Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon or any of its related enterprises. They are the property of their respective owners.

Amy shrieked, jumping off the bench and almost crashing into two other trainers. Trainers around her paused, staring at her for a second before continuing with what they were doing. The sounds of battle still rang true, and soon her odd behaviour was forgotten. She apologized hastily to the boy and girl she had bumped into, feeling bad for scaring them so, before finally realizing who had sat down next to her.

"Jason!"

The laughing man petted his venemoth's head, the expression of surprise on the pokémon almost comical. It seemed not only Amy had been startled, the sudden high-pitched cry she had let out just too loud for the bug pokémon's sensitive ears. Amy felt very foolish for her reaction, but the brown-haired boy didn't seem to mind. He was just amused, chuckling softly to himself as his pokémon made crooning noises and rubbed her head against his.

"I'm sorry, Amy." He chuckled softly. "We didn't mean to scare you. Venom just wanted to say hi, I suppose."

Sitting down awkwardly, Amy tried not to flinch as the bug pokémon extended her wings and rubbed them against her shoulder. A greeting of some sort, but not one Amy appreciated. She'd gotten used to being around Weedle, but she was still a long ways from being totally comfortable around other bugs.

"So, you've made it to Violet City. Well done," Jason continued, stretching his legs as they sat there watching the on-goings in the square. "Was that your mother I saw you with? I thought you travelled alone?"

"Come on now, I don't look that old, now do I?"

Carrie had returned, and Jason looked horrified at the thought of offending her, but the woman's smile betrayed her good humour, though Jason appeared upset nonetheless. The woman shooed away all his apologies, laughing brightly and introducing herself. It wasn't long after that the two got to talking, sharing stories of misbehaving grass pokémon and their very first gym battles. Even with Carrie's feelings regarding battling, she'd still managed to get a few badges, both of Kanto's first gyms susceptible to the grass moves her pokémon enjoyed using. Even her charmeleon, undoubtedly a charmander at the time, hadn't been able help her past the third, however.

Sitting between them, venomoth perched precariously on her head, Amy still couldn't help but feel left out. Both trainers had helped her at one point, and were most kind, but the constant feeling of being inferior ate at her. Going somewhere with the aid of an experienced trainer had its definite perks, but Amy also began realizing that it had its downsides too.

Even worse, once she called Derek, she was sure he was going to harp about her not being independent enough, telling her to pursue her own dreams. Only, Carrie was such pleasant company.

"I'm going to call home," she murmured, a swipe of the arm dislodging venomoth from its spot and causing the pokémon to flap its majestic wings wildly. She was gone before the creature had even had the time to sit back down again.

Getting into the pokémon centre wasn't easy, but Amy managed it through patience and good manners. An 'excuse me' here and an 'I'm sorry' there made quick work of whoever was in her way, allowing her to finally set foot in the place. It was still buzzing with people, all the tables occupied by trainers eating breakfast, as well as pokémon chasing each other through the air, underneath the tables, and even using visitors as a place to hide. Twice Amy had to duck as two angry spearows tried maiming each other.

There was a long line in front of the phones, something she had expected, so instead Amy waited there, keeping an eye on things as well as she could. Occasionally someone would hurry in, leaving a hurt pokémon in Nurse Joy's expert hands, but all in all it was much of the same.

Until, with an air of importance about him, the trainer she had seen earlier walked in, chikorita dancing at his feet. His light blonde hair was tousled, but other than that he didn't look at all troubled by the hustle and bustle of the pokémon centre. She watched him as he took in the room, eyes finding the least crowded spot in the centre, conveniently located right beside her. Moving towards her, he nodded in greeting before sliding down to the floor, back against cheap plaster.

"I'm Amy," she offered, feeling awkward just standing there. The boy looked up, giving her a quick smile. His eyes were grey, but it was the shadow underneath them that told Amy he hadn't had it as easy as she'd thought. His chikorita, on the other hand, looked quite pleased with all the excitement, and made soft noises whenever someone hurried past.

"John," the boy replied, motioning to the pokémon beside him. "This is Flora." He paused, giving her a weak grin. "I know, not the most original of names, but it was an on-the-spot decision."

