenaline was at an all-time high and she needed to keep the streak going.

"Anubis come up." He was sitting on the side the entire time watching his small friend fighting with all her might. Seeing the action welled up a feeling of excitement since he was a Pokemon and fighting is what he does. The various moves made him watch in awe. Although, now that he was being called up, his heart started to burn up and tighten. He slowly walked to his side of the field.

"Take a deep breath." He heard from behind him. Sarah took a deep breath and then slowly blew out. He repeated the notion. Hey, it worked! The burning sensation surprisingly went away and helped him focus on his opponent.

Let's see if I can still fight.

"Watchog use Confuse Ray." He threw a yellow energy ball.

"Use Detect to dodge it." Sarah realised that speed is Lenora's forte which is the opposite of her Pokemon. Anubis's focus increased tenfold, allowing him to notice even the slightest movements of his opponent. He watched his arms as he threw the Confuse Ray, reading the trajectory and seeing exactly the way it would reach him. It was easy from there to avoid it as he jumped to his left.

"Low Kick." Watchog suddenly appeared before Anubis, startling him before he went down and sent a strong kick to Anubis's leg. He fell down as the kick hurt a lot and swept him off his feet.

That was when he froze as he looked at the particular part of his leg where a bruise started to form. Watchog went back to Lenora, waiting for his next command, but Anubis just sat in place and stopped breathing. Sarah grew worried. He's been traumatized. Dang it, I shouldn't have brought him out so quickly I'm so stupid. No, I will help him get through this.

"Anubis get up! I know what your trainer did to you before but I promise you I'm not like that. I would never hurt you in any way no matter what. Just please...get up."

He could only feel a terrible pain from the attack, not because it hurt as much as it did but because it's been ingrained from what he felt on that day. When Conner tied him up in the abandoned laboratory so he could wither away with no one knowing, alone. He tied him from his legs, arms and mouth, but even then from the love he had for his trainer despite the bullying he went through, he had hopped his way to him to follow him. Conner only responded by giving an annoyed remark and sending a hard low kick to his leg, sweeping him and letting his head hit the floor. He was shocked then teared up when he walked and never came back.

Those dark thoughts from earlier found their way to his head when it was most vulnerable. She's going to aban- Shut up! She'll le- I said shut up! I made my declaration last night to give her a chance. I won't disrespect her nor myself by giving up now. If I do I won't forgive myself.

Anubis quickly got up and jumped before Sarah. He calls out to her, breaking her out of her stupor before giving her a sharp and determined look. We've got this. She nods before pointing at Lenora's Pokemon. If she wants speed then we'll give it to her.

"Use Quick Attack to get close to him then use Brick Break." Lenora gapes as she hasn't seen a starting trainer use a move in that way before. He dashed in a flash leaving a white trail behind him. He instantly reached the Watchog like he did to him and sent a glowing white fist into his stomach.

Watchog was sent flying back and hit the wall, cracks appearing behind him. Lenora's eyes widened by how much power was in that attack. He may not have the best speed despite being a Pokemon of mobility, but he has whopping power. The move was also super effective against normal types. She knew Watchog couldn't handle another one of those.

"Bring down Thunder Bolt." The lookout Pokemon stared menacingly at Anubis as he charged his body with electricity shooting around him before releasing a huge bolt of lightning against Anubis.

"RIOOOOO!" He shouted in pain.

"Withstand it Anubis I know you can do it! If there's anyone who's tough enough to beat a Thunder Bolt then it's you. Keep moving, ignore the pain and end this with one last punch!" She shouted hoping he would listen.

It was hard to open his eyes but he did and saw his opponent not too far from him. Withstanding the pain as he clenched his entire body, he slowly walked forward towards him.

"More power!" The Thunder Bolt grew in size and made a loud thunderous noise. It hurt a lot, but he still wasn't going to give up. His opponent was just a few feet away. He got ready a glowing white fist when he was right in front of him and with all his might put in it, brought down his fist onto Watchog's head.

He smashed him to the ground creating a small crater on the battlefield. It sent a small cloud of dust around, but it was clear who won when Watchog stayed on the ground motionlessly. Anubis could barely keep on standing as he huffed in place.

"Watchog is unable to battle. Anubis is the winner which also means that victory goes to Sarah Grace, the challenger.

I-i won...I did it? I...r-really did it. I DID IT!

Anubis, ignoring the screaming his body was telling him, kept jumping in place as a huge smile adorned his face. He almost fell when his legs gave way but was caught when Sarah rushed through the field. They both had blurry eyes as they wrapped each other in a soft yet firm embrace.

"I-i'm not a-"

"I know. you don't need to tell me I already know." That was when he could confirm for the first time in his life he was in safe hands. Athena felt a huge surge of happiness and determination through her horn which also pushed her forward.

"Hey, I want a huge too." She wrapped her tiny arms around them despite being too small to properly embrace them but it doesn't matter. The team had a moment. Lenora watched the scene that almost made her cry if Hawes didn't bring a hand to her shoulder. This was why she became a Gym Leader; to give trainers valuable knowledge and to show them the power of bonding with their Pokemon.

Hawes takes out something from behind him before they move to the trio. They broke their embrace before gathering themselves. Sarah let out a sheepish smile while wearing red puffy eyes from their little moment. She wondered what it was that Hawes was holding until she remembered that it was another badge, similar to the one she got from the Striaton Gym.

"Congratulations Sarah. For showing great strategy against a weakness you had to overcome and for bringing out the bond you have with your Pokemon, I present to you the basic badge. This shows your determination as a trainer and completing the second milestone in your journey."

Sarah took the badge and kept staring at it. It was a purple rectangle with small squares on the top and the bottom. It deserved its name as the basic badge as it didn't symbolise any particular Pokemon type or fancy quirk. It looked like the side of a book which showed her just how important strategy is in a battle. Speaking of books, she had to pick up Theodore from the library.

"Thank you, Lenora and Hawes. I'll treasure this experience." Lenora only nodded with her motherly smile.

"Good. I've seen many trainers come and go, but sometimes there are those unique ones who pull out the unexpected. Sarah, you are one of those unique ones. As long as you keep moving forward no matter how hard it gets then you'll succeed."

Sarah bowed and thanked them again before they all left. She went to the library with a skip in her steps. She wanted to show her companion the badge.

"Theodore!" She shouted his name which echoed throughout the library, but after a minute, he didn't come out. "Theodore, come on out, I've got a surprise for you...Theodore?"

Still no response. Her friend couldn't be that invested in his books to not hear her in a silent library, could he?

Maybe he's outside.

They found him standing next to the library's entrance, leaning against the wall, looking out into the distance. She smiled gleefully.

"Hey hey guess who won the basic badge, yep, it was me. Now I've proven that I can win a gym battle by myself. Oh my cupcakes you should have seen the battle it was epic. First Athena used Confusion then Lenora's Lillipup went roar and then...What are you looking at?"

She saw that he just nodded over her sentences without really paying attention. he still kept his attention at the distance. When tracing his line of sight, she saw a large crowd gathered in a circle with their Pokemon beside them. Odd, I know I keep my team out but some trainers don't, not as much as this.

"Do you know what the crowd is about?" She asked. Theodore finally paid attention to her. He took out his notepad and wrote.

IT'S TEAM PLASMA. THEY'RE CARRYING ON THEIR PREACHING NOW IN THIS CITY.

Team Plasma! Now she had no choice but to go to the crowd and see what they had to say. There were all sorts of people with their Pokemon ranging from beginning trainers to just casual families. They had their full attention on the singular figure in the middle surrounded by members with the uniforms she'd seen in the dreamyard. It made them all look pretty much the same.

The figure wore a thick brown cloak that went to his ankles. It was creepy as it had huge eyes designed all over it making it seem like he could see everyone around him. He held a cane that had the Team Plasma Emblem on it. Strangely, he wore a single red glass on his left eye. All this made him look like a villain Sarah had seen in one of those movies.

The way he stood with his grunts standing strongly around him made the crowd look at him with respect, but not the type you would see from a lovable leader but a tyrant who commanded it. Already was Sarah getting bad vibes from this guy.

This was similar to the scene in Accumula Town where the figurehead was surrounded by a crowd of people telling everyone about their goals of Pokemon liberation. Admittedly, Sarah was daydreaming about a pink Ponyta, so she didn't hear what they said and realised she missed the whole speech when everyone had dispersed. However, after the incident with the Munna, she had no choice but to pay attention and listen to what they had to say.

"People of Nacrene City I am the leader of Team Plasma; Ghetsis." This immediately sent alarm bells in her head. She remembered the name the grunts mentioned when trying to extract the dream mist from the Munna. It was Ghetsis.

"For how long have Pokemon accompanied us throughout our day to day lives from casual living, to work, even for the sport of battling. They've been with us humans throughout our entire existence ever since we were first made and from that time we have united and created the heaven we live in today."

Everyone in the crowd agreed. They were nodding their heads and giving their smiles. The Pokemon beside them held onto them whether it was with their paws, tails or whatever appendage they had; they held tightly. Unfortunately, that would quickly vanish.

"But has that always been the case though, have we always lived in this heaven? No, we haven't. Don't forget history. For thousands of years, we, the destructive humans have only used Pokemon for our selfish gain. They were used in wars, as tools, and are now trapped in the little devices we call pokeballs to be used as slaves. I have asked you to bring out your Pokemon. Look at them are they really the friends we think they are or have we tricked them by putting them in these confined little spaces."

Everyone looked at their 'friends', at their eyes. There was nothing wrong with them, no hint of repulsion against their trainers. But now Ghetsis placed a seed of doubt in them from the idea. Have they unknowingly manipulated them to be this way for their own gain? Humans have been excellent when it comes to their manipulative capabilities, it's the reason why they are considered special in the world, but he was right on one point; humans have severely abused Pokemon for their selfish needs in the past.

Everyone is taught, a small amount, in the later years of school about the Great Pact. This was to prevent society from going back to their old ways by showing them the horrors of what would happen if they did. Obviously, this didn't stop everyone, but it has had overwhelming success.

"The truth is that we've made a dystopia for them and have convinced ourselves otherwise to run away from the truth. History has shown that we humans repeat our mistakes over and over again and will never change. So for once, I ask you, to give up your Pokemon and let them return to the wild. For once let's go against our nature and let them have their freedom otherwise they'll end up getting hurt by us again. If you truly care about your partners then you'll do so. Thank you for listening."

The grunts surrounded him like a shield as they left with the crowd parting ways for them. Throughout the speech, Sarah was keeping herself from lashing out and exposing the lies they were uttering. What she had personally seen was a complete contradiction to what they were preaching. What made her madder were the small conversations happening around her in the crowd where people were actually considering his words.

Seriously. Wasn't the miraculous city around them built by BOTH Pokemon and humans proof enough about the harmony they could live in. Her proof was shown in Nacrene City and no one would be able to convince her otherwise, she just can't believe that it was this easy to trick people.

"Lies...they're all lies." Came a small voice from behind her. She turned to see a young man- not much older than her- glaring at Ghetsis as he left with enmity in his eyes. He wore grey trousers, a rolled-up white shirt, and a black and white cap. He also wore an interesting pendant around his neck. He was quite handsome if it wasn't for the expression he was wearing.

Theodore was shocked. N...what is he doing here? He's meant to show up later in the series in some far-end city.

"What Team Plasma is doing is wrong. They don't try to save Pokemon from humans nor try to bring them a better life. Instead, Ghetsis is lying to us to weaken the League. I've seen what Team Plasma is doing... those damn horrible experiments on my friends." He says with clenched teeth before sighing. "But I don't suppose you would believe me. No one ever does anyway."

"No no!" Sarah quickly said waving her hands. "I believe you. I've seen what some members have done at the Dreamyard when they were trying to get some dream mist for their research or something."

N's eyes widened. This was the first person to have believed him and not turn away after giving a random excuse. He could tell she was being resolute too. He nodded.

"I've been investigating Team Plasma for a while now. Their goals were always reaching domination over Unova, but recently they've changed. They have a new member, who popped out of nowhere, committing atrocious experiments on Pokemon for the name of 'science'. My poor friends are in pain and I need to help them get out if it's the last thing I do."

He broke out of his stupor when seeing Sarah's concerned gaze over him despite her being 2 feet shorter than him. He rubbed the back of his head, his sour face turning cheerful as he wore a soft smile.

"Sorry, my name is N and I try to help Pokemon in any way I can."

"My name's Sarah and this is Athena, Anubis and Theodore." She said pointing to each Pokemon. "That's a nice goal to have. I try to be the same."

"Thank you, that means more than you realise." He looked at Athena and Anubis as they wore very happy smiles, ones that almost made him take a step back. He could feel the incredible feeling of love in their hearts for Sarah like they would do anything to protect her. However, the Riolu did have some fear deep in his heart. It was small but still there, though N ignored it because it wasn't significant.

"Your Pokemon really love you. I've come across trainers with strong bonds with their Pokemon but yours is definitely strong." Sarah flustered slightly before telling him to stop it.

"How can you tell anyway?"

"You see, I have the ability to read a Pokemon's heart and sense how they feel similar to your Ralts's ability. Mine is just more towards intention." He could also understand pokespeech but he likes to keep that to himself. He never wants Ghetsis to know how strong his ability is.

He looked at the final Pokemon, Theodore, standing further away from the group with a bored look. He tried to see what was in his heart.

...What?

N has spent his life around Pokemon and seen the vast nature of their feelings. Their hearts usually are simple to read like black and white. They were either sad or happy or angry etc. However, sometimes one would appear with complicated emotions like grey that were harder to talk to. They were the ones who asked the complicated questions that didn't have a simple answer to them. He hated those questions, they infuriated him. The problems this world has has simple solutions to fix them. There were no ifs or buts about it.

Theodore's heart was like those Pokemon but much deeper. He couldn't decipher what type of character he was as his heart showed every emotion all flowing around another in a chaotic mess. No, in that chaotic mess, there was an absence of the two emotions he valued the most. Love and joy.

When looking at his blue eyes that reminisced of the ocean they didn't make him feel its cool peacefulness. They made him feel uncomfortable even though he couldn't explain why. He was like a wilted flower in a garden of blooms.

He's still a friend who needs freeing. Don't worry Theodore, there will be a day when you will be freed, and experience love and joy.

"Your Pokemon are very interesting some of the most unique I've met so far. Anyway, I'll see you around I'll be going to Castelia City." With a wave, he turned and left. Sarah waved back in delight.

He was a nice guy but strange.

"So what was I about to do again... OH YEAH! Theodore, guess what, we won! We beat Lenora!"

SHOW ME

He looked at the simply designed badge and smiled victoriously. This was another step towards home.

"So you know what that means don't you, another bowl of ice cream, but strawberry this time." She exclaimed before Athena, like a bazooka, launched herself and headbutted her. Sarah yelped in pain before scowling at her little fairy counterpart. They walked to the Pokemon Centre where they would serve a less exotic bowl.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Theodore asked the canine Pokemon who let out a stupid grin with sparkles in his eyes. He held himself from exploding in excitement.

"Well, I won my first ever gym battle." He puffed out his chest proudly. "So..."

"Oh uh cool I guess." He awkwardly nods at him before Anubis almost fell. His smile falters a bit as he turns his head.

Was I meant to do something? Theodore stood there confused. For some reason, like an instinct, he brought his hand on top of his head and started rubbing it. Anubis's smile came back as he closed his eyes and moved in delight. He leaned closer to his hand. This felt different for Theodore as it wasn't like rubbing the head of an animal he tested on by injecting some potential medicine; it wasn't for manipulative purposes.

Actually, keeping his mood up by praising him could help future performance. the smile he wore definitely wasn't due to the satisfaction that Anubis won after the training that he provided. He let out a small chuckle.

He saw the sisters still bickering about which flavour of ice cream truly reigned supreme. He smiled in amusement as his eyes softened a bit in a way they hadn't in a long time. Chocolate is the best.

(back to Vikasa's lab)

"Aubu bi b-b-B." The Sirfetch'd strained out to say the letter B. He was huffing in place as it was taking a lot of energy to go over the letters of the alphabet. It hurt to use his new vocal cords, but at least he was quickly learning the English language. He no longer felt the difficulty in 'seeing' it like he did before.

"It's okay if you can't carry on. This should be enough for now." Doctor Vikasa stopped the projector showing the alphabet on the wall. He was so ecstatic from how much progress they'd made in a single afternoon. Already was his successful experiment gaining a grasp of the new capabilities that came with his new brain parts.

When he pronounced the first few letters correctly, the doctor literally pranced around the room. From this, he now exceeded every other scientist that exists in this world and his last- No. He looked at the notes on the desk beside him that helped the preparation for the transplant immensely. They were reports and diagrams about a duck's brain written by the one and only Theodore Nieoldiek; the greatest scientist- in his opinion- to ever live. He's glad he could recall them to a T just from memory.

Doctor Nieoldiek was the only person- no, it's being now- that he would consider his superior. His research papers were what led him to the truth of the world. That the ones at the top were meant to dominate any that get in our way.

"Let's move on to mobility therapy." He picked up the ragdoll-like Sirfetch'd from the large science bed and placed him behind some makeshift rails to get his legs working again. Turns out, the 2 week coma was his brain parts accepting each other and fusing their neurons together. The pre/pro synaptic neuron ends must match shape in order for this to work. With this electric impulses can properly travel through one another and allow movement. However, the consequences of the transplant had led him to lose all memory memory except a vague idea and small snippets of his Sirfetch'd life which was perfect for Vikasa to make him realise how much he had done for him.

He held the hand-like winged appendages of his subject to assist him as he walked with his wobbly duck legs. It was slow and unsteady, but they knew that it wouldn't take long to get him up and running, literally.

"I should give you a name. It will make you stand out from the rest of your species like the unique Pokemon you are. You will show them the path to greatness you're walking on and make them realise how much better they can be."

"Sir?" He tilted his head.

"That celery stick sword of yours was a joke. No creation of mine will use that in a battle and shields are gay anyway. I think I'll call you Garland. He was a warrior who used to wield a giant sword to crush his enemies. Yeah, Garland will do."

"G-gg-g-gar-" he started coughing as his vocal cords strained from overuse, but you could tell that he was very happy with the name. He looked ahead at the rails with further determination. The fire in his heart that was always there as it was for all Sirfetch'd grew larger. He let go of his Lord's hands, much to his astonishment, before catching himself on the rails before he could fall. It takes one step at a time. One step.

Chapter End

jiubantai-taicho: As I've said before this fic isn't meant to portray a message through a story but using a message to write a good story. What Shinigami said in the first chapter was used to show that humans can be very destructive creatures if we choose to just for the sake of the story. Don't overthink it.

 

[Swag Striker]

Chapter 8: useful talents

A/N: I've changed the Restoration Machine's instant healing to every one week instead of two. I've already fixed this in chapter 3. Also, I've realized that I may have been pushing the plot too quickly for the sake of the villains, but for the next few chapters, there will be more of the journey and battles.

Chapter 8 START

Doctor Vikasa was looking out the window, marveling at the sight before him. It was so clear. The clouds went past the serene blue sky and shriveled through the rotors just to be replaced by more of itself, but now in different shapes and sizes. As he watched this endless dance of nature, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of nostalgia for simpler times, when he could afford to lose himself in such beautiful moments without his obsession for biology always in his head

How beautiful, how disgusting. He didn't have time for this dramatic fluffy shit. Man ain't got time for that. He had some science to do. What was fascinating was this mission he was on. He was sitting in a large quadcopter that looked similar to those drones but on a full-scale size. They would need a vehicle this big for storage. Ghetsis was going to do what he promised and get him the subjects he needed by kidnapping them from low-level trainers In Nacrene City. It was a smart move, if they were strong then there would be a chance for them to escape and he hated failure.

He was going along this time. It wasn't too important to have collected the dream mist, but fuck he wanted to mess around with that shit, so this time there wouldn't be any mock-ups and he'll see what they would bring him firsthand. This was essential mostly for Team Plasma as there was a specific type of Pokemon he needed for his mind control device. Ghetsis had been pestering him about its progress recently and he could only give out so many excuses before he saw through his bullshit. One doesn't become the leader of what is basically a cult without cognitive abilities.

The rest would be for him to play with. When making the ultimate creature you have to see the pros and cons of the lessers. That is how you can make the creature who will dominate the world and he will be the one to bring it forth. What wonders he could create like Garland. Dang, he loved the little guy. Every time he looked at him it made his heart swell with pride. He still couldn't believe he actually brought his creation to life. He's almost completed his therapy and will be ready for his missions.

"Woah!" Came an excited voice from next to him. Of course, he wasn't the only one in this helicopter. He was accompanied by two rookies, one of which was flying the helicopter. She hadn't made a single sound aside from the occasional yawn before casually going back to the control panel. Her half-lidded eyes showed how much of a shit she gave for her job and would make one wonder why she signed up for the team in the first place. Whatever, he didn't care.

The guy next to him had been staring out the window this entire time, not even sparing him a glance.

"Hey dickwad, you good or something?" Vikasa said in a mocking tone. Now the grunt would have no choice but to look at him. He realized he was just a random grunt that you could find amongst the newbies.

"Eeeer y-yes sir!" He responded a little louder than he intended.

"Doctor. It's Doctor Vikasa. I didn't get 8 PHDs for nothing you know and what's wrong with you, you look like a melting ice lolly." Vikasa looked at the sweat dripping from his forehead. It's not that hot, in fact, the weather is really nice.

When he couldn't respond, his teammate spoke for him.

"He's afraid of you sir."

"Rizzy!" He whispered through his teeth, but it was hard for Vikasa not to hear when he was sat right next to him.

"Ho ho ho and for what possible reason could that be for huh? Don't you know that I was once paid a million pounds to sit next to the Prime Minister of England...okay that's not true, but you get my point." He said before putting an arm around his assailant which totally didn't make him feel more uncomfortable. "And dang I didn't know a woman would be here, but hey, I do respect fenisism-"

"It's feminism."

"And don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

The grunt was actually the other one who failed him during the dream mist operation. He was praying that Vikasa wouldn't realize that or he would be fucked, maybe literally. When being around him, who knew what would happen.

Vikasa was going to interrogate him further when the radio had kicked in.

"Agent-107 are you at the location?" A robotic male voice had come through.

"Yes, we've just arrived and are ready for landing." Sally, with her same half-lidded eyes, was clicking buttons all over the control panel. The helicopter had remained in position for a moment before descending. Vikasa looked out the window to see an average-sized warehouse in the middle of a large forest. There...There were his babies ready to show him their powers.

He cracked his knuckles before stretching his back, a dark sadistic grin forming on his lips. It's showtime.

(Team Sarah)

"I am so goddamn bored right now." Theodore was sitting on the lounge of Nacrene City's Pokemon Centre, waiting for two rascals to be healed. After yesterday's victory they had celebrated with an ice cream then booked a room in the Pokemon Centre. Anubis and Athena- with their dopamine rush- ignored their body's need for rest after giving it their all in the Gym battle. It was in the morning that he had a rude awakening from their pained shouts. Sarah apologized profusely for forgetting her Pokemon's needs, but at least she admitted it and took responsibility.

Perhaps it was because they were all kids why they could act that way; so innocent and carefree. It was funny and admittedly calming. He's now realized that perhaps being as tense as he is all the time isn't a good idea.

Don't blame him though, he was born and raised in East London, and let's just say that if you aren't aware of what's around you, you could find yourself at the end of a machete. This wasn't the case here, you could walk next to a fire-breathing dragon, who could destroy buildings for fun yet didn't have to worry about any sort of harm.

Anyways, he was starting to get off topic. Here he was in the boring main area of the Centre watching trainers come and go after getting their Pokemon healed. Sarah was sitting next to him sorting some stuff out on her pokedex. He should probably check those things out because they seemed more than scanners with information about Pokemon. From how he's seen Sarah use it, it definitely had additional features not shown in the anime.

She was waiting longer than the other trainers because it's been less than a week for Anubis to get healed from the Restoration Machine back in Striaton City, so Nurse Joy will just be using some potions on him. Although, Athena could use it.

Theodore looked around the room, wondering.

Come on come one, surely there's something to do. My Nieoldiek brain needs some sort of stimulus. He kept looking around, hoping there was something to engage with his intellect like a puzzle or a book. Don't get him wrong, it's not like he has ADHD, but just sitting down and being unproductive really pissed him off. It was inefficient of his time and the word 'inefficient' doesn't belong to him, the peak of humankind.

He took a glance over his pokeball on Sarah's sash. He remembered when he was in it and felt an incredible amount of peace. No, don't consider it. It's your prison for as long as she has it then you can't escape, especially when Shinigami's bound you to her. But then he took a quick look around the room where there was nothing to do...

"Fuck it, it might as well masturbate in it. Besides, what's the worst that can happen? I know that I can get out whenever I want, so it's not like a solitary confinement." Sarah jumped when her furry companion, who was sitting next to her, pressed the button of his pokeball and turned into a red beam getting sucked into it. She blinked.

I thought he hated being in a pokeball. He always looks at it in disgust like it's an offense to his being. Whatever, he's a weirdo so let him carry on being weird.

When Theodore got inside he couldn't help but leep into the air. The mini island consisting of a mountain, a snowy area, and a frozen river was the perfect place for him to mess around in. There was no limit to how much he could stimulate himself since there was no one around nor would he have to hold himself back. However, since there wasn't an intellectual stimulus, which he would've preferred, he would practice an issue he had that other Pokemon didn't. The fact that he would have to keep his eyes open after an attack that was too close to him. It was a weakness and he hated weakness.

He grabbed a small branch from the floor before throwing it into the air, directly above himself. When the branch came spinning down, he watched as it was getting closer. He made sure not to flinch just before it hit his face, but out of instinct he did it anyway.

Damn it! I can't believe I did that! He stood up, grabbed the branch, and tried again. Not this time. Whatever you do don't blink.

He was doing his best to ignore the electrical impulses going to his brainstem, the part responsible for reflexes. He kept opening his eyes after they narrowed when the branch came. He blinked. So he tried again with frustration. He didn't think about why felt frustrated when he himself knew that he could quickly accomplish whatever task he had to do. It would only take a few minutes and he would already be done.

After a few minutes, he realized how tiring the day was after having to babysit some brats. Is this what parents feel at the end of the day? He would only take a small nap while the others were healing.

Sarah was about to get back to whatever it was she was doing in her pokedex until she heard a ding reverberate around the main room. When she looked at the front desk, Nurse Joy was looking in her direction, nodding her head. He put her device away and went. Immediately, Anubis jumped onto her while calling out his name in glee. She caught him and took a step back. The funny little guy was like a cannon. He nuzzled his head into her shoulder as she caressed his back.

"Anubis, my sweetie, were you being a good boy for Nurse Joy?"

"Rio!"

"Yes, he was." Nurse Joy answered. "He was a delight to take care of and he went through the pain of the potion formula with no problem. I've also seen his report from Striaton City and he's in a much better condition. Well done Sarah, you're doing a good job at raising him."

She blushed while rubbing her neck with her remaining hand.

"Aww thank you Nurse Joy, but I couldn't have done it alone." She said looking at her pokeball. "I had help from her friend."

"Then he must be a good friend who knows his stuff." You have no idea. "Also, here's your Ralts. She is healthy and ready to get back to battling."

Sarah gave her another thank you before reaching the pokeball, but before she could, the both of them had turned to hear a loud metallic sound over and over again. It was a strange black sphere with grey outlines bouncing across the floor till it reached the centre of the room. At first, Nurse Joy was going to slap her forehead thinking that it was some kids who hadn't learned to respect the Pokemon Centre, but before anyone could react, the sphere exploded, releasing a condensed smoke cloud throughout the room.

Sarah had to bring a hand over her eyes. She heard two sets of footsteps run past her, then heard the slamming of a door. She couldn't see who they were because the smoke cloud could make it where she could barely see her hand in front of her. The ventilation, having sensed the smoke, increased their power and quickly removed it all.

"Wha-what happened?" She looked around to see other also confused trainers wondering the same thing.

"The pokeballs!" She saw Nurse Joy sprint through the opened door. Sarah knew something bad was happening. She tried to get Theodore's pokeball out, but she only grabbed her sash.

"Huh? He-he's gone. Hold on." She looked at the desk where Athena's pokeball was. "She's gone too! Anubis get down, we need to follow Nurse Joy to where the pokeballs are. Those guys have got Theodore and Athena."

When he heard the danger they were in, he nodded and they both ran through the door. He was a Pokemon and was quicker, so he slowed down for her to catch up. When they got to a point where there were three hallways they stopped to wonder which one to take. They had missed the signs and didn't have the time to go back.

Anubis concentrated, clearing his mind and stopping all senses other than his eyes. His bangs raised as was using aura to find a reading on where Nurse Joy went. The people who had thrown the smoke bomb were too far away for his aura to sense them. He was only a few moon cycles old after all. He pointed to the hallway on their left.

"That way, then let's go." She hurried herself. She won't let her friends be taken away from her. After a few more hallways, they reached the room meant to temporarily keep the pokeballs of trainers getting their Pokemon healed. Nurse Joy sat on the floor with a devastated look on her face. Around them, the placeholders of the pokeballs were empty. The two guys had taken all the Pokemon.

"They're gone. I can't believe something like this would happen. Who would do such an awful thing?" Sarah had an idea that she knew was undoubtedly true. She looked out the broken window where she saw a small helicopter ascending and starting to fly away. She put a hand on Nurse Joy's shoulder.

"Don't worry Nurse Joy, I promise you I'll get them."

"Ri Ri"

"Sorry, WE'LL get them." Nurse Joy had strongly held her hand as she wiped her tears away.

"No! I'll tell the league about this and they'll send some rangers and police officers on the case. You can't go yet when you've just started your journey, it's unsafe." She yanked her hand away from her hold.

"I don't care. They took away my family and taken away a part of us. They're not going to get away with that!"

She ran out back through the entrance where she stumbled and almost fell. With annoyance, she took off her pumps and put on her trainers. She doesn't like wearing them because they aren't cute enough, but sometimes you would need them when journeying across Unova. She also ripped the bottom of her dress on the sides. Now she was able to run quickly without any trouble.

They could see the helicopter quickly getting away as it went over Pinwheel Forest. The Pokemon Centre was located on the edge of the city and right next to the forest so it was smart for the kidnappers to do their operation here. They knew they would have to go through it so they kept tunning. They looked above their heads and through the tiny gaps of the trees' canopy, they went in the same direction.

There was nothing else going through her head. No questions or thoughts of worry, but only thoughts of getting her siblings back and an anger that she didn't know she was capable of feeling. She didn't realize it but her breathing was starting to get erratic and it wasn't from the running she wasn't used to.

Poor Athena, won't know what's going on. If she awakens and sees herself in a cage then she'll get scared and I won't be there to help her. I don't want her to go away and what if I don't find her!? And Theodore, he's smart and could probably find his own way out, but what if Team Plasma finds out how smart he is and experiment on him. Maybe they'll force him to work for them or maybe, maybe-

She broke out of her chaotic thoughts when Anubis shook her arm. He held her in place and stopped them from running further.

"What are you doing? If we stop then they'll get away?" He placed her hands on her chest. She was confused as to what he was doing, but he took a deep breath in then out then in then out. They were the same motions she had shown him in their gym battle against Lenora. She repeated the motions and all thoughts had disappeared, and she found herself able to think.

"He he he. Thank you Anubis, I needed that." She ruffled his head.

Right, now I can think. They kept running in the direction the helicopter went, but she could no longer see it through the gaps in the canopy. It was too fast and is now gone. Why are they going through Pinwheel Forest when you could go back to your base. Remember Sarah, what did the bad guys do in those cartoons when they kidnap the main character's friends? They don't go to their base because if detected they'll be compromised. They instead go to hidden temporary area to hide them, so that means that Team Plasma also has a temporary base within Pinwheel Forest that I just need to find.

"Anubis, can you use that aura ability you used in the Pokemon Centre to find where the pokeballs went." He tried to use his aura sense again, but he only saw a few local Pokemon within the forest. The helicopter was too far away. He could only give a disappointed shake of his head.

"I'm sorry Sarah, I'm just not good enough." She could sense what he was saying and hugged him.

"It's okay Anubis, you've already done more than enough. Honestly, I don't think any Riolu could sense the grunts at this stage let alone a Lucario. You should be happy with what you did." He hugged her back in delight.

"Sarah!?"

"N!?" The green-haired mysterious boy came out of the bushes.

"What are you doing here and why do you look like that. You look as if a Beartic was chasing you." He chuckled. He was on his way to Castelia City.

"I have to hurry! Team Plasma used a smoke grenade distraction and stole all the pokeballs from the Pokemon Centre with the trainer's Pokemon inside." His eyes narrowed and teeth bared at the team's mention. Usually, he would be okay with trainers having their Pokemon stripped from them, but knowing the direction the organization was going his friends were better off with their abusers.

"How do you know they were Team Plasma, they're usually sneaky in their operations. They wouldn't do this big of an act if it meant compromising their true intentions to the league."

"I know, I just feel it, I mean, who else would it be." Yeah, she was right there. There's no other organization in Unova that had enough followers for their 'cause'. They were starting to get more daring.

"I'll come with you. I told you that I've been looking into their operations, maybe I can help."

"YES! That sounds like a great idea. With you, we can get our friends back for sure." She smiled, already knowing that they'll get their friends back.

"Actually, you should stay here."

"Uhhh what?"

"Yes. It's too dangerous for you and I don't want to see one of my friends getting hurt due to Team Plasma's disgusting acts."

"No way dude! I can't sit back while my family are probably in a cage, scared. As their train-no as their sister, I will do whatever it takes to free them even if it means risking myself in the process."

N's eyes widened. The amount of care she was showing for his friends was only found amongst a few trainers. He could see the fiery determination in her eyes that shows that he won't be able to stop her. Her Riolu, too, brought a fist to the air and smirked.

"Ri Riolu." He knew what he was saying. We'll free them no matter what.

"Thank you Sarah ,those words mean a lot more to me than you realise. Then let's go."

"Their direction was that way." She said pointing North-East before they all ran.

(to the other two)

Theodore yawned loudly without placing a hand in front of his mouth and rubbed his eyes.

Man that was the worst sleep ever. There were so many loud noises and I could've sworn I felt the ground shake.

He shook his head clear before stretching his back. He needed to get that crack on his shoulder blade but then the world turned dark for a moment.

He looked around wondering what happened. He was in a cage that fit his size so a small one. It was a simple metallic one that he used to use when transporting animals from one zoo to another. It was a box bare the front which had bars. The barred door had a simple lock on it. He looked back at the man who had his arm stretched with his pokeball before he walked away. He was dressed in the same outfit those Team Plasma grunts wore in the Dreamyard

In a second, hundreds of thoughts were going through his head to figure out an explanation for what was going on until, after a second, it concluded to the most plausible. This was a kidnapping. This was supported when he looked outside his cage where they were in an abandoned warehouse. It was hard to tell it was abandoned when the walls were still sturdy and the ceiling didn't have any holes in it, but there was rust on the walls and the corner of the ceiling had slightly collapsed.

Inside there were other small cages, the same as his own, scattered across the floor or placed on top of others. The cages were filling the back of the large room. There were a lot, about 53 cages from what he could see. There was a lot of chatter from the Pokemon inside; some were conversing with others, some were huddled in the corner of their cages and looked around in panic, and a few were sleeping and didn't realize what was going on around them. They were all low level which was smart because it would take more effort and resources to contain a Dragonite or a Krookodile

He saw Athena across him talking to a Kirlia, who was a few meters away. The Kirlia was on top of a Stunfish.

"-And then I told her no way, my dad is way cooler than the Milotic on TV and then Sarah was like-" She broke her conversation when she saw he was awake and yelped in delight.

"Theodore! I'm so glad you're okay. I was trying to wake you up for so long, but you weren't waking up and I got worried and then some Pokemon got mad at me and started yelling and and uhh." Her brain struggled to catch up to her mouth.

"Okay okay I get it. So do you know what happened here, how we ended up in these cages?"

"No, all I remember was that I was supposed to be healed by Nurse Joy, got healed by the Restoration Machine, and then ended up in here."

"Same as the rest of us." Said the Kirlia, her voice feminine. "I asked the others and none of them were out of their pokeballs when we were taken. This was an organized kidnapping."

"Huh." This was obviously Team Plasma, they were the only ones with the resources and manpower to do this sort of thing. Well, there's no use wondering about it. Might as well get out. He quickly summoned a Shadow Claw and slashed at the cage, but only made a small dent. This is not your normal metal, but a stronger alloy. From their technology, I'm not surprised they've found stronger yet dispensable material.

The warehouse's large double doors opened and all eyes turned to who entered.

"Wow!" A man whistled. He was wearing a lab coat over some simple clothing. His facial features were clean shaved and his hair was scraggly like it wasn't taken care of for days. He was looking at all the Pokemon in utter excitement. "Those guys did a sick job, I mean, look at all these test subjects just waiting to be improved upon. Look at that one, he's practically screaming at me to put him at the other end of a scalpel."

He was going around staring deeply into all the Pokemon that interested him. Behind him were two grunts, a nervous boy and a stoic girl.

He went to a cage at the front where there was a Growlithe and on top of it was a Herdier.

"Awww yes." He licked the bars of the cage as he stared at them with a crazed eye before whispering. "You two have just reminded of the double headed dog experiment in Ukraine and unlike them, I have the tools to keep the form sustainable. Thank you for volunteering to take part."

Theodore couldn't hear what he said when he got close to the cage. Did he say Ukraine or something? Nah must have been something else, although, who is he anyway? He's not in the show, the only real scientist there was Doctor Colress. Of course, there must have been others but he was the one given screen time which showed his significance. For this one to be acting this way and having the whole operation solely for him means he's significant too. This is odd.

But what bothered him more were his eyes. When looking at the Pokemon, they became very similar. They were the same as his when he worked with a new animal which he hadn't seen before like when working on a penguin after working on a sea lion. They were the ones he saw whenever he looked in the mirror before his next day of work where he planned to do his personal projects in the lab in secret because they involved some cruel methods. Actually, if it wasn't for the appearance then he would have thought that that was himself right there.

He picked up the cages in a surprising show of strength and threw them behind him at the two grunts. For the first time had the girl showed an expressions as they- surprised- barely caught the cages, the Pokemon inside tumbling.

"H-hey, what the hell?"

"Yeah, watch what where you're throwing that!"

He didn't pay attention as he kept throwing more cages for them to take to the quadcopter.

"I'll take this one and this one and ewww you're pretty garbage aren't you and...hold on a second." He said looking in Athena's direction. He rubbed his eyes.

The Kirlia quickly went to the back of her cage before charging forward. The momentum was enough to make the cage fall the one under it and land on its side. She was now covering Athena from view. His eyes were cleared.

"Holy shit it is! It's a Kirlia, I've been looking for one of you low level psychics for ages." He said as he put his hands through the cage and gripped the sides of her head, bringing it so their eyes almost touched.

A creature that dealt with telepathy was something very interesting he wanted to look into. There was no animal on earth that could do something like that. The closest thing to it were like insects releasing warning chemical signals into the air. Warrior ants and bees do this when there's a threat to the colony/hive. Because of this unchartered territory, he didn't want to risk using a strong one. It would also be useful for Ghetsis's mind control request.

The Kirlia could sense the sick emotions that the scientist was radiating and became scared, but still stood strong. She had to be for Athena or she would find her being taken instead and she couldn't let her be separated from her caring family especially when she told her of such happy tales.

They must be a wonderful bunch. Keep them close Athena as they will be your source of strength. I only wish I could return to James and my friends.

But she was a kid unlike her. Hopefully, with how young Athena was, she wouldn't be able to recognize the emotions the doctor was letting out. Her cage was taken by him personally to the copter.

"Hey Fizzy-"

"It's Rizzy."

"We're going now. Someone else is going to fly the copter. You stay here and keep an eye on them alright." The stoic girl sighed as she didn't really have a choice. She gave a weak salute as they left. When the doors closed she put her hand on the panel and the locks were enabled. They had preinstalled these when they found the warehouse in case the Pokemon escaped, you can never be too careful.

She looked at the Pokemon in the cages at their saddened and panicked faces, but shrugged and brought a dusty chair, which she cleared, and sat next to the door, going on her phone. Her gameplay of Guitar Hero played out loud. Now was the perfect time for escape.

Theodore thought for a moment. That guy did not give a shit about those Pokemon. Even Team Plasma grunts show a certain amount of respect to them despite what they would use them for and the people here are too righteous and weak and aren't capable of such deeds. I don't know why but I'm getting a bad feeling, even though, after this we shouldn't come across Team Plasma. The team and I shouldn't get involved in this crap.

He looked through the keyhole of his cage where he confirmed it was a simple padlock. You wouldn't need a high-security one when dealing with Pokemon. Locks like this have small pins in them where if you don't have the key, you can click each pin individually. They have to be done in a certain order, but after some trial and error you just need to find a way to twist the cylinder and it will unlock. How does he know this? simple.

I am not a crook!

Unfortunately, his claws were way too big to actually do this. If only I had a pin. There could be- ah, there's one.

"Big brother, where did they take her?" Athena asked referring to the Kirlia.

"I'm not sure." He did and could guess why, but didn't tell her the potentially gruesome answer.

On the ground, two meters away from him, were two bobby hair pins perfect for this job. They were amongst a bit of rubble and dust. He couldn't reach it with his small arms. It was too far to even utilize the extra reach Shadow Claw granted.

"Hey, you, yes you. Give me those pins would ya." He was talking to a Sunkern whose open bars were literally in front of the items and could be thrown to him.

"These black things...errr I can't reach. No arms you see." He smiled sheepishly at him.

"Are you serious, it's literally in front of your face and you're telling me you can't give it to me, even a Swaddle could use String Shot and shoot it at me." He said annoyed. "What are you anyway? You're just a seed, what a useless creature. I'm surprised you have a trainer in the first place like who the hell says 'oh I want a seed for a Pokemon to get me through the league because that sounds like a great idea'."

At this point the Sunkern had tears coming out, taking great offense to his words. He was looking downcast at the metallic floor. A small puddle began to form beneath it, a mix of tears and the dew that normally kept its leaves glistening with vitality.

"Theodore, that was really mean!" Athena, who was opposite him, had reprimanded. "Apologise to him right now!"

Theodore was thinking of a way to get those two pins. The nearby cages were either facing away from them or had Pokemon who weren't close enough. He was thinking in his head until he looked at Athena's horn, ignoring her scornful gaze.

"That's it! Athena, you're a psychic type so do you think you can get me those two pins over there."

"Err, maybe, I don't think I'm strong enough to do that though. Using telepathy is an advanced technique."

"Just try."

"Not before you apologize to that Sunkern." She said, pointing at the seed Pokemon who was now sniffling, but tears were still dropping.

"Who cares about that thing."

"I care!" He knew he wouldn't be able to get anything done without her. Usually, that's not the case and he tries to be independent as possible.

"Alright fine." He said facing the Sunkern. "I'm sorry for saying all those things to you."

It was so fake, but the naive Ralts took it as enough. She focused on the pins bringing out all her psychic energy to get it moving. It only moved an inch before it stopped moving. She was groaning and her horn was hurting. She had to let go before huffing in place.

Theodore clenched his fists before letting go and taking a breath. There's no time to get angry just think of another possibility. How can I move those pins in the padlock without the hair pi- ah another idea.

"Listen to me. I need you to do exactly what I say okay."

"Okay."

"This is going to be a bit difficult for you to understand but I know you can do it." He then explained the mechanics of the padlock as simply as he could for the child. He then explained the process of unlocking it with her psychic energy.

"Come on. You can do it you can do it." He said quietly, so he didn't distract her. She was currently going through each pin and he got excited after hearing the click of the first one. After 8 minutes, the final pin clicked into place. He gasped. She twisted the cylinder and opened her cage. She got the two pins and gave it to him.

Ecstatically, he lockpicked his own in under a minute and slammed the door open.

"Huh, what was that?" Rizzy said, pausing the next song she was on. After a minute of silence, she went back to playing. "Whatever."

Theodore rubbed the back of his head at his mistake.

"Athena you adorable genius." He picked her up and gave a quick kiss on her forehead. Surprised at the action coming from him of all Pokemon, she melted into a puddle from utter adoration.

"Big brotherrrrrr."

He jumped through the cages not caring for the noise. This got Rizzy's attention as her eyes widened in surprise.

"Quickly Vanilish get ou-" Before she could summon her Pokemon, Theodore had summoned a Shadow Claw and slashed her on the head. She was knocked out immediately.

"That was meant to chop her head off. I didn't hold back that much." There was a long cut on her head but it wasn't too deep. he couldn't even see her skull. He took her left arm and with his claw pushed down hard on her skin to the point where could feel bone.

Her skin and muscles are much tougher than they should be. I guess Pokemon aren't the only ones to evolve from war.

He tried the same thing on himself but with Shadow Claw. He had to tighten his mouth to stop himself from screaming from the searing pain. After going past the skin and then the muscles he realized only a small amount of blood was coming out and the capillaries underneath had rather slipped out of the way of his cutting. It was an efficient method of reducing blood loss he hadn't seen before.

