Chapter 1: The Journey Starts Today!

Pallet Town - Zach's House

"Zach! Hurry up! We're gonna be late to get our Starter Pokémon!" said Pat as he stood at the bottom of the stairs. "Dude! I'm coming! Relax." Zach replied from upstairs. "Come on, man! If we don't make it, someone might take the Starter that we want!" Pat replied anxiously. Pat had slept over at Zach's house the night before today. He was all anxious and excited about this special day, that his parents had sent him over to Zach's House to help him calm down. Plus... his House is very close to the Lab. Like... it's literally a one minute walk from the House to the Lab. How do I know this? Well, I have been to his House multiple times. But as I got a little older, I didn't really visit anymore. You see, when you turn 11, that is when some people in school start testing the waters of dating. I've seen it happen... trust me. I've heard rumors go around from the popular kids that when a girl goes to a boys house and spends time with them alone, it confirms that they are dating. I've even heard it from my friend group too; but I chose to shrug it off and ignore it. Anyways, I'm getting off topic here, back to the boys.

Zach finally came downstairs and looked at his best friend; seeing how anxious he was. "Dude, I told you... you have to relax. You're reminding me of how anxious you were on that field trip three years ago." he said. "Huh? What field trip?" Pat asked him curiously. "The field trip to Cinnabar Island that we found out that Taylor got separated from all of us and went to Galar by accident." he replied. "Oh yeah..! That field trip. Man... that one was a disaster... good thing her Mom and Red found out about it and got her home on time." Pat replied. Zach nodded his head in agreement to his response. "Zach?" said a voice. The boys turned to the dining room and saw Zach's Mom walk upto them with a jacket in her arms. "Hi, Mom." said Zach. "You forgot this. Some parts of Kanto are very cold, so you need this to keep you warm." she replied. He gently took the jacket from her and put it in his bag. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." he thanked her. She smiled warmly at him and then gave him a kiss on the cheek; embarrassing him. Pat laughed at his embarrassed look; causing him to glare at him. "Now you better be on your best behavior on your journey. I don't want you to act like your brother on how he started his journey." said Zach's Mom.

"Don't worry, Mom. I won't." Zach replied. "'Cause if you do, you're gonna let Taylor snap you back into reality?" Pat replied with a smirk. Zach blushed hard once Pat said my name. "W-w-whoa... w-what are you t-talking about?" he stuttered nervously. "Yeah... that's what I thought, dude. You're afraid of a girl like her to tell you how to act." he replied. "No I'm not!" Zach replied. "Sure..." he replied as they put on their bags. After that, Zach said his goodbyes to his parents, and then the boys left the House; running to the Lab. As they ran, Pat noticed that Zach was naturally faster than him. I guess all those running exercises in Gym class really have helped him a lot.

Professor Oak's Lab

"Made it!" said Pat. "Yep. We're here." Zach replied. They looked at the door silently and then had a flashback play of their siblings getting their Starter Pokémon for the very first time. To them, it was a feeling of nostalgia, and one of the best days in their lives. After the flashbacks ended, they turned to their right; noticing that something was missing. "Hey? Where's Taylor? She promised that she would be here waiting for us?" Pat asked. "She might be waiting inside, I guess? Maybe she got bored of waiting outside." Zach replied. "Hmm... maybe." Pat replied. They blinked their eyes once, turned to the door, opened it, and went inside. "Hello? Professor?" said Pat. "Grandpa? You in here?" said Zach as they looked around the Lab. Before they got an answer, they heard the sound of an attack outside in the back of the building. "What was that?" said Pat. "I don't know... but come on, let's check it out." Zach replied. "Yeah." Pat replied. After that, the boys went to the back of the Lab and went outside; seeing someone commanding three Pokémon on the training field.

"Who is that?" said Pat curiously. "I don't know... but whoever they are... it looks like they mean business." Zach replied. They watched the three Pokémon stand by their Trainer for the first time, and then saw two big training targets launch to the sky. "Dragonfire, use Dual Wingbeat!" said the Trainer. Dragonfire roared to the sky, flew upto the targets as his wings turned light blue, and hit them; destroying them with ease. He flew back down to his Trainer and saw another target made of metal appear from the ground. "Aurasoul, Blaze Kick!" said the Trainer. Aurasoul nodded his head, and then ran towards the target. As he ran, his right foot began to set a flame. Once he got close; he jumped and used the attack on the target. The target was melted and destroyed after the attack. Aurasoul ran back to his Trainer and both he and Dragonfire gave each other a fist bump; proud of each other and their skills. After they did that, one last target appeared from the ground and then launched itself in the air. "Tetrax, Thunderbolt!" said the Trainer. Tetrax leapt off his Trainer's shoulder and green electricity began to spark out of his cheeks. "Pika-chu!" said Tetrax as he used the attack. The attack hit the target and destroyed it; turning it into dust. Tetrax gently landed on the ground, ran back to his Trainer, and jumped up on their shoulder. "Great job, you three." said the Trainer. The three Pokémon cheered happily to their Trainer's compliment and then hugged their Trainer happily.

"Whoa..." said Zach and Pat in a surprised tone. The three Pokémon ended their hug with their Trainer, and then the group turned to the other side of the field; seeing someone walking upto them. Zach and Pat looked at the person too and realized who it was. "It's the Professor!" said Pat. "So this is where he was? Was he letting this Trainer do some training here?" Zach replied. "Looks like it... but who is this Trainer anyway?" Pat replied. "Let's find out." Zach replied. They nodded their heads and began walking upto the Trainer and Professor Oak silently. They stopped as they got close and then saw Professor Oak and the Trainer shake hands. "Excellent work out there, Taylor. You have raised your Pokémon very well." said Professor Oak. "Thank you, Professor." I replied. Zach and Pat's eyes widened in shock; now knowing the Trainer's identity. "No... way..." said Zach surprised. We ended the handshake, and then turned to my right; seeing Zach and Pat for the first time. "Oh... hey guys. What's up?" I asked them. "Hi, Tay." Pat replied. Zach silently waved at me and looked at my Pokémon closely for the first time; seeing them looking at him. I watched him closely as he looked at them; hoping he doesn't provoke them. "Tay? Are these three your Pokémon? Or someone else's?" he asked me. "Yeah. They're mine. I've had them for five years now." I replied.

"Wait what!?" said Zach and Pat in shock. I lightly laughed sheepishly; scratching the back of my head too. "You've had them for five years? How did that happen?" Pat asked me. "Five years ago, me and my brother went to the Professor's Lab and we found three Pokémon Eggs inside of his office. Those three Eggs were supposed to be showed off at School, but all the adults feared that the kids would be reckless with them and break them. So, I was entrusted by Professor Oak to take care of the Eggs and raise the Pokémon in them as my own. But in order to do that, I had to be registered as a Trainer." I replied. "What!? You became a Trainer way before everyone else in our group!?" he replied in a surprised tone. I nodded my head yes to his question. "Grandpa? Is it true?" Zach asked his grandfather. "It's true. She had an instant connection with the Pokémon inside the Eggs. So I entrusted her with them and registered her as a Trainer. Two weeks later, the Eggs hatched into a Pichu, Charmander, and Riolu. When they first opened their eyes and saw her, they instantly saw her as a Mother figure. Even at a young age, she knew exactly how to take care of them and made sure that they stayed healthy. I was amazed at their development, and I realized that these three Pokémon and Taylor were destined to be together. They have spent many days training at home and at the Indigo Plateau. They have watched many of Red's battles from many Trainers from Kanto and many regions from far and wide. As they watched, Taylor had recorded videos and drawn sketches of the battles to help them come up with many new strategies in battle." Professor Oak replied.

"Wow... that's amazing. Did Red help her out in training too?" Zach replied. "He sure did. He even helped her find Trainers during those five years to help her practice and get used to battling. She made sure to battle Trainers in her age range. Even after winning and losing battles, she always made sure to give her opponents the advice they needed to help build their bonds with their Pokémon. When she got her rematches against the Trainers she lost too, she found a way to overcome the previous defeat and win the battles." Professor Oak replied. Zach and Pat looked at me as I gave my Pokémon gentle head pats; making them happy. They could hear the happy noises coming from them; seeing how happy they were to be with me. "Man... they sure do have a powerful bond." said Pat. "They sure do." Professor Oak replied. Zach stared at me in silence and in awe as my Pokémon nuzzled me happily. He lightly smiled at me and felt his heart skip a beat. As he felt that, he instantly put his hand to chest; feeling his heart beat. "What is going on? Is this.. how am I supposed to feel about someone? How come when I'm always near her, my heart skips a beat? Sure, she makes me happy... but she makes me feel a different kind of happy. Like, a warm and fuzzy kind of feeling of happy. Whatever this feeling is... I hope that one day that I can figure it out." he said in his thoughts. "Hello? Earth to Zach?" said Pat. Zach snapped back into reality, and saw me, Pat, Professor Oak, and my Pokémon close together; looking at him. "H-huh? Sorry, I was lost in thought. Is something wrong?" he asked us.

