Courtney squinted at me in disbelief from behind her pink, thick-framed glasses. “G-Gary?!” she gasped.

I closed my eyes and shook my head hard before staring at her again, wide-eyed. Her hair is blonde, now, I noted. And she has glasses?

Courtney looked cuter than ever in glasses, somehow. She was wearing a bright yellow jacket, zipped up, a thin hood at her back, and a long, baby blue skirt that ended at her ankles, her feet in a pair of matching blue shoes. She looked me up and down a couple of times, her eyes blinking repeatedly.

No one spoke a word.

My heart was beating hard out of some level of fear of seeing Courtney again after all this time.

Courtney turned to June and looked her over, a sneer coming over her face, and then she glanced at Trixa, cocking her head in confusion for a second before she looked back to me and straightened up with a serious look. “What do you think you’re doing here?”

“Me? ME?! What am I doing here?” I exclaimed. “What do you mean??”

“I can’t say that any clearer to you.” Courtney crossed her arms and frowned.

“No! What are you doing here?” I shot back frantically. “In Unova!! Why??”

“I’m here to compete in the Unova League,” Courtney said snottily. “Now, answer my question.”

“I’m here to compete in the Unova League, too!” I said in shock.

Her eyes tightened. “I can’t believe this! This is so unbelievable! You can’t be here! You just can’t!”

“It’s been so long…” I said in a low voice, staring at her, confused by all of this. “I can’t believe you’re here, in Unova of all places.”

She swallowed hard, sitting on her next words. “I heard about you.”

Confused by her statement, I just stared but didn’t say anything.

“At the Pokemon League in Kanto. Back then...” Courtney continued. “I read about it, and I saw your pic-“

“Please,” I interrupted, raising my hand. “I don’t want to talk about that.”

“But,” Courtney said, a hint of desperation in her voice, “they say you ran into those terrorists before! They said you saw them in Cloud City! They mentioned something about that Team S-”

“Shut up!!” I shouted at her furiously, startling her. “I said I don’t want to talk about it!”

Courtney lowered her eyes sadly. “Sorry.” She looked up at me. “I’m glad to see you’re okay.”

“Thanks,” I nodded solemnly. “You’re okay, too.”

“Well, I left after my loss at the League, and went back to Hoenn to be with my family. Things were really bad during that time. Even though those terrorists had been stopped, the world was completely shaken up by it, so I stayed home to be with my mom and dad. When things started to get bad at home with my parents, I had decided to run away. Far, far away from the arguing and stress. That’s why I left to be a Pokemon Trainer in the first place; my parents and their constant fighting. So, I fly all the way out here to Unova, to put the past behind me and move forward in my life, only to find one of my previous headaches.” A disgusted look came over her face as she spoke, and she turned to June. “And not only are you accompanied by the red head…” Her face fixed itself into a smirk as she turned to Trixa. “…but you also have a new girlfriend?”

Trixa smiled at Courtney. “Hi! I’m Trixa. Who are you?”

“She isn’t my girlfriend! NEITHER OF THEM ARE!!!” I barked.

Trixa turned to me and smiled heart meltingly.

“She has a look of adoration on her face. No question about it,” Courtney said lovingly at Trixa. “I’m Courtney. It’s nice to meet you.”

Trixa didn’t take her eyes off of me.

“What??” I yelled her. “Stop looking at me like that!!”

Trixa scowled and looked at the ground, grumbling.

Courtney sighed and rolled her eyes. “Still an ass, as always, I see. Not much has changed.”

I leered at her.

“What are you doing here, though?” June spoke up, brushing aside her hair with her hands, a suspicious look on her face. “In Vancteck Mansion, I mean?”

“I was on my way out,” Courtney said, not taking her eyes off of me. “I have my Badge from here. I’m ready to leave.”

“How many Badges do you have?” I asked.

Courtney snickered. “You guys are in my way. Excuse me, please.”

Dyue politely bowed. “We hope you enjoyed your stay at Vancteck Mansion. We’d be humbled to serve you again.”

Trixa moved over, out of Courtney’s way.

June and I kept our position, glaring at Courtney.

She stared at me before turning to June, and then walked past her, bumping her shoulder hard into June’s.

“Hey!” June cried out angrily as she took a step backwards and turned to glare at Courtney.

Courtney didn’t stop, making a right turn from the elevator and walking away from us smoothly, slowly, swaying her hips.

June growled and balled up her fists.

“Bye, Courtney!” Trixa waved happily.

Courtney looked back and smiled, gave us a wave, and turned back, continuing down a long hallway, disappearing as she made a turn to the right.

“So, she’s in Unova, now,” I muttered. “What are the odds?”

*

“I think we should go to Hoenn. Or Kalos. Or even back to Kanto. Or something! I don’t like Unova anymore,” June complained like a little kid, her arms crossed, pouting her lip, not looking at me as we rode the elevator down, our new servant, Maley, accompanying us.

Trixa was poking the walls of the elevator which were lined with a red, plush fabric.

Ever since last night, while Trixa had run off to enjoy the buffet, June had changed her mind about the mall and decided to follow me all night, complaining about the Unova region and how desperate she was to leave it all of a sudden.

I had found my way into an arcade with all kinds of games, all for my free use since I was a Pokemon Trainer about to challenge the Gym Leader here, but I couldn’t concentrate with June in my ear, venting. Telling her that we weren’t leaving wasn’t shutting her up, so I tried ignoring her, at one point even running away from her.

