Welcome everyone to my new chapter for my Pokémon story: A Human and his Gardevoir. Thank you all for the support from the last chapters and since putting the story back. I appreciate the support guys and glad I was able to get all my stuff back. I'm looking forward to seeing how things are going to go for this chapter.

Also, for those who didn't read the original story; Derek appeared as one of the main characters of the story. He's Ryan's best friend and traveled with him in Sinnoh, which is where the first story takes place. The story also took place three years into Ryan's journey. So, this current story takes place three years before the original story.

Now, I brought Derek along so you all can see how the two became best friends. While showing his role in this story and who he's after. If you read the original, then yes. The antagonist of that story will make his appearance in this one…just less crazy.

Now then, last time we saw Ryan, May, and Piper meeting Derek. They all agreed to travel together, bringing the group now up to four humans and their two Pokémon who are traveling out of their Pokéballs. How will things go as they head to Verdanturf Town? And will they run into trouble, maybe even some challenges?

Tune in to the chapter to find out. I want to thank everyone for supporting my story and my friend for his help as well. I appreciate the support and feedback. I don't own anything from the Pokémon universe, except my OCs. So, without any further delays, enjoy the chapter everyone.

Chapter IX: Cave Trouble

Route 115

After winning both badges from Roxanne, the Gym Leader, Ryan, May, and Piper prepared to set out for their next destination, Verdanturf Town, for May's first Pokémon Contest. Before departing, they ended up meeting a young man, who Piper thought she killed after hitting him. Turned out he was alive, and his name is Derek.

From the Unova Region and had come by searching for someone. From the sound of it, it was someone who was troubled. In any case, the group decided to let him join them. More strength in numbers for their journey and would give them more insight into where they needed to go.

Turns out, Derek had come from the northern part of the region and made his way down towards Rustboro City. So, they could follow him as he leads them towards the Rusturf Tunnel. It'll lead them towards Rustboro City, where May can compete for her first ribbon. All the while, hearing how he lived in Unova, Dragon Pokémon was important to their village.

"My people hold a deep connection with Dragon-type Pokémon. Not for their power, but more for their grace, their beauty, and wisdom," Derek explained as the group rode their bikes down the road towards the cave.

"Every villager has their own Dragon Pokémon and form a strong bond with them. Each villager and Pokémon do their part to help the village with whatever they're tasked with. Some are tasked with cooking, building, growing crops, and even defending the village from danger. We're close to our Pokémon and form an understanding with them."

"Wow! That's amazing," said May who was in awe with what Derek said. "Dragon Pokémon sound amazing."

"Eh they're all right, I guess," said Piper who a fan of Dragon Pokémon wasn't…unless there's a Ghost-Type and Dragon-type, then she'll be into it. "Still, what did this guy do that caused you to come so far after him?"

"It does sound a lot," said Ryan who did feel this was a bit much for someone young to do. "I mean, the village part does sound pretty cool, but what did this guy to get in so much trouble?"

"Let's just say he broke a massive taboo our village has and must pay for it," said Derek who didn't want to go into a lot of details, since he did just meet this group. "But don't worry about it. I'll handle this guy myself when I find him. I'm just along for the ride with you all. And if you want a little sparring with my Dragon Pokémon, just ask."

"We'll keep that in mind," said Ryan who didn't mind the idea of battling against a Dragon Pokémon. "Still, your village sounds amazing. I'm hoping to catch myself a Dragon Pokémon while on my journey."

Are Dragon-type Pokémon really that strong? Rachel asked as she sat in the basket on Ryan's bike. My mom said they're strong, but not as strong as our kind.

"I'm pretty sure Psychic-types are nowhere near the level of Dragon-types," said Piper who knew from experience in her past battles against a few Dragons Pokémon. "Only weaknesses they have are other Dragon-types and Ice Pokémon. While highly resistant to Fire, Water, Grass, and Electric-type attacks."

