Suishou Neo Johto

[The black Vulpix]

Chapter 1: Prologue

The sun shown down brightly on the beautiful planet, allowing its inhabitants the warmth of a new day. The vast, salty ocean reflected the rich blue image of the cloudless sky. A gentle breeze blew across the lush blades of green and yellow grass and stopped occasionally by the purple snow-capped mountains. The planet harbored many strange things, but none so strange as the Pokémon.

For centuries, humans and Pokémon have lived together, benefiting from each other through the work of the past. Some use Pokémon in sport-like fights, some study and observe them as a profession, and some dedicate their lives to breeding them. Humans may never know all the answers, but it's interesting to know that there's always something else out there to find!

On a long suspension, a black moving truck with a white circle on the side zoomed down the road at a bumpy pace. Inside the passenger's side sat a beautiful young woman wearing a yellow kimono with orange flowers. She had brown hair tied with an indigo ribbon and shimmering blue eyes that stood out on her smooth peach skin. She looked barely older than twenty-seven, and when she smiled, she looked even younger.

"So, Mrs. Murakami, what made you decide to move out here?" The man driving the truck asked the woman.

"It was my husband; he's…. a Pokémon scientist in Viridian City, so my daughter and I moved to be closer to him." the woman replied hesitantly.

"Your husband's a Pokémon scientist? It's nice to see that kids haven't fully taken over the Pokémon World." the driver chuckled.

"Pokemon are such strange creatures, but that's all my daughter likes to talk about." the woman said.

"Your daughter is a Pokémon trainer?"

"Oh-no, she's only eight years old. She's been going to Sango Tech School and learning all she can to be the best trainer."

There was a sudden bump from the back.

The woman gave a sort of worried look and glanced back. "I hope she's alright back there."

"Don't worry; my Machoke won't let anything happen to your daughter as long as he's back there with her." The driver assured her.

Soon, the truck started passing a large cluster of trees, revealing colorful butterfly-like Pokémonfluttering in the wind.

"The Butterfree certainly are plentiful this morning." the driver glanced out the window.

"They look pretty; I wouldn't mind owning a Pokémon like that." Mrs. Murakami smiled.

The truck pulled into a quiet little town of lush trees, green grass, and pretty houses. The town of Pallet gave off a welcoming presence to its visitors. The moving truck slowed to a halt in front of one of the suburban houses. The red mailbox read "Murakami" in black letters.

"This is the house, isn't it?" The driver asked.

Mrs. Murakami nodded and jumped out of the truck to look at her new house; it was two level brick with a dark gray-blue roof, and dark blue shutters. "It's beautiful; my husband did great in picking this house." She walked around the back with the driver and knocked on the side. "Okay, Korytenshi, we're here." ('Korytenshi' means 'sweet angel' in Japanese)

The driver opened the large door to reveal a large, bluish-purplePokémonwith massive muscles and a golden P-One belt around its black wrestling bottoms. On its shoulders was a small little girl. She was about eight years in age with hazel eyes and silver framed glasses, and long, strawberry-blonde hair that was up in pigtails. She was wearing a green short-sleeved dress and brown sandals.

"Mommy, my name's Angelina." The girl pouted.

"Angelina, what are you doing up there?" Mrs. Murakami folded her arms.

"Just hanging around, that I was." Angelina smiled. "This Machoke here is really strong."

"Well get down before you break your neck." Mrs. Murakami scolded.

"Machoke," Machoke gave a disappointed look as it set the girl down.

"Listen, Angelina, I have to help move the rest of our belongings into the house. You should go and explore Pallet Town on your own until I get done." Mrs. Murakami suggested.

Angelina nodded and jumped down. She started down the sunlit dirt road, gazing at the busy people moving about, some on bikes and some on foot.

"Hey you!"

Angelina turned to someone calling out to "her" at least, she thought someone was calling out to her.

"Yes, I'm talking to you." A girl with dark mahogany hair ran up to her. She had amber eyes and smooth peach skin, and was wearing a dress similar to Angelina but the sleeves were to elbow length and she wore heel-less sneakers.

"You're wearing the same thing I am!" Angelina pointed out.

"Yeah, it's my favorite one. I have tons more at home just like it." the girl stated.

"Me too, in all sorts of different colors!" Angelina exclaimed. It was amazing; she hadn't been here for more than a couple of minutes and she already found someone to talk to.

"I know you; you're that girl that just moved in." the girl suddenly grasped Angelina's hand and shook it.

Angelina started to sweat anime style under the girl's killer grip. She was also taken quite aback by her straight-forward personality.

"My name is Betsy Oak," the girl said. "So, how about you? What's your name?"

