Heart of a Champion

by Son of Venom

Follow Adrian as he strives to become a Pokémon master

1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, but I saw the story ,Challenger by darkfire1220 and decided to try something similar. _

In the quaint settlement of Pallet Town, morning sunlight filtered into a small bedroom. In that room, a boy was awake and getting ready for quite possibly the most important day of his short life. Adrian Glaves was about to leave home and begin his travels as a Pokemon trainer.

"Adrian! Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, just a second!" Adrian called back to answer his mother.

Adrian is a boy with short white hair that compliment's baby blue eyes and was ten years old . Well, a little older than that. Rather, it had been six months since he'd turned ten, but he and the rest of his class had had to postpone their starting date as trainers. Usually, trainers set off on their journeys once they reached their first decade, but circumstances in the Indigo League had forced them to stagger that date. Over the last ten years or so, Indigo had only held its Pokemon League every other year because the region had just gotten out of a major world war.

For nearly fifteen years, the region of Orre had been under the influence of a dangerous rogue military organization called Cipher, who had weaponized Pokemon by infecting them with the "Shadow" strain. Since Orre was hardly an organized region in the first place, Cipher took power easily with their Shadow Pokemon. When they finally turned their eyes to the rest of the world, the other regions could no longer ignore them.

What followed was the most brutal war in the history of the Leagues. Tens of thousands of people and Pokemon had died in combat, creating a generation gap so massive that most of the regions now consisted of children and older individuals. Most of the average-age adults had fallen in the violent battles. Kanto and Johto suffered severe casualties, with Hoenn not far behind. The regions of Fiore and Almia had also participated, but the damage they suffered was so great that they secluded themselves and barred normal trainers from their borders for the sake of protecting their people.

Eventually, Cipher was only destroyed because an incredibly skilled agent from one of its own branch organizations went rogue. That young trainer swept through the ranks of Cipher with a unique capture device and a female partner that could identify the previously unrecognizable Shadow Pokemon. They had infiltrated right into Cipher's core and managed to crush their leader. The regions had gotten lucky.

With Cipher destroyed, the world settled back down, but it took a decade for things to even remotely resemble normalcy as it had before the war. That was why Indigo had added on to the amount of time trainers typically had to get stronger before the League Tournament began. They needed not only stronger trainers, but as many new ones as possible to fill the huge generation gap. The first tournament that took place immediately after the war consisted of just thirty two individuals. It had lasted for three days.

But new trainers had to wait until the League officially began the competitive season before setting out. That was why Adrian and the few graduating members of his class had to wait an additional six months after his tenth birthday before they could leave home. Now that Spring had come along, aligning with the start of the new Indigo Tournament season, they could finally leave to begin their journeys.

He was just glad that he had passed Professor Oak's exams with flying colors. Oak only accepted three new trainers every six months. If Ash hadn't made the top three scores, he would have been forced to wait until the Fall to start his journey. That would have left him with six less months to train for the massive Indigo Tournament. Since the Indigo training season now lasted for two years, it wouldn't be a complete setback, but it was still valuable time lost.

Not to mention that Gary would have mocked him until the day he died.

The door to his bedroom opened to reveal Martha Glaves, his mother. She had a bright smile on her face as always and leaned against the doorway to watch him. "Do you have everything you need?"

"I think so," Adrian replied. "All the supplies we got at the store last week are already in my bag. I think the only things I'm missing are Professor Oak's gear and a Pokemon."

"Have you decided which one you want?"

He grinned widely. "Oh yeah."

He'd been thinking about that for years- ever since he decided to be a trainer, actually. It had been incredibly hard to choose just one of the three starters Oak offered to young trainers because they were so varied. Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. All three of the starters were rare and highly prized Pokemon.

Bulbasaur was a hardy little grass type with great versatility. It was specialized for immobilizing opponents with various spores and toxins, then wiping them out. It's ability to effectively halt an enemy in its tracks made it very desirable not only for battles, but captures. Bulbasaur could basically trap any wild Pokemon and make it an incredibly easy catch- a great asset for any trainer. Both of its evolved forms only improved on these abilities. Its final evolved form, Venusaur, was regarded as one of the most powerful grass species in Kanto for its incredibly vast capabilities- it could heal, attack, assist, defend...it was the adaptable trainer's ideal, with the potential to fulfill any role that was required.

Squirtle was the more defensive option of the trio. Its evolutionary line had developed an incredibly hard shell that was nigh impenetrable from physical attacks. Usually, only powerful elemental moves with super-effective advantages were enough to faze them. Along with its high defenses, Squirtle could pack a punch with high-pressure water blasts, not to mention its hard skull was also a useful weapon that it could use to stun opponents with powerful tackles or headbutts. Blastoise was prize of that evolutionary line. Anything that could punch through solid steel plates with hydro cannons was something to be greatly feared in combat. If that wasn't enough, Blastoise's natural bulk offered the potential for its trainer to turn it into a heavy, armored tank.

But Adrian wanted neither Bulbasaur or Squirtle. Besides, Gary had basically laid claim to Squirtle already and Adrian decided he wanted a different Pokemon than him.

Charmander, the fire type, was Adrian's desired partner. Its breed was primed for attack power and speed, two attributes that could be put to great use in battle. Charmander and its evolutionary line could slash enemies with sharp claws and then blast them with intense flames. Even against a Pokemon with a type advantage, their onslaught could usually pull them through to victory. Charmeleon took Charmander's abilities and greatly improved them with enhanced speed and firepower. Its longer limbs, tougher scales, and sharper claws meant that it could deal out more damage and take more hits than its initial form.

And Adrian sorely wanted a Charizard. Infamous for their fiery personalities and roaring popularity on the battlefield, the pseudo-dragons were absolute beasts when properly trained. They were capable of assaulting foes at range and close up with devastating strength on both the ground and in the air. Every aspect of their being was capable of doing damage- the powerful wings, sharp claws, the long, thrashing tail, the horns, the teeth, and even their breath. If a Charizard wanted to make its opponent hurt, there was no shortage of ways for it to ensure that happened. Even Lance, the Champion of Indigo, had a Charizard at his disposal. The monster of a fire type was arguably his second most powerful Pokemon despite not being a dragon type in the first place. Martha had once watched a battle between Lance's Charizard and Elite Four Bruno's Machamp on TV, and his decision on a starter had been made the second that Charizard used a move called Blast Burn to effectively demolish the field.

