A/N: I'm actually surprised that I managed to get three chapters out in only one week. I usually don't work this fast but my creative juices have been flowing. For those who have been reading and following this story, I'm glad that you are enjoying it and I hope if there any new readers you like what you see. As I said I am always open to suggestions and comments. I also want to know if I added some of the type changes from fan games like GS Chronicles or Renegade Platinum would you be interested, I've been contemplating that for the past few days. With no further ado onto the saga.
"Torch use eruption!" Amber commanded.
She was standing on a battlefield in the middle of a stadium. In front of her Torch, now a Typhlosion, stood strong, the flame around its neck burnt bright. Across from Torch stood Ripper, now a Feraligatr, chomping at the air. Gray stood further behind Ripper with his arms crossed and a smirk across his face. The stadium was occupied with faceless onlookers who cheered on their battle.
Torch roared before it carried out Amber's directions. He got down on all fours and the fire on his back began to slowly shrink down. Gray and Ripper looked confused at what was happening at first when suddenly the flames on Torch's back shot up higher than before. Large balls of fire began to shoot out over the battlefield towards Ripper, scorching the air.
Ripper was able to move just in time to dodge most of the fireballs, but not all of them. Though it did not seem to be affected as it just brushed off dirt where it was hit. Amber did not hear what Gray commanded but saw it point towards Torch. Ripper then began to run towards him with his tail glowing a bright blue and a swirl of water appeared around it. Ripper jumped into the air and twisted so its tail would land on Torch's back.
"Torch dodge it quick than attack again with smokescreen!"
Torch rolled over, barely missing the aqua tail before it roared again. This time a black plume of smoke enveloped the arena. Ripper tried to pull off another aqua tail but could not see anything. Amber could not see Gray but hoped that she wiped the smirk off his face.
"Now Torch, attack with double-edge through the smoke!"
Ripper could not see it coming as Torch rammed his entire body into the blue creature. Now that torch was close, Ripper's teeth glowed with dark energy and chomped down on Torch's neck. Amber could hear Torch wail in pain as the smoke dissipated. Ripper was still holding tight to Torch's body as it prepared another aqua tail attack. Torch thrashed in his jaws but could not get the beast to lose his grip.
Amber had to think quickly, "Torch if you can't shake it off, shock it off! Use Thunder Punch!"
Torch balled one of his paws into a fist. It began to surge with electrical energy. Torch raised it and punched it into Ripper's side. At the same time, Ripper slammed its tail onto Torch. Both pokémon were sent back from the super-effective attacks. Ripper was breathing heavily but so was Torch. Amber could tell this battle was about to be over.
"Torch one last Thunder Punch!" she commanded. Torch, went running with another electrically charged fist. Ripper ran towards him with another aqua tail. The two attacks collided which caused a shockwave to emanate across the battlefield and cover it smoke. The crowd went quiet as the smoke began to clear. Amber stood at the ready to see who had won the battle. The smoke was just about gone and one of them was laying on the ground. It was-
Amber was awoken from her sleep by a tap on her shoulder. Her mother was standing over her smiling, "Professor Elm is all done with Torch Amber. It's time to come pick him up."
Amber shot out of the seat she was waiting in with a smile of her own. It had been a few days since she decided to take Torch as her starter. She knew she would have to wait to get started because of that decision but had no idea how long it would feel. Amber followed her mom down the hallway to an examination room. Torch was sitting on a table fidgeting as Professor Elm undid him from a machine. When he saw Amber walk into the room Torch smiled and ran towards her, yanking some of the cords off.
"Hey there Torch! You're all done, do you know what that means? We can finally get started on our journey!" Amber said excitedly.
"Cyndaquil!" Torch cheered in her arms. The doors opened behind them and a Chansey walked in rolling a cart. The second Torch saw the other pokémon it ran up Amber's arm and his behind her neck in fear.
"Thank you, Chansey," Amber's mother said.
"Chansey!" it replied before leaving the room.
