It's been a week since I started my journey, and a lot can happen at that time. Dawn kept calling me every time she was at a Town with a Pokemon Center. I would meet her and ask how things went, and she always had so many exciting things to say. I was kinda expecting this to happen but she introduced me to her new rival, Zoey, who was a pretty impressive Coordinator. She's not at all what I was expecting a rival to be at all. She was a lot friendlier than a rival would try to be. I'm just glad that Dawn and Zoey's rivalry is more of a friendship. On my travels I've met some Trainers who mistook me for one. A lot of them were pretty snubby about becoming the best trainer ever. I... had a lot to say. However, there was an exception. I met a cute Trainer named Shauna who was from Kalos. Unlike the other Trainers I met she didn't pursue any Pokemon leagues or anything. She wanted to become a Pokemon Performer, which is like a Coordinator. She told me the difference was Performers act with their Pokemon with a variety of tricks. She came here to enter a Tournament in Hearthome City after winning the last one she was in. She let me take some pictures of her and her partner Bulbasaur. Which confuses me as to how she got one in Kalos if you can only get one in Kanto. I let her keep her favorite. I got her number afterwards and thought about asking her out. But knowing how busy we both were we wouldn't have time. So I just put it on hold and continued my journey.

I decided to cut through some trees to get a closer shot at the mountains. A Pokemon Trainer wouldn't dare leave the main road, but I wasn't a Trainer. I was a Photographer. It was pretty risky though, if a wild Pokemon decided to attack me then I've got no way to defend myself. I crawled through some tall grass, and after I found my way out I found a path. Assuming it was the road I decided to take it. It started to look as though it was private. A Starly called out from a branch above. It seemed irritated. Maybe it was because of me. I heard someone running up from the tall grass. I think the Starly is alerting somebody of my presence. I think this is a private road. The person jumped out flipping into the air and landed in front of me. I was in shock. It was some sort of girl. But... she wasn't a human. She looked like a humanoid Squirtle.

"Alright, human." I was startled at first when she said that. Not only does she look like a human, she talks like one too. "This is my domain, and you're intruding. What's a Pokemon Trainer like you doing here, tell me." At first, I couldn't bring any words out. I was still so impressed. I had never seen anything like her before. I blurted out the first thing I could think of.

"You... can talk?" She covered her eyes. "Why didn't I expect this to happen? Well, it doesn't matter. I know what you're kind do to Pokemon, and I won't have it. Leave now while I allow it. And if you refuse i'll fight you myself and free all your Pokemon." I needed to clear things up right away.

"W-Wait, i'm not a Trainer. I don't have any Pokemon. I didn't even know this place was yours. I'm sorry but i've never seen your-" She cut me off. "You're not a Pokemon Trainer?" I shake my head confirming my honesty. But then she looked at me closely with a stern look.

"Prove it." I thought she would believe me. I wasn't sure how I would be able to prove what i'm not. However, an idea quickly came to me. I threw my backpack to the ground and stretched out my arms.

"Search me. If you find any Pokeballs on me then i'll turn around and never come back." That stern look was still on her face. She looked up.

"Melody. Go ahead." The Starly flew down. It seemed she knows about where most Trainers keep their Pokeballs and checked my belt. When she saw that it was just a plain belt she shook her head at the Squirtle.

"Check the bag." The Starly grabbed the zipper with her talons and opened it up. She burrowed inside and started wondering around inside of it. I was hoping she wouldn't break anything, not that there's anything breakable in there but wild Pokemon aren't very careful. She popped her head out. The Squirtle looked at the Starly expecting some sort of answer.

"He's telling the truth. It's just human junk." My eyes widened again. "A talking Starly?"

"So he isn't here to... hurt anybody? Then why are you here?" She had already found out about the truth and seemed to question it even more. The only thing I want to do is tell her the truth.

"I was just passing through. I didn't even know this area belonged to you. Look, i'll go." She pointed at me. "How do I know you won't tell anyone about me." So that's it. She hasn't seen any other humans before. I want her to trust me but all she seems to be doing is finding questions that get her to not.

