Green and Machoke stood before Fuchsia City Gym bathed in the glow of the rising sun. The sun’s orange light mixed with Fuchsia’s purple morning haze to create a bronze aura that lingered around them. Fuchsia City Gym was enormous, by far the tallest and widest building in sight. Despite its size, it still kept the same theming as the rest of the city with towering wooden walls of dark brown and a purple tiled roof that sloped off each edge. The entrance was a towering wooden archway decorated with orange lanterns. Tired-looking young men garbed in purple robes and red face masks used a long pole to replace the extinguished lanterns with fresh ones. Only the metal and plastic of the Indigo Plateau’s insignia stood out in stark contrast with its perfect, smooth corporate design. A Zubat hung from the bottom of it. One of the men in robes shooed it with his pole. It screeched, swooped at him and struck him in the forehead before zipping off. The man fell with a shout and his companion howled with laughter. Green giggled and looked to Machoke. He was staring up at the insignia with fire in his eyes.

“Ready, buddy?”

“Ma!”

He pounded his chest. The sudden burst of sound snapped the attention of the two men to them. One looked to Green’s face, then her belt and whispered to the other man. They both nodded, looked at Green in unison and hurried back inside. Green took a deep breath and shuffled her feet. Best she say what she had to, Green thought. Letting thoughts such as these fester would be a mistake. She needed all her focus while scouting.

“Machoke? About last night…”

His attention was on her at once.

“I feel as if I owe you an explanation-”

“Ma!”

Machoke shook his head and waved his hand dismissively.

“No, you deserve to know why.”

“Ma…”

“When we were doing what we were doing, I liked it. I did. It’s just… I couldn’t help but think of that night with Abby and it just kinda ruined it for me. It’s nothing you did wrong.”

Machoke smiled and pulled her to his chest.

“Ma…” He kissed her head.

“We’ll do it again, eventually. I still love you, just as much as I always have.”

He chuckled and kissed her head again, then whispered against her. It was in moments like this that Green really wished she could understand him fully. Still, she got the gist. That heavy, sagging feeling that had plagued her since the morning lifted away. Green gave Machoke a smirk.

“So, you ended up changing your mind last, huh?”

Machoke smirked and shrugged.

“Have fun?”

He nodded. Green gave him a light punch on the arm.

“All that screaming woke me up. Good job, by the way.”

Machoke laughed again and caressed her cheek. Green touched the back of his hand and stood on her toes. He lifted her and they kissed a long, deep kiss.

“I’m glad you did, you need a clear mind before a fight.”

Machoke nodded and kissed her again.

It was hard, but Green forced herself to make him lower her. She would have stayed like that all day if she could have. But she couldn’t. There was work to be done. Together, they entered the gym.

The lobby was an oddly small room lined with dark wood shelves and benches. In the back was a desk manned by a man dressed in robes and a mask. Behind the desk was a square section of wall. It left two gaps on either side that allowed anyone to pass through to whatever lay beyond. The gleam of fresh wax covered the dark, tiled floor. The benches shined with polish, and their displays were perfectly organised. A rack showed off three swords, all of varying sizes, all very much real. Calligraphy of the symbols of the old language hung on faded, yellow paper housed in spotless frames. A case displayed a set of metal stars, they were chipped and rusted ever so slightly. A small plaque that read a date hundreds of years ago was secured to the case. In the centre of the room, two large slabs of polished granite housed display cases full of scrolls. A pair of thick leather gloves lay beside each case. The beauty and majesty might have transfixed Green if it weren’t for the unbelievable oddity of the place.

It was packed.

Despite barely being morning, there was already a long queue of trainers signing up to battle. Two fire trainers and their Growlithes. A water trainer and her fish. An electric trainer and his Pikachu. A psychic trainer and his Kadabra. As well as many more of all different skill levels. It took a moment, but it quickly became apparent to Green that she was the highest-rated trainer among them. She didn’t need to see their badges. At a cursory glance, it was obvious that most here were beginner trainers. Just as she was about to take her place in the queue, someone called out to her.

“Miss Isamu?”

An elderly man dressed in purple robes and a red face mask appeared beside her out of nowhere. Green and Machoke both started. The man looked at them expectantly.

“Y-Yes?”

“Ah very good, come with me.”

“Why? Have I done something wrong?”

“No, nothing like that. We’ve been expecting your arrival for some time now. Please, we have a training room prepared especially for you.”

“What? I didn’t ask for that.”

The man chuckled.

“Of course not. Come with me and you will get an explanation.”

Green looked to Machoke. He shrugged and stepped toward the man.

“Okay… sure.”

“Excellent. Come now, this way.”

A series of scathing looks were thrown her way as the man led Green past the queue. However, most were dropped when they met Machoke’s stern face. Some still glared despite that. Green avoided their eyes and hurried to keep up with the man’s unusually quick pace. He didn’t make a single sound as he glided noiselessly with freakishly efficient steps.

Behind the square section of wall behind the desk was a hallway that branched off in either direction. The man took them right at such a pace that Green hadn’t time to even try to see what was left. Eventually after navigating tight, snaking halls, they entered a familiar setting. Just like Pewter’s and Vermillion’s gym, Fuchsia had its own training rooms. They were identical to the others Green had seen before, large expansive rooms made of white tiles that formed angular terrain. Wide panes of glass covered the walls of the hall, showing off the training room. Most were full of the Gym’s pupils, all clad in their robes. A few outside trainers were among them. They each only had a single, unevolved Pokémon. The man led Green and Machoke to an empty room and stopped by the door.

“Is this room to your liking?” he asked.

“Yeah, sure. Why are you giving this to me?”

“Fuchsia Dojo keeps a keen eye on promising talent, Miss Isamu. We want you to be at your full strength for your demonstration against Janine this morning.”

“Dojo? Wait, what? This morning? But there’s so many trainers here already.”

“Well, naturally we have scheduled you ahead of time.”

“No thanks.”

The man blinked at her.

“Excuse me?”

“All those trainers got up earlier than me to get their spots. I’m not cutting in.”

“Miss Isamu I-”

“Why are you really doing this? Is this 'cause of my brother?”

“Perhaps I should be more direct, Miss Isamu. You have been scouted personally by Koga himself. All this is his doing.”

“K-Koga, scouted me?”

Green’s stomach dropped and her head spun.

