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Chapter 2: Mightyenas Might! Relicanths Ancient Past! A Rocketing Triumph before Petalburg!

The day had went by pretty uneventful as Vivian and I traveled towards Oldale Town, the nearest place with a pokémon center. For a world filled lots of pokémon, so far I hadn't seen many while walking on the path. Still, at least I wasn't making the journey alone. I had Vivian, my Eevee partner, on my shoulder, and a new addition to my team, Torchic.

It was probably around late in the afternoon when I had the thought that I didn't know much about Torchic at all. And I was sort of struggling to come up with a nickname for it. Taking my new pokédex out, and opening it, I decided to see what I could learn about my Torchic.

"Hmm, well I already knew Torchic was a fire type. Oh, the 'dex is displaying it's attacks. Okay let's see; it knows Peck, Growl, and Ember. Not too bad. I'm sure with more training, Torchic will learn tons of new attacks later on," I said, mostly to myself. I then heard growling ahead of me. I stopped in my tracks, and looked up to see what was going on. It was another Poochyena, but why was it growling at me? I didn't do anything wrong, did I?

That's when two more jumped from the brush at the side of the path, all of them growling at me and Vivian. "What? Wait, you three again? Did you follow me all the way out here?" I had to give them credit, they were a persistent bunch of pokémon. Suddenly, the pokédex began telling me Poochyena's data, "Poochyena, the Bite Pokémon. It savagely threatens foes with bared fangs. It chases after fleeing targets tenaciously. It turns tail and runs, however, if the foe strikes back."

"So they've been chasing after me this whole time?" Vivian jumped down from my shoulder, ready to attack the three once more. I was about to ready myself as well, until a new pokémon jumped out. It was like a bigger version of the Poochyena, only much scarier looking. The Pokédex in my hand started up again with new information, "Mightyena, the Bite Pokémon. In the wild, Mightyena live in a pack. They never defy their leader's orders. They defeat foes with perfectly coordinated teamwork."

"OK, well that's helpful. I guess this must be their mother...Wait, did it just say they live in packs?!" True, the Mightyena in front of me was growling in anger as well, but then, I heard some more coming from behind me. A quick look behind me, and I saw several other Mightyena as well, along with more Poochyena. Vivian was getting scared, and so was I. The revelation of this world being quite dangerous was firmly lodged into my head at that point, and I had barely even began my journey.

"Okay, everyone, let's just calm down, and talk about this. I'm sure this is all a big misunderstanding," I said, hoping these wild pokémon at least understood me. It was then one of the Mightyena of the group stepped forward, looking very angry, but almost seemingly like it wanted to hear I wanted to say. He must have been the leader, or alpha male of the pack because he was larger than the rest.

It kind of surprised me that pokémon seemed to understand human languages, but in any case, I began to explain my part. "Well, to start off, the three Poochyena had chased a man up a tree. I guess he must have angered them in some way, probably surprising them, but I know it must have been an accident, of that I'm certain. I stumbled on to the sight, seeing the guy needed some help. We had a short battle, but I know my pokémons attacks weren't enough to severely hurt them in any way. Just enough that they would flee. I swear." I know at that point of time, I felt kind of like a fool for talking to them, but long after that incident I grew used to it.

The Mightyena leader seemed to nod his head, as if thinking it all over. He then barked over at the Poochyena that attacked Professor Birch, apparently calling them over. They had approached timidly, and began barking their story to them, or at least I think they were. Vivian had long jumped back onto my shoulder, shivering from how scared she was. I couldn't blame her, there were lots of intimidating Mightyena surrounding us.

After a while, the Mightyena barked to others, who backed up a bit around us. The leader had then set himself a good distance away from me, only to turn around, and start growling. I was confused, I thought he understood what I had said, but I guess this was something else entirely. My pokédex, which I had neglected to put away yet, started up again, "This is a sign of Mightyena wanting to battle to settle disputes. Winning or losing the battle will not cause the pack to attack, but refusing will cause the pack to hunt down the offender."

"Okay, thank you," I said, closing the pokédex, and putting it away. "So, I just need to battle then. I doubt either of my pokémon will last long though." I really didn't want to battle the Mightyena, mostly because I thought it was just a simple misunderstanding. But I also knew it had much more battle experience than Vivian or Torchic, considering it was the leader of the pack after all. It seemed Vivian understood as well, but she still jumped back down, and presented herself in a battle ready pose.

"Vivian...are you sure?" I asked her, worry obvious in my tone. She turned her head to look back at me, looking confident even though she was scared. "Well, as long as you're sure..." I said, not really wanting to do this at all. I readied myself anyway, focusing my mind on the present. I didn't want Vivian hurt, so I wanted to do my best to make she came out of this without being badly injured.

Mightyena took the first attack, charging at Vivian with a fiercer looking attack than Tackle. "Dodge it!" I called out at the last second. Vivian did as I said, but only just barely evading the attack. "Too close. Hit it with Tackle!" I ordered, and Vivian did so, hitting Mightyena hard in the side. It didn't seem to phase the pokémon though, even as Vivian had attempted to jump back. It struck out again, only its tail had glowed first, before it swiped the attack at Vivian. Yet another attack I didn't know about, and this time it hit Vivian hard. "Veee!" I heard her scream, the attack sending her flying a few feet away. "Vivian! Are you alright?!" I called out, worried. She looked badly hurt, even though I was aiming to not let that happen. She struggled back up on to her feet, but Mightyena was already charging at her again. "Quick, use Sand-Attack, and try to dodge again!" I called out. It was too late though, Mightyena's attack had hit her full force, sending my pokémon flying again. "Vee!" she screamed again, hitting the ground hard. She had struggled again to get back on her feet, but then collapsed, and was unable to battle any more.

I ran forward, tears in my eyes as I got to my knees beside Vivian. I guessed the Mightyena must have sensed its victory, as it barked to the others, and they all left. I didn't care at that point, my only concern was Vivian's well being. I slowly, and carefully picked her up in my arms, cradling her body close. I then looked around, trying to sense which way I was going before, finally seeing my footprints on the dirt path.

I ran, and hard, wanting to get to Oldale as quick as my feet would carry me. The weight of my travel pack didn't feel heavy at all back then. Since my entire focus was on getting Vivian to the pokémon center as fast as possible, I didn't worry about what was weighing me down. I remember the forest around me was almost deathly quiet as I ran, fear had almost gripped my mind. My heart was beating rapidly in my chest. I remember thinking to myself, <How much further is it to Oldale?!>

I can't remember much of the time that passed, but the sight of some ruins ahead caught my attention quickly enough. As I approached rather quickly, I saw a man in archaeological clothing wandering the ruins. I must have been running fast, because I was in front of him in just a few seconds. "Is there....a pokémon center....nearby?!" I asked, breathing hard.

I think I must have puzzled him at first, until he saw Vivian badly hurt in my arms. "Yeah, it's right down there in fact!" he said, pointing down at the small town down the hill. I didn't wait for any other words from the guy, because I had bolted immediately after seeing the center. It's probably not safe running down a hill at an alarming, but with the emergency I had right now, I didn't worry about it as I ran in a straight line towards the center.

I ran for barely three minutes, before bursting through the front, and running to the counter. "What in the world?!" I heard the nurse behind the counter exclaim from my sudden appearance. "Nurse, please, my Eevee's badly hurt! Please help her?!" I nearly yelled, too much worry and panic had kept me from worrying about my tone. Just one look at Vivian, and the nurse was worried as well.

"Right! This way please!" she said, leading me through a hallway to the left side of the counter. She then lead me into a single room with a comfy looking bed, and asked me to lay Vivian on it. I did as she asked, and stepped back while she put a few wires on her. I was so worried as the nurse looked Vivian over carefully. She then sighed, and said, "Well the good news is your Eevee is going to be fine. It seems she's only taken a couple rough hits from an Iron Tail and Take-Down attack. A good nights rest, and she'll be as good as new. But tell me, what pokémon were you two battling that ended up with your pokémon so hurt."

I sighed in relief when I heard Vivian was going to be alright, a lot of the worry and panic that had set in lifting away like some sort of fog. I had been breathing so hard to catch my breath though, I wasn't able to answer her question right away. It seemed the nurse didn't mind waiting though. "It was a Mightyena. We were surrounded by a pack of them and a bunch Poochyena too. We're just lucky we escaped with our lives."

"I see. It's a good thing you came right here. Any later, and your Eevee would have needed much more intensive care. I'm glad you care about your pokémon so much" she said to me. I guess she meant that as way to help lift any remaining worry I had. It sort of worked too, but all I could do was stare at Vivian. It was then she opened her eyes, and gave me a sweet smile, and saying, "Vee eevee..." I think it was a sort of thank you, probably because I was doing my best to take care of her.

