ATTENTION: To those of you who first read this chapter before December 12, 2009, you might want to read it again. Thanks to Farla (.net/u/64005/Farla), I have fixed some errors in chapters 1-3. 2 and 3 have just minor edits (mainly fixing capitalization), but this had a lot of work done on it. I'm pretty sure you won't be missing too much if you don't reread, but I still recommend you do.

CHAPTER ONE

Blowtorch the charmander wandered through the forest, more scared than he had ever been in his life. He had just hatched this week, and already his Trainer had released him into the woods. He remebered overhearing him say something that could explain why. "Are you kidding me? A lonely nature? As if a normal charmander's defense stat isn't low enough already!" So far, he had met nothing, but that might just be due to pure luck. He couldn't let his guard down in a place like this…

Something moved in the shadows. He whirled around in fear, but saw nothing there. "Who's there?!" he squealed, terrified. There was no answer. "I'm warning you… My father was a Pokémon League Champion!" Of course, his father was not really a Pokémon League Champion, but he at least wanted the thing, whatever it was, to be more afraid of him than he was of it.

"Pokémon League Champion, you say?" a voice challenged from behind him. He spun around to see who it came from. It was an intimidating-looking lucario with a scar on his eye and another running down his chest. There were also several nicks in his ears and tail. He continued, "I don't know or care what that is, but that doesn't change how much of a scrawny wimp you are."

"Oh yeah?! I dare you to come fight me!" Blowtorch shouted, trying as hard as he could to look as scary as possible. Maybe he still had a chance at scaring it away...

"Ssh! You'll wake every Pokémon for miles!" the lucario hissed, "But if you really want me to…"

He rushed forward with amazing speed, and in one mighty thwack of his paw, the charmander was unconscious.

=X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X=

"Oh, the poor thing! What do you think he did to him?"

"It could have been anything, knowing Reaper."

"Ssh! He's waking up!"

Blowtorch opened his eyes slowly, aware of a dim pain in his side and sunlight streaming through a hole in the wall of a small, round room. "Ugh…" he moaned, "Where am I...?"

A gentle-voiced meganium answered, "You're in the Healer's Den of the Forest Tribe, sweetie."

Blowtorch looked at her. Even though he knew he should be afraid, she seemed to emanate some kind of soothing aura that drowned out all of his instincts that told him she was a potential threat. It didn't take long for him to gather enough courage to repeat, "Forest…Tribe?"

A bayleef spoke next. "Yes, the Forest Tribe. We rule under these trees, and we're proud of it! I believe you've already met one of our Fighters?"

Fighters? What were those? "Who's that?"

"Reaper. You know… About this tall," the bayleef made a motion with his neck to indicate, "dark grayish-blue, battle-scarred…"

The previous night came rushing back to him. "The… The lucario?" he said, his voice shaking with fear.

"Yeah, him," the young bayleef said, oblivious to the panic in the charmander's voice. The much more sensitive meganium glared at him to shut him up, promptly changing the subject. "Sorry, we've completely forgotten to introduce ourselves. I'm Ginger, and this is my son Orchid. I'm Tribe Healer, and he's in training to take over when I retire. Once you've healed a little bit more, we'll take you to the Leader so you can learn about your new life in the Tribe. We'll let you rest now, sweetie. You must be exhausted. Orchid! Come with me! Let's practice your basic mixtures. I've noticed that you've been failing in that area lately…"

"Aww, mom!" Orchid whined as he followed her into another room.

Blowtorch's head was still spinning. Reaper… Ginger… Orchid… The Leader… A new life in the Tribe… Reaper…

Oh, what had he gotten himself into now?