A Knowledgeable Journey

There is like five chapters here cause I had them posted on the serebii forums as well and I thought I'd bring my fic here as well.


I stood up as I used my arm to wipe the sweat of my forehead. The sun was only just breaking over the hills at 6:47 but I had been up for two hours now. I needed to start my rounds early because my father wanted to talk to me something today. My dad is Professor David James Hunter, a world-renowned pokemon professor. I live with him here in Lavaridge, where his Lab is. Since I turned 10 I have helped dad with the Laboratory grounds where all the pokemon live. Dad uses his Pidgeot to fly all over Hoenn to give people their first pokemon if they live too far away from a resident pokemon researcher. I am 16 but don't have my own pokemon yet. I don't really need one but it would be nice to have one around sometimes because it can get lonely.

Before I started to help dad out I used to hang out with my friends Chris and Sarah. When Chris and Sarah turned 10 they got their first pokemon but that's different because Sarah is Flannery's daughter and both Chris' parents are strong pokemon trainers, even if he doesn't see them much. Chris left on his pokemon journey the day he got Charmander and I haven't seen him since. Sarah stayed here but goes off with her mum often to train her Torchic so I don't see her much. Well I had better get back to work; I want to finish everything so I can talk to dad.

I had only just finished my morning duties and it was already 10:23. I trudged back up to the lab and went upstairs where my dad and I lived. Downstairs was all for experiments and dad?s research, upstairs was our house. I dragged myself to my bedroom; clearly mine with a nameplate hanging crooked on the door and in very babyish writing ?Daniel James? was inscribed on it. I opened the door and it pushed several things out of the way so it could swing properly. Some people would call my room a mess. To me it was a complex filing system. I looked at my clothes all over the floor and I picked up the ones that smelt the best to get changed into. I went and had a shower to get rid of the smell of dirt, mud, sweat and whatever else I made been near so people could stand next to me without needing a peg.

I was finally ready to see dad. I couldn?t find him in his room so I went downstairs to see if he was in his office. He was but he was talking to someone on the videophone. I stood next to dad to see who it was.

?Hello Daniel.? The man on the other end of the phone said, ?How are you??

It was Dominic Stone, Steven Stone?s cousin and now the President of Devon Corp. The old President wanted Steven to take his place but Steven was too busy with being the champ to be President of Devon Corp. as well.

?I?m good thanks. What are you guys talking about?? I asked them, puzzled at why my dad was talking to him at this time.

?Oh I was just telling Dominic I got the parcel he sent me. That?s all.? My dad answered me.

?Well I have to go now but I?ll speak to you soon David.? Dominic informed us and then hung up.

Now he wasn?t distracted, I wanted to see what me dad wanted to speak to me about.

?Hey dad.?

?Yeah Son.?

?What was it you wanted to talk to me about today?? my eyes were filled with curiosity.

My dad stopped shuffling papers and looked me in the eye.

?Daniel your help around the Lab is great but your just being wasted here.? I started to protest but I knew it was true.
?Hang on let me finish. As I was saying your not really needed here anymore. But what I do need is a field man. Someone who can catch and send me all types of pokemon from all over the world. I think you should get a pokemon and go around the world, helping me with my research. So do you think it?s a good idea?? he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

?No.? I said, surprising him greatly, ?I think it?s a great idea!? I continued as a smile crept along my face.

?Terrific! Well then do you want me to give you one of the pokemon I give out or another one?? my dad enquired. I thought about it and gave my answer slowly.

?Neither. Dad do you have a pokemon I could borrow, because I would really like to catch my own pokemon.? I told him. He got out of his chair and took me to his room of pokeballs. Some of the pokemon here were his; others were spare pokemon of trainers he gave starter pokemon to.

?Here.? he said, bringing a pokeball with him. ?This pokemon should be alright for catching your first pokemon. I took the ball and dad led me outside to where wild pokemon lived.

?Ok here we are.? my dad announced. ?The pokemon here are a lot weaker than the ones further up the mountain so you should be able to catch these ones.? I gripped my borrowed pokeball tightly as I scanned the grass for movement. Then I saw it. A small yellow pokemon with dark rings around its eyes. It stood on four legs and had a small hole on the top of the hump on its back. I knew from my textbooks that it was a numel.

?Go pokemon!? I yelled, letting out my pokemon. It was a small scruffy bird pokemon with a very sharp beak. Its feathers were red and it had a sort of mane around its neck. It screeched as it stretched its wings and talons.

?Spearow use peck!? I told my pokemon, not wanting to do too much damage to the ground fire mix. Spearow flew in from above and using its sharp beak, rammed into the numel?s side. It was knocked over from the attack but got back up and charged at the bird. Spearow just flew higher up so to avoid being hit by the tackle attack.

