Chapter 9 - Just Live More

Stay strong, my wings, don't let me go.

I can make it. I'm not on my own.

Keep flying on through the day.

On my love!

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

"More! Put your heart into it!"

A Beedrill buzzed, dodging countless rocks thrown in his direction. His face dripped with sweat, but with swift, precise movements, none of the rocks managed to hit him. In fact, his stinger began spinning like a drill, piercing through all of them in quick succession.

Soon enough, he landed on the ground, smirking, watching as the tiny bits of rubble fell around the arena. With the moon in the sky, one could see the large, rocky arena, borders marked with white paint.

"Good job," a Golem clapped his hands. Daichi. "But uh, maybe you oughta be faster. If this was home, we'd have lost against that Steelix. If he even had one."

"It's not home," Jackett raised a brow. "...Well, it's our new home, but I was talking about… you know."

"Viridian Forest," the Golem replied with a nod. "Well, maybe one day we can go back, or nah. Don't exactly want to go back."

Jackett nodded. "...Don't want it either. I like being here. And following your orders is as natural as it gets."

"Speaking of orders…" Daichi snapped a finger. "We can go for another round. This time, I want you to focus on hitting me with the rocks. See if ya can launch them, hit 'em with Drill Run."

Jackett straightened himself, saluting like a soldier. "Yes. All in preparation for tomorrow, I take it?"

"Another mission, actually," he waved the bug off. "We received it yesterday, has to do with some meteor storm sightings. Very nasty, they want us to investigate."

"Meteor… storms?" Jackett tilted his head. "Well… if the training needs to be rougher and tougher, then I'm ready for it."

"Good to hear! We're training 'til you can't stand!" Daichi cracked his knuckles, grinning widely. "Remember, Stone Edge hits real hard. Just don't get hit! I already got a plan, so when the time's right, I'll let you know!"

"Don't get hit. Easy." Jackett's wings began to buzz, raising him from the ground as he readied his stingers. He flew back, giving some distance between the two.

"As they say in Kalos… en garde!" Daichi roared, sticking his hands deep inside the earth below. Without warning, thick chunks of rock burst out, all aimed at Jackett, flying with incredible speed.

En garde indeed… Jackett breathed, moving straight ahead, both of his stingers beginning to spin.

Everything appeared to slow down as he processed what to do, how to fight back. Perhaps he should wait for the order, but Jackett had devised something already.

Should he wait, should he go with his own plan? Whatever he decided, Jackett knew it had to be fast, otherwise he'd get hit anyway. And perhaps… what he needed to do was be brave, and take a chance.

"Alright… now all you gotta do is—"

He didn't wait. Jackett controlled the speed of his stingers, not too fast, not too slow. Enough that it could hit the rocks instead of destroying them. The Beedrill engaged, almost like a slap, sending them straight down, and avoiding a strike.

"What the fuck are you doing…?"

"I had a plan, and I wanted to try it." Jackett said, descending. "It worked, so there should be no issue."

"I'm the trainer, Jackett. You follow my orders," he grumbled, huffing. "...But uh, good job."

"Hm. Yeah, you're right…" he sighed. Jackett was planning on saying something in his defense, but he shut that idea away. He was just a soldier in Daichi's hive, anyway.

"This isn't over, by the way. You're still standing." Daichi grinned. "Let's keep goin'!"

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

Meanwhile, Shiron entered his new house, holding a bag of chips, or half of it. He closed the door behind him and yawned, following the sound of giggles coming from the living room.

Huh. Nick sounds happy. Despite that hilarious loss last week.

Shiron threw the bag in a trash can and continued to walk, making his way to where the giggles were.

In the living room, he saw Nick and Rowan, sitting on the couch together. On the other side… a TV?

They have TVs here? Shiron blinked. Not expected at all, but to be fair, it was a really old, analog TV. Still, how odd. And it wasn't there before, was it?

Nick flicked his ears, waving at his friend. "Hey Shiron! Grandpa bought this for us! C'mon!"

