Chapter Five: An Unplanned Meeting

Lance was bored. The nurse had refused to let him leave the Pokemon Centre until she was certain he was in prime health. He had tried using his position as Champion to tip the odds in his favour, but the nurse was not impressed and threatened to call his grandfather. So here he was, the League Champion of Johto and Kanto, forced to sit inside one of the many patient rooms with nothing but a bed and a radio to keep him entertained. Clair had long since left, returning to the Blackthorn Gym to mock the next poor challenger who dared to battle her.

A few minutes later and a different nurse entered the room, carrying a tray of food and water. "Here you go, Master Lance. It is not much, but I hope you find it satisfying," she said, smiling at him. He caught a faint blush of red on her cheeks. He lifted a brow, but said nothing. "Your Pokemon are healed as well. You can collect them when you leave. If you need my services, please press the white button on your bedside table."

"I'll be sure to do that," Lance replied.

She curtsied then exited the room. He glanced down at the tray of food and groaned. A bowl of tomato soup, two pieces of sourdough bread and a glass of water was all he had. Fitting food for a champion, he thought sarcastically. If he was at the League Pokemon Centre, he'd be eating high quality food.

He looked at the soup bowl for a little longer debating whether or not to try some. It didn't even look like tomato soup. It was more of a light orange colour like the colour of Dragonite's scales. He lowered his nose and sniffed. "Smells like carrot." He dared himself to try some. "Yup, definitely carrot." He put the tray on the table, refusing to eat more of it.

Perhaps the quality of the radio was better than the food. He grabbed it, and placed it on his lap and played around with the knobs until he picked up a station. "Pokemon Music. Pass," he said, turning the knob again. "Pokemon Channel. I know all this stuff already," he said. He turned it again. "People and Places. Hmm, interesting."

"And turning to our next exciting trainer, Marina will be showcasing her taste in fashion this weekend! Join us at the National Park to discover the latest accessories your Pokemon pals can use as Marina struts her stuff around the park!"

Lance shuddered. He made a mental note to avoid Goldrenrod City and the National Park this coming weekend. He turned the knob again. "Variety Channel. Nope. Unknown Radio Station. Don't care." He turned it one last time and frowned as some strange high-pitched bleeping noise played. There was no radio jockey at all. A nameless radio station. Odd. Perhaps the nurse could explain it?

He pushed the button and seconds later, the nurse came rushing in. "What do you need help with, Master Lance?" Her dark eyes briefly flickered over to the seemingly untouched food tray then moved back to Lance.

"This station… what is it called?" He turned the volume up so the nurse could hear it clearly as well. She moved forward, a frown on her delicate features.

"I have not heard of it before… perhaps the radio is broken?"

He shook his head. "The other stations work. I wonder what's causing that noise?" He swung his legs over the side of his bed and wondered over to the doorway with a noticeable limp in his step. The nurse was so stunned by the radio she didn't even try to stop him from walking out into the main foyer. Fortunately, the place was empty.

"Please someone help me!" A young boy with dirty brown hair, and muddy white clothes burst in through the doors, an expression of distress on his face. He was panting hard; Lance could see noticeable beads of sweat all over his face.

The nurse rushed forward, comforting the boy. "What's the matter?"

"My Pokemon… my Rattata suddenly evolved into a Raticate! I only just hatched it from an egg! It turned against me and now it won't return to its pokeball!" He wiped away tears then turned his gaze on Lance. If the boy recognized him he certainly had a good way of not showing it. "Please help me!"

Forced unexplained evolution. The boy had said 'suddenly evolved'. Had the radio station with the weird noise caused this? His thoughts drifted to Team Rocket. Somehow, they were linked to this. Lance turned to the nurse. "Give me my Pokemon. I'll handle this." The nurse nodded eyes wide. She hurried to the healing machine and returned with his trusty team of six. He looked at the boy and nodded. "Lead the way."

.

An hour of intense grinding had passed, but it had paid off. Lyra's Pokemon were now much stronger than before and each of them, except Totodile, had been able to learn a new attack. She now felt ready for a rematch with Falkner. All four of her Pokemon marched behind her as they stormed up to the doors of the gym.

"Back again?" Falkner said, as Lyra walked towards him, ignoring the snide comments from the two Bird Trainers, who were peering down from the railings above. He took on a fighting stance and summoned his first Pokemon, a Pidgey.

