R.J. - The Legacy of a Master

[RJdude]

This is my first real fanfic. I hope you like it:

Part 1 - Chapter 1

In the land of Moxto, the land beyond Johto, in the town of Zastor, a young boy named R.J. Moyan woke up yawning on his 13th birthday. R.J. was a tall, black haired boy that was nice and loved Pokemon. But although it was his birthday, R.J. was saddened by something major that had happened: the death of his mom.
R.J.’s mom, Gina, died two years ago when the Hospital she worked at caught on fire. She got all of the patients out, but couldn’t make it out herself. The strange thing was that her body was never found. Experts said that the body got burnt to ash. R.J. decided to put this out of his mind and to look forward to the day ahead. Not only was it is birthday, but he would be getting his first Pokemon today from the resident professor, Mr. Tomford, although in his heart, he knew he couldn’t leave for an adventure. He brushed his hair, put on his clothes (A green t-shirt, short jeans, his fish necklace, and sneakers) and went downstairs for breakfast. He was shortly joined by his dad, Nick.
The one major thing that Gina’s death caused to R.J. was that he and his dad were blown apart. R.J. didn’t take his mom’s death very easily, but his dad just lost it. He quit his job and just didn’t care about life anymore. Instead of R.J.’s dad taking care of R.J., R.J. had to take care of him! R.J. had always wanted to become a Pokemon Trainer, but he couldn’t because he couldn’t leave his dad.
“Hey son, are you ready for school?”
“Um, Dad, it’s a Saturday.”
“Right. I knew that.”
R.J. was worrying that his dad would forget his birthday, but he didn’t say anything. He poured himself a bowl of Fearow Flakes and sat down. But when he was done, R.J.’s dad still didn’t say anything.
“Dad, aren’t you forgetting what day it is?” R.J. finally asked his father.
“Of course not,” R.J. smiled until his dad said, “You just told me. It’s Saturday.”
R.J.’s smile was replaced with a frown. “It’s my birthday, Dad.”
“Sorry, I forgot,” Nick replied, as if he really didn’t care.
R.J. sighed. He didn’t want any presents, but he wanted his dad to at least wish him a Happy Birthday.
“I’m going for a walk,” R.J. told his dad, but he didn’t seem to hear him. R.J. grabbed his basketball and dribbled it down the street. A Pidgey was flying overhead.
“Happy Birthday R.J.” R.J. turned around to see his best friend, Joseph. Joseph would also be getting a Pokemon from Mr. Tomford today, but it wouldn’t be his first. He already had a Charmander, which was walking right next to him.
“Thanks Joe, at least somebody remembered.”
“Your dad?”
“Yep.”
“Don’t worry, he’ll get over it.”
“It’s been two years since she died. You’d think he’d get over it by now.”
“Just give him some time.”
“I guess you’re right.” R.J. looked up at the sky and saw the Pidgey flying It must have saw a worm, because it flew down quickly. But a passing truck drove by were the Pidgey was heading, and the Pidgey hit the side of the truck.
Joseph yelped in surprise. “What the crap? I didn’t see that coming!”
R.J. dropped his basketball and went over to the Pidgey. “It’s still breathing, but we should get it to a Pokemon Center right away!”
“Fine, let’s go!”
The nearest Pokemon center was a few blocks down the road, and R.J. and Joseph ran as fast as they could to get to it. When they got inside, the Nurse Joy that worked there was at the counter, and didn’t seem to have anything to do. R.J. and Joseph were friends with this Joy, but it was no time for chitchat.
“Hello boys, what can I do for you today?”
“This Pidgey got hit by a truck. It needs help right away!” Joseph yelled.
Joy looked upset. “I’ve never worked on something this big before, but I’ll do my best.” She turned to R.J. and said, “I’ll call your dad and tell him that you’re here. Happy Birthday by the way,” she then took Pidgey from R.J.’s arms and went into the emergency room.
“Char! Charmander!” Joseph’s Charmander yelped.
R.J. and Joseph waited an hour before Joy came out with Pidgey.
“He’s as good as new. Just a night of rest, and I can put him back into the wild.” she told them.
“That’s good,” R.J. replied. He then got up and started to pet the Pidgey.
“Watch out, it’s still wild,” Joy warned, but to his surprise, the Pidgey didn’t peck him. In fact, the Pidgey seemed to like it.
“Hey, it seems to like it,” Joseph noted. “Maybe you can keep it as a pet. You know, like I have Charmander. Then we can both have two Pokemon after we get ours from Mr. Tomford, so we’ll have a head start when we start our adventure.”
“Yah, can I, Nurse Joy?”
“I’m sorry, R.J., but this Pidgey is still wild, even though it seems to like you.”
“Okay then. I have to get going,” R.J. muttered, pretending not to be bummed by this, although he was clear he left in a worse mood then when he came in. He went back to where he found Pidgey to retrieve his basketball, went to the nearby park, and started shooting hoops. He missed all of them. Finally, after five minutes, he managed to nail a tough three-pointer, and decided to go back home. To his surprise, his dad wasn’t sleeping on the coach or watching T.V. when he got home, but was waiting for him.
“I’m sorry about today,” his dad said.
“Yah, it stunk.”
“Well, I’ve been thinking, and I’ve decided that I need to get over Gina, and start worrying about you. You’ve been taking care of me the last couple of years, and it’s not supposed to work like that. And since I forgot your birthday, I decided to give you what you always wanted: the chance to become a Pokemon Master!”
R.J. couldn’t believe it. His dad was letting him be a Pokemon Trainer. “You okay, Dad?”
His dad laughed. “Yes I’m fine. Here, let’s talk about it in the Living Room.” R.J.’s father led him to the Living Room, and turned on the lights.
“Surprise!” Joseph, Charmander, Joseph’s parents and Joy jumped out from behind the couch. There was a Pokéball on a small table.
R.J. couldn’t believe it. “You remembered my birthday all this time?”
R.J.’s dad frowned. “Sorry son, I didn’t after all. Nurse Joy called, and I knew I had to make it up somehow. Well, Happy Birthday, son!” Nick then handed him the Pokeball. When R.J. opened it, the Pidgey that he and Joseph had saved from the road came out, looking happy as ever.
“Wow! Thanks, Dad. And am I correct to assume you were in this too, Joy?”
“Well, I did think you needed a present, and he did seem fond of you…”
Joseph smiled, and then looked at his watch. “Oh man, R.J. We forgot about Mr. Tomford! We need to go now, or we might not get our Pokemon!”
R.J. nodded. “Your right. Let’s go.” And then to his new Pidgey, “C’mon little buddy, lets find you a new friend.”
Five minutes later, the two boys and their Pokemon found themselves at Mr. Tomford’s lab, with a smiling Mr. Tomford greeting them. Mr. Tomford was old, bald, and slightly chubby, with an old shirt, old pants, and suspenders, but he was a very nice man. “Come on in, boys. Make yourselves at home.” They went inside to see three Pokeballs on a table. “So, R.J., I see you made a new friend,” Mr. Tomford said, indicating Pidgey.
Pidgey flew over to R.J.’s shoulder. “Yah, a birthday present from my dad. Joseph and I saved it after a truck hit it, and my dad let me keep it.”
“A nice man, your father. I met him when he was a young man and I was a middle-aged professor. It’s quite a shame what that terrible accident did to both him and you…”
Changing the subject, Joseph pointed towards the Pokeballs. ‘I’m assuming those are the Pokemon you are giving us, right?”
“Yes, they are, but we will have to wait until Kevin gets here before you can choose.”
Kevin Kobbes was a rich kid that neither R.J. nor Joseph liked. He had a bad attitude and liked insulting people whenever he had the chance. He also had a Porygon.
“Is it really necessary to wait for…”
At that moment, the door to the lab slammed open and Kevin stormed in. He had blonde, spiked hair, and was carrying a skateboard under his arm.
“Moyan? Hannah? What are you two clowns doing here? I thought I was the only one getting a Pokemon?” Kevin said this with attitude, as if he was going to beat them all up if they didn’t give him the answer he wanted. “And what’s with the bird?”
“It’s mine,” R.J. replied with anger, “ I saved him after it got hit by a truck.”
Kevin sneered. “Pretty dumb bird. So, Tomford, when do I get my Pokemon?”
Mr. Tomford sighed. Then he went over the table with the Pokeballs. “Well boys, you’re in for a treat today. I’ve just received these three Pokemon from a friend in Hoenn. You can choose from Treecko, the forest gecko,” he opened the first Pokeball, and a green, lizard-like Pokemon came out. “Torchic, the chick Pokemon,” Mr. Tomford opened the second Pokeball, and an orange, chicken-like Pokemon came out. “And last, but not least, Mudkip, the mudskipper Pokemon.” he opened the last Pokeball, and a blue, four-legged Pokemon came out. “Well, what are you waiting for? Choose!”
“I want Torchic!” Kevin said immediately.
“Okay then, Torchic is yours.” Mr. Tomford gave Kevin Torchic’s Pokeball, several empty Pokeballs, and something that looked like a very cool, red, and futuristic Gameboy with lots of buttons. Noticing R.J.’s look when he handed Kevin the gameboy, he said, “This is a Pokedex. It stores all the information you need on all the Pokemon. The ones you are getting are the latest prototypes, sent to me from my good friend, Professor Oak.”
Joseph looked slightly angry. “I wanted Torchic,” he muttered through his teeth. After saying that, Mudkip waddled over to Joseph. He picked it up. “What do you think?” Joseph asked Charmander.
“Char!”
Joseph smiled. “That’s good enough for me. I’ll take it.” Mr. Tomford handed him Mudkip’s Pokeball, some empty Pokeballs, and a Pokedex. Then Joseph looked at R.J. “I guess Treecko is yours.”
“No problem, I’ve always wanted a Grovyle, and once I train this little guy, I’ll have one.” Mr. Tomford handed R.J. Treecko’s Pokeball, his Pokedex, and some empty Pokeballs.
“Well then, it looks like all three of you are ready for an adventure! I’d say you should take the Moxto League Challenge.”
“Moxto League Challenge?”
“Yes, it’s very simple. You must go around Moxto in search of gyms, and when you find one, you must challenge the Gym Leader to a Pokemon battle. If you win, you get a badge. There are about twenty gyms in all of Moxto, but you only need to get eight badges. Once you get eight, you can compete in that year’s Moxto League Jade Tournament. Only by winning the tournament can you declare yourself a Pokemon Master.”
“Sounds good to me,” R.J. said, stroking Pidgey.
“The nearest gym is in Leavine City, you can register there. Now go, and good luck to all of you!”
R.J. nodded. “Treecko, Pidgey return!” He took out their Pokeballs and had returned them into them, just like he had seen on T.V.
Once they were outside, Kevin’s cocky side took control of him. “Hey, do either of you punks want to battle my new Torchic? How about you, Moyar? Do you think your weak Pidgey can stand up to it?”
“My Pidgey is not weak,” R.J. snarled.
“Let’s find out. Go, Torchic!” Kevin’s Torchic walked in front of him ready for battle.
“Go Pidgey!” R.J. threw Pidgey’s Pokeball in front of him, and Pidgey came out. “Now, let’s see what you can do. Quick Attack!” Faster then R.J. could see, Pidgey flew towards Torchic and hit it at full speed, sending Torchic flying back a couple feet.
“Get up, Torchic, and hit it with an Ember!” Torchic spit a small fireball at Pidgey, but Pidgey dodged it. The fireball kept going, and dropped in a small patch of grass, which started to burn.
“Uh-oh,” Joseph said, “This doesn’t look good. Mudkip, Water Gun!” Joseph’s Mudkip sent a small burst of water at the fire, eliminating it. Joseph then turned to R.J. and Kevin. “You know, this probably isn’t the best place for a battle.”
“Fine,” Kevin said, returning Torchic to its Pokeball, “That Torchic was weak anyway. If it had been my Porygon fighting, your Pidgey wouldn’t have stood a chance. Well, see you around, losers,” and then he stormed off.
“Glad to see him gone,” Joseph said. “Well, it looks like we’re all leaving for our adventure now. I have to pack and say goodbye to my folks first. I hope we meat during our quest.”
R.J. nodded. “Me too.”
“Charmander, Mudkip, return!” He returned them to their Pokeballs and then ran home.
“Pidgey, return,” Pidgey happily returned to his Pokeball, and R.J. went home. When he got there, he dad was waiting for him, backpack in hand.
“I packed your toothbrush, toothpaste, some extra clothes, some food, a sleeping bag, and a couple water bottles. Hopefully, you can get some more food at Pokemon Centers, as well as refill your water bottles,” he trusted the backpack into R.J.’s hands. R.J. looked up at his dad, and saw what could have been a tear coming out of his eye. “Good-luck, son.”
“Thanks dad. I’ll see you around sometime.”
Once R.J. got to the edge of Zastor Town, he could barely make out the figure of his father waving to him. “Goodbye Dad!” and then, to himself, “I’ll make you proud. Both of you.”

[Hanada Tattsu]

Great fic, RJ, this does have great potential.

The descriptions could make a difference, and I'll give this first chapter a 8/10.

[RJdude]

Part 1 - Chapter 2

“Come on out, Pidgey and Treecko!” R.J. decided he didn’t know his Pokemon as well as he should, so he decided to spend some time with them.
“Pid-pid!”
“Treeeeecck!”
“It’s nice to see you guys, too.” He took out a water bottle and let both his Pokemon drink their fill, and then took a drink himself.
When he put the bottle down, he heard a cry from down the trail. “Go Rattata! Tackle that Spearow!”
“Don’t take that Spearow, hit that little rat with all the power you have!”
“Cool, a Pokemon battle,” R.J. said to himself. “Let’s check it out, guys.”
It didn’t take R.J. and his Pokemon long to make it to the battle. After watching it for a few seconds, he decided that the Rattata was losing. Badly.
“No! Rattata!” As the Spearow knocked out the Rattata, the Rattata’s owner quickly went over to the Rattata and picked it up. He was a short kid, and was wearing shorts, a tee shirt, and a baseball cap. R.J. noticed the word “Johnny” on the back of the tee shirt. Tears were running down his face.
“Spearow, return.” The owner of the Spearow was not much taller then Jimmy, and was wearing an orange jumpsuit. “Don’t challenge me to a fight, Johnny, unless you can give me an actual challenge. Come back to me when you grow up, loser.” And with one final shove, he walked away.
R.J. helped Johnny to his feet. “That guy was a jerk,” R.J. told Johnny. “Don’t let him get to you.”
Johnny wiped the tears from his face. “It so hard. I’ve always admired Dustin for his skills in battle, and once a get a Pokemon of my own, and try to be as good as him, but his just pushes me down.”
“Was that Dustin?”
“Uh-huh.”
R.J. shook his head. “He shouldn’t be your idol if he’s going to act like that. An idol is someone who you can look up to, like a father. Especially a father.” He paused for a second. “But if he is going to lower your self-esteem like that, he doesn’t deserve your respect.”
“Thanks, but who are you, and are those your Pokemon?” Johnny pointed to Pidgey and Treecko.
“Yes those are mine, and I’m R.J. I just started my own adventure, and my goal right now is to get to Leavine City and challenge the Gym Leader there, but I want to try to help you as much as I can.”
Johnny looked up. “Really?”
“Sure. The first thing we need to do if practice battling with your Pokemon. Call out your Rattata.”
“Sure okay. “Come on out, Rattata!” Johnny threw out a Pokeball, and the Rattata that R.J. saw battling came out. It was hyper and ready for battle.
“Okay Johnny, first you will need to battle a weak Pokemon to get the hang of it.” R.J. looked around until he saw a bush. A Weedle was inching its way in front of the bush. “Okay Johnny, see that Weedle? Tell your Rattata to use a Quick Attack on that Weedle.”
Johnny looked confused. “Uh, okay. Rattata, use Quick Attack!”
“RAAT!” Johnny’s Rattata charged at the Weedle and hit it strait on, causing it to fly back. The Weedle got up, and began to cry.
“WWEEEEEEEEEEEDDDDLLLLEEEE!!!”
Then, to R.J.’s horror, he heard it. The buzzing. And after the source of the buzzing came out of the tree, he knew he was in trouble.
It was a Beedrill. An angry one.
“I want to battle it,” Johnny said enthusiastically.
“I don’t suggest it. But if you really want to…”
“ Okay Rattata, wait for that Beedrill to fly down here, and then Tackle it!”
The Beedrill lunged itself towards Rattata, and sure enough, when Beedrill came close enough, Rattata leaped at Beedrill.
Unfortunately, Beedrill saw Rattata coming, and quickly turned itself around, and jammed one of its powerful stingers into Rattata.
“RAAAATTT!”
“Rattata!” Johnny cried. He went over and cradled his Pokemon.
R.J. slapped his forehead with his hand. “Well Pidgey, go get it. Quick Attack!”
Pidgey swooped towards Beedrill at full speed, hitting it and causing it to stumble in mid-air.
“Now, hit it with a Sand-Attack!”
Pidgey flapped his wings blew sand and dirt from the ground and hit Beedrill with it, blinding it.
“Use Quick Attack again!”
Again, Pidgey swooped towards Beedrill at full speed, causing it to stumble.
R.J. took out an empty Pokeball. “Let’s see how these babies work. Pokeball, GO!”
R.J. threw his Pokeball at the Beedrill and hit it, causing the Pokeball to open and suck Beedrill inside. The Pokeball fell to the ground, and began to shake. When it stopped shaking, R.J. knew he had a new Pokemon. He walked over and picked up the Pokeball containing his new Beedrill.
Johnny moaned. “See? I can’t even beat a Beedrill with you helping me! I’m hopeless.”
“Don’t worry, you did great. That was a tough Beedrill.”
“Then how come you beat it?”
R.J. thought for a minute. “Because I trusted my Pokemon. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my mentor, Mr. Tomford, it’s that you and your Pokemon must act like one in battle. You are a team. You must have confidence in your Pokemon’s abilities, and they must have confidence in yours.”
Johnny looked at his Rattata. “Rattata, I know I may not be the strongest trainer around, but I want to do my best. And if what R.J. says is true, then we need to trust each other. Do you trust me?”
Rattata seemed to nod. “Ratttaaattaa!”
“Well I trust you to, so it’s settled.” Johnny stood up. “I’m going to challenge Dustin again, and this time, I’m going to win!”
“I wouldn’t suggest running into battle just yet.”
“I know I might not have a chance, but now that I fully realize the bond I have with my Pokemon, I at least want to try.”
R.J. smiled. “That’s the spirit! With that kind of attitude, I’m sure you’ll be able to beat Dustin.”
“Let’s go find him, then!”
R.J., Johnny, and their Pokemon walked (or in Pidgey’s case, flew) down the trail. It wasn’t long before they saw the orange jumpsuit.
“Dustin!” Johnny called out. “I challenge you and your Spearow to a Pokemon battle againist me and my Rattata!”
Dustin walked towards them. “I thought I told you to come back when you could actually give me a challenge. I don’t see any improvement in your Rattata, so no, I won’t battle you.”
“R.J. stepped forward. “How about I battle you. If I win, you battle Johnny.”
Dustin grinned. “Fine, I’ll battle you. You look like lot a better trainer then that loser.”
“Treecko, I choose you!” Treecko jumped in front of R.J., ready for battle.
“A grass type, eh? Well, I would use my Spearow, but I want to save its energy. Go Ekans!” Dustin threw a Pokeball out and a purple snake came out.
“Okay Treecko, Pound it!” Treecko slammed Ekans with its tail, slamming it to the ground.
“Get up, Ekans, and squeeze the life out of it!”
“Get ready, Treecko, and use Quick Attack!”
As Ekans lunged itself at Treecko, Treecko quickly dodged out of the way and slammed Ekans with all it’s might. Ekans flew back, hitting Dustin.
“Okay, I give. You win. I’ll fight Johnny. Ekans, return. Go, Spearow!”
As Dustin returned Ekans to its Pokeball, he sent out his Spearow.
Johnny took R.J.’s place, facing Dustin. “Okay Rattata, get ready for this battle.” At that, Rattata leaped it front of Johnny, teeth bared.
“Remember Johnny,” R.J. called out, “you and Rattata are a team!”
“Right. Okay, Rattata, stand your ground.”
Dustin sneered. “This will be too easy. Spearow, Peck attack!”
“When it comes close, hit it with a Hyper Fang!”
Dustin looked worried. “Hyper Fang? Uh-oh. Spearow, call off your attack!”
But it was too late. When Spearow was close enough, Rattata leaped up and bit Spearow. Hard.
“Come on, Spearow, drag that rat off of you!”
But Rattata weighed Spearow down, and it couldn’t fly. Eventually, Spearow hit the ground, with Rattata pinning it.
“Now Rattata, Headbutt!”
Rattata leaped high into the air, and when it was at its peak, it dropped down, headfirst. Its head seemed to get heavier as it fell, and when it was heaviest, it hit Spearow, knocking it out.
“No way!” Dustin cried.
“Rattata!” Johnny embraced his Pokemon. “I knew you could do it.”
“Ratt,” replied Rattata.
“Great job, Johnny,” R.J. said. “I knew you had it in you.”
“Thanks for all your help, R.J. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Sure you could have. You just had to believe in yourself.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“Spearow!” Dustin sobbed. “How could you fail me?”
“I guess he learned his lesson,” Johnny said proudly. “Well, I guess you better be going now.”
“Probably.”
Johnny pointed north. “Leavine City is that way, if you’re looking for badges.”
“Thanks. Why don’t you come with me?”
Johnny shook his head. “Nah, I want to train with my Rattata alone. Although you are a very good trainer, I’d prefer to train my own way.”
“I guess you’re right. Pidgey, Treecko, return.” R.J. returned his Pokemon to their Pokeballs and, ignoring Dustin’s sobs, headed north towards his next adventure.

[Hanada Tattsu]

It's a good chapter, I liked the character of Johnny, I'd like to see him again...

[RJdude]

Thanks for all your support, Hanada

Part 1 - Chapter 3

“Full name?”
“Ryan Jason Moyan. R.J., if you will.”
“Age?”
“Thirteen.”
“Professor sponsor?”
“Excuse me?”
“From whom did you get your Pokedex from?”
“Oh. Carl Tomford.”
“And what Pokemon do you have as of now?”
“A Pidgey, a Treecko, and a Beedrill.”
“All right then.” The Nurse Joy at the Leavine City Pokemon Center handed R.J. back his Pokedex. “You are now registered for the Moxto League. Would you like me to heal your Pokemon?”
“Yes, please.” R.J. gave Joy the three Pokeballs that contained his Pokemon. She put them on a tray.
“One moment, please.”
Joy put the tray on a machine, which was automatically turned on and began making beeps. After five seconds, she took the tray off the machine and handed R.J. his Pokemon back.
“Here you go, your Pokemon have been fully healed. Good luck on your first Gym battle.”
“Thank you.”
R.J. was in Leavine City, a city that seemed to have lots of trees, flowers, and vegetation. But it was the Gym he was interested in. He had to beat the Gym Leader that trained inside the Gym in order to get a badge. The badges were what he needed most in this League.
Suddenly, a man wearing black ran past R.J. he seemed to be carrying a bag full of something, possibly money.
“Stop that thief!” an old woman cried. “He’s stolen all my money!” R.J. started chasing after the man, but he was too fast. R.J., although a track runner himself, could not keep up.
Suddenly, a man in his early twenties leaped out of a tree. He had green hair, and was wearing a camouflaged shirt wit brown pants. He was wearing no shoes.
“Bulbasaur, I choose you!” The man shouted, throwing a Pokeball.
“Bulba!” A Bulbasaur, a grass-type Pokemon that R.J. had studied with Mr. Tomford, was now out on the sidewalk.
“Bulbasaur, Vine Whip!” Bulbasaur extended its vines until they reached the man, and then he tripped dropping the bag.
The man ran over and grabbed the bag. A policewoman in a police car drove up and arrested the bugler. “Thank you, Rass,”
Rass wiped the sweat from his forehead. “It was nothing, Jenny.”
The old lady ran over and took the bag from Rass. “Oh thank you, Rass. Ever since you became Gym Leader, this town has been a lot better.”
Gym Leader? R.J. thought to himself.
“Well ladies, it’s been nice talking to you.” While Rass was walking back into the woods, R.J. ran up to him.”
“Hey, are you the Gym Leader here?”
Rass smiled. “Depends. If you’re a trainer, yes, I am the Gym Leader. If not, then I’m just the local jungle-boy.”
“I’m a trainer. My name is R.J. Would you like to battle?”
“Sure. You look like a promising trainer, I’m sure a battle with you will make me happy. Bt first, I need to go home and get the rest of my Pokemon. Want to come? I’ll make you something.”
“Sure that sounds great.”
Rass lead R.J. into the woods until the reached a tree house.
“This is your home?”
“Yep.”
They climbed the latter into the tree house, and went inside. It looked very cozy. There was a bed, a cabinet, and a table. There were pictures of both plants and grass-type Pokemon on the walls.
“As you can see,” Rass said, fixing R.J. a sandwich, “I adore Grass Pokemon, as well as plants. They are my specialty.” He handed R.J. the sandwich. “Do you have any Grass Pokemon?”
R.J. nodded. “A Treecko. It was my second Pokemon.”
“My first Pokemon was my Bulbasaur. I found it hiding in my garden. I adopted it, and ever since then, I was obsessed with Grass Pokemon.” Rass grabbed two Pokeballs from his table. “Would you like it if we each used three Pokemon in our battle?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Well then, let’s go.”
Rass led R.J. to the Leavine City Gym, which had gardens surrounding it on all sides. “Come on in,” Rass told R.J.
R.J. had never seen a Pokemon Gym before. It looked like a basketball court, except no baskets and no bleachers. There was some kind of scoreboard, though. Trees also surrounded the court.
Suddenly, a ref walked into the court. All the lights turned on, and both Rass’ and R.J.’s faces appeared on the scoreboard. “This is a Pokemon battle between Rass, the Gym Leader, and R.J. the challenger. Should the challenger emerge victorious, he will be awarded with a Forest Badge. There will be three Pokemon each, no time limit. Let the battle begin!”
“Okay, Nuzleaf, I choose you!” Rass threw out a Pokeball, and Nuzleaf, a Pokemon that looked like a humanoid acorn, came out of it.
“Fine then. I’ll choose my own Grass-type Pokemon. Go Treecko!”
R.J. threw a Pokeball, and his Treecko jumped out. Also, on the scoreboard, Nuzleaf’s picture appeared under Rass’, and Treecko’s appeared under R.J.’s.
“Nuzleaf, Bullet Seed!”
Nuzleaf began shooting seeds at Treecko at a high speed. Each one hit their mark.
“Get up, Treecko. Hit it with Quick Attack!”
Treecko rushed at Nuzleaf at full speed and hit it, but it stood its ground.
“Nuzleaf, Faint Attack!”
Nuzleaf seemed to make two copies of itself, and they all slammed into Treecko, knocking it skyward.
“No! Treecko!”
“Now, Nuzleaf! Finish it off with a Bullet Seed!”
All the copies of Nuzleaf disappeared, and again, Nuzleaf shot seeds at Treecko while it was in the air. They all hit, and Treecko fell to the ground, knocked out. The picture of Treecko on the scoreboard darkened.
“Treecko, return. Go Beedrill!” R.J. returned Treecko to its Pokeball and sent out his Beedrill. Beedrill picture appeared on the scoreboard under the blackened picture of Treecko.
R.J. just caught Beedrill, so he was worried that Beedrill might not listen to him, but he wanted to try. “Beedrill, Poison Sting!”
Beedrill swooped down towards Nuzleaf and hit it with the stingers on its arms. Nuzleaf flew back.
“Nuzleaf, hit it with your Bullet Seed!”
“Beedrill, Agility!”
Nuzleaf shot seeds at Beedrill, but it quickly flew around, dodging the attacks.
“Hit it with another Poison Sting!”
Beedrill again hit Nuzleaf with its stingers. But this time, Nuzleaf was knocked out. The picture of it on the scoreboard darkened.
“Nuzleaf return. Go, Exeggcute!”
Rass returned Nuzleaf to its Pokeball and sent out Exeggcute, which looked like a group of six rotten eggs. Its picture appeared on the scoreboard, below Nuzleaf.
“Exeggcute, Leech Seed!”
Exeggcute launched several glowing seeds at Beedrill, and once they hit, they started implanting themselves in Beedrill’s body, draining the energy out of it.
“Beedrill, Fury Attack!”
“Exeggcute, Barrier!”
Beedrill swooped down towards Exeggcute, but before it could get near it, it seemed to hit an invisible wall. All the while, its energy was being drained by Leech Seed.
“Exeggcute, Confusion!”
Exeggcute stared at Beedrill, and suddenly Beedrill flew towards the wall and smashed into it. Then it flew over to the other wall and smashed into it.”
“Beedrill, what are you doing?”
Rass grinned. “Exeggcute confused Beedrill it has no clue what it’s doing!”
Beedrill helplessly continued to slam into the wall until it dropped, knocked out. Beedrill’s scoreboard picture darkened.
“Beedrill, return. Well, it’s all up to you, buddy. Pidgey, go!”
R.J. sent out his first Pokemon, a Pidgey. Its picture appeared under the darkened Beedrill’s picture.
“Pidgey, use Gust!”
Pidgey then started to form what looked like a small tornado. He then launched it at Exeggcute, sending it flying and knocking it out.
“What?” Rass said. Exeggcute’s picture darkened on the scoreboard.
“Gust is a Flying-type move. Exeggcute is a Grass-type. The attack was therefore more powerful.”
“Fine. Exeggcute, return. Go, Bulbasaur!”
Rass returned his Exeggcute and sent out his first Pokemon, Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur's picture appeared on the scoreboard.
“Pidgey, Gust!”
Pidgey again charged up a small tornado and launched it at Bulbasaur. This attack also sent Bulbasaur flying, but it did not knock it out.
“Come on, Bulbasaur.” Rass encouraged. Suddenly, Bulbasaur began to glow and turn white. It grew bigger, and the bulb on it’s back expanded. It was now a new Pokemon. The new Pokemon’s picture replaced Bulbasaur’s picture on the scoreboard.
“Yes!” Rass cheered. “It evolved.”
“What is that?” R.J. decided to check his Pokedex.
“Ivysaur. The seed Pokemon. The evolved form of Bulbasaur. When the bud on this Pokemon’s back gets too large, it loses the ability to stand on its hind legs.”
“When a Pokemon gets enough experience, it will evolve into a bigger and more powerful Pokemon.” Rass told R.J.
“I know what evolution is. Let’s just finish this battle.”
“As you wish. Ivysaur, Solarbeam!”
Ivysaur began to gather energy into its bud and then shot all the energy out as a beam strait at Pidgey.
“Pidgey!”
The beam hit Pidgey and he fell to the ground.
“Pidgey, please get up!”
And he did, but he was very weak.
“Ivysaur, fire another Solarbeam at Pidgey!”
It again gathered energy into a beam and was ready to launch. R.J. knew if it hit, it would be the end of Pidgey. Suddenly, he had an idea.
“Pidgey, charge up a Gust, but don’t launch it!”
Pidgey looked confused, but nevertheless it charged up a small tornado. That’s when Ivysaur shot its Solarbeam. The beam hit the small tornado and the energy got sucked inside, causing the Gust to turn green.
“Now Pidgey, launch the Gust!”
Pidgey launched the powered-up Gust at Ivysaur, and it hit it, causing Ivysaur to fly back and hit the Gym wall. It tried to stand up, but it collapsed, knocked out. Ivysaur’s picture darkened, and a big X appeared on Rass’ picture.
R.J. raised a fist of victory and leaped into the air. “We did it, Pidgey! We beat the first Gym Leader!”
“Pid-pid!” Pidgey flew over to R.J. shoulder, and R.J. began stroking it.
“Ivysaur, return.” Rass walked over to R.J. “R.J., that was the best battle I ever had. Even though I lost, my old friend Bulbasaur evolved, which is something I’ve always wanted to happen. Here is the Forest Badge. You deserve it.”
He gave R.J. the Forest Badge, which was a green badge that looked like a tree. “Thank you,” R.J. told him.
“By the way, the closest Gym is in Notsoli Town, not far from here. Just go east and cross a big meadow and a small road and you’ll be there.
‘Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”
After healing his Pokemon at the Pokemon Center, R.J. headed east towards what he was sure would bring him another excellent battle and another badge.

[RJdude]

Part 1 - Chapter 4

“Finish it off with a Quick Attack!”
R.J. Treecko rushed towards the Hoppip and slammed into it, knocking it out.
“Hoppip, return.” The little girl called back her Hoppip. “Wow, you’re strong mister.”
“Why thank you, young lady,” R.J. nicely responded.
“I’m going home now, okay? Bye-bye.”
“Bye.”
R.J. was in a very large meadow, walking towards Notsoli Town, where he would find he next gym. It was also getting dark, so R.J. wanted to set up camp.
“Treecko, return.” R.J. returned Treecko to its Pokeball. He then took out a water bottle and jugged down some water. “Well, better get started on camp.” He took out his sleeping bag and laid it on the ground. He then took out his toothbrush, put some toothpaste on it, brushed his teeth, and then rinsed it out with some water. Finally, he crawled into his sleeping bag and went to sleep.
This had been the first time R.J. sleep somewhere other then home, not including when he was camping with his parents or was sleeping over a friend’s house. He wasn’t afraid, but it was still new to him.
After sleeping through a peaceful night, R.J. got out of his sleeping back. He reached for his backpack… but it wasn’t there.
“Huh?” R.J. looked all over. His backpack was nowhere to be seen. He checked his belt, and his Pokemon were still there, along with some empty Pokeballs.
“Well, this is a great way to start my morning. Pidgey, Beedrill, I choose you!”
R.J. threw the Pokeballs that contained his Pidgey and Beedrill to the ground. “Can you guys try and find my backpack? It’s a big green one.
“Pidge.”
“Bzzzzz.”
“Thanks, guys.”
Pidgey and Beedrill flew off to the far end of the meadow. Since the meadow was so big, R.J. could hardly see his Pokemon in the distance. He rolled up his sleeping bag and began to pace. Five minutes later, Pidgey came back.
“Did you find something?”
“Pidge.”
“Okay, show me where.”
R.J. grabbed his sleeping bag and followed Pidgey, struggling to keep up. Finally, he reached the edge of the meadow, where Beedrill was waiting. He saw a very strange Pokemon lying down. It looked like a Giraffe, but where a tail should have been, there was an ugly, black head. R.J. noticed that his backpack was being used as a pillow for the Pokemon.
R.J. checked his Pokedex. “Girafarig, the long neck Pokemon. This Pokemon has two brains, and therefore can increase it’s psychic abilities. It is also known to be mischievous.”
“Hey Girafarig, give me my back my backpack!” The Girafarig just raised it’s head (it’s main one) and stared at R.J.
“Fine, I guess I’ll just have to take it. “Go get it, Beedrill!”
Girafarig stood up. As Beedrill was buzzing towards the Girafarig, the Girafarig charged at Beedrill. When they collided, Girafarig’s mass hurdled Beedrill to the ground, knocking it out.
“I guess that was a Take Down attack,” R.J. said to himself. “Beedrill, return, and go, Treecko!” RJ. Returned Beedrill to it’s Pokeball, and threw out Treecko’s. The ball hit the ground and released R.J.’s Treecko.
Again, Girafarig charged at Treecko, attempting another Take Down. But Treecko was quick; it dodged Girafarig’s attack by jumping to the side of it. Unfortunately, Girafarig’s second mouth was ready. It caught Treecko in it’s mouth and bite down.
“Treeckkkk!”
“Treecko, return. Man, this is one tough Pokemon.” R.J. returned Treecko to its Pokeball. “Now go, Pidgey!” Pidgey flew in front of R.J.
“Pidgey, Quick Attack!”
Pidgey quickly flew towards Girafarig and hit its head with all his might, but it didn’t seem to do much. Suddenly, Pidgey hit the ground, and then rose up again. He hit the ground again, and then rose back up.
R.J. recognized the move. “Oh no, it’s Confusion!”
Then Pidgey was thrown at R.J. and they both flew back. R.J. cradled his Pokemon. “I’m sorry, Pidgey. I shouldn’t have made you battle that Girafarig for something as stupid as my backpack. Please forgive me.”
Suddenly, Pidgey began to glow. It then grew right on R.J. lap, and got heavier. Long feathers seemed to grow on its head. Then it stopped glowing.
“Wow! Pidgey you evolved!”
R.J. checked his Pokedex. “Pidgeotto, the bird Pokemon, the evolve form of Pidgey, this Pokemon is very protective of its territory, and will peck at any intruders. It is also very loyal.”
“Okay, Pidgeotto, use Quick Attack!”
Faster then ever, Pidgeotto used Quick Attack, hitting Girafarig’s head. This time, it definitely did some damage.
“Now, use Sand Attack!”
Pidgeotto flapped his wings, and sand blew into both of Girafarig’s faces, blinding it.
“Hit it with another Quick Attack!”
Again, Pidgeotto used a Quick Attack, this time hitting Girafarig and causing it to fall over.
“Girafarig, you’re mine. Pokeball, go!”
R.J. threw an empty Pokeball at Girafarig, and it sucked it in. The ball hit the ground, and began shaking until there was a bleep.
“Yah!” R.J. said, holding up the Pokeball containing Girafarig. “I caught it!” R.J. picked up his backpack and put his sleeping bag in it.
“Thanks, Pidgey. I mean, Pidgeotto. You were brilliant back there.”
“Pidgeo!”
And after returning his newly evolved Pokemon to his Pokemon, R.J. left the meadow and headed towards Notsoli Town.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Hmm, good chapters!

This is the first time I've read a fic that has the main character catch a Girafarig, pretty unique of ya!

Good chapters, write more!

[RJdude]

Hanada: Yeah, I like being unique. And trust me, R.J.'s going to be using that Girafarig a lot, so it was a good catch for him.

Part 1 - Chapter 5

R.J. sat down on a bench. He was in Notsoli Town, the town where he would find the next Gym. But he was fatigued. He needed food. He needed to sit down. There was no way he could battle a Gym Leader. He also realized that his Pokemon were probably very tired as well. His Pidgey had just evolved, his Treecko and Beedrill had been knocked out, and his Girafarig was most likely tired. So, he headed towards the Pokemon Center. He got in, and handed his four Pokeballs to the Nurse Joy.
“This will only take a few seconds. Please wait here.”
R.J. did so, and sure enough, in a few seconds, Joy came back with R.J.’s Pokeballs. “Here are your Pokemon. Have a nice day.”
R.J. took his Pokeballs. And started to head out the door.
“R.J.! It’s so great to see you, man!”
R.J. turned around. “Joseph? Wow, it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other last.
R.J. friend and rival, Joseph, walked towards him. “It’s only been a day.”
“I know, but when you’re away from home.”
“Come on, out R.J. You look hungry. Would you like a bite to eat?”
“Do you have any money?”
“Don’t need any. Trainers eat for free.”
R.J. couldn’t believe it. “Huh?”
“Sure. All you have to do is show the people your Pokedex, and you can stuff your face for free. You can also use it to get a free room at hotels.”
“Sounds good to me. Let’s go!”
Ten minutes later, R.J. and Joseph were inside a nice resturant, stuffing their faces with food. Joseph was eating a cheeseburger, and R.J. was munching on a chicken salad.
“So, Joe, how many badges do you have? I already have one.”
Joseph put down his burger. “Two.”
“Two?”
“Sure. I got one at Leavine City, and the other here.”
“Really?” R.J. put his fork down. “How was the Gym Leader?”
“Pretty hard, but Charmeleon pulled through for me.”
“Your Charmander evolved?”
“Sure. It was bound to at some point. I also caught a Meowth. How are your Pokemon doing?”
“Fine. Remember the Pidgey we rescued? It evolved. Also, I caught a Beedrill and a Girafarig.”
“Sounds like you’ve been busy.” Joseph took a bite out of his burger.
“Yep. Hey, how about a battle?”
“Joseph finished his burger. “That’s a great idea!”
“How about a three Pokemon each battle, since I have one more Pokemon then you?”
“Nah. Just because you have one more Pokemon then me doesn’t mean you should go easy one me. We’ll just battle until all our Pokemon faint.”
“Sounds good to me. Just let me finish my salad.”
Once R.J. was done with his lunch, he and Joseph headed outside and faced each other, about ten yards apart.
“Let’s get this battle on the road,” Joseph announced. “Go, Mudkip!”
Joseph threw out a Pokeball and his Mudkip came out.
“Fine, then. I choose you, Treecko!”
R.J. threw out one of his Pokeballs, and his Treecko leaped out.
“Treecko, Absorb!”
Treecko stood still, as if it were concentrated. Suddenly, energy started being drawn from Mudkip and given to Treecko. Mudkip collapsed.
“Type advantage, Joe.”
“I know. Mudkip, return. Go, Meowth!”
Joseph returned Mudkip to its Pokeball and sent out Meowth, a cat-like Pokemon.
“Meowth, Fury Attack!”
Meowth furiously started to scratch Treecko, and on the last scratch, sent it flying. Treecko got up.
“Treecko, Quick Attack!”
Treecko charged at Meowth faster then R.J. could see, and slammed into it. It didn’t seem to do much.
“Meowth, Slash!”
Meowth raised its claw and slashed Treecko as hard as it could, knocking it out.
“Treecko, return.” R.J. returned Treecko to its Pokeball. “Well, time to try it out. Go, Girafarig!”
R.J. threw out a Pokeball and R.J.’s newest Pokemon, a Girafarig, came out.
“Girafarig, Take Down!”
Girafarig charged at Meowth with all its speed and power. When it came in contact with Meowth, Meowth flew back and fainted.
“Meowth return. Well, I’ve saved the best for last. Go, Charmeleon!”
After returning Meowth to its Pokeball, he sent out another, which contained his first and best Pokemon, Charmeleon.”
“Char,” Charmeleon said, sounding tough and ready for battle.
“Charmeleon, Mega Kick!”
Charmeleon launched itself, foot first, at Girafarig. It hit, and Girafarig fell to the ground, knocked out.
“Wow, that’s a powerful Mega Kick! Return, Girafarig, and go, Beedrill. Use Poison Sting!”
After being swapped for Girafarig, Beedrill flew down to Charmeleon and hit it with one of its stingers.
“Char!” Charmeleon cried in pain.
“Charmeleon, use Ember!”
Charmeleon shook off the attack and launched a fireball at Beedrill. Beedrill, who was weak to Fire attacks because of its weakness, fainted.
R.J. returned Beedrill to its Pokeball. “Well, your Charmeleon is really tough. But I too have saved the best for last. Go, Pidgeotto!”
“Pidgeo!” Pidgeotto screeched as he came out of his Pokeball.
“Pidgeotto, Tackle!”
Pidgeotto swooped down towards Charmeleon and hit it, sending it flying.
“Charmeleon, Use Ember!”
Charmeleon shot a fireball at Pidgeotto and it hit, causing Pidgeotto to cry out in pain.
“Pidgeotto! Use Quick Attack!”
Pidgeotto got over the pain and sped towards Charmeleon, hitting it at full speed.
“Charmeleon, Mega Kick!”
Just as Pidgeotto was flying away, Charmeleon jumped up and hit it with a powerful kick, knocking it out. But just as Charmeleon landed, it too fainted.
“Wow, a tie,” Joseph said.
R.J. scratched his head. “But why did Charmeleon faint?”
“I think your Beedrill might have poisoned my Charmeleon with its Poison Sting, which lowered Charmeleon’s health until it fainted.
“Poisoned? Will it be okay?”
“Sure, it just needs to be healed at a Pokemon Center. We should both go there. All our Pokemon deserve to be healed after the battle they just gave.”
R.J. nodded. “Right. Let’s go.”
R.J. and Joseph recalled their Pokemon, walked to the Pokemon Center, and went in. A minute later, they came out, Pokemon fully healed.
“Well,” Joseph said, “I’d better get going. I have places to go, Gym Leaders to beat.”
“Yah. I need to fight this Gym Leader first. But once I do, I’ll be following your trail, and eventually, I’ll catch up to you.”
“I’m sure you will.”
“Thanks. Bye!”
“See yah, R.J.”
As R.J. saw his friend leaving town, he knew he would one day have to fight him again. But he was looking forward to the battle.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Good chapter, Girafarig is pretty strong, I hope RJ will use it a lot in the Moxto League.

Also, I hope we see Joe again soon.

Good chapter, write more!

[RJdude]

Part 1 - Chapter 6

So, are you guys ready?”
“Riiii!”
“Treeckkooo!”
“Bzzzzz!”
“Pidgeo!”
“Good. Now, return to your Pokeballs and rest while you can. We’re going to be having a tough battle.”
R.J. returned his Pokemon to their Pokeballs and headed towards the Notsoli Town Gym. He wasn’t sure what kind of Pokemon the gym would have, but he was ready. He trusted his Pokemon, and they trusted him. There was no way He could lose.
When R.J. got to the Gym, he knocked. There was no response. He opened the door. There didn’t seem to be anyone inside. The lights were all out. Suddenly, R.J. heard someone behind him.
“Welcome, young trainer.”
R.J. jumped about two feet strait into the air. The lights came on, and R.J. turned around to see a freaky looking man wearing purple. He was bald, but looked young.
“I’m Neil, the Gym Leader. Who are you, and would you like to challenge me?”
When R.J. heart was pumping at its usual rate, R.J. nodded. “Sure. That’s what I came here for. And my name is R.J.”
“Good. Very good. How about three Pokemon each?”
“Sounds fine.”
“Alright, then. Let’s get this party started.”
A minute later, R.J. and Neil were in fighting position, the scoreboard was on (with pictures of both trainers on the top), and a ref was at the side. “There will be three Pokemon each,” the ref announced, “no time limit. Let the battle begin!”
“I’ll start off with my strongest Pokemon. Go, Dusclops!”
Neil sent out a Pokemon, and the Pokemon’s picture appeared under Neil’s. R.J. had never seen the Pokemon before. It looked like a gray ghost with one eye. R.J. looked it up in his Pokedex.
“Dusclops, the ghost Pokemon, the evolved form of Duskull, little is known about this Pokemon.”
“Well that helps. Oh well. Go, Pidgeotto!”
As Pidgeotto’s picture appeared on the scoreboard, R.J. sent his faithful bird Pokemon out to battle. “Pidgeo!”
“Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!”
Pidgeotto sped towards Dusclops, but right before he hit it, Dusclops disappeared.
“Huh?”
Neil smiled. “Dusclops is a Ghost type Pokemon. No attacks can hit it. It’ll just disappear and leave your Pokemon wide open for an attack.”
“What! How can I beat your Pokemon if I can’t even attack them!”
“I guess you can’t. Now, Dusclops, hit Pidgeotto with a Night Shade!”
Dusclops reappeared behind Pidgeotto and, from its hands, shot two black beams at Pidgeotto, knocking it to the floor. But he wasn’t out, just yet.
“Pidgeotto, try to hit Dusclops with a Gust!”
Pidgeotto charged up a small tornado in between his wings, and launched it at Dusclops. But before it hit, Dusclops again disappeared.
“That’s still not going to work, R.J. Dusclops, hit it with another Night Shade!”
Dusclops reappeared and shot another Night Shade at Pidgeotto. This one, however, knocked him out. Pidgeotto’s picture on the scoreboard darkened.
“Pidgeotto, return. Go, Beedrill!”
R.J. returned Pidgeotto to his Pokeball and sent out his Beedrill. Beedrill’s picture appeared on the scoreboard.
“Beedrill, Poison Sting!”
Beedrill swooped down towards Dusclops and prepared to sting it, but it again vanished before it could hit it.
“When will you learn? Dusclops, Night Shade!”
Dusclops reappeared for a third time and launched its Night Shade at Beedrill, knocking it out. The picture of Beedrill on the scoreboard darkened.
“Errrrrrr. Beedrill, return. Well, it’s worth a try. Go, Girafarig!”
R.J. recalled Beedrill and sent out Girafarig, his Psychic Pokemon. Girafarig’s picture appeared on the scoreboard.
I think I might as well give Dusclops a rest. Return!” Neil returned Dusclops to its Pokeball, but its picture on the scoreboard did not darken. “Go, Gastly!”
Neil threw out another Pokeball, this one containing a Gastly.
“Girafarig, Psybeam!”
Girafarig launched a multicolor beam at Gastly, but it also disappeared.
“Remember, Gastly’s a ghost too,” Neil mocked.
Suddenly, R.J. remember his training with Mr. Tomford. They studied Mr. Tomford’s grandson’s Abra, who was also a Psychic Pokemon. Mr. Tomford taught R.J., Joseph, and his grandson, Gordon, a bunch of different Psychic moves. One of them, R.J. remembered, was called Mind Reader. Mind Reader could identify any Pokemon, including invisible ones, and hit it with any attack. R.J. wasn’t sure if Girafarig could learn Mind Reader, but it was worth a try.
“Girafarig, Mind Reader!”
Girafarig looked confused at first, but then it closed its eyes, as if it were concentrating. Suddenly, Gastly reappeared, looking stunned.
“Yes! Now I got it! Girafarig, Psybeam!”
Girafarig once again shot a Psybeam at Gastly, but this one hit it, knocking it out.
“Yeah! Looks like I finally found the flaw in your Ghost types.”
“Gastly, return.” Neil returned Gastly to its Pokeball and its picture on the scoreboard darkened. “Go, Misdreavus!”
Neil sent out another ghost Pokemon, this one a Misdreavus.
“Girafarig, Psybeam!”
Girafarig used Psybeam again, but Misdreavus disappeared before it hit it.
“Oh, I guess I have to use Mind Reader for each Pokemon. Girafarig, Mind Reader!”
Girafarig closed its eyes again, and Misdreavus reappeared.
“Girafarig, Take Down!”
Girafarig charged at Misdreavus and hit it, sending it flying back, knocked out. Misdreavus’ picture on the scoreboard darkened.
“Misdreavus, return. Go, Dusclops!”
Neil sent out Dusclops again. It disappeared as soon as it came out of its Pokeball.
“Girafarig, Mind Reader!”
Girafarig closed its eyes for a third time, and Dusclops appeared.
“Now, Girafarig, Psybeam!”
“Dusclops, Protect!”
Girafarig launched another Psybeam, but before it hit Dusclops, the beam seemed to hit an invisible wall, not harming Dusclops at all.
“Dusclops, Night Shade!”
Dusclops launched a Night Shade at Girafarig, knocking it back.
“Girafarig, Psybeam!”
“Dusclops, Protect!”
Girafarig launched yet another Psybeam at Dusclops, but again, it hit an invisible wall and didn’t harm Dusclops.
“Even though you may be able to see Dusclops, I trained it to know Protect, so that you won’t be able to hit it. Now, use Night Shade!”
Dusclops used another Night Shade, and it left Girafarig badly hurt.
R.J. had to think fast. One more Night Shade would knock Girafarig out, and he couldn’t attack Dusclops. Suddenly, he remembered another attack Psychic Pokemon could use. It was an attack that didn’t do damage right away, but instead would hit the opponent at a random time in the future. If Neil didn’t know when it the attack would work, he couldn’t have Dusclops block it. It was his only chance.
“Girafarig, Future Sight!”
Girafarig closed its eyes, but nothing happened.
“Hah!” Neil said. “You just wasted your last turn. Dusclops, Night Shade!” Dusclops launched another Night Shade at Girafarig.
It was evident that Future Sight wouldn’t work for a few turns, so R.J. had to think off a defensive strategy.
“Girafarig, Double Team!”
Girafarig then made several copies of itself, and when the Night Shade hit Girafarig, both the attack and the Girafarig disappeared. Dusclops had hit a copy, not the real thing!
“Yes!” Nice try, Neil, but if you want to knock out my Girafarig, you’re going to need some luck!”
There were now five Girafarig left. “Dusclops, use Night Shade on the middle one!”
Dusclops launched a Night Shade attack at the middle Girafarig, but the middle one, too, was a fake. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a bunch of purple beams appeared and hit Dusclops, sending it smashing to the floor.
“What?” Neil cried.
“That was Girafarig’s Future Sight attack. It predicted an attack, and the attack happened later, when you and your Dusclops weren’t ready. Now, Girafarig, use Psybeam!”
All the copies of Girafarig disappeared, leaving the real one. It launched a Psybeam at Dusclops, and since it was still stunned by Future Sight, it couldn’t use Protect. The beam hit and Dusclops fainted. It’s picture on the scoreboard darkened, and an X appeared over Neil’s picture. R.J. had won.
“Yeah! We won!” R.J. ran over and hugged his Girafarig. “You we just awesome there, Girafarig. Thank you. Now, return.” R.J. returned Girafarig to its Pokeball.
“Dusclops return.” Neil recalled Dusclops to its Pokeball an went over to R.J. “Well done, R.J. Here is what you came for: the Spook Badge.” Neil handed R.J. a badge in the shape of an eye. “The closest gym is in Punchit City, northeast of here. However, I suggest you stop at Nitser City. Although it doesn’t have a Gym, it is the largest city in Moxto, and there should be many fun things there to do. It’s only a couple miles away, directly west of here.”
“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.”
R.J. left the Gym, healed his Pokemon, and headed west towards Nitser City and a new adventure.

[Neo-Xantios]

Greetings. I must say that your fanfic is really intriguing. I see you are on the creative side. Oh yes, I do indeed have one suggestion: It sure would be be nice to see if the main character loses some battles, just like in the show.

P.S. Your story is one of the fanfics which inspired my latest creation: "Pokémon: A Philosophy".

Keep up the great work, Mr. R.J. ;)

[RJdude]

Originally posted by Neo-Xantios
Greetings. I must say that your fanfic is really intriguing. I see you are on the creative side. Oh yes, I do indeed have one suggestion: It sure would be be nice to see if the main character loses some battles, just like in the show.

P.S. Your story is one of the fanfics which inspired my latest creation: "Pokémon: A Philosophy".

Keep up the great work, Mr. R.J. ;)

Wow, that's really quite an honor to know I inspired you.

And don't worry, R.J. will lose some battles

[Hanada Tattsu]

Wow, cool chapter, Girafarig really did good!

[SneaselReborned]

Well, I would love to say that I've seen this before. Its pretty...erm...common. Maybe if you could add a little twist to the trainer fic plot it would help? Still, I like the fic. Its not bad, it just needs a little work.

Also, if you are going to stay trainerficy, you should make your trainer lose a little more. I mean, most fics are just win, win, win, oooh close win, win, win, win, close gym battle, win, win, win, win. See what I mean? Also, try to space out your paragraphs with double enter, like this.

See how you can easily distinguish one from the other? Yeah. Other than that, you have a little bit of a flowing issue, but the fic is not bad.

Rating: 6.5/10

[RJdude]

Sneaselreborned: Like I told Neo - Xantios, R.J.'s going to lose some battles real soon. And I took your advice, the story is now double spaced. Be happy.

Part 1 - Chapter 7

R.J. had made many hard decisions before, but none like this. This was the hardest decision he ever had to make, and the decision he made could affect him in a very serious way.

“Hmm… should I get vanilla ice cream or strawberry ice cream? I know! I’ll get both!” R.J. ordered both ice creams, showed his Pokedex to the man at the desk to show he was a trainer (Pokemon trainers eat for free) and left with an ice cream in each hand.

R.J. was in Nitser City, the largest city in Moxto. Although there was no Gym, there was plenty of other things to do. R.J. had seen an “R” rated movie, skateboarded, and bowled, to name some. Now he was just chilling out and eating ice cream.

R.J. then looked down the road and saw two people his age, a medium height boy with very light blonde hair and a short girl with golden hair, sitting down on a bench with Pokemon on their laps. He was about to challenge them to a battle, but then noticed that the Pokemon were babies: an Igglybuff sitting on the girl’s lap, and an Azurill sitting on the boy’s lap. He turned around, then looked back at the boy. He seemed familiar. He started to walk towards him. Could it be? Then when he was twenty feet in front of the boy, he knew it. He walked up to the boy, and the boy looked up.

“R.J.?”

“Gordon?”

Gordon stood up and shook R.J.’s hand. Azurill bounced to the floor. “Wow, it’s so great to see you, man. How long has it been since I left, a year?”

“I don’t know, it seemed longer then that. Life hasn’t been the same without you.”

“Yeah, we’ve been through a lot of good times together. We’ve also been through a lot of bad times.”

“The worse,” R.J. said, remembering his mother.

The girl stood up, holding her Igglybuff. “Umm… did I miss something?”

Gordon smacked his forehead. “Of course, you two haven’t met. R.J. this is Nicole. She’s been traveling with me for the last month. Nicole, this is R.J. I’ve told you about him. He was my best friend when I lived in Zastor.”

“Of course, R.J. He’s the one whose mother…” and then, looking at R.J. face, she stopped. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Oh. Okay. Anyway, nice to meet you, R.J.,” she shook R.J. hand.

“Hey, want to get a bite?” R.J. asked his friends. “Its on me. Really.”

Gordon and Nicole returned Azurill and Igglybuff to their Pokeballs and followed R.J. to a restaurant. They got seats, ordered drinks, and began talking.

“So, Gordon,” R.J. began, “tell me what you’ve been doing the last year. I remember you leaving a little more then a year ago, but I didn’t know why.”

A waitress came out with drinks for the group. Gordon took his, a soda, and took a sip out of it. “Well, as you know, my parents got divorced and neither one could decide who would keep me, so they sent me to my grandparents. That’s why I lived with them.” He took another sip from his soda. “But about a year ago, my parents made up. And as much as my grandpa loved having me around, he was too busy with his research to take care of me, so he sent me back to my parents. I stayed there a couple months, but I was bored. So my parents let me leave to explore Moxto and to observe different Pokemon. I want to become a Pokemon researcher like my grandpa, you know. So I left, and traveled alone for several months, until I meet Nicole. We’ve been traveling together for several months.”

“Oh I see.” R.J. took a sip of his milk. “How long have you been in Nitser City for?”

Nicole answered this time. “A week. We’ve been staying at this cool hotel called the Mega Pokemon Suite. The manager is really nice. Since we’re kids, he’s letting us stay there for free.”

Gordon finished off his soda. “His wife also has a big interest in Pokemon eggs. She has a ton of them. That’s where we got Azurill and Igglybuff. The manager’s wife saw that we hade a great interest in Pokemon, so she let us have one each. They hatched just yesterday.”

“Well it looks like you guys have been busy.” R.J. finished off his milk, and Nicole finished her juice. “Let’s go to this hotel. Maybe I’ll get an egg.”

R.J., Gordon, and Nicole left their table, R.J. showed the woman at he front desk his Pokedex, and they headed towards the hotel. Gordon asked R.J. about life in Zastor Town.

“Well, everybody pretty much the same. Your grandpa is doing fine, as in your Grandma. Kevin’s still as much of a jerk as he was before, and Joseph is out in Moxto somewhere. As for my dad… well, he hasn’t gotten over… you know.”

“Oh, I see. So, when did you start your adventure?”

“On my birthday, a couple days ago. My dad let me go.”

“Ah, I see. So, what Pokemon do you have, and how many badges did you win?”

“Well, on my birthday, I rescued a Pidgey that got hit by a truck, and the Nurse Joy back in Zastor Town let me keep it. Your grandpa also gave me a Treecko. And since then, I’ve gotten two badges, caught a Beedrill and a Girafarig, and my Pidgey evolved.”

“Hey guys,” Nicole pointed ahead at a large building that R.J. assumed was the hotel. However, there were many police cars surrounding it. “There’s something wrong at the hotel!”

“Let’s check it out.”

R.J., Gordon, and Nicole rushed to the scene, but a police officer sopped them. “Sorry, you can’t go near here.” R.J. saw a frantic woman being interviewed by police. A man wearing a suit was comforting her.

“Hey, that’s Mr. and Mrs. Dunny, the managers of the hotel,” Gordon told them.

Mr. Dunny looked up and saw Gordon, then rushed over to him. “Gordon! Nicole! It’s nice to see you, but it’s not really a good time.”

“What’s wrong?” Nicole asked.

Mr. Dunny sighed. “There was a robbery. All of my wife’s eggs were stolen, along with a whole lot of money.”

“Can you tell me a little bit more?” R.J. asked.

Mr. Dunny looked at R.J. “Who is this?”

“It’s our friend,” Gordon replied.

“Oh, I see. Well, Mrs. Dunny said that there were two thieves, a man and a woman. They were both in their early twenties, they wore red and blue, and hey had a Vulpix with them.”

