Dreams Are What Pokemon Are Made Of

A Dreams Are What Life is Made Of / Pokemon Fanfiction.

This is only for use on . Do NOT publish as your own work.

All Pokemon Characters, Items, and Locations are copyrighted to Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak. Their permission was not asked for when writing this work, but this story is NOT intended for profit, but solely for entertainment.

All DAWLIMO Characters are mine.

Does everybody got that?

Good! On with the story!

Chapter 1: Dami Chooses a Pokemon!

Until about five months ago, Dami Owl was an ordinary teenage girl. She was about 5 feet, 8 inches tall, weighed approximately 120 pounds, and turned 16 years old at the aforementioned five months ago. Her hair was a very light blue, almost like the sky on a clear day. Her eyes were green like a lime. She had three unusual birthmarks; one in the shape of a Star on her right cheekbone, one in the shape of a Heart on her left cheekbone, and one that looked like a fruit with long leaves tapering down on each side nestled on her chest, right above her modestly sized breasts. The only trouble was, on the candles of her birthday cake, she made a wish that proves the old saying "Be careful what you wish for" more like a threat; she wished that all of her dreams would come true.

Big mistake.

Since then, Dami has had to learn the art of Lucid Dreaming from a 100-year-old elf by the name of Elogas Centurion in order to combat a group of demons who exist only in the world of dreams, known as the Akumu-Oni-Kiritsu. Each one represented one of the seven deadly sins, and their leader, Gekirin the Wrath, who always wore a mask that was half-white, half-black, and a long cape which concealed his massive figure, wanted to use Dami's newly granted dream powers to break open the barrier between the real world and the dream world.

So, how does Elogas train Dami in Lucid Dreaming?

Manga. Comics. That's how.

Elogas trained Dami based on the theory that people tend to dream about the last thing they experience before going to sleep. By using hypnosis, Elogas can force Dami to sleep right after reading a Comic so she becomes a character in that Comic, gaining abilities based on the Comic's premise.

On that note, here is where Dami's Pokemon Adventure Begins.

As the school bell rang for the last time that year at Libido High School, Dami went to her locker to gather all of her belongings. She was feeling a little anxious, and no wonder! On top of trying to maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher, she had spent the last five months fighting the Akumu-Oni-Kiritsu, trying to, in the process of exorcising the demons from her classmates, awakening one of the guardians of virtue and royal guard of Queen Lucidia, the Kishi-Jin. So far, she only managed to awaken two Kishi-Jin; Ninkyou the Generosity, who resembled a monkey wearing a pink gi and wielded a staff which could extend to incredible lengths, and Kokumei the Diligence, who resembled a muscular human in every way except for his head, which resembled a horse. These Kishi-Jin have opted to be the personal guardians of two of Dami's classmates; Dora Nanako, the richest girl in school who had to overcome her desire to be wealthy in order to unlock Ninkyou's power, and Chad Phillips, the captain of the Libido High School football team, who had to overcome his lazy habits in order to bring Kokumei to the light.

Dami fiddled with the combination lock on her locker when she got bumped from behind. Frustrated at forgetting her combination, she turned around to face the one responsible. It was Hajime Hawkins. He dressed in the school's all-black uniform, but defied the norm by smoking whenever he had a chance, and making his hair into a Mohawk. When viewed in profile, Hajime's head looked like a crescent moon with a small pointy nose sticking out the middle. "Bitch. Why do you keep getting in my way?"

"Excuse me? I was trying to open my locker, when YOU made me forget the combination!" Dami crossed her arms defiantly.

"You didn't answer my question. I need my smokes, and you're standing between me and them!" Hajime balled up his fist, ready to hit Dami at any moment.

Dami thought to herself, "I could take him! He has been possessed by Kentan the Gluttony several times now, and each time, Kentan ate a bunch of junk not fit for human consumption! He's had more surgery than a Hollywood Movie Star!"

Hajime punched the locker, narrowly missing Dami's head. "I'm only going to ask you one more time, girl. Move it, or I'll cut off your hair and SMOKE THAT!"

