Pokemon: Journey into Darkness

[galford3427]

Hey everyone, so I am back on PC. Its been a while since I have been here and I posted in the New Member forum about why I have been gone. So anyways I started this a long time ago when I first joined PC. I dont know if the original thread is still around and if it is I'm sure one of the great Mods will let me know. However if it isnt up I am going to start reposting my story. Some of you may have read it and some may not. I have done revisions on it and want everyone to know (because it came up before) everything that happens in this story has a purpose and will be revealed in time. So without further delay here is Pokemon: Journey into Darkness



Arch awoke bright and early on the morning of his tenth birthday. The sun hadn't even peaked over the horizon yet, but Arch was already dressed and in the kitchen making breakfast. A boy of ten, Arch was an energetic boy with blonde hair and bright green eyes; he was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a red t-shirt.
This was the day he had been waiting for, the day he finally starts his quest, his quest to be a world Pokémon champion. When a youth reaches the age of ten they are able to receive their first Pokémon from the renowned Pokémon scientist Professor Branch. Arch had witnessed several other youths receive their starter Pokémon and begin their quest and he couldn't wait to see what Pokémon he would be able to choose from. He was hoping for a Chimchar and he knew he would have to get there early in order to guarantee that he would get one.

Arch poured some milk over his cereal and turned on the TV, the news was on and the story that was being broadcast caught his attention,

"Pokémon Master leaves Victory Road." said the broadcaster, "That's right Pokémon champion Dorian has left victory road in search of more exciting adventures, new battles and even new Pokémon. When asked what the future holds all he had to say was that no one knows what lies in the darkness but he was going to find out."
"Wow!" thought Arch, "Dorian the Pokémon champion is out their searching for new Pokémon and new battles; it sure would be great if I met him and battled. If I beat him I know I could beat any trainer in the world."

"What are you doing up so early Arch?" Arch's mom said as she tied the belt of her robe around her waist as she made her way downstairs. She was a young woman with the same blonde hair and green eyes as her son. She yawned and rubbed at her eyes as she sat down with Arch.

"Mom I'm ten now and today is the day I get my first Pokémon."

"Oh yes, today you start your adventure, my how the years fly by. Seems like only yesterday you got your first Pokémon doll and now you will have one for real."

"Oh and guess what mom, Dorian the world Pokémon champion has left Victory Road. He said he is going off to find new Pokémon."

"Dorian huh, I remember when he left town to start his quest; I never thought he would be a Pokémon champion."

"You know Dorian mom?"

"Of course I was sixteen when he left here with his first Pokémon."

"What was it mom, what Pokémon did he pick? I bet it was a Chimchar right, I know he would pick a Chimchar."

"It wasn't a Chimchar, you see Dorian wasn't much for the starting Pokémon that everyone else wanted; so he talked to Professor Branch and he was able to get a Ralts as his starting Pokémon."

"A Ralts?"

"Yes in fact now his Ralts is a Gardevoir. Those two are never apart; I also heard that Gardevoir never goes into a poke ball."

"How can you have a Pokémon not in a poke ball mom?"

"Well some just don't like to be in there plus Gardevoir isn't just Dorian's Pokémon, she is his best friend."

"Best friend?"

"You'll learn that your Pokémon will quickly become your friends and not just creatures you use to battle Arch. Now go get your stuff we need to be at Branch's in thirty minutes."

"Ok mom."

Arch ran to his room and grabbed his jacket, cap and backpack and ran downstairs. His mom came down a few seconds later and they both left for Professor Branch's Pokemon Laboratory.

Professor Branch lived in a huge lab that was his base of research on all things related to pokemon. For more than forty years he had been the man who gave young girls and boys the pokemon that would help them start their journey to the pokemon league. On this particular day he would have two youngsters receiving their pokemon and he was sure that they would be ready for the tough decision of who they were going to choose.

Arch arrived and noticed the young brunette girl standing in front of him, she turned around and he could see she had the biggest brown eyes he had ever seen.

"Hi I'm Kelci. Are you here to get your first pokemon too?"

Arch stood there for a moment lost in the eyes of this girl, after a moment she poked him in the shoulder and asked if he was alright. Arch shook his head,
"Uh yeah, sorry I'm Arch and yeah I'm here to get my pokemon."

"Well then I guess you and me are going to be starting out at the same time, going to be exciting to see who becomes a better trainer."

"Huh, what's that supposed to mean."

"Oh its nothing don't worry about it. Hey here comes Professor Branch."

An elderly man in his sixties with a long white beard and piercing crystal blue eye came walking out of the lab, his face was lined with wrinkles which people would say there was one for each bit of pokemon knowledge he knew. Walking beside him was a young man who served as his assistant; in his hands he carried the box that contained the starting pokemon for the new trainers. Branch stopped and looked at Arch and Kelci, he looked them over from top to bottom before he spoke,

"Well, looks like we have two new pokemon trainers ready to start their adventure aye."

"YES!" said Arch and Kelci simultaneously.

"Well then let me say this before you receive your pokemon, you must always remember that there are strange and wondrous things to be discovered in the world of pokemon. There are many different kinds of pokemon and some that we have never seen and only heard of in stories. Make sure you treat all pokemon with love and care and they will always stand by your side. Now then let me give you these, these are your pokedex's they will keep a record of all the pokemon you see in the world and you can reference it anytime you need to."

Arch and Kelci both took the electronic catalogue that would assist them on their journey.

"Now then my dear, ladies first, there are two pokeballs here choose wisely because I am not going to tell you which one is which, I want you to grow with the pokemon you choose without knowing what your getting first."

Professor Branch's assistant stepped forward and opened the box he was carrying. There were two balls one on the left side of the box and one on the right. Kelci looked at the two pokeballs and after a moment made her decision.

"I'll take this one." She said pointing to the poke ball on the left side of the box.

"Excellent choice not lets see who you got."

Kelci clicked the activator on the ball to make it enlarge and threw it into the air,

"Pokemon come on out."

The ball flashed red and a beam of red light shot out to the ground and where it landed stood a small orange creature with a tail and flames coming from the tip.

"Oh look its Chimchar." Exclaimed Kelci.

She took out her pokedex and pointed it at Chimchar; a digital voice could be heard coming from the device:

Chimchar the fire monkey pokemon, it agilely scales sheer cliffs to live atop craggily mountains. Its fire is put out when it sleeps.

Arch looked at how happy Kelci was to have gotten Chimchar, he felt jealous because she had chosen the pokemon that he had set his sites on.

"Ok Arch, take your pokemon and let's see who you got."

Arch reached out and took the right ball from the box and clicked its activator.

"Ok pokemon time to rock and roll."

He threw the ball and as with Kelci's a red light shot to the ground and there stood a blue and black pokemon that Arch had never seen. It wasn't a Piplup or a Tertwig or any other common starter pokemon. Arch held up his pokedex and heard the digital voice:

Riolu the fighting aura pokemon, the aura that emanates from its body intensifies to alert others if it is afraid or sad.

"Riolu?"

Arch's pokemon looked at him puzzled and in a blink of an eye zipped behind him and jumped into his backpack. The weight on Arch's back caused him to fall backwards and slam into the ground.

"Hey what are you doing?"

Professor Branch stood laughing,

"My boy you are a lucky one, you got Riolu, he is a special pokemon indeed, he is just a little freighted because he doesn't know you yet. I'm sure in time you two will be best friends."

Arch removed his backpack and stood up.

"I sure hope so Professor. Come on Riolu back into your ball."

Arch put down his pack and held Riolu's poke ball towards him, but Riolu would not return.

"Hey what's going on?"

Arch's mom placed her hand on his shoulder,

"Remember what I said this morning about some pokemon not liking pokeballs, well it looks like you got one."

Arch looked at Riolu who was still hiding inside his backpack; he kneeled down and looked at his pokemon.

"Ok you don't have to go into your ball, but you can't ride in my backpack your not light enough for me to carry you. So what do you say will you walk with me Riolu?"

The pokemon stared at Arch for a moment and with a loud sound that sound like it was happy it jumped out of the pack and landed by Arch.

"Alright Riolu, looks like we are going to have a great time."

"Now let me give you two your starting poke balls and you're all set to go." said Branch.

Arch's mom knelt down and hugged him; tears were streaming down her face.

"Now you be careful ok and don't forget to call me when you get the chance ok."

"Don't worry Mom, I'll be fine."

"Make sure you take care of him Riolu ok."

"Riolu" exclaimed the pokemon.


Arch and Kelci made their way to the edge of town and stood there staring at the forest that lay before them.

"Well I guess this is it Arch, one more step and we are on our way."

"So are you suggesting we travel together Kelci?"

"No I'm just saying we are about to leave home for the first time by ourselves. Once we are in the forest I'm going to go look for pokemon before heading to the first pokemon gym."

"Well I'm going straight to the gym and get my first badge."

"Oh yeah that's a good strategy you don't even know what Riolu can do yet and you want to throw him into battle right away. Man you got a lot to learn about being a trainer, but if you really want to head to the gym its in Faircloth city just past the forest. Well I guess I'll see you later."

Kelci stepped forward and then broke out into a run into the forest and disappeared. Arch stood there watching as she vanished into the darkness of the forest.

"I'll show her I know I am going to be a great pokemon trainer and you and I are going to have some great adventures right Riolu."

"Riolu"

"Alright then let's do it."

Arch and Riolu took there first step out of town and towards what will surely be quite an adventure.

Arch's mom sat on the front porch with a phone to her ear.

"No the little girl Kelci got Chimchar; I thought his poor little heart was broken. He ended up with a Riolu though."

"Riolu, hmm if trained properly he could end up with a really good Lucario once it evolves." said the voice on the other end of the phone.

"I think he is going to be ok, but I still want you to make sure to look after him. I'm sure you two will cross paths eventually."

"Don't worry he will find me probably before I ever find him. Remember I'm in the Guild Ruins right now so it would take me a few days to reach him."

"Just make sure if you see him to make sure he is alright ok. You can take a few days out of your journey to see him. Remember when you last saw him he was a baby. He doesn't even know you."

"Don't worry sis, I'll take care of him."

"Thanks bro, I can always count on you."

 

[galford3427]

Chapter 2​

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Arch and Riolu made their way through the dense foliage of the forest following the path that would lead them to Faircloth city and Arch's first gym battle. Arch kept wondering how far ahead of them Kelci was, she had left in such a hurry that she could be anywhere in the woods. Arch wasn't so much worried about getting to the Pokemon Gym first, he knew that he was destined to be a great trainer and that Kelci was wrong about his training methods.

"She's just jealous because she knows she will never be as great a champion as I am going to be. We are destined to be the greatest team of pokemon and trainer that ever lived, right Riolu?"

"Riolu."

"That's right, man this forest seems to go on forever, I wonder how far we've traveled. It seems like we have come a long way, although I haven't seen any other pokemon in here."

After walking for a little while longer Arch decided to stop and rest, there was no need to tire out before he even has a chance to have his first battle. Arch and Riolu sat beneath a big oak tree and Arch reached into his pack and took out some berries and apples that his mom had packed for him. He took a hand full of berries and looked at Riolu,

"Here you go, make sure you eat up, you are going to need all your strength for our battle at the Faircloth Gym."

