Sounding alarm slowly tugged Joe out of the state of sleep. A hand shoved in his face sped up the process of waking up for him this morning.

"What", the weary voice next to him rang.

Shifting his body around, he wrapped his hand around Sam's mouth: "don't yell, you'll wake everyone up". Sam whispered a weak apology, and Joe released him. Quickly rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he sat up straigh, managing pull his body over Sam. "I'm going for a run", he says, "you go back to sleep, it's 5 AM".

"You always go running this early?", Sam wonders still half-asleep, while Joe starts changing into his running clothes.

"Right, well, I'm used to it, and I need training", the boy notes shortly, "and Riolu needs it as well".

"That's cool", Sam says, shifting around in bed, "is that why you're so good at battles?".

"I don't know", Joe admits, "probably a part of the reason".

"Hey", Sam suddenly sits up, his eyes still brimming with sleep, "is it cool if I come along as well? For the run I mean, I don't think I can fall back asleep".

"Well, I thought you guys didn't want me telling you what to do all the time", Joe said tying his shoes.

"Well, I asked you", Sam scratched his head insecurely, "so it's not like you're bossing me around".

Joe thinks about it for a second: "alright, you can come along, you getting some training would be beneficial for all of us anyways".

"Thanks", Sam insches in a bit closer. Joe had an impending feeling that the boy was trying to make a friend out of him.

"Just get changed quickly so we can leave", he reminds Sam. Friends were not exactly his forte, but if letting Sam think they are close leads to him getting his act together and training, then Joe had no problem of tolerating that sort of behaviour. That said, Sam joining on the run with him didn't exactly excite him. Running was his way of clearing out his mind, and having company did not help with that. Still, Sam was in desparate need of training, so he'd have to manage. The other boy was surprisingly quick to change, and they were both out of the room in the matter of mimutes.

The edge of the plato in front of the dormitory was Joe's imagined starting line. Leapping off of it onto the gravel path, he started picking up the pace, Riolu keeping up with his rhythm easily. He liked Riolu for his ability too keep up with him. The slight worry that came with recieving a fighting type as his partner dispersed quickly. Working with Riolu came so easy. The blue dog asked for no special treatmant, he was smart and capable, but most importantly. He had always liked running by himself, but Riolu was an amazing company for him. The pokemon didn't slow him down, and allowed the boy to just run through his thoughts. He couldn't say the same thing about Sam. His teammate changed his pace constantly, getting ahead of Joe and Riolu one second, then fall back behind them the very next just to let Yamper catch up with him. The small brown dog was not built to be a runner. His legs were too short. Joe almost felt bad about it. Maybe it wasn't fully Sam's fault he was the weakest link on their team. He was stuck with the worst partner Pokemon out of all of them, when it came to battle prowess at least.

Slowing down a bit to accommodate Yamper's pace, Joe stopped Sam from running further in front of him again. "Let's just keep a steady rhythm", he said, "we'll stop soon to do some special training, alright, I'm sure Yamper will do better with that".

"Right, sorry for slowing things down", Sam says sheepishly, turning around to look at his partner, "Yamper's not exactly fast".

"No worries", Joe says out of culture.

"What kind of special training are we talking about?", Sam questions, "is it something too hard?".

"There are some wild trees that are pretty big near the northern shore", Joe explains, "they are pretty good at taking attacks, so that's what we're doing, it's not hard, no worries".

"We're attacking trees?", Sam says, "isn't that kind of bad, doesn't it hurt them".

"We have to train", Joe shrugs the idea off, "I'm sure the trees understand that much".

"Right", Sam still doesn't sound too happy about it.

"There", Joe points to the row of tall standing oak trees, "we're close by, I'm sure Yamper will be happy about not having to run much further".

As they make their way to his little training spot, Joe is quick to take his usual position. Riolu stands in front of him ready to get into it. "Okay, Rio", the boy says calmly, "your Vacuum Wave's pretty great right now, but it could be faster and stronger". Riolu gives a sharp nod, still focused on the tree. "Now, let's focus on the time it takes you to fire them off", Joe instructs, "don't pay any attention to the strenght of your attacks, just make them as fast as possible, alright".

"You really like that move, huh?", Sam comments next to him.

"Right, well, I plan on making Rio into a Special Attacker", Joe admits, "and Vacuum Wave is currently his only special attack, so we're heavily focusing on it".

"Wow, you've thought about this for sure", the other boy scratches his head, "I have no idea what to do".

"Just pick an attack you want to improve, and have Yamper practice it", Joe shrugs, "then follow how your partner does, see if you can give any pointers, your job in training is to think of the ways to help your Pokemon improve".

"Right, I didn't think of it like that", Sam admits, "but I'm not sure what attack to try".

"Well think about it", Joe recommends simply, shifting his focus back to Riolu. The blue dog has started up, slowly building the speed of his attacks.

"Well, the thing is, I want Yamper to be a special attacker as well", Sam points out, "but the only attacking moves it has are Nuzzle and Bite, which are both physical, and it knows Sand Attack and Howl".

"Well, then it's easy", Joe still keeps his eyes on Riolu, "just have him use Howl a few times, then start hitting Nuzzles into that tree".

"You sure about it?", Sam wonders.

"Yeah, it's an electric type", Joe explains, "so practicing an electric attack is the best option right now, it helps him get a hang of generating electricity and controling it, which will also be useful once he learns some special moves".

"Right, but why Howl?", Sam still sounds confused.

"Strenghtens his attack, makes him generate more electricity", Joe says simply, still trying to focus on Riolu. He really didn't like being a personal trainer. Somebody needed to get Sam on track though.

"Right, then, Yamper", Sam finally turns towards his partner, "use Howl, then start using Nuzzle on that tree, alright?" Joe can hear Yamper bark cheerfuly, before he lets out a Howl, surprisingly formidable for a dog of that size.

