Route 29

Jackson exited the entrance to Route 46, sighing as he stated, "Finally! Back to where I started."

Two days past after the events of the Ice Path. Jackson decided to take it easy by bonding with his Pokémon and training with them a bit. Eevee, Ledyba, and Sneasel were now more comfortable by Jackson's side, and understood Jackson a bit more than before. It did help that Jackson was now able to communicate with them thanks to his translator. Thanks to that, Jackson was able to understand the characteristics of his Pokémon, becoming more than just trainer and partner. They became allies.

Eevee, who was on Jackson's shoulder at this time, stretched and jumped off his shoulder, turning to him as she said, "It's a good thing you move so fast. And fortunately, I am able to hold on a lot better than before."

"It didn't hurt that I took my time rather than just going full pelt back this way." Jackson noted, "But that doesn't mean I will be slowing down anytime soon. I plan to catch up to Ethan and Kris, and get to Violet City."

"It'll be great for all of us to start learning how to become a strong team." Eevee stated, "And I hope you be patient with us."

"Patience is not my best virtue, but I will do my best." Jackson replied, pulling out his tablet and opening up the map, "We need to go west in order to make it to Cherrygrove City. After that, it's straight up north through Route 30 & 31, and we will arrive at Violet City. Guess that's the plan."

Just then, his tablet started to ring. Someone was calling him. He tapped the button to pick up the phone, and on the screen was Professor Elm. "Hello there, Jackson!" He greeted the swordsman.

"Professor!" Jackson greeted, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I was just calling you to see where you are." He responded, "Since you were so brand new to the Pokémon world, I wanted to check in to see how you were doing."

"Oh, right." Jackson replied, looking to one side, thinking of the amount of things that he had already dealt with so far, "That's a pretty long story. I'll try to simplify it…" He then explained the details on what transpired from leaving New Bark, to battling Clair, meeting Lance and telling him of his past, to the Ice Path. "…And afterwards, I made my way back to Route 29 again." Jackson finished up.

"This…is quite the story you had, so far." Elm stated, "I still can't believe you were able to meet the current Champion of Johto, and even telling him about your past. But that past…I never expected you to have such a difficult past."

Jackson looked very somber at this, which caused Eevee to jump up onto his shoulder, looking at him. He smiled as he scritched her head and ears, causing her to giggle. "Yeah, but thanks to the communicators I built, I am now able to talk with my Pokémon. And having them to talk with does make this journey a lot less lonely."

"I am extremely fascinated by this communicator you've developed." Elm said with integument, "Please let me see them when you can!"

"Sure, though I don't know if you guys can actually create them." Jackson answered, "I did use materials that were originally from my world."

"Even so, this development could change the very course of history in the Pokémon World!" Elm exclaimed, "What you did was conceivable, but never able to be made, even by genius minds!"

"Well, they were never taught by someone who has an IQ of 300." Jackson pointed out, "But let's put that aside. Is there anything else you wanted me to know?"

"How can you put aside such an unprecedented creation?" Elm questioned, sighing before continuing, "Well, I do have one more thing to inform you. In fact, it might be perfect for you to check out."

"And that is…?"

Elm got serious as he replied, "We were able to identify the thief of the Chikorita from our lab." This bit of news was rather surprising to Jackson. He had forgotten that his Pokémon was not the initial choice. It was suppose to be this Chikorita Pokémon.

"Here is a picture of the person." Elm told Jackson, and he displayed a picture of the person, which they pulled from a feed from a camera outside of the lab. It zoomed in to show the face of the person, who had beady silver eyes and medium red hair, spiking upwards behind him. "We are still unable to find out who it is." He explained, "However, we were able to learn he was making his way to Cherrygrove City earlier today."

"Really? How did you find that out?" Jackson asked.

"Kris informed us. She tried to fight him, but he defeated her. He was aggressive and strong. She's currently recovering her Pokémon in Cherrygrove."

"And what about Ethan?" Jackson asked.

"He's already halfway to Violet City. We couldn't ask him to turn around and come back." Elm explained, "Besides, who knows if he would even be in Cherrygrove by the time he returns."

"So you are relying on me to handle this?" Jackson understood.

"I know it's asking a lot out of you but…"

"It's no problem." The swordsman assured him, "I tend to deal with stuff like this a lot back home. I even helped this group called 'Team Chaotix' with sleuth jobs. This will be a cakewalk."

"Thanks, Jackson. I am counting on you." Elm told him, "Just be careful. This boy is strong."