?Try growling at it Spearow!? I commanded from the sidelines. Spearow growled at the camel but to no effect. The numel however, growled back at Spearow with a considerable amount of power. Spearow was intimidated by the sounds coming from the yellow pokemon.

?Spearow use peck again!? from the looks of things, Spearow?s only attacking move was peck at the moment. Spearow attacked the wild pokemon the same way as before and the same effect was achieved except the numel was hit in his weak spot, the face, and took much more damage than before. I decided now was a time to catch the numel.

?Go pokeball!? I shouted, throwing an empty pokeball at the injured pokemon. The ball wriggled once? Twice? It burst open in a flash of red light and numel was once again standing in the open. Angered by my attempt to catch it, numel charged at Spearow and caught it off guard, smashing it to the ground.

?Spearow get up please!? I begged Spearow to get up so I could finish this. Spearow got up slowly but got up nonetheless. ?Great job Spearow! Now use peck!? Spearow dive-bombed numel from above but the camel was ready this time. It charged at Spearow as it came closer but Spearow just flew straight past him, did a 180-degree turn and crashed into numel from behind. I thought this time I would be able to keep it in a pokeball. I threw another ball and it wiggled once? Twice? Three times? And then lay silent.

?Yeah! Who hoo! Free Money!? I shouted as I jumped around joyfully because I had captured my first pokemon.

?Ok son calm down. I think we should head home now, you can leave town tomorrow.? My dad told me. I agreed as I picked up my first pokemon. I recalled spearow and followed dad home to have a good rest for tomorrow, I left.



I awoke in the morning and my alarm clock read 7:24 am. I wondered to myself why I even had an alarm clock, I never set the alarm, my biological clock was set for the right time to get up every day. I sat up in bed and yawned as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I pulled my blankets off me and got out of bed. I grabbed a pair of blue jeans, a red T-shirt, some white socks and headed for the bathroom. As I left my bedroom I flung out my hand and it latched onto my favourite red hat.
My shower was nice and warm, when I got out the mirror that took up nearly one whole side of the wall was fogged up. I used my towel to wipe away a patch of the condensation so I could see myself. My hair was jet black and very messy. I thought about doing it but a cover up job is just as good so I plonked my hat over my hair to hide it, tucking in all the sticking out bits. My reflection stared back at me with deep brown eyes, a nose with a slight dent on the end and pearly white teeth. My teeth must have some kind of natural protection because even though I clean them twice a day, I am always eating junk food and my teeth never stain. When I think about it I must be real lucky. Always eating bad food yet not putting on the pounds. My dad says I have a fast metabolism but I know I?m actually just really special. I finished in the bathroom and headed back to my room to get my sunglasses, which I promptly put on my hat, and Numel?s pokemon which was sitting on my bedside table.

I continued downstairs to find dad. Instead I found a girl my age waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Her silky brown locks ran half way down her back, unrestrained by hair items of any kind. Her eyes were an attractive green, her nose small and round. She flashed a set of very straight white pearly teeth at me. Fairly well developed for a girl her age, she wore a pink top that left her midsection bare. Blue jeans covered her short legs and her white shoes finished her clothing. I am not that tall but when I stood next to her she was only up to my chin.

?Hey Sarah!? I said cheerfully, having not seen her for a few months now, ?What are you doing??

?Coming to see you of course. I just got back from training with my mum and your dad called mum to say you are leaving today. I overheard so I came to say goodbye.? she answered my question.

?Ohhh. Well have you got anymore pokemon?? I wanted to know everything before I left today.

?Yeah I have actually. I caught a Slugma up on Mt. Chimney. Now I?ve got three pokemon!? she told me excitedly. Then she started to think and asked me a question back. ?If you?re going on a journey you need a pokemon right? Have you got one or are you getting one today??

?No I got one yesterday. I borrowed a spearow and caught him myself. Here have a look.? I said, pressing the button on the pokeball to release Numel.

?Cool a numel! Are you going to name your pokemon or not? Mine are named Blaze, Lava and Muscle.? Sarah said, wanting more information off me.

?Naming huh? Well how about Numb? How do you like the name Numb Numel?? I asked, not realizing how stupid my naming skills were. Numel cried in a definite negative way but I mistook it for a yes and named him Numb. Sarah just smiled.

Just then the door opened and a man wearing a white lab coat came in. Under the lab coat was a nice pair of trousers, a white long sleeved shirt and a tie. It was my dad.

?Hey dad.? I said to him as he looked at Sarah and I.