"If I did, i'm not saying I will but if I did, no one would believe me. They'd laugh at me and I don't intend on getting laughed at. And so sane Trainer is going to wander into the wild. So it's a lose-lose for us humans." She then started to trail off.

"No one would believe you. And you didn't know I was here... but that still doesn't excuse you from intruding my home!" It was pretty obvious she wasn't going to trust me no matter what I say. This is her domain and as long as I was here she would do anything to get rid of me. It was useless trying to gain her trust. I was about to turn around and leave.

"Wait." I stopped, wondering what she was going to say. "You've done nothing but tell the truth. Not was I was expecting from a human at all. And I know you mean all the things you said. So there's one more thing I want you to tell me, and if I feel you're telling the truth then i'll believe you and you'll gain my trust." I looked at her. I wonder what made her mood change. "What is it?" She looked back at me. "What do you think about Pokemon and Pokemon Trainers?" Honestly, I don't know what she's trying to gain by this if she wants me gone, but it was something I could do for her.

"I grew up in a family who appreciates Pokemon... in their own way. Both my mom and sister have a career as Coordinators, which to sum it up are people who perform tricks with Pokemon. They both had to become Trainers to accomplish that. As for me, I really do like Pokemon, but I'd never become a Trainer. I don't hate all Trainers, a lot of them really mean well including my mother and sister. But... they really get deluded in their intentions. The Pokemon fight to get their Trainers what they want and they get hurt in the process. I've heard a lot of the Pokemon themselves will be devoted to fight for them but I don't think they realize that they don't get the recognition they deserve. And what sickens me is that people are willing to trade their Pokemon for better ones, like Pokemon are things to collect and not real creatures. Sometimes I wonder why Pokemon let this happen. Well, I can't speak for all Trainers or their Pokemon. I just know that I never want to be a part of that. And if you're worried that I'll do the same to you, then don't worry. I won't let that happen to you." I'm not sure if I said the right about Trainers, because it lead me to think something about Pokemon.

"As for Pokemon themselves. I've heard about Trainers who are willing to do anything for their Pokemon. And the Pokemon are grateful. It gets me to think about them so much. You'd think that as humans being the dominant species of this planet everything else would be all about "eat, drink, die." But there's something about them. They show much emotion and understand what a person is saying. I have seen how they love, get angry, feel sad, and leap for joy. I don't think a primitive species can do that. A lot of people don't consider Pokemon people, but why give a soul to someone if he's not one? Ah, i'm just rambling words now. I just think Pokemon are more than what they're Trainers expect them to be." I could see the huge smile on her face. She even wiped a tear away.

"I couldn't agree more, my friend." I could hear the honesty of her word. However... they were creeping me out. "Well, uh, i'll be going now. Back the way I came. I swear on my life I not tell anybody about you. Um, take care of yourself. Oh and you too St- Melody." I was beginning to leave, but then I felt a tug on my arm.

"Wait. Please don't go. I'm sorry I was being mean to you. You can stay if you want." I raised an eyebrow. "You just begged me not to a moment ago." She then cuddled my arm which was freaking me out even more.

"That was before you told me about yourself. And I like it. Hey, why don't you stay for a while? That way you can collect up on some supplies you might need, and even take a break to get something to eat." I tried to pat her arm to avoid the awkwardness. "That sounds okay with me. But... could you let go of my arm?" She realized her mistake.

"Oh. Sorry." I smiled. "It's okay. I'm just not used to it outside my own family." She grabbed my hand with both of hers and pulled me towards the road. I blushed.

"Well come, tell me more about yourself. Melody, go get the house prepared." "Sure thing." She flew off. I started walking alongside her. She made sure I looked at her. "By the way... I'm Lila." I could have sworn her eyes sparkled as she said that. Or maybe I was just seeing things. "I'm Ryan." She suddenly seemed interested in getting to know me more. "I like that name. Well, for a human name it's nice. You're not at all like a human, huh Ryan?" Well, I know what humans are like. But i'm interested in hearing what she thinks about them.