"You might have beaten me the first time, but I'm more than ready now." She looked down at her Mareep. Mareep nodded and stepped forward to take the first match. The Elder Li's words replayed in her mind. Have faith.

"You are confident. I look forward to this rematch. Give it your best," Falkner said. "Pidgey, use Sand Attack!"

At the same time, Lyra yelled out, "Thundershock!" Mareep, having grown much stronger and faster since the last encounter, was able to move first. The Pidgey was knocked out immediately. Falker didn't seem unnerved, he looked quite pleased actually. He called out his second and final Pokemon to the battle field, his prized Pidgeotto.

Even though her Mareep had grown stronger, Lyra knew this was still going to be a tough battle. "Gust!" The familiar mini tornado appeared, rushing towards her Mareep. Mareep held her ground as it came into contact with the furious funnel.

"Thundershock!" Mareep's eyes opened, and the sheep sent forth a bolt at the bird as the funnel died down. Pidgeotto shrieked, and flapped its wings frantically as the mild bolt struck the bird. It wasn't enough to knock the Pidgeotto unconscious but Mareep had done enough damage to shake the bird. A few feathers fluttered to the ground.

"Roost!" Pidgeotto came to the floor, tucked its wings and lowered its head, its eyes closed. Lyra frowned. Was the bird sleeping? What a weird thing to do during a battle. Her Mareep also looked confused, looking to Lyra for answers. All Lyra could do was shrug. She didn't have a clue either. She looked at Falkner. He was smiling. Something was wrong.

Falkner's Pidgeotto opened its eyes and jumped into the air, flapping to gain some altitude. It was as if the bird itself had recovered from the previous attack, making it look like it hadn't even happened. "You look confused. I'll explain it to you. Some Pokemon have the ability to recover health – Pidgeotto just happens to be one of them," he said.

That seemed unfair. How could a Pokemon that could heal itself ever be defeated then? Before she could work out an answer, Pidgeotto knocked Mareep off her feet. The Mareep did not stand up again. Zubat and Pidgey were both eager to battle, but Lyra summoned Totodile to take the place of the fallen Mareep.

"Use Leer!" Totodile glared at the Pidgeotto. The bird seemed to freeze in the air momentarily, allowing Lyra to catch a glimpse of a weak spot - the joint where the wing joined the body. Pidgeotto snapped out of its trance and flew around in circles.

"Gust!" Another funnel, fortunately Totodile withstood the attack.

"Aim for the wings! Use Water Gun!" Lyra commanded, pointing at her opponent's Pokemon.

Totodile nodded, and launched a burst of water at the bird, hitting it directly in its vulnerable area. The bird fluttered helplessly to the ground, writhing in pain. It managed to pick itself up, but remained unsteady on its feet. "Use Roost!" Once again, the Pidgeotto settled itself on the floor and took a quick nap to restore a portion of its health.

"Use Scratch!"

Lyra wasn't the only one growing annoyed. Totodile seemed to feed off her agitated state of mind. He charged forward, striking at the bird with full strength. Pidgeotto staggered backwards and fell over on its back, legs up in the air. It flapped for awhile trying to flip itself over, but the bird no longer had strength. Totodile's last attack had been a critical one.

Falkner recalled his prized bird Pokemon, and glanced down at the pokeball. "My father's prized Pokemon… they were beaten…" he said, sounding a little dumbfounded. He sighed then glanced at Lyra. "You are the clear winner of our battle. As the rules state, I must present you with a gym badge as proof of your victory. This is the Zephyr badge," he said, giving her a shiny silver coloured badge. It had the appearance of two wings. "I'll also gift you with the healing move, Roost."

She received the gift items and placed them in her bag where the egg currently was. Unfortunately, all these new items gave her little space for anything else in her bag, so she removed the egg and cradled it in her arms again. "Thank you!" she beamed. The Elder Sage had been right. Believe in yourself and anything was possible.

He grinned. "You should head to Azalea Town next. You'll find the next gym leader there, Bugsy. Don't let his appearance fool you – he's a tough foe to beat, even for me. Oh, and before you go, you'll be able to access the trading machine upstairs in the Pokemon Centre. Good luck to you, Lyra. I will see you again." He led her out of the gym. Once she was outside, he headed back inside the building. Probably preparing himself for the next battle, she thought.

