Even though Maylene knew that it was not safe for her to trust Bruno so fast, she couldn’t help but do trust him.

All the man’s Pokémon had the utmost respect and undying loyalty for him, something that she had only seen in Crasher Wake, and only after years of spending time with him. And while she and Chuck had their differences, the fact that he trusts Bruno was reassuring.

Maylene had not trained for a few days, only observing him and Brawly, something that Bruno seemed to understand, and ever since then, he had ignored her, letting the young girl sit on the beach and observe him and his Pokémon train opposite Brawly and his own Pokémon. Riolu had always been by her side, never letting himself back into his Poké Ball, but even he seemed to be gradually trusting Bruno.

Perhaps it was the fact that Brawly was present that was reassuring to Maylene and Riolu, maybe his presence meant that Bruno wouldn’t dare attack her again. Even though Maylene was starting to feel safe around Bruno, she still couldn’t bring herself to train with him. She was sure that Bruno wouldn’t harm her, but his training seemed very harsh.

While Crasher Wake focused on making Maylene and Riolu think as one, and Chuck focused his training on making the Pokémon stronger and sturdier, Bruno focused his training on the humans. Observing Bruno as he trained Brawly, it seemed that the young apprentice was as exhausted by the training as his Makuhita, if not more.

It was a hot day, and once again, Maylene lingered away from the training, observing from a distance as Brawly panted heavily. Makuhita, being a Pokémon, had long since been able to split a brick in half, but Brawly had been struggling for a few days.

‘Do you ever intend on joining Brawly?’

Both Maylene and Riolu turned around, and the Pokémon flung himself protectively before Maylene at the sight of Bruno.

‘How long have you b-been standing there?’ stuttered Maylene, all the feelings of safety she had developed quickly evaporating.

‘Just a few seconds,’ said Bruno. ‘Will you join Brawly for your training or not?’

‘I… I don’t know yet,’ said Maylene. ‘I just-‘

‘I want an answer now,’ said Bruno, and Maylene got up off of the rock she had been sitting on as the large man took a step forward. ‘You can either start now, or leave.’

Bruno’s voice was loud enough to draw Brawley’s attention to the pair. Riolu remained before Maylene, though he had no clue as to what to do if Bruno decided to attack. Even Riolu couldn’t believe it, but the human was too strong for him.

‘An answer, now,’ said Bruno.

‘I can’t decide that quickly!’ said Maylene, trying as hard as she can to sound confident. ‘You have to give me time!’

‘You’ve had more than enough time,’ said Bruno. ‘If you stay on this rock for the rest of your life, then you’ll never become a Gym Leader. This moping will not benefit you; it’s time you grew up, and faced your life.’

Maylene wanted to retaliate, but all she could think of was arguing for more time. If she said yes, she would be sucked into training that she was convinced was too much for her at that moment, especially now that her fear of Bruno had returned with full force, and if she said no, then she would miss out on this opportunity. Maybe that’s why she had been feeling safe; Bruno had not spoken to her at all for days.

It was at that point that the muscular four-armed Pokémon approached the group, and stood behind Bruno. He folded his arms and stared at Maylene, a grin widening his face, unlike Bruno, who stood completely motionless.

‘Decide now,’ said Bruno. ‘Or you’ll have to leave against your will.’

Maylene still stood as if she was about to break into a run, and Riolu, although he remained in front of her, turned his head and started looking expectedly at his Trainer as well.

‘And whatever your decision is, don’t think you can change it,’ said Bruno. ‘If you say no, never come back again and expect me to train you.’

‘Fine, I’ll leave,’ said Maylene.

At those words, Riolu completely turned around, giving his back to Bruno, and faced his Trainer. He started protesting, but it seemed useless; for some reason, Maylene had refused the opportunity to become stronger. It couldn’t have been because Bruno had defeated her; that would never get in her way.

He turned around, facing Bruno and his Pokémon, before jumping off of the rock. He rose into the air, his arm extending behind his body, and thrust it at the Pokémon, who blocked it with ease. Riolu fell to the ground and took on a challenging stance.

‘You want to battle Machamp?’ Bruno asked, and Riolu responded with a yell.

Machamp looked at Bruno expectedly, and the human gave a nod. At once, he jumped forward, and Riolu only had a second to fling himself back before Machamp’s fist dug deep into the sand. A loud muffled thud came as the earth shook, and sand flew in all directions. Machamp jumped towards the Riolu, smashing the rock Maylene had been sitting on, and once again missing the small Pokémon who managed to duck just in time.

Maylene’s eyes had been covered ever since Machamp’s fist had hit the ground, and sand flew towards her, but when she lowered her arm she saw that she was against the cliff at the far end of the island, her feet not touching the ground. Bruno’s arm was wrapped around her waist, and she hung like a ragdoll.

‘Machamp would have hit you,’ said Bruno as the two Pokémon continued to fight, Riolu doing nothing but dodging Machamp’s attacks. ‘Right now, he’s only attacking Riolu in the most basic form, and I will start ordering some attacks from him; I suggest you do the same.’

But there was nothing that Maylene could think of; whenever Riolu landed on the ground, he only had a second before Machamp had reached him again, and he had to jump away again. Her only option was to retreat her Pokémon. She drew Riolu’s Poké Ball from her pocket, but Bruno’s hand swatted it away, and the sphere flew towards the rocks before shattering as it hit them.

‘No retreating!’ Bruno shouted as he dropped Maylene to the ground.

She became much more frightened. It was as if all her insides had clamped onto each other, and the fear in her increased each time Machamp shook the earth beneath her. With Bruno towering over her, and Machamp’s giving one vicious attack after the other, Maylene was convinced she would die.

‘Start battling!’ Bruno shouted again, and Maylene broke into tears.

She started sopping hysterically, her face against the sand and her yells of anguish louder than the smashing rocks. Beside her, Bruno shouted an order, and a cry of pain echoed throughout the island. Everything stopped, and Maylene hoped that it would stay that way, but then there was a light thud, and Riolu’s body was left sprawled across the ground, surrounded by a cloud of dust.

Maylene looked up, wiping the tears and sand from her face. Her Pokémon was coughing blood, and his left arm appeared to be bent unnaturally. Machamp stood over him, and only then did Maylene notice that Bruno was no longer next to her. He was standing next to Machamp, casting a look over Maylene before he walked away, his Pokémon closely following him.

At once, Maylene got up and sprinted for Riolu, who was deep in the sand. She wrapped her arms around her Pokémon, and brought him up to her chest, carefully avoiding his arm. Brawly came over to the pair, and tried to pry Riolu away.

‘His arm is just dislocated,’ he said somberly, not making any eye contact with Maylene. ‘I’ll fix it quickly.’

Reluctantly, Maylene let Brawly take hold of Riolu, and with a slight cry of pain, and a sudden sound, Riolu’s arm looked natural again.

‘He just needs rest,’ said Brawly. ‘Just don’t let him battle for a while. I would recommend that you return him to his Poké Ball, but I doubt that would work again.’

Maylene flung her head around, and was met with the sight of red and white fragments that scattered amongst the rocks. It was the Poké Ball that Crasher Wake had given her, and Riolu was the Pokémon she had received a long time ago from him.

She wiped at her tearing eyes, and Brawly walked away from the pair. Maylene hugged Riolu again, and she remained still for a long time. The sun set, and the sky became full of stars. Riolu’s hand tightened around Maylene’s, and the pair sat amidst the sand.

‘I’m sorry, Riolu,’ said Maylene. ‘I should never have dragged you with me. It’s all my fault for wanting to become a Gym Leader. Life was easier when we never left Sinnoh.’