"Meloi! Use Thunder Shock, now!"

"Ma-reeeeeeeeeeeep!"

A burst of light blue electrical energy burst from Meloi's thick woolly body and powered towards the tree we were using as target practice. The lightning shot hit the tree perfectly in the centre, charring the bark to brittle black.

"Excellent!" I grinned as Meloi got her breath back. "You're doing really well, Meloi! That was perfect!"

"Ma-Mareep!" She said proudly, swishing her tail back and forth.

It had been almost a week now since I had left Pallet Town and Meloi and I had come on in leaps and bounds. She trusted me now as I trusted her and although she was reluctant at first, she finally allowed us to start training. We hadn't yet ventured into Pewter City, as the abundance of trees surrounding Viridian and Route 2 were perfect to use as target practice. Every day we would get up and I'd scrawl a crude version of a target on several trees. I vowed not to move on from where we were until Meloi had hit the target perfectly in the middle. And today, after three days of trying, she had finally got it dead centre.

"Hooray!" I cheered, wrapping my arms around Meloi. Of course, me like a total idiot had forgotten that Meloi stored a lot of electricity in her woolly coat and touching it resulted in a nasty electric shock. But by now, I barely felt it, so it wasn't that bad. "Now we can finally move on! Yay!"

"Reep! Mareep!"

"All right then," I said, shouldering my massive bag after we finished packing up the campsite. "I think it's time to move on, don't you?"

By now Meloi was becoming quite companionable and was content to tottering along beside me as I walked. That's not to say we didn't have our difficulties. Like Professor Oak had said, Meloi had somewhat of a difficult personality. If she didn't get her way all the time, she would often become irate and I was often the victim of anger-fuelled tackles or thundershocks. She was also quite prone to picking on weaker Pokemon around the area, especially the weak Bug types like Caterpie and Weedle. She did once however get on the wrong side of a Beedrill, which resulted in it chasing her and me halfway back to Viridian City. Life with Meloi certainly wasn't dull at any rate.

We managed to evade the gaze of the resident bug catchers that frequented around the Route and made it to the entrance of the Viridian Forest. I wasn't overly thrilled at the prospect of going through Viridian Forest. I didn't like dark, spooky places, especially those filled with wild Pokemon ready to jump you. And ever since the Beedrill incident, I swore I was never going to catch a Bug Type Pokemon.

I gave some thought to enlarging my team as I prepared for entering Viridian Forest. Meloi was an Electric type, and she was weak against the Ground type. I couldn't remember every type that was strong against them, but I could remember that Water and Grass types were effective against them. I had checked the Pokedex for all Grass and Water types in Route 2 and Viridian Forest, but it had come up with nothing. All that was around the immediate area were Bug and Flying types. Bug types didn't interest me and Flying types were just as weak to Rock types as Electric types were. I decided I would simply focus all my attention on getting to Pewter City training Meloi up, and then try and find my second Pokemon. All I had to do was make sure I didn't find any trainers with Rock or Ground type Pokemon. It didn't look too likely as this place was devoted to Bug Catchers, and I was pretty sure Meloi could take down any Pokemon they had easily.

Viridian Forest turned out to be a lot bigger than I had expected. Now I understood why they called it a "natural maze". I could barely see the sky, so dense and thick was the overhead canopy of trees. That meant there was almost no natural light, which made it twice as hard to manoeuvre the deep forest, probably sprawling for miles in every direction. Overhead I heard the chattering and cries of Pokemon, and unseen shadows scuttled across the thick carpet of slippery leaves. I didn't like it. Meloi really didn't like it and growled threateningly into the darkness, wayward sparks crackling from her coat.

"Come on," I whispered to her, slipping her a few berries as encouragement. "Let's get moving."

We started on our way though the forest. I had expected and somewhat dreaded that there would be hundreds of Bug Catchers eager for battle milling around the forest, but the place was almost deserted apart from the occasional Caterpie or Weedle scuttling across from one tree to another. I had to keep a close on Meloi in case she took off after one of them, but thankfully she behaved herself.

Getting through Viridian Forest was taxing to say the least. Although we benefited from not being constantly hounded by trainers or wild Pokemon, it was very easy to get lost inside. We were met with many, many dead ends and with each one both Meloi and I grew more harassed. Meloi grew so annoyed that she ended up firing a vicious bolt of lightning into the overhang of trees, sending some tiny bird Pokemon I recognised as Pidgey flying off into the distance.

I sighed. "You can't just fire off random bolts of electricity when you get frustrated. Things don't always go the way we want them to, you know?"

She fixed me with a glare that clearly read "I'll fire a bolt of electricity at you if you don't shut up."

We stopped briefly for a bite to eat. I noticed mournfully that my supply of human food was running low, but Meloi's berry fund was as full today as it ever was. She was forever sniffing out berries and berry trees, which I was happy about as it meant she didn't end up eating my food. I decided that once we reached Pewter City I would get a free room in the local Pokemon centre and allow myself the luxury of a warm bed and a hot shower for a few days.

