DISCLAIMER! I do not own Pokémon

We had been traveling for about a month and phanpy and aipom had gotten much stronger. For a while I had been considering adding a pokémon to my team. I hated bug pokémon with a passion and didn't feel like getting a bird yet. Geodude were out of the question, a couple run ins with them had led to us running away, with a large, angry rock rolling after us, throwing some of its smaller brethren at us.

I had contemplated long and hard, considering each pokémon. I finally decided… to not decide. I decided to catch the next pokémon that crossed my warpath against the evil geodude. This "warpath" was just mainly us getting back at the geodude for attacking us and destroying our clearing. We were retaliating by attacking them and hopefully getting as much experience for my Pokémon as possible.

Aipom, phanpy and I were poised outside the lair of the geodude's, lying in wait, covered in mud and grass. Actually, I was in the ground, phanpy was curled up near a rock and aipom was in the tree, blending in with the tree.

I didn't have the heart to tell it that it stuck out like a sore thumb. Or hand. We crept around the corner, me belly crawling, and came upon an awesome sight. Gravelers and golems were working side by side, piling up a huge wall of rocks. Geodudes, or as I call them, the posers of the Pokémon world, were working around them.

It looked like a huge… fort. I had no idea what it was until I saw a yellow form darting about on top of the cliff. We were in a clearing off a road near Route 29. There were cliffs jutting out from the rock, about 20 feet up in the air. The geodudes were piling up in the center, and there was grass lying in the outcrop of the cliff. As I took in my surroundings, the yellow figure jumped down from a ledge and landed in the grass, smooshing a pidgey underneath its body.

The pokémon got up and was immediately attacked by a pidgeotto, who was defending its downed child. The pidgeotto used what looked like a fairly powerful wing attack, but the pokémon dodged it and used a powerful thunderbolt attack. Down went pidgeotto. I looked more closely at the pokémon and whipped out my pokedex. This is what it said…

Elekid, The Electric Pokémon

It generates electricity by whirling its arms. However, it can't store the energy it makes.

"Cool", I said to my pokémon, "I gotta catch that thing." My pokémon nodded in return, looking determined. Well, okay, Phanpy was sitting down and rolling around about 50 feet away and aipom was a monkey, so I didn't hold his opinion in too high of a regard.

It was then why I realized why the geodude were building up the fort. The elekid ran up to them and blasted off a few thundershocks. The geodudes rolled over to the barricade and started hurling rocks. I jumped up and ran towards the battle scene. Elekid was surrounded by geodudes and he leapt up in the air and spun around using brick break.

Elekid wouldn't last long against pokemon with the obvious advantage so I decided to help out.

" Phanpy, use rollout! Aipom, focus punch," I yelled. The geodudes were knocked aside and the elekid had time to regroup. Before I could reach for a pokeball, though, a golem rolled up behind elekid and hit him with a powerful rollout.

"Aipom, use swift on elekid, and phanpy use rollout on graveler."

The swift attack knocked back the elekid a few paces, but didn't do much. Golem, at the last moment, countered with a rollout.

The two rollouts collided and phanpy was sent twirling in the air, and landed in a heap. Golem slammed into a tree and lay in a stupor, surrounded by carnage.

The golem got up and used a powerful magnitude attack, and phanpy fell to the ground. Golem rolled to him and was about to hit him when phanpy got up and used a headbutt. Golem rolled towards phanpy, a while light trailing him as his body was slowly enveloped in a brighter light. Phanpy was in midair, his head glowing with power and strength.

The two moves collided and the pokemon were thrown backwards.

Meanwhile, aipom was fighting with elekid, and I was focusing most of my energies to that battle.

"Aipom, use swift and then follow it up with dig!"

The elekid shot a thundershock, destroying the stars that were hurtling towards him and leapt up in the air.

Aipom shot out of he ground and twisted around, looking for its target. Too late, I shouted, "Above you! Use quick attack," for the elekid had already hit aipom with a brick break and knocked it out.

I returned aipom and turned my attention to phanpy. "Phanpy, use rollout then headbutt!"

Phanpy got up and shook its head, as if to clear its mind. It nodded at me and rolled up into a ball, rotating and gaining speed in place. I nodded and it shot off like a rocket to the golem, who shot a boulder at phanpy.

Phanpy hopped over the obstacle and continued on its crash course and slammed into the golem, knocking it backwards and to the ground. He then somersaulted in midair and slammed into the golem's compact body, sending it sprawling.

The golem groaned and rolled over, unconscious. I walked over to the fallen beasty and kicked it, subsequently breaking my toe.

I hobbled over to phanpy, who looked up at me and nuzzled me knee, the first sign of affection I've gotten from that ungrateful…, alright, let's not spoil the moment.

"Phanpy, use rock throw on elekid!"

A giant rock was hoisted up by phanpy's trunk and was thrown at elekid. The pokemon had no time to get out of the way. After the rock had been rolled away from the elekid's twitching, unconscious body, all I had to do was to tap it with a pokeball and it was mine. In sickness and in health and all that jazz.

