"Rise 'n' shine, sweetheart," a sarcastic male voice said, looking down upon the subject. 

Iota crept open his eyes, finding himself on the cold medical table once again. He was back in that room, that pure white room.

"You are one lucky son-of-a-bitch, know that?" the doctor asked him. Although the man speaking to him was wearing safety goggles and a white surgery mask, he recognized the voice of Dr.Maizner.

"Somehow, your ass got passed Stage Six," he continued, "guess what you win?"

Iota remained silent. Dr.Maizner adjusted some settings upon the numerous health monitors around him, and continued to speak to the patient.

"That's right big guy, you win a trip though Stage Seven," he continued.

Iota lay on the table, ignoring the condescending words of the doctor tinkering with the machines around the table. The roomed seemed different than before. There were no tools for surgery this time, at least, none that were visible like previously. Iota breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wouldn't be cut open this time.

The room was filled with various machines, most of them were health stations, motoring the usual vital signs. Brian activity, heart beat, respiration, as well as other indicators he didn't recognize were displayed around him.

There was another machine, something quite odd. It was some sort of mechanical device, which lay dormant next to the table he was on. The machines base was quite large, it had large wheels on the very bottom, which enabled the doctors to adjust it accordingly. It also sported a large amount of vents and pipes. Like everything else, the entire machine was whitewashed.

The base continued off from the ground, ending about at the hight of the operating table. Sticking up from the base was a long girder of metal, followed by an identical girder attached to the first one by a pivot joint. This part seamed to serve the purpose of making the head of the machine adjustable.

The head was the most interesting. It was as large as Iota's body, it could easily cover him. It was suspended in the air by the neck of the machine. He wasn't sure what any of the tubes, needles, and lights that populated the underside of the head would do, but it didn't seem too threatening. At least, he didn't see it is as threatening as the bone saws, scalpels, and other assorted cutting utensils that were used on him last time he was here.

Dr.Maizner finished whatever he was working on at one of his health stations and returned to the patients side.

He had a long, heavy black band of material in his hand.

"You, my boy, are going to be entering a high REM state during this stage," he started, "and if your eyes are exposed to the high powered light from this contraption here," he pointed to the machine, "you will go totally blind."

Iota gazed into the doctor's eyes. He made a quick motion at the doctor, jolting his body towards him, but was thrown back down by the heavy, and numerous restraints placed on his body. 

There were three large, tight bands around him. One on his legs, on on his midsection, and one on his chest. His ankles were held down by metal cuffs, the same for his arms and neck. Iota wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Iota's action at the doctor startled him slightly. He cleared his throat and regained him composure.

"Lets just make sure you don't get to anywhere, mmkay?" the doctor told him, now tightening the three bands to a now painful tightness.

Following that, Dr.Maizner placed the black band over Iota's eyes. It was essentially a blindfold, but it seemed to have a sort of heavy material inside of it. The weight of the fabric pressed down on his face, as Dr.Maizner secured it to the table.

The material inside felt like...lead? A quick thought came though Iota's mind as to why they would use lead inside a blindfold. The only reason could be for protection from radiation. Maybe this wouldn't be any better than Stage Six after all.

"So listen, you'd better live though this, we've spent way too much money on you already," the doctor ordered.

The now blindfolded Iota still remained silent.

"Hello? Anyone home?" the doctor asked as he lightly slapped Iota's face, "I don't care how stupid you are, you just better not waste our time. Got it?".

"Dr.Maizner," a female voice said, entering the room, "that's quite enough.". Dr.Maizner looked up in surprise as the woman stood aggressively before him.

"Just having a little fun before we begin," he answered back.

The female voice sighed. Shortly after, the doors swung open again, another man entered the room.

"Are we all set?" the voice asked. Iota had heard this before. It was Dr.Michals.

"All good over here sir," the female doctor responded.

"Good," Dr.Michals responded, "how about Dr.Ariston's team in the control booth?"

"I'll check," Dr.Maizner said, walking over to an intercom on one of the blank walls.

"Hey Dr.Maizner, you all set up there?" He asked, holding down the COM button.

"Everything is ready," he answered.

"Awesome, we're gonna go ahead and get rolling down here, keep an eye on his Neuro-Feedback," Dr.Maizner commanded, "I really don't want to start over on a new patient, so lets make sure this one doesn't die...again."

"Roger," the voice answered.

Dr.Maizner let go of the COM button and gave Dr.Michals a thumbs-up.

"Alright, Dr.Maizner, set nerve re-growth at 5%, then clear out of the room," Dr.Michals said, returning though the double doors with the female doctor.

"Aye aye," he returned with a sarcastic salute. Dr.Maizner then leaned down to Iota's ear, so only the patient could hear him.

"This part's gonna suck," he told Iota, flipping a switch on the machine.

A loud grinding sound quickly filled the room. The noise of fans expelling heat from the machine's core rang in Iota's ears. He heard the machine being carted over to him, and the neck adjusted to the machine's head was directly over his body.

Iota felt some sort of arid heat on his skin, the feeling of pressure made him feel like he was underwater in a dry, heavy ocean.

The beeping of the heart monitor quickened as Iota's pulse increased. Not being able to see what was happening made the sensation of fear much worse.

Dr.Maizner's finger hovered over the large, metal button in the center of the machine.

"Three," the doctor began, "two..."

Iota's pulse continued to race.

"Show time"

The doctor's finger pushed the large button in. The machine sprang to life.

Instantly, Iota felt the needles of the machine pressing down on his skin. They pushed deep into numerous places on his arms, hands, legs, and chest. He also felt some needed push up from the table he way laying on into his spinel cord. He winced as they entered him, but it was nothing compared to Stage Six, maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. 

The light intensified, the pressure became heavier. Iota's breathing became labored as the feeling became like he was under a pile of bricks.

"Time for me to go, buddy," the doctor said, heading toward the double doors form whence the other doctors had entered. Before he left, he held down the COM button once again and spoke to the doctors upstairs.

"Alright, everything is stable. Start Nerve Re-Growth and Neuro-Configuration," with that, the doctor left the room.

As soon as Dr.Maizner was out of the room, the machine started to fire more ferociously. The heat and pressure intensified.

Iota felt nothing for a split second, then, a deep electric hum rang though the air. A surge of electricity engulfed Iota's body. He involuntarily shook violently as his nerves were stimulated. He lost all control of his body as he continued to twitch and seize, only held in place by his restraints.

His eyes darted around in his head, moving at a rapid pace. He wasn't able to think, process information, or scream. All he could feel was every nerve in his body being destroyed. It felt like nothing words could describe. The feeling was not only pain, but the sensation of something inside of your body, like a million bladed spiders racing though him, under his skin, biting their way out.

