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Human Type	By : FireBlaster Category: Pokemon > General Views: 8060 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters in it. This writing is purely for non-profit entertainment.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Chapter 6
– 3, 2, 1, Go

"No
matter how dark the moment, love and hope are always possible."
George Chakiris

Ken
woke up with a massive headache, head locked on the ceiling so as not
to move and aggravate it any further. It had now been exactly two
weeks since they'd arrived in Jubilife, and his first taste of the
Underground League was to start at sundown. They'd only taken a
half-day of training yesterday at Vesta and his uncle's request, and
it had him a bit worried. His mind was racing with possible battle
scenarios and how he'd deal with them.

Oh
man... Did we do everything we could? Luxio's in top form, but
could he be better? And Eevee... She hasn't even experienced real
battle before. Can I really let her fight today? I didn't even
teach her Last Resort. I don't even know how! Fuck me...

He rolled off the bed onto the floor and after climbing
to his feet, stumbled towards the bathroom. Once he'd managed to
keep his eyes open, he hopped in the shower. As he was drying
himself off, he jumped at the sound of the smoke alarm blaring. Ken
threw a shirt on and rushed to see what had happened, only to find
his uncle sitting backwards on a chair, laughing as he watched Vesta
flail about the kitchen.

“Ken, you're just in time! Pull up a chair and
watch the show!”

Vesta turned to shout at the heckling man, and Ken had
trouble figuring out why her creamy yellow hair had pancake batter in
it. “Make yourself useful or get back in the living room!”
As she made to turn around, she realized Kendrick had woken up, and
made to cover her hair with a spoon. Her effort only made matters
worse.

She let out a frustrated scream and went back to her
work as Ken attempted to fan out the room from the smoke starting to
fill it. “Hey, uh, Vesta? What the hell is going on in
here?!”

“Ken, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to cause any
problems, but I figured it'd be nice for you to start off the day
with a big breakfast and... Damn it! Why isn't the smoke
stopping?!”

He entered the kitchen and reached over her head,
turning the oven off. He laughed as she looked at him, ready to cry.
She slumped down until she was sitting with her back to the stove,
sobbing into her arms, spoon and batter still stuck in her hair.

Kendrick reached down and brought her back to her feet.
“Come on now... What's the matter? Can you stop crying for a
second?” She slowly brought her arms from her face, standing
up straight to face him. He fought off the urge to laugh at how the
spoon stayed in the hair. “Okay now, let's see if we can fix
this, okay? Smile for me?”

She began to laugh sheepishly, and Ken started wiping
the mess off of her face. “Oh man... What were you even
trying to make?”

Vesta was still sniffling as she spoke. “Pancakes.
And biscuits. But those were in the oven, so... Oh, and I was
going to make chocolate milk.”

“Wow... Okay, why don't you start making that,
while I clean up what I can over here?”

After
a while, Ken had managed to get most of the kitchen clean and was
almost ready to start cooking again,
when his uncle burst out laughing. He turned around and saw Vesta's
face covered in chocolate powder she was trying to use for the milk.

“Uh, why don't we just go out for breakfast?”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh
shit, oh shit, oh shit... This is it man. These guys are gonna' be
your opponents. Each one of them is trying to win, and to do that,
they've gotta' beat you. That's how it works. Oh shit. That means
they already know that. That means they're not afraid to beat me.
Ohshitohshitohshit!

Tai glanced around the lobby all the entrants had been
gathered in and instantly felt like he had made a mistake. At
fourteen years old, he was easily the youngest one there, and by far
the smallest. His black hair was shaved short, and his glasses were
bent at the edges, causing them to sit crooked on his face. He
silently cursed the fact that nobody had told him the other trainers
would all be adults.

When he had arrived with his mother, they had stayed
together in the corner of the room as everyone arrived. His mom had
protested his participating, but he refused to listen. The day he
heard there was a prize of $20,000 was the day he made up his mind.

I'm
not letting my mom go another week without her surgery. There's no
other option.

After all 60 of the competitors had shown up, everyone
said their goodbyes to their family and friends, and the non-entrants
were led to another room. Since then, they'd been waiting around for
the tournament to start. Nobody was talking, but each was glancing
around the room at their newfound foes.

Finally, the door swung open revealing a man wearing a
business suit who walked to a small podium set up near the front of
the room. Half of the fighters stood up and organized before the
man, and as the rest saw what was going on, they joined. Tai took
his place between a man with legs the size of small trees and another
guy wearing black sweatpants. The group was lined up in five rows of
twelve.

The businessman's voice filled the silent room.

“Welcome,
challengers, old and new! You are standing in the pre-battle holding
facility for the UGL's competitions. My name is Locke, and I am the
arena manager for this city's facility. Now, for all entrants,
please listen as I summarize what the first round of the tournament
entails. Every entrant will begin in a different location somewhere
in the maze 40 feet below me. The maze consists of walls made from
steel. Extremely thick steel, might I add. While you may be able to
destroy them, this is highly unlikely, and to make it simpler, it is
banned. Doing so is to forfeit the tournament. The maze is divided
up into several regions marked by the terrain found on the floor of
each. These regions vary from solid steel chambers, to dirt, to
flooded rooms, and many more. With the exception of these regions,
each part of the maze is the same. It's all one massive labyrinth,
and quite complex. As such, the first round of the tournament is
simple: Find the room marked as the exit, where one of our officials
will be waiting to record what order you finished in. The first to
reach the exit receives 100 points, the second gets 75, and third
gets 50. From then, it's 25 points for fourth, 24 for fifth, 23 for
sixth,
and so on until positions 29 and up receive no bonus points. Now,
where the battling comes in. You're bound to encounter other
fighters in the maze. Each Pokemon you knock out in battle counts as
5 points. Each trainer eliminated is worth 15. Obviously, battle is
recommended, as many of our repeat
challengers learned from previous experience. Of course, dropping
you into a maze with no clue how to move about could cause you to
take days to find the exit. That's why, everyone of you will be
wearing these.”

Locke handed a box of earpieces to the group, and each
took one from the bag. Tai was getting anxious from hearing the
rules. He loved mazes.

“With these headsets, you'll be able to hear what
your coordinator says to you.”

One of the entrants spoke up. “Aren't
coordinators those people who display their Pokemon in contests?”

Locke merely chuckled. “Whatever you know about
Pokemon up there, won't do you any good down here, I assure you.
Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Your coordinator has been pre-decided,
and has already begun to familiarize themself with your abilities.
They will be watching from the box that your families are in, and
will provide you with everything they see going on from above, as
well as statistics like Pokemon and trainers left, points scored, and
so on. They are your only lifeline, and are crucial to your success.
And that about covers it all for this round. It's quite simple
really. Reach the exit, battle trainers, don't get eliminated. Any
questions?”

The guy with black sweatpants next to Tai spoke up.

“So when do we meet Ace?”

