“Well, Fake Out is over. Great,” Aly said with disappointment. “Delcatty, use Play Rough!”

  Delcatty looked back at Aly and actually snickered!

  This response made Gary squint his eyes, surprised and confused, but also intrigued.

  Aly only sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes. “Delcatty!”

  Delcatty opened her jaws and started Singing!

  “Sing attack!” Gary cried out. At once, he slapped himself repeatedly in the face as he shouted, “Deino! Dragon Pulse!”

  Deino’s attack hit Delcatty, causing her to screech and fly back. But after that, he collapsed and was snoring.

  Gary grit his teeth and sniffled hard with his runny nose. At least we got something in first. But now...

  Aly was shaking her head hard and then shook herself out down to her legs, struggling to fight off the sleep. “Delcatty, Copycat!”

  This time, Delcatty opened her jaws and with a sharp screech, sent out a series of dark-pink hearts and musical notes surrounded by pink soundwaves at the Sleeping opponent.

  Aly slanted her mouth. “Delcatty...”

  “DEINO!! GET OUTTA THERE!!” Gary felt his heart fall in his chest, preparing for the worst as Deino was sent skidding through the dirt.

  Deino never got up from that, sprawled out unconscious.

  Delcatty meowed with pleasure and then glowed red, returning herself to her Poke Ball!

  “NOOOOO!! Delcatty come on!!” Aly cried out in frustration.

  Gary smiled, returning his Pokemon. “I guess she’s had enough. Is that a draw or a forfeit?” He laughed.

  Aly shook her Poke Ball and then held it out.

  A white beam came out, but it didn’t even reach the ground, getting only a couple of feet before it changed to red and went back in!

  Aly was shrieking now, gripping her Poke Ball tighter, her eyes shut and her other hand in a fist. She finally sighed and shrunk the ball, clipping it to her belt with a sad look. “Fine,” she whispered. But when she looked up, her face was full of confidence. “Never mind. Next up is my brand new, Sweetie Dratini!”

  A long Pokemon appeared from a Poke Ball and squeaked cutely.

  “Whoa! You’ve got a fucking Dratini?!” Gary exclaimed.

  Aly raised an eyebrow, making Gary’s lips shut and his eyes widen, surprised at his own cursing.

  “Gary has picked up some new habits from his short-lived job,” June quipped, smirking.

  “Oh that’s right!” Aly pointed at him. “Rob told me he saw you working at PokeLand Discounts?? Did you finally come to your senses and give up on your hopeless dream of becoming a Pokemon Master after what happened at the Indigo League when I whooped you?”

  Gary had opened his mouth to address the situation about the job but then shut his mouth when Aly finished and frowned. “I’ll explain after the battle,” was all he could come up with as June giggled. Thinking about his next Pokemon to use, Gary felt a bad itch on his right inner thigh and twitched his leg, although that didn’t get it. He ignored it and grabbed his next choice. Okay. Let’s make it happen. “Beedrill, go!”

  Beedrill buzzed from above and Gary brushed his hand through his growing hair in a sign of discomfort.

  “Huh. You using a Bug type. Have you gotten over your silly fears?” Aly taunted.

  Gary could feel his armpits bothering him as he listened to the disturbing buzzing of Beedrill. Bravely he declared, “I’m gonna be a Pokemon Master! Start off with Twinneedle!”

  “Aqua Tail, Dratini!” Aly countered.

  Both Pokemon went for each other. Beedrill swung but missed, and Dratini’s tail surrounded by swirling Water collided with Beedrill’s middle. Beedrill fell back only to lunge out immediately and catch Dratini with a spear. Dratini whined and fell back. Its face went purple and Beedrill struck once more.

  “You’re Poisoned!” Aly cried. “Gah!”

  “Focus Energy! Go!”

  Beedrill’s body was outlined in red and he glowed briefly.

  “Dratini, Thunder Wave!” Aly insisted.

  Dratini’s body was outlined in yellow and waves of yellow rings of electricity came from its body and hit Beedrill.

  Beedrill buzzed shrilly, forcing Gary to rub his neck hard with his shirt collar as goosebumps irritated his neck and chest. “Venoshock!” Gary tried.

