On the cliff-side meadow, north of Fuchsia, Abby and Charmeleon stood across from each other separated by charred grass and half-molten earth. Soot, stained Abby’s skin. Embers twinkled in the singed ends of her hair. Long cuts, jagged and scabbed, ran down her arms in rows of three. Dragonair loomed over her shoulder, scowling.

Charmeleon opened his mouth and roared. Red light pulsed in his eyes. Hot flames bulged in his throat and erupted into a thick pillar of fire, shooting at Abby. Swiftly, Abby ducked beneath the flames. Her heart had long stopped racing in times like this. A cool numbness washed over her as the heat of the flames beat down on her back. Dragonair fired a bolt of purple lighting into the torrent, splitting it down the middle. With a rumbling crack, the bolt exploded in Charmeleon’s mouth, whipping his head to the side. Charmeleon braced, almost falling and glared at them both. Abby stood and pointed at him.

“You will obey!”

Charmeleon roared again as the flame on the end of his tail split down the middle. One half of the flame turned silver, while the other turned purple. Abby clicked her tongue. A stiffening frustration gripped her. Three claws of steel and three claws of purple lighting grew from each of Charmeleon’s hands respectively. Abby braced for what was about to come; what always came. Somewhere between roaring and screaming, Charmeleon lunged at her. Abby stepped back and Charmeleon swiped only air with his steel claws. He swiped again, and again Abby stepped back. Three rows of jagged purple lighting streaked through the air where she had been standing.

“Air!” Dragonair cried.

Purple flames engulfed the end of his tail as a blinding purple light shone from his tail’s two skewered gems. The air shifts as the flaming tail swatted Charmeleon away into the forest that surrounded the cliff-side meadow. He hit a tree trunk and slumped over. The purple lighting of his claws flickered away as the steel retracted into nothing. With a heavy heart, Abby sighed and returned him. A blast of hot air hit the back of Abby’s head as Dragonair huffed. He scowled at her before slithering away.

Across the meadow, beneath the canopy of the edge of the forest, Dragonair returned to the once-abandoned campsite. A tent sat beside the log seats and a fire raged in the ashy fire pit. Filling bowls with differently coloured pokémon kibble, was Jackson. Bags of coloured kibble say beside him in an orderly row. When Abby rejoined him and sat beside him, he did little more than shoot that damned accusatory glance of his at her. The midday sun beat down on their heads.

“Your hair’s smouldering again,” he said.

Abby patted down the singed ends of her hair. The stiff grip tightened around her again.

“Pass the healer,” she muttered.

Jackson reached into his bag and shoved the portable healer towards her across the ground. Dragonair loomed over a bowl of kibble but Jackson snatched it away from him. Abby placed Charmeleon’s ball into the healer and a taunting golden glow enveloped the ball. It stoked her heart, flaring the stiff grip.

“Green’s probably wondering where you are,” Jackson said as he filled a bowl with yellow and silver kibble.

“She knows where I am. I’m close, she’ll get it.”

“You call that close?”

“He’s acknowledging me.”

“Right… Well, I didn’t bring food for you guys so don’t expect any.”

“That’s fine, they’ll just eat in their pokéballs.”

That earned her another scowl from Dragonair; a common sight recently. Jackson stood and cupped his hands around his mouth.

“Chow time!”

A silence lingered around them before the forest edge erupted. From the murky darkness, Crowbat erupted followed by Beedrill. Magenton zipped out last with Jigglypuff riding on their back. Crowbat attacked a bowl full of dark purple and light blue kibble. Beedrill approached one full of light green and dark purple kibble. Magneton’s bowl was full of yellow and silver kibble. While Jigglypuff’s kibble was a mix of white and light pink. Gastly appeared next to Jackson out of thin air and floated into a bowl of grey and dark purple kibble. Both Magneton and Gastly absorbed the kibble into their bodies, Magenton did so slowly, while Gastly did so all at once. A gust of wind rushed up and over the cliffside, followed by Gyarados with Seadra and Quagsire on his back. Gyarados landed with a thud in an empty patch of grass, curling into a spiral. The light-blue energy veiling him snapped away and Quagsire hopped off, falling onto his face. With no complaints, he hopped up and waddled over to a bowl full of dark blue and brown kibble. Seadra, along with the rest of Abby’s pokémon looked at her expectedly.

“Lunch is inside today, sorry guys,” she said, tossing her pokéballs into the air.

The clump of Pokéballs split apart and returned her team, including Dragonair, before returning to her belt. All except Charmeleon’s which sat in the healing machine, still taunting her with its golden glow. Abby stared into the glow. The arching arms of golden light waved majestically like delicate flowers swaying in a breeze. A facade, she knew. It was as if the light were trying to spite her by making something so frustrating, so beautiful. Each second of the wait ticked by at an agonising pace. It made her feel heavy like she was sinking into the log seat.

“I’m serious, you’re not getting any stronger,” Jackson said.

His voice brought time and the world back to her.

“I am, you just don’t-”

“No, just listen okay? It’s been a month and the only progress you’ve made is that he attacks you instead of ignoring you. You gotta get some help. Go train with a fire trainer. Like Blaine.”

Abby huffed.

“I don’t need that insane geezer’s help.”

“Like you’re one to talk.”

“Huh?”

“Look at yourself. Look at your arms. That’s not normal.”

“They look worse than they are.”

Jackson scowled and looked away from her. He got out a notepad from his bag.

“Whatever…”

The stiff grip clenched some more.

“And, well, I can’t just leave Green either you know. She’s still training. We need to stay together.”

“Uh, huh,” Jackson muttered as he scribbled in his notepad.

Abby’s upper lip stiffened and she went back to waiting for the completion chime of the healing machine.

***

With each passing hour and each failed attempt, the glow of the healing machine got ever brighter. In the murky greys and blues of twilight, the glow was as if a star had fallen from the sky. As the dancing golden light decorated the campsite, a collage of differently coloured light painted the mossy grass of the meadow. Abby watched from her log seat at the cause, Jackson’s training.

Crobat performed in the air, zipping like a bullet, swooping and firing a flurry of glowing, light-blue energy blades from his wings into the dirt. With each successful attempt, Jackson cheered him on.

Beedrill sparred with an invisible partner, weaving through the air with both drills veiled in light-green light. Occasionally, Jackson would rush over and join him, sparring without making contact. After some encouragement, he would correct the mistakes and leave Beedrill looking twice as determined.

