-Say hello to the Viligia region Pokédex, the latest in cutting-edge Pokémon technology!-

Pokédex #: #006

Name: Pyrten

Classification: The Fire Marten Pokémon

Type: Fire

Height: 1'02''

Weight: 20.1 lbs.

Known Moves: Ember, Headbutt, Growl, Tail Whip

Abilities: Desperation*

Description: Pyrten, a very kind and gentle species of Pokémon, are known to be very sweet towards their own kind as well as their trainers. However, they are known to have a very bad temper when irritated. Because of this, lazy and immature trainers will feel the wrath of Pyrten if treated badly.

The tiny ember that burns on top of Pyrten's head does not cause pain to the Pokémon, but is just a display of how much "heat energy"(dubbed by the famous Professor Linden) it contains in its body. When Pyrten gets angry, the flame turns into a small inferno. However, when it gets sad, the flame will get smaller. As long as Pyrten is alive, the fire can never be put out (not even water and sand can stop it from burning).

Pokédex #: #012

Name: Kriminaw

Classification: The Mischievous Raccoon Pokémon

Type: Dark

Height: 1'08''

Weight: 18.5 lbs.

Known Moves: Scratch, Bite, Growl, Twitch*

Abilities: Sneaky*

Description: Kriminaws are known to be very gentle and loyal Pokémon. However, they are also known to have a mischievous side, stealing food and shiny things from anything that moves.

Kriminaws are usually seen holding onto their long and bushy tails. They do this because they are known to be easily stressed, and they hold onto their tails and squeeze as a sort of stress reliever.

*All-new moves and abilities that will be explained later.

On a dirt road path next to a clean and grassy open field, with nothing but a few trees and bushes to be seen in the distance, walked a visibly fatigued Shane. His hands were sitting inside his hoodie pockets and his head was looking down, deep in thought.

'What was that back there? What kind of move did Pyrten use?' he asked himself, pulling the Pokéball containing his fiery companion and examining it. He recalled the force that simple roar gave, making the enemy Pokémon get blown away. What kind of power did this Pyrten have? There was another question that was knocking around Shane's mind: will he be able to control this power if he was given the chance?

"I need to figure this out," Shane said to himself, throwing up the Pokéball while doing so. After the Pokéball crashed onto the ground and opened up, out came Pyrten. But… something was wrong.

"Pyrten?" Shane called nervously to the Pokémon, who was lying on the ground and breathing heavily.

"P-P… Pyrten," it called weakly, slightly raising its head. The human and Pokémon locked eyes, both sets filled with worry.

Suddenly, Shane felt a drop of water hit his head. He looked up and saw dark clouds covering the sun, sprinkles of rain beginning to fall onto the ground harder and harder. He looked over at Pyrten, who continued to lie down in spite of the rain, too weak to even take cover.

Shane looked down at his shoes. What was he thinking even considering the idea that he would have a chance at becoming a trainer? His first time using a Pokémon has been a disaster, and the injured Pokémon lying in front of him was obvious proof of that. He just couldn't see it in any other way.

"I-it's my fault," Shane whispered, tears falling down his face. He tightly closed his eyes, trying to get that one thought out of his head, the one that he knew was true but didn't want to face. But it continued to ring like a bell in his mind, unable to stop it:

'Your parents would be disappointed in you if they saw you now.'

This made Shane immediately take action. He quickly picked up Pyrten and began to sprint down the road, the rain starting to become a downpour. Pyrten looked up at Shane in confusion, noticing the tears streaming down his eyes.

"No... no!" Shane yelled to himself, his feet hitting the ground hard and the rain stinging his face. "I'm not letting anyone down! I'm going to fix this!" Pyrten looked at Shane in astonishment, seeing the spirit this boy had.

Shane then looked down at Pyrten. "I'm not going to let you down!"

Suddenly, in the distance, Shane saw a round-looking building. Upon further examination, it turned out to be their saving grace: a Pokémon Center. With its circular red roof, fresh look, and recognizable design, it was surely a sight for sore eyes for any struggling trainer. After making this realization, he began to sprint even faster towards the building.

'I'm fixing this, I'm fixing this,' Shane thought to himself repeatedly. He wasn't going to screw this up. He was going to be a Pokémon center. He was going to make them proud.

As he made it to the Center, the motion-sensored doors immediately opened and Shane charged in. He ran up to the counter and lightly placed Pyrten on it, making sure he didn't hurt Pyrten any more than he already has.

"U-um, can I help you?" the young woman behind the counter asked with a confused and nervous expression. She had light blue eyes and pretty, red hair that was neatly tied up in a ponytail. She had on a white apron with a "PC" logo on it, and underneath that was a pink dress, making the perfect ensemble that made everyone think "nurse".

