The Mudkip, a pokémon fanfic

Boom! The scene exploded from a peaceful pond with a water droplet hitting it, to a field. A girl whizzed by on her bike. She was tall for her age with long flowing light brown hair. She had a bandana on her head that was the same color as a Swampert. Her sapphire eyes had a strong softness to them. Her blue Tennis shoes and orange socks looked just like a Mudkip's cheeks against it's blue face. Her small gold locket was closed, and had a pretty design on the front. She was wearing a pair of golden shorts and a T-shirt with a Mudkip using water gun on it.

As the girl rode around on her bike, a Latias, facing the same direction as the girl, fell behind her. The girl's head spun around to get a better look at this amazing Pokemon. The Latias ignored her and slowly caught up with her. The girl's gaze was totally focused on the Pokemon. As Latias slowly passed the girl, it sped up. The girl pedaled faster after her.

"Mom! I'm home!" yelled the girl as she walked in the door. She kicked off her shoes and headed upstairs.

"Good thing too! March, you need to get to bed early tonight!" said March's mom as she brought out a nice dinner and gave it to her daughter.

"Thanks mom. Don't worry, I know what Pokemon I'm gonna start my journey with!" March said between bites of chicken.

"Well, you still should enjoy your last night at home."

"Linoon!" whined March's mom's Linoon. He wanted some of the chicken she was happily eating. As Linoon begged, her other Pokemon came over to join him. Flaffy, Nummel, Swellow, Shuppet and Kecleon had all been strong Pokemon back when March's mom was young, but now they were like spoiled household pets and hadn't been in a battle since March was born. She was now 10, so she could start her Pokemon journey.

"Hey mom," said March, still eating her chicken. "Today when I was out riding my bike, I saw a Latias! Do you think that's a good sign?"

"That's a great sign! The legend goes that any trainer who sees a mystical the day before, or on the day that they start their journey, will have good luck, catch a mystical maybe even the same one, and become a Pokemon master! Or a gym leader, or the Pokemon league champion. You know, I never saw a mystical in my entire time as a trainer."

"Cool! I'd better get to bed." March yawned as she un-conspicuously scraped her leftover chicken on to the rug for Linoon.

When March reached her room, she heard her mom coming up the stairs. Oh shoot, she must've caught me feeding the Pokemon.

"March! I almost forgot, I bought you a good luck present!" her mom smiled as she walked into March's room with a Skitty pink backpack. It had the creamy tan face of a Skitty coming out of the pink.

"Oh, Mom it's adorable! Thanks!" she giggled as she paraded it around the room. "I'd better start packing it up."

"I also got you a badge case." Her mom handed her the silver case. "It has specially shaped holders for the 8 Honnen badges. It's got extra compartments fitted for contest ribbons, Johto badges, Kanto badges and even a spot for Orange League badges. Now remember to leave room for your Pokedex and Pokeballs. And here, take your father's Pokenav. It needs to be updated though. I called Professor Birch and he said he'd update it for you when you came tomorrow."

"Thanks mom."

The next morning, as March's mom was getting out of bed at dawn (they're early risers in that house!) March was wolfing down her breakfast in her robe. "March dear, why are you up at 6 am?"

"Getting ready! I'm gonna be the first kid at the lab and get a Mudkip!"

Fifteen minutes later, March was outside pulling her bike away from her house. She quickly rode to the lab and burst in the door. Lucky for the Professor, he was an early riser too, at least on the days when he gave out Pokemon to young trainers.

"Hi Professor!" she yelled.

"March! How are you? How's your mom doing? I haven't seen her in years!" said the Professor with a hearty laugh.

"Mom's doing find and I'm excited about starting my journey." March smiled as she bounced. (Geeze, this kid gets up at 6 am, and rides her bike halfway across Littleroot town, and is still bouncy?)

"Oh, yes." He laughed. "Can I have your Pokenav?" March handed him the Pokenav and he stuck it in a computer. "There, it's all updated." He handed her back the Pokenav. "Now you need your Pokedex, Pokeballs and your first Pokemon! Do you know what you're going to pick?"

"What, my shirt doesn't give it away?" March laughed as she pointed to the Mudkip on her T-shirt.

"Oh, March I'm sorry but my son Brendan picked up the Mudkip last night."

"Oh, but don't you have another Mudkip around here? PLEASE?"