Jigglypuff was compressing herself down flat, like a pancake, then springing up high into the air. She would engulf herself in white light, often bursting into white flame before shooting back down so fast that the air clapped with a sonic boom and the ground erupted into a deep crater. Each time, Jigglypuff would meander from the crater with a vacant smile, and each time Jackson would rush over and scratch her behind the ears, making her sing.

Quagsire was by the edge of the cliff, waving his hands back and forth. One was engulfed in brown flame, while the other was veiled in glowing dark-blue water. He spent some time winding his arms up, waving them around his head in circles, before suddenly jerking them up high above his head, causing a huge wave of muddy water to spray up high above the cliff. Each time, Jackson rewarded him with a high five that got Quagsire beaming like a little kid on Christmas.

Magneton was at the edge of the treeline, charging all three of their heads. One glowed yellow, one glowed red and one glowed with a strange light. The light was clear but visible. If it did not warble the air, it would be utterly invisible. In unison, the three heads burst into flames of yellow, red and clear energy and they each fired a beam of their respective colour. The three beams met and twisted around each other to form a singular beam of three swirling colours. Magneton sliced the beam through a tree, cutting it as if it weren’t even there. The tree crashed down, sending a cloud of Spearow and Pidgey into the air, who all began to fight amongst each other. With each felled tree, Jackson rewarded them with a rubbing of polish that made their steel gleam.

Jackson was rushing around like a madman to juggle the five pokémon. However, Gastly got the most attention. Set up in the middle of the meadow was a ring of purple candles and a fan adorned with silver bells. In between tending to the other pokémon, Jackson would sit in the circle and wave the fan around as Gastly hovered a few feet away from him. Creepily, the melodic chiming of the bells filled Jackson’s eyes with grey light. While spine-tinglingly off-putting, Abby couldn’t help but watch as he and Gastly worked together to summon a hand of grey light from Gastly’s body. Well, a few fingers at least, hooked fingers with sharp points on their ends. With each summoning, the hand progressed a few more inches before snapping away and leaving Gastly with drooped eyes and slightly transparent.

“Gastly…” Gastly sighed.

“Almost,” Jackson said with a click of his tongue

Jackson grabbed a grey wafer from a bag outside the circle of candles and tossed it to Gastly.

“Good work.”

Gastly flew into the wafer and absorbed it, grinning. Then, he smirked and vanished. Silently, Gastly reappeared behind Quagsire. In a flash, he flew through Quagsire’s head, turned and shrieked in his face. Quagsire’s beady eyes widened as far as they could as he cried out. The brown flame and dark-blue water left his hands as he flailed them above his head, as he waddled away in a hurry. Jackson chuckled and turned a gleeful gaze on Abby. It was odd, after nearly a month of seeing him do nothing but scowl and go over the little graphs he drew in his notebook, to see him look so innocent. It was a nice change.

The healer beside Abby chimed and the golden glow vanished.

“It’ll be dark soon, we should head out,” he said.

“Just a little longer. I wanna try one more time,” Abby said, standing.

“Geez… hurry up, and be careful.”

Abby gave him a little salute as she plucked Charmeleon’s ball from the healer.

“Will do, boss.”

As Jackson gave her a scowl, Abby removed Dragonair’s ball from her belt and released him. Looming over her, Dragonair looked down his nose scowling and eyeing Charmeleon’s ball.

“Ready to go again?” Abby asked.

Dragonair huffed and slithered past her back to the stretch of charred grass and half-molten earth. Small pools of lava no bigger than Abby’s foot littered the stretch, dotted in between the tufts of blackened grass. Abby made an effort to avoid stepping into one. The last time she’d done that, the shallow pool had nearly eaten through her soles to burn her feet. She didn’t feel like buying another pair of boots.

Once beside Dragonair, Abby released Charmeleon. As he appeared, red sparks spat from the small pools of lava. As soon as Charmeleon entered the world his eyes went wide at the sight of her. Flames poked out from between his jaws and red light filled his eyes. Abby pointed at him.

“You will obey!”

The flame on the end of his tail flared as Charmeleon roared in response. At once, he lunged forward and tried to bite her with a mouth of flame. Abby hopped back and landed with bent knees ready to leap again.

“You will obey!”

Frustration visibly churned on Charmeleon’s face. Abby smirked. The flame on the end of his tail erupted into a pillar and Charmeleon let lose a torrent of flames from his mouth at her. Without thought, Abby ducked beneath them. The air split with a boom as Dragonair fired a purple bolt into the flames, splitting the torrent in two. The bolt exploded in Charmeleon’s mouth. A flash of purple light blinded Abby for a moment and Charmeleon’s scream attacked her ears. When the light died and her vision returned, Abby saw Charmeleon glaring at her with a hole blown through his cheek. Black smoke and hot flames billowed out of the hole. Her stomach dropped.

“Dragonair!” Abby cried, “Too much power!”

Dragonair huffed and avoided eye contact. Abby sighed and turned back to Charmeleon. The mistake could be dealt with later, she decided. Abby pointed at Charmeleon.

“You will obey!”

Charmeleon growled. His eyes were on Dragonair. The flames died in his mouth as he bowed his head ever so slightly. However, when Dragonair scowled at him, the flames reignited. Charmeleon let out a billowing, flaming howl and went to leap when his eyes suddenly went wide and he stopped. Dragonair’s ears twitched and his eyes too went wide. Both Pokémon looked to the forest. Charmeleon growled while Dragonair moved in front of Abby with purple light flickering in his tail and throat gems.

From the inky void of the forest, a yellow ring shone brightly. Two red eyes appeared on either side of the ring before suddenly vanishing. The ring pulsed and a piercing shrill cry let out.

“Breeeeee!”

Umbreon, a small black dog with bands and rings of yellow fur around its body leapt from the forest. Its eyes, blazing with black fire shifted back and forth between Charmeleon and Dragonair as both Pokémon leered at it.

“No way, an Umbreon! Beedrill, come!” Jackson said.

Beedrill raced to Jackson’s side, as Jackson ran to Abby’s.

“Hold off, I wanna take him on,” Abby said.

“Alright, but if you lose I’ve got dibs.”

