The Iron Valiant crashed through the trees, breaking through the branches but landing on its feet—it had taken worse falls before. A nearby Girafarig, one hiding behind a trunk to peek out at the fight, reflexively kicked out its hind legs when its tail noticed the Iron Valiant's presence, but the Iron Valiant only needed to bring up the staff of its polearm to blunt the blow, and then the Ir...
2025-08-22 20:45:25 +0000 UTC View PostThe vastness that stretched over the Iron Valiant’s head felt as though it threatened to swallow it whole. Without a ceiling to hold everything in, it was like at any moment, it would start falling straight up.
That was a ridiculous thought, but it could not get over just how alien this landscape felt. Solid growths that led into tendrils of green spotted the terrain at the same rate th...
2025-08-20 22:48:39 +0000 UTC View PostThe crystalline blue of the cavern’s light gave way to a dull, colorless glow. The massive outcrops that had defined the environment were now nothing more than scattered bunches and a few small flakes in the ground. The solid, dark stone of the floor was now a crumbling brown. The towering chasm that had connected so many hanging platforms was now far behind them, having been replaced with tw...
2025-08-18 22:23:15 +0000 UTC View PostThe Iron Valiant practiced. That was all it did as time passed. It fell into a rhythm of imagining an opponent before it, and it repeatedly swung its blades.
Its strikes came with a practiced ease. Its weapon sliced the air. It would picture its opponent fighting back, and then it would parry and block those foreshadowed moves.
The scratches at the door continued, and they were grow...
2025-08-15 22:35:19 +0000 UTC View PostThe deep red of the emergency lights mixed with the white and pink of the Iron Valiant's glow. The metal slab that had crushed this room’s door remained precariously still, and the only audible noise was the quiet humming from the Iron Valiant’s chest and Nick's exhales nearby.
However, every so often, a faint noise came from outside.
...Scrtch.
Scrtch!<...
2025-08-13 23:44:25 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor Note:
Chapter 1 can be found here.
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“The lab I want to go to isn’t that far away. Honestly, it’s not even that far from where I first woke up. It’s just a few ledg...
2025-08-11 22:42:24 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor Note:
This chapter and all other chapters of this fiction will be public. You shouldn't need to be subscribed to read them. This work is only a short story, so it will be completed within the next two-to-three weeks. Expect to see the fiction go up on Royal Road toward the start of next week. I'm aiming for a MWF release schedule.
Chapter 2 will be out later ...
2025-08-11 22:09:31 +0000 UTC View PostYou can find the original page for the poll here.
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Royal Road does not support multi-question polls, so when creating this poll,...
2025-07-15 20:13:20 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor Note:
First part here.
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Professor Oak had told Sam that working on his ranch would be intensive—and the old man had been completely correct. Every day, hundreds...
2025-07-11 00:43:11 +0000 UTC View PostSam caught a flight to Viridian City. It was the closest place with an airport near Pallet Town. Upon arrival, the difference between that Kanto city and most Johto cities became apparent almost immediately. While it did have a dense, modern downtown district, once Sam got past its tall skyscrapers, the rest of the place was rolling hills broken up by the occasional home.
The road south w...
2025-07-10 23:34:27 +0000 UTC View PostSam wasn’t entirely sure how he got here, but if his mother was going to present him with a challenge, then he was not going to let her down. He had faced Redi, Eliza, Xavier, and even Victor. He had placed at an incredible top eight in the Conference. His achievements were immense, and his team’s power was great.
But he knew nothing about how his mother fought or even just how strong...
2025-07-09 03:08:10 +0000 UTC View PostSam was on his final Pokémon, but Victor still had two. This entire battle had been a slog of back-to-back knock-outs, with one Pokémon tiring itself to knock out another just to be knocked out in return by whatever healthy Pokémon was sent out next.
Victor had come out of the gate swinging, catching Sam off guard by proving that Ghost Types could still be trapped. As a Fire T...
2025-07-08 01:38:37 +0000 UTC View Post“Make way, make way! Future Conference Champion coming through!”
Redi practically burst straight into the restaurant before Sam, and Sam awkwardly followed her in. Just about every person here quieted down to send a look at the newly arriving pair of trainers.
And then everyone saw just who they were.
And the entire place erupted into cheers.
Sam and Redi got to eat ...
2025-07-04 21:38:24 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor Note:
This chapter took significantly longer than expected, so changes to Chapters 165 and 166 will be released tomorrow instead of today.
In the meantime, Chapter 168 has been updated! The focus was on improving quality and framing, so no major events have changed. It’s just written better than it was before. You can read it 2025-07-03 04:02:24 +0000 UTC View Post
“Dragonair has Shed Skin to cure herself of status conditions. She’s capable of great bursts of speed that can outmatch yours, and we can’t ignore her Dragon Type,” Sam said to Drakloak as fast as he could. “So, overall, expect a tough battle.”