She headed towards the Pokemon Centre and stepped inside. As per normal, she healed her Pokemon. Once she received them, she headed upstairs to the trading facility Falkner had mentioned. A lady in a uniform approached her. "Welcome! This is the trading area. You can trade your Pokemon for another Pokemon or an egg if you wish."

That sounded like fun, but that meant parting with one of hers. She had come to love them all equally. "How does it work?"

"Wave your ID card under the scanner, and a screen will come up. Simply touch the screen and search for a Pokemon you would like to have. Once you have found a Pokemon you like, offer the Pokemon you would like to trade in the machine here. The trade takes a few seconds."

"How many can I trade?"

"There are no limits, but be careful. You can't get your Pokemon back once a trade has been made."

Lyra nodded. As much as she loved her Zubat and Pidgey, she wanted a Pokemon from another region. She had heard Sinnoh had fascinating ones there. She stepped up to the screen and hit the Sinnoh region button then scrolled through the options. There were many Pokemon up for trade but one stood out to her the most. A newborn Gible, a dragon-type Pokemon. Dragons were sacred and mythical creatures, but rumoured to be difficult to raise. Was it worth the time and effort?

There was also a bird Pokemon called Starly, a black feathered avian with a white face. The Starly was also a newborn. She looked at the trainer's details. A girl named Dawn was offering them up for a trade in return for two Kanto or Johto Pokemon. "I'll do it," she said. "I'm going to miss you dearly Pidgey and Mareep, but you'll do fine without me." She couldn't help but feel a little sad as she offered her Pokemon to trade. She placed the ball inside the transfer machine and watched it as one pokeball was sucked up in a tube. Her Mareep followed.

Two pokeballs popped out of the machine in place of the two she had traded. A male Gible and a female Starly. She decided to get a good look at her new companions and summoned them from their pokeballs. Totodile and Zubat looked at the new Pokemon with great interest. Lyra too examined them with curious eyes, wondering what sort of adventures they would have as a team.

The Starly was smaller than the Pidgey, but just as cute although it didn't look as sturdy. She turned to the Gible. The Gible on the other hand was a strange looking creature. He was a small, pudgy baby dragon with a big mouth filled with sharp teeth. The dragon appeared to have no neck. His scales were a dark blue colour and his belly was red. On the top of his head was a fin that looked much like the dorsal fin of a shark. It was hard to believe this thing was a dragon-type, or even powerful, but looks could be deceiving.

Lyra hoped she hadn't made the wrong decision.

.

Falkner stood outside the gym, holding a phone to his right ear. He was feeling in rather good spirits despite having lost to a rookie trainer. Battling always made him happier, but a battle like that was a rare to experience. Most of the trainers that challenged him only cared about winning as quickly as possible, and often resorted to using rock-type Pokemon to get a quick advantage. However, Lyra chose to stick with her defeated team and won the rematch despite the odds being stacked against her.

Whoever the girl was, she certainly had potential to go quite a long way if she was determined. Of course, she had to prove to him it wasn't just a lucky win. If she failed to defeat Bugsy, then the girl had just gotten lucky, but if she managed to defeat him, she could certainly travel far and perhaps even become Champion. It was about time someone knocked Lance off his pedestal. "Hi Bugsy," Falkner said. "There's a strong trainer heading your way. I think she'll make it far."

"That's what you said about the last trainer and they failed to defeat me. It's been almost a month since I last saw them," Bugsy replied, in his usual smug tone.

Bugsy was the youngest of the Johto gym trainers and probably the most annoying as well. When the gym leaders came together at the start of the year to discuss the year ahead, Bugsy would bring his bugs along and scare the girls. This usually ended up in delayed meetings as they had to spend time locating the bugs and putting them back in. Unfortunately, they couldn't get Bugsy thrown out of the Johto Eight because despite his many flaws, he was actually quite a skilled trainer.

"I'm confident about this girl. She beat me without using rock-type Pokemon." He reached down a pocket with his free hand, drawing out a couple of poffins. Throwing them onto the ground, he chuckled softly, as his bird Pokemon pecked at them.

"So?"

Falkner sighed. "It's just a warning. Don't get too over confident. Your Scyther might be fast and hit extremely hard, but so does my Pidgeotto and we still lost."

"I'm not afraid."

"Well, just thought I should let you know. I'll talk to you later." He hung up the phone and shook his head. What had Bugsy's father been thinking when he left that boy in charge?

.

