Castelia City

Rage braced himself and stepped through. He took so little damage from the stones, compared to the others who had passed through before. “WHAT HO! YOU HAVE CROSSED BLADES WITH THE INFINITE STRENGTH OF RAGE!” The Primeape called out in an earth-shaking shout as he pointed his fist at the Escavalier. His eyes flared in murderous intent as he leered at his opponent. “YOUR ARMOUR WILL BE PEELED APART AS IF IT WERE A BANANA IN THE HANDS OF AN INFANT PANSEAR!! I WILL TEACH YOU THE TRUE WAYS OF THE WARRIOR!!!”

The steel typing made Rage a finally decent choice in the fight. After the leer, Rage burst forward to close the distance, ready to catch an intercepting move.

Radegast looked over Elder, checking the bite mark on the left hand, the multiple cuts that leaked dark purple ichor... or ectoplasm, rather. He produced one of the four potions from his bag and began applying it to the wounds. Elder was no longer extremely exhausted.

Suros and Crystal, on the other hand, were recovering quite nicely, as was the Operative. The Joltik gathered the natural static electricity Radegast built in his dry hoodie and dedicated it towards her metabolism, boosting her regenerative capabilities... though it hardly did anything in an actual fight, it was something the Operative could do on the sidelines.

"How much time we have?" Elder asked.

"By my estimates, another three hours or so."

"You weren't kidding when you said we weren't in a hurry," Elder chuckled.

"Kinda let your pride go out there, didn't you?" Radegast lowered himself to eye level. Elder didn't reply. "Well, What matters is you're alright," Radegast smiled nudged Elder's chest with his fist, "You did good out there. Really gave it your all,"

"I gotta do better,"

"You are doing better," Radegast replied, "Suros came in on her own terms, just like how Crystal and Rage and Op jumped in on their own terms- just like you went in on your own terms. That's only what you could possibly hope for."

"You know from experience?"

"Hey, take it from me," Radegast sat down next to Suros and hefted his guitar out front once more, "I left home on my terms. My friends deserve the same and nothing less."

Zane was running down the path, as he reached a temple. As he ran inside the temple, unknown flew all about, flying in an erratic fashion. They were screaming in pain, and their screaming, alongside their strange nature, caused Zane to scream in pain as well. As he walked past a mirror, he saw himself, only he heard another person yell out a different name, Zeke, from beyond the mirror.

As he stood up, his whole body felt like it was hurting, like something was trying to force him out of this place. But he continued onward, because he had something he needed to do. Someone he needed to face. And then, another mirror ahead shattered, and glass flew towards him.

Zane woke up in a panic in the middle of the night. Everyone else was asleep still, so he rubbed his eyes a little. "Whew. It was just a nightmare". It didn't feel like a nightmare though.


The next day, he woke up, and decided he needed to clear his head before going to that gym. That nightmare took a lot out of him, and he didn't like this strange feeling he was getting.

It was like more then one thing was hunting him. "I think....the park and some ice cream sounds like a good start. Besides, I hear that despite it being a city, the air here is kept really fresh". It was clear something was bothering him, and it was more then just the two people staying out of sight near them, keeping themselves beyond concealed.

Only due to that dream, Zane had a pretty good idea something was near.

As Rage charged towards the Escavalier's position, Burgh knew the current course of action to take was to hit him from far away. Unavoidable range moves only. For this, the Bug-Type specialist had equipped the perfect move for such an occasion.

"Escavalier, Bug Buzz him!"

The Escavalier began to hum, softly at first, then louder and louder. The frequency at which the Pokemon buzzed was damaging, not necessarily much damage, but it was damage from a distance in a spread pattern that couldn't be dodged. It helped that the metal shell surrounding it seemed to echo the sound, making it resonate longer. Perhaps that's why it worked very well.

However, the Escavalier didn't move. Not even to shift it's position. It was like it had planted it's feet in the rainbow silk beneath them and refused to budge. It was almost like...it was challenging Rage back.

“Why did you leave home, anyway?” Crystal was about to ask, but the sound of buzzing resonated across the room. The relative distance did not harm the ones on the sidelines

“UUUURRAAAAAAAA!!!” Rage’s annoyed bellow was made to try to drown out the sound as he charged. “FOR THE HORDE!!!” He moved low, and suddenly jumped high. Leaping over the Escavalier’s head, the Primeape reached down to grab onto the horsehair crest.

If successful, with his immense strength, as well as the momentum, Rage would tug and perform a Seismic Toss, rearing to throw the Escavalier against the Stealth Rock wall.

Escavalier watched the Primeape leap into the air before plummeting down upon him. He wouldn't be distracted by the World of Warcraft reference if that was what Rage was going for. His eyes were focused, knowing exactly what Burgh was going to call a split second before he did.

"Quick Guard! Now!"

It wasn't even visible to the naked eye. As Rage attempted to reach down and grab Escavalier's head, a magenta barrier appeared for a split moment. The only thing anyone else would see is a flash of purple. But the next thing Rage would know, he would be flying back, arms behind him from the knock back of the defense move, and with no control of his trajectory as he fell.

"Now use Slash! While he's off guard!"

It was surprising how quick Escavalier could be when dealing blows, even if he was naturally slower than any of Burgh's Pokemon on this team. The lances shot forward, slicing Rage on his way down with a perfect and practiced timing. Escavalier spun with the momentum, being as heavy as he was, and spun around to right himself, looking back at Rage to see what damage he had done. But the blow felt good to deal. A perfect hit or two standard ones would do it.

