Heeellloooo everybody! New chapter today! Everyone excited? I know I am! Soooo I have to say, I am excited about a few chapters coming up these next weeks as our travelers head to Goldenrod~ Some interesting and exciting things shall happen~! Hahah~ Anyways! Continue and new character being introduced! Character guide at the bottom!

After a nice lunch, Henry decided to get some training in with his Sandile. Gilbert wanted to do some training with Poochy. So they had a training battle.

"Alright Sandile! Time to use Crunch!" Sandile ran up to Poochy and opened his mouth wide, his teeth glowing white.

"Dig to dodge it!" Poochy dug into the ground and Sandile skidded across the ground as he just barely missed her.

"It's okay Sandile! You use Dig too!" Sandile dug into the ground.

Poochyena came out from under ground and blinked. She looked around. "Pooch?"

"Okay! Use Crunch!" Sandile came up out of the ground behind Poochy, mouth open wide, teeth glowing.

"Poochy! Dodge it now! Then counter with Headbutt!" Poochy quickly jumped out of the way and slammed her head against Sandile making him cry out and roll.

Henry grit his teeth. "Sandile! Hey are you okay buddy? Come on! I know you can get up! It's gonna be alright! Now get up!"

"Sa-Saaand..." Sandile stood up and shook his head. "Dile!"

"Okay! Now! Time to use Rock Climb!" Sandile's front claws started to glow white and grew longer. He stood up on his hind legs and brought them down. The ground separates and extends up under Poochy.

"Hold your spot! Be prepared for a counter!" Gilbert grins and Poochy nods, focusing.

Henry shook his head. "Their is no way he can counter this awesome attack~ Now go Sandile!"

Sandile started to run up the side of the mountain like structure. He prepares to ram into Poochy.

"NOW! LIKE WE PRACTICED!" Poochy opened her mouth and a black and purple ball formed in her mouth. She fired it at Sandile hitting him dead on and causing him to fall back and tumble down the structure and hit the ground. The ground started to turn back to normal and Pooch landed on the ground and growled.

"Sandile?!" Henry called. When the smoke cleared, Sandile was on the ground passed out with swirly eyes.

"Sandile is unable to battle! The winner is Poochy!" Alfred called since he was the ref this time.

"Kesese~! It so worked! I have been waiting to use that move for awhile now!" He grins and walked over to Poochy and picked her up. He smiles as she licked his chin and rubbed her head against him.

Henry picks up Sandile and rubbed his head. "Hey now it's alright! You did an awesome job out there little guy!" He grins.

Sandile looked up at him and smiles. "Sand!"

Gilbert walked over and grinned. "Great battle! The both of you!"

Henry chuckles. "Thanks. You really surprised us there you know. Right?" He looked down at Sandile who was curled up against his chest, shaking lightly as he went back to his shy and timid nature.

"Still shy around other people huh?" Gilbert tilted his head.

Henry nods. "Seems so. But I'm sure he'll warm up to everyone sooner or later! But at least he isn't shy when battling." He looks down at his shaky Pokemon and rubs his head.

Gilbert chuckles and nods. "I'm sure he will. Kesese~ He is pretty strong though, for a shy guy."

Ludwig stood up, putting his map away in his backpack. "Alright lets go. I have mapped out the perfect route. Now lets get moving."

Totodile yawned and rubbed his eyes as he woke up from his nap. He shook his head and was about to walk over to when something caught his eye. He looked over at the bushes and tilted his head. Something shiny caught his attention and poked his head through the bushes.

Henry returned Sandile back into his Pokeball. He then put his backpack on his back. "Now where's Totodile..." He looked around.

"Totodile!" He pulled on his trainers pant leg. Henry blinks and looks down at him. He was holding some sort of stone that looked like it had some sort of flame in it.

Henry picked him up and took the stone. "What's this?"

Alfred walked over and gasped slightly. "Whoa! That's a Fire Stone, dude!"

Henry tilted his head. "A Fire stone? You mean like one of those things that can induce evolution?"

He grinned and nodded. "Exactly like one of those things!"

Henry chuckles. "Awesome! Good job Totodile! You found a real cool stone! And like...one of my Pokemon can evolve using one of these!"

"Ja you're right. Growlithe evolves using a fire stone." Ludwig said as he had walked over and looked at the stone.

Henry nods. "Yeah! That's right!" Henry handed the stone back to Totodile who held it and looked at it. Henry took off a Pokeball from his belt and threw it up. "Come on out Growlithe!"

