Author's note: Hey everyone! First episode of Season 2! It's technically April 1st where I live, so I was on time in posting this, like I said I would :p

Anyways, as far as scheduling is concerned (because I was not very good at that last season), I'm thinking of doing one episode each weekday, and two episodes on weekends. That might change, depending on life and whatnot, but that's what I'm thinking, since doing two episodes a day is exhausting for me and probably exhausting to catch up on for readers.

With regards to the actual story, I plan on solving some of the problems I had with Season 1, like neglecting some pokemon/characters over others, providing more depth to the main characters, etc. Nevertheless, I'm really excited to get back into this. I think this season will be pretty good, so stay tuned! Enjoy!

Episode 1: New Bark, New Journey!

"Magnemite, use thundershock!" Niko commanded. His magnet pokémon generated little sparks of electricity and shot them towards its opponent.

"Weedle, dodge and use poison sting!" Another trainer, Billy, yelled out. The small purple barbs collided with the thundershock, both exploding on contact and dissipating immediately after. Niko then retaliated with another thundershock, this time up close. Magnemite rushed forward, creating sparks with its little magnets on each side of its body, and released them at close range, successfully hitting the weedle.

"Weedle is unable to battle, magnemite wins! Niko is the winner of this battle!" JJ declared, waving an arm in his friend's direction. Niko walked up to Billy to shake his hand.

"Hey, good job dude. You definitely made it difficult for magnemite and I to win that one. I like how you didn't give up. That's an important skill in being a better trainer, trust me."

Billy smiled and returned the handshake. "Thanks! And I hope to see you again sometime. Then we can have a rematch!"

"You got it. We've gotta head off, now. Do you know how far New Bark Town is from here?"

Billy turned around and pointed in the direction he had previously come from. "Just a little ways down that road. It's not far, actually."

Niko and the rest of the group gave their thanks, and headed off. They had been on the road for two days now. Before, Niko had had doubts about going on another journey, due mainly to his performance at Indigo Plateau a few months prior. The loss—at the hands of one of his closest friends, Fay—made him feel like a failure in not just the eyes of his family and friends, but also his pokémon; the ones who had helped him get as far as he did.

It was the convincing from Brittany, his parents, and finally Fay that snapped Niko out of his miserable state. It was then that he decided to travel to the Johto Region, compete for gym badges with Fay once again, and then enter into the Silver Conference the following spring. With only his magnemite, a pokémon that he caught in Kanto, Niko was ready to give it his all again. However, doubts still lingered in his mind; doubts that he wasn't aware of yet.

"I wonder what this Professor Elm guy is like…" Brittany said out loud in an attempt to create conversation with her friends.

"Well, Oak says he is kind of a quirky guy, but otherwise he must be friendly, right?"

Brittany nodded in response, more focused on the road ahead. A few moments later, they noticed some buildings come into view. They had finally made it to the Johto Region.

"Wow…" JJ said in awe. "This place looks beautiful."

"It doesn't look too different from Kanto, JJ…" Fay retorted, laughing a little under his breath.

"Well, yeah sure, but still…" The group continued on into town in search of the lab. Wasn't hard to find, as it was the largest building in New Bark Town. It looked pretty similar to Professor Oak's lab—just a large, rectangular building with a set of double doors that opened automatically. Walking inside, it was still similar, with rows of books on shelves and some machines in the back of the room. There was a set of stairs that went upwards, presumably to the professor's room.

As they approached the back of the lab, a tall man with light brown hair perked up, looking at the four young trainers through his thin-rimmed glasses.

"Oh! Oh uh…hello, there!" He said, quickly shuffling a stack of papers that had been scattered around his desk before standing up quickly. He nearly fell forward as he rushed towards the group to more properly greet them. "You four must be the kids Oak was telling me about, right?"

"Yes, sir. My name is Fay. This is Niko, Brittany, and JJ. We're on a journey through the Johto Region, and were told to stop by here on our way."

"Oh, yes yes. Oak told me all about you guys. Niko and Fay…you competed in the Indigo League, right?" Both nodded. "Great! I'm sure you'll find the Silver Conference equally challenging. Part of my job is to help new trainers on their journey, whether it's giving them their first pokémon or directing them to the nearest gym, or both!"

"Oh, great then. Care to help us out a bit, then?" Fay asked.

