Pokemon Dark Tidings.

Ezra landed on Mikan island, but didn't immediately stomp off to challenge the leader.

He needed to think this through, plan, and then completely annihilate Drake and his coterie for trying to push him around.

He realized he could just fly away, but it didn't sit right with him. Not due to honor or something ridiculous like that. Drake had challenged him, and was trying to use his capture of the crystal Onix as a publicity stunt for his two bit League. He was doing this to garner up some interest, publicity and tourism.

So yeah, Ezra understood what was happening, but out of spite, he was going to turn it around and absolutely humiliate the guy instead.

He was going to be the outsider who captured a rare Pokemon off their lands, and then blitzed their entire league in one day.

He just needed to figure out how first, before he started. He knew that the league didn't have traditional Pokemon battles, not until Drake anyway, so that was his best chance.

Because they didn't play by normal Pokemon League rules, and didn't know about his… Particular abilities. He could cheat. And cheat like hell. He'd planned to go through the league here at his leisure while looking up interesting things around the area anyway, but now, he'd blitz these fools and go grab what he needed and then get the hell out.

He let his Pokemon out of their Pokeballs, except for the crystal Onix. He didn't really want to deal with that one, since he was just selling it. Also he still felt silly for getting into trouble in the first place by showing it off. He really needed to work on his knee jerk reaction of rubbing his success in people's faces.

… At least until he was powerful enough he could get away with it.

The Spiritomb seemed angry still, its purple miasma practically buzzing, although it thankfully didn't do anything like attack him.

He sat down in front of it, frowning slightly, resting his head on a fist. "That was probably your home for a long time, huh?" He asked, his other Pokemon hovering around him protectively. "Probably feels pretty scary to be out and about." At least that's the feeling I get from it, perhaps I can feel their aura better than normal?

Spiritomb's 'face' fluttered into a displeased frown kind of look, and Ezra nodded, "I can understand that, but living in that cave can't have been very interesting either."

The Spiritomb just glared at him, presumably for disparaging its boring ass hole in the ground. Whatever, he got it - even if it's a shit place, it's his shit place.

"I'm not putting you back, sorry, but I'm not really sorry." Ezra said bluntly, not going to sugarcoat things. If the Pokemon couldn't handle him as he was then that was that. "I'm sure you've noticed I have some sort of aura that you guys seem to feed on, you won't get that somewhere else, no other human to my knowledge has it."

Shuppet made a lot of agreeing noises, chirping at the Spiritomb who narrowed its 'eyes', rumbling something back in an eerie screeching noise.

He let them talk it out for a few moments, the Spiritomb seemingly begrudgingly accepting whatever Shuppet was saying. "Life will be a lot more interesting seeing the world, battling other Pokemon, causing havoc and mischief, all I ask is that you try it, and work for it." He said when both Pokemon had calmed down their chatter.

Spiritomb floated in the air silently for a few moments, before letting out a loud breath that sounded like a whoopee cushion more than anything, nodding its ethereal body.

"Welcome to the team." Ezra said, smiling, bringing out his Pokedex, aligning it on the Spiritomb, glad he had the ability to check a Pokemon's actual moves now, instead of having to ask the Pokemon to demonstrate - which didn't work well on moves that weren't an outright attack move.

He grinned as he saw the move pool, "Oh, we're going to be the best of friends, you and I…" He told the Spiritomb.

He had his ace in the hole against Drake's Dragonite, albeit one that would take some work to use, as he probably needed Dragonite to be the last Pokemon left. Which meant he not only needed to take out Drake's other Pokemon easily enough that Ezra still had Pokemon leftover, but not beating them so easily that Drake would think to bring his Dragonite out early.

It was a plan however, and he had faith in his ghosts and Cubone to do well even against Drake. And well, in the worst case scenario, the Onix could be sent out to tank some damage, even if he lasted two hits from the Dragonite that would be enough.

He knew Drake started with a Ditto, and that was probably the same even if he was a bit early compared to Ash, especially as Drake was undefeated that entire time. Ditto probably throwing many trainers off.

Personally he could see several ways of dealing with it. He didn't see the other Pokemon he had as too much of a threat if he could get his plans to work, except if he had that Gengar he'd used against Ash, which he could hope he didn't have yet.

Ghost Pokemon weren't likely plentiful in the Orange islands so it's possible he didn't have it. In that case he'd instead face an unknown Pokemon. Although… With his Aura, would he affect even Ghost Pokemon other trainers owned? Would be an interesting thing to see if Drake did indeed have a Gengar, or a Haunter if it hadn't evolved yet.

Venusaur and Electabuzz would be the last two, and he acknowledged that if he wouldn't be cheating, this lineup would be too much for him. All of them together wasn't a terrible team, good spread of tricks, elemental Pokemon, a Ghost, and a Dragon.

He could see why Drake was undefeated. But this wouldn't be a Pokemon League game, and as long as he didn't get caught by doing something obvious, Drake and the others wouldn't have any idea about what he was capable of.

After spending some time with his Pokemon talking over what he planned for the next few days, he sent them off for training, tasking Haunter and Shuppet with teaching Spiritomb to compress its energy like they had.

He himself got to work setting a bonfire up, taking his time to trek around and gather wood, building up his own stamina as his Pokemon worked. Once the flames were crackling away happily, he waved Cubone over.

"So, you're doing pretty awesome in Iron tail, and I think it's going to develop further the more you fight with it, but right now I have another goal in mind." He rubbed Cubones head slightly, not sure how the Pokemon could even feel it through the bone, but it still closed its eyes happily and chirped at him.

"I have a specific evolution I'm working towards for you, and it's a Fire/Ghost type. Now you don't have any fire type moves, and I can't afford to buy you one yet. But fire energy is something that I think can work on its own even if you don't manage to perfect a technique." He explained.

He brought out his Pokedex, bringing up the grainy video of a Machope using a fire punch. There were very few videos like that online, mostly from rookies, as veteran trainers didn't deign to show off their moves in any manner. "This is a fire punch, a gathering of fire energy in a Pokemons fist before they punch something."

He gestured to the bonfire, "While you train tonight, I want you to stay near the fire, feel its energy, meditate on it, try to copy it in your fists as you work afterwards." He rubbed its head again, "Don't be discouraged if it doesn't work, I don't see this working out anytime soon, the important factor is to get a feel for fire energy, I'm almost positive it is one of the reasons for your evolution."

He didn't expect this to succeed in getting an actual fire punch working, he couldn't build a bonfire every night, but the more Cubone got to feel and internalize what fire energy was, the better his chances of getting a Fire/Ghost type Marowak, what they'd called an Alolan Marowak in the games.

Once his Onix sold, he could just buy Fire Punch and teach it to his Cubone, but he wanted it to have some idea of fire energy before he went that route.

Staring thoughtfully into the fire, he decided he also couldn't keep just calling his Pokemon an it, or the Cubone. They all needed names. Especially his ghosts considering how many similar ones followed in his shadow. Calling for Haunter, when he had at least 5 with him was just confusing.

"Hey, I'm going to call you Rider, okay?" He told Cubone. Since Cubone would evolve into a flaming ghost, Ghost Rider came to mind, so Rider would be its name.

Rider seemed happy enough with the name, chirping at him, waving its bone club in the air, bumping its head against his knee.

"How about you run and get the others, they deserve names as well, hmm?" He said, his eyes on the fire, the light reflecting in his eyes.

Rider ran off immediately, and he sat and just stared into the fire for a few moments. He wasn't sure where the sudden feeling had come from, to name them. To… Perhaps personalize them more?

He wasn't like the normal goody two shoes trainers who loved Pokemon like they were family. But…

Something, he supposed, had just felt wrong with continually calling them by their species, like he'd go around saying chair, table, cat, dog, like they were not important. And it was annoying to have several Haunters together with his own Haunter.

Soon enough they were all gathered in front of him, and he turned away from the fire. "I've decided to give you names." He said bluntly, "Cubone is now Rider. I'll be giving you all names as well, not only to put you apart from anyone else I may capture, but to showcase you're mine. Just as I am yours."

He beckoned Haunter forward, "From now on, your name is Cheshire."

Cheshire grinned widely, laughing silently, before using shadow sneak to appear right behind him, its tongue leaving a cold slimy trail up his neck.

"Yes I get it, you like the name, now fuck off!" He sent Cheshire a mock irritated glance, shooing it off.

Shuppet was practically vibrating in excitement, bobbing up and down in the air, which was precisely why Ezra crooked a finger, beckoning Spiritomb forward instead. He hid a smile as his Shuppet practically deflated, sinking to the ground in defeat.

"I know you're new, and all of this might be a bit much, but you also deserve a name, one that other Pokemon might one day look to in awe or fear." He explained, staring straight into the purple miasma that made up his newest Pokemon. "Your name is Nyx, from a goddess of the night capable of wielding shadows and darkness."

As a Ghost/Dark type, he felt it fit well enough. Besides, naming Pokemon was kind of cringe anyway, so he'd just lean fully into it and make it cool.

Nyx seemed pleased with the name, hovering back into place, smugly looking down on Shuppet, who rushed forward before he could call on it.

He laughed, "Yeah, you want a name too, huh? How about simp?" He teased gently.

Shuppet did not appear to understand the meaning of the word, but she got the gist of his intent, and protested, loudly chirping against the suggestion, while his other Pokemon loudly seemed in favor, mocking their fellow.

"I kid, I kid, how about… Loki?" He said, bending down to look Shuppet in the eyes, "Named so for a god of mischief and cunning."

Shuppet visibly approved of the idea, so Ezra nodded his head, anointing it Loki, not mentioning how Loki was also someone who tended to fail badly at their plotting. Just as Shuppet tended to fall short in any game against Cheshire.