Sounds like they're almost impossible to beat if only two types are their weaknesses. Rachel replied while wishing she knew some techniques that could help Ryan in the future.

"Actually, a friend of mine went to the Kalos region, which is up north to Unova. And he told me he found a new type of Pokémon that are a new weakness of Dragon-type," said Derek as he revealed the third weakness of Dragon-type Pokémon. "Fairy-types."

Ryan, Rachel, May, Piper, and Phantump looked confused with what Derek said when he revealed the third weakness Dragon-type has is Fairy.

"Fairy-type? That's a thing?" Piper asked who couldn't believe her ears.

"I'm dead serious. They're super effective against Dark, Fighting, and Dragon-type Pokémon. They even said they're unaffected by Dragon-type moves," said Derek who didn't like to admit his precious dragons are weak to something like fairies. "In fact, your Ralts there, she's a Fairy-type."

"What?" Ryan turned to Rachel, who too looked confused. "Um Derek, she's a Psychic-type. The Pokédex said so."

Ryan pulled out his Pokédex to prove it.

Ralts; the Feeling Pokémon. Psychic-type. It senses the emotions of people using the horns on its head. This Pokémon rarely appears before people. But when it does, it draws closer if it senses that the person has a positive disposition. – Pokédex.

"Right, well, not anymore," said Derek as he took his Pokédex out and reveals the data entry it has.

Derek lends Ryan his Pokédex, to allow Ryan and Rachel to see the data seems more updated than the one they have. Ryan saw the different Fairy-type use and how powerful they are against dragons.

"Looks like Derek is right, Rachel. You're a Fairy-type too," said Ryan who is amazed to find out Rachel is a dual type.

I guess so. This is pretty cool. Rachel replied while she was in shock she didn't know this. That does explain why my mom said we're stronger than Dragon Pokémon. Its not because of our Psychic-type, but our Fairy-type.

"That does seem to make sense," said May who now wonders if there's any Fairy-type in the Hoenn region. "Derek, did you complete your Pokédex? While in Kalos Region?"

"Wasn't planning to, but since I was there, I decided to do that," said Derek before he motioned to Ryan to give his Pokédex to May. "You can borrow it if you want. I was given a second Pokédex when that one couldn't get updated."

"Oh, thank you," said May as she took the Pokédex and puts it away. "So, how far is it to the cave?"

The group soon stopped when they saw a sign telling them the cave is just ahead. After riding for another minute, they soon arrived.

Rusturf Tunnel. They're finally here.

"How long is this cave?" Piper asked as they got off their bike and walked up to the entrance. "And is there any Ghost-type Pokémon in there?"

"Not from what I've seen," said Derek as he began to stretch. "But it's a short cave. So, no need to worry about the walking part."

"Walking? We're not going to ride our bikes through the cave?" May asked who thought that was the plan.

"Too risky," said Ryan who knew going through caves on bike is dangerous. "There's no telling what kind of Pokémon we'll find in there. And how they'll react if we ride our bikes through their home."

"It's better to walk with our bikes till we make it out the other side," said Piper as her Phantump landed on her head and looked up at the cave. "Besides, the last thing we want is to battle a whole sort of Pokémon and leave our team exhausted."

"The good news is it'll take us at least an hour to get through," said Derek who knew the walk was the easy part. "Bad news is there's a lot of Zubat in there. So, let's avoid pissing them off, okay?"

"Sounds like you have experienced with Zubat," said Ryan who figured the way Derek talked about them, that he's not a fan of Zubat.

"Too many cave encounters with those little shits. I love Pokémon, but man I don't want to fight another Zubat in a cave ever again," said Derek as he finished stretching. "You all ready to go?"

The others all nod in response before they begin to enter the cave. Taking out their flashlights, they illuminate their way as they noticed fog surrounding the cave.

"Huh. This is strange," said Derek as his eyes were locked on the fog.

"Everything okay?" Piper asked wondering what the problem is. "Is it this fog that's troubling you?"