"My name? It's Korytenshi Murakami, but call me Angelina." Angelina smiled back, still sweating anime style.

Betsy took the lead and motioned for her to follow. Angelina hesitated for a little while before tagging along after her.

The sun rose high in the air as they walked along the sidewalk. Angelina marveled at the different houses, but what really impressed her was when they entered the town square. It wasn't too far from her home which meant she could come quite often.

For such a small town, the streets were plenty busy. Angelina especially liked the fact that there were plenty of Pokemon bookstores. It was a little hobby of hers to study Pokémon behavior and physiology.

"You're a quiet little girl, Korytenshi." Betsy glanced back without stopping.

"It's just Angelina." Angelina said simply.

"Sorry, Angel. So tell me a little about yourself."

"Well," Angelina began, "I just moved here from Crystal Island—that's in the Orange Archipelago—so that my mother and I could be closer to my father— he works in Viridian City as a scientist for this program dedicated to protecting Pokémon."

"Wow, you came really far. Go on; tell me about your personality." Betsy gave her an interested look.

"My hobbies involve studying Pokémonand watching theatrical movies. My mother owns a shop were she teaches girls to dance and sing." Angelina continued.

"You're a dancer and singer, too? You get more interesting by the second."

The two stepped out of the square and down a long dirt path. They didn't seem to notice that they were walking across a small bridge and up stone steps, for their conversation was too deep. A gentle breeze blew across the treetops soundly.

"And you? What about your personality?" Angelina started to sweat anime style when Betsy stopped abruptly.

"You know my name already, but you might not know that I'm the granddaughter of Professor Oak." Betsy replied kindly, "Just like you, I like to study Pokémon, so I go along with my grandfather on his trips."

They stopped in front of a large brown building with wooden doors. Betsy knocked on the door and it was finally opened in two minutes.

The man in the threshold was a rather old-looking man in his early 50s; his thick brown eyebrows and light brown-ish gray spiky hair matched Betsy's to a tee. He was wearing a white lab coat over his red-collared shirt and orange pants, finished with dark brown shoes.

"Betsy? I thought you were still at home."

"I was showing our new neighbor around the town after I dropped off Gary at Ash's house, Grandpa." Betsy replied, turning to Angelina, "Angelina, this is my grandfather, Professor Oak."

"Hello, it's very nice to meet you," Angelina said politely.

"Yes, indeed." Professor Oak agreed. "Welcome to Pallet Town, come inside and I'll show you around my lab." he let the door open and allowed the two children in.

They walked down a hallway and walked inside a large room with tranquil, yet amazing whirl of flashing lights of machines and equipment. The sunlight poured through the windows onto the high-polished floor.

Angelina glanced around the lab; there were many books crammed into the shelves. Papers and magnifying glasses were spread all over in an awful mess. Some shelves had red and white-colored balls instead of books. She was even awed upon looking out the window at the sight of thousands of Pokémon in the field surrounding the house.

"The Pokémon you see out there belong to Pokémon trainers who get their Pokemon here." the Professor informed Angelina.

"Wow," Angelina turned around. "I definitely want to be a Pokémon trainer when I grow up!"

The professor chuckled. "Okay, I have a lot of research to attend before I feed the Pokémon. You two run along."

Angelina turned to Betsy. "Let's go to my house."

The girls left Professor Oak's Lab and headed to Angelina's house where they were greeted by Mrs. Murakami locking the front door.

"Mommy, you going somewhere?" Angelina asked.

"Oh, I was about to go look for you," Mrs. Murakami replied. "Well, I see you found a friend."

"Yeah, this is Betsy Oak." Angelina introduced. "She's Professor Oak's granddaughter."

"Hello," Betsy waved.

"Nice to meet, dear." Mrs. Murakami smiled. "I was about to head over to my sisters for a "welcome" party. You're more than welcomed to join us since the whole town is invited."

"Sure," Betsy nodded.

No soon had they walked down the street and through the town square, they arrived at a two-story white house perched atop a hill. Mrs. Murakami knocked on the front door. Angelina and Betsy could hear voices from inside, but they waited as the door finally opened.

"Clarissa, so good to see you!" a pretty slim-built woman embraced Mrs. Murakami into a big hug. She was in her early twenties with black hair and bright green eyes, wearing a purple short-sleeved dress with an apron over top and purple casual shoes. "Hello Angelina, been a good girl?" she knelt down and hugged her niece.

"Yes, Aunt Vicky!" Angelina nodded, hugging back. "And I met a new friend, this is Betsy Oak!"