“Yes. Your brother, well… yes, that may have directed our attention towards you at first but be assured. If you had not displayed the talents that you did, none of this would be happening right now.”

“I-I still can’t cut in…”

“I’m afraid it is already decided.”

Green touched her forehead, steadying herself.

“Hold on. How could you? You couldn’t have known I’d challenge Janine today.”

“We have eyes and ears everywhere, Miss Isamu.”

“What? Like the people in robes everywhere?”

The man laughed.

“Miss Isamu if you ever manage to spot one of our eyes or ears I’ll see to it that Koga presents you with a black sash personally.”

Green grinned.

“Guess you’re out of luck, 'cause I did.”

“Y-You did?”

“Yeah, on the beach. I was leaving this little isolated beach and Machoke here had to jump the wall. He scared the shit out of some girl in one of your robes.”

The man sighed, then chuckled.

“Ah, strange. We had not assigned anyone to watch you during your training at Fuchsia beach…”

“So no black sash?”

“I’m afraid not.”

There was a pause and the same expectant look returned to the man’s eyes. When Green did not respond, the look faded and he sighed.

“Your friend, Jackson. We offered the same to him. This special treatment isn’t undeserved, Miss Isamu. You both show spectacular promise. Koga believes you are both capable of challenging the Elite Four at your current growth rate. We hope to keep that growth rate stable with the facilities here.”

“Even after Jackson lost?”

“Uh, yes, well that was quite unfortunate. But we are aware of your tactics, Miss Isamu. Winning is not your main objective today, is it?”

Green sighed. This man wasn’t going to give in easily.

“Fine. I’ll compromise with you. I’ll take the room, but reschedule my match for after whoever has just booked theirs.”

“That will be… acceptable.”

The man gave her a courteous nod and turned to leave.

“Wait. You called this place Fuchsia Dojo, why?”

“Oh, well yes, officially this place is called Fuchsia City Gym but it always has been and still is Fuchsia Dojo. The Gym components are new but the ninjutsu has been here for generations on generations.”

“New? Hasn’t it been a Gym for like a hundred years?”

The man laughed.

“It has been a Dojo for thousands. Some say it was built during the unification of the warring states. Some say it was around before even the warring states. The scrolls often bicker and disagree.”

“Right… well thanks for, this.”

“The pleasure is our’s, Miss Isamu.”

The man bowed his head and then turned on his heels, leaving Green alone with Machoke.

Machoke shrugged and made his way into the training room. Green laughed and followed.

“Well, you seem confident.”

“Ma!”

Machoke raised his hand and clenched it into a fist. Silver sparks spat as the muscles tensed. Then, silver flame engulfed his hand and a layer of steel covered the back. Green giggled and shook her head.

“It’s gonna take more than a few square inches of steel to beat a poison master, buddy.”

Machoke pounded his chest.

“Ma!”

“Come on ya big idiot, let’s get to work.”

Machoke touched his chest and made an exaggerated look of offence. Green laughed as she released the rest of her team. They all appeared in various states of awakening. Except for Primeape, who rushed Green, eyes locked on her body.

“Hey! No, we’re here to prepare!”

“Ape!” He complained.

“Geez, how horny are you? I’m not even in a bikini anymore.”

He growled at her but Green simply folded her arms.

“Are you really gonna let your enemy have an advantage by not preparing?”

Primeape’s eyes widened and he shook his head vigorously.

“Well go on then, practice your agility moves.”

“Ape!”

He turned at once and took off across the white, artificial terrain. Floor panels opened around him and several smooth, robotic figures made of the same, white tiles surrounded him. Primeape howled and launched at them with an explosion of orange energy. They became orange and white blurs, dancing a dance of attack and defence.

Green tittered to herself. She really needed to get that Pokémon into a breeding program, or maybe some porn. Would Pokémon even watch porn? While Green pondered that, she was interrupted by a tug of her wrist. Graveler was looking up at her with a beaming grin.

“What’s up, buddy?”

“Grav!”

He rolled back a few feet, closed his eyes and clenched all four of his fists. Silver sparks erupted all across his body and silver flame engulfed him. In an instance, steel consumed him. His rugged, jagged surface of rock smoothed into steel. He stood before her as a perfect sphere with smooth arms and legs.

“Hey, nice work!”

“Grav!”

He curled up and started rolling about. His movements were slow, but only compared to his true speed. He moved at a walking pace back and forth in front of her. Then, uncurled and engulfed himself in brown flame. Rock consumed the steel, returning him to his original form.

“Machoke!” Machoke cried.

He ran up to Graveler, looking elated.

“Grav!”

Machoke crouched down and they high-fived.

“Really good work, Graveler. Super impressed, I figured you’d get this down maybe in a few days or so. So, work on making the transformation faster,” Green said.

“Grav!”

He beamed with pride and gave her a thumbs up before rolling off to train. Machoke ran after him, both hands engulfed in silver flames.

“Well, that takes care of his training,” Green said to herself as she looked around.

Electabuzz was gone from her side. He was out on the training floor away from the others, looking at the ceiling with yellow flames in his eyes. Green gasped and sprinted to him.

“Whoa whoa whoa! Electabuzz, no!”

He extinguished the flames and cocked his head at her.

“Buzz?”

“Don’t do that, you’ll destroy the roof.”

“Buzz?”

“Do not destroy the roof, Electabuzz.”

He stared at her.

“I mean it.”

“Buzz.”

He folded his arms and pouted.

“Go train with Primeape. Work on dodging and keeping range.”

“Electabuzz!”

He veiled his fist in yellow bolts and held it up to her.

“That’s a last resort, buddy. You’re not sturdy like Machoke and Primeape, you can’t afford to fight in close range like that.”

Electabuzz pounded his chest defiantly, making his fur spit yellow sparks.

“I’m not saying you’re not strong. But do you really think you’re as strong as him?”

Green pointed to Machoke. He was on the other side of the room, holding a laughing, steel-covered Graveler above his head.

“Buzz…” he relented.

Electabuzz left to join Primeape, dragging his arms by his sides across the floor.

“Have fun!”

“Buzz…”

“Machoke, Graveler quit fooling around!” Green yelled with a laugh.

