Disclaimer: I do not claim right to Toshiro Ono's creation, nor am I making any money off of this, so it would be pointless to sue me in the first place.

Author's Note: I'm happy! -Does happy dance- I already have a review and it's from somebody that I didn't have to threaten to get them to review! -Continues doing happy dance- -stuffed bulbasaur stares at her with vacant, red eyes, silently demanding her to write more- Eep! I'm writing, I'm writing! Anyway. Thanks bunches goes out to Kaz the Rurouni, whom I promise I didn't purposely steal your name for this! I know that the beginning was a little cliché, but it does get better. This isn't your toned down look at the world of pokemon.

As I said before, ever read the manga? That's the effect I'm going for here, with a twist of more real-life character interactions. –Is still traumatized at the fact that Bill looks and acts very G.A.G. material in the manga. Chuckles at thought that Kayla is the only one that will get that remark- Anyway, I'm ranting. Because I LOVE my reviewers so much! Which is why I'm writing this chapter now, and not later. It was going to be written tomorrow or the day after… But I have a review and feel inspired! Yes, a review can change whether or not I continue writing on a piece…

Pokemon Journeys

Chapter Two: The Big Surprise

The next morning, Karlie was awake before her alarm clock went off. She laid in bed and stared up at the ceiling, wondering if her brother was all right. She rolled to her side and turned the alarm clock off before it began ringing, even though that wouldn't happen for another few hours. She honestly didn't feel tired, despite the fact that it was five in the morning and she usually didn't get up until close to eight. Of course she usually didn't hit the sack right after dinner either. She nodded to herself, assured in the fact that that was the reason she was up this early.

She stared up at the posted taped to the ceiling above her head. It was of the five different evolutions of Eevee – Vaporean, Jolteon, Flareon, Espeon, and Umbreon. They were all performing an attack of their element and Karlie had gotten it when she had gone into town one day with her father. After all, how could you not have something relating the Eevee evolutionary line when you were almost a citizen of the town of Three Evolutions? Almost was her main problem at this point in time.

If only I'd gone to school there instead of being home schooled like my brothers. It would make my life so much easier right now. She continued to muse on the thoughts of how she was going to get her own pokemon. She could always ask her brothers if she could borrow one of theirs, just until she could catch a few of her own. Her stomach knotted slightly at the idea, it almost seemed like cheating if she did that. There were always the merchants and breeders in Three Evolutions; maybe she could ask her father to buy her a pokemon to start with for her tenth birthday. It didn't seem like too much to ask. If she went off on her own pokemon journey, she could come home with a few more hands to help around the ranch. So, wouldn't it be an investment if her father purchased her first pokemon for her?

Karlie nodded to herself, a smile crossing her features. Yes, that's what she would explain to daddy. If she could catch pokemon for the ranch, then perhaps they'd be able to avoid something like what happened today. A few more Growlithe, or some Poochyena, perhaps even a better Meowth to replace the scrappy one in the barn. She could catch a flying pokemon like Pidgey and they could use it to send letters instead of having to pay to borrow a mail pokemon from Three Evolutions. Yep, this had to be the perfect solution.

Karlie got out of bed and slipped into the small bathroom to take a shower, grabbing her usual work clothes to change into once she was out. She usually took showers in the evening, but she'd been so off last night that she had forgotten.

After changing into her clothes, she stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself. She was about five feet tall, a great deal taller than most other girls her age. She had freckles across her cheeks that reminded her of her brother marc, and brown hair she kept back in a ponytail or braid, depending on whether or not she had the time to braid it. This morning, she took a seat on the edge of the tub and took the time to braid it, tying off the braid with a piece of extra yarn from one of Tiler's art projects.

Exiting the restroom, she headed into the kitchen. She hadn't even realized she was hungry until she was standing in front of the fridge, her stomach grumbling slightly. She grabbed some orange juice and poured it into a glass, drinking it all before placing the empty glass in the sink. She then poked her head into the cupboard, looking for something that was edible and mildly resembled breakfast. Rewarming a few pieces of bacon from yesterday, she sat down at the table to eat them.

She looked down suddenly as something brushed by her feet. The scrappy old barn Meowth rubbed against her leg in search of scraps. Karlie sighed and took a piece of bacon off of her plate, scooping the Meowth up in her arms as she headed outside.

"If Johnston's Growlithe were to catch you inside, you wouldn't be fit to stay our barn cat anymore you silly old thing! You know you're not allowed in the house!" She set the Meowth down on the doorstep, handing it the piece of bacon. It took the scrap and sat down, nearly choking the morsel down its throat. Karlie smiled in spite of herself. She knew her father would get after her if he knew the pokemon had gotten into the house, especially as mangy as it looked, but she couldn't just shoo it out without giving it something for its effort. She watched as it wandered off, the coin on its forehead missing a chunk out of the top, its whiskers bent, and its fur dusty and uncombed. She shook her head, praying that it didn't get used to her feeding it. It was supposed to keep the Rattata out of the grain, not beg for table scraps.

Karlie headed back inside, shutting the door firmly behind her in the hopes of keeping the thieving Meowth outside. It had a habit of always getting its paws on some of the loose change around the house, or anything that sparkled - one of the main reasons it wasn't allowed in the house anymore.

She went back to her room and opened the window. She might not be able to start work, but there was no reason she couldn't enjoy the smells of her home. She grabbed a book off of the floor and began to flip through it. It was one of her many books on pokemon and she hoped to look up some information on the ones that her and her father might find when they went to Three Evolutions to purchase her starting pokemon.

