I do not own Pokémon. Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, Creatures and GameFreak. Thank you, Wikipedia!

(*)

Buneary watched her Trainer curiously. He was practically shaking with excitement, but was also struggling to steady his breathing and calm himself.

"Got to stay calm," he murmured. "He's just another guy. Just another leading researcher in Pokémon/human relationships, who wrote all of the reports you've ever read." He sighed.

Smirking, Buneary crept behind him and tapped his thigh. He jumped before turning to glare at her, to which she responded by reaching up as if to hug him.

His glare softened and he lifted her. "I'm sorry," he said, holding her close. "I'm just really nervous right now."

She nodded, doing her best to comfort him. She felt him relax in her arms and pulled back to look at him curiously.

"Yes, I'm fine now. Mostly."

Nodding, she jumped down and gestured to the door. As he knocked on the door she looked up and noticed the clouds hanging over the back of the building. Confused, she nudged Lucien's leg and pointed to the clouds.

"Probably just a Rain Dance. No need to be scared," he told her, frowning.

She huffed and shifted from side to side as they waited for someone to answer the door. It wasn't that she was scared, it was just that she was nervous at how far they'd come from their original plan.

A jingling sound from the other side of the door drew her from her thoughts and she tensed as the door opened, revealing a teenage girl.

"Hello," the boy said, focusing on her Trainer. "Are you here to see the Professor?"

Buneary took in the girl, noting her blonde hair and casual shirt. She moved closer to Lucien and noticed how her Trainer seemed stunned by the sight of the girl.

"No," Lucien croaked out. "I'm, uh, here to meet a man by the name of Nixon Anderson, and I heard he was hanging around here."

The girl seemed surprised for a second, but quickly wiped the look off her face. "Yeah, he's around. My name is-"

"Cynthia, current Champion of Sinnoh," Lucien blurted out, blushing slightly. "I'm well aware who you are."

"I figured, but didn't want to assume," Cynthia said, the corner of her mouth quirking up. "And you are?"

"Lucien Dieunoir, travelling Trainer," he said, taking the proffered hand. "At least for now."

Cynthia nodded and withdrew jerked her thumb backwards. "Cool. Mr. Anderson should be around somewhere."

With that she turned and began walking away, Lucien and Buneary hurrying after her. As they strolled through the house Buneary began noting anything she thought was important. A steel door here, an ominous hallway, a large library spotted through a gap in a doorway, she made sure to note anything they could use.

Glancing at her Trainer she noted how Lucien eyes seemed drawn to Cynthia despite his attempts to look around. Finally they stopped at a screen door and Buneary waited impatiently as Cynthia opened it and gestured to the yard she'd revealed.

"Introducing the Oak Ranch. Or Poké-Coral, I've never been sure," Cynthia said casually.

Buneary rushed out ahead of her Trainer and glanced around, recognizing a few Pokémon but focused on finding the man they were looking for. Spotting someone walking towards them she froze and stared even as Lucien moved to stand beside her.

(*)

Lucien smiled at the person approaching them.

"Hello, I don't believe we've met," Nixon Anderson said, extending his hand.

Lucien nodded, taking in the person before them. Shaking the offered hand Lucien felt disappointment and satisfaction mingle in his chest.

He's just another guy, he thought, silently reassuring himself. "We haven't, but I've heard a lot about you from my father. You know Patrick I presume?"

Nixon's eyes widened and a bright smile spread across his face. "Oh, so you're Patrick's son? How is my old friend doing, I haven't heard from him in months."

"He's been busy with work," Lucien explained, rifling through his satchel. "He said he wanted you to have these."

Lucien handed the trinkets over and Nixon stilled. They really weren't anything special, just a rugged rock and a letter, but his mother had insisted on getting Lucien to deliver them, and the trip had been useful to him as well.

Nixon smiled softly as he rolled the stone between his fingers. "Can't believe he remembered…"

Lucien cleared his throat and Nixon focused on him again.

"Right! Sorry," he said apologetically. "Anyway, your dad sent you all the way to Kanto to hand over a rock?"

"I didn't exactly protest," Lucien responded dryly. "I needed to do something for a friend."

"Oh, well then…" Nixon glanced at Buneary and smiled. "I guess this is your Pokémon?"

"I hope so, otherwise she's just been mooching off me for the past few years," Lucien joked.

Buneary grinned and waved at the older Trainer, apparently having become a little more relaxed around him. Lucien heard someone clear their throat behind him and turned his head to look at Cynthia.