"Dude... Taylor was asking if you were okay? She saw you put your hand to your chest; thinking something was going wrong with your heart." Pat replied. Zach's eyes lightly widened to Pat's response, and then turned to me; seeing a worried look in my eyes. "Zach? You didn't have a heart attack, did you?" I asked him in a worried tone. His face lightly blushed pink as he looked at me, but he shook it off and shook his head no to my response. "No, I'm fine. I promise you that." he replied. "Okay." I replied in a soft, sad tone as I lowered my head; looking away from him. "Hey... Taylor, I'm sorry. I never meant to make you worry." he replied as he put his hand on my shoulder. I turned to him and looked up at him; seeing a worried look in his eyes. "You got worried when he was like that because of what happened to his Mom, didn't you Tay?" Pat asked me. I blinked my eyes and nodded my head yes to his question. Once Zach heard that, he fully realized why I was worried. His Mom had a heart attack two years ago. We are very lucky that she is still with us; especially Zach and Blue. Ever since then, they have always helping her out with everything around the house and shopping; making sure that it doesn't happen again. To be honest, it has brought their family closer together and they now fully understand each other.

"Tay?" said Zach. I looked at him silently for a few seconds and then looked down to the ground; avoiding his eyes. He gave me a sad look on his face and then gently pulled me in for a hug; trying to comfort me. "Taylor... I am so sorry for making you worry like this. You know that I never want to make you sad or worried. But when I fully understood what Pat had said... I'd never realized that you care about my health. So I promise you this: whenever I am feeling under the weather or in serious pain, I will tell you first before anyone else, because I know that you are the most selfless person that I have ever met. You care about everyone's feelings first before your own, and are willing to do anything to make them happy. And that's what makes me appreciate you so much. You are my best friend, and you will always be. No matter what." he whispered in my ear. I felt my face blush and my heart skip a couple beats when he said that; seeing how much he appreciates me caring about him. I couldn't help but smile warmly at him. He let me go from the hug and saw the warm smile on my face; making him smile warmly too. After that, we all went back inside the Lab and went into the Professor's office; seeing two PokéBalls on his desk.

I stayed by a wall with my Pokémon and looked to Zach and Pat; ready to watch them receive their Starter Pokémon. "It feels a little nostalgic, doesn't it boys?" Professor Oak asked them. "It sure does." Zach replied; making his grandfather smile warmly. "So, Professor? Which Pokémon are in the two PokéBalls?" Pat asked him. "We only have Bulbasaur and Squirtle for today." he replied. "Bulbasaur and Squirtle, huh?" Pat replied. Professor Oak nodded his head yes to his question. "Now choose wisely. Do you want to have the same Starter Pokémon as your older siblings? Or do you both want to switch things up and choose the opposite Starter from them?" he said. They both thought about it for a moment, and then turned to me; looking at my Charizard. After thinking about it, the boys knew what Starter they were going to pick. "Grandpa..? Pat and I want to pick the same Starters that our siblings did. We want to grow with them in our own way; just like they did. And who knows? Maybe we might even become stronger than them?" said Zach. Pat nodded his head to his best friend's response. "Really? Is that so?" Professor Oak asked. Zach and Pat nodded their heads yes to him and smiled happily. I couldn't help but smile at them; seeing that they are now following in Blue and Leaf's footsteps in Starter choice.

"Very well then. I accept your choice and your reason for your Starter. You may now take your Starter Pokémon." said Professor Oak. "Thank you very much!" said both boys happily. They then picked up the two PokéBalls, gently threw them in the air, and saw both Bulbasaur and Squirtle appear in front of them. They landed in their Trainer's arms and smiled happily at them; making them smile back. They then turned to me and my Pokémon; seeing us giving them a thumbs up. They smiled happily at us; seeing that we approve of their choices. After that, Professor Oak gave them the same kind of PokéDex I have, and gave them nearly the same speech as he gave to Red, Blue, and Leaf five years ago. He then gave us some PokéBalls of our own. We put them in our Bags; ready to set off. We then said our goodbyes to the Professor, and then left the Lab. We then went to Zach and Pat's houses to show their parents our Pokémon. After that, they said their goodbyes, and then we finally began to set off on our journey! "The Journey starts today!" Pat cheered. "Bulba!" Pat's Bulbasaur cheered. We couldn't help but smile and lightly laugh; seeing how more excited and anxious he is.

Route 1

"Okay, guys. Which Pokémon should we catch first? Pidgey? Rattata? Caterpie? Spearow?" Pat asked us. "Hmm..? That's a good question. After all, the first catch is the most important one in a Trainer's journey." Zach replied. Squirtle and Bulbasaur walked alongside their Trainer's and then looked at my three Pokémon; seeing them looking around the area. The five Pokémon then looked at each other, and then started to form their friendship. They played with each other near the giant, flat rock that looks over to Pallet Town. I sat on the rock and looked over the town; mentally taking in the atmosphere. I closed my eyes and then began to meditate. Ever since what happened to me five years ago, I began doing meditation as a way to control my power and anger. Plus, it helps me clear my mind when I feel overwhelmed by something. Zach, Pat, and the Pokémon looked up at me and saw what I was doing. They were all curious at first, but it took a few seconds for Tetrax, Aurasoul, and Dragonfire to fully understand what I was doing. They then went over to me quietly and began meditating too; clearing their minds and relaxing under the warm sun.

Zach and Pat climbed up with their Pokémon and sat down beside me. "What is she doing?" Pat whispered. "She's meditating." Zach whispered. "Meditating?" Pat whispered. "Yeah. Meditation is a practice where an individual uses a technique–such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity–to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state." Zach whispered. "Ah. Just like what our Moms do every week in Yoga class?" Pat whispered. Zach nodded his head yes to Pat's response. Squirtle and Bulbasaur walked over to me and decided to join in the meditation session too; making their Trainers do the same. Tetrax, Dragonfire, and Aurasoul opened one of their eyes, and saw their new friends join in on meditating; making them lightly smile. Ten minutes later, I stopped meditating and slowly stood up; seeing everyone meditating near me. I lightly smiled at everyone as they kept on going, and then all of a sudden... I heard a rustle in the grass nearby.

I quickly turned around and leapt down the rock; seeing the grass move. When I leapt down, the group heard my feet land on the ground, opened their eyes, and stopped meditating. "Taylor? What's up?" Zach asked me. "I heard something rustling in the grass over there. I'm waiting to see what it is." I replied. The group turned to where I was looking and heard the grass rustle too. They stood up and looked at the grass move again for a few more seconds, and were prepared to battle. The grass rustled one last time, and then we saw a bird-like Pokémon appear; pecking down at the dirt trying to find food. "A Pidgey?" said Pat curiously. I took out my PokéDex and aimed its camera at Pidgey. "Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. A Normal and Flying type. Pidgey are very gentle and docile, and doesn't usually like to battle, but it won't hesitate to attack if provoked." said my PokéDex. Pidgey kept on pecking the ground for food, and then found a leftover piece of a Berry on the ground. As it ate, Tetrax jumped off the rock and ran upto me; jumping onto my shoulder. "Pika. Pika Pika Pikachu." he said. "Hm? You wanna battle it?" I asked him. "Pi-ka!" he replied. I smiled at him proudly and then nodded my head to him; making him happy.

"Aw man... I was about to call dibs on it." said Pat as he sighed. "Don't worry. We'll help you find another one... just right after I catch this one." I replied. Tetrax leapt off my shoulder and then stared down at Pidgey. It finished eating its Berry, and then turned to Tetrax; seeing him staring at it. Pidgey then jumped up, flapped it wings, flew in mid air, and then began using Wing Attack on him. "Dodge it!" I said. "Pika." Tetrax replied; dodging the attack. Pidgey was surprised to see a Pikachu so fast dodge its attack. "Now use Electroweb to trap it!" I said. "Pika! Pika-pika-pika-pika chu! Pi!" Tetrax replied as he made a green-yellow orb of electricity, flung it at Pidgey, watching it turn into a circular green electric net, and then trap Pidgey; sending it back down to the ground. Pidgey shocked itself in the net for a few seconds, and then found a way to break through the net with its beak. "It got out!? How is that possible!?" said Zach surprised. "Quick Attack!" I said. "Pika! Pika-pika-pika chu!" Tetrax replied as he used the attack on Pidgey. Pidgey shook off the pain, and then tried to use Sand Attack on us, but Tetrax easily got out of the way. "So... you're a tough little guy, aren't ya?" I said to it. "Pid-gey!" Pidgey replied as it flew up high in the sky, and then began its descend; using a powerful attack. "What the... is that?" said Pat. "Yeah... that's Brave Bird. Taylor! Tetrax! Be careful! It's using Brave Bird!" Zach replied.

