Doubling Down

by Fake.Author.Fake

Lucas Tillman never expected the twist of fate that lead him to getting not one, but two starters from Professor Rowan. How far will these three partners be able to make it?

Doubling Down-Chapter 1

A/N: This is a reimagining of the Pokemon D/P/PT. Some characters will have different personalities and backstories and I do not own Pokemon in any way shape or form.

Chapter 1: Getting Started

"Lucas Tidwell! You wake up this instant or I am sending Glameow up to wake you!" My mother yelled as her voice drifted up the stairs to my small room on the second floor of our house. For such an even tempered woman, it never ceased to amaze me how loudly she could yell once she got riled.

I groaned and sat up in my twin sized bed, the early morning light filtered through the curtains of my room and revealed the small confines of my room. I shook off the covers and started walking toward the bathroom that my mother and I share, taking care not to step on any of the clothes strewn across my floor. Today was an important day, the day that I turned thirteen and could finally register as a trainer in Sinnoh. I know what you must be thinking, most regions let their children venture out at ten or eleven. But Sinnoh imposed an age limitation due to how brutal the weather could be on the young and foolhardy. It wasn't uncommon for trainers to die due to the harsh weather or powerful pokemon surrounding Mt. Coronet which bisected into the region into the eastern and western half. I lived on the eastern half, in a small town named Twinleaf just outside Sandgem Town.

I step into the bathroom and hopped in the shower, letting the hot water alternatively relax and wake me up from my restless sleep. My best friend Barry and I had stayed up late the night before playing on my father's old ACE Trainer battle simulator. The ACE trainer Battle Simulator was an old computer program that accurately simulated a Pokémon battle in incredible detail. Weather, abilities, you name it and the simulator could do it. Even though it was almost two decades old you could count the scales of a Dragonite or be blinded by the glimmer of sun off of an Aggron's leg. We had been up running different battles until my mom put her foot down and kicked him out around midnight and sent me to bed. Now, at about 6, I started to wish she had broken things up sooner.

I stepped out of the shower and looked myself over in the mirror. My gray-green eyes, angular features, and short cropped black hair sat atop my slim, wiry frame. I put a roll of deodorant on the underside of my arms and stepped out with my towel wrapped around my waist and stepped out of the bathroom to begin my day. I quickly dressed in my school uniform, a white button up shirt with a dark grey tie, grey slacks and blue blazer. In all honesty, as much as I complained about the uniform, it's actually not as bad as you would think it would be. The main issue I have is that until I turned ten, I was homeschooled. I would do a full day's work in two hours, shower and be done by noon. But now, I go to Professor Rowan's school over in Sandgem Town because Twinleaf doesn't have a school and you can't take the Qualification Exam anywhere but a school. The schoolroom is over in Professor Rowan's lab and it's pretty much about ten kids my age crammed into a back room of the Professor's lab being talked at by one of his assistants for about seven hours a day.

I pulled on my black school shoes and walked down the stairs into the first floor of my family's house. I walked over to the kitchen table and began to shovel the eggs my Mom had made down my throat as quickly as possible. My Mom turned around and looked at me with amusement in her bright blue eyes. She swept a bang of her dark blue hair out of her face before she settled into her spot across the table from me.

"Why are you eating so fast, honey?" my mother asked, "you can't possibly be late yet it's only seven."

"I'm not late, I said that I would meet Barry so we could walk to school together. He's going to make another attempt at talking to Dawn Hickory." I explained as I held back a laugh.

"That boy is just a glutton for punishment." Mom said exasperatedly. "You'd think that he would have moved on and found someone who wouldn't shoot him down constantly. And shame on you for encouraging him."

"I'm not encouraging him, Mom." I explained for the umpteenth time, "I'm just backing him up. If I was encouraging him, it would be extremely messed up on my part."

"Well don't be late, you find out your scores on the Trainer's Exam today."

"I won't."

"Go to school and come home, no detours. I mean it"

"I won't."

"Have fun, I love you sweetie. I remember when it was my day." My mother said wistfully." But before you leave Sandgem don't forget to pick up the groceries."

"Bye Mom, love you." I said as I walked towards the door. I stopped at a small table near our door. On it was the last full family picture we had taken. My Mom was holding a squirming 4 year old as my Grandpa Blaine and Father stood on either side.

My father had been an ACE trainer, one of the best trainers in all of Kanto until he came to Sinnoh. It was only fitting considering that his father was the former Elite Four member and current Cinnibar Gym Leader Blaine. My dad was the best, always so playful and full of life with mischief dancing behind his eyes. He had the same gray-green eyes and thick black hair as me. Beside the family picture was picture from the day my parents brought me home from the hospital. My father, bleary eyed and wearing his glasses, was holding a sleeping newborn in his arms surrounded by his Pokémon partners. Arrayed around us was his starter Arcanine, a Ninetales, a Charizard, a Rhydon, a Salamence and a Gyrados. It wasn't a terribly well balanced team, Grandpa Blaine had explained that he wasn't a combat specialist but focused mainly on fighting environmental crises. He was the one that the League called on to take command in situations like hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes and anything else you could think of. Eventually, he got caught in a forest fire that couldn't be contained and he passed away when I was five. I really don't like to talk about it.

Grandpa Blaine, his father and my grandfather, was a former member of the Kanto Elite Four who specialized in fire-type Pokémon. After Dad passed he became my main male role model, much to my mother's dismay. It's not to say that they didn't get along, Grandpa Blaine adored my mother as the daughter he never had and vice versa, but she didn't like how I began to take on his more fight-happy and sarcastic personality traits. His temper was the stuff of legend in Kanto and my mother quickly annexed his attempts to mold me in his image, the only thing that really stuck was the teasing sense of humor. Although his temper was incredible, he never did anything more than yell and earned himself the nickname "Grumpa Blaine" from me. He was an incredible Grandfather, always telling me stories and teaching me how to take care of his own aging team. About a month a year my Mom would go back to Hearthome City to do Contests and public appearances to make some money and he would move in and watch me. Those days were the highlight of my childhood, every day we would do something new. One time he even took me to see Champion Lance's exhibition with Sinnoh's Champion Cynthia. I can still remember flying on the back of Dad's Charizard, which Grandpa Blaine used at his gym, all the way to the indoor arena in Jubilife City. He was a brilliant scientist and he even made mine and Barry's homeschool curriculum so that we would be fully educated without an elementary school in our small town.

I stopped and looked down at the family picture. I slowly looked over at the only picture of a single person on the table. It was an official League portrait of my father in his full ACE trainer gear, he was smiling proudly with his thick black hair slicked to one side and a twinkle in his eye.

"I'll see you in a bit Dad." I said as I tapped the end table with my knuckle as I opened the door.

XXXXXXXXXX

As I stepped out into the brisk April morning I turned right and walked down the dirt path towards the town square. "Town Square" was probably a bit generous considering there were only about seven real houses in this backwater town, but to me it was the best place to grow up as a child. I was stepping into the square when I was suddenly shoved forward by an impromptu impact which sent me sprawling into the dirt.

"Oh, jeez. I am so sorry Luc!" My best friend anxiously shouted as he helped me up. "I was running late and I wanted to catch up, I didn't see you there."

"No problem B," I said gamely as I stood up. "If I showed up to school without dirt on my pants from getting knocked over, people would be too surprised to go about their business."

I looked over at my best friend Barry Alfin. He had large poufy blonde hair that stuck off of his head and he stood a bit taller than me but was built like a rail. He wore the same uniform as me with his hands tapped against his leg with nervous energy. We had known each other since we were infants, his mother and mine went way back together as coordinators and that combined with the fact that we were neighbors and the only kids in town cemented our bond as the closest of friends. His outgoing and hyperactive personality complemented my quiet and introverted self perfectly.

"Why were you in such a rush?" I asked as I brushed my clothes off.

"I got a late start this morning because of how late we stayed up playing the sim, I had to skip my shower and breakfast to get here on time." Barry said as he pulled a fruit bar out of his back pocket and bit into it. "We need to get going though, we're going to be late."

"I'm not sure Dawn will appreciate it if you show up smelly. That decision alone is probably what'll be the reason for yet another romantic speedbump." I teased as I narrowly avoided a friendly kick.

We started walking north from the square towards the entrance to town. Before too long we were at the beginning of the route that would take us to Sandgem Town, and our school.

"Do you want to know what I'm looking forward to the most?" Barry asked.

"Getting shot down by Dawn Hickory for the hundredth time?" I asked teasingly.

"Pssssh, we both know that today is my day. There isn't anything that's going to stop me!" Barry said confidently. "What I'm looking forward to most is being done walking this stupid hour's walk to class first thing in the morning."

"That is going to be great." I said happily. "Once we get our licenses we get to head home early and just chill out until we order our Pokémon from the Exchange."

The Pokémon Exchange is a way for breeders to get the Pokémon they breed out into the world. Typically they go from the breeder to the sponsor of the trainer, in our case Professor Rowan, to the trainer themselves. It was a good way to get Pokemon not native to your region but could become very pricey depending on the rarity of the chosen Pokemon.

"I don't know, I'm still pretty pissed that Professor Rowan refused to let us register our picks on the Exchange so we could have them the day that the licenses were processed." Barry grumbled as we continued down the path.

"If he didn't, then people would have half-assed the exams like they do every year and the big prize he planned would have been meaningless." I said, repeating the answer I had given him every day for the last few weeks. This year Professor Rowan had offered the class a unique challenge: the top three scorers on the Exams would be able to claim one of the three Sinnoh starters that he used exclusively for research. "This way we have a reason to work harder and compete."

"Still, if Aide Sands has his way we won't even have eligible scores. He's had it out for us since the first day of our Trainer's course." Barry lamented mentioning our object of complete disdain.

Frederick Sands was Professor Rowan's senior aide, an unpleasant and greasy man in his early twenties who lacked all the propriety of a proper teacher. He disliked us because of what he deemed "a lack of positive attitude", when in actuality we wake up 2 hours earlier than everyone else in the class and walk five miles so that we could sit in a classroom and be talked at about things that Grandpa Blaine had taught us years ago by a man with absolutely no social skills. We could be a bit short tempered to be fair but his self-righteous and indulgent personality didn't help things. The only positive days we've had in our class were when Professor Rowan would teach us himself. Professor Rowan engaging, knowledgeable and personable. Comparing Sands to Rowan was like comparing a Caterpie and a Dragonite, they're both Pokemon but that's where the similarities end.

We walked in a companionable silence for another twenty-five minutes until Barry abruptly ran off the trail. I continued walking because I had a pretty good idea of what he would be doing next. I walked another hundred feet before Barry jumped out of the bushes on my left clutching a bouquet of wildflowers.

"Stubborn as ever." I said.

