And we are finally back with another update! Sorry this took so long to write. Life got in the way

read, review, and enjoy!

*Edit* Changing Jasmine's name to Calanthia, and maybe a few other minor changes.

"Calanthia? Why are you just standing there? And where's Cheren?"

I was jolted back to reality when Bianca walked over to me. "Oh, hi, Bianca. I was just thinking about stuff."

Bianca looked at me, quizzically. "What kind of stuff?" Oh, right. She was in the Pokemon Center the entire time. I really did not want to explain the events of the past hour to her.

"Just stuff," I replied. "It's not that important. And to answer your question, Cheren was being a total meanie pants and decided to go ahead of us. He's probably at Straiton City by now. He's going to challenge the Gym Leader there."

"Oh…" Bianca sounded disappointed for a second, but then her smile returned. "Hey, Calanthia! Will you have a Pokemon Battle with me? Oshawott has grown stronger, and I want to show you."

I smiled. "Sure! Can I heal Shuman first, though? We just had a pretty tough battle."

Bianca nodded. "Of course. Who did you battle?"

"No one you would know," I replied quickly, before running into the Pokemon Center. I really did not want to tell Bianca about N yet. He was hard to explain if you didn't know him.

After Nurse Joy healed my Pokemon, I ran back out to meet Bianca.

"Okay, Shuman and I are ready!" I said. "Let's do this!"

Bianca smiled. "Yay! Come on out, Oshawott!"

Bianca clumsily pulled her Pokeball from her bag, and sent out Oshawott. He cried out, ready for battle.

"Go, Shuman!" I exclaimed, also sending out my Pokemon. Shuman was equally as determined.

"Oshawott! Start this off with a Water Gun attack!" Bianca exclaimed.

Water Gun, huh? That was a new one.

Oshawott blew a stream of water, and it drenched Shuman. It didn't really seem to do much damage, though.

"That was pretty cool, Bianca," I said. "When did Oshawott learn Water Gun?"

Bianca smiled. "You aren't the only one who's been battling recently! After visiting the Pokemon Center, Oshawott and I trained on Route One for a while."

"Cool," I replied. "Shuman, use Tackle!"

Shuman rammed into Oshawott, sending it flying back a few feet.

"Not bad," Bianca said. "But both my Pokemon and I are going to give it our all! Oshawott, try your own tackle attack!"

Oshawott started to charge at Shuman, and I kinda panicked a little bit.

"Shuman! Dodge and… do something," I stuttered. Shuman glanced at me for a second, confused by the order, but still managed to jump out of the way in time. However, instead of Tackling Oshawott like I expected him to, Shuman produced two vines and whacked Oshawott with them. It didn't look like it would hurt a human that much, but it definitely seemed to hurt Oshawott.

"Shuman? What was that?" I asked, not really expecting an answer. Instead, I pulled out my Pokedex. It read, 'Congratulations! Your Shuman has learned Vine Whip!'

"That was awesome, Calanthia!" Bianca said, cheerfully. "But this could mean trouble for Oshawott and me…"

I smirked. "Shuman, let's wrap this up! Use Vine Whip one more time!"

Shuman nodded, and used Vine Whip again. Oshawott didn't even stand a chance. It was down.

Bianca pouted as she recalled her Pokemon. "Aww… I couldn't win…"

"Hey, don't feel bad, Bianca," I said, also recalling my Pokemon. "Shuman is a pretty tough cookie. And I was not expecting that Vine Whip attack!"

"I think you're the one who's a tough cookie, Calanthia. Not just your snivy," Bianca replied. "But… thanks for trying to cheer me up. I'm gonna work hard on training my Pokemon so we won't lose anymore!"

"Same here!" I said. "Let's both work hard to follow our dreams!"

"The only thing I want to follow right now is Cheren," Bianca said. "You said he went to Striaton City, right?"

"Yup!" I replied. "We should probably go and find him. We don't want to get too far apart on our journeys."

Bianca nodded. "Let's get going. After the Pokemon Center, of course."

Before I could even say anything, Bianca dragged me into the Pokemon Center. Luckily, Nurse Joy was able to heal both of our Pokemon at the same time, so we were out of there in no time.

"So, Calanthia," Bianca said, as we started our journey across Route Two. "Who was that boy you and Cheren were with earlier?"

"What?" I said, blushing. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, come on," Bianca said. "I saw you battle him! He seemed pretty nice."

"He is. I like him," I said. "I don't think Cheren's too fond of him, though. He was very interesting."

"What was his name?" Bianca asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," I said. "Honestly, I don't even believe this is his real name."

"Please tell me!" Bianca said. "Please please please please please please ple-"

"All right!" I shouted. "I think he said his name was N, or something like that."

"N, huh?" Bianca said. "That is a pretty strange name." It kind of was. But I didn't really want to question it.

We walked for a few moments in silence, until Bianca said, "Is he your friend?"

"I honestly don't know," I replied. "I want him to be, though. He seems to be really nice. And he's very interesting."