His attention shifts fully towards Riolu. His morning training were unfortunately short, and he didn't want any distractions. His partners attacks reached their maximum speed. It took him around 8 seconds after firining a single Vacuum Wave to start up gathering energy for the next one. And they were not the strongest either. That didn't matter right now. Vacuum Wave wasn't meant to be strong anyways. It was meant to be fast. His positioning could probably be improved to shave off another second or two, but Joe was really not sure how to do it. Their schedule was hellish, so he didn't have enough time to get into researching that. He thought about a way around it for a few moments before it hit him. "Hey Rio, take a break", he says, "and come here". Looking over at Sam, he sees Yamper hitting the tree with very slow Nuzzles, while the boy stares at him absentmindedly. "Hey, Rio", he says as quietly as possible, "do you think you could fire of a Vacuum Wave with just one hand?" His partner looks at him with a slight confusion. Crouching down, Joe explains his idea: "look, maybe we can make your attacks faster by a few more seconds but that's it". Riolu nods, following along. "Now, if you can learn to fire attacks with one hand, that opens up a few possibilities", the boy goes on, "it means you can fire off two consecutive attacks just seconds after each other, they will be very weak, but pretty much impossible to dodge". Riolu's eyes grow wider at the idea. "And it also makes it possible for you to simultaneously fire off two separate Vacuum Waves in two different directions", Joe adds, "again, those attacks would be weak, but it does open up ways for us to control opponents movements". Riolu gives a small bark of understanding. "Great", Joe nods, "we'll practice that when we're alone, okay, right now, you can start focusing on strenght of your regular Vacuum Wave, since your speed is pretty much at its limit at this point". Joe didn't really want Sam knowing about his strategies. Helping out was one thing, but fully uncovering his train of thought would be stupid. Riolu went back to hitting the tree, his attacks becoming stronger, but losing out on speed significantly. Training was fun, Joe thought. He looked over at Sam, who just stood scratching his head. A sting of guilt ran through him. His teammate did get a tricky partner to work with. Joe was thankful for Riolu. Maybe the school board realised he was capable of fully utilising the fighting type's versatility, and that's why they assigned him to Joe. "We have 10 more minutes", he told Sam. The other boy nodded shortly.

Wrapping up the special training, the four started their run back to the dormitory. Yamper was even slower now, but they'll manage to get back into their room in time to shower and get ready for breakfast.

"This was fun", Sam seemed to have fully waken up and stepped into his usual chatty self, "you're pretty good at this".

"Right, I studied a lot", Joe admited. And he had some help as well, but he wasn't getring into that conversation with Sam.

"Hey, I wanted to ask you", Sam added, "about our battle yesterday, how did Riolu fight without you giving commands?".

"If you mean about attacking Ace straight away, I did tell him to do that before the battle began", Joe said simply.

"Yeah, I know that", Sam waved hid head, "I mean, when Houndour dodged his attack and it attacked again immediately without you saying anything".

Joe let out a small sighs. He really didn't like saying his strategies, but Sam was a desoarate case, so maybe it would be helpful. "Basically", Joe explained somewhat unwillingly, "Rio and I talked about it, and we came up with that as a little strategy".

"Oh, what's the strategy?", Sam wonders.

"Metal Claw into quick Vacuum Wave combo", Joe says, "Metal Claw is a physical attacks, it requires Rio to get close to the opponent, and when its close by".

"Right, that doesn't really explain it", Sam scratches his head.

"Well, Vacuum Wave is a priority move, Rio can fire it off pretty quickly", Joe continues, "so when he closes the distance to use Metal Claw, if it fires off a Vaccum Wave right after, it makes it pretty much impossible to dodge".

"Oh, right", Sam finally gets it, "that's smart, and if you don't give the command, it makes it even harder to predict".

"Exactly", Joe agrees, "plus, the combination has more benefits, if Metal Claw lands, Rio can get even more damage in, and even if the opponent dodges the first attack, Rio can get another one in".

"Yeah", Sam says excitedly, "and even if Vacuum Wave misses, it buys time for Riolu to get back".

"That's right", Joe says. Sam's actually figured out the idea.

"That's cool, I wonder if I could do something like that with Yamper", the boy wonders out loud.

"Probably not the same thing", Joe admits, "but you could do something similar, I guess".

"Right, right", Sam starts talking fast, "and I could give my partner a nickname like you did". Joe kind of flinches at this. He had a feeling Sam was slowly starting to look up to him, which was not great. "How did you come up with Rio?", the boy asks.

"Well, both Riolu and Lucario have it in his name, so it fits", Joe explains unsurely, "and it's fast to say, makes giving instrictions in battle faster".

"Okay, so Yamper evolves into Boltund, well, those two names have no similarities", Sam talks to himself, "but maybe I could call Yamper Bolt, it sounds cool, and Boltund has it in his name".

"Right, and it fitst an electric type", Joe nods.

"Hey, Yamper what do you think?", Sam asks, "can I call you Bolt from now on?". Yamper gives a cheerful bark, confirming he likes the nickname. "Great", Sam says happily. The boy keeps trying to chat for the rest of their run.

Sounds of Ves snoring and Ace shifting in his bed fill out their dorm room. Teo, on the other hand, is a calm sleeper, which Joe finds a bit surprising. Sam finally shuts up, realising waking up the other three boys would spell trouble. "I'm off to take a shower", Joe lets him know, "then I'm out for breakfast".

"Wait, can I come along?", Sam says quietly, "I don't really want to be alone with... with our teammates, you get it?".

"You want to shower together?", Joe raises an eyebrow, "I mean, alright, I'm cool with it, if it doesn't weird you out".

"I meant breakfast", Sam scratches his head. Ace's hand hits the headboard and the boy adds: "actually, showering together won't be too bad, you really don't mind it?".

"I'm chill, if you're chill", Joe shrugs, "saves water, if nothing else".

"You think these three won't wake up?", Sam says, "I mean, they'll make jokes and stuff".

"They won't", Joe waves him off, "and if they do, I can deal with them".

"Right, then I guess it's cool if I come along", Sam runs his fingers through his hair insecurely, heading for the bathroom.

"Hey", Joe places his hand on the other boy's chest, "bring your stuff this time, please".

"Right", Sam says grabbing a towel and some underwear, "thanks for a reminder". Heading into the bathroom after Joe, the boy adds: "You keep Rio around when you shower?".

"Right, he's my parnter, I see no problem with it", Joe shrigs, taking off his shirt, "besides, he's a pokemon, they don't exactly care about human anatomy.

"Right, so it's cool if Yamper joins as well?", Sam gestures for his partner as the small dog jumps in through the bathroom doors.

"It's cool with me", Joe says, "just close the door".

Doing as told, Sam starts undressing as well. Joe does his best not to stare, he's well aware how that could come off. "By the way, thanks", Sam is adamant on keeping the conversation going, "for yesterday, and you know, letting me join you on your training... and in the shower I guess, and for breakfast after this, right?".

"Don't mention it", Joe says stepping into the shower, "let's just finish up here, alright?"