"My problem in the past was that I was always showing up empty-handed, now I'm demonstrating my worth to her. Not only can I charm her, but I can provide her with a bit of romantic ambiance as well." He said as he held out the flowers in his left hand.

"We'll see soon enough, but we need to pick up the pace I want to be early so we don't have to fight to see the scores." I replied tiredly.

"Then let's go, the sooner you get your score the sooner I get mine and then the sooner I can win over my lady love." Barry said with his usual energy.

"You are single-handedly the most optimistic person I know." I said.

We walked along watching the tranquil forest blend into a bustling small town until we were standing in front of a surprisingly modern and sleek building. Barry and I stepped through the automatic sliding doors and turned left and walked into the door of the classroom. The room was just big enough for ten desks, a blackboard, and a teacher's desk. Usually we were the first ones in because we had to account for our travel time from Twinleaf but today the room was full of children and their proud parents.

"I think we should have brought our mothers for this." Barry said hesitantly. "We're the only ones without a parent here."

"I didn't think that it was this big a deal, usually they just distribute the scores, pokedexes, and Pokémon and everyone leaves. I guess with the competition it's a bigger deal this year." I said surprised.

Barry and I walked towards the front of the room with the class rankings posted on the blackboard. I don't want to sound paranoid but it seemed like there was a lot more hostility in the room than normal. Barry and I usually got weird looks because of his loudness, my usually being dirty because of getting knocked over and our general status as hicks from the boonies but people were usually civil. Parents and children alike were staring at us with outright disdain and annoyance and I have no idea why. That is until I made it to the front of the room. On the list of ten names, for the first time since we started, Barry and I were second and first respectively.

"Holy Shit!" Barry exclaimed in my ear as he pushed my head aside to see the score sheet. "You placed first and I placed second. We've never scored this high before, we're usually fourth and fifth consistently. WE DID IT!" Barry yelled as he swung the bouquet above his head.

I calmed down my energetic friend while leading him out of the room of hostile classmates when we bumped into Miss Sarissa. Miss Sarissa was a tall, middle aged woman with lightly graying blonde hair and a kind, pleasant demeanor. She was also the only one teacher who showed me and Barry favoritism, mainly because we had been shoveling her mother's sidewalk in Twinleaf since we were only children. Every so often she would walk back with us to pay her mother a visit and she would tell us all about the work the Professor did and the gossip around the Lab.

"Hello boys," Miss Sarissa said in her quiet, pleasant voice, "I was just on my way to congratulate you on your placement on the Exams. I was rooting for your two. Professor Rowan wants you two to report to his office so he can distribute the prizes to the winners. Follow me."

I dragged Barry along as Miss Sarissa lead us down an unfamiliar white hallway towards a thick wood door that we have never been allowed inside of before.

"He's in there dearies," Miss Sarissa said pleasantly, "I hope you two choose well and have a wonderful adventure."

"Thank you, Miss Sarissa." Barry said. "You made a dull place a lot britghter." He then wrapped her up in a hug which she hesitatingly returned, taken aback by his sudden display of over-emotion.

"Take care of yourself, Miss Sarissa." I said once Barry had released her. "We're going to miss you." I then gently hugged her instead of the manic bear hug Barry had given her.

"You two head in now." She said with a sniffle as she began to walk away. "The Professor hates to be kept waiting."

Barry briskly opened the door and stepped through when we heard a shrill female voice screaming "BUT IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE THEM! IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE EMILY, JEFF, AND ME! THEY NEVER SCORE SO WELL, THEY MUST HAVE CHEATED!"

"Sounds like your girlfriend is here, B." I said glibly. "She sounds angry, you better give her the flowers right away. They should calm her right down."

"Fuck you." He hissed under his breath as he threw the flowers in a trashcan. "This never happened!"

I laughed as I grabbed a reluctant Barry and lead him by the arm farther into the room like a Nidoking leading a herd when I saw a truly funny sight. A slim girl with blue hair and a haughty demeanor was attempting to yell at a large man with white hair and a truly impressive set of sideburns leading into an even more impressive moustache. It was watching like a Teddiursa try to intimidate an Ursaring.

"Miss Hickory," Professor Rowan began, his deep voice barely above conversational level but full of stern authority, "should you continue this juvenile outburst I will invalidate your scores and force you to retake your Qualification Exams. If you should have a problem with the scores you should speak to me as a responsible and mature young lady would speak to an adult. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Professor." Dawn spat haughtily. "Professor, could you please explain to me how the two hicks from Twinleaf outscored the three people who lead the class rankings for three years?" I think that she was actually going to have another full on hissy fit until Professor Rowan acknowledged our presence.

"Boys, come in come in." Professor Rowan said with far more joviality than he had displayed a second ago, "I would imagine that you would like to know the answer as well. So please sit down, the three of you."

I sat down in the middle seat while Dawn sat as far away as possible in the left chair which left with a bemused and love crazed Barry on my right. Professor Rowan stood behind his desk, straightened his lab coat and sat down with his hands folded upon the desk's mahogany surface. I'd always known he was a tall man, but seeing him behind the desk made me realize how intimidating he could be.

"Now as you all know I decided to change up how things would be done around this lab. In the past, I allowed all the students in a class to choose a Pokémon from the Exchange and I would have them delivered here. This year I decided to hold a competition and reward the three highest scoring students with three very rare Pokémon. Your classmates will receive their Pokémon tomorrow with their pokedexes, but you three have earned the right to choose one of the three Sinnoh starting Pokémon today."

The Professor pulled a beat up and worn briefcase from beneath his desk and withdrew a key from his pocket which he put in the lock on his drawer. From within his desk drawer he pulled three files, with two being significantly thicker than the third. "As you all know, your class took the standard Qualification Exam. The sections of the test included Survival skills, your Academic knowledge, a Physical Examination and a Psychological Evaluation. In these four sections the top 5 students in your class scored almost equally so we added in the additional section of Battle Aptitude." Professor Rowan distributed the three folders with the thicker two going towards Barry and me.

"In the areas of Battle Aptitude there was such a large gulf between you five that that became the main reasoning behind your ranking. As you so thoughtfully pointed out Miss Hickory, Jeffrey Nesbitt and Emily Ashe had consistently out-performed Misters Tidwell and Alfin during the last three academic years. However, on the Qualification Exam your scores were all within the same percentile so we used the Battle Aptitude Simulation to further examine your particular strengths. It became apparent however, during the practical application, that there were two vastly different groups being tested. We ran you through simulated computer battles and when receiving an unfavorable matchup Mister Tidwell and Mister Alfen were the only ones who would attempt to push through and overcome the obstacle."

"But you're just rewarding them for being reckless," Dawn objected," in our classes Aide Sands always said to flee if you encounter a Pokemon too powerful to defeat or capture."

"In most cases, that would be the correct decision," Professor Rowan said, "but those two boys beat every matchup we had prepared for the five of you. Every setup had a built in way to win, if you had looked closer you would have found it. Eventually we just had them battle each other in real time to see what they were truly capable of."

Barry and I sat there dumbfounded. We had just treated the battles the same way that we would our usual bragging right battles at home on my dad's old Simulator. We had never thought that they were a part of the exam, Sands just told us they were remedial assignments we had to complete. Sure, we thought it was strange that the others had to do them but we didn't rock the boat. If memory served we were already in hot water that day for napping in class.

"Professor Rowan?" I asked. "May I ask a question?"

"Yes you may my boy."

"If we all received similar tests, why are mine and Barry's folders so much thicker than Dawn's?" I asked puzzled. "If we took the same simulations they should be the same size right?"

"Excellent question Mister Tidwell!" The Pokémon Professor beamed. "The reason your folders are thicker is because your battles contain more data than the others. Your decision making process and what you had the simulation Pokemon do lead to many different outcomes. Things like environmental control, status affecting moves, and tactics all played a major role. I would say the most impressive was the battle where we gave Barry a Salamence and you a Metagross. I can truly say that was the most impressive battle that I have seen between two school students. I never expected you to have Metagross lift itself up with Psychic to get in range for physical attacks. Or Salamence using Dragon Dance to increase its momentum to take Metagross down with it."

"Thank you, sir." We said humbly. This was probably the most praise we had ever gotten in school, usually Sands told us we were fools and we should follow the textbook and not improvise.

"Now Miss Hickory, I assume I have answered your question." Professor Rowan continued, "So now I will distribute your starters and you can be on your merry way." He opened the briefcase and revealed three pokeballs, each of them sitting atop a pokedex. "The highest scoring member of the class will pick first, anytime you please, Mister Tidwell."

I stood numbly and stepped towards the desk, my body on autopilot. Just this morning I never would have believed that I would be eligible for such an honor. I had a basic knowledge of the Sinnoh starters, everyone in class did because of the Professor's research on them. Piplup the water type, Turtwig the grass type, and Chimchar the fire type. There wasn't a bad one out of the bunch, but I already knew which one I wanted. I reached out confidently and wrapped my hand around the pokeball with the blue elemental sticker on it.

"Are you sure that you want Piplup, the water type pokemon?" Professor Rowan asked. "They can be quite proud and incredibly stubborn unless they see their trainer as worthy of their support."

"I'm sure, Professor Rowan." I said with a large manic grin. "May I?"

"Of course."

I primed the pokeball and lobbed it high into the air. The red and white ball soared in a lazy arc until it opened up mid fall and shot out a flash of bright light which coalesced into a tiny, blue bird-like pokemon. The Piplup raised its white face and yellow beak up to look me in the eye. His head reached just above my knee as he stared at me appraisingly.

"Hey there Piplup," I said as I crouched down, "how are you doing bud?"

The water type looked at me curiously before giving a strong sounding cluck sound and raising his head proudly and crossing his arms. Oh yes, this proud little bird was the perfect partner for me.

"Would you like to come on my journey with me?" I asked hesitantly, fearful of the answer, "if you do we're going to travel the region and become as strong as absolutely possible."

The water type perked up at my promise of building strength and after a minute's deliberation thrust out his right wing and looked me dead in the eye. I reached out and shook his wing before he came over and allowed me to pet his fuzzy blue head.

"Mister Tidewell, would you be so kind as to scan your new partner with the pokedex?" Professor Rowan asked.

"No problem, sir." I looked towards Piplup,"this won't hurt pal, I just need to scan you."

Piplup proudly puffed up his chest as I grabbed the red pokedex from the briefcase. I flipped it open and entered my new Trainer ID number before I hit the large black scan button.

"Greetings Lucas Tidwell, I am your pokedex and will serve as your primary form of identification when registering at Pokémon Centers and other such areas. I serve primarily as a Pokémon encyclopedia but also have a map, messaging app, radio, and global positioning uplink." A robotic voice droned.