  But the hovering Bug was sparking, fully Paralyzed.

  “Dratini! Twister, now!”

  The white bump on Dratini’s forehead glowed and the fins at the sides of its head began vibrating. A huge tornado appeared in front of Dratini and flew out, trapping Beedrill momentarily before it vanished and Beedrill hit the ground.

  Gary brushed at his hair again. He just couldn’t get comfortable with the Bug out, but he knew he had to take care of him. But he also couldn’t help but wonder if he had the Pokemon long enough already and if it was time to do another trade with Drock by now. He felt bad thinking this and shook himself hard to focus back on the match as Beedrill returned to the air shakily.

  That Dratini’s pretty good, Gary noted. He snorted hard, but it didn’t seem to help much, the snot feeling like it was coming right back down, and he snorted harder to better results. “Push yourself, Beedrill! Venoshock!”

  “Slam attack, Dratini!”

  Dratini narrowed its eyes and with a sharp, squeaky shout, leaped at Beedrill.

  Beedrill held out his spears and from one of them came a blast of purple gunk.

  And Dratini started glowing! With everyone watching in awe, Dratini was evolving! Beedrill’s move hit the Pokemon while it was still transforming. The glow vanished and the new Pokemon, Dragonair, flipped in the air, squealing out strongly to finish its flip and Slammed its tail down on Beedrill.

  Both Pokemon collapsed in a heap together. Both were knocked out!

  “No waaaaaay!” Aly screeched. “She even evolved and still couldn’t keep going??”

  “Great work there, Beedrill. I had something like that happen to me during a Gym match,” Gary recalled, returning his Pokemon.

  “Dragonair, thank you so much! Dragonair back at the lab will be thrilled to see you’re evolved, Dragonair! Oooooh, I have to change your nickname to like, wait - Flare Affair Dragonair. Or what about, mon frère Dragonair. No, no, wait. Noodle! You could be Blue Noodle! Spaghetti. Ramen Dragon. That’s it! Dragon, Ramen. Ramenair! Yyyes! You are hereby Ramenair!”

  Gary nearly collapsed. “Aside from that being absolutely stupid, what are you gonna do when it stops looking like a noodle when it evolves into a Dragonite?”

  Aly squinted at Gary but quickly had an answer. “Then she will be Ramenite!” she said triumphantly.

  Gary’s hand hit the front of his face hard and fell away quickly. “Wait! Just how many Dragonair do you even have?”

  “Just the two!” Aly beamed, returning her Pokemon.

  Gary just shook his head. Whatever, he told himself. He thought of what he should use last instead of focusing on the fact Aly had two Dragonair and how jealous it was making him. I guess I only have one choice, right? He eyed Aly expectantly.

  She was already smirking. “You know how this ends.”

  Gary smiled and grabbed his Poke Ball. “I hope you’re ready this time!”

  “You’re the one playing catch-up as I recall the story.”

  “Catch up to this! Charizard!!”

  “Mighty Ivy, it’s time to win this one!”

  Charizard roared viciously.

  Aly’s Ivysaur barked right back.

  “VIIIIRE!!” No one noticed that Electivire had slowly but surely crept closer to watch the battles, getting more interested as they went on. Now, he was pumped and cheering on the final pair of energy.

  Ivysaur shot Electivire a dirty look but returned to Charizard.

  Charizard looked back at Electivire and growled.

  “Charizard, focus! Electivire, you fall back! This isn’t your fight!”

  Electivire and Charizard maintained their glaring but after another minute, Electivire smirked and closed his eyes, and finally Charizard shifted his attention back to Ivysaur.

  Gary put his all into not looking at June, but he could feel her stare branding him right in the face. “Charizard, we’ll end this fast with Fire Blast right away!”

  “Ivysaur, use-!” Aly was cut short and ducked, covering her head and screaming as Ivysaur turned to her and used Razor Leaf against her!

  “Ivysaur!” June gasped.

  “Shit!” Gary exclaimed at the same time. They turned to each other and then looked back as Charizard attacked.

