A/N: First Pokémon fic! A little different, with no White in it, which is fine by me. The N and Black pairing clearly doesn't get nearly enough love, so I'm gonna try to change that. Mainly Black's POV, with just a bit of N's here and there. Black and N are 14 starting this off, and this is basically without Black 2 or White 2 happening in the future. Enjoy~
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the idea of N and Black pairing up.
Journey Of Heart
Chapter 1
X*X(Black's POV)X*X
"Black? Black, wake up!" my mom's voice called to me from downstairs. My first pokémon, Snivy, watched me with a curious expression as I sat up from bed and yawned before dressing and heading downstairs once Snivy was in my arms. I ruffled my brown locks as I yawned again.
"Good morning, Mom," I greeted, Snivy crawling onto my shoulder as I sat at the dining room table.
"Good morning, Black," she smiled. "Guess what came from Cheren and Bianca today?" I immediately perked up at the question.
"Please tell me they finally sent them!" I grinned. Smiling brightly, she handed me two pokémon eggs, one orange and brown, and the other light and dark blue and white. "Awesome!"
"Yep! They were just dropped off this morning," she told me.
"Are they finally back yet?" I questioned. Her smile faded, and she shook her head.
"Unfortunately, no. Bianca is still trying to figure out what she wants to do, and Cheren is still training hard before planning on going to the Pokémon League," she informed me. I sighed, and Snivy nuzzled my shoulder in reassurance. Stroking his head, I smiled slightly at him.
"Well, maybe we can head out today for our journey for ourselves, huh Snivy?" I suggested. My partner cried out happily before his stomach growled, as well as my own. Mom giggled before handing us each our breakfast. Poké food for Snivy, and bacon, eggs, and toast for me.
"I had a feeling you'd say that," she said. "That's why I talked to Professor Juniper this morning when the eggs were delivered, and packed your backpack for you, including some potions, pokéballs, poké food, and a map. You'll need to see her before you leave."
"Thanks, Mom," I smiled. She hugged me tightly, and I could sense her worry for me in the hug. "Mom, don't worry. Snivy and I will be fine."
"I know, but I can't help but worry," she mumbled into my hair. Soon after, she released me, and then turned to Snivy. "Take care of Black, okay?" He gave a determined shout in response. "All right, you two. Better head out once you finish, okay?"
"Sure thing," I nodded, scooping the strangely warm pokémon eggs into my backpack when I finished eating, and then I grabbed my hat and Snivy's pokéball before we ran outside. Several Pidove scattered when I opened the door, and I reveled in the feeling of the spring air. It had rained last night, which was nice, so the entire town smelled fresh like the rain. Snivy trilled excitedly, and I grinned at him. "You ready, pal?" The little grass snake pokémon happily jumped into my arms in response, making me chuckle. "I'll take that as a yes." I walked to the lab, and knocked on the door.
"Come on in, Black!" Professor Juniper's voice called. I opened the door, and saw the professor waiting patiently in front of her desk. "It's good to know you're starting your journey today!"
"Yeah, and I feel so much better than I did a year ago," I grinned. "Snivy and I have been ready for this for weeks now!"
"I'm glad you're fully recovered, Black," the professor smiled. "We were all worried about you when you first received Snivy because you were so sick. But that's water under the bridge now! Are you ready to get your Pokédex and start your journey?"
"We sure are, Professor!" I nodded enthusiastically as Snivy cried out happily. She handed me a Pokédex and a few heal balls, then ruffled my hair under my hat.
"Then go ahead and get out there, you two," she ordered. "You know how to catch a pokémon, right?"
"Yeah, Cheren told me you weaken it then throw a pokéball," I said. She nodded in confirmation, and then shooed us out the door.
"Then you'd better get going before it's nighttime!" she laughed. "Check in with your mother and me occasionally, okay?"
"You bet, Professor! Wish us luck!" I called, already running out the door with Snivy on my heels. We ran off to Route 1, where I grinned down at my partner. "Ready for the challenges ahead, Snivy?" The small grass-type trilled happily, and then we took off through the tall grass, soon encountering a Lillipup. Grinning, I looked at Snivy, who jumped into battle. "Use Leer!" Snivy leered at the Lillipup, who shuddered before lunging at Snivy with a tackle. "Tackle it back!" The tackle knocked Lillipup back, and it staggered before falling over. "Great job, Snivy! Now to catch it!" I threw a pokéball at it, and it hit Lillipup before catching it and wiggling three times. As soon as it clicked, I picked it up and yelled, "Yes! Snivy, we did it! We caught our first wild pokémon!" Snivy cheered with me, and I let out Lillipup, using a potion on it, and making him yip happily.
