TEEN: The Hoenn Adventures of a Boy Named Asher

[Pikalution]

Hello! This is my first fanfic of pokemon. Please give me some feedback, positive or negative. Note: This is a Nuzlocke based on the Hoenn region. Keep this in mind. Also, I know that May doesn't wear red clothing anymore and that her outfit was changed in Emerald. You will notice something about that character based on May later.

Special thanks to @i_eat_crayons for your support and help with the story!

INDEX:
Chapters 1-4: On this current page
Chapters 5-12: Page 2

The Hoenn Adventures of a Boy Named Asher


Chapter 1​

Asher stepped out of the moving truck. He stopped to look around his new town: Littleroot Town. It was small and quiet. Nothing was stirring or making noise except the rustling of the grass. The flowers around the town gave it a sense of comfort and beauty. Living here would be much different than their old home, but Asher liked it.

"Asher!" Asher's mother yelled, "Quit standing around and make yourself useful!" She threw a heavy box at her son violently. "and now!" She had a huge scowl on her face. Then again, she always did. She had short brown hair that went slightly past her shoulders, and wore a white apron and an orange dress.

Asher sighed. I'm sick and tired of living with my parents, he thought. All they do is yell and put me down. I feel like there's something wrong with me, but I can't help it. There must be some way to show them I can do good things.

He carried the box inside the house and immediately set it down. He sighed with relief. His mother walked in with a light box and said, "Your room is already furnished and decorated. Go up there and set your clock."

Asher obeyed and went up to his room. It was very plain-looking. It had a TV and his Nintendo Entertainment System, which made him happy because he always played on his NES. He also saw a computer. Another thing he enjoyed doing. He started to like this place more and more. The only other things in the room was a carpet and a bed.

Asher's mother stepped into the room. She saw that Asher was standing there observing the room. "All I asked you to do was set the time on the clock! Not stand there!" She gave him a quick slap on the face. "I don't know why we adopted you. You're just a little rat."

Asher was shocked. "Adopted?!" he exclaimed. "Am I really adopted?"

His mother's angry expression went away. "Yes, you were adopted. Your parents didn't love you or want you, and they knew you would never amount to anything. Unfortunately, your father and I did not know this when we adopted you. Now you're just a worthless piece of junk that should've been abandoned on the streets."

Asher had never heard her say things to that extremity. His face was soon full of tears. "Worthless? A rat? Abandoned on the streets?! I've had enough of your abuse! I put up with it for yours because I thought you were my parents and that you still loved me." He was furious. "Now I see that I'm on my own. Well you know what? I will prove my worth to you. I'll show you that I can be the best there ever was!"

"Right," Asher's mother, no, adoptive mother, chuckled. "You wouldn't have the guts to leave this house."

With that, Asher ran out of the house, tears falling down from his eyes. He couldn't believe that he had been lied to his whole life. His parents kept telling him that he was their true son, while abusing him of course. But Asher thought that all parents abused their children. He sought to find that out. He found a house identical to his next door. He politely knocked on the door.

"Oh, hello!" a woman with light brown hair welcomed him. It had beautiful curls, and she looked very sweet and motherly. She had a warm smile on her face, and suddenly, Asher was comforted. "Are you the neighbor that just moved in?"

"Uh...yes." Asher replied.

"Oh, wonderful! We have a daughter your age. When she heard that people with a child her age were moving in, she was ecstatic! She's upstairs."

This woman seemed very nice. Maybe it really was just Asher's parents that abused him. He walked upstairs very slowly, and encountered a girl about his age wearing red and white clothing. She had curly light brown hair with a red hat on her head. She also had these beautiful blue eyes, and he fell right under the spell of her gaze.

"You must be the new neighbor," She said, "My name is Bennie. I thought you'd be a girl."

"Well, uh...I'm not." Asher said, snapping out of the spell. "My name is Asher." Wow, Bennie, Asher thought. What a pretty name!

"I'm sorry, I can't stay here. You'll have to leave," Bennie said nonchalantly, "I have to help my dad with some research stuff. He's the Professor."

"Oh, well that's cool!" Asher said, face red with the embarrassment of talking to a pretty girl. "I'll see you around, then."

Bennie walked away without saying good-bye. Asher was not frustrated with her cool attitude. She likes me. She just won't admit it. He had a crush on her in an instant. He followed her down the stairs and out the door.

She suddenly disappeared. Asher decided not to go looking for her, but to go on a walk by himself instead. Once he was about to approach Route 101, he heard a cry for help. Asher ran up towards the sound. It was a strange man with darker brown hair and a white lab coat on. "Help me!" he pleaded. Asher saw that he was being attacked by a Poochyena.

Asher ran over towards him. "Grab a Poke Ball! Any one of them! In the bag!" The strange man panicked and continued trying to run from the Poochyena.

Asher wasted no time asking questions and picked a random ball from the bag. He threw the ball and out came a Mudkip, a mud fish pokemon. He had no idea how to battle, but he decided to try. After all, he's watched every Pokemon League Tournament in his old region. "Use Tackle, Mudkip!" he commanded.

The Mudkip looked at him with confusion, but obeyed. He hit the Poochyena dead on, and the Poochyena was hit hard. Mudkip didn't let the Poochyena recover. He tackled again. The Poochyena was still alive, but barely. Poochyena circled around to Mudkip's back and used Tackle, but Mudkip turned around and dodged it. Mudkip performed another outstanding Tackle and the Poochyena went down.

"You did it, Mudkip!" Asher said enthusiastically. He was surprised that he won his first battle so unexpectedly. He knew that Mudkip would make a good member of any team. He thought about asking that strange man for the Mudkip, but he decided not to.

"Thank you for saving me!" The strange man exclaimed. "I don't think I've introduced myself to you yet. I am the Professor, and I research pokemon. My daughter Bennie helps me sometimes, but she didn't get here in time to help me. Luckily you came here! Come on, let's get back to the lab."

---

"So, what's your name?" Professor asked.

"Asher," Asher replied. "I just moved in next door with my parents." Asher wondered why Professor wanted to go to his lab so badly.

Professor nodded. "I see. And what were you planning on doing in Hoenn?"

Asher didn't expect that kind of a question. He didn't know how to answer it. "I...uh...I don't know. But I want to do something great. Something few people have done before."

Professor gave Asher a skeptical look. "How would you like to go on an adventure across Hoenn and become the Champion?"

Asher thought about this for a moment. Adventure? Anywhere away from his parents would be nice. But become the Champion? That seemed like an impossible task. However, it would make him great. Maybe I can finally prove myself to my parents by becoming the Champion! He thought excitedly. "I'll do it!" He said with major enthusiasm.

Professor smiled. "Wonderful. However, becoming Champion is not an easy task. You'll need a pokemon to do it. I'll give you that Mudkip you battled with earlier to help you get started."

"Great!" Asher said, "Thank you so much!" He released the Mudkip from his Poke Ball and gave him a look of pride. "I'll call you Finnegan."

Finnegan gave Asher a look of happiness.

"He seems to like you already," Professor inferred. Then he got serious. "I have given you your Mudkip, but that's only half of what you need. In order to get the other half, I have set a challenge for you. You need to defeat Bennie. She's on Route 103. If you can defeat her, you will get the other things you need to go on your journey."

"Thank you, Professor!" Asher said, excited for once in his life. He got a Mudkip and he was going to see Bennie. He couldn't wait.

 

[Kyuuketsuki]

That certainly was an exciting start, though I felt that it went by too fast. It would've worked better as two separate chapters, the first slowly building up to the revelation that Asher is adopted, and taking a longer time at detailing his feelings, while the second would focus on starting his journey. I do think you need more description in terms of the characters, as none of them seemed clear enough.

If you work on those, you should be safe, as you've got the story part; an exciting hook to the story, and a good twist on the story of RSE.

 

[Pikalution]

thank you! i was afraid that it jumped a little, but i tried to mirror the beginning of the game (which did jump around). I appreciate the feedback. I'm also sort of trying to do indirect characterization. Bennie is supposed to be a badass and the opposite of a sweet little girl, and it doesn't really show in this chapter. It does in the next one, which will be posted tomorrow because....its midnight and i have stuff to do in the morning and shouldnt be up right now XD

 

[Kyuuketsuki]

Well, I lok forward to see what you do with the future chapters.

 

[Pikalution]

Here's Chapter 2! I wrote this like a week ago and I finally found the time to post it. Enjoy!

