The third Apostle looked into his eyes. Bearing down into his soul as his past self had reflected into hers. She had never once thought Blue would go this far to try and stave off her forces. Yet, here he stood; his eyes slanted with frustration.

The girl started to well up after seeing so much darkness within him. She was confounded by this attitude and she had no choice but to retrieve her Pokémon. The poor thing would probably need more than just healing at the Pokémon center. Rather, Vulpix would need stitches.

Blue got too violent for his own good and was careless about his opposing trainers Pokémon. Showing that he had no concern about whether the battle was to be competitive. It was now survival of the fittest and Penny was determined to show that same retribution back at him.

"I'll never forgive you for what you have done to my Pokémon." She sniveled as her tears tumbled down her cheeks. Pulling out her final toss; she revealed her signature pup-Pokémon Growlithe whom we've encountered from her Grunts.

She arched her back forward and angled her legs across the concrete floor for balance. It became intense and personal now that Blue had gotten into her head.

She readied her final Pokémon to battle.

"Growlithe, Takedown!" She squealed in fright.

The pup growled and charged with a dash toward the exposed Kadabra. The brunt end of Growlithe's skull compounded against the cat's abdomen. Jettisoning him several feet toward the opposing wall which had only infuriated Blue further.

"Psybeam again!" He fumed.

The Psychic-type Pokémon recovered with a swift levitation off the ground and raised his spoon towards his target. His mind began to bend the room around him. Increasing the frequency ten times the amount than his usual threshold would provide.

Pokémon Tower's third floor was being thrashed by this attack. The room quaked about from the vibration as the tune continued to intensify. The headstones of all the Pokémon that had died within that room cracked and shattered from their foundations. The six stained glass windows that lined the north and south side of the building were also devastated by the exuberant pressure.

Pushing Growlithe against Penny's abdomen. Flinging them against the same concrete wall that Vulpix had met from her demise. This intense weight added onto Penny as her Pokémon smashed against her. Exhibiting physical, internal injury to the point that she coughed up blood.

Both had sunken to the floor prostrate. Growlithe's and Penny's energy weakened from the intense summon. The frail, slender girl regained her footing and although she couldn't breathe. It was like her lungs had fluid already been building up.

"Hack-hmnm!" She exhaled more blood a few feet across from her.

"Y-you're Pokémon look tired." She croaked.

"So is yours." He furrowed.

A solemn silence befell the room and the battle was becoming even more severe now that this had become a battle to the death.

Pokémon were missing, Team Rocket and Team Love were both in the Tower and the risks of advancing further had shown just how debilitating this rescue had become for Blue.

Not only that, it was a loss for Penny. The plan to securely take them away from a powerful trainer like Blue was not going to be easy.

The Apostle knew that from the offset. However, she didn't expect Blue to be this skilled in his current state. Penny had lost to him a multitude of times but this was becoming even more difficult now that the battle was nearing close to the wire.

Growlithe's tongue was out and was showing exhaustion along with Kadabra who was also panting and sweating from the amount of power that he was able to use with his mind.

"I only wanted to prove to you the importance of caring for your Pokémon. Why are you so stubborn? Why do you insist on holding such a sick philosophy?"

"I am not like my grandfather." He furrowed. "I only want to achieve my goal."

"Your grandfather would never approve of your abhorrent behavior. You nearly killed my Vulpix..." She said as she wiped the remaining blood dripping from her lips and onto her sleeve. "Your disgusting attitude toward your Pokémon will end right here. Ember attack, Growlithe!"

"Grow!" Blurted Growlithe with a nod.

Aiming his nozzle toward his target. The heat built up within his chest and the pup opened his mouth. Propelling his final projectile for a finishing move. The fireball struck Kadabra in the stomach and seared his body. Pushing his frail frame back and rolling him along the concrete floor to incapacitation.

"Tch."

Blue was getting tired of Penny testing his patience. He knew that this battle was now in his favor. The injured Pokémon was retrieved and Blue released his third most powerful team member onto the battlefield. The second Pokémon he caught on Route one before his adventure ever began.

Raticate.

The sniveling rat-Pokémon was already looking pretty weak after receiving the burns from Vulpix but his love for his trainer never wavered and he obediently snarled toward his opponents Pokémon as a show of strength, eager to win the fight.

Penny was quite stunned to observe this. The Apostle welled up in tears from the raw, exuberant steadfastness she witnessed. She knew that this Pokémon really loved him, but did Blue truly know? Did Blue even acknowledge the love that he had for him?

Raticate had a precious quality about him. He showed that he would fight with whatever strength he had left. This loyalty was determined by his stance, his eager snarl, and the courage to fight back.

But Blue would still not see it.

"Hyper Fang! Finish him off!"

With what felt like a flash, the rat had growled and maneuvered across the ground, increasing his speed. Darting above a headstone with a terrible vengeance. Raticate approached the pup and enlarged his snout, exposing his teeth for a finishing move.