Dami decided to take the high road and stomp on Hajime's foot instead.

"OW! THAT HURT, YOU ROTTEN BITCH!" Hajime howled.

"Not as much as it COULD have, double-H! Besides! Smoking is bad for you, especially since you seem to keep winding up in the emergency room!" Dami smirked as she remembered the first time Kentan possessed Hajime. Kentan interpreted Hajime's chain-smoking as a form of gluttony and possessed him right away, eating everything in the school cafeteria, including the sneeze guard!

Hajime's jaw dropped, and he hobbled away on his good foot. "Damn! This time last year, she was so timid and meek! Where the hell did all this confidence come from?!"

Dami then looked around, making sure no one was around, and then she closed her eyes and used the Lucidia Royal Treasure to automatically work the combination on her locker. With a click, it was open.

"Thank you, dream magic!" she thought as she opened her eyes. She picked up her backpack, which was much nicer than the one she had last year. Dami received it as a gift from Dora shortly after overcoming Tanran the Greed. Well, the backpack was among MANY other things, but I won't go into too much detail here.

As she closed her locker, an announcement was made over the school's PA system: "Will Dami Owl please report to the guidance counselor's office? I repeat; will Dami Owl…"

"Ugh… not again…" Dami grunted. She filled her backpack and found her way to the guidance counselor's office, where she found… "Elogas Centurion! What's the big deal calling me here on the last day of classes?!"

Elogas was sitting at his desk. Yes. Elogas used the position of Libido High School's guidance counselor to monitor all of the student's to find this century's Chosen One; Dami Owl, of course. He had his long brown hair tied behind his head in a pony tail, just so he could cover up his long, pointed ears. He always dressed in standard business attire; a white collared shirt with a plain black necktie and brown dress pants. He adjusted his square-framed glasses as he spoke to Dami. "Now you know I couldn't let you abuse that Hawkins kid after all he's been through. After all, he's had enough open stomach surgery to make a great white shark queasy."

"I only stomped on his foot! And I know better! That isn't why you called me in here, now is it?" Dami put her hands on her hips defiantly.

Elogas' glasses shined as a car passed by, reflecting the light of the sun. "Well, your intuition has certainly improved since we started. That aside, I detected that you used dream magic to open your locker just now. I thought we agreed NOT to use it unless there was an Oni present."

"I FORGOT MY COMBINATION, OKAY?!" Dami threw her backpack into the chair across from Elogas that was usually reserved for student-counselor conferences. "Hajime bumped me as I was doing my combination and it slipped my mind! Besides, I made sure no one saw me when I used it!"

"Be that as it may," Elogas started, "Your dependence on dream magic is becoming way too much of a liability. If someone catches you using it, I'll have to drop whatever I'm doing and use my hypnosis to erase their memories!"

Dami crossed her arms. "You know I hate it when you do that! I hate having to sneak around while fighting the Oni, and I would prefer it if I could get a little extra help once in a while!"

Elogas removed his glasses and used a microfiber cloth to wipe away the smudges. "Yet I have no choice but to do so! If people get involved in this, then their will be casualties that I don't want on my conscience! As it is, I feel bad about dragging your classmates Dora and Chad into it!"

Dami pointed her index finger at Elogas. "And yet it seems the only way for a Kishi-Jin to awaken is for someone who has strong inclinations to a deadly sin to overcome it, and I think my classmates all have their demons to hide! SO TAKE THAT!"

Elogas frowned as he put his glasses back on. "Still, we're not sure which of your classmates is compatible with the remaining Kishi-Jin, if they even go to Libido High School at all! The point I'm trying to make here is, while your dream magic as drastically improved over the last few months, your physical body leaves something to be desired."

Elogas was slapped by Dami at that moment. "I BEG YOUR PARDON! I think I'm hot for someone who was abused by her father most of her life!"

Elogas rubbed his cheek, unflinching. "No, Dami, that was uncalled for. I didn't mean your physical appearance; what I meant was the fact that while your magic has improved, your physical abilities have more or less remained the same."

Dami sheepishly threw her arms behind her back. "Oops! Sorry!"