"Ten percent," a robotic voice said from somewhere in the room.

His body tensed, the feelings intensified.

"Twenty percent," the bland voice said again.

Iota struggled against the restraints, stretching them, trying to break free. It was no use, this machine had shut down all thought processes, he could do nothing but feel.

Iota let out a gasp as he found himself standing in the middle of a snowy field.

He shook his head rubbing his eyes with a bandaged hand. It was another dream. They were coming while he was awake now.

He quickly observed the area around him. In the distance he saw the caves he was occupying earlier. He had managed to find some wood for a small fire as he was exploring around before. He found the wood on the ground at his feet after coming back to attention.

He examined his bandaged hands. Like the knuckles, the bandaged around the top of his wrists were now torn away. The medical tape was pointed outward, though. Something had came out, under the bandages.

He sighed to himself and gathered the wood by his feet. He wasn't able to find any food in this winter wasteland. He couldn't stay here much longer.

His feet were numb from the cold snow beneath him. He put the feeling, or lack there of, out of his mind, and started walking back to his shelter.

------------------------------------------------------------

"Okay." Ariston began, "This is what I've been thinking.". His Pokemon listened to his words carefully.

"Since we are in a mining town, and I've been told the Gym leader fancies rock types, I'm going to send in Buizel first."

Buizel perked up.

"You'll be super effective against any rock types, and you'll still be pretty agile if the leader sends out a Fighting Type.".

She bobbed her head in understanding.

"After that, judging by what type she sends out, It'll be either Luxio or Turtwig. If it's another fighting or non-rock type, then it'll be you, Luxio, if it's something like an Onyx or Geodude, it'll be you Turtwig."

His Pokemon continued listening to their Masters words, it's been obvious that he'd been thinking this over.

"That's all I can really predict for now, we'll have to see what the Gym Leader does." Ariston continued, "Just keep in mind, they Gym Leader may have us on experience and training, but as long as we play smart we can probably pull away with a win."

He looked over at the confused young Riolu staring at him with her round, deep red eyes. She'd never seen a Pokemon battle before, she had no idea what any of this meant. The looked in her eyes seemed to ask the question, "-Why- are you doing this? What's the point?". He thought about this for a moment. He didn't really have a real answer, it's just the way things are, trainers like it, Pokemon like it, and it's worked out pretty well for the world so far. He decided to clear things up with Riolu.

"You understand Riolu?"

She blinked a few times at him.

"Uhh, I guess so," She returned, scratching her head, "what do I do?".

"Haha, hey, you just learned to stand a little while ago, I'm not sure you're ready for a battle yet." Ariston replied. Riolu may have been mature, but there's no way her body could have developed enough to fight a seasoned opponent.

She looked at him with a tiled head and a look of confusion, her ears tilted back slightly, as if saddened. Her ever-present smile seemed to fad a slight bit.

For a moment, Ariston felt bad they he couldn't use Riolu. The option of sending her into battle would be reckless, and would undoubtedly result in her injury or even death. Despite the facts, he wish he could, and couldn't wait until she got some training in.

"I promise we'll see what you can do after the Gym Fight, I'm almost more excited to see what you can do more than battling in the Gym, you know."

That seemed to do the trick, her smile renewed itself and her ears perked up again.

"Everyone else understand?"

The team gave him a confident nod.

"Alright, good. Lets go.".

He withdrew everyone into their various pokeballs, Riolu whirled her head around quickly as she watched the Pokemon around her instantly disappear as they were taken in by the red light. She spun around looking quite confused as she inspected the locations the Pokemon were previously residing.

Ariston couldn't help but laugh at Riolu's confusion.

"Whaaaaaaa? What just happened Master?" She asked him in amazement.

"Haha, it's called a Pokeball. It's just a way for everyone to travel with me and not have to bet out the whole time." He explained.

She stood up on the tabled and thought this over. Ariston held up an empty one for her.

"I've been in that egg long enough, you know, I think I'm fine traveling outside all the time." She decided.

He put the empty Pokeball away.

"Sure, I think it'll be nice having you around."

She smiled at him once again.

Ariston paid his check for the food he had ordered for his growing number of Pokemon. He was sure to gather up the larger parts of the egg and throw them away in the trash can, they would have been a mess to clean up by the waitress. Riolu, still standing atop the table, seemed happy to see her former prison be discarded.

"We'd better get moving, Riolu." He said as he began walking away from his table.

"Ehhm..." He heard in his mind.

Ariston turned around to see Riolu still standing on the table, arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Um. How exactly do I get down...?" She returned innocently.

Ariston laughed to himself, forgetting his Pokemon had been so new to the world. He walked back to the table to help her down. He scooped her up in a quick motion, causing her to giggle a bit in surprise, and set her shaky legs on the ground.

"Alright -now- I'm ready to go." She confirmed.

She wasn't a very large Pokemon at all, really. Standing on the ground she made it up about to Ariston's knees. She still happily walked aside him, her eyes studying all the new things around her. Sure, she could sense most things though Aura, but to really see them, it was a whole new experience.

Ariston and Riolu walked down the city streets on their way to the Gym. The area had numerous little shops owned by either a small business owner, or a family. There were shops for games, Pokemon supplies, clothes, and really anything else you'd need. Riolu's head was a flash as she whirled it around taking in every sight she could see.

They walked together for a good while in the cool winter morning. Riolu occasionally asked about some of the shops she saw, Ariston was happy to explain any questions about the area to her.

Finally, Ariston and the curious Riolu reached the large Oreburgh Gymnasium. The building was much larger than any shop or restaurant surrounding it. It was located on a pretty popular city block, as it was a popular tourist activity to go and watch local Pokemon battles. Usually, there were only trainers inside the Gym battling with each other, a trainer challenging the Gym Leader was relatively rare. He could hear the sounds of Pokemon battling inside. He smiled confidently and pushed open the large doors.

Inside, the facility was much like any gymnasium you'd find. There were wooden bleachers on either side, and a large open space in the middle for trainers to battle. A few trainers were already fighting with each other. There were some general rock type Pokemon who were native to the area sitting with the trainers not currently battling. Overall, it seemed like a relaxed atmosphere. The trainers who did fight wouldn't push their Pokemon excessively, it was just some light sparring. 

Ariston walked though the center of the Gym straight to the back. Riolu, who was awestruck by the Pokemon battles, walked right into the back of a Graveler. The large rock turned around and looked down upon the little blue Pokemon. She looked back up, and nervously walked around it back to the side of her master.

