Chapter Four:

Not So Sly

I felt a finger poking me in my shoulder, and I growled to get it to leave me alone. I was curled up the the basket of the bicycle; the sunshine warming my grey fur and the long ride wearing on my patience.

"Shadow, wake up!"

"Just because you're lonely and need someone to talk to, doesn't mean you should be selfish and wake me up," I grumbled as I curled into a tighter ball. Ironically, she wasn't the one being selfish...

Silence.

I yelped as her gloved hands gripped the scruff of my neck, and hoisted me to the ground.

"What the hell?" I barked; still oblivious to the iron-wrought gate we stood in front of.

"Sorry to disturb your nap, bucko, but we're here," she said sarcastically.

She leaned the bike up against the fence, and then set her backpack on the ground, opening it. "C'mon, fella. In you go."

I shot her an incredulous look. "You expect me to crawl in your backpack, no questions asked, and willingly?" I sat my furry ass on the ground and yawned, instead.

"C'mon, Shadow, please? It'll only be until I get the Piplup. You see; Rowan isn't going to give me a starter if he sees I have you. If we want to get a Piplup, we have to be... sly. And to do that, I need you to get in my backpack! Understand?"

"...Well there's no reason to get snippy about it," I said dejectedly as I crawled into the bag.

Honestly; I was shocked she had even thought this through that far. It had never occurred to me that she was probably extremely nervous about the outcome; and that's why she was acting so impatient.

Before she zipped up the bag, I managed to catch a quick glimpse of Sandgem Town. Judging by the lack of surrounding buildings, I guessed we were on the edge of town. We were in front of a gate, which opened up to a dirt path that led up a hill, where the lab was perched. A gigantic windmill turned slowly beside it, and I awed at how large it was. The air smelled sweet and salty, and I faintly remember thinking that's what seawater smelled like. I inhaled deeply, before the bag was zipped all the way and I was hefted onto Kelly's back.

She began the trudge up the hill; sand crunching beneath her feet. When she stopped, she took a deep breath, and I knew we were standing in front of the lab.

"Remember, be quiet in there," she hissed, before pushing the door open and entering the Pokemon Lab.

Her tennis shoes squeaked on the floor; penetrating the silence that had enveloped the facility. I remember squirming in the backpack; desperately wanting to be able to see what the hell was going on.

"Excuse me, but I'm looking for Professor Rowan?" asked Kelly in a small voice.

An anonymous voice mumbled something, and we were in motion again. I heard Kelly knock on a door, and then another muffled voice called for us to come in. The door creaked as it opened, and Kelly shuffled into whatever room it was. Irritated with my predicament, I used a clawed paw to pull the zipper down a bit as I was set on the floor. I then peeked through the hole, and caught my first glimpse of Professor Rowan.

He was an older man; with thick white hair, and a massive mustache. His face was rigid, and his eyes appeared cold and indifferent. He said nothing as Kelly sat down, and his intimidating facade made me gulp.

"How can I help you, miss?" he asked in a deep, gruff voice, before glancing down at the backpack I was hidden in with his steely blue eyes, that resembled burning coals.

I hunkered down to avoid detection, and to my relief, his gaze shifted back to Kelly.

"My name is Kelly Walsch," she said quickly, "and I was really hoping you would have another Piplup to give away. You see, I really wanted to-"

"No." His expression hardened, and he folded his meaty arms over his chest sternly.

"...I beg your pardon?"

"I'm afraid all the Piplup have been taken."

"Well, what about the Chimchar?"

"Gone, along with the Turtwig. Sorry, but you're much too late. And you can't get a trainer's license before you get a Pokemon."

Kelly leaned back in her chair, and I heard her sigh sadly. Rowan leaned back in his as well, and glared at her for a moment longer, before snapping his fingers suddenly. The sharp noise echoed throughout the room; startling Kelly and I.

"That's who you are," he said in a softer voice, "I thought I had recognized you."

Kelly shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "You did?"

"Yes, yes," he said, his demeanor suddenly changing to a much more sociable one, "you're that poor girl from Twinleaf. My condolences about your boyfriend. That must have been an awful thing to witness."

To my surprise, Kelly made no attempt to correct him on our relationship status. I was utterly baffled.

