This chapter has quite a bit of overlap with the previous, but out of the 50 chapters I've written so far, this is the only one I have done this for. Sorry, not trying to inflate the word count by copy-pasting.

  —

  Leaf

  —

  I had stayed up late the night before studying for my upcoming Journey, so I hadn't gotten much sleep. Well, I was reviewing, technically. Reviewing my plans for becoming a Champion. My plans for my future. Trying to figure out if I could have fixed it all.

  They weren't recent plans either. When I was one month away from being ten years old and the Pokemon League raised the legal Trainer age to thirteen, I was crushed. I was forced to watch the latest batch of trainers, all of my peers, just… leave me, the youngest, behind. It didn't matter that the next year they had added a three-month extension to stop something like that from happening again! I was stuck!

  The knowledge that Ash Ketchum of all people got to be a trainer and not me had made my blood boil. Not that I'd had a problem with the older boy, he was a friend and wasn't too annoying, but it was the principle of the matter!

  I would be the first to admit that he'd had a way with Pokemon during our shared Pokemon Care classes, but in everything else he was a hopeless mess!

  Yet, by the time I was allowed to be a trainer, he would already be a strong, established Elite Trainer at the very minimum. I'd had no doubt he would bumble his way to success somehow, and I had been proven right as I watched him compete over the years.

  Top 16 in his first tournament ever in Indigo, top 8 at the Silver Conference. He even came top 8 in the Ever Grande Conference! He obviously had skill, and even though he hadn't become a Champion yet, he obviously would one year.

  All while poor little Leaf got left behind, the only one in the social group barely younger than ten years old that fateful year.

  I had begun my plans the night I heard the news. I'd done extra chores for money, I'd done odd jobs for the neighbors, I'd even helped the local Rangers out with simple things like picking up litter and trimming bushes, all for money.

  While my slightly-older peers traveled and battled, having the time of their lives while growing stronger, I did menial jobs for money. I followed their exploits, slowly growing slightly bitter and jealous. It wasn't their fault. I tried not to, and I still cheered for them, but it was hard.

  Eventually, after two years, I had enough to participate in the Egg Draw. Four times a year Goldenrod City would host breeders from across Indigo, and if you were able to buy one of the exorbitantly expensive tickets before they sold out, you were guaranteed a Pokemon Egg. It was still a money making event, so there was an element of luck to what you received. Half of the Eggs were Pidgey's.

  The other half were species rated at least Class 4. Mom had technically registered for me against her better judgement, and I had gotten lucky. I hadn't been able to find out what the Egg was online, so I had done the best I could with general care. I carried it everywhere, talked to it as often as I could. I had cared for it more than myself, and my mom had to almost pry it from my hands to get me to shower at one point.

  It was my future. Every hope I had for an eventual resurgence, to finally be a Pokemon trainer. I would raise this Pokemon so well, so cared for, that we would be inseparable. We would be best friends. I had already watched Ash's battles in the Indigo Conference, and I had truly admired the bonds he seemed to share with his Pokemon. Well, most of them…

  That Charizard was… something.

  So when my little Axew broke from his shell, I couldn't have been happier. He was cheerful and obedient for the first year. He would follow me around like an adorable puppy, and he quickly learned how to beg for food from me. He slept with me at night. He loved me, and I loved him. He was my best friend.

  Then he Evolved for some reason.

  For a week, everything was fine. He was a bit more reserved, and fidgety at home, but eventually something changed.

  Something woke me up one night with him standing over my head, growling. I screamed and rolled over, which was the only thing that had saved me when he lunged, jaws wide. When my mom rushed in I had already recalled him in a panic. My mom had been terrified as she asked me what happened.

  I lied.

  I told her that he'd had a nightmare. That I had woken up before it happened, and been safe. I never told her my Pokemon tried to kill me.

  I never told her my best friend tried to kill me.