Murmurs filled the room and Tai started to wonder who he
was talking about.

Locke focused his eyes on the man. “You'll meet
Ace if you deserve to. Until then you've got bigger problems to
worry about.”

“Like? And these battles... what are the rules?
I heard anything goes. That true?”

Another voice chimed in from the room. “This your
first tournament? Shit, I'll be looking for you.”

As others grunted their interest in the newly discovered
rookie, Locke shut down the chatter. “Enough. Save all of
that for the battles. The people want a good show, no? As for you,
that's completely true. All that matters is eliminating opponents
and making it to the end first. How you do it, does not matter. The
police's reach ended when you walked down those stairs.”

“How the hell is that possible? Jesus, this kid
here is barely a teenager!”

Tai winced at the mention. He had wanted to be as
invisible as possible.

“It's how things work, sorry. As for the kid, he
may just become another statistic. Since we started these
competitions four years ago, we've yet to have more than 22 people
finish this round. Not all of the others walked out of here either.
You all knew the risks.”

No
I didn't. Nobody told me this. This isn't what I thought!
Tai couldn't believe what he was hearing.

The
man in sweatpants seemed agitated too. “Dead?! Why the hell
are you letting people kill each other?
What possible benefit could that give?! That's not what a battle
is!”

A cold voice shot out of the back of the room. “There's
a simple reason. Without a trainer to give orders, what good is a
Pokemon? They're nothing but wild creatures then. What's your
name?”

“The name's Kendrick. And yours might be garbage,
but mine are more than wild creatures.”

“We'll see. My name's Dalen. I'll keep an eye
out for you. You better be a quick learner.”

Locke seemed satisfied with what he'd heard. “Enough.
It's time to start. And you've got more pressing concerns.”

Tai managed to find his voice. “Like what?”

“Like sticking the landing.” He flipped a
switch on his podium, and Tai started falling.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Slides?
Really? Wow...

After Locke had pushed the button, Ken had fallen down
into a tube where he was standing and was now sliding down it. He
looked around and saw all of the other slides and realized they wound
around one another, each of them transparent. He also caught his
first glimpse of the maze and realized just how big it seemed to be.
He quickly tried to locate the exit, but couldn't get a fix on where
he was with all the twists and turns his pipe went through. He
caught another entrant out of the corner of his eye running alongside
his slide and saw he was busy taking as many pictures of the maze as
he could.

Shit!
I wish I would've known that! Damn it!

His pipe veered off and took him directly under another.
As he looked up, he saw a man with purple hair flipping him off and
laughing on their way down.

Ass.
You better hope I don't find you down there.

Suddenly, every slide split apart, hurtling them towards
different sections of the maze. After another minute of falling, the
slide leveled out sharply, and Kendrick slid out onto his back and
into a wall. He slowly got to his feet and started studying his
surroundings.

Looks
like I ended up in a pretty normal room. Only thing weird around
here is that it's normal.

As he started stretching out his body, a voice boomed
across an intercom system he couldn't see.

“Alright! Ladies and Gentlemen, now is the moment
you've all been waiting for! All 60 of our new challengers this
month have entered the maze, and the contest will officially begin in
30 seconds! Please place your final bets now!”

Bets?
What the hell? Is this some kind of sport?

He
looked at the ceiling and realized they were underneath some kind of
clear material with holes cut out
for the tubes that brought them down. Ken saw the press box
everybody must have been sent to, and began to wonder what Vesta and
his uncle were thinking.

“Okay! Now, the UGL presents to you, UGL 52!
Trainers! 3! 2! 1! Go!”

Cheering
broke out over the intercom, and Ken guessed there had to be at least
a thousand people watching. Well, now's as good a time as
any. Let's go win this bitch.

He
slipped the small headset over his ear, and turned it on. A low
crackle filled his ear until the radio focused, and a familiar voice
spoke to him. Sera?

“Hello again Ken. In case you can't tell, I'm
your coordinator. Pleasure to work with you.”

“Haha... so that's why you've been stalking me
everyday? And you couldn't just tell me what you were doing?”

“Sorry, against the rules. My job is merely to
observe until the day of the event. Now I can provide support
though. Shall we?”

“Please, you better take the lead on this dance.
I'll follow step. Where to first?”

“You started fairly far from the exit. If you
didn't run into any problems, it'd be an hour long walk.”

“What?! Fuck! How big is this place?!”

“Stop whining. The others won't be waiting, and
some of them entered about 20 minutes from the exit. You've got some
real ground to make up.”

“Shit, alright. Do I just start running?”

“Go forward, I'll tell you where from there.”

“Got it.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kendrick had been running for about 5 minutes when he
heard the first signs of battle occurring. It was muffled from the
distance between them, but he knew the sound of electricity anywhere.

“Hey, Sera. Who's rockin' the lightning?”

“It's near the center of the maze. Two trainers
found each other and are fighting with a Jolteon and a Linoone. I
can't see it very well, just some bits. Important?”

“Nah, just curious. Hey, speaking of, can you
search each person down here? I want to know about a man named
Dailon, or something like that.”

“You mean Dalen? Why?”

“Because he's a total hottie. It doesn't matter!
Just tell me what you know about him.”

“Cute. Well, I know he's trouble. This would be
his fourth tournament. He's made it past the first round every time.
Let me pull up the Pokemon he's using right now.”

“He's made it three times? That really that
impressive?”

“Not spectacular, but a testament to him not being
a pushover. He's entered with a Raticate and a Graveler. Graveler
is a problem, obviously. Oh, and an Eevee. That'd be an interesting
match for you two.”

Graveler?
Damn, why him? Guess I should keep my distance.
“Bah, he's crap. I'll mop him up if I see him. Make sure I
don't though, okay? I'll trust your judgment in that matter.”

“Affirmative. Hey, that fight just ended. The
Jolteon won. The other guy and his Linoone aren't moving, but
they're still alive. Probably just paralyzed.”

“Hmmm... Well, that's cool then. How does he get
out? You people send someone?”

“After the match is over, yeah.”

“I see. I hear fights more frequently now.”

“There's about six fights going on. About to be
seven! You up for a match?”

“I have a choice?”

“Well, if you want to win, you've got to fight.”

“Then where is he?”

“Coming towards you. Stay put. I'll pull up his
data.”

Ken stopped in the middle of the hallway and realized
how cold it had gotten. While running he hadn't noticed, but the
temperature had dropped to below 50 degrees. He gathered himself and
waited for someone to come around the corner.

“Ken, I've got him. He's a repeat challenger.
Nothing impressive, but he's got a Scyther. It's not well-trained,
but it's dangerous. Keep an eye on him.”

The first thing Ken noticed as the man walked around the
corner was his hair. Black, stringy, and dripping with sweat.
Haha... He looks tired.

“Fuck, it is cold in here! Why the fuck did I get
dropped in Snowpoint?!”

