EVERYONE: - Ongoing New here. Fic - Victory, here I come!

[Pokesaur]

Chapter One - On Our Way
(VICTORY, HERE I COME!)
This is an OT fic. I'll try to mix things up just a bit.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
REVISED

Pete kneeled down and looked into his beginner Pokemon's eyes. "What is it, Ivy? Are you thirsty?"

The green grass-type Pokemon nodded. A strained raspy sound escaped from her mouth indicating that she was obviously parched. Pete scanned the surrounding area until he found a lake.

"When we get to Viridian City I can feed you all you want and give you lots of water, but until then..." He didn't need to say more. His Bulbasaur rushed over to the pristine body of water. Her face plunged into it, cooling off her insides with fresh water as she drank, and drank, and drank.

"Uh...Ivy?" He stood, watching, as she gulped away to her heart's content. Finally, she sucked in air, returning to him grinning. Her face was wet and dripping with the lake water.

"You full buddy?" He inquired and chuckled when she nodded. "Boy, you have quite an appetite for such a little Pokemon!"

Ivy laughed with him. She enjoyed tasting food and drinking very much. Her bulb suddenly vibrated. Pete knew that this meant trouble. Instinctively, Ivy jumped, and a Krabby soared through the space she had recently occupied. It foamed at the mouth, turning to her pinching the air in a violent frenzy. Maybe their laughter had disturbed it, she mused, simultaneously leaping away from a Bubblebeam barrage.

"Wow! Nice dodge Ivy, now give it a Headbutt!" Pete was surprised that the sudden attack was launched at his Pokemon. However, he quickly gathered himself together and was ready to engage in battle with Ivy.

The crab glanced angrily at Pete, pelting him with bubbles and causing him to cough. Pete hopped away from the Pokemon, just as Ivy charged. A literal "head-on" collision made Krabby topple over, yet it righted itself immediately. This battle would not be quick or easy.

"Vine whip," Pete said, hoping this would work. No luck, as the Krabby used Clamp to grab the vines with its pincers. Krabby spun Ivy round and round, then finally flung her into the water. Bubbles popped at the surface, then there was silence. Krabby snickered in its own language, thinking it was victorious. Just when he thought this, Ivy broke the surface of the water, landing, drenched in water, on the edge of the lake. She walked forward, glaring silently at Krabby. She wasn't going to make the battle any easier than he would.

This message came across well through her eyes as she glared at her opponent. Suddenly, Krabby lurched forward at her with Crabhammer. His pincers lashed out at her, crashing into her forehead. She staggered backwards, and found herself at the water's edge once more. Ivy was too determined to lose like this, so she charged at Krabby with another headbutt, knocking him several feet back.

The quick attack that followed rammed Krabby, and sent it tumbling farther. The low, lush grass around them set a calm mood for the battle, yet that was ONLY the mood of the setting, nothing more. This battle was fast-paced, and both were persistent enough to keep attacking. Ivy jumped forward hitting Krabby again with Headbutt. This time, however, he nimbly flipped onto his feet and sprayed her in the face with a powerful water gun! She sank limply to the ground. Because the attack had been at close range she was hurt badly. Heroically, she struggled to her feet, weighed down with water and her own sweat.

"Don't give in Ivy," Pete urged. "Use your brain to overcome Krabby's quick moves, all right?"

Ivy groaned, nodding slightly. Easier said than done she thought. Maybe if he knew how a jet of water and solid pincers in your face felt, he'd keep quiet. She neared Krabby again, this time getting knocked back by a volley of bubbles. This wasn't enough to hold her back, she told herself, and swept Krabby off its feet with one vine. Next, she unleashed thin, sharp objects known as leaves. The small leaves left cut marks as they sliced Krabby's legs. He held up an arm to ward off the blows during the Razor Leaf bombardment. Next, he ran toward her, pincers ready, ignoring the injuries he had.

His pincers began to glow, as he lunged forward with Crabhammer. Ivy grinned, a plan forming, and she flipped over Krabby, whipping around to prepare for another attack. Krabby sped up, catching Ivy off gaurd, his pincers glancing off the side of her cheekbone. Taking the golden opportunity to do great damage, Ivy met Krabby right in the face with headbutt, catching him in mid-air with her vines.

"Good battling Ivy. Now finish it!" Pete encouraged. He saw battle wounds on her forehead.

What did he think she was doing? She turned her mind back to the task at hand, and forced him down. Finally beaten, Krabby slammed onto the ground, bounced off the grass, and landed in the lake.

Ivy had prevailed. Weak, but pleased with herself, she willingly fell to the ground groaning. Pete approached her, and returned her to her Pokeball, where she could rest without any disturbances. He was proud of her. He knew he would spoil her to reward her for her exceptional perseverance in battle. When she woke up he was going to treat her to her favorite pink pokeblock.

 

[Pokesaur]

Chapter 2 - Almost There

Pete reached the forest when the sun was low in the sky. Pete guessed it was about seven o'clock seeing how close the sun was to setting. His sleek and thick mop of hair was two inches long and unkempt. He never really tried out "hairstyles"he just let his hair go.

When he entered the forest, the first thing he saw was a boy and girl battling. The boy wore his well-kept blonde hair past his shoulders. The girl wore her burgundy-colored hair in a ponytail. A tattoo of an Electrabuzz was on her wrist. "Stun Spore," The girl called out to her Butterfree.

It acknowledged her call and swooped down on a course for the boy trainer's Beedrill. "Get moving! Dodge that," cried the boy. A few beads of sweat dropped soundlessly from his head and fell to the dirty floor. Several yards away from this scene, grass sprung up from the dirt. It was easy to see many people had trampled through this forest.

Beedrill quickly moved away from where Butterfree had decided to deposit it's paralyzing powder. The dangerous yellow mist covered an impressively wide area, but still couldn't get to Beedrill, who had flown further back.

The boy grinned, running a hand confidently through his hair. "Finish Butterfree with tackle!" He said, smirking. "Prepare to lose Joan," the boy called in the girl's direction.

"Whatever Clyde! Butterfree use String shot," she spat back. Butterfree was in action again, flapping its wings as it released a net of web that caught Beedrill unawares. Beedrill struggled, but to no avail. It fell hard to the forest floor, making strange buzzing noises as it did so. It's furry yellow and black striped coat puffed up, as it used every ounce of power to break free of the net.

"Hey, maybe you can free yourself with Fury Cutter," Clyde suggested.

His Beedril's hands/drills began to spin, as it hacked away at the webbing. It soon broke free, proceeding with the tackle attack it tried earlier. Butterfree came at Beedrill with its own tackle attack. They both somersaulted in mid-air from the impact, catching themselves and continuing to hit each other with Tackle. Pete studied their inventive battle strategies as the Pokemon tried different methods of landing unexpected hits. They were equally matched, however, and could not trick each other.

After a full minute of tackling and dodging, they floated silently in a heated glaring match. Breaking the dull quiet intensity during the fight, Beedrill let loose five poisonous barbs, that shot straight at Butterfree, causing a sort of hissing noise as they came closer.

"Oh no! Gust," The girl complained to Butterfree, who knocked the barbs to the ground by unleashing a powerful wind attack. Next, it came forward flapping its wings furiously.

"Good combination," said Joan smiling, once she realized she might win. Butterfree was combining quick attack with Gust. An almost invisibly fast collision bashed Beedrill in the head, and it crashed onto the dirt, dazed.

"You can still win, if you keep fighting like you have been," urged Clyde, making a fist in the air for emphasis. Beedrill twitched several times, and finally floated upright. Surprised and unprepared, Butterfree was hit with two moves in a row. First, twineedle bombarded it, and to follow up Beedrill slammed into it with tackle.

Butterfree caught itself a centimeter from the ground and flew upwards, ready to strike back. Joan snickered, shouting, "Beat Beedrill with Web Sling!"

"That isn't a move," said Clyde defiantly.

"I changed the basic String Shot a bit to make this move," Joan replied, eyeing Butterfree, as it began shooting webs at Beedrill. One net of web caught it in the face.

Two other thin strips of webbing went around Beedrill's thorax, and tightened. Next, Butterfree finished up by flying fast upward, spinning freely, and turning back to fly towards the ground. Pulling the incapacitated bug with it, Butterfree changed direction inches from the grass, slamming Beedrill down onto the ground and dragging it. Finally Beedrill stopped moving across the grass by tearing away after hitting a tree. Seeing that the battle was obviously over, Pete stepped forward.

"Hello um...my name is Pete. I saw your battle. Pretty impressive, that goes for both of you," Pete complimented the two trainers. The two heads whirled around to look at him as he spoke.

"Thanks," they said in unison.

Pete shook both their hands, and decided he would move on through the forest. As he started walking, though, he noticed a shiny object on the forest floor. He leaned down to examine it, and realized it was a vile! A Potion vile at that.

He snatched it up and popped the cork, allowing Ivy time out of her Pokeball. Pete smiled at her as he lowered the object so it was inches from her face.

"Look what I found," he said cheerfully, patting her in a friendly fashion on the head. She sniffed it, recognized the liquid smell, and shouted with delight!

"Bulba! Bul-bulbasaur!"

"Yep, that's it, drink it all down," Pete told Ivy, tipping the vile bit by bit as she devoured the green oozing potion. It was soon gone, down Ivy's esophogas and into the bottomless pit known as her stomach.

Joan approached Pete cautiously, and looked into his eyes. "Why do you wear glasses?" she asked. "Ever consider contact lenses?"

He hummed in thought, tapping his fingers against his faded jeans. "Y'know, I just might try that," he responded. "I never really thought about it."

"Okay then," the girl said. "Your Bulbasaur is cute. Is she gonna evolve soon?"

"Nah," he disagreed. "I doubt it because I just got her yesterday. Professor Oak sure does give out top notch starter Pokemon."

"Yeah he does," said Clyde. "He gave me a Charmander and Joan has a-"

"Squirtle!" she cut in, a bit of irritation entering her voice. She must have wanted to say this herself. "He has a Docile Nature, but really comes through for you when he's defending himself from attacks!"

"And my Charmander has a Lax Nature," Clyde announced. "I checked up on that in my pokedex." He cockily flashed the item in the air, and then put it back into his pocket. He was wearing a Yellow Shirt with a blue lightning icon in the middle. He had on leather pants that were kept clean, just like his long hair.

"I haven't looked it up, but from what I can tell my Bulbasaur's a mix of Naughty and Rash. Must be from her parents," Pete directed this at the two of them.

