Once one of my classmates asked my P.E. teacher if he actually wanted to be a teacher. He said no, and said that he wanted to be a fireman. But he was on a waiting list, and nothing was happening, so he decided to get another job instead. He needed food on the table, and waiting around wouldn't do that. So he ended up being a P.E. teacher. But I feel kind bad because I never thought that there were waiting lists for certain jobs…Now I feel bad for my teacher…

Tainted Lavender

Zoey and Charmeleon decided to take a walk in the route next to Vermillion City.

"Wow," said Zoey. "Three badges already. We're really making some real progress here Charmeleon."

Her lizard Pokemon smiled.

"To think, just five more badges."

As the two began walking up to the route sign, they noticed a guy standing next to it. There were also sawhorses, newly placed in the road.

"Um, excuse me mister," Zoey said as she walked up towards the man. "Why is there a blockade in the road?"

"Well little miss," he said. "See, there's this giant sleeping Pokemon that's up farther on the bridge. It goes all the way to Lavender Town. Unfortunately, nobody has been able to wake it up. And the Pokemon Police Force doesn't want us to remove it ourselves because it might give the creature a rude awakening."

"Do you know what Pokemon it is?"

"No."

"Man…" said Zoey sadly. "Now how am I gonna get to Lavender Town…?"

"I can take you there."

Charmeleon turned around and so did her master. Standing behind them was a guy in blue jeans, a black shirt, and a blue jacket with a navy beanie.

"Really? What's your name?"

"Travis, at your service. And may I say, I've never seen such a pretty girl before."

"Oh not you again," said the man. "Travis, how many times do I have to tell you not to try and hit on female travelers?"

"Calm down Uncle. I'm only gonna show this girl how to get to the next town yonder."

"That's what you always say…"

"They get there safely don't they?"

"From what I have heard…"

"Um," Zoey said somewhat timidly. "Can one of you gentlemen just please tell me how to get to Lavender?"

"I'll take you there," said Travis. "Don't worry about a thing angel face."

The boy's uncle sighed. "Please excuse my nephew young miss. My name is Alfred, or Al for short. My older brother runs the power plant near Lavender. I'm usually just patrolling this bridge route from Vermillion to Lavender."

"Nice to meet you. My name is Zoey Ketchum, and this is my partner, Charmeleon."

"Char!"

"Ah, so you're a Pokemon Trainer?" asked Travis.

"Yup. I plan to collect all the badges and be the Kanto Pokemon League Champion!"

"Then you're gonna need to get to Lavender quick. I'll take you there."

"But how? The only route there is blocked…"

"That's what you think. But my Pokemon know a thing or two about the routes around here." He took out a Pokeball and threw it. "Go Dugtrio!"

That same digging Pokemon species Zoey had seen earlier in her journey came out.

"Trio trio!"

"Wow! A Dugtrio! Did you get one at Diglett's Cave?"

"No. I actually got him when he was a Diglett. I trained him and he evolved. Wanna see my other Pokemon?"

"Ok!"

Travis gave a prideful smile. "Go Voltorb and Magnemite!"

"Voltorb!"

"Maaagnemiiite!"

"Cool! Where did you get those?"

"At my dad's Power Plant. There are a lot of wild Electric Pokemon there. Anyway, you wanted to get to Lavender right?"

"Yes."

"Dugtrio knows a shortcut to there. It leads a little outside Cerulean. Wanna go?"

"If it gets me to Lavender in the best possible condition, I'll go."

"Alright then! Dugtrio, show us the way."

Dugtrio burrowed his way into the ground and began making a trail of dirt.

"We'll just follow Dugtrio's trail. He'll lead us to the shortcut."

"Ok."

"See ya Uncle Al!" Travis called back.

"Just don't do anything to that girl."

His nephew only raised his hand.

"Ok Zoey," he said. "So, while we're following this trail, tell me a little about yourself."

"Well, I'm from Pallet Town, and I absolutely love Pokemon of all shapes and sizes. That's about it from me. There's not really much else to say."

