“Interough City is in the opposite direction, behind us,” I pointed out on my Town Map. “However, Ghyst Town is right up ahead of us, after we get out of this town.”

“We’ve still got a decent amount of time to get this Badge, and still travel a bit more before the Interough Conference begins,” Courtney stated, staring in her mirror, brushing her hair.

“Well, I’m not wasting any time,” I told her. “I’m heading straight for Interough City after I win my final Badge and registering right away for the Interough Conference.” I looked up at the cloudless, afternoon sky, the sun beaming brightly and strongly, and I sighed as I remembered what nearly kept me from competing in the Pokemon League back in Kanto…

My eighth Badge being a fake, and Courtney getting June and I purposely lost. My impatience to beat the eighth Gym Leader also led to a loss and wasted time, as well.

“I don’t wanna waste anymore time,” Ella said impatiently. “Let’s get to this Gym already!”

“Everyone ready to go?” Courtney smiled at her Pokemon.

Courtney’s Maractus, Swoobat, Stoutland, Scraggy, Amoonguss, and Sceptile spoke eagerly to her and nodded.

“Swooooobat!!” Swoobat cried excitedly. “Swoobat! Swoobat! Swoobat!” The remaining bit of fruit Swoobat was eating and holding with its feet slipped from its grasp and it tried to grab at it, but the fruit fell to the ground. “Swoobat!” Swoobat swooped down and lifted the fruit from the ground before shoving the rest of it in its mouth happily.

Courtney laughed. “Swoobat, you’ve dropped that thing about twenty times in the past minute. You’re such a Klutz.”

“So, when are we going to the Pokemon League?” Trixa was hopping around randomly.

Her Panpour, Leavanny, and Pansear ran around playing tag with each other while Ducklett flew around in circles over Pignite’s head, making the piggy dizzy.

Trixa’s Axew sat calmly and watched the others play with a small smile on its face.

“Trixa!” I said angrily, scowling at her, and she stopped bouncing and looked at me with a smile, her eyes sparkling. “Only you and Courtney have all the Badges you need to compete in the League, okay? The rest of us don’t! You and Courtney can go off to Interough City if you’d like, but Ella and I have to get one more Badge.”

“As if I’d leave you behind, Sugar Lumps,” Courtney said teasingly. “After all we’ve been through together, what kind of friend would I be to desert you at this point? We’re like family, you know? Hug!” She extended her arms and I groaned with exasperation as she squeezed me in a hug.

I backed up a couple of steps after she finally let go of me and I stared at her curiously. “It’s certainly been something having you in our group,” I muttered.

Courtney beamed and nodded in agreement. “That’s why I could never leave you, Gary!”

Her choice of words left me feeling just slightly uncomfortable, as well as embarrassed.

“Never say never,” June mumbled, looking away from us all.

Courtney turned to June and snickered. “And, anyway, what about June?” Courtney asked with a sly smile. “If you and Ella are traveling together because you both need one more Badge, and Trixa and I go to Interough City since we have all of our Badges, what’s June gonna be doing?”

My eyes widened and I straightened up as I shot June a quick glance.

Ella giggled, smirking at June.

“I’m traveling with Gary, as I’ve made it clear for far too long,” June snapped at Courtney.

Courtney snickered. “Just as I figured,” she nodded.

“What does that mean?” June asked in a low, threatening voice, looking ready to swing at Courtney.

“Only what everybody and their mother knows, but you refuse to admit.” Courtney turned her back to June, maintaining her smile.

“I-” June seemed frozen, her face flushing red. She turned to me and then quickly looked away. “What are you even talking about?” she leered at Courtney.

Ella burst into laughter.

Trixa had her eyes closed, mumbling a song that didn’t seem to have any real melody to it as she swayed back and forth, smiling.

The familiar noise of a Pokemon being sent out from its Poke Ball reached my ears.

“VIIIIRRRE!”

All of us turned quickly with a mix of loud gasps to see Electivire’s body sparking, glaring at Shiftry.

Shiftry was sitting by herself, away from Ella’s other Pokemon. She had been glaring at Ella dangerously for a while now, and hadn’t done anything else since being sent out except sit. With Electivire now out, Shiftry immediately jumped to her feet and snarled at him.

“Juuuune!!” Ella wailed. “What do you think you’re doing??”

“I didn’t!” June insisted. “He got out on his own! Electivire, stop this already!” Her face was a mix of anger and sadness. She looked exhausted just from seeing Electivire out of his Poke Ball.

June’s Pikachu, Manectric, Lanturn, Blitzle, Ampharos, Vaporeon, Galvantula, and Magnezone had their heads lowered, shaking them pitifully over the continuous fighting between Electivire and Shiftry.

Trixa’s Pokemon scurried away quickly, stopping in a line in front of their Trainer, watching Electivire and Shiftry frightfully, their faces matching their Trainer’s.

Ella’s Deino, Cofagrigus, Braviary, Pachirisu, and Serperior backed up, away from the two foes, muttering amongst themselves as they stared angrily at them, seeming upset that their peace was now disrupted.

Rotom and Drifblim had been floating in the air together by the side of the Pokemon Center the rest of us were all standing by, Rotom chattering with a thrilled smile on its face while Drifblim looked away from it, her eyes closed and her face a rosy red. But now, both Rotom and Drifblim’s romantic moment was interrupted by Electivire and Shiftry’s situation, both Pokemon watching the rivals getting into yet another confrontation.

My Unfezant, Sawk, Dugtrio, Elgyem, and Weepinbell sat together, their eyes on the situation taking place between Shiftry and Electivire.

“Electi-!” June started to raise her hand with Electivire’s Poke Ball in it to recall Electivire.

“Tiviiiiiiire!!” Electivire zapped the area, several bolts of lightning zipping across the ground.

June cried out and backed away from the lightning, her Pokemon also moving out of the way.

Trixa and her Pokemon screamed as they ran away, avoiding getting hit.

Courtney and her team scattered in different directions to dodge the bolts.

