*Edited/Rewritten as of August 3rd, 2018.

Notes- I really wanted to get this chapter out before March haha. My apologies for the delay. Really glad that Spring is rolling around. It's my favorite season and it really seems to get me in a creative mood. This next chapter was a blast to write, albeit quite a strenuous feat for me ha. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next installment in Chris' adventure!


Chapter 5

"Quil!"

Chris could feel his starter shaking him. He attempted to open his eyes, but his lids felt like they weighed a thousand pounds. Even without looking around, he could sense that it was very early—way too soon to begin the second day of his journey.

"Cynda!"

A wave of heat passed over Chris' face. That, combined with the frustration in his starter's voice, finally forced his eyelids back. He groggily swung up to examine his surroundings. The sun had yet to rise, and a dense fog dominated the land. "What's up buddy?"

"Quil," the fire starter said, pointing toward a nearby spot on the ground.

Chris studied the empty space for several seconds before realization struck him. "Where's Nidoran?"

Cyndaquil nodded at the winding path nearby.

"Wait," Chris said, his mind still trying to process everything, "why did he take off?"

The starter shrugged and began a set of pushups, drawing a frustrated sigh from Chris. Then, panic set in.

"This is a problem!" Chris shouted. He sprinted over and began to fling his belongings into his backpack. As he cleaned, he snatched a sandwich from a compartment and threw a glance at his occupied starter. "You woke me up to tell me he was gone, but you didn't even bother to stop him from running off?"

The starter shook his head as he finished his routine. As Cyndaquil stood up, a burst of fire rippled out from his back.

"Take one of these," Chris said, handing the Fire-type a Protein pill as he finished packing. After Cyndaquil had done so, Chris added, "Do you want to eat any breakfast? Won't have another chance for a while once we set off." After Cyndaquil shook his head, Chris shouldered his backpack. As he looked at the fog covered trail bound for Cherrygrove, he remembered his start to the previous day, and sentiment momentarily took the place of panic. "At least we're getting an early start."

The duo made their way down the winding path of Route 29, searching high and low for their companion. Several hours passed, turning dawn into late morning. The sun had been pulled over the distant mountains and now burned brightly on the back of Chris' red shirt. The path shifted and lead them up a steep hill. The top of the knob held few trees and provided Chris with a good view of the valley. He scanned the base of the hill and slowly looked out to view the open patches among the rows of foliage. In the not far off distance, he thought he could spot several of Cherrygrove's buildings. The sun was nearing its peak now, and the entire scene glowed with a natural beauty.

A cry echoed out from somewhere below. Before the trainer could respond, his Pokémon sprinted back down the hill, prompting the trainer to give chase. "Lead the way!" he shouted.

Chris felt confident that the high pitched roar had come from his teammate, though he wasn't why. He just hoped that the cry hadn't been one of pain or fear. The thought of his first capture being harmed, or even scared, was enough to push the beginning trainer's feet faster than they'd ever moved. I won't let anything happen to him, he silently repeated.

Cyndaquil leaped from the path and dove into a thicket of trees. The small Pokémon had little difficulty maneuvering through the heavy underbrush, much to the frustration of his trainer. Chris hissed as briar after briar tore at his shirt, his shorts, and his skin. He praised Arceus when he finally spun his way into a clearing. That's when he noticed Cyndaquil standing still before him. The Fire Mouse Pokémon stood hunched on all fours with fire pulsating from his back. Chris followed his eyes and found a sight that both brought relief and fear.

Nidoran stood a few paces away. He was conscious, relieving Chris' greatest worry. But as he looked across the clearing, the trainer's stress did not subside. A bat-like Pokémon circled through the air not far from Nidoran. Chris instantly recognized it as Golbat, the evolved form of Zubat. At least he didn't pick a fight with a fully evolved creature, Chris silently conceded.

"We may want to back off on this one," Chris warned.

The Poison-type didn't take his eyes off his circling foe. His only response came as a short shake of his head.

