I stared at the blue screen as the phone rang.

“A Trainer was found in the middle of the road near Dewkey City, mauled half to death,” a woman stated on the news from the TV behind me. “Jason Moe was raising a Luxray, a Pokemon known for being very prideful and dangerous to raise without proper care. It’s believed that the Trainer may have been unsuccessful in feeding the Pokemon’s need for praise and constant attention, and the Pokemon turned on him. Jason is in critical condition while his Pokemon, Luxray, is still on the loose. Police are warning people that this lightning fast Pokemon is dangerous and to avoid it at all costs. Please call your local police department if you believe you have spotted this Pokemon.”

Thunder rumbled outside, and I turned to the window as lightning flashed, raindrops pounding against the window rapidly.

“Hello?”

I gasped as the beautiful face of Prof. Juniper suddenly appeared onscreen. “Professor Juniper!”

There was a squeak next to me.

“Hello!” She squinted at me. “Say…” Her eyes widened in realization. “I know you, don’t I?” A smile crossed her face. “Yes, of course! Gary, from Pallet Town! You visited my lab when the two new Trainers were on their way and then you ran off when I went to give you a Pokedex! I remember you were with your girlfriend.” She sighed as her eyes lowered, clearly reflecting on June.

A second squeak reached my ears.

“That wasn’t my girlfriend,” I muttered, and then I lowered my head in shame. “But aside from that, that day we met is kind of why I called. I know you know what all of that was about, now, and I called to apologize. I felt so terrible about just leaving you like that. I just-”

“Now, now,” Prof. Juniper said sympathetically. “Relax. Prof. Oak explained everything to me. I understand. Don’t worry. I’m glad that you called me, Gary. All of your Pokemon are with me and doing just fine. I have Primeape, Porygon-Z, Butterfree, Darmanitan, Cottonee… Um… Baltoy, Seismitoad, Sawk, Noctowl, and Kingdra. You have an amazing collection of Pokemon. And, please, continue to feel free to swap your Pokemon at any time.”

But not Charizard, I thought without meaning to, and I blinked rapidly, trying to hold back the emotions within me as tears tried to fill my eyes.

“I also have your Archeops, who has created a tree in the area outside of my lab and is doing just fine.”

“It created a tree? What do you mean?” I asked her.

“Well, Archeops has a very strict diet,” Prof. Juniper explained easily. “It’s an omnivore, meaning it eats both plants and meat. It seems to be particularly picky about the plants it will eat. The kind it seems to like no longer exists. Luckily, Archeops has several seeds from ancient times on its body, and it has planted one outside in the back of my lab. It lets out a cry that triggers the seeds to grow into a tree that produces the very fruit it eats! Take a look!” Prof. Juniper shuffled through things on the table in front of her for a moment before finally holding up a tablet computer.

“It’s Archeops!” I stared at the picture of an Archeops sitting on top of a huge tree that resembled the one I had seen so close to Verdew Town in the forest where we had been chased by the Vigoroth.

There was another excited squeak next to me.

“This is your Archeops, and that is the tree it created!” Prof. Juniper lowered her tablet, smiling at me. “It’s been years since I’ve had the chance to care for an Archeops. This catch is rather remarkable, Gary.”

I smiled and lowered my eyes, embarrassed by her compliment. “Yeah, well, thanks,” I chuckled nervously.

“Unfortunately, due to this Pokemon’s strict diet, I think it’d be best that we not transfer it or send it to you at all while you’re out traveling on your journey,” Prof. Juniper said sadly.

“What? Why?” I cried in disappointment.

“Well, remember, it has such a strict diet!” Prof. Juniper told me.

“Ooooh…” I immediately knew where she was going with this.

Another thrilled squeak cried out next to me.

“How are you going to be able to supply it with food? And, this Pokemon was extremely difficult to get to calm down,” Prof. Juniper continued. “The amount of damage it did to my lab is enormous and extremely costly. You have no idea what I went through before that picture was possible to take! I sure do miss Bianca. She’s just a little bit clumsy, but things are a lot harder around here without her!” Prof. Juniper smiled.

“If I may ask, where is she?”

“She’s in the Sinnoh region right now with the previous Pokemon Champion there, Cynthia, doing some research on some ruins for me,” Prof. Juniper answered. “She should be back in about a week, but then I have to send her off again somewhere else for some more research I need her assistance with.”

“Oh, okay,” I nodded. A thought came to my head. “Professor, you have Porygon-Z, right?”

“That’s right, Gary,” she nodded eagerly, and her eyes seemed to light up.

My eyes widened in surprise at her reaction to my question.

She seemed… happy?

“And… How has that been for you…?” I asked slowly. “I was thinking of taking it back if it’s been giving you a hard time.”

I heard a gasp at my side.

Prof. Juniper laughed lightly. “Prof. Oak warned me that Porygon-Z was quite the troublemaker, and to protect all of my files about a thousand times over, but, for me, Porygon-Z has been a total sweetheart!”

“It has??” I burst out louder than I meant. “Really??”

“Yes, of course! It’s been a delight to have! If you do want it back, you’re welcome to retrieve it, but, I’ve been learning so much about it and we’ve been having loads of fun together! Porygon-Z has been quite useful in my research.”

“That’s… amazing!” I laughed. “If it’s not giving you any problems, then, please, keep it a while longer!”

“Okay, that sounds perfect to me,” Prof. Juniper replied with delight.

A sigh of relief was let out beside me.

“Ha, I really can’t believe it! Prof. Oak was going mad taking care of Porygon-Z. I’m glad it likes you.” My smile faded as I thought of Prof Oak. “Have you heard from Prof. Oak by any chance?” I asked the female professor, interrupting her as she had started to say something to me. “Is he alright?”

The squeak next to me returned.

“Oh, yes, he’s doing well,” Prof. Juniper nodded. “He gives you his best regards and says not to worry about him.”

“Tell him I’m worrying, alright? I was terrified! Even after they said he was alive, I wasn’t comforted until I saw him with my own two eyes!”

“I was exactly the same,” Prof. Juniper nodded. “What a relief!”

“Yeah,” I nodded back.

Neither of us spoke, and the squeak returned.

I sighed. “Professor Juniper, I hate to ask this of you, but, do you think you could do me one little favor?”

Her eyes widened. “What’s that?”

I glanced at June.

She was standing to my right, bouncing on her feet the entire time, her hands clasped together in excitement, her eyes glistening like diamonds as she squeaked impatiently, smiling at the screen as if the answer to all of her problems was staring back at her from it.

Sighing, I turned back to Prof. Juniper. “Would you be so kind as to speak to June? She’s been-”

“June??” Prof. Juniper’s eyes widened and she swallowed. “June?!”

“Well… if-yaaahh!!” A loud scream rang out and I was pushed out of the chair and I dropped to the floor.

“Professor Juniper, do you remember me?!?! It’s me, Juuuuune!!!” June screeched with delight. “I can’t believe we’re meeting again after all this time!! I swear, it was all Gary’s idea! I had no plans of leaving you like that! Gary gets so impulsive and just doesn’t think sometimes, I swear! I’m so sorry! I tried to talk him out of it, honestly. You have nooooooo idea how hard it is to deal with him sometimes. He is so hardheaded sometimes, but then, other times, he can be really thoughtful and caring. Did you hear how, when you said that I was his girlfriend, Gary got all mean and grumpy and said, ‘she’s not my girlfriend?’” June mimicked my voice terribly. “What a grouch, huh? I mean, I’m not his girlfriend, but, like, why does he have to sound so upset over the assumption? He does that with everyone who asks. You know, I can still read Pokemon, if you need a new or extra assistant around! Who is this girl that you have, anyway? Is she pretty? Is she nice? Can she read Pokemon? Speaking of which, is Porygon-Z really behaving itself, now? I can’t believe you like Porygon-Z! I mean, that’s toooootally something we have in common! I love that Porygon-Z!”