"I see we still haven't gotten over that fear of pokémon have we?" Professor Elm said disappointed, "Amber I hope you are aware that training Cyndaquil with its current nature is going to be difficult."
"I know that Professor Elm, but every new trainer has challenges they have to face. It is up to me to work with my pokémon and help them get over these challenges together. Just before you brought me in here, I was having a dream where I battled with Torch against Gray. I woke up before it finished but I'm pretty sure I won."
"Very well said, Amber! Dreams are different from reality though, you never know how things may really play out," her mother proudly said.
"That's why you have to work hard every day to make things real!"
Professor Elm chuckled and shook his head, "With that being the case here goes everything you are going to need from me," he said gesturing to the cart.
There were a few items on the cart. First, there was a small red device with gold accents on it that resembled a cell phone. Beside that was a transparent plastic card with Amber's picture, trainer number, and other identifying information on it. Finally, to the far left was a pokéball with a fire mark on it surrounded by shrunken down pokéballs. Professor Elm grabbed the device first and handed it to Amber.
"This here is your pokédex. It is a special device-" Professor Elm started before Amber interrupted him.
"I know what it is professor you don't need to explain it," Amber said.
"I know you do. League rules clearly state I need to explain everything to new trainers, Gray had to sit through it too. Also, I like explaining it so there," he explained before he continued, "As I was saying the pokédex is a special device used to identify and run data on pokémon. You can only get the full data of a pokémon once you catch it so if you ever want to fully max out your pokédex catch all the pokémon that you see. It also acts as a map of the region and holds other helpful information."
Professor Elm then picked up the plastic card and handed it to her, "Now this is your trainer I.D, it is imperative that you keep this safe. You need this and your pokédex to register for the gym challenge, contests, tournaments, and the league. It shows others that you are legally allowed to own and train pokémon throughout the region. It also tracks the number of badges under your name just in case you ever lose them. Money is deposited so you can make purchases as well." Amber nodded along with the information.
"Finally," Professor Elm said, "Here is Torch's pokéball and a few extras to get you started. Torch has already been registered in your pokédex and so will any future pokémon you catch. That's all I have to say, any questions?"
Amber shook her head as she held Torch's pokéball in her hand, "I got everything I need professor. Are you ready Torch?"
Torch looked over her shoulder at the pokéball. He nudged it with his nose curiously before retreating to her shoulders. He nodded his head to her question and Amber smiled back at him, "Okay then, let's get this show on the road."
The three left the examination room into the main lobby of the lab. There Amber's dad was waiting on them with her backpack right beside him. Amber grabbed it and placed them around her shoulder, she was finally ready. She was wearing the clothes that were in the bag when she the other day. The outfit consisted of a plain light pink t-shirt with a white frilled miniskirt that had a love ball designed on the edge. She wore knee-high white socks with black and white tennis shoes. Her look was finished with a white visor that her pigtails hung out of, with a heart symbol embroidered on the front.
Her parents and Professor Elm gave her a once over in her trainer's outfit. Her dad had a proud smile on her face and her mother's eyes were about to leak from the tears building up.
"Let me take a picture outside before you go," her mother said.
The three walked outside where her mother took out a camera and took a picture of Amber and Torch with Newbark as the background. Torch was hanging off her shoulder trying to get its grip on the strap of the backpack. Amber decided to help him out by holding him in her arms again as she walked closer to the adults.
"Now remember to call as soon as you get to every single one of your destinations, I want to make sure your safe," her father said.
"I will dad."
"Oh, and please make sure you eat at least three times a day and visit pokémon centers, your family will always be willing to help you," her mother added.
"Don't worry mom, you both will be updated my entire journey."
"Gray called me and Jennie last night from Cherrygrove city, he said he would wait there for a while to see if you catch up with him. That is the closest city and is only about a day's walk from here. If you get started now you should be there by tomorrow morning," Professor Elm said.
