"Morning you guys," Alex yawned as she called her team out.

Like her, they let out yawns of her their own, stretching themselves or rubbing any sleep from their eyes. Thankfully, they all looked well rested as did she.

Getting dressed, she made her way to the main lobby to get breakfast, quickly spotting Steven and his Jolteon going the same way. She greeted him, the two talking as they walked.

"So what do you plan on doing?" Steven asked as they collected food.

"I was going to train around the area where I caught Lance now that he learned Poison Sting. It might help him learn to control it if he can fight against wild Nidoran."

"That's a pretty good idea. You said you signed up for the League challenge, right?"

"Yeah, I'm hoping to get all the badges I need and take part in the Indigo League when it officially starts. It'll give me a chance to explore the Kanto region."

"Any place in particular?"

"A few like Fuchsia City, I heard they have a Safari Zone. I bet it'll be a ton of fun to check out. I want to see as many Pokémon as I can and make friends with any catch."

"You kind of remind me of myself when I was about your age," Steven mused, a warm smile forming.

"I do?"

He nodded as they loaded their trays with food for themselves and their Pokémon.

"So besides exploring while challenging the gyms; did you know someone or have someone in your family challenge the League?"

"My great-grandfather did many years ago. What about you?"

"I tried taking on the gyms, but I got bored, so gave up. I got as far as collecting six badges before I decided to simply wander around Kanto and Johto."

"You must have seen all kinds of Pokémon then."

"Yeah, did," he mused, appear lost in thought.

"Steven?"

"Sorry," he apologized, laughing nervously before shoving a spoonful of yogurt into his mouth. "But I have seen a lot of Pokémon from different flocks and herds to those that live solitary lives. I've even seen a few rarer species on my travels."

"I hope I'll be able to see as many as you have."

"I'm sure you will."

"If you don't mind me asking, where did you get some of your Pokémon? I never saw a Jolteon in person before, only in books and on TV."

"No problem," he grinned, patting his Pokémon the head. "I got Henry back in Celadon City when he was an Eevee. They're pretty common around there as well as around Saffron and Lavender Town. He evolved later when I was checking this pretty cool place out."

"What's it called?"

"Stone Town."

"Stone Town?"

"Don't let its name fool you. It's the very reason we can purchase a good number of our evolution stones for reasonable prices.

"That's really cool."

"Yeah, when I was there, you wouldn't believe all the Pokémon they had that could evolve through a stone. They were even nice enough to offer a stone to evolve Henry. I just let him choose what he wanted to be than force him."

"That was really nice of you."

"Well it's his body; he should choose what he wants to be. Same with another Pokémon of mine that needed a water stone to evolve."

"That's so cool! I wonder if I'll find an Eevee."

"I'm sure you will. Like I said, they're in a few spots and are pretty common. If you can't find one, just ask, I'm sure someone would be nice enough to help."

"I'll keep it in mind. So what other Pokémon do you have? You said you had one that needed a water stone."

"My Starmie, Gurgle."

"Gurgle?" Alex giggled, the older man giving an embarrassed smile.

"Hey, I was a kid when I caught her. I'm sure you'll come up with a goofy name you might question later."

"Sorry, but Gurgle must be a cool Pokémon though."

"She is, had her pretty early in my journey, fished her up at Vermillion City."

"I heard they're hard to find."

"Yeah, I can only guess she got herself caught on a current or was simply curious. She's always poking her jewel where it doesn't belong due to her curiosity."

"Do you have others that evolve by stone?"

"Just those two. Instead, I have Adonis, my Tauros. Caught him in the Safari Zone. Then I've got Poster, though not sure where he came from."

"How come?"

"He sort of got stuck in my bag," he laughed. "Poster's a Ditto."

"A Ditto?"

"Mhm… He's a funny fella, especially when we first met. Thinking about it now, it was pretty comical."

"What happened?"

"Like I said, he got stuck in my bag. I don't know where exactly or for how long. By the time I found out, it was when I was unpacking my bag to make camp and change my clothes. Instead, I find a pile of pink goo with a face."

