Author's Note - Hey guys! I decided to update the story without reaching 3 reviews, just to give people more of an idea about it. However, for me to continue after this, I will require 3 reviews asking me to. Thanks to Excadrilbur3 for their review!

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Last time - "Falcon vs Laing! Cyndaquil vs Sandslash! Let the battle … begin!"

Chapter 2

Even before the fight started, Jamie knew that he was going to have a hard time winning it. Not only was he at a type disadvantage, but Sandslash was fully evolved, whereas Cyndaquil was at the bottom of his evolutionary ladder. However, he wasn't going to let this stop him doing his best to try and win.

"Cyndaquil, we're not going to win on pure power. So, use Smokescreen and hide!". Cyndaquil obliged, releasing a cloud of black smoke, concealing him from view. "Don't let him hide, Sandslash!", yelled Chris, "Use Dig to hit him from beneath!". The large claws on Sandslash saw it disappear quickly under the ground. The crowd waited expectantly for both it and Cyndaquil to come flying out the smoke, but instead only Sandslash emerged, leaping above the haze looking confused. "How did that miss?", wondered Chris. Jamie just grinned. "Cyndaquil, use Ember!". A small jet of flame erupted from the black cloud, and as Sandslash was still in midair, there was nothing it could do to dodge, leading to a powerful hit that sent it slamming into the ground. "Alright, follow that up with Quick Attack!". "Sandslash, block it with Slash!", Chris cried desperately, but even as the yellow Pokémon attempted to get up, Cyndaquil slammed into him at full speed, sending him reeling back to the ground. The crowd were stunned - not only had Jamie Falcon not been easily defeated, he appeared to be winning his first battle! "OK Cyndaquil, stay sharp! We should have this, but let's not get complacent!". "It's been a good fight Jamie", shouted Chris, " But it's over now! Sandslash, use Earthquake!". "No!" yelled Jamie in fear. But there was nothing he could do. Sandslash thrust it's paw into the ground, sending a powerful wave of energy throughout the arena, that threw Cyndaquil high into the air. "Sorry Jamie, but I don't think you're coming back from that!", Chris crowed in triumph. Jamie just stared up at the form of Cyndaquil, falling back to earth. He couldn't believe he'd lost… or had he? If he looked carefully, he could see that Cyndaquil was starting to spin… and appeared to be heading straight for Sandslash. "Yes!", he breathed softly. "Do it!". As more of the audience also saw it, Cyndaquil let out a defiant cry, and engulfed his body in flames. "Cyndaquil, use Flame Wheel!", ordered Jamie. Falling at such an incredible speed made the move even more powerful - when it hit Sandslash, there wasn't really any question as to the outcome. Black stepped forward. " Sandslash is unable to battle! Cyndaquil is victorious, and so the winner of this first round battle is … Jamie Falcon!".

After the shocking result of the first round, Jamie seemed to go from strength to strength. In the quarter final Cyndaquil took out a Rotom with ease, and then in the semi final they had a much narrower victory, but a victory nonetheless, over a Palpitoad. This left Jamie and Cyndaquil with just one obstacle in the way of winning the entire Choosing. But unfortunately, it was the obstacle that Jamie wanted the least.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen! The final round will be in five minutes, so if you could take your seats please, the show is about to begin!". Jamie was in the participants tent, just outside the arena. "Cyndaquil, we have to win this. I can't lose to him. Anyone else, maybe I could stomach it. But him? Not a chance. I need you to do your best for me, okay? You've surprised a lot of people so far, including me - I need you to pull off one more. shocker." Cyndaquil looked up at him, such a deep resolve reflected in his eyes that Jamie was buoyed. "Well, it seems like you've got the spirit for this. Let's go and show him who the next big Trainer from Nuvema Town is going to be!".

"Welcome to the final round of this year's Choosing! Trainers, release your Pokémon!". "Cyndaquil, let's do this!" said Jamie calmly, staring across at his most hated rival. "Hah!", sneered Daniel, " There's no way you can handle this! I got this Pokémon brought back especially for today, 'cos I knew it would beat you easily." Jamie thought he knew what Daniel was talking about, but he didn't want to bring himself to believe it - it couldn't be true, surely it couldn't be true? But the next words Daniel uttered confirmed that it was. "Go, Doublade!" As the living swords and shield emerged on to the battlefield, Jamie felt himself drawn into a memory; a memory of one of the worst moments of his life…

Flashback - 5 years earlier

It seems like a pleasant summer day at first sight. The sun is shining, the Pidgey are singing, and the Magikarp are splashing happily in the ponds. But to anyone listening more closely, the sound of a young child whimpering, accompanied by the sniggering of other children, can be heard coming from the woods just beside Nuvema Town. "Please… Stop…" whispers Jamie Falcon. "Why?" laughsDaniel Foster, "I'm just introducing you to my Uncle's cool new Pokémon. You should be happy to such a rare Pokémon here in Unova." "But I'm scared…" chokes out Jamie. And he has every right to be. For the Doublade has him up against a tree, blades at his throat, whilst Daniel and some of the other kids watch on. "It won't hurt you" says Daniel confidently, "It will only listen to my uncle, so even if I did tell it to, it wouldn't attack. I'll prove it - Doublade, cut off some of his fingers for me please." Jamie gasps, and even the other children look uneasy, but just as Daniel says Doublade doesn't respond. "See, what did I say? Anyway, now… Doublade, what are you doing? Doublade!". It seems that Doublade would follow Daniel's orders after all … at the cost of three of the fingers from Jamie Falcon's left hand…

