Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Obviously.

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"Cynda?"

For a moment, everything was still. I stared at the small rodent-like pokemon before me. It was extremely small, even for a Cyndaquil. It's tan belly and dark blue fur were two major signals of it being a Cyndaquil. That, and when it spoke, it even said "Cynda".

Like most of its species, this Cyndaquil was a timid one, not willing to remain in the presence of me. It fled into the corner, before curling into a tight ball. I watched it for a moment, the way it quivered and shook. It was scared to death of me.

"I-it's alright little guy. I won't hurt you." From my reading and teachings from Professor Elm, I knew not to extend my arm and try to pet it. It would result in the little guy getting scared and possibly razing the whole building. If it was old enough to do that.

If not, it would run away; Cyndaquil's were know for being agile and fast on their feet. For now, the best thing to do was to just wait. So, getting out of the chair, I crouched down and watched the small pokemon. It quivered in fear, and refused to leave the ball. I almost assumed it was using Defense Curl, but I remembered an interesting fact; Cyndaquil's didn't learn Defense Curl until much later in their time. This one looked particularly young. It probably couldn't even light its fire yet.

I heard the clamor from outside, and saw the Cyndaquil slowly beginning to uncurl. Probably to escape the noise outside.

A loud thump- probably a Tackle attack by Chikorita- caused Cyndaquil to lunge away from the wall... straight into my arms. In surprise, I caught the small mouse, and I felt it burrow into my arms to try and feel safe. Within a few seconds, the small pokemon was nestled comfortably into my arms, "safe" from the dangers outside.

It was actually kind of shocking. One second, this little creature was afraid of me and ran upon seeing me, and now, it was nestled like a baby in my arms.

Its soft tan fur tickled my forearms, and its head tried burrowing its way under my arm, but I kept a clench on my arm. No way I was letting it hid under my armpit. Guaranteed that would not end greatly. I'd probably be tickled to death.

But as it sat in my arms, it seemed to calm down and its rapid breathing slowed down some. I heard it begin to softly mumble, and almost purr. I used my small hand mobility to put a few fingers on its small belly. The tan fur barely covered my fingertips as I lightly began to scratch him. Judging by its pattern of tones, and just a general assumption, this Cyndaquil seemed male.

Besides, it was increasingly rare for there to be a female Cyndaquil. The percentages me and Professor Elm had come out to equaled about 13.5%.

I stood up, and slowly carried the small fire-mouse to the door. Grimacing, I realized I had no way of opening the door. I thought I might be able to kick it, but I feared about scaring the Cyndaquil. Knowing it was a risk I needed to take, I wound up my foot, and slammed the door. Cyndaquil fidgeted nervously in my arms, but didn't run away. Perhaps I'd earned its trust?

Taking a step back, I smiled as I heard a pair of footsteps approach the doorway. The door opened, and I saw Professor Elm smiling widely, not yet seeing me. He was obviously pleased with Chikorita and Lyra.

"...guys are looking great! Perhaps you can even become the champions!"

Turning to me, his eyes got wide for a moment.

"W-where did you find this little guy?" Immediately, Lyra and Mr. Terlyn peered inside, trying to see the sudden new distraction. I saw a young Chikorita resting in Lyra's arms, staring just as curiously in. They already looked inseparable.

"I found him in a box? You didn't know he was here?" At first I thought maybe he was being studied, but if Professor Elm didn't know about him... then maybe he wasn't from around here. After all, I didn't recognize him.

"Oh! He must've been the egg that hatched! I knew that design was too intricate to be a Ponyta! You owe me 30 bucks!" I sighed at Professor Elm's triumph. Only he'd find so much excitement in predicting an egg pokemon.

Mr. Terlyn sighed, and began to search his pockets for the 30 bucks. Meanwhile, Professor Elm tried removing the Cyndaquil from my arms- to no avail.

"Little guy has quite the grip..." He said, grunting as he struggled with the young pokemon. Finally, I rolled my eyes, I pulled away.

"Where do you want me to set him?"

Professor Elm smiled, and readjusted his glasses. Walking over the machine he had been working on earlier, he beckoned me to follow. A glass dome opened up and he patted the metal panel.

