The Journey

[Ayeun]

The Journey

A story of growth, life, love, and adventure.
By Lilly (started 1998)


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Chapter 1

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Pallet town - 12 years ago.

The rain on the window kept me awake. There was a storm brewing outside, and the lightning scared me. I pulled the comforter closer, and closed my eyes tight as the bolt of lightning cracked against the trees nearby. I could hear movement downstairs, my mum and dad probably.

Another crack of lightning struck, and almost instantly, the door to my room opened. My brother, Nick, rushed in dragging his blanket, and flopped down on my bed next to me.

"Lil, I scared", he said, as he curled up next to me. As his big sister, I flopped a stuffed Pikachu in his lap, and sat up, shifting him up to my lap.

"It's ok, Nick. Go to sleep." I started to brush his hair, as I would with one of my dolls. The rain picked up in intensity, but thankfully, the thunder was done for now, and it didn't take long for Nick to fall into deep sleep.

But with the thunder gone, and the rain soft, I could clearly hear mum and dad through the door. Yelling.

"You CAN'T go! You have kids! Nick is only 3. Lilly is 4 tomorrow. You can't go." Mum was crying.

"I don't have a choice. I was drafted. There is a war going on out there, and the army is drafting everyone they can get. I am leaving in the morning to serve with pride and honour." Dad was softer in his talking. Comforting mum maybe? Or unsure of himself?

"And what about..." whatever mum was saying, it was cut off by the window blowing open in the storm. I screamed, as rain washed in drenching me as I shielded Nick from the brunt of it. The scream, attracted the attention of our arguing parents. Dad was the first one in the door, quickly seeing the problem and moving to secure the window. Mum came up to me, and made sure I was ok. I think she sat with me till I fell asleep. The argument with dad over. At least, for now.

The next few days went by in a blur. My birthday happened, and Dad didn't come home from work that evening. He wasn't there the next morning, or that night.

He didn't come back for a long time...

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Pallet Town - 6 years ago.

On my tenth birthday, I received a letter from our regional Pokémon professor, Gary Oak Jr, inviting me to partake in the time honoured tradition of receiving a Pokémon and partaking on a journey. All my friends were planning on going soon. But I didn't want too. There was no reason for me to go anywhere. My mum was in Pallet, my brother was here, my house. I had never even travelled beyond Viridian city, and that takes a full day on foot to reach there.

And so, I watched as my friends all took their Pokémon and left. And then, one year later, the same letter arrived for my brother. He also did not leave, but mostly, I think, he was staying to be the man around the house.

A few weeks after my 12th birthday, Professor Oak offered me a position working for him as a care assistant. Many young Pokémon trainers would send their Pokémon to the professor for care and habitation. I had always wanted to work with Pokémon in one way or another, so I happily accepted. I learnt a lot during my time with him, and things were starting to look up.

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Pallet town - 3 years ago.

It was pitch black when we heard the front gate creek open. The clock on the wall said it was well past 10pm. There was a soft, but firm, rapping on the door. Nick moved to open it, but he did not recognize the man that stood before him. Mum and I did, however, even with the new scar on his cheek, and all of his hair shaved off. My dad was home!

"Hey son." Was all he got out, wrapping his arms around Nick. We didn't get much sleep that night, dad kept us up all night, telling stories about the war. He didn't like talking about who they were fighting, or where, but he did tell us about all the places he got deployed to. Like the jungles of Hoenn, where the grass Pokémon roam freely. And the urban landscape of Unova, where technological wonders were on display as far as the eye could see. Or the snowy covered mountains of Sinnoh, where our ancestral home was.

While listening to dad, mentally, I was writing a list. Of all the places he had gone in the war, and all the places he got to see. I didn't realize, as a thirteen year old does, that being in a war doesn't give you much time for sightseeing. But all these places my dad had been... One day, I was going to go there.

Nick spent the next few weeks really getting to know his dad, which I think finally gave him the drive to want to leave on a Pokémon journey. He started asking me questions about how things worked with Pokémon, and how he could start, seeing as he was older than 10. When I finally told him to ask the Professor about it, the Professor just smiled and said "Soon". And so, Nick spent more time with dad.

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Pallet town - 1 year ago.

I was kind of glad that Nick got to spend 2 years with dad before he passed. Many of the men who were lucky enough to come home from the war were all sick. Some kind of chemical they were exposed to on the battlefields or something. The doctors from the area were trying to treat it, but they were losing. And so, in the winter of my 15th year, our dad just stopped breathing in his sleep, passing peacefully into the night.

One month later, Professor Oak sent both Nick and I a letter, informing us that if we wanted to, our journey could start in the spring, with 3 special students that were also starting their journeys.

I spent weeks preparing with the Professor, trying to learn as much as I could to prepare me for the coming trip ahead. Nick started to come in too, trying to learn a few things before we left. I did manage to find out who these 3 special students were, however.

First there was Johnny, who's father had also served in the war. Growing up in Vermilion city by the sea, he had found work as a youngster helping unload boats. When the men started returning, Lieutenant Surge, the electric gym specialist, took the youngster under his wing, and began training him to succeed him as the master in the gym. He was to complete his own personal journey to all the regions, and study the electric type Pokémon those regions had, before returning to face off against Surge in a one on one battle, for the gym.

Second was Allan, the son of the late Pokémon master, Blaine, former Gym leader of Cinnabar Islands. Allan was rumoured to have trained with his father's Pokémon, but was lacking the cool head of most Pokémon trainers. His father, before passing, had forbade Allan from training any fire Pokémon, telling him that only when he had "cooled his jets", would he be able to inherit his legacy.

Finally, there was Garth. Only child to Psychic master Sabrina, the Gym leader of Saffron city. The young psychic was being sent on the journey by his mother, to help him build his psychic powers, and to attempt to teach him some humility.

With only a few days left before we would be preparing to leave, Professor Oak handed me a small bag, containing a parting gift from him to me.

"You have helped my work so much, I don't know what I am going to do without you." He smiled, as I opened the bag. Inside, there was a white coat, similar to the one he himself wore, save for one special difference. On the inside trim, he had affixed the special Pokéball clamps that young trainers would strap to their belts. "Can't have one of my students looking like a regular trainer now, can I? You go with the pride of Pallet. And while your brother may also be going with you, it is you that I want to see represent our town in the championship." Smiling again, he ushered me out, "Take tomorrow off. Bright and early on Friday. 8am to get your Pokémon, you hear!"

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Pallet town - Today.

Despite my constant reminders, and banging on his door, Nick still had not come out of his room. And the clock was already showing 7:45am! Even at a sprint, we wouldn't beat the others in time! Bashing on the door again, screaming this time, the door finally gave way. Not because Nick had opened it, but because I had actually broken its latch. Nick stood, fully dressed, striking poses in front of his bedroom mirror. The reason he had not heard my banging was clear, due to the headphones on his head. Beyond that, he WAS dressed and ready, and I did my best to hold back a laugh at what he had chosen to wear for his journey's start. Black slacks with dad's old army boots, a pair of red suspenders over a grey singlet top, and a neck scarf. It clashed horribly with his sandy blonde hair. Grabbing him by the wrist, and dragging him down the stairs, he finally realized that we were going to be late, and started running at full pace. Somehow, I managed to beat him to the professors lab, but it may have been due to my years of chasing eagerly energetic Pokémon, or my little know shortcut through our back fence. I emerged at the door of the professors lab, a tuft of leaves sticking out the top of my hair, braided and pulled back, loosely over my new coat, thanks to the professor. Under, I had opted for running shoes, tan cargo pants (with the pockets on the knees), a peach and white button shirt, and a tan hair band. My backpack held 5 days of clean clothes, a hat (something I am betting Nick will have forgot), and a spare set of shoes.

Approaching the lab, a small crowd had gathered, as was normal when a group was preparing to leave. This crowd, I noticed, was somewhat different. For one, there were a lot of Photographers and people with notepads gathered around. Second, I was not the first one there.

This was the first time I got to see the other three boys, but thanks to the interviewers, I got the name of my new 'companion'. Johnny had arrived first, dressed in green pants, with boots similar to those Nick had on, with a grey shirt under a black jacket, and long blonde hair down to his shoulders (Swoon). While I was taking my place as number two in the line, Allan arrived. He was dressed in black pants, with a golden embossed flame on the legs, boots (again), a red shirt, and a black jacket, with the same flame pattern on the back. He was wearing sunglasses, and looking down.

Nick arrived soon after, followed by Garth, a tall and lanky boy, already sporting a goatee, wearing denim shorts and a black and purple shirt, without sleeves, under a purple jacket with an embossed eye in black and silver on the breast and back. He rounded out the boots wearing boys, with the exact same set of boots as all the others. He took his place at the end of the line, grumbling under his breath while sipping on a coffee from a foam cup.

At exactly 8am, the front door to the lab opened, and the press turned their attention to the professor emerging.

"Come," he said, indicating behind him, "It is time for your to choose." And we all stepped inside.

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End of Chapter 1

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A little back story and introductions before I do chapter 2.

I started writing this in High school, over 15 years ago. Back then, at my school, there were 4 guys I used to hang out with, Allan, Johnny, Garth and Nick. They all got me into pokemon, and each had a specialty, as mentioned in the above sections. Nick was my partner for an English assignment, and challenged me to start writing a fiction about the 5 of us as Pokemon trainers. I failed the assignment, but this whole novella started from there.

Back when this was originally written, it was the Red and Blue days, with Yellow only just being released, and as such, I have decided to keep with the original plot I had way back then. Even though it expanded over the years, to include each new region, things like the Dark type, the Steel type, and the Fairy type will not come in to effect until the appropriate timeline section (I will make a note to let you know roughly when each section was written compared to the game).

Finally, this is my first post in the Fan Fiction section. I hope I read all the rules correctly and did this right. Looking forward to some positive feedback, and I will have the next section up in a week or so.

Love you all,
Lilly <3

[Ayeun]

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Chapter 2

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The inside of the Professors Lab had become a second home to my over the years, but today, it was unrecognizable. Gone were the tables and instruments for monitoring Pokémon, in their place were several chairs, and even a podium. The five of us were directed to take a seat in the front row, while the journalists, family, friends, and other gathered members took the seats around the room. A man I did not recognize took the stage, addressing the crowd. He was young, and had a cape on.

"Trainers, Friends, we are gathered here today to see the start of the adventure of five young people. They face before them a fantastic journey. A journey of adventure. A journey of wonder. A journey with their Pokémon." The audience politely applauded. The professor took the stage once this mysterious man was done.

"Thank you for your words, Master Lance. Today, our students begin their travels. And as many of you have gathered, the pride of their collective home towns goes with them. These students have been trained by the best, and as such, the best is expected of them. And now, on with the show." More polite applause, as the professor called us up to the stage, to choose our first Pokémon.

The table to the left of the professor was pushed in to the centre of the podium, and the top opened to reveal five identical sets. A red metal device, six Pokéballs, a folded piece of parchment, and a silver case, about the length of a pencil. Each set had a card propped against the centre Pokéball.

"Johnny, who was first to arrive today, will choose first." Johnny stood up, and much rambunctious applause and cheering from the back were heard. I turned my head to glance in that direction. It looked like those cheering were coming from a group of soldiers. As Johnny moved towards the tables, several members of the press started taking photos. Johnny took his time, looking at each of the cards, before coming to stop at the second last card. He smiled as a few more photos were taken.

"And now, Lilly, who was the second to arrive, will choose." And I stood up, to a lot of applause from people around town. I noticed several of my friends who had already taken their journeys were also in the crowd, cheering on with all the rest. I moved towards the table, noticing my mother in the crowd, smiling at me. Nick winked at me from the front row. I blinked in the flashing lights of the photography. I now realized why Johnny had taken his time looking at the cards. It wasn't a hard choice, it was just hard to read them with the flashing cameras. Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander, Pikachu, and Eevee. Johnny had taken his spot in front of the Pikachu card. Figured, since he was trained by the electric gym leader, he would grab the electric Pokémon. I took a moment to think about it. Bulbasaurs' were kind of average, from what I recalled. Mostly picked by trainers who didn't know about type matchups, or were the last pick. Squirtles' were average, with a good set of moves that were helpful, but could be replaced by almost any other water type Pokémon. Eevees' were adaptable, and could become three different types, and it was rumored that they could become even more, but you could find Eevees' in the wild, so taking one from the begining was a bit redundant. Which left Charmander, and the already chosen Pikachu. Pikachus' were common as dirt, if you knew where to look, I smiled a bit to myself. Chamanders' were weaker against the first few Gym Leaders, but they were very powerful in their final form. The choice was easy, I moved to the Charmander.

"And next, Allan." Allan moved to the desk, and considered the remaining three Pokéballs. The choices were getting smaller. Allan moved to the Eevee. More photos, my eyes were really getting sore.

"Now, Nick, the second of the Pallet town troupe." Nick moved up to the table, and for the first time, I noticed something different. While Allan, Johnny and I had received much attention from the press, the professor, and those gathered today, Nick was almost being glanced over. He hadn't be trained by a Gym leader, like the other 3, nor trained by the professor, like I had. No, Nick was here because I was. The professor was determined that since both Nick and I were leaving around the same time, we would leave the same day. And so Nick was here. The odd one out.

Nick, however, didn't seem to care. With a huge smile on his face, he moved towards the Squirtle tag, and smiling for the singular photo shot, took his place.

"Finally, Garth will take the remaining Pokémon." Garth stood, to the singular applause of one woman with black hair. He moved, to many many flashes of photographers, to the last remaining ball. He grimaced when he saw what he was left with, and I could hear him mutter under his breath.

The professor retook the podium. "I give you, the new Pokémon trainers." One final round of photographs, and we were done.

Three individuals moved towards the podium, pushing through the press, and moving towards Johnny, Garth and Allan. Taking their respective ward by the shoulder, they lead them away to discuss something in private. The professor passed me a envelope, and moved off into the crowd, pulling the pack of press away, letting our mother approach. "I am so proud of you both." She kissed us both on the cheek, and handed us both a small wrapped package. "These were from your father. He wanted you to both have them when you became Pokémon trainers. Now, don't forget your bags," she handed us both our travelling bags. Nick moved towards the door.

"I'm going. See you on the road, sis." With a casual wave of the hand, Nick stepped out into the light, and was gone. I moved to follow him, only to be stopped by a reporter, asking me a whole bunch of questions. By the time I was done with that, Nick had over an hour head start. Guess I wasn't travelling with him. I looked around quickly, Garth was also gone, and Allan and Johnny were moving out the door as well. I moved to follow, only to have a firm hand planted on my shoulder. Sighing, I turned to see who was holding me up this time. In front of me, with a huge smile on his face, was Master Lance, the man who had lead the first address.

"So, you are Lilly. Trained by Professor Oak, the 'champion' of Pallet town. I have a lot of money riding on you in the betting stakes here. Don't disappoint me." His face turned to a frown at the last, "Oops." I glanced over his shoulder, at Professor Oak, who was shaking his head at the revelation Lance had delivered. So they were betting on us. And more than just our mentors, it would seem. I wondered if anyone had backed Nick in this makeshift competition at all? I couldn't think of a way to ask without being blunt, so I decided to let it drop, for now. Lance took his hand off my shoulder, ruffling his hair as the smile returned to his face. "I look forward to battling you all one day." And with that, he strode past me, and out the door. He was followed by the stern looking woman with black hair who had applauded Garth, and the man who had singled out Allan. The soldier, Surge, and his little squad had left early, as had my mother. That left Professor Oak.

"Professor..." I started, only to be cut off with a quick raised hand.
"Time for talking is over, miss. The adventure awaits out the door. You had best get going, or you are going to be VERY behind, and as Master Lance said, a lot of money is riding on you, and not just his." He smiled at this, and I was shocked to realize that the professor was also backing me in this race. I still did not know what the bet was, but I had two people backing me, which made me happy. "We will talk again soon." He smiled, and ushered me out in to the sun.

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Day 1 - Professor Oak's lab, Pallet Town, 11.00am.

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I sat in the sun, blinking as my eyes adjusted to the light. In my hands, the red device, which Professor Oak called the 'Pokédex', the package from mum, and the letter from the Professor. I started with the Pokédex, sliding the top open.

The screen inside flashed to life, with a picture of my face, and my name, age, and home town. A icon of a single Pokéball flashed below, which I pressed, revealing a few details about my Charmander. Pushing buttons, it revealed the Pokémon list, showing that I had caught one Pokémon, how long the device had been active, and a map of the area. Sliding the lid closed, I turned my attention to the package. I separated the tape holding the wrapping down, and found inside a small wooden box, with a slide lid. Inside the box, a thick letter in an envelope lay on the bottom, with a small puzzle box sitting on top of it. The letter had my name written on it, in my dad's handwriting. I picked it up, and opened it, removing several photos, a big brass key, and a single sheet of parchment, old and faded.