"Yeah, that's me," she said in a more relaxed tone, "the whole reason I wanted a Piplup was so that I could get away from Twinleaf. Too many bad memories, you know what I mean?"

The old man nodded, and then sighed heavily, before standing up abruptly. "You've had a tough break, kid. Let me see what I can do to help you. I can already tell you you won't be getting a Sinnoh starter... but let me just see if any of the other Pokemon Professors have a spare."

Kelly went to thank him, but he was already out the door; shoes clacking on the cold, sterile tile.

The videophone clicked on, and Rowan began pressing the buttons to start a four-way video-chat. The error screen immediately popped up, and the old man angrily pounded his fists on the keyboard.

"Damn technology. Susan, can you come help me with this overly-complex machinery?"

The assistant sighed as she arose from her desk, and strolled over to the Pokemon Professor.

He may be good with Pokemon, but his computer skills suck almost as bad as his people skills!

Her thoughts were interrupted as he moved to the side and angrily gestured at the machine. Susan tucked her frizzy brown hair behind her ears, before clicking a single button. The error screen disappeared immediately; and Rowan could hear the ringing of the videophone.

"Thank you, Susan," mumbled Rowan as he took a seat, and waited for the three other Professors to appear.

Birch appeared first, in the upper right-hand screen. The broad, hefty man grunted as he began stuffing things into his bag; seemingly oblivious to the videophone. Rowan cleared his throat, and Professor Birch jumped. Seeing Rowan, he let loose a hearty laugh, before running his meaty fingers through his thick brown hair.

"Rowan, my good friend! How have you been? Listen, I'd love to have a chat; but there was a report of a group of Absol acting rather odd near Fortree. I'm packing up the jeep as we speak, so I can go and study their behavior-"

"Well then I won't keep you long, Birch," interupted the old man, as he rocked back in his chair. "You wouldn't happen to have any extra starter Pokemon, would you?"

The jovial man glanced at his bag longingly, before shaking his massive head.

"Gave away the last Mudkip two days ago. Sorry, Rowan. Look... is that it? I've got to get going, you know?"

Rowan waved a hand, dismissing the endlessly busy man from the video-chat, and said, "Go. That's all I needed. Have a safe drive to Fortree."

Birch grinned sheepishly, before slinging the backpack over his shoulder and giving a short, barking laugh, "Come now, when have you ever known me to be a reckless driver?"

Rowan's mustache twitched as he hid a grin, before a flicker of movement in the left-hand screen caught his attention. He waved goodbye to Birch, before clicking out the Hoenn region and tuning in to Johto.

"Elm, over here," he said.

The much younger man dropped all the papers he was carrying, before stumbling over to the videophone and pushing his glasses back.

"Professor Rowan! What a pleasure. How have you been? I had meant to call you about a recent discovery of mine. Did you know, that you can predict when some Pokemon are about to go into heat by examining their fecal matter? It's fascinating, really-"

"Elm, please," groaned Rowan, as he massaged his temples, "spare me the details. I simply need to know if..."

The white-haired man trailed off, as Elm bent over and picked up a Chikorita; knocking an extra Pokedex onto the floor in the process. The gaunt, clumsy man smiled softly as he rubbed the grass-type's headleaf, before turning back to face Rowan.

"You were saying?" continued Elm, studying the aging man with curious eyes.

"It's good to see you still have a Chikorita, Elm. You see, I am in need of an extra starter-"

"Oh no, I can't send you this Chikorita," explained Elm hurriedly. "Her new trainer will be here to pick her up in about an hour."

Noting the visible disappointment in his elder's face, Elm fidgeted in his seat. "Rowan, have you contacted Professor Oak, and Birch? Perhaps they'll have an extra starter for you?"

Rowan nodded slightly, "I've spoken with Birch, but I've not been able to get ahold of Oak, yet. You seem busy, Elm. I'll let you be, so you can get back to work."

Elm smiled awkwardly, before standing up rather quickly, and nearly dropping Chikorita in the process.

"Farewell, Professor. Let me know if I can do anything else for you."