He couldn't go deeper, there was something stopping him. Painfully, he widened the very deep wound.

"What the fuck?" He muttered. The arteries and veins were jumbled together underneath the muscles rather than the skin. Usually, they only house the major ones, but here they housed almost all of them. Also, they were behind a thick membrane that, even with Shadow Claw and a huge amount of effort, He barely made a scratch. There was a slight hint of fear within him.

These Pokemon have such powerful adaptations. I'm gobsmacked. These guys are way better than the animals on Earth, I mean, Anubis was showing that he could read.

Was he wrong about Pokemon, about how crap of a species they were? With these magnificent bodies and abilities, he was starting to doubt himself. Anyway, there were more pressing matters. He ripped a piece of Rizzy's clothing and wrapped it around his forearm as a makeshift bandage.

He lifted her hand to the panel.

"Access granted." Said the user interface and the sturdy double doors automatically opened.

"The sweet taste of freedom." He smelt the air and it didn't smell like a room full of cats. He walked out with Athena behind him. They walked to the forest's edge until she looked at him confusingly.

"Hold on a second, what about the others?" She said pointing at the rest of the Pokemon who were still stuck in their cages.

"What about them?"

"You forgot to free them."

"I didn't forget, I'm just not going to free them." He saw her confused expression. "I mean I don't want to free them. These guys aren't worth anything. Look at that Sunkern, it couldn't pick up something that was right in front of him. That's a useless creature, so what makes you think I'm going to save him?"

She looked horrified, disgusted even. Her mouth opened to say something back, but she had to pause to process his words. It was hard for her to do so, but now she knows what type of person he is.

"You." She said, pointing at him. "You're evil, aren't you! You're a bad guy who only cares about himself!"

Her eyes narrowed with a mix of anger and disappointment, scrutinizing every detail of his reaction. The accusation hung heavy in the air, challenging him to deny it or prove her wrong. He only shrugged and using her horn to sense his emotions she could tell that there was no remorse.

"Fine then." She said going back into the warehouse. "If you won't free them then I will. I won't be like you and watch them suffer when I can help."

She got to working on the padlocks like how he instructed her. A shame too, he was the one to show her how to do it and how it could be used for the Pokemon around her yet now he just wants to abandon them. It seemed like a waste of talent to her.

Theodore groaned. He couldn't go back to Sarah without her and who knew what Shinigami would do if he left her. With how long she was taking on that lock, there could be trouble coming their way. He went inside and started working on the first cage. While she took 6 minutes working on hers, Theodore already completed 5. it took over half an hour to free everyone.

Every time he freed one, the Pokemon expressed their utmost gratitude, wiping away tears and snot, and happy to be reunited with their trainers. Hah, he was only doing this because of Athena's stubborn selflessness otherwise he would've dipped. Like him to be someone's savior other than his own.

"T-thank you." The Sunkern from earlier said when he freed him.

"Shut up!" I can't believe I'm doing this.

"Okay." He stayed silent for a moment.

Everyone was out and waiting outside. A Hierdier from the front said he would lead them using his superior sense of smell to find their way back.

"Wait!" They stopped when Theodore shouted. He went back to the warehouse. He wiped his claws with some of the blood from the grunt and wrote many things across the walls.

"What are you doing?" Athena asked from behind, not disgusted by the blood. Her mother is a healer and was once active so you tend to see wounds from the neighbor's kids from time to time.

"Best part of a crime scene, make it look as bad as you possibly can. With this, the league will put this event higher in the investigator's priority list." He had written on the walls sentences you would find in a horror movie like 'you can't hide!', 'where's mommy', 'death is found in pain!', and other nonsense that sounded messed up.

"Alright." He wiped his laws of the blood. "let's go."

The group slowly rummaged through the forest, changing directions sometimes when the Herdier smelt a particular scent from somewhere. It was a quiet and slow walk as they had all calmed down from the stressful experience. They pushed through the bushes, vines, and overhanging branches and sometimes asked some bug Pokemon for directions. Athena was, for some reason, very quiet contrary to her cheerful attitude.

"Theodore." She called him. "Do you hate us? I don't mean Team Sarah, but us Pokemon."

"What brought that up?"

"Well, this isn't the first time you mentioned some Pokemon being useless creatures. But why does a Pokemon's capabilities determine their value. We're all creatures who are alive and should be respected, so it doesn't matter how strong your thunderbolt is, you don't dismiss others like that. This isn't how it was before the Great Pact, we've come a long way since then." This was surprisingly mature for her. Her English was getting better too.

"Athena, who am I talking to right now?" He asked.

"What do you mean, you're talking to me, Athena the adorable Ralts." She said pumping her chest out.

"Am I talking to Athena?" he responded confusing her. "Or am I talking to a Ralts who just happened to be called that. If I talked to another Ralts I found on the street then would there be any difference between you two, I don't think so. To me, you're all just the same old boring creatures that have no sense of uniqueness. When I think of Athena, what would pop up into my mind. What I'm trying to say is that are you your own individual who is her own person, has her own interests, and has her own personality. So far the only thing that comes to my head when I think of you is ice cream, which is good because that shows something unique about you."

He was an individualist. He cared more about the person himself than a group because if you aren't your own person with your own perks then you're nothing but an animal to him. She understood what he saying. She smirked.

"I'm not just Athena, Sarah's Ralts she uses to win her battles. I'm more than that, but you know what, I won't tell you what that is. You're going to discover it by being with me." She said taking hold of his hand. "Stay with us and you'll find out there's more to us Pokemon than you think."

"...I guess we'll see then." Not like he could get away from you guys anyway. They carried on walking

(Back to Sarah)

She stared at N weirdly.

How are his navigation skills so good? She was thinking. He was leading them on, looking around for clues. He deducted most of the path from how the helicopter's rotors must have blown some of the leaves away and ended up in certain locations. I mean who even thinks of that?

He was being weird though. When he ducked to scan the leaves, he 'accidentally' started walking on 4 legs like some Pokemon before walking like a human or when he sniffed the air by bringing his nose up for any scent. When questioned about it, he nervously tells her that he used to live with Pokemon for most of his childhood and he may have picked up some of their habits. He dropped the question quickly.

She didn't want to go deeper because he seemed like a troubled guy and might get offended, but the way he was acting was suspicious; animalistic.

"Riolu!" Anubis half-yelled grabbing her by the hand and bringing her to the ground. N ducked too.

"What is it, did you find someone?" He didn't answer and kept his ears pointed towards their front. When they didn't move, staying as still as they could, they could hear some footsteps and the leaves crunching coming towards them.

"Man, I can't believe we got stuck with some boring mission. Find some potential Pokemon to recruit in Pinwheel Forest, hah, I would rather be preaching in Driftveil City. This wasn't what I was expecting when I joined Team Plasma. Did you Swadloon?"

"Swad Swad! No, I didn't.!"

"Maybe next time we can join some high end operation." The grunt said putting his hands together. "I know we would make Ghetsis proud."

"Hey, stop right there!" Sarah got up and shouted. "I have questions for you. What did you guys do in Nacrene City, and where are Theodore and Athena!" He brought up his guard when he heard her mention 'Nacrene City'.

"I'll tell you nothing! Swadloon use String Shot!" It shot out a thick white string that quickly approached Anubis.

"Use Quick Attack to avoid it and get in close, then use Brick Break!" Anubis shot out with a white blur of normal type energy exuding from behind him. He ducked from the String Shot going past his head. His arm was coated in white as he was about to slam it on the tiny Swadloon's head.

"Use String Shot again on his arm!" The grunt said desperately. Anubis's arm was now coated in this thick white string and when he hit the Swadloon it cushioned the blow. "Now use Razor Leaf."

Anubis took on many sharp leaves point blank to his body. He yelped as some small cuts formed throughout his torso. He fell back from the damage as he was still recovering from Lenora's gym battle and the potions didn't completely heal him.

"Bug Bite on his remaining arm."

"Quickly use Detect!" He saw from the tiny movements underneath the Swadloon where his trajectory was going to take him. He saw in great detail his fangs coming out and where his dark eyes pointed. Despite the surprisingly quick speed the Swadloon showed, he still dodged him, just barely. "Use Brick Break again!"

With the Swadloon in mid-air and no way to dodge, he charged up his most powerful Brick Break on his remaining arm, bringing it back, then launching it. He punched it into a tree with enough power that the tree broke and a crack was heard. It was not just from the tree. The Swadloon had fainted swirls on its eyes.

"Swadloon return." The grunt said before returning his Pokemon and quickly bringing out another pokeball to Sarah and N's surprise. They thought he would have given up there. "Come out Boldore!"

"Boldore at your service."

Anubis was already bringing his arms up despite one of them being coated in the sticky white silk. N stepped forward and held his arm out.

"No, you two, I'll take of this one. I have to join in the fight against Team Plasma. Braiviary, I need your help my friend."

Out came a large, majestic bird with a powerful build and valiant appearance. Its feathers were predominantly red, white, and grey with a distinctive white, bushy crest on its head. Its sharp, commanding eyes and robust beak highlight its fierce nature. Its expansive grey winges were the embodiment of strength and freedom giving it its namesake as the symbol of bravery and valor.

"I'm ready to take out some villains." Said Braiviary with a deep and strong masculine voice.

"Idiot, don't you know that flying types are weak against rock types. Boldore use Rock Tomb." He summoned 4 huge rocks from the sky out of nowhere that came crashing down through the canopy of trees. The others had to get out the way to not be crushed themselves. It was a smart move as it would be hard for Braviary to go to the sky to dodge it when they came down, but he still did. Now the rocks have crashed and created a clearing for him.

"Braviary end Boldore's misery by using Steel Wing." He rose to the sky, spreading his large majestic wings that became coated in steel type energy. He was still able to bend them as he came descending down to the Boldore who weren't known for their dodging ability.

The grunt could only watch as his Pokemon took the super effective attack and instantly fainted. It was a one-hit KO and he knew there was nowhere for him to run. He returned Boldore and put his hands up.

"Alright, I surrender. Now what is it you want, I haven't done anything against you guys."

"Return Braviary, thank you." N recalled him. Sarah walked up to the grunt with furrowed brows.

"What happened in the Nacrene City Pokemon Centre, why would Team Plasma take the Pokemon there? My siblings are some that have been taken so you better hurry up and explain." Anubis held up the fist that wasn't covered anymore and showed it to him menacingly.

"I actually don't know much." Her harsh glare made him raise his hands again. "B-but I'll tell you what I do know. I had eavesdropped on some of the higher ups when they were discussing a kidnapping and apparently it's for some long intended goal they have, something to do with taking control of something and that's all I know, I swear!"

N put a hand to his head. He knew what that something was. It was for the mind control project they'd use to take control of Kyurem and take over Unova. They would be testing their methods on low level Pokemon first then move on to stronger ones until they eventually can control a legendary. The worst part was who was in charge of the experiments themselves. he could already sense the torment his friends were going to go through.

If only I had enough power then I would be able to stop this.

"So where are they right now?" He demanded.

"They're in that direction where they're inside an abandoned warehouse. They're in cages so they won't have moved from there." He moved past the grunt, eyes darkened. They had no time to waste on insignificant scum. Sarah and Anubis followed.

After 20 mins of walking where there was no discussion, they were surprised to find a whole group of around 40 Pokemon in the middle of the forest. Sarah glowed as amongst them were her friends.

She dashed towards them and scooped them in her arms.

"H-hey, get off me!" Theodore moved her face away from him but it was no use. The power of friendship is too strong.

"Sarah!" Athena groped her face as they nuzzled their cheeks together. She put them down after a minute and wiped her tears and snot away. "I missed you guys so much, I thought you would be taken away and I would never see you again."

She started crying again at the thought. Anubis went in front of her as he eyed them carefully, checking for any wounds. He saw the makeshift bandage on Theodore's arm but other than that it was nothing.

"I'm glad you're both okay." He tried his hardest to hold his own tears back.

"Aww thanks big brother number 2."

"At least you have some dignity not to hug us." He was so tempted to do that now just to mess with him. He held his mischievous side down before he really did.

The rest of the Pokemon had surrounded N as they conversed with him. His ability to read the hearts of Pokemon made him a charming character in their eyes. They all looked at him with hope as he promised to bring them back to their trainers. Theodore could see a glint of sadness though and he knew why. He would rather have them free completely, but it was better than being given to Team Plasma.

"Then let us leave at once shall we." He said, remembering the path back and leading them all. On the way he asked how they freed themselves from their cages as he had heard from the grunt and he knew that those cages aren't easy to break from low-level Pokemon like them. They all faced Theodore.

"then thank you, Theodore if it wasn't for you then a tragedy may have occurred." He bowed his head. Sarah beamed too trying to stroke his head, but he brushed her hand away. Then she tried using both to which he couldn't stop her. She saw a small smirk pop up on his face though, so maybe he wasn't the tough-guy act he tried to make himself look. N read his heart and a bit of comfort was in there. He probably didn't recognize it as he knew he hadn't felt it before. He smiled at the progress he was making.

Theodore did have a few disappointments though. He would rather have had them do it themselves rather than rely on him. Athena just proved that they were capable of it but they would continue on in ignorance rather than have a solution for a potential threat. At least Athena knew now, so that had impressed him a bit. She's still a piece of shit though.

They reached Nacrene City where they saw Nurse Joy in a conversation with Officer Jenny and some rangers. The trainers behind them looking worried or angry. There was guy behind held back by two others from going into the forest and saving his Darumaka. They all looked at the group emerging from the forest and in an instant, the trainers and Pokemon all ran to each other. There were tears, licks on the cheek, and other sentimental crap.

However, some of them didn't have their Pokemon in their arms and they looked around to find them, but they weren't there. They ran to the duo.

"E-excuse me, have you seen a Pidove anywhere?"

"Yeah, or my Roggenrola?"

"Or my Tranquil?" They all pleaded for their partners, but Sarah and N only gave them confused looks.

"Wasn't that all of them?" She said. "Sorry, but there was no one else there."

Theodore got his notebook and pen out from under his scarf and wrote to her.

SOME POKEMON WERE TAKEN WHILE THE REST OF US WERE LEFT.

They were all astonished by the fact that he could write, but quickly turned to horror that they would potentially never see their Pokemon again. One girl fell to her knees as she looked at the ground, emotionless, while crying. N could only put a hand on a boy's shoulder while he cried for his Oshawott. Officer Jenny and the rangers walked to them asking for an explanation.

They went to the station and explained all they could from what happened in the Pokemon Centre to finding the group of Pokemon in the forest. Theodore also told his side of the story. One ranger was being slightly paranoid about the event and asked him how he could write, finding it suspicious. Sarah quickly got to his defense but he held her back and gave an answer anyway.

I GOT TOO BORED IN THE FOREST, SO I FOUND AN ENGLISH TEACHING CHILD'S BOOK IN THE DUMPSTER AND GOT TO LEARNING. IT'S NOT THAT HARD ONCE YOU GET THE BASICS BUT HONESTLY, YOUR LANGUAGE IS CRAP.

He really thought that too. He knew multiple languages like Arabic which was a great language and was consistent in its rules, but English was a free for all. It is funny to see roadmen speak in the streets of London with their slang though.

"So now we're going to have to go to the warehouse ourselves and confirm everything you've told us." She finished writing in her notebook with a route to it.

"You don't believe us!" Sarah shouted, astonished. "We're telling you the truth. It really was Team Plasma, they're not the people who they preach to be on the streets!"

"Calm down, I obviously believe you. There's no going around this, but we need authentic proof if we want the league to look into this. Without it, we can't do much, especially with how popular Team Plasma has been recently amongst the people. This is something that needs extensive care."

"So they're not going to get away with it?" Sarah asked.

"If everything checks out then no, they shouldn't." Officer Jenny confirmed. "Thank you for your cooperation. We thank you very much for this. Good luck on your journey." She and the rangers placed a hand to their chests and bowed their heads.

"You're welcome."

After the whole ordeal, N and Team Sarah had left the station, tired from the mess of a day. Sarah hoped she wouldn't have to face Team Plasma again because it was making her deviate from her journey of completing the league. She wanted a normal journey to explore the Unova region and become stronger, more independent, not deal with this type of thing.

While they were walking, she noticed that Athena, who was on her shoulder, kept giving odd glances at Theodore. They were ones of caution. Ever since they came back from the warehouse, she wasn't her normal cheerful self and was trying to hide that behind a fake smile. Sarah could tell it was, after all, they were sisters. Hopefully things will return to normal after they take the stress of the day out otherwise it would need addressing.

N was thinking about the investigation. If only I had the power then I could have brought justice myself with no delay. At least most of his friends were free thanks to him and Sarah, she's a kind girl.

"So Sarah, where are you heading to now? I remember you saying you would go to Castelia City after beating Lenora."

"Yes, I am. How about you, weren't you on your way there too?"

"Yes, I was. Sarah, could I travel with you guys till we reach there." She raised an eyebrow. "I'm interested in your bond with your Pokemon, they're amongst the unique ones I've come across so far in my journey across Unova and I want to see more of it. Since we're going to the same place I hope you won't mind."

She quickly shook her head.

"Of course not, we're friends aren't we, and friends stick together."

"Friends?" He said. No one had considered him a friend before, at least not amongst humankind. They all thought he was weird and he hated his kind anyway, so there was no point.

"Yes. Friends." She put up her pinky finger and wrapped it around his. He paused for a moment to stare at the gesture then chuckled.

"Thank you, Sarah. Yes, we are friends."

"You're welcome. Now come on, there's still some daylight left and I want to camp in the forest this time. I won't stand staying in this city for another day."

And with that, Team Sarah, now accompanied by N, left for Pinwheel Forest.

 

[Swag Striker]

Chapter 9: training in pinwheel

A/N: I went over the story before writing this chapter and holy crap was chapter 1 bad. I'm okay with that though because I've seen how much I've progressed over the past year and am glad with the result. I just love writing. I know I have a lot more to learn so please leave any advice in the reviews.

Chapter 9 START

The group walked through the serene forest where the crunching of leaves under their feet was silenced by the many sounds of the forest. There were chirps, buzzing, and even the cracking of cacoons from some of the bug type Pokemon.

Sarah was stroking the head of a Sewaddle, slowly taking in the feeling of its strong leaf-like exterior.

"You're so beautiful Sewaddle. How are you so gorgeous?" She marveled as the creature moved its head to bask more of her soft hand, and ate the handful of nuts from the other. She saw N bobbing his head, ushering her to move along. "Sorry, but I have to go now. Here, you can have the rest of the nuts."

She put them in a small hollow next to the branch he was standing on. He looked down at the floor as she removed her hand from his head. Her touch was so nice, so motherly. She felt guilty but had to move through the forest. The rest of the scenery made that guilt go away as she looked on in wonder.

The well-kept gardens of Striaton City were polar opposites compared to the trees of this place yet the beauty was still there. Where they were short, spacious, and smooth, these were tall, grouped, and had intricate patterns that made her question how it was possible for a tree to grow like that.

The smell of the forestry was diverse as not only could she smell the lush plants, but the scent of honey, flowers, and the occasional beast like Pokemon who passed through. The whole experience made her heart jingle in delight.

My god was leaving home the right decision. She smiled as she moved past a Heliconia; a bush with vibrant colored leaves used to provide nectar primarily to hummingbirds or whatever Pokemon equivalent there was in this world.

Theodore was at the back, tracing the patterns on it. He could recognize a specific plant when he saw one and this was definitely it, but it was slightly different to how they usually were. They were larger and more flat likely indicating that they were used by Butterfrees rather than a bird Pokemon.

The leaves are very healthy and taken care of due to the lack of pollution in the area. This is probably true for the whole region based on how clean they kept Nacrene City. It was strange. He's been to many forests before, obviously for animal observations, but now is the first time he's actually marveling at the place for what it was. No reports or essays popped up in his head telling him the strengths and weaknesses of this plant's anatomy, heck, after coming to this world and being away from his lab his mind has been surprisingly light.

It happened in the snowy mountains too when he first woke up, when he could actually see the atmosphere.

Marvelous. He unconsciously thought as his claws went over the bark of the large Kapok tree.

"Theodore, keep up!" Sarah called out, breaking him out of his stupor.

"Coming mom." Don't tell me what to do.

Unlike routes 2 and 3 where she was able to walk along a clear pathway to reach the next city, Pinwheel Forest didn't have one, so trainers had to navigate the place themselves to get to Castelia City. The pokedex didn't show the area on its map to add to the joy of independently exploring the forest. Sarah didn't mind though as this was just another obstacle to prove her independence.

Of course, it would be foolish to let beginning trainers go to a forest where they could find themselves lost for days, so there were paper maps sold before the entry inside Nacrene City. Every trainer has their vitals linked to their pokedex, so if they did get lost they would be found by a Ranger.

"I swear, if we don't find a river nearby then I'm going to scream my head off." Sarah said, taking out the small twigs stuck to her hair. Her clothing wasn't exactly appropriate for this biome, the only proper thing she wore was her hiking trainers after the whole Team Plasma chase, and even then, she was so close to changing to her purple pumps because they weren't cute enough.

N stood back after she exuded a dark aura, pissed off from messing up her clothes. It reminded him of Anthea and Concordia whenever a dirty Pokemon, who played outside, came into the mansion and got dirt all over the floor.

He shivered when he remembered their faces.

Human females brrr who'd have them?

"Where's the map?" Sarah huffed as she kept rummaging through her Nexacore bag, even putting her head through it in case it was behind her camping gear. "Aww geez, that's just great isn't it."

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"W-well you see. The t-thing is err is that." She rubbed the back of her neck. "In all the drama earlier, I thought I bought a map, but I didn't."

She slumped down in dismay.

"Ha ha no worries. I can't blame you, it certainly isn't normal for a trainer to be dealing with stuff the league should be taking care of. You're lucky I decided to come with you otherwise you would have been lost here for days, especially without a flying type Pokemon."

She raised an eyebrow at him, wondering why she should feel so fortunate, but he, like a gymnast, jumped up the branches of a nearby tree till he reached the top. Her and Theodore's jaws dropped at the sixteen year old. Sarah knew it was a difficult feat, but also possible as she's seen the physical capabilities of the evolved humans in this world while he thought that there was no way he could have done that.

That's wicked. The pair thought.

N sniffed the air, adjusting himself as the scent of a crisp, almost sweet smell became stronger when facing northwest. He came down as expertly as he went up.

"It's that way." He pointed. "There's a river with a clearing where we can camp for today."

"How are you able to tell, I've never seen anyone outside of TV be able to do that."

"As I've said before, I was raised in the forest by Pokemon so this is kind of my natural habitat. I'd developed great navigation skills and my sensory skills can rival some species of Pokemon."

"Wow, that's incredible. I wished I had skills like yours." N flushed at the compliment.

Theodore narrowed his eyes at his explanation. It was true that when placed in an environment where certain senses are too weak to pick anything up or are even missing, the individual would enhance their other senses to compensate.

For example, the case of Ben Underwood, a teenager who had his eyes removed at the age of 3 due to cancer, had learned to use echolocation to see the world around him. He would click his tongue to produce a sound that would bounce off walls, couches, and cars, and would form a mental image that told him of the world around him. At first, Theodore didn't believe it, but when looking at the case further, he was shocked to find it was true.

Ben was one of the few in the world who could do this. He was an anomaly. So was N an anomaly too? To be able to find a river far from here with nothing but his smell was too far off. It was either that or he was wrong again about the enhanced bodies these humans had.

I don't think that's the case. He's definitely lying about how he got his abilities. He would keep an eye on him.

After about an hour of trekking, they reached the river. Sarah lifted her arms and let out a shout of relief before rushing to it. She put down her bag and told the two kids of the team to set up camp while she took out her supplies to wash her hair. She also put away her hairband and was going to replace it with a hat. N took out his two pokeballs.

"Braviary, Eevee come on out." The beam of the pokeballs revealed the huge bird of valor and a small fox with soft, brown fur and a bushy tail tipped with creamy white. It had large, expressive eyes, pointed ears, and a fluffy mane around its neck that a little girl would use as a pillow. It had short legs and a petite frame.

"Yo N, have you found me a sexy mate yet." The Eevee said rubbing his eyes before yawning. He stretched his back like a cat getting out a few cracks.

"EEEEEEEHHHHH!" Sarah squealed, dropping her stuff to rocket at the Eevee. "And who is this cutie! N, you never told me you had such an adorable cupcake with you... how dare you hide this from me?!" He gulped as she glared at him.

"Yeah heh heh that's me." Eevee said basking in the attention. "I'm cute, adorable, and I have a massive penis."

Theodore choked on his sip of water he was having from the river. He started to cough heretically as his mind had a hard time processing what was said. N only put a hand to his head at his friend's antiques.

"Whoops, probably shouldn't be saying that to a little girl, but you can't understand me anyway so it's fine." Sarah only held on for a few more minutes before going back to washing her hair, but she promised to properly comb him once she was done to his delight.

Ahhhh and this is why I don't want to evolve. I just have to pose like this and smile and free stuff comes my way. I call this technique, pretty privilege.

N coughed, gaining his attention.

"Braviary, Eevee we're sleeping here overnight. Can you set up camp on that tree please?"

"Of course N." Braviary nodded and got to work.

"Okay captain." Eevee saluted before joining him.

Eevee; known for its genetic adaptibility. It has the unique ability to evolve into various forms, each with a different elemental type encompassing over half the types. It has this ability due to its unstable DNA... if only one could do some genetic snip snip and force it to be stable, I wonder what would be the result of that? It's probably that it can change to any form at will. They probably haven't done it yet due to some ethical shit and any scientific team or whatever would think that it wasn't worth the price for a potential failure.

Theodore licked his lips in delight. If only I was in my lab, then I would chain that thing up on a table and stab a syringe in between hi-

His thoughts were broken when he heard the clattering of metal. He turned back to the two kids and saw them struggling with the tent. He sighed as he would have to teach them how to put it up.

Sarah, having finished washing her hair into its pristine condition and tying it into a bun so her beany could protect it, watched as N's Pokemon built a small shelter over a large branch of a tree. She wondered why he wouldn't sleep in a tent, but then realized that he didn't even have a bag. Not one this whole time.

He thanked his Pokemon for their hard work and recalled Braviary. Eevee went to quickly get his combing done before getting recalled. He jumped to the branch, crossed his legs, and put his hands behind his head.

"Wow, you're awesome." He raised an eyebrow. "I mean to live like that. Only using nature and no technology, it's so cool."

"Thank you. It's difficult for others to start doing though. It requires someone to grow up in the nature, but yeah, no matter how far technology goes nothing can beat the feeling of sleeping on a tree while staring up at the stars. I'm going to sleep now. Good night."

"Good night."

He closed his eyes. She and her two youngest Pokemon all jumbled together in her sleeping bag. It was tight but the three liked it like that as it felt warm. It would have been much tighter if Theodore decided to sleep with them and not sleep on a soft patch of grass. He watched the stars. Their patterns were different from his old world. That reminded him of his goal.

I need to get back to my human body. It still feels abnormal to be in this Weavile one. The back of my mind just refuses to accept it. It's a good thing that I am still myself and my brain is still intact- obviously aside from some of the Weavile instincts. As long as that remains then I'm not in too bad of a situation. Still though, I need to help these kids with their shit otherwise I'll be stuck like this forever.

Despite the negative thoughts he was having, he still watched the stars and then felt a wave of calmness that dispersed them. It helped him go to sleep.

Sarah was the first to wake up. She got up begrudgingly and looked at the time on her pokedex. 5:32am. She groaned and was tempted to lie back down and hug Anubis's soft and furry self; the ultimate teddy bear, but she needed to get up. Today would be a busy day. Letting out a yawn and stretching her arms she woke up her two cuddle partners.

She rubbed her eyes and saw N. along with his two Pokemon. washing a huge pile of oran berries in the river.

He's awake at this time! Geez N.

He waved at her when he saw her awake.

"Good morning Sarah, you woke up at the perfect time. We've got breakfast ready."

"It's a good morning to go back to sleep. I know you're used to the wild and would wake up this early, but personally, I would use it to sleep in especially when my mom isn't here to force me up." She can remember how her mom would throw her duvet away for her to get ready for school and sometimes there wasn't any school, it was the holidays.

She went to wake up Theodore and he too begrudgingly got up despite wanting to lie back down again. He slowly walked to the pile of berries with half-lidded eyes.

"The hell is this thing, I've never seen a fruit like this before. Hold on, this is an oran berry." He looked in wonder at the famous fruit that fit perfectly in his hand. It showed no similarity to a blueberry like he thought it would. Its spherical shape was perfectly round and its blue skin contained no dents or sign of imperfection. The skin refracted the light of the sun perfectly.

It does look good. I always wanted to try this when watching the show. The special berries of this world each have a certain property that can help a Pokemon once consumed. This one is supposed to heal and restore energy. Now let's see how it tastes.

He slowly took a large bite.

...

Bliss, it was all he felt. The sensation went from the papillae in his tongue up to the gustatory cortex in his brain. He almost dropped the berry as his body froze then his mouth chewed the bite as quickly as it could just so he could take another bite. He threw the rest of the berry into his mouth.

"Wht tthhe ffck!?" More, he had to have more. Grabbing more oran berries from the stack, he forced them into his mouth before he could even finish the previous one, not caring if he choked or not. The taste was beyond anything he had tasted from Earth, not that he could taste much anyway after he found his life to be so dull and boring, but if he could then he would easily say that this oran berry trumped them all.

Before he realized it, he had eaten half the pile meant for all of them. The rest stared and paused their chewing at the Weavile who was now covered in purple juices and had devoured half of their breakfast.

He wiped his mouth from the running juice and huffed in place. He felt great. It was like his body had rejuvenated and now contained the power of a thousand suns. he felt like he could run a marathon without breaking a sweat. His smile fell as he saw the other's faces and realized what he'd done.

"Ha ha ha!" They all laughed.

"Holy Arceus!" Eevee was now on his back wheezing. "You just went full Garbodor on those berries. It's like watching a Snorlax with the munchies after discovering the existence of all-you-can-eat buffets ha ha ha."

Even the stoic and disciplined Braviary covered his face to hide his small chuckles.

"S=s-stop laughing!" He said sternly as a small blush fell on his cheeks. It was almost invisible due to his dark fur. They carried on eating for a few minutes before stopping and seeing his still flustered state.

"Aww Theodore, if you were so hungry then why didn't you say so." Sarah said getting a growl in response. "Anyway, now that we've all finished eating let's quickly wash up and start the day. It's gonna be a busy one."

While combing her hair and tying it again, Sarah thought about today's training schedule.

Let's see, what do we need to work on hmmmm... When we fought Cress for the trio badge, the problem was that I didn't know my Pokemon's moves but I've scanned them all and know them now. The only problem is that Theodore only knows Shadow Claw which may not be too bad since he's powerful and fast but it's not enough and he would never let me help him learn a new one. He'll probably figure it out himself.

When battling Lenora... THAT'S IT. Speed was the issue for Anubis and Athena both in dodging and for Anubis specifically getting close enough to his opponent to attack. They can only use their special moves sometimes or they'll run out of stamina. We'll work on that today, although, I want Theodore to train Athena privately. She's been acting off, it's not like her. When everyone was laughing she only let out a few chuckles as she eyed him nervously. I don't know what happened between them with Team Plasma, but I won't ask. Hopefully, with this, they'll get along again.

"Alright." She clapped her hands. "Anubis, you're going to be training with me. Theodore and Athena, you will be training together. Theodore, you're smart enough to know what you're doing so I expect good results okay?" He sighed. He knew he had to help these kids for his goal but that didn't mean he liked it.

He walked past the others to the forest. when he got close to Athena she quickly hid behind Sarah's dress.

"Well come on then. You heard what your owner said, we're going to be training together."

Athena looked up at Sarah concerned. She gave her a pretty smile and ruffled her hair.

"It will be fine, you're just overthinking."

Was she though? After seeing his attitude in the warehouse she's been nothing but comprehensive at the one who would abandon others over some stupid and disgusting reasons.

But I did say I would show him who we Pokemon are and I don't intend to break that promise. Fine then, I'll go.

She let go and followed him. They went to a small clearing nearby.

"Be careful you two."

"Weave Weavile." He definitely didn't swear.

"You ready Anubis?" He pumped his fist into the air. "Good, I like the energy and we're going to need it. Let's start with a warm up."

She changed her dress to a shirt and normal trousers that were, guess what, pink and purple. They went on a small jog along the river, going for a few rounds. After they started to sweat a bit they changed to basic exercises starting with squats. Sarah made sure to join Anubis and do the exercises as well. A weak trainer would never make it in the higher leagues. She also needed to condition herself for the long treks and the more unforgiving territories that she would like to explore.

They went to push ups next. Their muscles were starting to get warmer as they continuously contracted. She was surprisingly able to do much more than what the average man could despite being a little girl who'd never trained before. She and the other humans of this world have enhanced genetics gained from millennia of fighting in non-stop wars. Now that the Great Pact was established, the kids can gain the physicality that a human from Theodore's earth would have to train a lot for.

After the next few exercises, they stopped to stretch. She mused.

When we were at Lenora's private training area, Theodore trained him with certain exercises to help his weakened state and it worked. So if you want to train a Pokemon's body, you would have to do certain procedures and target specific muscles. I may not be as smart as Theodore, but those leg exercises I saw gave me an idea.

She picked up a small boulder from the side of the river and placed it behind Anubis. She then got some rope from her bag and tied it around his torso. He had to lift it with his hands too to keep it steady because of how heavy it was. She picked up a few small twigs and pebbles then moved 5 metres away from him.

"I'm going to throw these at you and you're going to have to dodge them. You'll be doing it while holding that rock. We'll do 5 sets of 15 You ready."

He nodded. She threw the first few using an underhanded throw to find out how much force she should put and the angle. Once they were right she then threw them overhand putting some force into them. Anubis felt the resistance from the rock but it wasn't much. He jumped to the left then to the right then ducked under the next rock.

This is easy. He grinned.

She then started to put more force into her throws and his eyes widened when a twig got close to hitting his arm. The tiny obstacles that came after, having their speed been anticipated, were dodged just as easily. His grin was still there as he felt like what he was doing was impressive.

After a total of 15 of the debris, they took a minute break even though he didn't need it. She then put her whole force in the second set which made him put a little more effort into his dodges. After another break the third set came and that's when things changed.

"W-woah!" He was close to getting hit by a pebble. The boulder on his back no longer felt like an inconvenience but more of something double its size. He dodged left then left again. His muscles were starting to burn until they felt searing at the end of the set. He fell on his rear and huffed rapidly. He did not expect that to happen out of nowhere. He was doing fine 6 minutes ago. He messaged his leg muscles as they were hurting the most.

But I still have 2 more sets left. He wondered if he could even do it. No! I have to do it for her and for myself. I won the gym battle didn't I so I can definitely do this.

He got up before the minute was over. Sarah nodded at what she thought was enthusiasm.

"2 more and we're done for today." She threw a twig. He pulled his left leg back before it could hit his foot then he put his head down where the next twig went over. He squatted at an awkward angle and the rock felt like a Giglaith had stepped on him.

Uh oh! His muscles were completely finished. The next 3 obstacles hit him. In a last-ditch effort, he put all his remaining energy into diving away from a pebble coming to his chest. However, it didn't stop the remaining obstacles left to complete the set. Seeing him paralyzed from exhaustion, Sarah came to a halt.

She was starled when he growled. He yanked the ropes off and the small boulder dropped. He raised his fist that was enveloped in a white glow and brought the Brick Break down, smashing it into many small pieces. He didn't stop there. He let out a powerful punch on the tree next to him causing the trunk to crack and bend the whole tree to its side. He huffed harder as he sat and brought his arms around himself.

Dang it!

Sarah, breaking out of her stupor, tried to bring a hand to his head.

"Anubis, are you okay?" She felt her heart drop slightly when he moved his head away. He looked to the side with saddened eyes. I see what's happening. "Are you worried that you'll disappoint me?"

He still looked at the forest.

"He he silly boy, you know I would never be disappointed in you as long as you try your best. I'm not your previous trainer. I even bought you ice cream, your favorite. Actually, you haven't tried anything else so it may be something else."

He knew and she knew he knew. He remembered how, even after his declaration, he got scared in their battle against Lenora when her Watchog used a Low-kick on him. But he can't help it, he's trying, he's really really trying but it's hard for Conner to completely leave his head.

...

No, I can do this. It just takes one step at a time. he took a few deep breaths and moved his head to her hand where she kept stroking it. He shook in delight. He loved how soft her hands were, it felt so motherly.

"What do you mean 'other trainer'?" She screamed when she heard N's voice from behind her. She forgot he was watching them. "Wait, you don't mean!"

"Yeah, Anubis was abandoned. Not just left but he almost died until I found him, in the nick of time too. He had a few trust issues when joining the team, but thankfully, he's better now, at least mostly."

N snarled. Another Pokemon abandoned for the amusement of its trainer. What a joke.

"N, are you okay?" Sarah asked worriedly.

"Yes, sorry it's just not the first time I've seen this. I see it all the time when I'm traveling through Unova. You see, me and two of my companions own a sanctuary where we treat Pokemon who've been abused. Luckily, most of the time it's not too serious except for the mental damage, but there are cases where they've almost died." Sarah went silent almost not believing what he was saying.

Pokemon shouldn't be abused, it was preposterous to think so. It's in their culture that they should never do something like that, outside of training of course, but that wasn't abuse. They had come a long way from their ancestors over 400 years ago to create a society where both inhabitants could live together in peace. It was highly illegal anyway so if they catch the trainer who did that to Anubis then he would get locked up for a very long time, potentially for life. That would be after the butt kicking she would give him.

"Sarah, do you believe that Pokemon are better off without humans?"

"That's an odd question. We're living together happily and help each other progress in ways we couldn't before. Besides, we don't have a choice but to be together with how large our species' expand."

"I don't think that's the case. Ignoring the second point, I think we've caused more harm to them than good. What does it matter if they get stronger and have an easier time getting food when poachers exist and hunt them? We then use them in Pokemon battles and force them to fight one another."

"Pokemon battles?"

"Yes, what's your opinion of those?"

"Well, I've never really thought about them being forced to battle. I used to watch the league battles on TV and they were really cool. Hey Anubis."

"Rio?"

"Am I forcing you to battle or are you doing it out of your own free will to get stronger?" It's like what she said offended him. He sent out a few jabs before giving an uppercut. "I guess there's our answer. I would never force my Pokemon to do anything they would never want to do."

"I admire you Sarah and think you're one of the exceptions, but I can't take his word for it. It's part of the culture and I think it's a manipulation tactic used to freely abuse Pokemon and they, in their opinion, should take it."

"Hmmm maybe..." He could see how her smile faded.

"I'm sorry, I messed up the mood. I didn't mean to make you sad like that." He mused. "Hey, you said you wanted to explore and sightsee correct?"

She nodded.

"I can sense a waterfall nearby. How about we go there and take a break from your training." He saw her smile return and become wider than ever.

"That's a great idea. I've always wanted to see one firsthand and not through a computer screen. Hold on, I'll get Theodore and Athena, and we'll be on our way. Anubis, stay with N."

Anubis shyly nodded before she left. He didn't have the trust to be near another human while his family was away, but that's the thing though. N's aura didn't feel like any other human. It was weird like it was fake. He was young so he couldn't think of it further but it was strange.

Sarah went past the bushes, growling as one's thorns scraped her hand. She followed the direction Theodore had taken her sister until she found a clearing.

(With the the other two)

He had found the clearing. Along the walk, he'd eyed Athena and noticed how she kept fidgeting and taking cautious glances at him. For a moment he wondered what her problem was but then shook it off.

I don't give a shit.

But he would have to train her. He's kind of relying on them now to win the leagues so he can go to Sinnoh. If they didn't get stronger then he'd have no chance. He really couldn't be arsed to do this but it was necessary.

"Alright." He turned facing her. They were in the middle of the clearing. "Let's see what we have to work on. Because the Gardevoir line highly depends on their long-ranged attacks, they haven't evolved their bodies and now they've become weak, so trainers work on their special attack and ignore training their body."

"So we'll be working on my long-ranged attacks." She said getting giddy about how powerful her Psybeam will be at the end of the day.

"WRONG!" She jumped a few feet. "Only an idiot would think that. I've studied many animals and learned what made them strong, and even though this world has fire breathing foxes, some of the principles are the same. Although some animals do go for a ranged option, they still need a strong body or they're fucked. It's the same reason the Royal Navy trains into hand to hand combat despite fighting with ships at sea."

He looked over her tiny petite body and thought of the ways to train it. He saw a small log at the side and inspected its weight. Good enough.

"H-hey!" He placed it on her back startling her. She almost fell and slightly struggled against its weight. He got a few vines from the trees and wrapped the log around her body, securing it perfectly.

"You comfortable?"

"No."

"Don't care. You can't be reliant all the time on your Double Team ability or you'll run out of stamina quickly and be a sitting duck." She started to listen intently, no longer feeling that fear from earlier. He was right. In her battle with the Lillipup that almost happened. "We'll train your legs as they are the key for evasion. You'll be strengthening them by dodging my attacks, don't worry, I won't hit too hard in case you fail."

And because I don't think Sarah would be happy with seeing you with a lot of bruises.

He sent a jab to which she backed up then had to again after another one. That happened again and she was already feeling the impact on her legs. She was backed into a tree. She dived to the side to avoid a sharp swipe that would have cut her. She struggled to get up, but Theodore didn't stop and gave her a small cut on her chest.

"Ow!" She held the stinging cut. She quickly got up to avoid another one and jumped to her left. After a few more dodges her legs were starting to ache like they had never done before.

"We'll take a small break."

"But it's only been a few minutes." She didn't want to stop already, it seemed pathetic.

"You'll see." After around 5 minutes they started again. "Now tell me the difference."

He went for a couple of attacks that were slightly quicker. She blinked rapidly after evading them all. She too had gotten quicker and her legs, though still burning, weren't as much as before. They felt weird as if they were suddenly capable of feats she never knew about.

"Feel that. Because you've been neglecting your body for so long they can't perform at full. With this stimulation, they'll be activated and you can train them properly." He unleashed his Shadow Claw. "Prepare yourself."

He went quicker and she'd barely been scraping his attacks. There were a few cuts here and there as her body-infused dress became tattered. However, he was right. She found herself becoming quicker as her legs had finally become fully activated. She dodged a downward slash and she, once again, got backed into a tree.

"Use your hips. Don't become so static, and dodge in various directions."

She ducked and jumped past his left hook then ran into the middle of the clearing. Now she wasn't trapped in place. The next few hours were complete hell. She's never been in such a heavy training session before. They took small breaks but then, to her misfortune, carried on. She wanted to collapse. Her legs felt like jelly and Theodore's next slash would be his last. If she was going out then she wanted to do it with a bang.

As his Shadow Claw came near, she jumped higher than she ever did and front-flipped midair. She looked down and saw his frown as he pulled back his claws.

Oh no! I can't avoid that one.

"Ahhhh!" He didn't hold back with that one as he backhanded at her head, forming a large bruise that was covered by her hair. She held on to it as he looked down on her.

"You fool, this isn't a Jackie Chan movie. Doing those maneuvers may look cool on TV, but they don't work in the real world. When you jump that high to dodge an attack the opponent could send another one and you won't have the leverage to move again. You're not a flying type, so next time dodge in a certain direction or block it; even if you take damage it's better than being as vulnerable as that."

She nodded. So far, his training had been nothing but improvement for her. He knew so much and she couldn't help but replace the earlier fear with respect. It did make her question though, why didn't he use it to help improve the Sunkern? If he was as useless as he claims then why not help him and turn him into a diamond?

"We'll call it a day from here." He looked into the sky and saw it was already mid-day. His eyes widened.

"Holy shit." He stared at her. "You were able to keep going for that long, that's fucking impressive."

She puffed her chest.

"I told you we Pokemon are amazing." This made him cringe slightly.

"Don't get your hopes up too quickly kid. Anyway, I need a piss so stay here." He went deep into the forest.

She laid down on the grass, its soft touches embracing her. She slowly breathed relaxing her aching muscles as she looked into the sky. It was clear and showed its serene blue hue. The clouds moved along with no care in the world. The trees bristled and the flowers' pollen went through the wind and reached her nose.

"Achoo!" After a few minutes of waiting with no return from the Weavile, she decided to entertain herself.

In a town so small, I walk alone,

A shadow in a world of stone.

My face is lost in the crowd's disguise,

Yearning for a friend, a pair of eyes.

Oh, where did my heart go, lost in the night?

I dream of a world where I shine so bright.

Freedom calls, in whispers soft and sweet,

With a friend by my side, life's a beat.

"What are you doing?" She got up and saw Theodore emerging from the bushes. His head was tilted to the side.

"Singing." This made his mouth agape.

"You're singing." He repeated before frowning. "Is that something Sarah or her family made you do, and you suddenly started to like it."

"What! No, of course not. No one in the family except for me likes singing. I heard it on TV and loved the tune, so I decided to learn how to sing." He made an expression that she couldn't recognize. It was like excitement combined with relief.

"Yes, that's it! Don't you see Athena, that is part of an individual, it's a part of you. Athena likes singing. Keep going."