"Alright, that's enough of that!" He clapped his hands together, "Back to training everyone, I'll have some berries scrounged together for when you're done."

They happily went back to training, leaving Ezra to do the domestic work.

He'd be glad when he had the money to just buy everything that was needed.

Soon…

1 day later,

He'd decided to take the week to train his Pokemon, really nail their capabilities down, and practice on getting them to harness every drop of energy, shaving down seconds on their techniques.

He'd gone ahead and called ahead to each of the four Orange island gyms and scheduled a match, all within hours of each other. He'd given himself twelve to sixteen hours to do all four gyms and the travel time between the islands, which thankfully were not far from each other in this archipelago.

He suspected Drake would accept his challenge anytime, so he'd finish them all within that timeframe and then challenge Drake, beating his league in a day.

Just in case, he had scheduled a block with Drake at the end of the day that day through his gym, in case he decided to be stubborn and decline his immediate challenge.

By scheduling ahead, he'd get them talking anyway, as the leaders realized he'd scheduled them all on the same day, it would make it even sweeter to beat them when they'd realize exactly what he was doing as he did.

For now, he was exploring his capabilities with the Ghosts following him, as he'd left his Pokemon behind to train on the beach, as he strode into the jungle for some privacy.

"Alright, let's try some things." He spoke out loud, shaking his limbs loosely like he was going to work out.

He raised a hand, pointing it forward, "Can you use the shadow between my wrist and my clothes?" He asked, feeling the Ghost Pokemon move around him. He felt more than he saw, as the tiny shadow within the space grew heavier.

He moved his arm back and forth, the weight not physical as he felt just fine, more of a mental strain as if the shadow wasn't as connected to him as his own full body shadow was.

"Can you fire off a hypnosis, without touching me?" He asked, putting his arm forward again, palm flat as he held his hand up, leaving more space under his wrist.

His smile grew positively feral as it worked. This… This held so many opportunities for the future. Especially for the Orange League and whenever he'd have a run in with Team Rocket…

Hypnosis wasn't as flashy a technique as most, as a psychic technique, it was an almost entirely intangible attack that was barely visible as it shot forward. In the heat of a battle, especially if one of his Pokemon was already using the attack, another lined up with it would hardly be noticeable.

"How many of you can fit under there?" He asked deviously.

After some experiments, it turned out only three alas, but it still gave him faith that he could give Drake hell. The man wouldn't know what hit him.

"Let's see what else we can figure out." He cackled, the Ghosts all laughing alongside him as they swirled around him, happy with his elation.

A week later, Mikan Island.

Ezra stepped onto the sandy shores of Mikan Island, the opposite side from where he'd been training all week. The air was warm and filled with the salty tang of the ocean. His thoughts were clear, his mind a focused whirlwind of strategies and potential countermeasures. He had planned meticulously, and now, it was time to execute.

Luckily for him, he had the knowledge of what the challenges were already, not only from watching Ash, but from the gym's website. He'd caught a random water Pokemon just for this purpose, as Cissy had an arbitrary rule forcing challengers to use water Pokemon, or at least Pokemon able to use water moves.

He'd just get rid of it after the battle.

The Mikan Gym wasn't far, and he could feel the thrill of the upcoming battle course through his veins - not that it would be much of a battle. He walked purposefully through the bustling marketplace, ignoring the curious glances from locals and tourists alike. His goal was singular - the gym and its leader, Cissy.

The Mikan Gym was an open-air arena, a departure from the typical enclosed buildings he was used to. Its design was simple yet elegant, blending seamlessly with the natural beauty of the island. Tall palm trees swayed gently around the perimeter, and a large pool of crystal-clear water took up the center of the arena. It was clear that this gym specialized in Water type Pokemon.

Which was fine, Ezra didn't mind specialization, it annoyed him that he had to catch a Water Pokemon for this stupidity however. Even if he wasn't going to really do any of this by… Conventional means.

Cissy, the gym leader, stood at the opposite end of the 'arena', her confident posture unmistakable as anything else but the leader of this place. She struck a plain figure compared to many of the gym leaders around the world, her plain auburn hair tied back in a high ponytail, accentuating her sharp, sea-blue eyes. Dressed in a simple halter top and skirt, she looked every bit like a normal woman enjoying the beach. Her gaze met Ezra's as he approached, a smirk playing on her lips.

"So, you're the challenger who's been causing a stir? Bold to challenge us all thinking it would be that easy." She called out, her voice carrying over the sound of the waves gently lapping against the shore nearby, and the hum of the pool controls underneath them.

"That's right," Ezra replied, his tone steady. "I'm here to challenge you for your badge." And to humiliate your rinky dink league…

Cissy's smirk widened. "Well, you've come to the right place. But be warned, our gym battles aren't like the others. We've got our own style here in the Orange Islands. Are you up for a different kind of challenge?"

Ezra nodded, unfazed. "I'm ready for anything." A glint of disgust in his eyes, "Even with these ridiculous rules you force on people…"

"Good," Cissy said, her eyes gleaming with excitement. Before she seemingly caught on to the fact he hadn't followed the usual script, putting her hands on her hip, snapping out, "Hey, the rules make sense, brat! What kind of trainer are you if you can't use a Pokemon outside your specialty, huh?"

"Yes, let's force trainers to capture and train Water Pokemon that they will then immediately get rid of and abandon after your gym, you're right, an excellent idea." He groused, hands in his pockets as he stared her down.

He had no idea if that was what happened, but considering he intended to do exactly that, surely he wasn't the only one who'd done it.

Cissy spluttered, "People don't do that!" She cried out, pointing at him accusingly, "There's something wrong with you!"

He rolled his eyes, he was almost positive he was at least half right, "Whatever, let's get this joke of a gym challenge done." He muttered.

It might have been amusing as an exercise in his skills as a trainer, if he didn't go the route he was going today, but he still thought it was a stupid way to limit a gym.

"Then let's get started. We'll decide this with a Water Gun accuracy test. Whoever hits the most targets during the time limit wins!" She waved an arm excitedly, apparently deciding to power through his gloom with cheerfulness. "This is to show how well you've trained your Water Pokemon, and if you succeed you have proven yourself and earned my badge." She twirled a Pokeball on a finger, smirking almost predatorily for a moment, "My Seadra is a champion at this game… You're not getting a badge today!"

He knew Ash had been forced to do more than this challenge, although he couldn't remember why, but apparently if he beat her in the first test, it would be the only test. Heh, simple enough. Guess he wouldn't need to do the stupid Wave Ride challenge after then, so he'd captured a larger Water Pokemon needlessly it seemed.

Ezra watched as Cissy released her Seadra, its sleek body cutting through the water with ease. Ezra threw his own Pokeball, his arm lined up with the Seadra, and in the spray of water as his Pokemon arrived in the pool, it was impossible to see the Seadra get hit by three different shots of Hypnosis from the Ghosts hidden beneath his sleeve.

"Ready, set, go!" Cissy shouted, and the competition began, Cissy ready to cheer, before she spluttered in confusion as her Seadra apparently decided to take a nap, "Seadra! What are you doing!" She shouted, stomping a foot uselessly.

His Ghosts had practiced using their energy for telekinesis religiously all week, a normally psychic move - they'd focused the entire week on it. In case he'd have to use them to guide his Water Pokemon in a field of Telekinesis, while limiting and messing up his opponents shots, but now that his first gambit had worked, he didn't even need that. It was good for him, in case he'd need his Ghosts to do it later against the other Gyms, the ability tiring them out quickly. Ghosts could do Psychic moves, but they'd never be as good at it as actual Psychic Pokemon.

"Go you fat fuck." He waved casually to the Pokemon he'd bribed by promising it plenty of food if he hung around for a week.

"That is not how you talk to your Pokemon!" Cissy practically howled, a tick mark on her forehead.

"It's not mine, not really. We just made a deal for food for this stupid challenge, then he can go do whatever." Ezra said lazily, watching his temporary ally miss more than he hit, but with his opponent asleep, he had all the time in the world to take down the targets, sure to win as time ticked down on the challenge. Ezra found more amusement in watching Cissy's reddening face at this humiliation, then he did watching this ridiculous challenge.

He was also slightly disappointed in the fact she didn't even think to call out another Pokemon, never having clarified it was only one vs one in the rules. Besides with Seadra obviously incapacitated, she could have argued the point anyway, but she didn't even try. Ezra found her lacking in every way.

Honestly, basing your entire gym on Pokemon surfing or being able to shoot water bullets. How moronic. Nothing would have stopped her from demanding the Wave Ride challenge as well, other than her words at the beginning, which she could have claimed was misspoken.

He supposed he was getting a lesson on what not to do, when he became a proper gym leader. You needed to teach some sort of lesson, not just… Pull a cheap gimmick and call it a gym.

His Seel finally finished the last target, and Ezra turned to Cissy, holding out his hand expectantly.

She fumed as she recalled Seadra, stomping over to him, and handing him his badge, looking like she wanted to throw it at him.

"You cheated somehow." She accused lowly, grabbing his hand by the wrist, as he took the Coral-Eye badge.

He looked her in the eye, smirking, "I only used one Pokemon, just like you, get over yourself." He slapped her hand away, scoffing at her temerity.

Sure he was cheating, but if she sucked so bad she couldn't prove it, she deserved to suffer from it. He'd only used one Pokemon as far as she was aware, so she was just working off guesses.

Speaking of, he grabbed Seel's Pokeball, tossing it to the ground, and then stomping on it, crushing it, as Seel was released from his services - in front of Cissy's gobsmacked eyes.

"Feel free to capture the lazy fuck, all he does is eat anyway." Ezra said carelessly, tossing another Pokeball out, releasing his Pidgeot.