Lyra's new Gible was proving to be quite difficult to control. He obeyed her orders during battle, but after the battle was over, the Gible stopped listening to her. Her Gible seemed to have a knack for chasing trouble. It was as if the baby dragon liked getting into and creating trouble for his new master. Gible would attack defeated wild Pokemon and attack the losing trainer if Lyra didn't throw Gible's pokeball to call the naughty dragon back.

Starly, on the other hand, preferred to be by herself rather than play with Gible, Zubat and Toto. The poor Pokemon looked sad most of the time, and Lyra hoped it wasn't because it had been traded away. Gible and Toto were play fighting in a nearby grass patch as Zubat flew above them while Starly sat on a tree branch watching. Lyra sighed, shaking her head, but she was smiling. Starly and Gible had already gotten stronger just by battling wild Pokemon. But they couldn't stay here forever.

She was now on the path to Azalea Town. There were other things to explore in Violet City, namely Route 36, but she just wanted to get the next gym badge. She'd come back later once her team was stronger. She had already defeated five trainers – Youngster Albert, Picknicker Liz, Camper Roland, Youngster Gordon and Fisherman Justin who had five Magikarp in his possession which seemed a little extreme in Lyra's mind.

Now there were only a few left to go. "Okay everyone, back to your pokeballs!" Lyra said, calling all her Pokemon back except for Totodile. Zubat and Starly returned without protest, but Gible head butted the ball away then did a funny little dance which Lyra assumed was a victory one. "You are eager to battle, aren't you?" Lyra asked, glancing down at the dragon.

Gible nodded. This dragon sure loved fighting. Lyra smiled. "All right, you win. But you can't expect to take every battle." Gible nodded again. Lyra wasn't completely sure if it understood her or not, but knew she had to keep a very close eye on him. The moment she looked away, the Gible would run after some poor wild Pokemon and get lost in the forest… Or worse, get attacked.

She approached yet another fisherman and hoped this one did not use Magikarp as well. She wanted a challenge and Magikarp were anything but challenging. He was facing the water's edge, completely unaware she was there. She tapped him on the back, and he jumped, startled, dropping his nametag. Henry. He spun around. "You startled me! I lost a Pokemon! A battle with you will calm my mind!"

Lyra stepped back and allowed her Gible to take position. Fisherman Henry threw out a ball and a round blue shaped creature with a spiral belly popped out. Lyra pulled out her Pokedex to obtain data.

Poliwag. Because it is inept at walking on its newly grown legs, it always swims around in water.

She turned back to the creature. It did seem to have major difficulty standing still even. "Gible, use Tackle!"

The dragon obeyed, throwing its entire weight at the clumsy Poliwag. Gible struck hard and fast, causing the Poliwag to fall over. It tried to get back onto its feet but it didn't seem able to flip itself up onto its feet again. "Water Sport!" Henry yelled. Poliwag spewed out some water, cloaking itself in the cool liquid. Lyra had no idea what that move did but it didn't appear to do any harm at all.

"Use Tackle again!"

Gible hit hard once again. Poliwag was no more. Gible gave Henry a cheeky grin, revealing razor sharp teeth. "Okay Gible, its Toto's turn now," said Lyra. Gible looked at Lyra and shook his head. Oh no. "We promised earlier that you can't take every battle. You have to share the load," she insisted. Gible glared.

"Stop fooling around, trainer, and continue on the battle!" Henry said, grabbing Lyra's attention briefly. Another Poliway waited to battle. Lyra turned to her Toto, giving him an apologetic glance and turned back to her Gible… only to find Gible wasn't there. Oh no. She looked up and found her Gible running awkwardly through a grass patch towards the forest boundary.

"Gible!" Lyra called out, but the Gible kept running. She glanced back at the trainer then to the forest. She had to cancel the battle. That was embarrassing… really embarrassing but Gible had left her no choice. She gave the fisherman a sheepish look then bolted after her runaway dragon.

.

Lance had once again found himself in an eerie place where he was surrounded by wounded Pokemon. Fortunately, these Pokemon, which were all Rattata's, had not been disfigured. There were bite marks on the majority and Lance had a feeling they had been attacked by the rogue Raticate that had somehow evolved at a very early stage.

The forest was dark, but not so dark he couldn't see anything, unlike the Slowpoke Well. And fortunately, there were no rocks around the place for him to fall onto again. The Raticate's owner had stayed at the forest boundary as it was too dangerous for him to come this far in. Dragonite stayed at his master's side, keeping his eyes peeled. They continued moving forward through the forest undergrowth until they reached a clearing.

