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COMPLETE: Pokemon Academy Year II: Second Year Rhapsody

Well the academy is a year long thing, they go back to their cities after winter break starts and then come back to the academy until summer.

They are planned to evolve but not yet, I had the two of them evolve shortly after they joined Reggie in Dragon's Roar, but here I'm saving it for a special moment.

Also about the Chigon neglect thing, well that's all going to come out in the next chapter xD
 
[I @Thabet; @AetherX; @Tsutarja; @BlueNostalgia; @Tophat Dragoneye; @Chaosj2; @Instrutilus; @Gym Leader Byron;

All right everyone, this is the first part to the Celadon City Scramble three parter, with these next three chapters we will finally reach the conclusion of the first part of the story and solve two of the longest plotlines that have been going on since the first fic.

Chapter 22: Celadon City Scramble Part 1: Broken Bonds[/I]


“Come on, I want some cotton candy!” came the whine of a girl as she pointed at the snack bar of Celadon City’s contest house. It was oddly empty; as people usually always crowded around it for the sake of buying sweets and such. It was different this time though, since everyone had already gotten into the hang of things and had forgotten the world outside of the stage.

“Carey, I already bought you popcorn,” Valerie chuckled as she looked down at the small girl. The girl turned her face towards her cousin; revealing a frown and causing her brown pig tails to wave around with her. “Reggie gets home today, so why not have him go out and buy ice cream for you.”

“Well, I guess that’s an idea,” the girl said, her fingers scratching her chin in thought as if she was considering the suggestion. “I don’t wanna burden big bro though.” She pouted.

“Don’t worry, Reggie would do anything for you.” Valerie giggled softly and grabbed ahold of the girl’s hand. “How about we go back to the contest, it seems to be heating up.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Carey beamed and began following after her cousin. “I wonder if he and Johann already saw each other.”

“Well, if he’s home, then they probably have.” Valerie nodded her head in agreement. Her question was answered though, in the form of Johann walking down the steps that led from the hallway to the stage. The two siblings stared at each other, almost in bewilderment. “I didn’t think you would come to one of these events,” she snickered.

“Shut up.” Johann groaned with disdain. “Reggie and I came here to look for you girls.”

“So big brother’s back already!” Carey cheered as she smiled at Valerie. “Let’s go see him.”

“Yeah about that.” Johann scratched the back of his head nervously. He sighed to himself and put his hands on his pockets as he stared at Valerie. “Someone named Miko or something,” he muttered.

“Miko!?” Valerie’s face grimaced once she heard the name, remembering what had happened to Reggie back when Miko had her date with Kevin. “I knew Kevin was here but I didn’t think…where are they?”

“Um,I just left them sitting, though they weren’t even talking to each other.” Johann pointed out and began leading both Valerie and a confused Carey back towards the stage.

***

Reggie didn’t know what to do. His head shifted directions constantly, trying to look for some kind of escape that he could grab. Left with no other option, he reluctantly turned his head to see Miko. The girl seemed to be in a similar position as she fidgeted with her hands; almost as if there was something she wanted to say but couldn’t. “So, Celadon is pretty beautiful, huh?”

“Yeah, it is,” Reggie said, his head facing away from Miko. “It’s quiet cold this season though, since winter’s just starting.” He nodded his head and stared at Miko from the corner of his eye.

He just didn’t know what to say to her, the two hadn’t spoken even once ever since the events of that day; not that Reggie felt comfortable talking about it in the first place. “So you came here with Kevin Samuels to see the Lighting of the Christmas Tree?” Reggie wondered.

“Yeah.” Miko smiled, her awkwardness vanishing a little. “It’s always been my dream to watch it and Kevin was going to come here for the contest anyway, so tonight we’ll be going to watch it.”

“So how are things with Kevin going?” Reggie asked rather reluctantly.

“We’ve gone out a couple of times.” Miko’s awkwardness had returned by now, and he could see a hint of hesitation in her voice as she spoke as well. The two of them met once again, words no longer coming out as their eyes stared at each other; obscuring noises and pushing away everything and everyone around them.

“I see.” Reggie replied. He didn’t want to stay there and in all honesty, he didn’t even care about the contest anymore or Johann for that matter; he just wanted to get away and be able to put the conversation behind. He stood up slowly from his chair, causing Miko to get up; her face startled.

“Are you okay? You’re not feeling bad are you?” Miko asked, her hands reaching out for Reggie’s arms; it was to no avail though as Reggie moved his arm aside and began walking.

“I’m feeling a little under the weather, maybe it was the cold air. Could you please tell Johann that I went home?” he pointed out quickly as he walked off; not turning around to even see what Miko was doing.

“Okay.” Miko replied as a small frown crossed her face. She was worried, after seieng Reggie faint on that day she had become scared to be around him; she knew that it had been her fault even if he didn’t want to say it out loud. “I’m sorry Reggie.”

***

“Chi?” Chigon looked up at Reggie worryingly, even it was starting to become distressed over its master’s own problems.