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No." Zoey raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Cause a pretty girl like you seems like she would have many guys after her."

Zoey blushed. "No, I don't think so…"

Travis smiled. "Really? So no guys that you know like you?"

"Not that I know of…"

Charmeleon didn't understand the concept of human relationships well, so she decided to stay out of it. However, if this guy tried to make a move that she didn't approve of, Charmeleon was gonna get defensive.

"Well now," said Travis. "Then you don't mind if I try to give you a little kiss right?"

Charmeleon's eyes narrowed.

"Huh?" The girl's blush grew deeper.

Travis put his arm around her waist. "Now, since we're by ourselves, tell me the kinds of things you like."

"I would appreciate it if you didn't make such close physical contact. I'm not used to this kind of stuff."

"Why?"

"I've never been in a relationship before."

Travis let go of her waist. "Sorry about that. Just forget anything happened."

Zoey looked at him. "You know, you're a strange guy Travis. I would of thought that if I told you I've never been in a relationship before, you'd take full advantage of me."

"What? You'd think I'd stoop so low as to take advantage of an innocent girl?" He put his hands in his pockets. "I'm not like most teenage boys. Zoey, you really can't judge a person by first impression. You need to get to know them well. That's kinda hurt…"

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to sound rude…"

Travis chuckled. "It's ok Zoey. Most girls think that of me. I guess that's why I've been slapped across the face a couple of times." He laughed.

"You don't say…"

The boy smiled. "You're really something. You know that right?"

Dugtrio popped out of the ground. "Trio!"

Travis looked in the direction his Pokemon was facing. He could see Cerulean in the distance.

"Yup! There's Cerulean. Zoey, now that we reached our checkpoint, all we have to do is follow that route over there." He pointed to a rocky road in the distance.

"Where does that lead to?"

"Saffron is impassable for some odd reason, so Trainers usually take this route to Rock Tunnel."

"Rock Tunnel?"

"It's a cave near the Power Plant. It also leads to Lavender Town. But unless you have a great deal of knowledge about it, traveling through it can get confusing."

"A cave huh? Well, that sounds like fun!"

Travis looked at her. "Really?"

"Yeah! Charmeleon can provide light for us with her flaming tail. Right buddy?"

Charmeleon nodded.

"Ok then!" said Travis. "Let's get going!"

--------------------------

The three of them, along with Dugtrio, had walked all the way to the cave called Rock Tunnel. Next to it, was a big Pokemon Center.

"I didn't think there was a Pokemon Center here," Zoey said.

"Of course there is," replied Travis. "You see, because many Trainers now take this route to get to Lavender, they get tired and need some rest. This Center is the perfect place to heal."

"But how does Nurse Joy get all the supplies she needs if it's all the way out here?"

"She gets them from Cerulean."

"Oh."

Travis looked around and smiled. He pointed in a direction and said "Zoey, see those two big lightning rods pointing out from behind that hill?"

The girl narrowed her eyes. "Oh yeah, I see them. What about it?"

"That's the Power Plant."

"Can we go there?"

"Not now…Something's been wrong with it, and my dad won't tell me about it…I think it's a Pokemon that's causing all the problems though."

Zoey seemed interested. "What kind?"

"I'll tell you when we get in the cave."

"Alright." Zoey turned to her Pokemon. "Charmeleon, do your stuff."

Charmeleon walked in first, her tail luminating the darkness.

"So," said Travis. "You wanted to know about the Pokemon right?"

"Yeah."

"Ok." He got a thought in his head. "You know Zoey, it gets pretty scary in here. Maybe we should hold hands." He smiled.

She looked at him. "Wow, your uncle had a point…"

"Aw come on! I'm not gonna do anything to you."

"Fine…"

She held his hand and Travis smiled. "Now wasn't that easy?"

"Yes…But I should warn you, make a wrong move, and Charmeleon won't be too happy."

"A move like what?"

"If you try to touch me in any way, or even try to kiss me, Charmeleon will make sure your actions don't go unpunished. That's the kind of Pokemon she is. Protective of her Trainer."