There was an older looking man coaching another, younger trainer towards the back of the room. Ariston immediately recognized the Gym Leader. It was obvious that he had more knowledge and experience than anyone else. Also, on his shirt he wore the Coal Badge, the prize for defeating him.

In addition to the Coal Badge on his grey jacket, the Gym Leader also wore white gloves, grey pants, and a black undershirt and shoes. He also had a pair of black framed glasses. He just looked more official than anyone else in the Gym. He had the look and feeling of a leader about him.

The presence of Ariston peeked the Gym Leaders attention. He looked up to see the young trainer staring at him. The Gym Leader knew Ariston wasn't a regular, and immediately figured by the numerous Pokeballs on his belt he was looking for a fight.

"Hey there," the Gym Leader began, "I'm Roark."

"Ariston," he returned, shaking hands with Roark.

"I'm gonna go ahead and assume by all the Pokemon on your belt you're looking for a Gym challenge, eh?" Roark asked.

"That's right,"

"Alright, no problem," Roark voiced, "let me just finish with some lessons here."

"Sure thing," Ariston commented, taking a seat with Riolu on one of the empty bleachers. There were a few citizens and tourists in the stands, watching some trainers battle on the Gym floor. Ariston's heart began to race, he couldn't wait to fight.

"Aren't you scared, master?" Riolu, sitting beside him, asked.

"A little, yeah. In a good way, though," Ariston answered.

"Hmm?"

"I just feel, pumped, that's all, this is my first official league battle,"

"Oh.".

Following instruction from Roark, the trainers on the Gym's floor finished their exercises with their Pokemon and began clearing out of the way. It looked like he was going to stop all activity in the Gym for their fight.

Roark motioned to Ariston, and he promptly stood up, Riolu behind him.

"You ready?" Roark asked, walking up to Ariston.

"Sure am," Ariston answered.

This felt odd to Ariston. The Roark seemed to be handling this like a business meeting, rather than a battle. His voice seemed devoid of emotion, and it just felt like he was bored with the idea of a challenger. Maybe it was because he's the first Gym Leader that most early trainers battle, maybe it was because it was early in the morning, and maybe still it was just because he was a mellow guy, like Shane. Whatever the reason, Ariston didn't care, he was excited. The other trainers cleared the floor and took seats in the bleachers, waiting for the fight.

Ariston noticed the design on the floor, it was a large Pokemon Court. It had a large marked off box in the center for Pokemon to fight, and smaller boxes off either end for the trainers to stand in. Besides the boundaries, there was a mid-line cutting though the center of the floor.

Roark waved Ariston over to the mid-line of the Gym's floor, where an Official waited to go over the rules for the match.

Ariston began walking to the two men in the center of the Gym, Riolu following nervously behind him.

The official waiting with Roark was a slightly overweight fellow, he seemed to have been doing this a long time, he was getting pretty old. The official wore a plain white collared shirt with a black tie, and long black pants. Officials had to look, well, official.

Ariston reached the center of the Gym and stood across from Roark.

"Okay," the official started, "this is an Official Pokemon League Gym Battle, all contestants must defeat Roark in a three Pokemon battle in order to advance.".

The Official seemed to be on auto pilot as he recited the Pokemon Gym Battle Rules devoid of emotion.

"Contestants will battle to the best of their ability against Roark using Pokemon they have captured or legally acquired into their possession."

Roark stood silently, with a bored expression on his face. Ariston was sure he'd heard this a hundred times already, just like the Official must have said this a hundred times before.

"If at any point I yell "Stop", the battle between the two Pokemon is over, and the defeated on must be withdrawn to avoid injury or death. In the case of serious injury, the match will be voided and the Pokemon will be treated in the Gym's Pokemon Center facility. In the event a Pokemon steps or is knocked out of the boundary lines of the arena floor, it is an automatic disqualification. Do both contestants understand?" the official finished, raising his grey-ish eyebrow.

"Yes sir," Ariston answered.

"Mmhmm," Roark said.

"Make your way to the trainers box and send out your first Pokemon on my signal," the Official commanded, walking towards the sidelines of the Pokemon Court, "Good luck gentlemen."

Ariston turned his back to Roark and started walking to his side of the court.

"...What did he mean by "to avoid injury or death"?" a voice asked in his head.

"It's just a precaution, there is hardly ever a case of death in an Official Gym Battle. Gym Leaders are required to be extra cautious," Ariston answered though the thought filter in his mind to his curious Riolu.

"So, everyone's gonna be okay...right?" she asked again.

"Of course, I promise.".

Riolu sighed in relief. 

Ariston set foot in the trainers box, and reached for his Pokeballs on his belt. He released Buizel, Turtwig, and Luxio onto the ground. They all appeared ready, willing, and able to fight.

"Alright guys, it's time," Ariston told his Pokemon, "everyone ready?"

They all gave him a confident nod.

Riolu stood at her masters side, terrified. She knew her master had promised that none of her new friends would be seriously hurt or killed during this battle, but she couldn't help the feeling of anxiety as she watched her master prepare his Pokemon with such a serious tone.

Ariston turned to see Roark calmly holding a Pokeball, waiting for the match to begin.

"Contestant ready?" the Official asked.

"Ready!" He answered.

"Gym Leader, ready?" he asked again.

"Sure am," Roark replied.

"Begin!"

"Go, start us off Buizel!" Ariston commanded to his water Pokemon as she energetically leapt out onto the wooden floor of the Pokemon Court. She defensively stood on all fours, she was eager for a battle.

"Alright then. Go, Onix!" Roark yelled, throwing out a Pokeball. A large, rocky, snake-like Pokemon was released onto the Gym floor, letting out a roar in an attempt to intimidate.

The battle had begun. All eyes in the stands were fixed on the two Pokemon in the center.

Ariston felt mixed emotions at this sight, he was happy that Buizel had a distinct type advantage over the large rocky snake, but also he worried for her. Onix was still a titanic and powerful Pokemon.

Not wasting any time, Buizel sprang off the ground and began her attack. She dashed forward, as fast as her little legs could carry her, and began releasing a powerful blast of water at the Onix before her.

The first jet stream struck Onix in the center. The creature recoiled from this letting out a groan. Water types were super effective against any sort of rock Pokemon. Onix dragged his large body out of the way of the first attack, trying to avoid any more water damage.

Buizel ran at sharp angles, ever time she changed directions, she let out another blast of water. Streams of high velocity water sprayed the Onix in various places, the rock Pokemon was becoming drenched.

The Onix moved more cautiously now, using it's long body to slither across the Gym floor and avoid some attacks from Buizel. She was still running circles around him, letting out numerous small shots of water to strike him in different places.