For his entire life, his hatred at his own body, at life around him going on without him, his rage at the unfairness of it all, it had boiled inside him. No one liked a cripple or disabled person who whined about their lot in life after all. So he'd kept everything inside, every day, just trying to eke out a life.

Now… It wasn't going to make him friends, but he found he just didn't care to keep what he felt hidden anymore. He'd say what he meant, and suffer the consequences if they came. He was done hiding himself to appease society.

He'd acknowledge he was an asshole. But he was an honest asshole.

"You… You…" Cissy growled, hands spasming like she wanted to wring his neck.

He climbed onto his Pidgeot, casually waving at her, "Next time, try to be something else then a pathetic one trick pony, just a piece of advice." He said, taking off before she could respond.

He certainly wasn't making friends, but then he wasn't here for that.

He was here to crush the Orange League.

Naval island.

Ezra's heart was racing as he landed just outside Danny's gym on Navel Island. The brisk mountain air was invigorating, and he knew he was likely going to be pressed for time here. He had already conquered one gym, and now he was here for the second. He marched up to the gym entrance, where Danny was waiting for him with a knowing smile.

He'd sent a request when he first scheduled these challenges, he hoped it was heeded, or he would waste a lot of his time on this stupid challenge. Ash had to climb up a mountain, and he just didn't have time for that shit. Hopefully Drake leaned on him to be more receptive, since Drake was the one making him go through this in the first place.

Danny, with his tousled brown hair and athletic build, looked every bit the outdoorsman. His relaxed demeanor, however, was underpinned by a sharp, competitive edge as he shook Ezra's hand, gripping it tightly. "I hear you're on a tight schedule," Danny said, crossing his arms. "You're taking on all the gyms in a day, right?"

"That's right," Ezra replied, making a motion as if looking at a wrist watch, "Let's get to it." He said without preamble, not interested in chitchat.

Danny nodded, clearly annoyed by Ezra's determination to skip the normal rituals. "Alright then, Drake waived my normal first challenge for you, so we need to get there in a different manner. Follow me."

They both took to the skies, flying up the steep mountain that loomed over the gym. The ascent was swift, the wind whipping past them. As they reached the summit, the view was breathtaking - a vast panorama of the ocean stretching out in every direction. But there was no time to admire the scenery. Danny pointed to two geysers behind them, their steam and water rising in great plumes, crashing back down, making thunderous noise.

"For this first challenge," Danny explained, "We'll each freeze one of these geysers. The first to do so wins. I'll use my Pokemon to freeze mine, and you'll use yours."

How utterly stupid, yet again. To base more challenges on only having one type of Pokemon, or one type of attack. They wondered why their trainer tourism was low? It's because no one wanted to deal with this bullshit. People traveling to the Orange League would be trainers who already had a team or a mostly full team - none of which would be impressed at being forced to get a new member just for these challenges if they didn't have one that fit the criteria.

He was going to leave Drake a damn review after this.

101 reasons your league sucks.

Ezra turned his mind to the challenge. He had no Ice type Pokemon or moves. But he did have something else. As Danny sent out his Nidoqueen, Ezra called out Rider, his Cubone, and positioned himself behind everyone. His ghosts, hidden within his shadow, would be his secret weapon yet again.

It wasn't improving as a trainer, not really. But considering the moronic one note challenges he was facing, he didn't see how they improved any trainers either.

Danny wasted no time. "Nidoqueen, Ice Beam!" he commanded. A brilliant beam of icy energy shot from Nidoqueen's mouth, striking the geyser. Steam hissed and crackled as the water began to freeze.

Ezra watched carefully, then nodded subtly, Ezra's hidden ghosts moved into action, their telekinetic abilities honing in on Nidoqueen's head. With an almost imperceptible shift, they redirected Nidoqueen's Ice Beam away from Danny's geyser and towards Ezra's.

Danny frowned, noticing the sudden change in trajectory. "Nidoqueen, focus!" He urged, confused, but it was too late. The geyser in front of Ezra was rapidly freezing over. Frustrated, Danny called out, "Nidoqueen, snap out of it, freeze our geyser!"

He looked towards Ezra, frowning at Rider, who wasn't doing anything, and wasn't a likely caster of a Confuse Ray or similar attack. Which he would have seen anyway. Ezra just smiled pleasantly at his look of abject confusion.

With Rider doing nothing but sitting there as Ezra's Geyser froze over, giving Ezra the challenge, it was obvious Ezra's had done something. But Danny couldn't exactly do much about it, because there were no signs of anything being done by him.

Nidoqueen stopped firing, growling in irritation at having her head forcibly moved and held in a vice, Ezra's Geyser was a solid block of ice already by then. Danny sighed, a hint of confusion in his eyes, along with his irritation. "This challenge is a wash," He declared, showing more brains then Cissy at least, Ezra thought, not too bothered.. "You didn't really use your Pokemon for it. So, we'll move on to the next one as the final test."

Ezra nodded, having figured it was always going to be decided thusly anyway - they technically all had three challenges available, but it all depended on what they put forward with each trainer - like when Cissy had shot herself in the foot by declaring the accuracy test would be enough for a badge. "We're going to make bobsleds out of the ice and race down the mountain," Danny explained. "First one to the bottom wins."

He gestured to Ezra's Geyser, "We'll both use this, and there will be no funny business during this, alright?"

Ezra snorted, "Trust me, I find nothing funny about the stupidity of these so-called challenges that force trainers into only one mold." He shook his head, clicking his tongue, "Tch, you wonder why you're small potatoes? You can't even understand trainers' attachment to their teams. Going by the first two gyms so far, no one except a Water Pokemon trainer would have been eager to come test you both. Requiring Water and Ice as the only avenue forward, can you really say you're surprised when not a single fire trainer or normal type, fighting type - I could go on - comes here?"

Danny glared at him, "Pretty cocky there, kid. There's a dozen brats like you every year on this mountain, I make them eat their words like I will make you eat yours."

Ezra simply deadpanned at him, "So you've been told the same thing before, and still persist. Nevermind, I now find you slightly funny, in a sad way."

"Just make a sled!" He snapped, turning to his own Pokemon, gritting his teeth together.

Ezra turned to Rider. "Use Iron Tail to carve out a bobsled," He instructed, his ghosts aware of what the challenge was and would be using telekinesis to help shape the thing as Rider cut it out of the giant block of ice - Rider definitely did not have the control in his tiny tail to manage it on his own. Rider's tail glowed with a metallic sheen as it struck the ice, carving out a blocky shape. Meanwhile, Ezra's ghosts once again worked in the shadows, using their telekinesis to refine the sled's design as Rider cut, smoothing out imperfections and ensuring it was somewhat aerodynamic as Rider ran around the sled like shape, creating enough dust that it was hard to see how exactly the sled was taking shape.

In mere minutes, Ezra's bobsled was complete. He climbed in, securing himself as best as he could in the uncomfortable thing, Hoping he wasn't about to kill himself with this stupidity. Another mark against the gym. Like mountain climbing wasn't a retarded trainer test to begin with, going down a Arceus damned mountain proved your skill how exactly?

Teamwork and your Pokemon listening to you? You know how else you could prove that? Like the rest of the Arceus damned world, with a Pokemon battle!

Danny, working quickly with his own Pokémon, still hadn't finished his sled as Ezra set off, glaring at him in disbelief.

Ezra's sled shot forward with a push from Rider, the tiny Pokemon jumping in with him immediately after, the wind rushing past his face as they immediately picked up speed. He had little experience with bobsledding, (aka none) but he trusted his instincts and the telekinetic nudges from his ghosts to keep him steady. The mountain's twists and turns came fast and hard, and he gripped the sides of the sled tightly.

Danny, more experienced, quickly closed the gap between them once his sled was finished, speeding down the mountain after him. His sled was gaining speed rapidly, and he was navigating the slopes with practiced ease. It helped that he had a heavy ass Nidoqueen giving him better balance for steering, while Ezra could only steer due to Telekinesis, and at this rate, he'd have to rest his Ghosts for Drake and have them skip the third and fourth gym.

He briefly toyed with the idea of using his Ghosts to throw Danny's sled into a tree but it seemed a bit harsh even for him. And he also didn't want to keep wasting his Ghosts energy. So he held on, believing he had enough of a lead to pull through.

Worst case, he'd have Rider iron tail their damn sled before the finish line, Danny had never said there was no Pokemon moves allowed.

Ezra's sled maintained its course, barreling down the mountain. The finish line came into view, and with a final burst of speed, he crossed it first, Danny just about managing to catch up, but in the end the advantage of starting minutes ahead won the race.

Breathless and exhilarated with the victory, even if he thought it was stupid, Ezra climbed out of the sled. Danny arrived moments later, next to him, frustration evident on his face. But there was also a grudging acceptance - he couldn't say he hadn't ridden a damn sled down the mountain after all. He approached Ezra, holding out a hand. "Well, you did it. You won. Here's your Sea Ruby badge." He sounded very unenthusiastic about it.

Ezra accepted the badge, feeling a rush of triumph at the fact he was ahead of his timeline by hours thanks to this gym skipping the mountain climbing. "Thanks, Danny." He said with a smirk, "Hope you're not too broken up about someone beating you in the specifically designed challenge to give you every single advantage in the world." He couldn't resist one last jab, this whole thing was just too stupid to him.

When he'd thought to do the Orange League it had been as an amusing touristy thing where he hadn't intended to take it seriously. He would have probably had some fun with that. This, acting like it's seriously a gym? Just irritated him.

Danny gave him a baleful look. "Good luck with the rest of the gyms. You're going to need it." He said shortly, "Drake will make an honest brat out of you at the least."