?Hey. You all packed??

?Yep. I was just saying goodbye to Sarah and then I was gonna find you and then go.? I explained my situation to him.

?Daniel I gotta go so good luck on your journey and I hope you have fun!? Sarah said, brushing her lips against my cheek. I blushed, I had never been like that with Sarah and it was weird. She exited the lab and I turned back to Dad.

?Well dad I had better go. I want to make it to somewhere that I can sleep the night.? I started to head off but dad called me back.

?Hang on son I want to give you something.? he dashed off to his office and came back with a small brown parcel.
?Open it. Think of it as a going away present.?

I ripped the paper off it and was amazed at what was left in my hands. It was a watch but in a glance I could tell it was no ordinary watch.

?That is a pokekey. It is a watch, pokedex, pokemon navigator or pokenav as it is more commonly known and cell phone in one. The cell phone can be put on speaker or can be removed so to have a private conversation. One day all trainers will have one, or that is what Dominic says anyway. Its been programmed with my voice so all the spoken functions of the pokekey will be in my voice.? dad explained to me all the uses of the pokekey. I stared at the small thing, unable to grasp that something of that size could do so much.

?I wish that mum could see me today.? I said out of the blue.

My dad looked at his feet and answered my unspoken question. ?I think she can, she just isn?t here with us at the moment.? my dad always spoke like that about mum. I have only heard him say she was dead once and after that its all stuff like ?she will always be with us? and stuff like that. My dad isn?t the religious type so I think that mum is still alive but she and dad separated and dad still can?t accept it.

?Well dad I had better go. If I stay any longer I will start to cry.? I said breaking the silence.

?Your right, your right. Well good luck on your journey and send me some good pokemon to look at ok!? my dad said, cheering up now off the subject of mum.

I left the lab and headed down the street to get into actual Lavaridge Town. I passed right through and eventually got to route 112. This was where I got Numb and I relived the battle in my mind. After my flashback I needed a direction to go. North went to Fallabor Town, South to Mauville City. I let out Numb and asked him which way he liked better. He let out a grunt and started to head north.

?Well Numb, north it is then.? I said and sucked him back into his ball.

The ground soon turned to rock under my feet and the vegetation died away. I was starting to walk on the edge of Mt. Chimney. The ground kept getting more and more rocky and now all the trees and plants were far behind me. Up ahead I could see a spiral of smoke drifting up into the sky. I was curious and headed for the smoke. It was a boy about 18 or 19 and he was putting out his fire he had lit for the night. He noticed me and waved but as I came closer he saw Numb?s ball at my waist and ran to me.

?You have pokemon! You have got to battle me!? the boy shouted and grabbed his own red and white pokeball from his belt.

?Ok but I only have one at the moment.? I told him, a battle not such a big deal to me.

?Go Stripy!? the young camper shouted at me, trying to unnerve me.

A small four-legged pokemon came out. Its face was a rich brown colour except for a black mark that surrounded its eyes. It?s fur was scruffy and stuck out at all angles. The fur was striped and alternated between the rich brown colour it?s face was and an off white cream type colour. Its legs were small and low to the ground, only good for supporting its body, nothing else. It?s front legs were the off white colour its stripes were and its back was a dark brown colour, near to a black.

?Numb you ready to battle?? I asked throwing my only pokeball.

?Num, Numel!? Numb growled.

?Ok let?s go! Stripy use tackle!? the young boy ordered, pointing his index finger at Numb.

?Numb use growl!? I remembered how loud his growl was in the battle I caught it.

The small raccoon pokemon used its small legs to get it into motion so that it could charge Numb. Numb however had other plans. He took in a deep breath and using his powerful voice, growled menacingly at the banded pokemon. The attack made such an impact on the pokemon that it stopped charging and ran behind its trainer.

?Get back out there and use headbutt you scaredy cat!? the boy scolded his pokemon, pushing it back into battle although it was still scared.

?Numb now use tackle!? this was my first battle and I wanted to win so very badly.

Numb used his legs, which happened to be even stumpier than the zigzagoon?s, to power his way towards Stripy. The other pokemon did the same but had his head lowered like a battering ram. Both pokemon made contact and were sent flying backwards. Numb received more damage because he was hurled into a nearby rock formation, smashing the rocks apart. Both pokemon shook off their pain and stood up, ready to continue.

?Numb tackle again!? I had no other choice. Numb?s only move according to my pokedex was growl.

?I?ve got you now! Use tackle!? the small boy cackled.

Again both pokemon rammed into each other and were flung away again. Numb was refusing to give up but was struggling to get up off the ground. Stripy was also injured but he was able to continued much easier.