  “IvySAAAAUR!!” Smacking the ground using her Vine Whip, Ivysaur launched herself into the air and out of the way of the Fire Blast. While above Charizard, Ivysaur burst into a bright flash of light!

  Aly screamed!

  Gary was breathless.

  June gasped.

  “Viiiire!” Electivire said in awe.

  “Raichu!” Raichu pointed.

  No fucking way! Gary thought in amazement.

  The form of the smaller Pokemon widened and got taller and more elaborate. Even in the bright flash, it was clear that the bulb on Ivysaur’s back was blooming. When the light went away, it was Venusaur who was visible now! And - it was Venusaur who was falling from the sky!

  “CHARIZAAAARD!!” Gary shouted out, but it was too late.

  Charizard wailed out frantically with his Trainer before Venusaur dropped on him! He struggled under the opponent Pokemon’s weight.

  “Ivy- I mean, Venusaur!!” Aly squealed, holding out her white-pink Pokedex.

  Venusaur. The Seed Pokemon. The final stage of Bulbasaur. A Grass/Poison-type Pokemon. By absorbing sunlight, this Pokemon benefits in nutrients and more vibrant colors. Scents from its flower can attract humans and Pokemon alike.

  “I can’t believe it,” Gary said. “Ivysaur evolved!”

  “Venusaur... Wow...” Aly looked enamored.

  “This changes nothing! Fire Blast! We’ll just go harder than ever!”

  While backing herself off of Charizard, Venusaur was actually stomping on his body, causing the dragon to grunt and growl in pain until she got off him.

  “OUTRAGE NOW!” Aly demanded once Charizard was standing.

  Venusaur’s flower glowed purple and then sent out multiple blobs of brown Sludge, colliding with Charizard’s Fire Blast. An explosion followed, leaving Charizard in a sitting position, his face purple from Poison.

  Venusaur was getting up shakily.

  “I DIDN’T SAY TO USE SLUDGE BOMB!!” Aly exploded. But her face softened when she said, “But he is Poisoned now...” She sighed sadly.

  Fuck! Charizard! “Charizard, you alright? Let’s keep going! End this already with Flare Blitz! Put your all into it!”

  Charizard charged at Venusaur, eventually becoming a soaring, blazing ball of Fire!

  “Use Giga Drain to heal up some!” Aly tried.

  A Seed appeared at the tip of Venusaur’s bulb. This Seed then shot into the sky.

  Charizard’s Flare Blitz landed and took Venusaur down.

  “Venusaaauuuurrr!!” Aly wailed with tear-filled eyes, reaching out to her Pokemon.

  “This is over!” Gary smiled. But his smile was gone after he looked up, seeing the Seed falling!

  It opened, releasing vines that wrapped around Charizard. He roared as a green aura covered his body and his health was slowly drained!

  Gary sucked his teeth loudly. You have to be kidding me! This is crazy! he raged in his head, his face giving away his frustration as he watched Venusaur somehow getting back to her feet.

  “Not very strategic of you. All you’ve done is power moves to try to cut the match short!” Aly criticized Gary smugly. “You really think I’m that easy after I beat you in the Indigo League?”

  “Oh, cut the shit. You won, yeah, but you’re literally doing the same thing! Outrage, Giga Drain, you’re doing the same thing and Ivy- uhh - Venusaur is actually battling better than you!”

  These words seemed to freeze time.

  Aly was staring at Gary with big eyes.

  Gary was giving her the same look.

  “Is that what you think?” Aly asked softly.

  Gary’s mouth opened to give a response.

  “I’LL SHOW YOU!!” Aly spoke up instead. “USE RETURN NOW!”

  “VENU-!!” Venusaur’s eyes glowed red. “-SAAAAAAAAAAAAUUURRR!!!” she finished as the rest of her body was outlined in red. She charged at Charizard.

  “Venusaaaaauurrr!” Aly complained. “Don’t use Outrage nnooooooooooowww!”

  Ignoring Aly, Venusaur’s first assault was tackling Charizard down and chomping on his neck, making Charizard roar in distress.

  No! Gary thought. “We can’t lose here! F-Fl-Flire Blast! Fire Blast!!”