June refused to lose me, following me every which way I went, no matter how deep into Vancteck City I ran, nor how fast.

Eventually, I gave up and walked back to our room, exhausted.

June seemed to have a limitless level of energy as she talked, and talked, and talked, and talked, about the exact same things, literally repeating herself several times, speaking disgustedly of Courtney, her newfound hate for Unova, and how we should try to go to another region instead. I’m certain I fell asleep to her jabbering, and when Maley entered our room to wake us up for our Gym battle today, June was already sitting up in her bed in our room, complaining to Trixa who was on her own bed, her head hanging to the floor, her legs in the air, spinning and kicking rapidly. Even when June was in the shower, I could hear her yelling her complaints. Even when I was in the shower, she shouted from outside of the locked door about this and that.

We were in the lobby now, Maley leading the way, walking on the clear, marble floor that sparkled like a million diamonds, making our walk seem surreal.

A man sat behind a large desk seemingly made of glimmering gold, a plain white wall with several, practically glowing white shelves behind him, though nothing sat on them. He wore a brown suit and smiled at us, his bushy mustache covering his entire top lip. “Good luck to you both during your battle against Prof. Russell,” he nodded.

“Thank you very much!” I smiled back.

“I can’t wait!” Trixa cheered.

June just grumbled.

We were led outside into a chilly wind that blew against us.

I was poorly dressed, wearing a thin, black button up shirt.

Trixa and June at least were wearing jackets, Trixa also wearing a white beanie hat.

Maley made a left, leading us over to the chrome, white colored section of the building with the chrome black door with the small, black window above it.

I couldn’t see anything through the window.

Maley turned to us and bowed. “I wish you all good luck.” Maley’s body glowed white and, in the next instant, vanished!

“Whoa!” we all let out at once.

Before we could finish our surprised reaction, the black door swung open wide, slamming hard against the building with a loud CLAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNGGGGGG!!!!!!!

I covered my ears, along with June and Trixa, who both cried out loud. Once the ringing ended, we all lowered our hands and stared into the darkness of the building before us.

“I can’t see anything,” June said softly. “It’s too dark.”

“Is he here?” Trixa asked curiously.

“He has to be.” Taking a deep breath, I stepped towards the Gym cautiously, one step at a time, pausing for a brief couple of seconds after each step. My breath was snatched away from me, and everything around me went black. Before I could even begin to panic, my breath returned to me and I could see again. “Wait a minute!” I gasped as I looked around my new surroundings.

June, Trixa and I seemed to be inside of a transparent bubble! A large, white machine sat in front of us, a black screen on the right of it, and a microphone beneath the screen, a small, blue button right next to the microphone. A small plastic stick sat in a groove in the machine.

Outside of the bubble we were in, on the ground several feet below us, sat a large, gray rectangle, a humongous circular pattern on one end, and the same pattern on the opposite side. The circular patterns held a series of two-sided, white arrows within them, following the shape of the circle.

“Where are we?” June whispered, looking around.

I wasn’t able to reply with my heart blocking the air from escaping my throat.

Far away, on the other side of the room we were all in, was a transparent bubble resembling the one the three of us were in. I could just barely make out a human shape in that bubble, standing still.

My heart thumped powerfully, fear and panic flowing throughout my veins.

“Who’s that?” Trixa asked me, a wide smile showing no signs of concern for our strange situation.

“Whoever it is is too far away to even see him or her clearly,” I told my group.

Suddenly, the figure in the bubble moved slightly.

An electronic crackle rang throughout the bubble we were, combined with a little bit of static noise before we heard a voice greet us clearly. “Hello, my friends and current challengers! I am Prof. Russell! How are you?”

The three of us stared ahead silently.

“Prof. Russell?” June repeated.

“Is that him?” Trixa squinted at the strange person so far from us.

“It must be!” I said.

“Please, come closer to the mic, and hold the blue button to respond!” Prof. Russell’s light, eager voice came out inside of the bubble again.

“Oh!” I moved towards the microphone on shaky legs and reached out to the blue button. Holding it down, I cleared my throat. “Hello?” I released the button.

“Hello!” Prof. Russell’s voice reached us. “Welcome to my Gym! I’m Prof. Russell. Greetings to you, June. Trixa and Gary, you both shall be battling for the Iron Badge, correct?”

Shocked at his words, Trixa and June letting out their surprise in utterances near me, I spoke again, holding the button. “You know our names?”

Prof. Russell laughed lightly. “I received all of the data needed when you arrived in my city. I must say, it’s good to see you in such good shape, Gary. June, as well. It’s good to see that the attack during the Kanto League hasn’t deterred you from returning to the life of a Pokemon Trainer.”

“Hey!” June sounded angry, now.

“How do you know that?” I yelled, slamming my palm down on the blue button.

“As I said, I received all of the information needed when you arrived at Vancteck City,” Prof. Russell told us calmly.

I didn’t know how to respond to that, glaring ahead at the silhouette of Mr. Russell.

“This is getting scary, now,” June whispered.

“Where are my Poke Balls?” Trixa let out.

“Huh?” I turned to Trixa, who was digging through her pockets, her Poke Balls no longer on her belt.

June dropped to her knees and dug through her bag. “One, two, three, four, and five,” June counted, grabbing her Poke Balls from her bag, and then she turned to Trixa before glancing at me.

“My Pokemon!!” I roared as I looked at my belt where my three Poke Balls should have been, but weren’t. I dug through the pockets of my jeans, but I only bumped into my Pokedex. My bag and jacket were back at the Vancteck Mansion. “Where did our Poke Balls go??” I asked Trixa frantically.

