It's been a long time since I've written a fanfic, or at least finished one, but hopefully I've still got it. Working under the theory that pressure to roll out another chapter will actually keep me writing, I present chapter 1 of the final iteration of the Pokemon fic I always wanted to write one day. This one actually has more depth than "here's a trainer, here's a Pokemon, wacky fun will occur as the plot writes itself!" That was daft. Wacky fun is not my area of expertise. I'm much better at putting rambling self-decapritating author's notes before a story in order to forstall the inevitable and terrible moment that someone reads, judges and reviews the story and I must pull myself out of my panic attack to check whether it was worth hyperventilating over. Not that it matters because most people probably don't even read this. Whatever. Just remember that I remembered the disclaimer:

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its facets, however all OCs are my intellectual property, and that does extend to individual Pokemon, in case you felt the need to steal their non-existent quirky personalities (why? You could do so much better!) so you have been warned.


Chapter 1-Falling Star

The road from Nuvema to Accumula ran parallel to the sea along its length, and passed through a thick forest. In the autumn, the trees, clad in shimmering tones of crimson and gold, were so breathtaking that the area was widely held as an area of great beauty, even with a clear view of the harbour that had been built a few years ago. As one walked along the light-dappled avenue between the trees that led to the town of Accumula, the soft whisperings of the trees soothed the spirit, so it was said. What was less soothing on this particular autumn day was the sound of a girl hyperventilating in a bush.

"Okay, okay, I can do this, I can do this..." she stammered, and, taking a deep breath, peeped out from her bush. The Lillipup was still there. It growled at her when it noticed her, and she quickly pulled her head back in. "I can't do this." She cried. "Why didn't I ask someone to show me what a battle was like, what to do, where to begin! And why didn't someone tell me that wild Pokémon leap out at you like that! I-aah!" she flinched as something poked her in the leg. But instead of the Lillipup, it was a small otter Pokémon, Oshawott, watching her with what looked almost like concern. It had poked her with the shell it was carrying, which it now waved in the general direction of the Lillipup, which was still watching them. "No, we can't go out there!" she exclaimed. "You think I want to stay in this bush, hugging my knees and wishing I'd worn jeans today because it's full of -ow! - thorns? No, we'd better stay here till it goes away. Maybe if we keep quiet, it'll think we've left and go away..." she looked out again. It was still there. Still watching them. "Oh..."


Back in Nuvema Town harbour, a small sailing yacht pulled up to the jetty and, almost before it had stopped, a figure jumped down from the side. A boy of sixteen, wearing a plain white shirt, faded jeans held up by an equally worn belt to which a single Pokéball was strapped, and a pair of comfortable but worse-for-wear dusty grey, formerly white, trainers, and a cap rammed firmly over his brow, hiding his eyes from the sun and world at large. He hoisted his rucksack over his shoulder and looked ready to go, but before he could someone yelled from the deck "Hey, Sam!" The boy, Sam, turned slowly to look up at the tanned young man standing on deck, wearing a blue vest and shorts which seemed out of place with the sandals on his feet. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Sam seemed to stare off into space for a while, but finally replied

"Yes, I'm sure. But you mustn't-"

"I mustn't tell anyone, I get it. I got it when you woke me up in the middle of the night and told me I had to bring you here. But I still don't think its right. You need to talk to someone, Sam!"

"What I need is some time alone, Matt." Sam replied with what he hoped was finality. But Mat wasn't finished yet.

"I still don't know why you're doing this. And do you really think this is going to work? You can't just disappear, you know. People will want to know where you've gone. You're not below the radar anymore." Sam laughed, but it was humourless.

"We're as far as we could get from Hoen, Matt. They'll have no idea who I am, and I certainly won't tell them. Someone else will take my place." Matt sighed and shook his head.

"There's only one person who can do that, mate, and she won't stop until she's found you, whether I tell her or not. I just hope you find what you're looking for... before she's done looking for you."

"Right, well, I'll try to remember that one, Matt. Goodbye." Sam replied curtly before turning once again to walk away.

"At least take this!" Matt yelled, tossing a Pokeball at Sam, who caught it without turning round.

"What is it?" Sam asked. "I'm not taking your Gyrados or whatever other sea monster you've caught this week." He practically spat the words out.

"Nah," Matt replied, forcing an innocent smile as the boat began to pull away. "It's just a Poliwag. They always cheer me up. Think of him as a good-luck charm. To keep you safe."