As Jackson readied a pokéball, Abby studied the Umbreon. She’s seen one before, one of Tiberius’s. Although his was a mangy thing with eyes devoid of anything but hate. This one moved with careful, delicate movements while keeping a certain and confident gaze on both Pokémon.

“Back off Dragonair,” Abby whispered, eyeing Charmeleon.

With a huff, Dragonair moves to her side.

“Charmeleon, flame-”

“CHAAAAAAR!”

Charmeleon’s tail flame split into silver and purple as he charged the Umbreon with steel and draconic claws. The Umbreon opened its mouth and the black flames in its eyes flared. Within half a heartbeat, a ball of black energy grew in its mouth and fired a beam of black energy into Charmeleon’s chest. It punctured him cleanly as if he were made of tissue paper and Charmeleon fell like a sack of potatoes. Abby could only stare at her defeated Pokémon. Red sparks popped from the small lava pools like popping candy.

“Hah! My turn!” Jackson said.

“No!” Abby stepped in front of him. “Dragonair, dragon pulse!”

“Air!”

Dragonair shot forward, loomed over Umbreon and fired a thick beam of purple energy from his mouth. Umbreon fires a beam of black energy in turn and the two beams collide. Purple and black sparks rained from the colliding beams as they pushed and pulled, inching in either Pokémon’s favour. Abby and Jackson both back up, getting to a safe distance while Beedrill stands by ready to attack. The yellow ring on Umbreon’s forehead glowed bright and the black beam thickened to twice its width. In one instance, the dragon pulse is overwhelmed and the beam hit Dragonair in the face. At the last second Dragonair turns his head and avoids having his brain punctured. Instead, the beam rips through his jaw and grazes his eyes, tearing off his jaw and slicing his eye. He collapsed before Umbreon had even closed his mouth and cut off the beam. The tight, stiffening grip of frustration was practically crushing Abby as she forced herself to move to return him. Jackson stepped forward.

“Okay, my turn now! Beedrill, use-”

“CHAAAAAAR!”

The lava pools drained and siphoned through the ground into Charmeleon’s chest wound. He stood, shakily as fierce red flames engulfed his entire body. Lava poured from mouth and chest, viscous like snot. When Charmeleon whipped his head back to roar, he flung droplets of lava about that melted into the ground. An electric rush of excitement shot through Abby.

“Yes, good work Charmeleon!”

“HUH?!” Jackson yelled.

A grin spread across Umbreon’s face and the black flames died from its eyes. It turned up its nose at Charmeleon and turned its back on him. Charmeleon’s eyes widened and he thrashed in a berserker rage. At once he rushed Umbreon, with claws of steel and draconic lightning. As he slashed, Umbreon leapt over the attack gracefully and headbutted him, leaving him dazed. As Charmeleon staggered, still slashing, Umbreon darted between his legs, swept his legs with his tail and kicked him in the head with its hind legs as he fell. Without even using any type of energy, Umbreon left Charmeleon knocked out on the ground. Abby could do little more than gawk, as she returned Charmeleon.

“This-this can’t be a wild Pokémon,” she said.

“Gastly, come,” Jackson said, his voice low and stern.

He approached Umbreon without a grin or smirk.

“Gast?!” Gastly cried, appearing beside Abby.

Jackson’s grin returned.

“I know it’s a bad match-up! That’s the point! You need a real challenge! Now get in the ground!”

“Gastly…”

Gastly swooped beneath the ground with a pop. Umbreon narrowed its eyes at the ground and its ears twitched. It took a step back and scanned the ground around it.

“Shadow ball!” Jackson said.

Gastly popped up behind Umbreon and charged a shadow ball in his mouth. Umbreon turned around swiftly and opened his mouth to attack but was interrupted by Jackson’s shout.

“Down!”

At once, Gastly disappeared through the ground again and Umbreon fires its beam at nothing, hitting a tree instead. The tree exploded and topples, filling the sky with shrieking Spearow and Pidgey.

“Up!”

As Umbreon fired its beam, Gastly pops up behind it again. In a flash, Umbreon turned around as Jackson yells again.

“Double team!”

Clones of himself split off from Gastly and surrounded Umbreon in a ring. Umbreon’s head ring glowed and white flames filled its eyes.

“Shadow ball!”

All the clones began charging grey spheres in their mouths. Umbreon looked around the ring calmly before stopping on one of the clones. In an instant, it charged and fired a beam. The beam shattered a grey sphere around the Gastly and all the other Gastlies disappeared. The real Gastly shrieked but got cut off as he vanished.

“Damn…” Jackson said.

“What’d you expect? It’s a dark type.”

“Type isn’t everything. But, hey! Don’t distract me! I still have dibs! Beedrill-”

“Enough!” A voice from the forest called.

“Argh! Stop interrupting me!” Jackson yelled.

The anger soon washed away from Jackson’s face in place of stark terror as a woman with long, silvery-blue hair stepped out from the forest followed by an old woman supporting herself on a cane with a top shaped like a Gengar. Umbreon ran to the younger woman’s side as she looked at the older woman.

“Well, whatcha think, Gran?” she said.

“There’s potential, I’ll grant you that.”

Two large, red eyes appeared beside the old woman’s head and a smirking grin joined them. Where the face was, a Gengar snapped into existence. It eyed Jackson, who had begun to babble like an idiot.

“Uh, sorry, who are you?” Abby asked.

Jackson’s jaw dropped as he snapped his to her. The old woman tsked.

“Tch, you trample through my garden every day and you don’t even have the courtesy to know my name.”

“That’s Agatha, idiot!” Jackson yelled, pointing at them. “And-and Karen!”

“Huh? Who?”

“Stupid!” Jackson ran off to his bag. “They’re ex-Elite Four!”

He raced back over and began bowing profusely before them.

“Sorry if we caused you any trouble! We had no idea really! We-”

“Geez, cool it, kid…” Karen clutched the back of her head and looked away.

“Now now, nothing wrong with a little respect,” Agatha said. “Stand young man. Show me your team.”

“Of course!”

Abby couldn’t deal with the nonsense anymore. She turned and returned to the campsite. Even if these people were elite four, or ex-elite four, or whatever, it didn’t matter. This wasn’t their land, they couldn’t make them move. She’d apologise for cutting through their yard, but she had no intention of stopping. Charmeleon’s training was far more important than some grass or flowers. Perhaps if it were a month ago, she would have been concerned but she wasn’t a fugitive anymore. They couldn’t arrest her, or call the rangers on her.

