Chapter 6: Suspicions

~ Cinnibar Island ~

"I cannot believe he would dare do such a thing! I just can't wait until he comes home, crying for his mommy!" Jessie exclaimed angrily. She was not taking this well at all.

James sighed. "I'm sure he will come home, honey. Let's just calm down a bit," he said. He won't come back, he thought sadly.

"Don't tell me to calm down! He is in so much trouble when I find him! C'mon, we're leaving. Now!" Jessie shouted. She got up and started angrily packing a suitcase, throwing in objects within the immediate area. James seriously questioned the necessity of some of the things she was packing, such as a large serving spoon, but decided not to say anything.

What have we become...? James thought to himself.

~ Camp Sycamore ~

Brandon woke up in his bed in the Team Charmander cabin. He glanced at the clock, which displayed 7:14. Today's camp activity started at 9. He looked out the window and saw Aaron and Meredith training on the beach together. It looked to him like they were practicing some combination moves. He sighed and looked down at the floor, his heart feeling heavy with melancholy.

– –

For the first time in his life, Jason woke up in an unfamiliar bed. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up and looked around the small cabin he was staying in. Wynaut was still fast asleep beside him. Other than Wynaut, Jason was the only one in the room. Since he hadn't been there for the first day, he was never assigned a team.

I still feel so lonely... he thought to himself. He glanced out the window of the cabin and saw two people on the beach with what looked like two Pokemon with them.

– –

"Hey, that's pretty good! I think that combo will work really well in battle," Aaron said, smiling at Meredith.

Meredith nodded excitedly. "I can't wait to try it out! Although I think today we're just fishing, if I remember correctly."

A boy with light purple hair approached the two trainers slowly, a small blue Pokemon walking beside him.

"Um, hi. My name is Jason," the boy said, standing awkwardly at a distance from them.

Aaron smiled. "What's up? I'm Aaron, and this is my partner Charmander," he said, gesturing towards the Lizard Pokemon beside him.

Meredith stepped up next to Aaron. "Hi! My name is Meredith, and my first Pokemon is Mudkip right here," she said, looking at the Mud Fish Pokemon.

Jason nodded. "It's nice to, uh, meet you. I just, um, wanted to come down and watch you guys train. This is my partner, Wynaut, although I'm not exactly a trainer..." he said, looking down at the ground shamefully.

Aaron shook his head. "Sure you're a trainer! You're here at this camp, aren't you? How about we have a battle? My dad always told me that battling is the best way to get to know someone!" he said.

Jason felt uncertain. I don't even know if Wynaut can fight... he thought. Flashbacks of him and Wynaut playing together back at the island played through his head. There was one where he threw a ball at Wynaut and Wynaut had just stood there, its body glowing a bright shade of red. The ball had bounced back with much more force than what Jason had thrown it with initially. Maybe...that's one of Wynaut's moves? He wondered.

"So? What do you say?" Aaron asked cheerfully. Charmander smiled with a determined look on its face.

Jason looked to Wynaut, who nodded its head, smiling. Jason looked back to Aaron and nodded. "I guess if Wynaut wants to, then I can't say no," he said.

Aaron gave him a thumbs-up. "Alright! Then let's get started!" he said, turning to Meredith. "You wanna ref our match, Mary?"

Meredith was slightly taken aback at being called her childhood nickname. Ever since she had turned nine, she had been wanting to be called by her full name because she felt like it sounded more mature. But hearing Aaron say it again made her blush a little.

Aaron tilted his head a bit. "Mary? You gonna be our ref?" he asked.

Meredith came back to her senses and nodded quickly. "Sure! I'd love to," she said, smiling warmly at him.

Aaron smiled. "Great," he turned to Jason. "You can have the first move!"

Jason shook his head. "Nah, I think it would be better if you started," he said. He didn't want to tell Aaron that he actually wasn't capable of making the first move at the moment. Not until he learned some of Wynaut's moves. I hope Wynaut knows what to do, he thought desperately.

Aaron shrugged. "Well, okay. Suit yourself. Charmander, use Scratch!" he commanded, extending his arm out forward.

With incredible speed, Charmander dashed to Wynaut and slashed at it with its claw.

"Um, uh, Wynaut, block the attack! Like you did with the ball at home!" Jason shouted, clenching his fist with worry.

