Chapter #1:

The sound of voices slowly filtered into Evan's consciousness and began to
draw him back from the void as something gently shook him on the shoulder.

"Hey, wake up!" a female voice spoke up in a perky, high-pitched swoon.

Evan groaned softly to himself and was rewarded by another gentle nudge.

"C'mon! You've gotta wake up!" the voice said again.

As he slowly opened his eyes, everything appeared as a blur. Once his eyes had adjusted,

Evan noticed that two individuals were standing over him. Neither of them however, were what he
expected.On his left stood a Meowth and on his right was a Chikorita. Both smiled cheerfully at him.

As he gazed back, Evan also noticed that unlike most members of it's
species, the Meowth was standing on two legs rather then all four.

"It's nice to see your finally awake." Meowth commented in a soft feminine voice.

With a start, Evan sat up and grabbed his head.

"I can understand a pokemon? Am I dreaming?" he thought to himself.

"Where am I?"

"You're in a meadow near the Tiny Forest." Meowth answered.

"A meadow? How did I get here?" Evan thought.

"We were passing through the area and saw you lying here, so we thought we'd investigate." she continued.

"I haven't seen you around before. What's your name?" Chikorita asked.

"Oh... uh... I'm Evan."

"Evan huh? That's funny. I've never met a pokemon with such a weird name before." Chikorita giggled.

"Wait, I'm not a pokemon! I'm a human!" Evan retorted.

"You look like an ordinary Charmander to me." Meowth remarked.

Evan looked at her confused before giving himself a once over. The results of his examination
surprised him as he now indeed resembled a Charmander with a utility belt strapped to his waist.

"What the?! How did I?!" he gasped.

"Your a rather weird Charmander but also kind of funny." Chikorita remarked.

"Oh... well, thank you." Evan responded as he stood up.

"Anyway, my name is Rukia and my exuberant companion is Yuri." Meowth explained.

"Nice to meet you both." Evan replied.

"How did you end up in this meadow in the first place?" Yuri asked.

"I'm not really sure."

Rukia and Yuri exchange glances.

"Uh, we could use another member for our rescue team and was wondering if you would be interested in joining us." Rukia spoke up after a pause.

"Sure. What is a rescue team anyway?" Evan responded.

"You don't know?" Yuri asked. "Have you been living under a Golem?"

"Well, if you must know the last thing I remember is returning to my dorm room, and having a strange dream involving a bunch of questions." Evan retorted.

"The next thing I know I was awakened by the two of you." he continued.

"Anyway, it's a team of pokemon that go around helping other Pokemon in all sorts of danger! It's so cool!" Yuri stated as her eyes began to sparkle.

"Hey, what's that?" Rukia asked as she spotted something lying near Evan's feet.

Following her gaze, Evan spotted a cylinder-shaped device that vaguely reminded him of a flashlight Picking up the object, he quickly realized that the cylinder-shaped device resembled a weapon he'd seen in a movie rather than a flashlight as he'd previously thought.

"This can't be what I think it is." Evan murmured in disbelief.

"What do you think it is?" Yuri asked curiously.

Evan didn't reply however, as he became completely focused on the cylinder-shaped device in his hand. Triggering its activation stud, a meter long, sapphire colored blade sprang to life with a faint click. The blade he noticed resembled a Japanese katana but was made of a hard crystal-like substance. Evan began to experiment with it by twirling the blade in a slow exaggerated manner. As he did so, Evan noticed that the movements seemed instinctive to him.

"Incredible!" Evan murmured as he deactivated the device.

"Why don't you keep it." Rukia said. "It could come in handy."

With a nod, Evan clipped the device onto his belt. A nearby commotion grabbed the trio's attention. Turning, they saw
a pair of pokemon rushing toward them. As he watched, Evan recognized the pair as a Beautifly and a Butterfree.

"What seems to be the problem?" Rukia asked.

"Our babies fell down a huge hole in the Tiny Forest! We went in after them, but were attacked!" The Beautifly said.

"Oh, Wumrple and Caterpie are in danger!" Butterfree added worriedly.

"Don't worry! We'll take care of it! Right Evan?" Yuri spoke up as she cast a glance at Evan.

"Let's do it!" Evan replied.

The trio quickly set off in the indicated direction.

