First Journeys Chapter 5

by MacrossGreen

Author's Note: I have to admit, there wasn't a whole lot of plot building in the last chapter. The last chapter was there to provide more background for Serra and to progress things a little more slowly. With this chapter, I'm providing training times for both Arik and Serra- I'm going to bring more details into their development, both with people and with pokemon. I'll tell you now that I don't really plan out any of the storyline or the characters that Arik meets. I go by what I think is a good idea, and if it seems like a bunch of things that I put together from the anime, I change it up as best I can. That particular instance came up in Chapter 4, when Jenny and Arik met. I was going to have Jenny apologize and then came up with the idea of pokemon poachers that they'd meet on the way to the pokemon center, but that was scrapped in favor of Chapter 4's current form. Hope you liked how it is how I ended it up, instead of my going with what I was going to do. If you remember the first season of pokemon, you'll recognize the Jenny things from Episode 2, and the poachers from episode 26 or so.

4 days later ------

For the next few days, Arik and his pokemon recovered from various things. Arik had been hurt all over, was muddy, dirty, and tired. His pokemon had been hurt, wounded, and in general, battered down by their first two or three days of adventuring. They were in Vermilion City as well, a port town that contained Lt. Surge's gym. Arik knew the names of the different gym leaders, as well as where their gyms were located- for him, it was as essential as taking down notes regarding his own pokemon. Measurements, weighing his pokemon, and learning what makes them do the things they do were written in his notebooks. He had two new ones now, each one a 140 page, 2-section notebook. Each section was taken up by information he had learned about each pokemon he had. The first entry was his Dratini, Ame.

Ame was about 6'8" inches long, and weight almost 10lbs now. The fact that she was growing so quickly made Arik wonder just how much experience she had gained from the few battles that she had been in, as well as from before she had become his pokemon. Her diet consisted mostly of drier foods, meant to keep her warm even as her scales required her to remain damp most of the time. She had also shed her skin while staying here at this pokemon center to recover- something that Arik hadn't thought she could do. But, she had shed the skin and was bigger than before, leading Arik to believe that she was, perhaps, getting close to evolving.

He wrote down the attacks that she had used so far- Wrap, Thunder Wave, and Tackle. Then he remembered the attack that had thrown Team Rocket for a loop- Twister, according to his pokedex. He wrote down how the Dratini moved when she'd used those attacks on her opponents. This information would be useful when he had the time to consider advantages and disadvantages of those attacks against different pokemon. He also took into consideration just how she reacted to attacks as well

The next was Arrow. The small bird was of average size and weight for a Pidgey, but its attitude seemed to make it even more stubborn than he would have thought a small pokemon like it could be. Its' wingspan was small, but good for the pokemon's size, unlike that green bird-like pokemon he had seen the other day that the trainer had had. He wrote down just how it made its attacks, Tackle, Sand Attack... He'd have to see about it using Gust soon, however. It would make dealing with Bug and Grass-types much easier, he knew. He knew about their weaknesses, as well, and had heard that somewhere in Johto, according to his mother, there was a Flying-type gym that was perfecting a ground attack that a flying pokemon like Pidgey or Spearow could use to combat their electric weakness. It liked eating hard, dry foods like nuts, mixed in with some berries.

Tsai was in the next notebook. Though it was his first pokemon, he still wasn't entirely sure about what attacks it could use. He'd heard that Nidoran, both male and female, evolve fairly young, and that after that they could be evolved from their second evolution into their third evolution forms by using a Moon Stone. He made sure to keep note of this information, of course, as well as the attacks it knew already- Peck and Leer. The pokedex told him that it should learn a move called Focus Energy after a little while, and then Double Kick, which would be useful against Rock-type pokemon, since it was a Fighting-type attack. Arik measured his horn, the length of Tsai's body, and weighed it. It was nearly average size and weight now, though it had been a bit smaller before, when he had caught it in the Safari Zone. The young Nidoran had no fear of trainers- that in itself led Arik to believe that it was very young, even now that it was nearing the average height, length, and weight as described in the pokedex. Tsai loved the softer, almost 'meatier' pokemon food that there was available, Arik found, after a bit of trial and error.

Then, there was the Vulpix. Turned out that he didn't have to battle it- the Vulpix had come up to one of Arik's pokeballs one day, that he had set out, and had itself go on into it. Arik still hadn't come up with a name for it, but was certainly thinking about it as he wrote his notes on the pokemon. She was pretty strong already, despite the Pokerus virus that it was suffering from. It got tired quickly, but was otherwise fine, having no other noticable symptoms. Arik had found that it liked food that was like the kind that Tsai enjoyed as well, and he had to smile whenever he found them eating from the same bowl. The Vulpix was also of average size and weight... though, she was a bit less heavy than one might have thought, with such bushy tails. Arik had to buy a brush from a local store, along with several pokemon healing items (including Super Potions), and he had begun to take care of the Vulpix every day, brushing it twice a day, both at morning and at night. Soon, the muck came out from its hair, and the Vulpix began looking much better, both to him and the children that came by the pokemon center every so often.

In fact, Ame gathered a lot of attention among the children, and could be found playing with them quite often inside the pokemon center. Arik had the chance, twice, to compare his notes with Professor Oak's own research, on all of his pokemon, and they had started to become friends of sorts. Some might have called Arik a 'pokemon watcher', what with all the information he gathered, or perhaps a 'Breeder', much as like others were called. Both took down lots of information, from observation and experience, regarding pokemon. However, Arik took this a step further, as he was a trainer, and applied it to the training he put his pokemon to while they were here.

They trained out in Route 11 every day. At dawn each day, Arik and his pokemon were out jogging for a while before stopping for a rest in the tall grass. They chose to battle the Ekans and Drowzee that they could find- on more than one occasion, Arik's pokemon lost to them because of their different attacks. Drowzee's Confusion made short work of Tsai, most of the time, though sometimes Tsai did get lucky with his Peck attack, and managed to get past the psychic-type's defenses. Arrow and Ame became much stronger here, pitted against both Tsai and Arik's new Vulpix, though the Vulpix defeated both more often than Arik would have liked. The weather was good during this time- the puddles that had been left after the last rain had simply evaporated in the afternoon sun of the first day.

Each night, they would return to the pokemon center. Once in a while, they were challenged on the way back by some trainer, and Arik managed to defeat them all after some well timed attacks from his own pokemon. Tsai and Arrow grew quickly, and soon they had become strong enough tha Arik began to try out new attacks that the pokedex said they could learn naturally. Tsai's body glowed and seemed to pulsate as it stored energy when ordered to use Focus Energy, and Arrow learned to flap its wings very quickly to generate small tornadoes that would slam into its opponents. The Vulpix and Ame grew stronger much more slowly, however, but it was obvious that they were becoming faster and stronger.

Sometimes, Arik would be challenged to a match by Officer Jenny. Surprisingly, though they had started off on bad terms, they became friends as they battled one another. She understood now, after a battle, that Arik had told the truth. She'd also been told by Nurse Joy that he had been sorry for blowing up on her as well. Arik apologized again when she had come up to him on the bike the other day, but she had apologized as well, which was something that Arik hadn't expected. She'd been the rider of this same bike that had splashed him with water from the puddle. She used a pair of Growlithe and a Butterfree that still knew String Shot, and became a very good sparring partner.

Finally, four days after they arrived in Vermilion City, a group of four trainers came up to Arik after a workout in Route 11. All four were wearing the same thing- school uniforms. Arik had seen these uniforms every morning as he jogged from the pokemon center, through the suburbs, and out to Route 11 enough to know that two of these kids were students from the junior high school. The other two looked a bit older, possibly trainers that still attended school in Vermilion, he thought to himself. They came up close, and the oldest one- a nearly bald kid that had a strip of hair spiked up along the middle of his head- came up closer as the other three just remained back a little bit.