Chris groaned. "Listen, I love the enthusiasm. We won't get better without facing strong foes, but—"

Nidoran pounced at his adversary. In a flash, Golbat had swooped beneath him. Before Chris' Pokémon could counter, the Poison/Flying-type slammed a wing into his legs, sending Nidoran crashing back to the ground.

"Nidoran!" Chris shouted. He took several cautious steps forward. From this distance, he could see several bruises already forming on the little guy's back. He brought out Nidoran's Poké Ball and attempted to calm himself. "I'm gonna call you back, buddy," he said. "I don't think we're ready for this guy, yet."

"Nido!" The Poison Pin Pokémon viciously shook his head and charged once more.

Before Chris could return his teammate, Golbat released a deafening shriek. Nidoran slid to a halt and brought both of his front legs up to cover his ears. Chris looked over and found Cyndaquil doing the same.

"A Screech attack that strong..." This was, without a doubt, a powerful wild Pokémon. Chris and his two teammates combined might not be enough to take it down. He brought Nidoran's Poké Ball up once more.

"'Ran!" Nidoran roared, and continued his approach. The move caught both Chris and Golbat off guard, allowing the Poison Pin Pokémon to connect with his Horn Attack.

Chris lowered the capture device and turned to his starter. "This is our chance," he said. "Get in front of Nidoran and hit him with your Ember!"

Nidoran had clearly heard him. The Poison Pin Pokémon turned his attention from his opponent and found his trainer's eyes. He slammed a paw into the dirt. "Nido'!"

Their eyes only stayed locked for a couple of seconds, but it felt like an eternity for Chris. "Alright," he conceded. "You can battle him. But let's get our first win together!"

Nidoran nodded. He turned around in time to see Golbat's fangs close on the skin beside his horn. Chris could see his teammate shudder, but Nidoran's small legs remained firm.

"He's gonna be tough to shake off," Chris quickly explained. "But we'll force him back with Fury Attack!"

Nidoran dug his feet into the ground and began to violently shake his head. His horn zigged and zagged, swinging Golbat in every conceivable direction. Not every direction, Chris thought. "Smash him into the dirt!"

Nidoran kicked off his back feet and swung his head down. Dust filled clearing air as Golbat slammed back first into the ground. When the air had cleared, Chris realized that his teammate was free, but he also noticed that Golbat had returned to the air. Before the trainer could issue another command, the Bat Pokémon released a disorientating shriek. A ghostly orb poured from the creature's mouth and spiraled down to surround Nidoran. By the time Chris had identified the attack, his Pokémon had already succumbed to its effect.

Confuse Ray to kill our momentum, Chris silently bemoaned. As if Golbat had needed anything else to make it a daunting foe. "Get it together, Nidoran!" The Poison Pin Pokémon, however, was too busy examining a nearby patch of flowers. He didn't even flinch when Golbat swooped down at him. "Look out!"

Nidoran was driven on to his back by Golbat's full speed Tackle. The Poison-type cried out, but did not attempt to fight back. The Bat Pokémon soon mounted him, and began to rain down a flurry of Wing Attacks.

"Horn Attack!" Chris cried out. To his surprise, Nidoran actually managed to execute the move. The strike caught Golbat's left wing, but did not hit with enough force to drive the creature back. The Bat Pokémon soon resumed his assault.

With Golbat covering him, Chris had no chance of hitting his first capture with the Poké Ball's return beam. He'd given Nidoran a chance, but reality had finally come calling. Chris turned to Cyndaquil and said, "He needs us. Get in there and drive him off with Tackle."

Cyndaquil took off at a full sprint. The Fire-type's excited footsteps seemed to instantly draw the attention of Golbat, who in response, released a Confuse Ray at the starter.

"Dodge!" Chris directed a second too late. He cringed as his Pokémon was hit by the debilitating attack and staggered to a halt. That left him out of usable Pokémon, but not out of ideas. As Golbat prepared to resume his beat down on Nidoran, Chris charged. This is moronic, his brain screamed at him. His mouth soon echoed the sentiment, but his feet kept pounding forward. He had no idea how he'd fend off an adversary that was faster and stronger, but he'd at least try.