"Right here. This machine'll do all the tests we need." Nodding, I walked over and placed Cyndaquil on the panel. However, as my arms were almost removed, he began to whimper and shake. Both me and the Professor stopped and looked at each other in surprise. It was rare to see a Pokemon so quickly attached to a trainer.

I placed a hand back on the Cyndaquil, and he stopped shaking. My palm was just about as big as his back- he was incredibly small. Slowly, Professor Elm began the scans, my arm ignored. The machine made some whirring, and mechanical droning noises.

After a span of about 3 minutes, the machine stopped. During that time, I'd watched Chikorita 'talk' with Lyra. She had taken such a quick liking to the leaf pokemon, and they were sharing a bond that I'd never seen first-hand before.

Professor Elm cut the machine's power, and told me it was okay to pick up Cyndaquil again. He seemed content back in my arms, causing me to wonder about him. Why was he so clingy? Did it have to do with his age?

"According to this, Cyndaquil is barely a few days old! He is very, very young! Can't even light his flame yet. Oh well, here. I better take him from you Kyle, sorry... you best find a pokemon you can use."

Now, it may've been the sudden bond I felt for the young pokemon, or how right he felt in my arms, or maybe his squeals when he was removed from my arms, but I stopped Professor Elm before he was able to fully take away Cyndaquil.

"W-wait. I can't keep him?" The desperation in my voice was plainly obvious, but I could tell that everyone was surprised.

Professor Elm stopped taking Cyndaquil, and handed him slowly back to me. "You want him? He's young."

"That's fine." I said, gently stroking his soft fur. "We'll learn and grow- together."

I don't know if it was the fact that finally, I had my own Pokemon... but everything felt right.

"Mom!" I called, finally arriving home. Professor Elm had given me Cyndaquil's pokeball (after catching him with it) and now, he was officially mine. And I was officially a trainer. Everything seemed super exciting.

However, when I got home, I sighed. I almost wanted to leave. My mom was sitting on the couch, in a teary-angry mood. Judging from the glass shards decorating the floor, I'd say she'd had an angry moment. This was (hopefully) the sad.

I was tempted to get up and walk out, but I knew she was my mom, and whether or not I wanted to be in the same room as her during this mood didn't matter. She was family, and I had to take care of her.

"Mom?" I asked softly, carefully making my way to her. She didn't look up, her face still red with tears and flushed with probable anger.

"He's gone. He just left us." She said quietly, probably unaware I could hear her. She often went through moods in which she couldn't hear, or see me. It was really weird and creepy. I'd used to think she was possessed by some ghost-type.

But after hearing her words, I felt kind of bad about getting Cyndaquil. With my new pokemon, meant a possible journey. And with that, meant I'd be leaving shortly. My mom'd be torn apart.

"Mom?" I asked again, hoping for her to continue to ignore me. Luckily for me, she did, and instead, she muttered more. This time, I couldn't understand her incoherent words.

"I'll be leaving... soon." I said, not aware she was staring at me. I'd turned away to fetch some water from the kitchen.

"Leaving... for what?" Her voice was raw and scratchy. Completely new to me; I'd never heard her speak to me in one of her moods unless she was screaming or whispering.

"For a journey." I said, pretending it was no big issue. But the second I spoke, she growled at me, and fiercely said no. And that's when the fireworks began.

"No? NO? HOW CAN'T I GO?" I erupted, unbelieving what I'd heard. I'd never heard of a mother denying her child the wish for traveling the region. It was never easy; but they never said no.

"You're father! That's how!" She screeched, her eyes already filling with tears. I could tell this fight was going to be over fairly quick.

"Well, if you haven't noticed, I'm NOT HIM!" After that, all was silent. She stared at me with tears swimming, in disbelief, like she was finally realizing that I wasn't my father. In fact, I didn't even know him; but learning he was involved with a Pokemon Journey... that was something.

She stood up, glass crunching under her shoes. Good thing she was wearing those. She stared at me for a second before going to the right of the kitchen into her room. She slammed her door- hard.

I sighed, and looked at the clock. 6 P.M. Forming a plan, pulled out my Pokegear, and I called Lyra and Helgi. Maybe we could have a camp-out sleepover.

It rang twice, before I got a familiar "yello?"