Me and my Pokemon also split up, managing to avoid any jolts.

Ella ran several feet off to safety before looking back.

Her Braviary took to the skies to stay safe, but her Cofagrigus, Deino, Shiftry, and Serperior screamed as they were hit by Electivire’s attack.

Pachirisu was also hit by the shock, but he just glared at Electivire, not seeming to be bothered in any way.

Deino, Cofagrigus, and Serperior collapsed.

Shiftry shook her head hard but stood her ground, panting hard as she glared at Electivire.

Pachirisu kept his angry eyes on Electivire and yelled at him, jumping in the air repeatedly like a rabid bunny.

Electivire looked down at Pachirisu silently.

“SHIIIIIIIIFT!!!” Shiftry raised her arms and performed Leaf Storm, causing a creation of leaves to fly at Electivire.

Electivire’s fists burst into flames and he walked quickly towards Shiftry, swinging rapidly at the leaves that flew towards him. Groups of leaves were destroyed with each swing, Electivire smiling the entire time as he walked towards Shiftry easily.

Shiftry’s eyes widened and she let out a low gasp.

“VIRE!!” Electivire leaped at Shiftry and pulled back a fist to attack with Fire Punch.

“Shiftry, come back!” Ella returned her Pokemon.

Electivire lowered his fist and the fire around it went out. He looked around angrily. “Vire?” His eyes stopped on Ella.

Ella’s eyes widened at Electivire and she lifted her foot to take a step back.

“VIIIRRE!!!” Electivire roared, and he electrocuted Ella.

Ella screamed and eventually dropped, her hair now standing up as her body sparked electricity.

“Ella!” I ran to her side and knelt down. “Ella, are you okay?”

“I r-r-r-really d-d-d-d-don’t l-like th-this f-f-f-f-f-feeling…” Ella moaned.

“Return, Electivire!” June yelled as she called back her Pokemon. She turned to Ella. “Ella, I’m so sorry.” She walked towards Ella.

“I don’t wanna hear it right now, June!” Ella barked, pushing herself to her feet. “I’ve had about enough of that damn thing zapping everyone!”

Everyone stared at Ella silently.

“June, I’m sorry, but I can’t deal with this any further!” Ella said, unable to calm down at this point. “Deal with that thing, already! My Pokemon will not be bullied by anyone’s Pokemon! This is not fair! I’m not tolerating it any further!”

“What’s wrong with your Electivire, June?” Courtney asked with exasperation. “Don’t you think it might be beneficial to just tell us what’s up with it?”

“No!” June shot at Courtney.

“I really think that maybe you should consider what Courtney is advising, June.” Ella crossed her arms and tilted her head at June, her hair looking ridiculous sticking out like it was, but nothing could tarnish the natural beauty Ella displayed so effortlessly.

“But…!” June turned to Ella.

“I’m serious, June!” Ella said in a surprisingly strict voice, as if she were scolding a child. “Enough is enough, already! What-?”

“Hey, Ella?” Trixa interrupted Ella.

“Trixa, not now! Please!” Ella waved off Trixa, keeping her eyes on June. “I want to get to the bottom of this already.”

“But, your Pokemon!” Trixa tried.

“Trixa, please!” Ella said in a louder voice. “After June answers me!”

“Ella, please!” June said to Ella. She glanced over at Courtney and then looked back at Ella. “I don’t want to talk about this right now.”

“Now is the perfect time, June!” Ella begged. “Just tell us!”

“She doesn’t want to tell me.” Courtney crossed her arms and stared solemnly at June. “It’s because I’m here that she doesn’t want to say what’s wrong. June hates me and doesn’t want me involved in her personal life. That’s it, isn’t it, June?”

“No!” June snapped at Courtney. “I just-!”

“ELLAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!” Trixa screamed loudly, jumping in place like a spoiled child.

“WHAT?!” Ella burst out at Trixa. “WHAT DO YOU WANT, TRIXA?! I’m trying to get to the bottom of something very important, but you apparently have something faaaaar more important to discuss, so, please, interrupt this topic we were already on and let us know what in the world is so groundbreaking and crucial to our lives that the entire planet must stop for you!!” Ella was breathing heavily, giving Trixa a look that resembled a lion just one second before devouring his deer prey.

I stared in shock at Ella, not believing that she had just completely lost it like that. I’d never seen this side of Ella before. It was terrifyingly beautiful in its own way.

Ella looked infuriated and threatening, ready to slap the crap out of Trixa, and yet, harmless, as if she was trying so hard to appear dangerous, but it was too easy to see that she wasn’t capable of doing any real harm to anyone. Plus, her electrified hair was just silly.

June and Courtney appeared taken back by Ella’s outburst.

Trixa smiled at Ella, apparently unaware of how close she was to getting killed, if Ella was indeed capable of doing so. “How come your Pokemon that got hit by Electivire’s Thunderbolt are all hurt except for Pachirisu?”

All eyes went to the collapsed collective of Pokemon on the ground.

Deino, Cofagrigus, and Serperior were completely knocked out on the ground, sparks flying from their bodies.

Pachirisu looked upon his beat up friends sadly and then turned to Ella. He let out a sad cry.

“See? Pachirisu looks just fine,” Trixa said happily, swinging her arms around.

“Probably because Pachirisu is Electric,” Courtney explained. “Electric types resist Electric moves, so they don’t get damaged as badly.”

“But, it doesn’t look like it took any damage,” Trixa said, looking at Pachirisu.

Braviary and Serperior glowed red before being returned to their Poke Balls, and Cofagrigus and Deino were next in line to be called back.

Pachirisu looked up at Ella patiently before he was also returned.

This was when I noticed the unique Poke Ball Ella held. I’d never seen anything like it.

Her hands wrapped around it, blocking it from my vision before I could get a good look at the pink object. She stared silently at her hands closed around Pachirisu’s Poke Ball. “My Pachirisu is very special…” she whispered.

Trixa’s arms stopped swinging. “Huh? I can’t hear you, Ella.”