Amber nodded her head. She looked behind her to the town she grew up in and was about to leave before returning to look at her parents and the professor. They have always been there for her, but now she will be out on her own. It was a daunting thought, but also something she was ready to do.
"Thank you all for everything you've done for me. I could not have done it without you," she said as she gave each one of them a tight hug.
"I love you," she whispered to her parents before letting them go. Tears of both joy and sadness ran down her face as she made her way. Torch tried his best to not get crushed by her arms. Her parents were also crying as they saw their only daughter leave home for the first time. Neither party knew when she would return but hoped that this journey would lead to an amazing future.
~ Johto Saga ~
Amber ran for as long as she could before she transitioned to a brisk walk. She walked like that for a few hours admiring her new surroundings. Unlike Newbark Town the route she was on was covered with trees, flowers, and grass all around. It was the late afternoon by the time Amber decided to take a rest. Amber hid under a tree to get some shade from the beating sun. She pulled out a bottle of water from her backpack to drink and offered some to Torch. He took a sip before climbing to rest on her shoulder.
"Torch let's see how much further we have to go," she muttered to the pokémon as she pulled out her pokédex.
She scrolled through different applications on the screen till she found the town map. She selected it and the application revealed a detailed map of the entire Johto Region. Route numbers, city names, places of interest with informative details. She focused on the route just outside of Newbark Town that went to Cherrygrove, the one that she was currently on.
"Okay, Torch it looks like it's a straight shot to Cherrygrove from here. A few twists and turns, but overall easy. If we make good work, we'll be there in no time!"
"Cynda," Torch replied.
Amber then looked at him curiously and then down to her pokédex, "I guess while I have it out, let's see what they have to say about you Torch."
Amber pointed the device towards Torch to scan. The device beeped and an automated female voice started speaking, "Cyndaquil the fire mouse pokémon. A fire type, it is timid, and always curls itself up in a ball. If attacked, it flares up its back for protection."
"I guess it's a thing for Cyndaquils to be shy, though I guess you're shyer than others. I wonder what moves you know right now," Amber pondered as she scrolled through the dex.
"This Cyndaquil is male. It currently knows the moves: Tackle, Leer, Smokescreen, and an unknown egg move. Its ability is unknown."
"What's an egg move?"
"An Egg move is a move that a pokémon cannot naturally learn but can inherit from a parent through breeding. They can only be determined once used in battle."
"Professor Elm was right when he said you are a unique Cyndaquil," Amber said.
Amber scratched his chin before she went back to her feet and continued down the path. She still had the water bottle in her hand and took the occasional sip to help cool off. As she was nearing a dead-end Amber turned to a more wooded area of the route to continue down. The grass grew taller and wilder here as it scratched at her skin. She could hear faint noises from the brush which caused her to pause for a second. Torch also heard the noise and popped its head up in curiosity.
Amber looked towards the directions where the noise came from. She could see a small shadow move between the blades of grass. Two long brown ears poked from the top like a Sharpedo swimming in the ocean. Amber wanted to walk closer, but Torch's grip grew tighter on her shoulder with every movement that she made. While she was curious Amber decided against moving forward towards the creature.
It did not matter what she did though cause when she turned her back Amber was tackled from behind. The force from the attack pushed Amber down to her knees and caused Torch to fall from her shoulder. She turned around to see what happened and the creature from the grass had now fully revealed itself. It was a brown furry thing with a white circle on its stomach and big wide arms. Instead of standing on its feet, it balanced its body with its tail.
"Sentret," it said curiously.
"So, you were a Sentret," Amber said as she pulled out her pokédex. She pointed the device towards the Sentret to scan it.
The pokédex beeped and the same voice from earlier spoke, "Sentret, the scout pokémon. A normal type, it stands on its tail so it can see a long way. If it spots an enemy, it cries loudly to warn its kind."
"Awe you're just curious aren't you little one," Amber said as she brought her hands out towards Sentret.