Wynaut stood its ground and began glowing red, allowing Charmander to attack. Charmander swiped at Wynaut, only to be knocked backward. Charmander's eyes widened with shock as it flew backward and ungracefully landed on the ground.

Aaron knit his eyebrows with confusion. What the...how am I supposed to beat a defense like that?

Jason's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Nice job, Wynaut! Who knew you could battle like that?" he exclaimed, almost jumping with excitement. So this is what having a Pokemon battle feels like, he thought.

Aaron smiled. "I gotta say, I'm impressed already, Jason! But we're just getting' started...Charmander, use Ember!" he shouted.

Charmander jumped into the air and released red-hot flames towards Wynaut. Again, Wynaut stood there and took the attack, only this time it was glowing blue. Wynaut took a step back after suffering the damage, but the reflected Ember attack hit Charmander with twice as much power.

Aaron frowned. It's just reflecting our attacks, but with more power...and I wonder if there's a reason it glowed a different color this time...

Jason laughed lightheartedly. "All right, Wynaut! That was awesome!" he cheered. Wynaut turned and nodded, a big smile on its face.

"Charmander, use Smokescreen!" Aaron said, already forming a plan in his head. He was quick to adapt to unique battling situations like this one.

Charmander nodded, understanding what needed to be done. He opened his mouth and filled the air with black smoke. Wynaut glowed blue, but nothing happened since Smokescreen was not a damaging attack that could be reflected. Aaron was gaining the upper hand.

Jason took a step back. "Wynaut! Are you okay?" he shouted. He looked around frantically, trying to get a glimpse of his Pokemon.

Aaron adjusted his hat. "Now, Charmander, use Dragon Rage!" he calmly commanded.

Wynaut couldn't see it coming, and took the full brunt of the Dragon Rage attack without being able to reflect it back. A large explosion created more smoke in the area. After a few seconds, the smoke cleared and Wynaut was lying in the sand, unconscious.

Meredith held up her hand. "Wynaut is unable to battle, so Charmander is the winner!" she announced. I knew Aaron would win, she thought.

Aaron put his hand on Charmander's head. "Great job, buddy. I knew we could figure that one out!" he said. "Now take a good rest." He recalled Charmander back into its Pokeball.

Jason knelt by Wynaut's side, a guilty look on his face. "Wynaut! I'm so sorry...I shouldn't have battled without knowing what to do..."

Aaron shook his head. "Don't say that! You and Wynaut did just fine for your first battle. I've never seen a strategy like that before!" he said encouragingly.

Jason looked up and smiled a little. "Thanks, Aaron. I appreciate it. I get the feeling you're a really strong trainer."

Aaron scratched the back of his head. "I wouldn't say that. Not yet, at least. But that's what I'm aspiring to be! A Pokemon Master, like my dad, is just what I want to be!"

– –

Ash smiled as he turned away from the window he had been looking out of. He had been watching Aaron and Jason's battle. He's going to be a great trainer, he thought.

"Well good morning, Mr. Ketchum," said a familiar voice from behind him. Ash turned around and smiled.

"Misty! It's been way too long," he said. The childhood friends hugged each other as Misty chuckled a bit.

"It's great to see you again! How's Serena? The last time I saw her was at your wedding," Misty said. "I still can't believe a beautiful Kalos Queen like her married the immature brat I used to travel with," she joked, smiling.

Ash laughed. "Gimme a break! I was only ten back then," he said, remembering the good ol' days of traveling the world with numerous different friends and Pokemon alike.

"That's your son out there, isn't it? He's looking to me like a fantastic trainer in the making," Misty commented, glancing out the window.

Ash nodded. "He sure is. That Charmander of his...I can't wait to see it become a Charizard as powerful as mine. Serena and I couldn't be more proud." He chuckled as he looked out the window. "Who knows...maybe he'll end up battling you for the Cascade Badge someday."

– –

Everyone at Camp Sycamore was now awake and eating breakfast at the dining hall. Rumor had it that they were going to be participating in a fishing competition, and each team member of every cabin was excited.

"Do you guys know if we get to keep the Pokemon we catch?" Alice asked, sipping from a glass of orange juice.

Damos shook his head. "I doubt it, although I'm not so sure. I think it would be best to release the Pokemon after we catch them since it's just for a contest.