"Huh? Ah no. This is normal. I think there's a steam spring somewhere within the cave that's causing this fog to appear," said Derek as he explained what was troubling him. "There was this old guy I met last night. He was smashing away the rocks to help with the pathway to Verdanturf Town."

"And he's not here?" May looked around and saw no sign of said old man. "Maybe he finished and left home?"

"Maybe," said Derek who had his doubts about that as he felt uneasy about this.

Ryan tried to get Derek's mind off of the old man and began asking him questions. "So…Derek. You said you traveled all around Kalos. You must have caught a whole lot of Pokémon, right?"

Derek's attention shifted to Ryan's question and nodded. "A whole lot, but I only brought my three Pokémon with me. I wanted to try catching the Dragon Pokémon that exist here."

Does it have to just be Dragon-type? Why not do something else? Like a Ghost, Psychic, Grass, or Water-type? Rachel asked wondering if Derek wouldn't be against getting other types.

"I mean, I have done that, but more comfortable with just my dragons," said Derek who had to admit though, mixing it up with his team would come in handy, especially against Gym Leaders who have Pokémon that can counter his dragons.

"I have to admit, Ryan. You got yourself a pretty special Ralts," said Derek as he complimented his new friend. "I never met one who would talk like yours does. You two must have a strong bond."

Ryan knew that much is true as he begins petting Rachel's head. "We really do. I had hoped to keep her out of the fight, but she wanted to get involved. Just glad it all turned out well."

"One cannot hope to keep Pokémon from battling one another, especially if they want to prove themselves," said Piper who knew putting her Phantump in battle is not what she likes, but if he's up for it, then she'll support her friend.

"That's true," said Derek who agreed with Piper's comments. "And who knows? Over time, she'll evolve to her Kirlia form and then her final form, Gardevoir."

"Gardevoir are said to be really strong and beautiful too," said May who knew having a Gardevoir would help any coordinator out.

"You hear that, Rachel? You're going to be beautiful, not that you aren't already beautiful," said Ryan as he complimented Rachel, who began to blush.

Ryan! Stop! Rachel accidentally used Psychic to lift the bike by accident, but Ryan managed to hold on and help lower it down. Oh whoops! Sorry about that.

"All good, but let's try to avoid that again and not risk waking any Zubat," said Ryan who didn't want to risk his bike also getting damaged too.

"Hmm ~" May used her flashlight and looked up quickly, before noticing something. "Um Derek? You said there are a lot of Zubat here, right? So, um…where are they?"

"What?" Derek, Ryan, and Piper moved their flashlights up, to find no sign of any Zubat on the ceiling. "That's strange. There were plenty of Zubat yesterday when I came through here."

This was now making Derek feel a little uneasy. "What's going on here?"

"Maybe we can ask those two over there," said Piper as she points towards what looks like two shadowy figures talking across from them.

The four young trainers walked towards the direction of the figures before seeing a bright light near them. As they got closer, they see it's a lantern on the ground, before seeing an old man being pushed down to the ground. The one who pushed him is a younger man with a strange looking sailor outfit and a bandana with a strange symbol on the forehead of the bandana.

Next to him, is a Wingull. It was pinned down by what the trainers assumed is the stranger's Poochyena.

"P-Please," the old man begged. "Please give me back my Peeko! We haven't done anything to you. Just let her go."

The old man appeared with short gray beard, eyebrows, no hair on his head, blue eyes, and brown tanned skin.

The other man had short goatee hair, blue eyes, fair skin, and black hair. And didn't look like he was going to give up Pokémon anytime soon.

"Too bad, old man! This Pokémon is coming with us and there's nothing you can do to stop us," said the stranger who showed no remorse for what he was doing.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" May exclaimed as she ran over to check on the old man. "Are you okay, sir?"