Machoke dropped Graveler and grinned sheepishly. The floor splintered as Graveler came crashing down. He lay embedded in it, flailing helplessly. Machoke exclaimed and pulled him free. Once he was free, the floor repaired itself by slotting new tiles in to replace the broken ones. Machoke and Graveler sat down across from each other and summoned energy flames. Graveler summoned brown flames, while Machoke’s were silver. The steel covering Graveler’s body stripped away, while the steel on the back of Machoke’s hand inched further up his knuckles.

Satisfied, Green looked around for Tyrogue. He was still where she had left him, now practising his tumbles. He engulfed his leg in orange flame and kicked as he tumbled, only to lose his balance and collapse on himself.

“Tyrogue! Come, here!”

He got up and sprinted over to her.

“Rogue?”

Green held out her arm and patted her forearm.

“Hop up.”

Tyrogue considered her arm before leaping onto it. Surprisingly, he was light as a feather. He sat down on her shoulder and looked at her curiously.

“Enough tumbling, for now, I want you to watch these guys train.”

He nodded and leaned on the top of her head, gazing at the training curiously.

***

Hours and hours passed. Name after name was called over the PA system. None were Green’s. Although she had asked for this, Green couldn’t help but be bored. They’d had to stop training almost an hour ago, she couldn’t have her Pokémon exhausted before a match. So instead, they sat in a group chatting in a language she couldn’t understand. As much as it irked her, she couldn’t help but be jealous of her brother in that moment. He’s always had such a natural connection to Pokémon. So natural, that she swore he could understand them as kids. He always denied it but as childish as it was, she’d never let go of her theory. Although, now that she’d grown, she understood the sad irony of that if it were true. A boy who couldn’t speak but was able to understand Pokémon language. She wondered if Red was listening to his Pokémon speak right now as well.

She shook her head. It didn’t matter. He was gone. He’d only taken his six strongest and abandoned the rest. The boy she’d grown up with was dead.

Green yanked her bag over to her and rummaged through it. She’d bought a fresh batch of medicine and Pokémon food before coming to the gym.

“You guys hungry?” She asked.

All five Pokémon were before her at once.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” she laughed.

Green handed them each a bag of wafers. Orange wafers for Machoke, Primeape and Tyrogue. Brown wafers for Graveler. Yellow wafers for Electabuzz. Sparks and flashes of light crossed their bodies as they ate. Primeape scoffed his bag down while the rest ate patiently. Suddenly, they were interrupted by the screech of the PA system.

“Green Isamu, please come to the front desk for your challenge.”

All her Pokémon froze.

“You guys ready?”

They gave affirming cheers, Primeape loudest of all. He howled and beat on his chest. Green giggled and returned them all, even Machoke, before leaving for the desk.

Once she was back in the lobby, Green bumped into a trainer. He walked right into her, only noticing her once their shoulders had crashed. His eyes were sunken and vacant. His face was stark white. His eyes brimmed with tears.

“S-Sorry…”

“Hey… uh, it’ll be okay. You can challenge Janine again, you just gotta train.”

“I have been. Again and again. This is my fifth- I just can’t…”

He sniffled and moved past her out of the gym.

On the wall of the main hall, the usual gym entrance had been set up. An entrance for the Leader, for the challenger and for the spectators, all side by side. Behind the desk, a man dressed in robes stuck out his hand to her and waited silently. Green looked over her shoulder at the Gym’s entrance before handing him her trainer ID. What lay behind those doors was unknown to Green, more so than usual. At least with other Gym Leaders, there was footage of previous matches, analysis of their teams and all kinds of discussions about their strengths and weaknesses online. But this was Janine’s first year as a Leader. There was nothing. All Green knew was her ranking amongst the other leaders of Kanto-Johto and her team. In terms of ranking, Janine was in the mid-range, not high but not low. That information did little to help her. At their full strength even the lowest rated Leader, Falkner, could sweep her with ease. Janine’s team gave Green pause. There would be four Pokémon in the second stage of the Intermediate League. Three of Janine’s team members were standard poison Pokémon from readily available evolution lines, all fully evolved of course. But the fourth and most likely her ace was a Pokémon, Green had never seen before. All she knew was its typing, Poison-Fighting, and its name, Toxicroak. Green shook the doubt from her head.

“We’re here to scout, not win,” she said to herself.

“Excuse me?” The man behind the desk asked.

“Wha- oh! Don’t worry it’s nothing.”

“Right… well here’s your card, lady. You can go on through now, the middle door.”

“Thanks.”

Green took the card and headed through the door. It slid open for her silently and revealed a small room no bigger than a closet. A handrail lined the room’s perimeter. When she stepped inside, the door snapped shut behind her and a robotic voice spoke.

“Please hold on to the railing.”

Before Green could process that, she was lurched backwards and thrown off her feet. For a few terrifying seconds, the elevator shot forward. It screeched to a halt and opened, revealing the arena. Timidly, Green crept onto a platform suspended a good distance above the ground.

Huge walls made of panes of glass loomed twenty panes tall. Each pane was half the size of a person. Large flowing banners hung from the wall, flanking Green’s platform and the platform across from her meant for Janine. Ancient, hand-painted art covered the banners. One depicted mountains. One depicted the ocean. One depicted a forest. One depicted islands. All had a large symbol of the old language painted over the top of the artwork. The floor of the arena was a completely flat landscape of bamboo mats, littered with tall bamboo poles the size of trees. A perimeter of stone floor encompassed the mats, housing rows of stands that looked like toys compared to the walls behind them. Two-thirds up the walls, supported by thick wooden beams, was a wooden catwalk. While the stands housed a standard audience, the catwalk was full of the gym’s pupils. Each one was holding a clipboard. Above even them, at the very top of the arena, was a wide booth. It was bright yellow and sported the Indigo Plateau's insignia. It housed three seats behind a desk of screens and microphones. A referee sat on the right and the elderly man from before sat on the left, but in between, them was, unbelievably, Koga. He was dressed in the same purple robes and red face mask as everyone else, as well as a distinct long-flowing red scarf. The sides of his orderly, thick black hair were beginning to grey. With folded arms, he watched Green. The look in his eyes could cut a diamond. Green gave him a small wave but he didn’t react. If anything he somehow looked more stern. She looked away and muttered to herself.

“Pull yourself together, dumbass. So what if he’s an elite four member- okay, nah, I’m allowed to be nervous with this one.”

Unsteadily, Green released Tyrogue. He looked around with wide eyes.

“This is a gym arena, buddy. It’s where the team will be fighting.”

“Rouge…” he marvelled.

