Red

''Now you listen Red,'' the professor said. ''You know what's at stake, right?''

I'd rarely seen him look so serious. Usually he's a bit goofy and a bit distracted. But lately. . . Ever since we saw that pink little guy, he's been more serious than ever. Still, he'd told me what Mew had said, and, honestly, it scared me a little. Hopefully this Eliza person was up to the task, or we were kinda of all pooped. It would be up to me to guide her, without letting her know what I knew. She had to find out for herself and, well, it sucked.

On the plus side, I'd get to travel and get stronger. Maybe I'd even find the bastard responsible for killing my da and capturing my ma. Still, Shenzu and I had gone over the plan one several times before she got here. We were both full of nerves, but that was fine. She was a brand new training, and Birch was a surprisingly good actor. She bought it, hook line and sinker. While she went home to tell her mom what had happened, she left me with the professor so we could say good bye. If only she knew.

''I know Professor. Don't worry. I've got this. It'll all work out. You'll see. Take care of Kip and Frond for me, okay?''

He smiled, and told me I was a good chick, patting me on the head. Before I could say anything though, Eliza was back. I had to be careful. She allegedly suffered from Type B Nuzlocke. Prof had chosen that one because the closest one to what she had. This new strain, it meant that I had to be careful. Soon she'd be able to understand what every Pokemon in the world said. Still, with everything that was at stake, I was still excited. I was going on a journey. At first, things were uneventful.

''So your name's Red, huh?'' she said, making conversation. I chirped in agreement. The Professor had either told her, or it was those weird markings on my pokeball that told her. Not that I care. I'd heard of trainers who renamed their Pokemon something awful. For the first stretch, nothing really happened. We went in a few battles with wild Pokemon, but I, of course, swept the floor with them. I had to admit, Eliza seemed to know what she was doing.

''Right, fighting is a good way to get stronger, I guess. But I've always believed that accuracy was more important than power. What's the point of being all powerful if you can't hit anything.''

I was puzzled, and I waited to see what she meant. Out of her bag, she grabbed a few sticks and planted them at regular intervals. Next she put some berries on top. And stood back. I look from her, to the berries, not understanding what she wanted me to do.

''Accuracy, Red. Try to hit them from where you are.''

''How?'' I muttered. ''My claws don't reach that far you know.''

''Don't you know ember?'' she asked, her smile becoming more pronounced.

Ever had these moments when you feel really, really really dumb? Yeah. That was one of those. She hadn't had me use it yet, and I kinda forgot that I could spit fire. Looking around, I noticed our surrounding for the first time. A clearing, with very little that was flammable, and what was, was definitely out of spitting range. So. Either she was a genius that figured out the range and waited till we were in an area where it wouldn't matter if I missed . . . Or Birch had told her what to do, which I honestly doubted since every time they'd talked together, I'd been present.

So I started the training regiment. We stayed there for a day or two, camping in the wild while she helped me get better. It wasn't just target practice either. She put on a harness on me that was super heavy. For an entire day. I was exhausted when she finally took it off, and almost fell asleep. But she had other plans. She fed me, and then we went in the bushes. It was getting dark out, and I could tell that we were attracting attention. I felt her tense for a moment and I couldn't understand why until I saw the glows of eyes in the darkness.

I heard their eerie cackle and bristled.

''Now what?'' I grumbled. ''They'll shred us to pieces. They're cowards alone, but in packs. . .''

''There's only five of them, Red. You can take them, right? We have been practicing.''

There wasn't even a trace of doubt in her mind. I could tell, and I'm not going to last. Either she was overconfident, or she knew something that I didn't.

''Sand attack, then start laying them out with ember.''

I jumped off her shoulders, kicking as much dust in their face on my way down as I could. They growled and yipped as they were blinded. Apparently the training had paid off. Each ember found its way. I didn't kill them thought, just knocked them down. Moments later it was over. I stood amidst a pack of Poochyena, the the last one standing. Arceus, but that was awesome. So it went like this for a few days, and I could tell I was getting stronger. We finally reached Oldale town and I breathed with relief. Stronger I might be, but I was tired. Training was great but sheesh. That girl was obsessed.

''We'll rest for a couple of days, and then we'll move on to something else.''

''What?'' I asked.

''We're going to get some new members for our team. I'll need your help to train them up though. You know what to expect, right? I'm sure you can ease them into it.''

I felt jealous for a moment. Eliza was MY trainer and I didn't want to share her. But I quickly came to my senses. I remembered she was one of the Chosen, even if she didn't know and called it something else, which came at a cost, and I couldn't defeat everything on my own. And so we went on a catching spree, first, I helped her capture Blues, a Surskit that was being harassed by other Pokemon who were. . .hungry. Honestly – if Eliza hadn't been around, I'd have been tempted, she smelled that good.

Then came Shenzu, which, really, was kind of an accident. She was coming for a report to take back to Birch. Only, Eliza saw her before I did. She literally caught me napping and sent Blues against her. The next thing we knew, Shenzu was a new member of the team. She seemed sheepish for a while after, not that I can blame her. I don't know what it is about her, but she really seems to know what she's doing. Sym was the next Pokemon to be added to our team. That one though, she just walked to my trainer, bold as you please, and waited to be captured. I'm kind of suspicious of her. What kind of 'mon just lets itself be captured like that?

''I don't trust her,'' I muttered to Shenzu. ''What if she's one of their agents?''

''You worry too much featherbrain,'' she yawns back as we follow our trainer helping a kid catch his first Pokemon. A Ralts, of all things. What are the odds of that? ''She's just one of those weak 'mons that is looking for a trainer to pamper them. She hardly fights at all and keeps eating, like, all the time. Nothing sinister going on.''

I couldn't discuss this further though as Eliza was coming back towards us, and I wasn't sure yet how far along she was in understanding what we said. Still. I'd keep an eye on this Sym Zigzagoon. No one was going to hurt my trainer on my watch. No one.