"That is so fucking cool!" Barry said.

"Watch your language Mister Alfen!" Professor Rowan admonished sternly.

"Sorry, sir. Just got carried away."

"Piplup, the Penguin Pokemon. It is very proud and hates accepting help from anyone. It's thick down coat protects it from the bitter cold of its native land. This Piplup's ability is Torrent and it knows the moves Pound, Growl, Bubble and Bide. Its gender is Male."

"It's a pleasure to be traveling with you Piplup," I said. The little water type proudly puffed his chest out and strutted over to my chair with me. Once I sat down he jumped up into my lap and sat down and relaxed as I began to scratch the thick fluffy feathers on top of his head.

Barry had already chosen his Pokémon while I scanned Piplup, he had picked Chimchar and got so exited he didn't stop chattering with the little monkey Pokémon for a full two minutes until Professor Rowan had enough and made the two sit down.

"Now that leaves young Turtwig for you, Miss Hickory," Professor Rowan began as he let out the little green grass type onto the surface of his desk.

Everything looked like it was going well, Turtwig looked up at Dawn with bright shining eyes and Dawn reached out. It was only once we saw she grabbed the pokedex and began to walk out that we realized something was wrong.

"Dawn, you forgot your Pokémon!" Barry called.

"That won't be my starter," Dawn said coldly as she looked towards Professor Rowan," I will acquire my own off of the Exchange." She then walked right out of the room. We all sat dumbfounded for a few seconds, frozen in shock until we heard a gentle chuffing sound. We all slowly turned to see Turtwig, its eyes brimming with tears crying on the desk. Professor Rowan reached out but Turtwig swung its head around and tried to bite the Professor's hand before it ran into the corner.

"Oh dear," Professor Rowan said sadly, "I had no idea she would react this way. I should have let Turtwig stay in his ball."

"It isn't your fault Professor," Barry said as he strode towards the larger man, "nobody could have guessed what was going to happen. In fact-"

I lost track of what they were saying as Piplup and I plodded over to the hurting turtle Pokémon crying in the corner. I took a knee about five feet back as Piplup walked forward and put his wing on the grass type's shell. I sat there for what seemed like an hour as Piplup and Turtwig grunted and clucked until the two Pokémon walked over to me.

"I'm so sorry Turtwig, I know you must have been excited to get a Trainer today." I said, completely dumbfounded over Dawn's bizarre behavior. I reached out and petted the base of the stem on his head. He leaned forward into my touch and Piplup and I comforted the sobbing grass type.

After a while, Turtwig's sobs stopped and the three of us stood up and calmly walked over to a calmer Professor and Barry. When Professor Rowan raised the small grass type's ball the turtle Pokémon screeched and hid behind me and Piplup. After a few minutes of coaxing Turtwig walked over to Professor Rowan and beckoned him down. The two seemed to be having a conversation as Piplup and I joined Barry and Chimchar.

"That was messed up," I told a shocked Barry,"did you see the way she just walked out of here? She didn't even care she broke that poor little Pokémon's heart."

"I'm sure that she had a reason….." Barry began weakly but he quickly fell silent as a result of mine, Piplup's and Chimchar's angry glares.

Barry and I began to argue about the situation until Professor Rowan walked over towards us with a somber look on his face.

"Mister Tidwell, I have a request of you." The Professor began.

"What is it, sir?" I asked quizzically.

"It seems that our young Turtwig here," the Professor gestured to the forlorn grass type," refuses to return to his ball and will not be staying here at the Lab. As I'm sure you will agree, these circumstances are highly unorthodox but I'm afraid for the good of Turtwig there is no other choice. Mister Tidwell, will you accept responsibility for this Pokémon and take him with you on your journey?"

I stood there dumbly, unable to process the request presented to me. "You want me to take a second Pokémon from the lab today?" I asked.

"Yes, exactly."

I looked down at Turtwig's big yellow eyes, all full of hope and longing, and realized that I couldn't be the second human to break his little heart. "It would be my pleasure, sir."

Turtwig happily grunted and ran over and butted his head against my shin. The grass type looked up at me expectantly as I knelt down and began to pat his head. Piplup walked over a second later to greet his new friend and I began scratching the feathers on his head as well. I stood up and walked over to Professor Rowan while my two new teammates played.

"Thank you, sir." I said as I held out my hand. "I won't disappoint you, thank you for the trust."

Professor Rowan smiled, one of the first I had seen from the man, and grabbed my hand. "I know you won't Mister Tidwell. Now I do believe that you and Mister Alfen should hit the road, it's a long walk back to Twinleaf. I would like to ask you two to stop by the lab on your way over to Jubilife City though."

"Not a problem, Professor." Barry said as he too shook the Professor's hand.

"Farewell boys. Stay safe and prepare yourselves, you're in for quite an adventure." The old man said wistfully.

Barry and I then began the long walk home with our new friends in tow.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I cannot believe it," Mom yelled up the stairs. "My little boy leaves tomorrow."

I smiled bemusedly as I finished folding my clothes and put them with the rest of my traveling supplies on my desk. Piplup and Turtwig had stretched out on my bed and fallen asleep after the full course meal my mother had made upon our return home. The two slept contentedly on my bed while I finalized the last of my preparations, I was so focused that I almost didn't notice Mom standing in my bedroom door. She was holding a medium sized box, all wrapped up with a bow on top. She handed it to me and we sat down on my bed. Piplup and Turtwig stared at the box curiously before crowding over to Mom. She laughed and began to pet them while I opened up the box.

"Mom, you shouldn't have!" I said as I pulled a green top of the line trainer's bag out of the box. The bag was a dark hunter green with a single strap reaching diagonally from the top right to the bottom left of the pack and equipped with storage compartments. Essentially it operated like a pokeball, able to contain items many times larger than itself. Underneath the pack was a box of 10 pokeballs, a box of 5 potions, Pokémon food and a slim black metal badge case. "Can we even afford this?" I asked.

"I had some leftover money from my Contests last spring and with having one less mouth to feed I decided to splurge. It's not quite as nice as the one we saw in Veilstone when we went back to school shopping but it was more aff-"I cut her off as I hugged her tightly with tears in my eyes.

"Thank you so much Mom! It's absolutely perfect." I said and as I hugged her it hit me: I was leaving my Mom behind. For years it had been just the two of us with Grandpa Blaine stopping by a few times a year. She stood up and I realized that she was only a few inches taller than me now. Over the past few months I'd been shooting up and the two of us would stay up all night playing cards and watching movies to help me ignore my growing pains. I just realized how much I would miss nights like those, just the two of us joking and spending time together.

"I'm going to bed." She said with a thick voice. "I'll wake you three for breakfast in the morning." She stepped out of the room and closed the door.

I finished packing everything with the help of Piplup and Turtwig. I laid out my traveling clothes for the morning and brushed my teeth. I turned off the lights and climbed into bed and fell asleep with Piplup and Turtwig's comforting weight on either side of me.

XXXXXXXXXX

The mood was heavy in the morning. My Mom had made a large breakfast, pretty much a feast. Once my Pokémon and I had eaten our fill we stepped outside. I was wearing my traveling clothes, a black quarter zip sweater with a large yellow stripe resembling a "V", a pair of blue jeans, my belt with my pokeballs magnetically attached, and a pair of sturdy but light hiking boots.

Mom had let out her Glameow and my Dad's Ninetales, Vix. I had known those two Pokémon for as long as I had been alive. Vix was the only one of my Dad's Pokémon that Mom kept with us and Glameow was my Mom's starter, a contest Pokémon through and through. Grandpa Blaine had seen to it that the others had gone to places where they would be happy, but he could still call them back if he needed them. Mom liked to say that Vix only favored the men in the family, since Dad and I were the only ones she would "speak" with. The Ninetales' evolutionary line had a limited form of psychic ability, mostly clairvoyance and telepathy, and were known for their incredible judgement and zealous devotion to a trainer they found worthy. Glameow purred and rubbed herself along my leg eliciting a scratch behind her gray oblong head. Glameow was usually very aloof, not wanting a lot of undue attention but today she deigned to be affectionate. She then walked back to my Mom's side and leaned into her leg as if providing support.

Vix walked over next slowly, she walked over and looked my partners over with her dark eyes. Turtwig looked up awestruck and even Piplup looked humbled. She looked me dead in the eyes and walked over to me, her nine white tails trailing behind her.

"Hello, little kit." A smooth and affectionate female voice said in my mind. "Your mother tells us this will be the last day we see you for many months."

"I'll be coming back eventually," I said as I scratched the silky white fur behind her ears. "I'll be in touch though."

"Things will certainly grow dull without you and the twitchy one running around." She said. "I might finally be able to relax and catch up on my rest."

"Take care of yourself, Vix." I said as I leaned down and whispered, "Keep an eye on Mom for me."

"Your father asked the same of me." Vix said solemnly. "He would be proud, you've grown well. We expect great things, little kit."

"Thanks, Vix." I said as she walked back. I walked over to my Mom and gave her one last hug. "I love you, Mom. I'll be good."

"I know you will, my little Pokémon Master." Mom said as she began to cry. "Barry left earlier, but don't forget to go visit Professor Rowan. Or to double check your supplies before you leave Sandgem."

"I won't." I promised. We stood together for a long while before I said, "I'm going to hit the road. I'll get in touch once I reach Jubilife." Mom gave me a single nod as she began to cry quietly as I walked away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The walk to Sandgem took less time than usual. I suppose that's because instead of dreading another day of class I was looking forward to my future with my partners by my side. Before I knew it I was outside Professor Rowan's lab.

Speaking of the good Professor, he was sitting out front and instead of the usual lab coat/khakis combo he was sporting a particularly violently yellow short sleeve shirt and a pair of khaki shorts as he sipped a drink under the shade of the lab in a lawn chair.

"Professor?" I asked incredulously. "I hardly recognized you."

"I decided to relax for a bit. For the first time in months there are no pending matters for me to address." The jolly Professor said happily. "I thought I'd see how you and your partners were before you left. I take it by the clean state of your clothes that Mr. Alfen departed before you?"

"He didn't stop by?" I asked as Piplup and Turtwig wandered over to the affable old man.

"From what I gathered from a particularly apologetic phone call from his mother," the Professor drawled as he petted his former charges, "he shot off this morning without a care in the world. That boy always was a bit too airheaded for his own good." The Professor chuckled as Piplup and Turwig wandered back to me. "They seem quite attached to you already. Excellent."

"Thank you, sir. Is there anything else you need to tell me?" I asked, politely but impatient to get on the road.

"Just a summation of the unpleasantness from yesterday." The Professor's mood grew dour. "Miss Hickory has elected to travel with Mister Nesbitt and Miss Ashe. She chose a Ponyta for a starter. They should be leaving later in the week."

