DISCLAIMER: Yawn, same as before. I still don't own Pokemon and even though I wish I did… I can't and I never will.

WARNING: Okay, this chapter has: Adult Language involving a teenager and Pokemon battling. So not many worries, but read at your own risk if you don't like cussing.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yes, reviews! Thank you so much for your comments Anthonycor and Eyeken! Soon another chapter will be up, but maybe later than I want because of a death in the family (my great grandmother died).

SUMMARY OF THIS CHAPTER: Elizabeth travels on the first route that leads to the next town when she, somehow, misplaces her locket. This is the adventure she goes through to get her locket back, meet a new trainer, and receive devastating news from Chris. Please enjoy!


Chapter 3: The Locket

Elizabeth Ann Cordaro clutched the locket in her hand as she looked around at her surroundings. She couldn't believe how expensive the locket looked. She read the inscription again. She undid the clamp, pulled the two ends around her neck, and attached the ends to one another. The inscription on the locket given to Liz from Chris had said, "Will you be my girlfriend?" She had said yes and so they started their relationship that day, even though Liz would be miles away from him. She had chosen Snubull as her Pokemon and she was ready to start her journey. She had received so much in the past hour and she was so grateful. Liz heard something rustle in the trees next to her.

Little did Liz know that her father was following her. He was disguised as some regular old man. He had on a brown suit and brown pants. He had on a brown hat also. He had dyed his hair gray and added a false moustache that was also gray. He looked totally different. He also carried a cane along with him. Liz didn't know that he was following her and she didn't know that the Pokemon he had were from his job. He had 4 Pokeballs and in each of them was a strong Pokemon. In the first one was a Raichu. Raichu was the evolved form of Pikachu. In another Pokeball was the Pokemon Flareon. Flareon was the evolved form of Eevee. He also had a Seviper. Seviper is the Fanged Snake Pokemon. The last Pokemon he had was a Mightyena. Mightyena is the evolved form of Poochyena. Mightyena and Poochyena are the Bite Pokemon.

Liz looked around. Wind was blowing all of the leaves on the trees on Route 01, which starts at the edge of Umido Town and ends at the edge of Fiume Town. Some of the leaves fell to the ground. It was still spring, so all of the leaves were still a dark green. She walked forward a bit on the damp grass still covered in dew, afraid of what was rustling in the trees. A lot of the grass had died from people walking on through the route, but there still was some grass. Next to the barely visible pathway was a line of trees and behind the trees is a river. The river follows the path and encircles the town of Fiume. The river wasn't that deep, but parents still wouldn't let their children swim in it because of the swift current and the many dangerous Pokemon that live in it. The river is called Swift River.

Liz saw many bushes ahead. She frowned. It must be hard to find Pokemon, she thought to herself. Liz kept on walking and she suddenly heard a cry. She looked up into a tree above her and out fell a large monkey looking Pokemon. Liz screamed and started running away from the Pokemon. She ungracefully tripped over a huge spider and landed in the river. A large orange fish pushed her out of its way. She screamed again

"These Pokemon are freaking me out!" She said to herself as she clutched the red and white ball attached to her belt. Liz sighed as she released her tight grasp on the Pokeball. She then reached for her locket to hold onto.

"Wait a minute… where's my locket?" She yelled out in disbelief. She looked around in the rocks on the bed of the river. She checked in her pockets and soaked clothes.

"Shit!" She cried out as she threw her stuff onto the ground. She got out of the water and started running around looking for it.

Liz's hair was soaked, her clothes were sticking to her body, and her shoes were soggy. She frowned as she looked through every bush she had passed by. She looked on the ground and in random areas. She then heard a snicker. Liz looked up into the tree and saw the monkey Pokemon. It was laughing at her because it had the locket around its neck.

"Give me that back!" Liz cried out, but the Pokemon continued to laugh at her. She clutched the red and white orb and threw it at the ground. With a flash of white light her familiar Snubull appeared. She put Snubull's empty Pokeball back onto her belt. She looked at Snubull. She had learned that you had to defeat Pokemon throughout your journey.