He ushered, and while smiling, she carried on finding no reason not to continue.

Echoes of laughter fill the empty streets,

But my voice is missing in the rhythmic beats.

I wear a mask to hide the tears,

Wishing for a companion to calm my fears.

He didn't realize the unconscious tapping of his foot and the nodding of his head as the song went along. He mimicked the melody as she sang with her voice that changed from the annoying childish tone to one that would perform on stage in front of hundreds. It was beautiful in a way that surprised him.

Oh, where did my heart go, lost in the night?

I dream of a world where I shine so bright.

Freedom calls, in whispers soft and sweet,

With a friend by my side, life's a beat.

There was a feeling in his heart he hadn't felt in so long that he forgot what it was called. He wouldn't be able to recognize it. It was deeply buried within a dark sadistic mist. It was fighting and slowly untangling itself against it, trying its best to come out. With every verse, it broke a cloud of the mist.

The lonely nights, they weave a tale,

Of a soul adrift, like a boat with no sail.

But hope is a light that guides the way,

To a friend who'll stay, come what may.

He looked back when he felt something moving. His tail, composing of two large feathery parts, wagged in delight. What was going on? As he kept hearing the song, he kept moving and felt something he thought he'd never felt before. No, I do remember this.

(flashback)

Theodore held his mother's hand as they left the nursery. His right hand, free, kept wiping off the tears that were trying to stop coming out but couldn't. He wiped his nose with his sleeve, making it full of snot from the previous times he did in that afternoon.

He had tried to play with a group of friends. The other kids, despite it being the first day, had already formed groups and immediately got along. He was excited, he wanted to join in. He tapped on who was the leader of a group and asked to join in. Boy, was that a mistake. They ignored him as they got back to their playing, but when he kept trying to get their attention, they got brutal. They sent a barrage of mean words that almost made him cry, but he was fine, he'll just go to the next group.

Y-yeah, I'll go to them and we can play with a ball.

He was sent insults and rejected again. He stayed optimistic, surely one of these groups would accept him. After the last group, he found himself sitting in the corner with his face buried in his legs. He silently cried, not wanting to alert the teacher who was packing up for the end of the day.

The bell went and all the kids left for their parents just like he did. When his mother saw his red face as he kept sniffing, she thought that it was because it was the first day of school and that he missed her.

"Oh dear." She knelt, wiping his tears before hugging him. "It's fine. Mommy's here now."

They were now close to the house.

I don't understand. He thought. They mainly said they hated a smarty-pants like me. I was able to answer all the questions while they couldn't but that doesn't make me a smarty-pants. I saw how they were angry when I did though. Couldn't they see the patterns?

When Miss Lesley asked the question 1+2 and none of the kids could answer, she demonstrated how basic addition worked and applied it to the question. They tried another one 4+2. The kids still looked clueless as some were biting their nails while others were scratching their heads. Actually, a few were just looking at the toy cupboard, wondering when break was.

Theodore looked at the symbols on the board. No one could answer because they didn't recognize them. That one right there, it was called uhhh 4? Yeah, 4! He associated the symbol with 4 of his fingers. The other one was three- no, it was two. He counted on his small stubby fingers. If he did what the teacher said and 'added' the numbers together then...

"Is the answer 6 Miss Lesley?" She looked at him jaw dropped.

H-how did, no, it must have been a fluke.

"That's correct Theodore well done." He smiled at the praise.

"Now try this one 3+6"

He didn't use his fingers this time. The names of the numbers had already ingrained themselves in his head and associated themselves with the appropriate quantity. Many thoughts came to his head at once comprsing of patterns, of a way to get from 3 to 6. It ranged from pictures to number lines to logical thinking, and so on.

"9." He answered after less than ten seconds. Miss Lesley clapped. A few of the kids snorted before whispering amongst themselves, calling him words he didn't understand. He could hear them, they were being quite obvious.

"Fantastic! Here is subtraction." She showed the symbol. "It's like addition, but it goes the other way around. It's the opposite."

That's all she said. It was an explanation that wasn't fit for a three year old as there was no demonstration, no example, and no use of fingers. And she knew that, but she wanted to see how far she could push this child. He could be an anomaly; one of the handful of prodigies that appear in a generation. If he could answer this despite her lack of a proper explanation then he had a bright future ahead of him.

There was the chance that his parents could have helped him with maths at home, but she personally knew his mother and knew that wasn't the case.

"This is 7-6."

The thoughts came back again, carrying with them those same diagrams, number lines, and some things he didn't even know he could think about, but they worked. They showed him the way to get 7 to the answer by 'subtracting' 6.

"1."

"Excellent, that's very good Theodore." She ruffled his hair, gaining the growls and angered looks of the other children. "You're very good at maths. Do you wish to be a mathematician in the future?"

"mathe-mat-tician." He tried pronouncing.

"He he nevermind. Kids it's break time, you can get the toys out."

His mother opened the door and let them in. She changed him and washed his face, removing the tear marks and snot, but his eyes were still red.

"How about I put on your favorite cartoon huh. It's 4 o'clock so it will be on for an entire hour. I'll make some fries while you watch okay dear." This made him smile. His favorite food was fries.

He sat in the living room with his eyes glued to the screen. It was about to come on.

"Come on come on, YES!" The screen showed the iconic picture of a cartoon dinosaur trio consisting of a red T-rex, a blue triceratops, and a yellow velociraptor. Under them was the title; The Dino Pals.

He jumped in place as the intro was coming. It was a song he would forever remember; at least he thought he would. He sang along, perfectly mimicking its tone. It was so catchy, he thought. It made him feel utter joy and got the adrenaline pumping as it should for a child his age.

He forgot all about what happened to him over 20 minutes ago. There was no school, no vicious kids, no equations bringing dozens of thoughts into his head. Nothing. He danced, swinging his hands wildly as he pranced around the room. The intro was about to end but he didn't care, he would squeeze every last second of joy he could.

His mother watched him through the gap of the door, smiling to see her baby back to his normal self.

(flashback end)

The light had broken the mist piece by piece, and though it was a hard battle, it had found a way to escape.

He started moving. His arms and legs going in random directions, moving erratically.

"W-what are you doing?" Athena giggled.

"I d-don't know, but I can't stop!" He kept dancing as the adrenaline circulated from his feet to the tip of his claws, energizing. This sensation. It was from that cartoon I used to watch as a kid. I said I would remember it forever, but I didn't.

Holy crap, the feeling, whatever it was, was unlike anything he'd felt before. It crushed any challenge, any knowledge, any form of superiority over another person. And he wanted more, much much more. It was like a drug.

"Go Theodore!" She said before joining him, but unlike him, moved in a dignified way.

It was an entire five minutes of pure ecstasy when he realized what he was doing and had slowed down.

This is childish. What am I doing? Me, Theodore Nieoldiek doesn't dance, that is only for the weak.

The dark mist rose again and pulled on the light, bringing it down the rabbit hole. Athena, noticing his slowed movement, grabbed his hand.

"Come on, sing along with me." She forced him to copy her movements.

Oh, where did my heart go, lost in the night?

I dream of a world where I shine so bright.

The light fought with all its might. It knew that if it fell then it wouldn't be coming out again. It pushed through every cloud of the sadistic mist.

Freedom calls, in whispers soft and sweet,

With a friend by my side, life's a beat.

He didn't resist, the feeling was too much. He copied her as they both went around each other weaving and turning and twirling and spinning. He looked down at their positions and saw how they complimented each other's positions. It was shocking because he'd never done this before yet they were so in sync. He joined her.

In a town so small, I walk alone,

A shadow in a world of stone.

My face is lost in the crowd's disguise,

Yearning for a friend, a pair of eyes.

They had been doing so for god knows how long, Athena no longer feeling any sort of fatigue as the adrenaline and joy of doing this with a partner took over. Eventually, their energy ran out and they collapsed to the floor, huffing in place. Their heartbeats sounded like drums in their chests.

Athena laughed out loud. He listened and then did so himself. It wasn't a sadistic, cruel, vicious smile, but a genuine one that came from his soul.

They both didn't notice Sarah watching them through the bushes, smiling as her goal was accomplished. She walked away from the laughing duo.

(Back with N and Anubis)

"So?"

"I think we'll be leaving them for a while. Let's just say it was a wholesome situation." He raised an eyebrow. "We'll go ourselves. So let's go o great explorer."

She pointed at the never-ending forest ahead of her then sweatdropped when N walked the opposite way. It was about a three-mile hike before they reached the place.

Sarah and Anubis's jaws dropped to the floor at the sight. It was utterly magnificent and destroyed anything they'd ever seen before.

The forest let out a massive hole in the ground the width of 60 feet. Inside was a grassy area with a large pond in the middle that reflected the calming blue of the sky. The walls were made of beautiful stone that were so smooth Sarah thought it was manmade.

The small waterfall at the side filled her with serene amazement as the water came flowing down and fed the pond. Inside the pond were several fish-type Pokemon who swam along and occasionally jumped which made her internally squeal as she wanted to run and play with them. She could hear the occasional chirping from the baby Pidove and Rufflet who were calling on their mothers to feed them.

They both wondered, would I have ever seen this if I didn't make that decision.

There was a large tree growing from the above layer with its roots in the pond. It sent a shiver down her spine as she approached it due it its humongous and imposing size that dwarfed the trees surrounding it. She could smell its natural fragrance that told her of how old it was with its fully sprouted and mature leaves. Her fear went away when she saw a narrow pathway that led to the bottom of the cove.

"Over there, quickly guys let's go."

"Wait!" N shouted. She stayed very close to the edge of the pathway looking down at the view. The stone under her foot fell and she slipped. Anubis was about to spring into action, but he was surprised to see N flash beside him, almost too quick for him to see, and pulled Sarah back, but due to his momentum, ended up falling himself.

"N!" She brought a hand to her mouth before the two ran to see if the teenager was okay. She saw him lying motionless on the ground.

"Noooo! N, speak to me. Please tell me you're not dead." She reached out to shake him but before she could, he rose up. Easily, with no hindrance. "Uhhhh what?"

"That was annoying." He dusted off the clothes. "So what do you think of the place? It's pretty nice huh."

She stared at him as if he had grown two heads.

"Dude, you just fell from a 20-foot drop and you're asking what I think of the view. Don't you feel anything, a fall that high should have at least broken a bone!" Not die, due to their enhanced human bodies, but at least a serious injury.

"I mean my arm hurts, but that's about it. Hey look, an Alomomola."

"Wait here mister. You're not moving until I've checked you."

"Bu-"

"But nothing. Now sit still." He reluctantly stayed as she rolled up his sleeve and saw a big bruise on his right arm. She took out an ice pack and a bandage and wrapped it around the wound. How he only has that is beyond me. "There, all done."

"I appreciate it Sarah, but this isn't necessary." She ignored him and left to play with the fishies. He let out his Pokemon so they could stretch their legs and enjoy the magnificent area.

It was around 30 minutes before the remains of Team Sarah stopped playing tag with the different fish type Pokemon. They had jumped, swam, and blown water at them; quite the mischievous ones they were. It must have been a while since someone had last come here. Sarah wanted to play something else despite having spent so much energy training. She got an inflatable volleyball from her bag and asked N to join in.

"W-what do mean you don't know how to play volleyball?"

"I mean I don't know how to play volleyball." He simply said. "I've told you, I was raised by Pokemon, so I don't know much about huma- I mean our customs."

"Fine." She sighed. "I'll show you. There isn't a net here so we'll have to improvise."

She explained the rules then asked Anubis to use his claws to set up the area.

"We'll do a two on two. Me and Anubis vs you and Eevee. Braiviary, do you want to join?" She got a tired squawk in response before he flew up to a tree and watched them from above. "Alright, so let's start."

She punched the ball toward her cutie Eevee. He turned and smacked it with his tail, the ball going over the imaginary net that was only shown its position by a row of pebbles in the middle of their makeshift field.

Anubis brought his hands together and punched the ball upwards. N jumped highly and, seeing the lax bodies of his opponents, sent the ball plummeting to their side of the field. She stared at the ball as it bounced toward the stone wall.

"And I believe that I've earned a point." She only grinned in response.

"So that's how it is. Okay, let's play."

What followed was an intense game that brought out the competition in everyone. They strived for victory, each side running and whacking the ball, trying to find any gaps in their opponent's guard.

The ball went to Eevee. The game was starting to feel long for him. He let out a smirk as his tail glowed white before having an iron exterior. He sent the ball rocketing to Anubis.

"Brick Break." Sarah said which he immediately listened to, punching the ball so hard it burst. The duo jumped beyond the line of the makeshift field with Anubis standing in front with his guard up. Eevee did the same.

"W-what Eevee!?"

"Come on N, I know you don't like battles but this is just a fun spar. Pleeeease." He brought out his sad puppy eyes that were irresistible to even the most cold-hearted. N sighed before standing behind Eevee.

"Use Shadow Ball." He opened his mouth, gathering the energy that was the same as Theodore's Shadow Claw, and sent it hurtling.

"Dodge it." Anubis simply jumped to the side before almost falling to the ground. His legs had been through the abuse of training, traveling, and volleyball and now he was to do this. He won't have much time so they had to end this quickly.

"Get close and use Iron Tail." Eevee flashed through the entire field before his tail turned to have its iron exterior again. He swung it at Anubis's stomach. Anubis grunted and bent over. He held back on his attack. He may look cute and seem like he couldn't harm a fly, but he wasn't a kid like Anubis and has been helping N in stopping Team Plasma operations. He was a tough, horny, chocolate chip cookie.

"Oh no. Okay um." Sarah mused. She saw his lack of mobility but shook her head. "Use Quick Attack to get in. We have no other choice than to get close. Then use Brick Break."

"You use Quick Attack too to avoid it; don't let him get close." He didn't need to give that order with Eevee's speed nor with the Riolu's slow attacks, but this was meant to be a friendly spar and he didn't want to hurt the duo's feelings. He sped around the field. Anubis followed, sending punches with his glowing fists.

Eevee graciously avoided them before jumping to a nearby boulder. Anubis jumped and sent down a hammer of an attack. N and Eevee's eyes widened as the rock he was on turned into rubble from the attack.

If that landed it wouldn't have been pretty.

"End this with Swift." With a whip of his tail, he sent many star projectiles at Anubis. They glowed in a celestial energy.

"Dodge it." But he couldn't go further, he was barely standing with his shaking legs. Sarah's eyes widened as he was hit with the stars. There was a small cloud of dust. When it dispersed she saw Anubis collapsed onto his hands and knees, gasping for air as sweat dropped from his fur to the floor.

She rushed to cater him on her chest.

"Are you okay Anubis!?" He smiled as his chest rose and fell more slowly before he closed his eyes. His breaths became small as he snored. She let out a quiet squeal as she brought him in closer. "My little teddy bear, rest well. You've earned it."

"You guys have a good dynamic and are good at close quarters. But..."

"Yeah, I know. find a way to deal with opponents at a distance without closing the distance all the time." He nodded at her answer.

"You should teach him a ranged move. He may be a close combat fighter, but having some versatility is important. It's proven its worth when I battle against Team Plasma."

"You're Eevee is strong." She ruffled his thick neck hair. "I'll find something."

Her stomach rumbled, echoing across the cove. Heat rushed to her cheeks, painting them a faint pink as she smiled sheepishly.

"I say it's dinner time." She saw through the canopy of leaves the sun setting. The day went past way quicker than she thought. I guess it's true, time does fly when you're having fun. "We'll eat and call it a night. What do you think?"

"I think that's a lovely idea." He smiled before they all left the cove.

Chapter End

I've tried some techniques with using emotion, and using the five senses to describe places as that was a weak point of mine. Tell me how I did

 

[Swag Striker]

Chapter 10: The Ducklett trio

A/N: If you guys have any ideas/events that you want to see in the story then let me know. I've said before that this fanfic is being made up as it goes along and if your idea would work then I'll probably implement it, no promises though.

Chapter 10 START

It was lunchtime. Theodore slowly moved his fork, containing a portion of his self-made steak, into his mouth. He chewed, albeit very slowly, as he stared at the tablecloth. Usually, he would beaming from the Pokemon food's great taste, but right now he was too busy thinking of what happened yesterday.

He couldn't believe how he acted. Dancing with Athena, bleurgh, just the word 'dance' made him want to vomit. However, he couldn't find himself doing that, not after how it made him feel. He liked it, like, A LOT. It made him so feel so light, got the adrenaline up, and stimulated him more than any knowledge, any challenge, any form of superiority he had before. He's been looking for a good stimulant for over a decade and no matter what it was, it made him feel nothing. It may have made him feel something at first but then quickly distinguished. It's what happens when you're as great as him.

That's the thing though, how did Athena achieve something that he couldn't do for so long? Were they just obsessions and not true joy? When he danced...What was that feeling called again, was it joy? Admittedly, he was never good at emotions uneless it was manipulating them from others when in his sadistic episodes. He thinks that is why he's been asking so many questions about what he's feeling when he's stuck to this group of three.

Sarah kept kicking her feet as she took huge bites of her shepherd's pie; the workout from yesterday taking so much energy out of her. However, she felt so energized and her breathing had improved a lot, she should do this much more.

"So uhhh Sarah." She turned to her mysterious friend who kept staring at Theodore. "Why is he eating on a table, using utensils no less."

Oh yeah, I forgot not everyone is used to that.

"Honestly, I don't know myself. He started that ever since day one of us traveling, although he does a lot of weird things. I don't really question small things like this and would rather keep traveling. He's my brother though so no matter how weird he is, I wouldn't treat him differently."

"Okay?" He said questioningly before asking himself. "Hey, Theodore." He broke his attention from the tablecloth. "Why do you act so human-like? First, you could write, then wear a scarf, now this. Where do you come from?" He got a deadpan look.

Theodore took out his notebook from under his scarf and wrote.

THAT'S A DUMBASS QUESTION.

"Theodore!"

"No no, it's fine. I asked a stupid question, he's obviously from the snowy mountains. That's where Sneazels and Weaviles like to live since they are ice types." N said. "But I'm asking because his heart is different from other Pokemon not just his actions. It lacks love and joy."

Theodore's eyes widened when he found his hypothesis to be correct. So it was joy! But then that means that I enjoy dancing. He didn't know what to think of that. Is it really so wrong to like it?

They finished eating along with their Pokemon before packing up.

"Ooh, Anubis I almost forgot. We need to check your weight." He stood still as she scanned him.

"This Riolu's weight has now reached optimum."

"Yes! Riolu!" They both beamed at the confirmation of his restored state.

"Good."

"Nice."

"Well done."

He became flustered when everyone started congratulating him. He turned to his older brother.

"So, what do you think?"

"Huh, good I guess." Why does he care what I think?

Anubis beamed further.

After Briaviary and Eevee were recalled they moved through the forest.

"So are we going the right way?"

"Yes, if we move this way for about 20 miles we'll come across a mountain then if we go left from there we'll reach the Skyarrow Bridge which will take us straight to Castelia City. If we keep up the pace we can get there within 2 weeks."

After an hour of walking, they heard the voice of a teenage boy. He was wearing a full-blue tracksuit along with green hiking shoes. His hair was also blue and split into two large spikes protruding on his left and right. He was staring intently at his map.

"Damn it, the map says go left but after 3 days I'm still stuck here. Why couldn't the league have just built a normal route here instead of making us wonder like Slowpokes."

"Hi there, you need some help." Sarah called out. He looked up from his map.

"Hey guys, yeah I'm a bit lost right now. This darn map is such a pain to read."

"Here let me see it." N took the map and after a minute, pointed at the mountain in the far distance. "See there, if you keep walking to that mountain through this way." He pointed at the map again showing the route. "Then go straight west from there using this windmill as a landmark you'll reach Castelia City. It's a long trek though so don't think you'll get lost if it takes you days to get there."

"Thanks dude, you're pretty good at reading maps. You just saved my life."

"It's no problem, anything to help. We're actually going there ourselves, do you want to join us."

"Sorry dude, but Imma run it. There ain't no time to waste when the Gym circuit season is on. Hey, are both of you Trainers!?" He asked excitedly.

"I am, he isn't."

"Nice Pokemon man. What do you say we have a battle." He brought out a pokeball. "It will be a quick 1 on 1."

"Hmm, I don't know." She wanted to use Athena but she had a full training session yesterday. "Theodore, wanna battle?"

He shook his head and pointed a Athena, wanting to see the result of his work.

"Athena, I know you're still fatigued but d-"

"Ra Ralts Ra Ralts!" She stood in front of her.

"Alright, then your Ralts versus my Ferroseed." He threw his pokeball in the air and out came an egg-shaped creature with a steel exterior. Out of it were small green spikes. He had two yellow eyes in his midsection.

"Ferroseed." The two trainers put their bags on the side before arranging the battle to an official one in their pokedex's. This will make it so that the winner gets paid by the loser. Theodore saw them going through the app. So this is how money works through battling, they didn't show that in the anime. They got to their positions.

"By the way, the name's Charen."

"I'm Sarah."

"I'll start things off. Ferroseed, use consecutive Bullet Seeds." The steel and grass type Pokemon, unlike Pokemon who build the seeds in the stomach using the minerals from the intestines and use the back of the throat's muscles to propel them, conjured the seeds in front of his face and sent them flying to Athena.

She smirked at the pace of the seeds despite being named after bullets. After the training yesterday which had stimulated her legs, she easily jumped to the side to avoid the barrage. When they kept coming, she kept dodging.

It's time to go on the offense. Sarah thought.

"Use Confusion." With this, he won't be able to do anything. It will be just like Lenora where Lillipup couldn't use his Take Down properly.

Athena was already in close proximity with her opponent. She shot out a large yellow ring which hit.

"Ferroseed use Iron Head." Sarah smirked, knowing that his Pokemon will end up hitting a tree. Ferroseed glowed and his whole body turned into a shiny steel exterior. To her shock, he rocketed himself and managed to hit Athena.

"What! But I used Confusion, the chances of him landing a hit are low!"

"Ha ha ha. My Ferroseed's special ability is Own Tempo which prevents him from being confused. You're going to have to try a different strategy."

"Fine, I've beaten Lenora so I can definitely beat you."

"Overconfident are we."

"Athena use Psybeam."

"Dodge it." Ferroseed, who was levitating in the air, dropped to hover just inches above the ground, the attack going far over his head.

"Use Iron Head again."

"Dodge it." She did but Sarah could tell that she was running out of gas. Her dodges earlier lacked grace and finesse; making them inefficient. She only learned to properly dodge yesterday and the technique would get better over time, but it was showing its effects in this battle.

"Use Psybeam again." With Ferroseed stopping his momentum after attacking, he was in the perfect spot for an attack. The Psychic attack landed and he stumbled in midair for a second. To the shock of the two girls, he recovered immediately.

Charen saw their faces and almost laughed out loud.

"Don't you know Psychic attacks are not effective against steel types like my Ferroseed. If you really beat Lenora you would know that." Sarah gritted her teeth.

"Athena keep hitting him with Psybeam until he goes down."

"Don't let them, dodge then Bullet Seed."

After her next attack which landed, Ferroseed dodged the one after before shooting out his barrage of small bullets. Athena dodged them except a few at the end which left minor scuffs on her dress. She huffed in place.

"Pin Missile."

"Double Team." Ferroseed's green spike glowed white before shooting out copies of themselves to Athena. However, she split into many clones spread throughout the battlefield. The Pin Missiles spread to hit a clone each and, even though there were more clones than missiles, one of them landed on her.

"Raaaalts!" She screamed as she fell to the floor. Sarah bit her lip. At least she hadn't fainted and is still in the game.

"Let's finish this off with Solar Beam!" Charen said, excited that victory was coming soon.

"Ferro!" His Pokemon hovered towards the sky that rained down its luminescence. A small bright ball was charging in front of him and grew larger as it absorbed the sun's energy. He shouted his name as he sent out the beam.

"Raaaaaaaaaalts!" Athena was still on the floor, but now in a large pit as she struggled to get up. Sarah was now biting the top of her dress.

"Damn, your Ralts is persistent huh. Well, one more Iron Jead should do the trick."

"N-no." Dang it dang it dang it uhhh what do I do? What can I do? She doesn't know any offensive move other than Psybeam which is ineffective. Ferroseed was coming closer to Athena.

"D-do something, blast that spiky egg thing.!"

Athena felt an unfamiliar sensation in her midsection, a fiery feeling that got hotter and hotter but not uncomfortable. It was within an organ between the lungs and the diaphram. It was responsible for producing pure hydrogen and oxygen from the water consumed by the Pokemon. She let it out, the gases being ignited by a spark near the back of her throat.

A swirling flame formed and flew through the air. It grew larger from the oxygen it was consuming, then when it was at its largest form, narrowed its swirling motion and consumed the Ferroseed who was only a few inches from Athena's face.

"SEEEED!" He screamed. He stumbled through the air until dropping with black swirls on his eyes. Everyone stood in shock at what happened until Sarah broke the silence.

"We did it! Uh huh yep that's right, it was us." She celebrated before running to Athena and scooping her up from the crate. She lifted a tiny fist while smiling. "Congratulations sister, you just learned a new move."

She took out her pokedex and scanned her.

"This move is called Mystical Fire."

Another notification popped up showing her earnings of $25 which was pretty small, although it was only a 1 on 1, so she'll take it. Either way, she learned a new move, she learned a new move gaaahh.

"That was a good match." Charen walked over to her, bag over one of his shoulders. "Hopefully we meet again. I'll make sure my Ferroseed evolves and beats your Ralts."

"Hah, trust me, Athena and I will destroy you once again."

"You only got lucky with that weird mystical flamethrower but next time I'm going to win." He ran off into the woods in the direction N pointed.

"Speaking of which, where is he?" She looked around and saw no one other than her Team. Anubis pointed to a group of trees a couple of meters away where he sat on a branch looking in the distance. "Good boy, you look after the bag while I talk to him."

"Rio!"

She took out a potion from her pocket and sprayed it on Athena. The marks and bruises healed a bit, letting her walk on her own.

"Hey guess what N, Athena learned Mystical Firee which I've never heard of before and she absolutely destroyed that Ferroseed and...N?" He was silent and wasn't looking at her. "Why are you here looking all sad?" He jumped down.

"I didn't want to see Athena get hurt." Oh yeah, he doesn't like trainers using Pokemon for battles and I fit in that category too.

Sarah had been thinking about his idealogy for the last two days and while she said that it would be later down the line where she would get her answer, she already knew what it was going to be.

"I'm sorry N, but I'm going to have to disagree with you."

"W-what?"

"Athena, as a Pokemon will heal completely, something we humans can't do as well. She fought and tomorrow she'll be stronger. She just learned a new move. She's growing and that is what it's going to take if she ever wants to turn into a Gardevoir, so if battling is what it takes to complete her growth then how can that be wrong?"

N clicked his teeth. Unknowingly, she mentioned the point he hated the most; evolution. It was one he couldn't find an argument against because as someone who's lived in the wild with Pokemon, he knew there was no way for a Pokemon to evolve other than battling each other and getting stronger. Even ones that require evolution stones like his Eevee have to have a criteria of strength before they can. Some Pokemon couldn't even reproduce without evolving into their second or final evolution.

Theodore smirked and respected her opinion because it made sense. It's literally part of their DNA to do this; to pass on the superior genes and make the species stronger. There's no good or bad to it just nature.

They walked back to get Anubis and her bag.

(With Anubis)

He sat next to the bag.

"Yaaaawn." He rubbed his eyes. It was peaceful, the silence of the forest allowing him to not have any thought.

Rustle*

He turned to the bush on his right.

"Hey there." Came out a small chubby duck with light blue feathers. It had the typical yellow beak and flippers. On the bottom half of its body were longer feathers that were darker than the rest. Its wings were relatively small compared to its body. It was a Ducklett. "How's it going?"

"Uhhh it's um going pretty good. How are you?"

"I'm good too." He stared at Anubis in silence. It started to freak him out, especially with those derpy eyes. "And so are they."

"Hey there."

"Hey there."

He jumped in place when two more heads popped out from the bushes on his left. They neared him. He was getting a bad feeling about this, so he used his aura sense and saw their bad intentions.

"So what's in the bag, it seems interesting?" The one who first spoke, who Anubis assumed was the leader of the trio, tried to open the bag. "The humans who come through here carry some interesting things."

"Back off!" He weakly swiped at him to which he jumped back.

"Woah, relax dude, we're only playing with you." They started to circle him.

"Yeah, just playing."

"What's wrong with that?" He lightly growled while constantly turning to see all of the Duckletts. The one behind waited for him to turn then quickly unzipped the bag and grabbed the first thing he could before dodging a punch.

"Ooooohh." He mused at the pan. "What does this do? Is it a water holder?"

Anubis panicked. He charged a Quick Attack and went for a kick. The Ducklett, knowing the attack would come, sent a Water Gun. The blast was compact and strong enough to send Anubis to the ground.

"Thanks for the stuff loser. We'll take good care of it for your trainer."

"Oh nooo." The other two Duckletts carried off the bag and flew into the depths of the forest before he could even get up. The remaining one behind him quickly followed.

"Fuck!" As Theodore would say. He banged his fist to the ground.

The group came back dragging along an annoyed N.

"Hey, where did the bag go?" Sarah asked.

If we chase after them immediately then we can get them!

"Ri Ri Riolu Riolu Rio Lu Lu." He said frantically while pointing at the forest.

"Sorry Anubis, but I don't get what you're saying. Theodore, could you translate please." Theodore facepalmed from what he heard from the canine Pokemon.

"Oh my god, not another distraction, why does this keep happening to us?" He wrote what he said in his notebook.

"What! There's no time to stand here, let's go after them." They all ran in the pointed direction. Hopefully, they would catch up or at least get a sense of direction, but with the forest being so large and them being flying types, it may end up as a lost cause.

After 10 mins, Theodore caught something, a difference in the air. He stopped himself before he could raise his head and sniff the scent of the Ducklett thieves. No, there's no way in hell I'll... but if I don't then they'll get away and we'll be fucked. The scent was a very small whiff that happened to reach him otherwise N would have smelled it instead. This was on him. Honestly, it can't be that bad. Ever since I inhabited this body, its capabilities have been impressive and I'm starting to get used to it. The back of his head, which prevented him from fully accepting the body, was starting to get used to it and treat it like it was normal. Fuck it.

He smelled the tiny whiff and was immediately shocked. He looked towards the edge of the trees where the Duckletts had briefly brushed their wings on. How he knew that? It was like a second pair of eyes.

Inside his nose was the Olfactory Epithelium tissue containing the Olfactory receptor cells. The amount in his Weavile nose was the same as a cat's which is over 10 times the size of a human's. The odor molecules coming from the Ducklett's feathers which smelled of the forest, river, and duck, attached to the receptor cells which then sent signals to the Olfactory Bulb in the brain. The signals were processed and then sent to the other parts of the brain for interpretation.

What Theodore was seeing was like an overlay to his current vision. He was perfectly able to interpret where they went from the scent alone. Holy crap, is this what guard dogs are capable of, I underestimated them.

He called to the team to follow him and after a mile of running, they came to an open hill. The trio were messing around with her stuff and scattered them across the floor.

"Oooh this looks cool." One of them pressed down on the lighter and out came a small flame. His eyes dilated from the majesty of the flame and he was too engrossed to realise he set his friend on fire.

"WAAAAHHH DUDE!" He flapped around in panic, scared the fire would encompass him. "Oh wait, I'm a water type." He sent a small stream of water and extinguished the flame. "We should use that thing on that Venipede nest. It would be funny to see them all on fire."

"Hey Assholes!" Theodore called out. He summoned a Shadow Claw on both hands, intending to shred them to pieces. "Prepare to die!"

"Wait!" N called out. In front of the Duckletts was, strangely, a large amount of grass. N knew of this simple trap used by poachers all the time by baiting a Pokemon in a certain direction. He tried to reach for Theodore and pull him back when he lunged, but they both ended up falling into the trap. They went through the patch of grass that was hiding a large tunnel. The Duckletts were using a trap used by a poacher from a long time ago.

They saw the Ducklett trio laughing at them as they fell to the bottom.

"Athena Psybeam. Anubis Quick Attack."

"Hah, not so fast." The leader used Sarah's pan to absorb the Psycich attack while one of the others flew up to dodge the Quick Attack and threw an open can of beans. It splattered across Anubis's face. The remaining Ducklett used a Water Gun and sent him back to Sarah. She caught him. He wiped the beans and their juices off, staining his arms along with his face.

Sarah growled at the sheer stupidity of all this. The Duckletts quickly put in some of the scattered items in the bag before flying off.

"Dang it! Strawberry cookie heavens dang it!"

Athena held her hand. It's going to be fine, we'll get them. Sarah sighed before taking a few deep breaths.

Alright, let's see where Theodore and N have gone. She looked at the hole and saw that it was very long and followed to the bottom of the hill. They would have to find a pathway up which could take a while or she could forget about her bag. It's them two and they're together so they'll be fine. My stuff is just too important for the journey and I won't be able to afford their replacement.

She didn't feel good about leaving behind her friends but necessity is necessity. She followed the direction the Duckletts flew, hoping that they would stay on the same course. She walked for about 20 minutes.

Her foot fell into a small burrow.

"What the?" She took her foot out and inspected the burrow. Its length carried on but was slanted to the side. "Okay...weird."

After about ten steps, Athena yelped as she found herself having fallen fully into another burrow. Sarah picked her up from it.

"Why are there so many burrows around here, is this some ground type's home like a Drillbur or something?" The ground rumbled slightly and many more burrows that were encased by patches of grass had a green and red insect looking Pokemon come out of them. They were slightly larger than Athena. They wore menacing looks that showed that anyone who came across them would regret it.

Sarah took out her pokedex to scan one.

"Venipede. Its bite injects a potent poison, enough to paralyze large bird Pokémon that try to prey on it."

Could this day get any worse.

She gulped as the dozen of Venipedes came closer to surround them. Her two Pokemon put up their guards. The Venipedes coiled their small bodies as they got ready to lunge. This was bad, really bad. These guys were young and probably weren't taught yet about the Great Pact and honorable battles. They could get out of this alive but they would be poisoned and she left some antidotes in her bag.

They were all about to jump and her two Pokemon readied their attacks until a loud hiss stopped everyone from moving. A Pokemon that looked like a grey wheel but had a hardened exoskeleton came out. On its body were small spikes and two pairs of larger ones coming from the front and back. Its eyes were the same as the Venipede's but larger.

The Venipedes moved a fair distance back and formed a circle. She scanned the Pokemon.

"Whirlipede is the evolved form of Venipede. Protected by a hard shell, it spins its body like a wheel and crashes furiously into its enemies."

The rest of the Venipedes moved back the instant it hissed, so if this is a nest then this must be the Queen.

"Whirlipede, I'm sorry for intruding onto your nest. It was a mistake. We mean no harm, so if you let us go, we'll be on our way." She held her hands up.

"Ralts Ralts Ralts." Athena said. The Whirlipede still didn't look too happy. She hissed before spinning and jumping in place. Sarah didn't need a translation for she was trying to convey.

"Athena come back. Anubis, you ready to fight?"

"Rio!" He stood forth.

"Then get close with Quick Attack."

The Whirlipede's small spikes glowed before white copies shot out and went for Anubis. It was Pin Missile. Anubis had seen the attack from the Ferroseed earlier and knew what to do. With his increased speed and reaction time from the training yesterday, he dodged, jumped over, and maneuvered around the projectiles.

"Use Brick Break." His fist glowed as he struck the Whirlipede at its front. Sending her back a few yards. The rest of the nest watched in astonishment as their Queen, the strongest Pokemon they knew, was being pushed back. A small crack appeared in her armor. She spun and moved those scales to the floor.

"Whirlipede!" She started to spin, gaining speed very quickly before launching herself to Anubis. He had no time to react to the Rollout. He was struck and was sent flying back. The Venipedes hissed in delight as THAT was their leader.

Anubis got up, the attack was damaging but not too much as rock type attacks were ineffective against him. She didn't stop, preparing another Rollout.

Sarah was thinking. The Queen's exterior is too hard for even Brick Break to do much against She uses that defense as a weapon when she spins. If Anubis knew a ranged moved then we could have chipped her down. I have to get that sorted immediately, but for now, we have to stick with what we've got. Where is the opening...that's it! The only thing that remains still is her eyes, they don't move while the rest of the body does.

"Anubis use Detect. When she comes close use Brick break on her side." He nodded, narrowing his eyes and seeing the details of her movement. Many thoughts came to his head, calculations of her direction, momentum, and how long it would take to reach him. The calculations weren't taken in as numbers, such as her speed being 40 miles/hour, but as an instinct.

She launched and when she was about to strike, he sent a strong right hook, hitting her left eye and deflecting her Rollout. She span to his right, slowly losing momentum before falling on her side.

She weakly got up. Her front pincers glowed purple. Sarah's eyes widened.

"Anubis, you have to dodge that no matter what. If she poisons you we'll be in deep trouble." He waited until she got close and lunged. He stepped to the left and sent a powerful punch on her other eye. She hissed in pain where she landed. She was trying her hardest not to faint.

Everyone stood in silence. She closed her swollen eyes and nodded. The Venipede's, first shocked, shook away their thoughtd before making a pathway for the team. The Queen gave a bow. It was barely noticeable due to her tiny legs but still appreciated.

"Thank you Whirlipede."

"Whirl."

They walked for another ten minutes and found the Duckletts still messing with her stuff near a pond. Thank goodness they didn't go somewhere else. One had opened a Skittle's packet and was vacuuming the sweets. Athena growled at her treat being eaten and was about to send a Mystical Fire their way.

"Wait Athena, let me handle this." They came out of the branches and got the trio's attention. "Listen here Duckletts, my friends are lost, you've messed with my stuff, and we almost got the frontal assault of an entire Venipede nest. Don't you think you've done enough? We're sad and have been through a lot over the past few days, so please return my stuff. There's no need to carry this on."

The Duckletts looked at each other with a stupified expression before their leader walked forward holding her pan.

"Perhaps we have gone too far. I'm sorry for all the mess we've caused, we just wanted to have some fun. It's very boring in this forest when trainers don't come through." He held out the pan. "Here."

"Awww thank you dear." Anubis wasn't buying it. They acted like this toward him too. He used his aura vision and saw the remorse turn into deception. The Ducklett snapped his wing back before Sarah could take it and was about to spray a Water Gun on her face.

Anubis had already charged a Brick Break and punched the Ducklett, his head hitting a tree. He whimpered, staying on the floor while holding his wing. If it wasn't for him being a flying type then that would have been a straight knockout.

The other two abandoned whatever they were messing with and flew into the air. They sent a Water Gun to each of their opponents.

"Athena use Psybeam. Anubis dodge it."

Athena used her attack. The purple rings and the Water Gun actually went through each other and both were hit. Anubis was constantly dodging the Water Guns that kept coming his way.

When I see N I'm going to ask him to have his Eevee teach him Swift. Anubis can't do anything against Pokemon who can fly.

Her attention quickly went back to Athena where the Ducklett used Bubble Beam.

"Use Double Team." She sent clones around the area. The Ducklett came in close and spun, the Bubble Beam attacking and breaking the clones. He looked in confusion as there was nothing left not even the real one. Athena, jumping out from behind a tree, was now in range for Confusion.

"Do it!" She shot out the Confusion and hit him. The Ducklett tried to stay airborne but was confused and couldn't identify his surroundings. His wings didn't follow their usual pattern of motion and he unsteadily crashed into a bush.

That will buy some time. She turned back to Anubis who was getting tired from dodging the consecutive Water Guns. Ducklett's wings glowed. He was about to go in for a Wing Attack. Her eyes darted around, thinking of a way to avoid the attack. If it hit then he would faint. She saw the tree near him.

"Jump!" He narrowly dodged the Wing Attack and landed on a branch. "Quickly, jump onto him and use Brick Break!"

He did. The Ducklett flew in a zig-zag pattern to try to throw him off, but Anubis held on. He smashed his head with a Brick Break. He became disoriented and flew into a tree sending them both to the floor. Anubis quickly got up and raised his guard, but found no need when he saw that Ducklett had fainted.

"Ha ha. I did it!" He smiled from seeing his fallen opponent.

The Ducklett that Athena was facing was still confused. He sent a Bubble Beam into the air which fell back onto him. He groaned before fainting.

The leader had gotten up and saw his fallen brothers and the Pokemon who'd defeated them. He still held on to his throbbing wing. He knew he couldn't fly away, but even if he could, he couldn't abandon his brothers. He pulled them with his beam and remaining wing into the pond, leaving the bag for its beholder.

Sarah quickly snatched it from the ground before there could be any other stupidity coming the trio. Once she realized they really had given up she looked back at her companions and saw their ruffled states. Then she saw her own.

"Ha ha ha looks like it's going to be bath time tonight." The two smiled. They loved bath time.

It was her first time in a double battle and she was proud she won. I'm getting good at this. This battling thing is easier than I thought. Anyway, time to find the boys.

(With Theodore and N)

"Damn it." Theodore said as he got some of the dirt off his fur. "When I see those three I'll eat them, roasted duck will be on the menu tonight."

"Calm down Theodore." N said, his clothes having stains on them. "This is just a minor hiccup. I'm sure we'll get back to the others quickly." He looked back at the hill that towered over them. "We obviously can't climb up through the tunnel. Let's go this way, there might be a pathway up."

They walked along the edge of the higher ledged ground. Theodore was shocked when he walked past a Scolipede eating a Sewaddle, half of its body still being torn apart piece by piece.

"Something wrong?" N asked.

"N-nothing." For the Pokemon lover to be okay with seeing that shows that it's completely normal. They didn't explain this in the anime and I thought that this world was just using cartoon logic, but that hasn't been the case so far. Some things may seem lovey dovey but they could be explained through reason like the fact that Pokemon don't bleed. I tested that out myself and found out why. Actually, that reminds me.

He pulled out his notebook and wrote to N.

WHAT IS THE TOUGH LAYER UNDERNEATH A POKEMON'S MUSCLES. THE PART THAT HIDES THE ARTERIES AND VEINS.

"You mean the hemaguard layer? It's a tough thick membrane that goes over the body, even protecting the internal organs from damage that would kill them if they didn't have it. It can still be penetrated which is why Pokemon faint when it's close to or if it's sustained too much damage. It also stops huge infections. Fainting acts as a safety mechanism."

Now that's an explanation right there. So stuff can be explained scientifically like how Pokemon are able to achieve such powerful feats.

Seeing that the walk would be for a while, he asked a few more questions.

HOW ABOUT THE GREAT PACT

"Wow, you really are from far away. There was a world war from over 400 years ago called the Ashen War that almost destroyed the world and even got some legendary Pokemon involved. After the devestation everyone on all sides had had enough, so there was an agreement between the nations and between humans and Pokemon that there would be no war nor abuse again. Part of the agreement is that both species have to teach their young those rules, so I don't know why you don't know. Even though you're an orphan you should have learned about it from some other Pokemon."

WHO GOVERNS THESE RULES

"Humans have their governments and organizations to deal with it. Pokemon used to have political groups but due to how much we hate politics, it quickly disappeared. Since the Great Pact was being maintained for a long time it was generally accepted that the humans deal with it. The closest thing Pokemon have got are the Swords of Justice."

Theodore was intrigued, he was learning a lot. At first, he thought this world to be simple, but it may be more complicated than he thought.

They stopped moving when they heard the sounds of a battle nearby. At first, they were going to ignore it but a Sawk had jumped out of the trees with a furious Gurdurr behind him. The Gurdurr swung its Girdir at the Sawk who dodged it easily.

"I told you it was an accident, I was training." said the Sawk.

"I don't care! No one attacks the great Gurdurr and gets away with it!" He went in for another swing while the Sawk was about to retaliate with a Dynamic Punch. They stopped their attacks midway. N, moving quicker than anyone could see, had positioned himself between them with his arms outstretched.

"Stop you two, as Pokemon you shouldn't be fighting. You're not even part of each other's food chain. I can sense the turmoil in your heart Gurdurr, but I'm sure that you can solve your issues peacefully. There's no need to hurt each other." The two fighting Pokemon stared for a moment at the human who had the balls to intervene.

"What kind of crummy crap is that? Get out of my way before I turn you into minced meat too!" The Gurdurr tried to go around the human, but N kept getting in his way. He eventually got annoyed and swung his Girdir at him instead. N was spent sprawling across the ground.

"N/human!" The Sawk and Theodore said, rushing to his fallen form.

"Are you an idiot, why would a human challenge a Pokemon into a fight, you'd lose!" Theodore shouted. "Fucking idiot. Completely and utter retard."

"Even when in rage, you should never attack a human, especially for one of your strength Gurdurr. You know what would happen if he died or faced serious injury, you would be killed by their people."

The Gurdurr looked away while clicking his teeth. He realized his mistake.

"Whatever, you losers aren't worth my time." He disappeared back into the trees.

"Are you okay friend?" The Sawk shook N. N held a hand out.

"I'll be fine. Are you okay?"

"Of course I am, but I would have been fine without your help. You didn't need to put yourself in harms way."

"I-" N groaned getting up. "I would rather not see you fighting. I don't like Pokemon battles even amongst wild Pokemon."

