Several days had passed since my encounter with Valerie. Wallace, Winona, and I had made the unanimous decision to cut our time in Mauville short and move on to Lavaridge Town, the next town on Hoenn's map. It was a small settlement built near Mt. Chimney, one of Hoenn's two mountains. We found out that it would take much longer to travel there, so we decided to leave as soon as we could. The traveling itself was quite easy, and all three of us were able to train our Pokémon some. Unfortunately, my personal experience with this trip was considerably soured by one reoccurring event.

   For the fifth time, I woke up a couple hours before dawn shuddering and shaking. Yet again I had been torn from my sleep by a nightmare. I sighed and clutched my aching head in my hands. Everything is fine... Be happy you're awake, because that means you're safe...

It was the same dream I had before I had my strange vision of the future. The unrelenting screams, the shadow of the monstrous Pokémon, they were all the same. And while it had become a reoccurring dream, at least I wasn't waking up practically screaming now. Luckily, I was accustomed to not getting a full night's sleep thanks to my previous study habits.

   Once the sun had risen over the peak of Mt. Chimney on that same morning, the others woke up and we set off on what was hopefully our last day of traveling for a few days. Running parallel to the mountain was an overgrown road that had markers displaying that it led to Lavaridge Town. There was no other possible way we could have gone so we began making our way down this literal "road less traveled."

   "What's so special about Lavaridge Town?" I asked Wallace while we were walking.

   "It's home to some famous hot springs and the fourth Gym," he responded.

   Another Gym? Already? Talk about odd placement... "Really? What does the Leader specialize in?"

   "I..." Wallace looked puzzled. "Don't actually remember. Give me a second, I know this."

   "Take your time," I remarked casually, looking back towards the road. At that moment, a wave of dizziness washed over me and I began to feel faint. Not this again... I thought. The dizziness wasn't as severe and I could still continue walking, albeit at a slower pace. I involuntarily shuddered as a chill spread through me and my vision darkened.

   I was now standing in an open room that was insanely warm. For some reason, I was trembling and my heart was pounding out of my chest. Meteor was out of his ball and he looked back at me with a concerned look in his eyes.

   Are you sure you can handle this? You don't look too good... he said.

   I am feeling a little shaky. But we're so close to winning anyways! I heard myself reply. My vision was then invaded by white laced with red lines. I can handle it? Handle what? And what are we winning? I wondered as the scene changed to something different. It then registered with me that we were in the middle of a battle.

I looked across the room and saw our opponent, or possibly opponents? We were facing an older man with a young girl next to him on the room's far side. They had a large orange and tan four-legged Pokémon with two volcano-shaped protrusions on its back standing in front of them, and it was glaring fiercely at Meteor and me.

   "Camerupt, use Lava Plume!" the man ordered. My chest clenched painfully at those words as the truth dawned upon me. We were fighting a Gym Leader, and he was a Fire-type Trainer! And as I realized this, my sight was pulled into darkness.

   My eyes opened wide and I blinked several times to clear my vision. I was staring down at the cracked pavement of the road, standing completely still.

   "Hey, aren't you listening?"

   I looked up to see Wallace staring back at me, looking confused. I returned his stare with one as equally confused. "What do you mean? Of course I was listening," I replied, hoping that would get me an answer.

   "You sure didn't seem like it..." Wallace said.

   "Why'd you two stop? Let's keep going!" Winona called from farther down the road. Wallace and I jogged to catch up with her and we continued walking.

   "You stopped walking and kind of zoned out for a few seconds," Wallace explained. "Is everything all right?"

   "I was thinking about something and I guess I got lost in thought," I lied. Wallace didn't seem convinced so I tried changing the subject. "But back to what you were saying concerning the Gym. Does the Leader happen to use Fire-types by any chance?" I had to know if I was right.

   Wallace gasped in realization. "Fire! That was it! The Gym Leader uses Fire Pokémon." His expression then became sympathetic. "Oh wait, how is that going to work for you? You said you didn't like fire."