Rowan nodded in acknowledgement, before clicking off the screen and rocking back in his chair; finger tapping his chin. He was about to give up and return to the girl in his office, when the videophone bleeped, and a man with greying hair smiled warmly at him.

"Why hello there, Professor Rowan. Sorry I missed your original call. I was avoiding the videophone... Elm's been trying to explain his study of fecal matter to me."

Rowan immediately brightened at the sight of his old friend, and gave a hearty laugh, "Been hiding from the poor kid, have you, Samuel?"

Oak hesitated, before grinning as well. "I know he means well, but he stalks me through this videophone, I swear. He's been wanting me to head over to New Bark Town and help him with his research... but I simply haven't the time, nor the patience."

"He'll grow up eventually, Samuel. Elm is a brilliant young man."

His old friend chuckled, and agreed.

"I do have a reason for calling you, Oak," began Rowan, as he tugged at his mustache.

Oak raised an eyebrow, said jokingly, "What, you mean other than needing to see my bright and smiling face?"

Rowan shot him a nasty look, before clearing his throat and proceeding, "Nice try, Samuel. But no. I was actually wondering if you happened to have any extra starters on hand. I've run out, and there's a girl here who I think is deserving of a good, strong Pokemon."

Oak hesitated, and the rolled his chair to the side and gestured to the orange lump that was curled up on the desk beside him. The Charmander twitched in its slumber, before curling into a tighter ball and snoring.

"He's perfect. Would you mind sending him to me, so I can-"

"It's a female," said Oak in a guarded tone.

Rowan furrowed his brow in confusion, before Oak continued. "I've grown quite fond of the little thing. Why exactly should I give her up?"

"Samuel," began Rowan in a sympathetic tone, "this girl is the one I told you about. Remember the train incident? This poor girl's been through so much. And she seems to be kind-hearted. I bet she'd take excellent care of the Charmander."

Oak's face fell, and he glanced at the Charmander sadly as Rowan continued.

"Is it fair to keep her locked up all this time? Don't you think she deserves to get out into the world, and go on an adventure? To get the opportunity to reach her full potential, and someday soar through the skies as a Charizard?"

Oak nodded, before smiling weakly at the man who was easily ten years his senior. "You're right, as usual, Rowan. I'll transfer her over immediately."

Kelly jumped as Rowan began turning the doorknob, and quickly hid my half-emptied bottle in the backpack with me. She didn't even have time to zip it up before Rowan peeked his head through the door.

"Why don't you come on outside, Miss Walsch? I have something for you."

Kelly slowly got up from her chair, and quickly zipped her backpack up again. I clawed open a small hole as I had before, and felt Kelly swing her backpack gently onto her shoulder. We passed the many lab assistants that were typing away on their computers, and I found myself wondering what we would get.

I personally hoped that we would get a water-type starter. A water-type would be the most beneficial to our team, after all. But as we stepped outside into the cold Sinnoh sunlight, I realized I didn't care what we got. Any of the nine possibilities would do.

"Are you ready to meet your new teammate?" Rowan asked happily.

Kelly nodded eagerly, and Rowan dropped the tiny PokeBall into her outstretched hands. She glanced at it in awe, before abruptly chucking it at the ground.

"Go, Pokemon!"

The tiny sphere bounced, and then began rolling down the hill. Kelly yelped in despair, before she ran and snatched it up; flushing with embarrassment. Rowan glared at her, and Kelly audibly gulped.

"Uh... I guess I don't know how to work these things," she said weakly with an innocent shrug.

"Apparently not," he snapped, before taking the PokeBall from Kelly and holding it up. "The PokeBall is a very sensitive device, and is very simple to operate. Before you can mindlessly throw it, you must first enlarge it. To do this, you simply tap the top of it with your index finger. Allow me to demonstrate."

His finger lightly tapped the shiny red surface.

"Once you've done that, then you may toss it into the air, and your Pokemon will be released. The PokeBall has been programmed to automatically return to the palm of your hand, after that."

He tapped the PokeBall again, and it shrunk. "Simple enough, don't you think?"

Kelly flushed, and nodded slightly. I remember wishing I wasn't hiding from him; so I could lift a leg and pee on his shoes for being so rude to her.