“Haha, yeah. Nice to meet you. I'm K--”

“Yeah yeah, I'm sure you are. It's not gonna'
matter soon. I'll call you 15, because that's all you're worth to
me.”

Ken growled under his breath to where only Sera could
hear. “Alright then. Luxio, let's wreck his shit.”

Both Pokemon stretched out as they were released from
their balls, and Ken couldn't help but be impressed by how loose the
Scyther looked.

His opponent didn't waste any time. “Scyther!
Slash his ass!”

“Luxio, heads u--”

Kendrick ducked as he caught a glimpse of silver-white
blade coming towards him. His eyes grew wide as he saw the scythe
inches above his face, where his head had been seconds before. The
shock quickly folded to anger.

“What do you think you're doing?!”

“Gah... You dodged... No fun!”

Sera was nearly screaming at him on his headset. “Damn
it! I told you to be careful! I told you he'd attack you! Are you
trying to get killed?!”

“Damn it, you didn't say that at all!” Ken
stood up and took a few steps away from the Pokemon. Luxio was rigid
with electricity as he faced the Scyther. “Hey asshole! What
was that?!”

“A battle, dumbass. Man up already.”

“Try that shit again.”

“Oh? And what if I do? You gonna' sic the cub on
me?” The trainer leapt towards Luxio, now fixated only on
Scyther, and delivered a full kick to its midsection. The lion let
out a small roar of pain as it rolled onto back.

“Lux!” Kendrick ran to his Pokemon's side,
sliding under a playful swipe from Scyther. After checking Luxio's
ribs, they both stood up to face off again.

The man cackled as Ken glared at him. “Don't play
with me! It's cold as fuck in here! Is the wittle wion hurt?
Awww...”

Luxio let out a challenging growl. Ken started smiling.

The smirk didn't escape the other trainer. “What's
so funny? His growling? Animals bark and growl so they don't have
to bite. It's meaningless to the most ferocious creatures. Like
bugs.”

Ken started chuckling now. “That growl? That was
just Luxio's way of saying you kick like a little bitch. Let's get
started now, shall we?”

“Fuck you! Scyther! Rip him open! I want to
know what he ate this morning!”

Kendrick tapped the ground twice with his foot before
sliding it back, and Luxio shot a warning bolt of lightning up above
him, causing Scyther to hesitate. Ken took the opportunity and ran
towards the other trainer, leaving Scyther an open shot at his back,
which the Pokemon lunged at.

The original hesitation slowed it down just enough for
Luxio to jump and bite into its wing as it flew by. Scyther screamed
in agony as the lion clenched it's teeth harder, pumping electricity
through his mouth. The Scyther started flailing around in the air to
shake it loose, but to no avail.

The Scyther's trainer stared in disbelief as his Pokemon
slowly slipped from consciousness, eventually collapsing on the
ground. A small trail of blood was dripping from Luxio's mouth as it
stood on top of its body.

Ken reached the trainer and grabbed his arm and the back
of his head. “Don't you ever touch my Pokemon.”

He screamed as Ken whipped him around in a circle before
driving his face into one of the steel walls. As he fell to his
knees and elbows, his hands went to cover his newly broken and
profusely bleeding nose. Ken finished up with a kick to his side and
a silent prayer he'd cracked his ribs.

As the trainer rolled around shouting and numb with
pain, Kendrick leaned down next to him to say his goodbye. “Don't
try to hide it. It's cold as fuck in here, right? Enjoy that
feeling.”

Luxio called to Ken, and the two of them ran further
down the hallways of the labyrinth.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After another 10 minutes of running under Sera's
guidance, Ken noticed Luxio was moving awkwardly and still had blood
on his mouth.

“Hey, Sera. Is there anybody nearby?”

“Not that I can see. It'll probably be another 10
minutes before you reach somebody else at this rate. Why?”

“I need a break. We're finally out of the cold,
and now seems like a good time to regroup.”

“Alright. Well, you're clear. I'll tell you if
anybody comes nearby.”

“Thanks. Lux, come here. I thought I already
wiped the blood off. Man, that's nasty.”

Sera interrupted. “You did. That's not Scyther's
blood anymore.”

“What? No... Luxio, you're hurt?” Luxio
growled a weak acknowledgement. “Shit, come here.”

The lion protested, bristling his fur with electricity.
For the first time, Ken heard Sera laugh. “It seems he's as
dumb as you.”

“Shut up. And Lux, I'm not telling you again! Be
tough in battle, fine. But don't hurt yourself for no reason. Let
me wrap your stomach up.”

As Ken worked to heal up Luxio's injury, he started to
wonder why Sera was being so quiet. “Hey, Sera. You sure
didn't talk much during that battle. Are you overflowing with faith
in me, or is helping me outside of your job description?”

“Well, it's certainly not faith. And I don't have
a job description. And I didn't shut up for a second during that
battle.”

“What?! Were you really talking?”

“Of course. But I turned my microphone off. Past
experience says it's distracting to have a backseat trainer.”

“Haha... Yeah, that makes sense.”

“Kendrick, did you really not expect him to attack
you personally?”

“Hell no!”

“But I warned you!”

“No, you said to keep an eye on him!”

“But that's what I meant!”

“That's not what I understood though... Alright,
it doesn't matter now though. This communication thing is something
we'll have to work on. But for now, it's trial and error.”

“Maybe. That reminds me... You didn't give Luxio
a single command in that fight. Why not?”

“I didn't? Wow... Well, it must be because it
didn't call for one. Lux knew what to do, didn't you buddy?”
The lion purred loudly as it walked around testing its new bandaging.

“Bullshit. If he didn't attack, you'd have gotten
impaled. How did he know what you were going to do?”

“Haha... Easy. I tap once for him, twice for me.
A slide back is an attack, and a pivot sideways is a defense.
There's more than that, but that's the trick I used there. Now, no
more questions. Magicians never reveal their secrets.”

“Clever...”

“Hey, I've got 20 points, right?”

“Yeah. That puts you in 17^th place.”

“17^th?! Shit.”

“The leader has 55 points. People are nearing the
exit... But you should still have about 15 minutes.”

“Luxio. I'm sorry buddy, but we've gotta' go.
I'll let you rest up in your ball though.” After returning his
Pokemon to its ball, he started off down the way he was going. “So
Sera, where to now?”

Kendrick slowed his pace when she didn't respond.
“Sera, where now? Sera?” His headset remained silent.
Damn it. Where the hell did she go? I don't have time for this
shit. She told me pretty much where to go anyways.

Remembering her instructions to take the third right
coming up, he turned up his pace. Lost in thought about Sera, and
starting to wonder what Vesta was doing, Ken's focus wandered off.
After turning down the hallway he realized it was slanted and covered
in running water. He instantly slipped and slid down the rushing
water slide.