"That must have been startling."

"Oh yeah, screamed like a girl…no offense."

"None taken," Alex giggled. "But I don't hear about a lot of trainers using Ditto though."

"Most people think they're pretty useless since all they can do is transform into other Pokémon. As a kid, I didn't really know and just kept him after recovering from that heart attack. I never saw a Ditto before and wanted to see what they can do. I'm really glad I did as he's proven to be quite strong."

"I bet he is. What about your Tauros though? I heard that they're tough to raise, even for experienced trainers."

"Depends on their age and where they're born. Most of the Tauros in the Safari Zone are pretty mellow because they have less competition for food. The staff makes sure there's enough for everyone and attempts to keep a lot of the Pokémon living there docile."

"They do?"

"Yeah, from what I remember, it was because they want it to be a safe experience for trainers catching them. They don't allow battles as they don't want Pokémon getting hurt on either side, so to avoid the wild Pokémon attacking trainers, they're raised to be somewhat domesticated. They're wild enough to survive on their own if needed but tamed enough not to attack a human on sight. Doesn't mean it can't happen though."

"That sounds really tough for them."

"I bet it is. But if it wasn't for them, I probably wouldn't have tried getting Adonis. And no, he's not that vain. If he was, I probably would've been gored by now."

"So you only have four Pokémon?"

"Yeah, never really thought about trying for a full team. Just went with what I had."

"I think I understand. But I'm sure you'll find a Pokémon you really like or your Pokémon like and want to have it join you."

"I'm sure I will at some point," Steven smiled. "By the way, where did you get your Charmander? They're pretty rare in the wild."

"I got Sienna from Professor Oak along with a friend getting a Squirtle from him. There's another kid who's getting a Bulbasaur. Why did you ask?"

"Sorry, sort of brings back some memories from when I got my first Pokémon."

"What was your first Pokémon?"

"A Bulbasaur."

"I was actually pretty close to picking Bulbasaur myself, but I'm glad I picked Sienna. She's been a really great Pokémon to have so far. She's really friendly and already proving to be really strong."

"I bet she feels really happy you picked her too. But given you got her from the professor, you must live near Pallet Town, huh?"

"I live there actually," Alex grinned.

"No kidding? Talk about lucky."

"Thanks, but what do you mean?"

"Like I said, Pokémon like Charmander aren't easy to find in the wild. So a lot of kids wouldn't get a chance to start off with a starter like you and your friend have. They would have to get their first Pokémon on their own or have their parents help them. If they live near a Pokémon Gym though, they could ask the leader to help them."

"That makes sense, not everyone is able to get to Pallet Town or afford going there to get a starter. But I'm sure there are other professors like Professor Oak who give out starter Pokémon or some variation for new trainers."

"That's true."

"If I may ask, what led you catching a Pidgey and Nidoran ?"

"Catching Lance was sort of out of the blue. I saw a Nidoran and thought they looked cute, but Ansen chased one off and sent another flying. I just reacted and caught Lance when I saw him before Ansen could attack."

"Pretty wild bird."

"Tell me about it."

"So I'm guessing you named your Nidoran after that Lance kid?"

"Actually the name was completely random. I forgot about him," Alex laughed, causing the older trainer to burst out laughing.

"That's new," he chuckled as he calmed down. "But to be honest, I'm not that surprised. He is pretty new in Kanto. I heard he's training to be part of the Elite Four like his father."

"Maybe I'll see him at the Indigo Plateau?"

"Who knows," Steven shrugged. "So what about your feisty bird, Ansen? What led you catching him of all birds?"

"I didn't expect him to be like this. I simply wanted a Pidgey. I didn't care if I got a boy or girl, young or older. The only thing I cared about was that they were alone. I didn't want to risk angering a whole flock if I tried catching one that way or tearing up a family even."

"Sounds reasonable."

"Plus, I've heard a lot of great stories about the Pidgey line, so I thought getting one would be a good choice."

