Last time on Pokemon - Kanto Quest:

After leaving Ms. Ketchum's house, Azure and Pichu head towards the Pokemon Lab, only to be interrupted by a kid named Ken, and his gang of bullies. Even after being rescued by Cyan, the bullies returned and stole Ms. Ketchum's son's hat, pressuring Azure out of the safety of Pallet Town, and onto Route 1, where they attacked him!

What will happen to Azure and Pichu? Can Azure make it through the assult and make it back to Pallet Town in time to get his Starter Pokemon? Or is his Pokemon Journey over, before its even begun?


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EPISODE 4
Trouble At Mt. Silver

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The wind blew gently over the plains, rustling the grass gently on both sides. It was a beautiful morning - the perfect morning to start one's journey.

An older, bright orange Arcanine trodded down the path like it knew it off by heart. Its bright eyes scanned the sides of the path with clear boredom. There was nothing but a few Pidgeys, a handful of Spearow, and a couple of Rattata around - nothing that could compete with him. He sighed and stopped walking, turning around to look behind him.

A girl walked behind him, a bright smile plastered on her face, and her large grey eyes scanning the path with glee. The Arcanine stopped walking when he noticed that instead of watching where she was going, she was busy surveying the path. He sat down and growled, "Arf!"

The girl laughed, one of her long red-brown pigtails falling over her shoulder, the top of her head covered in a large pink and white paper-boy styled hat, the lower right hand corner embroided with a four-point star. She folded her hands behind her back with a smile, "I'm coming Arcanine! Don't worry!"

Arcanine nodded, but waited there until she caught up. She laughed and skipped ahead of him, her long shirt - almost long enough to double as a mini-dress - twirled around her thighs as she skipped. Her outfit also resembled that of a pink paper-boy, a long white shirt, covered by a light pink half-jacket - with only the top button done up - over black skinny-shorts, knee-high socks, and pink and white high-top runners. She wanted to make sure she wore something easy to move in, and yet still fun to wear, on the most important day of her life! She was so excited!

"I can't believe I go get my Starter Pokemon today!" She cheered, thrusting a fist into the air, "Who should I choose Arcanine?"
Arcanine shrugged and stood up, following after her slowly.

The girl tapped her cheek, "Should I choose Charmander? Daddy chose Squirtle when he started his Pokemon Journey? Or, maybe I'll choose Bulbasaur? That means when I get to Daddy's Gym, I'll have a better chance of beating him? Oh! And you're a fire-type though, so maybe I should choose Squirtle? So I'll have a better chance at beating you too."
"Arf." Arcanine chuckled,
"Yeah, your right!" The girl smiled, wrapping her arms around the large dog's neck, and pulling him into a big hug, "I could never beat you! I have no intention of entering the Pokemon League! I want to learn everything I can from my journey, so I can become the best Breeder the world has ever seen!"

The girl released him and stepped back, "Come on! We don't want to be late!" She turned around and broke into a run, charging out of the clearing, and into the tall grass.
"Arrrooo!" Acranine warned.

His Trainer had leant him to her to protect her on her journey from Viridian City, to Pallet Town… he would be letting his Trainer down if anything happened to her… not that he was worried. There was nothing between Pallet Town and Viridian City that was a threat to him. He sighed and slowly trotted after her.

The girl laughed as she ran through the tall grass. It tickled her knees as she went, and she lowered her arms to run her fingers through it. She looked up at the sky - there was barely a cloud in it! What a gorgeous day!

She felt her foot catch on something while she was looking up, and she gasped when she realized she was falling. She let out a small scream as she tripped over something laying in the tall grass, and tumbled into the dirt.

"Arc!" Arcanine howled, running over to her.
She was kneeling on the ground, rubbing her back. "Ow…" Arcanine whined and licked her cheek, she laughed and playfully pushed him back, "What did I trip over?"