"Quick, attack the monkey!" Snubull looked at Liz, it was confused. It scratched its head and pursed its teeth as the monkey jumped down. The monkey kicked Snubull at its legs. Snubull flipped into the air and then landed on its head. Its eyes were moving back and forth. It hopped back up and looked at the monkey. The monkey clapped its hands and laughed more. The locket was around its neck. Actually the monkey looked like a white fur ball with a tail, arms, and legs. It had a pink snout and the locket was underneath its nose, which appeared to be the area a neck would be.

"Um," Liz started. "Use kick attack!" The monkey laughed hysterically as it kicked Snubull again in the legs. Snubull's legs were becoming bruised and she looked like she was about to faint.

"Er… um… bite it!" Liz ordered. Snubull nodded as she charged the monkey and bit down hard on its side. Liz remembered that she had a Pokedex and she decided to put it to use. She took it out and pointed the device at the monkey. She pressed tons of buttons and then it finally spoke.

"Mankey, the Pig Monkey Pokemon. It's unsafe to approach it if it gets violently enraged for no reason and can't distinguish foe from friend." The computerized voice spoke. Liz nodded.

"Okay, um. I dunno! Tackle it!" Snubull nodded. She jumped at the Mankey and wrapped her arms around it. She hit the Pig Monkey Pokemon pretty hard as it slid a few feet after the collision. After sliding, Mankey hit its head on a tree. The tree was a pine tree and out fell some pinecones. They hit the Mankey on the head, but they weren't pinecones. They were too large to be pinecones. They must be Pokemon! Liz screamed again as they started to growl fiercely at Liz, Snubull, and Mankey. Liz threw one of her empty Pokeballs at the Mankey. The Pig Monkey Pokemon was absorbed inside the ball after being encircled by a red beam of light. The ball wobbled once. Liz clenched her fists and so did Snubull. It wobbled twice. She nodded as a smile broke out on her face. The few days paying attention in class actually paid off. The ball shook a third time and then a light appeared on the ball and the ball opened up.

"Crap!" She cried out as the enraged Mankey looked at Liz.

The Mankey jumped at Snubull super fast.

"Uh! Jump into the air!" She told Snubull. Snubull nodded and the Mankey nearly missed Snubull. Mankey hit its head on a tree and because of the momentum it fainted.

"Yay! I can have my locket back!" She exclaimed as she ran over to the Mankey. She took her locket off of him and put it on around her neck. She frowned. She was still soaking wet and there was already more Pokemon wanting to battle. The pinecones looked angry.

"Er, um! I'm sorry! It wasn't my fault," She pointed at the defeated Pig Monkey. "It was that thing's fault!" She cried out. The pinecones hopped over to Mankey and jumped up and down on the poor, fainted monkey as Liz quickly ran away.

Liz and Snubull ran back to where Liz had dropped her stuff. She took off all of her clothes and put them up on a tree. The remaining clothes she had on was only a skimpy bra and underwear. She laid down on the ground and suntanned for a few hours as her clothes dried. Snubull laid down right next to Liz to get a tan. Liz thought this was cute because Snubull was covered in fur and couldn't get a tan. Liz's voice broke the silence.

"So, do you want a name?" She asked the dog-like Pokemon. Snubull looked over at Liz.

"Snub?" She asked. Liz gave Snubull a confused look.

"What did you say? 'Snub'? What in the world does that mean?"

"Snub! Snubull! Bull!" Snubull's voice was cute and high-pitched, but Liz didn't understand what she was saying.

"I'm guessing that that is Pokemon talk…" She dragged on. Snubull nodded.

"Okay, well I can't make heads or tails of what you're trying to say. Hopefully I'll be able to understand sooner or later." Liz said. She looked up at her clothes. She smiled; they looked dry enough to her. She then noticed a boy who was watching her. She blushed and tried to cover herself, but the kid quickly ran away.

