Chapter 4: Camp Sycamore!

~ Cinnibar Island ~

A young boy named Jason sat staring out his bedroom window, his periwinkle hair in a muddled mess since he had just woken up. He looked to the side of his small bed and saw his Wynaut still sleeping, its arms tucked underneath its head.

Wynaut was one of the few things Jason could enjoy in his lackluster life. After all, it wasn't easy living in almost complete solitude. After the entire Team Rocket organization had officially disbanded for good, Jason's parents were forced to either turn themselves in for arrest or go into hiding. They decided on the latter.

So here he was, living pretty much all alone on a half-ruined island in the Kanto Region. His parents were always out at work, or at least what they called work. Jason knew what they were really up to out there. He always shook his head in disapproval when he thought of them.

It's not like they were bad parents. Well, the term 'bad' is relative. They were loving parents, that was for sure. Despite not having much money, they stopped at nothing to spoil Jason from a very early age. They had been showering him with gifts all his life, but the only one that truly meant anything to Jason was his tenth birthday present: Wynaut.

Wynaut was the child of his mom's Wobbuffet, who was now living happily somewhere in the Kalos region with a group of its own kind. Jason took extremely good care of Wynaut, and the two of them became inseparable since day one. Not that they could've really gotten separated anyway, since Jason was never allowed to leave the house.

Jason thought that today was going to be yet another boring, lifeless day. Every morning and night he would stare out his window for hours on end, imagining what it would be like to explore the outside world. He knew from books that he read that there were people out there called Pokemon trainers, who journeyed the world catching and battling with Pokemon everyday. He longed for the chance to do just that, traveling with Wynaut to all sorts of different places, experiencing new things.

So when Jason saw the boat in the distance, to say that he was excited would have been the understatement of the century.

– –

~ Reflection Cave ~

"Alice, maybe this isn't such a good idea..." Damos said nervously.

Alice ignored him and kept walking ahead of the group. She wasn't in the mood for conversation. She was hungering for adventure.

Brandon walked faster to catch up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe you should just slow down a bit. We need to stick together," he said.

Aaron and Meredith both nodded in agreement. As she walked, Meredith held the ribbon her mother had given her as a good luck charm. Well, to be more accurate, it was half a ribbon...May's half of the Terracotta Town Contest prize. Meredith cherished it, hoping that soon she would be winning contests as well.

"C'mon guys, let's hurry! Maybe something interesting will happen," Alice said, picking up her walking pace. Damos groaned and Brandon just sighed.

The group reached a dead end, walking into a large open space.

A pair of wings fluttered towards the roof of the cavern, but no one had heard it.

"Great. Now we're lost. What now?" Damos complained, sitting down against the wall.

Alice looked around. "There's something here. Something interesting. I just know it!" she said, touching the crystals and feeling the ground.

Brandon heard the faint sound of fluttering wings. He looked up, not seeing anything. "Huh," he said. "I could've sworn I heard something move up there."

Aaron froze. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck sticking up. "Guys," he said, "I don't have a good feeling about this."

Meredith gripped her half-ribbon tightly. "What's wrong, Aaron?" she asked nervously, inching closer to him.

Before anyone could react, a Woobat dropped down from the roof of the cave and started creating a gust of wind directed straight towards the group.

"What is that? Someone get rid of it!" Brandon shouted, holding his arm up in an attempt to block the Gust attack.

"Charmander, I choose you!" Aaron shouted, releasing his Pokemon from its Pokeball. Charmander appeared in a flash of white light, its tail immediately illuminating the area around it.

"Use Dragon Rage on that Pokemon, Charmander!" Aaron commanded. He hadn't noticed, but had instinctively grabbed Meredith's hand as soon as the Woobat had started attacking them.

Charmander released a ball of draconic power towards the Woobat, striking it directly on the nose. The gust of wind stopped as Woobat cried out in pain and flew back up towards the ceiling.