She slowly stood up, and dusted the dirt off of her, before turning around and pushing the tall grass out of the way…

"AAAAHHHH!" She screamed falling back into the dirt again, "I-it's a body!"

Arcanine rolled his eyes and went over to take a look. The girl nervously got up and looked over again. A boy was laying in the tall grass, covered in wounds. He was laying face down, his shirt as torn as his skin… he was bleeding still bleeding…

Arcanine sniffed the boy, and he twitched slightly. The giant dog looked away from him, and back to the girl.

"H-he's alive?" She gasped, "Acranine! We have to get him to a doctor! What is he doing here? What happened?"

Arcanine lowered himself down, and let out a soft whine. She seemed to understand what he meant and nodded. She gently reached over and pulled the boy up. His head rolled back, revealing his face. She blushed slightly when she saw him. He was young, probably around her age, and with a tan skin tone. His eyes were closed, and his hair hung over his face slightly, but he was still slightly cute. She couldn't help but wonder who he was?

Arcanine growled behind her, warning her that they had to get moving. She nodded and pulled the boy onto Arcanine's back, before climbing up herself. The giant dog turned around and started bolting back the way it had come. She held onto him the best she could as Arcanine moved underneath them, gripping onto his thick fur with all her strength.

… … …

The first thing Azure heard was the sound of the wind whipping past his ears. He gasped and opened his eyes - at fist, everything was blurry, and he could not make anything out… but after a few seconds, he could see the ground moving underneath him, and feel the muscles of some powerful creature move under him. He tried to lean up, but found someone was holding him…

"Your awake?" An unfamiliar voice asked.
Azure gasped and pushed himself up as hard as he could, wrenching himself out of her grasp, letting out a small scream as he fell backwards off the creature, and into the dirt on the road.
"Are you crazy?" The girl gasped, "Arcanine! Stop!"

Azure groaned as he sat on the ground, his entire body ached and his head was spinning. "Where am I?" He looked up to see a giant Arcanine grind to a halt, and turn around to walk back to him, a girl sliding off its side, and running over to him.

"Are you ok? What happened to you?" She gasped.
"I'm ok…" Azure lied, rubbing the back of his head, "How about you, Pichu?" His eyes widened when he did not see his little electric mouse.

Azure jumped to his feet, "Pichu? Pichu where are you?"
"Pichu?" The girl asked, "We found you laying in the dirt alone…"

She looked at him for a few seconds, before the realization settled in, "Oh my gosh! You had a Pokemon with you?"
Azure nodded and he climbed to his feet, "My Pichu was with me… where is she?" He cupped his hands to his mouth and yelled, "PICHU! PICHU WHERE ARE YOU?"
"I'm so sorry! We should have checked to see if there was a Pokemon nearby!" She gasped, she looked around, "Let me help you find it?"
Azure nodded, "Thank you!"
"We found you this way!" The girl explained, pointing in the opposite direction they had come from.
Azure nodded again and took a step in the direction she was pointing, wincing as the pain shot up his leg with each step.
"Oh no! We should get you to the hospital first!" She gasped,
"No! Not without Pichu!" Azure shook his head, "We have to find her!"
"R-Right!" She nodded.

Azure took a deep breath, before breaking in a run down the path, screaming Pichu's name as he ran, the girl ran behind him, also calling for Pichu.

Time ticked by at an alarming pace, and the higher the sun got in the sky, the more Azure worried about it. Registration time was at 8'oclock sharp… and there was only 3 Starter Pokemon…

He looked down at his Poke-Gear, it read 7:02... Less then an hour until he had to be at the Pokemon Lab…

"PICHU!" He called.

"Pi-cha!"

Azure stopped running and whirled around, smiling, "Pichu!" His smile faded quickly faded though, as instead of his Pichu, he saw a Pikachu standing in the path behind him.

"Where did?" The girl asked.

