June 18th, 2007

"Chimchar use Iron Tail!" Kori yelled. Chimchar jumped into the air. Its flaming tail grew bigger and glowed white as she went for the attack. "CHIM!"

"Corsola dodge it!" Lyssa shouted.

"Corsola!" Corsola managed to move out of the way shortly before Chimchar finally came down, creating a big crack where Chimchar's tail hit.

Kori grinned. "Nice work on that Iron Tail Chimchar!"

"Chim." She answered back, grinning. Since leaving Jubilife City, Kori and Chimchar have been exercising Chimchar's tail as hard as they could to be ready for their gym battle. This was the first successful Iron Tail that had been done so far.

"Now lets see if you can use Iron Tail again!"

"Chim!"

Oshawott sat on a light blue blanket watching the sparring match. "Wott." His nice trainer had just bottle fed him before going to battle and now he watched enviously as Chimchar got to battle. "Wott!"

"Now Corsola use-" Lyssa never completed the command because at that moment, a water attack came. Both Corsola and Chimchar jumped into the air to avoid it.

That was Scald, Kori thought, instantly recognizing the steam that came up from where the attack hit. Both Kori and Lyssa looked at the direction where the attack came from...

And they saw Oshawott standing on top of the blanket.

"Oshawott?" Kori confused. She didn't even know that Oshawott knew how to use Scald. "Chimchar?"

"What was that for Oshawott?" Lyssa yelled. "Cor?"

Oshawott ran over to Kori. He began pulling on her pant leg as soon as he was close enough. "Oshawott wott oshawott," he said, motioning towards Chimchar and Corsola.

"What's the matter Oshawott?" Kori kneeled to the little water pokémon's level. Oshawott kept motioning desperately, it made Kori feel a little guilty for not understanding.

"Osha!" He pulled off his scalchop and began to angriliy slash at the air.

"Oh!" Kori understood now. "You want to battle too?"

Oshawott beamed. "Oshawott!"

Kori looked at Lyssa, unsure. Oshawott had just hatched from its egg two days ago after all.

Lyssa smiled. The scene almost made her forget why she had been angry about in the first place. "That's so adorable! And you should definitely train with Oshawott."

Kori still looked unsure. "Really?"

Lyssa nodded. "Yeah. Oshawott wants to get stronger too and even if you don't use it in this gym battle, you can put him in other battles."

Kori looked back at Oshawott. He looked so hopeful and eager. Who was she not to help him get stronger? "Okay Oshawott." Kori turned to Chimchar "Chimchar, keep battling with Corsola without me okay? You can use your other moves, but remember to practice your Iron Tail."

Chimchar nodded. She went back to training with Corsola. Kori walked farther away with an ecstatic Oshawott. It was finally time for him to shine.

Kori pilled out her pokédex and pointed it at Oshawott. "Oshawott is a male and knows the moves Scald and Air Slash." Air Slash? The father must've been a flying- type then. Kori also pulled out a pokéball amd released Swablu. "Swablu," he called in the sky. "Swablu," Kori called. "Please battle with Oshawott. I'm only going to give orders to Oshawott, so please use any attack you want."

"Swablu." Swablu began with Fury Attack. Kori smiled.

"Oshawott dodge it!" Kori called. Oshawott didn't move and Swablu was coming in fast. "Oshawott I said dodge." Still Oshawott didn't move out of the way, instead he opened his mouth and used Scald. Luckily Swablu managed to dodge before getting hit by the attack.

"Oshawott." Oshawott looked at Kori. "You have to listen to my commands if this is going to work out." Oshawott looked like he was about to cry. Kori put her arms around him. "The attack was great. But I need you to listen to me; I only want what is best for you and I need you to trust my directions okay?"

"Oshawott..." The water- type looked really thoughtful. He really liked his human; she was nice to him, fed him and held him even in his egg. He wanted her to be happy with him. If she said it have to be that way, then maybe that was the way it was. Oshawott nodded. He would trust his human.