"Well, what are humans suppose to be like in your opinion?" She was prepared for the answer. "Well, like you said, there are humans who are inconsiderate. The Starly, Melody, was once a captured Pokemon. Her Trainer was cruel to her and tried forcing her to get stronger, and when she lost a battle he just left her to suffer, not even returning her to her Pokeball."

"So he was just going to forgot about her on purpose?" She nodded her head. "Well, she was going to forgot about her on purpose. The Trainer was a girl. I was watching." Wow. I never knew a girl could be like that. But then I guess gender doesn't matter to a Pokemon Trainer.

"As she left, I noticed no one was going to help her, so I took her and helped her myself." I still didn't get how she was able to talk proper English. "But... when did she learn... to..." She caught on.

"Oh, the talking? Well, I grow a garden of Vocus Plants at my Treehouse. They increase intelligence to the point where you can figure out how to use your words to create words. I heard it doesn't affect humans, or my kind... but to a regular Pokemon like Melody... well, you saw what happened." A talking Pokemon doesn't sound all that weird now that I think about it. I have heard of a talking Meowth who could form words with it's voice. I wonder if it took that Vocus stuff. Then, I realized something that might have seemed offensive.

"Wait. You said she was a regular Pokemon. Well, what do you consider yourself as? Or for that matter, what are you? I mean no offense to you at all but I've never seen a..." She chuckled.

"Right. No human has. Don't worry, i'll explain when we get to my Treehouse." It didn't take long for us to get there. It stood ten feet off the ground in a pretty large tree. I could see the garden on the side of her house, the one full of Vocus Plants. They looked like asparagus but were much smaller and had a yellow tip. She checked on the garden so I climbed up the ladder really quick so I could open the door for her. She climbed up the ladder and noticed what I had done.

"Aww, thank you. You're a gentleman." I really liked this nicer side of her. I went inside, too. The whole place was pretty much one room. There was a kitchen on one side and a fireplace on the other. A couch sat across from it and a bed sat in a corner. She sat down on the couch and patted on it, telling me to sit next to her. I did. I looked at her.

"So. I do have a lot of questions for you. Like I asked before, what do you consider yourself as? I know you're not a Squirtle a normal human would associate with." She laid back on the sofa.

"Well, you would be right. I'll try to explain this as best I can. I really am a Squirtle. But I was born like this. Just as my parents were, and theirs, and so on. Our origin began when an army of Pokemon, Squirtles included, attacked Michina Town in order to try and gain control of the Jewel of Life, and with it, control the Multiverse. They came very close however, but Arceus wasn't going to stand for it. He quickly defeated them all and they expected death. But he never killed them. Arceus would never destroy what he created. Instead he had something else in mind. The Pokemon army hated humankind and wanted them extinct. So... Arceus made all of them humanlike whilst keeping their normal traits. They quickly ran away and hid from the world. Over the centuries, our kinds became separate races, considered freaks by other Pokemon. We kept an eye out for humans to make sure they had forgotten us. And they have. We tried everything we could to make sure things stayed that way. But soon we turned on each other because each race had it's own idea of whether or not we should reveal ourselves to the humans and a secret war broke out. A war the world knew nothing about. My parents sent me away to escape from the carnage. But i'm afraid they are no longer alive. I felt alone when I heard the news. But then a Volbeat found me. She sensed my loneliness and helped raise me. Many other wild Pokemon did. They helped me build this Treehouse. Now I have them. Lot to take in huh? Nobody else would ever dream of telling a human all this. But I trust you. I know you wouldn't tell anybody, right?"

"I promise. So you said that the army of Pokemon had more than just Squirtles. Do you know what other Pokemon were cursed by this."

"Oh yeah. Let's see if I can name all the clans. There's us Squirtles, as you know. And then... Vaporeons, Golbats, um... Torkoals. Oh, and Castforms. Beartics, Bisharps, Dratinis. And then there are the titans, which are Garchomps, Tyranitars, Golems, which to me compared to normal Golems look ugly. Um, Abomasnows, Aggrons, and Typhlosions. Did I miss anybody? No, that's pretty much it." I let out a small chuckle. "Wow. That many clans and the world still doesn't know about them?" She winked at me. "That's right."

