It was that time of year again. The American Gym Leader Association was holding its national Gym Leader gathering in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The Snolax Arena had been recently built and it was large enough to hold all the gym leaders and their families with room to space for several battle arenas. Cherry was one of those family members.
Cherry stood in her room. Her red hair and green eyes flew around the room as she gathered items for the journey. Her two pokémon, Chikorita and Sandshrew, roamed her bed gathering the items that she had thrown on the bed. Chikorita the grass starter pokémon she had received pulled the items over to Sandshrew, who she had caught a few months after she had received Chikorita.
Cherry's mom was the local gym trainer and was the ice trainer for the New England region. The past few months had been slow for the Tundraville as few people came as the winter months rolled in. As there luck had been it was time for the gym leader gathering so it was the best time to head to Wyoming. Cherry's father and younger brother were staying home to keep watch of the gym and house as Cherry and her mother went off.
When Sandshrew was done stuffing cherry's pack full he made a low squeak for his achievement. "That's right," Cherry said with a smile as she patted both pokémon on the head. She snapped her Pokégear on her arm and pocketed her four year-old Pokédex.
"Here you guys go," she said as she put food in her pokémon's bowls. Chikorita let a whoop as she jumped over to her bowl and gladly ate, while Sandshrew quietly picked his food out. "Now Sandy," Cherry had named Sandshrew sandy, when she had caught him on the beach, "You go to eat all your food, your not going to Greg's food for a while." Sandy seemed to understand right then and started gobbling it down just as fast as Chikorita. "Good boy," she said with a smile as she sat down on her bed. Tomorrow Cherry, her mom, and their pokémon would leave for Cheyenne, and the Plain's region.
The cloudy morning was started with Cherry's mother yelling up at her. "Cherry C'mon!" Chikorita nuzzled her head against Cherry's forehead.
"Nn… morning, already?" she asked. Chikorita chirped its happiness as sand Sandy stood on the ground looking up at Cherry. Cherry sat up as Sandy placed her new trainer's clothes at Cherry's feet. He made his normal throaty noise to give attention to the clothes. "Thanks guys," she said patting both pokémon on the head, the made their signature sounds, happily.
"Okay," she said pulling off her covers. There was a second where the air met her pajama'ed skin. "Not, Okay!" she squealed jumping back under the covers.
"Chika?" Chikorita asked as she jumped on Cherry's back and tried to get Cherry up.
"No, its cold!" cherry said from under the covers.
Sandy made his throaty noise as he lightly pulled on the covers. The house was kept colder than most houses as it was connected to a big freezer that was a gym. Since it was in the winter months the house got very cold at night and she had found that she'd have to sleep with both Chikorita and Sandy.
After a few minutes of light tugging Sandy had apparently gotten frustrated and just pulled the covers off of Cherry. Chikorita who was still on the covers went flying across the room and was then covered by the covers.
"Dah! No! It's cold!" Cherry whined as Sandy placed the clothes over Cherry. Chikorita, mean while, was busy fighting her way out of the blankets. After a few minutes cherry sat up as a long line of snot ran from her nose. "You guys are mean… you know that?" she asked them as she slowly slipped on her clothes. Chikorita voiced her happiness; she had made it out by that time.
"Let's go," Cherry yawned as chikorita Sandy voiced their excitement again. Cherry opened the door and the two pokémon ran out the door and down the stairs. Cherry was a walking zombie. Cherry walked into the kitchen where her two pokémon where already hungrily eating their food as Cherry's mom, Rin, stood making making eggs and bacon, as her father sat in his chair reading the morning paper. Cherry's little brother sat at the table also, but his hear was face down on the table, as his pokémon, Aron, sat at the base of his neck, both covered in a heavy blanket, and both nearly asleep.
"Why is the house so cold?" Cherry asked as she sat down at her place at the table.
Cherry's mom laughed. "Well you see, when I finished feeding the pokémon, I kind of forgot to shut the door all the way," she said still with a small laugh.