His pace slowed at the sight of movement beneath Golbat. Something had seemingly lit a fire under Nidoran. The tiny creature squirmed and began to viciously swing his horn in every direction. As Golbat shifted to avoid the strikes, Nidoran's front two paws reached up to grab hold of the Bat Pokémon's wings. He pulled the appendage close and smashed his horn into it. The blow sent the Poison/Flying-type stumbling backward—the sight finally helping Chris to find his voice.

"Fury Attack!"

Nidoran's horn took on a pale glow. He scrambled to his feet in hot pursuit and peppered Golbat with multiple strikes. As the winged creature ascended to avoid any more blows, Nidoran pounced into the air and drove his horn straight into the the Bat Pokémon's torso. Both Pokémon dropped to the ground and remained motionless.

Chris sprinted over to Nidoran and gently turned him onto his side. Despite the damage and heavy breathing, Chris was amazed to find a grin on his teammate's face. The trainer fumbled with his backpack and withdrew a Potion. As he sprayed the creature down, he said, "I want to be mad at ya'... but that battle was just..." he stopped and shook his head. "I can't believe we took him down." Once Nidoran was able to stand on his own feet, Chris turned his attention to Cyndaquil. The starter resisted his checkup, firmly declaring that he had overcome Golbat's confusion. Nidoran joined them a moment later, and together the three looked back at their defeated foe. Golbat still lay motionless on the shaded patch of grass.

"You sure did a number on him," Chris said with a chuckle. His hand reached into a pocket and withdrew a Poké ball. "I don't think we can pass up the opportunity of catching a strong 'Mon like this. Having this guy on the team could push you both to work even harder." He looked down at Nidoran with mock skepticism. "Then again, I think we may have already pushed ourselves a bit too far." Nidoran slowly sank to his knees, but didn't look to be in much pain. "Why on earth did you leave? Why come all the way out here to pick a fight?"

Nidoran managed to point a leg toward Cyndaquil. "Nido'," he plainly said.

Confusion turned to clarity upon seeing his starter's intrigued expression. "I think you may have taken my words a bit too far," Chris replied. He wanted his message from the previous night to stay between the two of them, so he shifted gears. He threw on a grin and added, "I'm just glad it wasn't because you thought I was a bad trainer." Then he turned back toward the downed wild Pokémon. "How about we add another member to our team?"

When no opposition came, Chris maximized the capture device and tossed it. His aim proved to be more accurate than yesterday's near miss; the ball bounced lightly off Golbat's forehead, triggering the capture mechanism. The Bat Pokémon dematerialized into red energy, and was sucked into the closing ball.

"C'mon baby," Chris breathed. His fingers danced against his palms as he watched the device rock back and forth. He knew a resilient and powerful Pokémon like this might just have enough strength to break free. After several more twitches, the ball came to a stop. Chris let out a long sigh.

"What a start to the day."


As Chris stepped off Route 29 and into his hometown, he couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. Though he didn't have the team or the experience to stake his claim as Johto's best trainer, he had still managed to obtain his starter, capture two Pokémon, and experience his first trainer battle. It was as solid a foundation as Chris could hope for after only a day and a half. The next step lay in the city due north.

After much praise, Chris had returned Nidoran to his Poké Ball for a well deserved rest. He had refrained from bringing out his newest capture after seeing the Poison/Flying-type's condition post battle. Both Pokémon could use a trip to the Pokémon Center. Cyndaquil also fell into this category, but the Fire-type refused to travel the final, short stretch to Cherrygrove in his Poké Ball.

After hundreds of prior trips down the city's streets, it didn't take long for Chris and his starter to reach the local Pokémon Center. Stepping inside, he was relieved to find relatively few trainers waiting in the lobby. Only a few minutes passed before he found himself at the front of the line. "Oh, Ms. Nicki!" he exclaimed.