“I’m sorry Chigon. I know you like Miko but I just can’t be around her yet.” Reggie apologized; though he didn’t even took a glance at the dragon while he walked away. He could tell that Chigon was worried, and he couldn’t blame him; only himself. And yet he still did it, every time he though of being around Miko he just wanted to get away without worrying about others’ thoughts.

He remembered what Darren had told him a month before, about how he was selfish and was just scared of not having everyone’s attention. Had he really used Miko as a way to search for attention, to make up for all the years that people never listened to him?

Reggie was brought out of his own thoughts once he felt himself being blocked, his body moved back instinctively to avoid stumbling. He raised his head, an apology at his tongue, before his surprise became evident.

“Reggie Damon? This is indeed a surprise.” Keith Gray stated, his voice sounding clearly surprised and even his eyebrows had been raised as if in doubt. “I did hear that you lived in Celadon but I didn’t expect for the two of us to meet.” His eyes fell down on Chigon; who had moved back and decided to stand behind its Trainer’s legs.

“Keith!?” Reggie gasped in bewilderment and fear. He still felt that strange aura around the teenager, something that just caused Reggie’s whole body and mind to be surrounded with fear and insecurity. As he stared at the Enforcers’ leader he noticed something; he was staring at Chigon attentively, examining its very move. “What are you doing here?” Reggie asked, ignoring the expression that Keith was showing.

“I came to Celadon so that I could help Thomas with something.” He answered. Reggie’s eyes opened in realization when he remembered Thomas Gray, the PIP agent that he had met back in Castelia City. If both Thomas and Keith were in Celadon for the same reason then that meant that Reggie would have to deal with something too.

He began to think about his family, if Celadon really was in danger then what would happen to them? What would happen if Reggie wasn’t strong enough to win...

No, he had to stay out of the situation. He couldn’t risk fighting and losing again; there was no guarantee that he would win anyway, it was all up to chance.

Or at least that’s what he would’ve done if Keith hadn’t spoken again.

“We actually wanted to see you.” Keith’s face became serious once more, his eyes now flashing to Reggie with their usual cold and demanding stare. “Thomas and I wanted to ask you something privately.”

***

Reggie leaned back against the limousine that both Keith and him were riding, his head resting on the cushion of the seat while he stared out the window and avoided contact with Keith. “You know, I hope that we can get along.” Keith spoke suddenly; though his voice didn’t have any concern in it.

“I can understand that,” Reggie said; though he was only speaking to try and get the conversation going. “Does it have something to do with Chigon? That thing you wanted to talk about.”

“I can’t say, Thomas is the only one that will decide.” Once he said this the police car came to an immediate halt. Celadon City’s police station, a place that Reggie would never in his life dreamt of going. He sighed to himself; noticing that Chigon had gotten up and was anxiously waiting for its chance to walk out.

The deeper he was led into the police station the more scared he became. He occasionally turned his head to look at the policemen and workers that stared at every step he made. Needless to say it was one of the most nerve wracking moments of his life; seeing how they all stared at him as if the had done something wrong, which wouldn’t be that farfetched considering who was escorting him.

Of course, their eyes also fell on Chigon; who, like its owner had come increasingly nervous since the moment it walked in; almost as if it knew what was going to happen next.

Reggie just continued to stare at the white walls that surrounded him as well as the offices that the policemen worked in.

Finally they came to a halt, only they were now standing in front of a somewhat larger office block. The office unlike the others was completely made out of glass, which would usually allow for people to see what was going on inside. However, the office’s blinds had ben let down; rendering any and all view from the outside useless.

“You really did mean privately.” Reggie pointed out; though Keith was already opening the door to the office. Reggie followed in once the door was completely opened. Once he walked inside his eyes scanned the office once more. There was a small round table in the center of the room, it had six black lounge chairs surrounding it along with a pile of paper sheets on the center of the table.

There was a small black couch set up right next to the entrance, leather, or at least that’s what Reggie could make out once he touched the fabric. “Reggie Damon. I trust you’re feeling well?”

Thomas Gray was sitting on the right side of the couch, wearing the same brown jacket that he had worn back in Castelia. The man had his arms crossed and his face was turned to the wall on the other side. “Yes...yes I am. Thank you for asking, sir,” Reggie said before bowing his head respectfully; deciding that he didn’t want to get on the man’s bad side again.

“Why don’t you sit down so that Keith and I can talk better? I am sure that you’re wondering what this sudden meeting was about.” Thomas stood up from the couch, creating a soft squishing noise once his body lifted itself away from the fabric.

Reggie complied and sat himself down, with Chigon sitting down on his lap and staring at the two Trainers in front of them. Keith was the one to speak this time.

“I am sure that you just wanted to have a good winter vacation, considering all the things you have gone through since last year I would understand that you’d want to have a chance at peace.” He spoke coldly, though Reggie could tell that he was at least trying to sympathize with him. “Unfortunately there are bigger issues at large.”

“Damon, have you heard of Memento Mori?” Thomas inquired. Reggie raised an eyebrow in doubt, he had heard the name a few times on the news as well as from other students. His knowledge of the subject was still very dim, though.

“I would assume not, considering you had a lot of important matters to deal with before.” Thomas continued. “Memento Mori is a crime syndicate much like that of the Teams of the DEX Era, unlike them though Memento Mori has no qualms with doing away with whatever crimes they wish. Murdering, stealing, bribery, assault none of these things matter for them.”

