A/N: Hello and thank you for your interest in my story. I'm really excited about it and hope you enjoy! This is probably the second pokémon story I've published but I feel better about this one than my first. Please feel free to comment or message with any questions. I hope my second chapter will be out later this week.

Of course, I do not own pokémon just this story and its characters.


The world is a mysterious place that we still do not fully understand. There are new discoveries around every corner and still ancient secrets we need to learn. Throughout it all there will always be one thing constant, and that is pokémon.

Creatures with extraordinary abilities pokémon live around the world. From the depths of the oceans, across open plains, and high in the sky. People and pokémon have lived and worked together for centuries, creating an unbreakable bond. Some people keep pokémon as pets to live with. Others choose to train and travel with their pokémon to compete in contests and battles to become the best.

Every day a new journey begins in the world, and today is no different. In Newbark Town of the Johto Region, a young girl is getting ready to begin the journey of her life. To hopefully fulfill her dreams of being a pokémon champion, her name is Amber Joy.

~Johto Saga~

"Ugh, how do they do this all the time?"

Amber Joy groaned in the mirror as she tried to tie her hair into two low-hanging loops. Unfortunately, every time she thought she had it the tie would fall apart, and her hair would fall back down to its original state. Frustrated Amber gave up in trying to make her hair a loop and braided it into high pigtails. A few loose strands dangled over her sky-blue eyes, but overall Amber was satisfied with her look.

She grabbed an old backpack from the desk before she exited her room and ran down the stairs. The living room was empty, but she could smell the savory aroma of breakfast from the kitchen. Entering the kitchen Amber saw her parents already enjoying their meal while they read the newspaper. There was a third plate of food prepared on the counter that she assumed was for her.

"Good morning mom. Good morning dad," she said giving them each a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning sweetie," they replied in unison.

"So, what's new in the world today?" Amber asked as she grabbed her plate of food and joined them at the table.

"The museum in Ecruteak City announced that they are unveiling a new exhibit. It's going to document the evolution of the Johto Pokémon League, from when it first started to when it finally separated from Kanto to become independent to the region," her father explained.

"Oh, that's interesting when does it open?" Amber asked.

"In a few more weeks. It's going to be unveiled by Ordin of the Elite Four, oh I wish we could see it on opening day, but I don't know if I will be able to get away from the center." her mom sighed. Her fingers hooked over the right loop in her hair.

Amber looked at her mother with a disappointed frown. The two looked almost identical, as most of the women in her family. They had the same sky-blue eyes, fair skin, and long pink hair. Amber could just never get her hair to cooperate into their family's signature style so instead of being in the loops, they were stuck in braids down her back.

"Amber!"

The young girl was knocked out of her thoughts by her dad who called out her name.

"Sorry?"

"I was saying maybe you will be able to see the opening, depending on if you're in the city by then," he said with a proud smile, "Depending on how fast you travel you might just make it on opening day."

Amber could not help but smile at that, it was hard to believe how close her journey was, "Yeah maybe, but it depends on how my gym matches go."

"Oh, I'm sure you will do great sweetie, you've been training for this day your whole life," her mother said with an encouraging smile.

It did not take long for the three to finish their breakfast as they got ready to leave for the day, "So are you going to take your last day at home to rest sweetie, or are you going into the lab?" her dad asked as he put on his jacket.

"I'm going to see if Professor Elm has any last-minute projects, he needs help with before I leave tomorrow. I don't want to leave him high and dry you know how easily he can be overwhelmed," Amber explained.

"You're just like your mother always helping whenever you can," he said with a smile.

"That's what we Joy women do," Amber and her mother said simultaneously quickly followed by laughter.

"Have a great day at work dear," her mother told her father as they shared a quick kiss.

The family left the house together. Amber's father went straight for the lone truck in the driveway so he could make his way to work. Amber and her mother on the other hand would walk to the lab as it was not that far from their house.

"Ready to go, mom?" Amber asked as she faced the direction of their usual path.