"Oh, gosh, mom," Cherry said also placing her head on the cold table surface. "Why, Why, Why?" she asked into the table. "It's so cold…" Cherry said trailing.
"Now come on," her father spoke putting down his paper. "I seem to remember you doing that too," he said chuckling.
"Oh, be quiet," cherry said, again into the table.
"Will this make it up?" Cherry's mom asked, placing breakfast on the table.
"I guess…" she said taking weak bite of the eggs.
"Well," Rin sat down ready to eat, having passed out all the plates of food. "When your finished I'll need you to pack your things in the car," she said taking a bite of the bacon.
"Fine…" Cherry said eating meal.
After a little bit of eating Cherry left her plate and went up stairs to grab her bags. While she was grabbing the bags the door bell rang. "Who would be out in this weather?" she asked, coming downstairs.
Greg, the local pokémon breeder stood at the door with an arm load of jars. "Hey!" He said with a happy smile that he always had.
"How are you so cheerful?" Cherry asked outright. "Its deafly cold, and your carrying a work load."
Greg laughed before speaking. "I made you a new batch for when you leave," he replied setting five jars of pokémon food down. "I think you might appreciate it, or well at least sandy and Chikorita."
"Oh, yeah, they will," Cherry said. She was still in a bit indifferent mood when she called Chikorita and Sandy to say hi to Greg. Chikorita bounded around from the kitchen and tackled Greg. Even Chikorita was a small pokémon, but she was still a pokémon and had strength to put into moves. In the end Chikorita had tackled Greg out the door into two feet of snow. Sandy came up and started to sniff the jars with its normal throaty sounds.
Cherry laughed at the two pokémon. One still wanted food, while the other was so energetic that it sent people she liked flying. Sandy ran off with her special jar. As Cherry went out to grab Chikorita off of Greg and help him up. "You aright?" cherry asked as Chikorita tried to get to Greg.
"Yeah," Greg said standing up and brushing the snow off himself. "I see Chikorita ate some of my special stuff last night?"
"Yes she did," Cherry said smiling down at Chikorita and patting her head.
"Well I stopped to drop you off some pokémon food, and I brought a little extra special combination for strength," he pointed to the jars he had brought then he had a confused face. "Uh… didn't I bring a fifth jar?" he asked.
Cherry laughed again. Greg had been so busy with Chikorita that he hadn't seen Sandy come up and greedily run off with the special stuff. "Yes, you did. Sandy's already found his and made off with it," she continued to laugh.
"Oh good," Greg laughed, unsurely, with her. "Well anyway. Your going to be gone for how long?"
"About a month," Cherry said. "Why?"
"Who else is going to be my guinea pigs?" Greg asked patting Chikorita's head as Chikorita nuzzled his hand.
"Oh great, thanks," Cherry said sarcastically.
"Well, anyway I'll have some more made up for both of them, when you guys get back," Greg said with a smile.
"You got my number don't you?" she asked pointing to her pokégear.
"Yeah, I'll call you when I see you on TV," he said.
"On TV?" she asked. "Its going to be Televised?" she asked confused.
"Yeah, there's a tournament and everything. I assume your mom's going to enter, I mean there's a whole water class that includes ice types," Greg explained. "Plus there's a tournament for family members themselves to see what's up and coming as far as the Leader's children go."
"No wonder my mom wanted me to go," Cherry said remembering her mother nearly begging her to come.
"Cherry!" Rin called from inside the house.
"Op! Hey, sorry we couldn't talk longer," Cherry said apologizing to Greg.
"No-No," Greg said with a smile. "Just call me and tell me how Sandy's doing after the first match. Alright?"
"Um… Okay?" Cherry said confused at to why he wanted her to call.
"See ya!" Greg said already off and through the snow.
"Darn him," Cherry said to herself. "He probably put something strange in one of Sandy's jar. "Sandy!" Cherry called for the Sandshrew. "C'mon, we got to go!" she called putting Chikorita down. Cherry grabbed the four jars and followed Chikorita out to the car.