"Charmeleon," replied the lizard.

"Oh alright…fine…I won't do anything to offend you or your Pokemon…"

"Now was that so hard?"

Travis smiled. "You really are something Firecracker."

"Firecracker?"

"If I can't even give you a small peck on the lips, at least let me give you a nickname."

"But why Firecracker?"

"Heh. I'd tell you, but I'm afraid your Charmeleon would bite me."

"On second thought, keep it to yourself…"

Travis chuckled. "So, you wanted to hear about the Pokemon right?"

"Yeah! I would love to!"

"Well, you've heard of the Legendary Bird Pokemon right?"

"Yes. Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos."

"Correct. Now, while Moltres usually lives near volcanoes, Articuno in the freezing regions, where do you think Zapdos will live?"

Zoey thought about it. But she didn't really know how to answer.

"I…I don't know…Maybe somewhere in the mountains?"

"You're bright Zoey. Very smart."

"So Travis…you think that Zapdos….lives near here?!"

"Yeah! I think that's why the Power Plant isn't working properly."

"Oh poor Lavender Town! Their electricity is probably all haywire!"

"Actually, we don't get our electricity from the Power Plant. Saffron does."

"Really? But Lavender is so close to the plant…"

"I know. That's what I don't understand. But it's true. Did you know that it also helps run the train from here to Jhoto?"

"There's a train that leads to Jhoto?!"

"Zoey, you don't get out much do you…?"

"Well nobody ever tells me these things!"

Travis sighed. "Well, there is a train that travels all the way to Goldenrod, one of the cities in Jhoto. Then it stops here in Kanto, but at Saffron. That's how Trainers and people get from region to region. And to get to the other three regions, there are boats."

"Exactly how many regions are there?"

Travis sweatdropped. "Zoey…you're a Trainer, yet you don't know our world's regions?"

The girl blushed. "Well, you don't expect me to know everything do you?!"

"No…but you should at least know that much. I'm not even a Trainer and yet I seem to know more about Pokemon than you!"

"So if you're not a Trainer, then what are you?"

Travis gave a sly smile. "A rocker Firecracker."

"A rocker?"

"Yeah! You don't think we can have Pokemon too or what?"

"It's just that you don't look much like one…"

"We don't all have to wear black and dye our hair you know…"

"Oops. I guess I offended you again huh…?"

"It's ok Zoey. I'm used to it by now." There was a pause. "But you know…you can make up for it with a ki—"

Charmeleon growled.

"Eh…forget I ever said anything." The boy saw a light at the end of the tunnel. "Yeah! There's the exit! Come on!" He pulled Zoey with him towards the end of the tunnel.

---------------------------

Travis and Zoey came out of the cave, followed by Charmeleon. It was nice to see light again. Down below, was Lavender Town.

"Well, there's my hometown," said Travis.

"It looks so quiet."

"It is. But not during the night. It's a nice place to live, and many people all over Kanto come here."

"Why?"

"It's the only place in Kanto with a cemetery."

Charmeleon looked at Zoey, who looked back.

"A…cemetery…?"

"Yeah. It's called Pokemon Tower. Those Pokemon who passed away are buried here. Their owners come and pay their respects. And not just tamed Pokemon. Wild ones are sometimes buried there too."

Zoey felt sad. "Oh…I didn't think that Pokemon can die…I knew that they could faint…but…"

The girl seemed depressed. Charmeleon looked sad too. Travis looked sympathetic.

"Oh…come on Zoey…Don't be all sad…Now come on. Don't start crying…"

"But…" said Zoey as she tried to hold back her tears. "…just thinking about those Trainers who loved their Pokemon…and how much it hurt them now that they're gone…It makes me dread…that if anything were ever to happen to my Pokemon…I'd…I'd…" A tear fell from her eye. She sobbed and tried not to cry.

Charmeleon placed her paw on Zoey's hand. "Char…"

Travis embraced Zoey, who then began to cry.

"What about those young wild Pokemon…whose mothers are gone…"

"Mr. Fuji takes care of them."

