Well hello, there internet. Welcome to the sequel following Kindling Rivals. I've been waiting to do this kind of fic for a LONG time. Once again, I'd like to thank Jacob Pendra-Huth and animedevilluvzyuri for helping with this. So without further adieu, enjoy.

In a campsite in the middle of the woods, the soft crackling of the campfire could be heard in the night air. A young girl of sixteen years old, along with a draconic creature, kept a close eye on the mysterious girl they found who fell from the sky several hours ago. Judging by her clothes, it was obvious she wasn't around from here. She had three questions about this strange girl; who was she, where did she come from, and what kind of book she was carrying? She found out about it while tending her injuries, and it was unlike anything she'd seen before. What was more mysterious about the book was the language written in it. She was pretty fascinated by it even though she couldn't understand it but wanted to know more about it. Until then, she just had to wait for this girl to wake up. It was a good thing she'd already started to make dinner since she figured her new guest would be very hungry when she woke up.

Then she started to hear small sounds coming from the other girl. She saw her eyes stir and mumbling something. "Leonie…"

The girl raised an eyebrow at the name. "Leonie?"

Her draconian companion walked up to the sleeping girl to have a closer look. It approached her and stopped once it was close enough. It tilted its head at her until she turned her body toward it and punched it straight in its face. The punch sent it hurdling toward a tree, and its body slammed against it. "That's my food…." The girl sleepily mumbled.

"Gible!" The girl became very worried about her companion and ran to it. She kneeled next to her companion to see if it was unharmed. She saw it stand up and shake its body. The girl was somewhat relieved her friend was uninjured, but now she became more curious about the girl. How could a human send a Pokemon flying by sheer strength alone?

Since Sienna was facing the pot cooking over the fire, the scent of the stew was wafting in her direction. The smell seemed to stir her, and she slowly opened her eyes. Once she saw the pot, her eyes widened instantly. "FOOD!"

Sienna's scream startled the girl, and she turned to see her standing up and going for the pot. "No, wait, don-!" Sienna grabbed both sides of the pot with her bare hands, and within less than a second, she screamed out in pain and instantly let go. She brought her hands up to her face and blew on them to cool off. "I tried to warn you."

Sienna stopped blowing on her hands and looked in the other girl's direction, finally noticing her. "Who the hell are you?!"

The girl crossed her arms. "That's a rather rude thing to say to the person who looked after you when you fell from the sky and crashed."

Now Sienna seemed confused by the other girl's words. "Crashed and fell from the sky-" Then a strong realization struck her, and she gasped. "OH, CRAP! LEONIE! She's gotta freaking out that I'm gone! Wait, now that I think about it, I'm not even in the dungeon anymore! What happened to those bastards I was fighting? Where the hell am I!?" A million thoughts were racing through her mind, and it couldn't keep up. Then it all abruptly stopped when she and the other girl heard a rather loud stomach growl.

The girl couldn't help but laugh at the moment. "Perhaps you'll feel better when you have something to eat." Sienna couldn't argue against that, especially when food is involved.

Within the next few minutes, the girl poured some soup into Sienna's bowl, and they began to eat together, with the girl's Gible eating food from its bowl. Upon eating the first spoonful, she squealed in delight at the taste. "Holy crap, this tastes awesome!"

The other girl chuckled at the compliment. "Thank you." She ate a spoonful from her bowl. "So, what's your name? Mine is Cynthia."

"It's Sienna." She answered as she took ate another spoonful of her soup.

"Sienna."

"It's nice to meet you, Sienna. Where are you from? It's not every day I see people falling from the sky."

Sienna stopped eating her stew as soon as she heard the question. How was she going to explain that she fell from the sky? Moreover, how was she going to explain where she was from? It's not like she could lie because it still wouldn't explain the falling from the sky bit. There was only one way she could answer Cynthia's question, and she looked away. "I'd…rather not talk about it."

Surprisingly enough, Cynthia accepted Sienna's answer, though she did tilt her head in curiosity before resuming, "I see then. That's fine. Though interesting, you fell from the sky and survived with little to no injury; I'll respect your privacy. So, maybe you can answer this; who is this Leonie person? You mumbled her name in your sleep."

Now that question Sienna can answer. "Leonie's a really good friend of mine and also my rival."

Cynthia laughed a little at that last part. "Your rival, huh? It's good to have a friendly rivalry. It pushes you both to strive to be the best you can be."

