Let's try this again. Thanks to penname: something dictionary related for letting me know I mixed up the chapters!

Hey there everyone! I got a few good responses to the last chapter I posted, so I'm going to continue with this story. I would, however, like to address a few things that are going to happen in this chapter. Apparently some of you think Kayden is a Mary Sue because she takes pain in stride and because her eyes change color. You're entitled to your own opinions, and that's fine…if you think that, review me with tips on improvement, but don't just flame me. I would like to point out, however, that my eyes do the same thing Kayden's do, and it's really cool to watch, which is why I basically gave Kayden my eyes. As for taking pain in stride…it's possible. Personally, I just got hit by a car a few days ago and didn't cry. Also…it seems my story is 'unrealistic'? Last time I checked, our genre is called 'fiction' for a reason.

Anyway. Sorry about the rant. Here's chapter two!

!Start!

Kayden spent the next few weeks in peace, searching happily through the forest for food and reading her books. She had started her new life with three books, and now owned a grand total of fifteen. She knew the feel of each book, and her biggest rule for herself was that she was only allowed to read one chapter per day. She would let herself read the chapter as many times as she wanted, but she was only allowed to read one new chapter each day. As a result of this rule, Kayden knew her books like a chef knows his knives.

The book Kayden knew best out of her small library was a battered copy of the Pokémon Trainers' Manual. This book had been read twice as many times as the others, which was nothing to scoff at, considering that her other books had been read at least twenty times each. She knew battle theory, basic breeding, the theories for raising Pokemon, and how Pokemon Centers and Pokemarts worked. Maybe she only knew the basics, but she knew them better than any trainer before her had, and she knew for certain that the only thing preventing her from being a great trainer was one tiny problem.

She didn't have a Pokemon.

She wanted more than anything to be the best trainer she could possibly be, but she had so far been unable to capture a Pokemon. With no starter Pokemon, she would never be able to battle to capture a wild Pokemon, and she knew that. This hadn't stopped her from hoping. For the past five years, ever since she had said her goodbyes to Bernice, Kayden had been looking for a Pokemon. She had been unsuccessful in every attempt she had made to tame, catch, or bait a Pokemon into trusting her.

Kayden reflected on all of this as she walked through the forest, searching for her lunch. As she reached that point of her thoughts, her eyes narrowed in determination. "It's true. I've been trying for five years now, and I don't have a Pokemon yet. But I will never give up trying."

As Kayden wandered, she approached her favorite thicket. Listening in, she heard the sounds of a scuffle. She quickened her pace, although she was stealthy as she came closer, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. As she peeked around a tree and some bushes, her eyes widened.

The Absol from before was lying slumped against a boulder. His front leg was bent so that Kayden knew instinctively that it was broken, just from looking at it. His fierce, deep red eyes glared defiantly at his opponent, an angry Charizard.

'A Charizard?' Thought Kayden. 'We're in the highlands, yeah, but we aren't in the mountains…what's a Charizard doing here?'

She leaned forward to get a better view, and as she did, she rustled the bushes a little. The Absol's attention snapped over to her, and its eyes narrowed in distaste as it saw her. Then, as it turned back towards the Charizard, its injuries caught up to it, and it fainted.

Immediately, the Charizard started forward, evil intent the only thing on its face. Kayden's heart raced as she realized just what was going on. She sprinted out of the bushes towards the Charizard.

"Stop!" Kayden yelled, staring in horror at the wreckage before her.

The Charizard only glanced at her before turning back to the injured Absol in front of it. As it inhaled, preparing a flamethrower, Kayden swallowed, knowing just what was coming. When it exhaled, it didn't hit the Absol as it had expected to. Instead, it hit Kayden's back as she shielded the Pokémon that had saved her life.

Kayden screamed in agony, shielding the Absol even as the Charizard's flames hit her back. As the Charizard saw what was happening, it stopped its attack, eyes wide. The instant the attack stopped, Kayden dropped to her knees in front of the Absol. Its eyes blinked open, and widened as they saw her in front of it. The Absol took in the tears on Kayden's face, and as she sank to the ground and pressed her forehead to the earth, it saw the burn on her back. As it stared in confusion, Kayden screamed again, a blood-curdling, unearthly yell that made the Absol's hackles rise. The Absol knew that the pain she was enduring had been meant for him…and he had never been more confused.

The Absol passed out once more as Kayden screamed again, and the Charizard backed away, eyes wide and confused. Even as Kayden screamed and dropped to her side, she heard running footsteps approach.

"Charizard, there you – what's this? Charizard, what did you do?"

Kayden looked up through a red haze of pain to see a dark-haired man around her age approaching the Charizard. He returned it to its Pokeball and ran to her side, kneeling down and touching her arm as he looked into her face. "Miss, I'm so sorry! Are you alright? And your Absol?"

Kayden shook her head to clear it a little. She spoke through the pain, hardly aware of what she was saying and mostly putting her mouth on autopilot. "I…I don't think so. I'm…I'm hurt. And this isn't my Absol, but he's hurt as well."

"What happened, miss? And where are you hurt?"

"It…your Charizard…he used flamethrower. I…" She sighed. Then, using her last bit of physical strength, she turned onto her stomach.

Her rescuer gasped. "Hang in there. I'll take care of you both. I'm so sorry…" He began to dig through his bag. "This isn't really my Charizard. I'm assisting Professor Oak by trying to train this guy…he's pretty unruly, as you clearly saw. This is terrible…I'm so sorry that something like this happened!"

She shook her head as the first human she had seen for almost a year gently touched her arms as he helped her to sit up. Her pain was increasing with each second that passed, but she refused to alarm the stranger who was being so kind to her. "It's not your fault…thank you for helping me."

He finally found what he was looking for, pulling a burn heal out of his bag. "Please…don't mention it. It's my fault in the first place for letting Charizard get away. Now…this burn heal should work, but it's going to hurt pretty badly. Just be ready. By the way...my name's Brock Stone. What's yours?"

She looked up at him through a fog of pain, trying hard to focus on his face and the question. "Kayden LaRue…it's nice to meet you."

He smiled. "It would've been nice to meet under better circumstances. Now…hold still."

Kayden's eyes widened as she remembered. "But…the Absol-!"

Kayden, too injured to stand, began to crawl towards the Absol, but Brock pulled her gently back to where she had been sitting. "I'll help him too, I promise. Your injuries are far worse, Kayden…I have to take care of you first. Now, relax."

Kayden looked up at him suspiciously, ignoring it as her back cried in pain, but she did as she was told. The last thing she remembered before passing out was the spritz of burn heal on her back, then an excruciating pain worse than anything she had felt before, and then there was nothing.

She blacked out.

!End!

Thanks for hanging in there, everyone! I hope you enjoyed the chapter...let me know in a review! I'll have another chapter ready for you next week. Thanks!

~BD333