The Pangoro huffed, nodding. "...I am heading to a business trip soon, so I had the idea of buying one of them for you youngsters."

"Thanks, mister Rowan." Shiron smiled, heading to the couch with them. At least he had some form of entertainment there. Already much more than home, that was certain. Yeah… I don't miss Lilycove at all.

"And I've heard you two are heading to another challenge tomorrow?" Rowan turned to face them. "Good work. Despite your losses, you are still trying."

"Mhm. We're gonna win this time!" Nick raised an arm, clenching his fist. "We can! And we will! Thanks, gramps!"

"I'm proud of you, Nick." Rowan tapped his grandson's head softly. "Having dreams is wonderful, and working to fulfill them takes guts. Again, good work."

"G-Gramps, you're embarrassing me…"

Shiron didn't mind, focusing on the TV show. Like he thought, the images were black and white, but he did recognize a Meganium cuddling with a Feraligatr. Cute.

"Mister? You're gonna travel?"

Nick chuckled. "We'll be the mon of the house, Shiron!"

Shiron fidgeted with his fingers. "That's reassuring… if we don't throw any parties."

"Hmph." Rowan glared at Nick. "You are not to throw parties. Inviting your girlfriend is fine, just don't trash the house."

"We won't! Promise!" Nick saluted, putting the most serious expression he could. "Right, Shiron?"

"R-Right. It's a promise…"

Rowan scoffed again, and turned his attention back to the show. "Very well, and good luck with your competition. I trust you'll do just fine."

Shiron felt his gills droop. They lost last week, and this time… well, this time, losing was not an option.

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

The night was still young, even for a young prince.

Terry yawned, jumping on his bed. Now that he and Liz were part of a—awfully named—team, they had a place to live! And one that didn't involve leeching off of a nurse!

Their beds were small, but comfortable, coming with pillows and sheets. Although it was very different from the one he was used to as a prince, Terry didn't mind. Comfort existed regardless, and once he laid down, Terry never wanted to leave.

Liz was different. She turned, and turned, and turned again. Putting the sheet on, then taking it off, then trying it on again. She pouted, no position looked comfortable enough.

No matter how much she tried, something was always off. Whether it was too cold, too hot, or something in-between. Liz eventually sat down, huffing.

"...I should have asked for a pot. It is far more bearable than this," she eyed Terry, the dragon hugging his pillow tightly, like a child with a new toy. "Sire, how are you taking this so well?"

"Royalty sucks," he said, closing his eyes. "Ah… I feel free here, Liz. Free to be me, to be whatever I want! There's nothing holding me back anymore!"

"I see," Liz grunted, the wound on her back aching. "...I believe this is not the case for me. That little challenge was, hm, entertaining, but my life is to serve you."

For a moment, silence was the only thing between them. Liz tilted her head, realizing she just touched a nerve. Terry sat as well, sighing loudly.

"Your life is your own. We're free, Liz. We're free to make our own destinies!" Terry said, and Liz could see fire and determination in his eyes. "Royalty is just a word, it doesn't mean anything to me! It shouldn't to you, too!"

"Sire…" she trembled. "...Perhaps that is true, but it is hard to break free from such things."

"It is, isn't it?" The prince chuckled. "We have friends to help us! We have the whole world ahead of us! If it's you and me, then I'm sure we can, alright? Because you're my friend."

Friends. Liz laid down again, deciding to give sleeping in a bed another try. "...Speaking of, tomorrow is our next challenge. I assume you will attempt it this time?"

"Nick and me, yeah. We're all in this together, and honestly, he's a nice guy. A little less heroic and powerful than I thought he'd be, but nice nonetheless."

"Lucario are the heroes," she stated. "...Or at least, that is what the stories tell. Nicholas—Nick is different."

Terry smiled. "We can call him eccentric and it'd still be a good way to describe him."

"Well, Sire, we should sleep. Tomorrow will be a busy day, and…"

"And I should be rested. Got it." Terry nodded, hugging the pillow again. So soft…

Liz looked at the wooden ceiling, wondering if she really could do anything she wanted, not bound by rules or duties to Terry.