The Onix, able to avoid some of the attacks, was now trying to stop Buizel form unleashing any more water. Onix pushed its rocky body at he high-speed Buizel in an attempt to ensnare her in its hard stone jaw.

Onix made contact with nothing but the ground as Buizel darted out of the way. Onix hit the ground quite hard, and was in disarray for a moment. Buizel, who'd avoided the slow rock snake's attack completely, took advantage of this. With Onix's head so close to the ground, Buizel concentrated for a moment, and expelled the all the remaining water she had produced inside of her.

This large inflow of water only partially struck Onix's head. The rock snake had already begun to pick itself off the ground when the attack began. The damage was done though, Onix rose it's head off of the ground made erratic movements in pain. The Pokemon was now totally soaked.

Roark arched an eyebrow as he watched the Buizel punish his Onix. He wasn't worried, Onix was tough, and far from being defeated.

Onix shook its head, causing some water to fly off of him, dampening some bystanders in the crowd. Anyone who hadn't gotten wet laughed at those who did.

The Onix made another attack on Buizel, it dove forward with its rocky head down to where Buizel was running. By the time he'd reached the ground, she'd moved out of the way. Buizel was breathing heavily now, all the running and water she'd be expelling took it's toll on her endurance. She was quick, though and could avoid any of the rock Pokemon's large, obvious attacks.

Confident in her position, she took the time that the Onix needed to pick its head off the ground for a tiny rest. She needed to catch her breath and generate some more water inside her body.

Buizel's bodies naturally produced and stored water. It came from the food she ate, liquids she drank, and even the small amount of water taken in from the air when she respires. Water could also be taken in through the skin, like when she would swim, but in this case, she could absorb the tiny amount left on the ground from her previous attacks. Still, she needed time to produce it. Time she didn't have. The Onix's valor to fight through her powerful water attacks surprised her. It hadn't even phased him much yet.

Onix didn't pick it's head off the ground this time. Using its long body to propel itself, the Onix darted, inches from the ground, straight at Buizel. Surprised by this, she ended her respite and managed to narrowly avoid the large stone head flying her way. 

Onix had missed again, but didn't waste any time letting Buizel recover. Onix quickly propelled itself off the ground again and shot at Buizel. She was more prepared this time, and knew she could avoid it relatively easy.

Ariston's heart raced as he watched this battle. Buizel knew what she was doing, Ariston didn't intend to coach his Pokemon here, yelling some useless encouragement would probably distract her anyway. He decided he'd better let her take care of it. He'd never seen his Buizel fight like this.

Riolu and the other Pokemon watched in silence. Buizel sure looked impressive to them. 

The rock Pokemon's head curled at a sharp angle at her. She leapt off the ground and shot another blast of water at the Pokemon's head, this time, striking him between the eyes.

The water didn't deter the Onix's path, he continued darting forward. Buizel landed on the ground behind the creature. Onix's long body was racing past her, her eyes were only focused on his head, that seemed to be the major indicator of what direction he was traveling.

Cautiously watching Onix's head, she waited for him to turn to face her. The Onix was traveling in a makeshift circle, Buizel on the outside of it. She stood on her hind legs ready to spring out of the way of any attacks. Before the Onix even turned around to face her again, Buizel was hit. Hard.

The tiny water Pokemon had been totally unaware of the incoming hit, and didn't brace for it in the slightest. She was knocked forward a good distance, flipping forwards once before landing on the ground, flat on her back, eyes shut in pain.

Ariston winced as he didn't even see the attack comming. The Onix had circled away from Buizel, creating a distraction and enough momentum for it's tail to sling forward like a large, stony whip. The very last rock of Onix's tail had struck his Buizel square in the spine.

The rocks of Onix's body were smaller at his tail, but they still were quite sizable. The rock that had hit her had been about the size of a small Geodude.

Ariston's mouth dropped as he watched his Pokemon land on the hard wooden ground of the Gym's floor. The few understudies of Roark in the crowd cheered their Master's Pokemon on.

"Buizel! You okay?!" Ariston yelled out to his Pokemon, crumpled in a lazy heap on the floor. He realized that was a stupid thing to ask. The Onix circled around her, surrounding Buizel with its long body, taking this opportunity to ready an attack, incase she intended to battle further.

Buizel was unresponsive.

The official took a moment to examine the scene from the sideline. Ariston looked over to him, waving his hand in front of his neck, indicating he wanted Buizel withdrawn.

Riolu had her hands over he mouth as she watched her friend's motionless body on the ground.

"Don't worry," he told her, "Buizel is tough, she'll be okay.".

The Official blew his whistle, it's loud chirping sound rang though the Gym.

"The contestant's Buizel is unable to battle!" he announced, "Round One goes to Onix!"

The Onix returned to standing at the far side of the Gym, in front of a smiling, confident Roark.

Ariston sighed as he withdrew Buizel into her Pokeball.

"You did great girl," he whispered as the red light engulfed her.

"Will the Onix continue battling?" the official asked Roark.

Roark looked up at his Pokemon. It was covered in water, and breathing heavily. The look in it's eyes, though, told Roark that it wasn't ready to come out yet.

"Mm, yeah, Onix will stay in," Roark answered.

"Contestant, send out your next Pokemon," The Official yelled, facing to Ariston.

He looked behind him to see the two eager Pokemon behind him, plus Riolu, who looked as willing as the others, but was far from ready to battle. It was a pretty obvious choice between Turtwig and Luxio. If he did send out Luxio, he'd get annihilated by the Onix. His electric attacks would be utterly harmless against it. Turtwig it was, then.

"Alright, Turtwig, looks like you're up," Ariston said to his excited Pokemon, "don't make the same mistake Buizel did, keep an eye out for its tail," Turtwig nodded in understanding.

"Go get 'em!" Ariston yelled as Turtwig ran onto the battle field. He stood in front of Ariston, similar in the fashion that Onix did to Rorak.

"Contestant ready?" the official asked again.

"Yeah,"

"Gym Leader, ready?"

"Mmhmm,"

"Begin!"

Round two began with Turtwig firing off a single seed from his mouth. The tiny dark sphere impacted harmlessly the gap between Onix's head rock and the one below it.

Ariston gave Turtwig a confused stare.

The Onix ignored the useless attack and darted at Turtwig. Onix traveled in a straight line across the entire Gym's floor directly at Ariston's Pokemon. Turtwig leapt backwards, Onix's head impacting and cracking the wooden floor where he previously stood.