"As I said last night, I'm sure he'll mellow out as he grows with you."

"I guess so," Alex smiled as she sipped her drink. "I just hope that I'll be able to raise my Pokémon well. Like how you raised yours. Despite the scars, Henry looks really amazing."

"Thank you, though I'm sure in due time and with some patience, you'll find yourself with a powerful team."

"You think so?"

"Mhm."

"Thanks, Steven, you're a really awesome trainer."

"I'm not that great," he laughed, a blush on his face while his Jolteon snickered.

"But you are though. I bet if you wanted to, you probably could wipe the last two gyms easily and get pretty far in the Indigo Plateau. You might even reach the Elite Four."

"You think so?"

"I'm positive."

"I'll keep that in mind then. For now, I just like wandering around."

Alex nodded, taking a glance at the clock, noting the time. Getting up and collecting her trash, she gave him a wave and smile.

"I should get going."

"No worries, you wanted to help Lance control Poison Sting. Plus I'm sure you'll want to train the others too. If you have any problems though, let me know, alright? I'm going to be here for a bit longer."

"Okay?" Alex answered with concern.

"It's nothing serious, don't worry about it," Steven reassured, waving it off with a smile. "Good luck with your training out there."

Unsure if he was being entirely truthful, Alex let it slide. It wasn't really her business and he seems like a good guy. So she gave a final smile before leaving.

Heading outside, Alex made sure everyone was accounted and she had everything they needed for before they headed for Route 22.

Stepping into the pathway, she walked for several minutes before finding a nice field with plenty of Pokémon roaming about.

Settling on a spot, she began to train her Pokémon, having Lance battle mostly against other poison types…

"You're doing great!" Alex cheered towards the pink Pokémon.

A couple hours had passed since she started training him, the others sitting back to watch, ready to jump in if needed, Sienna mostly.

Alex was surprised how much he improved, not having any need to return to the Pokémon Center to treat him so far.

She knew not to jinx herself, but it made her feel giddy, knowing their teamwork was improving, happy to see how well things were going. He managed to figure out how to secrete the poison at will than letting it do so constantly, making him much safer to be around.

She had him battle a few non-poison types as a test, glad to see him not poisoning them without her orders.

"Ni?" the pink Pokémon stopped after beating his female counterpart, sniffing the air while his ears twitched away.

"What's wrong, Lance?" Alex asked, worried about the Pokémon.

"Ran!"

Without warning, he took off out of the area, aiming towards the dirt path they came from a while back.

"Lance! Come back here!" she cried out as she recalled her Pokémon quickly while taking chase after the tiny thing.

As she got out of some taller grass, finding her Pokémon, she stopped in shock when seeing her Pokémon examining another trainer's feet.

"Hey, Alex, guess this Nidoran belongs to you then?" Azure asked as he picked the small Pokémon up, bringing him to her.

"Yeah, that's Lance," Alex said, taking him back. "Are you here training too?"

"Yup, I got a cool Pokémon, but it's pretty tired right now."

"What'd you get?"

"A Spearow, but like I said, it got pretty tired. I don't want to push my luck training it any further. But I got two others that are ready to go."

"Is that a challenge?"

"You bet it is, Squirtle's a lot stronger now."

"So is Sienna," she smiled as gestured her Pokémon while calling the other out as did he.

Using his Pokédex to scan, Azure gave a small gulp, "Yeah… I get the feeling she might cream my guys."

"I don't have to use her, she can't have all the battles," Alex smiled as she set her pink Pokémon down. "I'd like to give Lance a shot. I'm training him anyway."

"Alright then," he grinned as they moved their remaining Pokémon to the side so they could have their battle.

"You ready, Lance?"

"Ni!"

"Let's go, Pidgey!"

"Use Leer!"

"That won't work! Sand-Attack!"

"Damn!" Alex had to shield her eyes from the kicked up dirt, struggling to see her Pokémon, hoping he wasn't too scared. "Lance! Keep your eyes closed, use your ears!"

