Crossing Paths

by Hashtag-FriedShrimp

When Liam set out on his journey all he wanted was to have fun. He'll do that with the people he meets along the way, but Team Rocket, mercenaries, the international police, and injured pokemon are putting a damper on his plans. Hopefully, the friends he makes along the way will help, but if not there's always his growlithe Duck! OT! World: Anime & Games

1. Chapter 1: Meeting Misty

Disclaimer: Pokemon and it's relevant characters, settings, etc., are owned by Nintendo, The Pokemon Company, Game Freak, and other legal owners. I do not claim ownership of any character, setting, etc., recognized from the Pokemon franchise, including both games, TV shows, and other sources of media.

Rated: T for language, mild violence, eventual darker themes

Author's Note: Hello! Welcome to my new Pokemon fanfic Crossing Paths! I haven't read many pokemon stories, mainly just some of the more popular (and non-pornographic) ones, so I don't really know what's "been done" and what hasn't so this story is just going in whatever direction I think is right. I'm not going to worry about avoiding similarities with other stories (i.e., The Straight Elf's Traveler or darkfire1220's Challenger) and do what seems interesting.

This story will be very different from those two, though, I should note. I'm no good at science so my "scientific" descriptions will be dealing with a lot of pseudo-sciences, cosmic energy type of stuff. Think chakra from Naruto, kinda like that. I thought that was a nice middle ground between things happening just because and having scientific reasoning–at least there's some sort of explanation, can you readers suspend your disbelief enough for that?

Also, this story is a slow burn. Like, incredibly slow. It'll be a while before the first gym battle. So… take that as you will. Lot's of talking this chapter, but others will have more action.

Other than that I'm not sure what else to say, some of what's important has been covered in the summary, but I'll include some random stuff here for those interested: the chapter lengths are pretty good, I feel (~15,000 - 20,000 words); I'm using nicknames and will include a section at the bottom of each chapter with who each pokemon is; I'll try to reply to reviews but I won't include them in the chapters unless I think one's particularly notable.

One last thing: I'll be updating once a month for the first few chapters. I have the first one hundred pages written (chapters 1-2 plus bits and pieces of 3 and 4). Once the summer comes around, I will update more often (probably, no promises), but I need time to finish university and write more chapters, so yeah… that.

I hope you enjoy reading!

---

Crossing Paths

Chapter One: Meeting Misty

Liam puttered around his bedroom as he got dressed for the day. His clothes were that typical for pokemon trainers traveling the world: jeans, a t-shirt, a hat, tennis shoes. Most notable of his clothes was a red and black plaid flannel, unbuttoned and with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. A piece of thick black string wound around a slim red crystal created a necklace that bumped against his chest as he walked and completed what he would be wearing for the next undefined amount of time. Soon he would be setting out on his own pokemon journey, as his mother had wanted him to, and that meant only a small amount of clothes to choose from as he traveled around the Kanto region.

At fifteen years old, Liam was older than most beginning trainers, who started at ten, but that didn't mean he was any less than them. If anything, Liam was sure that his older age meant that he wouldn't be drawn into the same mistakes his younger peers would make.

But comparing himself to kids five years younger was a mistake too, wasn't it?

Liam, fully dressed, stepped over to the foot of his bed, where his packed and extra large messenger bag sat, and slung it over one shoulder. A waterproof sleeping bag, changes of clothes, a rain jacket, and a large tent set occupied the space inside. Thankfully, however, there were many pockets on the outside, due to the bag's military style, in which Liam kept sealed medicines and food, as well as other small miscellaneous tools. Thankfully, the pokeballs Liam would carry with him could be hung from his belt, and so he hadn't need to worry about space with them. The last of the remaining pocket space would be used for a badge case and spare pokeballs Liam would be buying, and after that, he would be hard pressed to find available space.

Nevertheless, now prepared Liam went downstairs to make a quick late breakfast for himself, dropping his bag onto the kitchen table. As he did he poured out two bowls of pokemon food, one for a fire type and one for a dark type. Once his breakfast was complete, a simple plate of eggs on toast, he placed his food on the table and looked out the glass door. Relaxing in the sun on the small patio out back of his home laid his mother's arcanine Growla and his father's liepard. Knowing he wouldn't need to do anything more, Liam whistled shortly then sat down to eat. As he sprinkled some salt and pepper on the eggs he heard the back door open up behind him before soft padded steps came in. Out of the corner of his eye, Liam saw Liepard, then Growla, walk over to their food.

They ate in relative silence, Liam not thinking much of anything and the two pokemon playfully nudging one another with their noses in between bites. Once Liam was finished he rinsed his plate in the sink and placed it in the dishwasher. Liam picked up his bag, slung it over his head so that it crossed over his chest, and knelt down to give one final petting to both pokemon. Liepard purred with content and Growla's tail began to wag, but before she could roll over and ask for a belly rub Liam was out the front door and on his way down the wide dirt road. It was almost eleven in the morning; it was time to go and get his first pokemon.

Liam didn't run and instead walked with an even pace as he made his way through the small, if slightly expansive, farming village of Pallet Town. With just over three hundred people Pallet Town was a small and cozy home for the world-famous researcher Professor Oak and his assistants. Conveniently placed on the coast and nestled by some scattered mountains on the edge of the Silver Range, the mountain range that separated Kanto and Johto, Pallet Town experienced cool and fair temperatures all year round if the sporadic thunderstorm.

While the weather and scenery were pleasant, Pallet Town was a far cry from the bustling Lumiose City that Liam had been raised in. Indeed, sometimes he thought there couldn't be two more different places. But there was no use crying over spilled milk, and so Liam continued on.

Under the warm morning sun, Liam neared Oak's lab and the surrounding ranch that housed the pokemon he studied. As a world-renowned academic, Oak had the money and influence to own a vast swath of land, renovated to suit the needs of all sorts of different pokemon and replicate the environments they lived in; and that land was nearly all devoted to the trainers that lived in and around Pallet Town. Generally that wouldn't seem like many people, but when one considered that just about every household in the town had at least one pokemon, who often went to play with the pokemon on the Oak Ranch, and that Professor Oak had been servicing their small town for over twenty years, the numbers began to add up. Sometimes it was surprising that Oak and his few assistants were enough to take care of them all, but then, Liam supposed, the town's people still took care of their own pokemon, too.

At least, they were when they weren't congregating at the entrance to the lab.

A large crowd, or at least large for Pallet Town, was grouped together, the crowd members chatting happily with one another. They seemed to be watching something in pleasant amusement, and from the voices that something was two somethings; Ash and Gary.

"Excuse me," Liam said as he squeezed through the crowd. "Excuse me, let me through, please."

When he made it through Liam chuckled at the sight of Gary taunting Ash, pokeball in his hand while Ash seemed to still be in his pajamas. The two and their arguments were a common sight in Pallet Town, and even though Liam had only been living here for two months, he had quickly learned that the two's fighting was a common occurrence that everyone, including Liam, had grown used to.

"You may be getting your first pokemon, Ashy-boy, but you'll never be as great a trainer as me!" Gary taunted, his pokeball spinning on the tip of a finger.

"You just wait and see, Gary! I'll be the best Pokemon Master in the world!" Ash boasted, chest puffed up and an angry glare directed at Gary.

Liam looked between the two with a smirk, content to watch for a moment, but decided to step forward and try to nip this argument in the bud. "As fun as it is for the rest of us to watch, maybe we could get a move on, please?"

Ash looked back at Liam with surprise, but Gary only matched Liam's smirk with his own. "Well, well, if it isn't Liam. Can't say I'm disappointed to see you here. About to get a pokemon of your own?"

Liam nodded, but before he could speak Ash cut in. "Wait, but you're too old to be a trainer!"

There was a series of groans from the crowd around them, no doubt at Ash's foot in his mouth, and Liam leveled him with a flat look. Really? Liam wasn't too surprised, Ash had always been narrowly focused on his own experiences, but Liam had answered questions like these at the educational classes Oak held for Pallet's children when he first arrived two months ago. Ash had even been there! Liam sighed and decided to not respond to that exclamation.

"So," Liam began, looking at Gary, "you've picked your pokemon already?"

Gary held up the red and white pokeball, ignoring Ash's indignant "Hey!" and looked up into Liam's eyes with determination. "You bet! And the two of us will cream any wannabe that gets in our way. I'm looking forward to the day I beat you, Liam!"

Liam smiled with a raised eyebrow. "You calling me a wannabe, Gary? Those are fighting words."

Gary's smirk grew a little, and he crossed his arms with confidence. "You know they are!"

Liam laughed and was about to respond when Ash jumped between the two of them. "Don't ignore me!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

Liam, Gary, and even the people in the crowd looked at Ash with wide, surprised eyes. Damn, Liam knew Ash could be loud, but he had never thought that loud. A moment passed, but then the crowd began to laugh. It was uproarious, deep from the belly, and from what Liam could tell made Ash even angrier.

"Calm down, Ashy-boy!" Gary said, his laughter bubbling a little into his speech. "The grown-ups are talking."

Liam watched with fascination as Ash seethed, his face turning red with anger and a vein throbbing in his forehead. "I'LL SHOW YOU!" Ash screamed, even louder than before, before running at full sprint up the staircase to the lab.

Liam watched him go, blinking away the pain from the noise, before turning to Gary again.

"I should head up there, too."

Gary nodded. "Right." Liam moved for the stairs. "And Liam…" He paused and looked over at Gary. There was no arrogance in his face now, only a happy determination. "I don't know when I'll next see you, but let's make sure to battle it out in the Indigo Conference."

Liam smiled and nodded back. "You know it." He held his hand out, but instead of shake it Gary smacked it with a high five. With a smooth, almost practiced motion, they both brought their fists together in a fist bump.

Then Gary was on his way, most of the crowd either following him on to the border of the town or returning to their homes. Liam took a moment to watch him leave, then look up at the tall Oak Laboratory, sitting upon a grassy hill, and began to walk the stone steps up.

---

When Liam knocked on the door, he was greeted by one of Oak's assistants, dressed as they normally were on the job, in a white lab coat but casual clothing underneath. Katherine, he thought her name was, but Liam had only met her once before and wasn't confident about that.

"Liam! You're Richard's son, right?" She asked in greeting as she welcomed him in.

Liam nodded as he stepped inside, glancing around the simple entry room. It was sparsely decorated, a green couch was up against one wall, a painting of water pokemon around a small lake hanging above it. No other decorations or furnishings, but Liam figured that with all sorts of pokemon coming in and out that was probably a good thing. Three doors, besides the front door, led into different parts of the building, with one at the top of a thin brown staircase. One of these doors was open, showing a room cluttered with different machines and the dull sounds of mechanical beeps and whirring fans.