  Venusaur was already on the go, overwhelming Charizard with powerful headbutts and stomping while he tried to fight back.

  She can’t beat us. I refuse to lose to a Venusaur! Not with my Charizard! Not to Aly! “SKY DROP!!”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Charizard caught Venusaur as she lunged at him again, grabbing her forelegs before ascending. He didn’t get too far up, flying now a struggle with the weightier, squirming foe that was desperate to attack him. Leech Seed and the Poisoning were also leaving Charizard on his last bit of energy, his tail flame very low. He finally dove down, straightened his flight path and let go of Venusaur. Roaring with relief, he flew some feet away before his feet touched the ground and he stumbled and fell to his face.

  Venusaur was back up. At first, she roared out at Charizard.

  His face flinched, but that was the only reaction he gave.

  And then a pair of Venusaur’s vines came out - and reached backwards for Aly! With a snap! they wrapped around her waist.

  Aly gasped sharply and instinctively gripped the vines.

  “Hey!” Gary called out.

  “Oh! Aly!” June let out.

  “Vire!” Electivire uttered.

  “Raichu!” Raichu called.

  Aly wailed out as her Pokemon’s vines hoisted her easily into the air!

  “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!” Gary shouted.

  Aly shrieked for her life as she was waved around wildly, Venusaur yelling up at her.

  “She’s gonna throw her!” June cried. “Venusaur is Confused! Look at her eyes!”

  While the red around Venusaur’s body was gone, her eyes were still red, Confused after using Outrage.

  “Noooooo!” Gary pointed. “Charizard-!” He froze, unsure of how to save his friend. If we make the wrong move, Aly could get seriously hurt!

  Charizard was slowly rising again, not entirely out of fight yet.

  “Electivire!” Electivire stepped forward, glaring up at Aly.

  “Electivire!” Gary immediately knew what to do next. “Use your Psychic attack! Stop those vines!”

  Electivire’s eyes glowed blue, outlining Venusaur’s vines in blue and keeping them still.

  Venusaur turned to Electivire and roared out.

  “Keep the vines still! Don’t let her release Aly! Charizard, Electivire, together! Flamethrower!”

  With a growl, Electivire grimaced, his eyes still on Venusaur’s vines. Charizard briefly looked at Electivire with disdain and a grunt before fully standing again. They focused on Venusaur and inhaled.

  The pink flower on Venusaur’s back suddenly glowed white, yellow sparkles rising up around her body.

  Aly was still screaming for her life, her feet kicking out crazily. “PUT ME DOWN VENUSAUR!! JUST DON’T DROP ME!!”

  Charizard and Electivire sent Flames out at Venusaur, covering her body.

  Aly shrieked. “GARY!!!”

  Electivire’s Flames stopped first, followed by Psychic, and he ran towards Venusaur, his body outlined in a white glow. He jumped.

  “What is he doing??” Aly hollered, the vines holding her now unstable.

  When Charizard’s engulfing Fire was gone, Venusaur started roaring, “SAAAAAUU-!! Saur?” The shocked Venusaur looked up.

  “EEEEE-” Electivire had a fist pulled back as he came down, “-LLLECTIVIIIIIIRRRE!!” He socked Venusaur right in the face with Strength attack.

  Venusaur staggered backwards, releasing Aly, the girl screaming all the way down into Electivire’s waiting arms. The Confused Venusaur let out a snarl, turned, and slipped onto her side. Her eyes weren’t red anymore, or even open. She was knocked out.

  Charizard roared weakly, wavering in place as the Leech Seed finally released him before he also dropped.

  With a snicker at the downed Charizard, Electivire returned to Venusaur and dropped Aly, the girl landing on her hands and knees.

  “Hey! That went for you, too!” she complained. “Why is everyone so rough? Where’s the love these days?” She turned to Venusaur and called out, “Return!” Venusaur was in her Poke Ball in seconds.

  “Are you okay?” June asked as she walked over to Aly.

  But Gary ran to his Charizard. “Charizard! Hey!” He knelt down beside him and rubbed the side of his head. “Take it easy, man. You did great out there. Return.”