Trixa turned to Prof. Russell in the bubble.

The machine in front of us grabbed our attention as the black screen turned on, displaying something.

Trixa joined me at the machine.

The black screen now showed a spinning, chrome, red and white Poke Ball.

“This Gym will be holding a Rotation Battle,” Prof. Russell explained. “Three-on-three.”

Trixa gasped. “No way!”

“What kind of battle did he just say?” I asked her, not feeling too comfortable with the look of horror on her face.

“A Rotation Battle!” Trixa repeated. “I’ve only ever heard of these as a rumor! They never happen. Ever! I’ve always assumed they were just a myth!”

“Is this okay with everyone?” Prof. Russell asked.

“Um, I’ve never heard of this kind of match, Prof. Russell,” I told him nervously. “Can you explain it?”

“Oh, it’s quite simple, ” Prof. Russell responded. “Three of your Pokemon will be on the field at once, but only one will be able to battle at a time. You can rotate between each Pokemon whenever you would like to. This is done with rapid speed as opposed to retreating a Pokemon, and can be used tactically! Only the main Pokemon in the forefront will be hit by attacks and can attack, until it is rotated out and replaced with another Pokemon who assumes that role. Once all three of one team’s Pokemon are defeated, the round ends. Of course, this is better demonstrated through example!”

I faced Trixa, who had a nervous look on her face.

“I was informed that Gary would be battling first. Is this still true?” Prof. Russell asked.

“No! No! I wanna go first!” Trixa begged with determination, pressing the blue button.

“But, where are our Poke Balls?” I called to him.

“They are all in the Assets Hold,” Prof. Russell explained. “Don’t worry. After the battle is over, they shall be returned to you all. To use them in this battle, just pay attention to the screen. Trixa, you are welcome to go first if that’s what’s agreed upon.”

“Great!” Trixa insisted.

“Very well, then,” Prof. Russell responded. “The current screen applies to Trixa, and Trixa only, though you’re encouraged to watch and learn, Gary.”

I took a step back as Trixa stared at the machine.

The Poke Ball onscreen disappeared and was replaced with three circles, one showing the face of a Tepig, the next one showing the face of a Pansear, and the final one showing Panpour.

“Choose your three Pokemon in the order you like, the first one being who will come out first,” Prof. Russell told her.

Trixa picked up the black stylus and stared at the screen. “Well, he’s a Steel Gym, so, obviously, we shall sweep with Tepig!” She tapped Tepig, and his face turned into a silhouette. “And then, Pansear and Panpour, I suppose.” Trixa touched their faces, too, turning them into silhouettes as well. She laughed a little.

“Trixa, you need to be more careful than to just go by types,” June warned.

“I won my first Badge with a type advantage, and my second Badge with a type disadvantage,” Trixa smiled at June. “I can do this.”

“Just be careful,” June said gently. “And, this is a Rotation Battle. This won’t be like anything you’ve done before.”

“Don’t sweat the small stuff,” Trixa winked.

A motion on the battlefield below grabbed our attention. Three Poke Balls hit the ground on the side closest to Prof. Russell and opened, sending out three Pokemon, all of them standing on the circular platform, one in front, the other two standing towards the back. The Poke Balls then vanished into darkness!

“What are those?” I wondered out loud as I pointed my Pokedex at them.

Ferroseed. The Thorn Seed Pokemon. Ferroseed shoots spikes at threats and then rolls away to safety. This Pokemon lives off of minerals from rocks.

Pawniard. The Sharp Blade Pokemon. In the wild, they are governed by their evolved form, Bisharp. When they attack their prey, the leader is the one to deliver the final, fatal blow.

Klang. The Gear Pokemon. Klink’s evolved form. By spinning their gears in different directions, they can communicate with one another. When its minigears spin at a fast speed, such as for attacks like Gear Grind and Shift Gear, the gears usually return back to the Pokemon. If they do not, the results are deadly for Klang.

Three Poke Balls flew out and landed on the opposite side of the field, closer to me, June and Trixa.

“Tepig!” Tepig cried out as he stood in the lead position.

Pansear and Panpour were next to silently land, behind Tepig.

Like the first time, these Poke Balls also disappeared after turning black!

A digital timer appeared on the screen, reading: 5:00. A pair of two-sided arrows circled each other on the bottom left hand side of the screen, and a second pair circled each other in the opposite direction, sitting on the bottom right hand side.

“Touch the arrows on the lower half of the screen whenever you want to rotate,” Prof. Russell informed Trixa. “This battle will feature a five minute long limit. Order your attacks through the microphone. You’ll no longer need to hold the blue button down to speak while the battle takes place. Now, this match begins!”

“What?!” Trixa stared at the microphone in a panic.

“Your move first, please,” Prof. Russell said, his voice now echoing strongly through the entire room we were in.

“Um-AAAHH!!!” She laughed at her voice, hearing it echo throughout the room now. “Okay, let’s make this quick! Use your Flame Charge!”

“Tepig! Tepig! Tepiiiiig!” Tepig ran at Ferroseed, covered in flames.

“Protect!” Prof. Russell countered.

A turquoise energy shield appeared in front of Ferroseed, and Tepig slammed into it, bouncing back hard.

“Thunder Wave!” Prof. Russell went on.

Ferroseed’s body was outlined in blue electricity, and with a cry, it zapped Tepig.