If they had more experience battling, she probably would have tried using Poison Sting, but right now, it was too risky. If she were to give the order, there was a good chance of the attack missing and potentially hitting her or someone else.

Instead, she'll just have to find another way to win…

Keeping his ears alert, eyes squeezed shut; Lance could hear his opponent's wings flapping away. Following the sound, he was able to target him.

Without an order given, he dove at the surprised bird, pinning him easily, the other unable to wiggle free.

"Great job, Lance!"

"Ni!" he squeaked as the bird had been recalled, knowing the fight was over.

"Pretty good, let's see how you can handle against Squirtle!" Azure stated as he gestured for the turtle to run in front of its trainer.

"Use Horn Attack!"

"Tackle it!"

"You do the same!"

Between blows and dodges, the brunette couldn't help but curse softly when seeing the girl's Pokémon was not only faster, but landing blows more.

By the end of the fight, his Pokémon was on the ground, panting, clearly unable to battle, the other barely exhausted.

"Man, that's twice in a row against you, what am I doing wrong?" the boy sighed sadly as he recalled his Pokémon.

"You fought really well though, so don't get down. I'm sure you'll improve over time, we both started out."

"You think so?"

"I'm…" she started before a sharp laugh drew their attention.

"If you're Pokémon are that weak, why not just get rid of them and get better ones?" a young man suggested, hands stuffed into his pockets.

"No way, I'm not going to abandon my Pokémon!" Azure snapped as he quickly recalled his Spearow as the girl recalled her Pokémon as well. "My dad gave me Squirtle and I caught Pidgey and Spearow because they were really cool. I…I just need more training, right Alex?"

"That's right; my Pokémon weren't that strong either. I had close calls training them, but they're getting stronger."

"There's really no reason to waste your time though. Raising a weak Pokémon won't make it stronger, only slow you down."

"You're wrong!" Alex snapped, feeling her hands shake with anger.

"Pokémon are here to be our tools. They battle for us, work for us, are to be used by us however we please. If they can't get the job done, they don't deserve our time."

"I feel sorry for you and your Pokémon," Azure spat as he gave the older teen a dark look. "I don't know who filled your head with that kind of crap, but you're wrong. My dad taught me that Pokémon are our friends. We work together, we help…"

"I'm guessing your father is Professor Samuel Oak?"

"Yeah, so what if he is?"

"He's more a joke than a real professor," the man stated as he walked passed them. "Both him and our so-called champion."

"How dare you insult my dad and Renton! If my Pokémon weren't tired, I'd…"

Just as he began to rant, the other shot him this menacing glare, enough to shut the boy up, a small gasp escaping. Even Alex let out a whimper; the two backing away as he continued on past them, saying nothing else.

"Who the hell was that guy?" Azure asked once the man was long gone.

"I don't know," the girl spoke as she gave the road he went down a hard look. "But one thing's for sure, I don't like him."

"You think he would've hurt us if we did try challenging him?"

"I think hurt would be an understatement…"

"You think he might be participating in the challenge too?"

"Who knows, but if he is…"

"I don't want someone like him as champion."

"I doubt he'll make it that far, Renton is the strongest trainer in Kanto. He wouldn't lose so easily, and to a jerk like that guy."

"Yeah, you're right," Azure sighed as the man's words still rung in his head. "I'm gonna head to the Pokémon Center and get my Pokémon healed. I'll see you later."

"You want me to go with you?" Alex offered, knowing his Pokémon were pretty tired.

"I'll be fine, Viridian City isn't that far. You just keep training. I wanna one day beat you when you're at your best," he reassured, giving her a thumbs up as he took off.

"Azure…" she whispered. She was torn between following him anyway or staying where she is and continue training. "That man, why would he say such awful things?"

Holding her pokéball, she decided to call out her team, seeing them look confused.

"Nido?"

Walking up to his trainer, the poison type rested his paws on her leg, cocking his head to one side, obviously curious.

"Sorry for putting you all in your balls like that. I just got this bad vibe from that guy and felt you would be safer."