“Where are they now?” Gordon asked.

“Well, I think they escaped to the roof, but I’m not sure.”

“Let’s go and get them, then,” R.J. aid. “Those eggs will hatch into Pokemon, and we can’t let those creeps get Pokemon that should have been raised properly.”

“I like your spirit, young man, but it is dangerous,” Mr. Dunny told him. “But if you insist, I will let you pass.”

“I’m coming with you,” Gordon said.

“Okay. Good luck, boys.” Mr. Dunny told the officer to let them pass.

“Be careful!” Nicole cried.

“If we don’t come out in fifteen minutes, send in reinforcements!” Gordon shouted.

R.J. and Gordon ran into the hotel and got into the elevator. They pressed the button to go to the top floor, and the elevator door closed and began to rise.

“I always wanted to say that,” Gordon said.

“Hey, do you have any Pokemon that can fight these creeps?”

“Yep, I have one.”

The elevator stopped at the top floor, and R.J. and Gordon ran out. They headed towards the stairs that lead to the roof, and ran up it. They opened the door and walked outside, on the roof.

They quickly hid behind a wall. There were two people out there, a man and a woman, as Mr. Dunny had told them. The woman was pretty and had long black hair and blue eyes. The man had short red hair, green eyes, and lots of freckles. There was a Vulpix sitting next to the woman. They both wore red uniforms with blue gloves and boots, and there was a large “R” on their uniforms. They were all sitting around two bags, one was large and open, and the other was smaller and was closed. R.J. guessed that money was in the smaller bag, and he could make out a couple eggs in the larger bag.

“What do you think, Jackie?” the man asked the woman. “There has got to be at least 20 eggs in here, and we stole at least fifty grand!”

“Yeah, Jack. The boss will reward us very nicely.”

R.J. couldn’t take it. He stood up. “Hey, that’s not your stuff. Give it back!”

The two thieves looked at him. “Well, well, well,” the woman said. “What do we have here?”

“Who cares,” the man said. “Lets exterminate him!” R.J. saw him reach for a gun. He was beginning to regret his mistake.

“Wait!” the woman said. “We haven’t properly introduced ourselves.” She pointed to herself. “I’m Jackie, this is Jack,” she pointed to her partner. Then she pointed down at her Vulpix. “And this is Vully. We are members of Team Rage.”

“Team Rage?”

“Yes,” Jackie snapped, “Team Rage. We are an organization dedicated to stealing Pokemon and using them to do our bidding.”

“How can you do that? That’s horrible!”

“Silence, you,” Jack shouted. “We’re the ones asking the questions.”

“You named your Vulpix Vully?” Gordon asked, a little louder then he had intended.

“Who is there with you?” Jack demanded. “Show yourself!”

Gordon stood up. “You guys better give back that money and those eggs, or else!”

“Or else what?” Jackie smiled. “We’re the only ones making threats here, kiddo.”

“How about this,” R.J. suggested, “We have a Pokemon battle. If we win, you give up what you stole, and surrender yourselves to the cops. If you win… then you can do whatever you want with us and the items you stole.” R.J. knew he was taking a big risk, but he couldn’t let these crooks get away.

“Fine, we’ll play your game,” Jackie said. “But we shall not lose. Go, Mawlie!”

“Go, Sneasel!”

Team Rage sent out their Pokemon. R.J. recognized both of them from his training with Mr. Tomford. Mawlie was a Steel Pokemon that had strange horns on the back of its head that looked like a second mouth. Sneasel was a Dark and Ice type cat Pokemon with long claws.

“Go, Beedrill!”

“Go, Kadabra!”

R.J. sent out his Beedrill, and Gordon sent out a Kadabra, a Psychic Pokemon. This was a surprise to R.J. at first. R.J. knew Gordon had an Abra, but it didn’t occur to him that it had evolved.

“I’ll get the Sneasel, you get the Mawlie?” R.J. suggested to Gordon.

“Fine. Kadabra, Confusion!”

Kadabra pointed its finger at Mawlie and lifted it up. Then it slammed Mawlie to the ground. It picked it up again, and slammed it to the ground.

R.J. knew that he had to do his part, too. “Beedrill, Fury Cutter!”

Beedrill swooped down towards Sneasel and hit it with its stingers. It didn’t seem to do much.

“Sneasel, Slash!”

Sneasel raised its claw and shot towards Beedrill, but Beedrill was too quick. It dodged Sneasel’s attack easily.

“Beedrill, Fury Cutter!” Beedrill again swooped towards Sneasel and hit it with its stingers but this time, Sneasel seemed more hurt.

“Sneasel, Slash!”

Again, Sneasel raised its claws and tried to attack, but Beedrill also dodged that attack.

“Beedrill Fury Cutter!”

Beedrill used a third Fury Cutter on Sneasel, but this time, Sneasel flew back knocked out.

“What the heck?” Jack said, shocked.

“Fury Cutter’s attack does more damage the more it is used, so by the time Beedrill used Fury Cutter a third time, it was powerful enough to knock Sneasel out.” R.J. noticed that Kadabra had also defeated its opponent.

“Sneasel, return.” Jack recalled Sneasel to its Pokeball.

“You too, Mawlie.” Jackie also returned her Pokemon to its Pokeball. “Now get in there, Vully. Use a Flamethrower on Beedrill!”

“Vul!” Vully stepped forward and launched a powerful flame at Beedrill, knocking it out.

“Beedrill, return, and go, Pidgeotto! Quick Attack!”

R.J. recalled his fallen Pokemon to its Pokeball and sent out his Pidgeotto. As soon as Pidgeotto was out of his Pokeball, it flew at full speed towards Vully, hitting it and sending it flying.

“Vully!” Jackie ran over to her Pokemon and picked it up.

“Well, we won,” Gordon announced.

“Yeah, so now you have to give up what you stole and turn yourselves in!”

Jack pulled his gun out. “Never! We’re Team Rage! We never surrender!

BAM!

R.J. heard a gunshot, but it wasn’t from Jack. R.J. turned around to see an Officer Jenny in the doorway, flowed by several cops. Jenny had fired her gun into the air, and was now pointing it at Team Rage.

“Drop your weapon!” she shouted. Jack dropped his gun to the floor.

Jenny and the cops that followed went up to Team Rage, handcuffs in hand. “You’re under arrest for burglary. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can be held againist you in a court of law.” She and an officer put handcuffs on Jack and Jackie, and even a small pair on Vully. Two more police officers took the bags of eggs and money. Then the police officers led Team Rage to the door and down the stairs. Jenny stayed behind with R.J., Gordon, and their Pokemon.

“Thank you for helping us with the capture and arrest of those two wanted criminals. You have my gratitude.” She saluted them and then rushed to join the others.

“Pidgeotto, return.”

“You too, Kadabra.”

R.J. and Gordon retuned their Pokemon to their Pokeballs. “What a day, huh,” R.J. said.

“Sure, why not?”

“We never had any adventures like this back at home.”

“I’d say. Hey, do you want to say up here all day, or should we go down?”

“Definitely down.” R.J. and Gordon walked down the stairs, and waited for an elevator.

Five minutes later, R.J. and Gordon walked out of the door of the hotel. They got out in time to see Team Rage being pushed into a police car and driven off. Both Jack and Jackie gave R.J. and Gordon dirty looks as they left.

“I have a bad feeling we haven’t seen the last of them,” Gordon sighed.

R.J. and Gordon then saw Nicole, Mr. Dunny, and Mrs. Dunny rushing towards them. “You’re alright!” Nicole cried.

“Thank you so much for saving those eggs,” Mr. Dunny said. “We owe a great amount to you two. Hey, I have an idea. Honey, please go into that open bag that contains the eggs and get the two best eggs you can find. We will give one each to these fine young boys.”

“Good idea,” Mrs. Dunny said. “They deserve them. And I know they’ll take great care to the Pokemon that hatch. Mrs. Dunny ran over to the eggs. A minute later, she walked back with two eggs, one a bright yellow and the other a bright orange. She gave the orange one to R.J. and the yellow one to Gordon.

“Thanks,” they both said. Gordon turned to R.J.

“R.J., I want you to have my egg. I don’t know what Pokemon will hatch, but I know that the Pokemon inside will serve you well in battle.”

“Really? Thanks a lot, Gordon. But where will I keep it? There’s enough room in my backpack for one egg, but not two.”

“I guess I’ll have to hold it for you. But whatever comes out is yours.”

“How will you keep it if you’re staying here?”

“I guess I have to come with you.”

R.J. smiled. “That would be great! Nicole, would you want to come with us?”

“Sure,” Nicole replied, “it’ll be nice to get back on the road.”

Gordon clapped his hands. “Well then, it’s settled. We’re leaving together. But first, Nicole and I need to get our stuff. It shouldn’t take long.” Gordon and Nicole ran into the hotel. R.J. rubbed his egg, and put it in his backpack. Ten minutes later, Gordon and Nicole came out backpacks on their backs.

“Got my egg?” R.J. asked.

“In my backpack.”

So R.J. left Nitser City with his new companions, heading for whatever adventure was thrust in his way.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Cool chapter!

I like Team Rage, I hope we see them again!

[Neo-Xantios]

Hey, RJdude. This new chapter of yours is truly vivid. I see your writing has improved a great deal! :yes: I can't wait to see what new adventures await them! :D

[Neo-Xantios]

Good idea, RJdude. Very inspiring indeed. Excellent descriptions!

[RJdude]

Part 1 - Chapter 8

R.J., Nicole, and Gordon were tired. They had been walking all day, and were all ready to collapse.

“How about we set up camp?” Gordon suggested. “It’s a nice place, I doubt our sleep will be interrupted.”

R.J. and his friends were in a calm, peaceful meadow. Now that Gordon mentioned it, the meadow did seem like a nice place to set up camp.

“Fine. I hope you guys brought sleeping bags.” Luckily, they did, so with in five minutes, everyone was tucked in their sleeping bags and snoozing away.

Ten hours later, R.J. awoke because someone had tripped over him.

“Ooof!” A boy R.J.’s age tripped over R.J. and landed face first on the ground. R.J. scrambled out of his sleeping bag and took a look at the boy. It was Kevin, R.J.’s rival. R.J. and Kevin had never liked each other, and their Pokemon quest hadn’t made them any nicer.

Kevin stood up and wiped the dust off his shorts. “What the…” then he turned around and saw R.J. “Moyan? I thought I tripped over a big rock.”

R.J. was about to counter the insult, but Gordon woke up. “Huh? What’s happening?”

“Well, well, well,” Kevin smirked, “if it isn’t the Professor’s little helper. R.J., I thought you were better then that, hanging out with him, but I guess I was wrong.”

“Shut up, Kevin,” R.J. countered, “Gordon’s ten times a better person then you’ll ever be.” Nicole woke up with a start.

“Who is this?” she asked.

“Believe me, you don’t want to know,” Gordon told her.

Changing the subject, Kevin asked, “So, Moyan, how many badges do you have?”

“Two.”

“Two? HAH! I have four!”

“Four?”

“Yeah, four.”

R.J. couldn’t believe it. That jerk already has four badges? How?

“How about this R.J.,” Kevin offered, “We’ll have a battle. If you win, I’ll give you two of my badges.”

“”I don’t want any badges from you,” R.J. told him. “I want to earn badges the fair way.”

“What’s the matter, scared?”

“No. I’ll battle you if you want, but no prizes.”

“Fine. There will be four Pokemon each. Let’s start this battle, Moyan.”

“Wow, a battle this early in the morning?” Nicole said to Gordon. “Does R.J. do this often?”

Gordon sighed. “Well, I haven’t been traveling with him that long to know what he does with Pokemon, but I remember that back in Zastor Town, he used to get up at five o’clock in the morning to practice basketball. So if we’re going to be traveling with him, I’d say we’re going to have to get used to it.”

A minute later, R.J. and Kevin were facing each other, twenty feet away. Gordon and Nicole were on the sides. “Let’s go, R.J. Tentacool, I choose you!”

“Beedrill, go!”

R.J. and Kevin sent out their Pokemon. R.J. had his Beedrill, and Kevin had a Tentacool, a Water and Poison type jellyfish.

“Beedrill, Poison Sting!”

“Tentacool, Constrict!”

Beedrill swooped down towards Tentacool, but before it could hit it, Tentacool reached out with its tentacles and grabbed Beedrill, squeezing it. Then, Tentacool threw Beedrill to the ground, knocking it out.

“Beedrill, return, and go, Girafarig!”

R.J. returned Beedrill to its Pokeball and sent out Girafarig, his Psychic type Pokemon.

“Girafarig, Take Down!”

Girafarig charged at Tentacool and hit it, sending it flying.

“Now, Psybeam!”

Girafarig shot a multicolored beam at Tentacool, and the beam hit its target, knocking it out.

“Tentacool, return. Electrike, I choose you!”

Kevin recalled his fallen Tentacool and sent out Electrike, an Electric type Pokemon.

“Girafarig, Takedown!”

“Electrike, Thunder Wave!”

Girafarig charged at Electrike, but Electrike shot a wave of electricity at Girafarig, causing it to slow down.

“Hah! Now your Girafarig is paralyzed!” Kevin mocked. “Now your Girafarig has no chance! Electrike, Thunderbolt!”

Electrike leaped into the air and sent a powerful bolt of electricity at Girafarig, knocking it out.

R.J. recalled his Girafarig. “Go, Treecko! Quick Attack!”

R.J. sent out his Treecko, and as soon as it came out of its Pokeball, it ran at Electrike and hit it, sending it flying.

“Electrike! Get up and use Thunderbolt!”

Electrike jumped to its feet and launched a Thunderbolt at Treecko. It hit, but Treecko was barely hurt.

“Huh?”

“Treecko is a Grass type, Kevin,” R.J. told him, smiling. “Electric attacks don’t do as much to them. I thought you would know that. Now Treecko, Pound!”

Treecko jumped above Electrike and hit it with its tail, knocking it out.

Kevin recalled his Electrike. “Lets see how you do with Combusken!” Kevin threw out a Pokeball and revealed an ugly bird-like Pokemon

“Ugg...” Nicole complained. “What is that?”

R.J. wasn’t sure either, so he checked his Pokedex. “Combusken, the Fowl Pokemon, the evolved form of Torchic, this Pokemon spews hot flames from its beak and delivers powerful kicks.”

“This thing evolved from Torchic?” R.J. asked Kevin.

“Yeah, and now you get to see its power. Combusken, Double Kick!”

Combusken leaped at Treecko, feet first and hit it with two mighty kicks. Treecko flew back.

“Now, hit it with an Ember!”

Combusken spat a small fireball at Treecko, whose tail caught on fire. It tried to put it out, but it fainted from the heat.

“Treecko, return. Hey, Kevin, remember my Pidgey? Well, it evolved. Go, Pidgeotto!”

R.J. recalled his Treecko and sent out his faithful bird, Pidgeotto.

“Combusken, Double Kick!”

Combusken once again launched at its opponent, but this time Pidgeotto flew up, dodging it.

“Pidgeotto, Gust!”

Pidgeotto blew up a small tornado, then launched it at Combusken. It hit Combusken, sending it flying.

“Now, Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!”

Pidgeotto swooped down at full speed towards Combusken and hit it, knocking it out.

Kevin recalled Combusken. “Now your bird is in for it. Go, Porygon!”

Kevin sent out his final Pokemon, a Porygon. R.J. had seen his Porygon before. Kevin always bragged about it, saying how it was so powerful. Now it was time to see if Kevin really did train his Porygon as well as he said he did.

“Porygon, Psybeam!”

Porygon shot a Psybeam from its mouth and it hit Pidgeotto. Pidgeotto was hurt, but he shook it off.

“Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!”

Pidgeotto swooped down at Porygon and hit it, but it only slid back.

“Porygon, Zap Cannon!”

Porygon gathered a ball of electricity in its mouth then shot it out at Pidgeotto. It hit its target.

“PIDGEOOO!” Pidgeotto was badly hurt. He also seemed to be slowing down.

“Well, time to fish this battle. Porygon, Hyper Beam!” Porygon started gathering energy in its mouth.

R.J. had to think fast. He knew that Hyper Beam would knock Pidgeotto out. Pidgeotto couldn’t dodge the attack, because of what Zap Cannon did do it. He could only attack. R.J. knew there had to be some way to beat it, but he couldn’t think of how.

That’s when Porygon launched the Hyper Beam. It hit Pidgeotto, and Pidgeotto fell to the ground, knocked out.

“No! Pidgeotto!” R.J. cried.

“Porygon, return.” Kevin returned Porygon to its Pokeball. “Well, looks like you aren’t as good as you say you are. I hope, for your sake, that you train your Pokemon better. Well, smell you later.” Then he walked away.

“Pidgeotto, return.” R.J. returned Pidgeotto to his Pokeball.

“R.J. don’t let him get to you,” Gordon told him. “You were bound to lose at some point.”

“Yeah, don’t worry, R.J.,” Nicole said. “It’s just one loss.”

R.J. sighed. "I know but when Kevin told Porygon to use Hyper Beam, I knew that I could save my Pidgeotto, but I didn’t know how. But no matter, I will think about this battle until I beat that sleasball. I will keep on thinking about what I could have done to win, to save my Pidgeotto. So next time he decides to battle me, he better watch out. Because I will defeat him!”

“Down, boy,” Gordon warned.



Are you happy now? R.J. losses. He's not God.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Wow, good chapter, RJ!

Kevin really is a jurk! I swear I thought Treecko would evolve to beat Combusken, but I was wrong.

It's okay, keep the great work coming, RJ! I really like where this is heading.

[Neo-Xantios]

Hey, RJdude. That was an intriguing chapter. Man, now I hate that Kevin fool now more than I'll ever be! I do have one suggestion, however: The battle description wasn't too clear, and it ended so apruptly in my mind. It would be excellent if you describe the Pokémon's movements and expressions as well. Anyway, that was great work! Keep it up!

[RJdude]

Part 1 - Chapter 9

“I’m tired. We should stop and rest.”

“Gordon, we’re within a mile of Punchit City. We can rest there.”

“I know, but think about our Pokemon. They’d probably like to get out.”

R.J. sighed. “Fine, we’ll stop. Come on out guys!” He threw out four Pokeballs, containing his Pidgeotto, Treecko, Beedrill, and Girafarig.

“You too,” Gordon said. He released two Pokeballs, containing his Kadabra and his Azurill.

“Let’s go, Igglybuff!” Nicole threw out her only Pokeball, and her Igglybuff leaped out.

It had been a week since R.J.’s loss to Kevin. His Pokemon had recovered from the battle, but they were still shaken. R.J. knew that they would have to get over that, since he was about an hour away from another Gym battle.

His Pokemon didn’t seem to be worrying about the gym battle. Beedrill was buzzing around, Girafarig and Pidgeotto were in a deep conversation with Gordon’s Kadabra, and Treecko was sleeping on the ground. Azurill and Igglybuff were on their trainer’s laps.

“Do either of you guys know what kind of Pokemon the Gym Leader uses?” R.J. asked.

“Well, we did pass this city before,” Gordon said, “But I’m not quite sure about the Gym. I think it may be Fighting, since the Gym looked more like a place that they would teach karate…”

“A dojo?” Nicole corrected.

“Yeah, something like that. Anyway, if it is a Fighting type Gym, you should have no problem. You have two very good anti-Fighting Pokemon on your team: Pidgeotto and Girafarig.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. We better get moving. Pidgeotto, Girafarig, Beedrill, Treecko, return.” R.J. returned his Pokemon to their Pokeballs, as did Gordon and Nicole. They continued down the path and walked for ten minutes until they reached a relatively small city.

“Well, here we are, Punchit City. Let’s go find the Gym.” R.J. and his friends walked down the streets of Punchit City until they saw a dojo.

“This must be it. Let’s go.”

R.J., Nicole, and Gordon stepped into the Gym. As soon as they got in, they were startled by a loud punch.

BAM! The Machop punched the Mankey will all its power, and the Mankey fell to the floor.

Inside the Gym, there were about twenty students, with their ages anywhere from five to forty, sitting around in a circle. There were also two students inside the circle, fighting with their Pokemon. A young, sandy-haired boy was commanding the Mankey, and a bald man in his thirties was controlling the Machop. There was also a girl standing. She was not much older then R.J., and had light blonde hair that was up in a bun. Two sticks were prodding from the bun. All of the students, including the standing girl, wore white karate uniforms, and none of them were wearing shoes. They all had different colored belts on. R.J. noticed that the girl was the only one with a black belt.

“Thank you, Greg and David,” the girl said to the two students. The students recalled their Pokemon, bowed, and then took their seats. The girl stepped into the middle of “Now, as you can see, David’s Machop used a Mega Punch on Greg’s Mankey. Mega Punch, although not a Fighting type move, is a powerful attack that…” then she saw R.J. and his friends. “Well, I see we have guests. Since you are in my dojo, I request that you take your shoes and socks off.”

“Why do I have to listen to you?” Gordon asked. “You’re barely older then me. I’m not taking orders from a fourteen year old.”

The girl smiled. She calmly walked over to Gordon, and then, faster then R.J. could see, hit him in the stomach.

“Ooofff!” Gordon dropped to his knees, whining in pain. R.J. and Nicole quickly took off their shoes and socks.

“As I was saying,” The girl said. “I am Annette. I am both the teacher of this dojo, and the Punchit City Gym Leader.”

“You’re the Gym Leader?” R.J. asked in amazement. “You’re so young!”

“I’ve trained all my life. However, I take it you are here to challenge me to win a Karate Badge.”

“Yeah, my name is R.J., and that’s what I’m here for.”

“Very well. But I assure you, it will not be easy.” She clapped her hands and all her students moved to a side. Some of the younger students seemed excited that they would get to see their teacher battle. After Gordon got up (and very quickly took of his footwear), he and Nicole joined them. After a scoreboard lit up, with Annette and R.J.’s pictures on it, R.J. and Annette walked to opposite sides of the Gym. An older student wearing a red belt walked to the side of the Gym opposite to all the spectators. “There will be three Pokemon each, no time limit. Let the battle begin!”

“Okay, I will choose my first Pokemon,” Annette announced. “Watch closely, student. Go, Heracross!” Annette sent out a Heracross, a Bug and Fighting Pokemon that resembled a beetle. Heracross’ picture appeared on the scoreboard under Annette’s picture.

“Fine then Go, Pidgeotto!” R.J. sent out his Pidgeotto. His picture appeared under R.J.’s.

“Heracross, Megahorn!”

Heracross launched itself at Pidgeotto, horn first, but Pidgeotto simply flew up to avoid it.

“Pidgeotto, Wing Attack!”

Pidgeotto flew towards Heracross, and as he flew right past it, he lashed out his wing and hit Heracross with a mighty blow. Heracross flew back.

“Now, Pidgeotto, hit it with a Quick Attack!” Pidgeotto sped towards Heracross.

“Heracross, Endure!”

Heracross stood up, and when Pidgeotto hit Heracross, it took the damage, but stood its ground.

“Now, Heracross, use Reversal!”

Heracross charged at Pidgeotto and hit him with all its might. Pidgeotto flew back. He looked as though he was about to faint.

Annette turned to her students. “As you can see, the combination of Endure and Reversal is very powerful.”

“Pidgeotto, get up and use Quick Attack!”

“Heracross, Endure!”

Pidgeotto once again sped towards Heracross, and like last time, Heracross took the damage, but didn’t fall.

“Now, use Reversal!” Heracross again charged at Pidgeotto.

“Pidgeotto, dodge it and use Quick Attack!”

Pidgeotto quickly dodged Heracross’ attack and sped towards it, hitting it, and knocking it out. Heracross’ picture on the scoreboard darkened.

“Heracross, return. Go, Machoke” Annette returned Heracross to its Pokeball and sent out Machoke, the evolved form of Machop. Its picture appeared on the scoreboard.

“Pidgeotto, Wing Attack!”

“Machoke, Mega Punch!”

Pidgeotto flew towards Machoke, but Machoke was ready. As Pidgeotto came by, Machoke unleashed a powerful punch.

BAM! Pidgeotto hit the ground, knocked out. His picture on the scoreboard darkened.

“Pidgeotto, return. Go, Girafarig!” As R.J. recalled his Pidgeotto and sent out his Psychic type, Girafarig’s picture appeared on the scoreboard.

“Girafarig, Psybeam!” Girafarig launched a multicolored Psybeam at Machoke. Machoke flew back.

“Machoke, get up and use Mega Punch!”

Machoke jumped to its feet and ran at Girafarig, its fist pulled back and ready to punch.

“Girafarig, Confusion!”

Girafarig closed its eyes, and suddenly, Machoke stopped in its tracks. It then flew up and hit the ceiling. Then it dropped to the floor, knocked out. Its picture darkened on the scoreboard.

“Machoke, return.” She recalled Machoke to its Pokeball. ‘You are doing very well, R.J. But now its time for you to meet my most powerful Pokemon. Go, Medicham!”

Annette sent out a Pokemon, and its picture appeared on the scoreboard. R.J. heard murmurs throughout the students.

“Is that her Medicham?”

“Her Psychic and Fighting type Pokemon?”

“She’s always talking about it.”

“She says it’s unbeatable.”

R.J. had no clue what a Medicham was, so he decided to check his Pokedex. “Medicham, the Meditate Pokemon, the evolve form of Meditite, this Pokemon is extremely developed in both mind and body.”

“Okay, Medicham, use Thunderpunch!”

Meicham’s fist sparkled with electricity, then it charged at Girafarig and hit it with its fist. Girafarig was badly hurt.

“Now, use High Jump Kick!”

Medicham leaped high into the air and delivered a powerful kick to Girafarig. Girafarig fell to the floor. It had fainted. Its picture on the scoreboard darkened.

“Girafarig, return.” R.J. returned Girafarig to its Pokeball, but R.J. was debating with himself which Pokemon to use. Beedrill was strong, but it would be no match for Medicham, because of its weakness to Psychic attacks. So he had to use Treecko. “Treecko, I choose you!” R.J. sent out his Treecko, and its picture appeared on the scoreboard.

“Medicham, use Confusion!”

Like Girafarig, Medicham closed its eyes, and Treecko flew up to the ground, hitting it. However, Medicham Confusion seemed to be a lot powerful then Girafarig’s. Treecko then dropped to the ground, badly hurt.

“Now, Use High Jump Kick!”

Medicham launched itself at Treecko and hit it with a powerful kick, sending it back t the wall. Treecko looked as if it was about to faint.

“Treecko… please don’t give up,” R.J. begged.

Suddenly, Treecko began to glow. It grew larger, and leaves appeared on its arms. When it stopped glowing, it was clear that Treecko was now a Grovyle. Grovyle’s picture replaced Treecko’s on the scoreboard.

“No way…” Nicole began.

Gordon was also amazed. “It evolved!”

R.J. knew about Grovyle, but he decided to check his Pokedex anyway. “Grovyle, the Reptile Pokemon, the evolve form of Treecko, this Pokemon moves through the jungle at high speeds, climbing from tree to tree.”

“Yes! You evolved! Now get in there, Grovyle, and use Cut!”

Grovyle, pumped and ready for action, rushed towards Medicham and slashed it with its claws. It cried out in pain.

“Medicham, use Fire Punch!”

Medicham recovered and launched at Grovyle, its fists flaming with fire. Then it punched Grovyle.

“Groo!!” Grovyle cried out in pain.

“Don’t give up, Grovyle, use Faint Attack!”

Grovyle then made several copies of itself. Each one of them lunged at Medicham, causing it fly back.

“Now, finish it off with a Cut!”

The copies of Grovyle disappeared, and the real one lunged at Medicham, claws outstretched. Grovyle slashed Medicham with all its might, and Medicham was knocked out. It’s picture darkened on the scoreboard, and a big X appeared over Annette’s face.

“R.J. did it!” Gordon and Nicole cheered. “He beat Annette!” Annette’s student looked slightly less happy.

R.J. ran over and hugged his Grovyle. “Grovyle, thank you! You evolved for me, and you beat the Gym Leader! You’re so awesome!”

“Grovvvee!” Grovyle grinned.

Gordon and Nicole put their socks and shoes on, then walked over to R.J. “Great battle, man. We knew you could do it.”

Annette walked towards R.J. “Very good, R.J. That was the best battle I had in years. Plus, we taught my students a thing or two. You are worthy of the Karate Badge.” Annette handed R.J. a brown badge that looked like the bottom of a foot.

“Yeah!” R.J. yelled. “I got a Karate Badge!”

“Grovvvee!” Grovyle was also happy.

R.J. opened his backpack and took out the case that held his other two badges. He placed the Karate Badge among them.

“I see you are collecting badges,” Annette said. “The nearest Gym is in River Island. I suggest you go there.

“Thank you.” R.J. returned Grovyle to its Pokeball, and R.J. and his friend walked out of the Gym.

But as soon as they left the doors of the Gym, Annette ran out. “R.J., aren’t you forgetting something?”

“No, I have my Karate Badge.” But then Annette lifted up R.J.’s shoes and socks. The four of them laughed as R.J. went to get his shoes.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Great chapter!

Character development was present in this chapter, and like we discussed over AIM, you're doing great!

Grovyle is cool.

[Neo-Xantios]

Great work, RJdude. Your description was very well in this chapter. The Endure/Reversal move combo was perfectly described. Decisive work indeed! :D

[Wizzy]

Nice fic you are writing:D
It was also very cool he lost from Kevin, that was a really good move.
A little question: Is in this fic the only lead character RJ. or do Gordona nd Nicole get soem character devolpment? There is especially not much background about Nicole

Anyway, nice chap!

[RJdude]

Wizzy: Well, R.J. is the MAIN character, so there's obviousy a lot of development around him, but as you can see from my character list, Nicole and Gordon are also main characters, and there will be character development around them.

Part 1 - Chapter 10

R.J. was starring at his three badges. He couldn’t believe that, a month into his adventure, he already had three badges.

“Three down, five to go,” he said out loud.

Nicole looked back at him. “You know, if you’re going to be starring at those badges all day, you’re going to end up not paying attention, and you’re going to fall off a cliff.

“We’re in a forest, there are no cliffs.”

“Fine,” Gordon added, “You’ll hit a tree.”

Changing the subject, R.J. asked Gordon, “How far are we from River Island?”

“A long way. In fact, we should probably start up camp. It’ll get dark soon.”

R.J. looked at his watch. “Gordon, it’s one o’clock in the afternoon.”

“I know, but I’m tired.”

R.J. punched Gordon in the shoulder. “You’re such a wimp. I’m going to look around, see if I can find any new Pokemon.”

“Get some firewood while you’re at it,” Nicole called out.

R.J. wasn’t really looking for new Pokemon, he just wanted to explore the forest. He collected some firewood, but then heard running water.

“Hey, a river. I’m thirsty, maybe I can get a drink there.” He ran towards the river, only to see clothes lying on the floor. They were a young woman’s clothes: a red top, a black skirt, a pair of black boots, a bra, and a pair of panties. There was also a backpack.

R.J. studied the clothes. “Hmm… now why would a teenaged girl be running around in the nude?” he asked himself. Then to his surprise, a girl’s head popped out of the water.

“AHHHH!!!” the girl shrieked.

“AHHHH!” R.J. agreed, startled by the girl’s sudden appearance in the river.

Both R.J. and the girl calmed down. The girl was only keeping her head above water, hiding her naked body underwater.

“What the hell is your problem?” the girl demanded. “What are you, some kind of Peeping Tom?”

“I’m sorry. It didn’t occur to me that you would be swimming around in the nude. It didn’t even occur to me that you would be here at all.”

“Whatever,” she said coldly. “Just turn around.”

R.J. did as he was told, and stood there, starring at a mushroom while the girl got out of the river and put on her underwear, top, and skirt. “Okay, you can turn around now,” she told him.

R.J. turned around, but he regretted him decision. As soon as he was facing her, she delivered a powerful smack to his check. R.J. rubbed his cheek. “Okay, I deserved that.”

The girl sat down and began to put on her boots. “I can tell you’re a trainer,” she told R.J. “No other kind of man are so ignorant. What’s your name, anyway.”

The girl’s hair was drying, and R.J. looked at her face. He saw that she was very pretty…no, not pretty. Beautiful. She had strait brown hair that went just below her shoulders. Her face was perfect, no zits or pimples, and she had a great smile with perfect teeth. The only problem was, she wasn’t smiling. She had looked like she hadn’t smiled in a while. It didn’t seem to be because of something that had happened to her, but she just didn’t have anything to smile about. Like she never had fun in her life, and never will.

“Well?” she asked.

R.J. was still looking at her beautiful, yet serious face. “Uh…my name’s Zastor R.J. and I come from Moyan town… I mean, my name is Moyan J.R., and I’m from Town Zastor, err…my name is R.J., and I come from Zastor Town.”

“Well, which one is it? Zastor, Moyan, or R.J.?”

“R.J.”

She sighed. “I’m Morgan. Morgan Eisen. I’m 14 years old, just in case you wanted to know.”

R.J. extended his hand to shake hers. “Nice to meet you.”

Morgan didn’t take his hand. “Whatever. Look, if you want to battle me, that’s fine, but if not, get out of my way. I have badges to earn.”

“You’re collected badges, too?” R.J. asked. “How many to you have?”

Morgan starred at him. “Three, and I’m on my way to River Island to get my fourth.”

“Really! So am I! Maybe we can travel together.”

“Sorry, bud, but I travel alone. The only friend a trainer can have is herself.”

“Why do you think that?”

“I don’t have any friends to start with. Friends are for wimps. If you’re that good of a trainer, then you shouldn’t need people supporting you. Their support doesn’t help anyway.”

“That’s not true! Friends are important. Besides, even if you don’t have human friends traveling with you, you have your Pokemon, and they’re your friends.”

“My Pokemon are not my friends. They’re my Pokemon, and just that. They don’t need to love you, they just need to obey.” She sighed. “Well, I don’t have time for this, so this is goodbye.” She then turned around and starting walking away.

As much as R.J. didn’t agree with what Morgan said, she was s beautiful… he didn’t want to let her go.

“Wait!” he called out. Morgan turned around. “How abut a battle, you and I. Two Pokemon each.”

For the first time, Morgan smiled. “Fine, I’ll battle you. But I won’t lose. Go, Skiploom!”

Morgan threw out a Pokeball, and a Grass and Flying type, Skiploom.

“Okay then. Go, Grovyle!” R.J. threw out one of his Pokeballs, and his newly evolved Grovyle came out.

“Grove!” Grovyle looked at Skiploom and crossed its arms. It clearly wasn’t expecting a challenge from Skiploom.

“Grovyle, Cut!”

Grovyle lunged at Skiploom, claws outstretched, and slashed it. Skiploom flew back.

“Get up, Skiploom! Use Sleep Powder!”

Skiploom got up and started floating in the air, releasing dust. The dust hit Grovyle, and it fell asleep.

“Grovyle! This is no time for a nap! Get up!” But Grovyle keep snoozing away.

“Skiploom, Tackle!” Skiploom slammed into Grovyle and it shot back and hit a tree, but its eyes shot open.

“Yes! Now Grovyle, use Quick Attack!”

Grovyle charged at Skiploom and hit it at full speed. Skiploom flew back, and like Grovyle, hit a tree. However, Skiploom slid down the tree. It had been knocked out.

“You weakling. Return.” Morgan recalled Skiploom. “Now your in for it. Go, Nidorina!”

Morgan released another Pokeball, and a Nidorina came out, ready for battle.

“I got Nidorina when she was just a Nidoran. I got her from my parents. I’ve trained it to perfection.”

“We’ll see about that. Grovyle, Cut!”

“Nidorina, Poison Sting!”

Grovyle ran at Nidorina, claws outstretched, but from her small horns, Nidorina shot small pellets at Grovyle. They hit, and Grovyle flew back, crying in pain. It fell to the ground. It tried to get up, but it couldn’t. It collapsed onto the ground.

“Hah! One down and one to go!”

“I guess your Nidorina is stronger than I thought. Return.” He returned Grovyle to its Pokeball. “Now, It’s time for you to meet my most powerful Pokemon. Go, Pidgeotto!”

R.J. threw out a Pokeball, and his Pidgeotto flew out.

“Pidgeo!” he screamed.

“That weak bird couldn’t do anything.”

“Watch and learn. Pidgeotto, Gust!”

Pidgeotto started flapping his wings, and a small tornado formed in between his wings. Pidgeotto then shot it at Nidorina, sending her flying back.

“Now, use Quick Attack!”

Pidgeotto swooped towards Nidorina at full speed at hit her, causing her to fall down. But she couldn’t get up.

“No! Nidorina!” She angrily recalled Nidorina to her Pokeball. “Fine, R.J., you win. But I wasn’t because of your friendship with your Pokemon, its because you trained them well enough to beat mine.”

“That’s not true,” R.J. said. “Your bond with your Pokemon is just as important as your Pokemon’s level.”

“Whatever.” Morgan sighed. “Well kid, you gave me a good battle, but this is goodbye. I’ve got places to go.” She then picked up her backpack and stormed off.

“Pidgeotto, return.” He recalled Pidgeotto. “Man, she’s so good-looking… if only she had a heart.” R.J. then headed back to camp, wondering if he would ever see Morgan’s beautiful face again, but also wondered if he would have to once again face her heartlessness.


“What’s with that kid?” Morgan asked out loud to herself. “What does he think he’s trying to tell me? I don’t need friends, nor to I need to be friends with my Pokemon. I have my pride. That’s all I need.”

Suddenly, a young man with a bandana on his head walked out from behind a tree. “Hey babe, what’s shaking?”

“Buzz off,” Morgan told him. She brushed past him.

“Hey!” the man grabbed Morgan forcefully by the shoulder. “Nobody tells Jock to buzz off.”

“Is that so, Jock? Well I do.” She hit Jock’s hand off her shoulder and walked off.

“You little bit…” he started. He grabbed Morgan as hard as he could. “Nobody, and I mean nobody, disrespects Jock like that.”

Morgan tried to break free of Jock’s grasp, but he was holding on to her too tight. “Let me go!”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Jock told her.

“HHELLLLPPPPP!!!!!!” Morgan screamed. She hoped that someone, even R.J. would hear her. But then she realized something: even if R.J. did hear, why would he help her after what she did to him?


By the look on R.J.’s face, Gordon and Nicole knew R.J. was depressed by something. “What’s the matter?” Nicole asked him.

R.J. told him about Morgan.

Whoa, what a bit…” before Gordon could finish his statement, Nicole slapped his shoulder. “Gordon!”

“Sorry. But anyway, even if this Morgan girl is as pretty as you say she is, why would you love someone like that?”

“I don’t know,” R.J. said. “I guess I think I could change her.”

That’s when they heard it. “HHELLLLPPPPP!!!!!!”

R.J. stood up. “That sounds like Morgan.”

“Just let her go,” Gordon advised. “After what she did to you, I wouldn’t rush to save her.”

“I know, but I still have to help her.” R.J. rushed into the forest.

“Let’s go,” Nicole told Gordon. They stood up and followed R.J.

Five minutes later, R.J., Nicole, and Gordon arrived at the scene where they heard the noise. They saw Jock, who was holding Morgan hard and fighting with her. He looked like he was trying to rape Morgan! Morgan was losing, but saw R.J. and her eyes got bigger.

“Let her go!” R.J. told Jock.

Jock looked at R.J. “Why should I? I’m teaching this little shrew how to behave herself. Why don’t you go away before I do the same for you?”

“No. I came here to get Morgan and I’m not leaving without her. Go, Girafarig!” R.J. threw out a Pokeball and his Girafarig cam out. “Girafarig, Tackle!”

Girafarig charged at Jock and hit him, sending him flying back. Luckily, before Girafarig hit, Jock let go of Morgan and she dropped to the ground.

“Fine, you want to play that way, you little rat? Let’s play. Go, Seviper!”

Jock threw out one of his own Pokeballs and a snake-like Pokemon, Seviper, came out.”

“R.J.’s not fighting this alone,” Gordon said. “Go, Kadabra! Psybeam!” Gordon also threw out a Pokeball and his Kadabra came out.

“Girafarig, you too, Psybeam!”

The two Psychic Pokemon launched multicolored beams at Seviper flew back and hit Jock, sending them both crashing to the ground.

“Ah! You beat my only Pokemon!” Jock recalled Seviper. “Fine, you can have the girl. Just don’t hurt me!” He then ran into the woods.

R.J. and Gordon recalled their Pokemon, and the two of them plus Nicole ran over to Morgan. Morgan stood up. Despite being bruised here and there, she still looked very beautiful. “R.J., you came. Even though I treated you like crap, you came for me.”

“That’s what friends are for,” R.J. said. “They help one another out.”

“Just like Pokemon…” she started.

“Help us out,” Gordon finished.

“Who are these people, anyway?” Morgan asked R.J.

“This is Gordon and this is Nicole. They’re my friends.”

Everyone stood there in silence for a minute. “Maybe you are right, R.J. Maybe friends are important.” A tear came down Morgan cheek. R.J. was surprised. He didn’t think Morgan was capable of crying. “I was such an idiot.”

“Don’t worry, Morgan,” Nicole told her. “Everybody makes mistakes. But not as many realize their mistakes.”

Morgan took a deep breath. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“I have an idea,” Nicole said. “Why don’t you come with us? R.J. said that you’re heading for River Island, and since we’re also heading there, why don’t we travel together?”

“R.J. asked me the same question. And I said no. But now that I realize that friends are important, I’ll change my answer. We’re heading for River Island together.” She turned to R.J. “But just because we’re friends, don’t think I’ll be soft on you. Because we’re both going to get eight badges, and we’re going to go to the Jade Tournament. And once we’re there, it’s every trainer for him or herself.”

R.J. shook his head. “No, because our Pokemon will always be supporting us in battle. Remember, they’re our friends too. And we always have our other friends supporting us from the crowd. And even though we might eventually face each other in the Jade Tournament, we will still support each other as we go through the other rounds.”

Morgan smiled. “Yeah, you’re right. And after our battle, the winner will be supported by the loser throughout the rest of the tournament.”

“Now you’re getting it.”

So R.J. headed back to camp, with both his old and new friends, and new that as long as he had those friends, he would succeed in his training.

[totodilelover]

I liked this chapter, it was funny. It has good length. Your spelling is good but i seen about 2 or 3 wourds mispelled but hey we all make mistakes. The pokemon battles could go on longer and more descriptive. Keep it up!

[Wizzy]

That was a very nice turn over for Morgan...
I hope she will stay with them^_^

[Hanada Tattsu]

Excellent chappie, RJ!

I loved it! Morgan is a great character, and you really concentrated on character development.

Keep up the great work!

[Neo-Xantios]

Ah, RJdude. That was indeed an enjoyable chapter. I wonder if that Jock guy will appear again.

[Jukain]

Wow, that was all great. Another travel companion, huh, that must be a record or something, because I don't know of anyone else having four people traveling at once at any time, but I am only an avid reader of a few fics. Sorry for being gone so long, I was away from my comp for a week.

[2ra]

Lol both of our fics have four main people :P This is a great fic, keep up the good work, the size and description are good lol :P

[SNOTS FUBAR]

Just wanted to post tell you that I like you fic. I dont like the end to the morgan part. she seemed to change the way she was in about 5 minutes time but maybe thats me. Oh and the knee high boots i didnt like either but thats personal lol. Keep going.

[RJdude]

Part 1 - Chapter 11

R.J. sat on the grounds, holding his bright orange egg. “When do you think the eggs will hatch?” he asked Gordon.

Gordon took the yellow egg that he was holding for R.J. out of his backpack. “I’m not sure. We’re keeping them warm, but I don’t feel any movement inside them.

“Well, I don’t care when they hatch, as long as they’re healthy… of course, I wouldn’t mind if thy hatched into something big and strong, like, say a Zapdos and a Moltres.

“Dream on,” Morgan told him.

R.J. and his friends, including his newest companion, Morgan, were relaxing next to a lake. There was a Pokemon Center near them, a forest not too far away, and there was a bright sun in the sky.

“So, tell me a little more about yourself, R.J.” Morgan said.

R.J. was distracted by Morgan’s beauty, but he still answered his question. “Well, ‘m 13 years old, and I come from Zastor Town, as does Gordon here. Before I left on my journey about a month ago, I lived with my dad. My mom died over two years ago.”

“Oh…” she said. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. Anyway, I rescued a Pidgey that got hit by a truck, and I got to keep him. He was my fist Pokemon. Later that day, I got a Treecko, from my mentor, Professor Tomford, who is also Gordon’s grandfather.”

Once again, Morgan interrupted him. “You’re grandpa is Carl Tomford?” she asked Gordon. “My parents talk about him and his research all the time.”

“Yah, Gordon said, “he’s a pretty popular guy.”

“Anyway,” R.J. continued, “since I left Zastor Town, I’ve caught a Beedrill and a Girafarig, my Pidgey and Treecko evolved, and I won three badges.”

“Sounds pretty good. You seem to raise your Pokemon pre…” Morgan was interrupted by the sound of shaking bushes in the forest..

“What was that?” Nicole asked.

R.J. stood up. After putting his egg down, he walked over to the bush that he heard shaking. He pulled the bush aside, and there stood a purple Pokemon with horns and spikes all over its body. It looked shaken and afraid. “Hey, it’s a Nidorino!” R.J. called out to the others.

Everyone stood up to take a look at him. “Wow, a Nidorino!” Morgan exclaimed. “It’ll make a great friend for my Nidorina!” Morgan took out an empty Pokeball.

“No way!” R.J. took out an empty Pokeball of his own. “I found it first.”

“Guys, guys, chill out.” Gordon stepped in between them. “There’s a nice, simple, adult way to figure out who will get to catch it: rock, paper, scissors.”

“Fine.” R.J. and Morgan put their fists behind their back. “Rock, paper, scissors, shoo…”

“Hey!” Seemingly out of nowhere, a man with spiked hair, motorcycle boots, and a leather jacket walked in front of them. “Has anyone seen my Nidorino?”

“Well,” Nicole said, “there’s one right here. Is it yours?” Nicole pointed down towards the Nidorino.

“Yah, that’s it. Come here, you.” He reached for the Nidorino but he saw the guy and started running. “Fine, run.” The guy took out a Pokeball and recalled the Nidorino into the Pokeball. “Well, sorry about that, got to go.” He then ran off into the forest.

“Something’s not right about him, I can feel it,” Nicole said.

“You’re right, let’s go.” After packing up the eggs, R.J. led the others into the woods. They couldn’t find the man, but then they heard something.

“Don’t you EVER run away again, you hear me! Golem, Mega Punch!”

“Golem!” R.J. the heard the sound of a heavy punch.

“Hit him again, Golem!”

R.J. heard another punch.

“Let’s go,” he told his friends. They ran to the sight they heard the punching coming from, and saw the man they saw earlier, with the Nidorino and a Golem.

The man picked up the Nidorino by the neck. “Next time you run away, it’ll be four punches!” he threw the Nidorino to the ground. “I am your master, you are supposed to obey me! If you disobey me ever again, I’ll…”

“Hey!” R.J. ran to the man. “What are you doing?”

“Teaching my Pokemon a lesson. Go away, you little rat.”

“No wonder your Nidorino ran away. If you treat it like that, it’ll never obey you!”

Suddenly, the man drew back his fist and hit R.J. right in the face. He fell on his back. Blood was dripping down his nose. “It better not disobey me, or else. Now mind your own business.” He then recalled his Golem and Nidorino, and walked off.

Morgan ran to his side. “Are you okay?” she asked him.

R.J. stood up, wiping the blood off his nose. “I’m fine.”

“That guy was such a jerk,” Nicole exclaimed. “We should go report what he did to Nurse Joy, she’ll find a good home for that Nidorino.”

“Good idea, let’s go.”

The foursome ran out of the forest as quick as they could, and when they arrived at the lake, they ran strait to the Pokemon Center. When they arrived inside the center, out of breath, Nurse Joy saw them and walked up to them. “What’s the matter, kids?”

R.J. and Gordon told her about the Nidorino and his abusive trainer.

“Oh my!” Joy put her hands up to her mouth. “I need to report this to the Pokemon Abuse Center immediately!”

Suddenly, the door to the Pokemon Center burst open. In walked the man they saw abuse his Nidorino!

Nicole pointed to him. “That’s him! Hat’s the man who used his Golem to beat his Nidorino!”

The man looked at her. “I have a name, you little girl. It’s Dirk, and don’t you …”

“What did you do to your Nidorino!” Joy screamed, interrupting Dirk.

Dirk shrugged. “I tried to battle with it, but it didn’t listen. Since it has a habit of disobeying me, I decided that he was worthless. So I threw him in that lake. Too bad he can’t swim.”

“You did WHAT!” R.J. ran to look out the window, and sure enough, in the middle of the lake, was Nidorino, trying to stay above water. R.J. could see that Nidorino was struggling, and it was losing energy quickly. If someone didn’t help him soon, he would drown.

R.J. stormed out of the Pokemon Center. Joy, Morgan, Gordon, and Nicole followed. Nidorino was now completely submerged under water. “I’ve got to help him,” R.J. called back to the others. He took his shirt off and dived into the water, headfirst.

Luckily, the water in the lake was clear, and R.J. cold see Nidorino sinking to the bottom. R.J. swam to Nidorino. He looked into Nidorino’s eyes, and saw desperation in them. R.J. took out an empty Pokeball and threw it at Nidorino. The Pokeball sucked Nidorino up, and R.J. grabbed the Pokeball and swam upwards.

“Ahhh!” R.J. took a huge breath of air when he arrived at the surface. He swam to shore, Pokeball in hand. When he reached land, he put his shirt back on and gave the Pokeball to Nurse Joy. “Do you think it’ll be okay?” he asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Man, am I going to give Dirk a piece of my mind…” R.J. started.

“R.J., Dirk left. I guess he was afraid of getting in trouble.”

“Yeah, he should be.”

The group, lead by Nurse Joy, walked into the Pokemon Center. “It might take a couple hours for Nidorino to recover,” Nurse Joy told them.

“Hey, can I keep him?” R.J. asked.

“I don’t see why not. You did rescue him after all. But let’s give him time.” Nurse Joy then went into a back room, while the four of them waited. Gordon played his Gameboy Advance, Nicole and Morgan gossiped about certain things, but R.J. just sat there, thinking.

“I hope he’s okay,” he said to himself.

After about an hour, Nurse Joy came out with Nidorino’s Pokeball. “He should be all right. Just don’t make him battle for a little while.” She handed R.J. Nidorino’s Pokeball.

“Come on out, Nidorino!” R.J. opened Nidorino’s Pokeball, and he came out. R.J. bent down to look at Nidorino. “Hey there, little guy. I’m your new trainer.”

“Nido!” Nidorino looked slightly happy, but then his face fell.

“Did I do something wrong?” R.J. asked Nurse Joy.

“No, he probably just feels lonely. Give him some time. By the way, if you’re heading for River Island, go into the forest and keep going strait. Once you get out of the forest, you’ll find a dock where you can take a boat to River Island.”

“Okay, thanks.”

R.J. and Nidorino left the Pokemon Center, along with Nicole, Morgan, and Gordon. They were all silent as they went into the forest, and when they were in the forest.

“R.J. look out!”

A man slammed into R.J., knocking him to the ground. It was Dirk.

“Give me back my Nidorino!”

“Why should I? So you can abuse it again?”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“Yeah, well, you did.”

Dirk was getting angry. “Fine!” he took out a Pokeball. “We’ll have a one-on-one battle, Nidorino vs. my Golem. If I win, I get Nidorino.”

“R.J., don..”

“Fine! I accept your challenge.”

“Heh. You have no idea what you just got yourself into. Go Golem!” Dirk threw out the Pokeball he was holding, and his Golem came out.

“Nidorino, I choose you!” Nidorino jumped in front of R.J. “Nidorino, Horn Drill!” Nidorino charged at Golem and hit his rock shell with his horn, but it didn’t do anything.

“It’s not working,” Gordon called to R.J.

“This should be an easy battle, seeing as how that Nidorino is weak. Golem, Rock Throw!” Golem then launched himself at Nidorino, but Nidorino jumped right above Golem and dodged it.

R.J. then had an idea. “I got it! Nidorino, used Horn Drill on Golem’s head!” Nidorino pointed his horn down and it hit Golem right between the eyes. Golem stepped back in dizziness two times, and fell back, fainted.

“Yah! We won!” R.J. yelled.

Dirk recalled Golem, but he couldn’t believe it. “What? How did that weak Nidorino beat my Golem in one move.”

“Horn Drill is a one-hit-KO move, R.J. told him.

“Whatever. I’ll get that Nidorino anyway! If he knows a one-hit-KO move, then I have to have him!” Dirk then ran at Nidorino, hands outstretched.

“Nidorino, Poison Sting!”

Nidorino shot poisonous darts at Dirk. Dirk had to dance around to avoid them.

“Ahhh! Please don’t hurt me! MOOOOMMMMYYYYYYYY!” he then ran away as fast as he could.

“You know what, Nidorino,” R.J. told his Pokemon. “I’ll think you’ll fit on my team just fine.”

[Jukain]

Heh, good chapter. Kinda cliché, but that can't be helped sometimes. At least Nidorino has a better trainer now. I know because I have a chapter in my fic that's a lot like an animé filler ep, which is what I intended it to be. It may be a bad move on my part, but like I said, it can't be helped sometimes.

[totodilelover]

Good chapter! I felt bad for that poor nidorino. It didn't deserve that punishment. That trainer should burn. But now it has a good master! A pokemon abuse center thats great. Can't wait for your next chapter.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Great chapter!

I loved it, Nidorino should make a good Pokemon for RJ. Dirk kinda reminds me of Damian, LOL.

[Dewgongtears]

I have not read this in a long time!

A Nidorino that is pretty good, I like it very much. Good Job!

[Neo-Xantios]

Ah, RJdude. It was, once again, a decisive chapter. It's great to see RJ have a new Pokémon, Nidorino. I felt sorry for it from the way it was treated. I hope this fool will reveal himself once more and get defeated again.

[RJdude]

Sorry it's taken so long, I took a little break.

Part 1 - Chapter 12

R.J., Morgan, Nicole, and Gordon were on the deck of the S.S. Celadon, the ferry that would take them to River Island. R.J.’s loyal Pidgeotto was hovering above him, and Amy’s Nidorina was at her side, and Gordon and Nicole were holding their baby Pokemon, Azurill and Igglybuff. All of them were talking and having a good time.

Everybody except R.J.’s Nidorino. Nidorino was starring out at sea. R.J. had recently rescued Nidorino from an abusive trainer, so he expected that Nidorino wouldn’t be in a good mood for a while, but he wasn’t expecting that he would be that depressed.

“I wonder what’s up with Nidorino?” R.J. asked.

“Don’t worry,” Nicole told him. “He’ll be fine. Just give him some time.”

“Nidorina,” Morgan said to her Pokemon. “Go talk to Nidorino. Maybe you can cheer it up.”

“Rina!” Nidorina ran over to Nidorino.

Nidorino looked at her. The two began talking (in Pokemon language, of course) and after five minutes of talking they nuzzled each other.

“Well then,” Gordon said, “it looks like Nidorina has the right words to cheer Nidorino up.”

“So Gordon,” R.J. asked, “what do you know about River Island?”

“Well, it’s an island that has a large river running through it. The river is known for its cleanliness, so many people travel there on vacation for a swim.”

“Sounds good,” Morgan said, “let’s swim as soon as we get there. I want to get to the Gym, but let’s take a little break.”

“Well, if you want to get changed into your swimsuit, you better do it quick,” Nicole told her. “We’re about fifteen minutes from River Island.” She pointed out, and sure enough, R.J. could see the island.

“Good idea.” The group returned their Pokemon to their Pokeballs, then grabbed their bags and headed inside the cabin to get changed. They each took turns going into the bathroom, taking their clothes off, putting their bath suits on (the girls also put on cover-ups) and putting their clothes into their backpacks. Finally, when all four teenagers were done, the announcement came on that the Celadon had arrived at River Island. The group ran off the ship, and ran to the river. It took them five minutes to get there. The river really was clean, and had many people swimming in it.

“Let’s go!” Morgan dropped her bag and pulled off his cover up to reveal a red, two-piece bikini. She ran to the river and dived into it.

R.J. would have jumped in, but he was too distracted looking at Morgan in her bikini. Suddenly, someone slapped the back of his head.

“Oww!” R.J., rubbing his head, turned around. It was Nicole.

“Quit starring,” she warned.

After R.J., Nicole, and Gordon also got in the river, they spent some time in the river, swimming and having a good time. But after an hour, R.J. overheard a young, pretty woman talking to a ten year old. The ten year old had a Vaporeon at his side.

“I’ve got to get back to the Gym, Ty,” she told him. “So you’ve got to come with me.”

Gym? R.J. poked Morgan in the shoulder. “I think I found the Gym Leader.”

“But why, Grace?” Ty asked the woman. “Vaporeon can watch me.”

“You’re parents said not t let you swim in the river unless I’m with you. It’s for your own safety. Now let’s go.” Grace told Ty. As she was walking away, R.J. climbed out of the river and ran up to her.

“Are you the Gym Leader here?” he asked her.

Grace looked at R.J. “Yes, and my name is Grace. This is Ty, my younger cousin.” Ty waved.

“My name is R.J. Is it okay if I challenge you to a Gym match?”

“Sure I don’t see why not.”

“Wait! I want to battle you too.” Morgan got out of the river. Gordon and Nicole soon followed.

“Is this another trainer?” Grace asked.

“Yeah this is my friend, Morgan. We’re both trainers, and we’re traveling together.”

“The who are these?” Grace indicated Gordon and Nicole.

“These are my friends, Gordon and Nicole. They’re not trainers, but they still follow me.” R.J. saw his bag on the ground, and picked it up. The others did the same.

“Okay then, let’s head to the Gym,” Grace said.

“Wait, shouldn’t we change into our clothes?” R.J. asked.

Grace shook her head. “Probably not. You’re going to get wet.”

R.J. and Morgan didn’t really understand, but they followed Grace and Ty anyway. When they got inside the Gym, R.J. saw the usual scoreboard, but instead of a floor, the Gym was really an indoor swimming pool! There was a circular platform in the middle of the pool, and there were platforms on both sides of the pool where the two trainers could stand, and a platform at the side where the ref could stand.

As soon as they got to the pool, Grace dived in the water and swam to the platform across from R.J. Then, to R.J.’s surprise, Ty jumped in the water and went over to the platform the ref was supposed to stand on. Vaporeon followed. R.J. assumed that Ty would be the ref.

“So, who is going to battle me first?” Grace asked.

“Ladies first,” R.J. said to Morgan. Morgan stepped onto the platform nearest to her. The scoreboard lit up, with Morgan’s face on one side and Grace’s on the other.

“There will be three Pokemon each,” Ty said. “No time limit. Let the battle be…”

“Wait!” Grace said. “I have an idea. Since there are two trainers, why don’t we have a two-on-two battle!”

“Two-on-two battle?” R.J. said, confused.

“That’s right, a two-on-two battle. It when there are two trainers, and they each use two Pokemon at once. However, in this case, I’ll use two Pokemon at once, and you two each use one Pokemon.”

“Sounds good to me,” R.J. said. “What do you think, Morgan?”

Morgan crossed her arms. “I fight alone. I don’t need your help in battle. But I guess it’ll save time.”

“Okay then.” R.J. stepped up to the platform that Morgan was standing on (Luckily, it had enough room for two people. The scoreboard then included R.J.’s picture next to Morgan’s.

This will be a two-on-two battle!” Ty said. “Whichever team knocks out both Pokemon of the opposite team will be declared the winner. There will be no time limit. Let the battle begin!”

“Okay, guys. Get ready. Gorebyss, Huntail, I choose you!” Grace threw two Pokeballs out onto the platform in the center of the pool. They open revealing two snake-like water Pokemon. Gorebyss was somewhat flat, pink, and had purple shells on its body. It looked peaceful. Huntail, however, was blue with yellow spots, and had a big mouth filled with sharp fangs.” Both Pokemon’s pictures appear on the scoreboard under Grace.

“Go Nidorina!” Morgan threw out a Pokeball, and her Nidorina came out. She looked ready for battle.

R.J. thought he should use his own Poison type. “Go, Nidorino!” he threw out a Pokeball, and his Nidorino came out. He looked excited to be fighting, and even more excited to see Nidorina. His picture appeared on the scoreboard under R.J.

“Okay, Gorebyss and Huntail, dive underwater!” Grace commanded. The two Pokemon leaped into the air and dived underwater.