As Abby slumped down and placed Charmeleon’s and Dragonair’s pokéballs in the healing machine, Umbreon hopped up onto the log seat. He watched the machine turn on with narrowed, red eyes. His pupils thinned into black slits.

“Uh! Get down!” Karen hissed.

Umbreon lowered his head and growled but Karen simply marched up to him, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and held him up to her eye level. They stared at each other for a moment with harsh, flared eyes before Umbreon huffed and looked away. Karen dropped him and Umbreon stayed by her feet. And when she joined Abby on the log, Umbreon lay on the ground before the fire. Abby looked into the golden light of the healing machine and let reality slip away as she counted the seconds down. However, before she could even count past ten, Karen spoke.

“That your Charmeleon?”

Abby continued staring.

“Hey!” Karen snapped her fingers in Abby’s face. “You deaf, kid?”

“Yes, go away I can’t hear you.”

Karen scowled.

“Tch, fine keep being a shit trainer then, brat.”

“I’m not shit!”

“The hell you aren’t, you’re doing an awful job.”

“Having a hole blown through his chest isn’t helping.”

“Oh, you think that’s my fault? Fuck off, you’re his trainer.”

Abby got to her feet.

“You attacked me!”

“And you lost! Dumb brat. Where are your badges?”

“I don’t have any! I’m a tamer! And I’m not a kid!”

“Well, then you don’t have an excuse, do you? And a tamer? No wonder you can’t control him. What do you think a Charmeleon is? A pet? They’re fucking monsters. The little demons only fight, eat, sleep and fuck. He needs to be fighting, regularly.”

“He is fighting! Who do you think you are?!”

Karen stood.

“Who do you think you are?! Limiting a Pokémon’s potential like that?!”

“I-I’m not.”

“You are. Umbreon may as well have been fighting a wild Pokémon. Where was your input? Where was your strategy? Your techniques?”

“He-he won’t listen to me. I can’t do that stuff yet.”

“Cause he doesn’t respect you.”

“I know that! I’m working on it!”

“Oh yeah?” Karen scoffed. “By letting yourself get burned and scratched?”

Abby stiffened and dodged Karen’s eyes. A sinking weight pulled on her stomach.

“You’re a pushover, it’s written all over you,” Karen said.

Suddenly, that sinking weight vanished an erupting rage filled Abby.

“Pushover?!” She screamed. “I’ve fought rangers! High-level lieutenants! I’ve trained a Gyarados and raised dragons! Fought in the skies. Life and death shit! I’ve been through more shit than anything you could possibly imagine! I’m not a fucking pushover!”

A silence fell over the cliff-side meadow and Abby suddenly became aware of herself. Agatha and Jackson were frozen, staring at her with bewildered looks. Umbreon hopped up onto the log and grinned at her, black light flashing in his eyes. Karen knocked him off the log and grinned at her.

“That’s more like it!” Karen said.

“Wha-What?”

Karen grabbed her by the shoulders.

“Use that anger. Channel it with Charmeleon. When it comes to a Pokémon like him, it’s either dominante or be dominated. You can’t let him win, no matter what he pulls. Beat him into the ground if you gotta!”

Abby stepped back.

“What are you, crazy? I can’t fight a Charmeleon!”

“Not with that attitude!”

“The hell do you know about dragons anyway? Aren’t you a dark-type trainer, or something like that?”

Karen’s eyes widened and gleamed with a wild mania. Agatha groaned.

“Not the bloody dragon…”

Karen reached for her belt, a belt identical to the kind Green wore except coloured white with black highlights. From her belt, Karen pulled off a pokéball and tossed it high into the air. An eruption of light so large that it drowned out the dark of the fledgling night sky burst from the pokéball. A black dragon, five stories tall and sporting three heads appeared from the flash of light. Its six, thin black wings spread out, casting long pale shadows across the cliff-side meadow in the twilight light. Manes of thick black fur rusted as it shook its heads. The middle head, the largest of them all, glared at Abby with sunken, black pits where eyes should have been. The two, smaller heads lowered to her height, their faces of purple scales shimmered under the pale light. They inspected Abby from all sides as they muttered to each other with raspy, wheezing voices. The large head spotted Umbreon and bellowed.

“Hydreigon!”

Black fire erupted in the middle head’s eyes, followed by the smaller heads’ eyes. As one they glared at Umbreon and began charging balls of black energy in their mouths. Abby was halfway between terror and utter glee at the sight of the horrifying powerful pokémon when Karen matter-of-factly stepped between Hydreigon and Umbreon and hit the snout of Hydreigon’s middle head, which snapped away the black balls of energy.

“No!” Karen yelled.

The middle head let out a low, rumbling growl while the other heads hissed. They swivelled back and forth, the way an Ekans would before striking. Karen folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.

“Well, go on then,” she said.

All three of Hydreigon's pairs of eyes narrowed. The middle head huffed and broke eye contact, and the other two did the same. The black flames in their eyes extinguished. Umbreon snickered and leapt onto Karen’s shoulder with a leering grin, but Karen grabbed the scruff of his neck and put him on the ground.

“Don’t push it, bud.”

Both Pokémon scowled at each other before turning away. Umbreon rejoined Abby by the campfire, who was still frozen in awe. Hydreigon was a pokémon she had only ever dreamed of seeing. Renowned as one of the most powerful dragons in the world and one of the hardest to train. Its power made it arrogant and unwieldy, and its three heads came with distinct personalities all with varying needs and wants. To be partnered with was universally recognised as a sign of pokémon mastery.

“Whoa!” Jackson yelled and ran over.

“You-You trained this?” Abby asked.

As Jackson frantically looked Hydreigon all over while scribbling in his notepad, Karen flashed Abby a smug smirk.

“Yup, he’s been my main project since I left the Elite Four.”

“Since you were eliminated from the Elite Four, you mean,” Agatha said.

“Watch it, geezer,” Karen said.

Agatha hobbled over, scowled at Karen and grabbed Jackson’s arm.

“Come on kid, back to it.”

Jackson followed Agatha but never once took his gawking gaze off of Hydreigon.

“Okay…” Abby clenched her jaw as she forced herself to speak. “How do I dominate a Charmeleon?”