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

And once his friend finally fell asleep, after hours that stretched into a never ending wait, Terry hopped off the bed, grinning. He put on the cape, taking deep breaths. Royalty was meaningless, yes, but the accessory was a nice gesture.

Well… this is a first.

He remembered the talk a few days prior, Nick offering to hang out at night, to find something they could enjoy, both for team building and as friends. Terry said yes without a second of hesitation.

Sneaking in wasn't even that hard, he'd done it before going off on the boat. Terry silently hoped Liz was a heavy sleeper, but in case she wasn't, he left a note right on top of his pillow, explaining everything.

Once he was out of the office, Terry began to giggle, walking away from the building. Only thing left was to meet with Nick and—

"Hey."

Oh. There he was. Terry tilted his head. "...You were just waiting for me?"

"Yup. Shiron invited Magnus to go watch some TV show with him, and Audrey's busy with some requests, so I'm here. Waiting. Or was here, waiting. And now I'm free."

"Huh, you guys are really busy with… fun things," his smile remained, growing. "I never had fun at home. It was all 'go study, Terry', 'you must learn etiquette, Terry', those things."

"Oh man, I'm sorry…" Nick chuckled, clapping his hands together. "Okay, then! What'd you wanna do? Wanna find some comic books to read, maybe check the ladies?"

"Comic books?" the prince tilted his head, wondering. The words were familiar, although he didn't quite know what that was. "...I like the name, we can do that! But also, what's a comic book?"

"Where do I start?" Nick made a fighting pose, punching the air. "Bam! Bonk! Stories where there's fights! Well, some don't have fighting, some are just about daily activities, but the ones I like have fighting! It's fiction! Like bedtime stories, but for older mons!"

Terry's eyes sparkled, his interest peaked. "Oh! I loved bedtime stories! I want to read a comic book! Take me there, this'll be fun!"

"Before we do…" Nick offered a closed fist. "Let's fist bump! Like true friends!"

"Fist… bump?"

"You bump my fist, and we do a funny lil handshake! Y'know, like friends!"

More sparkles appeared. Friends! He had a friend! And dad said he'd never have one! Because kings don't have friends. Kings must be detached from the subjects, but at the same time, work with them. A weird dichotomy.

Terry smiled more, showing his sharp teeth, and bumped a fist with Nick's. "Y-Yeah! Friends! We're gonna win that thing tomorrow, too!"

"Right! Think of this as a way for us to know each other before the fighting—if it's fighting, starts! We gotta be closer! And I gotta count on you to help me, right?"

Terry nodded repeatedly. "I can say for sure, Nick, you can count on me, now please, let's go! I wanna read a comic!"

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

Their first stop was a large building with open windows, revealing varioust stands with multiple comics in each of them, too far away for Terry to read the contents. Nick's tail wagged as they approached.

But before they entered, Terry heard a bell ringing, and saw an ice cream stand nearby. "...Did I mention I never had ice cream?"

"What? For real?" Nick gasped, flabbergasted by such a reveal.

He just stared, blushing. "...Maybe. I just want one, can we get it before we buy the comics?"

"I don't see why not, I was just surprised. If you wanna get ice cream, who am I to stop you, buddy?" Nick shrugged, changing directions to the stand.

The dancing Ludicolo that ran the stand began to dance harder once they were in his field of view. "Hello, hello! We have everything! From popsicles to sundaes!"

Terry wondered what flavor to pick. He never had gummies before, either. Didn't they make someone smarter? That was what some of the guards told him. It had to be a myth.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

Myth or not, they sounded delicious. "I'll have rawst ice cream with sky gummies!"

Nick waved at the vendor. "Think I just want chocolate."

"...You can eat chocolate?"

Nick nodded. "Yup. I can't imagine a life without chocolate. Even if it killed me, I'd still eat it. Not to be dramatic…"

Terry blinked. Well, it was dramatic, but at least it didn't kill him to eat chocolate. Now he wondered what other things his parents told him that just weren't true. Probably a whole lot of them.