“Nidorino, stand guard,” R.J. told him.

“Okay Gorebyss, come on out and use Water Gun!” Gorebyss leaped out of the water and Shot a Water Gun at the two Pokemon. They both leaped out of the way, but barely.

“Nidorina, use Tackle!” Morgan shouted. Nidorina began charging at Gorebyss.

R.J. saw what was coming. “Morgan, call off your Nidorina’ s attack!”

“Shut up, R.J. I’m fighting this battle alone.”

“Now I’ve got you,” Grace muttered under her breath.

Suddenly, Huntail shot out of the water and grabbed Nidorina by its teeth. It was biting down hard, and Nidorina looked as though it was in a lot of pain.

Nidorino looked angrily at Huntail. It then charged at Huntail.

“Huntail, Gorebyss, dive underwater!” Huntail released Nidorina from its grip and it dived under water. Gorebyss followed.

Nidorino, Nidorina, Morgan, and R.J. were all waiting in suspense. Grace’s Pokemon could attack at anytime, and R.J. wasn’t sure if he would be ready for it. There was also something else on his mind. If Morgan kept up this one-man army act, then they would lose for sure.

“Huntail, Water Gun!”

Huntail leaped out of the water, fell onto the platform, and shot a jet of water at Nidorino. It hit him and he went flying back.

“Nidorina, attack!” Morgan commanded.

Nidorina charged at Huntail at full speed, head lowered.

“Morgan! You’re falling right into another trap!”

However, Morgan ignored him and Nidorina kept on charging.

“Gorebyss, Psybeam!”

Gorebyss shot out of the water and launched a multicolored beam at Nidorina. It hit her just as she leaped at Huntail. She went sprawling across the platform, seriously hurt. Gorebyss fell back into the water, and Huntail dived in as well.

“Time out!” R.J. screamed.

“The challenger has issued a time out!” Ty said. “He will be given two minutes.” Gorebyss and Huntail swam to the surface, and Grace petted them for a good job

R.J. went over to Morgan, almost slipping on the platform. “Look, I know you think you’re a one-man, err… woman army. And that’s fine. But right now, if you keep this up we’re going to lose.” He paused for a moment. “I have a plan that will take Grace down, but we’re going to need to work together, okay.” He whispered something to Morgan

Morgan sighed. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“All right!” Ty said. “You’re time is up. Resume the battle!” Gorebyss and Huntail went back underwater.

“All right, Nidorino, stand your ground.”

“You too, Nidorina.”

Both Poison types stood there, waiting for whatever threat came their way.

“Gorebyss, come out!”

Gorebyss leaped out of the water and fell onto the platform. It stood there, waiting for one of the Nidos to attack.

“You know what to do, Morgan.”

“Nidorina, Tackle!”

Nidorina began charging at Gorebyss. So far so good, R.J. thought.

“Hah, you two are so predicable. Huntail, Crunch!”

At that moment, Huntail leaped out of the water. It seemed to hover in mid-air.

“Nidorino, Horn Drill!”

“You too, Nidorina!”

Nidorino jumped at Huntail, horn in front. Nidorina stopped charging at Gorebyss and instead leaped at Huntail. Both Nidos hit Huntail on either of its side. They pushed their horns in as far as they could, squeezing Huntail in the middle. After the Nidos released (and landed on the platform), Huntail fell into the water, sinking. Moments later, it resurfaced on its side, knocked out. It’s picture darkened on the scoreboard.

“No! Huntail!” Grace looked upset at her Huntail losing. “Return.” After returning it to its Pokeball, she barked at Gorebyss. “Gorebyss, Psybeam. Get those rats.” Gorebyss leaped into the air and shot multicolored beam after multicolored beam at the Nidos.

“Dodge!” Both R.J. and Morgan yelled at the same time.

Both Nidorina and Nidorina leaped around the platform, successfully dodging each Psybeam. However, Gorebyss then shot a powerful beam at Nidorina. Nidorina tried to dodge, but she was too slow, and it caught her back.

“Rina!” Nidorina tumbled across the platform.

“Hah! I’ve got you now! Gorebyss, Ice Beam!” Gorebyss then shot a light blue beam at Nidorina. With the status she was in, there was no way she could escape.

“Nido!” Then, to R.J.’s surprise, Nidorino ran across the platform as quickly as he could. Right before the icy beam hit Nidorina, Nidorino leaped in front of her, taking the full impact of the beam. He slid back, encased in a block of ice. R.J. noticed that Nidorino’s picture hadn’t darkened.

But still, Grace said, “Now your Nidorino is done for!”

“Why do you say that?” That’s when R.J. saw it. The platform the three Pokemon were on began to tilt in the direction of the Nidos. The weight of the ice was bringing the platform down! Gorebyss leaped into the water!”

“Nidorina! Get yourself out of there!” Nidorina got up, but instead of running to the other side, Nidorina pushed up againist the ice block. She was trying to save Nidorino! But the ice was too heavy, and Nidorina was too weak. Nidorina gave up, not because she didn’t want to save Nidorino, but because she was too tired to try, and leaped over the ice block. The ice block then slid off the platform, sinking to the bottom of the pool. The platform then balanced out.

“Nidorino!” R.J. screamed. However the picture of Nidorino still didn’t darken. A tear dripped down his eye. “I’m sorry, buddy.”

“One down, one to go,” Grace said. “Gorebyss, come up and use Water Gun!”

The long, pink snake leaped out of the water and into the air, and launched a jet of water at Nidorina.

“Nidorina, dodge!”

However, Nidorina didn’t seem to care. The loss of Nidorino made her reluctant to battle. The water jet hit her, sending her flying and clinging on to consciousness. Gorebyss fell back into the water.

“Well, time to finish this up. Gorebyss, come up here and launch the most powerful Psybeam you have.

Gorebyss leaped above the water, and seemed to hover there, looking at Nidorina. It then started charging up a Psybeam. R.J. knew that with Nidorina no longer having the will to continue, she had no chance of survival. That’s when he saw it: something purple under the water. Could it be? That’s when it shot up out of the water stabbing Gorebyss with its horn and causing it to lose its Psybeam. It was Nidorino!

“Nidorino!” R.J. screamed with joy. “I knew you’d make it!” Morgan, Gordon, and Nicole were also surprised and happy to see him. Even Ty and Grace couldn’t believe it.

Nidorina looked up and saw Nidorino. What appeared to be a huge smile shot across her face. She then stood up and charged across the platform. When she got to the other side, she leaped into the air and stabbed Gorebyss with her horn. The two Nidos had Gorebyss in a Horn Lock, just like Huntail. They then released their lock and dropped to the platform. Gorebyss also dropped to the platform. The Water type laid on its side, looking at both Nidos, who were in turn glaring at Gorebyss, taking a moment to happily look at each other. The Gorebyss closed its eyes and fainted. Its picture on the scoreboard darkened, and a big “X” appeared over Grace’s picture.

“Yeah! We won!” R.J. and Morgan both leaped into the air in joy. Then, to both there surprise, Morgan kissed R.J. on the check.

“Uh, don’t know where that came from,” she said.

R.J. was happy with it, however.

Grace recalled Gorebyss and swam over to the other side of the pool. He held up two badges (they were both the same: a light blue whirlpool). “Good job guys. Here is the Whirlpool Badge. Carry it with pride, I don’t get beat often.” R.J. and Morgan each took a badge. Then, the Nidos jumped over to them. Both R.J. and Morgan hugged their Pokemon. “You were great, Nidorino. For a minute there, I thought you were a goner.”

“Rino!” Nidorino then looked at Nidorina, and they winked at each other.

Ten minutes later, R.J. Gordon, Nicole, and Morgan had their badges in their cases, Pokemon in their Pokeballs, and their regular clothes on.

“Well R.J., you’re a pretty interesting kid. You showed me true friendship the past week, and that’s something I’ll keep with me forever.” R.J. blushed a little when she said that, but nobody noticed. “However, as much as I’d like to stay with you, I’m going to have to leave you.”

This took R.J. by surprise. “What?”

“Sorry. “Even though that double battle was fun, I’m a lone wolf, and I can’t accomplish all my goals if I stay with you.”

“I understand.”

“But hey, I’d be glad to meet with you at any time in the future, just hope our paths don’t cross in the Moxto League.” She sighed. “Well, I’ve got to go. Bye.” R.J. the took one last look at her beautiful face, and he, Nicole, and Gordon walked away from her, as she walked away from them.

“Goodbye Morgan!” Gordon called out.

“It was nice to meet you!” Nicole shouted.

“Until the next time,” R.J. muttered silently to himself as he and his friends headed towards the dock and the ship that would take them to their next adventure.



Note: I know ice floats, but Nidorino wieghed the ice down, so it sunk. Just in case you were wondering.

[Jukain]

I understand. That was a great chapter. A little bit of chemistry between pokemon and trainers. Masterful.

[Dewgongtears]

That was a neat chapter! I really liked this chapter a lot. I hope this stroy does real good.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Great chapter! I really liked it, the battle was climactic and intense! Keep it up!

[2ra]

The battle was really good and so was the length, which i need to work on in mine -_-

[DannyBoy]

This has been your best chapter yet. You had good description and good length. I can not say one bad thing about it. I liked the gym battle, it was really good.Keep it up!

[Neo-Xantios]

Hello again, RJdude. That was an outstanding 2vs2 battle. You wrote it vividly. Both opponents had excellent teams! I predict that this shall be a legendary fanfic. Yes indeed. :yes:

[RJdude]

Neo-Xantios - I think "Legendary" is stretching it, but thanks.

Part 1 - Chapter 13

“Hey guys, I feel something moving inside!” R.J. held up his orange egg and let Gordon and Nicole hold it for a couple of seconds. Then he took it back.

Gordon took out the yellow egg he was holding for R.J. “I feel it in this one too.”

“This is exciting!” Nicole exclaimed. “When should they hatch?”

Gordon put the egg back into his backpack. “Within the next week.”

R.J. also put his egg back. “Let’s set up camp here, and we can let our Pokemon out.”

R.J., Gordon, and Nicole were in a large open area in the middle of the forest. According to Gordon’s map, they were about ten miles from a small town named Irthby Town. However, it was 5 o’clock, so they had to start camp up before it became dark.

“Pidgeotto, Nidorino, Grovyle, Girafarig, Beedrill, I choose you!”

“Come on out, Azurill and Kadabra!”

“You too, Igglybuff!”

Eight Pokeballs hit the ground and opened, sending out eight Pokemon. But as soon as they were sent out of their Pokeballs, Girafarig, Nidorino, Grovyle, Azurill, and Igglybuff all found a place on the ground and began to sleep. Kadabra also sat down, but instead of sleeping, it began to meditate. Pidgeotto flew to R.J., and Beedrill flew around, excited.

“Wow, most of the Pokemon seem tired,” Nicole noted.

“I’d say,” Gordon agreed. Then he turned to R.J. “Hey R.J., go get some fire wood. I’ll start dinner.” Luckily for R.J. and Nicole, Gordon had learned to cook from his grandmother, so they didn’t have to starve.

“Why do I always have to get the firewood?” R.J. muttered under his breath. He then turned to Pidgeotto. “Want to come with me, pal?”

“Pidgeo!” Pidgeotto said with excitement, an unmistakable yes.

“How about you, Beedrill?” Beedrill just buzzed around in circles at high speeds. “Wow, you’re hyper. Well, Pidgeotto, it looks like it’s just you and me,” he said as the two headed out into the woods.

R.J. picked up another fallen branch. He gave it to Pidgeotto, and Pidgeotto held it in his talons.

“Wow, this is boring,” R.J. said. “Why can’t they get the fire wood?”

Right after he said that, he heard a voice from afar. “Charmeleon, Fire Punch!”

“Hey, sounds like a battle. Let’s go, Pidgeotto.”

“Pidgeo!”

R.J. and Pidgeotto ran through the woods towards where they heard the voice. When they got close, R.J. could make out a tall trainer with a Charmeleon fighting a green Bug Pokemon. The bug was wild.

“Friend Ball, go!” R.J. saw the trainer throw a grebe Pokeball at the Bug Pokemon. The Friend Ball hit the bug and sucked it in. The ball dropped to the ground and began shaking. After a few seconds, the shaking stopped and the Pokemon was caught. The trainer went over to the Pokeball and picked it up.

“Your mine now, Scyther,” the trainer said. He put the Pokeball on his belt then went over to his Charmeleon. “Good job, buddy.”

R.J. finally got close enough to see the trainer’s face. He looked at it, and was very surprised.

“Joseph?”

“The trainer turned around. Sure enough it was Joseph, R.J.’s old friend. “R.J.?”

The two friends ran up to each other and shook hands. “We haven’t seen each other since Punchit City,” R.J. said

“I know it’s been long.”

Meanwhile, Pidgeotto and Charmeleon began talking in their language.

“Our Pokemon seem to be friendly towards each other,” Joseph noted.

“I have an idea,” R.J. said. “Why don’t you come to my camp? All our Pokemon can hang out together, and we can enjoy some of Gordon’s camp cooking.”

“Gordon’s with you? Man, I haven’t seen him for over a year.”

“Yeah, I bumped into him in Nitser City. So, you coming?”

Joseph thought for a moment. “Well, I should get going, but it might do my Pokemon some good to interact with other Pokemon, so sure why not.”

“One thing, you have to carry firewood,” R.J. told Joseph with a grin.

Joseph sighed. “Typical.”

Within minutes, R.J. Joseph, Charmeleon and Pidgeotto arrived at camp, all holding firewood. Most of the Pokemon had woken up, and were roaming about.

“Joseph?” Gordon got up. “Hey, it’s nice to see you. I see you’re training Pokemon too.”

“It’s nice to see you too, Gordon. Yeah, me and R.J. left at the same time, and I’ve been busy training and collecting badges.” He thrust the firewood into Gordon’s arms. “R.J. tells me you’re a great cook,” he said with a grin. “So start cooking.”

“Working on it.”

Joseph turned to Nicole. “I don’t believe we’ve met. What’s your name?”

“I’m Nicole. I was traveling with Gordon when we bumped into R.J., so now I’m traveling with him.”

“Ah, I see.” Joseph turned to R.J. “So, which Pokemon are yours, and which ones are there’s? I know Pidgeotto, Grovyle, Girafarig, and Beedrill are yours, and I know Gordon had an Abra, so that Kadabra must be his, but what about Azurill, Igglybuff, and Nidorino?”

“Nidorino is mine, I rescued him from an abusive trainer. Azurill is Gordon’s, and Igglybuff is Nicole’s. How about you? How are your Pokemon doing?”

“Let me show you. Come on out guys!” Joseph threw four Pokeballs to the ground, one of the Pokeballs being green. A Pokemon came out of each ball.

“Marsh!” one of the ones that came out was blue, and was standing on two legs. R.J. assumed this was Marshtomp, the evolved form of Mudkip.

“Prrrrrrrr!” Another Pokemon was a somewhat large cat lying down. This was Persian, the evolved form of Meowth.

“Maku!” R.J. had never seen this Pokemon before. It was yellow and looked like an overweight boxer.

“That’s a Makuhita,” Joseph said, noticing R.J.’s puzzlement. “I caught it not long after our last meeting.”

Finally, the green Pokeball opened. “Sci!” R.J. noticed it was the same Pokemon he saw Joseph catching earlier. It was big, green, and had sharp blades for claws. It was a Scyther.

“Wow, you have to be pretty lucky to catch a Scyther, they’re pretty rare.”

“I’d say. But I wouldn’t have caught it if it weren’t for Charmeleon.”

“Char,” Charmeleon said with satisfaction.

Gordon finally got a fire going. “Dinner should be ready soon, so just relax.”

Joseph’s Pokemon spread out and began to play with R.J., Gordon, and Nicole’s Pokemon. Persian went over to Azurill and Igglybuff, and the two babies began climbing over Persian, playing. Persian didn’t seem to mind; it actually seemed to enjoy watching the babies play. Scyther flew over to Grovyle, and the two began talking and showing each other their blades and claws.

“I think those two are trying the intimidate each other,” Nicole noted. “I’d like to see a battle between those two.”

Joseph shook his head. “Sorry, but I brought my Pokemon here to rest, so no battling.”

Makuhita and Marshtomp walked over to Girafarig and started talking to it. Girafarig seemed to be bored by their talk. Beedrill continued to buzz around. Charmeleon and Pidgeotto also continued their talk. Kadabra continued meditating, and Nidorino sat down by a tree, alone.

“What’s up with him?” Joseph asked.

“He’s always like that. Like I said, his former trainer abused him, so he tends to be quite. He seems to be a deep thinker. Either that, or he misses Morgan’s Nidorina.”

“Who?”

“Morgan. She’s a trainer that we traveling with for a little while. We became… close friends, but so did her Nidorina and my Nidorino. I think Nidorina was the only friend he had.”

Hearing R.J. and Joseph’s conversation, Pidgeotto and Charmeleon went over to Nidorino and started talking to him. Their company made Nidorino a little happier, but not much.

“Dinner’s ready!” Gordon called out, so R.J., Joseph, Nicole, and all the Pokemon (including Kadabra, who had snapped out of its trance) crowed around the campfire as Gordon dished out their meals. By the time everyone was finished, the sun was out, and everyone was tired.

R.J. yawned. “I’d say it’s about time to crash. How about you guys?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Sure, why not?”

“Let’s go.”

So after freshening up and laying out their sleeping bags, R.J., Joseph, Nicole and Gordon creep into their sleeping bags and fell asleep. The Pokemon all lay out and also fell asleep.

When R.J. woke up, the sun was glaring. He checked his watch. It read “10:23 PM”. He got out of his sleeping bag and looked around. Joseph wasn’t there, and neither were his Pokemon. He saw a note on the ground where Joseph’s sleeping bag was supposed to be. R.J. picked it up and read it.

R.J.,

I’m leaving for the next Gym now. I would have waited for you, but you slept in too much. And you know me, I’m impatient. Sorry.

Anyway, the closest Gym is in Tename City. To get there, just go west from Irthby Town, which is just a few miles away. Good luck in the Gym match, and say good-bye to Gordon and Nicole for me.

See ya sometime,

~ Joe ~

[Dewgongtears]

Pretty cool chapter. Looks like Joseph is getting pretty stronger. Keep up the good work.

[Jukain]

Poor Nidorino. Yeah, that was a good chapter with plenty of insight into pokemon personalities.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Great chapter! I liked it, I'd like to see a battle between Scyther and Grovyle one day, that should be cool!

Thanks!

[Neo-Xantios]

Greetings, RJdude. The way you described the Pokémon's actions and emotions was amazing. A great job in this chapter, you have done. I also notice a great change in Joseph's strength. In the end, I would love to see a Pokémon battle between the two friends. Keep up the great effort.

[RJdude]

Part 1 - Chapter 14

“My egg!” R.J. cried. “I can hear sounds from it.”

Gordon and Nicole looked at him. “No way!” Nicole said with excitement. “It’s going to hatch!”

“No!” R.J. said. “Not now! It can’t hatch while we’re walking! We need to get it to a Pokemon Center! Besides, it’s getting dark!”

Gordon took out his egg. “Sounds are coming from mine, too. But chill out. First of all, if you started hearing sounds now, then it probably won’t hatch until tomorrow. Second of all, Irthby Town is strait ahead. There’s a Pokemon Center there.”

R.J. sighed. “If you say so.” But sure enough, he did see Irthby Town ahead. It looked like the kind of town that everybody knew each other. There were a couple of houses, along with a bunch of shops on Main Street: a bakery, a tailor, and a barber, among other stuff. There was also a bus stop, where R.J. could see a couple of buses loading people on and off. There was also a clean Pokemon Center at the end of Main Street, which R.J., Gordon and Nicole were currently walking on. When they got inside the Pokemon Center, a Nurse Joy greeted them.

“How may I help you?”

R.J. and Gordon showed her their eggs. “These eggs are about to hatch, so we were wondering if we could let them hatch in here, where they will be safe.”

Joy took a good look at each egg. She then took both of them and put them on a table that had a soft cloth covering it, and then put a glass case with holes over the eggs. “Yep, these eggs should hatch sometime before tomorrow. I’ll just leave them on this table, and you’ll see them when they hatch. In the meantime, do you want me to heal your other Pokemon?”

“Sure.” R.J., Gordon, and Nicole handed Joy their Pokeballs and she put them on a machine, which lit up and healed them. She handed the Pokeballs back to their owners. “Here you go. Why don’t you just hang out, and I’ll fix something up for you to eat. If you get tired, just go down that hallway and enter the first door on the left. There are beds there that you can sleep on. And the room across from that is the bathroom, where you can go to freshen up, take a shower, or just go when nature calls.”

“Thank you.”

R.J., Nicole, and Gordon sat down at a table. “So what, do you think will hatch from those eggs?” Nicole asked R.J.

“As long as they’re healthy, they can be anything… except a Magikarp, perhaps,” R.J. said with a laugh.

“Don’t forget, a Magikarp can evolve into a Gyarados, which can help you big time,” Gordon noted.

“Maybe, but first of all, its useless on land. Second of all, it’ll take forever for that Magikarp to evolve.”

“Chill, out. I doubt that a Magikarp will hatch from either of them.”

Just then, a pink, egg shaped Pokemon came out holding a tray containing three glasses of milk and three large sandwiches. “Chansey!”

“Hey, it’s a Chansey!” R.J. said, taking the tray from Chansey. “I wouldn’t mind one of my eggs hatching into one of those.”

“I doubt it,” Nicole said. “Chanseys are rare, and their eggs are even rarer.”

“That’s true.” R.J., Gordon and Nicole each took a glass and a sandwich and began eating. By the time they were done, there were all tired and ready to go to bed.

“Goodnight!” Joy called out to them as they walked to the bedroom. “I’ll see you in the morning, along with your new Pokemon!”

The trio brushed their teeth in the bathroom and then went into the bedroom. There was a bunk bed and a regular bed.

“I call top bunk!” Gordon yelled as he climbed up the latter to the top bunk. Nicole climbed into the regular bed, and R.J. fell down onto the bottom bunk after turning the lights off. He could barely sleep thinking about the eggs and what they would produce, but he eventually fell asleep with images of Pokemon flashing in front of his eyes.

“Ahhhh!” R.J., Nicole, and Gordon woke up in the morning to a screaming Joy. They all scrambled out of bed and ran out of the bedroom, only to see what had made Joy scream.

The Pokemon Center was a wreck. There was glass all over the floor, the windows were broken, and the machines were destroyed. But worst of all, for R.J. at least, was that the table that held his eggs were on the floor, the glass broken, and the eggs were nowhere to be seen.

“Somebody stole my eggs!” R.J. cried.

“And whoever did it destroyed everything in the Pokemon Center,” Joy added.

Nicole looked out the window. “It looks like whoever did this also broke into all the stores on Main Street. The windows are all broken there, too.

Gordon looked at the floor. “Hang on. R.J., I don’t think your eggs were stolen. Come look at this.” R.J. looked down where Gordon was pointing. “What do you see?”

R.J. looked closely. “I see two small sets of footprints. They don’t look human.”

“Exactly! I don’t think someone broke in and stole the eggs, I think the eggs hatched, and the baby Pokemon broke out of here!”

Joy looked at him. “You may be right. But how does that explain the broken machines?”

“Well, I don’t think the babies were evil, or even Dark-type. They might be, but I don’t think they were just bad. Some babies are mischievous, and like to cause trouble. They aren’t bad, in fact, they might be nice Pokemon, but they just like to have fun.”

R.J. followed the footprint around the Pokemon Center, and they finally led to a broken window. R.J. could barely see the footprints, but it looked like the babies stayed together. “Pidgeotto, I choose you!” R.J. threw Pidgeotto’s Pokeball out the window, and Pidgeotto emerged outside. “Pidgeotto,” R.J. told his bird, “I need you to look for two baby Pokemon. They are probably together.

“Pidgeo!” And with that, Pidgeotto flew up into the sky searching for the Pokemon. Twenty minutes later, Pidgeotto came back.

“Find anything?” R.J. asked.

Pidgeotto shook his head.

“Well, then, I guess we have to search on foot. Pidgeotto, return.” He returned Pidgeotto to his Pokeball, and he, Joy, Nicole, and Gordon walked outside, only to be greeted by an angry crowd, led by a man with a rolling pin. R.J. assumed he was the town baker.

“Joy, two Pokemon broke into my bakery last night and ruined everything!” The baker boomed. “Were you treating those two Pokemon?”

“Calm down, Mr. Green,” Joy said to the baker. “The two Pokemon you are referring to are babies that have just hatched from eggs belonging to this young trainer,” she said, indicating R.J. The crowd all looked angrily at R.J. “However, we were just starting a search for the Pokemon.”

“You had better find them before they do even more damage!” a person in the crowd shouted.”

“Yeah, and you’re going to pay for all the damages!” another person shouted.

CLANG! Suddenly, everyone heard he clanging of metal in a nearby alley.

“What’s that?” Mr. Green demanded.

“I don’t know,” R.J. said, “but let’s find out. R.J., his friends, and the crowd rushed towards the source of the noise: a group of trashcans. R.J. slowly walked over to the trashcans and lifted one up. Standing there, looking slightly afraid, were two Pokemon.

“Ele?” There was a small yellow one with a head that looked like an electric plug.

“By?” The other one was also small, and was red with a small tail.

“Aww… how cute!” Nicole exclaimed.

“This is an Elekid and this is a Magby,” Jot said, indicating the Pokemon. “They’re baby Pokemon, and they look like they just hatched. They must have hatched from your eggs.

R.J. bend down to look more closely at the Pokemon. He spook in a soft voice. “Hi there. I’m R.J., your trainer. It’s nice to meet you.” Elekid and Magby looked at each other and then at R.J. R.J. extended his arms. “Do you trust me?” Magby and Elekid then walked into R.J.’s arms, and he closed them and lifted the babies up. They seemed to like R.J.

“So,” Mr. Green said, banging his rolling pin into his hand, “these are the rascals that have caused us so much trouble. I say we teach them a lesson.”

“No!” R.J. shouted. “Don’t hurt them. They’re just babies. They didn’t do what they did just to cause us agony, they did it because of their nature. They just wanted to have some fun. Why? Because they’re just babies. Children. We were all kids at one time, and I doubt you were all saints. So you can all relater to what they did.”

Mr. Green thought for a moment. “I guess you’re right. But someone has to pay for the damage they did.”

“Don’t worry,” Joy said, “there is a company that pays for all damage Pokemon do. They will take care of everything.”

Five minutes later, Joy, Gordon, Nicole, R.J., Elekid, and Magby were in the Pokemon Center.

“So, how do they officially become mine?” R.J. asked.

“Just suck them up with Pokeballs,” Joy said. “If they trust you, they’ll easily go in.”

“Do you guys trust me?” Elekid and Magby nodded. “Okay then, time to get in your Pokeballs.” R.J. took out two Pokeballs.

“Wait!” Gordon stopped R.J. before he could draw his babies into their Pokeballs. “A trainer can only carry six Pokemon with him at a time. The seventh, eighth, and so on will be sent to whoever gave you your Pokedex, and I believe that is my grandpa.”

“So?”

“Well, you have five Pokemon with you now. Magby and Elekid make seven, so one of them would be transported to my gramps. But these two seem to be best friends, are you sure you want to separate them? And besides, babies need a lot of care. With you focusing on Gyms, you won’t be able to take care of them as much.”

R.J. thought for a moment. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. But what do you think I should do?”

“I think you should sent both of them to my grandpa. He’ll take care of them, and they can be together.”

“That’s a great idea!” R.J. turned to Joy. “Is the computer phone working here?”

Joy nodded. “Luckily the babies didn’t destroy it.”

R.J., Gordon, and Nicole ran over to the phone, with Elekid and Magby tagging along, and R.J. punched in Mr. Tomford’s number.


“RING-RING-RING! RING-RING-RING! PHONE CALL! PHONE CALL!”

Carl Tomford got out of his chair. “This better be good, I’ll end up missing my soap opera.” He walked over to his computer phone and pressed a button. Suddenly he saw R.J.’s face on the screen along with Gordon’s and some girl he didn’t know.

“R.J.! Great to hear from you! And it’s good to see you too, Gordon!”

“Thanks, Gramps!”

“It’s nice to meet you at last,” the girl said.

“Who is this?” Mr. Tomford asked Gordon.

“This is Nicole, my friend.”

“Ah, I see. Nice to meet you, Nicole. Anyway, how are you doing, R.J.?”

“Fine. I have four badges, and I’m in Irthby Town right now. But I need you to do me a favor.”

“Sure, What is it?”

“Well, I got two eggs not too long ago, and they hatched today. The thing is, I’m too busy to take care of them. So do you think you can watch them?”

“Sure. I’ve taken care of many baby Pokemon before.”

“All right then, I’ll just get them in their Pokeballs and…”

“No! You don’t put newly hatched babies in Pokeballs.”

“Then how do I get them there?”

Mr. Tomford thought for a moment. “There is a bus stop in Irthby Town, correct.”

“Yeah.”

“Then give the babies to Gordon. Gordon, I want you to take the babies, and get on the next bus to Zastor Town. Once you get there, deliver the babies to me. Can you do that?”

“Sure,” Gordon answered.

“Good. You can bring Nina too, if you want company.”

“It’s Nicole,” Nicole corrected.

“Well then, it’s settled. Oh and by the way…what Pokemon are they?”

“An Elekid and a Magby,” R.J. said with a grin. “And watch out, they can cause a little bit a trouble. Bye.” And then he hung up.

Mr. Tomford sighed. “I’m getting too old for this,” he complained.


“So, are you okay with me and Nicole leaving for a little while?” Gordon asked R.J.

“Sure, as long as you get Elekid and Magby there safely. Besides, it’s probably better for me to travel alone for a little while.”

“Okay then, we should be heading off, then. Give the babies to me.”

R.J. dropped to his knees to talk to Elekid and Magby. “I’m sorry guys, but I can’t take care of you right now.” The babies looked saddened by this. “However, I have a friend that will take care of you, and I promise I will visit sometime.” They looked happier when R.J. said that. “Just go with this guy and this girl, and you’ll be there in no time, okay?”

Elekid and Magby nodded, and then walked over to Gordon and Nicole. Gordon picked Elekid up and Nicole picked Magby up.

“Take care of them, okay?” R.J. told them.

“Don’t worry, we will,” Nicole said.

“Yeah, and we’ll try to catch up to you once my gramps gets them,” Gordon told him. “See you later.” They then walked out the door, with Elekid and Magby waving at him. R.J. waved back. He kept watching them until Gordon and Nicole were out of sight.

“I’m assuming you’re heading for Tename City, for the Gym battle,” Joy said to him once they were gone.

“Yeah, I should get going.”

“Okay then. It’s not that far, it shouldn’t take you more then a day.”

R.J. began to leave. “Okay. And thanks for all your help.”

“No problem. Oh yeah, and if it helps, the Gym Leader uses Fire types.”

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” He then left the Pokemon Center and headed west, alone, towards his next Gym battle.

[Hanada Tattsu]

That was a cool chappie!

Magby and Elekid seem cute, and Mr. Tomford was funny, about his soap opera, lol.

[Dewgongtears]

An Elekid and a Magby how cool. This was a cool chapter I really enjoyed reading this one. Keep up the excellent work.

[Jukain]

Heh. Silly little pokemon. That was really good. I hope RJ does well in the next gym, he has nothing that's really good against Fire.

[Neo-Xantios]

Sorry for this short reply-I'm in a hurry right now. Anyway, that was a neat chapter. It's quite intriguing that newborn baybies can be so powerful. Anyway, I hope RJ uses them later on. :)

[RJdude]

Part 1 - Chapter 15

R.J. could see that Tename City was right ahead. He was looking forward to the match, but he also felt that he needed to give his Pokemon a warm-up. According to the Nurse Joy at Irthby Town, the Tename Gym Leader uses Fire Pokemon. R.J. was worried by this, seeing as how he has no Pokemon that were good againist Fire types. However, R.J. was confident that with Nidorino’s power, Pidgeotto’s speed, and Girafarig’s Psychic powers, he couldn’t lose. Using Grovyle and Beedrill in the upcoming match was out of the question. Sending them out against Fire types would be suicide. But he should still let them out for exercise.

“Nidorino, Girafarig, Beedrill, Grovyle, Pidgeotto, come out!” R.J. yelled as he threw five Pokeballs on the ground.

The five Pokeballs popped open and released R.J.’s five Pokemon.

“Okay guys,” R.J. started, “We’re going to have a rough match up ahead. I want you all to stretch your legs…”

“Pidgeo!”

“and wings, and just get some exercise before the match.”

Pidgeotto, Girafarig, and Nidorino all ran (and in Pidgeotto’s case, flew) off, running laps around the field they were in. Beedrill buzzed around overhead, but Grovyle stayed with R.J.

“Gro,” Grovyle said to R.J. It looked excited for the battle ahead.

“Grovyle, I hate to say this to you, but I doubt that you will battle today.”

“Gro?”

“Well, the Gym Leader here uses Fire Pokemon, which you’re weak too.”

“Gro.” Grovyle crossed its arm and looked bitterly at R.J.

“I’m sorry buddy, but that’s the way it’s going to be.”

R.J. turned his attention away from Grovyle and looked at his other Pokemon, running around. They seemed to be having a good time. Even Nidorino, who was usually down in the dumps. But then R.J. saw something: a log. It was lying on the ground, and Girafarig, was heading start for it, without noticing.

CRASH!

“RAFFFFFFFF!” Girafarig hit the log and fell over. It looked like it was in a large amount of pain.

“Girafarig!” R.J. ran over to his fallen Pokemon. “Are you okay?”

“Raf,” Girafarig said, still in pain.

“Okay then, return.” R.J. returned Girafarig to its Pokeball. “I’ve got to get Girafarig to a Pokemon Center. Stay here. Pidgeotto, you’re in charge.

“Pidgeo!”

Holding Girafarig’s Pokeball, R.J. ran in towards Tename City. Luckily for him, the Pokemon Center was not far from the entrance of the city. He ran into it at full speed.

“Nurse Joy, my Girafarig fell, and I think its leg might be broken!” R.J. yelled before Joy could ask what she could do for him.

Joy took the Pokeball from R.J.’s hand. “I’ll see what I can do.” She took the Pokeball to a back room, where R.J. could here Joy opening Girafarig’s Pokeball, and then hear Girafarig whimper in pain. After five minutes, Joy came out.

“What’s wrong with Girafarig?” R.J. asked.

“Its fine. It has a sprained ankle, that’s all. But you’ll have to leave it here for a couple days, and it won’t be able to battle for another week?”

“It can’t battle for a week?”

“I’m sorry, but it’s for Girafarig’s health.”

“Okay.” R.J. left the Pokemon Center and headed back towards where he left his Pokemon. They were all sitting there (even Beedrill, who was normally hyper and never sat still) waiting for R.J.

“Well guys, it looks like Girafarig won’t be battling in the next Gym match.” A look of concern shot across all their faces. Apparently, they all thought that Girafarig would be the best one to use againist Fire Pokemon. Even Grovyle, who had wanted to battle, felt bad for Girafarig. R.J. was worried too. But he knew he had to battle without Girafarig. “Okay guys, return.” R.J. returned his Pokemon to their Pokeballs and headed back towards Tename City. He was worried about the battle, but he knew he had to have faith in both his Pokemon and himself. He reached the Gym after ten minutes of walking. The Gym’s entrance had two torches on the sides.

“What do I have to lose?” R.J. asked himself as he opened the door and entered the Gym.

The inside of the Gym wasn’t far from what he had expected. There was a scoreboard on the wall with a referee under it, sitting down on a chair and drinking coffee. There were lit torches all around the room. It almost freaked R.J. out. But across the room was a young man with spiked red hair. He was wearing brown cargo pants and sneakers. He wasn’t wearing a shirt. He, like the ref, was sitting down. Then he saw R.J. and stood up.

“Welcome, young challenger. I am Roy, the Fire Master, Gym Leader of Tename City. I am assuming you are here to fight me for the Ember Badge?”

“If that’s the name of the badge you give out, then yes, I am here to fight you. And my name is R.J.”

“Very well then.” Roy clapped his hands. The ref stood up, and the scoreboard lit up with Roy and R.J.’s pictures.

The ref waved his flag. “There will be three Pokemon each. No time limit. Let the battle begin!”

“Okay R.J., time for you to meet the first of my flaming Pokemon. Go, Arcannie!”

Roy released a Pokeball and a mighty Arcannie came out. It growled at R.J. after its release. Its picture appeared on the scoreboard under Roy’s.

“Pidgeotto, I choose you!” R.J. released Pidgeotto’s Pokeball, and his bird Pokemon came out. His picture also appeared on the scoreboard, but under R.J.’s picture.

“Arcannie, Flamethrower!”

“Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!”

Arcannie inhaled a great amount of air, but when it exhaled, a stream of fire came out of its mouth. It would have hit Pidgeotto, except for the fact that Pidgeotto seemed to vanish before the flames could hit him, and he appeared behind Arcannie. He then swooped towards Arcannie at full speed, hitting it and sending it smashing to the ground.

“Arcannie, fight fire with fire! Use your Quick Attack!”

Arcannie got up off the floor and it also seemed to vanish, when in fact it had gone behind Pidgeotto.

“Pidgeotto, look out!”

But Arcannie ran at Pidgeotto at full speed and pounced on him, crushing him to the floor.

“Oh no. Pidgeotto, Use Gust!”

Pidgeotto, although cramped under Arcannie’ s weight, managed to blow a small gust of wind at the ground. This gust blew Arcannie and Pidgeotto off the floor. Arcannie fell back, and Pidgeotto was able to fly away from it.

“Arcannie, Fire Spin!” Roy yelled.

Arcannie once again drew its breath, but when it exhaled, a small stream of fire exiting its mouth, and the fire crept towards Pidgeotto, and began to circle around Pidgeotto!

R.J. knew he had to do something. The fire would create a vortex, which would trap Pidgeotto. Suddenly, he had an idea.

“Pidgeotto, Whirlwind!”

Pidgeotto flapped his wings and a small tornado formed in fron of him. But the winds of the tornado began to absorb the fire! After a few seconds, the fire was all gone, and in its place was a tornado surrounded by fire.

“Pidgeotto, launch the whirlwind!”

Pidgeotto once again flapped his wings, this time launching the tornado at Arcannie.

“Arrr!” The tornado hit Arcannie, sending it flying againist the wall next to Roy. It fell to the ground, and it was knocked out. Its picture on the scoreboard darkened. Roy angrily returned it to its Pokeball.

“So far so good,” R.J. said to himself, “Pidgeotto, good job, have a nice rest.” R.J. returned him to his Pokeball, but his picture didn’t darken. He didn’t usually switch in the middle of battle, but this time he had to conserve his Pokemon’s energy.

“Well, R.J., you did better in that first match then I had expected. Well done. But let’s see how you do againist this one. Go, Weezing!”

Roy threw out another Pokeball, and a Weezing, a two-headed Poison Pokemon came out. Its picture appeared on the scoreboard.

“Hey, I thought you trained Fire types!”

“I do, but I like to throw in an extra surprise just to see what my opponent will do.”

“I understand. Well, if you’re going to use Poison Pokemon, let me show you mine. Go, Nidorino!” R.J. threw out Nidorino’s Pokeball, and Nidorino came out, his picture appearing on the scoreboard.

“Okay Nidorino, charge at Weezing and use a Horn Attack!”

“Weezing, dodge it and use Fire Blast!”

Nidorino charged towards Weezing and lunged at it! But right before Nidorino could hit Weezing, Weezing moved out of the wave and started breathing fire out of its mouth. The fire turned into a star and it hit Nidorino! Nidorino screeched in pain and flew across the room.

“What?” R.J. couldn’t believe that Roy’s Weezing knew Fire Blast!

“Just because Weezing is a Poison type doesn’t mean it can only learn Poison moves. Sometimes you have to think outside the box when you battle with Pokemon.”

“Think outside the box,” R.J. said to himself. “Nidorino, try a Psychic!”

Nidorino stood up and looked at R.J. as though he were an idiot.

Roy sighed. “Even though Pokemon can learn moves of different types doesn’t mean they can learn all moves. Only some moves are compatible with some Pokemon. Oh well. Weezing Thunderbolt!”

Weezing inhaled, and electricity began to swam around it. When it exhaled, it shot the electricity at Nidorino.

“Nidorino, look out!”

But the electricity moved too fast, and it hit Nidorino, sending it fling across the room again. He got up, but he looked shaken.

“Well, time to finish this off. Weezing, Thunderbolt!”

Weezing again charged up electricity around its body and shot a bolt of it at Nidorino. R.J. wondered what to do. He was trying to think outside the box, but he couldn’t think of anything. That’s when he had an idea.

“Nidorino, use your own Thunderbolt!”

To R.J.’s surprise, Nidorino also charged up electricity, and shot it at Weezing. The two electric bolts collided in the center and caused an explosion. Neither side could see what was going on until the smoke cleared, when it was clear that both Pokemon were unharmed.

“Well then,” R.J. gloated, “it seems that Nidorino can learn Electric attacks. Now watch out for this one. Nidorino, Thunder!”

“NIDO!” Electricity charged around Nidorino, stronger then before and it all shot out at Weezing, almost cracking the ground open. It hit Weezing, and Weezing shrieked in pain. It looked like it was ready to drop.

“Nidorino, Horn Drill!”

Nidorino charged at Weezing, lunging at it and hitting it with his horn. Weezing fell to the ground, knocked out. Its picture on the scoreboard darkened.

“Weezing, return,” Roy said as he returned Weezing to its Pokeball. “Well, R.J., you have exceeded all of my expectations. But now I will show you my most powerful Pokemon, and I promise you, it will not lose. Go, Magcargo!”

Roy threw out a Pokeball. It popped open, and red energy was released from it, forming itself into the shape of a Pokemon R.J. had never seen before. It looked like a snail whose body had been formed out of magma, and whose shell was made out of rock. Its picture appeared on the scoreboard. R.J. checked his Pokedex.

“Magcargo, the snail Pokemon, the evolved form of Slugma, this Pokemon’s body can reach very high temperatures, and its shell is incredible stronger, and can defend most physical attacks.”

“Okay Nidorino, try a Thunderbolt!”

Electricity began charging around Nidorino, and after a few seconds, he launched the electricity at Macargo.

“Magcargo, Defense Curl!”

Seconds before the electricity hit it, Magcargo withered into its shell. The electricity hit Magcargo for a couple of seconds until it wore down. After it fell, Magcargo crept out of its shell, unharmed!

“What!” R.J. couldn’t believe it.

“I trained my Magcargo to be the ultimate defense machine,” Roy said. “Your puny electric attacks won’t stand a chance againist my Magcargo's rock shell.”

“Fine then. I guess I’ll have to try Physical attacks. Nidorino, Horn Drill!”

Nidorino’s horn began to spin. Nidorino then charged at Magcargo, horn lowered.

“Magcargo, Defense Curl!”

Magcargo again hid inside its shell. When Nidorino swirling horn made contact with Magcargo, Nidorino just hit it a bounced off, doing no damage! Magcargo crept out of its shell.

“I guess you weren’t listening. Magcargo’s shell is incredibly strong. No physical attack is going to do anything to Magcargo.”

R.J. growled. “We’ll have to keep trying. Nidorino, Poison Sting!”

“You know what to do, Magcargo.”

From his horn, Nidorino began to shoot several tiny stingers. The stingers launched towards Magcargo, but before they hit it, Magcargo retreated into its shell, and the stingers hit the shell and bounced off.

“Sorry, R.J., that just isn’t going to work. You can’t use physical attacks againist my Magcargo. I have raised its defense to the maximum. Anyway, you’ve seen my Magcargo’s defensive side, now why not take a look at its offensive? Magcargo, Fire Blast!”

Magcargo came out of its shell and started spitting fire out of its mouth. The fire turned into the shape of a star, then launched across the room at Nidorino.

“Nidorino, look out!”

But Nidorino was too slow. The fire hit Nidorino, and he slid back, knocked out. His picture on the scoreboard darkened.

“Nidorino, return. Go, Pidgeotto!” R.J. returned Nidorino to his Pokeball and threw out Pidgeotto’s Pokeball. Pidgeotto returned to the field, looking happy to be battling.

“Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!”

Pidgeotto flew into the air and then swooped down at Magcargo. Before he could hit it, Magcargo retreated into its shell. Pidgeotto hit Magcargo with as much strength as possible, but Pidgeotto simply hit the shell and fell back.

“No!” R.J. couldn’t believe how strong Magcargo’s defense was.

“Magcargo, Ember!”

Magcargo came out of its shell and spat a small fireball at Pidgeotto. The fireball hit Pidgeotto, and Pidgeotto flew back a little, screeching in pain.

“Magcargo, Rock Throw!”

Magcargo suddenly appeared to have something in its mouth. It opened its mouth and spat the item at Pidgeotto. It was a rock. The rock hit Pidgeotto, and he fell to the ground, weakened even more.

“Time to finish this. Magcargo, Fire Blast!”

Magcargo again shot a star of fire at the grounded Pidgeotto. The fire hit Pidgeotto, and he closed his eyes and fainted. His picture on the scoreboard darkened.

“Pidgeotto, return.” R.J. returned Pidgeotto to his Pokeball.

“Well, R.J., it seems like we each have one Pokemon left. Make your decision wisely.”

R.J. wasn’t sure whether he should use Beedrill or Grovyle. But he knew he couldn’t use physical attacks, and since Beedrill only knew physical attacks, he would have to use Grovyle.

“Grovyle, I choose you” R.J. threw Grovyle’s Pokeball out in front of him, and Grovyle came out, looking happy to battle. Its picture appeared on the scoreboard. “Well, Grovyle, you got your wish. You get to battle. Now give it your all!”

“Hah! Using a Grass type againist my Magcargo. Not very smart. Oh well. Magcargo, Fire Blast!”

“Grovyle, dodge it!”

Magcargo shot yet another star of fire, this time at Grovyle. But before it could hit Grovyle, Grovyle leaped into the air and spun around, barely missing the blast. The fire disappeared before it could hit the wall.

“Grovyle, Absorb!”

Grovyle began to form a green energy ball in between its hands. He shot the ball at Magcargo, and Magcargo retreated into its shell before the ball could hit it. When the ball did hit it, however, it split up into many smaller balls and came back at Grovyle, who absorbed them into its body. However, when Magcargo came out of its shell, it looked like it was in pain. The look only lasted for a couple of seconds.

“Yes! It looks like I found a weakness in your Magcargo. Even though it is a Fire type, its Rock type side makes it weak to Grass attacks, so even though your Magcargo retreats into its shell, Grass attacks will still damage it.

Roy smiled. Then he began to laugh. “Well, I’m glad you found a weakness in my Magcargo, but don’t celebrate for long. Although Magcargo may be weak to Grass attacks, Absorb is a very weak move, and it just didn’t do enough damage for you to win. Magcargo, Ember!”

Magcargo then shot a Fireball at Grovyle. The fireball traveled fast, and Grovyle couldn’t see it coming in enough time for it to dodge the attack. The fireball hit Grovyle, and it fell back.

“No, Grovyle!” R.J. could tell Grovyle was badly hurt by the attack. It tried o get up off the ground, but it was too weak. Grovyle slumped to the ground and fainted. Its picture darkened on the scoreboard, and a “X” appeared over R.J.’s picture.

“No!” R.J. couldn’t believe it. He had lost. He had never lost to a Gym Leader before.

“Magcargo, return.” Roy returned Magcargo to its Pokeball. “Sorry R.J. I guess you just weren’t ready for my Magcargo. But come back for a rematch anytime you’d like. You can still win that badge.

“Grovyle, return.” R.J. recalled Grovyle. He knew he had to beat Roy to get his next badge. But his Magcargo was too strong. He had gotten a lead in this battle that it was weak to Grass, but what good would that do if the only Grass attack his Pokemon knew was too weak to do anything. He knew that he would have to train, and make his Pokemon stronger. Then he would beat Roy. “You better be ready for that rematch, Roy, because I won’t lose!” R.J. then left the Gym and headed for the Pokemon Center so he could heal his Pokemon and start their training.


Major Oops: I spelled Magcargo's name wrong throught the entire chapter. There's no such Pokemon as Macargo... my bad.

[DannyBoy]

Great chapter! That battle was amazing. Nidorino did a awsome job and so did Pidgeotto. Poor grovyle. It tried. Keep it up!

[Jukain]

That was great. It was eventual that he would lose sometime. I have great confidence for next time, for I know Grovyle personally, and it can definitely do better than an Absorb. (I obviously like this poke and its line, it's even in my fic)

[RJdude]

Yeah, but keep in mind that Absorb is the only Grass attack Grovyle knows right now... however, he should be getting a nice new grass attack pretty soon, but i won't say anything else.

[SneaselReborned]

Originally posted by SneaselReborned on first page of topic
Well, I would love to say that I've seen this before. Its pretty...erm...common. Maybe if you could add a little twist to the trainer fic plot it would help? Still, I like the fic. Its not bad, it just needs a little work.

Also, if you are going to stay trainerficy, you should make your trainer lose a little more. I mean, most fics are just win, win, win, oooh close win, win, win, win, close gym battle, win, win, win, win. See what I mean? Also, try to space out your paragraphs with double enter, like this.

See how you can easily distinguish one from the other? Yeah. Other than that, you have a little bit of a flowing issue, but the fic is not bad.

Rating: 6.5/10


Well, I must say. That rating is WAY off than what it is now! You really turned this lessthanaverage - average fic into a good, fun read!

Great job, and I love the story! Please forgive me for the bad rating last time.

Rating: 8.7/10 (Bravo!)

[Hanada Tattsu]

Wow, excellent chapter!

Great length! Pidgeotto did great, as did Grovyle and Nidorino. That Magcargo sure was strong, and I wonder what attack Grovyle will learn to defeat Magcargo...

[Dewgongtears]

Great Chapter. A very good battle and it was intense. I cannot wait till the next chapter or part, really cool.

[Neo-Xantios]

Truly amazing. This is indeed your best chapter yet! This gym battle was many times better than the previous ones because it was difficult to predict the outcome and R.J. failed to defeat Marcargo. I'm telling you, this will be legendary as long as you keep it up!

[Wizzy]

Well, I'm back now...I had a little break so I wasn't able to post here.


You have really improved much!
Your fic is really good!

Cheers!
:D

[RJdude]

SneaselReborned: Don't worry about it, everybody has there opinions. I've improved as a writer since you made that comment, and I'm glad you like my fic now.

Part 1 - Chapter 16

“Okay guys, let’s take a break.” R.J. sat down, and Pidgeotto, Grovyle, and Nidorino and went over to him and joined him. Beedrill, however, continued to fly around. R.J. took out two water bottles from his backpack. He put the first to his side, for himself, and then let each of his Pokemon take a drink from the other one. He put both bottles back in his backpack after they were empty.

It had been two days since R.J.’s loss to Roy, the Tename City Gym Leader. He and his Pokemon had been training hard. He knew if he wanted to beat Roy and his Magcargo, his Pokemon would have to be much stronger. But why would it matter? No matter how strong his Pokemon were, physical attacks were useless againist Magcargo. But there had to be some way.

“Hey, you!” R.J. looked up. A boy, slightly older in age then him, was running towards him. He had a Pokeball in his hand. “My name is Don. How would you like to battle me?”

R.J. stood up. “I’m R.J. Well, I‘d like to battle you, but I’m kind of training right now…”

“Well, wouldn’t battling someone be training?”

“I guess.”

“Well then let’s go!” Don stepped back about twenty feet and faced R.J.

“What are you so anxious for anyway?” R.J. asked Don.

“Well, I haven’t had a good battle in a long time. Not since I faced this Kevin kid.”

“Kevin?”

“Yeah, he handed me my first and only defeat. He was brutal, man. I’d sure hate to face him in the Jade Tournament. Oh well. Let’s get this battle started. I see you have four Pokemon, so we’ll each use four Pokemon. Ninjask, I choose you!” Don threw a Pokeball in front of him and it opened, sending out a small Bug Pokemon whose wings moved so fast R.J. could barely see them.”

“Fine. Nidorino, I choose you!” Nidorino jumped in front of R.J., ready to battle. “Nidorino, Thunderbolt!”

Electricity started swarming around Nidorino and he shot it at Ninjask.

“Ninjask, Double Team!”

Ninjask suddenly split into many different Ninjask. The electricity that Nidorino shot still hit Ninjask, but Ninjask disappeared when the electricity hit it. He had hit the wrong Ninjask.

“Sorry, but you’ll have to be pretty lucky to beat my Ninjask’s Double Team,” Don said. “Ninjask, Scratch!”

The many Ninjask suddenly swept towards Nidorino, claws outstretched. They all hit Nidorino with theirs claws causing Nidorino to fall to the floor. He wasn’t done yet, but he still took a lot of damage.

Suddenly, R.J. had an idea. “Nidorino, Shock Wave!” R.J. knew Shock Wave was an electric attack that never missed, but he wasn’t sure if it would work.

Electricity once again swarmed around Nidorino, but instead of shooting it straight forward, the electricity shot out around his entire body in the form of waves. The waves hit all the Ninjask, and they all disappeared except for one, which R.J. knew was the real one. The real Ninjask looked fried, as if sit had it a bug zapper.

“Nidorino, Horn Drill!”

The horn on Nidorino’s head began spinning. Nidorino then charged at Ninjask and hit it with his horn, knocking it to the floor. It tried to get up, but then collapsed to the ground, knocked out.

“Ninjask return.” Don returned Ninjask to its Pokeball. “Well, I guess you do have skill. Let’s see how you fair against this one. Go, Weepinbell!” Don released another Pokeball, and this time, a Grass type Weepinbell was released from the ball.

“Nidorino, Horn Attack!”

“Weepinbell, Vine Whip!”

Nidorino lowered his horn and charged at Weepinbell. But when it began charging, two long vines extended from Weepinbell. The vines wrapped themselves around Nidorino, and he couldn’t move. Suddenly, Weepinbell forced the vines to go upwards, bring Nidorino with them. Then, the vines crashed to the ground, as did Nidorino, hurting him. Then Weepinbell pulled the vines over its head, and crashed Nidorino to the ground behind Weepinbell.

“Nidorino, try to escape!”

But the vines were too strong. Weepinbell brought the vines over its head one more time, and crashed Nidorino to the ground. This time, however, the vines let go. The R.J. saw why: Nidorino had been knocked out.

“Nidorino, return. Beedrill, get out there!” R.J. recalled Nidorino to his Pokeball and Beedrill flew out in front of him.

“Hah! A Beedrill! Is that the best you can do?” Don taunted. “Oh well. Weepinbell, Vine Whip!”

Beedrill, dodge it with Agility!”

Weepinbell once again extended its vines, but Beedrill flew around in the air, barely dodging them.

“Beedrill, Poison Sting!”

From the tip of its tail stinger, Beedrill released many poison darts. They all hit Weepinbell, and Weepinbell flew back.

“Now, Twineedle!”

Beedrill swooped down on Weepinbell and hit it with one of the stingers on its arms. Then it hit Weepinbell with the other stinger, causing Weepinbell to fly back. By the time Weepinbell stopped flying back from the impact of the attack, it had fainted.

“Not bad. Weepinbell, return. Go, Meditite!” Don recalled Weepinbell back into its Pokeball and threw another Pokeball on the ground. This time, when the Pokeball popped open, it released a Pokemon that resembled a small monkey. It was Meditite, a Fighting and Psychic Pokemon. It didn’t look like much, but R.J. had faced its evolution, Medicham before, and he knew that it wasn’t a pushover. He would just have to battle has hard as he could.

“Beedrill, Twineedle!”

Beedrill dove towards Meditite, ready to hit it with a powerful Twineedle attack.

“Meditite, Fire Punch!”

R.J. noticed that Meditite’s fist began to flame. When Beedrill came close to attack it, Meditite threw its fist at Beedrill, knocking it to the floor, burned.

“Meditite, Focus Punch!”

Meditite closed its eyes. Then its fist began glowing. After a few seconds Meditite raised its fist and hit Beedrill right in the stomach. Beedrill fell to the ground, clearly knocked out.

“Hah, I knew that bug wouldn’t last,” Don laughed.

“Beedrill, return. Good job.” R.J. recalled Beedrill to it Pokeball. “It’s your turn, Pidgeotto. I choose you!” Pidgeotto flew out in front of R.J.

“Meditite, Focus Punch!”

Meditite again closed its eyes and its fist began glowing. It was abut to launch a power punch at Pidgeotto, but R.K. knew what to do.

“Pidgeotto, Sand Attack!”

Pidgeotto began flapping its wings, and sand from the ground began to blow in Meditite’s face. It lost its concentration, and its fist stopped glowing.

“Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!”

Pidgeotto swooped down towards Meditite as fast as it could, and he hit Meditite, sending it flying.

“Pidgeotto, finish it off with a Wing Attack!”

Pidgeotto’s wings began glowing, just like Meditite’s fist. He dove down towards Meditite, and hit it has hard as he could with his wings. Meditite collapsed to the ground and fainted.

“Err…. stupid bird. You just got lucky. Meditite, return.” Don returned Meditite to its Pokeball. “Oh well. At least now I can use… my most powerful Pokemon. Go, Cloyster”

Don threw his final Pokeball to the floor. It opened up, and a Pokemon that looked like a large oyster came out. It had a think shell, and inside the shell was what looked like a black pearl with eyes and a mouth.

R.J. checked his Pokedex. “Cloyster, the Oyster Pokemon, the evolved form of Shellder, this Pokemon’s shell is very strong, it can even protect it from a bomb.”

“Sounds tough. But we can do it. Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!”

Pidgeotto swooped at Cloyster at full speed. What the Pokedex said about Cloyster worried him, but he was sure Cloyster couldn’t be as strong as Magcargo… or could it?

“Cloyster, Withdraw!” Cloyster then closed its shell, and R.J. could no longer see inside of it. It was then when Pidgeotto hit Cloyster.

BONK!

Pidgeotto hit the shell and dropped to the ground. It was okay, but the Pidgeotto had just bounced off the shell. Cloyster opened its shell, and was smiling, as was Don. Pidgeotto didn’t hurt Cloyster at all.

“Oh no, not this again,” R.J. muttered.

“Cloyster, Aurora Beam!”

Cloyster launched a colorful, almost beautiful beam at Pidgeotto. It hit Pidgeotto, and Pidgeotto screeched in pain.

“PIDGEO!” R.J. knew Flying types were weak againist Ice attacks, but he didn’t know what to do. He had to keep trying.

“Pidgeotto, Wing Attack!”

Pidgeotto’s Wings began glowing and he swooped down on Cloyster and tried to hit it with them. However, as soon as he approached, Cloyster closed its shell, and Pidgeotto’s wings just hit them.

“Pidg…” Pidgeotto waved his wings. They were obviously hurting him from hitting Cloyster’s shell.

“Cloyster, Aurora Beam!”

Cloyster opened its shell and launched another colorful beam at Pidgeotto. This one hit Pidgeotto right in the side of his body, and he dropped to the ground, knocked out.

“Errr…. Pidgeotto, return.” R.J. returned Pidgeotto back into its Pokeball. The he looked at Grovyle. “It’s all up to you man. Let’s do this.”

“Gro.” Grovyle nodded and jumped in front of R.J.

“Grovyle, Cut!”

Grovyle charged at Cloyster, ready to slash it with his claws. But when Grovyle drew near, Cloyster closed its shell. Grovyle then slashed it with his claws. But Grovyle’s attack didn’t even leave a scratch!

“Hah! When will you learn? Cloyster, Aurora Beam!”

Cloyster opened its shell and launched a third multicolored beam, this time at Grovyle. The beam hit its target.

“GROVE!” Grovyle fell to the ground. It was in a lot of pain.

“Come on, Grovyle you can do this. There has to be a way you can get past hard shells! There has to!” Suddenly, Grovyle stood up. He looked over at R.J., and then nodded. Suddenly, the leaves on Grovyle’s arms began to glow!

“Huh?” R.J. didn’t know what was happening. Suddenly, his Pokedex clicked.

“Leaf Blade, Grovyle’s special ability, it is one of the most powerful Grass attacks, and can easily slice open steel.

“No way! Grovyle, you learned Leaf Blade! I knew you could do it!”

Grovyle then charged at Cloyster, arms raised, ready to slice Cloyster with his powered-up leaves. Cloyster then closed its shell, but when Grovyle attacked, his leaves simply swept through Cloyster like a hot knife through butter. Then R.J. saw it: there was a huge crack on Cloyster’s shell where Grovyle had hit it. But did it do any damage to Cloyster?