"Hmmm," She flipped through the pages, stopping occasionally. All of Kanto used the same three starting pokemon, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, but those three weren't available on Verdigris Island. Caterpie were common enough in the Vert Forest, but they started off so weak she'd never make the trek to Olive Town to catch a fairy to Kanto, let alone match against the Kanto League pokemon. Weedle held even less appeal to her, backed by the fact that they weren't too common and would cost her father a large sum to purchase. It was also incredibly rare to locate Pidgey and Spearow, the only known ones having flown over from Kanto or Johto. If she wanted a Rattata, she could simply set a trap in the barns for one. No, she wanted something more special than a simple Rattata for her starting pokemon.

She honestly disliked Oddish, shivering at the thought of trying to raise a Gloom. Paras were okay in the sense that the mushrooms on their backs could be used to make powerful potions, but they would cost a lot on Verdigris Island. Diglett were common and wouldn't cost too much, but they just didn't seem like a fighter like Karlie wanted. Psyduck and Slowpoke were also too rare to purchase, and Poliwag were just too weak to start. The idea of having a Victreebel frightened her almost as much as a Tauros, so Bellsprout was just out. Shellder were common, but she was too afraid of losing one in a battle to a Slowpoke so they'd evolve to Slowbro to actually get one. Krabby or Tangela just wouldn't do either.

Karlie sighed, it seemed as it she'd gone through more than half the book already and still she didn't have a starting pokemon that she wanted. She racked her brain for pokemon that she could get on Verdigris Island. Horsea and Goldeen were only good in the water. Magikarp was the absolute worst choice. Cyndaquil, Totodile, and Chikorita were only available in the Johto regions. She could get a Mareep easily enough. There were a few other ranchers that bred them and they weren't exactly weak. They learned some strong electric attacks early on in their life.

It wasn't exactly the "star and firework" pokemon she had dreamed of, but that could wait until she got to the Kanto mainland. She read the paragraph out loud to herself about Mareep.

"Pokemon number 179, Mareep, the wool pokemon. Mareep are about two feet high and store air and electricity in their soft wool. The air allows the Mareep to stay cool in summer and warm in winter. It will also double in volume if the Mareep builds up enough electricity in its body. Be careful to not touch Mareep if it has electricity stored, as the fleece will shock you. Mareep fully sheds in summer, but the fleece grows back within a week."

"Brushing up on your pokemon knowledge? I'm glad you're up, we have twice the work for us today and dad wants us to come into town to see Marc, and he's got a surprise for you." Johnston gave her a wink from the doorway before turning his back and walking off. Karlie blushed, she hadn't realized her brother had been there, nor that it was as late as it was.

She dropped the book back on the floor and jumped to her feet, darting out of the room and outside. She jogged to catch up with Johnston as he headed for the stables, the thought of her father's surprise plastering a big grin on her face.

"So, when are we going to leave?"

"We'll leave as soon as we move the Tauros out of the small pen into the large one. No mess ups today, okay?" He gave her a small smile, stepping up onto the cemented floor of the barns. The barns were made entirely out of cement, out of fear that one of the fire pokemon contained within might spook and catch the place on fire.

Karlie went to Flame Dance's stall and began to saddle him up for today's work. From the stall that Johnston was in, she heard cursing. She tightened the girth on Flame Dance before slipping out to see what was wrong. She looked over the stall door into the stall that Johnston was in.

"What's wrong bro?"

"This Rapidash has burnt the straw for the fifth time this week!" Karlie looked down at the cement floor. It was usually lined with a very thick layer of straw and shavings to keep the pokemon comfortable, but the stall merely had ashes. Karlie didn't know what to say. A Rapidash or Ponyta that burnt its bedding wasted the owner's money, and that was the first sign of ill temperament to come. Karlie vaguely remembered an orange-coated Rapidash that her father had trained when she was little. The Rapidash had burnt its bedding three weeks, and then torched the farmhouse after bucking off Karlie's mum. Her mother hadn't ever come back from the hospital after that, and her father had sold the Rapidash.

"It's a bad omen, I'm leaving this one in the stables for today. I'll use Marc's Rapidash for today and get dad to take a look at this one when he gets home." Johnston left the stall, not bothering to put more bedding in, and went over to the other Rapidash's stall. Karlie headed up into the loft, tossing down a bail of straw and spreading the large amount of bedding into the Rapidash's stall, giving the white coat a pat. Thoroughbred Rapidash and Ponyta had pure white fur, while hybrids had orange coats.

Returning to Flame Dance, she slipped his bridle on before leading him out. Johnston was already outside and was looking impatient. He took off for the Tauros pens before she could say anything, Growlithe bounding behind him. She followed and let him and the Growlithe do most of the work, hanging away from the herd and opening and closing the gates. Once all the stragglers had been rounded up, they headed back to the barns. Johnston skipped brushing his Rapidash and did a sloppy job of putting the tack away. Karlie went behind him soundlessly and took care of it for him, knowing that her brother was in another one of his moods.

The Rapidash that wasn't ridden today stuck its head of the stall and gave a fiery snort, demanding attention. He wasn't used to not exercising and Karlie didn't blame him for his demands. She walked over and scratched his muzzle after taking care of both her and Johnston's steeds.

"You just want a little attention, don't ya boy?" The Rapidash nodded and nickered. She had to leave once she started hearing Johnston calling, or rather yelling, for her. He had the truck started and Tiler was already in the front, the two Growlithe in the back. Karlie climbed into the back with the two Growlithe, settling in on top of a tarp for slight cushioning. The Growlithe walked around the back of the truck a bit before finally settling down, one laid its head on her leg and she smiled, reaching forward and patting it on its head.

And then they were moving, bumping along the road and kicking dust up on either side of them. Karlie and the Growlithe were knocked around in the puck-up truck, Karlie hanging onto the truck and the Growlithe near her for support through the bumpy ride.