Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, be it the idea, the creatures, or the world. Some of the characters in this story are my own while others can also be creditted back to the original owners. I take no credit for anything not mine, and thank the creators of Pokemon for giving me inspiration.

Author's Note: In this chapter, one of the characters from the game itself is shown; Dawn. As you'll notice, her personality has changed from the game, and is more suited to the story I've got planned, yet still retaining the kindness she has. Expect such treatment with all characters.

Chapter III: Freedom At What Price?

(Ventus' POV)

'How far did those stupid birds chase me anyway? I don't have a clue where I am!'

Panting and fatigued, I skidded to a stop, trying to get my bearings. I'd been running for nearly fifteen minutes, in the direction I THOUGHT was Twinleaf town. The little Riolu in my arms still slept, and showed no signs of waking without some help. "Gotta think, gotta think, gotta think… Ah, I can't think with all this noise!" I cried, realizing only a moment later that the only one making noise was myself.

'I've got to calm down so I can think straight, or this little guy isn't gonna make it.' I told myself, in an effort to calm and let my brain do… Well, what some others did best, and what I was about average at myself; think.

Still lost deep within the trees, I looked around every which way, in hopes of some familiar landmark, or anything that would lead me home. Sadly, nothing revealed itself, and I could feel my own frustration building and festering madly within my mind. How could I have let this happen? I'd finally found a Pokemon after years of wishing for one, and searching for a means to get one, and I let THIS happen.

Another whimper from my tiny companion alerted me that, for the moment, there was still time. I could berate myself all I wanted later but right now I had to get out of these trees. Picking the closest opening between the natural towers, I bolted forward against and rushed through the foliage.

The sounds of laughter caused me to stop, my gaze immediately shifting in the direction I was near certain it had originated from. 'That was a kid, I'm sure of it… Was it this way?' I wondered, turning my gaze in another direction, "Or… This way..?" I questioned, finishing my thoughts out loud.

Deciding to go with my initial assumption, I darted off to the left, rushing once more through the trees and bushes. Of course, my luck, as always, was against me, for these new bushes turned out to be of the thorny variety, and lucky me, I was without sleeves. Why oh why did I have such a like for vests? Even a sweatshirt would have done me more good right now…

As though it had a mind of it's own, one of the branches suddenly jutted out as I rounded around the next tree, the thorns of the bush hiding behind leaping out – Okay, not literally leaping, but they were still there – To attack me. Tightening my grasp on the Pokemon so as not to let it come to further harm, my arms suffered as a result, gaining themselves their own fair share of cuts and scrapes as I burst through the damnable bush and pressed on. 'First birds, now bushes, what next?' I wondered, though wishing dearly that I would not find out the answer today.

Up ahead, the trees parted and gave way to the light only a path clear of obstruction could provide. This was it! I was out of the forest! Only a few more steps…

… And one more jutting root which, naturally, my foot managed to snag.

Having been tossed forward, I did the only thing I could while still cradling the Riolu; I rolled. The moment I struck the sand, my arms and legs tucked in as tightly as I could, forcing me to roll for some time before I managed to stop. The sand was kicked up around me giving my hurt body, on top of everything, a coughing fit.

Wait a moment… Sand? There was no sand in Twinleaf town… Where was I? When the dust and sand settled somewhat, my gaze turned to my surroundings. There were buildings; a combination of houses and stores, as well as one red roofed building that was unfamiliar to me. This was most certainly a town – For despite having more buildings then my home, it was not up to par with the cities I'd read about – But it was defiantly not the one I had expected to find.

I rose to my feet and cast a few glances around. Two children, a young boy and girl, raced passed me, giving me little more then a second glance before resuming their game of tag, laughing all the while. 'So it was them I heard before…'

Stepping forward, my legs buckled somewhat, yet I managed to remain standing. It was only now that I realized how great my own fatigue was. I'd spent the better part of the morning running FROM something, or running TO somewhere, and running wasn't my strong suit to begin with. "Hey mister!" a voice called to my, cutting into my thoughts.