"That's a noble ideal N, but please value yourself more. If you're okay then I'll take my leave." Sawk bowed his head before leaving.

N placed his hand on the pokeballs at his side. His Pokemon had sensed his distress.

"I've already said I'm fine." He growled before mumbling. "How many times do I need to say that!"

Theodore blinked. D-did he just glow purple? It was a quick flash that may have been a refraction of the sun.

They slowly walked, N kept a hand on his side where the Gurdurr struck him. He was limping now. Damn, he got me in the right spot. It was taking all of his focus to keep his appearance up, the attack almost destroying it.

Theodore smirked. Seeing his turmoil, this was the best time to test his theory. N has had slip-ups whenever he's talked, sometimes speaking in ways that make him sound like an outsider of the human species, being able to understand Pokemon with accuracy his heart sensing abilities shouldn't allow him to, and that flash of purple was no trick of the light either.

After a few minutes, N groaned while the flashes of purple over his body came back in waves.

"We need to keep *huff* moving."

"Hey N, what's 9 plus 10?"

"It's 19, why would yo-" He realized his error and Theodore grinned wildly.

"I knew it! So there is more to you than what you let on. I have to say, you've done a good job hiding it." N sighed. He shouldn't be letting his emotions get in the way of hiding his abilities.

"It's true, I've hidden that ability. You are one sneaky Weavile I'll give you that. Please don't tell the others about this, I would rather keep it hidden." Theodore nodded. He didn't care why N would hide it.

He groaned louder this time. Oh no, I can't keep it up anymore.

His entire body flashed purple before cracking into pieces and disappearing into thin air. What Theodore saw left his mouth open. He had his suspicions, but seeing it happen firsthand was different.

"H-hi." N said meekly as his muzzle gave an awkward smile.

"YOU'RE A ZOROARK!"

...

They were still walking, the upper layer ground was getting lower and lower. Theodore broke the silence.

"So you going to explain this or..." He was still in his Zoroark form, too tired to build his disguise. It was a good thing because he could focus his energy into healing the bruise on his side. He was no longer limping and could walk normally.

"No."

"Why do you live amongst humans, tricking them, walking with them? It's like you're ashamed of your Pokemon heritage." N slightly growled but didn't respond.

"Yet you dislike the human race as a whole. Are you trying to become one, are you that delusional?" He kept ignoring him.

"You lied to Sarah too. I guess that's all she means to you, isn't it. She accompanied you when no one else would and you spit on her face." N clenched his fist that were ready to be thrown.

"You're a liar and a hypocrite!"

"SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Theodore took a step back from the outburst. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HUMANS HAVE DONE TO ME AND YOU CERTAINLY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENED TO MY FAMILY. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW SO BADLY THEN FINE, I'LL TELL YOU!"

(Flashback)

Zorua looked around the bush, careful not to show his red fur. It would be an outlier to the greenery of the forest.

"Come out come out wherever you are." Sang along a voice.

He retreated back after seeing his enemy coming closer. He tried not to breath and crouched as still as he could.

Please go past, please go past.

But he wasn't lucky.

"Got ya!" Pounced the Drillbur onto him, using his claws to tickle where he knew were Zorua's weak spots.

"S-stop Ha ha stop it." The Drillbur stopped but when he got up from the ground he tickled him again, bringing another chorale of giggling. He let him get up properly this time.

"I got you again."

"Yeah, I guess you won, but now that you're hiding, I'll make sure to find you and tickle you to death."

"Ho ho, then we shall see. No one can beat the champion of hide and seek."

"Oh it's on."

"Zorua." A soft and sweet voice called out. It was his mother, a Zoroark who was waving him to come.

"That's my mom. Can we play later?"

"Sure, if my parents let me. You know how strict they are with my training. I wish they were more carefree like your mom."

"Trust me, she's not as soft as you think she is. Ever since dad died last year, she's increased it by double. Anyway, see ya."

"Bye." They went their ways.

Zoroark scooped her son and grimaced at the amount of dirt, leaves, and other stuff that were stuck in his fur.

"Little one, how many times do I have to tell you the importance of keeping yourself groomed. How are you supposed to get a mate when you're as messy as this."

"Moooom." He whined as his ears pinned to the back of his head. "I've already told you, I'm going to become the leader of this village when I challenge him to a battle."

The village was a Zoroak village where there were mostly, you guessed it, Zoruas and Zoroarks. They were welcoming to outsiders but only if they were weak. They didn't want any strong Pokemon trying to take over the territory.

"Are you sure? I did see your friend, Zorua, giving you some subtle looks, I think she likes you."

"MOM!" He blushed. It was deep enough to go through his dark fur. His mother gave a chuckle before backing off.

"Still, those are some good ideals to have."

"Ideals?" He didn't know what that word meant.

"Correct like pursuing a dream, hopes and what could be. When you want to change the world in a way that you think will make it better. If you become leader, how will you make the village better?"

He mused, adorably putting a paw to his mouth as he thought for a moment.

"I know! I will get all the members of the village to make me a giant mountain of oran berries and I will be the oran berry king."

She laughed loudly.

"Okay oran berry king then how would you like some for lunch." She moved to the side revealing a pile of his favourite food.

He started munching right away, quicker than he had ever before. he had been playing with Drilllbur for hours and needed the energy back. His mother, not wanting to be left with nothing, started to eat some too.

After a few minutes when the pile was almost finished, a Zoroark who was the scout, went around the village shouting.

"Poachers! The humans are coming to cage us up and sell us. Quickly everybody run!"

The families around the area, even the other species, stood still for a moment before everything became a frantic mess. The village was a blur of colors as they all gathered their kids and mates before scattering into the forest.

"Shit." He heard his mother say under her breath.

"M-mom, what's happening?" He didn't like the shouting going on as his friends and family were behaving frantically. It scared him. She gave him the sweetest smile ever, but that was what scared him the most. Her eyes didn't hold the shine they usually do, not even close.

"Everything will be okay. Quick, get in my mane." He climbed and hid inside her large red mane that would make him impossible to see. She ran deeper into the forest faster than she ever had before. She wished she knew some sort of speed-increasing ability.

She came to an abrupt stop when she met a poacher; an elderly man with a grey uniform and a mask covering his face. On top of his left breast was the symbol 'G'. Beside him was a bipedal frog-looking Pokemon, a Toxicroak.

"Well well well, what do we have here? I didn't expect to see a Zoroark in this forest. This region has Pokemon which some of the elites in Sinnoh are willing to pay top dollar to get and you appear to be on that list. Toxicroak use Poison Jab."

When the fighting and poison type Pokemon got close, she ducked under his attack and charged her claws for a Night Slash, forcing him to retreat. He snarled at the cut across his cheek.

"Why do you aid this scum. You're meant to be helping your fellow Pokemon brotheren not fight us." This time she wasn't able to dodge his Poison jab. Her skin absorbed some of the Poison and she immediately started to feel its effects.

"Don't you know Team Galactic's goals. The humans' leader, Cyrus, is going to create the perfect world, one with no suffering and endless pleasure. I can finally feel how it is to be the strongest Pokemon without training relentlessly only to fall."

"So you're doing this willingly!? Shameful twat, you were so weak you had to resort to following their orders and become scum."

The Toxicroak did not like what he heard.

"Sludge Bomb." A disgusting ball of purple sludge hit Zoroark who was having trouble moving. She fell back and Zorua, who was gripping as tightly to her mane as he could, fell out, revealing himself to the Team Galactic grunt.

In his eyes appeared a dollar sign. He could see it now. After selling a Zorua, who were the number 3 on the list of the elites, he would immediately be promoted to an executive of Team Galactic and he would be amongst the first to enter the new world.

"Quickly, get that Zorua!"

"NO, RUN!" But he stood there motionless. This wasn't an honorable battle amongst Pokemon, this was someone who wanted to inflict pain for his disgusting ideals.

He broke out of his frozen form when his mother used a Hyper Beam against the approaching Toxicroak. He ran.

He ducked, weaved, and jumped over any obstacle. He did it with ease after living in this forest his entire life. He kept huffing as the world around him became a blur. he couldn't feel the wind cool down his skin as it began to sweat. The only thing he felt was the burning sensation in his lungs.

For a moment, he looked back. He was heartbroken. He saw his mother, having fainted, be dragged across the ground, and then thrown into a cage. It was at the back of a small safari truck. The grunt stamped at the ground from losing such a prize but at least he got the mother. He couldn't hear his shouting nor did he care. There was only one thing that he cared about.

Mom! He ran back, fighting against the instinct that told him otherwise. After a few meters, he was blocked when a Simisage was sent sprawling across him. He turned to the attacker to see another Toxicroak. When turning back, he saw that the truck had left. He ran in a random direction, using all the energy his legs could muster. He was no longer thinking as his survival instinct went overdrive.

He stopped and darted away when he saw other poachers battling and capturing the local Pokemon. He didn't stop to see if he recognized them, the only thing he could do was his mother's last word. RUN.

It had been over an hour or at least he thought it was when he fainted to the ground in complete exhaustion.

He woke up to the comfort of his mother's fur. Mom...so it was a nightmare. He shook away his drowsiness and quickly escaped from her arms despite his legs aching really badly. He wanted to tell her about the nightmare and how horrible it was. Then she can sing him a lullaby and he'll go back to sleep in peace this time.

Except she wasn't there. He removed the comfortable blanket and looked around the room. It was a very nice living room that had fancy furniture, a classic carpet and walls, and a fire place made of bricks. He looked around.

"Mom!" He called out but heard no response. He kept calling her from around the room but there was still no response then it dawned on him. Everything was real. His mother being taken away, his home destroyed, everything.

He broke down crying. It was 40 minutes later his ears perked up from the opening of the door. He snarled and got into his fighting stance when a human with intricate green, a red monocle and wearing a classic suit entered the room.

"Thank goodness you're awake. I almost thought I was too late when I found you. How are feeling? I bet you must be hurt from that leg injury of yours."

He looked at his front right leg to see a large gash with blood leaking out. When did that get there?

"I'm Ghetsis. And you must be Zorua little one." He tried to put a hand to his head but quickly retracted it when he tried to bite it. It didn't help when he angered him by unknowingly calling him his mother's given nickname. "It's okay, I'm one of the good humans. You can trust me."

"You lie. Humans are all evil." As the adrenaline from earlier was wearing off, the pain in his leg increased. He stumbled when he couldn't lean on it anymore.

"If you don't let me look at it then it'll get worse. The hemaguard layer's been broken and you'll get an infection."

He didn't listen. Over the next week, Ghetsis kept trying again and again to no avail. Zorua didn't eat nor let himself be checked out. The wound was becoming stinky while pus started to ooze out despite the scab that formed.

He collapsed. This allowed Ghetsis to finally treat his wound and he did so with the most tender care he could despite Zorua's resistance. He gave him an oran berry from his hand and Zorua's stomach betrayed him when he gouged it down. He started to eat thereon but didn't let Ghetsis touch him. It was a week later when he would.

"See Zorua, I'm your friend, I don't want to hurt you." He stroked his head. He began to trust him, his Pokemon instincts making it easy for the human to gain. "We should give you a name, how about N."

"Zor?"

"Yes, it's short for Natural. Because of how your blue eyes remind me of nature."

"Zorua!" He liked that name. He unconsciously leaned further into his hand.

Yes little one, you will be perfect for my plans.

Over the next three months, Ghetsis had been helping N with his human disguise. It still wasn't perfect and had some mishaps let alone the fragility of the illusion. He had shown him a drawing of a small human that looked like a child version of Ghetsis. It was starting to feel like he was his father.

Afterward, he started English classes that were really hard for him. It hurt his throat at the end of each class and gave him headaches when reading. The words were originally blurry and difficult to associate meaning to but over time, he did it. It took a very long time for him to get it done but if it meant keeping his father happy then he would happily do it.

He was then introduced to his two human companions who were children like him. At first, he didn't trust them and stayed away from them as possible, but then learned they were trustworthy. He learned that not all humans were evil and they were diverse in their behavior and characteristics.

After a few years of being with them where they all treated injured Pokemon who Ghetsis brought in, he realized that humans and Pokemon just weren't meant to be together, not after hearing their stories of how they were abandoned by their trainers. He evolved into a Zoroark and Ghetsis was beyond excited. He was finally able to have enough control to maintain a strong disguise.

He wanted to use it to get revenge against Team Galactic in Sinnoh, but the TV had shown their crimes, and every single member, including the smaller ones, was given the death sentence.

He couldn't rest peacefully despite his life's ruiners being dead. As Ghetsis taught him and what he had seen himself, he had to separate humans and Pokemon.

He was crowned king of Team Plasma and will be the one to liberate Pokemon from suffering any longer. He walked down the hallway of the old abandoned castle where they held the ceremony. He heard Ghetsis talking to some of the highest members of Team Plasma and hid behind a wall when he heard his name being called out by one of them.

"N becoming the king of Team Plasma!? Really Ghetsis, he's not even a human. This will never work." Ghetsis glared at the older man.

"I'm telling you it is. Him being a Pokemon will help him more to believe the ideals I've put into his head. We need a role model who genuinely believes in the crap we spew to get more members for our mission. I can't do it and neither can all of you. With him in the palm of my hands, our plans to take over the Unova region will happen earlier."

He stopped breathing as his body froze. It took a moment for his brain to process. I-I've been used this entire time. Da-no Ghetsis lied and programmed me to be a cult leader. The mission he said to me and the other members of Team Plasma was a lie to help him grow his cult and gain power.

He didn't want to believe it. The one who he considered his father had manipulated him for his own disgusting desires. He ran as quickly as he could, removing the ornaments and the crown, out of the castle. He had to tell Anthea and Concordia immediately.

They were in shock too and didn't want to believe the Zoroak sitting in front of them, but now everything made sense. The only Pokemon coming to them being abandoned despite the amount of trainers out there, how they were isolated from the world and stuck in the mansion, and how Ghetsis forced his fake beliefs onto them. They and the Pokemon they were looking after had moved to a far away mansion that was once abandoned but they managed to fix it.

"What will you do from here?" Anthea asked him as he put up his disguise and was leaving through the gates.

"His beliefs may have been fake, but he proved them true. He and Team Galactic took away everything from me and my Pokemon friends and it has to end. The two species will never be compatible, so I will do my best to stop him and complete my mission."

(Flashback ends)

"So that's why I hide because humans lie and manipulate to get what they want. I know there are people like Sarah who would never take advantage of us like that, but there will always be those who will."

Theodore yawned before rubbing his eyes. Fucking hell, is this guy still talking and how far did those twats go from here anyway? They had found a pathway and reached the hill where they fell from. He used his sniffing abilities from there and followed the trail that smelled like Sarah's lavender perfume.

I can't deny his claims though, my species is pretty shit isn't it, but that's what makes it so fun. If what you need to do is something horrible to win then do it because winning is all that matters.

N stopped limping long ago, but couldn't put up his disguise. It requires a huge amount of dark type energy he didn't have at the moment. It would take a day of recovery to get it back. Sometimes he wakes up early just to go into his normal form and recover the energy.

They soon heard three sets of footsteps and were relieved to find Sarah come back with her belongings, although they were all quite ruffled. She's going to demand to find another river by the end of the day.

"There you are. Finally, this whole thing was such an annoyance and oh who's that with you Theodore? Where's N?" She saw the black fox like Pokemon next to him. She wanted to cuddle with him after seeing his large fur, especially around the chest area and his large red mane. "Hi there, I'm Sarah and you are?" She approached him and that's when N realized.

I'm a Pokemon and there's a human coming towards me.

He saw the predicament. The hand that was about to grab him and throw him into a cage or maybe she wanted to abuse him and then capture him in a pokeball to be sold as a slave or maybe it was just pure abuse for her own sick desires, he's seen that happen to a few Pokemon before.

It was that day again. He heard his mother scream into his ear. RUN!

And he did, leaving behind the startled team. He didn't notice that the pokeballs from his side had opened up and his two companions, having sensed his huge amount of distress, jumped onto him and held him down before he could go further.

"Let me go! We're going to be taken away!" He tried wrestling his way around but Braviary's size and Eevee's strength didn't let him.

"Calm down N!"

"Yeah dude relax, nothing's going to happen to you. It's just Sarah, she's your friend remember."

He wasn't listening although he stopped moving due to how tired he was. Sarah watched in worry.

"W-what's going on?" Theodore quickly wrote down.

THAT ZOROARK IS N. HE'S SCARED A HUMAN HAS SEEN HIS HUMAN FORM AND IS GOING TO HURT HIM.

"N is a Zoroark!" That actually explains a lot, but still, why would h- no, my friend is in trouble and I need to help him. I can think about that after.

She tried approaching once again and got a glare from Braviary and Eevee. They were startled when they saw her sternly glare back.

"You won't be able to help him like this, I need to talk to him. I'll force myself to him if you don't let me." The two Pokemon looked at each other, a silent conversation going on between them before they backed off, but still remained within a few meters.

She crouched to the Zoroark who was now holding his arms over his head.

"N, it's me Sarah, your friend."

Friend? Sarah? That name felt familiar. Through the depths of what he was feeling he recognised the name. It was of the sweet girl who showed compassion to her Pokemon even willing to risk her own life for theirs when she went after Team Plasma. She was the one who didn't avoid him due to his ideals and truly considered him a friend and didn't just say to save themselves from an awkward conversation.

He removed his arms from his face and sat up. She was heartbroken after seeing his face full of tears. It was like Anubis again; lost, alone, and abandoned. She helped him change and she would help N. She went to wipe them. His eyes focused on her hands as they came closer. A burning feeling went across his body.

She going to hu-no, she is my friend. The burning sensation disappeared when her hand wiped the tears from his muzzle. The anxiety left.

"See didn't I tell yo- woah your furr is so soft." She stroked his chest fur. "It's well kept."

"Of course, mom said to always keep it well groomed." She was startled when he spoke English despite being in this form. "Thanks Sarah, I needed that." He hugged her to which she reciprocated. It was after a few minutes that they broke it. "I'm guessing you want an explanation huh?"

"Yes, but if you don't want to talk about it then you don't have to."

"No, I should. I shouldn't keep lying to a friend." He returned his Pokemon, thanking them.

They sat in a circle, getting comfortable for the long story. Theodore dozes off since he's already heard it. He explains how he was attacked in the village, and how his mother was sold as a slave. He went through his experience in the mansion and explained, after a moment of careful thinking, that he was meant to be the king of Team Plasma, but left after his father's betrayal.

He waited for their reactions and was surprised when they jumped on him, giving him a massive mesh of arms.

"B-but I lied to you all. I even kept away that I was a member of Team Plasma. Doesn't that bother you?"

"No way." Athena said. "Friends never abandon each other."

"I agree, it's against a Riolu's honor to leave an ally."

"I don't care who you were or what you are. You're my friend N and I will treat you as so."

He was stunned. She's a human and I'm a Pokemon yet it feels like we can truly be together. He wanted to cry again from the passion the three showed.

"This is nice and all, and I would love to see you guys keep kissing each other, but I would like to get along with the journey, so if you don't mind, let's go!" Theodore said. They got the picture and tidied themselves up before going through the forest again.

Chapter End

Lusamine: I've decided to change N's backstory into something cooler and to have a more connected reason for his ideals. Seeing what happened to his mother would make anyone understand why he doesn't like the human race as a whole. For couples, I don't having anything planned at the moment, but if I want to learn how to write romance in the future then I will add it. What would you like to see for romance, who would be a couple, maybe an OC?

 

[Swag Striker]

Chapter 11: Isabella

A/N: I usually outline a chapter before writing it. This time I've tried outlining some future chapters before writing them. I prefer my normal method, it fits me more.

Chapter 11 START

"You know, when I revealed my true form to you, I didn't expect you to react like this."

"Hush! Now lift your other leg." He did what she said, scared of what would happen if he didn't. He was still in his Zoroark form for the last 3 days despite having enough dark type energy to transform into his human disguise. Right now, at this very moment, Sarah was grooming him to perfection, cutting irregular-length hair, dealing with his mane and chest hair, and polishing his claws. It felt weird at first and he was going to say no, but when she showed a face reminiscing of his mother, he chose to be smart and allow her.

"I'm surprised you're so good at this. It's like you've practiced many times before."

"My parents gave me the responsibility of grooming their Pokemon when I turned seven, so I've gained a lot of experience…and done, so what do you think?"

"Holy Arceus." He walked to the pond and saw his reflection in the water. It was like he was a whole new Zoroark. He thought he was keeping himself well groomed by himself, but what he's seeing is a Zoroark fit to perfection. Even his claws looked pristine as they reflected the sun's light. He gave the human behind him a thumbs up.

You may be wondering, 'how did N get comfortable with a human despite his reaction from the last chapter?'.

(Two days earlier)

It was a day before N's secret was revealed. Of course, no one showed any difference to him, despite his new appearance, however, he acted completely differently. He barely talked, never had his usual bright smile, and he kept eyeing Sarah as they walked together, even keeping a fair distance from her.

Once she had noticed, the corners of her lips drooped. N hated that expression from her, it doesn't belong on someone as kind hearted as her. I can't believe I'm doing this to my friend.

They took a break at a large clearing which had an incredible atmosphere with the sun being high in the sky and some Pidove nests built on the neighboring trees. She placed her bag down and brought out the inflatable ball she used when they played volleyball in the cove.

"Theodore, can you play a game of ball with Athena and Anubis for a bit?" He, at first raised an eyebrow, but when he saw her frown, he understood what she meant.

I need to talk with N alone.

He nodded as he was interested on what would happen. She starts to think. What's good for keeping your mind off of something, an activity me and Athena used to do? Oh, I know.

She got out a large plain notepad and a set of crayons.

"What are you doing?" N asked. She shoved a ripped-off paper and the set of crayons.

"We're going to draw."

"Excuse me?" She sat down and drew. He didn't know what she was drawing nor did he care, he wasn't about to join her. "This is childish."

"Sorry, what did you say?" She said with an innocent smile that wasn't menacing at all.

"N-nothing." He stuttered. He showed fear from the command of the human and the aura she was displaying. She immediately felt guilty, not meaning to scare him.

He sat down on his hindquarters…

"What do I draw?"

"Whatever you want. It could be an oran berry, it could be a tree, or how about that Pidove nest? I'm drawing a meme right now."

He didn't know what a meme was. He mused, with nothing coming to mind. He decided to take her suggestion and draw the oran berry. He imagined all the intricate details and then drew it on the paper. He first started with the stem and then onto the body itself. He smiled. He was getting hungry for a juicy juicy oran berry.

His earlier caution was fading. He relaxed his muscles that were preparing him to flee at any notice and carried on drawing.

"How's it going?" Sarah asked, looking at his drawing. It was a bit of a mess with squiggly lines and poor colouring, but that didn't matter. She saw his smile and his relaxed posture. Mission accomplished.

"It's pretty good. How about yours?"

"Ta-da!" She showed her drawing of a fat Athena munching on a cookie. On the top and bottom were the sentences. Yeah, if you'd stop me from eating all the cookies. That would be great.

They both laughed at how ridiculous it looked. She ripped out another paper for him. This time he remembered a funny memory and drew it.

"There was this time when Eevee was messing around with a horse pipe and Braviary turned it on then it splashed him in the face, and he was screaming as he held onto it for dear life as the hose was jumping around and spraying everywhere." They laughed. This carried on for an hour which they both didn't realize had gone past.

She saw that he was back to his usual self except for a small amount of discomfort.

"N, I meant what I said. Everything will be okay, you don't have to worry about humans hurting you."

"I know, but don't worry. I'll soon get my disguise up and everything will return to normal." She sighed. "Something wrong?"

"No, I mean, kinda. You won't be able to be around humans without being your true self and that seems wrong to me. It feels like you're running away from the problem rather than dealing with it."

…

That left an impact. I'm not running away from my problem, I'm just keeping another security measure for myself. But doesn't that show fear? He knew it did and didn't like it.

Theodore was at the side while the 2 kids played catch between themselves. He played for a bit then felt as though Sarah was taking too long. He thought it was going to be a conversation but Sarah did a whole therapy session with N. He was currently looking at his notepad and tried repeating the words he'd written. They were the basic words one could say in English.

"Th…Weave." His throat was hurting and he was starting to get a headache. He tried his best to counter the instinct to go into pokespeech as he said the word. He was happy though that he made some progress. It was only the first day and he managed to get out a few words despite how raspy they sounded. It was like learning Arabic all over again.

He first asked Sarah if he could use her pokedex's audio feature but she refused which shocked him, saying that they were invaluable and that she would get into a lot of trouble with Professor Juniper if anything happened to it. They weren't expensive nor hard to make, but it would show a lack of responsibility for the trainer. Whatever, he'll just learn it himself.

It became evening when they packed up.

"You aren't changing back into your human form?"

"You were right, if I don't deal with this issue of mine then I'm just running away from the problem. I have to face it."

"Well, we're here to give you our full support."

"Thank you." She placed a hand on his head and ruffled it. He blushed and gently pushed it away. Even though his mane was soft, she knew he could do better and she had a plan.

(Present time)

"Eevee, Braviary, what do you think?"

"You look handsome N," Braviary said, but Eevee wasn't having it.

"Yo, what the hell! You get a girl to grope all over you and clean you to perfection yet I'm the one actually looking for a mate to kiss and cuddle with all day. How does this make any sense, where's my 5 star treatment." N blushed.

"What did they say?"

"They said I looked lovely and stuff. Anyway, you said you wanted my help with Anubis."

"Yes, can Eevee help him learn Swift? He almost lost a battle against a Whirlipede and you said he needed to learn a range attack yourself." Eevee instantly started to stroke himself on Sarah's leg while giving the cutest eyes ever. She squealed.

"I need to give you a makeover too. Will you help him?"

"Eevee! Ha, too easy!"

"Theodore and Athena, you'll be training together again. You've seen her battle and know what she needs to improve on." He sent her a two-fingered salute and told Athena to come along. Athena responded excitedly as she knew his training sessions were always valuable.

"So kid, I hope you're ready. Swift is a difficult move to learn, but since your kind deal with aura, it should come naturally to you."

"What does aura have to do with this?"

"It's because the move uses an energy link to lock onto your opponent," N said to Anubis and Sarah. "I'll explain it more during the practice, but it's like a homing missile. Once the projectiles are charged, you create the link and they will follow them. Your aura sense lets you naturally read a type of energy so it should be simple to learn."

"That's useful." Sarah smiled. "It's isn't a powerhouse of a ranged move just something to chip the opponent down when we can't get in close. How does that sound dear?"

"Riolu!"

They spent a while on the move, explaining, practicing, and adjusting it. He was able to harness the normal type energy as he already knew Quick Attack and only had to direct the energy into his hands instead of his legs. Once he got that under control, he had to send a link from the energy to the opponent. He grew frustrated when he wasn't able to do it.

I don't know what that means, how can you link the energy to your opponent? They said this should be easy for me since I'm an aura user, but I'm still not getting it.

"You can do it Anubis, take your time."

He stopped growling when he heard Sarah's shouts of encouragement/ They took a ten minute break where he was able to clear his head.

"This is the hardest part. I can't explain it further as it's not like any other move. This one doesn't miss. Once you've got this then you've pretty much learned the move."

He was struggling, still not getting it. He used his aura sense for a moment and that's when he realized what the issue was. The link was aura. All living beings have aura even ghost types it was just that the Lucario line was the only one that could manipulate it. The other species who use this move must be using a very tiny amount of manipulation for the energy to attack like a homing missile.

He swung his paws that held the normal type energy. It took the form of many stars which was the balance of offense and stability. They varied in size and flew towards Eevee. He tried to dodge them but no matter how agile he was or where he went, the Swift attack kept following him until it hit.

After the dust flew, it showed Eevee with only a bit of dirt on his fur. He is one tough cookie. Sarah thought.

"Congratulations, you've learned Swift." N clapped as Sarh ran to pick him up and give him her signature hugs. "And in a day too, you're a quick learner."

"What do you expect from a member of Team Sarah. He'll become the strongest Lucario in the world…eventually. Let's finish this training session with a few sets of our evasion exercise then a jog, what do you say?"

"Rio!" He was pumped, ready to tackle more.

(With Theodore and Athena)

"So what are we learning this time? More evasions or maybe secret attacks. Can we learn how to make cheesecake?" She said, gidding on the spot.

"No."

"Awww."

"Today we'll do something simple. We'll carry on evasive training but you can use mystical fire to push me back. It will help you be more efficient with your dodges and for you to get used to your new attack. How many times did you use it against the duck twats?"

"None."

"So you've only used it once. Alright, let's start." He quickly swiped at her. She just barely dodged as a few of her green hair had been cut.

"H-hey!"

"Your opponent won't give you all the time in the world for you to evade. Remember how the Ferroseed yesterday used Bullet Seed and you couldn't dodge them all, well this is part of the reason why." He went in for another swipe.

"Oh yeah, well take this!" She converted her water reserves into hydrogen and let it spark. It burned through the air in a spiraling pattern and grew larger until it narrowed on Theodore.

He managed to dodge the attack easily as it took her a while to bring it out. This pattern carried on where she would evade using her whole body from her legs, hips, and even shoulders. It eventually got less fatiguing to do them as she got used to the attacks and adjusted her dodges for whichever direction he was coming at her from. She also brought out a Mystical Fire whenever she could with it taking less time to charge during the training session.

"Take this." Theodore charged a Shadow Claw and went behind Athena, ready to swipe her across the face.

This time she was ready. She turned and unleashed the largest fire she had ever produced that covered her entire vision.

Theodore was shocked at its size and didn't react in time before the flames had encompassed him. He groaned when they disappeared and left him with some scorch marks.

Awww crap that hurt. Damn it! He removed some of the scorched fur. Athena ran over.

"I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY!" She cried out. "I forgot that ice types are weak against fire type attacks!"

That explains why it hurts so much.

Theodore took a deep breath before letting it out, the pain becoming a small afterthought. He charged up his Shadow claw again and backhanded her to the ground.

"I didn't say we were finished. That was a nice attack though, I'm impressed, but now..." She didn't like his manic grin. "I don't have to hold back so much." He charged a second Shadow Claw and she gulped.

He stood back and carefully observed her. He didn't leave her field of vision either. His eyes widened when he remembered the technique from the book in Nacrene City, the one about forgotten moves. He hadn't practiced that since leaving the gym.

He started to slowly walk around and kept his eyes dead on her. His muscles tensed as they adjusted to copy the walking motion he had gone through previously. By the seconds, he was starting to become a replay of what happened a few seconds ago.

Athena, in the middle of the clearing, watched him, confused as he kept walking around her, but she kept her guard up. She knew how he was.

Is it me or are things getting blurry?

Seeing the repeated motions gave her a sense of nausea. A headache was growing the longer she watched him. It became sickening. She huffed in place and went on to a knee to keep herself steady.

Theodore, seeing his chance, dashed. She couldn't respond, the part of the brain that controlled instinct refused to function and she literally didn't know a move to counter him. She couldn't even be steady enough on her feet to dodge and took the hit, letting out a small scream when two Shadow Claws simultaneously slashed her chest. She fell to the ground and felt too sick to get up.

He immediately fell to the ground and screamed in agonizing pain as his muscles started to cramp up. Athena, hearing her brother's screams, shot to him and shook off all nausea.

"Are you okay!?"

The cramps started to relax as he huffed on the floor. He let out a small laugh which became full blown. It creeped Athena out and she backed away slightly.

This proves my theory. The reason why Pokemon can't learn the forgotten moves anymore, even champion level ones, is because of their brains. They learn a maximum of 4 moves as an instinct, but my brain isn't completely a Pokemon's. I'm not limited to the mental capacity they have which means I can learn this.

It was his only second training session yet he had gotten Cadence Illusion to work. It will take some time to get his muscles used to the motions but once mastered, it will become a dangerous weapon.

"I think we're done for the day. Well done." She smiled from the praise but…

"What was that move just now, it made me feel ill?"

"It's called Cadence Illusion. I learned about it from a book in Lenora's library."

"That's awesome…hey, you wanna sing again."

"What! No, I mean ye- no I-" He wouldn't bring himself to do this childish act again, but his heart, as if it was intoxicated by a drug, was trying to convince him otherwise. He was curious. What if he didn't follow his heart, how would he feel?

Athena looked at the floor with the corners of her lips drooping. She would rather sing with a friend than by herself.

A new feeling he hadn't experienced before entered his heart. It was the same one when he first chose not to ruffle Anubis's head when he was so proud of beating Lenora except it was much worse. His stomach churned as he sat at the base of a tree. He watched Athena sing and dance, but it was not in her usual spirit. He kept getting thoughts of how he was being a dick to her. But I'm just being superior. He tried to focus on something else.

Hah, take that champions. I'm able to learn a technique that even you ca- His thoughts were interrupted when it was sent back to Athena's sad face. Fucks sake, stop it. The stomachache was getting worse like some weight was pressing down on it and it became too uncomfortable.

He got up. The whole experience only lasted only a minute yet it made him walk to Athena.

"Yes?" She stopped in the middle of a lyric.

"Shut up. I'm picking the song this time." She immediately brightened up.

"I knew it!"

"I said shut up!"

"Oh right, sorry."

"Let's see." He mused. He couldn't remember many aside from a few from his childhood and he didn't want to sing those. There were a few in the background his colleagues in the laboratory played that he sorta liked. He clicked his fingers.

"This is called 'don't stop me now'. I hope you're ready for a treat."

"Bring it."

And a treat it was. She was used to listening to something casual and relaxing, and this was her first time listening to rock. It pumped her up like never before, perhaps even more than her battles. The adrenaline rush and joy they both felt as they danced around each other while singing was incredible. It was ironic how the lyrics mostly represented what they were thinking. 'Don't stop me now' and 'I'm having such a good time'.

Again, they didn't know how long it lasted, and when they became too exhausted to continue and fell to the ground, they were shocked to find everyone else standing at the side watching them. Theodore flushed, not from what he was doing, but from the fact that everyone was watching him.

They laughed and after a moment, he joined in. It's only been 2 weeks and these guys are making me do things I would never ever do. He didn't know how to feel about that. He was still the superior being he always was so he chose to ignore that thought for now.

After 4 more days of trekking, they reached the mountain where Sarah decided to camp out.

"S-sarah, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Nah, it will be fine." She got her flashlight out to start exploring the giant cave. She gloated, wondering what sights she would see inside. "I came on this journey to see things and that's what I'll do, even into the unknown."

She was only accompanied by her 2 children Pokemon. Theodore stayed with N because he knew he was right. The cave had the perfect temperature and dimensions to be infested with a certain nocturnal creature.

The trio soon came screaming out as they were being chased by a small swarm of Whoobats. It only took a few slashes of Theodore's and N's Shadow Claws to scare them off.

"I told you you shouldn't have gone in there," N said.

"Hmph." She pouted while crossing her arms.

It was 6 days later when they had reached a huge clearing. According to Charen's map, there was supposed to be an old abandoned windmill here, but no, now there was a colossal cube of a building. Its outside was pristine as if it was newly built with the many large windows reflecting the sun's gaze into their eyes. They had to cover their eyes.

"What is this place, this isn't Castelia city is it?"

"No, it isn't." N closed his eyes, concentrating. Flashes of purple encompassed his body as it morphed back into the form Sarah was familiar with. "Let's go in and see."

"New mall, grand opening." She narrowed her eyes at the sign, but they widened when she read the next line. "Huge discount." She grabbed N's hand and ran inside, just barely scraping the automatic doors as they opened.

"Excuse me, ma'am." A workman had stopped her. "Can you please put 2 of your Pokemon away, it's on the sign right there."

In her excitement, she missed it. It said only 1 Pokemon can accompany a trainer, it had to be under 70kg and around an average human's size. She clicked her teeth.

"Anubis, I know I said I wouldn't put you in your pokeball, but-"

"Riolu." He clicked the button of his pokeball and it sucked him in. She always kept him out to prove her promise that she wouldn't abandon him yet he let himself in immediately. She smiled.

Now who do I pick?

She looked at Theodore who already wrote in his notebook.

THE DEAL

She sighed.

"Athena, I'm sorry. I know you hate your pokeball, but can you just do it for today please." Athena was reluctant. She hated the makeshift habitat of her pokeball. It was a small forest with a hut similar to a village of Gardevoir and Gallades. It wasn't even a cozy hut, it was just boring, but she did it anyway for Sarah's sake.

N's pokeball broke and out popped Eevee. He sniffed the air and licked his lips.

"There's nothing that smells better than free stuff." He ran off before N could call him back.

"So first we're obviously going to the clothing store, it's the most important store in existence and I'm going to need someone to help me carry the shopping." She said before looking at Theodore. He saluted before yeeting it out of there towards where Eevee ran. "Oh well, luckily for me I still have another big strong man to help me."

She dragged N yet again to his displeasure. The clothing stores all ended up being a disappointment. There just weren't enough cute ones and the ones that were weren't in her signature colors, pink and purple. N suggested she try different clothing for once, but she strongly refused. You only wear cute clothes in those colors, if you don't then it will be the start of armageddon.

Maybe try a different store she thought, but the same ended up happening in them too. In the end, she didn't buy any which was a first for her and a huge relief for N. She wanted to prepare more for her journey and stocked up on rations and camping stuff. When she was at the pokefood store, she was shocked.

There are so many options. She mused. There were some that she didn't know existed like the ones for certain typings. She picked up a tin for dark types.

"This would be good for Theodore. Hey N, would you like one? I've only ever seen you eat human food."

"No thanks Sarah and you're right. I'm too used to human food from my upbringing and hate any artificial Pokemon food."

She bought a bunch for her Pokemon, taking full advantage of their discounted prices. She moved to the jewelry section, hoping the discounts would allow her to buy something. She didn't know that there were items that could improve a Pokemon's abilities, she thought it was illegal to do that. N verified that artificial improvements on a Pokemon were regulated to an extent, but they can't be used in gym battles or tournaments.

"Hello ma'am, do you happen to be a trainer?" The woman on the counter asked.

"I am."

"Well, would you be interested in these elemental charms, they help most Pokemon with a certain typing improve their respective typing's attacks and with the mall's grand discount, they only cost $2000."

Sarah's eyes popped out of her sockets. $2000! Her funds were high right now with no losses in battle and even she couldn't afford something like that. That's supposed to be a discount? Do you know how much cake I can buy with that?

"Don't bother trying to sell her one of those, she would never be able to afford it," Someone said, a few meters behind her. It was a voice she was very familiar with.

Oh no.

"She probably lost all the money her parents gave her from losing all her battles."

Oh no. Please please please no. God, don't forsake me with her

She slowly turned to see the hag.

"Isabella."

"Hey Sarah, It has been quite some time and you're still alive?" Isabella walked to her face with a wide smirk.

"I'm standing right in front of you, aren't I?"

N, seeing Sarah getting angry, decided to intervene and stand between them.

"Calm down ladies, can't you see you're making people uncomfortable." The staff worker awkwardly walked away from the counter.

"You're right N, sorry I acted out of order," Sarah said.

"You're name's N? Mine's Isabella, Sarah's cousin…unfortunately." She mumbled the last part.

"Then as her cousin, you shouldn't be making her feel uncomfortable. Could you please leave us alone?"

"Of course, she has to rely on someone else to stand up for her, she could never do it herself. How's the Pokemon journey, I bet you haven't got any badges. I've already got 2." She showed her badge case containing the Striaton and Nacrene Ctiy's gym badges.

"Hah, well I've got them too so in your face." Isabella was gobsmacked. H-her getting the same amount of badges as me when we started our journeys at the same time, Impossible, she got lucky, that's what happened.

"Hmph, just don't get in my way." She took the escalator to the upper floor. Sarah stomped through the mall.

"Where are you going?" N asked.

"To our room in the Pokemon Centre already."

"You could at least explain what that was all about. I've never seen you so angry at someone except Team Plasma."

"I hate her everything; her face, her attitude, and just everything urghh even thinking about her annoys me. She's always thought she was better than me just because I couldn't succeed much in class while she was the best at everything. Well, I'll show her." She took a deep breath once she realized how she sounded. "Let's just find our Pokemon and get out of here." Her entire mood was ruined.

(With Theodore and Eevee)

He followed Eevee and now they were both casually walking around the mall, checking out the stores.

"What should we get first bro, man's thinking he should get a hat like that one," Eevee said pointing at a hat next to the store clerk. It was an Eevee hat with ears pointing out of it.

"Okayyyy, how are you going to get it without any money?" Theodore asked. Eevee smirked.

"Watch a master at his work."

The store clerk saw an Eevee jump onto her counter. It sat on its hindquarters, wrapped its tail around its body, and gave the widest and most cute eyes ever. She squealed, all professionalism leaving her.

"Aww." She stroked its head.

"Eeveeeeee."

"You know what would look good on you, this hat right here." She got the hat Eevee was pointing at a moment ago and put it on his head. "Now you go and show off that hat."

"Eevee! Thank you!" He jumped off and left the store, leaving a stupified Theodore who broke out of his thought and followed him.

"H-how?" He asked.

"You just have to pose a certain way and widen your eyes. Some of the stoic ones require a dance."

"You manipulated that store cleric emotionally." Theodore grinned giving Eevee a fist bump. "I loved it, so are you going to do this more?"

"Yep. I'm feeling thirsty." He looked towards his next victim.

About an hour later, they walked through the jewelry section while wearing a whole array of stuff like the new sunglasses they got. Theodore was zipping on his blueberry slushy.

"So what happened was *zip* I went back home, pissed in some water balloons and scared them off. *zip* But bro, I didn't get caught because it was in a park, so if you ever get pissed off by someone then do something like that…or throw some shit at them like a gorilla." Theodore said.

"Nice dude."

"You know what Eevee, I like you. There aren't many people I like so take that as a compliment. You remind me of the roadmen from Britain, where did you get that accent from?"

"I got it from Nimbasa City where I freeloaded of the locals. The Purrloins there didn't appreciate that though. I either fought them off or kissed them and then fought them off."

"So not from your family?"

"I'm a single cub and my parents were taken by Team Plasma to be sold. It's how I met N on his mission to free Pokemon from their clutches. I don't get upset easily but that was the worst day of my life."

They were now walking in silence.

That's a dick move from them. Eevee's so chill, why do that to him? Sure it may be sadistic but… not him okay. After being with him for an hour, he found his presence to be comforting which isn't something he's experienced from someone other than his parents.

Sarah came storming with an angry face he rarely saw from her. N followed behind. Did she not get any clothes or something?

"Come on you two, we're going to the Pokemon Centre and- where did you get all this stuff from? You know what, nevermind, let's just go."

Theodore and Eevee looked at each other before shrugging.

They went to sleep that night with 2 of them staying awake; Sarah and Athena. Athena wasn't able to sleep while sensing the anger within her trainer. Sarah, seeing this, explained.

"I saw Isabella in the mall."

"That explains it," Athena said aware of her cousin's behaviour.

"I hate her." Sarah sheathed. "Ever since I was little, I've never been good at anything. I've always needed help from my parents while she was able to excel at everything. We were born in the same week yet she crawled before me, talked before me, and walked before me. When school started she still excelled. We were once close, you know, and she helped me out in classes. After a while, she started to hang around her friends more and distance herself from me." Sarah took a deep breath before carrying on.

"And then came the insults. At first, it was a small joke but then it turned to bullying. She was able to do everything herself and I couldn't do anything without someone elses help. When we both left on our journeys I told her I could do this myself."

Athena sent a small flick on her head with psychic energy as they sat on their bed.

"Ra Ralts Ralts come on stop thinking about her. Ra Ralts we're on this journey to become the strongest not to muck about with annoying dummies."

Sarah saw her stern glare and could tell what she was saying.

"You're right Athena, we shouldn't be carrying on with this nonsense."

"Ralts. Thank you, you agree. Now let's go to sl-"

"We'll beat her tomorrow in a Pokemon battle. Once we destroy her to pieces, she can never use anything against me ever again and we'll make of fun of her every time we see her. Thank you, Athena, you're awesome." She quickly covered the duvet on herself as her emotions reflected intrigue and happiness. Athena just stood there.

"W-what, that wasn't what I meant at all."

(The next day)

Isabella was about to walk through the doors and go through the route to Skyarrow Bridge. She was checking her bag to see if she was prepared.

"Food check. Water check. Pokefood ch-"

"Hey!" She turned around. It was Sarah who stomped her way to her before putting a finger to her face.

"This is the day it ends. No longer can you say I'm worthless. I, Sarah Grace, challenge you, Isabella Grace, to a Pokemon battle."

…

"Okaayy." She pushed her finger out of the way. "Did you have to say it so dramatically?"

"Yes!"

"Either way, I'm glad you came to challenge me. Now I have an excuse to beat you. There's a battlefield at the back of the mall. Just make sure you don't start crying when you lose."

They both went to their sides of the field. N was at the side watching despite not wanting to. He only stayed there to make sure the situation didn't get too crazy with how abnormal the cousin's relationship was. There was no referee, but both knew what the rules were.

"This will be a two on two battle. You interrupted me when I was about to leave so we'll make this quick."

"I'm fine with that. Theodore, come on stage."