Turwig immediately jumped atop Onix's head and ran down its rocky body. Turtwig paused at the third or fourth rock of Onix's torso, and quickly shook itself, releasing a multitude of tiny orange spores into the crevasses of the rocks.

Before Turtwig could do anything else, Onix arched its body, easily knocking Turtwig off and sending him to the ground.

Ariston watched fearfully as his Pokemon hit the ground.

Turtwig was back on his feet quickly, and backed away from Onix as it re-coiled itself, preparing to surround Turtwig.

Turtwig stared the rock Pokemon in the eyes confidently.

Ariston noticed a look of shock coming over Roark's face, yet, had no idea why. It seemed Onix had the upper hand in the current situation.

"Onix, what the hell's that?" Roark yelled to his Pokemon.

Onix turned to look at its master.

Ariston finally noticed it, there was a tiny sprout of green plant-life growing between Onix's head rock and the rock below it. His memory flashed back to the beginning of the round when Turtwig had fired a seed in the same location. He smiled at his Pokemon's thinking.

"Damnit, Onix, finish it quickly!" Roark yelled, realizing what Turtwig had done, and knowing his Pokemon didn't have much time to battle left. There was nothing he could do now.

Roark may have known, but Ariston was still confused as to what actually happened.

Onix attempted to make another dive at Turtwig, but failed as it fell to the ground before it could do anything. The plant continued to grow around Onix's neck, now taking the form of a leafy vine.

"Stay with him, Onix," Roark commanded his struggling Pokemon.

Onix groaned, it's head landing on its side on the ground of the Gym. The audience muttering words of surprise.

Turtwig quickly ran atop the Onix again and released his the same tiny yellow spores he had earlier. The vine around Onix grew quicker at this stimuli.

Ariston let out a laugh in realization. Turtwig had planted a Leech Seed at the very beginning of the round, Onix ignored it, thinking it a failed attack. The seed would have died within Onix, if not for the large amounts of water that Buizel had sprayed on it. The water in and on Onix's body from Buizel enriched the seed and enabled it to sprout. When Turtwig released the spores on top of his body the first time, it fertilized the seed and allowed it to spread quickly.

Onix shook its head trying to regain balance. It groaned as the vines spread though its body. The vines were now traveling down the rocks, covering about a third of the entire Pokemon.

Onix flailed once violently, surprising Turtwig a bit, and raised its head again. Onix made a half-hearted attack at Turtwig, but missed terribly. Onix had no dexterity in this condition. Onix fell to the ground once again, eyes shut in defeat.

The rock Pokemon lay silently, Turtwig standing beside it cautiously.

The Official blew his whistle for a second time.

"Onix is unable to battle, Round Two's winner is Turtwig!" the official announced.

The crowd applauded for Turtwig, he gave them quite a good show.

"Not bad kid," Roark admitted, "didn't think you'd make it past Onix."

"Will Turtwig continue to battle?" the Official asked Ariston.

Ariston took a look at Turtwig, for the most part, he was totally fine, there was no reason to withdraw him.

"Yeah, he will," Ariston answered.

"Gym Leader, send out your next Pokem--"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Roark said, cutting off the now obviously annoyed Official.

With out another word, Roark threw a Pokeball in front of him, releasing a Geodude onto the floor.

"Good, a rock type," Ariston thought, knowing Turtwig would have a type advantage over this Pokemon too.

"Round Three, begin!" the Official announced

Turtwig dashed forward to the center of the Gym Floor, Geodude doing the same. Both Pokemon running at each other, Geodude hovered down to almost ground level, reading to slam into the other Pokemon.

Turtwig had a hard head, but not that hard.

The Geodude closed its eyes and slammed into Turtwig's head. Turtwig rolled backwards almost immediately on impact. Geodude had dominated the hit. Apparently, that didn't go the way he had thought. Geodude still hovered inches off the ground, unaffected. 

"Bad idea, Turtwig, be careful," Ariston coached to his Pokemon, who was standing back up from his hit.

Turtwig gave a look to his master that seemed to say, "Ya think!?".

Geodude wasn't willing to let Turtwig recover. It quickly followed up its initial contact with Turtwig with a strong right hook. Turtwig was able to duck in time, Geodudes hard fist brushing over the plant on Turtwig's head, but then followed up with an uppercut from his left hand.

Turtwig wasn't able to avoid this one, he was struck under his chin and knocked on his back once again. Turtwig rolled over, and regained balance on his feet.

Geodude reached its fist back, ready to strike again.

Turtwig unleashed two long vines coming from either side of his body, and slung them like a whip at Geodude.

Geodude angled his body as the vines approached, one passed right by him, narrowly missing his face, but the second vine wrapped around his right arm.

Geodude grabbed the vine that was wrapped around his arm with his stony fist. For a moment, the two Pokemon struggled, each pulling the other towards them. Turtwig shifted his weight backwards and retracted his vine as powerfully as his body was able. Geodude only wavered slightly as the rock Pokemon's high strength pulled back.

"Common, Turtwig," Ariston said nervously under his breath.

Ariston knew that it didn't really matter what Roark's third Pokemon was if Turtwig lost here. However strong Luxio was, it didn't matter. Geodude would receive no damage from any sort of electric attacks.

Geodude and Turtwig struggled still, neither wanting to give in. Turtwig raised his second vine off the ground and slung it around Geodude's body. Geodude tried to shake the vines off of his face, but to no use, Turtwig was wrapping them as tightly as he could.

Roark's Geodude re-adjusted his grip with both his hands to pull on the first and second vine. Geodude gave up trying to hover, and fell to the ground, still pulling with all his might.

Turtwig decided to give in. It wasn't for lack of strength, it was because he knew continuing like this would eventually exhaust him. He couldn't outlast a Geodude in a match of strength.

Turtwig ran forward now, reeling in his vines as he did, straight at Geodude.

Geodude continued pulling as Turtwig grew closer, he raised his fist ready to strike. Turtwig reached the rock Pokemon, his vines retracted completely, save for the parts still wrapped around Geodude, and was instantly struck by Geodude's free hand.

The impact struck Turtwig, but he stayed in his place due to his attachment to Geodude though his vines. Turtwig leapt on top of Geodude, wrestling with him to the ground. 

The audience seemed captivated by this showy display of Pokemon valor. Not to mention Riolu, who was witnessing her very first Pokemon battle, she could barely stay conscious from all the excitement. 

Ariston watched eagerly, as did Rorak.

Now rolling on and off of each other on the hard wooden floorboards, Geodude continued to tarnish Turtwig with his free hand, hitting him multiple times in the body and face. Turtwig only remained in place because of how tightly he continued his hold on Geodude.

Turtwig wrestled himself back on top of Geodude. 