"Professor Oak is just through that door." Katherine pointed to the open door. "He's with Ash at the moment, but you can just go in." She smiled up at him then left through one of the other doors.

Liam watched her leave, unsure whether it was actually okay to just walk in, but then a bright yellow light and pained screams came out of the room and Liam rushed in before he knew it. Laying on the ground, near a standard healing machine in the middle of the room, laid Ash and Professor Oak. Pained and surprised, they were covered in patches of soot, and their hair stood on end. In Ash's hands was what Liam recognized as a pikachu. Small and yellow, with round red cheeks, Liam could say with the utmost seriousness that the most shocking part of this image was the angry, vindictive smirk on Pikachu's face.

"Oh boy," Liam said with wide eyes. Carefully he edged closer, eyes never leaving the pikachu, until he was at Professor Oak's side. "Are you alright, Professor?" Liam crouched down and helped Oak sit up, but he waved Liam away and got up on his own.

With a groan, Oak was back on his feet. "I'm fine Liam, thank you. I've had my share of shocks over the years." He looked over to Ash. "All right there, Ash?"

Ash, his body twitching in different places, groaned as a response. Slowly he sat up, pikachu sitting in his lap. The smirk was still there, but Liam thought that pikachu seemed content with that one attack. "I'm okay, Professor. I think." Ash groaned again but began to stand up too, and when it looked like he had his feet solidly under him looked at Liam with an arrogant smile. It was weird, Liam decided, seeing Gary's arrogance combined with Ash's foolishness. "To bad for you! Um… person!" He declared, holding up his devil pikachu like it was a prize he had won at the fair and that it hadn't just attacked him. Professor Oak, who had moved to stand behind Ash and away from his pikachu, smacked his face in Liam's full view, making him fight the urge to laugh as violent sparks flashed near Pikachu's cheeks. "I got the very last one! Too bad, if only you had gotten here sooner!"

"Oh my god," Liam heard Oak whisper in exasperation, probably louder than he meant if Liam had heard it.

Liam glanced at him in amusement, then down again at Ash. Deciding to pull the "I'm older than you, so I'm smarter too" card, Liam drew to his full height of five feet eight inches–taller than the average adult male here in Kanto–crossed his arms in front of his chest, and looked down at Ash as if speaking to a preschooler.

"I wouldn't be here if there wasn't a pokemon for me to pick up." Arms still crossed, Liam stepped around Ash and closer to Professor Oak, seemingly ignoring but actually basking in the irritated rage that was radiating off of Ash. "Isn't that right, Professor?"

Oak cleared his throat, glanced between Liam and Ash, and seemed reticent to answer. Nevertheless, he nodded his head and reached into his pocket. When he pulled his hand out it was with a standard red and white pokeball. Along with it was a piece of paper, crisply folded but dinged from being in Oak's pocket. "Indeed, Liam. I have a pokemon specially reserved for you."

Liam's spine, if it could, straightened and his shoulders became tense. He squinted at Oak, daring him to confirm Liam's suspicions. Oak didn't respond, and instead handed the ball over despite Ash's increasingly vocal complaints–"Why does he get a special pokemon?" He tried to push the letter onto Liam as well, all the while trying to explain to Ash that "His father is one of my assistants, and…"

It was with only unwilling and stiff fingers that Liam took it.

He had only just begun to glare at the offending piece of paper when the pokeball opened with a flash of white light. The light arced, coalescing at Liam's feet, and as it solidified it dimmed, revealing an eager growlithe. Clean, shiny orange fur, clear and intelligent eyes, and a tail that wouldn't stop wagging, it was amazing, and Liam couldn't stop the small smile that escaped. Kneeling down, Liam laid one hand down on the top of its head and began scratching, and with the other hand opened up the letter.

---

Liam,

I am sure you are angry with me for not being with you when you are given your first pokemon, but I had work that needed to be done out by the lake. Nevertheless, I have prepared this pokemon for you.

As I am sure you have realized, it is a growlithe. I asked Samuel to hold onto it for you. It is the son Arcanine and Liepard. He hatched two weeks ago and is now old enough to battle and act as your first pokemon. He has Arcanine's personality, but I have seen Liepard's cunning in his eyes. As such, I have confirmed that he enjoys sweets and dislikes dry foods.

I regret to inform you that there was an incident where a young child from town was playing in the fields and began to call the growlithe "Duck," and though many of us at the lab, including myself, have explained that the child wasn't his trainer, it seems he has taken a liking to the name. Due to this, he has already been named–you know of my opinion on naming pokemon. Nevertheless, I believe the growlithe is aware that you are his first and only trainer, and so you should not worry about him not following your commands.

Liam, I understand that these past two months have been hard on you, and I am sorry so much has happened just before you would have set off for your journey in Kalos, but I am sure with Duck by your side you'll see that Kanto is every bit as grand.

I know that you are angry with me for so many things, but please know that my home will always be your home and that I will always be there for you.

Love,

Your Father Richard

---

Liam glared down at the paper, wrinkling it under his slowly curling fist. Of course, of course, he wouldn't be here. I'm sorry, but I have work, he says, same as always. Always the same excuse. Trying to make up for it with letters and gifts, never realizing that those only make him more angry–

Something wet and sloppy run up his cheek. Shocked and surprised by the sensation, Liam was broken from his anger and looked over to see the growlithe–Duck–standing on his hind legs, forelegs balancing on Liam's side, a happy smile on his face and a wet, pink tongue peeking out from the front of his muzzle. Duck woofed lightly, giving Liam a faceful of dog breath, and licked him again.

Liam couldn't help but laugh. The letter was discarded and forgotten, and instead, Liam turned and wrapped his arms around Duck in a big hug. Liam took a few moments to let Duck's comforting warmth sink in, then leaned back, his hands still rest in Duck's fur, with a happy smile.

"Alright Duck," Liam's smile grew a bit more when Duck perked at the use of his name, "your mom was my mom's arcanine, her own first pokemon. That makes you and me family, okay? We're buddies, and that means we'll always stick together. You got that?" Duck woofed again and jumped forward to lick Liam's face again. Liam laughed as he had to hold Duck back. "There'll be plenty of time for licks later. For now, I gotta tell you something." Liam looked straight into Duck's eyes with grinning determination.

"My mom always said, 'Dreams are meant for dreaming, but that doesn't mean we don't do everything we can to make them real.' Well, my goal is to reach the top," Liam pointed up beyond the ceiling and up into the sky. "The very, very top. And if I can't do that, then I want to have as much fun as I can along the way. You down for all that?" Liam held a fist out for a fistbump, and Duck, with no hesitation, licked it. Liam laughed again and energetically scratched around Duck's ears, immediately causing him to wag not only his tail but his entire butt. "I'll take that as a hell yeah!"

"Should I be warning you about your language, Liam?"

Liam and Duck looked over to see Professor Oak standing to the side and Ash, thankfully, nowhere in sight. Liam smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"You can, but then I could tell you the same, couldn't I?"

Oak snorted with laughter and nodded his head. Then he waved Duck and Liam over and handed over five small, standard pokeballs. Liam took them and, for the moment, put them in the little open space left inside his bag. With the bag resting on his left hip, Liam took Duck's pokeball and placed it on the right side of his belt in easy reach but hidden by his flannel.

Then Oak handed over a smartphone. It was large and bulky, due to the red protective case around it, but also within that case was a solar charger, allowing for easy charging power on the go. Liam looked at Oak with surprise.

"This is a surprise gift from Augustus. He wanted to wish you a safe journey, but with the time difference it's almost three in the morning in Kalos."

"Please tell him 'thank you' for me the next time you speak," Liam said, accepting the phone and looking down at it with more than a little awe. "He and I spoke last night, but he never mentioned a phone!"

"That is why it's called a surprise," Oak said, chuckling.

Liam excitedly opened the phone. There was no password, yet, but he noticed that a number of apps had been installed.

"They made the Pokedex into an app?" Liam asked, looking at the small red square with amusement.

Oak chuckled. "Yes. It's quite a marvel, isn't it? Modern phones have the capability of handling the biometric sequencing the regular pokedex operates with, as well as their other functions. The application taps into the phone's cameras to scan pokemon, though the default cameras would have limited success. I believe Augustus had this one upgraded, however, so you should experience no problem."

Liam was impressed. He had no idea this was possible, but hey, he had a phone now! That was nice!

Liam took a few moments to inspect some of the other apps, including one labeled "TRAINER" that was linked to the digital record of his Trainer ID. When he tapped on it, it brought up a digital copy of the card most trainers were given, equipped with a small QR code in the bottom corner. At the moment his card didn't have much information; his name, hometown, and who his service provider, or representative, was. For Liam that was Professor Oak, since he lived in the same town. For most trainers that was typically another League affiliated researcher that was based nearby, the closest gym leader, or the nearest Nurse Joy.

His Trainer ID would become more developed once Liam had an official check-up at a Pokemon Center. Duck would be registered to his name, as would any other pokemon he caught and had checked at the Center. Other ID information, like the amount of money in his League provided trainer account–which Liam had decided to opt into using–what gym badges he had obtained, even his attempts for a gym badge; all were recorded there.

Only one other app seemed to have already been downloaded. It was a trainer's map of Kanto with the various designated Routes and other officiated areas–each included a list of what pokemon were found there and the commonality of their appearance. He could even pin locations out in the wild that he found specific pokemon, and link that pin to photos he had taken. That would be useful, for sure, but the photo option was a nice touch.

Curious, Liam opened the pokedex app and pointed the camera at Duck. A nondescript picture of a growlithe appeared, which began rotating with other pictures of growlithe in different common poses. Then, in a feminine mechanical voice, the pokedex detailed it's information on Duck.

Growlithe, the Puppy Pokemon. Growlithe are pokemon of pleasant demeanors and great diligence. Very loyal, they typically won't move unless their trainer commands it. They drive enemies away by barking and biting.

This Growlithe is: Male. Known Moves: Roar, Crunch, Flare Blitz, Heat Wave. Ability: Flash Fire.

Liam's eyes were wide with surprise. Duck had advanced moves like that already? He looked to Professor Oak, who nodded along with understanding.

"Likely, Duck inherited these moves from his mother. Though Crunch may have come from Liepard."

Liam nodded and looked down to where Duck leaned affectionately against his legs. "I figured, but he's only two weeks old. Can he really use Flare Blitz and Heat Wave already?"