  Professor Oak was contacted, and after a short discussion had called me to his office. I felt so small standing there, Pokeball tightly clasped in both hands, as he gently asked me what had happened the previous night. I couldn't lie to Professor Oak, now could I?

  He had given me what felt like endless lectures on my recklessness, my flagrant breaking of the rules, and my laziness most of all. I'd had an entire year to get my Class Restriction increased. If you were able to pass the tests and a practical, you were allowed, even encouraged to raise your Restriction before you actually received a Trainers License.

  Doing so would have given me the knowledge of how badly I was failing my Pokemon. My dragon type had never been in a fight before he Evolved. He should have had an Everstone in the first place, and that was always tricky with dragons. As Professor Oak had put it, I had 'set him up for a lifetime of disappointment and failure as his natural instincts clash with his lack of experience. Dragons require drive and conflict. Without it, they are forever stunted."

  So, I had failed us both.

  Professor Oak hired me on as a Junior Assistant, but despite his best efforts I wasn't able to reconnect with my Pokemon. He despised me. He knew he had been denied something he required, and that as I was now I wouldn't make him strong, but I had made him weak.

  The only time I was even able to interact with him was when one of Professor Oak's Pokemon held him back by force. Even his old Charizard, still absolutely petrifying despite her advanced age, couldn't make the dragon calm down in my presence. He was out of control, he hated me, and it was my fault.

  It was all my fault.

  So that morning, two weeks before the start of what should be my first circuit, I wasn't excited. I laid in bed, dreading the next day. I was off from work at the Lab today, and could at least temporarily pretend that my future wasn't about to fall apart. I didn't have to see the constant reminder of my failure as I worked around the Lab.

  The Pokeball that never opened.

  My fault.

  I grumbled as my mom called me downstairs, but I took the time to dress for the day before I trudged down the stairs. I sat down and dug into the plate of pancakes in front of me. My favorite breakfast, and usually enough to cheer me up. It didn't work.

  We'd had pancakes for the past week, ever since school ended.

  I was almost lucky that I had been left virtually the only child around my age, because that meant I didn't have to acknowledge the lack of my old Pokeball. It was just me and the younger generation of brats, none of whom I had really interacted with. I mean, most were half my age.

  So as I ate my favorite breakfast, prepared with love and care by my worried, loving mother, I tried to ignore how it tasted like ashes in my mouth. I was just managing to finish choking them down when my PokeNav rang. I didn't exactly know a lot of people, so I wasn't surprised when Professor Oak's face popped up. He looked frazzled, and his eyes were a mixture of tired and worried as he looked at the screen.

  "Leaf, good! I'm sending you on an urgent training exercise! I need you to pack right now and come to the lab! Grab your kit and meet me at the Ranch!" He didn't even let me respond before hanging up, and as I looked up in confusion I saw my mother.

  She had a warm smile on her face and a hopeful, relieved look in her eyes as she beamed at me.

  "He called to clear it with me earlier, dear. He thinks this might work. Well, he said it would work, but not to tell you that." She came over and bent down to give me a hug as I sat there, stunned.

  "He's been worried about you too, you know. He sounded hopeful this time." She kissed me on my cheek before straightening. She then gave me a playful scowl and pointed towards my room.

  "Now, you heard the Professor, young lady! Move it!"

  I was following the order before I even knew, giving her a fierce hug before running out of the house. I lived about as far as you could get from the Lab, but I could run there in around ten minutes. Pallet Town was small.

  What had happened? What kind of training exercise would help me gain the respect of an unruly dragon that not even Professor Oak's Pokemon could cow?

  I passed Ms. Ketchum as I sprinted down the long central hallway of the Lab, sparing her a bright smile as she looked on in amusement. Ash's mom was awesome, no doubt about it. She was infinitely kind and patient, although that might be a requirement with a kid like Ash, and was adored by the entire community here.

  The warm thoughts of Delia Ketchum evaporated from my mind the second I burst outside.

  Death.