"Hi, Mrs. Crystal!" Betsy smiled. "My grandfather might be a bit late, he'll be up after he feeds the Pokémon."

"That's fine, Betsy." Mrs. Crystal replied, she closed the door as they walked inside. "Why don't you take Angelina upstairs where all the other kids are playing? They're in Marina's room, third on the right."

Angelina was amazed by the inside of the house as the walls were painted gold and the floor was made out of white marble. Above her was a huge chandelier made out of crystal glass in gold and silver.

"Come on," Betsy said, she grabbed Angelina by her arm as they climbed the elegant staircase to the second floor.

They walked down the hallway and opened the third door on the right. The girls stepped inside and looked around; pink walls with Clefairy's decorated on a white border, pink curtains, a small bed with a pink comforter and pink pillow, a wooden dresser, and a wooden chest that was opened and filled with toys.

There were four kids in the room sitting on the floor, all under or the same age of five; two girls and two boys. Two boys rushed over to Angelina and Betsy, one had spiky brown hair and dark blue eyes while the other had messy black hair and dark brown eyes.

"Betsy, you're here!" the brown-haired boy hugged the girl. "When can we go home?"

"I just arrived, Gary," Betsy frowned, turning to Angelina. "That's my little brother Gary, he gets really agitated if he's not around my parents."

"I see," Angelina nodded, until she looked down at the messy black-haired boy staring up at her. "Hi, what's your name?"

"Ash Ketchum, you're pretty." the boy smiled goofily. "Is your name pretty, too?"

"Um…. I think so," Angelina raised her eyebrow; she noticed the boy had small zigzag marks under his eyes. "It's Angelina."

"Wow," Ash awed, and took Angelina's hand. "Come play Pokémon with me."

"Okay," Angelina was dragged farther into the room; Betsy followed behind and giggled with Gary trailing upsetly.

"I wanna go home!" Gary whined.

"No, not until Grandpa comes," Betsy told him, sitting on the ground beside Angelina.

"So what's the game again?" Angelina asked, confused when Ash handed her an empty Pokéball.

"Pokémon!" Ash smiled excitedly. "We pretend we're Pokémon Masters and train very strong Pokémon!"

"Sounds like fun," Angelina laughed, yet she was quite interested in the red-and-white device.

"Yeah, it is," said a small voice to Angelina's right. It was a little girl that had long brown-blonde hair in a pony-tail and brown eyes. She wore a purple short sleeved dress, little white socks and black dress shoes, and was holding a sparkly stoned Pokéball. "I'm Amber Trainum and Miss Vicky gave me this Pokéball to play with than Ash's stupid one."

"Mine's not stupid!" Ash yelled. "It's normal and holds very powerful Pokémon! I'm gonna be a great Pokémon Master when I grow up!"

"Nu uh, I am!" Amber said.

"No, me!" Ash got right in her face.

"Me!" Amber spit back.

"Um, kids?" Angelina watched the two still yelling "ME!", even Gary couldn't help but stop his bickering and look on.

"I am, and you won't win!" Amber grinned.

"Yes I will!" Ash pushed her.

Amber growled and pushed the boy back, that was when they both grabbed hold of each other and about to strangle their necks.

"Whoa, stop it!" Betsy pulled Amber away as Angelina did the same for Ash. "Maybe you'll both be Pokémon Masters!"

"Nu uh, she/he won't! I will!" Ash and Amber pointed and glared at each other.

"Look, you'll both be great Pokémon trainers and maybe you'll battle to decide which is better." Angelina suggested. "Until then, don't fight and play like good kids!"

"Okay," Ash said, smiling. "I'll do it for you, Angel."

Angelina rolled her eyes and Betsy giggled, "Someone likes you."

"I know." Angelina sighed. "And I haven't even been here for more than a day."

"Pway with me!" a little girl toddled over and held out a stuffed Pikachu Doll, she had light blue hair in pig-tails and light blue eyes. She wore a long sleeved pink dress and wasn't even out of diapers yet.

"Oh, how cute!" Betsy cooed. "Come here, Marina!"

"Pway, pway!" laughed the little girl, clapping her hands after she set the doll in Betsy's lap.

"So how long are we in here?" Angelina asked, looking up at the Clefairy clock on the wall.

"Maybe until the party downstairs is over." Betsy replied, watching her little brother play quietly with Ash and Amber.

"Ya know, I've made more friends with kids here today than back at Crystal Island." Angelina smiled.

"No friends at your old home?" Betsy asked.

