A/N: Hey everyone! Just a few notes before we begin. :3 I can't take all the credit for this piece of awesomeness- I'm only a cowriter. My partner in crime, Alex, doesn't have a FanFiction account yet, but he's the voice of Zed. The story is told in first person, and switches between Zed and Jamie's point of views. All the battles were done using Pokemon Showdown so they're completely realistic. Well, I think that's it! Don't forget to review.

Part One

Z

I sat on the top deck of the S. S. Anne, sipping a cool glass of water and taking in the refreshing scent of the Johto-Kanto Sea; alas, my mind appreciated the relaxation of a sea voyage, but my heart was still heavy with the tasks at hand. I had made no headway on my journey spanning soon to be all five regions of the world; my mind has not grown, my battling skills were meager at best, and, the worst, my family was nowhere to be found. I know I should feel excited that even after five years of travelling, there's still a lot of vigor left in me…but nonetheless I felt starkly discouraged. What can ya do? I relaxed in my chair and hit "shuffle" on my music player…

And a large man tripped over my chair running full boar away from…something. "Get out the way, idiot!" he exclaimed. Ignoring his rather senseless remark, I grabbed him by the arm, and noticed a large red R tattooed near his shoulder.

"Still holding onto hope that the Team will get back together? It's been over fifteen years you know."

"What's it to you?" he asked loudly.

"Well it pretty much tells me why you're running; old habits die hard, eh?" I jeered, noticing the Pokeball in his hand and not believing for a minute that it was his. He stood slowly, very conspicuously reaching into one of his pockets, and producing a Rocket standard issue Pokeball.

"Alright, ya got me…GO ARBOK!" he tossed the ball right at my face, which I caught without any problem.

"Sir, the way I see it," I chided, "you have two options: you can hand the Pokeball back to its owner, and leave the other passengers in peace, or you can continue your aggression, have your Arbok thrown into the sea, and be literally crushed beneath the heel of my Torterra…and then give the Pokeball back."

The ex-Rocket thug hesitated for a bit, then relinquished the ball to one of the many bystanders staring at us, a girl with golden hair and eyes like the calm ocean that made me forget how to breathe correctly. But more on her later…she becomes very, very important. The thug, with a rude hand gesture, forlornly muttered, "Now gimme my fuckin' Arbok back."

"Gladly!" said I, and I placed the ball in his outstretched hand. I briskly walked toward the victim of the theft, and, with all the strength of my mind, hesitantly and awkwardly asked, "Ma'am, a-are you alright?"

J

Before I begin my tale, let me start by saying I don't go looking for trouble. Well, most of the time anyway. Okay scratch that. On the day we start our story, I wasn't trying to cause a mess. Somehow, these things just seem to…happen…

I was leaning over the railing of the S.S. Anne and watching the Goldeen and Seadra swim in the sea below. Earlier I'd been trying to relax in my room, but the constant motion of the ship hadn't agreed with my stomach, so I decided to get some fresh air. Pidgeotto certainly enjoyed it. I glanced up and squinted to see through the clouds. She'd been flying around above the ship for the last few minutes, grateful for the chance to stretch her wings.

As for me, I was just relieved to be escaping Johto. Although I was sure I hadn't been followed, I would never feel truly safe. There was the danger of being discovered at any time, and to be taken back there….

Suddenly a rough voice broke through my anxious thoughts. "I'm tellin ya, put your lot in with Team Rocket. They've fooled the world, they're gonna make a comeback any day now!" Looking over my shoulder, I saw a large man with an unmistakable Team Rocket tattoo talking to a small group of people. Jamie, leave it. Don't even think of starting anything. Eh, I wasn't good at listening, let alone to myself.

I marched right up to the guy and poked him in the shoulder. He turned. "Eh? Whaddya want?"

"Well, you shutting up about Team Rocket for one would be nice." I rolled my eyes. "You're an idiot for trying to stir up rumors."

"You don't know what you're talking about. Little girls should stick to what they know best- clothes and dolls." He gave a throaty laugh, but the group he'd been speaking to looked uneasy.