  Death stood before me, and it was hungry. My gaze was transfixed by two piercingly bright irises surrounding obsidian pupils that narrowed as our eyes met. I would have whimpered, screamed, something, but I was too frozen to do that. Too still.

  I was dead. I was dead! I was-

  "Ah, Leaf! We were just talking about you! Join us! Erin here was introducing me to her team, and I just had to show her your Fraxure!" Professor Oak's voice snapped me to attention.

  I gasped as I felt my lungs begin to burn. I hadn't been breathing.

  I blinked and the vision of death was still there, but it wasn't alone now. In front of the titanic Tyrantrum stood a menagerie of aggressive looking Pokemon.

  A Deino sniffed in my direction, it's maw chomping as it sniffed. It stood there, scuffing its feet on the ground as though it wanted to charge, but it remained in place. A baby Tyrunt stood next to it, far too close to those dangerous jaws, but it was staring at me and chomping, too. It was not comforting coming from a baby, as her jaws looked like they could amputate my parts.

  A small, white Salandit stood on the Deinos waving head of all places, its eyes glaring at me with distrust. A shiny Pokemon, of a mostly-male race. Odds were it was female, though. I would have boggled at the audacity of letting it be seen, well aware of the sad reality that were Pokemon thieves, but Giratina's Messenger looming above the small gecko made that a moot point.

  There was a tiny, adorable looking pink Pokemon on the Tyrantrums snout, now that I looked closer. It looked like a living nightcap, but while I didn't know the species, I did know it was absolutely adorable. And cute.

  Oh Arceus it was so cute.

  I vaguely thought about pulling my PokeNav out to scan all these rare and unknown Pokemon, but I valued my life.

  There was one more Pokemon, a large brown seaweed-dragon. A Skrelp, and it was latched onto its trainer. I looked u-

  Wait. It was way too big. Easily double the size it should have been. I knew that species.

  I glanced around and noticed that the Deino was also much larger than their normal size. They were both Alphas. Three Alphas, a shiny, a baby dinosaur, and an exotic probable-fairy. What kind of person had a team like that?

  Their trainer was intense. There was no other word for it. She was dressed plainly, cheap sneakers, sweatpants, and a hoodie. It didn't exactly scream 'dragon tamer'. The bandolier with six Luxury Balls on it might have, but it was the girl herself that made the word intense leap out at me so strongly.

  She wasn't just standing there casually with her team. I had seen Champion Lance pose with his team, and while they looked as close as could be, this was different. The girl stood at the behemoth's side as naturally as if she were family, and most of her team seemed to look at the girl the same way.

  She looked to be a year or so older than me, but a few inches shorter, barely over five feet tall, with shoulder length green hair held back by a cheap sweatband. There were three large red feathers sticking through it near her ear, and the vibrant red contrasted nicely with her light purple eyes. A scar ran up her cheek straight to her eye and I froze up a second time, overwhelmed with terror for a split second as I watched her pupils contract as our eyes met.

  Death. Sudden and brutal dea-

  She lunged for me and I prepared for the other side.

  Well, that's what it looked like to my terrified mind. In reality she was lunging at a shape that was blurring towards me, and I watched in horrified disbelief as my Pokemon, who had tried to kill me again, was snatched like a disobedient child.

  A Rank 6 Pokemon. She snatched him by the head, dropped to a knee in a practiced-looking move, and used her left hand to redirect the Pokemons inertia as he flipped onto his back.

  Then, defying all known safety rules Professor Oak had set out for me, she slammed her hands on either side of his head, heedless of the literal blades next to her vulnerable wrists, before she brought her head down, her nose touching his snout as she snarled. I couldn't help but take a step back from the rage I felt from this… human? Right? Her voice wasn't loud.

  It didn't need to be.

  "Did I say you could move? I don't think I did, you spoiled little brat. You've never fought a serious battle in your life, you have won no glory, yet you act like you are powerful." It was my fault, not his. All mine.