Professor Oak shrugged and beckoned them to follow as he turned to walk back to the front entrance. Liam pocketed his new phone and continued after Oak.

"It depends on Duck, really," Oak began. "I've been so busy inspecting the pokemon for the other trainers that I let your father take care of Duck. That and he never was mine to begin with. What I can tell you is, normally, pokemon as young as Duck would understand how the moves are performed, but lack the necessary skill and power. Of course, every once in a while there's a newborn able to use stronger moves off the bat, but that's very rare.

"Then there's the question of whether Growla helped Duck with any of his moves. That's normally done in the wild, but since Duck was born domestic and Growla has been trained for so long it's up in the air whether or not she would have gone the extra mile."

Liam grinned as Professor Oak finished speaking, the two of them now standing next to the lab's front door. "So I won't know until we test them out. Professor Oak, you could have just said that."

Oak chuckled and opened the door. "Perhaps, but I wouldn't be an academic then, would I?"

They both laughed and Liam walked outside, Duck trotting along after him.

"One last thing, Liam," Oak said. "Don't worry about the recoil from Flare Blitz. Using it once or twice won't be enough to make a difference at Duck's power level."

"But more than that, and the damage will start adding up. Got it, Professor."

Liam turned away and looked over the view from the top of the hill. From it, he could see all of Pallet Town, all the way down to the small docks extending out into the bay. From there, he could see out onto the stretching ocean. In that direction laid Cinnabar Island. If Liam's planned route worked out, he'd be returning from there. For now, however, it was in the opposite direction that he'd be going.

Liam took a deep breath in before slowly letting it out. Breathing in again, he began to jog down the stairs from the lab and back onto the dirt road below. He heard Duck bark in excitement and begin to run down the hill next to the stairs.

"Bye Professor Oak," Liam hollered. "I'll call you when I reach Viridian City!"

"Goodbye, Liam!" Oak called back. "Have a safe journey!"

Liam waved his hand in the air, but didn't look back. He didn't need to, Duck was running right by his side.

---

The two had stopped running once they hit the town border, marked by a small sign saying in quaint letters "Welcome to Pallet Town!" and a wide open field with small clusters of trees dotting the landscape.

Liam had walked parts of this field on and off for the last two months whenever he felt the need to get away from Pallet Town. Ironic, that he escaped from the quiet of Pallet Town, so foreign to him and his big city ways, by going out into an even quieter field. But then he was really just getting away from his father's home. Nevertheless, those trips had helped Liam learn a little bit of the surrounding landscapes and what pokemon lived there.

In the beginnings of Route One there mostly lived Pidgey, Rattata, and Spearow, though the occasional Mankey and Oddish appeared. Not too far a distance away was a small river that was home to Magikarp, Goldeen, and one surprisingly calm Gyarados. None of them interested Liam enough to warrant a capture, and while they could make good training for Duck–except the Gyarados, of course–none of the wild pokemon that he had spotted had seemed large enough, strong enough, or experienced enough to be worth battling. Liam's conscience wouldn't let him battle the pokemon and then leave them, injured, to fend for themselves, and so he was being picky with battle partners. Arguably, they didn't have much to fend for themselves from in the area, but the lack of predator pokemon on Route One meant that the species here typically roamed in large bands and flocks as a way of expressing dominance. Even the notable pokemon, at least around here, would have trouble fighting ten opponents at once.

Liam also didn't want to piss off any of those groups. He and Duck didn't need to be the one in a ten versus one situation.

Nevertheless, after about two hours of walking, Liam was getting bored of the monotony, and while he adored his new partner Duck didn't make the best of conversation partners. Liam had taken to scanning a pokemon with his phone whenever a new one appeared, but the lack of variety here ran up that distraction quickly.

So Liam made the executive decision to stop and practice Duck's moves.

"Let's stop here for a bit," Liam said to Duck, pausing and looking around.

Duck obediently stopped and sat down at Liam's feet, looking up to him for instruction. When Liam found what he was looking for he stepped away from the path, but a silent, single finger pointed at Duck was enough for him to stay and sit where he was. Liam didn't look to see whether Duck had actually stayed, he had spent enough time around Growla to know he would. It was an intrinsic part of growlithe and arcanine to listen to the commands of their trainers, voiced or not. It was simply a part of their famed loyalty.

Liam inspected a tree standing next to the dirt road. Looking up into the branches, Liam leaned around and tried to spot any pokemon that may get disturbed inside. Unable to spot any, Liam grabbed a thin, low hanging branch, not much thicker than one of his fingers and about as long as his entire arm, and snapped it off. As Liam walked back to Duck he picked off the few leaves that had been on the branch, now just a stick. Kneeling, he held the stick up by both ends in front of Duck.

"We're going to practice your moves. First up is Crunch. When I tell you to, use it on this stick, ok?" Duck nodded his head in understanding, and stood up into a battle ready pose. "Ok, Duck. Crunch!"

If Liam had blinked he would have missed it, but a cunning glimmer lit up in Duck's eyes as he heard the command. With a surprising amount of ferocity, Duck opened his mouth as wide as he could and revealed sharp fangs. With a quick motion, Duck had his jaws around the stick, his back teeth–which had the most grip and crushing power–easily snapping the stick in those two places. Despite that, Duck released and, before the section of the stick in his mouth could even come loose, snapped his jaws together again in between the two sections of wood that remained. Duck released again, but this time he sat back with the same happy look in his eyes as usual, the stick in his mouth pushing forward to his front teeth and stick out from either side of his muzzle.

Liam let out a surprised, breathy laugh as he passed the two remained sticks into one hand. With the other he scratched the top of Duck's head, causing him to wag his tail in happiness. Then, Liam held his hand open, palm up, below Duck's mouth. Obediantly Duck released the stick into that hand. It was wet with saliva, but Liam didn't mind.

Liam stood back up then walked to the middle of the road. Looking toward the way to Viridian City, Liam glanced at Duck before giving him a coy smile. He raised the hand with the single stick up into the air, and immediately Duck perked up. His ears were up, and both his tail and butt were wiggling in excitement, but still, he stayed where he was. Liam's smile widened, and then he threw the stick down the path.

"Fetch!" With surprising speed Duck was running after that stick, easily gaining on it, and caught it in the air with a small jump. He deftly landed on all four paws, and then eagerly ran back to Liam before placing the stick at Liam's feet. Liam bent down and rubbed the corner of Duck's jaw, getting the usual tail wag reaction.

Liam knelt down again. With one last section of the stick in each hand, he rammed each straight down into the path. They stood parallel to each other, but about two feet apart. Liam stood, and with a short whistle walked back down the path towards Pallet Town, Duck following. Liam stopped after about twenty feet, then turned to face the two sticks. Duck turned to face them as well, though Liam didn't see the tense form of a battle ready pose. Idly he wondered it that cunning look would return again, or if that was reserved for dark type moves.

"This time it'll be Heat Wave," Liam explained. Walking around Duck, he pointed again and continued to walk on until he was about half way between Duck and the sticks, and a few feet off of the path. "When I say, try to hit those two sticks. If you can't hit them from there, that's fine. You ready?" Duck nodded, then adjusted his footing until he was in a better position. He waited.

"Heat Wave!"

Duck opened his mouth wide, though he didn't bare his teeth like with Crunch, and with a short howl released an orange wave of fiery hot breath. In theory, it should be strong enough to burn, widespread enough to hit multiple targets, and ideally, he would be able to hit, with accuracy, from across a battlefield. However, as with many ranged attacks, Heat Wave could sputter out before reaching the target. Unlike moves like Flamethrower, which was a more coalesced form of fire and energy, Heat Wave's wider attack range meant that it didn't go as far. Liam wasn't sure, but presumably, the attack's width and range could be consciously altered with training. It was something to look into.

For now, however, Liam would have to focus on general improvements. Duck's Heat Wave attack, while definitely having the width, sputtered out not far after Liam's position, and by then had already lost most of its heat. The attack made about twelve feet, but at what range would there be any actual damage?

"Duck!" Liam called. "Come to about where I'm standing."

Duck woofed in confirmation and walked further along until he stood in the middle of the rood across from Liam. "Okay, try again. Heat Wave."

Duck released the attack again, and this time Liam definitely felt more power thanks to his proximity. It was strong, strong enough that Liam imagined the attack would have dried out any grass around Duck if he wasn't standing on a dirt path. Yet, despite that, the power felt a little lacking. Even with Duck's young age in consideration. Maybe it was just Liam, and he didn't know what to gauge the attack against, but either way, Heat Wave could use a bit of improvement.

This time the attack reached the two sticks, as Liam had thought it would, and while they didn't combust and become charred, there was a significant darkening of color on this side of the wood. Liam walked over to inspect them while Duck stayed where he was. Definitely an improvement. They weren't quite blackened, but visibly darker on the one side. And these were fresh off the tree, meaning that they weren't as easy to burn as the brush would have. So at ten feet, on average Liam supposed, they could aim for a burn on their opponents but not any real damage. Good to know.

"Five feet this time, Duck." Liam stepped off to the side as Duck came forward. "Last time. Heat Wave."

Once more Duck breathed out a gale of hot breath, but this time the sticks were more clearly affected. They didn't catch, as Liam had expected, but they did quickly blacken to charcoal and crumble away. When it looked like there was nothing left, Liam glanced quickly at Duck, whose eyes watched him for confirmation, and clapped his hands once. Duck halted his attack, and with another clap, this time more energetic, he happily trotted over to Liam.

"Good boy!" Liam petted Duck on both sides of his neck, at the base of the skull, and was rewarded with happy tail wags, a wiggling butt, and Duck stretching his head high up into the air. When Liam finally felt like he had done enough, he placed his hands on his knees and looked Duck in the eyes.

"You want to play a game?" He asked, and Duck barked in excitement. "Good, because… tag!"

Liam lightly swiped at Duck's nose, then took off in a sprint down the road. Duck was surprised, and more than a little confused at first, but as Liam continued to run, looking back in expectation, he happily jumped forward and began to run after Liam.

The two ran and ran, trading tags and chasing one another. Occasionally one would get tired, normally Liam but sometimes Duck, and when that happened they would pause to rest for a minute or two, and then the game was back on. It was a fun and exciting way for Liam to learn more about Duck's stamina. While it certainly seemed like a lot, especially since their game was going on for almost thirty minutes, Liam had the gut feeling that once they stopped playing Duck would be out for a while. Honestly, Liam felt the same way, but they were bonding and that was more important to him than some sore muscles tonight and tomorrow.