Amy chuckled, not particularly interested in telling John that her name – Toto – hadn't been exactly marvellous either. In fact, it suddenly dawned on her that she had yet to name Weedle, if she even could after so long a time. There simply were too many things to keep in mind when raising pokémon, she was feeling quite overwhelmed.

"You going to challenge Falkner?" she asked, not sure what else to bring up. She had no intention of challenging this boy, even talking about battles might just result in just that. Thus she smiled again confidently, showing interest in what his plans were.

"No, I'm skipping this gym. Flora would be at such a disadvantage that I'll never be able to win. I'm going to Azalea Town first. It'll be a struggle, because Flora is weak against bugs at well, but the pidgey I caught earlier should help with that."

"You can do that?" Amy asked, amazed. "Skip gyms, I mean."

"Sure you can," the boy answered, grinning again. "There's a suggested order, but it isn't set in stone. I'd be stuck here for months if I did it the way the league suggests we do."

He had a point, Amy mused. Looking at all the faces around the pokémon centre, she suspected a lot of them were here for just that reason. Green was the prominent colour, from small oddish and bellsprout waddling around, to the occasional fresh looks of a beaming chikorita. It made sense that those using grass pokémon – or having no other choice – would be stuck here. Not for the first time she silently thanked Derek for convincing her to choose totodile, even if they hadn't even won a match yet.

"But wouldn't Bugsy's pokémon be more difficult to beat? Falkner has weaker pokémon."

John shook his head. "Not really. He'll choose his pokémon depending on mine. You don't think those weak pidgey and pidgeotto Falkner uses are the only pokémon he owns, right? He wouldn't be a gym leader if that were true."

Looking down at the chikorita the boy owned, Amy realised how little she knew. Sure, she knew all about Toto's attacks, and how to prepare pokémon food, and even the differences between a totodile and a croconaw, but it were things like this, things that could make a difference, that she had never even considered. What if she ihad/i chosen a chikorita, would she have found herself stranded in this city forever?

"You're up."

Amy looked up to figure out what John had meant to find him pointing to the finally abandoned phone she had been waiting next to. Two other trainers, who had arrived later than her, motioned for her to hurry up and use it, both clearly not in the mood to wait much longer. Thanking John, she quickly dialled for home. Derek should still be there, mother's affection too strong to smother, and she really wanted to talk to him.

The waiting took painstakingly long, but Amy kept trying. She knew her mother had a habit of working outside at this time, and her father would most likely be asleep. It would take either of them a while to get to the phone.

Finally, with a charming jingle, it connected, and the screen fluctuated momentarily to reveal her mother on the other end. Amy decided not to comment on the dirty smudges adorning her mother's face, instead choosing to smile brightly and push down the sudden feeling of homesickness. When she'd been travelling with Carrie, she hadn't realised how much she missed home.

"Amy, dear, it is so good to see you! Your father and I had hoped you'd call," her mother said, face cheerful, but a strange shine to her eyes. She too, it seemed, had felt lonely now Amy was gone.

"Hey, mum. I'm in Violet City!"

Mentioning that was entirely unnecessary, of course, because there really wasn't any other pokémon centre she could have gone to that would have taken her this long to call. Cherrygrove was much closer, and her parents would have realised that she'd travelled on to Violet City before calling.

"Oh, that's wonderful! You must be so excited. You know, I haven't been to the Sprout Tower in ten years! Your father and I should really travel to Violet City one day. You know, I have always wanted to live there."

Amy made a face. "Well, mum, I think it's changed since you last visited." She moved closer to the screen as she noticed that the two trainers who'd been waiting for her to finish – a young girl with striking red hair, and a black haired boy somewhat older than her – were leaning in to listen to her conversation. "It's gotten really crowded."

Her mother's face dropped at that. "Aw, that's a pity. We'll just stick to the memories then." A short pause. "Just a second, honey," she continued, turning to look at something Amy couldn't see. She could hear the conversation, though.

"Growlithe, sweetie, go get Father. Amy's on the phone and he'll want to talk to her."