Sentret saw this and whacked its tail at her hand. Sentret then landed on its feet and growled its name. Its eyes were trained on Amber closely like it was ready to pounce at the slightest movement. Sweat began to form on Amber's forehead as she tried to come up with a solution.
'Sentret must see me as a threat. I don't want to anger it anymore, but I need to get out of the situation now. This is going to be interesting. Where's Torch?'
Torch had hidden behind Amber's leg in fear. His nerves made him shake which earned him the attention of Sentret that looked down. Sentret narrowed its eyes at Torch and before Amber could even react it was charging towards Torch. He just narrowly dodged a scratch attack from the Sentret by sliding to the right. Sentret did not let up though and kept attacking Torch who just barely dodged every attempt.
"Torch looks like our first battle is closer than I thought. Now show Sentret what you can do with tackle!"
Torch turned around with Amber's command and stared the Sentret down. He ran quickly towards Sentret who blocked his tackle with its tail before it pushed him back. Torch was winded by the tail that it did not even notice Sentret bare its claws and scratch at his face. Torch began to cry in pain from the attack and ran towards Amber.
"No Torch, we can do this. Now counter with a leer and then tackle!"
Torch's eyes began to glow a dark red as it looked towards Sentret. It did cause the brown creature to pause and shudder for a second, but it did not last long. Sentret attacked with another scratch. This one hit Torch right in the stomach. This caused Torch to release a plume of black smoke towards Sentret's face. He tried to use the smoke as an escape, but Sentret was able to see him through the smoke and kept going to scratch it.
"Cyndaquil, Cyndaquil, Cynda!" Torch cried as it tried once again to dodge the attacks.
Amber looked on worried, "I need to end this now."
Amber enlarged Torch's pokéball and pointed it towards him. A red beam of light emitted from the ball and hit Torch. He was enveloped in red light before he turned into energy and was sucked into the ball. The action confused the Sentret, and Amber took this as a chance to escape it. She ran further down the path till it was clear that she was not in the Sentret's eye of sight.
When she was in safety Amber took a sigh of relief. She took Torch's pokéball and threw it into the air. A white light emerged and formed into Torch as it landed in front of her. He looked a little roughed up with scratch marks and bruises. He also seemed frightened immediately diving into her arms for protection once he was free.
"Oh, Torch what am I going to do with you?" she laughed as she coddled it.
Amber grabbed a potion that her mother gave her from her backpack and sprayed it onto Cyndaquil. It helped to clear up some of the scratches but not everything, though it was enough for the time being. Torch looked up at her face and seemed sad at her expression. He brought his paw to her hand and placed it on top in a consoling manner.
"Cynda Cyndaquil?" he asked looking into Amber's eyes.
Amber looked down in Torch's eyes and sighed as if she knew exactly what he said, "Don't worry Torch I'm not mad. I knew that training you would be a little different. You don't like pokémon so it makes sense that you wouldn't want to be beside them and battle. That's why I want to help you get over that fear. Look at what you did back there," Amber said as she gestured towards where they ran from.
Torch looked backed confused, "Cynda?"
"Even though you were scared you still tried to battle that Sentret that means you have what it takes, I just need to help bring it out in you. Even if you end up no being the best battler, I still want you by my side for my journey."
Torch smiled at that which made Amber smile as well. Even though she meant what she said deep down she was still worried, 'We still need to get through this route though. If Torch is unable to battle properly then I might need to get a new team member. The best way to do that is to battle, and even if I do manage to catch another pokémon how will Torch react to it?'
Amber decided it was better to dwell on that later than now. The sun was beginning to set, and her stomach growled. Torch's stomach echoed hers and they both chuckled, "I guess that means it time to eat."
Amber set out a small picnic blanket. On top of it, she placed a premade meal container with another bottle of water. Beside her meal, she placed Torch's food. The two sat in a comfortable silence as they ate their food. The only noise was that of the nature surrounding them. Every unusual noise made Torch jump a little and scoot closer to Amber. When they were done eating the sun had nearly set and the route had gotten dark.