"So am I." With these final words, Jackson turned off his tablet and placed it away, turning to his partner, "Wanna help out a Pokémon in need?"

"Absolutely. Go full pelt!" Eevee told Jackson, who activated his Air Shoes, and they shot towards the west, heading to Cherrygrove City as quickly as possible.

(Insert 'Never Give Up' By SONAR POCKET)

Instrumental Opening

(Jackson stands at the top of a cliff, looking out into the vast landscape of the Johto region. He turns to the camera with surprise, grins, then draws his sword and swipes it across the screen, transitioning to white with the logo appearing.)

What tough heart! Once I decided that I'd keep up the fight

My road has never stopped unraveling

(Camera circles around Jackson as he runs along an open-plain path with his Eevee, who after a couple seconds, leaps onto his shoulder as he activates his Extreme Gear and shoots even faster onto the path.)

Carrying a small bit of pride

With my fists clenched

(The screen shows a brief image of Professor Elm, dropping papers from his clipboard, and smiling as he rubbed the back of his head. It shifts to a visual of Kris, Ethan, and their starters, with Ethan punching his fist forward, while Kris spun around with her arms out wide.)

I aim for the goal again step by step

Racing towards it with all my might!

(The screen shifts to Sonic & Tails, the former giving a thumbs up, while the latter waved his hands above eagerly. The screen shifts to Cypher, who glared at the screen with a Pokéball held close to his face.)

Sometimes it'll be a bad day

Where nothing goes the way I want it to

But even if the sky blurs through my tears

(Jackson is sitting by a campfire, his expression full of emotional pain as shadows of his past with red eyes creeped all around him. He curled himself into a ball as the shadow of his father appeared over his head.)

I'm sure my smiles will come back tomorrow

So it's okay!

(Shadows started getting blown away one large piece at a time, until light broke out around Jackson, who looked up to see his Pokémon all standing there, protecting him from his trauma.)

There's nothing out there to fear

I'll keep believing that 'I'm strong'

And get going!

(Silhouettes of the Gym Leaders appeared as the screen scrolled upwards through a gold, silver, and crystal colors behind them. It shifts to the emblem of Team Rocket, with darkened faces of grunts, with the four admins in front, holding their Pokéballs. Jackson readies his blade, as he tosses a Pokéball forward, which opens up and blinds the screen in a white light.)

'With you around, there's nothing to worry about now'

I felt as if the sky was saying that to me with a laugh

(Eevee leapt forward, unleashing a Swift attack from her tail, with Ledyba flying next to her, using his own Swift to join her's. Oshawott and Sneasel shoot through the Swift attack, unleash double Night Slash, slicing the stars, before dismissing their blades, and Oshawott angrily looking at the calm and collected Sneasel.)

With the sweat and tears I build up

I'm sure I'll come out dazzling

(Cyndaquil turns to face the Team Rocket logo, before unleashing his Flamethrower. Cyndaquil sighed in relief as Scyther flew over him, before slashing with his mantis claws like a swordsman.)

Even if I end up feeling anxious after it all

As long as I believe I can do it

(An Aeroblast and Sacred Fire came from the sky, shooting down at Jackson's team, but Jackson stepped in and unleashed several sword beams, countering the attacks and making them explode. He and his team endured the shockwaves and smoke from the explosion, before looking up into the distance, and saw the silhouettes of the Tower Duo flying over the two towers that represented each.)

These footsteps have taught me to

Always

Never Give Up!

(Jackson's Pokémon come to his side as he looked to them, before grinning eagerly, and the group leapt up into the air, taking on the new threat and the new adventure. The screen goes white before showing Jackson standing with his sword stabbed into the ground, his Pokémon companions surrounding him.)

Cherrygrove City

It took Jackson very little time to make it to the city. He saw the tall skyscrapers and how the town merged with the nature of the environment. There was even a wide river that went alongside the town, with a bridge to cross it.

"Based on what Professor Elm said, the guy should be in this town." Jackson stated, looking about the entrance to the city, "It would take a long time to find such a guy."

"Then what should we do, Jackson?" Eevee asked.

He paused, thinking on it, before deciding, "Let's head the Pokémon Center, and see if Kris is still there. She would have info on the person we are looking for."

"Sounds good to me!" Eevee responded. Jackson ran with Eevee as they made their way to the Pokémon Center, keeping an eye on the environment around them. While they were able to spot some people with red hair, none really matched the person he was looking for. Even after they reached the Pokémon Center, they still hadn't found him.