"I'm sorry, I'm a little lost. Could you please explain to me what's going on?"

"I'm the son of one of Nixon's old friends," Lucien answered. "This is my Buneary, and I guess you could say we're on a journey."

"A journey?" Nixon asked, Cynthia moving to stand beside him.

"Of a sort," Lucien answered, shrugging. "A friend asked me to find something for him, so I am."

"This something," Cynthia interrupted, "isn't a rare Pokémon, is it?"

Lucien considered the question. "I guess it is, all things considered."

Before Cynthia could continue her line of questioning Lucien heard the door slam.

"Okay, I recommend rice, potatoes and-" Whoever it was stopped next to him. "Who is this?"

Lucien turned his head and froze. Standing there was the man whose face was on most of his schoolbooks, and he was looking curiously at Buneary.

Clearing his throat he extended his hand and said, "Hello, my name is Lucien."

The man smiled warmly and shook his hand. "Samuel Oak. Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Lucien mumbled. "I was just here delivering a…rock to an old family friend."

"Speaking of which," Nixon butted in, "how long will you be staying in Kanto?"

"Huh?" Lucien asked, slightly dazed. "Well, um, I offered to get something for a uh, a very paranoid friend, and I've got a Pokémon to deliver, so… I'm not really sure."

"A Pokémon to deliver?" Cynthia asked, her face tightening slightly. "Care to explain?"

"Well, I met someone in Viridian who tried to, um, rob me of my Pokémon. Without any Pokémon of his own." Before they could jump in he said, "It was as ridiculous as it sounds, but he was young and easily manipulated, so I said I would bring him a Pokémon of his own."

The others were silent for a few minutes before Cynthia asked, "And you want to ask us for help?"

"Not really, but I would like some help with deciding on a move for Buneary. Frustration isn't working out anymore, and I figured you'd know something that might work."

Cynthia nodded and gestured him over, moving a little ways away. When they were distanced enough she turned to him and asked, "What are the moves your Buneary knows so far?"

(*)

Pierre sat patiently as the girl on the videophone rambled on about a nesting place, Charizard sitting next to him and waiting to join the conversation.

"But enough about me," Amelia said finally, "how are things going with you? How's Charizard?"

Charizard finally moved into the camera's view and Amelia smiled.

"I bet you were just waiting for me to mention you," she teased.

Charizard huffed and puffed up his chest in pride.

"Yeah, yeah, he's a big sweetheart," Pierre muttered. "More importantly, what's with all those bandages?!"

Amelia absentmindedly reached up to poke at the thick bandages wrapped around her forehead.

"Don't poke at it!" Pierre yelled.

"Sorry, sorry," Amelia said, holding her hands up defensively. "It was just Dragonair and Pupitar. They can really get into it."

"You got between them?!" Pierre was faintly aware of Charizard snickering next to him.

"Eh, more like they started something they couldn't finish and I helped them run away. We're alright now though."

Pierre shook his head and sighed. "At least tell me why they haven't evolved yet. I mean, you want the strongest Pokémon in the world, right?"

"Well, yeah, but the strongest in the world need way more training than I first thought," Amelia explained. "Remember, they only reached their current states when we came home after Johto."

"And you've been slowing down your training?" Pierre teased.

"You haven't?" she fired back, stopping him cold.

"Fair enough," he said after a moment. "Anyway, how's Alola?"

"Tropical," she answered vaguely. "But one of those 'world's strongest' apparently comes from here, so I've got that to look forward to."

"Amelia, don't do it," Pierre warned. "Remember the Tyranitar?"

Amelia suddenly grew very interested in everything but the camera. "Oh would you look at that, Dragonair's calling."

"Amel-" She hung up before he could try to persuade her and he sighed. "That girl's going to come back with a cast on each limb."

Charizard nodded and shrugged, having seen Amelia's antics too many times before to care too much.

Pierre sighed and put on his travelling bag, turning in front of the mirror as he readjusted to the weight.

"Time to go on another adventure Charizard. And this time we will find Mew."

(*)

Pierre strolled into Professor Oak's yard, a sandwich in hand as he searched for his mentor. Spotting her underneath a tree he made his way there, slowing down as he noticed another boy there with a strange brown Pokémon.

"So, you're planning to stop using Frustration and move on to Quick Attack?" Cynthia asked, sounding confused. "Isn't that just another weak Normal-type move?"

"Agility, Jump Kick, Bounce, Dizzy Punch, Frustration, Pound," the boy listed. "Pokémon can only really know ten moves, but by limiting Buneary to those six I've been able to turn her into a force to be reckoned with."