?Finish this Stripy!? the boy was right, he was finishing this.

As Numb just got to his feet, he looked up to see a blur of fur ((no pun intended)) collide into him. As Numb skidded along the ground I knew that this time he wasn?t getting up. I ran over to Numb and grabbing a potion, used it on him. He was now completely healed but his pride had taken a hit.

?Return Numb.? I said, the sadness in my voice.

?Return Stripy.? I heard and the boy came over to me. ?That was a good battle. Stripy should have gotten a lot of experience from it.? he said, giving me a hand up off the ground. ?The name?s Tim by the way.?

?Hi Tim. My name?s Daniel. It was my first battle and I was hoping to win but Numel is only at a low level and needs some more moves.? I explained. Then I remembered his zigzagoon. ?How come your zigzagoon looks different than the ones I?ve seen in my books??

At first the boy didn?t know what I was talking about but the he realized. ?Oh Stripy? I found him like this. Do other zigzagoon look different?? he hadn?t seen any other zigzagoon other than his own so he didn?t know it was different.

?Here look at my pokedex.? I showed him the picture of the zigzagoon in there and instead of the rich brown it was a duller, boring brown.

?I like the look of Stripy better.? Tim said.

?So do I.? I agreed. ?So where are you off to?? I asked, making conversation.

?I?m heading to Fallabor Town to see my uncle. How about you??

?Well I?m sort of working for my dad. He?s the Professor in Lavaridge Town and he asked me to travel everywhere, looking for pokemon so he can study them.? I answered. ?But I need to train Numb better so that he can battle the wild pokemon to capture them.?

Tim thought about my dilemma and then had an idea. ?How about I travel with you? Well at least until Fallabor Town. You know lots of things about pokemon that I don?t know but I have more hands on experience. We could learn from each other. Do you think it?s a good idea??

?Yeah its great!? I responded. ?Where do you think is a good place to train??

?Up ahead is Fiery Path. There are a lot of pokemon in there and I need a new team member.?

?Ok then, you lead the way.?

Tim took me further up the mountain and as far as I could tell, we were the only living things up here. Soon it became steeper and before long my legs were starting to ache. Then when I was about to lose all hope of reaching this place, I saw it. A huge cave entrance was before us and Tim went straight in without a hesitation. I on the other hand was more apprehensive about going into the dark gloomy unknown.

?Come on, there?s nothing to be scared of, its quite bright in here.? Tim called to me from the entrance.

Against all my instincts I followed him in and he was right it was very bright. Almost straight away we found two pokemon. It was a grey pokemon that stood on two legs. On its head were three yellow protruding lines that looked kind of like hair. The other was a floating purple bag that seemed to have no appendages at all. It had bumps all over it and had a skull and cross bones under its wide mouth that had only two sharp fangs. It puffed out a gas of some kind.

?Come on we?ll double team them. Go Rapid!? Tim yelled. Out of his pokeball came a pokemon I knew to be a water type pokemon. It was shaped as a five pointed star and was a reddish colour. An oval jewel was held in the center of the star by what seemed like gold plating.

?Numb we?re gonna win this one!? I shouted letting him out once again.

?Rapid use water gun on that machop!? Tim knew exactly what he was doing.

?Numb tackle koffing!? I ordered, wishing he had more attacks.

Rapid spurted out a violent flow of water at the fighting pokemon and it was hit right on, hurling it into the cave wall. Numb charged at the floating bag of gas and somehow jumped to crash into it. The koffing was chucked into the wall and as it hit made a sickening thud. Numb landed awkwardly and was hurt on impact but it was nothing compared to the damage koffing sustained. Both of the wild pokemon were fuming after they were hit and came back fighting. Machop attacked Rapid by kicking it from below and made it fall flat on its jewel. The koffing hit Numb with its own tackle attack but this was fairly weak and Numb was hardly even moved.

?Numb growl!? I seriously needed more attacks.

?Rapid use rapid spin!? Tim yelled. I was jealous of Tim having so many different moves to choose from.

Numb let loose one of its famous growls, this one no exception. Both the pokemon heard it and were tremendously scared by it. Koffing was so scared that it ran away from the battle. I looked at Numb and winked at him. I could have sworn I saw a smile on his blank face. I watched as Tim continued to battle. Rapid started to spin and soon was spinning so fast it was deifying the laws of gravity. It then flew at machop and the pointy arms spinning at that speed started to cut the wild pokemon like a razor blade. Soon it was on its knees and shortly after it had fainted.