He struggled to right himself against the current, and
saw that the water flow was sending him straight into deeper waters.
After holding his breath, he slammed into the water and regained his
momentum, swimming to look around the pool. He realized that the
room he fell in to was completely flooded, and saw light shining from
the other side. Light. There's got to be an exit.

Chest burning, he started to doubt whether he'd be able
to reach air in time. Almost to the edge, he couldn't hold out any
longer and gasped for breath, only to swallow a mouthful of water.
Panicked, he found the ledge and pulled himself up and onto the
ground, spitting and coughing up as much water as he could. He saw a
glimpse of movement in the water from the corner of his eye and
rolled his body to get a better look. The water seemed to take form,
and the shape began to walk out onto the ground.

Holy
shit! How is this happening?!

Kendrick tried desperately to get to his feet and face
the new menace, but every attempt caused him to cough up more water.
He reached for Eevee's ball, preparing for a fight, until a voice
came from behind the corner ahead in the hall.

“Hey now. Looks like you made it. Nice.”
Ken recognized the man as the guy who had been taking pictures on the
way down into the maze. “I'd give you time to catch your
breath, but I'm afraid it won't matter soon. Vaporeon here is a
master in the water. You can probably hold your breath for a couple
of minutes. Outlook isn't so good, I'm afraid.”

As Ken focused back onto the creature that had come from
the water, he saw that it had been a Vaporeon, and that it wasn't
waiting for him to make the next move. A blast of controlled water
hit Ken, knocking him back into the water he had just escaped. As he
moved to gather himself a second time, the Vaporeon dove back in and
melded with the water once more. Reaching back for the ledge,
Kendrick left his torso exposed, and Vaporeon punished it. All Ken
could see of the invisible Pokemon was water gathering form and
slamming into his body, only to disappear once more.

After a solid hit to his stomach, Ken painfully
swallowed more of the water before managing the ledge. He spit up
what he could, and tried for another breath before he was ripped back
into the water. Lungs burning with pain, he didn't even have time to
think of a plan.

Damn
it! I can't do anything! Luxio's hurt, and he can't breathe
underwater either! Not to mention, the electric shock would kill me
too... And Eevee? I hate to admit it, but she can't do a damn thing
yet! The sound of a throbbing
heart was pounding in his ears. Vaporeon slammed into his body
again. This isn't fair! I have to win this... I promised
her! His heartbeat was growing
again in his right ear. Once more Vaporeon slammed into his body,
hitting his right arm hard. Ken managed to reach the surface again
and gasped for more air. This time, the trainer was waiting over
him. Kendrick threw Eevee's pokeball up before the trainer kicked
him back into the water, praying silently he made the right choice.
Eevee, you've gotta' help me. Please girl...

The
thumping of a heart started kicking up again, and Kendrick noticed
that the sound of his heart beating was much slower than his heart
actually was. What the hell? If it's not my heart... Is
it Vaporeon's?

The
heartbeat was growing loud in his left ear, so Ken lashed out where
he could hear it. Not making contact with anything, he felt
dismayed, until the heartbeat faded away. This time, the noise grew
louder from behind him. He kicked backwards and it quieted again.
Alright, I think I know how to find it... But I'm running
out of air again. I've got to make this one count.

Kendrick heard Vaporeon coming from his right side, but
didn't attack, baiting it closer. The burning in his lungs and eyes
was excruciating, every fiber of his body wanted to move as he held
himself still to listen. No sooner had the water started taking form
as had he made his move. He grabbed Vaporeon by the neck and swam to
the ledge with the Pokemon squirming in his grasp.

When his face appeared over the ledge gasping for
breath, he almost slipped back off as a tongue licked his face. He
wiped the water from his eyes to see Eevee jumping up and down
excitedly barking. The trainer was slumped up against the wall
unconscious, and Ken dropped the Vaporeon on the ground. It ran to
it's trainer and wrapped itself in his arms. Ken flopped down onto
his back again, exhausted and thankful that it was over, still
coughing up water.

Eevee slid off his body and climbed back up onto his
arm, nuzzling his face gently. “I don't know what you did, but
I'm proud of you. Good girl!” He scratched her behind her
ears, and his Pokemon nuzzled harder to show her affection.

After taking a moment to clean out his shoes as best as
he could, he checked his headset again. The crackling sound of
electronic failure was all he heard. Fucking water. Figuring
he could at least ask where Sera went, he lifted the sleeping
trainer's set from his body.

“Hello? Is anyone there?”

A man's voice responded. “Yeah, I'm here.
Congratz on getting free, by the way. How'd you do it?”

How?
Shit... I forgot. How the hell did I do it?
“Magic and kitten giggles, how else? Hey, my ear piece was
fried in the water. What do I do now?”

“Give up?”

“Very funny. Look, you're done working now,
right? Can you give your display over to my Coordinator or
something? Her name's Sera, and she's starting to piss me off.”

“Yeah, I could. But Sera's been called away by
Mr. Locke. Some kind of emergency going on, I think. I'm not going
to help you though. You did just take out my trainer. The bastard
didn't even score. I'm tied for dead last in points, so forgive me
for not giving a damn about your problems.”

“Fine.”
Kendrick threw the headset to the ground and returned Eevee to her
ball. Just like a damn horse race. The Coordinators are
the jockeys and we're their prize steeds. Where the hell is mine?

Before he could start running again though, a voice
called out to him from up ahead. “Excuse me... But please
don't attack me! I'm not a threat! My Mightyena's hurt... I need
help, please!”

Ken watched cautiously as the trainer came around the
corner, but lightened up when he realized who it was. “Hey,
you're the kid from before. The young one. Come here, I'll help you
out.”

Tai couldn't believe his ears. “Oh man, thank
you! I told you someone would come, didn't I boy?”

As Tai carried his Pokemon on his back, Ken saw the gash
on its shoulder. When Tai shifted the weight to set it on the floor,
Ken noticed a similar one on the kid's back. Ken ripped off a piece
of his shirt and tied it around Mightyena's wound. “Don't
worry. You'll be alright. It's just a deep cut.”

“Oh man, thank you so much. He got it when he
tried saving me...”

“Haha, well, he's a good friend then. What
happened?”

“Some guy with a Scyther entered the maze really
close to me. He tried attacking me... I turned around and got cut
in the back... I'm really sorry Mightyena. It's my fault...”

“Hey, quit that. I actually met that guy a while
ago. He tried the same crap on me. You got away, didn't you?
Obviously you did something right. Chin up.”

“Wait, the same guy? And you beat him... Oh man.
I really don't have any business here...”

“Damn, you're bumming me out! Look, don't worry
about it. It was just a rough encounter. Just train for the next
time. There, he's all fixed up.”

Mightyena stood up and barked once for his thanks before
taking his trainer's side again.

Tai seemed to be thinking about what Kendrick had said.
“Next time...? I'm not sure there will be a next time. It's
my mom...”

“Let me guess, she's sick and needs the prize
money for her surgery?”