Riolu sniffed at the berries for a few seconds before letting out a cry of joy and began to eat. Arch closed his eyes and pulled his cap over his eyes, there was a breeze that could be felt ever so gently amongst the wood and he knew this was the perfect time to get a little rest before starting again. Riolu curled up next to Arch and before to long they had both drifted to sleep beneath the big oak tree.

Riolu opened its eyes slightly, it had been awoken by a strange noise, and it scanned the area to see what could have made that noise. Then he saw it, something was in Arch's pack Riolu crept up to the pack being cautious as to not alert whatever was in there to his presence. Suddenly the something shot out of the pack and rose up into the sky.

"BA BA BA" is shouted as it flew up into the trees. In its arms it had all the food that Arch's mom had packed and as it flew it dropped one of the apples and it landed with a loud crack on top of Arch's head.

"OW, what's going on Riolu?"

Riolu started jumping up and down and pointing to the branches above Arch. As he looked up he could see some sort of creature hiding in the leaves. It was red with black spots on its back.

"Man what is that?" said Arch as he pulled out his pokedex and aimed it at the creature. The digital voice spoke:

"Ledyba the Flying Bug pokemon, it is so timid, it can't move if it isn't with a swarm of others. It conveys its feelings with scents."

"Well it looks like this Ledyba isn't as timid as they say. Alright here's my first chance to prove how great I am. Ok Riolu lets see what you can do, how about quick attack!"

Riolu sprung forward and leaped quickly into the tree towards Ledyba, just as he was about to connect the Ledyba dodged the attack and fired back with a tackle. Riolu fell to the ground with a thud.

"BA BA BA"

"So that's how it's going to be huh, ok Riolu zig zag from tree to tree and try quick attack again."

Riolu jumped up and started darting back and forth from tree to tree. Ledyba hovered trying to keep sight on Riolu until one final leap from the trunk of a tree and Riolu's head connected with the back of Ledyba and down they both went. Ledyba landed with a loud crash while Riolu landed on its feet.

"Alright Riolu, ok now lets go poke ball."

Arch clicked open an empty poke ball and tossed it towards Ledyba. It connected with it and in a red beam the Ledyba was transported into the ball. Arch watched as the ball twitched on the ground, hoping that he would catch his first Pokémon. After a few seconds the red activation button turned grey, Arch had captured Ledyba.

"Alright my first Pokémon, that wasn't hard at all using your quick attack Riolu. Hey wait a minute how did I know you could use quick attack? We hadn't even train yet."

Arch stared at Riolu for a moment, something was strange he felt as if he could sense what Riolu was thinking as if he was hearing Riolu's thoughts. Arch shook his head and clicked Ledyba's ball to minimize it and placed it on his belt.

"Well for whatever reason we are getting off to a pretty good start, but to be on the safe side I think we will be doing some training once we are out of these woods. Still now we have another traveling companion with us."

Arch picked up his pack and closed it tightly and slung it on his back.

"Well, time to get moving we have a lot of ground to cover if we are going to win our first gym badge."

Arch and Riolu continued their journey through the thick forest on their way to Faircloth city, and with a new Pokémon to aid them Arch knew that the journey to the Pokémon league was about to get a lot more interesting and a lot more fun. Riolu followed quietly, focusing his thoughts on his trainer.

 

[galford3427]

Chapter 3​

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The forest had started to become denser as Arch and Riolu made their way towards Faircloth City. No longer could they see the sun shining through the forest canopy and the air had gone stale. The only sounds other than their footsteps where distant rustling in the branches of the trees and the sound of something scratching on the bark. Arch wondered how much further it would be until they were out of this dark place, he also wondered if Kelci was anywhere around. It seem like forever since she ran off into the forest and he not seen nor heard her since.

Riolu walked quietly beside Arch taking in his surroundings, there was something here that he could sense but not make out to clearly. Something was moving towards them at a very fast pace, but he could not see what it was. Riolu stopped walking trying to focus on what he was sensing, Arch noticed he had halted and turned around.

"What is it Riolu, is something wrong?"

Riolu gave not a sound but held his noise in the air and sniffed. There was defiantly something coming and it was getting close.

"Riolu come on we have to keep going or we will never reach Faircloth City."

Riolu remained unmoved, he had to find out what he was sensing, and there was movement in the trees just ahead of them. What ever was coming was almost right on top of them, it was getting closer and closer until...

WHAM!!

Arch landed face first onto the ground at Riolu's feet; he laid there for a second trying to catch the breath that was knocked out of him. Riolu stood staring at him, what ever had crashed into him was still there lying on top of Arch's back because is defiantly wasn't a pokemon.

Arch rolled over and found his self staring into a pair of big grey eyes.

"Oh my I am so sorry, I didn't see you there." Said who ever had the eyes. It was a girl's voice.

"Uhm, it's ok but would you mind it's not very comfortable down here on the ground."

"Oh sorry, please forgive me."

The girl got to her feet and helped Arch to his. After brushing the dust and dirt from his clothes he finally got a glimpse of who had knocked him over like a set of bowling pins. It indeed was a girl; she was about his age with grey eyes and long red hair. Across the bridge of her nose were tiny little freckles and she was dressed in jeans, a tank top, shoes and a jacket with a backpack.

"I am so sorry I hit you, I was running and wasn't really paying attention to what I was doing."

"Why were you running in a place like this?"

"I was on my way to Faircloth City and I got lost. I'm from Azralia Town to the north of these woods, and well I got scared."

"Hey I know it's kind of creepy here but what is there to be scared of?"

Then Arch saw what there was to be afraid of, out of the woods came a pack of four Pokémon. They had horns and walked on all four legs and had a tails that looked like arrow heads. Arch pulled out his pokedex and aimed it at the creatures. The voice spoke

"Houndoom the Dark Fire Pokémon, long ago people imagined its eerie howl was the call of the grim reaper."

"Ok now I know what there is to be scared of in here. Ok lets see what you can do, Ledyba time to rock and roll."

Arch reached to his belt and grabbed the poke ball containing Ledyba, he tossed it into the air and in a red beam Ledyba burst on to the scene.

"BA BA BA"

"Ok Riolu and Ledyba there are four of them and two of you but I know you can do this."

"Bellsprout I need your assistance!"

Arch looked over and saw the girl throw a poke ball into the air and out came a small plant like Pokémon.

"What's that?" said Arch as he raised his pokedex.

"Bellsprout the grass poison Pokémon, it prefers hot and humid environments. It is quick at capturing prey with its vines."

"I didn't know you had any Pokémon." said Arch.

"You didn't have time to ask."

"Alright let's do this, Riolu quick attack, Ledyba tackle now."

"Riolu"

"BA BA BA."

Riolu shot forward and hit one of the Houndoom square under the jaw sending it flying backwards into the trunk of a tree. Ledyba followed suit and tackled one of the other Pokémon to the ground with a loud thud. Ledyba made its way up from the ground, but without notice one of the Houndoom leaped forward and with its massive left front paw slammed Ledyba back to the ground and held it there, smoke came billowing out of its mouth.

"Ledyba!" screamed Arch as the Houndoom reared its head back ready to unleash its power on the defenseless Ledyba.

"Bellsprout quickly use vine whip and help out Ledyba!"

"Bellsprout!"

Bellsprout rushed forward and extended its vines and wrapped them around the mouth of Houndoom. Houndoom reared its head back and forth trying to break the hold of the vines, while Ledyba managed to free it's self from underneath Houndooms paw and quickly slammed into it with another tackle. Bellsprout released its hold on Houndoom as Ledyba connected and with a final quick attack from Riolu sent the big Pokémon straight into its companions causing a massive dust cloud to fill the air. When the dust settled the Houndooms rose and limping made their way back into the darkness of the forest.

Arch rushed forward and grabbed Ledyba and Riolu as the girl made her way towards her Bellsprout.

"That was awesome you guys, great job. Man for a moment I wasn't sure what to do when you were held down Ledyba. If it wasn't for Bellsprout I don't know what might have happened."

"Hey don't mention it, it was the least I could do seeing as how you rushed right into battle and your Riolu and Ledyba are pretty strong."

"Well, I just caught Ledyba and Riolu has only battled once, but somehow it feels like I know what they are thinking and just made the best choice of attack."

"Well it worked; oh I never told you my name. I'm Paige."

"I'm Arch; I'm from the town just to the east of here, Timber."

"Nice to meet you Arch, so why are you all the way out here?"

"I'm heading to the gym in Faircloth City; I am on my quest to become World Pokémon Champion. You said you were going to Faircloth too right."

"Yeah I am going to the Pokémon center there, I'm not one for gym battles, I want to be a Pokémon doctor like the Nurse Joy's only on a much larger scale."

"Well since we are both going to Faircloth why don't we go together, besides it would be good to have a Pokémon doctor on the trip in case anything happens."

"That sounds great; it would be nice not having to travel these woods by myself anymore."

"Then it's settled we are on our way to Faircloth City."

Arch returned Ledyba to its ball and Paige returned Bellsprout and they continued down the path towards Faircloth City.

"How come you didn't put Riolu back into its poke ball?" asked Paige.

"Riolu doesn't like to be confined in a ball; he prefers to walk beside me."

They walked for what seemed like an hour before they saw the opening of the forest in distance. They stepped out into the golden light of day and could see the tall buildings that adorned the skyline of Faircloth City.

"We made it, and look there's Faircloth, Arch."

"Alright, I can't wait to get my first badge."

"Let's go to the Pokémon center first, that way you can let your Pokémon rest so they are at full strength to go up against the gym leader."

Arch nodded and they made their way towards the city.


High in the tree tops perched on a branch unnoticed sat a Swellow watching them as they made their way towards the city. After a moment it spread its wings and took flight headed north towards the mountains.

 

[Neutrino]

Wow, this story was kewl! XD! The description was really cool, and the plot is really turning out to be great already. It was the right length for a first chapter, it introduced all characters great, and I have a feeling I'll be regularly checking back to this thread! ;D

 

[galford3427]

Chapter 4​

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Faircloth City was a busy metropolis with many shops and skyscrapers adorning its landscape. For many this was a place for great opportunity to showcase their many Pokémon inventions and other Pokémon related goods. The streets were filled with automobiles zooming this way and that as workers made their trips back and forth from work everyday.

Arch and Paige stood by the giant fountain in the middle of the town square. The fountain was a marvelous site to behold, with marble statues of Gyarados, Goldeen and Lapras position in the middle each with water jets careening out of their mouths into the fountain. Riolu was perched on the side of the fountain running his paws through the cool water and cheering with joy about how much fun he was having playing. Arch smiled as the little Pokémon started to splash water this way and that as he slapped the water with his paw.

"Ok so the Pokémon center should be just down that street there. It should only take us a few minutes to walk there from here and then we can let our Pokémon rest." said Paige looking at a map of the city she had purchased from one of the local vendors.

"Is there food at the Pokémon center, I'm starving."

"You didn't pack any food when you left home. It seems kind of forgetful to go on a journey with no food."

"Hey I didn't forget anything; Ledyba stole it all from me which led to me catching it."

"Oh well then I guess you're not so forgetful huh, also you keep saying it, you don't know if your Pokémon is a girl or a boy do you?"

"Well not really. I'm not sure exactly how to tell the difference."

"If you are going to be a great Pokémon trainer you have to learn these things. You can tell because there are differences in the way boy and girl Pokémon look. Some might have longer horns or different colorations or other things like that."

"So how do you know so much about different ways to identify Pokémon?"