My face twisted in disbelief at June’s words as I stared up at her, squinting angrily, my mouth open in shock. Really, June? I thought with building rage as I recalled all the hatred and fear she had for Porygon-Z back in Kanto and when I had it with me briefly in Spart Town. REALLY???

“Gary just let that poor, adorable Pokemon do whatever it wanted, and so when it went to Prof. Oak, it was evidently poorly trained and just simply didn’t know better,” June went on. “It was so out of control, I couldn’t even read the poor little baby! I’m glad that darling is in good hands, now. You know, when I was a little girl-”

I quickly got to my feet and scurried backwards out of the Pokemon Center, keeping my eyes on June, shaking my head at her in anger, not believing what she had just told Prof. Juniper about Porygon-Z.

Prof. Juniper’s mouth was hung open in shock, an already exhausted look on her face as June blabbed on about nothing.

The rain poured down on me and I flinched, shutting my eyes tight for a second before opening them and looking up into the gray, cloudy sky. Thunder rumbled lowly as I looked away and turned to my left, and then to my right, before I spotted who I was looking for.

Courtney stood by herself at the front of the building, a pink umbrella over her head. She turned to me and smiled. “Hey there, Sugar Lumps!”

I nodded awkwardly and sighed as I looked up into the sky again, rain falling onto my face, and I closed my eyes. My body shivered in the cool air as a light breeze blew around me. A needed comfort was felt from both outside and inside of me as I stood in the rain, my hands dug deep into my jacket pockets. Charizard, I thought to myself. Where could you be at right now? My eyes filled with tears, pressing up against my eyelids. I inhaled deeply and then exhaled shakily, a shiver running down my spine. Just go back to Pallet Town. Find Prof. Oak. Don’t go looking for me. Don’t go out doing whatever it is you’re doing right now. I lowered my head and opened my eyes, staring at the ground. He has to be out looking for me, I told myself. What else could he possibly be out there doing? Whatever it is, it’s too dangerous for him to be out like this by himself. Especially now, with… I stopped my thought and closed my eyes even tighter, narrowing my eyebrows in anger. I couldn’t bear to continue thinking about it any further. “Hm?” My thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a sound I had heard all night last night, which made it hard to fall asleep.

Courtney had seemed to be enjoying the racket last night.

June was impartial to it, not really hating it, nor enjoying it.

It was the sound of loud rock music. It was blasting from somewhere.

Thunder crashed loudly above, making me jump and look up into the sky.

Lightning flashed brightly, startling me, and I nearly tripped over my own feet, just barely catching my balance. I straightened my jacket, looking around, embarrassed, but only Courtney was around, and her eyes were on the sky. My eyes scanned Virbank City, wondering where the music was coming from. Roxie? I wondered. The rock music artist lives here. Could it be her making all that noise? Hmm. Poison type Pokemon. Drifloon, Unfezant, Dugtrio, Elgyem, Weepinbell, and Excadrill. A Steel type like Excadrill will do great since Steel types are immune to Poison type moves. Elgyem is Psychic, so his Psychic moves will be strong against Poison types, and so will Dugtrio’s Ground moves. I grabbed the six Poke Balls from my belt and tossed them into the air. “Alright. Come on out, everybody!”

“Floooon…” Drifloon drifted slowly to the ground and stayed still, looking sad.

“Unfezant!” Unfezant landed on the ground and looked up at me proudly. He then looked up into the sky above him and rustled his wings against the falling rain.

“Elgyem!” Elgyem’s dots blinked repeatedly at me.

“Bell! Bell!” Weepinbell said.

“Excadrill!” Excadrill greeted me, raising his claws into the air. “Ex?” He looked up at the sky, glaring at the falling rain.

“Trio! Trio! Trio!” Dugtrio sang out. In an instant, he went underground, also clearly bothered by the rain.

“Alright, everyone, listen up! Let’s have us a quick little pep talk, okay?” I told my Pokemon.

My Pokemon all nodded except for Drifloon, who didn’t move at all, and Dugtrio, who returned to the surface to listen to me, shivering uncomfortably in the rain.

Thunder exploded above, accompanied by flashes of lightning, and all of us, including Courtney, screamed out and looked up at the sky.

Dugtrio disappeared underground again.

“Elgy!” Elgyem floated over to my right shoulder and took a seat, wrapping his arms around my neck as he kept his gaze on the sky.

“It’s alright, everyone,” I choked out against my Pokemon’s tight grip. “Just a little storm, alright? I want everyone’s attention, please!”

Dugtrio reappeared again, his eyes on me.

I nodded at him with a smile. “Listen, guys. We’re in Virbank City, the home of our final Gym battle.” I looked over at all of my Pokemon, my eyes stopping on Drifloon. “She’s a Poison type Gym Leader, so you guys should be on guard. I know you’re part Steel, Excadrill, but Gym Leaders always have little tricks to get around their weaknesses and stuff, so you stay ready, as well.”

“Excadrill!” Excadrill nodded.

The rest of my Pokemon, aside from Drifloon, nodded determinedly.

“Drifloon?” I walked over to her and got down on my knees, wiping at the rain running down my face.

Elgyem continued to hang on tight to my neck.

“Drifloon, what’s wrong? You’ve been out of it for like, two weeks. Will you please tell me what’s going on? Why are you so down? Are you sick? Do you want to go with Prof. Juniper instead of traveling with me? I’m worried about you. Speak to me, Drifloon. I’m here to help you.”

“Floooooooooooooon…”

Drifloon’s voice made me shiver as if I were naked in the waters of Antarctica. My arms wrapped around my shoulders as I trembled in place from the disturbing, haunting, chilling sound Drifloon had just made.

My other five Pokemon all cried out in surprise.

Elgyem whined in my ear, wrapping his arms around his body, and he fell off of my shoulder and hit the ground, shaking badly.

Unfezant’s wings flapped in shock before his head turned around backwards as he settled down on the ground, also shivering, and he nestled his head against his wet feathers as they puffed up around his body.

Excadrill dropped to his knees, holding his body.

Weepinbell bent over.

Dugtrio disappeared underground.

“Sh-sh-she’s tired of letting you down, G-G-G-Gary!”

“Huh?” I whipped my head around and stared at June and Courtney, both girls holding themselves tightly, shivering and getting soaked in the rain.

Courtney’s umbrella was lying on the ground next to her.

“Dr-Dr-Drifloon just said that sh-sh-she-she-she’s tired of l-letting you down!” June stammered. “Gosh, I’ve never heard such a mournful sound in all my life. I’m chilled to the bone by what she just said!”

“I-I-I-I th-th-think I’m more b-b-b-b-bothered b-b-by h-h-how it said it m-more than anything else!” Courtney stuttered.

“J-June, what are you doing here?” I asked, rubbing my arms to try and warm myself up, with failed results. “What happened to your call with Prof. Juniper?”

“She suddenly got an important phone call from Bianca and had to go,” June explained sadly.

I had a feeling Bianca hadn’t made a phone call to the professor. I shook my head hard as rain dripped down from my head and got into my eyes. “Drifloon is tired of letting me down? What do you mean?” I turned to Drifloon.

My Pokemon were all staring at Drifloon, except for Dugtrio, who never returned back from underground, Elgyem the only one who was actually glaring at her.