   "Or Fire Pokémon in general..." I added with a sigh.

   "That too. Are you going to be okay?"

   "I'll... figure something out." It was the best answer I could give. I honestly had no idea how I could get around this. "If I ever want to earn all eight badges, I'll have to battle that Leader regardless."

   "As long as you think you can, it'll work out fine. Also, how did you know that the Leader uses Fire-types?"

   "It was a well-educated guess," I answered. "Hot springs near a volcano. It had to be either Water or Fire." So it was another vision of the future. This was the second vision I had and the third time I'd experienced those "symptoms."

There had to be a reason why this was happening to me. But what really confused me was what I had seen. Mainly, the fact that I was battling a Fire-type Trainer! What had given me the courage to challenge the Gym? The simple statement I had made alone wasn't going to do anything to convince me, so did someone help me somehow? I was now confused beyond belief, and I was starting to get a headache.

There's no use in worrying about the future, I thought, feeling annoyed. Whatever happens, happens... To be sure, I'll have to wait and see.

Lavaridge Town was snugly tucked away at the base of Mt. Chimney. While the town itself was the same general size as Dewford, it in no way resembled the weather-beaten settlement. Well-kept houses with earthen tones, tidy stone pathways, there was even a small section of shops near the Pokémon Center. It was a tourist town that hadn't yet been seized by travel agencies and had its quaint charm squeezed out of it by blinding advertisements or chain businesses like Slateport had. Situated on the far side of town was a large out-of-place stone building with few windows—the Gym.

   "Do... you want to go challenge it right away?" Wallace asked. For once, I wasn't eager to battle a Gym Leader, their type specialty being my roadblock. I numbly shook my head, intentionally aiming my gaze towards the ground.

   "We can do whatever you and Winona want," I said. As pathetic as it sounded, I was content to drag out how long I had until I would have to face the music.

   "I'm not quite ready to challenge them either, so what's say we do some looking around?" Wallace offered.

   "Yes, please!" Winona said.

   "I'm following you at this point," I added, a somber note in my voice.

   We explored the town for a while, browsing several of the small stores as we went. I tried to enjoy it but I couldn't chase away the thought of challenging the Gym. My thoughts became a cluttered mess and I actually began to zone out at points.

Things went on like this for an hour or two until I mentally gave up. I told Wallace and Winona that I needed some time alone to think. They reluctantly went into another shop while I sat down on a bench, hoping I could sort out my thoughts and emotions. Right off the bat, I told Meteor that I didn't want his opinion on any of my thoughts. It hurt me horribly to say that to him, but this was something I needed to deal with on my own.

   Why are you acting this way? I scolded myself. Gather up your courage and get it over with! If you ever want to become strong and prove to Dad that you can survive out here, you need to get over this stupid fear and win that badge!

I gritted my teeth in frustration and my hands clenched into fists. It wasn't that simple. Fear wasn't something you can dismiss or ignore entirely... it's something that controls you. The fear-driven side of me continued to fight back against one that thought the opposite, a side I never knew I possessed. But no matter what I thought, it still didn't stop the thought from being front and center in my mind. Merely remembering the vision I had was enough to light the nauseating fuse of fear within me.

   "Stop it, stop thinking about it..." I muttered aloud to myself. "If you keep thinking about it like that, it's only going make it worse and you'll end up making yourself sick with fear, so stop it." I forced my words inwards as not to make any passerby think I was talking to myself. At this rate, the only thing you're going to prove to anybody is that you don't have a single courageous cell in your body!

   Okay, I can't take this, Meteor interrupted. He let himself out of his Poké Ball and almost immediately crossed his arms, glaring at me. I leave you alone with your thoughts for two minutes and it sounds like you've already given up. And what 'vision' were you thinking about? I thought you said you would be more open with me.

   No, there's nothing... I stopped myself there. I had to stop lying, I had to stop it now. Okay, fine. I'm scared to death of challenging the Gym. And twice now, I've had these odd visions of... the future.