“Memento Mori has become a large influence in the Underground and its fame has in turn birthed multiple teams to follow their lead, Black Knights are an example of them.” Reggie looke down at the floor at the mention of the Black Knights. To think that the Black Knights were just following after Memento Mori was something that scared Reggie deep in his heart, he was sure that he wouldn’t stand a chance against them now.

“Unfortunately, because of its ties with the Underground, Memento Mori has garnered a lot of fame with gangsters and crime lords. It is because of this that the Region Union has decided to lay low on the subject.”

“However.” Keith interrupted. “Memento Mori has started to move on its own rather than in the shadows, such is the case that we have confirmed that a Memento Mori agent and a few of its Grunts have been spotted and confirmed around the city.”

“Memento Mori Agents are not to be messed with Damon.” Thomas took the baton once more, though this time Keith stepped back; probably deciding to let his cousin take care of the subject on his own. “They are all handpicked, while they might not be the strongest they are above Grunts and they are all criminals that have earned a name for themselves in the Underground.”

Reggie didn’t respond, though he knew that Chigon was probably able to feel how about his body was shaking or even his fear. He knew that he was being cowardly, he knew that he was acting weird but he was honestly scared out of his wits at the thought. “Sure, they may not have legendaries or anything, but if they get a chance they won’t fail in taking it and cutting your throat or whatever they can do, they are not afraid to play dirty in the slightest.”

“We understand if you’re scared, you’re still a normal boy after all… even if you did fight for the academy last year you still lack the life experience to deal with these types of things.” Keith finally spoke once more, and he actually sounded a lot more concerned than what his usual demeanor showed. “That’s why we want to make a proposition to you. We want you to hand us Chigon.”

Reggie raised his head in one swift motion alongside Chigon’s, the two of them staring at the PIP agent and the Enforcer leader as if they were speaking madness. “I knew it, you just want Chigon in the end.” He gritted his teeth in frustration.

“Well, Chigon isn’t yours to begin with.” Thomas shook his head. “It’s a species that hasn’t been seen for thousands of years, be glad scientists have been stopped from going to the academy to take him over themselves.” Thomas scoffed. “Aside from that there’s also the fact that you don’t have the experience to use it, and haven’t even captured it.”

Once the last part of the sentence was mentioned Reggie’s grip on the couch increase. The thought of Clarice’s fiendish smile appeared in front of his eyes. “We can let you sleep on it, however, the quicker you decide the better it’ll be for us and all the people of Celadon,” Keith said urgently.

“If you let us have Chigon then we’ll be able to use him to his full potential and you will no longer have to worry about taking care of him or worrying about losing him, or worrying about others trying to take him for that matter.” Reggie stood up from the couch, not listening to the last thing that Keith had said. The only thing that was on his mind was the door; his only means of escape and his only way to get away from the events of the day.

“Reggie, think about it,” Thomas said. “Isn’t Chigon in itself the sole reason why you have gone through so much trouble, why you lost your normal life and have been subject to so many trials and the reason why you have received the wounds that caused all those regeneration treatments that in turn caused your body to weaken?”

Reggie was actually amazed at how well informed the agent was. But that wasn’t what he was worried about, rather what he had said about Chigon. Was Chigon really the cause for all of the things that had gone wrong? Chigon had helped him after all...and yet.

“Goodbye.” He muttered as he walked out of the office.

***

Chigon stared at Reggie’s back as they passed through one of Celadon City’s multiple parks. He didn’t know what was wrong with his Trainer or why he was so quiet. The only thing he knew was that he wasn’t happy with the way things were turning out and how his trainer and friend had suddenly become so depressed.

“Chi!” Chigon exclaimed, finally causing Reggie to turn around and pay attention to it.

Reggie stared at the ground though, as if he was nervous about something or wanted to keep himself away from Chigon. “Maybe they were right,” he muttered slowly. Realization took a while to sink into the little dragon; its eyes opening wide as it stared at Reggie with heartbroken eyes.

“Chi gon chi chi gon!” Chigon whined, its voice becoming harsher and coming out as barks.

“I mean...” Reggie gritted his teeth together. “Ever since I met you I’ve had nothing but trouble!” he exclaimed loudly, something that made Chigon jump away in shock. His hands were shaking and clenching onto his jacket as a clear sign of anger. “I met the others but to what end, ever since this started I’ve been getting hit, stabbed, attacked and smashed as if it was nothing, what’s more is that now I even lost Miko and I’m still weak!”

He finally raised his head, tears were flowing down his eyes but the expression he showed wasn’t one of sadness or pity...it was anger. “Thomas was right, ever since I met you I’ve only gotten in trouble. I lost everything I had and anything that I could’ve gained.”

“So leave!” he threw his right arm forward, pointing towards the exit of the park this time. Chigon didn’t move though, he could not; his most loyal friend was really telling him to go away, after everything that had happened.

“Chi!

“I said go, damn it!” he screamed in sheer rage, finally causing the Pokémon to step back. Chigon whimpered sadly, tears forming in its eyes.