"I'm Mr. Briney and I'll be fine. Thank you, young lady," said Mr. Briney as he thanked the girl for helping him. "That man and his Poochyena attacked us out of nowhere while I was helping break these rocks. I tried to fight back, but he beat me in battle and now has my Wingull."

"And the same thing is going to happen to you brats, unless you hand me your Pokémon," said the stranger as his Poochyena began barking at the young trainers.

Rachel whimpered when she saw the Poochyena and flashed back to what happened days ago. Ryan noticed this and stood in front of Rachel to protect her.

"The only one who's handing anything is you giving that Wingull back to his trainer," said Ryan who didn't like people who try stealing other Pokémon from other people.

"Is that so? All right. I'll gladly take you punks down and take your Pokémon for Team Aqua," said the stranger as he took out two Pokéballs and let out his two Poochyena. "So, which one of you brats wants to lose first?"

Ryan was about to step up, until Derek moved his left arm out. "Hold it. It's been a while since I had a chance to let my team have some fun. Let us handle it."

"You sure?" Ryan asked before Derek nodded back at him, reassuring, he was sure. Ryan gave a small smile and took a step back. "Fine. Just make sure he doesn't escape."

"I won't," said Derek as he cracks his neck before taking out one Pokéball. "Go! Dragonair!" out of his Pokéball, appeared a long blue-skinned with white underbelly, Dragonair, who let out a loud cry.

"Whoa! She's so beautiful ~" said May who was in awe at the beauty of Dragonair.

"I may be a ghost fan, but even I can't deny she's pretty," said Piper as both her and Phantump were caught in the beauty of this Dragon Pokémon.

Ryan took out his Pokédex and reads the data on the Pokémon and what it is;

Dragonair; the Dragon Pokémon. Dragon-type. A mystical Pokémon that exudes a gentle aura. Has the ability to change climate conditions. Dragonair stores an enormous amount of energy inside its body. By discharging energy from the crystal on its neck and tail, it can alter the weather conditions. – Pokédex.

Wow! So that's an actual Dragon Pokémon! Rachel exclaimed as she couldn't believe she was seeing an actual Dragon Pokémon for the first time. But just one? Can she really handle them all on her own?

Ryan wanted to help his friend, but he figured Derek knows what he's doing. "I think there's more to these two than we're letting on. Let this play out and see how it'll go."

"I hope he can handle this," said May as she was worried how this was going to go.

Piper nods in agreement. "I mean, if he's traveled from so far, then we can assume he's not slouch."

The Team Aqua Grunt chuckled as his two Poochyena prepared to attack. "Two against one? Sounds easy enough. Attack with Bite!" Both his Poochyena charged in looking to bite down on the Dragon Pokémon.

"Dragonair, use Dragon Tail!" Derek ordered as his Pokémon moved her body around and swung her tail over. One of the Poochyena managed to avoid it, but the other got hit hard.

Being slammed towards the wall as the attack appeared to have knocked out the Poochyena. This surprised the Team Aqua Grunt who didn't expect to see his Poochyena taken out so quickly.

"You little punk! Poochyena, use Roar!" he ordered as his Poochyena let out a loud roar to try intimidating the Dragonair. "Now! Use Crunch!" Poochyena charged in looking to use a stronger bite attack.

"That bark isn't enough to scare my girl. Dragonair! Use Agility!" Derek ordered as his Dragonair's speed increased and avoided the Crunch attack.

"No way! How is it so fast?!" Team Aqua Grunt replied in shock.

Even Ryan, Dawn, Piper, Phantump. And Rachel looked on in shock at how fast Dragonair is. Even in this damp cave, she was able to move around at such speed. While still maintaining such power with her attacks. It shouldn't surprise them though, considering how Derek clearly has experience.

"Now, use Ice Beam!" Derek ordered as Dragonair opened her mouth and fired a powerful ice attack, hitting the Poochyena and knocking it out.

"My Poochyena!" Team Aqua Grunt exclaimed as he stood in complete shock that both his Pokémon lost and so easily.

