A/N: Oh, look! A new story! I must be psycho.

IF YOU WANT YOUR CHARACTER TO APPEAR IN THIS FANFICTION, PLEASE SEE THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.

Please submit your ideas for a team name. If you don't, I'm just going to make up something stupid.

Um...I'll be ignoring a bit of Pokemon physics in this. Some of that will be explained...And, then again, some won't. Please bear with me.

Enjoy and Review!

In all of her seven years of life, Ava never would have guessed that sneaking into the Cave of Origin would have been this easy. A simple distraction had been all it took, with her three friends luring the guard off…And then she was in.

The Cave had been a place of fascination for her since she had been old enough to understand the word "forbidden". What could be down there? Treasure? A long-dead civilization? Rare pokemon? Whatever was hidden down there, it was enough to spark even the dullest of imaginations, and Ava's imagination was far from the dullest.

Unfortunately, the redhead hadn't expected the Cave of Origin to be so dark. Her flashlight had been flickering for the past several minutes now, and the bulb was slowly dimming. Soon, it would go out entirely. Ava wasn't afraid of the dark, but the idea of being alone in the deep blackness of the cave was enough to make anyone's knees start knocking.

There. The light was gone, and Ava couldn't see anything. But what could she do but keep walking?

So walk she did. She walked, and walked, and walked. How much time had gone by? She didn't know. All she knew was that she was cold and hungry and thirsty and her feet felt like they were going to fall off.

It was these same traitorous feet that tripped her and sent her tumbling. Her left arm struck a rock with a crack, and Ava howled in agony.

Whimpering, Ava clutched her arm to her body, letting out cries of pain every time she jostled it. Why had she come here? This was a stupid idea! She was lost and scared and in pain. She wanted to go home.

Still, as she rested her back against the rocky wall, Ava refused to cry. Crying wouldn't help her at all. She just needed to stay calm, think through the pain, and find a way out.

But how could she? Ava was beginning to think there was no way out of this blackness. She had been down here for hours, and no one had come looking for her. Maybe they wouldn't notice she was gone for years.

In that moment of clarity, Ava was sure she was going to die. Strangely enough, though she didn't like the idea, she wasn't scared. It was merely a statement of fact, something that was going to happen no matter how she fought it.

She was fading. Slowly but surely, Ava felt herself falling asleep. She wasn't so cold anymore, even though she was shaking violently. The pain in her arm was like a distant memory, and her mind felt hazy.

That was why she wasn't surprised when a warm body pressed itself next to hers. When she looked over through half-lidded eyes, Ava could see the pokemon's gleaming crystal eyes. A Sableye.

"Oh, hello," she mumbled. Her voice sounded strange to her ears, or maybe it was the echo of the cave. "Are you going to take me away when I die? Bury me in a secret Sableye tomb?"

The Sableye chattered something at her as Ava's head sunk to rest on her knees, not that she understood a word of it. It's teeth flashed brightly in the red and blue light.

Light…

Light! Ava's eyes shot open to take in the now-visible cave around her. The rock walls were tiered with paths running criss-cross through the stone; it was a wonder she hadn't fallen sooner. Buried into each wall was a red or blue crystal, each of which now emitted a bright glow. The entire cavern was aglow with light. Truly, it was one of the most amazing things the young girl had ever seen.

As she looked around the luminescent cave, Ava realized: She didn't want to die. She wanted to live. She wanted to see her parents breed powerful new pokemon. She wanted to help Cordelia start a herb shot in Sootopolis, just like in Lavaridge. She wanted to swim with her friends in the lake in the middle of town. She couldn't die here!

However, Ava's mind was getting fuzzy again. She was too weak to move, let alone stand, and she was shaking badly. Why had she wanted to get up? Why did she need to leave? She couldn't remember...

Ava felt a pair of warm arms pick her up just as her vision faded into blackness.

The first thing Ava noticed when she woke up was a tickling on her nose. She sneezed, and a startled cry issued from the crook of her arm. Paws padded their way up her body, and a weight settled itself onto her chest. When Ava opened her eyes, they were met by sea foam green orbs.

"Hello, Lazarus," she croaked, and the Eevee chirped a greeting in his own language.

For a moment, Ava couldn't remember what happened, so she focused on what she did know. She was laying in a bed, her own bed, in her own room, in what she assumed to be her house. Her left arm was in a cast, and ached dully. She had a feeling that if she moved it too much it would turn into a throbbing pain.