"Brave Bird huh? Well we can counter that! Tetrax, dodge it and use Thunderbolt!" I replied. Tetrax smirked at Pidgey confidently; showing off his little fang. As Pidgey came close, he used Quick Attack to dodge his opponent's move, leapt up behind it, and then used Thunderbolt on it; making it fall to the ground. "Alright!" Zach and Pat cheered. I smirked confidently and took out a PokéBall; ready to capture Pidgey. "Okay! PokéBall, go!" I said as I threw it. It spun for a couple seconds, touched Pidgey, and then began the capture process. It closed up and landed on the ground. We watched it shake three times, and then the Ball made a dinging sound; confirming the capture. We all smiled happily at the result and we all went over to the Ball. I picked it up in my hand, smiled happily, and then raised it to the sky. "Alright! I caught a Pidgey!" I said happily. "Pi-Pikachu!" Tetrax cheered happily. "Nice work, Tay!" Pat complimented. "Thanks." I replied. "Bulbasaur and I thought that you and Tetrax were so cool when you battled. It was like that you two were completely in sync!" he replied. "Aww thanks." I replied with a slight blush on my face. After that, I got Pidgey out of his PokéBall, healed his wounds, and then began thinking of a name for him as he sat on my other shoulder. "How about... Birdie?" said Pat. "Nah. That's too girly for him. How about... Sky?" Zach replied; leaving us confused.

He looked at us all confused and embarrassed for a moment as we stared at him; wondering why of the name choice. "W-well you know... since he's part Flying type, and they like flying in the sky?" he said nervously. "Dude... I don't think that name will work on him." Pat replied. Zach closed his eyes and sighed in defeat. "Oh come on, Pat. Don't mentally kick him down like that. I think the name is pretty good." I said. Zach lifted his head up and opened his eyes; seeing me defending him. "Seriously?" Pat asked me. "Seriously. At least it's better than Birdie." I replied. "Hey!" he replied. Zach and I laughed happily at his reaction, and then Pidgey flew down to my left knee; looking up at me. I looked down at him, and noticed that he had a couple differences in appearance than normal Pidgey. "Hey... you do have pretty blue eyes. They are the same color as the sky." I complimented. "Gey!" Pidgey replied happily. "And the four tips at the end of your wings... they're also blue. That's amazing. I guess that you come from a strong bloodline to gain these blue tips. You really are a special Pidgey." I replied. "Pid-gey!" he replied happily again. As I looked at his wings again; I started to remember the battle. Seeing how fast and strong he was to keep up with Tetrax; especially having Brave Bird this early in its evolution stage. That strength and speed of the attack reminded me of a Hurricane. Hurricane... that's it! That will be his name!

"Pidgey?" said Pidgey as he flew off my knee and perched back up on my shoulder; looking at me curiously. "I got it. I got the perfect name for you." I replied. "Well this one better be good." said Pat. "Hush, you." I replied to him; making Zach laugh again. I sighed in a annoyed tone, and then looked at my Pidgey. "How about the name: Hurricane?" I asked him. "Pidge? Pidgey!" he replied happily; liking his new name already. "Hey... that's actually a really good name. I like it." said Zach. "Squirtle!" Zach's Squirtle agreed. "Me too!" Pat replied. "Saur!" Pat's Bulbasaur agreed. "Awesome! From now on, your name shall be: Hurricane! Welcome to the team, Hurricane!" I replied happily to my newly caught friend. "Pidge! Pidgey!" Hurricane cheered happily. We smiled happily at him and then watched our Pokémon begin accepting him into the group. "Hey, Zach?" said Pat. "Yeah?" Zach replied. "Can we have our first battle together? After seeing the way Taylor battles... I want to see what our Pokémon can do. If we want to get up to our older sibling's levels... then we should have a battle together. Taylor can be the referee, that is if she wants too... I'm not going to force her." Pat replied. Zach and I looked at each other for a moment, and then looked at Bulbasaur and Squirtle; seeing them looking at us.

"You remember what your Grandpa said, Zach. All Pokémon can choose if they want to battle or not. You can't force them to do battle everytime you send them out." I said. He blinked his eyes once and looked down at his Squirtle; seeing the curiosity in his eyes. "What do you say, Squirtle? Do you want to have a battle with Bulbasaur?" he asked him. Squirtle blinked his eyes, thought about it for a few seconds, and then looked back up at his Trainer. "Squirtle." he replied as he nodded his head yes to the question. "Awesome! Let's get this battle started!" Pat cheered. "Bulba-saur!" Bulbasaur cheered.

Battle! Zach vs. Pat!

The two Trainers stood on opposite sides of the area with their Starter Pokémon; ready to battle. Dragonfire, Aurasoul, Hurricane, Tetrax, and I sat on the flat rock; ready to watch the battle. The boys took out their PokéDexes, let it scan their Pokémon, and found out the moves they were able to use. After that, they put their Dexes away, and looked at each other. "Ready, Zach?" said Pat. "Ready!" Zach replied. "Okay! Battle begin!" I said. "Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!" said Pat. "Bulb! Bul-ba-saur!" said Bulbasaur when he used his attack. "Squirtle!" said Squirtle as he got hit by the vines. He got pushed back a little bit, but he shook it off and stared down at his friend. "You okay, Squirtle?" Zach asked him. "Squirt." he replied. "That's good. Okay! Squirtle, use Bubble Beam!" Zach replied. "Squir-tle!" Squirtle replied as he fired bubbles from his mouth. "Bulbasaur, dodge it with Vine Whip!" said Pat. Bulbasaur smirked confidently and used Vine Whip on the ground to jump and dodge the attack. "What!? It jumped!?" said Zach surprised. "Now use Razor Leaf!" said Pat. "Bulba!" Bulbasaur replied as he used the attack.

"Squirtle, use Rapid Spin to knock the leaves away!" said Zach. Squirtle smirked, hid in his shell, and used Rapid Spin to knock the leaves away; gaining speed as he did this. He then popped out of his shell and looked at Bulbasaur as he landed back on his feet. "Hey! Since when can Squirtle do that?" said Pat. "For a very long time. Squirtle's shell is not only known for protection. They can use it to squirt spouts of water at vigorous force when attacked." Zach replied. "What!?" Pat replied. "But my Squirtle can do something better." Zach replied. "And what would that be?" Pat replied. Zach and Squirtle smirked at their friends; knowing exactly what to do. "You're about to find out. Squirtle, use Ice Beam!" Zach replied. "Squirt! Squir-tle!" Squirtle replied as a light blue ball formed in front of his mouth, fired four light blue beams from it, and hit Bulbasaur. "Bulba!" said Bulbasaur. "No! Bulbasaur!" said Pat in a worried tone. Bulbasaur fell down to the ground from the attack, and fainted. I sat up from the rock and walked over to Bulbasaur; seeing him knocked out. "Bulbasaur is unable to battle. Squirtle wins!" I said.

"Alright! We did it, Squirtle!" Zach cheered happily. "Squirtle!" Squirtle cheered as he jumped up to him; letting him catch and hug him. I knelt down to Bulbasaur, gave him some medicine, and watched him wake up. "Bul-ba." he said as he stood up; feeling a little woozy. "Hi, Bulbasaur. How are you feeling?" I asked him in a motherly tone. Bulbasaur's cheeks blushed pink after I asked him that. He shook it off and then nodded his head to me. "Bulba." he replied with a smile. I lightly smiled at him and gently petted his head; making him happy. We then turned to Pat as he walked upto us and knelt down to us. "I'm sorry that we didn't win, Bulbasaur. You did your very best. And I am so proud of you. We still have so much to learn on our journey. Once when we get used to battling, we can learn of how to overcome many troubles in front of us." Pat apologized. "Bul-ba. Bulbasaur." Bulbasaur replied; accepting his apology. The two shared a little hug, and then we saw Zach and Squirtle walk upto us. Zach extended his hand to Pat; wanting to help him stand back up. He lightly smiled, took his hand, stood back up, and did a handshake with him. "That was a good battle, Pat. You've kept me and Squirtle on our toes." said Zach. "Thanks, man. You guys kept us on our toes too. And one day, we will find a way to stop that Ice Beam and win against you two." Pat replied. "I hope to see that." Zach replied.