Chapter 2​

Asher started off on Route 101, Finnegan following right behind him. It was a grassy clearing with trees surrounding it. A few patches of grass were also present. He had stepped on this route before, but he didn't take the time to look at his surroundings because of the danger Professor was in. A few trainers just starting out were in the tall grass, possibly catching some pokemon. Route 103, Asher thought. That's where she is. I'll have to ask someone where that is.

As he was walking in the tall grass, he suddenly saw a wild pokemon about to attack Finnegan. It was a Zigzagoon. "Hey, get away from him!" Asher snapped. But Zigzagoon didn't even acknowledge his presence. "Finnegan! Attack that Zigzagoon with a Tackle!"

Finnegan obeyed and tackled the Zigzagoon to the ground. Zigzagoon also tried to use a Tackle, but Finny was too quick. Finny tackled the Zigzagoon one last time before the Zigzagoon took the hint and fled, deciding not to battle any further.

"Great job, Finny!" Asher said with pride. Finny looked over at him and said "Mudkip!" as if he was saying thank you. I can definitely become the Champion with Finnegan on my side, Asher thought. I can become great! My parents will apologize to me in no time.

They continued along the road. Asher could see a town ahead, and realized it was Oldale Town. Oldale Town was also small and quiet, but at least it contained a Pokemon Center and a Poke Mart. To Asher, it didn't look as pretty as Littleroot. Littleroot had more grass and flowers.

As he entered the town, he saw a man dressed in an apron walking up to him. "Hi! I work at a Poke Mart. Here's a complimentary Potion! Be sure to stop by if you need more."

"Thank you, sir!" Asher said. Then he remembered why he was there. "Can you tell me where Route 103 is?"

"Sure!" The man said. He pointed to the north. "Right up there. And Route 102 is west of Oldale Town. That route leads to Petalburg City."

"Thanks again!" Asher said, and started walking up north to Route 103. He saw a strange man with a notebook drawing his own footprint. He was confused, but decided not to ask questions. He heard the man grumbling about rare pokemon footprints. Asher giggled and continued up north.

When he entered Route 103, he didn't see Bennie. This particular route looked a lot like Route 101, but it had a river on the east side. He continued up north since there seemed to be dead ends on both the west and east sides. He finally saw her when he got to the northernmost part of the route.

"Oh, why do I have to do this for my dad?" Bennie sighed, and continued writing things down in a notebook. She must've heard Asher coming, because she quickly turned around. "Oh, it's you. My dad said he wanted me to battle you. All right. I'll see how good you are!"

"Bring it on." Asher smiled and said "Go on, Finnegan! Show her we can win!" He's pretty much invincible, Asher thought.

Bennie laughed. "A Mudkip? Wait until you see what I've got!" She took a Poke Ball from her belt and threw it on the ground. It revealed a Treecko. The battle was on.

"Finny! Get that Treecko with a Tackle!" Asher ordered.

Finny tackled the Treecko down, not giving Treecko any time to dodge.

"Elliot! Pound that Mudkip!" Bennie ordered, looking upset that Finny actually managed to hit Elliot.

Elliot did what he was told and pounded Finny. Finny fell down to the ground, but he got up quickly. He wasn't too hurt. Finny used Tackle again, but this time Elliot dodged it. Elliot used Pound again, and Finny was hit hard. But the little Mudkip got up and tackled Elliot as hard as he could. Elliot fell down to the ground, and it looked like the battle was over. Bennie's face went bright red. However, Elliot got up and pounded Finny with all his might. Finny also fell down. Asher thought the battle would never end, but Finny ended up tackling Elliot again and Elliot fell down from the impact, and tried to get up, but he couldn't. The battle was over.

Bennie looked up at Asher with horror. "There's no way that just happened! You couldn't have pulled that off! Elliot was..." She returned Elliot to its Poke Ball and gave Asher an angry look. "You!" She ran over to him and punched him in the face, and he was instantly knocked out.

-------

He woke up in the lab, all bruised up. He knew Bennie was angry about losing the battle, but did she really have to beat him up? Oh well, she's totally worth it! Asher thought. She likes me, she just doesn't know it. She'll be mine in no time!

Professor came up to Asher holding Finnegan. "Here's your pokemon," he said. "I heard you beat Bennie. She beat you up pretty badly, didn't she? Well, like I promised, you may now get the other things you need to become the Champion." He handed him a weird electronic device and five Poke Balls to catch more pokemon. "Battling is dangerous, so you can't just have one pokemon. Some pokemon could die or become severely injured in battle. Keep that in mind. And that device is called a Pokedex. It records data about every pokemon species out there. I'd like you to try to complete that for me so I can do more research. Bennie is doing it too."

"Thank you, Professor. This really means a lot to me." Asher said while he stood up and put Finny in his arms. "I will definitely complete that Pokedex for you! It's the least I can do."

"Good luck," Professor said, and Asher walked out of the lab and officially started his journey.

When he started to pass his house to get to Route 101, his mother came running out of the house and threw a pair of shoes at his head. Asher winced in pain.

"Take those Running Shoes and get away from here!" she screamed, "I don't want you here after what you said to me!"

You deserved it, Asher thought. He put on his Running Shoes and started on Route 101.

 

[Kyuuketsuki]

I still think you could describe the scenes a bit better; it's perfectly fine if you have longer chapters, but spread the content and give every scene the attention it deserves. You can easily learn how to do this by reading published novels, or even other FanFiction that is online.

But aside from that, your spelling and grammar are great, and the sentences flow amazingly.

 

[Pikalution]

sorry about the whole lack of description thing x.x im much better at spelling and grammar and the whole writing part of a story. im not very creative XD but i will read other fanfic and see how to describe things better

 

[Kyuuketsuki]

The trick is just in waffling. When entering a new Route, describe the trees, the weather, the grass, the Pokémon, what the other Trainers are doing, and your character's feelings at being in such a place.

For example, you can take this sentence:

Asher started off on Route 101, Finnegan following right behind him. Route 103, Asher thought. That's where she is. I'll have to ask someone where that is.

And make it into this:

Asher started off on Route 101, directly north of Litteroot Town. There was a small clearing that led to tall grass, where Pokémon would take shelter, and the Route was surrounded by trees from both sides. As Asher progressed through the Route with Finnegan behind him, he quickly noticed the other Trainers; they were all fiddling with their bags, or searching for wild Pokémon, beginners, just like Asher. Route 103, Asher thought. That's where she is. I'll have to ask someone where that is.

Fairly easy to do, but takes some practice.

 

[Pikalution]

Chapter 3 is up. A big thank you to Kyuujux for reading my story and giving me great feedback. You're a good help!

Chapter 3​

Asher and Finnegan went on the small and grassy route of Route 101 yet again. No one was outside because of how late it was. “Well, Finny, I can finally see adventure.” He said. For once, he truly felt happy. Finny brushed against Asher’s leg to show affection. Asher smiled. “Come on, let’s do this. Let’s conquer the Hoenn region together!” They continued to walk with triumph until they got to Oldale Town, which also seemed lifeless except for the light inside the Pokemon Center. Asher decided to rest in the Pokemon Center.

“What a day, Finnegan!” Asher sighed. “It’s getting really late. I can’t stay up all night. Let’s go rest.”

“Mudkip!” Finny said, agreeing with Asher. With that, they walked into the Pokemon Center. It was bigger than he expected, and it was filled with pokemon trainers. There was a cafeteria and a place for trainers to hang out. There was also a hospital area, of course. Surprisingly, there was a nurse that was still awake. She had red hair in pigtails and a pink dress with a white apron, and a nurse's cap.

“Welcome to the Pokemon Center!” The nurse said, eyes shining with excitement. Asher wondered how she could be so enthusiastic at this time of night. And why were there so many trainers awake at this hour?

"Hello," Asher said. "I'd like to spend the night here." He picked up Finnegan to show the nurse that he had a pokemon too.

"Oh, great! Is it just for one night?" The nurse asked politely.

"Yes." Asher replied. He saw a Chansey coming their way.

"Chansey, please take them to an empty room." The nurse ordered. The Chansey obeyed and took them up the stairs. There were many white doors everywhere, each assigned a number. There was also a double door labeled "Pokemon Colosseum and Trade Center". This place has everything, Asher thought. I hope they have more of these in other towns.

"Chansey!" The Chansey said as she opened a door. The door was numbered 108. It was Asher's room for the night.

"Thank you, Chansey!" Asher said, and he and Finny went inside the room. It was plain-looking, and reminded him of his room at home. It contained a bed, a dresser, a TV, and a table with chairs. It looked like they were bought together as a set. Asher opened up his bag and put on his pajamas. He looked over at Finny. "So, Finny, would you like to sleep in your Poke Ball? Or do you want to sleep on the bed with me?"