"No skin off my nose." I said as I reached down to pat Turtwig's shell. The mention of his almost-Trainer seemed to spoil his usually happy mood. "I hope they're all happy together."

"A surprisingly mature reaction." Professor Rowan drawled. "But I won't keep you any longer. Off you go young man, if memory serves you already know where the route to Jubilife is from when you and Barry overshot Sandgem on your orientation day all those years ago."

"Thank you, sir." I said with a laugh, remembering the embarrassing incident. I held out my hand and said, "thank you again, sir, for everything. The education and the Pokémon."

"You and Barry always were the damndest kids," the old man said, showing his age for the first time in all the years I'd known him. He shook my hand. "It'll be quiet around here, you two certainly did liven up the place. I'll tell Sarissa and Frederick you stopped by, they'll be sorry she missed you."

"Miss Sarissa might, Sands never did like me and Barry. I'll be seeing you Professor."

"Goodbye Lucas."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

I stepped out onto Route 202 with Piplup by my side, I had returned Turtwig once he began to tire. His heavy shell just wasn't suited to the pace we had been keeping up over the last few hours. It would take us a couple days to reach Jubilife City, but I was in no rush. I had moved a couple pokeballs to the right front pocket of my jeans and put the Pokedex in my back left pocket.

"I have something I want to tell you, Pip." I said using the shortened version of his name. He looked up quizzically. "I am so proud of the way you've been acting with Turtwig. You have been warm and welcoming and an all-around exceptional teammate and leader." With every word my partner's chest swelled more and more, to the point I was afraid he would fall back. He let out one of his strong clucks and looked up at me happily.

"But we're not done yet. We need more members on the team if we want to be the best." Pip looked up at me solemnly. "I'm going to be relying on you and T to make sure they all stay in line and come together. Can you handle that responsibility?" My proud little water type looked up at me with a mixture of pride and happiness, overjoyed to be placed in such a position. He quickly jumped up and wrapped his blue stubby wings around the back of my neck as he hugged me.

"Alright, alright. I get it you're thrilled." I laughed. The mood quickly changed as Pip looked sharply to the left and jumped off my shoulders as a dark shape blurred towards my head.

Pip smacked the blur upward with his wings, acting so quickly that I couldn't be sure quite what it was. I stepped back as Piplup began to track the blur with his eyes. Once he seemed to have a bead on me he looked over his shoulder, waiting for a command.

"Use Bubble!" I shouted. "Slow it down then get in close with Pound!" Piplup shot a large quantity of pale blue bubbles that the blur flew into. The chemically altered bubbles seemed to stick together and slow the shape down until I realized what it was. "It's a Starly!" I called to Piplup. "Use Growl then get in close and hit it with pound."

Piplup bounced over in a series of long, bounding strides using his wings to provide a bit of lift before he let out a deafening growl causing the Starly to freeze just long enough for Piplup to let off a long series of strikes ranging from haymakers to uppercuts with jabs. The Starly jabbed its beak forward and created enough distance for it to hit Pip with a weak sweep of its wing. I watched the battle, trusting Piplup to handle things with his own judgement, outside of a few more bubbles he succeeded in trapping the bird Pokémon.

"Jump back!" I called as I pulled one of the empty pokeballs from my pocket. Piplup back flipped out of the way as I threw the primed ball at the Starly.

*SHAKE*

*SHAKE*

*SHAKE*

Chime

I walked over to the pokeball and picked it up, brushing the dirt off of the ball as I unprimed it and attached it to my belt. I bent down and picked Piplup up above my head as I cheered.

"Absolutely perfect buddy! For your first real battle you were great!" I gushed as I hugged Pip to my chest feeling the little water type puff up in my arms. I set him down and gave him one last pet before I looked up at the setting sun. "Let's get off the path, we can set up camp and you can catch Turtwig up to speed before we formally meet our new friend." Piplup puffed up his chest more as we walked off the path to find a clearing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I finished the sandwich Mom had packed for me beside our campfire just after Piplup and Turtwig finished ripping through their Pokémon food. The two Pokémon ate like they had never seen food before, Piplup because he was famished from his battle and Turtwig from having to carry around his heavy shell. In between his own overstuffed bites Piplup had filled Turtwig in on the battle and capture of Starly, even pantomiming some of his greatest hits. Once they calmed down I pulled Starly's ball off of my belt and held it in the light of the fire before I primed it an released my newest companion.

The bird Pokémon appeared confused at first, puffing up his gray-brown plumage before settling down with some coaxing from the others. I laid out some food for it and let it hop over and begin to eat. After it had cleared the bowl he looked up at me expectantly and I began to speak.

"Hey Starly, my name is Lucas Tidwell and I'm a Pokémon Trainer. This is Piplup and Turtwig and we're on a journey across Sinnoh to become the strongest team we can. I can tell from earlier that you have a strong affinity for battling and I wanted to know if you wanted to come with us? "The small bird stared at me for a long time, almost a minute. I started to get worried until it bobbed its head up and down and released a loud squawk. "Excellent. I'm going to pull a device out of my pocket and scan you, it won't hurt. That alright?" Another squawk followed as I initiated the Pokedex's scan feature.

"Starly the Starling Pokémon. This small bird is native to Sinnoh and travels in flocks. Occasionally the stronger flock members separate themselves. This Starly knows the moves Tackle, Growl and Quick Attack. Its ability is Keen Eye and its gender is Male."

I looked at Starly as he hopped over to Piplup and Turtwig and began to cluck. I watched the three of them for a moment before I realized the obvious: I had never scanned Turtwig. Mentally slapping myself I discreetly aimed the encyclopedic device at the grass type and hit scan.

"Turtwig the Tiny Leaf Pokémon. The shell on its back is made of earth and as it absorbs water, it becomes harder. This Turtwig knows the moves Tackle, Withdraw, and Absorb and its ability is Overgrow."

I stared at the three young Pokémon as they began to wrestle around playfully. I stared at them for a long time before I set an alarm on the Pokedex and unrolled my sleeping pad and sleeping bag. "Alright guys, it's been a long day and we're waking up early tomorrow so everybody get to bed. We're going to be up to train early, so rest up!"

I crawled into my sleeping bag as Piplup and Turtwig ambled over and Starly perched in the tree above my head. I fell asleep listening to the slow breaths of my friends and the chattering of bugs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright Starly, the principle behind Wing Attack is pretty simple. You almost pulled it off perfectly in your battle against Piplup. You basically have to harden the feathers around your wings and swing it to make a kind of club." I went on explaining the different ways of accomplishing the feather hardening by using the pokedex as a guide as Starly listened raptly.

Over the last two days we continued to travel towards Jubilife while training in the morning and at night. Starly had warmed up to me rather quickly and got along well with Pip and T very well and over the last few days I had been working the three of them out by battling the wild Pokémon and Trainers on the path. If the Pokedex's information and what appeared to be Starly's natural ability, he should have Wing Attack down by the time we entered the city.

I had spent yesterday working with Piplup and Turtwig on two of their new moves. I had Turtwig practicing Razor Leaf, mainly because he needed some way to extend his reach without the vines that most grass types possessed. He seemed to be developing a feel for the technique, apart from the occasional leaves with blunt edges he was improving rapidly and the only real thing we had to work on was accuracy. I had him sparring with Piplup, who had mastered Peck with careless ease. I had Piplup essentially act as a moving target by forcing T to attack with nothing with Razor Leaf. Piplup was allowed to use no other attack than Bide so the move's slow charge time combined Piplup's type advantage and Turtwig's zeal to master Razor Leaf made for an energetic bout between the two.

I watched the three of them spar as I sat back and opened up the Pokedex. While they practiced and honed their moves I pulled up the encyclopedic list stored in the Pokedex and began to read the entries. If there was one thing that I had learned from the battle with Starly, I had been caught completely unawares and if it hadn't been for Piplup I could have been seriously hurt. Even a young Pokémon like Starly could easily kill or maim a person if they caught them unawares. I needed to have a knowledge of Sinnoh's Pokémon as well as the Pokedex's if I wanted to be able to battle at the upper echelons of the Sinnoh League.

I looked up one last time before I before I buried myself in my research and listened to the happy sounds of my working friends.

XXXXXXX

Starly shrieked as he landed on my shoulder about two miles outside of Jubilife. I had sent him out with one mission: to locate a specific wild pokemon. I had sent Starly up to find a Shinx, the only electric type pokemon native to this Route. For days we had been battling Bidoof and Kriketune along with the occasional Trainer as we grew ever closer to the city. After one surprisingly brutal battle between Turtwig and a particularly stubborn wild Bidoof I realized that we had a follower.

I had turned around after a warning grunt from the grass type revealed a blue face with big yellow eyes peering at us from the bushes. Before I could even say hello the silent electric type disappeared into the foliage. From that moment onward everytime we turned around we would seem to catch something out of the corner of our eyes. Despite all our efforts we just couldn't track the tricky pokemon through the undergrowth. I was about to lose my mind until I remembered a bit of advice from Grandpa Blaine: don't work harder, work smarter. First thing this morning I let Starly out to circle above our heads and once we had a few confirmed disappearances he tracked it back to its home.

I slowly and deliberately walked into the clearing outside the cave with Turtwig by my side. I cleared my throat and said, "Hello, we know you're there and you can come out. We won't hurt you." The two of us stood in the clearing patiently for five minutes before Turtwig started to get anxious. "It's okay, T. Let's give them a few more minutes." The turtle type grunted before laying down at my feet to save his energy in case of a fight.

After another five minutes I had just about given up hope until a small pale blue face emerged from the cave, its yellow eyes alight with curiosity as it walked over. The light blue and black mammal was a bit bigger than T, but you could tell that it was built for speed and quick strikes whereas Turtwig was built for power, bone shaking hits and defense. The small pokemon walked forward cautiously, the fur on its back standing up with small electrical sparks as he came forward. I pulled a couple of berries off a nearby bush and sat down beside Turtwig. Once the Shinx came over I held the berries out in my hand.

"Are you hungry?" I asked softly. "I bet it's hard to get food out here." The Shinx's large blue ears twitched at the sound of my voice and he began to eat the berries from my hand. "It's nice to meet you Shinx, my name is Lucas Tillman and this is my friend Turtwig." Turtwig gave a grunt as he stood up to greet the newcomer. The Shinx yipped back and the two began to inspect each other with sniffs and growls. "I noticed you following the last few days. Do you want to come with us?"

The Shinx looked at me skeptically, as if asking for more information. "Me, Turtwig and the rest of our friends are on a journey, we want to be the strongest in the region and I want to be a Pokemon Master. If you come with us you'll get stronger than you ever could staying here and you'll do it surrounded by friends and family." Compared to the rest of my friends, Sphinx really didn't seem to be that enthused by the promise of strength but by the promise of family and friends.

