Author's Note: FWEE! Ya, anyway...I've recently rediscovered my Pokemon Crystal game pack and my Muse. As things happen, they got together and created a diabolical plan: To Take Over The World With A FanFic!!!!!!!!!!1111!!11 ...Anyway...since my game pack is an inanimate object and my Muse (from henceforth called Simon) has no corporeal body, they enslaved me and forced me to write this...whip cracks I'm getting back to writing! Please stop!

Krysta and all other characters save for the Gym leaders and Team Rocket are mine. Pokemon belongs to themselves, I do not own them.

Krysta wandered through the library, looking for a very specific book. Finally, she spotted the worn and battered cover of her favorite book. Think You're Gym Leader Tough? was a corny title, but it was a how-to for her lifes ambition.

Taking the battered and much read book to the counter, she checke it outand headed for home. Home for her was a secluded house on Route 31, formerly the residence of the one and only, Mr. Pokemon. As advised by her parents, she avoided the clumps of grass that lined the road. As she went around the bend near Dark Cave, she heard some jeering yells of younger kids. She quickend her pace and went to see what the commotion was about.

Several student from the Violet City Pokemon School had surrrounded a small Zubat. The Zubat's wing was severely hurt and the children kept taunting it and prodding it with a stick. Krysta couldn't allow them to do that. She ran at the group and shoved the kids out of the way and stood defensively in front of the hurt pokemon.

"You animals!" she yelled, changing the pain of sympathy into a venomous attack. "You have no right to harm this poor Zubat! If anything, you should help it! Get out of here before I hurt you!"

Surprisingly, the children listened. Like smoke on the breeze, they scattered and went to where ever it is that little children disappear to. Krysta knelt down and reached out to the Zubat. It was in deep pain and hissed at her.

Softly, she crooned to it and managed to touch it. She felt it tremble at her touch. Gently, she picked it up and carried it home. Her mothers Blissey met her at the door with its cheerful welcome.

"Blissey! Bliss bliss?" It hopped over and looked at the smaller than average Zubat. It used its Softboiled technique to help heal the pokemon. Her mother came in from her study and also greeted Krysta.

"Welcome home dear...Oh, is that a Zubat? It looks rather...well, small. Is everything okay?"

Krysta related the details of the day and explained that she couldn't leave the little thing out by itself. Her mom shook her head and handed her a Potion.

"You'll need that if you're planning on doing what I think you are. Good luck dear, the door is always open if you need anything."

Krysta accepted the Potion and slipped it into her hip pouch. Her mind reeled. This was it. Her first step as a pokemon trainer. Almost as an after thought, she pulled two things out of her pouch. The first was a berry, which she fed to the Zubat. The second was a poke ball. She opened it and used it on the Zubat. The ball closed around the pokemon and rocked once...twice...three times, and stopped. Krysta smiled. The pokeball opened then though. As Krysta was about to cry in frustration, she realized that the Zubat had perched on her hand and was nuzzling her. It accepted her! She looked down and noted that the Zubat was a male Zubat.

"I'm gonna call you...Echo!"

"Zu?"