"Charmander…" Sienna purred as she nuzzled her head against her trainer.

"But as you can see, he's gone, so it's safe. We'll continue training, Azure's right; we need to be at our best. But not just to face him, but in case we ever run into that man again. We may not get so lucky next time to avoid a battle."

"Ni!" the poison type chirped happily as he bounded into the grass.

The very action was enough to startle a flock of Spearow, watching as they took flight, some not fast enough to avoid getting tackled or jabbed at with a horn.

After nearly an hour of training, the poison type paused, his body stiffening up as he gave a confused sound before his body lit up.

"Lance?" Alex gasped as she stared at her Pokémon, realizing what was going on. "I don't believe it…"

With how bright the light was, she had to shield her eyes, trying to see through her fingers. Her Pokémon's body began to grow larger and larger, parts of his body becoming sharper, deadlier even.

When it was over, he was a completely different Pokémon, yet at the same time, he was still the same sweet Pokémon when he ran over excitedly, nearly tackling her down.

"Easy, Lance! Take it easy!" she laughed as she fell backward.

Arms wrapped around him, she laughed harder as he started licking her face, careful of his horn and spikes from hurting her.

"Look at that, congratulations, Alex," a voice spoke up, causing the girl to turn around while somewhat fending off her overly affectionate Pokémon.

"Steven, when did you get here?"

"I got what I needed to be taken care of and was about to leave when I bumped into this kid. He seemed pretty upset and I swore I heard your name."

"That's Azure, he and I are both from Pallet Town."

"Guess he challenged you and lost?"

"Yeah, but I don't think it's that alone that's upset him."

"Hmm?"

"After our battle, this weird man came out of nowhere and was telling us that if our Pokémon were weak, we should get rid of them. He even insulted Professor Oak and Renton!"

"Oh man, that's pretty bad. Did you catch his name?"

"No, we didn't think to ask or feel like asking and he didn't seem like sharing it freely," Alex sighed.

"I'm guessing that kid, Azure was it? He's a big fan of Renton and Professor Oak?"

"Sort of, he's a fan of Renton, but he's actually Professor Oak's son."

"Oh…"

"That guy though…he really scared me, Azure, too. The way he spoke, the way he acted, how he spoke about Pokémon as if they were tools… I don't know, I just got this awful vibe off of him. I mean, he could've challenged us and easily crushed us, possibly kill our Pokémon. But he didn't as if we weren't worth the effort…"

"Can't say I blame you really. Sadly there are trainers like that out there," Steven sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Your best bet really would be to keep training. If there's a chance this guy's participating the challenge, you may run into him again. If you can keep your Pokémon well trained, you should have little problems with a guy like him."

"You think so?"

"I know so, this guy from what you said, is focused on power. Well, that alone isn't going to help him, let alone save him all the time. There's a lot more to Pokémon than strength."

"Yeah, Professor Oak would say the same thing too," Alex spoke as she gave the other a small smile. "Thanks for talking with me. Guess I won't see you again for a while, huh?"

"We might, I'm just wandering and you're on a path. We may bump into each other again and even if I don't participate in the conference, I'll be there to root for you when it starts. You can be sure of that."

"Thank you, Steven, I appreciate it."

"No problem, take care," the elder trainer smiled as he left, waving the girl goodbye, her doing the same.

After a few moments of silence, letting everything sink in, the girl gave her Pokémon a look, seeing he was still very much happy about evolving. Even the others seemed impressed, happy even of his evolution.

Figuring they wanted a turn, she started to train all of them, Lance slowly running out of steam where she let him rest in the pokéball than on the grass. It would've been too dangerous if he fell asleep and a trainer mistook him for a wild Pokémon and tried making off with him.

About two hours after, Ansen became tired to the point he wouldn't be able to continue on without hurting himself. Therefore, to avoid such problems, he was also sent back into his ball to rest up.

From there, she worked meticulously on her starter Pokémon, careful not to wander too deep into the grass in case the fire type got tired as well.

