A/N: *groans*

Lara: *whispers* He's worried that he'll get so addicted to writing this fic he'll forget about the Dragon fics he has planned for us!

Roan: What, all three?

Drake: Wha- THREE? He only has two up that are in development!

Alpha: Yeah, well, I'm running dry on the DOTR fic, so I think I'll leave that in hiatus-

Drake: *strangles again* FOR WHAT?!

Alpha: Ack, uck, BATTLE CITY, YOU MORON!

Drake: *lets go* Really? FINALLY!

Ryu: *grumbles* I'll probably never get that many fics.

Alpha: Unless............

Drake: Alpha, what are you planning now?

Alpha: Well, I DO have a few other fic ideas that Ryu's form could take over in your stead.

Drake: *stares, shocked*

Sparks: Uh, can the chapter start now?

Alpha: Well of course it CAN!

Pikachu: PIKA! Pika, pi, pika! *starts charging*

Alpha: Okay, I'll start it!

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Narrator: Last time, Ryu met Sparks, an up-and-coming Pokemon Breeder with a preference of training Pikachus, and Pokemon that resemble them! He also had an encounter with Team Planet, a trio of thugs that seem to be more than they appear. For now, though, Ryu, Bagon, and Sparks are walking toward Petalburg City, where they hope to get some training in while checking the Gym for the future, and preparing to enter Petalburg Woods, a forest that leads to Rustboro City, where Ryu hopes to get his first Pokemon League Badge!

"So, you were a Pokemon Tech Honor student." Sparks commented, impressed." You must really have a lot of talent."

Ryu groaned."Talent, yes. Memory, no. Two extra years, ugh, I'm glad school's out of my life, I've lost enough time!"

Bagon hopped out of a tree he had briskly climed, carrying a few berries.

"Still, you should be really proud of yourself. Not many trainers aren't even smart enough to go there, even with the money! Plus, it'll at least earn you a lot of respect back in Johto, if not here, too."

That reminded Ryu." Hey, where are you from anyway?"

Sparks blinked, then looked down." I come from Dewford Town. It's a small island in the far south of Hoenn, people probably wouldn't know it existed if the Gym wasn't there."

"Ah, a Gym town! I know the feeling." Ryu said, smiling." You sometimes wonder if people could care less if everything but the Gym was destroyed, right?"

"Y, yeah." Sparks answered, downcast." Whenever somebody new comes to town, it's always for the Gym. We don't have anything important, no real events or happenings, we just have a Pokemon Gym that conveniantly stands in the way of Trainers and the Pokemon League."

"It's pretty much the same where I'm from." Ryu admitted," Heh, the Pokemon Tech establishment is actually a mile from the town! All we have is an ancient shrine that contains the only place in Johto where Dragons are abundant, and some quiet guy that can erase moves you don't want your Pokemon to know. Besides the Gym, those things are the only thing making us stand out."

Bagon looked at his slightly sad comrades, and offered two berries. The two looked down, and chuckled.

"Thanks Bagon." Sparks said, happier.

"Thanks! You're a resourceful little guy, aren't ya?" Ryu complimented, grinning.

Bagon glanced away, embarassed but slightly proud.

"So, you live on an island? Are there a lot of resorts there?" Ryu asked, with a suspisciously sly smile.

"Yeah. There are a few, actually they're quite famous. That's one thing that makes it stand out." Sparks sighed.

Let me explain Ryu's mental math. Resorts = guests = swimwear = bathing suits = bikinis = take a guess.

"Sparks, I think I'm looking forward to your town." Ryu said, drooling slightly. Bagon and Sparks exchanged curious glances, then shrugged.
***************************************************************

Petalburg City was a much more lively place than either Oldale or Littleroot. There were Trainers everywhere, most walking around with friends and family. Everybody seemed full of energy, except for a few odd Pokemon in the trees that LOOKED alive, but were moving slow enough to lose a swimming race with a Metapod.

"Wow, culture shock." Ryu gasped," Never thought I'd feel it, especially during those school years."

"I've gotten used to it by now, almost everything in Hoenn is new to me, too." Sparks noted.

