CHAPTER 1

"Dave! Come downstairs! I have some stuff for you!" I open my eyes and force myself to get out of bed. What does Mum need to give me this early in the morning? I change my clothes and head downstairs. She's at the table waiting for me. "Dave, your Pokegear came in from the shop this morning. Do you remember how to use it?"

"Yeah. Is that all you needed?" I have a feeling she'll say no, but I stay and listen anyways.

"You just turn it on and select who you want to call, right? Oh, and Professor Elm told me he wanted to see you. You should head on over now." I nod and sigh, and make my way outside. It's really bright, and a Marill is about to knock me over. Wait... A Marill is about to what?!

"Marill, what did I tell you about knocking people over? Come on! We have to go," a familiar voice says. I sit up and recognize this Pokemon. It's Lyra's Marill. Lyra is making her way to us, a smile on her face. "Hi, Dave! What are doing up so early?"

"Mum told me Elm needed to see me. Any idea what he needs to see me for?" She thinks for a minute, and shakes her head.

"No. I don't know. You should go see him." She picks up her Marill and walks off. I get up and walk to Elm's lab. What could he need me for? As I reach for the doorknob, I see a red-haired boy staring inside the building. Who is he? I shrug it off and walk inside.

"Hey, uh... Professor Elm? There's a-"

"Dave! You're finally here! I wanted to ask you if you would help me with an experiment." He completely cuts my question off.

"Uh... Yeah, okay. There's a-" Again, he cuts me off.

"Great! I need you to walk around with a rare Pokemon for a while. Just pick one from that machine, okay?" His computer makes a chiming noise, and he goes and checks it. "Hmm... Okay... Yeah... Oh...?" He comes back. "Dave, my friend, Mr. Pokemon, says he found a rare Pokemon egg. I want you to bring your Pokemon there, get the egg for me, and bring it back. Can you do that?"

"Uh... Sure? When?"

"Now! Go pick a Pokemon and go!" He points toward the Pokeballs in the machine. I walk over to them and let them all out. One of them is blue. It looks like a baby crocodile, with red spikes on its back and tail. Sharp teeth make it look fierce.

"That's Totodile, the water-type." The next one is a dark blue, with a tan belly. It looks like a hedgehog, and fire is coming out of its back. It doesn't seem to have eyes.

"That one is the fire-type, Cyndaquil." The third and final one is adorable. It's green, with a leaf on its head. It has little bulbs around its neck.

"That's Chikorita. This one is grass-type. Which one do you want to have?" I think it over for a minute. Water-types are strong, but a lot of them are slow. Fire-types are hard to find in Johto, and are good fighters. But... That Chikorita is adorable. I know grass-types are really common in Johto, but this Chikorita is too cute to resist.

"I want that Chikorita." I point to it, and the other two are put back in their Pokeballs. "I'll name you Cilantro." The green Pokemon smiles and jumps up and down. It seems to like its name.

"Chikorita is a good choice. Great for beginners. Now, head on over to Mr. Pokemon's house. It's right near Cherrygrove City. Hard to miss." I nod and leave. I head home for a minute, to tell Mum I'm leaving.

As I open the door to my house, the smell of cookies hits me in the face. Mum is in the kitchen, taking a batch of fresh chocolate chip cookies out of the oven.

"You... Made cookies?" Cilantro makes a little noise, and Mum looks over.

"Dave! That's what Professor Elm wanted you for? Oh, it's adorable!" She sets the cookies on the counter and rushes over. "What's it's name?"

"His name is Cilantro. I, uh... Elm wanted me to go to some guy named Mr. Pokemon's house to get something for him, because he's busy. It's part of some experiment. He said if I did, I could keep Cilantro." She frowns.

"Dave, that's pretty far. Wild Pokemon might attack you, and... That's dangerous. You could get hurt!" She puts some cookies in a bag and brings them over to me. "Here. Take these with you. They'll stay warm in this bag." I take the cookies and nod.

"Thanks, Mum. I'll be back soon." She nods and sits down. I leave the house and close the door, then look down at Cilantro. "Let's take as long as possible, Cilantro. I don't want to be stuck with her for the rest of my life." I laugh jokingly and set, off, the green Pokemon at my left. As we leave Newbark Town, I notice that Route 29 looks different somehow. Greener, and with fresher air, it seems.

"Cilantro, do you want to train a little, or wait until we find some Pokeballs?" The Chikorita shook the leaf on its head once. Then twice. "So you want to wait?" It nodded its head. "Okay. Wait it is."