"Actually, I need to check in on Mrs. Randall's Delcatty. The poor thing has been feeling sick for the past few days and you know how hard it is for Mrs. Randall to move around now. I told her I would stop by before I head to the center to give it a check-up. Can you tell Professor Elm I will be in later? I'm sure you and Gray can help hold down the fort."

"Sure mom!"

The two Joys parted way, walking in opposite directions. Amber walked down the path she had taken every day for as long she could remember towards Professor Elm's pokémon lab. Along the short trip, she said hi to any of her neighbors she passed by. To her right, a couple tending to their garden with help from a Bellossom and Skiploom. A few houses down to her left she saw an elderly man rocking back and forth on his porch with a Murkrow perched on his shoulder. Closer to the lab Amber could see some younger kids running around in a mud pile with a Furret, their not-so-pleased mother looking at them.

Newbark Town was such a small town so almost everybody knew each other, and if you did not you would still say hello. Passing by the familiar faces almost made her cry as this would be one of the last times, she sees them for a while. Soon she would be leaving to travel the region and there is no telling when she would be returning. Amber could not think about that right now though, none of that mattered till tomorrow.

It did not take long for Amber to arrive at Professor Elm's lab. It was the biggest building in the town, and honestly the main attraction for people to visit when they pass through. The number of great trainers that Amber has seen get their start at this building was too high to count.

'That's going to be tomorrow, entering these doors as a new trainer' she thought.

Amber entered the building to be met with the familiar sight of machines. They encompassed much of the open space. The walls were lined with bookshelves, papers, and maps of the different parts of Johto. Far down to the right Amber could see the corner of the building that had been refurbished into a pokémon center, where her mother worked. On the other side went deeper into the lab where Professor Elm did most of his research.

"Professor Elm, I'm here!" Amber walked to the right-hand side, deeper into the lab to see if could find the professor, "Knowing him he's too wrapped up in his work to even hear me," she chuckled to herself.

After a few minutes, Amber was proven right when she saw Professor Elm dictating in a tape recorder as he read out of a notebook. Amber slowly approached so as not to distract or interrupt him.

"The subject was found on route 36, though we are unsure if that's where it originated from. So far it seems to exhibit normal behaviors of the species, if not a little shy. I have yet to find any strange, rare, or unique features to this specimen as have been claimed. My observation has just started, however, and I am sure more things will come to light with further research. Professor Elm over."

Professor Elm ended his recording and turned around only to be startled by Amber staring at him. He jumped and ended up dropping the recorder and notebook he was holding.

"Oh my, sorry I didn't mean to scare you," she said as she helped Professor Elm pick up his papers.

"You are perfectly fine Amber. I didn't hear you come in, is your mother here by any chance?"

"No, she had to go help Mrs. Randall's Delcatty and said will be in a little later. What were you just recording?"

"That's what I need your mother for. This morning my colleague Mr. Pokémon sent me a rare pokémon early this morning saying it had unique traits and asked me to take a look. So, I wanted to see if she could give it a check-up before I continue."

"What's the pokémon?"

"Oh, it's sitting over there on the table-AHHH where is it?" Professor elm started. When he looked over the pokémon was long gone. He started frantically looking all over the lab muttering to himself. Amber helped him too, though she did not know what she was looking for exactly. When looking behind some bookshelves she noticed a pile of papers seeming to move on their own.

She tried to motion for Professor Elm, but he was too far to hear her, and she did not want to startle it. She moved quietly but as swiftly as she could towards the pile. When she was right behind it, she lunged and caught it with her hands before the creature had time to escape. Looking down she saw a small rodent-like creature. It had a pale-yellow underbelly with a dark blue fur coat on top with red spots. Its eyes were so small that they almost looked closed and a long snout.

"Cyndaquil," it muttered as it hid its face in her arms.

"Hey Professor Elm, I think I found it," Amber said running over to the professor.

Professor Elm turned around and his face instantly relaxed, "Oh thank Arceus. Cyndaquil you almost gave me a heart attack."