Azure blinked. They had just ran down that way, and he did not see a Pikachu anywhere while they were running. Where the heck did it come from? The Pikachu was an older one, and its bright brown eyes were staring up at them blankly. Azure felt a strange aura coming from it, and it almost seemed to glow in the morning sun… it reminded him of a Ghost. It was holding something in its mouth…

"Pi-cha." It repeated around the hat.

Azure's eyes widened when he saw what it was holding… it was holding the hat!

"My hat!" Azure gasped, he took a step towards it, "Excuse me, but that hat belongs to me… can I have it back?" The Pikachu looked at him blankly, and blinked its eyes, before turning around and running down the path. Azure growled and took off running after it, "Hey! Wait!"
The girl gasped, "Wait up!" She took off running after him.

"Arcanine! Stop that Pikachu!" She ordered. Arcanine barked, and speed up, pouncing up into the air, and over the two kid's heads, before touching down on the ground in front of the Pikachu.

Arcanine growled, and lowered its front two legs, bracing himself to attack the Pikachu. He looked into the little electric mouse's eyes - and flinched back. The little guy showed no fear of the giant beast in front of him, and instead kept running full speed towards him. A blue aura seemed to engulf the Pikachu as it ran, the hat still held firmly in its mouth as it ran on all fours.

"Watch out, Arcanine!" The girl gasped, but it was too late, Pikachu seemed to suddenly disappear, leaving no trace that it had ever been there.

Azure stopped dead in his tracks so suddenly he nearly tripped over himself, the girl stopping nearly as suddenly as he did behind him. The dirt road in front of them snaked forward, and the meadows on either side of the road were empty… it was suddenly shockingly quiet - the only sound Azure could hear, was the sound of the girl and his heavy panting, and the confused growls of Arcanine.

"Pi-Pika!"

Azure looked past the Arcanine, and down the path, where he heard the noise. The Pikachu was standing behind Arcanine calmly. It blinked its blank eyes, the hat now resting in its front paws, and its ears pulled back.

"How did it get past Arcanine?" The girl gasped.

Azure did not stop to wonder, he growled and broke into a run, pushing past Arcanine and down the path. The Pikachu stuck the hat back in its mouth and dropped back down on all fours. Azure was only a few feet away from it, when it turned and bolted down the path.

"Stop thief!" Azure yelled after it, pushing himself as fast as he could.

The Pikachu turned and started running off the path, and into a clearing, towards the grove of trees. Several Pidgey took up into the air as fast as they could in a flurry of feathers as it cut through them. Azure did not pause to think about where the Pikachu was taking him, and followed.

"Wait kid!" The girl gasped, "Where are you going? That way doesn't lead anywhere!"
"I have to get my hat back!" Azure called back to her without turning around.
The girl groaned and followed behind, "Wait! You'll get lost that way! Argh! Wait for me!"

The trees around them became dense, and the meadows were replaced by tall grass. He barely noticed as he ran, focusing all his attention on keeping the Pikachu in his sight. The Pikachu suddenly changed directions, running swiftly to the right.

"Hey kid!"

Azure quickly shot a glance over his shoulder, the girl who had rescued him back there was still following him. She was riding on the back of the Arcanine, the powerful beast easily caught up to him in only a few strides. She held her hand out to him, "Hop on!" Azure nodded and grabbed her hand, and he leapt off the ground, pulling himself onto Arcanine's back. She cast him a quick glance to make sure he was on before smiling, "Hold on tight!" Azure nodded and wrapped his arms around her middle. She gripped Arcanine's collar tighter and shouted, "Full speed ahead Arcanine!"
"Arooo!" Arcanine howled, before quickly gaining speed.

Azure gasped - he was not expecting the sudden speed. He fought to keep his eyes open as the wind blasted into his face, and the branches of the nearby trees whipped his already cut and bruised skin.

"What's that?" The girl gasped.