Across from him, Redi went through her own set of warnings to her Pokémon, and neither Dragon Type looked away.
From atop Drakl...
2025-06-30 03:22:56 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor Note:
Chapter 171 will be up in a few hours, but I wanted to get something out right now. In the author's note at the end of the next chapter, I’ll be talking about the upcoming schedule as well as my plans from here.
(It should be good news. Due to the nature of the next few chapters, there’ll be more frequent releases until the end of the ficti...
2025-06-29 23:52:20 +0000 UTC View PostHello! Thank you for all of the kind comments. Currently, I am planning for chapters to resume next Tuesday, on July 1st. A few recent chapters will be updated toward the end of this week and/or over the weekend.
See you soon.
2025-06-23 22:05:25 +0000 UTC View PostI want to sincerely apologize for the quality of the last few chapters. I’ve been suffering from pretty extreme burnout recently, and I thought I could push through and last until the end. However, all that has done is mean my energy to write has been at the lowest that it's ever been, and chapter quality has been on a drastic decline.
One of the main reasons I was gearing up to end thi...
2025-06-17 15:00:57 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor Note:
You can read the updated Chapter 170 HERE!
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The audience’s cheers were a low, underlying hum. The announcers' voices were nothing more than muffled wh...
2025-06-13 22:14:48 +0000 UTC View Post“Do you believe in fate? No. Of course, you don't. You've always been one to believe in the sanctity of choice. That’s been your guiding principle for years, hasn’t it?”
Mr. Pokémon leaned back in his chair.
“Truthfully, I'm in the same boat. The idea of some greater force that defines our actions is completely ridiculous. Our decisions are not predetermined. Nothing limi...
2025-06-10 22:11:09 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor Note:
This chapter has been edited and reworked as of July 1st.
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Typhlosion could barely stand. Even now, facing the very last opponent for this fight, she wobbled in place. The only reason she wasn't falling unconscious was due to sheer adrenaline. If she didn't do ...
2025-06-06 23:13:29 +0000 UTC View PostThe Honchkrow was a wraith, a spectre of Sam’s inevitable defeat. Darkness stuck to its feathers like tar, and energy drifted off its body like ash as it lifted itself back into the air and curved around to land before Xavier.
Trevenant, with a long gash in the bark of his chest, disappeared into red light. As he slowly clipped his Pokéball back to his belt, Sam spoke the sole question...
2025-06-03 22:05:01 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor Note:
Apologies for such a late chapter. I’m operating on three hours of sleep, so revisions were tough. Please tell me if anything doesn’t make sense, or if there are any blatant mistakes!
The first part of this chapter received edits / rewrites on July 3rd, 2025.
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Author Note:
This chapter received edits / rewrites on July 3rd, 2025.
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Sam’s Pokémon made themselves comfortable within his small Pokémon Center bedroom. Annihilape wasn’t interested in planning for the next battle, so he just hopped up onto the bed and began to snor...
2025-05-27 23:13:30 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor Note:
I’ll be taking Friday off to give myself one last break before the fiction is over. Right now, I’m expecting about a month of chapters to be left, but that may or may not change given that they’re only planned out and not written.
Additionally, I’ll be using this time to try to revise Chapter 161. Sam’s meeting with Agatha didn’t quite come ...
2025-05-20 21:58:48 +0000 UTC View PostWhen Sam and Redi returned to town that night, Redi had to practically sprint back to meet with Mr. Pokémon’s researchers. She and Sam barely had time to chat, but Sam agreed that he shouldn’t go. The tests would likely involve a great deal of poking and prodding to discover exactly what Ursaluna could do now that he had evolved, and both of them only wanted the other to learn about their ...
2025-05-16 22:54:35 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor Note:
Skip this note. This is a spoiler blocker for anyone visiting the page. Skip this note. This is a spoiler blocker for anyone visiting the page. Skip this note. This is a spoiler blocker for anyone visiting the page.
I hope you have a good day!
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“That...
2025-05-14 00:09:37 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor Note:
Apologies for such a late chapter! I ended up re-writing it several times over. A small handful of sections will need to be touched up later, but it now includes everything I want it to include.
Edit from the future: This chapter will be subject to some revisions.
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Author Note:
Second chapter today!
Make sure you’ve read the chapter posted before this one!
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“I believe you, but surely a Pokémon can h...
2025-05-06 22:10:01 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor Note:
This chapter has a cruel cliffhanger.
...So I’ll be posting a second chapter after this one. You should see it up within the next few minutes.
Also, if you missed it, there is a poll going on for the next fiction! You can find it 2025-05-06 22:05:01 +0000 UTC View Post