Pokémon - The Journey

Pokémon

The Journey – A New Trainer story by BenRG

Legal Disclaimer

Pokémon, the Pocket Monsters and all characters and institutions connected with them are the property of Nintendo Entertainment, Game Freak Software and 4Kids Entertainment. This is a non-profit work written for free distribution through the world-wide web. No infringement of any copyright or legal property intended.

Peter Croft is entirely my creation, as are all the other original characters in this story, for now.

Author's Notes

Some New Trainer stories are good, some are not so good and some are just dire. I've never tried this genre before, so I'm going to try it now. If this is bad, then say so for pity's sake and I'll stop!

Okay, usual warnings apply. I don't know the continuity or the moves very well, so I'll be faking it most of the time. That doesn't mean that I want all you smart-alecs out there who know everything to tell me where I go wrong. K? K. Otherwise reviews are welcome. If my grammar is wrong, my in-story continuity is tangled and mixed or if my story is useless, please let me know so I can improve my work.

I wish to give my thanks to the team at www.PokeMasters.com for their excellent R/B/Y walkthrough. It has been of inestimable help in letting me learn the details of the Pokémon world. If the direction some of the non-plot events of 'The Journey' take is familiar, it is because I have taken it directly from Pokémon Red/Blue's in-game story. Oh, I'm not going to exactly follow the in-game story, but I will be 'borrowing' quite a bit. Thanks Game Freak!

Text in Italics is thought or psychic communication.

Text in "Quotes and Italics" is speech from some kind of loudspeaker, phone, etc.

Text in [Squared Brackets] is translated Pokémon talk.

Censor: PG – Because Pokémon fight, and fights can be unpleasant things.

Continuity Note: This story starts six years after Ash Ketchum started his own Pokémon Journey.

The Story

Chapter 4 – Patterns of Darkness and Light

Peter could only stare at the two Team Rocket terrorists in a kind of blank amazement. This was something that simply wasn't supposed to happen in Kanto anymore. Team Rocket was extinct for crying out loud! Their boss, Giovanni diRocketti, was mouldering behind bars in The Anvil, the UN's maximum-security prison in Antarctica. Yet here they were.

Although Peter was too surprised to even move, let alone speak, Lia was not so restrained. "What the hell is this?" she snapped acidically. "What travelling circus did you two escape from?"

Kelly, the blonde-haired woman reacted with some surprise to the girl's fearless challenge. Her purple-haired partner, Ned, wasn't so restrained. "We're from the circus of nightmares, girlie," he said with a sick, sadistic smile. "Now, unless you two want to have you cute li'l faces pounded into pulp, hand 'em over!"

Peter and Lia looked at each other. Both the youngsters were frightened, of course, but neither of them were cowards. "If you think we're just going to hand over our friends to you, you are crazier than you look," Lia snapped.

"Yeah," Peter added. "If you're smart, you'll crawl back under whatever rock you came from! Everyone knows about Team Rocket, we read about your exploits in the 'Four-time Loser Annual Report.'" That made Lia laugh a little.

To their surprise, Kelly laughed too. "You two are brave," she said mockingly. "That does you credit. Tell you what, if you hand over your Pokémon now, we'll let you go, without stealing everything else you've got."

"Oh, you've got to be kidding," Peter sneered. "Go Shadow!"

"Help him out, Chikorita!" Lia added. The two youngsters' Pokémon materialised in between them and the terrorists.

"If that's how you want to play it," Ned snarled, pulling a Pokéball from his belt. "Go Magnemite!" The robotic electric-type materialised at Ned's side.

"Too bad kids, we'll try not to make this hurt too much," Kelly added. "Come on out, Spinarak!" The spider-like bug-type materialised at Kelly's feet.

"Shadow, use Sand Attack!" Shadow immediately reversed his position and kicked sand in Team Rocket's faces. The two humans and Spinarak reeled back, instinctively covering their eyes.

"Magnemite, use Thunder!" Ned shouted.

"Dodge!" Peter called. Shadow and Chikorita dodged to either side. Even so, they caught the edges of the electric attack, knocking them off their feet.

"Great shot, Magnemite," Ned crowed. "Over to you, Kel!"

"Spinarak, use Venom Bite!"

"Peter, Chikorita can handle the bug!" Lia shouted. She had remembered that plant-types had a type advantage against poison-types. "Chikorita, Tackle!" she ordered. Chikorita caught Spinarak as he was still charging and knocked him flying.

"Shadow, use Tackle now!" Peter added. His Eevee charged and slammed himself against the hovering electric-type. There was a 'clang' and the robot tumbled back.

"Hey, they're pretty good for kids," Kelly said, maddeningly calm for some reason. "Ned, use tactic alpha-three!" She turned back to the battle. "Spinarak, centre," she called. Her bug type jumped away from Chikorita and returned to standing in front of and in between the terrorists.

"Magnemite, centre," Ned added. His Magnemite floated over to hover over Spinarak.

Peter didn't know what 'tactic alpha-three' was, and he didn't want to wait to find out. "Okay, let's finish this," he said. "Shadow, use Tackle again!"

"Close in, Chikorita," Lia called, "then use Poison Powder!"

The two Pokémon charged their Team Rocket opposite numbers fearlessly. Ned grinned sadistically. "Magnemite, use Thunderbolt," he commanded.

"Spinarak, Net Cast," Kelly added. Magnemite released an enormous electric attack that flashed over Shadow and Chikorita, knocking them out. Simultaneously, Spinarak threw two nets of sticky silk that struck Peter and Lia, tangling them up. The two youngsters fell to the ground, helplessly bound. Every time they tried to escape, they got themselves even more tangled up in the sticky strands.

"Ah, we win again," Kelly said. "It's getting a habit. Thanks for letting us exercise our Pokémon, kids!"

Ned snorted, pulled out a pair of Pokéballs and threw them, capturing Shadow and Chikorita. "Leave them alone!" Lia shouted. "They're ours!"

"Not anymore they aren't," Ned sneered as he picked the balls up.

Kelly rolled her eyes. "If you know what's good for you, brat, you'll shut up," she snapped. She walked over and flipped both youngsters onto their faces with an idle touch of her toe. She opened small cuts in the web nets using a sharp knife she pulled out of a scabbard on her right shoulder and pulled their other Pokéballs off their belts.

"What have they got, Kel?" Ned asked.

"Two Pidgeys, a Rattata and a Caterpie," Kelly replied. "Worthless. We can get them anywhere. The Boss would probably fine us for wasting space on the transport with these." Ned nodded in agreement and Kelly threw the four Pokéballs back towards the helplessly tangled youngsters.

"You can't do this!" Lia shouted, crying now in frustration, anger and sorrow. "They're our friends."

"Cry me a river, wimp," was Ned's only comment.

"You'll never get away with this!" Peter cried. "We'll tell the police!"