"Oh…err…" Elm began, "I'm pretty swamped in work today, actually. But…say! Come back in a few hours, and we can get you all started on your journey. I'll even treat you all to dinner at my place. My wife loves having people over!"

"Sounds like a plan, professor!" JJ responded. "Say, is there anywhere we can go to grab something to eat?"

"Oh, sure! There's a small noodle restaurant in the south of town that you can check out!"

"Great, thanks!" Niko answered as they left the lab in search of this noodle place. Arriving there several minutes later, they realized that Elm made the right suggestion—the noodles were great. After walking off lunch by touring the town, the group finally arrived back at the lab to meet with Elm once again.

"Professor, we're back!" JJ yelled out as he entered the lab. The rather disorganized professor quickly got out of his chair to greet the group once again.

"Oh, hello kids! You got here just in time—I finished my report, and should be free for the rest of the day to help you all out," Elm said, calmer than he was before. He walked over to a table behind his desk and pulled out four of the same small machine. "Here you guys go. These are pokédexes for the Johto Region, and should help you identify pokémon that you aren't familiar with. Also, since many Kanto pokémon are also native to Johto, you'll be able to register them in this, too."

"Wow, thanks professor!" Niko said, pulling out a pokéball. "Let's see what they have to say about magnemite!" He then released his electric type and opened his new pokédex:

"Magnemite, the magnet pokémon. Electric and steel types. The electricity emitted by the units on each side of its body cause it to become a strong magnet."

"Oh, so it also gives their type, too? The Kanto pokédex didn't do that…"

"Correct, Niko!" Elm responded. "Oak mentioned that to me, and so I upgraded the pokédex to include it. I'm sure you'll find it useful on your journey. Also…Oak mentioned that I offer you both a starter pokémon. Would you both like one?"

"Uhh…sure!" Niko said. "Hey, magnemite, whadda ya say?" The magnet pokémon chittered happily in agreement. "Alright, let's do it!"

"Agreed, I don't have any pokémon on me, actually," Fay added.

"Wait…why not…?" Niko said, looking over at his friend.

"I left them at home. I figured I'd start over as well. I know JJ and Brittany didn't, but I think if the both of us are challenging gyms again, let's do it the same way we did last time, right?" Niko nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, follow me upstairs. That's where I keep the pokémon," Elm said, motioning the four trainers to the second floor of the lab.

It looked similar to the first floor, with bookshelves lining the walls. There was a large capsule in the center of the room that held three pokéballs. Elm walked over and held them in his hands.

"So I have the three starter pokémon in the Johto Region. I'll send each one out one at a time. The first, chikorita:"

Elm threw out a pokéball containing a small green pokémon with a large leaf on its head and red eyes. Niko pulled out his pokédex:

"Chikorita, the leaf pokémon. Grass type. It loves to bask in the sunlight. It uses the leaf on its head to seek out warm places."

"The second, cyndaquil:"

Elm threw out a second pokémon, this time a small, bipedal mouse with fire on its back. It looked up at Fay cheerfully. Fay pulled out his pokédex this time:

"Cyndaquil, the fire mouse pokémon. Fire type. The fire that spouts from its back burns hottest when it is angry. The flaring flames intimidate foes."

"The third, totodile:"

Elm finally threw out a small, blue crocodile pokémon, also bipedal. Niko looked down at it with interest, ultimately pulling out his pokédex:

"Totodile, the big jaw pokémon. Water type. This rough critter chomps at any moving object it sees. Turning your back on it is not recommended," JJ chuckled a little at this entry in particular.

Elm then looked up at Fay and Niko. "So…what do you two think?"

Fay immediately answered. "Cyndaquil. I choose cyndaquil."

"Excellent choice, Fay! Professor Oak told me all about your charizard. I think you'll do fine with training another fire type. Well, here is cyndaquil's pokéball. I know you'll take care of her just fine."

"Thanks, professor."

Niko sat there for a moment. He had difficulty choosing between chikorita and totodile. He liked the idea of choosing another grass type, but he found totodile to be intriguing as a water type. Although it looked a little dopey, it had an aura of strength behind it. Niko appreciated that.

"I choose totodile," He finally responded, getting down on his knees to look at his newest pokémon. "Hey buddy, my name is Niko, and I want to be your trainer. This is my friend, magnemite. He'll be your teammate and friend, too!"