The Cave of Origin. Of course. She had fallen, and it seemed she had broken her arm. She remembered thinking she was going to die, and a Sableye, and…someone saving her? But who?

"How did I get out?" She asked the Eevee, stroking him behind the ears. Lazarus' green eyes slowly drifted shut, and a deep rumble emanated from in his chest. The undersized pokemon had hatched a little over a month back, from a line of Eevees and their evolutions that Ava's father had been breeding since he was young. Both of her parents had been surprised to see his bright green eyes. Ava's father had called Nurse Joy in, who told him not to worry. Apparently, pokemon breeders all over the world had been seeing strange mutations appearing in their prized pokemon, but so far, all had went on to live healthy, happy, normal lives, and she saw no reason why Lazarus couldn't do the same. Her parents had took it all in stride, even joking that they would breed a line of green-eyed Eevees and become known throughout the world.

"Ava, we've been worried sick about you!" And there they were now. Ava's mother came marching in, her brown hair falling out of its bun and green eyes flashing.

Her father was right behind her, running a hand through his red hair. "Sneaking into the Cave of Origin," he muttered. "What were you thinking?"

"You're lucky Wallace was there to save you," her mother scolded. "Who knows what could have happened?"

"I know. I'm sorry I did it," was Ava's honest reply.

Ava's father sighed and went down on his knees before her bed. "I suppose we're lucky we don't usually have this sort of trouble from you. Don't scare us like that," he murmured.

"Hey, Dad? Who's Wallace?" She had to know who her savior was.

"The Gym Leader here in Sootopolis," her mother explained, "But don't change the subject! You are in a lot of trouble, young lady!"

Lazarus leaped down from Ava's bed and strolled out the door. Little stinker, Ava thought. He doesn't have to sit through this lecture.

The first thing Ava did when she was un-grounded was visit the Gym. Anyone who wanted to could watch the intense pokemon battles going on inside. She quickly made her way to the back of the building, where a battle was already taking place.

At first, Ava couldn't believe her eyes. It was easy to see that the Gym Leader and his pokemon were strong, extremely so, but anyone could be powerful if they trained long and hard enough. But the way they moved - It was almost like she was watching a dance. Each of his pokemon knew what Wallace wanted before he even called out the command, and the Leader himself constantly called out encouragements to his pokemon.

In the end, the challenging trainer lost. He never even had a chance, not with his unsure commands and his pokemon's clunky movements. He stood solemnly in the center of the arena, waiting to be told off by the Gym Leader.

Instead, Wallace smiled and rested a hand on his shoulder. He told the trainer that he did an excellent job, and he could tell that his pokemon really trusted and cared for him. Then, he invited him to come back and battle again as soon as he was ready.

As Ava left that day, she knew she had a new idol. She went home and penned a letter to the Gym Leader.

Dear Mister Wallace,

Thank you for saving my life. I was really scared in that cave, but you found me and brought me home. I thought I was going to die, but you carried me back out into a life I will be sure to cherish.

I saw your battle in your Gym today. I think you're really cool, and when I grow up, I want to be just like you!

Sincerely,

Ava Gallagher

Ava never managed to get up the courage to deliver the note.

"Are you sure you'll be all right, dear?" Cordelia asked the eleven-year-old. Though the woman's brown hair was wisped with gray at the temples, her brown eyes still held the mirth and laughter of youth.

"Don't worry, Cordelia!" Ava grinned. "I'm eleven now. Lots of kids leave at ten to go on a journey with their pokemon. I'm just running an errand overnight! Besides, I have your Jacob with me." She patted the reliable Pelipper on its side. "He'll keep me safe. Won't you, Jake?"

The Pelipper cooed a cheerful reply, and Cordelia sighed. "Fine, fine. Remember, you have to meet up with Elizabeth in the Pokemon Center in Pacifidlog Town. It'll be evening by the time you get there, so she'll arrange for a place for you to stay the night. You can fly back in the morning with the package. And then," she sighed dreamily, "I can finally open up my herb shop."

Ava laughed and hopped up to sit between Jacob's wings. "I'll see you tomorrow," she called as the Pelipper took off. Cordelia watched her go until her pokemon was a tiny speck in the sky.