"Wow... this was a great idea!" Lyra said, putting the final peg into the tenting. We were right next to the lake, so it seemed like we were actually on a Journey, knowing full well we weren't. Yet.

Helgi nodded in confirmation, his Eevee resting in its pokeball. I stared at my shiny new pokeball, wondering for just a split-second, what Cyndaquil was feeling. Being cooped up inside the contraption, all alone...

That's when I smiled, and pressed the small circular button on the black line. The ball enlarged, and I used my hand, and popped it open. A burst of white light released my new companion, revealing him to the world again.

Slowly, he looked around, unfamiliar with the new surroundings. Finally, he located me, and exclaimed in delight. He jumped up, and right into my arms. Laughing, I caught the small fire-type, and held him protectively. Lyra 'awwed' and Helgi 'Ohhed' in appreciation of my new Pokemon.

Both teens got their pokemon out, and soon, it was a small festival. I got a closer look at Helgi's Eevee. It's brown fur was neatly trimmed, and it seemed quite laid back- just like Helgi. Chikorita walked over to the lake to get some water, and I noticed Cyndaquil's gaze set firmly on it. Perhaps...

I knew I had a crush on Lyra. That much was obvious. And there had been studies done suggesting Pokemon would often reflect their trainers feelings. Cyndaquil barely knew me though; and definitely didn't know Lyra... it couldn't have a crush on Chikorita... could it?

Ignoring that odd fact, I set Cyndaquil down, surprising it. He looked up at me but I shook my head playfully.

"Inside." I said, and without meaning to, everyone obeyed and went inside. It was a fairly large tent, fully capable of holding 3 teens. The interior was plain, and held 3 sleeping bags. The red and black was mine, the blue one Helgi's, and the pink one Lyra's.

Glancing at the time (8:21) I smiled, and got into my sleeping bag without the intention to sleep. I just wanted to get comfy. Cyndaquil was quick to follow, as he wriggled into the bag, and was quick to curl up at my chest. I was on my side to face my friends; who'd assumed similar positions. Chikorita was resting against Lyra's chest, and Eevee on Helgi's head.

"So... we're all trainers now, huh?" Helgi said, breaking the silence. Since setting the tent up, nobody had really said anything. I don't know why, but it was obvious we were all somewhat anxious... and nervous.

"Yeah, guess so." I said quietly, staring at my Cyndaquil. He was sleeping softly, and apparently, I had been softly scratching his belly.

"What're your plans?" Lyra asked us, an excited smile on her face. Putting a finger to his chin, Helgi and I both sat in a thought process for a few seconds. I hadn't put any thought into it really; I just wanted to become the champion.

"I kinda wanna take the Pokemon Gym challenge. You know, gather the badges and challenge the gyms." Helgi explained, a faraway look in his eyes. I figured that to be part of his mother's memory. After all, she was a gym leader; beating her would be a big thing.

"Cool! That's the same here! I totally wanna become the best trainer ever!" Lyra said, a huge grin on her face. Her Chikorita shared the same grin; a mutual determinism.

"Kyle?" Looking up again, I stared into the eyes of my two curious friends. "What're you gonna do?"

I sat in silence. I knew my dream was the exact same; become the best and the champion. But I mean... Cyndaquil... was he a fighting Pokemon? So far, he'd shown little to no potential in fighting, being scared of quite a bit. Plus, he was very young. Was I really going to try with him?

"I suppose... I want the same thing. But Cyndaquil is so... young and inexperienced. Battling doesn't even seem plausible." I said, slightly rubbing his back. The holes were his fire would erupt were cold, and covered by his flameproof fur.

"All our Pokemon are. Chikorita only has a tiny bit of experience." Lyra said, trying to help my thoughts. Except Chikorita seemed competent and highly capable of battling on a whim.

"Yeah, and my Eevee has no experience either. He's really young too. It's a challenge we all have to face- and one we'll all work through." Sometimes, I forgot as dense as both me and my friend came off, there was hidden wisdom within. Helgi was totally right; it was a challenge we'd work through.

Smiling and nodding, I placed my hand out. "Alright guys, let's give this region a run for its money."

Both Helgi and Lyra placed theirs on top of mine. That night, we made a promise. To be our best. One way or another.

...

On a side note, I got a glimpse of Lyra in a bra.

Best. Day. Ever.