My team and I continued on, battling a bunch of Patrat here and there, and more Lillipup until Snivy learned Vine Whip and Lillipup learned Bite. Soon, we reached Accumula Town, where we went straight to the Pokémon Center. I went up to the counter, where the town's Nurse Joy smiled warmly at me.
"Welcome to the Pokémon Center! Would you like me to heal your pokémon?" she asked kindly.
"Yes, please," I nodded.
"Perfect! I'll need them in their pokéballs for it, though," she said. I nodded, and had my two pokémon return to their pokéballs.
"Oh, and would it be okay if you could check the progress of my pokémon eggs?" I asked, and she smiled brightly.
"Of course!" she agreed. I pulled out the two eggs, and she put them on a machine, nodding after a few seconds. "It looks like they'll hatch any time soon!"
"Really? That was fast!" I blinked.
"Well, you can tell by how warm they are," she explained. "The warmer an egg becomes, the sooner it will hatch. Especially if a pokémon with the Flame Body ability is with it."
"Oh, okay," I nodded in understanding. She handed me back the eggs and my pokéballs, and I let Snivy back out. "Feel better, pal?" Snivy gave a pleased noise, and I smiled. "Thank you, Nurse Joy!"
"It's no trouble. Be careful out there!" she called to me as I left. I nodded, and we went back outside, where some people were gathered in front of an older man with green hair and one eye that was wearing some strange robes it looked like. Some people wearing strange uniforms stood in a line behind him, holding two flags with a group emblem on them. The man, who called himself Ghetsis, gained everyone's attention, and babbled some nonsense about how people should release their pokémon for the pokémon's happiness. I quirked a brow at this, but rolled my eyes. Snivy looked at me worriedly, but I petted his head in reassurance that I would never release him. After the man had finished speaking and he and his group had left, the crowd dispersed, except for a teen who looked about my age. He had storm grey eyes, light green hair tied back in a ponytail and a hat on, light grey jeans, a black long-sleeved shirt, a white jacket over that, a wristband on his right wrist, bangles on his left wrist, and black shoes. He even wore a strange necklace that looked like a sphere with two rings on it that pointed different directions, and something that resembled a rubix cube hung from his belt. The guy came up to me, appearing curious and speculating about Snivy and me.
"Hello," he greeted. "My name is N. Your pokémon, he's happy, isn't he?"
"Yeah," I smiled. "Snivy and I have known each other for a year now, but I was really sick when I got him, so I had to recover and build my strength until I was better. We trained together, so I know Snivy and I are close."
"I'd like to battle you and see how close you two really are," he told me. Surprised, and eager to prove we are indeed just that close, I nodded.
"Sure," I agreed. "Ready, Snivy?" My partner nodded. "Okay, then let's battle!"
"Right," N said, and sent out a Purrloin. Snivy stepped forward, and I let N go first. He had Purrloin use Growl, and Snivy shook his head rapidly from the noise.
"Snivy, use Leer, then follow it with Vine Whip!" I yelled, and he struck Purrloin a few times with his vines.
"Scratch!" N shouted.
"Deflect with Vine Whip!" I ordered. Snivy did as told, and then struck Purrloin again. Purrloin fell over, beaten, and N had the little purple feline return to its pokéball.
"Well done. I'd like to raise pokémon as friends, not tools of war," N told me.
"That's a good idea. I want to be friends with all of my pokémon," I smiled. "By the way, my name's Black." I extended my hand out for him to shake, and he accepted it after a moment's hesitation. "It's nice to meet you, N. I hope we can be friends." His eyes widened, then he muttered something, but I didn't press. That's when he took out a small basket with a pokémon egg in it, and handed it to me.
"I think you'll become very good friends with this pokémon when it hatches, so take good care of it, okay?" he said. "I'd best leave. It was nice meeting you, too, Black," he smirked. "I look forward to seeing you again." He left before I could thank him, and I looked down at Snivy, who seemed puzzled by the black egg with the red at the top.
