When Carmen awoke, he was in a white room. His tail spilled over to the floor and he was wearing white clothes, laying down on a comfortable bed. When the nurse came in, he was ready to fight but the pink-haired nurse smiled gently and put a platter down on a table on Carmen's right. The nurse wore regular nurse clothes, a hat, white blouse. She had a tag attached to her top right of her blouse that Carmen couldn't read.

"There was a lot of poison in your system," the nurse explained. "Luckily your friend, the butterfly, got here in time. My name is Joy by the way."

Carmen remembered the forest, the hordes of Kakuna soldiers and that girl turning into a green statue.

"Where am I?" Carmen asked.

The nurse looked confused. "You don't know?'

Carmen shook his head.

"The Mage Center," the lady explained. "A place where all sorts of mages gather to get healed, rest and accept jobs. Every mage should know that."

Carmen nodded.

"Your friends are waiting for you outside," explained the Nurse. "Just eat and after some checkups you'll be seeing them soon."

Carmen nodded; he didn't need anyone to tell him to eat. He grabbed the platter and dug in. The food was surprisingly delicious and Carmen emptied it in less than five minutes.

"How long was I out?"

The nurse placed a finger on her cheek. "Around one and a half days. You heal surprisingly fast."

Carmen nodded. "I know."

"Well let's get you patched up," the nurse said. "Then we can go see your friends."

...

After the nurses did their checkup (they were all called Joy for some reason), Carmen was given back his clothes and was taken to a large lounge. A small staircase led down to a large open lounge with a colorful burst of all sorts of mages of all shapes and sizes. There were comfortable red sofas where parties of mages were packed together like sardines in animated discussion. Straight ahead from the lounge there was a pair of glass sliding doors with the words "Cafeteria" printed on top. On the left of the lounge was a sliding door which said exit and on the right another door that said "Request Center". Carmen had just come from a sliding door which said infirmary. A pair of pink haired nurses ran past him carrying a wounded mage on a stretcher.

Carmen walked down the stairs and saw his friends waiting for him by a comfortable looking booth in the corner. As soon as Patricia saw him a look of relief washed over her face.

"Thank Arceus you're okay," she said.

Carlotta smirked, Carmen noticed that she had wings on her back now and that the weird pink thing on her forehead had disappeared, instead being replaced with two snake-like wires that looked like wheat. "Gorgeous here couldn't stop worrying about you, I'm kinda jealous." Patricia reddened.

Sean still had bandages around him. He looked rather pale and his brown hair was rather messy.

"I've acquainted myself with Carlotta over here," Sean said. "She said she owes you a favor."

Carlotta nodded. "As much I hate to admit it, you saved my life and I have to repay the favor somehow."

Sean nodded. "She could prove quite useful. Our current party has a severe disadvantage to rock magic which is just what happens to be the magic the Pewter gym specializes in."

"Great," Carlotta said. "So, I just help you out with this gym thing and then I'm done."

"What do you mean done?" Carmen asked.

Carlotta shrugged. "I mean I don't really intend to stay with you guys. I do feel like I owe you Shorty..."

Carmen glared at her but Carlotta ignored it and continued.

"And Gorgeous over there for saving my life."

Sean nodded. "Fair enough. We just need to get you a trainer card and register you in our party then we're done."

Carlotta nodded. "Cool."

Sean was wincing as he pulled himself up. Carmen and Patricia helped him up.

"Much appreciated," Sean said.

Before Sean left to do all the paperwork Carmen quickly walked over to him.

"Thank you," Carmen said shyly, scratching his fiery hair.

Sean raised an eyebrow. He was rather surprised by this show of gratitude, especially since he thought Carmen too brash and blunt to show gratitude. "What for?"

"You know what for!" Carmen said suddenly.

Sean shook his head. "No, I don't."

Carmen sighed. "For helping us out. I don't know how to read so all this registration crap would fly over my head. So, I'm..."

"Grateful," Sean said. Carmen nodded.

"I'm well aware of all I've done for you," Sean said. "It's the least I could do for hopeless cases like yourself."

"What the hell did you just say?" Carmen growled.

Sean walked away from Carmen, grinning as the fiery mage fumed at him.

...

After all the registration Carlotta was at the outskirts of Pewter, sitting atop a tiny hill. The evening sun cast a glow on the grassy plains, painting it in a warm glow of orange. Below her, mages were practicing, sweating and grunting. Above her the hills loomed, casting a shadow beneath like a black wave over the beach of grass below it.