I HAD AN ELEKID! YAY! Now what do I do? I scurried off to the pokemon, protecting my exhausted and fainted pokemon from further harm… Heck no! I walked there casually. What do I look like, a video game character? I trekked from the road all the way to Cherrygrove. The warm signs of a pokemon center glowed from a while away. When I finally got there and pushed through the glass doors and went up to the desk.

"Hello, Nurse Joy? Could you heal my pokemon and get me a room?"

"Of course, dearie. Here are your keys, and could I take your pokeballs for a second?"

I handed over my pokeballs and sat down, eating some mac and cheese in the shape of dinosaurs. (Hey, I'm only 10) and some Hi-C. I opted to let my pokemon get healed from Nurse Joy and I would go to my room and sleep. I opened the door to my room and got into bed. The room was small and circular, with a bathroom and a shower. The bed was made and very comfortable. I snuggled underneath the covers and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

I woke up in the morning and took a nice shower. After this, I went downstairs, yawning the whole way and dragged myself to the table, where cold cereal and milk was being served. Yum. I went up to Nurse Joy and asked for my pokeballs back. She handed them to me, I thanked her, and ran out of the center, and headed off to go train my new elekid.

As I ran around, poking around for a battle, a shadow came up behind me. "SNOOOOOOOORRRRRRR!" "Oh, crap!" And so my training excursion went. All my pokemon out of their balls, fighting each other to get away from the snorlax chasing us. We ran away, through the newly awakened town, filled with houses with sleepy people just beginning to eat breakfast. Some people were heading out the door just in time to see a snorlax chasing a terrified boy and his three pokemon.. We were screaming at the top of our lungs and after we passed some houses, the doors would open and we would hear some… colorful language.

Aipom was running along as fast as his stubby little legs could carry him. Elekid, on the other hand, was running like his life depending on it, which it may have been. Phanpy was rolled up in a ball, speeding along like a certain Hispanic mouse I know. We were headed towards the ocean, the one bordering the west edge of Cherrygrove City. At the last possible second I realized this and freaked, trying to turn around until phanpy crashed into me and I fell into the cold, dark water.

As my body submerged, I screamed, a long, breathless and drawn out cry that never broke for breath, that is, until the water filled my mouth, effectively cutting off my voice, and unfortunately, my lungs. My eyes were closed and slowly, I opened them, cautiously, as if I was afraid to see what lay in the watery depths. I immediately closed them, because there were tentacruel floating around me, their tentacles extended to embrace me. I closed my eyes, resigned to the fact that eventually, I would float into the. I thrashed around some more, felt a stinging pain, and blacked out.

Flashback

I was 5 years old, and at the beach. My dad and I were floating in the water, my dad supporting my little kid legs. I was happily blubbering and splashing about in the warm water. My mom called out from shore, and my dad left me to go to her. I floated with my little kid buoys, looking around at the sparkling blue water, the sun bouncing off of it in beautiful reflections.

Suddenly, the sea turned darker, like someone, deep underneath the waves, had turned off a light that was illuminating the waters. I felt a stirring underneath the waves and screamed out towards my dad, who was heading back. He started swimming faster, and reaching for the pokeballs he always kept at his side. All of a sudden, I was pulled under with a final scream.

When I woke up, I was I was in a hospital, my mom waiting in a chair, her eyes wet with tears. When she saw me she gave a little gasp, and got up out of her chair and quickly wiped her face off. She went to my bedside and knelt down. All at once, she started crying again. "Oh, my god. I thought… I'm so sorry."

"Mom, it's okay. Where's Daddy?"

"He's in the intensive care unit. He'll be okay, but you both almost drowned. You're lucky that lifeguard was there or…" She trailed off, starting to cry again.

I got up slowly, and my mom said, "Patrick, sit down. The doctor prescribed rest and relaxation." "Well, the doctor is redundant," I shot back.

I headed off towards the intensive care unit, where my dad was sitting up. "Hey there, squirt. They just finished with me. You feeling any better?" "Yeah, I'm good. What happened?"

"Oh, that," My dad's face darkened. "A sharpedo pulled you under before I could bring you in. Jolteon took care of it though," He finished with a sad but triumphant smile. "It won't be hurting anybody anymore."

I shuddered at the thought at what he did to it. I shook off my discomfort and smiled at him.

"Thanks dad. You're the best."

"No problem, kiddo. Any dad would do it."

I smiled at him, trying to keep it happy on the outside but inside, my heart was heavy. "I'm never going in the water again. This will never have a chance to repeat itself." The water was now my greatest fear, with all of its depths and hidden creatures. Anything related to water, and I was heading in the opposite direction.

"Helloooooooo! Anybody hoooome?"

I bolted up. "Water, drowning! Help!" The girl who was standing above me laughed. "Your okay, Manny saved you." "Who's Manny… OH CRAP! Get that thing away from me!"

The "thing" was a mantine, floating in the water next to me. The girl had a hurt look on her face as she returned it and sat next to me. After the water devil had gone away, I got a good look at the girls face. She had jet black hair which fell down to her shoulders. Her bright green eyes gleamed, full of curiosity and something else I couldn't place. Pity? She looked to be about my age and was about an inch taller than me, much to my dissapointment. "Well…?"