Elogas reached into his briefcase. "We are going to work on that, Dami. For your next Lucid Dreaming Experience, I'm going to give you this to get you started." Elogas then pulled out a small device with a uniformly symmetrical cross on the left side just below the screen, two round buttons labeled "A" and "B" on the opposite side, and two smaller oval shaped buttons labeled "START" and "SELECT" at the bottom of the unit. The screen was perfectly square, with a small light next to it on the left side to indicate when the power was on.

Dami quizzically looked at it. "A Game Boy?"

Elogas swiftly but gently hit Dami on the head with it. "Game Boy COLOR, thank you very much. This is the second device in Nintendo's history to allow Game Boy games to be played with a color palette, the first being a cartridge-like device for the Super Nintendo called the Super Game Boy."

Dami rubbed her head. "Okay, it's a Game Boy COLOR! Fine! Whatever! So what exactly am I supposed to do with it? And another thing! Of all the handheld video games on the market, why did you go with such an old one?"

Elogas smiled. "That's because the older games are much more fun than the ones made today, what with their pretty graphics and excessive gore!"

Dami crossed her arms. "It's because you couldn't afford a Nintendo DS or PSP on your salary, right?"

Elogas' smile faded. "That's not the point, Dami. What I need you to do is start playing the game up to a certain point. Then, I will have you enter the game by using my hypnosis to put you in the Lucid Dreaming state."

Dami squinted. "And what game are you having me enter, Elogas?"

Elogas said, "I picked one that anyone can become a part of and not become permanently involved in, just so you don't become too attached to the characters like you did in the 'Korxot the Kimera' and 'Ring Robots' manga."

Dami slammed one fist on Elogas' desk. "JUST TELL ME WHAT IT IS!"

Elogas coyly touched the tips of his index fingers together. "P… C… V…"

"STOP WHISPERING! WHAT GAME IS IT?!"

Elogas took a big gulp before finally saying, "Pokemon Crystal Version."

Dami turned pale. "POKEMON?! How old do you think I am, Elogas?! I JUST TURNED 16 for crying out loud!"

Elogas slammed his fist on the desk. "HOW DARE YOU ASSUME THE TARGET AGE GROUP OF POKEMON?! I'll have you know that all kinds of people from ages 6 to 60 have picked up and played a Pokemon game at least once!"

Dami wiped her face. "Okay, that nonsense aside, how in the hell will Pokemon help improve my physical abilities?"

Elogas folded his arms. "Pokemon isn't just about catching and training hundreds of creatures to be the best that they can be. It is also about travelling from town to town, city to city, continent to continent on foot or by bike. All that fresh air and exercise will be good for you! Travel far enough and you'll be in good enough shape to take on two or three Oni at once!"

Dami picked up the GBC. "All right, whatever you say. How do you turn this on?"

Elogas said, "Oh, there's a switch on the side."

"The left side?"

"No. That's the Volume Slider."

"So, the right side then."

"Yes. Flip it up."

"Then what? It's all pixely and weird."

"Turn it off. You'll need to blow on the cartridge."

"Oh. Well that's stupid."

"FINE! Let me do it!"

"Okay! Geez!"

……

"Alright, I turned it on. What's up with the critters?"

"Just press start to skip to the title screen."

"Whoa! What is that weird silhouette?"

"Never mind that! Just press start again!"

….

"Okay, what do I do now?"

"AUGH! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SAVED GAME?!"

"I think the Pokemon games were still on battery backup before Nintendo found a better way."

"Damn it! Okay. It's not important now. Just choose 'New Game' and press 'A'."

"Okay, the screen just went black. Now… Oh! There's something at the bottom of the screen!"

"That's just dialogue. Just keep pressing 'A' Until it asks you to set the time."

"Okay… Wait a minute… Can't I adjust the minutes?"

"After you set the hour! AFTER!"

"Oh… okay… ACK! Who's the old guy?!"

"That's Professor Oak! You'll meet up with him later!"

"Aren't I talking to him right now?"

"Look, I don't understand why they did the intro this way! Just roll with it!"