"Right..." Sam replied, stashing the ball and giving Mat a small smile, more of an upward twitch of his mouth. "Thanks." He murmured as he turned away again and finally walked away. Matt watched him go, and shook his head.

"I hope you know what you're doing..."


"Alright, I think it might have gone now..." Cautiously looking out for the umpteenth time in the past half-hour, the girl cursed and pulled her head back in for the umpteenth time. "Right, Oshawott, we're going to have to think of a plan... Oshawott?" the otter Pokémon seemed to have vanished. Although a sudden explosion of yapping quickly answered her question. "Oshawott, no!" she cried, leaping out of the bush just as Oshawott struck the Lillipup with its shell. The Lillipup recoiled, then recovered and backed up for a run-up. The otter glanced back at the girl for orders, before turning back to the Lillipup, which had backed into a tree. With a yip, it charged forward, kicking up little clouds of dust as it came.

"Um... Oshawott, tackle!" Oshawott ducked low and thundered forward, colliding head-on with the Lillipup, sending it rolling backwards in a heap. Oshawott was dazed by the collision, but the Lillipup had had enough and ran off, yelping. "Alright, good work, Oshawott!" the girl cried, running to the tottering Pokémon. "Rest up until you can walk straight." She told it, returning it to its Pokeball. "Right," she said to herself, straightening up. "That was a shameful display, Lily Lumberry. You need to try harder. What're people going to think if you can't even command your own Pokémon? That battle wasn't that hard, was it. So from now on, it's your turn. Yep, from now on you're going to be awesome at battling, and everyone's going to be talking about the amazing Miss Lumberry. Yeah, that'll be me. Amazing." And with that, the amazing Miss Lumberry stepped out of the bushes, covered in scratches, sticks knotted in her hair and looking a mess. Right into the path of another young trainer who was eager to pick a fight, even with someone so clearly amazing.

"Let me show you my Pokémon!" he cried, pointing at Lily.

"Crud." Lily muttered.

"This is gonna be easy!" the boy cried, as his Patrat tackled Oshawott off its feet.

"Uh, Oshawott, um, tackle." Lily said, as Oshawott staggered back upright. Oshawott lunged at Patrat, who scampered away, unharmed. "Oh..." Lily whimpered as Patrat swooped in again as Oshawott staggered again. Again Oshawott tried to lunge, but Patrat once again moved back, before striking Oshawott as it tried to regain its footing. "How can we attack if it just keeps hitting us off-guard?" she complained. But as she watched, she realised that Patrat had rhythm. Tackle, retreat, tackle, retreat, a repetitive motion that had it springing back and forth continuously. If she broke that motion, Patrat would be caught off guard and then she could go on the attack! But she'd have to move fast, or Oshawott would be down. "Oshawott," she cried as the Patrat tackled it again, "wait." Oshawott cocked its head but did not attack. Patrat sprang back, unrelenting, and launched itself at Oshawott again. "Dodge!" Oshawott stepped aside as Patrat leapt, causing it to trip up. "Now, tackle!" Oshawott jumped on the downed Patrat, and proceeded to pound it into submission with its feet.

"Oh yeah! Patrat, use bite!" Patrat suddenly seemed to spring back into life, biting Oshawott's foot as it came down once again. Surprised, Oshawott toppled off, before both Pokémon regained their footing and stood glaring at each other. "Come on Patrat, another bite attack!" the boy yelled, sensing a win. But now, Lily had gotten into the swing of things.

"Oshawott, give it some mussel." She commanded. Oshawott whipped up its shell and jammed it in the Patrat' open maw. It bit down on the shell, squeaking as its teeth scraped on the sharpened scallop. "Now, finish it with water gun!" Oshawott grabbed the scallop still clenched in the Patrat's teeth and spewed a river of water into the gopher Pokémon's face. It reeled back, sopping wet, and collapsed in a sodden heap at its trainer's feet. Oshawott, meanwhile, hosed off its shell and dusted it off before sticking it back on its chest. Lily breathed a sigh of relief "Well, it was anything but easy, but..."

"Osha osh." Oshawott finished for her, looking smug.

"Yeah, whatever he said." Lily finished lamely. The boy ran off in the direction of the town she'd just come from, so she began walking further down the path towards Accumula Town. Maybe, she thought, just maybe, I can actually do this.