Her body slid along the ground as she turned away from me, her back facing me. “Floooon…” Drifloon moaned sorrowfully, weakly.

“Drifloon?” I called to her.

“She said that she’s a failure for you,” June told me.

“I don’t understand! Why would you think that, Drifloon? You’re one of my most powerful Pokemon I own! Why would you think you’re a failure for me? I can always count on you for anything!”

Drifloon’s body swirled on the ground, ascending quickly. “Floooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooonnnn!!!”

My eyes slammed shut as I screamed from the freezing cold that surpassed any low temperature I had ever known, my screaming drowned out by a sudden explosion of thunder above. Even with my eyes closed, I could see the bright flash from the lightning that followed. There was no place on Earth that had temperatures as freezing as what I was feeling at this very moment. I couldn’t move, my body frozen solid, my arms wrapped around me, my scream silenced from my lips, but continuing inside of my head. My body leaned forward and I dropped to my knees, still unable to move, not convinced that I was even breathing. What is this? I questioned fearfully. Is this some kind of attack? Why is she doing this? I coughed, and my throat became sore from the action. I groaned lightly, falling to my side. My breathing was shaky and weak, but it was returning to me. I could now begin to feel my body shivering, and I tightened my hands on my shoulders. My eyelids slid apart very slowly, but I couldn’t see anybody or any of my Pokemon. All I could see was the ground and several buildings in Virbank City, rain continuing to drip into my eyes. Trembling uncontrollably, I carefully rolled over onto my knees, wishing that the chilling cold feeling would go away already, wondering why it was so cold now. My coat, I thought to myself, wishing I could just pull off my backpack and dig through it. But, no. It was a struggle to move as it was. I didn’t want to remove my arms from around me, even though they weren’t providing much, if any, heat. But I was afraid I might actually freeze to death if I moved them.

“G-G-Gary,” a voice whispered from behind me.

“H-huh?” I responded in too low of a voice for anyone but me to hear. I turned my head slowly and stopped as I spotted my five Pokemon.

Drifloon was in the air, looking down sadly at me.

Elgyem was on the ground, right next to me, his body huddled up, trembling, his eyes closed tightly.

My other Pokemon were on the ground, struggling to stand up, shaking hard.

Dugtrio was nowhere in sight, still hiding underground.

I swallowed and cleared my throat, feeling my body start to warm up noticeably, and I lowered my hands to the ground and tried to push myself up to my feet. My arms were too weak, and I gave up, still shivering. “Drifloon,” I managed to speak to her. I inhaled deeply and tried again to get up, pushing my hands against the ground, and I stumbled over a few steps as I stood up, hunched over slightly. “Elgyem.” I bent over, nearly falling over as my energy was still just starting to return, and I lifted my Pokemon up, cradling him in my arms.

“El…” Elgyem turned his head towards me and his red eyes stared up at me.

“Come here,” I smiled. “It’s alright.” I brought his body closer to mine and turned to face Drifloon. “Drifloon…”

My other three Pokemon managed to get up, but they were all now glaring at Drifloon.

Elgyem also turned towards Drifloon, scowling.

“Sh-she’s thinking about the P-Po-Pokemon League,” June’s voice reached my ears.

I turned to see her standing up.

She looked extremely pale, her lips blue, a white frost on her face that was quickly melting away. Her hair was matted around her head from the rain, her clothes thoroughly soaked and clinging to her body.

Courtney was still on the ground, her arms around her knees, shaking as the rain drenched her.

“The Pokemon League?” I asked June, shaking the rain from my eyes again. “She’s thinking about the Unova League Conference? I don’t understand.”

June shook her head. “She’s ups-s-set ab-b-bout the K-K-Kanto League competition you competed in with her.”

“Kanto?” I squinted at June in confusion, blinking drops of rain out of my eyes. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Sh-she lost…” June whispered.

My lips opened at June’s words. “Lost…” I turned to Drifloon. “You’re upset because you lost at the Pokemon League?”

“Floooon…” Drifloon drifted to the ground sadly.

“She feels sorry for letting you down,” June said softly. “She’s felt like a failure for all this time since she lost way back then.”

“Drifloon, is this true?” I approached her, my body’s temperature returning back to normal, and I kneeled down by her. “You’re upset over that?”

Drifloon refused to look me in the eyes, keeping her eyes on the ground. “Flooooon…”

“Drifloon, don’t you remember what you did out there? You faced a Solrock and beat it!” I reminded her. “You took out a Wormadam, and a Pikachu! And after all that, you stood up to a Gliscor and helped us beat it! You have nothing to be ashamed of! You battled incredibly, Drifloon!”

“Flooooon… Floooooon…” Drifloon’s face flushed red as she shook it sadly.

“Drifloon, you didn’t let me down.” I shifted Elgyem into one arm and reached out my other hand to touch the top of Drifloon’s chilly body. My hand pulled back in shock from how cold she felt. She looked up at me, and I smiled back. “Drifloon, you don’t let me down by losing a battle,” I spoke gently. “Do you know how many battles me and my Pokemon have lost together? I don’t care about that. Don’t you remember the talk we had a little while ago with Unfezant?”

Unfezant ruffled his wet, puffy feathers, looking to me.

“As long as we get back up and try again and do our best each and every time, there are no regrets,” I told Drifloon.

“Floooon! Floon!” Drifloon closed her eyes and shivered, shaking her head.

“I think she’s thinking about Gramma, now,” June told me. “She’s saying that she failed you, then, too.”

“Drifloon, stop it!” I said loudly, my body feeling back to normal again, trembling from the cold of the rain.

“Floon!” Drifloon gasped, looking up at me tearfully.

“No more of this! Do you want to know what really is a letdown, or a disappointment, or a failure, for me?” I asked angrily.

Drifloon didn’t answer me, staring into my eyes.

“It’s when my Pokemon give up on themselves,” I told her in a more gentle tone, softening my angry expression. “It’s when my Pokemon don’t try their best. We can’t succeed if we don’t give it our all. We can’t learn from our mistakes if we don’t keep trying afterwards. We have to lose to know what we did wrong, and then try again. No matter how many times we fall, we get right back up and fight twice as hard, and twice as smart. We never repeat our mistakes. That’s the growth for a Pokemon, a Pokemon Trainer, and that’s part of the relationship between the Pokemon and its Trainer. And you know what else is a part of that relationship?”

“Floooon…” Drifloon said lightly.

“Love,” I smiled. “Friendship. Forgiveness. I love you, Drifloon. You’re one of my best friends. I know you’re a great battler because you give it your all. You lost a couple of times, but so did I. Your loss is everyone’s. Mine, Weepinbell’s, Elgyem’s, Excadrill’s, Unfezant’s, Dugtrio’s-”

Dugtrio suddenly popped up from underground. “Trio!” he cried out fearfully.

Drifloon didn’t take her eyes off of me.

I smiled at Dugtrio before looking back to Drifloon. “Cottonee, Darmanitan, Seismitoad… Our old friends, Porygon-Z, Butterfree, Kingdra, Noctowl, Baltoy, Primeape… Charizard…” I paused as I remembered my Pokemon, and a sad sigh escaped my breath.

“Floooooon…” One of Drifloon’s appendages reached up to my face and wiped at my right cheek.

For a moment, I wondered if maybe I was crying, and Drifloon had wiped at a tear. It was hard to tell in the rain. I smiled. “Everyone. Even our newest friends, Sawk and Archeops.” I turned to my other five Pokemon. “When one of us loses, we all lose, but a victory is a victory for us all, as well. We support one another as friends. We back each other up. We comfort one another. Right?”

Weepinbell, Excadrill, Unfezant, and Dugtrio agreed happily.