"Weavile." He jumped to his place

"Servine, end this quickly." Isabella clicked her pokeball and out came a long, thin-bodied, lizard-like creature. It was green with a pale underbelly and had short stubby limbs.

"Woah, is that Snivy evolved."

"Yes, because I actually received a starter from Professor Juniper."

"I wanted Athena to be my starter."

"Really, because I remember you applying for a starter and failing the tests to get one." You could hear the grinding of Sarah's teeth.

"Theodore, be a dear and pummel this fool." She gave a sadistic grin which he copied. "Tell you what Isabella, I'm so confident I can win that I won't even command my Pokemon. He'll beat you all by himself."

Her opponent had an eyebrow raised before sighing.

"So foolish. To be this confident after winning only two gym badges, but it's fine. I'll bring you back to the ground. Servine, start this off with Vine Whip."

Two long and thin whips came out of Servine's yellow collars and went towards Theodore. Theodore summoned his Shadow Claws and parried the attacks. Servine recoiled from the sharp slashes on his Vine Whips and retracted them.

Isabella clicked her teeth.

"Fine, if that doesn't work then use Energy Ball." He charged a green ball of energy which rocketed to Theodore. He couldn't react in time to dodge and put up his shadow claws to block the attack.

"Aaahh!" He fell to the ground. He quickly got up.

"I guess your Pokemon does need help after all," Isabella said.

"We'll see about that," Sarah said.

Theodore charged his Shadow Claws and ran towards his opponent who stayed in the same spot the entire time. This Pokemon is based on snakes which explains its very short limbs. It won't be able to move quickly and will have a hard time dodging. It's probably been specialized in long-ranged attacks if Isabella is as smart of an individual as Sarah says she is. As long as I get in close then I'll win.

"Use Protect." Servine put up its short arms and summoned a barrier around himself which stopped Theodore's double claw attack. Theodore stood there and kept slashing to no avail. The barrier was a perfect sphere.

He slowly traced it, blue sparks of energy following his claw. This is pure energy. He's bringing out his energy similar to an electromagnetic field, but there's its weakness. If it's a sphere then it will pop like a balloon if even slightly penetrated. His left Shadow Claw vanished and he pulled back his right one. He had to do this perfectly. He sent his strongest punch which was focused on the middle claw of his Shadow Claw. It was strong enough to form a small hole on the Protect.

Servine's concentration broke when the shield broke. A small flurry of Shadow Claws left cuts on his body.

"Don't just take it. Wrap him with Vine Whip and throw him away." His Vine Whips coiled around Theodore before he could react and he was thrown to the opposite end of the field. "Now, Leaf Storm." He conjured a storm of leaves that span around him. He then directed it at Theodore who yelled in pain as the leaves' sharp edges cut him while some were like rocks and pounded him.

"Theodore!" Sarah yelled.

"It's not too late to forfeit," Isabella said. "It was to be expected that this would happen."

"He's tougher than you think, you'll see."

"She's right." Theodore got up. "Now I'm pissed." He ran to Servine again.

"Don't let him. Use Vine whip to keep him at bay. You don't need to damage him." Theodore dodged them, but couldn't get close every time he did. "Use Leaf Storm again."

Theodore got hit by the attack and fell on one leg. He was getting pissed off. He couldn't get close and being at range would put him on the road to losing. He didn't have any moves other than Shadow Claw and he, being an assassin type Pokemon, couldn't take too many attacks.

He looked at his surroundings, at the battlefield composed of thick sand. Then an idea hit him. Snakes like Servine have thin bodies, so they will have small lungs. If he could get him to use his energy on his special attacks then Theodore would have the opportunity to get in range.

"Use Energy Ball and put your all into it. We'll end it with this last attack." Servine charged his strongest Energy Ball which was double the size of his previous one. Theodore grinned. He grabbed 2 fist fulls of sand and sent them scattering everywhere. He kept sending more and his side of the field had become a cloud of sand which covered him from view. Sarah raised an arm to cover her eyes, wondering what her Pokemon was doing.

Servine sent the attack into the cloud. It missed by a mile. He huffed a few times.

"What is this? Use Leaf Storm to blow it away."

"Servine!" He sent a large attack that blew the cloud away. To everyone's shock, Theodore wasn't there.

"W-where is he?"

"We Weavile I'm right here bitch." He casually walked from out of nowhere.

"Use Vine Whip." Servine needed to take a moment to regain his breath. Leaf Storm is his most energy draining attack and his body wasn't getting enough oxygen around with his tiny lungs. He still brought out his whips and attacked. Theodore easily dodged them as they were slow. He brought out his Shadow Claw.

"It's time to die." He lunged.

"Use Protect." Servine put up the barrier that wasn't as powerful as before. Theodore easily penetrated through it and slashed the Servine. He kept attacking and pushed his claws in deep. Once Servine's hemaguard layer started to feel a small amount of penetration, he fainted.

"Tch, return Servine. Listen, you got lucky, you understand." Isabella said.

"You sound like a loser." Sarah stuck out her tongue.

"Your Weavile only knows one move that's why he had to use that trick to beat Servine, but he'll need more than that to beat my Sawsbuck."

She summoned a Pokemon that was a more muscular version of a reindeer. It had shorter but sturdier horns with pink flowers growing on them.

"Go Sawsbuck, use Energy Ball!"

Theodore dodged it as he sprinted towards her with a Shadow Claw ready. Isabella smirked in a way Sarah didn't like.

"Quickly use Double Kick!" He was startled when Sawsbuck turned around. Her hindlegs charged with fighting type energy and they powerfully kicked him. Theodore, just barely raising his Shadow Claw, managed to decrease the damage of the attack on his chest, but was still sent crashing to the edge of the arena.

"WHAT!" Sarah shouted.

"Don't you know, fighting type moves are super effective against ice types like your Weavile. I told you he won't beat my Sawsbuck."

"Come on Theodore, get up." He wobbled out of the debris. He was breathing heavily. The attack felt like it broke his ribs. He grinned in a very sadistic way that everyone found abnormal and discomforting. He slowly walked around the Sawsbuck, his movements being like a recording played on replay. He was concentrating incredibly hard on getting his muscles to move perfectly.

W-what the!? The Sawsuck thought. I-I feel…

She fell to the side as the nausea forming in her head became too much. She barely managed to hold in the lunch she had earlier. The 2 other members of Team Sarah had to look away from Cadence Illusion as they too started to feel a headache forming when they kept staring.

Now! He charged his Shadow Claws and relentlessly attacked her. He caused many slashes on her face.

"Sawsbuck, get up! I don't know what he did but you're stronger than that. We can't let them win."

"Sawsbuck!" With 1 last slash, Theodore jumped back as she got up. She needed a moment to steady herself but shook her head and got rid of the remaining nausea.

"Yes! Use Megahorn and end this." Isabella said. "Megahorn is a bug type move and is super effective against your Weavile."

"Oh no! Don't let her hit you with that. Dodge it!"

Theodore dodged to the side as she charged past. She kicked off the wall behind him and charged again. Theodore felt a huge amount of force hitting his back. He fell face front onto the floor.

"And it's all over," Isabella said as Theodore didn't get up. He didn't move at all but Sarah could see that he didn't have swirls in his eyes, showing that he hadn't fainted.

"No, it's not, get up Theodore, I know you can do this." He lifted himself to his knees and then wobbled on his legs.

"Wow, you're Pokemon is more resilient than I thought. I guess you do deserve a bit of credit for raising him well, but it's time to end this. Sawsbuck, Megahorn."

Theodore clenched his teeth. There's no way he's going to lose to an overgrown reindeer. An instinct came out. It was similar to what he felt when he fought that Beartic, but this time, instead of feeling darkness rising from his soul, it was a chilling cold. It rose from his throat. An organ that was like Athena's located under his lungs generated liquid nitrogen instead of hydrogen.

It is obtained when decomposers in the intestines form ammonia. They go to this organ to be turned into nitrogen. He naturally let it out and it formed a beam that froze Sawsbuck's body into an icicle and stopped her charge. Everybody was once again surprised.

"Don't stop, use her lack of mobility to attack!" Sarah said. He barely had any energy remaining so he had to end this now. He jumped to her back, using his hooked feet claws to stay on her, and brought down as many Shadow Claws as he could. Sawsbuck tried to break through the ice and attack back but she couldn't break through. Even though it was his first time using the move he put all his nitrogen reserves into that attack.

After a minute, Sawsbuck fainted.

"Noooo! I can't believe it. How did you win, I bet you cheated yeah that's it. You've given him a special item, haven't you? The next time we see each other, I'm bringing a referee and then I'll show you who is truly the better trainer." Isabella recalled Sawsbuck which caused Theodore to fall. She then stormed out.

Sarah rushed towards her friend and saw that he had fainted. She smiled and stroked his shaman hair before recalling him. Thank you, Theodore. She would take him to the center and get him healed with the instant recovery machine but first.

"Yes yes yes yes yes! I did it, I did it, oh yeah, who did, it was me." She danced.

"Sarah." N called out. "That was reckless to send him to fight by himself especially when he only knew one move at the time. You saw how he almost lost at the end. If he didn't learn Ice Beam in the nick of time you would have lost."

"Yeah, whatever. I won at the end and showed her her place." N just sighed. He knew that if she kept this cocky attitude up then she'll eventually get humbled. "After getting Theodore healed, let's go to Castellia City unless you have something you want to buy here."

"I'm good."

"Then let's go." After the Pokemon Centre, they found a large pathway with a sign at the side saying that it leads straight to Castellia City. It was being used by everyone who came to see the new shopping mall.

Garland Pov:

Oh my god, I can't believe it! I'm on my first mission. I shall achieve my lord's request and bring him the Pokemon he would like to improve. After the therapy sessions I went through in the last few days where I adjusted to my new body parts, I was sent to a city inhabited by Pokemon with their human counterparts.

I felt incredible. When I woke up from the surgery I immediately felt the difference. It was like there were walls in my mind that had been lifted and now I was able to see the world in a new light. Sure, I lost most of my memories, but who cares, I now have the ability to manipulate nature.

I landed on a rooftop in Nacrene City where I was told there would be low-level Pokemon; the ones who were more likely to take up my offer. I looked at the buildings surrounding me that were filled with many types of artwork. Unlike before when I couldn't care about anything other than pure strength, I now held admiration and a deep curiosity for them. I looked at a man creating a sculpture using a drill. My lord did teach me how some machines work before I left.

It uses a motor that works by alternating electricity against some magnets. It causes it to rotate. The drill bit's helix shape allows it to lift material away from the jp;e being drilled. As the bit ro- no, focus on the task at hand.

Despite my curiosity of the man's work, I had a mission to complete. But where would I find some Pokemon away from their trainers hmm…

I saw the park where there was a gathering of trainers, and their Pokemon ate together on the side. I flew to them.

"Errr, I, ummm errr." Crap, what do I say? This was one of the negatives of the human part of my brain. Emotions like nervousness had increased tenfold.

…Dang it, what do I say!?

I just stood there like an idiot. Screw it, I'll let my instincts do it.

"H-hi everyone." Some heads turned towards me. "Umm my name's Garland and I have a-an." I sounded so pathetic right now. I lifted my chest and stood straight. "I have an offer to make you all. My lord has been merciful and decided to improve you for free just like he did with me."

They went back to eating their food, completely ignoring me except for a Scyther. I continued but with a small surprise.

"An example would be this," I spoke in human language. Now that got everyone's attention. "Impressed? I didn't even have to learn how to do this, my lord just gave it to me. Along with that are so many more improvements like this sword, look how badass it is, it's way better than the celery stick I had before. Imagine being able to talk to any human you wish to or being to take down those gym battles with ease. My lord can grant this and more, so what do you say?"

"I like that." A Tympole said. "Did you say it was free?"

"Yep, all you have to do is leave your trainer and come with me." When I said that, aside from the Scyther, all heads turned away. The strong feeling of hatred surged within me. "Seriously! You would abandon this much power because of the love of your trainer."

The Tympole simply said, "Yeah."

He was stupefied. His hunger for power that came with his new human side made him think of this situation as being absolutely insane.

"Your offer." The Scyther said. "Of power. Will it allow me to defeat even the strongest of dragons?"

"Of course. You want to join!?"

"I think I do. I joined my trainer to become strong but we've lost to the local Gym for the third time in a row. I know he loves me but I want to become strong. It's not right for a Pokemon to not reach his full potential due to his trainer's lacking skills."

"And I couldn't agree more. Come, we'll go immediately. You have no idea what's coming for you."

Chapter End

I've decided to keep the villain side mostly its separate thing with only a few encounters with the main cast. In the future, both sides will get together over time and merge.

PickleTickler: Theodore saw Pokemon BW as a child and doesn't remember much. He does know the creation trio, including Arceus, as most fans would know. However, he doesn't think about Arceus because it was Shinigami who brought him to this world and his best bet is to go to the Pokemon who can control space and time, Palkia and Dialga. Thanks for the compliment.

Lusamine: When it comes to Sarah and N, he did say he was only staying with her till Castellia City. He will come back again, but there won't be romance between the two. Sarah is twelve and I can't bring myself to do a whole romance with her at that age despite what the Pokemon world's standard of an adult would be. It's the same with Athena, she's around two months old and even though Pokemon mature way faster, it's not enough to compensate for Theodore who is over twenty. Although, your points are great and I'll keep them in mind if I do decide to do romance.

 

[Swag Striker]

Chapter 12: Castelia City

A/N: Hi all, I'm going to be keeping the hero's and villain's sides mostly separate and they will eventually get together as the story progresses, but that won't matter for what I have to say next.

This fanfic will be discontinued soon after a few chapters. The reason is that I intended for this fanfic to help me learn writing techniques which it has BY A LOT, but I need to move to something different to progress, most likely short stories. It's been a year and I've written around 100k which is average for a novel. I've loved writing this fanfic. Every time I want to do something fun, I would choose to do this over anything else and it pains me to stop. I won't continue it as I don't have the time. I will say in the chapter before when it will end.

Thank you for all the support and feedback I've gotten, I don't think you realise how much it means. But despite the sad news, you can still enjoy the remaining chapters.

Chapter 12 START

"Holy Arceus." Officer Jenny said as she stared at the different markings on the walls of the warehouse. It was like she was in a scene from one of those movies she watched, but she didn't expect to see it in real life. There were writings of blood that showed the writing of an insane person. This wasn't supposed to happen in this day of age.

On the floor were the cages of the Pokemon who were captured. At least now she had the proof that this was an incident concurred by a terrorist team, whether it was Team Plasma as that girl, Sarah was it, said or a new one remained to be a mystery.

"This is Officer Jenny reporting that this incident occurred between humans and Pokemon and a harsh one at that. The incident will be increased from level G2 to G7… Yes, it's that serious, the rangers with me will show you the evidence soon… Understood."

"Officer Jenny." One of the Rangers said walking up to her.

"Yes?"

"The blood isn't a Pokemon's, our scanners are saying it's a human's."

"I don't understand, what would a human's blood be doing in a place used to cage Pokemon, unless…oh no." A Pokemon severely harmed a human. This is more serious than I thought.

"Take the blood to the lab. There's no body around so hopefully we can find the person who it belongs to and bring them in for questioning."

"Yes, sir."

(In Vikasa's lab)

Vikasa had his legs crossed on top of the desk.

"Yes, and another one down!" He had just beaten the next level of this world's equivalent of COD.

"As expected of my lord," Garland said.

"Yeah, it is. Here, have another granola bar."

"Yes." Garland cheered happily before ripping apart the wrapping and pecking furiously at the snack. Vikasa took a bite of his own before going to the next level.

His doors were slammed open by a furious Ghetsis who looked like has was about to batter him with his cane.

"What's got your ass in a hinch?"

"Shut up, do you know the problems you've caused me, look at this." He brought up a newspaper and read it out loud. Who the hell bothers reading those when we have the technology to bring back extinct Pokemon?

"New terrorist organisation on the rise? Yesterday it was discovered that an organisation had kidnapped trainers' Pokemon from a Pokemon Centre in Nacrene City. Fortunately, a young girl was able to save most of them, but some were taken never to be seen again. Their trainer's are devastated. Aforementioned girl said the kidnappers were Team Plasma, but no proof has been shown otherwise." He looked at Viakasa who kept on playing his game.

"Idiot, now the league is on us. This was the last thing I wanted. If we get discovered for what we're truly trying to accomplish then it's all over and…are you listening?!"

Vikasa paused his game, opened a drawer in his desk, and threw a small vial containing pink powder at him. Ghetsis caught it and inspected it.

"What is this?"

"I told you I would get things done, didn't I?"

"You mean!"

"Yep. It's a powder that when inhaled by a Pokemon, will give you full control over them. Just give a command and it will be done, no matter what it is. Destroy, kill, chaos, it's whatever you want baby. Although, it's only been a week since I was able to mess around with that Kirlia's brain and make the powder. It will only work on weak Pokemon for now, but I'm going to build something that will allow me- I mean you to control stronger ones and eventually a legendary."

Ghetsis just stared at the powder. He had to see it for himself, but he knew Vikasa was telling the truth. He had replaced Colress with him because of his capabilities, after all. He coughed.

"Very good Doctor, but please be discrete with your operations next time. The league does take conflicts between humans and Pokemon very seriously. That girl who was unconscious there has been dismissed and won't say a word."

"My lord does not make any mistakes," Garland said.

"D-did that Pokemon just… I have better things to do. Bring me my results soon Doctor. Do you need more subjects?"

"Nah, Garland here's got that sorted."

Ghetsis left through the front doors and grinned menacingly as he stared at the vile. It was step one of his plan. He could see it now. He would stand in front of Kyurem, the dragon of ice, and everyone in Unova would grovel to his feet. He would be able to do whatever in the Reversal World he wanted.

"I think it's time we go see our new member, don't you? Let's see what you've brought," Vikasa said.

"I assure you, my lord, you won't be disappointed."

(With Team Sarah)

Team Sarah stared at the monstrous structure before them. After 2 weeks of journeying from Nacrene City, they were about to reach Castelia City. All that was left was to cross over this bridge which they couldn't see the end to. It curled over, giving ships enough space to go under it.

"Woah," Sarah said, taking in the sight.

"Impressive, isn't it? Skyarrow Bridge is said to be the largest bridge in Unova, but after we were discovered by the other regions 20 years ago, some say it's the largest in the world," N said. Theodore was confused by his words.

"Discovered…few years ago?" He croaked as his pronunciation was improving, but not quite there.

"Yes. You were a wild Pokemon so you wouldn't know. It's only been two decades since we found out other regions existed. Actually, we did know they existed due to geographical calculations, we just couldn't reach them." N said.

"Satellites?" Theodore asked.

"What's that?" Sarah asked.

"He's talking about the failed project Nexacorp tried to unleash, remember, the one about global navigation and letting us see the rest of the world."

"Oh yeah, I remember seeing that on TV. Dang, I was disappointed when they couldn't get it to work."

"But how do you know about this Theo- no, wait, never mind. You got bored, didn't you? Anyway, the atmospheric distortions caused by multiple legendaries kept destroying the satellite's internal computers so only local ones have become available. They are partly connected to the pokedex."

"Weavile," Theodore said satisfied.

They walked through the bridge. They took in its serenity as many people walked past wanting to see the newly opened mall they left from and take advantage of its grand opening discounts. They ignored the sound of the cars and trucks that had their own section on the bridge below.

The bridge was a long walk, but they eventually saw Castelia City. This was a site that Theodore didn't find captivating. It was a large city, something he would typically find in Britain. For once, a landmark didn't stun him. The buildings themselves were normal with the occasional skyscraper here and there. It is the Pokemon world so there would definitely be some sort of tourist attractions in there.

Sarah, however, was stunned by the city's sheer size.

"I've never seen so many buildings before. Look at that one, it's huge!" She said.

"You said you were from Accumula Town, correct?" N asked.

"Right."

"It is quite the site when seeing it for the first time. I remember the first time I had seen such large buildings and wondered how it was possible to make them. For a moment, I thought I was dreaming."

"It's from the effort of both Pokemon and humans that this is possible. I'm glad we live in the times now compared to 400 years ago."

"Yes, real grateful…" N said in fake exasperation. They both became silent then. Theodore and Eevee talked at the back like they'd been doing for the whole route since the mall.

"Then while I was breaking him out of Team Plasma's cage, I needed a piss, and guess what?"

"What?"

"I left to take a piss on a knocked-out grunt while he was banging for me to let him out, and I'm like, my guy, just chill, sure more grunts are coming and, yeah, you wanna see your children again, but dude, I need my beauty break."

"Every story you say has some kinky shit that creeps me out or makes me want to kiss you, I like that."

"If you weren't on your grand adventure with expert groomer there and those kids then I would have said to come along with us."

"No can do buddy, man's on that grind. Anyway, we're here."

Sarah stretched her arms and sucked in the air that surprisingly had no pollution in it.

"Alright guys, you know where the first stop is. This is Castelia City, known for its famous Castelia Cone and I have to get one." She said. Athena started to jump in place.

"Yes yes, I said I wanted to try out the new mango and strawberry ice cream. I have to have it, you hear me." She said.

"Yeah, and while you guys do that, I'm going to find my target. My horny senses are going off." Eevee said before running off. Theodore awed.

Ice cream sounds good though.

Sarah looked around. The city seemed like a labyrinth.

"Excuse me, sir." She called out to the nearest person. It was a man dressed in a full suit, wore polished shoes, and carried a suitcase. "Could yo-

"Sorry young lady, I need to get to my office." He left.

"Okaaay, I'll just ask someone else. Hey, ma'am, do you kno-"

"Sorry young lady, I have a meeting in ten minutes." She left towards a nearby building. She looked around for someone else and then noticed that almost all of the people around her were dressed in the same way; formal office clothing. They were all moving robotically like they had only one objective in mind.

"That was twice I was ignored now. If I ask another one of these guys where I can find the Castelia Cone stand will they tell me they're busy, are people really that busy?"

"That's Castelia City for you. The city brings in the most GDP for Unova and this is why. Come on, I know where we can ask."

They went towards the middle of the city where the skyscrapers mainly were. The skyscrapers were sparsely packed with a few other buildings spread farther apart. They reached one of the few green areas of the city which was a park with a large fountain in the middle. They went inside and saw people who looked like what Sarah was used to; people who were carefree and wore colourful clothes.

"Excuse me, ma'am." She called to an old woman who was sitting next to the fountain and feeding a few of the Duckletts swimming there. Sarah stayed away from them and tightened her grip on her bag. She remembered what happened over a week ago.

"Yes, dear?"

"Do you know where the Castelia Cone stand is?"

"It's a few blocks away from here. It's near a big staircase. Go that way, then take a right, then the second left."

"Thank you very much!"

They saw a small queue for the stand. It was early in the morning otherwise they would've waited for hours before making their order. After 15 minutes, it was their turn.

"May I take your order ma'am?" The cashier asked. She gave everyone's order. She was surprised that N hadn't ever had one despite coming to the city a few times before. He was reluctant to try one as he didn't want her to pay for it, but she insisted despite the expensive price.

"This is good," N said. Sarah couldn't reply as she was stuffing her face with her cone.

Anubis was excited when he saw his and thanked Sarah. He wanted to see what the sisters were so hyped over. He hadn't tried any other flavour other than chocolate so he got that one again after tasting its deliciousness.

"Wha-" He was bumped by an office worker who was running to his workplace while muttering how late he was, and he'd dropped his cone. He stared at the ice cream that stained the floor. He really wanted to try it.

"Ha, fucking idiot," Theodore said to him as he licked his own before his eyes widened. "This is good!" He kept licking it. Anubis sighed as he stared at the floor, upset from his loss.

Theodore caught Athena staring at him.

"What?" He said. She nodded to Anubis.

He shook his head. This treat is mine and mine alone.

She sighed disappointingly before grabbing Anubis's arm.

"Here, you can share some of mine."

"I-I can?"

"Of course, we're family after all." He smiled as they both started licking the cone. It was a bit awkward with how short Athena was, especially when the ice cream was almost as tall as her. It was nice sharing. It felt warm to him. The flavour was amazing. It wasn't as good as chocolate but it was still good.

Theodore just cringed at the scene and turned away.

They finished their cones in no time.

"I was thinking we should spend today battling a couple of trainers for practice for the gym tomorrow. I've already booked it. Gosh, I can't wait!" She rubbed her cheeks with her hands and started to shake.

There was a battlefield in the park where there were a few trainers already duking it out. She smirked as she saw the battles. The trainers weren't on her level. She challenged one after the pair of trainers had finished their battle. It was a two-on-two, but honestly, she thought she could beat the Pokemon by her human self if it wasn't wrong or illegal to do that. After nearby trainers took notice, they started to challenge her too and it became a manslaughter.

"Yipee." She jumped while clutching her pokedex. "I won so many battles. I've been on fire recently." She saw the figure shown on the screen. "Aaaaand I've made more than enough to pay for the Castelia Cones so you don't have to worry about paying me back N."

"No no, I will pay you back eventually just not now," he said. "But on another note, don't you think you've been acting a little overconfident recently? It first started with your cousin, and now these trainers. I'm saying this because I'm your friend. If you let this winning streak get to your head you'll regret it."

"Where's this coming from N?" She asked not expecting him to say this after winning so many battles. "I beat them without breaking a sweat-"

"You barely beat Isabella."

"And I think I've done pretty well in my journey. I've learned a lot and I'm going to keep doing better. I don't need someone to tell me that I'm doing badly, I'm doing great."

"W-wait, that's not what I meant. You're doing very well, all I'm saying is to tone it down a little."

Sarah just turned around and walked away, using her pokedex to find the nearest Pokemon Centre. At least that was a landmark on the map, unlike the Castelia Cone stand. Anubis and Athena gave a worried glance at the two as Sarah marched forward while N was slowly walking from the back. Theodore found it amusing.

As they got ready for bed, the whole evening was in silence as Sarah refused to even look at N while she wore a frown the entire time. There were two beds in their room. N slept in one by himself while the whole of Team Sarah was cramped in the other. It pissed off Theodore so he went into his pokeball. At first, he was comprehensive about it after the Team Plasma incident, but what could possibly happen here?

"I'm sorry, Sarah, I'm truly not doubting your capabilities. You've surprised me. Despite being a trainer for about a month you're already doing better than some trainers who have been in the circuit for three months. I just don't want to see you be so sad when you experience your first loss and you aren't arrogant enough to say that you won't eventually lose a battle," N said eyes wide awake. He was about to close them after a minute of silence until he heard Sarah say,

"Apology accepted."

When they woke up the next day, Sarah had returned to her normal attitude like she had forgotten the conversation yesterday. Either that or she accepted his apology that easily. He didn't know, it was an equal possibility of each.

She skipped outside.

"Time for the next gym battle, are you guys ready?" She asked.

"Weave."

"Ralts!"

"Riolu!"

"That's great to hear. How about you N? I know you don't like to see Pokemon battles, so…"

"Actually, Sarah, I think this is time I say goodbye."

"W-what? Why, is this because of what happened yesterday, I've already forgotten about that." Before N could stop her she carried on. "I'm the one who should apologise. That was totally childish of me and I'm sorry. You're my friend and I should at least hear you out, it's just…my parents have always been so constricting with how I do things and don't trust me with many responsibilities. That's why I got so peeved yesterday, you sounded like them."

"Sarah." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to apologise, I've already accepted it. Remember when I told you in Nacrene City, I'll be staying in Castelia City. I've heard of some Team Plasma operations around and I need to investigate them."

"Team Plasma! Then I have to come with you."

"No, I can't let you be put in danger for my missions. You've already done and shown more care for Pokemon than most trainers would"

"But I want to help Pokemon too, they're my friends. If they're in danger then I HAVE to help. Humans and Pokemon shouldn't be separated because of a few bad guys." N grimaces slightly.

"Even though we disagree in that part, I'll admit that you've changed my view on some things," he said. "Sarah, you said you wanted a normal journey and see the landscapes of Unova. This is my mission, not yours, so please carry on with your journey."

…

"Fine," she reluctantly said.

"W-where…Eev…ee?" Theodore asked.

"Oh yeah, where is he?" Sarah looked around. He left yesterday and didn't come back.

"I'm right here," an exhausted Eevee said as he limped to the group. It was particularly in his hind legs.

"There you are, we were just about to leave," N said.

"What were you doing?" Theodore asked.

"Who. It's who I was doing." Theodore blushed slightly as he figured out what he meant.

"You disgusting, filthy, sexy motherfucker. High five you baller." He held up his hand to which Eevee tiredly high-fived.

"Anyway, Eevee, we're leaving."

"Shit, already. Well, see you later guys," he said to Team Sarah. Anubis and Athena gave their goodbyes while Sarah hugged him, promising to give him a grooming the next time they meet. Theodore just stood silently before kissing his teeth and looking to the side. He didn't want Eevee to leave. He was the first person in his life who he managed to get along with. Whether it was due to his British roadman behaviour that made him laugh or how he was so laid back or maybe both, it didn't matter.

It's not supposed to be like this, but he thinks he considers Eevee as a friend…A friend, is this what friendship is?

…

Yes. I consider Eevee a friend.

"I can't believe it, for the first time in my life, I, Theodor Nieoldiek, will actually miss someone. Goodbye, Eevee…headbutt?"

"Sure."

*BANG*

They both became disoriented before laughing. N recalled him before leaving while waving goodbye.

Athena smiled at Theodore.

"What?"

"I sense sadness in you when he was leaving. Was Eevee an inferior being?"

"What does that have to do with anything? He was a cool guy, so his power shouldn't matter…oh crap, your right," he said, seeing where she was heading to. He didn't value Eevee off his power, but off his friendship. "I didn't know that was possible. I feels wrong."

"No, it's called being happy."

Team Sarah arrived at the gym. Sarah was told by the receptionist to put at least two of her Pokemon in their pokeballs. At first, she asked why when Lenora allowed it, but then she realised it must have been due to guilt for delaying her gym battle. The receptionist said that it was to make the gym battle seem more equal and that the Gym Leader, Burgh, wouldn't immediately know who he was battling.

She chose Anubis and Athena, despite her reluctance. Sarah thought it wouldn't matter keeping Theodore out when he was their strongest. She did apologise to Athena and promised her a Skittles packet after they'd won.

She and Theodore walked through the hallway when it was her turn. They awed at the many plants and trees that filled the sides of the hallway while they had artificial UV light shining on them. They recognised them from being from Pinwheel Forest.

She saw Burgh at the end of the hallway. He wore red and green striped trousers made of material that couldn't be ripped from cuts caused by sharp blades. His simple green cardigan was also made of that material. On his shown forearms were small cuts probably caused by little sharp thorns on small plants and trees. His face beamed when he saw her and her Weavile like an artist suddenly finding inspiration for a new piece of art.

"Hello," Sarah greeted. "I'm Sarah and you're Burgh, right?"

"I am." He smiled with a gentleness that could only be found in someone who took extensive care for others. "Bug type specialist and extraordinaire."

"Really, I thought you were a grass type specialist from the plants and everything."

"No, bug types and grass types have the most symbiotic relationship compared to any other typing so it's not surprising for them to be interconnected." She didn't know what symbiotic meant. "They're lovely, the trees, aren't they? They're from Pinwheel Forest. We bring two of each species here to preserve them in case there's a big forest fire. But enough about that. You're here for your gym battle."

"Yes!"

"Then let's start."

Each trainer went to their respective stand on the battlefield. The referee called out the rules,

"The Castelia City gym battle between Burgh and Sarah Grace is about to begin. Three Pokemon per side. The gym battle will be completed when one side is unable to continue."

"It's my job as a Gym leader to show my Pokemon first. So, feast your eyes on my glorious Dwebble."

He summoned a small Pokemon that reminded Theodore of a hermit crab but with two fewer legs, and instead of using a shell from an abandoned animal, it used one made from a rock. It was smart to use tools from its environment for its protection.

Sarah got out her pokedex.

"Dwebble, the rock-in Pokemon. After finding a suitable rock, Dwebble digs a hole in the rock's bottom to use for a protective shell."

"I haven't seen a Pokemon like that before. Where'd you got one from, he looks cool." Sarah said.

"He's from a quarry near Pinwheel Forest. I like to spend time in the nature as I don't like the corporate environment here, it's not good for my artistic self. Anyway, let's see who you'll pick."

"I pick Athena." She summoned her. Athena gave her a small glare after being put into the pokeball then diverted that glare towards her opponent. It was someone who was the same size as her for once.

"I'll let you have the first move."

"You may regret that. Athena, use Confusion." Athena sent the yellow ring of energy towards her opponent.

"Dwebble, use Dig." Dwebble, with incredible speed, was able to dig through the hardened ground and disappear, dodging the attack. "I see you're using a strategy where you'll put my Pokemon in a vulnerable state then damage him as much as you can. That's impressive for a trainer who's at their 3rd gym."

Sarah bit her lip. Fudge, he's already figured out my strategy.

"Just because you know, doesn't mean you've won. Athena, be careful, he'll come out of the ground near you."

"Dwebble, use X-scissor."

Athena kept turning and watched the areas near her. Unfortunately, Dwebble was still able to surprise her as he came bursting out of a hole. He raised his huge pointed claws which glowed purple from bug type energy and gave her two horizontal slashes across her body.

"Ralts!"

"And now use Rock Wrecker."

"Athena, get up. Use Double Team." She quickly got to her feet and summoned many clones around her. The huge rock that was larger than both Pokemon had flashed through her and dispersed the clone. Now it was Dwebble who was looking around, wondering which one was the real one. Sarah smiled widely.

"Use Mystical Fire and make it a big one." Each clone copied the charge-up of the attack, so Dwebble didn't have an indicator as to which one was the real one.

It doesn't matter, Burgh thought.

"Use Protect." Dwebble, closed slightly into his shell and raised it. He summoned normal type energy through it and summoned a blue forcefield around himself. All clones attacked and the large flame diverted through the Protect.

A bead of sweat dropped from Sarah's forehead. Another strategy had been crushed. She was planning to use the clones to divert Dwebble's attention while the real Athena attacked him through the opening.

"Dwebble, get close and use X-scissor." Dwebble charged

"Don't let him, use Psybeam to keep him back." While Athena was charging the attack, Dwebble had already been in front of her and attacked. "So fast!"

"Dwebble's shell is made of a special rock that is strong and light. Perfect for a close ranged attacker who retreats back after their attacks. I think it's time to end this, use Rock Wrecker."

"U-use Double Team." Athena summoned her clones again and Dwebble missed. "And now use Mystical Fire."

"Protect." Dwebble quickly summoned the shield which easily diverted the attack again.

Athena went on one knee and huffed. The huge drain of stamina from using Double Team and her water reserves going low from summoning two Mystical Fires took its toll. She's not a fire type, so using that move was more taxing.

Sarah stamped on the stand.

"Come on Athena, you can do better than that, don't be pathetic."

Athena let out a look of shock and disgust at her, never thinking she would hear those words come out of her mouth, the one she was raised with. Sarah realised what she said and put a hand to her mouth She could feel Athena's eyes despite them being covered by her green hair.

"Dig, then X-scizzor." Dwebble dug through the ground and got close then slashed her across the face. She fainted. Sarah got out her pokeball and recalled her.

"I'm sorry Athena, for what I said." She knew she couldn't hear her after fainting, but she'll apologise after she got the badge.

"That's a strong Ralts and has quite the resilience. It's a shame, she would have faired better at one of my other Pokemon, especially with its fire type attack. You should think more about your type advantages and battle-styled Pokemon like a fighting type close ranged attacker is perfect against my Dwebble as bug, and rock type attacks would be weak against it.

"Oh yeah, well get ready for this surprise. Anubis, come on out!"

"Riolu!"

"Did you start your journey in the Sinnoh region? All three of your Pokemon can be found there." He had seen her registration saying she was from Unova so she may have gone to Sinnoh to start their gym circuit then joined Unova's later.

"Huh, I didn't even notice that. Wow, that's freaky."

"Anyway, it seems I was spot on. Now I'm thinking I shouldn't have told you that, but as a Gym Leader, my job is to teach you what you're lacking."

"I'm not lacking anything."

"Hmm, we'll see. Dwebble, start this off with dig."

"Oh no you don't. Anubis, use Swift, make sure it goes through the hole."

He charged his attack, pouring normal type energy into his paws. He sent a link through the hole to where the Dwebble was still digging towards him. He swiped the air in front of him and many stars flew and went into the hole. Dwebble burst through his left side as the attacks pushed him through the remaining ground.

"Now, use Brick Break, don't let him use protect!"

"Quickly, use Protect!" Both sides tried to get moves done in time, but Dwebble was quicker to retract into his shell and summon the forcefield. Anubis was about to send a right hook when he heard Theodore shout,

"No, don't use a right hook! Instead, jab forward with as much power as you can and make it as straight as possible."

It didn't matter that he took 2 seconds longer to get into a better stance and attack. He didn't know why Theodore told him to attack this way but he trusted him. The punch was powerful, but not as much as his hook would have been yet the attack still broke the shield with ease. His punch then hit the little crustacean's thin body and sent him tumbling through the field.

Burgh was speechless.

"B-but how?" Sarah was thinking the same thing. Theodore sent the command after his experience with Protect against Isabella's Servine.

The best way to break it is by using an attack thats vector is perpendicular to the tangent of the shield. His hook, though more powerful, wouldn't have done as well as his jab.

Dwebble fainted.

Burgh recalled him.

"Thank you Dwebble, you did well. That's quite the power your Riolu has, but it won't matter against my Whirlipede."

He sent a Pokemont that was familiar to the two of them which made trainer and Pokemon smile. This was perfect. They had already faced a Whirlipede queen who was strong, so the experience should make this a piece of cake.

"I'll start this off. Anubis, use Brick Break, break that shell of hers."

The Riolu charged forward, smirking. They didn't realise that Burgh was smirking too. When he hit with his full force, it didn't even make a crack on the Whirlipede's carapace.

"You done?" She said with a raspy insect voice.

"B-but how?" Anubis asked. Sarah wondered the same thing.

"I don't know what you were thinking with that attack. Fighting type moves are very ineffective against bug types. Despite your Riolu's power he won't be able to leave a scratch on my Whirlipede's natural armour. Now, use Poison Sting."

"Oh no, dodge it!"

He wasn't quick enough to evade the many small needles of poison type energy that was absorbed through his sweat glands and entered his bloodstream. He was poisoned.

Sarah was nervous. That attack meant she was on a time limit with him and she had to end this quickly.

"We're going to have to go all out. Use Quick Attack."

"Meet that head on with Steam Roller." Whirlipede's specialised long spikes had their tips glow into a steel like material before she spun into Anubis's speeding tackle in the blink of an eye. He was easily overpowered and sent sprawling back to her side of the field. "Do it again!"

Whirlipede turned around and hit him as soon as he was getting up from the back.

"S-so fast," Sarah muttered. This was definitely not like the Whirlipede they faced in Pinwheel Forest. She saw the huge amount of sweat coming down his fur. The poison. It was circulating faster than she thought it would. Anubis steadied himself and his opponents just watched him. He wouldn't fail Sarah. He had won the previous gym for her and he wouldn't fail now.

"Use Solar Beam Whirlipede."

"Use Quick Attack to dodge it." He evaded the yellow beam of energy. "Use Swift. Maintain your distance and keep attacking."

It was a good strategy. He kept sending stars as Burgh ordered many more Solar Beams or Poison Stings. He dodged using Quick Attack as another strike would put him in a terrible situation. The attacks chipped, and then started to show their damage. Whirlipede started to become unsteady on her tiny feet.

"Use Iron Defense," Burgh said. She glowed into a steel exterior for a moment before it vanished. The next group of stars had hit and done absolutely nothing.

Sarah started to shake as she watched. She didn't know what to do, Burgh was taking down her strategies one by one. Did she feed something wrong to her Pokemon or was it just a bad day? She couldn't have done something wrong, could she?

"Let's end their misery, now. Use Steam Roller."

"A-Anubis." She hesitantly called out until she remembered what brought them victory in Pinwheel Forest. That Whirlipede used a similar attack and she knew exactly how to counter it. "Brick Break from the side. Attack its eye."

He charged his right fist and waited until she got close. Before he could land the hook, when it was in full swing, he was launched to the wall.

He fainted.

Sarah recalled him before gripping his pokeball tightly. I'm sorry Anubis, I failed you and Athena both. She looked at the Weavile beside her. Her ace Pokemon. The one who she knew would always bring them victory.

"Theodor-" Before she could say anything, he already jumped into the battlefield.

"Weavile."

"I'll grant you the first attack again," Burgh said. He was confused when she didn't call out an attack and instead, her Weavile had done it on his own. The moment of confusion allowed Theodore to charge a Shadow Claw and cross the distance with speed that rivalled his Whirlipede's.

He attacked the eye, right in the pupil. Whirlipede cried out in pain before rolling back and creating distance. Her eye had surprisingly not swelled up like he expected it to. No, he should have expected it. It was a huge eye, the size of a squid who had the largest eye in the animal kingdom back in his world. Theodore went back to his side of the field. He tried to create as much distance as possible

"Use Steam Roller," Burgh said. Theodore smirked. I knew he would call out that attack. The huge distance would trick Burgh into thinking it was the best move since Solar Beam and Poison Sting were too far away and easy to dodge.

He focused on his organ from the day he fought Isabella's Sawsbuck. He had practised with it afterwards and became familiar with the ice type energy. He brought out his liquid nitrogen reserves and froze a part of the battlefield in front of him. Whirlipede slipped when rolling on it and whizzed past his side into the wall where she got her long spikes stuck.

He yawned, charged up two Shadow Claws and brought down a flurry on her eyes and the gaps in her armour. She fainted while still being stuck in place. Burgh recalled her.

"Behold, the guardian of the forest, I summon you Leavanny." The Pokemon was a lanky bipedal insect that had sharp claws instead of appendages, long mandibles, and wore clothes made of huge leaves and sewn with silk-like string. It was beautiful and majestic, deserving the title of the forest's guardian. "This is my final Pokemon. I'm surprised you've made it this far. Your Pokemon strengths have made up your planning of their opponents. All your hopes are on your Weavile who seems to be battling on his own."

She nodded.

"Well, I believe in him. He is my ace and always wins no matter what."

"Such faith and confidence or is it arrogance and foolishness? Let's see which it is. Leavanny, use Leaf Storm."

Theodore's eyes widened. His opponent had charged the attack quicker than he had anticipated. Many small leaves were conjourned and thrown at him. He dodged it but got some scrapes from a few nicking him. He found something odd with his body.

"And now, use Hyper Beam." She charged this attack even quicker and the powerful beam struck him hard and sent him towards Sarah's stand. He tried to dodge but found something wrong. Due to the lack of battles compared to Anubis and Athena, he hadn't realised the way he used his leg muscles for dodging or going in for attacks. They felt wrong like he hadn't been moving with them properly. It was due to not being completely in sync with this body. That would have to change.

He got up from the floor. At least the distance would give him a chance to dodge any long range attack she'd throw at him.

He used Ice Beam on the area around her. This was to make sure she would stay there. He started to walk around the edges of the battlefield and encircle her. She watched him and became nauseous of his motions where it felt like she was seeing copies then seeing him being around her all at the same time. The information her eyes sent to her brain was too much and she fell to her side, keeping herself upright with her arms.

Burgh watched and was intrigued by the move that he had never seen or heard of before.

He went in with his Shadow Claws and attacked. The insect Pokemon's upper body was small so it could specialize in either long range or rushdown types of battling styles. He attacked her chest and retreated. Her breaths became ragged.

"Ha, what are you going to do now., you've already lost," he said.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," she said as she got up. Her ragged breaths started to become normal.

"What! But I struck you on the lungs with my Shadow Claws. You shouldn't b-"

"Those attacks didn't hurt that much. It was more of a shock from what you did earlier."

"Use Leaf Storm." Theodore cried out as all of the leaves had caused bruises and cuts on him. "And now Hyper Beam!" A small cloud of dust went up. When it cleared it showed him lying on his side. Fainted.

Sarah watched wide-eyed. In shock.

"I-I…how…I.-"

"That was a nice battle, it was a close one. However, if you had studied type advantages and planned efficient matchups using your Pokemon's battling styles then this gym would have been a breeze for you. I hope you learn this for next time."

Sarah wasn't listening. She unconsciously recalled Theodore and ran through the doors of the battlefield. She ran through the hall, the reception, and then the streets of Castelia City. When she'd run out of energy did she stop, leaning against a wall. She cried. In a place where no one could see her.

"I-I lost…I lost…was mom and dad right, am I not cut out for this? I failed so badly." She cried for about 10 minutes before curling up for another 20. She summoned her Pokemon who looked groggy from the match but at least they were conscious. They were shocked when they saw her miserable face.

"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry. I failed you guys. N was right. I got cocky and way over my head and started to get angry at you, Athena, for my own mistake. I'm not good enough to be a trainer. If you want you can look for someone else, there's definitely a better trainer in this city who wouldn't have failed so badly, someone better."

What is she talking about, they all thought. She had managed to almost beat Burgh despite the terrible matchups. Theodore had seen her progress over the past month. Her first gym battle in Striaton City was a complete mess where she couldn't even order Athena properly, but in her second gym battle, she used a sound strategy to beat Lenora, a great battler. What is she talking about, a failure, she was genius. And Theodore respected her for that.

