Chapter 1: Beginning, Middle, End

I quickly filled out the form and passed it back to the security guard, who appeared slightly surprised at my writing speed. Well, I also completed another one of these not too long ago when I entered Saffron, but then again...

Perhaps I'm just a bit unique in his eyes, not that I'm trying to brag or anything.

Despite his age, he was still a sturdy figure. His eyes held the glimmering spark of what remained from his youth. His hair was pale here and there, already losing its colour. He was a rough exterior, a tough shell. He skimmed over what I wrote before putting it through the photocopier. He signed both forms and handed the original back to me with a beam on his face. "Here you go, Missus," he said with his stark voice. I smiled back, taking the sheet of paper and slipping it into my pale brown shoulder-strap bag.

I held out my hand. Maybe I shouldn't have; he was quite taken back by it, so I guess that he hasn't seen many like me. Perhaps I am unique after all. When he saw the nervousness in my face, he swiftly grabbed my hand and gave it a stern shake. "Have a safe journey," he said; I could hear the anticipation and assurance in his voice. This feeling lingered with me as I went through the wide, grey, metal doors. I let the sun shine down on my face, the fresh air fill my lungs.

Beginning, Middle, End

My name's Chloe Badar. I'm 21 years old, and I'm beginning my journey as a professional journalist. Writing has always been a passion of mine, and I love seeing people at peak performance, doing the best that they possibly can. I wish to share wonderful experiences with others.

I was born in Celadon City, where I grew up and studied. Now that I've taken some writing courses, I am disembarking on a treacherous quest to reach Goldenrod City, where I hope to receive a job. Although I would arrive at my first destination far sooner if I took the Magnet Train in Saffron City, I would miss out on all the opportunities for me to grow and develop, both as a writer and a person. Well, I guess there are financial concerns as well... It's not like the tickets are cheap for most of us.

Previously, I never went farther than the four cities at the heart of Kanto. This will be my first real adventure, and you wouldn't believe how exhilarating this is for me. I can only describe this sensation using the clichéd "beyond words," which is rather ironic in my opinion.

Now outside in the freshness of the world, I reached into my bag and took out a Pokeball. I released my Smeargle.

This is Sketch. He's my best friend, my study partner, and my personal editor. Yes, he's literate. We've known each other as far as I can remember; I decided that it would be a good idea to teach him how to read and write, though his penmanship could use some improvement. I could say that about a lot of people though.

His glazed eyes came back into focus as he flailed around his arms and swayed his tail. I prefer not to keep him in his Pokeball. He's not some slave, a personal servant who shall obey me in all ways. He's my friend, my partner, and my equal. I'd be lost without him by my side.

He shook his head back and forth and then gave me the thumbs-up. We high-fived once before heading down to Vermilion City. It's a major port and where the ship to Olivine City will disembark. I specifically chose to wait for this particular cruise; the sailing will include an exclusive beginner's one-on-one Pokemon tournament. I'm no trainer; I don't have a license. However, this would be a great challenge for me to test out my journalism skills. I might then be able to sell the completed draft sometime after we dock.

As we walked down the rough, sandy, dusty path, I took some mental notes. I had numerous notebooks, pencils, erasers, pens, and other necessities in my bag. However, I didn't want to exhaust my resources, or my wallet, when I've barely begun; my mind would suffice for now.

One thing that I loved about this particular Route was the irregularity of the path. This wasn't a natural path; it was definitely man-made. The peculiar part is that they chose to create an S-like shape through the grass. I guess that this choice may have been made to preserve the natural habitats here, but a direct path to Vermilion would have still made the split equal. In fact, even more of the environment is lost like this. I eventually told myself that it didn't matter; this had happened so long ago, and by now new habitats would've been established.

I felt Sketch tug on my hand. I looked down, and he pointed towards a large patch of grass. This type of vegetation is generally green, although it may change into a brown colour when neglected.

Grass isn't pale purple, which I definitely saw some of in the distance. We advanced and realised that what we were seeing was what appeared to be a sleeping Pokemon. Its body was covered with short purple fur, and its ears were large and pointed at different angles by the ends. It had tufts of fur protruding from the sides of its head, along with a red jewel on its forehead.

It was an Espeon; they definitely weren't common in these parts. I thought that there might be one of those fabled Eevee colonies nearby.

Its eyes suddenly burst open, panic being an evident emotion in its dark eyes. I have no idea whether or not it was actually asleep. It appeared to fumble and fidget slightly with something hidden in its paws before it got to its feet and sprinted away as fast as it could.

