“Ah! Slow down a sec, Mark; I got a rock in my shoe," Randy notified his travel companion as they carried on through Victory Road.

            Mark paused mid-step, stopping to let Randy solve his wardrobe malfunction. “I usually wear shoes that're snug around the ankle just for that reason," he pointed out. “Might want to try it."

            “Why the heck does 'Victory Road' have to be in a cave anyway?" Randy asked as he pulled off his shoe, shaking it until the pebble that had been poking him fell out.

            “Call it a final trial for trainers looking to challenge the Pokémon League," Mark returned. “Besides, it's not like the one in Hoenn doesn't go through a cave system too."

            “Yeah, I suppose," Randy replied.

            Mere hours after leaving Viridian City, the two companions, along with their Pokémon, were on their way up to the Indigo Plateau, accessible only through Kanto's own Victory Road or by air. They could have flown up to the plateau, of course, but there had been a rather ominous-looking storm blowing in from the west around Mt. Silver. In order to stay in cover and not lose any progress. Mark suggested they take the long way under the mountain and work their way up to the plateau where they wouldn't get caught in the storm.

            So far, their progress had been good, aside from having to clear a few cave-ins here or there. Thankfully, Tanker was in the lead doing just that, pushing rocks aside to clear a path for them while avoiding causing anymore himself. The others stayed a fair distance back to avoid getting in his way, but often had to cover their ears against the sound of the Steelix's metal body grinding against the stones. It got so bad in fact, Cairo wouldn't even come out of his ball to walk with Randy as he usually did, as it was especially hard on his sensitive ears.

            “You know, I heard it was in one of the side caves of this place where Red actually caught the Legendary Fire Pokémon, Moltress," Randy commented.

            “Really? In here?" Mark asked, looking around the cave, taking in the bland, gloomy surroundings. “I would've thought something like Moltress would've been hiding on Cinnabar Island in the volcano or somewhere else hot."

            “Maybe it knew the volcano going to erupt in later years?" Randy suggested.

            “Why would an eruption be of concern to a Pokémon that's practically living fire?" Mark asked.

            “Good point."

            After a little longer into their walk, Randy spoke up again. “So, what's your plan for taking on Lance? I assume you have another opening strategy for him."

            “I'm still working on it," Mark replied. “We know Lance is fixated on Dragon-type Pokémon and uses nothing else –except for Pokémon that resemble dragons like Gyarados and Charizard, as I've read." At that, he shrugged off his backpack, bringing it around and fishing out his bingo book before slinging the pack over his shoulders again, opening the book to the page about Lance. “According to this, as more Dragon-types were discovered, Lance was eager to be the first trainer to take all of them. And, he succeeded; he's been to every region, captured and tamed each Dragon-type from all of them, and raised them for battle."

            “That's a lot of dragons," Randy commented. “He didn't capture any of the Legendary Deity Pokémon from Unova or Sinnoh, did he?"

            “If he did, he hasn't used them in battle, according to this," Mark replied as he read along. “But that could still mean some Pseudo-Legendaries and other very powerful Pokémon could be in there too. Dragons are not easy opponents; especially not in the hands of someone who can control them as well as he can."

            “Does that book say which ones he favours?"

            “Only mentions that he always has a Dragonite," Mark replied. “I can expect at least one of those, but his other Pokémon may vary; the only consistency is that they will always be Dragons." He closed the book tucking it under his arm before crossing both arms over his chest, one with a hand to his chin. “If he's been all around the world looking for Dragon-types, how many are there he could have and what types will they be?"

            “When in doubt," Randy began, fishing in his pocket for something before he lifted out a small, card-shaped device, red around the edges with a holographic center emitting a blue glow. “Consult the encyclopedia."

            Mark looked back over his shoulder, spotting the device and widening his eyes in mild intrigue. “A PokéDex? I didn't know you had that."

            “Not just any either," Randy returned. “It's a complete international PokéDex imported from the Kalos Region, loaded with Pokémon from all of the regions." He held up the device, tapping the holographic center and causing the two edges to part as it lit up. “With it, we can look up info on every Dragon-type that has been discovered."

            Mark smiled broadly at that. “Great idea!" He exclaimed, before looking ahead towards his Steelix, cupping both hands around his mouth to amplify his voice as he called out. “Hey Tanker!"

            At his call, the Steelix stopped, turning his head around at the call of his name and looking back in Mark's direction. “We're going to stop for a moment; take a break for now, okay?"

            Tanker rumbled in reply before complying, lowering himself down to lay flat on the ground and shutting his eyes to rest a moment while he waited for his trainer to let him know he was ready to move again. In the meantime, they found somewhere to sit down, on some flattened rocks near a little pool in the cave. Having an idea, Mark reached into his vest, one-by-one picking the Poké Balls containing his Pokémon from the holster inside. Randy saw him reaching in, noticing what was in his hand. “What'cha doin'?"

            “Giving the others a chance to stretch their legs," he replied, before chuckling. “Well... for the ones among them that have legs."

            “Oh, good idea!" Randy agreed.

            He joined in as Mark began releasing his Pokémon from the confines of their balls, letting them out into the cave two at a time. Soon all of the Pokémon materialized, eliciting pleased cries at the chance to breath some fresh air and stretch their limbs. Of Randy's six Pokémon, Mark saw five he had already seen before and one he hadn't; Randy's sixth Pokémon was a Starmie, a purple star-shaped entity with a gem-encrusted core, along with what appeared to be a second star-shape attached to its back. Its body was purple, with gold around the ruby core, and as with Siren, it made a beeline straight for the pool as soon as it emerged, hopping up and spinning through the air until it landed in the water, followed shortly by the Milotic.

            “I think that's the first time I've seen a Starmie," Mark commented. “Where'd you catch it?"

            “Well this isn't my first trip to Kanto," Randy replied. “I caught it outside Vermillion City, on the beach. It was still a Staryu at the time, but I've since evolved it, as you can see."

            Mark nodded, satisfied with the answer as he pulled his knapsack off of his back and opened the largest pocket, producing bags of food from inside, each one labelled with the name of one of his Pokémon showing who they were intended for. There wasn't one for Tanker, but that was okay; Steelix fed on stone and minerals as opposed to ordinary food, so there was an entire buffet for the Steelix all around them.

            Randy, having the same idea as Mark, picked out some plastic containers from his backpack, each one filled with food for his Pokémon. One by one he passed them around, and each of them were able to open it themselves except for Skyclaw, who had to wait as Randy opened hers for her and placed it in front of her before she began to munch on the contents. As with Tanker, he didn't have food for Gemstar; Mark asked him why, and Randy simply replied that Starmie didn't actually eat –they had no mouths or other means of ingestion to speak of.

            That wasn't so odd; there were lots of Pokémon in the world that lived by other means. Passing around the food to each of his team, they dug in to their meals happily. Siren emerged from the pool to accept the food offered to her, squealing happily as she fed. With everyone filling their bellies, Mark decided it was time for him to have something to eat as well, and picked out a can of corn and a protein bar from his travel supplies, using a can opener on his keychain to open the former and digging into it with a plastic spoon.

            As all of the Pokémon enjoyed their lunches, Mark and Randy began their research, with Randy munching on a granola bar as he began tapping away at various holographic buttons on the PokéDex, bringing up a long list of Pokémon by name and region –a list that made him grimace as he saw how long it was. “Okay... there are more Dragon-types than I thought," he said.

            “Narrow it down to final evolutions and ones that don't evolve," Mark replied, setting aside his food to dig out his bingo book again. “Chances are Lance will only be using Pokémon that're fully trained and evolved."