"Ooh! I'm really scared!" Kelly laughed. "I'm sure the other two dozen or so Trainers we've robbed this month called in the cops too! Hasn't stopped us yet!" Kelly shook her head in a kind of condescending disgust. "You two are getting out of this alive," she said. "Be thankful for that small mercy." Kelly turned to leave, but then turned back at the very last moment. "Oh, and don't worry about your 'friends,'" she added. "Team Rocket treats its' Pokémon very well, really."

Ned laughed contemptuously. "Magnemite, Thunder," he ordered. The robotic electric-type fired another attack that flashed across Peter and Lia. The two youngsters screamed in agony and then everything was darkness.

The first thing Peter was aware of was a pain that filled his entire body, making him wish devoutly for the oblivion of unconsciousness to return. Then he heard a strange sound: A helpless, heartbroken weeping.

Suddenly, memory returned and Peter felt tears force their way from his closed eyes too. He remembered the appearance of the two Team Rocket terrorists, the brief, unequal battle and them stealing… no, kidnapping Shadow and Chikorita. Finally, he was able to identify the noise. It was Lia, and she was crying. No surprise, he felt like doing the same.

"L… Lia…?" he said hoarsely.

"Peter!" Lia sobbed. "Oh thank God you're okay!"

Why is she surprised I'm okay? Peter asked himself in a confused way. Oh, of course, I haven't opened my eyes yet. Peter opened his eyes. He was still tangled in the web net cast by Kelly's Spinarak. He could see Lia just a few feet away. She was tangled up too, and was lying awkwardly with her back to Peter, looking over her shoulder at him. In between them lay four of their Pokéballs. Team Rocket, in their arrogance, hadn't judged Buck, Bugsy, Avia and Pidgey as being worthy of their efforts.

"Are you okay?" Peter asked.

"No!" Lia cried out. "No I'm not… I… we… we're failures!" Lia was trying to talk around her sobs. "We've lost our… our first Pokémon… and… and now we're going to lie here until we starve to death!"

"We aren't going to die!" Peter shouted, a little too loudly. Mentally, he kicked himself for letting his anger and pain get the better of him. "Lia," he continued more gently, "these web attacks disintegrate after a few hours! When they do, we're going to go and get Shadow and Chikorita back!"

"They'll be miles away by then!" Lia protested. "We… we'll never find them! Oh Chikorita! I'm sorry… please… I'm so sorry I was such a bad trainer…" The girl's voice degenerated into sobs again.

"Lia…" Peter trailed off. Lia was right, and so was Kelly. It was hopeless. They would never see Shadow or Chikorita ever again. The pain rose up and Peter curled up as best as he could while tangled up and began to cry too. His first Pokémon, a being who was fast becoming his best friend, gone in an instant. Oh, it wasn't the end by a long shot. He still had Buck, Bugsy and Avia. Somehow, however, it wouldn't be the same without Shadow and his continual wry comments…

Suddenly, Peter opened his eyes and stopped crying. They still had Buck, Bugsy, Avia, and Pidgey… Lia!" he called out.

"What? Leave me alone!" Lia shouted.

"Lia, there's a chance. We've still got the others. Can you move backwards towards me? Try it please!"

Lia looked at Peter through her red, tear-filled eyes. "What are you talking about?" she asked unsteadily.

"Lia, I can tell or I can do. Every second lets those two…" Peter's pre-teen vocabulary ran out. He was sure his mother would lock him in his bedroom without supper if he said the word that best described the Team Rocket agents. "It lets them get further away. Trust me, please."

With a few grunts of discomfort, Lia managed to jump back a few inches by throwing her tangled body into the air. She was very close to the four Pokéballs now. "Okay, Lia," Peter said, "just a little closer." Lia made another clumsy jump. Now it was up to Peter. He peered at the balls until he saw the one he wanted. He curled up again and then suddenly lashed out with his legs. He caught one of the balls and it rolled along the ground until it hit Lia.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Buck's Pokéball," Peter said. "It's right by your left arm. If you roll onto your back, you should be able to touch it."

Lia looked at Peter levelly. "Peter, you're crazy!" she said.

"Just do it!" Peter snapped, then kicked himself mentally again. "Sorry Lia. Look, I think we can still win this. Please do as I say!"

Lia rolled over, even thought that involved tangling her right leg uncomfortably underneath her back. She fumbled with her bound left hand and then grabbed the ball. "Well done!" Peter crowed. "Now release Buck!"

Lia bit her lip in discomfort and concentration. After no little fumbling (her hand was out of sight and she couldn't move far enough in the net to see it), she found the 'Release' touch pad and pressed hard. There was a 'pop' and Buck materialised in between Lia and Peter.

The Rattata stared at the two humans in surprise. [What in the name of MissingNo happened to you two?] he asked.

"I'll explain later, Buck," Peter said. "We need you to get these nets off of us. Can you chew through them?"

Buck walked over to Peter in a casual way and started to chew on the web net. [Yuck, tastes too much like dust,] he said. He stopped chewing and looked at his Trainer again.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that," Peter said through gritted teeth. "Just get this stuff off of us!"

[Okay, okay, I was only kidding!] Buck protested. He bent to his task again.

Spinarak silk is strong stuff, but a Rattata's teeth are sharp and their jaws are strong. It only took a few minutes for Buck to cut his two human friends out of their bonds. "Great job, Buck," Peter said, hugging the Rattata warmly. Lia grimaced a little at the thought, but she was so pleased to be free, she gave the normal-type a small kiss on his snout. Buck went bright red and started acting all coy in embarrassment.

The two youngsters released all of their friends and quickly filled them in on the situation. Peter looked at his watch. He and Lia had been unconscious from the Thunder attack for only about ten minutes, so Ned and Kelly couldn't be more than half a mile away, assuming that they were moving on foot.

"Buck," he said, "I know that this is normally Shadow's speciality, but I need you to find the scent trail of two people who were in this clearing just a few minutes ago. Can you do that?"

Buck gave his Trainer a sceptical look, but did as he was asked. He sniffed at the ground for a little and then walked over to where Route 22 continued to the west. [They went down here,] he said in a tone of certainty.

"Okay then," Peter said, wearing a grim expression.

"Uh, Peter," Lia said. He turned to look at his companion. The girl had her Pidgey sitting on her head. Her silk blouse was dirty and torn and her face was dirty too. What caught his attention was the uncertainty in her eyes and posture. "Shouldn't we just call the police?" Lia asked. "Those two are pretty dangerous! We can't handle them ourselves! Can we?"

"Lia, it takes the police ages to do anything," Peter replied firmly. "If we ever want to see Shadow and Chikorita again, we are going to have to rescue them ourselves."

Lia stood there, uncertain, for a long moment. Finally, her face darkened resolutely and she followed Peter down the path.

Ned and Kelly were sitting in a small clearing, which served as their base camp for now. Both of them were in a good mood, partly because they had successfully stolen two more Pokémon, but primarily because The Boss had promised them a bonus and two weeks leave if they continued to perform so well. The pick-up of this month's catch was scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. They were both confident that The Boss would be very pleased with what they had achieved.