"Niko, I think you and totodile will do just fine. But, I have to warn you—oh!" Elm yelped as he noticed totodile biting Niko's hand as the trainer reached out. "He likes to bite…a lot…"

"I…noticed…" Niko said, wincing in pain. The big jaw pokémon eventually let go, allowing its new trainer to nurse his hand.

"No worries, my wife can fix it up for you in no time! Speaking of which, would you four like to stop by now? I think dinner is almost ready!" The group nodded, following the professor back downstairs and out of the lab to the house next door.

The professor's house was a two-story building that, on the inside, was unusually clean. He led the group into a rather large room with a long wooden table with some delicately crafted chairs lining the sides. A moment later, a woman appeared with plates of food. As she noticed the group, she smiled cheerfully.

"Well, hello kids! You must be my husband's friends!"

"Honey, they're here to start their journey in Johto…" Elm said as he kissed his wife on the cheek and walked into the kitchen to help her.

"Oh! That sounds so exciting! It's rare that I get to meet the trainers that my husband helps out, so this really is an honor!"

"Well, thank you so much for having us," Fay replied.

"Yeah, can't ever turn down a free meal!" Chuckled JJ.

After the food was set on the table, the group sat down and began eating. During dinner, Elm and his wife asked about their journeys in Kanto, the gyms, and their league experience. Elm was fascinated by the pokémon that they got to meet, particularly their encounter with articuno. After a while, the conversation turned back onto Johto.

"So, what are the gyms in Johto like?" Niko finally asked.

"I've never battled any of them, but I do know some of the leaders. They use types that you might not have encountered in Kanto. One gym in particular uses steel types. For reference, your magnemite is a steel type. But generally trainers tell me that some gyms are pretty difficult, but that's all a matter of opinion. I'm sure you kids will do fine, since you've already experienced the gym challenge in Kanto."

"Steel types, huh?" Niko said, "I've heard of them. They're weak to fire types, right?"

"Indeed. They're also strong against ice and rock types. But weak to fire, fighting, and ground. The gym leader that uses them, Jasmine, is a tough cookie, that's for sure."

"I look forward to fighting her, then!" Niko said excitedly. "But, umm, speaking of which, where is the closest gym?"

"It's a toss-up between Blackthorn and Violet, but neither of you are prepared to challenge the blackthorn gym leader…so I'd say Violet is your best bet," Elm said, and then perked up as if he had an idea. "That reminds me! I actually have a favor to ask of you four…"

"What's up, Elm?" Fay asked curiously.

"I have a friend, Mr. Pokémon, who lives just north of Cherrygrove City. He—like me—is very interested in pokémon eggs. I have an egg I would like to send to him, but my assistants and I have been swamped recently, as we are preparing for an inter-regional conference of professors. Could you deliver the egg for me?"

"Sure professor. What's in the egg? Do you know?" JJ asked.

"No idea! A trainer gave it to me, but since I've been busy I can't take care of it. But Mr. Pokémon loves eggs, and will certainly find a home for it. That is, if he doesn't take it for himself! Hehe…"

"Well, we can certainly do that!" JJ responded. "I've taken care of pokémon eggs before. This won't be an issue for me!"

"Yeah, he's right," Brittany added. "His growlithe came from an egg that he was also given. That growlithe loves him a lot, actually!"

"Then I'll entrust the egg with you, JJ!" Elm said excitedly. "Thank you so much!"

The group stayed the night with Elm and his wife, Brittany taking his daughter's old room, and JJ taking his son's while Niko and Fay slept on the couches. The following morning, as they were preparing to leave, Elm's wife walked up to them and gave them a pamphlet and map, similar to what they used in Kanto.

"You guys might find this useful. The map is pretty self-explanatory, but this pamphlet gives you information on each of the primary gym leaders in the region, as well as things to do in each town you might visit."

"Thank you!" JJ said, taking the map and pamphlet, as per usual. "We used something similar when we travelled in Kanto. I really appreciate it."

"No problem, JJ. We're happy to help!"

"And don't worry, professor, we'll get the egg to you!" Niko added.

The professor patted his shoulder. "I have no doubt that you will succeed, Niko. Your group is very competent, from what I've heard. I think you guys will go far."

Saying their good-byes, the group then turned west towards Cherrygrove City, the next stop in their journey towards Mr. Pokémon's house and Violet City, the first Johto gym. The rising sun behind them, their new journey has finally begun.