"Only two," Angelina said, she frowned in thought. "A girl named Danielle, she lives at the Pokémon Center with Nurse Joy and she has an Eevee. Then a boy named Tracey, he just caught a Marill about a month before I moved and he wants to be a Pokémon Watcher someday. I promised I'd come back to Crystal Island to visit him and Danielle when I become a Pokémon Trainer."

"Then I hope you'll get to see your friends again," Betsy assured. "I don't think I want to become a Pokémon trainer, I'd rather study them, so I might go with you!"

"Great, we'll be the best friends ever!" Angelina exclaimed happily.

To Be Continued

 

[The black Vulpix]

Chapter 2: After School

"Ha! There's no way out of this one, Murakami Senpai!"

The sun shone down on the white walls of a grand school building. New Bark Technical stood out like a sore thumb in the town of New Bark. The large school reflected the light of the sun brightly onto the tops of the trees. The long fence that surrounded the school sparkled as if it was brand new and the golden star planted in the middle of the school was just as beautiful.

In the classroom, Angelina sat at her desk, surrounded by her classmates. Two years had gone by as Angelina had grown into a pretty and young ten-year old child. All the male students in the class wore black pants and a black shirt embroidered with star-shaped patch on the left side and black shoes. The female students wore blue mini skirts and white dress shirts finished off with black ties, white knee high socks, and black loafers.

A kid with sand-colored hair faced Angelina with his desk turned to hers. On the desktops were arranged trading cards with pictures of different Pokémon on them. The one Angelina had looked like a puppy with flaming red fur and tiger stripes tagging its back and a bushy tan tail. The top of the card read "Blaine's Growlithe" right beside "HP 50". The sand kid's card was a sea blue turtle with a curly tail. On the top read "Squirtle" and "HP 50".

"This is the end for you, Murakami Senpai." the kid said. "Next turn, my Squirtle is gonna' take you out!"

Angelina, however, sat with her eyes closed and her arms folded calmly. "Maybe…. or I might have a trick up my sleeve." she held up her right hand, which revealed five of the cards, and drew from the deck near her with the other. "I'm sorry, but this game is over." She placed down a card that looked almost like the one she had in front of her. This one, however, was larger with many more stripes on its red and tan fur, with an even bushier tail if it were possible. "I play Blaine's Arcanine. And since I had already powered it up, I'm free to wipe you out."

"Noooo!" the kid scratched his head feverishly.

The students huddled around the desk all clapped and cheered and Angelina blushed.

"That was a good match, Li." Angelina held out her hand to her opponent.

"Huh?" The kid looked up at her with a surprised look. It was as if he had never heard an upper classman talk to a lower classman like an equal. That was one of the many things that made Angelina popular in school. "…gee, thanks, Senpai!" He shook Angelina's hand (Senpai is Japanese for "Upper classman").

The bell for the end of school sounded and all of the kids of New Bark Tech spilled out of the building. Angelina walked through the school lot, holding her book-case over her shoulder. She walked all alone, but really didn't mind it—Betsy Oak normally joined her as soon as she was finished at her locker.

"Good bye, Miss. Murakami Senpai!" a group of younger kids waved to her. "See ya' later, Senpai!"

"See you tomorrow," Angelina waved.

"Senpai!"

"Huh?" Angelina blinked and turned around.

Li, the sand-haired kid from earlier, came running up to her. One hand was holding his book-case while the other was clasped around his deck of Pokémon cards. He slid to a halt in front of his classmate and stopped to catch his breath.

"Look, Li, when we're not in class, I'm not Senpai anymore. Sounds easier, right?"

"That's cool; I just wanted to tell you that I'm gonna' get stronger and become a better challenge to you." Li told her.

"Let me help you." Angelina reached into her book-case and pulled out her own respective deck of Pokemon cards. With a bit of search shuffling, she withdrew two cards and handed them to Li.

"….Ah! But Sen—er—Angelina, these are the strongest cards in your deck."

"Remember, this game isn't just about trying to beat your opponent, but also learning about Pokémon and how to use them effectively in different situations. Just don't get a big head, okay?" Angelina smiled.

Li took up the cards slowly and smiled back. "Thanks, cool! Well, bye!" he waved and walked away.

Angelina was now walking down the sidewalk away from New Bark Tech. The early afternoon sun dyed the sky in a mixture of purple, blue, and yellow. A light breeze blew against the tree tops and caused the leaves to sway for a wild second.

A slight rustle from the bushes near Angelina caused her to stop, her fists clenched and she stood in attack mode. The bushes rustled more wildly this time, indicating that there was a person in there this time. Angelina frowned, ready to swing her fists at whatever was about to come crawling out.

"Hey, what's with all this senpai stuff?" The bushes swayed a little bit more before a familiar face leapt out. To be honest, not much has changed between the two in the last two years except for the fact that they got taller.