"From this, my mom gave it to me when I was younger. It has a lot of different information on Pokémon, even ones that people have never seen."

Paige pulled out a brown leather book from her pack and handed it to Arch. The cover featured a Pokémon that Arch had never seen before. It was big and appeared to be a ghost Pokémon, but it was unlike any ghost Pokémon that Arch had ever seen.

"What Pokémon is this?" he said pointing at the creature.

Paige sat down next to him, "Oh that's Darkrai, he is said to be a legendary Pokémon. There is no real record of anyone ever seeing him, but many people think he has visited them in their dreams."

"Wow, a legendary Pokémon that has never been seen. Wouldn't it be great if we were the first ones to see it?"

"I think it would be better if we just got to the Pokémon center and got something to eat."

Down the street from the fountain stood the Pokémon center, a big red and white structure with a giant poke ball placed at the top, it was hard to mistake it for any other building. Arch and Paige entered through the sliding doors and walked up to the counter. Standing behind it was a young lady with pink hair fixed in pigtails who greeted them with a warm smile.

"Hi welcome to the Faircloth Pokémon Center, I'm Nurse Joy what can I do for you today?"

"Hi our Pokémon need a rest and we were looking to grab something to eat." Said Arch.

"Sure, we can heal your Pokémon to max strength here and please help yourself to something to eat in our break room."

"Thanks so much, here you go." said Paige handing her poke ball containing Bellsprout to Nurse Joy.

Arch handed Nurse Joy Ledyba's poke ball and then knelt down to Riolu.

"Ok Riolu, go with Nurse Joy and she is going to heal you of any injuries from those battles we had in the forest ok. I'll be in the next room so I won't be far ok."

"Riolu"

Arch picked up Riolu and placed him on the counter in front of Nurse Joy and headed towards the break room with Paige. Upon entering the break room they noticed that there was another trainer already in the room, the trainer noticed them and made her way towards them.

"Well Arch I see you made it through the woods ok, and I see you found yourself a new friend."

"I see you made it too Kelci. So how many Pokémon did you see?" asked Arch.

"Well let's see, I caught a Caterpie and a Rattata. They are healing right now so we can go train for the gym battle. How about you what did you catch?"

"I caught a Ledyba and a really strong one too. Plus we ran into a pack of Houndooms and totally showed them whose boss."

"But you didn't catch one did you?"

"Uh well no I didn't."

"Hmmmm I see, well if it were me if my Pokémon took out a Houndoom I would have captured it."

"Yeah well I'm not you Kelci, plus my Pokémon are doing just fine."

"I bet, so who is your little friend here?"

"I'm Paige from Azralia Town, nice to meet you Kelci."

"Yeah whatever, so are you a trainer too?"

"Not really I am training to be a Pokémon doctor."

"Wow that is so lame, a Pokémon doctor, isn't that what Nurse Joy is for? Well Arch looks like you found a real winner here. You two seem to be made for each other."

"Hey what is that supposed to mean." Arch said, starting to get irritated.

"Nothing, never mind."

"Kelci please report to the front, your Pokémon are ready to be picked up." Said a voice over an intercom.

"Well I would love to chat, but I got a Pokémon gym to visit. See you around Arch; don't lose your battle when you get there."

"Oh don't worry Kelci, I'll win and show you how great my Pokémon are."

"Whatever."

Kelci grabbed her pack from one of the break room chairs and made her way to the front of the center. Arch stood clenching his fists in rage; the color from his hands had disappeared and had left them white and shaky. Paige took his right hand into hers,

"Don't let her get to you Arch; you're a great trainer, besides I'd like to see her take on those Houndoom. She probably would have done exactly what I did and run."

Arch noticed that she was still holding his hand and he felt like he could relax. Her hand was soft and smooth and he found himself looking into her eyes. Paige looked down at there hands and her face turned a rose color and she quickly released her grip.

"Uhm, so how about we get something to eat huh?" said Paige as she rubbed her upper arm.

"Yeah, sounds good."

Arch and Paige sat down at a table in the break room. They had gotten a few sandwiches each and two glasses of milk. They sat quietly eating for a few minutes watching a TV that was placed on a nearby wall, it was tuned to the news and a headline caught Arch's attention.

"Pokémon League's Elite Four calling forth all Pokémon trainers."

"The Elite four, the best Pokémon trainers in the world are calling out to all trainers who have earned eight gym badges to make their way to Victory Road to challenge them for the right to be named the new Pokémon Champion." A reporter said as images of the badges needed to gain access to Victory Road flashed across the screen.

"Hey look Arch there's the Marble Badge. That's the one your going to be getting as soon as we get to the gym today." Said Paige as an image of grey badge in the shape of a rock shown on the screen.

"Once I get that badge the other seven will be a breeze and then I am going to go to Victory Road and become Pokémon Champion. I'll show Kelci, she will never be better than me."

"Just remember Arch you can't push your Pokémon too hard right off the bat or you won't beat the gym leaders."

"Will Arch and Paige please come to the front desk your Pokémon are ready to be picked up."

"Don't worry Paige everything is going to be fine. This is going to be no challenge what so ever."

Paige sighed heavily and followed Arch back to the front desk of the Pokémon center.

 

[Neutrino]

Hiyas! Okay, I just read chapter three, I only ahd time to read the first two before, soz! ^_^ But it really get's the story going a bit, and the arrival of that new character was just completely unexpected! :D I thought it would be a new pokemon or somethign, but it just goes to show the skillage that went into typing up the scene in question! *thumbs up* The detailage was just great, especially with the houndoom scene. I thought those Ledyba, Riolu and Bellsprout must be pretty strong to rain on a pack of Houndoom's parade, so to speak. But it was just as thrilling as all the others, and will no doubt be the start of a friendship for the two of them- And perhaps a little mroe, if you knwo what I mean *flicks eyebrows knowingly* Haha, just joking... or not O_o

 

[Neutrino]

Okies, just read chapter four. That Kelci, I can tell, is really going to get annoying! ^^ And I also see that Arch is getting really cocky about this gym- He reminds me of Paul/Shinji from the latest series. I'm guessing he's going tno lose at the gym, retrain realising what he's done wrong, and then win it- But that's onyl a guess, for all I know it could be all twisted and turn out into a totally different thing! I 4Got to mention, in the other chapter, the thing with the Swellow sounds sinister. Was it perhaps part of the evil clan of the region?

 

[galford3427]

Chapter 5​

​

Arch and Paige made their way down the road from the Pokémon center towards the northeast corner of Faircloth City. They had both retrieved their Pokémon from Nurse Joy and started making their way towards the Pokémon Gym and Arch's first gym battle. Riolu walked beside them and Arch noticed that he looked stronger now that he was rested and could hardly control his emotions as the gym came into view.

It was a massive stone structure that had no real defined lines, it was as if someone excavated a gigantic boulder from the side of a mountain and placed it here in town. Large and grey the gym sat quietly at the far edge of the town, etched about a quarter way down from the top was the depiction of a poke ball. Arch and Paige stood in awe of the gym; neither of them had ever seen anything such as this.

"Ok so this is it, my first gym battle." Said Arch, he could barely keep still as the thought of his first battle was only a short time away.

"Yeah, but how do we get in I don't see a door anywhere."

Arch snapped out of his excitement and noticed that Paige was right; there was no visible entrance to the gym. They stood there for a moment looking at the structure trying to find a glimpse of how they were to get in. To their surprise all they could see was solid rock, there were no breaks in the rock that would give the impression of a door anywhere.

"So how is anyone supposed to challenge the gym leader if they cant even get inside to make the challenge?" asked Arch.

"Maybe we missed something, or maybe the gym leader isn't here. Lets head back to the Pokémon center and see what we can find out."

Just then there was a loud rumble and the ground around them started to shake. They stared in wonder as the front of the gym started to open, a giant stone slab slowly began to rise from the center of the structure. Dust was kicked up as the stone rose and came to a halt perpendicular to the ground. Out of the dust came a figure, Arch looked and saw Kelci exiting from the gym.

"Hey Kelci, so did you get your badge?"

"Don't speak to me Arch; just get out of my way."

Kelci pushed passed him and made her way away from the gym. Arch and Paige watched as she disappeared down the road and then turned their attention back towards the opening to the gym. Standing there in the entrance was another figure watching Kelci depart. It was a man; he had long brown hair that cascaded down his face that looked as though it had scars running down both of his cheeks. He was a mountain of a man whose chest was at least five times as big as Arch's and his arms were so big it seemed that the black t-shirt that he was wearing could rip at any moment. When he spoke it was as if a rockslide was happening right where he stood, his voice was gravely but powerful.

"So are you here to challenge for the Marble badge?" he said fixing his big brown eyes on Arch.

Arch spoke with a quiver in his voice, "Yes sir, I'm Arch from Timber and I challenge the Faircloth gym leader to a battle."

The mountain of a man stood and after a moment let out a boisterous laugh that seemed to make the earth shake around him, "Well then look no further little trainer, I am Grant the Faircloth gym leader and holder of the Marble badge. I accept your challenge for a badge, but know this you are going to have to battle hard if you want to earn it. You will have to be as strong as granite. I can see that your Riolu looks ready for battle so let's head inside."

Grant motioned for them to follow him into the gym; as soon as they were over the threshold the giant stone slab shook and started its decent back towards the ground till it closed with a loud boom. The inside of the gym was lined with lanterns along the wall for light; it had the appearance of a mine shaft that was constantly in use. They walked a little farther into an adjacent room which was where the battle was to take place. The battle arena was massive with two trainer boxes set up on ether side of the room. The ceiling was high as not to inhibit a trainer when using his Pokémon.

"Your friend can have a seat over there while the battle is in progress." Grant said as he motioned Paige towards a row of benches on the sidelines of the gym. He then showed Arch where he would stand and then made his way to the other end of the arena. Grant clapped his hands and from out of a small opening in one of the side walls, a small blonde man wearing what looked like miners gear made his way to the sidelines.

"This will be a two on two Pokémon battle meaning each trainer will use two Pokémon, the challenger is allowed to use substitutions during battle. Who challenges Grant?"

"I do, Arch from Timber Town."

The blonde man rose he left arm and made a quick downward motion, "Let the battle begin!"

"Alright Ledyba lets rock and roll!" Arch threw Ledyba's poke ball into the air and Ledyba appeared on the battleground.

"So you have selected a Ledyba, quite an interesting choice for your first battle, but if that is how you want to battle then let's see what you got to offer. Ok Larvitar go!" Grant threw a poke ball into the air and there standing in front of Arch was a small green Pokémon with black spots, it had two black marks running down the sides of its face that looked exactly like Grant's scars. Arch held up his pokedex towards the Pokémon,

"Larvitar, the ground rock Pokémon, it likes to eat soil and once it has eaten a large mountain it can go to sleep in order to grow."

"I should have known that the holder of the Marble badge would use rock type Pokémon. Ok Ledyba tackle now!"

"BA BA BA"

Ledyba took flight and darted forward towards Larvitar. Grant stood unmoved and waited till Ledyba was mere feet from making contact.

"Larvitar, sandstorm now!"

Larvitar let out a yell and just as Ledyba was about to connect with its tackle it started kicking up sand towards Ledyba. The sand flew into Ledyba's eyes and it started to fly erratically around the battlefield. Arch gasped as Ledyba moved back and forth trying to get the sand out of its eyes.