Before long, the lizard was enveloped in a flash of light, meaning Sienna was evolving as Lance had done earlier.

When it was over and the Pokémon stood in her new form, a little confused, possibly unnerved, the girl couldn't help but stare in awe.

"You look so beautiful, Sienna," Alex whispered as she hugged her Pokémon.

"Char, charmeeleon," the stronger fire type proudly purred, nuzzling against her trainer with absolute joy.

Quickly calling the guys out to show, she couldn't help but giggle how cute it looked when the fire and poison type nuzzled one another.

After a bit, she recalled the male Pokémon to rest some more and work a little bit more on Sienna.

"I think this is enough training for one day. What do…" Alex began, seeing how tired her Pokémon was looking. However, her face paled when a Nidoran made itself known, snarling at them, likely having wandered into her territory.

She wasn't sure what to do, knowing she wouldn't have enough antidotes to heal herself or her Pokémon if it were to attack with its venom.

When they tried to get around it and run, the Pokémon blocked, snapping her jaws at them, clearly intent with not letting them leave here.

"Dammit," Alex cursed. She looked at how weary her Pokémon was, knowing one wrong move and they were done for.

She couldn't call out Ansen or Lance, they were too tired to fight as well, it'd be like having them thrown to a pack of hungry Arcanine.

"Cha!" the fire type cried out, falling to her knees when the smaller Pokémon scratched her rather badly.

"Sienna!" the girl cried out, unknowingly rushing to her Pokémon's side, attempting to shield her from harm.

However, when no attack came, she hesitantly looked up as did the scared lizard, seeing Ansen of all Pokémon flitting not far from them.

The Nidoran was lying several feet away, blood pooling around the body, though managed to move and limp away when regaining consciousness.

As she was about to thank her Pokémon for saving them, he collapsed, whatever he did to fend off the wild Pokémon recoiling back onto him.

"Ansen!"

She grabbed his ball as well as Sienna's returning both of them as she took off towards town with all her might.

After reaching the center and getting her Pokémon treated, she went to her room, exhaustion claiming her.

She later woke up when hearing the nurse calling her name, picking her Pokémon up, grateful they were okay, Ansen most of all.

Taking them back and getting food, skipping dinner for herself, she sat with them, knees drawn up as she stared worriedly at each of them.

"That was to close… What was I even thinking?" she mumbled softly to herself, burying her face in her legs. "I could've gotten both of us killed jumping in like that."

Looking up from her dish, Sienna walked over, giving the girl a sad look as she pushed her face against hers, nuzzling deeply.

"Meeleon char charmeeeleon," she purred softly, attempting to comfort her trainer anyway possible.

"Sienna?" Alex hiccupped softly, close to having a breakdown. "I'm so sorry; I don't know what I was thinking. I should've just put you in your ball. I should've just run as fast I could to get all of us away."

"Meeele, meeleon," the fire type grunted softly as she shook her head, disagreeing with her self-blaming.

"I'm sorry, I just don't want to risk losing you guys," she spoke as she wiped at her eyes, giving them a forced smile. "So are you guys still up for taking on the gyms? Take on the Pokémon League even?"

"Meel!" she yipped, a large grin plastered on her face.

"Reeno!" Lance chimed in, thrusting his horn into the air to show he can still fight.

"Cooo!" Ansen added, flapping his wings, but more to make himself big than creating a natural disaster as before.

Her smile growing, she felt grateful for having these guys, her confidence returning, managing to pull two of them into a hug. She would've gone to hug Ansen, but knew better than to test the bird's patience.

"Okay then, we'll get ourselves some good sleep tonight. In the morning, we'll stock up on more Pokéballs and any medicine we can get they haven't run out of and make our journey into the Viridian Forest. We're going to find ourselves a Caterpie!"


Alex - Pokémon 3 - Badges 0 - Deaths 0

Team:

Sienna - Charmander - Charmeleon

Ansen - Pidgey

Lance - Nidoran M. - Nidorino


Cookies for anyone who can guess who the mystery man might be!

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