Drifloon twirled and ascended into the sky, crying out with pleasure.

“Mmmm.” I turned around at the sound and saw June smiling at me with her arms crossed.

I smiled back at her.

“Floooooooooon!!”

“Drifloon?” I turned towards her as she cried out.

Drifloon’s eyes were closed tight and she was descending rapidly. She hit the ground, moaning painfully.

“Hey!” June ran forward and stopped in front of me, glaring at Elgyem. “He just hurt Drifloon!” June accused, pointing at Elgyem. “He just gave her a headache!”

I realized that Elgyem’s eyes were glowing red.

“Elgy!” Elgyem looked away from Drifloon on the ground and stared directly at June.

June screamed as she gripped the sides of her head, her eyes closed tight, and dropped to her knees.

Elgyem’s eyes faded back to their duller red color.

“Elgyem!!” I yelled angrily as I gripped him by his shoulders and turned him around to face me. “I’ve already told you about that! What did we just get through talking about? We’re all friends here, Elgyem! Why would you do that to them? Are you mad?!” I wanted to shake Elgyem until his huge head fell off, but I restrained the urge and just continued to grip the Pokemon furiously, my fingers digging harder into his shoulders. My teeth grinded against each other as my eyes blazed at him. They would have caused Elgyem his own headache if I had the ability to.

“Elgy! El! El!” Elgyem squirmed in my tight grasp, crying out painfully with his eyes closed.

I loosened my grip and lowered my hold around his middle. “Elgyem, you and I are about to have some huge problems if you attack my friends like that again!” I said strictly. “I love and will protect you with my life, just like I would for any of my friends. Friends do not attack friends! That was uncalled for, Elgyem!”

Elgyem lowered his head sadly and raised his hands, the dots on them blinking rapidly. “Elgyem.”

June moaned, her eyes still closed, rubbing the sides of her wet head.

“Floooon…” Drifloon moaned, glaring up at Elgyem.

“Elgyem.” Elgyem struggled out of my hands and floated over to Drifloon, hovering just an inch above the ground, next to her. He raised his hands and the dots on them blinked repeatedly. “Elgyem. Elgyem.” He floated over to June, floating above her.

June looked up weakly at the Pokemon, squinting in pain.

The dots on his hands blinked at June. “Elgy. Elgyem.”

June shot the Pokemon a dirty look, but nodded and then lowered her head, crying out weakly.

Elgyem floated back over to my right shoulder to take a seat. “Elgy!” He raised his hands in the air, and the dots blinked once more.

“He said sorry, basically,” June sighed, rubbing her head.

“Fine.” I sighed. “You’re forgiven, Elgyem. Right, everyone?” I asked.

Weepinbell, Unfezant, Excadrill, and Dugtrio all muttered their names as answers, looking away from me, to the ground.

Drifloon didn’t say a word, staring coldly at Elgyem.

June grumbled something.

Courtney was silent behind me.

“Hey!” I called out. “What did I say about love, friendship, forgiveness, and all that stuff? Let’s forgive Elgyem. He’s a good Pokemon, and our friend. Riiiiiiight?”

My Pokemon grumbled again, Drifloon joining in this time, not taking her hard eyes off of Elgyem.

“Sure,” June mumbled.

I cleared my throat angrily. “Come on, guys!” I crossed my arms.

My Pokemon all grumbled a little bit louder, turning to Elgyem.

Drifloon’s glare faded.

“Okay, okay.” June climbed to her feet. “But no more of that stuff!”

Elgyem nodded quickly, and his dots blinked again.

I nodded with approval. “Now, let’s go get that final Badge from Roxie!”

My Pokemon all cheered eagerly.

“Come on back, everyone!” I returned nearly all of my Pokemon, stopping as I gripped Unfezant’s Poke Ball. “Hey!”

“Fezant?” Unfezant looked up at me with surprise.

“I’m not sure if I’ll use you against this Gym, but regardless of that, you better remember: no more of that crazy battling. Okay? A loss is a loss. Don’t go too far for me, because that’s not what I want from you, okay?”

“Unfezant!” Unfezant flapped his wings.

“Good,” I grinned. “Now, let’s go!” I returned him to his Poke Ball. “You ready to get this next Badge, Courtney?” I turned to her, and my eyes widened slightly in shock when I saw that she was just a couple of feet away from me.

“I just don’t want to go through whatever the hell that was with the freezing cold, okay?” Courtney told me uncomfortably, her umbrella opened over her head.

“Don’t worry. It should be all okay, now,” June smiled proudly at Courtney. “So, what did you think?”

“Huh? What did I think about what? The cold? It was horrible! Did you not get the gist of how I felt about it?”

“Not that,” June replied smugly. “I just proved that I can communicate with Pokemon. There’s no doubt about it, now. You just witnessed it with your own two eyes.”

Courtney gave June a bored look. “I told you already that Drifloon was sad because she lost her battle against Gramma back in Verdew Town, June. And you even agreed with me that I was right, too. Are you really trying to act like I didn’t say it first, now?”

“What?! I-but-you-but-but-!” June stuttered.

“I really expected better from you than to try that, June,” Courtney laughed. “Did you think I forgot that I said that first?” She laughed and turned to me. “I think the first thing we all need to do is change out of our wet clothes. And then we can get our Badges, right, Gary?”

I glanced at the rage on June’s face, and even though it wasn’t aimed at me, I looked away in fear, opting to go inside of the Pokemon Center and away from her.

Courtney took me by surprise as I started to walk past her and wrapped me up in a wet hug. Her lips brushed lightly against my ear. “Congratulations on working things out with your Pokemon,” she whispered. “You really know how to work with them.”

“Thanks…” I said hesitantly, shivering from the chills I got from Courtney’s lips moving against my ear as she spoke, her breath blowing gently into it. My arms extended on their own and wrapped gently around her waist. It felt nice holding a female like that. Manly. Fulfilling. Meant to be.

Courtney’s embrace tightened.

Even though I couldn’t see either girl’s face, I knew that June was fuming.

*

“So, this is where that crappy music is coming from,” I noted, staring up at the tall, purple building with one row of tinted windows at eye level, another row of dark windows near the top.

In bold, black letters just a few inches below the top row of windows were the enormous words: VIRBANK CITY POKEMON GYM: ROXIE. At the beginning and end of the block of words was a purple guitar. Below the words, an electronic billboard flashed the words: NEW ALBUM!!!!! The words disappeared and: POISON ON THE STAGE 2 rolled across the screen. THE SEQUEL TO THE CLASSIC ALBUM rolled across next. COMING MAY 2nd were the last words to go across the screen before the sign repeated its messages.

The storm had stopped, but the sky was still gray and flashing with bright lightening.

“This is gonna be your last Badge, Gary,” Courtney said, her eyes on the billboard above. “How do you feel?”

“Excited,” I answered. “Terrified, in a way, too.”

“You have to be strong,” Courtney told me, smiling at me. “For your Pokemon.”

“Yeah,” I nodded, smiling back at her. “Come on, let’s go!”

“Good luck, Gary!” June smiled at me.

Courtney turned to June expectantly.

June turned to Courtney, her smile fading. “Courtney,” she nodded.

“Yes?” Courtney continued to stare at June.

I stared at June, tilting my head.

She looked at me and sighed, and then turned to Courtney. Slowly, a forced, strange smile crept across her face. “Good luck in getting your tenth Badge,” she spoke through teeth that never separated.

“Thanks, Juni!” Courtney beamed. “Group hug?” She opened her arms wide.

June and I exchanged quick glances before moving forward and hugging Courtney.