With flash Growlithe came out and panted as he looked at Henry. "Growl!"

"Hey there buddy!" He set down Totodile who continued to look at the stone and marvel at its beauty. "Now Totodile found a fire stone and I know you can evolve with it! Now you don't have to do it now, but whenever you feel like you want to evolve you tell me, alright?" He winks and chuckles.

Growlithe blinks and smiles at him. He barks and wags his tail. "Growl! Growl!"

"You're not going to evolve him now?" Ludwig raised a brow. "You know he will become stronger if you do."

Henry nods as he takes the stone from Totodile, who wasn't all that happy about it, and puts it away in his backpack. "Yep! I'm sure! Growlithe can choose when he wants to evolve. I don't mind it!" He grins and nods.

Ludwig nods. "Well alright. If you say so."

Growlithe ran up to Henry and jumped into his arms and licked his cheek a few times. Henry chuckles and holds him in his arms. "Awwwhhh I love ya too buddy!"

Then the group continued on their path to Goldenrod City. Totodile was on Henry's shoulder, while Growlithe happily followed next to him. Henry thought it would be nice to let his Growlithe out for awhile.

"So Gilbert what type does the next Gym Leader use?" Alfred asked to break the silence.

Gilbert rubbed his chin. "Hmmm...it waaaas...Fairy! Right the leader there uses Fairy-types."

"Fairy? Well alright! Sounds awesome! As long as we train hard their won't be anything that can stop us!" Henry grinned. Totodile pushed his sunglasses over his eyes and nodded. Growlithe cried out and waged his tail.

"Kesese~! Not even there and you sound like you're ready to challenge the gym leader now!" Gilbert snorts and chuckles.

Henry chuckles and rubs the back of his head. "Well yeah! I am just really excited!"

"Well we still have a few more days before we even get half way there." Ludwig said.

"I knoooow. But I can't help but be excited~!" He chuckles. "This is gonna be our THIRD gym!"

Alfred nods and laughs. "Hell yeah! And just think! Since we already have two we just need six more! Man I'm all excited now too!" Alfred laughs and grins.

They were all starting to get excited but then were stopped by a smoke bomb being thrown down in front them. They coughed as the smoke surrounded them and tried looking around as they heard a laugh.

"All better beware! As they step into the den of The Pokemon Stone Master!" When the smoke cleared, a boy, about their age, stood there, holding up a black cape. He had red eyes, dark brown hair, dark sunglasses, lightly tanned skin, and cocky smirk.

The four blinked and stared at the man. He looked kind of like Alfred in a way.

Ludwig raised a brow. "And who are you exactly...?"

Alfred cleared his throat. "And why do you call yourself the Pokemon Stone Master?" He tilted his head with a confused look on his face.

The stranger grinned and lifted up his dark sunglasses. "Well. I am the master of all Pokemon that require a stone for evolution! The name's Allen!" He grinned. He glanced over at the Growlithe who was growling at him and standing in front of Henry protectively.

"Ohhhh...hey! You!" He points to Henry. "Did you just catch that Growlithe?" He raised a brow.

Henry blinks a few times and gets down on one knee and rubs the head of his Pokemon. Growlithe stopped growling and looked up at him and wagged his tail. "No. I've had him for a a pretty long time. He was the first ever Pokemon I caught!"

Allen nodded slowly. "Okaaaay...do you not have a Fire Stone yet?"

Henry picked up Growlithe and held him in his arms. "Well I have one now. Totodile just found one today." Totodile nodded.

Allen facepalmed. "And you haven't evolved him yet!? What are you waiting for?!"

Henry tilted his head. "Well...Growlithe didn't seem like he wanted to evolve yet. So I didn't wanna make him evolve when he didn't want to."

Allen sighed heavily. "Look here! The best part about having Pokemon that evolve using stones is evolving them right away! So they become stronger! More powerful! And over all AWESOME!" He grins.

Alfred shook his head. "Well he doesn't HAVE to evolve him if he doesn't want to dude."

"But just think about how much stronger his little Growlithe would be! It will become a big strong Arcanine! I did it with my Growlithe and didn't regret a thing! Neither did he!" He sets his hands on his hips.

"Well I think all Pokemon have the power to be strong! Growlithe can be just as strong as any Arcanine! And I will prove it!" Henry looked determined. Growlithe growled and nodded, also looking determined.

