Sorry for the wait, but this story is NOT dead! Enjoy the chapter.

***I still don't own Pokémon or Neon Genesis Evangelion!***

Four Years Later

Shinji and his friends were right to get those three strangely marked Pokémon out of there. It turns out that the man they overheard was, in fact, a Pokémon Poacher. A man named Brad Alameda, or Alameda Slim; wanted all throughout Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and even as far as Kalos. And as such, there is a very large bounty placed on his head. Dead or Alive.

The dead part being due to the fact that many Pokémon, rare and endangered alike, have been killed by this man during capture. A fact that infuriated Shinji beyond belief.

Unfortunately, Jafar had managed to get away before Officer Jenny could arrive on the scene. But he won't be on the run for much longer.

And as for the Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur that the kids saved, they haven't left the children's sides. As a solution to this, Professor Oak decided to allow Shinji, Asuka and Rei to keep the Pokémon. They'd later become our young trios official starters when they began their journey in four years.

Squirtle was a very dedicated worker with Asuka on her father's ranch. Mainly using his Water Gun attack to hose down the tractor, clean the tools, even providing a more efficient way to clean the family's Tauros. Squirtle and Asuka even had the same personality; laid back. Only ever fighting when they needed to.

Bulbasaur was a very rambunctious little Pokémon, a perfect match to Rei's boundless energy. But at the same time, she was the moderator of the two. She often used her Sweet Scent attack on the little girl to get her to calm down. Mainly at bedtime when they're supposed to be sleeping. I have a feeling that thanks to Bulbasaur, Rei will mellow out in the coming years.

And finally, Charmander had become Shinji's best friend and "partner in crime", as Misato liked to say. The little Fire-Type had this prankster personality, and liked to pull harmless pranks on others. Like that time it put a whoopee cushion under Pen-Pen just as the Empoleon was about to sit down. Oh, that one made all members of the family crack up. Unfortunately, this personality was a bit contagious, as proven when Shinji put green paint in Misato's shampoo. Fortunately, it came out very easily.

But these three children and their Pokémon friends did more than just play. They started learning twice as much about being trainers, and trained for battle just as hard. Asuka and Shinji were both friends and rivals. They both wanted to become Pokémon Masters, while Rei wanted to become a Top Coordinator for Pokémon Contests. Something that Misato was more than happy to teach the girl about.

As the years passed, our trio of future trainers have learned a lot. They learned battle tactics, how to make their own Pokémon food, how to use berries and herbs for medicines, and Shinji even learned that cooking comes naturally to him. This was something that Misato knew would come in handy on their journey.

But now, four years later, Shinji and his Pokémon partner were sitting in the boy's bedroom watching the final match in the Pokémon League. Both trainers were down to their last Pokémon. The champion had his Onix while the challenger was down to his Gengar.

"Just think, old friend. That'll be you and me up there, Draco. Me and you." Shinji said.

The young Pokémon nodded in agreement, knowing that with all of the training they went through, they'd become champions in no time. In fact, all of that training they did over the years didn't just help them become stronger. It also helped Draco and the others to evolve.

Draco was now a Charmeleon; the second form in the Charmander evolution line. He had red-orange skin with a yellowish-cream colored underbelly. His once vibrant red markings had darkened until they were the color of blood, and he was now a foot taller than his previous form. He had a thinner, slightly longer neck, longer arms with sharper and more prominent claws, a thinner head with a mouth full of needle sharp teeth, and a single blunt horn sticking out of the back of his head.

"Shinji," said Misato as she opened the door to his room. "It's eleven o'clock. You two should be asleep."

"Sorry, mom, we're just so excited to be starting our journey tomorrow." Shinji said.

Misato sighed, and smiled a bit. Shinji was just like her when she was his age. Enthusiastic and ready to take on all of the challenges that come with being a trainer. Still, she picked up the remote, and turned off the TV.

"I understand your excitement, but you boys won't be able to make good time on your journey if you don't get enough rest. Now, go to sleep." Misato instructed.

"Yes, ma'am." Shinji replied.

"Char." Draco added.

Once Misato left the room, Shinji changed into his pajamas and got into bed, while Draco went over to his own bed and curled up to sleep. Thankfully, this bed was also fire retardant.

"Tomorrow, I meet up with Asuka and Rei to begin the journey of a lifetime. Look out world, Shinji Katsuragi is on the way!" Shinji thought to himself as he fell asleep.

***The Next Morning***

Shinji and Draco had gotten up just before the Dodrio crowed. They did this to make sure that they had everything they needed to be prepared for the trip. After all, it was going to be a long one.

"Let's see here… Potions? Check. Money? Check. Awakens? Check. Antidotes? Check. Burn, Paralyze, Ice Heals? Triple check. Well, I think that's everything." Shinji said, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

Shinji was now wearing an entirely different outfit from what he used to wear. It now consists of a black, sleeveless muscle shirt that showed off the fruits of his training, a pair of khaki cargo pants, and a pair of black combat boots. He also wears a baseball cap that's a red and white color scheme with a Poké Ball logo on the front.

"Char meleon - char!" Draco said in his native language, nodding in agreement.

On their way out of the room, Shinji and Draco took a moment to run a hand down the doorframe. They smiled in sadness as they took one final look at their room. The many memories that this old place held.

And now… they began their journey as warriors amongst trainers.

***To Be Continued…***