Finny ran and jumped on the bed. "Mudkip!" He said.

Asher smiled. "All right! What's the use of a Poke Ball if you won't go in it anyway?" He crawled into bed as Finny was falling asleep at his feet. "Good night, Finny." He turned off the light and fell asleep.

------

Asher woke up peacefully. He felt like he got a really good sleep the night before. He saw that Finny was off the bed and looking inside Asher's bag.

"Good morning, Finny! Are you hungry?" Asher wondered.

Finny nodded. Asher stood up and got dressed, fixing up his hair in the process. He grabbed his bag and the rest of his things and exited the room, Finnegan following behind him.

Once he got all his stuff together and inside his bag, he put the bag on his shoulder and picked Finny up. There's so many people here. I can't risk having anyone steal my pokemon, Asher thought. In fact, besides Bennie, Finny was the only thing that made him happy. And he needed him to become Champion and prove to his parents that he's better than they thought.

When they got downstairs, there were more nurses. "Hello, sir!" A nurse greeted him. "Would you like your complimentary breakfast? We give a complimentary breakfast to your pokemon too."

"Yes, we would like some breakfast." Asher answered, and he followed the nurse into the cafeteria. There were a lot of trainers there, most of them just starting out like him.

"It's a buffet, so just grab a tray for you and your pokemon and get some food!" The nurse said. "One side of the cafeteria has human food, and the other side has pokemon food."

"All right, thanks!" Asher said. "I'm sorry, Finny. I know you're hungrier than I am, but I don't want you sitting by yourself. I'll get my food first." He walked over to the human food side. Eggs, bacon, waffles, pancakes....any kind of breakfast food anyone could want was there. He grabbed a tray and grabbed some food. When he was done, he put his tray down at an empty table. "Ok, Finny. I'll go over to the pokemon food with you." He picked up Finny and walked over to the pokemon food side. There wasn't much variety there; they only had Pokemon Pellets, Poffins, Berries, and Pokeblocks. "What do you like, Finny?" Asher asked.

Finny looked at all that food with disgust. Asher could tell that Finny didn't want any pokemon food. "Well, do you like human food?" Asher asked. Finny nodded, and Asher picked him up again and went over to the human food side. He let Finny pick out his food, and he walked back to their table.

Asher was only halfway done with his food when Finny gobbled up his. "Finny! You got twice as much food as I did! How did you finish before me?!" He was surprised that a little Mudkip could even eat that much.

When they finished their food, they said their thank-yous and good-byes to the nurses and walked out of the Pokemon Center. "Route 102 must be next. That weird guy said that it leads to Petalburg City," Asher said to Finny. He walked over to the clearing on the east side of town. He saw a vast lake and the typical forest-like environment. There were lots of trainers battling each other and plenty of tall grass for wild pokemon. He remembered the Professor telling him that he can't become Champion with just one pokemon, so he decided to go into the tall grass first. He walked around in the tall grass a little. He looked over at the lake and saw a Seedot near it. I might as well catch it, Asher thought. "All right, Finnegan. Here's our chance! Weaken it with a Tackle!"

Finnegan obeyed and tackled the Seedot. the Seedot was thrown to the ground and caught by surprise, but the Seedot got up and just stood there. Finnegan tackled it again, but it didn't do as much damage as the first one did.

"That's enough weakening, Finny." Asher said, and got out one of his empty Poke Balls. "Now I'll catch it!" He threw a Poke Ball at it, and the Seedot was inside. Did I catch it? Asher wondered. But then the Poke Ball started moving. 1, 2, 3....after it shook three times, the Poke Ball suddenly stopped and glowed red.

Asher had caught his first pokemon.

 

[Kyuuketsuki]

Comparing the description in this chapter to the previous ones, I'd say you improved a lot. All you need now is just practice, and you'll be even better! The only technical criticism I have left is that there are too many individual sentences; find a way to link them.

Aside from those however, I liked how you focused more on Asher's relationship with Finnegan, and how the Pokémon seems to developing a personality of his own that serves as a great contrast to Asher's personality, and I do look forward to seeing how the Seedot will compliment the team. Great job so far.

 

[Pikalution]

I noticed that when I read over it after it was posted. I'll have to go back and edit it then. Thanks for your feedback! I might post the next chapter today, but I can't guarantee it.

 

[Kantomasta]

Just read all the chapters, andhave to say it was really good! Like what Kyuu said, the description in the first few chapters could have used more descriptions, but the newest one was really good in description. I have two questions though:

1. Do you pronounce it Ai-sher or Ah-sher
2. Are you actully playing R/S/E or are you just writing?

 

[Pikalution]

1. Ah-sher. Like Ash from the anime, with a syllable added to the end (I didn't try to do that, I just like the name Asher)
2. Yes. I'm playing Ruby. I'm just changing it up a little bit. It's more interesting that way.

Anyway, Chapter 4 is up! Enjoy!

Chapter 4​

Asher released his newly caught Seedot from his Poke Ball. The Seedot gave him a skeptical look. "I think I'll call you Oliver!" He said. Oliver gave him a look of approval, and Asher turned around to look at Finnegan. "We have a new team member, Finnegan! I hope you two can become best friends."

Finnegan looked at Oliver, then back at Asher. Are you serious? He was telling Asher.

Asher nodded. "All right, Oliver, let's train you for a bit!"

------

After a few hours of training, Asher decided to battle some trainers on his way to Petalburg City. He walked over to the clearing where all the trainers were. A trainer started walking up to him wearing a blue baseball cap, blue shorts, and a yellow shirt. "My name is Calvin, and I challenge you to a pokemon battle!"

"All right, let's do it." Asher said coolly. "You can do it, Oliver!" He said as he threw Oliver's Poke Ball on the ground. Oliver looked like he was ready for a fight.

"Go, Ziggy!" Calvin said, and a Zigzagoon came out of its Poke Ball. Finnegan gave it an evil look, remembering his encounter with a Zigzagoon the day before.

"Oliver, this'll be easy. Use Bide!" Asher commanded.

Oliver stood still, taking in Ziggy's attacks. After Ziggy tackled him a few times, Oliver unleashed all of his energy. Ziggy fell down to the ground, hurt badly, but he wasn't giving up. Oliver used Bide again, not seeming to hurt at all from Ziggy's Tackle. Oliver unleashed energy again, and Ziggy went down instantly, showing no signs of getting up.

"Send out your next pokemon." Asher said, smiling from his victory.

Calvin was shaking. "Um...t-that's my only...pokemon..." He stuttered, looking down at Ziggy with horror.

Asher had no sympathy. "I won!" He said, and looked over at Oliver. "Great job, Oliver! We make a great team!"

"Seedot." Oliver said, not exactly jumping for joy as Finnegan would've done. Asher went over to Oliver and gave him a hug, and Finnegan looked at Asher as if he had been betrayed.

"You were great, Oliver. Now return!" He returned Oliver back inside his Poke Ball. "Come on, Finnegan! Let's battle some more trainers."

Finnegan, still a little jealous of Oliver, continued to follow Asher through Route 102.

------

Asher felt like Route 102 would never end. After a series of battles, there was yet another clearing that eventually lead to Petalburg City. This was the biggest city in Hoenn that Asher's ever seen. It had a small little pond, a few trees, and a lot of grass. There were quite a few people outside, enjoying the beautiful spring day. Asher could see a Poke Mart, Pokemon Center, and...a gym! Asher was excited. My first gym battle! I can't wait! He hurried over to the gym and stepped inside.

He saw two statues with Poke Balls on top and a man with blue hair not much older than him. In fact, he only looked a few years older. Was it really that easy to become a gym leader? He walked over to him. "Hello. My name is Asher, and I'm here for the gym badge!"

The man looked down at Finnegan, then back up at Asher. "Is this the first gym you've challenged?"

"Yes." Asher replied, wondering why he was so interested in Finnegan.

"Well, judging by your pokemon, you don't seem ready to battle my gym. If you want to have your first gym badge, you'll have to go to Rustboro City. This is actually supposed to be the fifth gym." The man informed him. "Go west of this town, then up north to the Petalburg Woods. Rustboro is on the other side."

"Oh...ok. Well, thanks anyway." Asher was disappointed. "Oh, Finnegan, Bennie probably already has her first badge!"

"It's all right, it happens a lot." The man laughed. "My name is Norman, by the way. Come challenge my gym once you have four badges."

"You got it, Norman!" Asher said. "Bye!" He exited the gym, feeling disappointed. "Well, Finnegan, it sounds like Rustboro is a long way from here. Let's just rest at the Pokemon Center and leave in the morning."

