A/N: First Pokemon fanfic for me, this is. Talk like Yoda do I. Annoying much this is. Agree I hope you do.

Anyway, this is a crazy idea that I just fell in love with. Reviews are appreciated. I don't own anything relating to Pokemon. Yeah.

The Full-Breed Phony

Chapter One

Amari sighed in envy as her friend Yvonne cuddled with the little pink puffball of fur, the thing cooing and making rather cute and incomprehensible noises. But one noise was understandable enough:

"Clef," babbled the furball. All of the girls grouped around Yvonne giggled or sighed at the utter cuteness before them in Yvonne's arms. Amari, however, found it rather annoying.

Curious, Amari questioned Yvonne about the cute little creature. "When are you going to start training it?" she asked.

Everyone became silent all of a sudden, and turned their heads towards Amari. Yvonne had raised her left eyebrow in slight scorn.

"What do you mean by 'training' Clefi, Amari?" Yvonne spat coldly.

Amari cringed slightly. "Well, you know, in the islands where Pokemon originated, everybody trained their Pokemon to get stronger so they could battle them against other Pokemon…" She trailed off as Yvonne and the girls grouped around her gasped in horror.

"Put Clefi in battles? Are you insane? What are you, some kind of animal-abuser?" Yvonne roared. Clefi screeched in her arms, but to no avail.

"No! I just… I've had experience with Pokemon before!" cried Amari.

Yvonne looked puzzled at first, and then a smug look crossed her face. "Oh. Oh! You think playing video games counts as experience? And really, I thought you were smart, Amari. I guessed wrong, then. Well, I can't have a best friend who's stupid. Have a nice life, Amari!"

Yvonne then motioned for a girl to sit next to her. The girl shoved Amari to the side, giggling as Yvonne let her hold Clefi.

Amari stood up and walked away, dejected. Yvonne had always been a slight snob, she being an extremely rich only child. Of course she would get a Pokemon—not just one of the video games or a toy, but a real Pokemon. It had been only about five weeks ago when the islands of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, the Orange Islands, and various others had been discovered a few hundred miles southeast of Japan in the Pacific Ocean. The island countries were so small that they'd been missed all this time. It had taken a typhoon blowing a fisherman's ship off-course to crash-land on Johto.

The creators of the Pokemon franchise of video games hadn't known at all, all except for one. The first to think the Pokemon games up had been an actual trainer, before getting lost in a storm and having a slight amnesia.

Amari was a huge fan of Pokemon; she wanted one of the critters so badly that she'd even offered to do the dishes for a whole year if her parents would buy her one. But Pokemon were expensive and her family was going through a tough time, financially. Pokemon were only found on the islands; Pokeballs cost lots as well, and a trip to one of the islands was very much out of the question. If one was lucky, one might find a bird Pokemon around southern Japan. Amari didn't live in Japan. In fact, she was as far away as anyone could pretty much get. She was a middle-class American with single-minded parents that had to be bantered endlessly to even get a family pet.

Amari kicked the ground, sending up a small cloud of dust. She was on the same planet as real live Pokemon were. She should have one. But she didn't, and that was a major problem. All the rich kids got them in no time; she'd seen Pidgey perched in the trees of their owners' yards and Rattata scurrying along the streets pursued by their trainers; but it didn't matter. She wasn't rich so she didn't get one. It was just so unfair.

She sighed again. There wasn't any hope in the matter. It would be three months before she'd get a Pokemon, when they would be released into the wild for everyone to catch. She'd be fourteen and three quarters then. How awful to wait that long. And she'd lost her best friend. What a hideous day she'd been having. And it was only two o'clock in the afternoon.

She stomped into her house, slamming the front door on the warm midsummer's day outside. Amari crashed up the stairs, stormed to her room, slammed the door, and flicked on her Gameboy Advance, playing it until she fell asleep.