Ezra smirked, already thinking about the next challenge. "I'll be ready." He secured the badge, knowing that with each victory, he was one step closer to his ultimate goal, and with his schedule hours ahead, he could afford perhaps to give his Ghosts a rest to gather their energy before the third or fourth gym. He'd see what seemed most viable.

He sent out Pidgeot again, giving Danny a casual wave that the man didn't return, his baleful look still on his face.

Sucks to suck.

Trovita island.

This was the only gym challenge where he found he might face an impossible to beat scenario.

Not the accuracy test - and really? A second accuracy test? Pathetic.

It was the ridiculous three on three battle, which featured a same type rule. As in grass vs grass and water vs water etc. he did not have the space in his team for that, not unless the gym leader had Ghost Pokemon, which wasn't going to happen.

With Rider, Cheshire, Nyx and Loki on his team, and Pidgeot taking up a slot technically as well, he only had one spot. He'd designated the Onix as not a battler in the system at the Pokecenter, which allowed him to still carry the Pokeball, but he couldn't release him until he was in a Pokecenter and designated him as usable again. Hence why Pidgeot was on the usable list, because flying away quickly was rather impossible if he had to hoof it to a Pokemon center first.

Once he had six slots taken, any further catches, the Pokeball would automatically be designated by itself as not usable, and locked, allowing him to only switch out his team at a Pokemon center. There were licenses to have an expanded team, but such things were really for Ace trainers, not people like him.

Others paid money for boarding instead, transferring their Pokemon over the six Pokemon limit there. He'd keep them with him, since he'd never go too far from civilization anyway. It would allow him to have his Pokemon all on hand, rotating them now and then so no one got stuck in a ball too long.

His Ghosts could hide in his shadow, but the ones he'd caught wouldn't matter either way that way, because they were already logged through the Pokeball, so they'd count to his six even if he didn't keep them hanging in a ball.

So technically, he could have deactivated two of his Pokemon, and caught and trained three elemental Pokemon, if he could have found them in this past week - but that would have been a pain in the ass - and would have defeated the purpose of him training his team the entire week.

He'd wracked his brain for a solution, and finally resigned himself to the fact that he'd have to simply bully his way through, or invoke Drake, as distasteful as it was. Or at least demand a fair challenge, not that any of these challenges so far had been very fair on any poor trainer who'd arrive without exactly the mix of Pokemon the Orange islands would demand of them…

He had half a dozen different plans for how to get through this, but there was still a small smidgeon of stress running through him at the idea they wouldn't work, failing him despite his big words to the other gym leaders. Something he could not stand.

Rudy was a fairly young looking guy with reddish tinted hair and an open and honest face. He was waiting for Ezra outside the small gym, but as soon as Ezra walked up, he waved for him to follow, casually stating, "I don't actually tend to use my Gym for challenges, so come along we'll go somewhere better."

Ezra held back a snarky reply, not wanting to be too confrontational as he still had to argue his way forward. He followed Rudy as he walked to a beach not far away, with a large cliffside nearby, pillars of rock dotting the water.

He clapped his hands, turning around, "Right! So you're taking us all on at once, and already did Cissy and Danny in, after just a few hours." He smirked, dragging a hand through his hair, "That's pretty cool, but you'll be defeated here!" He waved dramatically at a boat moored at a small wooden dock. "You and your Pokemon will board this boat, and while it is moving, you'll face dozens of targets throughout the sea, attached to the rock pillars you see. Hit them all, or you will fail this challenge before you can come before me!"

He was tempted to say, that's it? But again, he needed to play nice until the next stage. So Ezra simply nodded politely, and moved away, towards the boat. Rudy frowning and coming with him, seemingly more put out at his easy acceptance than anything.

Rudy started the boat up, and they picked up speed as he made his way to the rock pillars in front of the cliff side. "Go go go!" He shouted excitedly, as they neared the first targets.

Ezra rolled his eyes, but waved Loki forward, his Pokemon already having been out since the beginning, since he had the best accuracy of his 'mon. "Just get it over with, Loki." He muttered, the spite he'd built up to crush all these challenges just being drained by all this… Banality and stupidity he was running into.

He'd known what these people were like in theory, but it turned out it was all a lot more frustrating in person. He was hardly a die hard Pokemon purist, yet still the way they did things rubbed him the wrong way to the extreme.

Loki had to hit twelve targets, each a bullseye painted on rock pillars jutting out of the water under the towering cliff face. The wind whipped through Ezra's hair as he held onto the railing, his eyes locked onto the targets ahead, he didn't see any real difficulty in this, not with how hard Loki had trained in accuracy.

"Loki, show this guy how it's done." Ezra called over the noise of the boat and the sea.

Loki, his Shuppet, floated beside him, eyes gleaming with determination. The boat accelerated, and the first target came into view. Loki's eyes glowed with a dark energy as it launched a precise shadow ball, compressed to be as small as it could be. The ball hit the first bullseye dead center, shattering the surface of the target, showering stone chips into the sea.

Rudy would have to paint new targets today, it seemed.

The boat sped on, and one by one, the targets appeared and were obliterated by Loki's unerring aim. Each shot was perfect, the dark energy hitting the bullseyes with pinpoint accuracy. Ezra didn't need to give any additional commands; Loki was in the zone, executing each strike flawlessly.

Just as Loki had been trained to do, having to work much harder to fire rapid fire shots, nailing leaves, pinecones and small stones tossed in the air everyday for its training.

Rudy watched from the helm, his expression one of impressed concentration. As the final target exploded into fragments, Rudy slowed the boat to a stop. "Impressive," He said, turning to face Ezra and Loki. "You two make quite a team." He was entirely honest, smiling at them, and for once Ezra didn't snap back with a rude comment.

It was because he needed to make Rudy see things his way soon, it was the only reason. It was still a stupid test, basically a repeat of the first gym.

Rudy began steering the boat closer to the rock pillars. "Next part of the challenge is up there." He pointed to a series of ladders affixed to the rocky columns. "We'll climb up and continue the challenge at the top."

Ezra glanced at the towering pillars, their rough surfaces glistening with sea spray. He took a deep breath, ready for the next challenge. "Let's do it." He'd have to convince Rudy to go along with one of his plans. Because he did not have the Pokemon to perform a 3v3 like type battle.

The two boys jumped onto the nearest pillars, their hands gripping the wet rungs of the ladders. They climbed swiftly, each lost in their thoughts about the upcoming battle. Ezra could hear the distant cries of seabirds and the constant crash of the waves below as he ascended, mulling over which of his plots he'd try and convince the other boy of.

He'd had a week to plan, and unfortunately in this situation, he could only plan for maybes - deciding early on that trying to train up three new Pokemon wasn't worth the hassle, or the risk, because in all likelihood they wouldn't be good enough in a week to win anyway.

Reaching the top, Ezra pulled himself onto the flat surface of the pillar. The view was stunning - a panoramic sweep of the ocean and the surrounding cliffs. He stood up, catching his breath, and looked over at Rudy, who had just reached the top of his own pillar.

Rudy smiled, the competitive glint in his eyes sharper now. "Ready for the final part of our challenge?"

Ezra nodded, "Ready as I'll ever be."

"It will be a 3v3 Pokemon battle on these here pillars, same type against type, you'll need to win all three battles to win my badge. A new Pokemon each round, no re-use." Rudy explained, fingering a Pokeball.

Ezra shook his head, shouting over the sea, and wasn't this just a stupid way to do a battle too, they could barely hear each other. "I only have Ghost types, so unless you have Ghost Pokemon yourself, that isn't happening."

Rudy frowned, looking weirded out, "This has never happened before." He admitted, scratching his head, "Someone always has some Water, Electric, Grass or normal types or around those types."

"How about you do whatever three Pokemon, and I only use one of mine against all three, 1v1, to make up for not having the exact three challengers." Ezra shouted out his first offer. He has several others if this was unappealing, but he hoped putting himself in a perceived weaker position would get the other trainer to pounce on it.

Rudy however hesitated, "It doesn't seem fair to you." He admitted loudly.

Ezra gritted his teeth, Like forcing people to bring along specific combinations of Pokemon when people only have six slots is fair… "If I say it's fair, it's fair, right? Let's do this!"

Rudy seemed to hesitate still, so Ezra gestured Loki forward, to the pillar ahead of them, the 'arena' so to speak, another pillar ahead of Rudy for his own Pokemon.

"Ready when you are." He called out, glaring at the other teen. Just fucking accept it. He mentally told the gym leader.

"Electabuzz, go!" Rudy finally called out, tossing a Pokeball onto the pillar in front of him, several pillars in-between the Pokemon, allowing them some movement and space, but not a ton of it.

"Loki, Shadow Ball." Ezra called out, the speediness of Loki's attack managing to catch the Electabuzz before it could completely dodge, a last gasp Light Screen springing forward, only half formed, slowing down some of the energy as the shadow ball slammed into the top edge of it before hitting the Pokemon, making it slide back on the pillar.

With a gesture of his arm, his Ghosts interceded, telekinetically forcing its footing loose, ensuring he got pushed off the pillar. Rudy recalled his Pokemon with a frown before it could reach the water.

Ezra using his hidden ace again here, meant he wouldn't be able to use them for the fourth gym, they'd need the rest in case he needed them for Drake - which he would. But the fourth gym didn't have the same kind of challenges, it was straight out battling. So he figured he'd be fine.

Besides, with the water gym only doing one challenge, and avoiding the rock climbing with the second gym, he could take 3-4 hours of rest before he faced Drake, further recuperating energy. Worst case, he wondered if they could take energy from him, but it wasn't something he was eager to experiment on.

