Journeys Untold:

Lullabies of the Lost

"Never again."

The events that took place during the Sinnoh League Conference still ran circles in Donna's mind. Even now, nearly 5 weeks later, she still couldn't bring herself to come to terms with how her match with Xander had ended.

She stood on the edge of a jagged cliff, staring off into the vast ocean. The waters around Cianwood Island were rarely this calm so she took in nature's grace, if only for this moment. Her journey had recently brought her to Johto in search of more badges and other accolades, but upon arriving, she slowly began to realize that her search would need to begin within her own heart.

More memories raced through her mind now, but they were no longer of her old rival, Xander. It had been 3 days since she parted ways with Zack and she was beginning to question her decision to do so. She wanted to stick with him, but there was something restless inside of her, spawning fear and confusion in her heart and she knew that she couldn't go on like she had before finally putting it to rest.

3 Days Earlier

"Donna…you don't have to do this, you know." Zack pleaded to his close friend, "I know that match with Xander messed you up…but you really don't-"

"I told you to shut up about that, okay!?" she exclaimed, "You don't know anything! You don't know what I'm going through and you don't know me as well as you think you do!"

She paused for a moment, trying to gather what was left of her cool as the two trainers sat in the empty lobby of a Pokemon Center. It wasn't the first time she'd lost it, but her animosity was rarely aimed at Zack and it seemed that she was growing more irritable by the second. She took a deep breath and a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing.

"Zack…" she began, trying to piece her words just right, "I…I'm sorry. I really am."

"Don't be sorry." he said, "Just be sure you know what you're doing. I worry about you, kid. You're like my best friend and-"

"Okay, stop, because you're already making this a lot harder than I thought it would be." Donna interrupted, "Look, I don't know what I'll find…I just know that I need to be alone for a while."

"Will you at least be in touch?"

"I don't know."

Zack patted his thighs nervously, as if he had something that he wanted to say, but he just couldn't get the words out. All was silent for a moment and the two refused to look at each other now. Donna stood, breaking the thick wall of ice between them with these last few words before disappearing.

"I'll see you around…okay?"

She left Olivine City shortly after that and caught the first ship to Cianwood Island. Like she said, she didn't know what she'd find there, but what she happened across was more than a surprise.

"I'd ask you what you were thinking about, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't tell me anyway." came a voice from behind, interrupting her thoughts. Donna turned her head slightly and shook it softly as the red-haired boy gazed at her.

"Nothing." she replied, now turning her entire body to him, "So, did you get the stuff?"

"Of course." he answered cockily, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small brown disc, "I've got more too. Are you sure you're ready for this?" The determined trainer nodded in response without hesitation as her now shorter hair blew in the wind. "Good. Then bring your TM case and follow me."

With those words, the two walked off into the night, though their destination was still unknown to Donna. In fact, she didn't know much about the boy who now shared her company. His name was Alex, but beyond that, much about him was still a mystery. She'd met him only shortly after parting ways with Zack, on the boat that carried her to Cianwood. It was an eerie feeling, their first meeting. It was almost as if he could feel her out right from the start. He could immediately tell that she was deeply troubled and reached out to her. He offered help in ways that not even she knew that she wanted. Words like power, control and victory crept from his lips and titillated her interest. He made promises that he could help her grow even stronger and break the glass ceiling that she'd unknowingly set for herself by her own standards and morals. All he asked in return was that she helps him now and again, when the time came. She was reluctant at first, but with the bad memory of her battle with Xander still fresh in her mind, she eventually accepted his offer. Now here she was, walking the sandy shores of the lonely island, following a boy she barely knew, in a relentless search for power.

"I don't care what I have to do…" she thought to herself, "I've been going about this the wrong way ever since I first left home. At the rate I was going, it was only inevitable that he'd eventually…"

"This looks like a good enough spot." the red-haired boy claimed, stopping in his tracks near the base of a rocky cliff, "So, we decided on Lucario, right?"

"Yes." Donna replied, reaching into her bag and grabbing the fighting-type's Poke Ball firmly. She then took a seat on a large cracked rock with her TM case in hand. Alex handed her the small brown disc and she inserted it into the front slot. There was a brief moment, as she sat with the TM case in one hand and Lucario's Poke Ball in the other, where she began to second guess herself.

"Well…what are you waiting for?" Alex quickly asked, breaking her from her thoughts once again. She snapped out of her momentary daze and pushed any doubting thoughts to the back of her mind as she forcefully inserted the fighting-type's Poke Ball into the opening on the front of the small yellow case.

Both the disc and the container began to glow faintly within her grasp. Alex stood over her, staring blankly at the glowing case as the light began to dim. The light finally dissipated completely and the Poke Ball popped out of the front, right into Donna's hands.

"That's it?" she asked, curiously looking up at the boy.

"That's it." he simply replied, reaching out his hand to help her up, "I think that should do it. You'll definitely be ready tomorrow. You should get some sleep."

They crept back into Pokemon Center, since they were clearly breaking curfew, and Donna tried to get as much rest as possible before sunrise when she was set to battle Chuck, the island's surly gym leader. Even thought it was her initial reason for coming, it would be her first gym battle since arriving in the Johto Region. Chuck was known for his strength in battle and it would surely take a lot to bring him down.