"Hey, you... wanna trade your Dratini?" the boy asked. He was probably the same age, maybe a little younger, as Arik was. The fact that he had a Dratini had made Arik into a small celebrity during his stay here in the city. He'd even been approached by a member of Lt. Surge's gym to be invited to a battle there later today. Arik had to refuse the invitation at the time, but told him that if his pokemon were up for the challenge, then he'd be there. Arik looked the boy over critically.

The kid had a serious expression on his face and in his body language. He seemed to be serious about it. He wore his school jacket buttoned at the top, but unbuttoned after the first button on it. Arik shook his head slowly. "I don't even want to know what you want to trade for my Dratini. She's not for trade, sale, or stealing." he told the kid. The kid frowned, and then shrugged as he came up with an alternative. He smiled slowly, a glint in his eyes.

"Then, how 'bout a battle? Three pokemon each, okay?" the kid said, and Arik considered the request. He had nothing against the kid except for the fact that he didn't really like the idea of making his pokemon battle after a training day without getting much rest. But with three others behind this kid, Arik doubted they'd just let him leave. With a sigh, Arik nodded in agreement. Fortunately, Arik had already spent much of his money to get supplies, and the rest was in the bank. This kid, if he won, would wind up with very little prize money. And since the kid was a student, Arik doubted that he'd get much winnings off of him as well.

"Fine. Three pokemon each. Switch out if ya need to." Arik replied, and the kid just grinned, walking away from Arik. Arik walked away from him as well, and when they were a fair distance away, they turned to face each other. Both trainers picked out a pokeball and threw them at about the same time. "Tsai, you're up!" Arik called, even as his opponent yelled for his pokemon to come out. The pokeballs' red beam emerged as they opened up, and Arik's Nidoran came out, shaking its head quickly as it landed on the ground on all four paws. His opponent's pokemon came out, and Arik blinked in surprise as he saw it materialize. It stood upright, had two legs and two arms, as well as a tool of sorts in its right hand. There was a large skull on top of the pokemon, hiding its head from anyone who would look.

A Cubone! Not good, Arik thought to himself, as he saw it spin its bone and then hold it like a sword towards Tsai. It was a ground type with massive defense. What was worse is the fact that Poison-type attack aren't very good against Ground-type pokemon. And most trainers make sure that their Cubone have at least one of their signature moves, such as Bonemerang. When the opposing trainer ordered his Cubone to attack, it charged forward- it wasn't starting with a ground attack!

"Good for me... Tsai, use Leer!" he called out. His pokemon stood its ground as his eyes glowed a bright yellow as it stared down the charging Cubone, which didn't even break stride. Leer attacks lowered defense and could sometimes stop a pokemon's attack due to surprise, but a Cubone's defense was already high enough that a Leer wouldn't work too well against it. Finally, the collision occured, sending Tsai flying directly back a foot or two before landing back on its feet again, horn pointed towards the Cubone. "Alright... Tsai, Focus Energy!"

The Nidoran glowed and seemed to grow larger, and then back to original size again, for a few seconds. The kid that Arik was battling grinned, and ordered his Cubone to do the same thing! It did, but just then, Arik realized that Cubone, like most Ground and Rock-type pokemon, was slow as a snail in battle. With that in mind, Arik grinned- as much like a mountain as it was, it was almost as slow, too. That could be Tsai's strength in this battle. "Tsai, use Leer!" he called out, even as the opposing trainer finally ordered another attack. It charged the Nidoran again, the bone club held high, even as Tsai's eyes glowed yellow once more. The Cubone broke stride again, faltering somewhat before pressing its attack, swinging its Bone Club attack in a sweeping motion horizontally. Arik just grinned- too low!

"Tsai, jump and use Peck!" he called out, and immediately, the Nidoran leapt up and dove back down at the pokemon in front of it. The horn scored a nice hit on the Cubone, causing a red mark to appear on the Ground-type's hard hide from the strength behind the strike. It recoiled, stepping back a few feet before its trainer yelled out again. From beneath the skull, the Cubone's voice could be heard, a menacing version of its cry causing Tsai to slip back again once it landed, looking perhaps a little scared of the pokemon's Growl attack. Tsai lost its footing a little, but then seemed to shake itself into looking more resolved in this fight. It charged the Cubone without actually waiting for an order from Arik, and then scored another hit on the pokemon, its horn striking a very long, red scratch along its hide on the other side.

The Cubone was thrown back from the force of this attack, a critically effective one. It landed on its back, the bone falling from its hand for a second before it had it again, using the club to bring it back to its feet. The Cubone's trainer looked on in shock for a second, then started to encourage his pokemon again, bringing it back to its feet and swinging the bone around before taking it with one hand and winding up, bringing its arm back before launching forwards, the Cubone's bone club swung with enough force to make it go airborne. Tsai wasn't ready for it when it landed, and was struck by one end of the club as it went outwards. Then, to Arik's surprise, it was thrown in such an arc as to bring the club back to the pokemon it belonged to. "Jump out of the way, Tsai!" he called out, and Tsai looked back to see the club returning. Immediately, it jumped into the sky, and then was immediately attacked by the Cubone again.

It had launched itself into the air after the Nidoran, and with a dull thud, rammed its head into the underside of Tsai's body, causing it to cry out in pain. "Niiiiiidonarrrr!" it cried out, falling to its feet on the ground, immediately collapsing after the landing to the ground. Tsai was breathing very hard after that Headbutt attack, and Arik had to wonder if he should bring it back. No, he thought to himself, as his Nidoran got to its feet again. "You're doing great, Tsai! Want to come back?" he called out to it, concerned for his little friend. At the question, Tsai just shook its head and went after the now landing Cubone, leaping into the air to propel itself forward, and it kicked once, and twice, at the pokemon that was catching it's bone club. Cubone wasn't ready for the attack this time, and was knocked to one side, and then the other as it was Double Kicked. It stood its ground for a moment, then fell forward before not moving again.

Tsai let out a triumphant cry and ran back over to Arik, leaping up to be caught by his waiting trainer, who was smiling. Arik caught his little Nidoran and pet it quickly, telling it that he'd done a great job. His opponent recalled his pokemon, and Arik did the same, bringing Tsai back into its pokeball. "Great job, Tsai. Now, get some rest." he told it, and then he looked over to the other trainer. That Cubone had been a huge challenge! He'd been surprised that Tsai managed to outlast it, and obviously, from the anger he could see on his opponent's face, he hadn't expected it either. With a smile on his face, Arik pulled another pokeball from his jacket after he watched what his opponent pulled from his pocket.

"Go!" the opponent cried, and he threw his pokeball. Arik threw his own pokeball, and then grinned as he saw his opponent's pokemon materialize. He knew the shape of it well, and could tell what it was before it actually appeared fully. It was rounded, and an evolved pokemon. When it materialized, its main colors were a golden-yellow and a leaf green (no pun intended, again). It had sleepy-looking eyes. It was a Weepinbell! The same kind of pokemon that had melted his bike so long ago. Arik grinned and watched as his own pokemon emerged from its' pokeball. "Come on out, Arrow!" he called, and the flying pokemon materialized in the air, flapping its wings as it gave a cry.

The spectators- Arik's opponent's friends, were surprised by the events that they had seen already. An obviously much stronger and tougher Cubone had been defeated by a Nidoran! And now, the roles were reversed. Arik's pokemon was a Flying-type, and had an advantage on the evolved Grass-type pokemon that their friend had sent out. Even the trainer of the Weepinbell knew that, even with its experience advantage, that this would be a tough battle. With that in mind...

"Weepinbell..." Arik told himself, before calling over to Arrow with an order. "Sand Attack!" he told it, and then the opponent yelled something to his pokemon. Arrow swept in fairly close to the ground and to the immobile Weepinbell. Weepinbell was somewhat slow in attacking in battle, but it actually couldn't move around much. It was practically a sitting Farfetch'd while in battle. Arik had learned a few things about Grass-types like Weepinbell, but there was no way to take advantage of one's possible mobility when out in a field. Arrow produced a gust of wind that kicked up a bunch of sand, even as the Weepinbell spat out a cloud of spores that mixed in with the sand. The heavier sand took over, forcing the powder to fall back towards the pokemon that had sent it out.