As well as their tents and some equipment underneath a camouflaged cargo net, there was also a stack of five-by-five Pokéball pallets. Ned put the balls containing their newly acquired Eevee and Chikorita on the top pallet, making their grand total for the month 118. "Ah, the sweet smell of success," he said to himself. Ned walked over to his tent and reached in to pull out a bottle of his favourite libation. "You know, Kel," he said over his shoulder as he searched through his pack, "you really should just slit those little brats' throats when we finish with them."

"Yeah, that's right," Kelly said in a scornful tone, "become mass-murderers and have every SP in the region looking for us. The Boss wants us to discreet, knuckle-head!" Kelly had little use for Ned, who she regarded as violent, immature, dumb and clumsy. His only redeeming quality was he was a good fighter. Even that quality was beginning to be insufficient for her to tolerate him further. She hoped that this month's total would convince the Boss that they deserved promotion and she would be able to put in for a transfer away from the punk.

"Hey, enough with the insults," Ned snarled as he took a pull of his whiskey. "Discreet is for those who are scared. I'm not scared." Ned looked on Kelly as being far too gentle-hearted for Team Rocket. She actually seemed to have some ideals. She also had a conscience, something Ned regarded as a serious impediment to getting your assignment completed. Well, she was a good tactician and she had proven useful in a fight. Who knows? She might finally admit to herself that she thought he was a great guy and start going steady with him!

Kelly didn't reply to her partner's comments. Although she was aware of his pitiful fantasy of a romance, she wasn't going to dignify it by laughing in Ned's face. Instead, she got into her tent, lay down on her sleeping bag and closed her eyes, intending to rest away from the unpleasant sound of Ned's voice.

As the two Rockets rested after their morning patrol, neither of them noticed the Pidgey watching them from a tree. After a few moments, it flew off.

Peter watched as Pidgey spiralled out of the air and landed on his Trainer's arm. "So, did you find them?" Lia asked eagerly.

[They are in a clearing less than a minute away from here,] Pidgey replied. [The male is pacing around their camp looking very restless. The female is in her tent.]

Lia looked at Peter who was thinking very hard. Suddenly, a nasty smile split his face. "I think I know what we should do," he announced.

The first hint of trouble Ned had was when, suddenly, Kelly's tent collapsed on her. He heard her cry of surprise and turned to see a Rattata darting away from the severed guy ropes. "Kelly!" he shouted. "Hold on!" This was his chance! Chicks always loved guys who did the 'hero' thing. He would save Kelly from her embarrassing predicament and she would give him her heart as payment.

"Pidg-EEEE!" screamed a voice. Ned screamed a few seconds later as a Pidgey slashed its' razor-sharp talons across his face. He instinctively covered his face, so he didn't see the other Pidgey land a Caterpie in the centre of the clearing. He found out about it when the little maggot used String Shot to tangle up his legs.

"Crap!" Ned shouted, falling on his backside in a most undignified way.

While Ned floundered like a freshly caught Magikarp and Kelly struggled to escape the smothering embrace of her tent, Peter and Lia dashed into the Team Rocket camp. "Ha! This evens up the score, I think!" Peter crowed loudly.

Lia ran over to the stack of Pokéball pallets. "Peter, they're not marked," she called. "How do we find out which of these is Shadow and Chikorita?"

"Who cares which ones they're in?" Peter asked. "Take 'em all!" He ran over to Lia, who was standing by the cargo dump. He dragged a TR backpack out from under the net, tipped out its' contents (canned food, actually) and began to tip the Pokéballs into it in their place.

"Hold it right there!" shouted a feminine voice. Kelly had got free of her tent and was staring at the two Novices with a frankly murderous expression. "You had your chance to walk away, brats," she snapped. "Don't blame me for the consequences because you threw it away. Go Vulpix!" Kelly released her fox-like fire-type, who looked at the intruders and snarled angrily. "Vulpix, use Flame-thrower! Burn them alive!"

"Oh heck!" Peter said. He shoved Lia out of the way and ate dirt as the fire attack flashed through the spot they had been standing a second ago. Peter got to his knees and saw more bad news.

Ned had finally cut through the silk around his ankles using his survival knife. He jumped to his feet, blazing mad now. "Okay, twerps, time to die!" he shouted. "Go Magnemite and Buttout!" Two Pokémon materialised, Ned's robotic electric type and the goat-like normal-type native to the Icy Mountains north of Pewter City. "Okay, Buttout, use Thunder Butt," Ned ordered. The goat charged, red-gold earth energy playing around its' metallic horns.

"Buck, use Tackle!" Peter shouted. He then pointed at Kelly's Vulpix. "Avia, use Razor Wing!" His Rattata shot across the clearing and collided with Buttout's legs. Both Pokémon went down in a tangle of limbs. Simultaneously, Avia slashed her wing across the surprised fox's muzzle, making it yelp in pain and surprise.

"Pidgey, use Gust!" Lia added. Her Pidgey slammed a powerful slipstream into Magnemite, sending it reeling away, desperately trying to stabilise its' attitude and motion.

A fast-paced melee developed. Peter double-teamed Buck and Bugsy against Buttout, tangling the goat's legs with a String Shot while Buck kept up a relentless series of Bite and Tail Whip attacks. Meanwhile, Lia's Pidgey kept Magnemite in a spin and Peter's Avia continued a series of fast-paced attacks on Vulpix.

Something had to give soon. Kelly suddenly shouted out. "Ned, tactic beta-one!" Ned nodded. "Vulpix, use Ember!" Kelly commanded. The fox fired a fireball, not at Avia, but at Buck, knocking the Rattata off Buttout's back. Simultaneously, Magnemite fired a Thunder attack that struck Avia, sending her tumbling away from Vulpix. She recovered, but her flight was very unsteady. "Now, Vulpix, get that little girl!" Kelly shouted, her eyes wide and staring.

Peter watched as Vulpix began to chase Lia, who screamed in panic. Peter was about to move to aid her when a black blur slammed into him, sending him tumbling to the ground, his body exploding with pain. Peter blinked stupidly, too stunned to move, as Ned knelt astride his body. The big Rocket's face was twisted with sadistic pleasure. "You know, you could have been the best one day, kid," Ned said in a strangely friendly tone. "It's almost a pity it has to end here and now." Ned laughed, a single, humourless bark, and reached forward, his big hands flexing in anticipation of squeezing the life out of the boy lying in front of him.

Desperate and in a panic of mortal terror, Peter reacted instinctively. He lashed out blindly and caught Ned's jaw with a perfect right cross. Ned's head snapped back and he staggered to his feet, rubbing his injured chin, more surprised than hurt. A little blood was leaking from the side of his mouth where he had bit the inside of his cheek in surprise when Peter punched him. "Why you little…" he muttered and leaned forward again. Peter looked around desperately and saw Bugsy, standing victoriously on top of Ned's Buttout, which had been hog-tied and was bleating helplessly.