The two twins were getting along better after spending more time together at camp. The main reason is because they found some common ground between them: their extreme dislike for Zack.

Zack had insulted their parents for being coordinators. He said that true Pokemon trainers used their Pokemon strictly for battling, and any other purpose for Pokemon was pointless. This had turned into a heated argument between the twins and Zack, and their other team member Liam later joined the twins' side. Liam became a friend of theirs from that point on.

"I hope they let us keep them. I could use a Water-type Pokemon on my team to help against Rock and Ground type Pokemon," Liam said. Beside him, his Cyndaquil ate Pokemon food quietly.

Alice nodded. "You're right! Fire-types like Cyndaquil and Chimchar are weak against Rock and Ground. Maybe I should catch a Water-type, too."

"Attention, all campers!" Alain Sycamore announced. Everyone turned their attention away from their food to the professor standing at the front. "Welcome to day two of Camp Sycamore! Today, it's going to be a battle of wits and patience...fishing! We have a Water-type specialist with us to help you all learn about Water-type Pokemon and how to successfully capture them. Everyone, please give a warm welcome to Misty, the Cerulean City Gym Leader! If you ever need help or have any questions during today's activity, she's the one to ask! Now, let's go fishing!"

– –

"This is boring," Brandon said, yawning as he sat on a rock, fishing rod in hand.

Unfortunately, no one could really disagree with him. For some reason the fish just weren't biting. Not a single camper had caught even a Magikarp. Misty was frantically trying to come up with a possible explanation, but nothing seemed to be adding up. The weather was great, the skies were clear, and the water couldn't be more calm.

Aaron sighed, trying to keep in good spirits. "Something'll turn up eventually. We just have to be patient."

Beside him, Alice rolled her eyes. "I'm tired of waiting. I was looking forward to catching a Water-type Pokemon today!"

Meredith seemed to be more cheerful. "Don't worry guys! I'm sure we'll be getting bites soon. After all, I have my good luck charm right here..." she said as she reached into her pocket. She froze. Her pocket was empty. She quickly pulled her hand out and covered her mouth. Oh my god... she thought. It's not there.

Aaron glanced over at her. "Everything alright, Mary?"

Meredith did her best to act natural. "Um, yeah, everything's just fine!" she returned her attention to her fishing rod.

Aaron raised an eyebrow, but didn't push the matter. Something's not quite right. I'll ask her about it later, he thought.

Damos had practically fallen asleep when he suddenly felt a slight tug on his line. He quickly scrambled to his feet and held a firm grip on the fishing rod. "Guys! I think I have a bite!" he shouted excitedly.

A whole bunch of campers abandoned their rods and crowded around Damos, who was starting to slowly reel in his catch. Everyone waited to see what was coming out.

Damos finally pulled up his fishing rod, swinging his arms up and lifting the Pokemon out of the water. With a big splash, out jumped a weary-looking Magikarp, flopping around on the sand helplessly. Everyone sighed in disappointment.

"Who wants a weak Pokemon like that?"

"I've heard Magikarp can't even do any damage unless it's trained a lot!"

Phillip frowned sympathetically at the wild Magikarp. "Poor thing," he said.

Liam stepped forward. "Cyndaquil, come on out!" he yelled as he tossed a Pokeball into the air. In a flash of white light, the Fire Mouse Pokemon appeared, the flames on its back burning brightly.

A few campers pointed and laughed. Zack was laughing the hardest, his cruel smile representing the terrible person he was.

Liam turned to Damos. "Hey, this was your catch. You gonna let me battle it or what?" he asked.

Damos shrugged. "Go for it, dude. I've heard that Pokemon can't knock over a tower of toothpicks."

Liam smiled and adjusted his hat, moving his messy black hair out of the way. "Okay, Cyndaquil, use Tackle!" he commanded.

Cyndaquil slammed into the helpless Magikarp and sent it flying backward. Magikarp hit the ground hard, flopping slower now.

"Alright, go Pokeball!" Liam shouted, throwing a red-and-white capsule at Magikarp. After shaking three times, the Pokeball clicked and the capture was confirmed.

"Nice job, Cyndaquil! You rock, and you rule!" Liam said, giving his Pokemon a thumbs-up as he picked up his new capture.