Nick paid for the ice cream, giving Terry the one he requested, and started licking his own. "Hm, little too dark for my tastes. And you—Terry?"

His friend's eyes had been completely overtaken by sparkles, and his thick tail swished nonstop. "It's so good! Why haven't I tried this before?!"

"Sheesh… at least you're not a food vacuum like Shiron is."

Nick finished his dessert and smiled, watching Terry eat the rest of his ice cream. "Alright, we can go now, yeah?"

"Yup."

"Great!"

The two walked again, entering the rather large store. Nick remained in place, arms crossed, and with a large grin on his face. He waited for Terry's reaction.

"Whoa!" the prince gasped, looking from left to right, top to bottom. Action figures, comics, toys, he saw it all! So much, in fact, Terry got dizzy, wondering where to start. "A-A little help?"

"Sure. What topics do you like? I can try givin' you stuff that's easy to digest, like… Spinarak-Mon."

Terry nodded, slowly. "What's that one about?"

"A Machop gets bitten by a Spinarak and gets the powers of one, which means, uh…" Nick scratched the back of his head. "It's weird. They turn into some weird Spinarak slash Machop hybrid."

"I can try that one. Sounds fun." Terry smiled. It did sound fun. "...I'll buy it."

Nick smiled in return. "Alright, we can buy you a few volumes. Hey, who knows? Maybe Liz can be indoctrinated in the Spinarak cult."

"Heh. Sounds a little impossible, but so does the comic! We'll see."

"Now lemme just…" Nick zipped open his satchel, grabbing some coins. "That's my allowance. Let's bust it up!"

One large bag later and the two left the store. Terry carried his bag with a large, goofy smile. His tail kept wagging.

"Think this was fun, and I got to know you a little better," Nick said, sighing in relief. "...Tomorrow's gonna be a big day, you should rest now."

"I plan to, don't worry," Terry nodded. "That means we'll meet tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, I need to go home too. See ya, Terry." Nick smirked, walking in the direction of his house.

Terry didn't wave, hands full, so instead, he shouted at the top of his lungs. "See you tomorrow, Nick!"

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

Jackett trained non-stop, for the entire night. And during the morning as well. He slashed away at rocks with his stinger, huffing and grunting, sweat dripping from every part of his body.

Even without feeling anything on his arms, he kept slashing, flying, fighting. All to become stronger.

A soldier protects his hive, he told himself. And he would protect it with his life if necessary. He'd win, and bring them glory and fame!

Jackett pointed a stinger at one of the rocks. It sharpened like a needle, and he rushed in, slashing the rock once, then twice, then another, another, and one final time. It did little to no damage, until he turned back, flicking his arm. The boulder was sliced into five parts.

"As suspected, it worked." Jackett said, grinning proudly. Of course it worked, it was a simple rock. No aura came from it, not that he could sense it, but he had a hunch it didn't possess any energy. "But it's not enough. I must become stronger… for the hive."

Jackett aimed at a boulder, the largest one of them all, and spun in the air, his entire body turning into a large drill, one that had a simple sense of direction, unable to turn back or move anywhere but forward. With one final grunt, he burst the large boulder open into nothing but rubble. He smiled, his wings stopped buzzing, and he fell on the ground, panting.

Can't… give up now! Jackett roared, forcing himself up, only to fall back down. His vision blurred, but he managed to hear someone calling out his name, and their pants, getting ever closer.

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

When he woke up, Jackett had a towel wrapped around his head, and a leppa berry was shoved inside his mouth.

"Hm-hmpf!"

"Shut up," Onyx said, sighing, her nostrils puffing with smoke. "Did ya try too hard? Daichi told me you two were training yesterday. Think you bit off more than you can chew."

"You shut up…" he buzzed, swallowing the berry, only for an oran to be shoved next. He ate that one as well, and laid down, grunting as he waited for the healing effects to kick in. "...We did, but the training ended early, he was called out for… something. A job, I think. So I decided to take matters into my own stingers."