  June helped Aly up and Aly dusted off her pants, still frowning. “Electivire,” June muttered, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. Then she looked directly at Gary.

  Gary walked over, avoiding her eyes but thinking, We still have a lot to talk about. “I guess that’s a draw. Weird. All three were complete knockouts on both sides, except for Delcatty forfeiting. What’s up with your Pokemon, Aly? Seriously.”

  Aly glared at Gary. “Delcatty is just fine. And so is Venusaur.” She turned to June with a determined face. “I never forgot what you told me back in Celadon City. I’m not giving up on her. I’m stronger. I respect all my Pokemon. I love them all. I still may not fully understand her, but I won’t give up.”

  June smiled. “I never doubted that.” But her smile faded and she lowered her head.

  “June? What’s wrong?” Aly asked.

  June just shook her head. “Just-” She looked up and around. “I had noticed all the Psyduck left. Must have scared them off.”

  “Aaawww! Poor Psyduck!” Aly inhaled deeply. “We’re sorry, Psyduck!! We’ll leave your peaceful place!! We didn’t mean to disrupt it and make things scaryyyyy!!” She frowned and turned to Gary. “And as for you, Mister!” She shoved a finger close to his face. “First of all, that last fight wasn’t a draw. My Venusaur dropped first, so you won. But more than that, you owe me an apology for what you said about her battling better without me.”

  Gary nodded. “You’re right. I am sorry. Sorry it’s so true!”

  And with that fire lit, a scream of rage burst out of Aly’s throat and she chased a heartlessly cackling Gary through the open space. “I’ll kill you, Gary!”

  *

  “Gary, I am so sorry you had to go through that. I thought here in Japan we were better than that but that doesn’t sound much better than what they do over in America,” Aly spoke sorrowfully after hearing Gary explain why he was working at PokeLand Discounts. “Did you at least enjoy working there?”

  Gary had to struggle not to leak tears as he thought about Sierra. “Was okay,” he managed to get out, his eyes down. He cleared his throat and said more strongly, “It’s in the past. Glad it’s over. I didn’t even get to explain what was going on to Rob.”

  “The news said you were sentenced to community service but I had no idea it was that!” Aly said.

  He just shrugged.

  It had been a couple of hours since leaving Lake Psyduck. They had ended up going through the northern section of Route 210, and a thick fog made reading the Poke Radar and Prof. Oak’s map nearly impossible. Still the group dared to keep going a little further, even with a setting sun. They put away Raichu and Electivire to make sure no one got lost.

  “This country makes me sooooo sick,” Aly went on. “It’s going nowhere as far as progressivism.”

  Hearing something to his right, Gary turned and pointed. “Use Take Down!” He couldn’t see his Pokemon clearly, but he could see enough to know Numel wasn’t facing where he was pointing. “Numel. Hey! Come on, now!” Gary stomped his foot, frowning.

  “Num?” Numel finally seemed to face where instructed.

  “Take Down!” Gary repeated.

  “Num.” Numel lowered her head. She didn’t move.

  “Numel!”

  “Num!” A bronze aura covered her body and she charged forward, a golden forcefield of energy in front of her. She flew into tall grass to reveal her opponent - was gone! There was nothing in the grass!

  “Damn it! You took too long, Numel! It’s gone already.”

  This left Aly laughing, and after watching this reaction, Raichu also joined in.

  Gary growled at them and stomped away. His Poke Radar now had a battery blinking on the dim screen, beeping low, and with a sigh, he stopped walking and turned it off. “It’s dead. Needs a recharge.”

  “Well you’re screwed,” Aly said simply. “Can’t charge in the woods.”

  Gary looked back to her and smirked. “Actually, the Poke Radar charges itself.”

  “Oh... I never understood what that even means. How is that possible? That’s so cool! I guess it hasn’t helped much, huh? Huh? Huh? Or has it? Without it, would you have even less Pokemon, do ya think? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh?”

  Gary bared his teeth and tightened his fists and then, in a flash, he swung on Aly, clocking her right in the face! Continuing to pummel her face into a bloody pulp! Ready to rip her face into minced meat!