“Yeah! How'd you know?”

“Wha-? Seriously?! I was just joking! That's
amazingly cliché...”

“Shut up! I'm serious. She's really sick...”

“Whoa, calm down dude. I didn't mean I was joking
about her, just that I was surprised. Well, I'm sorry, but with that
injury, Mighty's in no shape to fight. That, I'm being honest
about.”

“I know... I just don't know what to do now.”

“Well, how about this? I'm planning on making it
to the exit, but I don't exactly have a guide. You bring the
headset, I'll do the fighting. That way, I can make it out, and you
can get through the round. You don't have to quit just yet. Deal?”

“Wait, you'd help me more than you already have?”

“Well, yeah. That's kinda' what you do when
somebody needs help. You give it to them.”

“I don't even know your name!”

“Name's Kendrick. Yours?”

“Tai, but I--”

“Cool. Now it's settled. Let's go, we've got
ground to cover! Lead the way.”

Ken
smiled as the bewildered boy started down the halls with his
Mightyena. Sorry Vesta, but I can't just leave him.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While they made their way through the corridors,
Kendrick had been explaining his situation to his new companion. He
noticed that the more he explained his story, the more Tai seemed to
hang on every word.

“So she's really got ears and a tail like an
Arcanine?! Wow, that's so cool... You're pretty lucky, you know?”

“Lucky? She's been nothing but a plague! And
she's really bitchy...”

“But, then why do you like her?”

“Because... I do. That make any sense?”

Tai laughed. “Not a bit.”

Ken joined his laughter. “Well, you will one day,
I'm sure. By the way, I have a question for you.”

“Um, sure. What'd you want to know?”

“Don't take this the wrong way, but how did you
become that Mightyena's trainer? I always thought they were pack
animals. You know, the kind that always follow the strongest.”

“Ouch, so I'm not strong enough? Heh, I'm just
kidding. I know what you mean. And it's a long story... But pretty
much, I saw my buddy here in trouble one day, and I did everything I
could to help him. That was probably the strongest I'd ever been in
my life. Since then, he's always been there to take care of me.”

“Hey, that's pretty cool too. You've got some
stories of your own to tell, huh?”

“You think so? Yeah, I suppose it's pretty
awesome. Things haven't always been easy for us, with my mom being
sick and all. There were times when there wasn't much to eat or
things like that, but Mightyena always helped me and Mom out. Haha,
I remember a couple times when he'd bring us a Rattata or something
else he'd caught to eat! It took a while to get him to stop doing
that.”

“Oh yeah?! That's pretty funny! Lux used to do
the same thing when he was a Shinx. Used to catch food all the time.
I... wasn't too fond of his cooking.”

The two started laughing again, and didn't stop until
Tai stopped running.

“Hey Kendrick, hold up. My Coordinator's trying
to tell me something... Oh crap! A trainer's coming!”

“Don't sweat it, I'll take care of him. Stay
behind me, okay?”

“Got it.”

Ken shook his body loose as the challenger came into
view. He instantly remembered whose face was the one smiling at him.
“How about that? Dalen, right?”

Dalen mock laughed at the acknowledgement. “So
you remembered me? I'm flattered!”

“I never forget a pretty lady's face.”

“Did you just call me a girl? I haven't heard
jokes like that since elementary school. Nice.”

“Hey, I do try.”

Dalen motioned to Tai, standing off behind Kendrick. “I
was planning for a one on one fight with you Kendrick. Two on one
hardly seems fair.”

“Oh, don't worry, I was planning on that too.
He's not going to fight you, so back off of him.”

“Good. I hate dirty battles. By the way, let's
have some rules in this battle. None of that attacking the other
trainer mess.”

“A fair fight? Would you be asking for one if I
had the type advantage?”

“Haha, of course I would. I prefer a real battle
any day. I see you researched my team though.”

“Of course. You've got an Eevee, a Raticate, and
that pain in the ass Graveler. I'm impressed though. Never would've
expected you to be the fair and upstanding type.”

“And all you've got is that Luxio and your Eevee.
By the way, my Eevee got hurt in a battle earlier, so he won't be
fighting. And what gave you the impression I wasn't?! We've never
met.”

“So we've each got two? I like it. But good
point, we haven't officially met. My name's Kendrick.”

“And I'm Dalen. Nice to meet you.”

A flash of light, and Ken's Eevee prepared to fight the
Raticate baring its fangs before her. Her body flattened out as she
took a wide stance.

“Hey, one more thing before we go at it.”
Dalen got Ken's attention as the two Pokemon continued to square off.
“I don't know why, but I feel like I should tell you this. I
don't really think of Pokemon as wild creatures like I said. That
was all for show, you know? I love my friends. I just don't want
you getting the wrong idea of me. You seem like a good guy.”

“Yeah, I get you. I'm still kicking your ass
though.”

“In your dreams.”

The two smirked at each other. Ken started things off.
“Eevee! Try a Take-Down, but watch out for his ugly ass
teeth!”

Dalen reacted. “Raticate, Hyper Fang!”

Eevee launched itself towards Raticate, missing
completely. As she landed, she spun around to find Raticate snapping
its teeth at her body. Jumping backwards, the teeth slammed shut
where she stood moments before. Eevee tried again, and the results
played out the same.

Ken
watched on as the two made pass after pass at each other, locked in a
jousting match neither wanted to lose. This isn't going
anywhere. His Raticate isn't going to leave itself open, and I can't
afford to let Eevee expose itself for no reason.

Dalen seemed to sense what Kendrick was thinking and
tried to take the initiative. “Raticate, if we're going to
catch it, you've got to let it get closer! Judge the speed and time
it!”

Ken
adjusted accordingly. Like hell he's tougher than my girl.
“Eevee, teach him not to cut it close! Double-Edge! Go all
out!”

The change in Eevee's speed was just enough to play with
Raticate's attempts to time it, and she clipped its body enough to
make him flinch. The lack of contact caused Eevee to land roughly,
and the Pokemon used the wall to break its speed.

“Raticate! Change up your speeds too! Quick
Attack!”

“Eevee, you're faster! Turn up the speed!”

After each Pokemon shook off the effects of their last
efforts, Raticate took off in pursuit of Eevee. They ran around in
frantic attempts to get better position on their foe, but neither
could make any progress.

Damn
it! They're ridiculously similar! I've got to do something
though... Eevee's not any faster, but she's got to be tougher. She
might even be tougher than Luxio. I've got to start treating her
like him. I've got to start trusting her!

Ken shouted his command with a level of authority Eevee
hadn't heard before. “Eevee! Let's stop running! Endure!”

She stopped instantly, and braced for the impact.
Seeing an opportunity, Raticate increased it's speed and ferocity.

Dalen shouted in a voice as fierce as the Raticate's
movements. “Show her what a bad idea he just made! Headbutt!”