"That's stupid. Why'd you do that? We can win against 'em."

"I know. For the hive."

"The hive…?" Onyx pouted. "We're teammates, not bugs. I mean, you are, but you get what I mean."

"Perhaps. Regardless of the outcome today, I believe I will grow stronger from it. It's what Daichi wants."

Onyx sat down, watching the arena, and what was left of the rocks. "...What about you? Is it what you want?"

"What I want…" Jackett bit his lip. "That is irrelevant. I follow orders. I don't have a future of my own, or dreams."

"The Marshtomp—all of 'em have a future ahead of them," she explained, smiling. "...I thought about a future for myself too, and who knows? Maybe you can figure something out, big guy."

"A future of my own…?" Jackett opened his mouth, thinking. He closed it not too long after, shaking his head. "...I don't know."

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

Later in the day, Shiron woke up earlier than usual, despite having no alarm. His body, or rather, his old, human body was used to waking early, or not sleeping at all. Or maybe, both.

In his room, he could see the sun was strong, and that the temperature was hot. Good thing his scarf was burnt, and that he didn't have the guts to seek out someone to knit it back.

Not the focus. I'll do that after…

Today was the day. Another challenge… whatever it was. Who was the genius that came up with them not being the ones deciding what the challenge was? Daichi would just make them do difficult things, like the race.

I say it's difficult, but I'm just slow… and chubby. Or I have large bones. Shiron poked his belly. It jiggled. "...Definitely not large bones."

Despite waking up early, Shiron found out he was alone in the house. With Rowan gone, it meant Nick had left before Shiron did.

Which meant he had to get out fast. Shiron hopped out of bed, stormed out the room, picking a piece of bread, quickly spreading jam on it, shoving the food inside his mouth, and then moved out of the house, barely being able to swallow the bread without choking on it.

C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon!

Not even Shiron knew he could run that fast. Not with his short legs. Maybe it was the spur of the moment, but he dashed across town, going through street after street, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust behind him.

Damn it! If I could use Liquidation… what did the old man say last time he saw me?

Shiron mumbled. Right. "You are unbelievably untrained. This is unprecedented. A water-type with no control. With a few lessons, you should be ready."

Well, it wasn't his fault he was untrained, right? But now he could be. Bah! Not now, brain!

Before long, he was on the verge of reaching the office, already seeing that familiar hill. And, on the edge of it, that familiar… Houndoom.

Huh? Shiron stopped to catch his breath and wonder if he should talk to the guy. "H-Hey! Mister Ivan!"

"Hm?" he turned back, smiling. "Ah, it's the youngster from before? How is your training going? Did you have any advancements?"

"More or less. Teach scolded me for being untrained." Shiron frowned, looking at his left hand. "Said it never happened before, that all water-types have at least some control and can use moves just by channeling their aura, and other stuff like that."

Ivan sat on all four legs. "Well, that is true. But do you believe you will never reach that level?"

"I—hey, don't put words in my mouth! But… yeah, I don't. Seems like that won't happen."

"Ronan is one of the best teachers you could ask for. I am sure you will achieve mastery over water." Ivan said. Not angry, or disappointed. Shiron didn't think one could look as hopeful while also acting so stern.

"...Really?" Maybe that was true, and Shiron knew it was likely just a bunch of intrusive thoughts, like usual. They weren't right, but getting rid of them was a challenge all on its own. "Well, uh, thanks. And what're you doing here?"

"I wish to observe your trials. Today is one such day, yes?"

"Well, not mine specifically, but yes. Isn't it a little too early, though? Like, aren't you noturn—nocturnal?"

"No," he replied, doing his best impression of a shrug. "That is a myth. Or perhaps, I am a different kind of Houndoom."

…Was that him trying to joke? Guy's incredibly stiff, but at least he seems reliable. Shiron sighed. "Okay, follow me, we're gonna check it out."

"I was already on my way, but alright."