Changing the subject, Joan said, "You find all kinds of things around this forest." She indicated his empty potion vile.

Pete grinned. "So I've heard." Then he stood straighter then he had been, showing he was about to leave. "Well I've gotta get going before sundown, bye."

They both waved at him as he walked off into the cluster of trees and beyond. Then, Joan and Clyde parted ways to, walking in different directions to get to Viridian.

Pete walked for approximately five minutes until he ran into a Weedle. It was calm until he nearly stepped on it, and fired a poisonous needle at him.

Swiping aside the object, Ivy rushed in front of Pete with an angry expression on her face. NOBODY got to Pete without going through her first.

"Ahh!" Pete yelled, when he noticed the deadly poison barb that was coming at him. He blinked involuntarily, and when he reopened his eyes, he saw Ivy standing confidently in front of him. She had probably saved his life.

"Thanks for helping out," Pete said politely, then his face showed he was about to get competitive. "Ready to fight?" He asked.

Ivy grinned, nodding several times in succesion to show how eager she was. "Bulbasaur!" she cried out with joy.

"Let's go, vine whip," Pete ordered.

The blotches of sea green that dotted Ivy came closer as she leapt at Weedle, whacking it with her vines that protruded from her body. Her blue skin wrinkled, as her body bunched up, ready to hit Weedle with tackle. In response, Weedle struck the seed on her back with String Shot, forcing it shut.

Pete gasped, panicking. The seed should never close, or a Bulbasaur would lose its energy!
He skipped forward, pulling the webs away from the seed. He quickly hopped away, as Bulbasaur's grim facial expression brightened, and she rammed into Weedle, winning the easy battle.

Moving on, the two best friends splashed through several puddles on their way to the exit. It took half an hour to find, and Ivy had to fight two Pidgey and one Weedle to get through. They all attacked the two unexpecting partners, but were beaten. The light from the ceiling of the entry building to Viridian severely hurt Pete's eyes, since he had gotten used to the dimly lit forest setting. Once he adjusted while sitting in a complimentary chair, he and his Bulbasaur moved onward, heading for the Pokemon Center!

 

[MistyRocks]

woohoo, trainer fic! i love trainer fics! but not to be harsh, you said you'd try to mix things up a bit and i haven't really seen that quite yet. though you've only just got started so maybe you're just setting the scene

anyway, um, so what's the deal with Pete? i mean... do we know much about him yet? he wears glasses and doesn't style his hair, that's all i really got so far. a bit of background would be cool

and the battle he watched between Clyde and Joan was a bit random. i had no idea what the deal was there until they said they'd got their pokemon off Oak so i guess they must be his future friends/rivals. didn't really get to learn much about them either but looking forward to seeing what's going to happen with them and how they'll affect Pete.

anyway, i love a good trainer fic(they were always my favourite to write. dang i miss writing trainer fics) so i look forward to seeing where this is going!

ah, just one more thing! sorry to be a total nag about stupid things. but that bit about like the pokemon and their natures. don't you think that would've been a bit better if they'd maybe said it from their own point of views rather than what the pokedex told them? i'm all for updating trainer fics and including stuff from recent pokemon games, but i think they need a twist for fics you know? cuz in the game you rely so much on the pokedex and stuff to tell you whats going on where in fics i think it's more up to the trainer to learn about their pokemon...

i dunno, that's just my impression. nevermind me if you don't wanna like.

 

[Pokesaur]

I thought most of those things you said. Now I know I should've listened to my inner thoughts. Pete, Joan, and Clyde will have their own seperate chapters and background.

P.S. Yes I am just setting the scene, and after the 3rd chapter things will change. Only bit by bit though.

 

[MistyRocks]

oh deadly! so are you going to follow each of the characters separately? that'd be pretty cool

oh hey, forgot to say before, but i liked the way you slipped in what Ivy was thinking here and there, that was nice. i like when the pokemon get a bit of attention as well

best advice i can say is go with the flow. i mean, you seem pretty handy with all your technical bits and bobs, you just need to hit your stride and let the story flow.

looking forward to the update by the way

 

[Pokesaur]

This chapter makes Squirtle use a move it normally wouldn't know, but Joan trains hard. This is almost irrelevent but on Sapphire version, for example, I got Mudkip to become a Marshtomp before I even battled May the first time. THAT is how hard she trains. Past what everyone else will, except maybe...Pete. Anway, read and hopefully don't weep!

Hello! Next!

(2 part episode) Chapter 3- A Brocky Start

Pete's eyes sparkled when he got to the center with Ivy. They had made it through the harsh forest, and could rest."Hang in there Ivy," Pete said, but it was actually he who was extremely tired. The constant output of light from the sun energized Ivy enough to keep her moving. She grinned, nudging his tired legs, and Pete stopped swaying, forcing himself up to the automatic door.

It moved aside without his aid, allowing entry. Pete stumbled inside, and wearily plonked his rear down in a comfy chair, resting his hands on the glass table. He helped Ivy up to a chair next to him, that was soft and cushiony as well, like his.

Pete sat for a few minutes, gaining his strength back. Then, he walked over with Ivy and her pokeball, handing both to Nurse Joy. "Can you get my Bulbasaur healed?" he asked. Nurse Joy smiled, nodding at him.

"Of course I can! Now you just wait in the lobby and I'll bring your Bulbasaur out to you when she's fully recovered, all right?"

"Okay ma'am. I appreciate your services," Pete said politely over his shoulder as he made his way into the waiting room part of the lobby. She waved, saying he was very kind as he walked away. A young man with blonde hair was sitting in front of him when he picked his spot.

"Hey," the boy whispered in a familiar voice. Pete's head jerked up to see the boy staring over his shoulder at him. It was Clyde! Now noticing this, Pete went over to the seat he and Joan had saved for him in between them. He smiled at them both.

"This is nice of you guys to do this for me." he thanked them.

"No big deal actually," Clyde chimed in. Joan nodded.

"Hey Pete, look what I caught," Clyde exclaimed, and just when he did a Poliwag approached Pete. He laughed, when it began doing a cute dance with its feet in front of him.

"I found it in the forest running from a swarm of wild Beedrill. My Charmander wiped the floor, or in this case the air with them and this Poliwag agreed to travel around with me.

"Oh, wow," Pete said.

Joan began to talk. She carried on about the toughness of electric types for nearly half an hour. She vowed to one day catch and raise an Elekid into a swift and powerful Electrabuzz, even if she had to go to Johto to find one!

Right in the middle of this rambling, a loud bell rang. The needle symbol that was lit above the double-doors of the recovery unit ceased shining the crimson red it had been giving off ever since Nurse Joy disappeared into the hall with Ivy. This meant someone's Pokemon had healed. Clyde, Pete, and Marc, another boy waiting for his baby Lickitung, rushed over to the desk to see whose name was up on the electronic list. A check had been placed by Clyde's name, who whooped and stared at the still doors of the recovery unit.

After several silent moments, Nurse Joy exited the hall holding Charmander, and handed him off to his trainer. Clyde went to fetch Joan, his traveling buddy, and they both walked over to Pete. "Hey," Joan called out.

Pete spun around to face her. "What is it guys?" he asked.

"Do you want us to wait up for you?" Clyde asked. Joan elbowed him in the stomach, showing she had wanted to ask that. "Ow Joan!" He complained, giving her a disapproving furtive look.

"You'd do that?" he asked with joy, fighting the urge to laugh uncontrollably. Unfortunately for him, a low chuckle came out of his mouth.

"Yeah," Clyde said, trying to act tough. "Somethin' funny, huh?"

"Oh, no, really it's nothing."

"WHAT'S nothing?" he asked in a loud voice. He clearly was embarrassed, so he was going to get angrier and angrier at Pete. Joan sighed heavily.

"Leave him alone Clyde, come on already!" she urged, exasperated and tired of his act. "Just leave him be."

"Seriously man," Pete agreed, turning around to focus on something else. He decided to look busy studying a machine Nurse Joy was using. She placed several Pokeballs on a tray, and handed the tray off to a robotic hand, that disappeared into the abyss that was the opening to the machine.

Clyde reluctantly shut up, standing red-faced as he waited with Joan. Joan rolled her eyes, and finally Ivy was given back to Pete, and the 3 trainer headed out the door.

"Hey, I'm gonna hit the mart." Clyde said. "You two wanna come with?"

"Nah, no thanks," Pete said, denying the offer. "There's lots of training to be done before I get to Pewter. I need to check out the place, you get my drift?"

"Uh huh," Clyde said, and Joan said she was not going either. Then the two, left alone, began to search until they found patches of high grass. Joan shrank back, stopping Pete.

"What?"

"We have to be ready," she said, releasing her Squirtle. The quiet Pokemon stood at the ready, his mouth full of water that, if necessary, would be used to protect Joan. It wasn't too hard to see that he prefered not to hurt other Pokemon in battle, as he was trembling, awaiting a command from his trainer.

Pete called out Ivy in a whisper, when the grass shook violently. It was so sudden, he had to place a hand over his mouth to stop a yelp. They both crept forward with their Pokemon.

"Now water gun," Joan ordered with a soft voice. Squirtle let loose an aqua-blue jet of water that hit whatever was in the grass. This must have been unpleasant, because a now jumpy Rattata leapt out of the grass to give the culprit some of their own medicine. It hung its mouth open, lurching for Squirtle with a Super Fang attack!

"That's deadly, dodge," Joan begged. Squirtle's belly had a mere scratch where it had almost completely avoided the teeth of the wild rat. Ivy would not stand for this, and came to the shell-shocked turtle's rescue (no pun intended).

A quick vine whip did the trick. Green ropes revealed themselves, slapping Rattata in the face and flipping it over, onto its back. Quickly getting to its feet, the enraged Rattata charged at Ivy.

"Squirtle use-" Joan was cut off.

"No, I've got it. Ivy headbutt!" Pete calmed Joan's doubts by placing a firm hand on her shoulder. Ivy nodded, moving forward to face the opponent's power. They clashed together forcefully, butting heads like never before! (STILL no pun intended)

The two wouldn't let up, and kept at it. Crashing into each other time after time, they both stayed upright, no matter how much their aching heads protested. This went on with several stare-down pauses, for about a minute. After the fifth collision, Pete thought of something, and whispered to Joan. She grinned devilishly, nodding and slapping him on the back. Behind Ivy, where she had just moved to prepare for a sixth headbutt collision, was a tree. This helped the plan tremendously.