The Weepinbell's eyes shut as the Sand Attack hit- it wouldn't get afflicted with paralysis from its own spores, actually, but the sand hurt almost any pokemon's eyes and would keep them from seeing well. "Good! Now, Gust attack!" Arik called to his Pidgey, which flapped its wings a bit faster, rising higher into the sky before stopping its flapping for a split second. Then, it swept its wings forward quickly, a tornado of air and some grass quickly sweeping in towards the immobile Weepinbell. It opened its eyes just in time to see the attack, barely, and the look of shock on the pokemon's 'face' was priceless as it was blown away several feet. It was knocked onto its back as the tornado pased on, dissipating a little further off. It cried out in its low voice, a bit of pain evident in its cry as it propped itself up again.

Weepinbell's trainer called out to it, and the same vines that had managed to get it back up onto it's belly that it rested on while upright went on the attack, darting straight towards the flying pokemon overhead and not too far away. "Tackle attack!" Arik cried out, and the Pidgey darted in fast towards the Weepinbell it was up against. Though not a powerful attack, thanks mostly to the size differential between the two pokemon, Arrow was too fast for the Weepinbell's vines to catch even up close, and after it rebounded off of the Weepinbell's face, where it had impacted but not budged the grass pokemon much, it flapped its wings quickly, kicking up another Sand Attack!

With its eyes closed again, Weepinbell withdrew its vines to keep them from flailing around wildly as it cried out from the sting of a point-blank attack of sand in its eyes. Its trainer yelled out an order, and it wasn't long before the Weepinbell managed to come up with a counter attack aimed high- a spitwad of black, steaming Acid was shot from the Weepinbell's mouth, and Arrow easily dodged it. The memory of such a thing came back to Arik quite vividly now as a result of such actions, and then he grinned. "Gust again!" he called out to Arrow. Again, it rose into the air to attack, even as the Acid attack fell to the ground and burned away the grass there as a result. The tornado formed and was blown into the Weepinbell, knocking it away once more to right about where its trainer was.

The Weepinbell groaned again, this time unable to get up, and it went down for good. Arrow gave its own triumphant cry and flew in cartwheels in the sky, even as Arik praised it. Too bad the Pidgey didn't really care what Arik said to it, and as Arik attempted to get it to return, beam after beam of red light emerging from the pokeball, he missed each time. The trainer he was battling laughed as he watched what was going on, and then threw out his next pokemon. "Come on out!"

The pokemon that materialized was one that Arik couldn't quite figure out. It looked kind of familiar, but it was a pokemon that was very, very different from the ones he had seen in the pokemon center. It looked, barely, like a Fearow. But it was very different, even if it was of a somewhat comparable size. It was silver-colored, all over. This pokemon had a metallic sheen all over, and when it flew, it was a bit slower than most birds seemed to be. The underside of its wings looked to be a dull purple in color, and its legs and talons looked about the same as most other bird pokemon... except they looked like they were razor sharp and made of metal. Arik had heard of Steel-type pokemon before. They'd been discovered not too long ago when Magnemites and Magenton were found to be resistant to more attack types than any normal Electric-type was.

The only problem with this was that no weaknesses other than Ground-type attacks had been found by anyone he'd talked to. And the fact that this was a Flying-type that was probably a Steel-type as well... Ground attacks don't affect Flying-type pokemon. So, what could do any damage to this pokemon? "Meet Skarmory, a rare pokemon from the Johto region! I traded my Wartortle for this pokemon, and he is one powerful guy. I haven't met a single Gym Leader able to defeat it yet." the kid taunted, bragging about his choice of trade. A Skarmory, huh?

Arik gritted his teeth as he watched this large, powerful looking pokemon as it glided overhead before circling back to head towards its trainer again. Even Arrow had begun to simply hover in place as it watched the much larger bird fly, and when the Skarmory screeched out its own cry, Arik had to wince from the metallic scraping sound that was about as bad as fingernails on chalkboards. Then, Arik started to rack his brain for anything he knew that could help out in this situation. There was only one thing he knew that might work, but then again, who knew if it would or not? "Arrow!" he called out, and then pointed at the Skarmory as he called out an attack. The trainer across from him laughed and called out an attack for the Skarmory to use. The two birds, one miniscule compared to the other, darted towards one another, and the third round began.

Same day, different city

It took only 2 days for Janine and Serra to return to Fuchsia City. Along the way, they got even closer and became good friends. Serra threw her cell phone into the water to the east of route 12, watching as it became harder and harder to see after she had thrown it over the cliff and into the ocean. Then it was gone, a silent (to them) splash. She looked at the pokeballs she had in hand, the four pokemon she had kept from Team Rocket that the organization had given her in order to have a chance against a dragon-type pokemon. They trained together, Janine teaching Serra how to raise her pokemon with care as they walked and talked.

Once they arrived at the pokemon center in Fuchsia City, she went onto the Trainer's PCs that were available to all, and posted on the internet the two Ice-type pokemon that she had- a Cloyster and a Seel. It was obvious that they were stolen, and if they were not claimed, then she would release them into the wild. There was a Raticate and a Machoke as well that she had been given. She set them into her personal PC pokemon folder, and then withdrew her only remaining pokemon from the older days, when she had managed to keep this pokemon alive, despite the best efforts of her father to destroy it. With a smile on her face, she went with Janine from the center and to the gym.

In the next two days, they put into motion the training that Janine had taught her. Serra worked with her pokemon, becoming friends with it again after a long time of not seeing it. She and her Arbok trained together, working to become faster and stronger. She sparred against the other Gym Trainers, and found that she was not as weak as she once thought she was. Her Arbok managed to defeat even Psychic-type pokemon thanks to its Bite attack. In fact, Janine had a challenger that had been waiting upon her arrival for the past few days that she was gone, and Serra proved herself by defeating the trainer in a one-on-one battle.

The two became inseperable in this time. Janine and Serra trained together and Serra learned many things. She even taught Janine a trick or two regarding how to bring out a pokemon's true strength, to continue with a fight even after a powerful attack that her pokemon were weak against. Together, the two trainers learned much from one another. They trained with the other trainers in the gym as well, practicing their pokemon's respective abilities against one another, and then with one another as they battled, to see how the different combinations of pokemon would work out.

They would often be found battling together, pointing out possible combinations of attacks to help with Janine's battling against those who would be coming to challenge her for her badge. At dawn, both trainers woke and went out behind the gym, into the hills, to train in 'solitude'... even if both were there. Serra and Janine worked with their pokemon to improve their speed and stamina, because it was that which most pokemon lack in the face of their most feared weakness- Psychics. At night, they would all attempt to teach their pokemon newer attacks. Serra managed to teach her Arbok how to spit Acid, after some instruction from Janine and her own Arbok.

On the last morning, a trainer came by the gym... one not here for a badge, but to pick up two pokemon that he'd lost. After a session on the internet to determine that this trainer indeed had his pokemon stolen from him, it was confirmed. Serra went to the Pokemon Center alone, and had the two pokeballs with the two pokemon in them teleported to her. Then, she went back to the gym, holding one pokeball in each hand, and handed them to the waiting trainer.

"There you are!" Serra said, smiling as a trainer she had just met took two pokeballs from her. The trainer was confirmed as having had two water type pokemon stolen from him- a Seel and a Shellder. The young man was very happy to find his pokemon, even if the Shellder had been evolved. Serra was... happy. She looked over to Janine, who was smiling just as much as Serra was doing. It was as rewarding as winning a pokemon battle when one managed to reunite a trainer with long-lost pokemon. It was something that didn't happen often, of course, but when it did, it was a great event.

"Never thought I'd see the day when I give pokemon away, instead of taking them... I like this better, I think." she told the gym leader, and Janine laughed. The past few days had seen quite the change in her friend. Instead of beating herself up over every little thing and living in the past, she now lived day to day and for the future. And today, Janine had a gift for her friend so she could actually go ahead and find her future.