It didn’t let Reggie see them though, he knew how Reggie felt and if that helped him become happy then he couldn’t complain.

Chigon just stared one last time before slowly turning around and giving his back to his precious friend. No goodbyes were said, no words were uttered and no noises were made as the small dragon began to part ways from his trainer for the first time since their meeting.

As Chigon made his way through the park and into the street he could hear something though. A small glimmer of hope made its way through the Pokemon’s body as it felt footsteps from behind him. “Chi!” Chigon exclaimed.

It was to no avail though. In front of Chigon stood a teenager at around 6 feet, he was wearing a black jacket with spikes on the shoulders and a plain white t-shirt underneath it He had long blue hair that was gelled upwards. A sadistic grin was plastered on the boy’s face along with a matching expression in his blue eyes.

“If it isn’t crybaby Reggie’s pet.” The boy smirked. “Haven’t seen you in a year. What? Did your owner leave you alone?”

“Chi!” Chigon screamed and stepped back.

“He won’t hear you, trust me.” The boy smirked as he walked closer. “I may just be a Grunt but with this I think Agent Martin will be impressed, I could even get a reward.”

***

White, nothingness, emptiness

This was everything that surrounded as he tried to figure out where he was. He could see his hands and feet, he could feel his warm breath coming out as he exhaled, he could feel the warmth of his body.

“Where am I?” Reggie asked curiously. The last thing he remembered was saying goodbye to Chigon, but it was if he had had another blackout after that.

“Welcome to my world.” He heard shrill laugh coming from behind him and in turn made himself face back.

Reggie gasped quickly as he saw the figure standing before him. Jet black hair that mirrored his, a black eye that was only visible through his uncovered eye along with a plain black shirt and jeans. And of course, how could he forget that pale skin and wicked smirk? “We meet again...brother.” the Reggie-like figure hissed.

“You...why are you?” Reggie gasped.

“Don’t worry, I’m not collecting your sorry ass just yet.” The clone stated wickedly, his hand stretching out so as to reach towards Reggie. “But I did come for something else.” He smirked and clicked his fingers.

Suddenly Reggie and his clone became surrounded by two lines of school desks, causing Reggie to jump back at the sudden appearance of the objects. “Class is in session and there are no makeovers.” He smirked.

To Be Continued...

End of Chapter 22
Next Time: Rising from the Ashes
 
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So I've always been behind Pokemon Academy since it began, I never even caught up with Dragon's Roar before it was finished, but finally, finally, I'm completly caught up. :L

I'm not really sure where to start; I don't wanna make this review terribly long, but there's so much to say considering I've essentially just read most of it all in one go.

First of all, and I know I always say this to you, but I'll say it again, your writing. It still needs work of course, but there's obviously so much improvement. I actually just went back and compared the most recent chapter of this with your very first chapter of Dragon's Roar and the difference is astounding, in a good way. Your one of the few fic writers that I've ever come across that gets noticably better over time. I don't mean that others don't get better at all, but it's somehow refreshing that the improvements are so obvious with you.

The story itself has improved too; I think it's a lot more realistic now. Reggie seems to have been having a really rough time recently and I'm actually quite glad to see that, all of this stuff that's gong on makes the story more accessible to me, he seems more real. While he's in Celadon, especially with the addition of this new character, Johann, we'll hopefully get to see a lot more of Reggie's past too.

I only have two real complaints about the whole thing, and they're not big ones. The first one is just that I sometimes think you're trying to do too much at once. Don't get me wrong, it's good that there's so much going on story wise and it makes it really interesting, but you seem to jump between different things quite rigidly. Like I say, it's not a big issue, but it disrupts the flow a tiny little bit. The other complaint is one that others have been saying too; there's still too much focus on Chigon and Reggie relies on him too much. I know Reggie's supposed to be flawed in a lit of ways, an anti-hero, but sometimes his reliance on Chigon is almost pathetic.

However, over all I think I give the fic about an 82/100. The main thing that really pleases me about not just SYR, but DR aswell, is how well you've done it. 'School' fics within franchises are quite common and they're often very cliched, but you've managed to add in a lot of detail and plot twists to make it unique. Like I've said before too, usually I don't like it when fic writers make up new Pokemon, but you've done it excellently in a way that doesn't seem too silly.

Can't wait to read more, and I'll hopefully be able to keep up to date properly from now on! :)
 
Well it's nice to finally see you back :)

Yes you always say how much I grow xD though I have to admit I really have changed since I first started Dragon's Roar.

Yeah, doing a lot of stuff is something that I always worry about. I guess my mind just goes off with idea, for example Memento Mori originally wasn't supposed to have any involvement in this arc but then my mind started going off and I couldn't stop myself. Like I always say don't be afraid to do stuff as long as you know that it'll fit.

As for his reliance on Chigon, well that was mentioned in the story so I'm actually glad you think. That being said while Reggie will rely less on Chigon it by no chance means that Chigon won't fight either.

Yeah I get how academy fics can get, which is funny since the original layout was a lot like a normal academy fic. Arguebly enough it was Chigon who allowed the story and plot to change so much xD
 
So, was that a clone at the end? Interesting! Also, why is the chapter in italics?