            “Good plan," Randy agreed, and returned to making the proper adjustments to the PokéDex. This served to shorten the list considerably. “Ah, much better; now let's see here. Dragonite, we know he has. But..." He cringed. “Geez... there are a lot of Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon on this list. Salamence, Goodra, Garchomp and Hydeigon."

            “Three of those are confirmed," Mark commented, reading through his book. “Lance used them all during the Pokémon World Tournament in the Champion's Division, except for Goodra. I don't know if he has that, but he definitely has the rest."

            “Are you sure you can take this guy? He's packing a lot more firepower than even Drake did," Randy commented.

            “On the contary," Mark returned. “This actually exposes Lance's weakness to me."

            “Hubba-za-wha...?" Randy questioned.

            “Those dragons," Mark began. “Each of them has a Sub-typing, right?"

            Randy checked the PokéDex, reading over the information. “Hey... yeah, you're right. Garchomp's also a Ground-type, Salamence and Dragonite are both Flying, and Hydreigon's also a Dark-type."

            “Then I have an advantage already," Mark stated. “Every Pokémon I have can take advantage of at least one of those types. Plus, as famous as Lance is, he's made his strategy all-too-obvious. Just like Drake, he focuses on sheer power to overwhelm his opponent."

            “Hey, yeah!" Randy stated. “If he fights just like Drake, you've got this match in the bag already!"

            Mark was about to speak, but then he froze, feeling an itch at the back of his mind as though his brain was being kicked by something. He then shifted position, putting a hand to his chin and thinking. “No... this is wrong," he said.

            “What is?"

            “It's way too obvious," Mark stated. “Lance clearly has a focus on power, but there has to be more to it than that; the man is a living legend for good reason. He knows Dragon-types better than any other trainer in the world; there's no way he wouldn't have some kind of backup plan."

            “You think so?" Randy asked, tilting his head curiously.

            Mark raised his book again, reading over the contents thoroughly. “It says that during the world tournament, Lance led every match with Dragonite."

            “His strongest Pokémon? Why would he open with that?" Randy asked.

            “I'm no sure," Mark replied. “Most trainers save their best for last unless there's some strategy involved. I just need to find –hey, wait a minute." He stared hard at a page he was on, reading over a section about Lance's battle with Johto Champion Ethan. “It says here that in his match with Ethan, he had more than one Dragonite –two, in fact."

            “So what?"

            “So," Mark said, looking at Randy. “No two Pokémon will ever be exactly alike. Dragons, especially; they're a well-rounded typing." He kept reading. “And here, it says that he owned two Dragonair and only one Dragonite when he was leading the Elite Four and battled Red and Blue in particular. He evolved one of them, and by now he has to have evolved the other one too."

            “Wait," Randy began. “If he has three Dragonite now, why doesn't he use all of them at once in a battle? That gives him three Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon right off the bat."

            “And there's the million dollar question," Mark returned. “Since his battle with Ethan, all of Lance's official matches report him only having one Dragonite at a time, but maybe there's a trick to that. Maybe he changes which one is active in his party to keep his opponent guessing."

            “I get it," Randy stated. “At the world tournament, lots of people, including other trainers, would see his Dragonite fighting. Someone who's about to face off against Lance could use that time to study his Dragonite –get a feel for it. Prepare."

            “But what they don't expect is that he's got more than one, and the next one will not be like the first," Mark stated. “He uses his lead Pokémon to gauge his opponent, but he changes which Dragonite he's leading with to stop them from gauging him; he's deliberately trying to mislead them." Mark shut his bingo book. “Tanker and Siren... I utilize their defensive capabilities to be ready to switch between Physical and Special attackers as opponents. So if someone went into battle against Lance believing his Dragonite's a physical attacker..."

            “By now he has instead switched to one that's a Special Attacker," Randy continued, “so that when his opponent comes in with a Pokémon using a high defense..."

            “He's using a Dragonite better suited to this new opponent," Mark stated. “Lance's opening strategy is meant to catch his opponent off guard and force them to deviate from their original plan, but by then he's already gained the advantage, leaving them flustered and confused. If they can't come up with another plan quick, the sheer power of his Pokémon will crush them flat." Mark crossed his arms and nodded. “Brilliant. He took a conventional power approach, and devised a way to get an early advantage, which is key for power teams."

            Randy nodded in understanding before setting aside his PokéDex. “Seems like you've got it all figured out," he said.

            “Just about," Mark replied. “I at least know what to watch out for but I'll need to think very carefully about my opening strategy and try to be ready for whatever he throws at me."

            “Who do you think will be a good start?" Randy asked.

            “Well, I need someone who has as much combat experience as possible, and who I know can tackle virtually any opponent," Mark replied. “And that means Vitesse is my best option for taking on Dragonite."

            “Opening with your strongest right off that bat?" Randy pointed out. “That's kind of risky man. Plus if you lose her you lose the only Pokémon you've got that can Mega Evolve."

            Mark turned to Randy and grinned. “Who said she was the only one I have that can?"

            “Wait, what?" Randy asked, and began looking over all of Mark's Pokémon, wondering which of his Pokémon he meant. “But none of your other Pokémon can Mega Evolve, except your Charmeleon when he evolves to a Charizard."

            “Ah, you don't know?" Mark asked, before jerking his thumb over his shoulder towards Tanker. “He can Mega Evolve."

            “Wait, Steelix can Mega Evolve?" Randy asked, looking at Tanker. “I didn't know that!" He looked back at Mark after a moment. “Freakin' awesome; what's it like?"

            “Well, it's kind of hard to explain," Mark began. “But, when I took him for that test at Professor Sycamore's temporary laboratory, he told me that in his Mega form, the density of Tanker's skin is almost doubled, making his body as hard as Titanium –virtually impervious to physical harm. It also has this weird... gravitational flux that causes these shards of metal and crystal to orbit around him."

            “That..." Randy began to saw, but clearly had trouble forming words to express his opinion on that description. “Sounds... really weird."

            “I admit, I was confused by it too," Mark bade. “And, I've yet to actually use him in a battle so, I don't even know what his ability is when he Mega Evolves."

            “Wait, you don't even know what his powers are?" Randy asked, skeptical.

            “Another reason I haven't used it yet," Mark stated. “Without knowing what his ability is, it's hard to make a strategy using it. At this moment, all I've got to work with is his incredible defense. Against a physical attacker, he's damn near indestructible."

            Randy hummed in thought. “You know, that could come in handy against Lance," he commented. “A lot of Dragon-types are Physical Attackers, and since Steel-types are resistant to Dragons... it could be a good opportunity to find out just how strong a Mega Steelix is."

            “Maybe," Mark replied, not disagreeing with Randy. “I guess there's only one way to find out, and that's to face Lance himself."

            As they continued to speak, they didn't notice Fang, having been laying in a napping position up until that moment, suddenly raised his head, ears standing upright in alert.

            “Suppose the storm's over yet?" Randy asked.

            “We'll know soon enough," Mark replied.

            Suddenly, the two trainers heard Fang growling, and they turned to see him staring off towards a row of stalagmites at the other side of the cave. At that moment, Cairo and Skyclaw suddenly rose up as well, the Lucario going to stand over next to Fang, paws clenched into fists and legs widened to a combat-ready stance, while the dragoness growled even more audibly than Fang.

            Mark knew this kind of behavior from Fang could only mean one thing; something was watching them. He spun around, facing the same direction as the Pokémon and called out. “Alright, who's over there?!" He demanded, feeling a bit of deja vu as he thought back to his first meeting with Marvin back in Hoenn. “Come out, now!"