Liam was running away, having succeeded in evading getting tagged for almost two whole minutes–a personal record he took some sad pride in–when Duck jumped and landed on his back. They both went tumbling with a pained "Oof!" as they hit the hard packed dirt. When the dust called up from their fall settled, Liam found himself facedown on the ground, head on its side to avoid a mouthful of dirt, Duck laying on top of him, and both of them panting and sweaty.

"Okay," Liam huffed. "You win. This time." Liam felt the need to remind Duck that he wouldn't always win, though Liam knew that wouldn't always be true. "Duck: one, Liam: zero. Will you please get off me now?"

Duck woofed in tired agreement and stepped off of him. Thank heaven that he was light, Liam didn't want to imagine what that would feel like when Duck eventually became an arcanine.

Liam sat up, took a deep, gulping breath, then looked around them. They were farther out than he had ever been, but Liam had heard that Route One only took about four hours to cross. More if you stopped often to catch pokemon or train. Their brief exercise with the sticks only took a few minutes, so Liam felt he and Duck were probably a little ahead of the curve. They had been running for thirty minutes, after all.

To their right was the beginning of a forest, replacing the open fields with tall trees, whose low branches were inching closer and closer together. To their left was a bend in the river, running towards Viridian City. On the edge of the road sat an orange bike, and beyond that sitting at the bank was a girl. She was a few years younger than Liam but older than a beginner trainer, and not one of the new trainers from Pallet Town, Liam had already met them all and none had the shocking orange hair that she did.

Curious, and deciding he might as well, Liam stood up and called down to her.

"Hey!" She looked up and back, and Liam saw a fishing pole in her hands. "You fishing for water pokemon?"

"Yeah! Wanna join me?" She asked.

"Sure! Thanks!"

With heavy steps and heavier breaths, Liam carefully made his way down the small slope running along the edge of the path and down onto the flat bank sitting a little bit above the water. Duck followed him, his breathing not as heavy but still audible. Liam sat down on the girl's right and adjusted his bag so that it sat behind him. Duck plopped down on his right and laid his head in Liam's lap. Liam smiled down at him and began to trail his finger's through the tan fur on the top of Duck's head.

"Bonjour. I'm Liam." He held out his free left hand.

"Same. I'm Misty." Misty reached over and shook his hand. "If you don't mind my asking, are you from Kalos?"

Liam nodded. "Yeah. I was born here in Kanto, but I moved to Lumiose City with my mom when I was five. I lived there for ten years, but moved to Pallet Town about two months ago."

"I've always wanted to visit Lumiose City! The Prism Tower seems so romantic, and the Kalosian language sounds so beautiful!"

Liam grinned at her enthusiasm. "The tower is actually where the city's gym is located."

"Really? I never knew that."

"Yeah. It tends to change themes with the different gym leaders. They get elected by a city vote. When I first moved out there I think it was a steel type gym, but then the leader became part of the Elite Four so he was replaced by this woman who liked poison types. Snake was in fashion at the time, if I remember right, but when the next year came around she was booted out for a flying type trainer. That's who's there now."

Misty listened with a surprised look, then looked down at her lap. "That's so weird. I don't know how I would feel, becoming a gym leader, only to get kicked out a year later just because I wasn't fashionable anymore."

Liam nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Lumiose is kinda cutthroat when it comes to it's gym leaders, but the people just want someone who represents them properly. That's why the current leader has been there for a few years. Her pokemon are elegant, but strike hard, and that's what Lumiose people want to be. Or most of them, at least."

"I guess that makes sense." Misty looked out into the water, and kept her eyes there. Liam sat next to her in silence, not quite sure what got her to be quiet like that. Most of the people he had told about Lumiose thought it was quirky then went on to talk about other Kalos things. Maybe she had been a gym leader herself, or thought about becoming one? Either way, it wasn't Liam's place to pry.

Liam sat there for a little while, catching his breath and enjoying a break. Sitting on the edge of the bank, his feet dangled just off the surface of the water. If he reached just a little bit, he could probably kick it…

"So," Misty said, tentatively starting up their conversation again, "why did you move back to Kanto?"

"Oh," came out before Liam could stop it. He glanced between Misty and the water, conscious now of the light petting he was giving Duck. "It's… a little personal, but my mom died a few months ago. I didn't have my trainer license yet, so I was sent to live with my dad. He's one of Professor Oak's assistants."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." Liam glanced at her, and she really did seem apologetic. As if she had lost a family member once, too. Liam could commiserate, but decided not to broach that topic.

"It's okay, I guess. I still miss her a lot, and my father and I don't have a close relationship, but I was close with my mom's fiance in Kalos, he's a researcher there. Plus my growlithe–his name is Duck, by the way–is the son of my mom's arcanine. Growla was my mom's first pokemon, too, so… yeah, I'm okay. Not good, but I'm moving on."

Liam smiled, as best he could with the current conversation topic, and Misty smiled in return. Lightly, she reached over to pet Duck and scratch behind one of his ears. Duck, who was happily dozing, woofed lightly at her touch and stuck his tongue out a bit, his tail beginning to flit back and forth. They both laughed a little, and Liam felt some of the tension drain from the atmosphere.

"So," Misty began again, "you must be a new trainer if you didn't have your license a few months ago, and Duck seems a little on the smaller side, too."

"Just started today, actually. It's been fun, so far." Liam scratched a little more on Duck's neck, but didn't get a response.

"You're a little old to be starting out fresh. Are you doing it to just get away, or did the interest suddenly hit you? I know I left home so I could get away from my sisters. They can be pretty overbearing."

Liam laughed. "The latter, kinda. My mom was a breeder in Lumiose, and she was working with my step dad on this research project of his. I was hoping to learn under her and help out with my dad's studies, but my mom said I had to go out on my own journey first. I liked pokemon, but I didn't have an interest in going out into the rest of the world. Why should I have, I was in Lumiose City! Just about everything I could ever want or need, right there! So I put my journey off for as long as I could. I wanted to save up some more money. I wanted to wait until a better time of year. This and that. You can find a lot of excuses when you live in a big city, let me tell you."

Misty laughed alongside him. She didn't ask any follow up questions, but then, Liam supposed she didn't need to. She could connect the dots well enough.

"Now here I am," Liam continued with a shrug of the shoulders, "on a pokemon journey because my mom wanted me to and so I can get away from my father. Part of me, though, wants to do it to reach the top." Liam laughed then. "The top of what, I have no idea. Maybe breeding, or battling, or something." He looked down, and curled his fingers in Duck's warm fur. "Whatever it is, I really just want to have a good time along the way. I've got a year until the Indigo Conference, and the rest of my life after that. I've got time to figure out a goal, and I'm going to enjoy that time as much as I can."

"Huh, I never thought of it that way. I like it though! Train, but don't freak out about hitting your goals in by a deadline because there's always next time! Plus, that next time just means more time to train!"

"Exactly!" Liam sat back a bit, supporting himself with both hands. Duck rumbled a bit now that Liam wasn't petting him, but he continued to doze. "How about you, Misty? What're you trying to do out here? You said you left home because of your sisters."

"I want to become the world's best water pokemon master!" Misty pumped her fist into the air, and in a way, it reminded Liam of Ash. Rugged determination, and a stubborn mindset that won't step down from a challenge. Although, Liam was pretty sure Misty had put more thought into her future than Ash did.

"You really like that kind of pokemon, then?"

"You bet! Their the best! I grew up around them all my life, and their fighting style is so flexible that they can fit almost any situation! I learned a lot about them from my sisters, they specialize too, and so I know that I can do it. I already have a staryu, and before you know it I'll have the best water pokemon in the world!"

Liam was pretty sure that Misty didn't realize that she had stood up in the midst of her motivational speech, but nevertheless, he was clapping and laughing. "Marvelous! Inspiring! Chase your dreams, Misty, your dreams!"

"I will Liam, I will! And I want you to chase your dreams with me!" Misty held a hand down to him. Liam looked up at her in surprise. Was she… Liam thought she was! It was certainly out of the blue, but...

"Misty, are you inviting me to travel with you?"

"Yes, I am! Are you in!"

Liam almost couldn't believe it. He couldn't have stopped the grin on his face if he had wanted to. He brought his legs up and tucked them underneath himself. He curled one arm under Duck, and with the other, he grabbed Misty's hand. "You know it!"

Misty laughed triumphantly as she helped him up. "You just watch world! I, Misty, with my friend Liam, will conquer you!" Her fist was up in the air again, striking as high as she could reach with determination. Liam was laughing, and not even trying to hide it, but he matched her with his own fist. Though he merely held his up in the air.

"Hell yeah! Conquering!"

They both laughed, though Misty might have been laughing for future triumph.

Then Misty's fishing rod began to shake and quiver. Misty gasped and immediately began tugging on it. "It's a sign, Liam! My first challenge on the way to being a master!"

Liam eyes the water and stepped back. "It's a big one, I'll give you that much." Carefully, he set Duck, who was beginning to wake up, on the slope leading up to the road and away from any splashing water. As a fire type, he wouldn't appreciate cold river water disrupting the heat he needed to maintain inside his body.

With a loud battle cry, and a giant heave, Misty brought her fishing rod up, and with it came not a pokemon, but a waterlogged person. A very Ash Ketchum person.

"Ash?" Liam asked, not quite sure if he was alive or not. Thankfully, Ash began to cough up water almost immediately.

"Aw," Misty whined, "it's just a kid. Oh! And a pokemon!"

Liam looked over, and indeed, in Ash's arms was the devil pikachu from earlier.

"Are you okay?" Misty asked, crouching down next to them. Liam opened his mouth to warn Misty of the devil rat, but Ash, in typical Ash fashion, answered before he could.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"Not you! You're Pikachu!" Misty yelled, and then there was the unmistakable sound of a might slap, and for the first time in Liam's fifteen years, the first time in the two months he had known Ash Ketchum, he felt sorry for the boy. Did he really deserve to be slapped? After getting swept up in a river?

"You have to get it to the Pokemon Center!" Misty continued on.

"But I… I don't know where that is," Ash said quietly, staring down at the devil rat. The noticeably weak and not very responsive devil rat, Liam's mind reminded him.

"Just follow the road this way," Liam said, pointing towards Viridian City. His heart was too good for a vindictive fear of electric rodents. "If you run the entire way, you should be able to get to the end of Route One in under an hour. If you run like your pokemon's life depends on you it should be closer to thirty."