"Ivysaur, Vine Whip, attach yourself to the pillar, then use Sunny Day!" Rudy threw out his second Pokemon and rapidly set it to task.

He was setting up for a solar beam, and tying himself to the pillar, expecting to tank whatever Loki could throw and stay on top.

It wasn't a bad strategy, Ezra thought, the Ivysaur was corded with muscle, a healthy looking strong Pokemon - he could probably take a few hits from Loki, but… Loki wasn't limited to just brute force attacks. "Loki, Hypnosis!" He called out, while flaring his arm dramatically.

With Sunny day in the middle of being cast, brightness reducing visibility, Rudy couldn't catch the extra Hypnosis attacks that flew along with Loki's attack, impacting Ivysaur.

It might have been able to take a couple shadow balls, and hold on, but status effects were a different ball game, and Ivysaur fell asleep immediately, vines loosening up.

"I can toss him off for your loss, or you can just withdraw him." Ezra called out, offering some level of respect to Rudy, who hadn't been as annoyingly stupid as the other gym leaders.

Rudy nodded, and Ivysaur returned in a flash of red light. "I can see why you've passed through the other two so quickly if this is the skill and teamwork you two possess." He called out, looking thoughtful as his hand hovered over his belt, going from one Pokeball to the next. "On my pride as a trainer, I won't let you keep walking over us however." He picked a ball, tossing it up and down casually, "Charizard, I choose you!"

Ezra held back a curse, glaring up at the beautiful and powerful looking Charizard that took to the skies with a mighty roar. Of course an elemental type trainer like Rudy would have a fire Pokemon, but a Charizard? Guess this will be a challenge after all…

Somehow a grin found its way to his face, as he stared up at the intimidating Pokemon. He might actually lose this, yet… Finally something worthwhile in this league, not just silly gimmicks and arbitrary and limiting challenges.

"Shadow Sneak, then Hypnosis!" He snapped at Loki, a wild grin on his face.

"Fire Spin!" Rudy yelled out, and Ezra used his aura to pull at his connection with Loki, stopping him in his track, barely avoiding the fire spin as Charizard blew out a trail of fire as it flew down majestically in a tailspin.

Loki would have been enveloped in fire if Ezra hadn't been able to pull him back, "Aim for the wings, Shadow Ball, compressed!" He shouted.

Loki, back on the earth pillar, took a second to compress his energy, the shadow ball growing so small it resembled a marble - before it fired off so quickly neither Ezra nor Rudy could catch it. Apparently neither did Charizard, despite Rudy's yelled order to dodge, the shadow ball slamming into one of its wings, drawing a pained roar from the Charizard as its flying wobbled slightly.

The Charizard responded with a deluge of flames down against the earth pillar, "Shadow Sneak back!" Ezra yelled, pressing his intentions along, even as he took the opportunity of the curtain of flames between himself and Rudy, and aligned his arm with Charizard, three Hypnosis attacks again flying forward.

Just because he enjoyed more of a challenge, didn't mean he'd accept losing here, he still had a goal to complete.

Loki appeared behind him, having used a shadow sneak on him, to arrive well out of the way of the fire.

Charizard plummeted down, only to be caught in the red light of his Pokeball, Rudy chuckling, shaking his head, before he met Ezra's eyes, "I didn't even see how you pulled that off, and usually Charizard shakes off status effects pretty well, so good job! You must have trained that Pokemon to be a monster with that Hypnosis."

They made small talk as they got together on the boat again, making their way back to shore. Ezra could have flown away, but he felt it would be rude in this instance. He even felt slightly annoyed at himself that he had cheated in this particular bout now. He wasn't skilled enough, didn't have a strong enough team yet.

He decided he'd be back one day, to fight Rudy for real. This League was ridiculous, but Rudy was… Rudy was okay.

"Here you go, the Spike Shell badge." Rudy said with a smile, as he handed over the third gym badge to him. "You've earned it."

Ezra kind of felt he hadn't, but he still took the badge, pragmatic if nothing else, and it would be stupid to just give up at this point. He still had a point to prove.

And a need to rub it all in Drake's face.

But maybe… Instead of 101 reasons why they suck, he could give Drake… A more reasonable review on why exactly the Orange League only draws a few crazies.

Or he could do both.

He let Pidgeot out, climbing on, giving Rudy a last wave.

Both would work, knock the smug ass down, then show him how he could build it up…

He'd need several hours rest between gym four and Drake anyway, he'd write both up.

And if the reasons you suck list was longer… Well, Drake did push him into his.

Kumquat Island,

Ezra arrived at Kumquat Island, the sun blazing high overhead, casting a warm glow on the luxurious surroundings. The island was renowned for its upscale resorts, pristine beaches, and vibrant marketplaces, a nice contrast to the rugged jungles and humble towns of the previous Orange Islands he'd visited. Ezra's eyes flickered with interest as he made his way through the bustling streets, noting the well-dressed tourists and the lively atmosphere. It was clear that Kumquat Island catered to a wealthier clientele, and the gym, housed within the grand Kumquat Hotel, reflected this opulence.

He definitely liked this island much better already. Especially since its gym actually acted like a gym. It wouldn't be an easy battle by any stretch, but he believed the sneakiness, speed and bang for your buck his Pokemon held, would win him the day.

The Kumquat Hotel itself was an imposing structure, with elegant architecture featuring large glass windows, white columns, and a sprawling courtyard garden. The entrance was flanked by two large statues of Dragonite and Arcanine, exuding a sense of strength and grace. Inside, the hotel lobby was a vision of luxury, with marble floors, chandeliers, and a staff dressed in immaculate uniforms. Ezra made his way to the reception, where a cheerful attendant directed him to the gym, located on the top floor.

As he stepped out of the elevator, Ezra was greeted by a breathtaking view of the ocean through floor-to-ceiling windows. The gym itself was an open-air arena with a retractable roof, allowing for natural light and fresh sea breezes.

Luana was waiting at the center of the arena, her tall, commanding figure dressed in a white blazer and pants that contrasted sharply with her tanned skin. Her red hair was short, barely coming down to her cheeks, and her eyes were sharp and assessing as she watched Ezra approach. Despite her stern demeanor, there was a hint of warmth in her smile, as if she appreciated the challenge that awaited.

She'd know already that he'd blitzed through the other three gyms in hours.

"Welcome to Kumquat Gym," Luana greeted, her voice smooth and confident. "I've heard quite a bit about you today, Ezra. You've been making quite the name for yourself in the Orange League." Her tone became somewhat amused, which was a better reaction than anger.

It seemed at least someone might agree with him that the first two gyms lacked… Sophistication.

Ezra shrugged, nonchalant. "I'm just here to get the badges. No need for the fancy talk." The more rest he could get before Drake the better. That was one battle he wouldn't win without cheating.

Luana's smile widened, showing a flash of white teeth. "Straight to the point, I like that. However, this won't be like the other gyms you've faced. Here, we battle with a different set of rules - double battles. You'll have to use two Pokemon at once. It tests not just strength, but strategy and coordination."

Ezra's expression remained impassive, though inwardly he was already calculating his odds, knowing this would be his first real challenge, and one he couldn't really cheat in as easily. He nodded, pulling out two Pokeballs. "Let's get started, then." He murmured.

She'd know he was a Ghost Pokemon trainer already if the others had reported to her their experiences. So he suspected he wouldn't see exactly the team Ash had, An Alakazam and a Marowak, the team up was a bad one against his Ghosts.

He still suspected the Alakazam would show, because although weak against Ghosts, it had Teleport and Hyper Beam. And as a gym leader, a seemingly proper one, she'd use its strength, while giving him a shot if he could catch it, as it was weak against his team. Even if Hyper Beam itself probably wouldn't take his Ghosts out with one shot as it probably wouldn't even work, or as he suspected - might at the very best be a lot less damage due to typing. Something as powerful as a Hyper Beam likely wasn't entirely stopped by typing.

The question was which other Pokemon would show that would give his team a challenge, or would she have that Marowak and just bet on the teamwork, since it was a double?

Luana inclined her head gracefully at his eagerness to move forward and released her Pokemon - an Alakazam and an… Absol. The Alakazam floated in the air, its eyes glowing with psychic energy, while the Absol stood firmly on the floor of the battlefield, eyes gleaming.

More importantly, this was why he'd not planned to cheat in this battle, more than the fact it was finally straightforward battling - was that Alakazam, if anyone could let their trainer know he was cheating, it was that one.

A dark Pokemon, effective against his Ghosts, and a Psychic Pokemon, weak against his Ghosts, but hard to pin down and with a lot of utility. Ezra raised an eyebrow as the dark Pokemon slowly tilted its head, watching him with apparent fascination, needing a sharp, "Absol!" From Luana to focus again.

So it did work even on trainers Pokemon, at least in catching their attention…

Ezra released his chosen Pokemon - Cheshire, his Haunter, and Loki, his Shuppet. The two Pokemon appeared on the battlefield, Shuppet landing low to the ground, while Cheshire hovered in the air, its ghostly form flickering in the sunlight. Luana raised an eyebrow, seemingly intrigued by Ezra's Pokemon, especially given the type disadvantages.

"Let's see how well you handle this," She said, her tone challenging. "Alakazam, use Disable, Absol, Detect!"

The battle began in earnest. Alakazam's eyes glowed as it used Disable on Loki, at the same time, Absol used Detect, and if he was to guess, any attack at Alakazam while it was vulnerable right now, would now be foreseen and Absol would get in the way.

Ezra frowned as Loki glowed briefly, if he had to wager a guess, they'd gone after shadow sneak, which did if it worked - somewhat ruin his opening gambit. He'd known about the Alakazam, and that if he could get it out, he'd win, so he'd already talked to Loki and Cheshire about how to achieve that.