"You okay, Snivy?" I asked, and the little pokémon perked up before looking up at me with a smile. "Let's go on to Route 2, shall we?" We left town, continuing on to Route 2, when I got a call on my Xtransceiver. I answered it, and saw it was Cheren and Bianca. "Hey guys!"
"Hi Black!" Bianca chirped.
"Heya Black," Cheren greeted. "We heard from your mom that you got the eggs today, and you left on your journey."
"Yeah, Snivy and I already worked together and caught a Lillipup," I grinned.
"Good job! I caught a Lillipup on Route 1, too!" Bianca praised. "How's Snivy doing so far?"
"He's doing great! We already had our first trainer battle with a guy who gave me another egg," I told them excitedly, showing them the egg as Snivy climbed onto my shoulder to say hi. "And Snivy says hi!"
"Hello, Snivy," Cheren laughed lightly. "What kind of pokémon do you think it is?"
"I'm not sure. I guess we'll find out when it hatches, huh?" I chuckled.
"Speaking of hatching, did you like how we got the eggs to an almost hatching point?" Bianca asked.
"Definitely," I nodded. "This will help when I get to the first gym, right?"
"Yeah, but you'll need a water type to face the gym leader," Cheren warned.
"Why's that?" I questioned.
"Because you have Snivy. There are technically three gym leaders for the first badge, but only the one strong against your starter pokémon will battle you," the raven-haired teen explained. "And in your case, it'll be Chili. He's got a Pansear."
"Okay, perfect. Thanks, Cheren," I smiled. "Well, we don't want to burn daylight, so we'd better get to Striaton City. I'll call when we beat Chili!"
"Sounds good! Keep in touch, Black!" Bianca chimed, and then hung up.
"Good luck to you, Black. I can't wait to hear from you about your victory," Cheren told me, and then we ended the call. Snivy smiled at me, and we continued on, heading to Striaton City. We battled a few trainers along the way, and I even had Lillipup battle some wild Purrloin and Patrat. Deciding to catch a Purrloin like Cheren's, I had Lillipup sniff one out, and then battle it. I caught it with ease, and grinned.
"Awesome, now we have a Purrloin on the team!" I laughed. "Great job, Lillipup." I petted the small canine pokémon, making him yip cheerfully. I continued on to Striaton City, and made a beeline for the Pokémon Center to heal my team. I knew I could only have six pokémon on me at a time, which saddened me, but I knew it would be for the best if I put Purrloin into the PC so I could find a water-type pokémon. At least I caught a Purrloin in recognition of my friend. After talking to the people around town, I was recommended to go to the Dreamyard, where I could train before the gym. While there, I pulled out the two eggs Cheren and Bianca had given me, and was surprised to see them occasionally glowing. Carefully, I watched with Snivy and Lillipup as the frequency of the glowing steadily increased, and then they began to glow brightly, signaling that they were hatching. When the brightness died down, I blinked and looked to see a Tepig and an Oshawott curled up in place of the eggs. Tepig looked around with a quiet, timid oink before spotting me. He quickly snuggled into my lap, seeking comfort and warmth. Oshawott, however, gave a cheerful cry before hugging my arm.
"Hi, Oshawott," I smiled, petting its head. The little water-type snuggled closer, giving me a cheeky smile. "I'm glad you're both part of my team now. Both of you are going to be great." Tepig gave a pleased oink, and then the two young pokémons' stomachs growled. "Come on, I'll fix you some food." The pair perked up at that, and I laughed lightly. "Snivy? Lillipup? Are you hungry, too?" My other two pokémon nodded, and began to interact with Tepig and Oshawott while I poured some poké food into four bowls. Soon, I had the little group eating their lunch, and they ate happily together. I ate an apple from my backpack as I watched them, making sure they didn't fight over the food. When they were done, Tepig and Oshawott began to play, running around together. That is, until another trainer spotted them.
"A wild Tepig and Oshawott?! This is my lucky day!" the boy yelled, and whipped out a pokéball. "Go, Patrat! Use Tackle!" A Patrat popped out of the pokéball, about to tackle them, and I growled.
"Snivy, use Vine Whip!" I shouted, and my partner complied, striking the Patrat and knocking it away.
"Hey! What are you doing?! I'm trying to catch them!" the boy yelled.
"Not on my watch! You can't, anyway! I literally just hatched them not even an hour ago!" I spat. The kid glared at me when I said this.
"Then I'll win them from you!" he declared, pulling out another pokéball. "Go, Purrloin!"