"Hey, wait up!" I yelled, chasing after it. I still do not know why I chose to follow it. I could've just as easily left it alone. What would I have done if I caught up to the Pokemon? Interview it?

Anyways, everyone knows that Espeons are fast, but this one was beyond what I had originally imagined. My sprint gradually slowed down to a complete stop, and I panted in attempt of catching my breath. Sketch arrived shortly afterward. I stood there for a while, leaning over, hands on my legs. My hair was dangling down.

My pounding heart began to lighten and slow down. I took one more deep breath, and then we continued.

We didn't get too far after that.

A young boy ran up to me. He wore a white t-shirt and blue shorts, attire quite suitable for such a hot day. The wind played around with his messy brown hair as his glowing eyes radiated at Sketch.

"Hey, Missus," he said, "That's a cool Pokemon! Let's battle!"

That took me by surprise. The child looked to be around ten years of age. "A battle?" I questioned back.

"Yeah," he replied, "You know, a Pokemon battle!" He reached down to his belt and pulled out two Pokeballs. "Please! It'll be fun!"

Well, I thought about it and I analysed the situation. Sketch was my only Pokemon, and I didn't really want to put him through something like a fight. Furthermore, if he passed out, I would be alone until I reached town. However, this could be a good opportunity for me to practise note-taking in a fast-paced battle. It might also prepare us for any misfortunes throughout the rest of the journey. I looked down at Sketch and he nodded. I nodded back.

"Alright," I said to the young man, "I accept your challenge. Oh, and I don't intend on losing."

I held out my hand and he shook it. "Yay! Let's battle, Missus!"

We both walked away in opposite directions along the road. There wasn't anyone else travelling down here at the time, so it wasn't a major problem.

"Go, Sandshrew!" he yelled, throwing his first Pokeball, releasing my first opponent in a red flash.

"Let's get this started," I said as Sketch ran out onto the battlefield.

"Use Swift!" ordered the young trainer. The ground-type opened its mouth and a series of white stars flew into the air. Sketch held his arms up over his face and took the attack; this move never misses, so all attempts to flee its scope would be in vain. Just as I was about to give him an order, I heard my opponent announce his next move.

"Now," yelled the boy, his voice overflowing with excitement, "use Rollout!"

The Sandshrew curled up into a ball and started rolling at the opponent, dust from the road flying into the air. Sketch was still shaking off the last attack.

"Sketch," I yelled, "Dodge to your right!"

My partner was never that fast. He did his best to dodge, but the attack made contact with his left foot, causing him to lose balance and fall, skidding across the rough dirt. I saw the Sandshrew begin to turn around.

"Run into the grass!" I ordered. This was the only way for the attack to work.

Sketch got up and made his way into a nearby patch of grass; green fields encircled the entire path we were battling on. Our opponent was gaining on us, but my partner knew what to do; I didn't need to provide any further directions. He grabbed his tail and held it forward, his natural ink glowing green and began to glitter slightly. Just as the Sandshrew rolled into the grass, the blades locked themselves together, forming a barrier-like net, essentially trapping the ground-type.

"What just happened!" screamed the boy.

"Grass Knot," I replied, looking up from the notebook I was using to take notes. "Sketch got it from a trip to see Erika." My ink on my pen continued to flow as the Sandshrew tried to roll even faster in desperation, hoping to break the grass cage. It was only making things worse; the grass was definitely having a negative effect on his rock-like skin, resulting in clearly visible striations. The grass lifted the Pokemon higher into the air before breaking the bond of his orb-like form and then crushing his limbs. Sketch let go of his tail, which shifted back to its normal position. The Sandshrew fell back onto the ground, obviously exhausted.

The boy pulled out his Pokeball and returned his Pokemon. "You did well, Sandshrew," he said as he went for the second and final Pokeball on his belt.

"Go, Pidgeotto!" The crimson light formed a relatively large brown and white bird. I was rather surprised to see him have such a powerful Pokemon at this early of an age... then again, there have been trainers who started their journeys not too much older than himself.

The Pidgeotto flew at Sketch, flinging him deeper into the grass patch; I could no longer see his head in the tall blades. "Sketch!" I yelled.

I saw him, hand on his head, emerge from the field. However, he was almost immediately blown back down by the opponent's Whirlwind. I could literally see the power coursing through the surrounding air.

"Pidgeotto," I heard the boy yell, "Get ready for the final blow!" I watched as the bird flew higher in the air for a final dive.