She saw Carmen suddenly appear from below the tiny hill. He was sweating bullets and had his cape was hanging over his shoulder and he had his sleeves rolled up.

"Didn't expect to see you here," Carlotta said.

Carmen was panting heavily. "Had to get some training in. Never know when we might challenge that gym."

Carlotta shrugged. "Fair enough."

Carmen suddenly collapsed on the ground, sighing. Carlotta never noticed it but Shorty was pretty muscular. His sweaty biceps quite literally glowing in the sun. His tail wrapped around his belly.

There was a moment of silence before Carmen suddenly pointed up at the mountain.

"I used to play over there with some of the other boys," Carmen said. "In my tribe."

Carlotta nodded.

"Though it wasn't playing," Carmen said, a sudden look of anger in his face. "They used to throw stones at me when I got too close to them. I used to follow them around like an idiot thinking they'd want to be friends with me but all they ever did was beat me up."

Carmen sighed. "Assholes."

Carlotta nodded. She scooted down a little and patted Carmen on the shoulder. She knew what it was like to be an outcast. She'd been alone most of the times in the streets, the other homeless kids shunning her because of her antennae or the fact that she could use magic. Or maybe it was her personality. Carlotta didn't know. But she did know how it was to be an outcast, to be shunned by people just for being different.

There was another moment of silence. Carlotta hugged her knees and looked up at the sky as the sun started to set.

"It must be nice to have a tribe," Carlotta said.

"Not when they're assholes," Carmen said.

Carlotta chuckled. "I know. But I didn't know my tribe. They all were wiped out by those Kakunas."

Carmen scooted up, listening intently.

"I just remember my mum and brother," she said. "My mum, she was beautiful. She had wings like how I do. And my brother was the greatest big brother you could ask for."

Carlotta looked up at the sunset as stars slowly started to dot the orange sky, as the darkness of night started to pain the orange canvas of sunset.

"Dad died a long time ago so we only had each other," Carlotta explained. "But we were happy."

Carlotta took a breath. "And then Dardargnan attacked. My mother was the first to go, a spear straight to her heart." Carlotta choke. "They burned the rest who were still in their cocoons. My brother and I fled through the forest, we got separated from the rest. We thought they wouldn't find us but they did."

Tears started falling down Carlotta's face. "The last I saw of him was arrows struck to his back, gasping for breath. And from the one I was..."

Alone.

Alone and cold.

In the dark, damp streets of Pewter begging for food. For shelter. The summers were okay but the winters were the worst. The cold was like a needle, the wind like knives. And she was always hungry, having to live off scraps and food in the trash and the pity of strangers. She had to steal. She was always on the run and she was always alone.

And it was always, always so god damn cold.

Carlotta started crying, tears falling down her face. It was already nighttime, the moon casting a silver glow on the ground below.

A cool breeze blew in. Carlotta laughed. Cold again.

But not this time.

Carmen pulled her close, surprising Carlotta.

"Whenever I used to cry my Sensei would always hug me like this," Carmen said shyly. "You're crying so..."

Carlotta couldn't help but chuckle at that statement. "Thanks shorty."

Carmen let that slide. Just this one time, he thought.

Whether it was his tail or because he was a fire mage, Carlotta didn't know. But she felt warm, the warmth spreading across her whole body like a wave. After a long, long time living in the cold damp streets of Pewter. After a long time of lonely treks through the empty forest, pillaging whatever scraps of food she could find dangling from the trees, she finally felt warm again.

...

When they returned, Sean and Patricia were still in the lounge. The lounge was still rather packed even in the evening with nurses running around and mage parties having their discussions.

"I booked us some rooms," Sean said. "Room 150 and 151."

"And what about the gym battle?" Carmen asked.

"Day after tomorrow," Sean said. "In the morning, we'll have to be up early."

Carmen yawned. "Alright see you guys..."

"Wait," Sean said. "We can only take two members of our party."

Carmen was taken aback. "Why?"

Sean shrugged. "League rules, nothing I can do about it."

"Anything else?" Carmen asked.

"Well there's going to be a match tomorrow?"

"So?" Carmen said. "That isn't our business."

"Well we can use it as an opportunity to see how our opponent fights," Sean said. "Study his techniques so we're better prepared."

"Alright," Carmen said. "What time is it?"

"10 A.M," Sean said.

"Who's fighting?" Patricia asked.

Sean grinned. "I feel you'll find that rather interesting."

"Why?" Carmen asked.

Sean chuckled. "Tomorrow Blue Oak goes up against Brock, the gym leader of Pewter City."