"Now the game's asking if I'm a boy or a girl? Wow! I didn't know that I had a choice!"

"Yes, Pokemon Crystal was the first one to give someone the choice to be a girl trainer!"

"Why did Nintendo wait so long?!"

"Never mind that! Just pick girl and keep going!"

"Okay. Now it's asking my name. D. A. M. I. There we go."

"Now here's the best part!"

"Best part? But the game just started!"

Then Elogas read the text out loud along with Professor Oak's dialogue: "DAMI, are you ready? Your very own POKEMON story is about to unfold."

Dami said, "Elogas, just what are you doing?"

Elogas ignored Dami. "You'll face fun times and tough challenges. A world of dreams and adventures with POKEMON awaits! Let's Go!"

Dami said, "Elogas, you're beginning to creep me out!"

Elogas then shouted "HYPNOSIS FLARE!!"

Dami then felt like she was falling! She seemed to shrink in size as though she was being absorbed by the Game Boy Color! Before she lost consciousness, she could swear that she heard the Pokemon Anime's voice of Professor Oak saying, "I'll be seeing you later!"

"Dami! Wake up! You're going to be late!" sounded a familiar voice.

"Mom?" Dami could not believe her ears! She woke up in a nice, comfortable bed, and she heard the voice of her mother. "Could it be that the last five months were all just a bad dream?" Both excited and scared, Dami slowly opened her eyes.

It was nothing like her real room. Every wall, the ceiling, and the floor were beautifully stained hardwood. Her bed was in the corner, there was a table in the middle of the room, and against the wall, from left to right, was a desk which had a computer and a radio on it, a TV, and a bookshelf filled with picture books and magazines all relating to Pokemon.

"Nope. It all still happened. Rats. So much for a normal life..." Dami stepped out of bed, and to her amazement, she was fully clothed. Sitting on the table was the same backpack Dora bought for her, only it had an embroidered PokeBall on it in the top of the middle of the outside flap. Instinctively, Dami picked it up and pulled the straps over her shoulders. She then walked over to the stairs in the corner opposite her bed and climbed down.

As soon as she reached the bottom, she was greeted by her mother. Snow's hair style was exactly like Dami's, only it was shorter, naturally shiny, and black. She was a few inches taller than Dami, wore a black muscle shirt, khaki pants, and a white apron. "Breakfast is ready, Dami! We have bacon, eggs, and hash browns today!"

Dami looked puzzled. "I could have sworn that when Elogas sent me here, I set the time for the afternoon, just like the current time! So why am I about to have breakfast?" She shrugged and sat down at the kitchen table.

Much to her dismay, her father was also sitting at the table. "What's wrong with you, girl? You mother started cooking a half hour ago!" Screech was a perfect example of what a woman doesn't want in a man. He was balding, short, fat, temperamental, and spent all time at home watching sports games on TV. In spite of their new surroundings, Screech still wore his old Libido High School jersey from when he was on their football team. He then opened the newspaper to find the sports section. "I still don't understand why we moved to New Bark Town! I don't recognize any of the teams playing today! Who in the hell are the Electabuzz?!"

Snow dished the breakfast while rolling her eyes. "You know, I don't know why we moved here either, but you could show some consideration for our beautiful new home!"

Screech snorted. "Beautiful? It only has two floors, Dami gets the upstairs all to herself, AND…" He was interrupted by a smack on the head from a still-sizzling frying pan. "YEEEEOOOWWWWWWWWWCCCHHH!!!"

Snow put the weapon in the sink. "That's enough. Eat your breakfast or I'll make you eat it the wrong way!"

Screech massaged his burned scalp. "Yes dear…"

Dami couldn't help but smile. Her mother would often fight with her father, but very rarely did she see an argument end with her mother coming out on top. The fights usually ended with her dad compromising by forcing his wife to have sex with him later; an altogether unpleasant notion.

As Dami finished her hash browns, she knew that she had to ask her mother what it was that she would be late for. "So mom, what's going on today?"

After sipping her coffee, Snow said, "Didn't I tell you last night? Oh, well… Our new neighbor, Professor Elm, wanted you to do something for him. He didn't say what it was at the time."