"What happen to you back there?" Betsy asked with a smile. "Thought you were supposed to wait for me in the school lot."

"Sorry, I got a little distracted."

"Again? What is up with Li, anyway?"

Angelina shrugged her shoulders and started to walk on with her friend following.

"By the way, Angel, we aren't going to your house today." Betsy said.

"What! Betsy, I can't afford to waste another study day—our Pokémon physiology test is tomorrow and I hadn't even studied once!"

"That may not be an issue." Betsy pointed out with a grin. Angelina glanced back at her with a raised eyebrow. "Grandpa will explain it to you at his lab. So let's get going right now."

It was Betsy's turn to take the lead and she detoured from the main road to the side road, which lead to Professor Oak's laboratory.

Angelina had a questioned expression and shrugged her shoulders. All she could do was sit back and follow Betsy.

Betsy and Angelina walked across the little bridge and climbed the stone steps, they came to a stop in front of Professor Oak's laboratory doors. The colors from the sky gave the building a nice multi-colored shade.

Angelina stood patiently as Betsy took out a key and unlocked the door, peeking inside.

"Grandpa? Grandpa, are you in there?" Betsy called.

"Betsy—" The muffled voice from inside the laboratory followed by a rapid tumbling sound.

"Grandpa!" Betsy suddenly burst into through the doors in a mad hurry and ran down the hall.

Angelina blinked and followed. "Betsy, wait up!"

Light from the afternoon sun flowed into the open windows of the laboratory. Professor Oak was sprawled out at the foot of the stairs to the upper level along with an avalanche of books. His eyes swirled wildly from his dizziness.

"…Professor Oak?" Angelina blinked.

"Are you okay, Grandpa?" Betsy went to help Professor Oak to his feet.

"Ohaa.…I'm fine; it's gonna' take a lot more than a bunch of books to hurt this old man."

"What in the heck were you doing, Professor Oak?" Angelina asked, folding her arms. "Ya' know if you're not careful, you'll fall down and break your neck."

"I was trying to haul all of those books upstairs to the library."

"Oh, great," Betsy sweated anime style, "Grandpa, how many times do I have to tell you that you're no superman—you just can't haul all those books up the steps at once!"

Professor Oak dusted his lab coat off, "I'm glad you two are here; I have a gift for you." He started away from the mess and walked down the hall.

"But Grandpa…."

"I'll clean it up later, Betsy." He replied to his granddaughter.

Angelina and Betsy followed with one of them sporting a questioned expression.

Professor Oak led the way to another room in the lab and in front of some sort of tall cylindrical glass container filled with white smoke.

"What's up with that?" Angelina said, pointing to it.

"This is the surprise I was saving for you. I'm sure you know that each new trainer receives a starting Pokémon from their local professor. Well, recently, I've captured three Pokemon and I need a trio of trustworthy trainers who can help these Pokémon discover their true potential."

"CLACK!"

Angelina and Betsy let their book-cases drop to the ground with a clatter. True, Angelina had often fantasized of being a Pokémon trainer and even joked about it. But she never knew that a surprise like this would ever befall her on such a normal day of school.

"You mean—"

"That's right; how would you two like to help these miss-fit Pokémon find some good partners?"

"You know I would!" Angelina and Betsy jumped up a little too quickly and blushed.

Professor Oak chucked, probably reminiscing about when he received his first Pokémon. "I knew you'd say something like that." He walked up to the container and pressed a red button on the side. The glass doors pushed away from each other, allowing the smoke to go billowing out into the room. On the inside was a pillow with a triad of two red-and-white pokéballs resting atop it lifelessly.

"Um…. Professor?" Angelina stared on in confusion. "You said there were three Pokémon, where's the third?"

"A young boy came by earlier and picked it up," Professor Oak replied. "Now he's off on his journey with a Squirtle."

"Oh wow!" Angelina awed. "Squirtle's are the most popular in the Orange Archipelago, next to Blastoise of course!"

"All right, I have chosen the Pokémon that best fits your personalities." Professor Oak picked up a red-and-white ball marked with a flame insignia on it. "Charmander represents your spirit, Angelina; its flames burn as bright and intense as your determination to win." He gave Angelina the pokéball and it burst open in a flash of light.

The Pokémon, resembling a lizard, was a orange as fire with a yellow belly, a burning flame lit at the tip of its tail, and purple eyes. "Charmander!" It waved its arms excitedly. "Char!" it smiled at its new trainer.

"Awww, he's so cute!" Angelina picked the Pokémon up and cuddled him. "I'm naming you Charcoal!"