What he saw next confused him greatly. In the middle of the clearing there was a Gible, gnawing on a twig. Lance noticed there was a trail of blood running down its left side. A fresh wound. The Gible can't have been a wild one – Gible's weren't known to native to Johto. So it must have been a stray, abandoned by its owner. Lance knew all too well that only determined trainers could raise dragons and only the best could make them evolve to the next stage.

He observed it closely, and pondered with the idea of claiming it as his own. Strays were abandoned Pokemon meaning their owners had no ownership over them anymore. A fully evolved Gible would make a great addition to his draconic team of Pokemon. It was weakened already as well making the task much easier. He crept closer towards the unsuspecting Gible until he was close enough.

He hurled the pokeball. The Gible had no idea what was coming for it. Soon, he'd have a Gible on his side, then he would be one step closer to having every single dragon-type Pokemon in the universe and no one would dare mess with hi-what? The ball bounced off its scales and tumbled onto the grass. Gible glanced at the ball. It bent down, sniffed it then drew back as if disgusted. It kicked it away.

"Gible! There you are!"

Things were become stranger by the minute now. A young female teenager came bursting into the clearing, stopping besides Lance and his Dragonite. She rushed forward, threw out a pokeball and recalled her Gible back. Once Gible was safe, she turned on Lance, her features knotted in anger. "Thief!" she accused. "Leave my Gible alone!"

Lance was taken aback by her sudden accusation. "I didn't…"

"I noticed my Gible was hurt. Did you attack him as well?" she demanded, glancing up at him.

Being this close to the girl, he noticed there was something strangely familiar about her… Wait. Was this the same girl his grandfather had predicted would be the one to defeat him? The one who he was supposed to look for? The one he had caught battling against a true thief, the boy with the long red hair?

She didn't look tough at all this close up. She was a short, lean girl with cute brown pigtails and wide brown curious eyes who happened to be dressed in overalls. In other words? She looked ridiculous. She really looked like she ought to be out on some farm milking Miltanks, not out here as a trainer with a powerful dragon-type Pokemon. "You weren't around. How was I supposed to know the Gible wasn't some stray?" he replied smugly, hoping to thrown the girl off balance.

"I would never abandon my Pokemon," she replied, then turned away from him, choosing to focus her attention on his Dragonite. Dragonite looked at Lance unsure of what to do. Lance shrugged. "It's so cute!" she said, grinning up at the Dragonite.

Lance wasn't sure if he was hearing things. Had Lyra just called his Dragonite cute? Cute wasn't a term he'd associate with dragons in general. He wasn't sure whether to be offended by this or not. This Lyra was going to dethrone him? Yeah, right. "Hmph," was his response. Not the most intelligent comeback, but he couldn't afford to reveal his true identity to this trainer. Besides, he was supposed to be searching for a rogue Raticate, not chatting to females.

She stared at him for a few moments longer then averted her gaze. She did not blush, like so many others of the female race did. That was actually a good thing though. The only female he could speak to that did not turn into a gushing fangirl was Clair, but that was understandable because they were related. "You should leave. It's not safe here," Lance started.

"That's exactly what I plan on doing. It's not safe to be around you. You might try to steal one of my other Pokemon next." She started to head back in the direction where she had come from then stopped, looking back over her shoulder. The anger in her eyes dimmed, replaced by confusion. "How do I get to Azalea Town from here?"

"Keep on following the path and you'll soon find yourself at Union Cave. Find your way through and you'll reach Azalea Town in no time," he replied. "Don't you have a map?"

Her eyes widened. "I forgot it."

His grandfather had to be wrong about this girl. There was no way this Lyra could beat him. She was far too clueless and innocent. "Take mine. Take it as an apology for the Gible incident," he said, handing her one of his many maps. She took it, folded it carefully then placed it in her bag. "And I'm serious about leaving. This forest isn't safe. I'm not the one you should be afraid of."

She frowned. "I never said I was afraid of you."

This wasn't going the way he wanted it to go. He was supposed to be in control of the situation and instead, this girl was gaining the upper hand, making him out to be the foolish one. How the girl had even managed to make it this far without tripping over her own two feet was a miracle. "Whatever," he murmured. He hoped to put this embarrassing moment behind him so he could continue carrying out his duties as Champion.

She gave him one last look then retreated, allowing him to carry on his business.

.