She couldn't see, but definitely picture, their growlithe's response. Her mother turned back to the screen and Amy could see Growlithe disappear through the door behind her.

"So, have you been able to catch any pokémon yet?"

This was the question Amy had dreaded. Sure, she'd caught a pokémon, but it wasn't exactly she could be very proud of. She'd learned to appreciate her weedle, but she wasn't so sure her mother would. If there was something Cynthia appreciated, then it was the fact that he husband's growlithe was territorial enough to keep any other pokémon at bay. Much like Amy, she had a deep disgust for anything with more than four legs.

"Ehm, yes. I caught a weedle," Amy answered weakly, turning red as she heard soft snickering from the boy behind her. Her mother, however, positively beamed back at her and cried out with glee. Whether it was forced or not, Amy couldn't tell, but it definitely boosted her ego.

"Oh, sweetheart, well done! Your very first captured pokémon, I am so proud! What about your starter, did you get the totodile Derek suggested?"

She nodded, suddenly reminded of what she had wanted to do. Talk to Derek. "I did. Is Derek still home?"

"Derek left for Cianwood City two days ago, I'm afraid. He had some business to attend there. Apparently one of the pokémon he trained has evolved, so its owner invited Derek over for a visit. It's a long voyage, of course, so we don't expect him to check in for another couple of weeks."

Cianwood City. That would indeed take a long while. As far as Amy knew, it took ages to cross the seas that separated Cianwood from Olivine City, and that didn't even include the journey from her hometown to the seaside port. Suddenly she felt very crestfallen, realising she wouldn't get to talk to her brother anytime soon. There was a pokémon centre in Cianwood, but Derek had no idea of when to call, so she'd have to wait until he had returned home. What a disappointment.

He was lucky, though. She'd always dreamed of visiting Cianwood City. The city across the water, with its small houses and beautiful sea-view, had fascinated her, probably because it was nigh unreachable. Only the strongest pokémon could carry their trainers that far, and beginning trainers didn't own those. In fact, she'd heard countless tales over the radio, of trainers stranded on small island, having to be rescued by a quad of firemen-blastoise, or a random passerby.

Perhaps one day, Amy thought, Toto would be big and strong enough to carry her, and she'd be able the illustrious pokémon seer she knew lived on the island. Because above all she wanted to find out what the future had in store for her and her pokémon.

"Look, there's your father. Be gentle with him, he only just woke up," her mother joked, blowing a kiss to her daughter before moving aside to allow the bulky form of her father some room. He definitely looked like he'd just woken up; hair on end and eyes sleepy. The moment he saw her, his eyed brightened, though, and there was a genuine smile on his lips.

"Amy! Good to see you. You've had a pleasant journey so far, I hope?"

She grinned. "Oh, it's been great! A bit scary, but I've had a wonderful time."

"Bless. That's good to hear. I worried about you, you know, but you seem to be fine. Are you homesick, yet?"

"Yeah, a little," Amy confessed, and her father nodded.

"That's to be expected. Chin up, kiddo, you'll be fine, and we'll be waiting for you when you come back home."

Listening to her father and his confidence in her, Amy felt choked up, but the touching moment was interrupted by the view she had of the people waited behind her. An even larger line had formed, and most of the people in the front eyed her with annoyance. None had been rude enough to confront her about it, but she could see they thought she was taking too long.

Most of them looked like her, some a little older, some with tears in their eyes, but definitely like her. They too must be waiting to talk to their parents, and at the sniffling of a little girl next to her, she suddenly felt extremely guilty for taking so long. Perhaps the next pokémon centre, in Azalea Town, would be less crowded and allow her some more alone time with her parents. Here the only alone time she'd be getting was if she locked herself in a bathroom stall and didn't come out.

Turning back to her parents – mother hovering in the background, trying to look over her husband's shoulder but failing – she gave a weak smile.

"I think I should go. There's a huge line."

"Not surprising. Okay, Amy, do you want us to tell Derek something for you should he call?"

"No, no," she hastened to say, not quite willing to suffer the indignation of Derek finding out her first and only caught pokémon was a centipede with an overgrown stinger on its head. "Just that I'll call him later, okay?"