Using this momentary position of power, he produced a number of more vines. He proceeded to wrap these around Geodude's body, covering most of the Pokemon in a dark green tangle of plant life.

Geodude struggled his arm free, and took another swing at Turtwig, hitting him in the side of the face once again. There was a good amount of blood coming from Turtwigs wounds, and some running from his mouth.

Turtwig refused to be deterred by this, he quickly enveloped Geodude's free hand in vines again, and squeezed as much as he could.

Geodude finally started to waver, and groan in pain. Both Pokemon remained still for a moment on the floor, Turtwig continuing to wrap and squeeze Geodude with vines.

As Turtwig increased his grip on Geodude, Roark's eyes widened as the popping sound of cracking rock filled the Gym.

Roark gasped in shock that Turtwig was able to do that much damage to his well trained Geodude.

"Yeah!" Ariston yelled, holding his fist in the air. He sure was glad he managed to capture Turtwig the day prior, this Gym fight would have been impossible without him.

Turtwig finished the job by rotating his body, dragging Geodude across the ground, and releasing his vines all at once. Geodude was tossed to the side of the ring, rolling unconsciously.

"Aw, damnit," Rorak complained, placing a gloved hand on his face. He removed his glasses for a moment and wiped the perspiration off of his brow.

"Geodude is unable to battle," the Official yelled, "round threes' winner is Turtwig!".

The crowed cheered for Turtwig again. Ariston felt incredibly proud of his Pokemon at that moment, he'd been able to take on -two- of the Gym Leaders rock types by himself. He couldn't believe how great it felt to be winning, and everyone applauding around him. Even if there weren't many in the stands, the feeling was still amazing.

Riolu's ears quirked as she looked at her master. She didn't look at him with her eyes, but rather looked at him though his Aura. She closed her eyes and felt an odd feeling radiating off of him. It felt like a deep ocean of confidence was flowing out of him, he must of felt great. Her master's Aura was a complex mix of pride and happiness, intensifying every second. It was a dark blue color, and just sensing it made Riolu happy. She decided that she wanted to be the one to make her master proud next time.

Roark reluctantly withdrew his Geodude.

"Alright kid, good job," he congratulated to Ariston, he was getting more of a thrill out of this than he expected.

"Will Turtwig continue to battle?" the Official asked Ariston again.

Ariston looked over at his Turtwig, struggling to stand. His face had many cuts and bruises with a good amount of blood running off them. Turtwig may have been tough, but there was no reason for him to keep fighting. It would have been too hard on him.

"No, I'll withdraw him," Ariston answered to the Official. With that, he retrieved Turtwig's Pokeball off his belt and recovered the smiling Pokemon back inside of it.

"This marks the fourth and final round of Pokemon Battle," the Official announced, "both contestant and Gym Leader, release your final Pokemon on my mark."

There was a moment of total silence in the Gym.

"Begin!"

"Show me what you can do. Get out there, Luxio!" Ariston yelled, pointing forward as his much larger Luxio leapt into the battle area.

He knew if the next Pokemon Roark sent out was a Rock/Ground type, Luxio wouldn't last very long. He held his breath waiting for Roark to reveal his Pokemon. 

Roark silently threw another Pokeball into the arena.

A tough looking Cranidos emerged out of it.

Ariston breathed a sigh of relief. Cranidos -was- a rock type Pokemon, but not ground. Electric attacks would be normally effective. That solves the type problem, but it was still up to Luxio to take it out.

A Cranidos had the appearance of a dinosaur, really. It was mostly grey, with blue skin surrounding it's hind legs and the dome atop its skull. There were also white spikes that poked out of the backside of its head.

The Cranidos and Luxio stared at each other powerfully for a moment.

The crowd was alive with energy as they were excited to see the climatic finish to the battle take place. Seemed this Gym battle would be a close one.

Cranidos swept its feet on the ground as it prepared to fight. Luxio bared his teeth. Both Pokemon knew that losing here would cause their master to loose the entire battle, and neither would willingly let that happen.

"Hit him hard, Luxio!" Ariston yelled, breaking the silence and beginning the fight.

Luxio ran forward towards the Cranidos. He moved much faster now, he had longer and much more muscular legs, allowing him to take larger and quicker strides. 

Cranidos lowered its head and charged at Luxio.

"Careful, don't hit him head on," Ariston warned to his Pokemon. His heart felt like it was beating right out of his chest. This excitement was unlike anything else he'd ever felt.

Luxio wouldn't make a foolish mistake like run directly into a Cranidos, he knew that would probably knock him out cold on impact.

As they two Pokemon were about to collide, Luxio leapt off the ground, over Cranidos. As his body passed above the dinosaur, in that split second, Luxio built up a powerful charge and released it directly below him, striking Cranidos's body.

Ariston watched this. Before, when he was a Shinx, he could only discharge when he made contact with a Pokemon. It was amazing that Luxio could do it without even touching his opponent.

Cranidos let out a shrill cry of pain, but didn't stagger his stance. He instantly turned around, and lowered his head again, making another run at Luxio.

Luxio growled at Cranidos, electricity crackling though his fur, and awaited Cranidos to get closer.

Luxio prepared to discharge the moment that Cranidos was in range of him. As soon as Luxio began releasing electricity, the foe's Cranidos suddenly changed speeds sharply, violently slamming into Luxio's midsection. Luxio tumbled to the ground.

Roark smiled at his Pokemon, while Ariston watched in dismay. It seemed that Cranidos had only taken one step, but covered so much distance in it. It was a flash before it made its impact on Luxio, Ariston didn't even have time to blink.

Luxio recovered from the hit and sprang to his feet. Cranidos swept its feet on the ground again, reading to charge.

"Now you know what's coming, Luxio, be careful!" Ariston yelled to Luxio again, hopefully he'd learned to be more cautious around Cranidos.

Roark smirked.

Luxio continued growling at the dinosaur Pokemon. They stared into each others eyes for a moment.

Again, Cranidos dashed. Its speed during its dash was much quicker than in its run, and gave little time for Luxio to react. This time, Luxio was on edge. Waiting for the attack he let off a small amount of electricity off of his body. This charged the air he occupied with an electric static.

Luxio took a small jump backwards, leaving a trail of cracking yellow energy from where we was standing. He judged Cranidos's dash from what he was before, and prayed he had guess correctly.

His guess measured up perfectly as the hard blue dome on Craindos's head stopped inches short of Luxio's own skull.

Now, Cranidos was standing in the area in which Luxio had charged the air, the yellow static still crackling in the space.

"Shit, move Cranidos!" Rorak yelled.

Too late.