"Then we'll have a double battle," I nodded, and Lillipup started to join the fight, but then Tepig stepped forward with Oshawott. "Really? You guys want to battle already?" Tepig nodded timidly, while Oshawott gave a battle cry. "All right," I nodded, and checked my Pokédex to see what moves they knew. Shockingly, Tepig knew Body Slam and Oshawott knew Ice Beam. "Sweet! Tepig, use Body Slam on Patrat, and Oshawott, use Ice Beam on Purrloin!" They did as told, Tepig slamming Patrat into a tree and Oshawott freezing Purrloin against a large rock.
"What?!" the kid yelped. "How do they know those moves already?!"
"Because my two friends gave me them as eggs," I explained coldly. The kid stiffened at that, and then gave me a sheepish look.
"I'm sorry, I had no idea," he muttered.
"That's because you jumped to conclusions. Trying to take someone's pokémon is wrong," I growled, picking up the young pokémon in my arms. Tepig snuggled closer while Oshawott cooed contentedly.
"You're right," the kid sighed. "I really am sorry, though."
"I accept your apology," I said. "Unfortunately, I have to go. I'm going to train these two so they'll be able to defend themselves even better." The boy nodded, and then I grabbed my things and left after returning Snivy and Lillipup to their pokéballs. As I left, I felt like I was being watched, but ignored the feeling in favor of going back to Route 2 and training Tepig and Oshawott. As we got to a clearing in Route 2, Tepig looked up at me with a concerned look and a soft oink. Oshawott gave me a matching expression, and I sighed. "Don't worry, you two. I won't let either of you be taken from me. In fact, I won't let any of my friends on my team be taken away." The pair smiled at that, and I set them down. "Now, let's get to training. You want to be stronger, right?" They gave eager cries, making me laugh softly. "Okay, then let's train with Snivy and Lillipup." I brought out the two aforementioned, and they helped to train Tepig and Oshawott until they each had learned more moves. By the time we were ready for the gym and done with training for it, Tepig had learned Ember and Defense curl in addition to his Tackle and Body Slam moves, and Oshawott had learned Water Gun and Water Sport in addition to his Tackle and Ice Beam moves. Even Snivy learned Wrap from the training. I noticed my pokémon were becoming very tired, so I gave a soft laugh before returning them all to their pokéballs and going back to Striaton City's Pokémon Center for some sleep. After all, it was late, and the sun had set a couple hours earlier. I was thankful that Cheren had told me about Pokémon Centers allowing people to stay there if they're on their own. As I entered, swallowing the last of a snack bar for my dinner, an Audino came up and greeted me cheerfully, a nurse's hat on her head.
"Hello!" the Nurse Joy from before greeted. "I take it you're sleeping here tonight, right?"
"Yes, if that's okay," I nodded. "If not, I'm sure my team won't mind sleeping outside…"
"Don't be silly," she giggled. "We've always got plenty of space. Follow me, and I'll take you to a room." I smiled at that, and she led me to a cozy room with a bed, bathroom, TV, and other pieces of furniture.
"Thank you, Nurse Joy," I told her gratefully. "Now, since this obviously isn't a hotel, where should I go to get breakfast tomorrow morning?"
"You can actually go to the gym for that," she answered. "The gym leaders, Cilan, Chili, and Cress manage the gym as a café, too."
"Perfect," I smiled. "Thank you again, Nurse Joy. Goodnight." She smiled softly before closing the door, leaving me alone in the small room. Feeling a pang of loneliness, I decided to let my team sleep outside of their pokéballs tonight. Snivy smiled brightly at me when it came out, as did Tepig and Oshawott, but Lillipup was still tired from training, so I put it back in its ball. "You guys get to sleep with me tonight." The trio gave soft cries of joy at that. I gave them each a bowl of poké food, and then went to the bathroom to change into a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt. When I emerged from the bathroom after brushing my teeth and hair, my pokémon were sitting on the bed, waiting for me. Chuckling, I placed my clothes in my backpack and grabbed the gifted pokémon egg before crawling into bed with them and turning out the light.
"Goodnight, guys," I whispered, and heard them all trill softly in reply before we went to sleep. Tomorrow, I will definitely win that gym battle and earn my first badge.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X
When I woke up the next morning, it was to my Xtransceiver going off, alerting me of a call. Snivy opened his eyes before realizing what was going on, and quickly but gently woke Tepig and Oshawott so I could speak without rudely waking them. I answered the call to see it was my mom, and she smiled at me.