"Do you get lonely out here?" I asked quietly. Shinx looked stricken for a second before nodding and looking down sadly. "Hey, hey, hey buddy. It's okay." I said as I patted his crestfallen head. The charge running through his fur made my hand tingle as it leaned into the contact as if desperate for some kind of affection. "Will you join us, Shinx?"

The hesitant electric type quickly nodded and jumped into my lap, licking my cheek and yipping excitedly. Turtwig jumped up and growled, affirming that he would like a new friend. I let the two friends jump and play while I pulled one of the empty poke balls from my pocket. I called Shinx over and asked, "Do you know what this is?" Sphinx nodded its head and I primed the poke ball and gave him a slight tap on the head with the poke ball.

*SHAKE*

*SHAKE*

*SHAKE*

CHIME

"We caught ourselves a new friend, T!" I said excitedly as I stood up. I quickly released the other two members of the team and let Turtwig get them up to speed. Starkly seemed fairly neutral to the idea but Peplum took his role of team leader seriously. He spent the next few seconds furiously clucking and gesturing to get the other two in a straight line. Once they were suitably informed and organized he looked at me and gave a firm cluck followed by a wave of his wing as if to say it was my cue.

"Smart ass." I chuckled as I primed Shinx's ball and released it to meet the others. Once the white light settled Shinx blinked his eyes and looked at the three Pokémon before him. He gave a familiar yip to Turtwig who returned it with a chuff. It looked at starkly for a few seconds before the reserved flying type chirped and gave a light nod of his head before Shinx gave a little jump and a happy yip. Last was Pip, the proud water type stepped forward with two long strides and tapped his puffed up chest with his stubby wing. Sphinx looked at Peplum, then back at me, then back at Piplup before he gave a bemused growl. Whatever he said must have been funny because it set the other two off in laughter while Pip looked stricken. This then set off a solid thirty seconds of giggles and furious clucking before things settled down enough for me to calm everyone down. I did a quick scan of Shinx and the familiar computerized voice said:

"Shinx the Flash Pokémon. When it flexes its muscles, electricity is generated. When confronted by a powerful opponent it uses the flash from its fur to flee. This Shinx knows the moves Tackle, Leer, Charge, and Shock and it possesses the ability Intimidate. This Shinx is Male.

I raised my eyebrows in shock. The Intimidate ability was the last ability I would have expected from my new teammate given his quiet demeanor. Other than that, it appeared that he was in perfect health and had a pretty decent move pool to draw from.

"If everybody is done, we can make Jubilife City by tonight and I think we can all agree that a warm meal and a nice bed would be a great change of pace!" Based off the chorus of chirps, grunts and yips I assumed that they agreed as the five of us left Shinx's clearing and got back on the path to Jubilee.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hi, I would like treatment for my Pokémon and a room please." I said to the nurse behind the desk of the Pokémon Center.

"Certainly, identification please and place your poke balls on the tray." The pinked haired nurse said as she placed a tray on the counter. I handed her my poked and began to place my team's poke balls in the indents of the tray.

"Thank you, Mr. Tidwell. You'll be in room 112, I would recommend dropping your things off while we look your Pokémon over. I also see you have yet to register for the Sino League, would you like to take care of that now? If you wait you should know that you will be unable to battle in gyms or use Pokémon Center training facilities." The nurse said in a crisp, businesslike tone. She returned my Poked and handed me a room key.

"I would like to register," I said sheepishly, "but I don't know how."

"If you hand me your Pokedex I can enter your information right now, it will be almost instantaneous." I handed here my Pokedex and she plugged it into her computer with a USB cable. The two screens briefly lit up before she handed them back to me. "There you go, all registered. Have a nice day."

I walked around the corner and walked down a long beige hallway until I found room 142. I placed my bag on the bed and looked around the small room. Aside from the bed, there was an intercom in the wall and a small desk with a videophone on it and a small bathroom with a shower. The large green box sat there on the desk and I made a mental note to call mom once I ate and got my Pokémon back. Until then there was something I'd been dreaming of for days. I peeled off my dirty traveling clothes and jumped in the shower, letting the warm water and soap scrub the grime from my body. On the road I had had Piplup shoot a weak stream of bubble on me so that I could wash up, but nothing beat the real thing.

Once I was clean, I walked over to my bed and pulled a clean outfit from my bag. I dressed, picked up the clothes on the floor and dropped them in one of the Center's washing machines. I set an alarm on the Pokedex and went back to my room and stretched out on the bed and let my eyes close.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Slow down guys, you'll get indigestion." I said somehow as I shoveled food into my mouth with only a little more grace than my team. The five of us were in the mostly empty cafeteria of the Pokémon Center. We set up in one of the booths and were in the process of gorging ourselves on all the fresh hot food we could.

"You trainers all eat the same," the portly old cook same as he came to collect the plates. "A little time on the road and you all turn into Snorlax." I laughed at his joke as he picked up the remainder of the meal and he chuckled to himself.

"Do you live around here, sir?" I asked.

"Born and raised." He proudly proclaimed.

"Are there any places in the city that you think are worth checking out? Anything that absolutely can't be missed?"

"Hmmmmmm," he said as he pondered the question. "There's really not much, a whole lot of the popular attractions are tourist traps. If I was you, I'd check out the PokeMart, they're having a sale this week and some guy's been handing out Poketches. Other than that, I'd say the next time you know you'll be in town you should just buy some tickets to a show in advance. A big draw is people fishing for water types in the channel between Jubilife and Canalave but with that Piplup you got I would say you're pretty set." Pip perked up at that and was practically preening over the praise from the cook.

"Thank you." I said as I rubbed Piplup's head.

"Not a problem kid. Have a good one." He said as he carried away the dishes.

XXXXXXXXXX

"After that we got into Jubilife late yesterday and we're planning on heading out in the morning. Other than training exercises in the Center's facilities, there wasn't a whole lot to do. I went to the Pokemart and picked up supplies. I made a lot of money on the road from challenges so I'm still pretty flush. I also managed to pick up a Poketch." I said as I showed the simple watch with two buttons on my left wrist. "We're getting on the road tomorrow and we should be in Oreburgh in about five or six days." I said, finishing my recap of my journey so far.

"That's wonderful dear," Mom said, "can I just get one more look at your team? I never would have thought you'd already have four Pokémon."

I let my Pokémon hop in front of the camera and soak in more of my mother's complements. This was Starly and Shinx's first time meeting her and with the way they were being treated I'm surprised they weren't getting as proud as Pip did after he showed off the goldening of the feathers on his head that showed he was nearing his evolution. He and Starly were both growing close, their increase in size and power only served to show that they were nearing their evolution. Starkly had begun to grow larger with the feathers on his head beginning to curl and Piplup's feathers began to golden on his face to show where the ridge he would gain as a Prinplup would be. Turtwig and Shinx also grew, but they were just behind their two teammates.

Mom cooed over the color of Shinx's fur and Starly's wingspan for another few minutes before she said, "it was so nice talking to you, Lucas. Just to let you know, Barry's mother told me that he called her a couple days ago before he left Jubilife. I'm pretty sure you're only a day or two behind so you might run into him at Oreburgh.

"That's great." I said as a grin grew on my face. "I can't wait to see him. Tell Mrs. Alfen I say hello."

"I'll be sure to honey. Goodnight and good luck on the road. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The route from Jubilife to Oreburgh was pretty short, the only thing that made it arduous was the fact that it was full of trainers to battle. I had only been on the road for two days but I'm pretty sure we had battled almost two dozen trainers. Most were pretty easy to beat, but a few of the older veterans gave us quite a hard time. We had lost two of the five battles against the veterans but I didn't really mind, we walked away with experience on how to fight against more powerful Pokémon. The older veterans also gave Piplup and the others their first taste of overwhelming defeat. After our winning streak they had begun to get pretty cocky and began to slack off during training, so I'm glad that the defeats gave them their fire back.

We had just finished packing up camp on the morning of the third day, when the glade we had camped in turned absolutely silent. Over the weeks we've spent on the road, nature was never quiet. There were always the sounds of Pokémon scuttling and chattering in the bushes. I looked around confused until a couple of kids crashed through the brush in front of me and ran by.

"RUN!" One of the two boys called over his shoulder.

I quickly picked up my bag and began to run until a large, angry Kricketune crashed through the brush swinging its long powerful arms. I leapt back as he angrily swung his arms as he looked around for the trainers he had been chasing. I desperately struggled to regain my footing until it turned and looked at me with its beady black eyes. It chattered and chirped as it began to stride towards me with anger in its eyes. I reached at my belt and pulled Starly's ball off, he would be my best shot against the angry bug type. Starly cawed loudly as he was released and started circling the bug type from above. Now that there was a target that Kricketune deemed more worthy of his rage, he stopped advancing towards me and stated to raise the volume of his voice, using his arms to produce hideous jarring noise.

"Starly, get in close with quick attack and while it's off balance follow it up with Wing Attack!" I called. The flying type didn't bother to acknowledge me before he blurred towards the Kricketune. Just as it appeared that Starly would make contact, the bug type casually slapped it away. Starly tried again and again but continued to be battered around by the oversized appendages of his foe. He tried to change tact and hit it with Wing Attack but his slower speed enabled the Kricketune to club him with both arms over the head, forcing him to the ground. Starly looked up weakly and tried to use Growl to create an opening to get away but his growl was drowned underneath the sharp sound Kricketune produce with its arms before it kicked Starly aside and into the bushes.

I stood frozen, terrified for my friend. Starly was strong but he was still a pretty small Pokemon. He just wasn't built to take that much blunt force. Kricketune turned towards me and began to advance before a dark blur shot at him from the bushes he had knocked Starly into. The blur moved towards it incredibly quick, shooting around its arms like they weren't even there. The dark shape spread its wings before shooting what appeared to be a small whirlwind at the Kricketune knocking it even more off balance before finishing the battle with a crisp Wing Attack.

The shape fluttered over towards me and landed on my shoulder. The bird looked me in the eye before softly cooing in my ear.

"Hey there Starly," I began, "it looks like you've evolved." The large bird chirped happily and dug its large heavy talons softly into my shoulder. I pulled out the pokedex and scanned Starl- I mean Staravia and hit the scan button.

"Staravia the Starling Pokemon. Staravia flies over fields and forests in large flocks. Squabbles with other flocks over territory are common. This pokemon has lost the Keen Eye ability and gained the ability Intimidate." The pokedex's voice droned.