"And that's how it's done," said Derek as his Dragonair moved over towards her trainer and cuddled up to him. "Aww ~ Awesome work, baby ~ I'm so proud of you, as always."

Derek soon turned towards the Team Aqua Grunt and his expression changed to a serious one. "Now, are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way? Make your choice."

Derek said this while his Dragonair glared at the Team Aqua Grunt and his remaining Poochyena, who looked terrified.

"T-This is plain not right. The boss told me this would be a slick and easy job to pull," said the Team Aqua Grunt who knew this isn't good for him at all.

"Your boss?! Who is your boss?" May asked wanting to know who this guy is working for.

"Tch! You want this bird back?! Take it!" the Team Aqua Grunt grabbed the Wingull and tosses it towards the kids.

"Peeko!" Mr. Briney cried out as he watched his friend being tossed.

"Dragonair!" Derek ordered his Pokémon to catch the Wingull, which she managed to do and bring the Pokémon down gently on the ground.

Meanwhile, the Team Aqua Grunt and his Poochyena began to run away. Dropping something in the process, but they ran deep into the cave and out of sight of the kids.

"Hey! Get back here!" Ryan shouted as he and May prepared to chase the Team Aqua thug, before Piper stopped them.

"Guys! Let him go! Can't risk chasing him in a dark cave like this," said Piper who knew better than to chase an enemy into a dark place. "Besides, we got the Wingull back. That's all that matters."

"I guess so," said Ryan who was mad the guy got away, but was glad Wingull is safe.

May nodded in agreement before noticing something on the ground. "Hey! What's that?" May rushed over and saw what the Team Aqua Grunt dropped. "It looks like some sort of machine part? For what?"

"I don't know," said Ryan as he examined the part and didn't recognize it. "It says Devon Goods on the side…maybe that's a clue?"

"Could be," said May who knew she heard that name before, along with Team Aqua, but couldn't remember exactly what it was. "I'll hold on to this and we'll see what it is later."

"Good idea," said Ryan before they walk back to the group and saw Piper checking on Wingull. "How is he? Is he going to be, okay?"

"Looks like that Poochyena injured her wing," said Piper as she figured that's why the poor thing couldn't fly when thrown. "I got some Super Potion in here to help her recover."

"Oh, thank you so much, my dear," said Mr. Briney as he thanked the kids for their help before turning to Derek. "You and your Dragonair were very impressive. I thank you both for what you did."

"Dragonair did most of the work, but just glad you and your Peeko are okay," said Derek who's glad to know no one else got hurt…except for that Team Aqua's Pokémon. "My name is Derek. And these are my friends; May, Piper, and Ryan."

"It's nice to meet you all," said Mr. Briney who is thankful for the help from these young trainers.

"We're just glad you're all okay," said Ryan who did wished they had caught the guy. "By the way, who are Team Aqua? And why did they come after your Wingull?"

"I don't really know," said Mr. Briney who had no clue why he was targeted. "As I said before, I was working on helping clear the road when that man appeared and attacked us. As for Team Aqua, I believe they're a criminal organization that have been going around stealing Pokémon."

"That's why I thought he sounded familiar!" said May as she remembered who the guy was. "My mom and dad warned me about this Team Aqua group appearing around and targeting young trainers for their Pokémon."

"Really? I never heard them before," said Ryan who didn't really pay much attention to the news. "Did you ever hear anything about them, Piper?"

"Not Team Aqua…but I have heard of a Team Magma group who are doing the same thing. I guess they're both the same group?" Piper asked as she figured they must be one and the same.

"Nah. They're totally different," said Derek as he remembered hearing about these groups during his journey.

"Team Aqua are water fanatics who want to expand the ocean for their Water Pokémon. Believing it'd make the world a better place. Team Magma wants to expand the landmass believing more space would make things better for the world. So, both similar in ideology, but both are still criminals who do terrible things."