Eevee stood her ground, and the two Pokemon collided
heads at a violent speed. For a second, Ken thought that the
Raticate seemed to have completely stopped moving, but he noticed
that the Pokemon's legs were lifting up over him, using the two
butting heads as a fulcrum for the change in weight. As quickly as
they had collided, Raticate flipped over Eevee's body and into the
wall.

Ken
wouldn't wait for another chance. She's got to hit him
quick and hard. “Eevee,
Quick-Edge!”

Dalen's confusion from the events unfolding was evident.
“Quick what?!”

Eevee dashed at her foe as the Raticate fell from the
wall like any normal Quick Attack, but before she landed the hit,
Eevee changed speeds and launched at the rat intent on crushing it
with a Double-Edge. The attack slammed into Raticate, smashing it
against the wall again.

Raticate landed on the ground and crumpled in a heap, as
Eevee barked to signal her victory. Dalen returned it to it's ball
in a state of wonder. “Quick-Edge? That's the most ridiculous
thing I've ever seen. You really spend time teaching your Pokemon
things like that?”

Ken, relieved to have won the first bout, let out what
was half an exhale and half a chuckle. “Nah, I didn't even
mean to say that. That was really badass though.”

“Agreed. Mind if I use it in the future?”

“Go for it. I'll always be the master at it
though.”

Eevee made her way back to her trainer, and Kendrick
noticed she wasn't very steady on her legs.

Dalen observed it as well. “She seems pretty
dizzy. Tends to happen when you use your skull for offense and
defense.”

“Hey, it was your dumbass who used Headbutt.
Eevee, take a rest.” Ken returned his Pokemon to its ball.
“Well, time for round two.”

Dalen
released his Graveler, and the Pokemon seemed to tower over Luxio.
Briefly, it dawned on Ken that he hadn't actually come up with a plan
to fight it. So just what the hell am I supposed to do?
Nothing electric based is going to help. Nothing else is going to
hurt it. Maybe I should tell Luxio to Hydro Pump and pray he's as
good at improvising as Eevee. Well, no matter what, I have to be the
aggressor. If I let him take his time, he'll just pick Luxio apart.
Here goes nothing.

“Luxio, let's give him all you've got! Bite,
claw, scratch... It doesn't matter! Let's crack this rock open!”

Graveler moved towards the lion, and Luxio jumped onto
its back, grabbing a foothold with his claws. He chewed at the
Pokemon's body as he scratched away with his back claws, letting
loose a frenzy of attacks. Graveler merely shook it's body to get
the pest off. Luxio landed on his feet, growling, ready to pounce
again.

Dalen couldn't hold back his thrill. “Oh, that's
rich! You call those attacks?! This is over.”

“It'll never end if you can't catch Luxio.”

“I think you underestimate Graveler's speed.
Rollout!”

Luxio dodged as the speeding boulder hurtled by, and had
no choice but to keep avoiding each attack Graveler launched.
Kendrick realized this was a losing battle. As the Pokemon gained
more and more momentum, Luxio had an increasingly difficult time
dodging. On the sixth attempt, Luxio's dodge trapped him against one
of the walls, helpless against the approaching Graveler.

Seeing his Pokemon have no options left, Ken gave him
the best idea he could come up with. “Lux! Try and fit the
gap between his body and the wall when he hits!”

Luxio flattened his body as low as he could at the last
second, and the whole corridor shook from the force of the impact.
The indention in the steel was remarkable, with Graveler penetrating
roughly 4 inches through the metal. Luckily, the attack barely
missed Luxio, and the lion crawled out from its crevice, limping it's
front legs.

Kendrick realized the attack hadn't entirely missed, and
the force of the attack smashed Luxio's shoulders against the wall.
As bad as he was limping, Ken had a feeling it had dislocated or
broke them both.

Despite his injuries, the Pokemon was desperately trying
to get his trainers attention. Luxio kept motioning towards the
Graveler as it was dislodging itself from the wall.

“Luxio, I've gotta' call you back! You're jacked
up!” The lion growled fiercely in disapproval, continuing to
nod towards the Graveler. “What are you trying to say?! He's
going to kill you at this rate!”

Upset,
Luxio tried running through his pain towards the now free and
slightly stunned opponent. What the hell is he doing?!

The
lion slipped under Graveler's legs and bit a piece of its body,
seemingly intent on ripping it off. Graveler used its short legs to
kick the nuisance away, and Luxio got back up on his feet, shaking.
Damn it! I don't understand! I've got to use Eevee. I
can't let Luxio get hit again.

As the rock faced Luxio again, Luxio shot a shock of
lightning at the Graverler's body. It didn't even flinch, and began
walking towards the lion. Luxio looked at Kendrick, and shot another
bolt.

Luxio, frustrated, continued the process of shooting
electricity at the Pokemon's torso, pleading for Kendrick to
understand the message he wasn't getting.

Finally, Luxio charged the Graveler. Within striking
distance, he spun around backwards, using his front paws as support
while he used his back ones to kick full force into his foe. The
attack landed without an effect, and his front legs collapsed under
their injury. The lion laid there helpless, unable to stand back up.

“Dalen, stop! Luxio loses!”

“Yeah, I'm not going to do anything more. He's
clearly done.”

“Thank you...”

Ken ran to grab his Pokemon. “What were you
trying to tell me? I don't get it...”

Luxio weakly shot static electricity at the Graveler,
and Ken saw where it hit. Almost invisible to the naked eye, there
was a large crack in the rocky body from when it collided with the
wall. “Luxio, I love you. Thanks for everything. Go ahead
and relax. I'll take it from here.”

Returning the proud lion to it's ball, Kendrick took his
place across from Dalen once more, eyes wild with determination. He
sent out Eevee and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

“Okay girl, are you alright again? Right on his
body, in the front, there's a crack. If you hit it hard, we can
split it. I know it's a lot to ask, but I know you've got it.”

Eevee barked her understanding. “Good girl.
Let's give him hell.”

Dalen was tired of waiting. “Graveler! Smash
her!”

“Don't give him time to move! Take-Down!”

Eevee lunged at the newly found weak point, and
recoiled, hurt from the collision.

“Eevee! I'm sorry, but you've got to keep trying!
Hit it harder! Double-Edge!”

Graveler, confused by the seemingly self-destructive
course of action, continued to let Eevee do what she wanted. Time
after time, Eevee would slam into the body, each time, hurting her
more and more.

Dalen decided he'd had enough. “Graveler, let's
just end this. Body Slam.”

“Now's our chance Eevee! Endure it like before!”

The impact was hard enough to shatter bone, but Eevee
held her ground. As Graveler rolled back onto its feet, Eevee did
her best to remain on her feet, obviously fatigued.

“Please Eevee! I know you're out of energy, but
you've got to make this count! We're out of options!”