Once my mind had settled a bit, and I had calmed down a good deal, the nurse suggested I should go sit out in the lobby for a little bit. I nodded, but I gave Vivian a rub on her cheek before I left the room. After all that running, I needed a rest as well, but then again, I remembered I was forgetting my manners. "Thank you, ma'am. I was running so fast, and so worried about my pokémon, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Cecil Faire."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Cecil. And please, call me Nurse Joy. Everyone else does after all. Are you planning on entering the Pokémon League here in Hoenn?" she asked, to which I nodded.

"Yeah, I was planning on doing that. It sounds like an awesome opportunity," I replied as we both walked into the lobby. She then lead me back to the counter.

"Alright then, you can register for the League Tournament at any Pokémon Center. If you want, I can register you right now if you want. I'll just need to see your pokédex for a moment" she said. I thought about it for a second, trying to remember if I had already signed up yet, but I don't think I ever did. I handed Nurse Joy my pokédex, which she took, and slid into a slot behind the counter. She then started typing away on a computer, and soon my pokédex popped back out again. "Here you go. You're signed up now! And you're going to need this as well," she said, handing me my pokédex back, as well as a case.

"A case?" I asked, wondering what it was meant for. I pocketed the pokédex, and opened the case. It was empty save for a cushion with eight indents in it.

"It's a badge case to hold all the gym badges you acquire from the gyms in Hoenn," she replied, answering my confusion.

"Alright! Thanks Nurse Joy!" I said enthusiastically. I swung my pack over my shoulder, and stuffed the badge case inside. "Is there a place in town I can stay at?" I had asked.

"You can actually stay in one of the rooms here at the Pokémon Center for traveling trainers. We even have a cafeteria too," she replied, smiling brightly as she answered my question.

"Cool! Pokémon Centers are awesome!" I said, smiling as well now. But then, someone managed to sneak up on me, and bopped my head hard. "Ouch! Who did that?!" I said, turning around. I was met face to face with a girl I knew too well from my high school days on Earth. The only girl I ever knew who actually ever hit me over head when we met. "What?! Alisha?!"

Alisha Walters, a red head with an attitude problem. She stood a couple inches shorter than me, but what she lacked in height, she more than made up for with her fierce 'I am who I am' personality. She was wearing a pure blue t-shirt with a light-blue pokéball symbol in the middle, and black shorts with a large fanny-pack looking bag clipped on around her waist, which was probably her own traveling pack. If it wasn't for her attitude, I might actually find her deep blue eyes, charming smile, blazing red hair, and petite body really cute. Even though she doesn't drop her rough exterior, she has turned out to be a really good friend, even if she does hit me over the head. I've often wondered why she does that any way.

"What's up Cecil?! Long time, no see, huh!" she said loudly, grinning brightly up at me.

"Uh, yeah. I didn't know you came here as well. Are you traveling as a trainer as well?" I asked her, rubbing my head, which hurt now.

"In a way, I suppose. But wow, imagine me seeing you bursting through the doors with a pokémon in your arms! You scared me so much, I was just about to run up, and hit you hard for your surprising me. You better be lucky I saw how injured your Eevee was, or I would have hit you harder than that!"

"Eh he he, right. Sorry about that. I was kind of too worried, and panicked at the time to really care about my entrance."

"Hey, I thought you didn't like pokémon. You didn't respond at all when all of us were talking about leaving."

"I never said that, and I was a little focused on the homework I was working on at the time to pay attention. I had no idea you and the rest of the gang were talking about coming to the World of Pokémon. If I did, I would have been here a lot sooner," I said, explaining myself to Alisha. She gave me an intense glare for a moment, which made me smile nervously. She can be just as intimidating as those Mightyena I ran into earlier.

"Alright, I'll let you off the hook this time. So what happened anyway? You came in looking so scared?" she asked, the look of curiosity on her face. I was about to answer her, but then my stomach start growling. I may have blushed a little, because Alisha had heard it, and busted out laughing. After she calmed down a little, she said loudly, "Okay, let's get something to eat first, then you can tell me."

I was actually quite grateful for my stomachs growling, as it had bought me a few minutes before I had to recount the story of my run in with the Mightyena pack. Alisha led me to the cafeteria, where we both got a plate, and sat down at a table. After I had got a few bites, she asked me again what had happened. I knew if I didn't tell her, she would just keep hitting me until I gave in. Best to swallow your pride with her. After taking one more bite of my food, I began explaining the whole situation to Alisha of my run in with the Mightyena.

Once I finished, she said, "Wow, tough break. You two were really lucky to come out with your skins intact. At least Vivian is ok, that's something to be glad about."

"Yeah, but I wish she didn't get hurt at all. I feel like it's all my fault," I said, feeling kind of down. Vivian and I had done so well for our first battle. That second battle felt like cold water being splashed into my face. Actually, Alisha had just then splashed my face with her glass, and drenching my front. "Gah! What was that for?!"

"To stop you from thinking gloomy thoughts. Look, it's no ones fault here, so get over it. If you feel bad about it, just train your pokémon so they don't get that badly hurt again. That's the whole point of being a trainer after all, to train the pokémon you have, and make them stronger," she said, as if she was giving me a pep-talk. I blinked in surprise, caught off guard by just how enthusiastic she sounded.

"....You know what, you're right! If I'm going to be a trainer, I do need to take this much more seriously. As much as I am looking forward to traveling and discovering new things, I'm also a trainer with a goal to enter into the Hoenn Pokémon League. I really shouldn't dwell on my failures, or I won't get anywhere, least of all obtain my first badge! I'm in it to win it!" I said, feeling a burning flame ignite inside of me. I should thank Alisha one of these days, she did help me through a rough start after all.

Once I had finished my dinner, I looked out the window, and saw just how dark it had gotten. It must have been real late in the day when I stumbled upon those Mightyena. While I was looking out the window, a guy had walked up to our table, and said, "Well, well, I'm glad you managed to make it to the Pokémon Center safely. When I saw you running down the hill after I pointed out the center, I was worried you would have tripped on the way down the hill. Is your Eevee doing okay?"

I turned to look up at the guy, which I recognized as the archaeologist I saw from the ruins just outside of town. "Yeah, she's doing fine. Nurse Joy said she needs a good nights rest is all," I replied with a smile.

"That's good. Let me introduce myself. I'm Professor Alden, I'm an archaeologist studying the Oldale Ruins you met me at," he said.

"Nice to meet you, professor. My name's Cecil Faire, an up and coming pokémon trainer from Earth," I said, greeting him happily. I felt grateful he had pointed me in the right direction earlier.

"Hi, I'm Alisha Walters, also from Earth," Alisha had said rather loudly.

"A pleasure meeting the both of you! It's not everyday I meet newcomers to this world. Must have been pretty exciting arriving here," he said, stating things he probably already knew. That didn't stop me from confirming his statements though.

"I'll say. My first steps left me breathless for a moment or two. This world is so amazing, even with the danger being present! Today was a lesson for me that I'm not going to forget anytime soon." Just imagining all the adventures, as well as the dangers back then, I still get goose bumps.

I must have amused Alden, because he then asked, "Well then, do you care to learn another lesson about Pokémon?" What was his game, I wondered. I looked at him with curiosity, and he had to have seen it as well. "Come by the Oldale Ruins on the hilltop before sunrise tomorrow. I'm sure you will learn a valuable lesson." He gave smile, and just left us there to wonder what he wanted to teach me.

I let out a yawn after Alden went to go eat his own meal. Considering all the events that had happen during the day, I was quite tired. "Well, it looks like you're pretty bushed. Hey, I was wondering something. You know how Ash in the cartoon series always traveled with friends, right?" Alisha asked me.

Honestly, until she brought it up, I had completely forgotten the main character in those cartoons, Ash Ketchum, traveled alongside Brock and Misty in the early series. I sometimes wished I had kept up with the show. Ah well, no sense crying over spilled milk, as they say. "Now that you reminded me, yeah. What's your point?" I asked her back.

"Well, what do you say tomorrow we start traveling together? As amazing as this world is, it isn't going to be any fun traveling all alone. What do you say? Wanna travel together?"

Now that was something I had not expected at all. Alisha was the last person I thought that might actually want to spend time with me, and especially over an extended time period. I blinked in surprise too, even as she held out her hand towards me. I guess I must have suspected her of ulterior motives for this, maybe one of the guys had said something that riled her up. But then I wondered maybe she actually did like me as a good friend. She always was a great listener when I needed someone to talk to while in high school. And we have been pretty good friends, even when I seem to be a punching bag for her sometimes.