Ash jumped to his feet. "Right! I gotta go!" He ran up the slope, almost as if he was possessed by a mankey, but paused at the top when he saw Misty's bike.

Oh no.

In five seconds flat Ash was on the bike, Pikachu in the little basket in the front, and they were off and flying down the road.

"No! My bike!" Misty yelled, running up the slope. Liam ran after her, whistling for Duck to follow, but by the time they reached the top all they had were Ash's parting words echoing behind him.

"I'll return it some day!"

Misty stomped the ground and paced around Liam, arms crossed in righteous fury and the embodiment of wrath in her eyes. "That little… Oh! When I get my hands on him!"

"Misty. Misty!"

"WHAT!" Misty glared at Liam with seething rage, but he kept his hands up in a pacifying manner and looked her straight in the eye.

"He's going to the Pokemon Center in Viridian City. We just have to go there too, and we can get your-" Liam cut himself off as something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Looking up, he saw great, dark storm clouds begin to quickly roll in, a large flock of spearow crying as they flew away from it. "We need to find some cover."

Misty looked at him in confusion, but when she turned to look in the same direction she cursed mighty and hard. Liam couldn't help but grin at her.

"Well, well, Misty the Potty Mouth. Good to know."

"Can it, Liam! I have a sleeping bag, but nothing to protect me from the rain! I'm going to get soaked!"

Liam looked at her in surprise. "Really, nothing?"

"I didn't need one! With my bike, I could get from one Center to another no problem!"

Liam sighed, but brought his bag around and began to dig around, brushing his spare pokeballs to the side. "Lucky for you I have a tent we can cover up with. I made sure to pack a big one, so there should be plenty of room for all of us."

Misty clasped her hands together and looked at Liam with wide, happy eyes. "You're a lifesaver!"

"Yeah yeah, help me find somewhere good to drape this. "

"Right!"

As Misty began searching, Liam looked down to Duck. He in turn looked up at Liam, eyes glimmering with puppy life and excitement. Liam breathed in, then sighed.

"You like our new friend?"

Duck woofed happily. Liam looked back at the nearing storm clouds, then joined Misty in finding a good patch to lay low. With perky steps, Duck trotted behind him.

---

The rain was pouring all around them, pounding down on the blue teepee tent Liam had packed. Together, Misty and Liam nailed his tent down with some plastic spikes a little ways off the dirt road, but with the storm only a few minutes away had forgone the tent poles in favor of tying the top to a low hanging branch with a bit of line Liam had. The two of them and Duck had quickly scrambled inside just as the first few drops were beginning to crash down. Now they sat inside Liam's half done tent, windows tied up and door zipped shut, listening to heavy drops.

Liam had decided to go big or go home when picking his tent out, having planned to let at least a few of his pokemon out at night while traveling. The website he had ordered from had said it fit six people; there was plenty for only Liam, Misty, and Duck.

Lightning flashed, followed by the sharp crack of thunder, and Duck jumped into the air before running into Liam's arms. He whined and burrowed close to Liam's chest.

"Aw, it's okay, bud. The thunder and lightning won't hurt you." Despite saying that, Liam stroked up and down Duck's back, enjoying the warmth radiating off from him.

"This storm rolled in pretty quickly," Misty said, reaching over and petting Duck too. "So it should pass quickly, right?"

Liam shrugged. "I've only lived here for two months, so I can't really say, but there have been a decent amount of storms in the area. Sometimes they're short, sometimes long. With how strong its pouring, though, it should die out in a few hours."

Misty sighed, then there was another crack of thunder and lightning. Duck whined again, then dug his head up under Liam's shirt. His orange fur was hot against Liam's stomach, and Duck's warm breath almost tickled. Liam almost laughed, but knew that Duck wouldn't appreciate that. Instead, Liam would let Duck cower for a little while, gently petting his exposed fur.

"So have you been to Viridian City before?" Misty asked, smiling at the sight that, Liam had no doubts, looked ridiculous.

"Once. My father tried taking me on a shopping trip when I first came to Kanto. A situation at Professor Oak's lab had us leaving the city before the first hour was up." If the flatness in Liam's voice wasn't enough to say this was a common occurrence, the roll of his eyes certainly got the message across. "Since we knew I'd be setting off on a journey so soon after arriving, we never tried again. You?"

Misty leaned back and looked up at the sagging top of the tent. "My sisters and I spend a few days here every year. As a sort of… family trip, I guess. We go to watch the Indigo Conference, and pass through Viridian while traveling."

Liam nodded in understanding, but when Misty didn't say anything more he awkwardly looked away.

Neither said anything after that, not quite sure what to say. Duck was trembling under Liam's shirt, but when Liam offered to return him to his pokeball Duck refused and cuddled closer. The only thing filling the silence was the rain and occasional clap of thunder. Liam looked around, trying to find anything that could spark a conversation. Then his eyes landed on Misty's small red knapsack laying on the ground next to her. It wasn't drawn completely closed, and Liam could see part of a pokeball peeking under what looked like a yellow shirt like the one Misty was currently wearing.

"Hey," he said, catching her attention. "If we're planning on journeying around together, you'll need a bigger bag than that. I can barely fit enough food for myself in my bag, let alone enough for my pokemon. You won't be able to fit anything in yours."

Misty glanced down at her little bag, surprised, then back up to Liam with a thoughtful, if somewhat irked, frown. "Yeah, I guess. It's what I had while we were passing through Viridian after the Conference."

An idea came to Liam as she said that, and Liam scooted around so that he was facing Misty fully. "What made you want to stay around here, anyways? It's not like there are powerful pokemon or anything."

Misty sighed, then picked up her bag and removed the pokeball there. Cradled in her hands, Misty stared down at it. "I've always been stuck in my sisters' shadows. I'm the youngest of four sisters, and since we're all interested in water pokemon I can never measure up to them. I do have a brother who's younger than me, but since he's the only boy even he gets treated differently. This is a chance for me to train, away from my siblings, so that I could prove that I'm more than some little girl following in their footsteps."

Misty dropped her head and released a long sigh. "I try to keep a positive attitude, but it's been days since my sisters left and I haven't caught anything!"

Liam watched her, thinking back to the big emotions she had shown earlier. Then there was a crack of lightning again, and as the thunder boomed afterwards Duck shook a little more. Liam rested his hands on the lump where Duck's head was and smiled down at where he imagined Duck's eyes were.

"If it's any consolation," Liam said, looking back to Misty, "I have a two week old growlithe that's scared of thunder. I think we both have a lot of work ahead of us."

"Yeah…" Misty agreed softly, though she didn't look over at Liam and he could practically here the frown on her face.

"Perk up!" The cheer in his voice was clear. He reached over and nudged Misty's shoulder. "We'll work together! We'll become the best of the best, just like we agreed! Isn't that right, bud?"

Duck woofed weakly, Liam's shirt bouncing slightly. Liam grinned, and when Misty looked up she had a grin of her own. She nodded, and after that, they waited the storm out with a happy atmosphere.

---

In a stroke of good luck that the storm died out after only an hour. Despite that, the compact dirt road to Viridian City was a muddy mess. Duck was returned to his pokeball, so that Liam wouldn't have to clean him off later, and they packed up Liam's tent back into its sleeve. Soon enough the two of them were slipping and sliding and splashing their way to Viridian City.

"I walk into the bathroom," Misty said, telling a story of some of her sister's pokemon, "and there Feraligatr is, a clamperl clamped on to each hand, striking muscle poses in the mirror!"

Liam roared with laughter and almost fell backward from slipping while he did. Misty laughed too, helping Liam steady himself.

Then they saw it.

Misty's destroyed, burnt, charcoal-ed bike.

Ash was dead. Dead at the hands of one Misty, future water master. Of this, Liam was certain.

Hell hath no fury that could stop Misty at that moment as she inspected the busted tires and snapped chain. There was a fire in her eyes then, that no water pokemon could put out, that made Liam promise himself to never go too far with his teasing against Misty. The retribution that he would receive was horrifying even as he stopped himself from imagining it.

That Misty was able to effortlessly lift the bike, place it behind her head, and rest it on her shoulders was impressive. That she began to run down the road, completely dismissing any mud in her way, without even a barked "Come," told Liam that she was on the warpath. Such an intense warpath that Liam didn't say anything and only jogged after her.

At their pace, they made the outer stretches of Viridian City in about an hour. An empty police box for incoming travelers, as well as a transition from dirt road to pavement, marked the beginning service area. Liam paid the box no mind and instead followed Misty as she dutifully continued on.

Viridian City wasn't as large as Celadon or Saffron City, and it didn't have a major port like Vermillion City or a famous attraction like Fuschia City's Safari Zone. There were no skyscrapers here, but there were a number of high rise and office buildings looming above Liam's head. Viridian was the closest major city to the Indigo Plateau, however, and that meant trainers came in droves near the end of every League season to participate and watch the conference held there, and then come through again when they left. That was good for business, but also meant that the Pokemon Center wouldn't have a lot of people in it today. The Indigo Conference had ended a few days prior, and so everyone coming from it would have already passed through Viridian on their way home. Likely it would only be beginning trainers from the surrounding areas. Officially, League season for the Pokémon gyms would begin at the end of the week, and so no eager, battle ready veterans would be waiting at the Center to battle the Viridian Gym and obtain one of their eight badges.

Liam certainly wasn't going to be taking it on. Oh no. From what Gary and the other Pallet Town trainers had told him, Viridian City Gym Leader Giovanni was a beast of a trainer who only the cream of the crop could defeat. It was rumored that he occasionally trained with the Elite Four, though Liam somewhat doubted the validity of those rumors.

No, instead Liam would move on to Pewter City and battle the gym there. It was the nearest gym after Viridian, and from what the other Pallet trainers had mentioned the leader there accepted challenges from all levels. Of course, Liam had to get there first.

Before long the two of them arrived at the Viridian Pokemon Center. It was a large, round building at the center of a major turnabout. The Center wasn't bulbous, per se, but it was a round building, with a large overhang over the front wall, which was made almost entirely of glass and windows. In the late afternoon, the light from the inside was drowned out by the daylight, but Liam was sure that, at night, the light streaming out probably attracted trainers like a venomoth to a flame.

Tunnels running under the turnabout connected the Pokemon Center to the rest of the city without disrupting the flow of traffic, which at this time of day was becoming heavy. As Liam and Misty walked up a concrete staircase to the front doors, Liam looked through the windows and saw that the building was almost abandoned. The main room of the Center was an open concept floor plan, with Nurse Joy's desk at the far end of the room, a few rows of desks and computers off to right, and a decently sized open cafeteria to the left. A staircase running along another part of the wall led up to a balcony on the second floor, which led into the rest of the Center. There was Ash, sitting at one of the computer desks, with a phone extension at his ear; he was probably talking with Professor Oak or his mom. The only others Liam could see was a girl, in her late teens, reading a book in the cafeteria and a chansey manning the desk at the back.