She began to run towards Graveler, preparing for a final
attack. Suddenly, her body started glowing white, and Eevee picked
up speed. Bright white and brimming with a new energy, the Pokemon
plowed into the Graveler, impacting with an explosion of light and
force. The two trainers were blinded temporarily, and slowly
regaining their senses they saw the victor.

Lying still on his back, the Graveler was completely
unconscious. Eevee stood over his body, and weakly gave her
customary victory bark.

Kendrick spoke first. “What the fuck was that?!”

“I think... Your Eevee used Last Resort.”

“Eevee! I love you!” Kendrick ran to his
Pokemon and tackled it to the ground, holding it tightly to his
chest. “You're amazing!”

Eevee licked her trainers face happily and curled up in
his arms. Dalen returned his Graveler and walked over to Ken. He
reached out to hold Eevee. “May I?”

“Sure, I guess. But she's tired, so don't mess
around.”

Dalen held the balled up Pokemon in his hands and gently
pet it before handing it back to Ken. “I just wanted a chance
to hold an Eevee that wonderful. Well, you won. Ass. I'll go ahead
and head out. Give them hell in the later rounds.”

“Yeah, I will. Thanks. It was a great fight.”

As Dalen walked away and turned the corner, Tai came
running up with his Mightyena. “That was great! Come on! The
end is just another two minutes away! We're almost there!”

While
Tai went running off down the hallway, Ken kissed Eevee on her head
and returned her to her ball. Dalen? Thanks for the
practice. Eevee's part of the team now.
He shook his head out and chased after Tai.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey Kendrick, wait a minute.” Tai stopped
running and crouched next to a wall and began to talk with his
coordinator.

“What's the matter?”

Tai stood back up. “Not good. If we take a right
here, and another right at the next corner, we'll be at the end.”

“And that's bad... How?” Kendrick felt his
chest tightening at what Tai was hinting at.

“There's some kind of guy who's waiting for
trainers right at the doorway. He's causing a panic back in the
observation room. Nobody knows how he got in, but he's not an
entrant. What do we do now?”

“Well, is he dangerous? Does anyone know what
he's doing here?”

“My coordinator says he's killing everyone who's
gotten to the end since he got there. Four, so far. All he's said
to people is that he's waiting for something. Kendrick... I can't
fight. Your Pokemon can't. I appreciate you helping me, but we
can't do anything about this.”

Ken couldn't believe what he was hearing. “Fuck!
Look, I helped you because it was the right thing to do. I can't sit
around waiting though. I have to win.”

“But, people are dying! Is winning really
important enough for that?!”

“No, of course not... But, that doesn't mean I
can just give up!”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“I don't know. But I'll see if I can get rid of
him or something.”

Chest puffed out, Tai tried to stand as tall as he
could. “Well I'm helping you. I owe you. Me and Mightyena
will fight him too.”

Kendrick pushed Tai's chest back down. “Not a
chance. You're way too young for this stuff anyways. I'm helping
keep you safe, and this would not be considered safe.”

“Why not?!”

“You're not, and that's final. Sit down, shut up,
and don't move. Got it?”

“No. I'm helping.”

“No. You're not. Sit.” Kendrick looked
like a father scolding his pouting child.

Satisfied when Tai followed his orders, Ken moved ahead
to the next hall. This hall leads past the turn for the end.
Looks like the whole final portion of the maze is shaped like a “T”
of sorts. Upon reaching the right turn Tai mentioned, he
crouched to listen to voices coming from ahead.

A cocky voice was shouting obscenities, and Kendrick
could tell by his voice that he wasn't the guy causing trouble. Just
another punk ass. I wonder if I could slip through to the finish
while they fight? Fuck, no. I can't just leave Tai.

The second person spoke, and Ken lost his train of
thought. “Are you him? Where are you from?” The man's
voice was cold and steely. Compared to the trainers, it sounded like
a man in control; a man who had a mission.

“Am I him? Who the fuck are you talking about,
you fucking faggot?!”

“Damn it... You're not. And to be honest, you're
really annoying. We're done talking here.”

With his last sentence, Kendrick felt the chill in his
voice. Shit, he's going to kill him. Leaping from his cover,
Ken stared down the hallway at the two men facing each other,
surrounded by the bodies of four other trainers. The trainer who had
been shouting had his back to Ken, and the man with the cold voice
had his back to a giant doorway marked with a banner designating the
finish. Even with the doors flung open, Ken realized that it would
be nearly impossible to slip through them around the man's massive
frame.

Holy
crap... He's gotta' be at least 7 feet tall...

Making good on his threat, the giant reached for a
combat knife on his chest, and flung it into the eye socket of the
trainer. Death was instantaneous, and his body went limp. With
blinding speed, the giant dashed to the trainer, catching his body
before it hit the ground. In one fluid motion, the giant grasped the
skull with two hands, and drove his knee into the knife handle
sticking out from the trainer's eye. The knife served as a chisel in
the skull, and the force applied caused the trainer's face to split
wide open.

As the corpse fell into a puddle of it's own blood and
brain matter, Kendrick found himself not breathing.

The massive man bent over to retrieve his knife and saw
the new trainer standing before him. “You. Are you him? Are
you from Celadon?”

Celadon?!
No fucking way. He's not looking for me. He can't be. That's not
possible.

The man took his answer from Ken's face. “Haha,
you're him alright. You look just like the picture.”

“Who are you? And what do you want from
me?”

“You're Kendrick Fenrir, right? The kid who
killed Jack back in Celadon?”

“Jack? I didn't ever get his name. And yeah, I'm
responsible for that, but it's not exactly my fault. He was
attacking me.”

“Please, I really don't care at all. To tell you
the truth, I want to kill him myself. That bastard's failure is the
reason I'm here.”

“What the hell do you people want with her?!”

“We want her returned, like we were paid for.
You, on the other hand, we want dead. The Talons don't exactly like
screwing up jobs. We pride ourselves on results, after all.”

“Returned? To who?”

“Uh-uh. No questions. It's none of your
business. We're done talking here.”

Kendrick knew what was coming in time to duck. The
knife flew over his head, shaving off several hairs from the top.
With his same ferocious speed, the man grabbed Ken by his arms and
swung him around once before flinging him down the hallway. Crashing
to the ground, he rolled onto his feet and instinctively reached for
his Pokeballs.

Damn
it, Luxio's completely out of it, and Eevee's gotta' be exhausted.
What can I do?!

The
giant lowered his shoulders and plowed into Ken. As he grasped
frantically at the man's back, he was
lifted over his shoulders and thrown over the giant's head. Kendrick
landed on his back, the force of the landing winding him completely.

“Hahaha! Come on! This is fun isn't it! Aren't
we having fun?!”

As Ken writhed in pain on the ground, the giant dropped
the back of his heel into Ken's stomach. Overcome by an urge to
cough, with no air to actually manage one, Ken began to realize the
situation he was in.