“CLOY!” Cloyster opened its shell, and R.J. saw Cloyster’s face: It had a great look of pain on it. Leaf Blade had worked!”

“Grovyle, Leaf Blade!”

Grovyle’s arm leaves began to glow again, and Grovyle charged at Cloyster once more. This time, Grovyle leaped into the air, and slashed Cloyster’s exposed head with his leaves. A large gash mark appeared on Cloyster’s stunned face. Then Cloyster closed its eyes, rolled over, and fainted.

“YEAH!” R.J. raised a fist of victory and leaped into the air.

“No, no, no… Cloyster, how could you lose?” Don sighed. “Well, return. Good battle, kid. I never thought anybody could beat my Cloyster… other then that Kevin kid. I hate to say it, but if I were betting on the final two, I’d say it would be you and him. As to who would win… well, I guess I wouldn’t know that. Did you ever meet Kevin?'

“No,” R.J. grumbled.

“Well then, I guess I’ll just have to wait and see. Smell you later.” Then he walked away and left.

R.J. and Grovyle looked at each other. “Grovyle… I think we finally found the move that can beat Magcargo.”

“Gro,” Grovyle agreed.

“You just have to give it your all… we’ll stop at the Pokemon Center so you can rest up, but after that, we’re heading back to the Gym. We can win, I know we can. Are you ready?”

Grovyle nodded.

“Then let’s go."

[Dewgongtears]

That was a cool chapter. So it looks like Grovyle learned Leaf Balde...pretty cool. Also sounds like they are going to battle the gym leader.....that will be cool too.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Oh my God, that was a great chapter! I really liked it!

Ninjask was pretty good, and Nidorino's Thunderbolt worked wonders! Weepinbell was cool, and Beedrill did a good job. Pidgeotto, as always, was great, and it beat that Meditite silly. Cloyster was excellent, and Grovyle finally learned Leaf Blade!

So, this is how they'll beat Roy, good job!

keep it up!

[DannyBoy]

Great Chapter! I really liked that one a lot and the battle was amazing. You did a great job showing leaf blade. Good length and description. Keep it up!!

[Neo-Xantios]

Hello there, RJdude. Once again, you've produced an excellent chapter. Leaf Blade is indeed a formidable attack and you've described it excellently. I'm sure R.J. will see his victory in the next chapter.

[Jukain]

Good battle. Leaf Blade saves the day. I just love that attack. Too bad you don't like Grovyle too much. I shall greatly anticipate the next one.

[RJdude]

Who says I don't lik Grovyle? Grovyle's one of my favorite Pokemon. Besides, if I didn't like it, it probably wouln't be in my fic. And to quote from the very first chapter:


Then Joseph looked at R.J. "I guess Treecko is yours."

"No problem. I've always wanted a Grovyle, and after I train this little guy, I'll have one.

Ah, the first chapter...

[RJdude]

Part 1 - Chapter 17

R.J. reached for the Gym door. “Well I have nothing to lose.” He opened it and walked inside. The Gym looked exactly like it did when R.J. left it, with lit torches all around. Roy and the ref were both sitting down. Suddenly, Roy looked up, saw R.J. and stood up.

“Ah, R.J., I have been expected you for several days now. Have you come for a rematch.”

“You bet I did,” R.J. said, full of energy. He was sure that with Grovyle new move, he would be the victor this time.

“Fine then.” Roy snapped his fingers. The ref stood up, and the scoreboard lit up with R.J.’s and Roy’s pictures.

“Can I make a request?” R.J. asked.

“Sure, what is that?”

“I want this battle to be short and sweet. How about we each use one Pokemon.”

Roy smiled. “My boy, you couldn’t even beat my Magcargo with three Pokemon! But if that’s what you want…” Roy looked at the ref and nodded.

“There will be one Pokemon each,” the ref said, “no time limit. Let the battle commence!”

“Well, R.J., you know what my Pokemon will be. Go Magcargo!” Roy released a Pokeball in front of him, and his most powerful Pokemon, Magcargo, came out of it. It looked at R.J. and yawned. Magcargo knew that R.J. didn’t stand a chance againist it in his last battle, and he wouldn’t win now. Magcargo’s picture appeared on the scoreboard under Roy’s picture.

“I thought you would use that. Go, Grovyle!” R.J. threw Grovyle’s Pokeball in front of him. It opened up, and Grovyle came out. His picture appeared on the scoreboard under R.J.’s.

“Gro!” Grovyle roared. He then looked at Magcargo and grinned. Revenge time.

Roy sighed. “Don’t waste my time. Hat Grass type won’t do anything. Oh well, it’s your loss. Magcargo, Fire Blast!”

Magcargo began breathing fire out of its mouth. The fire formed into a star, and the fire star launched across the room at Grovyle.

“Grovyle, dodge it!”

As the fire start came close to Grovlye, he jumped high into the air and twisted his body in midair, barely missing the star.

“Now Grovyle, use Leaf Blade!”

Grovyle’s leaves began glowing. Then Grovyle rushed at Magcargo, arms raised.

“Magcargo, you know what to do.”

As Grovyle came near, Magcargo crept into its shell. But when Grovyle came by, he swiftly slashed Magcargo with his leaves. R.J. then saw that there was a crack in Magcargo’s shell. As soon as he noticed it, Magcargo came out of its shell, looking as though it was in a whole lot of pain. Leaf Bade was doing its job! He was wearing Magcargo, Roy’s supposedly “indestructible” Pokemon down!

Roy couldn’t believe it. “What? You actually found an attack that can get through my Magcargo?”

“You bet I did,” R.J. said, smirking. In his previous battle with Roy, Roy had been taunting him while he was losing, but know, their roles seemed to be switched.

“No matter, I’ll still beat that Grovyle. It is a Grass type, after all. Magcargo, Ember.”

Magcargo shook off the pain, even though it was still there, and launched several fireballs at Grovyle.

“Grovyle, Quick Attack, and then Leaf Blade!”

Right before a fireball hit Grovyle, Grovyle quickly jumped out of the way, and keep rushing at Magcargo at full speed. However, he jumped strait into the path of another fireball. Luckily, Grovyle saw it coming, and dodged that one too. Finally, when he was close to Magcargo, his leaves began glowing and he swiftly slashed Magcargo (who had, in fear, gone into its shell) with them. The crack on Magcargo’s shell became even larger.

“CARGO!” Magcargo crept out of its shell, in even more pain then before.

“Errr… Magcargo, Fire Blast!”

Magcargo quickly shook off the pain and spat a fire star at Grovyle. However, both R.J. and Grovyle noticed it too late.

“Grovyle, look out!”

“GROOOO!” The star hit Grovyle, and he slid across the room. He was burnt, and in a lot of pain.

“Come on, Grovyle, get up. You can do it.”

Grovyle, very weakly, pushed his way off the ground. He wasn’t down yet. But R.J. knew he was too weak to successfully perform a Leaf Blade attack. Then he had an idea.

“Grovyle, Absorb!”

Grovyle weakly formed a green energy ball in between his hands, then launched it at Magcargo. Magcargo crept into its shell, and the ball hit it. As soon as the ball hit it, it split up into many smaller balls and came back at Grovyle, who absorbed them into his body. Magcargo came out of its shell, looking like it was in a little pain, but not much.

Roy sighed. “R.J., didn’t you learn from our last battle that Absorb isn’t powerful enough to do anything?”

“It can’t do anything, eh? Why don’t you take another look.”

Roy looked at Magcargo. It seemed fine. But then he looked at Grovyle, and noticed that all the burn marks were gone! As a matter of fact, he looked perfectly healthy.

“Huh?”

R.J. smiled. “Although Absorb doesn’t do much damage, it still heals the Pokemon who uses it. Now Grovyle, use Leaf Blade!”

Grovyle’s leaves began glowing again, and he rushed at Magcargo. Magcargo crept into its shell, but Grovyle’s leaves still glided though it, smoothly and swiftly. Magcargo came out of its shell, with another huge look of pain on its face. Then R.J. saw that the crack on Magcargo’s shell began splitting the rest of the shell! Suddenly, the rock shell crumbled onto the ground, leaving Magcargo exposed, stunned, and without a shell.

“MAGCARGO! YOUR SHELL! IT’S…”

“Gone,” R.J. finished. “It looks like I finally destroyed your so called ‘ultimate defense’. Now, Grovyle, finish this battle with a Cut!”

Grovyle leaped into the air and lunged at Magcargo. Magcargo tried to creep back into its shell but it couldn’t since its shell was now in pieces on the ground.

“Gro!” Grovyle, still in midair, slashed Magcargo and landed on the ground. Magcargo appeared stunned for several seconds until it fell to the ground. Its picture on the scoreboard darkened, and an “X” appeared over Roy’s face.

R.J. ran across the Gym and hugged Grovyle. “I knew you could do it, pal.”

“Gro!” A large smile shot across Grovyle’s face.

Roy was calmer then R.J. had expected. He returned Magcargo to its Pokeball and walked over to R.J. He held out a red and orange badge that looked like a fireball. “Here you go, R.J. This is the Ember Badge, proof that you beat me. Take it, you deserve it.”

R.J. took the badge from Roy. “Thanks. Will your Magcargo be okay? I kind of destroyed its shell.”

“Don’t worry about it, Magcargo shells grow back.”

R.J. nodded. “Grovyle, return.” He returned Grovyle to his Pokeball and put it back on his belt. Then he took out the case he put his badges in and placed the Ember Badge among them.

“Five down and three to go,” R.J. said to himself as he was leaving Tename City. “It’s strange, I feel like I’m forgetting something. Oh well.” R.J. decided to take another look at his badges and how he won them. The Gust strategy he and Pidgey had used to win the Forest Badge, the two-on-two battle he had with Morgan to win the Whirlpool Badge, the Mind Reading technique Girafarig used to beat Neil’s Ghost Pokemon to win the Spook Badge, the… Girafarig! “Oh crap, I forgot all about Girafarig!” R.J. rushed back into town and ran towards the Pokemon Center. He ran inside, where he saw Nurse Joy waiting for him.

“Well, your Girafarig’s leg has healed, and it can fully battle now.” She handed him Girafarig’s Pokeball, and R.J. put it on his belt.

“Thanks!” He called out as he ran out the Pokemon Center and left Tename City.


Edit: By the way, Congratulate me. This fic has now extended 100 pages on Microsoft word... eat my dust, Harry Potter! (Well, not quite...)

[Jukain]

Oops, I confused you for someone else. Sorry.:P Ok, this is a sign I've been reading too many fics.

:o When I posted this, a new chapter showed up. It's great, too. Magcargo definitely got what was coming to it.

[DannyBoy]

Great chapter! Macargo got it bad. Good length and description. Keep it up! That was funny with the harry potter thing.

[Neo-Xantios]

Salutations, RJdude. The battle was truly decisive and Grovyle had done an excellent job. I can't wait to see what happens after all 8 badges are attained.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Great chapter, I really liked it!

Wow, Roy was a snob, but he got what was coming to him. Magcargo was really strong, but Grovyle also has a tough rebel attitude.

So, only 3 badges left for Moxto! Keep up the excellent, outstanding work!

LOL, just a few hundred more chappies, and Harry Potter will shrivel in fear. :D

[Dewgongtears]

I really liked this chapter also. The gym match was very good and Grovyle was a really strong fighter. I know the next three gym battles will be just as good or even better.

[RJdude]

Part 1 - Chapter 18

“Man, when am I going to get to the next town?” R.J. said to himself. He was both tired and hungry, and it was only noon. Plus, he didn’t even know where he was going. He then saw a young man jogging down the road. R.J. asked him where the next town was.

“Oh, you mean Rilgi Town? It’s just a mile away. Just keeping following the road, you’ll get there.”

“Thank you.” With that new information, R.J. starting running down the road, eager to get to a new down, and to get some food. Finally, he came in sight of Rilgi Town. It was a small town, with a bus stop, a Pokemon Center, several restaurants and about twenty homes. R.J. also noticed a store called “The Pokeball Shop”. On the window of the shop was a sigh that said “Now in Stock: Bigger and Better Pokeballs!” R.J. was still hungry, but that sign interesting him enough that he walked into the store.

“Hello young man, how may I help you?” the clerk asked as R.J. walked in through the door.

“Uh, yeah, what are these “bigger and better” Pokeballs you have here?” he asked.

“Ah, wait a second.” The clerk reached up on a shelf and came back with a Pokeball. But it was different then all of the Pokeballs R.J. was used to. It was no bigger, but instead of being completely red at the top, it was blue and had two red strips right at the top. “This is a Great Ball,” the clerk told R.J. “It has twice the chance of catching a Pokemon then a regular Pokeball.”

“Okay, I’ll take five of them.” The clerk reached up onto the shelf and grabbed four more Great Balls, and handed all five of them to R.J., who stored them on the back of his belt. “Thanks. How much are they?”

The clerk smiled. “I’ll give them to you for free…” the clerk then looked around a couple of times. “Hey, would you want another Pokeball, one that’s better then a Great Ball?”

“Sure, who wouldn’t?”

“Wait just a minute.” The clerk bent down and opened a cabinet. He brought out another Pokeball, this one was also different. It has the usual white bottom, but the top was black, and it has a yellow stripe going down the center. “This is an Ultra Ball. It’s three times better then a regular Pokeball. Use it wisely.” The clerk handed the Ultra Ball to R.J., who put it on his belt.

“Thanks a lot,” R.J. said, and began to leave.

“Just don’t tell anyone that I gave that to you!” the clerk called out. “Then everyone will want a free one!”

“I won’t!” And with that, R.J. opened the door and left.

Next on his agenda was to heal his Pokemon at the Pokemon Center. His stomach was still growling, but he had to put his Pokemon’s priorities before his. He walked into the Pokemon Center and handed Nurse Joy his five Pokeballs. She put them on a machine and healed them.

“Here you go,” she said as she handed R.J. his Pokeballs. “By the way, would you happen to be R.J. Moyan?”

“Yeah. How did you know my name?”

“I received a letter from another young boy… I think his name was Gordon Tomford.”

“Gordon?”

“Yeah. He wrote on the letter that if R.J. Moyan came in here to give him the letter. So here you go.” She reached into her pocket, pulled out a piece of paper, and handed it to R.J. He read past the part that was written to Nurse Joy, then read the part that was written to him.

R.J.,

It should be Tuesday the 22nd by the time you get this. If it isn’t, well, sue the post company. Anyway, Nicole and I gave Elekid and Magby to Gramps, and we’re heading for Rilgi Town. Based on how slow you travel, we figured you would be here at this time. Go to the Rilgi Town bus stop. Our bus should be getting there at 1:00. Meet us there.

Gordon

It was the 22nd, so R.J. was happy that he would get to see his friends again. He checked the clock. It read 12:45. Fifteen minutes until Gordon’s bus would arrive. There was no way he could get a lunch before then. It would have to wait.

“Thanks,” R.J. called out to Nurse Joy as he ran out of the Pokemon Center.

It took R.J. only five minutes to reach the bus stop. He sat down on a bench and waited, his stomach growling. Finally, after ten long minutes, he saw a large blue bus coming down the road. It stopped at the bus stop, and the doors opened. People started getting out, and R.J. wait anxiously for his friends. Finally, after everybody else had gotten off, Gordon and Nicole exited the bus. R.J. stood up and greeted his friends.

“Hey you two, it’s about time you two got here.’

“We’re happy to see you too,” Gordon said. “I need to travel again, I’m not big for staying around in a lab.”

“Then why is your dream to become a Pokemon researcher like your grandpa?” Nicole asked with a smile.

“I don’t know… who says I have to stay inside and do my research.”

“Who cares, I’m starving, we can discuss this over lunch,” R.J. snapped.

“Wow, you’re somewhat pushy,” Gordon said. “It’s a good thing we’re here.”

“Yes, it’s really good. Now let’s find a restaurant.”

“Fine.”


Meanwhile, a trio was entering Rilgi Town. There was a young man, a young woman, and a Vulpix.

“Let’s stop here,” the man said to the woman. “I’m starving. We haven’t had much to eat since we broke out of jail.”

“Stop complaining. What if we get seen? I don’t want to go back to jail.”

“I don’t want to starve, either.”

“I’d rather starve then go back to jail. I hate it there. What do you think, Vully?”

“Vul! Vulpix!”

“I don’t care what that Vulpix says. I say we rob the first place to eat we find.”

The woman sighed. “Jack, your such a moron. We can’t draw attention to ourselves.” The trio was now only a hundred feet away from a restaurant. They saw three people, two boys and a girl, walk in. The woman squinted. “Hey those two boys look familiar.”

Jack tried to get a good look at them, but they had already entered the restaurant. “Who do you think they were, Jackie?”

“I think they were the twerps that beat us at Nitser City. The boy with the Beedrill and Pidgeotto, and the kid with the Kadabra.”

A large grin appeared on Jack’s face. “Hey, let’s go in there and get some revenge.”

Jackie nodded her head. “Yeah, I have a gun. Let’s rob that place for the food, steal their Pokemon, and kill them. We’ll show them that nobody messes with Team Rage.”


A waitress came out and handed R.J., Gordon, and Nicole their drinks. She gave Gordon and Nicole sodas, and R.J. a milk (R.J. never drank soda). “I’ll be out with your lunches in a few minutes,” the waitress said as she left. They began to sip their drinks through straws.

Nicole began conversation. “So, R.J., how many badges did you get while we were gone?”

“Just one: an Ember Badge. And my Grovyle learned Leaf Blade.”

“Leaf Blade?” Gordon stopped drinking his soda. “That’s the most powerful grass attack next to Solarbeam. You should be happy that you have a Pokemon that knows it.”

“I am. So, how are your Pokemon doing? Did you guys catch anything during your journey?”

“Nope.” Gordon went back to drinking his soda.

“I met your dad, R.J.,” Nicole said. “He seems like a nice guy, but he’s real lonely. I guess he misses having you around, especially since your mom’s dead.”

“He’s been lonely ever since she died, whether I was there or not. But yeah, I should probably give him a call soon, just to let him know I’m doing okay.”

BOOM!

R.J. suddenly heard a gunshot. He turned around towards were he heard the blast, and saw two uniformed people, a man and a woman, standing in the entrance. The woman had long black hair and blue eyes, and the man was freckled with red hair and green eyes. There was a Vulpix and the woman’s side.

“That’s Team Rage!” Gordon exclaimed. “The were the goons we beat at Nitser City, R.J.”

“Everybody shut up!” the woman screamed. R.J. remembered that her name was Jackie, and the man was Jack. Jackie pointed her gun at the hostess. “We want you to give us all your money, she said to the hostess.

“But…”

“No buts!” Jack yelled. “Just give us the money!”

R.J. stood up. “Stop right there, you crooks! I’m warning you, my Pokemon have gotten stronger since I crushed you guys last!” He knew it was stupid, but he wanted to take their attention away from the frightened hostess.

Both Jack and Jackie smiled. Jack started talking to them while Jackie held the gun to the hostess’ head. “Ah, just the person we were looking for. Remind us what is your name? We didn’t get it last time.”

“R.J.”

“Well, R.J., here’s what I want you to do. I want you to take off that belt that you’re holding your Pokemon on, and I want you to throw it to me. I also want your friend over there to toss over the Pokeball that he keeps his Kadabra in over to us as well.”

“Why should I?”

“Because if you don’t, we’ll kill this girl over here,” Jackie sneered. Te young hostess now looked even more frightened. “You wouldn’t want an innocent person to die just because you selfishly wanted to keep your Pokemon.

R.J. growled. He didn’t want to betray his Pokemon, but he didn’t want anybody to die, either. And he knew that Team Rage wouldn’t kill his Pokemon, so he could get them back. “Fine!” R.J. unfastened his belt and threw it across the room. Jack caught it.

“Wow, five powerful Pokemon, and some rare Pokeballs, too. Now for your friend. Give me your Kadabra!”

Gordon didn’t want to hand over his Kadabra, but he had an idea. Team Rage couldn’t see him now, so they couldn’t see his belt. They didn’t know that he had another Pokemon, so even if they took Kadabra, he could still battle them for it with Azurill. He took Kadabra’s Pokeball off his belt, and then pulled his shirt over his belt to hid it. Then he stood up. “Here you go.” He threw the Pokeball at Jack, who caught it with his free hand.

“You know, there’s a way to make sure that there’s a Pokemon in this Pokeball, so you better not be cheating me out of my Kadabra…” Jack checked the Pokeball all around. “There’s something in here, and I doubt this punk has any other Pokemon. So you kids better be ready…”

Jackie turned the gun towards R.J. and Gordon “For your deaths.” She then pulled the trigger… but nothing happened! “WHAT! WHY WON’T THIS THING WORK?!”

“Oh yes, I remember now, there was only one bullet left in that gun, and I believe you wasted it to get everyone’s attention.”

Jackie dropped the empty gun and smacked Jack upside the head. “Don’t you blame things on me! Why didn’t you tell me there was only one bullet left?!”

“Oh well, we got the Pokemon we wanted. Let’s get out of here before cops come!”

“Right!”

Jackie, Vully, and Jack, who had R.J.’s belt and Kadabra’s Pokeball in his hands, all ran out the door.

“STOP RIGHT THERE!” R.J. ran as fast as he could out of there, following Team Rage.

Nicole stood up, and she and Gordon followed R.J. “Call the cops,” Gordon said to the hostess as he ran out the door.

“R.J.! Wait! You don’t have any Pokemon!” Nicole yelled to R.J. as he ran after Team Rage.

“So?” I have to stop them!”

“Ugh… your so arrogant. Igglybuff I choose you.”

“You too, Azurill!”

Gordon and Nicole each threw a Pokeball on to the streets. They opened up, and Gordon and Nicole’s baby Pokemon, Azurill and Igglybuff, came out.

R.J. stopped. “You expect to fight them with those things?”

Jack, Jackie, and Vully all stopped and turned around. “So,” Jack started, “We didn’t get all your Pokemon. That doesn’t matter. Those things are too weak to do anything.” He placed R.J.’s belt and Kadabra’s Pokeball on the ground. Then he took a Pokeball off his own belt. “Sneasel, I choose you!”

“Mawile, go!”

Jack and Jackie each threw a Pokeball on the ground. Both Pokeballs popped open, and send out Team Rage’s Pokemon. Jackie’s was Mawile, a Steel Pokemon, and Jack’s was Sneasel, a Dark and Ice type Pokemon. R.J. had beaten them both before, with some help with Gordon’s Kadabra. But now Team Rage had his Pokemon, as well as Gordon’s Kadabra. Gordon and Nicole still had Pokemon, but he didn’t have confidence that they could do anything.

“Those things look like they should be sucking a bottle, not battling,” Jackie taunted. “Why don’t you just give up now?”

“Our Pokemon can still do it, and they won’t give up!” Nicole yelled. “Right, guys?”

Azurill and Igglybuff looked back at their owners and nodded. They then turned to face their opponents. Suddenly, they began to glow a vibrant white! They then started to grow. Igglybuff started taking on a rounder shape, and Azurill started growing arms.

Nicole gasped. “They’re evolving!”

Azurill and Igglybuff stopped glowing. Sure enough, they had evolved, into a Marril and a Jigglypuff!

“Oh yeah, now you guys are in for it!” Gordon was thrilled that his Azurill had evolved, especially since he had hatched from his egg only a couple months before. “Marril, Water Gun!”

“Jigglypuff, Double Slap!”

Marril shot a large stream of water at Mawile. The water hit Mawile, and it flew back, hitting Jackie and knocking her to the floor. Mean while Jigglypuff ran up to Sneasel and slapped it across the face multiple times.

“Sneasel, fight back! Use a Slash attack!”

“Jigglypuff, Defense Curl!”

Jigglypuff tucked her arms and legs in, making her look like a small pink ball. Her body then seemed to get harder, so as Sneasel slashed her, its claws seemed to hit solid rock.

“SNEAS!” Sneasel’s attempted attack left its claw in pain.

“Jigglypuff, Rollout!”

Jigglypuff, who was still in ball form, began to spin around. She then lunged forward, hitting Sneasel and sending it flying strait into Jack! It hit Jack, knocking him to the ground. However, in his fall, he accidentally kicked Kadabra’s Pokeball. It went rolling on the ground, stopping a few inches in front of Marril and Jigglypuff, who had stopped rolling and had joined Marril.

“Mar?” Marril looked at it sideways, confused. He then pressed the button on the Pokeball, causing it open up. It released red energy, which formed itself into Gordon’s Kadabra.

Gordon smiled. “Well, looks like things have turned around. Kadabra, grab that belt and give it to R.J.!”

“Kadabra!” Kadabra pointed two fingers at R.J. belt, which was on the ground. Suddenly, it lifted up into the air and shot through the air towards R.J., who took a Pokeball off of it. “Well, looks like all that’s left to take care of is that Vulpix. Nidorino, go!” He threw the Pokeball onto the ground, and it opened up, revealing R.J.’s Nidorino. “Nidorino, Horn Drill!” Nidorino’s horn began to spin around, and he began to charge at Vully. She stood there, ready to take the blow.

Jackie pushed Mawile off of her and stood up. “Nobody attacks my Vully like that! Vully, Fire Spin!”

Vully launched a large breath of fire at Nidorino, stopping him in his tracks. As soon as the fire cleared, he collapsed. R.J. could tell by looking at him that he was burnt.

“Nidorino!”

Jack and Jack recalled Sneasel and Mawile back into their Pokeballs. “Now, let’s make a run for it!” Jack, Jackie, and Vully all started running, but Gordon wasn’t concerned about them escaping.

“Kadabra, Disable!”

Kadabra pointed two of his fingers at Team Rage. Suddenly, the just stopped running! They looked as though they had been frozen in time. The only things that were moving were their eyes, which were blinking, and, unfortunately, their mouths.

“What the hell? What did you do to us?” Jackie screamed.

“You better let us out of this, or…”

“Or what?” Gordon asked with a grin.

Suddenly, the sound of sirens was in everyone’s ears. Three police cars pulled up and surrounded them. Officer Jenny got out of one of the cars and pointed her gun at Team Rage. “Freeze!” She then realized that Gordon’s Kadabra had done a good enough job of enforcing that. “You have the right to remain silent!” Jenny screamed as she approached Team Rage with two other cops. “Anything you say or do can and will be held againist you in a court of law!” She and the other cops handcuffed Jack and Jackie, and smaller pair of handcuffs were put on Vully. Jenny then led them to a car (Kadabra’s Disable attack has worn off) and jammed them all in the back of one car. The cars then took off.

“Nidorino, return, R.J. recalled his injured Pokemon his Pokeball after putting his belt back on.

“Yeah, you too, Kadabra. Good job.” Kadabra was then returned to his ball. Gordon and Nicole then went up to Marril and Jigglypuff. “You guys were great,” Gordon said to them, picking Marril up.

Nicole picked Jigglypuff up. “Yeah, you came through when we needed you most.

Jigglypuff and Marril shot a look at each other and winked, then turned back to their owner is unison.

Gordon and Nicole placed their Pokemon on the ground. “Return.” Both Pokemon were recalled into their Pokeballs.

“Hey, look who it is,” R.J. said, pointing towards the restaurant. The hostess they had saved from Team Rage was running towards them. They ran towards her to meet her.

“Thank you for saving the restaurant,” she said.

“No problem.”

“It was nothing.”

“All in a day’s work.”

“Anyway, the manager wants to know if there’s anything we can get you fine young teenagers.

R.J. rubbed his stomach. “How about the cheeseburger I ordered, I’m starving.”

“Yeah, I want my burger too,” Gordon complained.

“Don’t forget my salad!” Nicole said (she is a vegetarian).

The hostess smiled. “We will be happy to give you your meals.”

Half an hour later, R.J., Gordon, and Nicole had finished their lunches, had gotten extra food for his travels from the grateful manager, and were in the Pokemon Center. Nurse Joy was handing back Nidorino’s Pokeball to R.J.

“Here you go, your Pokemon is fully healed. Have a nice day.”

“Um, Nurse Joy, could you tell me where the nearest Gym is?”

“The nearest Gym?” Joy thought for a moment. “Ah, yes, it’s on Zerill Mountain. Go north from here, it should take you about a week to get there if you follow the trail.”

“Okay, so it’s by Zerill Mountain,” R.J. said excitedly. “In a week I’ll have another Badge!”

Joy shook her head. “No, you misunderstood me. It not by Zerill Mountain, it’s on Zerill Mountain. Part of the reason why the Zerill Mountain Gym is so famous is because in order to get to the Gym, you must climb the mountain. Well, good luck. Oh, and by the way, it’s a snowy mountain, so you may want to buy some winter equipment, especially since it’s nearing the end of October, and winter is approaching. Goodbye!”

R.J., Gordon, and Nicole all left the Pokemon Center. R.J. looked at his friends. “Umm… have any of you ever been mountain climbing? “

They both shook their heads.

“But hey, it should be a fun adventure, right?” Gordon said cheerfully.

R.J. and Nicole both looked at him.

“Hey, you don’t have to go, Nicole, and neither do I, it’s R.J.’s badge.”

“Whatever,” R.J. said coolly. “Let’s get going.”

[Dewgongtears]

That was a cool chapter. Looks like R.J. got some free Great Balls and a Ultra BAll. That was really nice. Looks like the next gym bagde is going to be a hard too. Great Chapter again.

[DannyBoy]

Great Chapter! I like the idea of R.J. getting the great balls and ultra balls for free. That guy sure was nice. I thought it was funny with the whole gun thing with one bullet! I can't wait for the gym battle but I bet I got awhile to wait for that. Good length and description. Keep it up!

[Hanada Tattsu]

Wow, I really loved that chapter!

Wow, R.J. got 5 Great Balls and an Ultra Ball for free? Cool! So Gordon and Nicole return finally. Team Rage reallt are very evil, good job! And now Nicole has a Jigglypuff and Gordon has a Marill!

Cool!

[Neo-Xantios]

Sorry for not replying earlier. Anyway, this chapter was intense. I liked Team Rage appearing for the second time and seeing their old fate again. Oh yes, I hope RJ will use his new Pokéballs he got as gifts. And I can't wait to read the next gym battle!

[RJdude]

Part 1 - Chapter 19

R.J., Nicole, and Gordon all looked up at the colossal, snow-covered rock known as Zerill Mountain. Somewhere near the top of the mountain was the next Gym. All three companions were very cold, even with their recently bought coats.

“You know guys,” R.J. started, “you really don’t have to do this. If you guys are afraid of climbing mountains, I won’t make you come with me.”

Gordon shot a look at him. “Who says we’re afraid?”

“Yeah, it’s just a mountain… it’s not like its erupting lava or something.”

“Fine then, let’s go.”

It had been a week since R.J. and his friends’ encounter with Team Rage. They had traveled North from Rilgi Town and stopped at a winter store along the way. There, they had bought coats, ropes, and other equipment they would need to climb the snow-covered mountain.

“Hey, look over there.” Gordon pointed to his left, and R.J. and Nicole looked towards where he was pointing. It was a light blue Pokemon that resembled a seal. It had two front paws, white whiskers, and small fangs sticking out of its mouth.

R.J. checked his Pokedex. “Sealeo, the sea lion Pokemon, the evolved form of Spheal, this Pokemon stand incredibly co temperatures.”

“I’m going to catch it,” R.J. said with his usual determination. “Beedrill, go!”

R.J. threw a Pokeball out in front of him. The ball open, and released R.J.’s hyper bug Pokemon, Beedrill. Beedrill buzzed around as though it had drank 100 cups of coffee.

“Beedrill, Poison Sting!”

Beedrill pointed the large stinger on his bottom at Sealeo and shot about twenty darts at it. They all hit Sealeo, causing it to flinch. Sealeo then glared angrily at Beedrill, and shot a beam of ice at it.

“That must be an Ice Beam!” Gordon shouted.

“I know. Beedrill, dodge it with Agility, and use Twineedle!”

Seconds before the Ice Beam hit, Beedrill disappeared from the spot where he was hovering! He then reappeared a second later, several feet away. Then he swooped down on Sealeo and hit it with one of the stingers on his arms, and then slammed the other stinger into Sealeo, sending it flying back a few feet.

R.J. reached for his belt, and pulled a blue Great Ball from it. “Great Ball, go!” R.J. flew the Great at the fallen Sealeo. The ball hit it, transforming Sealeo’s body into red energy, which was absorbed by the opened ball, which closed thereafter. The ball began shaking, with the bottom on the front of the ball red. Finally, after a few seconds, the ball stopped shaking with a BLEEP, and the button turned white.

“Yeah, I caught a Sealeo!” R.J. announced in joy as he picked up the Great Ball and put it at the front of his belt.

“BZZZZ!” Beedrill was happy with himself for the victory, then began to buzz around wildly, as usual.

“Good job, Beedrill, return.” R.J. pointed Beedrill’s Pokeball at him, and then sucked him into the ball.

“Well then,” Gordon said, “now that that’s over with, let’s continue on.”

“Right.”

R.J., Gordon, and Nicole each took two sharp metal sticks out of their backpacks. They jammed one of the sticks into the rocky mountainside, then jammed the other one several feet above it. They continued doing this, jamming one metal stick in after another, until they were several hundred feet above the ground and on a ledge, where they decided to take a break.

All three of them were shivering. “H-h-h-how long until we reach the top,” Nicole asked, hugging herself to try and keep her warm.

“N-n-n-not for a while, this is a tall mountain, you know,” Gordon responded.

“W-w-w-why does it have to be so cold,” Nicole complained.

“C-c-c-come on, let’s go. T-t-t-the sooner we get to the top, the sooner we can warm up in the Gym.” R.J. said. The others nodded, picked up their sticks, and continued ascending the mountain.

After climbing several more hundred feet, it began to snow. Snow blew in everybody’s cold, red faces.

“W-w-w-we have to keep going,” R.J. told the others, and they continued climbing the mountain.

After another hour lapsed, R.J., Gordon and Nicole climbed onto another ledge. The snow was fiercer then ever.

“R.J., w-w-w-we have to find a cave or s-s-s-some other kind of shelter,” Gordon told his friend. R.J. wanted to keep going, but he knew that Gordon was right, they had to stop, or they would freeze. Their fingers were numb, and they were tired.

Suddenly, the group heard a rumbling sound above them.

“”W-w-w-what was that?” Nicole asked.

Then they all saw it. A large pile a snow was falling down the mountain. It was an avalanche!

R.J. hated himself right then. He had led his friends up this mountain, only to get them crushed by snow.

“It’s over,” he muttered to himself.

“N-n-n-not yet.” Gordon took a Pokeball from his belt. “K-K-K-Kadabra, Light Screen!” Gordon threw the Pokeball on the ground, and it opened up, releasing Gordon’s Kadabra, who immediately raised his arms and formed a barrier, which completely surrounded them! The snow hit the barrier and stopped there, not passing through.

“G-g-g-good job, Kadabra,” R.J. said. But he could tell that Kadabra was struggling. The snow was too heavy, and it was breaking the barrier!

“Oh no!” Nicole closed her eyes, waiting for the end.

But Gordon had an idea. “E-e-e-everybody, put a hand on Kadabra!” Nicole, R.J., and Gordon each put a hand on one of Kadabra’s shoulders. “Kadabra, Teleport us out of this bubble!” Kadabra then disappeared, taking R.J. and his friends with him. The barrier then vanished, causing all the snow to come crashing down.

Kadabra and his passengers then reappeared several hundred feet above where they were. R.J. saw that they still had more climbing to do. But he had an idea. “Hey, Kadabra, can you teleport us to the top of the mountain?”

Kadabra looked as him as to say “I’ll try”. He closed his eyes, but soon after collapsed on the ground.

“I-I-I-I don’t think K-K-K-Kadabra could bear the cold temperature,” Gordon informed them. “G-g-g-good job, pal. Return.” Gordon recalled Kadabra into his Pokeball. Despite saving their lives, R.J. hated Kadabra right then. It was probably warm in those Pokeballs.

“H-h-hey guys, look over there!” Nicole pointed towards the mountain, where they saw a cave.

“G-g-g-good job, Nicole. L-l-l-let’s camp out there for the night.” The group ran into the cave, and sat down. It was warmer in the cave, but they were still very cold. R.J. would have traded his right arm for a fire right then.

“I-I-I-I’m sorry for dragging you guys into to this,” R.J. said to his friends.

“I-i-i-it’s not your fault,” Nicole encouraged.

“Y-y-y-yeah, we wanted to come, and you even gave us s-s-s-several chances to back down.”

R.J. mood was lifted now that he knew his friends weren’t mad at him, but he was still cold. “H-h-hey, I have an idea. Why don’t we use a P-P-P-Pokemon that can stand cold temperatures warm us up a bit. G-g-g-go, Sealeo!” R.J. threw the Great Ball that contained his newly captured Pokemon on the ground. It opened up, and Sealeo came out.

“Seal? Sealeo?” Sealeo seemed confused.

“H-h-h-hi, I’m R.J., your trainer,” R.J. said. “I-I-it’s nice to see you.”

Sealeo looked at R.J. for several seconds, then began to slap its two paws together and clapped. It seemed happy to meet R.J.

“C-c-c-can I ask you a favor? C-c-c-can you lay yourself out on us to warm us up a bit?”

Sealeo clapped its hands a few more times and nodded. It then waddled over to R.J. and his friends, and spread its body out in front of them, with its skin touching them. Sealeo’s body warmed R.J. up a bit, and soon, he felt himself drifting off into sleep.

“Seal! Sealeo!” R.J. woke up about eight hours later, with Sealeo barking. Sealeo then looked at R.J. and licked him. It was slobbery, but Sealeo’s tongue was warm, and it warmed up R.J.’s face slightly. Gordon and Nicole also woke up, yawning.

R.J. felt a little better, but he was still cold. “T-t-t-thank you, Sealeo. Return.” R.J. recalled Sealeo to its Pokeball and headed out of the cave. Luckily, it had stopped snowing.

“L-l-l-let’s finish this.”

R.J., Gordon, and Nicole climbed the mountain another few hundred feet, but then they began o breath heavily.

“T-t-t-there’s less oxygen up here,” Gordon said.

“I-I-I-I know, but we have to continue. The Gym is just another hundred feet away.”

The group continued climbing up the snowy mountain. Sure enough, after climbing up another hundred feet, the cold, hungry, and tired climbers reached a large ledge. There were two buildings that looked like lodges. One had the sign “Pokemon Center” on it, and the other said “Gym”. As soon as they got to the ledge, an old woman walked out of the Gym. She was heavily dressed, and looked quite warm. She also had a ski mask on. She saw the trio, and rushed over t them.

“Well, well, who would you three be?”

“I-I-I-I’m R.J.”

“M-m-m-my name’s Gordon.”

“H-h-h-hi, ‘m Nicole.”

“Nice to meet all of you. I’m Leigh, the Zerill Mountain Gym Leader.” The old woman said.

“Y-y-you’re the Gym Leader?” R.J. asked.

“Yep.”

“W-w-well then, let me challenge you. I-I-I-I climbed all the way up this mountain, and I want a good challenge.”

Leigh looked at R.J. “You three climbed? Well, I like your guts. Not many trainers climb Zerill Mountain to reach me. Most of them just take the ski lift.

“WHAT!” All three of them screamed in disbelief.

“That’s right, the ski lift.” Leigh pointed to her left. All three of them looked towards where she was pointing, and their mouths dropped. Sure enough, there was a fully operating ski lift that led to the bottom of the mountain.

R.J. couldn’t believe it. “Y-y-y-you mean we climbed this mountain and nearly got ourselves k-k-k-killed, but we could have TAKEN A SKI LIFT TO THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN!”

“Yep, that seems right. I guess you guys missed it.” She then looked at the shivering trio. “You three seem really cold, let me take you to the Pokemon Center to get you warmed up, and you can get something to eat.” She then looked at R.J. “Then, we will have our battle. But I promise you, it won’t be easy.”

R.J. nodded as he, Gordon, and Nicole followed Leigh to the Pokemon Center.

[DannyBoy]

Great CHapter! That was funny when they found out they could have taken a ski lift. But if they did R.J. would have never goten Sealeo. That is a great new pokemon. Haven't seen anyone train one of them in a fic yet. Good length and Description. Keep it up!

[RJdude]

Actually, R.J. probably would have caught Sealeo anyway, cause he caught it before he started climbing the mountain, but you never know. R.J. is a bit thick.

[Neo-Xantios]

Another great chapter! This one seemed vivid and I'm glad that RJ has caught a Sealeo. Let's see how well he uses it. Good job with the dialogues.

[Hanada Tattsu]

That was a great chapter! The vivid description was just the icing on the cake, I loved it!

Hmm, so RJ now has a Sealeo, I hope he uses it wisely. Anyway, can't wait for the next few chapters!

[Dewgongtears]

This was a cool chapter and it had good description. And R.J. caught a Sealeo that was cool since Sealeo is one of my favorite pokemon. But anyways cool chapter and a real nice job.

[RJdude]

Part 1 - Chapter 20

“Here are your hot cocos,” Nurse Joy said, putting a try containing four cups of hot coco on the table. “I’ll have your Pokemon healed in a few minutes. “R.J., Nicole, Leigh, and Gordon each took a cup of hot coco. R.J., Nicole and Gordon each had blankets wrapped around them.

“So, Leigh, how long have you been the Gym Leader of Zerill Mountain?” Gordon asked, trying to start conversation.

“Forty-eight years,” she replied with pride in her voice. She took a sip of hot coco. “I also have a brother who’s a Gym Leader. His name is Pryce, he lives in the Johto region.”

R.J. drank his hot coco very quickly, stood up, and threw his blanket off of him The hot coco had energized him, and he was ready for battle. “Okay, I’m all warmed up, so let’s start this battle!”

Leigh put her hot coco down and stood up. “You young people, you’re so impatient. Fine, let’s go to the Gym. Don’t forget to grab your coat, it’s cold out.”

“And don’t forget your Pokemon,” Nurse Joy said. She approached R.J. holding a tray containing five Pokeballs and a Great Ball. He grabbed the Pokeballs, two at a time, and attached them to his belt. “Good luck on your battle,” she said to him.

“Thanks,” he called out as he left the Pokemon Center with Leigh and the others. They walked across the snow to a building that looked like a lodge.

When they entered it, R.J. was surprised at how much it looked like the Gym at River Island. There was a pool of what looked like very cold water in the middle of the Gym, surrounded by a snow-covered wooden deck. There was also a snow-covered steel platform in the middle of th pool. There was a scoreboard on one of the walls, and a ref sitting on a chair under the board. He was wearing a coat.

“Bob,” she said, indicating the ref, “I’m about to have a battle. Make it three on three.”

The ref nodded. Suddenly, the scoreboard lit up, with Leigh and R.J.’s faces on either side. Leigh walked to the other side of the Gym. R.J. took his place directly across from her.

“There will be three Pokemon each, no time limit. Let the battle begin!”

R.J. decided to lead off with his usual starter. “Pidgeotto, I choose you!”

He threw a Pokeball out onto the platform in the middle of the pool. It opened up, and R.J.’s flying type Pokemon flew out. His picture appeared on the scoreboard under R.J.’s.

“Hmm… a Flying type, eh? Not such a smart move. Go Glalie!”

Leigh threw out a Pokeball of her own onto the field. It opened up, and what looked like a white ball with ears and a mouth came out.

“Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!”

“Glalie, Ice Beam!”

Pidgeotto swooped down at Glalie at full speed. But when he was close, Glalie opened its mouth and shot an icy beam at Pidgeotto.

“PIDGEO!” The beam hit its target, and Pidgeotto screamed in pain.

“Heh heh, using a Flying type againist an Ice type isn’t your best idea. So I hope all of your Pokemon aren’t Flying type, other wise your going to be in for a rough battle, since I train Ice types.”

“Err…” R.J. knew that he might have to send Pidgeotto out again anyway, but he still didn’t want to leave him out, since Glalie would destroy him. “Pidgeotto, return, and go, Sealeo!” R.J. recalled Pidgeotto into his Pokeball (his picture on the scoreboard didn’t darken) and threw a Great all onto the platform. It opened up, and he latest addition to R.J.’s team, Sealeo, came out.

“Seal! Seal!” Sealeo clapped his hands. He was happy to be fighting in his first battle.

“Sealeo, Ice Beam!”

“You too, Glalie, Ice Beam!”

Both Sealeo and Glalie opened their mouths and shot Ice Beams at each other.

CHING!

The beams hit each other, and created a strange chiming sound. Then R.J. saw, where the two beams had met, a large ball of ice. The ice shattered several seconds later, sending small pieces of ice all over the platform.

“Glalie, Headbutt!”

“Sealeo, Body Slam!”

Glalie lowered its body at Sealeo and flew towards Sealeo. Sealeo, however, was ready. When Glalie drew near, Sealeo lifted his upper body up and slammed it into Glalie. The weight and force of Sealeo send Glalie sliding across the platform, severely hurt.

“Sealeo, Water Gun!”

Sealeo opened his mouth, drew in a deep breath, and shot water at a high pressure at Glalie. The force of the water blew Glalie off the ground and into the wall, near it slid down next to Leigh, with its eyes closed. Its picture on the scoreboard darkened.

“Seal! Seal!’ Seale clapped his hands together even harder now. He had won his first battle.

“Glalie, return. Well, good show, kiddo. But let’s see how you do againist this one. Go, Delibird!”

Leigh recalled Glalie, but threw out another Pokeball. This one opened up to reveal Delibird, a Pokemon that looked like a bird dressed up as Santa Clause. It was holding a sack, but unlike Santa Clause, it was not looking jolly. It looked fierce and determined. Its picture came up on the scoreboard.

“Okay, Delibird, Present!”

Delibird reached into its sack and pulled out a multicolored ball, which it threw at Sealeo. It landed at Sealeo’s feet and exploded.

BA-BOOM! The explosion knocked Sealeo off its feet. After the smoke cleared, R.J. could see Sealeo, and he was still up, but looked badly injured.

“R.J., watch out for Present,” Gordon advised. “It does a lot of damage, but there’s downside to it: sometimes it heals your Pokemon.”

R.J. looked at Gordon. “Yeah, I know, but that rarely happens. Okay, Sealeo, Ice Beam!”

“Delibird, Protect!”

Sealeo opened its mouth and shot another Ice Beam, this time at Delibird. However, when it came near, what seemed to be a small shield came in front of Delibird and blocked the attack! Delibird was completely untouched.

“Delibird, Present!”

Delibird pulled another multicolored ball out of its sack and threw it at Sealeo. Again, it landed at his feet and exploded, only this explosion was bigger then the last one!

BA-BOOOM!

It blew Sealeo to the wall, where he slid down next to R.J. He tried to get up, but instead collapsed on the floor and fainted. His picture on the scoreboard darkened.

“Good job, Sealeo, get inside your Pokeball and take a rest.” R.J. returned Sealeo to its b Great Ball. “Now, I choose you, Girafarig!” R.J. threw another Pokeball out onto the platform, and opened up to reveal R.J.’s Psychic Pokemon, Girafarig.

“RIG!” Girafarig stomped his front hooves on the ground, ready for battle.

“Girafarig, Psybeam!”

“Delibird, Protect!”

Girafarig opened his mouth and launched a multicolored beam at Delibird. But before the beam could hit, a shield appeared in front of Delibird and blocked the attack, just like with Sealeo’s Ice Beam!

“Heh, Delibird, Present!” Delibird threw a third multicolored ball, this time at Girafarig, which exploded as soon as it hit the ground in front of Girafarig.

BA-BOOOOM!

This was the biggest explosion yet! When all the smoke cleared, R.J. could see Girafarig on the ground. He wasn’t out yet, but he was still badly hurt. One more attack would finish him.

“Time to finish this off. Delibird, Present!”

Delibird pulled a fourth multicolored ball out of its sack and threw it at Girafarig. This one’s explosion was not as big as the other ones, but Leigh wasn’t worried, she knew that any attack would knock out Girafarig. However, when the smoke cleared, Girafarig was standing on all four feet, and looked incredibly healthy!

“What?” Leigh couldn’t believe it, but R.J. could.

“Yes! Looks like your attack healed my Pokemon. Thank you. Now Girafarig, Psybeam!”

“Err… Delibird, Protect!”

Girafarig shot a second Psybeam at Delibird, but Delibird was ready, and formed a shield. However, when the beam hit the shield, the shield broke, and the beam hit Delibird, knocking it to the floor.

“What? What happened?”

“Don’t you know that every time you use Protect, the shield gets weaker?” R.J. asked her with a grin on his face. “And they say that with age comes wisdom. Girafarig, Take Down!”

Girafarig lowered his head and charged at Delibird, who was on the ground. Girafarig hit him at full force and send it flying into the wall, where it slid down and fainted. Its picture on the scoreboard darkened.

“Delibird, return,” Leigh growled as she recalled Delibird. “Now, time for you to meet my most powerful Pokemon. Go, Dewgong!” Leigh threw a Great Ball onto the platform. It opened up, and a Pokemon that resembled a sea lion came out. It was white, and had a horn on top of its head. It looked somewhat peaceful, but R.J. could tell that it was tough, and Leigh had trained it well. Its picture appeared n the scoreboard.

“All right Girafarig, Psybeam!”

Girafarig opened up his mouth and shot a Psybeam directly at Dewgong.

“Dewgong, dive underwater!”

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Dewgong leaped into the air and dove right into the icy water, barely missing the beam. R.J. couldn’t see Dewgong under the water.

“Huh? Where is it?”

“Dewgong, Ice Beam!”

Dewgong then reared its head out of the water, opened its mouth, and shot an Ice Beam at Girafarig.

“Girafarig, look out!”

But the beam moved too quickly. It hit Girafarig, and Girafarig was frozen on the spot. Behind the ice, R.J. could see a terrified look on Girafarig’s face.

“Girafarig, no!”

“”Dewgong, Horn Drill!”

R.J. saw that the horn on Dewgong’s head began spinning. Dewgong then forcefully leapt out of the water and lunged at Girafarig. When Dewgong’s horn touched the ice, it immediately shattered. Seconds later, Dewgong hit Girafarig with its horn, and flopped onto the ground. Girafarig blinked several times before falling on his side. His picture on the scoreboard darkened.

“Girafarig, return,” R.J. grumbled. “Well, I have one Pokemon left. Go, Nidorino!” He pulled Nidorino’s Pokeball off his belt and prepared o throw it onto the platform.

“Wait!” Leigh stopped him before he could throw the ball. “The rules say that you can only use three Pokemon. And you have used three, although one has not been knocked out yet.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot, have to use Pidgeotto.” R.J. wasn’t happy about this, since Pidgeotto was weak against ice, but he had no choice. “Go, Pidgeotto!” R.J. threw Pidgeotto’s Pokeball onto the platform after putting Nidorino’s back on his belt. The Pokeball opened, and Pidgeotto came out of it, hovering above the platform. He looked as though he had healed slightly since his battle with Glalie, but he was still a bit shaken.

“Okay Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!”

“Dewgong, dive into the water!”

Pidgeotto swooped down at Dewgong, but as he came close, Dewgong majestically leaped up and dived into the water, barely missing Pidgeotto’s attack. Then it pushed its head above the water, grinning.

“Pidgeotto, use another Quick Attack!”

Pidgeotto flapped his wings several times before once again diving at Dewgong. But when he drew near, Dewgong pulled its head back into the water, and Pidgeotto had to stop himself from hitting the water where Dewgong used to be.

“Dewgong, Ice Beam!”

Dewgong popped his head up from the other side of the water and shot an Ice Beam straight at Pidgeotto!

“Pidgeotto, dodge it!”

But the beam was too wide and moved too fast, so when Pidgeotto tamped to dodge the Ice Beam, he could only fly up a foot before the beam hit him.

“PIDGEO!” Pidgeotto fell to the ground.

“No, Pidgeotto! Please get up!”

“Pidgeo…” Pidgeotto flapped his wings several times before he rose into the air.

“Good. Now, use Quick Attack!”

Pidgeotto again attempted to hit Dewgong at full speed, but Dewgong again simply pulled its head underwater, missing Pidgeotto.

Leigh laughed. “You see, there’s no way you can hurt my Dewgong. It will simply dive underwater. Well, time to finish this up. Dewgong, Ice Beam!”

Dewgong brought its head above water and prepared to launch an Ice Beam.

R.J. had to think fast. Ice Beam moved too quickly for Pidgeotto to dodge. There had to be a way Pidgeotto could be fast enough to dodge the Ice Beam.

That was it! Speed!

“Pidgeotto, Agility!”

Just as Dewgong launched the Ice Beam and it was about to hit Pidgeotto, he seemed to disappear, avoiding the Ice Beam. Then he reappeared several feet away, completely unharmed! R.J. knew that it wasn’t really a matter of disappearing, but Pidgeotto could now move very quickly!

“Yes! It worked, now Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!”

Pidgeotto swooped down on Dewgong, but again, Dewgong avoided the attack by pulling its head underwater!

“Hah. Just because you found a way to dodge my Ice Beams doesn’t mean you can hit my Dewgong. Now, Dewgong, fire multiple Ice Beams at Pidgeotto!”

“Pidgeotto, Agility!”

Dewgong launched an Ice Beam at Pidgeotto, but Pidgeotto simply dodged them by disappearing and reappearing several feet away. But when he reappeared, there was another Ice Beam heading straight for him! Luckily, he avoided that one too.

“Quick Attack!”

Pidgeotto swooped down at Dewgong even harder then ever, but again Dewgong dived underwater and avoided it.

“Ugh.” R.J. was starting to get frustrated by the fact that Pidgeotto couldn’t hit Dewgong. This battle was going to go on forever.

“R.J.,” Gordon called out. “There’s a move that you can use to stop Dewgong from avoiding your attack. I remember I was with you when my grandpa was teaching you the different moves a flying type can learn. Just try to remember.

R.J. tried to think back to his lessons with Mr. Tomford. He remembered Mr. Tomford teaching him different Flying type moves, but he was trying to think if there was a move he could use now. Then he got it!

“Pidgeotto, wait for Dewgong to fire an Ice Beam!” R.J. told his Pokemon.

“Dewgong, Ice Beam!” Dewgong came out of the water and fired an Ice Beam at Pidgeotto.

“Agility!” Pidgeotto disappeared before the Ice Beam could hit him, then reappeared several feet away.

“Now, use Mirror Move!”

Pidgeotto looked at him, confused, but then nodded, knowing what to do. He opened his mouth, but then to everybody’s surprise (except R.J. and Gordon), Pidgeotto fired an Ice Beam straight at Dewgong. But Dewgong ducked underwater, so the beam only hit the water.

“Hah!” Leigh taunted. “Looks like your attack failed.”

“Actually,” R.J. said with a smile, “it didn’t”

Leigh looked at the field and gasped. The water was freezing and was turning to ice! Ice was sweeping across the water replacing the already cold water with solid ice.

“Ah, I see know!” Nicole exclaimed. “R.J. told Pidgeotto to use Mirror Move after Dewgong used Ice Beam so that Pidgeotto could use Ice Beam. Then he fired the Ice Beam at the water so that it would freeze all the water up and Dewgong wouldn’t have a place to hid!”

Sure enough, the only spot of water that wasn’t frozen was the small area Dewgong was in, but Leigh knew that that area would also turn into ice, and Dewgong would be helpless.

“Dewgong, jump out of the water!”

Dewgong did so, and as soon as it did, the water wear it was hiding turned into ice. Now there was n sign of water left, it was all ice.

“Well, I see that you have done a good job at destroying my Dewgong’s main defense,” Leigh growled. “But it doesn’t matter. My Dewgong will eventually get your Pidgeotto, and your Pidgeotto doesn’t have any moves that are good againist Dewgong.”

R.J. was about to realize that she was right, but then realized an attack that was good againist ice that Mr. Tomford also told him about. Then he smiled. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that. Pidgeotto, Steel Wing!”

Pidgeotto’s wings began glowing, then he swooped down at Dewgong and hit it with all his might. Dewgong went flying across the Gym, in a lot of pain.

“What?” Leigh couldn’t believe Pidgeotto knew an attack so powerful.

“Steel Wing, although usually use by Flying types, is a Steel type move,” R.J. said, grinning, “and Steel attacks are powerful againist Ice types.”

“Grrr….. oh ell, I’ll still win with this one move. Dewgong, Horn Drill!”

Dewgong’s horn began spinning around, and it lunged at Pidgeotto, ready to hit him with it. R.J. knew that Horn Drill would knock Pidgeotto out in one move but he was ready.

“Pidgeotto, Steel Wing!”

As soon as Dewgong came close to Pidgeotto, his wings began glowing, he ducked slightly under Dewgong to avoid the attack, and hit it as hard as he could with his powered-up wing.

“GONG!” Dewgong yelled in pain as he was hit with the wing and flew across the Gym. He landed on the floor next to Leigh.

“Get up, Dewgong!” she screamed at her Pokemon.

Dewgong attempted to push itself up, and it lifted its head up, but then dropped it down, defeated. Dewgong’s picture on the scoreboard darkened, and an “X” appeared over Leigh’s face.

“Yeah! We won!”

“Pidgeo! R.J. and Pidgeotto both leapt into the air in happiness.

R.J. then hugged his Pokemon. “Great job buddy, I knew you could do it!”

“Pidgeo!” Pidgeotto smiled, as much as a bird can smile anyway.

Leigh returned Dewgong to its Pokeball and walked over to R.J., smiling. “Well, in all of my years as a Gym Leader, I haven’t seen many battles like that. I would have never thought you would have been able to beat Dewgong, but you did. Congratulations. And here is your prize: the Frost Badge.” She held out a badge that looked like a purple mountain with white snow on the top. He took out the case that he held his badges in, took the Frost Badge, and added it to the other three.

“There isn’t really a Gym that close to here, but the closest Gym is in Thunep Town. Should take you a couple weeks to get there.”

R.J. nodded. “Thank you.” Then after returning Pidgeotto to his Pokeball and putting his badge case in his backpack, R.J. left with his friends.

“Wow R.J., that was a great battle,” Nicole told him.

“Yeah, you pulled it off. I know you would, after all my grandpa taught you.”

“I also have six badges now. Two more, and I go to the Jade Tournament.”

“Well, time to go down Zerill Mountain now.”

“Yeah,” R.J. said, “but this time, we’re taking the ski lift.” R.J.’s friends laughed as they headed towards the ski lift to take them down the mountain.

[DannyBoy]

That was a really good gym battle! Pidgeotto did really well using mirror move. You had real good description and I liked the water freezing so dewgong couldnt go under water. Good length as well. Keep it up!

[Hanada Tattsu]

Great chapter!

I just realized that Nicole and Gordon are great friends to R.J, they really support him. Bob, the ref, is a funny name for a ref, heh. Leigh was kind of a snob, but not that snobby. R.J. did battle hard, and now he has 6 badges!

Pidgeotto did great! It used Mirror Move, and it really did great against Dewgong, which was very strong. He should have used Nidorino, but he couldn't. Girafarig was good, and so was Glalie. Delibird was funny, and Sealeo did good for his first battle!

So, RJ has 6 badges! Just 2 more!

[Dewgongtears]

Oh this was a great chapter since Dewgong made a appearance. No just kidding the whole chapter was really good. Looks like Pidgeotto is really strong and R.J. just needs two more badges. Great Job again.

[Neo-Xantios]

Girafarig reappeared at last. It was good to see 'the one who is often used' again. That battle was intense, but I could predict many parts. However, you have done an excellent job at producing this chapter. I can't wait until R.J. gets his last two badges and enter the Jade Tournament.

[RJdude]

Part 1 - Chapter 21

It was a week after R.J. had won his sixth badge, and he and his friends had entered Sunnyday Town. Sunnyday Town was appropriately named, for it was hot out. R.J. and hid friends were wearing coats, since it was winter, but they were all sweating in them, since it was warm out, and had to take them off.

“Man, why is this town so warm. It’s winter, and yet you see people on the beach in their bathing suits.” This was R.J., and his usual complaint-of-the-day.

Gordon shrugged. “I don’t know, but let’s check out the beach. We could do with some relaxation.”

Both R.J. and Nicole agreed, so they headed down to the beach. It was a regular beach, with people all around. But one person caught his eye. It was a girl, maybe one or two years older then him, lying down on the sand. She was wearing a green and blue bikini and sunglasses, and looked like she had an attitude. She looked familiar somehow.

