Hello, Chapter two! This is not going to be the POV of one of the many OC's to be introduced, but rather that of a Gym Leader. Entering the race first is Chili! Oh, and guess what I forgot to mention, being the piece of genius I am? I didn't put in the disclaimer. ' So I'll say it now, and let everyone know it goes for the rest of the story.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokemon or any of its concepts. At all. Ever.

"You're seriously considering joining this crazy game?" Cress inquired, an eyebrow raised. Cilan stood beside him, expression equally skeptical.

"It sound interesting. It's true, you know – name the last time a challenger defeated any of us." Chili retorted, crossing his arms in annoyance. He honestly thought that Cade's idea could prove to be more than just another crazy concept. However, Cress and Cilan found it to be stupid.

"Interesting is a word you could use, but this is Cade who came up with the challenge. Who knows what could happen?" Cress pointed out – it was a well-known fact in Unova that Cade was unpredictable at the best of times. Chili shrugged. "The letter stated very clearly how the contest worked, so I don't think there's much room for error. I'm just going to humor her. Who knows, maybe somebody else will join in."

With that he turned, exiting the Striaton Gym. His brothers stared, almost dumb-founded, after him. "He's lost it." Chili could hear one of them saying. He ignored this, resisting the urge to turn back around and tell them exactly why they were wrong.

Taking off into Route 2, he jumped ledges to bypass most of the grass. A quick jaunt through Accumula Town and some more ledge-hopping in Route 1 saw him to the sleepy Nuvema Town. He looked around a little awkwardly, feeling out of place and unsure of where to go. It shouldn't be too hard to find Cade's house...this is a little place.

He walked around a bit aimlessly between the houses, getting the occasional odd look from the other residents. Finally, a young boy came up and tapped Chili on the back.

"Excuse me sir, are you looking for Cade?"

"Actually, yes. Do you know where I could find her?"

"Uh-huh. She lives in the house closest to Professor Juniper's lab. She's been talking a lot about a Trainer game, so I thought you might be here about that." the boy said, and with a quick nod to Chili, he darted off again.

"Well, then..." he muttered to himself, setting off in the direction of the Professor's lab. "One problem down." He found the house quickly, and gathered the nerve to knock on the front door. A tall, blonde-haired lady answered, her eyes widening for just a moment when she recognized the visitor. "Oh, hello. It seems like Cade is going through with this, after all..."

Chili merely nodded, and the lady rushed off upstairs to retrieve her daughter. Cade came flying down the stairs, clearing them in three huge jumps. "Heya, Chili!" she called amiably, skidding to a halt in front of the door. "You joining the contest?" Again, Chili nodded, and Cade grinned. "Got it. I'll go get the Egg."

She was up and down the stairs again in no time, and she returned with a small green-speckled Egg under one arm. Cade zipped up to Chili, shifting the Egg so it rested in both of her arms. "A little Fire-Type is going to hatch from this...I hope you treat the Pokemon well."

She held out the Egg, and Chili took it tentatively, growing less and less sure about his decision with each passing moment. "Who has joined the challenge so far?"

"You're the first to swing by, but Elesa, Iris, and Skyla are joining for sure – they were just a little too busy to swing by yesterday. They'll come by either today or tomorrow. Sarah and Cheren are in, too." Cade replied, looking down at her bag now and pawing through it. She quickly located what she was looking for – a lighter. She held it up in front of her face, her expression excited and a little worrying.

"What's that for?" Chili quipped, and Cade shook her head. "Something I've got to show you and anyone else who joins the competition. Come with me for a second," she answered, leading the Fire-Type Leader to a shadowy spot by the edge of town. "Put the Egg down here for just a second, okay?"

Chili obeyed, and Cade fiddled with the lighter for a minute in irritation, unable to draw a flame from its tip. "Dang...thing...won't..." she growled. Chili rolled his eyes, swiped the lighter, and had a flame lit at its top in less than a second. Cade glared at him for a minute (Chili grinned smugly at this) but she shook this off, making her next order.

"Hold that behind the Egg, and look through it. It's a little tough, but you can see the Pokemon in the Egg." She watched as Chili followed through, raising an eyebrow as he caught sight of the baby Pokemon's faint outline.

"What is that?" he asked, flicking his crimson eyes over to Cade. The girl smiled a little, crossing her arms. "As said, that's your to-be contest Pokemon. It's a species generally native only to Johto – Cyndaquil. It evolves twice before hitting its final form, and it's a nasty little sucker in battle."

The Gym Leader nodded, turning back to the Egg. The shape of the little Cyndaquil twisted in the Egg's shell, and the Egg itself wobbled a little.

"It'll take some time, but the Egg will hatch, and you'll be set." Cade commented, playing with the Pokeballs on her belt absently. Chili passed the lighter back to Cade, picking up his Egg again. "Do I need to do anything when the Egg hatches?"

"Not really. Make sure the Cyndaquil is fed and such, and I'd advise you not to start working it until it's had a chance to get to know you." Cade shrugged as she spoke, pushing the lighter back into her bag.

Chili only spent a little longer there before heading back to Striaton – now battling was inevitable, so he sent out Pansear to handle the fighting. The fire monkey pounced at the Egg, curiously poking it. "Seeear?"

"This is going to be the newest team member, Pansear. I won't be able to battle with you for a while when I'm training it, okay?"

"Paansear, paan." Pansear groaned, crossing his arms and hopping back down to the ground to walk beside Chili. Irritation was evident on the little Pokemon's face. Chili ignored this, walking quickly into the grass and tucking the Cyndaquil Egg under his arm.

A half-hour and several battles saw Chili back to Striaton City, whose streets were still fairly empty. Standing in front of the Gym, awaiting his arrival, was Cress. The other boy had his arms crossed, but he didn't seem at all annoyed – more curious than anything, and a little apprehensive.

Chili approached him a little warily, expecting him to disapprove on the spot. He shifted the Egg into both arms, and waited for Cress to object to its presence.

"So, this game...did Cade say anything else about it? Who's joined so far?" Cress quipped, eyes locked on the Egg.

"Elesa, Iris, Skyla and I are the Leaders who have joined...and those kids Sarah and Cheren are in on it, too. I was the first to drop by." Chili answered, then spoke again, his words almost an afterthought. "I don't really think this is a joke anymore. Cade was pretty serious when she gave me the Egg."

Cress nodded, his expression changing to one of thought. After a minute or two, he uncrossed his arms. "I'm going to join." he said, his voice very matter-of-fact. Chili raised an eyebrow – he hadn't expected Cress to give in.

"Are you serious? What happened to it being a stupid idea?"

"You're right. I'm still not sure what Cade's playing at, but it doesn't seem like it will hurt to give this a try. It might be fun." Cress smiled a little, warming to the concept. "Do you know what kind of Pokemon you've got?"

"Cade called it a Cyndaquil. If we go inside, I can show you something cool with a lighter..."

And Chili officially has his contest Pokemon! The next few chapters are mostly going to be OC POVs. Our submitted contestants – Tori, belonging to PT Yellow, and Kyrox and Claire, belonging to Zexiontwo. Thanks for joining, guys!