"Well, I do have a Mudkip egg that's close to hatching. If you don't mind having a baby it's OK."

"Thanks Professor!" Sang March as she danced around the lab. Birch handed her the egg and it started to hatch right in her hands.

"Muddd! Kipkipkip!" it said as it cocked it's head and smiled at March.

"Congratulations March, it's a girl." Birch said making a small examination of the newly hatched Mudkip. "Now, take your Pokedex and six Pokeballs."

"OK Mudkip, go in the nice Pokeball." March coaxed as she recalled her tiny Mudkip. "She's small enough to fit in the palm of my hand!" she commented to the Professor as she released her Mudkip, which now had a Pokeball.

"Well you didn't say you didn't want a baby."

"Who said that's a bad thing?" March giggled as she picked up Mudkip. "You're even cuter at this size!" March laughed as Mudkip smiled and wagged her tail.

"Well, goodbye Littleroot town!" March sighed as she looked back at her home town. She'd finally started her Pokemon journey.

March checked her Pokenav and decided to go to Ordale town. Along the route she got lonely (which didn't take long, considering March was a sociable person) and let out her Mudkip. The little baby hopped cutely up onto her shoulder.

After a while, March missed human contact. Then she saw a Charizard flying above her. Mudkip hid in her hair as the Charizard landed in front of March. A boy's head popped up from behind the Charizard's neck. He had very dark blond hair and it was made into little spikes (I guess guys around there like the spikes). His Hazel eyes seemed soft and welcoming. He jumped off his Charizard and March could see he had a light blue T-shirt with a Charizard using flamethrower and yellowish-green long pants accompanied by new white tennis shoes. He had a bright orange bag with a strap over his shoulder and a watch with another Charizard picture on it.

"Hi, I'm Alex." said the boy. "I can tell by your Mudkip you're just starting your journey."

"Yup, I'm March by the way. I just left home this morning."

"Nice to meet you March. This is my first Pokemon, Charizard." He said calmly patting his Charizard. "I started my journey two years ago. I traveled all over Kanto, and then Johto. Now I plan to challenge the Hoen gym leaders."

"Wow, then you must have a bunch of well trained Pokemon."

"Yeah, other than Charizard here, I have Arcanine," he let Arcaning out of it's ball. "Jolteon, Zapdos and Raikou." He let the Pokemon out of their balls as he said their names.

"It would be useful having an experienced trainer around." Thought March and the two of them quickly made plans to travel together.

"It does get pretty lonely traveling all alone." Stated Alex. March nodded and the two of them headed north to Ordale town. They reached it just at dusk.

"Where do you think we should spend the night?" March asked her new friend as they walked in the Pokemon Center to restore their Pokemon.

"Pokemon Centers don't just heal Pokemon. They have a restraint and rooms for the trainers to sleep in."

"Here you go, all 6 Pokemon are in tip top shape, but I'd recommend to keep that Mudkip out of battles for a while. It's just to young." Nurse Joy said in her usual smile and soft voice as she handed Alex a tray with 5 Pokeballs on it and March her Mudkip.

"Mud! Kipkipkip!" Mudkip smiled, but on her last 'kip' she let out a blast of water. March was sopping. "Mud, kip." Mudkip sighed in an apologetic tone.

"It's OK, you were just happy to see me! Just try not to do it again." March laughed. "This is why I wanted a water type over a fire type. No offence, but if a Charizard or Charmander or even a Torchic used a fire attack accidentally, it would be hard to laugh about it. With a Mudkip, it just gives you a dousing!"

"Mud!" Mudkip smiled.

"Mmm! This is some good chicken! Here, try some Mudkip." March smiled while eating her dinner.

"Mudd!" Mudkip was happy she got to try her owner's food.

"March! You don't feed Pokemon human food!" Alex yelled surprised.

"Why not? Whynaught, get it?" March giggled.

"They'll get in the habit of eating people food and won't eat Pokemon food!" he reprimanded.

"Too bad." March said quickly.

The next morning, Alex woke up to find March messing with her Pokenav. "Oh, you're up. I've been checking my Pokenav and it says there are three routes leading out of Ordale town. South, north, and west, we came in from the south, and the north one is blocked off, so we should leave to the west." March said with plenty of enthusiasm, considering how early in the morning it was.