  "You are nothing, and if I see you try and attack your own trainer one more time I swear to Arceus I will unleash a beatdown on you that you will never live down. Dragons everywhere will point to you as an example of weakness and cowardice. Do you understand me?"

  She looked like she would follow through on her threat right now, and my disbelief grew as I saw my Fraxure practically quaking as he tried to shrink downwards into the ground.

  "Don't worry, we'll turn you into a real dragon, not the imitation you are now."

  I felt like absolute trash as she said that. I doubted Professor Oak had told her more than the basics, yet she already knew. He was a fake. It was my fault. He gave her a hesitant growl, but he was cowed.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  She had just dominated a dragon Professor Oak's Pokemon hadn't been able to rehabilitate, with her bare hands! She turned to look at me, and as those piercing, hunting eyes met mine I found myself starting to babble. I didn't notice the look of recognition on her face in my fear.

  "What the- How- He- What did you just do? How did you just do that?"

  I was very eloquent when rattled. She grinned down at him as she spoke. It wasn't a nice grin.

  "I just re-established my dominance. He's a little shit, but from what I understand, he has been spoiled his entire life."

  I felt any spirit I may have had left shatter when she spoke. My failure boiled down to a single sentence. This… Dragon Master? She walked in and identified the problem immediately, and she did it with her team just watching from the sidelines.

  They still were, every single one glaring at my Pokemon as he shifted under their glares. He looked scared. I had never seen the look before.

  Because I had failed him.

  My fault.

  "So, I think the Professors' right. I can help you with this. I guarantee he'll be a real dragon by the time the conference rolls around." I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

  "Wait, really?" My face lit up with the sheer joy I felt in that moment. I was still a failure, but was there a chance? She was sure? I could… fix my mistake?

  I didn't get a chance to ask any further questions as she turned and hopped onto the Tyrantrums face! I gasped, but she just cheerfully spoke to the titan.

  "You heard the Professor. Can she come with us? You'd have to treat her like me." The thunderous snarl that came from the giant was too much for me, and I felt my legs give way, falling back with a small yelp. That girl was about to die!

  "Not like your daughter, treat her like a member of the pack, you silly lady!" She stopped growling immediately, and I gaped up at the insane girl as she slapped the giant death monster on the face, which didn't seem to have any effect. Obviously. The giant then turned to stare at me intently, and I felt my knees shake as I felt the weight of its focus.

  The wild, intimidating looking girl turned and walked up to me, and I couldn't make my mouth work. She grabbed my hands and pulled me to my feet with surprising enthusiasm before starting to walk off.

  She scowled briefly at the Professor, and I saw to my embarrassment that he had been gleefully recording the entire exchange. Was she good enough to research? What?

  "Let's go shopping now, and we can leave this afternoon. I need everything, and I mean that. This will be a while. Can I leave them here, Professor?" He nodded and recalled my Pokemon, and I stood there stunned for a moment, staring back at the giant predator that still hadn't turned away from me.

  With a massive effort I was able to break the stare, and I yelped as I saw her back starting to recede. She moved fast!

  —

  The Savage Trainer.

  I was going to be getting help from 'The Savage Trainer'.

  She somehow survived naked in one of the most dangerous natural preserves in the world. Naked, of course, except for the rotting skins of Sneasels. Lets not forget the giant bag made of what the PokeNet was sure was an Alpha Weavile that she had ridden in! Then, she says she's ridden in its mouth multiple times! Who is this girl? She's insane!

  She had caught a confirmed man-eater, and seemed to adore the giant beast. I had trouble not hyperventilating when I learned that I had stood in front of the Tyrant Queen of Galar, once I looked her up at least, yet Professor Oak had cheerfully taken charge of her.

  He had looked positively giddy, in fact…

  Who was this girl, really?

  Could she really help me?

  My failure?

  My fault.