"Why you!" Clothes and dolls? How sexist could he be! I may have been trying to keep a low profile but there was no way I was going to back down to the likes of him. I reached into my shoulder bag and grabbed my Poliwhirl's Pokeball.

For just a moment a look of unease passed across the man's face. Then his eyes narrowed and he reached out and yanked the Pokeball right out of my hand.

"Hey!" I cried, but he'd already taken off towards the other end of the ship. I raced after him, weaving in and out of the crowds of people. "Someone stop him, he took my Pokemon! Pidgeotto!" I whistled a low, long note. I heard a replying shriek and knew she was flying above.

The thug ended up tripping over someone's chair, and just as I was about to give a command to Pidgeotto, the guy stood up and confronted him. I slowed to a halt and watched in amazement as the new guy not only called the thief out, but calmly caught the hurled Pokeball. He was dressed in regular traveling clothes, but there was something about his collected demeanor that made him enjoyable to cheer on.

"Sir, the way I see it," he said, "you have two options: you can hand the Pokeball back to its owner, and leave the other passengers in peace, or you can continue your aggression, have your Arbok thrown into the sea, and be literally crushed beneath the heel of my Torterra…and then give the Pokeball back."

To my delight and the crowd's amazement, the thug walked over and shoved my Pokeball back into my hands. With a small sigh of relief I replaced it back in my bag. I was just zipping it shut when I looked up to see the hero of the day coming towards me.

"Ma'am, a-are you alright?" His voice was kind as his blue eyes studied me intently.

I gave him a sheepish smile. "Yeah, thanks for the help. That jerk was running his mouth about Team Rocket, and I couldn't stand listening to him. I guess I brought this on myself," I laughed nervously.

Pidgeotto chose that moment to swoop down from the clouds and land beside me. She cocked her head and studied the new stranger. "Nice of you to finally join us," I told her. But I wasn't really annoyed, and I gave her head a few pats. "I'm Jamie, anyway. And you are….?" I held out my hand and looked at him questioningly.

Z

I probably should have practiced a bit more with talking to girls in my travels. I thought that I maybe held my composure on the outside, but my inner being was mush.

"Yeah, thanks for the help. That jerk was running his mouth about Team Rocket, and I couldn't stand listening to him. I guess I brought this on myself," she spoke with the softness of clouds and laughed with the beauty of- ok seriously, pull yourself together man. I cleared my throat and tried to sound as manly as possible.

"Pssh, Rocket's nothing to worry about." My voice cracked at least once. Smoooooooth.

Just then, a Pidgeotto swooped down to the deck, who graciously received a few pats on her owner. "Nice of you to join us," the girl remarked. Maybe they bird could use a friend to play with for a bit, I thought; I quickly established the usually telepathic connection I used to call Morgana, my Natu. However, that required a bit of zoning out. "I'm Jamie. And you are…?"

Several seconds later, I reestablished my grip on what was in front of me. "Oh! Sorry, was calling my Natu…with my mind…" Smooth again. I reached for her hand and gently shook it, introducing myself, "My name's Zed! Nice to meet you Jamie!" I beamed, probably like a total dork. "Sooo…What brings you on the Anne?" Grrr, don't be prying Zed, that's creepy.

As we finished introductions, my bird fluttered down from the clouds, short talons landing squarely on/in my shoulders. "Hey, not so rough!" I scolded gently, but produced some seeds from one of my pockets and offered them up; Morgana nibbled on the food and peeped happily. She then hopped down from my arm to greet the Pidgeotto; the Natu flapped around the magnificent bird cautiously, making timid advances but always keeping a safe distance. "Easy there, killer," I chided to my tiny psychic bird.

I secretly wondered what her other Pokemon were. Is that weird, that I was curious as to what was stolen from her? Could they match up to Thoreau or Tesla? Eh, probably not; I was no Gym Leader, hell, I probably couldn't stand in for the pre-leaders. Jamie probably has way more battling experience than me…which made me all the more curious as to what her team was like…I suddenly blurted, "Want to have a match when we land in Vermillion?" Oh, what was I in for?

