Hello again, faithful readers! We're en route headed away from that damned New Bark Town (finally), and Jen is in high spirits. Things have been looking up since she received the egg, and both Pidgey and Sora have been leveling up. In fact, she's made it to Violet City already! With new foes and new friends on her side, Jen is going to go the distance to become an Ace Trainer. Let's follow her on her Journey today!

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ChapterSix

BellsproutTower&FirstGymBattle

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I couldn't believe this tower I was standing in front of in Violet City. Not only was is violently shaking, but there were a million lights turned on inside and it looked like there were people inside of it. So much dangerous and so little brains. I shook my head and went in, deciding against my better judgment that there was something important in there.

"Hey!" called out an awkwardly bald man with a long black robe on. Thankfully he seemed like a normal Pokémon Monk (was that really normal, now that I think about it?), and he approached me with a few Bellsprout behind him. "We shall battle to test your trust of your Pokémon." I clutched my Pokeball with Sora to my chest and smiled, nodding.

"Sounds good! You're on!" I shouted, pointing forward. "Pidgey, let's take this one!" The bird Pokémon came out from behind me and cawed in appreciation. With one single Gust attack the tower was shaking even more violently (so was I), but the Bellsprout was down and out for the count. I pumped my fist in the air and grinned widely. We took out his next few in the same fashion. Pidgey didn't even take a single hit. I felt proud as the Monk lowered his head in defeat, shaking.

"You are truly a strong trainer," he said. "The best of luck on your journey upwards. And if you see a blonde boy, please be careful." Blonde? I thought. Kendall's here already? I shook my head of the thought and continued up a few ladders, battling a few monks with the same exact Pokémon and took them out the same way, until I reached the top level. I peeked around the tall swaying post to see the Elder talking to none other than Kendall, who looked determined and evil and absolutely hot all at the same time. I frowned and Pidgey cawed beside me softly.

"Pidgey," it said. I shook my head and pressed a finger to my lips.

"Shh Pidgey, I'm listening," I said, tilting my head so I could clearly here the monk

"You showed us what you've got, and it is indeed good," the Elder was telling him. "Take this Technical Machine. However, you should care more about your Pokémon." I watched as the Elder narrowed his eyes, as if to make his point clearer. "The way you treat your Pokémon can be too harsh. Remember, Pokémon are not tools of war."

Kendall paused and thought about this and walked away from the Elder, before smirking in an evil fashion. "He calls himself the Elder, but he was no match for me. Those who lecture how you should be "nice" to Pokémon…." He looked down at Totodile, who was still happy from his win. "They cannot defeat me. All I care about are strong Pokémon that win everytime. The rest of them don't mean anything to me." He paused for a moment and then took out a rope which, for some amazing reason, just transported him right out of the building. Just as he was leaving I caught a flash of his eyes on mine, but it didn't last long as he vanished.

"Huh," I whispered, looking at Pidgey. "He's cute, and sometimes he's nice, but he's really not good to Pokémon. I don't think he deserves to be a trainer." We approached the Elder with some caution, and I bowed in respect.

"It is so good of you to come here," he smiled as I rose. "Sprout Tower is a place of traning-"

"-I know sir," I replied impatiently. "Can we please just battle? I need to find out where Ken-er, I mean, that guy was going." He nodded and took out his Bellsprout.

"Another?" I laughed to myself. "Pidgey, I think you know what to do." And with another Gust and a scary shaking of the tower the Pokémon went down with ease. The Elder laughed in delight and patted my shoulder.

"Your destiny is great, young Trainer," he smiled. I felt like he wasn't as creepy, and he should give Oak a few lessons on this kind of thing. "You can take this Technical Machine called Flash. It will light your path for the future. Good luck…and please put some sense into that young man." I blushed as he nodded and handed me a rope quite like the one Kendall had used. "Simply point this upward and it will take you back to the entrance of Sprout Tower. Good luck, Jen."

"But I never told you my name-," I started when I accidentally pointed my hand up in the air to make my point. I began to spin violently and soon was back at the entrance. Feeling nautious I leaned over the side of the ground and threw up in the water. Pidgey was there, cooing in sadness and even Sora was out now, nudging my arm with his nose. I stood shakily and fell down again.

"I don't do well with spinning," I said to my Pokémon, who nodded as if they understood. I decided to find a place in town to rest and, in the midst of my head still spinning, I nearly knocked down a boy my age.

"Whoa! Hey Jen!" laughed a hauntingly familiar voice. The boy had dark hair which stuck out of his hat, and gorgeously brown eyes. A small smile was pulling up the corners of his lips, and he pulled me into a tight hug that I wasn't expecting. Sadly enough, my head was still spinning and I shot out of his grasp and went over to the edge of the path again, throwing up. "Jen! Oh man, did you use an Escape Rope? I told you not to ever do that…." He put a hand to his forehead and shook his head slowly. "Come on, I'll take you back to my camp." Weak from spewing my guts twice in one day I blacked out in a very warm place; his arms.

"Cyndaquil," Sora said softly in my ear. "Cyndaquil." I sat up slowly and held my head. It was still spinning a little, but definitely not as bad as before.

"Hey, you're coming to," the same boy from earlier said by a nice large fire. He waved his hand for me to come over and I sat beside him. "How are you feeling? I gave you some medicine. You really scared me back there!"

"Listen, I know this is going to sound weird, but do I know you?" I asked, frowning. He laughed, putting a hand behind his head.

"Jen! It's me, Ethan." I cocked my head to the side. "Your best friend? We've hung out since I don't even know when? Even with Kendall?"

"With…with Kendall?" I replied in shock. I knew both this boys before? Why couldn't I remember?

"Yeah sure," he said. "Anyways, you must really be sick if you can't even remember me. Don't worry though, I'll nurse you back to health. It's my job in life." He sighed but grinned. "Lay back down and get some sleep, I'll keep watch over camp, alright?"

"Okay. Thanks Ethan," I mumbled sleepily. He opened his arms and I crawled into them with, surprisingly, no hesitation. Had we done this before? It felt normal, like nothing was wrong. I close my eyes and put my head on his chest.

"Anything for you, Jen," he said, and I felt something press to the top of my head gently. His lips? "Anything at all. But when you wake up tomorrow, we're back to competing trainers, got it?"

"Of course," I smiled. And with that I fell asleep in an unfamiliar boy's arms….but I still felt that pang in my chest for Kendall.

"You have to be kidding me," I frowned, clamping my hands into fists. "Ethan found her before I did? What a wimp." Totodile looked up at me and frowned.

"Totodile?" he questioned. I shook my head and sighed.

"It's not like I should care anyhow," I tried to reason with myself. "It's not like we're dating. We're rivals. Enemies. I shouldn't have consorted with her at all." I looked back at the scene to see Ethan holding her in his arms by the fire, their Pokémon sleeping happily together. Back when we were kids and we'd all hang out together Ethan and I used to argue over who got to be around Jen the most. He always won. It wasn't surprising to me when I'd see them together, laughing and smiling. She always smiled a little more for Ethan, and that had always bothered me. Just looking at them happily by that fire made me angry again. Before I could explode and walk in on them, yelling, I ran away from the scene and ignored the stupid feeling in my heart that something was wrong.

She's mine. She's mine. She's mine, my heart screamed

She's dead. She's dead. She's dead, my head screamed.

Which one would win?

Well it looks like we leave Jen getting over Escape Rope sickness and in the arms of her newly discovered best friend Ethan! And is Kendall really jealous, or is he going to defeat her so badly in battle it'll send her back to New Bark Town crying? Guess we'll find out in the next chapter of My Rival Stole My Heart!