As they traveled through the Tiny Forest, Evan was awestruck by all the sights he was witnessing All around him, Evan saw various groups of pokemon milling around among the trees. These pokemon occasionally stopped what they were doing and stared at them.

"Hey, Evan..." Rukia spoke up.

"Yes?"

"You said that you were once human. What's it like?" Rukia asked.

"Well, back home there aren't any pokemon. I only know of such things from TV and video games I've played." Evan replied.

"That's weird." Yuri commented.

"Then again, there has been a lot of human technology recently appearing along with all the natural disasters." she continued.

"Really?" Evan spoke up intrigued.

"I once had a trainer." Rukia spoke up.

"Oh, what happened to 'em?" Yuri asked.

"I'm not sure." Rukia replied.

"However, let's just say that's a part of the past that I don't want to talk about." she added quickly.

"Hey, no problem. Don't want to pry into your personal business." Evan responded.

"By the way, what is our team name?" he asked.

"Oh... our team name is Go-Getters!" Yuri proclaimed proudly.

Evan snorted in amusement and noticed Rukia struggle to keep a straight face.

"What?" Yuri asked.

"Go-Getters huh? That's a rather interesting choice." Evan commented amused.

"Hey, don't make fun of our name! I worked hard coming up with it!" Yuri protested.

"I'm not making fun of the name. I think it's rather cute actually." Evan replied chuckling.

"We recently started so our team isn't well known yet." Rukia spoke up.

"I still don't see a reason why you're making fun of the name." Yuri grumbled.

"Aww, does somebody need a hug?" Evan teased prompting Rukia to snicker.

Yuri rolled her eyes and groaned before facing forward once more.

"Hey, look..." she said as she pointed at something up ahead.

Following her gaze, Evan spotted a large hole in the ground a short distance away.

"...that must be the hole Beautifly was talking about." Yuri continued.

"So, who wants to be first down the hole?" Evan asked as the trio reached it.

"Oh, you're horrible!" Rukia said with a chuckle.

"After you." Evan replied with a grin as he waved a hand toward the hole.

After stumbling through a maze of tunnels, the trio finally reached a large, chamber. The chamber was roughly oval shaped and was lit be streams of bright sun light from an opening where the roof should have been. At the far end of the chamber, the trio spotted Caterpie and Wurmple huddled together, crying.

"There they are!" Yuri exclaimed.

The trio quickly jogged over to them

"Don't worry little ones! We're here to rescue you!" Rukia spoke up soothingly.

The two little worms turned and looked up at them.

"OUR HEROES!" the little worms cheered as they tackled her.

"C'mon, let's get outta here." Evan said.

"We can't!" the little worms replied as they began to cry once more.

"What's wrong?" Yuri asked.

"It's because of Skarmory!" the little worms responded in unison.

"We were gonna leave..." Caterpie started, "...but that mean birdie grabbed us and brought us here!"

"He wants to gobble us up for dinner!" Wurmple wailed.

"Don't worry. We'll take care of everything." Evan said.

"Is that so?" an unfamiliar voice spoke up.

Glancing up, the group spotted Skarmory glaring down at them from the rim of the cavern.

"I see you're trying to steal my dinner! Get your own!" Skarmory demanded.

"We're not here to steal anything." Evan replied.

"Just let Caterpie and Wurmple go. We don't want any trouble." he continued.

"Not likely!" Skarmory snapped. "If you want trouble you've got it!"

"So much for being reasonable." Yuri grumbled.

Skarmory suddenly dived down at them. As Skarmory passed by, Evan somersaulted backward while the girls ducked outof the way. Rising back in the air, Skarmory circled once before landing on an outcrop of rocks at another end of the cavern. Skarmory then let out
a sharp, piercing cry and nine Mankey appeared at the rim of the cavern. The Mankey then leaped down into the chamber and took up flanking positions around Skarmory.

"Uh oh, looks like Skarmory brought friends." Rukia murmured.

"Yuri, would you look after Caterpie and Wurmple?" Evan asked.

"Sure."

As Yuri made her way over to the little worms, Evan felt the adrenaline start to flow as he turned toward Rukia.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked as he slipped into a Tai Kwon Do fighting stance.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Rukia replied as she assumed a Kenpo fighting stance.

"GET THEM!" Skarmory screamed.