   The future? Meteor echoed, sounding utterly confused.

   The first time we saw Orbit, I had a vision of the events leading up to encountering them.

   ..?

   Orbit's presence shifted into confusion when I mentioned their name. Sorry, Orbit. I'm not saying anything bad concerning you, okay? Their presence became passive once again and I returned to my conversation with Meteor. Don't ask me how I saw the future, it kind of... happened. I don't exactly know how to describe it. But earlier today, I had another vision in which we were battling who seemed to be this town's Gym Leader. One thing led to another, and now I'm here trying not to have a nervous breakdown.

   Well, we can discuss the future thing later, Meteor said, shrugging. What's important at the moment is you winning that badge.

   How can I? I'm petrified even thinking about it! I objected.

   Then at one point I guess you weren't. If that vision or whatever was true, that means you end up there somehow and I'm gonna make sure of it!

   I know you're trying to help me, Meteor. But this is something I need to deal with on my own.

   Then deal with it! Suck it up and get it over with!! he yelled, making me flinch. If you can't prove to yourself that you can do this then you won't prove it to anyone else, plain and simple. You sounded confident when you were yelling at yourself a few minutes ago, so take that confidence and actually apply it! he then noticed the shocked expression I wore. I didn't mean to yell at you like that, he said, turning away. It's... I hate seeing you beat yourself up like this and try to write it off, saying everything's okay when it's really not. And your stubbornness infuriates me sometimes. My annoyance kinda showed itself this time. I'm sorry.

   I furiously shook my head. No, it's fine! I'm glad you did that, I... I needed it. While it startled and somewhat frightened me to hear Meteor speak so harshly, he was right. I wasn't going to prove anything if I didn't prove it to myself. I got so wrapped up in my own self-induced fear that I would forget everything else. But what if I freeze up or something? I don't want to risk losing a battle this important, I said faintly, my self-doubt trying to get out one last hurrah.

   Look, I've never been scared and I don't understand why humans and Pokémon get scared, I'll admit it. But there seems to be a risk factor involved in everything! In fact, didn't Arietta say that a life without risks isn't one worth living?

   Yes, she did say that...

   Then take that risk and issue the challenge! You told your father that you didn't want your life to be controlled, so don't let your fear do the same.

   Once again, he was right. I... I won't. I won't let my fear control me! I said, putting on a brave smile. A warm feeling of invigoration washed over me, filling me with positivity. On top of that, the sickening sense of anxiety had subsided, allowing actual confidence to take its place. Some people needed a small push to get going, apparently I needed a huge shove to do the same. "Okay, I'll do it. I'll go tell Wallace, and we can make our way over to the Gym." I said aloud.

   "What do you mean? We're coming with you."

   Meteor and I turned to see Wallace and Winona standing nearby. Winona was smiling brightly like usual while Wallace's was one that said, "I told you so."

   "If the Leader allows it, we'd like to stay and watch. Everyone needs a little support every now and then," he said.

   "Thank you, I'd really appreciate it," I said.

—~*~—

"Welcome to the Lavaridge Town Gym, are you here to issue a challenge?" the Gym attendant asked me.

   "Yes I am, are they here at the moment?" I asked back.

   The attendant nodded and put a finger to his headset. "You have a challenger," he said to the person on the receiving end. A minute later an old man in what looked to be in his late fifties or early sixties dressed in red entered the lobby. To my surprise, he wasn't alone.

A girl a year or two younger than Winona was clinging tightly to the man's hand, and a Pokémon was with them as well. The girl's wild red hair was put into a Ponyta-tail that barely seemed to be able to hold her hair in place and she stared at me curiously with large red eyes. Her Pokémon was blue and tan in color with a mouse-like build, stubby arms, and tightly closed eyes. The man smiled at me and adjusted his glasses.