Pulling down his hood, the man stepped inside the sliding glass door and joined the long queue. There were a large number of people travelling to Kanto to escape the harsh winter of the Sinnoh region. It was just his luck that he had chosen the busiest time to purchase a ticket. He was aware that he was being watched – after all, he was the only person in the building who had chosen to wear a black cloak, rather than settle for a thick jacket like everyone else – but he didn't care.

All he wanted was his ticket so he could escape this godforsaken weather for a couple of months. Running around in the snow and risking being assaulted by snowballs wasn't exactly his idea of a good time. Leaving Sinnoh temporarily was the best thing he could do for himself and his Pokemon – his dragon-types hated the cold. The cold made them sluggish.

Someone tapped him on the back. Holding back a bitter response, he turned around and raised his eyebrows expectantly. Two female teenagers, a blonde and a brunette, looked back at him. The blonde tried to hold back a giggle. "Can I help you?" he said. He didn't receive a response. The girls were too busy trying not to laugh. He turned around again and sighed. Stupid teenagers.

As soon as he had turned around to face the front again, he heard one of the girls whisper, 'scarface'. There was once a time he would've taken offense to those comments, but he had gotten accustomed to it after several years of hearing the same old insults. It was one of the reasons he chose to wear a hood – it made it harder for people to see the scar that ran a diagonal line across his right cheek.

It was a battle scar obtained in battle during a heated battle against a Garchomp, but to other people, they simply viewed it as something to be laughed at. He ignored their giggles and shuffled forward, glancing at the television screen in upper right hand corner of the room. Watching television was a good way to kill some time – it also meant he could drown out the noise of the idiots surrounding him.

"Here's Sherry, with all the gossip you could ever want! Thanks, Michelle! Sinnoh Champion Cynthia has been spotted hanging around with former Champion of Hoenn Steven Stone – is this a possible romance for the stunning trainer? Pewter Gym Leader Brock announces the opening of a new restaurant, called Hard Rock Café opening soon in Kanto! Edward Blackthorn showing signs of ill health – could he be sick?"

Edward Blackthorn sick? It couldn't be… He waited for more news to be announced regarding Blackthorn, but no more was said. The two girls went back to discussing the relationship between Cynthia and Steven and gushing over the possibilities of a possible marriage. He rolled his eyes and turned away, repulsed. Journalists. They were parasites.

But they did tell the truth… partially anyway. Most of the facts were often exaggerated, but there had to be a story in the first place. The Blackthorn Clan Elder sick. It shouldn't be surprising that he was sick considering his age, but it was so much more significant since the elder was his father - the same man responsible for banishing him from Blackthorn City.

"Hello, how may I help you today?" the woman said.

He tore his eyes away from the screen. "I would like a one-way trip to Kanto." Originally, he was going to purchase a return ticket, but the news of his father's passing had changed things. He imagined there was going to be a political warfare over who was the rightful heir - if he hadn't been banished, he would be the clan elder. His banishment however made that impossible. It would skip him and go to the next male in line – Lance. His son, the boy he had been forced to abandon due to his banishment.

"No intention of returning to Sinnoh?"

"Plans have changed."

"That'll be five-hundred dollars. Name, please?"

"Jacob."

Five-hundred dollars? Prices sure had increased by a lot since last winter. A one-way trip cost three hundred just last year. He dug a hand into his pocket and pulled out five one hundred dollar notes and handed them to the lady. She seemed surprised that he actually had that amount but took it anyway and printed out his ticket with his name imprinted on the front.

"You may board the ship now if you wish, but the ship won't be leaving for another two hours. You can choose to sit in the lounge – there's a bar, dining area and even free public computers to use if you find yourself bored. You can even have a shower to freshen up before the long trip."

.

"What a strange person," Lyra said aloud exiting the forest. She sat at the boundary, underneath one of the trees to catch her breath after the chase. Totodile snuggled up against her. Lyra's thoughts drifted back to the weird trainer. He wore all black, had messy red hair that stuck out in random angles, and he wore a funny looking black cape. Who walked around with a cape anyway? And Joey had thought her outfit was ridiculous… Which well, it kinda was now that she thought about it. I really need to update my look if I want other trainers to take me seriously.