"Torch I think it would be best that we turn in for the night. We're pretty close to Cherrygrove so it won't take long to get there tomorrow."
Torch nodded in agreement. So once all their food was properly put away Amber put her tent up and got ready for bed. She got in her sleeping bag and cuddled next to her pillow while Torch laid down by her side curled up into a ball.
While the two slept in their tent the pokémon of the night started to wake up. Spinarak began to crawl out of their burrows in the trees and spin their webs under the light of the moon. Rattata began to scurry along in the grass so they could forage for food to store. Hoothoot and Noctowl called into the night as they took flight after a day worth of sleep. The owl pokémon were not the only ones in the night sky.
In the distance, a screeching sound could be heard. It was so loud that it spooked some pokémon awake and made them run in fear. The high-pitched noise broke through the night sky like an alarm. It came from of colony of Zubat that was on the route. They flocked to the trees picking and eating different fruits and twigs that they find.
The noise was so great that it woke Amber from her slumber, "What in the world is that?"
Curious she unzipped her tent to investigate the noise. She was astounded to find the colony flying between the trees. There were so many Zubat that they blocked light from the moon like a dark cloud, "Wow, this is amazing?"
Torch had also woken up from the commotion. He poked his head out with Amber but dived back into the tent when he saw the amount of pokémon. Amber followed to grab her pokédex but returned to her position quickly. This time the upper half of her body was further out of the tent as she reached her pokédex out to scan the flying creatures.
"Zubat the bat pokémon. A poison and flying type, Capable of flying safely in dark places, it emits ultrasonic cries to check for any obstacles."
"That's so cool," she muttered.
The Zubat moved in harmony in the night. Avoiding each other and the trees without a moment of hesitation. Amber wanted to see them up close but that was a mistake as when she stepped out she accidentally walked into the path of a passing Zubat. The Zubat smacked down to the ground and let out a wail. This caused all the other Zubat to turn their attention to Amber. Even though they couldn't see they flew in her direction. Their screeches were so disorienting that Amber struggled to get her footing and escape to the confines of her tent.
The Zubat began to attack her tent, ramming into it with their bodies and slashing at it with wings. Amber screamed in terror at the attack. Torch had found its pokéball and tapped the button so it could get sucked inside to escape it all. The assault continued and Amber had nowhere to run. She looked at Torch's pokéball and grabbed it.
"I know you're scared buddy, but I need you right now," she whispered as she released it. Holes had begun to form from the rampage.
"Okay Torch, we need to calm them down, but you don't have to leave the tent. Use smokescreen and aim it out of those holes to scare them away."
Torch nodded. It nervously ran towards one of the holes in the tent. It took a deep breath and exploded a plume of black smoke outside the hole. The thick smoke pushed some of the creatures back, but many more still tried to attack them.
"Torch keep using smokescreen in the holes!" Amber commanded.
Torch ran around the tent releasing plumes of smoke out of each hole it saw a Zubat. It was sweating with nerves, but it was working. With each puff of smoke more and more Zubat flew away. With every Zubat that left the attack got easier on the tent.
"Cyndaquil!" Torch continued its assault of smoke outside of the holes. With every breath, Torch was getting tired and the plumes of smoke weaker. The Zubat were already starting to fly back.
'This isn't going to work forever; we need to attack. Torch can only tackle and that doesn't help if they can fly and dodge,' Amber thought.
Torch was exhausted and fainted in the tent. Amber went to hold him, "You did great Torch!"
Even with all his efforts, the Zubat were beginning to return. They flew through the smoke, and some were trying to make the holes bigger so they could get into the tent. Amber had no idea what to do. Torch terrified began to cry in her arms. A Zubat flew in and began to attack them. Amber tried to fend it off with her arms, but more Zubat were piling in.