"Quite so, Serra. Oh, and by the way, I received an e-mail from Arik... you remember him, I think." she said, and Janine grinned to Serra. "He's in Vermillion City! Somehow, he made it past all your old friends in Team Rocket. He's been there for more than a week... he is not the type to simply stay in one place for no reason. This, I know very well. He said that he would be there for a few more days. Here!" and with that, she tossed a small parcel over to Serra. "There are some pokeballs and a pokedex in that. Go be a trainer, but go get to Arik while you're doing so. Have your battle, and train with him. I want to battle you both now."

Janine grinned still as she saw Serra catch the small package, but the shock was obvious on her face. Serra's face looked like she'd just seen a ghost, but of course, she was just getting over the fact that she'd just been given the okay to go and do what she's always wanted, even if the permision was from her own family. To travel and enjoy life, catching pokemon, battling gym leaders... The brunette blinked, and then blinked again, one hand rising to draw her fingers against the moisture that escaped her eyes. She was crying? But she wasn't sad... not this time. She was happy beyond words, and Serra smiled as the shock left her. She stepped up to Janine, and was given a hug by the gym leader.

"Go on when you're ready, Serra. But if you want to catch up with Arik, you had better do so quickly. He is much faster than you are at this point, and he has one hell of a lead on you. He's a good guy, but you better be careful, since you did not meet under the best circumstances, after all." Janine advised her. Leave it to an old friend to try and make friends between enemies, Serra thought to herself, even as she wrapped her arms around Janine and hugged her back tightly. The ninja girl was caught by surprise, but smiled warmly and hugged back just as much for a sec before she found herself losing air in her lungs. "Hey... too much!" she managed to say, and both of them giggled as the hug was dissolved.

"I'll send him an e-mail that'll tell him you're on the way, Serra. I'll tell him everything, so I don't think you'll have to worry about receiving a bad second meeting with him." Janine said, and Serra nodded, wiping away the tears in her eyes with a smile on her face. Serra needed to battle someone who had defeated her already. It was practically a necessity that she battle him once more, to show that she wouldn't cheat or lie. She didn't necessarily want to beat him, but to become a little more like him. She had to admit, she had admired how close he'd been to his pokemon, how that Dratini of his had launched itself at Jim, her partner in Team Rocket at the time, to keep him from hurting its trainer.

"Yeah... I need to apologize to him, in person, too." Serra said quietly, so that only Janine could hear. Janine nodded, and then handed Serra a Gift Card for the PokeMart wort about $50.00. "Huh... what's this for?" Serra asked the gym leader, who just smiled a little. Janine wasn't known for her generosity, most of the time. But she and Serra had bonded a bit, and this was something that was often done for new trainers just setting out on their own, so they could be ready for what lie ahead.

"The gym does this for all new trainers. Our resident pokemon researcher at the lab is out at a conference in Johto, so I get to hand out pokemon and supplies to the new trainers. These were originally for a trainer that never made it to the lab a while ago." Janine explained. The trainer had moved from Fuchsia before new arrangements could be made between his family and the lab. So, they'd sent the extras over to Janine. And now, they'd finally be given to someone who could put them to good use. "Now, go get ready, Serra. There's not too much time before the PokeMart closes for the night." she said now. Serra nodded in response, and then hurried off towards the entrance of the gym. After a moment, she was outside.

The door was immediately locked afterwards. "Get back to training, everyone!" she commanded, and Janine went to the back as the sounds of pokemon and trainers alike began the dilligent training that had been halted the past few days in preparation for this moment. To Serra, the doors would remain locked. She had left a note for the girl to read inside the package that she'd been given, stating that from now on, she would need to travel on her own, unless she made her own friends outside the gym. Janine had given her a possibility in Arik. She could meet with him if she wished to, or find her own path.

The gym leader had a feeling that she would see Serra again only when she saw Arik again. She went to her computer and logged onto the internet. She pulled up her e-mail system and deleted the spam she found in the bulk mailbox, and then composed a letter to Arik. She told him what was going on, that Serra was the girl who was part of the duo that had attacked him to try and take his Dratini. She told him that she'd given up on Team Rocket, and to stay in Vermilion for a few more days- if the girl wasn't there within four days, then do as he'd like. Janine sent off the e-mail, and then sighed before calling up the police station. Someone had to let them know that Team Rocket was still at their evil deeds, even at a lesser rate than they had been working at in the past.

Same day, different part of Fuchsia

Serra had opened the package upon walking out from the gym. She'd heard, and expected it, when the doors had locked behind her. She couldn't blame Janine for doing as she had done, to keep her out from the gym now. If she'd been allowed to stay much longer, Serra would likely stay for a good long time, and if that happened, she rather doubted that she would leave before Team Rocket would find her. It was a surprise that she hadn't been found yet, actually.

She headed over to the pokemart, and spent the money on items, a backpack, and a new jacket. Once done, she headed towards the pokemon center for the night. She needed to decide what to do, but going to meet with that kid with the Dratini sounded like a good plan to her. Apologizing to him would be a good start, but training with him might be even better than just that. There was something about that kid that seemed to be... what's the word? Strong. Likable. Possibly something that she could learn. There was not a whole lot that she could do on her own. There was power in numbers, power in training. She had an Arbok to her name. This one pokemon was strong, but not strong enough, she knew, even with the past few days of training it almost non-stop.

But one pokemon can be defeated by many. That is how Dragon-type pokemon fell to strategy before ice and dragon-type attacks were found to be very effective against them. The same could be said of any powerful pokemon, even an Alakazam or any legendary pokemon. If one pokemon was to stand against six without fail, it would be without peers. However, there's always someone better, and a pokemon stronger. There has never been a universally superior pokemon, and there are, after all, more being discovered practically everyday... or so the magazines Serra's read said that.

Finally reaching the pokemon center, she checked in at the counter and headed to the room she was given. She'd rest for the night before heading out towards Vermilion City. She knew better than to get on the computer. Since she had left Team Rocket, she hadn't met with any of her ex-coworkers (a very good thing, of course). But if she even hinted at herself being anywhere, her father would likely pick up the 'scent' and start a full out search for her. And if that happened before she had a chance to raise more than just her Arbok, she'd be out of luck. So, she did the next best thing. She wrote two letters. One was to Janine, which held her thanks and the password to her secret PC file so that if the owners of the two remaining pokemon in there come to pick them up, she could give them to 'em. The other was... to her father.

The Letter

Dear Father,

I hope you are well. I should tell you that I have become fed up with our rules that you forced upon me all my life, about leaving Team Rocket. I have left Team Rocket, finally, and I will not go back. I have met people that I can actually care about and have friends! Two things that I sorely lacked when I was younger. You know I have never wanted to be a thief, a criminal. Yet you forced me into it, which prompts me to ask, 'Why!'

I love you both, but please, I will contact you when I am ready. I shall defeat you the next time we meet. And we will end these battles that you force me into, once and for all. You will not kill my pokemon again, this next time. I will not stand for such things any longer. My trips to Lavender Town, though you never approved, were to go to the Pokemon Tower. I apologized to my departed pokemon, pokemon that you killed! I cannot forgive you for that, father, though you are misguided in your ways. I hope, one day, we may see eye-to-eye and we can talk about how wrong you are to use pokemon as if they were simply to be used and not cared for. A pokemon, I have learned, even under your tutelage, will respond better to motivation, to friendship, and to sacrifice, if you are more their friend and not like an owner to them.

Pokemon have lives, just as humans do. If you treat them badly, they are hurt emotionally. And yes, both people and humans have emotions. Something you have forgotten, I think. When you killed my pokemon and I cried, you comforted me by saying you would get me new pokemon to train. And then you would kill them too, in our next battle. Enough! This chain must be broken! If it is not, then eventually I would simply cease to be part of the family. Mother's understood this before, though she has always been afraid to say so. You have never understood it, thanks to your lust for power and money. Stealing and destroying the weak is not the way to gain respect or power over others.