   "Welcome, young man. My name is Mako Moore, and I am the Gym Leader of this town." He gestured to the girl beside him. "This is my granddaughter, Flannery."

   "Hi. It's nice to meet you," the girl said quietly. "Um, this is my Cyndaquil, Chi." She pointed out the Pokémon at her feet.

   "Oh wow! Isn't Cyndaquil a Johto Pokémon?" I heard Winona ask.

   "Yeah, Grandpa gave me Chi as a gift," Flannery responded. She noticed Winona's welcoming smile and returned it, her shy exterior seeming to fade slightly.

   "All young Trainers deserve to get a head start in their skills," Mako said. "Flannery is learning how to be a Gym Leader, so she'll be observing the battle by my side. If you're ready, please follow me," he said to me.

   "Excuse me a moment. Is it okay if my friends watch the battle?" I asked.

   "Of course they can! Spectators are always welcome," Mako said with a warm smile. He then left the lobby, Flannery somehow managing to keep pace with her grandparent.

   Before I entered the arena, I took a moment to calm myself. My heart had begun racing and I knew I had to calm myself down. As long as I kept my gaze off of the opposing Pokémon or any of its Fire moves, I would possibly remain calm enough to get through this. You can do this. Prove to yourself that you can overcome it. I reaffirmed this mental statement with a deep breath, and I followed Mako and Flannery into the arena.

   The arena was the same sweltering hot room I was in when I had my vision. Wallace and Winona in a small row of bleaches meant for spectators while Mako, Flannery, and I took our respective places on the battlefield. It really was sweltering in the room. I already felt sweat beginning to bead on my forehead and I hadn't been in the arena for more than a minute. To relieve some of the heat I removed my jacket and tied it around my waist, leaving me in my t-shirt.

   "I'll be using three Pokémon in this battle," Mako said. "And as rules state, the challenger is allowed the first move." As he said this last sentence, he sent out a red slug Pokémon that seemed to be made of lava. Flames sprung up from its body into the air where they burned themselves out. I adverted my gaze away from the flames and focused my attention on the Great Ball I held.

   "O-okay, let's do this. Go, Orbit!" I threw Orbit's ball and they appeared on the field in a flash of blue light. This wasn't the first time I had battled with Orbit.

Through training, I had learned that Orbit knew the moves Psybeam, Light Screen, Reflect, and Protect. It was clear that wherever Orbit had come from, they were intentionally taught defensive moves. Since Meteor and Silvette were weak to Fire moves and they were mostly moves in the Special category, I figured Light Screen would be useful.

"Okay, start off with Light Screen." Orbit created a translucent wall of pink light that seemed to separate the room in two.

   "Slugma, use Smog," Mako ordered. Slugma opened its mouth wide and a cloud of purple smoke billowed out towards Orbit. They had no way of avoiding it so they could only wait it out.

   "Orbit, concentrate and use Psybeam," I said next.

   "Slugma, Ancient Power!" Mako countered. Chunks of rock from the arena were surrounded by blue psychic energy and were launched at Orbit as they used the same move that had defeated Liam's Gengar. Slugma was hit with the concentrated beam of power and was knocked out. I was surprised at the utter lack of Fire-type moves being used. Mako switched his Slugma out for a yellow and green quadruped Pokémon called Numel.

   "Psybeam again!" What else was I supposed to have them use? It was the one attacking move they had.

   "Numel, Ember now!" Numel was faster than Orbit and began spewing fire at them. Orbit was pelted with the rapidly shot flames and was sent spinning like a top across the arena. It took all that I had to not flinch or move from where I stood when the attack was used. It was Orbit who was being hurt by this, not me!

   Orbit, are you okay? I asked. They turned to me, and although they were covered in black scorch marks, their presence was confident and reassuring.

   "Numel, Lava Plume," Mako ordered. Tongues of flame gathered underneath Numel's front feet, becoming brighter and brighter until it stood up on its hind legs and hit the ground again, sending the flames crashing towards all sides of the room in a wave of fire.