Dami sipped her milk. "Professor Elm? Who's that?"

Screech then said, "Apparently, he's an authority on Pokemon Evolution, not that I know what any of this nonsense means…"

Snow then left the table, grabbed something from a shelf, and brought it to Dami. "Before I forget, your PokeGear just came back from the repair shop, so go ahead and take it with you! Don't forget to set the day of the week and indicate that it's Daylight Savings Time!"

The PokeGear looked like a watch, only with an antenna for receiving phone calls and radio transmissions, plus the latch which would attach one end of the band to the other was adorned with the familiar spiral shape of the Lucidia Royal Treasure.

Snow continued to explain the features of the PokeGear. "Just tap the button here to toggle between the phone, map, and radio icons, and any phone numbers you register will appear on the phone list with the name of the person you exchanged numbers with. Now try not to exchange numbers with someone you don't trust!"

Dami finished her breakfast as she adjusted the PokeGear band to the size of her wrist. "Okay, mom! I'll be careful!"

Screech couldn't help but shout the last word before Dami headed out the door. "AND STAY OUT OF THE TALL GRASS! WILD POKEMON WILL ATTACK YOU IF YOU DO!"

Dami rolled her eyes and chose not to reply. She walked to the west when she saw Professor Elm's laboratory. It looked fairly small, with windows surrounding the outside of the building. Before she entered, she saw a red-haired boy wearing a black leather jacket staring into the lab from the west windows. Deciding to be friendly, Dami thought she would greet him. "Hello! I'm Dami Owl! Is this Professor Elm's place?"

The red-haired boy ignored her at first, still peering into the lab. "So this is the famous Elm Pokemon Lab…" Then his eyes met Dami's. "What are you staring at? GET LOST!" He swung his fists defensively at Dami.

Dami recoiled so he would not land a single blow. "What is your problem?!"

The boy shouted, "MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS! THAT'S MY PROBLEM!!"

Dami decided it wasn't worth it to argue with him, so she circled around the front of the building to the main entrance. As she entered, she saw two large bookshelves on the opposite sides of the lab, with a man in a lab coat nervously organizing the books in a frenzy on the left side. Dami then asked him, "Excuse me, but are you Professor Elm?"

He then dropped all his books in surprise. "Ha! I wish! That's the first time anyone has mistaken me for the professor! I'm just his assistant! He's actually on the other side of these bookshelves!"

Dami then bowed politely. "Thank you anyway!" She then marched between the bookshelves to finally come face to face with Professor Elm. He was tall and skinny, wore a white lab coat over his light blue shirt and light brown dress pants, and the top of his head had a spiky puff-ball of hair on it. "Professor Elm?"

The Professor swung around to greet Dami. "Ah! You must be the daughter of my new neighbors! Dami, right? It's good to meet you!"

Dami decided to keep up a polite front. "It's good to meet you too, Professor Elm!"

Professor Elm then stated his request. "You see, Dami, I need you to run an errand for me. My acquaintance, a man called Mr. Pokemon sent me an e-mail raving about a discovery he's just made. He wants to tell me what it is in person, but I'm just BURIED in my research! It's just me and my assistant to mind the lab right now, so I need you look into it for us."

Dami then asked Elm, "But professor, my dad tells me that I shouldn't go through the tall grass because of Wild Pokemon. Isn't there a lot of tall grass outside of town?"

Elm then smiled confidently. "Well, your father must care for you, because he's right! Without a Pokemon of your own, it WOULD BE dangerous to go alone! Luckily, I have three Pokemon on the table over there. They're all young, but they're fairly easy to tame. I'm going to let you borrow one for this errand! Go ahead and pick one!"

Dami then walked over to the table and peered at the PokeBalls. One ball contained Chikorita, a small green quadruped with several beads around its neck and a large, hard leaf atop its head. The second ball contained Totodile, a small blue crocodile with a yellow striped pattern on its belly, red plates on its back, and black circles around its red eyes. The third ball contained Cyndaquil, which resembled an anteater at first glance with a light yellow underbelly and a dark blue back, but curiously had flames shooting out of its back that appeared to look like a hedgehog's quills. After examining all three carefully, she gave a sigh. "I'm sorry professor, but I know almost nothing about Pokemon. Which one should I choose?"