“Oww!” R.J. suddenly felt someone slap the back of his head.

“Didn’t I tell you to stop staring at girls in bikinis?” Nicole warned as she lowered her hand.

“Yeah, but, she looks familiar. She’s pretty too.” Then R.J. realized something. Pretty? Attitude? Those two things, plus the R.J. R.J. thought she looked familiar, could only mean one thing.

“Morgan!”

Gordon and Nicole looked at R.J. “What do you mean, Morgan?”

“The girl, it must be Morgan.” R.J. then ran across the beach to her. She took no notice of R.J., but was looking out into the ocean. But when R.J. was near, he tripped over a shell and fell onto the ground, blowing sand all over the girl.

The girl stood up and coughed rubbing the sand off of her face. “Hey, watch where you’re going you moron. You should…” then the girl lowered her sunglasses. “R.J.?”

“Morgan.” R.J. stood up and faced her. He still liked her as much as he did when he last saw her (and the bikini didn’t hurt). “It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, I’d say. So, how have you been? Have you gotten any more badges since I left you?”

“Yeah, I got an Ember Badge and a Frost Badge. Both were hard, but the Zerill Mountain Gym was hard to get to, since I had to climb Zerill Mountain to get to it.” The memory of climbing Zerill Mountain was not his favorite.

Morgan looked at him. “Yeah, I got those two badges, but why did you climb Zerill Mountain? I just took the ski lift.”

“Hey Morgan!” Gordon and Nicole then ran up to them, greeting Morgan.

“Hey, I was just catching up with R.J. as too what you guys have been up to since I left. Anyway, nice weather we have here. But it’s getting kind of hot, let me change into my normal clothes, and we can talk over lunch.”

“That’s fine.” Morgan led R.J., Nicole, and Gordon to a restroom, where she entered. Several minutes later, she was dressed in her normal, everyday clothes, and the four of them went off to find a restaurant.

“So, Morgan, how have you been since you left?” Nicole asked once they found a pizza restaurant, sat down, and a large pizza pie put in front of them.

Morgan shrugged. “I got a couple badges, caught a few Pokemon. I’ve also starting building good relationships with my Pokemon. Ever since R.J. saved me from that guy when he was going to rape me…” R.J. couldn’t help but feel proud of himself when she said that, “I’ve really changed. Before, it was all about me, but now it’s about my Pokemon. And of course, my friends.”

“Wow, you have changed,” Gordon said. “When R.J. told us about you, my first impression of you was that yo were, uh, what’s the word?”

“*****?” Morgan suggested. It kind of made her feel bad admitting it, but she knew perfectly well that’s how she was.

“Yeah, that’s the word. But now you’re… well, better.”

Morgan took a slice of pizza and took a bite. “Not really, I still have some work to do… hey, what Pokemon do you guys have anyway? I still have my Nidorina and my Skiploom, but now I have a Seel and a Ponyta.. how about you guys?”

“All I have is my Jigglypuff, and she’s all I really need,” Nicole answered. “I don’t plan on being some great trainer, so one Pokemon for a little bit of protection is all I need. Plus, we have a good relationship.”

“I have a Kadabra and a Marril,” Gordon said, munching on a piece of pizza.

“I have a bunch of them: Pidgeotto, Nidorino, Girafarig, Sealeo, Grovyle, and Beedrill. Plus, the eggs I had hatched into a Magby and an Elekid. They’re with Gordon’s grandpa right now.” R.J. wanted to talk some more with Morgan, and make her know him a little better. But he didn’t know where to begin with in conversation. Then he said the first thing that he thought of. “I never understood something, Morgan, why were you swimming in that river naked?” he hated himself the words were out of his mouth. What was he thinking, asking a stupid question like that? He was just making himself look like a complete idiot in front of the girl he liked.

But to his surprise, Morgan laughed. Not at him, just somewhat playfully. “I was bathing.”

“Bathing?” Luckily, Gordon asked that one, because R.J. was wondering the same thing.

“Yeah. The river was pretty clean, so I figured I would just take a dip in there and wash myself off.”

“Anyway, when did you start your journey?” R.J. asked. I told you a little while ago about how I got started, but I don’t know about you.”

Morgan took a deep breath. “Let me see, how I started… well, there’s not much of a story behind that. I was getting tired of my parents, and wanted to get away from them for a little while. So I asked them if I could leave and collect badges, and they said yes. I guess they wanted to get rid of me as much as I wanted to get away from them.”

“Why?” Nicole asked. “Is it because you have a bad relationship with your parents?”

“No, not at all. They love me a lot, and I love them a lot too… but I was giving them a lot of attitude, and they couldn’t stand me anymore.” She sighed, before taking a slice of pizza.

The group was pretty silent after that until they finished their pizza. Then the four of them walked outside.

“Let’s let our Pokemon out,” Morgan suggested. “They can use the fresh air.”

“Good idea. Come on out guys!” Gordon threw two Pokeballs on the ground. They both opened up, and released Gordon’s two Pokemon, Kadabra and Marril.

“You too, Jigglypuff!” Nicole threw her only Pokeball, and it opened up to release her Jigglypuff.

“Let’s go!” Morgan threw four Pokeballs on the ground, and they all opened up, releasing a Ponyta, a Seel, a Skiploom, and a Nidorina.

“Just go out and have some fun.” R.J. threw five Pokeballs and a Great Ball on he ground, and R.J.’s Pidgeotto, Beedrill, Sealeo, Girafarig, Grovyle, and Nidorino came out of them.

Soon after the Pokemon were released, they spread out and began interacting with other Pokemon. Gordon’s Marril and Nicole’s Jigglypuff went over to Morgan’s Ponyta and climbed on it. Ponyta looked confused at first, but then started running around, much to Jigglypuff and Marril’s amusement, playing with the two smaller Pokemon. Sealeo went over to Seel and they started talking, and Skiploom skipped over to Grovyle and started talking to him, only he seemed to be bored by its talk. Pidgeotto and Girafarig started talking with Gordon’s Kadabra, but unlike the others, their talk seemed to be serious.

But then R.J. noticed his Nidorino. He seemed to be looking around searching for something.

“Rina!” Nidorino’s head looked towards where that sound came from, and then saw Morgan’s Nidorina running towards him. Nidorino turned around and ran towards her as well. When he two met up, they rubbed their heads againist one another and began talking. R.J. couldn’t help but smile at this, and he saw that Morgan was doing the same.

“It’s great how well those two get along, huh R.J.?” She said to him.

“Yeah, it sure is.”

“Not only that, but they work well together. Remember the two-on-two battle we had on River Island? That was pretty intense, but they pulled through for us.”

“Yeah, they did.”

Morgan smiled and looked at R.J. “You know, Christmas is coming in a week or two. You celebrate Christmas, right?”

“Yeah, how about you?”

She shrugged. “I was never into the whole religion thing. My parents were always religious, going to church and all, so they expected I was, but it never really interested me. I don’t really believe in that stuff they tell you in church.”

“I do.” R.J. pointed to the fish dangling from his necklace. “But yeah, church is pretty boring. I used to pretend to be sick on Sundays just to miss church, but my parents caught on after a while.”

Morgan laughed. “Yeah, when you just happen to be sick on a certain day of the week for several weeks in a row, they tend to notice.”

R.J. sighed. “Ah, those days. The days when I wasn’t traveling, it was just me and my… family.” It hurt R.J. to think of his mom right then, but he didn’t want to show it in front of Morgan.

“You miss her, don’t you? Your mom?”

“Yeah. But she’s dead now, nothing’s going to bring her back.”

But then Gordon interrupted their conversation. “Hey, if you guys want to get to the next Gym, we should probably go now. The sooner we get there, the better.” R.J. noticed that he had recalled his Pokemon into their Pokeballs, as did Nicole.

R.J. nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” He recalled all of his Pokemon, even Nidorino, which made Nidorina look somewhat upset.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it, you’ll see him again,” Morgan said to Nidorina. “Besides, you have to go back in your ball too.” She pointed Nidorina’s Pokeball at her and sucked her into it, along with her other three Pokemon. “Well, what are we waiting for, let’s get moving.”

“So you are coming with us?” Nicole asked.

“Sure, I might as well hang out with you people for a little while. Well, let’s get going.”

“You’re the boss,” Gordon told her as the four of them left Sunnyday Town and continued their journey.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Great chapter!

Cool, so R.J., Nicole, Gordon, and Morgan met up again! All the Pokemon really interacted well with each other, and I'm glad how you incorporated religion into this, heh.

Keep it up!

[Dewgongtears]

Oh a Seel maybe we will see a Dewgong. This was a pretty neat chapter. You brought in some Religon in it so that was cool to read. I wonder what the next chapter has in store for us.

[DannyBoy]

That was a cool chapter. Morgan is back now. I like her shes really cool. GOod length and description. Cant wait for next chapter. Keep it up!

[RJdude]

Part 1 - Chapter 22

“Well then, this weather feels right, unlike the weather we had in Sunnyday Town,” Gordon said. And he was right. It was snowing hard, and he, R.J., Morgan, and Nicole were all wearing coats and shivering. They were also tired, night was falling, not to mention they were hungry. Luckily, they had just entered a small community named Ertilo Town, and there was a Pokemon Center strait ahead.

“Let’s go,” Morgan said to them, and they broke into a run and reached the Pokemon Center. R.J. held the door open as Gordon, Nicole and Morgan went through, and then he entered himself.

When he got in, R.J. saw Nurse Joy and a Chansey putting up decorations. There was a decorated tree, and a burning fireplace. R.J. thought that the decorations were appropriate, seeing as how it was Christmas Eve.

After putting up a banner that said “Merry Christmas” on the wall, Nurse Joy stepped down from a latter and saw her guests. “Oh, welcome. You four look cold.” She walked over to them. “So, are you planning to stay here over night?”

R.J. answered for them. “That was the plan, although he can sleep outside.” R.J. pointed to Gordon and everyone laughed.

“Well then, can I have your full names?”

“Ryan Jason Moyan, although everyone calls me R.J.”

“Morgan Eisen.”

“Gordon Tomford,” Gordon answered.

“Hey you wouldn’t happen to be related to Professor Carl Tomford, would you?” Nurse Joy asked him after he said his name.

“Yeah, he’s my grandpa.”

“I see.” Then she turned to Nicole. “So, what is your name, sweetie?”

“Nicole.”

Joy looked at her. “No last name?”

Nicole shook her head. “Nope, I’m an orphan.”

This shocked R.J. He had known Nicole for months, but he never knew she was an orphan.

“Oh, I’m sorry then.” Just then, Chansey came up behind them and took their coats off for them. “Anyway, there’s a bedroom down the hall and to the left, if that’s where you want to sleep, and I’ll be out with something to eat.”

“Okay.”

Nurse Joy and Chansey left, and the four of them sat down in chairs.

“So, Christmas Eve already,” R.J. said, trying to start up conversation.

“Yeah. Looks like they did a good job decorating the place,” Gordon muttered, looking around.

“I guess so.” R.J. took a better look around too, and when he saw the tree, he noticed that all of the ornaments were in the shapes of Pokemon.

Just then, Nurse Joy and Chansey came out with two trays, one holding a pile of sandwiches and the other holding four glasses of milk.

“Here you go,” Nurse Joy said, putting the trays on the table in front of them. “Sorry, it’s not much.”

“It’s fine,” Morgan reassured her. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay, if you say so. Well, good night. See you tomorrow.” She was about to leave, when she turned around. “You know, since its Christmas Eve, why don’t you let your Pokemon out? There’s plenty of room.” And then she left and went into a room, followed by Chansey, who shut the door.

“Hey that’s a pretty good idea. Come on out guys!” Twelve Pokeballs and a Great Ball were thrown on the floor. All of them opened up, and R.J., Morgan, Gordon, and Nicole’s Pokemon all came out. They must have been tired, because as soon as they came out, most of them found a spot on the floor and began to sleep. Grovyle had his back up againist a wall, Girafarig was laying down on his side, Sealeo and laying down as flat as he could, and Nidorino was cuddling next to Morgan’s Nidorina by the fireplace. Even Beedrill, who was normally very hyper, was down. Pidgeotto was R.J.’s only Pokemon that was still awake. R.J. also saw all of the other Pokemon were asleep, except for Marril and Jigglypuff, who still looked tired and were in their trainer’s arms.

After finishing their meal, they all got up and headed for the bedroom, followed by Pidgeotto, Marril, and Jigglypuff. It was pretty average; there were two bunk beds and a window. The four of them started getting ready to go to sleep.

“So, I’d say its safe to assume no presents this year,” Morgan said as she was taking off her boots.

“Yeah, probably,” R.J. answered. He took his sneakers off and threw them in a corner.

“I’d be nice through,” Gordon said. He placed Marril on one of the top bunks, and then climbed up himself.

Nicole was silent through this conversation. She just put Jigglypuff on the other top bunk, climbed up, pulled the cover over her, and went to sleep, with her Jigglypuff snuggling with her.

“Well, goodnight,” Morgan told them as she climbed into the bed under Nicole.

“Goodnight,” R.J. said with a yawn. He shut off the lights, climbed into the bed under Gordon, and covered himself up. Pidgeotto fluttered to his bed, and R.J. fell asleep, stroking Pidgeotto.

“R.J. wake up! Ugh, you guys, you’re always sleeping.”

R.J. slowly opened his eyes. It was morning, and R.J. could tell through the window w that was snowing lightly. Morgan was nudging him, trying to wake him up. He saw that Nicole was up, and was trying to do the same for Gordon. Jigglypuff and Marril were next to her, talking.

“Come on, R.J., get up. You men are so lazy… how do you expect to be a Pokemon Master if all you ever to is sleep… Pidgeotto, can you please tell your master to get up.

“Pidgeo!” Suddenly, R.J. felt light pecking on his shoulder. He kept on feeling it, and wanted to go back to sleep, the pecking was bothering him.

“Fine, I give up.” R.J. got out of bed and rubbed his eyes. He could tell that Nicole was unsuccessful at waking Gordon.

“I know how to wake him up,” R.J. told her. He went over to the latter, climbed up a little, and positioned himself so that his mouth was a few inches away from Gordon’s ear. “Giant pickles!”

“Ah!” Gordon shot up, looking around and sweating. “Giant pickles? Where?”

R.J. climbed down the latter, and faced Morgan and Nicole, smirking. “When he was really little, Gordon used to have nightmares about giant pickles trying to eat him. They scared him to death. He hasn’t gotten over them yet.”

“Okay, not funny.” Gordon climbed down from his bunk bed to meet R.J., Nicole, Morgan, Jigglypuff, Marril, and Pidgeotto. He looked at R.J. “I suppose you think you’re real funny, don’t you?” He asked in a sarcastic tone. “Well I’m going to get you back. Don’t forget, I’ve slept over your house too, and I know the nightmares you have, and…” but he stopped there. He knew perfectly well the dreams and nightmares R.J. constantly had, but he knew it was nothing to laugh over. Instead, he changed the subject. “So, Merry Christmas. Let’s have some breakfast.”

The other three nodded. They left the bedroom and headed to the lobby. Most of the Pokemon were still asleep, only Kadabra and Beedrill were awake. Then, to everybody’s surprise, they saw something under the tree.

“Presents!”

The four of them ran over to the tree, bringing out the little children inside of them. There were four piles, each for one of them. R.J. noticed that looked at his pile. There were three presents. Two of them were usual boxes, and the other one was in the shape of a small cube.

“Merry Christmas!’ Nurse Joy walked in, followed by Chansey. “I see you found your presents.”

“Who are they from?” Morgan asked.

“Loved ones. Parents, guardians, people like that.”

“How did you get them?” R.J. asked this time.

“I have my ways,” Joy said with a wink. “Well, what are you waiting for? Open them.”

R.J. grabbed one of the box-shaped ones and opened it. In side, there was a nice, green coat, and a note.

R.J.,

I hope this will help you in the winter. Take care, dear.

Mrs. Tomford

“Hey Gordon, your grandma gave me something.” But Gordon was too busy opening up his presents. He then reached for the small cube-shaped parcel. He opened it, and it was a small white box, with a note taped to the top. It was very short and brief.

R.J.,

Use this wisely.

Professor Carl Tomford.

R.J. opened the box and reached in. He pulled out a Pokeball. But it wasn’t like any Pokeball he had seen before. It was purple and blue on the top, and was a little bigger then a regular Pokeball.

Gordon looked over from opened the present from his grandma, which was a coat, just like R.J.’s, only blue. “Is that what I think it is?” Gordon went over to R.J. and looked closely at the ball. “R.J., I think this is a Master Ball.”

“A Master Ball?”

“Yeah. It’s the best Pokeball, even better then an Ultra Ball.”

R.J. looked at the ball. It didn’t seem special, but still he attached it to the back of his belt, with the rest of his empty Pokeballs.

Now there was one present left. R.J. was sure he knew whom it was from, but curious to know what it was. There was a note on the outside, and R.J. read it.

Hey R.J.,

You forgot this when you left. I though you might want it.

Dad

He then opened the present, and had to immediately wipe a tear from his eye.

It was a picture, held in by a gold frame. He knew the picture well, since he had keep it on the table by his bed for the last two years, before he left on his journey.

It was a picture of his family, taken five years ago. Standing up, looking proud, and happy, was his dad. He had his hand on a pretty woman. Then R.J. looked down, and saw a young boy with messy black hair, smiling. R.J., when he was eight years old. Then he looked at the woman. She was very pretty, and has dark black hair going down to her shoulders. She had an arm around R.J. and looked like she couldn’t be any happier.

Everybody noticed R.J.’s emotion as he looked at the picture, and gathered around him. “That woman is pretty, is that your mom?” Morgan asked. R.J. nodded. Then he took a deep breath and carefully put the picture in his backpack.

“If it makes you feel any better,” Nicole started, “I never knew my parents. I lived at an orphanage as long as I can remember. They were the ones who named me. But it wasn’t a good place, and they were glad to get rid of me.”

Gordon looked at her. “Then who was the present from?”

“Your grandma. She took a liking to me when I came down there. She gave me a coat, only mine’s red. But inside one of the pockets was a novel I told her I wanted.”

R.J. and Gordon immediately checked the pockets of the coats Mrs. Tomford gave them. They were all empty.

“It’s no big deal though.”

“Who wants breakfast?” Nurse Joy, who they had forgotten about, then reentered the room with Chansey, holding trays with orange juice and pancakes.

All four of them left their gifts (R.J. saw that along with his coat, Gordon had gotten a book about Pokemon, candy, and a Gameboy game, and organ got some make-up, books, and a pair of earrings) and began eating. Nurse Joy also put out food bowls for all of the Pokemon, who were now all awake, except for Sealeo and Seel.

R.J. wasn’t that hungry. He had a few pancakes, but that was it. Gordon, on the other hand, was eating like he hadn’t for months.

“Why don’t you call up your families and thank them for the gifts,” Joy suggested. “I’m sure they’d be glad to hear from you.”

R.J. got up. “Good idea. Gordon, can I call your grandpa first, I need to ask him something about his gift, and then you can talk to him.”

“Okay,” Gordon said through a mouthful of food.

R.J. walked over to the computer phone and punched in Mr. Tomford’s phone number. He waited for several seconds, and finally, Mr. Tomford’s face appeared on the screen.

“R.J.! Nice to see you. Merry Christmas!”

“Same to you. I have a question about your gift, is that really a Master Ball, and how good is it?”

“Ah yes, the Master Ball, well, it’s a very rare Pokeball. It can capture any Pokemon without fail. Even the most powerful Pokemon, like Lugia and Dragonite. I gave it to you because I know you would use it well.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. So, tell me, how are you doing in terms of badges?”

“I have six.”

“Six? Good lord, you really have come a long way. Could you please tell me how you got them?”

“Sure. Well, for the Forest Badge, I faced Rass in Leavine City. He was hard, especially when his Bulbasaur evolved, but my Pidgey managed to use its Solarbeam attack againist it, and I won.”

“Good.”

“Second, I faced Neil for the Spook Badge. His ghosts gave me a hard time, since I couldn’t hit them, but my Girafarig pulled through for me by using Mind Reader.”

“Hey, I believe I taught you that attack.”

“For the Karate Badge, I fought Annette and her Fighting Pokemon. She had the edge against me, but the Treecko you gave me evolved and beat her Medicham.”

“Ah, I knew that Treecko would be useful for you.”

“The Whirlpool Badge was tough to get, but it was fun. We had a two-on-two battle, and my Pokemon and my friend’s Pokemon worked together to beat the Gym Leader, Grace.”

“I see.”

“When I first fought Roy for the Ember Badge, I couldn’t beat his Magcargo because of its hard shell, and I lost. But my Grovyle learned Leaf Blade, which got past the shell and I won the rematch.”

“Ah, Leaf Blade, very good attack.”

“Finally, I went to Zerill Mountain and fought Leigh for the Frost Badge, Her Dewgong kept escaping my attacks by diving into water, but Pidgeotto used Mirror Move after Dewgong used Ice Beam to freeze up the water, then we beat her with a Steel Wing.”

“Well, I must say, R.J., you really are becoming quite the trainer. I’d say you have a very good shot of winning the next Jade Tournament.”

“Is that R.J.?” R.J. heard a familiar voice behind Mr. Tomford. Several seconds later, he saw his dad, Nick, appear next to Mr. Tomford on the monitor.

“Dad?”

“Hello, R.J. The Tomford’s invited me over to spend Christmas with them.”

“I see.”

“So, how are you doing? How many badges do you have?”

“Six.”

“Six? Wow, you’re doing pretty good. Um, I’m just, wondering, when do you think you’re coming home?” R.J. could see Nick was trying to hide the fact that he was lonely.

“Well, once I get two badges, I’m going home to train a little bit before I go to the Jade Tournament.”

“Ah, the Jade Tournament. I remember when I won it when I was younger.”

This surprised R.J. He knew his father used to be a trainer, but he never knew he won the Jade Tournament.

“Well, it was nice talking to you, son. Merry Christmas.”

“You too, dad.”

Nick left the screen, leaving Mr. Tomford there.

“R..J., have a favor I need to ask. I…”

CRASH!”

R.J. heard the sound of glass breaking behind Mr. Tomford.

“Err… those two…”

“Mr. Tomford, what’s wrong?”

Mr. Tomford sighed. “The two babies you gave me, Magby and Elekid. They really are nice Pokemon, I love them and it gives me such joy to take care of them, but they always cause trouble.”

“Elekid!”

“Magby!”

R.J.’s two baby Pokemon, Magby and Elekid, appeared on the screen. They both looked very happy to see R.J.

R.J. smiled. “I’m glad to see you guys too. Have you been good for Mr. Tomford?”

“Ele-ele!”

“Mag!”

R.J. laughed. “I take that as a no.”

Both of the babies got out of the way of the screen, and R.J. could see a somewhat annoyed Mr. Tomford. “Like I said, I love them dearly, but they always cause trouble. Anyway, I need to ask you something. I need to do a report on Bug types, but I don’t have a good specimen. Would you happen to have a Bug type?”

“Yeah, I have a Beedrill.”

“Good. Can you please send it over?”

“Sure. Hey Beedrill, come over here.” Beedrill quickly came over. “I’m going to send you to a friend of mine, he’s going to take care of you.”

“Bzzzzz.”

“Okay then, return.” R.J. recalled Beedrill into his Pokeball, and put the ball in a hole next to the phone, which had a pipe-like machine above it. “Okay, I’m ready to send it.”

“Okay.” He saw Mr. Tomford press a button, and the Pokeball disappeared into the pipe.”

‘Okay, I have your Beedrill,” Mr. Tomford said. “Thank you. I will give it back as soon as I’m done with it.”

“Actually, that Beedrill is very hyper, and likes to move around a lot. Maybe it would be better if you kept it there.”

“Will do. Now, can I talk to my grandson?”

“Sure.” R.J. turned to Gordon. “Hey Gordon, your grandpa wants to talk to you.”

Gordon got up and walked over to the phone. “Hey, Merry Christmas, gramps.”

“Merry Christmas. I see you rejoined R.J. with no problem.”

“Yep. I got the book you gave me, and it looks like it’ll help me learn a lot.”

“No problem. Well, now that I see you’re doing well, I’m done talking. Say hello to your friend Nisha for me.”

“It’s Nicole,” Gordon corrected.

“Yes, yes, same thing. Goodbye!” Then the screen went blank.

“Okay, my turn,” Morgan said as she got up. As she walked towards the phone, R.J. and Gordon went back to the table. “So, what should we do today,” R.J. asked.

“Snowball fight!” Gordon exclaimed as soon as the words were out of R.J.’s mouth.

“Sounds good to me.” Morgan then walked back to the table. Apparently, her conversation with her parents didn’t last long.

“Morgan, we’re having a snowball fight. The teams are me and R.J. versus you and Nicole.”

“What? That’s not fair! Two guys againist two girls! We’ll get creamed.”

“What, do you think you girls are too weak?” R.J. mocked.

That did it. “Fine. I’ll show you.”

“Okay then. Let’s go.”

The four of them put on their shoes and their coats (R.J., Gordon, and Nicole wore the news ones they had gotten from Mrs. Tomford) before Gordon announced to the Pokemon that they were going outside. The Pokemon all stood up, even Sealeo and Seel, who had awoken, and they started heading out the door. Gordon lead the way, followed by Marril, Jigglypuff, Nicole, Kadabra, Sealeo, Seel, Ponyta, Girafarig (who had to duck to get out the door), Grovyle, Skiploom, and Pidgeotto. Then, R.J. and Morgan walked through the door together. But just when hey were about to go through the door, Morgan stopped. R.J. stopped with her.

“Hey look.” Morgan pointed up. “A mistletoe.”

“I see.” Suddenly, Morgan leaned forward and pecked R.J. on the lips.

“There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Morgan then left, leaving R.J. shocked, yet happy. But as he left the Pokemon Center, he saw Nidorino and Nidorina walking through the door together, and he saw that they too, had noticed the mistletoe.

When he got out there, he saw the Pokemon were all playing in the snow. Even the ones that didn’t like coldness that much, like Pidgeotto, Skiploom, and Grovyle, were enjoying themselves. R.J. walked over to Gordon, who was making a snowball. He then threw it across the street at Nicole.

“Err…” Nicole starting making a snowball of her own, and threw it at Gordon, who was quick and dodged it. Minute later, there were snowballs being thrown everywhere. Other kids from Ertilo Town joined the fight, and soon enough, it was girls versus boys. Several hours past, and neither side looked like it as going to give up. Finally, after another hour, most of the kids got called in for dinner, and they went home. R.J., Morgan, Nicole, and Gordon also went inside the Pokemon Center, followed by the Pokemon, shivering, but laughing.

“Admit it, we kicked your butt,” Gordon said, taking off his sneakers and coat.

“You wish!” Morgan took off her boots and her coat. R.J. and Nicole also took off their shoes and coats.

R.J. then saw that Nurse Joy had arranged a large table, with five chairs around it. There was food on the table, including a large turkey.

“Okay, time for dinner,” Nurse Joy said. The bowls for the Pokemon were refilled, and the Pokemon all ate from them. When they got to the table, everybody took a piece of Turkey (except for Nicole) and other foods until their plates were filled.

“Anybody want to say grace?” Nurse Joy asked.

Gordon raised his hand. “I will.” He then cleared his throat. “Rub-a-dub-dub, thanks for the grub, let’s eat.”

“Amen.” R.J. said with a smirk, and then he and his friends began eating.

After dinner, R.J. and his friends helped Nurse Joy clean everything up, and they decided they were tired, and wanted to go to bed.

“We’re leaving first thing tomorrow,” R.J. told Joy. “Thanks for letting us stay here.

“Oh, it was my pleasure,” she said with a smile.

“Let’s return our Pokemon to their Pokeballs,” R.J. told his friends. “That way, Nurse Joy can clean the floor. R.J. then recalled Pidgeotto, Grovyle, Sealeo, and Girafarig to their Pokeballs, and then saw Nidorino sleeping next to Nidorina, and decided to let him stay out. Morgan did the same, recalling all her Pokemon except for Nidorina. Gordon also recalled Kadabra. After most of the Pokemon were back in the Pokeballs, R.J., Morgan, Nicole, Gordon, Marril and Jigglypuff went into the bedroom. Within minutes, the lights were off, the four trainers were in bed, Jigglypuff was with Nicole, and Marril was with Gordon.

“So, pretty good Christmas, eh?” Gordon said out load.

“Yeah, not bad for our first Christmas away from our families.” Morgan replied.

“It was okay,” Nicole answered. “The snowball fight was fun.”

R.J. was silent. All he could do was think about all the Christmases he had with his family, when his mom was alive. He was glad his dad had sent the picture, but he was also angry at him for reminding him about it. However, he also remembered Morgan’s brief kiss under the mistletoe, and fell asleep.

“R.J., wake up. Time to get moving!”

He woke up with Gordon, Morgan, and Nicole hovering over him. They were fully dressed, with shoes and coats, and he noticed that Marril and Jigglypuff were in their Pokeballs.

“Okay, I’m up.” R.J. got out of bed, and followed his friends into the lobby, where he saw Nidorino and Nidorina together, talking. He grabbed his coat and shoes, and the six of them walked out of the door.

When they were outside, Morgan faced them. “Well guys, I guess this is goodbye for now.”

“What? You’re leaving?”

“Yeah. Like I said, I’ a lone wolf. It was really nice to see you again, but I need to travel alone. I hope to see you guys again soon.” Then she looked at R.J. “And I especially hope to see you in the Jade Tournament. You and I are going to have a very good battle in that.”

R.J. smiled. “I’m sure we will.”

“Okay, then. Nidorina, return.” She recalled Nidorina into her Pokeball, and then walked off.

“Bye Morgan!

“See you later!”

“I hope we see you soon!”

“Nido!” Nidorino cried out, assumingly for Nidorina.

“Oh, cheer up,” R.J. told his Pokemon. “You’ll see her again, I’m sure.” Then he returned Nidorino to his Pokeball, and he and he his headed in the opposite direction then Morgan, and headed towards Thunep Town and a new Gym.

[Dewgongtears]

This was a cool chapter. R.J. got a Master Ball...I wonder on what pokemon he will use it on. They had a Snowball fight and that was pretty cool. And Beedrill is gone for the moment. Well I wonder what can happen next.

[DannyBoy]

That was a cool chapter! I liked how everyone got gifts. That sneaky Joy I tall ya, always has something up her sleave. I wonder wht R.J will catch with the masterball? Hmmm wonders. Well it was a great length and you ahd description like witht he snowball fight. Keep it up!

[Hanada Tattsu]

That was an excellent chapter, my favorite yet!

R.J. and Morgan kissed, this time on the lips, how cute. Nicole is an orphan, that sucks, and Gordon is afraid of giant pickles, LOL.

Mr. Tomford, Mrs. Tomford, and R.J's dad were very nice to give everybody all the presents. R.J's mom seems very nice, too bad she's dead.

Nurse Joy and Chansey were very nice, and LOL, Magby and Elekid were causing all that trouble. Oh well, Beedrill's gone now, but we'll see it again.

Pidgeotto, Jigglypuff, and Marill are very close with their trainers, and poor Nidorino and Nidorina seperated again. Grovyle and Sealeo seem rather anti-social, and Girfaririg does too. I wanna see more of Seel and Ponyta, and also Skiploom, and maybe even Kadabra.

Keep it up!

[Neo-Xantios]

Greetings, RJdude. It's been a while, and I apologize for not replying earlier. Okay, let's get down to reviewing!

Chapter 21:

Great, we got to see Morgan again. She's getting better, and is one of my favorite characters now. Good job with Christmas and religion.

Chapter 22:

Another excellent chapter. Christmas is never a bad time. The conversation with the Tomform was excellent. I liked how he recalled his experiences at the gyms. The presents were excellent. The Master Ball was one of my favorites, but the family photo takes its place. The brief kiss was good too. You reminded me of this coming and how I should warn my brother of it ;). The plot is coming on smoothly. But then again... Morgan had to go :(

Keep it up. I can't wait till the Jade Tournament! :wave:

[RJdude]

Part 1 - Chapter 23

R.J. and his friends were now on the outskirts of a small town. The town, however, was Thunep Town, and R.J. was excited to get to the Gym.

“Come on guys, what are you waiting for?” R.J. asked his friends as he ran into town. Gordon and Nicole were also running, but not as fast as R.J.

“Hang on, we’re hungry.”

“We can eat after the Gym match, let’s go!”

R.J. arrived at the Gym within a few minutes. It was a normal looking building, it didn’t look like anything special. Gordon and Nicole arrived several minutes later, breathing very hard.

“What took you?” He asked when they arrived.

“Shouldn’t you battle on a full stomach?” Gordon asked between breaths.

“I don’t have to.” Actually, R.J. was feeling quite energized right then, and couldn’t wait to battle. “Let’s go.”

When he got inside the Gym, he saw that the Gym was painted so that it looked like a thunderstorm. The walls showed images of large lightning bolts in a dark sky. He also saw a scoreboard, and a ref standing under it. Then he saw the Gym Leader. He was in his later twenties, had tan skin, and short, black hair. He was wearing baggy jeans and a t-shirt.

“Welcome, challenger,” the Gym Leader said. “I am Zoltan, Leader of the Thunep Town Gym. Please sate you name.”

“My name is R.J., and I want to challenge you for a badge!”

“You want to battle for the Zap Badge? Very well then.” Zoltan clapped, and the scoreboard lit up, with R.J. and Zoltan’s picture on each side.

“There will be three Pokemon each, no time limit, let the battle begin!”

“Okay, time to use my first Pokemon. Flaaffy, I choose you!” Zoltan threw a Pokemon, and a sheep-like Pokemon cam out. Its picture appeared on the scoreboard.

“Go, Girafarig!” R.J. threw Girafarig’s Pokeball into the air. It fell, hit the ground, and opened up to reveal R.J.’s Girafarig. His picture appeared on the scoreboard.

“Okay Flaaffy, Thunderbolt!”

“Girafarig, Double Team!”

Electricity began building around Flaaffy’s body. After charging it up for several seconds, it launched the electricity at Girafarig. But as soon as Flaaffy launched the attack, Girafarig seemed to split into three different beings! They all looked the same, but as soon as the electricity hit the middle Girafarig, the one Flaaffy was aiming for, it disappeared!

“What?”

“That’s right, Double Team makes two copies of my Pokemon. You just have to guess which one is the real one. Now, Girafarig, use Confusion!”

Both Girafarig and his copy’s eyes began to glow a brilliant blue. Then Flaffy was thrusted into the air, and hit the ceiling. Then it fell, hitting the ground with a thud.

“Flaffy!” Zoltan looked worried.

“Finish it off, Take Down!”

The copy of Girafarig disappeared, leaving the real one. Then Girafarig lowered his head, and charged at Flaaffy.

WAM!

Girafarig tackled Flaaffy with all his might. Flaaffy flew back, and hit the wall. It was out. Its picture on the scoreboard darkened.

“Flaaffy, return. Go, Electrode!” Zoltan returned Flaaffy to its Pokeball and threw out another. This on opened up to reveal a Pokemon that looked like an upside-down Pokeball itself.

“Okay, Girafarig, Double Team!” Girafarig closed his eyes and began to make copies of itself, but this time, there were even more copies! There were now about ten Girafarig, all surrounding Electrode in a circle.

“Err… Electrode, Thunderbolt!”

Electricity began charging around Electrode’s round body, and it shot the electricity at one of the Girafarig. When it hit, however, it just disappeared.

“Girafarig, Confusion!”

All of the Girafarig’s eyes began to glow, and Electrode was thrown into the air at the ceiling. It then fell to the ground with a thud. It was hurt, but not gone.

“Err… this isn’t working,” Zoltan muttered quietly to himself. “I’ll never win if I can never hit this Girafarig. I know how to get it, but it’ll mean sacrificing my Electrode… oh well, my most powerful Pokemon will beat his other two Pokemon, as long as they don’t know Double Team.” He then looked at R.J. “Your Girafarig is finished. Electrode, Selfdestruct!”

Electrode closed its eyes, and began to glow.

BA-BOOM!

Electrode then exploded with the force of a small bomb. The explosion hit all eight of the Girafarigs, and all but one disappeared. The real one shrieked in pain before slumping to the ground. R.J. saw that Electrode had also fainted. Both Pokemon’s pictures darkened on the scoreboard.

“Girafarig, return. Well, I see you found a way past Double Team. But still you only have one Pokemon left, while I have two.”

Zoltan called Electrode back to its Pokeball, and smiled. “I’m not worried.”

“We’ll see about that. Grovyle, I choose you!” R.J. threw Grovyle’s Pokeball out in front of him, and Grovyle came out of it. He looked menacingly at Zoltan.

“Hmm… Jolteon, I choose you!” Zoltan threw a Pokeball onto the floor, and it opened to reveal Jolteon, the Electric-type evolution of Eevee. Its picture appeared on the scoreboard.

“That’s your most powerful Pokemon? Doesn’t look like much. Okay Grovyle, let’s show them what we’re made of. Leaf Blade!”

The leaves on Grovyle’s arm began glowing. Then he charged at Jolteon, arm raised.

“Jolt!” As Grovyle came close, the spikes on Jolteon’s body began sticking up.

“Gro!”

As Grovyle attempted to slash Jolteon with his leaves, the spikes instead slashed his arms, leaving a small gash in Grovyle’s arm. He rubbed it, trying to make the pain stop.

“Hah! Physical attacks won’t work, my Jolteon will just hurt your Pokemon with its spikes. Okay, Jolteon, Pin Missile!”

The spikes on Jolteon’s body all pointed towards Jolteon and fired many small darts at Grovyle. They all hit their target, and Grovyle fell down, in even more pain then before.

“Time to finish this up. Jolteon, Take Down!”

Jolteon lowered its head and charged at Grovyle. When it got up to Grovyle, it rammed into him, sending him flying. He landed on the ground, unconscious. His picture on the scoreboard darkened.

“Good try, Grovyle, return.” He recalled Grovyle to his Pokeball. Then he wondered who he should use for his last Pokemon. He couldn’t use physical attacks, so Nidorino was out of the question. He could try Pidgeotto and use Agility and Mirror Move to shoot Jolteon’s attacks back at it, but if Jolteon did hit, it would be devastating. He had to use Sealeo. He knew it was a risk because of Sealeo’s Water type, but hopefully Sealeo’s ice attacks could get the job done.

“Sealeo, I choose you!” R.J. threw Sealeo’s Great Ball out onto the floor, and it opened up, bringing Sealeo to the Gym.

“Seal! Seal!” Sealeo clapped his paws together, eager to be battling. His picture appeared on the scoreboard.

“That Water type won’t be able to do a thing,” Zoltan taunted.

“We’ll see about that. Sealeo, Ice Beam!” Sealeo opened his mouth and shot a light blue colored beam at Jolteon. The beam hit, and before Jolteon could scream in pain, it was frozen solid!

“No! Jolteon!”

“Sealeo, Body Slam!”

Sealeo flopped over to Jolteon as fast as he could. When he got to the frozen Jolteon, he lifted his upper body up ad slammed it againist Jolteon. The ice shattered, and Jolteon fell to the floor, in lots of pain.

“Time to finish this up. Sealeo, Water Gun!”

Sealeo opened his mouth and shot a jet of water at Jolteon. The jet hit, and Jolteon cried out in pain before going flying, hitting the wall, and sliding down.

“Jolteon!” Zoltan ran over to his Pokemon’s side. “Please get up!”

Jolteon tried to get up, but instead it slumped to the ground. Its picture on the scoreboard darkened, and an “X’” appeared over Zoltan’s picture.

“Yeah! I won!”

“Seal-seal-seal!” Sealeo clapped his front paws together even faster then before.

Zoltan returned Jolteon to its Pokeball and walked across the room to R.J. “Well done. I thought I had the match won when you sent out that Water type, but I thought wrong. Here is your Zap Badge.” He handed R.J. a yellow badge that looked like two lightning bolts crossing each other. R.J. took out the case that held his badges and added the Zap Badge to his collection.

“Wow, R.J., seven badges,” Nicole said, looking over R.J.’s shoulder at his badges.

“Yeah, only one left,” Gordon noted.

“Well, that was a good way to start my day. But I’m hungry, and should get lunch,” Zoltan said, about to leave. Then he looked at R.J. and his friends. “Care to join me?”

“Sure that sounds great.”

“Yeah, we’re starving too,” Gordon said. The he glared at R.J. “We were about to get something to eat when we came in here, but R.J. insisted that we should go to the Gym first.”

Zoltan laughed. “Well, its seems like he made a good choice. Anyway, let’s get going.”

“Right.” So after returning Sealeo to his Pokeball, R.J. and his friends headed out the door with Zoltan.

Fifteen minutes later, the four of them were in a restaurant. Gordon started off the conversation.

“So, Zoltan, why did you decide to become an Electric type trainer?”

Before he could answer, a waitress came up and handed each if them sodas. After she was done that, she turned to Zoltan. “So, tonight’s the big night, Zoltan. Are you ready?”

“I sure hope I am.”

She smiled and walked away.

“Big night? What big night?” R.J. was confused.

“Okay. I’ll explain everything. My father used to be the Gym Leader here. He trained Dark types. And he loved them. He expected me to be a Dark type trainer too, and to take over the Gym when I got older. He even gave me an Eevee in hopes that I would evolve it into an Umbreon.” He took a sip of his soda. “But one day, a challenger came in and fought my dad. He used a Jolteon. That Jolteon obliterated my father’s Pokemon. I was so impressed by that Jolteon that I wanted to evolve my Eevee into one. But that’s not what convinced me to become an Electric type trainer.” He took another sip of his soda. “Exactly fifteen years ago, on this day, my parents took me outside. It seemed that everybody was outside, and they were all staring at the sky. Suddenly, out of nowhere, clouds began to appear, and it began to thunder. Then I saw it. A large yellow bird flew across the sky. I was awed at the bird. It looked so powerful.” He put the soda down. “My father later told me that the bird was Zapdos, the legendary bird of thunder. I was so impressed by Zapdos that I knew I wanted to become an Electric trainer. But then I learned something else. Zapdos flies across this town on the same date every fifteen years. It’s a big thing I this town.”

“Fifteen years? But that’s means…”

“Yes, Zapdos is flying over Thunep Town tonight. But I’m not going to just watch it. I’m going to try to catch it.”

“Catch it?” R.J. was impressed at Zoltan’s determination, but it seemed a little but crazy to him. “How are you going to do that? Zapdos is supposed to be very powerful, I doubt you can beat it, as good as you are.”

“I have something that will help me.” Zoltan reached into his pocket and came up with a Pokeball that was blue and purple at the top.

“Wow, a Master Ball,” Gordon said. “R.J. has one of those.”

“You do?” Zoltan looked at R.J., tensely.

“Yeah, but if your worried about me catching it before you, then you can stop. Apparently, you really want Zapdos, and as cool as it would be to have a Zapdos, I’m not gong to mess with you dream.”

Zoltan seemed to relax. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

After finishing their lunch, the four of them left the restaurant, and Zoltan took them to his house. Along the way, many people greeted Zoltan, telling him things like “Good luck tonight,” and “Go get it.”

“Do the people of this town know that you’re going after Zapdos?” R.J. asked.

“Yep. It’s been a pretty big thing going around.” Zoltan led R.J. and his friends into his house, where they waited for several hours, talking about various subjects. R.J. told Zoltan his story, about how he became a trainer and about all the Pokemon he had. Finally, night came. Zoltan led his new friends outside, and let Jolteon out of its Pokeball.

“I used to play baseball, so my throwing arm is good, but I don’t think I can throw the Master Ball all the way up in the sky. So I’ll use Jolteon to taunt it and bring it down closer, then I’ll throw the Master Ball,” Zoltan told them.

Now more people were coming out of there homes. All eyes seemed to be on Zoltan, who looked eager and ready.

Suddenly, dark clouds began to appear from out of nowhere. R.J. heard the crash of thunder in the distance. Then, many people pointed up to the sky and gasped. R.J. looked up, and he saw it.

R.J. now knew how Zoltan felt when he first saw Zapdos. It flew majesty through the sky, at about 100 miles per hour. It didn’t look down at the gapping people, but looked straight.

“Okay Jolteon, this is the moment we’ve been waiting for. THUNDERBOLT!”

Electricity began to charge up around Jolteon, and it shot the electricity at Zapdos. It hit its target, but Zapdos didn’t even feel a thing. It kept on flying.

“Okay Jolteon, use the most powerful Thunder you can.”

“Jolt!” Electricity began to charge up around Jolteon, even more then before. Then Jolteon shot the electricity at Zapdos in the form of a powerful beam. The beam traveled across the sky and hit Zapdos right on its left wing.

“DOS!” Zapdos definitely noticed this time. It turned its head to Zoltan, rage on its face. Then, electricity began to crackle around Zapdos’ body, and it began to swoop down at Zoltan.

Zoltan clutched the Master Ball in his hand. “This is it. Master Ball, GO!”

Zoltan threw the Master at Zapdos will all his might. R.J. could tell that Zoltan was right, he did have a good arm. Right before Zapdos could unleash a powerful Thunderbolt, the Master Ball hit Zapdos right in the face, and opened up. This was unlike R.J. had ever seen before. Usually, when a Pokeball opened the, the Pokemon would turn into red energy. Now, however, Zapdos was turning into purple energy, and was being absorbed into the ball. Once the energy was completely in the ball, it shut closed, and fell to the ground right in front of Zoltan. He picked it up, and a tear came down his face. “I… did it. I captured Zapdos.” The townspeople then began to clap. They were all impressed and happy for Zoltan. Then Zoltan dropped to his knees and petted Jolteon. “We did it, buddy. We captured Zapdos.” R.J., Nicole, and Gordon were all happy for him, but something felt wrong to R.J. He wasn’t quite sure if it would be all right to disturb a Legendary Pokemon like that.

“So, guys, want to come in and celebrate?” Zoltan asked them. “You can stay at my house tonight, if you want to.”

“Okay,” Gordon answered for them. So Zoltan, proudly clutching the Master Ball in his hand, led R.J., Nicole, Gordon and Jolteon into his house.

[ThePhenom]

Nice chapter. The gym battle coulda been a bit longer and the catch scene could have been more descriptive, but it was good. I have a feeling that RJ will convince Zoltan to let the Zapdos go. :wave:

[Dewgongtears]

I liked this chapter. The gym battle was very good and breath taking. The capture of Zapdos was cool also and Zoltan fufilled his dream. Godd Job again.

[Meganium]

Hi, I'm a new reader and read ur entire fiction today, and may I say is was really good. I love it, you have developed great as a writer in terms of description. I like this fiction a whole bunch, but I really think Pidgeotto should have evolved by now. I hope it isn't me but he battles in like every gym battle and most battles period. But it isn't my fic, so its not up to me. Once again AWESOME fic keep up the good work, Keep Up.:yes:

[DannyBoy]

That was a good chapter, but the battles could have been a little bit longer for it. The length was good though. Then the Zapdos thing could have went a little longer but it was still very good. I liked Sealo using Ice Beam and freezing Jolteon. That was good and that battle was a good length. Keep it up!

[SWAMPERT1]

WOW this is cool! it inspired me to do a quest starting in rby and goin through the series. ill post more later

[Hanada Tattsu]

Wow, that was an excellent chapter! RJ finally has his seventh badge, just one more for the Jade Tourney!

Grovyle could have done better, but Girafirig and Sealeo got some much needed experience!

Zoltan caught Zapdos, RJ Will make him let it go.

[RJdude]

Part 1 - Chapter 24

A man, a woman, and a Vulpix were walking into Thunep Town. They were all tired and hungry.

“Man, Jackie, that was the second time we broke out of prison,” the man said. “We’ve got to be on the Moxto’s Most Wanted List.”

“Don’t be stupid, Jack. They didn’t even notice we were gone. And even if they did, don’t do anything.”

“Vul!”

“Jack, Vully’s tired. We should find a place to rest. It’s 1 o’clock in the morning. She’s probably tired.”

“Well, there’s a bar right here. Let’s stop for a drink, then we can find a hotel or something.”

“Fine.” Jack and Jackie went into the bar, followed by Vully. The two of them sat down on stools, and Vully sat down near Jackie.

“Two beers,” Jack said to the bartender. The bartender bend down and came up with two beers, and handed one to each Jack and Jackie.

“So, did you two hear the big news?” The bartender asked.

“What big news?” Jack and Jackie asked in unison.

“The Gym Leader of this town, Zoltan, caught himself a Zapdos. I always knew that guy had potential.”

“Zapdos? You mean the Legendary Bird?”

“That’s the one.”

“Hmm… interesting. Do you know where this Zoltan lives?” Jackie asked. “I mean, uh, I’d like to congratulate him.”

“Yeah, he lives on 24 North Road, but…”

Then he saw Jackie, Jack, and Vully run towards the door. “Hey, aren’t you going to pay?” But they had already ran out of the bar, Vully behind them.

Once they were out of the bar, Jack said to Jackie, “A Zapdos. You know how much the boss would pay us for that?”

“Yeah, he would give us an awfully big reward for something that powerful.”

“And we’d get a pretty big promotion. We would be near the top again. It’s too bad the boss demoted us a few ranks.”

“Well, if you get thrown in jail, the boss doesn’t tend to think that highly of you anymore.” Finally, the three of them arrived at 24 North Street. It was a nice, two-story house, and all the lights were out. Luckily, the door was not locked. Jack silently opened the door, and the threesome walked in.

When they got inside, they saw the living room. There were three people sleeping there, by the looks of it. A teenaged girl sleeping on a couch, and two teenaged boys sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags. Jackie squinted in the dark. They looked familiar.

“Jack,” Jackie whispered to her partner, “I think those are the brats that foiled our plan the last few times.”

Jack looked at them. “Yeah, I think so too. And as good as it would be to get revenge on them, let’s worry about Zapdos first. Then we can worry about them.”

The three of them walked upstairs silently, and saw an open bedroom. They walked into it. There, they saw a young man sleeping on a bed, with a Jolteon sleeping on the floor. Then they both saw it: a Master Ball. It was laying on the table next to the bed.

“That must be the Pokeball that has Zapdos in it,” Jack whispered to Jackie.

“Yeah, your right. Go get it.”

Jack sighed. Why did he have to do everything, he thought. He tiptoed over to the table, reached out his hand, and grabbed the Master. Satisfied, he walked back to Jackie.

“I got it, let’s get out of here.”

“Jolt!”

The man’s Jolteon had woken up, and was wondering who the strangers in his house were.

“Err… nice Jolteon. Please don’t make a lot of noise.”

“JOLT-JOLT!” Jolteon barked. Zoltan sprung awake.

“Huh? Whose there?” He then looked around, and saw Jack, Jackie, and Vully standing in the doorway, and then saw that his Master Ball that held Zapdos was no longer there. “MY ZAPDOS!” He jumped out of bed and the three some ran out the door and down the stairs. By the time he got downstairs, they were already gone.

R.J., Gordon, and Nicole woke up. “What’s wrong?”

“Two people stole my Zapdos!”

R.J. immediately got up. “Call the cops.”

“Right.” Zoltan ran over to the phone and dialed the cops. He was sweating and looked like he was about to faint.

“Hello, this is the police. How may we help you?”

“This is Zoltan. Two crooks and a Vulpix just came into my house and stole my Zapdos!”

“Okay, we will be right there.”

“Thank you.” Zoltan hung up the phone.

“What did the people that stole your Zapdos look like?” Nicole asked, as she got up off the couch.

“It was dark, so I couldn’t really tell, but there was a guy with red hair, a woman with brown hair, and they were wearing uniforms, and had a Vulpix with them.” Zoltan said this very fast.

“It sounds like Team Rage!” R.J exclaimed. “I’ll go look outside.” He ran outside, and sure enough, he saw Team Rage running down the road. “STOP RIGHT THERE!” he shouted.

Team Rage did stop, and they turned around to face him. “Well, well, well. R.J., isn’t it? We were hoping we would get to see you.” The three of them walked closer to R.J. “But we have our prize, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Oh yeah? Grovyle, Nidorino, I choose you!” R.J. threw two Pokeballs out onto the street, and they opened up. Two of R.J.’s Pokemon came out of them. Zoltan, Jolteon, Gordon, and Nicole then ran out of the house and joined R.J.

“A battle, eh? We’ll give you a battle. Sneasel, go!”

“Mawile, I choose you!”

Jack and Jackie each threw a Pokeball out onto the road. They opened up, and Jack’s only Pokemon and Jackie’s second Pokemon each came out.

“All right, Nidorino, Grovyle attack!”

The leaves on Grovyle’s arm began glowing. The horn on Nidorino’s head began spinning. Then they charged! Grovyle ran strait at Sneasel, put his arm in front of him, and slashed Sneasel with magnificent force. Sneasel fell back immediately. Nidorino ran at Mawile and rammed his horn strait into Mawile. Mawile flew back, hitting its master.

“Well, I see your Pokemon have gotten no stronger. Mine have,” R.J. said with a grin.

“Err….” both Team Rage members grumbled. They returned their Pokemon to their Pokeballs.”

“Well, it looks like we showed you, once again, why crime doesn’t pay,” Gordon said. “Why don’t you give up?”

“Wait, we still have one more Pokemon.” Jack showed them the Master Ball that contained Zapdos. “Let’s see you beat this one. Zapdos, go!”

Jack threw the Master Ball on the road. It opened up in a show of purple energy. The energy formed itself into the Legendary Bird, Zapdos.

“Oh no, Zapdos,” Nicole said.

“Okay Zapdos, give them a Thunderbolt!” Jack commanded. However, Zapdos just turned its head and glared at Team Rage. It did not look happy.

“Okay, second thought, let’s run!” The three of them turned around and began running. But then they saw a police car, with Officer Jenny and a male cop standing next to it. “I’m sure you three know the drill by now.” Jenny and the officer put handcuffs on Jack, Jackie, and even Vully, and threw them all in the back of the car before driving off.

But Team Rage was now the least of everyone’s worries. Zapdos was ascending into the sky. And it was mad. Very mad.

“DOOSSS!” Zapdos released three small bolts of electricity at Jolteon, Grovyle and Nidorino. All three hit, and the Pokemon fell down. Even a small attack from Zapdos was way too powerful for the Pokemon to withstand.

Then Zapdos decided to take its fury out on the town. “DOOSSS!” A bolt of electricity was thrown at one of the houses. It immediately went up in flames.

“DOOSSS!” Another bolt was thrown, and another house went up in flames.

R.J. and Zoltan recalled the fainted Grovyle, Nidorino, and Jolteon back into their Pokeballs. “We have to stop it,” R.J. said to his friends.

“Stop it?” Gordon asked. “Jerry Springer has a better chance of becoming a Senator then we have of defeating Zapdos!”

“I know, but if we do nothing, Zapdos could destroy the whole town. Pidgeotto, Sealeo, Girafarig, I choose you!”

“Jigglypuff, go!

“Fine. Marril, Kadabra, come on out!”

Six Pokeballs were thrown on the ground, and everyone’s Pokemon came out of them.

“I’m going to try to put it to sleep first,” Nicole said. “Jigglypuff, Sing!”

Then Jigglypuff started singing t the top of her voice. R.J. covered his ears put he was still getting drowsy. He noticed that Zapdos, however, was not affected, as it continued invoking its wrath upon the town.

“Nicole, that’s not going to work,” R.J. said.

“Fine. Jigglypuff, stop singing.”

Jigglypuff stopped singing. She gave Nicole an angry look, as though she wanted to continue singing, but then jumped into Nicole’s arms.

“Okay, Sealeo, Girafarig, and Kadabra, Ice Beam and Psybeam!”

Girafarig, Kadabra, and Sealeo all started to launch powerful beams at Zapdos. Zapdos saw them, and easily dodged them. Now it was getting even madder.

“We have to get closer to it,” Gordon said. “Marril, jump on Pidgeotto’s back!”

“Mar!” Pidgeotto swooped to the ground, where Marril jumped on his back before he flew off to battle Zapdos.

“Okay Marril, use Water Gun!”

Marril opened his mouth and shot a jet of water at Zapdos. He was close enough to Zapdos to hit it, but the attack didn’t hurt Zapdos. However, it still turned around and launched a Thunderbolt at Pidgeotto and Marril.

“Pidgeotto, Agility!”

Pidgeotto and Marril disappeared from the spot that they were in, barely missing the attack, before reappearing several feet away.

Suddenly, R.J. was brought back to his battle with Leigh. “I have an idea! Pidgeotto, Mirror Move! Marril, Water Gun! Shoot into each other’s attack!”

Electricity began to charge around Pidgeotto (it didn’t hurt either him or Marril) and he shot it at Zapdos. Marril then shot a jet of water at the electricity, and they collided and form a hydroelectric beam, which hit Zapdos right in the chest.

“DOOSSS!” The beam hurt more then any other attack so far, but it still did not do enough. It only made Zapdos even madder. “DOOSSS!” Zapdos then launched an even more powerful beam at Pidgeotto.

“PIDGEOOO!” Pidgeotto’s cry of pain ran out through the night sky. The beam moved too fast, and Pidgeotto couldn’t avoid it. He then began to fall to the ground.

“Pidgeotto, return!” R.J. pointed Pidgeotto’s Pokeball at him and recalled Pidgeotto to his Pokeball right before he crashed into a building.

“Marril!” Luckily, Marril had jumped off of Pidgeotto right before the Thunderbolt hit, so he wasn’t hurt by the attack, but he was now falling down to the earth.

“I got you” Gordon ran over to the spot that Marril was dropping down to, and caught him in his arms.

“That was close,” Nicole said, who was holding Jigglypuff in her arms.

“Okay, let’s try this again. Kadabra, Girafarig, and Sealeo, Ice and Psybeam!”

Kadabra, Sealeo, and Girafarig each fired an Ice or Psybeam at Zapdos. Zapdos once again dodged all of the attacks.

“DOOSSS!” Zapdos then launched Thunderbolts at the attacking Pokemon. The Thunderbolts all hit, and the Pokemon cried out.

“Kadabra, return.” Holding Marril in one arm, Gordon recalled Kadabra into its Pokeball.

“Girafarig, return,” he returned Girafarig to his Pokeball. ‘You too, Sealeo.” He was about to return Sealeo to his Pokeball, but he could see that Sealeo, although badly injured, still wanted to fight. Suddenly, he began glowing. He grew larger, heavier. He grew thick white whiskers, two large fangs, and two back paws. He had evolved into Walrein!

“Wow, Sealeo evolved!” Nicole exclaimed.

“I knew you could do it, Seal… err, Walrein. Now, give Zapdos an Ice Beam!”

Walrein clapped is front paws together, jolly as ever, before opened his mouth and launching a very powerful Ice Beam. This time, however, the beam hit its mark.

“DDOOOSSSS!” This attack, without a doubt, caused Zapdos tons of pain. Its cries could be heard from miles away. It fell several feet before flapping its wings and gaining control. It glared at Walrein for several seconds before turning tail and flying away.

“Zapdos…” Zoltan called out weakly. But he knew it was no use. Zapdos was leaving, and it was never coming back.

After returning their Pokemon to their Pokeballs and making sure all the fires were put out, R.J., Gordon, Zoltan, and Nicole silently headed home, where they slept until eight in the morning. After they woke up, the for of them ate breakfast, and then Zoltan walked his guests to the edge of town.

“Thank you for letting us stay at your house,” Nicole said.

“It was my pleasure.”

“Hey, I’m, sorry about Zapdos.”

Zoltan sighed. “It’s okay. Zapdos deserves to roam free in the skies. Besides, I probably couldn’t control it anyway. It probably would have been a disaster, like last night could have been.”

“Yeah, Walrein really saved the day that time.”

“Well, R.J., good luck to you in the Jade Tournament, once you get there.” With that, Zoltan started walking back to his house, and R.J. and his friends left town, their memory of their awesome battle with the Legendary Zapdos behind them.

[ThePhenom]

Good chapter. I knew Zoltan wasn't going to be able to keep Zapdos. And it was great that Sealeo evolved. RJ needed a really strong Pokemon for the Jade tournament. My only question was why was that Bar open so early? I mean, RJ and everyone were still sleeping. :p

[Dewgongtears]

What a action packed chapter. Sealeo evolved into Walrein that was cool since I like Walrein. And Zapdos was freed and that is good since it is a legendary bird. A very good chapter yet again!

[DannyBoy]

That was a good chapter. To bad he lost Zapdos. It would have been fun to keep but it was crazy. Sealo evolved, now RJ has a strong ice and water type. Great chapter, keep it up!