They ended the handshake and turned to me; seeing me stand up and look at them. "That was a great battle, you two. I know that you both have the full potential to be stronger that Blue and Leaf one day." I said. "Thanks, Tay." Pat replied. "Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur replied happily. "Squirtle!" Squirtle replied happily. Zach smiled warmly at me and nodded his head in thanks. I lightly smiled at the group, and then a few seconds later... we heard the grass begin to rustle again. We all turned to the grass and saw two Pokémon appear. "Hey! A Pidgey and a Rattata! I call dibs!" said Pat as he readied a PokéBall. "Dibs on who?" Zach replied. "Dibs on the Pidgey. You can have the Rattata." Pat replied. "Seriously?" Zach replied in a slight disappointed tone. "Yep." Pat replied with a smirk. "Fine." Zach sighed. He readied a PokéBall and looked at Pidgey and Rattata; seeing them turn to look at him and Pat. The boys then got into their first wild battle and won. When they threw their PokéBalls at the two wild Pokémon; they both caught the opposite of what they wanted. Zach caught the Pidgey, and Pat caught the Rattata. "What!? I caught Rattata!? How did that happen?" said Pat in shock. "You threw your PokéBall in the wrong direction." Zach told him. Pat sighed in a disappointed tone, and Bulbasaur gave him a pat on the back with one of his vines. "But hey... Rattata is a good catch for you, dude. That strong fang of theirs helps out a lot in battles." Zach replied.

"He's right." I said as I turned my hat backwards and adjusted my bag. "Okay... if you two say so." Pat replied. "Don't worry, man. You will find the perfect Pidgey one day." Zach replied. Pat lightly smiled at us and then did a signature handshake with Zach; making him happy. After that, the three of us had left the area and began our way to Viridian City. As we walked, both Zach and Pat had done a couple Trainer battles and won them. I watched from the sidelines and gave them tips after their battles. After their battles were done, we continued our walk. Thirty minutes later, we finally saw Viridian City up ahead on a hill. "There it is! Viridian City!" said Pat happily. "Wow... it looks so pretty from up here." I replied. "Yeah... it sure does." Zach replied. "Hey, Zach? Isn't this where your brother is now?" Pat replied. "Hm? Oh yeah! The Viridian City Gym. That's where Blue is right now. He is the Leader of the Gym, and the final stop for Trainers before they get to go to the Pokémon League." Zach replied. "Maybe we can try to see him after he does a Gym battle. I have a feeling that he wants to see the Starter that you picked." Pat replied. "Yeah. I guess you're right on that one. Besides, I think Blue's Blastoise might be very happy to see Squirtle join the family." Zach replied. "Squirtle!" Squirtle replied happily. The boys lightly laughed happily and then we all heard our stomachs growl a little bit. "Uh... I guess we should get something to eat first?" Zach asked us. "Yeah... we should. Come on, let's go." I replied. After that, we made our way to Viridian City.

Viridian City

We walked around the City, found a good spot to eat, ordered our food, and then began eating together. "Hey, Tay... we're gonna go to the Gym and see Blue have a Gym Battle. You wanna come?" Pat asked me. I looked at them for a moment as I ate, thought about it, and then shook my head no to his question. "You sure?" Zach asked. "Yeah. I'm sure. I just got a few things on my mind to clear out. I'll meet you guys at the Pokémon Center when I'm done." I replied. "Oh... okay." Pat replied. After that, the boys stood up and left to the Gym. I stood up a few minutes later, and began walking around the City with my Pokémon. I walked inside of a PokéMart, bought some items and Pokémon food for the group, and then went to the Pokémon Center. I sat down with my Pokémon and read a little guidebook. It showed me who are the Gym Leaders of the region, what types of Pokémon they use, and some known little facts about them that people would find out online. "So the first Gym Leader is Brock, huh? And he is a Rock type specialist? According to this... he is the first Gym Leader of the region. I guess that makes him the easiest to some Trainers. But if I use the right type advantage against him, then he should be an easy choice to start with." I said. "Pikachu." Tetrax replied. Aurasoul, Dragonfire, and Hurricane made a confident sound; agreeing with me.

As I was reading and talking to my Pokémon, a girl with pink hair walked into the Pokémon Center with a Pokémon in her arms. She looked around for a couple seconds and then saw me for the first time. Her eyes widened in shock and joy to see me there with four Pokémon; wondering how I got them so fast. She smiled happily and walked over to me. "Taylor?" she said. I blinked my eyes curiously to the voice, put down the guidebook, looked up, and saw the person for the first time. "Zuzu!" I said happily. She smiled happily to me, put down her Pokémon for a moment, and then the two of us hugged each other. "What are you doing here?" I asked her. "I just came back from a Contest in Saffron City. I was about to call my Mom here until I saw you." she replied. "Oh yeah! That Contest! I remember watching it on TV. Congrats on your win." I replied. She lightly laughed happily to my response. "Aw, thanks Tay. You know, your calls always bring me good luck everytime I perform." she replied. "Heh, I guess that I am your good luck charm. I thought one of your Mom's Ribbons would be the charm for you." I replied. "It is, but sometimes it's also having the love and support from your best friends too that can bring you good luck." she replied. "That is true." I replied.

We smiled warmly at each other, and then turned to our Pokémon; seeing them looking at each other. "So, Tay. When did you get these four Pokémon?" she asked me. "It's kind of a long story..." I replied. We sat down and I told her how I got my Pokémon. "Wow... that is amazing. I guess that you have some kind of talent in finding very cool looking Pokémon." she said. "Aw, thanks. And you have a talent when finding cute Pokémon for Contests." I replied. "Oh, you." she replied as she lightly nudged my arm; making me smile. After she did that, her Pokémon jumped up on her lap and looked up at me; staring at me curiously. "Hey... isn't that a Vulpix?" I asked her. "Yep. It sure is. I guess that she is very curious about you." she replied. I took out my Phone and saw my Dex activate. "Vulpix, the Fox Pokémon. A Fire type. At the time of its birth, Vulpix has one white tail. The tail separates into six if this Pokémon receives plenty of love from its Trainer. The six tails become magnificently curled." said my PokéDex. "Vul?" said Zuzu's Vulpix. "It's okay, Vulpix. Taylor is a very good person. Think of her as the calmer version of Yuya." Zuzu replied in a comforting tone. Vulpix blinked her eyes, looked up at me again, and then walked onto my lap; getting a closer look at me. "Hi, Vulpix. It's very nice to meet you." I said.

Vulpix blinked her eyes twice, lightly tilted her head to the left, and then sniffed my right hand. After getting my scent for the first time, she smiled happily and then nuzzled her head onto my hand; letting me gently pet her. "See? I told you that you would like her." said Zuzu happily. "Vulpix!" Vulpix replied happily as she wagged her tails. I stopped petting her and then we saw her start sniffing my right pocket on my jacket. "Ah... I see what you are sniffing here." I said. I took out the item in my pocket and revealed it to her. "You smell the cookie, don't you?" I asked her. "Vul." she replied happily. "Well, I have to ask your Trainer if I can give you a piece." I replied. She blinked her eyes curiously, and then turned to Zuzu; giving her the begging eyes. "Okay. She can give you a little piece. As long as you don't beg for more." said Zuzu. "Vul!" Vulpix replied happily. I broke off a little piece of the cookie and showed it to her. She smiled happily and gently ate the piece off the palm of my hand. "Good job, Vulpix." I said. "Wow... she doesn't let anyone except me to do that for her." Zuzu replied. "Not even Yuya?" I replied. "Yep. Well because he has a certain Pokémon that likes to steal Vulpix's food and Poffins all the time." she replied. "Really? That's interesting." I replied.

"Speaking of Yuya... have you seen him in the City?" she asked me. "Uh... no? I haven't seen him and his brothers for a while." I replied. "Really? Because he told me that he was supposed to be here in the City today. He was going to find his parents and ask them where the next Contest location is." she replied. "I see... so he is a Coordinator too, huh?" I replied. "Yep. He's following his Dad's footsteps to become the greatest Coordinator in the world." she replied. "That's awesome. I hope that he achieves that dream one day... with you by his side." I replied. She blushed cherry red after I said that. If there is one thing that I know about Zuzu personally, it is her big crush on Yuya. When they met when we were little, it was love at first sight for her. As for Yuya, I don't really remember what his first impression of Zuzu was... but I have a feeling that he does like her too. He just doesn't want to admit it yet. I thought about what to say next, but then I heard the snap of a camera go off. "Huh?" I said curiously. I looked at Zuzu and saw her smile at her phone. "Sorry, Tay. I just had to get a picture of you and your Pokémon." she said. "For what?" I asked curiously with my eyebrow raised. "To send to our group; letting them know that you, Zach, and Pat have finally started your journeys." she replied as she showed me the pictures.