After regaining our strength, we managed to eventually find our way out of Viridian Forest. I blinked in the sudden brightness of the sun. I had totally forgotten it was still early afternoon. I let out a cry of success, sinking to my knees and punched the air happily. "Yes! We made it through!"

"Ma-Mareep!" Meloi added to my cheer.

Pewter City was just ahead and the two of us raced there, almost knocking over some trainers moving at a far more leisurely pace. Pewter City's Pokemon Centre was the first thing I saw and I sprinted the last few metres, eventually juddering to a halt outside the doors. I recalled Meloi in a stream of red light, before entering.

I loved the atmosphere in a Pokemon centre. The place was always a hive of activity and had a warm, friendly atmosphere, like you had come home for a visit. They always offered free lodgings and food for any trainer that needed them, and each trainer was entitled to a free room for a week when they visited, which I knew to be a lifesaver for a lot of trainers. Aside from that, they offered PC and Videophone services, and often had a plushy lounge with a widescreen television and vending machines selling soft drinks. I relaxed as soon as I set foot in the warm, comfortable Centre and seeing an almost empty lobby and completely empty desk, I swiftly made my way to the front desk to Nurse Joy.

"Good afternoon!" The pink haired nurse smiled pleasantly. "And welcome to the Pokemon centre. Would you like me to heal your Pokemon for you?"

"Yes, please!" I said, handing Meloi's Pokeball over. She didn't need much in the way of healing, but she was tired and in need of a rest. "I'd also like a room for the next few days if that's okay?"

"Of course!" she said brightly, pushing a form in front of me and slipping Meloi's Pokeball under the desk. "Just sign this."

I signed the form with my scrawl of a signature and handed it back.

"Thank you!" The Nurses here just seemed to radiate happiness. It wouldn't fail to brighten anyone's day, even mine. "Now, why don't you take a seat and wait? I'll call you when your Pokemon has been healed."

"Thank you very much!" I smiled, before I went and sat down on one of the squashy sofas. It was pure heaven to lounge in a soft seat after a weak of living on what felt like a thick layer of concrete covered with a few shavings of grass.

There weren't many people in the lounge at all, to my surprise. I had barely seen any serious trainers since I had left home. Yeah, there were bug catchers, but no serious trainers. Most of the trainers here looked pretty young, probably no more experienced than me, definitely not people I had to worry about getting challenged by.

Since the other young trainers were either using the computer or the videophone services, I flipped the channel on the huge television to the Hoenn regional news. But still there was no indication of any kind of incident happening anywhere in Hoenn. I breathed out a sigh of relief. That meant I still had time.

While I was still thinking this, the doors of the Pokemon Centre swung open. Out of curiosity I turned to look at who came in. My jaw dropped.

"Who's that guy?" I wondered to myself as he came in.

Whoever he was, he definitely wasn't a rookie trainer. You could tell just by looking at him. From the way he dressed, to the way he walked, to the way he held himself…everything about him just screamed ace trainer. I watched him in awe as he strode confidently past me and handed over six Pokeballs to the Nurse. Without a word, he made his way to the couch opposite me and sat down.

I instantly bowed my head, afraid of making eye contact. But every now and again I couldn't help but sneak a glance at him. He was tall, slender, with long brown hair falling over a black headband with a strange green design. He wore a pair of black rimmed glasses and behind the lenses his eyes were the brightest green I had ever seen. He wore a pair of tight black jeans with the same green design snaking up the right leg. Many belts and chains were wound around his skinny waist. He wore an emerald green and white thickly striped t-shirt and a long black trenchcoat that just missed trailing on the floor. His whole outfit was set off by a necklace set with a drop of a green gem and short fingerless black gloves. Even his shoes were co-ordinated, mostly white with a curve of green, then a strip of black.

"He puts more thought into his clothes than I do!" I realised shamefully, looking at my mud-splattered, ripped boyfriend jeans and my tatty white trainers and pale pink strappy top. When it came to Pokemon training, I chose clothes for practicality, not prettiness, and as far as I was concerned, what was the point in changing out of one pair of mud-spattered jeans just to get the next ones dirty again?

"Trainer with the Mareep?" Nurse Joy called out, and I shot to my feet to collect her.

After clipping Meloi's Pokeball to my belt, I walked over to the vending machines at the side of the room. I really fancied a can of lemonade. I slipped the coins into the slot and punched in the key code. The machine whirred and I waited for the can to thunk into the slat at the bottom. But it didn't.

"What the hell?" I yelled at the machine, stabbing the buttons again. "You ate my money, you stupid machine!"

It still stubbornly held onto my drink.

"Awww, come on!" I aimed a kick to the machine's lower body. "I'm thirsty! Give me my drink before I make Meloi blast it outta ya!"

The machine still ignored my threats.

"You big stupid hunk of metal!" I fumed, practically sticking my head into the opened slat, trying to see in. "Don't make me come in there!"

"Hey,"

The sudden, unfamiliar voice startled me, and in my haste to get out and pay attention, I slammed my head into the top of the machine.