I glanced to my right, and tilted my head down; it was the boy from before. "Your Pokemon looks hurt, you should take it to the Pokemon center." He explained innocently.

My eyes blinked with uncertainly. 'Mister? How old does this kid think I am? And what the heck is a Pokemon center anyway?' I wondered, before voicing my second question to the child.

For some reason, the question prompted a giggle from the boy, as he pointed a finger at the red roofed building I had seen a moment ago. "It's the red one, don't you know anything? EVERY trainer knows that!"

Trainer… The word echoed in my head. Was I really a trainer now? Was it even right to call this Riolu my own? I HAD found it after all, and it was already captured. That meant it belonged to someone else, didn't it? A part of me wanted to say 'nuts to that, mine now.' But… That wasn't right. For whatever reason, this Pokemon was left behind by its trainer.

"Well? Aren't you gonna go?" the boy asked, once more awakening me from the realm of thought.

I nodded and started towards the center, unsure of what to say if anyone asked what had happened. What was I going to say? Some Starlys beat up a Pokemon I had just found? Somehow I doubted that would go over well with anyone… Maybe I'd make something up…

The door slid open automatically as I drew close, giving way to the center. Hesitating a moment, I quickly walked in, not wishing to prolong the Riolu's suffering any further. My eyes scanned the room, taking in the surroundings as I made my way to the desk. With the exception of the woman behind the counter the center was unoccupied. There was a computer set up off to the side and several places to sit and wait – Apparently the center was frequented often. There were also stairs leading to a second floor, as well as a basement, but neither drew my attention. No, I focused on what I came to do; Get help.

The woman – A nurse, I judged, according to her clothing – Looked up from the papers littering the counter as I came to stand before her. Her uniform was pretty much what one would expect from any person in her profession; a white apron, topped off with the hat – Or beret, in this case – Of matching color. Those aside, her clothing matched her hair in color, that being a light shade of pink. "Hello there." She cheerfully greeted, her expression one of happiness despite the rugged shape I, and Riolu were in.

My confusion for her kind attitude must not have been apparent, for she continued on as if nothing was wrong, "I haven't seen you around here before. Are you a new trainer? My name is Nurse Joy. It's such a lovely day, isn't it?" she babbled on, and on… And on.

"I wouldn't know." I finally managed to cut in, "I've spent all morning in the forest."

She blinked once, twice, and three times. Perhaps she finally realized all was not well. "In the forest? Well, I wouldn't have guessed."

… Then again, maybe not.

I sighed, and tried again. "This Pokemon is hurt." I said bluntly, hoping and praying that the straight forward approach would rush things along, "I need it healed… You do that here, don't you?"

Despite HER ditzy behavior thus far, the woman looked at me like I had asked the most ridiculous question she had ever heard. "Why, of course! That's what a Pokemon center is for, silly boy." She explained with a giggle, before gently reaching out and taking the Riolu from me.

The actions stopped there however, as she merely stared at me. It was something that was swiftly becoming unnerving. "Umm… Yes?" I asked hesitantly, almost afraid that she was going to ask what happened.

"I'll need this little fellow's Pokeball to treat him. The restoration machine only supports pokeballs." She explained in a matter-of-fact tone, gently holding out her right hand while her left held the sleeping Pokemon gently, yet firmly.

Nodding to the nurse, I took the ball from my vest pocket – Having tucked it in there when I began my sprint through the woods – And handed it to her, feeling more then a little embarrassed I hadn't at least cleaned off the mud. But when would I have had the time? At least she didn't comment on it, for the odd look she gave me said more then enough.

Finally, Joy turned and ventured into the room behind the counter and disappeared from sight, causing me to release a sigh that I didn't even know I was holding. "I hope it'll be alright…" I murmured to myself, unaware of the new presence that made itself known a moment later.

"You shouldn't worry. The nurse here is silly, but she does good work. Your little Pokemon will be fine in no time." A feminine voice assured me, causing me to jump with surprise.