My Pokémon walked over to me and saw the pictures too; staring at them curiously. "Pika..." said Tetrax nervously as he grabbed my hat; trying to hide his face. "Aww... is he camera shy?" Zuzu asked me. "Yeah... he is. He is very insecure and self-conscious when it comes to pictures of himself." I replied as I gently hugged him and took my hat back. "Just like you?" she replied. I nodded my head yes to her question. "Well I think that you look great in the picture, Tetrax. There's no need to feel insecure about yourself. I have a feeling that you find a special Pokémon that will like you for how you look." Zuzu comforted Tetrax. Tetrax blushed lightly at the response, and then smiled warmly at her. "Pika-chu." he replied. We smiled happily at him, and then our phones began to beep. "Our group text?" I asked. "Yep." Zuzu replied. She looked at her phone and saw the first text about the pictures. "Of course Yuya responds first." she said. "What did he say?" I replied. "He said: Tay! I miss you! You and your Pokémon look so cool! You guys would definitely win the Coolness Ribbons if you ever join a Contest one day. I hope to meet you again sometime soon!" she replied.

I smiled warmly to the text and gave Zuzu a little side hug. "Aww. That was very nice of him, wasn't it?" she asked me. "Yeah. It was." I replied. Before we said anything else, more texts had begun to come in. In our group chat; besides me, Zach, Pat, Zuzu, and Yuya... there is also Yugo, Yuri, Rin, Lulu, Celina, and Yuto. We've had this group chat on our phones for about a year now. Ever since most of the group left on their journeys, we made this group chat room to talk to each other, and keep in touch everyday. Zuzu and I looked at her phone, and saw the new texts on the screen for the first time.

Yugo: Tay-Tay! You and your Pokémon look so edgy and cool! You even have a Lucario! Now you got me a little jealous of you. Let's have a battle when we meet up!

Yuri: My, my, miss Taylor. Those are some very interesting Pokémon you have there. I guarantee that you have raised them well. If you need any battle tips in the future, be sure to give me a call. I will help you out whenever you are in trouble with something.

Rin: Tay! So this what I heard Yugo scream in the kitchen for. You look so good! And your Pikachu... I want to pet him and hug him. He looks so cute!

Lulu: *screams excitedly* Finally! Tay's on her journey! Miss you, girl! Can't wait to find you sometime soon!

Celina: Yes! Tay, you have the coolest team that I have ever seen; next to Zuzu's of course. If I ever find you, we better have a battle. I wanna see what your team is made of!

We smiled and laughed happily at the texts, but then I noticed someone was not responding in the chat. I looked at Yuto's icon and saw that his phone was on, but he didn't say anything. I guess that whatever he is doing must be very important right now to not notice this. I sadly blinked my eyes and looked away from the phone; not wanting anyone to see me upset. Once I looked away, Zuzu knew immediately what was wrong. "Hey... no need to worry, Tay. I'm sure that Yuto will know about the news soon. I promise. You're his best friend. There is no way that he would ever forget about you." she told me in a comforting tone. I looked at her, blinked my eyes, and showed a little light smile; thanking her for comforting me. She lightly smiled and gave me a side hug. I hugged her back and then heard the door open. We turned to it and saw Zach and Pat walk inside with Squirtle and Bulbasaur. They looked around for a second and then saw us looking at them. Their eyes widened in shock to see Zuzu here; wondering what she has been up too. They walked over and reunited with us.

"Zuzu!" said Pat happily. "Hey, guys! It's good to see you again." she replied happily. "It's good to see you again, too. How are things going? Did you win any more Ribbons in Contests?" Zach replied happily. "Things are going very well. And yep, I've won three more Ribbons. I just need one more Ribbon to get into the Kanto Grand Festival." she replied. "That's great." Zach replied happily. "But the thing is... I don't know where the next Contest is. I was hoping to find Yuya around here, and get the location from him... but I guess that I somehow passed him as I got here. When I walked into the Pokémon Center, I thought that he might've been here to rest up his Pokémon... but when I saw Taylor over here with her Pokémon... I was very shocked and surprised. I thought that her family wouldn't allow her to go on a journey. I guess they finally said yes after all." she replied. "Yeah... me too. I thought her family would say no to her for doing this, but I guess not. Since her brother is the Champion of the region after all. I guess that her Mom said that she can go on a journey... as long as she travels with people that can protect her." Pat replied.

Zach and Zuzu nodded their heads in agreement, and then the group turned to me; seeing Zuzu's Vulpix trying to get Tetrax off my shoulder. "Vulpix!" said Vulpix as she touched Tetrax's tail. "Pika..." Tetrax replied nervously as he moved his tail away; not wanting to shock her. "Hey... it's okay, buddy. She just wants to play with you. That's all. She doesn't want to hurt you." I said comfortingly. "Pika-pi. Pika-chu." Tetrax replied. "Well, if she touches your scars, just don't zap her. She'll know that you don't feel comfortable if they are touched." I replied. Tetrax blinked his eyes at me, crawled down my shoulder, and then stood up on my lap; looking at Vulpix. She tilted her head and then looked at his scars for the first time; wondering how he got them. He scratched the back of his head shyly as she looked at him; while his face lightly turned pink. "Huh? I didn't know that he is shy?" said Pat curiously. "He is. He's mostly shy about his looks." I replied. "So he feels very insecure about himself?" Zach asked. I nodded my head yes to his question. "Well, at least he's got you for comfort and protection. When he's with you, he shouldn't need to worry about what others think of him." he replied. "He's right. He's got you and your Pokémon right by his side. If anyone brings down his self-esteem, he's got you all to defend him and make him feel better about himself." Pat replied.

Tetrax blinked his eyes in awe after hearing what they had to say, He then turned to me and showed me a big smile on his face; showing me how happy and thankful he is right now. I smiled back and gave him a gentle hug. "Cha~" he said happily. I let him go, and then both he and Vulpix jumped down to the floor and began to play with each other. Hurricane flew down from Dragonfire's shoulder and joined in on the fun; making Tetrax and Vulpix happy. Squirtle and Bulbasaur went to play with the little group a few seconds later; making Aurasoul and Dragonfire standby and watch over them. We watched them play and smiled warmly at them. "Wow... it's amazing how they all got along so fast." said Pat. We nodded our heads in agreement to his response. "Excuse me? I heard that someone was looking for the next Contest location?" said a voice. We turned around and saw two adults looking at us. "Mr. and Mrs. Sakaki!" I said happily. They smiled at us happily and then walked over to us. "Well, well... Taylor, Zuzu, Zach, Pat. It's nice to see you four out here in the City. And we also apologize for hearing your conversation." said Mr. Sakaki. "It's nice to see you both out here too. And it's okay. Zuzu was planning to find you both and Yuya before finding me." I replied.

"Oh? Is that true, Zuzu?" Mrs. Sakaki asked. "Uh... yes, that is true. You see, Yuya called me a few days ago and told me that he would be here today to find you and ask you and your husband of the next Contest location." Zuzu replied. "I see. He was in the City about two hours ago; waiting to meet up with you. But once my husband told him of the next Contest location, he decided to leave and prepare for it. He told us that he is sorry to not meet up with you and that he will see you at the Contest." Mrs. Sakaki replied. "Oh... so he was here." Zuzu replied in a slight sad tone. I gently put my hand on her shoulder; comforting her. "Hey... no need to worry, Zuzu. At least now you know that he was waiting for you before he left." I said. She blinked her eyes and then turned to me; seeing a calm look in my eyes. "To me, at least it showed that he really wanted to travel with you and work on his performance with you. Tell you what, wherever the next Contest is... we will go with you there, and we will find him together. I don't want to see you traveling alone or with anyone we don't know. That sound good to you?" I said again. Her eyes lightly widened to my words, and she began to lightly blush and felt her heart skip a beat; now knowing that Yuya really did want to travel with her.