"Owwww…." I moaned, rubbing my sore head, already feeling an unattractive lump beginning to form. I had lost count of how many times I had injured myself this week.

I looked up through watery eyes at the source of the mystery voice. I almost hit my head again with the shock when I saw the boy dressed in all the black and green.

"You're making too much noise," he pointed out in a silky, cultured voice.

"The bloody cheek!" I thought angrily. "Yeah?" I challenged him. "And who are you to tell me that?"

The boy didn't say a thing to me. He didn't even look surprised or taken aback at my challenge. He simply leaned around me and delivered a swift chop with the back of his hand into the side of the vending machine. My drink plopped into the dispenser at the bottom. I could only just stare in awe as he picked it up and handed it to me.

"Trainer with the team of six?" Nurse Joy called out.

Without a word, he turned on his heel and made his way to the front desk, leaving me a little perplexed. I snapped open the drink and took a long draught. Mmm…It was tasty. Refreshing. But I never took my eyes off the boy in green and black.

The boy slotted most of the Pokeballs onto one of the belts around his waist, but he reserved one. He casually tossed it to the ground and caught the returning ball with practiced ease. In the place of the PokeBall was a mostly black Pokemon, with crimson eyes and yellow bands on its ears and tail, as well as yellow rings on its legs. I had no idea what the Pokemon was, so I flipped open the Pokedex and pointed the scanner at it to identify it.

The chirpy voice sounded alarmingly loud in the mostly empty Centre and I tried to shut it up, but to no avail. "Umbreon, the Moonlight Pokemon. When darkness falls, the rings on the body begin to glow, striking fear in the hearts of anyone nearby."

Oooh. I didn't like the sound of that.

"Hey, greenhorn."

"Huh?"

The boy in black and green was back again. His Umbreon by his side looked mean and menacing. I didn't fancy challenging that in a battle. But…I was ready to challenge his complete lack of disrespect!

"What the hell? "Greenhorn?" What do you mean by that?"

"You are, aren't you?" He looked at me, his upper lip slightly curling. "Anyone using a Pokedex to identify Pokemon just reeks of greenhorn."

"Yeah? And what's your point? If I don't know what something is, I ain't gonna stand around and wait for someone to tell me, am I? I'd rather find out by myself."

"Hmph." He snorted. His eyes then travelled down to the Pokeballs at my waist. I felt horribly self conscious. "You've probably only got one Pokemon, haven't you?"

"So what? It doesn't matter if you've got one or sixteen hundred. Just cos you've got more than me doesn't make you a better trainer. I bet my Meloi could take down any of your Pokemon, no problem!"

Of course, it didn't occur to me until after I said it, that it was probably a bad idea.

"Meloi?" He repeated the name, scathingly. "What kind of a nickname is that?"

I folded my arms importantly. "She's named after a Greek legend." I said proudly. "About when the Goddess Venus made Psyche go through a series of—"

"Yeah, you know what? I don't care." The boy suddenly interrupted. "Any nickname you need to explain the story behind for ten minutes is stupid. It loses its impact."

"Yeah?" I growled through gritted teeth. "And who asked you?" I scoffed, looking down at his Umbreon. "And what highly original nickname does that Umbreon have then?"

"Jet." He announced smugly.

"Jet?" I spluttered with laughter. "Are you kidding me on? Jet?"

"Yeah. What's wrong with that?" he demanded, a slight tinge of red on his cheeks.

"Aw, please." I said laughing, making a big dramatic gesture to aid my point. "Jet? As in "jet black? Hah! One word, mate. Cliché!"

"I…I…" he stuttered at first, but then his face creased into a sharp frown. "So what? Jet could take down your Meloi in one move!"

"Oh do you think so? You wanna make that official?"

"As a matter of fact I do!"

"Fine!"

"FINE!"

The two of us glared at each other, then we stormed outside into the city grounds, terrifying some of the younger trainers, sending them running for cover. The boy in black and green stomped towards an unoccupied grassy field and took his place at one end. I stood at the other. Part of me was screaming "What the hell are you doing? This guy's probably an elite trainer! There's no way you can beat him!" But another part of me was dying to give that stuck up little elitist a thorough showing up.

"The rules are simple. One-on-one, obviously," he grinned, the last little remark meant to be some kind of cheap dig at my expense. "All out. No time limit. That should be simple enough for even you to understand, eh, Greenhorn?"

"I hear you!" I shouted back.

My hand flew for the Pokeball at my waist. I threw it into the makeshift arena. It opened in a burst of white light and then bounded back to me. Of course, I had to misjudge the catch and the returning Pokeball hit me straight on the bridge of my nose! Cursing to myself and my cheeks soon matching the colour my nose went, I returned the ball and focused on the battle.

This was to be my first proper Pokemon battle. And I wasn't ready to lose!

Author's Note

Yay! Finally some action!

I don't really know what to say. The chapter's self-explanatory!

Apologies to my regular reviewer Arrow's flight as Sienna STILL hasn't caught her own Pokemon! I promise she will in the chapter following the conclusion of the "Green and Black Boy" I finally decided what Pokemon she should get, so it is coming very soon!