Tepig cried out and dropped to the ground, twitching from Paralysis, unable to move.

“Curse attack!” Prof. Russell ordered.

“Flame Charge! Fight, Tepig! Come on!” Trixa urged.

Tepig continued twitching, stuck to the ground, as Ferroseed’s body turned a dark flush of purple for a few seconds and then glowed with a healthy, deep sea blue.

It suddenly caught my eye that Trixa’s Pansear and Panpour weren’t moving! They were still, like paper cutouts of themselves, staring straight ahead!

Prof. Russell's Klang and Pawniard were in the same condition! They were both still as stone, watching the fight, not even seeming to be breathing!

He said only the front Pokemon would be able to attack and be hit, I remembered. But what happened to the other two Pokemon? They don’t even look real!

“Again!” Prof. Russell called out.

“Tepig, come on! I know you can do this!”

Tepig was still stuck while Ferroseed used Curse attack once again.

What is that? I wondered.

Curse. While lowering its Speed, the user also raises its Attack and Defense Stat.

“TEPIIIIIIIG!!” Tepig finally leaped from the ground and flew fast towards Ferroseed.

“Meet it with Metal Claw!” Prof. Russell told his Pokemon.

Ferroseed’s spikes on its body flashed with the gleam of metal and it leaped into the air, headed right for Tepig. Both Pokemon collided and were forced back.

Tepig landed strongly, confidently, shaking his head.

Ferroseed had a hard landing but steadily got back up, his body flashing with a blue color momentarily.

“Once more! Flame Charge! End this!”

Tepig ran, faster than before, consumed in flames, headed for Ferroseed.

Ferroseed froze as its circular platform suddenly turned on its own, Ferroseed moving towards the back, where Klang and Pawniard stood, Klang moving to where Pawniard was, Pawniard taking Ferroseed’s position, and Ferroseed moving into Klang’s space!

Pawniard now stood as the central Pokemon and took the Flame Charge hit.

Trixa gasped. “Hey! NO! We were about to beat Ferroseed!” Trixa complained, growling.

Pawniard was tossed back but slid gracefully, now moving, bending down onto one knee before getting back up.

It was now Ferroseed and Klang who were frozen in place!

Tepig growled at Pawniard.

“Dig!” Prof. Russell demanded.

“Flame Charge it!”

Tepig ran rapidly at Pawniard, knocking it down.

Pawniard got up shakily, and in the next instant, tore through the ground.

Tepig looked around in confusion.

“Oh, no! Where did it go?” Trixa said with fear.

“Pawniaaaaard!” Pawniard burst from underneath Tepig and the pig was forced high into the air.

Tepig landed on his back, groaning, sounding very weakened by that hit he took.

“Now use Torment!” Prof. Russell told Pawniard.

“Pawniard! Pawniard! Pawniard! Pawwwwwwniard! Pawniard!” Pawniard stomped on the ground repeatedly, making a loud fuss, getting very angry.

“Flame Charge! We can win this battle, Tepig!” Trixa screamed into the microphone, her voice echoing strongly throughout the entire room.

Tepig struggled to move, but didn’t. Instead, he stood still, growling at Pawniard.

“Tepig! You have to use Flame Charge!” Trixa begged her Pokemon.

“Torment is a move that prevents you from using the same move two times in a row,” Prof. Russell’s voice chuckled softly.

“Is that what it did?” Trixa frowned, crossing her arms.

Pawniard’s circular platform started to move again, replacing it with Ferroseed.

“Rollout!” Prof. Russell commanded.

Ferroseed rolled at Tepig.

“Oh, no! Wait! Okay, Tepig!” Trixa began to panic. “We can’t use Flame Charge, so let’s-!”

It was too late.

Ferroseed slammed into Tepig with the Super Effective move.

Tepig bounced painfully across the floor, sliding to a stop.

A loud BUUUUZZZ!!! rang throughout the room and Tepig’s silhouette on the machine turned into a black and white picture of him, a red X covering it.

Tepig started to glow red, and it appeared that he was returned to his Poke Ball, although nobody had returned him!

“My Tepig! Where did he go?!” Trixa screeched.

“Don’t worry, Trixa,” Prof. Russell responded. “You will get back all of your Pokemon once this battle is over.”

The platform rotated to the right, and Pansear was now the main Pokemon to focus on.

“Pansear!” Pansear could now move and focused his attention on Ferroseed.

“Pansear, let’s go! Flame Burst!”

“Get it, Ferroseed!”

Prof. Russell’s Pokemon rolled at Pansear.

Pansear sent a flaming ball into the air, which exploded, showering the field in flames.

Ferroseed leaped into the air and screamed out as a fireball hit it.

Pansear also screamed out as Ferroseed slammed into him, knocking him down.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The three of us looked down at the machine. The screen was blinking: 0:00.

With a gasp, we all looked to the battlefield to see that Ferroseed was laying on top of Pansear, both Pokemon exhausted and defeated. They both glowed red and vanished, like Tepig, as if they had been retreated by their Trainers.

Panpour, and then Pawniard and Klang, also vanished afterwards in a red flash.

The beeping from the machine stopped, and the machine in front of us showed Panpour and Pansear were both now black and white with a red X over their faces.

“What happened?” Trixa asked slowly.

A noise behind us made us all turn around.

“Poke Balls?” Trixa walked over to the three items on the floor. “Are they mine?” She threw them to the ground, sending out her Pokemon.

“Panpour…” Panpour looked up at Trixa, cocking its head to the side.

