Orion rubbed his chin. "Well, there used to be books on who can learn what moves. I know that Breloom can learn things like Focus Blast, Hyperbeam, and Gigadrain, though I think you need a Technical Machine for those."

Krastin was looking at him with wide-open eyes, then licked his lips. 

"I didn't know that," he said. "I saw a Hyperbeam one time. One of the more dangerous Gyarados came close to the coast and blew apart half of a guard tower."

"Yeah… Gyarados are dangerous," Orion said with a grimace. 

Somehow, he was glad to hear those hadn't changed before shuddering. What if they hand, and were even more aggressive than from what he recalled? Images of Gyarados, larger and more deadly than ever, roaming the coastal areas made his hair stand up.

"Riiiiiii," Riolu shouted, stomping on the ground before trying again. 

Orion grinned as he saw the grit in his friend's eyes, his desire to continue, and suddenly, he blinked.

Grit… grit… 

He walked forward, and Riolu had stopped to look at him. His eyes had widened as if he sensed something.

"Most people give their Pokemon names," Orion said as he lowered to his knees. "I was thinking… do you want a name?"

Riolu nodded, eyes gleaming suddenly. There was a sharp intake from behind, but Orion ignored it.

"What about Grit?" Orion said.

Riolu's smile widened, his sharp canine flickering in the morning sun's light. 

"Riolu!" he shouted, raising a fist.

"Good," Orion said as he bumped his friend's fist. "Grit!"

Riolu laughed, then turned and dashed to an open area. With seemingly renewed vigor, he began practicing the Low Sweep.

Orion saw Krastin look at him with a wide grin, shaking his head.

"What?"

"Usually, people think a long time about whether they give their friends a name and what it should be. I'm glad to see you don't overthink these things," Krastin said. "Grit is a good name. It shows exactly his personality and will help him in the future."

Orion frowned at that, but Krastin just smiled.

He was about to say something when he froze.

"Breloooom!"

Orion turned at the same time as Krastin did to see Brawl point at the forest. Two Ratata rushed out from a bush a moment later, streaking towards the nearest berry bush. 

"Take the left one," Krastin shouted. "Brawl, take out the other one!"

Orion saw his just named Riolu, Grit, shoot past him, eyes gleaming with a desire to fight. 

Alright, let's do this! Orion thought.

"Quick attack," he shouted.

Grit shot forward, his speed quadrupling in an instant. The Ratata reacted nearly as fast, moving at almost the same speed.

A rapid blur ensued as they swirled toward and then around each other, and the next moment, Grit's blue shape was knocked away. Riolu rolled over and then back up, growling at the Ratata.

"He's got Tackle," Orion muttered.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Breloom hold down the second Ratata, one of his big feet squashing the Pokemon to the ground. 

"Rioooolu," Grit shouted as he stalked towards the Ratata.

Orion was about to call out Quick Attack when he felt a desire to try something from Grit. He held his command.

The Ratata blurred forward, but just as he was about to reach Grit, the Riolu kicked out with the move he'd been practicing. It was slow, and weak, but it still caught the Ratata by surprise. The small purple Pokemon dashed away before glaring at Riolu.

"Ri, ri!" Grit said, beckoning the other Pokemon.

"Interesting, he is trying to learn it in combat," Krastin said.

Orion didn't answer, and his focus was on his friend. He knew that Pokemon, especially fighting types, learned best under pressure. But learning a new move? 

Grit kicked out just as the Rattata moved again, his attack somewhat faster but still too slow to hit the Rattata, which knocked him in the chest. Grit was tossed back, but again, he just rolled over and dusted himself up.

"Ri!"

The Ratata glared at the tiny blue Pokemon, its eyes glowing an odd purplish red.

"Raaaaaattata," it shouted, rushing forward again.

Orion clenched his fists as Grit tried and failed to use Low Sweep. Even then, he could see slightly more power behind the move.

Three knockdowns more, Riolu staggered slightly as he got up.

"Enough for now," Orion shouted. "You won't be able to learn it in a single go, and we might get more Rattata today!"