"Now for you, Betsy," Professor Oak continued, "Like a plant, you represent the continuing cycle of growth and mystery. The seed-bulb Pokémon, Bulbasaur, will suit your personality." He gave Betsy another red-and-white Pokeball with the leaf insignia, allowing it to erupt in her hands.

The green, toad-like seed-bulb Pokémon croaked upon its release. It had a small body with a green face, red eyes, and a huge green bulb on its back.

"Hello there, my name's Betsy." Betsy knelt down and patted the Pokémon on the head gently.

"Bulba-saur!" the seed Pokémon smiled.

"Great, I can tell we're gonna' get along fine." Betsy smiled.

"Oh—I almost forgot one final thing." Professor Oak reached into his pocket and pulled out a small square, red device. When it was flipped open, the inside revealed a blank screen and a few buttons on both sides. On the side with the screen were four buttons in the shape of arrows pointing in different directions, which were probably used for scrolling. "This is Pokédex, a device that's like a mechanical Pokémon encyclopedia. Not only does it carry information on Pokémon, but also caries your trainer license." He gave the first one to Angelina and dished out another from his pocket to Betsy.

"See ya'!"

"Bye, grandpa!"

Angelina and Betsy waved goodbye to Professor Oak from outside his lab and started down the stone steps.

"I'm so excited; tomorrow, we are official Pokémon Trainers!" Betsy exclaimed, admiring her new Pokédex.

Charmander and Bulbasaur traveled beside their trainers quietly.

"I'm going to take the long way home. I'll see you later." Without another word, Angelina walked towards the left, Charmander happily skipping behind her.

"Uhm…. okay; we'll tell your mother you're on your way." Betsy shouted to her.

Even though the trees were full of Pokémon, they were really quiet this time of day. The sun was slowly sinking behind the horizon in the sky. Angelina walked backwards with her hands on the back of her head. She and Charmander stared at each other without blinking.

"Hmmm…." Angelina stared at her Pokémon more intently. Like a mirror, he stared at her back. They were as silent as the trees around them. Even Angelina's backpack beat against her back without sound.

"Are you going to… stare at me like that all day?" Angelina finally asked.

A wide smile spread on Charmander's face and his purple eyes glimmered largely.

"Eh," Angelina closed her eyes and sweated anime style. "You know, no offense to you or anything, but you look a little too rough to fight." she said.

"Char?" Charmander tilted his head to the side.

"Can you understand me at all?"

Charmander just replied by wagging his tail wildly and small embers from its flaming tail flew in the wind.

"If you keep doing that, it's gonna' fly right off of you." Angelina told him and he stopped immediately.

Angelina reached into her backpack and pulled out her stress ball. "Hey, let's play." she tossed it out and her Pokémon scampered off after it. She then turned around and stared up into the sky. "Darn, I guess I'm gonna' have to tell Li that I won't make it tomorrow." Angelina didn't know what it was, but something didn't seem to.…well, connect with her new Pokémon. He was so small, it didn't seem like he could pose much a threat. But, if there was one thing Angelina learned about Pokemon was that size definitely wasn't an issue. Maybe if she got to know her Poké-pal a little better, the empty feeling would blow away.

Angelina watched Charmander chase her up her driveway and to her front door. "Looks like you're too slow." she laughed as Charmander clambered up to her shoulder and slobbered all over her cheek.

"Okay, stop, that's too much love—way too much!" Angelina pulled him away from her.

"Angelina, there you are!"

"Huh?" she turned around as Betsy ran up to her.

Bulbasaur was perched at Betsy's feet, and she was out of her school clothes.

"I know the long way home takes a while, but you were gone for more than an hour." Betsy stated.

"Sorry, I was just thinking on the way home." Angelina told her, giving a slight smile.

Betsy nodded. "If you're looking for your mother, she's not here. Everyone is at the Poke-henten." She told Angelina (Pokémon restaurant; it's "henten", not to be confused with the other "H" word). "We're celebrating before we go on our Pokemon journey tomorrow."

"Just let me change out of my school clothes and we can run the way there." Angelina pushed into the door of her house.

The fresh smell of beef stew drifted from the inside of the Poké-henten, which was styled like a busy Japanese-style restaurant. The sun coming into the windows made up for the dim lighting. While the adults were keeping an eye of the younger kids, Angelina and Betsy were eating and chatting excitedly about their Pokémon journey and their Pokémon were eating their food on the floor. Angelina was wearing a black shirt and gray shorts, her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore black sandals.

"So what league you going into?" Betsy asked, sipping her tea.