"Who's…who's he?"

"He's this really kind old man. He takes care of abandoned and orphaned Pokemon." He stroked her hair.

"But…how does he manage to…"

"I don't know, but he does. A lot of people respect him. And there are daily donations too. Maybe…if you want…we can go visit him."

"Ok…"

Zoey rubbed her eyes and looked at Travis. "Thank you."

"No problem Firecracker."

The sky was painted orange and pink. It was sunset.

"Hey," said Travis. "We better get down there to Lavender. You must be hungry. And tired."

"Oh…well…I can just go to the Pokemon Center and—"

"Are you kidding? You're gonna stay with me! My mom makes really good food and my brother isn't much of a bother. And my dad would love to meet you!"

"You have a brother?"

"Yeah. He's my age. We're…twins I guess…"

"So you look alike?"

"No. See, I have dark brown hair. He has red brown hair. But we both have the same blue eyes."

"Oh."

"Well, come on then! I'm pretty sure your Charmeleon would like something to eat. Wouldn't you girl?"

For the first time, Charmeleon smiled at Travis. "Char! Charmeleon!"

"Ok! Let's go!"

----------------------

By the time Zoey and Travis got down to Lavender, the sun had already set. The sky was starting to get rid of it's orange glow, and was now tainted navy blue.

Zoey noticed the Pokemon Tower, a little beyond some buildings.

"It's scary to be there at night. There are Ghost Pokemon living at the top of the tower," Travis said when he noticed her curiosity.

The girl gazed all the way at the top. She stared at it, and thought she saw a pair of red glowing eyes. Her own eyes froze.

"Zoey?"

She stood there frozen. Travis tugged on her shirt.

"Hey Zoey. Snap out of it. Come on inside. My folks are excited to see you."

"Oh…yes…of…course…"

That was really creepy, thought Zoey as she walked into Travis's door. Those pair of red eyes…what…what did they belong to?

"Mom! I'm home!" yelled Travis.

"Oh honey!" said his mom. "You're here! And you brought home another girlfriend!"

"Mom!" Travis blushed.

"Oops. Sorry sweetie." The woman walked up to Zoey. "Hello there dear. My name is Marie. And this is my Pikachu, Sparkle."

Marie was very pretty and she had cinnamon hair with green eyes. A Pikachu sat on her shoulder. She had a pink bow on her head, like Charmeleon had on her tail.

"Pika pi!"

The woman smiled. "I'm sure you know a lot about my son."

"Yeah. He's really something…"

Marie laughed. "Oh you're a funny one! I'm sure you'd wanna meet his brother." The woman walked towards the stairs and said "Davis! Get down here!" But no answer. Then she turned to Travis.

"Son…please take Zoey to meet your brother. He's always in his room trying to invent something…or thinking about girls…"

"Oh alright," said Travis. "Come on Firecracker—"

"You gave this girl a nickname too? First it was Angelcake, then Princess, and now Firecracker…"

"Mom…just drop it please…Come on Zoey."

Zoey looked at Marie who only smiled warmly and ushered her upstairs, along with Charmeleon.

---------------------------------

"Hey bro!" yelled Travis as he opened up the door to his brother's room.

Davis was sitting on the floor, building something. Well, it was actually more like trying to put something together.

"What Travis?"

"I met a new friend when I went to go visit Uncle Al."

Davis stood up and looked at Zoey. His appearance was just like Travis, except his hair was red brown. And his clothes were exactly like Travis's except they were red. They were twins indeed.

"Woah," said Davis. "Dude, who's the hot chick?"

Zoey blushed and Charmeleon crossed her arms, making sure the two boys didn't try anything funny.

"Um…" began Zoey. "My name is Zoey Ketchum and I'm from Pallet Town. And this is my partner, Charmeleon."

Charmeleon nodded.

"Oh, so you're a Pokemon Trainer?"

"Yup."

