After an award ceremony for the Squirtles and their official naming as the town's fire fighters, we left in happy spirits as I'd also been to the hospital to have my head scanned. Thankfully there was no fracture or cracks or anything, just some mild concussion which had already passed and I was good to go, though I still had a massive lump on my head, though I covered this by simply sweeping my hair to the side and formed a side fringe, which worked for the time being.

We were given better direction to get to Vermillion City then we head out after saying goodbye, once more on the road. However I couldn't stop thinking about how badly those Pokémon had been treated. Were there many trainers who were like that? More than expected? I just didn't know.

"Hey Ash, that Squirtle is following us." Misty said suddenly and we all stopped and looked back to see the leader of the Squirtle Squad chasing after us.

"Squirtle! Squirtle!" It called and we all glanced at one another before Ash grinned.

"Would you like to come along with us, Squirtle?" He asked and the Squirtle smiled.

"Squirtle." It answered then took off its shades to reveal beautiful brown sparkling eyes. Instantly I gasped and clasped my hands together.

"Oh it's so squishy looking and cute!" I breathed, my own eyes shining as Ash knelt down and held out his arms, laughing happily as the Squirtle ran and jumped into his arms to embrace him.

"Welcome to the team, Squirtle."

"Squirtle!"

"Guess I've caught a new Pokémon!" He triumphed and I laughed.

"You really have a way with them Ash, they just can't stop following you!" I teased as Pikachu jumped up.

"Pikachu!" Misty, however, didn't seem to agree.

"Caught? What do you mean caught?" She demanded, glaring down at Ash as he hugged the water Pokémon. Then I remembered that Misty wanted to be a water type master, so maybe she's a little bummed that she didn't get a Squirtle too.

"Oh what's the difference? It's on our side now!" I laughed then placed my hands on my hips.

"I think Ash has caught him pretty well, they can't let go of one another!" Brock laughed then rubbed his head.

"Guess I'll have to make another new batch of Poké Treats when I get the time." Squirtle looked up at Ash then turned to me. He held out his hand so I knelt down and took it, letting him shake it.

"Squirtle Squirtle, Squirtle…" He told me expressively and I smiled.

"It's okay, I'm glad we could show you that not all people are bad. Welcome to our team! I know you're going to love travelling with us, it's been a blast so far!"

You know the only thing that made being lost out on the road bearable? Brock's cooking. If I had had to have gone those two weeks without such amazing food then I would have starved to death. However, it seemed that we were slowly running out of food and I was panicking.

"We have to find Vermillion City now! I can't go on like this! I haven't had a wash in days and all my clothes are filthy! This is a disaster!" My Charmander looked at me then whipped out his tail, knocking both my feet from out underneath me so that I landed heavily on the ground. "Ow, guess I deserved that." I muttered then slowly got up.

"Hey! Don't push Ruby around like that, she's only ever been kind and caring towards you!" Ash called out from across the clearing, glaring at Charmander who snorted then marched away proudly but then Ash's Charmander leaped in front of him.

"Charmander!" It yelled in its higher pitched voice then growled. The two Pokémon clashed heads then had a stare down, which was what they ever seemed to do when they were both out together. "Char…Charmander!"

"Okay break it up, that's enough you two." I called, picking up my own Charmander who then scratched me. "Yow!"

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu leaped forwards and his cheeks crackled with electricity as I dropped Charmander. Suddenly everyone was glaring at Charmander, who was in turn glaring at me as I touched the scratches on my face, pulling my hand away to see blood. He…he never drew blood before.

"Alright that's it! I've had it with your foul attitude!" Misty yelled at Charmander as all the Pokémon started to gang up on him. "Staryu! Use Water Gun to put out that Charmander's temper!" Her Staryu jumped forwards and lowered its top point to aim but I leaped forwards.

"No don't!" I got a blast of water into my gut and I fell backwards with a grunt. "It's not his fault…" I muttered as my body began to ache.

"Oh! Ruby I'm sorry!" Misty rushed forwards and helped me up. "Here, you sit down for a while." The she noticed the burns on my arms. Her notorious redhead anger burst free and she loomed over Charmander who startled backwards. "You horrible Pokémon! Look what you've done to Ruby! You've hurt her on purpose when all she ever does is try her best for you!"