"Piece of cake. Right Charmander?" Aaron said, smiling.

Suddenly, dozens of Woobat swooped down from the ceiling, with one Swoobat among them. They all screeched loudly, their cries echoing throughout the walls of the cave.

"We've got to get out of here!" Aaron shouted. "C'mon!" he started sprinting away from the horde of Woobat, still holding Meredith's hand. Meredith did her best to keep up, stumbling a few times but managing to recover with Aaron's help.

Alice and Brandon were not too far behind as they ran for their lives, trying not to look back at the numerous Bat Pokemon chasing them.

Damos was having a rougher time of it. Several Woobat were using Heart Stamp on him as he desperately tried to escape.

"Charmander, use Ember and help Damos!" Aaron shouted.

Charmander released a powerful flame at the Woobat, scorching Damos's attackers and Damos himself.

The group somehow managed to all find their way out together, sprinting out the mouth of the cave. The Swoobat and Woobat retreated into the depths of the cavern, repulsed by the rays of the bright sun.

Everyone was breathing heavily as they all lay on the ground, exhausted. Luckily, no one had gotten seriously hurt; Damos was the only one who really suffered any injuries at all.

"Thanks, Charmander. You were great back there," Aaron said as he sat up, recalling Charmander back into its Pokeball.

Meredith sat up next to Aaron, blushing. "Thanks for...helping me, Aaron," she said with an appreciative smile on her face.

Aaron smiled back, rubbing underneath his nose. "No problem, Meredith! There's nothing I can't do for my friends!"

Alice, Damos, and Brandon all sat up after about five more minutes of rest. Aaron stood up and faced the rest of the group.

"Everyone ready to move? We're just a couple miles away from Camp Sycamore!" he said excitedly with a big smile on his face.

"All right! I know I'm ready!" Brandon shouted, pumping his fist into the air. "It's high time I started training with Turtwig, so I can't wait to get some good practice at camp!"

The twins both nodded and stood up. Meredith stood up as well, brushing the dirt off her clothes.

The group continued their walk to Camp Sycamore. Aaron talked about how his dad had gotten his first Pokemon way back in Pallet Town, which made for a humorous story.

Meredith hadn't noticed it yet, but the half-ribbon her mother had given her was missing.

– –

~ Camp Sycamore ~

"Thanks for helping with the set up, Phillip. My husband and I really appreciate it," Mairin said.

Phillip beamed as he replied, "Your welcome! I'm glad to assist you with anything you need."

Mairin smiled at the young boy. "You're a sweet boy, Phillip. I'm sure you're going to have a great time at camp!"

Phillip smiled back, but deep down inside he still wondered if he would be able to make friends. After all, he had spent most of his time at home trying to invent things. As a young child, he had rarely left the house to socialize with the other kids in Lumiose City. He glanced over at the camp's entrance, where Professor Sycamore was greeting incoming campers.

Helioptile jumped onto Phillip's shoulder and licked his face. Phillip laughed as he felt the warm comfort his Pokemon provided for him. "You're the best, Helioptile!" he said, petting it on its head.

– –

~ Route 11 ~

"There it is!" Aaron shouted, pointing ahead at the beach.

The exhausted group finally made their way to the entrance of Camp Sycamore.

"Finally!" Alice groaned, dragging her feet behind her as she walked.

Alain Sycamore was there to meet them, his hands outspread wide in a welcoming gesture. "Welcome to Camp Sycamore!" he greeted.

Phillip stood shyly at a distance, not making eye contact with anyone.

The five friends forced smiles as they all said hello to the professor, but they all really just wanted to find their cabins and sleep.

"Professor, I don't mean to sound rude, but we're all very tired from our journey here. Do you think we could maybe get to our cabins right now?" Aaron asked, using his best possible manners.

Alain stopped in his tracks as he recognized the boy before him. This is his boy, he thought. He smiled.