"Of course. Well, then, your mother and I hope to talk to you soon. Call us anytime."

"I will!"

With that she disconnected, allowing the boy to take her place. Looking to the side, she noticed John was gone and wondered if he'd gone off to Azalea Town already. Or perhaps he'd chosen to go to the Sprout Tower instead. If there were so many trainers here, then she could only imagine the resident battle area would be like. Hoisting her bag higher on her shoulders, she decided to go find out.

Walking outside, she was struck by the pleasant warmth of the sun. The pokémon centre was cold in comparison – though that was probably for the best, considering there were so many people cramped together – and she relaxed. This wasn't so bad, she could do this. Finding her way back to the bench she had left Carrie and Jason at, she saw neither one had moved. Carrie was talking, as she was apt to do, and Jason listened intently. Venomoth had fluttered to a nearby tree and sat there looking down at everything, its antennas moving every time a pokémon hurled past.

The earlier battles had made room for even more, young trainers releasing their pokémon with a proud cry. Most of the creatures she saw were pretty common, their dull brown coats reminiscing of their type. Normal, basic, seen throughout the land. Still, she rather liked the thought of a sentret bouncing after her, its large ears swivelling whenever it heard a sound.

Taking great care not to interrupt anything, she made her way back to the bench, dropping her bag on the sandy ground next to them. Carrie and Jason didn't seem at all perturbed at the way she'd left, instead welcomed her back brightly. Both had some of their other pokémon out as well, and it was the first time Amy saw a real life krabby. The small crab pokémon clung desperately to the bench, like it feared being among so big a crowd, and its claws had made dents in the otherwise sturdy wood.

"Smith keeps applying vicegrip to random objects. I swear, waking up with a krabby stuck to your hand isn't pleasant. I should never have coaxed him into learning it," Jason joked as he saw Amy's stare. Where she was from, they didn't see too many water pokémon, so even seeing one that was unremarkable, like krabby, meant a lot to her.

"Smith?" Amy asked, frowning at the unlikely and unfortunate name. It didn't fit its personality at all, the way the pokémon was glaring at her revealing its rough and, well, crabby nature.

Jason chuckled. "Yes. Smith. I traded krabby for one of my old venonat, you see, and this name came with it. Goes to show what a delicate business naming your pokémon is."

Suddenly an explosion sounded behind them, and all thoughts of pokémon names were forgotten as children screamed in fright and pokémon fled to hind behind their trainers. Krabby, not bothered by the possibility of trouble, used the distraction the try and grab Amy's leg, but she could just jump to the side. Giving the water pokémon an admonishing stare, she moved further away from it and towards the area where the explosion had come from.

A huge dust cloud had formed, covering everyone in pesky sand, but as the smoke cleared and Amy shielded her eyes, the scared crying ceased and everyone turned to the source of the explosion. There, lying nose-first on the ground, they saw a scrawny looking geodude. Where most geodude Amy had seen had distinctively big arms and rocky muscles, this one could have easily been mistaken for a stray pebble, its arms no bigger than a twig.

Smoke twirled upwards from the scorched form of the geodude, and the kakuna that had been standing – as far as a kakuna could – opposite it looked worse for wear as well. Two trainers hurried forward, both checking on their poor pokémon. The boy owning the geodude lifted its heavy form with great difficulty, but eventually managed to get it to the pokémon centre. The boy owning the kakuna took his time, pleased to have won the battle and less concerned, for his bug was still intact.

"Wow," Amy whispered, again avoiding the swiping claws of krabby – who had decided now was as good a time as any to let go of the bench and search for other things to grab onto.

"Using self-destruct for such an arbitrary match. That poor geodude," Carrie muttered crossly, arms crossed and eyes squinting. All three stared at the blackened ground for a bit longer, until Carrie returned to being her cheerful self. Amy had seen a glimpse of the older woman's rage, though, and while this had been mere distaste, she didn't want to find out how angry she could really get.

Jason shrugged. "That must have been a strong geodude, though. The boy did good in catching it."

