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Whew....hehe finally another chapter in my own stories xP Been doing so many commissions I nearly forgot to finish this one up! Anyway this one will involve a pretty rough experience...Max is learning that the world is a much bigger place and he isn't perfect.

Also I'm aware that this is a pretty short chapter. I promise the next one will be longer.

Max and Jaeger belong to me.

Pokemon belongs to Gamefreak and Nintendo

Digimon belongs to Bandai

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The hardest pill to swallow


It was getting pretty late. The preliminary battles for the Johto league had finished it’s last match with Flare’s defeat and the sky was already getting dark. This would be the moment when Max would take a load off and get some rest, return to his room and recount the day’s events to Hackmon to prepare for whoever his opponent would be tomorrow.


The young trainer was walking down the empty stone walkway when he noticed two shadows. Both being canine in nature, as he approached, he would begin to make out the grey furred wolf from his first battle in the preliminaries, Jaeger, and his Shiny Lucario partner. They were waiting for him underneath a large cherry blossom tree which came to him as odd. Maybe the training on the Iron islands had taught them more than just battle?


The grey wolf’s eyes opened, turning their gaze onto the young human who he suddenly found in his company. “You made it to the final competition.” The wolf’s gruff voice rumbled out, staring into the trainers blue eyes.


Max waited for the wolf to get to his feet, not knowing what Jaeger needed to talk about, but the wolf’s imposing body definitely left him uneasy. Like a mouse calmly approaching a cat. “It wasn’t easy. Some of the final competitors don’t look friendly.”


“You’re talking about Yin…” The grey wolf set his hands on his knees, and pulled himself up to full height. “He’s not right in the head.” He tapped his forehead, teeth flashing in the setting sun. “There’s another of those seven that are pretty nasty too. I’d be wary of them.”


“You…know who they are?” Max had to ask, his blonde hair blowing in the wind that decided to intervene in their conversation. His hair had flapped into his eyes, making it hard for him to get a good look at the canine, but when his eyes suddenly cleared, he saw the wolf with his feet wide and arms raised up, one fist stretched outward a foot ahead of his face, and the other closer to his chest.

“You’re not ready for Yin…or the other person. Come.” Jaeger rumbled, his eyes focused on Max with an intensity that would put any person on their guard. “Show me your true power.”


“My…true power?” Max didn’t have time to fully process that information because Jaeger took a single step forward, and threw a punch that if Max hadn’t stepped over to the side, he’d be out like a light if the heavy wind that brushed against his cheek was any indication. His eyes seemed to glimmer a bit in realization and ducked down as he tried sweeping the wolf’s feet out from under him in a sweeping kick, but was unnerved when those legs didn’t flinch…hell they felt like kicking cinderblocks.


“What was that…? I asked you to come at me with your FULL POWER.” Jaeger barked out, the wind around him swirling somewhat, as if he were the center of a hurricane. “If you’re concerned about damaging this world, don’t be. My partner’s aura is already protecting this field. Approximately half a mile is his range of Aura, long as we duke it out inside of that, then even a Mega wouldn’t affect this world.”


The trainer couldn’t so much as approach the wolf…The wind was growing stronger, and even formed a few cuts in his jacket and his skin was beginning to feel the sting as well. “Fine…But I don’t understand WHY.” Max braced himself against the wind, fire swirling around him as he grew in height, changing into what most would consider a lean, muscular anthropomorphic Growlmon, shining gold plated armor surrounding his chest but leaving his belly exposed. The top half of his face with his lower jaw being undefended. His legs were outfitted with solid gold plating with red guards going up from his ankles up to his knees. Both arms were outfitted with Vembraces with a blade running along the outer guard, lastly his tail which cracked like a long red whip behind him was covered from the base to the tip with segmented spine like plates that would allow the appendage to maintain it’s flexibility. Both his hands curled into fists as a glowing red light enveloped them. “NIKKOUMON!” He roared, his flames growing stronger to mingle with the wind, creating a furious and blazing gale that enveloped the two of them.


Max and Jaeger both stood silent, looking one another in the eye as they were now at a fair height towards one another. When the wind began to die down, and the flames flickered out, both males stepped forward, Max throwing the first punch, Jaeger guarding and retaliating with a high kick which Max managed to guard against by holding his arm up against his side to cushion the blow. There was another sweeping motion by Max to throw the wolf off his guard but he was the one surprised this time when Jaeger leapt up, avoiding he attack by summersaulting and springing back forward on the tips of his toe claws. The two started dancing around one another in a flurry of punches that neither one could overcome but something definitely felt off.