As the sun began to dip towards the horizon, matching the hue of the white paving stones to that of the redbrick buildings, Lily strolled into the town, making a beeline for the Pokémon centre located across the main square, ignoring the empty podium erected to her left. Dotted around the square were people, most heading home for the day, save for a group of kids about her age, who seemed to be watching a battle between one of them and another, older boy with a Snivy. Only it seemed more like an argument. The boy was shouting something and the others were laughing and pointing. Then the boy ordered his Purrloin to attack the Snivy, who wasn't actually battling, but standing by his trainer's feet. The older boy stepped in front of the Snivy, and the Purrloin scratched up his leg instead. The group of kids cried out, and Lily, now closer, could hear the one who'd ordered it to attack demanding what the older one was doing. The older boy simply shook his head and turned to walk away, wincing slightly as he moved his scratched leg. But to do so he had to step away from the Snivy, and it was then that the Purrloin attacked. That was too much for Lily. "Oshawott, stop that Purrloin!" she cried, bowling her Pokeball at the Purrloin. Oshawott sprang forth and slashed at it with its razor shell, leading to outcries from the kids.

"Why're you barging in? Don't you know the rules for battles?" the owner of the Purrloin demanded.

"I know you shouldn't be attacking his Pokémon while the trainer's walking away, yeah." Lily snarled.

"What're you doing!" the older boy hissed. "Don't start a fight on my behalf."

"No, its okay, I've got this." Lily reassured him, turning back to the other kids.

"No, I mean I don't want you to fight for me. If I wanted that, I'd do it myself. Also, your Oshawott's going to faint."

"No way. We can take a Purrloin, you know." Lily replied huffily, rather annoyed at the stranger's lack of gratitude for her assistance.

"...Two on one's not fair, is it?" the boy yelled at her.

"What?" Lily asked, but when one of the others released a Blitzle, she realised exactly what he meant. "Ah..." she said, wondering if she might have the good fortune to be fighting a Blitzle which did not know any electrical moves.

"Charge!" the Blitzle's trainer, a girl about her age but with dark hair tied in a ponytail and dressed in more sensible clothing for skulking in bushes than Lily's shorts, commanded, and Blitzle's fur began to bristle with static. Bother. And on top of that...

"Purrloin, scratch!" The Purrloin lunged at Oshawott, who was hit, caught by surprise, and reeled backwards. It struggled back to its feet, but it didn't look in good shape. Lily thought she heard the older boy behind her growl something impolite before the dark-haired girl cried "Shockwa-"

"Leaf Tornado!" the boy standing behind Lily roared, and Snivy leapt forward, leaves shooting from where they lay scattered across the square and ripped off the trees into a red-orange blur that surged past Lily, whipping up the Purrloin and crashing into the Blitzle, sending the pair tumbling into a heap before the wind subsided, covering them in leaves. And knocked out cold. "Happy now?" the boy demanded, seething. "take this," he snarled, tossing a potion at her, which she caught just shy of it colliding with her head, "and next time, if you must battle, at least do your Pokémon the service of making sure they're actually fit to battle!" and without another word, he turned on his heel and stalked off.

"Well gee, sorry for helping!" Lily yelled after him. He didn't turn around, but he did stop. "That's better. Now all you have to do is apologise and..." the boy held up a hand to silence her. "Hey, don't tell me to..." then she followed his gaze across the square to the podium she'd walked past earlier, only now it was occupied.


My name is Ghetsis. I am here representing Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation."

"Pokémon Liberation?" Lily asked.

"I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokémon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other. However... Is that really the truth? Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans... only assume that this is the truth?"

"Does this guy actually own a Pokémon?" Lily pondered, but all eyes were on the speaker.

"Pokémon are subject to the selfish commands of Trainers... They get pushed around when they are our "partners" at work... Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?" Nervous mutterings began to spread through the crowd at this.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, Pokémon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokémon?"

That's right! We must liberate the Pokémon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokémon truly be equals. Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokémon... and the correct way to proceed. We sincerely appreciate your attention."

"And come back same time tomorrow for the Elgyem conspiracy theorists!" Lily shouted, rather more loudly than she intended. The trainer she'd been arguing with just before gave her a withering glare. The man on the podium, Ghetsis, apparently either didn't hear her or was ignoring her, but someone else did.