"So close!" Burgh snapped his fingers, "I'm liking where this is going..."

Radegast whooped as Rage’s hands bounced back from the deflection. The Mankey soared over uselessly, allowing the lances to meet their mark quite easily. “Got outwitted there! You gonna take that, buddy?”

The first lance slashed, and Rage’s eyes peaked in intensity. He bellowed a wordless screech as one arm shot back in front again. He stamped on the ground when he landed. “STEELFIST WOULD BEAT YOU, AND I BEAT STEELFIST!!!” Rage once more leered at the Escavalier, and this time burst forward with rapid, zig-zagging steps.

"We can battle now if you would like. That'll give us time to stop and heal our Pokemon. My PokeDex tells me it is a Machop and this guy trains with me every day. Like my brothers who have went for Pokemon, it seems the outcast pokemon are the only ones to accept. What we know is that they all seek love, preferably from certain races such as yours. Like most, this Pokemon was usually the runt of a litter or did not look right, such as spotting or other markings. Usually these pokemon stay loners and live miserable lives or they die off, but now they are full of life!" The Fireknaught spoke to Jennifer, "Just give me the word and i'm ready to battle."

At the end of the response message, the Fireknaught sent a video of his location which was right outside of her current abode. The black military SUV was a sharp ride and very roomy. It might be military, but this vehicle was very fancy. He hoped she would come out ready to battle. He placed his right hand on his pokeball that was gold and white with two red spines that lapped over the golden half of the Pokeball. This Pokeball was the creation of the Fireknaught and used by their species to catch Pokemon(whether they obeyed or not was up to the pokemon) to sell to boost create a constant flow of cash. The complete idea would take a lot of money, and the technology taking time to develop, but the Fireknaughts would synchronize with Ruula, whether it be naturally or scientifically.

The soldier was itching to show off his Machop, hopefully she accepted.

Burgh smirked in true valor for the Primeape's stick-to-it-tiveness he demonstrated, but also in condescending question as he viewed Rage's tactics. He was trying the same thing again?

Another Leer penetrated the Escavalier, doubling up on the previous one, but it wouldn't matter so long as Rage couldn't get a strike on it. Once more, Burgh resorted to the previous move.

"Bug Buzz, let's hit 'em again!"

Once more, the annoying and painful drone shrieked from the Escavalier at a distance to the rapidly approaching Rage. It was pretty close to impossible to dodge sound waves after all and although they wouldn't do much damage, they would weaken the Primeape further. He'd have to make his next move very carefully of he didn't want to be knocked out on the next blow.

Rage heard exactly what he needed to hear. That split-second of hearing the human’s command. He didn’t give the noise a chance to stall him, and he burst forward in a mighty leap. Regardless of the damage, Rage’s momentum did not waver.

“SUNDER THE PLANET!!!!!!!” Rage bellowed over the Bug Buzz as his fist swung, once more poised to pound and buckle the creature’s armour. It could not possibly use Quick Guard and Bug Buzz at the same time… could it? At least, that’s the reasoning of the infuriated Primeape.

The reasoning of the infuriated Primeape wasn't wrong. He couldn't perform two moves at once. And so the Primeape's attack went through, the Seismic Toss performed correctly and without interruption. Escavalier was sent hurled against the Stealth Rock, but it didn't damage him as much as maybe Rage thought it would. Still, for a first strike, that was a pretty good one.

Burgh's eyes lit up in realization as he saw what the Primeape had done. He had effectively baited the Gym Leader into thinking he was going to perform the same action as he performed last time. Only this time, he was able to reach Escavalier before Bug Buzz ended, not after. It was well timed on his end.

But for now, he still had the advantage. Rage was weakened, even though he refused to show it. Another blow would knock him out, Burgh was sure of it. He would keep Quick Guard on the tip of his tongue in case things got dicey, but now it was time to take the offensive.

"Escavalier, go! Slash him now!"

The Pokemon suddenly burst forward with a shocking amount of speed and momentum behind him. Despite being a slow Pokemon, it was incredible how quickly it could move if it wanted to. Not to mention the fact that it was basically a tank that might as well be equipped with buzz saws. Now, an Escavalier with spinning blades rather than lances...there's an idea.

But he didn't have two seconds to wait for hypothetical evolutions as he rammed forward, laces poised, slicing into the Primeape. One hit and it would be lights out for the former Pig Monkey.

A thrust weapon like a lance has only one option of movement when it came to dealing real damage. Coming in from the sides, it would be more like swinging a very thin, very light club.

Rage’s hands moved to his centre, and thrust outward. Both hands- toughened from years of fighting and training- only stung slightly as the Primeape caught both lances before they could connect the thrusts.

“THE ONLY MISTAKE YOU MADE,” The Primeape bellowed as he tugged both arms back, forcing the lances to pass harmlessly under his arms His bloodshot eyes snapped slightly to meet those of the Gym leader behind the Escavalier, rather than the Escavalier itself, “WAS CROSSING THE ONE WHO WILL LAY WASTE TO THE UNIVERSE!!!!” A free foot thrust forward to catch the Escavalier in the chest. The "Low Kick" (as it would register on Rage's moveset) would be amplified by the extra momentum of being pulled into the kick

"Quick Guard!"

No sooner than the command was out than the familiar purple flash emitted, effectively blocking the Low Kick. The knock back would actually push both Escavalier and Rage backwards from each other, causing separation between them. The Escavalier actually slid backwards, his feet planted, as he studied his lances before tightening his stance. He was ready for the next call.

And Burgh wasn't one to hold back on giving it, "Alright Escavalier, start running!"