"Good morning, Black!" she greeted.
"Hey Mom, good morning," I yawned.
"Sorry, sweetie, did I wake you?" she asked.
"Yeah, but it's okay. I needed to wake up, anyway," I assured her. "I'm going to challenge the Striaton gym today!"
"Really? That's great, Black!" she smiled. Then she noticed the egg that I was holding. "Where did you get that egg from?"
"A trainer gave it to me yesterday after I beat him, saying I'll become great friends with the pokémon inside," I explained. "It probably won't hatch for a while since it's not even warm yet, but I'm excited to meet the new pokémon."
"Did the other two hatch?" she asked.
"Yeah, Tepig and Oshawott are playing with Snivy right now," I chuckled, looking over at the trio. "Hey, Tepig and Oshawott! Want to say hi to my mom? Snivy, come and say hi, too!" They all crowded around me and the Xtransceiver, and cried out happily.
"Oh, they're so cute!" Mom giggled. "Take good care of them, okay?"
"You know I will, Mom!" I laughed. "I'm gonna go, but I'll call you, Cheren, and Bianca when I win my badge!"
"Sounds good! I'll be waiting!" she said, and then the call ended. I sat up, making Oshawott fall off my head in the process, but caught him before he fell on top of Tepig.
"Ready for some breakfast before we go to the gym, guys?" I asked, and they cried eagerly in response. I fed them some poké food, and then went to the bathroom to relieve myself and get dressed. Once I put my hat on, I went back out to see Oshawott and Tepig staring at the egg as Snivy cradled it with his vines. "Thanks, Snivy. You're looking forward to more friends, huh?" Snivy merely nodded before handing me the egg and helping me to neaten up a bit. I carefully tucked the egg into my backpack, too. "All right, sorry, guys, back into your pokéballs." They nodded, and I returned them into their pokéballs before clipping them to my belt and leaving once I deposited Lillipup into the PC. I thanked Nurse Joy again on the way out, and she smiled in reply. When I got to the gym, I sat at one of the tables, and was soon helped by a waitress.
"Hello, my name is Hannah, and I'll be your waitress," she greeted. "You must be new here, since I haven't seen you before."
"Yeah, I'm planning on challenging the gym leader after I eat," I explained. She nodded in understanding.
"Then you're gonna need some energy! What would you like to drink and eat?" she asked with a grin.
"I'll try the house tea, and to eat, I'll have…blueberry pancakes," I told her, and she quickly jotted it down before speaking.
"Perfect, I'll have that out for you here in a bit," she said, and left. Once she was gone, I looked to watch some trainers battling a short distance away from the tables. Hannah brought my tea out, and I sipped at it as I continued to watch. A girl was using a Purrloin to battle a boy's Lillipup, and I smiled as the two pokémon battled. Not at the violence, of course, but at the idea of them becoming stronger. Soon after I got my tea, Hannah returned with my pancakes, and I thanked her before paying the bill, including a tip, so I could go battle when I finished. I ate quickly, and then hurriedly drank the rest of my tea. Once finished, I grabbed my bag and ran off further into the gym. I reached the end after battling some of the gym trainers with Tepig, and then saw the trio. They looked at me as I got closer.
"I'm here to challenge the Striaton gym," I announced.
"Good to hear!" the green-haired leader smiled. "I'm Cilan, and I take on those challengers that chose Oshawott as their starter with my grass-types."
"My name is Cress, and I battle those challengers that chose Tepig as their starter pokémon with water-types," the blunette added.
"And I'm Chili! I light things up with challengers that chose Snivy as their starter by using my fire-types!" the redhead grinned.
"My name's Black, and I chose Snivy," I told them.
"Then it's you and me, Black!" Chili declared, whipping out his first pokéball. "You ready?"
"Sure am," I nodded, pulling out Snivy's pokéball.
"I'll be referee," Cress said.
"Then let's do this! Go, Lillipup!" Chili called out, sending out his Lillipup. I blinked in surprise.
"I thought you were going to use a fire-type?" I frowned.
"Don't worry, I will if you can manage to beat my Lillipup here!" he assured me. I shrugged, and sent out Snivy.
"Challenger gets the first move," Cilan said.
"Snivy, let's do this!" I yelled. "Leer!" Snivy complied, lowering Lillipup's defense, but then Chili reacted.