Just as they were about to rush forward Joan said, "Squirtle Skull Bash now!"

The sky blue water dwelling Pokemon shouted, "Squirt-o!" (That's only how Squirtle sounds to me, for the record) Next, it got into position.

When the two creatures were about three feet from each other, Squirtle charged. It lowered its head cautiously as it ran. Then it smashed into Rattata's rear end, sending it flying through the air, since Ivy had stepped aside. It was now careening in the direction of a large tree...

 

[MistyRocks]

cool... always good to end on a cliffhanger

well done, nice chapter. a lil short and i think it need a bit more spicing up but i liked the bits with the puns. it's always nice to see the writer has a sense of humour and it gives the fic a lil more of a relaxed feel.

fair play, nice work.

 

[Pokesaur]

Part 2 - A Brocky Start

Thanks for the comments, here comes the next part. IT IS REALLY LONG.

P.S. I realized that the second episode has a forest. This is not Viridian Forest, take note of that. The area has sprouted more trees and grass since Ash traveled through there. Thus the name "forest."


The Rattata seemed to glide freely through the air, and instead of hitting the tree and fainting like it should have, the wild rat ran up the tree and flipped up onto a branch. It stuck a thin red tongue out at them in a mocking manner. Then it just stood silently on the branch as everyone processed what had just happened, looking quite worn out but not defeated yet.

Pete was shocked. His usual happy persona changed to disappointment. "We had him that time!" He complained.

"Apparently not," Joan said, frowning. "But we've just gotta try harder." She adopted a look of determination.

The frustrated boy calmed down a bit. "Okay, if you say so..." He turned to his Pokemon. "Ivy, can your vines get that much distance?"

"It's not likely to happen," Joan cut in. "Your Bulbasaur's still in her development phase, and at the rate she's growing the vines will probably-" She gasped when Ivy stopped her in mid-sentence with her actions.

Ivy was already on it, preparing to elongate her rather long vines. Anything to make Pete happy, she told herself, flinging her vines upwards. They just barely clasped onto a branch below Rattata, but Ivy didn't stop there. She never gave up until she had exhausted all options in any situation.

She was a fighter, and that wasn't about to change. She could not reach the wood Rattata was sitting on, so she did the next best thing. Turning slightly to Squirtle, she said, "Bulb, bulba-saur! Saur!"

"Squirt-o! Squirtle Squirt?"

"Bulba!" Ivy nodded vigorously. How slow could this turtle be (You know what I'm gonna say, no pun intended)? Squirtle ran over to her, hoisted her up, and threw her at the tree. As soon as she was five feet higher than her regular height, Ivy brought her vines off the branch and swung again, this time whipping one vine unintentionally across Squirtle's face, and the other hung at the edge of the branch Rattata was on.

Squirtle let out a cry of pain, falling on its back from the impact. "SQUIRTLE!" he yelled angrily in Ivy's direction, who was too occupied with how she was going to stay up in the air to hear any mad turtles. Having not even focused her attention on Joan's Pokemon, she squinted up at the branch. Her vine was inches from slipping off. There had to be something she could do!

Her mind drifted into thought in that one frozen moment of panic. What was it her mother had said? It was so long ago but she could recall talking...

"Child, do not listen to your brothers." her pregnant mom had told her when she was feeling bleak and lonely. Her two older twin brothers (Their spots were all located in the same places) teased her because she, as a girl, was looked at as weak. Their constant teasing had led to her belief of their harsh words.

"But they-"

"They are wrong. You are simply too absorbent of things at your age. You suck them up like a sponge, because you are too young to know the truth."

"Mother, what is the truth?"

"Ah...child...the truth, you ask? The truth is that you are a strong warrior. Remember that. Never stop fighting, even when all hope seems lost. I knew when your father and I placed that seed on you that you live a wonderful life. All you have to do is be strong." Her mother lifted her up onto her back with one ropey, thick vine. She always knew just what to say or do to calm Ivy down. "You are a bright girl," she complimented Ivy, seeming pleased with the way she had handled her first parental talk with her daughter.

"Never stop...fighting," Ivy repeated, testing the phrase. "Be strong! I promise, mother." She giggled, as her widowed mother began rampaging playfully around on the dirt, allowing Ivy's vines to fasten themselves around her flower's short stem. Only powerful Venusaur had stems on their backs. This had always made Ivy feel safe, like her mother could help her in any situation.

Now was different. Captured is what she was. Her mother had sent her off on her own, once she was old enough, telling her about the concept of capture days before.

Capture. That dreaded word. Her mother, one day in June, sat with her on a pile of leaves, teaching her about what it was to be caught. She explained that Trainers search and battle wild Pokemon with their own, that they have brainwashed to assist them in Pokeballs. This was sort of a sport for humans, and those Pokemon that wished to roam free must resist capture at all costs. There was, however, an upside to this. Trainers could in some cases be very loving to their captured partners. Nice Trainers feed and talk to their Pokemon, and make sure they are all right. If you were content with a life of roaming the land and meeting other companion Pokemon, a trainer was the human for you! A kind trainer, anyways...

These two talks had strengthened Ivy's character, and informed her about what was to come during this "life on her own." That is why she never gave up hope, knowing that she would try her hardest to have the life her mom wanted for her.

In this still, tranquil second of reminiscence, Ivy thought of her father. Almost two years from now, her father had gathered the family to watch as he and his wife planted a seed inside a numb groove in her back. He died in the war against the Charizard last year, leaving her mother with three boys (one was not a twin like the others) and a girl Bulbasaur to raise. Those first few months were when Ivy learned what it was to have a family.
It was the infamous tradition of all Venusaur to give all the children they had seeds planted in their backs, that would age along with them, and bloom into beautiful flowers, giving them energy from the sun's rays and weight training throughout their lives. Ivy had not known what was happening then, but now she was well aware of the events that went on that day, and proud to be a Bulbasaur.
An angry splash of water on her bud made Ivy snap back to reality. "SQUIRTLE!" shouted the blue turtle. (Meanie!) Ivy rolled her eyes.

"Bulba Bulbasaur," she retorted. (I'M not the one splashing folks with water) She felt very frustrated, but had to focus before she fell, forming a risky but well thought out plan.

"Bulbasaur, bulba! Saur! Bulba, BULBA?" (That was the best water gun you've got, huh chump?) This worked out as she hoped it would, and the cool rush of Squirtle's water propelled her upward, just as Rattata came over and bit her vine, to knock her off. She pulled away her throbbing vine, and slung both of them a third time, hanging them on the higher branch Rattata had been on previously. Thank you moody turtle! Ivy thought this gratefully, as she proceeded to launch herself upwards.

Joan's voice was barely audible over the sound of the water dying down. "Squirtle, quit it!"

"Control your Pokemon," Pete said angrily to Joan.

"Sorry," she replied, embarrassed.

"Wait a minute," Pete said. "That was a plan!"

She pulled herself onto the branch, and whacked Rattata as it came up to get her with a vine. In response, Rattata caught itself in mid-air and charged back up at her with a boost from quick attack. The fatal rush caught Ivy off guard, and she nearly fell off the branch, but slid back onto it easily. Rattata, unfortunately for it, slammed onto the ground below. It was almost done for, and tried to stand, but Squirtle sprayed it with water, and the rat fainted.

Joan hopped around happily, hair swinging side to side as she moved. "Look, we did it!" Pete gave her a blank look.

"So, we beat a small rat. Also, that was just ONE wild Pokemon compared to the many waiting to be fought." He always had to be logical, even during a victory celebration. He was cursed with this way of thinking! Joan's face dropped, and she put her hands on her hips.

"Pessimist," she teased, and they both couldn't prevent a laugh. Ivy had lowered herself to the ground via branch hopping, and apologized to Squirtle, revealing her plan. She got Squirtle mad enough to blast her up to the next branch with a Water Gun.

Squirtle, forgiving as it was, hugged Ivy, or rather, her bud. "Bulba," she said with a pout, followed by a dragged out sigh. Some Pokemon were just too sappy. She began to wonder why she apologized, when Pete walked up to her, smiling. The way she liked to see him.

"Hey there," he greeted the two Pokemon. He handed Squirtle a red Pokeblock. "Joan wanted you to have this," he said, then turned to Ivy as Squirtle eagerly stuffed the Pokeblock into its mouth.

Ivy stiffened, excited as she thought of what he might do next. She was right, and he reached into his pockets...yanked out a bag of Pokeblocks, and handed her a pink one. Her absolute favorite!

She grinned, if possible, even wider, licked his arm playfully, and ate the small treat. Pete looked at her with an unreadable expression.

"That was for back when we fought Krabby." He picked her up, bringing her face to his. "You were great," he finished, placing her back beside Squirtle again. Squirtle began to talk to her about where he was kept in Oak's lab, and she exchanged her views of life back in Pallet as well.

While their Pokemon conversed and walked with them, Pete and Joan searched the area for Clyde. His long mane of blond hair became visible as he walked over to them. He waved, and they waved back, picking up the pace once they noticed him.

"How'd it go?" Clyde asked, running a hand through his flawless smooth strands of hair. Joan just laughed.

"You won't believe it," Pete began, elbowing Joan to stop laughing. "My Bulbasaur-" he pointed, "had a heated match with a Rattata, then followed it up onto a tree branch. He indicated Squirtle. "This fella here rammed into Rattata with Skull Bash, but instead of fainting the rat traveled up the tree and rested on a branch! Squirtle's water gun brought Ivy up to Rattata on the branch, so they could fight."

Joan entered the chat, telling Clyde how Ivy and Squirtle, in more detail, fought the wild Pokemon. Clyde was impressed.

"Really, you two did all that?" He stared quizzically at Squirtle and Ivy.

Pete and Joan nodded along with their Pokemon, and Joan asked, "What happened with you? Get any good items?"

"Heck yeah!" Clyde replied enthusiastically. "I found us some full heals, and potions. I bought some stationary also." He handed out two of each to Joan and Pete. "They had great prices over there."

Pete and Joan's eyes showed pleasure. "Cool, I can write to mom now," Pete said. Joan stopped him as he was about to continue.

"Ooh, wait, I just thought of something! I can write to my cousin Kevin in Hoenn, on the road!" She seemed satisfied, and put away her new items.

"You have a cousin in Hoenn?" Clyde asked, his Charmander, Beedrill, and Poliwag wandering over to talk with Ivy and Squirtle. Joan nodded her head, as the three trainers and their Pokemon walked down the dirt road leading to the Viridian gym.