Amari woke up in the morning. It was about two weeks later. She stuffed a pillow over her head as she moaned loudly, trying to block out the sound of the annoying group of Loudred and Whismur next door. Her neighbors had bought a whole pack of the creatures, and they made more noise than a wrecking ball knocking down a house. It got really annoying in the mornings and at night when everyone was trying to sleep. Her parents wouldn't complain to the neighbors about it because they wanted to be on good terms with everyone. Amari cursed her parents slightly. They were too courteous for their own good.

She rolled over in her bed, groaning some more. Everyone in the neighborhood over nine years of age had Pokemon now except for her and her parents. Amari's brother, Marin, didn't really care about Pokemon; he was an exception to the masses of people who owned them. Amari didn't care how Marin felt, though. The Pokemon one owned, and how strong it was now judged toughness. Marin was as weak as anyone could get. Of course, Amari was considered even weaker then him.

Even Yvonne had started training her Cleffa, which had already evolved into a Clefairy. Amari had heard some of her old friends talking about Yvonne's parents might buy the girl a moon stone for her Clefairy to evolve into a Clefable.

Amari frowned. The Loudred were being especially loud this morning. There was no way she was going to go back to sleep.

She sat up and got out of bed, dressing in appropriate clothing for the warm day. Trampling into the bathroom, she picked out a hair band and pulled her brown hair up in a ponytail. She pulled out the toothpaste out of a drawer and squeezed some onto her yellow and white toothbrush.

Amari glanced upward towards the mirror over the sink, staring into a reflection of her sparkling blue eyes as she scrubbed feverously with her toothbrush. She glowered at her reflection, staring disapprovingly at her misshapen nose and her uneven eyebrows.

Leaning down, Amari spat into the sink, took a swig of mouthwash and spat that out too, and tramped down the stairs to find something to do for the day. She decided to play outside with her dog. She could've been training her Pokemon this morning.

If she had a Pokemon, that is.

As she played outside with her dog, a large creature with black fur, she heard snickering behind her. Turning around, she glared at the group of people pointing and laughing at her in her driveway. Three in particular caught Amari's eye.

There was Yvonne, with what must've been a newly evolved Clefable and another Pokemon, a beautiful fire-fox Pokemon called Ninetales. There was Aaron, a boy two years younger than Amari who lived next door; a Loudred and two Whismur accompanied him. And finally there was Geki, the nephew of a Pokemon researcher who had moved to the neighborhood. Geki was Amari's age; he had black hair and even blacker eyes, and was an already-accomplished trainer—he was from Kanto. Four Pokemon who Amari recognized as Growlithe, Fearrow, Bellsprout, and Wartortle stood by his side.

Yvonne, Aaron, and Geki looked to be the strongest trainers present. They marched up to Amari.

"We see you finally have a Pokemon, Amari. A Poochyena, of all things! It's so fat!" taunted Yvonne.

Amari raised an eyebrow. A Poochyena? Where was the Poochyena?

Geki addressed her next. "We are the three best trainers in the neighborhood. You have to beat us in order to travel to the Pokemon Islands on your journey to capture Pokemon."

Aaron cut in, "We have to challenge everyone, as required by Geki's uncle, but we'll be going to Hoenn after we challenge one more person in the neighborhood—you! So, who do you want to loose to?"

Yvonne sniggered at the questioned. Aaron grinned evilly.

Amari looked puzzled. "What Poochyena?" she asked stupidly.

Yvonne doubled over, laughing. Aaron stared at her, foggy eyed. "That Poochyena! The one you're playing Fetch with!"

Amari was stunned into silence as she saw Aaron pointing to her dog, Rover. She was going to object, but then—she realized that Rover really did look like a Poochyena. Her mind formed a brilliant scheme, and she smiled smugly.

"When are you guys leaving for Hoenn?" she questioned innocently.

"In a week," answered Geki, undaunted and rather bored.

"Oh. Well, I need some time to train my d—I mean, Poochyena." She laughed nervously.

There was an awkward silence, and then Aaron gave her a curt nod.

"Fine, but be ready for a battle in six days," he ordered. And with that, the crowd left her and Rover in the yard.

Amari stared after the departing trainers, and finally looked down to Rover. He stared at her curiously with amber eyes.

"Rover," Amari stated, "we have some training to do."