  Suddenly, Gary fell to his knees and grabbed his head. It was as if there was a sharp whistle blowing directly into his ears and swirling inside of his brain, the sound itself in the form of a sharp blade trying to cut its way out! Before he even realized it, he threw up all over the ground in front of him. Choking, spitting, desperate to get the foul, acidic taste out of his mouth, Gary was without the strength to get to his feet, so he just crawled backwards away from the sickening smell.

  “Gary! Gary!” June got down beside him and touched one shoulder. “I’m here. Gary, I’m here. It’s okay,” she said soothingly.

  “Eeeeewwww, is he okay?” Aly asked, staying away from them. “Is he throwing up?? You freaked out of nowhere. You looked pissed off. I thought I got you mad. Or is that what it was? You got so mad that you suck at catching Pokemon that you got mad and sick to your stomach from-”

  “Aly, he’s been kind of sick lately,” June cut her off gently. “He’s been trying really hard to get better and he probably just needs some medicine. Again.”

  June was close enough for Gary to see her staring back and nod just slightly. She knows, he told himself. And I know. She’s keeping it a secret from Aly. But was that truly it? Was that a thing from the monster?

  He could still see the visual in his head of beating Aly’s face with his own two fists until she looked like... Prof. Cynthia? He held the disgust in, the desire to puke returning, but not as uncontrollably strong as before. He swallowed everything back down and inhaled.

  “Sick?” Aly pulled one side of her jacket over her face. “Is he contagious?! Why didn’t anyone say something earlier??”

  “It’s just a stomach thing!” Gary got to his feet shakily, still nauseous. “I’m fine. Let’s keep moving.” After recalling Numel, he looked around. “Or go your own way. I dunno who won our battle so do whatever you want.” He walked off. This way, he told himself. I think.

  “I already told you, Gary!” Aly shouted after him. “Anything for Prof. Oak! I wouldn’t miss out on this adventure! I just wanted to battle and see where you were at!” Speaking softer, she continued, “I guess we can say we’re pretty even. At battling, anyway.”

  Gary sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes but couldn't hold back a smirk. Shaking his head, he admitted, “I’ve got a long way to go. You had two disobedient Pokemon. Had they listened, things may have gone a lot different. You could have won.”

  “Or lost,” Aly added. “Having good Pokemon means nothing if I can’t use them right. It got me so mad but it’s true what you said. Venusaur was doing really good by ignoring me. But what am I supposed to be doing? Am I supposed to recognize the way she wants to fight, and her choices she wants to make, in order for us to get along? I’m the Trainer! She’s supposed to trust in me! Even if I make mistakes. We’re supposed to be teaching each other. Like the song says.”

  Gary snickered with sympathy for his friend. “Aly.” He was at a loss for words, so he just reached out in the blanketing fog.

  “I’m fine, I’m fine. We’re just fine. Venusaur is just testing me. And Delcatty is...” Her voice trailed off.

  “What is wrong with her?” June asked.

  “Well, June. Do you think you can try and help me with this one, too?”

  June inhaled sharply.

  “I hate to bother you but, since we are all traveling together right now, maybe you can help me figure out why she is this way.”

  “Oh. Aly. I...”

  “Starly, go!” Gary threw a Poke Ball and out came Starly. “Wing Attack right there!” Gary pointed.

  Its wings glowed brightly in the fog as it flew blindly at something Gary claimed to exist.

  “Scytherrrrr!” a Pokemon cried out, forced out by Starly.

  “A Scyther? Whoa! Cool!” Gary exclaimed. He grabbed a Great Ball and enlarged it. Maybe a Gust? Does Starly get that? I don’t know! “Quick Attack!”

  Starly attacked, flying into Scyther repeatedly.

  Gary then threw his Great Ball.

  The ball took in Scyther and then hit the ground, seen only by the blinking red button.

  And a few seconds later.

  PING!

  PONG!

  Gary could still hear the sound of the Sapience Ball that had captured June as if it were happening all over again right in front of him. He swallowed hard.

  “Wow! I didn’t even know something was there! You heard it without the Radar?” Aly asked.