They entered into the Center, looked about, and saw Kris over at a chair, reading a magazine that looked sort of like a fashion magazine, with the front cover being a young woman with short yellow hair and a pair of headphones with long cords going down her sides, and a yellow and black-striped dress.

"Kris!" Jackson greeted, running over to her. Kris lowered her magazine at the cry of her name, and she looked up to see Jackson appear with Eevee at his side.

"Jackson!" Kris greeted, standing up as he stopped in front of her, "It's been a while. I didn't expect to see you so soon."

"Yeah, me neither." Jackson admitted, "But I learned things were too tough for me in Blackthorn City. So I ended up coming back this way. Then, Professor Elm informed me of what transpired with you and that Chikorita thief."

"He told you about that?!" Kris asked in surprise, "And that's why you came back this way?"

"Yeah. It was the initial Pokémon that was gonna be given to me before Eevee, and while I am really happy to have Eevee as my partner, I feel like I should at least track down the thief."

"I guess you were right; you are a hero in your world." Kris told Jackson, who held a poker face against that statement. He still wavered on that title.

"So what can you tell me about that trainer who you fought?" Jackson asked, "Any names to go with the guy?"

The twin-tailed girl shook her head, answering, "None. He never bothered to give me a name. He used the very Chikorita he stole from Professor Elm's lab to fight me and my Totodile, and they completely destroyed us. He was so aggressive, we barely could retaliate."

"So he is that kind of fighter, huh?" Jackson questioned, "A guy who goes all in on power. Basically, like Knuckles back home."

"Who now?" Eevee and Kris asked simultaneously.

"The red echidna with dreadlocks for hair? That's Knuckles." Jackson explained, recalling the picture he showed to her, Ethan and the professor, before turning to Eevee, "I'll show you later." He turned back to Kris again and finished, "Do you think he is in this city? Have you asked the authorities?"

"I don't know, but he did make his way here after leaving me." Kris explained, "I don't know if he's still in town. I did make sure to let Officer Jenny know."

"Wow. Jenny must get around pretty quickly." Jackson stated, "It wasn't too long ago that I saw her in Blackthorn City." He then thought of something, and muttered, "Waaaait… Is she like Nurse Joy, and there are a whole bunch of them?"

"Actually, yes." Kris answered, "There are many Officer Jennys in the Johto region. It's understandable that you would get them confused."

"Man genetics here in this world are nuts…" Jackson responded, pulling out his remaining two Pokéballs, "But let's get back on subject. Ledyba, Sneasel, help us out!" He tossed up the two balls, calling out his Pokémon.

"Whoa, you caught a Sneasel?!" Kris asked in surprise.

"What is it you need, Jackson?" Ledyba asked.

"You need something?" Sneasel followed up.

"Yeah." Jackson answered, pulling out his tablet, and pulling up the picture of the person Professor Elm sent him, and showed it to his Pokémon, "We're looking for this guy. He's a thief who took a Pokémon from a friend of mine. We need to see if he is in this town or not."

"A search mission, then?" Sneasel understood.

"Leave the air to me!" Ledyba declared.

"Right then." Jackson responded, putting the tablet away, "Eevee, stick with me. Ledyba, Sneasel, stay within eyesight of one another and find that guy. If you do see him, one of you keep him in your sight, and the other let me know so I can catch up. Just don't let him see you. Understood."

"Roger that." Ledyba answered.

"Understood." Sneasel responded.

"Wait, what's going on?" Kris asked, "You guys are searching for the guy?"

"Yep. You just wait for your Pokémon to recover. We'll handle the thief." With that, he and his Pokémon raced out of the Center, leaving Kris to wonder what changed him since they last saw each other.

Jackson and his teammates left the Center, with Ledyba taking to the sky, and Sneasel in pursuit, while Jackson and Eevee went the opposite direction, searching their area. Cherrygrove City was a rather big area, but Jackson new a lot bigger areas. And due to his past in the big city of Metropolis, getting around the place was no problem. Sneasel and Ledyba were able to keep together, avoid any trainers who thought they were regular wild Pokémon. He was able to encounter Officer Jenny, who looked exactly like the one in Blackthorn City, questioning if he had seen the young man, to which she said that she had others around, but no one found him.

Fifteen minutes later, Jackson and Eevee ended up on top of one of the skyscrapers, Jackson looking down throughout the streets from a distance. "Can you even recognize anyone from this high up?" Eevee asked her trainer.