I turned around as I noticed June’s Pokemon being retreated back to their Poke Balls.

She was on her knees, placing the Poke Balls in her bag. She looked up at Ella as she got to her feet, staring at her intently.

Courtney also began retreating her Pokemon, and I followed suit. We both turned quietly to Ella.

Trixa looked around and realized that her Pokemon were the only ones still out. “Wait, are we leaving already?” She returned her Pokemon. “Alright! Let’s go!” She walked past us.

“Trixa!” everyone but Ella shouted.

Trixa came to a stop and turned around. “What?”

Ella sighed, still staring at her hands holding Pachirisu’s Poke Ball. “I used to live with my mother and father, together. Me, my parents, and Pachirisu.”

My eyes widened at her words, my mouth opening slightly. She’s had Pachirisu since before she was a Pokemon Trainer? I thought.

“The day I had told my mom I wanted to become a Pokemon Trainer, she told me I could take Pachirisu with me,” Ella told us. “It was that day that she shared a story with me. A story about my birth. And a story about Pachirisu.”

Trixa drew closer to Ella with wide, innocent eyes, resembling a young child being told a fantastic fairytale.

“It doesn’t make any sense, but, my mother swears Pachirisu came to her in a dream,” Ella practically mumbled. “The night before she went into labor, she claims he was sent to us. She believed that he was sent to save my life. The thing is, when I was born, supposedly, I didn’t cry. I was completely silent, and I wasn’t breathing. There was a sudden power outage that caused all the machinery to stop working the moment I was born. The Nurse Joys didn’t understand what caused it and knew no way to fix it. For six days, everyone did their best for me. The Audino that was there used Heal Bell to keep me alive, but she nearly collapsed from exhaustion. I owe my life to her, in part. But, according to my mother, it was Pachirisu who saved me. My mother explained to me that, one night, Pachirisu was watching me for hours, not moving a muscle or saying a word. Finally, he jumped on me and sent out electric sparks from his tail and shocked the electronic equipment around me back to life. Everything came on, from the fans, to the lights blinking off and on, to every alarm in the building ringing. Pachirisu remained by me for two whole days, providing electricity to the machines keeping me alive, until finally, the tubes were removed from my body, and, for the first time, I started to breathe on my own. I was still not crying or moving any part of my body other than my chest, though, so there was plenty of concern about me. That was when Pachirisu moved quickly towards me and gently wrapped his tail around my face. He gave me a very low voltage shock, which startled everyone who was watching, and to everyone’s surprise, I actually stirred. Right after that, I opened my mouth and let out my first shrieking cry.”

Ella’s incredible story left us all speechless.

The door to the Pokemon Center opened and Ella looked behind me at the person who was exiting.

A man with wavy, dark brown hair turned and looked at us all curiously as he walked by before turning away.

“My mother believed Pachirisu was sent to save my life,” Ella continued. “She believed Pachirisu was meant to protect me from something. She didn’t know what, but that was what she believed. She told me to take Pachirisu, to keep me safe. So, I agreed to it.”

“Wait a minute!” Trixa exclaimed.

We all turned tiredly to Trixa.

Ugh, can’t you just shut up? I thought impatiently.

“So, you had a Pachirisu before you even got your Starter?” Trixa complained.

Ella nodded with a slight smile. “Nobody knew but me and my father and mother…”

“No fair!” Trixa pouted and crossed her arms. “You already had a Pokemon!”

“I did. It was my mother’s last gift to me,” Ella spoke softly, sadly.

I lowered my head, fearing where this might be going.

“My mother passed away just five days before I left home on my Pokemon journey.”

My heart beat faster and painfully as she confirmed my fears with that sentence.

“Oh, no!” Trixa gasped, and she covered her mouth.

Courtney let out a low cry and lowered her head.

June closed her eyes and lowered her head.

“I know you three aren’t from Unova, Gary, June, and Courtney,” Ella said to us.

We looked at her.

“But, perhaps you’ve heard of Dr.-” Ella suddenly stopped, and she looked at the houses and buildings around us. “You guys hear that?”

I did, in fact, hear a low rumbling in the distance. What is that? I wondered, looking around for the source.

“I don’t hear anything,” Trixa said, now looking around with Courtney and June.

The five of us were in a very small town that seemed to be made up mainly of houses no taller than two stories, and a few buildings in matching, if not lower, height. The town reminded me of Pallet Town, but a lot larger and with a more city feel to it.

When we had first arrived here, some bells had gone off, and groups of school kids who appeared to be in high school crossed a train track on their way to school, dressed in their school uniforms.

It was funny to see older kids on their way to school, meanwhile, us five kids were traveling the world freely.

Some of the kids snickered at us and nudged their heads in our direction.

Some of the girls giggled, covering their mouths as they walked past us.

I lowered my head and avoided all of their stares, but watched as they walked on by, admiring the shortness of the girls’ skirts.

“Maybe that train is coming,” I considered, turning to my group.

“Ah! That’s a good point,” June nodded.

“Yeah.” Ella smiled at me. She reached up and grabbed at her hair that was still electrified, pulling some of it down and running her hands through it repeatedly. “Well, let’s get on out of here already, okay?”

But what were you about to tell Courtney, June, Trixa, and I? I stared at her, wondering if I should bring it up, or just let it go.

“Wait. Weren’t you going to tell us-?” June started to ask.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!

The five of us inhaled loudly and sharply and looked around frantically, unsure of where the explosion came from.

That was when I saw the smoke ascending into the clear blue sky. “Look!” I pointed into the air.

My group turned to where I was pointing.

Doors flew open quickly and screams followed shortly. People charged out of buildings and looked around in confusion, many of them pointing up at the rising smoke.

The rumbling grew louder and closer, but I couldn’t be certain where it was coming from.

My eyes suddenly widened. “Wait a minute!” I whipped my head to the right and gasped. “Over there!! RUUUN!!”

The house to my right exploded before the thing that tore through it came into view.