"Excuse me," Lily whirled round to find a man standing right behind her. She would have hit him if she hadn't jumped a foot away when he spoke. He was tall and wore tan trousers with a white jacket, a black and white cap perched on what appeared to be a messy ponytail of sorts. Around his neck he wore a weird pendant, and something about him Lily found incredibly unnerving, although she couldn't quite place what it was. "You're rather sceptical of Pokémon liberation, despite your inability to understand how they feel. What makes you so sure? What do your Pokémon say? Show me!" With that he produced a Pokeball and tossed it, releasing a large Purrloin, which flexed its claws and snarled at Lily.

"Well today's your lucky day, because we're all fired up!" Lily cried. "Oshawott, go!"

"Even now you are ordering your Pokémon about..." the man told her, as Oshawott sprung from its Pokeball.

"Oshawott!" It yelled at the man and his Purrloin. He raised an eyebrow.

"How intriguing." He mused. "Very well. Purrloin, scratch!" Purrloin sprang, but Lily had anticipated this.

"Oshawott, water gun!" she cried. Oshawott sprang into action, spitting water at the Purrloin, which managed to stall it just short of making contact. "Keep it up!" she yelled encouragingly. Oshawott continued to pound the Purrloin with water, pinning it under the torrent, until within a minute it dropped under the spray and sprawled on the ground. "Alright, that's enough!" Lily commanded, and Oshawott ceased its barrage. "Nice work, Oshawott." She cheered, bending down to give Oshawott a high-five.

"Oshawott, Osh." Oshawott replied proudly, before turning back to the green-haired man.

"See, me and Oshawott are best buddies." Lily told the man triumphantly.

"Interesting... But you will be made to understand. Everyone will be made to understand..." he turned away, but found the boy blocking his path.

"Who are you?" he asked. The man stepped right up to him, so that the boy had to lean back.

"I am N." The man replied, before walking off after Ghetsis and his escort of what looked like people dressed as knights.

"Well that was weird." Lily said, looking after them. "Who were they?"

"No idea." The boy replied, frowning. "But it's an interesting idea."

"Seriously?" Lily asked, incredulous. "How can you say you'd rather be separated from your Pokémon? What about Snivy?" The boy glared at her, but then his gaze seemed to pass through her, looking into the far distance.

"Sometimes Pokémon can get hurt in battles. Sometimes... sometimes they die." He said. "If Pokémon were freed, they wouldn't have to battle any more. They wouldn't have to die by the decisions of their masters."

"Yeah, but... that hardly ever happens. Most of the time, it's just fun. People and Pokémon, bonding together. We work together to accomplish more. It's not just a one-way thing. They protect us and work for us, we help them grow and become stronger. We can do these things alone, but it's much easier when we work together."

"I suppose..." the boy said cautiously. "But still, they have a point..."

"Okay, now I know there's something wrong with you. You need someone to keep an eye on you. Someone like me." Lily told him.

"You cannot be serious..." he replied incredulously.

"Damn right I am. But if it makes you feel better, we'll call it a partnership. I'm Lily. Lily Lumberry." She offered a hand to shake.

"Right. And is there any way I can make you go away and stop bothering me?" the boy asked, although he was beginning to smile.

"Nope. You're gonna be stuck with me until I'm convinced you're cured." Lily informed him.

"Well, I suppose I need someone to show me around. And you need some serious training before you hurt yourself. So I'd better follow you around to keep you out of harm's way." He said, grudgingly, but smiling nonetheless. Lily's enthusiasm was infectious.

"Excuse me?" Lily demanded. "Keep me out of harm's way? Before I hurt myself?"

"Yes, but if it makes you feel better, we'll say we're partners instead of mentor and student. I'm Sam. Sam Ponder." He told her, grinning and wagging a finger, before grabbing her hand and shaking it.

"Alright then, partners it is." Lily replied, clasping his hand and shaking it also. Then they stood there staring at each other for a minute or so.

"Erm..."

"Uh..."

"Is it me or is it cold out here?"

"Yeah. Let's get inside."

"Can you rent rooms in the Pokémon centres here? It's probably warm in there."

"Sure, sure. Let's do that."

"Right."

"Right."


A little short by my current standards, but the next chapter will be longer. If anyone has any Pokemon they'd like to appear in the story, feel free to say so, as long as they actually do appear in Gen 5. This story started out Unova based, and that's how it's gonna stay.