  She seemed dismissive of our little clothing store, but blitzed through the PokeMart like a storm. I had very nearly lost my breakfast when she casually mentioned that she wouldn't be sleeping in a tent, rather, she would use her giant dragon mom as shelter. She only bought a giant tarp to keep the rain off, and a variety of ground coverage. Everything else needed for camping, however, it seemed she bought multiple of them.

  By the time we were back at the lab I was exhausted just by her presence. Even when she was meticulously comparing dried goods and vegetables she seemed to radiate… not violence. It was the potential for violence right beneath the surface, and what was really scary was how she didn't seem to know about it. She tried some lighthearted conversation with me, but every time she opened her mouth, I just felt… intimidated.

  I screamed the whole way to our training grounds. Erin, of course, was gleefully laughing as she stuck her head out of the basket, seemingly perfectly at ease with the way we bounced around. I had handholds, too, but somehow she was negating the bouncing, giddy like she was on a rollercoaster. I wished dearly I could replicate her performance, but I couldn't.

  It was all I could do not to vomit as I bounced.

  That's why when we finally got there, instead of helping to set up camp I could only groan, nausea in no way purged just like my stomach. I eventually managed to stand, only to watch the Deino and Tyrunt begin to run off. I opened my mouth, but it snapped shut as I heard a sharp whistle from behind me and they skidded to halts, turning guiltily. Then a voice rang out.

  "Where do you think you're going? And all by yourselves?" The two Pokemon looked ashamed as they trudged back, but their trainer merely crouched down and rubbed their heads.

  "You're both smarter than that. We haven't secured the area yet, you were going to leave us behind, and most importantly? I hadn't given you permission to run amok." They trudged over to the bundle of bedding sullenly, looking remorseful.

  Could I have done that? Commanded them so effortlessly? So authoritatively?

  Soon the tarp was hung over the ground cover, and I watched with fascination as she brought out a bundle of skins. The same skins I had seen her wearing in that video, looking for all the world like a barbarian from some distant past, face covered in blood and dirt. I couldn't help but let out a gasp as a large, silky-smooth looking fur was laid out.

  "I-Is that the… thing you rode in?" The horrible contraption straight out of nightmares looked beautiful now, and I gulped as I thought about fighting an Alpha Weavile in the wilds, far from civilization.

  "That it is, yes. Stupid bitch almost killed me twice over, so I didn't feel bad about using her inverted skin like a huge handbag." My eyes were wide as she turned to look at me, gesturing to the ball on my belt.

  "Go ahead and let him out. Let's see if he's learned anything so far." I nodded, reaching for the ball with a shaking hand, but her hand shot out to grab my arm. I looked at her in confusion, and a little fear. Her eyes were hard as she looked at me.

  "You're scared." The blunt statement made my shame flare up, and I tried to concentrate as she continued. "That's okay, you can't stop the fear response." A bit of hope bubbled up at her assurance.

  "It's how you react to it that makes the difference. Him being spoiled aside, your Pokemon has no respect for you. Like an untrained dog, you can't barter with him. You can't plead with him. You have to establish dominance, and he has to respect you. If you don't, eventually he'll either run off, or kill you and then run off." I shook as she said that. I knew he would try, because he already had!

  When she spoke next her voice was still like steel, but it was softer, comforting yet demanding. She couldn't do everything. I had to participate.

  "Only let him out if you're willing to act like a dragon tamer. I'm not expecting instant success, and me and my team will stop him from attacking you, but if you're flinching away from him, refusing to meet his eyes with the same fierceness he displays, it will never work." I paled, and briefly gave Arceus a prayer before I released him, my hand mostly steady.

  He charged me as soon as he had materialized, eyes narrowed in hate, but a glance behind me at the Alpha Tyrantrum brought him up short. A second later Erin was there, knocking him to the ground with a swift shove to his head.