Charmander blinked then tears came to his eyes. "Oh no! Charmander please don't cry." I begged, rushing forwards as he began to sob, his head turned to the sky as he wailed. "Misty look what you've done!" I said to her. "You made him cry!"

"Made him cry! Look what's he done to you!" She argued, gesturing to my scratches, bruises and burns.

"Some of them are from the road…" I mumbled then began to rub Charmander's head. "Hey it's okay, it's not your fault I get hurt, you're only a baby really aren't you? There now, you're okay." Charmander stopped his crying and nuzzled into me, letting me tickle his belly as he clung to my neck. "See? He's sweet really." I said proudly as everyone stared at me with mouths wide open.

Sitting down I placed Charmander in my lap and let him curl up for a nap, stroking his head and back to relax him. "He doesn't mean it, he just gets frustrated sometimes." I excused but Ash shook his head.

"Ruby I know you only want to see the best in him, but what he's doing to you isn't fair. You're burned and scratched all over." He pointed to my arms and legs but I merely shrugged.

"They're not that bad, they'll go in a couple of days. I bet it's because he's hungry really, he's normally more agitated if he hasn't eaten well in a while." Brock, Misty and Ash all looked at one another with worry then back at me.

"Ruby, all of us are hungry but none of the other Pokémon treat us the way Charmander treats you. You let him push you around because you want it to like you." Brock said to me but I shook my head.

"No, it's okay. I can be strict with him when I need to be." Though inwardly I wondered if he was right. Ash's Charmander came closer with a soft sound, looking at me with sympathy then hugged my knee, making me smile and reach out to rub its head.

However my Charmander opened one eye, saw the attention I was giving the other Charmander then growled. He whipped out his tail and slapped my hand, making me whip it back with a gasp. "Alright, that's it!" Ash and Misty both yelled and Charmander lifted his head but then snarled at the other, snapping his jaws then sprung for him.

Ash's Charmander leaped backwards with wide eyes. "Charmander!" But then it focused, facing my Charmander who stood in front of me possessively. Shaking my hand out I then looked up to the Charmanders.

"Stop it, both of you!" I reached out to touch my Charmander's shoulder but he spun around then clamped his jaw down on my hand, making me freeze in place before screaming aloud. "YOOOW!"

"Pidgeo!" My Pidgeotto suddenly swept forwards in anger, rustling her tail feathers then grabbed Charmander by his arms and hoisted him up into the air and I blinked through my tears.

"No! Don't frighten him! Pidgeotto come back!" But she ignored me. She flew up high into the air as Charmander wailed in fear, scrambling his legs as they climbed higher and higher into the sky. "PIDGEOTTO!" I bellowed as Misty put her arms around me.

"I think it's trying to teach Charmander a lesson." She said to me then looked at my hand and the teeth marks there. Good thing I wasn't wearing my gloves or he'd have torn holes into them. "We'd better put a bandage on that.

"But Pidgeotto, what is she doing?" I got up and looked at the sky to see…no, no she didn't. She didn't let go of Charmander! "Pidgeotto catch him! What are you doing?" Charmander tumbled through the air and we all gasped. "Ash, send your Pidgeotto to go catch him!"

Ash looked at his Pidgeotto who shook his head. "Pidgeotto! You can't let Charmander fall like that, please go catch him?"

"It's alright guys, it looks like Pidgeotto's diving after him." Brock said then pointed. "Look!" I looked upwards and sure enough, Pidgeotto was diving down after him. She tucked in her wings tightly then, when Charmander reached the canopy, she spread out her wings and reached with her talons, catching him safely and I exhaled with relief as she circled the clearing then dropped him down onto the ground, his body going limp on the ground.

"Charmander!" I gasped and raced forwards but then Pidgeotto landed directly in front of me, facing Charmadner who pushed himself up to look at us both. Pidgeotto glared ferociously at Charmander who began to tremble.

"Pidgeo, Pidgeotto Pidgeo!" Pidgeotto snapped at Charmander then flapped her wings once, hitting him with a Gust attack but not a very strong one, for it didn't throw him backwards, merely gave him a bit of a fright.