As soon as he'd recovered enough to cough up his own
blood, Kendrick felt a fist pound into his face. For what seemed
like minutes, the giant delivered blow after blow to his face.
Kendrick was beginning to lose consciousness by the time the giant
finished. His eyes blurred over with red and black as he watched the
man walk towards the doorway.

“You know kid, this was fun. I'd say let's do
this again, but we both know better. Well, I'm off to find that
girl. Goodbye.”

No...
You can't do that...

Kendrick sputtered up blood as he regained control of
his body, and shakily, managed to stand on his feet. “Wait!”

The man turned around, amused. “What the hell are
you doing? Just stay down. I don't really feel like killing more
than five people today. Just never make yourself a problem again,
and we won't hunt you down. That's a pretty good deal, considering.”

“More than five? Hah... What a stupid attempt at
morality.”

“I didn't ask for your opinion.”

“You're not taking Vesta.”

“Damn it kid. Now you're getting annoying too...”

Before the man could move up on Ken, the space between
them erupted in a massive burst of fire. He shielded his eyes as the
intense heat washed over him like a wave. When he opened them again,
he was now facing the rigid backs of an Arcanine and Ninetails.

As the Ninetails sent another batch of fire at the giant
man, the Arcanine nudged Ken towards the wall behind him. After
walking him to it, the Arcanine let out a soft bark.

Vesta?
Is that you...?

Exhausted, Kendrick slumped to the ground and fell
asleep upright against the wall.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vesta
rubbed her head against Ken one more time as he passed out before
joining the Ninetails's side once more. Don't worry Ken.
I'll take care of this.

The man had a new gleam in his eye, and it rivaled the
gleam of the fire now smoldering around them. “Oh goody! New
friends. Garchomp, playtime!”

A burst of light, and the Garchomp was moving in on the
Ninetails.

Damn
it! Vesta let out a jet of fire
at the Garchomp and distracted him as the Ninetails dodged
gracefully.

“You're
lucky Sera. Not everyday you get to have a partner as good as me.”

Sera chuckled quietly at her new teammate. “Really
now? Then again, best dog is still just a dog.”

The
Garchomp continued to launch attack after attack, while the two girls
continued to have their conversation. “Bitch! You
don't have to be here!”

“But
then who would protect Ken?”

“When
we're done here, I'm making you regret that comment.”

“Heh
heh, I'm joking. I know you care about him.”

“Wha-?
What are you talking about?!”

“You.
Like. Him. It's pretty self-explanatory.”

“That's
none of your business!”

“Well,
it really doesn't matter. I'm thinking he's pretty cute. I'll be
sure to care for him when you break his heart.”

“I
wouldn't do something to hurt him!”

“Ha!
You should try telling him that once in a while. If I had to guess,
you already have hurt him.”

A Dragon Rush from Garchomp came dangerously close to
Vesta's face. “Ah, damn it! We don't have time for this.
How about a temporary truce?”

“A
time out to kick ass? Fine by me.”

Before the Garchomp could finish his newest assault,
both of the girls had launched Flamethrowers of their own. The
sudden rush of fire stunned the dragon, but delivered little actual
damage.

While Vesta kept trying the ineffective assault, Sera
developed her plan. “Hey, Vesta! I'm a Ninetails, you
know. Ever dealt with Flash Fire before?”

“Not
exactly. How's it work?”

“Basically, the hotter it gets, the stronger I
do. Mind turning up the heat? I think we're a little too hot for
this boy to handle.”

“You
know, I think you're right.”

The two did everything they could to light the hallway
on fire, and the temperature climbed out of control. The Garchomp,
afraid to test the blistering heat, could do nothing to stop the
inferno.

Vesta felt exhaustion creeping in, and silently thanked
that Sera had been here after all. I don't care if you're a
bitch. He's more important right now...

With the hall's temperature reaching it's peak, the two
stopped their work and faced the Garchomp once more. The Pokemon had
grown irritated with having to sit still and sped towards Sera.
She's not that fast! In a flash, Vesta tapped into her
Extremespeed and intercepted the Garchomp's rush at maximum velocity.
The two crashed into the wall, and Vesta drew another burst of speed
to get away as Sera followed up with a mighty Fire Blast.

The Garchomp evidently felt the attack, and the girls
gained a renewal of energy from their relief.

Don't
worry Ken. I'll protect you. You would for me...

As their foe gathered his bearings and stood back up,
the girls prepared for another assault. This time, the Garchomp
wasn't interested in taking more punishment. It burst towards Sera
again and Vesta made to protect her a second time. The results were
drastically different on the replay, and Vesta's fatigue caught up
with her.

She couldn't reach the Garchomp in time, and Sera wasn't
ready. The blow sent the fox flailing into a wall as Sera watched on
in horror. Struck with fear, Vesta couldn't dodge the new attack,
and a Dragon Claw dug deep into her leg. The attack knocked her off
her feet, and she could only growl up in anger at the dragon standing
over her.

I'm
not done yet. You'll have to kill me first!

Garchomp rose it's claws to drop a final blow onto
Vesta's head, but buckled backwards as a flash of white hit him in
his chest. Before Vesta had time to process the action, another
flash blew by and slammed into the giant man. Both trainer and
Pokemon had been knocked back into the Finish Line room, and the
doors swung shut.

Before
she knew it, the battle had ended. What the hell just
happened...?

“Hey,
Sera! Are you okay?!”

The
Ninetails stood up on its feet and let out a groan. “Yeah,
I'm still here. Are you okay?”

“Hah...
Of course! I am tougher, after all.”

Vesta rose and limped over to Kendrick; blood flowing
from her front right leg. She nestled her body between his back and
the wall, resting his head against her fur. Curled around him, she
slowly started drifting into sleep.

Sera walked over to her. “Mind if I sit here?”

“Yes
I mind! But you know, I couldn't have done it without you. Thanks.
You're not so bad... For a fox.”

“Heh...
And you're not so bitchy. You know, for a bitch.”

“Clever.”

“Go to sleep. I'll keep an eye over you two.”
Sera curled up at the base of Kendrick's feet and rested her head on
them.

As the three of them sat in total silence, Vesta noticed
she could feel the warmth coming from Ken's body. He's so warm...
And alive. I don't know what I would have done. I lov-

She stopped the thought as soon as it came. No! How
could I not have noticed?! This stupid feeling! I can't. I've been
like this before. This warmth... This fire... It's not something I
ever want again. And if that's how I'm going to be, I can't lead him
on. I couldn't hurt him...

As she lost herself in thought, Kendrick stirred in his
sleep.

He rolled his body over, causing Sera to readjust, and
wrapped his arms around Vesta's body; digging into her fur with his
face. “Mmmm... So warm. Vesta, I wish it was always this
nice.”

Her cheeks flushed with color at his murmurings, and her
heart skipped a beat. When she finally fell asleep, the tears were
soaking her fur.
- 5
- 6
- 7
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