So he was getting a Charmander.

Martha checked her watch and smiled. "There's no rush, Adrian. You've still got an hour before you have to be at the Professor's lab. Come on downstairs and have some breakfast."

Adrian shouldered his bag and grinned at the prospect of starting the day with his mother's delicious cooking. "Alright!"

They arrived at the lab shortly. Waiting for them were the other two children that had graduated Professor Oak's trainer class with Adrian- Gary and Leaf. Ash grinned upon seeing them.

"What took you so long, Adrian?" Gary smirked. "I was afraid you weren't going to show up!"

"And miss the chance to beat you down in a battle? There's no way I'd miss that!"

"Uh-huh. I'm sure," the taller boy snickered. He glanced to Ash's mother and nodded. "Morning, Ms Glaves."

Martha smiled. "Good morning, Gary. And you too, Leaf. Excited?"

Leaf smiled fiercely. "As if I couldn't be! I can't wait to get my Bulbasaur!"

"You only picked that because it's got an advantage over Squirtle," Gary jabbed. "Can't say I blame you, though. You'll need a type advantage to beat me!"

The girl gave him an innocent look. "Oh really? Who made the highest battle simulation scores again?"

Gary colored a bit and wisely looked away. He muttered under his breath. "…just because that stupid Shellder got a lucky hit off on Tangela,…"

"It's not luck if that Shellder tanked two super effective hits and then busted you with Aurora Beam."

"Shut up!" Gary scowled.

"Now, now, that's enough."

The door to the lab opened up and revealed Professor Oak, who had apparently heard the exchange from inside. He wiped some of the exhaustion from his eyes, causing Adrian to smirk. Oak practically lived in the lab and it was clear that he'd spent another sleepless night up researching.

Oak stifled a yawn and nodded to Adrian's mother. "Good morning, Martha. Come to check on the love birds?"

"You and I both know they're anything but right now, Professor!" Martha laughed. "I'll get through to them eventually, though. Skarmory and Fearow won't have any idea what hit them!"

"I'll leave that pair in your capable hands, then," Oak grunted. "Now, you three. I assume you're all prepared to receive your starter Pokemon?"

Gary grinned widely. "Is that even a question, gramps? Course' we're ready!"

The older man smiled at his grandson's energy and gestured into the lab. "Well, come on, then. Let's not keep your Pokemon waiting. That Bulbasaur looked like it wanted to Vine Whip me last night. It wants to leave the lab now."

There we are!" said the professor brightly. He opened the box and frowned. "Oh, um. There isn't as many pokemon as I thought there would be. Harris, where are the other starter pokemon?"

The assistant shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, professor. We forgot to fill out that part of the requisition form last week. These are all the ones we had on hand."

The professor's expression grew worried. "Oh, that's a problem."

Well I think I have an idea, Harris the other ones". Harris walked over and picked up the second tray, then set it down on the counter next to Oak. The professor took all but the yellow and black pokeballs and let out the pokemon inside. To everyone's surprise a Rockruff

" Rockruff?" Adrian said.

"Yes, you see a few months ago professor, Kukui sent me Rockruff to me from his home region he caught so I could do some research on his various evolutions. I spent months studying him and I've gotten plenty of data. Now I think it's time I let him be a trainer's starting choice.

"Alright, now let's introduce the lot of you to your Pokemon, shall we?"

He walked over to a round table where three pokeballs lay alongside uniquely colored Pokedexes. The three kids had been given the option of customizing their own devices, although it was little more than picking their favorite color out. Adrian's was a dark red, Gary's was blue, and Leaf's was green.

"Right, I believe you've all already selected the Pokemon you want, right? It seemed as though it was decided a while back. Leaf, you wanted Bulbasaur, correct? Adrian can have Rockruff, and Gary Squirtle? Did I get that right?"

"Yes sir!"

"Good. Now then, ladies first. This is Bulbasaur."

Oak took the pokeball next to the green Pokedex and tapped the release button, sending out the Pokemon inside. A short, green Pokemon with four stubby legs and a plant bulb on its back materialized following a brief flash of light. The Bulbasaur glanced around curiously at its surroundings. It eventually spotted the Professor and gave him a dirty look.

"Easy, Bulbasaur. Your trainer is here, see?"

The little grass type looked at Leaf when Oak pointed and seemed to consider his words for a second. It nodded a second later, apparently satisfied with its new trainer.

Leaf knelt down so she was at Bulbasaur's level and held her hand out for the Pokemon to scan. She politely waited as Bulbasaur ran its two vines over her fingers. When the grass type finished and looked up at her, she smiled and spoke quietly so as not to startle it. "Hi there, Bulbasaur. I'm Leaf. It's nice to meet you! Would you like to travel with me?"

Bulbasaur's eyes lit up and it nodded vigorously. Oak laughed at its determined reaction. "He just wants to get out of my lab. I think he feels cooped up."

"Right, since Rockruff is already out Adrian it's your turn

Ash also knelt in front of the little Pokemon and held his hand out. "Hey, Rockruff. My name's Adrian. I want to become the world's greatest Pokemon, Master. Would you like to help out? I promise I'll make you as strong as you can be!"

The pokemon perked up at that and let out a small bark. Like most Pokemon, Rockruff held a nearly insatiable desire to become strong. This boy wanted to become the best in the world, and so did Rockruff. That sounded great to the little rock type.

Rockruff made a wide smile and swished its tail excitedly. Ash laughed. "All right! We'll get along just fine!"

"I'm sure you two will," Oak agreed. He picked up the last pokeball from the table. "Gary, this is your Squirtle."

The small Pokemon that appeared from the last pokeball was a blue turtle with an orange and yellow shell and a curly tail. It looked up at the group of kids and adults and smirked.

Gary didn't kneel in front of the turtle and just grinned. "I like the attitude, Squirtle. You think you've got what it takes to keep up with the greatest Pokemon trainer of all time?"

Squirtle's grin widened if that was possible and it nodded eagerly. Gary crossed his arms. "Good, then let's team up and open up a can of whoop ass on the whole Indigo League!"

"Language, young man," Oak snapped, though he didn't get particularly angry. The Professor handed out each of the three kids their Pokedexes and helped them with switching the devices on. "Now, why don't you three use those on your new partners? It'll act as a tutorial of sorts and give you a bit of information about your Pokemon."