Azure looked up, poking over the trees was a giant mountain, shining almost silver in the sunlight, the top lost in the clouds. The Pikachu seemed to be running towards it. In front of it was a wide path, and it stopped at the edge. The Pikachu poked its head out, and sniffed as it looked both ways, before charging across the path and into the forest on the other side.

The Giant Arcanine burst into the path and stopped, it looked around in confusion.

"Where are we?" Azure whispered,
"We're near Viridian City… notice all the evergreens?" Cerise pointed out, "I think… we're on Route 22!"
"Route 22?" Azure asked,
The girl paled, "We've got to turn around!" She pulled on Arcanine's collar, "This place is dangerous! Dad said only experienced trainers heading for the Indigo Plateau come here, and the Pokemon are really tough!"

"Pi-Pika!"

Azure looked up, that Pikachu was waiting for them on the other side of the road, looking nervously up and down the path. Where was it taking them? It was obvious, it was trying to lead them somewhere. He looked down the path, one way snaked through the evergreens, and the other way lead to a wide building. Azure immediately recognized the building as the one from the books… it was the Pokemon League Reception Gate…

"Route 22..." Azure repeated. Without a second thought, he slid off the back of the Arcanine, landing with a soft thud into the dirt, and started running towards the Pikachu. The Pikachu nodded, turned, and started running through the trees again.
"Hey kid!" The girl gasped, "Its too dangerous to go that way! Especially without a Pokemon!"

Azure was not listening. The forest on the other side of the path was thicker, and more difficult to navigate, the undergrowth here was more dense then the other side of the path, and the branches lower. He doubt that girl's Arcanine would fit in such a cramped space…

A rock wall appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and Azure nearly ran into it before he even noticed it was there. Azure placed his hands on the dense stone and looked up. He was at the bottom of a steep cliff. Mt. Silver could be seen peeking up from above it. Was the Pikachu trying to lead him there?

"Pi-Pika!"

Azure spun towards the sound, further down the cliff, where it stood next to the rock wall, waiting impatiently.

"Hey kid!"

Azure felt a hand fall on his shoulder, but did not flinch. He could already recognize the panting of the girl he just met next to him.

"Let's go… we still have to find your Pichu…" She begged, "If we're caught here, we'll be in big trouble. This place is only for League competitors…"

Azure did not reply, but he did grind his teeth. She was right about one thing, he had to find Pichu… she was too little to be out by herself, but he could not leave just yet. He promised Ms. Ketchum that he would find her son, and return his hat to him! How could he return his hat, if some Pikachu stole it? He started towards it, but this time, the Pikachu seemed to vanish into thin air.

"W-Where did it go?" The girl gasped. Azure ran forward to where it was once standing, "Pikachu! Get back here with my hat!"
"Hey kid! Look!" The girl pointed towards the side of the cliff.

Azure followed her gesture and smiled when he saw what she was pointing at. The Pikachu hadn't disappeared, it had slipped through a large crack in the wall.

"That looks dangerous…" The girl whispered.
"I don't care how dangerous it is." Azure replied, "I'm getting that Pikachu!"
The girl sighed and nervously clenched the front of her shirt, "I was afraid of that…"

Azure nodded and crouched down onto his hands and knees. The crack was large enough to let a Pikachu slip in without any problems, but it looked a little tight for humans. He inhaled deeply, and started through it.

Almost immediately after entering though, he felt the ground disappear from underneath him, and he felt himself fall. He screamed as he was suddenly tumbling down a long shaft in the side of the mountain, before landing hard on the stone ground. A few seconds later, he heard another scream join him, and a sudden weight dropped down on his back, he gasped and looked up to see that the girl had landed on him.

