Part I

Chapter Two: From the Ashes

The air became cold as Lance faced the fully evolved ghost Pokémon Gengar. Lance knew this chill sensation well. Gengar's mere presence causes the temperature to drop about ten degrees. Lance tried not to make eye contact with Gengar as that could allow him to fall under its Hypnosis attack.

Lance reached to pull out another pokeball but was attacked by a Night Shade attack. The dark beam of energy barely missed him as he leapt out of the way and yet again reached for a pokeball. Gengar's ghostly hand gripped Lance's wrist as it appeared behind the Dragon Tamer and stole his pokeball belt.

Lance's eyes widened in horror and pain as Gengar used Poison Sting on him. The poisonous barbs shot into his back and he fell to one knee. "D-darn it!" Lance shouted as the poison began to coarse through him. Lance revealed a sheathed sword from under his cloak, drew the blade, and poised for attack.

Back upstairs, Dragonite roared with fury. Every time it tried to head for the stairs or break through the floor, Alakazam would use a Psychic blast to knock it away.

Professor Oak had seen enough. He pulled out a pokeball and threw it. "Go Hypno!" A yellow tapir looking Pokémon with white ruffled fur around its neck appeared in a flash of light. "Hypno, use Psybeam on Alakazam!"

Hypno unleashed a beam of psychic energy from its mouth, but Alakazam teleported behind Hypno and used Psychic to toss Hypno across the room. Suddenly, a tail smacked into the back of Alakazam's skull. Alakazam's eyes went wide and blank.

"Alakazam! No!" cried Will, but it was too late. Hypno teleported back and punched Alakazam in the face with its Pound attack. Two impacting blows in a row was all the Psy Pokémon could take. It collapsed to the ground unconscious and Will recalled it.

"Vileplume go!" yelled Karen throwing out another pokeball.

"I choose you, Exeggutor!" cried Will.

"Grass types, eh?" the Professor mused "Very well. Go, Arcanine!" Aiding Hypno in battle, Arcanine sprung out of its pokeball and glared at Vileplume and Exeggutor.

"Enough!" cried Lance as he ran up the steps carrying an unconscious Gengar on his shoulders and a belt in his left hand. Gyarados came up the stairs after him. "Thank God I unleashed Gyarados earlier or I could've never beaten Gengar."

"Vileplume, use your Sleep Powder!" shouted Karen.

"Vilepluuu-!" Vileplume let out its battle cry as well as spores of Sleep Powder.

"Dragonite, use Gust on the powder now!" Lance shouted and Dragonite flapped its giant bat-like wings and sent the powder back at Will and Karen. Exeggutor fell asleep instantly but Karen and Will shielded their faces until the powder drifted past them. Arcanine let out a fire blast which lit Vileplume on fire. Vileplume ran back and forth while the blaze burned out and then it collapsed unconscious.

Karen jumped in the air and used her fainted Vileplume's petals as a springboard to launch herself at Lance and bash him in the face. She then somersaulted over his shoulders, grabbed Gengar and flew down the stairs.

Will called out an Abra and had it teleport him and Exeggutor out of the building. For now, they would let these foolish Pallet Town residents (and Lance) enjoy their peace. But soon, very soon, their master would have this town and many others at his feet in flames.

Adam surveyed the room. All that was left was ashes. Mat was barely standing from when Will and Karen had jumped him, the Professor seemed shaken but alright, but Lance… Lance fell forward.

Professor Oak rushed over to Lance's side. Adam and Mat followed.

"What's wrong, Professor?" asked Adam.

"It looks like his battle was Gengar was worse then he let on. From the looks of these small wounds on his back I'd say Gengar struck him with a Poison Sting." replied Oak.

"We need to get him to a hospital." agreed Mat.

"Look who's talking." laughed Adam

"Ha and ha" said Mat sarcastically "you're sooo funny."

Three weeks passed. The opening of the Trainer's school's date was pushed back a whole month due to the preoccupation of Professor Oak on his lab.

Lance and his friend Falkner flew above Pallet Town keeping watch over it. Lance road atop Dragonite and Falkner upon his Pidgeot. Special guards were placed right outside the town to monitor entries and exits and, just in case, a town watch was formed to survey the inside of the town.

With this kind of protection, the opening day ceremonies could begin without a hitch. A certain Adam Harper couldn't wait for that day.

"One week!" he exclaimed shaking with excitement.

"We heard you the first hundred times, Adam." his friend Sonny smiled at him.

"I'm sorry," apologized Adam, "I'm just so excited!"

"Yeah, we gathered that too." giggled Gina- another friend.

"Why aren't you guys attending again?" asked Adam.

"Well I need to keep the family business going as I'm next in line to do so." replied Sonny "I don't have time to travel the world."

"What about you, Gina?"

Gina grew stiff "uh, I just don't want to. Hey, I'll see you guys later okay?" She got up and walked away quickly. Been there; done that. She thought.

Memories flooded her mind. Charmander fighting a Bulbasaur. Their first capture: a Pidgey. Joy after they earned their first badge. Mt. Moon. A swarm of Zubat. Two Geodude attacking. A rock slide. Charmander hanging onto a cliff. Gina reaching out to it. The fear in Charmander's eyes. Darkness.

As the flashbacks ended, Gina lay sobbing on her bed.