  “Yeah. I got lucky,” Gary spoke quickly. Wasted a Great Ball, though. “Let’s just try to get out of the fog and we can call it a night. We can try to reach the Gracidea Garden in the morning or something.”

  Gary couldn’t see June’s face, but he was sure he had paid her back. He was sure she knew he had created a diversion for her, just as she had done for him.

  *

  “I understand the importance of battling to raise Pokemon just fine,” Aly spoke sharply. “I just don’t think you should be walking around beating up the entire forest! Why not just walk with your Pokemon? Why does sending them out mean battling? How about bonding peacefully with them and treating them like friends? Put the Radar away and just enjoy the fresh air!”

  “I do plenty of that!” Gary argued. “Maybe your problem is you don’t do enough battling!”

  “HA! And yet you can barely keep up with me? Now that’s a laugh!”

  Even after getting out of the fog, the two argued into the night, not even stopping when eating, going on even when in their sleeping bags until they passed out.

  The next morning, half an hour after everyone had breakfast, Gary was back using the Poke Radar again. He had just detected another Pokemon he recognized but couldn’t remember its name.

  Skiddo. The Mount Pokemon. A Grass-type Pokemon. This gentle Pokemon does not need to eat as long as it has sunshine and water. It is a popular Pokemon for riding.

  Skiddo, Gary thought. “Stantler!” He threw the Poke Ball.

  “Skiiii! Dooooo!” Skiddo bleated with a determined face as a small, green ball of light appeared at each side of Skiddo’s mane and from those circles, a Vine shot out.

  “Right through it, Stantler! Take Down!”

  With a loud cry, Stantler ran forward, his body covered in a white aura. His horns glowed with a light-bronze aura and he swung his head, knocking away the Whips. Shouting out again, he slammed into Skiddo.

  “Skiiiiii!” Skiddo flew back and tumbled before remaining still.

  Stantler flinched from recoil.

  And with that, Skiddo managed back up, Gary and the group watching as it ran off.

  “That was good!” Gary approached Stantler, but Stantler turned and was running right to him as well. Chuckling, he gently grabbed his horns, giving them a playful tug. Stantler was smiling and pulled back, making Gary stumble. “Whoa!” he laughed. He rubbed his Pokemon’s head and then patted it.

  Shellos was the next out to take on the revealed Phanpy, a short battle with Shellos’s Water Pulse deciding things fast.

  But Gary found himself staring at a tiny tree the next time his Poke Radar rang. He looked around him but returned his eyes back to the tree that he stood taller than. Something was very familiar about it. It reminded him of something. As if he felt a memory of a tree that had actually moved. As if the tree could attack. “OH! Shellos, Water Pulse now!”

  “Shellooos!” Shellos attacked the tree with a spiraling ball of Water.

  The tree reacted! Shouting out in pain, it fell back. It glared, first at Gary and then at Shellos. “Sudowoodo!” it complained. It raised an arm surrounded by a glowing green aura and then turned into a tremendous stump.

  “Use your Rain Dance!”

  The blue Pokemon was outlined in blue and cried to the skies.

  The sky then darkened and Rain poured down immediately.

  “Sudooooooo!!” Sudowoodo screamed, stopping its Wood Hammer attack. It turned and fled the match!

  Gary snickered. Cool Pokemon. But probably no good for my team if that’s how it fights, he thought. But the more Pokemon I catch, the greater opportunity to learn more about them. And that might just bring me closer to understanding that monster, if Looker’s theory is in any way correct. “Great work, Shellos!”

  Shellos looked back and smiled silently.

  “How much longer is this gonna take?” Aly complained. “I mean, how do we know we’re there? Do you even know what these flowers even look like? This garden? Also, do you really think you’re strong enough to beat Mythical Pokemon? You just wanna be like the Champion Tobias, don’t you? Capturing Legends is top-tier skills. You really think you’re that good? Huh? Huh? How did you beat Jupiter by the way? Huh? Huh? Huh?”

  Gary sneered as he sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes. “Everything you just asked can be answered really easily and by the same sentence: I’m gonna be a Pokemon Master!”