"So, you're challenging the gym leader then?" Joan asked Pete, who was following Clyde inside the building. Pete chuckled.

"Of course! Ivy and I are gonna get our first badge."

"So am I, alongside my Pokemon." Clyde glared at Pete. "I bet I'll do better than you."

Pete was not too competitive and didn't argue much. He replied with, "We'll see who does a better job."

Staring each other down, Pete and Clyde made their way down a corridor, with many doors and paintings on the sides. "So, what type of Pokemon does the gym leader use?" Joan asked.

"Nobody knows," Pete responded, shrugging. "The people say he uses all ubers, but nobody has come out of here with the guts to tell anyone."

Joan gulped in fright. "And you guys both still feel like going in?" They both raised their eyebrows at her, standing still, then continued walking as if she hadn't spoken. She slowly followed, now scared that the gym leader would be dangerous.

"Do we HAVE to go in?" she asked shakily. "What if he has-" she sighed, "ghost Pokemon? What if they eat your soul or something?"

"You worry too much," Clyde replied dismissively, waving carelessly in her direction as he walked with Pete down the long hall. Squirtle and Beedrill cowered behind Joan, also afraid to have their souls eaten.

"Nobody knows the Pokemon used by Viridian's new gym leader, so actually," Joan glared at Clyde crossing her arms, "I worry just the right amount."

"And then some," Pete whispered.

Joan's nostrils flared. "WHAT did you say Pete?" she asked angrily. Her face was now red.

"Just forget about it Joan," Clyde said, and they were near the end of the hall. There was a double-door entryway with a sign hanging on one of the knobs.

It read "Left the gym on important family business. Will return next week." Pete frowned.

"I guess we really can't go then," Pete admitted, hanging his head low as he began to head back the other way. "At least it's Friday, and we can come back after we reach Pewter." Clyde knocked on the door twice, desperately, but realized it was no use and followed, grumbling frustrated comments as he went.

Charmander and Ivy's spirits fell, as the concept of not being able to fight alongside their masters dawned on them. Poliwag was just being himself however, and ignored everyone's bad moods as it danced along, following Clyde with a goofy smile.

It was the dead of night when the three reached Pewter. Nothing really interesting happened while they walked, except for Squirtle accidentally spraying Charmander with water. In Viridian Forest all the Pokemon were sleeping, so they smoothly passed through without disturbances. The three trainers each camped out behind the gym after visiting the Pokemon Center, and returned their Pokemon.

They all woke around seven o'clock, each of them eager to get in a few hours of practice before challenging Brock. As they all finished packing up and were about to head out into the open to search for wild Pokemon, a rumble jarred their brains. Once the trio had prepared themselves and regained their composure, they all walked together to a place near Mt. Moon. The sound they heard had come from there.

"MUDSLIDE!" a brown-haired young boy yelled, running like mad away from the scene. "MUUUDSLIDE!"

"Whoa," Clyde said in awe and shock, as a huge and widespread amount of mud came over the top of the cave-like entryway to Mount Moon. The three rookie trainers scooted away as the wave of muck crashed down onto the ground, pouring down hard and moving to a larger area than just the entry to Mount Moon. A small amount of the mud splattered onto Clyde's face, and he fell back, disgusted and humiliated. Joan is bending down to help him up, when Pete begins to walk TOWARD the mass of mud.

"Pete," Joan called out, feeling useless because she couldn't help Clyde and stop Pete all at once. "Please come back!"

He denied her request, wading through the slimy brown sludge and suddenly, reaching into it! Clyde was watching, and gagged when he noticed what had happened. "What is he doing?" Clyde asked, turning away.

"I don't know," Joan said to him softly, grimacing as she tried not to barf. "Whatever it is, it BETTER be for a good reason. That's just-"

"Sick and wrong," Clyde cut in. "Yeah I know."

"I was gonna say disturbing, but that works too," Joan agreed, shrugging.

Pete's hand emerged holding a mud-stained blue vine. His other hand reached in, and out came a mud-bathed Tangela. It wiggled a bit, as Pete returned with it in his hands, panting.

"Never-" he panted, "Let me do that-" another pant, "again!" Pete was kneeling down in front of Joan and Clyde, trying to regain his breath. They nodded, looking a bit shaken up by what just happened.

Shaken up, but not injured, Tangela shut it's eyes and rolled around on the ground for no apparent reason. Pete, once he had full control of his lungs back, approached the Pokemon.

"What happened to you, little guy?" he asked politely, wiping some mud off of his forehead, forcing a smile. Tangela looked up, stopping the rolling activity for about five seconds, then continued the movements, as if Pete were not there.
"All right then, give us a clue when you're ready," Pete said uneasily, and got no response, verbally or physically. He let that rudeness slide, and walked over to Joan and Clyde.
"I think it's lost," he mumbled. They nodded, staring at him with bulging eyes.

"Yeah," Clyde said, inhaling before he continued with, "the Tangela...it must be, to somehow get caught in a random mudslide. Just don't go all heroic on us without explaining what the HECK you're doing! Okay?"

"I promise. Sorry guys," Pete said, hanging his head low. Then Joan took her chance to talk.

"Right now you two, all I care about is a shower!" she let out an exaggerated sigh, hands on her knees, as she split her attention between them. "Let's get to the Pokemon Center first before we chat!"

That said, she marched off toward the Pokemon Center, both boys following. When they entered, Nurse Joy was already near the doorway, and showed them to the shower room WITH PLEASURE, saying she would have their bags waiting for them to change clothes when they came out. The mudslide was already a hot topic, even in the shower room, people were chatting via "voice echoes" about their opinions on the cause of the event.

Once they were out, clothed and refreshed, the three went back to check out the damage (As for description, you nasty minded fellows out there, I'm not describing the shower scenes for you -_- anyway! Sorry to disturb the mood of the fic, continue on...!). A few bodies were salvaged from the wreakage, but they were all alive and had only minor injuries here and there. None claimed the Tangela, at least the ones that didn't have amnesia from impact with rough terrain.

The three made their way to a clear area with the discouraged Tangela, where they spent a few hours practicing against each other. During this training session, Poliwag learned the move Mud Slap. Charmander also got better at dodging moves. Ivy acquired the ability to use absorb, which would be helpful against Brock. Joan's Squirtle came back into its Pokeball with knowledge of the move Tail Whip.

Later on, the group passed through the mudslide site again, checking for any Tangela claims. None whatsoever. Feeling sorry for the unclaimed Pokemon, Clyde, Pete, and Joan all made their way to the gym. In spite of this tragedy, each of them were determined to get their badges.

The two boys hesitated a moment, but ONLY a moment. In a matter of seconds Pete and Clyde were in the gym, challenging Brock. Joan followed suit. He squinted, if even possible with his tightly shut eyes, and ran over to Joan, grinning like a content fool. She yelped as he grabbed her hand, and began kissing it.

"What a pretty lady you have here!" He said, mouth sagging open and wet with drool. Pete and Clyde raised their eyebrows at Brock. Joan backed away, slapping Brock.

"What are you doing?" she shouted. "What a creep! I can't believe I'm going to have to fight you for a badge!"

"You'll have to fight me to stop noticing your beauty," he replied, grinning once more. She took a few more steps back, giving him a disgusted look.

Clyde mumbled something too low to hear, and glared at Brock, clearly out of patience. "Can we just get on with it?" he asked. Brock nodded sheepishly, all business in several moments.

He made his way to the other side of the arena. "How about you battle me first?" he pointed to Clyde.

Clyde stiffened. He wanted a badge, but being chosen so suddenly came as a shock to him. "Um...yes sir," he replied with a weaker voice than normal, walking over to his spot on the arena floor.

"Please," Brock said modestly, "call me Mr. Brock." As he said this, he tossed a Pokeball, and in a blinding flash of light, a Geodude had materialized in front of him. He caught his Pokeball without looking, and placed it in his pocket.

"All right, Mr. Brock," Clyde said, confidence reborn. "Let's do battle! Come on out!" He threw his Pokeball, allowing Charmander to roam freely. His throw was smooth and controlled, and he did it with a slight flick of the wrist after twirling 360 degrees twice. It came back, and Clyde jumped up to snatch the object out of the air and put it away.

"Char, Char!" said Clyde's lizard Pokemon, as it sprawled out comfortably on the floor. It seemed like it was prepared for a nap!

"No Charmander," Clyde urged. "Get up! You're in a battle!"

Charmander blinked, realizing this, and stood, in a sort of combat position. Awaiting a command, Charmander blew smoke from its nostrils.

"Ah, discipline problem eh?" Brock announced. "A friend of mine had that issue!" He chuckled, staring at the Charmander all the while. "...At least yours didn't purposely ignore the battle like hi-"

"There is no issue," Clyde replied bitterly. "Come on pal, ember!" His lizard Pokemon nodded, before getting into action.

The red beginner Pokemon flexed its muscles, shooting an orb of pure fire out of its mouth at Geodude.

"Defense curl now," the voice commanded, seeming a little too prepared to take on the attack.

Geodude crossed its arms over its face, eyes shut, and the ember attack slid right off of it, evaporating. Next, it followed up with an unexpected barrage. The rock throw was no match for Charmander's improved evasiveness.

"Charmander!" it cried out, slipping and sliding side to side as rocks zipped past it. Clyde laughed his approval.

"Great job, now give it some of it's own back!" Clyde yelled, watching intently.

Geodude dropped its arms at its sides as it floated in the air. Charmander sloppily fired a sphere of flaming energy upwards, causing it to stop in mid-air and drop. Time seemed to slow down in that one instant, when Charmander did as it was instructed.

"Tail whip, go!"

The red powerhouse flipped in the air gracefully as it jumped, looking like it was doing a soccer kick, its tail shining brightly because of all the Pokemon's excitement in the heat (die bucket of PUNS!) of battle. Then, the short tail lashed out, sending the ember attack right at Geodude.

"Tail whip, excellent!" Clyde shouted, smiling.

The rock creature groaned as a ball of flames crashed into it. The extra push from Charmander's tail didn't make the attack any less painful.

"Oh no! Defend," Brock ordered, panicking. It was no use. The Geodude was too surprised to do anything at the moment. Charmander was doing well!

"Keep it going," Clyde said, pleased with Charmander.

His Pokemon nodded again, pushing two more ember attacks in Geodude's direction with scratch. These hit their mark perfectly. Geodude swayed back and forth, moaning.