            A flash of movement, followed by a blurry shape dashing across the cave towards a nearby tunnel; too fast to be a human being. Just as suddenly as it emerged, the shape disappeared into the darkness; Fang began to give chase, but a sharp “Stop!" from Mark froze him in his tracks. He looked back at Mark with a curious whine.

            “No sense running off into the dark and risking getting lost in here," Mark returned.                       “What do you suppose that thing was?" Randy asked.

            “I don't know; moved so fast I couldn't get a good look at it," Mark replied. “Must've been a Pokémon of some kind."

            “Obviously; no human can move like that," Randy returned. “I've seen some fast Pokémon, man, but that thing could move!"

            Mark narrowed his eyes, staring off in the direction the strange creature had dashed away to, feeling suddenly uneasy. He proceeded to hurriedly pack his items back into his knapsack, saying, “we should go; if we're in a wild Pokémon's territory I don't think we want to wait to see if it comes back with friends."

            “Yeah, you might be right," agreed Randy, brandishing several Poké Balls and beginning to recall his team.

Mark followed suite, returning all except for Tanker back to their Poké Balls for transport. Vitesse was reluctant to go back in to hers, clearly wanting to be present in case Mark needed her, but she compliantly returned none the less. With that, both trainers finished packing up and began to leave, following Tanker as he continue to clear debris for them and led the way through the cavern, all wondering if there was a pair of eyes watching them from the dark...

When the three finally emerged into daylight again, the sky was clear, letting the sun shine forth onto the soaking wet earth below, blessing them with the scent of dew on the grass beneath their feet, as well as the clean mountain air as they took in their first breath outside of the cave, feeling the rush of the cool, high altitude wind.

Ahead of them, a cobblestone path, leading a stairway that would take them to the very top of the Indigo Plateau. Seeing his destination in sight, Mark recalled Tanker back to his ball, thanking him for his assistance in bringing them there, before he strode on ahead followed shortly by Randy. They reached the stairway, and Mark ascended the steps in bounds, rising to the very last step to behold the Kanto/Johto Pokémon League's terminal building.

The building ahead, at the end of the stone sidewalk lined with various Pokémon statues, was what looked like a humongous mansion, stretching out to almost both ends of the plateau, with multiple floors lined with windows to reflect the light of the sun above. The structure was made up of brickwork with an orange hue that made it stand out against the green of the landscape –clearly done by professionals.

Randy let out a wolf whistle, chuckling slightly as he took in the sight of the structure. “Sure it's big enough, but look at the location! Think they're compensating for something?"

Mark shot him an incredulous look. “Really?" He asked, in a tone that matched his expression.

“Oh come on, that was golden!"

“Yeah, a golden turd," Mark returned as he walked ahead, approaching the building.

“You have no sense of humour," Randy stated as he followed the other trainer.

As they approached the terminal, Mark began to go over his plan for battling Lance again in his mind, calculating his odds just by the information he had and Randy's help. He had every confidence in his Pokémon and their ability to handle Dragon-types, but he had only figured out part of Lance's strategy. The rest, he would have to work out on his feet during the battle itself.

“I wonder what Lance himself is like?" Mark wondered aloud, but too low for Randy to hear. “What kind of person is the Dragon Master?"

He pondered this question until he reached the front entrance of the League Building, where a set of double doors stood in his path. He approached one of them, pushing it open and entering the manor-like structure, where he was introduced to a massive lobby. Rows of chairs filled the room between where they stood all the way to a set of ornate double doors, on either side of which rested two counters. The left one, an on-site Pokémon Center, inside of which Mark could see medical machinery that looked absolutely state of the art, while at the other, a miniature PokéMart, with shelves covered in the most powerful medicines available to Pokémon without Doctor prescriptions.

'Only the best for the best,' Mark thought as he took in the surroundings.

“I guess just like at Hoenn the outside is meant simply to be cosmetic," Randy commented.

“Looks that way," Mark agreed. “Although I would wager that the Elite Four and Champion do live in this place somewhere, just like at Hoenn."

“Yeah, true," Randy agreed, and snickered. “You know I was getting so comfortable at the Hoenn League I was in the process of moving out of my old place to live there full-time."

“Didn't exactly work out that way, huh?" Mark asked as he began to cross the room, heading for the Pokémon Center desk.

“Like you didn't do the same?" Randy asked.

“I didn't, actually," Mark replied. “I stayed at the League sometimes if I knew I had a challenger the following day or if other conditions stopped me from heading home. But otherwise I lived at my own house, north of Mauville."

            “There aren't any towns north of Mauville," Randy pointed out.

            “I live in the countryside," Mark clarified. “Always have; never really been a city guy."

            “...I'm not sure I'm ever going to figure you out, bro."

            “Why not? I'm not the only Champion who owns a house outside of the League you know," Mark replied.

            “Name me one other guy who did, and he has to be from Hoenn," Randy challenged.

            “Steven Stone," Mark replied. “He owns a house in Mossdeep, and he's due to inherit a Megacorporation in Rustboro City."

            “Wait, what?!" Randy barked. “Steven lives in Mossdeep? That's where I live too!"

            Mark shrugged. “I wouldn't even say he really lives there," he said. “Rumor has it he barely spends any time there at all."

            “What's his home address?"

            “Now how would I know that? We weren't exactly friends when I met him, and I haven't seen him since I beat him at Ever Grande. My guess is he's travelling abroad, continuing with his study of old secrets –you could say he's kind of an Archaeologist on the side."

            Randy shrugged. “Everyone needs a hobby, I guess."

            As Mark approached the counter, the nurse attending looked up at him and smiled in greeting. “Hello; welcome to the Indigo Plateau. Are you in need of some assistance?"

            “Yes," Mark replied, reaching into his vest and picking out a Poké Ball from his holster. “My Steelix tired himself out on the way up here; he needs a little pick-me-up."

            “Absolutely," she returned, reaching under the counter to retrieve a carrying case from the underside, which she placed in front of Mark to let him place Tanker's Poké Ball in one of the slots. “Anything else?"

            “Yes," Mark continued. “I'm here to see Lance, the Champion; is he available?"

            “If you have an appointment with the Champion, sir, you are free to call him on the service line," she offered, gesturing to a phone across the counter. “if he's expecting you, he will answer."

            “He's not expecting me," Mark replied. “I came here from Hoenn to meet with him, but I didn't call ahead in advance."

            The nurse looked uncertain of how to respond to that, tapping her fingers against the counter as she considered how to do so. “One moment please," she bade, rising from her seat and approaching the phone she had indicated before, picking up the receiver and tapping a few keys before holding it to her ear. After a short wait, someone seemed to answer as she began to speak. “Yes, Mr. Koga; sorry for troubling you, but there is a gentleman at the counter who wishes to speak to Lance... One moment." She looked at Mark. “He wishes to know why you want to speak to the Champion."

            “I'm here to challenge him," Mark replied honestly.

            She returned to her conversation, passing along Mark's message, before she turned to the Hoenn trainer again. “Do you have the eight official Kanto League badges?"

            “No," Mark replied. “I'm not here to battle him for his Champion title."

            Once more, the nurse was back on the phone, relaying the message to whoever she was speaking to. Shortly, she thanked the person and hung up the phone, turning to Mark. “Mr. Koga is on his way down to speak with you."

            “Thank you," Mark said, gratefully, before they stepped away from the desk and he glanced at Randy. “Any idea who Koga is?"

            “One of the Elite Four here in Kanto," Randy replied. “And, used to be the Gym Leader of Fuschia City's Poison-type Gym; from what I hear he's a modern day ninja too."

            “Ninja, huh?" Mark asked, giving a doubtful look to Randy. “This ought to be fun."

            “The ways of the shadow warrior are nothing to joke about, young trainer," a voice spoke behind Mark, causing him to freeze in his tracks.