  Aly stuck her tongue out and shoved a finger into her mouth as she gagged. “Criiiiiiinnge! That’s the best line you’ve got? Didn’t you say you wanted to be a writer when you became an adult? You ain’t getting nowhere with lines like that, boy.”

  “I-!”

  After a moment of silence, Aly taunted, “What’s wrong? No comebacks? Huh? Huh? Wait - Gary?”

  “Oh, no,” June muttered. She moved to him and held out her hands but made sure not to touch him. “Gary, are you feeling... sick again?”

  Aly covered her face with her jacket again. “I don’t wanna catch whatever you’ve got! I shouldn’t be traveling with you if I could end up like that!”

  Gary was leaning forward, his eyes shut tight, his face grimaced in throbbing pain. His fists were in front of his face, shaking. “We’re almost there...” He spoke as if doing so was a struggle.

  “What?” June asked.

  “They’re all...” Gary opened his eyes and relaxed his face, but his head was still hurting. A pair of tears rolled down his cheeks. He blinked and down came another pair. “...here.” Gary knew what he was saying, and at the same time, he was as confused as anyone else there with him.

  “Raichu.” Raichu watched from behind June’s legs.

  Electivire was looking around, sniffing urgently.

  “Shaymin,” Gary whispered. That’s right, he told himself. You know that. No. Why do I know that? What is it that I even know I know??

  Like a jolt from a bolt of lightning, Gary knew what he had to do. He ran ahead, led by nothing but some kind of internal instinct that came to him out of nowhere. Shaymin. Shaymin, he chanted in his head, ignoring the calls of the girls and Raichu behind him.

  At first moving past crowds of trees, soon they were gone and he was running through what could have been a landscape painting. The widespread, blue sky was accompanied with white clouds and a sun. Mountains were in the far distance, one side white with snow, the rest dark. Trees and bushes were spread apart and away. The open field was full of gorgeous, pink flowers. Gary immediately knew the flowers were Gracidea Flowers. Big lights were amidst the flowers like giant lightning bugs, and then the glow vanished and big white-and-green creatures flew out to the sky like fairies. It was a magical sight, absurdly resembling any average anime intro.

  But none of this grabbed Gary’s attention, something about it all feeling so familiar that he barely noticed. He had no idea how long he had been running, and it didn’t matter to him. Time was the last thing on his mind. He’d run until he fell off the edge of the planet if that’s what it took to get to the destination he was clueless about but was so certain of, like a kind of religious faith.

  But this remarkable feeling of his dropped out of his body faster than a toilet flushing, Gary not fully appreciating the calm and certainty he had felt until it was gone. His trembling body was no longer running, but was breathing hard as weariness finally settled in. His ears picked up on the tired, heavy breathing and running of his friends in the distance trying to catch up with him while his wide eyes took in a confusing, disturbing, horrific sight.

  The monster herself, nicknamed Claire by many, stood in the middle of the Gracidea Garden. Her grotesque eyes were staring right at Gary, but she didn’t move or react. It was almost as if she were expecting him. Her skin was in its white form.

  In the flowers in front of her were two Shaymin. One Shaymin was beaten badly, covered in blood and open wounds, its eyes shut while howling out as it kicked with its four legs to try to get away from the other Shaymin on top of it.

  The second Shaymin had a vicious look on its face as it opened its jaws with a snarl and bit into the bottom Shaymin’s face, making it shriek! The attacking Shaymin was smeared in blood but there were no visible wounds. Was all the blood from the same Shaymin, or were they both injured? It was impossible to tell. But one thing was clear: the aggressive-looking Shaymin was winning. It was pulling at the fur on the other Shaymin’s face as if trying to rip it off!

  The monster, Claire, looked beyond Gary when the shouts of June, Aly, Raichu and Electivire were heard as they finally made it to the scene.

  With a loud POP! Charizard was out of his Poke Ball and roared loud enough to make Gary believe the ground quaked slightly.

  All of this commotion made the mean Shaymin release the other one, and the two turned to the newcomers. The Shaymin on the bottom seemed to have one eye closed.

  Claire’s eyes returned to Gary and she smirked. “It is true,” she spoke. “You are here.”