"Right",Sam walks after him, pulling the curtain to hide them. It strikes Joe that this situation is a bit too intimate for his liking. Staring forward, he turns the water on. "Anyways, yeah, thanks for all of that", Sam seems to be great at ignoring the fact they were both naked in a little square that was getting steamier by the second, "and sorry about last night, I guess".

"What?", Joe's a bit confused by an apology.

"I mean, for the gay thing", Sam scratches his head, "I mean, I still don't really know what asexual means, but it's okay, right, I don't mind it, really, it's just, I'm not used to it, that's all".

"I'm pretty sure that I've explained it", Joe doesn't love the idea talking about sexuality right now, "basically, I don't feel any sexual attraction, not for girls and not for boys, those feeling are simply not there".

"So you just don't have feelings fir anyone?", Sam reitrrates in the worst way possible.

Chest stinging, Joe says: "I don't know, I mean sexual feelings, no, anything else, I guess I'm not sure".

Sam nods as if he understood everything. Joe doubted that was the case, since he didn't understand his own emotions himself sometimes. "Well, honestly, you're really nice, so it doesn't really matter what you are", he decides, "besides, it's cool how chill you're about this, honestly, I don't get why Ace makes such a fuss about this stuff, we're all guys, after all".

"Right, Ace can be a bit uptight", Joe agrees.

"Do you think we're the worst?", Sam's mood shifts.

"Well, it's too early to say, honestly", Joe tries avoiding the question.

"I'm asking for your opinion", Sam persists, "we're friends, you can tell me honestly".

"Well, right now, I'd say you're realistically the weakest teammate", Joe makes sure to punctuate that last word, "but there's still time until the tournament".

"I'm worse than Ace and Teo?", Sam says with a semblance of hurt in his voice.

Joe sighs. If Sam want an in-depth analysis, that's what he's getting. "Ace overthinks things too much, he plays too safe, his strategies mismatch his partner's affinities, but at least he has them", Joe overviews, "that said, Rockruff is both faster and stronger than Yamper, which makes it better at battles, that's not your fault though".

"Right", Sam says lowly, starting the process of shampooing his hair.

"And Teo can't control Absol right now, which makes things tricky", Joe continues, "but considering his temper, I think he'll be able to hold his own in battles once Absol actually starts listening to him".

"You sure about that?", Sam wonders in a quiet voice.

"Positive, Teo's a maniac, most likely, he'll be good at keeping up the pressure", Joe nods, "besides, Absol is a strong Pokemon, honestly, he has the strongest partner between the five of us right now, if we're talking in terms of raw battle ability".

"Right, I know", Sam says, "Absol is very rare, and like super strong".

"Yeah, but not only that", Joe adds, "it's a Dark type, they tend to have amazing instincts, you've seen how fast Teo's Houndour was able to react yesterday".

"Right, that was pretty cool", Sam agrees, "so you think Ves is the strongest between us?".

"No, I'm the strongest, obviously", Joe deadpans, "but I guess Ves is good, I mean I'm not 100% on that, but so far, he has potential".

"How come you're not sure?", Sam wonders, turning up the water again.

"He's at a disatvantage against me", Joe answers, "I mean, type advantages are not everything, but I'm pretty sure he had no tools to deal with Rio".

Sam thinks for a bit. "Right, priority moves and all, right?", he concludes.

"Yeah, that and Detect as well", Joe confirms, "he had no way of countering my combos, but he did hold his own the best he could, honestly I'm surprised he managed to hang on for that long".

"Ace has priority moves, though, he could've countered you", Sam points out, "that's why you knocked him out first".

"Yeah, that's somewhat true, but for the most part I didn't want to deal with lowered accuracy", Joe admits, "it wouldn't be a problem if I was one on one against Ace, but with three on one, I really don't want my attacks to miss".

"How come you're so good at this, really?", Sam asks, "did you battle before?".

"No, I never battled", Joe turns off the water, "but I've seen my fair share of battles, so I guess that helped".

"Yeah, right", Sam says not sounding completely convinced. Not that Joe cares, he doesn't owe an explanation to anyone. And it's not like he lied, that battle at the beach was technically his first battle, if you don't count his little hallway interaction with Ves and Teo.

Sam keeps chatting it up throughout the breakfast, and Joe is incredibly grateful he gets some peace and quiet once the classes start up. Little to say, he's quickly getting tired of Sam's constant company. It's for the best, he reminds himself. Sam improving makes graduating much easier. Even though Joe positive he can do well on his own, he's not careless enough to just give up on the other options. Besides, passing by himself meant a new team, and however dysfunctional the other four boys were, he was aware there could be much worse options out there. He could end up with in a group that just singles him out. At least his teammates were all on each other's throats. Getting through the day of classes was easy. Just sit and listen. Passing the written tests would be easy.

"Hey, hey", somebody's hands slammed at his table before the beginning of the last class of the day. "You're Joe, right?". He looked up to meet Lesley's eyes. "You're on the team with Ace, is that right?", the curly-haired boy interrogated enthusiastically. Joe wasn't thrilled with Ace's little friend being interested in him, but he had a pretty clear idea on what this was leading to. He found this could turn out to be beneficial.

"Lesley, stop being annoying", Ace came in almost swinging, avoiding Joe's sight at all cost. He was still salty about yesterday, Joe concluded.

"Right, I'm Joe", the boy ignores his teammate's interruption, gunning for his goal, "and I guess this little introduction has a point, Lesley?".

"You're ranked pretty high up", Lesley says with a glint in his eyes, "you're the strongest one in Ace's team, right".

"Yeah, I'd put it like that", Joe says flatly, "and since that's what you're starting with, I'd guess you're trying to set up a battle, am I right".

"You catch on quickly", Lesley laughs.

"You're not exactly hard to read", Joe points out.

"I'm not trying to be hard to read", Lesley raises his arms up, "I'm trying to be the best, so, what do you say, shall we battle".

"Oh, God this is not good", Ace comments, "you two shouldn't have ever met up".

"Right, I'll gladly take you on", Joe ignores Ace again.

"Great, this was much easier than I had expected", Lesley laughs, "you know, Joe, I really like you".

"I'll accept your challenge under one condition", Joe adds.

"Well, shoot, my friend", Lesley says.

"We make this a tag team battle", Joe proposes.

Lesley steps back for a moment, raising his eyebrow. "Well, really, I just wanted to fight you on my own", the boy seems to think about it, "but you might be right, that could be the best way".

"I really hate that the two of you agree", Ace points out.

"We all need to prepare for the tag team tournament", Joe shrugs, "and professor's won't officiate battles for me, and two other teammates of mine".