Charmander sniffed, tears shining in his eyes and I tried to go to him but Brock put a hand on my shoulder. "I know it's hard but you can't treat this Pokémon like one of my little brothers or sisters. You have to be stricter, let it know that you're the one in charge and that you won't bend the rules just for its own sake." He slowly turned me around and I felt tears slide down my cheek, stinging the scratch there. "You're going to have to start detaching yourself from it, if you're going to let it go."

"But…but he's only a baby." I tried to explain but Brock shook his head.

"Not anymore, he's just playing you into his hand so it can treat you the way it wants. In all honestly, if I were you, I'd hand him over to someone else to take care of and send back to Cinnabar Island. I think this is proving just too much for you to handle." That's when I burst into tears.

I shoved Brock off of me and ran into the trees, tears and sobs wracking my body as I caved in. He was right, I was no good for Charmander anymore than Charmander was good for me. This was all a mess, I couldn't even look after him right! Perhaps I should hand over the responsibility to someone with more experience, at least that way Charmander will get the care it deserves and needs.

"Ruby wait!" Ash called but Brock stopped him from chasing after me, saying that I needed time to think things out. I crashed through the trees, not really knowing where I was going until I tripped over a rock and fell to the ground, bashing my knee so I howled even louder from the pain, crashing out on the ground with my face planted firmly in the dirt.

I'm a failure really. Why did I even try? Mom was right too, I was still too young to go out and handle things on my own. The moment I get to Vermillion City, I'm going to call her and ask her to come and get me.

Losing track of time, I didn't notice it was getting dark until I stopped crying. My head hurt and I ached everywhere but I should really get back to the camp or I'll miss dinner. Groaning slightly I pushed myself up then looked around. Where was I?

At least I had made a pretty obvious trail in my haste to get away, it shouldn't be too hard to find my way back. All else fails I can just whistle and Pidgeotto will find me. Whimpering I looked at my knee to see crusted blood and a graze. Just perfect. What was I going to tell mom?

Seeing a pool of water I scooted over then began to wash off the blood and dirt from my body. I rubbed as carefully as I could but every now and then I would flinch and hiss at a particular sting but carry on all the same. I was just about done when something rustled in the bushes. "Huh?" I looked up to see them rustle again.

Biting my lip I slowly moved away from the water, keeping low as not to draw attention to myself. Was it a dangerous Pokémon? Should I call for help? But just as I lifted my fingers to my lips to whistle for Pidgeotto when a large, pink and fluffy creature appeared.

"Oh!" I gasped. "A wild Chansey!" The beautiful Pokémon looked at me with a strange look, looking over my legs and arms before waddling forwards.

"Chansey, Chansey." It said softly then inspected my arm, taking it in its hands and I blinked.

"Hello…" I greeted and it smiled at me.

"Chansey." It took a few steps back then closed its eyes, facing me with a placid look on its face.

"What are you doing?" I asked it curiously then gasped again when it started to glow. A pale blue aura shone around its shape then a soft pulse arced out towards me and touched my skin. Staring I watched as my scratches sealed shut and my bruises and burns disappeared. "Heal Pulse! That's incredible, I didn't know it worked on humans too." I said to it and Chansey smiled before shaking its head then lifted a hand, showing me her thumb and forefinger which gestured a small amount. "Oh, it only works on small wounds?" I asked and it nodded. "Well, thank you."

"Chansey!" She chirped then hopped forwards, helping me to stand up where it then rubbed my leg, trying to assure me everything was alright. She then took my hand and began to lead the way back to the camp. I stared at her for a while, wondering. She helped people and Pokémon simply because it made her happy. I know I always felt better when I've helped someone, so why not do the same? Maybe if I could offer a place for all Pokémon to claim sanctuary then there wouldn't be a need to abandon them anymore. People could leave them with me and then I'd take care of them until they were ready to move on. Yeah! I could totally do that!

"Do you help people and Pokémon often?" I asked curiously and it nodded its head.

"Chansey." She beamed prettily then let my hand go and pointed. "Chansey, Chansey."

"Okay, I'll go back now." I assured her. "Thank you again!" I waved, feeling a little better. Somehow her Heal Pulse had lifted the heavy weight in my chest, making me feel lighter than air. I ran back to the camp then rushed through the trees into the clearing.

"Ruby! Are you okay? Do you need anything?" Misty asked then blinked. "Huh? How come you're not bruised or burnt?" She asked and I smiled.