"Growlthe!" He wanted to prove himself too! He is as strong as any evolved Pokemon!

Allen smirked and laughed. "Well alright! Than their is only one way to settle this~"

The two trainers locked eyes and so it began. Allen versus Henry, the battle was about to begin. Ludwig was the ref.

"This shall be a one on one battle. Each trainer shall use one Pokemon each and whichever side is unable to battle is declared the loser. Let the battle begin!"

"Hahaha! Lets go Fang!" Allen took out a Pokeball then threw it. With a flash out came a canine Pokémon with an orange pelt marked by jagged black stripes. It has diamond-shaped ears with beige insides, black eyes, a round, black nose, and two pointed teeth protruding from its upper jaw. Its head, muzzle, and chest are covered in shaggy, beige fur, except for two oval sections around each eye and ear. Long tufts of fur grow behind its knees and around its ankles. Its underside is black, and it has a billowing, beige tail that is bent in the middle

Alfred took out his Pokedex. "That's a cool and big Pokemon for sure..." He aimed it at the Pokemon. Arcanine, the Legendary Pokémon. Arcanine runs so smoothly, it appears to be flying and is known for its majestic cry.

"Okay Growlithe lets go!" Growlithe runs forward and growls up at his evolved form.

Arcanine tilted his head a bit and snorted. Allen laughed and grinned. "This is going to be a peace of cake! Okay Fang! Use Flamethrower!"

"Arrrrc!" Arcanine opened his mouth and let loose a stream of fire from his mouth.

"Stand your ground!" Henry grins. Growlithe stands his ground and was hit by the Flamethrower but didn't look affected. Henry laughs. "Thanks to Growlithe's special ability, Flash Fire, fire-type moves only make his own fire-type moves stronger!

Allen snorts. "I am aware. I was just making sure that was his ability. Fang here has the same one."

Henry blinks. "Okay...coool...alright Growlithe! Use Tackle!" Growlithe ran up to Arcanine and was going to ram into him.

Arcanine quickly and easily moved out of the way. "Alright Fang! Use Thunder Fang!" Fang's fangs glow yellow and sparks of yellow electricity surround them. He lunges and bites down on Growlithe.

Growlithe cries out when he is shocked by the attack and groans when Fang lets go.

"Growlithe!" Henry called out to his Pokemon. "Are you okay?!"

Sparks of electricity were flying off Growlithe. He stood up and shook out his fur. "Growl!" He looked back at Henry and nodded.

"Alright! He's fast, for sure, but that's okay! We will show him we are strong! Now, use Crunch on his tail!"

Growlithe ran behind Fang, his teeth glowing, then bit down hard on his tail.

"ARRRRRR!" Fang cried out and started to run around and shake Growlithe off of his tail.

"That's right Growlithe! Keep on tight!" Henry laughs.

"Hey Gil, do you think Henry can win this? That Arcanine sure looks powerful." Alfred looked at Gilbert.

The trainer nods. "Yeah. I know he can. Henry's the type of guy who doesn't care about evolutions and all that. He's strong hearted and believes in his Pokemon's abilities. So I know he's going to win." He grins.

Alfred looked at Henry and smiles. "Yeah! You're right." He grins.

"Fang! Get him off of your tail! Use your own Crunch to bite HIS tail now that he's right there!" Allen stomped his foot.

Fang opened his mouth, his fangs glowing and he turned around to bite Growlithe's tail.

"LET GO!" Henry commands. Growlithe lets go and Fang bites down on his own tail, making him jump up and cry out.

Henry laughs and grins. "See? Look at that! Never underestimate me and my Pokemon!"

Allen grit his teeth. "Okay! No more mister nice guy. Lets go Fang! Lets show these weaklings how strong a Pokemon becomes when it evolves! Bulldoze!"

Alfred's jaw dropped. "He knows Bulldoze?! That's a super effective move for a fire type like Growlithe!"

Fang raised his front paws and brings them down, causing a shockwave and the ground to shake a bit.

Growlithe whimpered and grit his teeth when the ground shook a bit. He panted when it stopped and growled.

"Growlithe! Hey! Are you okay buddy?!" He looked worried at his Pokemon. That move was super effective! Was it all over...?

Growlithe growled lightly and shakily stood up. "Growl!"

"It's okay Growlithe! It'll be alright! I know you can handle it!" Henry nods. "Now come on! Time to use Tackle again!"

