A/N: I made a trainer card for Aria so that you'll be able to know what she looks like. It's not the best since I'm pretty terrible at digital art (or any art for that matter), but this will at least give you a clue as to who she is.

I can't put the link up on here so all you have to do is go to the deviantart website, search for my name (Celynata) and you'll be able to see it there on my page.

Now, onto the story! Enjoy!

Chapter 10: The Beauty of Cerulean

Aria

"Totodile, I said water gun," Aria sighed as she sat in the backyard of the gym, watching her young Totodile swim around in one of the ponds. Totodile was clearly too young and inexperienced to start battling in her gym, but she was trying to train it as much as possible in her free time. Totodile had just recently hatched from the egg she had found when she was heading back from the Hoenn region and it was as troublesome as a young child.

"It's still young, Aria," Morty's voice came from behind her as she heard his footsteps come closer to her. "Give it time."

"I've given him enough time," she responded as he came over and sat down next to her.

"You've become more impatient," he murmured with the faintest smile. He then reached forward and picked Totodile out of the water. He set it on the ground and it immediately went over to Aria, settling in her lap.

She wrapped her arms around her Totodile as she said, "What's wrong with being impatient?"

"For a trainer-especially a gym leader-it's bad," he warned her, his brown eyes moving from Totodile and up to her face.

"Oh stop acting like that," she snapped at him. "You're acting just like you used to, as if you're superior to me."

Morty let out a long sigh at this before saying, "Oh Aria, please. You're just being stubborn. I know these times have been hard for you but you still have your duty as a gym leader."

"I didn't want this gym in the first place," she glared down at the ground as she gripped Totodile close to her. "I spent my whole life trying to get away from this place and now look at me. I'm the leader of it."

"If you didn't want it then why did you take the offer?" Morty questioned her. It didn't seem as if his question was judgmental but instead just plain curiousity.

"I needed something," she explained, still not looking at him but instead down at Totodile. It smiled up at her so she patted its head. "After losing Arcanine and then later on the Championship, I needed something I had claim to. Surely you can understand that."

He nodded once and said, "Of course. But Aria, you have to live with your decision now. You can't be miserable forever." He reached forward and held the pokeball that hung around Aria's neck. He then quickly let it go as if he thought he had pushed past his boundaries. "I'm sure Arcanine is safe, wherever it may be."

"I hope so," she whispered then. "I hope he's safe."

I just wish he was here with me…

Ivy

As Ivy and Jay made their way down the road that led to Cerulean City, Ivy held open her badge case as she stared down at her brand new Boulder Badge. She still couldn't believe the fact that she had won her first badge already. She knew that it had a lot to do with luck, but she also thought that perhaps it was her skill, too, that added to it. Either way, a badge was a badge, no matter how it was won. She wouldn't complain.

"You know you only won that out of luck," Jay said as he caught her staring at it again. "Had Charmander's ability not kicked in then you would have lost."

"Yes, but it did," she couldn't help but point out. "I'm not going to worry about the 'what if's."

"You should," he warned her. "Your next gym battle won't be as easy."

"Who said the first one was easy?" She challenged him, giving him a glare as she closed her badge case and put it away in her bag.

"Well, it was compared to your next challenges," he argued with her. He shook his head and continued, "You won't be able to rely on luck anymore."

"Oh why are you such a downer?" She groaned, but then sped up the pace and said, "Let's hurry up, we're almost there."

It only took them another half hour to get to Cerulean City and after being away for approximately two weeks, Ivy was glad to see her home again. She almost felt like a stranger when she walked through the city gates, but when she started to see familiar land marks, she knew she was home again. Of course, she loved being on her journey, but she couldn't deny how much she had missed Cerulean City.

"Come on! Hurry up, Jay!" She exclaimed as she ran ahead of him.

"Shouldn't we go to the gym first?" He suggested.

"I can't go to the gym before saying hello to my mom!" She cried over her shoulder.

Finally they came to her home. She ran up the steps of the porch and over to the door. She hesitated from barging right in and instead knocked on the door. As soon as she did, she saw her mother's Vaporeon come to the door, letting out a pleasing sound.

"A Vaporeon," Jay gasped, taking out his Pokedex. "I didn't know you had a Vaporeon."