As one, the group of Mankey rushed at them. With reflexes faster than he anticipated, Evan countered his first opponent by grabbing the creature's outstretched arm and twisting it. He followed up by quickly elbowing the assailant in the face before hurling the stunned pokemon over his shoulder and onto the ground.

As another Mankey threw a punch at him, Evan sidestepped the blow and quickly kicked it across the chest before delivering a forceful shove that hurled the creature to the ground.Spotting an opportunity, Rukia struck a nearby adversary with a powerful spinning kick thatsent it sprawling to the ground as another charged at her. Yuri meanwhile, used a combination of Razor Leaf and Vine Whip to keep the Mankey at bay.

As the fight continued, time slowed down for Evan as yet another opponent lunged at him. Evan blocked every strike his opponent made with ease than countered with a surprise kick and chop to the back of the head that stunned the Mankey long enough for him to hurl it in Yuri's direction. Yuri dispatched the assailant by rapping it up in her vines and hurling it into a nearby wall.

Rukia meanwhile, sidestepped a left hook, blocked a low kick, and parried a punch from another assailant before retaliating with a swift kick to the knee followed by a jab to the stomach. She followed up with Furry Swipes, dropping it instantly. She then hurled a series of punches and kicks at another enemy. Just as she threw another punch, the pokemon caught it in a vice-like grip. The Mankey backhanded her across the face, and flipped her to the ground. Undeterred, Rukia quickly got to her feet just as Evan struck it with an Ember Attack, causing it to stumble backward.

She than nimbly somersaulted away to a new location as another adversary charged at her. Rukia quickly finished this opponent off with Furry Swipes. As the Mankey dropped, Evan hurled the remaining assailant in Rukia's direction, stepping into a Tai Kwon Do fighting stance as he did so. Rukia easily finished the final opponent off with a powerful spinning kick that sent the pokemon to the ground with a flip. As her foot touched the ground, Rukia stepped into a Kenpo fighting stance. The entire fight had lasted mere minutes, but felt as though it had been longer.

Caterpie and Wurmple squealed in delight as Skarmory stammered in disbelief.

"That went well." Yuri commented as the trio began to relax.

"If you want something done right, do it yourself." Skarmory mumbled to itself.

"Alright, Skarmory. Let's do the right thing and let Caterpie and Wurmple go." Rukia said.

"You've got to be kidding!" Skarmory retorted. "I'll tear you to pieces!"

"Looks like this is where the fun begins." Evan quipped as Skarmory took to the air once more.

As it flew, Skarmory unleashed a furious Swift Attack assault against the group. Evan, Rukia, and Yuri held their own against the barrage
as best as they could. Skarmory meanwhile, dived down at them again. The girls ducked out of the way and Evan somersaulted backward once more as Skarmory attempted to hit them with a Steel Wing attack and missed.

After landing and turning around, Skarmory nailed Rukia with a Sand Attack. It followed up with an Air Cutter attack that knocked her to the ground. Yuri retaliated with Razor Leaf and Evan followed up with another Ember Attack, causing Skarmory to stumble backward as Rukia got to her feet.

Evan hurled himself at Skarmory and attempted to connect with a drop kick. Skarmory however, sidestepped and retaliated with a
Fury Attack barrage. Evan blocked every strike Skarmory made with ease than countered with a spinning kick followed by a foot sweep. Skarmory dodged both attacks and took to the air. It then struck him with a powerful Steel Wing attack, knocking him to the ground.

"Mr. Charmander, are you alright?" Caterpie asked.

"Heh, you've got to do... better than that, Skarmory!" Evan answered as he got to his feet.

After Skarmory landed once again, Yuri responded with another Razor Leaf barrage followed by a Tackle Attack. Skarmory however, dodged the Razor Leaf barrage and countered with a surprise head butt followed by a Peck Attack that hurled her into a nearby wall. Rukia retaliated with Furry Swipes but Skarmory dodged the blow and countered with a surprise kick, causing her to stumble backward
as Evan rushed in again.

"You're really beginning to push my nerve kid!" Skarmory snapped.

"Yeah, well I'm just full of surprises." Evan retorted.

With a growl, Skarmory took to the air and unleashed a stream of Air Cutter attacks. Evan dodged all of them and readied himself for another Ember Attack. Skarmory meanwhile, attempted another Steel Wing attack but was repulsed by a powerful burst of flame from Evan.