Team Rocket was defeated two years ago by a trainer. A single trainer. If one trainer can defeat Team Rocket, what chance do you think you have against every trainer in Kanto, if such a thing can occur? Against even a union of all the gym leaders and gym trainers together! And if the Elite Four themselves joined in to finally disband Team Rocket once and for all- do you think that it is impossible? Certainly, it is impossible for all trainers to band together for a common cause, but enough can join to make Team Rocket in the Kanto region gone for good. And one more thing, father... When I defeat you, you shall resign your position in Team Rocket and lead a non-criminal life! This I swear. Still, I love both you and my mother. I am not proud of what I have done before in my life... but I will be proud of what I will become.

Love,
Serra

Back to the Pokemon battle

"Skarmory! Use Steel Wing!" the trainer before Arik commanded, and Arik winced as he saw the large bird swoop in towards Tsai. Arrow had lasted only a few exchanges before actually being struck by the Steel Wing attack from Skarmory. But those exchanges had been just enough. Arrow had snuck in four doses of Sand Attack on the Skarmory, and its eyes were so filled with sand that seeing in general had to be difficult for it. But Arrow had been knocked out, and Arik sent out Tsai again. Fortunately, he had found that when the pokemon came down to the ground to sweep its razor-sharp wing down to attack, that it had some trouble finding its mark. Not only that, but Tsai's Double Kick attack had left a small dent along its back.

"Tsai! Double Kick!" he called out now, and Tsai moved from where the Skarmory was aiming to right underneath it, jumping up to slam first one foot, and then the other, into the underside of the now startled flier. The Skarmory gave a cry in pain and then gained altitude afterwards to escape the pokemon that was now staring at it from the ground. The kid across from him simply smiled smugly. Their crowd was gone- the students had homework to do, as did, most likely, the student across from him that he was battling. He figured it wouldn't be much longer before his Skarmory did in Tsai and whatever other pokemon he would decide to use.

"Tsai, get ready!" he told his Nidoran, and it toughened up a bit, getting its nerve back. It was still breathing hard, still hurt from its last battle against the Cubone before. It shivered, its body coated with sweat that dripped from its horn and muzzle. Arik needed to recall Tsai before it was too late... and he smiled a little, knowing just when to do it. The other trainer called out to the Skarmory, and then it swooped down again at Tsai. This time, its wing was not being used- it looked like a peck attack. "Tsai, return!" Arik called, holding out the pokeball and drawing his pokemon back and out of the fight just before the Skarmory could get the strike in.

"Alright... Kiri, go!" he called, and Arik sent out his Vulpix. He'd just come up with a name on the spot, and threw the pokeball. The pokemon materialized and gave its soft cry before looking up to the much larger bird pokemon that was slowly struggling to regain altitude after its abortive attack. "Ember attack!" he called out, and the Vulpix fired off its flames at the pokemon as it rose. There was no way for it to dodge, and so the pokemon took the damage right in the 'breadbasket', so to speak. It cried out in pain, moreso than it had when Tsai had struck it with the Double Kick. Arik would have to write this down later: other than Ground-type attacks, Fire and Fighting-type attacks could work well too.

The Skarmory's hide blackened from the attack, and as it rose higher finally, it let out another cry of pain as the blackened part of its hide expanded a bit. The pokemon was burned! Arik grinned slightly, even as his opponent gave the Skarmory a command. It was a command that stunned Arik, as it went to the ground and sat on its haunches, eyes closed, and it fell asleep. The kid had told it to rest! The burn wouldn't affect it now, he knew, as he saw it regenerate its health immediately. The blackened marks on its body? Gone. Now, however, Arik knew it would give him some time. "Ember again!" he called out, and Vulpix replied again, sending out flames to scorch effectively against the pokemon's body.

The pokemon was slowly getting fried- overheating, really, since it had a metal body on the outside but not the inside. The inside was... well, who knew? The pokemon was from Johto, after all, and was one that Arik hadn't ever seen before. Arik didn't know a thing about its insides, but obviously the fire was having an effect on the pokemon. "Keep using Ember!" he told Vulpix, who kept up the flames. The Skarmory just slept there a while longer. Then, finally, it woke up and started to flap its wings. It was too late, however, as it slumped over and collapsed on the ground after a wave of exhaustion from the heat swept over and through it.

The student watched astonished, and then recalled the burned pokemon to its pokeball- which was also strange-looking to Arik. It wasn't a standard ball, obviously. "Alright, ya win." the student said, and then immediately ran away before giving Arik any of the money that was standard from such a win outside of tournaments. Arik shrugged, and smiled, recalling Kiri. The Vulpix vanished in a beam of red light that engulfed it, and finally he started towards the pokemon center. This had been a long day of training, and he stretches as he heads back into town. Maybe he'd go and get himself something to eat today... a Burger King, maybe? It sounded good, at least.

The next day

Arik was having a great dream... too bad that when he woke up, he couldn't remember it! He sighed softly, realizing that it was well after dawn once he saw the light streaming in through the window from nearly the top of it. With a sigh, Arik slipped out of bed and to his feet, leaning forward before getting to his feet. "Well guys, guess I'm a little late this morning, huh?" he said, talking to the pokemon that were in their pokeballs still. He'd written down his notes that he'd learned last night about a Skarmory, and sketched it out next to the sketch he'd made of that green-colored bird from a while ago. "Well, let's go get you guys some breakfast... not to mention myself." he said, and then he chuckled softly, letting each one loose from their pokeball before setting them back onto the latches on his jacket. He slipped on his shirt and the jacket, as well as switching out of his shorts and into his pants, and then his shoes were on again.

In less than 5 minutes, he and his pokemon were walking out of the room and down the hall to the lobby. After few more minutes, he had bowls with the pokemon's food in them set down and they were all eating. Kiri and Tsai from the same bowl, Arrow from the very small bowl, and Ame from a normal sized one. There wasn't much else to do at the moment, and it was far too early to actually give Professor Oak a call. Then he remembered that the Professor was away from Pallet Town today, and would be for a week for a conference in the Johto region. So, telling him about that Skarmory and the green bird-like pokemon was out of the question for a while longer. Anyway, at least he would leave him a message.

He did just that, sending Professor Oak an e-mail instead of a voicemail. Arik sighed when he saw something in his e-mail that wasn't spam. Several things, actually. One was a notice as to a Pokedex upgrade that could be received from any pokemon researcher. Another was an e-mail from his Dad, who was busy helping set up the Magnet Train that would span from Goldenrod City in Johto, where his parents worked, all the way to Saffron City. It said that he was hoping to come back home soon, and that Dad wanted to take him to Johto! Arik blinked in surprise at this information, but he shook his head slowly. Going to Johto would be great... but Arik wanted to get some badges here. He was already officially in the hunt for them in the Kanto Pokemon League.

So, he wrote his Dad an e-mail in return. Basically, he told him that finally, he had caught some pokemon from the Safari Zone and had caught two more outside of it. They were training on Route 11, just outside of Vermilion City, and that getting to Saffron City would be easier than getting back there. He also told his dad about the problems he'd had with getting around thanks to Team Rocket. He warned his dad that because of the Dratini that he'd caught, that he was being sought after by them.

A trainer came into the pokemon center after a few more minutes, but Arik didn't bother looking yet. He sent off the e-mail and then opened the last e-mail he found that wasn't spam. He deleted the rest of the mail while he read the last one. It was from Janine, surprisingly... but even more surprising was the news she had for him. She was sending the girl that had attacked him, part of Team Rocket, to him to apologize and travel with?! Arik wasn't too sure what to think about it though. She had ground his face into the ground with the back of her heel. She'd attacked him with pokemon in a numerical advantage- her team's advantage, that is. Four to three, and somehow he managed to pull out the win.

Then again, Arik wasn't the kind of trainer that held a grudge for long. But he was the kind that would keep his trust away from those who had attacked him for no reason. She'd have a lot to do before he could trust her very much, but he would give her a chance. He wrote that in his response to Janine... and that he would wait for her here, too, for a few more days. Four more days at most, though he really wanted to be going sooner than that.