Luana looked surprised when he didn't say a word, his Pokemon acting on their own, the Absol unforeseen, but they'd had a plan for the Alakazam.

Cheshire's eyes glowed a dark purple as it formed a Shadow Ball, hurling it towards the Alakazam faster than normal, intent on getting it to either Teleport or force its partner to protect it.

Absol, having used Detect to find out what would happen, was already moving, sliding Alakazam out of the way, after which Alakazam had recovered from using its own technique, and Teleported away, which is where Loki was supposed to shadow sneak in behind it when it arrived.

Which didn't happen due to the Disable, Loki just looking frustrated.

"Switch." He said succinctly.

Luana laughed, "I've seen what you tried to do you know? Not a bad plan, but now that I know, you'll never pull it off, Absol, Night Slash on the Haunter, Alakazam hold it."

The Alakazam tried to telekinetically hold Cheshire, as Absol flashed forward, a crescent slash erupting from its head, a dark miasma covered crescent flashing through - where Cheshire had been.

The second Ezra said switch, his Pokemon had known they'd switch purposes. Chesire had immediately prepared Shadow Sneak, and upon Alakazam trying to affect it, had disappeared behind it.

Loki meanwhile, while unable to Shadow Sneak at the moment, took advantage of being seen as the lesser threat, taking on Chesires job of limiting the teleportation area, Loki's Dark Pulse beam cutting through a large area, not aiming for anything in particular, just limiting the area to go to.

Alakazam didn't even need Luana's shout of Teleport, already removing itself from Chesires Shadow Sneak, Absol moving to its partner on her trainers orders.

Except Chesire and Loki already both knew that if this situation were to happen, one of them would limit the entire right side of the field if they could. The other was to fire left.

So as Alakazam disappeared, Chesire appeared right behind where it had been in the now empty area - and there were only so many places Alakazam could safely go in that moment, and Chesire's Shadow Ball was already coalescing in front of it, firing to its left. Missing the first shot, but the second hitting Alakazam straight in the face like a cannon shot, sending it tumbling over.

"Protect!" Came Luana's snapped reply, just a second too late as she switched gears immediately, "Absol, Detect then Crunch, Alakazam Reflect!"

She knew she was on the back foot, and attempted to give herself enough breathing room to get her Alakazam back on its feet, as it struggled to get up, almost certainly just one hit from fainting.

Ezra wasn't going to give her time to reset. "Chesire, Shadow Sneak reverse, Loki, Target Alakazam rapid fire mix, don't let up." He ordered.

He wasn't to the point he could get away with not loudly telling his competition what he was doing, but he did have some plans already made, a Shadow Sneak reverse was one of them specifically for double battles, specifically for this battle. Rapid fire mix told Loki to switch between Dark Pulse and Confuse Ray, forcing the opponent to choose which one to tank. Or so was the hope.

He'd trained his Pokemon for speed of attack specifically, and it showed here, Luana not nearly as quick with her Pokemon, probably never having had to worry about it.

Chesire disappeared, reappearing behind the Absol, forcing it to waste its detect on Chesire who immediately Shadow Sneaked again after a perfunctory weak attack on Absol who's Crunch in retaliation missed as Cheshire disappeared. Alakazam Reflected Loki's attack, Loki crying out from the damage which was returned, but kept firing. Alakazam immediately teleported out on Luana's quick order, which was when Chesire arrived in his second Shadow Sneak, firing a Shadow Ball point blank into Alakazam.

Alakazam didn't stand a chance, the Ghost Pokemon super effective against it, the Pokemon fainted immediately.

Luana didn't even bother continuing the fight, despite still having the type advantage of Dark vs Ghost, albeit in a 1v2 situation, recalling her Pokemon. "That was some impressive teamwork, you barely even had to give orders." She complimented him,

She walked over to Ezra, holding out a hand. "Congratulations, Ezra. You've proven yourself a worthy challenger. Here is the Jade Star Badge."

Ezra took the badge, a small, intricately carved piece of jade shaped like a star. He nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "Thanks, Luana. It was a good battle."

It was a proper actual battle. So out of four gyms, two were actually half decent, maybe he'd been too harsh on the first two…

No, they still sucked. Their challenges were dumb.

Luana smiled back, a genuine warmth in her eyes. "You fought well, Ezra. I'm looking forward to seeing how you do against Drake."

Ezra nodded, pocketing the badge. Just Drake to go, the heaviest challenge of them all.

Pummelo island, 5 hours after his fight with Luana.

Pummelo Island loomed ahead, with the massive stadium perched at its highest point, an imposing structure visible even from this distance. This was it - the final test, where he would face the League's strongest trainer, Drake.

He'd rested up, fine with waiting until the scheduled time to pester Drake, instead of getting it done early, needing the extra recuperation time. Besides, as he found out from Luana, the other gym leaders and some of the Pummelo locals, would be watching the bout.

Rudy and Luana might even cheer for him, but Danny and Cissy certainly wouldn't - fifty percent of people he meets hate him? Sounds about right, he thought with some dark amusement, not at all broken up about it.

He was on a second life, a better life despite everything, he wasn't going to waste time tied down by social constraints.

Ezra's journey through the Orange League had been unconventional, filled with deceit and bending things to his advantage. He hadn't come to make friends or play by the standard trainer's rules. His aim was to crush the League and showcase his superiority, no matter what it took. He felt a thrill of anticipation. This would be the toughest challenge yet.

The journey was short, and soon Ezra found himself standing at the entrance of the Orange League Stadium. The structure was a blend of traditional and modern design, with towering pillars and an open-air battlefield that allowed the sea breeze to flow through. As Ezra walked through the gates, he knew this was where champions were made, and today, he would etch his name into that history.

For all time after this, Ezra's name would be inscribed here as the first challenger to beat Drake and the Orange League, and all in one day to boot.

Drake was waiting for him in the center of the stadium, his face one of bored amusement. Behind him, the loud sounds of Cissy up in the stands rang out, the woman yelling at him to kick the 'stupid faced ass' off the island and embarrass him, the sound echoing across the stadium. Luana was trying to get her to calm down, but she was fired up, Danny and Rudy staying out of it, just watching him. Although Rudy gave him a surreptitious thumbs up.

He might actually have to share his number with him and Luana, they seemed pretty decent all together. It wouldn't hurt to have them as contacts for the future. Even if he was going to embarrass their league - he thought they wouldn't mind Drake eating crow for once.

"Welcome, Ezra," Drake said, his voice carrying across the mostly empty stadium, only a few dozen people there to watch. "I've been hearing quite a bit about you. You've made quite a splash in the Orange League, albeit with some… Unconventional methods." He sounded a bit exasperated at the end, even as he gave him a look that firmly said, really, you had to make it difficult?

Ezra smirked, unfazed by the thinly veiled criticism. "I'm here to win, Drake. However that happens, it happens, it's all within the rules." He shrugged with forced casualness, "Some people in your circuit here just don't know how Gyms work, you should get on that." He made sure to look up at Cissy in specific, smiling sweetly.

He'd written the two little booklets and he'd leave them for Drake afterwards. He hoped he showed them to Cissy and Danny.

Danny and Rudy had to hold Cissy back as she tried to jump into the stadium, Luana putting her face into her hands. Drake sighed, giving him a long suffering look.

Drake eventually just nodded, speaking up like that little episode hadn't happened, "Very well. But remember, here in the Orange League, we value the spirit of fair competition and the bond between trainers and their Pokemon. Let's see if your methods hold up against me." He smirked as he caressed the Pokeball on a chain that he had around his neck.

Ezra shrugged, already pulling out his Pokeballs. "Let's get on with it." A smirk growing onto his face, "I'm looking forward to you admitting you were an ass, when I beat your entire league in a day without a full team."

The rules were simple this time - a full six-on-six battle, with no restrictions on types or moves. Ezra knew he would need every bit of cunning and strategy (and cheating) to defeat Drake's formidable team. He had already studied Drake's known Pokemon as they were listed on the website, but there was always the element of surprise to consider.

Anything could happen in a battle. The amount of times an evolution happened mid battle and changed the game were too numerous to count.

Drake released his first Pokemon, a Ditto, just as Ezra released Rider, his Cubone. The Ditto immediately transformed into a copy of Rider.

Exactly what he wanted. This Pokemon stumped many of Drake's challengers, and he wouldn't allow it to do the same to him. He might not be the best battler around yet, but he planned it all out better than the rest.

"Rider, Alpha." He ordered, having named his different plans against Ditto by four different numericals, he wasn't about to make it easy for Drake by telling him and his copycat what he was doing.

"Ditto, Copycat." Drake said calmly, arms crossed.

Just as I predicted… Ezra thought, eyes gleaming as the two Pokemon used Quick-Attack to strike at each other. Leaving Ditto close enough for Rider to move into stage two.

Without Ezra giving an order to warn Drake, Rider used Iron Tail, slamming into Ditto's skull, Drake immediately shouting, "Use Quick-Attack to get out of there, Ditto!" Having been caught completely by surprise.

It didn't help the Ditto, who was already woozy from the Iron Tail bashing it's skull, Rider chasing it in another Quick-Attack, taking advantage of Ditto's lowered reaction time to take it out of the game, jumping for joy as the Pokemon got recalled, lifting its bone club in the air and chirping.

"Good job, Rider." Ezra said, feeling a little smug at Drake's sudden frown.

From what the website said, he'd never been the first to lose a Pokemon.

"Well played, Ezra. But this battle is far from over," Drake said, releasing his next Pokemon, an Onix.

The giant Pokemon roared as it was released into the field, dust kicking up, it's body curling up slightly as it rose up, staring down at Rider from high above.