"Well," Angelina began, after she swallowed some noodles and beef. "I was thinking maybe Johto, or so I've heard this league has a wider selection of Pokémon and would give more experience."

"That's cool," Betsy nodded. "I told you before I'm not interested in being a Pokémon trainer, I'd rather study Pokémon like my grandfather does. Good luck on your journey, though."

"Thanks," Angelina smiled.

§To Be Continued§
"image removed" *pokemonelite2000 link removed*

 

[The black Vulpix]

Chapter 3

Angelina was up bright and early the next morning, dressed in a black short-sleeved shirt with a flaming heart on front, a blue jean skirt above knees with a chain dangling from one of the belt loops, her black sneakers with blue socks, and topped the look with her hair up in pigtails and dangle heart earrings.

Charmander was still sleeping at the foot of the bed. Angelina snatched up her backpack and readied herself for her first day as a Pokémon Trainer. Inside her bag resided a few guidebooks, extra clothes, her Poké-Gear and the Pokémon food.

Angelina put on her black fingerless gloves and stared out the window for some mental preparation.

"Angelina, are you ready for your big day?" Mrs. Murakami poked her head in the doorway of her daughter's room, she too had changed within the two years. She still had her brown hair worn in a bun and held by ornamental-designed chopsticks, a dark blue kimono with white flowers, and her stomach was noticeably protruding.

"Yeah, here I come." Angelina returned her sleeping Pokemon to its Pokeball and started down the steps. "Onward to my journey; upward to my destiny; forward into the world!" she coached herself.

"Bye, Angelina, and take care of yourself. Don't forget to call from time to time, and remember to visit Professor Elm along the way through New Bark Town!" Mrs. Murakami shouted as her daughter bolted out the door.

Angelina burst out into the morning light, the summer air belting her lightly.

"Hey, Angel!"

"Huh?"

It was amazing—the entire town had flocked around Angelina's house. Betsy ran up to her; she wore a dark blue tank top, and a white skirt that barely made it to her ankles.

"What's everyone doing here?" Angelina asked her friend.

"What do you think?" Betsy questioned, she then giggled. "The whole town is here. After all, you're the one who will make Pallet Town famous once you become a Pokémon Master."

"Oh, right!" Angelina nodded.

"Hmph," Gary pouted with his arms folded jealously.

"Don't worry, Gary." Betsy reassured her little brother. "You'll have your chance to be out in the world on your journey too!"

"Um…. Angelina," Ash stepped forward, blushing and holding out a bunch of daisies. "Good luck on your journey."

"Thank you, Ash." Angelina smiled and took the flowers. "How thoughtful."

"Well Angelina, this is goodbye," Betsy said, embracing her friend in a hug. "Have fun and be careful, and tell me all of your adventures of your journey when you return home."

Angelina nodded and started to run down the driveway. All of the town clapped for her and cheered loudly as Angelina heads west for the Johto Region, and the beginning of her first journey.

No sooner had Angelina arrived in New Bark Town, and after she captured a Hoothoot with a spare Pokéball she had, trouble was already brewing.

Someone was holding Professor Elm hostage, and threatening to steal the three starter Pokémon. Angelina got there just in time, though, and commanded that this boy with short black hair, that she found very familiar, to stop or she'll make him stop—through a Pokémon battle. When the boy heard this, he immediately grabbed a Pokéball from his belt.

"Go," the black haired boy threw the Pokéball, appeared from it was a blue turtle-like Pokémon.

"A Squirtle? So that explains the third trainer from Pallet Town!" Angelina exclaimed, then grinned. "Fine. Go, HootHoot!"

Squirtle began the battle with Bite, which made HootHoot flinch. Next, Squirtle used Tackle. HootHoot came back with Peck, but it didn't weaken Squirtle that much.

"Squirtle, finish it with Water Gun!" the boy ordered as Squirtle blasted water at HootHoot and knocked it unconscious.

"That's, alright, HootHoot." Angelina recalled her Pokémon and threw out another. "Go, Charcoal!"

"I've won. You can't win with a fire type against my Squirtle!" the boy laughed.

"We'll see." Angelina growled, turning to her Pokémon.

"Charcoal, use Scratch!" she commanded as the lizard raised its clawed hand and scratched the turtle Pokémon.

Squirtle's next attack was Water Gun, which damaged Charcoal a lot. Charcoal blew out a black screen of smoke (Smokescreen), making it hard for everyone to see. Charcoal then used Rage, and disappeared into the smoke again.

"You can't hide forever!" the boy yelled.

"Charcoal, Ember, now!" Unfortunately for everyone, the fire-attacked missed and igniting the lab.