"Right, they won't officiate for three of my teammates either" , Lesley agrees, "so it's a good idea for our two teams to get in some practice like this".

"Agreed", Joe notes.

"Um, I did not agree to this", Ace points out, "Lesley, you're literally the last person I'd ever want to go around breaking rules with, and Joe, you're the very close second place".

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Hey, heard something about breaking rules, and now I'm here", Teo lowers his hands down on Joe's shoulder, "also, heard our buddy Joe's missed out on another first place, must sting".

"You stay out of this", Ace rolls hid eyes, "I don't need the two of you teaming up with Lesley against me".

"No one's teaming up against you, Ace", Joe points out, "this is not about you".

"Right, then I can just refuse to take part in your little battle excursion", Ace's voice cracks, his face growing red.

"Hey, someone mentioned a battle", Ves pressed his hands on the table, "so, I'm listening".

"Joe here wants to go around and challenge another team to a tag battle", Ace explains, "now's your time to go ahead and stop him from breaking rules, Ves".

"A tag team battle", Ves says curiosly, "alright, I'm in".

"Hey, not you as well", Ace wails grabbing at Ves's arm, "I thought you were on my side about this".

"We need to battle", Ves shrugs simply, "so I'm in, it's simple as that".

"But what if we get caught and fucking expelled", Ace growls at him, his green eyes flashing.

"Look, even if they do catch us, it's easy to explain it away, I thought we covered that", Ves gives him a slight shove, "besides, Ace, you could use some trsining as well".

"Well, firstly, I can do it the proper way, thank you very much", Ace retorts, "secondly, you can't force me into taking part in your little escapade".

"We'll see about that", Joe says flatly.

"You do now I can just rat you all off and have you expelled?", Ace gives them a somewhat victorious reminder.

"And then what? +", Joe raises his eyebrow knowingly, "you'll be left without a team".

"Right Ace, you think you can pass the year on your own?", Ves laughs.

"Oh, I'll manage", Ace waves them off, visibly pissed.

"Whatever, Acey gets like that sometimes, we'll deal with him later", Lesley says. Turning around he waves his hands: "hey guys, come over here". Four boys make their way over to them, Joe recognises Henry and Andrei among them. "Right, so, Joe here and I, as representatives of our respectice teams have set-up a tag team battle between us", Lesley clears his throat, "what do you think of that".

"You're no one's representative you moron", a blond haired boy grabs Lesley by his shirt, "but I am in for the battle". Clearly a walking temper tantrum, Joe deduces. His hair is done with a buzz cut, with fading parts dyed glaring blue. He was like a lighter, shorter, and surprisingly more agressive version of Teo.

"Okay Marc, you know Lesley says wild things sometimes, calm down", Henry latches onto the blond boy's arm, separating him from Lesley. "But he did a good job this time around, a taag team battle is a good idea", Henry points out, "I'm in as well".

"Well, I hate Lesley's ideas, and this one's no different", Andrei says in a tired voice, "have fun without me though".

"Andrei", Lesley sighs dramatically, pinching his brows, "for the love of God, you have to battle".

"But it's such a bother", Andrei wails, "therefore, I'm not doing it".

"Cmon man, you know professors won't officiate for you since you have a ghost type", Lesley says firmly, "and now you don't want to battle these guys either, I mean really, how do you expect to pass the year like that?".

"I do not, I expect failure, I have always expected failure", Andrei points out, "or for the four of you to carry me to the gradutaion, whatever happens I'm fine with it".

"Well, then, you have to do this for us", Lesley points out, "we need all five of us for the tag team battle".

"Actually", Teo interrupts them, "due to personal reasons, I will be forced to sit this one out, so the battle will be four against four".

"Amazing, then you guys don't need me", Andrei almost cheers up.

"And what are those reasons?", Lesley raises his eyebrows questioningly.

"Personal", Teo rolls his eyes, "I said it already".

"Teo can't take part, so the battle will be four against four", Joe steps in, "sorry, I forgot about it".

"You forgot about counting me out as well", Ace scoffs.

"Cmon Acey, you scared about losing again", Lesley chuckles.

"Right, Lesley, I didn't fall for your provocations since we were seven, why would you think I'd start now?", Ace groans.

"Hey, if he's not up for it, I can sit out as well", the tall boy with his chestnut brown hair in a man-bun adds.

"Nice of you to offer, Dean, but we all need some training, so I'd very much like you to take part", Lesley shuts his eyes, "if anyone has to sit this one out because of Ace, it will be me, I had one battle already, you need training more than me".

"Marc and I had a battle between the two of us", Henry steps out, "so I'm cool with sitting out as well".

"I will be battling", Marc states crossing his arms.

"Thanks Hen, but it's alright", Lesley assures his teammate, "after all, I can always set up official battles for myself, unlike the two of you, so it's better if you take the opportunity".

"No one else is sitting out", Joe says, "Ace, you'll battle".

"As I said, you can't make me", Ace says decisevly.

"Well, I can try a few things actually", Joe says simply, "would you rather I resort to insults or to threats?".

"Do your worse, you sociopath", Ace scoffs.

"Right, hey Lesley", Joe turns towards the curly haired boy, "did you know I knocked Ace out of the battle yesterday in like 2 seconds tops?".

Lesley's face brightens up. "Oh well, I did not know that", the boy figures out what Joe was going for immediately, "so Ace lost twice yesterday, huh, might be why he's scared of battling again".

"Might be", Joe gives Ace a challenging glance, "though that probably proves he needs to battle more".

"Desperately", Lesley agrees overdramatically.

"God knows he needs more practice", Joe nods.

"Oh, the first thing this one needs to practice is getting his bitchy attitude ubder control", Lesley playfully ruffles Ace's hair, just for the blond boy to make a quick getaway.

"Oh, right, he bitches about everything, I was actually thinking of letting Sam walk around as he pleases", Joe fakes a laugh, "do you know how pissed of he gets when Sam tries getting out of the bathroom with no clothes on?".

"Oh, I can only imagine, you know, I'm pretty sure I know why that is", Lesley chuckles, "so, this one time when we were eleven...".

"Cut it off, Lesley", Ace runs up to him, shoving him away.

"Looks like we have ourselves a blackmail material", Joe winks at Lesley.

"Indeed we do", Lesley gives him a knowing glance. Joe's not quite sure if he loves Lesley or just the feeling of having Ace in the palm of his hand.

"Wait, wait, now I want to hear this story", Teo inserts himself.

"I second that", Ves laughs.