Shiron held back a grumble, and followed Ivan up the hill.

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

…Only to see everyone marching back. Nick, Terry, Liz, Daichi, Jackett, Onyx. They were all moving away from their HQ.

"Guys? What's going on?"

"Heya, kiddo." Daichi waved. "Today's schtick is that we're pinning the mutt and dragon against my bug friend."

Jackett buzzed. "It means I will be fighting Nick and Terry. Two versus one."

"...One would think this classifies as having an advantage, but last week we did the same thing." Liz pointed out. "Sire, Nick. We can win this."

Ivan put a paw forward. "If you accept, I can act as a referee for this match. It will be my pleasure, and I can assure you there will be no cheating involved."

Nick looked at Terry, then at Jackett. "Seems fine to me. What'd you think?"

"I don't mind. This is fine, defective. I will win—"

Daichi raised his hand. "Don't need to call him defective, that was just to work him up."

"Affirmative." Jackett bowed.

…Why is he a robot? Shiron thought. "Well, then where are we going? Did you set up an arena or something?"

"We'll be usin' our training grounds," Onyx waved him off. "Also, where's your scarf? I know I burned it, but why didn't ya get it fixed?"

"Lazy bum." Shiron replied, shrugging.

"Alright, if that's all…" Daichi stepped forward. "I'll lead the way to the arena, and we can actually start this thing, then we'll win nice an' easily!"

Jackett buzzed for a moment, eyeing his opponents. "May we fight with honor, I will attempt my best, and you shall do the same."

Terry nodded. "Let's do our best!"

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

After a few minutes of walking, they ended up on the right side of a large, white house. Although Nick wanted to marvel at the sight, he instead focused on what he came there for: the ground.

A large area, with no grass in it, surrounded by white paint in the shape of a rectangle, dividing the area with training as its main purpose. It was large enough that he and Terry could fight to their hearts' content. And Jackett? He could fly. That was nothing.

Terry threw his cape to Liz, then looked at Nick. "I'm ready. Seems we'll have to fight, just like in the comics!"

"Yeah."

Daichi stood on the wall that belonged to the house, leaning against it. Onyx did the same, while Shiron sat down with Liz by his side.

"Rules are pretty simple," Daichi said. "Jackett will fight two opponents at once. Whoever gets knocked out first loses. Yes, that means if either Nick or Terry are knocked out, you guys lose! Fight as much as you want!"

Jackett already flapped his wings, raising himself, and pointed a stinger at the two, who had just entered the other side of the arena.

"Three… two… one… ready? Go!" Daichi clenched his fist.

Right at the start, Jackett flew towards them, his body too fast for them to react. With a wave of his arm, wind began to gather around it, shaping itself like blades.

Terry bit his lip, prepared to strike, and… stood up in front of the Riolu, stomping the ground and making four medium-sized rocks fly towards Jackett, though their speed was lacking, giving him enough time to fly back and dodge.

"Not bad. But this is only just the beginning!" Jackett unleashed the blades, this time not aiming at any specific spot. They flew all around the place.

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

Terry remained up front, shooting rock after rock. Jackett simply scoffed, he hadn't done so much training the day before for nothing, and something like that wasn't stopping him.

…It really wasn't. In fact, none of the slabs did. They were thrown right into where his Aerial Ace blades tried to hit, intercepting them all. The Beedrill's eyes widened, and he went for a different strategy. He rose in the air, as high as he could.

"I can't intercept forever, Nick! And he's planning something!"

"I noticed!" Nick stopped to think, and to consider his options. As long as Jackett remained airborne, hitting him would be hard. Meaning… need to do something about those wings! We're both too slow to do anything directly, but maybe…

Jackett dropped down, gaining speed as he dove towards them.

"Terry! Rock Tomb, now! I have a plan!"

As instructed, Terry prepared another Rock Tomb, launching rocks in the air. Nick jumped into one of them and focused, his sensors twitching. He jumped towards another rock, but where he was, stood an after-image. He kept jumping, creating more and more of them.