The Bug/Steel Type turned and ran away from Rage, following the outside of the arena in a similar tactic to that of Accelgor. The exception was it wasn't nearly as fast. But it was still mighty quick, especially with the momentum such a mighty opponent carried with him when he ran. The only thing that caused Rage to stop it was the Quick Guard. Had he not, he would've been barreled right over.

"Bug Buzz again!"

Once more, the piercing drone rang in the arena. Now Rage would begin to feel the weariness of this battle. He was hanging on by a little bit and one more shot of any kind, being Slash or Bug Buzz, would cause a Knock Out. He had to make this move count.

The Primeape may as well be unstoppable. He burst after the Escavalier with renewed vigor. Rage did not want to give the armoured bug any room to maneuver.

The Primeape’s speed was technically greater than that of the Escavalier by a significant margin. With his immense anger and pain, he seemed to move even faster, and strike even harder. As this Bug Buzz was the third time coming, the Primeape’s ears were already ringing, and did not get much more painful than they already felt. There was no flinching to the Primeape, there was only attrition. This bug had been annoying Rage for the better part of the battle, he wouldn’t be able to face everyone as a mighty force with the fury of ten thousand malevolent gods if he lost to this whelp.

“This one’s yours, Rage!” Radegast leaned back in his chair as he started to put the guitar away.

Rage bellowed as he grabbed onto one of the Escavalier’s lances. “THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!” With a tug, Rage brought the Escavalier over his head, and slammed it down onto the ground.

"Sure. You just have the one, so I'll use one to keep it fair." The incredibly muscular woman looked over at the Fireknaught, knowing exactly who to pick. Ideally she would have found one of those sword Pokémon that blonde android used on her, but this would have to do.

"Scizor, I choose YOU!" A bright red-bodied mantis with huge, powerful pincers at the ends of its arms popped out, the wings on its back humming, ready to propel it forward and into the fray.

"All right, let's see what you can do!"

The Fireknaught pulled his Pokeball from his side and it expanded as normal. The pokeball looked different than any that were on the market for sale, but they were just a regular pokeball. A bright beam extended from the Pokeball and released the Machop from its control. This Machop had a spotted pattern on its body that were almost like camouflage. This was nothing that they did, it was how the Machop was found and why he was an outcast.

Machop flexed his muscles and grunted while the Fireknaught shouted with excitement towards Machop, "Let's show her what we can do!"

With extra training, Machop had learned to use the move Bulk Up once the battle began. Machop and the Fireknaught trained and worked together a lot, meaning they were a unified team, especially with no other pokemon. While boosting his Attack and Defense, the team would wait for Scizor to make its advance.

Burgh's eyes quivered as the Primeape grabbed hold of the Escavalier and Seismic Tossed him into the ground. Now was the time to strike. He didn't call Quick Guard. Now wasn't the time to be doing what he'd been doing. Now was the time to end this fight once and for all. Which meant it was time to take the offensive. It was a risk, but hopefully it would be one that would pay off.

"Fell Stinger, go!" Burgh cried.

The Escavalier, while airborne, jabbed his lance into Rage's side right before plummeting into the ground. It held little power, but it would get the job done.

But the Primeape was still standing despite the finishing blow. Burgh's eyes widened in shock as Rage brought Escavalier up and over, performing another Seismic Toss. This one dealt the finishing blow...not to Rage, but to Escavalier. And just like that, the Primeape had won the battle.

"But how?" Burgh thought aloud to himself, "I could've sworn I calculated correctly. That Fell Stinger should've brought him down. What did I miss?"

Regardless, to the victor went the spoils. And Burgh was out of Pokemon to fight for this round. WHile the Stealth Rock dissipated, he kept his composure and walked over to Radegast, his smile warmer than ever.

"Well, as intriguing as the end of that fight was, I must say I have to declare you the winner!" He turned to the other Pokemon who accompanied the teen, addressing them directly, "Well done, all of you!"

In his hand was the Insect Badge:


As well as a bag of coins that amounted to 3120 Poke. There was also a disc in his left hand, the familiar look of a Training Machine.

"And a little something extra in case you get into a tight spot!"

It was Struggle Bug, the move Accelgor had used on Joltik to take him down. It was a great counter move and not all that bad in the power department either.

"Exit is to your left, down that hole," Burgh pointed him towards the massive hole that had appeared. It would take them to the beginning of the Gym once more, "And I do hope we meet again at some point."

Radegast looked up at Burgh. “You didn’t see it?” He asked. Somehow, despite focusing more on the music, he had seen the trick Rage had pulled.

Rage hadn’t eaten his Oran berry yet. Using that second-last Seismic Toss as cover from the view of the Gym Leader, the Primeape had popped the berry in his mouth for just that edge needed to take one last blow. It was an immensely risky move worthy of the bards of Rage’s old clan. A read that would’ve left Steelfist staggering in disbelief. “ARRROOOOOOOO!!!” Rage erupted as he slammed his fists into his chest with renewed energy.

“Nice fight, buddy,” Radegast smiled. “Though I imagine your ears are ringing from three Bug Buzzes. Can you hear me?” Rage tilted his head, or body, to the side. To the Primeape, there was nothing but ringing and the soft echoes of the sounds around him. Radegast lowered himself a little and began scratching behind the Primeape’s ear. “Let’s get you to a Pokemon Centre, a’ight?”

As Radegast stood up once more, the Primeape returned to his pokeball. Everyone else returned to their respective balls, save for Elder of course. “Anyway,” Radegast continued as Burgh approached to deliver the prizes. “Thanks for the fight, my friends had a great time,” he replied after Burgh handed him the cash, the disc, and the badge. “Be seein’ you, eh?”