Bagon stopped for a moment, then looked behind him. He saw a Pokemon quickly run into an alleyway. Shrugging, he ran to catch up.

"Hey, you need anything? I know where the shop is." Sparks offered.

"Well, not really. I have a few emergency potions, and...." He said, grinning broadly." Some other gifts from home."

He opened his backpack, and checked that the pack of Ultra Balls he had recieved as a gift two nights earlier was still there.

"With these babies, even Dragons are catchable. Still, it'll be hard to find em out here." Ryu said.

"Don't be too sure, a few Pokemon tend to get lost here in Hoenn: Everything feels humid, so they can get confused. Believe it or not, this continent is right along the planet's equator."

"Oh, that explains it." Ryu griped as he shifted his jacket inside his backpack." Urgh, I thought I'd be using this more."

"Here it is." Sparks inturrupted him. They were in front of the Pokemon Gym.

"So, this Gym actually gets the names of trainers in ADVANCE?" Ryu asked again.

"Yep. Norman, the new Gym Leader, has a four-Badge minimum challenging policy. Good thing too, any trainer weaker than that would be beaten to a pulp. Heck, a few trainers STRONGER than that save him for last!"

"Yikes, he's that strong?" Ryu asked, not scared but rather excited with the prospect of such a fight.

"Yep. Anyway, I'll meet you at the Pokemon Center." Sparks said, walking off.

"Uh, okay." Ryu said, confused.

"Gon gon Baaa?" Bagon asked.

"Don't ask me." Ryu said as he entered.

***************************************************************

A half hour [and a slap mark from the cute receptionist] later, Ryu entered the Pokemon Center.

"I wonder how much time we'll actually be spending in these places, Bagon." Ryu wondered aloud." I guess we should enjoy them while we can."

He saw Sparks, picking his Pokeballs out of the healing tray, as he approached.

"Hey Sparks, do they have the dinner ready yet?" Ryu asked eagerly.

"Nurse Joy says they'll take a few minutes." Sparks answered. A slight tinge of pink on his face caught Ryu's eye.

"Ah, I see now," Ryu grinned devilishly," You just wanted to see her first, right?"

The pink area turned into red." What!? No, that's not it? I'm just blushing cause, well, I have a problem around, you see....."

"You can't talk to girls." Ryu noted sagely.

"..................yes." Sparks admitted at length.

"Nothing to be embarassed about, I can't either. Well, not SUCCESSFULLY, but-"

They both chuckled slightly, finding a table. They picked one out, but made a motion for it the same time another pair did.

"Oh, sorry, you can ha-" Ryu started, before letting his jaw drop.

He didn't know who the [cute] girl was, but standing there, before his very eyes, was THE Ash Ketchum of Kanto!

"Uh, thanks." Ash said, confused as he took the seat Ryu had tried to take.

"I...I just never...never thought I'd meet you!" Ryu said in amazement." I'm Ryu Evrai from Blackthorn City, and it's an honor to meet you, Mr. Ketchum."

Some recognition came to Ash's eyes as he chuckled." I'm not that important, or anything."

"You're important?" The girl asked, which made Ash's embarassed sweatdrops turn to annoyed ice.

Ryu and Sparks sat down on the opposite end [a flustered Sparks opposite her], and asked," Who are you?"

"My name's May, and I'm from this city, to tell the truth! My family moved here from the Johto region a few months ago." She answered, smiling." And who's this guy?" She asked, causing Sparks to redden even more.

"This is Sparks, from Dewford." Ryu answered." He raises-"

"Pikachu."

"Yeah, that's right, how-" Ryu started, before the Pokemon in question hopped up onto the table.

"Oh, sorry." Ryu said. Bagon crawled up.

"Who's that Pokemon?" Ash asked.

"It's Bagon." Ryu answered, somehow recieving a sense of de ja vu." He's my starter, and he's a Dragon type."

"Gon, ba ba?" "Pika, pikachu pi!" The two Pokemon engaged in their own conversation.

Ash chuckled, then took out his Pokedex.