[Meganium]

Nice chapter, I like how Sealeo evolved only how did he evolve before Pidgeotto. Oh well ure story, keep up the good work, Keep Up.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Hmm, the story is getting better and better. Team Rage again, I can't believe they broke out of jail again. Vully was funny, and Sneasel and Mawile are sure weak. Jigglypuff and Marill were funny, and poor Girafirig, Kadabra, Grovyle, Nidorino, and Pidgeotto were all knocked out. Why didn't Jolteon battle?

Also, it was cool how Sealeo finally evolved into Walrein, and Zapdos is gone.

Keep it up!

[SWAMPERT1]

This was a cool chapter

[RJdude]

Originally posted by Hanada Tattsu
Why didn't Jolteon battle?



It got shocked by Zapdos at the same time that Nidorino and Grovyle did. Hence:


“DOOSSS!” Zapdos released three small bolts of electricity at Jolteon, Grovyle and Nidorino. All three hit, and the Pokemon fell down. Even a small attack from Zapdos was way too powerful for the Pokemon to withstand.

[SWAMPERT1]

R.J. when your character gets to the jade tourney thing can i make up a partof news in my fan-fic about you winning a battle and my character, green wacthing it?? Ow and nidorino kicks A$S

[RJdude]

Originally posted by SWAMPERT1
R.J. when your character gets to the jade tourney thing can i make up a partof news in my fan-fic about you winning a battle and my character, green wacthing it?? Ow and nidorino kicks A$S

Sure, I guess. I'll PM you later after I write a battle in the Jade Tourny, and tell you to "broadcast" that battle or someting like that.

[SWAMPERT1]

Originally posted by RJdude
Sure, I guess. I'll PM you later after I write a battle in the Jade Tourny, and tell you to "broadcast" that battle or someting like that. sweet:P

[RJdude]

Part 1 - Chapter 25

“My legs are so tired. Can’t we just find a place to sit down?”

“Gordon, will you please stop complaining?”

“I’ll stop if we can stop.”

R.J. sighed. “Fine, you win. But I don’t know where we can.”

“Hey look,” Nicole said. “I think there’s a park right ahead!”

R.J. looked, and sure enough, some kind of park was straight ahead of them. There were benches, a baseball field, a swing set with small children playing on it, along with parents watching their kids, and a basketball court.

“Hey, a basketball court! Too bad I didn’t bring my basketball.” But he saw that Gordon had already run to one of the benches, and was drinking a bottle of water.

R.J. sighed. “Lazy bum.” He looked over to the basketball court and saw a young boy his age shooting a basketball at the hoop. R.J. decided to walk over there to see if the guy wanted to play a one-on-one game. It would be nice to compete in something other then a Pokemon match. As much as he liked training Pokemon, he needed to take a small break.

Then the boy playing basketball turned to see R.J. “R.J.?” he called out. Then R.J. saw it was his old friend, Joseph.

“Joe!” R.J. ran to the court to greet his friend. “How have you been, man?”

“Same old. I have seven badges.” Joseph passed the basketball to R.J. “Take a shot.”

R.J. dribbled the ball and shot it at the net. SWISH! It went in without even hitting the backboard. “Really? So do I.”

Joseph got the rebound and dribbled back a little. “Hey, remember our days on the school team back in Zastor? We were the only two players that could actually shoot a three-pointer.” Joseph aimed the ball and shot it. It hit the backboard and fell into the basket.

R.J. just got a strange but interesting idea. “Hey Joe, do you think Pokemon know how to play basketball? I think I remember hearing somewhere that hey have Pokemon soccer teams, so why not basketball?”

Joseph shrugged. “I guess it’s worth a try.”

R.J. reached for the Pokeball that contained the only Pokemon he thought might be able to play. “Come on out, Grovyle.”

He threw the Pokeball on the concrete. It opened up, and R.J.’s Grass type, Grovyle came out.

R.J. reached for the basketball, and held it in his hands. “Okay Grovyle, let’s see how well you can play hoops.” He threw the ball at Grovyle. Grovyle caught it in between his two claws, and looked at it.

“Okay Grovyle, shoot it at the basket.”

Grovyle then looked up and grinning. Suddenly, Grovyle ran at the net, dribbling the ball. Then, when he was close to the net, he leaped up, spun around in midair, and slammed the ball into the net.

Joseph and R.J. stared at Grovyle. “Um, R.J.? When did you teach your Grovyle how to play basketball?”

“I didn’t.” He grabbed the basketball and threw it at Grovyle. “Okay, let’s try it again.”

R.J. and Joseph spent the next five minutes doing drills with Grovyle. Neither of them could believe how basketball came so naturally to Grovyle. Within five minutes, Grovyle was almost as good as them!

“Man, we really need to get Grovyle to join the school team,” Joseph said. Just then, Nicole and Gordon came over.

“Hey, it’s Joe! Nice to see you again.”

“Same here, Gordon,” Joseph said to his old friend. “And it’s nice to see you again, too, Nicole.”

Nicole smiled. “So, what are you guys doing?”

“Watch this,” R.J. said. Grovyle went to the other side of the court, and R.J. grabbed the basketball. Then Grovyle began running down the court. When he was close enough, R.J. passed the ball to him, he caught it, and then leaped up and did a flip in midair before slamming the ball into the basket.

Nicole and Gordon stood there, mouths open.

“Pretty good, huh?” R.J. asked.

“Hey, would any of you people like to battle?”

The four of the turned around. They saw a boy there age walking towards them. He had sandy brown hair and brown eyes. “My name is Toby, anyone want to battle?”

“I will,” Joseph said. “I haven’t had a good battle in a while.” He faced Toby. “Let’s use three Pokemon each.”

“Okay then, I’ll start off with my most powerful Pokemon. Swellow, go!”

Toby threw a Pokeball onto the ground. It opened up, and a blue bird came out.

Joseph smirked. “I guess I’ll start out with my most powerful too. Go, Charizard!”

Joseph released a Pokeball, and a red Pokemon that looked like a dragon came out. It roared, and looked very powerful.

“No way, your Charmeleon evolved!” R.J. decided to look up Charizard in his Pokedex.

“Charizard, the Dragon Pokemon, the evolved form of Charmeleon, this Pokemon can shoot flames hot enough to melt boulders. It has been known to cause forest fires.”

“Sounds pretty tough,” Gordon noted.

“Okay Swellow,” Toby commanded, “Let’s try a Quick Attack!”

Swellow dove down towards Charizard at an incredibly high speed.

“Charizard, Fire Punch!”

Charizard drew back his fist. When Swellow was close, Charizard slammed a flaming fist right into Swellow. Swellow hit the ground.

“Now, Mega Kick!”

Charizard lifted one of his large feet and delivered a powerful kick to Swellow. Swellow flew back and hit its master.

“Swellow, return. Well, your Fire type is tough but it won’t be able to stand up against my Wartortle.” Toby threw a Pokeball onto the ground.

Joseph gave a hearty laugh. “We’ll just see about that.”

The Pokeball opened up, and a Pokemon that looked like a turtle came out.

“Okay Charizard, use Dragonbreath!”

“Dragonbreath?” R.J. was confused.

“Well, Charizard is technically a dragon,” Gordon told him, “Even though it may be a Fire and Flying type.”

Charizard took in a deep breath and shot out what looked like green fire. The green fire made its way towards Wartortle, where in engulfed it. Wartortle fell to the ground, shaking.

“Okay Charizard, time to use Iron Tail!”

Charizard flapped his wings and took flight. His tail began glowing. Then he flew over towards Wartortle, turned around, and smacked Wartortle with his powered-up tail. Wartortle flew into the air, then fell back down. This time, it was out.

“Err… Wartortle, return. Okay, it’s your turn, Linoone!”

After returning Wartortle to its Pokeball, Toby threw out another. It opened up to reveal Linoone, a Pokemon that looked like a weasel.

“Okay Charizard, time to turn up the heat. Flamethrower!”

Charizard took in another deep breath and released a jet of fire at his opponent. The fire hit, and burnt Linoone a little bit, but Linoone still stood its ground.

“Linoone, Headbutt!”

Linoone lowered its head, charged at Charizard, and rammed its head into Charizard’s belly. However, Charizard didn’t even seem to be hurt by the attack!

“Charizard, finish this battle off with Fire Blast!”

Charizard took another deep breath and shot out more fire from his mouth. This time, however, the fire formed into the shape of a star, and hit Linoone. Linoone fell to its side. There wasn’t even an attempt to get up.

“Well then, it seems that I won,” Joseph said with a smile. “Although you fought pretty well yourself.”

R.J. didn’t know who Joseph was kidding. Charizard destroyed all of Toby’s Pokemon. He guessed that Joseph was just saying it to be nice, like he always was.

“Hey, would you happen to know where the nearest Gym is?” Joseph asked Toby.

“Yeah, I was wondering the same thing.”

Toby thought for a moment. “Well, if you go north from here, you can reach Behick City, which has a Gym. And if you go west, you will eventually reach a dock where a ferry will take you to Lagoni Island.”

“Lagoni Island?” Several emotions went through R.J. when he heard the name. Nobody seemed to notice, however.

“Yeah. Well, see you around.” Toby turned around and walked away.

Joseph turned to R.J. “Hey, let’s let our Pokemon out for some exercise. Come on out guys!”

Joseph threw three Pokeballs, a Friend Ball, and a Great Ball onto the ground. The three Pokeballs opened up, and three Pokemon came out: Marshtomp, Persian, and a Pokemon R.J. could tell was the evolved form of Makuhita, Hariyama. The Friend Ball opened, and a menacing Scyther came out, with its large claws ready to attack. The Great Ball opened, and a Pokemon that looked like a small water beetle came out.

Gordon gasped. “Joe, that’s a Kabuto. I thought those were extinct.”

Joseph shrugged. “Apparently not. I caught this after it crawled out of a river. So, how about your Pokemon?”

“Right. Let’s go!” R.J. threw three Pokeballs and a Great Ball on the floor. They opened up, and R.J.’s Pokemon appeared before the Pokeballs bounced back to R.J.’s hands. Nicole followed by releasing her Jigglypuff, nd Gordon released his Marril and Kadabra.

Joe looked around at R.J.’s Pokemon. “Not bad. I see your Pidgeotto, Nidorino, and Girafarig are stronger. And this guy looks really strong.” Joseph walked over to Walrein.

“Wal! Wal!” Walrein clapped his front paws together, jolly as always.

“He’s friendly, too,” Joseph said, patting Walrein on the head.

Meanwhile, the other Pokemon spread out. Pidgeotto and Girafarig began talking with Charizard. Persian began to play with Marril and Jigglypuff. Nidorino sat down on the ground, away from the other Pokemon. Grovyle took the Pokemon he though might be able to play basketball (Kadabra, Hariyama, and Marshtomp) and tried to teach them to play. However, he did not have much success. Marshtomp could hold the ball, Hariyama couldn’t shoot, and Kadabra simply wasn’t interested.

“I guess your Kadabra doesn’t like to have much fun, huh Gordon,” Joseph joked.

“Yeah, my Kadabra is pretty serious, but he’s really powerful. I bet he could take on your Charizard.

Joseph gave a small laugh. “You never know.”

Frustrated, Grovyle decided to give up on teaching basketball to the others. But as he was turning away, he came face-to-face with Joseph’s Scyther.

“Sci!” Scyther bared his claws, looking ready for a battle.

“Gro!” Grovyle also got in attacking position. R.J. looked over and could see fire in both of their eyes. Suddenly, they lunged at each other.

“Hey, cut it out!” R.J. ran in between the two Pokemon, pushing them away from one another. “There’s no need to fight.”

“I wonder why those two seem to hate each other,” Gordon said.

Nicole thought for a second. “Well, Grovyle and Scyther both have rebellious attitudes. Because they both have that attitude, I think they view the other as a rival.”

“That makes sense,” Joseph noted.

After about an hour of the Pokemon playing with each other, their trainers returned them to their Pokeballs, and they decided to set out.

“Well, it was nice catching up with you, R.J.,” Joseph said.

“You too, Joe.”

“Well, I think we better so different paths and go to different Gyms, and after we get our last badge, we’ll meet up again in Zastor Town before the Jade Tournament. I think I’ll go to Behick City and you go to Lagoni Island, sound good?”

“Yeah. I guess.”

“Good. Well, I hope I see you soon. Good luck in your match, R.J.”

“You too, Joe.”

So the two friends went different ways, R.J. going west with Nicole and Gordon, and Joseph going north, both of them with hopes of a final badge.

[ThePhenom]

Nice chapter. Grovyle's got some hops. 8)

I'm thinking Scyther and Grovyle are going to battle each other in the Jade tourney.

Can't wait to see who RJ catches for his 6th Pokemon.

[DannyBoy]

That was a good chapter. Grovyle very good at baskey ball, I wonder why? That was one powerful Charizard, that will be very hard to beat. I am looking for the Scyther Grovyle battle if that happens, Grovyle might be evolved y then and make it good. Keep it up!

[SWAMPERT1]

that was a cool chapter. it will be awsome if in one of your chapters grv and scyther battle realy hardcore:yes:

[Mikey]

WoW I DID IT!! After reading this fic all day I have finally read every chapter and caught up!

Ok, I am tired as it's 3 AM, but i"ll comment. This is a really decent trainer fic. You have progressed as a writer throughout it as well. The battles have all been good, excpet they are on the short side a little, but still cool. RJ seems to be a really cool character, but I don't see much personality in Gordon or Nicole. They really need to start having a few chapters devoted to him, as I have tried to do with Jeff and Amanda in my fic. I don't just make it all about Mike, but it's still good. Just a suggestion. One more little comment is that you seemed to blaze through this league, on chapter 16 my character is only just getting to the 2nd badge while urs had 3 by then. It's not necessarily a bad thing,b ut it seemed sort of rushed. Overall this is a very good fic. I enjoyed reading it, and will continue too! Nice job R.J, keep it up!:yes: :yes: :yes:

[Dewgongtears]

That was one awesome chapter! Looks like Grovyle could do more than just battle and that Charizard looks really tough. Again a great chapter!

[Hanada Tattsu]

Nice chapter!

Seeing Joe again was nice, and Charizard is ruthlessly strong. Grovyle kinda reminds me of Ash's Charizard, and why is RJ so sensitive about Lagoni Island?

The part with Grovyle playing basketball was funny.

[RJdude]

Part 1 - Chapter 26

R.J. and his friends had just arrived at the dock that would take them to Lagoni Island. However, there seemed to be a problem.

“What do you mean the next boat doesn’t come until tomorrow?”

The man at the dock shrugged. “Sorry kid, all of the captains of the boats are taking a day off. But there will be plenty of boats going to Lagoni Island tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“So now what are we going to do?” Gordon asked.

“Let’s explore. Or surroundings seem like they would be interesting to go through. Maybe we’ll see some interesting new Pokemon. Besides, then we can camp out and catch a boat tomorrow.”

R.J. was right, the surroundings were nice. They were on a dock next to the sea, but not far was a small mountain, surrounded by a forest. Nicole and Gordon followed R.J. into the forest.

“There’s nothing much in here,” R.J. said, disappointed, after ten minutes.

“I told you!” Gordon said in a rather loud voice.

“Hello.”

“AH!”

A voice that seemed to come out of nowhere startled the three of them. They turned around to see a man and a woman hiding behind a bush. There were both wearing lab coats and glasses. The woman had long, curly read hair, and the man was bald.

“Who are you?” Nicole asked, still slightly shaken from the surprise

“My name is Danielle,” said the woman.

“And I’m Lou,” replied the man.

“Okay. Can we help you?” R.J. asked.

“Actually, you can.”

“Can you three fine youngsters help us find a shiny Larvitar?”

“Larvitar?” R.J. wasn’t sure what that was, so he checked his Pokedex. A picture of Larvitar came up. It looked almost like a small rock lizard. It had a horn on the top of its head, and was standing on its hind legs. It was green and had a red belly.

“Larvitar, the Rock Shell Pokemon, this Pokemon feeds on soil. When it has eaten enough, it falls asleep so it can grow.”

“Sounds pretty cool,” R.J. said. “But what’s a shiny Pokemon?”

Gordon opened his mouth to start talking. “A shiny Pokemon…”

“Hem-hem,” Lou said, interrupting Gordon. “I believe I am the expert on shiny Pokemon here, so I will answer your question. A shiny Pokemon is any Pokemon that has a different color to it then normal. It also has a nice glitter to it.”

“Is that all?” Nicole asked.

“Of course not. Shiny Pokemon are extremely rare. I believe only one out of every four million Pokemon born are shiny. Aside from that, shiny Pokemon are stronger, faster, and smarter then they would have usually been.”

“Sounds pretty cool,” R.J. said, raising a fist. “If there’s a shiny Larvitar here, I want to catch it!”

No, no, and no!” Lou screamed, waving his arms. “The only ones who are catching that Larvitar are me and Danielle! We saw it first, and we must do research on it!”

“We saw it on the mountain several days ago,” Danielle started. “We chased it down into the forest, but when we tried to battle it, it beat us pretty good. We have seen it in the forest several times since then and have battled it, but each time it beat us. But next time we see it, I know we can beat it. So will yo help us look for it?”

R.J. sighed. “Fine. There’s nothing else better to do.”

“Excellent. Let’s get started then.”

So R.J., Nicole and Gordon followed Danielle and Lou deep into the forest, in search for the rare Larvitar.

“Have you found it yet?” Lou’s voice called out.

“For the millionth time, no!” Gordon answered, annoyed. “We will let you know when we find it.”

They had spent an hour looking for Larvitar, and had no success.

“Hey, I think I see something,” Nicole said. She looked at the base of the mountain, and saw a Pokemon. R.J. and Gordon took a look. It was a Larvitar, although it was different from the picture R.J. saw on his Pokedex. Instead of being green, it was more of an olive color. Its belly was also purple instead of red. And it seemed to have a slight shine to it, as though it has just been polished.

“I think we found it!” Nicole called out. Excited, Danielle and Lou rushed over, and gasped at the sight of Larvitar.

“There it is!” Lou exclaimed.

“Yes, and it’s time to catch it. Baltoy, go!”

“Grimer, I choose you!”

Lou and Danielle both threw out Pokeballs. Danielle’s opened up to reveal a small Pokemon that looked almost like a clay owl. Lou’s opened up, and released a Grimer, a Pokemon that looked like a pile of goop.

“Okay Baltoy, attack!”

“You too, Grimer!”

Baltoy and Grimer each charged at Larvitar, ready to attack.

WHAM!

Larvitar lowered its head and rammed each of its opponents with its horn. Both of them fell back, badly hurt.

“Larvi! Larvitar then fled, running out of site.

‘Wow, that Larvitar sure is strong,” Nicole noted.

“Actually, I think Baltoy and Grimer are just really weak,” R.J. replied with a smile.

Danielle and Lou ignored them. “Our plan has failed! But not to worry, we have a backup plan! Come with us, children.” The two scientists returned their Pokemon and headed off into the woods.

All three of them gave loud sighed before following Lou and Danielle into the woods.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at a cabin in the middle of the woods.

“Is this your cabin?” Nicole asked.

“Indeed.” Lou opened the door, and the five of them walked inside. There wasn’t much inside. There was a table with several things on it, a portable refrigerator, and two beds. Lou walked over to the table. “Ah, here are the items we will use to capture that Larvitar!”

R.J., Nicole, and Gordon looked over. “You’re going to catch it with a cage and a water gun?”

“This isn’t any cage.” Lou lifted up the small cage. This is an electric cage. It gives a large electric shock to what ever is inside of it.”

“I hate to burst your bubble, but electric attacks won’t do much to Larvitar, seeing as how it’s a Ground type.”

“Danielle answered this time. “That’s what the water gun is for. It is a powerful water gun, first of all, and second of all, Larvitar is weak to water. We plan to use the water gun to not only weaken Larvitar, but to get it wet so the electricity can do its work. Water conducts electricity, you know.”

“That horrible!” Nicole exclaimed. “How could you harm a Pokemon like that just because you want to do some experiments on it?”

“Not our problem.” So Danielle grabbed the water gun, Lou grabbed the cage, and the two of them ran out the door.

R.J. sighed. “I feel bad for the thing. Even if it does get caught, it will have to spend time with those two loonies. Well, let’s just watch.” So with that, R.J. led Nicole and Gordon outside, where they followed the two scientists. Eventually, they led them to the same spot they saw Larvitar before. Danielle and Lou released their two Pokemon.

“Larvitar can’t resist a challenge,” Danielle told them. “It’ll come soon. And we’ll be ready.

An hour later, they haven’t even seen a glimpse of the rare Larvitar. R.J. and his friends were extremely bored. Suddenly, R.J. heard something. It was Larvitar, who was just walking by.

Danielle and Lou hid the water gun and the cage behind their backs. “Okay. Baltoy, Grimer, attack!”

Baltoy and Grimer both charged at Larvitar, ready to attack.

“Larvi!” Larvitar lowered its head and rammed into the two Pokemon. They both fell back.

“Hah” Suddenly, Danielle pulled the water gun out from behind her back, and began to squirt Larvitar with it.

“Larvi!” Danielle was right, the water gun was a pretty good one. The water was soaking Larvitar, hurting it.

“I’ve got you now!” Lou lunged forward with the cage, and slammed it down on Larvitar. The bottom of the cage closed, trapping Larvitar inside. Then, the inside of the cage began to cackle.

“LARVI!” The inside of the cage exploded with electricity. R.J. felt very bad for Larvitar, it seemed to be in a lot of pain. Then after ten seconds, the electricity stopped. Larvitar stood up for several seconds before falling down.

‘We DID IT!” At this, Lou and Danielle started to dance around, excited by their capture. R.J., Gordon, and Nicole began sweating. Then Lou picked up the cage.

“Time to go to your new home, Larvitar,” Lou said in a poisonously sweet voice. After returned their Pokemon to their Pokeballs, he and Danielle then headed back to the cabin. R.J. and his friends followed.

When they were inside the cabin, Lou placed the cage with the unconscious, shiny Larvitar on the table. Larvitar came to as soon as the cage was placed. Then Lou turned to R.J. “Thank you for you help young an.”

“Yeah… no problem.” Then he and his friends left, with Larvitar rattling the cage.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” R.J. told his friends as soon as they left the cabin.

“What do you mean?” Nicole asked.

“Well, those two went to any lengths to catch Larvitar, now what do you think they will do t it? I don’t think they’ll treat it very well.”

“Hey Nicole,” Gordon said, looking in through an open window. “I think R.J.’s right. You two should take a look at this.” Nicole and R.J. walked over to the window and looked inside.

“LARVI! LARVITAR!” Larvitar was shaking the cage, trying to get out, and was screaming while doing it.

“SHUT UP!” Lou stormed over to the cage. “You belong to us now. You are ours. And you will NOT escape.”

Danielle held up the water gun. “And if you make another beep, I’ll squirt you.”

Larvitar fell silent.

“We have to get him out of there,” R.J. said quietly to his friends. “I know how to break open that cage, but we need to get to the cage without them noticing us. Any ideas?”

“I do,” Nicole whispered. She took out her only Pokeball and opened it, releasing her Jigglypuff. “Jigglypuff, Sing! Everybody, close your ears!”

“JIG-A-LEE-PUFF! JIG-A-LEE!” The sound of Jigglypuff’s music carried through the open window, and within seconds, Lou, Danielle, and Larvitar were asleep. Luckily, R.J. and his friends had closed their ears, and were still awake. “Good job Jigglypuff, return.” Nicole recalled Jigglypuff, and the three of them opened the door to the cabin. R.J. made his way to the cage and shook it a little, waking Larvitar up.

“Hey there little buddy,” he said nicely to him. “I’m going to get to out of here. Just hand tight for a second, okay?” Larvitar seemed to listen to R.J. because he didn’t make a sound. “Grovyle, I choose you!” R.J. released Grovyle, his grass type. “Okay Grovyle, open up this cage, but keep it quite.”

“Gro.” With that, the leaves on Grovyle’s arms began to glow. With a couple a slashes of his arm, the cage broke opened, and Larvitar jumped out of it.

R.J. picked Larvitar up and carried him to the window. “Okay Larvitar, you’re free now. Make your way up the mountains and hurry, these people are going to look for you again. Try to avoid them.” And with that, R.J. pushed Larvitar out of the window into freedom. Then he stepped over the sleeping scientists and left the cabin with Grovyle, Gordon and Nicole.

But when he got outside, he was surprised to see Larvitar waiting for him outside.

“Larvi!” Larvitar seemed happy to see him.

“Hey there little buddy, I thought I told you to go? These people will wake up soon, and if hey do, we’ll both be in big trouble.”

Larvitar responded by pointing to one of the empty Pokeballs on R.J.’s belt.

“You mean you want to go inside a Pokeball, and you want to go with me?”

Larvitar shook his head. Then he pointed to Grovyle, and then to himself, and finally to the empty Pokeball.

“I think I get it,” Nicole said. “Larvitar wants to battle you. If you win, then Larvitar wants you to capture it.”

Larvitar jumped up and down, pointing at Nicole.

R.J. grinned. “Okay then. You ready, Grovyle?”

“Gro.”

“Okay then, Grovyle, Leaf Blade!”

The leaves on Grovyle’s arm began to glow. Then he ran at Larvitar, arms out, and slashed Larvitar with his leaves. A small cut appeared on Larvitar. It was hurt by the attack, but it was still up.

“Now, use Quick Attack!”

Grovyle rushed at Larvitar and slammed into him, sending him flying into a tree.

R.J. reached for an empty Great Ball. “Great Ball, go!” R.J. threw the Great Ball at Larvitar. When it hit, the ball sucked Larvitar into it, and began shaking, with the button on the front red. Then, to R.J.’s surprise, the ball burst open, sending Larvitar out. The Great Ball flew out of sight.

“Huh?”

“Just because you throw a Pokeball at a Pokemon doesn’t mean that it will catch it,” Gordon told him.

“Larvi!” Larvitar then rushed at Grovyle, lowered its head, and slammed his head into Grovyle’s stomach. Grovyle fell back a little.

“That was a Headbutt,” Gordon said.

“Okay Grovyle, use Leaf Blade!”

Grovyle’s arm leaves began glowing, and he charged at Larvitar. But Larvitar was prepared. He leaped high into the air, and when Grovyle was under him, he slammed his feet down on Grovyle’s head. Grovyle fell to the floor.”

“That was a Stomp,” Gordon informed.

“Grovyle, return.” R.J. returned Grovyle to his Pokeball. “Man, this thing really is strong. But it’s not invincible. Walrein, go!” R.J. threw his only Great Ball that had a Pokemon in it on the ground, and R.J.’s large Water and Ice type, Walrein came out.

“Wal! Wal!” Walrein clapped his front paws together.

“Okay Walrein, use Water Gun!”

Walrein took a deep breath and exhaled by shoot a very large jet of water at Larvitar.

“LARVI!” The water hit, and Larvitar flew back into a tree. The Water Gun had definitely done a lot of damage.

“Now, use Body Slam!”

Walrein charged. He flopped across the ground at Larvitar, then when he was close, lifted his upper body up and slammed it againist Larvitar.

“Larvi!” Larvitar was now in lots of pain. He could barely move.

R.J. reached for another Great Ball, but changed his mind. Instead, he reached for his only Ultra Ball. He really wanted this shiny Larvitar, but it was really tough and powerful, so he wanted to use a better Pokeball.

“Ultra Ball, go!” R.J. threw the yellow and black Pokeball at Larvitar. This one sucked Larvitar in, just like the Great Ball, and fell to the ground, the button red. It then shook. For five seconds it shook, but then the button turned white, and it stopped shacking.

“Yeah!” R.J. picked up the Ultra Ball. “I got a shiny Larvitar!”

“Wal-wal!”

An hour later, R.J. and his friends were on the edge of the forest, near the dock, setting up camp for the night.

“You should be really proud of yourself, R.J.,” Nicole said. “You just caught a really rare Pokemon.”

“I sure am,” R.J. said, holding up the Ultra Ball.

“So tomorrow we head for Lagoni Island, and R.J. can get his last badge!” Gordon exclaimed.

R.J. sighed. “I guess so.”

[Dewgongtears]

That was a cool chapter. SO R.J. caughta Shiny Larvitar which is cool. Those two scientists were pretty weird but I am glad R.J. took Larvitar away from them. Great Chapter!

[Mikey]

That was a decent chapter. I really liked how you gave Nicole a little more purpose in this chapter then a lot of the others, and the battle between Larvitar and Grovyle/Walrein was cool. Only thing I would half to say is that it seemed a little to easy to ge Larvitar away. Maybe them waking up as you went it would've been more exciting, but great chapter anyways!:yes:

[Hanada Tattsu]

Wonderful chapter!

Cool, so RJ got a Shiny Larvitar, it should do good for him in the league. Grovyle lost, but Walrein sure is strong. Those weird scientists are stupid, they prolly would have killed Larvitar to get what they want.

[DannyBoy]

That was a good chapter! A shiny larvitar is a cool new pokemon for R.J! I am glad he went back in and got it before they did weird things to it. Danielle and Lou are bad people I hope they wake up and find out its gone and then jump off a cliff! That would be funny to read about. Keep it up!

[SWAMPERT1]

coolios, R.J. got a shiny. It would be sweet if Tyranitar and larvitar fought each other.

[ThePhenom]

Nice chapter. RJ got a shiny Larvitar and didn't have to waste his Masterball. 8)

Can't wait for the next chap. :yes:

[RJdude]

Note: Most of this chapter is a flashback. You wcan tell when the flashback starts, because I put a ~~~ line at the beginning and end of the flashback. I just wanted to let you know just in case you see things that confuse you, such as the introduction of characters we already know, the fact that R.J. is 10, instead of 13, and the fact that R.J. is in school and not out exploring Moxto.

Part 1 - Chapter 27

It was the morning after R.J. had captured a shiny Larvitar, and R.J., Gordon, and Nicole were on the boat the S.S. Olivine, the ship that was taking them to Lagoni Island. It was somewhat far away, in fact, it was right near the edge of the Moxto region, and the boat trip would take several hours. They were at the side of the boat, looking out at the sea.

“So, Gordon, what do you know about Lagoni Island?” Nicole asked.

“A little bit. One thing I find interesting is that, even though it’s a part of Moxto, it doesn’t run on the same government.”

“What do you mean?”

Well, Moxto has a president who is elected every four years, and he, along with congress and stuff, passes bills and laws to make Moxto a better place.”

“Yeah.”

“But those bills and laws that are passed by the Moxto president don’t mean a thing in Lagoni Island, because they have their own government.”

R.J. was silent through the conversation. In fact, he hadn’t spoken a word all day. Something was bothering him, and both his friends noticed, but decided to leave him alone. He was just staring at the water.

“So then how is the Lagoni Island government run?” Nicole asked.

“It’s run by a queen,” R.J. said, speaking for the first time. “But although it’s called that, Lagoni isn’t a monarchy, the ‘queen’ is elected every five years. It’s a tradition they’ve had for centuries. But mostly, the queen just does what the president of Moxto does, only with a bit more power. The queen is also the Gym Leader of Lagoni Island.”

Gordon and Nicole stared at him. “How do you know that?”

“My mom. She grew up at Lagoni Island. And she was, a while ago, elected as queen. That’s where she met my dad. He was a trainer, and came here for a Gym match, and faced her, and they eventually fell in love. But she had me and resigned to take care of me, and they moved to Zastor Town.” R.J. sighed. “I’m going to my cabin. I need to think.” And with that, R.J. left and headed inside the boat towards his cabin.

“What’s up with him?” Nicole asked.

‘I don’t… wait, is today February 5th?

Nicole checked her watch, which had the date on it. “Yeah, why?”

Gordon slapped his forehead with his hand. “Of course! Nicole, today is the three-year anniversary of when R.J.’s mom died! She dies three years ago today.”

“Oh no! No wonder he’s so down today. And I’m sure that going to the place where she grew up isn’t making it easier for him. Do you think I should talk to him?”

“No, leave him alone. He’ll be fine.”

R.J. laid down on his small bed inside his cabin. He reached for his backpack, and pulled out the picture of his family. It was taken two years before Gina Moyan had died. They were such a happy family then.

“Why did you have to die?” R.J. asked out loud. He then remembered that dreadful day, three years ago…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“R.J.! Wake up! It’s time for school, honey!.”

R.J. opened his eyes to see his mother’s bright face. He saw that she was dressed for work at the Zastor Town hospital.

“Come on, R.J.”

“Fine, I’m up.” R.J. pulled his blanket off and jumped out of bed before stretching.

“Well, good morning.”

“You too, mom. Now can you please leave so I can get dressed?”

Gina gave a small laugh. “Fine. I’ll have breakfast for you when you get downstairs.” Then Gina left, shutting the door behind her. R.J. pulled on his clothes and headed downstairs.

When he got downstairs, sure enough, there was a Pop-Tart on a napkin on the table for him. His dad, Nick, was also sitting down, reading the newspaper. Gina was getting ready to leave. She grabbed her purse and began to walk out the door.

“Bye R.J., have a good day at school.”

“See you later. Say hi to Clefable.”

Gina had a pet Clefable that she had ever since she was a little girl. It usually stayed at the hospital to help out, but sometimes she would bring it home.

After his mom left, R.J. looked at the clock. “I’ve got to go to school, dad, see you later.”

His father turned to him. “Just wondering, you have basketball practice after school, right?”

“Yeah, thanks for reminding me. Well, got to go.” He grabbed his Pop-Tart and his backpack and ran out the door.

“Ten-year olds,” Nick said, turning the newspaper. “They’re always in a rush.”

R.J. closed the door behind him and started walking towards school. He jammed the Pop-Tart into his mouth, took a bite, and continued walking.

“Hey R.J., wait up.”

R.J. turned around to see one of his best friends, Joe, tying to catch up. Even though he was two years older then him, and in 7th grade (R.J. was in 5th), he still had some good times with him.

“Well, you’re looking happy this morning,” Joe said to him.

R.J. yawned. “Nah, just a bit tired.”

“Char.” Joe’s Charmander was walking behind Joe, following him to school.

Joe looked at his Pokemon. “Sorry pal, but you know the rules, no Pokemon in school.”

“Char.” Charmander gave a small moan before walking back towards his master’s house.

“So anyway, we have time, so want to pick up Gordy at the lab and we can go to hell, I’m sorry, school, together.”

R.J. gave a small laugh. “Fine by me.”

The two of them turned into another street and walked down it. Eventually, they came to the lab they have been to many times before. R.J.’s other best friend, Gordon, lived here, along with his grandmother and his grandfather, Professor Carl Tomford. R.J. and Joe liked coming here because Mr. Tomford would often give them lesson about Pokemon, which highly interested all three of them. R.J. and Joe always dreamed about leaving to train Pokemon, but their parents wanted them to stay in school. Mr. Tomford, on the other hand, encouraged Gordon to leave and learn more about Pokemon, but Gordon felt as though he still wanted to learn more about Pokemon before leaving.

R.J. rang the door. Mrs. Tomford answered it.

“Oh hello boys, what can I do for you this morning?”

“We’re just making sure Gordon doesn’t skip school.”

Mrs. Tomford gave a small chuckle. “He’ll be right out. Why don’t you come in?”

R.J. and Joe walked in. As soon as they got in, they saw Gordon’s Abra sleeping on the floor. They also saw Mr. Tomford, who was working on something that looked like a red Gameboy.

“Hello R.J., Joe, how are you doing?”

“Fine. We’re just picking up Gordon since he’s afraid to walk alone by himself,” Joe joked.

“He’ll be coming down any minute now.”

“Okay Gramps, I’m going off to school. Gordon walked down a set of stairs, backpack in hand. Then he saw his two friends. “Hey, what are you two doing here?”

R.J. shrugged. “We don’t know. We decided to come here, so we did. Any questions?”

“Nope.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

R.J., Gordon, and Joe walked out of the lab. R.J. wasn’t as tired now, and when he checked his watch he could tell that school wasn’t going to start for a little while, so they had plenty of time to slowly walk to school.

“I don’t get something, R.J.,” Gordon said. “How come you don’t have a Pokemon? I know your mom has a Clefable, but really, why don’t you?”

“Yeah, really. I mean, I have Charmander and Gordy here has Abra. Even Kevin has one, a Porygon.”

R.J. shrugged. “I don’t know. But I’m not leaving anytime soon, so I don’t think it matters. Although I would like a Pokemon.”

“With your luck, R.J. your first Pokemon is probably going to be something weak, like a Pidgey or something.”

“Hey, Pidgey may be somewhat weak, but they get better as they evolve.”

“If you say so.”

As several more minutes of walking they arrived at Zastor Middle School. It was a normal brick school, nothing special about it. R.J. opened the door to walk inside, but someone bumped into him along the way.

“Hey, watch where you’re going.”

R.J. angrily shot around. There he saw the most loathed kid in his grade, Kevin, a rich spoiled brat who often thought he was cooler then everyone else.

Kevin turned to him. “Well if it isn’t Moyan and his little friend Tomford. You know, you two should really not get in my way. I have places to go, you know, and I’m not going to let you two just stand there.”

“Hey!” Joe stepped in front of R.J. “Don’t mess with him, man.”

Kevin gave them all a dirty look before walking away. As much as he hated the three of them, he didn’t want to pick a fight with Joe, who was not only older, but tougher then him.

Suddenly, the bell that signaled the start of school rang. “Well, we better get to our homerooms,” Gordon said.

“Yeah, see you guys.”

They then separated, Joe going down to the 7th grade wing and R.J. and Gordon going down to the 5th.

School passed pretty quickly that day. It was most of them same stuff, lectures, quizzes, more lectures, lunch, reading and study hall. By the end of the day, R.J. was bored out of his mind. Finally, the bell that signaled the end of the school day rang.

“I’ve got some basketball practice,” R.J. told Gordon. “See you later.”

“See ya.”

R.J. ran down to the Gym, meeting up with Joe along the way.

“You know, we have a game againist Leavine City tomorrow, I heard they have a tough guard.”

“Yeah well, we should pull it off.”

Basketball practice, like the school day, was not full of surprises. The group of 8th, 7th, 6th, and 5th graders (R.J. was the only 5th grader on the team) just shot baskets, did drills, and prepared for the game the next day. They were all exhausted by the time the coach told them they could leave.

R.J. and Joe walked home together, talking about becoming trainers.

“Hey Joe, when did your parents say you can leave to train Pokemon?”

“When I’m thirteen.”

“Hey, same here. But that means you can get out of here on your next birthday, which is only a month away!”

“Aw come on, you know me. I wouldn’t leave you and Gordy to fend for yourselves. I leave when you do.”

“Thanks.”

Then they got to Joe’s house. “See ya, Joe.”

“Bye.”

And R.J. was left by himself, walking home. He got to his house, only to se his dad, who must have taken a day off, playing basketball on the driveway.

“Hey son, how was school.” Nick passed R.J. the ball.

“It was fine, same as usual.” R.J. lined up the shot and took it, getting the ball in the net.

“Yeah, school’s pretty boring. I dropped out in high school to become a trainer.” Nick got the rebound and shot the ball himself, getting it in.

“You did? Didn’t your parents care?”

“Probably not. My parents left me when I was little, so I was by myself. I went to school by myself, but I dropped out after a while to explore Moxto as a trainer. When I need to get my final badge, I ventured to Lagoni Island where I met your mom. We told you all about her and how she was their queen, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I fought her for a badge, and I won… I guess she was bitter at me for beating her because she seemed to hate me after that. But we eventually made up, and one night we… well, you’re too young for that, so I’ll tell you when you’re older. And with it comes a nice long talk.”

R.J. took a shot with the basketball. “Oh well, I can wait.”

R.J. and his father continued playing basketball for an hour. R.J. enjoyed having moments like this, bonding with his dad. Eventually they went in, and R.J. went upstairs to do his homework as Nick paid the bills. Then R.J. came down.

“Hey dad, shouldn’t mom be home by now?”

“Yeah, but I guess she’s working late tonight.”

R.J. decided to push it out of his mind and decided to watch some T.V. He was sure Gina would be home soon.

But several hours later, she still wasn’t home. Both Nick and R.J. began to worry. But eventually, the doorbell rang.”

“That must by Mom,” R.J. said.

“Yeah.” Nick got up and walked over to the door. “But I wonder why she rang the doorbell. She has a set of keys.” But when he opened the door, it wasn’t Gina, but Hope, a woman who worked closely with Gina. She had tears down her face and looked deeply troubled.

“Hope? What’s wrong?”

“Oh Nick,” she wailed. “There was a fire at the hospital.”

“A fire?” R.J. could tell that his dad was very worried. He was too, he felt his stomach twisting around.

“Yeah. And Gina got out all right, but then she went back in for a patient, and… oh Nick, she never came out! We think the fire killed her!”

Killed her?

R.J. felt sick. He couldn’t believe it, his mother was dead. He felt as though he was losing consciousness. The last thing he heard were the sobs of his father, and…


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“R.J.?” Nicole walked into the room. R.J. immediately jammed the picture back into his backpack. “How you feeling?”

“Okay, I guess.”

Nicole sat down on the bed. “You know, it’s perfectly okay to be upset about your mom’s death. I never even knew my family. But look at your dad. If what Gordon told me about your dad is true, then…”

“He lost it,” R.J. said, interrupting her. “My dad totally lost the will to go on after she died. He didn’t even care anymore, not even about me. The closest thing I had to a father after that was Mr. Tomford, who seemed to look after me a lot. But still, it’s like even though only one of my parents died, it seemed like the other one had gone with her.”

Nicole gave R.J. a hug. “Don’t worry. Besides, we’re about to dock at Lagoni Island, and you need to concentrate as much as possible if you want to win your final badge.”

“I guess you’re right.” R.J. picked up his backpack and he left with Nicole, meeting Gordon outside. Ten minutes later, the ship docked, and R.J. and his friends entered Lagoni Island. It was a beautiful island, full of trees, bird, and huts where people lived. But the one building that caught their eyes was the capitol building, a large white building.

“The capitol is not only where the queen lives, but where the senate meets,” R.J. told his friends. “And as my dad once told me, he Gym is also in there. So that’s where we’re going.

R.J., Gordon, and Nicole ran up to the Capitol and walked up to the door, where they met two guards.

“Please state your business,” one of the guards said.

“I’m a trainer, and I want a Gym match with the queen” R.J. told him.

“Very well. Please continue.” The guard stepped out of the way, and R.J. and his friends walked through the large doors.

“I wonder where the queen is,” Gordon said.

“Man, these place is big,” Nicole noted.

Finally, R.J. heard something across the hall. It was an open door, and R.J. could hear voices coming from it. He walked to the door and peeked in. There were three people in the room, two men wearing suits, and an important looking woman wearing a sundress. R.J. assumed this was the queen. She had her head turned, so R.J. couldn’t see her face. But then she turned her head slightly, and R.J. could see it. And when he did, his heart stopped beating.

It was his mother.

To be continued…

[ThePhenom]

Wow.

I can't picture it really being his mother. Maybe he was seeing things or maybe his mom had a twin sister or something. :yes:

[RJdude]

By the way, just to kep you wondering, what R.J. saw is the real deal, it's exactly who he thinks it is, but I'm not saying anything else.

[ThePhenom]

Now I'm thinking that the patient she saved was like the Queen or someone from Lagoni and Gina was transported to Lagoni after saving the person. :yes:

[Mikey]

Wow, this was a shocking and emotional chapter. You gave Nicole feelings, and that's good! :P I can't wait to find out what happens next!

[Dewgongtears]

Pretty good chapter. It was jammed packed with emtion that made it better. I can't wait to see what happens next when another chapter comes out. I will have to wait and see.

[DannyBoy]

That was a good chapter, finding out about RJ's past with his mother. The end was amazing to find out, that the gym leader is his mother! The next chapter will be amazing finding out what will happen and why she faked her death. But it makes me wonder did they ever find her body in the fire cause that would sya something if you mentioned that. Cant wait for the next chapter, keep it up!

[RJdude]

Originally posted by IloveX-TINA
But it makes me wonder did they ever find her body in the fire cause that would sya something if you mentioned that. Cant wait for the next chapter, keep it up!

In the very first chapter, it mentions they never found her body.

[RJdude]

I have FINALLY finished Chapter 28. I personally think that it is my best chaper ever, but it is very emotional, so watch out if you are sensitive and cry easily.

Part 1 - Chapter 28

R.J. couldn’t believe it. His mother was alive. Not only that, but she was queen of Lagoni Island! She seemed to take no notice of R.J. outside the room, though. However, their presence did not go completely unnoticed.

“Hey, what are you kids doing here?” Two guards, different then the two that let them in, had seen them, and one of them grasped R.J. tightly by the shoulder. “You kids aren’t aloud in here. This is private business of the queen, you can just walk in here. Let’s go.” He grabbed Gordon, and the other one grabbed Nicole, and they started dragging them away from the room.

“Let go of me!” R.J. screamed as he tried to get away.

All three politicians, including the queen, heard his scream and rushed out. “What is going on out…” but then the queen stopped as she saw R.J. She took a deep breath. “Let them go.”

Both guards realized the three kids, and R.J. faced the queen.

“R.J.,” the queen said.

“Mom.” R.J. didn’t know what to say. He was looking right at his mother, who was alive and well, when she had died exactly three years ago.

Neither of the guards, nor neither of the politicians, knew what was going on.

“My lady,” one of the guards said, addressing the queen the proper way, “Do you know this boy?”

The queen turned to him. “Yes. He is my son. I also know the other boy, he’s my son’s friend.”

All four men looked clueless. “But…”

“Please, all four of you, leave.”

“Yes, my lady.”

The two politicians walked over to the two guards and they turned a corner and went out of sight.

Gina turned to R.J. “It’s good to see you here, R.J.”

“Yeah… I’m glad to see you too, especially since you’re not supposed to be alive.”

Gina sighed. “R.J. there’s something I’ve been holding back for the last three years. I never expected you to come here. But nevertheless, it is time for you to know the truth. Come.” Gina turned and started walking down the hallway. R.J. followed her, his mind boggling over the possibilities of what was happening and what his mother was about to tell him. Gordon and Nicole and followed behind R.J. Finally, they got to a door. Gina opened the door, and R.J. looked inside. It was a huge bedroom, with paintings of what must have been former queens on the walls, a huge bed, and many more things was one thing in it that surprised him the most.

“Clefable?”

“Cle!” As soon as Gina, R.J., and his friends walked in, they were greeted by a friendly Clefable. Clefable looked at R.J., as though it recognized him, and then squealed happily, confirming that she knew him.

“Hey, nice place you got here,” Gordon said, looking around, but Nicole shot him a look.

“I think we’d better leave. Come on, Gordon.” Nicole and Gordon left the room, and Nicole shut the door on her way out.

Gina took a deep breath. “Okay, first can you please tell me what you’re doing here?”

R.J. lifted up his shirt slightly and showed her his belt holding his Pokeballs. “I’m a Pokemon trainer now. I have seven badges, so I came here for my eighth. But… what are you doing here? You died three years ago.”

“No, I never died. I… well, let me tell you the story. I love this island. This is where I grew up, and this is where I served as Queen. But three years ago, it was suffering from a bad economy, and the current queen was making a ton of bad decisions. I knew that I had to go back. But I also knew that your father wouldn’t allow it. He knew that you needed me, needed a mother.”

R.J. started to get sick. He had a bad feeling he knew where this was going.

“As much as I loved you and your father, I knew what I had to do, I just needed an opportunity. Then I got one. Three years ago, the hospital I worked out caught on fire. A nurse was handling a piece of equipment the wrong way, and it sparked, which caused the fire. Everybody got out safe, but I knew it was the chance I was waiting for. I needed to go back to Lagoni, and the only way I could do that was if everyone here thought I was dead. So I told them I was going back in the save a patient, even though they were all out. I went in and went out through a secret back door. For the next couple days, I hid in secret to avoid the world until I could get to Lagoni. Luckily, I told Mr. Tomford beforehand my plan, and he helped me a little bit. But before I left, I told him to keep an eye on you. I also had Clefable in her Pokeball at the time, that’s why she’s here now. I’ sorry, R.J., this must be hard on you, but it’s the truth, plain and simple.”

R.J. emotions took a sharp turn right then. He had gone from sorrow, to sickness, but now all of it was replaced with pure rage.

“YOU MEAN YOU ABANDONED YOUR FAMILY FOR SOME STUPID GOVERNMENT JOB?!” R.J. screamed. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“R.J., please…”

“DO YOU REALIZE WHAT I WENT THROUGH! AND WHAT DAD WENT THROUGH! DAD WAS A TOTAL WRECK AFTER YOU FAKED YOUR DEATH!” He lowered his voice slightly, but not by that much. “He barely cared for me after that. He loved you so much and almost gave up living when you supposedly died, and you do this to him?” He then turned around and started to leave.

“R.J., I know you’re mad, an I understand why, but I’m your mother, you can’t treat me like this.”

R.J. stopped just before reaching the door. “No mother would do this.” Then, still shaking from rage, he opened the door and left the room, seeing Gordon and Nicole outside the room.

“R.J., what’s…”

“Go away,” he snapped before rushing around the hallways to the door that led out of the capitol. When he left, and man wearing a long brown coat and a brown hat carrying a briefcase walked past him, but R.J. took no notice of him as he stormed out.

R.J. walked in pure rage, taking no notice of anything. Finally he came to the side of a house. “Damn it.” He slammed his fist into the way as though it were his worst enemy. He was mad. He was mad at his mom. He was mad at Mr. Tomford. He was mad at Gordon and Nicole. He was even mad at his dad.

But he knew that was wrong. His dad was a great man, he didn’t deserve to go through this. Just because his mom felt that her hometown was more important then her family doesn’t mean he had to suffer.

He needed to think, that was all. He needed to take in all that had happened today.


Meanwhile, a man wearing a brown coat and hat walked out of the Capitol. He pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and pressed several buttons.

“I planted the bomb, boss.” He said into the cell phone. “Now I’m getting out of here. I hope you pay me well for this.”

“You will get your pay,” a sinister voice on the other line replied. “As long as that brat of a queen is taken out, I’m willing to pay. It’s time to pay her back for what she did for me years ago.”


R.J. paced around the island, still thinking. He wondered if Gina had ever thought of him during those three years, had ever thought about her family. But now that he knew that she wasn’t dead, what was she going to do?

“R.J.!” R.J. turned his head around. He saw his mother half walking and half running towards him. Several people waved at her, and she small a small smile and waved back.

“R.J., we need to talk.”

R.J. sighed. “Look Mom, you…”

“R.J., will you please listen to me. I’ve thought about what you said, and I’ve decided to resign my position.”

“What?”

“You were right. I shouldn’t have done what I did. And next week, I’m, resigning and I’m going back to Zastor Town. I just need to get one more bill through, and then I’m done.”

R.J.’s spirit lifted slightly after hearing that. “You’ll have to explain this to dad, and he’ll be angry. But he’ll be happy to see you alive.”

“Yes, I’m not looking forward to that. But still, its what’s right.” Then a small smile appeared in the corner of her mouth. “But until then, I believe we have we have a Gym match. I want to see if you’re as good as your father once was.”

For the very first time that day, R.J. smiled. “You’re on.”

Gina and R.J. then walked back to the Capitol. On the way, R.J. told Gina about what she had missed.

“Nothing much really happened to me after you supposedly died. Dad was so depressed by it. He quit his job, sat on the couch and watched T.V. all day, and literally gave up living. It wasn’t until about seven months ago that he did something for me and let me leave to collect badges.”

“I never thought that your father would act that way. I knew he would miss me, but I never anticipated that happening.”

Finally, they arrived at the Capitol. They saw Nicole, Gordon, and Clefable outside, waiting.

“Come on guys, I’m going get my last badge now,” R.J. said to his friends.

Gina looked at him. “Don’t be too sure. I’m pretty tough, and don’t think I’ll go easy on you jus because you’re my son. In fact, I’m going to give it everything I got to push you to your limits.”

R.J. just smiled. “That’s the way I like it.”

When they got inside the Capitol, Gina led them through a hallway and they came to a door. She opened it, and they could see there were stairs that led down into the earth.

“The Gym is in the basement,” she told them. “Let’s go.” So Gina led the way into the basement, followed by Clefable, R.J., Nicole, and Gordon. They climbed down the steps until they reached a bridge that led into an arena. R.J. didn’t know what the bridge was for until he got a good look at the arena. It was fashioned like an island, with sand, rocks, and palm trees. There was also water surrounding the arena, which the bridge was for. R.J. also saw the usual ref and scoreboard.

Gina informed the ref of their battle, and took her place at the arena across from R.J. The scoreboard lit up with R.J. and Gina’s faces.

“There will be three Pokemon each, no time limit!” The ref shouted. “Let the battle begin!”

“Alright R.J., before I start, let me tell you that unlike most Gym Leaders, I don’t just use one type. And with that, Nosepass, I choose you!”

Gina threw a Pokeball into the air. In midair it opened up and released a Rock type Pokemon that looked like a statue with a big red nose. Its picture appeared on the scoreboard.

R.J. knew that for a Rock type he should use his Grass type, Grovyle, or his Water type, Walrein. However, he wanted to try something new.

“Larvitar, I choose you!” R.J. threw his only Ultra Ball onto the ground. It opened up, and R.J.’s newest Pokemon, Larvitar, came out. His body shined when he came out, as though he had just been polished.

“Isn’t this exciting?” Nicole squealed. “R.J. is about to win his final badge, and then he can enter the Jade Tournament.”

“Yeah, but who would have thought he would have to battle his own mother to get it,” Gordon replied.

“All right Larvitar, time for your first battle. Headbutt!”

“Nosepass, use your own Headbutt!”

The two Pokemon charged at each other, heads lowered. Then both Pokemon slammed their heads into one another. However, Larvitar, whose head was small then Nosepass’, flew back.

“That’s okay Larvitar. Now get up and try it again.

“Larvi!” Larvitar once again lowered his head and charged at Nosepass.

“You know what to do.”

When Larvitar was close enough, Nosepass lowered its head as much as possible, and when Larvitar was about to attack, Nosepass lunged forward and hit Larvitar with its Rock head, sending Larvitar to the ground.

“Err… Larvitar, Dig!”

“Larvi!” Larvitar then began furiously digging into the sand. He was actually very good at digging, within seconds, Larvitar was fully underground.

“Wait for it, Nosepass, it’s sure to come up at some point.”

R.J. hoped Larvitar could not only hear him, but also know where Nosepass was above the ground.

“Okay Larvitar, use Dig!”

Suddenly, Larvitar shot up out of the ground, right under Nosepass! Nosepass started tilting to one of its sides. Gina knew this was a problem. If Nosepass fell, it wouldn’t be able to get up.

“Larvitar, Stomp!”

Larvitar leaped high into the air and delivered a small but powerful kick. Nosepass then toppled over, unable to get up.

“No!” Gina screamed.

“Okay Larvitar, Headbutt!”

Still in the air, Larvitar pointed his head down towards Nosepass and dropped, hitting Nosepass hard with its head. Nosepass then closed its eyes, out cold. Its picture on the scoreboard darkened.

“Nosepass, return.” Gina pointed Nosepass’ Pokeball at it, and it returned into it as red energy. “Let’s see how you do againist this one. Go, Lombre!”

Gina released another Pokeball, and this one opened up, and a Pokemon that R.J. thought looked like a mixture between a frog, a duck, and a lily pad came out.

“You might what to watch out for this one R.J.,” Gina warned. “Larvitar is very weak againist both of Lombre’s types, Water and Grass.

“Larvitar can take it,” R.J. shot back.

“If you say so. Lombre, use Water Gun!”

Lombre took in a deep breath and shot a jet of water at Larvitar.

“Larvi!” The jet hit, and Larvitar took the full blast of the attack. Once the water had stopped, Larvitar fell on his back and fainted. His picture on the scoreboard darkened.

“I told you,” Gina taunted. She didn’t like treating her son like this, but she wanted to treat him like a normal opponent.

“Larvitar, return. Go, Nidorino!” R.J. returned Larvitar to his Ultra Ball, and threw out a regular Pokeball. This one opened up and released Nidorino, one of R.J.’s more experienced Pokemon. Nidorino rubbed its foot on the sand like an angry bull, waiting to attack. His picture appeared on the scoreboard.

All right Nidorino, Horn Drill!”

The horn on Nidorino’s forehead began spinning like a drill. He then lowered his head and charged at Lombre.

“Lombre, jump in the water!”

“Lombre!” With that, Lombre leaped to the side and dove headfirst into the water.

“Not this again,” R.J. growled, remembering his battle with Leigh. “All right Nidorino, be ready.”

R.J. and Nidorino both waited for Lombre to make its move. R.J. wasn’t sure what to expect.

“Okay Lombre, Water Gun!”

Lombre jumped out of the water across from where Nidorino was standing and launched another jet of water, this time at Nidorino, before dropping into the water.

“Nido!” The water hit him, and he fell to his stomach. He got up several seconds later, however. The blast had not hit him as hard as it hit Larvitar.

“How can I hit Lombre when it always goes underwater?” R.J. asked himself quietly. “I know! Nidorino, Thunderbolt!”

Electricity began to crackle around Nidorino’s body. “Rino!” Nidorino shot the electricity at the water surrounding the arena.

As soon as the electricity hit it, the water seemed to glow a vibrant yellow.

“Lombre!” Lombre crawled out of the water, and looked hurt. Nidorino had done his job.

“What?”

“Water conducts electricity, Mom.”

“Fine. Lombre, stay out of the water. We’ll find a different way to beat this Nidorino.”

“Lombre.”

“Okay Nidorino, try a Horn Attack!”

Nidorino lowered his head and charged at Lombre again. R.J. was sure this attack would hit, since Gina wouldn’t tell Lombre to go underwater again.

“Lombre, Hidden Power!’

Lombre glowed white for a second, then several white orbs began to surround Lombre. The orbs then fired themselves at Nidorino. They all it, knocking Nidorino backwards several feel.

“Nidorino!” R.J. cried.

“Okay Lombre, use Double Team!”

Lombre began to make copies of itself, and within seconds, there were twenty Lombre, all surrounding Nidorino in a circle.

“Nido?” Nidorino looked around, confused, wondering which one was the real one.

R.J. smiled. Normally, this move would scare most trainers, however he had dealt with it several times, and had also used it himself, so he knew what to do.

“Nidorino, Shock Wave!”

Electricity began gathering around Nidorino, just like before. However, this time, the electricity shot outwards in all directions. The wave hit all the Lombre, and all but one disappeared. The remaining Lombre looked stunned, and was wobbling around, trying to keep its balance.

“Nidorino, Horn Drill!”

The horn on Nidorino’s head began to spin again. Then Nidorino lowered his head and charged at Lombre.

“Lombre!” Nidorino made contact with Lombre, and it went flying through the air, landing on the ground with a thump on its belly. It tried to push itself up, but was successful. Its picture on the scoreboard darkened.

“Well, R.J., I wouldn’t have imagined that you would have gotten this far. But I don’t think you have what it takes to beat my last Pokemon. Let’s go, Clefable. Show him what you’re made of.”

“Cle.” Clefable, who had been standing next to Gina through the entire match, began to flutter her small wings. Then her feet lifted off the ground and she gracefully hovered into the arena. Her picture appeared on the scoreboard.

R.J. had mixed feelings about having to fight his mother’s Clefable. Although he didn’t want to hurt his old friend, he knew that she was very experienced, and he would have to use all that he had to beat her. “All right Nidorino, she may not look like much, but she’s tough.”

“Nido!” Nidorino again rubbed one of his front paws in the sand. He seemed more focused, and R.J. knew he could get through this.

“All right Clefable, use a Psychic attack!”

“Cle!” Clefable pointed one of her fingers at Nidorino, and what seemed to be blue energy surrounding him. Then suddenly, he was lifted several feet into the air and was thrown back into the wall.

“Nido…” Nidorino cried weakly. He was thrown back so hard a dent appeared on the wall where Nidorino had hit it. He fell forward and hit the ground, barely missing the water

“All right, Nidorino, use Horn Drill!”

The horn on Nidorino’s head began to spin. Then he lowered it, once again, and charged at Clefable.

“Clefable, Ice Beam!”

Clefable raised her arm. And soon as this was done, a small blue ball began forming near the top of it. Then, from the ball came any icy beam.

“NIDO!” The beam contacted with the charging Nidorino, and he fell to his stomach, barely hanging on.

“Clefable, finish this off with Pound!”