With Burgh’s directions, Radegast slipped into the cocoon and slid down the slide-like shortcut, with Elder following closely.

As they moved to the front doors, Elder and Radegast began chatting about where to pool the prize in terms of gathering supplies. Castelia is a huge city, and the fifteen-year-old boy knew he’d have to pinch his Pokke very carefully. They had decided on a plan just when they stepped through the doors.

—

“Hey buddy,” A young man, in his twenties, stood outside of the gym entrance before Radegast. He wore a professional suit, plain and black. As simple as Agent X’s, only with an unusual brooch pinned over the breast pocket.

No… No no no no no!!! Was I too slow? No, he had to have already been here. Damn my rotten luck! Somehow, some way, Radegast managed to keep his panic under wraps. However, he was silent for a good spell. On Percy’s belt, Radegast spotted only two pokeballs. That calmed him down somewhat. He only brought the Typhlosion and the Lantern.

“Radegast… You’ve grown… Hair’s pretty long, too. I’m surprised the informant recognized you.” As Percy talked, Radegast took a deep breath, using the conversation as cover to avoid revealing just how panicked he was.

Of course Agent X snitched. The Federal agent type seemed to hold to a respectable principle after all. Radegast didn’t blame him; he was just unlucky that Percy happened to be in Castelia at the same time. “He had a Xatu, read my past,” Radegast replied, “Wish it was memories… At least with memories, you can suppress…” Radegast paused for a moment as he sized-up the trainer in front of him. “How’s things, Percy?”

“Well enough,” Percy reached for one of two pokeballs at his belt, “Your father never gave up on looking for you. You should at least talk to him.”

“I’ll talk with you Perc,” Radegast replied with a smile as Elder eyed Percy, “Not Dad, though.”

“… I guess that’s my only option then.” Percy shrugged. He would end up reporting this to Marcus anyway. One finger stroked the pokeball, but he did not pull it from the clamp… not yet, anyway. “Why are you taking the Gym challenge?” Percy asked, “Doesn’t that go against your ideals?”

“Only if I decided for my friends,” Radegast replied, “I didn’t.”

“You’re really hell-bent on proving your parents wrong, aren’t you?”

“Something like that…” As if it needed to be said, Radegast was not smiling.

“Looking at those badges and that Haunter of yours, (Radegast flashed a glare) I can see that even at my age, I’m out of your league. You really are your father’s son.”

“In a way,” Radegast shrugged, “A Reginald doesn’t go back on their word, after all.”

“That makes two of us,” came a new voice. Fuck! Radegast slowly turned to his left. A seventeen-year-old girl, fit as a fiddle, with eyes that mirrored Radegast’s, and equally brown hair cut short, with bangs that swept over one eye. She wore what appeared to be a brand-new outfit. Radegast could see his sister forgot to remove the tag off from one of the shoes. Her belt held six pokeballs. Though Radegast would never think so, Margriet was incredibly attractive. Her face was plastered on many a modelling billboard and magazine, “The Champion Queen Diva”, they called her. “Hey bro,” she greeted with a condescending, yet amused expression.

“Marge,” Radegast greeted simply. He still faced Percy, “Long time no see.”

“I’m a Champion now,” Margriet snapped, “In the Hall of Fame. Don’t think you can keep calling me that stupid nickname.”

“Champ Schmamp. You’re still my sister, Marge,” Radegast smiled innocently as he turned his head in time to watch his older sister begin to boil. Teasing his sister like old times managed to calm him down somewhat. “How’s Logan?”

“Doing fine, thank you,” Logan’s voice reached Radegast’s ears opposite from Margriet. Now that Radegast was calm, he could see that each of them had two more trainers backing them up. None of the trainers, Radegast recognized. All the extra figures, Logan included, carried at least three pokeballs. By Radegast’s math, they all held thirty-one fighters against Radegast’s weakened six. A fight was completely out of the question, especially since one’s in the Hall of Fame. “We were… worried… for a while, when we found out you were aboard that wrecked ship.”

Wrecked ship…? Oh, back when I met Crystal… They must’ve recovered the ship, checked the black boxes and such… “Lotta big guns for little old me,” Radegast shrugged. He felt like all eyes were on him. Elder, on the other hand, did not feel the same. His eyes darted for a possible opening. There were none he could immediately see.

“You’ve been gone for five years,” Margriet glowered, “Everyone’s been worried. Mom, Dad, Uncle Tarma, even me- as much as it burns me to say it.”

“I’m touched,” Radegast replied, “Really, I am… but I’m fine. I’m not coming back.”

“Not even for Uncle Tarma?” Margriet huffed and rolled her eyes, “He’s not going to last much longer at his age. Don’t you care? You are wearing his hat, after all. You’re the only legible heir!”

“There’s still you, Sis. You should take the Coat of Arms,” Radegast hissed, “Why does it have to be the son?”

“Believe me, if I could I’d make sure you weren’t bothered again,” Margriet’s cold response chilled Percy, but seemed to hold no effect on Radegast. “But you know Daddy just as well as I do.”

“I guess it’s too bad we have such different opinions,” Radegast stuffed his hands into his pockets, “In any case, do you guys have any authority here? Are the police in on this? Moving to detain me in front of an establishment like this gym…” Radegast jerked his head towards the doors. No-doubt there were witnesses who were watching through the windows of many a surrounding building.

“We… can get the permissions,” Percy replied. Evidently he did not think of that.