“Come on, let’s get a proper look at the battlefield.”

Green approached the podium and he chased after her. Once she stepped up onto the podium, several screens rose from the floor. A flock of small drones descended from the ceiling. One hovered around her while another waited by Janine’s empty podium on the other side of the arena. The rest lingered around the floor. Green peered over the edge of the platform. The forest of bamboo poles looked thin and short from so far up. However, her screens showed that there was more than enough room for a Pokémon to move between them and they were as tall and thick as trees.

The gentle rumble of murmuring echoed around the arena. On the catwalk, the pupils were comparing clipboards and shooting her glances. The murmuring stopped all at once suddenly and every pair of eyes left her, including Koga’s. Janine entered the arena and took her place on her podium. She sported the same fierce glare as her father and wore the same as everyone else, except for a purple scarf. It hung low at her feet, just like Koga’s. Tyrogue stomped his feet into a wide stance, slammed his forearms together in an ‘X’ and bellowed at her. Janine didn’t so much as blink at him. On both platforms, a small panel opened beside the podiums and raised a tray for Pokéballs. A robotic voice spoke.

“Please register your chosen team, challenger.”

Green unclipped the pokéballs from her belt and placed them on the tray. The tray blinked three times before chiming.

“Machoke, Graveler, Primeape, Electabuzz. Is this correct?”

A yes/no prompt appeared on the screen. Green hit yes and the screens suspended above the arena flickered to life. Half the screen showed a picture of her and four grey pokéball symbols. The other half showed Janine and four grey pokéball symbols. Both their pictures disappeared and were replaced with live footage of them. Another panel opened on the platform and a microphone ascended to meet Green’s face.

“Please welcome your leader to the arena,” the elderly man announced.

The crowd of pupils gave courteous applause. Janine didn’t react. Instead, she readied her first Pokéball.

“The challenger for this afternoon’s demonstration is Green Isamu, from Pallet Town. She is competing to advance to the final stage of the Indeterminate Two league.”

The pupils gave the same courteous applause.

“Leader, please release your first Pokémon into the arena.”

Janine tossed out her Pokéball and released a Weezing. A large, spherical purple pokémon with a smaller sphere protruding from its side. Both spheres had a face with dopey eyes, and mouths full of protruding, pointed teeth. Weezing floated above the poles, bobbing up and down lazily.

“Weezing…” They sighed in unison.

Purple gas poured from their mouth as they spoke and lingered around them in a cloud. The crowd of pupils murmured amongst themselves and scribbled on their clipboards. A small hoard of drones swarmed around Weezing, filming it from every angle. A light barrier flickered to life around the perimeter of the bamboo mats.

“Challenger, please release your first Pokémon.”

Green considered her options. Electabuzz would probably be best as he’d have the easiest time reaching Weezing. So, she released Electabuzz into the arena. He stood amongst the poles with a baffled look. But, once he realised where he was, he grinned and began whirring his arms.

“Buzz!”

He locked eyes with Weezing or at least tried to. Weezing stared off vacantly and sighed again, puffing a cloud around itself. Tyrogue began shouting and shot Electabuzz a jeering look. Electabuzz locked eyes with him and both Pokémon began beating on their chests.

“Tyrogue, don’t distract him,” Green said.

“Rogue rogue rogue,” Tyrogue laughed.

He stopped and both Pokémon struck their tongues out at each other.

“Round one, Electabuzz versus Weezing.” There was a pause as the pupils scribbled. “Are both Pokémon ready?”

“Buzz!”

“Weezing…”

Weezing nodded.

“Are both trainers ready?”

“Ready.” Janine’s stern voice boomed around the arena.

Awkwardly, Green leaned towards the microphone.

“Uh, ready.”

“Round one, Weezing versus Electabuzz, begin.”

Janine flashed some sort of gesture with her hands. Green recognised the gesture at once. It was sign language. But there was no time to process that. Weezing shot off at once, and thick plumes of black smoke billowed from his mouths as he whizzed around the arena. The arena began to fill with smoke. It built up against the edge of the light barriers, obscuring Green’s vision.

“Electabuzz, stop them! Thunderbolt!”

“Buzz!”

Green looked at her screens. The drones gave her a view of Electabuzz firing rapid bursts of bolts with swift revs of his arms. Cracks of yellow light flashed through the thick mass of black smoke. Electabuzz attacked and attacked and attacked, but nothing hit. Weezing wasn’t even swerving, the bolts were just sailing past him, and some didn’t even come close. Again, Janine signed something. Green racked her brain trying to remember the sign. It had been so long since she needed to use it.

“Return? … Yeah, return,” she muttered.

Weezing flew out of the smoke, eyes engulfed in white flames, and hovered before Janine. She calmly returned Weezing to its ball and the siren blared.

“The leader has made use of her return for this round. Take note, switch tactics are not permitted for leaders below the Intermediate Two league. Leader, release your replacement.”

Janine returned Weezing’s ball to her tray of pokéballs and picked the one beside it. Without a word, she pointed it at the lingering mass of smoke and released her Pokémon. The drones which had been following Weezing scrambled to find it.

“Leader, are you ready to resume?”

“I am.”

“Challenger?”

“U-Uh, yes.”

“Pokémon?”

Electabuzz looked around coughing and spluttering. He swatted at the smoke, trying to clear a small area of clear air.

“B-Buzz!”

A low gurgling cry rumbled from the cloud right as the drones found their target.

“Crrrrrroak!”

A purple, bipedal, frog-like Pokémon stood with proper poise on top of a bamboo pole. A large, curved spike protruded from his head. Its eyes, a fierce yellow, glared through the smoke, engulfed in orange flames. Under his chin, a bulbous orange sac puffed as he let out his deep, growling croak. On the end of each three-pronged hand were single long, orange claws that reached twice the length of his fingers. Glowing, purple liquid oozed from the tips of claws. The back of his ankles sported long spikes. Purple liquid oozed from the spikes too.

“There it is,” Green thought, “the Pokémon that swept Jackson.”

Perhaps she’d been too harsh on him after all.

“Right then. Round one, Toxicroak versus Electabuzz, resume.”

Janine rose her hands and Toxicroak looked over his shoulder. She signed, and he leapt from his pole, becoming a blur.