J

The only experience with boys I'd had was around the ones I'd grown up with back home. Not exactly much to rely on in the real world. But there was something almost comical about my hero, who introduced himself as Zed. After a very few awkward moments of silence when I asked his name. He seemed kind of spacy, but I was the last person to make judgments about anyone. He'd told me that he was calling his Natu, which at first I doubted. I mean, he didn't even make a sound and just kind of zoned out.

But after a few moments, sure enough the tiny Pokemon appeared and landed on his shoulder. Zed even fed him some seeds, and I mentally reminded myself to shop around for Pokemon treats for my own team. The Natu started investigating Pidgeotto, and I couldn't help but smile. It was small enough to eat in one gulp, but my beloved bird merely watched it in amusement.

Usually I tried to stay under the radar as much as possible. Blending into a crowd and not calling attention to myself were skills I'd been practicing for several months. So when Zed asked why I was on the S.S. Anne, I froze. But only for a second. "Oh y'know, traveling. Usually me and Pidgeotto fly everywhere, but I decided to try something new." Not technically a lie…

But then… "Want to have a match when we land in Vermillion?" My initial response was that a battle would be fun, and it'd been so long since I'd stayed around people long enough to challenge anyone. But I still wasn't convinced I was safe. I didn't know where I'd go once the ship landed. I'd never even been to the Kanto region before.

I realized Zed was still waiting on a reply. "Well, um…" How could I put this without offending him? "I appreciate the offer, but I've got some things to do. I've never even been to the Kanto region before, I'm from the Joh-" I bit my tongue. Dammit Jamie! What happened to not disclosing any personal information? I hastily tried to cover up my mistake. "I don't even know my way around, and I'm sure you probably have reasons for coming to Vermillion as well." My face felt warm as I realized this was my worst attempt at lying ever.

Z

For a few brief moments, my heart was winning; all of the burdens in my mind were being held up by a confused, excited soul. All the loneliness of the past five, no, twenty-one years may finally-

"Well, um...I appreciate the offer, but..." God dammit. My heart had a mild temper tantrum, then sank back into it's hollow inside my ribcage. For a few moments, all the hopelessness flooded back to my being; my mind won again. Once the usual equilibrium had been reached, I tuned back in to Jamie. "I don't even know my way around, and I'm sure you probably have reasons for coming to Vermillion as well," she said, but something was not right...her tone fluttered between sorrow and fear. She was lying about something, but I'd play it off.

"Hey, this is my first time in Kanto," I spoke with as much comfort in my voice that I could muster. "Maybe we could explore together...? I mean, you sorta owe me." I don't think I could've sounded any less stupid.

Morgana was still flapping around the great Pidgeotto. After what seemed like hours of stalling, the tiny bird gave a nudge to its comrade...I don't think it even noticed. Jamie and I shared an awkward laugh...and returned to silence.

J

Although I had my reasons, I wasn't cruel. I'd tried not to notice how his face fell when I declined the offer. But when he offered to explore with me, he sounded so lonely, almost desperate. And for a few moments I allowed myself to imagine what it'd be like to have a friend again. Someone to talk to and laugh with. As long as I still kept my guard up about my past, surely I could allow some leniency...

"Actually, y'know I think I'd enjoy that. But let me warn you," I smiled at him. "I haven't battled in awhile, so don't be too shocked if I'm a bit rusty."

At the word "battle" Pidgeotto sharply looked up at me and cawed. Then, as if noticing the little Natu for the first time, it peered down and nuzzled the smaller Pokemon. Natu was such an odd Pokemon, and I'd never seen one up close before.

I took a few steps toward it, then stopped and looked up at Zed. "Do you mind if I pet your Pokemon?"

Z

"Actually, y'know I think I'd enjoy that." Oh my Arceus I can't feel my face yes yes yes.

Wait...should I be this excited? I mean, she could be the first real friend I've had...yeah, I should definitely be this excited. "But let me warn you, she said with a faint smile, "I haven't battled ("CAW!" the Pidgeotto finally spoke, to my and Morgana's surprise) in a while, so don't be too shocked if I'm a bit rusty."