"Mudkip!" Finnegan said, agreeing with him. Asher guessed he was just hungry.

When they went inside the Pokemon Center, Asher was surprised to see that not a lot of people were there. It's probably because it's not evening yet, Asher thought. He walked into the cafeteria, and Finnegan was excited. He ran over to the side with the human food and tried to pick up a tray.

"Here, let me help you." Asher said, laughing. Once again, he gave Finny twice as much food as he gave himself. He put his trays down and went over to the pokemon food side, getting some Poffins for Oliver. He let Oliver out of his Poke Ball and exclaimed, "Let's eat!"

"Mudkip!" Finnegan said, excited to get some food. He ate all of his food in record time. Oliver was eating his food nice and slowly, enjoying the pokemon food.

"So, Oliver, you like the pokemon food?" Asher asked, wondering if it was just Finny that preferred human food. Oliver nodded, and Asher giggled. "Seems like you're the odd one, Finny." As he was scanning the cafeteria, he saw someone that looked oddly familiar. It was a girl that wore red and white clothing with long, light brown, flowing wavy pigtails and a red hat. Asher soon realized it was Bennie. Bennie! I must go over there and talk to her! He also noticed that she was alone. Perfect.

When Oliver finally finished his food, Asher threw away the leftovers and walked over to Bennie, Oliver and Finnegan following close behind. Bennie noticed him right away.

"Hey, Asher." She said, looking up at him with her beautiful blue eyes. "What brings you here?"

"I just wanted to say hello." Asher said. "May I sit?"

"Go ahead." Bennie said, "The rest of the population here are just a bunch of idiots who think they're cool for catching the most pokemon. I've only caught one besides Elliot, and I'll bet that I can beat all of them easily. With my pokemon and my fists."

"I won't doubt that." Asher said, smiling. "I've also only caught one besides Finnegan." He picked up Oliver to show her. "His name is Oliver."

"I caught a Ralts, and I named her Karis," Bennie said, "It means graceful."

"Karis is a pretty name." Asher said, "and so is Bennie."

Bennie's face turned bright red, but she shook her head and continued with her cool attitude. "Well, that's nice." Then she paused for a minute. "Come to my room with your pokemon. I'd like some company, and everyone else...well...I don't feel like dealing with them."

"That sounds nice," Asher said, "but I have to get a room first." He was embarrassed once he realized he forgot to get a room first. He was too focused on satisfying Finnegan's hunger! "I sort of forgot to get a room. You see, Finny is always hungry..."

"Dumbass." Bennie said, smiling a little. "It's ok, I'll just go with you and show you where my room is from there."

"Sounds like a plan." Asher said, and he returned Oliver, picked up Finnegan, and exited the cafeteria.

He walked over to the nurse behind the counter. "Um, I need a room." He said awkwardly, hoping the nurse didn't know he ate first. "It's just for one night."

"All right. Chansey!" The nurse called. She didn't say anything about the cafeteria, so Asher guessed that she didn't notice. Chansey walked over, got a key, and lead Asher to his room.

When they got there, Chansey handed Asher his key. Bennie looked shocked. "Your room is right next to mine!" she said.

"Weird, huh..." Asher said, his chest filled with excitement. He didn't know why he was so happy about being right next to Bennie, but he decided it wasn't particularly a bad thing. He put his bag on his bed, locked the door, and walked into Bennie's room.

Asher let Oliver out while Bennie let out her two pokemon. Finnegan, Oliver, Karis, and Elliot made their own little circle to talk and play together. Bennie and Asher sat on the bed, watching the pokemon play.

Asher smiled. "It's amazing how they get along so well, considering Finnegan and Elliot battled each other yesterday."

"Yeah. Most pokemon learn to live like that, I guess." Bennie replied. She then looked over at Asher. "Do you always keep Finnegan outside of his Poke Ball?"

Asher looked back at Bennie. "Of course I do! He keeps me company. He never seems to want to go inside the Poke Ball, anyway. If you ask me, I think he wants to be a human. He also sleeps on the bed with me and doesn't like pokemon food."

"Now that's just weird!" Bennie said, "Both of my pokemon love pokemon food, and they're always in their Poke Balls. You and Finnegan seem to have a good relationship, though."

"We're good friends," Asher said, "After all, he's the first pokemon I've ever had." He decided to change the subject. I've got to get her to like me! He thought. Maybe we'll travel through the region together. Once she sees me become Champion, she'll never be able to resist me! "You know, Bennie, I love your eyes," he said, "And I've always thought you were beautiful."

"Oh." Bennie said, her face turning red again. "That's nice." She looked away from Asher, then continued to watch the pokemon.

"I'm surprised you didn't punch me in the face for saying that." Asher said. Maybe she really does like me!

"Well, you are a dumbass," Bennie replied, "but I've decided to let you go this one time." She tried to hide a smile.

They sat there in silence for a while, watching their pokemon play. Karis poked Oliver, and the others were fleeing from Oliver as he ran over to tag one of them.

"They sure are adorable." Bennie finally said. Then she yawned. "You know, Asher, I'm a bit tired. I think I'll turn in for the night. Go, before I literally kick you out!"

"That's fine with me," Asher said, and returned Oliver as he was running around. "Come on, Finnegan, it's time for bed."

Finny didn't want to go, but he obeyed and ran behind Asher. "Good night, Bennie." He said, giving her another awkward smile.

"Good night, Asher." Bennie said, hiding another smile by turning the other way.

Asher exited the room and entered his, closing the door behind him and Finnegan. "She likes me," he said to Finnegan, "and by the time I become Champion, she will be mine."

 

[Kyuuketsuki]

So much better than the previous chapters! You've improved a lot; you're more descriptive, and your characters convey a lot more emotions this time around. Great job!

The only thing I found issue with was how Finnegan was jealous of Oliver, yet started playing with him when Elliot and Karis were around as if he didn't mind him. Aside from that, I'm glad to see that Asher found a new reason to become the Champion, and that Bennie is a welcomed character now; I didn't like her introduction, specifically the aggressive attitude. Finally, the story is progressing wonderfully, and I hope you keep on improving yourself.

 

[Kantomasta]

Well, not much to say, as Kyuu said it all again. . You definately did improve alot on this chapter though! There was a ton more description, and some more character's relationship developements. Great chapter!

 

[Pikalution]

Thank you all for the comments! :yahoo: Sorry that I didn't post at all in like a week; school does that. :/ I don't have any school tomorrow, however, so I might post a few chapters tomorrow as well.

Now Chapter 5 is up! Enjoy!

Chapter 5​

Asher woke up without the ability to see. He freaked out, and Finnegan quickly jumped off his face while Asher gained his sight back. He laughed. "Sorry, Finnegan! I thought I went blind."

"Kip kip!" Finnegan said, running over to the door. Asher could tell that he was just hungry.

"Oh, all right. Let's go." Asher got up and changed his clothes, fixed his black, flippy hair, and walked out of the room. He looked at the room next to his where Bennie was the night before. He had hoped that she was still there.

"Chansey!" A Chansey said, walking up to the door with a different trainer. It opened the door for that trainer, and he walked into the room. Bennie had left already, and Asher's heart sank.

Asher walked downstairs and into the cafeteria for some breakfast. Carrying Finnegan, he went over to the human food side and picked out his and Finnegan's food and sat down at an empty table.

When they were finished, he checked out of the Pokemon Center and looked around outside. He tried looking for a new route to go on and head to Rustboro City. He remembered Norman saying that the route was west of Petalburg. He went over to the west side of Petalburg and, like Norman said, there was a clearing that lead to a new route.

This route, called Route 104, was the biggest route that Asher's ever seen. There was a bay on the west and south side of the route, and up north was tall grass and a forest. He could see some kids playing with the water and the sand. What a beautiful scenery, Asher thought.

He walked into the tall grass and came across a Wingull. The Wingull was startled and tried attacking Finnegan, but Finny was ready. Without a command, he tackled the Wingull, his strength hurting it badly. He was about to attack the Wingull a second time when Asher said, "No, Finny! That's enough!" Asher took out a Poke Ball and threw it at the Wingull. 1, 2, 3, click! He caught the Wingull easier than he thought he would.

"I did it!" Asher shouted. He let the Wingull out of its Poke Ball to get a better look at it. It was a female. "I'll name you Hali," Asher said, "It means 'of the sea'."

Hali looked pleased with her name. Asher sent out Oliver. "Hali, this is Oliver. The Mudkip over there is Finnegan. I hope everyone gets along!"