The pick-up had been a success, with Elizabeth's package now swinging beneath the Pelipper's body, gripped in his sturdy talons. Ava was nestled snugly between Jacob's wings, enjoying the wind in her face. Pacifidlog had been a gorgeous town. Ava had personally loved running between the floating wooden houses on the timber walkways. The tropical climate was enough to make anyone want to strip down and go swimming. Maybe she would move there when she was old enough.

Ava scowled when her glasses started slipping down her nose again. She had only gotten them recently, and for the most part, she didn't mind them. Actually, she thought they made her look quite intelligent. Unfortunately, they were constantly slipping down her nose while she was flying, forcing Ava to adjust them as she flew. She loosened her grip of Jacob's feathers to slide her glasses back up in front of her green eyes.

Then, Jacob hit a bump, tearing Ava's hand out of his down. She slid down his back and off of his tail feathers.

Suddenly, Ava was in free-fall. From this height, the ocean below would feel like concrete, snapping her spine as soon as she hit the water. And this time, Ava had no desire to die. A shriek escaped her lungs, but was torn away by the howling wind.

She didn't want to die, she didn't want to die, she didn't want to die, she wanted to live…

Just as she was about to hit the water, Jacob swooped down from the sky, catching her upon his back. The air rushed from Ava in an oof! However, now she was back on the Pelipper's back, and he was climbing back up into the sky…

"No!" She cried. She didn't think she would be able to stand it, all the way up there, where a fall might kill her. "Let's not go too high," she whimpered.

Jacob obliged, and skimmed the waves the rest of the way home.

It was barely three months later when a stranger waltzed into the Sootopolis Gym. Of course, strangers weren't uncommon in the Gym, considering the number of trainers that challenged Wallace. Fewer and fewer were leaving the Gym victorious these days.

What was strange about this stranger was the way he carried himself, like he knew what he wanted and what was in his power to achieve. It was hard for Ava to tell if it was his confidence or something else that made the other trainers in the Gym step back and allow him into the back of the Gym without passing through the ice maze.

Their battle was incredible, and for once, Ava wasn't the only once watching. Both commanded extremely powerful and rare pokemon, that much was easy to see. Wallace and his team won the prize for beauty and grace hands down. But there was something else about the other trainer, something extraordinary. Something that made all the eyes in the gym watch his pokemon's every move.

In the end, it was the mystery trainer that won. Wallace took his defeat with grace. "It seems you have bested me once again. Congratulations. Perhaps, next time we meet, I shall be the victor."

The trainer just nodded and left.

When Ava returned home, she spotted the mystery man walking around the city. Now that she had a closer look at him, Ava swore by every legendary pokemon she knew that he had gray hair, even though he still looked to be in his early twenties.

Ava couldn't help but stop him on the road. "Who are you? Why does Wallace want to beat you so much?"

The trainer looked amused. "Why is it so important that you know?"

"Wallace saved my life four years ago," she told him bluntly. "Anyone that beats him has me to answer to! At least, they will, once I decide to start training pokemon. Or breeding them. Or maybe I'll compete in contests…" Ava quickly shut her mouth when she realized she was blabbering.

"If it means so much to you," said the mystery trainer, "I'll tell you. My name is Steven Stone, and I'm the Champion of the Hoenn region. Wallace wants to beat me because he wants to become Champion, and to do that, he must first unseat me…"

All of a sudden, people started leaving. "I'm going to Unova," announced one of Ava's friends. Her hair fell in dark ringlets around her pretty face. "I'm ready to be a pokemon master, and I can't do that here. It's so stifling." True to her word, she was gone a week later.

Two years later, after Ava had turned fourteen, her other two friends, the grinning boy with the spiky blond hair and the quiet, shy one that looked like he needed a haircut, announced that they were leaving for Kanto and Johto respectively. "Come with us, Ava," they cajoled her, but Ava refused.

"My place is here," she told them. "The people here need my help first. Maybe in another few years."

Three weeks later, the two of them left without Ava.

Then came the day, a year later, when Ava walked into the Gym, and Wallace wasn't there. Instead, his mentor, Juan, stood in his place. "Where is Wallace?" she asked him.

"Didn't you hear?" Juan looked surprised. "It's been all over the news. Wallace finally bested Steven and has been crowned Champion."