The three nodded and held up their Pokedex's cameras to their new Pokemon so as to scan them. Before long, they each beeped and began to recite information in a mechanical, feminine voice.

Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokemon. It is born with a large seed on its back to accumulate nourishment for growth. Energy is also stored in the bulb that can be utilized in battle. Bulbasaur often take frequent naps in bright sunlight shortly before evolution.

This Bulbasaur is male and knows the moves: Vine Whip, Tackle, Power Whip, and Grassy Terrain. Its ability is Overgrow, which boosts its grass type moves when it is low on health.

Leaf grinned. "Wow, Bulbasaur! You're really strong, aren't you?"

Bulbasaur puffed up and seemed to be thoroughly proud of Leaf's assessment.

Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokemon. During battle, it hides itself in its shell and strikes with bursts of water at every opportunity. Squirtle uses its hard head to stun prey with tackles, then delivers fierce bites. As Squirtle prepares to evolve, its shell grows harder and it begins to develop sharp teeth.

This Squirtle is male and knows the moves: Water Gun, Tackle, Aura Sphere, and Dragon Pulse. Its ability is Torrent, which boosts its water type moves when it is low on health.

"All attacking moves, yes!" Gary practically whooped. He grinned madly. "Ms. Glaves, you outdid yourself. That's a crazy good move set for a starter Pokemon!"

"I did my best," Martha smiled. "I'm glad you're so pleased with him."

Squirtle crossed his arms and smirked arrogantly. Obviously, he agreed with his trainer's not-so-humble opinion.

Rockruff, the Puppy Pokemon. As they develop, their disposition grows more violent and aggressive. It's considered to be a good Pokémon for beginners because of it's friendliness

This Rockruff is male and knows the moves: Tackle, Bite, Rock Throw and Thunder Fang. It's ability is Keen eye, which prevents other Pokémon from lowering it's accuracy.

Nice! Looks like you'll be a powerful little guy, huh Rockruff?" Adrian exclaimed.

The puppy Pokémon simply waved his tail and smiled, showing off the sharp, white fangs once again.

Oak coughed to get their attention once more. "Well, now that you've all met your partners, let me emphasize a few things regarding them- the moves your Pokemon have had bred into them are quite powerful for such young examples of their species, but I suggest you work hard practicing before actually using them in a battle. The more basic moves will be the ones they are best at. You probably won't see the true power of their egg moves until they've fully evolved."

The kids nodded. That made sense.

"Good. That's all I have for you. I trust the three of you remembered to get pokeballs, potions, and the other supplies from the store in town?"

When they all answered yes, Oak smiled. "Then you three are free to go. Good luck, and make sure to check up with me every now and again. I'll be keeping any Pokemon you have here at my lab after you reach the limit, so contact me if you need to exchange any of them."

"Yes, Professor," the three replied.

Now that they were free, Gary recalled Squirtle and immediately set off. Leaf picked up her new Bulbasaur carefully and carried it out of the lab, chatting to her Pokemon all the while. Professor Oak turned around and went over to his computer, switching it on and humming a light tune.

Adrian looked at Rockruff. "What about you, buddy? Do you want to stay out or do you want to go back into the pokeball?"

Rockruff shook his head, so Adrian didn't recall him. Martha walked up to him with a smile and hugged her son.

"You'll both do great. I can't wait to hear about all of your adventures," she murmured happily. "By the way, have you thought about nicknaming Rockruff?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that!" Adrian exclaimed. He looked back at Rockruff. "Do you want a nickname, bud?"

Rockruff held up one of his small, clawed paws and made a chirping sound. Adrian took that as confirmation and began to run all of the nicknames he'd come up with in the last few months in case his Pokemon wanted one.

"Rocky?"

Rockruff frowned and shook his head.

"Smokey?"

Another shake of his head. Adrian ended up going through about a dozen different options before he finally named one that Rockruff liked.

"Diablo?"

Rockruff tail perked up a bit and he grinned. Adrian grinned right back. "Diablo it is. Glad to have you with me, Diablo!"

The newly-named Diablo chirped happily and swished his tail around, evidently pleased with his name.

Adrian was just about to suggest they head out when a loud shout from Professor Oak made him, Martha, and Diablo jump in surprise.

"Argh! You again?!"

Oak practically dove under his desk with a scowl on his face. He was apparently trying to catch something hiding down there.

Adrian tilted his head. "Something wrong, Professor?"

"As a matter of fact, yes!" Oak growled from underneath the desk. "This little runt is eating my computer cables again! This is the third time this week! Do you have the foggiest idea how expensive these are, you little troublemaker?!"

There was a little snicker from under the desk and then Oak froze. "Don't you dare, you little sh- GAHH!"

The three onlookers jumped again as the Professor suddenly spasmed from an electric shock. Oak collapsed on the floor, twitching as sparks flickered over his body. A small, blue and black Pokemon leapt onto his back with a wide grin on its face, still snickering.

Adrian looked at the little creature curiously and held up his Pokedex. It beeped a second later.

Shinx, the Flash Pokémon, the extension and contraction of it's muscles generates electricity. It's fur glows when it's in trouble.

He watched the Shinx jump up and down on the stunned Professor and grinned. It wasn't like electric types were rare, but this was native to sinnoh a nice find compared to the common Rattata and Pidgey nesting around Pallet Town.

"Hey, Professor! Can I catch this one?" Adrian asked.

"Yes, just get it out of my poor lab," Oak moaned weakly. "The little runt has already cost me more money in repairs than I care to admit."

Shinx snickered at Oak again and then turned its gaze to Adrian, Martha, and Diablo. It grinned and leapt off the paralyzed Professor, apparently challenging them.

Adrian grinned right back. "Diablo, you ready for a battle?"

Diablo lashed his fluffy tail from side to side and the trilling sound he made changed to a hiss. His eyes narrowed with determination and his claws flexed.

Shinx snickered and suddenly it started sparking with electricity. Adrian only had a second to react before it fired a weak Thundershock at Diablo in the form of a thin bolt.

"Dodge it!"

Diablo leaped to the side and avoided the tiny shock, which danced harmlessly along the floor of the lab before sputtering out. He growled at Shinx as it continued to snicker and its cheeks sparked with more electricity.

"Rock Throw!"