Yes! An opening! “So you don’t have them?” Radegast asked, “Then you really cannot be blocking me.”

“Come on. We’re not gonna let you up and vanish again. We’re not stupid,” Logan spat.

“And the Reginalds are not thugs,” Radegast barked in a way very unlike himself. His eyes were filled with a terrible intensity. It was a commanding shout from a side he preferred to keep under wraps. Percy and Logan flinched, as did every other backup trainer. Even Elder stalled and turned to face the human with unease.

Margriet, however, smirked knowingly. “How about a duel then?” The older sister stepped forward calmly, “A perfectly lawful duel, with these fine gentlemen as an audience. If you win, you walk free, and we won’t follow you. If I win…” she giggled. If the laughter was not so cute and endearing, Radegast would’ve found it grating. “If! Oh! I’m such a joker!”

Radegast’s face did not betray his panic, though his eyes relaxed somewhat. His inherited poker face was good enough to stop everyone… except the only one here who was a Champion, the only one he needed to shake if he were to have a chance to escape. The only one who could kick the collective ass of himself and every one of his friends. Radegast couldn’t do that to his friends. There had to be some way out…

"Woah! It's a Champion!"

The next thing everyone knew, Maxin was stepping in between Radegast and Margriet, walking up to her and holding out his hand for her to shake, "My name's Maxin Shephard! I'm a HUUUUUUGE fan! I've seen every televised fight, read everything that has your name in it, and...oh my Arceus I can't believe it's actually you! I can't believe I'm actually meeting the real Margriet! What are you doing in Castelia?! I mean, I get it. You're a busy woman and you've got a lot of places to be. And...ooooohhh, I'm just so excited that you're standing in front of me...in person!" Maxin continued to gush and gush, taking a thousand words a minute. He was acting like a fan girl, basically.

Meanwhile, Radegast would be alerted by a tiny tug on his pants leg. If he turned he would see the tiny claw of Drillbur jutting out of the asphalt. She was out of sight from everyone as she had positioned herself perfectly. She pointed towards the Escape Rope Radegast had bought earlier and gave them a thumbs up before her clawed hand disappeared from the surface.

Meanwhile, Maxin was droning on, "Can I have your autograph?!" He proceeded to pull out a whole bunch of pictures of Margriet from his backpack and presented them to the Champion, "Well...a few of them actually. One for me, one for my sister Jay, on for Uncle Tomas, one for Aunt Becky, and one for my best friend Vinny!" He had the widest grin on his face and the most quivering of eyes that only the completely heartless and anti-Politically Correct could say no to.

Radegast tried so desperately not to smile, or else Maxin’s distraction would’ve been for naught. When Margriet’s two back-ups began to move to keep the boy away from her, Margriet hel up a hand. She clearly relished the attention, and even produced a sharpie to sign the photos with, Logan and Percy were not nearly as dumb. Percy’s Typhlosion darted around Radegast and covered the hole with her thickly coated body. “Not fast enough, little one,” the Typhlosion growled.

“Shit!” Radegast yelped when the larger beast turned her gaze up to the human. His sister, suddenly snapped out of “diva mode” by her brother’s yelp, moved to get at him. She produced her pokeball and unleashed a Raikou… and suddenly dropped to the road with a shriek. No one had noticed the tiny Joltik wrap her legs up with strong silk webbing. “Sir!” the Operative chirped with a hop, “This way, sir!”

Radegast did not need telling twice. With Elder at his side, Radegast burst past the Raikou- lost without Margriet’s command. As Radegast sprinted past his sister for Operative to hop onto his shoulder, he turned his head and shouted, “Another time, Marge!” He had half a mind to thank Max, but he imagined that would paint an even bigger target on the younger boy’s back even more than the attempted escape route with the Drillbur.

Margriet’s face purpled in a Mankey’s rage. Now that she was angry, she paid Maxin no mind at all. After a wordless shout, she barked, “GET HIM!” at the Raikou. The Legendary beast bounded after Radegast, only Elder was quick enough to turn. The Haunter’s eyes flashed bright for a split-second, and the Raikou suddenly found himself in a hazy wonderland. The beast bounded directly into a thick oak tree in the middle of the park, and scrambled and flailed when he dropped to the ground. The Raikou was too distracted by the hallucinations to continue chase.

“Hurry up!” Radegast continued running. The Operative began flinging silk webbing after silk webbing to cover the ground behind them. Elder hovered over the webbing easily, but those on feet would find themselves stuck within several steps.

He suddenly felt tackled. An Absol had used his incredible speed to bound to the uncovered spots. “Marth!” Radegast smiled, “How’s it been, buddy?”

Marth, the Absol, belonged to Logan. The trainer called a command, “Get the Haunter, use Night Slash!”

The Absol almost registered the command when it was suddenly launched high into the sky. Rage had burst from his pokeball and delivered a savage punch directly into the Absol’s underbelly. “LET US RUN, FRIEND-RADEGAST!” the Primeape bellowed as his fury-filled eyes leered at Logan. The seventeen-year-old boy- shaken to borderline paralysis, accidentally dropped his second pokeball uselessly onto the ground.

The Operative stopped flinging webbing- she was incredibly fatigued from producing so much, on top of her weakened state from the gym, and needed to recharge. She braced herself on top of Radegast’s hat as Rage pulled Radegast back to his feet. Elder quickly bumped fists with Rage, and the three of them continued running.

“You got this, Raikou!” his sister’s distant voice inflicted a true dread over Radegast.