"Work Up!" he shouted, and Lillipup yipped loudly after a moment. I frowned, not knowing what that move did, but then he explained. "Work Up raises the user's attack and special attack in one turn!"
"Crap," I growled. "Snivy, quick, use Vine Whip!" Snivy swiftly struck Lillipup repeatedly, only stopping when the small canine pokémon bit one of the vines.
"Bite!" Chili ordered. Lillipup lunged at Snivy, preparing to bite him, but Snivy was ready.
"Wrap!" Snivy coiled its vines around Lillipup, ensnaring it and squeezing it tight so it couldn't move. "Now, finish it! Tackle!" And with that, Snivy threw Lillipup into the ground and tackled it, making it faint.
"Lillipup is unable to battle! Snivy wins!" Cress announced.
"Great job, Snivy! We're halfway there!" I cheered, hugging my partner.
"Nice job, Black, but I'm not done yet!" Chili reminded me. "Now you'll see my fire-type! Go, Pansear!" He sent out the little fire monkey, and I nodded to myself.
"Right, now to end this," I murmured. "Go, Oshawott!" The otter pokémon cried out valiantly when sent out, and I laughed. "We're gonna win this, Oshawott!"
"I thought you chose Snivy?" Chili frowned.
"I did. But I got two eggs from my friends, and they hatched into Tepig and Oshawott," I explained, and he nodded.
"Well, it's still fair! Let's do this!" he grinned. "Pansear, Incinerate!" Pansear shot a flame at Oshawott, torching the Oran berry he had been holding, and I yelped. "Incinerate burns any berries that the target is holding!"
"Fine, then the least I can do is reduce the damage!" I yelled. "Oshawott, use Water Sport!" He nodded before soaking itself with water, which would lessen the damage from Pansear's Incinerate if it used it again. "Now, follow it up with Water Gun!" Oshawott nodded before spraying Pansear with the attack, making the fire monkey squeal.
"Fury Swipes!" Pansear used the attack on Oshawott, striking repeatedly, and Oshawott cried out in pain. When Pansear jumped away, though, I saw that it was trembling from the exertion.
"Finish it with one more Water Gun, Oshawott!" I shouted, and he quickly shot at Pansear, making it faint. "Awesome job, Oshawott!" I grinned, hugging the little blue pokémon close.
"Pansear is unable to battle! The victory goes to Black and Oshawott!" Cress declared.
"Aww, man!" Chili pouted, picking up Pansear. "That's a bummer. But hey, you won, fair and square." He came over to me, and gave me the badge, and I put it in my badge case. "That's the Trio Badge. Be proud that you earned that, but don't get too cocky. The other seven gym leaders are much stronger than us."
"Thank you, Chili. It was a fun battle, and I know Oshawott and Snivy enjoyed themselves, too," I smiled. "I'd better get these two to the Pokémon Center to get them healed, and then I'll go to Nacrene City."
"Good luck to you, then," Cilan said. "And keep on training!"
"You know it," I laughed as I returned Oshawott and Snivy to their pokéballs. Then I left, dropping by the Pokémon Center to heal my team, and then ran into a woman on the way out. "Oh, excuse me, please, sorry," I apologized.
"It's no trouble," she assured me. "Wait, what's your name?"
"It's Black, why do you ask?" I questioned.
"I've been looking for you! My name is Fennel, and Professor Juniper said you could help me," she said. "Here, come with me to my house. I'll explain more there." I nodded, curious as to what she needed, and followed her to her home, where she took me into a lab upstairs.
"So, what did Professor Juniper say I could help you with?" I asked.
"She said you could help me with finding some Dream Mist," she explained. "I'm not a trainer, so I can't even get into the Dreamyard without being attacked by wild pokémon. But anyway, I know the pokémon Munna and Musharna both emit it, so if you could possibly catch one and bring it here, that would be great!"
"Yeah, I can do that," I nodded. "Give me some time, and I'll swing by once I've caught one."
"I would suggest catching Munna," Fennel advised. "They're the pre-evolved form of Musharna, so they'll be easier to catch."