"Bugsy, use Tackle!" Peter shouted. Bugsy darted forward and slammed into Ned's chest, throwing him backwards.

Peter looked around and saw Lia suddenly stop and face the charging Vulpix. What is the girl doing? Peter asked himself in panic as he staggered to his feet. "Lia! No!"

Vulpix, seeing his prey hesitate, threw himself towards the girl, ready to rip her apart. Lia smiled humourlessly, raised the small aerosol can in her hand and pressed the nozzle down. A jet of CS-gas spat right into the fire-type's eyes, making him squeal in agony. "Not just poison-types can use Venom Spit," Lia said, breathing hard and barely able to believe that her desperate move worked.

Vulpix had fallen to the ground and was rubbing at his eyes with the back of his paws, desperately trying to get the stinging fluid out. "Vulpix!" Kelly shouted. "You little cow!" Kelly raised a Pokéball and recalled her fire-type. She swapped balls and released her Spinarak. "Spinarak… kill her!"

Oh please, Peter thought. "Avia?" he called.

[Here, Peter!] Avia shouted from the branch where she had been sitting, trying to get her bearings back after Magnemite's Thunder attack.

"Use Razor Wing and Peck on that bug!" Peter ordered

Avia darted forward, her wings whirring at maximum speed. Flying-types have an advantage against bug-types, no matter the relative experience levels. The battle didn't last long. The unconscious Spinarak landed right next to the hog-tied Buttout.

Peter looked around and saw Lia's Pidgey finally drive Ned's Magnemite into a tree branch with a well-aimed Gust attack. The electric-type staggered back, looking stunned. "Okay, now use Razor Wing!" Lia shouted. Pidgey darted forward and slashed her wing against Magnemite's metal body. There was a shower of sparks and the electric-type dropped to the ground, knocked off-line.

Kelly couldn't believe it. These two Twerps were winning! How was this possible? She staggered over to Ned and helped him to his feet. "I don't believe this," the man muttered. "This can't be happening!"

Buck (who was singed, but still functional) and Avia joined Bugsy standing in front of Peter. Pidgey continued to circle around Lia's head. Ned and Kelly recalled their defeated Pokémon. The two Rockets looked at each other and came to an agreement. They both nodded seriously. "Okay, playtime's over," Ned said. He reached behind him and pulled a semi-automatic pistol from a holster on the back of his belt. Kelly drew a smaller pistol out of a holster on the front of her belt.

Lia screamed in panic as the two terrorists raised their guns. Peter, however, had been thinking on how to get rid of them, and he now used his idea. "Bugsy, use Stink Spray!" Bugsy sprayed a defensive pheromone from the red crest on his head. The smelly liquid, reputed to be twice as foul as that of the North American Skunk, sprayed onto Ned and Kelly's uniforms. There was the foulest odour in creation and Kelly screamed in disgust.

"Oh God… I… I can't breathe," Kelly wailed. "Let's get out of here!"

"What about the loot?" Ned asked, staggering back while trying to cover his nose, not realising that his clothes were impregnated with the fluid now and that he was actually putting the source of the smell closer to his nose.

"Who cares about the loot?" Kelly asked, crying involuntarily because of the stench. The two Rockets, beaten, demoralised, and only barely holding down their lunches, fled blindly into the forest.

There was a long pause as Lia and Peter looked at each other in surprise. "Did we just win?" Lia asked.

"Shh!" Peter hissed. "Don't jinx it!" When the terrorists did not return, the two youngsters grinned wildly, cheered and hugged each other in glee.

Officer Jenny Black of the Viridian City Security Police looked around the abandoned Team Rocket base camp in disbelief. She turned back to the two grinning novices whose telephone call had summoned her and several other officers to the site. "I just don't believe it," she said with a sigh. "You two are really lucky. You know that don't you?"

"Ah, we don't need luck for simple stuff like this," Lia said with a giggle, making Peter laugh too.

Jenny rolled her eyes. "Kids, they could have killed you!" Both novices went pale and looked at each other nervously. Jenny nodded severely. "Yes, you didn't think of that, did you?" Jenny sighed and knelt in front of the two children so she could look right in their eyes. "Team Rocket is too dangerous for… children to deal with," she said. "I know you wanted to get your Pokémon back, but you took an incredible risk. I want you to promise me that you will never do this again, okay? From now on, if you are in trouble, call the Security Police. It is what we are here for, you know."

"We… we had to rescue our friends," Peter said at last in a frightened tone. He was feeling a big letdown after the adrenaline rush of the fight.

"I know," Jenny said. "That reflects well on you, but you could have been very badly hurt. Now, do I have your promise?" Peter and Lia both nodded silently, refusing to meet the policewoman's eyes. Jenny sighed, knowing all too well that they would break that promise without a thought. Pokémon Trainers, she thought, remembering what the ferry terminal manager at Vermilion City said to her cousin, Jenny. 'They do not know fear.' Maybe it is the price of their calling.

"Officer Jenny!" called one of the other cops. "We've found their Pokémon!"

The other cops were using scanners to identify the Pokémon in the TR Pokéballs by their sub-dermal ID transponders. Jenny stood up, walked over to her colleagues and took the balls from them. She turned to look at Peter and Lia with a broad smile. "Here you go," she said, and touched the 'release' controls.

Shadow and Chikorita materialised mid-air and ran over to Peter and Lia, dangerous in their delight at seeing them again. "Hello, Chikorita," Lia laughed, crying in joy. "I… I'm so glad to see you again! I'll never leave you, I promise!"

[I love you, Lia,] the plant-type cried and buried his face in Lia's long, tangled hair. Lia laughed again and hugged her friend even more tightly.

"Shadow," Peter said to his Eevee, who had stopped right in front of him.

[Hello Peter,] Shadow replied. Peter knelt and Shadow launched himself into his Trainer's arms.

"S'all right, pal," Peter whispered, his tears falling to dampen the trembling Eevee's fur. "I'm here, s'all right…"

So, Peter and Lia found themselves right where they started, in the Viridian City Pokémon Centre. Nurse Joy was giving their Pokémon a thorough check-up after their ordeal. The two human children had also been patched up and fed. Joy's first instinct had been to sedate them and put them to bed. She had only allowed them to stay up and wait for her to finish work on their Pokémon after both of them promised on their honour as Trainers not to leave the Pokémon Centre even for a second.

It was late evening when Joy finally finished her work and returned Peter and Lia's friends. Lia announced that she had to have another shower after being in a full-blown fight and she also wanted to fix her torn blouse. She left Peter standing alone in the atrium.

Suddenly, the stress of the day all caught up with Peter and he felt ready to collapse. Right now, he only wanted to sleep. He staggered off towards his dorm room, which seemed impossibly distant. Suddenly, Shadow was standing in his way. [Are you forgetting something?] the Eevee asked. Peter looked at his friend in surprise. Shadow looked at the bank of videophones on the far wall.