It's not the worst thing ever. She was right, even with how amazing the world of pokémon might be, it's not going to be much fun if you can't share the experience with a friend. "Ah, why not. You make a good point. I'll be glad to travel alongside you, Alisha!" I said, taking her hand in mine, and giving a firm handshake.

"Good! I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning. Night, Cecil!" she said, standing as she took her plate, and left me at the table. I stood up soon after she left, and took my plate as well, setting it at the window where I could leave it at. I stretched my muscles, looking around once more.

I walked back to the lobby, looking at the hallway Nurse Joy had lead me through the moment I arrived at the center. I couldn't help but want to check up on Vivian. I asked Nurse Joy if it was okay if I could go back, and check on her. When she said it was okay, I left the pokéball that had my Torchic inside with her, asking her to take care of it. I hadn't even so much as battled with Torchic yet, so I knew it didn't need a check up just yet, but I felt it would better safe than sorry.

I walked down the hallway, and into the room with Vivian inside. After shutting the door silently behind me, I saw her resting peacefully on the bed, smiling to see she was doing well. I carefully pulled up a chair beside her, and sat down, my hand resting over her little paw. I don't remember laying my head down at all, only spending a few minutes inside the room, but I know I must have fallen asleep at the bed side. Sometime during the night, Nurse Joy must have looked inside, and saw me sleeping there. I'm pretty sure she was the one who placed a blanket over me during the night.

~*~

I woke up to the feel of something licking my cheek, feeling a little groggy. When I opened my eyes, I saw Vivian standing over my head, and licking my cheek softly. I slowly wrapped my arms around her, hugging her close. "I'm so glad you're feeling better, Vivian," I said softly, smiling as I hugged her close. She let out a soft "Vee..." sound as a reply.

I felt so relieved that she was back up on her feet again. I honestly thought Vivian was going to need a lot longer time to heal. I guess that goes to show just how tough pokémon really are. She nuzzled into my hugging, happy that I showed I cared so much.

"After that battle, we need to start really training before we take on any gyms. I really don't want a repeat of what happened yesterday," I said softly, slowly putting Vivian down on the bed. "I'm not exactly sure how we'll train yet, but I'm sure we'll figure it out." The look Vivian gave me when I said we were going to have to train was no doubt one saying she was raring to go any time and any where. Who knew behind Vivian's shy exterior she had such a fiery spirit? I was pleasantly surprised by this display. "Yeah, we'll definitely win the Hoenn League Championship! They'll never know what hit them!"

Vivian piped up enthusiastically, "Vee! Eevee eevee!" We had gotten a little loud then, and drew Nurse Joy's attention. She must have to get up early to take care of all the pokémon under her watch. "Is everything alright in here?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry Nurse Joy. I guess we got a little carried away, ha-ha!" I said, scratching the back of my neck, feeling a little embarrassed. She giggled though, and approached Vivian, doing a last minute check up to make sure she was ready to be released from her care.

"Looks like everything is normal. Your Eevee is ready to leave!" she said, which lifted any other worries I had away. Vivian immediately jumped up to ride on my shoulder, nuzzling my cheek with hers. "Please take good care of her," Nurse Joy said.

"I will ma'am, no need to worry there!" I said, happy to know Vivian was feeling great again. Nurse Joy then lead me out of the room, and back to the lobby again, where she handed me Torchic's pokéball, informing me that Torchic was doing just fine as well. I was too, until someone hit me over the head with their fist.

"Ow! Alisha, we got to stop meeting like this!" I said, turning to see her standing in front of me.

"Not my fault your head is a target," she said smugly, before seeing Vivian on my shoulder. She had tucked away a little behind me, trying not to draw attention to herself. "Oh my, you are such a cutie!" Alisha said. I turned my head to look at Vivian, smirking a little.

"Let me introduce you two. Alisha, this is Vivian, my Eevee. Vivian, this is Alisha, an old and very good friend of mine. She's rough around the edges, but I don't fault her for them," I said, almost believing Alisha would hit me again. She didn't but she did step forward, and slip her hand up to pat Vivian's head softly.

"A pleasure to meet you, Vivian," Alisha said. At first, Vivian was a bit skeptic, considering Alisha had just whacked me upside the head, but she settled down after a few seconds. "Hey, Professor Alden did want to meet with us up at the Oldale Ruins before sunrise. Let's get up there now before the sun rises high enough."

"Oh right, I almost forgot about that. Bye Nurse Joy! And thanks for taking care of my pokémon!" I said as I started towards the doors, with Alisha running right behind me.

"My pleasure! You two take care of yourselves now!" she called back just as we exited the center.

We had ran a fair distance away from the Pokémon Center, before I got an idea. "Hey, last one to the ruins is a rotten egg!" I called out. Vivian jumped off my shoulder just as I had said that, joining in the little race I suddenly came up with. Alisha ran past me just as Vivian did, leaving me in the dust. I may have started the race, but I certainly wasn't going to place last in it without giving them a challenge. I did my best to pick up my pace as I ran, trying to catch up to the both of them.

Alisha was just about overtake Vivian when the Eevee suddenly found a burst of speed, moving faster than I thought she was able too. "Hey, no fair! You're using Quick Attack!" Alisha yelled, trying her best to catch up to Vivian. I grinned, not just because I now knew Vivian had a new attack to use, but also because I had finally caught up with Alisha.

"See you at the top!" I yelled to her, running forward and leaving her in my dust. We were already close to the hill top by then, and Vivian had beaten us to the ruins. Alisha was right on my tail as we ran closer and closer, almost neck and neck. Just as we came right up on a crumbled pillar, Alisha jumped forward with her arm extended, and slapped the stone face before I could. We stood there for a while, catching our breaths while bent over with our hands gripping our knees. Vivian just sat patiently, panting steadily as well.

Once I had caught my breath, I said, "Glad you know Quick Attack, Vivian! I was not expecting that." Vivian yipped, and started making her way into the ruins. I followed behind her with Alisha walking next to me. After a minute or two, we found Professor Alden inside a small room filled with drawings of humans and pokémon, and with a singular, almost high-tech looking pedestal with colored jewels in it in the middle of the room. "What is this place?" I asked.

"Hmm? Oh, good morning! I didn't know you two had arrived yet. This chamber is a symbol of pokémon and humans co-existing with each other peacefully in ancient times. I've been studying this chamber for some time now, learning something almost every day. This chamber was actually discovered through a series of incidents a while back. Back then, there was a legend of this place being a sort of bridge, or portal between this world and the ancient pokémon world," Alden explained, answering my question.

Alisha smiled as she looked around, seeing the pedestal as well. She didn't say anything, although she had this knowing smile on her face. My guess back then was she had seen this place before, probably on the TV series, but had decided not to say anything. Still, I was quite impressed, and wanted to learn more as well. "Wow, that's really cool! I wonder what else these ruins have hiding away," I wondered, looking around. I had noticed as I continued to look around the chamber that there were indentions in the walls, floor, and ceiling, all connecting to each other, and leading towards the pedestal in the middle of the chamber.

Just then, the sun had started peaking out from behind the mountains outside, shining brilliantly into the chamber. "Wow, that's kind of bright!" I said, just before the jewel in the center of the pedestal started to glow, followed by the rest. What followed next surprised me as the lights began flowing through the indentions I saw, and into the chamber as well, the lines of light connecting at several points. Then, the pedestal started to slide back, revealing stairs leading down into the earth.

"You first, Cecil! We'll be right behind you!" Alisha suddenly said aloud, pushing me forward towards the stairs. I shrugged her off, perfectly able to walk on my own. As much as I thought the stairs might lead to some sort of burial chamber with tons of traps inside, since Alisha had 'urged' me to continue on, I went ahead, and started the climb down the stairs.

It took maybe a minute or two as we made our way down, Vivian staying right next to me the whole time. As I finally reached the bottom of the staircase, I stepped forward to see an underground lake. "Whoa! This is cool! I didn't think there was going to be an underground lake here!" I said aloud, excitement running through my veins.

"Really? So you never kept up with the show, huh?" Alden asked, standing right behind me.

"No. I wasn't able to. My father and school kept me pretty busy, so I wasn't able to keep interest in the show at all," I replied. As I looked around, I was starting to wonder why Alden wanted to show me the chamber and this underground lake. I got my answer as a fish pokémon jumped out of the water, only to re-enter once again. I moved towards the cliff edge, getting my pokédex out. "Who's that pokémon!?"

"Relicanth, the Longevity Pokémon. Relicanth is covered in stone-like scales, which allow it to endure the pressure of the deep ocean," the pokédex informed me.