"How awful! Why hasn't the police done anything about it?" May asked wondering why no one has tried to stop them.

"I'm afraid without enough manpower, they can't do anything to stop them," said Piper figuring that's the case, just like in other regions that have dangerous criminal groups. "Still, we're glad to have been able to help you, Mr. Briney."

"And we're grateful for your help," said Mr. Briney who is thankful for the help from the kids. "If there's anything that you four might need, don't hesitate to tell me. I live in a cottage by the sea near Petalburg Woods."

"Oh yeah! I remember seeing a cottage outside where my family live," said May who recalled as a kid going to the beach and seeing the cute little cottage.

"Oh? You live near Petalburg City then? Who are your parents if you don't mind me asking?" Mr. Briney asked curiously who the girl's parents are since her name did sound familiar.

"Well, my mom's name is Caroline. My dad's name is Norman. He's the Gym Leader there," said May as she replied with who her parents are.

"Ah! I thought you seemed familiar. Yes. I remember seeing you around the beach with your father and mother," said Mr. Briney who knew Norman and is shocked to see his daughter is all grown up.

"Yep, and um I would appreciate it if you didn't tell my parents about this. I don't want them to worry," said May who didn't want her folks to find out she fought a criminal organization.

"No need to worry. My lips are seal," said Mr. Briney who didn't want to worry Norman or his wife. "Anyways, we should get going now. Come, Peeko, we should make our way back home. Thank you, kids and good luck, on your journey."

"Goodbye!" the kids all said as they waved goodbye to Mr. Briney and his Wingull, Peeko.

"He seems really nice. I hope we'll see him again when we come back," said May who couldn't wait to see the nice old man again.

"Agreed. He was really nice," said Piper before turning to Derek. "Still, think we'll run into Team Aqua and Magma? Or think it'll be smooth sailings from here?"

"Hmm ~ When I got here, I didn't run into a lot of trouble with either groups. So, good chance we might make it through this without fighting," but Derek knew better than to believe they won't cross paths again. "Let's just focus on getting to Verdanturf Town and alert the police what happened."

"Good idea," said Ryan who knew the sooner they let the cops know, then they can be on the lookout for any Team Aqua and Magma grunts around. "Now then, let's get through this cave and make it out the other side."

And get some food. I'm starving! Rachel replied as the poor Ralts was hungry after seeing all that exciting fighting from earlier.

The group all began to laugh as they began heading down the cave. Looking to get out of here and looking to get to their next destination. While hoping not to run into anymore trouble. From either Team Aqua or Magma.

That's the end of the chapter and yeah, we've gotten the antagonist of the story…or rather antagonists. Team Aqua and Team Magma, who are pretty crazy with the goals they've set for themselves. Good thing the kids were there to prevent them from taking the Wingull. And got to see Derek in action too.

How will things go for our young heroes? Will they run into Team Aqua and Team Magma again? Will they be ready for them? And be able to stop them from their goal?

Also, we're soon going into the Pokémon Contest side of the story soon. How is that going to go for May in her first contest? Will it go a lot like in the anime series? Or make it slightly different?

Tune in next time to find out and thank you, guys, so much for the support of my stories. If you liked it, then please leave some reviews, but if you didn't, then no flame reviews. Also, thank you to my friend for his help as well, you're awesome. See you all next time, take good care, and see you all next time.

Bold- is for thoughts.

Italic- is for Pokémon talking to another Pokémon.

Teams so far:

1. Combusken – Blaze (male)

2. Ralts – Rachel (female)

3. Nuzleaf– Dotty (male)

4. Wurmple – Belle (female)

5. Taillow – Tai (male)

Poochyena – Piper (female) sent to Professor Birch

May

1. Torchic (female)

2. Silcoon (female)

3. Shroomish (female)

4. Buneary (female)

Piper:

1. Phantump

Derek:

1. Dragonair (female)

2. Flygon (male)

3. Swablu (female)