"You're not going to hear it", Ace gives them a death stare.

"Oh, they will, if you don't go along with our ideas", Joe warns him.

"The two of you are horrible human beings", Ace scoffs.

"We know Acey", Lesley shrugs, "we know, now as I was saying, this one time I had-".

"Alright", Ace yells over him, "alright, just shut up, I'll go along with your rule breaking, just shut up Lesley".

"Great, then it's settled", Lesley claps his hand with satisfaction.

"Just a few things though", Ace waves his finger, "I'm doing it this time only, and I only accept if you're the one who battles me, Lesley".

"Well, I want to battle Joe, and it's not like you have any leverage anyways", Lesley points out.

"Those are my terms", Ace stays adamant, "you can either accept them or I will rat you all out, and I don't even care if I'm left without a team, I'll just enjoy seeing the two of you booted out of the school".

"Right", Lesley shifts in his place uncomfortably, "well, I guess I can agree to that". Scoffing he adds: "it would be much better if I got to face off against Joe in the tournament anyways".

"God, why are all of you fucking obsessed with Joe", Ace looks between Lesley and Ves, "it's starting to get annoying, you know".

"Hey, what's happening", Sam walks up to them scratching his head, "I saw you were all talking without me and...".

"Oh, well, you see, this curly guy here is trying to steal your boyfriend", Teo says jokingly.

"What?", Sam steps back in confusion.

"Nothing Sam", Joe calms him down, "we wwre just setting up a tag team battle between our two teams, you're joining, right?".

"Uh, I don't know", Sam says, "well, if you've already gotten a professor to officiate-".

"Of course they did not", Ace cuts him off, "they're on with the rule breaking again".

"Well, I'm not sure", Sam says insecurely, "I mean it's the rules, and...".

"Cmon, we already broke them once and survived", Teo waves his hand carelessly.

"Right, but I think I need some more training and stuff", Sam says.

"This is training", Ves says sharply, "and I agree, you definitely need it".

"I meant some more special training", Sam explains, "you know, before I start battling".

"Okay, how about we add a double battle to our deal?", Joe proposes, "Sam and I, against a pair on your team". He doesn't love going out of his way to accommodate for Sam, but his teammates needs to battle in order to improve. And Joe has never had a double battle himself, so this could prove mutually beneficial.

"That actually sounds like a great idea", Henry says, "I'll be your opponent then, Marc, you want to team up with me?".

"Hell yeah, I do", Marc pumps his fist, "we'll kill them".

"Sam, you up for a team up", Joe looks at him expectantly, although he already knows the answer.

"Alright, I guess that's cool", Sam nods slowly, but a small smile appears on his face. Joe almost feels bad for letting him go on believing they are friends.

"Good, let's go then", Marc still doesn't seem to know what an 'inside voice' is.

"We can't", Lesley says, "we have physics right now".

"Cmon, I'll teach you physics", Marc argues, "I know all about force and stuff".

"Alright, Last Jedi", Ace chuckles, "but we have to pass the written exams well".

"Right Marc, I hate to agree with Ace, especially after he has made another reference", Lesley sighs, "but we need to do well in classes as well, especially you".

"And what's that supposed to mean", Marc grabs onto Lesley's shirt.

"Wow, I like this guy", Teo comments.

"Yeah, he seems like fun", Ves nods in agreement.

"You were ranked 234th Marc, and honestly, I'd say that was pure luck that you weren't lower", Lesley sets himself free from Marc's grip, "you need to study".

"I'm not a nerd", Marc hisses, "besides, worry about Andrei, he's dumb as well, even dumber than me".

"Not a good look to use yourself as a measure point for stupidity", Andrei points out, "besides, I'm not dumb, I just don't like bothering myself".

"Hell, I have no idea why you even came here then you depresssed fuck", Marc turns to his other teammate, "you don't want to study, and don't want to battle, what do you want to do?".

"Die, mostly", Andrei says flatly.

"Alright, enough anger issues and suicidal thoughts for right now", Henry stands between the two, "and Lesley, stop stirring the pot, please".

"I did nothing wrong", Lesley rose his arms defensively.

"Right, now, we have a deal, so let's just all go back to our places", Henry nods, giving Joe a serious look, "and we'll see you right after class, we're going down to the beach, if that's okay?".

"That's what I had in mind as well", Joe nods, "we'll go right after class".

Fourty five minutes of trying to use the right formula while ignoring air resistance, the ten boys head towards their destination. The air's chilly, burning orange with the rays of dying day. He's glad he brought his cardigan. Salt air fills his nostrils, it's a smell he's used to. Knowing he's on an island makes him feel much more secure. Almost feels like being back home. Organised battles woth this many people feel familiar to the boy as well, especially since they are out of the book. He'll be more than just a spectator this time. Wrapping his hand around the team skull bandana in his pocket, he felt a wave of pride wssh over him. He wished Damien could be here to see how he'll wreck havoc. These guys are all about to lose. Joe wished he could take on all nine of them. Only upon coming to this school, he had realised how strong his itch for battle actually is. Must be the side effect of being on the sidelines for his entire life. Still, he felt a sense of relief he wouldn't have to take on Lesley. Psychic type wasn't exactly his prefered match-up right now. Moreover, he was glad to have Henry as his opponent. He knew the boy, he's seen him every morning since he came here, eating with his Mienfoo. They've passed each other during Joe's morning runs a few times as well, so he knew his opponent was serious about training.

"Hey, what's the plan?", Sam makes his way next to him, "I'm not quite sure what to do".

"Henry has a fighting type, Mienfoo", Joe informs him, "it's much faster than Bolt, so let me deal with him".

"Right, so I take on Marc then?", Sam nods.

"We'll see", Joe says quietly, "we don't know who his partner is, so we can't plan around it".

"They don't know I'm using Yamper either", Sam notes, "so they can't plan around that either".

"Exactly, though, to be fair, Marc doesn't seem like a man with the plan", Joe concludes.

"Right, he's a wild card", Sam agrees, "maybe he has a fighting type as well?".

"Could be, with his temper it wouldn't surprise me", Joe says, "or a fire type".

"Yeah, that fits him as well", Sam says, "either way, you say I'm taking him on".

"Well, no, it's a double battle, let's not bring it down to one against one match-ups if we don't have to", Joe scratches his chin.

"What do we do then?", Sam inquiers.

"How about we keep the distance for starters and try to set ourselvs up for an advantage", Joe makes a plan, "you have Bolt use Sand Attack, and I'll have Rio keep their attacks at bay with Vacuum Wave".