Damnit, the Confuse Ray wore off. Elder turned in mid-air, hovering backwards, in time to see the huge beast gaining on them rapidly, almost like lightning. Elder’s eyes flashed once more… but the Haunter was suddenly flung down the street, tumbling and rolling to a stop farther ahead.

Rage and Radegast turned in time to see a sparking, crackling, and infuriated Raikou descending upon them. The Primeape barely managed to dodge an incoming swipe, and returned in kind with a sweeping kick. The Raikou’s powerful leg gave in… too easily. The first leg planted itself back on the ground while the second leg- the one struck by Rage, swung around and came bearing down on the Primeape.

The street cracked and buckled as Rage’s fury exploded with the immense pain he felt. His arms were barred and locked as he barely managed to block the enormous impact. The Primepape’s muscles bulged painfully as the Raikou continued to push harder and harder, aiming to crush the tiny pig-monkey under a single paw. Rage emitted a wordless shriek. It was no battle cry, rather it was a desperate attempt to try to stay conscious. The crushing blow started to make the Primeape’s knees buckle.

“Let go of my friend!” The Raikou’s head twitched as the beast was sent sprawling. The blow to the side of the head did not really do much to such a majestic and powerful beast, but the mere thought of a human making such a move was unheard of. “Ow fuck fuck fuck!” Radegast waved his hand. The scar tissue had split once more, and his knuckles bled profusely.

After shaking off the initial shock of such an unusual move, the Raikou stood up and reared to pounce and finish off the Primeape. All of a sudden, the huge monster flinched in pain. The Operative had inflicted a nasty Bug Bite on the Raikou’s neck. It was not that the bite itself did much damage at all. A proud beast such as Raikou would treat such a sudden attack as an affront against nature, especially on top of the human’s weak, yet impressive punch. The Raikou shook his coat rapidly to get rid of the tick.

However, the Operative had hopped off a second before. As the Raikou shook his coat, his legs remained stationary. When she clung to the Raikou, the tiny Joltik had absorbed an immense amount of static electricity, and she became essentially super-charged. Within an instant after hopping off, the Joltik began to glow white. Once she landed, the Operative was a two-foot arachnid, a Galvantula.

With the extreme boost in power, the Operative darted between the Raikou’s legs at lightning speed, producing so much silk with her larger body, and so much more. Remembering the Pokken fight with the Pikachu, the Operative knew she needed to produce enough string shot to withstand the power this Raikou could produce. She eventually managed to tie both hind legs together before the super-charged effect began to wear off. The Operative scrambled back to Radegast in time for the Raikou to stop shaking his coat.

Within such a short timespan, the tiny bug had managed to make the Raikou trip up. Granted, it did no real damage, but the Raikou’s frustrated howls might as well be the horns of victory. With the Raikou currently incapacitated and the other trainers not too far behind, Radegast recalled Rage, and used the Operative’s empty pokeball to pull the knocked-out Elder to safety. After the Operative hopped onto Radegast’s back, the human burst into a sprint for the North Exit.

With the new rejuvenated form, the Operative continued flinging larger webbing to further slow them down. Eventually, they breached the city exit before any guards could mobilize. They vanished into the forests surrounding the land side of Castelia. Whether Maxin caught up or not, Radegast could not afford to check. Hopefully he fared well and escaped.

Maxin watched as the Reginald Family and all of their grunts took chase after Radegast, keeping the same act up as they pursued. When the last Reginald rounded the bend, he breathed a sigh of relief. Things didn't go exactly the way he had planned, but at least he'd given enough time for Radegast to get away. That Raikou looked intimidating, but he was confident his new friend and the Pokemon he accompanied would find a way to lose them. He was sure of it.

He smiled and walked over to the spot the Typhlosion had covered, "Okay, Toff! They're gone!"

The ground shifted slightly under Maxin's feet and the Drillbur popped out, rolling her shoulders forward, "Did they escape?" she asked Maxin, eyes quivering with suspense.

"They did," came Snips's voice from above. The Snivy had watched the whole spectacle from a vantage point, keeping an eye on their friends as they left the city, "They'll be fine, I think."

Maxin gave Snips a high-five, "That was a good idea!"

Snips began to climb onto Maxin's back, "That was some good acting back there."

Maxin rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Well...it wasn't all acting. A part of me enjoyed meeting a former Champion, even if she seemed pretentious and egotistic. It was like the air electrified when she showed up! Couldn't you feel it?"

Snips gave him a cynical look, "I think that was her Raikou, Maxin."

Maxin gave a passing glance towards the spot they had been, "Or maybe it was the Raikou." he muttered before clapping his hands, "Alright! We have some catching up to do! Now that we've dealt with that, we can finally challenge Burgh! Everyone good with that?"

Snips and Toff gave a confident nod.

"Then let's show 'em all why we're the best! TO BURGH'S GYM!"

"TO BURGH'S GYM!" They cried in unison.

And so Maxin began to blaze the trail towards the Bug-Type specialist's gym once more. It was lucky he decided to go to the Pokemon Center while Radegast was fighting. Otherwise, he wouldn't have overheard the two grunts talking to one of the boys about Radegast and hatched a plan. Being nosy had it's perks. But now, he had to concentrate on the Gym Challenge. He just hoped that when those fiends came knocking at Radegast's doorstep again, he'd be more prepared. For now, he'd prepare himself. He'd get more friends to help him. He'd help them grow stronger every day.

And he would see Radegast again.

Margriet held her hand out to Logan, who immediately handed her a knife. With a swift motion, she slashed through the webbing. “I can’t believe this,” she muttered.