Cherry yawned as she woke up a few hours later. She and her mom were sitting the moving car as they drove along the freeway. All the pokémon were in their pokéballs, expect for Chikorita as she slept in Cherry's lap under a blanket.
"How much sleep did you get last night?" Rin, her mother, asked.
"I don't know…" Cherry said groggily. "Not much, the house was so cold."
Rin laughed. "I'm sorry, it was just an accident. At least Dewgong and Seel didn't run around in the house, again."
"Yeah, I guess," Cherry said rolling her eyes. When Rin had first caught her Seels they were very interested in their new home and when one Seel evolved into a Dewgong that interest never stopped. Then one night Cherry's mom had forgot to shut the door and the pokémon, being curious had run rampant in the house.
"So, when were you going to tell me about the tournament?"
"I thought you knew?" Rin said. "I mean it was all over and only select people could enter. Then there was gym leader matches, and because we're leaders we're supposed to bring our strongest and then battle it out with our own types."
"Really?" Cherry asked. "What about the trainer side?"
"That, its just supposed to see if we're raising you kids right. I don't know who will be there, but probably the trainers wont be like you and will actually follow in their parent's foot steps."
"Who says I'm not?" Cherry asked.
"Oh, are you?"
"No, of course not, I don't want to be stuck in a freezer all night," Cherry said happily.
"Well, see," Rin said rolling her eyes. "We'll at least be through New York and well into Pennsylvania by tonight," Rin Explained. "Maybe we'll stop and you can try your luck at some more pokémon?"
"Yeah!" Cherry said excitedly standing up. She started to dream of what she might catch. "Maybe I can get a Doduo and beet you there," Cherry said hopeful.
"Keep dreaming, Doduos live near the Western League," Rine Explained. "Try something more like an Oddish or a Seedot."
"Oh…" Cherry went to thought. "Is there anything other than grass types?"
"Maybe, if we get close enough to Lake Erie, you might find some Steel pokémon, like your brothers Aron."
"Steelix?"
"Yeah, or maybe a Magnemite or a Skarmory," she said a doubtful. "But there's also water pokémon like Squirtle and Magikarp."
"Magikarp?" Cherry said oddly. "You can get that any where. Plus if I want to compete I can't do anything with a Magikarp."
"Yes, but if you start training it now, here in a few months you will have a Gyarados to compete with. And then you might be able to challenge me," Rin smiled.
"No way, I'm doing the whole league before I challenge you, that way you wont know what I'm packing," Cherry said.
"Alright fine," Rin laughed. Changing the subject, Rin asked, "So how's Sandy doing?"
"I think he's doing alright. Greg made another batch of food for him, but I don't know what he put in it. Sandy seems to know, and wouldn't let go of the jar. Took all my strength to ply him off that bottle."
Rin laughed. "Well I guess Greg would know what a pokémon wants seeing as how he's becoming a breeder. Though, I'm not as trusting as you are."
"What do you mean?"
"Greg also offered o make some food for me, but I had to turn him down."
"Why?" Cherry asked. "Greg's food is pretty good, I mean, when I got Chikorita I noticed that she got a lot stronger and was able to help me capture Sandy."
"That may be, but I am a gym leader, and I actually have to make the food specially, since my pokémon are gym pokémon. Plus, I know the way breeders make their food, and quiet frankly you can't make ice type foods the way he does."
"How do they make it?" Cherry asked.
"They eat it themselves."
"Ewe!" Cherry exclaimed. "That's gross!"
"Not really, I've had a few of Greg's samplings. They're quite good. You should try Chikorita's some time. Isn't that right, Chikorita?" Rin asked looking over at the snuggling pokémon.
"Chika!" Chikorita exclaimed sticking her head out of the blanket.
"That's right," Rin smiled watching the road as her spare had reached over to pet Chikorita's head.
"It's still gross…" Cherry said quietly into to the window. A large group of Pidgeots flew past heading south; they were late for the winter coming.