Rowan finally handed the PokeBall to Kelly, and she took it with much more precaution, this time. She tapped it lightly with a finger, and it enlarged as it should have. She smiled, and then, with a renewed vigor, she yelled for the second time, "Go, Pokemon!"

I honestly don't know what I had expected to come from the PokeBall. Yes, I knew it would be a starter Pokemon, from either Johto, Kanto, or Hoenn. But I hadn't the slightest idea which one to expect. Certainly not the one we got...

The Charmander blinked at its new surroundings, before looking at Kelly, and waving a little. Kelly squealed with pleasure, and I grinned. In fact, I would've wagged my tail if it wasn't jammed underneath me in that damned backpack. I felt Kelly kneel, and watched the ground come closer.

"Hey there little fella," Kelly cooed to the Charmander.

It wrinkled its snout up in confusion, and Rowan corrected Kelly in a flat tone. "She's a female."

Kelly raised an eyebrow in surprise, before rubbing the Charmander's head and apologizing.

"Just don't make the same mistake twice, and I'll forgive you," said my new teammate with a crooked grin.

Kelly reached for the Charmander awkwardly, before recoiling and folding her arms across her chest indecisively. "Will she..."

"Just be careful when you pick her up. She doesn't know you, so her flame might burn you. Once you've earned her trust, though, it'll harmlessly pass through you."

Kelly brightened up at this, before asking, "Is it okay if I pick you up?"

The Charmander nodded shyly, and Kelly scooped her up into her arms and cradling her, careful to keep the tip of her tail away from anything flammable, such as her sleeve.

"Thank you so much, Professor Rowan," Kelly said dreamily, before looking up at him with a truly grateful smile.

The senile old man nodded curtly, before saying, "Look, Ms. Walsch, this Charmander has been through a lot-"

"So that makes two of us, doesn't it, Professor? I promise, I'll take excellent care of her," Kelly assured him.

I craned my neck from inside the backpack to try and catch another brief glimpse of the Charmander, but I only succeeded in making my half-empty milk bottle shift and hit me on the head. My startled yip was muffled by the backpack, thank goodness, and I muttered a steady stream of profanities under my breath before daring to peek out the hole again.

Kelly shook Rowan's hand firmly, before setting the Charmander down on the ground next to her. I noticed my new teammate staring up at the backpack, with a rather quizzical expression on her face. Had she heard me?

I nervously backed up farther, and away from the open zipper. Sure, she might have been skeptical... but she wouldn't blow our cover, right?

Kelly felt me squirming in the bag, and noticed the Charmander staring. So, she became nervous herself. Kelly abruptly turned and began briskly walking down the path, towards her bike before the Professor could become suspicious.

"Good luck to you, Kelly Walsch," hollered the Professor from behind us, "and take care of those two!"

Kelly stopped dead in her tracks, before slowly turning to face Rowan. His face was twisted in a smirk, and he leaned in the doorway smugly.

"Come now, you really aren't that sly, Ms. Walsch. I suspected it when you first came in. The zipper was down a little, and I saw a flicker of movement in your bag. I knew for certain, however, when I returned to find you scrambling to zip your bag. It didn't help you left my office microwave door hanging ajar."

"I have n-no idea what y-you're talking about," Kelly stammered.

The Charmander glanced up at the bag, and her eyes widened. "I thought I heard something!" she exclaimed, before waving at me, "Hey, can you see me? Who are you? And why the fuck were you hiding?"

"Shut up! You're going to give us away!" I snapped, instantly regretting it.

"Ms. Walsch? Your bag just barked," Rowan said bluntly, eyes cold and glinting with some unknown emotion.

"You're not going to make me give her back, are you?" Kelly whimpered. "I came here to get the Piplup I promised Daniel after the accident. And, it just kind of went from there-"

"Don't you think if I intended on pressing charges, I would have kept the Charmander from you?" asked Rowan simply.

Kelly raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Press charges?"

"Technically, you were lying to get a Pokemon, which I'm sure breaks some sort of law," he said dryly, before stepping out of the doorway and staring pointedly at the backpack. "I only stopped you, because I was curious what Pokemon you had found. My first guess was a Shinx cub since they're native to Sinnoh, but since it barked, I'm now leaning towards a Growlithe."