"That looked critical," Pete announced, stunned.

"Nice moves Charmander," Joan encouraged, staring with admiration at the style the lizard used in battle. His moves were so calmly executed...

Then things took a turn for the worst. A fourth ember attack was knocked back in Charmander's face, and it crumpled in a heap onto the floor, dazed.

"Wha-w-whoa!" Clyde stammered. "Please get up..."

Charmander struggled to its feet. It had not been prepared to take the fall.

"Get back into the game. Headbutt now!" Clyde exclaimed, with rekindled spiritual determination. (kicks pun bucket across the room, out the window. "THAT'LL TEACH YA!" Ow, who threw this bucket?! *whistling nervously*)

The same was not true for Charmander. The strength it had actually seemed to sink lower than normal on the power scale. That fatal fall had taken a lot out of the poor lizard! Still though, Charmander forced itself to stand, and charged at Geodude.

Geodude shook it's head, regaining its composure and focusing on the battle. It came at the tired lizard with its own headbutt. Inches from crashing into Charmander, Geodude dodged, and knocked Charmander to the ground by swiping a hand under its feet.

"Oh darn," Joan complained. "It was going so well." She was sitting on bleachers in the gym beside Pete now.

Clyde was speechless. His hands dropped uselessly to his sides, mouth hanging wide open in disbelief. One word escaped his mouth. "No..."

Charmander began to crawl away pitifully. Geodude's power was finally taking its toll on his fragile limbs.

"Finish it off with mega punch," Brock said, a half smile forming.

Just as Geodude's fist begins to glow, power surging through it, Charmander's eyes opened, and it jumped out of the path of the oncoming attack. Pete gasped, pleased that the battle was turning around, but shocked as well. Geodude swung its arm through the air, tearing through the space Charmander had recently occupied. Charmander landed on the foe's arm, staring Geodude in the face.

Clyde's mouth closed, a smile forming wide across his face. "Yeah! That's the way pal!"

Charmander's face lit up with pride at the sound of it's trainer's praise. It scratched Geodude on the forehead, causing it to jerk as expected, and the lizard hopped back. Landing smoothly, it took the opportunity to conjure up sand while the creature was busy writhing from the close-range blow.

As soon as Charmander did so, Geodude focused again. Its nostrils flared, as it scanned the area for the opponent. No sign of Charmander...

Then in a swift motion, Charmander leapt out of the dust cloud that surrounded Geodude, attempting a pound attack with its tail. Geodude caught the movement early enough to react.

The rock fist clamped around Charmander's tail a moment later, holding on tight despite the scorching flames at the end of it. Brock seemed calm, not at all worried that he could not see where Geodude was or how it was holding out against the fire type. Soon, the smoke cleared and the three challengers were left stunned, Brock just the opposite.

Charmander had hit the wall, a seismic toss having forced out the last ounce of adrenaline (in this case, reserve) power it had left. The dent left in the granite wall was not noticed as much as the defeated figure of Charmander lying limply on the floor.

Knowing he had to go on with the fight, the shocked Clyde tried to remain calm. A shaky voice called out, "Come back Charmander. You fought so-" Clyde's mouth would not allow more words. Instead of talking, he gave the now occupied Pokeball a proud glance before putting it away and swapping it for another. His fighting spirit had been shattered at the loss of his partner. He would avenge Charmander.

"Go Poliwag! Let's finish this," Clyde announced, eyes shining. He was ready to beat Geodude now more than ever.

"Poli," the tadpole cried out, flopping around in a goofy fashion.

"C'mon, water gun!" Clyde's expression was now even more determined than before. Seeing the seriousness of the situation, Poliwag straightened up. That same carefree look was on its face, but it knew now was the time to fight. A stream of water sprayed Geodude in the face. That had gotten through to Brock's emotions, since his teeth were grinding together and it was obvious he was nervous.

"Great, now tackle and bring it into a mud slap!" Clyde encouraged, eyes locked on Brock's.

Brock was fired up too now. Poliwag came forward, and flipped wiping its tail forcefully against Geodude's head, pushing off and nearing the wall.

"Quick attack," Brock ordered. Geodude rushed at Poliwag. Inches from the opponent, Geodude slightly rubbed against the ground, unsteady from the burst of speed. Poliwag lost control of the landing, and was caught in the stomach, in mid-air, with Geodude's clothesline-positioned arm, and they both hit the wall, crashing through to the training room. What had become of them both?

"WHOA!" Joan yelled, appalled. "I hope they're all right!"

Pete nodded at her, saying he agreed with her next move, and they both hopped two steps after another down from the bleachers and ran over to the hole in the wall. Clyde and Brock sprinted after them. All four stopped in front of the hole, peering inside...

 

[Pokesaur]

Chapter 3 - Lumina Vs. Tetanus!

Poliwag was standing proudly beside a fallen Geodude. There was a freckle-faced short kid behind it. He stared nervously at the four trainers, feeling very awkward in this position.

Brock's nostrils instantly flared. "WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING IN MY TRAINING ROOM?"
A lady was in the corner of the room with long pink hair in a bun. "Hi Lumina," he said politely, waving at her and taking a deep breath. "Get out of here!" He continued, pointing for the boy to come into the arena room. "Get going!"

Sulking with his head hung low, the boy stepped through the hole in the wall, and pulled up a chair in the arena room. "I'm sorry sir..." he said, "I was-"

"Stealing from me for the second time this week," Brock spat, cutting him off in mid-sentence. "That's gonna get you in jail some day Aiden."

Suddenly, the boy spoke with enthusiasm. "Tangela!" Pete blinked as his neutral expression became a happy smile. Someone had claimed the Tangela!

"This one is yours?" Pete asked, walking over and handing it to the boy known as Aiden. He nodded, hugging the energetic ball of vines to his chest. "Great. I'm glad you two are together again," Pete added.

"Me too," the boy replied, beaming, and began to talk to the Pokemon. Pete turned away and walked up to Joan, watching with her as Brock called back his Geodude and Clyde retrieved Poliwag.

They all returned to their normal spots on the arena.

"This time things will be a bit different," Brock announced loudly, as his siblings made noise while they fixed up the hole in the wall and watched Aiden so he couldn't escape. Clyde smirked, nodding slowly.

"Yeah," he responded with a whisper, "they will be."

The floor suddenly sloped downward, leaving them in a gigantic ditch. Brock was calm, but Clyde yelped in surprise.

"What the...?" The sentence trailed off, as Brock sent out his Onix from its Pokeball. He regained his posture, putting Poliwag down in front of him. "You may have change the landscape, but I have the advantage nonetheless."

"Not exactly," Brock said smoothly, shaking a finger at Clyde. "Onix is equipped with a strong body for rough terrain maneuvering. Poliwag isn't. That, young trainer, is where we're even." Clyde's face dropped.

"Onix," Brock called without waiting for Clyde to answer, "Double-edge!" Onix pulled its head back, and lurched forward, snaking around the bumpy floor with ease, straight at Poliwag.

Clyde's gears in his mind got to work. Onix was heading out of control toward his small Poliwag, who had slippery thin skin, and danced around like a Spinda...what could he do?

"Poliwag, Pound!" Clyde ordered. It worked just the way he had planned it. Poliwag flipped up, dodging Onix, and knocked its tail against Onix's back, propelling the user away from the opponent and the victim straight toward the wall.

Onix instinctively was about to stop itself, when Brock said, "Use dig now!"

Instead of stopping, Onix drove itself into the wall, two or three feet from Clyde's head. There was a perfectly round tunnel which went into the wall of the ditch, and plummeted downward. Brock grinned, about to command a move.

"Poliwag Water Gun everywhere!" Clyde said quickly. Irritated, Brock made sure he got the sentence out of his mouth.

"Onix come up soon with tackle!"

Poliwag, in at least thirty seconds, had doused the warm, rocky ground to make it soft. Next, it hopped around like an idiot while Onix came toward the surface.

Clyde gritted his teeth. "Come on pal, stay alert!"

Poliwag, realizing Clyde hadn't wanted it to dance around on the soggy floor, stood straighter (At least, as much as possible with its round figure). "Poli, pol," it cried, staring hard at a certain spot. There was a rumble that made Clyde stumble, but he caught himself in mid-fall and stood back up. He jabbed a finger at Poliwag.

"As soon as it surfaces, back away!"

"Onix go," Brock said, and the snake rose, erupting from the soggy floor and charging at Poliwag. "Wrap now!"

"Dodge it and use bubblebeam attack Poliwag!" Clyde commanded forcefully, and the tadpole skipped back and forth, finally slipping away as Onix clasped its tail around where it was a few seconds ago. Next, a stream of bubbles bombarded Onix, making its skin wet and vulnerable.

"Break through the defense with Mud Slap! Then finish it," Clyde said.

Poliwag grinned COMPETITIVELY this time, jumping into the air, and slapping Onix in the eyes, leaving a thick mud coating that clouded its vision. Landing with a controlled skid across the floor, Poliwag returned to its goofy personality. It began hopping around and giggling.

"OK then...that's how we're gonna do it huh?" Brock asked, unphased. "Onix, Lock on!"

The rock snake Pokemon obeyed, searching through the caked up mud until its eyes found Poliwag. Clyde shuddered, once he noticed Poliwag couldn't escape.

"Constrict!" Brock ordered, raising a fist in the air. "Beat that thing!"

Pete and Joan had by now been watching for about five minutes, and the girl "Lumina" from earlier was sitting nearby. Joan eyed her suspiciously, then turned back to see the battle.

"Clyde, you can do this!" Joan encouraged. Lumina turned to look at her with a fake smile.

"Clyde eh? He's hot," she said, obviously trying to enrage her.

"You leave him be," Joan spat moodily. "He's mine-I mean MY," she pointed to Pete, "OUR, friend." She locked eyes with Lumina, and they glared at each other for over a minute, not blinking.

"Hey, look," Pete said, "Quit arguing, Clyde's losing. He needs us," he added, yelling an encouraging sentence at Clyde.

The two girls competed to see who could give Clyde the most helpful phrases. Meanwhile, Poliwag was being gripped tightly by Onix, but it was harmed. Clyde didn't look the least bit worried.

"Poliwag, you can come out now," he told the Pokemon calmly. "Counter attack so we can get it over with." Poliwag's ultra thin and slick skin allowed swiftness to be quite easy for it to handle when this skill "evasiveness" was needed. Onix lashed out fast, back to back with Pound, swiping its tail at the foe. Clyde did not bother to command Poliwag, since it could fend for itself. His Pokemon flipped back, ducked, and scooted to the side to avoid several blows. Next, however, it was whacked to the floor by a full power Pound attack.