“Easy! Stand tall. Stand your ground. And when he comes at ya, give him twice back!”

The very thin film of respect that Abby had mustered up for Karen shattered.

“What?” Abby said.

“You gotta beat him. Pokémon like that only respect one thing, strength. You gotta show him you’re worth a shit.”

“No- I- You…” Abby shook her head. “No, I have beaten him, he doesn’t care. When Dragonair-”

“Wrong! Dragonair beat him, not you! He already knows Dragonair is strong, that’s a given. Show him that you’re strong.”

“Like, like… kick him?”

“Yeah! Kicks, punches, grapples, whatever. Just as long as he sees that you have power worth a shit.”

“N-No. That’s not right. I’m not gonna hit my pokémon. He’s my friend.”

“Wrong again! You’re not friends. He’s your pupil. And as long as he thinks you’re weak, he’ll never respect you enough to let you teach him.”

“No!”

Abby stomped her foot. A deep seeded, hot flush of anger swept through her.

“People who beat their pokémon are sick! They’re cowards who hide behind the power of violence! I won’t do it!”

The wild, manic look on Karen’s face dropped. A sombre sadness replaced it.

“Hey, no… that’s not what I’m telling you to do. I’m not telling you to fight him to get power over him. This is about instructing. Charmeleon has weaknesses, weaknesses he’s too proud to see. You need to show him those weaknesses, personally.”

Abby hardened her face with a scowl to fight back the tears brimming in her eyes.

“What do you know about his weaknesses?”

“I’ve been watching you for a few days now. I’m down here visiting the old bag and I saw you and the kid sneaking through the yard. I think you’ve both got real promise, you especially. I’ve seen the way you train. How after failure, after failure you just kept at it. That takes guts. I want to help you. So let me, okay?”

Abby sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. But, more tears just replaced them and before she knew it they were streaming down her face.

“O-Okay,” she blubbered.

“Good. Now, are you ready to try?”

“But, wha-what if he hurts me?”

“Then you’ll heal and try again.”

“But-”

“Do you want to be a dragon tamer or not?!”

The timer of the healing machine chimed.

“I do!” Abby said.

“Prove it!”

Abby snatched up Charmeleon’s and Dragonair’s pokéballs and marched over to the stretch of charred grass with a hot furnace of ambition burning in her chest. First, she released Dragonair. He greeted her with a scowl, a scowl which faltered when it saw Karen. With visible apprehension, Dragonair looked at Abby with a curious gaze.

“Stay here, okay? I’m trying something new. Only get involved if I’m in serious danger,” Abby said.

Dragonair’s brow furrowed and his head tilted.

“Air?” He glanced back at Karen.

“I need to show him I’m strong, not you.”

Purple light flashed in Dragonair’s eyes as he grinned.

“Air!”

He took up a position a fair distance away from the charred grass. Abby took a deep breath and fidgeted with Charmeleon’s pokéball. The fledgling embers of a plan burned into her mind, but as she searched for what would fan the flames only waned on them. Charmeleon could kill her quite easily, she knew. A delayed reaction when he spat flames, or a miss-timed step when he lunged at her could leave her incinerated or stabbed. These risks Abby had known all through her training, but they had never felt this real before. Abby tightened her grip on Charmeleon’s pokéball, let out her breath and released Charmeleon with a throw of his ball.

Charmeleon materialised a few feet away. He locked eyes with her. They narrowed, red light flared in them and flames lashed from his jaws. Abby snatched the pokéball out of the air as it returned and stood tall.

“Come at me, now!”

Charmeleon’s eyes widened and for a moment he stared at her, unblinking and frozen. A gravelly growl let out as he raised his claws and bent his knees. His eyes narrowed and the flame on the end of his tail flared. Purple lighting and steel grew into claws on his hands as he let out a bellowing roar. And in the next moment, Charmeleon lunged at her with a swipe of his steel claws. Abby let out a screaming shout and drove her boot into his face. Her legs outranged his arms so his initial swipe hit only air. But, as Charmeleon was being driven down to the ground, he flailed his lighting claws and slashed the length of Abby’s calf. Her calf opened up into three mangled, half-cauterised, half bleeding long jagged wounds torn through her flesh. A searing pain brought her to her knee and forced a guttural scream from her.

“Hold your frame! Pain is temporary!” Karen yelled.

“Shut up!” Abby screamed through tears.

Charmeleon got back on his feet so Abby did the same. At once, Charmeleon came at her with another slash of his metal claws. This time, Abby hopped back, ignoring the pain eating away at her leg, and delivered a kick to Charmeleon’s stomach. Charmeleon buckled and Abby shoved him back with her foot, sending him sprawling on his back.

“I outrange you! Stop coming at me head-on!” Abby yelled.

Charmeleon growled and flames began overflowing from his mouth. Near instinctively, Abby threw herself onto the ground. A pillar of flames erupted from Charmeleon’s mouth and shot over her.

“Get up! He’s vulnerable!” Karen shouted.

The way Karen shouted made Abby feel like a pokémon, but she ignored it as she spotted what Karen was on about. As Charmeleon spewed flames, he kept his eyes shut tight. At once, Abby rolled to the side and got on her feet. She drove her boot into the side of Charmeleon’s head, cutting off the flames instantly and pinned him to the ground by his neck with the sole of her boot. Panting, they both glared at each other. The pupil in Charmeleon’s eye tightened into a thin strip and his whole body tensed. Black sparks popped from his body.

“Stop closing your eyes when you breathe fire. Without sight, you’re open to a counterattack.”

Charmeleon’s pupil loosened and widened. His body relaxed and the black sparks stopped. Abby bent down and increased the pressure of her boot.

“You will obey.”

Charmeleon shut his eyes and nodded. The intense fury of the determination burning in her chest was hit with a wave of calm. The strength in her legs snapped away and Abby struggled to stand as she returned Charmeleon. The instant, he was gone, she fell on her ass and clutched her mangled calf. The pain, like a thousand hot needles worming their way through her flesh, locked every joint in her body. Tears flowed down her face. But still, the grin she was sporting was unbreakable.

Karen rushed over and clutched Abby’s shoulder.

“Good shit, kid! Now come on, let’s get that leg healed up.”

“I’m not a kid- Oh!”