She wondered who he was. He had what seemed to be a fully evolved dragon with him meaning he must be a trainer of an exceptional level. For someone who had a fully evolved dragon, he certainly didn't look like a dragon trainer. She had always assumed trainers with dragons were bulky, but that was probably just a stereotype. This guy was tall and not overly muscular. He didn't seem that old and she suspected he was in his mid to late teenage years. He wasn't that bad on the eyes either. She mentally slapped herself for thinking that. How could she find a guy somewhat attractive especially since he just tried to steal her Pokemon?

Was he just some wandering trainer or someone more important? A gym leader? An Elite Four member? Perhaps… even the Champion? She laughed out loud at the stupidity of that thought. No. Of course not. Why would the Champion be near Azalea Town? The Champion would be smart enough not to attempt to steal another trainer's Pokemon. Besides, she imagined whoever the Champion was he had far more important things to do than stroll through the towns meeting the locals and hanging out in dark places.

Although she had little interest in the league before, now she wished she knew more about it. Who was the Champion? She knew little about the former champions, Red and Blue. All she knew was they came from the same place of Pallet Town and that they were rivals from a young age. Blue was apparently a very unfriendly and cocky Champion according to various media sources, and Red was silent, but honourable, Champion.

And what of the current one? She knew nothing. Was he also a jerk like Blue? Or modest and friendly? Was he old or young? Handsome or plain? So many questions and she had no answers to any of them. Oh well, she thought. Not knowing made the journey to becoming the Champion herself much more interesting without knowing anything about the league members.

Her Totodile yawned, and Lyra yawned as well. The past hours had been tough. They hadn't had a decent rest since winning against Falkner. She closed her eyes and soon fell asleep under the shade of the trees.

.

It hadn't taken Lance long to locate the Raticate. The footprints and half-rotten berries on the ground made it easy to track it down. He looked at it now, keeping a safe distance. There was no telling what this creature would do. The Raticate stared back at him, hissing, a glob of saliva running down the right side of its mouth. "There's nothing we can do to cause the Raticate to return to its former evolution, but we can put him down for awhile," he said, looking at his Dragonite. Dragonite nodded, understanding. He spread his wings and flapped sending forth a powerful gust of wind, which threw the Raticate back into a tree, immediately knocking it unconscious.

He was about to check up on the fainted Raticate for signs of severe damage when two Team Rocket grunts stepped out from behind some bushes. The grunts looked like the ones he had encountered earlier before in the Slowpoke Well. "Looks like Ariana was right. The Champion walked right into our trap," said the female grunt who he remembered as Julia.

"He just couldn't help himself. Why can't you just leave us alone?" Julia's companion sneered.

Dragonite growled. "What did you do to the Raticate?" Lance said.

Julia cracked a grin. "It's wonderful, isn't it? Our great leader Archer found a way to force Pokemon to evolve! It's not at full strength yet, but when it is, Team Rocket will gain control of the world!"

Lance thought hard. The signal from the unknown radio station. Had Team Rocket found a way to emit waves to force Pokemon within range to evolve? If he was correct in that assumption they were in serious trouble. The signal might not be completed yet, but judging what had happened to the Raticate, he didn't want know what it could do once the signal was at full strength.

"For every grunt you take down, another one will take the fallen one's place. We have unlimited numbers and we're scattered all over the region. There are not enough gym leaders to take us all on," Julia taunted, lips curving into a maniacal grin. "Consider this as a warning – the end is coming and it's all going to start at the Slowpoke Well."

Lance frowned. "Slowpoke Well? I thought you were done there."

"We were stalling for time. Ariana lured you deeper into the well allowing Proton and his grunts to enter the normal way. Coming after her was a foolish idea. You just made it easier for us." She smirked, then spun around and ran deeper into the forest, her partner following right behind her. Lance was half-tempted to go after them, but following Team Rocket members into dark unknown places was not a good idea.

"Arceus' breath," he cursed. Lyra was heading towards Azalea Town now and would most likely get caught up in the Team Rocket mess. He was supposed to look out for her as the Elder had said, not get her into trouble. He turned around and stormed through the forest, an equally annoyed Dragonite stomping behind him. Would he be too late?

.

This is a novelization but it doesn't follow the games completely. I do my own things, add a few twists here and there to keep it from being a text version of the game. Where would the fun be in that? This story is a re-upload, and the original was uploaded way back in 2014. The sequel, 'Ravaged World' was completed and uploaded in 2015. The third one, 'Spirit of Champions' is also fully written but was never actually released. I hope to do that sometime by Christmas. Updates will be quick since it's all done (and has been done multiple times before).