  He stared up at her in rage for a split second before his face transformed into the largest gasp of horror I had ever seen anywhere near his face. It only got worse as she began to talk, her voice as sweet as Combee honey. The grin on her face was feral and hungry, and I swore her eyes were glowing as she snarled in his face.

  "Hey there buuddy! You broke the rules again! What did I say about charging as soon as you're released?" He squirmed uncomfortably as she continued. "How about attacking your trainer? You do remember what I said I would do, right?"

  He tried to run, but she snatched his tail up. With a twist and a ducking maneuver she had him rolling onto her back, heedless of the literal blades yet again, as she whipped him over her shoulder, bouncing him off the ground with a small thud. He lay there, as stunned as I felt, as she turned that same wild grin towards her snarling team.

  Well, the little pink Pokemon hopped onto the Tyrantrum, but the rest of her team looked pissed, glaring at my Pokemon. I could practically hear knuckles cracking, my Pokemon looking at the group with an expression of terror.

  The Savage Trainer, my new teacher and PokeNet sensation, turned her gaze to her team with an evil grin.

  "Who wants to show him how a real dragon acts?"

  She was absolutely insane, and she was my only hope.

  —

  Later that night we sat close to a campfire on a cheap futon, large cushions rested against The Tyrant Queen as we leaned back, enjoying the warmth and comfort. I was still as nervous as I felt I could possibly be leaning up against the behemoth, but I was getting used to the sheer terror quickly.

  It was very hard to be tense when an Alpha Deino desperately wanted to lick you. My terror of the Pokemon had quickly evaporated, as he acted more like a Snubull than a dragon. I was aware of their species evolution cycle, however, and I would be sad to see the big puppy disappear. Not that I thought Erin couldn't handle it.

  My out of control Pokemon was restrained underneath the Alphas jaws, and he looked perpetually terrified under there. I wasn't about to tell Erin her business, but despite myself I felt kind of bad for him.

  He had been knocked around by Erin's Pokemon, primarily the Deino and Skrelp, for almost an hour, even the little pink Pokemon joining in with a desperate-sounding wail that made my rebellious Pokemon absolutely howl in pain, to the cheers of the rest of her team.

  Literally.

  They had looked so proud as they paused the beatdown to cheer the tiny Pokemon on. She had immediately run back to the Tyrantrums head in adorable embarrassment, and even as I worried for my Pokemon's health I couldn't help but smile at the tiny thing.

  The rest of her team were cuddled up to Erin now, and I saw the Salandit was already sleeping, hands stuck to her forehead. It was actually adorable, and I felt a little bit more of the tension leave my body as we sat in comfortable silence.

  I enjoyed it all too briefly.

  "So, when was the first time he tried to kill you?"

  Her voice didn't even change as she asked me. It was a casual observation, and I saw her eyes were actually closed as she stroked the baby Tyrunt's head. Its eyes were closed as well, but a pleased rumble emitted from it.

  "...A week after he Evolved." She nodded, eyes still closed.

  "More, describe it. What happened? What did you do that set him off?" Her question stunned me. Set him off? My voice was unsteady as I spoke.

  "Nothing? He tried to kill me in my sleep and I got lucky." Her eyes shot open as she began to bare her teeth, but it was the absolutely titanic snarl from behind me that stole the show.

  I could feel my brain, my bones, the air in my lungs vibrate, and I turned my head to see the Tyrantrum begin to grind her jaw downward. A pitiful squeal came from my Pokemon's mouth, and before I could stop myself I was rushing to him, trying to push the giant head off him.

  A second later I found myself grabbed by the shoulders, and then I was flying backwards onto the futon, rolling onto my back to find Erin standing over me, her face murderous. Her eyes glowed a dark purple, and I might have felt my heart stop for a second as she towered over me. She practically spat her next words, the piercing glare leaving me unable to move.

  "You fool! Do that again and I'll-! You absolute-!" Her hands formed fists as she bent forward and roared at the ground in a frustrated shriek, stomping her foot. Her eyes came up to meet mine, and I almost pissed myself at the pure rage dancing there.