Ezra just smirked, recalling Rider, tossing out another Pokeball in his stead.

"Onix, Rock Slide!" Drake ordered immediately, taking advantage of the time he had before Ezra's Pokemon materialized, even as he looked at him oddly for removing a Pokemon capable of Iron Tail from the field when its opponent was a rock Pokemon.

Ezra just smirked, his hand still raised from tossing his Pokeball, Loki appearing, eyes gleaming with mischief.

The giant rock snake roared, slamming its tail into the ground and sending a barrage of boulders towards Loki. Not the most effective move, even as Ezra winced slightly as Loki did take some damage.

But the dust cloud and debris from Onix's appearance and the Rock Slide, completely hid his actions as he couldn't miss a target that size, Loki joining him, four attacks of Hypnosis hitting the Onix, who immediately succumbed.

"Dream Eater." He ordered Loki immediately, forcing Drake to withdraw his Onix in chagrin, looking surprised at how easily it had succumbed to little Loki's Hypnosis.

"You're doing well, Ezra. But this next one will be tough," Drake said, taking the Pokeball on the chain around his neck off, releasing his third Pokemon, a Dragonite.

Ezra winced, the punishment for my success…. It would have been much better for his strategy if Dragonite came at the end. But he would have to make do.

The Dragonite roared as it took to the sky, its wings flapping powerfully. The atmosphere in the stadium seemed to tense, as if the very air was crackling with energy. Ezra knew this would be a tough battle now - Dragonite was a powerful Pokemon with a wide range of moves.

He'd have to sacrifice Loki to get his plan to work. He couldn't afford to switch right now. If he did, he might lose his ace against this dangerous Pokemon.

"Dragonite, use Thunderbolt!" Drake ordered sharply, not as easy going now that he was on the back foot.

The Dragonite's antennae sparked with electricity as it unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt which crashed to the ground with almighty force.

Loki already knew what to do, having used Shadow Sneak to avoid the attack, but it brought it within Dragonite's reach, Loki's desperate attempt at Hypnosis not taking hold, as Dragonite hit him with a point blank Thunderbolt.

Ezra silently thanked Loki for his efforts, immediately tossing out Nyx onto the field.

"Nyx, use Curse!" Ezra commanded, straining his Ghostly companions and their energy to force the Dragonite to miss dodging, even as Drake shouted at it to dive.

Nyx's form became more solid as it used Curse, sacrificing some of its own life energy to place a powerful curse on Dragonite. The Dragonite shuddered, a dark aura enveloping it as the Curse took hold, its dodge not enough, slowed down by his cheating, even as he winced at the sudden headache - he wouldn't be pulling that off again in this battle.

Drake frowned, recognizing the move, looking irritated. "Dragonite, use Dragon Breath!" He yelled, fingers twitching slightly.

Curse would take a quarter of Dragonite's health each turn, Ezra would have preferred to wait until the end to do this, giving Drake no options. As it was he could still recall Dragonite and concentrate on whittling his Pokemon down, using it as a last battering ram at the end before it ran out of juice. Yet it appeared he was continuing on.

The Dragonite opened its mouth, gathering a massive amount of energy. Ezra knew this was a dangerous moment; Dragon Breath from this powerful Pokemon would be a devastating attack, and there was nothing in Nyx arsenal to really stop this.

"Nyx, Hex!" Ezra shouted, doubling down, as Hex would double the damage of any status effect. Which meant the Dragonite would only last two turns after this. He crossed his fingers, this needed to hit.

He really hadn't expected Drake to bring it out so soon.

Dragonite unleashed the Dragon Breath. The immense breath of energy crashed against the ground causing the arena's barriers to shimmer and flicker. Nyx stood no chance, although it seemed Hex had hit, the Dragonite unable to dodge while using such an intense move like a fully powered Dragon Breath.

Unfortunately taking out the Pokemon that cursed you, meant the curse would do no damage this round. Which meant Dragonite still had two moves in it. Which could theoretically take two more of his Pokemon out of the fight.

Ezra gritted his teeth. Dragonite's were bullshit anyway, he recalled Nyx, thanking his Pokemon for its sacrifice, because if he won this, it would solely be down to Curse and Hex.

If Dragonite had gone last, he'd be able to completely spend his Pokemon on just keeping it busy for a few turns, no worries about it as long as one Pokemon on his side survived it. Now, he couldn't just send Pokemon out to get wasted easily, because Drake would still have three Pokemon to go.

"Smart move with Curse, and that Hex, what a combination." Drake said conversationally, Curse only worked once his Pokemon made a move, so they were safe to talk without rushing into it. "But do you have the capability to survive for two rounds, and still have anything left for my other Pokemon?"

"Kick his ass, Drake!" Cissy called from the stands, waving her arms excitedly.

"Tch, that Dragonite is so troublesome." Ezra complained, hand fiddling with a Pokeball, the Dragonite such a monster that he couldn't even cheat anymore, having spent all his energy on ensuring it got cursed.

He'd wanted to save it for last, or not use it at all, but he supposed he was left with no alternative. He sent out the crystal Onix on the field. "Dig!' he shouted, having absolutely no idea if it would even listen.

Drake, unfazed even as the few audience members let out oohs and ahhs at the sight, quickly issued his next command. "Dragonite, use Dragon Rush!"

Dragonite's body glowed with a bright blue aura as it charged forward with incredible speed, aiming to smash into the Onix with a powerful Dragon Rush. The air crackled with the energy of the impending collision.

Onix stood no chance, barely even beginning to dig when the powerful Dragonite slammed into it, the Onix valiantly trying to resist, but eventually submitting, Ezra recalling it, hoping it didn't get its finish scuffed or anything.

At least it got Dragonite down to its last move before it faints. But he was left with 3 Pokemon left, versus Drake's three after Dragonite, and Dragonite still had a move left.

This is why he'd wanted to go through all his other Pokemon and cheat his ass off before getting to this…

"You're quite resourceful, Ezra," Drake admitted, a hint of respect in his voice. "But the battle isn't over yet, and you've hit your limit, there's only so many tricks you can pull."

"Pidgeot, Sand Attack, then fly away." He yelled as he released his Pidgeot, having already spoken to it before this battle, about the unfortunate necessity of it playing a part.

"Twister." Drake ordered, and Dragonite, used its wings and powerful energy to send a twister spiraling across the sky as Pidgeot desperately clawed at the air, its attempted Sand Attack lost in the chaos before it could have a chance to hit.

It was impossible to see in the storm of air that suddenly took over the arena, but eventually it died down, Dragonite slumping to the ground, the curse taking full effect, forcing it to faint. And by some miracle, Pidgeot descended from the sky, feathers ruffled something fierce, but it had managed to avoid the Twister using Fly, just barely.

Likely due to the Dragonite's very weakened energy while on its last breath.

Drake recalled his Dragonite, slowly caressing the Pokeball with a conflicted look on his face, the audience was dead quiet. No one had ever beaten his Dragonite, Ezra knew.

Drake released his Pokemon moments later, an Electabuzz. The electric-type Pokemon sparked with energy, ready to battle.

"Electabuzz, Thunder Punch!" Drake ordered.

"Massive Sand Attack!" Ezra ordered, a move they'd only practiced hours earlier while his other Pokemon rested.

Pidgeot sacrificed everything to toss a heavy gust forward, showering Drake's Pokemon in sand, even as it closed in and took Pidgeot out with one well placed Thunder Punch.

Ezra immediately released Cheshire, taking advantage of Electabuzz hopefully being affected by the Sand Attack. "Confuse Ray!" He barked, Chesire immediately complying.

"Thunder Wave!" Drake ordered, apparently willing to risk sacrificing his Pokemon to ensure Ezra's second to last Pokemon would have a disadvantage.

Ezra won the encounter, the Confuse Ray hitting the Electabuzz - Cheshire's eyes glowing, sending out confusing energy towards Electabuzz. The electric-type wobbled, its eyes dazed from the confusion. It stumbled around, unable to focus - while its Thunder Wave missed Cheshire in return, barely. "Lick!" Ezra ordered immediately, trying to add paralysis to the confusion.

Drake sighed, as Electabuzz fell under paralysis as Chesire grinned widely, eyes purple as it finished the Pokemon off afterwards. Drake could have recalled it, but he obviously didn't see the point.

He still had a better looking position, if barely. Both of them had two Pokemon left, Drake had three if you count the sleeping Onix, but that could easily be taken care of when let loose again.

"You're full of surprises, Ezra, I haven't been this pushed by a challenger before," Drake said, releasing his next Pokemon, a Gengar. Its eyes gleaming with excitement. "It ends here though…"

"Cheshire, Shadow Sneak, and Shadow Ball, keep it up." Ezra snapped out an order, feeling the pressure, it was looking like he might lose.

"Gengar, it's going to come behind you, Hypnosis." Drake immediately ordered.

Ezra winced, he'd been using Shadow Sneak so much yet he hadn't really prepared his Pokemon for appearing and immediately being attacked.

This could sink him.

Cheshire appeared, Drake grinning, before they all watched in shock as the Gengar just took the super effective Shadow Ball to the face, never firing off Hypnosis.

"Gengar! Focus, Confuse Ray, then Hypnosis!" Drake snapped.

Ezra couldn't help but laugh inwardly as the Gengar seemed focused on him instead, before moving to obey Drake but with a second of delay that doomed it, Cheshire taking it down with another Shadow Ball. The arena was fully quiet, everyone trying to understand what happened. Drake's fortune suddenly turning around in one moment.

Drake bit his lip as he handled his second to last Pokeball, "Venosaur will handle it." He said confidently, but his brow was furrowed, as he tossed the Pokeball forward.