"Relicanth is an ancient pokémon said to have never changed since ancient times," Alden added.

"Wow, that's so cool! So these ruins really are a portal to the ancient world, just not literally. The world of pokémon. I wonder just how many wonders there are in this world!" I remember saying. Seeing the ancient pokémon, Relicanth, was something I wasn't going to forget anytime soon.

~*~

We returned to the Pokémon Center after a short while. I had wanted to stay a little longer, and look at the Relicanth and murals a little more. I can't express the feelings in so many words, but the ancient times of this world fascinated me. After recollecting my travel pack, I met Alisha outside the center, ready to continue the journey.

She was double checking her inventory, making sure she had everything she needed before we started off. "Looks like everything's in order. Good, don't want to end up running out on rations. That would be very bad. So, are you ready Cecil?"

"Yeah, I'm ready. Vivian too," I answered her, Vivian riding on my shoulder. And so we started walking, first to a nearby mart to pick up a few things, and then west towards Petalburg City. I was still trying to figure out how to train Vivian and Torchic, the only one idea in my mind was that I'd let them battle each other. I didn't like it at the time, because I thought that would hurt their friendship.

After a couple hours of walking, looking at the scenery, we came upon a clearing. "Oh good. A place to set up for a lunch break," Alisha suddenly said, and walked towards the clearing.

"Lunch break? Don't you want to make some more progress first before we take a break?" I asked her, following her anyway. At the time, I didn't admit it, but I was starting to get a little hungry. Vivian was getting hungry as well.

"I'm sure you want to get to Petalburg as fast as possible, Cecil. But the Pokémon League Conference in Ever Grande City, also known as the Ever Grande Conference, won't be for another whole year. You've got plenty of time to battle all the gyms, and earn their badges, trust me," Alisha said, surprising me with how much she knew.

"Oh, okay then. Well, if you know so much, then do you mind telling me how it's held? Like, what are the rules, and stuff like that," I asked. Honestly, I didn't think she was going to answer me. I had got out a picnic blanket, having bought that on Earth was easier to carry around than a portable table, and a bunch of chairs. Who wants to lug around stuff that heavy anyway? Not me, that's for sure.

"Sure, I don't mind," she said, helping me lay out the blanket. After we had it straighten out, I set my pack down, and started getting out a couple of sandwiches and fruit. Alisha did as well, sitting with her legs cross on the blanket. "Okay, the Conference has three different rounds, each with its own set of rules. There's the Preliminaries, the Qualifying rounds, and the Finals.

"In the prelims, trainers are only allowed one pokémon in battle. Only one battle is held, and the winner moves on to the next round. Next, in the qualifying rounds, the Top 256 trainers take part in three Double Battles. If you win at least two battles, you can move on to the finals. Now, the finals are a series of Full Battles, meaning six vs. six, with the Top 32 trainers participating. Winning all your battles there will be tough, because your going to be pitted against very tough trainers."

I just sat in awe as she explained the rules of the whole tournament, amazed she knew so much. I remember thinking at the time that maybe I should have tried a little harder to keep up with the cartoon. "Wow, I'd be lucky just to get through the prelims from the sounds of it," I said after getting out Vivian's bowl, as well as an extra for Torchic. I was glad we dropped by the mart earlier, otherwise I wouldn't have extra pokémon food for Torchic. After letting out the fire-type from its ball, I said, "It's time for lunch you guys." I poured the pokémon food into the bowls, setting out both for them.

It seemed Alisha had done the same as well, but she waited until she had poured the pokémon food into a single bowl first before she released her pokémon. It was the first time I got to see who she had picked as her partner. The pokéball opened, and released her pokémon onto the grass, revealing a Treecko. "Cool, you have a Treecko! So, are you going for the Pokémon League as well?" I asked her.

She blushed, and said, "Mind your own business! Come on, let's just eat!" Harsh, I know. Whatever she was aiming to be, I'm sure she was embarrassed about it at the time. I learned soon enough what her goal was, but for now, I'll let everyone who reads this guess until I reveal her goal in a later chapter.

She wolfed down a whole half of a sandwich after her outburst, guessing she was just cranky and hungry at the same time. From my experience, not a good combination. I soon started eating my sandwich slices as well, not bringing up anymore about pokémon competitions. At least not for a while anyway.

I had finished one sandwich slice, and Alisha had already moved on to her fruit. An idea came to me, though I didn't think she would go for it. "Hey, want to have a battle after we eat? It would be good experience for our pokémon," I asked, a little hesitant.

I waited for at least a few minutes while she stared at me, making me nervous with that glare of hers. Finally, she broke the silence, and said, "Sure, I guess. I mean, why not. I haven't really battled yet." I breathed a sigh of relief, biting into an apple, and glad that she wasn't cranky for now.

The rest of lunch was relatively silent, save for a few words between friends, nothing really important. We cleaned up after ourselves, not wanting to be rude, and litter. After I stuffed the picnic blanket away, we got ready to do battle. "Alright, this is going to be a one-on-one battle since I only have Treecko," she declared.

"Fine with me," I said. I was about to tell Vivian to take the field, but then I remembered I haven't battled with Torchic yet. "Alright, Torchic! Take the field!" Torchic ran to stand in front of me, ready to battle.

"Treecko, let's win this one!" Alisha said loudly. Her Treecko jumped out in front of her, raising it's fists. Before I could call out an attack, Alisha reacted first. "Treecko, run forward, and use Pound!" Her Treecko ran forward, closing the distance between them.

"Torchic, dodge and use Peck!" I called out. Torchic didn't manage to dodge the attack, but it did retaliate by pecking Treecko's tail, actually reducing the damage it had received. Torchic was sent back a few inches from the attack, holding its ground. "Now, use Ember!" Torchic took in a deep breath, before opening its beak, and sending many, very small fire balls at Treecko. Alisha wasn't quick enough to tell Treecko to dodge, her pokémon ended up taking the full brunt of the attack.

"Ah, Treecko! Are you okay?!" Alisha called. For a moment, it seemed Treecko was about to fall to the ground, but it caught itself quickly, standing straight again. "Alright! Go for Quick Attack!" The speed of the attack was too fast for me to try and command Torchic to do anything, getting hit hard by the attack. "Tor!" Torchic hit the ground hard after being sent back again. "Alright, use Quick Attack to get in close, then use Pound, Treecko!"

"Torchic, try and use Ember one more time!" I called out after hearing Alisha attack plan. Torchic was still struggling to stay on its feet as Treecko was approaching fast. I thought the battle was over at that point, but right as Treecko was about to land the attack, Torchic managed to gather itself right at the last second. It unleashed a powerful Ember attack, and hit Treecko hard with the fire-type move.

Torchic's attack managed to push Treecko back a few inches, the grass-type pokémon on its knees. "Ah, Treecko, get up! You can still win!" she called, surely hoping the encouragement would be enough to motivate Treecko. Just when it seemed Treecko was about to get back up, it collapsed on the ground, unable to battle further. Alisha gave a small smile, returning Treecko to it's pokéball. "You battled hard Treecko. Get a good rest."

"Whoa! We won! Way to go, Torchic!" I called, running up to my pokémon. I gave it a big hug once I got on my knees, Vivian yipping her praise at Torchic's performance. I was actually surprised I won the battle, and began hoping my battles wouldn't have a rhythm of win then lose then win again. How weird would that have been.

"I got to say, I didn't expect your Torchic's Ember to be that powerful. Are you sure you haven't been training?" Alisha asked me, possibly impressed.

"Yeah, we haven't done any training yet. I guess I'm just lucky sometimes. Still, we do need to train. We can't always relay on luck to win our battles, right?" I asked her back.

"Ha, that's true! Better shape up, Cecil! Your first gym battle isn't going to be easy!" she replied, loudly and matter-of-factly. I blinked, not really surprised at her attitude, really just amused. I returned Torchic to its pokéball, looking at it for a second. "Hey, you have been using your pokédex to check to see what moves your pokémon know, right?"

"Well, I used it for that once, but that was it," I replied.

"Cool. And you do know you can check your pokémon's gender as well, right? Just hold the ball under the sensor on the back."

"Oh shoot, are you serious? That's cool," I said, glad I never had to have those kind of awkward moments. I got my pokédex out for the second time that day, and held it over the ball. Almost instantly, it scanned Torchic's data, and presented it on the screen. From the data I saw, I found out Torchic was male, and all sorts of other stuff as well. "That's really handy."