He stood up and headed for the door after logging off of the PC, making sure none of his settings and passwords remained. Arik smiled as he walked to the door, passing by a platinum-haired woman who seemed to simply be looking around before walking to the counter. She and Nurse Joy had some words, and then the platinum haired woman immediately walked out of the pokemon center and walked after Arik, who was oblivious to the fact that he was being followed.

Back in Fuchsia, same day

Serra had set out earlier in the day- unfortunately, today was the very last day for the Safari Zone to remain open. Pokemon had already been set loose from the Safari Zone, so anyone who decided to try and capture pokemon there would likely only find the most common or the most rare types. She was out along Route 15 now, moving quickly. Janine had given her some pointers on quicker routes through the other routes. She'd also provided some good ways of walking faster and quieter, and Serra had decided to use these ways. They were the first things one learned as a ninja, other than balance and such. She wasn't a ninja, but the steps that she'd been given gave her plenty of speed anyway. No wonder Janine had gotten past her and her partner without them knowing!

Serra smiled, scooting through the grass as quickly and quietly as she could. But was she surprised when she found herself face-to-face with a pokemon she hadn't seen in the longest time. Four legged, hairy, and looking like one of the strongest physical pokemon ever found on the face of the earth. Horns that looked like they'd seen plenty of battle. And a few scars along its massive torso. Three small circular 'gems' rested along the pokemon's muzzle. Three tails flailed around behind it slowly, knocking away any flies that might have been following it. She recognized it immediately.

"Wha... wha....a... a Tauros..." she said under her breath, looking the pokemon in the eye as she watched the pokemon that wasn't really as tall as she was. It was, however, heavier than she was, most definitely! She shivered slightly as the pokemon stared her down, causing her to step back for a second, and then she got her nerve back. Finally, she threw her pokeball. "Arbok, go! Use Glare!" she called out, and out came her pokemon. The purple scaled pokemon emerged and immediately attacked, its eyes turning a neon blue. The same color erupted in an aura around the Tauros, and it was stuck in place, preventing any sort of counter-attack.

"Poison Sting!" she told Arbok, who had moved back to her side now. The Arbok let out a little cry and then opened its mouth wide. A bunch of needle-like projectiles flew from its fangs and out towards the now immobile Tauros. Each one struck and caused the large pokemon to fall backwards, nearly falling over its own legs. Finally, Serra grabbed a pokeball and expanded it with a touch to the indicator button, and then let it fly at the Tauros. It connected and the large pokemon was drawn into it. The ball hit the ground and immediately started rocking back and forth. It was fighting like crazy, wasn't it?

"Get ready, Arbok... use Poison Sting again if it escapes the ball." she told it, and the Arbok nodded. Both watched the ball rock back and forth- once, twice, three times... the indicator light began to die, and then it flashed again as the ball rocked a fourth, and then a fifth time. It finally died after a moment longer, and she sighed as the light went off and the ball stopped rocking. Serra smiled and walked over to the ball, her Arbok at her side as she picked it up and minimized the pokeball, setting it on the belt she was wearing. Then she turned and hugged the serpentine pokemon, smiling. "Great job, Arbok!" she told it.

The Arbok leaned over and tickled her ear with its tongue, and Serra giggled a little bit at the feeling. "Hey now, watch it there... That tickles!" she said, smiling widely as she pulled out her Arbok's pokeball to recall it. Having done so, she just grinned. One new pokemon! And this was a strong one to begin with, too... she'd have to remember to keep it away from sight if possible. Surprise was always a good thing, after all. With that little problem dealt with, she started off along the route again. Her fast walking was taking a turn for the speed now, moving even faster than she had been, earlier. Her spirits were high, her pokemon had just made her able to catch a new pokemon, and as she came across an area with a lot of glittering sights in the air, she found herself unable to continue along the route that Janine had told her about.

"Oddish..." she muttered. Or maybe it was a Gloom, she'd seen some when she was walking around this route once before. Either way, it was daytime, and they were asleep. With a small grin, she moved along off to the side, moving out of range of the pokemon's powder radius. Once out of there, she continued along the route again, moving fast. It took almost half the time it had taken before to get to Route 14, and there was most of the day still ahead of her!

"Thank you Janine!" she said to herself, and found herself continuing on north now along Route 14. There wasn't much else to do when you stick to the forest, since most other trainers stayed along the route itself while battling or training. Serra was enjoying this traveling lifestyle that pokemon trainers always managed to have, as they moved about to get their gym badges and such. It was about time she had done something for herself, and not for her father, or Team Rocket. She remembered that she was heading to Vermilion City for a reason, of course, but she was actually wanting to do it. Maybe now she could actually do what she'd want to do from now on. With that in mind, she just kept on going.

Later that day, in Vermilion City

Arik had gone to the city today, needing to find something new to do. He was walking along the docks when he remembered that he needed to head on over to the gym, and he smiled as he walked along the sidewalk in that direction. Strangely enough, the sidewalks were practically empty and the streets only had a little bit of traffic. He shrugged slightly, wondering if there was something going on somewhere, but he couldn't hear a thing that might mark a festival or some sort of parade.

It only took ten minutes of walking for him to find his way down to the gym, and Arik smiled a bit. Lt. Surge's gym was known for its' electric power. If the city ever had a black out, Arik had heard that he would lend his pokemon's electricity to those places that require it, such as the hospitals and pokemon centers. His entire gym was like a miniature power plant (unlike the large one north of Lavender Town, which was being completely renovated)! He came to the door after he walked around the building (one side had a huge tree in the walk way), and he pushed it open. Once inside, there was a pair of trainers in khaki in the middle of the room. There were a bunch of barrels as well, for some reason, and he could hear the electric hum of some sort of device further in the gym.

"Welcome to the Vemilion Gym!" the one on Arik's left said, stepping up towards him. There were pokemon statues to either side of the doorway, with a list of trainers that had managed to defeat Lt. Surge in the past year. There didn't seem to be too many names on the lists, actually, and that didn't really surprise Arik in the slightest. He looked back to the trainer, and found that both of them had come up to him rather close. They both wore sunglasses, and he couldn't see their eyes or much of the intensity that were hidden behind them at the same time.

"Ah... thanks. My name's Arik, I was invited here yesterday, but I got roped into a pretty long battle and couldn't make it. So, here I am today." he told the man, who nodded slightly. Obviously, this trainer knew who he was, though they'd never met before. Therefore, he must have been the one who had invited him into the gym. Arik waited for a moment, looking to the older gentleman on the other side who remained silent throughout the proceedings.

"Ah yes, the trainer from the pokemon center with the Dratini. My name's Horton, and this is Mr. Gregory. The other gym trainer is out sick today, there seems to be a widespread flu going around the city these days. I asked you to come by in case you were interested in battling for a badge against Lt. Surge... would you happen to be interested in such? Even if you're not, we'd be happy to train with you, if you'd like." the trainer asked, but before Arik could answer him, the door opened behind him, and Arik stepped out of the way.

Into the gym stepped a woman who was dressed very different from the normal person in these parts. She wore a black kimono, and her platinum colored hair was a stark contrast. She came inside a few steps, and then stopped, looking from one trainer to the other, before looking to Arik. She took a long look at him before smirking slightly. She looked smug, for a woman who struck Arik as being in her mid twenties. The woman wore a pair of golden earings that looked like crescent moons in her ears, and she just stared at Arik for a moment. Arik watched her eyes, wondering why she was simply staring at him like this. Finally, she spoke, and it was something that he didn't expect to hear.

"You... you are the dragon trainer?" she asked him in a clear, calm voice. Arik nodded slowly, unsure of what to say. He hadn't ever taken that title before, but he did have a dragon type pokemon with him. What else was there for him to say? No? That'd be lying, of course. The woman nodded to herself, and then shook her head disdainfully. "I see. You are far too young to be raising dragon-type pokemon, child. How did you come across such rare pokemon?"