?Go pokeball!? Tim shouted as the lobbed a red and white spherical object at the downed pokemon. When the orb hit the super power pokemon, it transformed it into a red light and withdrew the light inside itself. We both watched as the ball wobbled around on the ground. It quickly stopped moving and Tim picked it up and clipped it onto his belt.

?Well that was a good battle. I think your numel would have gotten a lot out of it not just from the battle itself but seeing how my pokemon fought as well.? Tim told me.
I nodded my head but was still in awe of how easy Tim made it seem.



We continued on through Fiery Path and like Tim said, there were lots of pokemon around. Most of them fled when they saw us but some stayed.

?Go Numb!? I yelled throwing Numb?s pokeball. Like always the little yellow camel with the short stumpy legs, a hole in its back and a blank face came out.

?Num, numel!? he said.

?Numb use tackle on that Torkoal!? I ordered, wanting to capture this pokemon.

Numb charged at the fire pokemon and threw himself at the tortoise. Numb had put all his strength into the move and it hardly did a thing. The coal pokemon retaliated by spraying red-hot embers at Numb. Numb got behind a rock and the embers missed. Then a tiny bit of fire came out of the hole in Numb?s back. After that Numb used the same attack back at Torkoal, getting it in the face.

?Yeah good job Numb! Now tackle!?

Numb rammed the study pokemon again but was met with the same results as last time. Numb bounced off and was sitting on the ground, slightly dazed. Even more annoyed, the Torkoal blew white steam from its nostrils and reared up, about to slam Numb.

?Numb use ember on its belly!? I said, thinking quickly.

Numb fired several embers at the exposed underside of the pokemon, where there was no armour. Torkoal was hurt and fell backwards onto its shell. It tried to get itself up the right way but was unable to do so.

?Pokeball go!? I shouted, throwing an empty ball at the pokemon. It was captured and the ball was wiggling furiously and I expected it to pop out like Numb did but it fell silent after a tense few seconds. I retrieved the ball and instead of clipping it on my belt like Numb?s was, I placed it in my bag.

?I caught it for my dad to study.? I explained to Tim.

I recalled Numb, proud of his battle with Torkoal. Tim and I continued on until we came to the end of the cave. We exited and continued on route 112.

?So Tim why are you going to your uncle? Is it just a visit or are you dropping something off or?? I asked, not wanting us to be silent all the way to Fallabor.

?Well my parents were sort of against me becoming a trainer and wouldn?t let me have a pokemon. Then uncle Herman sent me Rapid and my parents couldn?t really say no when I already had a pokemon so they let me go. I?m going to say thanks for Rapid and letting me become a trainer.? Tim sighed. ?I guess you wouldn?t have those problems since your dad?s a pokemon professor.?

?No he never said I couldn?t have a pokemon but?? I replied as we left Route 112 and got onto 113.

?But what?? Tim asked, his curiosity sparked.

?Well I grew up with my two friends in Lavaridge and we were really close, our birthdays were even right after one another, if you believe that but when we turned 10 both Sarah and Chris got a pokemon from dad but I didn?t. I didn?t need one but I felt left out all the same.?

?Hey boys!? We both turned our heads to see an old woman in front a small cottage beckoning us over to her. We walked over to her and she smiled. Her hair was grey and in a tight bun. From her face we could tell she was quite old because of the many wrinkles it bestowed. She wore a black dress that went down to her feet and a white cotton cardigan was wrapped around her upper torso. Even though her appearance was old, in her brown eyes there was a sparkle, a sparkle of youth perhaps?

?You two boys look tired and I bet your pokemon are too. Come in and rest so you can become big and strong.? She entered her house and we followed.

She motioned for us to sit on her couch and we did so. She went into her kitchen and told us we could let out our pokemon.

?Go Rapid, Stripy and?.? Tim threw his three pokemon. Out came his staryu, zigzagoon and machop. ?You need a name don?t you.? Tim said thoughtfully. ?How about Muscle? Ok your name is now Muscle!? Tim told his machop. Muscle smiled and flexed his muscles.

?Numb come and play as well.? I said letting him out. I scrummaged through my bag for the pokeball I caught Torkoal in. ?You come out too Torkoal.? I looked at the pokemon I was going to give dad and realized he needed a name too. ?Torkoal your name is now Koal.? I said to him. He just nodded in reply. ?That?s a good boy.? I patted Koal on the head.

?Girl don?t you mean.? I looked up to see the old lady back with a plate of biscuits. ?That Torkoal you?ve got there is a girl, not a boy.? she said placing the biscuits on the table.

?Oh. I didn?t know.? I said dumbly. Then I was hit by a thought. ?Sorry for being so rude. My name is Daniel and this is Tim.? I said quickly, having forgotten my manners.