"Oh that's fine, my dear," my dear? Really? "Quite frankly, I suck, but I'm pretty good at bluffing!" I laughed nervously.

I saw Jamie eyeing my Natu with curiosity; she asked, "Do you mind if I pet your Pokemon?"

I grinned. "Not at all! Go on Morgana!" The bird peeped and hopped closer to Jamie, head bowed slightly. There's such a profound innate obedience found in Psychic Pokemon; makes my Deino look like a monster in comparison.

J

"Oh that's fine, my dear." I really wasn't sure how to take that. Did friends call each other "my dear?" Should I use some kind of name back? Why was this so confusing? Thankfully I was saved by Zed's Natu, who had approached me after his instruction.

I crouched down and cautiously patted its head. "Morgana? Is that your name?" She gave me a friendly peep and I couldn't resist scooping her up. She was so soft! Her feathers were very different from Pidgeotto's. "You know, your Natu is really well behaved for one who hasn't even evolved yet." I nodded to my own bird Pokemon. "This one is nearing her final evolution and still pretty much does what she wants."

Pidgeotto cawed loudly again and pulled at my hair a little. I laughed and swatted her away, it was one of the many games we played.

Z

The sight of my Natu in this new friend's arms was painfully cute. She stroked the bird's soft down intently; I can't blame her, Natu are incredibly soft!

"You know, your Natu is really well behaved for one who hasn't even evolved yet, "Jamie remarked, then nodded towards her bird. "This one is nearing her final evolution and still pretty much does what she wants." To demonstrate this, Pidgeotto grabbed some of Jamie's golden hair playfully.

I chuckled a bit at this little game. "Yeah, I think it's something to do with Morgana's being a Psychic-type Pokemon; it seems that most Psychic-types develop some sort of telepathic connection and obedience with their trainer. Remarkable, is it not?"

Just then, a horn sounded, and a voice crackled over the Anne's intercom. "One hour until arrival in Vermillion! Passengers are advised to gather their belongings and prepare to disembark!"

J

I couldn't help it; I jumped at the sound of the intercom. Way to go Jamie! Act any more suspicious would you? But Zed didn't look like he'd noticed…

Slipping a Pokeball from pocket, I turned toward Pidgeotto. "Alright girl, free time's over. Don't worry, you'll see your new friend again soon." There was a flash of bright red light and the Pokeball snapped shut. The Natu in my arms looked almost crestfallen as I set it down.

"Well, um, did you need to collect your things?" I brushed a stray piece of hair out of my face and tucked it behind my ear. "I travel really light, so this is all I have."

I held up my ragged black bag for Zed to see. In the light it was actually more beaten up that I'd realized. There were small holes and tears in the fabric, and it was missing one strap. It was a dependable little bag though, and it was one of the only things I had from home.

Z

"Alright girl, free time's over. Don't worry, you'll see your new friend again soon," Jamie regretfully said as she put her Pidgeotto back in the Pokeball. She then set Morgana back onto the ship's deck, and the bird mournfully hopped back toward me. What am I, chopped liver? "Alright Morgana, in you go," I beckoned as I produced her Great Ball and beamed her in. I briefly wondered how Pokeballs work…but there's not much room in my mind left to think about that, especially concerning recent, attractive developments.

"Well, um, did you need to collect your things? I travel really light, so this is all I have." Jamie brushed her hair out of her face and held up a slightly tattered black bag that told tales of woe and hardship; I'm sure I'd hear those tales, but in time. I replied, "Yeah, I brought a backpack and a guitar, but they're in one of the rooms. Heh, you want to talk traveling light, I lived on my bag alone for five years wandering around the world. Good times…" The times were certainly not best, but I figured that some sort of filler phrase was necessary. "Well, I'll see you soon…?"

Jamie and I said our brief goodbyes and I headed back to my room, my head spinning a bit. It's hard to believe that friendship was such a necessary thing, but after twenty-one years of impermanent relationships, I'm starting to believe it. My heart and mind hoped for all they were worth that this was the start of something amazing.