"How can you get up this early?" Alex asked with a yawn as he slowly got out of bed.

March shrugged and stretched. "I already had breakfast but I don't mind waiting for you."

While Alex slowly ate his breakfast, March groomed her Mudkip. When he was ready to go on the road, they left the Pokemon Center and headed west.

"Wait," Alex said, putting a hand on March's shoulder. "We need to stop off at the Pokemart before we leave." So the three travelers (including Mudkip) went in the mart. March was amazed by all the stuff trainers needed. "Get a cart, there's a ton of stuff we need." March got a shopping cart and followed Alex through the store, watching all the stuff he put in it. "We need Pokeballs, Potions, Super Potions, Antidotes, Awakenings, Burn Heals, Paralyze Heals, Ice Heals, Revives and Escape Ropes, JIC."

"JIC?"

"Just In Case. Well, that's it. How 'bout we make a deal? One of us pays for the stuff and the other carries it?"

"I'm paying." March quickly stated after eying the cart.

"No sweat!" he gave her a thumbs up (with only one thumb, wait, wouldn't that be a thumb up? Oh well.) and she giggled.

"I guess the next town we need to go to is Petalburg City."

"They have a gym there, Norman, uses normal types and gives out the Balance badge."

"But, how do you know?"

"I do my research."

After a few minutes they ran into a Zigzagoon. "Aww! I always wanted a Zigzagoon! My mom has a Linoon!" March gawked as she pulled out a Pokeball.

"But March, you do know,"

"That I have to weaken it? Yeah, but Mudkip's too weak and young to battle." She quickly pulled out her Pokedex.

"Zigzagoon, the Tiny Raccoon Pokemon. It's pickup ability enables it to pick up items it finds, therefore making it a useful member to any Pokemon lineup. It's docile nature makes it a good first catch for new trainers." The Pokedex explained. Naturally March knew all this, but she needed to show that she'd seen one. Alex pulled out his Pokedex (that looked different from March's (March has a Honen Pokedex, while Alex has a Johto that's been updated)) and it gave him the same information.

March threw the Pokeball at the Zigzagoon. "Pokeball, GO!" The Zigzagoon went in the ball. Thump thump, thump thump, POP! Out came Zigzagoon.

"Zigzagoon!" it yelled as it ran off into the tall grass.

"Nuts!" March sighed, frustrated as she snapped her fingers. After another few minutes they came across a boy.

"Oh-no, where'd he go?"

"Where'd who go?" March asked kindly. "Maybe we can help."

"Oh, my name's Calvin and my Tailow's run off!" the boy half cried.

"My mom has a Swellow so I'm pretty used to them!" March smiled friendly as she and Alex pulled out their Pokedexs.

"Tailow, the Tiny Sparrow Pokemon. It's guts ability raises it's attack power when it is affected by a special condition. Tailow never give up a fight, even if they know they can't win."

After a minute, all three of them were calling out for Tailow.

"Tailow! Tailow, come out!" yelled March looking around for the bird.

"Mud mud!" Mudkip assisted her. Just then, Mudkip saw something move in the tree ahead of them. Mudkip, who was on March's shoulder, waited until they were directly under the tree then she jumped up to March's head and onto the lowest branch.

"Mudkip! Where are you going?" March asked as she looked up to see her Mudkip climbing up the tree, branch by branch. "Mudkip get back here! What if you fall!" March stomped her foot but Mudkip just kept climbing.

Soon Mudkip was about half way up the tree. She cold still hear March yelling at her to get down, but her sensor detected something on her branch next to the trunk. Mudkip slowly walked up to it. It was Tailow, only he was freaked out. Mudkip asked him what was wrong and he said that he was scared of heights and couldn't fly.

Mudkip got an evil grin on her face. She stared at him and her eyes turned blue. The same blue encompassed Tailow. Mudkip turned and faced out towards March and Tailow moved in the same direction.

"Tai?" Tailow was hovering directly above March, only about 5 feet above her head! Mudkip closed her eyes and Tailow started falling. He quickly opened up his wings and flapped like crazy. After less than a second, Tailow started flying up. Tailow quickly got the hang of flying and flew up to Mudkip. She hopped on his back and he flew her down to March.

"Mudkip! You're OK! Are you Calvin's Tailow?" asked March.