"Sounds good, we just don't let them close", Sam agrees, "that works for Mienfoo, I think, since it's probably a physical attacker, but what about Marc?".

"Right, if Mark resorts to long range attacks then I'll do my best to knock him out as soon as possible", Joe decides. Sam actually giving good insight surprises him a bit. Then again, the boy did make it into one of the most prestigious school's for trainers in the world, even if he was last on the list.

"Right, so plan A is Sand attack then", Sam confirms.

"Right, and if that goes well we can take it a bit further, you can have Bolt set up with Howl, if we prove to be good at stopping their attacks, that is", Joe points out.

"Great, and if Marc proves to be tricky, then we're on to the plan B", Sam nods, "which would be you take out Marc, and I go for Henry".

"Well, plan B would be goimg into one on one scenario", Joe says, "we'll see what Marc has, if it's a slower pokemon then maybe it's better for you to take him, in case he has a flying type, you're definitely taking him".

"Alright, that's the plan then", Sam says wrapping his hand around Joe's shoulder. Joe uncomfortably gets out of the attempted friendship gestrure.

Once they make their way down to the beach, Joe makes sure no one else is around. He had a pretty good excuse for battling, but it would be much better if he didn't have to resort to explaining this. Lesley's quick to take his spot on the impromptu battlefield, insisting he take the first battle. Ace agrees, saying he's more than happy to get this over with. Lowers his chances of getting caught mid-battle. Lesley basically death threats Andrei into being a referee, so Teo, Ves, Sam and Joe are free to just watch the battle.

"Let's see if Ace has learned anything from losing twice yesterday", Teo notes flatly.

"I sincerely doubt it", Ves replies, "he's a stubborn one, I bet he goes for Sand Attack this time, and loses again".

"You think?", Sam asks.

"Well, that's what he said after losing to Lesley the first time", Ves shrugs, "so I guess he'll stick to it".

"Yeah, Ves's probably right", Teo adds, scratching his chin.

The battle goes by quickly. Ves's read was spot on, as Ace ends up trying to go for Sand Attack, and doing nothing else. Spoink proves to be quite capable of dodging the sand, and Lesley doesn't make the mistake of going for the Confuse Ray this time around. Two Confusions later, and Rockruff's knocked out cold. Ace recalls his partner, scoffing and swearing he doesn't care about losing again. He didn't want to battle in the first place. Lesley laughs at him, but he does seem dissapointed by how underwhelming of an opponent Ace was.

"I'm next, if you don't mind", Ves says, immediately heading towards the space they have designated for the battle. His shoulders are tensed up, Joe notices, making the boy look like he's already mid battle. This one will be interesting.

"Alright, then we're up", Dean greets his opponent as he takes his spot. The tall boy looks a bit older than them, mostly because of his heaight and build. His face looks soft, very much in contrast to his wide shoulders.

"Let's just start", Ves says releasing Houndour, "I'm itching to go". The black dog takes a battle-ready stance immediately upon entering the field, and Ves almost mimics it.

"Oh, my, this will be a bit of a problem", Dean scatches his head, throwing his pokeball. As his partner, Petilil, hits the field, Joe realises what the boy is saying. Quite an unfortunate disatvantage, in both typing and pure battle capabilities.

A jolt of dissapointment runs across Ves's face, but as Andrei announces the beginning of the battle, the boy is quick to react. "Ember, Houndour", he yells readily, and his partner is quick in his attempt at grilling the flower child in front of him.

"Dodge it, Petilil", Dean attempts, "then go for Stun Spore". Sandy beach proves to be an unfavorable terrain for the small grass pokemon, as it takes a full blown Ember straight on.

"Once again, Ember, finish it", Ves wastes no time in ordering the second attack. Letting out a roar, Houndour quickly sends another wall of cinders at the opposing Petilil, effectively knocking it out. "That's all", Ves runs his fingers through his hair begrudgingly, "who's in for a round two?".

"Now, Ves, step back, you've gotten your win", Teo chimes in, "and I'll give it to you, you were good".

"Cmon, this was just underwhelming, he went down too easily", Ves curses out, "I didn't know he had a grass type, I wanted more of a challenge".

"Sorry I wasn't a better opponent, friend", Dean gives a small smile, "but hey, if it's worth anything, I think you did well, didn't give me time to breathe, now did you".

"I want to take this jerk on", Marc comes in swinging.

"Calm down, you and I are next", Henry patiently reminds him.

"Hey, Ves, that was good", Joe lowers his hand on his teammate's shoulder, "now get out of the way, it's my turn".

"Whatever", Ves scoffs, "this was not fair at all, I wanted a better battle".

"Hold your Mudsdales, buddy, this might've been an easy win, but you still did good", Joe reminds him, "you did exactly what you had to do,and you didn't slow down just cause you had an advantage".

"Right", Ves spits out, "fine, have your fun, I'll have to find myself some stronger opponents".

Not bothering to look after him, Joe took his position. Rio was quick to follow up, taking a relaxed stance in front of him. Henry stepped forward first, hands in his pockets. His partber, Mienfoo stood equally calm. Marc, of course, came in swinging, releasing his partner, a sinister looking Sneasel. "Sam, plan B", Joe said quietly as hid teammate took his spot, "I'm taking Marc, he's four times weak to me".

"Right, I'm taking Henry then", Sam seemed ready to go as his Yamper hit the field.

"Just keep him busy for a few moments, we can make this a two against one real quick", Joe said in a low voice.

"Roger that", Sam confirmed.

"Alright, well, if you're all ready, that's great", Andrei says unenthusiastically, "means this will be over soon, let the battle begin".

"Fake Out into Yamper", Henry reacts quickl, as Mienfoo springs into action.

"Take the attack Rio", Joe sees the opportunity. Riolu jumps in front of the Yamper, allowing Mienfoo's attack to hit him instead, flinching in the process.

"Low Kick, now", Henry commands quickly.

"Detect", Joe says, hoping Rio can recover in time. Mienfoo takes a second to go into the next attack, thankfully, allowing for the blue dog to get the move off, succesfully avoiding the attack. Twisting his body, Riolu brings his palms together ready to fore off an immediate Vacuum Wave.

"Detect, Mienfoo", Henry catches on in time, as his partner's eyes glow blue, the weasel pokemon avoid the incoming blast.

"Go for Ice Shard", Marc decides now's the perfect time to join the chaos, "at Yamper".

"Right, Mienfoo, hit Yamper with Trailblaze, now", Henry switches his target as well.