"My dearest Lillian, how proud I am that you have grown and decided to travel. You should be 10 years old when this letter gets to you. I am writing this from Sinnoh, our ancestral home. My great grandfather, your great great grandfather, was born here. If it were not for this war, I would have very much liked to have brought you here, to see where our family comes from. But I fear by the time that I get to come home, you will be long gone on your travels. I have included a few photos of the village where our family comes from. We still have the house here. Your mother and I had hoped to retire here one day."
"I have also included for you a Pokémon that I caught while I was here. It is inside the puzzle box. When you get it opened, then you are ready to travel with it. Make sure to get it checked out at a Pokémon centre before using it."
"The key in the envelope will open the house here in Sinnoh. Maybe you can find something, if you ever get here, to keep as a family keepsake."
"I am sorry that I missed your growing up, and that I wasn't able to come home. Know that I love you, and I know your mum loves you too."
"With all my love, Dad."

A single tear splat landed on the paper as I finished reading. I hadn't even realized I was crying. Carefully folding the letter back in to its envelope, and placing the photos inside as well, I placed the puzzle box in my coat pocket, and hooked the key to my necklace. I placed the envelop back in the sliding box, and placed it carefully inside my bag. I picked up the last envelope, with my name scrawled on it in Professor Oak's handwriting.

"Lilly. I have arranged for you to meet with a companion in Viridian city. They will be waiting for you at the Pokémon centre in four days. Have a safe journey. Oak."

I smiled at the thought Oak had placed in this letter. No use sitting here anymore. I had four days to get to Viridian city, to meet this travelling companion, and it was a 3 day walk. I had better get moving. I pushed myself up from the steps to the lab, and started walking towards Route One.

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Day 1 - Route One, 12.30pm.

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I had been walking for about an hour now, the smell of the long grass in the gentle breeze was nice. I had seen a few wild Pidgey and Rattata, and was really looking forward to my first battle with one. So much so, I didn't realize my hand was turning white, while squeezing Charmander's Pokéball. I heard a rustling ahead, and my eyes focused forward, expecting a Pokémon to burst out any second. Instead, I was met with the face of Garth, stumbling and coming to a stop just inches from my face. A moment later, we both scrambled back, averting our gaze. I was the first to recover.

"Hi. You're Garth, right? I'm Lilly." I offered my hand to shake his. He smiled as he recovered, taking my hand and shaking it once, firmly, yet gently enough not to hurt my grip.
"Yeah, I'm Garth. Umm." He averted his eyes for a moment. "Are we meant to, umm, Battle or something?" He blushed at me. I shook my head.
"I'm not sure, I guess, maybe? If you wanted to, sure, I guess..." I trailed off, not wanting to give him the wrong idea, I took a step back. He seemed really nervous around me. I wasn’t sure if it was just me, or girls in general. He shook his head no, smiling a bit, the distance seemed to make him a bit more secure. I continued, "So, your mother is a Gym leader? What's that like?" he looked at me shocked, and shook his head.
"I... I don’t want to talk about it. I had better go. When She finds out I wasn't pushing myself, and chatting, She will get mad. Good luck, Lilly!" he turned and ran off, back the way he had stumbled from.
"Bye." I called out after him, not sure if he heard or not, thinking to myself that Garth was a bit on the weird side. I continued on, following the path towards Viridian city, stopping an hour or so later, to eat.

As I was finishing a wrapped sandwich, a Pidgey landed, and started pecking at the crumbs near the log I was sitting on. I took some of the crust, and broke it in to sections, scattering them about with a sweep of the hand. A few more Pidgey landed, and I started digging in my bag, looking for my sketch pad. I flipped the page over, and started doing a pencil outline of the Pidgey, pecking at the crumbs in the grass. I found my mind wandering as I drew the small flying type Pokémon, forgetting for the moment that I was meant to be walking, and just drew the pictures.

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Day 1 - Route One, 4.30pm.

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I looked at my completed drawing, noticing the details I had made of the Pidgey's feather shapes, and how some of them looked more ruffled than the others. I glanced up to check the bird once more, only to notice that the last Pidgey had finally taken flight, and the late afternoon sun was lowering beyond the trees. It would be dark soon, I realized, and I wasn't going to camp a few hours north of home. I would push on in to the night, and walk a bit longer. Putting my sketch pad back into my bag, I pulled out the flashlight I had packed, and hoisted myself up. I turned northward, and started walking along the path once more.

The late afternoon sounds of the Pokémon were relaxing, the Pidgey in their nests, calling out to one another, while the Rattata skittered about in the grass below, gathering scraps to take to their dens for the night. It was well and truly dark before I saw anything else worth noting.

The torch did very little to show me the surrounding wilderness, so instead of stopping, I pulled out Charmander's Pokéball once more, and gave it a quick flick. In a flash of blue and orange light, the small fire lizard solidified, its tail flame lighting up the area much better than the torch could.
"Hello Charmander. I am Lilly, your trainer. How are you?" I asked. I knew that Pokémon couldn't speak, but they did understand what we said. Charmander looked at me and growled softly, smiling a bit in the flames light, and waddled over next to me, as we both started walking north together.

In the distance, I noticed a small campfire flickering. Maybe one of the others had stopped for the night. I was sure they wouldn't object to the company, and it would be nice to rest for the night. We set off towards the light. A few minutes later, I called out a greeting to the lights.

"Hello?" The darkness responded.
"Hello! Who's there." The response was a boy. He sounded a bit shaken. Perhaps he didn't think anyone would be walking in the dark.
"My name is Lilly. I was hoping to rest by your fire tonight, if that is ok?" I called back. There was a few quiet words spoken by the fire, and then.
"Did you say Lilly? Its Johnny. Allan's here. Come on over. We have marshmallows and chocolate." I smiled at the invitation, and moved forward. The two boys came in to focus, as my eyes adjusted to the lights. Allan was sitting by the fire, his Eevee curled at his feet, sound asleep. In his hand, he held a branch, with many prongs, each spiked with a marshmallow. Johnny was seated on the other side, and moved around a bit, making room for me. His Pikachu was resting on his shoulder, its hand holding his head, and both Johnny's and Pikachu's hands and faces had smudged chocolate on them. Guess he was in the middle of eating when I called out. Allan just looked at me quietly, while Johnny just stared at me with a lopsided smile. I couldn’t hold it in.
"Err. You have chocolate on your face. Pikachu's too." I pointed at the two of them, while Allan laughed. Embarrassed, Johnny whipped his face on his sleeve, and then did the same with Pikachu's face. Our night of laughter continued from there.

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End of chapter 2

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Would love any feedback, just to know if anyone is reading this or not. Hope that anyone who is reading it is enjoying it. Will try to have the next chapter up soon.

[Mikachu Yukitatsu]

It's nice to see you fanficcin, Ayeun.

Around 2001 or so, I did a bit similar story about my travels through Pokemon world, but I had no close friends interested in Pokemon as seriously as I, so I came up with imaginary companions, girls named Namiko and Konami.

I liked your story. How many chapters do you think the full story will include?

[Ayeun]

Thanks for the feedback Mikachu! I honestly do not know how long this will end up being. When I wrote it the first time, it was about 25 chapters long per Arc, with an Arc added for each Generation. Because I have to re-write it, due to losing the original, it could end up longer.

Behold - A new chapter appears!

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Chapter 3

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Day 2 - Route One, 5.30am

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I awoke early, with the sun rising over the trees. Allan and his Eevee were curled up in a ball in a sleeping bag. Johnny and his Pikachu were also asleep, with Johnny's sleeping bag backed up against a tree, with him sleeping in a seated position, Pikachu's stomach pressed flatly against Johnny's head. My Charmander had at some point in the night, curled up amongst the cinders of the fire from last night, and was resting its head against one of the rocks the boys had used to keep the fire contained. I pulled my bag over, and reached for my brush. A few minutes of brushing later, I had a new, clean braid, and was pulling on my coat, when I heard the boys stirring from their sleep.
"Leaving already, Lil?" Johnny muttered from his stupor, rubbing sleep from his eyes. I started patting Charmander's head, waking it up, before answering.
"Yeah," I spoke softly, trying not to rouse Allan, "I got to get to Viridian by tomorrow, and I was really slow starting yesterday. Catch you guys later, ok? And thanks for last night! It was a good night." I smiled at Johnny, who just blinked, and closed his eyes again. My opinion on them both had changed from our first meetings. Sure, Johnny was a bit cute, but he was really just a big kid, which was good, but at the same time, he could be annoying. Allan, who was really quiet, seemed to always be thinking, almost on the border of brooding. But as the night wore on, he seemed to smile just a bit. I got the feeling he was slow to trust. It was nice to see him open up as the night had worn on.

Charmander fell in to pace beside me, happily swaggering along. The morning sun was not too harsh, and my only thoughts at the moment were the deadline to reach Viridian city, and to find Nick. I didn't want him feeling left out, but he was in the front of this travelling pack, and I wanted to catch him today. Late last night, before we had all fallen asleep, I had moved a few energy bars from my bag's food store to my coat's pockets, so that I could eat while walking. I had also placed my fruit and water on the top, so I didn’t have to slow down to get them out. I was not going to miss the deadline.

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Day 2 - Route One, 7.45am.

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Munching on an apple, which I was sharing with Charmander, I finally found a campfire ring, that was still warm. Someone had rested here recently, and my guess was Nick. He would have had a slow start this morning, so he would only be a short way ahead. I increased my pace.

15 minutes later, I found him. His Squirtle engaged in battle with a Rattata, shooting jets of water at the small rodent Pokémon. I kept back, watching from the sidelines. I didn't know if he knew I was here, but I wasn't going to interfere with his battles. A few good hits in, and Nick was throwing the Pokéball, sealing the Rattata inside. I heard an excited "Yes!" from him, and it was at this moment I decided to make my presence know. I moved my foot, to a very dry looking stick, and stepped on it. *Snap*. Nick's head turned to my direction, and he smiled when he saw me.

"Hey sis! Did you see? I caught it! That means I am a Pokémon trainer for real!" He was smiling from ear to ear. He was wearing the same pants and scarf as yesterday, but a different shirt today. Around his neck, he had a silver ball hanging from a chain.
"Morning Nick." I called back, moving closer. Nick and Squirtle moved towards me, and Charmander and Squirtle moved towards each other, crashing in to each other, and then smiling and laughing in their Pokémon way. Nick chuckled, then, looking back at me, he addressed me.
"So... What's the key for?" Pointing at my necklace, I realized that dad's key was hanging out of my shirt.
"Oh. It was from dad. Along with this." I said, while pulling the puzzle box from my pocket. Nick smiled, thumbing the silver ball on his necklace.
"So was this," he said, "And mum gave me this." He finished, pulling a thick book from his pocket. "It was dad's, when he travled as a kid, before he met mum. It has all his notes for fighting Pokémon, and how to catch them. Stuff like that." He smiled, and I smiled back.
"That pendant is a Pokéball, isn’t it?" I asked him, noticing the shape.
"I guess, maybe." He shrugged at me. Then, turning serious, he asked the question I had been dreading since I found it out myself. "What was going on with the press yesterday? Someone would think you four are celebrities or something." I couldn't think of a way to answer it without hurting his feelings, and as soon as we reached Viridian city, he would find out anyway, so I might as well tell him here and now.
"Seems they think that the four of us could be special, since we have all learnt from four different Pokémon masters and specialists." I could see the smile on Nicks face turning to Anger.
"And, what about me? What do they think of me?" he spat the words, anger boiling to the surface.
"I... I don't know Nick. You're my brother, and you are amazing. You are doing better than I am. You have caught more Pokémon that I have." Nick sighed. He was calming down, and it looked like I had said the right thing to him. Unfortunately, Allan and Johnny had chosen this moment to come bursting up the path. Allan held back, but Johnny charged towards Nick.
"Hey, Lilly's brother. Nick. Let's have a battle!" Nick's head snapped towards Johnny, who's Pikachu jumped from his head, ready to fight. Nick's Squirtle dropped my Charamander's hands, and dashed forward, ready to answer the call.
"You're on!" Nick snapped, and the battle began in haste. Allan moved forward, his Pokéball in hand.
"Lilly, that means you and I get to fight now too!" He said, a hint of excitement in his eyes. I sighed. Charmander hadn't had a single battle yet, and we were two days in. Who knows how many Allan had had by now? I just nodded, and Charmander surged forth!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Day 2 - Route One, 9.00am.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After Charmander narrowly defeated Allan's Eevee, and watching Nick's Squirtle trounce Johnny's Pikachu, the four of us parted ways, heading out to train, to catch new Pokémon, or to just get to Viridian city, I found myself and Charmander facing off against a Pidgey. Unlike the battle against the Eevee, however, this match was rather difficult. I was thankful when the battle ended, but a rustling from the bushes attracted my attention once more. I grabbed my Pokéball, where Charmander was resting, expecting trouble, but instead, I was greeted with a familiar face, as Garth once again stumbled out of the bush, bruises visible on his arms thanks to the sleeveless shirt. I gasped.

"What happened to your arms?" he looked down, and then franticly reached back in to the bush he had fallen out of, and found his jacket, and pulled on.
"Nothing. Doesn't matter. Good battle. Here..." He tossed me a small pouch. "Healing herbs and salves. I have loads. Sorry, can't stay and chat. Got to go." He turned back to the bushes he had stumbled out of. This was the second time this exact scene had happened. I was getting to the bottom of it.
"Are you spying on me?" I demanded, crossing my arms, and trying to look intimidating. Garth looked shocked, but recovered.
"N... No. Just, training. But I keep stumbling, and somehow I always find myself falling out of the bushes near one of you. I saw your brother a few minutes ago." He looked around. "He was about 300 meters that way." He pointed south. "Anyway, I have to get back to training." And he dove back in to the bushes. I poked my head in behind him, but he was gone, with no sign he had even been there.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Day 2 - Route One, 4.00pm.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

From the top of the hill I had found myself on, I could clearly see the lights of Viridian City in the valley below. I would be there tomorrow, at this pace. Behind me, in the valley back towards Pallet, I could see two campfires. Presumable Johnny and Allan, and Nick. I sat down, by the small collection of twigs and stones I had set up, which Charmander was lighting and laying inside. Reaching into my pocket, I removed the puzzle box, and began looking at it. It was small enough to fit in to the palm of my hand, with different slats of wood that slide back and forth. Moving one at random, there was a click, and it slid back into place. Wether I had done it right or wrong, I didn't know, but I kept moving slats none the less.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Day 3 - Route One, 2.00am.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I was awoken by a sudden flash of purple, only to find Garth gasping for air at the edge of my makeshift camp. By the dying campfire light, I could see his face covered in sweat. I sat up with a start, but before I could do anything, Garth was gone in a second flash of light. I looked down, over the valley, where off in the distance, I notices another purple flash. Then nothing. The valley was quiet and dark once more. I lay awake for a long time before finally falling back to sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Day 3 - Route One, 6.00am.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I woke to the harsh morning sun in my face. Sleeping atop the hill may have given me a good view, but it also left little cover from the sun. Throwing some water in my face to wake up proper, I fixed my hair, poked Charmander awake, and packed up, heading down the hill, and towards my destination. Today, I would get there.

My morning breakfast bar was dry, but it was filling. Living on the road was very different to living at home, and I had seen firsthand trainers not make a week. Sleeping under the stars was the good part, as was the freedom. The lack of showers, not so good. Every major town had trainer houses, where you could wash your clothes, and shower, sleep in a real bed, as long as you got there before they were full, and cook on a stove. Between the towns, if you were lucky, you could find one of the traveller waypoints, which provided showers. Unfortunately, there were no such waypoints between Pallet and Viridian. With the prospect of a hot shower, and clean clothes waiting me, the last push to Viridian would be easy.

Except for Garth appearing in a flash of purple.

"WHAT THE..." Was all I got out, before he looked me dead in the eye.
"Opps." Was all he could say, before regaining his composure. "Look, I have to train my mind. You wouldn't understand." I could see a mental wall go up as a shield, and Garth's stance was defensive. He was ready for a fight, and not a Pokémon one.
"Garth, what is going on? You can teleport?" I asked, but he just waved it off, turning north, and walking.
"You coming? Viridian is just over there, and I want a real bed tonight." He was ignoring the question entirely. We walked in silence for over an hour, Garth ignoring every Pokémon we saw, and any attempts I tried at conversation. When I tried to leave, he would just follow the direction I was going. When I tried to let him walk ahead, he would just slow down until we were at the same pace again. I sighed, and continued on in silence.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Day 3 - Route One, 11.00am.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

We were about half an hour out of Viridian city, when Garth came to an abrupt halt, sitting on a fence post, and gesturing me to sit opposite him. I sighed, and complied. He looked me dead in the eyes, and for the first time, I could see the pain burning within.