People ran in a frenzy as me and my group stumbled backwards in horror. Crowds of people were exiting buildings to see what was going on and soon joined those already running by. Many people slammed into me and my friends, as well as each other, trying to get away from the huge machine that appeared as the cloud of debris from the house it had just smashed through started to dissipate.

“What… IS that?” Ella shouted in disbelief, her eyes wide at the incredible machine standing before us.

Several people stopped running to stare at the colossal structure.

It stood at least fifteen feet tall, and stretched perhaps ten feet across. It moved on top of numerous, thick black wheels rolling underneath it, and it was made up of seven different compartments. Two square sections near the bottom of the tank were topped by two more square sections. The particularly large square fifth part of the machine was big enough to sit on top of all four pieces below it, while the rectangular sixth part was stacked on top of the middle of the fifth piece, horizontally. Finally, the last area of the tank was a large, white ball that sat on top of the middle of the rectangular piece. A strange, loud noise came from the machine.

June’s moan grabbed my attention, and I turned to see her grab the sides of her head and lower her head.

“June?” I called out to her.

June’s teeth were grit tightly and she looked like she was suffering from a headache.

The white ball at the top of the tank suddenly flashed for a second, and the loud noise from the machine intensified. A black beam fired out from the ball and blew up another building to the left of us.

Screams and pounding feet were heard everywhere as bodies flew out from the exploding building. Courtney, June, Trixa, Ella, and I shrieked and ran away from the billowing smoke that was filling the town as bodies smashed into the ground with repeated SPLAT! noises. Another loud roar came from the machine and it suddenly let loose several more powerful black beams in random directions, tearing apart buildings with ease, filling my ears with deafening booms mixed with the helpless cries of those trying to escape the tragedy taking place.

We all turned a corner and came to a stop in front of a house.

Trixa kept running with swarms of other people who ran by us.

One woman crashed into me with a loud scream, and I struggled not to fall as I grabbed her shoulders.

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“Get off of meee!!” she shrieked, shaking her curly black hair frantically and pushing against my chest.

“Whoa!” I cried out as I fell.

The woman ran past me and didn’t look back.

“Trixaaaaaaa!!” Ella screamed for her friend.

My sight of Trixa got lost in the swarm of people running away, trying to get to safety.

“Where is she going?” Courtney cried in a shaky voice.

I growled angrily. “Damn it, Trixa! We have to get her!”

More destruction was confirmed from several explosions I could hear from a distance, and the noise from the tank was somewhere nearby.

“Trixa, come baaaack!!” Ella ran into the confused group of people that were running in every possible direction.

“Ella, wait!” I got up quickly and shot forward, nudging people out of my way, trying to keep my eyes on Ella as people got in front of my view and made it harder to see her clear beauty mixed with fright that she wore so adorably on her face, making me desire to be the one to return calm back to her heart.

Something blew up and screams filled the air, some people around me tripping to the ground, others covering their heads as they continued running.

“TRIXAAAAAAA!!!” I heard Ella shout.

Something grabbed my jacket and pulled at it, but with a determined grunt, I ran forward, struggling out of the tight grip.

Ella was nowhere in sight.

“ELLAAAA!! ELLA, WHERE ARE YOU??” I bellowed as loudly as I could. “OH!” I stumbled over something on the ground and looked down to see a woman on her stomach, covering her head, screaming continuously as she was trampled on by those running past me from all directions. I felt horrible doing so, but I looked away from her and continued my search for Ella. My eyes widened as I spotted a figure standing amongst the chaos of people.

Ella! She was standing at the corner of the sidewalk, surrounded by terrified groups of people running around her, looking down the street in front of her. In the next instant, she was gone.

“Ella!” An explosion that was startlingly close to me made me jump, and I ran harder, stomping my feet into the ground as I pushed through crowds. I soon reached the corner Ella had just been standing on, only to be forced back by terrified groups of people coming directly at me. I was being shoved from all over. My legs, shoulders, arms, stomach, all of me being grabbed at and pushed and kicked.

A hand grabbed my shoulder, and I ran away from it, desperate to reach Ella. Up ahead, I could see train tracks.

A train was screaming along the tracks as it rolled by so far away.

The train! If only we could reach it, I thought. We’d all be safe and out of the way of whatever’s going on here!

Something grabbed both of my shoulders tightly.

“HEY! GET OFF OF ME!! I HAVE TO-!” I turned around angrily and saw June digging her nails into my shoulders, fear deep on every part of her face.

Courtney was behind her, trembling in place.

“June! Ella’s out here!” I struggled out of her grasp and turned around.

“Gary, what are we gonna do?” Courtney insisted.

I couldn’t see Ella anywhere.

The train’s bells rang as it continued to ride by.

Some people were actually running towards it desperately, waving their arms in the air, hoping to stop the train or reach it before it was gone.

A few people were close to the train, and some were brave enough to actually jump on one of the cars and hang on for their lives, screaming!

I saw the black beam, but it was as if I didn’t register it in my mind until I saw the train explode…

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!

SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

The explosions were far enough away, but in seconds, my breath was knocked out of me as I was thrown back by the wind of them and I rolled and bounced on the ground for what seemed to be a minute before I came to a sharp, burning, scraping stop.

Screams were louder than ever, and the sounds of raging fires, destroyed property, and things crashing surrounded me.

I knew I’d eventually be hit by something and killed.

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

I groaned, my entire body aching, feeling as if I had skinned several different areas of my body. The stinging pain was enough to make me want to cry, and I closed my eyes tightly as tears burned their way between my eyelids. I inhaled hard, trying to regain air into my lungs, and I lifted my head at the familiar sound of the tank driving into the area.

The black tank rolled into the middle of the street, through what was left of a house it had clearly just smashed its way through.

Several houses were in ruins, while others were on fire, smoke rising into the sky from them as debris filled the air.

A hard cough was heard from somewhere to my right.

I heard a roar from the machine as it stood still in the middle of the street, surrounded by people lying lifeless on the ground or crying out for death to relieve them of the pain they were in, a couple of flipped cars, and a few burning houses.