Zack stepped up out of the crowd. "How pathetic. You're celebrating such an insignificant capture. What good do you think Magikarp will do you? I'll bet the only attack it knows is Splash. And you're not nearly experienced enough to evolve it. What a loser."

A few other campers nodded in agreement. Zack seemed to have his own little gang behind him.

"Shut up, Zack," Aaron said angrily. He wasn't liking Zack's attitude one bit.

From a distance, Ash, Alain, and the rest of the adults watched the children on the beach.

"Should we...intervene? I feel like as adults, that's the right thing to do," May asked, her hands clasped together worriedly.

Ash, Alain, and Dawn shook their heads, while Misty and Brock remained uncertain.

"Keep quiet, it's getting interesting," Ash said, chuckling.

Zack looked surprised, then just straight-up pissed off. He glared at Aaron as he said, "What did you say to me?"

Meredith clasped her hands together, worried that something bad was going to happen to Aaron.

Aaron laughed. "Who do you think you are? I'll bet you're one of the weakest trainers at this camp. How about a battle to put you in your place?"

Zack hesitated, knowing full well that Aaron was an exceptional trainer for their age. But he couldn't back down now. That would be cowardly.

"I accept. It would be my pleasure to utterly destroy your Pokemon," Zack said, pulling out a Pokeball. "Elekid, standby for battle, now!"

The Electric Pokemon appeared in a flash of white light, sparks buzzing between its horns. It looked like a mean, aggressive Pokemon.

Without a need for command, Charmander emerged from its Pokeball on its own, ready for battle immediately.

Liam stepped between Aaron and Zack. "I'll ref this match for you two. Here on my right, we have Aaron Ketchum from Pallet Town and his Charmander. On my left we have some loser with an electric buzzy thing. This will be a one-on-one battle...begin!"

Zack angrily ignored Liam's snide comments and faced the battlefield. "Elekid, use Quick Attack!"

Elekid broke into a sprint and charged Charmaner with impressive speed.

"Charmander, Scratch! Then use Ember!" Aaron commanded.

Charmander swiped Elekid aside with its claw, then released small flames that hit Elekid directly. Elekid flew backward, taking considerable damage.

Several campers cheered, including Liam, Alice, Damos, Brandon, Meredith, and even Phillip, who had been relatively quiet for the most part of camp so far.

"Elekid, Thunder Punch, now! Do not miss!" Zack shouted angrily.

Charmander was unable to dodge as Elekid powered up its fist with electricity and swung. Crying out, Charmander staggered backward, losing its footing from the impact. It knelt on the sand, seeming weakened a good deal.

"Hey Charmander! You alright?" Aaron asked, worried. Maybe this guy is tougher than I thought.

Suddenly, Charmander began to glow bright white. It stood up, its body growing taller, its tail growing longer. After a few seconds, the light disappeared and Charmeleon stood confidently on the sand with a determined look on its face. Its skin was now red, and claws were longer, sharper. And the flame on its tail was burning brighter than ever.

"Whoa...," Liam said.

"So that's what evolution looks like..." Brandon said, staring.

Aaron's eyes gleamed with excitement and admiration. "Wow! You evolved, Charmeleon! That's awesome!"

Meredith took out her Pokedex. "Charmeleon, the Flame Pokemon. Charmeleon mercilessly destroys its foes using its sharp claws. If it encounters a strong foe, it turns aggressive. In this excited state, the flame at the tip of its tail flares with a bluish white color."

As if on cue, the flame on Charmeleon's tail began to glow a more blue color, with flashes of white within the flame. "Charrr!" it roared, its voice deeper and more hoarse. It was no longer the cute little Charmander Aaron had picked up at Professor Oak's lab.

Zack grunted. "No big deal. It's just an evolution. It happens all the time. It's still a weak Pokemon the way I see it."

"Charmeleon, use Ember!" Aaron commanded, ready to test his Pokemon's newfound power.

Charmeleon opened its mouth and released a huge flame towards Elekid, bursting upon impact. Elekid flew backward, and bits of fire flew in all directions.

Phillip adjusted his glasses. "If I'm not mistaken, that's not Ember, that's the move Flame Burst. One of the side effects of Flame Burst is that nearby Pokemon may be hit by small flames due to the explosion Flame Burst causes upon impact."