Pansear and Tepig were both laid out on the floor, looking in terrible shape.

“My Pokemon!” Trixa ran to them and pulled them all into a big hug, a distressed look on her face.

“Time is up.” Prof. Russell’s voice came out in our bubble this time instead of echoing loudly. “I’m afraid there didn’t seem to be any way you would win, and I had defeated more Pokemon than you did, so, I fairly determine that you have lost.”

“Wait a minute!” Trixa released her Pokemon from her arms and stomped over to the microphone.

The machine’s screen now red: YOU LOSE! in bold, red letters.

Trixa slammed her palm down on the button. “Now you listen to me, Mister Professor! I have won matches with and without a type advantage! I could have won! You can’t judge me like that! That’s not fair! Give me a chance! Knock out all of my Pokemon! Don’t put me on a stupid time limit! It’s not fair!”

“I personally find that when a Trainer can truly appreciate that they are on limited time, they battle much more differently than in a battle without a timer,” Prof. Russell told us. “I enjoy timed battles, and Rotation Battles, because they are not the norm, and force you to think outside of the box. It’s truly the most advanced form of battling, if I do say so myself.” He chuckled again.

“I battle against a Gym I had a type advantage over and I win!” Trixa was now flipping out at the Professor. “I battle a Gym I had a type disadvantage in, and I win!! I battle you, who I had a type advantage over, and I lose?!! This is crap!! I’ve never been so disrespected in my life!!”

“I mean no disrespect,” Prof. Russell’s voice was getting lower, sorrow in his voice. “This is the way I battle.”

“I told you this, Trixa,” June added. “I told you that you can’t just run into Gyms like that. Gym Leaders are really good and they know what they’re doing.”

“But, a timed match isn’t FAIR! And a Rotation Battle at that?!” Trixa whined to June.

“A Gym Leader’s job is to test you,” June explained. “You’re supposed to go through a lot of different experiences and take those experiences with you to grow as a Trainer, with your Pokemon.”

“CHEATERRRRRRR!!!!!!” Trixa shrieked into the microphone, and then stomped off to the side. She returned her Pokemon and then grumbled, staring at the floor.

“I guess it’s my turn,” I said into the microphone.

“Ah, right then, ha ha. Well, the same rules apply for you, too, Gary. Please select your Pokemon.”

I picked up the black stylus and stared at the screen where a picture of Pidove, Cottonee, and Drilbur sat. For starters, I’ll go with Cottonee, I suppose, I thought. And then the other two will be in the back.

The three Pokemon turned to silhouettes.

I turned my eyes to the battlefield to see three Poke Balls fly from Prof. Russell’s side. “Hey, who are those two?” I asked, pulling out my Pokedex.

One of the three Pokemon sent out was a Ferroseed, though I wasn’t sure if it was the one Trixa had battled or not. It looked healthy, so it must have been a second one, but the other two Pokemon were new to me, although one looked like Klang.

Klink. The Gear Pokemon. The two Pokemon connect with each other and are bonded for life. They provide each other with required life energy by spinning.

Ferroseed. The Thorn Seed Pokemon. The thorns around their bodies, as well as their hard bodies, protect them from opponents. They are found in caves, clinging to the ceiling, absorbing iron.

Escavalier. The Cavalry Pokemon. The evolved form of Karrablast. It is now inside of the shell of a Shelmet, which triggered the evolution while both Pokemon were in the presence of a strong, electric encounter, and has maintained its nasty attitude, now boosted, and will face any opponent without hesitation.

Well, that’s interesting, I thought as my Pokemon were sent out.

The machine screen now read 5:00.

“You may have the first move, Gary,” Prof. Russell offered. “Let us begin!”

“Okay! Whoa!” Hearing my voice so loud all over the room was indeed weird. I could hear my lisp so clearly like this. It was embarrassing. I cleared my throat and shouted, “Stun Spore!”

“Thunder Wave!” Prof. Russell called out, his voice now echoing as well.

Cottonee moved fast, spraying Ferroseed with a golden powder.

Ferroseed closed its eyes painfully, twitching, but then, its body sparked with blue electricity and it shocked Cottonee.

Both Pokemon were now Paralyzed.

“Hmm.” I was okay with this. At least both Pokemon were Paralyzed.

“Pin Missile!” Prof. Russell went on.

Ferroseed’s spikes glowed white and it fired multiple white shots at Cottonee.

Cottonee screamed out and was moved back by the hit.

“Cottonee, hold on!” I urged him as I tried to think of a way to fight back.

“Pin Missile!”

“Of course!” I touched the swirling arrows on the bottom left of the screen, and Cottonee was swiftly moved on the circular platform, switching places with Drilbur, who switched with Pidove, who took the center stage, and the not very effective Pin Missile.

Pidove cried out but flapped his wings strongly after the move ended, showing his strength.

Cottonee was now frozen in the back with Drilbur.

“Pidove, Gust attack!”

Ferroseed was maneuvered on its platform, moving into Escavalier’s spot, who moved into Klink’s spot, who was now in the front, and took the Gust attack, which didn’t do very much to the Steel type.

“Nice one,” I muttered. “Alright, then.”

“Gear Grind!” Prof. Russell ordered his Pokemon.

Pidove was swapped around, replacing Cottonee, who switched with Drilbur, who was now in the front.

Klink’s two spinning bodies spun in place, fast, making a loud klink noise, and sparks started to fly. The klink noise picked up in speed as it repeatedly rang out through the battlefield.