Athena sensed through her horn the emotion of self-hatred from within her. She started to cry herself from the overwhelming emotions. She jumped and slapped her face hard. Sarah held on her cheek and looked at Athena in shock.

"So is that what it is, you're just going to give up now! After all the hardship we've been through," she shouted. "Only one failure and suddenly you want to give up. No, I won't stand for that or did you forget the promise we made to our parents that WE would be the champions of Unova." Sarah just listened to the Ralts who showed immense anger when repeating her name over and over again. "I love you Sarah, but I will beat the strawberry sauces out of you if you dare give up now."

"Y-you're right. He he, what was I thinking? I can't give up now." She wiped her tears with her sleeve. "Sorry guys, I just had a weird moment just now."

Theodore wrote down in his notebook,

I OVERHEARD YOUR CONVERSATION WITH ATHENA THE OTHER DAY, THE ONE ABOUT ISABELLA. THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME EXPERIENCING HUGE SUCCESS THEN LOSING IT. YOU'RE BETTER THAN YOU THINK. DON'T BEAT YOURSELF ABOUT IT.

"Wow, a compliment coming from the grumpy Weavile. I think the world's ending."

"I'm…not…grumpy!"

"Anyway, let's get you all healed up, I'm sure those wounds must hurt." She went to the Pokemon Center where they used the Instant Recovery machine. She wanted to go to the library.

Burgh was right, she needed to study matchups better. Anubis stayed in his pokeball and Athena was eating a Skittles packet on the table. Theodore was reading something about anatomy on the side. She sat at the table and read.

After a few hours and a couple of note-taking, she understood how type differences worked. She made a large diagram which made it easier for her to remember them all. Regarding style differences, she read a book from Shauntal, who was the same person who wrote that book she found in the dreamyard. A few pages of that book alone brought her miles ahead of a lot of trainers so studying this book was a godsend.

"I think we're done here," she said. Theodore growled but put down his book. He had made his own notes that were mostly filled with diagrams of certain Pokemon. It was expertly drawn. "I'm buying these two books for you and Anubis. Here, tell me what you think?"

He read their titles. The books were for martial arts. They were of different ones though.

"I thought that after seeing your battles, these would be the most appropriate. I may not be an expert in martial arts but I've seen enough Brycen movies." She said.

Movies don't make you an expert, but let's see what we've got here…

He skimmed through the pages and saw that the martial arts did complement their fighting styles. The book for Anubis was basically Muay Thai but it was called Kraton. It was perfect for his power-based attacks and could make them more devastating. He couldn't wait to see that destruction. His own was a marital art he couldn't recognise but was meant to deliver quick and precise attacks on the opponent's weak points while dodging with efficiency. Add that to his knowledge of anatomy, and he'll become a monster.

He admits that he feels stingy after the loss from the Leavanny and that he should've realised that he would need to train if he wanted to help Sarah win the gym battles.

This reinforced his idea of her. She is a genius.

He put up his hand for a high five. She delivers it.

"This…is…excellent," he said in English. It was improving and he suspects he'll master it in 2 days.

When getting the books scanned by the librarian, she told her.

"I see you're preparing for Burgh's gym. That's good. Most trainer's just go in there without any planning."

"Yeah, I wonder who would do that." She sweatdropped.

"You know, there is a tournament happening at Don George's Battle Club. It would be a good way to get some practice."

"I've never heard of a Battle Club."

"They're run by the George family. They have big tournaments periodically around Unova, but this time, it's a small local one. It will be run in a few days and it will last for only one day."

"Thank you, I'll definitely go there."

It was a short walk since it was only around the block, but she arrived at the Battle Club. it was something she hadn't seen before, it was like some sort of mini gym. She walked through the doors and met a large burly man with a moustache covering his mouth. He wore basic loose trousers and a vest.

"Hello, I'm Don George, the owner of this Battle Club. And you are?"

"Hi, I'm Sarah Grace. What is this place?"

"This is a place where you can train your Pokemon by a substantial amount. In here is training equipment you can't get anywhere else and they're of the highest quality. Are you looking to train your Pokemon?"

"Actually, I heard that there was a small tournament going on here and wanted to join."

"Ah, yes there is. It will be starting in four days. Luckily, for you today is the last day you can sign up. You can sign up at the front desk." She did so. "I would recommend training here till then. With proper training, your Pokemon can reach milestones they couldn't before. Most beginning trainers forget that."

"I will." It was a bit pricey. $20 for a day or $55 for a week. She took the weekly pass despite only going to use the gym for three days as it was a better deal.

Sarah found it more efficient to split the training. Theodore would handle Anubis where they would train their martial arts together while Sarah and Athena would work on her attacks. Theodore had taken him to the fighting boulder battlefield. She would go to the aiming facility.

"Oi, watch where you're going!" She accidentally bumped the shoulder of a similar-aged trainer who dropped the pokeball he was holding. She saw the pokeball and was surprised to see that it was a luxury ball. A black ball with silver and gold linings across it and a ruby like ring on its top. "Do you know how much this costs?"

"Sorry, I should have seen where I was going."

"Yeah, you should have." She could now see his clothing was quite exquisite. He wore a blue shirt with an orange overall. He wore blue jeans that were made of soft fabric. The brands were what caught her eye. 'Leavanny's thread'. That was an expensive clothing company that sold high quality clothing. "Hey, I saw you at the registration. Are you going to compete in the tournament too?"

"Yes, I am. I'm actually going to train for it right now." She smiled.

"I wouldn't bother if I were you."

"And why not." She took offence.

"Because I'm going to win it with my team of rare and powerful Pokemon. We'll mop the floor with every one of you inferiors."

"What's your name?" She asked while grinning on the inside. She would beat this guy to the ground.

"Connor's the name, and don't you forget it."

(With Vikasa)

The Scyther looked nervous as he laid down on the metal table. The lord that Garland described was a human in a lab coat like he'd seen occasionally, but he wasn't as presentable with his scraggly appearance. Vikasa was ruffling Garland's head.

"So, Scyther, I heard you want to become more powerful." The human spoke in a soft voice that calmed Scyther's nerves. He nodded. "Good because I can already see what needs to be changed. First off was the promise that Garland gave, the one where you can speak in human tongue. Have you ever felt annoyance at not being able to convey detailed messages towards your trainer?"

He nodded again.

"Well, I'll fix that. But the most important change will be those blades of yours. They are magnificently sharp for an organic blade." Scyther smirked at the praise. "But it's not enough. You came here to be able to be amongst the strongest of Pokemon, so I will be changing those blades of yours. They will be replaced by metal and have diamond-encrusted edges. Are you sure you want this?"

With a smile that innocent from the Doctor, how could he say no? He was sick of losing again and again. With these promises, he's realized how much of a setback his trainer had been. He won't be weak again.

He nods for a final time which makes Vikasa smile into something that could be called madness, but he quickly hides it before the two next to him could notice.

"Good. Garland, leave while I do this."

"Of course, my lord." He bowed.

He places the mask on Syther and lets him inhale the anaesthesia.

It took a few hours for the surgery to be complete, but the unbelievable adaptation of the Pokemon body allowed Scyther to recover faster than he thought he would. Good, there's been enough failures already.

"How do you feel?" Scyther got up and felt the changes immediately. He was much heavier than before. His blades were indeed replaced by steel that had the same exterior as Garland's sword, and along the edges was a beautiful diamond edge. He didn't expect pipes along part of his arms and his back. "Yeah, those are hydraulics. There's no way you'll be able to pick up those new blades of yours from pure strength so these will help. They will also increase your power and the precision of your cuts due to their rigged movements."

It felt weird. It felt wrong. Maybe this whole thing was a mis-No! I should at least give this a chance. Syther's nervousness was now replaced with excitement as he wondered about the power he had gained and the opponents he would destroy.

"Let's go for testing then." The Doctor gave a hand out of the table where he stumbled. As they walked through the hallway and into a large room that looked like a battlefield, he adjusted against the heavy weight in his arms and back. It would take some time getting used to, but he could do it without the limits of his trainer.

"Here," the Doctor said. "You'll be facing opponents for my rese-I mean for your training."

Scyther nodded.

"In English please."

"U-uunder-st-toood." His throat hurt from his new vocal cords.

"Excellent," Vikasa said while grinning. "You're already doing better than Garland. Anyway." He pressed a button and from the doorway on the opposite end of the field came an Emolga who looked scared for some reason. "You'll be facing against this Emolga. Show me what you've got."

He used Quick Attack. Against an opponent who specialised in manoeuvering and mobility, he had to get in close and personal. Emolga yelped before just about avoiding his swing. He ended up hitting the wall of the battlefield and was shocked when a piece of the concrete wall had cleanly fallen off. The edge of the cut was incredibly smooth.

He pondered on his blade. It was absolutely fantastic. He broke out of his thoughts when he felt a strong shock. Whoops, perhaps he'll leave contemplating for later. This time he used Energy Ball against the Emolga which led to her dodging by moving down.

Perfect. He used Quick Attack again before swinging his blade. To his and the Emolga's utmost horror, when she tried to dodge, he had cut her left leg right off her body. It fell through the air before bouncing along the metallic ground.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

"What just happened!?" He looked towards the Doctor who was grinning madly. Now he saw his true nature. He was evil. But how, the hemaguard layer should have protected her or at least caused her to faint? It's these blades, they're too powerful for even the hemaguard layer to protect.

Sure, he may be able to beat opponents he couldn't before, but this wasn't how he wanted to do it. It was supposed to be through an honourable contects not through murder.

"Well, go on then, finish her."

"N-no." He looked in disgust at the Emolga who was screaming in pain on the floor as blood kept squirting from her wound. She wasn't part of his food chain so it was a senseless killing. There was no need for it. Something that is considered the highest dishonour amongst Pokemon kind.

The Doctor didn't like that answer.

"Fine then," he muttered before getting out a pink vial from his jacket. "Have it your way then."

He threw it at Sycther who raised his arms to block it. The vial exploded into a cloud of pink dust. Scyther found it hard to think after each inhale of the dust until everything went black. His eyes went from green to blood red.

"Finally. I don't understand this whole honour thing you've Pokemon got going on along with the weak humans of this world. It's so pointless. No matter, finish her off, now."

Scyther, who started to move like a robot, slowly walked towards the Emolga. She kept screaming until she saw, through tear-filled eyes, the Scyther hovering over her. She became silent from fear. He raised a blade and brought it down. The screaming stopped along with her movement. He raised the blade and swung it down again. And again. And again as the mad Doctor watched in delight.

"W-what?" He felt groggy. He blinked away the darkness from the edge of his eyes as he looked at the scene in front of him. He screamed in horror as the Emolga's organs were lying across the floor in a huge puddle of blood.

"You should have seen it Scyther, how badly you wanted to kill that Emolga. You loved the power of your blades and wanted to show your power after countless losses from before. Don't you remember?"

I-is that what happened? When he blacked out, was that from his bloodlust after gaining so much power? He held the sides of his head with his blades.

"Oh no, what have I done? WHAT HAVE I DONE?!" He's disgraced himself as a Pokemon. How could he ever see a reflection of himself again?

He was now in a large cage in a hallway that had many more. This looked like one of those things his trainer described, a prison. He curled on himself, still in horror and shock at what he'd done.

"Hey, it's not your fault." A voice called out from one of the other cages. It was in perfect English. What he saw was a very strange site. It was a Herdier with a Growlithe on top of it except half of the Growlithe's body was missing, the lower half. The upper body was somehow attached to the Herdier's back.

"Yes," the Growlithe spoke. "You were under a mind control. You didn't kill that Pokemon. He did."

"W-what happened to you?" Scyther asked

"It's one of his experiments. Research for his Ultimate Creature project. My body was cut in half and is now connected to Hierdier's here. Our spines are connected and we share some organs."

"T-this…WHAT IS THIS?! GET ME OUT OF HERE, SOMEBODY, PLEASE!"

"Sorry friend, but no one is here. But you should be grateful, most Pokemon die from his sinister experiments. We're the only ones to survive."

"How can you say that? We're stuck here in this maniac's prison and you're thinking about being grateful. Why did I listen to that damn Sirknight, I should have stayed with my trainer."

"It's not Garland's fault. He's been tricked into believing the Doctor's lies. He does keep him away from our training in fear of rebellion though."

Scyther looked out the cage to see two more Pokemon in neighbouring cages.

"Hey," he called out to the one on the Herdier/Growlithe's right. It was an Elektross with machines protruding out of him. The two on his arms reminded Scyther of a Blastoise's cannons. The other ones he couldn't recognise.

"Hey," the elektross said in a weak voice that sounded so lifeless. He also spoke in perfect English. This was wrong.

When looking at the one on the left of Herdier/Growlithe-

"Don't talk to him," Herdier said strongly.

Why not? Scyther thought.

The Heatmoor spoke anyway.

"Oh what fun this is," he said in a crazed voice that reminded him of the Doctor. His eyes were pink-red with the capillaries bloodshot and pronouncing. "A new face, one that I would love to destroy. Burn, rip, just absolute destruction he he he." His cage, Scyther realized wasn't the same as the others. It had a glass exterior instead of the reinforced bars of theirs. Heatmoor started to have crackles of electricity go around him and charged up a large blue fireball that encompassed his entire cage.

It blew up and the whole prison shook. Such power! Scyther thought.

"He's being fed his own species' meat and unlike some bug types, it's destroying his sanity. The Doctor mentioned something called prions and holes in the brain. His powers have been enhance with technology similar to Elektross's."

I should have stayed with my trainer…

Chapter End

I think I've been inspired by the insane world of Pokemon to have a slice of life and horror at the same time. It's weird.

 

[Swag Striker]

Chapter 13: Power of Courage

A/N: I'm so excited to upload this chapter; it's my best one yet.

Chapter START

"Now, use Psybeam!" Athena quickly used the attack on the three floating target boards in front of her that the Duosion at the side was levitating. However, the psychic attack didn't come in its usual form. It was compact, less of a ring, and more of a projectile. Sarah suggested changing the attack into a more powerful version of itself after the pitiful damage it caused to the Dwebble.

Although she was going to use her against Whirlipede next time where psychic would be super effective, she wanted more power. She'd realised her screw-up. She would have most likely beaten the gym if she had listened to Burgh. Athena would have used her super effective moves against his Whirlipede and kept at range against its Steam Roller. At least she's learned and will face him again.

"Jump." Athena dodged a target that had flown past her. "And now, use Mystical Fire."

The target exploded into splinters that slowly burned to ash. This was the other move that would help wreck Whirlipede. Fire type moves are super effective against bug types. She also wanted to help her stamina by using this move as it took a lot out of her water reserves. She wasn't a fire type so it would be more draining on her, but if she kept practising the move then the conversion of water to hydrogen would be more efficient and would require less water, therefore less draining.

"HEEAAAH!" Athena blasted the next two targets with compact Psybeams. She huffed as sweat dripped down her dress and stained the sandy field. She was working harder than she ever had during a training session. She felt as though she wasn't progressing much, I mean, Theodore and Anubis at least won a match unlike her. No. She wouldn't allow herself to be weak. She wanted to be the strongest Gardevoir and she will achieve that.

Theodore watched Anubis demonstrate his martial arts techniques. It was basically karate with a few extra moves like boxing hooks and uppercuts. Sarah was right to pick Kraton. His body wasn't fit for karate. She subconsciously figured this out without even meaning to. She derived his strengths and weaknesses just like how he would. He's such a great influence.

"Stop," Theodore said as Anubis was in the middle of throwing a front kick. "These fighting techniques of yours, they're not going to work for you."

"What do you mean, this is the traditional martial arts of the Lucario line. We've been using it since we first came to be."

"Yeah, but it doesn't fit your style. You use power-based attacks in order to overpower your opponents, not mid-powered ones. This book has techniques from a martial art called Kraton. I've already read it and know it will be perfect for you It does require agility too, but you should have enough before the tournament starts."

Anubis stayed silent until he said.

"D-do I have to?"

"Of course, you want to become stronger don't you?"

"Yes, but it feels wrong. It's part of our tradition as a Riolu to use our martial arts, not others. If I did it would break that tradition."

He saw Theodore cringe incredibly and then become angry like he had committed a sin. He raised a hand and backhanded Anubis. He fell to the ground. His eyes widened in shock as Theodore towered over him.

"Tradition, I don't care about tradition. It is a waste of time to believe in such things and I've already wasted enough time from losing to that gym. It's delayed my plans, so you better learn this you useless piece of shit."

He wanted to cry. He didn't expect him of all people to say that, not his saviour. That word, useless, shook him to his core. The dark thoughts he thought he had ridden himself off were trying to come back, but he shook them off.

Theodore saw him stand up with tear-filled eyes that made his skin burn. His stone heart dropped. Seeing Anubis wear such a face compared to his usual innocent one felt incredibly wrong. He hated seeing him like that. Why Anubis compared to anyone else, even a human child, he doesn't know.

"I-I'm sorry."

"W-what?" Anubis didn't expect him to say that especially with that guilty look of his.

"You heard me and I'm not going to repeat it. Look, all I'm saying is that it will benefit you by a mile if you listen to what I said, trust me on that. Your body is better suited for Kraton. Not every Riolu or Lucario is the same so why use the same style if you're better off with something else? why not bring out your full potential?" He gave it a thought.

"You're right. I should at least give it a try." Theodore's advice hadn't failed him or the rest of the team yet, so he'll at least give it a go.

An hour into the training session where Theodore showed him the techniques and adjusted his stances as he used them, he'd realised what he was talking about. It was mindblowing. He had tested the ones he'd learned, the basics, on a small boulder that the Boldore had conjourned for him. The boulders felt like air. He destroyed them like they were nothing.

He looked at his fist. Such power. He knew he was different to other Riolus when his line prioritises agility compared to his power, but after seeing his performance he could now see why. He was simply not using a style suited to his body. Like revelation, Theodore was right.

"What did you mean by delay in your plans, what are trying to achieve?" Anubis asked.

"I made a deal with Sarah where if I helped her win the Unova League then she would take me to Spear Pillar in the Sinnoh region. That's the only reason I'm with you guys right now."

That didn't sound right. He didn't want it to sound right. He didn't want Theodore to leave and the thought that he was only with them for this goal and not because he cared about them felt wrong. He must be lying. There's just no way.

"You carry on practising while I learn my marital art, Veloctar." Theodore went to the other side of the battlefield and went over the diagrams of the book. Within an hour of going over each technique, he had learned them. It was easy after the excellent muscle control Cadence Illusion gave, and the fact that he was Theodore Nieoldiek. He could do anything. Mastering would take only a bit of practice.

"Alright, time's up," Theodore said. "Let's see what we've got."

Anubis was no slouch either. He went for an elbow strike to Theodore's head. Theodore, now knowing how to use his leg muscles better for quick dodging, easily jumped over the attack. He landed behind Anubis and gave him a punch at his back. Anubis gasped as he was hit in the kidney.

Theodore let him have a moment before Anubis went in with a quick jab which was ducked under. He used Detect when Theodore brought up his fist.

It will hit my chin.

He moved his head back slightly as Theodore's fist just brushed his fur before he sent a front kick to his stomach.

Theodore doubled over as the kick felt like a truck. He put a hand on his stomach and took a step back. He should have expected that after witnessing the destroyed boulders in the room. He smirked. He went in much quicker than before and precisely hit him just under his right ribcage before he could even react.

Anubis fell to the floor and wheezed as he held where his liver was.

"Ah, the classic liver shot. It expands your blood vessels and decreases your heart rate. You can't train for it, which makes it such a deadly weak point. Anyway, while you're huffing and puffing over there, I'll get us some water."

It took a few minutes for Anubis to recover from the unbearable pain, but he was happy. He was improving. The Boldore, who was sitting on the side, spoke.

"You know, he's like your dad," he said in a voice that sounded like tumbling rocks.

"A dad?"

"Yes, you have a dad don't you?"

"I never knew him, I was bought from a breeder from my previous trainer." He grimaced at the memory of Connor. "But was abandoned by him and taken in by my new team. This is the closest thing I have to a family, but I love them."

"Hmm, good for you. But even though I don't know your team's relationship, the one you and that Weavile show is like me and my son."

Anubis saw Theodore returning from the hallway with two bottles of water in his hands. He wondered.

Dad…

Sarah carried Athena in her arms. She overworked herself and was chastised not to do that again. She would get stronger, she just needed patience.

"So, how are you two progressing?" She asked despite not needing to when she saw how sweaty they were. Anubis was on his back while Theodore was leaning back on his arms. They all stunk including her. She did her own exercise in the gym and tried out weight lifting. She had to say, the burn felt good.

"Alright, misters and miss," she announced. "We're going to have a bath right now. No member of mine is allowed to stink."

Once they had one in the centre they moved to lunch. She used the specialised pokefood she bought from the grand mall. They were delighted when they ate. It was useful as it rejuvenated their specific needs based on their typing, for example, Theodore's had extra ammonium to help produce liquid nitrogen. Athena dunked down a water bottle that was double her size to bring her water reserves back to an optimum state.

She also added the Oran berries she got from N to help their recovery…she missed him.

This carried on for another two days and the day before the tournament was meant as a rest day.

It was the day of the tournament and she saw her first opponent on the stand opposite her. They were surrounded by locals sitting on the stands above them. They were mostly tourists and workers who had the day off. This was an exciting event to bring up their day. Don George stood on his own stand as the referee and announced how the tournament worked.

"This tournament has eight contestants. Each contestant has had an opponent randomly selected for them. They will face them in a battle of a one-on-one and the winner will progress to the next round while the loser is eliminated from the tournament. The winners will face against their next opponent and it will be a two-on-two battle. The final battle will be between the two remaining challengers who will have a three-on-three battle and the winner will take home $1000 and a trophy."

It sounded simple enough. The audience nodded at the rules.

Sarah's eyes turned into dollar signs. T-that's insane, 1 thousand! That will last me two months. I mean, I'm already high on funds due to winning so many battles and hardly losing, but still.

She drooled. So many Castelia Cones…

"The first battle of the day will be between Sarah Grace and Don Leland. This will be a one-on-one battle," Don George said. He pressed a button on his watch. "The challenger, Don Leland will show his Pokemon first."

Her opponent, another 12 year old boy who wore a green jumper, released his first Pokemon. It was between Anubis's and Athena's size. It had a grey body and purple limbs. Its head was like a helmet and showed two fierce yellow eyes. Its arms and head had a blade protruding from them while its body had multiple.

Sarah pulled out her pokedex to scan it.

"Pawniard. Blades comprise this Pokemon's entire body. If battling dulls the blades, it sharpens them on stones by the river."

It looks like a steel type. Then that means I'll choose…

"Anubis, you're up." She summoned the Riolu onto the sand and rocky battlefield.

"Pawniard, use Iron Head."

"Anubis, dodge it." The Pawniard shot off from its legs and pointed its head's blade towards him. It was like a rocket, but our duo smirked. Anubis simply stepped to the side and let it pass. The training wasn't nothing and she wasn't that fast to him.

Pawniard's head blade hit one of the protruding rocks and got it stuck in there. When it stood up the rock followed.

"Oh no!" Its trainer panicked.

"Oh yes," Sarah said. The trainer was inexperienced, it was clearly one of his first battles. Is this how I appeared in front of Burgh? "Use Brick Break on its side. Don't hit the rock stuck on it."

"Dodge it Pawniard!"

It became unsteady on its feet due to the rock that was almost as large as it was. Anubis, going into a Kraton stance, punched with a glowing fist on the side of its head. The stance enabled power to come out from his legs, to his hips, and then to his fist.

The crowd winced when the attack landed. Pawniard landed on the floor in front of Sarah's stand. It stood up unsteadily with a limp on its right leg. The move was super effective against its steel typing.

"Get close and use Fury Cutter."

Huh, Sarah thought. From the large distance between them, it would be better to use a long range attack especially when Anubis would overpower it in close combat. Unless it doesn't know one.

When Pawniard used the attacks, the blades on its arms glowed purple and slashed Anbuis. He dodged most but Pawniard had good aim. A few landed, but they didn't feel like anything.

"W-why didn't that do anything," Don asked.

"Bug type moves aren't very effective against my Riolu who's a fighting type. Now, use Quick Attack."

He tackled Pawniard in an instant, his momentum pushing it back to where it was. Now it was Sarah's turn to be confused. The attack didn't do much as Pawniard easily got up and dusted itself. She took her typing diagram out of her pocket and her eyes widened when she realised that normal type attacks are weak against steel types.

"Whoops," She said.

"This is looking to be an interesting battle, although, the power of each Pokemon shows a clear winner," Don George said. The crowd anticipated the ending of the battle coming.

"It's not over yet," Don, the challenger, said. "This move has been my winning move for all of my battles. Use Guillotine."

"Uh oh. If this move lands then it could be game over for Sarah. Guillotine is a devastating move and has a chance of making its victim faint if landing," Don George said.

"Anubis, don't worry, we've got this," Sarah said. Pawniar's blade extended massively and glowed a menacing blue before it jumped into the air. It brought down its claws. "Use detect and counter with a Brick Break."

He saw where the move would land. The blades would head straight down his head at a speed of 13m/s. However, he didn't see it as a number but as an instinct. He dodged back before the attack landed and Pawniard caused a large crator to form under them.

Not wasting the opening, he charged both fists with Brick Break and brought them down on its head, careful of the protruding blade. It fell facedown onto the crater and fainted.

"Pawniard is unable to battle, therefore making Sarah Grace the winner of the first battle of the tournament." The crowd went wild at the battle. It was so one-sided and showed them who the potential winner of the tournament would be.

"Aww, I lost," Don Leland said.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Sarah said.

"Huh?"

"I lost before because of my inexperience. I almost gave up on battling, but instead, I learned from my mistakes and became a better battler. Just learn from what mistakes you made in this battle like teaching Pawniard a ranged attack in case getting close to its opponents isn't an option."

"Thank you, I'll make sure to do that and get better." Don George nodded while smiling.

"And that is the sportsmanship we should all show to our opponents."

She watched the rest of the contestants as they battled. Her Pokemon were all in their pokeballs as those were the rules. It would keep the contestants and the audience on edge. Not all of the contestants were as inexperienced as her opponent. The most notable was Conner who used a Dragonair. A frickin Dragonair!

How he got that, she would have no idea. After an hour's break for everyone, it became her turn again. This time it was against a slightly older and bulky boy.

"The start of the second round has begun. It will be a two-on-two battle between Sarah Grace and Loid James." Don George pressed the button on his watch. "The challenger, Sarah Grace will show her Pokemon first."

"Athena, let's go and show everyone the results of your training." The little Ralts stood on her side of the field, guard up, and ready for anything. The girls in the stands were gushing crazily from her cuteness.

"Come out Quilladin." A Pokemon that looked like a large porcupine stood firmly. It was quite large and had two large spikes protruding from its back. Its green armour told Sarah what its type was.

A grass type and it's large, so it's slow. I'm glad Athena was picked. Not many people would think a Ralts can learn a fire type move, so they will get the burn of their lives.

"You can start this off," Sarah said.

"Thank you. Quilladin, use Pin Missile."

Athena turned her head slightly. Sarah nodded, knowing what she was thinking. Athena saw the missile coming at her. There were six of them. She jumped back for three of them, then to the left for the next two, and then dashed forward for the last. She still maintained a good distance from the Quilladin.

"Mystical Fire!" She breathed out her flames. It cried out in pain as the flame encompassed him whole. The fire was a brilliant combination of the colors red, orange, and yellow which made the audience stare in awe. They had been working on this move relentlessly.

"You're going to pay for that," Quilladin said, his body scorched.

"I hear you, my friend. Use Take Down while she's close," Loid said.

"Yes, but Take Down which one," Sarah said.

"Huh?"

"Use Double Team."

The Quallidan charged with normal type energy and if it hit Athena, with his bulky body, it would have done a lot of damage against her small frame. Unfortunately for the two, he hit a clone which dispersed. He looked around at the many Ralt's surrounding him.

"Use Pin Missile again, hit them all."

6 Pin Missiles against another five clones. Loid smirked as each of them dispersed a clone until one remained with a glowing projectile shooting towards her. That one! He was about to order his Pokemon to use Take Down on that one, but to his shock, it was another clone.

W-where is she?

Athena had hid behind a boulder and was close to the Quilladin.

"Another Mystical Fire and make it a large one."

She blew a massive flame which made him scream in agony. She could smell the smoke coming from him.

This is over now, Sarah thought. To her shock, Quilladin remained up although he was on one knee.

"Quickly, Mud Shot on her eyes." He conjourned on each hand mud that was dense and sticky. Athena was close and couldn't dodge in time. She tried to rub the mud off but it was stuck.

"Use Vine Whip to grab her." He wrapped two of his Wine Whips on her. She couldn't break out of the grip. "Now throw her."

She hit a boulder which cracked. Luckily, they also trained a bit on her endurance so she was mostly fine.

Sarah bit her lip. She got cocky again and almost paid the price.

Athena was growing frustrated. She had trained for three days straight and she still hasn't finished the battle against the pure grass type. She's ending this now!

"Sarah!" She growled.

"I hear you," Sarah said. "Use Confusion."

"Dodge it." But he couldn't. He was too large and slow. He was built like a tank and was vulnerable to status-changing attacks. Confusion landed and now he couldn't understand the world around him.

"Get in close and end this with another Mystical Fire." If this time he didn't go down then they deserved to lose this match. Fortunately, the beautiful fire ended the grass type and caused him to faint.

"Damn it. You did well. Have a good rest." He recalled him. "You may have beaten him, but you won't beat my Sunkern."

He summoned the seed Pokemon.

"That's supposed to be stronger than a Quilladin?" Sarah asked.

"You'd be surprised."

Sarah thought of keeping Athena and using Theodore for the next round, but she would be too tired for that battle and she would be down to two Pokemon. She got out her chart. Grass types are weak against ice types and Theodore beats Anubis in getting close to his opponent. Theodore, it is.

"Athena come back. You've made me proud."

"Ralts." She aknowledged delightfully.

"Theodore, it's your turn."

"What the fuck am I looking at?" He was excited to see how well his new martial arts would do until he saw his opponent. A twat with no limbs.

"Oh my god, it's you! Wait…" The Sunkern narrowed his eyes on the Weavile checking if his assumption was correct. "It is. You saved me back in Nacrene City."

"That was you?!" He was dumbfounded. Surely this was a coincidence, but how many times is this going to happen to him? Shinigami was at play here, but what lesson would he want him to learn this time?

"And this time, I'll show you what I can do. I may not have been able to help you before, but I've improved a lot since then."

Theodore cracked his knuckles.

"He, we'll see about that."

"Sunkern, use Leaf Storm." He summoned a Leaf Storm that was almost on par with Burgh's Leavanny. Theodore's eyes widened as he barely dodged the attacked that he didn't expect to have much speed or power. If it wasn't for his dodging technique then that would have hit. "And now use Solar Beam."

Now that he expected it, he easily dodged the attack and got in close to the seed. He summoned a Shadow Claw and gave him a horizontal slash. He yelped before falling forward to the floor. Theodore stood in front of his fallen foe and scoffed. This was too easy.

Sarah didn't like Loid's smirk.

"Vine Whip," he simply said. The stem on top of Sunkern was already by Theodore's feet. They extended and coiled around them.

"What!" Theodore shouted.

"That was sneaky," Sarah said to Loid.

"Sometimes you have to be. Spin him around smash him to the wall." With a surprising amount of strength, he lifted Theodore up and did so. Theodore quickly got off the wall and growled. He was first curious how such a little creature could lift him up when he was over 5x his size then it turned to anger. He said he was an inferior creature back in the cages, so he wouldn't let himself be defeated like this.

He used Ice Beam and froze the Sunkern in place. He had become an ice cube. He charged his Shadow Claws and went down on him. Sunkern fell back.

To Theodore's surprise, he slowly got up despite taking a super effective move and a few Shadow claws.

"Just stay down damn it."

"N-no, I'm not useless."

Useless. That's what Anubis called himself back in his self destruction in the Dreamyard. That word was a phobia to him and after their first training session in the Battle Club, he'd been careful of using that word.

The Sunkern was now trying to prove himself as Anubis did. But Anubis proved himself. He's a fantastic Pokemon no matter what anyone says and he could give me a slightly tough time. This Sunkern though…

Was also starting to give me a tough time.

He had to end this now. He was starting to get too annoyed with it. He used a Veloctar overhead slash. The seed Pokemon's weak point, by his hypothesis, should be just between the stems on his head. The attack made him faint.

"Sunkern!" his trainer shouted.

Theodore was tempted to leave him and walk away, but he felt reluctant. He couldn't lie, the attacks the Sunkern pulled off were deadly. He lifted him up.

Sunkern started to cry.

"Y-you're right. I'm u-useles-"

"OI!" Theodore startled him. "Even though you're still inferior to me, I'm not going to lie, that was an interesting battle. You had me in a bit of a pinch there. You may not have been able to beat me but you've proven yourself."

"R-really."

"Yes, now fuck off before I change my mind." Theodore saw Sunkern smile brightly before he was recalled. It made him feel fluttery.

"That was a good battle," Loid said, going in for a handshake.

"Thank you. Your Pokemon were tough. I'm surprised by how tanky they were."

"Yeah, a lot of grass types are suited that way. I hope you win the finals. I heard that guy, Connor, is a total jerk."

"I will," Sarah said confidently.

"I'm…going to the…battlefield," Theodore said after lunch in English. He licked his lips from the ice type pokefood. So delicious. He wanted to practise a little more on Cadence Illusion.

"Anubis, what are you doing he-" Anubis was still eating lunch, so no, it couldn't be him. He sniffed the scent in the air. The Riolu practising his strikes on the boulders Boldore conjoined belonged to a different trainer. He smelled different. A Pokemon's scent was how they could be told other apart and their genders.

He didn't need to sniff his scent when he saw the two golden rings he was wearing on his right ear. They must have been expensive.

The strikes were impressive. They were the traditional martial arts Anubis was talking about for his species except it worked well for this Riolu. The techniques were performed beautifully, balancing grace with effectiveness.

Theodore went to the other side of the field to practise Cadence Illusion. He wondered who this Riolu belonged to.

Anubis needed a shit. He told Sarah and she directed him to the Pokemon toilets.

"Hey, watch it!" A trainer said bumping him around the corner.

"S-sorr-" The words died in his mouth. He looked up and saw a very familiar trainer. It was then, while the trainer's shadow loomed over him, that he remembered what happened that day in the abandoned Dreamyard. How he was called out of his pokeball. How he was tied up and left to die. How Connor kicked him to the floor and told him how useless of a Pokemon he was.

He let out a scream for help. This was it. This was where he would be put down for good.

"Ouch, dude. What's your problem?" Connor said while holding his ears.

Sarah rushed to where they were after hearing her brother's scream.

"What's going on here, what were you trying to do?!" She demanded before picking Anubis from the ground and shielding him behind her.

Athena had rushed towards them too but her small legs made her have to catch up to Sarah. She huffed in place. She was about to ask what in the Reversal World made her run like that, but she sensed it through her horn. Anubis's utter fear, and it was towards the human who wore some expensive clothing, from Leavanny's Thread if she remembered correctly from the advertisements on TV.

"You better have a good explanation," Sarah said.

"I didn't do anything. Your Riolu was the one who bumped into me and then screamed for some reason."

Sarah mused. She thought he was lying, thinking he wanted Anubis to be part of his 'expensive' team or whatever. But then what could get Anubis to be like this? He was still shivering behind her and used her legs as cover from Connor.

Athena pulled on her arm, her usual smile had a very grimace-looking face instead. She wrapped her hands around her mouth then coiled them around her arms. She was signing something.

…

No. No, it couldn't be.

"Anubis, was this your previous trainer.?" She asked as calmly as she could.

He slowly nodded and she felt a fury she had never felt before in her life.

"How could you, he's only a child!!!" She said to Connor.

"Wait, was that the Riolu from the Dreamyard? Ha, I never thought I would see you again. So, how is he, pretty useless isn't he? I bet he couldn't win one battle for you." Anubis winced from that word.

"So, you admit it you heartless piece of shit." Athena winced. That was the first time she had ever sworn and it didn't fit her. Sarah stomped towards him and was about to sock him in the face.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said while looking at the camera behind her in the corner of the hallway. She didn't even see that. For him to notice it that quickly showed he's done similar things in the past. This was how he was never caught.

But hah, jokes on him.

"You've admitted to your crimes on camera. I can have you arrested for that and you know the charge for the killing of your Pokemon partner." Every child was taught it as it broke the Great Pact, something that was ingrained into them. "You will either be arrested for life or have the death sentence at most."

"But for what, I didn't do anything."

"You literally just ad-"

"I said that I saw a Riolu in the Dreamyard, not abandon one there. He wasn't my partner and it isn't a crime to leave a dying Pokemon to its fate. You can't get me arrested." He grinned so meticulously she wanted to rip his face off. "I'm surprised you took him in and are still in this tournament."

"He's better than you think, he just needed a trainer who could actually raise him." He frowned at the insult.

"We're both going to face each other in the finals. There we'll see who is right. You or me." He walked past and went to the cafeteria. She picked Anubis up and wiped his tears away.

"Don't worry about him Anubis, he's wrong. You are one of the best Pokemon in the world and in the finals we'll show him that, okay."

He nodded weakly. Athena sensed the lack of willpower within him and it was replaced with depression. She hoped he would be up by the finals at least. She hated seeing anyone sad, but it was the worst when it was from her team.

"The third and final round between Sarah Grace and Connor Winchester is about to begin. This will be a three-on-three battle. Whoever wins this will win the tournament and $1000," Don George said which made the crowd anticipate the battle more. He pressed the button on his watch. "Connor will bring his Pokemon out first."

"Come out Dragonair, let's show these peasants what we're about." He summoned the long blue snake creature with a blue underbelly. It had a small blue horn on its head and had beautiful brown eyes. It had a small wing on the sides of its head that were able to get it to fly short distances.

A dragon type and one that can fly a bit. I know that Dragonairs are a balance between long range and close range. Athena would probably be best with her long range attacks and her fairy typing. Yeah, that'll work.

"Out Athena." She would take the first move. "Use Psybeam."

"Fly." He dodged the compact Psybeam by going into the air. "Use Aqua Tail."

"Don't dodge it. Use Confusion." Athena listened despite feeling a pang of anxiety of the attack coming towards her. The ring was absorbed by Dragonair and his large derpy eyes showed the attack had worked. Her normal strategy isn't a bad one she just needed to have some backup ones. "Hah, now he won't be able to follow your commands. How's that for a peasant."

"Tch, don't think you've one yet."

"Use Psybeam and make it some hard ones." Athena kept shooting as many as she could. Each one had hit and thrown the Dragonair further back towards his trainer's stand. Athena felt a headache at using so many psychic attacks at once.

"Dragonair, snap out of it! Use Thunderbolt!" Dragonair shook his head and had quickly ridden his status effect. His body charged with electricity and it shot out towards Athena.

"Dodge it, then get closer and use Mystical Fire." She went to the middle of the field and attacked. The Dragonair screamed in pain but the girls were shocked at the lack of scorch marks. Sarah quickly looked at her diagram and realised her mistake. Fire type moves were not super effective against dragon types.

"Use Dragon Tail."

"Just charge as many Psybeams as you can. Don't worry about the attack." The world was starting to feel blurry. Her headache increased as she charged six Psybeam projectiles around her. The Dragon Tail only pushed her back.

"What?!"

"Dragon type attacks do nothing against fairy types. Now take this. Fire." The projectiles had hit and caused a large form of smoke. "No."

The Dragonair, though clearly damaged, stayed standing on his tail. Sarah growled. There's a reason the Dragonite line was rare and hard to get. When raised properly, they were one of the most powerful non-legendary Pokemon in the world.

"Fireblast!" The attack was in the form of a kanji and almost landed on Athena if she hadn't dodged it. It caused the area she was in to break into pieces.

Athena started to see red. She's NOT going to lose this. Sarah didn't give a command and wondered for a strategy. It was clear that Connor just relied on his team to overpower their opponents so Athena was tempted to use her Confusion strategy again.

She didn't wait. She charged another Psybeam despite her headache. She compressed it as small as she could. Smaller and more compacted. Like an instinct that awakened in her, The projectiles glowed and formed missiles. 2 more formed and she shot them like rockets at the Dragonair who didn't see it coming. It was Psyshock.

It caused a loud explosion and after silence from the challengers, the ref, and the crowd, they saw Dragonair faint and lay limp on the ground.

"Draonair has fainted. Connor, bring in your next Pokemon."

"How could that tiny little thing beat my Dragonair?"

Athena held her head as the recoil from the attack kicked in. Sarah recalled her to be used later if she needed to. She didn't protest against the beam.

"Come out Togekiss," Connor said. The beautiful flying type got the crowd rowding.

"Theodore, it's your turn."

"Let's kill this bitch," Theodore said in pokespeech.

"How uncouth. I'll clean that filthy mouth of yours," The Togekiss said with an aunty voice.

"Togekiss, use Air slash." Togekiss went into the air momentarily before charging at Theodore. He smirked. He charged his Shadow Claw. When she came close, he dashed forward and attacked behind himself. The Veloctar technique getting a cry out of her. "No, use Moonblast."

Theodore tried to get her before she could finish charging her attack and charged his ice beam. Togekiss charged it up surprisingly fast due to her genetics. Both attacks had hit. She became encased in an ice cube which felt like cold fire against her skin due to it being super effective.

Theodore also felt searing pain as the beautiful ethereal beam blasted him through a boulder.

That Moonblast attack was a fairy type attack and super effective against him. I didn't realise at first, but Togekiss's appearance does show traits of a fairy type. Sarah thought.

Theodore got up while holding his left shoulder. It was aching badly. His fur had small rocks stuck in them from the boulder.

Fuck, now I have to end this quickly.

"Go into the air again and keep using Moonblast," Connor said, seeing the effectiveness of the attack. Theodore kept dodging them expertly despite the pain in his left arm everytime he moved.

After the eighth shot, Togekiss stumbled in the air. The fairy type energy was draining her. Theodore started to walk around her. He didn't know if being in the air would cause Cadence Illusion to not work, but tried anyway.

Togekiss felt nauseous from watching him. It's like she forgot how to fly, its motions, and she plummeted to the ground. Theodore grinned sadistically. The move worked better than he thought. He went in with both Shadow Claws, ignoring the pain in his left arm.

"No, you won't. Togekiss, use Protect. We can't let these dweebs win. I swear, if we lose this, I'm selling you." If she could hear him she would have cried. She did so much just to stay with him despite how much pain it caused. She felt several slashes on her after failing to summon the shield. She was already drained from her attacks and she couldn't get back up.

With an Ice Beam, she fainted.

"Togekiss is unable to battle, which means Connor is left with one final Pokemon. If he loses the next battle then he'll lose the tournament."

"Hah," Sarah laughed. "I still have all my Pokemon. Look at all that talk and it's gone down the drain."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up. My last Pokemon will destroy every single one of yours just watch!"

Theodore had to go back. His arm was screwed. He probably couldn't win against his next Pokemon. Sarah was about to recall him but he held up his hand. He wanted to see this potentially last round.

"It's a good thing you left that poor excuse of a Riolu of yours for the end," Connor said. "Fine, you can win this tournament, but my Riolu will triumph."

Theodore's eyes widened when the same Riolu he'd seen in the training area appeared. He was wearing those two golden rings on the ear. The Riolu got into a fighting stance and smiled confidently, not arrogantly like his trainer.

He tugged on Sarah's sleeve and shook his head when she was about to summon Anubis.

"He's not going…to win," he spoke in English.

"Of course he is. Haven't you seen our track record? One more win and that's it."

"No, I've…seen that Riolu fight…Anubis isn't strong enough." Sarah pulled her shirt out of his grip.

"He can win. He WILL win. As the person he looks up to the most, you should have more faith in him."

He groaned and shook his head. This wouldn't end well. Many calculations went through his head and they all showed Anubis losing.

Faith, what an unyielding concept.

Anubis was summoned and stood without his guard up. He looked past the other Riolu and saw the sharp eyes of Conner before looking at the ground.

"Anubis," Sarah called out. "Breath." She did the motions and he copied. Things were still as blurry.

"I-I can't do this!" He yelled.

Athena, despite being in the pokeball, sensed the huge trauma he was facing. The memories of how he was abandoned by the one who was supposed to look after him. She cried within the hut of the habitat the pokeball built. It was too much. She couldn't stand sensing his sadness. She broke out of the pokeball to everyone's surprise.

"Ralts!"

"You want to fight?" Sarah asked.

"Ra-Ralts." She nodded before wincing and holding her head. "Don't worry Anubis, I've got this."

"Are you sure?" He asked. "But your injur-."

"Don't worry about them. I don't want to see you sad."

He went to sit at the side by Sarah's stand. He felt guilty. He was making Athena battle for him.

"How pathetic. I told you he couldn't battle for jack," Connor said.

"Shut up. You're the one who did this." Sarah growled.

"Riolu, use Stone Edge." He conjourned many pointed spear-like rocks and they rocketed towards her.