On hearing this both Carmen and Patricia let out a groan.

...

The Pewter City gym was just a few blocks away from the Pewter Museum. A large imposing building with a roof made of stone, the gym was nothing short of intimidating. When they entered, they were asked by a guard whether they were spectators or challengers. Sean told the guard they were spectators and they were guided to a door that lead to a small hallway with picture frames of previous challengers and gym leaders smirking at them from behind the frame.

The seats overlooked the arena, a large grey field with jagged rocks sticking out from the ground. On one end of the arena, they noticed Blue and Paul doing stretches. Blue with his shield in his hand and Paul with his arms crossed. The gym leader was nowhere to be seen. They were rows of grey seats but very few people. Just an old man, a couple of kids and a boy that looked to be about their age who was quite literally on the edge of his seat, fidgeting like a mouse. The boy was sitting up front which was where Carmen and his party also decided to sit.

"Y-you here to see Blue fight to?" the boy asked Carmen.

Carmen nodded. He noticed the boy had two sharp whiskers by his nose that looked like toothpicks. Instead of normal human ears, he had two big purple ears covered by his large curly afro. Carmen noticed the boy had a tail wrapped around his waist too. It was smaller than Carmen's and didn't have a flame at the tip but rather the tip of his tail curled inwards.

"O-oh you're that charmander mage Blue talks about," the boy said, his whiskers twitching. "The weak one."

"The what?" Carmen growled, causing the boy to wince and bury himself in his seat. "If anything, he's the weak one. And who the hell are you to call me weak?"

"I-I'm sorry," the boy stammered.

Sean who was overhearing the conversation placed a calming hand on Carmen's shoulder.

"Calm down," he said, despite Carmen's protests. "You seem to know a lot about Blue. Who are you?"

"I-I'm Rick," the boy said. "I-I'm in Blue's party."

Carmen was surprised. "You're in his party? You look pretty weak to be in his party."

Rick looked dejected. It was like a sudden wave of depression had washed over his body which was suddenly slumped over and sullen.

Sean walked over to him. "My companion means nothing by that. Isn't that right Carmen?"

Carmen was busy studying the arena to pay any attention to Sean.

"B-but he's right," Rick said. "I-I am pretty weak to be in Blue's party."

"Nonsense," Sean said. "Blue only takes the best of the best. I'm sure he had a reason to pick you."

Or at least Sean hoped so.

Rick still looked dejected.

"Carmen," Sean said firmly. "Apologize to Rick here."

"Why?" Carmen said.

"For calling him weak," Sean said.

"But he is weak," Carmen argued.

Rick whimpered.

"But still, apologize," Sean said.

"Shut up dorks," Carlotta said suddenly. "The match is starting."

Hearing that, Rick suddenly got up excited and jogged over to the railings. Sean sighed and did the same. Carmen also walked over to the railings whilst Patricia and Carlotta stayed seated.

On the opposite end of the arena came two men. One of them was wearing armor made of stone, his spiky brown hair sticking out from a hard helmet that only covered his forehead, cheeks and chin. His eyes were closed, impassive and calm and he held a large spear with a jagged tip with such dignity and pride. Sean had seen enough pictures to know that that was Brock, the gym leader of Pewter City.

The other person was odd. First and foremost, his skin did not look normal. It was a dark shade of brown, like sand. His body looked jagged and rough, like stone. The floodlights bouncing haphazardly off his body. It was almost as if he was made of stone.

"Why does that guy look so weird?" Carlotta asked.

Sean was about to explain but Carmen beat him to it.

"He's one of those geobros..."

"Geodudes," Sean corrected.

"Geodudes I see in the mountain," Carmen said. "When you try to hit them it's like hitting the mountain-face. Their bodies are like steel and they pack a hell of a punch. They even give the warriors in our tribe a hard time. We normally train with them."

Sean nodded. "They're body alterers. Once they go through their ritual their body gets covered with stone. Some say they even have power over the earth itself."

Despite all that, Blue and Paul did not look intimidated. Blue was even smirking. He had his shield in his left hand and his bubble gun in his right.

"I don't know why Blue decided to take Paul," Sean said. "His flying affinity makes him an easy target."

A man with a black and white shirt appeared in between the two titans, looking rather small between them.

"This battle will be two versus two," the referee explained. "The winner is declared when the opposing party is incapacitated. May the best mage win!"

Blue and Paul went up in a defensive stance, so did Brock and the geodude mage.

A timer went down.

3

2

1

And both parties charged.