Dumbfounded, Kelly unzipped her bag and reached in; picking me up and holding me out to Rowan. His eyes skimmed over me, before nodding.

"Ah, a Poochyena. Really, that is quite rare. Did you purchase him from a breeder?"

"My dad did," Kelly said skeptically, before pulling me to her chest protectively. "Look, Professor, I have to know. Can I keep her?"

Rowan glanced down at the Charmander, and she walked over to Kelly's leg, and tugged at her jeans. "I want to go with the human," she said slowly, trying to get the Professor to understand her gestures.

He nodded, and said the words that made my heart soar, "She's all yours."

Kelly beamed, and squealed, "Thank you, Professor! I promise, I won't let you down-"

"See to it you don't," he interrupted.

Kelly stopped mid-sentence, to study him silently. His lack of emotion vanished immediately, as he chuckled a little, "And just to let you know; you're a terrible liar."

~o0o~

Not too much later, the bike was chained to a light pole, and Kelly was standing at the Pokemon Center counter, registering for the Pokemon League.

"Name?" asked the Nurse Joy.

"Kelly Marie Walsch."

"Age?"

"Sixteen."

The Nurse Joy raised an eyebrow, before looking her up and down. "You're a little old to be just starting, aren't you?"

Kelly ignored the question, and the Joy cleared her throat before continuing. "Starter?"

"A Poochyena."

While Kelly went behind the counter to get her picture taken, I stared at the Charmander.

She ignored it for a moment, before turning to me and growling, "Do you have a problem?"

"I just never thought I would see a Charmander in real life!" I exclaimed happily.

It was true. As a human, I had only seen the native Pokemon; Starly, Kricketot, and the occasional Bidoof. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined seeing a Charmander face-to-face. She shot me a weird look, before sighing and trying to strike up a conversation.

"So... do you have a name? Or does she just call you Poochyena?"

I cocked my head to the side. "My name's Da- I mean, Shadow," I said, stumbling over myself.

Should I tell her I'm a reborn? Better not... It'll make things a lot less complicated.

"Shadow," she repeated slowly, mulling it over.

"Well, don't you have a name?" I asked.

She shook her head morosely, before Kelly flounced up behind us. "Hey you two, guess what?"

She brandished her new trainer's license proudly, before we all made our way to our room in the back of the Pokemon Center. The room consisted of a twin-size bed, a tiny bathroom with a rusty sink, upright shower, and a toilet. There was also a window, with a giant floral armchair sitting directly beneath it.

Kelly dropped her backpack in the chair, before flopping onto the bed an moaning in exhaustion. The Charmander pulled herself onto the bed with her tiny claws, and I attempted to jump onto the bed. I face-planted into the side of the mattress, and yelped as I bounced off and crumpled to the floor.

Kelly and the Charmander began laughing hysterically, and I felt my cheeks burning as I hastily scrambled up the side to join the two. After a few minutes of silence, Kelly abruptly sat up, and we both looked up at her curiously.

"You need a name, don't you baby girl?" Kelly asked warmly as she rubbed the Charmander's head.

The fire-lizard nodded contentedly, and Kelly sighed as she went deep into thought.

"I got it," she said a few minutes later. "What do you think of the name... Claire?"

The Charmander nodded vigorously, and then grinned.

"Good. I'm glad you like it," Kelly said, before crawling beneath the covers and sighing.

Claire curled up into a tight ball near Kelly's legs, before sighing contentedly and falling asleep. Feeling awkward sharing a bed with the human I had once loved, I went to jump off the bed, but Kelly caught me and pulled me close to her chest.

At first, I squirmed a bit. I mean, she had me pressed up against her chest, and I was pinned there by her arm. But as her breathing slowed and her body relaxed, I stopped struggling.

Instead of worrying so much about it, I relaxed as well and snuggled closer; and let the steady beat of her heart against my back lull me into a deep, peaceful sleep.

A/N: That's got to be the longest chapter I've ever written... Wow. Chapter-Five re-write may take a while to complete; so consider this a fair warning as to how terrible the next chapter might be. Hopefully, by the time you read this, it'll be fixed up and nice-n-easy to read. :)

~Shelby