How's everybody doing today? Last chapter, Owen managed to win his second badge thanks to Sawk going beast-mode and destroying Lenora's Watchog. Now, the group is in Castelia city (which will be for a decent amount of time), and Fate's contest will be starting up! Also, a new traveling companion will be introduced soon, and there will be a new Pokemon joining the group. So… let's go!

Owen's team

Snivy, (f), level 10, Tackle, Leer, Absorb, Vine Whip

Pidove, (f), level 17, Tackle, Growl, Gust, Quick Attack

Blitzle, (m), level 13, Quick Attack, Shock Wave

Sawk, (m), level 26, Brick Break, Bulk Up, Mega Punch, Blaze Kick

To say she was excited would be a massive understatement. Fate sprinted through the streets of Castelia city with a smile that flashed across her face. Even though Castelia hadn't treated the group nicely their first time they were in the massive city, she felt like the bustling metropolis was giving her a new outlook on her future.

"Everybody, this is where our future starts. I know we're going to win this contest and a bunch of others!" Fate exclaimed as she looked at all six of her Pokemon. The group seemed to be excited for their very first contest, except Trubbish. She had only been with Fate for about a week and wasn't familiar with her trainer or the other Pokemon Fate owned.

"I like that confidence!" Owen roared as he sprinted over towards Fate with CJ trailing behind him. Snivy nodded in agreement while Owen, Fate, and the other Pokemon waited for CJ to catch up. Hunched over and dripping in sweat, all CJ could do was frown at his exhaustion.

"You two are like the same person, but just in two different bodies. I just don't get how you've never thought about…" his voice trailed off for a moment while he had a mischievous look on his face.

"Eww! I'd never think about dating Owen… no offense," Fate said to the teenage trainer, who didn't seem to be bothered by the comment. "I like guys that are the complete opposite of me: calm, organized, smart-"

"So you're saying you're stupid?" Owen joked while grinning obnoxiously. Fate angrily slapped the boy across the face as they walked into the Pokemon Center, and a large red handprint was plastered onto Owen's face.

"As I was saying… I'm into guys that go with the flow," Fate stated while glancing over at CJ, hoping the older boy was listening.

"Owen, check it out! They have a free buffet over in the food court!" CJ shrieked excitedly, causing Fate to hang her head disappointedly.

"What are we waiting for? Let's eat!" the teen with two badges screamed. As he and CJ sprinted towards the free food, Snivy hopped off Owen's shoulder and walked over to Fate's Pokemon.

(Switch POV)

"Are you guys ready for the contest?" the grass starter asked the six Pokemon.

"I'm not too sure. None of us have any experience doing these things, but we'll do well," Hez answered with a kind smile on his face.

"Obviously. I'm the best performer here, so leave it all to me!" Puff proclaimed.

"Have you ever performed in front of anyone before?" Trubbish asked. Puff glared at the walking and talking trash bag sourly before shaking her head. "Well I can't wait to perform for the crowd!"

"Yeah right."

"What's so funny?" the poison type Pokemon asked hostly while glaring at Angel.

The snickering fire type shook her head as if she had just heard the dumbest question in the world. "Contests are all about beauty, which we all have. You, on the other hand, don't," she sang with an obnoxious smile. The entire group fell silent and turned in anticipation of Trubbish's response. The poison type just stared at Angel in shock. They hadn't had one conversation since Trubbish joined the team, yet Angel didn't feel the need to embrace her.

"Shut up," a voice hissed defensively. Angel looked over at Snivy while she was standing next to Trubbish. "How could you even say that to her? You're teammates!"

Angel laughed at the comments while the rest of the Pokemon watched the confrontation awkwardly. "The only reason you're siding with her is because you're the weakest out of Owen's Pokemon."

Snivy stepped back in prompting Angel to continue her verbal assault.

"Why don't you tell us why you weren't picked by a trainer for a whole year, Snivy?" Angel interrogated with malicious intent. Snivy shook her head defensively. It seemed that Angel had struck a devastating emotional blow to Snivy, and all of the Pokemon noticed it.

"I… I don't have time for this," Snivy said in an attempt to dismiss the curiosity surrounding her past. She scampered away from the awful conversation with Angel, and made her way to Owen, whom she felt much safer around. As she climbed up her trainer's leg and up to his shoulder, the boy began to pet her head.

(Back to human POV)

"Hey, Snivy. How are Fate's Pokemon feeling?" he asked, not realizing how upset his Pokemon was.

Snivy grunted in response.

"Well, let's get settled in our room and then we can go looking around the city. Maybe we could find another Pokemon or two," Owen said as he and CJ rose from the free buffet and began walking back towards Fate, who had the room key for the group. As Owen stood next to Fate, Snivy and Angel glared at one another hatefully.

"Have you guys seen anything yet?" Fate asked nervously as she looked around frantically. Venom flew back down from the sky and shook his head along with Puff.

"What about you, Pidove?" Owen shouted to the flying type. Pidove also shook her head, but continued searching through the sky.

"Damn. We've got to hurry up and find out where we sign up for the contest!" Fate screeched in the middle of the crowded streets of Castelia. Everyone walking by looked at the girl as if she was crazy, but they continued scurrying their way to work.

"Leaf, Wotter and I couldn't find anything either," CJ told Fate as he ran over towards her and Owen. Both Leaf and Wotter sighed disappointedly, but Owen had a look of determination written on his face.

"We're not giving up yet, right Snivy?" Owen asked.