"What the hell was that all about?" She asked herself. She rolled her eyes as she took the undershirt, put it on, took off the light blue t-shirt, and put it on as well. She also put on the khaki skort that went down to the tops of her knees. She put on new socks and then she put on the new shoes her parents had gotten her. She also put on the white bracelets her parents had also recently gotten her.

Liz returned Snubull back into her Pokeball and then latched the red and white orb back onto her belt. She pressed the locket against her neck as she smiled. She was glad she had gotten it back. Liz packed everything back up and started walking again. Her shoes squeaked because they weren't completely dry. She looked around at all the places a Pokemon could be hiding. She nervously looked for some more Pokemon to battle. As she was walking and searching she heard a high-pitched voice that cracked a little.

"Hey you!" Came the voice. She looked around for the owner's voice. She soon saw a boy, probably about 11-years-old walk out from some bushes. He had raggedy brown hair coming out from his red hat. His hair looked like it needed to be washed. He obviously had gone without a bath for a few days. He wore a white tank top and navy pants. His shoes were covered in mud and so were his socks. His smile was lopsided and his eyes were dirt brown. He was shorter than Liz, but he wasn't skinnier. He looked at Liz. His eyes scanned up and down Liz's body. She frowned at him.

"What?" She asked in an annoyed voice.

"Let's battle! You ain't gonna beat me." He obviously needed grammar lessons. He threw out a Pokeball clumsily. A green spider appeared. Liz screamed as she looked at it. It had a frowning face on its back. Liz took out her Pokedex and pointed it at the spider.

"Spinarak, the String Spit Pokemon. It spins a web using fine—but durable—thread. It then waits patiently for its prey to be trapped." The voice said. Liz stared at it. She was frightened of bugs, especially spiders.

"Uh, go Snubull." She said as she tossed the Pokeball out. Snubull appeared. It smiled at Liz and Liz smiled back.

"Spinarak, use String Shot!" The spider shot out some web from its spinnerets at Snubull. The string wrapped around Snubull. Liz gasped.

"Um, bite the string away!" Liz told it. The Snubull bit at the web and freed itself, but soon there was lots of web in its mouth. It tried to cry out, but it couldn't be heard because of the web.

"Spinarak! Use Poison Sting!" The spider ran up to Snubull and stabbed it with its horn on its head. Snubull spit out the string as it cried out in pain. Snubull screamed out in even more pain as poison surged through its veins.

"Snubull? Are you okay? Are you poisoned?" She asked. Snubull continued to cry out in pain.

"Get revenge! Use… um… that one where you jump at it and… oh yeah! Use Tackle!" Snubull jumped at the Spinarak and knocked the Spinarak hit a tree. Snubull grabbed its heart. It cried out in more pain. Tears spilled down her face.

"Snubull… try your hardest to defeat it with another Bite." Her voice was concerned. Snubull bit down on the Spinarak one more time. The Spinarak soon drifted away into a deep slumber. Liz had won her first battle! Snubull was extremely hurt though. Liz returned Snubull. The boy frowned at her.

"I should've won!" He cried out angrily.

"My name is Ben." He said. Liz shook his hand that was extended.

"My name's Liz." She said. She smiled at him. He smiled back. He didn't let go of her hand. She raised an eyebrow. He laughed nervously and then she nodded. She wiped her hand on her pants; his hands were sweaty. She smiled a fake smile as he walked away. She looked onward. She still had a while to go, but Snubull was weak. She was sure she would be able to continue battling, but being poisoned probably took some effect on her Pokemon. She returned Snubull into her Pokeball. Liz held the Pokeball tightly as she continued walking. Liz was scared that Snubull would die or something. But Pokemon don't die… do they? She asked herself.

Liz continued walking when suddenly a black figure jumped in front of her. Liz screamed. She felt a burning sensation on her neck. She looked down at her locket; it was glowing. She held it in her hand. It was still glowing and it was burning her hand. She screamed out as the Pokemon growled at her. She took out her Pokedex and pointed it at the Pokemon.

"Error 123. Error!" The Pokedex said.