The Rockruff leap into the air and sent a barrage of small, pointy rocks at Shinx, which quickly scurried away to avoid the attack. Adrian winced when the rocks scratced the wall, but thankfully didn't cause them to be damaged. Diablo charged Shinx after the Rock Throw missed and started to dash at it attempting to hit it with tackle. Shinx danced away from the move, snickering all the while.

Diablo was quickly getting frustrated, so Adrian called out to him. "Keep going, Diablo! Just like that!"

At his command, the fire type continued to dash at Shinx, backing the little electric type up as it snickered at him. Suddenly, Shinx bumped into the wall and froze in surprise. It had nowhere else to go.

"Now! Rock Throw!"

Diablo grinned in delight and blasted Shinx with many of the small rocks. The electric type cried out from the piercing assault and launched another Thundershock, which managed to hit Diablo in the face. The Rockruff growled angrily at the shock, then lunged forward and landed a tackle on Shinx. The attack smacked the tiny Pokémon against the wall, stunning it.

Adrian had been scrambling to get a pokeball out of his bag while the fight was going on and had one primed just as Diablo knocked Shinx against the wall. He called out. "Shinx, step to the side!"

The Rockruff did as he said, giving Adrian a clear line of sight to Shinx. He threw the pokeball and tagged the stunned Shinx, causing the device to open and suck the electric type inside with red light. The ball closed and hit the floor, wriggling furiously.

They waited with bated breath as the pokeball continued to wriggle for a few seconds. Then it made a clicking sound and stilled.

Adrian's grin came back tenfold. "Yes! I caught it!"

"Good job, Adrian!" Oak praised as he managed to stand up, albeit still wincing from the electric shock. "That was skillfully done. Not to mention you just saved me quite a bit of money on repairs."

"I'm so proud of you!" Martha exclaimed, wrapping her son in a tight hug. "You're already on your way to being an amazing trainer!"

Adrian managed to hug her back and wheezed as the air was crushed from his lungs. "Thanks, mom. But Diablo did the work, y'know."

"And he did a very good job," Martha released Adrian and smiled at the Rockruff. "You were great, Pyro! You'll be really powerful in no time!"

Rockruff smiled toothily and made a loud chirp at the praise.

Adrian picked up the pokeball that contained Shinx and stared at it. "What was it doing in here, anyway?"

"Eating my computer cords," Oak growled. "Electric types can consume electricity as a food source. Anything with an electric current is like a never-ending banquet to them. Usually, they don't come into the lab because I have a charge station in the corral specifically designed for electric types, but that little rat is quite the prankster. It prefers to give me grief and eat my important equipment rather than take the easy way out in the corral."

"It'll still eat regular Pokemon food, right?" The boy asked anxiously. "I don't have that many electric items in my bag."

The Professor nodded. "Yes. There are charge stations at Pokemon Centers that Shinx can eat from, though. I'd advise letting it do that as much as possible. Shinx are fairly strong electric types, so they have to build up their electricity by consuming it."

Martha glanced at Diablo, who was picking at the spot on his face where he'd been shocked. "I think you should recall Diablo and let him and Shinx recover in the Professor's healing machine. You don't want to set off with your Pokemon already tired out."

"Okay," Adrian held Diablo's pokeball out and smiled at the fire type. "You did great, Diablo. Take a quick break, alright?"

The Rockruff chirped again as Adrian recalled him. Oak took both of the pokeballs from the boy and carried them over to another room, where they could be healed on a special machine.

Adrian's mother tapped his shoulder. "Check your Pokedex on Shinx. It should be updated with Shinx's information now that you've captured it. Find out what moves it knows."

He did exactly that, pulling out the device and selecting the tab indicating the Pokemon he owned. Ash tapped on Shinx's name and the Pokedex recited its information.

This Shinx is male and knows the moves: Thundershock, Tackle and Quick Attack. It's ability Intimidate, which lowers the opposing Pokémon attack power.

Adrian smiled. "Shinx will probably be great for catching other Pokemon if he can paralyze them. I think I'll have to test that out on the road."

"You'll want to train it up a good deal before trying that, I think," Oak suggested. "From what I can tell, it's a pretty low level. It only stunned me for a minute at the most. A wild Pokemon will shake off a move like that even quicker."

"Alright," he replied. "How long until they're finished healing?"

"Just a few minutes. You should take this chance to look through the Pokedex some more. You'll want to learn how to use it as best you-"

The door was suddenly thrown open and Gary stepped in with a frustrated look. "Hey, Adrian! Stop goofing around! I've been waiting outside for like ten minutes to challenge you to a battle!"

Adrian scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I got distracted trying to catch a Pokemon."

Gary stared in surprise. "Wait, what?"

"I found that Shinx I was telling you about eating my computer cables," Oak growled in annoyance. "Adrian was kind enough to set his Rockruff on the little runt and capture it."

Gary's jaw dropped. "What?! You're kidding me! You haven't even left the lab and you already caught a Pokemon?!"

Before Adrian could even get a word in, Gary jabbed a finger at him. "Whatever! I'll just go and catch more Pokemon than you! Smell ya later, Adrian!"

With that, Gary whipped around and bolted out the door. Adrian blinked after him. The guy would probably catch the first Pokemon he saw.

Oak sighed at his grandson's brashness. "I hope he remembers to actually battle the Pokemon he finds before trying to catch them. He can be forgetful when he gets riled up like that."

Martha smiled and hugged her son once again. "Adrian, I'm going to get to work in the corral. Make sure you let me know when you reach Viridian City, okay?"

"I will," Adrian promised.

"Good. You take good care of Diablo and Shinx, alright? They're your friends now. You have to trust them."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Alright. Well, goodbye sweetheart. Good luck!" Martha kissed the top of his head, then turned around and left through another room. Adrian smiled after her.

A few minutes later, Oak returned Adrian's pokeballs to him. The Professor nodded at the boy. "I really am grateful that you captured Shinx, Adrian. You'll do well with him once you curb that mischievous side of him a bit."

Adrian smirked. "I think it'll just be a matter of channeling that mischief in a good direction. Thanks for healing my Pokemon, Professor Oak."

"You're welcome. Now, you'd best be off. Viridian City is a two day walk from here, not to mention that Gary and Leaf have a head start on you!"

The boy nodded, spinning on his heels as he bolted out of the door. He set Diablo loose and grinned at the Rockruff. "C'mon, Diablo! Let's get going!"