“That he managed to beat your Raikou?” Logan asked. Margriet did not respond. “Well… technically he didn’t. Your Raikou is still in tip-top condition.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Margriet huffed, “He outsmarted my darling. Him and his pokemon.”

Percy compared Margriet’s words with those he heard from Radegast. “I don’t think he did anything,” Percy said.

“He escaped, obviously he did something,” Margriet snapped.

“What I mean is, I don’t think he outsmarted you,” Percy glanced at the road, where droplets of blood beelined all the way to the exit and beyond, where the blood was then hidden in the grass and dirt. “That Joltik seemed to act on it’s own…” he crouched down to one of the droplets of blood. “If anything, Radegast was the one who made the mistake…” Percy dabbed a finger in the spot and confirmed the redness on his finger. Does anyone have a Stoutland?” he called to the backup trainers.

One of them unleashed the huge dog known well for tracking scents. “We need to catch up, set him on the trail,” he ordered, pointing at the blood.

“I’m coming with you,”

“Margriet,” Logan said, “Don’t forget, you have a shoot this afternoon.”

Radegast’s older sister huffed in annoyance. She then turned to Logan as the Raikou stood up and shook his fur once more to remove the dirt of the road. “Send someone to every city in Unova. Tell them to keep an eye out for Radegast.”

“Shall I give chase then?” Percy asked.

“Yes, take everyone here and go.”

“Yes ma’am.” Percy beckoned, and the group of seven headed out towards the city exit.

“How about me?” Logan asked. He was about to go when Margriet stopped him. He straightened himself to appear more manly, though he was a perfectly capable trainer in his own right.

“Tell Father what has happened,” she said, “You can phone him, but I’m sure he’d want to hear it in person.”

The colour ran from Logan’s face. “Yes, ma’am.” he answered automatically.

With a smile, Margriet pecked Logan on the cheek and walked off. She stroked the Raikou’s mane as she headed to a different sector of the city to the photography studio.

Logan gulped, suddenly aware of his own failure in the encounter. Marth had been knocked out upon landing, and he had choked. That Primeape… there was something terrible about that Primeape. The way it’s eyes had never-ending wrinkles of fury, or that constantly murderous, bloodshot stare. It didn’t even hesitate to target himself- a human! How could such a boy as Radegast associate with such a savage… thing?

His hands trembled as he reached for his phone. He took a couple of deep breaths, and then tapped on the icon reading “MARCUS VORPAL REGINALD”.

“Sir, Radegast got away,” Logan’s voice quivered as he willed himself to report as concisely as he could.

“Logan? I told Percy not to tell you or Margriet,” Marcus growled, “Did he-”

“It’s not Percy’s fault. We found out on our own,” Logan lied, “It didn’t matter, anyway. Radegast’s… but we got people giving chase… and… and…”

Marcus’ voice was suddenly calming and fatherly. “Calm yourself, Logan. Take a breather. I wish to hear this in detail, in person. I will fly there immediately. I’ll see you at Café Sonata in a few hours.”

“Yes sir,” Logan replied. Marcus then hung up, leaving Logan alone on the street. He still shook from the effects of that Primeape’s leer. He took a step, stumbled from having held still for so long, and then regained his pace. Slowly, but surely, his composure came back to him.

In a few hours, a Yanmega landed with a rumbling buzz. Marcus hopped off and strode into the Café. He saw Logan, having recently removed the effects of the Leer with a delicious waffle. “Sir, I ordered a fudge brownie just the way you like it.”

“At-ease, Logan,” Marcus chuckled as he sat down. A waitress brought along a delicious-looking brownie that looked to have escaped the pages of a dessert magazine.

“Pleasure to have you in our establishment once more, Monsieur Reginald,” the Waitress greeted politely.

“Hey, the pleasure is mine,” Marcus smiled. Logan couldn’t help but notice just how similar Marcus and Radegast looked. Friendly, warm, with an underlying, commanding aura. “Let’s hear what happened, Logan. My son was at the Gym, was he not?”

“Yes, he had just won, and we approached him just as he left.”

“With a mob?” Marcus hummed in a monotone.

“Yes…”

“I doubt most people would think to get the help of the police on this matter,” Marcus added, “Radegast technically did nothing wrong, so a warrant can’t possibly be filed.”

“That’s… kind of what he counted on too,” Logan said.

Marcus hummed, “Anyway, how did he escape if you had him surrounded?”

“He tripped up Margriet. There was a Joltik, it tied her legs together.”

Marcus burst out laughing, a sight that sent the rest of the café into a silence. The laughter became contagious as Marcus repeated, “A tiny Joltik tied up a Champion’s legs?! Hell, that’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all week!”

Logan couldn’t help but also find the laughter contagious… only a little. “Is she fine, though?” Marcus asked.

“Yes,” Logan replied.

“Good, continue,” Marcus picked up the small fork and sliced a chunk off from the brownie to chew on.

Logan continued the story, from the Raikou giving chase, to the Haunter sending the Raikou into a drunken sprawl after ramming into a tree, Marcus laughed, as did the restaurant now that it began listening in. He then told them about his involvement. His Absol, Marth, had almost captured Radegast, but then a Primeape sent Marth packing, and made Logan choke. The crowning achievement in comedy was when the Joltik managed to trip up the Raikou.

“Holy hell, I can’t believe this happened to my little girl,” Marcus was in tears.

“Actually, it wouldn’t have ended up like that if Radegast didn’t punch the Raikou,” Logan finished.