"Say goodbye to your badge pal," Brock warned. "Earthquake Onix!"

His snake Pokemon roared, cracking the floor with its head, and a split advanced toward Poliwag. It went underneath the small creature, and the arena parted. Poliwag stared back at Clyde with a sad expression that said, "I tried, Goodbye. I am sorry I couldn't win."

"We can do it, Quick attack," Clyde said. "Combine that with Water Gun!"

Poliwag nodded, sprinting forward, just as the Onix's tail slammed down again. Chunks of the ground sprang up in the water Pokemon's path. Poliwag could take that on, no problem! "Poliwag, agility!" It complied, hopping from rock to rock, gaining speed.

"Water gun volley!" Clyde said. "This should be it."

Poliwag fired many shots, two of which were dodged, but the rest defeated Onix, and it crashed to the floor. Brock, ironically, grinned.

"I knew you had it in you," Brock complimented, and the terrain reverted back to a plain arena. He stepped over to Poliwag, patted it on the head, and went to hand it to Clyde. "I was testing your limits with that upper-class move, and would've given you the badge even if Earthquake beat Poliwag. Here's the badge of honor," he added, placing a shiny item in Clyde's palm. Poliwag was returned as Clyde stashed the badge in his bag, proud of he and his Pokemon's success.

"Thank you Mr. Brock," Clyde said gratefully. He walked over to the bleachers, swapping places with Pete. It was time for the second battle.

"Let me go heal them okay?" Brock asked, walking into another room. After about a minute, he emerged. "I'm ready," he declared. "We can battle now. I'm only using two Geodude this time, but they excel at what they do."

Pete chuckled. "Either way," he let Ivy come out of her ball, "I have a type advantage, and I've seen you battle. I know your style which gives me the upper hand in this fight."

"If you know my style you must know I will try my hardest to stop you from winning," Brock announced, and let that sink in. When Pete got into a pose to begin shouting out commands to his Bulbasaur, Brock allowed the battle to begin. Now though, one of his siblings was there to be the battle referee.

"This fight will be a two on two knockout match," the girl said, lifting her outstretched arm in preparation to chop the air. "Let the-"

"I have one Pokemon," Pete corrected her. She grunted. Why in the world could he not just keep his mouth shut? It didn't really matter the way she saw it. Then again, she was naturally adamant and had barely any common sense.

"Fine. A one on two gym match! Let the battle commence," she finished.

"Begin is the word," Clyde shouted.

"Same thing. Just go," the girl complained.

"Ivy," Pete began, "Tackle!" The determined Bulbasaur sized up Geodude, snickering to herself. What a chump, she thought. THIS was the gym battler's Pokemon? Pathetic excuse for an opponent, she thought, giggling, then got her game face on. Next she dashed to one side, then the other as she advanced, confusing the rock Pokemon, and struck. She rammed it hard, and that did nothing. Even with the added element of surprise, she left no mark and did hardly any damage.

Before she could even catch her breath, a left hook sent her tumbling backwards. How strong was this odd creature?

"Hey Ivy," Pete pleaded. "C'mon, stand up. Use your Razor Leaf!" She obeyed woodenly, struggling to her feet. If that rock thing was this strong, she had to trust Pete's commands. They were most likely better than her sneaky attacks.

She shot plain, old, boring clusters of leaves at Geodude, slicing it many times. It staggered back, dazed. "Follow up quick," Pete said, now smiling. Ivy swung her vines out, coming up into the air with them, then forcing them down. Geodude grasped one with a clenched fist, and a rock in the ground behind it. It twisted around and threw them both, sending Ivy at the wall and the rock at another, which it bounced off of. Ivy caught herself and pumped her legs off of the wall, to charge again. Geodude avoided this, and Ivy crashed through the rock, leaving her forehead pounding in agony!

"See what I mean?" Brock boasted. "Geodude go ahead, attack."

The rock creature rushed forward at Ivy, who was just getting to her feet. She hopped into the air, landing on its head, and turned around to see where she was headed. Since Geodude floated, it was like taking a ride on a hovercar. She grinned deviously, knowing this would be fun. A pole sprang up in the middle of the arena.

"What in the world is that?" Pete asked, eyeing the pole. Then he returned to watching Ivy battle, or rather, fly around the gym whipping Geodude with her vines.

"That's to cancel out electric interference," Brock explained, particulary to Aiden who lost the signal on his PDA, which he had been using as a communication device to get somebody to take him out of the gym. "Don't EVEN try it," Brock warned in a firm tone.

Just as he said that, Ivy felt Geodude grab her short stumpy feet. (LOL, sorry, continue on) She used that to her advantage, tossing her vines. She hooked these onto the pole, and began spinning around endlessly. After Geodude was dizzy, she let go, stomping her foot on its head before jumping off. Geodude faceplanted onto floor, leaving a second dent in the gym. It didn't get back up, or even twitch.

"Geodude is unable to battle. The Gym Leader must send out his last Pokemon."

Brock gritted his teeth. "Hmm," he simply said. He returned Geodude and swapped it for his second one, but Ivy was already firing leaves at it. The unaware Geodude was hit hard, and fell. Ivy whacked it with a vine, but that helped it to get back up. It rushed at her, dodging vines and leaves, and hit Ivy with a Mega Punch.

"Ivy counter with Headbutt," Pete shouted. "This isn't over for us yet."

Ivy complied, flipping in mid-air and landing on all fours. To finish it off, she slammed into Geodude, forcing it into the air, spinning cartwheel style. She shot out some more leaves, cutting it in mid-air as it fell, just in case. There was a dull thud, and it was over. Pete had beaten Brock.

"The second Geodude is incapable of any movement, and therefore is unable to battle. The winner is Pete with his Bulbasaur Ivy."

"Great Job," Pete congratulated his Bulbasaur, patting her lightly on the head. By this time, Lumina had scooted over on the opposite side, that Joan wasn't on, trapping Clyde in between them.

"Hey Clyde, I'm Lumina," she said sweetly. Joan glared at her behind Clyde, who didn't seem to notice. If he did though, he would've enjoyed it. (Girls fighting over him that is)

"Oh Puh-lease," Joan said, then covered her mouth with a hand. "I mean oh, p-please allow me to introduce you Clyde," she corrected herself, forcing on a smile. "This is Lumina." Glad to have a reason for leaving, she said quickly, "My go!"

She hopped down an extra step, then calmed proceeded down, high-fiving Pete as they swapped positions. Brock instantly began foaming at the mouth when she stood on her side of the arena. He walked forward a few steps saying, "what a wonderful challenger! Your looks have won ya this badge little lady!" Joan however, slapped the badge aside and it clattered against the floor.

"I don't think so," Joan said defiantly, shaking her head. "You are pathetic. Fight me."

"I couldn't fight one so pretty," Brock said softly, kneeling and staring in awe at her.

"It's against the rules," Joan argued, rolling her eyes. "Fine, you'll go to jail, not me. See ya 'Brock," she added after a few seconds, putting more emphasis into the last word than the sentence required. With that, she beckoned for Clyde and Pete to follow, walking out of the gym.

"Call me," Brock pleaded, waving like a fool. Then he got serious, turning to Aiden. "Now to take care of YOU."

Outside the Pokemon Center five minutes later, with their healed teammates, the trainers were each showing their badges off to their Pokemon, and thanking them for helping to beat Brock. "That man is a perverted idiot," Joan said in an insulting tone. "He just handed over this badge, gimme a break!"

"Hey look," Pete said joyously, "Ivy's Bulb is a little bigger, and the opening is slightly wider at the top!" Clyde and Joan observed the Bulbasaur with some interest.

"You're right Pete," Clyde agreed. "She'll evolve soon." There was a long silence after this and nobody knew what to say, then finally...

Changing the subject, Joan asked, "Are we gonna hang around each other throughout our journey?"

Pete grinned. "We should, as much as possible. I'd like that. It's okay if we part ways every now and then though."

"Yeah," Clyde said calmly. "Hey, anyone up for the museum?"

Joan nodded. "I sure am. Let's bring our Pokemon!"

Pete thought about it a while. "I think I'll pass on that offer. I wanna train."

"Have it your way," Joan said, shrugging, as she followed behind Clyde to the museum. It had stone pillars to hold up a shade area over the door. The entrance looked very inviting. Pete, however, needed to get Ivy in the best shape possible.

"Come on girl," he said sweetly, picking up his Bulbasaur and carrying her to the grass. The place had a peaceful feeling since no Pokemon were out making noise or battling. Ivy suddenly coughed, as a puff of smoke filled the area.

"What the heck is going on?" Pete wondered, scanning the place, but the smoke clouded his vision. He saw a boy's fuzzy form run up to him.

The smoke cleared out, as a group of four Pidgey appeared behind him, blowing it away. "Sorry," he apologized, pointing to the Pidgey. "I was testing how strong my team's gust attack is. I travel the world with these Pidgey, clearing areas of smoke. Here's my number if you need me," he continued. He handed Pete a white business card. "Sorry dude. Won't happen again I hope." That said, he left the grass, and dissapeared into a thicket.

"O-k..." Pete said, confused. "That was random and unneccesary." Ivy nodded her obvious agreement. Next, Pete set her down in the grass to search.

Ivy cried, "Bulba!" as she sniffed around the place. Pete watched silently.

"Y'know what?" he said, messing up her concentration. "Sorry, but I was just thinking about this. We need to test your different attacks' strengths, don't we?"

Liking the idea, Ivy followed Pete to a plain dirt spot, with no crops growing, and many objects that would benefit her in this excercise. Pete instantly spoke.

"Now, first I want you to try hopping on those rocks," he said, "then try to knock that apple out the tree with your headbutt, all right?"

Ivy smiled, and hopped up onto a rock. This one moved, and she realized it was a Pokemon.

"Graveler!" Pete exclaimed. "Oops."

The Graveler whispered something mean before burying itself farther away from them. Moving on, Ivy continued jumping from stone to stone, but eventually fell.

"Try balancing before you just leap like that," Pete suggested.

Why don't you balance on a bumpy rock with a bulb on your back? Ivy spat mentally. Ignoring her thoughts though, so she didn't snap at her trainer, she started over. This time, she was able to make it across, and got the apple from the tree. As a reward for both her training and the gym battle win, she got to eat the apple, all of it. Pete usually allowed her to eat food in portions, so he wouldn't need to buy any too often.