Ariston and Roark watched at a solid flow of electricity discharged from Luxio's body, through the trail leading from him in the air, and to the space Cranidos occupied. Luxio made this electric discharge negative, and when it reacted with the positive charge in the air around Cranidos, a huge amount of energy was released.

A sound equivalent to that of a small thunderstorm filled the room as Cranidos's body was totally engulfed by electricity. The Pokemon let out a cry in pain and arched it's head back. Luxio continued pumping electricity into him.

Cranidos didn't give up. The blue dome on his head grew brighter, concentrating energy. Cranidos then brought his skull swinging down like a hammer smack onto Luxio's forehead. It was a powerful Zen Headbut.

Luxio's legs buckled and he was sent forcibly to the ground. His chin struck roughly on the floor, and his body was quick to follow. He yelped involuntarily in reaction to the pain, and was unable to concentrate the flow of electricity to Cranidos's body any longer.

Ariston and Rorak watched eagerly as the Pokemon fearlessly battled each other. Ariston could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

The crowd was overwhelmed with excitement, every occupant was either standing or on the edge of their seat.

Luxio struggled return to his feet, while Cranidos struggled to remain on his feet.

A steady flow of blood ran down Luxio's face, soaking into the dark blue fur, while Cranidos's whole body was letting off smoke from the high energy discharge.

Luxio managed to regain some balance, and Cranidos's legs shook, trying to support his weight. Cranidos took a step forward in an attempt to attack Luxio again. It swung its head weakly again, down on to Luxio's, who was in no condition to dodge. The attack was weak, but it was still enough to steadily harm Luxio.

Cranidos pushed down, Luxio pushed forward. Their heads still together, they pushed against one another. Luxio helplessly began to slide backwards, his feet's nails making lines on the floor as he struggled to push back.

Cranidos pushed as hard as his body would allow him, Luxio slid backwards faster and faster. It seemed Cranidos was aiming to push Luxio out of the ring, thus disqualifying him. 

Riolu once again looked into Ariston's Aura. A light yellow sense of worry and anxiety now occupied the space the confidence and pride that was there after Turtwig had won. He seemed really nervous about this fight, his Aura told Riolu that losing would undoubtedly make Ariston feel like less of a trainer. She concentrated, and looked deeper. Within the sense of worry, there was still the feeling of accomplishment. He was already proud of Luxio.

Luxio pushed back, but didn't have the strength or the diamond-hard skull to match Cranidos. He was slid to the sideline of the arena which was marked off by a think white line. Luxio surged his strength and pushed back, his vision started to go spotty from all the strain.

Luxio's weight shifted, his front paws lifted off the ground as he tilted backwards. He pushed once again, as hard as his body would allow him, and managed to regain his balance on the ground. His hind legs teetered across the white line.

"At this rate..." Ariston thought, "...he's not going to last much longer."

[No,] Luxio thought as he was on the borderline of defeat, [No way in hell!]

Luxio's eyes widened. He let out a ferociously loud roar as the adrenaline in his body picked up. His heart rate drastically increased and his muscles strained against the ground. He growled like a mad beast and bared his fangs. A dark yellow flow of electricity mixed with the color of blood in Luxio's mouth, surrounding his teeth.

Luxio gave way, and let Cranidos push with out any opposition. While doing this, Luxio ducked his head, sliding off of Cranidos's dome and down to his face.

Luxio shot forward, clamping his razor sharp fangs onto Cranidos's neck. Cranidos howled in agony as blood began to instantly flow from his wounds. Now with Cranidos staggered, Luxio pushed once again, toppling Cranidos to the the ground, and flat on his back.

He kept tightening his grip on the Pokemon's neck, Cranidos pulled at Luxio's fur with his small, clawed hands trying to get the large fangs of the Pokemon off of him. Luxio closed his eyes.

Using his last bit of fleeting energy and consciousness, Luxio sent a powerful charge of electricity though his fangs. The voltage shook Cranidos from the inside out, there was nothing he could do. The force of the surge cracked and stripped the ground of its wooden floorboards, leaving a hole where Cranidos lay.

Cranidos's body went limp, and his eyes shut. 

Luxio released his fangs off of his foe, a steady flow of blood was dripping down Cranidos's neck.

Everyone was silent for a moment, no one dared make a sound.

"Winner! Luxio!" the Official shouted at the top of his lungs, "The Challenger has defeated Rorak!"

Luxio smiled, then collapsed.

A powerful excited scream of victory came from Ariston as he raised his fist into the air. The tiny crowd went insane with cheers. Riolu jumped up and down in excitement, she couldn't contain herself.

The sounds of cheers were the last thing Luxio heard before falling unconscious on the ground from his injuries.

Roark stood speechless. It was relatively unusual for such a new trainer to defeat him on their very first try. It hadn't happened in awhile, anyway, that's for sure. He smiled to himself and withdrew Cranidos.

Ariston still yelling in excitement scooped up Riolu off the ground.

"Woo-ah!" she cried as she was picked up by her master. Ariston hoisted her up onto his shoulders in continued to cheer for his Pokemon.

The crowed, still not too large, had grown since the match started. The now hundred strong crowd members were on their feet applauding.

Riolu laughed joyously as she rode atop her masters back. She almost fell off she was cheering so energetically.

Rorak even, started applauding the trainer, the smile still on his face.

After long moments of applause, crowds cheers started to die down. Ariston made his way onto the battlefield, making sure to avoid over any puddles, vines, or cracks left behind by the Pokemon who had fought previously. Ariston knelt beside Luxio, Riolu hopped off of his shoulders and stood on the opposite side of the victorious Pokemon. 

Ariston gently stroked his fur, smiling down on Luxio. Riolu sensed the dark blue flow of pride in her masters Aura, it was overwhelming.

Rorak walked out to where Luxio lay. The crowd now fell silent again. Ariston withdrew Luxio into his Pokeball before standing up before him.

"That was a hell of a battle, kid," Rorak commended, "you deserve this."

Rorak removed the badge worn on his jacket.

"In accordance with the rule and regulations of the Sinnoh Pokemon League, I hereby award you the Coal Badge."

Ariston beamed a large smile as he graciously accepted his first Pokemon Badge.

The crowed cheered for him once again.

"Thanks, Rorak," Ariston answered, examining the badge.

Riolu laughed in joy at her masters happiness. He looked down upon her face and returned to her a smile of his own.

"Good luck, kid," Rorak finished, turning his back to Ariston and walking away. He headed for the back-room of the Gym. Ariston figured to be the Pokemon Center facility for Gym members and emergencies.

"Looks like you're the only one left standing, Riolu," Ariston joked with his Pokemon.