Giggling – No doubt at my reaction – The girl that seemingly sprung up next to me offered a kind smile. "If I were you, I'd be more worried about myself. What did you do, get in a fight with a thorn bush?" she asked, gently poking my left arm, indicating the cuts and scratches.

A frown crossed over my features, for I wasn't exactly keen on being the subject of mockery. It was my place to give it, not take it. "The bush started it." I retorted.

This garnered another giggle from the girl, followed by an outstretched hand. "I'm Dawn. You must be new to town, huh?" she offered.

Nodding absentmindedly, I accepted the gesture and looked the girl over. She was rather cute, for a giggling mocking girl. Like me, she was also dressed in a vest, though it was continued with a skirt where as I stuck to good ol' jeans. Atop her head was… A ski cap? 'The heck? Isn't it summer?' I wondered, unable to tear my gaze away from the hat.

"So, mister no-name, did you get the bush as badly as it got you?" the girl joked, once more poking fun at my expense.

My attention, however, remained on the cap. How odd was this, to wear something like that when the heat was as bad as it was. While it wasn't unbearable, it was still, in no way, ski cap weather. "Yeah." I replied, having no idea what she had actually asked.

Dawn snapped her fingers, bringing me back to reality. It occurred to me then that I was slipping further and further into states of thought, or distraction lately. How odd. "So what's your name kid?" she asked.

"Ventus. Ventus Tallahar. And I'm not a kid." I told her, frowning again, and earning myself yet another giggle.

"Geez, mister serious all of a sudden. Have you been a trainer long?"

What was this, bug-the-crap-out-of-the-new-guy day or something? Releasing a second light sigh, I shook my head, already mentally preparing myself for the multitude of questions that were sure to follow this one. "No. Just today."

The girl's eyes widened, "Really? One day? And you're already in THAT kind of shape? Boy, I'd hate to see you in a week." She commented, giggling for a third – Or was it fourth? – Time to illustrate her joking nature.

My eyes rolled and I turned back to the counter, "What can I say? Bushes fight dirty." I commented sarcastically, deciding that so long as the mockery kept up, so too would the sarcasm.

"I was referring to your Pokemon actually. What, you didn't throw HIM at the bush to attack, did you?" Dawn asked, being sarcastic in her own manner.

No reply came from my lips, as I mentally debated explaining what had happened, lying, or just ignoring any further questions from the girl. The latter seemed the easiest, but also the rudest… It wasn't really in my nature to be rude unnecessarily, was it?

"Do you have a trainer card yet?" Dawn suddenly asked, the question being one that I had certainly not expected.

"Trainer card?" I asked, drawing a complete blank to the concept. I'd never even heard of one before.

The girl let out a mock sigh and held her forehead in an attempt to look disappointed with my lack of knowledge. "A trainer card…" she began, before shaking her head, "No. Tell you what, if you come with me to see professor Rowan, he can explain it to you."

I blinked, "Professor Rowan? I think I've heard of him…" I murmured, thinking aloud and speaking half to myself.

The girl rolled her eyes, "Well duh… He's only the leading Pokemon researcher in the Sinnoh region, not to mention the top source of evolution information. Trust me; it's worth your time to come meet him. Now let's go." She explained, taking hold of one of my arms and dragging me – Quite literally – Towards the door.

"Wait, wait, wait!" I exclaimed, "What about Riolu?"

She glanced at me for a moment, before continuing with the forced movement of yours truly. "Your Pokemon? He'll be fine here. It'll take about half an hour to fully heal him anyway. You have plenty of time. Now, let's go see about making you an official trainer!" she declared.

'Trainer… There's that word again...' I thought, 'I guess it's really true. I'm gonna be a Pokemon trainer, like I always wanted to be. I'm going to have the freedom I've always yearned for… And yet…'

My gaze slipped back to the counter, and to the Pokemon of mine that I could not see at that moment. It had been injured, and it was my fault. 'At what cost did that freedom come?'