End Flashback

None of the kids ever told the adults the truth of what had happened that day. They said that a wild Ursaring had attacked Jamie, and that Doublade had scared it off. But ever since, Jamie had had a crippling fear of Steel-type Pokémon, and of one evolutionary line in particular.

For the last time that year, Black stepped forward. "Falcon vs Foster in the final round of the Choosing! Cyndaquil vs Doublade! Let the battle… begin!" Jamie knew he should start giving Cyndaquil commands, but at the moment he was too scared to do anything of the sort. "Awww, are you afraid Jamie?", mocked Daniel. " Don't worry - I'll end this quickly so you don't have to look at the nasty Pokémon for too long! Doublade, use Aerial Ace!". Doublade launched itself across the arena with deadly accuracy, connecting hard with Cyndaquil. Still, Jamie did nothing. "Again, Doublade!". The attacks kept coming, and although Cyndaquil started trying to dodge without command from Jamie, he wasn't fast enough to avoid them all. Eventually, it seemed like he'd taken one too many hits, and Cyndaquil lay on the ground, motionless.

This finally broke Jamie out of his stupor. "Cyndaquil, no!". Daniel laughed. "Oh, that was even easier than I expected! You really are pathet - huh?". He was interrupted as Cyndaquil dragged itself to its feet. With a strangled cry, it's eyes began glowing red, and an aura of red evolved around its entire body. "Blaze…" Jamie whispered. "That means… I still have a chance… OK Cyndaquil! I haven't helped you this battle, and I'm sorry about that! But now, let's win this! Combine Quick Attack and Flame Wheel!". "Dodge it!" commanded Daniel harshly, but Doublade was tired from its earlier constant assault, and so couldn't move away fast enough, with the result that the Flame Wheel powered up by Blaze and Quick Attack scored a direct hit. Doublade reeled back, the super-effective move causing huge damage, making Daniel stamp his foot in anger. "I am not losing to Jamie Falcon! Doublade, use Night Slash until you hit that damned mouse! There's no way he can take another hit!". Hauling itself up, Doublade swung attack after attack at Cyndaquil, but, reenergized by Blaze, Cyndaquil ducked under, sidestepped, and generally avoided with ease, everything Doublade could throw at him.

Eventually, Jamie took pity on Daniel, and decided to finish the battle. "Use Ember!". In a finish that was almost anti-climactic, the small jet of flames smashed into Doublade, and it slowly collapsed to the floor, fainted. The stadium was silent for a second, until Black spoke, his voice ringing throughout the arena. " Doublade is unable to battle. Therefore the winner of this match is Cyndaquil, and the winner of this year's Choosing is Jamie Falcon!". Cheers erupted, as Jamie charged onto the field and hugged Cyndaquil. "Thank you Cyndaquil! Thank you so much!". "Jamie!", a high pitched voice screeched, and Jamie turned to see his mum running towards him. " Oh Jamie, I'm so proud of you darling! Well done, well done, well done!". "Err, thanks Mum.", Jamie chuckled awkwardly. " Hey loser!". It was Daniel. "Next time we battle, you WILL lose. I promise you that." With nothing more to say, he stormed out of the stadium. Jamie didn't have time to worry about that threat, though. It was now time for him to choose his starter Pokémon.

With the entire town watching from the stands, this was a big moment for all the kids. They chose their starters depending on their place in the competition, meaning, of course, that Jamie went first. "Alright Jamie," said Professor Juniper kindly, "Choose any one of the Pokémon in front of you, and it will become yours. Don't rush if, take as long as you need." Jamie surveyed the Pokémon assembled in front of him. There was a large variety, one of every type there. All of them, he knew, could serve him well - the Gible, the Pichu, the Magnemite, the Machop, the Fletchling - all had potential to be powerful allies. It felt like too hard a decision for one boy to make. And so, Jamie took the one path that would remove that difficulty. "Uh, Professor? I know he isn't one of the Pokémon offered, but could I … well, would it be possible for me to… have Cyndaquil as my starter Pokemon?" . Juniper didn't look surprised, and she smiled warmly down at Jamie. "Of course you can Jamie. I think that today showed us that you two might form a very special bond. I would be delighted to present Cyndaquil to you as your starter." Cyndaquil ran up to Jamie and jumped into his arms. "Thanks Professor!" Jamie cried ecstatically, clutching in his arms, his very own, first Pokémon.

To be continued

Alright, I'll hopefully see you all next time! Don't forget to ask any questions, review, and send in your characters and ideas if you want!