"My mother is a Psychic, and a Gym leader. She expects me to take over her Gym one day. I was born with Psychic powers too. My mum says I don’t have a father, that she just willed me into existence. I don't know if that's true. I can't read her mind. I could read some of the others. Johnny is an open book, and Allan is easy enough to read. Even your brother's surface thoughts are easy to view. But I cannot read you." I blinked at him, shocked, but before I could speak, "I can also teleport, but with limited success. If I teleport blind, like I have been, the results are... Unpredictable, as you may have noticed."
"But, why are you telling me this?" I asked, not sure I wanted the answer. Garth smiled.
"Because I trust you. And because I am leaving to go train. Good luck, and see you." Garth turned and headed back south, towards Route One, and away from Viridian city. I sighed, turned north, and headed towards Viridian. Garth called out over his shoulder at me. "The puzzle box in your pocket is unlocked, by the way." And then he disappeared into the bushes. I pulled out the box, and looked down. Sure enough, the box slid open, revealing a Pokéball inside. I slid it and the box back into my pocket, and headed in to Viridian.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Day 3 - Viridian City, 12.00pm

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I checked in to the Pokémon Centre, to get Charmander checked, and the Pokémon from dad examined. The nurse was not impressed when she took the ball.
"How long has this Pokémon been in this ball?" She demanded of me. I didn't have an answer that would satisfy her.
"I... I don’t know. It was a gift from my dad, but he sent it years ago." She sighed, but I asked, "How bad is it?"
"It should be fine. Leave it with me over night, and I will give it a full check. You look like you could use a cleanup. The trainer house is just through those doors." She indicated to a double set of wooden doors, which I thanked her for, and headed through.

Inside, on the wall, were some instructions on how to work the facility. Trainers checked in using their Pokédex as ID, which entitled them to a locker, use of the phones, fresh water and food supplies, and the showers and laundry facility. Beds were not guaranteed. I smiled, checked in, chucked my bag on one of the bed in the dorm, grabbed a towel from the shelf, and a clean set of clothes from my bag, and headed for the showers.

I emerged half an hour later, hair clean and clothes fresh, with everything I had worn up till this point washing in the laundry. Pulling my shoes back on, I headed to the side door, feeling like exploring the city. I saw Allan and Johnny entering the Pokémon centre as I exited the trainer house. Turning towards the city as a hole, I started down the main street.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Day 3 - Viridian City, 2.00pm.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Nick had found me not long after he had arrived. We were seated at a cafe, overlooking a river, where several water type Pokémon were swimming. Nick was throwing back coffee after coffee, while I sat sipping tea, a plate of sandwiches in front of us already half devoured by Nick. Most of the other clients of the cafe were paying us no heed, but there was one girl sitting under an umbrella on the other side of the courtyard, starting at us intently between sips from her glass. Every time I would look her way, she would avert her gaze, or hide behind a newspaper. Pushing the thought from my mind, I turned to the newspaper that Nick had in front of him. Its front cover had a photo of the five of us, under the title 'Champions in the making. Apprentices to the greats.' Nick had already read the article, and I could tell he was amused. From what I could see, they made it out that Nick was trained by some master from a far off land, and not some kid from Pallet. At least that made him smile. The waitress chose that moment to come over.
"Anything else I can get you, dears?" she asked. She wouldn’t have been more than 18 or 19, and Nick was checking her out from behind his newspaper. Unfortunately, moving the paper the way he did let the waitress notice that it was my photo on the cover. "Oh, you are one of those luck kids? Congratulations. I'll get you a slice of complimentary cake." Nick chortled from behind his paper, sliding it down, to the shocked look of the waitress. "And one for you, too." She blushed at Nicks stare. I giggled. Glancing back across the courtyard, I noticed the girl from earlier was gone, her newspaper flapping about in the gentle wind. The waitress returned a moment later, two large sliced of cake, one Chocolate, and one Vanilla. Placing them both before us, she bowed and left. Nick dragged the chocolate cake towards him, smiling at me.
"Eat up sis." Nick chuckled as he returned to his newspaper. I picked up the spoon, only to notice that there was a folded note between the spoon and napkin. I picked it up, noting my name written in silver ink in a curving cursive I did not recognize. I unfolded it. More of the silver ink inside.
'Tomorrow morning, 8.30am. This table. Don't be late. - Kris'
I slid the note into my pocket, and ate the slice of cake.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Day 3 - Viridian city, 7.30pm.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I lay my head on the cushion of the couch in the trainers house. It was just the five of us here, so we had the place to ourselves. Allan and Johnny were watching some mundane sporting event on the TV, and after eating, I had sat down with them. About 15 minutes later, Johnny had kicked Allan to the floor, and slid to the end of the couch. It was warm in the room, and I was slowly falling asleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

End of Chapter 3!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 4 is finished, and I will post in next week. Chapter 5 is almost done, so that will be coming soon.

Also, a few notes.

1 - Yes, Garth has a few Psychic powers. These will develop as the story progresses. Each of the characters have a few unique gifts.
2 - The idea of a Trainer house was stolen from some of the early episodes of the Anime.
3 - Since this is a re-write, I have decided to change a few things up. Expect to see some Pokémon from different generations, Pokémon with Abilities, genders, ect.

Finally, if anyone has any questions about anything in the story, feel free to ask, I'll answer them all.

[Emerald_Gen.3]

Wow Aye I really like this, it makes me want to write my own. Now just write the rest so I can read to my hearts content :D

[Ayeun]

Here we are! Chapter 4 is here!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 4

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Day 4 - Viridian city, 8.00am.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I awoke on a bed in the trainer house. I don’t remember actually moving to the bed last night. I got up and had a second shower, pulling my hair back neat, and moved to get some breakfast from the kitchen. Allan and Johnny were still asleep on the couch, and Nick was frying some bacon in the kitchen. Before I could say anything of a greeting, Nick handed me a bacon sandwich, and waved me off.
"Don't you have to be somewhere?" he pulled from his pocket my note written in the silver ink. "Who's Kris? Does my sister have a... BOYFRIEND?" he chuckled. I reached up and smacked the back of head, balancing on my tiptoes to do so. Nick was a almost 2' taller than I was, standing almost 7' tall. Garth and Johnny were both 6'6" or so, and Allan was around 6'2". Meanwhile, at 5'2", I was tiny compared to them, a head below them all, as Johnny had reminded me several times last night.
"No. I don’t even know who Kris is. I was just told to meet the today. I got to go." I moved back in to the dorms, and grabbed my bag, then went through the side door, and headed back to the cafe. I took the same seat I had yesterday, and waited. Thumbing my coat, I realized that I was missing two Pokéballs. Charmander and dads present were still waiting for me at the Pokémon center.

The waitress arrived, asking me if I wanted anything. I mindlessly asked for a tea, and she seemed satisfied, leaving to sort out my order. I pulled out my Pokédex, switching it to the clock. 8.27am. Kris would be here soon, and then I can found out who they are, and what they wanted. The waitress returned with a cup and saucer, and the clock in the town square a few blocks away chimed once, signalling the half hour mark. As if on cue, a girl walked up to my table, and took the seat opposite me. I placed my cup back on the saucer, and looked at her. She took off her hat, and placed it in her lap, and it was then I recognized her.
"You were watching me yesterday, from over there." More of a statement than a question, but she still answered.
"Yes. Sorry I didn’t introduce myself then. Professor Oak's letter told me to meet you today, not yesterday. Hi, I'm Kristy, but everyone calls me Kris." She smiled politely, and offered her hand. I shook it gently.
"Lilly. Do you know why Professor Oak wanted us to travel together?" I asked, hoping I wasn’t being rude. She smiled anyway.
"Yes. I am not a native of Kanto, but from the neighbouring region of Johto. My brother is a Gym leader there, and I am travelling here before returning home. Professor Oak and my brother decided I would travel with one of the new group, and since I'm a girl, they figured travelling with another girl would be the best choice." She blushed at the last, and I couldn’t figure out why. Still, it would be nice to have some companionship, and to also have another girl on the trip. The boys outnumbering me 4 to 1 was uncomfortable.
"That sounds lovely. Do you have Pokémon with you? Mine are still at the Pokémon centre, I have to pick them up." She nodded, placing three Pokéballs on the table.
"These two were from my brother. He wanted to make sure I was safe. And the other one was my first capture." I looked at the balls. Two were Ultraballs, presumably from her brother. The third was a standard Pokéball. "I will introduce you to them later. Shall we go pick up your Pokémon?" I nodded, and we both stood to leave.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Day 4 - Viridian city, 9.45am.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Pokémon nurse was satisfied with the condition of both Charmander, and the present from dad. Kristy had encouraged me to bring out the surprise, and I had convinced her to bring out one of her own. We had travelled to a small park on the north side of the town. Taking dads present from my pocket, I gave the ball a toss. A flash of silver light, and a Eevee materialized in front of us. Kris gasped, as we noticed its colours were different, being Silver and grey instead of brown.
"Oh. Its colours are different, but it's so cute!" Eevee bounded over, happily to the both of us, weaving between our legs while letting out soft barks. I scooped down, picking it up, while Kris plucked one of the Ultraballs from her belt. With a flick of the wrist, and a purple flash, a Pokémon I had never seen before materialized before us. It was a mostly black shape, with purple edges, and purple beads around its neck. "This is Misdreavus. She is a ghost type Pokémon from the Johto region." She smiled, as the small ghost moved to rest in her hands before her. The glow from Misdreavus reflected off the underside of Kris's hat, making her smile look sinister and gauche. It did not match the sky blue sundress she was wearing, but it did work with her black hair. We both started giggling so hard, we fell onto the grass.
"So, if your brother gave you a Misdreavus, that would make him a ghost trainer?" Kris simply nodded, pulling out the second Ultraball.
"This one is a Gengar. Morty wanted me to travel with someone he trusted, so he gave me these two." She reached in to her pocket, pulling out the Pokéball. "And this one is a Horsea, a water type, but he needs water when he is out of his ball." She smiled, sliding the two balls back in to her pocket.
"Ok. Let's get moving. The boys will all be gone north, to Viridian forest now." I pushed myself up from the grass, and offered a hand to Kris. She blushed as she accepted it, and dusted herself down once she was upright.
"Lead the way."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Day 4 - Route Two, 11.30am.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kris and I walked along in quiet conversation. Misdreavus was floating above us, having stolen Kris's hat, while my new Eevee was bounding about, a ball of energy. The time passed us happily by, and we didn’t notice when we ran right into Johnny and Allan, waiting by the side of the road.
"Heya Lilly. Who's your friend?" Johnny oozed the words out, his Pikachu sitting on his shoulder, while looking Kris up and down. Kris in turn, shot a look at Johnny that stopped whatever Johnny was thinking.
"Hey Johnny. Allan. This is Kris. She is travelling with me." Kris smiled at the two boys. Strangely, Allen was the next to speak.
"Two on Two battle? One Pokémon each." Johnny nodded in agreement. I looked a Kris, who just sighed, and reached for the Ultraball in her pocket, meaning she was going to be using Gengar. I thought of my two choices. Eevee was an unknown. I didn't know anything about it, but it was already lolling around between us. I figured it best to use it.
"Eevee, battle ready!" I called. Eevee took one bounce, landing in front of Kris and I, head low, tail high. Kris gave the ball in her hand a flick, calling out the Gengar. The black and purple light from the Pokéball formed the shadowed form of Gengar, who took a crouched stance between Kris and the boys. Allan shot a look at Johnny, who was just blinking stupidly, muttering.
"But... How? That's... Not fair!" Allan was atleast able to put a proper sentence together.
"You have a Gengar? That's pretty cool." He smiled, excited about the challenge ahead. Throwing out a Pokéball, "Eevee, let's go!" Realizing the battle was about to start, Johnny snapped his focus.
"Pikachu, you're in!" Pikachu bounded from Johnny's shoulder, taking the last spot in this tag battle. Both sides eyed off the battle field. Going through my head were a hundred different stratergies, but before I could act, or the boys could issue an order, Kris was already taking charge.
"Gengar, Hypnotise the Pikachu. Lil, focus on the Eevee, ok?" I nodded. The boys were scrambling to get their orders out.
"Eevee, hit the other Eevee with a Takedown attack!" Eevee was off darting forward, while Gengar locked eyes with Johnny's Pikachu. Pikachu tried to get off a Thundershock, but its eyes were already closing by the time the attack was formed. Pikachu's head hit the grass, and it started to snore gently. Meanwhile, Allan's Eevee had darted forward quickly with a Quick Attack, trying to stop the Takedown I was throwing his way. Both Eevees collided, with Allan's taking a tumble back towards the already grounded Pikachu. My Eevee landed behind the pair, looking to me for orders. "Eevee, come around again with a Tackle!" Kris issued orders from my right.
"Gengar, use Dream Eater on Pikachu!" She had a huge, evil looking grin on her face, which made her look rather scary. Allan was scrambling for orders, while Johnny was pulling at his hair, screaming for Pikachu to awaken. My Eevee dived forward, knocking Allan's back again, while Gengar made a gesture with its hands, connecting its shadow to the sleeping Pikachu. Something started moving along the shadows, towards the Gengar. Johnny looked on in shock, while Allan called out to use.
"We yield." Recalling his Eevee to its Pokéball, Johnny moved forward to retrieve his Pikachu. Kris's grin got wider as she recalled Gengar to its Pokéball, and my Eevee came trotting over happily. "That was... Unexpected. But I think we did well all things considered! A good match girls!" I nodded in agreement, while Kris stepped towards Johnny, retrieving something from her pocket. She stopped within arm's reach of Johnny and Pikachu.
"Here. This salve will help recover Pikachu's wounds, and will wake him." She held out the jar to Johnny. "You can keep this one. I have lots more." She tilted her head slightly to the side, and smiled. An apology? Johnny didn't look up, but held out his hand, which Kris placed the jar in. Nodding to herself, she turned to Allan. "Next time, I will go easy on you, ok?" Allan nodded in response, and moved to help Johnny with Pikachu. Kris moved back towards me. "Maybe we should get moving on. They will probably want to recover their Pokémon for a while. We can see who else is up ahead?" I nodded, startled at this change in Kris, and we headed north once more.