"You... you really mean that? You really want to travel with me while you're on your journey?" she asked me. I nodded my head yes to her. She was very surprised of my answer, and then turned to Zach and Pat; seeing them nod their heads yes as well. "You guys... thank you... you really are the greatest friends that I could've ever asked for." she said as tears began to form in her eyes. Zach, Pat, and I hugged her for a couple minutes, and then saw the smile of joy appear on her face; making us happy. "So what do you say? Do you want to come with us on our journey?" I asked her. She smiled happily and nodded her head yes to me. "Yes. I would love to come with you guys." she replied. "Alright! We have a new travel buddy!" Pat cheered. We laughed happily to his response. "Excuse me? Mr. and Mrs. Sakaki?" said a voice. We all turned around and saw someone walk upto us with a Pokémon by their side. "Ah, Nurse Joy." said Mr. Sakaki. She lightly smiled and looked down at the Pokémon. "Your Boltund should be good and healthy. He is all set for wherever you both will be going." Nurse Joy replied. Boltund barked happily as he reunited with his owners. "Thank you, Nurse Joy. We know that we can always count on you when it comes to Boltund." said Mrs. Sakaki. "Of course." Nurse Joy replied. She waved us goodbye and then went back to work.

"Whoa... so that is a Boltund, huh? I've never seen one before. Is he yours?" said Pat. "Nope. He is Yuya's." Mrs. Sakaki replied. "What!?" Zach, Pat, Zuzu, and I replied. "Mhm. Yuya traveled to the Galar region a few months ago to see Yugo in a competition. When they were both walking around in the Wild Area, Yuya found a little Pokémon called Yamper. Once they saw each other for the first time, they instantly had a connection. He caught him immediately and he saw a lot of potential in Yamper. So, he had been using him in Contests ever since." Mr. Sakaki replied. "Yamper... wait a minute! Now I actually recognize him! I remember seeing him with Yuya for the past few Contests! Wow... so he did evolve." Zuzu replied. Boltund barked happily to her and then began to lightly nuzzle her; making her happy. Zach took out his phone and activated his PokéDex. "Boltund. The Dog Pokémon. An Electric type. And the evolved form of Yamper. It sends electricity through its legs to boost their strength. Running at top speed, it easily breaks 50 mph." said Zach's PokéDex. "Wow... that's impressive." said Zach. "Yeah." Pat replied.

Boltund stopped nuzzling Zuzu, and looked at the Pokémon behind us. He walked over to them curiously and started sniffing them. Once he got Vulpix's scent, he instantly recognized her and started nuzzling her. "Vul-pix!" said Vulpix as she nervously jumped and hid behind Tetrax; wanting him to protect her. Once Boltund saw her do that, he instantly growled at Tetrax; getting jealous of him. Tetrax didn't know what to do and was anxious to do anything. "Boltund! Stop it!" said Zuzu. My eyes widened in shock of what was going on, but I knew that I had to protect my Pokémon at all costs. I took off my jacket and ran upto Tetrax; shielding him from harm. Boltund got more mad at the reaction, and then started running to me. He jumped up at me and bit my left arm. "Taylor!" said the group in shock. Boltund growled angrily as he did this, but once he blinked his eyes and saw my face... he started to panic. He let go of my arm and began backing away from me; whimpering nervously. I slowly lifted my head up to him and turned to the group; seeing the shocked looks on their faces. "Taylor! Are you alright?" Mrs. Sakaki asked me. "Yeah... I'm alright." I replied as I stood up. "No you're not. Look at your arm, Tay. He left a pretty good bite mark on you." Zach replied. I looked down at my arm and saw the bleeding bite mark on it. True, I was feeling pain from it... but I was more concerned about my Pokémon's safety before anything else. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up." said Mrs. Sakaki.

Twenty minutes had passed, and I was sitting down with bandages wrapped around my arm. I had to get the wound cleaned out and make sure that it is uninfected. "Taylor? We are so sorry that this happened. We never thought that Boltund would ever do something like this." said Mr. Sakaki. "No, it's okay. I can tell that he was getting jealous about Vulpix being friendly with other Pokémon. So... I had to step in and protect my Pikachu at all costs. I don't ever want to see him or any of my Pokémon get seriously injured. It's a Trainers job to protect their Pokémon from getting serious injuries in any situation. I did what I had to do what I thought was right." I replied. "But still, that was very dangerous. You could've gotten your arm ripped off." Pat replied. "But I didn't let that happen. You all saw the look on his face after he realized that he bit me." I replied. "That's true. He did get very afraid after that." Zuzu replied. "I guess he didn't realize that his jealousy had taken over him until he bit her." Zach replied. Zuzu nodded her head in agreement to his response. "Aw man... I can't even imagine how Yuya is going to react to this." said Pat nervously. "You kids don't need to worry. We'll tell him everything that had happened." Mrs. Sakaki replied. After she said that, Boltund slowly walked over to me and sat down in front of me. He sadly whined at me and licked my wounded arm as a sign of apology. I lightly smiled at him and gently petted his head. "It's okay, Boltund. It was all a big misunderstanding. I can tell that Vulpix means a lot to you, but you gotta let her make some new friends from time to time. I understand that you were jealous, but you can't let that feeling take over you. Because if you do... it will turn you into something that you don't want to be." I said.

Boltund blinked his eyes, and then nodded his head in understanding; accepting my words to heart. He then turned to Tetrax; seeing him walk over to us. They stared at each other silently for a moment, and then made amends with each other; making us breath a sigh of relief. After that, Boltund barked goodbye to them and walked back to Mrs. Sakaki. "Come on, boy. Let's get you back to Yuya, and prepare you for Vermilion City." she said. Boltund barked happily to her response; ready to see his Trainer again. "Wait... Vermilion City? Is that where the next Contest is?" Zuzu asked her. She nodded her head yes to her question. Zuzu smiled happily to the answer; now knowing where the next Contest is and where Yuya is heading. After that, we said our goodbyes to Mr. and Mrs. Sakaki. Once they left, we all left the Pokémon Center together and began making our way to Route 22; wanting to train and catch Pokémon for a bit.

"Oh! Zach, did you tell her?" said Pat. "Tell who?" Zach replied. "Taylor? About your brother?" he replied. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot!" Zach replied in a surprised tone. "What about your brother?" I asked. "He wants to know if you are really doing the League Challenge." he replied. "The League Challenge? Wait a second... is she seriously going to do this? She wants to win the Eight badges of the League to face her brother?" Zuzu replied. Zach and I nodded our heads yes to her question. "But doesn't he have a very strong team? He could figure out anyone's strategy in seconds." she replied. "True... but if I raise my Pokémon the right way and help them become stronger than ever before... maybe we can find a way to beat him." I replied. "Well, you know that you have us and our whole group cheering for you, Tay. We know that you can do it!" Pat replied happily; making me smile. "Then what about you two? What do you both dream to be?" Zuzu replied. "Well... I want to be a Researcher, just like my Grandpa. I want to study of how Pokémon came into the world and lived alongside humans for many centuries. I want to know how it all began." Zach replied. "And I want to be an Inventor. I want to build things that help people and Pokémon live better and longer in this world. I want to make things that will make everyone happy." Pat replied.

"Wow... those are amazing dreams." said Zuzu. "Thank you, Zuzu." Pat and Zach replied happily. She smiled happily to them, and then turned to me; seeing me read the Gym guidebook again. "Learning about the Gym Leaders?" she asked me. I lightly jumped in shock and turned to Zuzu; seeing that she caught me off-guard. She lightly laughed happily to my reaction; liking the surprised look on my face. I then nodded my head yes to her question. "So, Tay. Where's the first Gym at?" Zach asked me. "In Pewter City." I replied. "Pewter City? That's where Celina is!" Zuzu replied. "Wait, really!?" Pat replied in shock. As he said that, we noticed that his cheeks were turned pink. "Oh... so you have a crush on her, eh bud?" I replied with a smirk. Pat's eyes widened in shock to my question, and then he turned away from me; feeling his face turn red. "Oh man... I'm going to love telling her that one." said Zach with a smirk. "Stop! Both of you!" Pat replied in a scared, worried tone. "Dude, relax. I was just kidding. I'm not going to tell anybody about you having a crush on her. Even the girls won't tell anybody." Zach replied. "You guys swear?" Pat replied. "We swear." I replied.

He breathed a sigh of relief and lightly smiled at the answer. We lightly smiled back at him, and then all of a sudden we heard the sounds of a battle. "What was that?" said Zach. "It sounded like a battle. Let's check it out." I replied. After that, we began running to where the battle was; wondering what kind of battle was happening.