"Sure. My eyesight was already good before I was trained by my friends in my old world and my masters in another." Jackson explained, examining the streets, "Wish someone could teach me how to find the exact person I was looking for…"

Just then, he noticed his Ledyba flying up to where he was at, panting as he said, "I didn't know where you would be, Jackson! I didn't expect you to be so high up!"

"Needed a better view of the place." Jackson answered, "Where's Sneasel? Did you find the guy?"

"Yeah! He's keeping tabs on him." Ledyba responded, "I know where they are at."

"Excellent work, you guys!" Jackson praised them, "Come on, let's go!" Jackson took a leap off the skyscraper, much to the shock of Ledyba and the still-clinging Eevee. She screamed as they fell, with Ledyba in hot pursuit, fearing for his master. Jackson's descent drew the attention of many at the bottom, and some even feared he was committing suicide. However, Jackson was completely fearless, spinning around and angling himself with his Air Shoes pointing downward. He then activated the boosters on them, bursting him slightly upwards as he neared the ground, making him arch in the air as he performed a front roll, before landing as he hovered off the ground with his Extreme Gear, dashing on ahead, leaving the stunned people behind him, and Ledyba catching up with him.

"Warn me before you do something so crazy!" Eevee exclaimed to Jackson, "You have no idea how terrifying that was!"

"Sorry, sorry." Jackson replied, slowing down for Ledyba to join them, "Although, with all the crazy things I do already, you should start getting use to this."

"You are no normal human being, no doubt." Ledyba stated, "But anyways, we should get moving. He was last in this direction!" Ledyba flew ahead, with Jackson deactivating his gear, and running from behind.

It took them no time flat to reach Sneasel, who was in a plaza, hiding behind a fountain as he looked around the corner, keeping tabs on someone. "There he is." Ledyba pointed out to Jackson, getting Sneasel's attention, who pointed to a guy who Jackson recognized the red hair being the same style as the one on the picture. He had on a black and red-trimmed coat, dark violet pants, and shoes that matched his coat.

"Excellent job, you two." Jackson thanked them, before pulling out their Pokéballs, "You deserve a break. Leave it to me and Eevee." With that, he called back his Pokémon, putting their balls away. He then watched as the young boy left the plaza, making his way across the road towards an alleyway. Jackson went in hot pursuit of the boy, prepared to confront him.

He had only gone a third of the way into the alley when Jackson reached the entrance, shouting, "Hey, you! Are you the one who stole that Pokeball from Elm's lab?!"

The young man stopped and turned to Jackson, noticing he was around the same age as him, and huffed, "Man, you are a little brat, trying to call me out like this."

"Answer my question!" Jackson growled, with Eevee on his shoulder, growling.

"So what if I am? What are you gonna do about it?" The boy asked, pulling out the Pokeball, "Not like you can do anything to take this Pokémon back from me. I need all the extra power to take someone down, and I'll get it by any means necessary."

"That doesn't give you the right to take someone that is not rightfully yours!" Jackson barked, "Now give back that Pokémon right now!"

"Boy, are you persistent." He sighed, "Tell you what, if you can beat me in a Pokémon battle, I'll think about giving this little guy back to you. I might even throw my name in for you."

"If that's how you wanna play it, fine!" Jackson answered, "Eevee, let's do it!"

"You got it!" She answered, bounding off of Jackson's shoulder, ready to fight.

"Is that runt suppose to scare me?" The boy asked, "Let me show you what I stole. Chikorita, go!" He called out the Pokemon, who was light green and quadrupedal, with red eyes, dark green buds forming a necklace around its neck, and a leaf on a stem on the top of its head. "I won't let anyone get in my way, you hear me!" The thief barked at Jackson.

"We'll just see about that. Eevee, Quick Attack!" Jackson shouted. Eevee shot forward at high speeds, going towards her opponent.

"Chikorita, Razor Leaf!" The boy ordered. His Pokémon responded by spinning the leaf on its head, sending a swarm of leaves at Eevee, who bounded around the leaves, only to get sliced by one and stumble to the ground.

'Why is that Pokémon following his orders?!' Jackson questioned, pulling out his dex, examining the Pokémon. "Chikorita. The Leaf Pokémon. In battle, Chikorita waves its leaf around to keep the foe at bay. However, a sweet fragrance also wafts from the leaf, becalming the battling Pokémon and creating a cozy, friendly atmosphere all around."

"Yo, Chikorita! You do realize that you are a stolen Pokémon, don't you?" Jackson called out to the Grass-type, "He isn't suppose to be your trainer!"