That was something Sienna strongly agreed with. "Yeah, that sounds like us. I think she's pretty much freaking out I'm dead after what I did." Cynthia took note of that but didn't bother to ask as she took another sip from her stew. "By the way…." She focused her attention on Cynthia's Gible, who was currently eating from its bowl. "What the hell is that thing? It looks like some weird land shark."

Cynthia chuckled a little as she gently petted her Gible. "Oh, her? This is Gible. She's my partner Pokemon." She gave it some scratches, and it chirped happily.

"That thing's a girl? And what the hell is a Pokemon?" Sienna received an answer, but it brought up more questions. "So, what exactly is a Pokemon, and where am I?"

Cynthia was first perplexed by Sienna's question but then was glad she asked it. "You don't know about Pokemon?" Hearing that came across as strange to her because how can anyone not know about them when they're abundant all over the world? Did she have amnesia from her fall? No. All the facts about her knowing stuff outside of Pokémon were proof she wasn't suffering memory loss. Still, discussing this sort of topic wasn't something she wouldn't shy away from, so she'd be happy to explain it to the other girl.

Smiling at her, she explained, "Well, to begin, Pokemon are wonderful creatures that inhabit our world that hold abundant mysteries. Humans and Pokemon have co-existed with each other for as long as history can take us back. At times, they are friends in everyday life, and in others, they are our dependable partners. We eat with them, sleep alongside them, and, most importantly, we share experiences with them. One of the best experiences is traveling with them, and with that comes Pokemon Battles."

Sienna became quite interested in these Pokemon Battles. "So, you can make these things fight each other? Like, legally?"

Cynthia didn't understand why that'd be an issue since it was so natural to her but continued her explanation. "Pokemon Battles have been around just as long. Pokemon and their trainers all strive to be the best above all others, and there's one event that makes that dream possible; it's known as the Pokemon League."

Now Sienna was getting into Cynthia's explanations. "That sounds cool. What's that?"

"It's a competition," Cynthia replied. "To enter it, you need to collect eight official Gym Leader badges located in different cities. Of course, obtaining all eight badges is just the start. When you enter the Pokemon League, you'll be fighting against equally skilled trainers. And even after you do defeat them, there's still the Elite Four to face."

"Who're these Elite Four guys? They sound pretty tough." Sienna asked.

"The Elite Four are the toughest Pokemon trainers in the region, and each region has its own Elite Four. You have to defeat them one after another, and if you lose, that's it, and you'll have to try again next year. Of course, if you manage to defeat them, there lies one more challenge ahead: battling the Pokemon Champion. If you manage to overcome the Champion, you will have earned the title of being the best and strongest of all trainers."

Sienna was liking this Pokemon battle thing more and more. Beating other people to prove you're better? It sounded like something right up her alley. "And are you doing this Pokemon League challenge thing?"

Cynthia nodded at the question. "I am. Let me show you the badges I have now." She set her bowl aside and opened her backpack. She dug around in it until she pulled out a small, metal, rectangular case and presented it to Sienna. She opened it, and the other girl saw two small, different badges, each one with a different design. "These are the ones I've won so far, and right now, I'm traveling to Veilstone City to get my third badge. Veilstone isn't far from here, and I should be able to reach it by tomorrow." She closed the case and returned it to her backpack.

After hearing Cynthia's explanation of everything, Sienna had a pretty good idea of where she was. "It looks like that light I took for Leonie sent me much farther than just to a different continent. Somehow, someway, I was sent to a completely different world. Well, I guess that's more of a reason I can't tell her where I'm from because it sounds insane. There's gotta be a way for me to get back to the Clover Kingdom. I wouldn't be surprised if she made a grave for me already. I mean, I'm sure there's no proof I actually survived that light."

"So, what do you plan on doing after this?"

Cynthia's question broke Sienna's train of thought. "Huh?"

"I asked, where are you going to go after this?" Sienna looked down at her stew. While she knew her goal, the biggest problem was how to accomplish it. She was in a different world, with a whole new environment and set of rules, and she had nobody to rely on. The last thing she needed was to get into trouble in a place she wasn't familiar with. She was…all alone. "If you don't have anywhere else to go, you can travel with me for a bit."

Sienna immediately lifted her head to look at Cynthia, appearing hopeful. "Really? You mean it?"

Cynthia chuckled lightly again. "Of course. I'd never turn down someone who needs help. And traveling can be more fun when you have someone with you. We're already near Veilstone, so getting you new clothing would definitely help." Sienna took a look at herself and then looked at the clothes Cynthia was wearing. Comparing the two, Sienna would stick out like a sore thumb with her clothes. "And you can also watch me fight the Gym Leader to see what Pokemon battles are like. How does that sound?" What she didn't add was that she was still very, VERY curious about Sienna and wanted to learn all about her to uncover the hidden truths about her character.