The middle aged woman's stoic face softened. "Hello, Chris!" She tilted her head to the side. "In here for the latest trainer gossip?"

"Actually," Chris said, bringing himself to his full height, "I'm here to heal up my Pokémon!"

"That's right!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "You mentioned last week that you'd be starting." She gave him a wry smile. "I guess you could say that you might be a part of the trainer gossip now."

Chris scratched at the back of his head. "As much as I'd like that, I don't think I'm quite to that point." His smile suddenly faltered. "Wait a minute... I thought you were supposed to be on vacation."

She let out a sigh. "Me and Dion packed up and arrived at the dock ready to go. But when we went to board, they informed us that the cruise to Olivine had been canceled."

"That's strange. So I guess you couldn't switched over to another ship?"

"That's the crazy part," she said, shaking her head. "The Olivine port had been completely shut down!"

Chris' jaw nearly fell open. "Huh. I don't think that's ever happened. As busy as that place always looks, I would have thought it was impossible."

"You and me both," she replied. "But thankfully, it opened back up yesterday. We've already rescheduled our trip for the 14th. So it's not the end of the world. Now," she paused to point at the Poké Balls in Chris' hand, "how about we get your Pokémon taken care of."

"Oh," Chris said, having momentarily forgotten why he'd come there, "I have one more Pokémon." He brought out Cyndaquil's Poké Ball and the starter let himself be returned to the device. Chris handed all three to the nurse and thanked her. As he had heard her say so many times, she suggested that he find a spot in the lobby to kick back and wait out the momentary healing procedure.

He found his favorite chair by the window unoccupied. Plopping down, he brought out his Pokégear and opened up the map. If the lunch traffic wasn't horrible, Chris believed they could cover the entirety of Route 30 and even some of Route 31 before nightfall. But that would require them to immediately head north following the checkup. And as much as Chris wanted to push on with his journey, he felt he owed it to his team to reveal a bit more about himself.

That's when Chris noticed a flashing envelope icon at the top of the screen. Clicking on in it, the device brought him to an unread message. His mother's name headlined the short paragraph, and the words below glowed with Jennifer Aedan's positivity. She had sent her hopes for his success, and reminded him of how proud she and his father were. By the time he'd finished reading it, Chris found a grin on his face. He wrote back a short response, highlighting the positives and purposely omitting his impromptu, high altitude trip to New Bark Town. The last thing this journey needs is a police escort, he thought. He snapped to attention at the sound of his name over the PA system. He hopped up and made for the counter. The nurse met him there and returned his three Poké Balls. She wished him well, before bouncing back over to the registration line. An influx of people had begun to crowd the center, giving Chris even more of a reason to get back into the open air.

Stepping into the warm sunlight once more, Chris forced his feet south. He took the usual shortcuts in an effort to avoid any crowding that could occur at this time of day. Despite being the smallest city in the Pokémon world, Chris still found himself annoyed by the occasional traffic. After school, he'd often bounce around the city, checking out trainers as they passed through, and hoping to catch a battle. His mother's work schedule usually left him with an empty house to return to as an alternative. Occasionally, his school friends would tag along, but most days he scoured the city solo. When the delay of crossing a busy street could cost Chris the chance of finding a potentially incredible battle, the boy had worked diligently to piece together a channel of quick, reliable routes.

One of these paths soon brought him to the bay. The sea breeze whipped through his sweat drenched shirt and cooled his skin. He forced his eyes from the clear water, and began down a familiar street. The pavement looped around and ran parallel to the tan, sand covered shore. That's when he finally arrived at the two story house he'd returned to every evening. He stepped onto the porch and released Cyndaquil and Nidoran. He gave them a moment to take acclimate themselves and take in the setting.

"I wanted to show you guys my home," Chris explained. Cyndaquil's focused expression didn't change. Nidoran's eyes, however, looked as though they would pop out of his skull. "But before I do," Chris continued, "I think it's important we welcome our newest teammate. You guys cool with that?"

"Nido'!" the Poison-type roared, and nodded.