Suddenly, new data started up, showing a new pokémon I haven't seen before. "Surskit, the Pond Skater Pokémon. Surskit inhabits ponds, rivers, and similar wetlands. They move about as though skating the water surface." Surskit? I lowered the pokédex from my eyes, and saw the new pokémon. It had a round, blue body with four long, skinny legs, and a yellow cap with an antenna looking thing sticking up from it. The eyes were dark and circular with pink blush marks under them.

"Awesome! There must be a pond nearby! I'm going to catch it!" Alisha said, stepping close enough for the Surskit to notice her.

"Wait, doesn't Treecko need to rest first? It just lost a battle to Torchic," I asked, a little worried she might exhaust Treecko.

"Ha, just you watch! I'll catch Surskit in no time!" she said, tossing Treecko's pokéball in the air. "One more time! Let's go, Treecko!" Treecko appeared once more, looking pretty worn out. I was sure Alisha was making a mistake, but Treecko readied itself. "Alright Treecko, let's start things off with Absorb!"

Treecko held its arms towards Surskit, and shot two red beams at the pokémon. As I watched this battle unfold, I remembered that Absorb was a move that drained the opponents strength, and replenished the user. "So that's what she was planning. Clever girl." I remember saying to myself.

Surskit must not be quite as fast on land as they are on water, because the beams hit the pokémon, and Treecko began draining it's energy. Once the attack finished, Treecko looked better than it did before the attack. "Treecko!" it yelled, ready to continue. The Surskit seemed a little worse for wear now, but it countered with a bunch of bubbles.

"Treecko! Bounce those bubbles back with Pound!" Alisha commanded. Treecko did just that, jumping into the air, and spinning to hit the attack back with its tail. I didn't think the attack would work, but Treecko actually managed to send some of the bubbles back at Surskit.

Weakened by its own attack, Surskit looked like it was struggling to stay on its feet. That's when Alisha made her next move. Her hand moved swiftly from her pack, collecting an empty pokéball, and pressing the button in the center to make it enlarge. "Go! Pokéball!" she yelled, throwing the ball at Surskit. The ball hit the pokémon, and opened up in mid-air, drawing the Surskit inside. It then closed, and landed on the ground.

It shook while the button flashed red almost every two seconds, the pokémon inside trying to get out. We waited for at least a good ten seconds, but the time in between felt like ten minutes to us, Alisha hoping she would catch it on the first throw. A sound followed once the ball stopped shaking, the red light stopping as well. Alisha walked up, and picked the ball up, holding it up high in the air. "I caught a Surskit!"

Her display made me chuckle a little, but I clapped my hands all the same. "Great job, Alisha! You made it look like catching pokémon is a breeze," I said, grinning as I gathered up my traveling pack.

"Nothing to it!" she said, putting her newest addition away for now. After she gave her Treecko a compliment on the good job it did, she returned it as well, and put its ball away too. And so, after making sure we had cleaned up after ourselves, we began walking west again, our spirits high after such an eventful noon.

Things were going pretty good for us both, but that was dashed pretty hard as we fell into a hole. As we stepped over the hidden pitfall, we both cried out in shock and surprise, landing hard at the bottom. Vivian had fell as well, but she landed much more gracefully than Alisha and I did, with me on my front, and Alisha landing on her butt.

"Oooowww...Who digs a hole in the middle of the road, and hides it?" I asked to no one in particular, merely asking from the pain and anger I felt. The laughter that followed made my stomach sink a little.

"Prepare for trouble..."

"...and make it double!"

"Oh god, please tell me this is not happening to us...." Alisha groaned. A Team Rocket motto introduction. Yep, but it wasn't Jessie and James though. Our pitfall makers stood at the edge of the hole, looking down on us. It was some gold haired chick, and a green haired dude.

"To infect the world with devastation!"

"To blight all people in every nation!"

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"

"Cassidy!"

"And Butch, of course!"

"We're Team Rocket, circling the world all day and all night!"

"Surrender to us now, or you will surely lose the fight!"

"Oh great, Team Rocket losers...." I moaned, finally standing up. "Don't you guys ever get a life?"

"No, I don't think so. Otherwise, Cassidy and Biff wouldn't be the ones standing up there," Alisha said, getting Butch's name wrong on purpose.

"It's Butch! I just said it a second ago!" Butch yelled at her. Despite the situation, I couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Calm down, Butch. Their just trying to push your buttons. On to business. Hand over all of your pokémon, or else," Cassidy demanded.

"In your dreams lady! I'd rather roll over and die, than hand over my friends to you!" I yelled back. Both of my hands were curled up into fists, Vivian having hidden herself behind my leg. I was really hoping back then we wouldn't continuously run into the two throughout my journey in Hoenn.

"I can help with that. Hitmontop! Wipe the floor with these brats!" Butch yelled, throwing up a pokéball. Out popped a new pokémon I never seen before. This world was full of surprises.

"Cecil, that pokémon is a fighting type! Be careful!" Alisha warned me.

"A fighting type, thanks Alisha!" I said, grabbing Torchic's ball on reflex. First things were first, we needed to get out of the hole, and as quick as possible. Vivian had started trying to climb the steep side, having trouble like Alisha and I were having. Not a second later had we moved that the Hitmontop had landed right where I had been standing.

I didn't waste another second, tossing Torchic's pokéball up, and letting my pokémon out. He appeared right at the edge, looking angrily at Hitmontop. Vivian reached the top, followed by me, but I couldn't bring myself up just then, trying catch my breath.

"Houndoom! Make sure they don't escape!" Cassidy had let out her own pokémon by then, sending this newer pokémon to try, and keep us from leaving their pitfall.

"Torchic, use Ember on that pokémon!" I commanded, hoping this wouldn't backfire. Torchic did as I asked, actually managing to stop Houndoom in its tracks for the moment, long enough for Alisha and I to get out of the hole.

"What's the matter with you!? It's just Ember! It isn't even that strong! Shake it off, and use Bite!" Cassidy yelled, criticizing Houndoom's hesitation. It jumped towards Torchic, ready to bite my pokémon.

"No you don't! Treecko! Use Quick Attack!" Alisha called out, tossing her ball out. The moment Treecko appeared, it started rushing towards Cassidy's Houndoom, ramming hard into the pokémons side to prevent the attack. It was then Hitmontop jumped out of the hole to contribute its wrath to the capture of our pokémon.

"Hitmontop, attack her Treecko with Rapid Spin!" Butch yelled out. Hitmontop cart wheeled onto its head, before it started spinning so fast while approaching Treecko. I thought the attack was going to land, until a new attack hit Hitmontop from behind Alisha and me. A column of intense flames rushed past us, and hit Hitmontop hard, causing the pokémon to be pushed back.

I turned to see a familiar pokémon, and a person just as familiar from the series. "Growlithe, Extremespeed!" The pokémon zipped past us so fast, I almost didn't see it go by, slamming into Houndoom extra hard, and forcing the large pokémon to collide into Butch and Cassidy. "Good job, Growlithe! I was afraid we weren't going to catch up with them!" I turned to see the female police officer running to catch up with her pokémon.

"Get off me, you dolt! Get out there, and attack them! Use Flamethrower!" Cassidy yelled, pushing her pokémon off of her. Houndoom took a moment to stand before facing us.

"Growlithe! Match Flamethrower for Flamethrower!" the officer yelled. Houndoom and Growlithe both unleashed fierce attacks at each other, the columns of fire colliding over the pit fall.

"Hit that Growlithe with Rapid Spin, Hitmontop!" shouted Butch. The Hitmontop began spinning like it had before, and approached Growlithe dangerously fast. The two Team Rocket members were serious in their threats, that much I was certain of at the time. I had decided I was going to get serious as well.

"Torchic, stop its attack with Ember!" I commanded. Torchic yelled as many small fire balls shot out of his mouth, and making direct contact on Hitmontop. The heat of the attack had been enough as the its spinning slowed to where it could be visible once more. "Alright! Vivian, charge forward, and hit it with Quick Attack!

Vivian ran fast, making a white trail follow behind her as she charged towards Hitmontop fast. "Eevee eevee eevee eevee eevee eevee!" I could understand Butch wasn't fast enough to call out a new attack, but he still should have tried. Vivian rammed hard into Hitmontop, and managed to send the pokémon over the pit, and crash into Houndoom.

We had the upper hand then, and we didn't stop to let Team Rocket gain a foot hold. Alisha threw out Surskit's pokéball, letting the pokémon out while calling out an attack. "Surskit, use Bubble!"

I followed it up with an attack command as well, "Torchic, hit them with Ember!"

And last, but certainly not least, Officer Jenny called an attack, "Growlithe! Use your Flamethrower now!" The attacks flew towards the would-be thieves, and hit them all at once, sending them flying off into the sky!

