Morning broke through the poorly covered windows as the first rays of sunlight landed on the little pup's eyes. He quickly rose to his feet and started poking his master with his tiny muzzle. Blaise was fast asleep, so Growlithe quickly resorted to a more violent approach. This is why the boy woke up screaming with a red mark on his cheek from his Pokemon's bite.

-Owwwww, what the… Oh, good morning, the child said remised , smiling with the realization that this behavior will repeat itself continuously. You're up early, it's only 8:00, Blaise continued . Let's head down for breakfast then we will be on our way.

An usual breakfast, an usual morning routine, but an unusual "leaving home for good" party broke out.

-What is this? Asked Blaise as he saw what his parents had readied for him. An immense bag, paired with a filled backpack and topped off with a pinch of luggage porter.

-Your bags, answered his mother calmly and frankly.

-You ever travelled on foot before? Her son continued a little enraged.

-No, but I ensure you these bags contain anything you may ever need.

-Good, then I will take what I actually need and be done with it, continued Blaise as he took out a few things from his backpack, leaving it half empty.

-Are you sure about this, intervened his father with the same placid gaze as his wife. He knew full well that he lost his wager and he was an honest man, so he couldn't go back on his word, but he still tried his best to keep his son close to him.

-Deadly sure. Well that's enough, Blaise said as he rose up and headed for the open mansion doors.

-Well, I guess it's goodbye, son , started his mother, tears stopping her as she kneeled and hugged her only son…

-Take care and write us soon, she finished her earlier statement, sobs interrupting her every word…

-Don't worry, Blaise comforted his mother. I've got Growlithe to protect me.

Mindy rose to her feet looking down to her son with a strong skepticism. She wiped her tears with a handkerchief she kept in her hand… Now she could not do anything but watch her little boy walking away the tall gate. He was ready to take on a dangerous world guarded only by a small puppy who could do little to nothing to safeguard him. At least that's what she thought.

It wasn't a long way down from their home to the gym. A short sandy causeway that starts out of nowhere and transform into a small patch of grass leading to a welcome mat. It's wonderful to look back and see two sets of footsteps completing each other, snaking through the soon to become mud, as rain clouds were gathering over their heads. Growlithe and Blaise were almost done with their stroll towards the home of the town's best trainer. The doorbell rang for a few seconds as swift footsteps were heard from inside, as the door was smacked open, knocking the little boy off his feet.

-Oh, sorry, May said as she helped Blaise back to his feet, accompanied by the disgruntled growls of his Growlithe, which snapped at her…

-Ow, that hurt, continued the girl, a drop of blood coloring the beige pavement.

-Sorry, about that…I guess I've got to train him a lot more… I guess he was just being protective and loyal as is their nature, the little boy tried to excuse his Pokemon.

-No problem, May responded rubbing her arm, as light bite marks appeared on her forearm. Come, now, I've got my Pokemon, we'll meet my brother and my friends at the entrance of the forest?

-They went ahead of us to prepare apparently… Oh, by the way… I never got to thank you for saving me from that burning building…

-Who told you that? Blaise asked looking a little scared.

-I've forced my brother into confessing. Why… what's the big deal?

-Nothing, I just don't like people knowing that I've done something good for them. It seems like they have a duty to repay when it's actually something to be left alone…

-Oh, I see, May said losing her balance in the conversation. Oh, did I show you my Pokemon?

-No, you actually haven't shown me, but we should really…

He was cut short as her Torchic erupted from his Poke ball, striking a pose, as May quickly grabbed him and hugged him.

-Isn't it cute? She continued trying to rob him of his words…

-I guess, he's kinda cute… Shouldn't we get going before my parents come crushing in and changing their mind?

-Oh yeah right, sure. Let's go she said as she was already far ahead of Blaise who was now running to catch up to her. He didn't break a sweat, while she was almost running out of breath. The road to the forest was short, because the gym was on the outskirts of Petalburg. The morning sun was warming up to offer them a nice weather to walk in the forest. Not too warm, not too cold, just right. May was staring at the light haired young boy, trying to grab the words with an arcade claw out of his mouth. She couldn't think of any conversation that would be appropriate for them both, or at least offering, but to no avail. No phrases were exiting her mouth as she took countless breaths trying to prepare for a long questions, but none could flee from her mind. However this gave her time to analyze her new friend, more than usual. He had very light blonde hair, partially combed, falling in short strands on his red cheeks. His green-emerald eyes were looking out the horizon as calm and as unbothered as ever. It was as if a statue was brought to life and was walking right next to her. She never had such a cold person walking by her ever again. His posture was perfect, his walking was flawless, he never skipped a beat and his steps were the same size as ever. It was inhuman… However a complete change was on its way when his Growlithe was falling behind… The little puppy was not used to walking so much, so exhaustion had settled in. His gaze changed from cold and wandering to warm and nurturing as he grabbed his Pokemon and put him on his shoulder, offering him a little berry, while rubbing his white tuft of fur. That was the time when he showed any sort of emotion… And he was beautiful, showing genuine care for his partner. May was inspired by him…

On the other hand, Blaise was also studying her actions. She had the same eyes as him, only hers were gleaming and sparking with the joy of travelling on her own journey. Her hair was carefully arranged and fit under her bandana, but it jumped on every other step she took, because she was hopping of happiness. She was very expressive and extroverted, but she seemed completely carefree and reckless.