Karen sprayed her calf with a healing potion and at once the searing pain was cooled with an ice-cold, numb pulse. The jagged wound closed up and skin grew back to seal them shut. However, the skin that grew back was slightly misshaped and darker than the surrounding skin. Karen sucked air through her teeth.

“Ah, looks like that’s gonna scar.”

“Worth it,” Abby said.

“Ay! That’s the spirit!”

Laughing, Karen slapped her on the back. Dragonair loomed over Karen’s shoulder, sporting a grin to match Abby’s own.

“Air!” He nudged Karen out of the way and nuzzled up to Abby’s cheek.

Abby giggled and stroked the back of his head.

“I did it, sorry for being an idiot for long.”

Dragonair snickered and nodded. For a brief second, Abby swore she noticed a warm, near-motherly look on Karen’s face. But when they made eye contact she was grinning wildly.

Together, the three of them made their way back to the log seats. Despite being healed, Abby’s leg still felt stiff to walk on which gave her a slight limp. She returned Charmeleon’s ball to the healing machine as Dragonair coiled around her and rested his chin on her head. Karen sat beside them and Umbreon sat by their feet. His large, red eyes watched Abby as his head tilted and his ears twitched. Dragonair leered at him with a sly smirk and Umbreon snickered. Hydreigon meandered over, and each of his four feet shook the ground with each step.

A question began to burn in the back of Abby’s throat, so she asked it at once.

“Why are you helping me? We’ve never met before.”

“Do I have to have a reason?”

“Yeah.”

Karen laughed and shrugged.

“Come on, don’t bullshit me,” Abby said, “Are you trying to find an apprentice or something and you thought I looked like a strong trainer?”

Karen huffed.

“Strong trainers. Weak trainers. That’s the perception of egotists. True masters know that everyone has potential and that everyone has room to improve. I helped you because you needed it.”

“Not everyone has potential,” Abby muttered.

“Nope, everyone!”

“No, some people lose it. They become obsessed with other, meaningless stuff and become too far-gone to ever reach greatness.”

Karen raised an eyebrow.

“If you’re talking about what I think you are, you can rehabilitate just about anyone.”

Abby tsked and looked away. Karen couldn’t understand, Abby knew. She doubted anyone truly could.

On the other side of the meadow, Agatha and Jackson were sat in a ring of candles. They fluttered fans with bells sewn into the fold of the paper. The bells sang a sweet melody. Long ribbons of golden light swirled around them. As one, they flicked their fans and pointed them at the ground, causing the bells the clang a loud, deep clang that reverberated through the ground. The ribbons of golden light collected before Jackson and formed a sphere. Agatha and Jackson slam their fans against their chest, creating another low clang. The sphere of golden light vanished in place of Gastly. Gastly blinked and looked around, dazed. Agatha’s Gengar popped into existence and pushed its face right into Gastly’s, sporting a grin. Gastly’s eyes flare and they both scream at each other. Their wailing screams filled the air, causing every nearby tree to erupt with a swarm of terrified Pidgey and Spearow. Together, the Pokémon laughed.

“I don’t believe it!” Agatha laughed. “First try! Well done, kid!”

Jackson blushed.

“Tha-Thanks.”

Abby looked at Karen.

“What was that?”

“Ah, ignore it. Just freaky channelling shit.”

“Pipe down, brat!” Agatha yelled.

Karen stood and faced her.

“Eh? Go back to your magic tricks, geezer!”

Agatha stood.

“Why don’t we see how the kid’s freaking channelling does against that demon you two call a pokémon?!”

“We will!”

Karen looked at Abby.

“Kid- uh, I mean… what’s your name?”

“Abby.”

“Abby! Get Charmeleon, you’re fighting the kid!”

“He’s not healed yet.”

“The once he’s healed!”

***

Hydreigon soared above the cliff-side meadow, casting his huge, expansive silhouette against the starry night. The moon, full and bright, vanished as he passed beneath its light. He bellowed and let loose three pillars of purple flame from his mouths.

“Get down here!” Karen yelled. “Every trainer for miles can see you and at this rate, I might just let them catch you!”

Hydreigon fanned out his six, thin wings and braced. He came to a stop and flapped his wings, hovering before the cliffside. Karen approached the edge and pointed at him.

“Land.”

“Dreigon…” The heads growled as one.

Black flame engulfed their eyes.

“Don’t you dare.”

Hydreigon opened his mouths.

“Umbreon!” Karen shouted.

Umbreon leapt onto Karen’s shoulder and charged a black sphere in his mouth. Three black spheres charged in Hydreigon's mouth and the two pokémon stared each other down. The two smaller heads glanced at the middle head with apprehension but the sunken, black eyes of the middle head only flared with rage. As one, the three spheres grew in size and fired three black beams. They joined to form one massive beam. Umbreon fired back with his own beam and the two beams collided with an explosion of black sparks. Back and forth beam pushed. The flames in Hydreigon’s eyes flared and the yellow rings on Umbreon’s body glowed. Then, black flames filled Umbreon’s eyes. His beam thickened twice-fold and rapidly pushed Hydreigon's back into his mouth. It exploded and emitted a shock wave that made the branches of the forest rattle. As Hydreigon screeched, Karen hit him with the beam of his pokéball and he vanished with a flare of red light. Karen returned his pokéball to her belt as Agatha stormed up to her.

“You need to get that bloody dragon under control!”

“Oh, you’re one to talk! How long have you had that Gengar? Seventy years? And he still steals my stuff!”

“He gives it back!”

Abby and Jackson watched from the log seats as Karen and Agatha got into yet another shouting match.

“Are they really related?” Jackson asked.

“Yeah, they are,” Abby chuckled.

Abby’s mind went to Pete. She wondered where he was right now and what he was doing. If she knew her brother, he was probably in the sheets of some pretty girl’s bed. Before he met Joy, he’d spent most nights sneaking off to meet some girl he’d never see again. Abby used to think he was a scumbag for it. But that was when she was a child. Now, she knew he wasn’t sleeping around for pleasure but because it put him in a bed that wasn’t at home.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Jackson asked.

“Yeah, I am.”

“But, we only battled one time. Don’t you hate it?”

“Yeah, but I think getting stronger is gonna require me to do stuff I don’t like.”

Jackson fidgeted and looked at his shoes.

“Well… I’m not gonna go easy on you. I think Agatha wants to train me. I can’t look weak.”