  "She eats you, I! Lose! All! Of! Them! You- You idiot!" She turned away and I could finally breathe. She spoke over her shoulder, quieter and softer now.

  "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, Leaf… I get it. But that was stupid! Now sit back and be quiet. This isn't your problem anymore. It's ours." The Tyrantrum growled in agreement, bringing her jaw down a bit. My furious Fraxure squealed in pain.

  My baby Axew.

  I wanted to help him, but how? Should I, even?

  My fault.

  I didn't have the guts to speak out, and I felt myself praying this was going to go well. That she could help me, not remove the issue. I was the issue, not him!

  My fault!

  She crouched on the ground near him, the rest of her Pokemon gathering to glare at his trapped form. Even the little pink Pokemon was glaring from the Tyrunts head. Erin looked at him for a long minute, then stared at the Alpha. There seemed to be some sort of silent communication going on, as with a sigh she stood, dusting her hands off. She began to work her shoulder, rolling her neck.

  No…

  "You are a stain on dragons." My Pokemon snarled as he tried to get his blades into the Tyrantrum, working himself into a frenzy, but he couldn't even scratch her. Erin strode back to her pack for a moment, and when she returned, she had the Sneasel skins.

  She dumped them in a pile next to the thrashing Pokemon and crouched again. She then searched through and picked out a skin, proudly displaying it to the bundle of restrained anger. Her voice was light as she spoke heavy words.

  "This was the first person I ever killed." My Fraxure's struggling stopped, and he looked at her in confusion. She smiled at him. It almost looked warm.

  "You're sapient, aren't you? That means you're a person in my eyes. This asshole, though?" She snarled and I watched my Pokemon's face drain a bit. Mine did as well as I finally got an answer to a question I hadn't dared ask.

  "It ate my pinky with sadistic glee, sneering at me the entire time. Then it turned around to keep torturing my little girl back there." The Tyrunt growled, her paws digging into the dirt like she wanted to charge. Erin's face was serious as she stared at the trapped Pokemon.

  "I bashed its head in with a rock. Over and over and over again, until there wasn't a head left." She brought her face close to his motionless one.

  "I won my honor. I did the right thing for my pack, even if I didn't know they were yet. I fought for someone else's sake. There is honor in that. There is also honor in fighting to gain strength for strength's sake."

  "You don't. You have no honor, because all you crave is violence and death." Her hand snatched the other two and threw them down. These were whole, mostly, and I watched in fascination as she pulled out a crude knife.

  It was a Pawniards blade, broken halfway, stuck into a crude handle, and wrapped with what looked to be raw sneasel skin, blood staining the crudely whittled wood. She drove the blade into the ground right next to his face, and he looked on in terror as she spoke.

  "These attacked with an Alpha Weavile, out for revenge. I killed this one after beating it down to the ground with Skrelps help. He saved me from a nasty Scratch, the absolute treasure that he is. One stab to the spine and it died." My Pokemon trembled as he looked at her eyes.

  "The next one lost its hands to my feet meeting my baby's jaws, and I killed it the exact same way." She grabbed the skins and dumped them back on the bedding. Most of her Pokemon broke off to form a circle with the Tyrantrum, and as she flexed her hand on the knife I paled.

  "None of these Pokemon were weaker than me. I am a weak human, with slower reflexes and weaker senses. You could Scratch me and cripple me. You should be able to put up a fight, but you won't. You don't know what it's like to fight for your life. You don't know what it's like to fight for someone else's life. You don't know what it's like to stare death in the face." Her smile was as sad as it was vicious.

  "You soon will, though."

  "So here's the deal. Fight me. Don't use any Moves, but feel free to go for the kill with brute force if you want. Use a Move and you won't live long enough to regret it. If you manage to defeat me, you can run free. I will take you somewhere and release you after I check with the Rangers. If you lose? You put your little temper tantrum behind you and act like a damned dragon, not a mindless beast." She snarled the next words out as the Tyrantrum nodded along.