?You may call me Jessica.? the old lady replied. I watched as Numb tried to take a biscuit off the table.

?Excuse me Jessica but do you have any pokemon food? I think Numb is hungry.?

?Yes I do. There?s some in the pantry. Second shelf.? she said as I got up and entered her kitchen. Like the rest of the house it was old and white seemed to be the colour of the house. I opened the pantry and grabbed a packet of Pokechow. I returned to the living room and opened the bag of food for all the pokemon to eat.

?So boys, were are you headed?? Jessica asked us to make conversation.

?The desert.? Tim said absent-mindedly, looking out the window. Then he focused on Jessica. ?Isn?t the desert usually wrapped in a severe sandstorm?? he asked.

?Usually but once every few years for about 3 months it dies down. Its like that at the moment actually.? Jessica seemed to know a lot about things around here.

?It dies down! You mean you can go in there without goggles?? Tim cried excitedly.

?Yes. The normal winds blow the sand around a bit but you can go there without goggles.?

?Great! Come on Daniel that?s were we?re headed!? Tim grabbed my arm and pulled me out of Jessica?s house.

?Hang on what about our pokemon?? I said, watching him drag me away from Numb and Koal.

?Oh yeah. Return guys.? he said letting go of me and recalling his pokemon. I did the same. ?Now lets go he said marching off.?

We got to the desert and it was literally ground one step, sand the next.

?Now exactly why did you want to come to the desert?? I asked Tim, having no idea why we were here.

?I saw this pokemon once in my dreams and I really want to catch it. It will be in your pokedex, have it search for Baltoy.?

BALTOY: The Clay Doll POKEMON
BALTOY moves while spinning around on its one foot. Primitive wall paintings depicting this POKEMON living among people were discovered in some ancient ruins.

It showed a picture of a small brown pokemon that seemed to be a small statue made of clay.

?I looked it up on my computer and it said they?ve been spotted here and I really want one.? Tim explained.

?What other pokemon live here pokedex?? I asked.

TRAPINCH: The Ant Pit POKEMON
TRAPINCH is a patient hunter. It digs an inescapable pit in a desert and waits for its prey to come tumbling down. This POKEMON can go a whole week without access to any water.

SANDSHREW: The Mouse POKEMON
SANDSHREW's body is configured to absorb water without waste, enabling it to survive in an arid desert. This POKEMON curls up to protect itself from its enemies.

?All ground types.? I said.

I followed Tim further into the desert. It looked like a barren wasteland to me. I couldn?t see how any pokemon could live in here.

?Trap, Trapinch!? We heard just up ahead. We ran to see what was happening. A Trapinch was in its nest trying to bite a Baltoy. The Baltoy then sent a beam of psychic energy at the Trapinch, injuring it greatly.

?Hey leave him alone!? Tim and I shouted.

?Go Rapid! Use water gun on Baltoy!? Tim shouted, rage in his voice. The spurt of water knocked the floating pokemon away from the injured Trapinch.

?Trapinch are you ok?? I asked with concern.

?Trap, Trapinch.? the pokemon answered weakly. I didn?t know how to help it. Well I did but it mightn?t be able to come back here.

?Trapinch I can help you but you will need to come with me. Is that ok?? I asked, not wanting to take it away if it didn?t want to.

?Trap.? the pokemon said and then fainted. I grabbed a pokeball and touched Trapinch with it. It transformed the large jawed pokemon into the red energy and absorbed it. The ball didn?t wobble. I stood up and saw Tim come back.

?I caught the Baltoy!? he shouted. Then he remembered the Trapinch. ?How?s it going??

?It fainted. The only thing I could think of was to capture it and take it too a pokemon center.? I replied, my face hanging low.

?There?s one in Fallabor town. If we run we might get there in time.?

?Right.? I said and stood up. We both ran full pelt out of the desert.

We almost collided with the sliding glass doors of the Pokemon Center. We ran up to the counter where nurse joy was.

?Nurse Joy! I found this Trapinch being attacked by a Baltoy. It fainted and the only thing I could think of to save it was to catch it and bring it here.? I said in one breath, handing over the pokeball.

?Ok I?ll see what I can do.? she said and took the pokeball to the surgery.

?I?m sorry.? Nurse Joy walked around her counter to talk to me. ?I?m sorry but we tried as hard as we could to save Trapinch but?.?

?But what?? I asked, urgency in my voice.

?But we couldn?t do it. Trapinch died.? Nurse Joy had a tear in her eye.

?How, how could this happen? I mean I did everything right, I caught him, brought him here?? I continued to ramble needlessly, tears running down my face.