"Gah! Why are we in this situation?! I don't want to be flying off like those idiots do!" I could hear Cassidy scream. I'm sure Butch had said something else as well, but they were getting far off in the distance. I then heard them shout out, "Team Rocket's blasting off once more!"

"Yeah! Alright! We did it!" I yelled, giving a whoop just for extra measure. Vivian and the other pokémon joined in with cheers of triumph. I realize now, with a blush of embarrassment, I was probably way too excited about the victory, looking like an over excited kid.

"Jeez, you can act like a kid sometimes," Alisha said, giving a short giggle. She had knelt down, and rubbed her Treecko's and Surskit's head softly, congratulating them for fighting so hard before returning them to their pokéballs. "Not that I'm ungrateful for you arriving on time, but what brings you out here Officer Jenny?"

After she had returned her Growlithe to its pokéball, she said, "I was actually out here to find you two. I had arrived at Oldale Town from Petalburg City to warn the authorities and Nurse Joy at the pokémon center about a group of people ambushing other trainers, and stealing their pokémon. Nurse Joy said you had just left for Petalburg, so I set out to find you just in case. I wish I could have brought those crooks in, but as long as that battle will stop them from ambushing new trainers, it's for the better."

I listened to the officers explanation of why she was so far away from town, returning Torchic to his ball after congratulating him on a job well done. I then turned to face Officer Jenny, and said, "Wow, you went to a lot of trouble, ma'am. Thanks for the help! We might have lost all our pokémon if you hadn't shown up."

"No problem! It's a police officer's duty to help others in need! If you want, I can even escort you to Petalburg City since I'm headed back anyway," she said, offering us more assistance. To be honest, I was thinking that offer over, but Alisha jumped in, and said, "Nah, we can get there on our own. We'll safe from here on out. You need to get back to help anyone else who needs your help as well."

"Are you sure? It's not a problem for me to escort you," she asked.

"Actually, Alisha is right. We'll be alright on our own. The city needs you more than we do," I said, replying with determined smile.

"Well, okay then. I'm sure I'll see you two in Petalburg tomorrow. From the looks of the sun, it does look like you're going to have camp out after that battle with Team Rocket. You two look out for each other, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," we both said at the same time, which was kind of creepy if you ask me. We watched Officer Jenny walk a ways back the way she came, before she zoomed right past us on her bike, avoiding the pitfall Team Rocket had made. That explained how she caught up to us so fast. I was amazed a city bike was able to travel on a dirt path.

After making sure all our pokémon were in their pokéballs, and Vivian hopping up onto my shoulder again, Alisha and I set out towards Petalburg City once again, thankfully without anymore disturbances.

~*~

We had been walking for a long time. I was amazed at how far we had traveled already. Even though my feet were barking at me for a rest, I wanted to try and get to Petalburg before nightfall. It just wasn't meant to be though as the sun was already starting to set. Alisha suggested we stop, and set up camp before it got too dark. I agreed, though I still wished we could have made some more tracks behind us.

We set our packs up against a rather large tree, and rested for a bit before we did anything at all, quite tired of the hike we just made. Vivian nuzzled her head into my hip after I had sat down. I smiled, and began petting her. After the day we had, it wouldn't have surprised me that our pokémon were very tired as well.

"Man, I did not expect Team Rocket showing up like they did, much less Cassidy and Buff. In the show, they always seem a lot tougher, but that was almost relatively easy," Alisha said.

"Well, I think we would have had a much rougher time if Officer Jenny hadn't arrived when she did. We probably would have lost one of our pokémon, which is not a thought I wish to entertain," I said, though I think I sounded a bit more serious at the time.

"No kidding. I just caught Surskit today. I'd have been so mad if they'd succeeded in stealing Surskit. I'd be even madder if they took Treecko."

"Heh, I can actually imagine you throwing random objects at them too." I chuckled, before getting bonked on the head. "Ow!" I rubbed where Alisha had hit me. Sometimes I wish she wouldn't hit me, but I guess you can't be picky about your friends habits. At least she makes up for it by being a great friend.

After a while, Alisha got out her sleeping bag, and unrolled it out onto the soft grass. I followed her example and did the same, before getting out an apple as well. I set out a couple of bowls for my pokémon as well, letting Torchic out of his pokéball. After pouring them their helpings, and letting them get to eating, I started into the apple I got out.

While I had done this, Alisha let out her pokémon as well, and set out a single bowl since she only had one to begin with. After she filled it with some pokémon food, she started interacting with her new Surskit. I guess since it was a newly caught pokémon, the two weren't really friends yet. I reasoned back then that must be why she was trying to get Surskit to eat. After a little while, and some careful coaxing, Surskit had ate a few pellets.

I was amazed at how quickly it got dark. I was almost afraid it was going to rain, but a quick look at the sky told me there was barely any clouds at all. I found my gaze lingering on the night sky, which was filled with so many stars, that I couldn't count them all. I had never seen so many at once. There really was a big difference between the city night, and being out in the wild. You don't see so many stars at night in the city.

After a long while, I had taken off cap to air my head off, then Alisha and I slipped into our respective sleeping bags, and turned in for the day. She may have been able to fall asleep right away, but I was still wide awake. Camping out in the wilderness like that, I could hear so many pokémon calls, it was quite peaceful. I can't really say when it was that I fell asleep, but I know I dreamed peacefully.

~*~

Once it had turned morning, we had a morning breakfast, washed dishes at a nearby creek, and packed our things, making sure we cleaned real good. Neither of us wanted to litter such a peaceful world. We had set out early morning with little interruptions at all. It had gotten late in the morning before we sighted any sort of civilization.

It was then that I realized just how close my first gym battle was, and I was starting to get a little nervous. Vivian must have noticed, because she bit my cap, and took it off my head as she jumped off my shoulder. She then sprinted ahead of me, taking my cap with her. "Hey wait! Come back with my cap, Vivian!" I yelled out, laughing as I ran to catch up with her.

"Hey, hold on you two! Wait up!" I heard Alisha shout from behind. She ran after me to try and catch up. I didn't wait though, running after Vivian as she carried off my cap. She then slowed after a while, allowing me to catch her. I then took my cap out of her mouth, and placed it back on my head, before realizing we had ran a few yards into the city already. "Huh, we're in Petalburg City already..."

"Geez, next time...I tell you to...wait up, you do it!" Alisha said, catching her breath while holding her knees. I turned to look at her, chuckling.

"Hehe, sorry about that, Alisha. Vivian, apologize too," I said, placing the cute Eevee on my shoulder. "Vee eevee!" Alisha just shook her head, and started walking further into the city. I followed after her, still smiling. "So, where is the gym anyway? I want to earn my first gym badge," I said.

Alisha looked around, before finding a large city map on a board, pointing to where we were on the map, and where the gym was. "There it is. Although, I should tell- Hey wait!" she shouted again. While she was in mid-sentence, I began running again after memorizing the turns I needed to make. Alisha chased after us, but somehow I managed to lose her, though I don't know how.

It took barely ten minutes before I was on the steps leading to a building that seemed Japanese in looks to me. And there I was, standing outside the gym. At the time, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was sure that the leader inside was very tough. After a few minutes had gone by, I adjusted my cap, and walked up the steps. I knocked on the door, and called out, "Hello?! Is anyone here?! I'm a trainer, and I wish to challenge the gym leader!"

I waited....and waited....until I just opened the door, and stepped inside from impatience. I couldn't believe no one had come to answer the door. I walked around a bit, asking if anyone was around. I soon stumbled upon the battleground in a large open room. "Wow, this place is pretty cool, even if no one came to answer the door. I wonder where the gym leader is," I said, mostly talking to myself. "Vee..." Vivian had said.

"What's with all the racket? I swear, I can't have two minutes of piece anymore," someone said from the other side of the room. I saw an opening there in a wall, and someone walked out into view, fixing his glasses. "Seriously, I was in the middle of one my favorite shows."

"Oh, um, sorry. I didn't mean to disturb. I'm just looking for the gym leader. My name is Cecil, and I came to challenge the gym," I replied, blinking. The person I saw was a kid, probably just turned ten it seemed like. I couldn't believe it at first, but his hair color was teal. I didn't even know hair could come in such colors. When I mentioned I was seeking the gym leader, he smirked as he stood proud...sort of.

"Well, you found him," he said.

"Wait, what? 'You're' the gym leader?" I asked, putting a little too much emphasis in my sentence.

"Yeah, you got a problem with that! Maybe I won't even accept your challenge if you're going to be that way!"

"Whoa, wait now, I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just surprised someone so young could become a gym leader is all," I said, at the time, in full honesty.