Finnegan seemed to like Hali more than Oliver. Hali decided to walk with Finnegan instead of fly. Oliver walked on the other side of Asher, feeling left out.

"I'm sorry, Oliver." Asher said. "They probably get along because they're both Water types. Here, I'll carry you." He picked up Oliver and continued along the path to the Petalburg Woods.

He eventually reached a sign that said "Petalburg Woods". This is it, he thought. These woods lead to Rustboro City! He entered the woods through a path. The woods were dark and covered in trees, but there was a clearing that made a path through the woods.

As he was walking down the path, the woods got darker and scarier. He suddenly saw a mysterious girl with a long black ponytail running towards him. She had a black scarf with a black shirt that went off the shoulders and short shorts. She also had some black gloves on. She looked mysterious. They bumped into each other and dropped their bags, their items spilling everywhere.

"I'm sorry!" Asher said, embarrassed. He crouched down and picked up the things that looked like they were his, including some berries and potions. When he stood up, the girl finished gathering her things and gave him an angry look. Asher was startled, but she ran away. Someone's in a bad mood, he thought. He walked in some tall grass when he came across a Wurmple.

"Wurm!" the Wurmple said, alarmed.

"Hali! Weaken it with a Water Gun!" Asher commanded, and Hali flew over to it and blasted water out of her mouth. The Wurmple was shocked about the impact, but it didn't look too hurt. "Use Water Gun again, Hali!" Asher said, and Hali hit the Wurmple with another Water Gun. This time, the Wurmple seemed weak. Asher threw a Poke Ball at it, and the Poke Ball shook three times and clicked.

"You did it, Hali!" Asher exclaimed, "Now we have a new team member!" He sent out his new Wurmple, who was also female. He gave her a Potion, which she gladly took. "I have a feeling that you will turn into a beautiful Beautifly or Dustox one day, so I think I'll name you Belle."

Belle crawled onto Asher's shoulder, happy with her name. They continued along the path of the woods. Asher felt like they would never end. Asher could understand why there weren't any trainers here: it was just plain creepy.

Asher finally saw a light. "We're getting out of here!" He said, running over to the light with all of his pokemon following him. He then entered Route 105, which had a beautiful lake and lots of trainers battling beside it. There was a bridge that came across it. Rustboro City was just ahead.

When Asher started walking along the route, a girl wearing a green dress and hat ran up to him. "Are you up for a battle?" She asked.

"Sure." He said. "Bring it on!"

"Go, Zigzag!" The girl said, sending out a Zigzagoon.

"Let's do it, Belle!" Asher said. Belle needs some training.

"A Wurmple?" The girl sneered, "You won't get anywhere with that. Zigzag, use Tackle."

Zigzag tackled Belle with all her might. Belle was shaken by it, but she still got up.

"Belle, use Poison Sting! Show Zigzag what you can do!"

Belle's spike on her head turned purple as she stabbed Zigzag in the shoulder. Zigzag winced in pain, her shoulder turning purple. She was poisoned.

"Good job, Belle. Now tackle it!"

Belle used Tackle, hurting Zigzag even more. Zigzag was in no mood to fight, but she was determined to stand up again. Belle stabbed Zigzag with another Poison Sting and the Zigzagoon was defeated. Asher won.

"You were great, Belle!" Asher said proudly. "Great job!"

Asher's other pokemon seemed to be cheering for Belle too. They were also happy with Belle's victory.

Suddenly, Belle started changing. Gray silk wrapped around her, and she completely changed into a cocoon-like pokemon. Asher could tell that she was evolving and becoming a Cascoon, and she would someday be a Dustox.

"You've evolved!" Asher said, excited. He ran over to Belle and picked her up. Let's get to Rustboro City and rest, shall we?

Belle remained silent, but Finnegan talked for her. "Kip kip!" He said.

"I know, Finnegan. You want food." He walked across the bridge, careful not to get in the way of other trainer battles.

 

[Pikalution]

As I predicted, Chapter 6 is up since I don't have school! (Hooray for Martin Luther King, Jr. day )

Chapter 6​

Rustboro City was huge. It was even bigger than Petalburg. Asher wondered if there were cities even bigger than Rustboro. There were a lot of streets that lead to dead ends with houses surrounding them. There was a Pokemon Trainers School, the Devon Corporation, and, of course, a gym. The city was almost completely symmetrical, with a street that ran down the middle and houses on each side. Asher couldn't wait to explore the city.

"Everyone, this is Rustboro!" He told his pokemon. "Let's rest for a bit, and then we'll explore the city. Tomorrow, we will train and defeat our first gym leader."

"Kip kip!" Finnegan said, running towards the building with the red roof. Asher followed him with Belle in his arms and Hali flying beside him with Oliver in her talons.

As Asher expected, this Pokemon Center was almost identical to the others. The only difference was that this one had a phone inside it if someone wanted to call home. It also had a map of Hoenn. I might as well look at the map so I know where to go next, Asher thought. He found out that there were routes north and east of the city, one leading to a cave and the other leading to Meteor Falls. He decided that he would explore the Rusturf Tunnel after he got his badge. Maybe I can catch a pokemon on that route, Asher thought. I might as well. The more the merrier!

He returned all of his pokemon and walked over to a nurse. "I would like to stay here for a night and have my pokemon healed."

The nurse nodded. "Very well. I will take your pokemon now. Lunch is being served in the cafeteria if you would like some food. Chansey!"

A Chansey came over to them. She took a key from the nurse, escorted Asher to his new room, and gave him the key. "Thank you, Chansey!" Asher said, smiling.

"Chansey." Chansey said, bowing.

Asher walked to his new room and dropped off his bag. He then went outside, locked the door, and went back over to the nurse.

"While you were gone, we have healed your pokemon to perfect health." The nurse said, "we hope to see you again!"

"You too. Thank you!" Asher said, and he walked into the cafeteria. Finnegan instantly burst out of his Poke Ball and ran over to the human food. Oh, Finnegan! Asher thought, laughing. He followed Finny and gave Finny and himself some food. He then got food for his other pokemon, and they all gathered around the table to eat some lunch.

Finny, of course, was the first one done with his food. "You know, Finny, I'm going to time you one of these days!" Asher said.

"Mudkip!" Finnegan exclaimed, satisfied.

When they were all done, Asher returned all of his pokemon except Finnegan. He picked up his Mudkip and walked out of the Pokemon Center. "Ok, so before we explore the city, I want to visit Route 116. It's supposed to be to the east," he said, not really knowing if he was talking to Finnegan or himself.

He walked north of the town and saw two clearings. One that was farther north and one that was to the east. He chose the clearing east of him and saw a sign that said "Route 116". This particular route was covered in trees, and he saw a few trainers there. Ignoring the trainers, he walked into the tall grass and came across a female Taillow. She looked over at Asher and spread her wings, about to fly. Asher panicked and threw a Poke Ball at her. The Poke Ball only shook once before the Taillow broke out of it. Now she was angry. She flew over to Finnegan and tried to peck him.

"Finnegan! Use Tackle!" Asher commanded. Finnegan tackled the Taillow to the ground, and she didn't move. Asher threw another Poke Ball at her, but this time she stayed inside. He caught the Taillow. "We did it again, Finnegan." He said, looking at his pokemon with pride. "I know I can always count on you."

"Muuudkip!" Finnegan said, jumping for joy.

Asher sent out all of his pokemon. Hali, Oliver, and Belle looked at the newly caught Taillow. "Hali, Oliver, Belle, this is our newest member. I think I'll call her Miku."

His pokemon began to surround Miku, greeting her and welcoming her to the group. All of his pokemon except Belle, that is.

"Belle, can you move inside that cocoon?" Asher asked, running up to her. But Belle didn't make a sound either. She'll be able to move and talk once she evolves, I guess, Asher thought. He picked Belle up and turned towards his other pokemon. "Let's explore the city!" He said. "I don't want to journey all over Hoenn just to become Champion. I have to see the sights too!" That's not what I thought when I left, though.

They exited the route and walked around Rustboro City. There weren't very many tourists there. Asher guessed that people only came here for the gym and Meteor Falls. At this time, Trainer's School was over, and kids ran out of the building with joy. Asher had never seen children that happy before. They must have good homes, Asher thought. He thought about this parents, pitying himself. Then he shook his head. No. I'm a better person now. I will become Champion, and their criticism means nothing to me. I am happy, just like those students.

When he finished touring, he realized there was still time left in the day. He decided to use it for training. He walked back to Route 116 and trained his pokemon for the rest of the day.