"Dodge them." The last one hit her dress and pinned her to the adjacent boulder. She tried to yank it off but the rock was wedged in there.

"Now's our chance, use Metal Claw!"

Athena grunted and started to get nervous. Her dress just wasn't coming out. Riolu's claws extended and became encased in steel type energy. He swiped at her face. She screamed as some of hair were cleanly sliced off. The move was super effective. Luckily, that managed to force herself out of the rock, leaving a bit of her dress with it.

She huffed. She wouldn't be able to go for much longer.

"Use Psyshock."

"Dodge them." He managed to evade the first two projectiles but got hit by the last. He grunted as it hit him clean in his chest.

"Athena!" Anubis yelled as she went on one knee and held her head. She felt a tear dripping down her right cheek..

"D-dont' worry Anubis. I-I've got this." He could see through the forced smile. One more hit with a Metal Claw and it was over. He growled and gripped the sides of his fur tightly.

I can't watch this. What am I doing? My sister is getting pummeled for my sake while I'm just watching.

He couldn't take it anymore.

"Use Metal Claw."

"Double Team." She didn't have the energy to summon any clones. She dropped to the ground after the Riolu brought down his claws.

"Athena has fainted therefore Sarah only has two Pokemon left," Don George said.

"Thank you, Athena. You have a good rest. I promise we'll win this." Her shirt was grabbed by Anubis. She almost took a step back due to the fury in his eyes.

Someone had cared for him enough to sacrifice themselves. He wouldn't let their sacrifice go in vain.

He went to his side of the field and got into his Kraton stance, earning a strange look from his Riolu counterpart.

"Well well, look who decided to show himself," Connor said. Anubis tried his best to ignore him.

Don't think about him. Focus on the 'mon in front.

"Use Stone Edge."

"Quick attack to dodge and get close." When he got to the Riolu's face he sent a roundhouse kick to his head. His base leg slipped slightly and it was easily dodged.

"Hurgh!" The Riolu sent a front snapping kick to his stomach. He held it as he distanced himself back. The Riolu's technique was of their traditional martial arts, one he couldn't perform well. This discouraged him further.

Theodore shook his head in dismay. This was what he talking about, the skill difference was clear.

"Now High Jump Kick," Conner said. The Riolu's leg charged with a huge amount of fighting type energy before he jumped quicker than Anubis could react and hit him with the attack. Anubis was sent through a couple of boulders.

"Oh no, Anubis!" Sarah called out.

He stayed lying on the floor.

"I told you. My Riolu is better in every way. I bought him with the specifics of having a strong egg move such as High Jump Kick. Yours is useless. You hear that. Loser, loser, loser."

The crowd's dismayed reaction along with everything else was cut off from Anubis.

Useless.

That was what he uttered in their last battle together.

He struggled to get up. Was he even breathing anymore?

"Low Kick."

He went face flat to the floor again. He could feel the sandy ground rubbing his skin and getting stuck in his fur.

The low kick reminded him of his fall after being tied up at the Dreamyard.

Get up.

I don't want to.

Get up!

I'm not worth it.

"GET UP!!"

"Ow!" He held the side of his head as his body automatically got up. He was surprised to find one of the Stone Edge on the floor beside him. Theodore stood beside Sarah's stand with the most furious gaze ever.

"You little shit! If you don't beat the crap out of that blue bitch then I'll come over there and kick you ass."

"B-but-"

"But nothing. When I saw you in the Dreamyard, I saw your resolve when you wanted to show the whole world that you weren't useless, that you'll become amongst the strong. You've proven yourself thus far or maybe you want to go back to that abandoned laboratory and know that forever, you were a loser. Is that what you want, HUH?"

He was practically shouting although everyone else had just heard him screaming his name.

"Then get your shit together. I've taught you Kraton. Win this."

Theodore showed a fiery passion in his cool blue eyes that even he wasn't aware of. All of this, just for him?

…

He got into his stance, this time it was perfect just like they practised.

"Riolu." He looked over his shoulder and nodded at Sarah. She nodded back.

"Use Swift." He shot out stars.

Theodore watched while nervously shivering. This was the first time he went against his logical thinking in a strategic way. There was no thought or calculations, just…faith. He tightened his fists.

Please, win this.

"Stone Edge." The two attacks met and formed a large cloud of dust. Sarah smirked. This was part of her plan. Anubis rushed towards the Riolu.

"Didn't you learn from last time, High Jump Kick." Sarah looked at Theodore. She had seen some of the pages of Kraton before giving it to him to teach Anubis. There was a page blocking this type of attack. Theodore shouted.

"NOW, tighten your stance and focus your weight on your left leg." The Riolu was stunned as the attack that was supposed to be one of high damage had hit Anubis's shin and did nothing. Actually, it hurt HIM instead.

"Brick Break," Sarah said. Anubis combined the attack with a cross punch of Kraton and smashed the Riolu back, sending him to the floor where Connor just stared in shock.

"N-no. This can't be happening. I won't allow it. Get up you stupid dog and use Metal Claw." The Riolu slowly got up, charged his claws and attacked. It was dodged. Anubis gave the kick he tried to use earlier.

He focused, more than he had before on a move, special or not. This time, he got it right and it landed on the Riolu's jaw giving a loud crunch. It made some of the crowd wince.

That's it! Theodore thought as some of his anxiety was lifted. And with perfect technique, impressive.

"Don't stop, use Brick Break!" His move changed. While the Riolu was getting up he was able to focus on nothing but him. Nearly everything was cut off. It was like using detect but on the offensive. His fist charged blue and he uppercutted his opponent's chest.

The Riolu was sent flying into the air. He couldn't breath and came down to Connor's stand like a ragdoll. They collided. Connor growled as he held his Riolu.

"Listen, I paid a lot of money for you. If you don't win this then I'll throw you into the forest and leave you there just like I did with so many of you," he said silently. Riolu gulped and gave a weak nod.

He dropped to his side of the battlefield and tried his best not to double over. That hit was unlike anything he'd felt before.

"That move was Focus Punch, yay!" Sarah said. "Use Swift."

"You use Stone Edge and make it a big one."

"Don't let him, make yours even bigger." They both stood in their places and kept charging their attacks, putting in all of the respective type energies into them. They sent their attacks at the same time. Each of the spear-like rocks and stars burst when contacting. After the many projectiles had disappeared, they saw who had the remaining left. 5 stars hit the Riolu when he didn't expect it. He yelled in pain before falling back, swirls in his eyes.

Everyone was silent.

"W-we did it. We did it!" Sarah said before jumping into the air with her arms going high. She jumped to the field and picked Anubis up.

Connor growled.

"T-this can't-no." He looked at the Riolu who was being picked up by his new trainer. He will pay.

"Congratulations, Sarah Grace, you are the winner of this tournament," Don George said and the crowd cheered loudly. She and Anubis waved back as he was on her shoulder. This was what she wanted. She took in the glory. It was such an experience.

She let Anubis down. He was shocked when he felt something on his head. Theodore ruffled it and wore a smile that showed pride and sadism.

"You beat him you fucking little shit. Good job." He wanted to cry from utter joy.

"Rio!"

Don George gave the small trophy, £1000, and treatment for her Pokemon. They were healed but in a ruffled state. They would need a bath. When walking through the hallway the team didn't expect to see Connor walk towards them. He wore fury fit for the spoiled child.

"You!" He shouted at Anubis and walked towards him. "I should have just killed you instead of leaving you in the Dreamyard." There were no cameras in the hallway. "That way you still wouldn't have caused me issues. Why couldn't you have just died like the mutt you are."

"Hey!" Sarah was about to protect him, but he stopped her and walked towards Connor.

"I don't need you. You were wrong, I'm not useless. My team here has shown me what a true family is. Something you couldn't do with all that money." He was shouting and despite not understanding exactly what he said, they could understand the meaning behind them. "I was haunted because of you and what you did, but I managed to power through because of them. They've shown me power, they've shown me love, so go away! I'm not bound to you anymore."

"You brat!" Anubis closed his eyes when he tried to backhand him.

Nothing came.

He opened them to see Theodore grip Connor's arm. There was a deadly expression on his face. One that showed extreme danger.

Theodore only had one thought in his head.

I will break his arm.

It was that simple and it would be done, just like anything else that unleashed his true fury.

"S-stop, you're hurting me." The grip got tighter. It's impossible for a normal grip strength to break the bones in the forearm, and despite being a Pokemon, Connor was an enhanced human. It didn't matter though, he will break his arm.

Sarah and Athena were trying their best to get his grip off. They pulled him, tried to remove each individual finger, and a few other things, but they didn't work. A dark ethereal wisp surrounded his arm. It was similar to Shadow Claw but this was darker, physically and metaphorically. His angered eyes turned feral and his clenched teeth started to enlarge. Drool came out as he growled. Something was happening with his body.

The grip got stronger as the wisps started to solidify on his arm forming a gauntlet. You could hear the cracking until…

SNAP

Connor fell back screaming on the floor while holding his right forearm which was bent at a very wrong angle. What was also shocking was when Theodore's body turned back to normal and the wisps disappeared, but he gripped his right arm and screamed in pain louder than Connor.

Sarah quickly swept him up and ran to Don George's medical sector again. The screaming didn't stop. It needed a look into by Nurse Joy who Don George called and luckily she was available.

"Alright." She held the scan in her hand. Theodore was sat up in the medical bed with a cast over his arm. "So somehow he built a load of lactic acid in his forearm."

"What's that," Sarah asked.

"It's what causes that burning feeling in your muscles when you exercise. The more you do then the more it builds. When you breath normally and rest it will naturally go away, but if you keep pushing yourself without stopping then it will crystallise and get stuck in your muscles."

Theodore looked at his arm in the cast. He knew how lactic acid worked, but he should have felt the pain build up gradually. Instead, he felt it after they crystallised. And that power…

What was that, I've never seen it before in the anime?

"I had to perform an emergency surgery with my Audino to take them out. He'll fully recover within three days, but he can't do anything with his arm until then."

"Understood. Thank you, Nurse Joy," Sarah said.

"No problem."

They all walked out of the Battle Club. Today had been one hectic day for everyone. They simply went to the center, took a bath, Theodore being careful with his cast, and went to sleep.

But before two of them could. With N no longer here, it no longer became cramped for Team Sarah as Theodore and Anubis shared the second bed.

"Hey, Theodore."

"Yeah?"

"I just want to say, thank you. You helped me in that battle to get over my fear and fight. You helped me win." He didn't stop. "And you've been helping me ever since you found me. Whether it came to looking after, supporting or just raising me, you were the main one there."

Theodore listened.

"Heh, no problem kid. You've done well yourself. I don't respect people and I still have certain views about Pokemon, but you… you're amazing." Anubis smiled before tucking further under the duvet.

"Goodnight………..dad.

Theodore's eyes widened. He turned but Anubis had slept instantly.

H-he just called me dad.

He didn't know what to think. His thoughts had completely stopped and left him to stare at Anubis's face. He called me dad.

The moonlight shined through the window of the room and hit Anubis's sleeping face. Theodore unconsciously caressed his cheek. He felt the soft blue fur and then slowly ruffled his head. That cute nose, those adorable ears, the innocence shown on this child's face.

"Goodnight………..…son."

 

[Swag Striker]

Chapter 14: The Temple part 1

A/N: I had a lot more time to write in the last week due to the snow in the UK, so here we are. Enjoy.

Chapter 14 START

After using the prize money to buy 10 Castelia Cones, Team Sarah decided to take things lightly after winning the tournament. After Theodore's arm being left in a cast and the confrontation with Connor it would be a bad idea to immediately push them.

Sarah was confused. Today, Theodore's cast would be taken off but in the last three days, he's been acting weird, especially with Anubis. He offered to play games after Anbuis and Athena finished their exercises, things like ball or something calming like colouring without her asking. At first, she thought it was just a phase due to their efforts to win the tournament, but it stayed. He's also smiling. A genuine smile.

Theodore had his cast off after Nurse Joy checked it and said it was fully healed. He had to do some arm exercises to get it moving again. Again, this world's advanced technology still amazes him. He had surgery and fully recovered in just a few days with no scarring.

They were in the Pokemon Centre and it was the last evening before they faced Burgh again tomorrow. Sarah was going over her plans in her notebook. He left her to it. He saw the new colouring book she had bought at his request.

"Hey guys, you want to colour?" He asked the kids.

"Yes!" They both said enthusiastically.

They coloured on a collection of dragons. Athena worked on a Fraxure while Anubis worked on a Hydreigon. He himself worked on a Dragonite. The kids did draw outside of the line sometimes, but despite the mistakes, it was an enjoyable and peaceful experience. At the end, they had a slightly messy coloured drawing of a bunch of dragons found throughout the regions.

"Guys, your food is ready," Sarah said as she came from the table in the corner. The two went away leaving only them alone. Theodore was about to go too, but Sarah said, "Is everything okay, Theodore? You've been acting out the norm for the last few days." She saw him smiling during the colouring. "You've been smiling a lot too."

"Really?" Theodore said, tracing his face with his fingers. He felt his mouth curling up to his eyes. "I...I don't know. lately, I've been feeling differently."

"Did something happen?"

He thought about it. The night they won the tournament, and Anubis conquered his fear of Connor and destroyed him.

Dad he called him and he called him son. Theodore shivered. This isn't like him at all. He wouldn't say such a thing but he remembered the strong sensation when he encouraged Anubis to keep going despite his logical mind saying otherwise.

Sarah noticed his silence.

"It's not a bad thing you know," She said. "To care about others."

He struggled. This was strange, but his body and mind forced him to go along with it. He even forgot about the reason he had the cast on. The mysterious power he gained and the feral emotion he felt.

He just walked to eat his dinner along with his team. He looked to see them eat delightfully as he joined them unlike when he was in his previous world where he would eat alone, miserably, feeling dull.

Sarah faced Burgh who was standing in his casual calm fashion.

"I'm surprised you came back. After you ran away crying, I thought I wouldn't see you for about a month." She grimaced at the memory. It was childish of her. "Instead, you beat the tournament in the Battle Club and came for a rematch. That takes real inner strength."

"Thank you for the praise, but this time I'll beat you. I'm different from the trainer you saw a week ago."

Burgh released his Dwebble.

"Dwebble."

"Anubis, you're up."

"Rio."

"I see you've taken my advice quickly. This matchup should be in your favour as bug and rock type moves are ineffective against fighting types."

"Your advice was my biggest helper in the tournament. Anubis, use Swift."

Burgh clicked his teeth. He couldn't use dig to dodge and get close for X-scissor.

"Use Protect." The stars deflected from the shield. "And now use Rock Wrecker."

"Use Brick Break to break through it then attack him." Anubis used Focus Punch instead. His glowing blue fist smashed through the large rock into small pieces and he was in front of Dwebble. Sarah forgot he learned Focus Punch and forgot Brick Break, but this made her giddy. The move was more powerful.

"Use Dig!" Burgh shouted. Dwebble was startled at Anubis's speed and rushed to dig through the floor, but Anubis brought down a Kraton strike along with his focus punch on the crustaeons head. It felt like he was hit by a hammer. If it wasn't for him being a gym leader's Pokemon he would have fainted right there and then.

Anubis went back, awaiting his next order.

"Keep using Rock Wrecker, don't let them get close," Burgh said.

He summoned as many as he could, throwing them at the canine Pokemon who dodged them swiftly. Luckily, he knew what his trainer was planning. Anubis was now near the side wall. Dwebble threw the rock in front of Anubis forcing him to dodge backwards and be backed into the corner.

"And now use X-sizzor." He closed the distance in an instant and charged his claws.

"Don't dodge it, take it and overpower him with another Focus Punch." He took the slash across the chest but he didn't feel much pain due to it being ineffective. With Dwebble now vulnerable, he ended the match, the Pokemon having fainted in front of him. This was an easy battle.

"Thank you Dwebble, have a good rest." Burgh recalled him. "Let's see how you will face against Whirlipede."

The bug and poison type Pokemon whirled on the spot and showed off its cutting ability. Sarah already knew who to bring out.

"Athena, let's go."

"Whirliped, use Steam Roller. Flatten her to the ground."

"Athena, you know what to do."

"Ralts." She waited until she got close before stepping aside and evading the attack. She let her go a fair distance before charging Psyshock and releasing the psychic projectiles. The three landed and Whirliped screamed in pain.

"WHIRLLL!"

"Oh no, your Ralts has improved her Psybeam."

"Yes." Sarah grinned menacingly. "And she's about to wipe the floor with your Pokemon."

"Don't think it will be that easy. Use Solar Beam."

"Counter it with Mystical Fire." The two attacks clashed. At first, Solar Beam was pushing against the flames. But Athena wouldn't take that, she's worked too hard just to be pushed back. Releasing all her hydrogen reserves, the flames doubled in size and encompassed Whirlipede.

"Whirl!!"

She huffed in place. The air was cool as she breathed in. Perhaps it was more efficient to have dodged but-no, she beat Whirliped in a clash of attacks. Now she would end this after Sarah's final command.

"Whirlipede, Steam Roller." Sarah and Athena were confused, he'd already used that tactic and it failed. How could a gym leader make such an error?

When Whirlipede got close Athena was ready to dodge but she and Sarah were shocked by what Burgh said next.

"Stop the attack and use the momentum to use Venoshock."

"What!" Sarah shouted.

Whirlipede stopped her attack, her pincers no longer coated with steel type energy but with poison. Athena tried to dodge but Whirlipede changed angle and slashed her. Athena landed beside the side wall.

"But she didn't know that before," Sarah said.

"You're not the only ones who improved. Solar Beam again and don't stop. She's been poisoned."

"Dodge them."

The battlefield was starting to get blurry. The poison was a signature attack and worked quickly. With each dodge, she started to feel more drowsy and her skin was getting more sensitive, the air felt like small cuts on it. Whirlipede was relentless in how much she was sending but even she was getting tired having used a lot of grass type energy. Athena saw the one arriving and noticed how small it was.

Despite the headache forming she used a Psyshock, the three projectiles clashed against the Solar Beam. She was getting pushed back again due to her attack weakening after her headache increased. She didn't care. She wanted to beat this Whirlipede for she WILL be the strongest Gardevoir. That was the promise she made to her parents. She pushed and pushed, pushing against her headache as her Psyshock increased in power. She needed more power. And with one final push, she destroyed Whirlipede's attack and blasted him.

A blue glow encompassed her body. Both contenders watched in awe.

Is this what I think it is? Sarah thought. Yes, she's evolving.

She grew in size becoming a few inches taller than Anubis. Her dress changed into a knee-length skirt, and her hair grew to shoulder-length while the front allowed her eyes to be seen. She now had two red horns, one on each side of her head.

"Kirlia!" She said.

"Yes!" Sarah celebrated.

Athena moved around in her new body and engulfed her new height. Her instincts changed to commemorate it and it was like she always had it. She would now be able to talk to Theodore without looking so high up and Anubis…

Oh my cupcakes.

She was taller than him. That means she's the older one now. She'll be giving him so many noogies.

"Congratulations, but the battle isn't finished," Burgh said.

"You're right. You did great Athena. Return."

"Unleashing the guardian of the forest, fight for me Leavanny."

"Leavan," she said.

"You're going to fight using your Weavile again. Despite the matchup in your favour, what will be different from last time, although, after seeing the improvements in your other two Pokemon, I am expecting something."

"Theodore, come on out."

He stretched his arms and cracked his back. He wore a smug grin.

"I'm going to destroy you this time."

Leavanny just hummed.

"Leavanny, use String Shot then Hyper Beam."

As before, she charged her attacks quickly, but he was ready this time. Having trained his body more during the spars with Anubis and Athena, he evaded the string shot, it sticking to the wall behind him, and ducked from the Hyper Beam which pulverized the boulder behind him.

He rushed towards her while firing an Ice Beam. Leavanny's eyes widened from how quickly he charged it and her legs were frozen in place. She tried to break it with her claws but they proved ineffective. The ice was burning against her grassy carapace.

"Use Leaf Storm, don't let him get to you," Burgh said.

"Leavanny." She blasted the attack in front of her. Theodore jumped over it and charged a Shadow Claw. She brought her claws up to block the attack, but he went behind her and slashed her back. She grunted from the sharp cut.

"Use Protect," Burgh said concerned. She was stuck in place and couldn't turn around. This will at least protect her while he figures out what to do.

Instead of breaking through the Protect, Theodore ran around her and used Ice Beam, encasing her in a huge ball of ice. He was brought down to all fours and huffed as his nitrogen reserves ran out and his air pipe felt a lot of ice burn, but he still smirked.

"What is this?" Burgh watched in confusion while Sarah watched with curiosity. He'd never seen this before in a gym battle.

Theodore had studied her anatomy in the library before training for the tournament. Leavanny, despite having blood, was a grass type and used photosynthesis for energy along with normal respiration. The ice ball will slow photosynthesis down and with half of her energy source cut off she wouldn't last much longer.

"Break through with Hyper Beam!" Burgh said.

She did but it was small and lacking much normal type energy. She crawled out of the small hole. She shivered as she struggled to stand up. If he was right, and he always is, ice crystals should be forming inside some of her plant cells and puncturing their cell membranes.

"That was a genius move. Did you teach him that," Burgh asked Sarah.

"No, he learned that himself. He's a special Pokemon," she said.

He charged a Shadow Claw and rushed towards her again. She didn't give up and glared at the coming Weavile.

"Use Leaf Storm," Burgh said. He slashed through the weak Leaf Storm. He aimed for the bug types weak spot while using Veloctar, it was a gap in the carapace between the neck and the chest.

Leavanny didn't even let out a groan as she fell forward and fainted.

"Too easy," Theodore said.

"Leavanny is unable to battle making Sarah Grace the winner of the Castelia Gym," the referee called out.

Burgh recalled Leavanny and walked towards Sarah with a large smile on his face.

"Congratulations, you completely demolished me. You took my advice and implemented it in an instant. Not many trainers would do that so quickly letting their pride get in their way." Sarah rubbed the back of her neck and smiled with a blush at the excess compliments. "You've beaten the Castelia Gym and earned yourself the insect badge."

He held out the badge in a tray but before Sarah could take it he held it back.

"Before you can take it you have to sign this contract," he said as the referee beside him gave it to her.

"Oh, yes." She slapped a hand to her head. "I forgot about that."

She signed it off without reading it as if she already knew what it contained. Theodore watched in confusion. That was never in the anime, and you should never sign a contract without reading it. He would know, some people tried to scam him with ownership of his patents.

He tugged on her dress and she knelt down. He whispered in her ear in English as he didn't want to deal with the constant surprise from other trainers of the Pokemon who could speak human language.

"What is that contract?"

"It's to join the military of course. They tell you this when you start your journey. If you want to progress past three badges then you agree to join the military or you would no longer be allowed to continue the circuit."

That was new, but it made sense. This world, he could conclude, was not running on cartoon logic and was realistic. It wouldn't make sense to have a 12 year old own Pokemon who could grow to kill an elephant from his own world with ease. The only thing he found strange in this world was the peace, it grossed him out like a feeling of homesickness.

He shook his head. Whatever.

And with that, they left. They went to the Pokemon Centre to get healed but Sarah went alone to the video booths.

She wasn't nervous like last time. She was going to be stern as she held the trophy from the tournament and the new gym badge. She typed her parent's number and they popped up.

"Sarah, my darling, how have you been?" her mother asked as her dad was beside her.

"I'm doing well mom, in fact, I'm doing awesome. How are you and dad?"

"We're doing well too dear, Audino and Gallade have been keeping us company. You're in Castelia City, you're progressing well," her mom said in an unenthusiastic tone that she didn't like.

"Sarah," her father called. "I know you want to keep travelling and complete the circus, but we were thinking." She could guess what he was about to say. "That you should come home. We're proud of you for making it this far, but perhaps it's better to get a job now. I know a friend who's willing to-"

"Dad." He stopped talking. "I told you, I need to do this. I'm not the little girl who always needed her hand held for some simple tasks. I want to grow and become someone who can be relied upon…it sucks you know, having to have everyone look down on you." Her parents kept silent. "Mom, dad, I love you, but I'm not going to quit my journey just because you don't think I can do this. Look." She lifted her trophy and badge. "I've just beaten a tournament and won my next badge. I've reached three now. My team have grown stronger than before. I'll come home as the champion after beating Alder, do you understand?"

…

"Okay," her father said. "We won't try to stop you from now on. If you're going to keep going then all we can do is give you our full support."

"But-" her mother said.

"She is right, we've held her hand for too long. Although, we won't accept you coming back without becoming a strong trainer. You better fulfill your promise."

"I do. Thank you," Sarah said then grinned meticulously. "If it helps, I beat Isabella in a Pokemon battle."

Now that shocked them. Isabella, the one whom the family expected to be their most powerful trainer, was defeated by the runt of the family.

"By the way, have you called Professor Juniper, she said she wanted to talk to you," her mother asked.

"Oh fudge, I totally forgot. See ya mom, see ya dad."

"Goodbye Sarah," her father said.

"Goodbye dear," her mother said.

With the end of the call, Sarah let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She didn't expect that outcome and took a risk to say what she said. She did have faith though that everything would be alright and it paid off, she didn't have to worry about her parents trying to stop her from journeying again. She called Professor Juniper.

"Hello Sarah, long time no see," a young woman said with a large smile. Her brown hair was wrapped up in a large bun, she wore red diamond earrings and had a face of beauty.

"Hello professor, I'm sorry I didn't call for a long time. I was meant to call you in Nacrene City but a lot of hectic things have been going on."

"I know, I heard about the kidnapping incident, to see that in our day and age is truly appalling. Well done for rescuing those Pokemon, you were really brave for doing so." Sarah blushed at the praise from her favourite teacher, the one who didn't treat her like a fragile little girl.

"How did you know about that?" Her name wasn't leaked out, was it? That would give her parents a heart attack if they found out.

"I get insider information from the police force and rangers of the region. Don't worry, no one knows it was you except for everyone involved."

"Phew."

"Anyway, how's Athena, did you catch any more Pokemon?

"Oh yeah, Professor, it was awesome. Athena evolved into a Kirlia and I've caught two more Pokemon; a Riolu and a Weavile." Professor Juniper giggled at the young lady's enthusiasm.

"You said you were in Castelia City. Then can you do me a favour? The Nurse Joy in your centre has a package from me, it's an important relic for a friend of mine, he's a researcher. I'll need you to deliver it to him. He's in the Nexacorp building, 4th floor. Can you do that for me please?"

"Of course Professor!"

"Thank you."

They said their goodbyes. After a ding and her name called out on the speakers, she collected her Pokemon, put the package in her bag, and went to her booked room. It was evening and she'd rather deliver it tomorrow.

She arrived at the Nexacorp building, was given a pass from the receptionist, and arrived at the 4th floor. She was surprised by the sight around her. It was a large laboratory filled with scientists who were working diligently on their projects. They used equipment that looked similar to the ones in movies. They glowed, were made of serene material, and looked like they could break reality itself. She didn't know what any of them did.

While Athena and Anubis walked beside her, not bothering to figure out the unfamiliar world around them, Theodore only watched with lust. This right here was his natural habitat. While others would find video games, sports or even drugs to give them a dopamine rush, he would rather study and create. He saw one of the scientists type in his password to log in to his computer. Fbsd76-#.

Oh yeah, I'm definitely taking advantage of this. He could feel a boner coming out.

"Alright everybody, time for lunch," a man called out. When he said that, many of the scientists let out a breath of relief at the prompt of food. The man saw Sarah and walked up to her.

"Hello, you must be Sarah, Aurea told me you'd come," he said.

"Aurea?" She asked.

"Professor Juniper. Do you have the package?"

"Yep, here it is." She got it out of her bag and gave it to him.

"Excellent." He marvelled at the package, feeling it over with his hands. "Thank you for doing this for me. Would you like a tour of the laboratory, I can show you what we've been working on lately."

"Really? I would love to."

While they went through a double door that required the man's keycard, Theodore took a step back just as they closed. He marvelled at the laboratory around him, at the equipment he could only dream of having before his transformation. He cracked knuckles, stretched his arms, and clenched his ass cheeks.

It's good to be back.

…

"And here we have our dream mist electron gun machine. We lost a lot of data from the Dreamyard's main energy project, so we had to start again. Hopefully, this time we'll get it right." She saw a Musharna through the glass producing the dream mist. The electron guns silently shot out their electrons through the mist which produced static throughout the fog.

"This is so exciting," she said. "I wondered how the project would change the world. There was so much promise there. Hey Theo-"

She was about to ask the Weavile what he thought as he was the more learning type of guy in their group, but he wasn't there. She looked around, even behind the machines and he still wasn't there.

"Do you know where he went?" She asked her other two Pokemon, but they just shrugged. Damn it, he was probably in the laboratory. She'll just pick him up after the tour.

Theodore blew away the small smoke produced by the soldering iron. He enclosed the casing of the hand-sized device and put it on the table with the anti-flame spray. It was a psychic jammer. He'd logged into the scientist's computer, the one he saw type in his password, and used it to get whatever information he could find. One example is the frequency of sound needed to disrupt a psychic type's attack, and another was how to operate a machine to fabricate aerogel. Yes, aerogel. The most light material his world had made. It was very hard to make and had a lot of uses. He wished he could live in this place.

He stitched some pockets in his scarf. One for his notebook, one for his anti-flame spray, and one for his psychic jammer. He would wear his aerogel shoes to completely neglect electric type attacks. The material would completely separate him from the ground so the electricity would have nowhere to go. Usually, the material would be extremely fragile, but these twats have figured out a method to reinforce it. Truly amazing.

The double doors behind him opened and he quickly swept away his work to make sure no one knew what he did. I mean, who would expect a Pokemon to create such weapons.

"There you are, we were looking all over for you, where were you?" Sarah asked. Theodore merely shrugged while lifting the book about basic physics next to him. She sighed tiredly. "I'm not even going to ask. Anyway, Professor Gerald, I thank you for the tour." She bowed. He merely chuckled while waving his hands.

"There's no need for that young lady. We don't get many visitors and it's easy to find yourself indulged in the work you're dedicated to. The tour let me have a break too."

They left. Theodore adjusted his scarf so the devices didn't irritate him.

"There's no need to stay in this city anymore. I've already packed our stuff from the Pokemon Centre, we're leaving for Nimbasa City. It will take us over a month according to this map to get there. If we hurry we'll make it before spring ends."

They walked to the edge of Castelia city, gym badge in possession, an evolved partner, some difficult obstacles been overcome, and were ready to leave.

"Hold it!" Someone shouted from behind them. Sarah cringed, immediately recognizing the voice. It was hard to forget a voice that's been with you since the day you were born, through school, and leaving for your journey. She turned to see Isabella marching towards her.

"What do you want, I thought you never wanted to see my face again or whatever."

Isabella pointed a finger at her face.

"I may not have found a referee, but I'll crush you so hard that no form of cheating will allow you to win. I, Isabella Grace, challenge you to a Pokemon battle."

…

"Nah," Sarah said before turning and walking through the gates.

"W-wait, what do you mean? You can't just leave without facing me. I won't allow you."

"Well too bad, I don't have to accept your challenge and I won't. I have a 4th gym badge to win unlike you."

"Actually, I do have my 3rd gym badge. I beat Burgh 2 days ago. If you won't face me then I'll come with you to Nimbasa City."

That made Sarah freeze in fear. A whole month with her most hated cousin. Nope, she wouldn't do it.

"If you don't let me come with you," Isabella said. "Then I'll tell Aunty Miltia who really ate the whole cake on my latest Birthday." She saw Sarah's shocked expression. "Don't think I didn't know it was you."

Athena just looked at Sarah as if she'd been stabbed in the back by her. Sarah looked at her guiltily. She may have blamed the newborn Ralts for the whole thing when she actually ate only a small slice. Athena had just looked at the whole family in fear when they started saying words she couldn't recognize at the time, and she felt their anger through her horn. Yeah, not a fun experience.

"Fine," Sarah growled. "But stay out of my way."

"Trust me, dear, you'll be the one who needs to stay out of my way."

It had become sunset by the time they trekked through part of the route to Nimbasa City. The whole day was filled with silence as the two's awkwardness could be felt around them.

Sarah was cooking dinner. It would usually be a standard dish, but today, she felt like doing something special. She was making a portion for Isabella. She was family after all, no matter how much she hated that fact

"Do you mind explaining why your Weavile is eating steak made of pokefood?"

"He's a weird one. Trust me, the less you question it, the better."

"Okay." Isabella saw the ingredients Sarah was using like the sauces, but she wasn't preparing them properly. "You're doing it wrong."

"Doing what wrong?"

"You're supposed to put the Darumaca hot sauce after adding salt to the spaghetti, not before- you know what, here, I'll do it."

She forcefully shoved Sarah aside and took over. She flipped the pan with expertise. She added an accurate amount of each ingredient, and overall, did everything like it was second nature. In a small amount of time, she completed the dish.

"Voilà, witness the skills of a master chef." The plate smelled so delicious a Vanillite could smell it a mile away and they don't even have noses. "Try it and see."

Theodore, having finished his food, was curious at the gourmet-looking dish and took a bit.

"Weavile!" He nodded many times giving his approval. Isabella sent a small smirk at Sarah who huffed and went into her sleeping bag, not even eating her dinner.

…

"Damn it, this isn't working," Isabella said as she tried to improve her Servine's evasiveness. Her method of training was to make him sprint as much as he could to increase his speed and have an easier time dodging attacks. So far, it's proved fruitless. What was she doing wrong? She was her school's top student so she should have figured this out. She bit her nail in thought.

"That's not how you should train for dodging," Sarah said.

"What's wrong with my method?"

"It trains his stamina which would be good for his ranged attacks and longevity in a battle but doesn't fix his issue here. You have to-you know what, here, I'll show you."

To Isabella's confusion, she tied some rope around her Servine along with a boulder she was surprised she could carry. Her Servine struggled to keep himself ahold.

"So how will this help-"

"If you give me at least ten minutes then I can show you." Sarah got a few small projectiles like pebbles and twigs. "Servine, I used this training method for Anubis and it worked out greatly. You have to dodge these things that I throw at you, okay?"

"Servine," he said.

She started to throw them at him, first underhanded and slowly then overhand and fast as the reps built up. Isabella sighed.

This is useless.

And then came the second set. She was shocked. His speed had noticeably increased by a bit. He started to struggle with the heavy rock attached to his back.

"His leg muscles are made of fast muscle fibers which are excellent for dodging." Sarah had studied this in the library to confirm the training method's theory and it did. "Sprinting doesn't work on the explosiveness his legs need for dodging. This is a good method that worked with my Pokemon."

Isabella was silent. How is it that Sarah was able to train her Pokemon better than she could? No, it wasn't possible. But the scene in front of her showed otherwise.

She just huffed and went to eat her sandwich on the side.

…

They stared at the hill in front of them. They would have to move through the narrow path on the side. It was an easy slip if you didn't have the right shoes or were reckless. The fall below looked nasty. Sarah had to put her team in their pokeballs and the the girls carefully trod past.

"Brav Braviary." There was a Braviary who had built their nest on top of the hill overlooking their path. It flew away to collect food for its Rufflets, but while doing so, knocked a couple of rocks onto them.

"Oh shit!" Sarah managed to handle a few pebbles landing on her, but Isabella had to dodge a huge one that was about to land on her head. In doing so she slipped on the edge of the pathway and fell.

She closed her eyes and prepared for the huge wave of pain about to hit her. Sarah swiftly grabbed onto her arm while keeping a strong grip on the wall behind her.

"H-hold on." She grunted as she lifted her up. It was hard to keep a grip on the wall for yourself and someone else. She managed though, and huffed in place. Isabella stared at her cousin. She'd saved her. "Are you okay?"

"Why did you save me?" Isabella said.

"You're my cousin, what do mean?"

"No, you did this because you wanted me to think I needed you. You wanted a one over me. Well, I don't need you and I never will!"

Sarah just walked away.

"What did I ever do to you?" She asked. Isabella just stayed silent and walked furiously behind her.

The evening was filled with another silence. Isabella couldn't get out of her head the idea that Sarah thought she was better than her. She didn't need saving, especially from someone such as her. They went to sleep and Isabella dreamed of some memories from their childhood.

(Flashback)

"Belle, Belle!" An enthusiastic voice of an 8 year old called out. Sarah called out the nickname of her cousin.

"Yes, cupcake," Isabella responded with her own nickname. It was based on Sarah's addiction to cupcakes.

"My mom bought me a new Lego Togekiss set. Let's play."

"Cool!" They played for hours on end, pretending to have a tea party with their new Togekiss figures and flying around like the coordinators they saw on TV.

"Sarah, Isabella, it's time for school," Sarah's mom, Miltia, called out. They groaned but put away their new Lego set and got ready for school. While Isabella skipped through the road in glee, Sarah just walked while looking slightly anxious.

Classes started and it was the typical day where Isabella would always put her hand up to answer the question while Sarah sat quietly on the side. Sometimes the teachers ignored her otherwise she would be answering every question. While Sarah, when called out, only fumbled as she struggled to answer. Here was one such example.

"Sarah, who was the second king of Unova after the Original Dragon had split into its three counterparts."

"Uhhhh, Daniel the 6th."

"No, it's David the 1st. Maybe if you studied harder then you would actually be able to answer a question." The rest of the kids laughed. It was such an easy question.

"Hey, Isabella," someone from behind Isabella called. She turned to see one of the class's loudmouths, Jax. "Your cousin is pretty dumb, huh?"

"W-well, I wouldn't go that far-"

"Yeah, he's right," his associate next to him, Barry, said. "Hey, Sarah. You're very stupid, I mean, why are you even in this class? Go back to nursery." He shouted. Sarah just hid her head between her arms. "Your cousin's way smarter than you. Be more like her, isn't that right Isabella?"

"I-I mean, she isn't doing as well as she should. She should play less with Legos and study more." Sarah looked betrayed when she said that. A pang of guilt hit her.

They had lunch together and Sarah had ignored the comment from history class. It was a single comment that probably didn't mean anything.

Classes had resumed and the same thing kept happening. Isabella would exceed in them while Sarah plummeted. In all of them, Jax and Barry would do the same comparisons and insults towards Sarah, and they would get Isabella to go along with them.

"Hey, Isabella. Join us for lunch instead of that loser," Jax said with his group of misfits behind him.

"Yeah, you're too good for someone like her," Barry said.

"O-okay," Isabella said, not really wanting to go, but due to pressure, did so anyway. She left Sarah to be by herself.

Over the next few weeks, she started to distance herself from her, speaking and playing less. It made sense, didn't it? She was someone who far excelled everyone else at everything, it would make sense to stay away from her.

She started to hang around with Jax's group more often and spend less time with Sarah until she didn't at all. Even when coming to each other's home, they didn't hang out like they used to. She missed it, but that feeling was filled by the bullying she started to do to Sarah. She didn't think it was bullying. She was simply reminding her of her place.

"I want to become a Pokemon trainer," Sarah announced to the whole house. Isabella and her parents were staying over for the night. Everyone just froze in silence. It was Isabella who broke it first.

"Ha ha ha. You become a Pokemon trainer. You can't even look after yourself, how do you expect to look after an Oshawott?" She kept laughing and was chastised by her parents. Lightly, of course, because she was the star of the household and thought to become the best trainer in their family.

Sarah's parents didn't have the heart to say no but tried to discourage her. When Sarah was reluctant that's when she became angry.

Her becoming a Pokemon trainer, what nonsense. She would teach her her place. Yes, that is what she would do. She would become so much better than her that she'll quit and never go back to journeying again. She bet she wouldn't even be able to get a single gym badge.

(Flashback end)

After two weeks, they had come across a desert terrain. This was the main obstacle towards Nimbasa City, so if they could get through this then they should be fine for the rest of the route. The wild Pokemon were getting stronger but were perfect for their team's training.

They changed their clothing to the appropriate ones. Isabella clicked her teeth. She didn't expect Sarah to be smart enough to think ahead. She was thinking of ways to get one over her just like she did when saving her on the cliff.

Sarah recalled her team as the desert terrain was windy and would mess up their fur and dress. She would call them out in case of any wild Pokemon.

It was a challenging walk but nothing they couldn't handle. They came across a large pyramid, the size of an apartment. It stood out from the rest of the dessert. A sign was in front of the enclosed entrance.

Temple of Tutankhamun

WARNING!! DO NOT ENTER. POKEMON HERE KILL HUMANS.

So, it's one of those. I wondered how long it would take to see one. Sarah thought. Some Pokemon's instincts were too strong to overcome their desire to kill humans, unlike most species. Unless they were raised from hatching or tamed in a special way, you were warned not to enter these zones they reside in.

Sat on the pyramid close to the ground, was a Pokemon Ranger who was keeping guard in case any stupid trainer decided to waltz in anyway and get themselves killed.

Sarah was about to walk away.

"We should go in there," Isabella said. This was the best way to get one over her.

"Don't you know how to read?" Sarah said. "'Warning!' And 'killed'. I value my life, thank you very much."

"What's wrong, you're not scared are you?"

"We're not kids anymore, we're 12. That won't work on me."

"Oh, come on. I'm sure you would like to see what's in there. Think of the sightseeing. It would be quite the experience." Sarah hesitated but still ignored the provocations. "Fine, I'll go myself. You'll see an expert Pokemon trainer go in, take some pictures, and come out alive. Oh yoohoo, mister Ranger." The Ranger lifted his head. She pointed in the direction behind them. "I saw a kid having fainted that way. He wasn't wearing the right clothing for this weather."

"Damn it, stupid kids with their arrogance. Thank you for telling me young lady, I'll be sure to see he's alright."

As soon as the Ranger was out of site, Isabella went to the enclosed doors of the pyramid. Unsurprisingly, it was locked. She felt over the walls of the pyramid but it was sturdy, not weak despite how ancient the structure looked.

"Stop that, you'll get us in trouble!" Sarah whispered loudly.

She didn't stop and walked around the structure, keeping an eye out for an opening. There. There were a few bricks missing in the bottom corner at the back of the pyramid. She dug out a bit of the sand. There was a small hole that would allow entry to them.

"Aleyoop," Isabella said dropping down. Sarah tried to stop her but ended up falling down too and landing on her face. She groaned as she held her nose.

This hag. I wished I was with N instead, at least he was useful. Why am I travelling with her again?

She was surprised to see symbols along the walls that she'd only been shown in school in history class. They were called hieroglyphics if she recalled. She traced over them as the rows showed abstract pictures of a couple of specific Pokemon. She wondered what they said. She didn't know how to translate them.

Isabella looked over the sentences intricately. History was always her favourite subject.

"This is one weird message," She said.

"You can translate it?" Sarah asked, shocked and almost impressed.

"Yes, at least some of it. There's constant repetition of 'reincarnation'. See that picture over there." She pointed at the picture that showed a throne with a Pharaoh sitting on it while holding his staff. Below the throne were tiny figures bowing to him. "A ruler of ancient Unova had apparently come out of nowhere claiming he comes from a world with no Pokemon, and superior technology. No one believed him and threw him out as a madman."

"A world without Pokemon. Sounds boring."

"I know. He used his knowledge of weaponry to take over part of the region and claimed himself as ruler, forcing a new culture called 'Egyptian'."

Huh, that's pretty cool. It sounded like a fantasy but here it was. It brought in a sense of mystery in Sarah as they walked through the cold hallways. They felt the smooth slab stones under them as they breathed in the dusty air.

"Ya~ Yamaaaask~" A ghostly voice sang that sent a shiver down their spines. A small black and skinny Pokemon phased through the wall, its tail carrying a golden mask that perfectly looked like an old man's. "Yaaaa."

It charged a Shadow Ball towards them. They jumped out of the way. Isabella summoned Servine while Sarah summoned Athena.

"Use Psyshock," Sarah said.

"Use Energy Ball," Isabella said

Both attacks landed and the Yamask let out a yell of pain. It retreated, phasing through the wall.

They should leave. They were lost. Through the many hallways, they couldn't retrace their steps and were now looking for the hole they used to enter aimlessly. 3 more Yamask appeared and they were tougher.

"Use Vine Whip, hold them all together," Isabella said. it was a struggle but Servine managed it, not letting any of them escape. This allowed Athena to use Psyshock, sending a charged projectile to each of them. They phased and left. Ever since she evolved her psychic attacks have gotten significantly stronger. They were more powerful and didn't cause her as much of a headache.

"Hey, we should use that strategy if any more come up," Sarah said. Isabella huffed but couldn't deny its value. This place was a risk to their lives so it would be wise to do so.

"Fine."

Any more that popped up were quickly sent away. After the Yamasks had learned their lesson they stopped coming. They recalled their Pokemon.

"Cofagrigus," a deep voice moaned from behind them. They slowly turned and their hearts jumped to their throats. A huge Sarcophagus that was over 5 feet rose from the ground. Its coffin was made of a strong gold-like alloy that hued the small amount of light hitting it. It had a pair of dead red eyes and menacing sharp teeth. Similar to the Yamask, it had a small golden mask on its forehead showing an unattractive middle-aged man. The scariest part of it was the four long ghostly arms coming out of it that looked similar to Theodore's Shadow Claw.