Clefable drew her fist behind her and charged at Nidorino. When near, she leaped up and swiped her fist across Nidorino’s face. He gave a hard breath before falling over on his side. His picture on the scoreboard darkened.

“Nidorino, return.” R.J. knew that he would have to beat Clefable with his own most experienced Pokemon. “Pidgeotto, I choose you!”

R.J. threw Pidgeotto’s Pokeball into the air. It fell and hit the ground, opened up, and released red energy. The Pokeball went straight back to R.J.’s hand, as always, and the energy formed itself into the shape of R.J.’s most loyal Pokemon, Pidgeotto.

Gina looked at her son’s Pokemon. “I can tell you’ve trained this Pidgeotto well. But it won’t be able to stand up to Clefable. Psychic!”

Clefable pointed a finger at Pidgeotto, and like Nidorino before him, he was thrown back hard into the wall.

“Pidgeo!” Pidgeotto was about to fall into the water, but with a flap of his wings, he was back in the arena.

“Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!”

Pidgeotto faced Clefable, drew in his wings, and swooped down towards Clefable.

“Clefable, Ice Beam!”

Clefable formed another blue ball at the top of her hand, then shot the icy beam at Pidgeotto, hitting him right in the stomach.

“PIDGEO!” Pidgeotto stumbled in midair.

“Come on Pidgeotto, use Mirror Move!”

Another blue ball began to form, this time right in front of Pidgeotto’s beak. Then the icy beam was shot, and this time R.J. was sure of a hit.

“Clefable, Light Screen!”

Before the Ice Beam hit her, a small shield formed in front of Clefable. The beam hit the screen and disappeared. Once the attack was over, the screen vanished.

“What? No!”

“Clefable, Thunderbolt!”

Electricity began forming around Clefable, like it did Nidorino. Then the electricity hit Pidgeotto.

He didn’t even scream. He just fell to the ground. He wasn’t out yet, but he knew there was no hope.

“Come on Pidgeotto, don’t give up. You can do this.”

Pidgeotto turned his head towards R.J., then remembered what R.J. had done for him in the time that they had known each other. In that short time they had become best friends, and Pidgeotto knew that R.J. would do anything for Pidgeotto.

Pidgeotto flapped his wings and flew off the ground. Then he folded his wings, crossing them in front of his body.

“Pidgeotto?” R.J. didn’t know what his Pokemon was doing.

Suddenly, Pidgeotto began to spin around in midair. The spinning caused wind to circle around him, collected sand. Soon Pidgeotto was inside of a sand tornado. Suddenly, a bright white light began to emit from the tornado.

“I wonder what’s happening,” Gordon pondered.

Then the tornado died down. Most of the sand fell to the ground, revealing a new Pokemon. It looked somewhat like Pidgeotto, only bigger. It also had long red and yellow feathers coming out of his head, looking like hair.

“Pidgeo!” The new Pokemon unfolded his powerful wings by flapping them to the sides, blowing any sand that was left.

“Pidgeotto evolved!” Nicole squealed.

“Pidgeot, the eagle Pokemon, the evolved form of Pidgeotto, this Pokemon can fly at very high speeds, it is known for skimming the surface of the water looked for prey such as Magikarp and Goldeen.”

A huge grin cam across R.J.’s face. “Yeah you evolved! I knew you could do it, Pidgeot. Now show that Clefable who’s boss.

Pidgeot looked at R.J. and winked. Then he tucked in his wings and flew straight down towards Clefable and hit her, causing her to fly into the air. R.J. thought it was a Quick Attack, except for the fact that Pidgeot moved so fast, even for being evolved, that he almost left a trail of smoke in his path, and the fact that he caused much more damage then a normal Quick Attack.

R.J.’s Pokedex clicked. “Extremespeed, this move is a powered-up version of Quick Attack, doing twice as much damage and going even quicker speeds. It is only known by an extremely small number of Pokemon.”

“That’s weird,” Gordon noted.

Nicole looked at him. “What is?”

Gordon turned his head to face her. “Pidgeot do not learn Extremespeed. I’ve never seen this before.” Then he turned back to the match.

Clefable got off the floor, a bit shaken, but still okay. “I guess you really have trained it well, R.J. But you still won’t win. Clefable, Ice Beam!”

Clefable formed another ball above her hand and shot it at Pidgeot.

“Pidgeot, Agility!”

Pidgeot disappeared from the spot he was in, avoiding the attack, and reappeared several feet away.

“Pidgeot, Extremespeed!”

Pidgeot tucked in his wings again and dove towards Clefable. R.J. could barely see him he was so fast, and he couldn’t help feeling pride that he raised a Pidgey all the way into a powerful Pidgeot.

“CLE!” Pidgeot hit Clefable, and she flew into the air and fell back. She was badly hurt, and could barely get up.

“Okay, time to finish this off. Pidgeot, use another Extremespeed!” Pidgeot tucked in his wings, prepared to attack.

“Wait!” Gina ran onto the field, picking up her injured Clefable. “All right, you win. I give up.” The scoreboard went blank.

“But I didn’t even beat Clefable yet!”

Gina smiled. “You don’t have to beat me. You’ve already proven that you are an excellent trainer, probably on par with your father.”

“But what about the…”

“Don’t worry, you’ll still get your badge. I’m sorry, don’t have one on me, but I’ll be able to get one very soon.”

Gordon and Nicole walked over to R.J. “Wow R.J., you did it. You’re about to get your eighth badge. You’re going to get to compete in the Jade Tournament.”

A thought that hadn’t crossed in mind hat day suddenly did: he was going to the Jade Tournament. Not only that, but for the first time in three years, both his parents would be cheering him from the crowds. He couldn’t feel any happier.

“Good job, Pidgeot. I’m very proud of you. Return.” R.J. recalled Pidgeot, but as soon as he did that, something he never expected happened.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!”

R.J. heard a deafening blast, and quickly covered his ears. “What was that?”

“Sounded like a bomb. Let’s go check it out.”

Gina, Clefable, R.J., Nicole, Gordon, and the ref all headed for the bridge, then crossed it and head up the stairs. Then the ref, who was leading the way, opened the door.

Flames were engulfing the capitol. And it was bad. Smoke and flames were everywhere, and R.J. didn’t know how he was going to get out.

“Come on, don’t breath in any smoke.” The ref lead the way, followed by Nicole, Gordon, R.J., and finally Gina and Clefable. R.J. felt the heat pressing on him.

“Ah!” He heard something behind him, and saw that his mother had fallen. She seemed to have a tough time getting up.

“Gordon!” R.J. called ahead. His friend turned around, and R.J. took off his belt and threw it to him. He caught it.

“Take my Pokemon and use them to doze to flames when you get outside. I’ll be right with you.

R.J. ran back towards his fallen mother. He had lost her once, there was no way in hell he was going to lose her again.

R.J. helped his mother up. “Come on, let’s go.” Suddenly, a wall of flames shot up, separating R.J., Gina, and Clefable from the ref, Nicole and Gordon, who were just about to exit th door towards safety.

“Crap…. Mom, do you know another way out of here?”

“Yes, but we have to hurry.”

Gina, Clefable, and R.J. then turned around and walked inside of the capitol, searching for the way out. But now the heat was really getting to R.J.

Gina looked at him, worried. “R.J.?”

But suddenly, he felt himself falling, nd then he saw the darkness….


“R.J., wake up! Come on R.J., please wake up!”

“Huh?” R.J. opened his eyes. He was on a bed, it what seemed to be a hospital of some kind, possible even the Pokemon Center. He saw Nicole, Gordon, and a balding doctor next to his bed. He looked at Nicole’s watch. It read 10:48 PM, February 3rd.

“Where am I? What happened?”

“You’re in the Lagoni Island Pokemon Center,” the doctor answered. “You collapsed from the heat inside that fire. Luckily, the Queen managed to get you out, and you are only suffering very minor burns.

“Mom,” R.J. said quietly to himself. “Where is she now?” R.J. asked. “An how is she?”

The doctor look worried. “It was very hard for her to get you out. If she didn’t try to get you out, she could have easily escaped from the Capitol without harm. But since she was trying to get you out, it slowed her down. She got burnt very badly, and is in critical condition.”

R.J. heart stopped beating for the second time that day. His earlier dream of his entire family being together to watch him at the Jade Tournament was fading. Sweat dripped down his face. Before he knew it, he leaped off of the bed.

“Where is she?” He asked the doctor, worry in his voice.

“R.J., please, you need to rest.”

“Where is she?” R.J. asked again, this time anger replacing his worry.

“”She in a room down the hall and to the left.”

“Thank you.” R.J. ran out the door. “This is all my fault,” R.J. said to himself. “If she didn’t have to get me out of there, she could have gotten out without harm.” But as he started running towards his mother’s room, he couldn’t help but notice her Clefable on a table with Nurse Joy next to it, looking badly burnt. R.J.’s curiosity made him go over to her.

“How is she?” R.J. asked Joy of Clefable.

Joy sighed. “She’s dead. She was too badly burnt.”

“I see.” R.J. felt bad about this, since he knew his Clefable ever since he was a small child, but then he remembered what he had left his room for and continued running down the hallway.

Finally, he reached the door. R.J. took a deep breath, knowing that he wasn’t going to like what he was about to see. All of his early memories of him with his mother, and more importantly, his complete family, were running through his mind. Then he opened the door, and saw his mother.

She was lying down in a bed, just like he was several minutes ago. And as the doctor had told him, she was very badly burnt. Her arms were black and red, and R.J. could hardly recognize her face. She was wearing hospital clothes, instead of the sundress. What was left of the sundress was on the floor.

R.J. saw a chair in the corner of the room, and ran over and pulled it over to the side of the bed. Then he sat down and grabbed his mother’s hand.

“R.J.,” she said softly. She squeezed R.J.’s hand.

“Hey mom, I’m glad to see you’re okay. You… well, today, I was mad at you for what you did, and even after you told me you were going to resign, I wasn’t sure if you really cared for me. But then… you did this.”

Gina smiled. “Just wondering, do you know what happened to Clefable?”

“She’s dead Mom. I’m sorry.”

“That’s unfortunate. A least you’re okay.” A sad look came across her face. “I’m not going to make it. I’m too badly burnt.”

R.J. had a bad feeling that she was going to say it, but still, the words coming from her mouth hit him hard. “Oh come on, don’t talk like that. You can make it through this.”

Gina shook her head. “No, I won’t. But I’ve seen my son grow up, that’s all that matters. I can go in peace now.”

“What?”

“R.J., you’re becoming a man, and a good one too. You’ve grown up, not only in your actions, but also in your thoughts and feelings. And even though I missed out on the last three years of your life, what I’ve seen today has convinced me that you’re ready for the world. Not only that, but you have become a very good Pokemon trainer. You’re battle today was the best I’ve ever had. I’m glad to see Mr. Tomford taught you well.” She squeezed tighter. Then with her other hand, she reached over to a table next to the other side of her bed, and picked up an envelope. “Here, take this.” R.J. took it with his free hand. “Inside is the Island Badge, the official Lagoni Island Badge. Your father won the same thing from me many years ago. If I am correct, you should have eight badges now. That’s enough to get you into the Jade Tournament. I just sorry I won’t be there to cheer you on.” A tear came down Gina’s face.

“Mom?”

“Before, I die, just know that I love you and your father very much.” Then she her voice was slowing down, and R.J. knew it was almost time. And…one...more…thing. You…have…a…twin.”

“A twin? I have a twin? Who is he, where is he?” Many questions were going through his mind right then, but he cleared it out of his mind when he saw his mother slowly close her eyes. Then, when her hand fell out of R.J.’s and slumped to the side of the bed, he knew that his mother’s journey had ended.

R.J. felt a hot tear dripping down his face.

“No.”

R.J. quickly wiped the tear away and stood up. His mother told him that he was growing up, that he was becoming a man. He had to act it. No more tears. Then he remembered the envelope, which was in his hand. He opened it and let the Island Badge drop into his hand. It was a blue circle with a smaller green circle inside of it. He stared at it for several seconds before closing his hand and clutching the badge tightly. This was his eighth badge, the final key into the Jade Tournament. He knew that, with his mother’s final gift, and he would enter the Jade Tournament, and with his family, friends and Pokemon, including his newly evolve Pidgeot, behind him, along with his mother watching him from above, he would prevail.

[DannyBoy]

That was a really good chapter! The whole time I was reading this I was thinking, she is going to make it, wait no...shes not going to, no, she is....and then finally with the sad ending. It went from wow, to uh oh with the bomb, to happy, will they get out?, and finally sad. All of that in one chapter is a lot and you did it really good. I liked Pidgeot evolving to and that R.J. used Larvitar instead of Grovyle and Walrein. And about before, I never really read the other chapters, I just started right where you were when I started to read and post here so...thats why. But, Keep it up!

[Zee Sage]

I just read the entire story today and I have to say its really good, I mean really good. The last chapter was really happy/sad. I guess Gina likes dieing cuz she already did it twice only the second time for real. Anyway I can't wait for the Jade Tournament and to see his twin.

[Mikey]

*balls his eyes out* No, but it was pretty sad. The whole time you think his mom is back in his life and everythings happy, then some stupid bomb destroys them. Wow, I've never seen a Pokemon die in a fic, poor Clefable. Great chapter, a little sad, but still great.:yes:

[RJdude]

Just one thing I want to make clear: none of the stuff involving R.J.'s family is based off of my family life. R.J.'s parents in the fic and my real parents are completely different, different personalities and everything, not to mention neither of them are dead. Their names aren't even close to being the same. Just to give you a heads up.

Oh yeah, And I'm going on a short vacation, not to mention I only have a couple weeks of summer left, so you may not be getting a whole lot of chapters in the coming week. Just to let you know.

[Hanada Tattsu]

Oh my God, RJ, you have proven yourself as a master writer. You have proven yourself as a writer who can make someone smile and cry at the same time. I applaud you.

That's the best chapter yet, in fact, it's some of the best writing I have ever seen. The way RJ and his mother reacted toward each other really was the climax for this story.

Keep it up!

[RJdude]

Part 1 - Chapter 29

It had been a week since his mother’s passing, and R.J. was still looking depressed by it. Gordon and Nicole didn’t know what to say to him, but he still seemed to be taking it all right, he just wasn’t talking much.

There was a funeral for Gina three days after her death. R.J. went to it, but hung out in the back. The only people who spoke at her funeral were people who worked with her, such as her personal assistant and several senators. Nobody took any notice of R.J., nor did they even stop to think he was her son.

However, Lagoni Island had decided to keep to death quiet. They didn’t feel that the rest of the world needed to know about it. This made R.J. feel better. He didn’t want his dad to open up the newspaper and find out that his already “dead” wife had died. Lagoni Island was planning an election for the new queen in a week, but R.J. didn’t want to stay around that long to witness it. He, Gordon, and Nicole were boarding a flight on a small plane to Leavine City with Gordon and Nicole, and from there they would go to Zastor Town, R.J.’s home.

Once the plane was in the air, R.J. took out the case that held his badges and opened it up. There he saw all eight of his badges: the tree-shaped Forest Badge, the eye-shaped Spook Badge, the foot-shaped Karate Badge, the whirlpool-shaped Whirlpool Badge, the flame-shaped Ember Badge, the mountain shape Frost Badge, the lightning-shaped Zap Badge, and his most recent addition, and his final badge, the Island Badge. These were the keys to the Jade Tournament, the final point for all trainers in Moxto. He couldn’t believe he had gotten this far, but he thought about the events that happened during the course of his adventure, but quickly turned his mind to other things.

His mother’s death had opened up two things for him. The first one was the person who had laid the bomb. He didn’t have any clue about who it was, but he knew that whenever he found whoever was responsible, that person would pay. The second thing was the fact that he had a twin. His parents had never mentioned this to R.J., and know that he knew, he wanted to search for his twin and find him, wherever he was.

Then R.J. realized something else. “Guys, my mom died three years ago, okay?”

“What?” Gordon was confused, but Nicole seemed to understand.

“I don’t want my dad to know that my mom was alive all this time, but just died a week ago. That’ll kill him. I’ll tell him when the time is right, but not now.” Gordon and Nicole nodded.

They spent several minutes in silence. “Guys, I‘m sorry. I shouldn’t be treating you this way, you don’t deserve it.”

“It’s perfectly okay,” Nicole reassured him. “You’re going through a rough time, we understand that.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it.”

“Thanks guys.”

The three of them waited in silence for the rest of the plane trip. Then the plane landed at the Leavine City Airport. R.J. and his friends got off the train and left the airport.

“I’m hungry,” Gordon complained, as usual.

“Fine, we’ll get something to eat. But first, I want to say hi to an old friend.”

R.J. led his friends into the forest outside of Leavine City, where they soon came to a tree house. Sitting on top of the tree house was a young man with strange green hair. This was Rass, the Leavine City Gym Leader.

“Hey Rass, how are you doing!” R.J. called out.

Rass looked down and squinted. “R.J.? Is that you?” Rass climbed down to tree house to greet R.J.

“Wow, it’s been quite a while since we last met. I remember our battle very clearly. That was one of the best matches I’ve had.”

Nicole look stumped as to who this man R.J. was talking to was. And Gordon just looked clueless.

“Oh yeah, these are my friends, Gordon and Nicole,” R.J. told Rass. "Guys, this is Rass, the Leavine City Gym Leader. I won my first badge from him.”

Rass turned to Gordon and Nicole, and then to R.J. “Say, how about a small battle right now, just for some fun. I’ve gotten a lot stronger since our battle.”

“Well so have I, and I accept your challenge. I’m going to have to train for the Jade Tournament anyway, so I might as well start now.”

“Great. Let’s go to the Gym then, we can have our battle there.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Fine, but I want food after this,” Gordon commented. The other three decided to ignore him.

Once inside the familiar Gym, R.J. and Rass took their places, facing one another forty feet apart. Gordon and Nicole stood at the side.

“Let’s make this a 1-on-1 battle.”

“Fine by me.”

“All right then. Venusaur, I choose you!”

Rass threw a Pokeball out onto the field, which immediately opened up and released red energy. The energy shaped itself into the figure of a Pokemon, which appeared on the field.

“I see your Ivysaur has evolved,” R.J. shouted to Rass. “But I’m sure my Girafarig can handle it. Go!”

R.J. grabbed one of the Pokeballs from his belt and threw it onto the field. It opened up, revealing R.J.’s Psychic type, Girafarig.

“Hmm… interesting. Venusaur, Solarbeam!”

Venusaur pointed the huge flower on its back at Girafarig, then started to gather sunlight from all of the open windows. Then it fired a large beam at Girafarig.

“Girafarig, Double Team!” R.J. commanded. He hoped that it would work, or else Girafarig was going to be hit very hard.

Girafarig closed his eyes, and several seconds later, right before the beam hit, Girafarig split into four separate Girafarig. The beam hit one of the four, and the beam along with the Girafarig vanished.

“Very clever. But it won’t be enough. Venusaur, Vine Whip!”

Three large green vines blasted out of Venusaur’s back and lashed out at the remaining three. Two of the vines hit, and their targets disappeared. However, the final vine hit, and its target remained solid.

“GIRAFFE!” Girafarig cried.

“Venusaur, wrap Girafarig up with your vines!”

“Venusaur!” Venusaur directed all three of its vines at Girafarig, and binded Girafarig with them, before lifting Girafarig up into the air. He could hardly move.

“Girafarig, Psybeam!”

Girafarig opened his mouth and shot a multicolored beam at Venusaur. It hit it square in the face, and, in pain, it loosened its vines and dropped Girafarig.

“Now, Confusion!”

Girafarig closed his eyes, and suddenly, Venusaur was lifted off the ground. Then, with a small flick of Girafarig’s neck, Venusaur went flying back into the wall, where it slid down.

Rass looked at his fallen Pokemon and smiled. “You fought a great battle Venusaur. Take a good rest.” Rass pointed Venusaur’s Pokeball at it can recalled it.

“Great work, Girafarig. You return too.” R.J. pointed Girafarig’s Pokeball at the out-of-breath Pokemon and recalled him as well.

Rass walked up to R.J. “Well it was good seeing you again.”

“You too. Well, we better go now.”

“Have a safe trip.”

R.J. walked out of the Gym, followed by Gordon and Nicole. “Well guys, we’re heading home.”

“Can’t we eat first?” Gordon begged.

“We’ll eat when we get there. Come one.”

“Why doesn’t anyone care about how hungry I am?” Gordon pouted before catching up with R.J. and Nicole.

After leaving Leavine City, R.J. and his friends were on a short road that led into Zastor Town. R.J. remembered this road. It was not only where he caught his Beedrill, be where he had helped a young trainer beat his rival in a Pokemon match. He had so many memories from his journeys, but he was looking forward to coming home.

Finally, after fifteen minutes of more walking, they arrived at Zastor Town. R.J. looked around and saw the roads that he had walked on many times before, and memories of his earlier days here flooded him.

“Where should we go first?” Nicole asked.

“Let’s go to Mr. Tomford’s lab. He’ll probably have some information on the Jade Tournament.”

“Great, then can we eat?” Gordon begged. Again, R.J. and Nicole ignored him.

R.J. led his friends through the streets of Zastor Town until they came to the lab. It looked like any normal lab, except there was a very large backyard where Mr. Tomford did his research.

R.J. walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. They waited several seconds, and Mrs. Tomford answered the door. “R.J.? Is that really you? Wow, it’s so great to see you back. An I’m glad to see you’ve been taking care of my grandson, and it’s great to see you too, Nicole.”

“Thank you.”

Well, everybody’s out back, if you want to meet up with them there. And your father is here too, R.J. I’m sure he’ll be very pleased to see you. Well, the cookies I was baking are done now, so I’ll just get them out of the oven and meet you out back. See you there.”

“Bye.”

Mrs. Tomford closed the door, and R.J. walked around to the gate that was surrounding Mr. Tomford’s large backyard. However, it was padlocked, as Mr. Tomford usually left it.

“You know the code, go ahead,” R.J. said to Gordon. Gordon stepped forward and switched the numbers into the correct combination, then pushed the door open.

When R.J. walked into the backyard, he saw several things that made him happy to be home. The first of which was his Beedrill, who was, as usual, flying around like he ha eaten a ton of sugar. Then he saw two small Pokemon, and Elekid and a Magby running through the grass, and an old man, Mr. Tomford, chasing after them, with a happy yet angered face. Then he saw, sitting in a chair, looking up at the sky, his father, Nick.

“Dad!” R.J. exclaimed. Nick immediately shot his head towards R.J. and stood up. “R.J.?”

R.J. rushed over to his dad and hugged him. “Yep, it’s me. I’m home now.” A huge smile came across Nick’s face.

“Elekid!”

“Magby!”

R.J.’s two baby Pokemon took notice of R.J. and ran towards him happily. R.J. dropped to his knees and extended his arms out, hugging his Pokemon. “Hey, it’s great to see you again. I see you’ve been good boys for Mr. Tomford.”

Mr. Tomford then walked up to them, panting. “R.J., it’s great to see you back. I haven’t talked to you since Christmas.” He turned to Gordon and Nicole. “And it’s good to see you alive and well, Gordon. And it’s good to see you too, Nadine.”

“It’s Nicole,” she grumbled through her teeth.

Just then, Mrs. Tomford walked out, holding a plate of freshly baked cookies. “Cookies anyone?” R.J. grabbed a cookie broke it in half, and gave one half to each Elekid and Magby before taking one for himself. Everybody else each took a cookie.

“So R.J., I assume the reason you’re here is because you have obtained eight badges correct?” Mr. Tomford asked.

“Yep.” R.J. jammed the cookie into his mouth, took off his backpack, and took out the case that held his badges. He opened the case and showed all eight badges to them.

“Very impressive. You have come a very long way in such a short time.”

Nick squinted at the badges. “Is that a Lagoni Badge?”

R.J. had been dreading this moment all day. Now he knew he would have to tell, and…

“That was my eighth badge,” Nick finished. “I met your mother there.” Then he fell silent and stared up at the sky.

“R.J., may I have a word?” Mr. Tomford asked.

“Sure.”

Mr. Tomford led R.J. inside, and shut the door.

“R.J., since you were just at Lagoni Island, there’s something I need to tell you about your mother…”

“I already know. She faked her death three years ago, but died for real last week. I was with her when she died.”

“Well then, I guess there’s nothing to tell you then. But I know this must be hard on you, as well as your father.

“Does my dad know?”

“No, he doesn’t. But on a lighter note, you can now enter the Jade Tournament. I’ll explain it to you and Joseph in about an hour.”

“Joe’s here?”

“Yes, he arrived yesterday, also with eigth badges. He is with his parents right now, but I called him and asked him to come over right before you got here, so he should be here soon. Well then, let’s go and join the others.”

R.J. and Mr. Tomford walked outside to see Gordon, Magby, and Elekid scoffing down the cookies. Then they heard a knock at the gate.

“That must be Joseph, I’ll get it.”

Mr. Tomford walked over to the gate and opened it. Sure enough, it was Joe. “Hey Mr. Tomford, how’s it going?”

“Fine, thank you. Since R.J. is here, and he also had eight badges, I thought I might want to explain the Jade Tournament to you two.”

“R.J.’s here?” Joe looked over Mr. Tomford’s shoulder and saw his old friend. “Hey R.J., haven’t seen you for a little while.”

“You to.” R.J. walked over to join Mr. Tomford and Joseph.

“Well, now that you have eight badges, you can now qualify for the Jade Tournament, the famous tournament held every year for the best trainers in Moxto. It is like most other tournaments where you must win your matches againist other trainers to proceed, and if you lose you’re out of the tournament. And of course, the final two trainers left will face each other in the finals, and the winner of that match is the winner of the whole tournament. The Jade Tournament is held at Edveren Isle, which is not far from here.

R.J. made a determined fist. “Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

Mr. Tomford cleared his throat. “R.J., the tournament doesn’t start for a month. But that’s a good thing. Now you two can train your hardest, and if you train as well as I know you can, then I’m sure both of you will make it very far in the tournament.”

R.J. and Joseph looked at each other. “Are you ready for the training?” R.J. asked his friend.

“You bet. How about you?”

“Of course.”

[Hanada Tattsu]

Nice chapter! Not a whole lot happened, but that's all right. Hmm, so R.J. is finally going to enter the Jade Tournament, and it was nice to see Beedrill, Elekid and Magby again. Joe is becoming less friendly to R.J. for a reason, and poor Gordon, LOL, he's always hungry. There's something mysterious about Nicole, I dunno. Nie to see Mr. Tomford, Mrs. Tomford, and Mr. Moyan again, and Ross made a cameo, his Venusaur was strong, but Girifairig finally batttled.

Nice chappie!

[Mikey]

Good chapter, not one of your best but good. There wasn't much action and the battle with Rass seemed a little pointless and rushed. Besides this is was a fun read. Seeing Beedrill again was cool, and Magby and Elekid were cool too. Hope they get some battles in the league.

[Dewgongtears]

Those two chapters were great. You have really learned to write very good and you have excellent talent. I would have never thought any of this would have happened but it did and it was good. Great chapters!

[RJdude]

Here's my last chapter for a while. I'm starting High School tommorow, so there' no way I'm going to be able to get a ton of free time. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can, but don't expect it to be as soon as you think.

Part 1 - Chapter 30

One month later…

R.J.’s breath was heavy. He was out of breath, but he had never been in better shape in his life, with the training he had gone through. His Pokemon, who were running and flying beside him, were also in great shape. He had felt as though he had done a great job training them.

Although they were all trying to run at the same pace, it was very hard for them. Pidgeot and Grovyle were too fast to even try to stay behind with the rest, Walrein could only flop across the ground, which slowed him down, and Larvitar’s small legs kept it behind the others. Only Girafarig and Nidorino could run in the same pace as R.J.

Finally, R.J. and his team arrived at their final point in their daily run, the Tomford lab. R.J.’s Beedrill was wildly flying around in the sky, and his Elekid and Magby had their backs up againist a tree, snickering and drawing something into the ground with a stick. Nick, R.J.’s dad, was sitting in a chair, looking blankly into space, Nicole and Gordon were playing cards, and their Jigglypuff and Marril were on the ground playing. Mrs. Tomford was also outside, holding a tray of lemonade. She handed a glass to R.J.

“Thanks.” R.J. took the glass and quickly gulped most of it down. “Ah, that hits the spot.”

Then he saw Joseph, along with his team of six Pokemon, arrive at the lab from their own exercise he also took a glass.

“Thank you.”

“Anytime, boys,” she replied with a smile before walking inside.

“So, I’d say we’re both ready for the Jade Tournament,” Joe said to R.J.

“Yep. Especially you.” R.J. meant that truthfully. Also Joe’s Charizard was his most powerful, he had a Swampert, a Persian, a Hariyama, a Scyther, and a Kabutops, all of which were very powerful. But R.J. knew that his Pokemon could hold their own in a fight as well, he was very confident in them.

Then Mr. Tomford walked out of the lab. R.J. and Joseph each took their glasses and began drinking what was left in it.

“R.J.? Joseph? What are you two doing here? You two need to head off for Edveren Isle! Registration for the Jade Tournament is today, and right after that you take a boat to Edveren Isle to start the Jade Tournament!”

R.J. and Joe each spit out their lemonade. “IT STARTS TODAY!”

“Yes, yes, you must hurry, there are only 32 spots available in the tournament, and if they sign up before you, you can’t get in! It’s a good thing you two packed your bags for the Jade Tournament and left them here. I’ll go get them.” Mr. Tomford rushed inside. As soon as he did, Nick started to see that things were getting panicky, as did Nicole, Gordon, and the two babies. R.J. and Joe each quickly returned their six Pokemon to their Pokeballs, and Nicole and Gordon did the same to Jigglypuff and Marril.

Then Mr. Tomford ran outside, holding two backpacks. “Here you go. I believe you have all the stuff you need for the next week, a toothbrush, water, your nightwear, and so on. And your badges are also in their. You’ll need them to register. Now go. Me, your father, Gordon, and Nikka will join you once the battles start, we can’t go their until then.”

Gordon and Nicole walked towards them. “Wait, can me and Nicole go?”

“Well, like I said, only trainers can go there for the opening ceremonies, but hang on.” He took a piece of paper and a pen from his pocket, tore a small piece of the paper off, and scribbled something one the smaller piece. Then he gave it to Gordon. “Here, show this to whoever is there, and they’ll let you on the boat. The dock that you’re looking for is just west of here. It should take you about a half hour to run there. Now go!”

“Wait!” Nick walked up to R.J. and clamped his hands on R.J.’s shoulders. “You can do this, R.J., I believe in you.” Then he smiled. “Now go and kick some butt.”

R.J. just smiled before turning away and joining his three friends and running west towards the Jade Tournament.

After running for fifteen minutes, they were all out of breath. “Well never make it in time,” R.J. gasped.

“Wait, I have an idea. Kadabra, go!” Gordon threw his Kadabra’s Pokeball onto the ground. It opened up, and Gordon’s Kadabra came out.

“Everybody put a hand on Kadabra. Now, Kadabra, teleport us to that dock!”

“Kadabra!” Kadabra closed his eyes, and a second later, all five of them had disappeared.

They reappeared several seconds later at a dock. There was just one large ship in the dock, and on its side it read, in green paint, “Edveren Isle – Jade Tournament”. There was also a booth on the dock. R.J. and Joe booth guessed that this was where they would have to register for the tournament, but they were worried that they were too late.

Both of the ran up to the booth. “Are there any spots left in the tournament!” They both cried at once. The woman at the booth blinked several times.

“Calm down. There are plenty of spots left. In fact, only one person got here before you.” She pointed to a smug looking teenager leaning againist a fence.

“Kevin,” Joe growled.

“Well, I’m guessing that you two are here to register, so first may I see your badges?”

R.J. and Joe each took their backpacks off their shoulders and searched their backpacks. Several seconds later, they both had a case in their hands. They opened them and showed them to the woman. She scanned all of them to make sure they were real.

“All of your badges qualify. Now may I see your Pokedex?”

R.J. and Joe took their Pokedex out of their pockets and showed them to the lady. She scanned each of them, and handed them back.

“R.J. Moyan from Zastor Town, you are the green trainer. Joseph Hannah, also from Zastor Town, you are the red trainer.”

“What do those colors mean?” R.J. asked.

“Let me explain how the Jade Tournament works. When you register for the Jade Tournament, you are assigned a color. There are thirty-two colors that we can assign, for the thirty-two trainers that we allow in. Anyway, before the battles start, a computer randomly selects two colors, and those two trainers must fight each other. Whoever is the winner of that match advances to the next round. Then, after each trainer has fought in one match, we take all the colors of the trainer that have won and a computer randomly pairs two colors again. It does this through several rounds until there are only two trainers left. Those two fight each other to determine the winner of the tournament. It’s very simple really.”

R.J. and Joe nodded, then walked off to join Gordon and Nicole.

They then sat down and waited for several hours. It was very boring, but they watched as twenty-nine other trainers came in and registered. They saw several somewhat-interesting things happening, including a boy who got caught using fake badges. Finally, the woman at the booth left the booth, and stood on a stool with a microphone.

“Well then,” she started, “congratulation. Standing before me are the thirty-two participants in this years Moxto League Jade Tournament.” Everybody clapped and cheered. “Now that the registration is complete, all thirty two of you may now boat the boat that will take you to Edveren Isle.” She pointed to a large man wearing the same uniform she was wearing, standing at the entrance to the boat. “Please show your Pokedex to this man, and he will let you on.”

The trainers began boarding the boat, flashing their Pokedex to the man before getting on. Eventually, it was R.J. and Joe’s turn. They each showed him their Pokedex, and he confirmed that they had qualified for this year’s tournament. “Welcome aboard.” R.J. and Joe then went up the ramp onto the ship. Then Gordon and Nicole tried to go with them.

“Hey, where is your Pokedex? I can’t let you on unless I can confirm you are entering the tournament.”

“Oh yeah.” Gordon pulled the note his grandpa had given him and gave it to the man.

“I see… so you’re Professor Tomford’s grandson, and this is your friend, and you want to see the opening ceremonies. Well then, welcome aboard.”

After Gordon and Nicole got on, there were only ten trainers that needed to board, then everybody was on. Fifteen minutes after that, the boat started moving, and they were on their way to Edveren Isle.

“R.J.! Hey R.J.!” R.J. turned around and saw his beautiful friend (and crush), Morgan, running towards him.

“Morgan! Great to see you again. So I guess you’re competing in the Jade Tournament too. This is great. Hopefully, all three of us can make it to the top.”

“All three of us? Whose the third?”

“Oh yeah. Morgan, this is one of my best friends, Joe. Joe, this is Morgan.”

Joe extended his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Morgan didn’t shake it. Apparently she still had some of her independent personality left. “Anyway, what are your teams looking like?” she asked both of them. “If I battle either one of you, hopefully I can get a good challenge.

“Swampert, Hariyama, Scyther, Kabutops, Persian, and my most powerful, Charizard.”

“Pidgeot, Larvitar, Walrein, Girafarig, Grovyle, and Nidorino.”

“Well, they all sound pretty tough, but R.J., you haven’t evolved your Nidorino yet?”

“No, but you mean your Nidorina evolved!”

“She was bound to at some point, I had her for a very long time. Plus, I formed a very good relationship with her. But I don’t think that had to do with her evolution. If all Pokemon evolved based on their relationship with their trainers, yours would have evolved a very long time ago, R.J.” R.J. blushed at this.

“Wow, I can’t believe either of you two managed to get eight badges.” They all turned and saw Kevin smirking at them. “Seriously, I think I need to congratulate you. I never thought you two be able to get four badges, yet alone eight. Ten bucks says both of you go down on the first round.” Then he saw Morgan. “Hey, who’s the babe?”

Morgan had a very strong urge to smack him across the face, but R.J. grabbed her arm.

“Well, as pretty as she is, I doubt she’s very smart. You know honey, maybe you should hang out with the right crowd once in a while. It might make you look more intelligent.”

“If I’m as stupid as you say, then I would already be hanging around with you.”

“Oh, such good looks yet so insulting. The best combination in my opinion. Well R.J., I think I need to congratulate you again for getting such a good girlfriend.” R.J. flinched when Kevin referred to her as his “girlfriend”. He really liked the idea, but he was afraid what Morgan was thinking right now. “But she probably felt sorry for you. Well, see you around.” Kevin then turned around and left.

“Errrr…. I just want to throw him overboard into the ocean!” Gordon growled.

“Please, let me help,” Joe replied.

For the rest of the trip there, R.J., Joe, and Morgan talked about their journeys. Gordon and Nicole only listened, since they didn’t have much to tell. R.J. let Joe and Morgan go first, then he told his story, including how he met Morgan, his two-on-two battle with her, how his Grovyle learned Leaf Blade, and even how he had witnessed (and battled) the Legendary Zapdos. Finally, although it hurt him, he told them about his mother, how he had found out that she was alive, their battle for his final badge, and how she had truly died to save him.

A tear came down Morgan’s face. It was only the second time R.J. had seen tears from her. When he first met her, he thought she was physically incapable of producing tears.

“Don’t tell anyone, okay?”

“Sure.”

The five of them stood in silence for ten minutes until a voice n the intercom spook. “We are now approaching Edveren Isle, please be ready to dock in ten minutes.” R.J. and his friends looked out and saw the island. It wasn’t a very large island, but centered in the middle of it was a very large stadium, surrounded by three smaller stadiums. There was also a small villa, which looked like it had shops, restaurants, and a large hotel. R.J. look on at the island and knew that if he and his Pokemon worked hard enough, this island is where the world would first know of him.

Sure enough, they docked ten minutes later. The woman who they had registered with had told them to be at the large stadium at six that night for the opening ceremonies, but to enjoy the island in the meantime. R.J. and his friends got off the boat, and decided to check out the stadiums first.

“Hey Gordy,” Joe asked, “Do you know what the smaller stadiums are for?”

“I think that they are the stadiums where the first three rounds of the tournament are held. Each of the smaller stadiums has a theme to them. One is a grass field, one is a water field, and the other is a rock field. Only the two semifinal matches and the final match are held at the big stadium.”

Then they got to the front of the large stadium and gasped. In front of the stadium was a large statue of what looked like a legendary bird. The statue was made entirely out of a green stone.

“I think that bird is called Articuno,” Gordon told them.

“I wonder what that stone is,” Nicole pondered.

“It’s jade, of course,” said a man next to them. He was a tall but very old looking man. Most of hair was gone, and he had a long white beard. He also had a pendent hanging from a necklace that was made of the same stone of the statue, which was evidently jade.

“Who are you?” Morgan asked.

“I’m Mr. Adunate, the president of the Moxto League and the Jade Tournament.”

“You’re the president of Moxto?”

“Not Moxto, just the Moxto Pokemon League.” He stared at the statue. “Ah, another Jade Tournament. Just wondering, would you five, by any chance, want to hear about why it’s called the Jade Tournament, and why the Legendary Articuno is its symbol?”

“Sure, we’d love to,” R.J. answered.

“Okay then, let’s see. Sixty years ago, a young man named Jacob traveled around through Moxto. He was a Pokemon trainer, and a very good one at that. But he thought that all Pokemon trainers in Moxto should get the right to prove themselves to the world, and also to find out who the best trainer in Moxto is. So he formed the Jade Tournament here, and he made it so that it would be held every year to see who the best trainers in Moxto were.”

“That’s a nice story,” Gordon said, “but it doesn’t explain the Jade Tournament’s name or its symbol.”

“Well, they aren’t extremely symbolic to the tournament itself, they just reflect Jacob a little. Jacob loved the stone jade. He had a large collection of it, and usually wore some. So when he needed a name for is tournament, he decided to name it after his precious stone. As for Articuno, well, one of the things Jacob was known for was that he trained with the Legendary Articuno.”

“He caught a Legendary Pokemon!”

“Now caught, befriended. Jacob and Articuno were the best of friends, and Jacob often used Articuno to battle. When he formed the Jade Tournament, Jacob let Articuno leave to go back to its home in the mountains of Johto, but they promised each other that they would always be friends. So after Articuno left, Jacob made Articuno the symbol of the tournament in honor of his friend.”

“Wow, sounds pretty cool.”

Mr. Adunate looked at the statue again. “This year is the 60th Jade Tournament, you know. So there have been fifty-nine years of great battles. And I expect this year to be just as good. Well then, you might want to get a hotel room now. Good luck in the tournament.” Mr. Adunate then walked off, leaving R.J. and his friends there.

They decided to take Mr. Adunate’s advice and get their hotel rooms. R.J., Nicole, and Gordon got a large room with two beds and a pullout coach, and Morgan and Joe each got a separate room. They hung out in Joe’s room for a little while and then went down to go to the opening ceremonies.

All thirty-two trainers plus Gordon and Nicole entered the stadium. When R.J. got inside, he was amazed by the size of the stadium, which had a regular wooden floor, but thousands of empty seats. He knew that if he played his cards right, he would eventually be battling in this stadium, and all of those empty seats will be fill with people watching him.

Just then, Mr. Adunate stepped up to a platform with a microphone, and began talking to them. “Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you all to Edveren Isle, where, within the next week, you and your Pokemon will be battling in the 60th Moxto League Jade Tournament! But before the celebrations start, I want to say something. Never, in my many years as president of the Jade Tournament, have I seen so many highly skilled trainers. I expect great matches from all thirty-two of you, and I know that’s what you’ll give me. And with that, let…” Suddenly, Mr. Adunate’s eyes shot up towards the sky. The other thirty-four also looked up and gasped. A large, blue bird was flying right above the stadium. R.J. was awed just looking at it. As it was flying over the stadium, it looked down at the gawping people before flying off into the night sky.

“Articuno,” Gordon whispered.

A large smile came across Mr. Adunate’s face. “And with that, let the tournament begin!”

As soon as he said that, fireworks burst into the sky and everyone began to dance and party to music, celebrating the start of the Jade Tournament they had worked so hard to enter.

After the celebration was over, and the all trainers were sleeping, Mr. Adunate walked into the stadium. Soon after, Articuno majestically fluttered down into the stadium and landed on the ground.

“It was very nice to see you again, old friend.”

“Coo,” Articuno replied softly.

“So, what do you think? Do you think that all of the trainers you saw have what it takes to be the best?”

Articuno replied by nodding its head.

‘Well then, it was very good to see you again. You better leave before someone sees you and makes a big deal about it.”

“Coo.” With that, Articuno opened its mighty wings and flew towards the night sky.

As he saw his old friend leave, Jacob Adunate smiled. “This is going to be the best Jade Tournament ever.”

[Mikey]

Good Chapter. Not much action, but meeting old friends made up for it. It's good to see Morgan again, and you introduced the Jade Tournament well. Can't wait to see how R.J fares!

[Hanada Tattsu]

Wow, great chapter! Too bad we won't get another one for a while, but that's okay, good luck with high school!

R.J and Joe finally have eight badges, and we got to see Morgan again, I'm glad she talked back to stupid Kevin. I have a feeling that if RJ ever goes to Johto, he'll meat Articuno. I think and hope R.J. fares well!

Keep it up!

[CharizardILG27]

hey good chapter. We got to see all the old characters that was good. Cant wait till the Jade Toruanemtn begins!

[Ace Blaze]

Wow, this is a good fic! I know that you have to go to high school (heck, I've just got back to middle), but update ASAP! This is very possibly one of the most climactic points of the whole fic!

[DannyBoy]

Thous were some good chapters. Good to see everyone seeing each other before the big compition. Can't wait to read about RJ in the compition, I wonder he will have a big battle against Joethere. Keep it up!

[RJdude]

Just in case you guys don't know, my fic got nominated for three fanfic awards:

- Best Trainer Fic
- Best Main Male Character
- Best Plot Twist

I want to thank all of you guys for helping me get this far. I know three awards doesn't seem like much, but considering this is my firsst fic, this is a big honor for me. So once again, thank you, and hopefullyI will get some votes, especially from you guys.

The awards topic is here: http://www.pokemasters.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22509.

Anyway, I really sorry for not posting any chapters for a while... I know you guys are really tense, especially at this part of the story, but I've been really busy with school. But don't think I've given up on this. Once school finally sinks fully in (which should be soon) I'll be able to write again.

[mistysakura]

Just spent 2 days catching up with your fic, and it's fantastic.
The idea wasn't anything original, but it's just so real and descriptive. The battles are really good, and I liked the whole thing with RJ's mother. One thing I noticed, though, was that in Chapter 29, it starts out on February 5th, then RJ wakes up on February 3rd...

Keep it up, and good luck in the awards!

[RJdude]

Originally posted by mistysakura
One thing I noticed, though, was that in Chapter 29, it starts out on February 5th, then RJ wakes up on February 3rd...



Um, Nicole's watch was screwed up in the fire? Sorry, it was supossed to say the 5th, the same day his mom "died" three years ago.

[RJdude]

Well,it's finally here: the firsr round of the Jade Tournament. I know you guys have been waiting for a new chapter for a long time, and I'm sorry for the long wait, but school's been a pain. Well, here it is. Let the Jade Tournament begin!


Part 1 - Chapter 31

“You mean you and my dad won’t be able to come to the tournament?” R.J. asked Mr. Tomford on the computer-phone.

“We will be able to come after the first few rounds, but not now. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Well, see you whenever you do come.”

“Goodbye, good luck in your first round!” Then the screen went blank.

R.J. hung up the phone and looked around. Spectators began to flock to Edveren Isle to see the big tournament, but neither his dad nor his mentor could make it. But he was excited, his first battle would be today, and he couldn’t wait.

He walked over to the bench were his friends, Gordon, Morgan, Nicole, and Joe, were sitting.

“What’s the deal?” Gordon asked.

“None of our parents are coming yet.”

“That’s okay, I’m sure we’ll do fine without them,” Joe said.

“I hope so. Well then, let’s go to the Pokemon Center, they should tell us who we’re battling today.”

“Right.”

The five of them ran to the Pokemon Center, which wasn’t far away. When they entered, they saw that it not only had the usually Nurse Joy in it, but a booth with a large screen. Several trainers were crowded around the booth, and R.J. decided to check it out.

“Is this where we find out the matches for today?” R.J. asked a trainer nearby.

“Yeah, just go up and tell them your color.”

Several trainers stepped aside, and R.J. went up to the booth, Joe and Morgan close behind, and all three of them were soon at the booth, where there was a woman wearing a Jade Tournament uniform standing in front of a computer.

“Are you three all trainers?” the woman asked.

“Yeah.”

“Okay then, may I please have your colors?”

“Colors? Oh yeah, green.”

“Purple,” Morgan told her.

“Red,” Joe said.

The woman typed several things into her computer. “All right, the matches for you three are as follows. The green trainer, R.J., will be againist the pink trainer, Diane, at 1:30 at the Water Stadium. The purple trainer, Morgan, be up againist the tan trainer, Courtney, also at 1:30, but at the Rock Stadium. And the red trainer, Joseph, will be battling againist the Brown Trainer, Daniel, also at the Water Stadium, but at 1:15. Good luck to you all.”

“Thanks.”

R.J., Joseph, and Morgan escaped from the crowd of trainers and joined Gordon and Nicole, who were waiting patiently.

“What’s the deal?”

“Me and Joe have to go to the Water Stadium, Morgan goes to the Rock Stadium,” R.J. told his friends. “And they start at 1:15.”

Nicole checked her watch. “It’s 12:58 right now. We better get going. Gordon can go with R.J. and Joe, and I’ll go with you, Morgan, just so you have some support.”

Morgan smiled. “Thanks, Nicole.” R.J. wanted to be in Nicole’s position right then, but he knew that he would be having his first battle, so he could cheer her on.”

“Well then, let’s go.”

“Right.”

The group split, with the girls going one way and the guys going the other. Gordon had a map of Edveren Isle in his hands, and was reading it thoroughly.

“Let’s see… if we go straight, take a right here, take another right, then two more rights, we should be right…” Gordon looked up. Right ahead of them was a stadium, not as large as the main stadium, but still big. There was an entrance with the words “Water Stadium” above it.

“Let’s go.”

Not too long after that, R.J, Joseph and Gordon were in the stadium. They looked around and saw many people sitting in the crowds, but neither R.J. nor Joseph knew where to go. A Jade Tournament employee walked by, and Joseph pulled him over.

“Hey, do you know where the trainers that’ll be competing today go?”

The man pointed to his left. “Just go down this way and you’ll come to a booth. A woman there will tell you what to do.”

Gordon checked his watch. “Five minutes till your match, Joe. We better hurry.”

However, they only needed two minutes to arrive at the booth. Joseph took out his Pokedex.

“Excuse me. I have a battle in a couple minutes, can you tell me where to go?”

A woman at the booth looked up. She took Joseph’s Pokedex and confirmed that he was about to battle before handing it back. She stood up.”

“Please follow me.” The woman started walking, and Joseph followed. R.J. and Gordon walked behind him.

The woman looked back. “Who are you two?”

“I have a match after his, I thought I would go with him.”

“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to wait. Find a seat and enjoy the match.” Then she walked off with Joe, and R.J. shouted a brief “good luck” before leaving to find a seat.

It didn’t take long for he and Gordon to find some. They sat down and eagerly awaited the match. They also looked down onto the stadium. It looked like an Olympic-sized swimming pool, with plenty of cement for people to walk on surrounding the pool, and several platforms in the pool.

“So, you finally made it,” Gordon said.

“Huh?”

“You made it here, to the Jade Tournament, about to fight in your first match. You’ve come a really long way. I remember when me and Nicole met up with you months ago. It’s felt like years. But here we are.”

“I guess you’re right I have come a really long way. I just hope I don’t lose now.”

Suddenly, they heard an announcer’s voice boom in the stadium. “Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the first round of the Jade Tournament.”

Loud cheers shouted out through the crowds.

“Well, I think we should starts things off now. Today’s first battle in the Water Stadium should be an exciting one, as should the battles following it. The two trainers battling will be the Red Trainer, Joseph, and the Brown Trainer, Daniel!”

As soon as he said that, two trainers walked out into the stadium on opposite sides. The trainer entering on the right was a middle-aged man with sandy brown hair. And entering on the left was Joe. He looked nervously at the large crowd of people watching him, but it was soon replaced with a smile on confidence.

The referee, who obviously had a hidden microphone, for R.J. could here him, shouted orders to the two trainers. “Take your places!” R.J. noticed he had two flags, a red one and a brown one. He guessed that these were for the trainers.

Joe and Daniel each stepped forward into a small, blue area. It was fenced in on three sides with a small railing, leaving only the back part of the blue area open for the two trainers to walk in.

Suddenly, the blue areas began to rise into the air. Soon, both trainers were standing on platforms ten feet above the ground.

“With that,” the announcer started, “Let the first match of the Jade Tournament begin!”

“There will be three Pokemon each, no time limit,” the ref shouted. “Let the battle begin!”

Cheers once again ran through the stadium as Joe and Daniel’s pictures appeared on the huge scoreboard in the stadium.

Joseph picked his Pokemon first. Unlike the ref, R.J. couldn’t hear Joseph, but he was sure Joe knew what he was doing.

Joe threw a Pokeball out onto one of the platforms in the pool. It opened up, and Joe’s Swampert came out. Its picture appeared on the scoreboard.

“Well, it looks like Joseph is starting off with his Swampert. A good choice for this field.”

R.J. remembered when Joseph first got his Mudkip. It was the same day that he himself started his journey. It was another thing that reminded him how far he came.

Then Joseph’s opponent also threw a Pokeball. It opened, and a round Voltorb came out. Its picture appeared on the scoreboard.

“And Daniel starts off with a Voltorb, an electric type. Voltorb may have a type advantage, but we’ll just have to see how it turns out.”

Daniel shouted a commanded. Electricity charged around his Voltorb, and it shot a powerful Thunderbolt at Swampert. It hit it’s marked, but Swampert seemed unfazed, he just shook it off.

“Well, it seems that Daniel has forgotten that Swampert is also a Ground type, which makes it impervious to electric attacks.”

Daniel looked stunned, but Joe shouted an order to Swampert. It opened its mouth, and a small white ball began to form at its mouth. Then the ball turned into a beam, which launched at Voltorb. It hit, and Voltorb was quickly encased in ice.

“Oh, it seems that Swampert has used the powerful Ice Beam, rendering Voltorb useless.”

Joseph shouted another order to Swampert, and its tail began to glow. Then it rushed across the pool, jumping from platform to platform, until it reached Voltorb. Then it swung its stiffened tail, hitting Voltorb. The ice shattered, but Voltorb was sent flying, and it fell into the pool with a splash. It floated to the top, but was unconscious.

“Voltorb is unable to battle,” the ref shouted, “The victory goes to Swampert!” Voltorb picture on the scoreboard darkened.

And with an Iron Tail attack, Swampert has won the match. Which Pokemon will Daniel chose now?”

Daniel recalled Voltorb into its Pokeball and threw out another. This one opened to reveal Furret, a normal type Pokemon. Its picture appeared on the scoreboard.

“And Daniel uses a Furret. I wonder what he has planned now.”

Daniel shouted an order to his Furret and it leaped across the platform and hit Swampert’s chest with its head. But again, Swampert just rubbed it off.

“And Furret tries a Headbutt, but it looks like Furret’s skull won’t be enough to harm Swampert.”

Joseph shouted something at Swampert and it opened its mouth and shot a huge jet of water at Furret. It hit sending Furret flying back.

“Furret is unable to battle, the winner is Swampert!” Furret’s scoreboard picture darkened.

“And Swampert uses the might Hydro Pump. It looks like Furret just couldn’t stand up to that much power.

Daniel recalled Furret, but threw another Pokeball out. This one opened up, and a blue Golduck came out. Its picture appeared on the scoreboard.

“And Daniel’s final Pokemon is a Golduck. Can Daniel overcome Joseph, who still has all three of his Pokemon?”

Daniel shouted an order to Golduck, and it pointed two fingers at Swampert. Suddenly, Swampert was lifted off the ground, and thrown high into the air. Then Golduck released its grip on it, and Swampert came crashing down.

“Ouch, and Golduck used a Psychic attack on Swampert.”

Daniel shouted another order to Golduck. Just then, a small orange energy ball began to form at Golduck’s beak.

“Uh oh, it looks like Golduck is getting ready to use the most feared attack of all, Hyper Beam.”

Golduck then launched the Hyper Beam. Swampert was too slow to dodge it, so it hit it strait on. Swampert went flying back, ad splashed into the pool. It surfaced several seconds later on its back.

“Swampert is unable to battle, the match goes to Golduck!” Swampert’s picture on the scoreboard darkened.

Joseph recalled Swampert to its Pokeball, but he didn’t looked worried. Instead he picked a Pokeball from his belt and threw it onto one of the platforms. It opened up, and R.J. was surprised: it was his most powerful Pokemon, Charizard. His pictured appeared on the scoreboard.

“And Joseph chooses the power Fire typed dragon, Charizard. I don’t know what he’s thinking, using a Fire type in a water field againist a Water Pokemon, but I’m sure he has something planned.”

R.J. wasn’t sure what Joseph was thinking of, either.

Daniel shouted an order to Golduck, and another orange ball began to form at Golduck’s beak.

“It looks like Golduck is preparing to us another Hyper Beam. I hope Joseph has something planned.”

Just as Golduck launched the Hyper Beam, Joe shouted something at Charizard. Charizard opened his mouth and shot a jet of hot fire. The fire hit the Hyper Beam, and amazingly, it split right through the beam, splitting the beam and making it barely miss Charizard. Then the fire continued going until it hit Golduck, knocking it back.

“Amazing!” Charizard’s Flamethrower attack was hot enough to go right through that Hyper Beam!”

Joseph shouted another order. Charizard clenched his fist, and it began to cackle with electricity. Charizard then lifted his wings and flew strait at Golduck, punching it with his electrified fist. Golduck went flying.

“Wow, Charizard has sent Golduck flying with a nasty Thunderpunch.”

Joseph shouted something at Charizard, who was still hovering above the platforms. Charizard flew towards Golduck, who was laying down, almost defeated, on a platform. Charizard drew back his leg, and when he was close enough, hit Golduck with the bottom of his foot. Golduck went flying and hit the wall behind Daniel’s platform. Golduck’s picture on the scoreboard darkened, and soon, most of the screen was covered in Joe’s picture, along with the word “Congratulations”.

The ref held up his red flag. “Golduck is unable to battle, the match goes to Charizard, and the Red trainer is the winner!”

“Wow, what a way to start of the tournament, as Joseph’s Charizard delivers a powerful Mega Kick to seal the win for Joseph.”

The crows cheered, and R.J. and Gordon themselves clapped, happy that their friend got past the first round of the tournament. Joseph himself looked pleased as both he and Daniel’s platforms were lowered, and they returned their Pokemon to their Pokeballs.

Within five minutes, the three of them were reunited. “That was great Joe, I would have never thought your Charizard’s Flamethrower was so strong it could actually get past a Hyper Beam.”

Joseph shrugged. “Well, I guess I just got lucky. Anyway, are you ready for your match R.J.?”

That’s when R.J. remembered that he himself was going to be battling. He could feel his stomach twisting in many different directions. “I guess.”

That’s when the woman who they had met earlier in the stadium saw them and walked up to them. “Well, if my memory serves me correctly, then you are the young man who claimed to be battling next. May I see your Pokedex?”

R.J. handed her his Pokedex, and she confirmed he was battling. “Please follow me.”

“Good luck!” Joe and Gordon shouted as the woman led R.J. away. R.J. waved back to his friends.

The woman led R.J. through the stadium and down several flights of stair until they came to ground level.

“Well, I’m assuming you know how to battle if you’ve gotten all the way here, so I shouldn’t have to explain much. The battle is like most others you’ve been in before, the first person to knock out all three of his or her opponent’s Pokemon is the winner. Now when the announcer says so, just step out through this door, and you’ll be on the actually field. When the ref tells you too, step in the blue box, but watch out, because it rises, and if you fall down, you might break something. Well, good luck.” She then left R.J. alone, nervous and waiting for the signal. Then he heard it.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to today’s second battle at the Water Field! First, I would like to introduce you to the two trainers that will be battling, the Pink Trainer, Diane, and the Green trainer, R.J.!”

With that, R.J. did as the woman had told him and walk through the door and onto the field. He tried not to look at all the people watching him, but he had never battled in front of so many people before, and now he was even more nervous. He looked across the field at his opponent, a woman in her early thirties with long, curly, blonde hair. He noticed that the scoreboard had lighted up with their faces.

“Take your places!” The ref, who R.J. da noticed was now holding a green flag and a pink flag, shouted. R.J did as he was told, and stepped into the blue box. His opponent did the same. Soon, it was lifted into the air, about six inches every second, until it was ten feet above the ground.

“Well, this is it,” R.J. said to himself. “No turning back.”

Once they were settled, the ref spoke. “There will be three Pokemon each, no time limit. Let the battle begin.”

R.J. felt slightly less nervous now, but he needed to focus on the battle. He was playing with the big boys now… or girls, with the woman he was facing now. She smiled and picked a Pokeball off her belt. Apparently, she was close enough for R.J. to hear her. “Bellossom, I choose you!” She threw the Pokeball onto one of the platforms in the middle of the pool.

He picked a Pokeball off of his belt. He decided he would start this tournament with the first Pokemon he got. “Pidgeot, I choose you!”

R.J. threw Pidgeot’s Pokeball onto one of the platforms. The Pokeball landed, opened, and bounced back to R.J. As soon as it opened up, it released red energy, and R.J.’s loyal Pidgeot appeared. Diane’s Pokeball did the same, opening up to reveal a small Grass type Pokemon. Both Pokemon’s pictures appeared on the scoreboard under their rightful masters.

“Well, it looks like R.J. is starting out with his Pidgeot while Diane choose her Bellossom. Pidgeot has the edge here, but nobody knows what Diane might have up her sleeve.”

“Alright, Pidgeot, let’s start this tournament off with an Extremespeed!”

Pidgeot flapped his winds several times, then swooped towards Bellossom at an almost blazing speed. He hit it head on, and it fell back a little bit.

“And Pidgeot uses an Extremespeed attack. This is quite unusual, as Pidgeot do not normally learn Extremespeed. There are some Pokemon that learn attacks they would not normally know, but still, I can’t be sure.”

“I’m as stumped as you are,” R.J. muttered under he breath. He had no idea why his Pidgeot knew Extremespeed himself.

“Bellossom, Solarbeam!”

Bellossom began to gather energy from the sun, and soon, it gathered enough and shot a large beam at Pidgeot.