“Alright, Badge number eight is mine!” I said as I released Courtney. I walked up to the Gym door, gripped the doorknob strongly, turned it, and shoved it open.

The music inside literally forced me right back out of the building, and the door slammed shut.

“Whoa!” I exclaimed, my heart beating hard and rapidly. I placed my hand over my chest. “What in the world?” I turned to my companions.

They both had the same shocked expressions on their faces that I had.

June swallowed and shook her head. “Guess she’s practicing?”

“Well, it’s time for her to cut the music and get ready for a battle with me and Courtney,” I said strongly, and I approached the door again. I grabbed the doorknob and turned it, pushing open the door. The music inside tried to throw me out again, but I hung on to the doorknob and stood my ground. Glaring into the building with gritted teeth, I forced my way inside. My ears were already throbbing, my eyes squinting around at the astonishing sight.

The inside of the Gym was more like some kind of rock show! An enormous crowd of people were roaring and singing with a young woman who stood in front of a huge stage.

The female was screaming into a microphone that was held in its stand while she held her purple, pink, and black guitar in her hands, hanging from her neck by a black strap. Her white hair was combed down on either side of her face. She was wearing dark purple short shorts and an oversized, unbuttoned black button up shirt that reached down past her shorts and stopped right below her knees. Revealed was her short, black tank top that showed off her midriff. Her feet were in black boots that stopped above her knees, wrapped tightly with buckles.

A bald headed man was also on stage with the singer, wearing a white wife beater that showed off his muscles as he drummed spastically behind the rocker, sweating up a storm.

Another girl with a black and white guitar was rocking out onstage as well in front of her tall microphone stand, wearing red leather boots that reached right above her ankles, a red and purple dress that stopped just an inch above her boots, and way too much purple makeup around her eyes and lips. Her black hair was in one long ponytail.

The last girl on stage seemed to be providing backup vocals as she sung into her microphone, holding her own all black guitar. She was wearing tight, green leather pants, the end of the legs tucked into her black and white sneakers, and a tight, dark green shirt. Her purple hair was in pigtails. She was the only person onstage with a dark skin complexion.

The wall behind the musicians was covered by an enormous painting of a Weezing. Words in graffiti above the painting read: Weezing And The Explosions.

A structure above the crowd was flashing multiple series of bright lights all throughout the room while four enormous spotlights were focused on the stage. A pair of huge screens hung from the side walls, showing close-ups of the performance, occasionally changing to show the crowd’s happy faces. A couple of speakers hung from high up on the ceiling, near the screens, with another pair of much larger speakers sitting on the floor in front of the crowd, while two more speakers were onstage.

“Excuse me, do you guys have tickets?” A lady sat behind a long counter, a microphone sitting in front of her. Her ears, nose, and lips held a variety of rings through them, and her eyes were heavy with dark makeup, her lips pitch-black with lipstick. Her hair was cut really short around her head. The sleeves of her black shirt had been cut off sloppily, her muscles stretched against them. She lazily chewed on something as she looked us over. “Or perhaps you’re Pokemon Trainers here to challenge Roxie for the Toxic Badge.”

“Yes! We’re here to battle Roxie!” I declared loudly against the deafening music. “Me and Courtney!” I pointed back at her.

“Hi!!” Courtney shouted, smiling.

“How many Badges do you kids have? You can’t face Roxie unless you have at least five Gym Badges!” the lady yelled over the music.

“Five? Why’s that?” I asked her.

“Because Roxie’s a superstar, dude!” the lady screamed. “Do you know how many people come in here claiming to be Pokemon Trainers, or claiming to have a ton of Badges, but really only want her autograph and stuff? It becomes annoying for a person whose job it is to test the skills of a Pokemon Trainer and his or her Pokemon to be battling losers who don’t really care whether they win or lose and just wanna upload their battles on V-UTube and brag about meeting a celebrity! So, you better have, at the very least, five Badges if you intend on battling Roxie.”

“I have seven Badges, actually,” I boasted.

“I have nine…” Courtney said in a voice that was nearly taken over by the loud music.

The woman didn’t look impressed. “We’ll see about that. Lemme see your Badges.”

I walked up to the woman and unzipped my jacket, revealing my Badges clipped to the inside of it.

The woman reached under her counter and pulled out a gray scanner that she gripped by the handle. She squeezed the black trigger and a red beam hit my first Badge, the Trio Badge. She moved the scanner over the other Badges as it hummed lightly.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

She froze her scanner on the Flower Badge. “Nice try, kid, but that Badge is a fake,” the lady snapped her gum. “But, you do seem to have at least five legit Badges, so you can battle her. Now, how about her?”

“Fake? Wait a minute!” I stared at the Flower Badge in confusion. “This one?” I removed it from my jacket quickly and looked it over. “I just won this Badge not long ago! This Badge isn’t a fake!”

“It’s either a fake or insufficient, dude. You only have six Badges, alright? Now lemme check out what Badges your girlfriend here has.”

“No! I won this Badge fair and square!” My heart was beating in a panic. I couldn’t believe what this woman was telling me. She obviously didn’t know what she was talking about. She was clearly making a mistake! “I beat Gramma in Verdew Town for this Badge!”

The lady laughed at me. “Did you just say, ‘Gramma’? You battled your grandmother for that Badge?”

“No! The Gym Leader is a young lady nicknamed Gramma! I beat her Grass Gym for this Badge, lady!”

“I’ve never heard of this ‘Gramma’ Gym Leader, but your Badge is either a fraud or that supposed ‘Gym’ is no longer operating or something. You have six Badges, dude! What’s your deal? You can battle Roxie, alright?”

“But…” This was unbelievable. This woman had to be wrong!

“Gary, just get the Badge from Roxie and we can verify the Flower Badge’s legitimacy with a Nurse Joy,” June whispered in my ear. “Don’t get kicked out of here or anything, alright? You’re still allowed to battle for your Badge.”

“Excuse me,” Courtney pushed past me quickly, holding her pink Badge case with dark red hearts all around it in her hands, and she opened it in front of her body.

I couldn’t see the contents of the case, but I heard the BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

“My Badge is a fake, too?” Courtney cried, slamming her Badge case shut just as I got on my tiptoes to view her case’s contents.

“Yeah. It looks like you both got duped,” the woman nodded. “But you both have at least five Badges, so you can battle Roxie, if you’d like.”

“Yes! Right away, please!” Courtney nodded eagerly.

I swallowed nervously, still in disbelief over the woman’s claims that me and Courtney’s Badges were fake! Slowly, I managed to nod, staring at my Flower Badge.

The woman snickered. “You two look like you’ve already lost.” She shook her head.

The three of us glared her comment.

“Just wait. This song is almost over,” the woman smiled as she closed her eyes, scrunched up her face into a nasty sneer, and rocked her head hard, mouthing the words to a song I couldn’t understand.

In the next few seconds, everyone was cheering and hooting loudly, applauding Roxie as the song ended.

“That was the newest single off of the album Poison On The Stage 2, entitled, Cross Poison My Heart!” the woman in front of us shouted into the microphone. “Now, before we get into the next song, we’ll be having a pair of live battles to go along with the music!! YEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!”

Roxie smiled in my direction and nodded her head.

“Go on, dude and dudette! Y’all are up!” The woman smiled and nodded her head towards the crowd.

“Huh?” I looked.

The crowd began to cheer even louder as they turned towards me, June, and Courtney.

I noticed that Courtney’s face was now on the big screen on the left, my deformed portrait on the right screen. My screen face moved with my real face as I stared in disgust and embarrassment at myself.