The massive grass-type Pokemon landed heavily on the field, its eyes glowing with determination.

"Venusaur, Sleep Powder!" Drake commanded.

At the same time as Ezra called out, "Confuse Ray, then Shadow Sneak and Shadow Ball." Knowing he'd be unlikely to get many more attacks in, the sleep powder was going to have spread by then.

"Bullet Seed behind you!" Drake called out.

Venusaur's flower opened wide, releasing a cloud of sleep-inducing spores. The spores immediately spread all over the area, Cheshire managing to fire off the Confuse Ray, which seemed to fail, before arriving behind the Venusaur, taking Bullet Seeds straight to the face even as it fired off a Shadow Ball into Venusaur.

Then the sleep powder became too much, and his sluggish Cheshire was taken down by several consecutive Bullet Seed attacks it couldn't dodge and the sleep powder. Barely hanging on, but somehow not fainting.

"Sunny Day." Drake ordered, using the fact Cheshire was asleep and on its last leg to set up the next bout. The arena shone brightly as sunlight coalesced above them, the Venusaur's flower beginning to shine.

Ezra had no choice but to return Cheshire, he couldn't allow Drake to spend a few turns just powering up, "Rider, it's all on you!" He called out, as he let his Cubone out on the field.

"Vine Whip, restrict it." Drake said, clicking his fingers like he'd already won, a relieved smile on his face.

"Quick Attack out of its reach, then Bonemerang!"

Venusaur's vines shot out, trying to ensnare Rider. But he managed to dodge, the bone club striking Venusaur in the face, doing some damage, but not enough. Not nearly enough. The bone club returned to Rider's hands like a boomerang.

He didn't dare have Rider approach with Iron Tail, he'd get caught in the Vine whips. Rider really didn't have enough ranged attacks. He was in trouble. For all his plans, the Dragonite coming out early scuppered them all. He still couldn't feel the ghostly energy he'd been using all through the League, so he couldn't help either.

"Solar Beam!" Drake ordered, pumping his fist, even as the audience cheered, Crissy the loudest of them all.

I'm going to lose! Ezra thought. His Cubone was not really a match for the Venusaur. Coming so far, only to lose! It was a joke! He could not!

"Rider, DODGE! You're not going to lose this!" Ezra shouted hoarsely, mentally willing his Pokemon forward.

Venusaur's flower glowed as it gathered energy from the sunlight. Ezra knew this was the moment of truth; Solar Beam was a powerful move, and Rider likely would not withstand it. He needed to dodge it.

Venusaur unleashed the Solar Beam, a massive blast of energy shooting towards Rider in such a wide circumference he was unlikely to dodge in time. Instead of dodging, Riders bone club turned steely, as it charged straight at the Solar Beam with a warcry, club first.

"What are you doing!?" Ezra shouted, absolutely shocked at Rider's crazy idea. And since when could he pull off steel energy in his club anyway?

The collision was spectacular, a burst of energy and light filling the battlefield. For a moment, everything seemed to stand still, the crowd holding their breath as they waited to see the outcome.

The strain of using such a massive Solar Beam had taken a toll on Drake's Pokemon, and the massive Pokemon slowly sat on the ground, letting out a breath.

Rider however looked on its last legs, barely holding on. Ezra bowed his head, 'You did awesome, Rider." He called out, his voice down, I've lost…. "Get some rest." He raised the Pokeball to recall him, Drake respectfully not making any moves.

Rider raised its bone club as it began to glow, stopping Ezra from recalling him, no… Seriously? Now of all times?

Holding its bone club aloft. The weapon began to glow with an intense, ethereal light, casting an otherworldly glow across the battlefield. Ezra, who had been moments away from recalling Rider, stopped in his tracks, eyes widening in surprise and wonder. The entire stadium seemed to hold its breath, the air thick with anticipation. As the glow intensified, Rider's form began to shift and change. The Cubone's normally somber brown eyes sparkled with a new inner light, reflecting the energy that surged through its body.

The bone club in its hand grew longer and thicker, the dull brown surface transforming into a sleek, polished black. Spectral flames danced along the club, vivid and vibrant, flickering with hues of blue and green. Rider's body elongated and grew, shedding its old form as it transformed into something new and powerful. The previously brown, leathery skin became a rich, dark charcoal color, almost black, with an iridescent sheen that caught the light.

The bone helmet that had always been a symbol of its past loss now reshaped itself, becoming more streamlined and fitted to its new form. The skull appeared more angular and pronounced, giving Rider an aura of power and mystique. From Rider's shoulders, two slender, bony spikes emerged, glowing with the same spectral flames that danced along its bone club. The flames licked up along the length of the spikes, adding a ghostly, ethereal quality to the Pokemon's appearance.

Rider's eyes, once filled with sorrow and with honest curiosity, now shone with a fiery intensity, reflecting the powerful spirit within. The transformation complete, Rider stood tall as an Alolan Marowak, a rare and unique form probably not known anywhere on this continent before now.

He'd only had it train in fire energy for a week, did no one else teach a Cubone about fire energy, ever? He glanced at the sky, the sunny day and Solar Beam's effects having hidden the fact the day had ended, and they'd turned to night, just barely. But apparently it had been enough.

The Pokemon's new form was both beautiful and intimidating. The bone club, now a polished black staff, was crowned with a flame that burned brightly, casting an eerie light around the battlefield. Ezra watched in awe as Rider lifted its club high, the flames roaring to life as if celebrating the transformation. The crowd erupted into cheers, the spectators thrilled by the rare sight of a Pokemon evolving in the midst of such a climactic battle. Even Drake, seasoned and composed as he was, couldn't hide his admiration and surprise at the sudden turn of events. The Alolan Marowak looked back at Ezra, its eyes meeting his. There was a new confidence in its gaze, a silent understanding passing between them.

This was no longer the small, grieving Cubone that Ezra had known, this was a warrior, a guardian of the flames, ready to fight with renewed strength.

He somewhat mourned that idea, out of all his Pokemon, he'd bonded with his Cubone the easiest. Spent the most time personally training and working with him. It kind of felt like he'd lost him, in a way. He quickly shook that thought away, focusing on the now. It was complete bullshit, but he'd gotten a hail Mary just at the end.

Drake lost his awe first, snapping out, "Venusaur, Razor Leaf, then try and catch it with your Vine Whip!"

Ezra didn't even know what attacks Rider had now, so he kept his order simple, pointing at the Venusaur. "Rider. Burn!"

Rider dashed forward, it's staff twirling as he ran through the storm of razor leaves, the flames on his staff burning them to cinders as he passed, a whirlwind of motion, before he slammed the staff into the Venusaur, what appeared to be a flamethrower attack firing point blank into the Venusaur.

Drake immediately recalled it as it fainted, shaking his head, a wry grin on his face, "Well, luck had its part, but every good trainer needs that as well." He nodded at Ezra, "Congratulations."

Ezra cocked his head, "We have Pokemon left." He pointed out.

Drake shrugged, "My sleeping Onix is hardly going to beat your… Marowak…? And you have one sleeping one left in your Haunter as well. You have won, Ezra Kassian, champion of the Orange League." He said formally.

The crowd erupted into cheers at the announcement, not that it was very loud with so few of them.

Rider slammed into his knees, chirping happily, eyes closed in an eye smile, and Ezra felt a great sense of relief. It's still my little buddy.. Thank Arceus…

Drake walked up to him, shaking his hand, "This worked out even better than I had imagined, really." He mused out loud.

Ezra stared at him suspiciously, "Aren't you mad I embarrassed your League?"

Drake laughed quietly, "Oh, you win some, you lose some. We'll be laughed at a little no doubt, but when you then go dominate elsewhere, everyone will know what happened here, and we'll reap the benefits in tourism."

They stood in silence for a moment, Ezra irritably acknowledging that even in beating Drake, he helped Drake profit. Drake spoke once more shortly thereafter. "You've earned this, Ezra. But remember, with this victory comes responsibility to live up to. The title of Champion is not just about strength; it's about honor and the bond you share with your Pokemon. I hope you continue to grow and learn on your journey."

The trophy ceremony took place shortly thereafter, and he particularly enjoyed making Cissy and Danny shake his hand. Later he exchanged numbers with Rudy and Luana, and reluctantly, Drake. You never knew when it would be useful.

The ceremony concluded, and Ezra headed to the Pokemon center, Rider out and chattering at him, playing with its new staff with awe. Rudy walked with him, loudly detailing each portion of the fight.

It wasn't… unpleasant.

It was… Nice.

In the Kanto wilderness, the next morning.

"COME ON! The Orange Islands?" Karen screamed at her pokedex, shaking it as if to make it make sense, the message from Agatha telling her she'd been wasting her time trekking out from Lavender Town.

This brat… She cursed inwardly, teeth gritting together, left eye twitching violently.

"He's only been a trainer for what? Two weeks? How the fuck is all the way over there?" She shouted at nothing, several trainers traveling down the route taking the long way around, looking at her in askance as she cursed and screamed at the air.

And he won the fucking league…

She'd never won a league… As Agatha so snidely pointed out in her message.

Right, that's it, I'm going down there and beating the brat into the ground and dragging him to the old lady face down in gravel the entire way!

She released one of her Pokemon, "Honchkrow, Orange Islands, now!" She hissed out.

She had to get there while he was still busy with his little victory party.

Sky over the Orange islands.

Ezra didn't waste any time, leaving the islands immediately after his victory ceremony,

He had no intention of dealing with Drake anymore then he had to.

Especially when he might face some questions on how the fuck he pulled some of his shit.

Nope, he'd be far away from the Orange Islands by dawn.

The fact Drake wasn't even upset his League got crushed in a day really sucked all the fun out of it…