Once he lowered enough, Jackett pointed his stinger. It dripped with poison, protruding into a large, purple spear. Nick, and all his "clones" jumped extended their arms forward, unleashing multiple vacuum waves, all aimed at Jackett.

"Tch!" Jackett spun, destroying the attacks and rubble with a single slash.

All except for one, who jumped off the rock he was on, claws covered in metallic, shining energy. "Hiyah!"

Nick slashed the wings with a Metal Claw, sending Jackett falling to the ground, alongside himself. Terry threw more rocks, controlling their speed to be slow enough for Nick to jump on them.

He did just that, falling into one and using it to soften the landing, jumping one more time before it shattered on the floor. Jackett, meanwhile, crashed with full force, unleashing a cloud of dirt around the area, but not enough that it obscured Nick and Terry's vision.

Daichi gasped. "What the…! Referee, is that fair?!"

Ivan pondered about it, then nodded. "It is fair. The fight may go on, if Jackett is still conscious."

Once the dust settled down, the bug stood up, panting. He had a wide grin on his face, despite the injuries. "Not bad! You're good soldiers!"

Nick panted, putting his goggles on. "I'm getting serious now… Terry, c'mon! We can do it! He's on our level now!"

Terry nodded, focusing his energy. His arms were wrapped in long, pink claws, bursting with draconic energy. "As they say in that comic… this is our stage now!"

Daichi crossed his tiny arms, groaning. "Jackett! Dodge their moves, and focus on using Drill Run! Tyrunt is weak against that move! As long as you dodge, you'll be fine!"

Wha—why is that so nostalgic? Shiron instantly looked at him, mouth open. "Hey! You can't give him orders like that!"

Ivan shook his head. "I will accept that, but you will refrain from giving any more tips, Daichi."

Liz sighed in relief. "...That was an odd thing to say, Golem. I choose to ignore it."

Better to ignore and focus on the fight. Jackett continued to pant, and he started shaking as well.

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

Nick closed a fist, taking a battle position. "We can definitely win, Terry! Let's focus our attacks together!"

"Aye!" Terry focused again, his body shining like metal for a moment, and his scales suddenly hardened. "We can do this! For your dream, for my dream! We'll win!"

Jackett stepped back. This about dreams again… what's so good about them?!

Nick looked at his friend, whispering. "I'll be bait, don't worry! Just trust me!"

The Riolu ran ahead, disappearing in the blink of an eye and leaving nothing but a speck of dust where he once stood. Jackett grinned, his stinger spinning, and charged forward.

Nick tried the metal claw again, grazing it against the hard drill pincers. The impact left sparks flying in the air, but he simply jumped back, and tried again. Jackett did the same, their attacks clashing time after time again.

Until Nick managed to create another after-image, letting it get hit, and then slashing away at Jackett, forcing him back.

"Gah!" Jackett groaned, rolling on the ground. "D-Damn it!"

Without orders, I'm meaningless! I can't find a plan on my own! I won't be able to defeat them at this rate!

The thought repeated endlessly inside his mind, even as he stood up, spitting some saliva. "...If I had any directions, I could win. How are you doing this without any?!"

Nick shrugged. "I'm my own 'mon. Nuff said."

Terry panted, running ahead. "Nick, this is our chance!"

"Right!" Nick charged on his side, claw prepared for another slash, and with Terry's dragon claw, they could finish this!

Jackett trembled. Why… why were they winning?! He spent the day and night training! He had a directive coming from Daichi! Dodging! Just dodge! Dodge and strike!

…That didn't work, did it? Jackett bit his lip, shaking. That was a wrong order, but he still had to follow it. It was in his blood, and denying it was… was preposterous.

"I will… I will follow my directives!" Jackett tried to dodge, and successfully did with Nick's attack, rolling to the side. "I follow what Daichi says, even if it kills me!"

It was the second attack that hit him, while Jackett was distracted by his own words, Terry came in, unleashing a draconic claw that pierced through the Beedrill's body, making him scream and stumble.