-----------

In the next morning, Asher quickly got up and got ready to challenge the gym. He was nervous, especially since he didn't know what he was going up against, but he was ready. He found all of his pokemon asleep in the room. All except Belle.

Now Asher was really nervous. "Belle?! Belle, where are you?!"

"Dustox." A pokemon said above him. He looked up, and sure enough, there was Belle. She had evolved into a Dustox.

"Belle! You've evolved!" Asher gasped, "And just like I said, you have become beautiful."

His other pokemon woke up and looked at the beautiful Dustox. Belle flew down to greet the others.

When Asher got breakfast and exited the Pokemon Center, he started to feel the butterflies in his stomach. I think I can do this....no. I know I can do this!

Before he entered the gym, he read the sign outside of it. It read:

Rustboro City Pokemon Gym
Leader: Rocco
"The man made of rock hard stone!"

Asher instantly knew he was going up against Rock-type pokemon. Based on his knowledge from going to Pokemon League Tournaments, he knew that Oliver, Hali, and Finnegan would do well in this gym.

The gym floor was covered in rocks, and there were stone walls surrounding him. If this wasn't a Rock-type gym, he was out of his mind.

"I see that you have come to challenge me." a man said. He had brown, somewhat spiky hair. There was a little girl beside him. She had long brown hair, and she looked about two years old.

"I have." Asher said. "My name is Asher. You must be Rocco."

"I am Rocco." Rocco looked over at the little girl. "You know what to do."

"I do!" She said, running over to the side.

"That is my daughter. She will be watching the battle and determine who wins." Rocco said.

"Fine with me." Asher said.

"Go, Dude!" Rocco said, sending out a Geodude.

"Let's do this, Oliver!" Asher said, sending out his Seedot. "Now, Oliver. Let's see what Grass-type moves you know. Try using Bullet Seed!"

Oliver spat out seeds from his mouth, each one hitting Dude. Dude was no match for Oliver, and he instantly fell to the ground. As soon as that happened, Oliver began to change. He started to grow arms, and he got taller. A nose jutted out of his face, and a leaf grew out of his head. He had evolved into a Nuzleaf.

"Nice one, Oliver!" Asher said proudly, "you've evolved to! You deserve a rest. Return!" Oliver returned back to his Poke Ball.

"The challenger's pokemon has defeated Rocco's Geodude. The battle is 1-0." The little girl said. "If the challenger defeats Rocco's next pokemon, the challenger wins."

Asher turned to Finnegan. "You ready to win this?"

"Mudkip!" Finnegan said, jumping in front of Asher.

Rocco returned Dude and sent out a Nosepass. "Rocky, use Rock Throw!" Rocky obeyed, rocks hitting Finnegan's face. But Finnegan wasn't defeated that easily.

"Finnegan, use Water Gun!"

Water blasted out of Finnegan's mouth and slammed Rocky to the wall. Rocky fell down, but he quickly got up. He used Rock Tomb this time, but Finnegan dodged it and attacked with another Water Gun. This time, Rocky was defeated.

"The challenger's pokemon has defeated Rocco's Nosepass. The battle is 2-0. The challenger wins!" The little girl said.

"We did it, Finnegan!" Asher exclaimed, picking up his pokemon and spinning around in circles while hugging him.

"You have defeated me, young trainer," Rocco said, "So I will entrust you with the Stone Badge. It raises your pokemon's Attack power. I will also give you this." Rocco handed Asher a brown disc. "It's a TM, which contains Rock Tomb. Use it wisely."

"Thank you, Rocco!" Asher said, taking the badge and the TM. He put the TM in his bag and the badge in his badge case. He waved good-bye to Rocco and the little girl. "Thanks again! Come on, Finnegan. Let's rest." He walked out of the gym and headed towards the Pokemon Center with pride.

 

[Pikalution]

Chapter 7 is up! :banana: I think it's peanut butter jelly time

Chapter 7​

After healing his pokemon, he decided to put Hali in his PC. I can't carry more than six pokemon, and I'm sure Professor will train her well, Asher thought. He then went over to Route 116 and the Rusturf Tunnel to get to Verdanturf Town. There was a possibility of a gym being there.

When he entered the tunnel, he thought he heard something. He turned around to see a girl that looked quite familiar. She had a black ponytail and was wearing black clothing. Asher finally recognized her as the girl he bumped into in the Petalburg Woods.

"You." she said, pointing at Asher. "Battle me."

Asher smiled. "Gladly!" he said. He then turned to Finnegan. "Finnegan! Take her on."

"Kip!" Finnegan said, standing in front of Asher and ready to fight.

The girl threw a Poke Ball on the ground and revealed a Torchic. She gasped when she saw it, looking confused. "Hey, that's not..." but she didn't bother finishing her sentence. "Ok, Torchic. You are now called Cinderella. Cindi, use Scratch!"

Cinderella scratched Finnegan with her little talon, but Finny wasn't bothered by it at all.

"Finny, Water Gun!" Asher commanded. This should take this Torchic right out, he thought.

A blast of water shot out of Finnegan's mouth, and the poor little Torchic was down in one shot.

The girl was horrified. "I'll never beat that little Mudkip of yours, will I? No worries, though. I've got one more pokemon. Be prepared!" She got another Poke Ball and threw it in the air. A Chinchou came out of it.

"Let's do this, Miku!" Asher said, sending out his Taillow.

"Tail!" Miku cried.

"Ariel! Use your Flail attack! The girl ordered.

Ariel used Flail, but Miku flew out of the way, making her miss.

"Miku! Peck!" Asher commanded. Miku's beak turned yellow as she flew over to Ariel and pecked her as hard as she could. Ariel shook it off, and when the girl gave another command, she used Flail on Miku, jumping so she would hit her. Miku crashed down to the ground, but she stood up and decided not to fly again.

"Keep going, Miku! Use Wing Attack now!" Asher said, confident that he would win the battle. Miku attacked Ariel with her wings and sent Ariel to the ground. Still not finished, Ariel got up. She hit Miku with another Flail, but this one didn't do as much damage. Determined to win, Miku hit Ariel with another Wing Attack, but Ariel didn't get up this time. Miku had hit her with a critical hit, and Asher won.

"No! Not my Ariel!" The girl said, upset about her loss. She returned her Chinchou and gave Asher an angry look. "We will meet again, but next time, I will beat you." She ran out of the tunnel.

Asher started to hear more noises all around him. When he looked around, he saw that this tunnel was populated with Whismur. I should catch one, he thought. When he looked through his bag, he couldn't find any more Poke Balls, but he saw one lying on the ground. He picked it up and decided to use it for himself.

"All right, Miku. While you're out, use Wing Attack on one of the Whismur. Any one you'd like." Asher said.

"Tail!" Miku said, obeying as she attacked a small Whismur. The Whismur was scared, and stood there shaking instead of attacking back. Asher threw a Poke Ball at it and it shook three times and clicked.

"Good job, Miku!" Asher said, "Now return!" He returned his Taillow and sent out the Whismur. He was still shaking with fear. "Aww, it's okay!" Asher said, trying to calm him down. "You're my pokemon now, and we're going to go on many adventures together. Trust me, you're safe with me." The Whismur seemed to calm down a little, but it was still shaking slightly. "You know, you remind me of a music term. I think I'll call you Tremolo."

Tremolo looked up at Asher, then at Finnegan. Finnegan nodded, calming Tremolo down. Tremolo finally stopped shaking. Asher smiled.

Suddenly, a man walked up to him. He looked like he was a few years older than Asher. "Have you seen a girl with a black scarf and shirt? She's also got black hair tied in a ponytail and short shorts too."

Yes, I just battled her!" Asher gasped, "Why do you ask?"

"I'm a private investigator. The name's Phoenix." Phoenix reached out to shake Asher's hand, and Asher accepted. "That girl is bad news. I'm tracking her down. If you see her again, you let me know."

"I will, I promise." Asher said. Wow, I didn't know she was a criminal. Bad enough to be tracked down by a private investigator, too! Maybe that's why she wears solid black...

"She might be heading to Slateport City. If you go past the Petalburg Woods and get on the end of Route 104 with the bay, there should be a ferry place. It's called Peecko's Ferry Services. Dewford Town is on the way. If you stop there, you can get a gym badge." Phoenix said, acting like he knew exactly what was on Asher's mind.

"So there's no gym in Verdanturf?" Asher asked.

"No. If you've only received one badge, the next place to go is Dewford."

"Okay." Asher said, not really wanting to walk all the way back there. "Thanks for your help! And I will look for that girl."