"Ledyba calm down you can do this!"

Grant stood laughing on the other side of the arena, "I hope this isn't the best you can do, especially if you want to earn your Marble Badge."

Arch grinded his teeth as he watched Grant laughing, he was tired of people telling him he was a subpar trainer, first Kelci and now him he had had enough.

"Ledyba start spinning real fast!"

Ledyba stopped its movements and used all its force to perform topspin, with the spinning motion it took the sandstorm of Larvitars and created a sandstorm of its own. It started small and then grew eventually taking on the form of a tornado. Grant stopped his laugher and stared at what he was seeing.

"Very nice Arch, using my Pokémon's move to create one of your own, but it would take more than that to become a Pokémon master. Larvitar rock smash now!"

Larvitar dug its arms down into the hard ground; it struggled as it attempted to lift itself to an upright position. It grunted and its face distorted and with a mighty jerk it pulled a massive rock out of the ground and held it above its head. Larvitar's leg shook under the weight of the boulder it was holding, it held it there waiting for the right moment to strike. Ledyba's tornado was coming closer and sweat was starting to stream down the side of Larvitar's face, just as it seemed he was going to crumble under the weight of the massive boulder he used what strength he had left and heaved the boulder towards Ledyba. Arch tried to warn his Pokémon but it was too late, the boulder broke through the sand and slammed right into Ledyba's body sending it flying back and landing on the ground with a thud.

Ledyba laid motionless and Arch held his breath hoping that his Pokémon was ok, the blonde man started to raise his hand to insinuate that Ledyba couldn't continue any more when suddenly its antenna twitch and very slowly made its way to its feet. Arch let out a cheer as Ledyba buzzed its wings. It was hurt and tired and Arch wasn't sure if it could withstand another attack like Larvitar's rockslide. Larvitar stood adjacent to Ledyba tired, it had exerted most of its energy to execute its attack and at this point it seemed that the next move could decide the victor.

Grant started laughing at what he was witnessing, "I have to give it to you Arch, your Ledyba is a tough one, and you're not like the last trainer that was here. She didn't put up this much of a challenge to me."

"Wait Kelci didn't win her battle. Alright this is my chance Ledyba we can win this, use tackle now while Larvitar is weak!"

Ledyba let out a low cry and as fast as it could dashed forward towards it opponent.

Grant wasted no time in countering Arch, "Larvitar use bite!"

Larvitar shot forward towards Ledyba, the two Pokémon closed in on each other and both of their trainers held their breaths to see which move would be the first to connect. Paige covered her eyes as she sat on the sidelines; she had been on the edge of her seat the entire match. She had wanted to cheer when Ledyba stood up after taking the force of Larvitar's rockslide but didn't want to break Arch's concentration. She peaked through her fingers waiting to see the outcome of the battle.

It seemed like time had slowed since the two Pokémon left their respected places. They moved at lightning like speeds and with what seemed like a sonic boom they connected. Ledyba's tackle and Larvitar's bite hit at the same time and they kicked up a dust cloud so high that it clouded the arena and made it impossible for anyone to see who the victor was. After a few minutes the dust cleared and laying in the middle of the field were both Ledyba and Larvitar, motionless.

The blonde man raised both his hands, "Ledyba and Larvitar are unable to battle this contest is a draw."

Arch held out Ledyba's poke ball and in a flash it returned to its ball, "Take a rest now Ledyba, you did a great job." He clicked the activator on the ball and returned it to his belt.

Grant returned Larvitar to his ball and stood laughing, "Very impressive Arch, you defiantly have potential. However this battle is far from over, we still have one more contest to decide."

 

[galford3427]

Chapter 6

​

Arch stood poised as he stared across the battlefield towards the Faircloth Gym Leader Grant. His Ledyba was out and now his victory rested on the shoulders of his Riolu. The Pokémon stood by his side looking on and waiting to see what his fate would end up being in this contest.

"Ok Riolu, now it's your time to shine, lets show him what we are made of!" exclaimed Arch as he motioned for Riolu to take the field.

"Riolu!"

The Pokémon leaped from his position next to Arch and took his place on the battlefield. He stood ready to take on any opponent that Grant would send out. Grant looked at his new challenge and laughed.

"So you sent out your Riolu, well this just might be the most interesting challenge I have had in a long while. Well then its time to get things started Rhydon lets do it!"

Grant threw one of his poke balls into the air and just as quickly a huge Pokémon burst onto the scene. It was huge and the horn on the end of its snout started spinning as it let out a loud roar. Arch checked his pokedex to see what creature he was facing,

"Rhydon the drill Pokémon, its brain developed after it stood up on its hind legs. Its drill horn bores tunnels through solid rock."

"Alright Riolu, he may be big but your quicker so we can use that to our advantage. Now use quick attack and let's get this over quickly!"

Riolu let out a cry as it charged forward at lightning speed, Arch knew that Grant's Rhydon would not have the time to move out of the way of quick attack. Riolu closed in and braced itself for impact, he made contact with Rhydon and with a loud smack Riolu fell backwards onto the ground. It was like he had hit a brick wall; Rhydon didn't even budge and stood looming over him as he let out another loud roar.

"Very good Rhydon now use stomp!" yelled Grant.

Rhydon lifted its massive foot and prepared to slam it down on top of Riolu. Arch saw it coming and yelled out his next command.

"Riolu quick attack again while Rhydon's off balance and aim for the back of its leg!"

Riolu sprung up and with all its force slammed his head into the back of Rhydon's raised leg. The giant Pokémon buckled under the impact of Riolu's attack, it toppled backwards and landed causing the dust around him to fly up towards the ceiling. It quickly recovered and once again was on its feet roaring. Riolu's attack barely did any damage to the huge Pokémon and Arch knew he was in for a tough battle.

"Rhydon use fury attack!" yelled Grant.

Rhydon's attack seemed to come out of nowhere, it moved so fast that neither Arch nor Riolu knew what was happening. In the blink of an eye Rhydon was on top of Riolu and with its massive hands started to continuously hit him over and over. The last hit had enough force to send Riolu flying back across the field to where Arch was standing. It took him a moment to get back to his feet, visibly injured he held its right arm as it hung from its side dislocated. Riolu looked at Arch; its eyes were filling with tears as it tried to endure the pain.

"Come on Riolu don't give up you can do this!" yelled Arch as he pointed towards the other end of the field.

"Arch your Riolu is visibly injured, I suggest you call it a match and get it to the Pokémon center." said Grant seeing that the little Pokémon was in no condition to battle.

"No we are not giving up; we can do this and earn that badge. Riolu you can do this!"

"Arch please stop, Riolu's arm is injured and he needs medical help." Said Paige, she could no longer sit quietly as she watched Riolu try to endure the pain of his arm.

"NO WE ARE NOT GIVING UP! RIOLU USE QUICK ATTACK AGAIN AND THIS TIME PUT ALL YOUR POWER BEHIND IT!"

Riolu leaped forward obeying the command of its trainer, his arm still hung lifeless to his side as he darted forward towards Rhydon.

"Very well Arch if you are not going to end this contest then I will. Rhydon use Horn Attack."

Rhydon let out a roar and charged forward towards Riolu, due to the pain his quick attack wasn't as quick as it could be and as he was ready to strike Rhydon lowered its head and with a massive upwards thrust slammed its horn into the gut of Riolu. Paige screamed as blood started to fly from Riolu's mouth and she ran to his side as he landed lifeless on the arena floor. She knelt down and cupped her hand around Riolu's head as the blonde man raised his arm.

"Riolu is unable to battle the winner is Gym Leader Grant!"

Arch made his way to Riolu's side and looked at his injured Pokémon. There was blood running out of his mouth and it landed mixing with the dust on the ground of the arena. He coughed and more blood came out of his mouth, he was badly hurt and tears were streaming down his face. His arm was limp by its side and as Paige tried to move it to rest on his chest he let out a loud cry. Grant made his way towards them and looked up and down Riolu's body, he knew that the match should have ended sooner but since Arch wanted to continue he did what he had to do.

"Your Pokémon is pretty badly hurt; you two need to get him to the Pokémon center quick. I'll give you a ride there that way you're not having to walk and risk further injury."

Arch reached out towards Riolu to carry him to Grant's vehicle when Riolu turned his head and inched his body closer towards Paige.

"Hey Riolu, come on we have to get you to the Pokémon center."

Riolu inched itself up to Paige and looked into her eyes, he let out a low cry as tears rolled down his cheek.

"He wants you to back off Arch, and I can't blame him. You should have stopped the match when he first got injured, but all you cared about was being better then that Kelci girl and because of that you lost all common sense. Why don't you just back off and let me get him to the Pokémon center."

If she had the ability to shoot fire from her eyes Arch would have been rendered to ashes. She was furious with him and he had never seen her in such a rage. The main reason was she was right, he had become so blinded with wanting to be better than Kelci that he had hurt someone who trusted him, and now he knew that trust was gone.

Paige placed her hands around Riolu's body, one behind his head and one around his body; she lifted him up into her arms and rose to her feet.

"My vehicle is this way, I'll get you to the Pokémon center in no time." said Grant as he motioned Paige out towards one of the openings on the side wall of the arena.

Arch stood there in the gym as Paige made her way out, she didn't even look back at him as she disappeared through the opening in the wall. Grant looked at him and knelt down so he could be at eye level to the young trainer. Arch's head was lowered and Grant could see tears streaming down his face. He placed his hands on Arch's shoulders and spoke, only this time his voice was softer and filled with more emotion.

"Listen to me Arch, what happened today is all part of learning what it means to be a great Pokémon trainer. Your Pokémon was injured and you should always put the well being of your Pokémon before any personal pride or vendetta. Your Riolu was badly hurt and you decided to keep going. While I admire your determination, it was your foolishness that caused you to loose today. If you had stopped the match you could have used what you learned and come back ten times stronger and ten times as wise. Now it is up to you to learn from this mistake and rebuild your trust with your Pokémon. Now then we need to get your Pokémon to Nurse Joy." He stood and made his way out of the opening in the wall.

Arch stood there for another moment and then wiped the tears from his face with his jacket sleeve. His face was red from crying and his pride was broken, he had one friend badly hurt and another one that wouldn't even look at him. This was not what he thought being a Pokémon trainer would be, he had no badge and at the moment he had no friends. He wiped more tears from his face and made his way out of the arena.

. . . . . . .

Nurse Joy rushed out of the Pokémon center to meet Grant and the others as they pulled up in front of the building. Grant's dirt covered green jeep came to a halt and he jumped out and held his arms out to receive Riolu from Paige who had ridden in the back to make sure that Riolu's arm didn't get further damaged. Nurse Joy motioned to the Chansey that stood behind her with a stretcher to come forward and Grant placed the injured Pokémon on its back onto the gurney. Nurse Joy looked the little Pokémon over and then looked at Grant.

"This Pokémon is really hurt, its arm is dislocated and he has lost quite a bit of blood, we are going to take it to the ER and see what we can do. Who does he belong to?"

"This trainer right here." he motioned towards Arch who had just gotten out of the passenger side of the jeep.

"Young man whatever you did to this Pokémon is serious. You had better hope that there is nothing seriously wrong with him." she said as she turned and rushed inside the Pokémon center following the Chansey that pushed the stretcher carrying Riolu.