"I'm sure it rolled down from the Dark Cave near Blackthorn City. Some very powerful geodude live there, and they're known to stumble and roll down when they suddenly find themselves outside. This boy must have been terribly lucky and caught one just after it fell."

"It still lost, though," Amy offered uncertainly, the thought of such a powerful pokémon losing to a mere kakuna not something that she'd ever expected.

Carrie smiled at her. "It depends on the situation. Kakuna are masters at hardening their shell and upping their defence. The explosion was so far away that it didn't hit kakuna full force and it was able to survive, while geodude was out for the count. This is why moves such as self-destruct and explosion should be used with extreme caution."

Amy nodded. "I'm just glad I wasn't anywhere near them."

"Indeed. Now, shall we finally go and visit Sprout Tower? It has a marvellous view and perhaps you can even find yourself someone to battle."

All around them the chatter continued, no longer captivated by the sight of two blackened pokémon. Carrie lead the way, her friendly smile and gentle voice causing crowds to part whenever she asked, leading them to eventually halt in front of the biggest structure Amy had ever seen. Coming from a small, insignificant town where only the mayor's house had two stories, she had never seen a tower in her life.

Gawking at the massive building rising up before her, she wasn't homesick anymore, such a sight definitely worth a bit of heartache. From the bottom to the top, it all spoke of ancient legends and tales of old.

Right before her, a large door allowed anyone who wanted it to enter. A lot of people did, from trainers carrying pokémon, to families and the occasional old man reliving the old days. Swaying from side to side, the tower's protection against earthquakes, and Amy marvelled at the invention. How smart its creators must have been.

At the very top she could spy small forms, all overlooking the city like a tree towering over the forest floor. They must look really small from up there, Amy mused, like a rattata scurrying amongst a tree's roots. She could only imagine looking over the forests to the east to where the dark cave was, or west to Azalea Town. For a second she entertained the thought of seeing John and his chikorita walk towards it.

"A sight to behold, isn't it?" Carrie commented, looking up at the building herself. To her it must be even more special, built in the image of a bellsprout as it was. It looked like she'd been here before, though, and that might make things different, while Amy felt she could barely move as she stared up it.

Eventually, feeling a bit silly standing there when everyone else passed her, Amy and the others made their way inside. The ground floor differed much from the square outside. While outside it had been buzzing with conversation and shards of pokémon battles, here lingered a hushed silence. A guide, to their left, spoke quietly to the ground she was leading, but most people kept a revered silence. It could have something to do with the pillar in the centre of the room, Amy mused, for the sight of something so large moving freely and keeping the tower safe was truly awe-inspiring.

Surrounding the entrance, two large bellsprout statues stood. Their stony eyes bore into her, like they were searching for something within her, and Amy felt less comfortable with being so near them than apparently Carrie did. The woman had immediately moved towards them, glancing critically at the way they'd been portrayed. Seemingly convinced that they'd done well, Carrie eventually stopped staring at the art.

"Where do we go?" Amy asked in a whisper, though Jason had already moved to one side of the room. There seemed to be two stairs, one traversed by mostly eager trainers, the other by those that wanted nothing to do with their battling. Following Jason, they chose the latter, something Amy was very grateful for. If she were honest, the earlier battle outside had scared her, and she'd much rather explore this ancient structure.

It took quite a few stairs for them to reach the top. The first two floors were out of their reach meant for the thudding sounds of pokémon hitting wooden floorboards, instead they were led onto the fourth floor. There some of the old monks resided, squabbling quietly over something they had no intention of sharing. Some of the tourists watched them, taking pictures, while most continued to the next.

The stairs shuddered with the movements of the pillar, surprisingly noticeable now they were so far up. Amy held on to Jason's elbow, not wanting to be thrown off, glad that he had returned both of his pokémon to their pokéballs. She had a feeling neither pokémon would appreciate her clinging to their trainer so.

The fifth floor was empty, aside from four bellsprout statues gathering dust in the corners. A lot of people had made use of this, spreading their jackets on the wooden floor and sitting down to enjoy a snack. Others, enamoured by how high up they were, peeked out of the windows at the hustle and bustle below. Amy forced herself not to look, not wanting to spoil the experience of being even higher up in the tower.