"Thanks, kid. It means a lot." Phoenix replied. "By the way, that girl's name is Mirella. That might be helpful."

"All right, I'll remember that. Thanks again!" Asher walked out of the cave with Tremolo and Finnegan following right behind him. "I guess we have to go through the Petalburg Woods again, Finny." Asher sighed. "Let's go, I guess."

-------

They walked out of the Petalburg Woods hopefully for the last time. They continued down Route 104 and looked over at the bay. He saw a small building, a dock, and a boat. He could tell that he was at Peecko's Ferry Services.

When he walked inside, he saw a middle-aged man and his Wingull at a counter. There was also a small kitchen and a bed, so Asher could tell that the man and Wingull also lived there. He walked up to the counter.

"Hello, sir! Welcome to Peecko's Ferry Services. I'm Mr. Briney, and this is my Wingull named Peecko!" Mr. Briney said, enthusiastic. "How may I help you?"

"Hello!" Asher greeted, "My name is Asher. I've come here because I need to take a ferry over to Dewford Town."

"Ah, I see!" Mr. Briney replied. "That will be 500 poke." Asher put the money on the counter. "Anchors aweigh, Peecko! Let's go!"

"Gull! Wing!" Peecko said, flying onto Mr. Briney's shoulder. Asher sent out all of his pokemon and got onto the boat. Miku and Peecko flew around together while Oliver and Belle decided to hang out together. Tremolo was warming up to this life. He started conversing with Finnegan as the ferry departed.

"The bay opens up to an ocean." Mr. Briney said. "It's the most beautiful ocean I've ever seen."

"Have you traveled all over the pokemon world?" Asher asked, curious.

"Why, yes I have!" Mr. Briney said, happy that Asher was interested. "I've been to Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh. Well, I guess I haven't been everywhere. I haven't been to Unova yet."

"Unova?" Asher said, confused. "I've heard of Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh, but I've never heard of Unova. Where's that region?"

"Oh, it's very far away. Farther than the length of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh combined! It's on the other side of the world." Mr. Briney explained. "I've been told that it's an interesting place. Most of the pokemon there are only native to Unova. But I think that Hoenn is the most beautiful region. I enjoy exploring it more than anything in the world. That's why I've made my ferry services here."

"Maybe I'll become like you." Asher said. "I'd like to travel the world someday. Maybe I can go to Unova!"

"If you go to Unova, tell me everything you've done in the most detail possible," Mr. Briney said, "got it?"

"Oh, I will!" Asher exclaimed, "I'll come right back here after I've visited it!"

Tremolo and Finnegan ran past them, looking out at the front of the boat. "Whis! Whismur!" Tremolo said, trying to get Asher's attention.

Asher looked at where Tremolo was pointing. He saw land. It must be Dewford Town, Asher thought.

 

[Pikalution]

So, I see no one has been reading my story lately...oh well, I guess :/ does it really suck that bad? Anyway, here's Chapter 8.

Chapter 8​

When they docked the boat, Asher stepped out of it and was amazed by the view. There was a vast ocean, bigger than any ocean he's seen before. Dewford Town was basically a beach with houses on it. Asher could see a cave on the northern part of the island for hikers, a place for fishers, and a few tents that sold souvenirs. There was also a Pokemon Fan Club, an area where tourists sat by the beach, and...a gym! Asher decided that he wanted to stay there for a few days instead of moving on right after he got his badge.

"Well, here we are!" Mr. Briney said. "This is Dewford Town. Isn't it beautiful? It's not huge, but it's big enough to have all of this going on at once."

"It's pretty amazing!" Asher commented, "You don't get anything like this where I lived in Johto. We never vacationed to beaches in Olivine, Cianwood, or Cherrygrove. We lived in Blackthorn City, which is on the opposite side of Johto. It's pretty secluded there."

"Ah, Blackthorn. I went there once. There wasn't much to do there except explore the nature around it." Mr. Briney said. "Anyway, when would you like me to come back for you?"

Asher thought about this for a little. He decided he wanted to do some touring while he was there. "In about four days," he said, "I want to do a little touring here as well as challenge the gym."

Mr. Briney nodded. "Very well, then. I'll be on my way. Come on, Peecko!"

Miku and Peecko were perched on top of a house together. When Peecko heard his name, he flew down on Mr. Briney's shoulder, and the two friends departed the town.

Asher turned towards Finnegan and Tremolo, and all of his pokemon started gathering around him to find out what to do next. "Well, guys, let's just relax today and go to the beach."

"Mud! Mudkip!" Finnegan said, agreeing with him. The six of them walked over to the tourist area and Asher pulled out a towel. He set it down beside a beach chair and closed the umbrella that shadowed it.

"I'm getting a tan. I don't need an umbrella." Asher explained to his pokemon, who looked confused when he removed the umbrella. "We will be here for the rest of the day. Now, go have fun!"

His pokemon took off. Finnegan went straight towards the water to swim, Tremolo following him like a little brother. Oliver, Belle, and Miku went over to another area to play in the sand. Asher took out his swim suit from his bag and went into the bathroom to change. Once he was done, he laid on the beach chair and closed his eyes.

---------

When he woke up, he wasn't at the beach anymore. None of his pokemon were in sight. When he looked down, he saw that he wasn't even wearing his swim suit anymore. In fact, he looked shorter and felt younger. He recognized the place, though. Beds of the same exact size and color were aligned around the room symmetrically. There were other children that were wearing the same dull, gray outfit. Why did this place look so familiar? Asher was sure that the only place he'd ever been to when he was this young was his own house with his parents.

Suddenly, a girl walked up to him. She looked a few years older. She had long, black hair that was layered so that the ends stuck out a little. She had the brightest green eyes, just like he did. "Asher," she whispered, "you'd better make your bed, and quick! That scary old lady will come back!"

Asher had no idea how he knew her name, but he felt like he was supposed to know her. She looked oddly familiar. He looked around the room and, sure enough, only one bed was unmade. He quickly ran over there and made his bed when he heard a door open and slam shut.

All the children gasped in fear. A manly-looking woman who looked like she was in her late fourties walked into the room. That other girl was right; she was scary. She wore her dark brown hair in a tight bun with what looked like a tuxedo on top and a long black skirt. She had a scowl on her face, looking around at all the beds to make sure they were made.

"Hello, children," she said, "once again, every single one of you have made your beds. Well, that's all you children are good for. You will never amount to anything."

Never amount to anything.

"Yes, we will!" Asher suddenly screamed, "I can prove it to you!"

The lady turned towards him, and all the children gasped. Asher could hear the girl from earlier mutter "Oh no" under her breath. A boy who looked her age stood beside her, frozen in fear.

"Is that so?" The lady sneered, "If you think you're so great, then why hasn't anyone come for you yet?"

Asher paused. "I...uh..." He didn't even know why he was there in the first place!

"I'll show you what happens when you talk back to me!" the lady yelled. She stomped over to him, picking him up and throwing him over her shoulder.

"No!" The girl from earlier and the boy next to her cried, "Don't hurt him!"

The lady ignored her, carrying Asher out of the room. All Asher could hear were the two children crying "no" over and over again...

---------

Asher woke up, flinching as if he had just been struck by lightning. When he looked around, he saw that he was at the beach again, although the sun was setting. Was that a dream? Asher wondered. I feel like it happened before, but...it couldn't have. There's no way. I would've remembered all that if it did happen. He then noticed that the entire anterior part of his body was in pain. When he looked at himself, he saw that his skin was bright red. He was sunburned. Asher winced in pain and put on some sunscreen. However, his sunburn didn't bother him as much as his dream. All he could think about was that girl and that boy screaming "no" over and over again. Who were they?

He decided to try to put that in the back of his mind and go check on his pokemon. Oliver had buried Miku and Belle in the sand while Finnegan and Tremolo were still splashing around in the water. Asher giggled when he saw a wave push Finny to the ground, covering his face and underbelly with sand.

He finally started to process the fact that the sun was setting. "It's getting dark, guys. I think it's time to head inside the Pokemon Center." Asher called, returning all of his pokemon except Finnegan, like always. The two of them went over to the Pokemon Center, looking around the town as they went.

When Asher got a room and changed, he couldn't stop thinking about the dream he had while he was on the beach. Who was that girl? What was that place? Why was everything so familiar? Why was I so young? He just couldn't piece anything together. He felt like his dream was composed of a thousand tiny puzzle pieces that were next to impossible to put together.

Finnegan jumped on the bed and sat in Asher's lap, knowing he was troubled. Asher looked down at Finnegan. "I'll bet you've spent your whole life in that lab. You don't have weird dreams, do you?"