   "Use Protect!" I cried, almost panicking. Orbit created another wall of light that was pale white in color. I clenched my eyes shut as the attack reached our side of the arena and by the time I opened my eyes, Numel was attacking with another Lava Plume. I called for Orbit to Protect themselves again, but the move failed and they were engulfed in the fiery wave, resulting in them fainting. I quietly cursed at myself for letting Orbit faint like that. You did an amazing job, really, I said to Orbit as I recalled them. I then sent Silvette out in their place.

   "Your actions to retaliate was delayed..." Mako commented from across the room.

   "I was distracted," I said. I sensed Meteor's incoming remark and I quickly shut him down. I'll tell you how I really feel but I won't tell anyone else, let alone a stranger! I thought to Meteor before he could reprimand me for my words. And though irritated, he backed off. I imagined he would be glaring at me if he could. "Silvette, use Tackle!"

   "Numel, use Ember!"

   "Try to dodge the flames but don't stop attacking," I countered.

Silvette ran at Numel as it fired off orbs of fire at her. She jumped away from the flames, narrowly avoiding damage each time. I was amazed that she was managing to dodge them so easily. Numel shot one final flame at her, and she jumped clean over it. The force she lost from going airborne would've made her Tackle not as powerful.

Thinking fast, I came up with a solution. "Turn your Tackle into Metal Claw!" Claws of energy extended from Silvette's front feet and she landed on top of Numel, slashing downwards as she did so and landing on Numel. "Use Metal Claw one more time, this time using your back feet." A second set of claws formed, and Silvette dug them into Numel's back. She then jumped off it, using her momentum to put force behind her attack. Silvette touched down a yard away from Numel, skidding and turning herself around to face her opponent for another attack. She didn't need to, though, Numel had fainted.

   Flannery gasped loudly. "That was cool, Grandpa!" she said, her eyes wide. "Could Chi do that?"

   "Possibly, you'll have to find out for yourself when you battle," Mako said, recalling his Pokémon. He looked at me and held up a black and yellow Poké Ball. "You've managed to defeat two of my Pokémon, an impressive feat considering you used a Steel-type, but can you take down my Camerupt?" He then sent out the Pokémon I had seen in my vision.

   I'll handle this one, Meteor said.

   Are you sure? It looks powerful, I responded.

   Positive, Meteor said confidently. We can fight this battle together!

   If you insist... "Silvette, return." I recalled my Shiny Aron and readied Meteor's Poké Ball. "Meteor, let's go!" My beloved partner appeared, and I now knew why he wanted to be out here. Meteor was aware that him being beside me gave me strength, that was probably why he wanted to be the one to battle Camerupt.

   "Another Steel-type? You're putting yourself at quite the disadvantage," Mako remarked.

   "Trust me, Meteor can accomplish amazing things when he wants to," I said. Iron Defense wouldn't work in a Special Attacker's case, so I was better off immediately dealing damage with Meteor's strongest move. "Use Bullet Punch!"

   "Camerupt, Flame Burst!" The protrusions on Camerupt's back exploded with streams of fire that combined into a singular flame above it. The flame then flew across the field, landing directly in Meteor's path. It struck the ground and exploded in a spectacular array of flames in all sizes. The flames flew in every direction and landed wherever they pleased.

Several of the larger flames landed dangerously close to where I was standing. Distracted by them, I failed to notice the stray flame that had landed on my shoe. When I did, my heart leapt into my throat and I had to resist the urge to scream. I frantically kicked dust onto it until it thankfully died out. Though the fire was out, my heart was pounding and my breaths had become quicker and more forced.

   Steven, are you okay? I heard Meteor ask. I looked up to see him gazing at me with concern. He had black scorch marks on his body and he seemed to be in pain.

   I'm fine, really. I should be asking if you're okay! Those burns look bad, I responded, realizing that we were going through what I had foreseen. If this led to Meteor getting severely hurt because of me, I knew I could never forgive myself.