Elm then shrugged. "If it makes any difference, Chikorita is a Grass-Type, Totodile is a Water-Type, and Cyndaquil is a Fire-Type. Because you're a novice, I would pick Chikorita if I were you. Grass-Types tend to be easy to care for. Water-Types are generally for Intermediate Trainers and Fire-Types for Advanced Trainers."

Dami smiled. "Okay, professor! I'll take your word for it! Chikorita it is!" She picked up the PokeBall containing Chikorita. "Now, where does Mr. Pokemon live?"

Elm told Dami to check the map function on her Pokegear. "Here is New Bark Town, and just west of here is Cherrygrove City. The Second House to the North of Cherrygrove is Mr. Pokemon's House. If Chikorita gets hurt along the way, bring it back to my lab. I have the same type of machine that Pokemon Centers use to heal trainer's Pokemon with. Also, here is my phone number. Put it on your PokeGear so we can keep in touch if something comes up. Good luck on your journey, Dami!"

Dami smiled and waved goodbye, as she put Chikorita's PokeBall on her belt. Before she left the lab, Elm's assistant got in her way. "Sorry to bother you, but it is a fairly long way to Mr. Pokemon's house. If you can't get back here or to Cherrygrove's Pokemon Center before your Pokemon faints, you might need to use these." The assistant then handed Dami a handful of berries and a few potions. "You can make your Pokemon hold a Berry so if it gets injured in battle without fainting, it will eat the berry to recover its health! The potions, while your Pokemon can't use them on their own, will restore more health than most berries. Again, sorry to bother you, but Elm and I just can't seem to get away from this lab for very long, so we're counting on you!"

Dami smiled sheepishly. "Um… Okay. Thank you… I think…" Dami put the berries and potions in her backpack, and headed out the door.

Dami began to walk out onto Route 29, not knowing what to expect. "Well, I STILL don't know what Elogas hopes to accomplish by sending me here, but I hope it helps me fight the Oni when I get back." She then removed the PokeBall from her belt. "I guess the only one I can expect any help from is you." She then pressed the button on the ball and chucked it. "Come on out, Chikorita!"

Chikorita appeared on the ground in front of Dami in a flash of light. "CHIKA CHIKA!" chirped the Pokemon. Its leaf seemed to shine brightly in the morning sunlight. It then perked its head up at its new master. "Chikoree?" It seemed to be asking her a question.

Dami froze. "Um… I don't speak Pokemon… I am Dami. I'm your trainer, I guess…"

Chikorita narrowed its eyes, and turned its head away from Dami. "Chik."

Dami frowned. "I'm sorry if we don't understand each other, but I've got a ways to go and I'm not sure how long I'm going to be in the Pokemon World, so I was kind of hoping that you would cooperate with me until its time for me to leave…"

Chikorita then walked up to Dami, nipped her leg, the shock of which caused her to drop the PokeBall, and gently pressed its nose against the button. In a flash of red light, Chikorita disappeared. "Aw, man! Why doesn't Chikorita do what I say? And Elm said it was the EASIEST one to deal with…"

She then heard laughter behind her. "HA HA HA! Wow! You really ARE a noob trainer, aren't you!"

Dami couldn't hold in her frustration. "What does it matter to you?!" That is when her eyes met his; they were blue as the ocean on a clear day. He stood about 6 feet, 2 inches tall. He had a fair complexion. He wore a beige visor, over the top of which sprouted a full and thick head of spiky golden blonde hair. He wore a red t-shirt with a denim shirt over the top of it and a black lace necklace which sported a pewter, sun-shaped charm. He also wore denim shorts with a brown leather belt. His feet were adorned with black socks and medium-red shoes. Around his shoulder he toted a pale blue and black messenger bag. But his smile… It was a clean, warm smile. Dami felt her heart melt a little. "I'm… sorry. Forgive me. I'm having trouble with my new Pokemon. It's just, just…. OH!"