"AAAHHHHH!!!" The girls screamed as they ran as fast as they could. They twisted and turned through the hallways that seemed endless. Their footsteps echoed on their walls and almost deafened the Pokemon's wailing of its name.

"Cofaaaag."

This was a mistake. This was a very big mistake. Isabella thought. This was such a stupid idea. Why was I obsessed with holding one over Sarah, that's so childish?!

She knew what this Pokemon's instincts were. It would take people and turn them into mummies, allowing them to decompose while it feeds on their dead body.

In her haste, she bumped into the corner of a wall and slipped onto the floor. The Cofrafrigus extended one of its ghostly arms towards her leg. The hair at the back of her neck rose and she froze in place. Just as the large cold hand that screamed of the afterlife was about to wrap around her, she was yanked by Sarah.

"Come on, it's over there!" She pointed at the small ray of light at the end of the hallway. The adrenaline pumped as hope began to blossom within them. There it is, the exit is right there. But so was the Cofagrigus. He extended another hand.

Isabella jumped, grabbed hold of the ledge, and climbed through.

"Here!" She turned and gave her hand to Sarah. Sarah jumped and their fingertips only brushed. Isabella felt her heart stop when Cofagrigus's hand wrapped around Sarah's waist and pulled her back into the darkness. Her sash holding her pokeballs was ripped off and fell onto the floor. Isabella only saw her desperate face before she disappeared.

"SARAH!"

 

[Swag Striker]

Chapter 15: The Temple part 2

A/N: So yeah, this is the final chapter, kinda. These last two chapters may feel a bit rushed but I didn't want the main storyline to end with a build up. There was meant to be a whole lot more in this story which I underestimated the length of. I didn't realise how attached I would be to this story. There are some events I had planned that I thought were too good not to write down, so there will be three 'future' chapters for those events. Next 'chapter' will a list of notes and events for the story and after that will be the future chapters.

Chapter START

"Uuugh." Sarah groaned as consciousness started to come back. She blinked her eyes and removed the blurriness. She would have swiped the few strands of hair from her eyes, but she couldn't lift her arm. "Huh?" She found her body being wrapped up in a clean white cloth made of silk. It was being done by a Cofagrigus who had a middle-aged woman's mask on its forehead.

She looked around the room. It was completely dark, and the only things that could be seen were herself and the Pokemon in front of her.

"H-help!" She cried out, but she only heard her voice's echo. She tried to get out of the bindings. She thrashed around, much to the Cofagrigus's annoyance. A tear was about to come out as panic settled in. She ignored the cold, still wind caressing her cheeks.

Hold on. I'm not a little girl to be crying like this. Forget that.

She may not have her Pokemon, she remembered how her sash was yanked off of her, but she wouldn't die here. She WILL live and become Champion.

With newfound strength, she ripped the wrappings on her arm and punched the Cofagrigus's human mask. The Cofagrigus let out a yell and clutched her mask. It was a sensitive part of her body.

"Cofag Cofagrigus stop it child." She got more wrappings. She grabbed Sarah's exposed arm with a ghostly cold hand to stop her from breaking out of any more and wrapped her manyfold. She won't be breaking out of the bindings now. She wrapped her head, making sure to keep her hair inside, and stopped her screaming of words, some of which she couldn't recognize, and turned them into only loud mumbles. "Co Cofag you are one healthy human and will be the perfect offering for our Grand Master. Cofagrigus Cofag Co such spirit shows a fiery soul. Yes, you will be a nutritious meal for him."

Once the Cofagrigus was done, she lifted her up gently, and they moved. Sarah was not able to see through the bindings.

Being wrapped up like a mummy, taken somewhere by a Cofagrigus, and in a temple that was told to have Pokemon who would eat humans. Yeah, Sarah could only pray now as she knew what was going to happen.

Please, Isabella, I know that we haven't gotten along, but you wouldn't abandon me. She wouldn't. There's no way. I love you, you know. Please, save me.

-

Isabella was sitting on a chair with her hands covering her face. She tried very hard to not let tears come out. It was her fault, it was her arrogance that might get Sarah killed. She was sitting in the Ranger's hut which was surprisingly unlocked. He still hadn't returned.

What was she to do? Stay and wait for the Ranger to help them, and then get their licenses revoked or go back inside the Temple and save her herself.

I have to do this.

She couldn't get their licenses revoked. It would be like throwing their lives away. She'll find her. Luckily, she has extra help.

She summoned Sarah's Pokemon who looked at her confused.

"You may be thinking why I've summoned you instead of Sarah. It's because she's been kidnapped into the temple." They stood straight and their eyes showed initiative.

That's good.

"I'm going back in and I'll need your help. Will you lend it to me?" They nodded. She recalled them, but Athena dodged her beam. "Don't worry, I'll summon you if I need help."

She shook her head. She focused and used her horns to send an emotion to Isabella. Ever since she evolved, her emotion sensing abilities have doubled in strength due to having two horns now instead of one, but she's also gained the ability to send her emotions to others, letting them know how she feels. Isabella sensed a strong emotion of protection that was foreign to her. She realized it was from Athena and then nodded.

"Very well. You can stay out."

Theodore's pokeball opened and let him out to the girls' surprise. He took out two items from behind his scarf and gave them to Athena.

Since when did he have those? She thought.

"This is an anti-fire spray. If you come across a Pokemon who can use fire type attacks then spray yourself with this and the attack will do nothing. It will be like air hitting you," he said, pointing at the canister. "This one." He pointed at the strange device that was shaped like a pokedex but without the screen. There were two buttons on the side and at the top was like a satellite dish she'd seen in the dreamyard but smaller. "Is a psychic jammer. If there is a psychic type Pokemon then point it at them and press this button. DO NOT press that one. You are a psychic type yourself and that button will end up screwing with you too as the radio frequency will hit everyone in its radius. You understand?" She did but showed a reluctant face.

"I'm sorry Theodore, but I can't take this. It's dishonourable to use human items in a Pokemon battle. If I do, I will disgrace myself as a Pokemon." Besides, what would her father think? If she used this he would be extremely disappointed. She gave the items back. Theodore just looked gobsmacked.

"Again with this honour thing. Why do you Pokemon value such sentimental things? Look, Sarah's life is in danger. If you don't want to use it when you need to then her death will be on your hands." He shoved them onto her then pressed the button on his pokeball, recalling him back. She sighed as she tucked the items in her dress. She wouldn't need them anyway.

Isabella went into the temple through the same exposed hole. She turned on the flashlight she'd taken from the Ranger's hut. The hallways were no longer as dark as they were and she could see clearly this time. She had Athena and her Lamoent out. She ignored the hieroglyphics she would have loved to analyze and focused on the task. They faced a few Yamasks who hadn't learned their lesson with a quick Psyshock and Hex.

She stopped when she reached a small room. There were no hieroglyphics. It was empty except for the staircase that led to darkness. It was a long one since when she shined her flashlight through it, it was still dark at the bottom. The staircase was smooth and looked well maintained, unlike the slight cracks from the slabbed flooring in the hallways. It was made with marble and was encased with gold at the top.

No one was allowed in this temple except researchers due to its danger against humans and its potential to break the Great Pact which they've worked very hard on, and researchers wouldn't dare cause even a dent on this magnificent place in order to observe it. So why does it look well maintained despite no one being here?

This is called the Temple of Tutankhamun. Is he buried in here? Are there curses like I was told?

That would explain the pristine condition of the staircase. This only added more fear to what she already had. She took a deep breath and walked down. This was for Sarah.

There were more hallways, although, this time they were different. She switched off her flashlight as the hallways were lit up with torches that didn't stop burning, probably due to some ghost type energy. The hallways were made of the same marble as the staircase and showed no hieroglyphics. There was a lining of blue marble which was very expensive at the time and from what she remembered, used as a material to show off one's status and get placed highly in the hierarchy.

She considered status hierarchy as stupid, something that was a waste of time and a detriment to society. Why waste time being arrogant when you could instead do something el-

I'm describing myself, with the way I've acted towards Sarah. Why do I hate her?

She kept walking, still focused on the task. They would have to be careful with any battles in these hallways. They weren't modern and structurally fit to withstand Pokemon moves. They went through many hallways until a Kororok showed up.

She was about to send in Sawsbuck due to type advantage, but Athena stepped forward with an annoyed look on her face. She wanted to get this guy out of the way and get to Sarah as quickly as possible. Isabella accepted, as she wouldn't face a type disadvantage.

"Athena, use Physhock." She sent the projectiles through the narrow hallway. It would be hard for the Krokorok to dodge. He used Dig through the ground. "Be careful and be aware. He could come out of anywhere."

He dug through in front of her and charged up a Hone Claws. He slashed her. She let out a small yelp and growled, sending a strong Mystical Fire his way. He didn't expect it and got burned. The Hone Claws didn't do as well as he'd hoped.

He charged up his Stone Edge and shot the spear-like rocks.

"Use Double Team and then use Mystical Fire again." Her clones were summoned and some were destroyed by the Stone Edge. She had to be careful moving past the clones in the narrow hallway while making herself seem like one. When close she used Mystical Fire, the flame burning him.

The Krokorok was furious and growled. This time, instead of Hone Claws, he charged up a Shadow Claw. The move was a ghost type and Athena let out a scream of pain from the super effective move.

"Don't worry about it Athena," Isabella said. "Use Draining Kiss." She picked up a few things from Sarah's battling style; use your Pokemon's fighting style and typing to your advantage. Athena ducked Krokorok's slash against her head and gave him a kiss on the arm. Her new move was super effective against his dark typing. The fairy type energy sucked some of his natural energy and transferred it to her. The slashes he had given her had healed up and she felt rejuvenated. One more attack should do it.

Without a command, she let out her strongest Mystical Fire. Krokorok fainted and fell to the ground with scorch marks.

"Well done, You've been raised well," Isabella said. Athena huffed, feeling her water reserves gone low. Isabella gave her her bottle of water.

"Kir Kirlia." Athena appreciated.

Isabella came across a room with a sarcophagus in the middle. The room absolutely stunk. She had to recall Athena as she didn't want her to be nauseous before a battle. It was surrounded by canopic jars. She opened one- and immediately closed it, running through the next hallway. It was a disgusting sight. The mummification process included taking out most of the internal organs and putting them in canopic jars alongside the mummy. What she saw must have been the large intestine decomposed. She ran through the hallways, faster than before. She needed to hurry before this happens to her cousin.

A Cofagrigus and Sigilyph challenged her. She summoned Lampent and Athena broke out of her pokeball. She was going to be relentless.

"Lampent, use Hex on Sigiliph. Athena, use Mystical Fire."

The Sigiliph dodged the ghostly blast with great speed before charging towards Lampent with an Air Slash and knocking him to the wall. Athena managed to land her attack and interrupt the Cofagrgus's charge up of a Shadow Ball.

"Oh no, Lampent!" She said. "Use Flamethrower in a large area." The Sigiliph couldn't dodge this one and burned in agony. "And now use Hex while he's down."

Athena awaited her next command as The Cofagrigus was charging its next attack; four purple flames levitated on each hand. Isabella was too focused on Lampent who barely dodged another Air Slash. Athena was hit by the Will-O-Wisp before she could dodge. The flames burned as each one was on a part of her body. She patted the flames to extinguish them, but they remained, and slowly burned her. They must have had ghost type energy infused in them.

"Athena, use Psyshock," Isabella said. She shot the projectiles to which the Cofagrigus was too slow to dodge. He sent another Shadow Ball, which she dodged, and it hit the wall behind her. The marble crumbled, and a few bricks in the underlayer fell off. She waited for her next command, but it didn't come instead it was for Lampent.

"Lampent, use Poltergeist on the fallen wall." The same wall was partially destroyed due to them as well. Lampent became translucent and went into the fallen bricks, possessing them. They started to levitate and he used them for battle.

She would have to win this battle on her own, she couldn't wait for her next command and take any more hits. Unlike Sarah, Isabella hadn't learned how to battle with two Pokemon simultaneously.

She sprinted towards Cofagrigus while charging a Psychock. He used Protect. She sent the projectiles into the exact same place on the shield, breaking it, and hitting him with two of the projectiles. She'd learned from her team that this was an efficient way of breaking the move, putting all of your power in one place.

She went on to one knee and let out a groan. The Will-O-Wisp burned her skin again. She tried to pat it out, despite knowing it wouldn't do anything. She started to feel nauseous and the light of the torches started to blind her vision. A Shadow Ball blasted her to the wall and a few more bricks fell. The Cofagrigus himself didn't look too well for wear. He charged up another Will-O-Wisp. If that hit, it was over.

She remembered the anti-fire spray Theodore gave her. No, she couldn't use it. She would rather take death. But Sarah's life was in danger. If she lost this, then how would she save her? Any other Pokemon would say to accept it as it was part of nature.

She took out the spray and used it on herself. The flames were immediately extinguished, and she felt the cool breeze of the room brush her skin. It was relieving. The Cofagrigus's Will-O-Wisp landed but did nothing and was extinguished. She sent two Psyshocks and defeated the Cofagrigus.

"Lampent!" She looked to see how the others were doing. Lampent was stuck in a psychic hold from the Sigiliph. He was trashed around the room, the glassy exterior on his head cracking from each impact.

His other device.

She took out the psychic jammer, pointed it at Sigiliph and pressed the button, making sure it was the right one. She couldn't hear it, but it sent out a radio frequency that was in the range of hurting Sigliph's psychic transmitter. He started to scream in pain as he fell to the floor and held his head tightly with his wings.

"Now!" Athena said.

"Lampent, use Hex." The ghost energy blast was super effective and made Sigiliph faint. Everyone huffed in place. That was almost a losing battle. Athena looked at the devices she held in disgust and shivered. What had she done? This is a disgrace to Pokemon battles, she wasn't meant to use any human devices but use her own power. Was she wrong though? If she didn't use that, then Sarah and them would have died. Damn it. Fudging, damn it.

The wall crumpled completely and the ceiling caved in.

"Quickly!" Isabella said as they jumped through the broken wall before the room collapsed. They entered a very large room. It was greatly lit up with the same ghost-energy-infused torches from the hallways. It was grand and most of it was made of gold and silver. Along the outer edges of the room was a set of stairs with Cofagrigus's and Yamask's on top.

Sarah gained consciousness again and could see through the small gaps of the wrapping on her eyes. She was still being lifted by the Cofagrigus from earlier. She was being presented to a Cofagrigus larger than the ones along the edges. Unlike them, he had six ghostly hands. His sarcophagus was not like theirs and held intricate patterns of the Ancient Egyptian era. It was coated in polished gold and jewels. His mask didn't show the typical face of a human, but it held the mask of an ancient Pharaoh every historian could recognise. It was Tutankhamun's. This must be the Cofagrigus whom he was buried in.

Oh god, she was going to die, wasn't she? Was she wrong to believe Isabella would save her?

She closed her eyes and was ready to accept death, one of the Grand Cofagrigus's hands approaching her.

Isabella, you can leave me, but please just look after my team, especially Athena. She'll be heartbroken once she's learned I'm gone forever. God, if you're hearing this, take care of them.

A crashing sound came from behind her.

"SARAH!"

She let out a small smile behind the wrapping. She was right to have hope, after all.

Isabella and Athena rushed towards her but were stopped when the Yamasks and Cofagriguses levitated down the stairs and formed a wall in front of them, frowns on their faces. They were showing disrespect to the Master.

"Get out of our way before I rip you into pieces," Isabella said. They didn't move. "Athena, use-"

"ENOUGH!!" A strong voice called out, shaking the room as it echoed off the walls. The Grand Cofagrigus laid Sarah beside his throne. "Move out of the way my servants."

They moved.

"So, what do these esteemed guests want? I have not had visitors in millennia," he said, speaking in perfect English. Isabella broke out of her shock when she heard that.

"You've taken my sister away from me and I want her back!" Isabella said.

"Hmm, it is interesting that you come at me in such a way child. I've picked up a few emotions and memories from my mummy, who was the Pharaoh Tutankhamun. He would have you executed for speaking in such a manner. However." He rose from his throne and went down the stairs, staring at them. "I am not him; I only know a few things about him. He did value honour, and I shall respect it. Since you have put in this much effort to save your family member, then I shall give her to you if you can defeat me in a Pokemon battle."

"And if we lose?" Isabella said in suspicion.

"Then you shall also become an offering for myself. You are just as healthy as this one."

Isabella didn't hesitate to bring Sawsbuck out. She had the type advantage and was her strongest Pokemon. She would need a powerhouse if the Grand's sarcophagus wasn't an indication of its defences.

"Kirlia!" Athena stepped forward with a slight limp.

"No! No, I'm not using you," Isabella said.

"But I-"

"NO! You're injured. Sarah will die if I use you. Is that what you want, huh?!"

Athena stayed quiet. She clenched her fists tightly.

"Worry not, child. If your Pokemon wishes to battle, then let's respect it," The Grand said. "Here, have this." He took a full restore from within his coffin and threw it at Isabella. Her eyes widened. This item was extremely expensive. It would fully heal and re-energise any Pokemon sprayed with it. She sighed. She didn't know whether using Athena would be a good idea, but seeing the utter conviction in her eyes, she thought that it would help. She sprayed her with the full restore.

Aside from the dirt and scruffiness of her dress, she looked as good as new.

"Alright, Athena, I don't want to put more pressure on you, but we have to win this."

"Kirlia," she said with a fire in her eyes. She WILL save Sarah, no matter what it takes.

"Good."

"If you are finished then let us begin." Grand's servants went back to their places on top of the stairs. "You may have the first attack."

"Use Psyshock, low power." She wanted to be careful and gauge Grand. He was the leader for a reason. Athena unleashed the projectiles which rocketed through the room and hit him. He didn't bother dodging. A small cloud of dust formed. They were shocked when it faded away and Grand was still levitating as if nothing had happened.

"My turn." He charged a Dark Pulse with all six of his arms. The rings of energy formed a beam straight towards Athena. She just about dodged to the side. That was a very powerful attack.

"Get in quickly." She ran towards Grand. He charged a few more Dark Pulse, but she ducked past them, anticipating where they would hit. "Blank point Mystical Fire!"

She sent a large flame but was careful of her water reserves. They were already low. This got a small yelp from Grand, but he swiped at her and knocked her to the floor. She quickly got up. Grand's coffin, which was coated with precious metals, showed signs of overheating. Isabella smirked as the prideful waste of resources would backfire against the Cofagrigus.

He charged a Night Shade this time. It was a beam of ghost type energy shaped like a lightning bolt.

"Dodge it!" She was too late and screamed in pain from the super effective attack. Isabella bit her lip. This wasn't good. He had speed, defence, and attack. Athena had a slight edge on speed, but it could only help them so far. "Don't give up. Remember who we're doing this for."

"Kirlia." She immediately got up and brushed the pain aside.

"You are quite the resilient ones. I admire that, but you won't win this." A phantom circle that gave them the creeps formed under Grand. He went into it. Isabella grinned as she recognised the move.

"Athena, listen to me. Use Double Team when I give the signal."

After a minute passed, with nothing happening, the same ghostly circle formed behind and above Athena. Grand came out with all six of his hands reaching to grab her.

"NOW!"

"What in Anubis's name?!" The Kirlia formed many clones around her. He punched six of them but none of them was the real one. He used Night Shade on three more and they weren't the real one either. He was so distracted by the next three in front of him, that he didn't feel the many kisses on his coffin's back. He felt a huge loss of energy as if it was pulled out of him.

"And finish him with Mystical Fire." Another huge flame encompassed him. He felt a lot of pain.

"Enough!" He brought down his right three arms on her. She formed a small crater. Athena tasted the dirt as she tried to get up. He brought it down again. She laid motionless.

"Athena get up, I know you can do this." Isabella started to worry.

(Flashback)

Athena remembered when she had just hatched from her egg. After being cleaned up by her mother, the first face she saw was of an odd creature. Human. Her instincts said.

"Hello there, little one, I'm Sarah and we're going to be partners. Aww, you are just so cute." She pulled her cheeks. She didn't understand a word she said. Her mind was running quickly as Pokemon learned human language quickly when they were born. "I think I'll name you Athena." She liked that word. She didn't know why but it felt like it belonged to her.

She could sense it through her new-born sensitive horn. This human showed safety, compassion, kindness, and most importantly strength. She raised her arms to be picked up by her and they nuzzled their cheeks together. This was the first time they met as sisters.

Later on, when she had reached the age to understand most of human language, she saw through the window her father in the backyard being commanded by Sarah's father. It was marvellous, the way he performed those moved. They were graceful, agile, and powerful. She wanted that. Her instincts demanded it.

"We will become that strong, you'll see," Sarah said, also watching through the window. "Nobody thinks I can do it, but I will become champion. Will you help me, Athena, do you want to become the strongest Gardevoir?"

"Ralts," she said. "Of course."

(Flashback end)

Grand brought down his fists again, but to his shock, they were held. Athena struggled, her muscles being pushed to their limits, but she slowly lifted his arms.

"Get the fuck off me!" She threw him on his back. She clenched her teeth as she started to feel pure fury. It was like nothing she'd ever felt before in her life. He wanted to kill her sister, fuck that! Her eyes glowed pure blue.

"Alright, go Athena," Isabella cheered. "Now, consecutive Psychocks. As many as you can use."

They didn't know what happened, but her Psyshocks were double in size. They were like missiles and they wrecked Grand's sarcophagus as they barraged it over and over again. However, he was still standing.

"H-how," Isabella stuttered.

"This has been quite the battle child, but I'm afraid it's time to end this," Grand said. He used Poltergeist on the huge rocks on the floor, broken from when he was punching Athena. Four large rocks surrounded her.

"Jump."

She was about to not to, but they came in and didn't give her time to think. She jumped. They let out a loud cracking sound as they slammed together which made her cringe. She was now in a vulnerable position, suspended in the air. Theodore warned her not to do this as the lack of leverage would make her vulne- that's it! If she had some way of moving in the air then it would not be a problem.

Grand rocketed towards her with his arms outstretched.

Now!

She unleashed her most powerful Mystical Fire that used all of her hydrogen reserves. She felt her lungs strangling the last of her breath out of her. The Mystical Fire pushed her back as she dropped to the floor gasping for air. Grand screamed in pain from the overheating of his metal sarcophagus.

Athena slowly went to one knee and got up. She stumbled and she took more mouthfuls of air. Grand stumbled through the air and fell to the floor, his large frame causing a loud echo around the room. However, he still stood standing. His defensive capabilities were beyond magnificent.

Athena's eyes still glowed.

"This is our chance. Finish him off with as many Psyshocks as you can." After about 21 of the Psyshock missiles hitting Grand, he finally fainted.

Athena let out a small grin.

"He he, I won." She fainted and fell face flat onto the floor.

It was complete silence. The servants of Grand watched in utter shock. The emotions from their mummies being the servants of Tutankhamun screamed at them, telling them to mutilate the Pokemon and trainer for their blasphemous actions, but their obedience also screamed at them to listen to their leader. He'd lost and they'd won. They were to leave along with the offering.

Grand picked himself up, groaning.

"That was a magnificent battle child, you and your Pokemon certainly did well." Isabella cradled Athena's unconscious body. "As per our agreement, you shall be allowed to leave along with your sister."

He went and unwrapped Sarah. She dropped to the floor, barely able to move after being stiff in wrapping for so long. Isabella recalled Athena and rushed towards Sarah.

"Sarah, Sarah! Are you okay?!" Her cousin let out a small smile as she grabbed her hand.

"Y-you came back." They both had tears in their eyes.

"Of course I did. You think I would ever leave you, never!" she held her to her chest. "I love you. I-I'm sorry for everything. I fucked up." They kept crying for a while.

Grand sent a few servants to help escort them through an entrance no one knew about. The enclosed doors for the temple were for nought. If he wanted to he could have gone out into the world, but this was his mummy's death place and he shall respect it.

-

They walked in silence. Only Athena was out and she held Sarah's hand tightly since they left the temple. She definitely let out a waterfall and gave her a stern scolding. Never leave me again! She said. It was heartbreaking to see the happy Kirlia in such a state. Damn, she must have meant a lot more than she thought to her Pokemon.

"I'm sorry," Isabella broke the silence. "For everything, from childhood to now. If you want, you can have my Pokemon and I'll revoke my licence."

Sarah was shocked. For them, getting their licenses revoked was almost like throwing away their lives.

"Why would I do that?" She asked.

"I've bullied you, put you down, I even got the family look at you like a little budgie while I was the family's trophy. How can you not hate me?" Sarah held her hand, seeing her tearful face. There were already marks from the crying in the temple.

"I never hated you. I just wanted us to go back to how we were."

"I-I feel the same. I never hated you either, I was just a talented kid who was stupid and had praise all the time. That must have gotten to my head. You're my family and I didn't treat you like I should have. You're not talentless. Your Pokemon proved that today. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, too. You know what? Let's reintroduce ourselves. We'll have a new start. Hi, I'm Sarah Grace, and I want to become the Champion." She smiled and held out her hand, which Isabella returned with her own smile.

"Hi, I'm Isabella Grace and I want to become Champion."

"Race you to that town." Sarah pointed at the distance.

"Oh, it's on." They ran.

 

[Swag Striker]

A/N: So here are all the notes and events for the story. When I said I wasn't taking this story seriously at the start, that wasn't true. I just didn't realise that making the story up as you go along is a certain style of writing, which is called discovery writing. I realised I am more of a discovery writer rather than an outliner who mostly plans out the whole story before writing it. Remember that these things could have changed and may not have been implemented. I'll also not be showing any that hint at the 'future' chapters.

• In this book, I wanted more of an emphasis on characters and emotions, and I think I'll be doing that as an author. I've always been more fascinated with how people have the capability to feel and how it can be illogical. It's also great for change/character development. Emotions are great if a book can make you feel something whether it's happiness, conflict or even questioning a morally grey area, those are the books that interest me.

• In the Pokemon world, humans and Pokemon live in a symbiotic relationship. While Pokemon would give humans protection from other Pokemon, humans would use their technology and knowledge to help them get stronger and more likely to survive than in the wild, which is something they innately desire, and help raise their children in a healthier way.

The world lacks certain resources that are in our world, mainly ones involved in electronics, so humans can use the power of Pokemon to compensate for that.

• Over time, the power shift between them would shift due to humans being less reliant on Pokemon as they build their technology. Why have an ice type Pokemon preserve your food when you can use a freezer? It's cheaper and doesn't require a Pokemon to live with you.

Humans will use Pokemon for sport more, then will use them militarily. Pokemon are easy to manipulate so they would obey.

• Wars would come and the planet would degrade over time. Technology would not only stagnate but go back as preservatives of knowledge like computers weren't developed and libraries would be burned to the ground.

• The Ashen War would be a large war evolving legendaries. Legendaries are very powerful and some help keep the world stable or it would be destroyed. The world's stability and atmosphere work slightly differently from ours but those slight differences are big. Due to this almost happening, people had enough, even the elites, and the Great Pact was formed.

• The Great Pact would be an agreement between Pokemon and humans that humans won't abuse Pokemon or involve them in a war. In return, they can't destroy human settlements or do anything against them and both sides would have to teach that to their young. After causing a new era of peace not seen before, it was decided that the governments of the world would heavily enforce this pact. Of course, there are incidents but they're handled properly.

• Pokemon are sentient and if you could talk to one, it wouldn't be different to talking to another human, although there are major differences between the two. Humans are regarded higher in society, but no one ever thinks about it. Pokemon aren't able to read unless specially trained like N. They highly care about being the strongest/most powerful. They highly regard honour in Pokemon battles. They are unable to develop technology as well as humans due to being unable to think outside the box and be creative.

They are unable to manipulate like lying in complex ways and have a hard time picking up lies. They hate politics. Of course, these weaknesses can be developed if trained but most Pokemon still wouldn't be able to do more than the trained human.

• The main difference between Pokemon and humans is creativity (thinking out of the box), not necessarily intelligence. Pokemon generally don't have the capability to imagine as well as humans, which is why they can't create advanced technology.

• Malice is heavily emphasised throughout the story as being something humans are greatly capable of. Creativity combined with heavy emotions allows humans to torment others in unnatural ways.

Pokemon pride themselves on their difference in this and keep honour valuable. They also consider their food chain valuable, which is why Scyther considered it dishonourable to kill the Emolga. There is no need to cause unneeded violence; they are not humans, they are better.

• Psychics can generally have more intelligence than humans but lack the capability to use that intelligence to create. You can teach a Metagross engineering, but he wouldn't be able to make a gun unless it was through an industrial way.

• Humans adapt to their surroundings and use it to build their sense of morality. After building a culture for the last 400 years where both would live in harmony and society is good, people will inherently grow up good and maintain it. That's why even Ghetsis found Vikasa's actions disturbing.

• Psychics have some of their abilities nerfed. I found mind reading weird in fanfics. I couldn't allow it to exist without a major drawback. It wouldn't allow Theodore to grow if he and Vikasa knew their capability of mind reading because he wouldn't even care about Shinigami's interventions, he would find a way to use this ability. Even basic mind reading would be very overpowered when used by a smart person.

• I've thought too much about the consequences of the powers of Pokemon on the world. This should be thought out in a book, but not too much. At least I've learned from this.

• Psychics, due to their strong abilities like future sight, would have low stamina as they are very energy consuming. This is shown by Athena's lack of stamina.

• Only psychics that are highly and specially trained can read thoughts of an individual, but it would still be limited. They can only pick up one thought at a time and it would be a vague description of what the thought is.

This is because the mind's thoughts, especially a humans, is chaotic and the brain waves would be hard to decipher.

• Dragon types are prideful and are willing to attack humans if pushed. Dragons who grow from a breeder would be more calm. Dragons from tribes hate ones from breeders as they think that they are weak.

• This fanfiction is weird. It has slice of life but can also be dark. There was more dark stuff planned ahead but also charming parts. I think after loving the insane world of Pokemon, I ended up doing this.

• Humans have enhanced physique due to war and living alongside Pokemon. It makes them have an easier time to travel where dangerous creatures exist.

• I made a mistake with Theodore by making him to be this sadistic character equal to Vikasa but not showing him do sadistic things equal to his level. I should have shown that earlier in the story to be part of his character development.

What I planned was a battle with a trainer's Pokemon who looks down on him. His pride is hurt so he decides he wants to kill the Pokemon in a sadistic way. He would make the Pokemon kill itself by making it feel fake hatred by its trainer and slowly convincing it that its trainer would be happier if he just died. The Pokemon is held back by its trainer who comes in the nick of time. Theodore messed up in his plan and the Pokemon is able to tell its trainer through their own type of communication what he said to it.

Sarah learns what happens and tells him to leave the team. Athena and Anubis don't agree but do so anyway. He will not care and march away in anger but realises he misses them. He will feel lonely because he cares about them and will go back.

• Pokemon meat can be grown from stem cells in labs.

• I've always been fascinated by books that can invoke emotion rather than just being cool. It actually can move you which is why I like slice of life. This fanfic evokes emotion a lot and to do that is by having the thoughts and situations of a character. People in real life don't just do or feel a certain way for no reason, they are built that way which is emphasised in the fanfic.

• Each character in Team Sarah is meant to have a power up that isn't part of the norm. Brandon Sanderson said that an ability should have a drawback relative to its power.

Theodore would gain something called the Ethereal Form which is like a mega enhancer. He used it a bit on Connor when he tried to hit Anubis. The drawback would be that after a certain amount of time, lactic acid crystals would form in his muscles and mess up his body, damaging it severely, so he has to be careful with how long he uses it.

Athena and Sarah would have a bond phenomenon without Athena needing to reach her final evolution, but it would change her appearance to look like an angel with a halo. Unlike the anime where Ash only felt a bit of damage, the drawback would be that Sarah feels the same impact that Athena does. It doesn't damage her body, but she feels the same pain. Since humans have a lower pain tolerance than Pokemon, it would be dangerous similar to why men can't withstand the same pain of giving birth like a woman otherwise they would die. Men don't have as many neurons in the brain. She would need to train for this. She would have gained a signature move when in the bond phenomenon that is also a Forbidden Move called Angelic Blades where she shoots out large blades of devastating power.

Anubis would learn a Forbidden Move called Aura Radar. It's basically ultra instinct from dbz. Theodore and him would experiment with aura and end up learning the move without learning about it from a book. It would be Anubis extending his aura in an area around him and any movements in it will be picked up by his bang sensors. The drawback is that he's in a dream-like state and won't be able to tell the difference between friend and foe. He stays still and if no one enters the area of aura, he will quickly be drained of it and faint.

• N's Eevee will have versatility moves, while Braviary will be more of the powerhouse who can also help N escape from Team Plasma bases.

• Theodore was meant to learn how to use Ice Beam and his knowledge of medieval weapons to create specific weapons against his opponents e.g. a sword is good for Pokemon with thick hide, while maces are better for knight-like Pokemon with armour.

I realized I gave him too many powers with Cadance Illusion, normal Pokemon moves, devices, and the Ethereal Form. I took this out. If I did include it then Theodore would have used Night Slash weapons later instead of using Ice Beam due to the ice breaking against stronger opponents.

• Cadence Illusion is Rhythm Echo from HxH.

• I was about to give Theodore the ability of using more than four Pokemon moves due to a difference in the brain compared to normal Pokemon, but I've have taken it out.

• The upgraded Scyther would continue to kill Pokemon as part of his tests. He loses hope over time and contemplates killing himself, but dismisses it as being more dishonourable. If any semblance of a chance there is to leave this place exists, he would take it.

• Sarah was originally planned to be introverted and shy than she is compared to now. She would have trouble speaking with people, a smaller level than how N was when he revealed his Zoroark form to Sarah.

• There was meant to be a whole arc that I would have not done anyway. It was Theodore re-awakening Sarah's human malice by doing things that were considered wrong in society for her own benefit. This was by using manipulative tactics in situations where she would lose something otherwise. These situations like money and scamming.

Athena would have seen this and brought her back, but she ignores it until she does something that goes too far and realises what she's becoming. Athena would get very angry at Theodore and hate him, saying he should be kicked out of the team and they were better off without him. This actually makes him sad.

• When Anubis becomes a Lucario and learns Bone Rush, he would use it as a cleaver rather than a staff/dual wield. He wouldn't be able to change its shape to Theodore's suggestion due to it being an instinct, but he can increase its size to be a heavy cleaver to compliment his power-oriented fighting style.

• Athena lets a bad guy from Vikasa's team go instead of killing him which makes Sarah be put in massive danger. She learns that there are times when you have to do disgusting acts for the sake of the greater good. When she hates herself for it, Sarah comes to her comfort and explains that she did the right thing. They talk it out, mostly being about how righteousness can be achieved through bad acts similar to a police officer killing a serial killer if the situation calls for it.

• There was going to be a small section where Athena tries martial arts while the other two are sparring. It doesn't end well.

• Athena starts to become more mischievous later down the line to the point where it becomes pranks.

• Athena was originally designed to die at the hands of Vikasa during a battle between him and Theodore. She wouldn't have sacrificed herself just caught in the crossfire. I was curious and tempted to actually kill off a main character instead of a side character like most other stories, and no, she wouldn't come back. She would stay dead. I don't like how some books approach sacrifice, I wanted mine to have a huge impact. I scrapped this idea as there were better pathways to take.

• There was meant to be a part where there would be a statue in one of the cities that would represent peace in the world. Theodore realizes that society in this world have somehow managed to achieve peace and not give into selfishness and greed. He can't accept it and gets violent on the statue which he's unable to break. Sarah tries to get him to stop but can't.

It's done by Officer Jenny. She has a stern talking to Sarah about her Weavile and she makes an excuse and gets away with it. They have a talk and Theodore confesses that the way he reacted was childish. He admits that Sarah and her society are strong because they can change. He questions her about it at first and says that he's seen a human settlement where people are different and basically explains his own world. Sarah says it sounds like a bad society similar to theirs before the Great Pact but people can change. Theodore realises that he too can change and makes it more of a priority compared to going home to Earth.

• Theodore is a complex character. A lot of things about him are explained like being naturally talented, arrogant etc. However, there was meant to be one final part of his past explaining his hate for society and only respecting the elite.

There was a flashback of him living in England where the elections had run and an oc had been elected. He knows that the new prime Minister is a liar and would bring a small war on the country.

He has an acquaintance who doesn't believe him when he exposes the prime minister's plans. Theodore thinks he's an idiot but decides to anonymously expose him on the internet, hacking into a news station, and playing his lies live.

In the end, society would have seen it and not be able to throw him out of power due to a trick the prime minister uses by making them self-destruct. It was an obvious trap but it still worked. The prime minister got what he wanted and the war happened. He'd have left by then. He knows how stupid society is first hand and will never use his talents to help it.

• Theodore and Anubis would have an argument and fight. It becomes a brutal bashing between the two where Anubis wins because Theodore isn't thinking straight. Sarah and Athena wouldn't have stopped them as they needed to settle their differences even if it means through the hard way.

• There would be a confrontation between Theodore and Vikasa where Vikasa is delighted to meet his idol. He has used this world's advanced technology to find the answer to Theodore's final paper which was the secret ingredient to life.

He would have needed it for his ultimate creature project. He is willing to give it to Theodore if he gives him Anubis. The reason why Pokemon have such powers is derived from aura which doesn't exist on Earth. The aura either grows complex organs or is manually used for moves that use conjouration. He needs to study it further for his ultimate creature and what better to use than someone from the Lucario line. He can't smuggle one from the Sinnoh region so easily.

Theodore has his life's ultimate question's answer before him but can't give up his son. He refuses. Vikasa realises that Theodore has become attached to Anubis and he becomes amongst the weak.

• Potions work by increasing the rate of mitosis; the process which cells use to replicate and for tissue to grow. It drains a lot of energy from the user depending on how much of the potion they use. The energy drain decreases and healing property increases the higher the level of the potion used.

• Vikasa had developed an armour to help him fight Theodore who uses the Ethereal Form. The armour is made using machines and Pokemon parts.

• Vikasa had developed a prototype for the ultimate creature for final data. It loses because it uses a machine for aura for its abilities. Theodore finds a way to destroy the machine and it loses. He realises he needs to become the ultimate creature himself as he is a god.

He would have gathered team plasma by killing Ghetsis and taking over. He would use them as a sacrifice against Kyurem while he tries to blast him with his mind control machine. Kyurem kills everyone but Vikasa gets lucky, and despite almost dying, gets him under his control.

He removes an organ Pokemon have that turns aura into energy for moves. A legendary's is much stronger than a normal Pokemon's.

• Theodore would say at the end when confronted by Shinigami that he wants to remain in the Pokemon world with his family. Earlier in the story he would have thought about leaving but questions why when he has more meaning and feels happier in this new life. His old world is full of selfishness and destruction.

• There would be a final battle where Vikasa is overpowered and the good guys win somehow, probably through science along with action. I've learned that when being a discovery writer, you have to plan an ending and certain key events in a story or it will become crap.

• Maybe I would have added a hunter like Hunter J or something.

• Mind control would have been used by Vikasa to kill Ghetsis to take over Team Plasma and get access to more resources. He would have used mind-controlled wild Pokemon to distract the league while he does his messed up research.

• If Theodore ever fought a Liepard then he would have taken advantage of its strength and used it against herself. It would be her slit eyes that work like a cat's. Despite being a feline himself, he doesn't have those type of eyes.

• There would be a tournament where the winner would fight Alder. Sarah joins in and fangirls over him. She's also starting to get to that age. She battles him and loses. He helps, at her request, to get her and Athena's bond phenomenon to be more in sync. He is amazed to see her performance and looks forward to seeing her in the league tournament.

• There would be battles between Team Sarah and Garland, each time he would come back with upgrades. Anubis and Athena confront him about this being dishonourable and wrong; he's not a human. He tells them to shut up and that only power matters.

• Vikasa develops a connection between himself and Garland. He thinks about Shinigami's words of letting go of pride. He then chooses between power and love, power.

He disposes of Garland once he's got his prototype and Garland refuses to listen to him after finding out he lied about his improvements on his test subjects.

• Maybe Sarah meets Charen again in a battle/city/tournament.

• Theodore and the Team go to a new museum which contains a few journals from the founder of the Unova region. He recognises the language as Russian and he's the only one who can read it while it's said that researchers and historians have been trying forever to know what it says.

He realises that Sarah called their language English and not Unovan. He realises that he's not the only one reincarnated into the Pokemon world and that Shinigami's been doing this to others, probably to teach them certain lessons.

This will be emphasised by the narrator of the Temple of Tutankhamun where he is a reincarnated modern person who brought the Egyptian era to Unova and declared himself ruler.

He is confronted by Sarah when she finds out he can read the language. She doesn't stop this time in her questioning.

• A finance member of team Plasma finds out Vikasa has been sneakily directing some money to himself. When confronted he offers him to visit his lab. When there he meets Vikasa's prototype of an ultimate creature and would be killed by it. The creature would be partially shown and give readers a hint of what was to come.

• The ultimate creature would be a naga-like being from a classic fantasy world. Instead of the creature being its own being, Vikasa transfers his consciousness because he realises that he IS the ultimate creature and no one can reach him.

• Steel type Pokemon eat other steel type Pokemon for their alloys to grow themselves. Pokefood from the mart can be specialised to contain the ingredients for steel.

• Athena will get smarter as she evolves and once reaching Gardevoir will have her intelligence tested by Theodore. It's slightly better than the average human who's studied.

He wonders what her answer would be if he taught her how to make weapons. When offered she rejects it because she doesn't want to bring misery on others. Besides, her mother is a healer. He is about to call her useless and weak but holds back after everything they've been through and how much he respects her. There is an internal monologue of his where he thinks of arguments from both sides. This will be a moral issue which readers can debate about. Whether it is better to be prepared but progressively make things get worse or give up and not be part of the problem. Something like this, I would have figured it out by then.

• There may have been a part where Theodore is about to kill Vikasa earlier in the story but Athena stops him and says not to be like him. He gives his reasons but reluctantly listens to her after she says that he's changed. Athena regrets this as Vikasa terrorises everyone afterwards. She questions her morality of peace, but Theodore reassures her.

• Vikasa and Garland were to have a quirk to help characterisation. It was to be the same to help their relationship. I made it to be eating Granola bars.

• The hemaguard layer isn't affected by the Ethereal Form causing lactic acid build up and won't cause him to faint that way, but he may faint from the severe pain afterward if he uses it for too long.

• There was meant to be a joke of Anubis saying 'oh my daddy' or something to Theodore after they develop more of their father/son bond. When Theodore becomes awkward and questions him about it, he would say that he learned it from Eevee.

• The reason why Theodore felt something for Anubis in the Dreamyard compared to the puppies he experimented with on Earth is because Anubis showed sentience, and Theodore is drawn to intelligence.

• Theodore would look more into Ethereal Form after it is brought out a second time when he feels malicious.

• Nexacorp is general technology while Silph Co is more Pokemon-specific technology.

• I would have looked more into horror and wrote a chapter containing the mad Heatmore. Team Sarah along with N's team would have investigated Vikasa's laboratory which would have been abandoned and they find the four major experiments. They battle them. Heatmor dies but the others are given another chance. Theodore would have used the lab's equipment to bring them back to their normal bodies.

• Garland refuses to kill Theodore without a proper battle due to Pokemon instincts screaming honour. This would be despite Vikasa telling him quickly with an instant kill weapon. Refusal influences Vikasa's decision to keep him.

• Garland would be found half dead by Team Sarah via coincidence (shinigami's intervention) and be healed back while Theodore removes his enhancements. Garland keeps his sword and new brain though. After a whole scene with them, he is accepted as the fourth/fifth member of Team Sarah.

• Garland, after being rejected by Vikasa says that he now understands why nearly all Pokemon reject his offer of improvement for the love of their trainers after he experiences heartbreak or experiences love when being with Team Sarah.

• Garland is a very curious creature and asks a lot of questions to Vikasa. He finds gaining knowledge to be so much fun.

He loves Vikasa which eventually becomes father-and-son-like. He's very loyal to him. He respects Theodore for his brain and being able to beat him despite his enhancements.

His fighting style is him being a heavy hitter due to his sword. He prefers to use parries and blocks with said sword instead of dodging. He will gain mechanics to cover his weaknesses every time he loses to Team Sarah. He's able to use the environment like Theodore. His sword has a chain at the handle which can make the blade be thrown.

He would have 2 close and 2 ranged Pokemon moves. Close ones will work with his sword like Meteor Strike.

Has a huge amount of stamina to the point of never getting tired.

• His goals are to achieve his lord's commands, get subjects for 'improvement', and try to defeat Team Sarah's members due to pride.

• Once joining Team Sarah, he becomes quite chill. This would have changed depending on what I felt at the time.

• There was to have been a village in the past that allowed human/Pokemon relationships, but it caused a lot of diseases that spread and took a long time to take care of. Afterwards, it became illegal and was heavily looked down upon in society.

• There was going to be a joke where there was to be a name for a Pokemon and Sarah can't decide. Theodore says Hitler and laughs and Sarah picks it, saying it's a good name. He quickly panics and retracts it. She awws and says why not.

There's some more stuff that I can't remember from the top of my head, but that's the jist of it. The next two/three chapters will be 'future' chapters.