Grit sent him a sense of annoyed acceptance.

"Quick attack, knock him out!"

Grit moved like a blur, intercepting the Rattata. It seemed surprised by the sudden counter, and with a crack, it was knocked away. Like Grit, it rolled back up, but unlike Grit, it didn't return. Instead, it glowered at the Riolu before turning and vanishing back into the woods.

"Not bad," Krastin said. "He is growing at a pretty fast pace!"

Orion nodded as he walked to Riolu. His tiny friend was slightly bruised and covered in dust, but otherwise seemed fine. 

"You did great," he said.

"Riolu, RI!" Grit said, his canines visible as he grinned.

"Right, you can try again the next time, but if you want to practice like that, we need some rules," Orion said. "No more than two attempts per Rattata. Alright?"

Grit cocked his head, seemingly pondering. Then he nodded

"Ri!" he said, pointing at the Rattata that Breloom was still pinning down.

"I think you should rest first," Orion said with a grin. "I'm sure there will be more Rattata!"

"Riiiii," Riolu said, kicking some sand before shrugging.

Still, beyond his visible annoyance, he did crawl up Orion's leg and side before sitting on his shoulder.

"You did great," Orion said, rubbing his friend behind the ear.

"Ri, ri, riooooo," Riolus said, nodding vigorously.

The rest of the morning passed without incident, but shortly after everyone had eaten lunch, a shout came from Bennie.

Orion looked up to see the boy run from the edge towards the center of the field, Pancham beside him. For a moment there was nothing behind him, then four Rattata and a Raticate dashed out of the woods.

"Get to the center and stay there," Krastin shouted as he ran forward. "Brawl, intercept that Raticate!"

Orion stood watching in stunned surprise. He had seen Raticate before, and the biggest he'd ever seen barely came above his knees. This one dwarfed that, nearly reaching his chest, and its eyes gleamed dangerously as it dashed towards the nearest berry bushes.

"Ri!"

"Right, moving," Orion said as he dashed after Grit.

When they reached Benny and Pancham, Brawl had intercepted the Raticate and a raging battle had commenced.

Krastin stood nearby, calmly watching. Only every so often did he shout an order, and it took only moments for Brawl's dominance to become clear. By that point, the patrolling Pokemon had intercepted the four Rattata.

What could have been a bad situation was diffused within a mere minute, and Orion watched it quietly.

"Ri…" 

Orion frowned, looking to a nearby forest line, where Riolu said he saw something. It took him a few moments to find a pair of burning red eyes staring at Brawl, wrapping up the Raticate. 

Just as he saw them, they focused on him, and Orion felt a distant malevolence rationing towards him. It was oppressive, like a wet summer heat pressing down on his mind and body. 

Orion started shivering, and he tried to croak out a warning, but his voice wasn't coming out.

"Riiiiiiii!"

Grit shouted as he jumped in front of him, and the red eyes suddenly focused on the small Pokemon. 

"Olu, olu!" Riolu grunted as the pressure seemed to flatten him.

"Krastin, over there!" Orion shouted as he grabbed Riolu and turned both of them away from the eyes.

Krastin came running over with a frown.

"What?"

"There… there were eyes in the woods, red, and a sense-" Orion shook his head, unsure how to say it. 

Krastin, however, didn't seem to need any more as his eyes narrowed. The gym leader spun around, scanning the treeline.

"Brawl! That Zoroark is out there, be ready!"

Zoroark? Orion thought.

"Riiii…." Grit muttered, and Orion quickly looked at his friend. 

Riolu looked weary, his eyes heavily lidded and ready to fall asleep at any moment.

"Thanks, buddy," Orion said. "I don't know what that was, but it wasn't fun."

"That was Zoroark, the leader of those Zorua that keep causing problems," Krastin said, looking worriedly. "We haven't seen him since two years ago, and it can't be anything good that he's back."

"There are more Rattata in the woods," Benny said.

"Alright, head back to your spot and let's hope that was it," Krastin said. He glanced at Grit, then looked at Orion. "You can take it easy for now. Being focused on by such a powerful pokemon can be highly disconcerting for such a young pokemon as Ri- Grit."