“There’s Pokemon in there!” someone choked out.

I turned to the voice to my left and stared at June as I gasped for more air.

She was in the middle of the street, holding herself up by one arm, staring at the tank. She swallowed and coughed. “There are Pokemon inside of it!”

I groaned as I struggled to get up, but I couldn’t ignore the pain I was feeling and dropped down again.

“Gary,” I heard June choke out.

I moaned in response, unable to move.

“There’s Pokemon inside of that thing. I can hear them.”

I flattened my palms against the ground and pushed myself up a little bit as I turned to June slowly.

“They’re in pain,” she said, staring at me. “They’re in really bad pain, Gary.”

I shook my head at her. “I don’t understand,” I said weakly. “What are Pokemon doing inside of that tank?”

“They need help.” June turned to the tank. “We need to help them get out of that thing. I think they’re trapped in there.”

I squinted at June before turning my eyes angrily to the tank. How is that possible? I questioned. “Are you sure, June?” I asked, still staring at the deadly machine.

A loud roar came from it.

“That’s them!” June gasped, and she struggled painfully to her feet, groaning. “That’s the Pokemon!”

My heart beat hard in my chest and I groaned as I forced myself to my feet. My jacket suddenly slid off of me and hung from my left shoulder, dragging on the ground.

Several small objects dropped from inside of my jacket.

“Huh?” I lifted my jacket up and was ready to slip my other arm into it. That was when I saw the huge rip in the shoulder of my favorite jacket.

One rip went down the entire arm of the right sleeve, another tear going down the back of the jacket.

I let out a stunned, pained cry and removed my arm from the jacket. As I lifted it up in front of me, I could see several more rips through the back. When I turned it around to the front, my eyes watered up as I saw the large rip on the right breast, where the embroidered design of Mewtwo had been. I immediately looked at the ground and saw the objects that fell from my jacket.

The Toxic Badge, the General Badge, the Bolt Badge, the Quake Badge, the Iron Badge, the Trio Badge, and the Brawl Badge!

“My Badges!” I bent down and quickly scooped them up. As I jammed them into my pocket, my eyes widened as I saw it. “Mewtwo!”

Lying on the ground, several feet ahead of me, was the embroidered design of Mewtwo that had once lived on the right breast of my jacket. It was bent in half, the upper half of its body facing the sky, the bottom half bent underneath it.

Even though it meant getting closer to that tank, without any hesitation, I ran forward to get the design that made my jacket so special to me. A sudden, loud shriek made me stop and turn. “TRIXAAAAA!!” My jacket fell from my hand.

Trixa was screaming and running down the sidewalk, but across the street.

The tank let out yet another loud noise before firing a black beam and blew up a house standing several feet behind a running Trixa, the building untouched despite the fires consuming a number of the other structures around it. Its explosion caused the house next to it to slowly collapse as well.

Wind blew strongly around me and June from the destruction.

The white ball at the top of the tank flashed and the machine roared again. A black beam fired from the ball and blew up the building next to the house that had collapsed, and this explosion’s wind forced my eyes closed.

My head lowered against the wind and broken pieces of the building blowing through the air. I squinted as I tried to spot Trixa.

Someone was on the ground, sprawled out flat, not moving.

“TRIXA!” I ran towards her. From out the corner of my eye, I saw the white ball on the machine flash white, and I heard the roar from the machine. My mouth opened wide in a loud scream as I got closer to Trixa.

Trixa lifted her head up and shook it. She looked back at the machine with wide eyes. Her head suddenly turned to me and her mouth fell open. “Gary?”

“GARY, DON’T!” I heard someone behind me.

“GARYYYY!!” June shrieked as loud as she could.

I reached Trixa, bent down, and wrapped my arms around her, under her arms. With a loud shout, I stood up tall, hoisting her over my shoulder.

Trixa screamed in surprise, squirming in my hold.

I took a desperate jump forward, and I heard the explosion behind me, right afterwards feeling the blow send me flying. I tried hard to land on my shoulder to make Trixa’s landing easier. My shoulder slammed into the pavement and I gasped with pain, my eyes immediately tearing up. My teeth grit together as I closed my eyes as tightly as I could, trying to regain the air I had lost from the landing.

I collapsed onto my stomach, and Trixa dropped onto her back.

My shoulder throbbing badly, I slowly managed to turn and look behind me at the blown up building.

About half of the building next to it now looked smashed into due to the explosion it withstood.

Trixa groaned and I looked down at her. She slowly opened her eyes and stared up at me.

“Trixa, are you alright?”

“Gary!”

“Gary!”

I turned and saw June and Courtney running towards me and Trixa with their heads lowered as trash and dust blew around them.

“Are you both okay?” June cried.

“We’re fine! But we have to stop that machine!” I coughed, getting to my feet and turning to the tank. I breathed heavily, trying to will away the pain of my shoulder. “We need our Pokemon! We need to break that machine open and free whatever’s inside!”

“Gary, this really isn’t the time to be playing this Pokemon reading game with June! People’s lives are in danger right now!” Courtney screamed at me frantically.

“ALL THE MORE REASON TO LISTEN TO JUNE!!!” I barked back at her. The words had tumbled their way out of my throat before I had even been able to think them up, but I had no regret for what I had said to Courtney, nor the way I had said it.

Courtney looked taken back by my words, her eyes wide with both shock and fear as she leaned back.

“You’re either gonna help, or get out of the way, Courtney!” I told her sharply. “If you’re only gonna start being stupid, then this is one time for you to just keep your mouth shut!”

Courtney was speechless and also seemed completely frozen, not moving a muscle as she stared at me.

I turned to the tank and grabbed a Poke Ball from my belt. “I’m going with Dugtrio on this one. His Ground moves should tear into that thing with ease.”

June nodded quickly and unzipped her bag that hung from her shoulder. She dug through it and came out with a Poke Ball with an ‘R’ sticker on it.

“WAIT!”

A loud shout made us all look behind us as a tall man with long, wavy brown hair approached us, his hair resting against the sides of his face.