Paige looked on as Nurse Joy and Chansey disappeared into the center. She had also been crying on the way there, she was a mix of emotions and she couldn't keep her composer as she held Riolu in her arms. At first she was angry and it showed while they were in the gym, she had lashed out at Arch and now she felt horrible that she had yelled at him. She knew that Arch had to feel horrible as well, this was his first Pokémon and now it was fighting for its life in the emergency room of the Pokémon center. Rhydon's horn had gotten it right in the chest and combined with the force of Riolu's quick attack there was a lot of pressure being forced onto his small body.

She took out a tissue from her pack and wiped tears away from her face, she turned towards Arch with her eyes closed so he wouldn't see how red they were.

"Arch look I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier but," she opened her eyes and noticed that Arch was nowhere to be found. He had vanished. "Where did he go?"

"Don't worry he will be back, he is just dealing with a lot right now. Give him time to think and then he will be here." said Grant.

Paige nodded her head and turned and made her way into the Pokémon center. Grant got back into his jeep, started the engine and stepped on the gas to start his way back towards the gym. He reached into his pocket and took out a cell phone; he pressed a button and held it to his ear. After a few seconds the recipient of his call picked up the phone and Grant spoke,

"He lost and his Riolu is hurt pretty badly. Dislocated shoulder and some bleeding, he should make a full recovery but Arch isn't holding up to well, he has a long way to go before he can become a Pokémon champion."
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]The jeep pulled out of site of the Pokémon center and Grant knew he would have another battle soon, he just hoped the outcome would be better next time. [/FONT]

 

[galford3427]

Chapter 7

​

Arch wandered down the streets of Faircloth city, his face was red and dry due to all the tears that he had shed in wake of Riolu's injury. He knew that everything that Paige had said was right, he had put his own rivalry with Kelci before the well being of Pokémon and now Riolu was in the emergency room of the Pokémon center. He wondered if he had done the right thing by walking away and letting Nurse Joy take care of Riolu, he wondered if he should be by Riolu's side as he was going through this tough time. After what had happened at the gym and how Riolu didn't want anything to do with him, Arch felt it was better to give him his time to heal and not put more stress on him by being there.

He continued to walk down the busy streets of the mighty metropolis and after a while he found himself standing in front of a massive building with the words Pokémon Museum inscribed on it. It was a tall building that had the look of an old gothic cathedral, stone gargoyles in the image of Golbats and Gligars sat perched on the many stepals that adorned the upper portion of the museum. Massive stone columns were lined atop the marble steps that lead to the entrance, Arch made his way up the steps and into the museum.

The museum entrance opened into a massive rotunda with many entrances to the various exhibits of the museum. The ceiling was high and Arch could see that the ceiling was painted with the images of various Pokémon that he had never seen. There was one that looked like a giant bird with rainbow like feathers and another that looked like a giant blue and red sea creature. The painting seemed to depict ancient battles of legendary proportions and it reflected a time that had long since become a tale told to kids at bedtime. Arch made his way towards the center of the rotunda where a lifelike statue of a Donphan stood on a platform. The tusks and armor of the Donphan made it seem as if it would come to life at any moment and perform some spectacular move. Arch stared at the creature and thought that this was as close as he would ever get to a beast as fascinating as this, now that his dreams of being a Pokémon champion where crushed, all he could do was stare at the life size recreation.

He wondered through the various exhibits of the museum, there were school children visiting the museum with their classes and Arch thought about how many of them would be starting their journey in the next few years and wondered if any of them would put personal feelings before friends when they got to their first gym battle. The children were wide eyed as they stared at the different representations of Pokémon the museum had on display. In one of the exhibits that was title "Legendary Pokémon", Arch looked on as the students were in awe of a giant statue of Pokémon that seemed as if it was a giant red monster. He looked at the plaque that laid on a raised podium by the creature, Groudon is what it said and next to that was another to tell what Pokémon the one next to him was. It was the giant blue and red sea creature from the painting in the rotunda, Kyogre is what it was called.

Arch wondered if he would ever be able to see any of these legendary creatures and be able to tell people of his discoveries. Right now he knew people would only talk about how he had cause great harm to his Pokémon. He continued to walk through the museum till he came upon a room that had the title "Legendary Trainers" above its door. He entered and saw that the whole area was filled with statues of some of the greatest Pokémon trainers that had ever lived. He walked past several that seemed to be trainers from the ancient days of the world, some were holding what looked like poke balls but they were not the kind that he used today. He continued and saw that there were several images of a trainer who seemed to have been on many adventures with his Pikachu. Then out of the corner of his eye he saw the image of the trainer he considered the greatest trainer ever, Dorian.

Arch walked up to the plaque that hung on the wall next to his statue. It had Dorian's entire life printed on it, how he was a young trainer from Arch's hometown and how he had set forth and would eventually rise to the rank of World Pokémon Champion. Arch stared at the statue of his hero; he was dressed in his usual black trench coat with his arm outstretched as if he was pointing to his next challenger. His eyes were green and seemed to sparkle in the light of the room, his blonde hair was short and neat and Arch couldn't help but notice something familiar about him. Standing next to him was his Gardevior, she was tall and her green hair fell over one of her purple eyes while the other one seemed to look right through Arch to the very core of his soul.

Arch stood there for what seemed like an eternity just staring at the trainer that he idolized more than any other. The words that his mother had spoken to him echoed through his mind, his Pokémon was more than a creature he used to battle, it was his friend. He hadn't thought about it, but she was right, if it wasn't for Riolu he wouldn't have caught Ledyba or saved Paige from that pack of Houndooms. His Riolu was more than just some creature that he was given when he turned ten, he was his best friend.

Arch looked at Dorian and Gardevior and finally knew what he had to do. He had to go back to the Pokémon center and be by Riolu's side. He started to feel like his old self, but then the image of Riolu inching away from him towards Paige deflated him as quickly as he had inflated. He sat down on a nearby bench and placed his head in his hands. He knew he had to be by Riolu's side, but what was he supposed to do when his Pokémon didn't want anything to do with him. Tears started to trickle down his cheeks and he didn't notice someone had taken a seat next to him.

The person placed their arm around him and he looked up to see Paige resting her head on his shoulder. She had tears in her eyes and her usually milky white skin was red. Arch placed his arm around her and they sat there in the exhibit holding each other. After a few minutes Paige raised her head and wiped her face with her tissue.

"Riolu is doing fine; Nurse Joy was able to pop his arm back into place and is treating for any other injuries he sustained. He not out of the woods yet, but she said he is going to be able to make a full recovery."

"How did you find me Paige?"

"I thought you would go somewhere so you could be alone, I saw the museum and thought that this would be where I would go to collect my thoughts and you were here."

"Paige I'm so sorry about what happened. You were right; I let my own personal vendetta come before everything else. I never should have let Riolu battle knowing that he was injured."

"Yeah well I never should have yelled at you the way I did. I know how much you wanted to win; just you need to understand that winning isn't everything. Every great trainer needs to put personal feelings aside when it comes to his friends. Riolu needed you and you weren't there for him. It's going to take awhile to build back that trust, and I don't think he will be able to battle for some time."

"I'm not asking him to battle again for awhile. I want him to get better and then train so the next battle we have with Grant won't turn out like this one. I just wonder if Dorian ever had a battle like this where he made the wrong choice."

"I'm sure he did, every trainer makes mistakes, you just have to learn from them and know what to do differently in the future."

Paige took his hand in hers and returned her head to his shoulder. They sat there in the exhibit and stared as the Dorian statue continued to point towards an unknown spot.

"Don't ever run off like that again Arch. I was worried when you disappeared and I hoped that nothing had happened to you."

Arch looked down and noticed that she was crying again, he offered her his jacket sleeve and she let out a small laugh.

They made their way out of the museum and into the waning light of day. The sun was setting behind the mountains and the first stars where starting to appear in the sky. They descended the museum steps and where starting their way back to the Pokémon center when something came swooping down and knocked Arch's hat clean off his head. The looked up and noticed a Swellow flying circles around them, it was holding something inside its beak and it swooped down and dropped it in front of them and then took flight to the north towards the mountains. Paige knelt down and picked up what appeared to be a brown envelope. The contents of it was heavy and she opened it and turned it upside, from within the envelope came a large maroon gem. They stared at it and the setting sun made it shine so bright it nearly blinded them.

"What is this?" asked Arch.

"I don't know, but why did that Swellow drop it here?"

They looked towards the direction the Swellow flew and wondered who or what had sent it.

 

[galford3427]

Chapter 8​

​

​

Professor Branch sat at his desk quietly; he was lost in thought over a stack of documents he had just received in the mail. His desk was a mess with papers and photos of various Pokémon strewn all over; the floor of his study looked the same. He had been up most of the night going over research of a strange new development that had been discovered deep in the mountains of the world. To his knowledge only he and two others knew what was going on, and one of them would never again be able to speak of it.

He stood from his desk and walked over to one of the massive bookcases that lined the walls of his study. In actuality his study was more like a small library that held more literature on Pokémon than any place else in the world. He had already looked through books on Pokémon evolution and ever rare breeds that had only been seen a few times if you went by the word of Pokémon breeders. Books were stacked waist high on the floor and they kept growing as the professor would add another book when he didn't find what he was looking for.

Branch sat back at his desk and removed his glasses; he took his thumb and index finger on his left hand and rubbed the bridge of his nose where his glasses would sit. He was tired and it had been so long since he last had a chance to rest. He looked at the clock and saw that it was seven in the morning and he felt that he had accomplished nothing these last few hours other than making even more of a mess in his study. He took one of the documents and held it under the desk lamp that served as the only source of light in the room.

"This makes absolutely no sense." He said to himself.

He had been receiving documents of this sort for the last few days and he could not make heads or tails of them. He laid it back on the stack of other papers and leaned back in his chair, he took a deep breath as he sat staring at the ceiling. He sat back up and rolled his chair over to a small cabinet on the other side of the room where a coffee pot had been brewing a fresh pot. He took his coffee cup that had the image of the Pokémon Slowbro on it and poured the black liquid. He took a moment to sniff the aroma before taking his first sip; he wiped his chin with his sleeve and rolled the chair back to his desk. Just as he sat his coffee cup down on the desk he heard the loud ringing of a phone, he turned around in his chair to face a video phone that hung on the only wall that wasn't a bookcase. He pressed a button and the images of Arch and Paige appeared before him.

"Oh Arch, it's good to see you, how is everything?" he said taking another sip of his coffee.

"Things are going ok Professor, did we wake you?"

"Oh no my boy I was already up going over some paperwork."

"Okay good, I thought I woke you because you look like you're really tired."

Professor Branch laughed; he was really tired and could barely keep his eyes open.

"No I'm ok, so where are you Arch?"

"Faircloth city Professor."

"I see, have you challenged Grant yet. He is one tough trainer so you had better be careful against him."

"I found that out Professor, he beat me in the second round of our battle."

"I see and how is Riolu doing?"

"He is uh, well he…"

"He is resting here at the Pokémon center Professor." Paige interjected seeing that Arch didn't seem to want to say what had happened during his battle.

"Well that is good to hear and who are you little lady?"

"I'm Paige from Azrelia Town, I met Arch in the forest and we are traveling together."

"Well I am sure his mother will be glad to know he has a companion to keep him out of trouble."