“Driiiiiil!!” Drilbur was struck in the head by a gear that flew from Klink’s body. The hard to spot gear flew back to Klink, and a second gear flew out from Klink’s body and smacked Drilbur in the face, dropping him weakly before it returned back to Klink.

“Drilbur, fight back with-!” It was then that I realized just how complex this battle was going to be. I can’t just attack with a Ground move, I realized. He could switch out for Ferroseed or Escavalier. Klink is Steel, so Ground type moves would be powerful against it, but the other two are part Steel, part another type that can make the damage a lot less serious. But I also have an advantage. I have a lot of types with me. He can’t hit Drilbur with an Electric move, and they won’t hurt Cottonee too bad. “Hone Claws!”

Drilbur’s claws glowed white as he slashed them against each other, boosting his Attack and Accuracy.

I stared at the battlefield silently as I dwelled on all of the possibilities of a Rotation Battle. Our Attack is boosted now, I told myself. Just attack. Even if the Grass typing on Ferroseed, or the Bug typing on Escavalier, weakens the blow, you’re still gonna send some big time damage.

2:57 was on the timer.

“Earthquake!”

Drilbur leaped into the air.

Klink was swapped for Escavalier and Drilbur landed on the ground one good time and hit Escavalier with Earthquake.

Escavalier flinched in pain from the strong hit.

“Attack back with Toxic!” Prof. Russell instructed.

Escavalier sprayed a purple toxin at Drilbur’s face.

Drilbur collapsed, swiping at his face in pain as the poison set in and his face flushed purple. He shook his head, stumbling around as he got back on his feet.

“Drilbur!” I called out helplessly.

I switched Drilbur around for Cottonee. “Stun Spore attack!”

Cottonee immediately surrounded Escavalier with the golden powder, causing it to back up, shivering as it was stunned.

“Swords Dance!” Prof. Russell said.

Escavalier crossed its arms and they glowed a deep, dark purple as they then uncrossed and it began maneuvering them in quick, dangerous patterns, increasing its Attack greatly.

I decided to switch out Cottonee for Pidove.

Escavalier was switched out for Klink.

“I knew it! Thunderbolt!” Prof. Russell shouted.

“Pidove!” was all I could shout.

My pigeon was zapped by the powerful move and he dropped like a deflated basketball, a lump on the ground.

“Pidove! Get up!!” I pleaded

Pidove’s head lifted weakly as he glared up at Klink.

“That’s the spirit, Pidove!! Don’t you give in! Use Roost to regain your energy!” I encouraged him.

Pidove got up to his feet and focused hard on Klink.

“Yes! With Roost, we have a chance, even against Electric moves if we can just keep getting up!” I cheered happily.

“And when you use Roost, Pidove will no longer be a Flying type for a short time, so Electric moves won’t hurt so bad,” June mentioned.

Trixa was still angry, but she looked over at the battlefield on occasion before looking away with a grunt.

“Okay, now that you’re feeling better after Roost, let’s fight with Quick Attack! Get it!” I smiled brightly.

“Roost?” June asked me in confusion.

Pidove flew like a bolt at Klink.

The opponent took the hit well, as expected, since Normal attacks like Quick Attack do very little against Steel type Pokemon like Klink.

I was just trying to chip away at Klink’s health.

“Yeah, June,” I said, not turning to her. “Roost.”

“But, Pidove didn’t use it,” June said slowly.

I turned to her sharply. “What do you mean? He did use it!” My heart began to beat even quicker. “Right?”

June shook her head fast, her eyes wide. “He just stood there, Gary!”

“Thunderbolt!”

I whipped around. “Pidove! Detect!”

Klink’s body sparked and it attacked Pidove.

Pidove flapped his wings and squawked out in fright, flying away from the multiple bolts of electricity that were filling the field.

“Pidove! Stop running and just use Detect!” I screamed into the microphone.

“Pidoooooooove!!!” Pidove was hit by Thunderbolt and then dropped instantly. A few seconds later, his body flashed red and he was removed from the field.

The circular platform turned to the right, and Drilbur was now in front, still looking sick from the Poison.

“What happened out there?!” I yelled angrily, tossing my hands up as Pidove’s silhouette was replaced with a black and white image of him, a big red X over it.

“He forgot…” June whispered.

“Really...?” I knew that fear was evident on my face. “At a time like this? Seriously??”

“Focus, Gary.” June grabbed my shoulders and turned me around.

I stared at Drilbur and Cottonee, wondering if I should switch them, wondering what Prof. Russell had planned.

0:58

“Okay, let’s just go for Earthquake!” I tried.

Drilbur leaped into the air and landed, rocking the battlefield, and Klink yelled out as it was brought down to the ground.

Klink remained still, its eyes closed. A few seconds later, its body glowed red and it was removed from the battle.

The Bug in armor was put in Klink’s place and gave Drilbur a death glare.

“Now, let’s use X-Scissor!” Prof. Russell said confidently.

Escavalier soared at Drilbur, its arms crossed and glowing light blue, and it slammed into Drilbur.

Drilbur groaned painfully, forced to his back and sliding on his side to a stop. He was breathing hard, looking ready to give in.

“Drilbur!! Hang in there!! Please! Just hang in there! I’m counting on you, Drilbur! Get to your feet! UP!! Right now! I’m only telling you what I know you can do! You can do it!!”

Drilbur looked up and tried to find me, but he couldn’t see me.