Ash had just hung up on his call, looking down at his lap with a frown on his face, when they walked in.

"Now I've got you!" Misty yelled as soon as she entered, running for Ash and looking like she was going to make her bike into a spontaneous weapon. Liam entered behind her, but stopped near the entrance. Warily, he watched from afar, briefly noting that the girl in the cafeteria was watching the two as well.

"Hey! What happened to your bike?" Ash asked, and Liam resisted the urge to sigh.

"What happened to my bike? WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BIKE?" Misty yelled, taking a step forward and bearing down on Ash. "YOU happened to my bike! This is what happened to it after you stole it!" Misty took another step closer, and Ash rushed away to protect himself behind another computer desk. "I can see why you let your pokemon get- wuh-woah!"

Liam hurried over as Misty lost her balance. He wasn't fast enough to catch her before she fell, her bike banging onto the floor, but with an offered hand he helped her up and propped her bike against his leg.

"You're gonna pay for what you did to my bike!" Misty yelled, undeterred by her fall.

"I'll make up for it! I promise I will." He looked genuinely apologetic, but Liam somewhat doubted Ash would remember his promise, let alone collect the amount of money that would be needed to buy one.

The only people who made a decent living as Pokemon trainers were those affiliated with the League, who routinely had a large amount of challengers, like Gym Leaders, or were contracted by the government to help in certain matters with their powerful pokemon. The pokemon journey was a rite of passage that was a tradition for young kids to go through–though the amount of kids that did wasn't one hundred percent–before returning home, returning to their education, and eventually going on to whatever job or career they obtained. They were still trainers, even as adults years later, and were able to challenge the gyms and take part in League conferences–if they qualified–but life, and a need for income, took hold. Of course, there were always those individuals who enjoyed the traveling and the camping, and would keep to that lifestyle for years, sometimes decades.

Liam had the feeling Ash would be one of those people. That didn't mean he'd save enough money for a bike, though.

Nevertheless, that didn't change their current predicament.

"I can't do anything about your bike right now," Ash explained to Misty, glancing at two white doors set next to Joy's station, a red cross painted on them. Those doors led back into the medical facilities of the Center.

Misty veritably growled. "I don't want any of your excuses, kid! I want a-"

Misty paused as Liam laid a hand on her shoulder. "Misty, why don't we go grab a bite and relax over in the cafeteria?"

"What?" Misty whined, looking up at him. "But my bike!"

Liam nodded towards the white doors. "His pikachu's being treated right now. We can talk to him about your bike after he knows it's okay."

Misty looked torn, glancing between Liam, Ash, and the doors, before finally letting out a surrendering sigh and letting her shoulders drop. "Yeah, you're right." She looked at Ash, her face serious. "I won't forgive you for stealing and destroying my bike, but I hope your pikachu is okay."

Ash gave her a small smile, but his shoulders were still drooped and he continued to glance over at the doors. "Thanks. And… I'm sorry about you're bike. Really. I was just worried about Pikachu."

Misty nodded, and turned to leave, but Liam kept his hand on her shoulder. He looked down at her, eyebrow raised. It was a look that said, "Come on, now." Misty sighed and turned back to Ash.

Her internal struggle could be seen by the way she clenched her fists and didn't look Ash in the eye, but still, she said, "I'm… sorry about slapping you earlier. That was wrong of me."

Ash brightened a little bit. "Does that mean we're even?" He asked, a little excitement filtering into his voice.

"What?" Misty ground out, and before she could do anything Liam wrapped an arm around her waist and began to drag her away, her broken bike in his other hand. "If you think your gonna weasel your way out of this you have another thing coming!" She swiped at him, and missed completely as Liam dragged her away, but still, she struggled and clawed at the air in Ash's general direction. "Get over here!" She yelled. "Come on, Liam. Let me at him!"

"Nope!" Liam said, tightening his arm and shooting Ash an apologetic look. "We're going to have something to eat!"

Thankfully, at that moment, the medical doors opened, revealing Nurse Joy and another chansey. She spoke with Ash for a few moments, and then Ash was following chansey back into the medical bay and Nurse Joy was back at her station. With Ash no longer in sight, Misty calmed down and stopped struggling in his arms. Liam let her go, wary that she would go sprinting for the med doors, but she didn't and instead took hold of her bike.

"You're too nice," was all she said before she leaned her bike against one of the tables in the cafeteria area and walked over to a window in the wall, which looked into a large kitchen. Inside Liam spotted a young man in a cook's outfit waiting by the window playing around on his phone. Liam would have followed Misty, but then remembered that he needed to check in with Nurse Joy first so that she knew he and Misty were actually trainers, and not just people trying to bum food off of the Center.

Liam walked over to her desk. She smiled up at him. "Hello! Welcome to the Viridian City Pokemon Center! How can I help you?"

Liam smiled in return. "I'd like to register for the Indigo League, please." Liam handed over his phone, the app with his Trainer ID open, and Duck's pokeball. "I'd also like to have my growlithe checked please. He should just be a little tired from playing too much."

Joy's smile grew a bit at that last part. "Of course! Just a moment and I'll have you registered, and then I'll check your pokemon."

Turning to her computer, Joy took a QR scanner and brought it to Liam's phone. A moment later she set his phone down and began typing away, clicking around occasionally. Liam was interested, all beginning trainers would be, but he resisted the urge to lean over the desk and look to see what she was doing. Soon enough, however, there was a beep of success and his phone was back in his hand, alongside a slick black bade case.

Liam placed it back into his pocket, and slipped the case into his bag, as Joy took Duck's pokeball and placed it into one of six spherical grooves in the top of the healing machine behind her desk. A regular sized computer monitor was placed next to the machine, angled so that both Joy and Liam could watch. The machine registered Duck in his pokeball and an image of a growlithe popped up on the monitor. When no other pokemon were placed in the machine, it whirred and the growlithe image grew and moved into the top left corner. The rest of the monitor was taken up by Duck's various statistics and signs of health. Blood pressure, heart rate, fatigue, temperature, even the amount of fire stored in the special organ he had that produced his fire-based attacks. Surprisingly, it even had Duck's nickname labeled just below the growlithe image.

"Duck seems to be in great health," Joy told him as she read the monitor too. "A little tired, but nothing that a good night's rest couldn't fix. I do see that he's a little small, though. Do you know how old he is?"

"Two weeks. His parents are my family pokemon."

Joy nodded, then moved over to her computer and began to type away. "Just adding his family history to his medical file." At Liam's confused look Joy smiled and waved a carefree hand in the air. "It's something we do with pokemon that were bred domestically. If anything happens in the future, we can consult his parents' files and see what sort of treatments were effective and which weren't. You don't happen to know their medical file numbers, would you?"

Liam shook his head in the negative. "My father is an assistant for Professor Oak, though. He'll know."

Nurse Joy let out a pleased hum and typed a little more in Duck's file. "Professor Oak, huh? Do you mind if I put that down as an emergency contact for Duck if you aren't available?"

"Please do."

Nurse Joy nodded and typed a bit more, but then she was done and over at the healing machine. She removed Duck's ball and handed it over. Liam smiled in thanks.

"Do you mind if I let him out of his ball?" He asked.

"Go right ahead!" Liam nodded in thanks, and as he walked back over to the cafeteria tapped the button on the ball. In the customary white light, Duck was released, and when the glow faded he took in his surroundings before lightly woofing up at Liam.

Liam kept walking, but waved his hand and Duck followed after him. Looking around, Liam noticed that the girl with the book was gone. Replacing her, he found Misty sitting at a table, staring at her bike in sadness, a pager in hand.

"You know staring at it won't make it better."

Misty sighed and plopped her head in her hand, propped up by her elbow. "Yeah… I'll have to throw it out. I can't afford to have it fixed."

Liam commiserated, then looked over to the window. A laminated piece of paper was propped up with the menu. It was too small to read from here. "What did you order?"

Misty sighed again, eyes not leaving her bike. "Rocky road."

Liam raised an eyebrow at her, but smiled nonetheless. "Ice cream, really?"

Misty looked up at him with a grumpy eye. "Dessert never fails to make me feel better."

Liam shrugged. "Fair enough."

Liam walked over to the window, ordered his own meal and a bowl of food for Duck, then sat with Misty and dragged her into a chat about where they would be going next. Pewter City, they decided, and began to talk about what there was to do there besides the gym and a loud crash! echoed through the room.

Both of them flinched and covered their heads as shattered glass rained down from the sky light above, tinkling against the floor and scattering all over. Thankfully none fell on them. Liam looked up, and was surprised to see a black ball fall through the hole. Before it even hit the floor the ball exploded, filling the room with oily black smoke and blinding him.

Immediately Misty and Liam began to cough, covering their mouths as best they could, while Duck began to bark into the smokescreen. Awkwardly Liam tried to stand, but he stumbled into the bike and caused it to fall with almost as loud a crash as the broken skylight.

"Careful!" Misty warned. "We can't see where all that glass fell!"

"What's going on?" Liam complained.

Misty didn't answer, but soon enough the smoke cleared enough for Liam to see again. Standing in the middle of the room were two people, a man and a woman. The man had medium length blue hair coming down to about his chin while the woman had a single long arc of vividly red hair curl behind her. Both wore white and black uniforms, a large red "R" emblazoned on the front. A meowth, standing on its hind legs, was at their feet.

"Who are you?" Nurse Joy yelled.

"Who are we?" The man asked. "You mean you don't recognize us?"

"We're famous!" The woman held up a piece of paper. It was a wanted poster, with two shadowed faces on it, though their hair certainly matched up well with these two.

"Whatever you want, you won't have it!" Nurse Joy declared.

The woman laughed. "Like you can stop us! We're Team Rocket! We take what we want, when we want it!"

"And right now, we want all of the pokemon in this popsicle stand!" Shockingly, it was the meowth that spoke, his voice accented and clearly masculine. Liam had no idea that pokemon could learn to speak like humans, but there was always time to look into that more later.

They were part of Team Rocket? A gang of criminals known for stealing pokemon and doing whatever was necessary to come out on top. They were the oldest and most expansive crime syndicate in the region. The government was never able to identify and eliminate their leader. Liam glanced down at Duck, who stood by his side loyally, but was ready to attack on his order. They would try to steal Duck, too.