Three silhouettes were contouring at the edge of their sights. They were arranged in order of height. Max was the shortest one, his glasses reflecting the only beam of sunlight passing through the dense ceiling of the woods. The other ones were unknown to him. However May had known them for about two days, so the two boys were barely acquaintances. But she knew their names at the very least: Ash and Brock. You could tell which one is which because a Pikachu was sitting atop Ash's shoulder, making him look as if a big lightning bolt was about to hit him in the head.

-Well, look who is finally up and running, Max said mockingly.

-Oh, shut up, will you? I couldn't find my Pokeball anywhere, plus I had to pick him up, May said pointing at the light haired boy who was busy admiring the sky through a tiny hole in the branches.

-Right… As if I don't know he came to our house to actually pick you up…

-Who are you? Ash asked trying this hardest to break the incoming fight…

- My name's Blaise, the new addition to the group mumbled as if he woke up from a trance.

It was uncommon for him to spend time with people of his own age. This is why social awkwardness takes its toll.

-My name's Ash from Pallet town and this is Pikachu, the boy introduced himself along a few "pika" s from his companion.

-I am Brock, former gym leader of the Pewter gym, now on my way to become a Pokemon breeder, continued the oldest of the group.

-That's nice, Blaise said scratching the back of his head. Shouldn't we get going?

-Alright, finally someone who really understands that time is not to be wasted, Ash exclaimed excited.

You don't want to walk through the early hours of noon through these woods. Basic geography teaches us something along with intermediate physics. Dry air can easily be filled with water in its gas state, however humid air cannot. All plants, including trees are "sweating" meaning that they lose carbon dioxide and water in the air, flooding it. This is why during summer and at noon, nonetheless, walking through the Petalburg forest was hell on earth. Heaven for Blaise's Growlithe, due to the confirmed myth of fire types loving hot weather ( it actually boosts their power).

A PokeNav is pretty useful to calculate distances between two places. It's also severely discouraging when you see that you are about 20 miles away from the next gym and 5 miles from the nearest Pokemon center. You are in the middle of nowhere and can be attacked by anyone and anything and nobody will ever find you… This is when a strange buzzing came in, forming an astounding duet with the mysterious tune of the forest. It was hypnotizing and beautifully crafted by the sounds of nature, but only should you be interested in raw beauty. Safe to assume, our heroes aren't really admiring the visage nature provides, rather than muffling curses to the hot roaring sun.

-How much until we reach a place to rest? the youngest of them all asked.

-About 2 miles, if we keep up the same pace.

-How about we rest now? I am tired, my legs hurt and I think I speak for all when I say we need to recharge our batteries.

They all looked to Brock, waiting for him to say some sort of magical word that would make all their wishes come true in an instant.

-You set up a small camp, I'll fix something up in a moment, our elder spoke.

It's hard to describe the pure expression of joy on their faces. It's as if Ho-oh dropped down from the now open sky and granted them all eternal happiness. Turns out this is just the way they celebrate Brock cooking. A small fireplace has been created in no time, using wood gathered by Max and Ash, while Blaise and May were setting up the table. Brock had already began cutting his vegetables and the only thing left was to light the flame. What better way to do that than using our Pokemon.

-Let me handle this, said May as she let out her Torchic.

-I've heard that you're into Contests, May? Is that correct? Blaise asked after seeing her Torchic strike a pose as if he were trained.

-That's right. My goal is to become a top coordinator, but there is a slight problem, she said smiling embarrassed.

-What's that? Don't know anything about Pokemon moves? her brother said laughing mockingly.

-Yep, pretty much… she answered looking down.

-Then why did you offer to light the fire? Max continued with the same arrogance he continuously showed when speaking to his sister.

-I don't know…

-How else do you want to learn, Ash suddenly stepped in.

-True. Does your Torchic know any fire type moves? Blaise continued on a soft tone as if they were all asleep, but he still had to make his point across the room to a hard of hearing friend.

-I don't know… May responded blushing out of shame.

-Well, let's see then, Blaise said, while grabbing her Torchic and placing it in front of the fireplace.

Then it became funny. And sad. Both at once multiplied by desperation and divided by patience. In half an hour, Blaise listed about a hundred fire moves, but Torchic didn't know absolutely none. However, they were powerful ones such as Flame Burst and Fire Spin. But only after a long while he finally realized what Torchic knew.

-Ember?

-Ok, then… Torchic use Ember!

Tiny flames exited the little bird's beak, gleaming in the sun as they formed a waterfall of sparks. They landed on the dry wood setting it on fire almost immediately. The instant the branches cracked in the raging fire, Brock grabbed his big pot and started preparing lunch for the 4 hungry mouths begging for food.

-What should we do in the meantime? Ash asked clearly bored from waiting ten minutes without doing anything.

-How about a little bit of battling? Asked Max eager to witness a display of power between his two trainer friends.