Orion nodded, and even Grit didn't react except with a yawn.

Three more attacks occurred that afternoon, all on the other sides of the field. Krastin and Brawl took care of most of them, but by the end, Grit had regained enough energy to take out one more Rattata.

When they finally walked back, Jeff was still there to welcome them. His grin was gone, and he was scanning the forest's edge grimly.

"So, I heard some nasty rumors," he said as they closed in on the gate.

"That Zoroark showed up," Krastin said with a sigh. 

"Great. I'd hoped it would have died from the wounds left by Crusher," Jeff muttered. "Too much to hope for it seems. Any idea what they were trying?"

Krastin was quiet, then nodded. "I think they are trying to test us," he said with a sigh. "Warn the others, and make sure there are some extra guards tomorrow."

"You won't be here tomorrow?" Jeff asked.

"No, I need to train with these two. They also need to start thinking about their next Pokemon," Krastin said. "But I'll have Brawl ready nearby. If anything happens, just call for him."

Jeff looked at Orion and Benny, then nodded.

"Alright, well, I hope you two get stronger quickly. If those Zorua attack again, we can use all the help we can get."

Orion nodded, while Bennie gave a thumbs-up as he yawned. 

When they were back in town, Krastin told them to be back tomorrow morning and that he'd send some food over to Orion. With a quick goodbye, Orion headed back to the Poke Center.

"Riolu?" 

Orion grunted, shaking his head. "I know we should check with Professor Hazelton, but let's eat first. We can do that later."

"Ri," Grit said, yawning.

"Yeah. Or tomorrow," Orion agreed.

It took them a short while to return to the Poke Center, and when they entered, Nurse Joy was in the midst of painting one of the walls.

"Orion! I'm glad you are alright," she said as she put the brush away and came walking over. Her eyes lingered on Riolu, and she smiled wearily.

"News spreads fast here," Orion muttered, stifling his own yawn.

"Only small bits," Nurse Joy said. "So, what happened?"

Orion shrugged, then quickly explained what had happened. At the mention of Zaruark, Nurse Joy's face turned pale.

"So, he did survive," she whispered, drifting off for a moment. Then she snapped back to reality. "Come, I've got some food leftover, and-"

Orion grinned, waving her away. "Krastin said he will be bringing food soon!"

"Good. Then, if I need any later, you can give me some, but for now, eat," Nurse Joy ordered as she pointed at the counter. 

Orion was too tired and hungry to complain, and soon, he and Grit were eating. As they did, he told Nurse Joy some more things, including that he'd named Riolu.

"That's great," Nurse Joy said. "A very strong name! I'm sure Riolu will become as strong as that Zoruark in no time!"

"Stronger!" 

"Riolu!"

Nurse Joy laughed softly, shaking her head. "Yes, well, I'm sure you will be."

"Say, can I stay in that room until I find something else?" Orion asked. "I can't really pay for it, but perhaps-"

"It's fine," Nurse Joy said. "It's not like anyone else needs the room. Just use it as long as you need."

"Thanks," Orion said. "And thanks for the meal!"

"No problem. Professor Hazelton came over to look for you, and he heard I needed paint. He sent Elena to bring some he had left over, and she also brought some soup and bread."

Orion grimaced, then sighed. "What did he come here for?"

"He wanted to ask you some more questions about the Pokemon that you have seen," Nurse Joy said. "I promised to ask you to go see him after dinner… so if you are up to it?"

Orion wanted to say no, both to prevent the questions and to sleep, but the professor had brought both food and paint for Nurse Joy.

"Sure, I'll go and see him right away," he said, deciding to just get it over with so he could sleep after.

"Thank you. The professor is a good man," Nurse Joy said with a smile. "He used to be a powerful trainer, and he traveled all throughout the forests in search of a solution to the pokemon troubles."

Perhaps I should ask him about that, Orion thought, waving at Nurse Joy.

He left with Grit sleeping on his shoulder, hoping the professor wouldn't ask too many questions.