"Of course! I completely understand. After all, you will all need rest for a big day tomorrow! The first day of camp is full of exciting battles!" Alain said. "Now, each of you has been assigned to a cabin, where you will stay with your team. Each cabin has a corresponding team name. Let's see here..." he said as he pulled out a clipboard. "Aaron, Meredith, Brandon, and Phillip; you are all on Team Charmander. Damos and Alice, you are both on Team Cyndaquil. Two boys named Zack and Liam are also on your team, and they are waiting for you at your cabin. Have fun, everyone! I'll see you all in the morning!" And with that, the professor left to go speak with his wife.

Aaron approached Phillip with his hand extended. "Hi! I'm Aaron Ketchum, and I'm from Pallet Town. What's your name?" he asked.

Phillip hesitated, but then shook Aaron's hand. He timidly replied, "My name is Phillip. I...I'm from Lumiose City."

Meredith and Brandon smiled and introduced themselves. Phillip awkwardly greeted them, doing his best to seem friendly. "I'll, uh, show you all to our cabin now," he said, turning and walking towards the houses lining the edge of the beach.

Damos and Alice both frowned at each other.

"I was hoping we'd be in different cabins," Damos said, annoyed that he had to spend more time with his sister.

"Well, I guess that's one thing we have in common," Alice retorted, her arms crossed defiantly. The two twins walked to their cabin, not speaking to one another.

At the main building, Alain Sycamore picked up the phone. He dialed the number he had been dialing for days now.

"Hello, Saffron City Hospital, how can I help you?"

– –

~ Pallet Town ~

"I'm home!" Ash announced as he walked into his house. He had just come back from a long trip.

His wife Serena was there to greet him. "Ash! I'm so happy you're back!" She said as she embraced him, kissing him multiple times.

Ash smiled. "It's good to be home, Serena. But...I'll be leaving soon again. I promised Alain I would show up to Camp Sycamore for at least the first day. You can come with me, if you want," he said, feeling slightly guilty.

Serena nodded her head understandingly. "I think I will! It'll bring back great memories from when we were young, won't it?" she answered with a winning smile. "After all, I do miss traveling the world with a Champion..."

– –

~ Twinleaf Town ~

"You sure you don't want to come with me, dear?" Dawn asked her husband, Kenny.

Kenny shook his head with a smile. "I've got work, Dee Dee. Empoleon and I have to help out the young coordinators at the trainer's school. We've got a field trip tomorrow to Hearthome City, where we're going to witness Fantina's beautiful performances. I'm sorry I can't go with you," he said.

Dawn nodded. "Of course. Work comes first, I suppose. I just wish you could be there with me to surprise Alice and Damos. I think they'll both be thrilled to see me!" she exclaimed happily.

Kenny grinned a little. "I wouldn't be so sure of that, Dee Dee. They left home to get away from us, remember?" he chuckled.

"Oh, stop it. You know they want to see their mother," Dawn replied, packing up the last few things into her suitcase.

– –

~ Camp Sycamore ~

"Do you know who I am?!" Alain angrily shouted into the phone. "My Pokemon needs immediate attention. It's been suffering greatly for days! I need your best doctors out here right now!" Alain was unable to contain his emotions.

"We apologize, Professor. We understand how much your Charizard means to you. Don't worry, everything will be taken care of. We have just sent our absolute best doctor to your camp, Doctor Brock Harrison. We have full confidence in him that he will be able to resolve the problem," the lady answered. "He will be there by tomorrow afternoon."

Alain calmed down a little. "Thank...Thank you..." he said, and he hung up the phone. He walked into his room, where Charizard lay motionless, eyes closed from the pain he was suffering.

– – – –

End of the chapter. Sorry if it was boring; I promise the future chapters will be more interesting. I've just been extremely busy this summer and it's been really tough to find time to write. Anyway, as always, reviews are greatly appreciated! What do you enjoy about this story? What am I doing that you don't like? It's really helpful to know, so please feel free to comment on anything you'd like. It makes writing more enjoyable for me.