‘Pidgeot, look out!”

“PIDGEO!” It was too late, however, the beam hit and Pidgeot stumbled in midair, catching himself with a flap of his wings.

“Oh, Pidgeot takes a hard hit from a Solarbeam attack. It looks fine, but it may not be able to take a ton of Solarbeams.”

“Bellossom, again!”

Bellossom began to once again gather energy from the sun. R.J. knew what was coming, so this time, he was ready.

“Pidgeot, Agility!”

As soon as Bellossom launched the Solarbeam, Pidgeot disappeared, and the Solarbeam missed him, as was now several feet away. Pidgeot hadn’t disappeared, of course, but had moved so fast he seemed like he did.

“Now, Mirror Move!”

Pidgeot opened his mouth, and R.J. noticed that he has started to gather energy from the sun, and after several seconds had fired his own Solarbeam at Bellossom, who was too slow to dodge it.

“BELL!” Bellossom went flying back, into the water. It slowly climbed back onto the platform.

“Finish this off with a Wing attack!”

Pidgeot’s Wings started glowing a bright white. Then he swooped down at the tired Bellossom and smacked it with his wing. Bellossom flew back into the platform, just as Golduck had done.

“Bellossom is unable to battle, the mach goes to Pidgeot!” Bellossom’s picture on the scoreboard darkened.

“Oh, and using a combination of Agility and Mirror Move as well as a nasty Wing Attack, Pidgeot has won the match.”

“One down, seventeen to go.” R.J. said under his breath. Diane returned Bellossom to its Pokemon, but she didn’t look worried. She just picked another Pokemon and threw it out onto a platform. It opened up, and a strange Pokemon that resembled a flying scorpion came out. Its picture appeared on the scoreboard.

“And Diane choose a Gligar for her next battle. Neither Pokemon has an advantage over the other, so this may be an interesting match.”

“Okay Pidgeot, start off with a Steel Wing!”

Pidgeot’s Wing began glowing again, and he dived at Gligar.

“Gligar, Double Team!”

Just as Pidgeot was about to hit Gligar with his wing, Gligar split into eight separate Pokemon. Pidgeot hit the one he was charging at with his wing, but it just disappeared.

“Wow, it looks like Gligar has used the much hated Double Team. R.J. may have some trouble here.”

But R.J. knew exactly what to do. “Pidgeot, Aerial Ace!”

Pidgeot flapped his wings several times to lift himself into the air, and then drew back his wings and swooped down. He hit one of the Gligars, making it disappear, then started to fly in a very fast circle, hitting every Gligar until he found the real one.

“GLIGAR!” Gligar flew back, but managed to catch itself in midair.

“Incredible! Pidgeot manages to use Aerial Ace, an attack that never misses. R.J. seems to really know what he’s doing.”

“Gligar, Slash!”

Gligar swiftly gilded towards Pidgeot, drew up its claws, and slashed Pidgeot across the face.

“Pidgeo!” Pidgeot screamed as he flew back.

“Now, Headbutt!”

Gligar charged at Pidgeot while he was still trying to recover from Slash, and rammed Pidgeot a full force with its head. Pidgeot flew back, hit R.J.’s platform, and slumped down.

“Pidgeot is unable to battle, the match goes to Gligar!” the ref announced. Pidgeot’s picture on the large scoreboard darkened.

“And Gligar has attacked with a barrage of blows, something R.J.’s Pidgeot simply could not win againist. What Pokemon will R.J. choose now?”

“Great work Pidgeot. Return.” R.J. recalled Pidgeot back into his Pokeball. “Now, Grovyle, I choose you!”

R.J. threw another Pokeball onto one of the platforms. When it opened up, R.J.’s Grass type, Grovyle, came out. His picture appeared on the scoreboard.

“And R.J. chooses Grovyle, a Grass type Pokemon. I wonder what R.J. plans to do with this.”

“Alright Grovyle, start this off with a Leaf Blade!”

The leaves on Grovyle’s arms began to glow. Then Grovyle leaped from platform to platform until it reached Gligar, where he leaped up and slashed it with his leaves.

“GLIGAR!” Gligar flew back once more, but was still not out yet.

“Gligar, Slash!”

Gligar glided towards Grovyle and slashed him furiously with its claws Grovyle appeared hurt, but not that much.

“Grovyle, Bullet Seed!”

Grovyle took in a deep breath, and when he exhaled, many small seeds came out of his mouth. They all hit Gligar, who took a little bit of damage, yet it was still going.

Diane now had a fierce look in her eye. “Guillotine!”

Gligar dived towards Grovyle, claws outstretched, and then grabbed Grovyle by the neck. After several seconds of struggling, Grovyle fell to the floor.

“GROVYLE!” R.J. screamed.

“Grovyle is unable to battle, the match goes to Gligar!” Grovyle’s picture on the scoreboard had darkened.

R.J. looked down at the pool and saw that Grovyle was still breathing, he had just passed out. “Good job Grovyle, take a nice rest.” R.J. returned Grovyle into its Pokeball.

“Wow, and after some fierce fighting, Gligar uses the dreaded Guillotine, which, as you know, always results in a knock out. But now R.J. only has one Pokemon left, who will he choose?”

R.J. sighed. Then he took his Great Ball from his belt, and threw it onto the platform. “Walrein, go!”

The Great Ball opened up, and R.J.’s Water type Pokemon, Walrein, came out. His picture appeared on the scoreboard.

“And R.J.’s final Pokemon is a Walrein, a good choice for this field. But will it be enough?”

“Okay Walrein, use Water Gun!”

Walrein shot a large jet of water at Gligar. It traveled so fast that Gligar didn’t have time to react.

“GLIGAR!” The jet hit, and Gligar fell straight into the pool. It resurfaced on its back.

“Gligar is unable to battle, the match goes to Walrein!” Gligar’s picture on the scoreboard darkened.

“Wow, with its battles againist Pidgeot and Grovyle, one Water Gun was all it took to take Gligar down. And now both trainers only have one Pokemon left. This should be most interesting.”

Diane returned Gligar to its Pokeball, but she didn’t look worried. “Lapras, I choose you!” She threw a Pokeball into the air, and the red energy that came out of it went into the water. When it formed itself into a Pokemon: Lapras, a Pokemon that looked like a water-dwelling dinosaur. Its picture appeared on the scoreboard.

“And Diane’s final Pokemon is a Lapras, another Water and Ice typed Pokemon. It looks like the final match of this battle is going to be water vs. water.”

“Lapras, Tackle!”

Lapras swam through the water at full speed, knocking all the platforms to the sides of the Olympic-sized pool. Then when it came to the last platform, the one that Walrein was standing on, it rammed it at full speed, knocking Walrein off an into the water.

“And Lapras uses a powerful Tackle attack to knock Walrein off its platform. And would you take a look at the pool. Now that Lapras has pushed all the platforms to the side, the pool is clear for a full water battle. This is going to be good.

“You ready to do some swimming?” R.J. asked Walrein, who had resurfaced and was now floating in the water. Walrein looked back at him and nodded, and not long after, clapped his hands together, jolly as always.

R.J. smiled. “Good. Now go!”

“Lapras, Tackle!”

The two Pokemon swam at full speed through the water until they met in the center, where they rammed each other at full power, knocking each other back.

“Walrein, Water Gun!”

Walrein inhaled, ready to shot a Water Gun at Lapras.

“Lapras, Dive!”

Lapras dived underwater just as Walrein launched his attack. Neither R.J. nor Walrein could see where Lapras was. Suddenly, Lapras came up, knocking Walrein into the air, and he came down with a splash.

“Lapras, dive underwater again!”

“You too, Walrein!”

Both Pokemon dived underwater, and neither trainer could see what was happening. Neither could the people in stands.

“It looks like the two Pokemon have taken this battle underwater. Luckily, we have a water-proof camera under the pool, so we’ll show you what’s happening.”

The pictures of the two trainers and their Pokemon disappeared from the scoreboard, and it now showed what was happening underwater. Both Pokemon were really going at it. They were ramming into each other, hitting each other with their heads, biting each other, among other things. Both Pokemon looked really determined to win.

R.J. had an idea. ‘Walrein, jump out of the water!”

Apparently, Walrein could hear him underwater, because he quickly swam to the top and leaped out into the air.

“Walrein, use Ice Beam!”

While still in midair, Walrein opened his mouth and shot an icy beam at the pool. The water on top of the pool quickly began to turn into ice. The ice was spreading through out the, and Diane knew that it would be very bad if Lapras was trapped under the ice.

“Lapras, jump out quickly!”

Lapras swam to the top and leaped out, just before ice covered the entire pool. Both Lapras and Walrein fell onto the ice. The scoreboard was returned to its original image.

“Wow, Walrein has used a tricky tactic and has covered the entire field with ice. This doesn’t look to good for Lapras.”

R.J. saw where he was going. While Walrein could easily travel across ice, Lapras, who could only travel in water, was helpless.

“Walrein, Tackle!”

Walrein ran across the icy field with no problem at all until he came to Lapras, who he slammed into. Lapras slid across the ice, screaming in pain.

“Now, finish this off with Body Slam!”

Walrein went over to Lapras, lifted his upper body up, and slammed into Lapras. With all that force, the ice under Lapras broke, and Walrein and Lapras both went into the freezing water. Walrein reappeared several second later, and climbed onto the ice, but Lapras was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, Lapras floated up to the top. It was out.

The ref lifted his green flag. “Lapras is unable to battle, the match goes to Walrein, and the Green trainer is the winner!” Lapras’ picture on the scoreboard darkened, and then the entire screen was taken up by R.J.’s picture.

“Wow, and a powerful Body Slam wins the battle for R.J. This has been a great battle, and it had a great finish too. Now all we need to do melt the ice, and we can start our next battle.”

“Yeah! I won!” R.J. yelled in joy.

‘Wal-wal!” Walrein clapped his hands together.

The platforms were lowered, and both trainers recalled their Pokemon. Diane looked a little disappointed that she had lost in the first round, but she quickly left the field. R.J. did the same, but with a look of pride on his face.

With all the commotion, R.J. could not find Gordon and Joseph in the stadium. He left the stadium, hoping to find them outside, and sure enough, they were both outside waiting for him, along with Morgan and Nicole.

“Hey, great battle, R.J.” Joseph said as R.J. walked up to his friends.

“Yeah, congratulations,” Morgan told him.

R.J. blushed slightly. “Hey, how did you do in your battle?”

Morgan smiled. “I won, of course.”

“Excellent,” Gordon said. “All three of you have gotten past the first round.”

“Yeah, this is so great!” Nicole squealed.

R.J. made a fist. “And I’m sure all three of us will make it to the end. This is going to be a great tournament.”

---------------

Just in case you guys didn't realise it, the guy who was saying all that stuff during the battle was the announcer. Get used to him.

[Mikey]

Great chapter R.J. Finally we see the first battle of the league, and they were all good ones. I hope R.J goes all the way! Keep it up! I hope I can catch up my fic and get to the league soon, but as of now i'm writing 2 so that could prove difficult. Can't wait for the next chapter!

[Ace Blaze]

Not bad, not bad at all....

[2ra]

Hi! I havn't read this fic in the longest time e.e But, I'll have to say, you really have imrpoved your writing, and the battles were great!

Keep up the good work! ^^ Let's see how RJ fares in the league.

[DannyBoy]

That was a great start to the league finales! I really enjoyed this chapters and the battles were amazing. I really liked that Grovyle lost to Gligar because it shows that the other trainer is really powerful and you didnt want it to be one of thous one pokemon wins the loses then wins kind of battles. Walerin was very strong but one thing I noticed was that you said that Lapra's can't do well on ic and can only swim. I remember in a eppie of pokemon that ice helped Lapras win a compition but this your fic and you can make up things but I just though I would point that out. But this was a great chapter, keep it up!

[2ra]

Yep, I believe it was against Sissy that Ash used Ice Beam so that Lapras could go faster than her Blastoise and win, but I never even noticed that ^^

Anyways, maybe that particular Lapras is slow on ice or something? O.o

[CharizardILG27]

hey sorry i couldn't repley i FINALLY got my internet to work again on my computer. Anyways, great chapter! Good battles, and action. I hope we get to see Morgan battle in the next round. Keep up the exellent work!

[RJdude]

I greatly apoligize for the lack of chapters lately. I've been so busy in school (I had to do two projects this week). Don't assume I'm quitting the fic, it will continue, I just need to get used to all the work (with two months now, you'd figure that I had already gotten used to it). Again, I apoligize.

[Zee Sage]

Uh... When exactly is the next chapter gonna be up???

[RJdude]

I'm sorry for the incredibly long wait. I'm just too busy with school. Hopefully the next chapter will be up this weekend, if not, shoot me.

[SWAMPERT1]

Originally posted by RJdude
I'm sorry for the incredibly long wait. I'm just too busy with school. Hopefully the next chapter will be up this weekend, if not, shoot me. ok. *grabs 12-guage*

[RJdude]

Hey, everyone. Hoped you all had a great holiday. Anyway, I know I haven't had a new chapter for months... trust me, the story is not dead I'm just incredibly busy. Hopefully, since its the holidays, I'll be able to finish the next chapter. But from now on, I'm going to use a system I have over at SPP called the "Weekly Update" (Catchy name, eh?). Every week, around Friday or Saturday, I'll tell you guys how the next chapters coming along, and sometimes I'll give you previews and such. I'll start it next week, hopefully it will work.

[RJdude]

After three months of hard school work, I have finally finished chapter 32. That had to be the longest time spend on a chapter ever (at least for me... and the chapter's not even that long). I can't thank you guys enough for your patience... well, I won't delay any longer. Enjoy.

Part 1 - Chapter 32

It was the final battle of the Jade Tournament. R.J. was pumped and ready for battle. He starred across the field at the shadowy figure that was his opponent. He smiled a picked a Pokeball from his belt.

“Go, Pokemon!”

He threw the Pokeball out onto the field. It opened up, and a Magikarp came out. It flopped helplessly on the ground.

“Magikarp? I don’t have a Magikarp!”

Then his opponent threw a Pokeball of his own onto the field. It burst open, and Articuno came out. It opened its mouth and was about to fire an Ice Beam at Magikarp, but then it turned its head and fired the beam straight at R.J. It would hit any second now, it would…

“R.J.! Wake up!”

“Huh?” R.J. opened his eyes, quickly forgetting the dream. He was lying down on the couch in his hotel room (he had slept on the couch while Gordon and Nicole had each gotten a bed).

“Get up! We’re supposed to be meeting Joe and Morgan for breakfast, besides, you have another match today.”

“Oh yeah.” R.J.’s two other friends, Joseph and Morgan (who each had their own room) were supposed to meet R.J., Gordon, and Nicole for breakfast that morning, and as much as he wanted to go back to sleep, he didn’t want to keep his friends waiting. He rolled out of bed, took his clothes into the bathroom, and got ready for the day.

Fifteen minutes later, the trio was out the door of the hotel and started walking over to the village, where there was a nice restaurant they would be eating at. They arrived at the restaurant to see Morgan and Joe waiting for them.

“What took you? Come on, we have our seats.”

As soon as they sat down (the three boys on one side of the table and the two girls on the other), a waitress came to take their order. Once that was done, the three began talking about the day ahead.

“So, all three of us made it to the second round.”

R.J. nodded. “Yeah, I hope we all can make it past this round, too. It’s a shame our families can’t be here to watch us.”

The rest nodded. Then a waitress came and put a glass of orange juice in front of each of them. Gordon lifted up his orange juice.

“I would like to propose a toast,” he said. “To great battles in the rest of the tournament.”

“Great battles…” the other four murmured as they brought their glasses together.

Breakfast went by rather quickly. They discussed several things, including how easy they though their next match would be. Morgan, of course, said it would be cake, while Joe stated that seeing as how his opponent had also gotten this far, he expected a tough match. R.J. kept his opinion to himself, since he honestly wasn’t sure what it would be like.

They left the restaurant after breakfast, heading towards the Pokemon Center to learn of their next matches. But on the way, they saw a large crowd gathering around someone.

“Wonder what this is about,” Joe pondered, but R.J. was already one step ahead of him. He made his way through the crowd, his friends following. When he got past everyone, he took a look at the young man in the center. He was in his early twenties, and had brown hair, bleached to make it look blonde.

“What’s all the commotion?” R.J. asked.

The man smiled. “Chill dude, I’m just showing these nice people my Muk.” He pointed down, and R.J. saw a Poison-typed Pokemon that looked like a large pile of goop. However, unlike regular Muk (who were purple), this Muk was a bright green, and it had a strange shine to it, as if it had been polished.

“Hey, your Muk is shiny! I have…”

“Yep, he’s shiny,” the man said, interrupting R.J. “He’s also my most powerful Pokemon. I swept through the first round with him, and he’s going to win me this entire tournament.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure of yourself,” Gordon noted. “Cockiness killed the cat.”

“That was curiosity, Gordon. Curiosity killed the cat.”

“Whatever.”

“Anyway, I’m guessing you’re a trainer, so I would advise you to watch out for me, since me and my Muk and going to destroy anyone who gets in our way.” The man took an Ultra Ball off of his belt and recalled Muk before walking away.

R.J. sighed. “Let’s just find out where we’re battling.”

The five of them made their way to the Pokemon Center, where they told they a lady at a booth their trainer colors.

“Green.”

“Purple.”

“Red.”

The woman typed into her computer. “Okay, the Green Trainer, R.J., will be playing the Teal Trainer, Caleb, at the Rock Stadium at noon. The purple trainer, Morgan, will be battling againist the Yellow Trainer, Tim, at the Grass Stadium, also at noon. And finally, the Red Trainer, Joseph, will also be playing in the Rock Stadium, againist the Orange Trainer, Alexia, at 12:15. Good luck to all of you!”

The five walked out of the Pokemon Center. “Better get going,” Nicole said. “I’ll go with Joe and Morgan, and Gordon can go with R.J.” Everyone nodded and headed their separate ways.”

“I wonder what Pokemon your opponent is going to use. You have any special battle plan figured out?”

“Nope. I’ll just have to play it by whatever Pokemon he uses. I have a bunch of different types, so it shouldn’t be too hard to pick one that has an advantage over his.”

When they arrived at the Rock Stadium, one of the three smaller stadiums surrounding the big one (which R.J. learned was called, uniquely, Edveren Stadium) they both knew exactly where to go. Gordon had to go into the stands, and R.J. had to find a Jade Tournament Official who would lead him t his battle. Gordon wished him luck as they separated. R.J. found the lady he was looking for, and she led him down to the field.

“You know what to do, right?”

R.J. nodded.

“Well then, good luck in your match.” She then left R.J. as he waited for the match to start.

Then he heard the announcer’s booming voice. “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the second round of the Jade Tournament!” Loud cheers went through the stadium. “Now let me introduce the two trainers that will be competing in the first battle today at the Rock Stadium, the Green Trainer, R.J., and the Teal Trainer, Caleb!”

At that, R.J. walked out into the field. He noticed that this time, the battle area was covered in many rocks, some big, some small, and two huge. Unlike last time, he wasn’t nervous, since he was used to so many people watching him from the Then he looked at his opponent, who was also walking out onto the field, and was shocked.

It was the young man R.J. had met earlier.

Caleb looked at R.J. and also recognized him from earlier that day. They were both silent, but Caleb had a smug look on his face, and R.J. guessed that he was happy to show R.J. his skills.

“Trainers, take your places!” The ref shouted.

R.J. and Caleb both stepped into a red square on the ground, which was fenced in on all but one side. Suddenly, they were lifted up, and soon were ten feet off the ground, standing on red platforms.

“There will be three Pokemon each, no time limit. Let the battle begin!”

“I think I’ll start this out,” Caleb shouted across the field. “Tropius, go!”

Caleb threw a Pokemon onto the rocky field. It opened up, releasing a Pokemon that looked like a dinosaur. It had leaves all over its body, as well as (strangely) bananas hanging off the side of its head. It appeared on the scoreboard, which lit up with Caleb and R.J.’s faces.

“Nidorino, go!”

R.J. picked a Pokeball off his belt and threw it onto the rocky field. It opened, and R.J.’s poison type came out. He rubbed his foot on the ground, like an angry bull ready to charge.

“Tropius, Solarbeam!”

Tropius began to gather sunlight from the sky. A ball of yellow energy formed at its mouth while it was doing it. When the ball was big enough, Tropius shot it as a beam right at Nidorino.

“Nidorino, jump!”

Nidorino launched itself into the air as soon as the beam came near, and the beam only hit the ground.

“Nidorino, Poison Sting!”

While still in midair, Nidorino fired many small darts from his horn. They all hit Tropius right in the neck, causing it to cry out in pain.

“Wow, Nidorino barely avoids what would have been a hard-hitting Solarbeam and hits it with a Poison Sting.” Nidorino fell back down to the ground

“Tropius, Razor Leaf!”

Several leaves shot out of Tropius’ neck like bullets, pursuing Nidorino.

“Jump!”

Nidorino once again leaped into the air second before the leaves hit him, and they instead sliced harmlessly past him. Nidorino landed on a nearby rock but breathed heavily, out of breath.

“Tropius, Solarbeam!”

Tropius again began to absorb sunlight and another ball formed at its mouth, which it shot at Nidorino.

“Look out!”

But Nidorino was too tired to react quick enough, but luckily Tropius’ s off, and it only hit the rock, which shattered into many pieces. But Nidorino, nonetheless, was thrown to the ground.

“Tropius, fly!”

Suddenly, the leaves on Tropius’ back began to spin and Tropius soared into the air.

“It can fly?!” R.J. gasped in amazement.

“Now, finish Nidorino off!”

Tropius swooped down towards Nidorino to deal the finishing blow.

“Nidorino!” R.J. shouted.

Suddenly, Tropius stopped in midair, and fell to the ground on its side. It was out cold.

“Tropius is unable to battle, the match goes to Nidorino!” Tropius’ picture on the scoreboard went dark.

“Incredible! It seems that the Poison Sting attack Nidorino used earlier poisoned Tropius, and it weakened it until Tropius couldn’t bear it anymore.”

R.J. saw that Nidorino was tired. “Do you want to take a rest?”

Nidorino shook his head.

“Okay. Just do your best.”

Caleb returned Tropius to its Pokeball, but he didn’t seem worried at all. “Go Torkoal!”

Caleb released a Pokeball onto the ground, and a turtle-like Pokemon came out. There was smoke coming out of its back, and R.J. has to assume it was a Fire type.

“And Caleb’s next Pokemon is a Torkoal. I wonder what he has planned now.”

“Nidorino, Horn Drill!” R.J. ordered.

Nidorino’s horn started to spin, and he charged at Torkoal. R.J. had never seen a Torkoal battle before, but he could tell Torkoal was slow, and the battle wouldn’t be hard.

“Flamethrower!

Torkoal opened its mouth and a jet of flames rushed towards the charging Nidorino, hitting him and knocking him to the ground.

“Now, melt the field!”

Torkoal then launched another Flamethrower, not at Nidorino, but at the rocky ground near him.

“I don’t know what Caleb has planned, but it’s sure starting to get hot in here.”

Suddenly, the ground began to melt! Hot lava surrounded Nidorino, and there was no way he could get out. He could try jumping, but there was no way he’d be able to get a good running start, and he might not make it past the lava.

“Torkoal, Flamethrower!”

Torkoal launched another Flamethrower at Nidorino, but this time he stood his ground; the alternative would have been to slide through the lava.

“Well would you look at that, Torkoal has Nidorino trapped like a Rattata… R.J. better have some crazy idea to get himself out of this hot situation.”

A crazy idea was all R.J. needed. And luckily, he had one.

“Nidorino, Rain Dance!”

“NIDO!” Nidorino looked into the sky and gave a great cry. “NIDO!”

Suddenly, dark storm clouds appeared over the stadium, and within seconds, the skies opened. Rain furiously dropped to the earth, and steam started sprouting from both the lava and Torkoal.

“Amazing! Nidorino uses the powerful Rain Dance, with may turn things around. I hope you guys brought your umbrellas, though.”

R.J. didn’t mind the rain, especially because it was going to bring him victory. The lava was cooling and returning the rock surface. Torkoal also looked dazed from the rain.

R.J. pointed a finger at the sky. “Now, Nidorino, THUNDER!”

Electricity began to gather around Nidorino, and suddenly, a large lightning bolt struck Nidorino from the rain cloud. But instead of harming him, the electricity from the lightning bolt reflected off of Nidorino and jolted towards Torkoal, cracking the rock surface. The electricity hit Torkoal, causing it to scream out in pain before falling to the ground, numb.

“Finish it off! Horn Drill!”

Nidorino’s horn began to spin, and he charged at Torkoal, running over the now-cooled surface. He rammed Torkoal with his horn, causing it to fly back into a rock and fall to the ground.

“Torkoal is unable to battle, the match goes to Nidorino.” Torkoal’s picture on the scoreboard darkened, and the rain stopped, leaving several puddles.

“And with a powerful Thunder as well as a Horn Drill attack, Nidorino has beaten his second Pokemon in a row. Caleb’s next Pokemon better be a good one, because it’s his last.

R.J. knew exactly which Pokemon was coming next.

Caleb recalled Torkoal, then picked an Ultra Ball from his belt. He kissed it before throwing it onto the field. “Now, for my most powerful Pokemon, Muk!”

The Ultra Ball opened, and sure enough, the green Muk that R.J. had seen earlier that day came out of the Ultra Ball, his picture appearing on the scoreboard. His body sparkled as soon as he came out.

“Wow, Caleb’s final Pokemon is a Muk, not just any Muk, but a shiny Muk. Shiny Pokemon are rarely seen at the Jade Tournament, but when they are, they always do well. Expect this one to turn things around for Caleb.”

“Nidorino, Horn Drill!”

Nidorino’s horn began to spin again, and he charged at Muk. Caleb just smiled.

When Nidorino made contact, Muk didn’t seemed hurt at all… in fact, Nidorino’s horn couldn’t penetrate Muk’s slimy body, and his horn got stuck!

“Muk, Mega Punch!”

Muk drew back a fist and punched the stuck Nidorino, sending him flying.

“Now, for your most powerful attack. Sludge Bomb!”

What seemed to be a large ball of sludge began to form in Muk’s hand. Then he tossed it at Nidorino just as Nidorino was getting up.

“Nido!” Nidorino fell back to the floor, and began to get back up, but was struggling, getting weaker by the second.

“He’s poisoned!” R.J. cried.

“Well, in an odd twist of fate, R.J.’s Nidorino has been poisoned, not long after Caleb’s first Pokemon, Tropius, was taken out by poison. This also goes to prove how powerful Muk is. Poison attacks normally don’t harm other Poison types such as Nidorino, but Muk’s poison attacks must be incredibly powerful.”

“Nidorino, Thunderbolt!” R.J. knew there wasn’t much time before Nidorino fainted, so he had to get one last attack in, and since there was still a lot of water on the field from the rain, it would be a powerful one.

Electricity gathered around Nidorino, but right before he could launch it at Muk, he dropped to the ground.

“Nidorino is unable to battle, the match goes to Muk!” Nidorino’s picture on the scoreboard went dark.

“And after a long run, Nidorino finally goes down at the hands of Muk. I wonder what Pokemon R.J. will use next.”

R.J. recalled Nidorino. “This s going to be tough. But Muk is a Poison type… and all Poison types are weak againist Psychic types. Go, Girafarig!”

R.J. threw a Pokeball to the rock surface and out came Girafarig. His picture appeared on the scoreboard.

“And R.J. chooses a Girafarig for his next Pokemon. Muk may be in some trouble, but don’t count it out.”

“Girafarig, Psybeam!” With that, Girafarig launched a multicolored beam at Muk.

“Muk, Minimize!”

Suddenly, Muk seemed to shrink down several sizes… and the beam went right by him!

“Another clever move from Muk.”

Muk grew to his full size again. “Muk, Sludge Bomb!”

Another ball of sludge formed in Muk’s hand, and he launched it at Girafarig.

“Girafarig, Agility!”

Girafarig quickly moved out of the way, missing the Sludge Bomb.

“Again, Muk!”

Muk then began to launch Sludge Bomb after Sludge Bomb at Girafarig, with Girafarig running all about to barely avoid the attack. Finally, Muk got lucky, and hit Girafarig with a Sludge Bomb right in between the eyes.

“RIGGG!” Girafarig cried in pain. R.J. could tell that Girafarig was poisoned, and wouldn’t last long.

“Girafarig, Take Down!”

Girafarig lowered his head and charged at Muk. But before he could reach him, Girafarig fell to the ground. He wasn’t out, but he was feeling much pain from the poison. He slowly began to get up.

“Muk, Body Slam!” Muk then rushed towards Girafarig, moving surprisingly fast.

“Whoa, look at it go! Muk high speed is obviously a result of it being shiny.”

When Muk reached Girafarig, he had just finished standing up. Muk then slammed his body into Girafarig’s back legs, causing them to buckle and fall out from under him. Girafarig fell on his side.

“Girafarig is unable to battle, the match goes to Muk!” Girafarig’s scoreboard picture darkened.

“And Muk wins again, no surprise there. I wonder if Muk…”

Gordon, from the crowd, stood up. “ARE YOU BEING PAID TO AVRISTISE MUK?!” he screamed at the announcer. Many people looked at him, and he sat down, embarrassed.

R.J. only had one Pokemon left, and he knew exactly which Pokemon it would be. He picked the Ultra Ball from his belt. “You obviously have a lot of faith in your Muk, mainly because it’s shiny. Well, let’s see how you do againist another shiny Pokemon. Go, Larvitar!”

R.J. threw the Ultra Ball onto the rocky surface. It opened, and R.J.’s olive-colored, purple-bellied, and shiny Larvitar came out. His picture appeared on the scoreboard.

“Well, would you look at that. R.J. had a shiny Pokemon the whole time. I’ve never seen this before: two shiny Pokemon battling it out in a major tournament. We’ll just have to see how this turns out.”

Caleb seemed surprised that R.J. also had a shiny Pokemon, but not worried. “Muk, Sludge Bomb!”

Muk formed yet another Sludge Bomb in his hand and launched it at Larvitar, who didn’t even try to avoid it. Caleb smiled as the Sludge Bomb hit Larvitar, but the smile turned into a frown when he discovered that Larvitar was completely unaffected.

R.J. smiled. “Muk’s poison attacks won’t do anything to Larvitar’s rock skin. Now, Larvitar, Rock Tomb!”

Larvitar charged at Muk, and when he was close, lunged at him. But instead of hitting Muk, Larvitar flew by and hit the rock behind Muk, one of the two huge rocks. The rock shattered, and all the pieces fell on Muk, covering him.

“Well it looks like Muk might be having some trouble.”

“Muk, Focus Punch!”

R.J. then saw a white glow come from the rock. Suddenly, Muk’s white fist bashed through the rocks, sending Larvitar flying. Muk climbed out of the rocks, hurt, but not out, while Larvitar was badly damaged.

“Finish it off, Muk, with Fire Punch!”

Muk’s fist burst into flames, and he rushed at Larvitar.

“Larvitar, Dig!”

Larvitar quickly dug into the ground, and in seconds, Larvitar was out of sight. Muk looked around cautiously.

“Now!”

Larvitar then leaped from the ground under Muk, sending Muk flying.

“Now, finish him off!” R.J. pointed a finger at Muk. “EARTHQUAKE!”

Larvitar leaped high into the air, then crashed his feet into the ground. A jolt in the ground, as though someone was digging through the ground at high speed, rushed towards Muk, hitting him with tremendous force and sending him flying into the other huge rock, with appropriately shattered, its pieces falling on Muk like before.

“Muk!” Caleb cried.

Finally, after an anxious silence, Muk’s shining green arm came out of the rocks. Muk himself then climbed out of the rocks. He stood up, ready to attack again, but then slumped to the ground.

The ref raised his green flag. “Muk is unable to battle, the match goes to Larvitar, and the Green trainer is the winner!” Muk’s scoreboard pictured darkened, and R.J.’s picture took up the screen.

“UNBELIEVIBLE! I didn’t think it was possible for Muk to lose, but clearly I was wrong, as Larvitar finished the match with an awe-inspiring Earthquake. I hope the rest of the matches in the Jade Tournament will be as good as this.”

R.J. jumped onto the rocky field, and Larvitar leaped into his arms. “Great job buddy, you were awesome.”

“Larvi!” Larvitar cheered.

After recalling Larvitar, R.J. met up with Gordon (who confidently told R.J. he was rooting for him the whole battle) and began to head out.

“R.J., wait.”

R.J. turned around. It was Caleb. R.J. expected that he was mad that R.J. had beaten him, but instead, Caleb extended his hand.

“Great battling out there.”

R.J. shook it. “You too. You had me there for a while.”

“Thanks. But why didn’t you tell me you also had a shiny Pokemon, and a rare Larvitar too, when we met before the battle.”

R.J. smiled. “I tried. You just kept talking about your Muk.”

“Err, sorry about that. Well, good luck in the rest of the tournament. If anyone can win it, its you.” Then he walked away.

R.J. and Gordon then left the stadium, and saw Joseph, Morgan, and Nicole running towards them, with smiles on their faces.

“R.J., we both got past the second round!” Morgan said with joy

“That’s great, guys, so did I.”

“Awesome, we’re all in the final eight.” Joseph noted

“Let’s just hope your luck continues,” Gordon said. “Anyway, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving. Let’s get something to eat.”

The five friends laughed as they made their way to the nearest restaurant, surviving another day in the Jade Tournament.

[HedgeCat]

I think the final 4 is going to be RJ, Morgan, Joesph and Kevin. That was a good battle. Larvitar was awesome! I didn't think it could beat Muk because Larvitar wasn't used often. Good battle nonetheless, RJ.

[DannyBoy]

That was a good chapter. I really thought that Larvitar was going to evolve but I was wrong but it still was good. The battle was done really well. I think that the guy raised his Muk all the time and never gave enough trainning time with his other pokemon. Thats why he lost. Really good chapter after a month or so. Keep it up!

[Grim Reaper79]

Wait. Joseph didnt battle and he was suppost to be after R.J. on the Rock field. But then hes saying they are in the top 8... I dont know? Maybe i screwed up reading. Great Fic though. I just actually caught up last weekend.

[RJdude]

Sorry, my mistake.It should have said that he was to battle on the grass field with Morgan, not the rock field with R.J.

Edit:By the way, I'll give a special sneak-preview of the next chapter (once I write a little bit of it) to whoever can figure out who Caleb was based off of (not his personality, just where I got the idea for his character). It's someone on these boards.

[RJdude]

Happy New Year's everypone... jus so you know, my resolution is to finish this fic by April (when I first started it last year). But anywy, this week I'll give you guys a preview of the next chapter.

Chapter 33 - The Third Round!

Having won the first two rounds of the Jade Tournament, R.J., Morgan, and Joe are in the final eight, and they've never been surer that one of them will walk away as the voctor of thhe tournament. But now, R.J. must face his toughest opponent yet: the winner of last year's Jade Tournament! Wll he be able to win? Find out soon.

[RJdude]

I know this weekly update is a bit late, but oh well... I'll have another one on Friday.

Anyway, I have midterms all next week, so don't expect anything. Also, I got nominated for three golden pens... best main male (R.J.), best suporting male (Gordy) and best supporting female... thanks to the people who nominated them. Let's see if I can actually win something this time (I deserved best plot twist last time...meh) but considering only three people read this here, I doubt it. Oh well.

[Zee Sage]

Hey RJ, I have a question.

Do you plan a sequal to this fic, I just thought that a sequal would be good like another league or something. Just wondering...

[RJdude]

Hey uh, I don't know if anyone reads this fic anymore, but if you do, there should be a new chapter up on the weekend, possibly tommorow...

[RJdude]

Here's the next chapter, for the two of you who read it... I'm thinking of canceling this here, it's really no fun when nobody reads or replies. Try to convince me otherwise, guys.

Part 1 - Chapter 33

Gordon studied the board carefully. Then he picked up his queen and moved it across the board, taking out Joe’s queen. “Hah, I finally took your queen out. You’re going to be dead in two turns.

Joe sighed before moving his bishop five squares diagonally. “Checkmate,” he said with a yawn.

Gordon stared in astonishment. “What! How could I possibly lose?”

Maybe if you stopped worrying about getting Joe’s queen and worried about your actually king, you wouldn’t have lost,” R.J., who was watching the chess game, noted.

“But I’m the champion of chess! How could you beat me?” He asked Joe, still not willing to accept that he had lost.

“Actually, if I remember correctly,” Joe began, “Me and R.J. beat you nine out of ten times when you lived at Zastor.”

“Yeah, who were you champion of? Your Abra? That’s not even a fair match considering Abra sleeps most of the time, although I’m sure even in his sleep Abra could beat you.”

Gordon started to get red in anger. This was R.J. and Joe’s goal, to get Gordon as pissed off as possible. It was a game they had played since they were in Kindergarten. But Gordon knew not to take them seriously, and he would have his revenge later.

“Hey!” Morgan walked into the room, and R.J. was once again drawn by her beauty. “Are you boys done playing your game yet?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Joe responded.

“Well, Nicole just picked up a call from the jade Tournament officials. All remaining trainers need to report to the Pokemon Center, and that means the three of us,” she said, indicated herself, Joe, and R.J.

“I think they’re going to be telling you who your next opponents are,” Nicole, who walked out of the kitchen inside R.J.’s hotel room, said.

“Well then, what are we waiting for, let’s go.”

The five walked down to the Pokemon Center, where they met a large man in a Jade Tournament uniform.

“I.D.’s, please.”

“What is this, a bar?” Gordon spat.

“You moron, he means our Pokedexes.” R.J., Joseph, and Morgan showed their Pokedexes to the man and he nodded, knowing that they were indeed trainers that were still in the tournament. R.J. turned back to Gordon and Nicole. “Sorry, I think trainers only. We’ll meet you afterwards.”

“Okay.”

The three trainer went in and saw that the other five trainers were already there. There was a short teenaged girl with red hair, a middle-aged man with short brown hair, and three teenaged boys, one a blonde, one with (oddly enough) blue hair, and the other being R.J.’s rival Kevin.

“Look who made it this far,” Joe, who also noticed Kevin, said to R.J.

Then a tall old man walked into the Pokemon Center. It was Mr. Adunate, the Jade Tournament president. He stood in front of the eight trainers, behind him a large screen.

“Well, first let me extend my congratulations to the eight of you for making it this far. You are some of the best trainers we’ve seen in years. But enough of that. As you may know, within the next half an hour, you eight will be starting your battles in the third round of the tournament.” The screen behind him suddenly lit up with faces. “And here are the matchups. At the Grass Stadium, the green trainer, R.J., will face the silver trainer, Rayford.” R.J. saw that he would be battling the middle-aged man.

“Next, at the rock field, the red trainer, Joseph, will be facing the black trainer, Alison.” Joseph looked over a his opponent, the short girl.

“At the water field, the maroon trainer, Jim, will be battling the purple trainer, Morgan.” Morgan smiled as she saw her next opponent, the boy with the blonde hair.

“And finally, the blue trainer, Kevin, will face off againist the gold trainer, Zack, also at the water field after the first match.” Kevin look confident… he didn’t think a trainer with blue hair could be that tough.

“Thank you for your time, and good luck to you all!”

The trainer began to leave. But the middle-aged man, Rayford, who R.J. was going to battle, walked up to him. “Good luck to you in the match. You’ll need lots of it.” Then he left the Pokemon Center.

“Cocky,” R.J. said to himself before leaving the Pokemon Center and meeting up with the rest.

“So, who’s going with who?” Gordon asked, referring to Nicole and himself.

“Well, we’re all in different places this time. R.J.’s in Grass, Morgan’s in Water, and I get Rock.”

“Great. So, where should we go?”

Joe shrugged. “Go wherever you want.”

“Well, if we waist anymore time, we’re going to miss our matches,” R.J. began. He spotting a plastic cup and the ground and picked it up. Then he took three coins, a big one, small one, and a medium sized out of his pocket and put them in the cup. “Alright. Gordy and Nicole, picked a coin out of the cup, and try not to feel its size, just take the first one your finger touches. If it’s the big one you go with Joe, if it’s the small one, Morgan, and the medium one is for me.”

Gordon and Nicole each reached into the cup and pulled out a coin. Gordon came out with a big coin, and Nicole with the small one.

“Sorry, R.J.”

“It’s fine. Well, good luck, guys, see you after the match.”

“Bye.”

The trainers went their separate ways, leaving R.J. alone. He wasn’t hurt by the fact nobody was going with him; he thought he might be able to concentrate better if he didn’t know any of the people in the crowd.

When R.J. got to the Grass Stadium, he knew the procedures well enough now that it didn’t take him long to get where he needed to be: right outside of the field, ready to walk out onto it. He could see the field, and it was nothing more then a plain of grass.

Then he heard his cue. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Third Round of the Jade Tournament!” As always, the crowd shouted with cheers. “And now, let’s meet the trainers; the Green Trainer, R.J., and the Silver Trainer, Rayford!”

R.J. and his middle-aged opponent walked out onto the field. The crowd seemed to cheer even louder, especially when he mentioned Rayford’s name.”

“First, for some background on the trainers, the deserve some recognition having come this far, to the final eight.” Again, there were loud cheers. “This is R.J.’s first official tournament, and he’s been doing extremely well so far. And then there’s Rayford, who we all know. Rayford, of course, won the tournament last year, so its no surprise he could manage to collect eight badges again and enter it another time.”

“He won the tournament last year!” R.J. exclaimed, but no one could hear him over the roar of the crowd. “No wonder he was so cocky.”

“Well then on to the battle.”

“Trainers, take your places!”

R.J. and Rayford each stepped forward into the yellow, fenced in boxes on the ground, and they rose into the air. R.J. was starting to get nervous. This would be his toughest match yet.

“There will be three Pokemon each, no time limit. Let the battle begin!”

R.J. decided to start things off with his power hitter. “Pidgeot, I choose you!” R.J. threw the Pokeball out onto the field. His Pidgeot flew out, ready as ever. His picture appeared on the scoreboard.

Rayford took a Pokeball from his felt as well. Confidently, he threw out onto the field. “Bad choice, R.J. Steelix, go!” The Pokeball hit the ground and opened. A very large steal snake emerged, and R.J. knew he was in trouble.

“And R.J. starts off with a Pidgeot while Rayford picks a Steelix. Steelix has the obvious advantage here, but anything can happen.”

R.J. knew he couldn’t risk pitting Pidgeot againist a Pokemon he knew he would lose to. “Pidgeot, return.” He pointed Pidgeot’s Pokeball at him, then sent the red beam at him.

“Steelix, Bind!”

Steelix quickly brought his long tail up to Pidgeot, wrapped it around Pidgeot, and sqeezed him. The red beam of the Pokeball hit Pidgeot, but he would not return.

“Well, looks like Pidgeot’s in all caught up in Steelix’s Bind attack. Looks like R.J. will have to play this one out.”

“Sqeeze harder, Steelix!”

Steelix did as it was told. It squeezed its tail tighter, and R.J. could tell that Pidgeot was having a hard time breathing. He had to think fast.

“Pidgeot, Whirlwind!”

Pidgeot heard him, then, amazingly, it began to spin around inside of Steelix’s grip. A small whirlwind began to form around Pidgeot. Steelix was confused, and then let go of Pidgeot.

Free of Steelix’s iron grip, Pidgeot folded his wings and began to spin faster, now able to fully execute the Whirlwind attack. Then he shot out of the middle of the whirlwind, and with a flap of his wings the whirlwind launched towards Steelix.

“STEELIX!” Steelix was, incredibly, drawn into the Whirlwind, and began to spin around. The whirlwind then jolted towards Rayford, and before it came close enough, a Pokeball on Rayford’s belt opened and sucked Steelix in, and not long after the whirlwind died, its winds blowing in every direction.

“Wow, Pidgeot managed to get itself out of that mess, and used a Whirlwind to force Rayford to recall his Steelix. It was a very powerful Whirlwind, mind you, one of the finest I’ve ever seen. Not many Flying type Pokemon can claim to have picked up an 800 pound Steelix with a simple whirlwind. But now Rayford has to pick a new Pokemon.”

Rayford picked another Pokeball from his belt. “Crawdaunt, go!”

Rayford threw the Pokeball down to the grassy field. It opened, and a menacing red Pokemon resembling a crawfish or a lobster came out. It snapped its huge claws at Pidgeot, but he was not intimidated. Crawdqunt’s picture appeared on the scoreboard, under Steelix’s undarkened one.

“Crawdaunt, Ice Beam!”

Crawdanu raised one oof its claws at Pidgeot, opened it, and sent a chilling beam at Pidgeot.

“Pidgeot, you know what to do.”

Right befor he was hit by the beam, Pidgeot seemed to disappear, then reappear several feet away. Then Pidgeot opened his mouth and shot an Ice Beam of his own strait at Crawdaunt. The beam hit, and Crawdaunt was frozen solid. Rayford did not seem worried, however.

“And Pidgeot has made perfect use of the Agility-Mirror Move combo, very popular amung flying types at this level.”

Suddenly, the ice around Crawdaunt shattered, and Crawdaunt was let free.

“Crawdaunt, Bubblebeam!”

Crawdaunt pointed its claw at Pidgeot and opened it, this time sended a stream of bubbles at Pidgeot.

“Pidgeot, Agility and Mirror Move!”

Pidgeot quickly dodged the beam, and shot a beam of his own right back at Crawdaunt.

R.J. then realised that sometimes was up. Rayford knew that Pidgeot would dodge and reflect, so why would he try it again?

Then, too late, he realised it. “Pidgeot, look out!”

“HYPER BEAM!”

Crawdaunt opened his claw and instead launched a powerful orange beam at Pidgeot. The beam went straight through the bubbles, popping them, and went straight to Pidgeot. Pidgeot couldn’t dodge however, because he was too busy with the Bubblebeam. The Hyper Beam hit him at full force, and with a cry he began to drop to the ground.

“Pidgeot!” R.J. cried.

“Crawdaunt, Crabhammer!”

Crawdaunt quickly scuttled to the dropping Pidgeot, its claw glowing, and hit Pidgeot with the full force of its claw.

“PIDGEO!” Pidgeot went flying and landed on the ground he wasn’t out just yet, but one more attack would do it.

“Wow. Rayford managed to get a powerful hit on Pidgeot by using a first, less powerful attack as a decoy. And now he has Pidgeot on the ground, one attack away from being eliminated from this match.

Crawdaunt walked over to Pidgeot. “Crawdaunt, Crabhammer!”

Crawdanut raised its glowing claw and swung it down on Pidgeot. R.J. had to think fast.

“Pidgeot, Steel Wing!”

Pidgeot’s left wing began to glow, and he raised it in front of him, letting it absorb the Crabhammer attack, which just hit the wing and did nothing.

“Craw?” Crawdaunt was confused as to how its attack didn’t work.

“Pidgeot, Mirror Move!” Pidgeot’s other wing began to glow, and he swung it to the left and knocked the confused Crawdaunt’s head with the same Crabhammer it was about to use to finish off Pidgeot. Crawdaunt was knocked back several feet.

“And R.J. uses another excellent defensive manuver by using a Steel Wing to absorb the attack.”

“Now, Wing Attack!”

Pidgeot’s Wing once again glowed, and he swooped down on Crawdaunt, ready to hit it.

“Crawdaunt, Protect!”

Crawdaunt’s body glowed a light blue, and when Pidgeot’s wing made contact, no damage was done.

“Pidgeo?” Pidgeot was confused, just as Crawdaunt had been.

“Crabhammer!”

“Agility!”

Crawdaunt swung a glowing claw at Pidgeot, but Pidgeot used its agility to barely avoid the attack.

“Mirror Move!” Pidgeot’s Wing glowed once more, and he swooped down towards Crawdaunt, ready to use a Carbhammer.

“Protect!” Crawdaunt’s body glowed a light blue once more, and Pidgeot’s attck did nothing. “Now, hit it with a Crabhammer!”

“Agility!”

Crawdaunt tried once again to strike Pidgeot, but Pidgeot quickly avoided it.

“Well, both trainers seem to be on the top of their defensive games here, with Crawdaunt using Protect to block Pidgeot’s attacks, and Pidgeot using Agility to avoid the parries. Who will come out on top?”

“Man, whenever I attack, he just blocks it,” R.J. said to himself. “I need to be quicker… much quicker.” He then turned to Pidgeot. “Extremespeed!”

Pidgeot folded his wings back, and faster than Rayford could blink, Pidgeot dove down at Crawdaunt and flew right past Crawdaunt’s legs, making it lose its balance.

“Huh?” Raydord didn’t quit know what had hit Crawdaunt.

“Do it again!”

Pidgeot, coming up from the dive, turned and dove once again at Crawdaunt. Crawdaunt had no time to defend itself because of Pidgeot’s immense speed. Pidgeot again sliced through Crawdaunt’s legs with his wings, and this time Crawdaunt lost complete balance and began to fall over.

“Wing Attack!”

Right as he was flying away from the attack, Pidgeot turned, his wing white, and whacked Crawdaunt’s head with the wing. Crawdaunt flew back, sliding across the grass.

“Crawdaunt is unable to battle, the match goes to Pidgeot!” Crawdaunt’s picture on the scoreboard darkened.

“Wow, and an intense showing of speed by Pidgeot seals Crawdaunt’s fate. Will Rayford choose another Pokemon now, or will he go back to Steelix?”

“Steelix, come back!” Raford recalled craqdaunt, and out went Steelix, returning for the battle. “Steelix, Iron Tail!”

Steelix’s tail glowed white, and he swung it at Pidgeot with tremendous force.

R.J. remembered the defensive maneuver he used againist Crawdaunt. “Steel Wing!”

Pidgeot’s wing glowed, and he thrusted it over his body, blocked the Iron Tail.

CLANG!

Everybody in the stadium, included R.J. and Rayford, had to cover their ears to block the loud crash of metal clashing metal.

“Whoa, let’s hope they don’t do that again.”

“Steelix, Dig!”

Steelix lowered its head and thrust it into the ground, forming a giant hole in the grassy field. Within seconds, Steelix was completely underground and out of sight.

“Watch out, Pidgeot,” R.J. warned his Pokemon.

“Alright, Steelix, come on out!”

Steelix then shot out of the ground beneath Pidgeot, creating another hole and slamming Pideot with its head, sending Pidgeot dropping. He fluttered his wings to regain his flight.

“Mirror Move!”

Pidgeot dove towards the ground and flew right into the hole Steelix had come out of.

“I got you now! Steelix, Earthquake!” Steelix banged its head againist the ground, sending a shockwave in the ground right at the hole.

“Uh-oh, as you guys know, when a Pokemon is underground, Earthquake does twice as much damge. This could be the end of Pidgeot.”

But R.J. knew it was the opposite. Now, R.J. had him. “Pidgeot, come out and Mirror Move!”

Pidgeot soared out of the first hole Steelix had made, then just as quickly dove down and hit the ground with his break, sending his own shockwave at Steelix. The shockwave made contact, doing a large amount a damage to Steelix, because of its weakness to Ground moves.

“STEELIX!” Steelix cried. It then fell to the ground. But just as it did, Steelix’s tail swung around, going right for Pidgeot.

“PIDGEO!” The tail, although swung accidently, hit Pidgeot with full force. Pidgeot fell from the air, having taken way too much.

“Pidgeot is unable to battle, the match goes to Steelix!” Pidgeot’s scoreboard picture darkened.

“And after a very good run, Pidgeot finally goes down. What Pokemon will R.J. use next?”

Steelix got up. It could still battle, but one more good attack would bring it down. And R.J. knew just the Pokemon to do it.

“Walrein, Water Gun!”

R.J. recalled Pidgeot, then tossed a Great Ball onto the field. It opened, and even before they had enough time to put Walrein’s picture on the scoreboard, Walrein shot a large jet of water at Steelix.

“STEELIX!” The jet hit right on traget: Steelix’s head. Steelix fell and hit the ground with a crash.

“Steelix is unable to battle, the match goes to Walrein!” Steelix’s picture darkened.

“Well, that was fast. And in the blink of an eye, R.J. has defeated another one of Rayford’s Pokemon, bring the score to two-to-one. Can R.J. uncrown the former champion right here and now? As we know from last year, Rayford saves the best for last, so don’t count on him out yet.

“Go, Hypno!” A Pokeball was thrown by Rayford, and it opened midair, revealing a strange Pokemon. It was yellow, had a weird nose, and strangest of all, a pendulum in its hand. Its picture appeared on the scoreboard.

“And, as expected, Rayford will finish this batte with his prized Pokemon, Hypno, the same Pokemon he won the tournament with last year.”

“Hypno, start this off with Hypnosis!”

Hypno began to swing its pendulum back and forth. Walrein couldn’t help but stare at it, and in a few seconds he was sound asleep.

“Walrein! This is no time to sleep!” Walrein just gave a snore. Then, inspiration struck.

“Walrein, Snore!”

Walrein gave an espcially loud snore, and then he opened his mouth and shot an icy beam right at Hypno.

“Light Screen!”

Hypno raised its arms, and what seemed to be a large glass screen appeared in front of it like magic. The Ice Beam hit, but it would not go through the screen. As soon as the attack was finished, the screen disappeared.

“Dream Eater!”

Suddenly, what seemed to be several blue orbs came out of Walrein. Hypno raised its arm once again, and the orbs moved towards Hypno.

“Well, we all know this attack. Dream Eater, Hypno’s most powerful move. It takes energy from a sleeping Pokemon and uses it to make it stronger, as well as doing quite a lot of damage to the defending Pokemon.”

The energy orbs were then sucked up by Hypno, and it glowed for a second, showing it had gained energy from Walrein.

“Now, Confusion!”

Hypno pointed at Walrein, and in an instant Walrein was lifted up and thrown back into the wall with a crash. Walrein, still alsleep, did not budge. But when Walrein hit the ground, R.J. saw that Walrein was no longer snoring and asleep, but silent and unconscious.

“Walrein is unable to battle, the match goes to Hypno!” Walrein’s scoreboard picture darkened, and R.J. recalled him.

“And with that, Rayford has narrowed it down to one a piece. What will be R.J.’s final Pokemon for this match, and will it be enough to stand up to the Psychic powers of Hypno?”

R.J. knew from Mr. Tomford that there were only three effective ways to combat a Pychic type: a Dark type, a Ghost type, and another Psychic type. With that, he choose his Pokemon.

“Go, Girafarig!” R.J. threw the Pokeball onto the grassy field, and R.J.’s Psychic type, Girafarig, came out, his picture appearing on the scoreboard.

“And R.J. chooses a Psychic type of his own, Girafarig, to finish the battle for him. Get ready for a goold old Psychic showdown.”

“Hypno, begin with Confusion!”

“Counter with your own Confusion!”

Both Girafarig and Hypno concentrated as hard as they could, trying to get into each other’s minds. But it was clear that both of them had equally strong minds, so they could not budge each other.

“Hypno, Pound!”

Hypno drew its fist back and ran at Girafarig.

“Double Team!”

Before Hypno could hit him, however, Girafarig made three copies of himself, each of them spreading out and surrounding Hypno. Hypno pounded one, but it was a flase one and it simply disappeared.

“Psybeam!” Three multicolored beams came right at Hypno.

“Light Screen!”

Hypno put up another screen, this one blocking all three Psybeams before vanashing. R.J. cursed.

“Now, Psychic!”

Hypno closed its eyes. Then, both copies disappeared, and the real Girafarig was lifted into the air, struggling to get free of Hypno’s psychic hold.

“Girafarig, use your own mind, and try to break Hypno’s concentration!” R.J. screamed, trying to break

Girafarig closed his eyes, and suddenly Hypno’s popped open, releasing Girafarig and leaving him to fall to the ground. He hit lightly, but still had to try to regain his balance.

“Now, use Hypnosis!”

Hypno’s pendulum swung back and forth, like it did with Walrein. Girafarig’s eyes followed the pendulum, and he too fell down into slumber.

“Giafarig, NO!”

“Hypno, Dream Eater!”

Hypno raised its arm. Energy balls then began to come out of Girafarig, and made way towards Hypno to give it even more energy.

R.J. knew he couldn’t get out of this. Girafarig was sound asleep and couldn’t attack, and Hypno would now get only stronger. Then he noticed something. The balck head on Girafarig’s tail was twitching. That was it! He remembered that, whenever Girafarig was asleep, the head on its tail would watch, and in some cases, protect it.

“Girafarig, Shadow Ball!”

Rayford laughed. “Can’t you realize that Pokemon can’t attack when they’re asleep?” The energy balls were moving slowly, but were getting closer.

“Look again.”

Girafarig’s tail head was forming an energy ball of it own, this one black, at its mouth. It grew large, and the tail swung over and the Shadow Ball launched at Hypno.

“Light Screen!”

Hypno stopped focusing on the energy balls, and made another Light Screen to block the Shadow Ball. But the Shadow Ball hit the Light Screen and shattered it, going staright through and hitting Hypno.

“HYPNO!” Hypno flew back.

Now that it wasn’t concentrating on them anymore, the enrgy balls shot back and absorbed themselves into Girafarig. With that, Girafarig’s eyes snapped open and he woke up. Now that he was awake, the head on his tail went numb.

“Finish it! Double Edge!”

Girafarig charged at Hypno, head lowered. Hypno tried to block it, but Girafarig slammed into it at full force, and Hypno hit the ground.

“Hypno! Try one last Psychic!”

Hypno, laying on its belly, lifted its arm to try one last attack, but the arm fell.

“Hypno is unable to battle, the match goes to Girafarig, and the Green trainer is the winner!” Hypno’s scoreboard picture darkened, and an “X” appeared over Rayford’s face.

“AND THE FORMER CHAMP GOES DOWN! Even whle it was sleeping, Girafarig managed to pull off a Shadow Ball attack, which was not only supereffective againist Hypno, but is a physical attack, which Light Screen could not block. And apparently, Rayford did not prepare his Hypno well enough for physical attacks, since it was taken out by only two. And with R.J. going to the Semifinals, this has been quite a day.”

Rayford, disappointed, returned Hypno to its Pokeball, and left. “Good job, Girafarig.” He wanted to congratulate his Pokemon more, but he wanted to see how Morgan and Joe fared in their matches. He recalled Girafarig, and ran out. A Jade Tournament offical stopped him before he could leave the stadium.

“Please come with me. The other three matches have been decided.” He followed the offical out of the stadium, and into the Pokemon Cneter.

“Joe! Morgan!”

“R.J.!”

“YOU MADE IT!” All three trainers yelled at once, and they rushed towards each other.

“Incredible, all three of us made it through to the semifinals,” Morgan said.

Joe nudged his thumb behind him. “Yeah, but look who else made it.” R.J. looked over Joe’s shoulder and saw none other then Kevin, whom all three of them loathed.

“Well, one of us will beat him anyway,” Morgan said with a laugh, “so that doesn’t matter anyway.”

Just then, Mr. Adunate walked in, holding a top hat in his hand.

“Trainers, let me extend my complete congratulations to all three of you for making it to the Semifinals. But right now, with this very fine hat, I will be choosing the two matches for tommorow’s matches you you can have the night to prepare. Then tommorow, we will have the two matches in Edveren Stadium, that’s the big one. And obviously, only two of you will make it through to the next round.

Then R.J. and his friends realized it. As they looked at each other they knew that two of them would have to face each other, and at least one would have to be eliminated at the other’s hand. After all that time they supported each other, now they would have to fight each other.

“Now, I will choose.” Mr. Adunate reached into the hat without looking to pick out a piece of paper that was either greean, red, blue, or purple, their colors.

Morgan gulped. “Guess this is it, guys.” She then grabbed R.J.’s right hand with her left, and Joe’s left with her right, and they waited for the decision that would turn friend into foe.

[Mikey]

Nice chapter R.J.! Way to leave us in suspence. DOn't worry man, not many people read my fic either, they just don't seem to give trainer fics a chance, no matter how great they are. This was a very fine chapter though, keep it up.

[DannyBoy]

That was really good! The battle was well done and Pidgeot ruled against Crawdaunt. I was surprised it lasted that long. Can't wait for the next chapter to see what happens and who goes against who. Also don't give up. You seem to be really close to finishing and it would suck if you quit. I do know where your coming from with the reply thing, don't let it get to you. You are doing really good and I hope you decided to continue.

[venkou2]

Great Chapter RJ, please don't give up your writing when you areso close to being done.

[watermaster]

great chapter I've read this fic and have not replide and I think a copple of others are the same way so don't give up.