“Electabuzz! Watch out, he’s going for Poison Jab! Use-”

Toxicroak burst from the smoke surrounding Electabuzz, hand extended and veiled in glowing purple liquid. He stabbed Electabuzz in the chest, pulled back his claw and slammed him with his palm all in the blink of an eye, all in one fluid motion. He disappeared back into the smoke. Electabuzz was sent flying. He crashed into a bamboo pole and slumped to the ground. Weakly fought to stand. The wound on his chest wept a viscous mix of blood and poison, staining and matting his fur. Tyrogue began shouting laughing as he pointed at Electabuzz on the screens above.

Janine signed again.

“Force Palm! Dodge it!” Green yelled.

Electabuzz struggled to his feet just as Toxicroak erupted from the smoke, palm outstretched and blazing orange. Somehow, Electabuzz blinked out of the way with a flash of white. But, Toxicroak blinked after him and struck him square in the back. The impact of palm on flesh cracked like thunder and Electabuzz was sent hurting across the arena, punching a hole through the smoke. Bamboo poles lay splintered between the fallen Electabuzz and the standing Toxicroak. Quickly, the smoke refilled the gap and the scene disappeared from view. A drone honed in on Electabuzz. His back was a mess of charred flesh and burnt fur. He lay among splinters of bamboo completely unconscious. The siren blared and Toxicroak extinguished his hand with a flick of his wrist. Tyrogue howled with laughter. The audience took up a gentle murmur as the pupils scribbled on their clipboards. Green tossed Electabuzz’s pokéball into the arena.

“No big deal, just a bad matchup,” she told herself.

She snatched Electabuzz’s pokéball out of the air as it returned, painfully aware of Koga’s glare baring down on her.

“Round one goes to the leader. Challenger, please release your second Pokémon.”

Speed is best matched by speed, Green decided. She picked Primeape’s ball and released him. Primeape materialised amongst the smoke with a fearsome howl. He stamped his feet and beat his chest like a drum. All his commotion cleared a space of clear air around him. The smoke almost seemed afraid of him. Tyrogue hopped up and down, cheering excitedly. Toxicroak retreated back to Janine’s side of the arena. The drones scrambled to keep pace with him.

“Trainers, are you ready?”

“Ready,” Janine said.

“Ready,” Green said.

“Pokémon? Are you ready?”

Toxicroak glared through blazing eyes of orange flame and nodded.

“AAAAAAAAAPE!” Primeape bellowed.

“Right then. Round two, Toxicroak vs Primeape, begin.”

The siren blared and Primeape was off at once, legs engulfed in orange flame. Green took hold of the microphone and shouted to him.

“Focus up! Use your ears and nose! Find him before he finds you!”

Primeape screeched to a halt and engulfed his nose in white flame. He inhaled sharply only to choke on the smoke. He howled and swung at the smoke.

“Calm, buddy! Calm!”

“Ape!”

Toxicroak, meanwhile, had been lost by the drones. They flew around the smoky arena frantically trying to find him. Occasionally, a purple blur would dash past their peripheries on the screens.

Primeape shifted the white flame from his nose to his ears. They twitched. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Silence lingered. Janine flashed a sign.

“Poison Jab! Dodge it!” Green yelled.

Suddenly, Primeape’s ears locked in place. Rather than blinking away, he leapt forward and swung a blazing fist into the smoke. The smoke parted around his punch, revealing a lunging Toxicroak. Their strikes passed by each other, orange flame mixing with purple liquid. Toxicroak stabbed Primeape in the eye but Primeape caught him with a punch to his chin sac. The punch cracked like thunder and sent Toxicroak smashing through bamboo poles, but the stab left Primeape a howling, raging mess of wrath. He blindly swung around him. Foam bubbled from his mouth beneath his fur. All while blood and poison streamed from the deep, penetrating stab wound in his eye. Toxicroak on the other hand only smashed through a few poles before catching one and gracefully swinging himself on top of it. His gurgling croak was now only a gurgle as his deflated, bruised chin sac hung sagged and deflated. Bubbles of blood foamed from a cut in the sac. Bruises covered his back and neck, but otherwise, he clung to the pole alert and in control.

Janine signed and he became a blur once again.

“Focus Primeape! Force Palm incoming, dodge it!”

Primeape continued thrashing blindly. Purple veins began popping from his hairless arms and his swinging became little more than pathetic swatting. Toxicroak lunged from the smoke and slammed a blazing palm of orange flame into Primeape’s back. Another thunderous crack split the air as Primeape hurtled across the arena through the bamboo poles. However, when he came to a stop, he still struggled to stand, even as countless wounds wept all over his body, matting his fur head to toe in blood. He struggled and fell. And struggled and fell. And struggled and fell. Tyrogue stood still and silent, staring at the screens in disbelief. Green had seen enough. She returned Primeape and made an ‘X’ with her arms. The siren blared.

“The challenger forfeits the second round. Round two goes to the leader.”

Koga’s glare bore down on Green, unwavering and completely unreadable. She did her best to ignore it as she returned Primeape’s pokéball to the tray and picked Machoke’s.

“Challenger, release your third pokémon.”

This would be her last chance, Green knew. Realistically, Graveler didn’t stand a chance against Toxicroak. On top of an awful type matchup, the speed difference was too great. No, if she was going to defeat Toxicroak today it would have to be with Machoke. From here, Graveler could potentially clean up the rest of Janine’s team.

“Good luck, buddy,” Green whispered against the pokéball before releasing Machoke.

When Machoke appeared in the arena, he met his surroundings with weary caution. He stood as still as a statue as he scanned the surrounding smog of thick, black smoke. Back and forth he scanned. Slowly, he raised his fists. Meanwhile, the drones followed Toxicroak as he rejoined Janine’s side of the arena. Green looked to Janine on the screens for a glimpse into her thoughts. Behind her mask, her gaze was as unreadable as her father’s.

“Rouge rouge! Rouge rouge! Rogue rogue!” Tyrogue chanted, stomping his feet and beating his best.

“Trainers, are you ready?”

“Ready,” Green and Janine said together.

“Pokémon, are you ready?”

“Ma…”

Still scanning, Machoke gave a slow nod. Toxicroak gurgled and nodded.

“Right then. Round three, Toxicroak versus Machoke, begin.”

The siren blared and Toxicroak disappeared from the drone’s footage in a blur. All throughout the arena, the thwack of Toxicroak leaping between poles echoed. Janine, oddly, gave no signs. Machoke whipped around in all directions, trying to follow the noise.

