Alex's situation was worse than he had initially realised. Not only had he lost his prestigious title of being the best battler in the year but now he was slipping in classes as well. Since the start of the year, he'd never exactly been up there with Bella's levels of intelligence but working by her side helped an extraordinary amount and he'd managed to make a half decent start, establishing himself well in his newer, higher sets. But three weeks away from school meant three weeks of work missed which meant he was badly behind. Concepts that seemed simple to most, Alex couldn't even begin to comprehend so he simply just fell even more behind with work.

As for his chances with Megan, he'd thought for a brief moment that he might be in with a shot but now Thomas was exceptionally wary of him. Alex couldn't catch a second alone with Megan to talk about how he felt and even if he did, Thomas had made a pretty serious threat that Alex knew wasn't empty. For now, he'd steer clear of them both until his mind was in a better place. Unfortunately, it wasn't an easy thing to forget and thoughts of wanting Megan back regularly struck him, bringing him into a state of sadness.

He could've done without all of the extra attention as well. Every time he bumped into someone in the corridors, they'd treat him like a celebrity who just recovered from a serious illness. People regularly exclaimed how thrilled they were to see him conscious but in all honesty, Alex didn't know who they were. They just reminded him of that crushing experience in the strange dark world.

He still didn't know what to make of the whole thing. An alleged future where he ordered his Pokémon to carry out the most sinful of crimes? He couldn't believe it. But still, there seemed to be so many elements that made sense, so much that the voice had known that he couldn't help but wonder if he was capable of such acts. Every now and then, he'd take out a Pokéball and look at it, as if he'd find the answer, thinking to himself if his Pokémon were really that dangerous. He always decided it was a question for another time, before pocketing whichever ball he'd chosen and moving on.

It really was a sad affair. In as little time as made no difference, he'd gone from the best battler in the year, maybe even the school, to irrelevant in both practical and theoretical sides of being a trainer. He'd failed in getting his philosophies across to Cooper, who could only brag about the situation, and he hadn't even battled since, too worried about the voice's predictions to send out his Pokémon.

"Is this what it feels like to lose?" he asked Bella one day after class. Cooper had just finished his boasting for the day, remarking how good it felt to be number one whilst Alex and Bella trudged back to the Azelf dorm.

"Well, how do you feel?" she asked, trying to sound bright and cheery.

"Like shit." he replied bluntly. "Like the only thing I was ever good at just got taken from me, turned against me and now it just hurts me. It's feels like I'm sinking and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

"Aside from being a touch overdramatic, that's pretty much it." Bella nodded as they passed the red brick bridge. "You were the first person to ever beat me and I just remember feeling completely crushed. I'd worked so incredibly hard and then you just showed up and made it look like nothing. I felt so demoralised."

"I did that to you?" Alex said, stopping for a moment.

"Yeah." Bella smiled. She looked him in the eye and took his hands. "But we weren't really friends back then were we? We were more like rivals, constantly fighting over who's way was better and you really got on my nerves."

"I'd never commit such a horrible crime." Alex grinned for the first time in a while.

"In fact, you still do a little," she laughed, "But trust me Alex, that feeling will go away in time. You just need to realise how valuable of an experience losing is. Sure, winning is great, but you learn so much more from losing. For a naturally gifted battler like you, you could learn an incredible amount from just one defeat."

"You really think so?" Alex asked. "I mean, what's the point of battling if you can't win?"

"How do you know you can't win if you won't even battle?" Bella pointed out. "Don't try and deny it, I've noticed that you haven't battled since you lost. C'mon let's have a quick match right now."

"I dunno..."

"C'mon, just for a bit of fun." Bella insisted and without even waiting for a response, she dropped Alex's hands and ran a short distance away before sending out her Pokémon. "Lucario!" Bella's signature Pokémon hit the field, giving Alex a small grin when it saw him. After all, they'd worked together during doubles practice last year.

"Alright then." Alex shrugged. "Go-" Alex had grabbed a random Pokéball and had begun his usual arm slinging motion when it suddenly hit him. His arm was almost directly in line with his head when he was struck with unbelievably realistic images of Bella's body savagely being carved up, just like in the dark world. He froze in place, struck by a wave of fear. Could this be the moment? If he sent this Pokémon out, would it be the start of his murderous rampage?

"Alex?"

"I... I..." Alex breathed deep heavy breaths and he was suddenly aware of how much he was sweating. If he sent out the Pokémon, there could be no stopping it and he would have blood on his hands. There was only one way to prevent that future from happening. His arm fell to his side, limp and the Pokéball slipped from his grasp, bouncing onto the floor, still closed. Without even thinking, he turned and ran.

"Alex!" he heard Bella's cried but she couldn't stop him. If he really was a monster and his Pokémon were dangerous then there was one obvious solution. He pumped his arms and legs faster than he knew possible, sprinting over the red brick bridge and towards the forest where Bella couldn't catch him. Where nobody could catch him.