As we walked, I couldn’t help but feel a little shocked at Kris. Sure, we were all new trainers, but I think maybe she went a bit overboard with her Gengar in that fight...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Day 4 - Route Two, 1.00pm.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kris and I had walked in silence for about an hour. I kept going over the battle we had shared in my head, contemplating not only the difference in skill between the trainers, but also the power of the Pokémon. Kris's Gengar was a powerhouse of a Pokémon. It had knocked out Johnny's Pikachu with just its eyes. And my Eevee was an enigma. Compared with Allan's, it had delivered two solid hits, and was well on the way to doing some serious damage when the fight ended. Subconsciously, I pulled out Eevee's Pokéball, and pushed the recall button. Eevee, who had been running ahead of us and back every few minutes, transferred in to silver light, and disappeared into its Pokéball. Kris turned to look at me, her Misdreavus sitting atop her head, still wearing her hat.
"Everything ok? You look glum." She was looking at me with concern in her eyes. Her usual smile gone, replaced with a mix of shock and concern. I shook my head, looking her in the eyes. How could I explain what was going on inside my head? I didn’t want to throw away my new friendship by accusing her of anything, but at the same time, I didn't want what had happened to become a recurrence.
"The battle. I can't help think we overdid it a bit. Did we have to go all out like that? And why are we travelling with such powerful Pokémon? I don’t understand." My voice broke as I spoke. I guess I was more emotional than I had thought. Thankfully, Kris did have an answer.
"Yeah, we did overdo it. I shouldn't have used Gengar like that. It really wasn’t fair. You five have been on your Pokémon journeys for only 4 days, and my two battling Pokémon are trained by a gym leader." She stopped for a moment, removing Misdreavus from her head, and putting it back in its Pokéball. Once her hat was back on, she continued. "But Allan, Johnny and Garth were all trained by gym leaders too. And you were trained by Professor Oak. Even your brother is reading the notes left by your father, so in a way, he is being trained by your dad. People are expecting great things from the five of you, so battles like this are expected to happen. When they become gym leaders, they will face challengers stronger than you or me." What she said there caught me for a second.
"But, you are the sister to a gym leader. Presumably, you were also trained by a gym leader?" She looked taken back by my sudden logical conclusion.
"Yes, it's true, I was trained by my brother, but I doubt anyone expects much from me. No big interviews when I started out as a Pokémon trainer." She frowned, before continuing. "I suspect your brother feels the same way, in a way. He was the fifth wheel in that little group. You could tell from the newspapers. But he is pushing on, trying to be as good as he can be. And you should too. You did great back there in that battle. You kept your cool, and didn’t lose focus. You could probably have taken them both on, truth be told. And I am not just talking about your Eevee either. Let me prove it. You vs Me." I was shocked, but Kris pulled out one of the Ultraballs from her pocket. I nodded, moving back a few paces while thinking. One of her ghost Pokémon, meaning that Eevee wouldn't be able to attack them directly. I pulled Charmander's Pokéball from the inside of my coat, throwing it out. Charmander materialized in a flare of orange and red, while I waited for Kris to make the first move.
"Ok Kris, let's see if what you said is true." Kris smiled, throwing the Ultraball in her hand, Gengar materializing in a swirl of purple and black. Kris waited a moment, to see if I was going to rush in. I waited, letting the first move be hers, but I suspected what it would be.
"Heh. You might regret not attacking. Gengar, hypnosis!" I was right, Kris was trying to take Charmander out of the fight without taking an attack. However, I was ready.
"Charmander, Dig away and strike!" Charmander's speed came in here, as while Gengar attempted to lock eyes with Charmander, Charmander lowered its head, started clawing at the ground, and was gone. Kris was shocked.
"Interesting choice. Gengar, find it!" I could tell that she was at a loss, having not expected this unorthodox strike. While Gengar was looking for where Charmander was going to come up, waiting for an order that Kris had forgotten to give, Charmander was on the way back up, digging back up, right under the confused Ghost.
"Charmander, Ember attack!" Again, before Kris or Gengar could respond, Charmander had delivered a barrage of flames right in the face of the Ghost.
"Gengar! Get it together! Lick attack now!" Kris was losing her cool. Gone was the calm and focused trainer from the last battle. Here was a girl who was losing a Pokémon battle and couldn't do anything to change that fact. She had proven her point. I pushed the button on Charmander's Pokéball, recalling it.
"Ok, I see your point." Kris looked at me deadpan.
"This fight isn’t over!" She yelled, crossing her arms. She was indignant, glaring at me.
"No Kris, it is. You were right, and I didn't want to hurt your Pokémon any further." I tried to smile, to put her at ease. It seemed to work, as Kris calmed down, and her cheery demeanour returned.
"Sorry. I just... Heat of the moment. You know how it is." I nodded. The moment had passed, and then everything was calm again. Kris recalled Gengar, and smiling at me, took my hand, pulling me down the path. "Let's go! You have to catch a Pokémon now!" she said, a grin on her face from ear to ear. Ahead of us lay the entrance to Viridian Forest.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

End of Chapter 4

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

And there we have it. A new character appears! If I had any drawing skills, I would include a picture of the 6 trainers.

Chapter 5 is ready to go, and will be posted by the end of the week.

[Ayeun]

Can you hear that? That soft rustling from the bushes? ITS CHAPTER 5!

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Chapter 5

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Day 4 - Viridian Forest, 1.30pm.

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Kris and I had wandered through Viridian Forest for a while. Kris was still leading me by the hand, which, while startling at first, was strangely comfortable now. It had been quiet since we entered the forest, the birds above were chirping softly at our presence. I wanted nothing more to stop and get my sketch book out, to draw a few things I had observed, but Kris had a destination in mind, and kept leading me on.

A few minutes later, we arrived at Kris's destination. A small clearing in the forest, where you could see the sky though the trees. Whether she had chosen this location, or just decided it was the right spot, I was not sure. She turned to me, realizing as she did that she was still holding my hand. Releasing it, and blushing slightly, she finally spoke.
"So, what Pokémon do you want to catch for your first catch? A Pidgey? A Caterpie or Weedle?" She looked around a bit. "I haven't seen any other Pokémon here. Do you know what we can find in the forest?" I also took the time to glace around, thinking back to my studies. Viridian forest had the aforementioned bug Pokémon, as well as their first evolutions, Metapod and Kakuna respectively. Pidgey and Pidgeotto were commonly found here, and Pikachu's were a rarity. Also, wondering grass type Pokémon sometimes were found in the underbrush, as they migrated between their habitats. While I was thinking, Kris had another question for me.
"Also, what is the first Gym Leader's type? Maybe you should get something to help you fight that." She did look concerned.
"Brock, the first Gym Leader, uses the Rock type Pokémon. Rock type Pokémon are venerable to Water and Grass type Pokémon, as well as Fighting and Ground types." I frowned. I had a Fire type, and a Normal type, the former being weak to Rock Types, the latter not being able to do much against them. I would need to find one of the roaming Grass Pokémon. I flopped down onto the soft grass, and then laid back, looking at the sky. I took one hand, and started drawing circles in the sky. Kris stepped into my vision.
"What are you doing?" She demanded, hands on her hips.
"Taking a break. I know what I want to catch, but we need to wait till they come out." I smiled, which made Kris pout. "Relax Kris. We're going to be here for a while." I closed my eyes, still tracing circles in the sky. Kris caught my hand, trying to pull me up, but with a swift jerk, she tumbled down on top of me. My eyes snapped open, her head barely an inch from my face. Her face was as red as Charmander's tail flame. She looked into my eyes, like she was really looking in to them. Her eyes were grey, with flecks of Purple in them. They were rather pretty. She moved, just slightly, and the moment was gone. The trance broken, she pushed off with her right arm, rolling to my side, laying there, her face still red.
"Sorry..." She whispered, and then silence filled the clearing.

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Day 4 - Viridian Forest, 6.30pm.

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Kris had fallen asleep, her breathing slow beside me. I had relented after a while, and fished my sketch book out of my bag. The drawing of the Kakuna resting in the branch of the tree was done, and I was looking around for something else to sketch. We had been here for well over 6 hours now, and the sun was starting to set. I was worried about camping here in the open, but since we hadn't spent the day walking, the trainer house in the middle of the forest was out of range for the night. We would have to make do with this clearing. Sighing, I pushed myself up carefully, as to not disturb Kris, and moved to gather some kindling for a fire.

I returned to the clearing a few minutes later, my arms laden with sticks and branches, and set them down in the middle of the clearing. There was a small stone ring there, indicating that perhaps someone else had stayed here in the past. I set about laying the firewood, and then, when it was all ready, summoned out Charmander to light the fire. Kris was still asleep, so I took out my provisions for tonight, and then fished out tomorrow night's as well, and set to cooking it up. While stirring the pot, my mind start wandering back to earlier. Kris on top of me, looking down at me. My heart fluttered at the thought. I had never thought of myself liking a girl like that, but then again, my entire experience with people my age had ended when I was 10. I had only ever had one crush in my life, and that was on the Professor, a crush that started and ended in a week when I was 13.

I was broken from my thoughts by a snapping of a twig to my right. I turned with a snap of my neck, Charmander also turning its attention to the sound. A voice form within the shadows called out.
"Hello? Mind if I come to your fire?" The voice was shaky, but I recognized it at once. Garth. I smiled.
"Sure, come on over Garth. Its Lilly. But keep it quiet, Kris is asleep." Garth stepped in to the light of the clearing, approaching the fire. Sitting down and warming himself, he looked at Kris for a moment, before turning to me.
"So, who's Kris?" he asked softly. I had forgotten that Kris was new, and not everyone had met her yet.
"Kris is a traveller, like us. She is from Johto, and the Professor decided that I could use some female companionship on this trip, since it was me and four boys." I smiled at Garth, catching myself as I did. Garth blushed, and I had a startled revelation. Garth was always like that with me, from the first time we had seen each other. My heart sank. Did Garth also have a crush on me? I sighed, resuming stirring the pot. "This is almost done, if you need to cook anything." Garth just nodded, then, reaching for his bag, he pulled out his provisions. Taking the pot off the flame, I poured the mixture into my travelling bowls, and placed them down. I stood, and brushed myself off, walking over to where Kris was sleeping, and gently placed my hand on her shoulder. She woke at the touch.
"What time is it?" She asked, blinking and rubbing her eyes. The darkness and fire must be throwing her off.
"It's almost 7pm. I cooked you some food. And we have company." She sat up, looking around, blinking away the sleep. Noticing Garth sitting opposite the fire, she seemed to wake up further.
"Hello." She said to Garth, who nodded in greeting. I offered her a hand, and helped her stand, leading her back to the fire, where we both sat, and ate the simple meal. Garth was quickly finished cooking, and eating as well. When we were all finished eating, the conversation started up again.
"So, you're Garth." Kris's comment was more of a statement than a question. Garth simply nodded.
"And you're Kris. From Johto." Kris also nodded. There was some kind of tension between these two, I could feel the air lingering with their simple words. I interrupted before they could say or do anything they would regret later.
"So, Garth. Have you caught any Pokémon yet?" Garth turned his attention to me, and Kris lowered her gaze, turning her body to face away from Garth directly.
"Yeah, I did. I caught a Spearow and a Poliwag near Viridian city yesterday. We were training against the bug Pokémon when I lost track of time, and it was getting dark. We were fortunate that I saw your fire, or we would have wandered through the forest all night." He smiled, a hint of pride in his voice at his accomplishments. He place his hand inside his purple jacket, and pulled out three Pokéballs, spinning them around his palm, first with his fingers, and then, when they started floating from his hand, with his mind. "How about you?"
"I haven't caught anything yet, but I did get a gift from my father." I pulled out Eevee's Pokéball, and with a flick, Eevee appeared in a silver flash of light. "We were actually camped out here so I could find a Pokémon tonight. I'm going to need a Grass type to beat Brock." Garth nodded. I looked over to Kris, who had been silent this whole time. I was worried she might have fallen asleep again, but she was looking up, at the stars. There was no moon tonight, so you could see all the stars in the sky through the gap in the trees. I turned back to Garth, and then, tried to think a question to him. "How goes your teleporting practice?" Garth just blinked at me, then laughed.
"You look really scary, like you are trying to shoot me with eye lasers or something. Haha!" Kris's head snapped back down, looking at me, and then she too broke in to laughter. I sighed.
"I was TRYING to ask you a question Psychically." Garth's attention returned to serious, as Kris posed a question.
"You have Psychic powers?" Garth nodded.
"I can read surface thoughts, have a bit of telekinesis, and can teleport with limited success." He looked at Kris intently for a moment. I recognized the look, it was the same one he had given me when he told me he could read minds. He was looking in to Kris's thoughts. "Huh. That's weird." He sighed.
"Find anything good?" Kris asked him, accusatively. He wasn't exactly subtle about it, after all. Garth shook his head.
"Nothing. I can't read you, just like I can't read Lilly." I noticed that his response was quicker than it should have been. He was concealing something, but I was not sure what. I stood up, bringing the attention to me.
"Shh. Its time." I pointed skyward. The moon was rising, and with it I knew the grass Pokémon resting in the area would also start to rise.

The clearing we were in suddenly came to life, as around the edges, the grass itself started to move, and then push up, revealing the Pokémon hiding within. Several Bellsprout and Oddish began waddling about the edge of the clearing, shaking soil from their feet and bodies. Eevee bounded over, excited at the new play things, startling the small grass Pokémon. A Bellsprout whacked Eevee on the nose with its vines when Eevee tried to bite it. Garth and Kris both giggled, and then, noticing they were doing so, crossed their arms and turned away from each other. I sighed, while scanning the Grass Pokémon. I wanted to find one of these that was different from the rest. I spied it at last, a lone Oddish lagging behind the pack. Not the runt of the pack, but by the looks of it, not really part of the group. I stepped towards it, watching as the others scattered away from me. This lone Oddish, standing just over 1' tall looked up at me, determination on its face. Eevee bound over, as I knelt down to look at the Oddish directly. I was not being aggressive, nor hostile towards it. Oddish took one step towards me. From the undergrowth, I could hear the others calling out to it, but it was ignoring them. Just as I thought. Not one of them. I extended my hand to the bulb Pokémon, slowly and carefully. The Oddish happily stepped up onto my extended palm, and started walking up my arm. I giggled, slowly standing, and turning to the others.
"Can I keep it?" I laughed. Garth's eyes were wide, while Kris's mouth was hanging open.
"But, you have to... To battle the Pokémon to catch it." Garth was blinking as he said the words. Kris nodded in agreement. I shook my head, and placed my other hand inside my coat, pulling out one of my empty Pokéballs.
"Oddish, did you want to come with me?" I asked the Oddish, raising the Pokéball in an outstretched hand to it. Oddish, who was now standing on my shoulder, made a happy mumbling sound. From the undergrowth, I could hear the others calling out, but Oddish wasn't interested in them anymore. It took one step from my shoulder to my outstretched hand, and pushed the Pokéball button itself. In a flash of purple and green, Oddish was sucked into the Pokéball, which began shaking in my palm. A moment later, the Pokéball made a soft "Ding", and was still.
"So, that's my Grass Pokémon caught." I announced to the campsite, as I moved back in to sit down. Garth and Kris were both speechless. "If I can catch them all like that, this will be really easy, don’t you think?" Still nothing from either of them. In the distance, I could hear the other Grass Pokémon moving off, not intending to fight for the missing Oddish. I sat there for a little while. Silence still filled the clearing. Neither Kris nor Garth seemed to be able to say anything. I sighed, reached for my bag, and pulled out my sleeping roll. I crawled in to it, and closed my eyes. If they didn't want to talk, I wasn't going to try to make them. I rolled on to my side, and was asleep soon after.

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Day 5 - Viridian Forest, 5.30am.

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The early morning sun was just cresting the horizon, and even though it wasn’t coming down directly on us thanks to the trees, it was enough to wake me. I sat up, looking at our camp. Garth had taken his sleeping stuff and pulled it towards the edge of the grove. He had fallen asleep there, some distance from Kris and I. I turned to look at Kris, who had set up her sleeping roll near to mine, with her head about 3' from me. Both were still asleep. I closed my eyes and yawned. Charmander had once again curled up to sleep in the fire pit after the campfire had gone out. Eevee was on my sleeping roll, near my leg. Its eyes were open, now that I had moved. I pulled myself out of the roll, and stood up, stretching. I could hear running water not too far away. I pulled out a travelling towel from my bag, and started towards the sound of water, Eevee at my heals.

I came out onto a beautiful spring, under the cover of the trees. I looked around. There was no one here. I figured I would risk it. Stripping down out of my travelling clothes, down to my underwear, I walked into the spring. The water was cool, but not too cold, and thanks to a few small waterfalls, was flowing gently. A cool morning bath to wake up was heaven. I realized, that while travelling on the road, the one thing I had really missed was being able to bathe properly every day. Eevee had jumped in to the water, and was happily splashing about, I closed my eyes, and lay back, letting my hair wet in the water. I pushed off the bottom, and brought my feet up, laying on my back in the water, without a care in the world.

Until I realized I was being watched. Lowering myself into the water, I scanned the shoreline, seeing Garth standing there next to my clothes and towel, looking directly at me, eyes wide.
"Pervert!" I called out to him, lowering myself deeper into the water. "Watching a woman bathe like that." Garth's face turned bright red, and he walked backwards from me, until he reached the trees, where he turned and ran back towards the camp. Sighing, I moved towards the shore, and my clothes. Bath time was over.

I dried and dressed quickly, in case he came back, and then walked back to camp. When I got there, Kris was packing her things in her bag. Garth was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is he?" I demanded, Kris looking up at me.
"He said he had better go, grabbed his bag, and ran off. What happened?" Her question was one of concern, and for once, I was appreciative of it.
"I found a spring, and was bathing, when he came and just... STARED at me!" I was yelling at the last part, and then, yelling into the forest as a whole, "GARTH, I WILL MAKE YOU PAY, YOU... YOU... PERVERT!" Kris looked at me in shock, then, standing up, took one step towards me, and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a hug.
"I am sure he didn’t mean to. When you have calmed down a bit, I am sure he will apologise. I mean, if this is you when you're angry, then I would be running for the hills too..." She smiled as she released me, stepping back. I couldn't help but to laugh a bit. Maybe I was over reacting. After all, I had found the spring from hearing it. Maybe Garth had done the same. "Let's pack up, and move on. Maybe we can get out of this forest and into a bed tonight?" Kris looked hopeful.
"And somewhere with private baths." I added, smiling. Kris giggled at the thought, and I packed my sleeping roll back onto my bag. Fifteen minutes later, we were walking again.

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Day 5 - Viridian Forest, 10.00am.

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Kris and I stopped by the Trainers house, where we decided to have a midmorning meal. We entered the empty house, and I slid my Pokédex into the check in slot. Kris had watched me do so, concerned.
"I don’t have a Pokédex. How do I check in?" She asked.
"Your travel papers or ID card will do." I said, smiling. She fished into her pocket, and pulled out a small card. Passing it to me, I swiped it in the side slot, checking her in. I turned to return her ID to her, but she had wondered off. I took two steps in to the main area, noticing her bag on the couch in the living room, and then heard the sound of a shower starting. I decided to go and pick some supplies from the storehouse while she cleaned up.