Suddenly, Bianca grinned. "Yes! I'm so happy for you, Calanthia!" Wait, what?

"Um, why?" I asked.

Bianca stopped me just outside of the Striaton City gate. "Because you've finally gotten your first crush!"

I blushed. "What? No. I barely know anything about N. I don't even know his full name. I do not like him like that."

Bianca giggled. "I can't wait to meet this N! He must be really special if you like him!"

"Bianca!" I exclaimed. "Stop it! I don't have a crush on N!"

"You totally do!" Bianca said. "I can't wait to tell Cheren!" Oh great. "See you later, Calanthia!"

"Bianca, wait!" I shouted, as Bianca ran into Striaton City. "Come back here!"

I followed Bianca into Striaton City, but she was nowhere in sight. Great. Now I had to find Cheren before Bianca did. Or find Bianca before she finds Cheren. Either one would work at this point.

I ran into the first building I saw. It was on the left of the Pokemon Center. There were many desks in the building. It looked like some sort of school. In the back of the building, there was a large blackboard. Thankfully, Cheren was standing in front of this blackboard. I ran over to him.

"Cheren!" I exclaimed. "Thank goodness I found you! Has Bianca been in here yet?"

"It's nice to see you too, Calanthia," Cheren said. "And no, I haven't seen her."

I sighed. "Good." That was one less thing I had to worry about.

"So what's the big hurry, anyway?" Cheren asked. "Why are you looking for Bianca?"

"It's not that big of a deal," I said. "Don't worry about it."

Cheren studied me for a second, then sighed. "Fine. Anyway, did you hear about the Gym Leaders?"

I blinked. "What?"

Cheren laughed. "I'll take that as a no, then. Apparently the gym leaders are out on official business. So we won't be able to battle them until tomorrow." Well that was kind of annoying.

"Wait, gym leaders?" I repeated. "I thought there was only one!"

Cheren stared at me. "Oh, you don't know? In Striaton City, there are three gym leaders. The one you battle depends on the starter Pokemon you chose. In your case, since you chose Snivy, you'll have to battle the Fire type gym leader, Chili."

"What?" I moaned. "But Shuman can't go up against fire types! It's too dangerous!"

Cheren sighed. "Figures you'd be unprepared. But you're in luck. A girl in the Dreamyard gave me three Pokemon, panpour, pansage, and pansear. I'm planning on giving the Pansear to Bianca, but you can have the Panpour if you want it."

"Really?" I said, smiling. Cheren nodded. "Oh, thank you so much!"

"No problem," Cheren said. He pulled a Pokeball out of his pocket and handed it to me. "The panpour is a girl, by the way."

"A girl, huh?" I said. "I think I'll call her… Pavati."

"Nice name," Cheren said.

"Cheren, I can't thank you enough for this," I said. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Cheren pondered this for a second. "How about this. Let's have a battle, and then we'll call it even."

"A battle?" I repeated. "That's it?"

Cheren nodded. "Since the gym leaders aren't around, I've been taking the time to do some research on Pokemon Battles. And I want to test my knowledge. So please battle me."

"Sure!" I said. "But we have to be careful. You know how dangerous battling indoors can be."

"Of course," Cheren said. "I'm not Bianca." And I was really grateful for that. I loved Bianca, but sometimes…

"Let's get started!" I said. "Does a two on two battle sound alright to you? I don't have three Pokemon yet."

Cheren nodded. "That should be fine."

"Great!" I said. "Pavati, it's time to see what you can do! Come on out!"

I threw Pavati's Pokeball. The little blue Pokemon emerged from the red light. I pulled out my Pokedex. According to the screen, Pavati knew Scratch, Leer, Lick, and Water Gun. Leer and Lick weren't going to be too helpful, but Water Gun and Scratch certainly were.

"All right, Purrloin! Go!" Cheren also threw his Pokeball. A small, purple purrloin emerged from it. I gasped.

"Cheren, where did you get a purrloin?" I asked.

"Back on Route Two," Cheren replied. "Why?"

"I want one," I declared. "They're so cute, yet still so powerful."

Cheren smirked. "You want a purrloin, huh? This doesn't have to do with your battle with N earlier, does it? He had a purrloin, too."

"It's not about that!" I shouted. "I just like purrloins, okay?"

Cheren laughed. "Fine. I can help you capture one. After our battle, of course."

I nodded. "Pavati, use your Scratch attack!"

Pavati nodded, and charged at Purrloin. It scratched him right across the face. A direct hit.

"Not bad," Cheren said. "Purrloin, try your own Scratch attack!"

Purrloin nodded, and charged at Pavati. She easily dodged it.

"Great job, Pavati!" I said. "Use your Water Gun attack!"

Pavati shot a jet of water toward Purrloin. The force of it shoved Purrloin back, and dealt a good amount of damage.

"Purrloin! Use Assist!" Cheren shouted.

Assist? What was that?

A white orb appeared on Purrloins paw. Out of it shot a burst of flames. It didn't do much damage to Pavati, but it was still really weird.

"Cheren, what was that?" I asked.