"Talk all you want to it. This Pokémon is now mine." he answered, glaring at the Pokémon, "You understand that, right?"

"Y-Yeah…" Chikorita replied, "I…I want to get stronger, just like you said I would."

"Chikorita!" Jackson gasped, hearing her words, finding it unbelievable she would listen.

"Jackson, I'm afraid she won't listen like this." Eevee warned him, "She is now owned by him, and has control of her. We need to beat her in order to get her back!"

"Got it." Jackson replied, glaring at the boy and the stolen Pokémon, "Let's take her out. Use Swift!" Eevee leapt up and swung her tail, unleashing a deluge of stars at Chikorita.

"Counter with Razor Leaf!" the boy ordered, and Chikorita unleashed her slicing leaves again. The two attacks collided, but Eevee's attack was able to overpower her's enough to send some stars down onto her, causing her damage.

"Don't disappoint me!" The boy growled, "Hit them with a Poison Powder!" Chikorita was able to regain her self, and shot purple spores from her bud necklace, coming at Eevee as she landed on the ground.

"A poison attack, huh?" Jackson noticed, "Eevee, use Sand-Attack to blow it away!"

"Got it!" Eevee responded, kicking up sand to counter the Poison Powder, canceling it entirely.

"What?!" The boy gasped, as Jackson called out, "Now, use Quick Attack!" Eevee dashed forward again, and this time, struck Chikorita hard, causing her to tumble over, injured greatly by the attack.

"You are not done! Synthesis!" the man ordered. Chikorita grimaced, as her leaf started to glow, followed by her entire body. Suddenly, the majority of her injuries vanished, and she was able to get onto her feet again.

"What the heck?!" Jackson gasped, "Did she just heal herself?!"

"Synthesis is a recovery move." Eevee explained, "Meaning all the damage she took so far has all but vanished."

"That sucks…" Jackson grimaced, "Guess we'll just have to pummel her harder before she can recover again."

"You're welcome to try." The boy replied, "Tackle her!" Chikorita charged forward into a Tackle, roaring as she did so.

"Counter with Bite!" Jackson called out, and Eevee opened her mouth, as an illusion of large fangs appeared before her, and snapped shut on Chikorita, causing an explosion. The attack sent Chikorita backwards, and the boy grimaced.

"Go into Swift!" Jackson called out, and Eevee spun on one paw, swinging her tail to send the stars flying at the still-downed Chikorita. The attack caused a dust cloud to form from the impact, consuming the scene. When the air became clear again, the scene showed Chikorita completely down for the count.

Eevee came back to Jackson's side, both determined as they glared at the thief, who tutted at her partner's performance. "Seriously? That's the best you can do against a lousy trainer like him?" He demanded, "You're really pathetic right now." He called back Chikorita to her ball without another word.

"Don't go treating her horribly like that!" Jackson barked at him, "She tried her hardest!"

"Trying hard isn't good enough." The boy retorted, "Power is more important. As far as I'm concerned, this Pokémon doesn't have that."

"Why you-!" Jackson and Eevee charged at him angrily, only for him to pull out another Pokéball to reveal another Pokémon, which looked like a penguin, with mixtures of dark blue mainly on top and light blue on the bottom, a yellow beak with a pair of ridges on its head, yellow feet, and white 'button' spots on its chest.

"Another one?!" Jackson questioned, pulling out his Pokédex again. "Prinplup. The Penguin Pokémon, and the evolved form of Piplup. It lives alone, away from others. Apparently, every one of them believes it is the most important."

"Jackson, I think this one has more experience than either one of us." Eevee pointed out.

"You're right. My master and I are far better than the two of you." Prinplup calmly stated.

"M-Master?" Jackson echoed, looking to the boy.

"What? You understand Pokémon or something?" He questioned the inexperienced trainer, "If you do, then you can understand that Prinplup and I are way better than you. He is the example of a strong Pokémon. Don't go overestimating your skills, you wimpy trainer."

Jackson gritted his teeth, seeing him recalled Prinplup to his ball, before wandering off as Jackson shouted, "Hey! What about giving Chikorita back?! You promised!"

He stopped as he answered, "I said I'll think about it. This Pokémon's pathetic, right now. That means I have to train her hard to make her better than this. Oh…" He looked back at Jackson as he added, "And the names Cypher. Cypher Rubega. Better remember that."

Jackson glared at him as he responded, "Well I'm Jackson Alpphire. YOU better remember THAT." Cypher only shrugged it off, before walking away from the scene.