"You'll be fine. Trust me."

That was the phrase that Alex left her with before she headed off to bed that night and they were the same words he spoke in the midst of her match with the fighting gym leader the following morning.

Lucario was locked in a rough battle with Chuck's Poliwhirl and thought it was still early in the fight, Donna could feel her back against the ropes as she stood on the sandy beach.

"You'll be fine! Trust me!" Alex called, "Just calm down and focus. Remember what to do!"

His words reached the panicked girls ears and she tried to calm herself. Her heart was racing faster than she could ever remember in battle.

"What to do? Need to focus." she thought, "Right…focus."

"Poliwrath, Seismic Toss!" Chuck called with vigor. The dual type nodded and charged at Lucario. Poliwrath grabbed its right arm and began to swing its opponent violently before chucking it across the beach. Lucario slid through the sand and came to a halt near the water were Donna stood. The fighting-type climbed back to its feet and loosed an echoing cry that signified its unwillingness to give in.

"Not done yet, hu? Good! Very Good! Now, Poliwrath, use your Dynamic Punch and knock that Lucario into the ocean!" Chuck exclaimed, now completely immersed in the battle at hand. Poliwrath cocked its large fist back and the appendage began to shine brightly. Donna was still a little panicked, but she did have the presence of mind to run off a list of possible counter attacks in her head. Finally, she decided on her original plan, but it did seem to carry the most risk.

"No pain, no gain." she muttered to herself before blurting out the command, "Lucario, strike back with Focus Punch! Now!"

The Aura Pokemon complied by balling its paw-like hand into a fist and it began to glow as well. Donna hadn't forgotten that it takes a moment to gather the necessary strength for Focus Punch and the Poliwrath was coming in to throw its punch well before Lucario was ready to counter. As its opponent approached, the fighting-type continued to focus its energy and Donna knew that Lucario couldn't take a hit at that moment.

"Dodge! Now!" she called to it, in a rather domineering tone of voice.

Just as Poliwrath swung its fist, Lucario ducked and weaved to the left, avoiding the punch and countering with a power packed strike of its own. The blow was placed squarely in the center of the spiral design on Poliwrath's torso. The dual type stayed on its feet for a moment suffering from a mixture of pain and shock, but its trainer was only experiencing the latter. As the muscular Pokemon tumbled to the ground it cried out in agony while gripping its stomach tightly.

"Whaha!?" Chuck exclaimed, unable to form a coherent word, "I lost!? I lost! I don't believe this!"

"The winner, by way of knockout, is the challenger!" the league referee announced, waving the green flag that signified Donna's victory, "Please present her with this badge."

The referee reached into a small pouch that was strapped around his waist and pulled out a tiny, brown, fist-shaped pin. Chuck approached the man somberly after returning his Poliwrath to its Poke Ball and took the badge. He then walked over to Donna with an equally solemn approach and handed it to her.

"I had you on the ropes! Damn! As much as I hate to admit it though, you earned this badge." he said, forgoing all formalities, "I still can't believe my Poliwrath lost in a straight up fight against another fighting-type. That's never happened before. You're either really lucky, or you've got something special going on. Either way, you've damaged my fighting pride. Poliwrath and I have some serious training to do so take this and scram."

Donna slowly reached out and took the Storm Badge from his grasp. She stared at it for a moment, thinking back on the match that had just come to an end. She couldn't believe how much stronger Lucario had gotten in such a short time just by her training with Alex. She turned and glanced at the red-haired boy who couldn't hide his how impressed he was with Donna. Conversely, she couldn't hide how grateful she was for all the help he was providing. Alex gave her a small nod and they decided to take their leave of the broken gym leader.

"Oh! One more thing." Chuck called, stopping the girl in her tracks, "Keep an eye on your things out there, okay? You never know who's willing to stoop low enough to swipe 'em. I noticed yesterday that I was missing a few TMs from my case. I'm not sure which ones yet, since I hardly keep track of them anyway, but just keep your eyes peeled."

There wasn't an ounce of concern in Donna's eyes. She took a moment before answering and a small smirk slid across her face.

"Don't worry. I'm sure it'll turn up."

She left the defeated gym leader with those last words before she and Alex slowly made off with her new badge in hand. Chuck scratched his chin in curiosity, but he was much too distraught by his loss to think too hard about it.

"So, what's next?" Donna asked, looking to her new companion for guidance.

"Hmm…" the boy mused, slipping his hands into his pockets and staring straight into the sky, "Actually, there's a little something I want to take care of in New Bark Town. I need to make a quick stop at Professor Elm's lab. You gonna tag along?"

Donna thought his proposal over a bit, trying to make a decision. She knew that if she stuck with Alex, he could continue helping her get stronger. She then thought back to the deal they'd made and knew that it was time to hold up her end of the bargain.

"Sure. Count me in." she replied after only a moment and as both she and Alex made their way toward the harbor, she was sure to always keep her thoughts focused on her ultimate goal.

"It'll be different next time, Xander…" she mumbled under her breath, "I swear to you…I will be different."

Next: The Magnet Train Mystery