"The last two girls Travis brought home were Coordinators. And they didn't end up staying long. They were real girly girls and didn't like our Pokemon. Well, only mom's Pikachu, but not the others. They called our Pokemon ugly and said that they don't like those kinds because they're not cute enough."

"So we kicked them out," said Travis.

"I don't think that's very nice…" Zoey said.

"Well we didn't actually kick them…"

"I didn't mean that. I meant that it wasn't nice of them to say your Pokemon were ugly."

"Our Pokemon mostly consist of Electric types," said Davis. "We tend to like them a lot better than other types. What about you? What kind of Pokemon do you like?"

"Hmm…Well, I like no particular type actually. To be honest, I love all Pokemon, no matter what type or what species they are."

"But some of them are scary to girls. Like Ghost types."

"Well…that may be true…and I'll admit that they do scare me somewhat, but I think that all Pokemon are good and kindhearted deep down."

"You're a real sweetheart. Hey, that should be my nickname for you!"

"No way dude," said Travis to his brother. "Her name's Firecracker."

"Why?"

Travis whispered something in Davis's ear. He smiled.

"Oh ok."

"What?" Zoey said out of curiosity. "Why is that my nickname?"

Travis sighed somewhat happily. "I guess there's no use in hiding it. The reason your nickname is Firecracker is because—"

"You have a killer body," said Davis as he sat down on his bed and gazed at Zoey.

The young Trainer blushed so much, it looked like her face was painted with a red streak across her face.

"Um…I…"

Charmeleon growled. "Char…"

"Boys! Dinner is ready!" shouted Marie from downstairs. "And bring Zoey with you!"

"Ok Firecracker," said Travis. "It's time to taste my mom's homemade cooking!"

------------------------------

As Zoey walked down the stairs to the dinning room, a man came in through the door. He had brown hair and looked like an older version of Travis and Davis.

"Hi Marie," he said as he walked through the door. "How was your day?"

"Just fine dear."

Travis and Davis came downstairs. "Hey dad!"

"Hey! How are my two boys?"

"We're fine," said Travis

"Look who he brought home," Davis said nodding in the direction where Zoey stood.

"Hello," she said kindly.

"Why hello there young miss," said the man. "My name's Edward, the father of these two boys. And your name?"

"I'm Zoey Ketchum from Pallet Town."

"Ah, so you're the Pokemon Prodigy's daughter?"

"Um…yes…?"

"Well it's so nice to meet you! Please, sit down! I would love to hear about your adventure!"

Marie smiled. Her husband and boys loved to hear about other people's adventures.

Zoey told about her adventures so far as she ate the warm dinner that Marie had made. Everyone was impressed.

"You almost died while riding the S.S. Anne?!" said Marie with some panic in her voice.

"Yes. But luckily a Lapras saved me, and that woman I told you about, Marina, took care of me while I was unconscious."

"How scary," said Edward. "Are you ok?"

"Yes. I called my mom as soon as I got back to shore. I also called Professor Gary. My family is close to his. So I talk to him a lot. They both know that I'm alive and well."

"What about your two rivals?" asked Travis.

"Well…they don't know yet…And I don't plan to tell them about it. I want to run into them and see the shocked expressions on their face."

Travis only smiled as did his brother.

"Did you boys tell her about Pokemon Tower?" asked Edward.

"No," said Davis. "I was going to, but then mom called us downstairs for dinner."

"Well, you should tell her since she's here."

"Alright," said Travis. "Zoey, remember how I said that Pokemon Tower is where they burry deceased Pokemon?"

"Yes."

"Well, they say that there have been some…sightings of eyes atop the tower. There's supposedly a secret room all the way at the top. Nobody knows what's up there, but people think ghosts inhabit it."

"Really? That would explain those creepy glowing eyes…"

"You saw them?"

"Before I came into your house, I looked at Pokemon Tower and saw these red glowing eyes. I was so freaked out…"

"Yeah. It was most likely a ghost."

"What kind?"

"Dunno," said Davis. "It could be a human ghost, or a Pokemon ghost. Both kind of ghosts inhabit Lavender Town. You just tend to see more Pokemon spirits than human ones."