"Ta." Tailow nodded. March grabbed him and gently put him on her left shoulder while Mudkip returned to her perch on March's right.

"Calvin, Alex, I found Tailow!" March yelled happily as she ran back to where the three split up.

"Tailow!" Calvin sighed, relieved. Tailow jumped off March's shoulder and flew over to Calvin. "Tailow, you can fly!"

"What, he couldn't fly before he ran away?" Alex asked puzzled.

Calvin shook his head. "Hey, since I found Tailow, wanna have a battle?"

"Sorry, but the only Pokemon I have is Mudkip and she's just a baby." March gently scratched Mudkip under her chin.

"How 'bout you big guy, a 2 on 2 battle?" he asked Alex, pulling out a Pokeball.

"Sure, but my Pokemon are probably stronger and more experienced than yours. What if I just use one against your 2?" Alex offered releasing his Arcanine. Calvin nodded understandingly and the two quickly started a battle.

"Go Arcanine!" Alex yelled. Arcanine let out a terrifying howl.

"In that case, I choose you Zigzagoon!" Calvin yelled as he released the Pokemon from his ball.

"Let the battle begin!" March said officially, se was just happy to see her first Pokemon battle.

"Zigzagoon, use tackle!"

"Arcanine, dodge with Extreme Speed!"

Zigzagoon attacked and Arcanine dodged. Arcanine quickly (as the attack is called 'Extreme Speed') attacked with Extreme Speed. Zigzagoon was out in one hit.

"Zigza, goon." Zigzagoon sighed as Calvin recalled him.

"OK, go Tailow!" Calvin threw Tailow off his shoulder.

"Arcanine, use flamethrower!"

"Tailow, fly up to dodge!"

The two Pokemon did as they were told and Tailow evaded the attack, but just barely.

"Arcanine, use Extreme Speed again, don't let Tailow fly away!"

Arcanine's legs were a blur, it was going so fast. In fact, it was going straight up! It hit Tailow but not with force, because Arcanine was already starting to fall back down to earth. Arcanine quickly shifted so he landed on his feet. Tailow easily caught himself and hovered about as high as Calvin's head.

"Tailow, quickly use gust!"

Tailow used gust and when he was done, Arcanine just shook his head and blew it off. "Tai?"

"Man, that must be one high level Arcanine! It barely did any damage!"

"Arcanine, Fire Spin!"

The battle was over, Arcanine was too fast and too strong for Tailow.

"Wow, you must've been training for a long time to have an Arcanine that powerful." Calvin shook Alex's hand at the end of the battle. Alex nodded and a Poochena came out of the bush next to them. "A Poochyena! I've gotta go catch it! Thanks again, bye!" Calvin yelled as he chased after the Poochyena.

The three travelers got on the road again and March was still amazed by the battle they had. "How did your Arcanine know to go straight up while using Extreme Speed, and he caught himself on the ground when he landed, almost as if he did it often."

"Well, that's my special battle surprise, it throws other trainers off when they're trying to copy your strategy. I was once watching this kid battle, and he used some unconventional attacks, like he used a Tododile's jaws to hold a Kingdra's mouth shut, which sent it flying from the force of it's own held up Hydro pump. I always wanted to try an attack like that, because it would make my opponent think that I always used odd attacks like that, yet I only use the Extreme Vertical Speed attack. You can guess where I got the name."

"Boy, I don't wanna battle you!" March laughed.

After a while of walking, March finally asked Alex a question that had been on her mind since before the battle. "Hey Alex?"

"Mmh?" Alex turned to face March.

"I was wondering, on the day before you started your Pokemon journey, did you see a mystical? Like Raikou of Zapdos?"

"No, but in the afternoon on the day I started, Charmander and I saw a Rayquazza. It flew over our heads and made a wind that blew us almost six feet."

"Really? I saw a Latias the day before I started my journey. My mom said it was a good luck sign."

"Maybe it is."

"Hey, what are those trees?" March asked suddenly, pointing to a pair of trees that had fruit on them.

"Berry trees! Let's see," Alex picked off a berry from each of the two trees and carefully studied them. "This one's and Oran berry," he handed her the blue one. "and this one's a Pecha berry." He handed her the pinkish brown one.

"These things are cool! I'm gonna start collecting 'em!" March started shoving as many berries as she could pick into an empty (but not for long) compartment of her bag.