The chapter was good except for the fact I didn't really buy Reggie suddenly abandoning Chigon. I mean, the two of them have been through so much stuff and despite everything that Reggie went through and the whole mess of a human he is right now, I never thought he'd say something like that to his closest partner. It made me dislike him, I honestly think you could have handed this in a much better way. Though I assume you wanted us to really believe in this 'Reggie hit the rock bottom' thing so I think you succeeded at that part. I don't really like Reggie as much now, but I hope the next chapter fixes that.

Looking forward to the next chapter!
 
Well that was the effect I wanted so I'm glad. It was mostly cause Reggie's pretty much annoyed and tired about the fact that nothing's going right, so he just blamed it on the poor guy.

And yeah the Shadow is an element that appeared in chapter 42 of Dragon's Roar where Reggie had to enter this cave to face off agianst his own insecurities, he managed to beat it but the shadow told him that if he let his mental state weaken too much he would return to take over him.
 
Memento Mori in Celadon City, Miko and Kevin there as well, the police wanting to get Chigon, Reggie himself abandoning Chigon and now the shadow from the past (pun intended) reappearing?! This guy needs a holiday!

What piqued my interest is this:

“Don’t worry, I’m not collecting your sorry ass just yet.” The clone stated wickedly, his hand stretching out so as to reach towards Reggie. “But I did come for something else.” He smirked and clicked his fingers.

Suddenly Reggie and his clone became surrounded by two lines of school desks, causing Reggie to jump back at the sudden appearance of the objects. “Class is in session and there are no makeovers.” He smirked.

Sounds like his shadow is not here to take over his body, like he promised, but rather talking about something (most likely Chigon in my opinion).
 
Reggie is an asshole, and I really don't like him right now. How could he be so mean to poor Chigon?! D:
 
Nice change of tempo, i like the idea of leaving the school setting a little to go back, it's a nice change of scenery so the school grounds don't get boring or constrained. Anywho, Johann seems like a pretty decent character, a nice guy I would guess. Then we got the tension between Miko and Reggie, cause she's dating that douche Samuel. (Yeah, I said it.) And finally a plan unfolding in the shadows as the bad guys plot to put an end to Chigon!

Mostly, I liked it. Alot of new feelings between the characters, tensions and bonds growing weaker (Reggie and Miko) and some growing stronger (Reggie and Claudia). Alot of changes happening. I also predict a good plot twist coming up and Chigon is part of it ;)
 
Excellent chapter which made me like Chigon more and had no real effect on my view of Reggie XD

I'll admit one thing though, I can imagine someone punching Reggie while calling him an idiot right now :p
 
@Thabet; @AetherX; @Tsutarja; @BlueNostalgia; @Tophat Dragoneye; @Chaosj2; @Instrutilus; @Gym Leader Byron;

This chatper is probably one of the chapters you guys have been waiting for th emost xD, hell it's one I've been waiting for a long time as well and is an important chapter, so I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 23: Celadon City Scramble Part 2: Rising from the Ashes

Azure grinned, his eyes flashing with confidence and mischievousness as he walked down the streets. “I’ll really get a big reward from this.” He smiled, looking down at Chigon, whom he was holding tightly in his arm. “After you and that idiot Reggie defeated me last year I lost everything, my respect, my gang, I ended up dropping out of school...who am I kidding, that’s not something I care about.”

“What I do care about is the fact that I ended up been treated like a fool!” Azure hissed loudly. Chigon shivered in fear as it stared at the teenager, he was too scared and confused to even do anything. After being abandoned by his Trainer he just didn’t know what to do.

“So after that I joined Memento Mori as one of its grunts, but doing grunt work totally sucks. It’s like I’m some kind of lacky.” Azure gritted his teeth in frustration, his steps turning into something more like stomps. “I was the leader of my own gang I shouldn’t be serving some idiot whose name’s Martin. What kind of leader can be named Martin?”

“Chi.” Chigon shrugged.

“I know, right!” Azure yelled. “You know, you’re a really good listener.

However, as Azure got farther away with Chigon he was unable to notice a small shadow that was following him. The person grinned cheerfully, happy to have found what he had been looking for. “That is indeed a funny sight.” He chuckled before he leaned back against a lightpole so as to try and divert attention from himself.

***

Reggie stared at his clone attentively, his face going from shock to fear and to confusion with each passing second. He turned his head to the wooden desks that had suddenly appeared inside of the white abyss. They seemed so realistic, something that didn’t match with the rest of the setting.

“What, did the Meowth get your tongue or something?” his clone asked with annoyance. “Or are you just scared shitless.” He snickered, it was clear that he was enjoying that torment that he was delivering onto Reggie.

Reggie just stared at the shadow in front of him. He could still remember clearly how he had been put to face agains this own darkness the year before in the cave under the academy, how he had received the scar that was still visible on his chest as well as what the shadow had said.

“I said I came to collect.” The shadow smiled eagerly as he walked closer. Reggie didn’t know what to do, each step he took was enough to make Reggie step back and grow even more scared of what could happen. “But I was kidding.” He hissed.