"Hmph, alright then," he said, taking his place on the other side of the field.

"Alright, so how do we go about this?"

"Wait, you don't know already? Do you even know what the gym rules are?"

"Uh, gym rules? I didn't know gyms had rules..." Again, I said in full honesty.

"Oh great... The Petalburg Gym rules are that this will be a three on three battle. The gym leader may not recall his pokémon, but the challenger can," the kid told me as such.

"Uh, wait a minute..." I then remembered I had only Torchic and Vivian as my only pokémon. "Shoot, I only have two pokémon."

"You mean you haven't even caught three pokémon yet? Then I really can't accept your challenge. What are you, new to pokémon? You look old enough to have been journeying for a while now...unless....."

"Yeah, I'm not originally from this world. I just started my journey just a couple days ago, actually."

"Ah man, this is so bogus."

"Well, can't we just have a regular battle instead? I'd like the experience of battling a gym-"

"What are you doing!?" I jumped in my spot, turning around to see Alisha right behind me.

"Uh, eheh, I see you caught up with me... Um, sorry for leaving you behind like that," I said, a little afraid since Alisha had the scariest looking angry face I'd ever seen from her.

"For crying out loud, can you be any more impatient?! I was trying to warn you that you can't challenge the gym with only TWO pokémon, you nitwit! Geez! Why are you challenging the leaders kid anyway?!"

"Wait, his kid? You mean you aren't the gym leader?!" I said, turning my attention to the boy.

"Of course I'm not, dummy. I only turned ten a month ago," he said, grinning from how he fooled me, no doubt. I sulked my head, disappointed with myself. I didn't have time for that as someone else walked into the room, a much older man by the look of it.

"I was wondering what all the fuss was about. Who are your friends, Max?" he asked while smiling.

"They aren't friends dad, their trainers who just arrived. He just tried to challenge the gym, but he doesn't even have three pokémon with him yet," Max, as the kid was named, said.

"Hi, my names Cecil Faire. And it's like he said, sir. I was about to challenge the gym. It isn't true about the rules being three on three, is it?" I asked him, hoping it wasn't really true.

"My names Norman, and yes, it is. So I'm afraid we can't an official gym battle if you haven't got three pokémon with you yet."

Well, so much for earning my first badge already. I don't know why, but just looking the real gym leader, I could tell my pokémon would have lost within moments after the start of the battle.

"Well, it's not an official gym battle, but do you mind we have a battle anyways, Cecil? I'm still pretty fresh as well, so we would be pretty even," Max suddenly said.

I thought over the offer in only a second, before taking my stance. "Sure, I guess I can settle for a regular battle! Let's make this a two on two match then!" Alisha just sighed, and took a seat at the side of the room.

"Fine with me!" he said, taking his battle stance as well, and grabbing one of his pokéballs.

"Very well then, I'll be the referee then," Norman said, taking his place on the side of the field. "Ahem. This battle shall be a two on two match! The trainer who's pokémon are unable to battle loses the match! Ready! Begin!"

"Go Ralts!" Max shouted, throwing his pokéball, and releasing his pokémon. I had never seen this pokémon before, so I got out my pokédex, and hear what it had to say.

"Ralts, the Feeling Pokémon. Ralts is the pre-evolved form of Kirlia. It can use the horns on its head to read human emotions. Ralts rarely shows itself to humans, but may occasionally approach when it senses positive or happy feelings."

From what I saw, Ralts has a white body, but it's legs gave it the appearance of wearing a sort of dress. It also had a green "helmet" with a red horn in the front and back. It's appearance also made me think of a small child or a toddler.

I put my pokédex up, and nodded to Vivian, who lept from shoulder to land on the battlefield. "Let's kick things off, Vivian! Quick Attack!" Vivian dashed forward at a blinding speed towards Max's Ralts.

"Quick Ralts, use Teleport!" Max declared. Before Vivian landed the attack, Ralts disappeared. I looked around the battlefield, before catching sight of Ralts. It appeared right behind Vivian! "Follow it up with Growl!" His Ralts didn't miss a beat, and immediately began growling at Vivian. She backed off a little, a little intimidated by the growl.

"Nows your chance, Tackle!" I yelled. Vivian caught my command, and slammed her body into Ralts hard, or at least I thought she hit it hard. Ralts easily stood back up after the attack. I remembered then that Growl must have lowered Vivians attacking power.

"Ralts, try using Psychic!" Max called out. Ralts looked like it had started to concentrate, and I noticed the results as Vivian began to float a little. But it seemed Ralts didn't know how to use the attack well enough though, and Vivian dropped back down again. Ralts had began breathing a little hard, looking like it was worn out. I saw my chance to attack again.

"Vivian, try using Quick Attack one more time!" I yelled, and Vivian dashed towards Ralts again.

"Ralts, try to dodge!" Max called, but was too late. Vivians attack landed again, hitting Ralts hard, and sending it a few feet away, and into the wall. Ralts collapsed against the wall, unable to continue.

"Max's Ralts is unable to battle! Vivian is the winner!" Norman said while his son rushed over to Ralts.

"Ralts, are you okay?!" he said, holding his pokémon close. The response he got was a soft nod, and a smile. "Thanks Ralts, you did really well. Here, you earned a good a rest," Max said, returning Ralts to its pokéball. He then took his place at the battlefield once again, grabbing his other pokéball. "It's your turn now! Go, Treecko!" he called out, throwing the pokéball, and releasing his Treecko.

"Treecko, huh? Alright, let's win this one too, Vivian," I said, feeling very confident. Vivian had taken the time to retake her place on the field while Max tended to his Ralts. Max didn't waste any time as he called his first attack.

"Treecko, use Quick Attack!" The sudden call of an attack threw me off as Treecko responded just as quickly, the grass type looking like it was flying right at Vivian.

"Ah, dodge it Vivian!" I commanded a second too late. She got hit hard by the attack, being sent back a few feet as she tumbled to the ground, and collapsing as she couldn't continue.

"Vivian is unable to battle! Treecko is the winner!" Norman announced as I rushed to Vivian's side. I knelt down next to her, and picked her up carefully, making sure she wasn't too badly injured. "Vee," she said, a little weak.

"Hey, you did your best. I guess that Psychic attack did more than just lift you up," I said, putting on a smile. I was proud she lasted so long at that moment as I took her over to Alisha. "Rest for now, Vivian. I'll take you to the Pokémon Center after this battle is finished."

"One for one, and Max's Treecko hasn't even broken a sweat," Alisha said as she held Vivian in her lap, "Type advantages only go so far, so don't think you're going to win so easily."

"Thanks for the tip," I said, before turning to take my place on the battlefield again. I grabbed Torchic's pokéball off my belt, and pressed the button on the front, the ball enlarging in my hand. "Alright Torchic! It's your turn now!" I called out as I tossed the ball into the air, Torchic popping out and landing confidently on the field. "Torchic tor!" he yelled out, looking ready to get things started.

"Wow, your Torchic looks really fired up. It's nothing like how my sisters Torchic was when she got it." Max asked me.

"You're Treecko's pretty strong as well. Don't hold back on me!"

"Right back at you, Cecil! Treecko, use Quick Attack!" Max called out, Treecko following through as it practically flew at Torchic. This time, I was ready for it.

"Jump to dodge it, Torchic! Now!" I commanded, Torchic jumping right at the last second, evading Treecko's attack completely. "Counter with Ember!" As soon as Torchic landed, it turned to face Treecko, and used it's Ember attack.

"Treecko, fight back with Bullet Seed!" The new attack threw me off as Treecko opened its mouth, and fired a widespread of seeds at Torchic's Ember attack, blocking every fireball that tried to get close. Once the attacks had stopped, both pokémon seemed to have been equal in power, neither having got a hit in on each other yet.

I decided since Max was able to block Torchic's Ember with his Treecko's Bullet Seed, I needed to try and get Torchic in closer. "Torchic, use Peck!" I commanded. Torchic's beak started glowing as it ran towards Treecko, determined to hit the pokémon.

"Treecko, send it back with Pound!" Max called to his Treecko. Treecko readied itself as Torchic closed in, before spinning around to swing its tail at my pokémon.

"Watch out Torchic!" I called out. Torchic jumped out of the way just barely, now within close enough range Treecko couldn't block. "Ember once more!" I yelled. Torchic unleashed a flurry of fireballs at Treecko from close range, and I was sure that being so close increased the damage of the attack. Before Torchic could finish its attack, Treecko jumped back a few times, before kneeling down on one leg, panting.