"What the hell?" She was too frightened to look at it. The Pokemon growled again and then jumped on her. Liz felt lightheaded as her head hit the ground and the Pokeball fell from her grasp. Snubull escaped from her Pokeball. Her eyes widened as she fell on top of Liz. Snubull had fainted because of the poison in its bloodstream.

Liz's eyes fluttered open.

"Wh-where am I?" She asked out. She wasn't thinking very well. She couldn't see the area around her, it was dark, and she heard a small figure's breathing.

"H-hello?" She asked. A small figure leaned against Liz. She hugged it tight and figured out that it was Snubull. She sighed as she tried to make out where she was. She heard water trickle down into a pool of water. She guessed that the water was telling a century old tale as it fell into the pool and was evaporated back up so it could fall down again. Liz breathed in a deep breath. She could smell and feel wind surrounding her and leaving out through an opening. Liz realized that she was in a cave. She noticed stalagmites and stalactites because of the sunlight coming through the opening. She heard another person's breath.

"Hello?" She asked again.

"Wh-what?" She obviously stirred a young boy but the voice was oddly familiar.

"B-Ben?" She asked.

"Yeah, I found you in the middle of the path. There was this strange man next to you battling a weird colored Houndour."

"A what?" She asked.

"Houndour, the Dog Pokemon. Houndour is a Fire/Dark-type Pokemon."

"Oh." She said quietly. "What did this man look like?"

"He had a brown suit on and he had gray hair. He looked pretty old. He had a false moustache, it fell off." He replied. Liz giggled.

"Well, this is where I sleep. Hope you don't mind me bringin' you here." He said.

"No. It's no problem at all." She replied.

"Okay good. I'll fix us some lunch."

"Lunch?"

"Yeah, you've been asleep for three days." He said. She felt her stomach rumble.

"Wow. Well, hope you fix some good food." She said.

"Oh, I make excellent food." He replied.

After a few minutes he came back with some tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. She devoured all of it with a big carton of milk.

"Wow! That was good! I love those three together… tomato soup, grilled cheese, and milk that is."

He nodded. "I'm glad you liked it."

Liz woke up Snubull and fed her some of the soup. She looked deathly ill.

"What happened to your Snubull?" He asked. He obviously wasn't that smart either.

"Remember? Your Spinarak used that poison attack, and it poisoned her."

"Oh. Well, I have some Potions and Antidotes. The Potions revive the Pokemon and the Antidotes heal the Pokemon of poison. It takes a while though."

"Oh! Thanks! How can I ever repay you?"

"Aw, don't mention it." He said as he poured a spoonful of purple liquid into Snubull's mouth. Snubull almost gagged. It obviously tasted very nasty. He then poured two spoonfuls of a red liquid into Snubull's mouth. Snubull liked that taste.

"Here." He said as he handed Liz a purple and white bottle and a red bottle. "The purple one is the Potion and the red on is the Antidote. Snubull will need one spoonful of the Potion every three hours for two days. Snubull will then need two spoonfuls of the Antidote every twelve hours two days." He was obviously smart about Pokemon medicine. "I want to work at a Pokemon Center when I grow up, so I've been studying these things." Liz nodded.

"That's cool. Thanks again for the bottles."

"No, thank you. I'm always happy to serve. And don't mention it." She smiled. He also smiled back. His hair was wet. He obviously had tried to wash it before he had gone to sleep… maybe to impress Liz.

"You'll have some leftover." He replied.

"Okay cool." She said.

"Well, let's go and battle some more Pokemon."

"Okay!" she replied. The both picked up their Pokeballs and walked out of the cave. As they walked Ben tried to hold Liz's hand. She looked at him disgustedly. He frowned as they walked through the path. They walked for a few minutes and then they reached the end of the route. Suddenly Liz's phone rang.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Hey Liz. It's Chris. I have some horrible news…" Liz gasped as she heard what happened.


A/N: I love cliffhangers! You'll just have to wait until next time to find out what happened! Thanks for reading!