?Daniel, Daniel. Daniel wake up!? I opened my eyes to see Tim in my face.

?Wha- what?s going on?? I asked.

?Nurse Joy wants to speak with you.? Tim told me. Hear it was, my dream about to come true.

?Daniel was it? Well Daniel Trapinch is in critical care but thanks to you, I think he will be fine.? Nurse Joy said.

?Ok? He?ll be ok!? I yelled with happiness that my dream was just that a dream.

?I will need to watch him for the rest of the day but after that he will be fine.? Nurse Joy told me the restrictions.

?Well at least if he?s ok.? I replied.

?Daniel thanks for yesterday. I might have only just met you but you feel like we?ve been friends forever.? Tim told me.

?I know how you feel.? I agreed with him. ?I guess you?ve got to go now huh??

?Yeah. My uncle will be in for a big surprise. Well I hate long goodbyes so c-ya!? he called and left me only in the pokemon center.

?Nurse joy can you do a check up on Numb? There?s nothing serious, just a check up.? I asked, wanting my pokemon in peak physical condition.

?Yeah that?s no problem. Pass me his ball and I?ll do it now.? I handed over the red and white sphere and Joy put in a machine that had six spots. The machine hummed and my pokeball glowed. It stopped and Nurse Joy handed it back to me. ?Ordinary battling conditions and the like can be healed electronically by this machine. Anything serious though requires something more, like your Trapinch.?

?Oh.? I said as she explained to me how it worked. ?Can I have a look around town while Trapinch is healing?? I asked, not wanting to be stuck in the Pokemon center all day.

?Yes you can just come back tonight.? She let me go.

I walked over to the video-phone and rang dad.

?Hey Daniel, where are you??

?I?m in Fallabor Town and I got a pokemon for you.?

?Already, what is it??

?A Torkoal, I named her Koal.?

?Ok then, send her over.?

I placed the spherical object on the teleportation pad and watched it disappear.

?Good job Daniel. You said you were in Fallabor Town didn?t you??

?Yes I did. Why do you ask??

?On route 114 there are pokemon called Seviper. This species of pokemon is at war so to speak with another pokemon Zangoose. I already have a Zangoose here but I want to study them both so can I ask you to capture one??

?Yep. I?ll find a Seviper for you and catch it, it will do my pokemon good.?

?Ok then bye.? My dad said and then the screen when blank.

I was leaving the pokemon center when I was bowled over by a boy my height. His hair was a dark blonde, light brown colour. It was obviously held in place with hair product. His eyes were a light blue and seemed to reflect everything. A brown T-shirt covered his muscular torso and on top of that was a brown jacket with two white stripes running down its arms. He had rolled the jacket sleeves up to his elbows. His black jeans covered his legs and his shoes were brown street shoes. On his back he had a black backpack and his belt had 3 red and white pokeballs, two pokeballs that were mostly blue on top with two red lines, and a single ball that was black with yellow ?U? shape on it.

?Sorry. But I?m looking for someone.? He said, getting up off the ground.

?Chris!?? I said in amazement.

?Daniel! Long time no see! Didn?t recognize you, it?s been so long.? Chris said almost disbelieving.

?What are you doing here?? I asked, still flabbergasted.

?Well I came back to Lavaridge to get my last badge. I could have come earlier but I just missed the Hoenn League so I decided to train by myself for a while before getting the rest of the badges. I wanted to give you and Sarah something but your dad said you had just left and I had missed your by about an hour. I had my match with Flannery and she was pretty tough but I beat her in the end.? he paused to get his breath. ?Anyways this is yours.? Chris took his backpack off and pulled out an egg with blue blotches on it.

?What pokemon?s in it?? I asked, being even more amazed by the second.

?Ahh. Wait and see for yourself mate.? he said all mysteriously. I took the egg and placed it carefully in my own red backpack.

Then a large crashing sound could be heard and the whole building shook. Chris and I ran outside to see a hole in the side of the pokemart and lots of smoke and fire. Then someone on a loud speaker started to talk.

?Attention to all pokemon trainers in Fallabor Town! If you value your life, you will hand over your pokemon in the name of Team Aqua!? the person then started a loud, booming laugh that came straight from his belly and made my spine tingle.

Chris went into leadership mode, or that?s what I call it when he starts to organize things very quickly but always for good reasons.

?All trainers in the pokemon center come outside with your pokemon. We?ll beat these guys out of here!? A group of people rushed out of the center, pokeballs in their hands. ?Ok let?s go people!? Chris commanded, rushing forward with everyone following, me included.