"Thank you so much, Staravia." I said as I lightly pet his impressive wings. He had doubled in size since he was a Starly now standing at about two and a half feet with a large curl atop his fierce face. The only other difference that came with his evolution is that he now had light gray bands around his wings. "How do you feel?" I asked concerned. Staravia looked at me before he clucked before he fluttered over to Kricketune and nodded towards his opponent's feet.

I walked over slowly, hesitant in case the bug type wasn't actually unconscious. I looked down at his feet and froze, embedded deep in the bug type's feet was broken glass. Judging from all the blood leaking from the wounds around the glass, I'd be willing to bet even money that it had happened recently. Like say, just before a couple idiots who were careless with glass bottles ran through the clearing. I pulled a pair of tweezers out of the first-aid kit in my bag and began to pull the glass out of the Kriketune's feet while grumbling to myself. Once I had pulled the glass out I put it in an empty pocket in my bag before I applied a Potion to the injured bug's wounds.

"That should do it." I said to Staravia, who clucked in relief. "Let's get going, I don't want to be around when it wakes up." With that, my freshly evolved Pokemon and I walked out of the glade and towards the entrance of the tunnel that would take us to Oreburgh.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Great job, Turtwig!" I cheered.

The grass type had finally mastered the accuracy that came with Razor Leaf. I had set up pinecones and stones along a fallen log and in the branches of nearby trees and the little turtle had managed to hit every one. He had come a long way in the last week and I think he was completely prepared for our battle against the Oreburgh Gym.

I had been researching the Gym obsessively during our team's training over the last few days, to the point that I could recite all the information I deemed relevant to my challenge. Roark was a few years older than me and looked to be about eighteen. It seemed that he only used the same three Pokemon in his challengers against inexperienced trainers: a Geodude, an Onix and a Cranidos. Looking up videos of his previous battles against challengers was pretty easy, the League liked to record the battles to examine if the Gym Leaders were conducting themselves properly, but the real problem would be that Cranidos of his.

His Geodude and Onix were very strong and seemed like they could be pretty challenging if you weren't prepared but with Piplup and Turtwig in the rotation I think that I could handle them easily, particularly if I could coax Piplup's evolution. But that Cranidos…..absolutely brutal hardly began to describe it.

Cranidos was a fossil Pokémon, a fossil from a bygone era revitalized by modern technology and reintroduced into a more civilized world. From the videos it appeared to be vicious, powerful, and far faster than a rock-type had any right to be. One of the videos showed it quickly scaling an opponent's Onix and knocking it out with a ferocious Zen Headbutt. I needed a Pokémon with a type advantage that could keep up with it, a Pokémon that I just didn't have right now. Once Piplup evolved into Prinplup he would be much quicker and have a larger pool of moves to draw from, like Metal Claw.

Even if Pip didn't evolve I was feeling pretty confident in my chances. According to a message sent by Mom to my Pokedex, Barry had already won the badge and would wait for me to make the half day's walk through the cave. After my team wrapped up our training session we'd be heading through and I expected we would make it there by dinnertime.

"You want to go check out the others?" I asked the friendly little grass type once I finished congratulating him and showing him some well-earned affection. He looked up at me with his yellow eyes and gave me a crisp nod as we walked out into the glade we had been camping and training in. I had paired Shinx and Staravia together. Staravia had been working on Double Team and needed some practice in using it to avoid attacks. He could make a double easily enough but it seemed that working in tandem with his copies was causing him trouble. I had him practice working with his copies by having Shinx use his new combo, a combination of Charge and Spark.

Over the last few days the Electric type had been walking beside me using Charge to increase the amount of electicity he could handle at any given time. His reserves had grown tremendously and he was getting to the point that he could shoot out arcs of lightening that could scorch the bark on a tree. The combination of Charge and Spark was only meant to act as training wheels for his power until he could call up the massive charges he would need to execute the more advanced electric type attacks.

Out of all my Pokemon, Shinx has had the biggest personality change over the past few weeks. He went from being shy and timid little thing to having developed a much more driven and persistent Pokémon. He was beginning to show a true love of battle and a desire to push his limits that was quickly taking him up to the level of the rest of the team. His drive provided an excellent complement to Staravia's loner tendencies, Piplup's unending (bordering on arrogant) confidence and Turtwig's easy going nature. I could pair him up with anyone and trust him to draw their absolute best out. I could tell after only a few seconds of observation that the two of them had greatly increased their abilities, Staravia was working better with his duplicates and Shinx was easily slinging arcs of lightening off of his body.

"Alright guys," I said as Turtwig and I grew close, "that's enough for today. I'm so proud of you two." Shinx eagerly ran over and ran his body along my leg and getting a scratch for his trouble before heading over to talk with Turtwig. Staravia swooped down onto my shoulder and cooed in my ear as I ran a hand over the feathers on his chest. "You guys were great, once we get to the Pokémon Center tonight we'll be eating a big meal so everyone be ready!"

The three of them cheered before I returned them to their pokeballs. I had given Piplup the day off so that he could rest after all the work he had been putting in the last few days. I was worried that he was overworking himself to try to force his evolution to happen as soon as possible.

I looked over the clearing one last time to make sure that I hadn't left anything valuable or any trash behind. Once I was satisfied I began to walk towards the road that would lead me to the entrance to the tunnel. This tunnel ran under the very edge of Mt. Coronet, usually a treacherous area to be, but was so well traveled that there was hardly any risk at all. The consistent human traffic had scared away most of the wild Pokemon so it was now just a long dirt path with a low ceiling and lights placed every twenty feet. I settled in for what I was sure would be a boring walk and began to move forward. I hope I would at least find a trainer with a few rock types that I could practice my strategies for Roark on.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

I blinked at the sudden light when I stepped out of the tunnel. I rubbed my eyes slowly opened them while I waited for them to adjust. I began walking down the steps carved into the rocky ground while looking for the familiar red roof of the Pokémon Center. I saw it based about a mile down the road over by what looked like some kind of quarry. I stepped off of the steps and began to walk down the street towards the Center thinking about how I would get in contact with Barry. I could send him a message on his pokedex but I didn't know how often he checked it, knowing him he probably didn't. I was running through a half a dozen different ideas when I felt a familiar weight slam into me from behind and send me sprawling.

"Hey there, B," I laughed as he helped pull me up, "it looks like some things never change."

"Hey, Luc," my best friend said gamely, "I didn't mean to knock you, just got excited is all."

"What else is new?" I said as I stared appraisingly at my best friend. "Still un-maimed I see. Any broken bones or contusions I should know about?"

"Not a one," he said, "did you finally mouth off to the wrong guy and get the sense knocked into you?"

"Course not."

"Then I guess Sands was completely wrong about how our first few weeks on the road would be!" Barry exclaimed as we laughed.

"It's great to see you, B."

"You too, Luc."

"Care to head to the Center? I have some Pokémon to heal up and I want to hear all about your time on the road while we walk."

"Are you sure you can take it? I wouldn't want to ruin our happy reunion because of your jealousy of my natural skill." Barry joked as we began to walk towards the Center. "Now, the first thing I did after we got our partners was-"

We walked towards the Pokémon Center, reminiscing and joking the entire way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So once I got to Jubilife, I went to the pier for the ferry to Canalave and picked up a fishing rod and started fishing. I was there for about a day and that's where I caught Poliwag and Psyduck. After that we came straight to Oreburgh and I caught Budew just outside the tunnel entrance." Barry said as we shoveled the pasta from the Pokémon Center's cafeteria. I had told him all about my trip, from catching Starly and Shinx to the battle with the Kricketune who the campers had injured.

Overall our stories were fairly similar, after all we were two rookie trainers in similar situations with similar mindsets. Both of our first captured Pokémon were Starly and it had taken us about a week to get to Jubilife from Sandgem. Once we got to Jubilife, however, our stories began to diverge.

Barry and I had released our teams and let them get acquainted in the empty cafeteria. The chef had said that was fine, but once the dinner rush came we'd have to return them and leave. Watching the nine young Pokémon interact was a blast, Professor Rowan's three Pokémon eagerly began catching up and making introductions.

Barry's team was bigger than mine, with five Pokémon, but none of his had evolved. He had his Chimchar, a Starly, a Poliwag, a Psyduck, and a Budew. I assumed that those last three were caught mainly to have a fighting chance against Roark which Barry confirmed. Unlike Staravia, his Starly was shaped more for speed than the outright power mine favored but the two got along well enough to sit together and chirp back and forth. His Poliwag was bigger with two little nubs on its sides which Barry said indicated its evolution was nearing and his Psyduck had a blank vacant look on its face. Those two, along with his cheerful Budew, had struck up an acquaintance with Shinx.

"So once we got here I checked out the Gym and this trainer coming out recommended training in the mine to the South for a couple days," Barry continued, "we stayed there for about a day and a half before we came back and challenged Roark. That battle was rough. I took out Geodude and Onix with only Poliwag but it took Poliwag plus Psyduck and Budew to take that Cranidos down. Thing is as viscious as it is rare."

"Would you recommend the mine?" I asked as I finished my own heaping plate.

"Definitely, its Roark's training ground so all the Pokemon in there are pretty strong as a result of going up against his team. Ton of rock types as well so you can get a feel for their weak spots and techniques." Barry then let out a massive yawn and stretched his arms. "The mine is a pretty unforgiving place though. Stock up on potions before you go, you'll be battling all day and most of the night if you pick a poor place to camp."

"Thanks for the tip," I said as I nodded my agreement to his advice, "what's the next step for you now?"

"I'm probably going to check out the museum tomorrow morning and then hit the road right after," he said, "then I'm going to head back to Jubilife. Professor Rowan's blowing through on his way to a conference and I thought it would be nice to catch up. You should meet up with me on the road once you get the badge it'll be nice to head into the town together.

"Sounds like a plan," I said as I stood up and stretched, "I'm going to hit the sack. I want to get to the mine early tomorrow."

"Good thinking," he said as he began to walk beside me, "I'm going to bed too. Sooner I hit the museum, the sooner I'm on the road."

"I'll see you in a couple days then. Good luck, B."

"You too, Luc. You're going to need it."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I looked down into the Trainer's entrance to the mine and felt like I was about to be swallowed by a massive Gyarados. The entrance to the mine was huge, a large circle dug into a small mountain and sloping downward into darkness. Shinx, Piplup and Turtwig stood by my side and looked deeply into the darkness with me. I had decided to leave Staravia in his ball unless absolutely necessary, he would fare poorly against any of the rock types found in the mine and I didn't want to risk him being seriously injured. The only reason Shinx was out was because he could light up the blackness of the cave with his sparks.

The only two of my team that would be seriously training here would be Pip and T. I was absolutely positive that Piplup would be evolving in our training excursion. He was beginning to look like more like a Prinplup than a Piplup at this point with all the golden down on his face.