I came out of the store a few minutes later, and packed the food into my bag. Kris was still in the shower, so I took the opportunity to use the phone. My first call would be my mother. Entering the number, the video line started ringing.
"Hello? Lilly. How are you? Where are you? How is your journey?" She was asking too many questions, so I jumped in before she got going.
"Hey mum! We're in Viridian Forest right now. We camped out last night, so we had to stop and restock our foods. I got dad's present open, and the Eevee is ok. I haven't seen Nick since yesterday morning, when we left Viridian City. I haven’t seen the other boys since yesterday either. And Professor Oak organized for me to travel with a girl named Kris from Johto. She is also related to a Gym Leader, so she fits in well." I stopped, giving my mother time to let it all sink in. She seemed satisfied.
"Well, I am glad you are having fun. When I did my journey, I met your father. Maybe you will find your match too. Love you!" She waved.
"Bye Mum! Love you too." I smiled and waved. The call ended. The sound of the shower had ended, but Kris was still in the bathroom. I decided to call the Professor.

Once again, the video line kicked in, and the Professor happily greeted me.
"Hello Lilly! How are your travels?" Professor Oak was sitting with his notes out, drinking his tea. Without looking at a clock, I knew it was 10.30am. Like clockwork.
"Hello Professor. We are good. Kris and I have stopped at Viridian Forest trainer house to restock and resupply. I caught an Oddish last night, and was given an Eevee from my dad. We should be in Pewter City by tomorrow." The professor nodded sagely.
"That is good progress. I wish you the best of luck. Do us proud." I nodded.
"Yes Professor. Enjoy your tea." The call ended.

Behind me, I heard the door click and Kris stepped out into the main room. Gone was the blue dress. In its place, ripped blue jeans and a black shirt. Her hair was still damp, and if possible, looked darker.
"Oh that was so good. And thank goodness that I don’t have to wear that dress anymore." She threw it unceremoniously towards the dust bin near the door. I caught it mid flight.
"I liked it." I spoke faster than my brain had time to process.
"You can have it. I think it would look good on you. I don't normally go for the girly look, but Morty was there yesterday morning, so I had to at least make nice for him. He hates that I am a tomboy." She placed the large sunhat down, and fished out a simple cap from her bag, squishing it down on her already messy hair.
"Don't do that. Come here, let me fix it." I said, pulling my hair brush out of my bag. She flopped down in front of the couch, with her back to the seat, and took off the cap. I slid in behind her, and started running my brush through her hair. It was fine, and with a bit of work, I had smoothed it out, and then, placed the hat back on her head. "There. Go look in the mirror and tell me what you think." I ordered her away, and then folded her dress, and hat, and placed them with her bag. She came back a minute later, and hugged me.
"Thank you. I like it. You can fix my hair anytime you like." She blushed as she said it, then, picking up her bag, turned to me. "I was serious about the dress. You can have it. It would look good with your white coat." She handed the dress and hat to me. I took them, and placed them in my bag, passing her some of the food to carry. Once our bags were packed, and the room back in order, we headed back out the door. I couldn’t help but cry out.
"Next stop, Pewter City!"

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End of Chapter 5!

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And there we go. Chapter 6 is done, and will be up on Monday. Romance and antics of the sort coming soon as well. Two couples, one of which is a fem/fem couple (I do apologize in advance if this upsets you, but as I am writing this, it is a story mostly about my life experiences when I was that age, and for those of you who don't know, I don't date guys...).

Looking forward to seeing you soon.

[Ayeun]

Let's have Chapter 6!

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Chapter 6


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Day 5 - Viridian Forest, 3.00pm.


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Kris and I had stopped to rest under the shade of a large tree. Since leaving the trainer house this morning, I had had seventeen battles with wild Pokémon and three with trainers, the last of which had used many poison attacks against both Charmander and Eevee. I had made Kris stop so we could let them recover from the attacks, and despite Kris's complaints about not making it to Pewter City tonight, she had sat down and waited. While resting, I had taken out my sketch book once more, and was now drawing Kris and her Misdreavus. Kris was leaning against the large tree with her eyes closed, Misdreavus resting on her knees, visible through her jeans. Both my Eevee and Charmander were sleeping by my feet, the ointments we had applied hopefully doing their work. After a while of drawing, satisfied with the image, I leant over and stroked Eevee, checking on its health. Professor Oak had published a paper a few years back defining the gender differenced between most species, and I recalled him mentioning that he intended to add a feature to the Pokédex to check.

I reached into my pocket, leaning back against the side of the tree, and pulled out my Pokédex, and started flicking though the features within. Town map. Pokémon list. Identification data. Trainer status. Party Pokémon Status. I pushed the button on the last line, bringing up a simple list:
Charmander.
Eevee.
Oddish.

I pushed the button to bring up Eevee. Lines of information appeared. Nothing about Genders caught my eye, but one line made me stop in my tracks:
Original Trainer: Mary.

Mary, my mother's name. So Eevee wasn't dad's, but mum's. I wonder if she knew dad had given me her Eevee. The only Pokémon mum had had around the house was an old Persian, but I knew that both mum and dad met while they were travelling as young Pokémon trainers, so they were both bound to have caught more than just the one together. I made a note to ask her about it the next time I spoke with her on the phone.

While my thoughts were wandering, I didn't notice that Eevee was now licking the back of my hand. Wide awake, and full of life in its eyes, healed and ready to go. Charmander was also stirring from its rest. I leant over and poked Kris's shoulder. Her eyes snapped open.
"I wasn't asleep, I swear!" she blurted out, then yawned. I giggled.
"Come on. They're ready to go again. Pewter City and beds, right?" I smiled, and Kris nodded, standing up, and offering me a hand. I reached out and took it. She pulled me up, and I noticed something different about her now. She was full of confidence, I could see it in her eyes. Like a fire flickering in a gentle wind. She was happier and more of herself. I wasn’t sure if it was the change of clothes, or something else, but I did like this side of her. Together, we headed towards the end of the forest, and back to civilization.


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Day 5 - Pewter City, 6.30pm.


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"We finally made it! Let's get inside before the rain hits." Kris was right, the sky was looming dark with grey clouds. We had seen many trainers heading towards Pewter City all afternoon, which was not a good sign. The trainer house was going to be full. I stepped forward and pulled the doors open, noticing that I wasn’t wrong. The main living area was full, at least twenty trainers milling around, talking loudly, eating, or sleeping on the couches and floor. I checked in with my Pokédex, making room behind me for Kris to do the same with her ID. I heard a familiar voice from across the room calling out.
"Lilly? Oh good. We saved you a room back here." I looked up at Nick, moving towards me. He stopped when he noticed Kris at my back. "Hey, sorry, I'm Nick." He offered his hand towards her. Kris reached around me, shaking Nick's hand gently.
"I'm Kris." Nick's eyes opened widely.
"Umm, we got you one of the rooms in the back. It's got a single bed though, so umm." Nick was stumbling over words now. I moved to save him from the awkwardness he was creating for himself.
"Thanks Nick. I'm sure we will manage." Nick smiled and nodded, turn around and heading into the crowded room. Most of the trainers here were all young, between 10 and 14 years of age. Nick was so tall that they parted as he came through. All Kris and I had to do was stay behind him and we were fine. Nick pushed open one of the doors along the back wall. I had to ask. "They don't allow room reservations. How did you manage to keep them away?"
"Your 'friend', Garth, gave up this room about an hour ago. He said you were almost here, and you could have it. He's setting up on the floor in Johnny and Allan's room." I could feel my temper rising, my face turning red at the thought. Garth was still a sore spot. This small gesture was a start, but he was going to have to do some grovelling before I really forgave him. Kris, fortunately, still had her tact about her.
"Thank him from us, ok?" She nodded to Nick once, and then pushed me into the room, sliding the door closed and flicking the lock. She frog marched me to the bed, turned me around, and forced me to sit. My face was still very red, and my jaw was set. She tutted at me. "I was wrong. This is you angry. This morning you were just stressed." I snapped out of my trance, and looked up at her. Her face was tilted slightly, a smile on her face. I returned the smile, and then flopped back onto the bed.
"Did you want the bed? I can sleep on the floor." I asked her. I heard movement, but I couldn't see her head. I didn't really want her sleeping on the floor, and if she was being polite, I saw only one way out of it. "Or, we could share it. You don’t snore, and I don’t mind." Kris gasped slightly before catching herself.
"Umm, sure. We can share the bed." Her voice broke as she said so. "Umm, you stay here. I'll go get us some food. We can eat in here, there was no room out there anyway." Before I could speak, she was gone, the door closed behind her.

Leaving me alone with my thoughts. I had just invited Kris to sleep with me. Kris, the girl I met yesterday, who I was pretty sure might have a crush on me. I wasn’t even sure how I felt about that fact. I wasn’t even sure that was the fact. Maybe I was over thinking it. Maybe Kris was just really nice? I was snapped out of my stupor by a tapping at the door. Without thinking, I called out. "Its unlocked." The door opened slowly, and I was faced with possibly the last person I wanted to see right now.
"Can we talk, please?" Garth. Thankfully, he was staying on the other side of the door frame. I felt my face turning red again. But before I could yell, he continued. "I am sorry about this morning. I didn't see anything, I swear. I saw your clothes by the stream, and was trying to back away without looking at the water when you started yelling at me. I swear that I saw nothing." I didn't know if he was lying or telling the truth, but he didn't push the point. Instead, he just slid the door closed and was gone. I closed my eyes, listening to the rain pounding down on the windows and roof. If I wasn't careful, I would fall asleep listening to the sound.

There was another knock on the door, followed by it opening without my calling out. I sat back up, expecting Garth to be trying to come back and say something more, but was thankful when I saw Kris entering, two stacked covered trays in her hands. She passed me one, and sat on the floor, looking up at me as she slid the lid off hers. I did the same, finding a bowl of plain noodle soup. I looked down at Kris, her nose scrunched at the meal. She spoke first.
"How about, from now on, you cook? Your food is so much better than mine." I smiled at the compliment.
"If I cook, then what are you going to do?" I teased, not meaning anything by it. Kris looked up at me with a wicked grin.
"I'll be the one complimenting your cooking, of course!" I blushed, and Kris noticed. Thankfully, she seemed to become very interested in her soup. I waited until she had finished her mouthful before asking the question that had been on my mind all afternoon.
"Kristy," I used her full name. She placed her spoon down, giving me her full attention. "Umm, how do I ask this without it being rude..." She cut me off.
"Do I like girls, like most girls like boys?" She blushed, and then averted her gaze. " Yeah, a bit."
"Then, do you like me?" I asked, a blush on my face, and I suddenly found myself not able to look at her directly anymore. She took a slurp of her soup, waited a while, and then answered.
"I think so. I mean, I've only known you for 2 days, but I like you. Not sure if that is a LIKE you like you, or just that I like you. I mean, I don't even know if YOU like girls like that." She paused, "Do you?" I was caught off guard. I didn't have an answer right away, so I busied myself with the soup for a while, like she had.
"I don’t know." She looked crestfallen, so I continued. "I haven't actually interacted with anyone my own age for years, except for my brother. So I haven't had those kind of feelings. Well, except for a week long crush on Professor Oak when I was younger." I blushed. Admitting this was almost like a shameful confession. I immediately felt bad for that feeling. Kris had just confessed something just as intimate to me, after all. Kris had finished her soup by this time, so I took some time to finish it, while thinking more. I didn't know if I had feelings for Kris, but I did like her, and I didn't want her to leave. Kris placed her tray to the side, and then pulled her bag to her. Sighing, she whispered.
"I'll sleep on the floor." And she pulled her pajamas out of her bag, leaving the room to get changed. The noise from the common room had died down, as most of the others were sleeping by now. I felt bad, now that Kris felt that she had to sleep on the floor. I stood quickly, pulling my Pajamas on from my bag, tossing my clothes into my bag, and then, throwing back all the covers on the bed, laying there, waiting for Kris to return. The door slid open, and Kris returned. Last night, we had had to sleep in our clothes, being out in the wild and all, but tonight, Kris was wearing black silk shorts and a grey singlet. I caught myself when I realized I was staring. Kris blushed, and moved to where her bag was...

Or where it had been. I had moved it, meaning she couldn't get her bed roll from it. She looked at me and sighed. "Where is my bag?" I giggled.
"I've hidden it. You can have it back tomorrow. Tonight, we were sharing the bed, remember?" I shifted over, making room for her. The bed was a double, so there would be room for us both, but only just. She sighed, flicked off the lights, and took a step towards the bed. In the darkness, I could just make out her extended hand, trying to find the bed. I reached out my hand, and guided her to the edge of the bed. I could feel her heart rate increase in her hands pulse. I could feel the weight as she lay on the bed next to me.
"Thank you." She whispered, right next to my ear.
"You're welcome." I whispered back, turning slightly, so that my back was facing her. I expected her to do the same, but instead, I felt her arm around my waist, cuddling me from behind.
"Just for tonight." She whispered, and then was silent. I fell asleep at ease that night, safely in the arms of another person.


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Day 6 - Pewter City, 5.45am.

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The sunlight though the window woke me. Kris's arm was still around me, but she was sound asleep behind me. Quietly, and carefully, I slid out from under it, replacing myself with the pillow I was sleeping on. Kris didn't seem to notice. I opened my bag, and fished out something to wear. My eyes fell on the dress Kris had given me yesterday. Shrugging, I took it and went to shower.

Being a morning person had its advantages on days like this. The entire common room was still asleep, giving me ample time to shower undisturbed, I even had time to wash my hair. I stepped back in to my room in the dress, and pulled on my coat from Professor Oak. I looked at myself in the mirror on the door. Kris was right, I did look good in it. She would be surprised when she woke and saw me in it. Sliding back out the door, I headed to the kitchen, making a head count on the way. 26 people here, including myself. I opened the pantry, and took out stock to make breakfast for all.

An hour later, and over 2/3rds of the common room was chowing down on my bacon and eggs. I had seen Kris disappear to the showers about 15 minutes ago, and had set aside a plate just for her. There were compliments coming in from everyone about my cooking, when Johnny appeared at my side.
"Nice dress." I sighed. Johnny would know that it was Kris's. Sure enough, "Isn't it Kris'?". I sighed, and then taking my fork, scooped a large pile of eggs into his open mouth, silencing him from his questions, and earning a round of laughter from those who were close enough to see it. Kris made her way forward, and I offered her the plate I had prepared for her. She thanked me, and started eating, staring at Johnny trying to munch down my eggs.
"Doesn't look like the rain is easing up." I observed, looking out the window. If anything, it had gotten heavier. Our last minute training before Brock was going to have to wait till the rain cleared. Still, most of the younger trainers were already packing their things, and pushing on. Johnny nodded stupidly, finally swallowing.
"Yeah. I guess we're going to have to wait it out before facing Brock." He finally said, thankfully not egging on about the dress anymore. "I'm gonna go do some laundry then. Thanks for the eggs!" He said, putting his plate in the washer. Before he disappeared into his room, however, I did see him give me a dirty smile and wink while behind Kris's back. Before I could say anything however, another gloomy figure appeared, this time, Garth.
"Umm... Someone said you had cooked for all of us?" He looked hopeful. I was thankful that he had trouble reading my thoughts at this very second, as I handed him a plate I had specially made for him. A plate with Tabasco sauce in the eggs, and the bacon had jalapeno peppers on top of them.
"Yeah. Here. No hard feelings." I smiled. Kris caught my glance from where she had managed to sit, and I could see her biting her tongue. Garth thanked me, and took his plate back in to the room he was sharing with Johnny and Allan. We didn't see Garth again for the rest of the day.


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Day 6 - Pewter City, 8.45am.


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Having cooked for everyone, I had had several offers from those who weren't leaving to clean the kitchen area, giving me time to relax. I had followed Johnny's example, and was doing laundry. Kris had asked me to wash a few items of hers as well, so they were currently hanging on the indoor line, drying by the heaters.

Returning to the main area of the Trainer House, I noticed that we were down to Nine. Johnny, Garth, Allen, Nick, Kris, myself, and a trio of girls who were sitting with Johnny, Nick and Allen telling stories. Garth had barricaded himself in one of the spare rooms. Kris was on the couch, her eyes closed. I didn't want to disturb her, so I opened the double doors, heading into the Pokémon centre.