The tiny Pokémon next to him, Buneary, puffed up its chest and smiled. It seemed proud of what Pierre assumed was praise.

"Well, if you really want to restrict her to only six moves..." Cynthia trailed off.

"I do," the boy said simply. "We should start practicing immediately."

He turned and noticed Pierre, freezing in place as he did so. Pierre grinned awkwardly as the boy regained his composure, straightening and looking him in the eye.

"Um, hi," he said. "I'm Pierre."

"Hello," the boy said coolly. "I'm Lucien. I was just discussing my Pokémon's moves with Cynthia."

Pierre cocked his eyebrow at the way his tone shifted at 'Cynthia'. It sounded almost…worshipful. "Yeah, I heard. Is it really a good idea to limit it to only six moves though?"

Lucien shrugged. "Maybe not, but it makes it easier to remember for both of us."

"Oh, alright." He realized something suddenly and grinned, pulling Goomy's Pokéball from his belt. "Would you care for a battle Lucien? No better way than trial by fire, right?"

"I know several sources that say you're wrong, but why not," Lucien said crisply.

Pierre started at the tone in Lucien's voice, but released Goomy anyway and bowed to his opponent.

"Shall we begin?" he asked teasingly.

"That depends." Lucien glanced coolly at Goomy. "How much combat experience has that Pokémon had?"

"Why?"

"Because, while the Pokémon I have on hand aren't exactly my main battling team, they can still pack a punch," he answered.

His Buneary frowned at that and looked at him questioningly.

"Be honest, you always kind of knew didn't you?" he tried to reason. Buneary nodded and shrugged.

"Well, I uh, just got this Goomy today," Pierre explained, his face heating up.

"So, it's called Goomy," Lucien muttered to himself. Focusing on Pierre he said, "Then I can't exactly battle you. Each of the Pokémon under my command has been with me at for at least a few years. The one I've had for the least amount of time I caught last year."

Buneary groaned and Lucien glared at her.

"You know, as long as we're pointing fingers Buneary, need I remind you which of us thought a Mamoswine was something we should goad into a fight."

Buneary blushed and looked away, growling and muttering something under her breath.

"So, if I want to battle you all I have to do is get a Pokémon I've had for a few years?" Pierre asked, grinning mischievously. "Because if that's the case I happen to have a few of them with me right now."

"Then you can choose which one you want to use," Lucien said simply, turning and walking away. Once he had put enough distance between them he turned and crossed his arms, the Buneary mimicking his pose. "Well? We're waiting."

Pierre grinned and pulled another Pokéball from his belt. "No problem. Go, Raichu!"

Raichu appeared on the battlefield and smirked, sparks dancing across its cheeks. For his part Lucien seemed to be carefully considering his opponent as Buneary began stepping from side to side. Before they could start Raichu froze and turned to Pierre, his eyes drawn to his hand. Pierre looked down and noticed the sandwich still in his hand and groaned.

"Are you serious right now?" Pierre asked exasperatedly. "Fine, whatever."

Raichu grinned and dashed over, grabbing the sandwich and inhaling it in a single bite. Pierre stared for a minute before he heard Buneary say something. Turning to their opponents he noticed how Buneary had stilled and Lucien was tapping his foot.

"Sorry to bother you," Lucien said, not sounding sorry at all, "but could we continue?"

"Yeah, sorry about that." Pierre blushed lightly.

"Then Buneary, Agility," Lucien commanded.

Buneary lunged forward faster than he could track and Pierre cursed.

"Raichu, use Thunderbolt!" he yelled. Raichu's Thunderbolt shot across the field, but to Pierre's surprise Buneary had already swerved and avoided the attack, stopping beside Raichu.

"Dizzy Punch!" Lucien commanded.

Before Raichu could dodge Buneary's ear shot forward, smashing against his face and sending him skidding back. Raichu jumped back in an attempt to get away, but suddenly Buneary dashed forward and hit him again, knocking him down.

"Buneary , don't get too close," Lucien warned and Buneary backed away to watch Raichu. AS Pierre watched she began stepping from side to side again, the movement smooth and practiced.

From what I heard before it doesn't seem like his Pokémon has any long range moves, Pierre thought. But at the same time he's not giving me a chance to catch him and use an Electric-type attack.

"Hey," he called catching Lucien's attention. "I thought this was a way to get your Pokémon to learn Quick Attack?"