"P-please… help Pyrten. I-it's h-hurt," Shane gasped out, trying to catch his breathe. He was also shivering, his entire body soaked to the bone from the rain.

"Ok. We'll take care of your Pyrten, but we need to take care of you too. Floraroo, come here, please," the nurse said calmly, motioning for something behind Shane to come over.

Shane looked behind him to see a tiny kangaroo-looking Pokémon hopping towards him. It had light- green fur and a white belly, which was covered by an apron that had the words "Pokémon Center Helper" written with large red letters. Shane could see the kindness in its light green eyes, a white lily next to its right ear completing the ensemble of a sweet and caring Pokémon. It had in its paws a small blanket, which the Pokémon proceeded to put over Shane's shoulders.

Shane gave the Floraroo a little smile. "T-thanks."

The Floraroo smiled back, then hopped away to care for Pyrten. Gently picking up the injured Pokémon, it placed it on a tiny gurney and began to roll it towards double doors in the back of the room. Shane looked past those doors, his mind continuing to beg, 'Please be okay, Pyrten"

The nurse noticed the worried look on Shane's face and gave him a warm smile. "Your Pyrten's going to be just fine."

These words gave Shane comfort and hope. They knew what they were doing, right? Everything's going to be okay, he just knew it. But, those words she said…

'... your Pyrten.'

Shane looked down, his heart starting to break again. 'But it's not mine. I failed it. It probably hates me now.'

He clencehed his fists, not wanting to think about stuff like that. He had to take his mind off it.

"What kind of Pokémon is that? I've never heard of a Floraroo," Shane said to himself, not noticing the nurse hearing this until she responded.

"A Floraroo's a Normal/Grass type, and it's my partner here at the Center," the nurse said, smiling kindly. "She's well-known for being a very gentle and caring Pokémon, so they're the perfect Pokémon to work with in the health care position. But, they are also tough battlers."

Shane looked at the nurse, surprised at what he heard. "That gentle thing is a good battler? It just seems too nice to hurt anything."

The nurse giggled, putting her hands behind her back. "There's more to battling than just brute force. Floraroo's a sneaky battler, using aroma tactics to trick its opponent.

"Wow, that sounds awesome," Shane said, laughing a little. He liked this nurse character, and wanted to learn more about her. "Oh, I'm Shane Rider. And your name is?"

"Everyone here calls me Nurse Joy, but… you can call me Elizabeth. Or Liz, if you want. Either way is fine… heh heh," the nurse began to blush slightly, nervously playing with her hair.

"Okay, Liz. That's a nice name." Shane looked at this nurse, noticing that she looked the same age as him. However, despite this, she had the air of someone much more mature than himself, Shane noticed. She also seemed like a genuinly nice person, one that was making Shane feel more relaxed already.

"Hey, um… how old are you. I mean, if you don't mind me asking," Shane asked, grabbing hold of the blanket on his shoulders and pulling it tighter.

"Oh, I'm 15. Why?" Elizabeth asked, tilting her head quizzically.

"That was how old I thought you were. It's just… aren't you a little young to be running a Pokémon Center?" Shane asked.

"My parents run the entire branch of Pokémon Centers here in the Viglia region. There are 18 Centers in this region, so me and my sisters run each one."

Shane's eyes widened a bit. "Whoa, wait. You have 17 sisters?"

Elizabeth smiled, nodding her head. "Yep. I'm the youngest one, so I look after the smallest Center." She then looked down at her nurse uniform, grabbing the sides of it and frowning. "That also means I get the worst-looking nurse outfit of the bunch."

Without thinking, Shane blurted out. "I think you look cute in your uniform."

Elizabeth looked up at Shane quickly, her face turning beet red and her blue eyes beginning to twinkle. "R-really?"

Shane's eyes widened, his mouth slightly opened. He didn't mean to say that, it just sort of… came out. He knew he had to remedy the situation. "I… um…"

"Smooth talking, man."

Shane jumped when he heard a familiar voice behind him. He turned around to see Damian, a big smirk sitting comfortably on his face.

"D-Damian? What are-" Before Shane could finish his sentence, he heard the sound of a little girl saying, "Hey, it's that boy who has Pyrten!"

Shane looked behind Damian to see Professor Linden, his daughter, and Ben sitting at one of the tables in the waiting area. Linden had a bandage wrapped around his leg, and a walking stick could be seen next to him. The little girl had a small bandage on her face, but she seemed perfectly fine.

Shane felt a wave of relief wash through him. He was so glad they were all okay. However, a wave of anxiety then followed, causing Shane to gulp nervously.

'I have to tell the Professor about Pyrten'.