“You kids don’t want to do that,” the man said, dressed in an unseasonably warm, black overcoat that reached down to his ankles. He came to a stop just a couple of feet away from us. The man wore glasses and held a strange face that was a mix of nonchalant and seriousness. “That machine can’t be touched.”

“What?” I cried.

“Huh?” Courtney and June gasped.

“That thing is filled with Gigalith that are under a massive amount of stress,” the towering man told us. “Gigalith have an inner core that has the power to blow away an entire mountain with one blast. That machine is using the power of the Gigalith to fire those powerful beams at the buildings in this town. That incredible amount of power inside of those Pokemon can also cause them to explode. Those Gigalith are bound to blow up at any second. If you dare attack that machine, it might just be enough to stress out the Gigalith enough to trigger an Explosion and level this entire town to nothing but rubble. You can’t attack that machine! Your only option is to run!”

I looked away from the man and stared at the tank is horror. “But…” I looked back at the man. “We can’t just run! We have to stop it somehow!”

The man shook his head. “If you stay here any longer, you’ll only end up dying, along with everyone else in this town. Along with the people that are inside of that tank, controlling it.”

“There’s people in that thing?!” I asked the man in horror.

“Of course there are!” the man said loudly, staring down at me.

“But, why? What’s going on here? Why would anyone be purposely…?” Realization dawned on me, and I looked back at the machine. “No…” I whispered. “NO!”

The tank rolled forward, and I closed my eyes as I saw it approaching people who were unconscious on the street. My hands slammed against my ears as tightly as they could, and I screamed as loud as I possible, not wanting to hear the sounds of the people the tank was about to roll over.

Screams of disgust met my ears.

I bellowed, trying to block out the noise.

Something grabbed my shoulder and shook me hard.

I kept my position and continued screaming until my shoulders were shaken even more desperately.

“Gary, he’s gone!” I heard June.

My eyes opened and I looked at June with fright.

“Where did he go?” June pointed.

I looked where her finger was pointing, and I was now staring at where the tall man had been standing.

The man was nowhere in sight.

I looked around, but all I saw were bodies and blood all over the street. I couldn’t take any of this anymore. I closed my eyes and lowered my head. My hands, one of them still holding Dugtrio’s Poke Ball, pressed against the sides my head even harder as I pressed my teeth together tightly in a frustrated growl until it erupted into the loudest, most furious scream I could muster. When my scream ended, my eyes opened and my hands lowered as I turned to June in a rage, my teeth grinding against each other. “Who was that guy?!” I growled.

Courtney was staring at me as if I had just transformed into a werewolf before her eyes.

June shook her head. “I don’t know. But… he seemed to know a lot about that tank, Gary,” she answered me shakily, and then turned to the machine.

“This is Team Solace’s work, isn’t it?!” I shouted ferociously. “This is Team Solace again, isn’t it?!” Nobody answered me, and I didn’t need them to. I knew what had to be done. I pressed the button on Dugtrio’s Poke Ball to make it larger. “Dugtrio, I ch-!”

“Gary, NO!” June grabbed my arm holding Dugtrio’s Poke Ball with one hand, her other hand grabbing my other shoulder.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, June?!” I snapped at her.

“That guy was right, Gary!” June cried, tears rolling down her cheeks. “There are Gigalith in there! If we attack that machine, it might trigger their Explosion attack, and with the power Gigalith have within them, it’ll kill us all!”

“So, either we die, or we die!” I shouted, and I broke free from her grasp, taking a couple of steps back from her. “We either let this machine destroy this town and all of us in it, or we blow this machine up and we all die! Is that what you’re saying?!”

June’s mouth hung open silently, unable to answer me.

“Then what do we do…?” Courtney whispered.

I swallowed and kept my eyes on June, unable to answer Courtney. We can’t just sit here and do nothing, I knew, staring firmly at her. We can’t just die like this. I turned to the tank. Not at the hands of Team Solace, I thought as I held my Poke Ball tightly. I will never back down from these guys! I refuse to run! They’ll have to kill me before I just sit back and let them destroy this town. “TEAM SOLAAAAAAAAAAACE!!!” I pulled my arm back and prepared to throw the Poke Ball.

“Gary, please!” June begged, raising her hands to the sides of her face.

“Oh, no!” Courtney squeaked.

My arm froze midair, unsure if I was really about to do this, my mind trying to quickly think up another solution to this without having to kill us all. There’s no other way out of this! I realized. Maybe, the Gigalith won’t explode… Maybe… everything will work out… My arm moved forward to throw Dugtrio’s Poke Ball.

“Shiftry, you’re all I can count on! I need you to blow this tank away!” someone shouted from far off.

That voice was nothing but magic.

My arm remained stuck in the air as I turned behind me and saw Ella several feet away.

Ella, her hair still reaching up into the air from the Electric shock she had taken earlier today, held out a Great Ball, and the Pokemon inside was sent out.

“SHIFT!” Shiftry landed and glared at the tank.

“Shiftry, we can’t attack that tank! There are delicate Pokemon inside of there that might blow up if we attack it, so let’s blow this tank away with-UGH!” Ella grunted as Shiftry backhanded her Trainer to the ground.

“SHIFTRY!” Shiftry leaped on top of Ella and held her down.

“Shiftry?” Ella gasped in surprise. She struggled underneath her Pokemon. “Shiftry! Get off of me! What do you think you’re doing?”

Shiftry growled at Ella and her body suddenly glowed white!

I couldn’t believe my eyes. My arm dropped to my side. Shiftry can’t be evolving… Shiftry evolves from Seedot, I told myself. And Seedot evolves from… No. No. It’s Seedot first, then Nuzleaf, and finally, Shiftry. Shiftry can’t evolve again… So what is she doing…?

“Shiftry’s using Explosion!!” June shrieked from a few feet away.

I had to save Ella.

I couldn’t save Ella.

There was nothing I could do.

It was too late.

My legs quivered as my body completely shut down and I fell to my knees, my eyes glued to Ella.