"I thought you said it was a rare pokémon, this is just a normal Cyndaquil," Amber said.

"While it may seem normal, the fact it's a Cyndaquil is enough. Even though Cyndaquil is one of the three starters that trainers can choose from when they start their journey, they are extremely rare in the wild. They must be specially bred by daycares, pokémon centers, and labs to be ready for new trainers. This one was found in the wild though, which either means there is a nest nearby or it was abandoned," Professor Elm explained.

"Didn't you say it had unique traits though?"

"That is what Mr. Pokémon claimed, but I have yet to see any. Then again, I did just get it this morning. He did say that he observed it for a week and never saw its flame light up, and I have not seen it either which means that it is young and does not know any fire moves yet. It's probably around the same level as the other starter pokémon we have at the lab."

"Are you going to put it in the roster for new trainers?"

"Not yet, I want to make sure it would be suitable, and nothing is wrong," Professor Elm said as he tried to grab for the small pokémon. The Cyndaquil squealed and dug itself further into Amber's arm, "As you can see it is very shy. I am surprised it is letting you hold it. It took me forever for it to even get out of its transportation pod."

"I guess I have the magic touch."

"Well, I'm glad you showed up today. To tell you the truth I did not think you would, I thought you would have a bunch of things to get ready for tomorrow. Gray isn't even coming; Melody took him to Cherrygrove for some last-minute items."

"I wanted to make sure there was nothing else you needed me for. You know if you have other stuff you need to do, I can keep an eye on this little guy."

"Could you please Amber? That would be so much help. I have to finish up my notes, when your mother comes, we will take him off your hands."

"Take your time professor," Amber said. Professor Elm gave her a thankful bow before returning to his work.

"I guess now it's just you and me Cyndaquil," she whispered to the creature.

Amber walked the halls of the lab with Cyndaquil nestled in her arms. The area was lit up with light from the sun thanks to a glass ceiling. It had gotten comfortable enough to reveal its face. It looked in awe at the various contraptions that took over the building. When they passed one device that made a loud noise Cyndaquil jumped in her arms.

"Awe, you are a shy thing. Hey, I know what might make you feel better!"

Amber ran to the back of the lab. She turned corner after corner till she came upon a large set of double doors. There was a large sign over the doors that read "Observation Habitat". She put in a special key code to unlock the door and walked through them. The doors led to an open area filled with trees, ponds, and fields. There were various pokémon along the area too, some basking in the sun, others were swinging between branches and a few resting in the water. The space was quite large but there was a fence that separated it from the nearby woods and the rest of Newbark Town.

Most of the pokémon seemed to have some sort of colored tag around their body with an I.D number. These were used to determine what trainer they belonged to. Though there were a few wild pokémon that were always welcomed to the lab. Amber looked in awe at all the pokémon, but Cyndaquil was not as amused. It sank deeper into her arm for protection as Amber walked deeper into the enclosure.

"Don't worry Cyndaquil we're not going to all of them. I'm going to take you to some that would fit your size," she said as she made her way to a small fenced-in area. Inside were much smaller pokémon than the rest of the field. A few baby pokémon, small bug pokémon were here and there. Most of the pokémon in the fence consisted of Totodiles, Chikoritas, and other Cyndaquils. Each of them had a grey tag on their legs indicating they did not have a trainer yet.

"Professor Elm said you could have been from a nest in the wild. I bet that means you would feel comfortable around them while you're here," Amber said as she placed Cyndaquil down with the rest of the pokémon. It tentatively walked closer.

"I'll be right back I just need to head back to the lab and get something," Amber said as she ran back into the building.

Cyndaquil hesitantly looked at the other pokémon in the fence. One of the Chikoritas tried to walk over to it, bowing its head so the leaf touched Cyndaquil's nose. Cyndaquil slowly touched its paw to the leaf and shook as if to greet it. The Chikorita smiled but was pushed aside by another curious Cyndaquil. That Cyndaquil was followed by another, then another, followed by a few more Chikoritas and Totodiles. As more and more pokémon gathered around it Cyndaquil began to feel overwhelmed. It started to hyperventilate and sweat looking either way for Amber or a way out.