"Cynda'," the Fire Mouse Pokémon said with a shrug.

Chris activated the release mechanism on the third Poké Ball. Golbat burst back into existence in a flash of white light. The Bat Pokémon took to the air and nearly smashed his head into the porch's brick ceiling. He hovered just below it—his body twisting back and forth to take in his surroundings. When his eyes found Chris, he gave the trainer a strange look. Chris smiled back, but the Poison/Flying-type then turned his attention to the two Pokémon at his side. Nidoran still seemed weary of the creature after their war, but he managed a playful swing of his horn in his newest teammate's direction. Cyndaquil returned Golbat's gaze with a hard stare. The Bat Pokémon seemed to ever-so-slightly recoil from the intense look.

"Don't let them shake you up," Chris said with a laugh. He extended an arm toward Golbat. The Bat Pokémon deliberated for a short moment, but ultimately chose to accept the invitation. After he landed on Chris' arm, the trainer continued. "You gave us an amazing battle, so you may have to excuse these two. It'll take time to get over the intensity of that encounter. Even so, from here on out, you'll be apart of our crew!"

Golbat glanced down at his new teammates and seemed relieved to see neither dispute this.

"And speaking of family…" Chris paused to extend his other arm, "I want to welcome you to my home!"

Chris unlocked the door and let his Pokémon into the house. Nidoran took off in a mad dash, scrambling around the living room, and nearly toppling a dining room chair. Cyndaquil, on the other hand, calmly stepped over to the lounging area, and hopped onto the back of the couch. Golbat was already soaring up the stairs.

"Now don't get too comfortable guys!" Chris called. "We aren't staying for long." A part of him felt guilty for leaving without seeing his mom. After everything she had done, and her tearful farewell the day prior, he felt he owed her an appearance. But he knew his mother would be patrolling until late that evening. And after meeting and battling with Luke, who had already been on his journey for weeks... he just couldn't stomach that long of a delay.

The trainer showed Cyndaquil and Nidoran his room while Golbat circled through the open hall between there and the steps. As they left his room, he made sure to point out the beautiful art of Ecruteak. Once back downstairs, he let his team explore the rest of the house. While they did so, Chris wrote a small note to his mom. Despite sending a message to her earlier, he knew she would get an even bigger kick out of this.

"Alright, guys!" Chris shouted, his voice echoing through the open floor plan. He sat the note on the kitchen counter before continuing. "Let's get moving. We have some ground to cover!"

Once they were back outside and Chris had locked the front door, he spoke again. "Hope you guys enjoyed that. We probably won't be back here until after we've gotten all eight badges." Upon receiving a perplexed look from Golbat, he added, "I'll explain on the way to Route 30."

He did just that as they made their way north. The western side of Cherrygrove didn't see nearly as much traffic as downtown or the eastern edge. He and his companions were able to travel and speak with relative ease as they followed a side road along the edge of the bay. When they'd reached the entrance to Route 30, Chris caught sight of the Poké Mart. "Let's make one last stop."

A quick sweet through the front of the store saw Chris replenish his stock of potions and food. He found an express lane and had checked out before any of his teammates had time to get lost in the aisles. The foursome were back outside and on Route 30's dirt trail not long after.

The sky overhead was clear, but clouds in the distance led Chris to push them at a faster pace. The patches of grass near the eastern woodland provided the team with plenty of wild encounters. Cyndaquil made quick work of a Caterpie and Pidgey. Nidoran noticed something in a nearby tree, and proceeded to hit said tree with his horn. A Ledyba swooped down, prompting a back-and-forth battle that Chris and Nidoran managed to win. Golbat took to the air and scouted several eager challengers. He had engaged them before Chris had even realized it, prompting the trainer to jump in mid battle. All of the battles ended in victory, giving the trainer a real sense of satisfaction. They took a break from battling to admire the light shimmering off a nearby pond. "I use to fish here," Chris told them, flashing a grin. "Never caught a thing!"