“You...you were?” Reggie gasped with relief. Unfortunately this was cut short, as he was soon pushed down onto one of the chairs of the desk.

“Yes, idiot.” The shadow smiled. “I mean there’ll be no point to me taking over now, your life is full of shit.” The shadow shook his head, though Reggie was actually offended by what he said. “I would have to do a lot of work and I’m too lazy, plus it’s not as fun as just taking everything good you have from you, and right now you have none.”

Reggie looked down at the empty space below him. His shadow was right, he didn’t have anything that he could call his; not now that he had pushed Chigon away. “Hey, don’t act all depressed!” Reggie jumped back onto he chair as he heard a loud crash in front of him, his eye turning to look at the Shadow’s foot as it was put over the desk.

“Listen, why do you think all this crap has been happening to you?” The shadow asked, his face becoming closer.

“Because...it’s just how things go.” Reggie replied as he looked away. “Whenever something good happens in my life it never lasts, that’s just how it goes.” He stated; though the shadow didn’t seem to be content with that answer.

“That’s the stupidest answer I’ve ever heard.” The shadow laughed. “The reason, Mr. Depressive, is that you’re a coward.” Reggie raised his head, his eyes glaring at his shadow who in turn smirked. He lowered his leg once more, only to grab a hold of Reggie’s neck drag him upright. “Whenever things begin going right in your life you get so afraid that they’ll go bad that you don’t want them to change. You try to keep everything how it is.”

“Well, if it’s not then why don’t we look over everything shall we?” The shadow smirked as he pulled Reggie closer. “Ever since the event from last year ended you’ve been desperately trying to keep living a normal school life, to the point that you’ve ignored your Pokémon and even your friends.” Reggie didn’t respond. He didn’t ignore them, did he? They just didn’t share the same interests…

“You keep saying you want to get stronger, but the truth is that you’re afraid, you’re afraid of failing, so you don’t do it.”

Reggie’s mind went back to the events in Castelia, how he had faked his confidence of defeating Cliff; how he had become depressed when he lost. He then thought back to his discussion with Darren and what he had said.

“And when change comes knocking at your door you get so scared that you just shut yourself away. That’s what you did when you first went to the academy and when Miko was captured last year.”

“Shut up.” Reggie groaned.

“Oh, you don’t like to hear your faults huh?” he hissed. “Sorry, but you and I both know you can’t do anything about it.”

“Shut up..”


“No!” The shadow screamed, shoving Reggie roughly. “You know why you couldn’t tell Miko that you loved her, because you were too much of a coward.” He stated with disgust. “You were afraid of her saying no and causing your friendship to break that you didn’t want to risk it.”

Reggie looked away from him. He clenched his fist softly as uneasiness began to fill his body. The shadow was saying things that Reggie couldn’t even begin to disagree with.

“And the reason you don’t want to try and get stronger is because you’re afraid of not being strong enough.” The shadow kept going; a grin actually crossed his face when he saw Reggie’s uncertainty. “No, more like you’re afraid of battling because of what it would mean, it would mean that you accept the changes, that you accept the fact that you will have to fight constantly for your life.”

“In case you don’t know this growth is a part of a human’s life.” The shadow spoke once more. “Now I couldn’t care less but for someone like you I have to say it. STOP WHINING SO MUCH!”

“Could you just be quiet already!” Reggie screamed. He couldn’t hold it in anymore, he had so much saved up inside of him, his feelings for Miko, his’ uneasiness about Chigon it was all too much. “I get it, and it’s true. I’m afraid of change and risks and all that.” Reggie sobbed quietly; his face now looking down at the floor.

“I don’t know, I’m just afraid of failing ever...ever since I was a kid.” He sniffed. “Ever since I was a kid I always failed at everything, sports, games, school and even training.”

Suddenly he heard a soft clapping sound. He raised his head towards the source of the sound, only to realize that the shadow was now clapping at him as he grinned, his smile reflecting that he was proud about Reggie’s declaration. “And why did you fail? Because you dropped everything when it turned out bad, that leads us back to my point.”

He was right. Whenever he tried something new he would always give up when things got back. When he obtained Chigon he always considered giving up, just running away from all the fights and dangers that he would have to face. He had been able to stop himself, at least until it was too much for him.

“Do you like Miko or not?”

“Yes, I like her!” Reggie yelled in response.

“Do you want to be stronger? Do you want to leave the little boy that used to cry alone on the swings.” Reggie and the shadow stared at each other and oddly enough he could actually understand. As he looked at the shadow’s eyes he was finally able to notice. Understanding, misery, despair, they were all things that he could see.

“No.” Reggie stated. For the first time in his life he felt confidence rise in him, he felt sure about what he was saying and didn’t want to run away. “I don’t want that.”

“What?” the shadow asked.

“I can’t leave that kid alone.” Reggie shook his head. “Because it would mean giving up on a part of myself.” The shadow grinned, as if he knew what Reggie was thinking. “If I’m going to change then it’ll be all of me, together, including that kid.”

“You cocky little bastard.” The shadow smirked. The desks began to vanish slowly and were instead replaced by a wooden door that appeared behind Reggie. This in turn caused the trainer to turn around in curiosity; his eyes opening wide when he looked at the door that had appeared. “That’s your way out, only you can go through that door.”