“Of course, she wants to train you, child prodigy.”

Abby flashed him a smile and punched his arm. Although he blushed, Jackson appeared to sit twice as tall. The healing machine chimed and both Agatha and Karen snapped their attention to them.

“Fight time!” Karen cheered.

“Gengar, the arena,” Agatha said.

Gengar appeared beside her and flew over to the ring of candles Jackson and Agatha had used for training. Grey fire blazed in his eyes, and then enveloped the candles. They floated off the ground and as one, the circle widened into a space big enough for a battle. The candles illuminated the edge of the arena, leaving a small dark spot in the middle.

Jackson’s face hardened. He adjusted his safari hat, stood and readied Gastly’s pokéball. Abby stood too and readied Charmeleon’s pokéball. Abby and Jackson stared at each other. It was remarkable how quickly Jackson could go from looking like the little kid he was to an intimidating opponent, Abby thought. By the look on his face, it was as if she were staring down someone like Koga in kid form.

“Take your positions, you two,” Agatha said.

Abby and Jackson moved to either side of the circle of candles. Agatha continued her commands.

“This will be a one-on-one match with competition rules. No healing, one timeout each.”

“Huh? One-on-one? What’s wrong, old bag? Scared?” Karen said, leering.

“Hmph, of you? Never.”

Agatha leered back and for a moment the two were locked in their leers before Karen smirked.

“You’re scared of her dragons then, aren’t you?”

Agatha laughed.

“Hah! Those dragons? Please, that Dragonair is barely a middle intermediate. The kid’s team easily has the advantage.”

“Then what’s wrong, geezer?”

“I’m being considerate of the girl by making this somewhat of an even match.”

“Yeah, yeah sure.”

Agatha’s nostrils flared. She raised her cane and whacked Karen’s leg.

“Silence, girl! This isn’t entertainment. This is a test of their team’s weakest links.”

Umbreon rushed forward in front of Karen and bared its teeth at Agatha. Gengar materialised before Agatha and leered at Umbreon. Just as black and grey sparks began to fly, Karen snatched up Umbreon by the scuff of his neck.

“Stop. She’s right,” Karen grumbled.

Umbreon turned up his nose at Gengar but didn’t move to attack once Karen put him down. Agatha pointed her cane at Abby and Jackson.

“You two ready?”

“Ready!” Jackson said.

“Yeah, ready,” Abby said.

The words felt stiff coming out, but she worked to keep her face determined and fierce. Jackson released Gastly into the arena. He flashed a toothy grin at Abby and engulfed himself in an aura of grey flames. Abby released Charmeleon and immediately he went to attack.

“Wait!” Abby yelled.

Charmeleon stopped and scowled at her. Abby stood tall, crossed her arms and answered his scowl with one of her own.

“I said wait. Come here.” Abby pointed at her feet.

Although he growled, Charmeleon came to her feet. He eyed Gastly with tightened pupils and bared fangs. Red sparks popped from his mouth and nostrils. While Gastly only laughed and sneered.

Abby tried to rack her brain for what she knew about ghost types. Physical attacks wouldn’t work without being enhanced with elemental or spiritual energy. They could disappear and move through matter at will. And they were weak to dark-type energy and ghost-type energy. Charmeleon didn’t have access to either dark or ghost. But Gastly didn’t have access to energies Charmeleon was weak too either. This fight, Abby figured, would come down to speed and resolve. As well as which of her and Jackson had the better strategy. And although he was just a kid, Abby knew not to underestimate him. The squeeze of stiff tension gripped her once again as she waited for Agatha’s go-ahead.

“Well, they seem ready. Go on then, start,” Agatha said.

Together, Abby and Jackson pointed at one another.

“Flamethrower!” Abby yelled

“Dodge.”

Red flames erupted from Charmeleon’s eyes and nostrils. He let loose a torrent of flames from his mouth. Like a bullet, Gastly zipped out of its path. Abby watched Charmeleon’s eyes, they were closed.

“Open your eyes!”

Charmeleon’s eyes opened and widened with rage when he saw Gastly safe to the side. He whipped his head to follow Gastly, all while still unleashing his flamethrower. However, Gastly simply weaved around the flames, still grinning.

“Taunt,” Jackson said

Gastly vanished and reappeared beside Charmeleon’s head with a puff of black sparks. He poked out his tongue and crossed his eyes while hollering. Charmeleon roared, cut off his flames and swiped at Gastly. His claws passed right through him. Gastly snickered, disappeared and reappeared before Jackson.

“Charmeleon, keep at range!” Abby yelled.

But Chameleon rushed in any way, with claws of steel and purple lightning.

“His night slash will hit hard at close range! Stop, please!” Abby cried.

Charmeleon leapt at Gastly and swung his dragon claws at him. Gastly weaved around the attack and zipped behind Charmeleon.

“Control him!” Karen yelled.

Abby felt like she was going to scream as Gastly revved up a ring of black energy blades around him and rage bubbled up inside her. Charmeleon spun around to strike with his steel claws but was met with a point-blank flurry of night slashes. He was knocked onto his back, flailing and covered in long bloody wounds. Abby stomped her foot and pointed to the ground.

“Retreat! Now!” She shouted as loud as she could.

Gastly began to rev up another Night Slash while looming over Charmeleon with a smirk. Charmeleon, as if he wasn’t covered in wounds, shot to his feet and sprinted back to Abby so fast that Gastly was stuck staring at the ground in a state of confusion.

“Behind you.” Jackson raised his fan and snapped it open. The bells chimed. “Shadow Ball.”

Just as Charmeleon reached Abby, Gastly began to charge a grey orb in his mouth. Abby grit her teeth as she spoke.

“Listen to me, got it?”

“Char,” Charmeleon said with a huff.

Abby pointed at Gastly.

“Dragon Rage!”

Charmeleon smirked as he took aim. Purple flames engulfed his eyes and flared from his tail. He opened his mouth and charged a purple orb. At the same time, both Pokémon unleashed their attacks. The Dragon Rage struck the Shadow Ball in the centre of the arena with a rippling explosion that Abby could feel deep in her chest. Through the quickly thinning smoke, Jackson scrunched his nose and glared at her. He sat, crossed his legs and held his fan out in front of him. He closed his eyes and grey flames engulfed the fan.

“That's it, kid!” Agatha cheered.