A loud roar ripped through the air.

I wouldn’t have taken my eyes off of Ella if the roar didn’t sound so terrifying.

So alarming.

So… Familiar.

I looked up into the sky as the roar continued, and I squinted in confusion at the enormous red beast that soared down towards us.

With another tremendous roar, the monstrous creature smacked Shiftry off of Ella with one strong whip of its huge tail, the tip of which was lit by a large flame, as Shiftry glowed even brighter, ready to blow.

Shiftry soared towards the tank.

The dragon then gripped Ella in its hands and its large wings flapped as it flew towards me. With another powerful roar, the threatening being soared low, nearly scraping the ground, a screaming Ella held tightly in its arms, and it nudged its head underneath me, between my legs, and tossed me over its shoulder!

I screamed as I flew into the air and quickly landed strongly on its back. My legs instantly wrapped around its long neck as my arms held on tightly to its back. I looked behind me to see where the monster was flying to next.

The Pokemon reached out one of its arms as it flew into a stunned June.

June screamed her head off in shock, a smile crossing her face, and she gripped her bag tightly. “Charizard???”

Charizard grabbed June with its free arm, still holding Ella in its other arm, and its wings beat even harder as it tried to carry the three of us into the air.

“WAAAIT!! TRIXA’S STILL THERE!!” Ella shouted in Charizard’s arms.

Trixa was sitting on the sidewalk, looking up at us in shock as Charizard carried us higher away from her.

Charizard grunted as it looked back at Trixa below, continuing to soar away from her.

“Charizard can’t carry us all!” June said. “Rotom, Levitate, now!” She held out her Poke Ball still in her hand.

Rotom appeared, spinning around excitedly.

“Get Trixa!!” June pointed.

Rotom’s eyes glowed light green, and Trixa’s body was outlined in green.

“I-I-I-I’m flyiiiing!!” Trixa looked down in terror as she ascended quickly. “Help! Help! Heeee-!”

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!

The explosions were deafening and continuous, and as Charizard struggled to carry the three of us and take us to safety, I could see the Hell that was taking place below.

Shiftry had indeed exploded, right next to the tank while she was flying by it, and the tank followed suit and blew up after her, and this eruption tore through everything, causing fires to rage, buildings to go down, smoke to flow wildly, and a whole lot of noise to pound against my head.

“HEY!!” I exclaimed as I spotted somebody I had forgotten, her body outlined in green, floating right below Trixa. “COURTNEY!!!”

Courtney had an uncomfortable look on her face as Rotom lifted her higher. She looked up at Rotom uncertainly and then scowled up at Charizard and the rest of us being held by him. “At least someone didn’t forget about me!”

Charizard flapped its wings hard, flying us out of the town, Rotom following it closely.

“Charizard…” I looked down at the Pokemon, unsure of what to think or say or do. I just clung for dear life to the Pokemon as I watched as the entire town was swamped by fire and smoke.

People were running in the places that had not yet been taken over by the spreading evil, but the explosions were moving quickly, and it wasn’t looking promising for any parts of that town as more and more houses continued to blow up and be taken down. Nowhere was safe in that town, Charizard and June’s Rotom continuing to take us away from it all.

It wasn’t long before the town was behind us, and a forest had replaced the view beneath us.

Charizard let out a grunt and nodded at Rotom before descending through the trees quickly, clearly grateful to be finally landing.

We all screamed as we flew through the trees, leaves and branches grabbing and scratching at us.

Charizard landed heavily and dropped June and Ella to the ground, and they both cried out in surprise.

I rolled off of its back and landed hard. “Oooohhh…” I moaned weakly.

Courtney and Trixa were also dropped by Rotom, Trixa landing on her feet as Courtney landed on her back.

“Ow!” Courtney complained.

“Woo!” Trixa exclaimed, raising her fists into the air, smiling excitedly at the trees.

I sat up, looking up at the Charizard that had just saved our lives. “A… Charizard?” I squinted at the Pokemon.

Charizard turned to me and smiled.

“I can’t believe a wild Charizard appeared from out of nowhere and saved us like that…” Ella muttered.

I shook my head, keeping my eyes on Charizard.

Charizard roared and stomped over to me.

I remained on the ground and watched as it reached out and pinned me down under its flattening weight.

Charizard’s tongue came out and licked my face repeatedly.

I was laughing by the time his tongue first reached my cheek. “Charizard, stop! Stop!! Ha ha ha ha ha! Stop it, Charizard! What are you doing here?!”

Charizard continued to slobber all over my face, grunting affectionately.

“I can’t believe you’re here, Charizard!” Tears were rolling down my cheeks, my heart pumping hard.

Charizard. The Flame Pokemon. This is Charmeleon’s final stage. A prideful Pokemon, it searches the world seeking the most powerful opponents to battle. This Pokemon’s flames, at their max, are said to be able to melt anything.

“Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwww!” Trixa said, looking up from her Pokedex at Charizard.

I wrapped my arms around Charizard’s neck and knew that I’d never let him go for the rest of my life!

“Gary, do you know that Charizard?” Courtney asked.

“Yes! This is my Charizard!” I laughed. “This has to be him! He found me!”

“That is your Charizard, Gary,” June confirmed, nodding with a warm smile. “But…” She kept her smile, now shaking her head in disbelief.

“Charizard!!” I squeezed his neck as tight as possible, causing him to whine out, and then I kissed his large mouth. “What are you doing here?? How in the world did you find me?? I can’t believe this!!”

Ella stepped up slowly to Charizard.

Charizard and I turned to her with a smile.

“Ella, this is my Charizard! My very first Pokemon I got from Prof. Oak when I began my journey a few years ago!”

Ella nodded as tears began to fill her precious eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but her soft lips closed and tears rolled down. She wiped at them and smiled brightly as more tears continued down her face. She looked more angelic in that moment that anybody had any right to look, and that was all it took for me to feel like my life was just about complete.

I knew in that moment that I had to marry this girl, one way or another, to ever truly be happy.