Route 22

Two Trainers stood across from each other on the field with their Pokémon in front of them. One Trainer stood tall with a lollipop in their mouth and looked at their opponent nervously, and the other Trainer stood tall with confidence; knowing exactly how to win this battle. "Munchlax, use Focus Punch!" said the first Trainer. "Munch! Munch-" Munchlax replied as it used the attack. "Dodge it, Nidoran!" said the other Trainer. Nidoran dodged the attack and watched Munchlax turn around to it in shock. Nidoran smirked at its opponent and was ready to attack. Before the attack was called; Zach, Pat, Zuzu, and I appeared nearby. We stopped in our tracks and saw the two Trainers battling. "Whoa... check it out. So those are the two Trainers battling, huh?" said Pat. "Yeah... but who are they?" Zach replied. "I don't know... but one of them looks very confident on how to handle this." Pat replied. I stared at the battle silently and then took out my phone; activating my Dex. "Munchlax, the Big Eater Pokémon. A Normal type. It gobbles up its own body weight in food each day, and it swallows its food without almost any chewing. Nidoran female, the Poison Pin Pokémon. A Poison type. Nidoran has barbs that secrete a powerful poison. They are thought to have developed as protection for this small-bodied Pokémon. When enraged, it releases a horrible toxin from its horn." said my PokéDex.

"A female Nidoran? Where have I seen one before?" said Zach. "I know my sister had one before she fully evolved it into Nidoqueen." Pat replied. "Really?" Zach replied curiously. Pat nodded his head yes to the question. Zuzu and I stared at Nidoran's Trainer silently for a moment, and then we realized something about them. The Trainer had indigo hair tied into a ponytail with a large yellow ribbon and two light blue bangs that fall to either side of their face, similar to Zuzu's hair. Once we put the pieces together, our eyes widened in shock to the identity. "No way!" we said surprised. "Huh? What up, you two?" Zach asked us. "We know who Nidoran's Trainer is." Zuzu replied. "Who is it?" Pat replied. "It's Celina." I replied. "What!?" the boys replied in shock. We nodded our heads yes to them, and then we all turned back to the battle. "What is she doing here? I thought she was in Pewter City?" said Pat. "I thought so too, but I guess that she wanted to find a spot to train away from the Academy in Fuchsia City." Zuzu replied. "The Academy? You mean that rich school ran by the Akaba family?" Zach replied curiously. "Mhm. She and Yuri have been in the Academy together for the past seven months. Yuri got in because of his intelligence, and Celina got in because of her battling skills. According to their families... they are at the top of the class skills, and do very well together in Double and Multi battles." Zuzu replied. "Wow... I didn't think that they would work together so well there." Pat replied. "Me either. But I guess that their natural talents blend so well together... it made their bond become stronger." Zuzu replied. We nodded our heads in agreement and continued to watch the battle.

"Nidoran, use Poison Fang!" said Celina. "Ran! Ni-do-ran!" Nidoran replied as her fang glew purple, ran up, and bit Munchlax on its shoulder. "Munch!" Munchlax screamed in pain. "Ah! Munchlax!" said Munchlax's Trainer. Celina smirked confidently and Nidoran did the same. "Now, let's end this battle with Double Kick!" she said. Nidoran ran upto her opponent and used the attack twice on it; making it faint. Celina and Nidoran celebrated their victory for a minute, and then turn to their opponent. Munchlax woke up and looked up at its Trainer; seeing a Berry in their hand. "You did your best, Munchlax. Thank you for everything you have done in the battle." said Munchlax's Trainer. "Munchlax!" Munchlax replied happily. It then gently took the Berry from its Trainer's hand, and began eating it happily. "Sora? You did a great job. I can see that you and Munchlax have improved since our last battle." said Celina. "Thank you, Celina. We've been studying you and Yuri's battles for quite sometime now. And one day... I know that be as strong as you two. Just you wait and see. Munchlax and I will become the strongest duo in the Academy!" Sora replied as he stood up with Munchlax in his arms. Celina smiled warmly at him, and then shook hands with him. Munchlax and Nidoran smiled at each other happily; happy to see that the battle is over. A few seconds later, me and the group started walking over to them.

"That was a good battle, you two." said Zach. Celina and Sora turned around and saw us for the first time. "Hey, guys! Long time no see." said Celina happily. "Long time no see." Zach replied. "What are you doing out here? I thought you told me that you were in Pewter City?" Zuzu asked her. "I was, but then yesterday I decided to travel out here and train with Sora before our next exam comes up." she replied. "Oh... so this is the Sora that you have been talking about." Zuzu replied. "Yep, that's him. Sora, these are my friends from Pallet Town: Zuzu, Pat, Zach, and Taylor." she replied. "It's very nice to meet you all." Sora replied happily. "Munchlax." Munchlax replied. "It's very nice to meet you too, Sora. I hope Celina isn't giving you too much trouble at the Academy." Zuzu replied. "Nah... she hasn't given me any trouble at all. The only trouble I see her in is when she butts heads with Dennis and Yuri in Multi battles." Sora replied. He laughed sheepishly after that. "Well... it's true. But I mostly butt heads with Dennis, more than Yuri." Celina replied. "Is it because you and Yuri understand each other more?" I asked. She nodded her head yes to my question, and then both her and Sora looked at the Pokémon with us for the first time.

"Whoa... are these all your Pokémon?" Sora asked us. "Yep. They are." Pat replied. "Wow! They all look amazing!" Sora replied happily; making us smile. As they got a closer look at them, Celina noticed my left arm wrapped up. "Hey, Tay? What happened to your arm?" she asked me. I looked at my left arm for a second, and then looked at her. "It's a long story." I replied. "Did one of your Pokémon bite you or something?" she replied. "Nope. It was one of Yuya's Pokémon that bit me." I replied. "One of Yuya's!?" she replied in shock. I nodded my head yes to her response. "How did that happen?" she asked as the group turned to us. "Well..." I replied. "You know Yuya's Yamper right?" said Zuzu as she walked over to us. "His Yamper? Oh yeah! That one who always cuddled and zap your Vulpix all the time?" Celina replied. "Mhm. His Yamper had recently evolved into a Boltund, and was in the Pokémon Center for a check up before the next Contest. Once he saw Vulpix and tried to nuzzle her, she hid behind Taylor's Pikachu; wanting him to protect her. Boltund instantly got jealous and tried to fight him. Once Taylor saw that he was in danger, she jumped right in between them and got bit on her arm. Once the jealousy disappeared, Boltund noticed that he had his teeth pretty deep in Taylor's arm, he let her arm go and was afraid of what he had done to her." she replied.

"So it was all a complete accident that he bit you?" Sora asked me. I nodded my head yes to his response. "Wow... I wonder what Yuya will think about this?" he replied. "Knowing him, he would apologize for his Pokémon's actions and would want to do something to earn Tay's forgiveness." Celina replied. "Like what, dedicate one round of a Contest to her or something?" Zach replied. "Maybe... but I think he would want to give her a gift of forgiveness." she replied. "Oh come on. I'm sure that he knows by now that the bite was just an accident. He doesn't need to do anything." I replied. "Tay, you know that there is no way in the world you can stop him from doing something to make you smile." she replied. "That is true." I replied. "Ah! Maybe he might catch a Pokémon that she would want on her team, and trade it to her!" Sora replied. "Oh? That's an interesting idea, but what Pokémon would he want in return?" I replied. "Well..." Zuzu replied. Before she finished her sentence, my phone began to ring. I took it out of my pocket and saw the caller ID on the screen. "I guess that's him?" Zach asked me. "Yep." I replied. "Put it on speaker." Zuzu replied. "Okay." I replied.

I touched the call button and speaker button; ready to answer. "Hello?" I said. "Tay! You picked up! I was worried that you wouldn't answer. How are you? How's your arm?" Yuya replied. "Hehe, I'm good. And as for my arm, I'm gonna be okay. Nurse Joy said that the bite wasn't too serious. So I should be better in about a week or so." I replied. "That's great! But still... I really want to apologize for what my Boltund did to you. I'd never knew that he had felt a certain way towards Zuzu's Vulpix. But you did the right thing by protecting your Pikachu from danger... even if it meant by almost getting your arm ripped off." he replied. "Yeah..." I replied. I stayed silent for a moment and took his words to heart. "Yuya... I think you know that she already forgives you." said Zuzu. "Huh!? Zuzu!? Is that you?" Yuya replied in a surprised tone. She lightly laughed happily and gently took my phone from my hand; turning on FaceTime to see him. After she did that, Yuya turned on FaceTime on his phone and saw Zuzu for the first time; making him smile. "Zuzu!" he said happily. "Hi, Yuya." she replied happily as she showed all of us with her. "Oh wow, you got nearly the whole group with you." he replied. "Hi, Yuya!" said Sora happily. "Hi, Sora!" he replied happily.