"Bagon. One of the newly discovered Pokemon in the Hoenn region. This young Dragon type Pokemon's ancestors dreamed of flying in the sky. In their failure attempts to do so, their heads have hardened into a genetically inherited steel-like substance from years of jumping off of cliffs."

[A/N: I swear, Dexter is telling the truth! At least according to Pokemon Ruby's Pokedex info on Bagon.]

The entire group, even Bagon, sweatdropped. Bagon rubbed the metal edges and his cheeks mixed slight pink with blue.

"Mwaha!"Another digital voice called out suddenly. Ryu's Pokedex had turned itself on.

"Such limited information, as to be expected from such a low-level Pokemon Digital Encyclopedia! Otherwise, you'd know that Bagon DOES fulfill it's dreams when it evolves to it's highest level, turning into a Dragon Pokemon more majestic and powerful than Dragonite! Then again, maybe you've just been too dully programmed-"

Ryu snapped Mandark shut." Don't ask, I can't understand this thing either."

"So, Blackthorn City?" Ash asked." I remember Claire. That cave was a hassle, I can't believe that she asks people to do that!"

"Yeah, that test was tough. Too bad I wasn't a trainer when I did it." Ryu noted.

"You passed it BEFORE training? Why?"

"She's a teacher, believe it or not." Ryu said, to Ash's spittake.

***************************************************************

A dog Pokemon paced to and fro, looking up when her partners arrived.

"Well, what's the word? Did either of the Bosses give us a mission?" Poochyena asked, shaking her slightly damp fur.

"Oddly enough, the answer is Yes to the second power." Firenze answered, sounding confused." Both of them want us to ambush some guy who's supposed to be in Petalburg Woods tommorrow!"

"BOTH!?" Poochyena said, shocked." Who's the guy? He's gotta be important if both Magma and Aqua have him targeted."

"Some researcher for Devon." Arale answered, shrugging. "Apparantly he's carrying some papers with information on underwater transportation. Maybe there's some treasure or something down there worth snatching!"

"D..d...devon......" Poochyena growled. "So, we get to trounce those guys at the same time! Heh, this'll be good!"

Firenze and Arale glanced at each other knowingly. "So, what do we do till then?

"TRAIN!" Poochyena yelled." We were whipped by two kids, idiots! You guys are gonna train me, Numel, and Carvanha till we can get payback!"

"It was just one loss." Arale complained." Besides, we've lost fights before, and it didn't effect our jobs at all!"

"One day it will, I know it! Besides, do you have any idea how incompetant it would make us look?" Poochyena asked.

At that time, an interesting sound came to their ears. A part of it was a loud whistling. The other part was three people screaming.

Glancing up, they dodged out of the way just in time for a large, Meowth-shaped balloon to land where they had been.

As the ripped balloon revealed two humans and a Meowth twitching on the ground, Firenze sweatdropped.

"Hopefully not as incompetent as them."

"Right. Let's go." Poochyena agreed, frightened.

***************************************************************

That morning, Ryu and Sparks stood outside the Center next to Ash and May.

"It was really cool meeting you, Ash!" Ryu said happily." I hope we'll see each other at the Hoenn League."

"I wouldn't doubt it!' Ash assured. "Seeya!"

"So long!" May called.

"Pi pikachuuuuuuuu!"

Ryu turned when they vanished from sight, and saw Sparks let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, you really need to work on that social problem, buddy." Ryu commented. Sparks reddened again.

"You're right, I will. Just... don't give me any pointers."

This tart reply caused Ryu narrow his eyes angrily, then close them and laugh. Bagon and Sparks joined in, and they started toward Petalburg Woods.

Narrator: Ryu made an interesting new couple of friends, and already has a Gym Battle planned for the future! For now, though, our heroes tread toward Rustboro, for Ryu's first Badge. The mysterious Team Planet, though, is heading straight on a collision course with them again in Petalburg Woods! The future remains mostly unclear, but whatever the day brings, Ryu and Bagon will take it on!

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A/N: Man this chapter was frustrating to right, ARGH, write! So tired, too much Zelda: Wind Waker and Pokemon Ruby, need sleep........

Oh yeah, REVIEW!

Please?