"Hey you jerk what are you doing?" a girl's voice yelled. Pete and Ivy went to investigate and saw the gym leader Misty, fuming, staring at the boy that stole from Brock earlier. He was holding a Cascade Badge.

"I was bringing it back," he said softly.

"Okay fine," Misty said angrily. "But I'll get real mad if you do it again." She held out her hand saying, "WELL?"

The boy gave her the badge and went over into the grass, producing a Shuckle and Tangela from their Pokeballs. They began a practice fight, hitting each other back to back. Ignoring this, Pete walked up to the lady, recognizing her.

"Hey," Pete said in a surprised tone, "You're Ash Ketchum's girlfriend, the Cerulean Gym Leader!"

She blushed a little. "Yeah I am, I haven't seen Ash in like forever...but enough about me. Who are you?"

"I'm Pete, a new trainer. My Bulbasaur and I are gonna win up through the ranks." Ivy beamed at this comment.

"Your Bulbasaur is adorable," Misty complimented as she watched Ivy, then stared at Pete with a smirk. "Hold on mister new guy! Pete, if you want to get to the elite four you'll have to come to Cerulean and face me!"

"How about right here?" Pete asked with excitement. "I was just training back over there," he said, pointing behind him. "I think we can take you on. Is that okay?"

"If you can take a defeat than of course," Misty bragged, clutching a Pokeball. "I've been training while I visited my friend Brock. I take it you know him because you want to beat all the gyms, right?" Pete nodded, staring at her Pokeball and wondering what water type Pokemon was within it. She was after all, Cerulean's water Pokemon Gym Leader! Before she could throw the sphere, Lumina stepped out of the shadows and spoke.

"Hang on there!" She shouted. "I'll fight you." Her voice had a demonic chill to it. What had happened to her in only ten minutes?

"Sure," Misty agreed. Weird kid, she thought, releasing a Staryu from its Pokeball. "C'mon then! Two challengers in one day? Wow!"

"No, I'LL fight you!" Lumina said firmly, getting her point across with the stress she put into the second word. "Get ready."

"No wait, I was-" Misty didn't finish, because Lumina rushed forward and kicked her down. She was tall for a ten year old, and her head reached Misty's chest heightwise. Her leg tore across Misty's waist with an unnatural force beyond Lumina and all other ten year old's limits, and the shocked Gym Leader hit the ground hard, and a dull thud was produced as she landed on one side.

"Ow," Misty cried out, and quickly flipped up onto her knees. "My sisters were right about me needing those kung fu lessons someday. HYAH!" She struck Lumina's legs, sweeping her off her feet.

"Listen, I don't want to hurt you."

"NOT likewise," Lumina's inhuman voice replied coldly, and she stood. This next hit was a powerful punch that left Misty's stomach throbbing.

"Agh!" Misty shrieked, and stumbled back. "I'm sorry kid, but you're not gonna be WALKING away from this one."

"No, I'll be flying!" Beleive it or not, Lumina's figure rose up five feet in the air.

Pete gasped, and Ivy, Misty, and Aiden (who was now watching), did as well. "She isn't human!" Pete shouted. "What the heck is going on here?"

"I have no idea," Misty whispered. "What is she?" A swift double-kick sent her down once more, knocking all air out of her. Staryu jumped at Lumina, spinning like a boomerang (rapid spin rocks! WHOO!). Lumina caught it by the leg with ease, and threw Staryu face-first into the sand, damaging its core.

"I am Tetanus the Gengar, new supreme ruler over all! Using this young girl, I will channel my powers into her to defeat all humans. The Pokemon must take back what is rightfully theirs!"

Ivy stepped forward, glowering at Lumina, whose eyes were now dark red with purple pupils. (Star means Poketalk-->) *You twisted freak, she said furiously. The humans are our friends and companions if you give love back to them.

"No young Bulbasaur, you are wrong, stay out of this," the voice commanded.

"Only I can control Ivy. Get away from her, and Misty!" Pete said, his temper rising uncharacteristically. "You will not get away with this."

"Oh?" the voice challenged him. "Is that so little boy? I sure hope your human acquiantance can breathe in space!" Lumina rose higher, about to fly up to where no air existed.

"No, stop! Don't hurt her." Pete held out a hand, which showed he would not like this to happen. "Just, please, come back down. Please Tetanus."

"What do you think you're doing?" Misty inquired furiously. "You can't use that girl like this!"

"Why not?" The demonic voice asked coldly.

Clyde and Joan walked over and saw what was going on. "LUMINA?" they asked simultaneously.

"Yeah," Pete said, explaining. "An evil Gengar took her over. Now it wants to wipe out mankind using her 'sweet little girl' image to distract everyone."

"Well, that won't happen if I can help it," Clyde said. "Charmander go!" His lizard Pokemon was soon beside him. "Use-uh-wait...I can't, I can't hurt her like that." His face dropped as he realized this.

"Well I can," Joan said confidently. Her Squirtle was already out of its Pokeball so all she ordered was, "Use Water Gun!"

The jet of warm water splashed hard against Lumina's face, and her hand sprouted up in protest, blocking the attack. "AAAHHHH NOO," the voice wailed, and Lumina's features softened. Her eyes fluttered, and once she blinked a third time, her eyes were back to normal. Water Gun died down.

"Clyde?" She rolled as she landed, standing with a puzzled expression. "How'd I get here? Huh?" Lumina surveyed the area, and suddenly gagged, and gripped her head as if in pain.

"What's wrong Lumin-oh." Clyde realized the answer to his own question, as the evil spirit took over once more. "Get out of her!"

"With PLEASURE," the demonic tone was chilling as the Gengar said this, Lumina's mouth unmoving as it had been ever since she was possessed. "She hasn't got much say in the matter since I overpowered her mind, but I'll free her this way."

Whatever that 'way' was, Misty could tell it couldn't be good. She clasped one hand onto Lumina's foot, pulling hard. That had no effect, and only made her fall.

"Goodbye LUMINA. Lumina says she hates you all and is going to leave you in space."

"She doesn't hate me," Clyde said, pointing to himself. "Lumina, come back to us. You can fight it off. He'll destroy you!"

"NO she cannot," the Gengar's voice barked at him, as Lumina's face struggled to have emotion. In several seconds the expression was plain again.

"If I can't control her, she's going to die!" Before any reactions could come through on anyone's faces, the poor trainer's body flew upward. Way too fast to be stopped by anyone tugging on her leg like Misty had! She was soon out of reach, and headed towards her doom.

 

[Pokesaur]

CHAPTER 4 - Mount Doom!

"NOOOO!" Aiden pleaded, watching as Lumina soared upward. He immediately commanded his Tangela. Pete was surprised that he decided to do something after being quiet for so long. "Get her back."

Tangela was snatched up and thrown, but didn't seem to care. It stared at Lumina, waiting until it was fifteen feet in the air, and managed to grab her leg with it's extra long vines. This was a dumb mistake that caused it to be yanked upward with her. It's eyes bulged as the ground below fell away from it.

The last thing it saw was Aiden's horrified expression and flailing arms, before it blacked out, Lumina now traveling even faster than before, floating upward. Everything below was just a blur, which soon faded into a thick cloud of pitch black darkness, that accompanied Tangela as it fell out of consciousness.

A sharp jerk knocked it's senses back online a few seconds later. The Pokemon was now sailing downward, spinning out of control. Shocked that it had been knocked out of unconsciousness rather than into it, and also scared to death, the small Pokemon flung it's vines around in a panicked frenzy. This actually stopped the straight fall and created a more controlled landing, right into Aiden's arms. The vines relaxed along with the Pokemon they belonged to.

"Tangela," Aiden whispered softly, "You did great. Lumina's fighting it now, after the contact with your vine." He grinned at his Pokemon as it hopped onto the ground and looked up to observe Lumina's trembling figure that was now fifty feet high in the air.

Without any sign that the movement was going to occur, Lumina screamed and twisted to one side and swiftly back, as Gengar's(Tetanus') form, though semi-transparent, erupted from her body. "Ahh!" She squealed, as the ghost maniac watched her fall toward the ground. The evil Pokemon seemed to have a look of joy in it's eyes. Lust for death. Murdering all humans, starting with her.

"Lumina is too weak a target for me. Just too sensitive." Tetanus floated down, now materialized into a more visible creature, and glared at the gathered humans. "Ah, well...someone else will have to do."

"No," Aiden declared boldly. "Nobody else will go through that." Clyde caught Lumina just as he said this.

"Hey," Lumina whispered romantically, purring, when she saw Clyde.

"Do you have any bruises?" Clyde asked, concerned.

"She's about to," Joan whispered, pulling up her sleeve and stepping forward. She had a gleam in her eyes that showed she wasn't afraid to throw the first punch.

Lumina ignored her, looking up at Clyde. "I dunno, search me." She grinned, with dirty thoughts obviously filling her mind.

"Grrrr!" Joan grunted, angry because she had to watch this silently. "She better watch her back."

Clyde looked over at Joan. "You say something Joan?"

"Oh, no," Joan said, shaking her head. "Nothing."

Lumina reluctantly stood.

"So you're fine?" Clyde asked.

"Thanks," Lumina said, smirking.

"Would you just-" Joan bit her tongue.

"Just what?" Clyde asked her.

"It's nothing, really!" She looked away glaring at the ground. Lumina, she knew, was watching her, testing her emotions. It didn't feel good knowing that any more than it did keeping her cool in this situation.

"All right then," Clyde said, turning and pointing to Tetanus. "Now to deal with you."

Lumina nodded, disappointed about the way he had shrugged off the flirty comments, but ready for revenge. Before any of them could attack, the Gengar vanished.

"He gave up," Aiden announced.

"He'll be back," Pete suggested, "right?"

"Yep, but we'll be on the lookout," Misty said, dusting herself off. "Listen, I've got to get back to the gym, see you guys."

"Bye," Pete replied. "Sorry about all this." Everyone else nodded. Misty grinned.

"I'll recover in about a week, heh." She nodded toward Aiden, then turned to Pete. "Maybe we can battle some other time. In my gym."

Pete gave her a toothy smile, and a thumbs up sign. "Maybe. Be ready for us, because we're coming."

"I will be." With that, she ran off. Misty's orange hair was straight down her back, flowing freely. "See you in Cerulean!" She shouted over her shoulder, and waved.