Peter slapped his forehead. Of course! He had promised to call home from every Pokémon Centre he visited! He hadn't called during the day, as he guessed that his parents would have been out somewhere with Katie, as it was the school holidays. By now, they would be home. With a grimace, he realised that they would also shortly be receiving a visit from one of Pallet Town's Security Police force to notify them of his adventure that day. Better they hear it from him than from the notoriously grim and humourless Officer Jenny, who all the kids in Pallet knew and loathed.

Peter sat down in front of a videophone. He pulled his Trainer's ID card off of its' plastic frame and stuck it in the phone's credit card slot. He quickly tapped in his home telephone number and waited as the dialling tone rang for a few seconds.

"Croft residence. Speaking?" Suzanne Croft said.

"Mom, it's Peter!" Peter replied. The graphic of a dancing Jigglypuff with the legend 'Audio Only Selected' suddenly turned into a picture of Peter's mother, smiling in joy and relief.

"Peter! It's so good to see you!" she shouted over her shoulder. "Graham! Katie! Peter's on the phone!" She turned back to the camera. "How are you doing baby?"

Peter blushed at the term of endearment. "I'm doing just fine, Mom," he said. "I've reached Viridian City, and I'm feeling great!"

Pretty soon, Peter found himself telling his mother all about his adventures. He spoke of his impressions of sleeping rough. He talked about what it was like training a Pokémon. He even shared a laugh with his family as he talked about the guy who was promoting the Pokémart. He talked easily and in great detail about Lia. When he identified his companion, he thought he saw concern on his father's face (for he had squeezed in beside his mother during the conversation) but maybe it was just his imagination.

Finally, he reached the bit he had been trying to avoid. "Mom, Dad, there's something I have to tell you," he said quietly.

Graham looked at his son levelly. "What has happened, son?" he asked.

"I… When Lia and I were looking at the Victory Gate, two people tried to rob us," he said. On the screen, his father scowled and his mother went pale. "Dad… They were from Team Rocket."

Suzanne barely avoided fainting in horror at the thought that the world's most feared terrorists had targeted her little boy. "My God…!" she whispered. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Peter said with a slight grin. "I'm fine. They tried to steal Shadow… that's my Eevee, Mom… and Lia's Chikorita. We managed to get them back but…" Peter swallowed. "I was so scared Mom. I thought that they were going to kill me…"

Suzanne was still too shocked to speak, so Graham asked the next question. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" Peter's father's voice was gentle, but Peter could hear the anger and fear underlying his words.

"I… I'm okay, Dad," he said. "They didn't hurt us… not much anyway."

"Not much?" his mother asked, her voice breaking.

"They shocked us with a Magnemite," Peter said quietly. "That hurt a lot, but I'm okay now." Peter's mother bent over slightly, and Peter could see the tears streaking down her cheeks as she bit her fist in worry. His father put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it in support. "Don't cry Mom," Peer said desperately, "I'm okay, I really am!"

"I'm sure that you are, son," Graham replied. "Do you need anything right now?"

"No, I'm okay," Peter said.

There was a long, uncomfortable pause before Peter's father spoke again. "I'm very proud of you, Son. Keep safe."

There was a noise from off the camera and Suzanne turned around with a slightly annoyed expression. After a few more noises, she turned back to Peter. "Katie insists on speaking with you," she said with a slight smile.

Peter's parents moved aside and Katie, her eyes wide and excited, almost jumped in front of the camera. "Hey, Peter!" she almost shouted. "I hear you've got to be a hero already! What's it like?"

"Frightening," Peter said with a grin. "How are you doing Katie?"

"Oh fine," Katie said in a bored tone. "The usual summer holiday stuff."

"Would you prefer being at school?" Peter heard his mother say from off-camera.

Katie went pale, looking at her mother in desperation. "No!" she cried out. She shook her head and looked back at Peter. "So, what about our bet?" she asked quietly, leaning forward confidentially.

"Bet?" Peter repeated stupidly.

"Peter!" Katie snapped. "We agreed that if you couldn't capture a Pokémon before you reached Viridian City, you would get me a Pichu or something!"

Now Peter remembered their little wager. "And that if I did capture something, you would give me your allowance for a month," Peter reminded his sister. "Okay, hold on," he said. He pulled his Pokéballs and activated them one-by one. "Katie, I would like you to meet Buck the Rattata, Bugsy the Caterpie and Avia the Pidgey!" Katie's mouth dropped open in surprise as the three Pokémon crowded into her view. Peter tapped his lap and Shadow jumped up so Katie could see him too. "Along with Shadow the Eevee, that makes four, I think," Peter said with a malicious smile.

Katie's face fell in such utter mortification that Peter felt like a heel for doing his job as a Trainer. "Oh…" she said. She sighed and looked miserable but resolute. "Okay, I'll forward you your money when you reach the next Pokémon Centre."

Peter shook his head and suddenly realised that he didn't want anything from his little sister. "Katie, I don't want your money," he said. "I would just like your congratulations and your best wishes."

"But Peter, we had a bet!"

"I'm calling it off," Peter said. "And Katie, I will still try to get something for your birthday in three months time, okay?"

"Oh Peter, do you mean it?" Katie gasped.

"Yes I do," Peter replied. "Trainer's honour."

"Oh, thank you, Peter," Katie cried. "Gee, I wish I could hug you! Congratulations on doing so well! I love you!"

Katie ran off as fast as she could. Peter's mother returned to the camera, wearing a slight smile. "Well, you've made her day," she remarked.

Peter laughed. "Well, I'm glad for that," he said.

There was a long pause. "Be careful out there, Peter," his mother said after a moment. "These people are relentless. They will want revenge."

Peter hadn't thought of that, but when he got over his initial shock of that revelation, he realised that it was no big deal. Two years ago, a Novice would have to spend all their time dodging Rockets anyway. If they could do it, so could he. "I'm sure," he replied. "I'll be careful, Mom. I'll also be ready for them."

Suzanne smiled. "I'm sure that you will. I love, you Peter."

"I love you too, Mom. All my love to Dad and Katie." After a moment, Peter's mother hung up. Peter pulled is ID card out of the slot and recalled all his Pokémon except Shadow. He sat in front of the darkened telephone for a long while.

Peter stood up at last and turned back to look around the atrium. Nurse Joy was talking to a young brown-haired Trainer wearing fairly typical travelling gear. Peter recognised the boy immediately. He stepped forward. "Matt?" he asked. Matt Campbell was another of the 'D' class to leave Pallet Town this year. He was all right, in Peter's book, even if he was a bit too… serious for Peter's tastes. Still, it was good to see a familiar face. "How are you doing, man?"

Matt turned and looked at Peter with his deep aqua-blue eyes. "Peter?" he blinked in surprise. "How long have you been here? I thought I was going to be the first out of the woods!"

"Me and Lia McAlester have been here about half a day," Peter said. "Have you run into any of the others?"