"Don't worry Professor you can tell her I am keeping a very close eye on him." She giggled at the thought of what Arch's mom would say to him traveling with her.

"Professor, something weird happened last night and I was wondering if you knew anything about it."

"Something weird you say, I can try my best to figure it out Arch." Weird he thought; you don't know the half of it.

"Well last night this Swellow started flying over us as we were walking."

"A Swellow you say?"

"Yes sir and it had an envelope in its beak and it dropped it at our feet and when we opened it this was inside." Arch held up the maroon gem that had been inside the brown envelope the Swellow dropped.

Professor Branch leaned forward in his chair and stared at the shining jewel. His mouth was agape and a bead of sweat started to run down his brow.

"Where did you say you got that?"

"From the Swellow Professor, it was in the envelope he was carrying. Do you know what this is?"

"I uh, well no not exactly but I can do some research and see what I can find out. In the meantime why don't you keep it safe and don't show it around to a lot of people until we know what it is."

"Sure thing Professor, we will keep it safe until we hear back from you."

"Good lad, now why don't you two go get some rest and I'll see what I can find out."

"Okay Professor, bye."

The video screen went black as Arch hung up on the other end of the call. Branch leaned back in his chair and removed a handkerchief from his pocket. He wiped the sweat that had accumulated on his forehead and took another deep breath. After a few minutes he leaned forward and punched some number into the phone and waited as it started to ring. After about the third ring he heard a voice, he saw no picture only a voice.

"Hello." Said the voice

"What is the meaning of you sending him that stone?" Branch was angry and his voice showed this since the person he was talking to couldn't see the veins that were throbbing in his head. "You know that thing is dangerous and you sent it to him."

"Hello to you too Professor, so I am guessing he showed it to you did he?"

"Your damn right he did, what are you thinking, have you lost your ever loving mind?"

"Professor calm down, I don't see what the big deal is about him having that stone."

"Not a big deal, you know as well as I do what happened the last time someone handle that stone. It is dangerous."

"Only dangerous if you don't know what you are doing, besides it was meant to go to him when he was old enough and I feel he is ready to have it. Those were the instructions I was left with, I don't know what ones you got but I was told the stone goes to him."

"What about all these papers and photos you have been sending me, what if that stone has something to do with it. You have placed him and all Pokémon he comes in contact with in harms way."

"That stone is not the cause of this problem Professor; I think there is more to it than that. Every bit of evidence we have found points to a different cause."

"What evidence is there, a few pictures and your documentation that is it, he doesn't know what is going on and you are sending that young boy something that we don't even know what kind of powers it may possess."

"Professor Branch, it was my call to send it to him now and if anything happens I will take full responsibility. All I ask is for you to trust me and not to tell his mother that this has transpired. She would kill me if she knew he had it after what happened last time."

"That is exactly my point, how do we know that what happened last time won't be repeated."

"You just have to have faith Professor."

The phone clicked and Branch knew that the recipient of his call was gone. He leaned back in his chair for a moment and then turned back towards his desk. He lifted one of the photos that had been sent to him. He stared at it for quite some time taking in every detail of what it conveyed, a Pokémon shrouded in mist with flaming red eyes.

"Marcus, I hope this is what you wished for. I really hope you knew what you were doing."

 

[galford3427]

Chapter 9​

​

Arch sat on one of the couches in the lounge of the Pokémon Center. He had been looking over the stone for what seemed like forever, trying to figure out why that Swellow had dropped it where it did. It was still early in the morning and Nurse Joy had spoken to him about and hour before and said that Riolu had made a full recovery, but that he would still need to take it easy and refrain from battling for awhile. A sigh of relief had fallen over Arch as she told him the news; he was a wreck ever since the last battle and he was hoping that his Pokémon would pull through this ordeal.

He placed the stone back into his pack and looked over on the other side of the couch. Paige was fast asleep and to him she looked like an angel curled up with her knees close to her chest and her hair that laid so gently down the side of her face. She had stayed with him even though he had been a real jerk at the gym; he smiled and realized that he truly had made a great friend. With all that had transpired he found that just looking at her lifted his spirits and made him feel like everything was going to be ok. When she took his hand in hers and laid her head on his shoulder at the museum he felt that for that brief moment they were the only two people in the world and that all time had stopped. He sat there looking at her and noticed that she was shivering; the air conditioning in the Pokémon center was running full blast, so he walked over to one of the closets on the side of the room and retrieved a heavy blue and red blanket. He laid it over her and tucked the edges underneath her body so the warmth would be trapped inside.

He knelt down and brushed the hair out of her face and noticed that in her sleep she was smiling. He took her hand in his and felt how soft it was and saw how the little freckles on her face gave her such a distinctive look that nobody else in the world would ever look as beautiful as her.

"Thank you for being with me, I don't know what I would have done without you." He said. He knew she didn't hear him but he had to say it.

Arch rose and exited the room and made his way down the hall were behind a glass window he could see Riolu in the recovery room. Riolu's arm was bandaged and held tight next to his body; even though he was healed there still was a chance that his arm could dislocate again so Nurse Joy took extra precautions to prevent this. Riolu was sleeping and Arch stood there watching as his little chest rose with each breath he took.

"I am so sorry for what happened buddy. I promise you that I will never make that mistake again; from now on I promise that I will always put my friends before any battle. You, Ledyba and Paige are the first true friends I have ever had and I never want to loose any of you."

A tear started to stream down Arch's cheek, he let it run till it was at the bottom of his face about to fall off before he wiped it with his sleeve. This was the first time that he had ever been away from home and at first he wasn't sure how he was going to manage being alone in the world, but he knew that he wasn't alone, he had his friends and whether it was some divine intervention or if it was meant to be, but he had made some really great friends.

Arch walked back to the lounge and took another look at Paige, since he left she had rolled over and had one side of her face buried in one of the big pillows that where placed at the ends of each couch. She still had the blanket on her and he could see that her face had a little tint of red in it from where she was getting warm. He sat down at her feet and took a remote control from a side table and turned on the TV that was fixated on the wall. He watched a few minutes on a documentary about Magikarp migration habits before he turned it to the morning news. He was hoping to see something about Dorian and where he was at this moment. There had been no more information about what he was doing since before he left home and it was strange to him that a high profile trainer such as he would just disappear from everyone's radar. He watched as the news anchor talked about the weather and a big contest for Pokémon coordinators before he said something that caught Arch's attention.

"Hieroglyphics found by famed Pokémon Champion, that's right World Pokémon Champion Dorian has found ancient hieroglyphics that may answer some of the burning questions surrounding the ancient world of Pokémon. He would not elaborate on what the glyphs say but he said that he would continue his search for answers to the unknown. It is not clear if he was speaking figuratively or if he meant the mysterious Pokémon that are known as the unknown."

Pictures of what looked like Pokémon flashed across the screen, there were some that looked like letters and others that Arch could see looked like some of the ancient Pokémon he had seen in the exhibits at the museum the day before.

"What an adventure Dorian must be having," he thought "finding those ancient writings and possibly being able to find out answers to the Pokémon of legend."

He watched as they showed more pictures of the new discovery and saw that though they had multiple shots of the glyphs, but there were no pictures of Dorian, not even one of the back of his head.

"These images you are seeing were sent to the station by Dorian himself along with a short document telling us about the find. It is not known where he is at this present time and no ruins ever discovered have yielded this kind of discovery, but wherever he is we wish him nothing but the best and we hope he finds what he is looking for." Said the anchor as the news cut to a commercial.

"Well I guess that answers that question, so he must have found a new ruin or temple if no one had ever seen those carvings before. I can't wait till I can make a discovery like that. Yes sir Riolu, Paige and I could have ground breaking discoveries and chart new courses in the world of Pokémon."

"Only if you could ever learn how to properly battle your Pokémon Arch."

Arch turned his head and saw Kelci standing in the doorway to the lounge eating an apple.

"You honestly think you will be able to make a discovery like the one Dorian did? You have got to be the most delusional person I have ever met, you can't even battle properly and you think you're going to make the next biggest Pokémon discovery."

"Kelci would you keep it down, there are people trying to sleep in here."

"Oh what's the matter Arch, afraid I am going to wake up your little girlfriend? Let me tell you something I don't care. Oh and I saw your Riolu in there, looks like you really messed up this time. I can't believe that you chocked on your first battle, what a loser."

Arch rose to his feet and walked towards Kelci,

"Oh yeah and what about you, I heard from Grant that you didn't win your first battle either. So you really don't have anything to brag about because you don't have a Marble Badge either."

Kelci's face turned scarlet and in a huff she turned and stormed out of sight. Arch's blood was boiling; he was getting tired of her showing up unexpectedly and making snide remarks about him and his friends. It didn't matter if he had lost his first battle; all that mattered was that he and his friends were safe and ready to take on what ever came their way. He rested his head on the back of the couch and stared at the ceiling, after a few minutes the lights overhead started to fade and Arch was asleep.

 

[galford3427]

Chapter 10​

​

Paige rubbed her eyes as she awoke, she yawned and removed the blanket that was laid over her and sat up on the couch. She sat there for a few minutes as she fully woke up and noticed the sun shining through a window in the Pokémon Center's break room. She looked down at her watch and saw that it was barely eight in the morning. She saw that nurse joy had placed a tray of donuts on a nearby table and it looked as if various other trainers had made their way in and helped themselves. She looked over and noticed that Arch was fast asleep and couldn't bring herself to wake him just yet.

Paige fixed her hair into a ponytail and slid her feet into her shoes, she grabbed herself a custard filled donut and made her way outside the center. There was a cool breeze in the air coming down from the mountains and as she took a bite of the donut she started to walk towards the shop district of Faircloth city. She was still thinking about the day before and how she had yelled at Arch and she wanted to see if the shops had anything she could get as a present for him, something that let him knew she cared.

The shop district was already busy with patrons going in and out of shops, girls carrying bags of shoes from designer stores and parents dragging their kids out of toy shops. There were shops of all kinds that sold various items for all occasions, clothes, shoes, toys and trainer equipment. Paige scratched her head and thought about what she could get Arch, she had only known him a short time but somehow she felt so connected to him and really felt bad about how she conducted herself the day before.

Paige walked around a little more before she came to a row of video phones beside one of the shops that specialized in gourmet fudge. She snapped her fingers and made the realization that there was only one person who could help her pick out a gift for Arch, her sister. She sat down at one of the phones, inserted the number of coins needed to make a call and punched in a sequence of numbers. The phone started to ring and after the second ring the video screened lit up. On the screen was a woman who looked like she could be Paige's identical twin except older. She had long red hair that was held back by two barrettes and had the same big grey eyes and freckles, she looked to be around twenty-two years old and a big smile came across her face when she saw who was calling.

"Paige, oh it's good to hear from you. How's your journey going?"

"It's going okay; it started off a little rough though. I got lost a little bit in the forest and ended up getting chased by a pack of Houndooms. How are Mom and Dad?"

"They are doing okay, they decided since you were off on your adventure that they would take a vacation and go to Lunerian City to the beach for a few weeks. I'm glad you were able to get away from those Houndoom."

"Yeah well I didn't get past them alone I kind of ran into someone in the forest, and I mean literally ran into him and he helped to ward them off. That is actually the reason why I called you Amy, I need some major advice."

"Sure sis anything you need, I take it though that this is about that guy right?"

"Yeah it is, you see he is really nice and he helped me out a lot and..."