Growlithe nodded and ran up to Fang, ready to ram himself into him.

"Dodge then use Extreme Speed!" Allen smirked as he called out.

Fang jumped out of the way then became surrounded by a white clear aura. He then charged at Growlithe with great speed, in the blinks of an eye Growlithe was hit and thrown back, hitting a tree and then the ground.

"Groooowl..." He groaned softly as he looked at Fang, half lidded eyes. He tried standing up but fell.

"Growlithe!" Henry called to his Pokemon and grit his teeth. "I guess...he's to strong for us...it's okay Growlithe! Just stay down! They are a stronger than us! It's okay! We will just train harder and next time we'll get them, okay? It's gonna be alright." He takes out his Pokeball. "Sometime you gotta know when to quit."

Allen laughed and crossed his arms and grins. "I told you! At least if you evolved your Growlithe into an Arcanine he would have stood more of a chance, the little pipsqueak couldn't beat my big strong Fang here!" He laughed.

Fang snorted and smirked, agreeing with his trainer.

Growlithe growled as he stood up. He looked at Henry a fierce, fiery, determined look in his face. Henry blinked as he saw that look and nodded slowly. He put his Pokeball away.

He smirked and nodded. "Right. Now go Growlithe! Go! AND SHOW THEM THAT EVOLUTION ISN'T ALL THAT MATTERS WHEN IT COMES TO POKEMON BATTLING!"

Growlithe let out a fierce howl startling Fang a bit. Growlithe's eyes started to glow red and his body was outlined in a red aura.

"Whoa...what's that move...?" Alfred tilted his head.

Gilbert laughed and stood up. "That's OUTRAGE! A super strong Dragon Type move!"

Alfred looked on in awe. "Whoa...I had no idea he could learn that..."

Allen and Fang were caught off guard by the attack. Growlithe had ran up to Fang and slammed himself into him, causing him to fly back and hit the ground pretty hard.

"What the-COME ON FANG! Thunder Fang!" Fang ran up to Growlithe, mouth open and teeth glowing yellow with yellow electricity surrounding them.

Growlithe jumped out of the way and caught his tail in his mouth and started to spin Fang around and around, releasing him and sending him into a tree, causing it to break and fall over. Fang groaned and stumbled back over.

"Come on Fang! Thunder Fang, lets go!" Fang's fangs started to glow yellow and yellow electricity surrounded them. Before he could even try to bite him Growlithe headbutted him hard under the muzzle causing him to bite and electrocute himself. Growlithe then ran under him and jumped up, headbutting him hard in the gut, sending him flying up in the air. Fang seemingly disappeared up in the air.

Allen blinked and stared at the sky. "Fang...?" A few seconds later Fang came crashing down to the ground creating a cloud of dirt when he hit the ground.

Growlithe panted and the aura vanished. He panted softly and growled, eyes still glowing red.

Arcanine was out cold on his back on the ground. "Arrrrr..."

"Arcanine is unable to battle! The winner is Growlithe! Henry is the victor of this battle!"

Growlithe's eyes went back to normal and he sat down, panting lightly. Henry ran up to him and picked him up, spinning him around and hugging him tight. "You were great out there Growlithe! Oh man! I was worried but you learned a brand new move! You're the greatest Growlithe ever!"

Growlithe smiled at him and licked his cheek a few times. "Growl." He was tired and lightheaded and rested his head on his shoulder.

Allen walked over to Fang and rubbed his head as he bent down. "You sure did look tough out there that's for sure." He stood up and held out his hand. "Man. Looks like I underestimated ya, huh? That Growlithe of yours sure is strong! And to have learned a DRAGON type move like that?! Looks like I got some things to learn myself. I guess maybe you were right."

Henry chuckles and shakes his hand. "Well we're young! So it's okay. Maybe one day we'll battle again." Henry chuckles and winks.

Allen snorts and returned Fang to his Pokeball. "Yeah and I'll be even STRONGER! I'll catch you around." Allen flipped his cape and ran off, laughing.

Henry smiled down at Growlithe. "Thanks again Growlithe. You're full of surprises, aren't ya?"

Growl smiles up at him. "Groooowl!"

Henry laughs and looks forward.

With a new trainer met, Growlithe learning a new move, and experience, they move forward with their journey to Goldenrod City. Another challenge faced and conquered! Our heroes move onward! Till next time!

Characters
Allen = 2P!America