A little while later, when they were just a little bit away from Petalburg city, a Ralts jumped out from the tall grass. "A Ralts! They're so cute! I have to catch it!" March giggled as she pulled out her Pokedex.

"Ralts, the feelings Pokemon. It's Trace ability allows it to copy the opponents ability. It's Synchronize ability causes the opponent to be affected by the special condition it puts on Ralts. This Pokemon is extremely rare and few trainers will pass up an opportunity to catch one." When Alex pulled out his Pokedex, he was repeated the same message.

March pulled out a Pokeball and Mudkip jumped down to the ground. "You wanna battle?"

"Mud!" Mudkip nodded her little head.

"OK, just be careful. Water gun!" Mudkip did as she was told, but it didn't seem to do much damage. "That's weird, water attacks should do regular damage to a Psychic type, and they're close to the same level." March shrugged. "Mudkup, use tackle attack!"

Mudkip rammed into the Ralts and sent her flying. "Good job Mudkip! Now leave the rest to me! Go Pokeball!" March spun around and chucked the Pokeball at the Ralts as hard as she could.

The Ralts went in. Thump thump, thump thump. Wiggle. Oh no! It's gonna come out! Worried March, but it didn't. Ping! "Yeah! I caught Ralts!" March held out the Pokeball and bounced around on one leg, doing her weird (and scary) victory dance.

"Mudkip!" Mudkip was happy too. Alex smiled.

"And I couldn't have done it without you Mudkip!" March picked up the happy little blue blob. Mudkip wiggled. After the exciting catch of Ralts, March let her new Pokemon out of it's ball and carried it.

"March, if you keep letting your Pokemon out, what's gonna happen when you have six? You'll be buried!" Alex laughed, picturing his new friend covered in Pokemon. March giggled, shrugged and hugged her new Ralts.

Later that day, the now four travelers reached Petalburg city. As soon as they got there, Alex had to check out the gym. As Alex walked in, with March following, he asked for a battle. "Hello? Anyone here? I'd like a gym battle."

"I'm right here." Said a young boy from behind the two. Alex and March spun around and saw a boy in a long green shirt with brown eyes and huge glasses. "Whatever it is you want, make it quick! I'm watching some loser named Al get his butt kicked at the Silver Conference. It's on live so I don't wanna miss it."

"Uh, we're here for a gym battle and" Alex didn't get to finish.

"Dad! There's some people wanting a battle with you!" the boy yelled down the hall. "No if you'll excuse me, I gotta go see what that Houndoom's doing." He turned around and walked into a nearby room where March and Alex could see the flashing lights from a TV.

"So, you two are here for a gym battle?" Norman asked politely. "That was my son Max, sorry if he seemed a little rude, he's just so excited about the Silver Conference going on in Johto. Anyway, if you want a gym battle with me, you have to collect four other Honen gym badges. I'm just too powerful for lower level Pokemon. Sorry." March started to protest but Alex nodded understandingly.

"Yeah, they did that in Viridian city back in Kanto." Alex thought.

As they left the gym a little disappointed, March wanted to go to the Pokemon center. "My Ralts hasn't said a thing since I caught her. Is anything wrong with her Nurse Joy?" March placed hr newest Pokemon on the counter in front of Nurse Joy.

Nurse Joy took her into the examining room and came out fifteen minutes later. "I looked for any possible problem. Your Ralts is just a late bloomer." Nurse Joy handed March back her Ralts.

The two decided to spent the night in the Pokemon Center so they wouldn't get stuck in the Petalburg woods that night. While March was wating for Alex to wake up the next morning, she scanned her Pokenav to see where they should go next. "So we head west, then North and we're at the woods!"

"Huh, what? What'd I miss?"

"Oh, Mudkip and I were planning where we should go next. If we head west out of town and go north through the Petalburg woods, we'll quickly reach Rustbro city."

"They have a gym there, Roxanne, uses rock types and gives out the stone badge." Alex yawned.

After a quick (and I mean it) breakfast, the four travelers set out on the road to Rustboro. They passed a beach where March had to dip her toes in the ocean. She, Mudkip, Ralts, Alex and all his Pokemon had some fun on the beach. After a while, Alex pointed out that they'd be stuck in the Petalburg wood at night if they didn't hurry up.