"Oh…well, I would love to see that tower."

"We can go tomorrow if you want," said Travis. "Dad, can I take her?"

"Yes. Of course son."

"Hey! No fair! I wanna take Zoey!" complained Davis.

"Boys," said Marie. "You can both take her. But I think it's almost time for bed. Zoey dear, you can stay the night if you'd like."

"I don't want to be a burden…I'll just go to a Pokemon Center."

"No, it's quite alright! We love having company. You can stay in the guest bedroom."

"Oh thank you so much!"

"You're welcome!"

--------------------------

Zoey was laying down in the bed, Charmeleon by her side along with her other Pokemon. She stared up at the ceiling, wondering where Gary and Joey were.

"I wonder how they're doing…" she said to herself. "I hope they're alright…Wait, why am I worrying about them? I mean, I can understand Joey, but why Gary?"

Clefairy was cuddled up next to Zoey. Her fur was very soft and warm. Zoey scratched her Pokemon on her head lovingly. Clefairy cooed in her sleep.

"Fairy…"

There was a low commotion outside. Zoey sat up and listened harder. She went to the window when the noise became more noticeable.

"What's that noise?"

Zoey looked out and saw some shady characters sneaking their way into the Pokemon Tower.

"Huh?"

She thought it looked suspicious, so she put on her regular clothes. Charmeleon and the others woke up.

"Char?"

"Sssh. I think saw somebody sneaking into the tower."

There was a crash and some yelling.

"Get back here thief!"

The rest of the household woke up.

"Zoey!" said Travis and Davis as they barged into her room. "Are you ok?!"

"Yeah."

"Why do you have your clothes on? Shouldn't you be in pajamas?"

"I heard a noise…and…um…wanted to check it out…"

"But it's so late into the night…"

"I know, but I have to. I feel…strange…like something is wrong."

"Well ok. But we're going with you."

Both boys ran out of the room and ran back, their day clothes on their bodies.

"Let's go."

---------------------------------

Zoey and the two boys walked towards Pokemon Tower, when they ran into an old man.

"Mr. Fuji!" said Travis and Davis.

"Why hello there boys…" He seemed troubled.

"What's wrong?"

"Somebody took my Pokeflute…and ran off…I don't know who they were, but they were in black outfits and had a red R on it. One of my assistants saw him."

"Team Rocket!" Zoey said in anger. "Where did they go?!"

"I suspect to Pokemon Tower. By the way, what is your name young lass? I don't remember seeing your face around here."

"Oh. Well my name is Zoey Ketchum. I'm a Pokemon Trainer, aiming to be the Kanto Pokemon League Champion!"

"That's quite a goal there Zoey. Please, come back to my home. I wanna show you something. You boys can come too."

The three kids walked towards Mr. Fuji's house. It was a small and cozy house, but was very big inside when you examined it thoroughly.

There were many Pokemon and some assistants inside as well. They were trying to fix the hole in the wall.

"Wow. There are so many Pokemon here Mr. Fuji," said Zoey.

"Yes. I take care of orphaned and abandoned Pokemon. Occasionally, Trainers come here and adopt them. Bless their souls."

The old man walked towards a group of Pokemon and sat down on the floor. They gathered around him and rested themselves near him.

"These are the orphaned Pokemon who's parents are no longer with us."

"Oh…how sad…"

"Zoey, may I see your Pokemon?"

"Um…ok."

Zoey released all of her Pokemon and Mr. Fuji smiled. "Just by looking at them, I can tell they're very happy being with you. All girls?"

"Yes, but how did you know?"

"I just do. Please, sit down."

Zoey, Travis, and Davis sat down on the floor next to Mr. Fuji.

"Zoey, do you know about Pokemon Tower?"

"Yes. Travis and Davis were telling me about it."

"Do you know about the Ghost Brothers?"

"No…I don't…"

"Well, they were Pokemon who watched over the Tower, and tried their best to be friendly to visitors. But in the end, they scared the guests unintentionally. So they were never seen again. Now they don't protect the Pokemon spirits in the Tower. Cubone's mother was killed there."