Kori smiled. "Good. Now let's get back to work." The pokémon trainer and her two pokémon got back into htier positions, all ready to continue where they left off. Then the ground started shaking.

Lyssa returned Corsola to its pokéball after the skaing began, then Chimchar and her staggered over to Kori, the shaking was so powerful. "What the hell is going on?"

Kori shook her head. She had no idea what was happening either. At that moment, a bunch of cherry shaped pokémon and yellow flower looking pokémon started running past them. Kori, not recognizing the pokémon, took out her pokédex

Cherubi- The Cherry Pokémon. The small ball is not only filled with nutrients, it is also tasty. Starly try to peck it off.

Cherrim- The Blossom Pokémon and the evolved form of Cherubi. If it sense strong sunlight, it opens its folded petals to absorb the sun's rays with its whole body.

"What are they running from?" Kori asked. "Chim?" Chimchar had jumped on her shoulder. Everyone, except Swablu, felt as the tremors grew stronger. Kori picked up Oshawott when she noticed him stumble.

One of the running Cherubi stumbled and tripped at that moment, they all watched a huge pokémon came out of the forest behind the Cherubi with a huge roar.

Rhyperior- The Drill Pokémon. It can launch a rock held in its hand like a missile by tightening, then expanding muscels instantly.

Both Kori and Lyssa watched in horror as Rhyperior was about to crush the fallen Cherubi.

"Wott!" Oshawott jumped out of Kori's arms and started running towards the Rhyperior.

"Oshawott no!" Kori ran after the younger pokémon , who was bravely trying to save Cherubi.

"Kori!" Lyssa yelled, frozen in fear.

Oshawott ran towards the monster of a pokémon. It was about to step on Cherubi, so he used Scald on the wild Rhyperior. Right in the face. Rhyperior was momentarily blinded by the attack and stopped moving, giving Kori enough time to grab Oshawott and Cherubi before turning back around and running.

"Come on!" Kori yelled at Lyssa before running past her. The young photographer snapped out of it. She and the sky bound Swablu hurried in the same direction.

Rhyperior stopped rubbing its face as the burning eventually stopped. Now it was pissed. Rhyperior watched as the human and pokémon ran farther away. It ran after them, roaring.

Kori and Lyssa and their pokémon friends continued to run. They had to stop when they reached a cliff.

"Now what do we do?" Lyssa asked panickly. She was answered by a roar. Rhyperior had caught up with them. They were completely trapped.

"Chimchar!" The fire- type had gotten off of Kori's shoulder. "Oshawott!" Oshawott followed her lead. Swablu flew in front of Rhyperior; all three pokémon were ready to protect Kori if they needed to.

Rhyperior roared and then stomped on the ground, causing a powerful earthquake. Kori and Lyssa couldn't find their footing. They were going to fall. Oshawott attacked Rhyperior with Scald again, hoping that it would stop the Earthquake. He was wrong.

Rhyperior became blinded again and continued to use Earthquake. The ground beneath them crumbled and all of them, including Rhyperior, began to fall. Swablu flew down to them. Kori's arms tightened around the Cherubi. She screamed while she helplessly watched as her Chimchar and Oshawott slowly fall away from her and Lyssa. Swablu flew down, clawing at her clothing to catch her, but she was too big for him to carry. When Kori finally hit the ground,her world turned black.

"Kori... up..." Kori head a faint voice in her black world. "Wake... please." Kori could feel movement on her body. "Get up!" Kori gasped and her eyes open; her world filling with color again. Lyssa was standing over her. "Oh thank god!" Lyssa whispered in relief. "You're awake. How do you feel?"

Kori groaned. She tried to get herself up, but she fell back again. Lyssa help her up. "What happened?"

"We fell off the cliff," Lyssa explained. "I didn't see what happened to Rhyperior, but your Chimchar and Oshawott got separated from us."