Diablo swished his tail and let out a delighted chirp as he chased after his trainer. _

Adrian and Diablo took to walking along the trail once they got onto Route 1. They both needed to walk to build up their stamina. Adrian knew that Rockruff was still young, so the Rockruff needed to exercise as much as possible to build up muscle.

Most of the morning was fairly relaxed. Adrian just talked to Adrian about himself. Things he liked, disliked, his dreams, his mom- everything he could think of. Adrian just listened and occasionally made a trilling laugh, like when Adrian told him about how he and Gary wrestled in the mud when they were toddlers.

They saw a few wild Pokemon while they were walking, but Adrian decided not to make Diablo battle again quite yet. He figured it would be a better idea to get some training done before they challenged another wild Pokemon, or at least make sure Pichu would listen to him. After all, Diablo and Shinx weren't particularly strong yet. The pair of them were little more than freshly-hatched Pokemon.

When Adrian eventually ran out of things to tell Diablo about and they fell into a comfortable silence, he began to think about what the Rockruff should practice once they began training. He obviously needed to work on power and Adrian really wanted to try and work on Diablo's moves. At the same time, he was debating how they were going to win at their first gym battle.

While Viridian City had a gym, it was all but banned to any trainer without seven badges. Giovanni was a ruthless battler, and he was no foe any new trainer could face with even a hope of victory.

Pewter City was his best bet. The gym leader there wasn't weak, but it was the nearest gym that would use low level Pokemon for battles there. Most gyms were like that- depending on how strong a challenger was, they would adjust their strength accordingly. The only gyms that didn't hold back their strength were the ones in Viridian, Saffron City, and Cinnabar Island. Adrian was far away from Saffron and Cinnabar; he wouldn't be challenging them anytime soon, and Giovanni was completely out of the question.

The man had only given out three badges in the last five years. He was an absolute beast.

Adrian shook his head. He could think about fighting the stronger gym leaders later, once his Pokemon were trained and he had a few badges under his belt. For now, he needed to focus on the first one- Pewter City.

The gym leader there used rock type Pokemon. They were quite strong, but had many weaknesses that were easy to exploit. There was just one problem- Adrian had no Pokemon with a type advantage over them. In fact, quite the opposite, both Pyro and Pichu were vulnerable to them. Diablo although the same typing did not have a moves that would give him an advantage , Shinx would be even less capable of fighting. Electricity did absolutely nothing to ground types.

He could work with Diablo. He'd practically memorized the moves Rockruff could learn, after all. His best bet against rock type opponents was to teach Rockruff and maybe Shinx Iron Tail, which was a steel type move that could rend even a rock type's tough exterior. He hoped that was enough. Relying on a single move in a gym battle against multiple opponents generally wasn't the best plan.

He continued to think as they walked, hoping that a good strategy would eventually come to mind. _

It was just after midday when they ran into Leaf.

Adrian stopped when Diablo chirped and gestured further up the path with his short arm. He grinned when he saw Leaf and her Bulbasaur at the base of a tree. The girl was kneeling and stood back up with a pokeball in her hand and a wide smile on her face.

"Hey, Leaf!"

Leaf spun around and Bulbasaur growled at the surprise. She grinned and waved at him. "Hey, Adrian! You finally caught up!"

He walked over with Diablo still beside him. "Sorry, I ended up catching a Pokemon that was causing the Professor trouble in his lab."

"Oh, really?" Leaf giggled. "I thought you just couldn't escape from your mom. She's so cool! Saur here actually just won a battle for me with Power Whip! I think he practiced it before I got him!"

"That is cool," Adrian admitted. "Saur, huh? So you gave your Pokemon a nickname?"

She nodded. "What about you?"

"I did, too," he gestured to Rockruff. "His name is Diablo."

"Nice to meet you, Diablo," Leaf smiled at the little rock type cheerfully. Diablo waved his fluffy tail back at her, making a happy trill. Saur just grunted and shuffled over to a sunny patch on the trail.

Adrian looked at the pokeball in her hand. "So, what did you catch?"

"A Spearow. He was giving Saur the evil eye and it was on from there. Saur just smacked him right out of the tree! It was a pretty quick battle. What did you catch?"

"You mean the little troublemaker from the Professor's lab?" Adrian grinned. "A Shinx. He's not too strong, but once I train him, I think those electric shocks of his will come in handy. Diablo was great at battling him."

Diablo swished his tail and grinned proudly with his trainer. Leaf snorted, seeing as the pair of them were already so similar.

Adrian suddenly smirked. "Hey, you and I both have two Pokemon now. How about a battle?"

"As much as I would love to beat you, I don't think that would be fair right now," Leaf refused politely. "Saur just got done fighting and I'm pretty sure Spearow is unconscious."

"Gotcha. How about we travel to Viridian City together, then? We can heal up at the Pokemon Center and battle there."

"Now that I'm down for," she agreed. _

They spent the rest of the day walking along the trail together, chatting about each other's goals and plans. Leaf was just as determined as Adrian and Gary to be the best Pokemon trainer out there. Her idol was the Kanto Champion Lance, after all. Of course, a lot of trainers looked up to the legendary Dragon Master, including Adrian. He was said to be one of the most powerful trainers in the entire world, commanding his ferocious team of dragons and draconic Pokemon flawlessly.

Watching Lance fight was awe-inspiring, even on a TV. Adrian couldn't imagine how epic those battles must be up close and personal. But since it was his dream to become the greatest Pokemon Master in the world, he would have to face the Champion in battle one day. And he would have to win.

But that was a long way off- years away at least. For now, he just had to worry about getting his first gym badge. Baby steps, his mother always told him.

Adrian and Leaf finally stopped walking when the sun began to set. They found a small clearing just off the trail and decided to make camp. He gathered the firewood with Diablo while Leaf and Saur cleaned up the area of leaves and rocks and such. When they were all done with chores and the sleeping bags were out, Adrian lit the firewood with her match stick and the little group settled down.

"I think now's probably a good time to meet our new Pokemon, Adrian," Leaf suggested. "Don't you think? They're probably less likely to freak out now that we're all relaxed."

"Alright. I'll set Shinx loose first?" He asked.

"Fine by me. I need to grab a Potion for Spearow, anyways. He's probably still a bit shaken up."