"Shut up!" Terry slapped his tail on the ground. "You don't need anyone's commands to fight! You're yourself! You can do things on your own! Live your own life!"

Nick's ears flicked. After attacking, Terry just… stood there, shouting. No, roaring, expressing his true feelings.

"I don't know what you're going on about, but I—we're all free! We aren't someone's puppets, we have feelings, emotions! And you're losing this battle because of some stupid 'directive'?!"

Jackett, slowly, stuck a stinger on the ground, to support him while he got up. The damage was done, but his body was strong enough to take it. "I… am a soldier."

Terry's teeth—his fangs appeared, and he snarled. "Nick… help me. We can end this. Here, now. He's tired."

I'm… tired? He was still shaking. Jackett was tired. Tired from the training, he didn't rest, not at all. Because his mind was set on being the best he could be, not for himself, but for Daichi. They weren't like him, they didn't have anything remotely close to this mentality, and they were winning.

Maybe… maybe his mentality was wrong. He looked at the Golem, who had a worried look, like the words got through him as well, although he quickly shook his head, removing the idea.

Jackett didn't. His individuality, his own plans—one that worked on that training—were never used. Maybe if he used them, he would win. But these kids, with their dreams, and their talk, and their camaraderie…

They won. Jackett raised the other arm, laughing. "You don't need to finish me off, because… I give up."

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

Everyone's reaction was unanimous. From shocked, to happy, in Shiron and Liz's case, to sad, from Onyx and Daichi, the latter, in particular, nearly dropped his jaw once he heard the words.

"Y-You give up? Why? Those kids' words mean nothing! Why are you—"

"...I decide to give up, Daichi." Jackett said, plain and simple. "They bested me in both combat, and mentality. I can respect that, why shouldn't you? There can be victory in loss, just as there can be loss in victory."

Daichi huffed, closing his fist as hard as he could. "...Fine. I can recognize that much."

"W-We won…" Shiron repeated Jackett's words in his head. "...We won! W-We actually won!"

Liz ran ahead into the arena, tackling Terry into a deep hug. "Sire, you won!"

"Wah! Slow down! Don't need to hug me that much! Y-You don't even like hugs!"

She stepped back, bowing. "My apologies, Sire."

"Actually… there is something I want to ask you!" Terry's tail wagged. "Do the thing! The rejoice thing!"

"Very well, Sire." Liz cleared her throat, then flicked her cape, letting it swish in the air. "Rejoice! Breaking through the adversities that befell on them let these two understand and befriend someone they once called enemy. They have grasped victory through this unity! This is the power of our team!"

Shiron felt the need to go and hug Nick as well, even more after this speech. So he did that, slowly, until his arms were wrapped around Nick's. "Congratulations!"

Onyx remained silent through this ordeal, crossing her arms. This, combined with her own experience last week, made things… different. "Jackett, congrats. You did good."

The bug nodded. "I know that. Guess that means we'll all meet next week? We're at a draw. And I need to rest. And… think about things."

Jackett watched the Golem walk off into the distance, knowing full well he was heading to a bar. He sighed. "Good plan on taking down my wings, by the way. They'll heal, but it was a good shot."

Nick saluted, pulling away from the hug. "Thanks! Figured it was worth a try, and turns out it was very worth it!"

Ivan gave them all a bright smile. "Congratulations, to all of you. You all did well, and I hope to watch more of this… Workplace Competition, as you all put it."

Jackett walked towards Onyx, flashing a smile. "Well… maybe I will think of a dream, sometime."

"Bet," the Charmeleon looked at her opponents. No, not opponents… rivals had a better ring to it. "We're gonna check on Daichi, he's a bit of a sore loser, and this kinda changes things… don't worry. Y'all did great."

Terry smiled more. "I'm glad! Next week, we'll see who's gonna come out on top! Or, wait… maybe in two weeks. Whoever wins three times first gets it, right?"

Onyx gave him a simple thumbs-up in response, and walked away with her Beedrill teammate, leaving the others on their way to celebrate that victory…