"No, Bolt, dodge it", Sam yells out.

Making a split second decision, Joe gives out a quick commands: "Metal Claw, into Sneasel".

As both Ice Shard and Trailblaze hit Yamper, who's lack of speed proves to be detrimental, Riolu rushes in, hitting the Sneasel with a Metal Claw and throwing it up in the air. Following their pre-set strategy, the blue dog is quick to twist around, firing a Vacuum Wave at his target. With that, Sneasel ends up down on the ground.

"It seems like a double knock out out here folks", Lesley gives his best attempt to being a commentator, "both Sneasel and Yamper seem to be unable to continue".

"Sorry, I did nothing again", Sam says sheepishly as he recalls his partner.

"Goddamit, get him Henry", Marc yells, "get the son of a bitch".

Neither Joe nor Henry have time to pay attention to their fallen teammates, however. One thing is clear to Joe, Henry is dangerously good. This guy was the first one to react to his surprise Vacuum Wave strategy, and he's never seen it in action. His conclusion came purely off of following Rio's movements. In addition, he figured out that Joe let Rio take the Fake Out, aiming for the Steadfast speed boost. That opening move was a mistake. Henry fixed that as well. Trailblaze into Yamper in that moment was an insanely good play, he forced Joe to pick between either letting him knock out Yamper and getting that speed boost, or keeping him at bay but letting Sneasel get the free hit in. The choice was obvious. One on one against Henry was what Joe really wanted.

"Looks like it's just the two of us now", Henry says calmly.

"Metal Claw, Rio", Joe commands as an answer. As Riolu rushes in, Henry orders his partner to dodge. Speed of the two opposing pokemon equally matched, Mienfoo dodges the first attack without an issue. Riolu re-positions himself, shooting a quick Vacuum Wave, but Henry orders another Detect.

"Trailblaze, now", Henry reacts quickly, but Joe is fast in ordering a Detect of his own, and a retreat. No need to keep this little Vacuum Wave-Detect-Trailblaze-Detect dance going. It's quite obvious that that would be never-ending. He'd need a new strategy.

Luckily, Henry has played his full hand already. He knew all of his moves already. Too bad the only move Joe had left unused was Endure, which he doubted would be helpful right now. If only Rio could fire off Vacuum Waves from both hands, he'd manage to chip Henry down, or at least disturb his rhythm. This way, things were looking pretty tied up. Mienfoo can easly dodge Metal Claw, then use detect to avoid Vacuum Wave. Even if Joe kept the distance and tried going for Vacuum Wave barrage, with Mienfoo's speed, he could easly dodge those, especially with Detect. Riolu could easily avoid Mienfoo's attacks as well, even more so since his opponent had to get in close for an attack. That would allow for a counter-attack. Unfortunatelly, Henry didn't seem to be stupid enough to attack. He was waiting for Joe to come to him.

"Hey, Rio", Joe said as quietly as possible, "I have a plan, but I'll need your reactions to be flawless". His partner raised his ears as a sign of readiness. "Alright, this will take a few switch-up, so be prepared", the boy added. He noticed Henry raise an eyebrow curiously, but it didn't matter. This would come down to speed and reaction either way. And Joe was just about to test how good Henry actually was. Taking a deep breath, the boy focused on the Mienfoo. This will have to be timed perfectly on his part as well, and in case Henry managed to counter, he'd have to find a way out as well.

"Alright, now, Rio, make sure you jump up for this one, I want it to come from the air", the boy said quietly, and his partner took a battle stance. "Metal Claw, now", he yelled out. Riolu sprang into action, crossing the field in seconds and leaping into the air. Henry ordered a dodge. Joe took full attention. Mienfoo's leg's bent down, as the pokemon prepared to evade the attack. "Vacuum Wave, at the ground", Joe was exhilarated. Riolu managed to react in time, stopping the Metal Claw and shifting into the second attack. As the blast of energy hit the ground, creating a cloud of sand, Joe quickly ordered another Metal Claw.

"Detect", Henry yelled out, and Joe knew he had him.

"Go, Rio, follow it up", the boy yelled. Through the cloud, he managed to see Mienfoo dodging the Metal Claw, just for the weasel pokemon to come flying out after getting hit with a Vacuum Wave. "Vacuum Wave, again", Joe couldn't allow his opponent to recover, "keep them coming".

"Detect, Mienfoo", Henry says, and Mienfoo follows through, managing to avoid the second blast while still in the air. The third one, however, there's no escape. As the weasel pokemon hits the ground, Riolu aims another attack. Detect works again, but it's not enough. The final blast comes quickly after, landing into Mienfoo, knocking the pokemon out. Breathing a sigh of relief, Joe can only be thankful that they were on the beach. Otherwise, who knows how this one would end.

Recalling his partner, Henry makes way towards his opponent. "That was a good battle", the boy says extending his hand, "you've got nice little strategies".

"The send came im handy", Joe admit, shaking his hand, "much harder dodging the attacks when they are hard to see".

"Cmon now", Hemry says calmly, "you've lured me into going for Detect too soon, no need to be humble about it".

"Oh my God, please let him be humble", Teo says.

"Right, this is the first time we've seen him be humble", Ace cracks along.

"It's literally a miracle", Teo decides.

"Right, well, however you look at it, it was a good fight", Henry nods, his voice still calm, "I hope you'll consider facing against me again in the tournament if we get that chance, even though I know Lesley has already basically called that match-up".

"You're definitely under consideration", Joe responds, "besides, I'm always up for a rematch".

"Alright, I might take you up on that offer", Henry smiles.

"Hey Henry", Marc comes in fuming, "stop flirting with the enemy". Facing Joe he adds: "let's fight again, right now, I'll kick your ass".

"Your Sneasel is knocked out", Joe points out, "but I'll be more than happy to battle you again some other time".

Marc stops for a momen, visibly confused, his face loosening up. "Alright, I actually like you", he decides, "hey, Henry, you have my blessings to keep flirting with this one".

"Thank you Marc", Henry says with a sigh, "though we're not flirting, and I am not even gay".

"What", Mark says in surprise, "Joe's a boy?".

"Obviously", Joe raises an eyebrow questioningly.

"Dude, really, you sound like a girl?", Marc says in astonishment.

"You thought he was a girl all this time?", Teo laughs.

"Well, the gender doesn't matter, you're good and I like you", Marc concludes.

"Our frined over here is surprisingly accepting", Dean laughs.

"Hey", Joe can feel Sam whisper next to him, "I'm sorry, I was pretty useless out there".