Adrian nodded and took out Shinx's pokeball. He tapped the release button and a moment later, the little electric type stood before him. Shinx's eyes were closed initially, but they opened up blearily after a second or two.

"Hey there, Shinx," Adrian smiled at him. "How are you feeling?"

Shinx looked around and seemed rather confused. Adrian did his best to fill him in. "I captured you at the lab, remember?"

The electric type's eyes cleared in understanding and he nodded. Feeling more optimistic considering how well Shinx was responding, Adrian took a chance and held his hand out to him. "Listen, Shinx. I'm on a journey to become the greatest Pokemon Master in the world. I'd really like for you to join me. I promise to make you as strong as you can be. How about it? Do you wanna travel with us?"

Diablo made a friendly chirp in an effort to appear welcoming. Shinx smiled happily and reached up with his tiny paw to tap Diablo's hand. But as he watched, the innocent smile turned into a familiar, devilish smirk.

A shock of electricity suddenly made his whole body spasm and jerk. Adrian ended up on the ground with a yelp and began to twitch randomly. Shinx's smirk turned into a full on grin as he laughed triumphantly.

Across the fire, Leaf and Saur were practically in hysterics. The girl was rolling in the dirt while crying and gasping for breath through a giggling fit. Her Bulbasaur was making a barking sound that apparently amounted to the same thing. Even Diablo was chuckling a little, seeing as his trainer wasn't actually hurt from the shocking prank.

Adrian got most of his body back under control inside of a minute. He leered up at Shinx, who was sitting on his chest and sniggering with delight. "You're an ornery little creature, aren't you?"

Shinx snickered agreeably at the description and jumped off of Adrian. He didn't make too much of a fuss though, so Adrian figured that the prank was probably more for laughs than actual disobedience. The boy sat up and gave Leaf a deadpan look as she continued to shriek with laughter.

"It wasn't that funny!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Her chest was heaving and it seemed like there wasn't enough oxygen in the air to fuel her hysterics. "You squeaked like a Rattata and started flopping around like a Magikarp!"

Shinx and Saur nodded agreement, both of them still sniggering madly. Adrian reddened and looked away. Diablo came over and crawled into his trainer's lap, keeping his tail on the ground where it wouldn't irritate Adrian. He had gotten over the amusement of the prank and decided to give his trainer some comfort to ease his ruffled pride.

At least Gary hadn't seen that one. It would've been way worse.

Leaf eventually got over her giggle fit and managed to remember how to breathe. She took a drink of water from her canteen and offered some to Saur. The grass type took a small sip, then settled down and began to close his eyes.

Adrian looked at Shinx once the electric type finished laughing over his prank. "Say, do you want a nickname?"

Shinx nodded and smiled. Adrian took that as confirmation and began to run all of the nicknames he'd come up with in the last few months in case his Pokemon wanted one.

"Zeus?"

Shinx's tail twitched up a bit and he grinned. Adrian grinned right back. "Zeus it is. Glad to have you with me, Zeus!"

Zeus nodded and then yawned. Apparently, he was feeling tired. Considering how young Zeus was and the time of night, Adrian wasn't surprised. He pulled out Zeus's pokeball.

"Do you want to sleep outside, or in the ball?"

Adrian blinked when Zeus took one look at the pokeball and bristled, giving it the best evil eye such a small creature could muster. He had to admit, the amount of dislike that was carried in that gaze was actually impressive.

"I'll take that as a no."

A nod from the flash Pokémon confirmed his guess and Adrian put the pokeball away. Zeus relaxed once it was out of sight and looked around for a spot to get comfortable. He finally just crawled on top of Diablo and settled there. Surprisingly, the puppy Pokémon didn't seem to mind.

Adrian lightly ran his fingers through Zeus's thick fur and felt a slight current run through him, though it wasn't painful. It made him shiver, but the electricity Zeus's body gave off was just a side effect of a static electricity.

Across the fire, Leaf took out her own pokeball and set her newly captured Spearow loose. The bird looked like he had been beaten down quite thoroughly, and was too tired to even give his trainer that classic Spearow glare.

Leaf winced sympathetically once she saw the bird's sorry state. "Ouch. Sorry about getting so rough with you earlier, Spearow. How about I heal you up? I've got a Potion that will make your wounds stop hurting."

Spearow just nodded exhaustedly and Adrian quietly whistled. Saur had really done a number on Spearow to have knocked all the fire out of the small bird. The knowledge that flying types had an inherent advantage over grass types apparently meant nothing in the face of the Bulbasaur's aggressive battling style.

Leaf evidently agreed with him. She frowned with worry when Spearow failed to even squawk an objection and gently sprayed the Potion over the injuries Saur had inflicted. The bird initially flinched away from the stinging sensation brought on by the rapid healing process a Potion instigated, but relaxed once the pain of his wounds started to fade away.

Spearow ruffled his feathers and seemed a bit more relaxed now that he didn't feel as though he'd been smashed all over the forest. Which, in fact, he had been.

"Feeling better?" Leaf asked.

When the bird nodded, she smiled brightly. "Good. Spearow, I want to know if you'd like to travel with me. I'll help train you into a really strong Fearow. What do you think? Is that okay?"

They paused when they heard a loud snore and everyone looked over to Saur, who was now deeply asleep. Spearow leered at the grass type furiously and made a low squawk, agreeing with Leaf whilst simultaneously promising vengeance one day on his ruthless teammate.

Leaf stroked Spearow's feathers to help him relax and gazed between her two Pokemon with a sigh. "That might take a while to work on. You're pretty lucky Diablo and Zeus get along so well, Adrian."

"I think they're just too tired to think about fighting right now, but yeah," he agreed. Adrian yawned and settled down in his sleeping bag. Diablo made a slight grumble for the disturbance, but didn't move. Zeus was already asleep and hadn't even noticed.

Leaf smiled as the young Pokemon all began to fall asleep and murmured to Spearow. "You can sleep wherever you want. If you want to sleep in one of the trees around the camp, that's fine. I'll wake you up when we're about to head out tomorrow, okay?"

Spearow chirped and quickly flew to a low-hanging branch. The bird shuffled around a few times, then closed his eyes and fell asleep almost instantly.