“What are you guys waiting for?” The lady got to her feet and walked around the counter. “Don’t be shy, now. It’s time to go, yo!”

I gulped as I realized just how tall and muscular the woman was as she flexed her arms, standing at least seven feet tall.

“Wait!” Courtney cried out.

The woman grabbed Courtney by her waist and hoisted her high in the air.

Courtney screamed her head off.

The crowd roared with excitement.

Both big screens were now focused on Courtney’s panic.

“YAAAAAH!!” The woman tossed Courtney into the crowd as if she were weightless.

Courtney shrieked at the top of her lungs as she landed amongst the groping hands and began crowd surfing, the screens following her journey. “Garyyyyy!!!” she wailed desperately as she got closer to the stage.

“Courtney!” I called back in shock, and I ran past the woman, pushing my way through the crowd.

The smell of humid, filthy humans in a contained environment, screaming and wearing themselves out under bright lights was disgusting, and I knew I’d need a bath when I got out of this place.

In a matter of seconds, Courtney screamed out as she was tossed onstage. She got to her feet and dusted her clothes off, squinting at Roxie under the bright lights. She smiled at her. “Roxie! I can’t believe I’m meeting you! This is so cool! I remember when you guys were Koffing and the Toxics!”

“It’s always nice to meet a fan!” Roxie winked at Courtney. “But I hope you’re ready to rock out in this totally poisonous battle we’re about to have!” She strummed a loud chord on her guitar, making the crowd go into hysterics.

“I’m totally ready for this, Roxie!” Courtney said with a broad smile.

I continued shoving my way through the crowd, no longer trying to save Courtney, but just trying to get a good view of the upcoming battle.

“So why don’t you tell everyone your name and where you’re from?” Roxie said as she strummed another chord, the crowd cheering like mad.

“My name is Courtney, and I’m from LaRousse City in the Hoenn region!” Courtney shouted loudly.

The crowd roared.

“Alriiiiiight!! All the way from Hoenn! I’ve toured there! You guys know how to rock!”

“Well, they’re certainly more lively than the drags from Kanto,” the guitarist with far too much makeup on her face commented into her microphone. The screens were now focused on her face.

My heart beat sharply as my eyes squinted at this woman.

The crowd erupted at this statement, laughing, clapping, and enjoying themselves.

“Ha ha ha ha! Just as poisonous as ever, Billy Jo!” Roxie laughed.

My hands grabbed at people’s sides and shoulders as I maneuvered towards the stage, my elbows nudging room around me. I didn’t see the broad, tall man until my elbow jabbed him in the side. “Oh.” I froze as I looked up at him.

The fat man slowly turned to me, wearing no shirt, and I noticed the Weezing tattooed on his chest. His solemn face turned into a snarl and he punched his fist into his open palm, growling.

“That’s an incredible tattoo,” I squeaked fearfully.

With a loud roar, he swung at me.

With a yelp, I ducked the blow, and he socked a woman who was standing behind me, in the face!

She cried out in pain before dropping to the floor.

“Whoa!” I was suddenly shoved to the side, and then shoved hard from behind. I groaned in pain as I was slugged in the stomach by someone I couldn’t see, and I dropped to my knees as a huge brawl broke out.

“Looks like the moshing has begun!” Roxie cheered. “Courtney, let’s have us a totally boss battle accompanied with great music! One-on-three! My one Pokemon versus your three! No time limit! You with it?”

“One-on-three?” I groaned in confusion and pain, holding my sore stomach as I looked up weakly to the stage.

“One-on-three?” Courtney gasped as well. “But, that’s not fair!”

“Don’t worry about ‘fair,’ home girl,” Roxie said, backing up a few feet. “You can swap out whenever you want, too. Do you accept or what, because the crowd is ready to GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

I was on my hands and knees now, crawling closer to the stage, people tripping over me and fighting, trading blows, tossing one another, but somehow, they all seemed to be enjoying themselves!

Amongst the angry scowls and swinging fists, there were also smiles in the crowd from those sending hits and taking them, as well! The sounds of excited screams filled the air.

There has to be another Gym somewhere, I thought fearfully. This is a madhouse!

“But, can’t we just battle three-on-three? Or one-on-one?” Courtney pleaded.

“Chill out, will ya?” Roxie winked at Courtney. She grabbed a Poke Ball. “Now, let’s ROCK!! Garbodor, BANG! ZOOM!” She tossed her Poke Ball.

“Garbodor!!” a tall mountain of garbage, filth, and sludge cried out as it appeared from its Poke Ball.

Courtney glared at the Pokemon and pulled out her Pokedex.

Garbodor. The Trash Heap Pokemon and Trubbish’s evolved stage. It defeats opponents by holding them still with its left hand and releasing a toxic gas from its mouth. Its right hand spews a poisonous liquid.

“One-on-three… Fine!” Courtney grabbed her Poke Ball and backed up a few feet.

I got up as I reached the stage and gasped as I saw the floor clearly for the first time.

A battlefield was outlined in white chalk on the stage!

Courtney and Roxie were both standing on opposite ends of it, ready to battle. Each girl’s face had taken up an individual screen.

“Amoonguss! GO!” Courtney threw her Poke Ball.

“Amooooooonguss!” Amoonguss bounced determinedly, its body now occupying the left screen as Garbodor took the right.

“COURT-NEY! COURT-NEY! COURT-NEY! COURT-NEY! COURT-NEY! COURT-NEY! COURT-NEY!” the crowd chanted behind me.

I turned to them, staring in disbelief.

Nobody was fighting anymore, but instead, they were all facing the stage, everybody wearing happy faces and pumping their fists. Just about everyone had bloody noses and blackened eyes, men and women alike, but now they were all chanting for the battle taking place.

Courtney’s mouth hung open as she stared at the crowd before her that was chanting her name. She smiled an openmouthed smile and waved shyly at everyone.

“For this battle, I’ll be debuting a brand new song from my upcoming album, entitled, Venom Drenched In Misery!” Roxie screamed into her microphone.

The crowd went wild!

The drummer beat his drumsticks together in the air a few times before I was nearly deafened by the loud music that suddenly blasted against my face as if it were a solid object. My eyes closed shut, but I squinted through them to watch the battle, pressing my hands tightly against my ears.

Courtney covered her ears, squinting at Roxie as she sang.

Or perhaps “screamed” is the accurate word.

Amoonguss was startled by the sudden blast of rock music.

“Courtney, you may have the first move!” Roxie pointed at Courtney.

Is Roxie really about to battle Courtney one-on-three? I watched in shock. That’s not fair! Is she allowed to do that? She can’t be that cocky!

“Spore!” Courtney ordered.

Amoonguss sprayed a sparkling yellow powder from its mouth.

“Gar? Bodor? Gar…?” Garbodor looked extremely drowsy, and in seconds, it sat on the ground, breathing its name heavily as it snoozed.

Roxie strummed her guitar, making an extremely loud noise come out from it.

“Garbodor!” Garbodor’s eyes suddenly shot open and it jumped up to its feet. “Gar! Garbodor!”

“Hey! No way!” Courtney complained, surprise on her face. “We just put it to Sleep!”

“There won’t be any sleeping at this Gym!” Roxie winked, and played irritatingly loud music from her guitar. “Now use your Gunk Shot, Garbodor!!”

“Bodor!” Garbodor put its hands together. A silver light sparked between them and it turned into what resembled a black garbage bag outlined in a purple light. Garbodor heaved the Gunk Shot at Amoonguss.

“Amoooonguss!” Amoonguss howled as the bag exploded on impact, sending out glowing, purple garbage. The Pokemon bounced on the ground, skidding to a stop.