“Keep calm, Machoke. Don’t try and find him, he’ll find you. I’ll tell you when he attacks,” Green said into the microphone.

Machoke nodded and fortified his position with a wide stance. After a few agonising moments of nothing, Janine finally flashed a sign.

“Poison Sting! Use, Iron Defence!”

Machoke engulfed his hand in silver flame and covered the back in steel. He raised it up. One of Toxicroak’s claws emerged from the smoke veiled in purple liquid. Although, there was no hand attached. Like a dart, it flew from the smoke and struck the back of Machoke’s hand only to bounce off the steel with a spray of sparks. Machoke started and looked at his hand with surprise. Green winced. A lucky block.

Janine signed again.

“Force Palm! Block it!”

“Ma!”

Machoke hunched over and crossed his arms over his chest in an ‘X’. Orange flames engulfed his arms and chest, dancing around his shoulders. Toxicroak lunged from the smoke with a blazing palm from behind Machoke. He slammed his palm into Machoke’s back and a thunderous explosion of orange energy erupted around them. Smoke was blown back in a large sphere, allowing Green to see the scene with her own eyes. Machoke was fine, in fact, he was on the attack. He whirled around to a shocked-looking Toxicroak and threw a blazing, overarm slug. In a flash, Toxicroak hopped back out of range and Machoke punched the air. They paused and glared at each other as the smoke began to encroach on them again. Where Toxicroak’s left claw had once been, there was now a vacant hole. He clenched his left fist and a new claw slid out to replace the old one. Toxicroak veiled his claws in purple liquid and lunged a right stab at Machoke. Machoke intercepted the strike with his steel but there was no impact. A feint. Toxicroak pulled back his right and stabbed Machoke with his left, driving the claw into the side of his neck. Swiftly he pulled it out and disappeared into the smoke. Terror spread across Machoke’s face as he clutched the wound. Blood and poison oozed from his neck. He fell to one knee as bulging, purple veins began to spread across his face and shoulder. His body began to tremble and he spluttered a vicious mix of blood and poison. Green raised Machoke’s ball, and with a sigh, returned him. She made an ‘X’ with her arms and the siren blared. Tyrogue howled with fury. He rushed forward to the edge of the platform only to be stopped by a light barrier. With blazing fists, he began beating on it as he glared at the footage of Toxicroak.

“Enough,” Green said and returned him too.

“The challenger forfeits the third round. Round three goes to the leader. That makes it match-point for the leader”

Green looked for Koga’s glare only to find him gone from the booth. Somehow, that only made her feel worse. Still, she reached for Graveler’s ball. Even if it was hopeless, she still needed to be sure Graveler didn’t have some kind of angle for defeating Toxicroak.

“Challenger, release your final Pokémon.”

Green released Graveler into the smoke. He exclaimed and looked around wide-eyed.

“It’s alright, Graveler. Stay focused,” Green said through the microphone.

“G-Grav!”

His face hardened with resolve.

“Trainers, are you ready?”

“Ready,” Janine said.

Green nodded.

“Pokémon, are you ready?”

“Graveler!”

Toxicroak dashed back to Janine’s side of the arena before nodding.

“Right then. Round four, Toxicroak versus Graveler, begin.”

The siren blared.

“Graveler roll out to the edge of the arena!” Green yelled.

Graveler tucked up and rolled out, doing his best to weave around the bamboo poles as he came across them. Janine flashed a sign and Toxicroak became a blur.

“Toxicroak is using Force Palm! Start zig-zagging!”

As he raced along the edge of the arena, Graveler started weaving back and forth. Out so far, the smoke was wispy compared to the smog of the arena’s centre. Not that it mattered. Graveler couldn’t see tucked up anyway and Toxicroak wasn’t touching the ground. Graveler wouldn’t be able to sense his approach. So, Green watched for him. She scanned the footage of the drones, watching the smoke for even the slightest movement. There was none, she swore it, not a single movement. But Toxicroak lunged from the smoke anyway and intercepted Graveler with a blazing palm. Graveler shattered. Countless jagged cracks tore through his body as he was sent flying into the light barrier. He spun off it, careened off the ground and skidded to a halt. Fruitlessly, he tried to stand as his shattered body crumbled around him. Green returned him before anything serious could come of it. The siren blared and Janie returned Toxicroak.

“Round four goes to the leader. Leader victory.”

Around the arena, the bamboo mats parted, revealing vents. They funnelled away the smoke slowly. A gentle murmur arose from the crowd of pupils. Some split off and headed to the exits, some still scribbled away at their clipboards and some compared notes. None looked at her. Even Janine was gone. She’d left, somehow without Green seeing. Green sighed and went to collect her pokéballs when the tray lowered into the ground. A robotic voice spoke.

“Your team has been transported to Fuchsia City Pokémon Centre, for healing. Please collect your team from there.”

Green turned and left. She felt numb. Stupidly so. She hadn’t come here to win, she shouldn't feel bad about losing. But yet, somehow she did. She stepped off the platform into the elevator. While the small room transported her back to the lobby, she pondered the loss. A complete sweep. Not a true sweep, the switch at the start had ruined that. But still, a sweep nonetheless. It was nothing to be ashamed of, Green knew. It happened to the best of trainers after all. Even her brother. Lance had swept him, with switch tactics, but a sweep nonetheless. In that moment, Green decided not to be upset about the loss. She prepared to enter the lobby with a raging determination to improve. However, Koga’s presence when the door opened killed any confidence she might have had. He glared at her, silent and expecting. Gingerly, Green stepped out of the elevator and the door shut behind her.

“You lost,” Koga said.

Koga’s voice was somehow a whisper and a boom at the same time.

“Yeah… today was just for scouting.”

“I trust you’ve found what you’re looking for, then.”

“I guess. I still need to think it over.”

“There are several weaknesses in my daughter’s strategy. Find them.”

“I’ll try.”

“Do not try. Simply do.”

“Right.”

Koga narrowed his eyes at her. He looked to her belt, to Tyrogue’s ball, and then left. Green took a moment to centre herself before heading into the lobby. A group of trainers were gathered, huddled in a cluster around the desk and watching a screen suspended above the desk. Their eyes moved to Green and they snickered amongst themselves.

“Nice going, hero,” one mocked.

“Fuck off,” Green muttered.