Reggie stared at the door; time stood still, his stood still too. However as he slowly reached for the knob he began to feel something different. He was sure of it, sure about his decision, sure about he would do.

The knob turned slowly, only to reveal another empty space on the other side. “It’s nothing.”

“No.” The shadow shook his head. “Look more closely.”

Once Reggie turned back he was finally able to see something, or rather someone. There was a man standing on the other side, his back facing towards Reggie. He could notice the man’s long brown hair that fell down to his neck and the crimson jacket that he wore.

Reggie felt his chest skip a beat as he stared at the figure, his eyes never leaving it as he took a step forward. “Alex?”

“If you go to the other side, you’ll have a chance, a chance to catch Alex and stand besides him.” The shadow stated. “Who knows, that could even be you some day.” The shadow went quiet after that; almost as if he was thinking for Reggie to give him his answer.

“I want it.” Reggie muttered. “I want to reach Alex!” he yelled before taking one more step forward.

“I want to tell Miko what I feel!” he took yet another step forward, though this time he added more force into it.

“I want to become strong so that I can fight with Chigon!” He stomped on the ground with his right foot, now standing just one step away from the door.

“But most of all.” Reggie turned his head halfway to the back and smiled at the shadow. “I want to save that child that cries on the swing.”

The shadow gasped inaudibly, his eyes becoming wider. In that one moment it was as if everything had vanished, all of his hatred and bad thoughts towards Reggie seemed to have cleared up. “Next time we see each other it might be because you came to collect, but I’ll do whatever I can so that you won’t have to.”

With that last step he was finally able to cross. He felt different though, as if all the answers to his problems were suddenly popping up inside his brain, epiphany, at least that’s what he thought they called it. Reggie smiled to himself and pocketed his hands. “Chigon...wait for me, cause I’m gonna get you back!”

***

Reggied stood up almost instantly almost as if someone that startled him into the land of the awake. He looked around at his surroundings, he couldn’t remember how he had fainted but the fact that he still felt weak showed that it was due to his condition. He was still in the park, that much he knew; but he was still confused as to how long he had been asleep and how far Chigon had gone.

Chigon. He had to look for the dragon once more, now that he had realized his mistakes he couldn’t just let things undone. “I have to find him.” Reggie panted.

There was one problem though, he had no clue as to where he could go. A bigger fear surfaced from deep inside Reggie as he remembered what Keith and Thomas had told him, how they wanted Chigon for themselves. “I can’t let them have him.” He gritted his teeth.

However, something else appeared on his mind when he thought of the two policemen. Memento Mori, what if the agent that they had mentioned had caught onto Chigon? “Damn it. I need to...” he didn’t know what to do. If Chigon had been caught by Memento Mori then he would have to find a way to get him back.

“I can’t let them have him.” Reggie shook his head. Chigon was his friend, someone that he couldn’t just give up on and even if it meant putting his pride aside he was willing to do anything. “Okay then...I think the police station was that way.”

***

Johann stared at the entrance of Celadon City’s docks, his face had become more serious and bothered as he stared at the warehouses that made up the docks.

After having followed Azure and Chigon through the city he was eventually able to reach the docks. Unfortunately he didn’t know what warehouse they had entered and even if he did he had no way to fight back. “I only have Chimney with me right now and even she won’t be able to fend those Memento Mori grunts off.”

He looked down at his phone once more, if only Reggie would’ve given him a call he would be more confident; the two were a team after all. “If he was here I’m sure we would be able to take them down together.” He reassured himself.

He couldn’t wait though, he couldn’t risk having the dragon be taken away from Reggie. He knew how important he was from what Valerie had told him and he wasn’t willing to let his cousin. “He hasn’t replied to my text.”

Johann sighed in frustration as he stared down at his Poke Ball. “I guess I’ll have to do it the old school way.” Johann nodded his head confidently. “Let’s charge head on!”

***

Reggie was sitting in front of Thomas and Keith again, his eyes scanning the police station’s special office once more. What surprised him the most was the difference in atmosphere though, as both Keith and Thomas seemed to be a lot calmer.

“So you basically want us to help you out and get him back after you got rid of him?” Keith was the first one to break the silence, his voice in turn held a sour tone to it. “You realize we could just find him and take him with us right?”

“I know but that’s why I decided to make that agreement.” Reggie suggested, his eyes befalling Thomas.

“Let me get this straight again.” Thomas began speaking once more. “You want us to help you find and recover Chigon in exchange for something.”


“Yes.” Reggie nodded his head, a serious tone in his voice. “As I said, if you help me recover and keep Chigon I will help you out with Memento Mori.” He pointed out, shifting between both Keith and Thomas. “If Memento Mori is still a threat in two years then I will join the police when I graduate and will take whatever training possible, I will also join at any given moment if they become a threat that can’t be easily stopped anymore.” He actually felt calm as he spoke, the words kept coming out fluently unlike his usual shy and nervous manner.