"What?"

"Are you going to thank me or what?"

"Oh, yeah. Thanks."

"Thanks! That's it? I just saved your life! I bet it's because I'm a girl. You're a sexist jerk!" and she slapped me. I rubbed my jaw and looked up in the sky, waiting for some unknown deity to save me from this demon girl. She looked at me, hard, until I was forced to look back at her lest another "sexist" insult joke come my way.

"What's your name, O Great and Powerful Savior?" I said, in a voice dripping with sarcasm. Sarcasm passed over Susan B. Anthony's head like an airball. "Oh, my name is Lina Fanora. I'm a Pokemon Trainer and class president. What's yours?"

"My name is Patrick Rey. I'm gonna be the guy who gets lots of badges and stuff. I'm the class clown and I like reading." "Well, that's nice to know. Patrick, I challenge you to a battle!"

"Great, I get pulled out of water and certain death to face her. Joy!" I thought. Even though I was thinking this, I couldn't help but think that she's nice. A bit weird but funny.

"Fine, I'll battle you. A two on two battle, mmkay?"

"Fine. I'll start it off! Go, Jawba!" A spinning blue pokemon popped out of the ball and stood ready for battle. I noticed it as a totodile. This time, I decided to be a rebel and not use my pokedex. Yeah, I'm a rebel. "Go, aipom!" Lina looked it and nodded. "Nice," she said. "Looks strong. Unfortunately, Jawba and I have been together since the beginning! You've got no chance!"

"Don't be too sure. Aipom, use swift!"

" Use water gun."

The blast of water shot through the stars, leaving a sparkling dust and then hit aipom straight on and he tumbled backwards. I winced and said, "Aipom, bounce up using your hand then use focus punch!"

Aipom's tail/hand thing bounced him in the air and he somersaulted behind Jawba. The little water pokemon turned around, just in time to be hit in the face with a powerful focus punch. Jawba slammed into the ground so hard, dust rose up around the two pokemon like a desert storm.

When the smoke cleared, Jawba was lying, unconscious. "YES! Way to go aipom!" Aipom rushed into my arms and gave me a big hug.

"Well done, Patrick. Your aipom is great."

"Thanks!"

"Well, don't get cocky, because here comes the big guns. GO, MANNY!"

"Oh, crap! Aipom, use swift!"

"Hydro pump!"

"Dodge it and get in close for a focus punch!"

Manny dodged the attack and hit aipom with a close quarters wing attack.

"Aipom, get up!" I cried to my fallen pokemon.

"Hydro pump, Manny"

Aipom stood no chance. "Return, Aipom. Take a rest."

"Well, it's up to you. Go, elekid!"

"Elekid, use thundershock!"

"Dodge, Manny! Use bubblebeam!"

"Jump over it!"

Elekid jumped over the bubblebeam attack and landed behind him.

"Alright, elekid! Use thundershock on your arm!"

"What're you doing, Patrick?"

"Elekid, use brick break!"

The electrically charged brick break hit Manny straight on the head, sending the flying type crashing back to the ground.

"MANNY!" Lina screamed, running to her fallen pokemon.

She returned her pokemon and looked back to me. She handed me my prize money and I began to walk away

"Wait!" Lina called.

I turned around, secretly excited. "What?"

"Can- Can I come with you? My pokemon will get stronger if I leave this place. It'll be fun." Lina said somewhat shyly. This surprised me, I didn't think of her as someone who would be shy.

I was astonished. Here was a girl, a pretty girl. Asking to come along with me on my adventure. "Um- well- um- I don't know."

Wrong answer. Her face turned red out of anger, and she looked me straight in the eye, all traces of shyness gone. "Why? Is it because I'm a girl? Can only boys be good pokemon trainers?"

"No, not at all," I said, quickly backtracking. "It's just, uh- well, I didn't know that you would want to- uh- well, come with me."

"Well, I do! So can I or what?" She said with a smile.

"Sure! That'd be great."

"Well, if we're going to travel, first, you need to give your pokemon nicknames."

"Why?" I said, not very interested in giving my awesome pokemon pet names.

"To show them you care, duh."

"Fine," I said with a resigned sigh. I tossed out my three pokeballs.

I walked up to elekid first. "From henceforth, my young pokemon, you shall be known as…" I trailed off, pondering. "As Volts! Yes, what a wonderful generic name!"

Then to aipom, "You are Handy! Get it, because you have an extra hand?" I laughed, then trailed off as I realized that no one else was laughing. "My mom would have laughed. She thought I was funny." Then, everybody started laughing for some reason.

Then I got to phanpy, "Hmmmmm, Jerk? No, then how about Poly? I like that. It's funny, 'cause the bug, roly-poly. You roll so instead of roly, you're poly." Lina laughed at that one, or maybe me, still not too sure on that type of thing. She was laughing so hard, I joined in by the contagiousness of it.. Eventually, we were all laughing and having a great time. I dubbed today a good day.

I apologize for all the stupid nicknames and the awful, awful beginning. I needed an interesting way to lead up to Volts. Please, please read and review and I will love you forever and ever. :D No evil flames though please! PEACE!