Seeing as all the Pokemon were now happily slumbering away, their trainers joined them soon after. _

Waking up the next morning reminded the group that they'd basically forgotten dinner the night before. Adrian and Leaf hastily gave their famished teams a can of Pokemon food for each one. Diablo, Saur, and Spearow ate rather cleanly. Zeus on the other hand…

They all basically stopped eating to gape at Zeus as the little shoveled food into his mouth like a never-ending conveyer belt. Crumbs got everywhere and his cheek pouches were swelling rapidly.

Adrian put a stop to that. "Zeus, slow down! You don't want to choke!"

Zeus tried to snap a retort and paid for it by getting food caught in his throat. The little electric type furiously beat his chest with a tiny paw in an effort to get breakfast down.

With a sigh, Adrian pulled out his canteen and offered it to Zeus. He held it up and tilted it when Zeus grabbed the bottle furiously, watching as the flash Pokémon took a big gulp and managed to free the trapped food in his throat. The mouse sat down and sighed in relief, wiping crumbs and water from his mouth.

Adrian smirked and scratched Zeus around his pointy ears. "Settle down. There's no rush. I'd rather you eat slow than choke trying to stuff it all down as fast as you can."

Zeus nodded and let out a little belch. Adrian chuckled and returned to a tree stump where his own breakfast lay. He looked over his shoulder a second later and was happy to see that Zeus was eating again, albeit a good deal slower.

Leaf looked up at him from where she was eating beside Saur. "So I figure we cover some ground this morning. Viridian City isn't too far away now, so we could probably make it there by noon. We can heal our Pokemon there and then have that battle."

"Sounds like a plan," Adrian agreed. He took a bite from his sandwich and chewed thoughtfully for a few seconds. "After that I think I'm going to stay in Viridian for a day or two. I really need to get some training done with Diablo and Zeus. Diablo needs to learn Iron Tail before I challenge the Pewter Gym and Pichu has to work on boosting his power. What about you?"

"I'm leaving right after our battle. I think Saur and Spearow will get a fair bit stronger fighting all the bug types in Viridian Forest," Leaf explained. "Even if Saur's only a little bit stronger once we get to Pewter City, I'm pretty sure he can beat down a couple of rock types."

Saur growled agreement. Spearow let out a low shriek at the grass type, then returned to his breakfast. The Bulbasaur seemed to be contemplating whether or not to Vine Whip the impudent bird, but then decided that his food was more important.

Their trainer groaned. "And I'll have to work on their teamwork. Maybe if we're lucky, we'll run into a double battle in Viridian Forest. I think they'd make a scary team- Spearow can stun opponents and then Bulbasaur can pulverize them."

Adrian mentally apologized to any and every poor bug catcher in Viridian Forest that was unfortunate enough to challenge Leaf to a battle. He was pretty sure the girl would frighten even Pewter City's gym leader. She was just ruthless.

"Alright, well let's get going once everyone is finished eating. I want to get as much training done today as possible," he stated.

"Agreed.". _

Another problem with Zeus arose when they were ready to travel. Adrian and Leaf decided to recall their Pokemon so as to move faster, but Zeus took one look at the pokeball and blatantly threatened Adrian whenever the device was pointed at him. Fortunately, Adrian wasn't stupid enough to risk the little Pokémon wrath wrath and simply let Zeus hitch a ride on his shoulder while they walked. It was a good thing the electric type weighed basically nothing- they had a lot of ground to cover.

The road to Viridian City was quiet, as expected. Adrian and Leaf ended up discussing strategies to use at the Pewter Gym (though Leaf's basically amounted to snagging the rock types with Saur's Vine Whip and then beating them into oblivion). It became uncomfortably clear to Adrian that his team really was limited in their ability to fight rock types.

The more they talked about it, the more obvious it was- even if Diablo mastered Iron Tail before they made it to the gym, rock types had incredibly high defenses because of their tough exterior. Assuming he could beat down the first opponent, Diablo would probably be too exhausted to win against the second rock type. He just didn't have the power in his current evolutionary stage. Also, if he got knocked out, Zeus's weak Thundershocks and Tackles would do little more than tickle the gym leader's Pokemon.

Adrian's shoulders slumped when he realized that this first gym was already going to be the hardest challenge he'd ever faced. Leaf could only pat his back sympathetically.

By the time noon came around, Viridian City was in sight. The two trainers made one last push to reach the Pokemon Center and were relieved when the red-roofed building was finally in front of them. Leaf led the way into the center and to the front desk.

Nurse Joy was a face familiar to practically anyone. The woman smiled as Adrian and Leaf approached her at the desk. "Good morning! Welcome to the Pokemon Center. How can I help you?"

"Our Pokemon need to be healed," Adrian started politely. "Also, are we able to register for the Indigo League here?"

"You most certainly can. Do you two have Pokedexes or other IDs?"

Both Adrian and Leaf procured their Pokedexes and Joy took them both for a minute, installing them into a computer slot so that they could be registered. Once that was taken care of, she handed the devices back with a smile. "There you are. Now just place your Pokemon on a tray and I'll have them checked over shortly."

"Thank you, Nurse Joy," they both said gratefully. Adrian and Leaf placed their pokeballs on a tray and Zeus simply hopped onto it. A Chansey came by and took the pokeballs and Pichu to the back moments later, apparently not surprised that one of its patients was unconfined.

"You're welcome," Joy replied. "By the way, are either of you planning to stay the night?"

Adrian nodded, but Leaf shook her head. I'm leaving after we battle. I want to make some progress through Viridian Forest while there's still daylight left."

Joy frowned for a moment. "Make sure you stock up on Antidotes at the Pokemon Mart. The bug types in the forest are very fond of using poison in battle."

The two trainers thanked her again for the information and retreated to the cafe once Adrian got a room key for the night. Adrian and Lead rested for the better part of an hour, enjoying their food and the chance to sit down after walking all the way from Pallet Town.

Once the hour was up, Joy called them on the overhead speakers. "Adrian, Leaf, your Pokemon are ready to be picked up!"

Adrian stood with a grin. "You ready for a battle, Leaf?"

Leaf smirked right back. "Are you?"

They raced to make it to the front desk. _

Five minutes later, Adrian and Leaf faced off on the dirt training field behind the Pokemon Center. The two trainers were grinning at each other widely, unable to contain their excitement.

Leaf called across the field. "So what's it gonna be? One on one, or two on two?"