-Between me and Ash? Blaise snapped out of his day dreaming when he heard the word " battle"

-Sure thing, let's do this, Ash yelled unable to wait to fight his new friend.

Brock was left alone at the temporary campsite while Ash and Blaise accompanied by the two siblings found their way into a big clearing, perfectly simulating an arena.

-You don't have any other Pokemon, do you? The light haired boy asked, trying to get insight on his opponent.

-Nope, let the battle begin already! Ash screamed excitedly.

Pikachu instantly dashed, the thrill of the fight engulfing him as Ash instantly shouted:" Thunderbolt" . Even though Blaise seems to always be lost in his thoughts, on a far away planet in a galaxy that is populated only by his dreams, battling knocks him back down on earth and fills his veins with excitement as he silently calculated every move ahead of time. Noteworthy to say these two were the complete opposites, as if it's not already noticeable. The reckless one, jumping into fight with little to no knowledge other than brute decision taken in tight situations and , on the other hand, the calm and collected one, who analyzes every move in order to find a great strategy, but loses speed due to the maze in which he submerges.

Pikachu's attack missed by an inch as Blaise issued a "roll away" command on the dot. He knew that Ash had a strong partner and a quick one nonetheless, but he lacked defense… Hard to exploit this weakness when your Pokemon was literally born last week. But they rolled with it.

-Growlithe use Bite!

Unfortunately this wasn't Ash's first rodeo. He had enough time while his opponent ran all over the battlefield, he had already thought of a perfect counter.

-Pikachu use Iron Tail!

In an instant, Pikachu's tail dug deep into Growlithe's body as he got thrown to the far end of the improvised arena, rolling over the dirt, trying to stop. The little puppy was overpowered by one move and was now lying on the ground on the brink between fainting and fighting.

-Don't let that discourage you! You've been through worse! Now get up and try another Bite!

-Sorry to say, but that won't work out, Ash replied without an ounce of arrogance in his voice.

The scenario repeated itself up to the point of impact. However, people learn from their mistakes. Accounting for Pikachu's strength and speed, Blaise shouted simply:" Jump". Pikachu dug his tail hard into the ground allowing for Growlithe to bite him hard and so the positions were reversed. However what wasn't taken in account was…

-Not the smartest move. Pikachu, Thunderbolt, close range!

At point blank range, not only it was a guaranteed shot, but it was also a lot more powerful. But the brief charging time of the move allowed for an instinctive dodge from Growlithe, which jumped away just before he got zapped. However even if it missed, electricity doesn't disappear, it just changes form, so unless your Pokemon is an electric or ground or rock type, so much energy in a short time can lead to mild paralysis… easily noticeable by a Pikachu trainer.

-Growlithe is paralyzed! Quick, finish him off with a Volt Tackle!

"Only slow charged moves, huh?" Blaise thought as his mind raced trying to find an answer to his current problem. Pikachu was approaching Growlithe with immense speed and the outcome wouldn't be good when the two would collide…Only one chance remained.

-Growlithe try to regain control off yourself and use Flame Wheel!

Luckily enough he managed to fight off his paralysis and roll away, causing Pikachu to miss and lose balance. The odds turned against them, as Growlithe switched course and, before Ash could say "Dodge!" , Pikachu was hit by a hot, burning train. The electric mouse recovered mid-air and landed safely on Ash's side of the arena, while Growlithe was reigning supreme over Blaise's side. Both Pokemon were breathing heavily, tired and hurt after such an intense battle.

The buzzing heard earlier intensified… No one noticed it before, because it was blending in with the tunes of the wild nature, but now it was so poignant that it was scary. Seconds passed and the strange noise was now doubled by leaves rustling and branches being torn from the trees. It was as if an avalanche or an unstoppable force of nature was making its way through the calm woods.

-What's this sound? Asked May a little bit scared by the growing buzz.

-Uh oh, Blaise and Max resonated in unison.

-Really, now what's going on? Ash tried to get a grasp of the situation.

-I think we should run, right about now, Max said, sounding a little bit concerned.

-Will you two tell us what's going on? Yelled May exasperated.

-It's a…

Blaise's calm voice was interrupted by the swarm of Beedrill flooded the sky as they passed through the clearing… It was the time of the year when Kakuna evolved into Beedril. This happened on a large scale and since they are very territorial, they usually fight for a part of the woods until one or a group wins. The losing side swarms the rest of the forest attacking every being they set their eyes upon. In this case it was the group of kids.

-Run to the bushes! Max stuttered as his companions were already far past him and were disappearing in the dense hedges.

-Don't split up! Blaise tried to organize the group, but the only thing he could do was follow a small hole in the leaf wall and reunite with whomever got lost through there.

-Where are you? Ash coughed as the Beedrill's wings were creating a dust cloud, separating our heroes…

It wasn't long until they caught their breath, after running deeper and deeper into the jungle of trees. Blaise was panting, while May was collapsed on a rock, breathing heavily as she was trying to calm down. Ash's Pikachu was resting, his eyes closed as he was hurt and had to recover… Without any Pokemon left, as May had left her bag with Brock, things were about to get ugly.