“Amoonguss, use your Hidden Power! It’ll be Super Effective against a Poison type!” Courtney called out.

“Garbodor, out of the way and then rock on with Toxic Spikes!” Roxie insisted.

Amoonguss struggled up, shaking its head from the damage it took from the powerful attack. It crossed its arms and its body was outlined in a light green color. As its arms opened, several light green balls of energy surrounded it. Amoonguss leaped into the air, pointing the top of its head at Garbodor, and its body spun rapidly, firing the balls.

Roxie continued to scream and play her guitar, her bandmates watching the match, rocking out with Roxie and the audience around me.

The screens displayed different parts of the battle that focused on the Pokemon they were dedicated to, closing up at times.

“Gaaaaaaar!” Garbodor shouted, and to my surprise, the Pokemon slammed its hands into the ground and leaped into the air! Its arms extended and forced its body upward, high into the air, dodging the Hidden Power! Garbodor’s arms shrunk back to their normal size as it landed heavily and opened its mouth wide. A dark purple orb formed in its mouth.

The orb flew into the air, purple streams of energy trailing behind it, and the orb exploded in the air. Small magenta orbs coated in a dark purple aura appeared from the explosion and hit the battlefield, disappearing into the floor. As they vanished, a ring of magenta energy was left behind where the orbs sunk in, but those too went away after a couple of seconds.

“Amoonguss, use Growth!” Courtney demanded.

Amoonguss’ body was outlined in light green as it raised its Attack and Special Attack strength.

“Let’s take this one home with Body Slam!” Roxie smiled before proceeding to scream her song into the microphone.

“Gaaaaaaaarrrrbodoooorrr!!” Garbodor once again slammed its hands to the ground and its arms extended, shoving the Pokemon into the air, and it came down on top of Amoonguss.

Amoonguss cried out as it was forced back, the front of its body flashing white where it was hit, the Critical Hit suffering the Pokemon. “Amoonguss… Amoonguss.” Amoonguss collapsed.

Amoonguss’ screen zoomed in on its worn out face.

“And that’s one Pokemon down!!!” a voice boomed through the speakers, competing with the blaring music. It sounded like the voice of the lady who had thrown Courtney. “Garbodor hasn’t taken a single hit, yo! Let’s see what this chick is gonna try next!”

“RO-XIE! RO-XIE! RO-XIE! RO-XIE! RO-XIE! RO-XIE!” the crowd began chanting behind me.

“Amoonguss, that was great work! Return!” Courtney grabbed her second Poke Ball as the screen now focused tightly on her face. “Since Toxic Spikes is on the ground, I’ll use my Woobat! Let’s go!”

“Wooooobat!” Woobat flew from its Poke Ball, fluttering above the stage and taking over the left screen.

“Good choice, home girl!” Roxie winked.

“Thanks! Now, let’s get this started with Psychic attack!” Courtney said, unable to hold back a smile.

That’s good, I nodded. That’ll hit a Poison type hard.

“Gunk Shot!” Roxie instructed.

Garbodor tossed its Gunk Shot at Woobat.

Before Woobat could even move, it was hit by the move and tumbled towards the stage.

“Woobat, stay in the air or you’ll get Poisoned!” Courtney begged her Pokemon.

“Woooobat!” Woobat fluttered its wings, trying to stay away from the ground. “Woobat!” Woobat’s body flashed brightly, glowing with a blinding light.

I gasped in shock, taking a step back, immediately bumping into somebody, but I didn’t take my eyes off of the evolving Pokemon, ignoring even the big screen showing off the process!

Woobat’s body widened and expanded, changing its form, and when the light went away from its body in an even brighter flash, white sparkles sprinkling on the field, a new Pokemon fluttered in its place.

“Sweet! Woobat just totally evolved, man!!” the lady from behind the counter shouted.

Swoobat. The Courting Pokemon. This is Woobat’s evolved form. This Pokemon’s nose can produce a variety of different ultrasonic waves, while its tail produces sound waves that can destroy concrete. However, during courtship, it produces a sound that makes anyone who hears it feel overjoyed.

“Wow!” I smiled at Swoobat.

“Ha ha! Swoobat, you evolved!” Courtney laughed as she put her Pokedex away.

The crowd behind me was roaring louder than ever before now. “COURT-NEY!!! COURT-NEY!!! COURT-NEY!!! COURT-NEY!!!”

I looked at the sea of smiling, laughing faces behind me cheering for Courtney and their similar love of music and Pokemon battles. Watching them actually made me feel good inside, and I lowered my hands from the sides of my head as I turned back and started chanting her name, pumping my fist in the air with everyone else.

Courtney’s mouth was hanging open, staring at the crowd as they chanted. She smiled and wiped at her eyes with one hand, her other hand over her heart, looking overwhelmed by the support she was now getting.

“Now that’s totally killer,” Billy Jo nodded at Courtney.

But where’s June? I suddenly wondered. My eyes widened as I looked at Swoobat. “Oh, no!”

“Congrats on the evo, home girl!” Roxie told Courtney. “You avoided Toxic Spikes, but your Pokemon is still Poisoned from Gunk Shot!”

“What?” Courtney gasped. “Swoobat!”

Swoobat fluttered about weakly, dizzy from the Poison flowing through its body.

“Now, let’s end this with Venoshock!” Roxie returned to the absurd screaming of her song.

My head was throbbing painfully from the music, but my head was also bobbing rapidly to it for some reason.

Garbodor’s right hand rose into the air and it pointed it at Swoobat. Streams of green liquid flew out from the pipes on Garbodor’s hand, splashing onto Swoobat.

Swoobat screamed painfully.

“Double the damage if your Pokemon is already Poisoned!! Pretty sweet, huh?!!” Roxie screamed into her microphone.

Swoobat dropped.

“And that’s two Pokemon beaten, yo!! Roxie is getting it in, no doubt about it! Courtney ain’t looking so sharp with both of her Pokemon out while Garbodor’s still standing without a single scratch!”

Courtney can do it! I thought, getting angry, glaring at her as the left screen focused on her second Pokemon. Come on, Court!

“RO-XIE! RO-XIE! RO-XIE!” the crowd switched up.

Courtney glanced out at the crowd, a helpless look on her face that was now being shown off by her screen.

I cupped my hands around my mouth. “COURTNEEEEEEY!!”

Courtney squinted into the crowd until her eyes stopped on me, and they widened. “Gary!”

I nodded at her determinedly. You can do it, Courtney, I thought seriously. It’s just one Pokemon!

Courtney nodded back. “Swoobat, thanks a bunch, hon! Come back!” She grabbed her last Poke Ball. “I’m not getting swept by one Pokemon! I won’t! Scraggy, I choose you!” Courtney threw her Poke Ball with great emotion and a loud cry.

“She’s getting all worked up over the inevitable,” Billy Jo smiled sinisterly as Scraggy was sent out of its Poke Ball.

“Scraggy! Scragg!” Scraggy pulled up its loose skin around its legs. A small explosion occurred underneath Scraggy’s feet and a ring of purple energy rose up underneath it. “Scraaaaaggy!” On Courtney’s screen, Scraggy flew back, slamming on its back, and its face flushed purple.

“This is already over,” the drummer chuckled as he continued to play his drums, shaking his head, staring at Scraggy with a dark smile.

“Scraggy, we can do this! Attack right now with Zen Headbutt!” Courtney pushed on.

Scraggy shook its head and then let out an angry cry, holding onto its hanging skin at it charged at Garbodor, and its forehead glowed blue. “Scrrrrraggyyyyyyyy!!” Scraggy leaped into the air, flying at Garbodor.