I walked over to the counter, depositing the tree Pokéballs in a tray for a check-up, something we didn't have time to do last night, and then went to make a call on the public phones. I entered the number for the Professor's lab. The video call clicked in, as I checked the time - 9.00am. The Professor would be doing reports. The line picked up.
"Good morning Lilly. How are you today?" He smiled, placing his coffee cup down. I was right, I could see his open reports on the desk behind him.
"Good morning Professor. I was wondering if your Pokémon identifier was finished? The one which lets trainers check the gender of their Pokémon, and see more information about the. The one in the Pokédex is rather lacking." I held up my Pokédex, frowning. The Professor nodded for a moment, thinking.
"Yes, it was done. But I didn’t have time to upload it to your Pokédex before you left. Does the computer you are using there have a data jack?" I looked at the computer. There was a slot on the side which looked like it would hold the Pokédex. I slid it into the slot, and it locked in.
"Yes Professor. It's in now." The Professor started pushing a few buttons on his end.
"Ok, I have added a few new features to your Pokédex. The Identifier is there, as well as the capacity to record the Pokémon from outside Kanto. Normally, you would have to wait until you were in the region to start cataloguing those Pokémon, but I don’t think anyone will mind if my apprentice has it." He winked, before continuing. "But anyway, you should get back to work. Train hard. Goodbye." I waved as the call ended. I contemplated calling my mother to talk, but I decided I would do that later tonight. I stood up from the phone, and glanced outside. The rain was coming down heavily, with no sign of ending anytime soon. I sighed and walked back into the Trainer House. Thankfully, I realized I had something to do today.


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End of Chapter 6


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And there we have it. Chapter 7 will be up on Friday!

[Ayeun]

Appologies all who are reading this. I haven't had internet on my PC since Thursday last week (*Going REALLY stir crazy here*), but I have a temp modem, so here is Chapter 7!

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Chapter 7

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Day 6 - Pewter City - 10.00am.

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I sat down next to Kris on the couch. Her eyes remained closed, but I could see she was awake from the way she moved when I sat down. I slid down the couch so that I was able to get my feet up on the coffee table, and whispered to her.
"You pretending to sleep so you don’t have to deal with the others?" She nodded slightly. "You do that a bit, don’t you? Fake sleep to avoid things, I mean." Again, she nodded. "Can I borrow Misdreavus? I want to see something." She nodded, and with a stretch, whispered to me.
"On my belt, very left ball." And then she yawned. I reached my hand down, taking the ball from her belt. My fingers brushed against the exposed lower section of her back, and I could feel her slightly tense up in her faked stretch. As soon as my hand was clear, she slumped back down, into her fake sleep.

I glanced around the room to see if anyone had noticed or was paying us any attention. The three girls were still engrossed in conversation with Nick, Allan and Johnny, and Garth was still locked in his room.

I took my Pokédex from my coat pocket, and placed Misdreavus' ball on the scanner. Data for the ghost Pokémon started appearing on the screen, and sure enough, right next to its name was a small pink ♀. Smiling to myself, I pocketed both Misdreavus' ball and my Pokédex. I would return her to Kris later. I stood back up, and headed back into the Pokémon centre.

The nurse at the counter handed me my three Pokéballs, and informed me they were all very healthy. I took them over to a bench, repeating the process with my Pokémon. My Charmander was a blue ♂, while both my Oddish and Eevee were pink ♀. I smiled, and returned them to my jacket clips. I looked outside, at the rain washing down the windows. It was going to be a long day, I realized. Playing with my Pokédex was a minor distraction, but I couldn't do this all day. Standing once more, and realizing I was restless, I walked back into the trainer house, past the couch, and joined the others on the floor. Johnny was telling the girls a story, which had the three of them hanging on his every word. I had joined mid story, however.
"… and so, there I was, wearing nothing but my pants, in the dry heat. The only Pokémon I had on me had fainted, and I knew I was in trouble, when, and I kid you not, the stormwater overflow burst, right in my opponents face. His poor Kangaskan took it right to the face, and the poor trainer surrendered, just as I was trying to find a way to tell him he had won. He recalled his Pokémon and ran off. And that is the true story of how I defended the gym." He smirked at Allan, who immediately backed up his story.
"It's true. I saw the whole thing from the sidelines. Kid ran off crying." He high fived Johnny, nodding at nick to continue. Even though I knew Nick hadn't been there, he still sold the story to the poor girls.
"And so this kid runs past me with tears in his eyes, drenched from head to toe, and I look at him and say, without a word of a lie, 'It's nothing to get WASHED AWAY about.'" The three boys laughed, and the girls were giggling at the story. I suppressed the urge to slap the three of them on the back of their heads for falling for such a tall tale. Still, it was nice to see Nick making friends. Unfortunately for the girls, my joining the group had turned the three boys attention from them to me.

"Lilly! Where have you been? This rain is really killing our plans, right?" Johnny was sitting directly opposite me, looking me up and down. I realized that I was still in the blue dress, and had left myself open to questioning by just sitting here. I jumped in before he could ask anything else.
"Hey guys. This rain sucks. I wanted to train up before facing Brock, but I guess I'll just go face him tomorrow anyway. What about you guys? Are you ready for Brock? How are your teams?" An open question directed to the three of them, and a clever ploy to keep them off asking me questions for a while. Allan was first to speak.
"I think I'm ready. I have Eevee, and I caught a Mankey and a Pidgey. Mankey are fighting type, so they should go really well against Brock." Nick jumped in next.
"I have Squirtle, so I think I am right against Rock types. I did catch a Weedle, and it evolved into Kakuna already. I was going to wait until it was a Beedrill before trying against Brock." I looked a Nick with pride. He already had an evolved Pokémon. I did notice that his Pokéball pendant, the gift from dad, was broken, with just the top half left on the chain. I had no idea what dad had left Nick, but Nick wasn't telling the rest of us.
"Well, I have Pikachu, and I caught a Nidoran pair before leaving Viridian city. So I think I'm all set. What about you? You and that Eevee going to fight?" Nick looked at me with raised eyebrows. He hadn't seen my Eevee. I reached into my coat, removing the Pokéball, and summoning Eevee to my lap. She curled up and yawned, while the three girls started cooing at the colour. I mouthed 'dad' to Nick, before speaking.
"Well, Charmander has a few tricks of his own, and Eevee is a special one, but I was going to use my new Oddish to face Brock." Allan responded.
"A grass type? Good choice. And you think you're ready to face him tomorrow, even without any more training? That’s so cool!" Nick and Johnny nodded in consent. I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nearing lunchtime. I scooped Eevee up, and placed her in Nick's lap.
"Look after her. I'll cook us all lunch." An excited group of smiles met me as I stood, and turned, heading into the kitchen.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Day 6 - Pewter City, 3.00pm.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After lunch, I had placed Misdreavus' Pokéball on the table next to Kris, and went back into my room from last night. The clothes I had washed earlier were all now dry, and I had folded them all, placing Kris' stuff on her bag. I had then laid down, and fallen asleep, only to dream.

In my dream, I was falling. The sky above me was black, and starless. Below me was a black ocean, still and calm. I could see large spikes jutting out from the ocean below, yet I wasn’t falling towards the water below. Instead, I was just falling, and going nowhere. A shadowy figure appeared at my right, also falling, but not going anywhere. The figure looked at me, and offered me a hand. I reached out to take it, only to stop as a second figure appeared at my left, this one made entirely of light. The light figure offered me its hand aswell. I also reached out to take the second figures hand.
I felt, to my right, the shadowy figure take my right hand, and I felt a strange sensation. While the hand felt safe and normal, there was pain in the hand. It was as if the hand belonged to someone who intended to do harm to me.
To my left, I felt the light figure take my other hand. The hand burnt, like judgement. But the hand was soft and gentle, as if the light figure was trying to make up for the pain it was causing me. I felt safer with this hand.
Unfortunately, the two figures started pulling me in both directions. The closer I got to the shadow, the more the sense of harm grew. The closer I got to the light, the more the safety grew. I knew which hand I wanted to be holding for the fall.
I pulled my right hand hard, ripping it out of the shadows grasp. The shadow started falling, and I noticed that it was no longer a shadow, but had taken the form of Garth, plummeting down into the water below. I turned, offering my right hand to the light figure, only to see Kris offering me her other hand, taking mine, and pulling me closer, the feeling of safety growing more and more.
And then we started to fall together. But the water below didn't look so scary anymore, and in the sky above, the sun was rising, illuminating the scene. Kris pulled me closer, and we hit the water together.

In my sleep, I turned to my other side, dreaming no more.

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Day 6 - Pewter City, ?.??pm.

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I awoke in the dark room, no light coming in from the window. At first, I thought I was still in my dream from earlier, and looked for the shadowy and light figures to appear. Instead, I heard a noise outside the door, and I realized I was awake after all. I fished out my Pokédex, checking the time - 6.00pm. Just on sunset. I yawned and stretched, then stood up, moving to the window. The rain outside had slowed down to a soft drizzle. With any luck, it would end before tomorrow. Pulling my coat back on, I opened the door, and rejoined the others in the common room.

It took a moment for my eyes to adjust. The first thing I saw was Kris sitting with the girls from earlier, her Misdreavus and my Eevee were sitting in the middle of their group, as they were gossiping away. I could see Allan and Johnny on the couch, the TV on with the Pokémon world tournament broadcasting. They were both making notes. I realized that in 12 months, we would possibly be there ourselves. I looked towards the kitchen, hoping that someone else was cooking for us all tonight, and saw Nick with his head in the pantry. I moved towards him, knowing full well that his skill in cooking was meat. I poked him in the back, and then stuck my head next to his.
"What are you cooking me, little brother?" I teased the 'little' part, as I had since he had the growth spurt. Thankfully, he had taken some potatoes, leeks and beans in his hands, and was looking at stock.
"I was going to try to prepare your Potato Leek soup, the one you made for mum on her birthday." He smiled, knowing full well what I was about to say next.
"Then, we are going to need vegetable stock, and some spiced duck." I grabbed two containers of the stock, and the large stock pot. "Will you peel the vegetables?" Nick nodded. I was a bit of a control freak in the kitchen, and Nick knew how to push my buttons to get me to do things. Just by telling me what he was cooking was enough for me to take over. I took some duck breast from the fridge, and started rubbing the spices into the meat.

My presence in the kitchen was noticed by most, and the fact that I had taken over was greeted by smiles from all. Even the two new arrivals had heard of my cooking, it would seem, as they were excited by the prospect.

Almost an hour later, I was lading soup into everyone's bowls. Garth appeared at the end of the line, holding a bowl in his hand, and making sure to watch carefully as I poured his soup. He thanked me, and left once more. I started to feel bad. I didn’t want to hate him, or even attack him, but the opportunity this morning had been too good to pass up for a bit of revenge. I did feel bad however, and would bury the hatchet with him later. The only person who hadn't lined up was Kris, who was still sitting with Misdreavus and Eevee. I took a second bowl, and walked over, offering the bowl from beside her. She smiled at me, and I will admit, for the first time, my heart did indeed skip a beat. Once the bowl was secure in her hands, I sat opposite her, taking my spoon, and eating. We ate in silence for a while, the whole room enjoying the meal. There was a fair amount left over in the pot, and some of the others were moving to have a second helping. When I was done, I placed my bowl on the ground, a bit left in it, and nudged it towards Eevee, who nosed closer, sniffing the bowl. Satisfied it was food, she stuck her head in and started lapping it up. Smiling at Kris, I broke the silence between us.
"Thank you for looking after her while I slept. How long did it take for Nick to dump her on you?" Kris placed her bowl down as well.
"About half an hour. The girls were more interested in her than they were in the boys, so he palmed her off to me, and the girls followed. We spent all afternoon talking Pokémon." She stopped for a moment, placing her own bowl next to mine. Eevee sniffed the new offering, and started eating the leftovers. "I did come in and check on you a bit. You were tossing and turning in your dream, but seemed to calm down when I checked you." I nodded.
"Thank you. I was having a bad dream." I did my best to suppress the rising blush I could feel coming by adjusting my hair. Kris didn't seem to notice, or was choosing not to.
"So, we have enough room tonight. You don’t have to share with me." She had a smile on her face, but it looked forced. I just nodded. Kris stood up, taking our bowls into the kitchen, leaving me with Eevee and Misdreavus. Kris came back a few minutes later. "Actually, if you don’t mind, I'm going to go to bed now. I'm kind of tired." She looked tired, with bags under her eyes. I nodded.
"Good night." She left, Misdreavus floating off after her and through doorway before it closed. I sat there scratching Eevee's head, contemplating what to do next. I realized I was not tired. The nap I had taken in the middle of the day was now keeping me awake. Sighing, I moved from the floor to the couch, and reached for the remote for the television.

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Day 6 - Pewter City, 10.00pm

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I had finally decided to go to bed, after Johnny and Garth had joined me, I excused myself. I heard them whispering as I left, but could not make out what was being said. I entered my room, finding it empty and cold. The rain outside was still falling as I laid down to sleep. I closed my eyes, and tried to shut out the world. It worked, as I was asleep soon after.

In my sleep, I was falling again. I looked around for the figures from before, but they never came. I was alone. I waited, but when they didn’t appear after calling out to them, I hit the cold water below, the feelings of safety gone.

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End of Chapter 7

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I will post chapter 8 when I have a more stable internet.<3

[Ayeun]

Thank you all for your patioence. As promised - Stable internet = Next chapter!

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Chapter 8

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Day 7 - Pewter City, 4.30am.

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As I hit the water in my dream, I awoke in my bed. I was covered in cold sweat, the bed sheets tangled up from my twisting as I was dreaming. No, not a dream, a nightmare. It was still raining outside, heavier than before. I wondered if I had been making noise in my dream. If I had, I was sure someone would have come to check on me. Straightening the bed up, I placed my head back on the pillow, and tried to get to sleep again.

This time, sleep did not come as easily. I kept getting just to the moment of sleep, and then snapping back to alertness, panicking. The nightmare was keeping me restless. I didn’t want to fall again.

I lay there thinking on the matter. It wasn’t the fall that I was afraid of. Nor was it the water at the bottom, or the spires on the way down. It was the lack of the other two that I was panicking from. Why did I dream of Kris and Garth before, and why was their missing presence in my dreams causing me to panic. Sighing, I threw back the covers on the bed and stood up. I wasn't going to lay here and be unproductive. I would find something to do. I fished in my bag for something I had packed, knowing they would be right on the bottom. I pulled out a pair of sneakers. Near them was some running clothes I used to use when corralling Pokémon at the lab. Changing quickly, and pulling on the shoes, I stepped out into the deserted common room. I crossed quickly, noticing that Allan's and my Eevee's were both sleeping on the couch, and silently slid the door open to the outside.

The cold rain hit my face, drenching me instantly. Forgetting the water, I turned and started to jog south, careful not to slip as I went. I shut out the rest of the world, and let my stride drive me.

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Day 7 - Viridian Forest, 6.30am.

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I had jogged for an hour and a bit, and had made it all the way back to Viridian Forest's gateway. I didn’t want to go in there without a Pokémon, so I stopped for a moment to catch my breath before heading back. At the rate I was going, I would be back at the trainer house by 8. The rain was starting to slow, and the sun was poking its way through the clouds, giving the morning a nice steam. My breath back, I turned and, picking up the pace, headed back to Pewter City.

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Day 7 - Pewter City, 7.30am.

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I had gone faster than I had thought, and was back at the Trainer house in less than an hour. I was no longer wet from the rain, but covered in workout sweat. If did feel good, and my head was clearer. The rain was also stopped too, and I had taken care to avoid the Puddles on the way back. Stopping in the door way, I slipped off my runners, and walked inside.

I was met with a stare from Nick in the kitchen, who handed me a bacon and egg sandwich, noticing my attire.
"A note would have been nice." He said, just as I had taken a bite. I could only nod. "Your friend, Kris, has been worried about you. Saying we should go search for you or something." He lowered his voice, asking his next question. Thankfully, my mouth was empty now to answer. "Are you ok? You would have only gone jogging in the rain if there was something wrong."
"Yeah Nick, I'm fine. I had a bad dream, and couldn't sleep again." I whispered back, then, louder, so the common room could hear me, "Thanks Nick." He smiled, and I walked in, muddy trainers in hand.