"Yes, it was," Lucien admitted, "but considering we're both Trainers this was bound to turn into a battle, don't you think?"

Pierre smirked. "If that's the way you want it, fine!"

(*)

Buneary watched Raichu stand, her constant side-stepping drawing his attention.

This idiot doesn't even know how to move, she noted disdainfully. I bet all they've ever done is practice their attacks.

Raichu growled and stood, glaring at her. "Don't look at me like that," he bit out.

"Like what?" she taunted, tensing her left leg.

"Like you're better than me!" he snapped, rushing forward.

She jumped to her right just as he flipped over, his Iron Tail slamming where she'd been standing.

"Put some distance between you two," Lucien ordered and she back-pedaled away, watching Raichu the entire time.

Raichu paused suddenly as if listening to something before nodding tensely and trying to calm itself. Buneary smirked to herself and waited for the command she knew was coming.

"Agility Circle," Lucien said.

Grinning she dashed forward, stopping right in front of Raichu. His eyes widened and he swung his Iron Tail at her, but she'd expected the attack and circled around him.

"Raichu!" Pierre shouted.

"Circle Pound!" Lucien commanded.

Buneary wasted no time, using Pound on Raichu's back. Before he could respond she'd begun circling around him, keeping him from getting a lock on her while occasionally hitting him with Pound to stagger him.

"Oh, I see," she heard the human female, Cynthia, say. "Not as flashy as a combo move, but its far more practical."

"Like a Shed Shell!" Pierre exclaimed. He went quiet, but Raichu's ears twitched and he seemed to be responding to an unheard command.

"Buneary!" her Trainer yelled, but she could hear the command in his voice.

She threw one last Pound into Raichu's face, surprising him, before her other ear swung out. "EAT THIS!" she asked, her Dizzy Punch sending him flying back.

Instead of falling on his back however Raichu landed on his feet, sparks dancing across his body. Before she could dodge she was hit with the powerful electric attack and screamed, her vision dimming even as pain exploded across her body.

She faintly heard Lucien calling her and felt something against the bottom of her feet. Her body felt heavy. Why was it heavy? Shouldn't it be light? Her head felt light, but also stuffy, as if it were filled with cotton.

She heard someone calling her and looked to her Trainer, who was holding a Pokéball in a death grip. He said something again and she nodded, trying to regain her focus. Stumbling forward she felt something well up in her chest.

I don't want to lose, she thought. I'm not going to lose in front of the Champion!

She didn't notice the way her body glowed, she didn't notice the stunned looks on everyone's faces and she didn't notice the sudden spike in her height. What she did notice was the sudden burst of energy that flowed through her and the fact that Raichu's guard was wide open.

Before anyone could stop her she dashed forward using Agility, stopping in front of Raichu. She tried to use Dizzy Punch, but her ears felt awkward and swung from the side of her head instead of the top.

What's going on? she thought, stumbling forward. Her body felt different, definitely heavier, and her balance felt off. Realizing her attack had missed she jumped back, but slipped and fell to the ground. She tried to roll and stand up, but her muscles wouldn't respond. They weren't frozen, they were limp, as if all the energy had been drained from her.

"STOP!" Lucien commanded. She turned her head to see him walking over. "We forfeit the match. I can tell when it'd be pointless to keep fighting, and there's no point in risking injury in a casual fight," he told her.

"Hey, what about my Raichu?" Pierre asked. The Pokémon in question was swaying on his feet, his eyes dazed and unfocused.

"What about Raichu?" Lucien asked dismissively. "He's not that hurt, he's just Confused. It's a side effect of Dizzy Punch."

Buneary felt pride well in her chest before her Trainer pointed the Pokéball at her. She stared at him questioningly and he smiled sadly.

"I don't exactly want to return you either, but the way things are now it's definitely safer," he said, and then she was being returned to her Pokéball.

It was alright though. She was too tired to walk around anyway.

(*)

Pierre stared as Lucien returned his…what was it now? The Buneary had evolved, there was no doubt about that, but its evolution hadn't removed the effects of the Thunder attack. Glancing to the side he saw his father and Professor Oak watching them. As soon as they noticed he was looking they started towards him.

"So, that was an interesting battle," his father noted, watching Lucien. The boy seemed lost in thought and was absentmindedly turning the Pokéball over in his hand.

"Yes, quite," the Professor agreed. "Although that evolution tipped the battle in your favor, Pierre."

"What? Why?" Pierre asked.