“Drilbur! I’m here! Believe me! You can’t see me right now, but just listen to me and trust my voice! We will win this one! Hang in there!!”

“Drilbur!” Drilbur managed a smile and turned determinedly to Escavalier. “Driiiiiiill!!” Drilbur fell down again, twitching and suffering from the ever increasing damage of Toxic’s Poison.

“Drilbur!” I slammed my hands down on the machine, glaring at the battlefield. If I swap, what good will it do? He still has to come out again, either way, if Cottonee can’t win this.

“Another Swords Dance, and then we’ll end this match,” Prof. Russell insisted.

Escavalier raised its Attack further with Swords Dance.

“Hone Claws!” I pushed Drilbur.

Drilbur’s arms shook as he pushed himself up, but then, he fell down to his face, his teeth gritting hard, his eyes closed tight, trying to will away the pain.

It hurt me to see my Pokemon in this state. I knew I would hate to be in his position. I almost felt hatred towards myself for allowing this to happen. Was this right? I wondered suddenly, my hands balling tightly into fists. Are Pokemon built for this kind of battling, or is there really no difference between the pain they feel, and the pain I would feel if I were in their shoes? I shook my head, knowing I’ve taken hits from Pokemon before. Pokemon are definitely stronger than any human could hope to be.

Drilbur’s mouth opened and he let out a pained call as Escavalier finished its Swords Dance.

But does that make this okay? Is this fair? My eyes watered as Drilbur pushed himself up and got to his feet, bent over, gasping for air.

A good Pokemon Trainer knows when to stop, I told myself. I blinked repeatedly to clear my vision.

“Now, end this with X-Scissor!” Prof. Russell decided.

I grabbed the stylus to switch for Cottonee.

Just as my hand snatched it up, Escavalier froze and his eyes closed tight as he moaned his name.

“Paralysis,” I said in a voice just below a whisper, stunned. But now what?

Both Pokemon looked at each other, heaving heavily.

I had a feeling Prof. Russell and I were waiting for something to happen.

Tensions were high, and in a Rotation Battle, anything was bound to happen.

Do we swap?

Attack?

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Escavalier dropped to the floor.

I’m not sure which one happened first.

There was a very spooky silence, the creepiness increased by Prof. Russell’s silhouette in that bubble so far away from us. It didn’t move. It just stared back silently.

Escavalier was the first to leave the field in a flash of red, followed by Drilbur, who remained on his feet.

Soon, it was Ferroseed, and then Cottonee who were gone.

YOU WIN! were the small, simple words on the machine screen in yellow.

A flash of white light blinded me before I understood what was happening. It was several seconds later, and now, I could hear applause, but I couldn’t see anything. I blinked my eyes hard, trying to get rid of the flash.

“Huh?” I heard Trixa near me.

“What’s happening? I can’t see a thing!” June complained.

It took a few more seconds, but finally, I could see that I was no longer in the bubble I had been in previously, but instead, I sat in a huge room, the ceilings holding several chandeliers that lit up the room immensely.

June and Trixa sat next to me, squinting at the room we were in. There were large, polished, wooden chairs with a comfy black cushion both on the back and where we sat.

Several people surrounded us, all wearing black suits, looking like maids and servants. I even recognized Dyue!

“Welcome back, Gary and Trixa,” one of the people said as he stepped up to me. “Our sincere sorrow goes out to you, Trixa.” He bowed. “But a most delighted congratulations for you, Gary, on earning your Iron Badge. It is my honor.” He held out a white cloth towards me as he bowed once again. It held a tiny, gray, metal item in the shape of a horseshoe.

“My… Iron Badge?” I looked up at the man in disbelief.

“Congratulations, sir,” the man told me.

I smiled and took it carefully. “I won my second Badge! The Iron Badge!!”

Everyone in the room, June and Trixa included, applauded me loudly.

“There shall be a special dinner here for you. Perhaps, a party, or a celebration, is the better word,” the man who gave me my Badge informed me with a proud smile. “We hope you’ll join us.”

I hate parties and huge celebrations, I thought to myself. I have to find a way out of this. But how can I be rude like that? This city is amazing! I can’t just deny them like that. I really didn’t want to, but I put on my best smile, glanced around at everyone, and said, “Well, DUH!” I laughed.

Everyone laughed and applauded me.

*

The party was horrible, like I knew it would be. The food was the best I’d ever had, period. There was a lot of laughter and joking and me telling my story of my win, at the very least, five thousand times, to everyone. There were a ton of beautiful girls everywhere I looked. I took about a billion photos. The problem was, there were just too many people. In fact, that wasn’t it, so much. It was just how socially awkward I can be, even in small crowds. Sometimes, I can get so uncomfortable around people I know, let alone those I’ve never met a day in my life. All the noise, the commotion, how ugly I felt in the presence of so many beautiful, perfect people, their smiles making me wish I were dead. I could never have as perfect a smile as one person in that room did, the small gap in between my two front teeth making me feel as if I were a leper.

On occasion, a few people asked me and June about our survival at the Pokemon League in Kanto during the Team Solace attack, and we had to respectfully decline discussing it several times. Those who had asked understood our feelings and apologized, though, every thirty minutes or so, someone new would appear and ask us if we were indeed the kids who had survived.

It was a pretty horrible night for how much I was laughing and having a pretty good time, though a lot of the laughter and smiles I displayed were forced.

Trixa seemed to be enjoying herself, but every once in awhile, I caught her scowling at the floor momentarily before smiling broadly and going to the tables lined with food. The girl sure could eat. I rarely caught her without a plate of food, eagerly devouring whatever was on it.