Liam's eyes narrowed as he glared at the pair. They were nothing more than pieces of trash in his opinion. And if that talking meowth was with them then it was just as bad, pokemon or no.

No way they were getting away with this.

"If you want any pokemon," Liam yelled, causing them to look over at him, "then you'll have to go through me!" Duck growled in agreement and took a threatening step forward.

"Yeah!" Misty took a few steps forward until she stood next to him. Already a hand was moving around inside her orange napsack. "You'll have to go through me too!" She finished, pulling out a pokeball.

She threw it, commanding "Come on out, Stella!" and what landed in front of them was a staryu of impressive size. Standing just shy of four feet, it was over one and a half times larger than most. The brown coloring of its legs was dark, and the band at the center a brilliant gold. It released a loud battle cry, and with one arm-leg motioned for their enemies to come at it.

"Ha!" The woman laughed. She held up her own pokeball. "As if you brats could beat me! Go, Ekans!"

She threw her pokeball. It opened high in the air, releasing a white light that formed into Ekans. Deep purple scales, with a golden underbelly and a gold band around its neck, as well a gold rattle at the end of its tail, Ekans opened it maw wide to reveal sharp white fangs dripping with purple venom. It struck an imposing image.

"Ekans!" She commanded, "Use Wrap!"

Slapping its tail against the ground, Ekans lunged forward with an angry hiss. It sped through the air with surprising speed, soaring over the broken glass on the floor, its angry gold eyes on Duck with a predatory hunger.

An idea sprung into Liam's mind, though he wasn't sure if it would work or not. They hadn't tested this move out earlier, they hadn't met any trainers on Route One but Misty, after all. But Ekans was coming closer, and Liam needed to make a move. He held his hand out and motioned for Misty to stay back.

"Roar!" Liam ordered.

Duck followed through and roared. More than a bark or a howl, it was a near deafening noise that said: "YOU DON'T FUCK WITH ME!" Duck's voice shook the air, and was so powerful that Ekans fell to the ground and immediately began to slither back to its trainer. With startled hisses and scared cries, Ekans returned itself to its pokeball in a beam of red light.

"What?" The woman gasped in disbelief. Clicking her pokeball furiously, the woman cried out in frustration as Ekans refused to leave. "No! Ekans come out and fight!"

"Leave it to me Jessie!" The man said, calling on his own pokemon. What was revealed this time was a large koffing, puffs of green smog escaping from the channels that littered its body, a light purple skull and crossbones marking beneath its mouth. It levitated high up in the air, a perpetual and almost ecstatic smile on its face. "Koffing, use Smokescreen!"

Koffing laughed and its green smog began to pour out of its pores.

"Quick! Roar again!" Duck followed orders, and as the cacophony echoed around the room Koffing laughter was drowned out. It's smile was replaced with a fearful look. The smoke stopped spilling out into the air, and Koffing quickly rushed back to its trainer, returning itself as well.

"Oooh! You brat! I'll get you!" The man cried, a fist in the air and pointed at Liam.

"No James! We can't get distracted." Jessie put a hand on James shoulder, though it was clear that she was irritated by Liam as well. She looked down at her feet, where the meowth had begun to cower behind her legs. "Meowth can do it. He doesn't have a pokeball to return to."

James nodded, and together they snatched meowth up, ignoring his cries of "No! I don't wanna!" and threw him directly across the room. Meowth flew towards them, screaming and claws out as he waved his arms around. He landed not that far in front of Liam, hitting the floor hard on his face, but he quickly got to his feet and sneered at Duck and Stella.

"One more time Duck!"

Duck barked once in confirmation, then roared again. This time, however, Meowth didn't return to a pokeball, possibly because he didn't have one like Jessie and James said. All the attack resulted in was a brief pause, but when the same fear as before didn't come to Meowth he lunged at them, claws now fully extended and swiping through the air.

"Take my Fury Swipes!" Meowth cried.

Liam dry swallowed. Alright then, if that wasn't working any more then he would have to go on the offensive. "Heat Wave, Duck! You know when!"

Liam wasn't actually sure if Duck knew when to release his blast of fiery breath. Thankfully, when it seemed like Meowth would be on them in seconds Duck fired. The powerful heat waves coming from him caused the air to waver, the orange tint of fire energy curling around their enemy.

The pressure behind the blast was enough to push Meowth away. His fur took a brownish tint, and small smoke trails wafter up from where some parts of his fur had been burnt. Meowth hissed at Duck, but warily kept his distance.

"Could use your help now, Misty!"

"Right!" Stella cried again and Misty's voice. "Use Confusion, Stella! Clear away the glass!" Another cry, and then Stella was thrusting its two arm-legs forward. Suddenly, all of the glass shards on the floor began to glow a faint blue, a trademark of psychic moves.

Realizing that the Confusion attack wasn't directed at him, Meowth started forward, aiming for another Fury Swipes at Duck. But then the shards began to float up into the air, hovering at face height and grinding Meowth to a halt. The glass began to swirl around him, causing Meowth to back up in fear of being cut, but in one smooth motion Stella directed the shards all together into a single pile up against the wall on the far side of the room.

Meowth watched the glass move away, wary of it returning for a surprise attack, and Liam saw his chance.

"Flare Blitz!"

Duck howled as he jumped forward, tendrils of fiery energy licking the air around him. With great speed, he ran forward, and as he neared the bright embers began to flicker amongst his fur, radiating into the air and surrounding him. Though not a blazing ball of fire experienced pokemon utilized, Duck's attack had enough firepower and gusto to complete the job. The heat of those embers attracted Meowth's attention, as well as that of Jessie and James, but what Duck lacked in power he made up for with speed. He barreled forward, not giving Team Rocket any time for commands to be given.

On reflex, Meowth raised his hands to block the attack, but that feeble defense was nothing compared to the force of Duck's charge. Meowth wasn't fast enough to dodge, and then Duck was blasting into him. Duck didn't stop with just Meowth, however, and continued to push onwards, Meowth caught up in the attack, until he was bearing down on Team Rocket as well.

The two of them were unmoving, staring at the rapid movement with fear. Duck howled, and though the fire energy around him momentarily increased it didn't combust. Nevertheless, the power in his attack hit Jessie and James with full force. Both of them, as well as Meowth, were launched backwards, soaring in the air and smashing through the windows of the Center's front wall.

Liam wasn't sure how to react after that. Relieved? Terrified? Duck turned back to face Liam, a look of happy pride on his face. He trotted over to Liam and jumped up into his arms. Duck began to lick Liam's face, and all Liam could do was laugh. He adjusted his arms to hold Duck better, and turned to Misty with a quirked smile.

"Hell of a way to kick off a journey, wouldn't you say?"

Misty laughed, and was about to say something, but then the front doors opened and in rushed Officer Jenny, two more officers, and-

Was that Giovanni?

It was. Stern faced, dressed in a crisp black business suit, and inspecting the room with sharp eyes, it was the famous Giovanni. Liam's mouth opened and closed without a sound. What was he doing here?

"Are you two alright?" Liam ripped his eyes away from Giovanni and to the police officer standing in front of them. Shorter, with a squat nose, he looked at them with a serious expression. Liam looked past him, and saw that Jenny and the other officer was speaking with Nurse Joy. Giovanni simply stood in the center of the room, slowly turning and inspecting everything.

Liam cleared his throat, and began to feel a bit of adrenaline fade away. "I'm fine. Never even got touched."

"Same, officer," Misty said.

The officer nodded. Behind him, Jenny and the other officer rushed out of the Center towards where Team Rocket had blasted off. Jenny shouted to the officer to stay here before they were off.

The officer looked back to Liam and Misty, removing a pen and a small notepad from his pocket. "I'll need to interview you about the incident and collect your statements."

Misty nodded her head. "Of course." Then she slung her bag around her shoulder, returned Stella, and sat down at the table they had been at previously.

Liam looked down at Duck, tail wagging lightly and looking back up at him. "Come back for now, bud. I'll let you out again later." Duck woofed as he was returned.

Liam sat down as well, taking out the necklace he wore under his shirt and beginning to rub at the red stone. Doing so helped him calm down. Liam didn't have to say much, not much had really happened, and Misty was able to cover everything that had gone down, but Liam gave a clear statement of his own anyways.

Soon enough Officer Jenny returned alone and began to speak with the officer a fair distance away. While they conversed, Misty and Liam walked over to Nurse Joy, where he asked her to check on Duck again after his use of Flare Blitz, just in case. She was happy to check, and placed Duck back in the healing machine.

Liam thanked her, and was about to chat with Misty about how crazy what just happened was, when Giovanni walked over to them.

To say that Liam was surprised was an understatement. The amount of familiarity Giovanni showed Misty, however, was downright shocking.

"Misty," Giovanni had greeted amiably. He smiled politely to her, his hand held out. Misty shook it without a bit of hesitation. "It's good to see you again. I understand you helped in running off these members of Team Rocket."

Misty smiled back with a little flush of embarrassment. "Oh, it was nothing. I didn't really do much. There wasn't much to do, really…"

"Arguable." Then Giovanni turned his attention to Liam. "And you must be the boy who did the work Misty won't claim." It was a joke. Liam couldn't imagine the ever serious Giovanni telling a joke but it had just happened. Weird. Liam returned Giovanni's polite smile with one of his own.

"Liam, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Giovanni nodded. "Same." Giovanni glanced down, and for a moment his eyes stayed down. Liam glanced down as well, but all that was there was his necklace. "An interesting stone," was all that Giovanni said. "A beautiful color."

Liam blinked in surprise. "Oh, um, thank you. It's an heirloom of my mother's."

Giovanni nodded, still staring at Liam's necklace in thought, but after a moment tore his eyes away and nodded to Liam and Misty again. "Well, it was nice to meet you both. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to speak with Nurse Joy."

Giovanni looked at them expectantly, and then both jumped a little and realized that they were all still at Nurse Joy's desk. Liam turned around, took Duck's ball from the waiting Nurse Joy, and then he and Misty moved back to their table.

He looked back as soon as they sat down, but Giovanni was simply speaking with Nurse Joy. Liam turned to Misty, eyes sharp and suspicious.

"Okay, spill. How do you know him?"

Misty immediately tightened up and glanced away. "What? I don't know him."

Liam leveled her a flat look. "Misty, Giovanni knew you by name. You blushed. Obviously, you've met before."

"I… I…" Misty looked furiously around her, but, eventually, she hung her head in surrender and sighed defeat. "Alright. My family runs the Cerulean City Gym." Liam's eyebrows shot up. "My sisters and I are all gym leaders there."