"Because of the adjustment period," Lucien said, still not looking at them. "The rapid shift in body size, shape, weight, even center of mass, all of it can throw a Pokémon's usual battling ability off."

She did try to attack, Pierre remembered, but her ears were shaped differently after she evolved. Good thing too. Raichu couldn't have taken many more hits.

Lucien walked past him and Pierre turned to look at him. "Hey, where are you going?"

Lucien turned his head and quirked an eyebrow at him. "To get my Pokémon checked out. A sudden evolution is bad enough, but having taken damage on top of that could spell trouble."

"If that's the case," the Professor strolled past Pierre, "I have a facilities here that can provide more than adequate care."

"Thank you Professor," Lucien said, and they headed for the lab.

"So you aren't completely hopeless. Your Raichu was at least well trained enough to take that attack and follow up with its own," Cynthia noted.

"Yes," Pierre said, pride blossoming in his chest. "Of course, I did participate in the Indigo Plateau a few years ago."

"Oh and how far did you get before you got beaten," she asked slyly and he blushed.

"I never made it past the elimination rounds," he admitted. "But I got a little farther in the Silver Conference."

"I'm sure you did," she said.

"So, I've got everything for our trip," Pierre said.

"Including our food and item storages?" Cynthia asked.

"Yes. When do we leave?" Pierre asked excitedly.

"Right now," Cynthia answered, strolling past him.

Pierre froze for a moment, but quickly hurried to catch up.

(*)

"Hey you," someone called. Lucien turned to see the Champion regarding himn curiously. "Would you mind acting as a rival to Pierre?"

Lucien blinked, surprised at both the question and the Champion's calm demeanor. "Okay," he answered slowly.

"Great," Cynthia said, smiling. "Come on Pierre. We have a lot of ground to cover."

The two of them left quickly and Lucien frowned, turning back to the forms he'd been filling out.

"Real quick, could you explain what we just witnessed?" he asked.

Blissey seemed to consider the question before shrugging and offering him a cookie.

"Yeah, neither can I," Lucien admitted, signing one of the forms before turning to the computer. Clicking on an e-mail he skimmed through it and sighed.

"So, we should be able to get it all done by today, but we'd have to stay up all night to do it," he told Blissey.

Her eyes widened but she nodded and left for the kitchen. Lucien sighed and put his head in his hands, silently considering whether or not to go through with his promise. He was trying to remember why he was even bothering when he remembered his mother's words.

It's a funny thing, really. The competition between Trainers sometimes means that they'll try to sabotage each other, but all that does is stop the saboteur from improving.

The words hadn't been aimed at him, they'd been aimed at the TV, but that hadn't lessened their effect. And besides, he'd probably be in Kanto for a while. Why shouldn't he help a struggling Trainer?

A soft nudge drew his attention to a delicious smell and he lifted his head to see Blissey holding two glasses of orange juice.

"My hero," he said half-jokingly, taking the glass and downing half of it in a single gulp. He regarded the stack of paperwork and sighed. "Well, let's get to work."

Blissey gave him a pained smile and downed her glass of orange juice.

(*)

Pierre floated next to the Charmander, his fingers ghosting through its tail. The Mew sat nearby drawing something on the wall.

What are you doing? he asked. Or at least her thought he asked.

I'm making marks, the Mew told him. That way we won't end up going to the same place twice.

We sleep a lot, don't we?

Pierre floated on his back to see a girl made of what looked like honey smiling down at him.

Do you? I never noticed.

Suddenly a powerful presence swept over them and a single red eye opened in the sky above them. It easily dwarfed them and Pierre froze in fear.

GET OUT! he heard, and was flung from the alley, from the city, from-

-his sleeping bag, his foot connecting with something that sent a bolt of pain through him. Wincing, he reached down to inspect his foot, gingerly moving his pinky toe to test if it was broken. Nothing seemed wrong, and it was still dark, so he lay back and looked across the remains of the camp fire to see if his master was awake.

Cynthia had been trying to "improve" Charizard all day, but despite that she seemed none the worse for wear. She was still sound asleep though, so Pierre curled up in his sleeping bag and tried to remember what he'd been dreaming about.

A girl made of honey, a Charmander, and a Mew, he thought. We were talking about…sleeping?

Deciding he could make sense of it in the morning, Pierre closed his eyes and went back to sleep, his last conscious thought where they'd go once they reached Viridian City.

(*)

For those who didn't get the reference:

Pound- Jab/left

Dizzy Punch- Smash/ stronger blow

Use the left to set up your stronger punch.