"Yuya! Where are you right now?" Celina asked him. "I'm in Saffron City; waiting for my brothers to come here to the Center soon." he replied. "All three of them?" she replied. "I hope so. I know that Yugo and Yuri will come by... but I don't know about Yuto. He hasn't contacted us in weeks. The only updates I get about him are from my parents." he sighed. When I heard him say Yuto's name, I felt my heart skip a few beats and my face lightly turn pink. I put my hand to my chest; feeling my heart beat quickly. Zuzu and Celina noticed the sudden change of me, and I quickly turned away from the group. The two girls blinked their eyes and then lightly smirked at each other. "I think she has a crush on Yuto." Celina whispered in Zuzu's ear. "Yeah. But for how long?" she whispered. "I don't know? We'll ask her at a later time." Celina whispered. "Uh..? What are you girls talking about?" Yuya interrupted. "Nothing!" they replied in a surprised tone; making the boys curious. "Geez... did you have to surprise us like that?" said Zach. "Sorry..." Zuzu replied. "But speaking of Yuto... if either you, Yugo, or Yuri see him anywhere... can you ask them if he has seen the group text? It would make a certain someone happy if he did." Celina replied. "Uh... yeah. Sure, I can do that." Yuya replied. "Thanks, Yuya." she replied. Yuya smiled warmly at the group, and then saw me slowly turn back over to them. "Guys..? Can you give Tay her phone back? There's something I want to ask her in private." he asked. "Oh... yeah, sure." Sora replied.

Celina and Zuzu gave me my phone back, and I walked away a few feet. "Hey." I said. "Hey. You alright? You went quiet after I talked about Yuto for a minute. You worried about him?" he replied. "...Yeah. I am worried about him. I just hope that whatever he is doing... that he is okay." I replied. "Me too. If I see him around here, I'll ask him to talk to you. And there is anything I know about him... it's that he doesn't want to let people down; especially the people he cares about the most." he replied. I smiled warmly at him and then sat down on the grass. "Thanks, Yuya." I said. "Heh, you're welcome Tay." he replied. I saw a little smile on his face for a few seconds, and then saw him stand up and begin walking somewhere in the City. "Now what are you doing?" I asked him. "Finding a store. I want to get you something. Think of it as a apology gift from me and Boltund." he replied. "Aw, come on... I appreciate the gesture, but you don't have to do that." I replied. "Nope. I'm gonna get you one of the coolest gifts in the entire world, and you are going to love it! And when the next Contest starts, I'm going to dedicate my performance to you." he replied. I couldn't help but smile, laugh, and lightly blush about it. "I thought you want to dedicate your performances to your parents and brothers?" I said. "I do. But this one will definitely be for you. I want to come up with a performance that will make you smile for the rest of your life." he replied.

"Aww, you really are sweet guy you know that." I replied. "Aww thanks. That means a lot coming from you." he replied. We smiled warmly at each other for a moment, and then suddenly... a thought came into my mind. "Hey, Yuya?" I said. "Yeah?" he replied curiously. "If you are getting me a gift... should I give you something too?" I replied. He lifted his eyebrow curiously at me for a second; wanting to know why this suddenly came up. "Like... do you want me to find you a Pokémon that you want for future Contests or anything?" I asked. "Hmm..? You know... that's actually not a bad idea." he replied. "Really?" I replied curiously. "Yeah. I think that is a great idea." he replied. "Awesome. Just tell me what the Pokémon is, and I'll try to find it for you." I replied. He smiled happily to my response and then sat down near a giant fountain. "Okay. The Pokémon I want you to look for me is: Clefairy." he said. "Clefairy?" I replied curiously. "Mhm. They are very rare Pokémon that live around Mt. Moon. Rumors going around there say that if there is a full moon near the lake of the area, you will be able to see a bunch of them dancing around the lake; bringing happiness to whoever sees them dance under the moonlight." he replied. "Wow... that sounds like the perfect Pokémon for your team. Okay. When I get to the area, I promise you that I will catch a Clefairy for you." I replied.

"You will!? Wow, thank you Tay! You really are the best! Uh... Tay?" he replied with a blush on his face. "Hm? What's wrong?" I asked curiously. "The reason why I want you to catch a Clefairy for me is because..." he replied. "Because?" I replied; raising my right eyebrow curiously. He lifted his head up and looked around the area; hoping no one he knows is there hearing him. "Because... I want to impress Zuzu." he replied. After he said that, my mind clicked and fully understood his reason. "Ah~. You have a crush on her, don't you?" I replied with a smirk. "Huh!?" he replied; feeling flustered and embarrassed. I lightly laughed at his reaction; making him shy. "Aw, come on... I've known that you have a crush on her." I said. "Wait what!? You knew!?" he replied. "Mhm. I've known it ever since you two first met." I replied. He was completely speechless from my response; confirming my answer. "Hey, don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." I comforted him. "Thank you, Tay." he replied; breathing a sigh of relief. "You're welcome." I replied. "Alright. I better get going. I don't want to spoil the surprise for you. Tell the group that I will see them soon." he replied. "Okay. Will do." I replied. "And Tay?" he replied. "Yeah?" I replied curiously. "Don't you get yourself hurt again, okay? Cause if you do... me and the guys will come to your rescue." he replied. "Heh, still living up to the promise?" I replied. "Haha! You bet." he replied happily. "Alright. I'll try to stay out of harm's way next time." I replied. "Alright. Bye, Tay. I hope to see you in Vermilion City for the Contest." he replied. "Bye, Yuya. And I will be there to cheer you and Zuzu on. That's a promise." I replied. He smiled happily at my response, and then we ended the call.

A second later, all my Pokémon came over to me and sat down around me; looking at my phone. "Sorry, guys. The call is over." I said as I stood up. Tetrax and Hurricane got onto my shoulders, and Dragonfire and Aurasoul stood by my sides. The five of us smiled at each other warmly, and then all of a sudden... we heard the grass rustle nearby. We looked out to it and saw a blue-colored Pokémon walk out of the grass. "What is that?" I said curiously as I aimed my phone near it. "Nidoran male. The Poison Pin Pokémon. A Poison type. The horn on a male Nidoran's forehead contains a powerful poison. This is a very cautious Pokémon, always straining its large ears. Small but brave, this Pokémon will hold its ground and even risk its life in battle to protect the female it's friendly with." said my PokéDex. "Huh? Then how come is this one blue? Isn't it supposed to be purple?" I said to myself curiously. The Nidoran lifted his ears up a bit, and then turned to me; seeing my Pokémon around me. His eyes widened in shock of how they looked, and then all of a sudden... he began to angrily charge at us! "Ah!" I said in shock. He jumped up and used Poison Sting at us. As it got close, Hurricane flew off from the ground and used a new attack to push it all away. "Hurricane? Was that... Air Slash?" I asked him. "Pidgey!" he replied.

"That's amazing." I said happily. "Gey!" he replied happily. After that, we looked at the Nidoran as he stared at us angrily; ready to use another attack. "Okay, little guy. If it's a battle you want... it's a battle you'll get! Hurricane! I choose you!" I said. Hurricane looked at the Nidoran, and then began to flap his wings; flying in mid air. "Pid-gey!" he said to his opponent. "Ni-do!" the Nidoran replied; ready to battle. We stared at each other intensely, and then the Nidoran made the run and jump; starting the battle.

Thank you so much for reading Chapter 1 of the story! And here we go! The first official Chapter of the reboot has finally arrived! We can now begin our Trainer's journeys! What did you guys think? To be honest... I think that the Prologue had really helped me out on getting this story started; letting you know some of the characters and their backstories a little bit. And now that they are set and ready to go! Meeting new friends, catching up with old friends, and catching Pokémon of their very own!

Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome... to Arc 1 of the story. ARC 1: Kanto Beginnings!

This Arc will have this little group travel through the beginning parts of the Kanto region; examples include Viridian Forest, Pewter City, Mt. Moon, and Cerulean City. There will also be exclusive locations in certain Chapters for battles, catching, and training Pokémon. The rest of the group will be joining them in future Arc's of the story. I won't say which Arc's yet. Gotta keep it a surprise you know ;)

Anyways, thank you so much for reading Chapter 1 of the story, and have yourself an awesome day!

Next time, Chapter 2: Fearow With a Vengeance! With the group still on Route 22, they don't realize that they are training on a rogue Pokémon's territory. When a rogue Fearow appears with its flock and attacks everyone in sight... how can they stop them and from causing chaos in the area? Find out in Chapter 2, as the Journey continues! ;)