Matt shook his head. "As I said, I started down Route 1 right away, but I ran into some Spearows and I had to take to the river to dodge them. I didn't expect anyone to have got here before me!"

Joy coughed politely and the two boys turned to face her. "You'll be pleased to know that your Charmander and your Spearow are both fine, Matt," she said, passing two Pokéballs over to Matt. "Are you two boys both from Pallet Town then?"

Now, she knows that already, Peter thought. One thing that Peter had found out was that Joy had a fine talent for reassuring people. She could start a conversation and get you completely at your ease. It was good 'nurse' behaviour, he guessed.

"Yes, we were both in the fourth class in Pallet Town this year," Matt said, smiling slightly. Frankly, he didn't do that enough in Peter's view. Maybe having Pokémon was bringing the bookish boy out of his shell.

"Nurse Joy, did anyone from our class reach Viridian City before us?" Peter couldn't resist asking.

Joy frowned and tapped a series of commands into her computer. Finally she smiled up at Peter. "No, Peter. You and Lia were the first of your class to reach the Pokémon Centre." Peter managed to restrain a triumphant grin. It was an artificial victory, but it was still an achievement.

Matt made a noise of displeasure. "I bet you didn't catch any new Pokémon, and I bet your poor Eevee is under-trained!"

Peter lifted his chin in hurt dignity. He half-turned. "Count the Pokéballs," he instructed, gesturing to the four balls on his belt. Matt grimaced. "Now, scan Shadow," he continued, pointing at his grinning Eevee.

Matt grumbled a little, but unholstered his Pokédex and did as he was asked. "Experience Level 4 already? You've only had him two days, Pete. What the hell did you do with him?"

"A couple of captures and a battle with Team Rocket obviously goes a long way," Peter said with a grin. With a slightly smug swagger, he strode off into the depths of the Pokémon Centre, leaving a surprised and chagrined Matt behind him.

Far, far away from Viridian City, two people named Ned and Kelly were trying desperately to get the most horrible smell they had ever encountered out of their lives.

Both Rockets had stripped off and burnt their uniforms. Ned had cut all his hair off and Kelly was washing her hair for the fifth time. Despite this, the stench lingered in their nostrils like a bad memory, and it was doing nothing for their plunging morale.

"Uh… Mr. Ned? Ms. Kelly…? Yuck!" Ned turned around, reaching for his pistol, but relaxed when he saw who was standing by their airship with the Meowth-shaped gas cell. It was Charles Reilly, their backup. Charlie was keen, eager to help and almost naively enthusiastic for the cause of Team Rocket. His continual wide-eyed enthusiasm and loyalty had earned him the nickname 'Rocketboy.' Wh… what the hell is that smell…?" he asked, staggering backwards and waving his hands in front of his face. Sinuous, his Ekans, had been sitting on his shoulder. He threw himself off his Trainer and fled for the air-conditioned comfort of the car of the team's blimp.

"That is what you get when you are nice," Ned explained, scowling at Kelly. He hadn't let her forget that the Twerps had only been able to inflict this humiliation because she had chosen to give them back their Pidgeys, Rattata and Caterpie. Ned had conveniently forgotten that he had agreed with her decision at the time.

Rocketboy opened his uniform tunic pulled one of the halves over his nose, trying to breathe despite the stench. "Uh… the… the Boss wants your report," he announced.

Ned looked at Kelly and he saw fear in her eyes. That was okay by him. He was scared too. Only an idiot would not be scared of The Boss, especially after the humiliating defeat they had just suffered.

Sinuous fled the airship's car as Ned and Kelly walked in. They stopped in front of the videophone screen and looked at the image of their supreme leader. As always, he was show in silhouette. Giovanni's defeat was directly linked to how his identity was compromised back in 2061. This new leader was taking no risks. "Well, I'm waiting," The Boss said. "What is your report?"

"Uh…" Ned said and looked at Kelly.

"Boss… we regret to inform that we were defeated by a pair of Trainers," Kelly said. "As a consequence, we lost all the merchandise we had gathered this month. We… we're sorry, sir."

There was a long pause. "You lost everything?" The Boss asked without inflection.

"Everything sir," Kelly confirmed, looking down so that her leader wouldn't see the fear in her eyes. The rumours of what happened to Butch and Cassidy after they failed to assassinate the Pokémon Master, Ash Ketchum, were enough to keep every agent left in Team Rocket firmly in line.

"Well, they must have been quite skilled Trainers to beat you two," the Boss said. "What were they? Division Champions? Gym Leaders? Members of the Elite Four itself?"

"Uh…" Ned said again.

"Speak up, Ned," the Boss said. "Unless the Meowth's got your tongue."

"They were… first year Novices," Ned admitted at last, looking downwards too.

"WHAT?" Ned and Kelly jumped backwards at The Boss's furious shout. "Do you mean you two… were beaten by children?"

"Boss… I can explain…" Ned began, completely willing to blame everything on Kelly.

"No! I am not interested in your excuses Agent Fallow!" The Boss bellowed. There was a long pause, and then the man began to laugh. "I thought you and Agent Roland were amongst my best agents!" he chuckled. "Yet a pair of children, barely out of diapers, defeated you, drove you off like stray dogs and took away every Pokémon you stole!" The Boss laughed even harder. "Oh, this is a wonderful day for Team Rocket indeed." Then he stopped laughing and pointed at the two agents. "You two incompetents are lucky you are not facing a firing squad! Do you understand me?"

"Boss, we'll get them back!" Ned squeaked. "All of them! We'll find those kids, punish them for defying the Organisation and we will bring you twice the number of Pokémon that we lost!" Kelly shot Ned a surprised and horrified look. She didn't even think that was possible.

"No you won't," The Boss said. "I am not having you two going racing off on a vendetta when the Organisation is in such dire need of rebuilding. You two will stay on station and continue to acquire Pokémon as per your orders! And consider yourself lucky that I am satisfied with issuing you a formal reprimand and fining you six months pay! Headquarters out!"

The Boss's face disappeared. Ned looked at Kelly and Kelly looked at Ned. "So much for our bonus and our holiday," Kelly said at last, in a mournful tone of voice. Ned was scowling. "What is it, Ned?" she asked.

"We've got to get those damn kids," Ned growled at last.

"Ned, the Boss said that…"

"I don't care what the Boss said!" Ned shouted. He modulated his tone and continued. "We're in his bad books now, Kel. You know what happens to people he doesn't think are 'useful' anymore!" Both agents shuddered. They knew all right. "The only way we can prove to him that we can still make it is by finding those kids and taking their Pokémon away… And by executing them for resisting us."

"Maybe," Kelly allowed. "But we'll be defying his orders, Ned. If we succeed, he might forgive us. If we fail…"

"If we fail, we will probably end up as 'experimental subjects' like Butch and Cassidy did," Ned said, shivering involuntarily as he recalled again the rumours around Headquarters about what happened to them. "So we can't fail."

Kelly narrowed her eyes thoughtfully and, finally, nodded her agreement.