"Hey, I'm using Flame Thrower!" Evan thought to himself.

As Skarmory reeled from the effects of the blast, Evan made a dash for a nearby wall. Skarmor quickly recovered and rushed after him. Just as Skarmory reached him, Evan used the wall as a spring board to deliver a powerful Metal Claw Attack that knocked Skarmory
out of the air. As his feet touched the ground, Evan stepped into a Tai Kwon Do fighting stance once again.

"Ok, I know when I'm defeated!" Skarmory gasped as it slowly got up.

"I'm getting outta here!" it continued before flying off in a hurry.

"Alright, let's get out of this place." Evan said.

The two little worms smiled and the group left the dungeon.

"Oh, thank you! THANK YOU!" Beautifly and Butterfree cried out as they hugged their babies.

"It's really not a problem." Evan replied.

"We're always happy to help." Yuri cut in.

"Here's a gift from us! You guys deserve it!"

Butterfree dropped an Oran Berry, Cheri Berry, and Pecha Berry into Evan's hands.

"Thank you once more!" Butterfree said again as she grabbed her Caterpie and flew off.

"Here, take this too!" Beautifly said as she dropped another berry into his hands, grabbed Wurmple, and flew off.

"Oh, which berry did she give you?" Yuri asked.

Evan looked the berry over then shook his head and shrugged.
He then held the berry up so the girls could get a clear look at it.

"Strange, I've never seen that type of berry before." Yuri commented.

The berry resembled a strawberry and was completely black. It also had two gray leaves on the stem.

"In that case, let's hold on to it for now." Rukia spoke up.

Evan and Yuri nodded in agreement.

"By the way, where did you learn how to fight like that? You were great!" Evan said after a pause.

"Thanks. My trainer taught me everything I know." Rukia replied.

Evan nodded in response.

"You were pretty good yourself. I think you might have even gone up several levels." she went on.

"Anyway, let's get back to our team base!" Yuri spoke up before running off.

"Wait, we have a base?" Evan asked. "Hey, Yuri where are you going?"

"Told you she was exuberant." Rukia said with a chuckled before running off as well.

"Don't you mean hyper-active?" Evan retorted.

"Wait, Rukia come back! I don't know my way around!" he shouted as he ran after her.

From behind a bush a short distance away, Eevee watched the team in awe.

"Maybe they can help me." she mused.

After a moment of hesitation, Eevee followed them.

At the same time, a pair of pokemon stood watching the team from a nearby embankment One of them was a Sneasel, who was leaning against the trunk of a tree with its arms folded across it's chest. The other pokemon was roughly humanoid but didn't have a definitive shape.

The mysterious pokemon chuckled as a battered and weary Skarmory joined them.

"So, the young Charmander is strong. Is he not?" the mysterious pokemon said.

"Yeah, he was much stronger then I thought." Skarmory replied.

"Good." the mysterious pokemon crowed with delight.

"Now that the human has appeared, the game is going to become much more interesting." it continued.

"Wait, he's a human?" Skarmory stammered. "How do you know?"

"That is of little concern to you." the mysterious pokemon retorted.

"Fine. Now when do I get paid?" Skarmory replied.

"Ah, yes you're fee." the mysterious pokemon said as it raised a finger.

In response, Sneasel straitened up and fetched two small pouches lying
near it's feet. It than walked over and handed both bags to Skarmory.

"It's all there." Sneasel said.

"Oh, and Skarmory... don't stray too far. I may be in need of your assistance again." the mysterious pokemon spoke up.

With a nod, Skarmory took both bags and flew away.

"So, what now?" Sneasel asked as it approached the other.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want us to take care of them?" Sneasel responded.

"No. Let them go. When the time is right, I will deal with the boy myself." the mysterious pokemon replied.

"As you wish." Sneasel said. "What about the Reapers?"

"Vincent and his pathetic band will not stop us." the mysterious pokemon responded with a smile.

"Everything is going according to plan. In the meantime, continue you search for the vital component I need to be reborn." the mysterious pokemon said after a pause.

"With each passing moment, my reunion draws near."

"I'm on it!" Sneasel answered before turning and walking away.

With a chuckle, the mysterious pokemon disappeared. Where it had stood, a small plant appeared.

On the plant were several small berries. Each was the same as the strange black berry.