"A wild Chansey found me and used Heal Pulse." I answered her. "It healed me up until everything was gone and I feel great." I explained to her and Ash leaped up.

"Wow! A wild Chansey! Did you catch it?" He asked and I shot him a blank look before smacking him upside the head.

"Of course not you idiot! I didn't have my Pokémon with me!" I told him then folded my arms. "Besides, that Chansey helps all kind of wounded Pokémon and sometimes people, there's no way I'm going to capture it and stop its important work." Ash blushed then rubbed the back of his head.

"Guess so." Looking around I smiled as Pidgeotto came and flapped its wings in front of me.

"Hey! Are you okay?" I asked then rubbed her head but she nuzzled into me. "Oh I'm fine, just needed a moment or two to myself. I kind of really needed it, because I've come to a decision." Taking off my backpack I unclipped the two badges I had earned then walked over to Brock and Misty, who were looking at me with surprise. "I want to return these badges, if that's okay." I said then dropped the Cascade Badge into Misty's palm then gave the Boulder Badge to Brock.

Everyone gasped in shock, including the Pokémon. "Ruby what are you doing? You earned those!" Ash yelled at me but I just smiled.

"I've decided that I don't want to be a Pokémon Trainer anymore, I'm just not cut out for it." I explained to them, placing my hands on my hips.

"Ruby you can't make this decision just because of Charmander, there are plenty of other Pokémon out there who'd be great for your team. You could really take them somewhere great, just look at you and Pidgeotto!" Brock tried to tell me but I just laughed and stroked Pidgeotto's head.

"I don't want to fight anymore, so no more badges for me. Its okay, I feel happy about this. Besides I'm not giving up completely, I still want to travel and learn all I can about Pokémon and continue to build up a team, but what I really want to do is help the Pokémon." Everyone looked at me in confusion so I stooped down and picked up Squirtle and tickled his feet, making him chuckle as I continued to explain.

"Seeing how badly Squirtle and your Charmander were treated has opened my eyes a little. I bet there are hundreds and thousands of Pokémon out there who have been abandoned, who feel lost and alone right now so I want to be the one to help them. I'll work towards learning how to understand Pokémon as they are and help any that I come across until one day, when I have the sponsors, I'll open up a Pokémon Sanctuary where all Pokémon can be left for free and I'll rehome them, take care of them and help them love people again!" Misty's eyes suddenly sparkled.

"Oh that's a great idea! I'll sponsor you for sure! I'll tell my sisters all about it and we'll give you all the help you need!" She twirled around in excitement. "You could send any water Pokémon to us at Cerulean and we'll keep them in great shape and train them until you can find them a new home! And people will definitely notice you if you have the support of the four Sensational Sisters!"

"I'll support you too Ruby! Pewter City would be glad to help out such a great plan, we could help you build the different habitats for different Pokémon, and the Gym will also lend you its support!" Brock said as he held my shoulder and I beamed at them both.

"And when I become the greatest Pokémon Master, I'll also help you in whatever way you need! We all will, won't we Pikachu?" Ash said as he looked down to Pikachu, who nodded his head.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu ran up my body then nuzzled into my face. "Chuuuu!" I giggled then picked him up to cuddle along with Squirtle, hugging them both as the other Pokémon crowded around.

"I can't wait to get started! Oh there's so much to learn, but that's why filling up my PokéDex is so important now. I have to have information on every single Pokémon so I can know what they need to be happy and healthy…it's going to be great!" Suddenly my excitement was cut short when I looked around. "Hey, where's Charmander? I wanted to have a talk with him."

"We put him back into his Pokéball for a time out. He looked pretty upset though, so maybe you should leave it until tomorrow." Brock suggested. "Charmanders tend to hold onto their emotions for a while, so he'll be in a better mood by morning." I made a mental note of that fact.

"Okay. I'll talk in the morning." I nodded, taking the belt Brock was holding out to me then clipped it onto my belt. We all had dinner, a mix of berries, noodles and water which actually made a pretty decent soup then settled down to sleep for the night, though I gazed up at the stars with a smile, planning my future. It would take time, quite a few years in fact and there was no way I would be able to start now, being only ten, but time was all I needed, and I had plenty of that!