            He glanced at Randy, and sure enough the Hoenn trainer's companion wasn't looking at Mark, but rather past him. Mark frowned deeply, turning and looking over his shoulder at the man standing behind him; a middle-aged man with spiky hair and wearing a black shinobi robe with dark gray trimming, metal shin guards and a red scarf trailing from behind him.

            “Well, your response time was definitely impressive, Mr. Koga," Mark stated. 'This guy has about four out of five of the cliché's I've seen in every single ninja movie I've ever watched. Doesn't anyone know what 'ninja' actually were?'

            “Why have you come here, young man?" Koga asked, crossing his arms.

            “As the nurse informed you, I'm here to battle Lance, the Champion," Mark replied. “But I'm not here to battle him for his title. I only wish to test myself against him."

            “The rules dictate that only someone who has proven their worth against the eight Kanto Gym Leaders and collected their badges my challenge the Pokémon League, and even then you must defeat the Elite Four before you earn the right to do battle with the Champion."

            “I'm well aware of the rules, sir," Mark returned. “I used to be a Champion myself."

            “Of where?"

            “Hoenn," Mark replied. “My name is Mark Taylor."

            Koga's brows twitched slightly, looking at Mark with a more attentive stare. “Taylor, you say?" He asked. “The young tactician who defeated Steven?"

            “So you've heard of me, then?" Mark asked.

            “That I have," replied Koga. “You have become quite well-known for your strategic approach to Pokémon Battles. Though, I have also heard the Pokémon at your disposal is rather lacking in variety, which many of us here believe led to your defeat and, in turn, the loss of your title."

            “Ooh, shots fired," Randy muttered.

            “Shut up Randy," Mark retorted without looking back at the other trainer.

            “Randy?" Koga asked, looking past Mark at the other trainer. “As in Randall Calvin, the previous Champion?"

            Mark looked back at Randy. “You never said your name was actually 'Randall'," he remarked.

            “I prefer Randy," the other trainer replied. “And yes, Mr. Koga; I'm the same one."

            Koga arched an eyebrow. “Rather odd for one to be travelling with a trainer they were defeated by," he remarked. “I would think you would consider him your rival."

            Mark waved his hand dismissively. “Not a concern at the moment," he replied.

            “And now you come all the way to Kanto, hoping to challenge Lance," Koga continued. “Do you think to take his Champion title because you lost your own?"

            “I already told you, I'm not here for a title match," Mark stated. “I'm on a new journey, one where I challenge the best trainers in the world to test myself against them."

            “If you are so committed to that journey, you should earn your way to challenging the Champions in the traditional manner," Koga stated. “Earn the eight official badges of Kanto, and then return here. Then you may earn the right to battle Lance."

            “If I go through that process in every region, I'll be on this journey for years," Mark returned.

            “If you are truly committed to this, then time should be of no consequence," Koga retorted. “To master anything, one must study their entire life; that is what we of the Elite Four have done, that is what Lance as the Champion has done; there are no shortcuts on the path of a master."

            Mark scowled, rapidly losing his patience with the so-called 'Ninja'. 'Scratch that; five out of five clichés, including the one of talking a lot of crap.' “I guarantee you, Koga, I could take you and the other Elite Four members right now and curb-stomp all four of you. If I have to do that to get to Lance, then I'll take you all on right now."

            “You think you can simply barge your way in?" Koga demanded, his expression souring and becoming a glare as he stared at Mark, unflinching. “I can just as easily have Security come and remove you from here."

            “Whoa, whoa, whoa," Randy stepped in. “Mark, this is starting to get out of control; we didn't come here to get in trouble with the authorities."

            “Tell that to the movie ripoff right here," Mark retorted before he realized what words had just left his mouth. 'Oh shit.'

            “How dare you!" Koga growled. “You insult not only myself, but the traditions of my ancestors! I will have you thrown out of this building!" He turned, and opened his mouth to call out, but another voice boomed over his own.

            “Security! It happened again!"

            Koga turned again, this time towards the PokéMart counter, as did Mark and Randy, who witnessed the clerk standing at the counter as two uniformed men approached from across the room to speak with him. The Poison-type Master narrowed his eyes, glancing at Mark. “See yourself out," he said before he stepped around him and approached the counter.

            But Mark would not be deterred, despite Koga's earlier threat. Furthermore, he was curious as to what was happening, and quietly crept closer even as Randy hissed a protest to him, asking what he was doing, so that he might listen in to the incident.

            “Two boxes, this time," the clerk told the guards. “Slashed open, just like the others, and only to steal Pokémon Food like last time."

            “That makes twice in one week," one of the guards stated. “I've had my Arcanine search the entire plateau countless times but he keeps losing the trail; where could the thieves be?"

            “If their scent is being lost before even leaving the plateau, it stands to reason that our intruder may be escaping on a flying Pokémon," Koga stated. “But perhaps we can pick up a new trail this day. Send your canines into the back and start searching."

            “If I may," Mark began, steeping in to the midst and getting the attention of the four. “Perhaps a third nose would also be of help; I have a Pokémon who's a pretty good tracker."

            “I told you to leave," Koga reminded Mark.

            “I know," Mark began. “What I said was disrespectful and uncalled for; if you'd allow me to I'd like to make up for it."

            “This is a Security matter, boy; we don't need your help," Koga returned. “Now leave this building, and don't come back unless you the required Gym Badges."

            “With all due respect, this time," Mark stated. “From what I heard just now you haven't been able to find the thief so far; what do you have to lose in taking in additional help?"

            “We don't need your...!"

            “Koga!"

            The new voice booming out from the main entrance froze the Poison-type Master, who immediately ceased his retort and spun in the direction of the voice as a young adult man approached from the main entrance of the League Terminal. A man with spiky read hair and brown eyes, fair-skinned and garbed in a black cloak that fully encompassed his form, hiding beneath it a lean-figured man wearing blue clothes with orange highlights and brown leather boots that echoed strong, proud steps as he crossed the room.

            “Explain this; what is going on?" The man asked.

            “We've had another break-in, Lance," replied Koga, before pointing at Mark. “And this young man is interfering with the investigation."

            Mark twitched slightly as he heard Koga refer to the man by name, realizing that this was the trainer he was here to do battle with. Now that he knew this, Mark took in the sight of the famous Dragon Master, seeing how he walked –a step of authority and pride with every placement of his boot. Below the face, Mark got a 'theatrical' impression from the man, but once he looked into his face, and eyes, he felt like he was staring at the face of a predator, just by how Lance wore his expression, and the hidden ferocity he could see deep in Lance's brown eyes. Mark found himself actually somewhat shaken by this man, sensing his inner strength like a burning fire.

            'No doubt about it; this is definitely Lance...' Mark thought.

            “To my ears, it sounded like he was offering to help," Lance returned to Koga, snapping Mark out of his trance as the Kanto Champion spoke, stopping a few steps away from the Poison Master. “We've been after this thief for six weeks, Koga, and the store is losing business enough without having Pokémon food to sell to us or league challengers."

            “But Lance, when this man came here, he was asking to challenge you, without meeting the requirements expected of other trainers," Koga went on. “The rules say that anyone wishing to challenge the Champion must have eight official badges, and defeat the Elite Four beforehand."

            “For official title matches only," Mark corrected the Poison Master, earning another glare from Koga.

            “He's correct," Lance added before Koga could reply. “Just because I'm the Champion doesn't mean I am not still a Pokémon Trainer –I can have non-official matches if I so choose, and that is my decision to make."

            “Very well," Koga returned. “But does he really have any right to involve himself in an internal matter? It goes against protocol."