When one of the Cyndaquils tried to touch it, it was pushed aside by a Totodile. The two pokémon started to argue and attack each other. The first Chikorita tried to intervene, but they ignored it. This caused the Chikorita to get angry and join in on the fight. Soon enough all the pokémon in the pin were fighting. Cyndaquils tackling Chikoritas, Totodiles scratching at each other, it was a madhouse. The commotion was beginning to overwhelm Cyndaquil as it grew. Cyndaquil shrieked when a Chikorita fell onto it from an attack.

Terrified Cyndaquil turned away from the battle and climbed out of the fence for safety. It began to run away from the commotion but deeper into the fields with the larger pokémon. Cyndaquil tried to maneuver running between the legs of Stantlers and Rhydons, narrowing missing being stepped on. One Rhydon ended up tripping over the little thing. Angered it began to chase Cyndaquil across the field. Cyndaquil tried its best to outrun it but was stopped in its track by a big soft hill. When Cyndaquil looked up to see what it was he saw a pokémon the size of a small hill with blue fur at its sides.

"Snore!" it cried as it shifted in its sleep. It was about to fall on top of Cyndaquil who managed to run out of the way just in time. The Snorlax ended up landing on the still charging Rhydon who turned its anger towards the sleeping giant. Cyndaquil out of breath saw a small hole in the fence and decided to go for it. It ran and jumped through the hole out of the lab enclosure into the nearby woods.

~ Johto Saga ~

Amber was going through some cans of pokémon food in the kitchen, "I know there have to be some Cheri berries here somewhere," she muttered to herself. She was distracted from her search by the kitchen door opening. She turned to see Professor Elm and her mother walk in.

"Hey mom, how was Delcatty?"

"Oh, it's doing fine, it just needs a few more days of rest than it will be all good."

"Amber," Professor Elm started, "I was just telling your mom about that Cyndaquil. We were just about to come to get it from you so we can give it a check-up."

"Where is Cyndaquil sweetie?" her mom asked as she placed a bag of lunch in the fridge.

"I took him out to the habitat with the other starter pokémon. I thought it would help it get used to the lab, I was just grabbing some pokémon food for it."

"Smart idea Amber, I wish I would have thought of that!"

The three walked from the kitchen back from the habitat area to pick up Cyndaquil. When they opened the door though they were met with a chaotic sight. The pokémon were in a brawl, attacking each other left and right.

"Oh no!" Amber's mother said.

"How did this happen? I was just here," Amber said in disbelief.

Professor Elm went to a panel on the wall and put in a code. Sprinkler-like devices protruded from the ground all around the habitat. A few seconds later a light pink air sprayed around the habitat accompanied by a sweet aroma. Slowly all the pokémon started to calm down. One by one they stood in place as they took in the pleasant smell. Now that they were finished rampaging Amber ran over to where she had left Cyndaquil earlier.

When she got to the pin, she noticed that it was not there. All the other pokémon inside the pin were dazed from the sweet scent. Amber looked and saw that there was one Totodile still a little coherent, "Her Totodile, do you remember that Cyndaquil I brought in? Did you see where it ran off to?" The Totodile lazily pointed in the direction of Snorlax before it laid its head down.

"Nurse Joy, could you help me return all these pokémon to their pokéballs."

"What do you think happened?" she asked.

"I have no idea; I'll have to look at the cameras to see."

They stopped their conversation when they saw Amber running towards them with a concerned look, "Cyndaquil is gone. Totodile said it ran this way," she said as she continued down the path.

Amber kept running till she came up to the fence, she noticed the hole and thought the worst, "It must have run out during all the commotion. We need to go after it!"