"This is really something alright. Well, i'm glad I ran into you. I can't imagine how the others would react otherwise." She let out a cute giggle. "I'm glad as well. By the way, i'm sorry for the way I treated you before."

"Well, I was intruding." She rested her hand on my shoulder.

"Well I wasn't exactly Ms. Nice about it. You can stay for as long as you need. Oh, and about the sleeping arrangements, you can have the bed." Now I wasn't going to let her get away with it.

"Oh, it's okay. I'll sleep on the couch." However she was more persistent.

"Mm-mm. You're not sacrificing your comfort. You are sleeping in the bed, buster." Unexpectedly, I scooped her up. It caught her completely by surprise.

"Come on, Lila. On the bed. As your guest I declare the couch while you have the bed." I laid her on the bed. She looked upset at me.

"But I don't want you to be uncomfortable." I smiled at her. "It's okay, i'm alright with it. It's pretty comfy, actually." She nodded. "Well okay. If you're sure. I just want you to be okay." I gave her a shell rub.

"I'm fine. Well, I guess I can try it out." I hopped on and sat up with my legs dangling over the edge. "So... do you have any attacks of a...um, more... known Squirtle?" I didn't want to say normal because I thought that would have offended her.

"Of course. I can use lots of water abilities. But I only use them to water my garden. There have been times when wild Pokemon have threatened my friends and I have had to fight them to keep my friends protected. But usually, I just live a calm life." You know, for a wild Pokemon... supposedly, she really knows how to control herself. "That sounds nice." I got off the bed and walked over to my backpack. I opened it up and brought the camera out. Lila noticed it.

"What's that?" She pointed at the camera. I showed it to her. "It's called a Camera. It creates pictures." It was a poor description, because she was still confused.

"What are pictures?" Now I had to actually think about how I was gonna describe something. I didn't have a lot of time to think about it first so I tried improvising.

"Well, pictures are... frozen moments in time. The Camera reads what's in front of it and a push of this button it creates the image from the moment the button was pressed. Most people create pictures to remember a fun moment in time, or to use it as a form of art. I like taking pictures. My dream is to become a Photographer, which is a person who takes good pictures as a Profession."

"So... when that camera flashes, time freezes and a picture happens?" I laughed. I knew this was going to be complicated. "No, no, no. Pictures are frozen images of a certain moment in time. An object."

"Oh. Okay, now it makes sense. Well that sounds like fun, I'd love to be in one. But then... if it creates an image of me, and someone saw it..." Then she shot up on her feet. "Are you here to take a picture of me and reveal it to everyone so they can find out I exist?!" Oh no, it looks we're back to where we started. Looks like it's back to clearing things up.

"No, no, no, no! Of course not! I keep telling you I never even knew you were here. Lila, I promised not to tell anyone about you. I promise! I promise I won't any pictures of you if you don't want any." She suddenly calmed down and sat back down. "I'm sorry, Ryan. I don't know where that came from. It's just we're so used to keeping our existence a secret. I'm taking a big risk by even letting you into my life."

"It's okay. You're safe from me. I promise."

As night fell we went straight to sleep. I looked up at the ceiling. This was pretty big day for me. I didn't get any photographs done, but I got a new friend. Figuring she was already asleep I closed my eyes and tried doing the same thing.

"Ryan?" I opened them again and looked at her. "Are you sure you won't reconsider?"

"I made a promise for you. I won't even use it around here. How many promises are you going to make me make?" She chuckled.

"I wasn't talking about the camera thing. This bed is a lot more comfortable than the sofa."

"It's okay, Lila. I don't mind." She sat up. "But you didn't even grab a blanket."

"You can keep them. You probably need them more than I do." I closed my eyes again. Thinking I was asleep, Lila got up and grabbed a blanket and walked up to me. She covered me up.