Thomas Gray stared at Reggie intensively, almost as if he was testing to see if the boy was indeed telling the truth. “Again, I say that we shouldn’t bother.” Keith interrupted. “You already abandoned the thing, why should we care.”


“Actually we should.” Thomas stated, his tone of voice actually becoming more annoyed after hearing what his cousin said. “Chigon shares a deep bond with Reggie, I doubt he would want to do anything for us or anyone else for that matter.” He pointed out sagely; his hand scratching his chin softly. “As for him being abandoned, even if he was, the fact that the two shared such a big bond only goes to show that it’ll take a long time, maybe even years before Chigon comes to hate Reggie for it.”

“Hmp.” Keith groaned.

“All right, do we have a deal then?” Reggie asked. He still couldn’t believe what he was doing, making a deal with both Keith and Thomas; a deal that he knew could surely destroy any shred of normal life he had left.

It was different this time though, he had to get Chigon back even if it meant giving away all that up.

“You’ve got yourself a deal, Reggie Damon.” Thomas nodded his head respectfully before he stood up form the couch. The last thing Reggie knew was that Thomas had walked out of the office and was beginning to gather more policemen. “All right people, we have to go, we’re on a search mission.

Reggie smiled and stood up from the seat. Things were starting to change for him, and even if he still didn’t know if he was doing the right thing there was still one thing he knew. He knew that he would just had to get Chigon back.

Then he heard a chime coming from his pocket. “My cell phone?” he wondered as he took the cell phone out.

To Be Continued...

End of Chapter 23
Next Time: Celadon City Scramble Part 3: A Fight and a Confession
 
Well, this was a great chapter! But wait, is that shadow good now? :O

Anyway, like I said, I really liked this chapter. Reggie is still an ass for abandoning Chigon, but I guess I could say he redeemed himself in this one by making the decision that he won't be afraid of changes and risks anymore. Next chapter will FINALLY have the confession so I'm looking forward to seeing how Miko will react. Though I'm certain Kevin won't bother much if Miko chooses Reggie, he always knew Reggie liked Miko.

I'm looking forward to the next chapter! :D
 
Great to see Reggie back on his feet. It certainly took his time. Certainly takes a lot of guts to ask for help from the same people who wants Chigon to help fight Memento Mori.

Azure... Azure... That's the guy who battled Reggie in the last fic when he went back home, right? So he joined Memento Mori. I have a feeling he's chewing on more than he can swallow...

Like Tsutarja, I'm kinda wondering about which side Reggie's shadow is on.

Great chapter, can't wait to read the next one.
 
The shadow isn't actually nice. He's just helping Reggie out of convinience, because he wants to take everything Reggie has away from him when he finally takes over Reggie's body. He can't do it now though because Reggie doesn't really have anything that he could benefit from; as thus he decided to help him out this once.

Yes, Azure is the one that Reggie fought the year before, his childhood bully actually, and yes he is biting more than he can chew.

Anyways, next chapter will be a longer chapter than usual and will be a really important chapter as well, so watch out for it xD
 
Chapter 22:Not a big fan of the random italicization of the whole paragraph, don't get me wrong I didn't hate it. But, remember to consider that you want people to pay attention to your story, not the font in which it is typed in.

Anyway, I didn't expect to see ol' Keith in Celadon as well as learning Memento Mori is a crime syndicate. Not only that the Enforcers are trying to gain control of Chigon. This chapter made me feel a bit indifferent to Reggie, sure you go low and low but I don't think I would go that far as to release someone who has helped me out a lot in life. It just seems a bit rough. Interesting cliffhanger, a doppelganger Reggie appearing. I wonder how this is going to built upon.

Chapter:23
That was an interesting chapter. So the shadow clone Reggie is partly the reason for Reggie not being afraid to take risk and get stronger anymore, interesting indeed, I like it. Oh, and not to mention the whole Chigon situation is sorta something that Reggie will have to fix. Azure seems like an interesting enemy I thought that Martin joke was pretty funny. If anything Azure and Shadow Reggie seem more like "anti-heroes" so far. Though I would have to see more to get a better judgement of things. But, I give you props. I wonder how this whole Miko, Kevin, Reggie thing will work. It would be interesting if Reggie was rejected.
 
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that the shadow is a manifestation of all of Reggie’s doubts, fears, and anger sorrow, so in a sense, the shadow is the kid on the swing. That means that Reggie is going to face everything in him which helped create that and in essence, remove the cruddy feelings from the shadow?

Pffffft Martin………

Also interesting deal, though I assume it’ll have a significant role later on as I predict he will be enlisted early.

All in all, good chap, just reread it before you post next time :p
 
@Gym Leader Byron; The italics thing was actually something that came out of nowhere really, I don't know why it came out in italics when I posted and after that I forgot to edit it.

Well I was trying to portray Azure in a simpler light, he's basically just a high school bully, someone that thinks he's a bigshot but he isn't bad enough to be considered a real bad guy just a bully that's trying to make himself look bigger in front of others.
@Chaosj2; Ding ding ding ding, you get a free sundae xD yeah that's what I meant there, Reggie is going to try and change himself while also accept all of those feelings he casted aside, this way he can help the shadow by taking away all the suffering.
 
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