"It's mother?"

Mr. Fuji picked up a Pokemon that was sitting next to him. It looked somewhat like a little brown dinosaur with a skull on it's head. It carried a bone in it's hand.

"Cu…cu…cubone…"

"This is the Cubone who's mother was killed. He's been so sad ever since."

"What happened?"

"She was a Marowak who was killed by Team Rocket."

Cubone had tears in his eyes.

"Oh…" said Zoey with sympathy. "Come here." She embraced the little Pokemon and held him in her arms. Cubone looked up at her and blushed innocently. He cuddled in her arms.

Mr. Fuji smiled. "Well Zoey, it looks like Cubone seems to calm down when he's with you."

"He's really cute. I feel so bad that his mother died…"

"Clefairy…" replied her pink Pokemon.

"Is that a Clefairy?"

"Yes Mr. Fuji. I caught her in Mt. Moon. She's really strong in spite of being Normal type. A little mischievous, but loyal and friendly all the way. She's also very hyper and playful. " Zoey giggled while Clefairy played with the curl on her head.

"We could use a Pokemon like her to lighten up this somewhat saddened home," said Mr. Fuji who smiled at Clefairy. She smiled back.

"Well," said Zoey as she gently put down Cubone. "I'm gonna go to Pokemon Tower to see what this whole business is about. I won't let Team Rocket get away with this!"

She returned all her Pokemon and ran out the door. "I'll get back that flute too Mr. Fuji!"

"Should we go after her?" asked Travis.

"Yeah. I mean, it's really late and we haven't even told our parents where we are," Davis said.

"No," said Mr. Fuji. "I think this is something Zoey can handle on her own. She's the Pokemon Prodigy's daughter. I'm sure she can handle it."

The old man looked up at the ceiling as if he were reminiscing. He smiled.

"So young…yet so brave."

Cubone watched Zoey out the window in admiration.

---------------------------------

Zoey and Charmeleon ran to the tower to find that it's door was blasted open. They walked inside. It was very dark, but luckily Charmeleon's fiery tail illuminated the place.

"Wow," said Zoey in a whisper. "It's so big in here." She saw steps leading to the second floor. She climbed them, Charmeleon right behind her.

The second floor was the beginning of many tombstones with names of deceased Pokemon. There were some treats and flowers next to the graves.

"This place is kinda creepy…but…I have to respect the dead."

Charmeleon didn't like it in here much either, but she had to be brave in case she saw a Rocket.

Both of them heard noise and it seemed like it was coming from the upper floors.

"Let's go Charmeleon!"

------------------------------

"This stupid piece of crap doesn't even work," said a man in a Rocket outfit. "I thought it was supposed to bring back the dead!"

"It's a flute you moron," said another man. "We're not supposed to use it here. I don't know why you ran all the way to this stupid tower…It's so big that it'll take us forever to get downstairs again!"

Zoey ran up to the floor where the two Rocket members were. There was actually light in this room. She saw them, and her rage became known.

"Stop right there!"

Both men turned around. "Huh? Who the hell are you?"

"You don't need to know that! I'm gonna take you out right here, right now!"

The first man smiled. "My, what a fiery personality. I like girls like you."

"Well I hate guys like you. Team Rocket are a bunch of lowlifes! And how dare you barge into Pokemon Tower, disturbing the deceased!"

"Who cares about these dumb dead animals," said the first Rocket. "They died because they were weak. Only strong Pokemon are worth living in this world."

Zoey was even angrier. "You're just a big jerk! How can you talk about Pokemon like that?! All of them deserve to live, no matter how strong they are!"

"This girl is getting on my freakin nerves," said the first Rocket. "I'm gonna teach her a lesson." He took out a Pokeball. "Go, Graveler!"

A bulky rough rock Pokemon came out. It had four arms.

"Graveler…"

Zoey took out her Pokedex.