"Treecko! Are you alright?" Max asked it, receiving a slight nod from his pokémon. "Alright, use Quick Attack!" Treecko was once again closing in on Torchic with intense speed.

"Torchic, try to hit it with Ember again! It's not going to last much longer!" Torchic fired Ember after Ember, but Treecko easily moved out of the way of each flurry of fireballs. It slammed hard into Torchic, sending him back a foot or two.

"Follow it up with Pound!" Max called. Treecko closed in once more, and started to swing its tail at Torchic once again.

"Hit back with Peck!" I yelled. Torchic's beak began glowing again as he stood his ground, and aimed his attack at Treecko's tail. The two attacks collided, hard, and sent the pokémon to different sides of the field. Both were collapsed on the ground, unable to get up again.

"Both pokémon are unable to battle! This battle is a draw!" Norman announced, calling the end of the battle.

Both Max and I ran to our pokémon, neither of us really focused on the outcome of the battle at that moment as we made sure our pokémon were alright. "That was pretty intense, Torchic. You alright?" I asked after picking up the battle wearied pokémon. "Tor torchic," he said.

"Hey, don't worry about it. You battled really hard," I said, getting out his pokéball, "You deserve a good rest." I then returned Torchic to his pokéball, before standing up straight, and turning to face Max. He apparently returned Treecko to its pokéball as well.

We walked up to each other, me looking down to make eye contact with him. "Hmph, for someone new to this, you sure battled like you really weren't," he commented, holding out his hand.

"Heh, well I don't know about that. That Bullet Seed did surprise me," I said, taking his hand, and shaking it to show I was a good sport.

"That was an impressive battle, boys. Cecil, why don't you and your friend join us for lunch once your pokémon have been treated at the Center," Norman said, wearing a smile on his face.

"What, really? You're sure?" I asked back, receiving a nod. I looked to Alisha, not really having to ask with words.

"We'd love to join you and your family for lunch, Norman," she said, smiling as well. She had stood up, and walked over to my side with Vivian walking beside her.

"Splendid! We'll see you back here real soon then," Norman said, smiling widely. He and Max then saw us out of the gym, where Alisha and I began making our way to the Pokémon Center.

Surprisingly enough, it wasn't that much of a walk to the center, finding ourselves walking inside after a few minutes. Now, as I write this, I'll mention now that back then I didn't remember much of the show, because, well, I never kept up with the series. So it's embarrassing to write that when I saw Nurse Joy at the counter, I had mistaken her as the Nurse Joy I met at Oldale Town.

"Hello again, Nurse Joy. How did you get here so fast. Aren't there still pokémon back in Oldale that need your attention?" I asked her. I could hear the audible smack when Alisha face palmed her forehead.

Nurse Joy just giggled, and said, "I'm afraid you've mistaken me for another Joy."

"Do you remember nothing at all?" Alisha said, sounding annoyed. I just looked at the two women confused. "Ugh. Look at the wall over there," Alisha said after looking the lobby over once, and pointing to a wall with a picture. I approached the picture, and took a good look. It was a picture of multiple Nurse Joys gathered around for a group photo.

I paused, examining the picture a few more seconds, before blushing as that fact came back to me again. "Oh. Eheh, now I'm embarrassed." I think back on it now, and can't imagine how I forgot about that. I guess I was just that out of touch on the whole series.

"You should be. How ignorant can someone get," came the voice of someone I despised more than anything while in high school. I turned, and saw the most arrogant guy I had ever met in my entire life. Eric Landers; saying he's an asshole is giving him too much credit. He stands a bit taller than me at 6'4" with pitch black, shoulder length hair, and light green eyes. I wouldn't bother mentioning his eye color if it was impossible to tell. His wardrobe consisted of black clothing and sneakers to match his hair. Talk about unoriginal. On his left wrist was a black watch as well. Considering the pack he had on his back, it seemed he was traveling the world as well.

"Oh great, someone called the arrogance police..." I said dully as I walked back over to the counter, and handed Nurse Joy my pokéball that had Torchic inside. I then handed Vivian over to her so she could treat my pokémon.

"Please tell me you're not trying for the Pokémon League. You would so not offer any sort of challenge at all," Eric said, smirking like he knew he was right.

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but that's exactly what I'm going to do. And there's no try to it. I will be entering the Pokémon League," I said matter-of-factly. He scoffed, as if it really didn't bother him at all.

"If I were you, I wouldn't underestimate Cecil, Eric. He's actually better at pokémon battling than he looks," Alisha said.

"Yeah sure, I'll believe it when I see it," Eric retorted, "So does that mean your aiming for the same as well?"

"None of your business," Alisha just stated flatly. She turned around, as if not even going to say anything about her goals.

"Pfft, whatever. Smell ya later, losers. Good luck on getting your first badge, Cylan," he said after having his pokémon returned, and then walking out of the Pokémon Center.

"That's Cecil, numbskull!" I yelled, angry that he purposely called me by anything but my name. I waited until he was at least outside, before exclaiming, "That idiot makes my blood boil!"

"Don't let him get to you, Cecil. You know he does it just to get under your skin," Alisha said, trying to calm me down at least a little.

"I know, I just can't help it. It's like he knows how to push my buttons, and just does it to amuse himself. Ow!" I had started to rant, which led to Alisha bopping me on the head to make me stop. "Sorry...and thanks."

"Don't mention it," she said, now handing her pokémon to Nurse Joy. Since we were waiting for our pokémon to be treated, we decided to hang out around the nearby battlefield, and watch some of the battles the other trainers were having. I would explain the different types of pokémon battling it out, but I think for this digital journal, I'll just explain the ones I met in my own battles and adventures. We did get to see some pretty interesting pokémon though.

As we watched the battles take place, my mind wandered else where. My thoughts drifted to Jennifer, and what she must be doing right about now. It was weird, it had only been a few days since I left Earth for this world, and yet so much had happened that it easily felt like it had been at least few weeks at best. To say my days of dreary boredom were over is a gross understatement. They had utterly been demolished. Yes, it is like I had said before in my previous journal entry; It's like I had stepped out of a world of black, white, and gray, and into a colorful new world for me to explore.

My mind soon lingered on what my father and mother might being doing. I certainly doubt they had simply returned home, and continued living like they normally have. I gave a slight smirk as I thought of my parents having gone on vacation to Hawaii or someplace tropical, and having some fun for a change. It was certainly a better image than imagining them sitting at the dinner table, and eating in unrestrained silence.

I then wondered where the rest of my friends currently were in this world. I hadn't seen them in a really long time. I then began hoping that Alisha and I would eventually run into a few them while on the road, though there was no telling which region they had decided to start their own adventures in. I think meeting Alisha in Oldale was just by pure chance really.

After a while, my focus returned to the battlefield, and on the newest battle occurring. Such unique pokémon I had never known about were being used: One being very intimidating, much more than the Mightyena I ran into, and it was battling an impressive, yet smaller, cuter pokémon that demonstrated psychic type attacks. Alisha told me the larger one was an Aggron, a rock and steel type pokémon. No doubt my pokémon would definitely be beaten in one fell swoop of that things attacks, for sure. She then told me the psychic pokémon was called a Chimecho.

"So wait, steel types? How many new types are there?" I asked her, confused since I only knew about original 15 types.

"Only two, but these days they aren't exactly new anymore. There are Steel types, and Dark types of pokémon now. If we ever get into a battle with a Dark type pokémon, we shouldn't use any pokémon who only know Psychic type attacks," she said.

"Why's that?"

"Well, Psychic type attacks don't effect Dark type pokémon, but Dark type attacks will do more damage to Psychic type pokémon, as well as Ghost types too."

"Ah, okay. That's good to know."

It was about noon when we went back inside the Pokémon Center, and checked on our pokémon. We were both greeted by Nurse Joy, who told us our pokémon were happy and healthy. Vivian yipped as she jumped from the counter to my shoulder, and perched herself in her favorite spot.

"Did you teach her to do that?" Alisha had asked me, no doubt her curiosity getting the better of her.

"No, actually. She just started doing this all on her own. Why?" I replied, asking her why she wanted to know.

"Oh, it's nothing. You just kind of give off a resemblance to Ash when Vivian hops on your shoulder." I looked at Alisha, and she looked at me. Then we both laughed a little. I know I was thinking about how silly that must seem.

"Well, let's head on back then, shall we?" she said, leading the way back to the gym after we put our pokéballs back in our belts. We stared up at the entrance of the gym after our short walk for a moment, and then proceeded up the steps to the front door.

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Forgive me for the chapter title if it's too silly and long. XP

I'll change it when I can think up something new.

I would also appreciate any critique and comments you, the readers, would like to share. I hope you enjoy. =)