Lia frowned at the piece of chicken in her bowl for a moment before picking it up with her chopsticks. "When in Rome…" she muttered to herself.

"What was that, Lia?" Peter asked. He was already halfway through the evening meal served in the Pokémon Centre's canteen. Lia shook her head to and tried to apply herself to her meal. Like it or not, the glorious fare that was served at her table at home was now officially a thing of the past, unless she wanted to go back to Daddy with her tail between her legs and admit that she couldn't make a life for herself.

Lia turned slightly and watched Chikorita and Pidgey, sitting under her table and tucking into their own meals with gusto. Well, if they can stomach it, so can I. Besides, seeing her two friends reminded her everything she had gained over the last two days.

Peter was finishing his lunch and took a deep pull on his orange juice. "So, have you called your parents yet?" he asked.

"No," Lia said, toning that one syllable in such a way as to discourage any further questions on that subject. She had nothing to say to her parents. Besides, her father made it very clear the only time he wanted to hear from her was when she wanted him to bring her home. "So, you say that we were the first down Route 1 to Viridian City?" she asked, switching to a less caustic topic. "That's good isn't it?"

"Well, its kind of an informal competition," Peter said. "Whoever is the first through Route 1 is considered 'most likely to succeed.'"

Lia chuckled. "I like the sound of that," she said with a twinkle in her eye. She leaned back and grinned at her companion. "Of course, no one has to tell me who is going to be the one who will succeed the fastest!"

"Why, thanks, Lia," Peter said with a grin of his own. "It's nice to know you have confidence in me!"

"What?" Lia stuttered. "No Peter… I meant… Oh, forget it!" The girl scowled and looked in the other direction. Peter laughed quietly and turned his attention to the most important subject of the evening: what dessert would he choose?

It was late at night, Peter knew that much. It was long after curfew and the lights of the Pokémon Centre had been turned down to their dim night levels. Nonetheless, sleep was still far away from the young boy. Too much had happened today. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't make his mind relax, and he couldn't get his mother's warning out of his head: 'They will want revenge.' No matter how much he told himself he wasn't scared, Peter didn't like the thought of a pair of killers trying to get him and Lia.

Peter lay in the semi-dark of the dormitory room and listened to Buck snoring on the pillow beside his head. Shadow was curled up at his feet, Bugsy was sleeping on the room's one chair and Avia was perched on the bed's headboard, her sighing, musical in-and-out breaths strangely comforting. Maybe the Pokémon had the right idea. It was pointless fretting about things you can't change. Enough to worry about what was happening now and simply prepare for whatever the future might hold by ensuring you and your friends were the very best.

Suddenly, someone was knocking quietly at the door. Peter frowned, picked up his watch where it was sitting beside Bugsy and looked at the luminous dial. It was half past midnight! Who else would be up at this time?

Moving slowly and quietly so as not to disturb his friends, Peter got up, padded over to the door and unlocked it. Perhaps he shouldn't have been so surprised, when he opened the door, to see Lia standing in the blue-lit corridor. "Lia?" Peter whispered. "What are you doing up so late? You'll get in trouble if they see you up after curfew!"

Lia shrugged. "I can't sleep," she said simply. She looked at Peter and grinned. Peter noticed the dimple in her cheeks when she smiled for the very first time. "Neither can you, I think," she added.

Peter chuckled a little. "Nah, too much has been happening. I'm still going to try though."

"Worrying about Team Rocket?" Lia asked.

"Worrying about everything," Peter clarified.

"Well don't worry," Lia said firmly. "Don't quote me on this, but I have the feeling that we might have gone through the worst of it today. Somehow, no matter how dangerous the situations we get in from now on, I'm sure that it will all seem easier."

"Maybe," Peter said. "Look, uh… Lia…"

Lia interrupted. "I just want to thank you for not giving up today. I'm glad I got Chikorita back, and only did it because of you. You are quite brave you know. I'm glad I asked you to join me on my Journey."

Peter started spluttering in surprise at the incredible condescension in Lia's remark. "Lia, you asked to join me! I…"

Lia leaned forward and placed a little girl's kiss on Peter's cheek, silencing him instantly. "I was only teasing," she said. "Goodnight Peter."

"Goodnight Lia," Peter said. He closed the door as the girl turned away to go back to her room. "Girls," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. He returned to his bed and, with his cheek still tingling, fell into a deep, restful sleep.

Elsewhere, the peace of a bedroom was suddenly destroyed. "Ring, ring! Ring, ring! Phone call! Phone call! Ring, ring! Ring, ring! Phone call! Phone call! Ring, ring! Ring, ring! Phone…"

The blonde woman with the strangely babyish face groaned and grabbed the receiver of the videophone beside her bed. "Domino," she groaned into the mouthpiece. There was a pause as she listened to the urgent voice talking on the other end of the line. She rolled over in her bed and began to shake the man lying next to her. "Max," she cooed gently. "Max, honey, wake up! It's for you!"

The man took the phone from Team Rocket's most dangerous operative. "Edison," he snapped. "This had better be good!" There was a pause as he listened to the urgent voice himself. "Really?" he said. "Well that is unsurprising." There was another brief pause. "No, no action for now. Make sure you keep a track of their movements, but that is all."

The man handed the phone back to his lover, who put the receiver back on its' cradle. "What is it, Max?" Domino asked.

"Ned Fallow and Kelly Roland have gone AWOL," he said. "I'm willing to bet that they are looking to find and capture those Novices who humiliated them today."

Domino processed that, her beautiful face cold and expressionless and her violet eyes showing no emotion at all. "What are you going to do?"

"For now, nothing," the man replied. "Ned was right about punishing those who dared to resist the Organisation. If they succeed, they will have done us a great service, even though I cannot officially condone their actions." Maxwell Edison, the new leader of Team Rocket lay back on his bed and hugged his favourite to him and began to stroke her soft, blonde hair calmly. "And if they fail, well then I'm sure they will pleased for the respite… when they finally arrive in Hell."

To be continued…

Afterword

Of Eevees, Earth Stones and Fan-Fictions – A response to GameGuardian2x

I was going to write a bit of a rant at the end of this chapter in response to GG2x's review of Chapter 2. However, I received a nice review by Balance of Judgement that made me feel better. Nonetheless, there are some things that I feel I should make totally plain to avoid any future confusion.

Firstly, look at the top of the page. Do you see this site's name? "FanFiction.NET – Unleash your imagination and free your soul." Cool name, huh? However, I think that everyone who has complained about my (and other author's) tendency to play fast-and-loose with the established continuity of the Pokémon universe should read that subtitle very carefully and consider exactly what it means.

One of the great advantages of fan fiction is that you are not necessarily bound by the continuity that must bind the show's scriptwriters and licensed storywriters. This means that you can take the basic concepts of the universe and go wild, creating your own wonderful world of imagination, where the characters can have adventures that you would never see in the animé. Quite a lot of this violates the rules and established continuity of the 'official' or 'canon' universe. Personally, I think this is a good thing. Imagination and freedom of story telling is vital to maintain the health of any fandom. You only have to look how the obsession with continuity and canon fact have poisoned Star Trek to see how dangerous it is to carefully check everything in a story to see if it follows the canon universe.