"See ya, suckers!" and the boy disappeared.

Now they were in trouble. Without a local fire department nor any Water Pokémon, the lab would be burnt to the ground. But suddenly, a trainer with messy dark blue hair and blue eyes came almost out of nowhere with a Marill.

"Marill, Water Gun, now!" The trainer commanded.

Marill's Water Gun seemed to be doing the job, but it wasn't enough.

"Go Fearow, Whirlwind! Marill, keep using Water Gun!"

Fearow kept trying to blow the flames away, but the flames stayed lit. The Professor's sprinkler system was of little help. How was this all going to turn out? Was the lab going to burn to the ground?

"Marill, use Whirlpool!"

Marill started going around in circles, spraying water everywhere.

"Fearow, Gust!"

Fearow blew the remaining flames away, and finally, the disaster ended.

"Who started this?" the trainer asked.

"It was some guy with black hair!" Angelina replied. "He has a Squirtle, but I took care of him as best I could."

"Hmm…. well, that's good…. anyway, my name is Falkner."

"Greetings, I'm Angelina Murakami."

"I noticed you have a Hoothoot. It looked like it needed training." Falkner said. "I train bird Pokémon, and was wondering if you wanted to trade your Hoothoot for my Marill."

"Wow!" Angelina awed. "That Marill was awesome, and you want to trade it?"

"Yeah.…" Falkner nodded. "It may not obey you like it obeys me; you need Mahogany Town's Gym badge to use Whirpool."

"That's okay. I'll trade anyway." Even if Angelina would miss Hoothoot, she was sure Marill was a lot more powerful. Also, she hasn't known Hoothoot long enough to get attached to him. The trading machine inside Professor. Elm's lab still worked, and so Angelina traded her Hoothoot for Marill.

It was only part of the lab that caught fire, Angelina headed to the room where new trainers chose their starters. On the table, she noticed that one of the three Pokéballs were missing. Angelina growled, she knew to blame the boy with the Squitle.

"Professor Elm?" Angelina asked, looking around the room to find a man in his late twenties wearing a white lab coat with light brown hair and glasses typing away at a computer.

Angelina sighed and sweatdropped. Professor Oak wasn't kidding when he said Professor Elm was a workaholic. She sighed once more and walked over to him, tapping him lightly on the shoulder. He didn't do anything but continued typing away.

Angelina growled in annoyance and tapped him on the shoulder, just a bit harder. He still kept typing. Another tap. More typing. Much harder tap. More typing. Finally, Angelina's top blew. "PROFESSOR ELM!" she yelled in his ear.

"Oh, hi Angelina!" the professor said, spinning around in his swivel chair. "Thanks for saving part of my lab, it won't take long to rebuild. You can go now if you want. I just feel so sad for that Totodile, such a good Pokémon isn't for someone turned bad. And talk to my assistant at the door, he has some pokéballs that he's giving out to the new trainers going by."

"Gotcha." Angelina said, slipping her backpack back on and walking out the door to re-stock on supplies.

(S)12345(S)

"I…. HATE…. physical exertion!" Angelina panted as she collapsed at the entrance of Cherrygrove City. It had taken her four hours just to find her way to the city. She would've died to have a map with her, but her Poké-Gear didn't have that feature apparently.

"Hello, young lady! Would you like a tour of the town?" an old man asked her, smiling brightly.

Angelina groaned but stood up, deciding to humor the old man. This town only had a few streets anyway; it couldn't hurt to walk around a bit more…. Plus she wanted to check out how Charcoal was doing, she didn't like keeping it cooped up in that Pokéball, it seemed cramped.

"Just a sec…." Angelina groaned again, reaching for the Pokéball at her waist. "Go, Charcoal!" She threw the Pokéball and a red little lizard appeared.

"Stretch your legs Charcoal, we're going for a walk around town!" Angelina said in a less-than cheerful voice, yawning.

"Char?" Charmander asked, looking at its trainer in concern. Angelina grinned at it, flashing the V for victory sign at it, before following the old man who was now walking and explaining stuff to her.

After the tour had ended, the old man handed Angelina a card for her Poke-Gear that added a map to it. Her eyes widened happily and she cried tears of joy.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" Angelina cried out. "I nearly lost my way over here! Gee, I'll make sure to visit the next time I'm in town!"

"Thank you, young lady! Now you go on and do whatever it is you need to be doing." the old man said, entering his house.

Angelina sighed and turned towards Charmander, who still looked as good as ever.

"I'm beat…." Angelina groaned. "Let's go to that Pokémon Center and rest for a while! Well, at least let me rest anyway…."

§To Be Continued§