Suddenly the restaurant was silent. Logan was suddenly unsure of the direction the conversation was going. He felt like a messenger that was about to be killed unfairly. “He punched a Raikou?” Marcus seemed suspicious, as if the absurdity finally crossed a line.

“His hand was bleeding afterward, but he did send it sprawling away from the Primeape.”

“Well I’ll be,” Marcus stroked his chin with his free hand. “Listen, Logan. Don’t feel ashamed for your performance. My son is simply out of your league.”

“Not out of Margriet’s league, though. His pokemon couldn’t do anything to really damage the Raikou, though. He couldn’t possibly defeat the Raikou.”

“And yet, he escaped from the fastest land beast known to man. I’d say he was quite victorious,” Marcus replied, “He humiliated not only yourself and everyone Percy had brought, but also my daughter- a Champion.”

“I’m sorry I failed regardless,” Logan looked down, ashamed. He felt unworthy to be in the presence of such a great man as Marcus Vorpal Reginald.

Marcus reached across and clamped a tough hand over Logan’s shoulder. “Don’t be, my boy,” He smiled warmly, “It’s fine, really. I needed to hear this. I’ve never felt so proud in five years. What’s passed is past, what matters now is what’s happening now. Where is everyone else?”

“Percy took the ones on-call and began searching for Radegast,” Logan replied, “He left a trail from that wound he got.”

“They got a tracker?”

“A Stoutland.”

“Perfect.”

“Margriet’s currently at a photo shoot, otherwise she’d have joined them.”

“Good,” Marcus nodded, “She’s got her own business to attend to, and I’d hate for her to get humiliated again. Girl at her age, with her attitude… by Arceus… She’s not worthy of the Coat.”

“Radegast did say he didn’t want the coat.”

“Of course he didn’t,” Marcus rolled his eyes, “But it’s not up to him… Tarma’s not going to last forever.”

“How is Uncle Tarma, by the way?”

“His legs aren’t what they used to be,” Marcus sadly replied, “He uses that Noivern of his to get around nowadays… All the more reason to get Radegast back…”

“We have also sent word to get informants set up at every city in Unova. They’ll call one of us as soon as they spot Radegast.”

“Also good,” Marcus hummed, “Now that we’ve found him, we can’t afford to lose his trail. Hell… after five years, who knows how many enemies he’s made… especially that anonymous caller who told us he was here. He sounded like a pro, that one… I wonder what he’s gotten himself into…”

“Frankly, sir,” Logan replied, “I’d be more concerned about what friends he’s made, rather than his enemies.”

Darragh heard the strained tonality of Zane's voice, immediate concern registering on his face. Last night hadn't been a good night for him. Darragh had only watched as Zane tossed and turned all over the bed while the night progressed. When he finally snapped out of the dream, Darragh had feigned being asleep. He knew he had another nightmare, but he didn't know what it was about and he didn't want to bring it up in conversation. He'd talk about it with Otto later.

"Yeah, sounds good," Darragh replied casually, making a passing glance to Otto. The cones would clear all their heads a little bit, he knew. And any park was great for Darragh. After all, he was a Grass-Type.

Now that he took the role of navigator upon himself (given that he really didn't trust Zane or Otto with it), Darragh took the lead as they exited the hotel room and proceeded towards the elevator. It wasn't like there was much to navigate, anyway. All streets led to the center of Unova anyway, where the park was located. And lucky for them, the Casteliacone Stand was passing by as they left the building. He knew Zane would see it.

But something else had caught Darragh's eye...something that made him freeze in place. His mouth opened in shock as he took in a female rounding the street corner and disappearing behind the tall skyscraper. It was only a glimpse, but Darragh was sure of who that was. Only one person he knew had that shimmering black hair and wore that purple pendant.

Only one...

"LIZ!" Darragh cried out immediately, bolting away from Zane and company and getting lost among the crowds of people walking on the sidewalk in pursuit of the only trainer he had ever considered true family...his trainer.

"Not a bad start. Scizor are known for their physical lean, plus it amplifies his already impressive Attack," Jennifer smiled. "But there's a reason I chose this one, and you're about to find out what it is. Scizor, attack with Bullet Punch!"

As Machop was busy flexing, it used some of the speed and agility it still had from its Scyther stage to close quickly and unleash a barrage of punches, aiming for joints and other vulnerable areas to increase the power of the normally weak move thanks to its Technician ability, on top of the same type attack boost to make it even more powerful. "I had to take it to a guy all the way in Sinnoh to teach it to him. So worth it, wouldn't you agree?"

"Machop, defend yourself!" The fireknaught shouted as Scizor closed in for a Bullet Punch.

Machop crossed his arms in front of his face and flexed his muscle to embrace the barrage of Punches. The punches pull push Machop backwards and he grunts could be heard every time a punch occurred. Machop's Bulk Up raised his defense and attack, and the defense was definitely lost after this attack. If it was not for Machop's thick hide and dense muscles, the Scizor's attack would have caused a lot more damage.

"That's a good attack. Maybe my Machop can learn it one day!" The soldier spoke before giving Machop his attack, "KARATE CHOP!"

In Scizor's forward attack, Machop raised his right hand and brought it downward towards Scizor's face. In the short time it took for him to release his attack, he would take some painful blows that would effect him later in the fight. If the Karate Chop could stop the Scizor, even if for a moment, the Machop would create a range between the two pokemon.

Machop would flex towards Scizor, trying to intimidate or anger it, "MaaaCHOP!"

"Fancy moves won't win a fight. How'd you like that good ol' Karate Chop?" The soldier spoke, laughing a bit.