Allan and Johnny were eating from a huge plate of Bacon and Sausages, no doubt Nick's cooking. Garth was sitting on the couch, his nose in a book. The other girls from yesterday were gone, by the looks of it. And from the other side of the room, I could see Kris in her room's doorway, arms crossed, staring at me. She didn’t say anything, but I could tell from the puffiness in her eyes she had been crying. I felt my heart drop in my chest. I had upset my friend by disappearing. I walked towards my room, to get my shower gear to clean up. Kris didn’t move from her doorway as I passed, but I did whisper as I passed.
"Sorry."
She didn’t say anything, but she did exhale a breath that I realized she must had been holding for a while. I grabbed my things, and went to shower.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The hot water on my cold wet skin was heaven, and the steam filled the room so fast, I couldn’t see anymore. So when the bathrooms door opened, I turned in a small panic. Fortunately, the showers had locks, but there was a tapping on the door.
"Umm, yes?" I called out into the fog. I wasn’t opening the door for anyone. The voice that answered me caused a shiver up my spine.
"Hello, girlie." I didn't even recognize who it was. "Why don’t you come out here, and we can have a little… Talk." I panicked.
"If you don’t leave now, I will scream. I am sure that the other three boys will all come to check on me if I do." While the threat was based on truth, the man's gruff response turned my slight panic in to full blown fear.
"Oh, they aren’t here. They left to start training for the Gym battle." His words were coated in venom, as if daring me to try anything. I felt so powerless. He could open the door easily, the wood was only chipboard, and there was nothing I could do to stop him. I heard the sound of the door rattling and then coming off its hinges, and screamed, shielding myself with my hands. A man in a black jump suit with a large red 'R' on his breast stood in the doorway, his eyes filled with anger and power. In his hand, he held extended a gun, pointed right at me. I cowered at his presence, and screamed again. He seemed to smile at that. "Team Rocket wants you gone. All five of you. I decided to start with the weakest one. Heh heh heh." He reached out a hand towards me, but it never connected.

My vision was obscured by a third figure blindsiding the Rocket Goon, sending him sprawling onto the floor. Kris stood in the doorway to my shower, her right hand clenched in a fist, and dripping with blood. The gun clattered to the floor, sliding under the walls of the showers. I quickly grabbed a towel, wrapping it around myself. Kris had her back to me, shielding me from the assailant, who lay on the floor, blood dripping from his nose. Kris had broken it.
"You had better leave, before I hit you again. And if you EVER lay a finger on her again, I will not stop with your nose." She spat the words at the intruder. He scampered to his feet, and ran out the door. Kris turned slowly to me. I was still crouched in the water flow, the towel hastily wrapped around me. I didn’t even care at the moment. I just lent forward, in to Kris, who caught me, pulling me in to a hug.
"Thank you. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn't arrived." I whispered the words, my voice trembling. I was still wet, and now, Kris was too. "Sorry about getting your clothes wet. I will dry them when I am done." I moved to stand up, to get dressed, but Kris held me in place.
"You aren't going anywhere. You can rest for a while, until the others get back. And then, you can tell them what happened. I am sure they will want to deal with whoever that was." I shook my head, trembling as I did so.
"N… No. I don’t want them attacking him. He said that 'Team Rocket wanted the five of us gone'. That would put any of them in danger." My voice was firmer, and Kris nodded.
"Ok, if you say so." I smiled up at her, still soaked from the shower still running behind me. I tried to move to stop it, but Kris just held me there. She was shaking all over, until I realized it was because I was trembling, and she was steadying me.

And as the adrenalin ran out in my system, I closed my eyes, safe in Kris's arms, and passed out.

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Day 7 - Pewter City, 11.30am.

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I awoke on the couch, dried, and fully dressed, with my head in someone's lap. I kept my eyes closed. Whoever it was, they were gently stroking my hair, which felt soothing. I was laying on my side, and I could feel a warm ball of fluff in my arms. If I had to guess, I would say it was Eevee, curled up protecting me.

Slowly, I opened my eyes. Allan was sitting across from me, leaning against the wall. I smiled weakly at him, but he responded with a huge smile.
"She's awake." He announced. Whoever was stroking my hair was obscured by my fringe, but they stopped stroking. I saw Nick move into my view, holding a large glass of water with a straw in it. He offered it to me, and I took a large mouthful. I returned the glass to him, and he disappeared from sight. I heard Johnny and Kris talking from the direction of the kitchen, meaning it wasn’t one of them stroking my head. I panicked. Would Kris really have let Garth touch me after yesterday morning? I turned my head, and saw the face of someone I least expected.
"M… Mum?" I croaked the words out, holding back tears. She smiled down at me, and then nodded towards Allan. I heard him stand, and move away.
"Yes, little dear. I'm here." She smiled. "And I see you got Eevee out of her box." She reached down, ruffling Eevee behind the ears.
"What are you doing here?" My heart dropped. I was worried that Kris had told everyone while I was out.
"I came to see you battle the first Gym, silly. I do have a few Pokémon that can fly in my collection. I would have come yesterday, but the storm has been crazy. When I got here, you were asleep on the couch, and your friend, Kristy, told me that you had a rough night's sleep." I nodded, silently thanking Kris. I owed her big time.
"Thanks mum. And thank you for Eevee. She is precious." Mum smiled down at me.
"It was your dads idea. He found a Pokémon from his collection to give to Nick, and wanted me to get one for you. This was when he got back from the war, mind you. The letters were written while he was away." She looked behind her, then back to me with a smile. Whispering, "So, which one do you like?"
"Mum!" I whispered back. Eevee's ears twitched. Mum just looked down at me, expecting an answer. Sighing, I had no choice to answer. "Well, Garth is a creeper, so he's out. I'm related to Nick, so that’s a no go. Allan is cool and all, but he treats everyone from behind a wall, so he's also out. Johnny has the emotional maturity of a spoon, so no." I looked at her, hoping she was satisfied. She wasn’t.
"And, Kristy?" She had a glint in her eye.
"Kris - Kristy is a good friend. I like her, but I'm not sure how much. Ok?" I was stressing the whispers, trying to show my anxiety with the questioning. "Can we drop it, ok?" Mum just nodded.
"I don’t mind, just as long as you are happy." She leant forward, kissing my forehead, and then resumed stroking my hair. "How about I go prepare you some lunch. You look like you could eat." As if on cue, my stomach started growling. We both laughed loudly. I lifted my head as she slid out from under me and shifting Eevee towards my lap, I sat up. I could hear chatter from the kitchen, but saw Kris coming from the other direction, near the bedrooms. She sat down next to me, placing a small parcel wrapped in white paper on her lap.
"I didn't tell them anything. Just that you had had a nightmare last night, and that you were tired, so you fell asleep on the couch." She smiled at me, checking that no one was nearby, before continuing. "After you passed out, I cleaned you up, got you dressed, and carried you out here to the couch. The boys didn’t get back for ages, so they didn’t see anything. I did, however, report to the police. They are looking into it, and have staged an officer outside for tonight." Again, she smiled, and this time, I blushed. Kris had dressed me, meaning she had seen me exposed and bare, just after the goon's attack. My embarrassment was dulled by the fact that I didn’t seem to mind that it was her.
"Thank you." I whispered. "For not telling them, and for taking care of me. I owe you one."
"No, you don't. I told you before, you rest for now. I'm taking care of you for a while." She smiled, and then picked up the parcel. "This is from your mum. She was going to give it to you when she got here, but you were sleeping. I told her that she should wait till you woke up, but she said that I should give it to you instead." She passed it to me. I took it in both hands, and opened it. Inside the paper parcel was a small box. I opened the lid, to see inside a intricately carved metal pocket watch on a chain. It was the same watch that my father had worn when we were younger, before he went away. There was a card inside. I took it out, and read it aloud, so that Kris could hear.
"It didn't seem right that Nick got your fathers notes and Pokémon, and you got nothing from him. He always wanted you to have this, when you were a grown woman. I guess now is as good a time as any. Love always, Mum."
I smiled, and folded the note back in to the box, and then, taking the pocketwatch, pinned it to my coat, placing the chain dangling. I stood up, and pulled it on, modelling it for Kris.
"Very nice." She smiled, then her face turning serious, pulled me back down next to her. "Are you going to be ok tonight? I can move my stuff back into your room and sleep in there if it will make you feel better." I nodded.
"That would be nice. Thank you." She smiled at me, and I smiled back. The boys returned from the kitchen, and for the next few hours, everything was fine.

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End of Chapter 8

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Right! Chapter 9 is finished, but I am stalling, because I am stuck on Chapter 10, and I don't want to dry up. So I will post 9 this time next week... Also, giving anyone reading this a chance to comment.

And whoever has my Muse locked hostage, PLEASE let her go, so I can get back to work! Thanks!

[Ayeun]

Here we go, anyone reading this! Chapter 9! I haven't actually written anything for a week and a half, mostly due to lack of motivation. I wish I knew people were reading this!

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Chapter 9

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Day 7 - Pewter City, 9.30pm.

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I lay alone in the room, where I had been for the past hour. Kris's stuff was sitting next to the bed, but she had not yet come in to sleep. I could hear her and Johnny in the main room, making a lot of noise, and laughing loudly. Turning over in my sleep for the thousandth time, I pulled the pillow out from under my head, trying to drown out the sound.

An hour later, Kris finally came in. I was still wide awake, hidden under the pillow. Kris silently tried to find her way to her bag, bumping into the foot of the bed. Swearing quietly, I heard fabric being pulled off, and then the blankets on the bed being pulled back. She slid in next to me, and I could feel bare flesh against my arm. My heart quickened.
"You're awake? Sorry if I woke you." She whispered, her head close to mine, but unaware that I was under a pillow. "Johnny had a bottle of something, and we were enjoying it. I think it was alcohol." She reached her arm out, trying to find my face. Realizing I was under the pillow, she pulled it off. The smell of scotch was strong on her breath.
"Hey." I protested as she took the pillow off, but she brushed her hand along my cheek, silencing me.
"You're crying." She observed. I hadn’t noticed. And then she leant in, and kissed my cheek.
"Kris… Please stop." My voice broke as I said it, and so did my heart. I liked the feeling of her kissing me, but I didn't want her to be doing this while she is drunk. Her only response was a snore to my side, she had fallen asleep.

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Day 8 - Pewter City, 5.45am.

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I woke up with sore red eyes. I realized I had been crying almost all night. Kris was holding me, and I could see that she was wearing just her undergarments. Blushing, I placed the spare pillow between her arms, and went to shower. The rain outside had died off sometime during the night, and the sun was brightly shining through. I knew it was going to be hot today.

I carefully left the shower, double checking and triple checking to make sure there was no goons around to attack me today. I had opted for one of my own dresses today, and was quiet when I entered my room. Recalling my one and only past experience with Alcohol, I knew Kris was going to wake up with a headache. I looked at my pocketwatch, notcing that it was just after 6. I left the room, to cook some food. Returning with two plates of bacon and eggs, and a large bottle of Water with two glasses, I softly rocked her awake.
"Breakfast." I whispered, offering her a glace of water. She quietly took it, her eyes half open.
"Thanks" she croaked after finishing the whole glass. I passed her the food, and watched her eat. When she finished, she placed her plate down, and then looked me in the eyes. "Enjoying the show?" I realized I had been staring, and blushed. She had not put anything on since waking up, and was rather exposed. "Not that I mind." She whispered, under her breath. I didn’t say anything while I ate. When I was finished, I collected her plate, before asking my next question.
"How is your head? And how much did you drink last night?" She shook her head gently.
"Too much." She stopped to think, "Sorry, if I did anything to make you uncomfortable when I came in." I shook it off. "You going to face Brock today?" I just nodded, setting my mind on Pokémon once more. The last few days had been a nice distraction, but it was time to get to work!

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Day 8 - Pewter City, 10.00 am.

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I stood in front of the double doors to Pewter City Gym. Kris was at my side, her Misdreavus resting between her hat and head. I gulped, and stepped forward, pushing the doors open. The inside of the gym was set up like a rocky cavern, playing to Brock speciality. A voice from the darkness called out to us.
"Who seeks to challenge Brock, the Rock type Gym Leader? Step forward, if you dare!" I took two steps forward, so that Brock would know it was I, and not Kris. A light appeared opposite the arena, where a man in his 20's stood. He had darkish skin, black hair, and dark brown eyes, which had a small twinkle in them. His composure dropped when the light hit me. "Oh, a beauty?" From behind me, Kris giggled. Brock didn’t hear, as the arena was suddenly well lit. "Step forward, and bring your friend." He called us over.

When we were a lot closer, he spoke to us in a clearer voice.
"Lilly, isn’t it? I read about you in the news papers. You will be the second of your group to challenge me. I faced off against young Garth yesterday, during the storm. He was a good competitor. I expect no less from you." He paused, pulling open a draw, which I noticed were lined with Pokéballs. "Normally, I use two Pokémon to battle new trainers. However, as you are specially trained, I will be using two of my specially trained Pokémon. You may use as many Pokémon as you wish." I nodded in agreement, as Brock picked up the two balls, and started towards one end of the arena. I could hear voices coming from above, in the stands. Kris and I started towards the other end, where a box for me to stand in was marked on the ground.
"Don't hold back, or let him get his defences up. He will try to draw this fight out so his rocks can win." Kris held my by the shoulders, looking into my eyes. "I believe in you." She smiled, letting her arms drop, and stepped out of the box. I turned, looking across at Brock, who held one of his Pokéballs in his hand. I reached into my jacket, pulling out Oddish. I nodded at Brock, who nodded, throwing his Pokéball into the arena. I flicked mine as well, and the match began.

Oddish appeared in a flash of purple and green, to meet against a Geodude in a flash of grey. The match began. I noticed that Brock was not actually issuing orders to Geodude, who was instead just battling on reflex. I was going to use this to my advantage.
"Oddish, Sleep spore! Get behind it, Drain the power away." Oddish bounced off the floor, landing on Geodude's head, releasing a cloud of spores as it did so. Geodude's eyes began to close, as Oddish landed behind, latching its leaves onto Geodude's back, and beginning to transfer the energy. The battle counter on the wall displayed Geodude's health draining fast. Brock's calm broke, as he recalled Geodude. The PA system made an announcement.
"The challenger has defeated the Gymleaders first Pokémon." Brock sighed, and released his second Pokémon, and I realized I was faced with a challenge. A flash of red and grey revealed a giant Onix, who quickly coiled around Oddish, preventing her from moving.
"Oddish, stun spore! Get out of there. Quickly." Oddish released another cloud of spores, slowing the Onix down. Before Oddish could get free, however, Onix slammed Oddish down hard. The battle counter registered Oddish as KO'ed. I swore silently as I recalled her. I had to use Charmander next, as Eevee was not going to be able to do much against a rock. Sighing, I threw out the ball. Charmander materialized, sizing up the considerably larger rock snake. Onix raised its tail, ready to slam it down again, but Charmander has the speed on his side. Dodging away, he ran up the tail of Onix.
"Charmander, Claw attack!" I called out, not really sure if it would work. Charmanders claws glowed silver as he dug them in, and the sound of metal on rock filled the arena. Onix reared in pain, thrashing about, trying to shake off Charmander, who in response, dug his claws in deeper. Onix's head smacked into the stands, and then onto the ground. The battle counter showed that Onix was doing more damage to itself that I had, but it was also dangerously close to fainting.
"Charmander, finish it off with an Ember strike!" I yelled above the crashing sounds. Charmander must have heard me, and he released the snake, jumping away, and firing down a barrage of flame at the weakened spot. Onix fell, coming to rest. Brock recalled the Onix, and began walking towards me. He held out his hand when he was close enough, handing me the Bolder Badge.
"You really are as good as they say." He smiled. I could hear footsteps behind me, coming down the stairs. Brock looked over my shoulder, nodding. "It's good to see you again, Mary." I turned, seeing my mother, standing with a smile on her face. Kris was next to her, equally as impressed. "And Kris. A pleasure as always."
"You all know each other?" I was stunned. Mum just smiled.
"Brock and I met when I was doing my travels. I beat him back then for his gym badge." Brock nodded. "I was travelling with your dad back then. He already have the badges." I looked to Kris.
"Brock and my brother have known each other for years, when they both became gym leaders. Brock spent a few months training with Morty, and met me then." Brock smiled, interjecting.
"And every time I asked her to dinner, she would always shoot me down." I smiled. Brock didn't know about Kris's preferences, it seemed. I pinned the badge onto the inside of my coat while Brock and my mum engaged in a deep conversation. I looked to Kris.
"Do you want to get out of here?" She nodded. I called over my shoulder to mum as we walked off, "Bye mum." We got no answer, but I knew she heard us.

We headed out of the gym, and back to the Pokémon centre. I checked in my Pokémon for a check up after the gym match, and then headed back into the room in the trainer house, to pack my bags. Our next stop was Cerulean City, but to get there we had to travel to Mt Moon, and then through the caves within. This was one of the longest legs of our trip, and would take anywhere up to a month to just get to Mt Moon. There were a few trainer houses along the way, but we would need to carry up to a week's worth of supplies from here on. Once all my clothes were repacked, I headed out to the kitchen storeroom, gathering and packing for the trip. Kris was sitting on the couch, her bag at her feet.
"What do you want to eat for the next week on the road?" I called from the storeroom.
"Umm… The duck was good, as was the soup." She called back, then swore. "Damn it. I've lost my hat. Misdreavus must have stolen it again." She stood to search, bringing her bag over to me in the kitchen. "Fill it up while I search?" I nodded, and started packing our supplies.