"This is my mother's," she explained as she opened the door and let Vaporeon out onto the porch. She smiled and petted its head as she listened to Dexter's explanation.

"Vaporeon, one of the seven Eevee evolutions when evolved from a water stone. It has evolved to be suitable for an aquatic life and can become invisible in water."

"This is your mother's Vaporeon?" He stared at her in shock before looking down at Vaporeon. "To think how strong it is!" He gasped then. "I've seen it in some of your mother's old battles – it's extraordinary!"

"Why thank you, Jay," came another voice. "It took Vaporeon and I a long time to get to that kind of strength."

Ivy looked up then as she saw her mother open the door and come out to the porch. "Mom!" she exclaimed, hugging her tightly.

"Oh it's so good to see you again, Ivy," she said, letting her go as she then asked, "So what kinds of Pokemon do you have?"

"Oh, I only have two right now," Ivy explained. "I have a Charmander and a Magikarp right now."

"A Charmander? I'm sure that was an excellent choice," her mother nodded once before saying, "But you do know that Magikarp can't do much?"

"Of course I know that!" She exclaimed, her face turning slightly red that her mother was pointing out her incompetence in front of Jay (though she knew he probably thought she was incompetent already). "I'm trying to train it into a Gyarados."

"That's very hard to do," she warned her.

"I know that," Ivy frowned slightly and continued, "But you did it, so I'm sure I can too."

Her mother was silent for a moment but then changed the subject as she said, "Well, you two should come inside, I'm sure you're hungry!"

"Oh, thank you," Jay said, glancing at Ivy once before walking into the house as Ivy and Vaporeon followed.

"So Jay," Ivy's mother said as she started to make some sandwiches in the kitchen, "Ivy tells me you're trying to become a Pokemon Researcher, is that correct?"

"Yes, it is," Jay responded as both he and Ivy sat down at the table. "My parents are both researchers for Professor Oak and they thought I'd learn best going on a journey."

"Are you earning badges?" She continued on with her questions, setting a plate in front of Ivy and then Jay.

"No," he shook his head. "I don't see why I would."

"Battling will help you learn more about Pokemon," Ivy's mother told him gently, sitting down in front of him and next to Ivy who was already eating her sandwich.

"Well, I can battle without earning badges," he said with a shrug. "Anyways, my parents say that I should focus on my research and not my battles. I've even been sketching Pokemon in the process of my journey."

"You sketch Pokemon?" Ivy and her mother said this at the same time, but her mother then asked, "May I see them?"

"Of course," He said, giving Ivy a look before he bent down to where his bag sat on the floor next to him and brought out a beige-colored sketch book. He handed it to her as he slowly began to eat.

"Oh I like this one," She said then as she looked through. She showed it to Ivy and said, "Ivy, don't you think that one is precious?"

Ivy looked up from her sandwich and studied the picture. "Hey, that's me and Charmander!" She exclaimed, recognizing herself and her own Pokemon. It was a picture of them when they were training; she had her arm extended as she pointed at something that was out of the picture and her mouth was open as she shouted out a command. Charmander was using its ember attack and you could almost see the flame heading towards the object in the picture. She remembered it had been a rock and they had been working on Charmander's aim.

"Don't flatter yourself too much," Jay muttered between bites. "You're only in the picture because it looked better with something behind Charmander."

"Gee, thanks a lot," she said sarcastically, giving him a flat look.

"I think it's sweet," Ivy's mother said, looking back at the sketch before flipping to another one.

"Sweet?" Ivy and Jay exclaimed incredulously at the same time.

"No way," Ivy continued. "Jay can hardly say a single thing that is nice to me."

"That's because you're always yelling at me," Jay shot back at her.

"Because you bother me!"

"Well you bother me!"

"Good!"

"Oh Ivy," Her mother cut in then, rolling her eyes before saying, "You should stop arguing with that poor boy and go to the gym."

"Why are you siding with him?" She exclaimed.

"Just go, Ivy," she gave her a flat look. "I'm sure Misty is waiting for you. Anyway, you still have to explain to her what you did to that bike."

"It wasn't my fault!"

"Ivy, please go," Her mother continued, giving her another look before Ivy finally relented.

"Fine," she took one last bite of her sandwich before grabbing her bag and running out the door with Jay as she called over her shoulder, "I'll see you later, Mom!" Before heading towards the gym.