They continued north, passing another body of water, until they reached a small meadow. They were greeted by a pair of Hoppip, who Cyndaquil made short work of. After the last flames had been snuffed out, Chris turned to his victorious teammate. "I think we can safely say that you've now mastered Ember," he said.

The Fire Mouse Pokémon nodded adamantly. "Cynda'."

Chris turned to look at all of them. "Before we add anymore members to the team," he said, pulling out three pills, "I think it's important we focus on taking the next step. I want each of you guys to take one of these Protein vitamins. This should help you build up muscle after all our battling today. It'll make your physical attacks extra strong!"

"Nido!" The horned Pokémon roared. He flexed his legs after ingesting the medicine, which drew a big laugh from Chris.

"It'll take some time before you see a difference," Chris explained, patting Nidoran. "But I like your enthusiasm!"

They reached the end of the field and found that the path split. The trail on the left sloped up and became a steep hill, while the right lane wove back into a forested area. As Nidoran and Cyndaquil discussed each option, Chris noticed two people examining a road sign between the paths.

"No way," Chris said softly. He felt his legs carrying him toward the two.

The pair, having apparently heard Chris' approach, turned to face him. One of the duo was a girl who looked to be around Chris' age. She had medium length blonde hair and looked to be several inches shorter than Chris' lanky self. But it was the man next to her that drew Chris' sudden interest.

"We meet again, Chris!" the elderly gentleman said with a chuckle. As Chris reached him, he extended a hand.

"Hello, sir!" Chris exclaimed. He shook the man's hand and pointed back to his approaching team. "I managed to make it to New Bark Town!"

The elder beamed back at him and removed his top hat. "I see that," he said. "And it looks like you've added a couple more members to your team!"

"It's been a crazy couple of days."

"I bet it has," he replied. He then motioned to the impatient looking girl at his side. "This young woman is my granddaughter."

"Kayla," she said without moving.

"Nice to meet you," Chris said, and extended a hand.

"Pleasure," she answered, her voice teetering on the edge of sarcasm. She eyed his outstretched hand. "Quite a set of manners you have there. But seeing as both of us our trainers, I don't think we need a ton of formality to get our points across."

"Oh... I guess that's true."

She suddenly held a Poké Ball in her hand. It was maximized a moment later. "I think battling can be the best way to get to know someone. What do you think?"

Chris found his teammates at his side. All three of them leaned toward Kayla, and looked to be on the verge of charging. "I'd be willing to test that theory," he answered.

"A battle!" the elderly man cheered. He stepped away from the trainers and took a seat on the grass. "Just remember Chris, she only has two Pokémon."

Kayla's face became the color of a tamato berry. "Grandpa!" She waved a hand at him. "I may only have two, but they're both well trained!"

"Right you are, dear."

"I'll start things off with Golbat," Chris announced, prompting the Bat Pokémon forward.

"Okay," Kayla replied, seemingly impressed that he already had an evolved Pokémon. She launched her Poké ball into the air. It burst open and a flash of white light revealed a Pokémon that motivated Chris to bring out his Pokédex.

"I've never seen a Mudkip in person," the Cherrygrove native said after scanning the database's info. The blue creature looked even smaller than it had on TV. The Mud Fish Pokémon stayed low to the ground and wriggled his orange cheeks at Chris and his team. "How did you get a Hoenn starter?" he asked.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"You're from Hoenn?"

"Well, yes. But that's not why." Kayla nodded at her grandfather, "He travels to Hoenn quite a bit and thought this little guy would make for a great partner on my journey."

Chris let out a chuckle. "Well... that's not that obvious!"

"Whatever," she said, throwing on a grin. "How about we get down to business?"

He nodded. "Ladies first."

"You're gonna regret accepting this battle!"


Closing- Hope you enjoyed Chapter 5! It was a pretty important chapter with a new edition coming to Chris' team. I encourage you to review and subscribe if you enjoyed it. Definitely leave a review regardless! Chapter 6 will hopefully drop in the next month or two. See you then!