"Graveler, the Rock Pokemon. The evolved form of Geodude. It tumbles down slopes, heedless of any body parts chipping off. It eats a ton of rocks daily."

"A Rock type huh? Then I know exactly who to chose! Go, Nidorina!"

"Nido!"

"Graveler, use Rollout!"

Graveler began to spin rapidly in place. He rolled all the way towards Nidorina, who dodged it by herself.

"Nidorina, use Double Kick!"

Nidorina charged at Graveler and kicked him hard, then again. The Rock Pokemon flew against the wall.

"Damn!" said the Rocket. The second one just watched and sighed.

"What a moron…"

"Nidorina, use Water Pulse!"

Nidorina stood on the ground while water began to materialize above her. The water blasted Graveler who was drenched and fainted.

"Return!" The first Rocket was angry. "You little brat!"

"Nidorina, good job!"

The blue Pokemon smiled as Zoey returned her to her Pokeball.

"Let's get out of here," said the second Rocket.

"No," said the first. "This kid has gotten on my last nerves…"

"When did she even get on your first nerve?"

"Shut up! I think it'd be a good idea to take this girl hostage."

"And what would we ever gain from that? The boss won't have anything to do with her…"

"I know. But I'm pretty sure she'll satisfy our needs…if you know what I mean." He smiled evilly.

The second wasn't as giddy. "You sick bastard…"

Zoey was offended. Charmeleon even more. She opened her mouth and shot a Flamethrower at the Rocket, who barely dodged it.

"Woah! What do you think you're doing kid?! Your Charmeleon could of killed me!"

"Your point?"

"That's it! Come here!"

He ran at her and tackled her down. Charmeleon leapt at him, but the other Rocket caught her by the tail.

"You won't get involved lizard, and neither will I." He threw Charmeleon against the wall, who hit her head hard and blacked out.

"Charmeleon!" cried Zoey.

"Heh, you're out of luck girly," said the first Rocket. "I know just exactly what to do with you. Hmm. It's a good thing you have a well developed body."

Zoey had a look of fear in her eyes. Then, before the Rocket had the chance to do anything, the room went black.

"Huh? What the hell is going on?"

"The lights turned off idiot. What else?"

The Rocket got up. "Then turn them back on—" but he stopped because the room got very cold.

"Why is it so cold in here?" said the second. The next sound he heard, was the first Rocket's scream. "What's wrong?!"

"Gh-gh-gh-"

Three floating figures were hovering overhead. They each had glowing red eyes and cackled.

"GHOSTS!!!"

The Rocket tried to run, but broken tombstones started to fly around the room, and the doors closed shut. The ghosts continued to cackle.

"Ahhh!!! Get us out of here man!!!" he yelled to his partner.

"You're such a sissy! Can't you get one of your Pokemon to get us out?!"

"My Graveler fainted! He can't use Self-Destruct!"

"Oh fine! Go Golem!" Another Rock Pokemon came out.

"Gooolem."

Zoey took this chance to get it's information.

"Golem, the Megaton Pokemon. The final evolution of Geodude. It tumbles down mountains, leaving grooves from peak to base. People are advised to stay clear of these grooves."

"Use Brick Break to smash open the door!"

Golem pounded the door which turned to rubble. Both Rockets ran out of the room when the Pokemon was returned.

"We're not done yet kid," said the second Rocket.

"Yeah!" said the first. "And don't forget. I'm gonna get what I want from you…"

Then they both left.

The three ghosts hovered towards Zoey, who had put away her Pokedex and looked at the figures in horror. They got closer and closer, their eyes still glowing red.

Zoey was really frightened. Charmeleon was unconscious and the poor girl was too afraid to reach for the Pokeballs on her belt. Tears were forming in her eyes as the figures got closer and closer and their laughter louder.

She closed her eyes and screamed.

Woah. That chapter took a little longer than I expected. I think my chapters are gonna get lengthier…but you guys don't mind though…right?

Oh, I named the two brothers Travis and Davis because their names have "vis" at the end of them. Lol XD

And if you can guess where I got their father's name from, I'll give you a cookie. :3