Max couldn’t get the feeling out of his head that he was missing something, and just as he was lifting his foot to give a kick to the wolf who dropped his guard for only a moment, he found himself unable to move.


*SMASH*


Max didn’t know how, but within seconds, he felt Jaeger’s hand wrapped around his armored face and slamming him into the ground. He quickly rolled off to the side after regaining his composure, using his light energy he leapt into the air to try and close the distance between him and the wolf. “What was THAT? I didn’t even see it…” He looked behind himself to see how much distance he’d managed to get from the wolf. “What?!”


He didn’t see the wolf anywhere. An unnerving feeling was growing in the pit of his stomach, as he felt a pressure suddenly form around his back and he was sent barreling back into the grass, leaving a bit of an imprint of his body. It felt like someone had driven their elbow into his back. He slowly pulled himself up again, dusting his body and looking for any signs of the wolf, but all he could see was the Lucario.


Max took a deep breath, counted to three and leapt to the side, a dust cloud and paw prints stamped on the ground where he had just been laying, before another gust of wind grazed his scales. “He’s not disappearing….He’s just too fast…” The realization shook him. Those first couple exchanges they had…were they just to test his physical strength and speed?


He had the wind knocked out of him again, this time the strike of which he couldn’t see, but feel came to his chest. He quickly landed on his feet in a flip and held his hands up to his face to prepare for his next strike.


“If you can’t keep up with ME, then you’ll die when the real threat comes.” Jaeger appeared right in Max’s field of view, palm pressed against Max’s throat gently, though not actually grabbing him.


He couldn’t stop shaking. If Max was sure of anything it was his speed, but even he knew he was outclassed…The fact that Jaeger had several opportunities to claim his life but didn’t, served as a lesson that was proving to be a hard pill for him to swallow. “You met with someone a week ago that taught you a more affective way of fighting…”


Swallowing, Max rubbed over his throat and began to return to his normal human form, looking defeated. “I…Was taught but I couldn’t master it. We parted ways before I could learn how to master the technique.”


Jaeger looked over to his partner, who simply nodded. “I suggest you find that person again and have him teach you. Set up a training regiment with them or try to self train.”


“But if you already know about this then…why can’t YOU teach me?” Max asked, still rubbing his throat and even his chest.


“Because…” He took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing. “I’m not necessarily your ally. I’m not your foe either…not yet anyway. What I am will depend on you and how you progress as a person from now on. Just know this.” The wolf pressed his claw against Max’s forehead. “You have a lot of growing to do…Don’t make Nocturnes regret placing his hopes in you.”

With a nod to his partner, Jaeger began to walk off towards the main city. “Oh and good luck in the final competition! If you can’t be a warrior, then try to be the best trainer.” He waved a clawed hand in the air in goodbye.


Max noticed that the further away the pair walked away, the more the ground they were fighting on seemed to repair itself…as if they were inside of a simulation all this time. “Darn I forgot to ask him how he used that wind…”


Rubbing the back of his head, only to realize his hands were shaking. He never got this shook up…was he genuinely afraid? Just as he was heading back towards the hotel he spotted a single silhouette running towards him…it was small and dragonic in nature. In his current state his mind was racing and wondering if this figure was a friend.


“Max!” Hackmon roared his greeting, leaping over the grass to reach his tamer and noticed the shaking in his arms and legs. His eyes narrowed and he put his paws over Max’s legs to try and steady the boy. “what happened?”


There was a relief when Hackmon showed up at his side. And feeling the digimon’s claws around his legs, for once not poking him, was a relief. He took the time and began explaining to Hackmon all of what transpired after the prelims, walking slowly back towards the hotel so he didn’t fall or hurt himself. “In a nutshell…I’m not what I need to be…I’m weak…I need to find him again.”


“You’re not weak…” Hackmon huffed, walking into the hotel with Max where a sleeping Sheriff was already occupying the bed. “Sleep on the couch okay? You need your rest, look at you you’re a mess. By tomorrow morning you’ll be as good as new.”


Max didn’t even have the energy to argue…he simple walked over and flopped onto the couch. Hackmon had grabbed a nearby blanket and covered Max with it, staring at the boy’s now sleeping form. “I’ll find him for you…You just sleep…regain your confidence…And win this tournament…”

Hackmon, with a determined look on his face, stepped out of the hotel and started scouring the town. “I’ll find him Max. I promise.”