The grass snake shook her head with a fake smile.

"Pidove, thanks for the help! Return!" Owen shouted to the pigeon as he withdrew Pidove back to her Pokeball. The flying type chirped happily before disappearing into the spherical device, which Owen hooked onto his Pokebelt. "Snivy, let's go look somewhere else!" Owen shouted as he turned and sprinted away from Fate. He didn't get far, though, because he smacked right into another person. In an attempt to cushion his fall, Owen stuck out his hands, but they were scratched badly by the street. He then looked around nervously, hoping Snivy hadn't been hurt by the fall. Thankfully, she managed to land on her feet.

"Watch where you're going!" a feminine voice yelled at Owen. As he grimaced at the fresh scratches on his palms, Owen angrily looked up at the person who had knocked him over. He was surprised to see a girl pushing herself up off the ground and brushing the dirt off of her clothes. She had curly blonde hair that reached her shoulders, and her skin was fair. He couldn't help but notice her forest green eyes, which washed away his bitter feelings instantly. There was a strange feeling in his stomach, almost as if there was a pit, and he lost his ability to speak. The girl also wore leggings, a blue tank top, and black boots that went up to her knees. Overall, her outfit looked very stylish. Owen remained speechless as he stood up from his fall, and his mouth hung open at the girl's beauty.

"Are you gonna say anything, stupid?" she snapped.

That was the last straw.

"Maybe you should've moved," Owen retorted as he dusted the dirt off his clothes. He was slightly taken back by what he said, because he knew that the incident was entirely his fault. For some reason, however, he couldn't help but emotionally shoot back. The girl glared at him angrily before shifting her gaze to Fate and CJ.

"Get out of my way. I need to sign up for the contest," she spat before pushing Owen back to the ground.

"You're competing too?" Fate quizzed with a hint of fear behind her voice. The girl nodded obnoxiously, causing Owen and Snivy to spit in disgust. "So am I! My name is Fate Candice Flores. Nice to meet you," she greeted. "By the way, do you know where we're supposed to sign up?"

"I'm Brooklyn Moore, nice to meet you too. And registration is at the Pokemon center," Brooklyn responded with a much more upbeat attitude, which confused Owen. She had just screamed at him, yet the girl was much less hostile towards Fate.

"I'm Cody Johnson, but you can call me CJ." Brooklyn smiled and nodded at CJ, readying herself to leave. Wanting to feel included, Owen spoke up.

"I'm Owen Plateau."

"I didn't ask you," Brooklyn growled. Owen looked down dejectedly, but refused to lose the verbal altercation with Brooklyn. For some odd reason he stepped forwards with a smile placed on his face.

"I'm a coordinator too," he lied as he looked down at Snivy, hoping she would do a trick of some sorts. The grass type bowed humbly, but Brooklyn didn't buy Owen's act for a second. Both Fate and CJ gave each other confused looks before turning their attention back to Owen and Brooklyn.

"You don't look like a coordinator. I bet you're a trainer. A terrible one." Owen clenched his fists tightly, holding back as much anger as possible. His loss to Taylor in the Sinnoh league championship was still ingrained in his mind, and he began to grind his teeth in an attempt hold back his rage. Brooklyn seemed to give him a look, almost as if she knew that he was restraining from exploding.

"I guess we'll see," Owen muttered through closed teeth. Brooklyn flipped her hair to the side before walking off towards the Castelia city Pokemon center while waving to CJ and Fate. Owen stared until Brooklyn and her Dewott disappeared within the crowd of people.

"She really told you off," CJ voiced. "At least she was hot." Owen shook his head in denial as he and Snivy began walking towards the Pokemon center. Looking at one another, Fate and CJ watched in confusion as Owen continued down the street.

"Where are you going?" Fate asked loudly.

"I'm signing up for the contest!"

"Wait for me!" Fate screamed before she and CJ ran after Owen.

Meanwhile, on the roof of a building, a very familiar Pokemon watched Owen and Snivy as they continued their trek to the Pokemon center. He stared and stared until his stomach growled loudly. The Pokemon winced at the pain, and then heard a jingle. The collar on his neck showed his name and where he lived… or at least used to live. His stomach seemed to be getting smaller as each new day arrived, and less food was popping up around the city. He had already lost the ability to shoot fire from his strange looking tail, which left him vulnerable to being attacked. To say he had a tough life was an understatement. Looking back up in a last second effort to find the trainer whom he'd met less than a month ago, the Pokemon couldn't find Owen anywhere. Sadly, the brown and starving animal made its way back down the building and began searching for the food that he so desperately needed. As he began to look through dumpsters for food, he saw a young boy with yellow hair standing across the street from him.

The Pokemon began rubbing his eyes and looked down, not believing what he was seeing. Once he stopped rubbing his eyes and looked back up, the boy was gone.

So, not much action occurred in this chapter, but I think it's nice that I finally threw in a quiet chapter. Anyways, Fate has two new problems to deal with in the contest with Owen and newly met Brooklyn competing. And who the heck is that Pokemon in the last paragraph? Now, Fate's contest will be starting in two chapters and a lot of events will be taking place during the contest, so stay tuned! Till next time, peace out.

1) Do you like Brooklyn? Why do you think she's so mean?

2) What was the Pokemon mentioned at the end of the chapter?

3) What do you think the Pokemon saw in the last sentence? PM me your answer!

Next Chapter: Three's Company, Four's a Crowd