            “As I said, Koga, we've been unsuccessful in finding the thief ourselves," Lance reminded. “Perhaps a little outside help –especially one whose jurisdiction is not limited only to the Plateau because of protocol, is called for."

            Koga let out a frustrated sigh, casting a glance at Mark, who resisted the urge to smile back as he did not want to appear smug, before he nodded in agreement. “As you say, Champion."

            “Now," Lance began, turning his attention to Mark. Soon as their eyes met, Mark felt his foot twitch, demanding his step away from the trainer, but he stood his ground, facing Lance and steadying himself. Why was he so intimidated by him? It was like he felt as though he were staring into the face of a dragon just by looking at Lance, but he was human, just like him.

            “What is your name, stranger?" Lance asked.

            “M-Mark Taylor," the Hoenn trainer replied, silently cursing himself for allowing sounding so shaken up.

            Lance's eyebrows elevated slightly at the mention of the name, seeming to catch his interest “Taylor, you say? I've heard of you."

            “I'm surprised anyone knows me out here," Mark commented, scratching his head. “I didn't know anything about the trainers of Kanto until I started researching for my journey."

            Lance smiled, and just in that once alteration of his facial expression, Mark no longer felt intimidated by the Dragon Master. “There will be time for that later," he bade. “Now, you say you wish to help us locate the thief. How do you plan to do so?"

            Mark reached into his vest, fumbling around before bringing out a Poké Ball, smiling as he looked up at Lance. “By starting at the beginning."

            Fang scurried out of the storage room of the PokéMart, exiting through the back door followed closely by Randy, Lance and Koga. The Mightyena's nose was pressed to the ground, and he had slowed his pace as he hung a right, and headed towards the front of the league building. With Mark in the lead, the four humans followed after him, watching his movements. Koga, however, remained unconvinced.

            “Our Security Guards already tried this with their Pokémon," he said. “And when they could go no further, we searched the surrounding area. How is your plan any different, Mr. Taylor?"

            “This time, the scent is fresh," Mark replied, watching the Mightyena follow the trail. “You see how Fang's following the scent? Whoever made off with that food was just here; they couldn't have gone far with how much they took."

            “But if they escape on a flying Pokémon, what does it matter?" Lance asked. “Your Mightyena cannot follow the scent through the air."

            “He can't," replied Mark, before looking back at Lance and Randy. “But you two can."

            “Eh?" Randy asked.

            “Explain," Lance request, narrowing his eyes.

            “Dragons have acute senses of smell as well," Mark replied. “Beyond that, with how fresh this scent is, there's no way any fliers would have gotten very far in the time since the robbery."

            “The Security camera was cut; how can you be sure of when the robbery happened?" Koga asked.

            “I may not be a detective," Mark admitted. “But I trust my Pokémon. Fang has the scent quite clearly, so whoever it was waited until after the rain shower we just had before they committed the robbery, which was only half an hour ago."

            “You have a point," Lance agreed, nodding. “This could be our chance to finally catch them." He produced a Poké Ball from the hidden confines of his flowing cape. “I shall be ready."

            They carried on for a short while, until Fang eventually reached the cliff of the plateau overlooking the vast expanse of the land below –the wide stretch of the Viridian Forest's western end, all the way to the distant peaks of Mt. Moon, the rivers of Cerulean City and even the great bay where Mark and Randy had first made landfall in Kanto were all in sight from that ridge.

            “Can't argue with the view you guys get up here," Randy stated in a snarky manner.

            “Trail ends here," Mark said, watching as Fang walked in a circle, continuing to smell.

            “As I thought, you found no more than our Security Officers did," Koga stated. “You should leave this to true detectives, Mr. Taylor."

            “With all due respect, Koga," Mark stated, looking over his shoulder at the ninja master. “My 'investigation' isn't done."

            Koga arched a questioning eyebrow, as did Lance, the two of them watching as Mark knelt down to face his Mighyena as Fang turned to him again, holding up a paw. Mark held out his hand, all of his fingers outstretched, and Fang gently brought his paw down upon Mark's fingers, pushing down his middle, ring and little fingers which he curled back into his palm. To the onlookers, it seemed like Fang was either high-fiving or playing some kind of game with Mark, until the Hoenn trainer, held up the finger that was left outstretched, and Mark met Fang's gaze, receiving a confirming nod from the Pokémon in return.

            “Fang says there's still only one scent," Mark stated, petting the Mightyena's neck as he stood up. “Whoever stole the food came to this cliff, but they didn't leave on a flying Pokémon –not unless they jumped onto it while it was in midair. I have a hard time believing anyone could do that while carrying items."

            “I bet the ninja master here could," Randy commented, jerking his thumb at Koga, who gave him a stern look in retaliation. “What? It was a compliment."

            “While it's true I have practiced such a maneuver, even I would have difficulty doing so whilst carrying an armload of containers filled with Pokémon food," Koga admitted, before looking at Mark. “So there wasn't a second Pokémon here at all?"

            “Nope. Only the scent of our robber," Mark replied. “Which can only mean one thing; they went over the cliff."

            “Impossible," Lance stated, walking over to the ledge and peering down to the treetops below. “The distance from here to the ground is vast; no one could survive a fall from this height."

            “I see no toolmarks or pegs to indicate they climbed up either," Mark added. “So unless our thief was wearing a glider, I think they might actually be a Pokémon." He put a hand to his chin. “A box, cut open with a single swipe of a very sharp blade, followed by the ability to fly... what Pokémon could accomplish those things?"

            “A Scyther," Koga stated, non-hesitantly.

            Mark looked over his shoulder at Koga. “What's a Scyther?"

            “A Bug/Flying-type Pokémon, mantis-like," he replied. “At the end of its arms are blades proven to be able to cut through solid wood."

            After hearing Koga mention the Pokémon, Randy pulled out his PokéDex, punching in the name to the search engine and waiting for a picture to appear, revealing a green, bipedal creature with an lean-figured body, with two short arms ending in a pair of massive, curving blades, and a rather reptilian looking face that off-set its otherwise insectoid features. Two long, gossamer wings grew outward from its back. Its legs had an inverted knee to that of a human's, and its sharp-looking eyes added to its fearsome features.

            “This it?" Randy asked, showing the picture to Koga.

            “That is the one," the Poison Master confirmed.

            Mark groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “A bug... why did it have to be a bug?"

            “That section of the Viridian Forest below was recently turned into a Pokémon Preserve," Lance asked. “It was set up four years ago after the Safari Zone was decommissioned; many Pokémon were relocated there, and are overseen by a team of Pokémon Rangers."

            “Maybe one of them can help us track down our little bandit bug," Randy offered.

            “Agreed," Lance returned. “There's a watch tower not far from here; I know the Ranger who works there. We'll start with him."

            “Sounds like a plan," Mark agreed. “Just... don't let the bug near me."

            “You have an aversion to bug-types?" Lance asked.

            “You might say that," Mark replied, cringing as he recollected his reasons for disliking bugs and decidedly shared it with Lance. “I was nearly stung to death by some Beedrill when I was a little kid; they'd made a nest in the husk of an old car I crawled into while my dad wasn't looking. Never liked bugs since then."

            “An understandable reason," Lance admitted, grimacing. “That must've been very unpleasant."

            Mark didn't answer the Dragon Master. However little of his childhood he actually could recollect, that was one part of his childhood that was forever burned into his mind, and wasn't something he liked to look back on. Every time he heard the buzzing of those bee-like Pokémon, it was like going back to that hellish day all over again. It was why he chose to live as far away from forests as possible where one might find them.

            '...Ah shit,' Mark cursed in his mind as he realized he was now going to fly down into a forest that was going to be swarming with the nightmarish insects...