"That was Purrloin's Assist attack," Cheren explained. "The user chooses a random move from another Pokemon in my party. In this case, Purrloin chose Tepig's Ember attack."

"That's so cool!" I said. "I definitely want a Purrloin now!"

"There are so many different kinds of Pokemon moves," Cheren said. "Moves that never miss and moves that can attack first…"

"Cheren, can we just get on with our battle?" I said.

Cheren laughed feebly. "Right. Sorry. Purrloin, use scratch!"

Purrloin charged at Pavati, but she easily stepped out of the way again.

"Use Water Gun!" I shouted.

Pavati unleashed another jet of water. Purrloin slammed against the wall, nearly dislodging the blackboard. It tried to get up, but to no avail. Purrloin was down.

"Purrloin, return!" Cheren called. "Come on out, Tepig!"

He threw another Pokeball. Tepig emerged from it.

I looked at Cheren, confused. "Why Tepig? Pavati can take him down with, like, one hit."

Cheren shrugged. "Since we're only doing a two on two battle, I figured I should use my partner."

"I guess that makes sense," I said. "Anyway, Pavati, use Water Gun again!"

Pavati nodded, although it seemed to sick of using Water Gun over and over again. Tepig didn't even stand a chance against the Water Gun attack. The battle was over.

"Tepig, return," Cheren said. "Good job, Calanthia. Losing to you means I still have a lot to learn."

"I think both of us have a lot to learn," I said, recalling Pavati. "But hey, that's what we're going on a journey for, right?"

Cheren nodded. "Right. There's so much we don't know about the world yet. Pokemon should help us discover these things."

I rolled my eyes. "Cheren, you're being boring again. Can you just teach me how to catch a Purrloin now?"

Cheren sighed. "And I should've known that lecturing you wouldn't help. But sure, let's go back to Route Two."

I smiled. Yes! I was going to get my own purrloin! This was so exciting!

I ran out of the building, then waited for Cheren outside. He was being boring again and refused to run indoors. We ran back onto Route Two, and stopped about halfway through.

"Okay, so now what?" I asked, looking around for a Purrloin.

"Pokemon can be found in the Tall Grass," Cheren explained. "So if you want to find a Pokemon, I'd suggest walking through the Tall Grass instead of on the main path."

I stood there for a second, processing what Cheren told me. Pokemon were found in the tall grass? How did that make any sense? But I wasn't going to doubt my friend, so I said, "And what do you do if a Pokemon jumps out at you?"

"You have to weaken a Pokemon before capturing it," Cheren explained. "So you send out one of your Pokemon to battle it."

"But how do you capture it?" I asked.

"You throw a Pokeball at it," Cheren replied. I stared at him blankly. He sighed. "And I'm guessing you don't have any extra Pokeballs. Take some of mine. But for future reference, you can buy these in a Pokemon Center."

Cheren pulled a handful empty Pokeballs out of his bag and handed them to me. "Thanks, Cheren," I said, putting the five Pokeballs into my bag.

"No problem," Cheren replied. "Now, it's getting late. We should find a Purrloin before it gets too dark."

I nodded, and walked into the Tall Grass. Cheren stood a few feet away, watching me. I started to look around for a purrloin, with Shuman's Pokeball in my hand. I had to be prepared. For once.

A few moments later, a Pokemon cried out. A purple blur jumped out of the Tall Grass. And I was not prepared at all. I took a few steps back, startled.

"Calanthia!" Cheren shouted. "You have to battle it now, remember?"

"Oh, right!" I said. "Shuman, come on out!"

Shuman emerged from his Pokeball.

"Now what, Cheren?" I asked, turning to him.

"Have your Snivy use an attack to weaken purrloin," he replied. "Then throw the Pokeball at it."

"Got it!" I said. "Shuman, use Vine Whip!"

Shuman attacked the wild Purrloin with a Vine Whip attack. It fell backward, and slid across the ground.

"Now!" Cheren shouted. "Throw the Pokeball while it's down!"

I nodded, and pulled an empty Pokeball out from my bag. "All right! Go, Pokeball!"

I threw a Pokeball at the Purrloin. The white button hit its head. A red light engulfed the purrloin. The Pokeball wiggled three times before beeping. I stood there for a second. Did it actually work?

"Calanthia, you have to pick up the Pokeball," Cheren said. "It's not going to magically come back to you."

"Wait, it actually worked?" I said. Cheren nodded. I ran over to the Pokeball and picked it up, laughing.

"Yes! I caught a purrloin!" I cheered. "Thank you so much for the help, Cheren!"

Cheren smiled. "No problem. What are you going to name it?"

Name? Oops, I totally didn't think about that. I pulled out my Pokedex to check what gender my purrloin was.

According to the Pokedex, purrloin was female. It knew assist, scratch, growl, and sand attack.

"I think I'll call her Leila," I declared.

Cheren shrugged. "Sounds good to me. Let's go back to Striaton City now. We don't want Bianca to worry."

I nodded, and Cheren and I walked back towards the city together.

So what did you think? Please leave a review! It will really help!