Sienna didn't have much choice since this was the best available option. Plus, she was intrigued by what this world's battles were like. She smiled back at Cynthia and nodded. "It sounds like a plan to me."

"Good. Now, let's finish up our dinner and get some sleep. If we leave early in the morning, we should arrive at Veilstone around noon. So, let's eat." The two girls and Cynthia's Gible resumed eating their dinner until it was finished. When dinner was over, Cynthia brought out her sleeping bag and set it on the ground. "Are you sure you don't want a sleeping bag? It's more comfortable."

Sienna was sitting against a tree near Cynthia. "Eh, I"m fine. I'm more used to sleeping like this outside."

"If it's fine by you." Cynthia slipped into her sleeping bag, and her Gible lay next to her. "Good night, Sienna. See you in the morning."

"Good night." Cynthia turned her lantern off and fell asleep, with Gible quickly following her. Before going to sleep, Sienna looked up at the night sky and saw the full moon. She wasn't even in this world for a full day, and she was already feeling homesick. "I wonder how Clarice is doing. Leonie must've told her what had happened to me by now. The last thing I want to do is make her worry." She extended her arm to the moon and smiled as she closed her hand. "Don't worry, everyone. Through hell and high water, I'll find a way to come back to you all." With those determined thoughts, she set her arm down and closed her eyes, awaiting what tomorrow may bring her.

—

Sienna was standing in the darkness, with no presence near her. She was alone. She looked around, wondering where anybody was. "Cynthia?" She asked, looking all over. She looked to the floor and saw the dark wisps brushing by her feet. "This isn't good…" she muttered, and she ignited her fire magic, hoping to light up the place more. Her flames appeared, but for some reason, the area was just as dark as it was before. Her flames didn't even light up the ground at her feet.

"What is this place…" she asked, "Where is the light around here?" She wandered forward, keeping her flame aloft, trying to find something, anything around her. "Cynthia?!" She called out, "Clarice?! Hey, Leonie!" There was no reply. "Is anyone there?!" She cried out, now getting more and more desperate, "Please, someone, answer me!"

Just then, a bright light suddenly shot out of the blue, surprising her and blinding her. She did not see it coming. There was no sign of any presence before it strained her eyes. She shielded her eyes and peered through the brightness to see what was causing the light. From within, she could see something was there. Her eyes slowly adjusted, and she was able to see something awfully familiar. It then occurred to her what it was; the exact same spherical relic that caused her to be in this mess. The energy from within, that halo frame around it.

"Wha… What's it doing here?!" She demanded, lowering her hand before turning it into a flaming fist, going from startled to enraged. "You…you are responsible for sending me to this world! And here you are, tormenting me in my sleep?!"

She raced to it and was about to punch it when she got shot back by a burst of energy. She plummeted backward, and instead of hitting the ground, she fell right through, falling deeper and deeper into the depths. As she looked up, she could've sworn she saw a slight change in it. The spherical object transformed, gaining long legs and a body like a deer. It tilted its head down at her, and she saw its red eyes. The moment she locked eyes with it, a wave of fear drowned her. This thing, whatever it was, was powerful. Far too powerful to even stand up to. This fear consumed her as she fell endlessly into the abyss.

She suddenly gasped as she sat up, looking about. She had awoken from her sleep, her body still flaming from her activating her magic. She had never activated her magic in her sleep before. Fearing Cynthia or someone else might see it, she quickly doused out her fire. "That was too close…" she muttered, sighing in relief.

She looked down, thinking about what she had just witnessed. "What was that?" She asked, thinking about the beast she encountered in her sleep, "That monster… was that one of those Pokémon things?" She placed her hand on her heart, which was beating rapidly. The moment their eyes locked, she felt completely defeated. Almost like she was standing in front of an all-powerful deity.

She looked to Cynthia, who was rolled to her side, facing away from her. "Guess she didn't see me." She muttered. She paused for a second before saying, "I shouldn't worry about it for the moment. It was just a nightmare, after all…." She rolled to her side and fell asleep almost instantly.

Unbeknownst to her, Cynthia was wide awake as she hid her shocked face. "Her body…" she muttered, only seeing it moments before she awoke. "Her body…was on fire…like a Pokémon. Just who is she?"