All of our Pokemon had been sent to the Pokemon Center at the same time that June, Trixa, and I had been teleported out of the Gym, and we were told that they were all in a special room designed for Pokemon to enjoy themselves while the people partied.

I didn’t see Prof. Russell once the entire night. When I inquired about him to one of the servants, he informed me that Prof. Russell was a hard worker and not the most social man, but is very kind. He said that Prof. Russell works so hard that it is rumored that he gets next to no sleep as he works on ways to improve the city, and his battling skills as a Gym Leader.

Now, we were all in the bedroom, me on one of the three beds in the room, flipping through the TV channels.

June was in her bed, staring at the TV I was surfing through, a bored look on her face.

Trixa was stretching her legs around in all kinds of directions, paying us no mind.

Suddenly, a thought came to my mind, and I tossed the remote onto June’s bed and sat up, looking at Trixa.

“Hey!” June sat up in surprise.

“Trixa!” I called to her.

Trixa turned very slowly to me, a crazed smile on her face, her eyes wide, her legs frozen in the air. “Mmmm?”

“Uh… So when do you plan on going back to fight for your Iron Badge?” I asked.

“I’m not,” she giggled.

“What do you mean? Why not?”

She shrugged. “I don’t like it there. I’m gonna just go to the next city or town. They cheat here.”

I sighed. “Trixa, don’t say that. They don’t cheat. They just battle differently here.”

“It’s silly!” Trixa insisted, maintaining her smile. “I’ll get my next Badge where they don’t have silly willy rules.” She laughed and started pedaling her legs in the air as if she were on a bicycle.

“Trixa, don’t be dumb, for once,” I said with a little more attitude than I had intended. “Come on. Let’s head outside right now and have us a battle!” I smiled at her.

Trixa turned back to me, but her smile was gone, her eyes squinted, a cold look forcing my smile away. She shook her head. “You know, sometimes, Gary, you’re nice. But other times, you are just, like. I don’t even wanna say it. I don’t even care to say it. I really, really think I’m sick of you already.”

June cut off the TV. “Okay, wait a minute, everyone. Let-”

“June, no, okay? I’ve been thinking about this for a while.” Trixa stood up and crossed her arms, her eyes glued to me. “I was never well liked at school, or in my neighborhood. My family loved me, but that was about it. I feel like I’ve mentioned this to you before. Well, I left on a journey to find out if I could find real friends. If they couldn’t be human, then Pokemon would be just as good, and I was sure they’d be even better. And guess what? I was right. Pokemon are incredible, loving, cuddly, funny, and they don’t hate me!” Trixa’s eyes were overflowing with tears, running onto her cheeks.

“Trixa, I never said I hate you!” I said, leaping out of bed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you like this.” I was feeling really bad now. Even if I thought Trixa was out of her mind, she was still a kind girl, and after all this time, she had sort of grown on me, in a way. I guess. She was truly like a friend now. Or something.

“Trixa, don’t let Gary get to you, honey,” June pleaded as she stood up. “He’s always like that. He’s a good person deep down.”

“I don’t want that! I want to be with open, honest people. Not people who put you down and look at you crazy! I see those looks, Gary!” Trixa was openly crying as she spoke.

June walked over to Trixa, her arms open wide to pull her into a hug.

“No, June!” Trixa sobbed, shaking her head and taking a step back from her. “I don’t want this! This isn’t what I want! Nobody should make anyone cry like this! Ever! It’s not what I believe in! And now, I’m crying. I know it’s my time to go. I always know. I just never know soon enough.” Trixa made her way past June and I and left the bedroom.

“Trixa!” June called after her. She glared at me. “Do something!”

I ran out of the room after Trixa.

She was sniffling by the door she had just walked through, digging through her bag.

“Trixa, please. Wait,” I said to her softly. “I just want you to hear me out. If you want to leave, you can, but at least allow me to say goodbye. At least hear-wait...” I squinted hard at the object in her hand. “Is that a freaking Town Map? Your electronic one?!”

“Huh? Yeah,” Trixa said, turning to me with a smile, her eyes puffy and red. “I found it like, last week or something. I guess I didn’t lose it after all! Ha ha!”

“And you didn’t tell anyone???” I exploded. “What in the name of common sense is wrong with you??”

“GARY!!” June raged behind me.

My eyes widened in shock. “Oh…”

Trixa’s bottom lip quivered, and without another word, she grabbed her bag and bolted from the room, slamming the door behind her.

I stood there, staring at the door. Did I really just lose it over a freaking map? I asked myself. I know she’s insane, but was I really that fed up with her? Was that much anger built up over her? What is wrong with me? Am I really that bad of a person? Am I that secluded and resistant that I make people feel that way around me? I turned around to see June staring at me, her eyes watering. Why do you stay, then, June? “I’m sorry,” I whispered to her, my own eyes tearing up.

June nodded, and then she silently turned away from me. She walked into the bedroom and closed the door quietly.

I stood in the middle of the living room, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t move for nearly an hour.

One of the servants had come in to check on me and June not long after Trixa had left, and after letting him know we were fine, he left.

Eventually, I sat down on the floor, and as sleep started to force itself into me, I wrapped my arms around my knees and rested my head on my knees. My eyes closed as I got closer to sleep.

It had been a good while since I’d taken much needed time to analyze myself and realize what a crappy person I truly can be to the people I care about.