“You saved my life!” She placed her hands over her heart. “You saved me from…” Her lips quivered as her smile faded, and she covered her eyes and cried into her hands. “Thank you, Charizard!” she sobbed. “I can’t… I’ll never be… I don’t even…” She sobbed even harder and looked up.

I was happy to see that Ella was safe and so grateful for her life, but it also pained me to see her crying, looking so vulnerable and sad, and also so beautiful and so desirable.

The smile that returned to her face was the icing on the cake as she sniffled, still crying.

My arms slid off of Charizard’s neck and he got off of me, getting to his feet.

I stood up shakily next to Charizard and smiled proudly at him, and then I looked down to Ella.

“Thank you, Charizard. I wish I could… I don’t even know! How do I thank you?” Ella turned to me and smiled even wider.

I beamed back at her even broader and looked up at Charizard.

Charizard grunted and lowered his head to Ella.

“Oh…” Ella shakily raised a hand and gently placed it on Charizard’s head.

Charizard closed his eyes and purred loudly, causing Ella to gasp in surprise and pull her hand back, but she smiled and rested her hand on his head and rubbed it.

I rubbed my nose and then crossed my arms. This is unbelievable, I thought. This is easily one of the most happiest moments in my life. But, there’s still so many questions. Why is Charizard here?? How did he find me?? Why did he run away from Prof. Oak’s Lab in the first place??

“GAAAAAAARRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!”

A loud shriek made me turn, and I screamed as I was bound by the pair of arms that belonged to Trixa.

“You saved my life, tooooooooo!!” Trixa smiled up at me, her eyes sparkling like diamonds in the sun. She pressed her head into my chest and squeezed me even tighter. “You carried me like some kind of superhero and saved my life from that tank! I think I love you!!” She released me and grabbed the sides of my face. I looked down at her as if she was crazy, but before I could react in any other way, she pulled my head down, closed her eyes, and pressed her lips against mine!!

My eyes widened as I looked at Trixa’s face, her eyes closed, humming a single note continuously as she kissed me. My eyebrows furrowed and I reached up and grabbed her shoulders. “PWAAAAAAAHHH!!!” I shoved Trixa off of me and she fell down.

I heard gasps around me.

“Huh???” Trixa looked up at me in shock.

“YUCK! DISGUSTING!” I spit repeatedly to the ground and wiped frantically at my mouth. “You IDIOT!! Are you CRAZY or something?! PLEH!! BLECH!!”

“How dare you put your hands on her!!” Ella screamed.

As I turned to Ella, she shoved me as hard as she could. She wasn’t very strong, but the action took me by surprise and I stumbled back a few steps. “Huh?”

Ella’s face was turning a deep shade of red with fury, and she stomped away from me and reached both hands out to Trixa. One hand was placed on Trixa’s back while her other hand gently pulled on Trixa’s arm, getting her to her feet.

“I… just… wanted to thank you,” Trixa told me shakily, trembling as Ella wrapped her arms around her. “I… I only w-wanted to say th-thank you for saving my life…” She pushed her head against Ella’s chest and cried loudly. “But, you hate me! You’ve always hated me!”

“Trixa, wait! I-!” I took a step towards Trixa.

“Don’t!” Ella pointed at me threateningly, and I froze in place. Even with her hair still electrified and pointing into the sky, looking really funny, her face warned me that cracking even the slightest smile would result in the end of my life. “Don’t you dare come near her, you… you… you… asshole! Stay away from her! And me, as well!”

My heart popped like a balloon from the sting of her words.

“I can’t believe I used to like somebody as pathetic as you,” Ella snickered, a disgusted smile on her face, shaking her head. “I don’t ever want to see your face again. Ever! Trixa, let’s go.” She kept her arms around Trixa and walked away from us.

“Ella!” June called out to her.

Ella stopped and turned around, fire still in her eyes. “And you can go to Ghyst Town. Trixa and I will go somewhere else, instead, and I’ll find my eighth Badge elsewhere. I never could get anything done when I was traveling with you, anyway, Gary!” She turned to June and Courtney.

We all stared back at her silently.

“You two are actually going to keep traveling with him?!” Ella asked, frowning and squinting in surprise at June and Courtney.

“Ella, what Gary did was wrong, but I don’t think he meant to do it,” June pleaded. “I think it may have just been some kind of reflex or something. He’s not good around girls, you know.”

Oh, gee. Thanks, June, I squinted at her angrily.

“June does have a point,” Courtney tried, giving Ella a small, pleading smile.

My shoulders slumped as my breath came out through my nostrils.

“Ha! Okay, okay, I’ve heard enough,” Ella waved at us. “And I’ve also seen enough. I’m surprised you two would continue traveling with him, but, suit yourselves.” She turned away and continued walking with Trixa.

Nobody spoke as Ella and Trixa disappeared into the collective of trees.

The silence was ironically the loudest sound I had encountered all day, and I couldn’t recall a louder noise in recent memory. After what felt like a very long period of time with nobody speaking, I turned around to those by me.

Courtney had her head down.

June was looking in the direction Ella and Trixa had disappeared, but turned to me as I looked at her.

Rotom stared back at me uncomfortably.

Charizard let out a low growl of some sort as he kept his eyes on me.

Charizard was back.

Somehow, my Charizard had found me after all this time, and had saved not only Ella’s life, but me and June’s lives, as well, resulting in saving Trixa and Courtney. What should have been a joyous time and a cause for celebration was now an awkward moment that nobody knew how to react to.

In hindsight, an entire town had been destroyed, quite possibly all of its inhabitants now dead. Exactly what would be the cause for celebration knowing that fact?

And Ella now hated my guts and never wanted to see so much as my face again.

And, knowing that, somehow, I was expected to get my eighth Badge and compete in the Interough Conference, where I was sure to meet Ella.

The inspiration for me to obtain this last Badge was now gone.

My eyes closed as they started to water.

I waited, listening to the silence.

Hoping my life would come to an end, for any reason whatsoever.

Anything was better than the pain in my heart that was killing me at that moment.