The grey flames engulfing Gastly flared and burst from his eyes. Jackson swished his fan back and forth, and Gastly copied the movements. Charmeleon snarled and ignited his dragon and steel claws. He scraped the ground with his feet impatiently.

“Hold on, let this play out. We need more information first,” Abby said.

Charmeleon lowered his claws but still scraped at the ground. Jackson let go of the fan and it hovered in the air. Like a match sharing its flame, the grey flames clung to Jackson’s hand as it moved away. Grey sparks popped at Gastly’s side.

“Steady, kid, steady,” Agatha said.

Jackson clawed his fingers. Grey light shone from Gastly as three, pointed fingers the size of rolling pins grew from his side. They hovered, disconnected from Gastly, hooked and clawed. Jackson opened his eyes. They were full of grey flames. He thrust his hand forward and Gastly attacked.

He was moving too fast to counter with Dragon Rage, Abby knew.

“Engage! Claws out!”

Charmeleon reignited his steel and dragon claws and rushed in. Gastly swiped first but Charmeleon ducked beneath it. He came up from below and swiped at Gastly with his steel claws. Jackson waved his hand and Gastly flew back, avoided the attack and flew back in to attack Charmeleon’s opening. Back and forth they went, avoiding each other’s attacks and pursuing their openings.

Abby’s mind raced for a solution. Quickly, she found it but it made her stomach drop. They needed to sacrifice one for the other.

“Block with your steel claws!” Abby yelled.

Immediately, Charmeleon listened and blocked Gastly’s shadow claws with the back of his steel hand. Sparks flew as the steel cracked and splintered. Charmeleon followed up on Abby’s plan and struck Gastly with his dragon claws. They bounced off the air and for a moment both Abby and Charmeleon were utterly baffled. But, as Gastly reeled back, a sphere of grey light flickered around him. It cracked but didn’t shatter. Jackson winced as Gastly reeled and the grey flames around his hand flickered. The fan fell out of the air but he caught it. Jackson stood, whipped the fan out to his side, raised it above his head and thrust it back out in front of him. A dull, low chime rang out and the grey flames around his hand flared. As did the flames in Gastly’s eyes. Gastly screamed, then hollered, then let out a cackling, manic laugh. A wicked grin spread across his face as a second set of shadow claws grew from his other side.

“Dragon claws, both hands!” Abby yelled.

Charmeleon ignited a second set of Dragon Claws on the hand once covered in steel just as Gastly lunged for him. A flurry of shadow swipes bombarded Chameleon. There was no room for counters. Each dodge needed to be followed by another. Abby could barely keep up with the pace herself as the swipes began to blur together. Gastly forced Charmeleon to the edge of the arena until suddenly, he landed a hit. The claws raked across Charmeleon’s face. Three gashes exploded into Charmeleon’s face, splitting his lips and destroying his eye. Charmeleon roared, fell to his knees and cried out. Abby’s heart dropped and her stomach did flips as she awaited to finishing blow. But it didn’t come.

Jackson was on his knees too, holding his head. Gastly copied him, holding his claws to his head.

“Shit!” Agatha hobbled to the edge of the arena. “Power it down, kid! That’s too much!”

Abby raced to Agatha’s side.

“Is he alright?!”

“He’s fine!” Agatha barked.

Karen grabbed Abby’s shoulder, grinning wildly.

“You might wanna get back to your position.”

“Why? What’s happening?”

“You’ll see.”

Reluctantly, Abby retook her position. Jackson whipped his head back and forth, and let out a scream, an otherworldly scream. It echoed as if a whole group of people were screaming from the bottom of a well. The grey flames in his eyes flared and whipped, as did Gastly’s. Then, suddenly, it all stopped. Jackson froze, holding his head and kneeling. The flames in his eyes became pillars and shot into the arena. Gastly’s did the same and they conjoined before snapping away. Gastly became engulfed in white light and began to warp. Agatha began to cheer and shout.

“Yes! Good bloody work, kid!”

The flames in Jackson’s eyes snapped away. He held his head and groaned before suddenly noticing what was happening. He jumped to his feet and cheered.

“I did it!”

Gastly’s spherical silhouette became triangular, with the base as a head and the tip as a tail. Several spiked protrusions grew around the head. Two hands formed, each with three, hooked and clawed fingers. The light snapped away, revealing Haunter. Just like Gastly, he was made of nothing but grey and purple gas. He had a mouth of pointed, gaseous teeth below a set of sharp, triangular eyes.

The attention on Haunter from everybody soon shifted as Charmeleon let out a bellowing cry. He rose to his feet with black sparks popping from his hate-filled eyes. Abby didn’t even have to think about her next command.

“Channel your hate! Use dark energy!”

“Haunter, down!” Jackson screamed.

As Haunter disappeared below the ground, Charmeleon threw back his head and bellowed. His tail flame turned black. Black flames burst from his one good eye. Black flames licked the corners of his mouth. And claws of black energy grew from his hands and feet. Charmeleon spewed black flames at the ground and spun around, creating a circle of them.

“That’s it, Abby, show these creepy ghost freaks!” Karen yelled, getting a whack from Agatha.

“Shadow Claw!” Jackson yelled.

Haunted shot out of the ground between Charmeleon’s leg and went to slice him up the middle but Charmeleon plunged the black claws on his feet into Haunter’s face, shattering his soul sphere. Haunter screamed but was cut off as he disappeared. The grey flames around Jackson’s hand and fan snapped away, and his face scrunched up. Agatha’s face dropped and Karen laughed hysterically.

“Get him a bucket, geezer!”

Jackson went stark white, buckled over and emptied his stomach onto the grass. Perhaps, Abby thought, she ought to be concerned about him. But as she returned Charmeleon and the rush of victory hit her, she couldn’t help but bask in it and grin to herself like an idiot.

“This was a one-time thing! I’ll beat you ne-” Jackson’s eyes bulged and he vomited again.

“Well, would you look at that?” Karen approached her, also grinning. “You can smile. Who knew?”

“Thanks, Karen!” Abby launched a hug at her.

Karen stiffened and gave her a robotic pat on the back.

“Alright, alright, cool it.”

-----

Thanks for reading! Feedback is appreciated <3

Next chapter, Green struggles to progress in her team's training. So, she decides a change in perspective is what she needs to push the bounds of her pokémon's strength to match Janine.