"What is his name Paige, I want all the details."

"Well his name is Arch and he is from Timber Town, he is my age and he started his journey when I did only he is hoping to be a Pokémon Champion not a doctor like me. He has this Riolu that is so cute and a Ledyba too. He is really a good trainer but he kind of messed up when he took on Grant the Faircloth Gym Leader and his Pokémon got really hurt. I yelled at him for being such an idiot and even though I apologized I still feel bad and want to get him something."

"Oh this is so cute my little sister has her first crush."

"No I don't Amy; I just want to do something nice for him is all."

"Come on Paige just admit it, you like him."

"I don't."

"Then you really don't need my help do you?" Amy made a motion like she was going to end the phone call.

Paige let out a sigh, "Fine yes I like him ok, now will you help me?"

"I am not convinced that you really like him."

"Amy listen to me ok, I like him, I can't stop thinking about him and I want to get him something now will you be my big sister and help me or not."

Amy smiled, "Okay Paige calm down, I'll help you. Let me see, what my little sis should get for her boyfriend." Paige's face was turning red, not from anger but from someone calling Arch her boyfriend. "Well since he is going to be a Pokémon Champion why not get him a customized poke ball. They sell poke balls that are different colors or have different designs on them. Also when you present it to him please don't give it to him looking like that."

"What's wrong with how I look?"

"Paige listen, your hair is in a pony tail you have dirt all over your jeans and sweetie you look like you could really use a shower. Why not take some of the money Mom gave you and go buy a new outfit and really show him what a cutie you are."

"I think I will, thanks Amy I knew I could count on you."

"Hey anything for my little sis, but you have to do something for me."

"Anything just name it."

"See if he has an older brother."

They both started laughing and after a few more minutes of chatting they ended their call. Paige made her way towards a store she saw that sold the exact type of poke ball that Amy had described. On her way to the shop she noticed something out of the corner of her eye that made her stop. She was standing in front of one of the clothing stores and she saw something that made her smile. She ran in and after a few minutes exited the store with two bags in her hand and continued towards the poke ball shop.

The shop was filled from wall to wall with every type and color of poke balls anyone could ever imagine. There were balls that were blue and green and even ones that were camouflaged in design. There were ones with names on them and some that had pictures of the Pokémon that one could get put on it if that ball contained that particular one. After looking around for several minutes Paige saw it, the perfect ball for Arch. It was emerald green and sparkled under the shops ceiling lights; it also had a small ruby heart on the activator switch. Paige looked at the price of the ball and took out the money she had in her jean pocket. She counted and realized that she had used all but twelve dollars of her money at the clothes store, the ball cost fifty. She looked around and noticed that the cheapest ball that was a plain dull red one was still twenty-five dollars.

Paige left the shop and found a park bench to sit on. She felt so foolish that she had spent almost all her money on clothes instead of a present for Arch. Tears started to fall gently from her eyes and made streaks down her face. She sat crying with her head in her hands and didn't notice a small figure that hopped onto the bench beside her.

"Mime Mime." said the figure.

Paige looked up upon hearing the noise and notice that a small pink Pokémon with what looked like a blue hat and a big red nose was standing on the bench next to her.

"Well who are you?' she said as she took out her Pokedex.

"Mime Jr. the mime Pokémon, It habitually mimics foes. Once mimicked, the foe cannot take its eyes off this Pokémon."

"A Mime Jr. huh, what are you doing here little guy?"

"Mime Mime" the Mime Jr. let out a loud cheer and from behind it's back produced a poke ball.

Paige sat there staring at the ball; it was crystal blue and was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen.

"What are you doing with that Mime Jr.?"

"Mime", the Mime Jr. rolled to ball towards Paige's leg, she picked it up and examined it before turning back to Mime Jr.

"Is this for me?" she said but noticed that the Mime Jr. had vanished.

She stood up and looked all around for the Pokémon, but he was nowhere to be found. She looked at the ball and thought that fate had smiled on her and she now had a gift for Arch. She jumped into the air and gave a yell of happiness and ran off towards the Pokémon Center hoping that Arch hadn't woken up yet.

High on a rooftop sat a Swellow and Mime Jr., watching as Paige ran off. The Mime Jr. jumped on the Swellow's back and together they flew off into the distance.

​

 

[galford3427]

Chapter 11​

​

"Arch, wake up."

Arch cracked his eyes open and let out a yawn as he stretched his arms up above his head. Someone had been shaking him for a while now and it sprung him from his dreams. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and waited for them to focus so he could see who was trying to wake him. His vision slowly changed from being blurred to his being able to see Paige looking straight at him. It took him a moment to register that it was her and then he noticed something different about her.

Paige stood in front of him but instead of her normal attire of dirty blue jeans and a tank top, she was now wearing a light green dress that halted just above her knees. Around her waist was a black belt that looked a little too big for her waist and was positioned at an angle on her frame, her poke balls were attached to the slots that adorned it and even though he had only seen one of her Pokémon she had five other balls. Her legs were covered by black leggings that stopped just above her ankles and instead of her tennis shoes she was now wearing a pair of black flats.

Her hair was washed and shined in the light of the Pokémon centers overhead lighting, she had green barrettes on both sides of her head that held her hair behind her ears and she had two long bangs the fell down over her freshly washed face. Arch hadn't seen her when she was clean; he had only seen her with dirt marks on her face and stains on her clothes. She looked radiant to him and he stared at her for a moment before she decided to break the silence.

"So are you awake yet? I was shaking you for a good five minutes before you even made a movement. You must have been having a really good dream or something."

Arch searched for something to say but couldn't find the ability to convey them through speech. Paige giggled and spun around on her toes.

"So what do you think about my new outfit, nice right? My other clothes were so dirty I thought I might get something new." She knew this wasn't the truth but she didn't want him to know she had bought a new outfit to try and impress him.

"Uh, yeah you look, um, very nice. You clean up really nice, you look completely different without dirt all over your face."

"Well I'm glad you like it, I also got you something while I was out."

"You got me something? What is it?"

Paige took the poke ball from behind her back and held it out for Arch. The balls crystal coloring shimmered in the light as Arch took it from Paige.

"Wow, this is awesome Paige. You didn't have to do spend your money to get this for me."

"I just felt so bad about yelling at you yesterday that I really wanted to do something nice for you. You do like it don't you?"

"Yes I love it, this is so cool. I can't wait to use it to catch a new Pokémon."

Paige sat down next to Arch and smiled. She was happy that he liked the gift, she was still confused on how the Mime Jr. had come by it or why it had given it to her, but she was happy that Arch was happy.

"Well I am glad you like it, I hope you catch a really strong Pokémon with it."

Arch examined the ball from every angle, he loved how the coloring shimmered and thought about what kind of Pokémon he would capture with it. It was blue so he thought maybe water Pokémon would be the best to use it on, then he could use it against Grant's rock and ground type Pokémon. Happiness filled Arch from head to toe at the thought of trying to use the ball as soon as possible, he rolled his fingers over the ball and clicked the activated reducing it in size and placed it on his belt.

"So what's our next move Arch?" asked Paige.

"I say lets head for the nearest body of water, I want to use this ball to catch a water type Pokémon so I will stand a better chance against Grant in a rematch."

"Ok there is a lake just north of the city, I am sure you will find a good water Pokémon there. Let's go see if Riolu is ready and pick up Ledyba and Bellsprout and get going."

Arch nodded and the two picked up their belongings, threw their packs over their shoulders and headed out of the lounge towards the front desk of the Pokémon Center. Arch walked up to the counter and was greeted by the smiling face of Nurse Joy.

"Oh hello there, your Pokémon are healed and ready to go."

She handed Arch the poke ball containing his Ledyba and Paige her Bellsprout, she motioned for them to wait a moment and she headed towards the back of the center. She returned a moment later out of one of the side doors of the center that led to the ER rooms, she was pushing a stretcher and sitting on it sat Riolu. Riolu, Arch noticed, seemed perfectly healthy again and his arm seemed to be fully healed with Nurse Joy's help. Then Arch saw it, running from Riolu's midsection to the base of his neck was a long red scar from where Grant's Rhydon had caught him with its horn as well as one down his left eye.

"Here is your Riolu, now I want you to be more careful with your Pokémon from now on. His arm still needs a little more time to heal so I wouldn't use him in battle for a couple more days, and he will always carry those scars with him so I hope you will think long and hard next time you battle about the well fare of your Pokémon. Don't worry about his eye our test concluded that he can see perfectly, he was just lucky that nothing actually pierced his eye."

"Don't worry Nurse Joy; I have learned a hard lesson from all of this. Hey Riolu are you ready to go?"

Arch held out his hands towards Riolu to pick him up from the stretcher when Riolu let out a howl and jumped from the stretcher and landed next to Paige. He stood with his back to Arch not even giving a glance in his direction.

Arch knelt down behind Riolu, "I know you don't feel you can trust me buddy, but I promise you I will never do anything that would cause you to get hurt ever again."

Riolu turned and looked at Arch; he closed his eyes and raised his paw so it was right in front of Arch's face. His palm started to glow and in a flash of blinding light Arch was propelled off the ground and slammed hard against a far wall within the building. Riolu lowered his hand and turned his back once again. Arch laid on the cold floor of the Pokémon Center for a few moments, he finally was able to find the strength to make it into a sitting position, he had been hit with such force that there was an indent in the wall behind him from where he slammed into it.

He sat rubbing his head, "What was that?"

Nurse Joy came up to his side and helped him to his feet; she wiped his face with a wet cloth and checked him for any injuries.

"That was Riolu's Force Palm Attack; it seems you are going to have a long way to go before he will trust you again. Looks like you might have a bump on your head for a while, you're just lucky he hit you with such a low amount of force."

"You call that a low amount of force Nurse Joy?"

"Well yes, if he had used all his power he would have sent you through the wall instead of just into it."

Riolu folded his arms and let out a low howl, Arch looked at his Pokémon and hoped that he could regain the trust he had lost very soon.

……………………………………………….​

​

Arch, Paige and Riolu made their way down the street from the Pokémon center towards the north edge of Faircloth City. Riolu kept close to Paige's side and walked with his arms still folded across his chest. Arch walked behind them still feeling the effects of Riolu's Force Palm, his head had a large knot on it that he was glad was covered by his cap.

"When did Riolu learn how to use Force Palm?" asked Arch.

"Sometimes Pokémon learn how to use certain techniques on their own, usually it takes awhile to master a new move but it seems Riolu learned it rather quickly. I am not surprised that the first person he used it on was you. That may have been how he learned it, all that pent up anger towards you just resulted in him unleashing his energy and learning Force Palm."

Before long the three had passed by many blocks of stores and businesses and found themselves at the northern border of the city. Paige reached into her pack and pulled out a map, she unfolded it and traced her finger along the area marked Faircloth and moved up till she located the nearest body of water.

"The closest water is Vitality Lake, we shouldn't take us more than half an hour to get their at most."

"Vitality Lake, sounds like I can catch an awesome Pokémon there."

Paige folded the map and returned it to her pack, "Well let's get going, the sooner we get there and you catch water Pokémon, the sooner you can challenge Grant again."

"Yeah and this time I'm going to win and get that badge. I hope you will help me out Riolu."

Riolu let out a sound that seemed as if he was scoffing at Arch.

"Riolu I know I messed up big time during the last battle, but I promise you nothing like that will ever happen again."