Overwhelmed Torch began to cry harder. At the same time, it began to glow an array of different colors. It climbed out of Amber's arms and tackled the Zubat down. All the Zubat began to circle around in the tent as Torch's colors became more vibrant. Before Amber's eyes, the colors formed a rainbow silhouette of Torch greater in size.
"Cyndaquil!" Torch cried as the rainbow image of himself dissipated into a ball of energy that shot a color beam at the Zubat and shot them out of the tent.
The force of power was enough to scare the Zubat away for good. It also knocked Torch back into Amber exhausted from the attack, "That was amazing Torch, what was that?"
Amber did not have time to get an answer cause one Zubat was still in the tent. Torch was too tired to move, but the Zubat looked ready to attack. With no other choice, Amber took an empty pokéball, enlarged it, and threw it at the Zubat. The ball hit its body and opened to release a red beam of light. It engulfed Zubat's body and sucked it into the ball. Amber watched cautiously as the ball wiggled once, twice, three times before it clicked.
Amber just stood there for a moment before she began to smile, "Oh my! I caught a pokémon. Torch we caught our first pokémon!" she crawled over and picked up the ball. She looked at it in amazement. The other Zubat had finally left so now it was just her, Torch, and her new Zubat. Torch looked curiously at the ball.
"Okay come on out Zubat," she said as a white light unleashed.
Zubat flew in the air and looked around curiously, it was confused and hurt. Torch ran behind Amber's body and watched on cautiously, "There is no need to worry Torch, Zubat is our friend now. Aren't you Zubat?" she asked as she reached her hand out.
Zubat slowly landed on her wrist which Amber smiled at. Torch still looked on frightened from behind her. Amber grabbed another potion from her bag and sprayed it on Zubat. Its wounds began to heal quickly as it flapped its wings faster and flew in the air in glee.
"That makes you feel better?" Amber asked.
Zubat screeched as it nodded its head. It swooped down to the ground of the tent and tried to get close to Torch but he ran away and hid under a pillow.
"Oh Zubat, don't worry, Torch is shy especially around other pokémon. After what just happened it is a little wound up."
Zubat bowed its head to that comment. Though it did not have eyes Amber could see it felt sorry, "It's okay I probably shouldn't have walked in colony's way. A good thing came out of it, I got to meet you and add you to my team. Actually, let's learn more about you," she said as she pulled out her pokédex and pointed it towards Zubat.
"This Zubat is female. It currently knows Absorb, Supersonic, and Astonish. Its ability is Inner Focus."
"So, you're female huh? Hey, how do you like the name, Silla?" Amber asked. Zubat seemed to contemplate it before nodding its head with a smile.
"Alrighty, Silla it is. Welcome to the team! Are you excited about this Torch?" Zubat, now Silla, screeched in joy. Torch on the other hand just turned its head and snuggled into Amber.
She sighed before a look of realization came to her face, "What was that move you used?" she asked as she pointed the dex towards Torch again.
"Egg move identified as Extrasensory. The user attacks with an odd power that may make the foe flinch."
"That's a pretty good move Torch, it definitely helped us out. I knew you were strong," Amber said just before she yawned.
"It's getting late, I think it's time I get back to bed. Silla return!" she said as she returned her new team member to its ball. Amber looked at the damage done to the tent and sighed, "I'm going to need to buy a new tent in Cherrygrove tomorrow. I hope I have enough money."
She got back into her sleeping bag and Torch laid beside her, "Well that was an eventful night Torch, wouldn't you agree?"
Torch was sound asleep though so he could not answer her question. Amber just chuckled as she turned to her side and went back to sleep. Her first night out as a trainer, and she already caught her first pokémon. The night might have been hectic, but it also proved that she could handle herself. She smiled as she began to dream about what her journey has in store for her. There was no telling what might happen.
Amber's Team:
1. Torch (Cyndaquil)
Ability: Unkown
Moves: Tackle, Leer, Smokescreen, Extrasensory
2. Silla (Zubat)
Ability: Inner Focus
Moves: Absorb, Supersonic, Astonish