"Kip." Finnegan said, shaking his head.

Asher sighed. Nothing makes sense anymore! He was getting frustrated. Finnegan nuzzled him, hoping to console him. He looked down at Finnegan, petting his sleek blue head. "Well, Finnegan, this journey might have the key to the treasure chest that hides all the answers."

 

[Pikalution]

I feel like I'm talking to myself, but....here's Chapter 9!

Chapter 9​

Asher stepped out of the Pokemon Center and admired the beautiful morning. The clouds were big and puffy, the sun was perfectly bright, and the temperature was warm, but cool enough to make it almost perfect. It was expected of spring, of course. Suddenly, it started pouring down rain. Everybody, including Asher, started running for shelter. Asher wanted to train his pokemon, so instead of running inside the Pokemon Center, he ran into the cave on the northern part of the island: Granite Cave.

When he got inside, he was still running and ended up running into someone, smacking each other onto the ground. This time, nothing fell out of his bag, so he stood up fast. He recognized the other girl to be Bennie. She scowled at him.

"Asher," she said, "you ran into me. What's the hurry, anyway?"

"It started pouring," he explained, "I have no idea why. When I watched the TV at the Pokemon Center, it called for a sunny day everywhere except Sootopolis."

Bennie shook her head. "I don't believe you." She walked out of the cave, but Asher saw her run right back in. She was soaked, and she had only been out there for a second. "Do any of your pokemon know Rain Dance?"

Asher shook his head. "Finnegan can't learn that move on his own, and I don't have a TM of it."

Bennie smiled. "Speaking of Finnegan, how about a three on three battle? Maybe the rain will go away. I was about to go challenge Aaron, but a little extra training won't hurt."

Asher nodded. "You're on!" Finnegan, who was beside him, got prepared to battle.

"I believe I was the first to choose last time, so you can choose this time." Bennie said.

Asher got a Poke Ball out of his belt and threw it up into the air. Tremolo came out of it, and he looked right at Bennie and shivered. "It's fine, Tremolo," Asher soothed, "You'll do great!"

Bennie laughed. "Yeah, we'll see about that." She too threw a Poke Ball in the air. She also revealed a new pokemon: a Mawile. It was funny-looking, but it was also sort of cute.

Asher went into his serious battle mode. "Tremolo! Use Uproar!"

Tremolo obeyed and made sounds that created waves, heading towards the Mawile. This attack would continue for a while.

Bennie started laughing some more. "Vincent is a Steel-type. Normal-type moves won't do much damage!" She looked over at Vincent. "Vincent! Use Fake Tears!"

Tears started pouring out of Vincent's eyes, making Tremolo feel sorry for him and lowering his Special Defense.

Asher was worried at first, but then he realized something. "Do you even have any special moves?"

Bennie thought about this for a moment, then cursed under her breath. "No..."

Asher chuckled as Tremolo's attack continued.

Bennie was getting angry. "Use Bite, Vincent!"

Vincent ran up to Tremolo and bit his ear while Tremolo was making the Uproar continue. It didn't do as much damage due to Vincent being attacked while trying to attack.

Asher realized that this might be the key to winning. "Tremolo, keep using Uproar! Don't stop until Vincent has fainted!"

Tremolo kept using Uproar, prohibiting Vincent's attacks. After a long, tedious battle between Uproar and Vincent's resistance to Normal-type attacks, Vincent finally fainted.

"You did it, Tremolo!" Asher said, hugging his Whismur. "I knew you could do it. Now take a rest." He returned his pokemon with pride.

Bennie was getting angrier, returning Vincent with shame. She took out another Poke Ball and threw it on the ground, Elliot's shape appearing.

Asher knew that Elliot would be one of the three pokemon she would send out. He took another Poke Ball out of his belt and threw it into the air. Miku came out, flying around and seeing Elliot. She looked happy to battle him as well.

Bennie was surprised. "A Flying-type..." but she decided to stick with Elliot. "If you can beat me with a type disadvantage, so can I! Elliot, use Quick Attack!"

"Wing attack, Miku." Asher said, showing no emotion and deciding not to anger Bennie further. After all, she was his future girlfriend. At least, he wished she was.

Elliot ran at great speeds, jumping to get Miku. It was too fast for her to dodge, so while he was close, her wings turned white and she hit Elliot with Wing Attack.

"Keep using Quick Attack, Elliot!" Bennie ordered, "And dodge her Wing Attacks!"

"Use Wing Attack again!" Asher commanded. This won't take long, he thought. I have a type advantage, and the only move she has to defeat Miku is Quick Attack. Once Elliot gets close, Miku can keep hitting him. His attacks are hurting himself as well as hurting Miku.

Miku hit Elliot with a third Wing Attack, causing Elliot to faint. The Flying-type moves proved too much for him.

"It's ok, Elliot," Asher heard Bennie say to her Treecko, "You did your best. Thank you." She returned her pokemon as Asher turned to Miku.

"You were great, Miku!" Asher said, smiling. "Now return!"

Bennie threw her last pokemon's Poke Ball into the air, revealing Grace, her Ralts.

"Ralts." Grace said, looking at Finnegan. She remembered them playing in the Pokemon Center at Petalburg, the last time they saw each other.

"Finnegan, it's your turn!" Asher called. Finnegan stepped in front of him, but he was reluctant to battle the Ralts.

"All right, Grace. Use your Double Team!" This time, Bennie sounded confident.

Grace multiplied, surrounding Finnegan with copies of herself. Asher had no idea which Grace was the real one, but he had a plan to backfire. "Finny, use Water Gun, but go around in a circle so you can see who the real Grace is!"

Bennie was shocked that Asher knew how to get rid of Double Team's effects. Finnegan blasted water out of his mouth, going around in a circle as the clones disappeared. Eventually, he found Grace. The force was powerful enough to smack her against the cave wall. She cried in pain.

"Ral! Ralts!" Grace cried, slowly getting up.

"Grace! Use your Confusion attack!" Bennie ordered, confidence still high.

"Mud Slap this time, Finnegan!" Asher said.

Grace stared right at Finnegan. Finnegan's eyes turned pink, and he was suddenly rammed into a wall. Asher was startled at the impact of the move, but Finnegan managed to get up on his four legs again and face his opponent. Bennie beamed, her confidence increasing rapidly. Suddenly, neither Finny or Grace were reluctant to battle each other.

Finnegan, who didn't use Mud Slap yet, ran over to Grace and started throwing mud at her. However, due to the fact that it only did neutral damage and Finnegan wasn't a Ground-type yet, it didn't do much damage.

This made Bennie even happier. "Confusion again, Grace!"

Grace stared at Finnegan again, sending him to the wall. He got up, but he looked really injured. Asher did not like the way this was going. How am I supposed to counter that Confusion? Or, even better, how do I dodge it so Finny doesn't get hurt again? Asher thought about this for a little. Maybe if I...

"Finnegan!" he called, "When Grace uses Confusion, run around everywhere so she can't stare you down. Now hit her with a Water Gun!"

"Confusion again, Grace!" Bennie commanded, "This will be an easy win."

Finnegan used Water Gun as Grace got ready to use Confusion. Kind of like he did when she used Double Team, Finnegan circled around her while using Water Gun, preventing her from using the attack. He then used Tackle once he got close enough, and the Ralts was gravely injured. She tried standing up, but the water constantly in her face and the force of the Tackle made it hard for her to breathe.

"My poor Grace!" Bennie whined, "He could kill you!" She quickly returned her and ran out of the cave, obviously going to the Pokemon Center. Asher knew that a pokemon could die in battle, but he had never killed a pokemon before. He had no idea he was that close to killing her. Finnegan had only attacked her a few times! Finnegan must've been stronger than he thought. Bennie was surely going to yell at him and kick him in the groin the next time they met.

"Good job, Finnegan." Asher said, still troubled. Finnegan looked worried, but Asher went over to give him a hug to reassure him. While he was hugging him, Finnegan began to glow white. Asher stepped back as he watched his Mudkip grow and begin to stand on two legs instead of four, turning into a Marshtomp.

"Tomp Marsh!" Finnegan said. Asher went over to give him a hug, happy that his best friend evolved.

Asher was ecstatic, forgetting about Bennie. "I can't believe it. You're a Marshtomp now! Why don't we go get some food to celebrate, and then we'll train for the gym battle tomorrow."

"Marsh marsh!" Finnegan said enthusiastically, running out of the cave.

"Hey, wait for me!" Asher yelled, running after him and laughing. Oh, Finnegan, he thought. You may have evolved, but you really haven't changed much.