Some time later, Jackson was able to reunite with both Kris and Officer Jenny at the Pokémon Center again, explaining his encounter with the thief. At this point, Jackson sent his Pokémon to Nurse Joy to have them checked up and recovered.

"You were able to take him on and win?!" Kris gasped, "I didn't know you were that good!"

"Hey, my Pokémon and I were able to get experience since we last saw each other." Jackson replied, "Although, that Prinplup he pulled out definitely surprised me. Eevee and I could tell it was stronger than any of my Pokémon."

"Even so, you were able to give us a name of the thief." Jenny stated, "Cypher Rubega… We'll run a scan on anyone matching that name. Thank you for your assistance on the matter, young man."

"You are very welcome." Jackson replied, as Jenny got on her motorbike, and left the two alone.

"I'm pretty jealous." Kris admitted, "Last time, you were a complete newcomer to the whole Pokémon world. Now, you ended up a far more skilled trainer than I am."

"Hey, you are still ahead of me in so many things. I just have some…well, let's call them extra-curricular skills that help me." Jackson responded, describing his abilities as a fighter and hero in his world, "Besides, you and I are just starting out our journeys as trainers. Don't compare to me so quickly."

"Yeah…you're right about that." She understood, "Still, I am worried about Chikorita. You said she was fine with being with Cypher?"

"Yeah. I couldn't believe it myself." Jackson responded, "Is it because she became his Pokémon that he listens to him?"

"No. There are trainers who are unable to order a Pokémon around, usually because the Pokémon is disobedient and they are far too powerful or skilled for the trainer to handle. But if she is following his commands, that means she considers him a trainer to follow."

Jackson clenched his fist, feeling disappointed about how things turned out. However, there was nothing he could do about it. He had to leave things as it is, and allow the authority to take care of him if they encounter him. If they can't, then…

"I swear, my Pokémon and I are gonna get stronger so we can beat that strong Pokémon of his." Jackson muttered, thinking to Prinplup, "I could easily beat it myself, I know that, but that's not how the Pokémon world works. This time, I have to rely on my Pokémon to win."

"Sounds to me like you consider him a rival." Kris understood.

"A rival?" Jackson echoed, thinking on the title, before answering, "Yeah… Cypher is someone who I just want to beat. He and I are so different, and he's one who I don't want to lose to. So yeah, I do consider him a rival."

"And on that note…" Kris added, pointing a finger towards Jackson's nose, causing him to back off slightly, "I might have taught you how to become a trainer, but you ended up passing me in strength at this point. So to me, I consider you a rival, too. Same goes for Ethan."

Jackson was rather surprised, but then smiled as he replied, "Yeah, I can live with that. At least our relationship is a lot friendlier than Cypher." He held out a hand to her, finishing, "In that case, let's see who can become better than the others. No regrets, okay?"

"Deal." Kris replied, taking his hand and shaking it.

Just then, there was a ring over the speaker, followed by Nurse Joy calling, "Jackson Alpphire, your Pokémon are recovered. Please come by the front desk to pick them up." Jackson let go of Kris's hand, and made his way over to the front desk, with Kris watching him go over, grabbing Eevee and his other Pokémon, who were still in their balls, before wandering back to Kris.

"Time for us to move on." He told Kris.

"Yeah. We should make our way to Violet City." She replied, "That's where the first Gym Leader is at. Wanna go with me?"

"Is it proper for rivals to go together like this?" Jackson asked as the two walked to the doors.

"You said we were a lot friendlier rivals. So why don't we? Besides, I can learn how you got so strong in a short period of time."

"So you're coming along just to see any hints on getting stronger yourself." Jackson summed up, "I guess I can work with that."

"Seriously? You're okay with that?" Kris asked as the sliding doors opened.

"Sure. As long as you help me with understanding some more things of this world, too."

"I can work with that, too." She replied, as the doors closed behind them.

"Are you two starting to turn out to be a thing for each other?" Eevee asked Jackson.

"A thing?" Jackson echoed, before blushing as he realized what she meant, answering, "What?! No! It's not like that! We are rivals! Friendly ones!"

"Whatever you say~" Eevee replied, giggling at his flustered state.

"I'm telling you, it's not like that…" Jackson repeated.

"Um… are you actually understanding what Eevee is saying?" Kris asked.

"Oh, right…I'd better tell you what I had been up to before I met up with you." Jackson started, and begun explaining what he had been through so far as they made their way out of Cherrygrove City, onto the path ahead towards their destination; Violet City.