"Is that a question?" Adrian reached up to scratch Zeus's ears. The flash Pokémon was firmly latched into his arms once more- he seemed fond of the spot. "Two on two! Let's test out our new partners!"

"Alright. Just remember, you asked for it!" Leaf took her first pokeball and hurled it up. "Saur, you're up!"

The Bulbasaur materialized and growled. He gave Adrian a glare that showed he meant business. Adrian was all for it.

He set Diablo loose and the Rockruff immediately swished his fluffy tail from side to side. Diablo took a look at Saur, then glanced back at Adrian questioningly. His trainer grinned. "We're going to battle Leaf, Diablo. Don't hold back!"

Diablo eyes flashed with excitement and he turned back to Saur with a hiss in his throat. The grass type growled again, unperturbed that his opponent was a rock type.

Leaf made the first move.

"Saur, Vine Whip it!"

Saur's vines shot out from his bulb like twin snakes, then lashed out at Diablo's head and body. Adrian reacted as quickly as he could.

"Dodge, then Rock Throw!" Adrian countered.

Diablo ducked under the vine aiming for his head, leaped over the one going for his body, then unleash a volley of sharp rocks at his opponent. Saur frantically scrambled out of the way and dodged. The Bulbasaur stopped when the Rock Throw ended and peered at Diablo warily. Apparently, he wasn't quite as fearless as he appeared to be.

Leaf wasn't about to let Saur give in to some flames, though. "Tackle it. Follow up with Power Whip!"

As Saur lunged at his target, Adrian frowned. He really didn't want Diablo to be on the receiving end of Power Whip, even if he resisted it by type. After all, Saur had knocked out Spearow with the same move. Even though he doubted Power Whip would knock out Diablo, it would still deal a lot more damage than he was entirely comfortable with.

He decided to try something risky. "Intercept it with Tackle!"

Diablo stood his ground and his large pupils narrowed into slits. As he began to charge Saur, the grass type froze and just stared, shivering slightly. Diablo picked up speed and crashed harshly into the Bulbasaur, knocking his prey off its feet and sending it sprawling. The Rockruff hissed and unleash another Rock Throw which made contact this time.

Saur cried out in pain and reeled away from Diablo's onslaught. Leaf called out to him, alarmed and trying to get her Pokemon back into gear. He didn't look anywhere near as confident as when the battle began, and completely forgot about using Power Whip on his rock type opponent.

What Diablo had executed was basically just an overrated Tackle,. Diablo probably hadn't managed to use any actual draconic energy. It was far from perfect.

He wouldn't worry about it now. It worked, and that was all that mattered. Saur was injured and stunned- there was no better opportunity to finish him off.

"Diablo, use Rock Throw again! Keep going until it goes down!"

The Rockruff thrashed his tail from side to side and unleashed more of the small rocks. Saur avoided the first few shots, but winced and collapsed a moment later. It was obvious that Pyro's Tackle had dealt a fair amount of damage. With the Bulbasaur unable to move, Pyro unleash another burst of small rocks and made a direct hit. When he stopped to see the effects, Saur was unconscious.

Adrian' grin widened tenfold. "Great job, Diablo!"

Diablo smiled let out a delighted chirp. He seemed to bask in the light of his victory.

Leaf recalled Saur and put his pokeball away. "Not bad, but you lucked out with that Tackle".

"We've got to work on it, but it's pretty great, huh?" Adrian replied. He returned Diablo and reached up to scratch Zeus's ears. "Alright Zeus, get out there."

Zeus leaped down from his arms and scurried onto the field, his body coursing with electricity sparking while he snickered. Leaf smirked at the Pokémon and took out her second pokeball. "You got lucky beating Saur, Adrian, but good luck beating Talon!"

Her Spearow was released into the air with a loud shriek. He glared at Zeus with arrogance, clearly finding the electric pokemon to be below him in standing.

Adrian raised his eyebrows. "Talon? When did you nickname him?"

"Just before we left camp this morning," Leaf answered. She looked utterly confident despite Saur's loss. Her Spearow shrieked again and Leaf responded. "Get that Shinx, Talon! Fury Attack!"

Talon instantly dove with a flap of his small wings. His beak was aimed right for Zeus, ready to stab and peck until the flash Pokémon was unable to battle.

"Avoid it, Zeus! Thundershock!" Adrian shouted.

Zeus waited, still smirking as the Spearow closed in, then began to dance away from its attacks. All the while, he snickered and mocked the bird, occasionally shooting small bolts of electricity. The shocks were weak and didn't do too much damage to Talon, but they were enough to ruffle his smooth feathers.

Talon finally got tired of the Zeus's taunts and screeched furiously. The sudden blast of sound at close range made Zeus cringe and cover his ears. He froze up for just a split second.

Talon seized his opportunity with righteous fury.

He peppered Zeus with vicious pecks of his beak, hitting the electric pokemon everywhere and anywhere he could. Zeus squeaked in pain and tried to shock the bird, but Talon was so furious that the weak electric attacks only egged him on further.

Zeus tried to Tackle his opponent when the electricity failed, but Talon took the hit like it was nothing and then whacked the him over the head with his wing. His opponent hit the ground and lay there in defeat. Talon shrieked his victory and flew back to Leaf, landing on her arm and seemingly sneering at Adrian and the defeated Zeus.

Adrian sighed and recalled the electric type into his pokeball. He couldn't say he was surprised. Talon had lived in the wild for probably close to a year. Zeus was hardly a few months old. Even with his type advantage, if Zeus's moves were weak than to the Spearow they were nothing more than attempts to piss him off. And pissed him off, they had.

Leaf smiled and scratched Talon's head feathers lightly. "Good boy. That was a great battle."

The Spearow cawed, causing his trainer to smirk. Leaf recalled her Pokemon and waited as Adrian walked over. He was still grinning. "So we call it a draw?"

"For now," she admitted. "But I'll really beat you down the next time we meet!"

"I'd like to see you try!"

They walked back to the Pokemon Center together and got their worn-out teams to Nurse Joy. Within an hour, all four of their Pokemon were healed completely and Leaf headed out to the Viridian Forest. Adrian watched her go and then walked back to the training field.

He took a deep breath and released his revitalized Pokemon. It was time to train. _

A/N: This is an copy version of the original story challenger . I'll be going through each chapter for the next few days whenever I have time off to fix typos and improve the story. Please enjoy!. Hope you guys like it.