            Three flying forms descended upon the western edge of the Viridian woods, heading towards a tall structure overlooking the forest all around it. The lookout tower stood sixteen stories high with a sturdy wooden frame, rising over even the tallest trees in the forest, allowing anyone who resided at the top to be able to see great distances, spotting fires, incoming storms or travellers in need, as well as be easier to spot for said travellers who were lost in the woods.

            They were on preserve land now as the three trainers descended to the ground. The tower was too narrow to land on, so they would have to approach it on foot. Randy, riding on Skyclaw's back, was the first to land, followed shortly by Mark and Palm Tree. Last to arrive was Lance, riding on the back of his Dragonite. The large, orange, rather gentle beast touched down softly, giving a curious hum as it looked around the clearing in which they had landed with its big, round eyes until Lance jumped off of its back.

            Tossing his cape to straighten it out, Lance joined Mark and Randy as they dismounted from the backs of their fliers, telling them to wait there for them. “If the ranger is not out on his rounds, he'll be up there at the top of the tower," Lance said, pointing.

“Let's just hope he can help us find the Scyther we're after," Mark bade. “Randy, you should wait down here with the Pokémon in case he is out on his rounds and shows up. Lance and I will go up and see him."

            “Okay," Randy returned, going to stand over by Skyclaw. “Try not to fall off the tower, okay?"

            “I'm not a klutz, bud," Mark returned as he and Lance approached the tower, climbing the hill to reach the stairway leading up, and began to climb.

            This tower was designed with the stairway being inside of the supports, which would lead up to a trapdoor, rather than other towers that had the stairs wrapping around the outside leading up. As they began climbing, Mark stared up the tower all the way to the top, wondering if the Ranger saw them coming and would meet them halfway down. But, as far as he could see, their arrival remained unnoticed.

            “So how do you know the Ranger here, anyway?" Mark asked Lance.

            “He comes up to the League sometimes to purchase supplies from the on-site PokéMart," Lance explained. “Apparently he knows a secret trail up the mountain besides Victory Road; it's longer and eventually enters the cave itself, but it's the most direct way up."

            “He must know this area really well," Mark commented. “You know, I used to actually want to be a Pokémon Ranger... maybe I should look that up again."

            Lance chuckled. “It certainly isn't a boring job, from what I understand," he remarked. “Now, may I ask you a question?"

            “Sure," Mark replied.

            “Why were you at the League?" Lance asked. “Koga said you didn't have any of the official badges required so what were you doing all the way out here?"

            “Actually, I came hoping to battle you," Mark replied, wiping some sweat from his forehead; it was a hot day, and climbing these stairs was a workout. No wonder Rangers stay so fit, he thought. “I'm on a new journey, travelling to all of the Regions to take on their best-ranked trainers. You were on my list, but Koga didn't seem very keen on letting me even speak to you."

            “Koga is very by-the-book," Lance commented. “It comes with being a very traditional person and one who follows a strict code."

            “That part of his ninja fetish?" Mark mumbled.

            “I beg your pardon?"

            “Nothing."

            “Okay... so you wanted to battle me. Have you faced anyone else or was I your first choice?" Lance asked.

            “Actually, I wasn't going in any particular order, but I have already battled Blue Oak, the Viridian Gym Leader," Mark replied. “He's an ex-Champion so I thought he'd be a good opponent. But I heard Red wasn't always at home so, I decided I'd come up here first, then work on finding him."

            “You wish to battle Red as well?" Lance asked, sounding surprised. “And you already battled his rival?"

            “That about sums it up, yeah," Mark returned.

            “How did your battle with Blue fare; did you win?" Lance asked.

            “I did... but I'll admit, it was tough," Mark replied. “A couple of times, I thought he had me dead to rights but I..."

            “Stop," Lance said suddenly. Mark looked back, noticing he had ceased his climbing, and was no longer looking at Mark. His eyes were wandering, as if looking for something, and he wore an intense expression.

            “What is it; what's wrong?" Mark asked.

            “Listen; do you hear that?" Lance asked.

            Mark listened, trying to find what sound had Lance so spooked. Eventually, his ears picked up on a slight buzzing noise filling the air, which made Mark shudder. “Oh damn it; tell me that's not a Beedrill."

            “Too loud to be a Beedrill," Lance replied, giving Mark a little comfort in his certainty. “And wrong sound for a swarm; something bigger is nearby."

            They continued to listen, hearing the buzzing grow steadily louder as they waited. “It's coming from there," Lance said, pointing into the trees.

            No sooner did he say that did something emerge from the trees, moving fast. It burst from the canopy of leaves and made a beeline right for them, letting out a sharp scream as it raced towards them, a pair of razor-sharp blades glinting in the sunlight at the ends of its arms while it brandished them for an attack.

            “Watch out!" Lance cried and ducked down behind the rail, with Mark following his example.

            The Scyther, racing between the support beams, swiped at Mark, being the closer, and its blade whizzed through the air where his head had been a second before. When it missed, the Scyther went through the opposite side, shrieking again as it began to circle back around.

            'Geez that crazy bug could've decapitated me!' Mark realized, standing up and seeking out the Scyther with his eyes, spotting it as it finished its u-turn and began to approach them again. “Look out; here he comes again!" Mark cried.

            The Scyther shrieked as it neared, diving between the supports again but this time slowing itself down and landing on the stairway ahead of Mark, snarling at him and waving its blades at him. Mark backed up, though nearly stumbled on the stairs as he did, but Scyther advanced, baring its teeth at him as it glared at him sharply with its black, almost human eyes.

            Lance stepped in front of Mark, detaching his cape and throwing it in Scyther's face, but it slashed through the piece of clothing in a single swipe, and lunged at him, driving him back into Mark and sending both of them tumbling towards the railing. They both stood defensively, expecting Scyther to attack again, but it hadn't moved any further, staying where it was and holding up its blades arms threateningly as it barred their way.

            “It doesn't want us to reach the top," Lance observed.

            “But why not?" Mark asked.

            “I don't know," Lance replied. “It's almost as if..."

            He didn't get to finish before suddenly the Scyther was jumped from the side by Skyclaw, plunging her head between the supports and chomping down on Scyther's arm to pull it off the stairs and throw it out into open air, where it was then struck by Palm Tree, rearing back and kicking it with his forelegs to send it spiralling, but it managed to correct its descent and resume proper flight, growling at the Tropius and Salamence as it rushed at them.

            Skyclaw roared at Scyther, rushing to meet its charge and swiping her foreclaws at it, but it vanished just before she could land the hit, leaving her confused and wondering how she had missed. It then reappeared behind her, and she let out an agonized roar as it delivered two strikes with its blades to her wing joints, causing her wings to seize up and for her to plummet out of the air, hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes.

            “Skyclaw!" They heard Randy cry out when he saw his dragon fall.

            “Wait," Lance said suddenly. “That Scyther... I've seen it before!"

            “What're you talking about?" Mark asked, quizzically.

            “Look at those ornaments on its legs!" Lance directed, pointing at Scyther's feet as it was suddenly engaged by Palm Tree, who shrieked at it as he kicked and slapped at Scyther with his palm frond wings. When Scyther turned to counter-attack, Mark saw what Lance was referring to; two shiny objects, one on each thigh, could be seen worn on Scyther's legs. Mark couldn't make out what the items were, but he understood Lance's meaning.

            “It's wearing something," Mark said. “Then, you know who its trainer is?"

            “Yes; it belongs the very Ranger we're here to see!" Lance replied.

            “The Ranger is the one who's been stealing food?!" Mark demanded.

            “But that makes no sense," Lance stated, before he shook his head in denial. “We have to go see him, and find out the truth!"