That only made them laugh harder. Their jeers followed her as she left the gym. Outside, the sun was high in the sky and the morning’s haze had cleared. Groups of Koffing raced above the rooftops, chasing Pidgeys and Spearows. The birds squawked and cried as they worked together to evade, moving in a united flock. A straggler Pidgey separated from the group and was immediately caught by a Koffing. It puffed a purple cloud from its mouth, enveloping the Pidgey. The Pidgey went limp right away and was snatched up by the Koffing.

As Green headed back to the Pokémon Centre, she used the walk to go over the loss. Toxicroak was perfect. He was fast, precise, strong and agile. While her Pokémon had struggled to even land a hit in all that smoke. But he had to have a flaw. Something. Koga had said so and besides, Janine was a mid-rank leader. That meant that before the gym season, during the ranking tournament, half the leaders of Kanto-Johto had beaten her. Maybe Toxicroak was fragile. No, he’d taken that hit from Primeape fairly well. Getting rid of the smoke was an obvious answer. But how? Stop Weezing from making it? She’d tried, the damn thing was fast enough to dodge lightning. No, it couldn’t be. Electabuzz had just missed. They’d spent too long on the run. Her team was rusty. More training was what they needed. Electabuzz needed to be more accurate. Primeape needed to hone his hearing. Machoke needed to hone his hand-to-hand combat. Something as simple as a feint shouldn’t be fooling them at this point in their journey. Lots of sparring was in order.

Green would have walked right into the Pokémon Centre’s doors if they hadn’t opened for her. A shout brought her back to the world.

“Green!”

Green froze. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Her mother and Professor Oak were standing before the Pokémon Centre’s desk along with Red’s old Alakazam.

“Mum? What-”

Her mother sprinted across the Centre and flung her arms around Green.

“Oh, dear. I was so worried! What’s all this stuff with the rangers? Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

“Mum, I’m fine. It’s not that big of a deal.”

Green blushed as the commotion attracted the attention of every pair of eyes in the Centre.

“Quite the contrary,” Oak said.

He hobbled over with the support of his cane. Alakazam followed closely behind. He tried to support Oak’s arm but Oak shook him off.

“Don’t downplay this, young lady. I’ve seen the news! They practically destroyed Celadon City,” her mum said.

“Destroyed Celadon City? Mum, it was just the square…”

“I don’t care! They were trying to hurt you.”

Oak laid a hand on her mother’s shoulder.

“And she did well defending herself, didn’t she?”

“She shouldn’t have had to, it was totally out of line!”

Green carefully took her mother’s hand.

“Sorry I didn’t call. In the heat of things, I never considered how scared seeing that would have made you.”

Tears welled in her mother’s eyes.

“N-No, I’m just glad you’re safe dear. Don’t you go worrying about me now. Oh, look at me. I’m distracting you from your training, aren’t I? And after such a loss. I-I’ll just get out of your way.”

“No, mum, come on. Sit down. It’s about time I checked in with you anyway. How long’s it been? Like a month?”

Green gently guided her mother over to one of the booths. Her mother sat, wiped her eyes and nodded.

“More or less.”

“Twenty-three days, to be exact,” Oak said.

He joined them in the booth and Alakazam stood at the end of the table.

“Feels longer. More like a year or so,” Green said.

Her mother cracked a smile.

“You’ve made incredible progress, dear. Just like your brother.”

“Thanks, mum…”

Green tried to not let the frustration of the comparison show. There was an awkward pause. Her mother fidgeted with her hands.

“Dear… if everything that’s happened with the ranger gets too much. You’re always allowed to take a break. Home is just a phone call and a teleport away.” Her mother gestured to Alakazam.

“I appreciate that. But, I’m travelling with someone. I can’t just leave abandon the promise I made them.”

“That would be Abby wouldn’t it?”

“Yeah… the ranger’s daughter.”

“And where is Abby?” Oak asked.

“Training. That’s what she told me this morning. Why?”

“You and Abby. You’re friends?” Her mother asked.

Green paused. While ‘friends’ wasn’t inaccurate, that title didn't really describe what she and Abby had properly. Or used to have. Maybe 'friends' was more accurate now. Regardless, Green didn’t exactly feel like discussing her sex life with Oak and her mother.

“Something more?” Oak asked.

“Uh, nope. Just friends.”

Green gave her most reassuring smile. Oak and her mother looked at each other. Oak grinned while her mother frowned.

“And she’s worth all this?”

“Definitely.”

“You… You’re an adult now. So I can’t make this decision for you. Just, try not to get into trouble again, okay?”

“I’ll try- I mean. I’ll do.”

“You’ll do?” her mother giggled.

“Yeah.” Green clutched the back of her head.

They both laughed together.

“So,” Oak began, “that Machop has evolved, I see.”

“Yeah, ages ago now. He evolved back in Mt Moon,” Green said.

“So early into your journey?” her mother asked.

“It was to be expected,” Oak said, “Blue and I raised him for some time before he met Green. I hope the early evolution didn’t cause you too much trouble?”

“A little, but I’m probably better off for it. Besides, without it, I wouldn’t have caught my Mankey.”

“Oh! Speaking of, dear. Your team is quite amazing! I’ve been catching your matches when they air. It’s been a delight watching you forge an identity as a trainer. You’re a fighting trainer, right?” her mother asked.

“Well, I was meant to be but I kinda ended up with a Graveler and an Electabuzz along the way.”

“I think it adds flair to your team! Who would expect a fighting trainer to have an electric type right?”

“And it gives you much-needed type coverage,” Oak said.

Oak looked at her belt.

“Speaking of, Green. What are you planning to evolve your Tyrogue into?” Oak asked.

“Uhh, maybe a Hitmonlee? He seems to really like kicks and flips. But I’m not sure. He’s got a mean punch and pretty good control in hand-to-hand combat. He’d be suited to both.”

Oak tittered.

“Do not forget about Hitmontop, Green.”

“Oh yeah. I forgot all about that Pokémon… I don’t know… Honestly, I kinda wanna leave it up to him. I don’t wanna force him into a form he’s not comfortable with.”

“A fair decision.”

“Oh, could we see the little guy? He reminds me so much of the trio your brother caught. Such ferocity!” her mother asked.

“Yeah, sure.”

Green released Tyrogue onto the desk. He came out swinging, arms ablaze. Once he realised where he was he stopped and stared at Oak and Green’s mother curiously.