The two gym trainers stepped away now, resuming their places among the metal barrels further in the gym as the woman spoke with their invited trainer. Arik just watched this woman carefully, wondering what her problem might be. "A Dratini, though a dragon, is still a pokemon, ma'am. And she is a good friend of mine now. We've saved one another from danger before, and I suspect we shall continue to do so for quite some time into the future as well. I found her in the Safari Zone, which I believe is closing today." he replied now, speaking quietly. She seemed to have an air of disapproval in her glance and in the way she was speaking down to him, and Arik resented that- she didn't know him.

"My name is Clair, child. Unlike this quaint gym here in Kanto, I am from the Blackthorn City Gym, in Johto. I heard from Professor Oak that a Dratini had been found in this region, and I decided that I needed to investigate. I trust that even a boy as young as you has heard of the Blathorn City gym?" she commented, and Arik had to fight down an instant dislike for this woman that was growing stronger by the minute. He had to calm himself, something that wasn't that difficult- she hadn't broached the breaking point... yet.

"My name is Arik, ma'am. And yes, I have heard of the Dragon Gym in Blackthorn City, thanks to Professor Oak as well. What brings the Gym Leader of that particular gym to come all this way... surely not to simply meet me, was it? I am honored." he said, bowing low to the gym leader. Horton had heard this information as well (Gregory, however, did not. The electric hum in the gym screwed with his hearing aid when he was that close to the electrified fence), and immediately went towards the back, where Lt. Surge must be. Clair sniffed slightly, as if she had just smelled a Grimer or Muk somewhere closeby.

"Don't give me that, child. But it is good to know how to treat your betters." she said to him. Arik was really developing a dislike of this dragon trainer as a result. He watched her body language as she shifted most of her weight to one side, one high-heeled foot moving forward as if to menace him. "I am indeed the gym leader. I simply heard that the trainer, you, with the Dratini was in Vermilion City, and since I was coming to Kanto anyway, I thought I should meet the child with it. May I see your Dratini?" she asked now. Wait a sec... she actually asked to see it? Didn't make a condescending remark? Amazing!

"Well, I suppose so..." he began, but a booming voice came from the back of the gym. Both trainer and Gym Leader turned to face the intruder in the conversation, but Arik blinked when he saw who it was. Blonde hair, tall, muscular, and definitely not of this country. Lt. Surge! He was widely known, in Kanto, as the Lightning American. Strong yet kind to all and pokemon, he wasn't exactly the brightest bulb in the set, all things considered.

"Hey now, it ain't often we get another gym leader in here... the name's Surge." he said to them. He towered over both Arik and Clair, at about 6'8", and he looked to each of them before settling on the fairly attractive (and to be fair, she was about that attractive) Dragon Gym leader. He was wearing khaki jeans and jacket, with a white shirt under the jacket that could barely be seen. "And you must be Clair, from the Johto League's Blackthorn City Gym. Pleasure ta meet ya." he said, hoping that his accent wasn't too offensive to the diminutive gym leader. Clair coughed, raising a hand to block her mouth as she did this, and Arik just smiled a little. Well now, two gym leaders, one gym. This could certainly be interesting, he thought to himself.

"Yes... well, it is nice to meet you too, Lieutenant Surge." she said to the Lightning American, bowing slightly to him, and the gym leader of this gym bowed in return, looking a little sheepish as his followers looked on. Arik just smiled slightly as he watched this little confrontation between two gym leaders. "I am sorry to say that I did not actually come here to meet with you, but to meet this trainer here on my way to visit with a friend of mine here in Kanto." she told him, and the look on Lt. Surge's face was priceless. He must be easily swayed, Arik thought... was that a tinge of red on his face? It took only a second for Arik to realize that he'd fallen for her, hook, line, sinker, and submarine. Ouch.

"Ah, well, I ah, see. I believe he was going to have a gym battle with me, ain't that right kid?" he asked gruffly, looking to Arik for probably only the second time since he'd arrived in the gym. Arik shrugged slightly, before becoming aware that Clair was watching him carefully. Ack... not something that could be dealt with easily, he knew, as he looked back and forth for a second before looking to Surge again to reply. Arik really had to think about this- the leader of a gym that dealt with dragon types would be watching, after all. This was pressure that Arik hadn't been ready for when he had found himself here, but there was only so much he could think of in the few seconds before a reply was necessary for the waiting gym leader.

"I am not really sure if my pokemon are ready for that kind of a challenge... I've only had them about a week now, two of them for less than that, actually. But hey, if my pokemon are ready for it, I'm willing to give it a shot." he told the Gym Leader, who quickly beamed his approval. He wanted to show his stuff to the visiting leader, it seemed, and Arik was the unfortunate soul who accidentally got caught in the middle. Horton and Gregory were both watching this, and were whispering about it as they walked out from the floor. Gregory moved over to a switch and pressed down on it. With the flick, the entire floor rumbled, and the floor itself shifted from the puzzle to the battle field. A flat surface, with a few small hills that looked like wouldn't be able to stand the weight of a Pidgey.

"Two pokemon each, got it? No time limit... and Clair, if you would care to do the honors, I would be honored if you would choose to officiate." Lt. Surge said to Arik and Clair. Arik was surprised- two pokemon each? This gym leader was probably much stronger than any of Arik's pokemon, but chances were that he knew that, too. Clair nodded gracefully before glaring at Arik, as if to say that he better not mess this one up. Arik sighed slightly, before nodding to Surge, and walked over to the visitor's end of the battle field, taking up residence in the box provided for the trainers.

Lt. Surge walked to his own side, and Clair stepped to the middle on the outline of the field. "Two pokemon battle. The gym leader will be unable to switch during the battle, while the challenger may do so at any time. And if you are both ready..." she declared, looking to the trainer and the gym leader. Both gave the nod for her to go ahead. "Begin!"

Along Route 13

Serra stopped for a break off on the land-side of the bridges that lined the cliffs over the water. She'd been walking for over half the day now, and now she was relaxing, enjoying the breeze that had picked up. Some clouds drifted by overhead, blocking out the sunlight every so often as she sat against the trunk of the tree behind her. She smiled, enjoying this simple pleasure- not having to worry about a thing except of where she was headed or what she'd do when she got to where she was going to go to. She'd gotten further in most of a day than she did in a day and a half without Janine's directions.

She'd been relaxing for a little over twenty minutes when she heard a pokemon's cry from not too far away. It was coming from the direction of the stream she'd gone by a little while ago, which led to a small waterfall that cascaded down the side of the cliff and into the ocean that was to the east of this area. The grass was green and everything seemed healthy- Serra couldn't even begin to guess as to why a pokemon would be in trouble in a place such as this. It was a pleading sound to her, which gave Serra the impression that the pokemon needed help from something or someone. "Hang on..." she muttered, getting to her feet and heading back towards the stream.

It only took her a minute to get there, and what she saw surprised her. Hadn't this type of pokemon, at one time, only been fond in the Seafoam Islands, far south and west of here, between Fuchsia and Cinnabar Island? It was a small pokemon, nearly the size of her arm, and was completely blue. It was tangled up in some sort of net that looked like it was discarded in the stream. She couldn't see the lower end, but she did recognize it anyway, from the rest of it's body. It had a little spout of a mouth, and it looked like one of those sucker pads that would keep stuffed pokemon dolls stuck to the inside of a car window at the end. The pokemon's body looked a bit darker than the normal blue she knew them to have- in fact, it was a bruise, she could tell, that covered much of the pokemon's body as she came closer.

"Horsea? How'd you get trapped in there? Hold on a sec, I'll get you out." she told it, and the pokemon managed to turn enough to look to the girl that was scrambling over rocks to get to it. Finally, she just jumped into the water and walked over slowly- the stream wasn't very deep, and fortunately it wasn't filthy, either. She smiled to it reassuringly as she came close, and then quickly started to untangle the mess of the 'web'. The Horsea cried out in pain as it felt the rough net being pulled and twisted around its hide, and Serra winced as the rough texture of the net cut into her skin somewhat. "Ouch..."