?Hey you, give me your pokemon!? A guy from Team Aqua ordered. He wore a blue bandanna on his head that had a strange picture on it. It was a circle with two feet things and a slight point at the top. He had a muscle shirt on that had black and white horizontal stripes on it. His trousers were blue with a single strip of white down the outside.

?No way! Go Numb!? I yelled, letting my fire pokemon out. He spurted a tiny flame from his back, signalling he was ready to battle.

?Ok then go Poochyena!? the grunt threw his own pokemon out. It was a black dog pokemon with scruffy fur. Its fangs were bared, emitting a low growling sound.

?Numb use ember!? I told my faithful camel.

?Poochyena bite!? the Aqua member instructed.

Numb fired red-hot coals at the smaller pokemon. These hit and singed the fur of the dark type. In return Poochyena locked its fangs around Numb?s body but it did little damage because of Numb?s thick hide.

?Poochyena tackle!? the member of Team Aqua said with fury in his voice from his first attack doing next to nothing.

?Numb ember again!? sooner or later my opponent would make a mistake because of his anger.

Poochyena stormed at Numb and knocked him back a few meters. Numb regained his posture and fired more embers at the tiny dog. They did damage and one hit it in the face, giving it a burn. Poochyena began to yelp in pain from the burn.

?Numb tackle!? this was nearly over.

?Poochyena stop making such a fuss and use tackle again!? Poochyena didn?t listen though, its pain was too great for it to do anything.

Numb ran at the injured pokemon and using his heavy body, hurled it into the Aqua grunt, knocking them both out.

I looked at the scene that lay before me. In the thick of it were the stronger trainers like Chris with their fully evolved pokemon. Off to the sides a bit were the trainers who had weren?t new but didn?t have extremely strong pokemon yet. And then there were the beginning trainers like me who only had one or two unevolved pokemon. I turned back to Chris who was battling two people at once.

?Electabuzz, thunder-punch that Crawdaunt! Victreebel use solar beam on Mightyena!? he yelled with an air of cool about him.

?Crawdaunt use crunch!?

?Mightyena use crunch while the plant is powering up!?

All the pokemon came running at each other and they kicked up so much dust that no one could see a thing. A lot of pokemon yelling came from in the dust but when it all settled down again, Electabuzz and Victreebel were left standing.

?Team Aqua retreat to the balloons! I repeat Team Aqua retreat to the balloons!? the same creepy voice from before yelled on his loud speaker again.

All the Aqua members that were able ran back to the balloons and soon they were lifting off, away from the town. One man stood on the edge of one of the baskets with what I guessed to be a huge scowl on his face. I wasn?t close enough to see who it was but Chris and some of the others were. Chris saw the man and returned all his pokemon straight away. We all gave a sigh of relief as the evil organisation left the town. Now we weren?t occupied with battling, we could see a good part of the town had been destroyed. All of us trainers got back into a group in front of the pokemon center.

Chris spoke up. ?We have beaten them in battle but one thing still remains to be done. We need to help clean up the town, it would be only right.? Chris explained. I agreed with his reasoning and so did most of the trainers. Some just snubbed at the idea of work and left the town immediately. The rest of us got to work to help rebuild damaged buildings, fix roads, help the police round up any hiding Team Aqua people, anything we could do to help. It was getting quite late now, the moon up, half hidden by the peak of Mt. Chimney. All of the trainers that didn?t live in town spent the night at the pokemon center as Chris and I did. Everyone was asleep in 2 minutes of his or her head hitting a pillow.


I awoke to the sounds of Taillow chirping at the window. Outside it was a beautiful day, the sun shining, birds singing, ash falling from the mountain. Yes it was great. I got out of bed and did the usual morning things like shower, get dressed, you know the normal things.

I left my room and came to the lobby to see nurse Joy. ?Sorry I didn?t pick Trapinch last night, I was pretty tired. Can I have him back now??

?Yes you can. Thanks to him being here last night he is now 100% ready to go, even battle!? Nurse Joy handed me his pokeball happily.

I took it and let out Trapinch. ?Your name can be Jaws. Jaws meet?? I released Numb, ?Numb. Numb meet Jaws.? I told them. Both pokemon looked at each other and then had a conversation about whatever pokemon talk about.

I looked around and saw Chris, looking out the window with a blank face. That usually meant he was thinking. I took a seat next to him and didn?t say anything, I knew he would talk to me.

?Hey Daniel.? he said absentmindedly, still looking out the window. Then he snapped back to reality. ?I have to go. I know we just met but I have to go somewhere. Until next time, goodbye.? Chris stood up and grabbed his bag, leaving that very minute. I on the other hand stayed in the Pokemon center I was in no hurry.