"Well… that wasn't as bad as I feared." She groaned, rubbing her back, "Hey kid? Where did you go?"
"I'd like to tell you, but would you mind getting off of me first?" Azure snapped.
The girl blushed and jumped up, "I-I'm so sorry!"
"And my name is not 'kid', its Azure." Azure replied, brushing the dirt off himself,
The girl nodded and held out her hand, "I'm Cerise."
Azure smiled and shook her hand, "Thank you, Cerise."
"No problem." She giggled.
"But… why did you follow me? You didn't have to?" Azure asked,
"Because stupid!" She replied, "You don't have a single Pokemon with you, do you?"
Azure jumped back, "Well… I…" He rubbed the back of his head and sighed, "No…"
"And you just foolishly ran into a cave without even thinking about your own safety!" Cerise lectured, "What if there are wild Pokemon down here? I'd never forgive myself if I let you run off the woods without a Pokemon!"
"Yeah… good point." Azure muttered, he folded his arms in front of his chest and looked up the shaft they just fell down, "Guess we're not getting back the way we came in?"
Cerise followed his gaze and sighed, "Guess not…"

"Pi-Pika!"

Azure turned and looked down the tunnel they had landed in. The tunnel was big enough for an adult to stand easily in, so Azure and Cerise no longer had to crawl, and it looked like someone - or something - had dug this tunnel.

"You think its trying to lead us somewhere?" Cerise asked,
Azure nodded, "Yeah, I thought so too."
"You think its wild or trained?" Cerise continued.
Azure shook his head, "No clue."

"Pikachu!" It said, dropping the hat into its front paws.
"Please Pikachu… can I have my hat back?" Azure asked as he stepped towards it.
This time, the Pikachu did not run, but pointed back behind it, "Chu! Pika pikachu…Pika-pi!"
Azure nodded, "You only stole my hat to make sure we followed you, right?"
The Pikachu nodded, "Pi!"
Azure crouched down, and reached out and held his hand out in front of it, "Ok. You lead the way Pikachu. I promise we'll follow you."

The Pikachu's eyes widened and it smiled brightly, before sticking the hat back in its mouth, and pouncing into the air towards Azure. Azure laughed as the little mouse collided with him, knocking him back off his heels and into the dirt. The Pikachu nuzzled his face, before reaching up, and placing the hat on Azure's head. Azure smiled and straightened up, carrying the Pikachu in his arms. The Pikachu crawled up onto his shoulder, placing its paws on the top of Azure's hat.

"Straight ahead?" Azure asked,
"Pi!" It nodded.
Cerise stood there for a second, her head tilted in wonder, before following behind them, "It sure seems friendly… I don't think its wild anymore." She stopped walking and looked up at Azure, "Az…I'm worried."
Azure paused and turned around, "Huh? How come?"
"That Pikachu seemed desperate to lead us here… what if something terrible happened to its trainer?" She looked up at the roof of the tunnel, "If we keep heading in this direction, we'll be right underneath the reception gate…"
Azure looked over at the Pikachu, "I hope not… is something wrong with your Trainer?"
"Piiii…" The Pikachu whined.
Azure nodded, "Then we don't have time to waste!"

He broke into a run down the tunnel, "Come on Cerise!"
"Right!" She nodded before chasing after him.

The two ran for a while, their feet pounding on the uneven ground underneath them, and the Pikachu clinging to Azure's head with a sad expression.

"Don't worry Pikachu!" Azure promised, "Just lead the way, whatever it is that's bothering you, we'll help! I promise!"
"Pikachu!" It cheered.

Azure looked ahead, the tunnel looked like it went on forever… and he was really worried about Pichu, and they were running out of time to get back to Pallet Town… but if there was a Trainer down here who was hurt and needed help, he had to help.

Even if it meant being late!


A/N's:

Rygel-n: This chapter was pretty fun! Azure is the first character I ever created where I am trying to get the 'childish' and 'brash' nature across... I hope I am doing a good job?

Manganimefandom: Finally! My character is introduced! Up until now, I was controlling basically everything except Azure. I controlled Misty, Delia, Ken, and Cyan, but its nice that my character is finally in it!

Air-Head: How's the formatting on this? Do you guys like it, or would you prefer normal, FF formatting?