"Right. Thanks, Fennel," I smiled lightly. "I'll be back as soon as I can." I left to the Dreamyard, where the trainers had been before, but surprisingly, they weren't there now. Frowning, I headed towards the back, which had rubble and debris around the place, but as I got further in, I was surprised when a pink pokémon floated out of hiding, and I realized it was Munna. The Munna seemed timid, and I almost didn't want to catch her, but I needed to for Fennel. I took one step toward her, but then two of the grunts in those weird uniforms from Ghetsis's speech appeared and began to yell at the Munna, demanding for her to produce some Dream Mist. Suddenly, one of them kicked it, and I snapped.
"Hey! Knock it off!" I barked, and the pair glared at me.
"Butt out, would ya? Team Plasma can do what it wants, all in order to free the pokémon! Munna's Dream Mist will help us trick the people into releasing their pokémon!" one of the grunts snapped, kicking Munna again.
"If you won't leave Munna alone, then I'll make you!" I growled, and the first grunt stepped forward to challenge me. He sent out a Patrat, the pokémon chattering angrily. "Go, Snivy!" Snivy popped out, glaring at the Patrat. "Use Vine Whip!" My partner nodded, and struck Patrat a few times before using Tackle. Snivy sent the Patrat flying into its trainer, knocking him over.
"Gah! You won't get away with this!" the other grunt threatened. She sent out a Purrloin, which hissed at me, and I had Snivy return to his pokéball before sending out Tepig.
"Tepig, use Ember!" I yelled. Tepig gave a loud, determined oink before shooting the flames at Purrloin, making it squeal in pain.
"Scratch!" she shrieked at the feline pokémon. It scratched Tepig hard, leaving a few red lines on top of its snout, but Tepig suddenly cloaked himself in flames before tackling Purrloin hard, sending it flying into its trainer like Patrat had with the other grunt.
"Awesome, Tepig! You learned Flame Charge!" I praised. Tepig snorted a puff of smoke out of his nose threateningly at Purrloin, and it squeaked fearfully in response. The first grunt got back up and started to kick Munna again, but out of nowhere, that Ghetsis guy appeared on the left, appearing irritated. He snapped at the grunts, and then vanished, only to reappear on the right, yelling at them more. Suddenly, he disappeared and reappeared behind Munna, making the grunts shake in fear.
"This isn't Ghetsis when he's mad, or trying to trick people with speeches," the first grunt whimpered.
"This is Ghetsis when he's angry, and is about to deliver punishment!" the other grunt yelped.
"Let's go beg for his forgiveness!" the first one cried out, and then they fled. Shortly after, a Musharna emerged from the shadows, floating over to Munna. She trilled to Munna softly, as though checking on her. Munna gave a pleased cry, and looked at me before coming over. She looked at the empty pokéball in my hand, and I realized she wanted to join me.
"You want to come with me?" I asked to be sure. She nodded, and I smiled. "Thank you. You're going to be a good friend and helper for someone I know." Munna smiled, and then I gently tapped the pokéball on her forehead, catching her. Musharna nodded to me, and I gave the evolved pokémon a reassuring look. "She'll be safe." She dipped her head once before leaving, and then left back to Fennel's house after returning Snivy and Tepig to their pokéballs. When I got inside, I went upstairs to see her waiting for me. She looked up upon hearing my approach.
"Oh, hey! You're back!" she smiled. "Did you catch a Munna?"
"Yeah, but she may be hurt," I informed her. "Some Team Plasma goons were trying to beat the Dream Mist out of her."
"Oh no! Maybe we should take her to the Pokémon Center," Fennel suggested.
"I have a few potions still, maybe one of those will help," I said. She nodded, and I brought out Munna. Pulling a potion out of my bag, I coaxed her over. "Don't worry, Munna. This may sting a little, but it'll help you feel better." She gave a single nod, and let me spray the potion on her injuries, despite the occasional wince. After a few seconds, she gave a happy cheer, and floated around the room excitedly.
"Thank you for helping me and Munna, Black," Fennel told me gratefully. "I'll take good care of her, and we'll be good friends, right Munna?" Munna trilled joyfully, and let Fennel pet her.
"It's no problem," I assured her. "I'd best get going to Nacrene City before it's too late. It was nice meeting you, Fennel. Bye!" I waved to her, and she waved back as I left. Now to continue on my journey, and make sure I prove I can do this! I've got my pokémon, friends, and mom supporting me, and at this rate, I know I can make it to the Pokémon League!
A/N: Sheesh! 11 pages?! That's a first for a chapter in a multi-chapter fic! I finally got my shimejis working again! That was just a side note. Anyhoo, R&R, peeps!