It took a few more minutes, but eventually Serra managed to make enough of a gap in the net for the Horsea to escape, whimpering the entire time. "Come on over to shore, Horsea. I'll get a potion out for you, and we can get you healed, okay?" she told it, and the Horsea nodded slowly, swimming very slowly and carefully over to the shoreline as Serra managed to climb out of the water and back onto the rocks, her pants soaked from the knees down. The way that this pokemon looked reminded her of how she felt every time she'd been defeated, she thought to herself, as she sat down on the grassy bank and pulled her backpack around to get at the pocket with the potions in it. She pulled it out and looked over to the Horsea, who was now patiently waiting.

"I think I'll have to take you out of the water, little guy... hope you don't mind." she said, and reached over with her free hand, picking the pokemon up carefully. It was a little heavier than she thought it would be, but wound up setting it down, leaning against a rock. The Horsea was breathing hard, seeming to be in quite a bit of pain as it waited for the healing spray to be applied. Serra brought the potion around and aimed it at the Horsea's body, coating it liberally with the healing spray before turning the pokemon around and coating that side of it as well. There wasn't much area of the Horsea compared to her other pokemon, so she had to be sure to get every place on the pokemon so as not to waste a drop of the now depleted potion bottle. She detached the plastic bottle and set it into the sack, taking out another bottle and sliding it into place on the spray bottle.

As usual, the potion took care of the pokemon's bruised and battered body quickly, most of the very dark blue, almost black, marks disappearing within a minute. Its breathing became much more relaxed, and the look in the pokemon's eyes was one of gratitude as it watched the trainer on her knees in front of it. "Do you feel better now, Horsea?" she asked it, and it nodded a bit faster than it had a moment ago. Serra smiled- she knew now how the Nurse Joys must feel when they manage to heal a hurt pokemon like this. She'd never take their jobs for granted again. "Good. Now, do you have a trainer?" she asked it, and then the Horsea shook its head, making a low, soft cry from its throat.

Serra nodded at its answer- a clear no- and then winked to it. "If you like, would you want me to be your trainer? You don't have to be mine, if you don't want ta be, you know." she told it, smiling still. She'd learned a bit about Horsea back in Team Rocket. There were unconfirmed reports about Horsea in the Johto regions, that they could somehow evolve into a dragon-type pokemon. They were even called, in a pokedex, the 'dragon pokemon'. But all the experts agree that Horsea and Seadra were both only Water-type pokemon. No one knew how these pokemon could evolve into a dragon-type... not in Kanto, anyway, yet.

The Horsea looked thoughtful for a second, looking away from Serra and back down the stream, where it emptied off the cliff and to the ocean. How it had managed to get up here was anyone's guess. Serra smile softened when she saw where it was looking. "Oh... you want to go back to the ocean, Horsea?" she asked quietly, and the Horsea nodded slightly, and then looked to her and shook its head to the trainer. This caused Serra to become a little confused. Just what was this pokemon trying to tell her? Then, she picked it up and set it back into the water carefully, so it could make its decision while in its element. "I'm not really going to the ocean, myself... If you want to go to the ocean, Horsea, I know a place along Route 12 where I could take you though, so you can get there without dealing with waterfalls." she told it, and the Horsea nodded at her words, seeming to smile.

Was this pokemon playing hard to get? It was difficult to tell, really. Serra shrugged and then knelt down again, an unused pokeball falling from the open pocket of her jacket and rolling down the small incline towards the Horsea. It came to a rest in front of the pokemon, and Horsea looked at it as Serra waited to see what it would do. The Horsea came close to the pokeball and seemed to sniff it. It looked to Serra and gave her a wink before poking its head against the indicator button and was immediately drawn inside. Serra laughed as the indicator light shut off almost as soon as the pokemon was inside. "Tease!" she told the pokemon in the ball, and she could almost hear the laughter of the pokemon before she stood up again, with wet pants still, and headed north again, soon coming to Route 12 without dealing with any trainers.

The route this way was pretty devoid of any trainers these days, now that the Announcement of the Safari Zone had made its way throughout Kanto. Only fishermen and those looking to find a reclusive place to train would bother with these routes anymore, as well as those trainers who would go to Fuchsia for the Soul Badge. Even those challengers seemed to dry up these days, the gym gaining maybe three challengers in a month. It was almost as bad as Cinnabar Island's attendance, though that was to be expected for Cinnabar- the gym leader had many gym trainers and few traienrs who went there to challenge him could make it past ALL of them.

Then, while thinking about Cinnabar, Serra glanced to the southwest and gasped. There was smoke in the very far distance! It rose very high into the air, and Serra realized that it wasn't just smoke, but ash... Team Rocket had had a base deep in the island a while ago, where they had done research on a pokemon that she'd only heard rumors about. It had been called Mewtwo. Supposedly it was cloned from some ancient legendary pokemon, but the research had been transfered a few years back to another island somewhere in the Sevii Isles. That center had been destroyed somehow, probably when Giovanni had quit, so his research couldn't be traced by Team Rocket's investigating operatives back to him.

Back in Vermilion, at about the same time

Arik blinked as he looked towards the window that face to the south- his ears weren't just making things up. He heard a rumbling, and then felt a small rumbling. "This isn't just a pokemon's Earthquake attack... this is a natural one!" he said aloud, and both Gym Leaders looked out the window. "Hey, wait a sec... that's smoke!" he cried, and Arik ran out of the pokemon gym. Horton, Gregory, Lt. Surge, even Clair went out after him. Arik knew the layout of this region very well, as did Lt. Surge. The smoke came out from far away in the distance, over the water. If Arik was right, he knew where it was coming from. "Tha... that's Cinnabar Island... Lieutenant Surge, you don't think..." and he trailed off, looking to the much taller trainer.

The gym leader nodded solemnly. "Yeah... That's Cinnabar Island's Volcano. It must've just blown up!" he commented. Clair just gasped, a hand covering her mouth as she watched, from afar, that which must be dealing a massive blow to the residents of the island. If there was that much smoke and ash blowing into the sky, there must be plenty of lava covering the surface of the island, too. "I jus' hope Blaine can take care of everything until enough trainers and the emergency teams can get 'der to help." he said, and then he ran off towards the docks. Horton and Gregory looked at each other and nodded. Gregory ran after his gym leader, and Horton looked to Arik and Clair.

"Are you two just goin' to stand there? There ain't going to be a pokemon battle now for a badge. We're goin' to Cinnabar Island to try and help, and your pokemon would do wonders right now there, I think. What do ya say?" he asked the two, and Arik just nodded. Arik didn't even have to think about it. This was a port city, and there were many ships to be found here. A fast ship would take them to Cinnabar in just hours- fortunately, there were two Hi-Speed Gallop ships that serviced the Sevii Islands normally in port.

"Yeah, I'm in. Clair, want to tag along?" Arik said, glancing up at the older trainer. He grinned slightly when he saw the shock in her eyes, and then determination formed in her features as she nodded slowly. He slapped her back lightly and then took off after the other two who had already gone, Horton turning and running beside him. Clair was snapped out of her reverie after the slap on the back, and her eyes narrowed. Who was this trainer to dare touch her without permission of the smallest sort? Still, now wasn't the time. All available trainers had a job that they needed to do, a moral obligation...

Arik just hoped that Janine and Serra would understand that, as he raced for the docks. There were just some things that trainers can't sit out, and helping others was one of those things. Especially in an emergency like this one!

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Author's Note: This is a lot of Johto's G/S/C information, isn't it? Still, it does make me feel good about keeping true to the storyline provided in those games, as far as events taking place chronologically. I've been wanting to get Clair in this for a while now, actually, and I'm glad I finally found a way to use her as a character. Lt. Surge was always a favorite gym leader of mine, even if he used a Raichu in the anime. Please, leave a review! I planned on ending after beginning the pokemon battle at the gym, but I thought that introducing and emergency along this scale would be a better way to finish the chapter. Feel free to e-mail me at , if you have any suggestions as to how to proceed. Oh, one last note. Would you believe I finished this chapter the day after I posted Chapter 4? I did!