Therefore, I must conclude that those reviewers (who I am sure believe they are acting properly) who complain about continuity errors and divergences from canon behaviour, evolution rules and attacks are missing the point. This is fanfiction. It is the Pokémon world as re-interpreted by the author for his or her own purposes. To insist on slavish adherence to the canon universe as it appears in the games and the animé will achieve nothing except to stunt the imaginations of the fan authors.

This is not to say that I have no use for canon rules. I find the Pokédex on PokeMasters.COM an invaluable resource, and I am attempting to learn more about the canon attacks and evolution rules so I can make "The Journey" closer to the actual Pokémon experience.

However, I will not compromise from one principle. To me, the canon universe is a guide for my imagination, no more. I will not let any amount of complaints stop me from following my instincts in Pokémon storytelling, no matter how many rules that means I have to break.

With this in mind:

What the Hell have I done to the Eevee evolution rules?

I utterly loathe the Eevee evolution rules in Pokémon Gold/Silver with 'Happiness Quotients' and differing evolutions depending on the time. I dislike it so much that I have eradicated it from all my fanfiction universes. I will explain the workings of the revised system (as it appears in 'Avenger,' 'Team Rocket Neo' and 'The Journey').

Eevee is the base of a three-stage evolution chain like many others. In my universe, the three stages are Eevee = Umbreon = Eeveon. The Eeveon is a Pokémon I created (see 'Pokémon Purple/Orange' for more details). Suffice to say it is to Eevee what a Charizard is to a Charmander.

As well as the natural evolutionary chain, the Eevee can be force-evolved by the use of evolution stones. I modified the evolution of Espeon so that an evolution stone called the 'Sun' or 'Psi' Stone causes an evolution to Espeon. Yes, I know that isn't how it happens in G/S, but as I have already explained, I hate how it happens in G/S ;-)

As Umbreon is the natural second level of the Eevee chain, I had to find a prerequisite. I arbitrarily chose Experience Level 22. Just to make things interesting, I also made it possible for you to force this evolution (and the second evolution to Eeveon) using the appropriate evolution stone. For a while I called this the 'Earth Stone.' However, I found out the other day that it is, in fact, called the 'Moon Stone.' I only used the former name because I didn't know it existed in the canon universe, and I will be altering some of my stories appropriately.

Just as a note, one of the consequences of my rejection of the G/S Eevee evolution rules is that I have entirely eliminated the dark-type. Frankly, that had too many pseudo-religious connotations for my tastes. I will describe any dark-types in my stories by their primary elemental type (Houndour and Houndoom become fire-types; Umbreon is an Earth-type). I haven't decided yet, but I will probably get rid of the Steel-type too.

What on Earth is an Earth-type?

This one has caused more forehead-veins to pop than anything else has; however the answer is simple. I think that the normal-type is too large a category for my tastes, so I have split it into several other types. The Normal-type is those Pokémon that look like normal animals and doesn't have special elemental powers. The Morphing-type is those that can change shape (like Ditto). The Sonic-type is those Pokémon who use sound as a primary attack (like Jigglypuff and Zubat).

The Earth-type is actually those Pokémon who use earth energy as an elemental attack (Hyper-beam, Metronome and Focus Energy). The Earth type has the following members (and this is a provisional list, I haven't gone through the whole Pokédex yet to check): Umbreon and Eeveon; Clefa, Clefairy and Clefable; Nidoking and Nidoqueen; Togepi and Togetic; Tauros.

The earth-type, like all the elemental types, has its' own evolution stone. In their case it is the 'Earth Stone' or 'Dark Stone,' which I have realised (too late) is, in fact, the Moon Stone.

Observant readers will remember that I made Togepi and Togetic a psychic-type in 'Avenger' and 'Team Rocket Neo.' This was a genuine error, as I didn't know what type the little egg was until I was halfway through 'Team Rocket Strikes Back.' It is too late to change it now. You will just have to accept that I got that wrong. In new stories, not part of any of my established continuities, I will make Togepi an earth-type, as he can use Metronome, and (I am certain) Hyper-beam.

BenRG's revised evolution rules

Just to clear up any confusion, in my stories, any Pokémon can either evolve at a prerequisite experience level or by evolution stone energy. Yes, I know that isn't how it is in the game, but I don't care.

What's that attack?

Pokémon is a game, and the battle mode is basically two stationary sprites throwing attacks at each other. In real life, the Pokémon would be fast, agile and continually moving. For this reason, I have tried to create new attacks, and re-interpret game attacks for a far more dynamic kind of battle. I know that this offends some purists, but I will not compromise on this.

A good example is what I call 'Horn Charge.' This is a generic attack for any horned Pokémon. Horn Charge is a physical attack (technically a normal-type attack) and spills across all types. Someone pointed out that, for example, in a Rhydon, the attack should be 'Drill Horn.' I agree, but what if the Trainer doesn't want Rhydon to expend time and energy in powering up his drill? What if he just wants him to throw his three-ton bulk at his opponent and stick him with the pointy thing on the end of his nose? Hence you have 'Horn Charge' the result of individual trainers giving their own little wrinkle on Pokémon combat.

I will often misname attacks, but only when I think my name is more descriptive. 'Wing' becomes 'Razor Wing.' Those wings must be sharp, or Pidgeotto wouldn't have been able to cut the crane cable in 'Clefairy Tales.' Because I didn't know the name 'Hyper-Beam,' I used 'Omni-Blast' instead, based on a half-heard description of a Nidoking's attack in the Season 2 episode on Pinkern Island. I've created a whole family of earth-type attacks based on Omni-blast, and it is too late for me to turn back now. Sorry about that.

Some errors are deliberate; others are accidental and caused by my lack of knowledge and, frankly, my lack of time to thoroughly research all the attacks. I've found a page of attack descriptions on the aforementioned PokeMasters.COM and I hope that my descriptions will become more realistic in time.

In Conclusion

A fan fiction is an act of imagination. This means that the canon universe's rules and workings must be put aside in the name of story telling. I am sorry if this offends anyone, but I will not apologise for the workings of my imagination.

My stories remain my own. Besides, if I ignore enough rules, maybe Nintendo won't sue the pants off of me ;-)

The final word is directed to GameGuardian2x. I know that you are acting in the best motives, my friend, but I must draw your attention to one of your reviews. You say: "I will rate this when i see some correct facts. I have yet to see any!!!!!!!!!"

Correct facts? Sorry, friend, but there are no facts, only the dreams of two different minds: the great Satoshi's wonderful world and my own humble interpretation of it. Perhaps our visions are different, but I think that he would prefer it that way. I know that I do.

Ben Russell-Gough

25 July, 2001