Turtwig was still quite a bit out from his evolution but he was beginning to display the signs that the pokedex said to look for, a heavier shell and a squaring of his angular jaw. I wanted him to practice a move we had thought up that we called Drain Tackle. Essentially he just tackled a Pokémon, pinned it, and then used absorb. I was counting on the weight of his heavy shell assisting him with the pinning long enough for him to siphon off enough energy to severely weaken the other Pokémon and repair whatever damage he would take.

We slowly strode into the cave, Shinx standing out in front with providing light, Turtwig and Piplup on the sides looking for hostile threats and me in the back. Our little diamond formation made its way into pitch black tunnels, stopping only for Piplup and Turtwig to battle the Geodude that lived there. We progressed deeper and deeper into the caves for hours, rarely getting more than twenty minutes peace at a time from the aggressive hordes of rock types. I was quickly burning through the surplus of Potions I had brought when we heard a deep rumble followed by a violent quaking in the tunnel.

We had just fought off a herd of Geodude in a large cavern with a small hole in the ceiling to let in natural light. We paused to let Shinx take a much needed break as the rumbling continued to build from the opposite end of the tunnel emerged not one, but two massive Onix. Each of the stone behemoths had to be at least twenty feet of interlocking boulders with a large jagged single stone pointing out of their heads. Upon closer inspection I realized that one was far bulkier than the other, indicating that it was about to hit another growth spurt. The four of us froze, hoping to avoid the attention of the two large rock types.

For just a moment I thought we could avoid them without a fight, but the larger of the two Onix locked onto us with his large white eyes and small black pupils before letting out a roar that shook the cavern.

"Piplup, full power Bubblebeam on the big one!" I shouted as I covered my ears. "Turtwig use Razor Leaf on the smaller one to keep it away and buy us some time!"

Turtwig began frantically firing a barrage of leaves against the slimmer Onix while Piplup made a beeline for the bulky one. By using his stubby wings to give him a slight amount of lift Piplup began to close the ground between the two quickly. The Onix swung its massive tail along the ground in an attempt to hit the little water type with a crushing broadside sweep.

Piplup leapt forward and used his opponent's tail as a stepping stone as the apex of his leap took him just below the Onix's jaw and he unloaded a full powered Bubblebeam into the underside of the stone serpent's jaw. The Onix's mighty head swung back from the sudden impact before it knocked the proud little water type down to the cavern floor with a surprisingly loud crash. Piplup staggered to his feet but couldn't avoid the broadside sweep of the Onix's tail.

Piplup was knocked clear across the cavern towards Shinx and I. My proud little penguin bounced twice before coming to a stop about ten feet in front of us.

Sensing weakness, the Onix quickly began to barrel towards us until a series of leaves struck it just below its mighty stone crest. Turtwig quickly transposed himself between both Onix and ourselves all the while shooting leaves and providing cover.

I quickly ran over to Piplup with a Potion, intending to patch him up so we could escape. I was only a foot away from the water type when he quickly stood up and pushed me away. I watched incredulously while he jumped onto a fallen piece of rubble about ten feet tall and began to furiously cluck his challenge while shooting bubbles at the two rampaging Onix.

"Get down, Piplup!" I shouted angrily. "Don't be an idiot, they're too powerful for us to face now. We need to retreat."

The water type looked at me stricken. I had never before told him that I doubted his ability to get the job done, even on his rare losses I only praised his hard work and good instincts. The proud little water type puffed up his chest and loosed a cry just a little too deep to be his as a bright light began to suffice him.

I watched in awe as Piplup's evolution began. The glowing being began to quickly shoot up, doubling his height. The next thing to change were the shape of his wings. They were no longer stubby little appendages, they were now long enough to reach just below his knees. The light faded and I saw the gleaming golden ridges on his head that signified his new status when he abruptly leapt forward.

He wasn't using the little hops he used as a Piplup, these bounds were long and smooth and perfectly complemented his acrobatic fighting style. With only two leaps he closed the gap between him and Turtwig. The grass type looked on in awe as Prinplup used force from his new stronger legs plus a swift push downward from his wings to leap high above the smaller Onix's head. At the height Prinplup gave two spins before he brought a glowing wing down hard onto the Onix's mighty head, leaving a deep scratch as the rock type collapsed into unconsciousness.

I froze, completely taken aback by Prinplup's increase in power. Not only had his physical prowess increase by a phenomenal amount, he had learned Metal Claw. The larger Onix roared in anger as it swung its mighty tail at Turtwig. Turtwig braced to take the blow when Prinplup used its shining wings to deflect the tail. The Onix staggered, not expecting to meet that kind of resistance. Prinplup clucked at Turtwig and gestured for him to return to my side. Prinplup then turned, looked me dead in the eye and seemed to say we can finish this!

"Alright Prinplup," I yelled across the cavern, "use Bubble to slow it down!"

My freshly evolved water type reared its head back and shot a massive cloud of bubbles at the reeling rock type. The Onix roared its displeasure as the bubbles burst against his skin with enough force to send little shockwaves rippling across its mighty body.

"Get in close and finish this with Metal Claw!" I roared as Prinplup began to charge forward, effortlessly leaping over fallen boulders and other debris. The Onix jammed its tail forward like a spear but Prinplup effortlessly flipped forward and began to run up its length. Once he reached about midway up the Onix's body he leapt powerfully and delivered a mighty two winged Metal Claw to the side of the rock type's head. The Onix grunted as it fell into unconsciousness.

Prinplup landed atop its mighty foe's head and let out a deep cheering roar from its beak as it claimed its victory. The water type leapt down and strode across the cavern towards us. Shinx and Turtwig quickly ran out to meet their friend and congratulate him on his victory. The water type clucked appreciatively to them before he continued to walk towards me. I got down on one knee and looked Prinplup dead in the eye.

"How are you feeling bud?" I asked.

Prinplup spread its wings and began to examine his new form. After a thorough examination by me to make sure he had no injuries, he looked at me expectantly.

"You did great," I began, "but you were reckless. If you hadn't evolved you could have seriously hurt yourself. I know you're very proud and confident but you need to work on reigning that in. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you got seriously hurt because I let you be reckless with your health."

Prinplup looked down, seemingly cowed for the first time since I had met the proud water type. He looked up at me with stony eyes and clasped my arm just below the elbow as if to communicate that he understood and would take the lesson to heart. I returned the gesture and said, "I am proud of you though. Not many Pokemon can evolve mid battle and take out two Onix!"

Prinplup's eyes lit up as he puffed up his chest. I patted his head between the stiff golden ridges and waited as Shinx and Turwig trotted over. I congratulated Turtwig on the strength of his Razor Leaf and on the loyalty he had shown. I looked at the Poketch and realized that it was after dark on the outside, but only just.

"What do you guys say we head out? We've accomplished everything I thought we could today and if we make it back to the Center in time we can get you two rested up and challenge the Gym tomorrow!"

My three teammates eagerly leapt at the chance to leave the mine and we began to leave the mine. Getting back through the mine was a breeze, Turtwig's Razor Leaf and Prinplup's Bubblebeam were more than powerful enough to knock out hordes of Geodude now. On the way out I talked with Prinplup about two ideas I had for his Metal Claw: Slap and Slice. Slap would be using his wings to hit an opponent with the brunt outside of his wing, much like Onix's backhand swipes. Slice would be much closer to a traditional Metal Claw, using the edge of the wing to slash opponents with the sharp edge.

Prinplup eagerly began practicing the new moves and adjusting to his new larger body. By the time we left the mine two hours later I was fully confident in my two partners' ability to challenge the Gym.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was just after ten in the morning that I entered the Ore burgh Gym. I had been sitting in the lobby for a little over an hour while Roark wrapped up with another challenger and let his team rest. Once the receptionist said that the Leader was available I stepped into an elevator and about a minute later the doors opened to reveal the Gym proper.

The Gym was built like an airplane hanger with high ceilings and large lights suspended from the ceiling high above the ground. The battlefield was a long rectangle with two boxes for the trainers to stand in on opposite sides and was littered with large rocks. A referee stood on the midfield line over to the side. I walked up the stairs into the green Trainer's box.

In the opposite box stood a young man with long red hair and a pair of black framed glasses. The man had on a red hard hat and a pair of faded coveralls, the kind that miners wear.

"Greetings challenger! Welcome to the Oreburgh City Gym, I am Roark the Gym Leader. What is your name and where are you from?" Roark called in his calm and pleasant voice.

"Lucas Tidwell, from Twinleaf Town." I shouted back, conscious of how much lighter and younger my voice was than his.

"Greetings, Lucas." The Gym Leader said, now all business. "This will be a standard three-on-three match. I will be unable to change my Pokemon but you can. No items may be used on Pokemon over the course of the battle. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Then let's begin." Roark yelled as he threw a pokeball high into the air and an Onix materialized on his side of the field. The stone serpent let out a yell as it uncoiled its full twenty five foot length. I released Turtwig soon after.

"BEGIN!" The referee called.

"Onix use tackle, then follow up with Rock Tomb!"

"Turtwig use Razor Leaf and aim for the segment gaps!" I watched with baited breath as Turtwig began aiming for the segments of Onix's body where the boulders connected. I had spoken with Turtwig and Prinplup after we got back to the Pokemon Center from the mine the night before. I had told each of them exactly where to aim on Onix if we faced it. Turtwig was supposed to shoot through the gaps and hit the sensitive flesh underneath and Prinplup was supposed to gum it up with Bubble before using Slap and Slice.

Onix let out a pained howl as the sharp leaves sliced through the gaps in it armor it began to flail its tail in a desperate attempt to hit the shelled grass type. Turtwig began to run so he could flank the Onix and avoid its massive tail but wound up being pinned under its head as the rock type used Tackle. Onix quickly began to manipulate the boulders for Rock Tomb, in a few seconds Turtwig would be pinned beyond movement.

"Use Absorb, once it weakens create some distance and use Razor Leaf!" The two leaves on Turtwig's head quickly began to glow as Turtwig began to suck the energy out of Onix its grip on the rocks it was manipulating faltered for just a second, but it was enough.

"Onix get off of it!" Roark yelled. "Get distance and use Rock Tomb to block the Razor Leaves!" The rocky behemoth quickly scrambled far away from Turtwig's leeching attack while it coiled up and began to manipulate the large boulders but I could tell it was beginning to feel the strain. The boulders it held in front of it were quivering slightly, like the source of the power keeping them aloft was beginning to putter out. Turtwig continued his relentless assault by chipping the edges off of the boulders little by little.

"Keep it up, T!" I yelled. "Widen the range, force it to make the shield bigger." Turtwig eagerly began slinging more and more leaves, some chipping away at the edges of the impromptu shield and some curving around the edge and nicking Onix. The rock type struggled to lift another boulder to increase the size of its crude shield, but it was only a matter of time until its strength deserted it and the shield dropped.