Riolu paid no attention to what Arch was saying and started walking down the path Paige had pointed out that led to Vitality Lake. Arch pulled the brim of his cap down over his eyes and placed his hands in the pockets of his jacket. Paige placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Give it time, he will come around you just need to give him some time."

Arch nodded and they started their way down the path towards the lake.

 

[galford3427]

Chapter 12​

​

The sun shined brightly high in the sky over the path that led to Vitality Lake. The path was centered between two fields full of wild flowers that blossomed and soaked in the warm sunshine. Many tall oak trees also lined the path and if felt nice to Paige to be able to see so many beautiful plants and flowers that she kept pointing this way and that at things that caught her attention. Paige loved flowers ever since she was a young girl, some of her earliest memories where of helping her mother in the family's flower gardens. Her love of plants was so big that when it came time to choose her starting Pokémon she went with the grass type Pokémon Bellsprout. She hoped that one day she would be able to have many grass type Pokémon and maybe even make that the type of Pokémon she specialized in when she became a full fledge doctor.

After a while the trio came to the top of a hill that stood next to a large oak tree, Arch peered into the distance and he could see Vitality Lake. It wasn't much farther he thought and then he could see what type of water Pokémon there was to be caught. Arch wanted to rush straight towards the lake, but when he turned towards Paige he noticed that she had taken her jacket from her pack and was sitting on it under the oak.

"Is it ok if we take a break for a snack Arch? I'm kind of hungry and I am sure that you and Riolu could use something as well."

"Yeah that sounds ok; the lake is just a little ways off so yeah I don't see any reason why we can't take a rest."

Paige smiled and started producing several snack bags from her pack. She handed one that contained what looked like some cookies to Arch.

"Here try these, my sister made them and they are the most delicious cookies you will ever taste in your life."

Arch sat down next to her and took the bag and removed one of the cookies. It looked delicious; it had white chocolate chips and peanut butter on it. He took a bite and his eyes immediately went wide.

"Wow, this is really good, remind me to compliment your sister when I meet her. Hey Riolu try some of this it is really good."

Riolu turned his head towards Arch and stared at him, Arch tried to figure out what was going through his Pokémon's thoughts. Arch had been wondering how he knew Riolu's beginning attacks when he was in the forest a few days earlier and he was hoping that Riolu could sense that he was trying to make a conscious effort to right the wrongs he had done. Riolu moved towards Arch's outstretched hand and looked into the eyes of his trainer. Arch smiled widely; perhaps this was the first step towards redemption. Riolu made a cry and instead of taking the cookie from Arch he lept up and using Arch's head as a stepping off point, made a giant leap and landed on a high branch in the oak.

Arch gripped his head in pain; Riolu had stepped right on the area that had been hurt when he hit the wall back at the Pokémon Center. He looked up into the tree and saw that Riolu had made himself comfortable on the branch using the tree's trunk as a back rest. His arms were still folded over his chest and he closed his eyes and started to rest. Arch slumped over onto the ground, his head was throbbing with pain but it was no where near as bad as the pain he felt in his heart. He was really trying to make an effort to connect with his Pokémon again and nothing seemed to be working. How many times would he have to apologize? Was Riolu trying to make him feel pain the same way he had felt it?

Arch removed his hat and felt the knot that had sprung up on top of his head. To touch it sent a searing stream of pain through his entire body and with Riolu using it as a step stool Arch felt that it had actually gotten bigger than what it was before. Arch closed his eyes and tried to think of something other than the pain when he felt an even sharper pain shoot through his head. His vision blurred and he felt nauseous because of what he was feeling, he tried focusing his eyes and noticed a large acorn laying next to him. Up in the oak Riolu was laughing hysterically and it took all his efforts not to fall out of the tree.

"What was that, did Riolu just throw that acorn at my head?"

"Yeah he did, Riolu you need to stop being so mischievous up there. Arch is trying to make things right with you." Said Paige as she moved to pick up the acorn.

Riolu paid no attention to her and just continued to sit on the branch laughing. Paige looked down and noticed that Riolu had somehow found the biggest acorn on the tree to crack Arch on the head with. She bent down to pick it up when she noticed that it was rocking back and forth. She lowered her head to get a closer look when the nut sprung up straight into the air and landed on what looked like two small feet.

"Seedot."

The acorn wasn't an acorn at all, it was a Pokémon. Paige pulled out her pokedex and aimed it at the creature.

"Seedot the acorn Pokémon, when it dangles for a tree it looks just like an acorn. It likes to scare other Pokémon."

"Hey Arch do you see this, Riolu used another Pokémon to clobber you with. It's a Seedot."

Paige looked over and noticed that Arch was lying on his side with his hands over his head. His leg was shaking and it looked like he was in a lot of pain. She moved towards him and folded her jacket and gently lifted his head and placed it underneath. His eyes were closed and she could see he had a headache medicine package clenched in his hand. He had taken medicine to stop the pain and now was trying to get it working by not moving and just laying beneath the tree. She turned he attention back towards the Seedot who seemed to be jumping in place as it looked up towards the tree limb Riolu was perched on.

"Well seeing as how you're a grass type Pokémon, looks like Arch isn't the only one who can catch a new partner on this trip."

She reached to her belt and grabbed the poke ball containing Bellsprout; she clicked the activator button and sent the ball flying into the air.

"Ok Bellsprout, time to go to work."

Bellsprout shot out of his poke ball and landed right in front of her feet.

"Bellsprout."

"Ok Bellsprout I need your help so we can catch Seedot. Now use your vine whip attack!"

"Bellsprout!"

Bellsprout shot forward and the two leaves that served as its arms extended and shot forward towards Seedot. Seedot spun in a circle and a green light shined all over its body, Bellsprout's vines hit Seedots body and bounced off.

"Seedot!"

"Oh man it used harden, well we can get around that. Bellsprout use growth followed by wrapping that Seedot up in your vines!"

Bellsprout let out a wail and its body began to be surrounded by a green mist, Bellspout reared back and once again shot out its vine like arms towards Seedot. The Seedot once again spun on its tiny feet only this time before its body could start to glow Bellsprouts left vine lowered and wrapped itself around on of Seedots feet. The other vine had begun coiling itself around Seedots body and using all of its strength began to retract its vines pulling Seedot closer to its body.

"Good Bellsprout now turn that Seedot into a Seetop!"

Bellsprout tightened its hold on Seedot and in a swift movement uncoiled its vines from around its opponent and sent it spinning across the grass until it slammed into the trunk of the large oak. The impact sent tremors all the way up to where Riolu was sitting and the impact cause the limb he was perch on to shake so violently that Riolu slipped and almost fell to the ground if he hadn't been able to grasp the limb with his fore paws. The Seedot slumped over at the base of the tree and as it lay on the ground it could see taillows fly over its head.

"Alright Bellsprout now it's my turn, go Poke ball!"

Paige clicked the activator of one of the poke balls she had removed from her belt and sent it sailing towards Seedot. The ball connected with the Pokémon and in an instant it was transported inside. Paige watched as the ball shook and waited for the activator switch to go from red to white. After a few short seconds and a few more shakes the red turned to white and Seedot was caught. Paige jumped into the air in excitement.

"All right I caught a Seedot!"

She ran up and pick up the ball and minimized it and returned it to her belt, she then praised Bellsprout and returned him to his ball as well. She was so overjoyed at catching a new Pokémon that she had forgotten that Arch was still lying on the ground close to where the Seedot had been. She bent down and felt his head and could see that he had passed out from the pain of his headache.

"He should be fine after a little sleep."

She looked up towards Riolu and saw that he was regaining his footing on the tree limb.

"Sorry Riolu, I didn't know that Seedot would make that big of an impact on the tree."

Riolu closed his eyes and let out a cry that seemed to indicate that he understood and there were no hard feelings.

"Well at least he isn't mad at me; I would hate to see what other Pokémon he could find to throw."

Paige sat down and felt the warm sun on her face, what an adventure she was having, a new friend and a new Pokémon. Never did she think when she left home that she would already have had such experiences, and she knew that there were going to be many more.

 

[galford3427]

Chapter 13​

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Kelci walked down the streets of Faircloth City, kicking a rock along as she walked. She had lost her first true Pokémon battle, and she had lost badly. Her battle, like Arch's, was a two on two battle. She had started with her Rattatta against Grants Nosepass and the battle lasted only a few short minutes. The second round was Chimchar versus Lairon, and while Chimchar had put up a decent attempt with its agility, one skull bash from Lairon signaled the end of Kelci's dreams of earning a badge.

She hated the feeling of loosing, and it was even worse that the first people she saw after losing was Arch and his little girlfriend. It did give her some comfort to know that Arch too had lost his battle and his Pokémon where in worst shape than hers, but still it did not completely relieve her sorrow. She had lost and that was all there was to it, a horrible defeat and the feeling of sadness was all she had now. This was not what she had wanted when she left Timber, she had caught new Pokémon in the forest and had trained with them before she met with Grant, and still that wasn't enough.

Kelci soon found herself walking back towards the Pokémon Center. She wasn't sure what to do now except to train more and hopefully redeem herself in her next battle. The center came into sight and she stopped, she noticed Arch and Paige coming out of the center and heading off towards the northern edge of town. She saw Arch's Riolu; her mouth fell open as she saw the scars that ran down its eye and chest.

"He really did mess up big time during his match to cause his Pokémon to be scared." She thought.

Quietly Kelci followed Arch and Paige; she made sure to keep her distance so they would not notice that she was following them. They seemed to be heading out of town, but why? Arch had not won the gym battle here in Faircloth and he couldn't possibly be able to defeat any other gym leaders if he hadn't even beat Grant. What could they be up to? Where were they going? She did not know, but she was determined to follow and find out.

Kelci kept her distance from them; they indeed were heading out of town, but to where she did not know. After walking past fields filled with flowers she noticed that they had stopped and where now sitting under a large tree. She could see that Arch had tried to give his Riolu something to eat only for it to use him as a springboard to reach a high tree branch. It seemed to her that whatever happened during his battle with Grant has caused tension and distrust between him and his trainer.

Kelci watched as several events happened in rapid succession, Riolu dropping a huge acorn on Arch's head, the acorn turning out to be a Seedot, and Paige battling and capturing it. She laid down in one of the nearby patches of flowers and stared at the sky.

"They are headed somewhere, but where? Arch and Riolu don't seem to be getting along and now that Paige girl has a new Pokémon. Those two have really bonded over the past few days, and here I am alone. What is wrong with me? I have never cared about what other people do or say."

Kelci thought about it, she really had never cared about others opinions of her or her actions. She had always been a loner and always did what she wanted when she wanted. All she had ever wanted to do was be a Pokémon trainer, and now she was one and she couldn't even win her first battle. Arch's words at the Pokémon Center replayed through her head. She hadn't won her gym battle and she had no right to talk to him about loosing his, but she knew she was a better trainer than him. She knew she had the skills to become world champion and she was going to prove it.

"No one will stand in my way, the next time I face Grant I will win and earn that badge. Then one by one the others will fall, all the way to the Pokémon league and the championship. Arch will continue to fail since his own Pokémon don't trust him, and what can that little girl do, she may be good at catching a Seedot, but she is no match once my Pokémon are stronger."

Kelci placed her hands behind her head and closed her eyes. She knew she was destined for greatness and she was going to prove it.