So they continued their climb, finally reaching the highest part of the tower. Safety railings, rusty but still solid, kept them from getting too close to the edge, but the sight was wondrous even so.

A strong breeze ruffled Amy's hair as she neared the end of the tower, but she didn't notice. Before her lay Violet City, red rooftops blinking in the sun. People, turned into mere black dots, walked around below like ants near an anthill. She could spy the pokémon centre, farthest away from her, and Falkner's gym. She even saw, through the leaves of trees up ahead, the contours of the sentry house they'd passed earlier.

The road they'd taken lay stretched out before her, and she suddenly realised what a long way she'd come already. Endless rows of trees separated her from Cherrygrove city, and so many more miles distanced her from home. She was on top of the world, suddenly feeling very small.

Turning to the west, she could see the road that lead to Azalea Town. The woods had parted, probably through human hands, and the road was broad, easily distinguishable even from such a distance. Try as she might, she couldn't see any trainers, it was just too far off, but already she pictured herself walking there.

A guardhouse she saw, as well, pointing to the fact that whoever passed it was leaving route 36 and moving on to enter the National Park. She'd heard much about the place, about the contests that were being held constantly, and the strong pokémon that lurked in the grass. She was curious about it, of course, and the thought of entering a capture contest sounded rather thrilling. Still, for now she was stuck in Violet City, even if the towns she knew lay behind the horizon beckoned her.

"Gorgeous, isn't it?" Carrie asked, leaning on the railing beside her. Amy nodded, not sure which way to turn. To the west she could see sandy paths lead through forest green, but to the east she knew the pokémon league to be, and even though she couldn't see a thing, just staring in that direction brought forth images of battling the Elite Four.

"Definitely worth the walk," Jason interjected, also looking rather taken back by the view. Amy figured it must have been quite a while since he had last been here. Trainers of his calibre wouldn't often travel these paths. Not that she blamed them, looking down at the hordes of beginners walking around below.

-

They stayed up there for quite a while. The view didn't bore easily, and the three talked softly about their plans. It was decided early on that today would be a day of sightseeing and checking things out, allowing Amy to find herself an opponent to battle. The next day, Carrie would have to start her research, something she couldn't do when an inexperienced trainer was following her around. Amy knew this, so she didn't complain when Jason suggested they'd go out into the nearby grass and train, while Carrie crawled around on her hands and knees trying to find oddish amongst the many bellsprout.

Amy didn't know how long the woman's research would take, but she hoped it wouldn't be long. She rather liked travelling with her, as well as the security that came with having an experienced adult by your side. It was the easy way out, of course, but she wasn't sure she wanted to be on her own yet.

Jason had shared his plans to go to the National Park, something Amy had been very excited about, but he'd wait a few days to see how Amy's gym battle went. It put a lot of pressure on her, but also allowed her to ask the man questions and learn some new things. After all, he'd done all this before and would know just what to do.

For now, though, the two older trainers turned to her and motioned to the stairs.

"How about you find yourself someone to battle? Sprout Tower is a really great to start practising for your gym-battle," Jason suggested, something Carrie seemed to agree with for she nodded her head and smiled.

"We haven't seen totodile fight yet, either, and weedle could definitely use the experience. After all, he'll be at a huge disadvantage in the match," she piped up. "Though perhaps you could come back here tonight and try catching yourself a gastly."

Jason grinned. "That's a great tactic. With gastly's hypnosis, you have a lot of chances to attack."

"We are allowed up here at night?" Amy asked, not entirely sure she wanted to break any laws and be caught for breaking and entering, even if it resulted in catching a gastly.

"Oh, yes. It happens quite a lot that people spend the night here. Of course if there's too many of them, the gastly might not come out, but you'll just have to bide your time."

Nodding, Amy lead the two down the stairs. Nearing the third floor, she could already heard the sounds of battle. Fierce cries, occasionally drifting through the cracks in the floor, reminded her of what she'd set out to do. Impress Derek with her skills as a trainer. Touching the pokéballs on her belt, she felt a rush of adrenaline once she entered the third floor. She was going to win.