Growlithe had little time to react as Raticate bit down on his neck. Applying severe pressure toward the Pokémon's lower jaw. He suffered serious injury from the bite and squealed, collapsing to the floor.

The battle had ended, and Penny crumbled to the floor in bitter defeat. She couldn't even utter a word of lecture. She was not strong enough to get the message across to his stubborn head yet, she knew in her beliefs, she was right. His behavior and his philosophy on being that absentminded of a trainer was self-destructive, and she wanted to make sure he understood that fact. Unfortunately, due to her incompetence in her training, she had failed to convince him otherwise and that bitter defeat from him ached her weary heart even more.

Raticate's burns were a little more severe than before and he collapsed following after Growlithe's defeat to an exhaustive state.

"Do you have a Burn Heal, Blue?" She hastened with worry after witnessing Raticate's violent fall.

Blue only nodded with a verbal response to his enemy. Approaching his Pokémon and gently kneeling and placing his hands on the burn marks created by Vulpix's flamethrower. They were serious and it seemed to have deepened further into the third degree across his chest. The burn marks were painful to the touch and the poor rat began to squeak and shiver about. His limbs twitched trying to bare the pain.

"H-hold on..."

Penny had finally witnessed it. Blue's gears had shifted. He went from a man showing no concern to his Pokémon at all, to one of a gentle caregiver.

My friend reached into his bag and pulled out a green spray bottle. Applying the healing remedy with a gentle application. The Pokémon could feel the searing sharpness as his trainer did his best to hold him down. Spraying the healing remedy with careful consideration. It wasn't enough to stave off the pain.

"Dieeerre." He cried to his Trainer with woeful tears in his eyes.

This was only enough to try and heal normal first-degree burn wounds during performative battle. Raticate was mortally wounded and was breathing erratically. There was no way for him to recover from severe injuries like this if Blue didn't act fast.

"Should we take him to the Pokémon Center?" She inquired with tearful concern. Slowly approaching to assist Blue in any way she could.

The boy shook his head and offered up his reasoning.

"The Pokémon Center is closed, no one is running it. If I go back there, he'll have already suffered more."

The winds fell calm for a moment and all Blue could do was contemplate on what he should do. The Burn Heal didn't work and it didn't make sense to apply more to an already serious wound that went deep toward his organs. Even with a third-degree burn, Raticate's vitals and his organs were beginning to fail.

But there was an idea.

"What if we place him in the sanctuary?" Gestured Penny to the patch of light that emitted from the floor. The same pattern that undulated into a strange symbol was used as a healing factor to both the Trainers and the Pokémon. Blue nodded and turned to face his injured burden before him.

"You're right. Help me lift him gently?" He asked Penny who, although battle stricken. Was eager to help his enemy after their bout. Each of them placed their hands underneath his frame. Raticate weighed a good forty pounds so he was going to be a little heavier to lift with just Blue around.

They heaved the Pokémon from off the ground and the trainers approached the sanctuary toward the middle of the room. Penny and Blue could feel that their Pokémon from that energy had instantly healed them. Unfortunately, Raticate wasn'texperiencing any healing from this mystical essence.

"Raticate, how come this can't heal you?" Inquired Blue with concern.

"Dieeer" he cried once more.

Penny sobbed, there was so much regret in her heart after what had happened tonight. Her tears wet her brown garment from the uncertainty of all of this. She never wanted to harm Blue's Pokémon and her trying to prove a point to him tonight was a grave mistake.

They placed the Pokémon on the sanctuary floor. Hoping, waiting for anything to happen.

Raticate's breathing got heavy and his limbs and tail twitched about. His pleading cries reached them as they watched helplessly with no manner of medical expertise. But Raticate's eyelids closed and the Pokémon slipped into unconsciousness.

Wait! Raticate.. Raticate stay with me please? Do you need a Super Potion? I got one right here—

Penny grabbed hold of his arm to try and stave off his impulses. Raticate was at his limit, there was nothing they could do.

"What the hell is wrong with you!? He needs help!"

"It's too late, Blue." She hushed while keeping herself hidden from within the cloak.

"No, it's not too late."

Blue inadvertently tore off a piece of his green-sleeved jacket and with urgent haste wrapped it around the Pokémon like a bandage. Something, anything that he could do to try and get the Pokémon to feel better. After wrapping the bandage around his big friend he could feel his heartbeat stop.

"No-no-no, you can't... wait, wait-wait-wait-wait-wait!" Trembled the defiant Blue Oak who couldn't hold back his billowing sadness any longer. The regret of loss started settling in on this hot-headed Trainer and it had only worsened now that Raticate was no more...

The Diamond of three sobbed along with him. This was the moment that they both realized they had lost control of the situation. His life and all that he did to try and benefit Blue up until this point was due to the consequence of inaction.

Even from the very trainer he loved so much.