"Quick!" I ordered. I didn't realise the irony of what I just said until the word had already escaped my mouth.

Sketch, swaying slightly, grabbed his tail yet again. It glowed blue this time as the move began to charge.

The light grew brighter... and then I felt it. It was almost as if time froze itself. Weird beams began to shoot from my partner's tail. The Pidgeotto looked as if it was just a picture in a painting. It wasn't moving at all.

"What's happening?" the boy asked. His voice stretched out as he said it. I looked around the area, seeing the weird distortions in the environment. It was as if my glasses had taken on a blue tint.

"Trick Room," I said slowly. It sounded as if I spoke at a normal pace. "Speed is totally reversed."

I turned to look at my partner, whose tail was glowing a very pale green, though it looked a bit bluer than in reality. There were definitely small orbs flowing into the tip, joining with the already bright light.

"Now!" I ordered. Sketch released a gigantic Solar Beam at the frozen Pidgeotto. The sky was engulfed in light.

At that moment, the blue disappeared, vision returned to normal, and the Pidgeotto began to fall from the sky. The young trainer recalled his Pokemon before contact was made with the ground.

I expected to see tears in the boy's eyes. Although I'm not exactly a trainer, I obviously know that Smeargles have the ability to learn absolutely any move from another Pokemon. I had him learn certain attacks that I felt would be most practical for travelling opponents.

The boy was beaming at me. "That was a great battle, missus!" he said, running up towards me. I advanced as well, and Sketch joined us too, though it seemed as if he was limping slightly. I slipped my notebook and pen back into my bag.

"That's a really cool Pokemon," he said, staring at Sketch, "I've never seen one before."

"Well," I replied, "Your Pokemon are pretty rare as well. Sandshrews aren't from around these parts, and it's probably going to evolve soon since it knows Rollout."

The boy looked up at me, his eyes glowing with excitement. "Really!"

I nodded. "Yeah, Sandshrews learn Rollout not too long before they become Sandslash."

"I'm going to keep training," he said, "I really love my Pokemon."

I felt my heart swell when he said that. "Yeah, I can tell."

"Really!"

"Yeah, but why don't you name your Pokemon?"

The boy looked a bit puzzled. "Name them?"

"My partner's name," I said, pointing at my editor, "is Sketch. We're best buddies." I held up my hand for a high-five, which he returned a bit weakly.

"Okay!" the boy exclaimed, but then his face filled with concern. "But... Missus, do you know how to get to Vermilion City."

"Yeah, just follow this path," I said, pointing forwards; I made sure to take note of where I was coming from and where I was going, as the route looks the same both ways.

"Thank you!" he said. As he was about to turn around to leave...

"Wait," I cut in, "Do you want me to walk you back?"

He stared at me for a while. "My mommy told me that I shouldn't hang out with strangers."

I was a bit taken back by this; I had forgotten the obvious age difference between us. I've always enjoyed the company of children. "But," I said, "We're friends now, aren't we?" I think that I might've sounded a bit hurt, because I noticed a bit of guilt in the boy's face.

"Yeah, you're right!" He grabbed my hand. "My name's Timothy, Missus! I live in Vermilion City!"

"You don't need to keep calling me Missus. We're friends now, remember? My name's Chloe. I'm from Celadon City."

"Celadon? Cool! I've always wanted to go there!"

I nodded. "Maybe you should ask your mom to take you there one day."

One day...

The rest of my day was a blur. We reached town not too long after, but I urged Timothy to return home as soon as possible. The sky was grey, and I definitely saw some dark clouds advancing. After Sketch and I checked in at the hotel, we decided to make a quick stop at the Pokemart to buy some supplies. I'm staying at a small place by the pier, as that's where I'll be boarding the ship to Olivine. On our way back, winds suddenly picked up; they were even stronger than what I saw from the Pidgeotto. It began to pour as well, and the cold rain felt like bullets on my body. My bag isn't waterproof. (I should probably fix that.) Sketch and I rushed back to our room; I never anticipated that the weather would be this bad. I checked the weather forecast at home before I left, and I was sure that we were supposed to have clear skies for at least the duration of the week.

Sketch shook himself dry, and I took off my coat and lay down on my bed. I was exhausted from today. That's when I began to notice a really annoying sound in the background. I thought that it would be relatively quiet at this time of night. The clatter grew louder, and that's when I was able to figure out what it was. The wind and rain muffled the sound, so I couldn't recognize it at first.

It was definitely a siren.