  "The only reason me and my mother haven't killed you is the obvious love that your trainer holds for you. The only reason, and I want you to consider that as we fight. You only have the opportunity to live the violent life you seek if you play by my rules now, because you're out of chances. You were out of chances the second you tried to sneak attack your sleeping trainer!"

  She practically screamed the last part out, and the Tyrantrum began to growl in agreement before she lifted her head, releasing the enraged Pokemon.

  Erin looked back at me and her face fell a bit. She gave me a weak smile before she turned to my Pokemon, knife held loosely in her right hand as she held a thick chunk of firewood in her left. Her body seemed to fall as she pulled her hands to her sides, and she stalked towards the Pokemon, a glare on her face. He froze up, but after a moment he roared, charging her. When he was close enough his blades surged forwards, towards her ankles.

  Instead of dodging, she kicked him in his forehead. It was a short, weak kick, but he was three feet tall, and it slowed him down long enough for her to lash out, slamming the chunk of wood lengthwise onto one of his blades, fouling it up. She growled as she rushed forwards, her knee coming up under his chin as he rocketed backwards.

  A dark aura surged along his jaws for a moment, but before I could even yell in terror she had lashed out with the blade. His eyes widened at the point coming for his eye before he aborted the attack, twisting his head around. He was off balance now, though, and she reacted with a roar, using both hands to drive her elbow into his stomach as she slid onto a knee.

  "I'll let that one slide since you never finished it!"

  He tried to roll to his feet but she was there, a new branch in her hand as she mounted him. She began to pound on him, and I gasped in relief as I saw her lashing out with the handle of the blade, not the blade itself.

  He thrashed in frustration for a moment before screaming in anger, and with a roar he lashed out, catching her in the side with a foot. She was tossed off of him, rolling a few feet before she jumped to her feet, already crouched to meet his next charge.

  The entire clearing grew quiet as he met her, but the expected gush of blood did not happen. Instead she had stopped the unblocked blade with her blade and a hand on his forehead, and even as he looked at her in utter shock that she hadn't flinched, she dropped her blade and grabbed his head with both hands.

  Then she began to slam his head into the dirt.

  He struggled in the beginning, but he slowly lost strength, and by the end I was terrified she would actually kill him. With one final slam she picked him up, examining him. His face was a mess of blood and bruises, and I felt my heart break a little bit more as his head rolled with unconsciousness.

  My fault.

  She stared at him for a few more seconds, arms beginning to shake, before she snorted and tossed him at the Tyrantrum. The giant Pokemon rolled him back underneath her chin and settled back down.

  Erin stomped back over to my side, tossing herself onto her apparent mother as she let out a huge sigh, reclining on the cushion there. Her hands danced across her ribs, pushing and prodding gently. She turned to stare at me, and there was sadness in her eyes as she looked at me.

  And pity.

  "You know he despises you, right?"

  That one question broke me.

  All the doubts, the regrets, the broken hopes. It was like they all hit me at the same time, and I began to sob uncontrollably. I glimpsed her face starting to pale, her eyes going wide in shock before the tears came. A torrent of tears, and I couldn't even form words. I just sobbed as Erin panicked.

  I heard growling a moment before the Deino was there, frantically licking my hands. I felt a titanic weight on my head and managed to open my eyes to catch sight of the giant Tyrantrum. She looked slightly sad as she huffed in my face, blowing my hair and hat back, before her head swung back around to trap my Pokemon once again.

  My fault.

  I felt myself cocooned in blankets soon enough, shoved into the Tyrantrums chest by a whining Deino and a concerned-looking Tyrunt. I didn't even have the energy to speak as I lay there, my broken, unconscious Pokemon restrained.

  He despised me.

  I didn't blame him.

  It was all my fault.

  My fault.