Kris left to search for her hat, and I could hear the boys approaching the doors from the outside. I turned the face them, to see Allan, Johnny and Nick return with their own Bolder badges pinned to their coats. I congradulated them, and finished packing. I was so focused on the food and supplies, that I was snapped out of my concentration by Johnny's voice.

"… Startling proclamation!" I stopped what I was doing, and turned to face them. Both Allan and Nick were leaning against the counter tops, staring at Johnny as he spoke. For his own part, Johnny stared directly at me as he spoke. "Nick, I don't want to date your sister. I will instead, win over Kris, the mysterious girl!" Nick shook his head, while Allan laughed. "I am serious. I will win Kris' hand!" From the back of the store, I was silently shaking my head. Johnny was a bit of an ass, and he did just confess he had been trying to hit on me. I grabbed my bag, and Kris', and went after her, to find the hat. I wanted out of this town. I wanted away from these boys for a while. Four weeks on the road sounded heavenly right now.

When I finally found Kris, she had caught Misdreavus, and retrieved her hat. I passed her bag to her. "Let's get out of here. I'm ready to go." Kris looked me in the eye.
"What happened?"
"I don’t want to go in to it. I just want to put this town behind me. And the boys. Mostly the boys." She grinned. We went and checked out my Pokémon from the centre, and started heading towards the gates out of town. By the time we got there, however, the boys had caught up to us.

"So, what are your plans? Training or just pushing on?" Allan directed the question at all of us. As expected, Johnny was travelling with him. Garth was going off on his own to train. Nick was making plans to meet up with one of the girls from the Pokémon centre.
"Kris and I are going the long way around. Four week trip." Kris smiled and nodded, and I noticed that Johnny looked crestfallen. Nick chimed in, saving the awkward silence that was starting to fall.
"So, four weeks from now, we should all be at Cerulean City. Dinner when we all get there? I'll make Lilly cook!" Everyone nodded in agreement. Slowly, we all walked off towards the looming mountain.

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End of Chapter 9!

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[Ayeun]

Sorry about the delay readers. My muse escaped, and I had to lock her back up in my basement.

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Chapter 10

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Day 34 - Mount Moon, 12.00pm.

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Kris and I had been following the Team Rocket goons for the last hour through Mount Moon. We had seen them a few days ago, heading in to the mountain, and were now keeping an eye on their activities. They had with them a whole collection of Rock and Ground type Pokémon, and were using them to tunnel into the walls. Kris was watching the group from above, while I was keeping an eye on the permitter. A quiet crunching of the stones next to me alerted me to Kris' return.
"I really can't make out anyone in particular. And it looks like they are just digging. Maybe we should just go?" She was whispering next to me, so not to alert the Rockets to our presence. Her proximity next to my ear caused shivers up my spine. The last four weeks had been good for us both. We had only seen Nick one evening with his new friend, and hadn't seen Johnny, Allan or Garth at all. With all this time alone, however, Kris and I hadn't even discussed 'us'. It was driving me crazy, and I was worried that she had lost interest. "Come on, we should get out of here before they find us." She pushed herself up silently, then offered me her hand, to pull me up. Unfortunately, when she did so, her foot slipped, causing the area we were hiding to clatter loudly as the rocks moved. The largest one, that Kris had climbed earlier to get the view from shifted, and was rolling towards us. I could see it moving behind Kris, but she was trying to save her footing, and to pull me up at the same time. I could hear the Rockets looking for the source of the sound, and did the only thing that made sense. I pushed Kris away from the moving rocks, and back into the darkness. And then I screamed, as my leg suddenly was pinned by the rock slide.

The sound drew the Rockets right to me, but thankfully, I heard Kris move into the shadows quietly enough for the Rockets to not hear it at all. I lay there in pain, waiting for them to find me, and praying they didn’t recognize me. A flashlight shone in my face, and a voice called out.
"What do we have here? Lost little girl. Heh heh heh. And trapped under a rock too." His companion moved closer, taking a look at the rock, before shining the light back in my face.
"Wait a second. I know this girl. The boss wanted her taken care of. Lots of money if we bring her in. Get some rope." I groaned, before blacking out to the pain.

I awoke some time later, unable to tell how long I had been out for. The pain in my legs was gone, but I was bound to a chair of some kind, and my head was covered in a sack. My mouth had been stuffed with something, preventing me from talking, but I managed to make a muffled grunt. I could hear someone approaching, and was suddenly exposed to an extremely bright light directed right at my face, as the sack was removed. I blinked blindly as my eyes adjusted. Before me was a woman in a Team Rocket uniform. Behind her, there was an elderly man, who appeared to be chained to the wall. I looked around the area. There was a table with some books splayed across its surface.
"You will answer my questions, or I will have to hurt you." The woman pulled a knife from behind her back. "I'd hate to cut that pretty little face of yours." I swallowed hard, and nodded in agreement. She toyed with the knife from one hand to the other. "Why does the boss want you dead?"
"Mummmmm." I tried to speak, but my mouth was still gagged. Sighing, the woman moved forward, sliding the knife along my cheek. The cold steel sent a chill down my spine, but she pulled the blade forward, cutting the cloth binding my mouth. I coughed out the rag that was stuffed in my mouth. My mouth was dry. "Water… Please…" She held a bottle of water to my lips, and I drank it down as best I could.
"Why does the boss want you dead?" She asked again, the knife still by my face.
"I don’t know." She didn’t like that answer, I figured, due to her moving the knife along my cheek. "I was attacked last month, and the attacker said that the five of us were going to get taken out. Someone didn't want us finishing our journeys. That’s all I know." She stepped back, nodding.
"What were you doing, snooping around when we found you?" I didn’t want to answer this question, but I did not see any other choice.
"Trying to figure out what your troops were doing." It was a half truth, and I felt I was in a position now to figure it out. Unfortunately, the woman had finished her questions for now, and let, sliding the knife back into its sheaf. I watched her leave, resigning to being stuck here for a while. A voice from across the room spoke quietly.
"Mew. They are looking for Mew." The old man stood up walked to the table, his chain had enough give to let him wander around the room, it seemed.
"What are you here for then?" I questioned. He was obviously a prisoner for Team Rocket as well, but he was somehow in on their plans.
"I am an archaeologist. This was my dig site, before Team Rocket came. They locked me in here, stole my notes, and started destroying the dig site." He sighed, flicking through the book in front of him. I noticed my bag on the table near him.
"Hey. My bag! Is my jacket there as well?" He nodded.
"Big white coat?" He held my coat up, and I nodded.
"Pokéballs, on the inside of the lining. The one at the bottom. It’s a Charmeleon." He nodded, realizing what I was implying. He tossed the Pokéball, and in a flash of red and gold, Charmeleon appeared before me. He had only evolved a week prior, but right now, I was happy to have his improved firepower. "Charmeleon, get to work on those chains for the archaeologist there."

Charmeleon moved to the chains, using his strengthened claws to tear at the metal. Kris had informed me that when we fought Brock, Charmander had developed a unique technique called Metal Claw, strengthening his claws to be as hard as steel. Only a few swipes, and the chains were ribbons. The archaeologist happily walked free from his shackles, as Charmeleon removed my rope binding with one swipe. I stood and walked to the table. I noticed the old man's research notes were on one end of the sprawl, with the other end being a newspaper, with the clippings of the five on the day we left.
"So, you're one of those special ones." He gestured to the newspaper. I just nodded. "They say you all have special powers. Is it true? Do you have any special powers?" I shook my head.
"I don’t know. Garth has some psychic powers, so maybe." The old man opened a box on the table, removing a small crystal.
"We can test if you like. See if you have any…" He was cut off by the woman returning.
"So, Let us continue… I see you are free. Now, put down the research papers, and I won't cut you to pieces." Charmeleon moved between us, its claws out. I turned to the old man, but he was gone. The box with the crystal was still sitting there. I grabbed it and the book on the table, stuffing them into my bag.
"I'm leaving. Follow us, and I will have Charmeleon rip the walls down behind us." She backed up from my threat. I moved around her, heading through the door she had entered from. "Charmeleon, let's go."

We ran though the tunnels, desperate for a way out. I could hear the sound of the digging from somewhere off to my left, so I assumed I was safe if I kept going straight. I could hear footfalls behind me, meaning the Rocket was coming after all. I pushed on, running deeper into the caves. I had to get out of here, back to Kris, back to Nick, and the sunshine outside.

I rounded a corner, and came face to face with the old man from before. He was holding a lantern in his hand, and hand a finger across his lips, trying to quieten me. I stepped back, dousing the light in the lantern, and pulled me after him. A moment later, the Rocket rushed past, her knife in her hand. When she was gone, the old man relit the lamp.
"Come on. Let's get you out of here." I followed as he headed down a passageway that I hadn't noticed in the darkness. "So, what did you do with the Crystal and the notes?"
"They are here, in my bag. Did you want them back?" I started to move my bag off my shoulder.
"No, you hold onto them until we are out of here." The cave we were walking through opened out into a large chamber, where moonlight lit a small alter at the far end. "This is what Team Rocket is searching for. The ancient shrine to Mew. If they find this place, they will be able to find both Mew, and Mewtwo."
"What are we going to do? How do we keep them from finding it?" I was looking about, trying to find a way to defend this place. My eyes fell on a small pile of something near the entrance way. I moved to investigate, and then immediately regretted it. The pile was bodies, twisted and warped, but human bodies none the less. But one face in the pile drew my focus. I turned, and reached, throwing up, and then turning to face the old man once more. "What the hell is going on here? Why is your body in the pile?" The old man frowned, looking crestfallen.
"Guess I should drop this guise then." The old man shimmered, before appearing as Mewtwo, the legendary psychic Pokémon. "Lilly. You should leave. I intend to destroy this place, to keep Team Rocket from finding it. I do not wish to be a slave to them, or any human. I also have no intention to cause you any harm. I will give you time to flee this place, before destroying it completely." I looked at the Pokémon in shock. The fact that it spoke was startling enough, but its drive and passion were shocking.
"Where…?" Before I could finish my question, the answer was in my brain. The way out and back to safety. "Thank you." Mewtwo nodded, and I turned and ran.

Behind me, I could hear the sounds of Team Rockets digging, and wondered if they would find the place before Mewtwo destroyed it. I was forced to a stop by a wall that shouldn’t have been here. The path Mewtwo had left in my head said that I should be able to escape down this path. I heard footfalls in the path behind me. Time was up. The Team Rocket woman appeared from the darkness. I reached for a Pokéball from my coat, but before I could grab one, I heard from deep within the cave, an explosion shaking the mountain to its very core. I guess Mewtwo had detonated whatever it was planning on using to stop the Rockets.

The blast came down the tunnel, the fireball dislodging the supports holding the tunnel upright. I ducked, trying to shield myself from the blast. The Rocket woman was caught in the blast, hit by some debris and propelled towards the wall I was cowering near. The combination of the blast, woman, and the rock hitting the wall destroyed it, thrusting me out the hole created. I was blinded by the light, and felt myself falling once more.

My vision cleared, and I found myself falling from the side of Mount Moon. My coat was smouldering, but I was mostly unharmed. This was going to change the second I hit the ground. Resigning to the fact, I turned to look behind me, at the ruins of Mount Moon. The blast had blown out large chunks in the side, causing the mountain to take the shape of a crescent moon. Poetic, I mused. I closed my eyes, and let myself fall to what would be my doom.

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Day 34 - Mount Moon, 1.00pm.

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Kris ran through the caves, desperate to find a way out. Determined as she was, she knew she could not take on all of the Team Rocket goons on her own. She would get out, find some help, and head back to rescue me.

A short while later, Kris emerged into the sunlight. Reaching into her belt, Kris withdrew the two Ultraballs. Tossing them out, she waited for the Pokémon to materialize.
"Lilly's in trouble. Find someone, and get them back here. GO!" Gengar darted off to the south in a blink of an eye, Misdreavus floated north. Kris sat down, and with a long, drawn out sigh, let out the tears she had been holding back ever since having to leave me.

Gengar returned with Nick and his female friend in tow. Before Kris could explain what happened, Misdreavus floated back alone. A moment later, with a pop, Garth stood before the trio.
"What happened?" Garth demanded. Nick glared at him, but didn't speak.
"Team Rocket has Lilly. They are holding her somewhere in Mount Moon. I want you to help me find her." Nick nodded, reaching for a Pokéball on his belt. His female friend did the same, pulling out two. Garth sighed, and started walking towards Mount Moon.

The small group were almost at Mount Moon, when the explosion rocked the mountain's core. They saw the fireball where I was expelled from.
"Is that… Lilly?" Nick pointed at my falling form.
"LILLY!" Kris screamed.

400 feet above them, I heard the scream of Kris from below. I looked, and saw them all, helpless to save me.

Helpless, except for Garth.

With a soft pop, Garth was right beside me.
"Take my hand." Garth offered me his hand. I didn't want to take it, but I had no choice. Kris wasn't coming to save me on angel wings it would seem. I reached out and took Garth's hand, and with a pop, I was standing back on the ground, safe and alive. Kris ran towards me, throwing herself at me and hugging me. I hugged her back.
"I didn't want to leave you." She was crying.
"It's ok." I tried to reassure her, but she wasn’t listening. I locked eye with Garth, and mouthed "Thank You." He nodded. Focusing back to Kris, I gripped her by the shoulders, and pushed her back. Her eyes were pink and puffy, and she was crying. I pulled her back in, holding her tight. She cried herself dry.
"Are you okay?" She asked in a raspy voice.
"Yeah… No." I realized that I was in a lot of pain, and holding Kris upright was beyond my strength anymore. I fell to my knees, crying out in pain, Kris falling atop me.
"Lilly!" Kris called out, trying not to land on me. "Quickly! Let's get her to a doctor!" Nick and Garth moved to my side, helping me up. They carried me towards Cerulean City.

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Day 34 - Cerulean City, 6.00pm.

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I awoke in a medical cot. There was a hand holding mine, and a weight on my left leg. Slowly opening my eyes, I noticed Nick asleep in a chair at the far side of the room, his friend asleep on his lap. Kris was by my bedside, head down on the side of the bed, her hands wrapped around mine. I looked at my legs, noticing Eevee asleep with her head on my knee. My other leg was suspended in a sling above the bed. It was wrapped in bandages, and splinted straight.
"How bad am I?" I asked, in a dry, raspy voice. Kris didn’t raise her head, answering me from there.
"You've sprained your right knee. The doctors want you using crutches for a few days. Also, minor burns on your back. You need to apply ointment after bathing." She sobbed, causing Nick to jerk awake. His friend slid off his lap, but Nick raised his leg, catching her on his ankle.
"You awake? They said you can check out when you woke. He gently shook his companion awake, which caused me to blurt out a question.
"So, who's your friend? Does she have a name?" Still raspy and dry. Kris finally lifted her head, then moved to the side table, pouring me a glass of water. I drank it, while Nick answered.
"Her name is Emma. We are kind of… Dating now, I guess you would say." I nodded as I swallowed.
"I look forward to meeting her proper when I am better." I looked to Kris. "Help me up? And dressed?" She nodded.

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Day 34 - Cerulean City, 7.30pm.

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We checked into the Trainer House, and found a room to share. Kris and I dumped our bags, and I flopped onto the bed. I was still tired from the doctors medications. I lay there in silence, while Kris sorted out the laundry. The time passed easily, but the silence was broken by my stomach grumbling in protest.
"Heh. Looks like you're hungry. I'll go get you some food, ok?" Kris stood up, but I grabbed her hand.
"No. I promised to make everyone food when we all got here. Nick and Garth are here, and I am sure Johnny and Allan will be close." Kris shook her head, but I was determined. "Help me up." Relenting, Kris slipped her arm under mine, hoisting my weight up with her shoulder. Passing me the crutches, she helped me out of the room, and into the kitchen.

The common room was mostly empty, with Nick and Emma resting on the couch, while Garth sat at the kitchen bench reading from a book.
"Hey Garth. Thanks for saving me." He closed the book, and smiled.
"You going to cook for us tonight? I can't tell you how much I've been looking forward to this." I moved about the kitchen as best I could with the crutches.

Just as I was serving up a simple meal for those present, the doors from the Pokémon centre opened, and in walked Johnny and Allan. I smiled as I ladled hot stew into bowls for them both, and then, with Kris' help, moved to sit and enjoy my meal. It was a nice, quiet night, and I fell asleep at the table before I finished my food.

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End of Chapter 10.

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