"Amber we don't know where it is, and it's dangerous to go out there with no direction or pokémon," her mother tried but it was too late. Amber had hopped the fence and was already running into the woods.

'Don't worry Cyndaquil, I'm coming!'

~ Johto Saga ~

Cyndaquil was running between the trees and bushes deeper into the woods. Every little noise frightened it and made it run faster. The call of a Pidgey, a Rattata rustling in the bushes, a swarm of Beedrill. When it was not paying attention, it tripped over a tree root and tumbled down a small hill. It ended up landing in a Rattata nest. The pokémon started to bite and tackle Cyndaquil. It was narrowly dodged another attack before climbing out for safety. Cyndaquil ran a short distance more before it laid down in exhaustion. Cyndaquil noticed an empty burrow and crawled inside. Cyndaquil curled up into a ball and started to cry to itself.

A lot of time had passed, and the sun had begun to set. Amber had been searching for Cyndaquil during all that time with no luck. She had searched on the top of trees, in bushes, but has seen nothing. With the day almost being gone she about to lose hope of ever finding the small pokémon.

"I can't believe this," she muttered to herself.

She heard the coos of a Hoothoot waking up and the light was getting dimmer by the second, "I need to head back now before it's too late."

Before she could turn back Amber heard a cry from the ground a few yards ahead. Hopeful she ran towards the sound to investigate. She kneeled to the ground to see the frightened Cyndaquil curled up in its burrow. Amber reached her hand out to gently grab Cyndaquil. When it turned its head and saw her Cyndaquil jumped into her arms crying.

"It's okay Cyndaquil, it's okay. Let's get you back to the lab," She cooed to it as she got up and turned back to the lab where her mother and Professor Elm are waiting for her.

The two were more than waiting. Amber's mom was pacing back and forth in the lab while Professor Elm looked over the security videos, "We shouldn't have let her go, what were we thinking. We should have gone after her. She's been gone for hours."

"Amber will be fine Nurse Joy, she's a smart girl. Besides, she is going to be leaving soon you can't worry about this while she's gone."

"At least then she will have a pokémon, right now she has nothing."

They looked up when they heard the lab doors open. Amber walked in still holding Cyndaquil close to her chest, "Mom, Professor Elm I found it, but it needs help."

"Bring it over to the center!" her mom exclaimed.

The three ran over to the pokémon center section of the lab where Amber and her mom put Cyndaquil on an examination table. Her mom checked its pulse and other vitals, but it flinched whenever she tried to touch it.

"Don't worry Cyndaquil, she is just trying to help you," Amber said as she tried to calm it down, "How is it doing mom?"

"As far as I can tell everything is good. But I still want to do a more thorough check-up."

"I think I figured out what happened," Professor Elm spoke up, "The other starter pokémon got a little excited when trying to introduce themselves to Cyndaquil. They got into an argument which led to a fight that Cyndaquil got caught up in. When it tried to escape the other pokémon got involved."

"I shouldn't have left it there, I said I would look after it."

"You thought you were helping it feel better, you had no idea things would go the way they did," Professor Elm reassured her.

"Why don't you head back home sweetie, we'll take it from here. You need to go to bed early, you have a big day ahead of you tomorrow," her mom said.

"She's right you're about to start your pokémon journey. Don't worry about this right now," Professor Elm followed up.

Amber followed their directions and headed back to her home. When she arrived, her father was watching T.V in the living room. He had invited her to stay but Amber she trudged up to her room. Her mom and Professor Elm were right, she should be resting for the start of her journey. She should be excited, she dreamed about this day for her whole life. She could not get Cyndaquil out of her mind.

'I shouldn't have left it there,' she thought over and over as she got ready for the night, 'first thing in the morning I'm gonna go check in on him. Hopefully, he will be fine and then I can focus on my journey.'

She forced a smile on her face before she laid down on her bed. With her journey just around the corner, Amber fell asleep. Dreams filled with a mix of worry and excitement danced around in her head, with no telling what will happen the next day.


Amber's Team:

(None)