"Oh… I wasn't expecting that." Liam looked over to Giovanni, who was seemed to have finished his business and was walking back to the front doors. "So you've met Giovanni at, what, gym leader get togethers?"

Misty shrugged. "For the first time this past conference. Gym leaders have a private tournament every year, as well as a party during each Indigo Conference, but I was looking after the gym while my sisters were at this last tournament, and I became a leader after last year's conference so I wasn't at that party."

"Huh. Well… good to know." Liam leaned back in his chair. "What does that entail? Being a leader, I mean. Are there, like, weird responsibilities you have to perform?"

Misty shrugged, and looked a little relieved that the secret was out. "Not really," she began, sitting into the back of her chair and relaxing. "We lead the gym we're a part of. Have the battles, care for the pokemon, clean the place up; the kind of things you'd expect."

Misty paused and looked up in thought with a considering hum. "As for weird… I'm not sure. There is this one thing that happens sometimes, though it's more scary than anything."

Misty leaned forward seriously, looking Liam hard in the eye.

"Sometimes gym leaders are brought on as outside consultants by the police." Liam's eyes went wide with surprise and he immediately leaned into the table with interest. Misty nodded at his surprise, a bit of a grimace on her face. "We can get called in when the police are dealing with a pokemon that's the type we specialize in. One time, on Cinnabar Island, my sister Violet had to be teleported in to take care of a Kingdra rampaging on the island. Her dewgong had been hurt so bad that he can't even battle anymore!

"Other times there are crimes going on in the area the gym is in, and the police need a leader's help in stopping the criminal when their own pokemon aren't enough. My sisters told me this story once; an old gym leader in Saffron City was helping the police subdue some criminals with his fighting pokemon, and the gym leader got shot!"

"Wow…" Boggled by the idea, Liam stared at Misty as he saw her in a new light. "Being a gym leader is more dangerous than I thought."

"No kidding." Misty clasped her hands together and stared down at them. "We don't have to do it, of course, but us gym leaders are role models for our communities and we take a lot of pride in that." Misty frowned and stared off into space. No doubt she was worried about her sisters, and the possibility of something happening to them.

Liam couldn't imagine what that must have been like, seeing your siblings go off to try to help others and then left to wonder whether they would come back alright. Liam didn't know much about Misty's sisters, just that they were talented water pokemon trainers, but his opinion of them definitely rose.

Liam reached over and placed his hand on hers. She looked up at him and smiled.

"How about we go outside and do some training?" He asked with a small smile.

Misty grinned at Liam and brought her bag around.

"I see that look in your eye. If you think you can beat me and Stella you've got another thing-"

Suddenly, two loud buzzes banged against the table. They looked down, and realized that it was the buzzers for the cafeteria. They had completely forgotten. They looked over at the window then saw the young cook smile and wave at them, a bowl of ice cream, a bowl of pokemon food, and Liam's own club sandwich sitting on the window counter and ready.

"How about we eat first, train later?" Liam asked, glancing over at Misty.

She was already on her feet and aiming for that Rocky Road.

---

The next morning, Liam was sitting in the Center cafeteria, eating a breakfast of eggs and bacon. A flat screen tv played the morning news, at the moment covering a Tailow migration flying by Fuschia City and moving towards the Orange Islands. Across from Liam Misty was enjoying her own breakfast, sausage links and some small pancakes. Duck sat under the table, eating a bowl of pokemon food, Stella next to him drinking a from a bowl of special mineral water. They had been talking about what kind of bag to replace Misty's small knapsack, her only requirement was that it be red, when they had an unexpected visitor.

"Good morning."

Liam and Misty looked over to see Giovanni standing next to their table, polite smile the same as last night.

"Giovanni!" Misty said with surprise. "Good morning!"

"I'm glad I caught you before you left. I was hoping to speak with the both of you."

"Both of us?" Liam asked with a little bit of disbelief.

Giovanni nodded. "Yes. The League has… requested that I prepare a team of pokemon for challengers below the caliber I normally accept. I have recently obtained a new pokemon, delivered from the Rivo region, for that purpose, and I would like to test it out against the both of you."

Liam frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. "I've never heard of the Rivo region. Where is it?"

"In the southern hemisphere, beyond both the Orange Islands and the Alola region. It has many varied climates due to its geography, which has helped produce the pokemon now with me."

Liam glanced at Misty, who nodded at him. "I've heard of it," she said, "but I don't think I've ever met anyone from there. I'm not sure what kind of pokemon they have."

"The one I will be battling you with you will have some knowledge of. I assure you," Giovanni said.

Liam shrugged his shoulders and nodded to Misty. She did the same, and together they looked back up to Giovanni with happy smiles. "Sure!" Misty said. "We'd love to help out. It'll be a lot of fun to battle pokemon from another region."

"Excellent! I'll-"

"Excuse me, Giovanni." Everyone turned to see Nurse Joy, the TV remote in her hand. "I apologize for interrupting, but I thought you all may want to see this." She pointed the remote at the TV and turned up the volume.

A press conference was being aired. A stately room was shown, crowded with reporters and cameramen and other officials. A banner on the bottom of the screen read "Champion Lance to Make Announcement." In the upper right corner of the screen read the word "LIVE."

Lance was just walking up to a podium when the volume was turned up. Behind him stood a shorter man, with a large gray beard, long gray eyebrows, and a larger bush of equally gray hair. They both seemed somewhat serious, the man dressed in business wear and Lance in his official league outfit, but they both had pleasant smiles as cameras flashed on and off.

---

"Hello everyone," Lance said as he settled behind the podium. "I don't have much time for questions, so my colleague Mr. Goodshow," Lance motioned to the man standing behind him, who nodded his head in greeting, "will be accepting them after my announcement.

"Now, as many of you know the Indigo League Conference just recently completed, and the new season is upon us. In understanding of that, we of the League have chosen to make this announcement at this time.

"It has recently been decided that, as a test run, the next Indigo Conference will be postponed to three years from now."

---

"What?" Misty said, the disbelief in her voice almost palpable.

"Oh my!" Nurse Joy exclaimed.

Liam himself was also surprised, his eyebrows shooting up as far as they could go. Postpone the tournament for three years? That wasn't going to go over well. What had gotten them to think that it would be a good idea? And from Misty's surprise, it seemed the League hadn't informed the gym leaders about the decision beforehand. Liam glanced over at Giovanni. He was frowning in confusion. Didn't inform them was right.

Liam looked back to the TV.

---

An uproar had started amongst the reporters, but a raised hand from Lance was enough for them to slowly quiet down.

"I understand," he began once the noise level was back down, "that this decision is unexpected, but the League hopes to use this time to hold an event of unparalleled size.

"Not this coming year, but the year after, eighteen tournaments will be held in honor of the eighteen different types of pokemon." The reporters in the crowd began to speak with one another in surprise, their rumbling growing steadily louder. Camera flashes regained their pace. Lance spread his hands wide, a large grin on his face. "Every type will be presented! Fire, Water, Grass! Dragon and Fairy and every other shall have a dedicated tournament! It shall be the Year of Battles!"

With that, Lance swept his cape around and left the press conference to the shouted questions of the reporters. Mr. Goodshow stepped forward then, grabbing the mic from the podium.

"I am Mr. Goodshow, President of the League Competition Committee. I will be taking your questions now." Mr. Goodshow pointed to a reporter, who began to ask a question. As she asked, Nurse Joy began to turn the volume of the TV back down.

---

"Did they tell either of you about this?" Nurse Joy asked Misty and Giovanni. Both shook their heads in the negative.

"They had mentioned," Giovanni said, "during the gym leader party at the conference that some changes will be coming. However, it was never hinted that it would be something of this magnitude." He was frowning, a stern look centered on Mr. Goodshow on the TV.

"What is the League doing, not even telling us about this ahead of time!" Joy complained.

"Something big must have happened recently for them to do this without talking with you guys first," Liam said, looking over at Misty. She nodded in agreement and shot an irked look at the TV.

"I have no idea what would have, though," Misty said.

"Well," Joy said with a sigh, her fists on her hips, "there's nothing we can do about it right now." She walked away and back towards her desk, her shoulders tight with irritation.

"Nurse Joy is correct in that regard," Giovanni said. Liam could hear a grating annoyance in his voice. "Nevertheless," he looked down to the two of them, "if you two are still interested, please come to my gym after your breakfast is complete for our battle."

"Oh!" Misty exclaimed. "Of course! I almost forgot already!"

"Excellent," Giovanni said, his polite smile back, and nodded to the both of them. "I look forward to seeing you both soon."

Giovanni left then, leaving Liam and Misty to finish their breakfast amidst the League's shocking announcement. They chatted about it for a bit, occasionally Duck pawed at Liam for some scraps–"Okay Duck, but only a little bit. Here's some bacon"–but eventually they had finished, turned their dirty plates and utensils in, and let Nurse Joy know that they may be back for healing in a little while, despite having checked out of their room.

As they left, with Stella returned to her pokeball, Liam glanced back at the TV. The news was still on, but now it was a story about a video of a Shinx trending on the internet. His head spun around the idea of the Year of Battles.

One year from now, eighteen huge and exciting tournaments would begin. He had one year to prepare for them, and no one, especially Liam, knew whether this Year of Battles would happen again… It seemed his plan of traveling at his own speed wasn't going to be as casual as he had hoped. Not if he wanted to place well in those type tournaments.

"You coming?" Misty asked, snapping Liam out of his thoughts.

He turned to her in surprise, and saw that she was holding the door open for him. Liam smiled and walked outside, Misty quickly at his side and Duck by his feet.

"Yeah, I'm coming."

Who cared if he had to rush a bit, as long as he had a friend to travel with?

---

Author's Note: I hope readers have enjoyed this! Feel free to review, and if you have any questions about this story that I should have mentioned in the author's note let me know! I'm going to try to avoid writing long ones since this first chapter was meant to cover most of everything, but life is life.

Edit Note: So apparently the horizontal lines from my Google Doc didn't get carried through into FanFiction (not sure why) so I threw this chapter into the text manager on FanFiction and just used the horizontal line function there. Other than that, I've only made some minor grammar changes (So. Many. Commas).

---

Pokemon and Their Nicknames

Liam's pokemon:

Duck = growlithe

Misty's pokemon:

Stella = staryu

---

Chapter Word Count: 17,518 Date Posted: Friday, January 18, 2019 Edit Date: Friday, January 18, 2019