"How freaky was that?" Aiden asked Lumina, curious.

"It felt like there was a voice in my head and my skin tingled." Lumina responded hurriedly. "That was scary being up so high too." She turned to leave. "I guess I better head over to Mount Moon. I want to make it to Cerulean before the sun sets. Anything to get my mind off darkness, and that evil Gengar."

"I know what you mean," Pete agreed. "I guess I'll be going that way too."

"Race you," Lumina dared, and took off. Pete was right after her, legs pumping like mad. Joan and Clyde laughed, and beckoned for Aiden to come as they joined the race. He, holding his Tangela and Shuckle, hurried after them.

It only took about two minutes to reach the entrance. There was some low grass spread out nearby, which Pete headed over to. Joan followed. Clyde decided to go as well. Aiden and Lumina went inside Mount Moon together. They were both afraid of the dark, and wanted each other as company.

Inside the cave, Lumina and Aiden could actually see well. There were cracks in the ceiling that provided more light than expected.

"Wow," Aiden said. "It's huge."

"Yeah," Lumina whispered. "We better find our way out quick." She tossed a Pokeball, releasing her Pokemon. "Houndour, lead the way," she urged, and her loyal dog Pokemon started to sniff its way around tight tunnels and over rocky ground.

After at least five minutes Aiden inquired, "Lumina, you sure he knows his way?"

"Houndours have an excellent sense of smell. Of course he can get us out." She smirked as Houndour led them around a few boulders, and then through a tight path made difficult by the protruding stalagmites clustered together near the walls of the cave. Aiden's confidence rose. Were they actually going to make it out of here?

Back outside, Joan was battling a Pidgey with her Squirtle. "Squirtle good job," she congratulated, when it dodged Pidgey as it swooped down with a peck attack. "Hit it with water gun," she commanded, jabbing a finger at the bird Pokemon.

Squirtle did so, but the steady stream of water was dealt with easily. Pidgey darted at Squirtle, diving down so fast that it became untouchable. It was now so aerodynamic that the water slid right off it. Squirtle yelled in pain when Pidgey knocked it backwards with a quick attack.

"Squirtle," the turtle complained, struggling to its feet. Joan frowned.

"Keep fighting back," she commented.

"Careful," Clyde cautioned. "It's back."

The Pidgey had flown back around, and stopped in midair, three feet from the opponent. The small bird's wings flapped furiously, and a sheet of air slammed against Squirtle, making it skid back a few inches.

"A gust attack! Block it," Joan ordered.

The blue Pokemon nodded, slowly turning around, shifting its weight. The hard shell on its back defended the Squirtle well against the wind bombardment.

Ten yards away, Pete was having his own battle, with a wild Oddish. It was dancing around much like Clyde's carefree Poliwag, dodging Ivy's razor leaf clusters. "Okay..." Pete announced, and Ivy reluctantly stepped back, ceasing to attack.

"This won't work. Use your vine whip!"

Ivy nodded, though she was puzzled as to why a grass move should be used on Oddish. Then, suddenly, she understood. She slammed her vines down constantly, and eventually, as it was planned, the Oddish doubled over and hit the grassy ground face-first.

"Now use tackle," Pete said, grinning. Ivy hopped up first, then when she landed began her dash toward the Oddish. Surprising her, it sprang up, and twirled, conjuring up petals. They surrounded Ivy, slamming against her constantly, but she pulled through, hitting the Oddish and winning the battle.

"Good job," Pete said happily, as Ivy ran back to him. "...Hey, is that a-watch out!" Ivy turned around, and rolled away just in time, as a Spearow soared straight through her previous spot with a wing attack. "Haven't I battled enough today?" Pete wondered, and groaned. "Ivy, let's do it!"

Ivy grinned, waiting patiently as the feathered bird stalked her menacingly, dropping low for a quick ram. She bounced back at the last second, successfully evading the aerial tackle. It would take more than rushed moves from a ticked off bird to beat her. The brown feathered body of the Spearow approached her again, before she could even spin around to notice her attacker was back. Ivy's bud shook, but she was too slow, and was pecked in the side by Spearow's stiff beak, and sent tumbling to the right, but she righted herself in time to dodge another peck attack. The Spearow rose up higher now, and began a slow rhythmic flight pattern above its opponent.

It's eyes were trained on her, and so were it's flight movements. With every graceful twirl in the air, it would shift it's weight so that it could dive down toward her if necessary. Pete noticed this, which made him take this battle more seriously. He knew Ivy had no chance when it came to her type disadvantage, but something like this was trivial to both of them. They would team up, and keep fighting as long as possible. If you were a truly dedicated trainer, the way Pete saw it, you would use strategy to overcome these kinds of obstacles and never back down.

"Smart bird," Pete whispered, rubbing his hand against the matted mop of black hair on his head. He readjusted his glasses, making sure to watch for any sudden changes in pattern that could signal the next attack. "Ivy, stay focused!"

Just as he said this, the Spearow floated down at a sharp angle, surprising Ivy. Having obviously underestimated her adversary, she was hit with a wing attack. The blow, luckily, glanced off the side of her bud, which merely shook her off balance. Catching herself in mid-fall, Ivy connected a vine whip attack with a loud CRACK, making the Spearow twitch and began to fall to the ground. Shocked and in tremendous agony, Spearow hit the ground hard.

It hurriedly got to its feet, finding Ivy with it's eyes once more, who was a mere ten yards from it, panting heavily. She smirked at it, clearly attempting to aggravate the bird. This worked effectively.

Pete grinned, suddenly calling out to Ivy calmly. "Hang in there." He felt he needed to say something, no matter how unimportant.

Ivy was pleased that her trainer was impressed with her. She wasn't going to let herself look bad. Not now, not ever! The strong-willed Bulbasaur did not flinch, in spite of her fresh wounds. Instead, she continued to fight, firing a stream of thin green leaves at Spearow. They spun rapidly, like a deadly vortex traveling forward. This altered version of the Razor Leaf attack was inspired by the Oddish she had recently beaten.

Her quick smirk infuriated the Spearow, and it was now advancing toward her close to the ground. Expertly maneuvering around the sharp-edged leaves that were spinning in formation toward it, the Spearow changed strategy, and began to float up and down in slow succession.

Confused, Ivy proceeded to attack again. She let loose a scattered group of green leaves, making escape difficulty rise. The Spearow appeared ready however, and darted forward, still moving up and down constantly. It weaved it's way in and out of the sheet of leaves. Once it was out of the dangerous field of leaves, it extended its small wings, and came forward.

"Oh man," Pete said to himself, worried about Ivy. Would she be able to pull through or not? She always had, but maybe now...

Completely stunned by the fact that her opponent had just avoided two moves in a row, Ivy panicked. She instinctively brought out the secret weapons. Ivy lashed out with her vines just as the Spearow came close to her.

The impact was devastating.

Spearow was whacked in the face, and it lost control of it's flight, still headed for Ivy. She decided she would have to move from the same spot sooner or later, and charged at Spearow, jumping up and hoping to connect with a kick, and push off of her attacker just like she did with Brock's Geodude. No such luck.

"Bulba?" she asked herself, as she began to fall. What was happening?

Ivy couldn't jump as high as she anticipated, due to the pain of her throbbing muscles, and landed upside down on the grassy ground outside of Mount Moon, dazed. Spearow slammed into her a few seconds later. Ouch.

If it weren't for those bruises, she thought, this whole collision could have been avoided. That was the last thought that crossed her mind before she fainted.

Back inside the cave, Aiden and Lumina were getting a little nervous. They still hadn't found the exit. They both were unsure of the time, but had a feeling they'd been wandering around for at least thirty minutes or more.

"That's it!" Aiden yelled, murdering the silence. "I can't take it anymore. I can't take walking around with your Houndour any longer Lumina."

Lumina shrugged dismissively. "Good, because you don't have to." Aiden raised an eyebrow, turning to look in front of him.

"What? I don't see-" he stopped himself. "Oh. Never mind."

Lumina turned to him with a knowing smile. "Hey, you remember that bet we made right?"

Aiden frowned as he observed the ladder leading up into an opening in the ceiling. "...Yeah."

"Hand it over," she demanded, laughing. Aiden sighed, and shuffled around in his pocket once he saw no way out of the confrontation. Frustrated, he yanked out a couple twenty dollar bills and pressed them into Lumina's hand, which tightened around them with delight. She gave Aiden another superior grin, and they both began the short climb to what they hoped was a way out. They noticed a dim light shining over the rim of the opening in the ceiling.

What they found instead was a horrific sight. Houndour was now back in it's Pokeball, but was quickly let out again.

The brown rock walls swarmed with an oil-like dark liquid, and the two trainers were soon trapped in pitch black darkness with no chance of finding the ladder they just used without falling down one floor once they did. After all, they couldn't see a thing.

Lumina pouted. "It was only phosphorus..." she whispered, discouraged. "We might never make it out of here."

"No, you won't," said a cold voice.

"How did you find us?" she asked, slightly intimidated, though she showed no sign of it. "Tell me!"

"I kept to the shadows, of course. Humans are so easy to track."

"Stalk," Aiden corrected, feeling around in the darkness. Lumina nodded, though Aiden could not see this in the darkness.

"Stalk is such a harsh word."

"But that IS what you meant," Lumina said, scowling.

The voice became deeper, and louder. "Enough idle chit chat. You know what I'm here to do. You will never stop me."

"Oh yes we will," Aiden said defiantly. "Lumina..." that was all he needed to say. Lumina knew what to do.

"I now control this cave, so don't get any ideas. You'll just be wasting your time using what little intelligence you have. All exits are sealed off."

Lumina scoffed, ignoring the voice. "Houndour," she ordered, "...hey, shed some light on things will ya?"

"I will wait until you can see me before I eliminate you both. It's more fun that way."

"Sadistic freak," Aiden spat. "Houndour, hurry please!"

The dog howled its understanding, and lit up the place with a small streak of fire, that remained flowing in a puff of flames from its mouth, like it's body was a makeshift torch. Lumina grinned, as the form of an enemy came into view, though Aiden and Lumina had to blink a few times while their eyes adjusted. Lumina decided to just come out with it.

"Hello...Tetanus."

 

[DratiniLover]

I think it is brilliant!!!

 

[Pokesaur]

Um...thanks! I hope you stick around and keep reading. ;-)

Does anyone think my personalities aren't showing with my characters? I just wanna know.