            Mark looked at Lance. “Get up top and confront him; Randy and I will stop that thing!" He directed before he began to run down the stairs, skipping over several at a time with each stride while Lance continued to ascend the tower, roughly three-quarters of the way up already. He looked up to see Palm Tree struggling against the Scyther, even though now Lance's Dragonite had flown in and joined the battle as well, adding its strength to the battle with the renegade Pokémon.

            But even with Dragonite's strength, the Scyther was putting the pressure on; its speed was incredible, dodging Dragonite the instant it tried to land a Thunderpunch on it, and then still managed to avoid an Air Slash from Palm Tree, returning the favour by dashing at the Tropius and hitting his flank with a Wing Attack, striking just the right place to cause Palm Tree to lose his balance and fall out of the air. Fortunately, Mark was quick enough to brandish Palm Tree's Poké Ball and recall him before he hit the ground.

            Randy turned, hearing Mark's footsteps approach. “Where's Lance?" He asked.

            “Going to confront our friendly Ranger," Mark returned. “Apparently that Scyther up there belongs to him!"

            “You're kidding me," Randy returned. “So now the Game Warden has turned Poacher; fantastic!" He remarked sarcastically.

            “No time to worry about that now," Mark returned, producing another Poké Ball from his vest. “Let's take this bug down!"

            “Alright then!" Randy agreed, recalling the injured Skyclaw to her ball before he too went for his next one.

            “Vitesse, you're up!" Mark called.

            “Go, Cairo!"

            The Blaziken and Lucario emerged from their spherical vessels, materializing into the open air and quickly finding their target. After which, the two heard Lance calling down from the top of the tower, but whether it was directed at them or not, they couldn't tell. They got their answer when Dragonite looked up, hearing his master's call, and then flew out of the way as Scyther rushed at him again, flying up to meet him. Scyther started to give chase, only to be forced to veer off as Vitesse sprang at it and unleashed an airborne Blaze Kick.

            Scyther successfully dodged the kick, but not the Aura Sphere that followed after, throwing off its aerial balance and sending it careening to the ground to crash. Shaking off the following daze, Scyther stood back up and faced Vitesse and Cairo, growling ferally as it held up its blades in readiness for more fighting. Vitesse and Cairo stanced themselves, watching Scyther closely until it made its move, dashing at them and slashing at both with its blades; they dodged, and Vitesse struck back with another Blaze Kick, swinging at Scyther with her leg, under which it dodged, and then struck her with a Wing Attack to stumble her.

            “Cairo, Bone Rush!" Randy called.

            The Lucario formed the bone staff from his Aura Energy, and used it to block a slash from Scyther; the Bone wouldn't affect Scyther in attack, thanks to its flying type but he could still use it defensively. They clashed, Cairo's weapon and Scyther's blades meeting numerous times as the Lucario tried to force an opening in his opponent's guard, but Scyther was successfully warding him off, and eventually surprised him by darting out of the way of a kick, where he then lunged forth as if to attack; Cairo put up his bone to block, but Scyther changed its attack at the last second and kicked the Lucario in the stomach, winding him.

            Mark and Randy watched in dismay as Scyther, without a trainer even to guide it, was actually holding off two Pokémon at once –two highly trained and experienced Fighting-type Pokémon no less! Neither Vitesse or Cairo could outmaneuver Scyther, even with their already impressive speed –they were swift, but it was swifter still.

            “If that Ranger is the one who trained this Scyther, he did a damn good job!" Randy commented.

            “That is an understatement!" Mark returned.

            The battle continued to rage on without either side showing any sign of tiring. Scyther was still successfully fending off both of them by dodging and deflecting their every attack. It even managed to slash through Cairo's Bone Rush, splitting it in two, and then kicking Cairo in the stomach again to knock the wind out of him, leaving just Vitesse to fight it, warding off Scyther's strikes with Dual Chop.

            Mark clenched his fist, and raised his left arm, glancing at the keystone housed in the bracelet on his wrist. “No choice," he said. “I'm going to Mega Evolve Vitesse."

            “Good idea; this Scyther's tough," Randy returned, and was considering using his own keystone as well to Mega Evolve Cairo, when a voice boomed through the air and stopped him in his tracks.

            “CEASE! All of you!"

            It was none other than Lance, descended from the Watch Tower on his Dragonite's back once more, which dropped down between Scyther and Vitesse, forcing them to leap away from each other. After which, Lance jumped off of Dragonite's back, facing Scyther and speaking to it. “Scyther! I know why it is you're attacking us, now," He spoke in a powerful, commanding tone to the Bug-type Pokémon, capturing its attention and making it wait to listen. “But this is the wrong way to go about it; I ask of you, stand down now and let us help you!"

            Scyther snarled angrily, taking a threatening step towards Lance. Mark saw the Dragon Master's arm shift, and noticed he was holding something behind his back; all Mark could see was a hint of red from Lance's palm. Was it a Poké Ball? Or some other item he was going to use to subdue the enraged Scyther?

            “Scyther, please," Lance stated, his expression softening as he continued to address the Pokémon. “This isn't what he would want."

            “Wait, what's he talking about?" Randy asked. “What who would want?"

            Mark couldn't make a reply, but a pit in his stomach told him that Lance had found something up in that tower that they had not expected to find...

            Scyther let out an angry cry, and charged right at Lance. The Dragon Master brandished the item he was concealing, aiming at Scyther with it but he was too slow; Scyther struck the ball, shattering it to pieces with the strength of his claw and sending Lance stumbling backward into his Dragonite, who instinctively caught him, but left himself open for an attack from Scyther. He angled his body to take the Bug Pokémon's attack that was intended for his trainer, and let out a pained cry as Scyther opened a laceration in his back.

            “Dragonite!" Lance cried.

            “Vitesse, go!" Mark urged his Blaziken, sending her back into the fight; she launched herself through the air, delivering a flying sideways kick to Scyther and knocking it backward, thus giving Mark and Randy the opportunity to run over and help Lance as Dragonite fell to his knees, with Lance struggling to support him.

            With Mark and Randy's help, they managed to sit Dragonite down, giving them the chance to check his wound. Fortunately it wasn't too deep but it was in a very tender area, right across the back and barely missing the spine.

            “Damn it all; I wasn't quick enough," Lance cursed himself, before turning to Mark. “You have to try and stop Scyther, and the only way to do so is to capture him."

            “But he already has a trainer," Mark reminded Lance.

            “But not a Poké Ball," Lance returned, gesturing to the metal fragments on the grass next to them. “He just destroyed it."

            “That was his ball?" Mark asked, surprised.

            “There's no time to explain; just do it!" Lance practically ordered the Hoenn Trainer.

            Mark was taken aback slightly by Lance's tone, but he could see from the look in his eyes that something was off about Scyther's trainer, and right now Mark was the only one with a Pokémon out that was in condition to stop it; time was of the essence.

            “Alright," Mark returned.

            With that, he left Lance in Randy's care, running over to stand with Vitesse as she kept up the battle with Scyther. Just as he arrived, Vitesse stumbled back from a Slash attack across her chest, sending some feather pieces scattering to the winds, but no blood, indicating it hadn't reached the skin beneath her feathers.

            “Vitesse; Thunderpunch!" Mark commanded.

            The Blaziken squawked in reply, electricity coursing along her arms as she charged at Scyther again, ducking under his blades and delivering a punishing blow right to his gut, stumbling him enough to take a second punch across the face.

            “Now, Blaze Kick!"