   I'm sure they'll heal up fine, he said. Are you sure you can handle this? You don't look too good yourself...

   I am feeling a little shaky, I admitted. But we're so close to winning anyways! I could tell that I was wavering, but I couldn't afford to give up now.

   "Camerupt, use Lava Plume," Mako ordered.

    "Stop it with Confusion!" Meteor flicked his arm out to the side and Camerupt was swiftly dragged along the ground by an unseen force where it crashed into a wall. The large Pokémon stumbled away from the wall, appearing to be dazed.

   "Camerupt, snap out of it and use Flame Burst!" Mako said. I suddenly got a horrible feeling that this was a bad move to make. And then I saw why. Camerupt wasn't simply dazed from the impact, it was confused. Confusion had a chance to inflict the confused status condition, and Camerupt had fallen prey to it. Mako hadn't noticed this and told his Pokémon to attack!

   "Meteor, get as far out of range as you can!" I cried, unimaginable dread filling me. Meteor darted to a far corner of the arena while Camerupt began creating the orb of fire it had previously. At the last second, Camerupt lost its balance and fell over onto its side. The orb split apart, raining embers along with five or six smaller orb "pieces." These pieces hit the ground and exploded into tall columns of fire that sent sparks and flames flying like fireworks.

   Watch out! Meteor yelled. One of the pieces sailed right at me and I quickly stepped back, stumbling over my own feet and falling to the ground. The column erupted from the spot right where I had stood a heartbeat earlier and I scrambled backwards in a panicked frenzy to escape the flying flames. I threw my arms up to shield my face and to hide the sight of the raging inferno before me.

   I then felt an intense burning sensation on the underside of my right arm, a light sizzling sound accompanying it. I had been struck by one of the flames.

I cried out in pain and clutched my injured arm, heart pounding wildly with terror. The reality of what had occurred sunk in and everything came crashing down around me. The agonizing memory of the Vulpix burning me was painfully ripped to the forefront of my conciousness, shattering my confidence along with any cognitive thought I had into a million pieces.

Amidst the raw panic and primal fear that coursed through me like adrenaline, two thoughts voiced their horror louder than any words could. You have to get out of here! You can't stay here! my mind screamed at me. And now relying on my most basic of instincts, I more than gratefully obliged.

   "I forfeit!" I cried at the top of my lungs, somehow managing to form legible words. "Stop the battle, I forfeit!" I cried again, not caring that I was giving up my potential victory. "I forfeit! I forfeit! I forfeit..!" The words broke down into disjointed syllables as I began crying, eventually dissolving into hysterical sobs. I need to leave, please let me leave! I thought deliriously as I cried. Through my tear and smoke-clouded vision, I saw Wallace and Winona running over to me along with Meteor, Mako, and Flannery.

   Wallace grabbed my arms and pried them away from each other in order to examine the burn. I was sure it wasn't severe but it still felt horrible regardless. "It doesn't look that bad, you're going to be fine," he tried to comfort me.

   "What's wrong with him?" Flannery asked.

   "He's afraid of fire and Fire-type Pokémon," Wallace explained in response.

   Stop explaining and help him already! Meteor yelled, startling Mako and Flannery.

   No, I don't deserve any help... I lowered my head, too ashamed to meet any of their gazes. The commotion around me and the pain blurred until I became blind to everything except my thoughts. I hadn't been able to prove anything, I had failed. I let Meteor down, and more importantly, I let myself down. I'm sorry, I thought to no one in particular. Perhaps it was Meteor? Or myself? Maybe even Dad to some extent? No matter who it was though, it was completely and utterly sincere. I'm sorry... I let you down.

————————~*~————————
If you're wondering why I refer to Orbit as "them" it's because since they don't speak, their mental "gender" isn't known. It all started with Meteor because I didn't want to refer to him as an "it" when he's such a major character. It would be really weird to refer to a character like that with such basic terminology.