Onix began to shake more and more as the effort to block the grass type's attack became too much for its exhausted body to handle. With a mighty crash it dropped the boulders and began to shake from the exhaustion of such a prolonged manipulation of rock. I looked at Turwig to make sure he was alright then decided to press our advantage.

"Full power Razor Leaf!"

"Tackle it, Onix!"

Turtwig shot leaf after leaf into the cracks of Onix's armor at it barreled towards him. The grass type held his ground until Onix fainted just before striking him with full power, but the glancing blow was more than enough to send Turtwig flying about ten feet where he landed with a loud thump. Turtwig stood up and walked heavily towards the spot of field in front of the Trainer's box as he began to catch his breath. He looked up at me and gave a proud, but weary nod before turning to face Roark.

"Onix is unable to battle, Turtwig is the winner." The referee declared.

"Great job you two," Roark said with a grin, "can you keep up the pace though?" The red headed teen then primed a pokeball and released a massive Geodude onto the field, without a doubt it was just on the cusp of evolving. The rock type smacked its fists together and gave a loud grunt as he glowered at Turtwig.

"Are you good to continue, Turtwig?" I asked looking at his weary form. Turtwig gave a brief nod and waited for the battle to commence.

"Begin!"

"Geodude use Rock Throw!" Roark roared.

"Shoot the rocks down with Razor Leaf then get in close." I called. Turtwig began to rapidly launch leaf after leaf at the rough chunks of earth that Geodude ripped from the field, slicing the boulders in half or just knocking them off course. He was doing well but was starting to lose ground and we needed to make them go on the defensive.

Turtwig was getting the occasional leaf through, leaving shallow scratches across Geodude's rough skin. I wasn't hopeful that he could sustain the assault. Turtwig was tough and pretty well trained but he couldn't keep this pace up anymore. The battle against Onix had been grueling and this one was being brutal on his stamina. On top of his flagging stamina, the occasional stone was beginning to fly through and they were beginning to hit far too close for comfort. Even with the type advantage, a few more solid hits would knock him out. We needed to do something unexpected if we wanted to win the battle and the badge.

"Stop Razor Leaf, use Withdraw and run through the stones and use Bite." I said surprisingly calm. My nerves from earlier in the day had vanished, replaced by a sense of confidence and self-assurance. How many times had Barry and I battled like this in the simulator? It wasn't the same but just recalling all the close battles we had together filled me with confidence. Those memories plus the knowledge of how much we had trained were making me more and more confident.

Turtwig bunched his head back towards his shell and ran into the barrage. He dodged blow after blow as he ran through the storm of stone. He made it halfway before he began to use his shell to deflect and absorb some of the more precise stones. He leapt forward and spread his massive jaws as he clamped down on Geodude's wrists as it tried to block.

"Absorb!"

"Defense Curl!"

Geodude began to build up a defense by trying to curl into a ball but Turtwig's jaws held firm as he began to siphon energy from the angry rock type. Geodude began to drive its powerful forehead into Turtwig's head and jaw but the turtle held firm as he began to increase the rate that he was stealing Geodude's energy at.

This was brutal, even with the rate Turtwig was stealing energy he was losing ground under Geodude's barrage of headbutts. Turtwig's eyes were beginning to lose focus and slide slowly shut when Geodude managed to get one trembling arm free. Geodude began to weakly punch Turtwig in the face. It was absolutely brutal. After another minute of bone quaking impacts the two of them collapsed together, rendered unconscious from their intense battle of wills.

"Turtwig is unable to battle, Geodude is unable to battle. The Gym Leader will release his final Pokemon." The referee said.

"That Turtwig of yours is quite impressive, Lucas." Roark smiled as he released his final Pokemon. "But Cranidos is my strongest Pokemon by far. I hope you're ready." Roark released Cranidos onto his side of the field. The fossil Pokemon's front half was a dull dark gray and its back half along with the top of its dome was a dark cobalt blue. Its large head was its primary means of attack and had four large spikes sticking out of the back of it to trap a pokemon that rolled over the top of the dome.

I smiled proudly as I returned Turtwig. "Great job, bud. I couldn't be any prouder of the way you battled." The pokeball gave a slight shake as Turtwig settled in and went into the suspended animation with in the capsule.

I unclipped Prinplup's ball from my belt and released him onto the field. The proud water type turned to me and gave a slight nod of his head as he looked over at Cranidos. Apparently whatever he saw didn't impress him because he let out a slight snort as he took his stance opposite the field from the angry rock type. It appeared Cranidos was as proud of itself as Prinplup, because that snort riled it up real quick.

"Begin!"

"Cranidos use Headbutt and then go right into Pinball!"

"Prinplup use Bubble to slow it down then follow through with Bubblebeam once it's stuck."

Prinplup eagerly began to shoot masses of foamy bubbles from his beak as the angry prehistoric pokemon barreled towards him with long loping strides. Much to my surprise the rock type's strong legs enabled it a degree of mobility that its teammates had lacked. It began to leap and push off of the boulders with its legs, moving around the field like a pinball.

Prinplup was starting to get frustrated, he wasn't used to being at such a steep disadvantage in terms of speed. Usually his acrobatic fighting style put opponents on the defensive as he continuously flipped in and out of their blind spots.

Cranidos pushed off of the boulder behind Prinplup and headbutted him hard in the back, the momentum sending him flying into the boulder in front of him. His wings began to glow as he began swinging his wings trying to hit the blur of motion.

"Smash the boulders around you!" I yelled desperately. I was thinking that if we took out the boulders around Prinplup, then we would be able to narrow down the number of places that Cranidos could push off from. If we could make enough distance Prinplup would be able to see where Cranidos was coming from.

Prinplup took two more of the inordinately powerful headbutts before he had reduced all the boulders around him to pebbles and as a result there was now a blank place behind him that Cranidos couldn't use his pinball attack from. Prinplup turned towards the remaining boulders and began firing a high powered Bubblebeam indiscriminately.

At first I was pretty confused, and angry. We had just set up a plan and managed to slowly regain control of the battle but now Prinplup was getting impatient and giving in to his temper. It wasn't until I saw the boulders start to crack that I understood what he was going for.

Cranidos pushed off of one boulder and landed on one of the ones Prinplup had cracked and he went right through it. The rock type's momentum and weight had made it blast right through the weakened rock. Prinplup continued his barrage until every other boulder was cracked and unusable, then he started focusing the attack towards Cranidos.

The fossil pokemon began barreling towards Prinplup using his thick skull to absorb most of the damage from the Bubblebeam. It was about twenty feet away before it flung itself forward with its powerful legs.

Prinplup saw it coming and quickly cut off his Bubblebeam before using Slap to stop Cranidos in its tracks. As the rock type stumbled back Prinplup flipped overhead before hitting it with Slice. As Cranidos was forced forward Prin then doused it with a thick cloud of foamy bubbles. This type of Bubble allowed the bubbles that clung to the target pokemon stick together and limit the target's speed.

Prin then leapt back to avoid another jab of Cranidos's skull before using Slap once more. It looked like Cranidos and Roark were beginning to get flustered, I doubt there was anyone who had managed to limit Cranidos's incredible speed, especially with Pinball.

"Use Zen Headbutt!" Roark roared.

"Slap!" I yelled.

Cranidos's head began to glow with a blue ethereal light before he sprung towards Prinplup whose wings were beginning to glow. The two attacks met with a fearsome blast of light and an incredible explosion, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.

Roark and I waited with baited breath as we waited for the dust to settle. My heart was in my throat, I never expected the battle to be this close even with Barry's warning. As the dust began to settle I could see the shape of Prinplup clearly standing in the middle of the field with the crumbled form of Cranidos beginning to stir on the ground.

"Prin, jump back and use Bubblebeam if it gets up!" I yelled. The water type instantly leapt back about ten feet and stared at his adversary with a manic intensity. For a minute I was sure the battle was going to continue. Until Cranidos finally collapsed with a loud thump.

"Cranidos is unable to battle! Victory goes to Lucas Tidwell of Twinleaf Town." The referee declared. I hardly heard him as I hurdled down the steps of the Trainer's box to reach Prinplup. The water type leapt towards me and hugged me as the two of us cheered on the field. Prinplup was exhausted, his tired form trembled in my hand as I lowered him back to his feet.

"Great job, Prin!" I proudly congratulated my partner. "Absolutely incredible, I couldn't be any prouder!" Prin began to puff up his chest before he reached out and grasped my arm just below the elbow. I returned the gesture before unclipping his pokeball from my belt. "Once we get you patched up at the Center, I'm releasing you and Turtwig and we're going to have a feast. You two certainly earned it!" The water type's eyes lit up with the promise of food and gave a happy cluck as I returned him.

"Great battle, Lucas. No trainer has taken out Cranidos with one Pokemon all season." The rock type leader said with a large smile on his face as he extended his glove covered hand. "Was this your first Gym Battle?"

"Yes, we just got back from training at the mine." I said as I shook the older teen's hand. Now that he was standing right in front of me I noticed how tall he was. He probably stood about six feet tall. "My friend actually recommended it, he had a battle here the other day."

"Was he a blonde guy? Real restless and built like a beanpole?" Roark said as a grin began to stretch across his face and he shook his head.

"Yeah, Barry Alfin. He gave me a heads up about how strong that Cranidos of yours is. Looking back he definitely undersold it."

"Thanks for the complement. That Turtwig of yours is a powerhouse, no other grass type I've seen has that much control over Razor Leaf. Keep training him up and he'll be one hell of a Torterra." Roark then took a breath before saying, "that Pinplup of yours is in a league of its own though I've never seen that kind of variant on Metal Claw before. Most trainer tend to only use the jab and slice variety. Where did you get the idea for a blunt slap?"

"There were two Onix in the mine, one was twenty feet and the other was closer to twenty-five, the big one swung its tail in a kind of broad sweep to catch opponents on the broadside. We twiddled around with the technique a bit before we wound up with Slap."

"Sounds like you met The Big Guy." Roark said wistfully. "That's my Onix's father. He tends to be one of the stronger Pokemon in the cave." He reached into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a bronze stylized pokeball with a flat bottom. He held out the small metal disk and said, "This is the Coal Badge. Take it as proof of your victory in this Gym."

"Thank you, Roark." I said as I pocketed the metal disk. I would move it to my badge case later.

"If you'll excuse me, Lucas, I need to take care of my team before the next challenger comes in. Have a good day and good luck on the rest of your journey." Roark shook my hand one last time before he walked through a blue door behind the Gym Leader's box.

I felt a smile stretch across my features as I exited the Gym into the bright light of the sun.

To be continued….