"Guess so!" she returned happily.

The crowd had mostly dissipated at this point. the Gym members had began making their way down to the floor, talking about the battle amongst one another. The tourists had left to do other things.

Some of the Gym members even came up to Ariston, congratulating or complementing him on the battle.

He graciously accepted their complements, but after everyone had returned to training amongst themselves, he made sure he quickly left for the Pokemon Center. Their condition wouldn't get any worse inside a Pokeball, but he still wanted to get his team back to health.

He quickened his excited pace as he made his way down the same city streets he had been walking down earlier.

"Master, that was...Incredible!" Riolu cheered, "Think -I'll- really be able to fight like that someday?"

"Haha, I sure do. There's no doubt in my mind that you'll make an amazing Pokemon," Ariston answered.

Her mind rushed with a million fantasies of her battling Pokemon. She saw herself as a beautiful Lucario, swiftly moving across the battlefield defeating opponent after opponent, triumphing over any that challenged her. After defeating the entire team of the opponents Pokemon, she would look over and see the overwhelming dark blue Aura of pride flowing out of her master, this time for her.

She giggled to herself.

"I can't wait!"

Ariston chuckled at Riolu's enthusiasm. 

After a few more minutes of walking, they reached the front doors of the Pokemon Center.

As soon as Ariston walked in, a young male doctor in blue scrubs was quick to greet him.

"Ariston?" he asked.

"Uh, y-yeah, that's me," Ariston answered, a bit confused.

"Oh good. Rorak called, we have a hospital room all set up for your Pokemon."

"Oh, cool. Thanks, doc," Ariston replied, impressed that Rorak took the time to set up a room for just for his Pokemon.

"Right this way,"

Ariston followed the doctor past the front desk, into the hospital area for more serious injuries. The windows to the other rooms were tinted, he wasn't able to see inside. Riolu, however, felt the Pokemon in the rooms, some just weakened, some dying. She got a set of chills feeling such Auras so close to death.

"Here we are," the doctor said, leading Ariston and Riolu to a set of double doors at the end of the hallway, "if you'll just hand me your Pokemon, we'll take care of them."

"Sure," Ariston replied. He retrieved the three Pokeballs off his belt and handed them to the doctor.

"You can wait in Room 404," the doctor informed, pointing down the hallway to an empty room, "it's the third door on your right. No one can ever seem to find it...Oh, and we'll bring your Pokemon in when we're done so they can rest."

Ariston gave the doctor a nod. The doctor left though the double doors to what he assumed to be the area where they restore and heal Pokemon. He headed down the hallway to Room 404.

Inside, the room was pretty large. It had three beds, one for each of his Pokemon, and a large couch for him and Riolu to sit at. There was also a large Plasma TV hanging in the corner of the room.

Ariston and Riolu made their way to the couch. Ariston collapsed into the comfy cushions, now coming down from his excitement high. Riolu had a little more trouble getting onto the high couch, as she was still quite small. After numerous attempts, she managed to hoist herself onto the couch with a hop, and too a seat next to Ariston.

"So, um," Riolu began, "when do you think I'll start training?"

"Well," Ariston answered to the obviously excited Riolu, "if you're up for it, I think right away. Sound good?"

Riolu's eyes lit up at the sound of training.

"I sure am! It sounds great!" she excitedly replied

Ariston laughed at Riolu's words, he'd never seen any of his previous Pokemon -this- excited at training.

"Let's just relax for now, okay?" Ariston asked,

"Mm," Riolu nodded in affirmation. 

"Today couldn't get any better," he thought, "it's perfect."

Grabbing the remote off the side table, Ariston flipped on the TV. As soon as his finger pressed upon the button, he felt the buzzing of his cell phone in his pocket.

He retrieved it, and looked upon it's screen.

"Shane's Cell" It displayed.

"Hey man," he answered, eager to tell his friend about his victory, "you're not going to believe wha--" He was cut off by a panicking voice.

"A-Ariston?!" Shane's voice yelled from the phone.

Ariston immediately noticed the panic in Shane's voice, Shane was almost always calm, something big must be happening.

"Yeah man, I'm here, what's going on?" He asked in a serious, somewhat panicky tone.

Shane's voice was a crackle of static, Ariston struggled to make out what his friend was saying.

"You--the city, Tea-- Galactic ---- here. Te--Tell Rorak --- nee---get back here---killing--they---Conti--you--ba--y--help," was all Ariston heard.

The phone line went dead.

"M-Master, look!" Riolu's terrified voice rang in his head.

Ariston's eyes fixed upon the TV.

It displayed a scene in downtown Jubilife City, the caption "BREAKING NEWS" below it. 

Fires burned out of house windows, citizens ran in the streets. Large Pokemon were running though the city, followed by uniformed trainers. Some of the cities Pokemon Trainers fought a losing battle back, the ones that were strong enough to put up a fight where immediately shot dead from one of the Galactic members wielding various handguns and rifles. There were several obvious dead bodies of both Pokemon and Humans in the street. The uniformed men darted in and out of high-class buildings and facilities. 

They were hunting for something.

Ariston's heart almost stopped. It was Team Galactic. They were making their attack now.

"M-master! Wha-What's happening?!" Riolu's voice cried, she was in tears already.

She didn't need to see this.

Ariston put his hand in front of Riolu's eyes, and clicked off the TV. She grabbed his shirt and began crying against him. She had seen Pokemon, just like her, dead and dying, littering the streets. It was too much for her innocent young mind to process. 

Ariston placed a comforting hand atop her head, and quietly shushed her, hugging her tiny body.

"Riolu, listen to me," he said, guiding her face up to meet his, "I have to go the--"

"No!" She cried out, burying her face further into his shirt.

"My friends are there, I know it's dangerous, but I have to get Rorak and help,"

"Bu-But what if--"

"I won't, I promise," he said, not wanting her to have to ask that question.

Ariston turned to the small table beside the couch. He grabbed the standard hospital notepad atop it and began writing a message. When finished, he folded it up and gave it to Riolu.

"When the doctor comes in, make sure you give this to him, okay?" he asked his Pokemon, who was still in tears.

"Mm-Mmhmm," she said between sobs.

"I'll be back soon, Riolu," Ariston said to his Pokemon as he stood up and made for the exit of the room.

"Noah," A voice said to him in his head, "be careful,"

"I will," he replied mentally,

Riolu gazed into his Aura as he left. It was a mix of sadness, fear, and anger, the ugliest of emotion. This Aura, was black. As her master felt, so did she. A lonely Riolu sat atop the couch, holding a tiny note, awaiting her masters return.