Three years passed by quickly. Ava helped Cordelia around her shop, which was becoming quite successful. Lazarus had evolved into a handsome Vaporeon, and had amassed his own collection of trophies that he had won in contests. Her parents were talking about finding him a nice girl Vaporeon to settle down and have some eggs with, only half-jokingly. Wallace continued as an unbeatable and untouchable Champion, someone Ava could only dream about or see on the television. She still went to the Gym to watch the battles, and though she loved watching Juan, it wasn't quite the same without Wallace there.

Then came the morning, shortly after Ava had turned eighteen, when that horrible shrieking began in Cordelia's shop. She raced in to see what was the matter…

Only to find Cordelia, curled in a corner with tears streaming down her face, and a monster writhing on the floor. Ava slapped a hand over her own mouth to keep from screaming.

The creature was only half human, with the tan skin and brown hair of a young woman a few years older than Ava. However, her lower half was distorted into some sort of red-and-black abdomen, with yellow, pointed extra limbs. She had a pair of yellow pincers where her lips should have been, and a harsh clicking sound came from deep within her throat. It almost sounded like, "They're everywhere! Everywhere!"

Then, the creature slumped into a dead faint, and Cordelia threw herself at her, wailing, "Who could have done this? Who would have wanted to do this to my lovely daughter?"

Ava retreated back out of the shop.

Three days later, the news reached the Gallagher household: Cordelia's daughter was dead.

By that time, though it took her a week longer to truly make her decision, Ava knew what she needed to do.

When Ava stepped out of her room, her mother turned and smiled at her. "Ava, I have wonderful news! Your father met this absolutely gorgeous Leafeon named Helena at his last Contest. She's just got these lovely violet eyes, and, strangely enough, black fur and blue leaves, but you would just fall in love with her if you met her, dear! I know we've been joking about finding a nice female pokemon for Lazarus, but he's won enough awards and I really think it's time-" Then, she stopped, just noticing the bag slung over her daughter's shoulder. "You're leaving, aren't you?"

Ava nodded. "Mom, I…I don't know how to explain this. I've been saying I was going to change the world ever since I was young. I've said that whoever beats Wallace has me to answer to, I've said that I'm going to explore the Cave of Origin again and not get lost, and where has all this talking gotten me? Nowhere! Cordelia's been there for me ever since I was a little kid. I don't want to just talk when she's just lost her daughter. I was to do something."

Slowly, Ava's mother nodded. "I understand, though I don't necessarily like it. What do you plan to do?"

"Cordelia's daughter was supposed to be vacationing in Sinnoh with her father before she turned up here. I figure that I should start looking there."

"Ava…Whatever happened with Cordelia's daughter is bigger than one person, I can feel it. Please be careful."

Ava hugged her mother, breathing in that warm, motherly scent one last time before she released her. "Don't worry about me," she grinned. "I'm Ava Gallagher, and I can do anything I set my mind to."

A/N: ARE YOU INTERESTED IN HAVING YOUR CHARACTER BE A PART OF THIS FANFICTION?

Oh, good. Because they can be. And boy, do I need them.

If you want your character to appear in this, just leave a review or drop me a PM with the relevant information. This includes name, gender, age, appearance, personality, pokemon (and their nicknames, genders, moves, personalities), hometown, and (established or future) relationship to the main character. Some people will balk at this, but it can be anything from random-trainer-Ava-battles to helpful-person-that-helps-her-find-someone. It can also be traveling partner, rival, love interest, member/admin of the opposing team, one of the three friends mentioned earlier in the chapter...Really, go wild.

It should be noted that I do not pick main characters lightly. Characters with long, in-depth, interesting descriptions will have more of a chance of being main characters. Pokemon with in-depth personalities are also good, since I've been thinking of doing a couple of chapters from the pokemon's point of view.

Now, the question that everyone's been wondering: Can my pokemon be a strange color? The answer is: Yes! Part of the story is that these strange mutations have been taking place in pokemon. Of course, you can't have your entire team be strangely colored, as the phenomenon is still relatively rare. Please keep it limited to one strangely colored pokemon per team, unless you can give me a REALLY good reason. Smaller differences, such as eye color, will be accepted as many times as you like. However, I reserve the right to judge what is and what is not a "small" difference".

I would prefer that you give me fully evolved pokemon and moves, so I can downgrade them depending on where we are in the story and evolve them as time passes.

Sinnoh is not the only region Ava will be visiting, so if you would like your trainer to show up later, let me know! I won't do Unova until BW2 is out, though, and Hoenn will probably be last due to Ava's beef with Wallace and Steven.

Thank you, and good luck!