Alice turned to face him. "You sure know a lot about Pokemon, Phillip," she said, smiling kindly.

"Elekid, get up now! You are not losing this battle!" Zack shouted, gritting his teeth. His hands were clenched into fists, and beads of sweat were falling down his forehead.

Aaron adjusted his hat. "Okay Charmeleon, let's use-"

Charmeleon didn't wait for Aaron's command. Instead, it instantly released a Dragon Rage attack and proceeded to sprint towards Elekid. Dragon Rage hit Elekid directly, and then Charmeleon used Scratch and knocked Elekid to the ground.

On the sidelines, Ash shook his head. He knew exactly what was going on, and the situation was all too familiar.

"Elekid is unable to battle. Charmeleon wins!" Liam announced, standing beside a fainted Elekid.

Zack recalled Elekid without saying a word to it. "Useless. Just pathetic," he mumbled as he and his gang walked away.

Aaron was a little surprised that Charmander attacked on its own, but he didn't care at that moment. He had just really wanted to win that battle.

"Alright, Charmeleon! You were awesome!" he cheered, petting his Pokemon on the head. Charmeleon smiled and warmly accepted his trainer's affection.

"You were awesome, too, Aaron," Meredith said, blushing a little. Alice and Damos nodded in agreement. "I hope Chimchar can maybe learn a thing or two from your Charmeleon," Alice said.

Brandon and Phillip stepped up. "Nice job, Aaron. I knew you could beat that jerk," Brandon said.

Liam put a hand on Aaron's shoulder. "That was some pretty sweet battling, Aaron. Can I talk to you for a sec?" he asked.

Aaron smiled and nodded. "Sure. But make it quick, I think we're eating lunch soon," he said, walking away with Liam.

Alice raised an eyebrow. "Where do you think they're going?" she asked to no one in particular.

Damos shrugged. "Eh. Who cares? Let's go eat!"

Meredith watched Aaron walk away, curious to know what he and Liam were up to.

Phillip adjusted his glasses. He saw Liam point out towards the water, in the distance. Aaron was nodding as Liam seemed to be explaining something. It looks as if they're formulating a plan of some sort, Phillip thought. But for what?

He looked out into the distance, trying to see what Liam was pointing at. It took him a while, but he could make out the faint outline of a boat. A very large boat.

"So that's the plan. Got it? I know you and I can pull it off. The Magikarp isn't that weak, and it'll take at least a few hours of non-stop training. You in?" Liam asked Aaron.

Aaron nodded, although he seemed slightly skeptical. "But are you sure we'll be able to pull it off so soon? You literally just caught it..."

Liam smiled. A mischievous but good-natured smile. "Don't worry. I've got it all figured out. Just leave it to me," he said confidently.

The campers broke for lunch at the dining hall. Everyone talked about the great battle between Aaron and Zack during the meal. Pretty soon, Aaron was the most popular kid in the camp.

"I can't wait for Turtwig to evolve! Man, that's gonna be so awesome!" Brandon said between bites.

Alice smiled at his enthusiasm. "I hope my Chimchar evolves soon, too. But neither of us have really battled a lot yet...maybe we should train together, Brandon," she said.

Brandon nodded. "Sounds good to me!" he said cheerfully.

As she was eating, Meredith noticed some girls looking at Aaron. And not just looking at him, either. Like, looking at him. She frowned and tried to make it clear with her body language that Aaron was hers. Even though he wasn't really officially hers...yet.

She turned to face Aaron and put a hand on his arm. "Hey, Aaron, maybe we could do some training, too? I was hoping you would have another battle with me and Mudkip," she asked hopefully.

Aaron smiled guiltily. "Sorry, but I've got some special training to do with Liam after we eat. But tomorrow morning I'll be ready for our usual morning training. Sound good?" he asked.

Meredith tried to hide her disappointment. "Oh...okay...yeah I understand." She continued eating, not saying much for the rest of the meal. Special training...I get the feeling there's something else going on...

Lunch was over and the campers were slowly making their way back out to the beach for more fishing time. No one was excited about it, though.

Aaron and Liam broke away from the group. "Alright, let's go," Liam said as he started running, with Aaron following.

Alice, Meredith, and Brandon both frowned. They all looked at each other, coming to a general consensus without having to speak a word.

They followed the two boys into the woods.