"It's fine, Henry's way too good, and he made a strong start", Joe reassured him, "then they double teamed you, so there was not too much that you could do". Thinking better, he adds: "I mean, you could've tried to do something anyways, but I guess it doesn't matter now".

"Right, sorry, I really didn't know how to react", Sam scratches his head uncomfortably, "and thanks for defending Bolt on that attack, I... I didn't expect that from you".

"Um, Sam", Joe's not sure if he should say this, but he owes him the truth, on this matter at least, "I didn't do it to be nice, I wanted Riolu to flinch so it would get a speed boost from Steadfast".

"Oh", Sam realises what's going on, his face turning red, "well, either way, I'm sorry and thank you".

"Don't mention it", Joe turns away from him.

"Alright, well", Lesley announces, "now that that's done, Joe, how about you and I have a one on one battle, what do you think".

Taking a look at Rio, his partner seems to still be in great condition. "I don't see why not", he accepts Lesley's idea.

"Oh, no, no, no", Andrei yells, "no, for how long will this go on, we came here to have a tag team battle, it's over, now you want more, absolutely not, let's just head back to the dormitories right now".

"Will you stop being a nusiance, Amdrei", Lesley scoffs at him, "you are literally on the cutting board, you do realise that, yet the only thing you seem to be interested in improving about yourself is your ability to complain constantly".

"Hey, look, it's all just so tiring, and I would only be slowing you guys down", Andrei shrugs it all off, "besides, as I said, as long as you dudes pass, I pass, wouldn't it be a bad thing if I slowed down your training then?".

"You do know that you can still fail, even if your team passes?", Joe reminds him.

"What now?", Andrei seems surprised by the fact, "how come?".

"Yeah, they said so during the assembly", Dean chimes in, "if a person on a failing team is ranked in top 50 individually, then they take the spot on the team of the lowest ranking person on the individual list".

"Right, that would mean, you'll fail instead of them", Joe nods.

"Hey, I didn't know about that", Lesley scratches his chin, is that for real.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner Dean", Andrei snaps.

"You never asked", Dean shrugs, "besides, I thought you knew, I mean we were all at the assembly".

"Well, I was too busy doozing off", Andrei throws his hands in the air.

"I was yelling at Andrei to pay attention", Lesley excuses himself.

"I was calming down Marc", Henry says simply, "so I've missed that part".

"I... I was being calmed down, I guess", Marc sounds confused.

"Great to know we aren't the worst organised team", Ace chuckles.

"Don't say that twice", Teo rolls his eyes.

"Well, then, Andrei, maybe you'll re-think being lazy", Lesley says victoriusly. The black haired boy shuffles in spot, turning his gaze away. "Either way, Joe", Lesley turns his attention back to his target, "you and I, let's go".

"Wait", Ves cuts his outburst short, "I want to battle now". Lesley staeres at him instead of saying anything. "My battle was underwhelming, I want another one", the boy says decisively, "and Joe had a good one, so it's only fair he sits this one out".

"Works for me either way", Joe shrugs. He did want to match-up against Lesley, just for the sake of seeing how he fairs against a psychic type. So far he's had an advantage in his battles, or at least came in neutral. Lesley would be a good test. However, he didn't feel the need to rush into it. If Ves wanted this one, he could have it.

"Well, not that I don't respect your vigor", Lesley sighs, "but I wanted to battle Joe, Ace had already stopped me once, so please, don't do the same".

"Why are you dead set on battling Joe?", Ves scoffs, "why is everyone fucking obsessed with him?".

"He's ranked in the top 5 right now", Lesley says simply, "and you've seen him battle just now, of course I want to see how I measure up, can you really blame me?".

"Right, so you definitely won't give up on battling him then?", Ves sighs.

"Probably not", Lesley admits, "I want a chance to crush him".

"Alright, how about another double battle then?", Ves raises his eyebrow, "that way you get to face Joe, and I get to fight again".

"Actually, that's a great idea Ves", Joe makes his way to his teammate's side, "what do you say, Lesley".

"Well, it sounds good, but all of my teammate's pokemon have been knocked out", Lesley reminds them.

"Have Andrei pair up with you", Ves says, "you said it yourself, he needs to train".

"I'm not really up for that, it's a hustle", Andrei says sounding uninterested.

"Well, you don't really have a choice", Ves hisses at him, "you either fight me with your pokemon or your fists, your choice".

"That would be called bullying, I think", Andrei points out.

"Yes, yes it would", Ves nods slowly.

"You're a maniac, you know", Andrei says taking a step back upon noticing a glint in Ves's eyes.

"Look, Andrei, just do this", Lesley says, "it's one battle, you'll live, and you do need training".

"Oh, right, but you'll blame me if we lose", Andrei retorts.

"Most likely", Lesley admits.

"I really don't want to do this", Andrei wails.

"Alright, how about a bargain?", Lesley sighs.

"What do you propose?", Andrei raises an eyebrow.

"You do this battle and we'll play LOL with you tonight", Lesley says unwillingly.

"No way, I'm not spending time playing some motherfucking game", Marc yells out, "hey, Lesley, why are you even making deals with him, that Ves guy is right, let's just beat the shit out of him, that oughta work".

"Calm down Marc", Henry places a hand on his teammate's shoulder, "it's just one gaming session, and we can't beat up our teammates".

"Why not", Marc says enthusiastically, "you know, I think beating people up would fix most of our problems, after Andrei, I propose we beat the shit out of Lesley too".

"You... you're not going to beat me up, right?", Dean scratches his head insecurely.

"Of course not Dean, you're a great guy", Marc crosses his hands, "Andrei and Lesley are the only two I want to beat up".

"Hey, thanks man", Dean smiles sheepishly.

"Alright, alright, but before we resort to physical violence, can we try dimplomacy?", Lesley urges.

"Cmon, Marc", Henry nudges him lightly, "some gaming might be fun".

"God, okay", Marc groans, giving Lesley a murderous glance, "but only because Henry asked me".

"Alright, then, thank you for your cooperation Marc", Lesley nods in understanding, "Andrei, what do you say".

"Fine", the boy finally caves in, "but only because this conversation is becoming a bother, and I want to go back to our room as fast as possible".

"Good, then step up", Lesley flashes a smile, as his teammate takes a spot next to him. "We're good to go", the curly haired boy says turning towards Ves and Joe.

"Alright, but just a fair warning", Joe says flatly, "Ves and I are the strongest on our team right now".

"I think they figured that out already", Ves smiles.