Kori remembered. It brought her to the brink of tears. She looked down in her arms; she should have been able to help them. Kori remembered something.

"Where did Cherubi go?" Kori asked. "Did it leave? Was it alright?" She looked to Lyssa in question. Lyssa shrugged, while putting on her brown beret. She honestly forgot about Cherubi. And she didn't remember seeing it once they fell.

"Blu." The girls looked up. Swablu swooped down to Kori and pointed to her chest. "Swablu swab blu."

Kori looked at her chest. She didn't see anything strange. "What is Swablu pointing at?" Lyssa asked Kori. The short haired girl had no idea. "What is it Swablu?"

"Swab." Swablu kept pointing. He touched the point of her chest where her pokéballs were on her bag strap.

"My pokéballs?" What was in there? Swablu answered that question by pushing the button. Something was released from in with a ball of light.

"Cherubi!" It called with a smile. Kori eyes widened. She must have accidentally caught the pokémon during the fall. It stood, smiling at Kori.

"I'm so sorry!" Kori said, remorseful. She kneeled to be closer to Cherubi's level. "I didn't mean to catch you. If you want to be released, I'll understand."

"Cherubi?" Cherubi's smile faltered. She realized that her now trainer didn't mean to catch her, but she didn't mind being caught by her. This human cared enough about her to run towards Rhyperior to save her. Cherubi had no regrets about getting caught. "Cherubi!" Cherubi shook her head. "Cherubi!"

Kori held her hands in surrender. "Alright. You can stay if you want, but we need to find Chimchar and Oshawott right now. Swablu fly into the sky and see if you can find them!" "Swab." Swablu flew away. Kori returned Cherubi to its pokéball. She ran and grabbed Lyssa's hand. "Lets go." Kori dragged Lyssa and didn't notice another person before she bumped into them.

"Watch where you're going!" A boy yelled angrily. Lyssa glared before helping her friend stand again.

This kind of thing happens too often, Kori thought to herself with a sigh. Koria accepted Lyssa's help and saw the person she ran into.

"You!" Kori screamed.

The boy raised one purple eyebrow. "Do I know you?" He asked nastily.

Kori ignored him and glared. This was the trainer that Kori had her first battle with. Kori shook her head; it's not important right now. "Hey, did you see a Chimchar and an Oshawott?"

"Chim?" Kori immediately looked next to the trainer, seeing Chimchar. She felt bright hope only for a moment before quickly feeling despair. This wasn't her little Chimchar, it belongs to some else; probably this same trainer.

"An osha- what?" The boy asked.

"She said an Oshawott," a new voice answered. "It's a water- type. One of the starter pokémon of the Unova Region actually. It's not even known to live in the Sinnoh Region at all."

Lyssa jumped and screamed. Standing next to her was a dark, green haired boy with glasses suddenly appeared behind her. "Where the hell did you come from?" The new boy adjusted his glasses. "My name is Conway," the boy said, not addressing the question. "What seems to be the problem?"

"We fell off the cliff," Kori stated, in tears. "This Rhyperior came out of nowhere..."

"A Rhyperior?" The purple haired boy asked.

"An earthquke and we all fell- I can't find Chimchar and Oshawott-."

"Alright," Conway answered gently. "I'll help. Please just calm down. Then you can tell us what happened."

The other guy just huffed angrily. "What kind of trainer can't even keep track of her pokémon? Useless."

Both Lyssa and Conway glared at him. Insensitive ass. Kori on the other hand cried harder. It was her fault and as their trainer, she should have been able to protect them.

She failed.

Kori's Pokemon

1. CHIMCHAR (female): (EMBER, SCRATCH, IRON TAIL)

2. SWABLU (male): (SING, FURY ATTACK, STEEL WING)

3. OSHATWOTT (male): (SCALD, AIR SLASH)

4. CHERUBI (female): (MOVES UNKNOWN)

Lyssa's Pokemon

1. CORSOLA (female): (MOVES UNKNOWN)