            Vitesse balanced on one leg, turning her heel as she spun around and delivered a mighty, flaming roundhouse kick that sent Scyther flying through the air until he struck a nearby tree, splintering the bark with the force of the impact. Scyther tried to move, but sparks of electricity crackled over his body; the Thunderpunch had inflicted Paralysis upon him, and now he was completely immobile.

            “Alright, here goes," Mark said as he reached into the side-pocket of his knapsack and produced a Great Ball –a blue Poké Ball with red highlights, designed to be sturdier than a standard Poké Ball, but this one had been sitting in Mark's bag for a long time. How long had it been, he wondered, since he had actually done this? The last Pokémon he had ever captured was Palm Tree, and it had to have been almost two years since then. Could he still even adequately throw one of these things?

            Only one way to find out, he decided.

            “Here goes!" Mark called, and hurled the Great Ball as hard as he could, sending it straight at Scyther. It whirled through the air soundlessly, arching over the grass towards the bug-type Pokémon, closer by the second until it finally struck home, hitting Scyther in the shoulder and popping open, where Scyther's body de-materialized into crimson energy and drew him in.

            'I actually landed that,' Mark thought.

            The ball fell to the ground after snapping shut, containing within it the Scyther, who was already putting up a struggle to get back out. He was quite enthusiastic about it too, as the ball was moving rather violently, going side-to-side, rolling about the grass and at one point even seemingly hopping off of it. More shaking...

            More shaking...

            And then it stopped, going still and quiet. Mark watched it for a few more seconds, as sometimes Pokémon could smash their way out of a ball right when you think they're caught. But this time, they didn't; Scyther remained in the ball, and thus Mark had captured his first ever Bug-type Pokémon...

            “I got him!" Mark exclaimed, and then turned to Vitesse. “Great work, girl!"

            Vitesse clucked in reply, pumping her fist in the air triumphantly; their first capture in years, and she had been able to face a worthy opponent to boot. Together they strode over to the Great Ball, where Mark reached down, picked it up and looked it over. “Sorry about that, Scyther, but you left me little choice," he spoke to the ball.

            As if able to hear him, he felt the ball twitch in his hand, but it remained shut.

Mark looked to his Blaziken and smiled wryly. “I guess we have a new soldier in our little platoon," he commented.

            “Ha-chik," Vitesse clucked.

            Suddenly remembering Lance and Randy, Mark turned to check on his two companions. They were standing, watching him, with their own Pokémon all recalled now, including Lance's wounded Dragonite and Randy's hurt Lucario, now safely resting in their Poké Balls. He and Vitesse jogged over to meet them, and Lance was the first to speak.

            “Did you do it?"

            Mark nodded. “Yes," he replied. “I captured Scyther."

            “How did you manage to do that?" Randy asked. “I thought that Scyther had a trainer?"

            “Yeah; that was bothering me too," Mark returned, looking at Lance. “Why did you have Scyther's Poké Ball; where's the Ranger?"

            Lance averted his gaze, staring at the ground with a disgusted look on his face, struggling to find words to explain to them. But it was hard to do so without being blunt, and in the end he just came out and said it. “I'm afraid our good Ranger is... gone."

            “Gone? You mean he got away?" Randy asked.

            But Mark, sensing the pain in Lance's words, understood right away what the Dragon Master meant. “It's much more serious than that, isn't it?"

            Lance nodded. “Yes..."

            “Oh... ooooohh," Randy replied as he caught on to what they meant, pressing his lips together as he frowned. “Oh cripes..."

            Lance nodded again, confirming their fears “When I stepped into the tower I found the Ranger lying in his bed. It looked like he had been dead for some time now –weeks at least. Scyther's Poké Ball was lying right next to him. He must've let Scyther out just before he passed so that he wouldn't be trapped in his ball, waiting for his master to let him out."

            “My Charmeleon jumps out of his ball without me calling him all the time –I usually wake up in the morning to find him sleeping on me," Mark commented. “Couldn't Scyther have gotten out on his own?"

            “He could, yes, but most Pokémon wait for their master's call before emerging –some will wait days if they have to," Lance returned. “Other times they will only come out if they sense their trainer is in danger. But if they do not hear their master or sense such danger, they will stay in there for days on end if they have to, and by the time they emerge..." He trailed off, letting his meaning sink in with Mark.

            Mark cringed, realizing Lance was right. “I see your point."

            “Yes," Lance replied. “Which is why it is imperative a trainer release or pass down their Pokémon if they suspect their time is drawing near."

            “You think the Ranger knew he was going to die and that's why he let Scyther out?" Mark asked. “But what could have killed him?"

            “I'm not sure; there did not appear to be sign of struggle so he wasn't attacked by a Wild Pokémon or a Poacher," replied Lance. “Until we know what the cause was, we can only speculate." He let out a sad sigh. “I will have to contact the authorities in Viridian City when we get back up to the League, and then a coroner will determine the cause of death. Until then, that's all we can do."

            He then turned to Mark. “For now, it appears that Scyther's fate rests in your hands, Mark. When he destroyed his Poké Ball, he was no longer locked to it, essentially making him wild again. That is why I asked you to capture him; he's not used to living in the wild, and simply leaving him alone out here, eventually he might not be able to survive any longer."

            Mark nodded in agreement. “I understand," he said. “But honestly, I never actually planned on capturing a Bug-type Pokémon... I really don't much care for them."

            “Well his fate is up to you," Lance stated. “If the Ranger has a next of kin, by right Scyther should belong to them, but if he doesn't, well..." Lance frowned. “I ask only that you do what's best for Scyther; he's lost the most important being in his life, and that's a difficult thing for anyone, be they human or Pokémon."

            Mark looked at the ball still clenched in his hand, awaiting when he would have to put it or one of his other Pokémon into storage to follow the six Pokémon limit –if he tried battling while in possession of a seventh Pokémon he'd be breaking the law. But that didn't mean he couldn't actually call Scyther out at that moment –recent changes to the law allowed trainers to possess a seventh Pokémon without consequence for up to a day as long as they did not try to use them in battle but after that twenty-four hour span of time, they had to be stored.

“Now, I believe it's time we return to the League," Lance stated. “There's nothing more we can do here."

            “Agreed," Mark returned, shrinking down Scyther's Poké Ball and slipping it into the inner pocket of his vest, next to the holster that held his other Poké Balls.

            “One question," Randy began. “How're we getting back up? That Scyther kinda grounded Skyclaw and Dragonite."

            “Well there's always the old-fashioned way," Lance returned. “Remember that trail I told you the Ranger used? We can use that; it's not far from here."

            “You mean..." Randy began, and turned towards the cliff face leading up to the top of the Indigo Plateau. “You mean we're going to climb back up?!"

            “Without any other flying Pokémon, there is not much choice," Lance replied.

            Mark let out a groan of his own. “Climbing a mountain twice in one day," he commented. “I should've just stayed topside and minded my own business..."

            Lance laughed light-heartedly at Mark's comment. “For what it's worth I am actually glad you didn't," he stated. “It was only thanks to you we were finally able to solve this problem."

            Mark smiled weakly at that. “I was glad to help then... I just wish my little 'investigation' could've led to something less..." He trailed off, looking up at the tower and shuddering. “Grim."

            Lance's smile faded, and he nodded in agreement. “Yes... I too wish that." He said.

            With that, the three began walking, Lance leading the way to the hidden path as only he had any idea of where it was. They left the tower behind, carrying with them the Scyther that had once belonged to the man stationed in that tower –a man whose fate yet remained unknown to them; he had died of unknown causes, and as of now, the only thing he had left behind was a Scyther, who despite the passing of his master had remained behind to watch over him, and continued protecting him even after his departure from this world.

            Mark could not help but admire the fierce devotion of Scyther, but his heart stung for the poor Pokémon, for now he was all alone...