“Totally rockin’ move, yo! Garbodor, catch the little guy with Venoshock!” Roxie said.

“Gaaaaaarbodor!” Garbodor raised its right hand and spewed out the green liquid again.

“Scraaaaaaaag!!!” Scraggy’s move was intercepted, and its forehead stopped glowing blue. It fell to the ground on its hands and knees, groaning, its arms shaking. Scraggy slowly got up to its feet, breathing hard as it glared up at Garbodor.

“It’s still able to fight?” I gasped.

“Scraggy!” Courtney covered her mouth with both hands.

“Far out,” Roxie nodded with approval and a smile.

“Scraggy!” Scraggy twitched, its eyes closed, suffering from the Poison, and it fell facefirst.

Both screens now showed the beaten Scraggy.

“Scraggy is outta here!! Garbodor and Roxie took this one all the way home without taking a single hit, man!!” the lady at the counter declared.

“ROCK AND ROOOOOOOOOOOOLLll!!!” Roxie screamed into her microphone as she strummed a note so loud on her guitar that I screamed out in fright and covered my ears angrily.

The two screens now showed Roxie’s thrilled reaction, and then the crowd as they screamed tremendously behind me.

My hands slid off of my ears and dropped to my sides as my shoulders slumped in disappointment.

Courtney had been given the chance to beat this Gym Leader while using three of her Pokemon, and Roxie only chose to use one, and Courtney still lost. Badly. She didn’t even touch Garbodor.

Roxie’s really something, I admitted nervously.

The music in the Gym came to a stop, and the crowd celebrated.

“That was Venom Drenched In Misery, y’all! I hope you liked it!” Roxie winked. “And I hope you also enjoyed that totally sweet battle! Let’s hear it for our totally sick battler, Courtney, and her totally wicked little group of Pokemoooon!!”

“RO-XIE!! COURT-NEY! ROX-IE!! COURT-NEY! ROX-IE!! COURT-NEY! ROX-IE!! COURT-NEY!” the crowd chanted, both girls’ names being chanted at the same time while the fans applauded the match and the music.

“That was so rad, home girl!” Roxie stepped over to Courtney. “You and your Pokemon really have that punk rock spirit!” She turned to her bandmates, and the drummer tossed a squared object at Roxie. Roxie caught it with ease and held it out to Courtney. “Here, take this with you! It’s the new album, Poison On The Stage 2! About a week before it even comes out! Hope you’ll enjoy it, and you’re welcome to come back anytime and try again at my Gym. I hope I’ll see you again.” She winked at Courtney.

Courtney sighed weakly but managed a pained smile as she gently took the CD from Roxie. “Thank you,” she bowed. She then returned Scraggy to its Poke Ball. With her head lowered, she turned away from Roxie and covered her face with the CD case, crying behind it as she ran down a short set of stairs leading offstage.

The two screens were merciless as they showed Courtney fleeing.

Roxie maintained her smile and waved at Courtney.

“So, who’s up next?” Roxie’s eyes scanned the crowd, stopping on me almost instantly.

My eyes widened and I looked back up at her. I suddenly realized that the crowd had gone completely silent.

“It must be you, dude! What’s the deal, man?” Roxie smiled.

I was afraid to move, disturbed by the silence of the room that was now almost louder and almost more annoying than the horrible music Roxie and her band had been playing. My head was still throbbing. I turned to the crowd behind me and gasped.

Everyone was frozen in place, staring directly at me with threatening looks.

I swallowed and backed up about a foot before I bumped into the stage.

“Come on, everybody! Give this kid a little hand!” Roxie encouraged the crowd.

“HEY!!” I screamed out as the crowd immediately charged at me with a loud roar.

In an instant, they had grabbed me all over my body and hoisted me into the air, every hand gripping me tightly, digging into my skin.

“AAAAAHHHH!!!!” I screamed as I was tossed onstage, landing on my back. “Hey! Come on!” I said angrily, getting to my feet, scowling at the crowd.

The crowd cheered in response.

“Geez,” I muttered, and looked towards Roxie and Garbodor. I then saw my eyes go wide as I realized my big, stupid, ugly, huge nosed, crooked face was on the two screens. “Uuuuugh...” I groaned and looked down.

“So, you’re my next challenger, huh?” Roxie nodded at me.

“I guess, yeah,” I nodded, staring up at her determinedly.

“You guess?” Roxie asked, the excitement on her face fading. “Dude, you’ve gotta be stoked! You can’t go into a Gym battle, especially one as poisonous and rockin’ as this one, and not be completely stoked, man! Now, let’s hear some attituuuuude!!”

The crowd went off, fired up by Roxie, and Roxie’s bandmates started playing a loud tune that made me jump, startled by the sudden noise.

“My name is Gary, and I’m from Pallet Town!” I shouted at Roxie. “I came all the way from the Kanto region to challenge you, and I’m not leaving here without your Badge!”

“That’s the spirit! Aaalllriiiiiiight!!” Roxie strummed her guitar loudly. “So, let’s just have us a one-on-three battle, too, okay?”

“No, Roxie!” I shook my head defiantly. “Not with me. We’re using the same amount of Pokemon, or I’m not battling you at all.”

“Dude, will you chill out?” Roxie laughed. “There’s no time limit, and you’re allowed to swap out your Pokemon. I’ll be just fine!”

“I understand all of that,” I told her firmly. “You’re a rather incredible Trainer, Roxie. I can’t believe what I just saw from you today. You can hold your own, indeed. But that’s not how I battle. Whether I win or lose, if I do it at such a disadvantage, it’s no prize for me, and it shouldn’t be a prize for you, either. It’s almost as if you’re making fun of your challengers! You’re just showing off how tough you are, and even if you lose, you used less Pokemon than the challenger did. That isn’t right!”

Roxie’s eyes widened and she crossed her arms in front of her chest, her face going blank and solemn as her head tilted sideways.

The crowd got much quieter, their screams lessening to a normal level and murmurs.

The music filling the building came to an abrupt stop.

I knew that my face was on both screens again, but I refused to look at anything but Roxie.

“Yo, man, what is your deal?” Roxie’s face turned angry for the first time today. “I am not that kind of a person! You don’t know me, yo. Don’t go around judging me like that! I don’t appreciate it!”

“I’m sorry. It’s just how it looks.” I raised my hands defensively.

“Well, look at it another way, dude!”

“Look, I want this to be a Badge I can be proud of, or a loss I can be proud of,” I told Roxie. “I can’t be proud of this if you’re not gonna battle me fairly, alright?”

“Well, too bad, man. My Gym, my rules.” Roxie huffed impatiently.

I stared at her quietly.

The Gym was now completely silent.

So, this is how she’s gonna be, I realized. I sighed. Fine. I bowed before Roxie and stood up tall, looking at her seriously. “I respect your rules, Roxie.”

“Good!” Roxie smiled slightly. “Now, let’s battle!!” She raised her hand to strum her guitar.

“I hope you’ll respect my views, as well!” I called out to her quickly. “I will not be participating in a Gym battle with you under those rules. Have a good day.” I turned away from the shocked expression held by Roxie’s face as she let out a startled gasp that was joined with what seemed like everybody else in the building.

Roxie’s arm was still suspended in midair, waiting to strum her guitar.

I reached the small set of stairs and walked down them, leaving behind the opportunity to win another Badge.

I walked down the small set of stairs, wondering exactly how many Badges I actually had at this point.

I walked through the stunned crowd as they kept their eyes on me.

I wondered where both June and Courtney were.

As I got deeper into the crowd, making my way out of the Gym.

I wondered where I would be headed to next.