“Oh just look at him! Such a fighter!”

Tyrogue grinned at Green’s mother and puffed out his chest. Oak reached out and lifted Tyrogue’s arm with a finger. He prodded his pectoral muscle, then his ribs and then his stomach. Tyrogue giggled and swatted at his hands.

“Seems you caught him right at the end of his migration. His body is already well trained and refined,” Oak said.

“I figured that. He’d already taught himself to use fire energy when I caught him.”

“Interesting…”

Tyrogue locked eyes with Alakazam. He leered at him while Alakazam stared as if Tyrogue weren’t even there.

“Rogue!”

Tyrogue charged and leapt at Alakazam, arms and legs ablaze with orange fire. Calmly, Alakazam pointed at Tyrogue. A veil of pink light enveloped Tyrogue, freezing him in the air. Tyrogue struggled fruitlessly.

“Okay enough, buddy.”

Green returned him to his ball.

Oak stared at her belt. His eyes wandered from badge to badge. Each one seemed to make his grin brighter. That was until it fell upon her pink, pokéball badge. Green’s face burned red hot. Surely, he couldn’t know what it was.

Oak cleared his throat and touched her mother’s wrist.

“Delia, could I speak to Green alone for a moment?”

“Huh? Why?” Delia asked.

“Oh, nothing serious. It may just be a tad embarrassing for her.”

Green’s stomach dropped as Oak guided her mother’s eyes to her belt with a nod. Delia cocked her head slightly before smirking.

“Oh. I see.”

She stood and ushered Alakazam away to the front desk.

“Green…” Oak began.

“Do we really have to talk about this?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Really?”

“This isn’t exactly pleasant for me either. Now,” Oak sighed, “Are you involved with Machoke or any of your other Pokémon?”

Funnily enough, answering with ‘no’ wouldn’t have been a complete lie. Green considered it for a moment before answering with a question of her own.

“Does it matter?”

“I’m not passing judgement. I’m just ensuring you’re safe. Sex with Pokémon can be… well…”

“Unsafe?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, I know. I got the whole speech about safety from Nurse Joy in Cerulean.”

Oak chuckled.

“Why is it always that one? And she told you about pregnancy?”

“Yeah, she mentioned it. There’s no risk, right?”

“No, not entirely.”

“What?”

“Most species of Pokémon cannot inseminate humans. Most. Some pokémon who fall into the human-like egg category can, on rare occasions, impregnate humans.”

“Fuck… are any of those my Pokémon?”

“Machoke and Primeape. Have you… uh, you know, recently?”

“Not recently. If I were pregnant I think I’d know by now.”

“Good, good. And, the Pokémon you’re involved with, is it more? Or just, uh, sex.”

“It’s more.”

“You seem confident about that,” Oak chuckled.

“I am.”

“Well, I’m glad you’ve found happiness, Green.”

For some reason, that stung. He was right. She’d found happiness that night Machoke took her in the Cerulean Pokémon Centre. It had been different from her times with Brock, Misty or the Gravelers. They not only had come together physically but spiritually. Lately, it seemed as if the latter bond was sorely lacking.

Oak sighed and slumped his shoulders.

“Uh, professor?”

Oak tensed.

“Yes?”

“What happens when a Pokémon impregnates a human?”

“The phenomena is severely under-researched but, as far as we know, two things can happen. Either the human gives birth to a Pokémon or to a human. As far as the research is concerned the only side effects can on occasion be a high rate of muscle growth for the humans and the potential to speak human languages for the Pokémon. But it is a rare phenomenon. So, there could be other unknown side effects.”

“Okay… well I don’t plan on getting pregnant.”

“I’d hope not at your age.”

“Can I buy, like, condoms or something for Machoke and Primeape?”

“I’m afraid not,” Oak laughed, “I’d recommend picking up some birth control. The Pokémon Centres all provide it for free if you ask the Nurse.”

Oak suddenly paused, blinked and then cocked his head slightly.

“Did you say, Machoke and Primeape?”

“I thought you said you weren’t judging!”

Green blushed and clutched the back of her head. Oak went wide-eyed and began to stammer.

“N-No, of course not! I-It’s not my place to suggest- I mean! You are a woman now after all. Monogamy and non-Monogamy are both perfectly acceptable forms of-”

“It’s okay, Professor. I’m just teasing.”

It was Oak who was blushing now.

“You’ve certainly changed over these past few weeks haven’t you?”

“That’s the point of a journey, right?”

“Yes, in part.”

Oak stood and Green followed him to the front desk.

“All sorted?” Delia asked.

“Thankfully…” Oak said.

“Are you two gonna stick around?”

“I wish we could, dear. But someone’s gotta look after all those Pokémon your brother left behind.”

“Yeah. Right. Well, I’ll make sure to call regularly from now on.”

“I appreciate it, dear.”

Oak and Delia took hold of one of Alakazam’s arms each. Oak cleared his throat.

“Alakazam, teleport.”

“Kazam.”

Alakazam’s two, long yellow whiskers glowed pink and floated on either side of his head. He shut his eyes and they disappeared with a dazzling gleam of pink light that swished the air where they once stood. The eyes of the Pokémon Centre’s crowd slowly drifted away from Green back to whatever they were doing before, leaving Green truly alone. A little nip tugged at her chest. Then a deep, burning yearning called out from within her. If today, she couldn’t overcome Janine, then she’d overcome the other obstacle in her life instead. She turned to Joy behind the desk.

“Joy, when will my Pokémon be healed?”

“Let’s see. Graveler’s injuries are severe, he’ll be at least the rest of the day. Primeape too. He suffered some brain damage from the poison. That always takes a while to heal. But the other two are fully healed, why?”

“Give me Machoke’s ball, please.”

“Sure.”

Joy walked over to the healing machine in the back and retrieved a pokéball.

“Here you go. You got some training you wanna do?”

“Not exactly. Could I have some birth control, please?”

“Of course.”

Joy smirked as she handed Green a box of pills.

“Take it between twenty-four and seventy-two hours after sex, not before. Got it?”

“Got it.”

Green flashed her a grin before heading off for her room.

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Thanks for reading! Feedback is appreciated <3

Next chapter, While Green challenges Janine, Abby is facing an ordeal of her own. Ever since he evolved, Charmeleon hasn't been the same and no matter what she does, he just won't listen. Perhaps help from the most unlikely of places will set her down the right path?