The boy stopped laughing, but his smile did not fade. "That's okay! I didn't mean to sound harsh! I guess that's just a bad habit of mine; talking before I think, that is… If you want, I can give you some pointers on training Pokemon!"

Dami smiled. She knew that the only reason her parents were in the Pokemon World was because they were created to make her feel like she wasn't alone. All the other people only seemed to act nice or mean because they were more or less scripted or programmed to be. But this boy… there was nothing artificial about him. He seemed so genuine; so real. "That would be great! Um… I'm sorry! I didn't catch your name!"

The boy adjusted his visor, which had in block lettering, an orange letter "N" with a thick black border embroidered on the center of it. "You can call me Yellow Edge. I might not look it, but I'm a well-traveled Pokemon Trainer. I've been to every Gym in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, but I have to say that I miss Johto more than any land. That's why I came back after challenging Sinnoh's Champion, Cynthia."

Dami broke out of her trance. "I'm sorry, but I don't know a thing you're talking about! What's a Gym? Who's Cynthia? And where in the world is Johto?"

Yellow's smile waned a little. "Wow! You really ARE new here! I guess I can't expect everyone to know everything. Oh, there I go again! I accidentally ran off at the mouth again! I apologize, but I'm something of a know-it-all. I travel the world, gathering information, collecting Pokemon, of course. I keep forgetting that not everyone knows what I know, and conversely, I can't know what everyone else knows either."

Dami waved her arms. "That's okay! It's no big deal! So, what can you tell me about Pokemon training?"

Yellow folded his arms in a matter-of-fact way. "You see, Dami, when you addressed your Chikorita earlier, you seemed afraid of it. When you spoke to it, you didn't have any confidence in your words. So when you asked it to do something, it thought you were being pretentious. Be firm with your Pokemon, and it will respect you. Trust your Pokemon, and it will befriend you. Love your Pokemon, and together, the two of you will do great things."

Dami then picked up the PokeBall and dusted it off. "You're right! I need to be more assertive! Come back out, Chikorita!"

Chikorita once again appeared in a flash of light. "Chiko…" It looked disdainfully up at Dami.

Dami froze again. "Um… now what do I do?"

Yellow's smile grew. "Let it know you're its friend! Get down to its level and hold out your hand!"

Dami gulped, then she got down on her knees and held her palm out, face up. "It's okay, Chikorita. I want to be your friend. I need your help, please."

Chikorita's scowl disappeared, and it walked over to Dami. It sniffed Dami's hand, then licked her palm. "Chiko Chika Riiii!!" It then nuzzled its head against Dami's palm.

Dami laughed. "Hey! It worked! Chikorita seems so friendly now!"

Yellow laughed along. "That's great! Say! Do you know what I find helps cement a friendship with a Pokemon? Giving it a nickname! The name you give it is a symbol of your friendship and a reflection of your personality and your feelings for that Pokemon!"

Dami shed a tear. "I'm sorry, but I can't give this Pokemon a nickname."

Yellow's smile faded completely. "That's bull hockey! Why not?"

Dami turned to her new friend. "That's because Chikorita is only a loaner. Professor Elm said he was going to let me 'borrow' it until I finished my errand for him."

Yellow rubbed his chin. "Well, that's no fun. Why would Elm let you take a Pokemon with you and not let you keep it? Bah. Whatever. So what did he ask you to do?"

Dami explained the errand to Yellow in as full detail as she could remember it.

Yellow rubbed his eyes with his index finger and thumb. "Well, I wasn't busy doing anything right now, so why don't I accompany you on your task? If you get stuck, I can help you with my Pokemon!"

The smile returned to Dami's face. "I would like that, Yellow. And thank you for your kindness."

And so, Dami's Pokemon journey begins! What trials will she endure? What perils will she overcome? And is there a chance that the Akumu-Oni-Kiritsu will interfere with her special training?

Don't forget to review my story! I will also accept constructive criticism.

Keep reading for the next Chapter: The Cherrygrove Burglar!