"I'm not letting you freeze to death. You're going to be as comfortable as a Metapod in it's shell." She tucked me in. "Sweet dreams, Ryan. My friend." She went back into her bed. I opened one eye and smiled. I pulled the blanket closer and I finally fell asleep.

Halfway, across the world in Kanto, in the Viridian City Gym, a Pokemon Trainer fell to his knees. The Gym leader, Giovanni, chuckled. "Come on now, you've only beat one of my Pokemon. And you have only one left. You have time to give up." Confidence rose up in him.

"If I do lose, then i'll lose not giving up to you! Go, Ivysaur!" He threw his Pokeball into the air. Ivysaur came out posing in a battle position to fight for it's Trainer. Giovanni chuckled. "I once owned an Ivysaur myself. I don't recall what happened to him. Oh, well, I can always get a new one. Nidoking, let's finish this." He threw his Pokeball and Nidoking stepped onto the field.

"Yes. I have the type advantage, Grass over Ground types. Things should go easier this time. Ivysaur, Bullet Seed!" Ivysaur fired seedlike bullets towards Nidoking. Giovanni grinned.

"Sandstorm." Nidoking pounded the ground with it's fists and created a wall of dust flying towards Ivysaur, causing it to lose it's concentration. "Hang in there, Ivysaur!"

"Now, use thrash." Nidoking charged at Ivysaur and threw him into the air with his claws. Ivysaur hit the ground hard. "It's okay. We can still do this. Get up and use leech seed." Ivysaur was able to get up on it's feet and shot out seeds that landed around it in a circle. Then vines grew out and wrapped it feet causing it to be stuck into the ground. "Alright! Now it can't go anywhere and Ivysaur will recover while taking a life from Nidoking." Giovanni grinned.

"Who said Nikoking need to go anywhere. Use Earthquake!" Nidoking slammed his fists into the ground and the whole Gym shook. Ivysaur fell to the ground and Nidoking got free. "Now... finish this up with Fire Punch." It charged at the Ivysaur still trying to get up. "It knows... a fire type move?" Ivysaur couldn't escape the burning punch that send him flying across the room. It fainted.

"Ivysaur is unable to battle, Nidoking is the winner. Which means the Gym Leader wins the match." The Trainer returned Ivysaur into his Pokeball.

"You were awesome. Get some rest. You deserve it. Now look, I may not have won today, but i'll be back! You'll see!" He left the Gym. Giovanni sat up from his chair.

"I look forward to it. But for now I have some work to do." He went behind the curtain. He stepped into a room and sat down at a desk. A large screen was in front of him. It turned on.

"Good evening, Master Giovanni. I hope the match went well." Giovanni took a sip of his coffee.

"It was eventful." A Persian jumped into his lap and he began stroking it.

"Tell me, how are the excavations going in Sinnoh?"

"The Michina Town ruins are drenched in rain, which makes it impossible for our excavators to continue the search. However, we have made a major discovery. Before the rains came, we discovered a wall of paintings full of painting of what we may believe have been it's past."

"What are these pictures about?" The screen showed a picture of the entire wall.

"The paintings prove to be rather curious. In recent years, it has been believed that Michina Town was always in harmony with Pokemon. However, you will notice here that has not always been the case." It enlarged a painting of Pokemon attacking soldiers.

"Seems like things were crazy back then."

"Yes, sir. Indeed it was. But what is more shocking is that they were trying to obtain an object."

"And what object is that?"

"What we were sent here to look for."

The screen popped up an image of a painting. Giovanni set his cup down and leaned forward. The painting was of Arceus looking down on a round object.

"The Jewel of Life. So it is there still, just like I thought it would be."

"Yes, Master Giovanni. And what's more curious still. Look down below the Jewel." Underneath the jewel were a group of human shapes with raised in the air as if in despair.

"As you may notice the silhouette is human. But with nonhuman features." Giovanni leaned back in his chair.

"It seems humans and Pokemon are not the only things out there." He stared harder at the human shapes. "Why don't we look more into this?"

Oh and one thing you may be wondering. Don't ask me how I knew that this all happened, I don't wanna go into detail.

To Be Continued...