Chapter One

“Kiara, you come before me today to ask me for your first Pokémon.” Professor Danvers said, sitting in his chair, staring at a screen with three Pokémon on it. I easily identified them as the region’s three starter Pokémon.

“Yes, sir.” I replied, my head bowed in respect. I was very nervous because Professor Danvers had the power to refuse my request.

“You first placed the request last week and you reached your tenth birthday yesterday. Therefore, you are now of a legal age to be raising Pokémon. And during the week since you submitted your application, I have thought very hard. I have weighed the pros and cons and I have reached a decision.” He continued, pacing the length of his office. My heart thudded in my ears. Here was the moment of truth. My entire future lay with Professor Danvers. He could accept and allow me to live my dream, or he can refuse and basically banish me to the small and dreary town of Coldriver. “I have, here, three PokéBalls. Each contains one Pokémon. I will show you the three available Pokémon and you may choose which one you can have as your first Pokémon.”

My head snapped up as I realized what he was saying. He had accepted my request!

“Really? Oh, thank you, Professor!” I exclaimed, all but jumping up and down on my tiptoes.

“Your three options are…” He paused to pick up a PokéBall, push the button and throw the Ball into the air. What appeared was similar to a horse, only it had a man and tail of fire. “Ponyta, a Fire-type…” I recited as he summoned the second Pokémon and it appeared at his feet beside the Ponyta. It was a Water-type and was small, white and absolutely adorable! “Seel, a Water-type and…” A moment later, the third Pokémon was out of its confinement. It was green with a leaf-bud collar and it had a leaf on its head. “Chikorita, a Grass-type.”

“Ponyta is a Fire-type with a very easy-going personality. She is easy to train but not very sociable. She would do well with a trainer who only wishes one Pokémon. She will grow fast, but she will not always obey her owner’s commands.

“Seel is, if you might not have already guessed, a Water-type. She is very eager to please, will always do her best, needs little training and has a perfect score of obedience. She has a sweet personality, would never harm her trainer nor another Pokémon unless in defense of her trainer or her trainer commands her to attack.”

“Finally, we have Chikorita, the Grass-type. She is very calm for a Chikorita, will require minimal training and has a fantastic rate of accuracy. She is a little headstrong but will yield if she knows her caretaker is a good trainer and person with a kind heart. She is strongly recommended to first-time trainers, like yourself.” Professor Danvers introduced each Pokémon to me in turn. During his brief explanation, I absorbed the information and weighed one Pokémon against the others while sizing them all up.

My favorite element was Fire, but the Ponyta looked like she would singe me in a second and not even hesitate to do so. I would not be taking her.

The Seel was adorable and seemed like the absolutely perfect starter Pokémon, but being a Water-type put her at many disadvantages in battle. If she fainted too many times, it would be very hard to salvage a relationship with her. Not her.

Which left the Chikorita. She was ideal for me. Grass-type could be very tough if properly trained, had few weaknesses in battle and she seemed to be speaking to me. She wanted out of here, to see the world and be by my side. She did not like being cooped up in the small confines of Coldriver. I could relate. I have been itching to leave and Chikorita and I share the same desire to explore the world. Yes.

“I have decided on the Chikorita, sir.” I said, standing up after crouching by each Pokémon to do the assessments.

“Very well. I have here everything you will need to know about how to care for your Pokémon. A book on the healthcare of Pokémon, a list of healing items you will need and what they do, five PokéBalls and five hundred Poké. It’s all in this backpack, and in the appropriate pockets. Now, take the PokéBall. But it has to be right in front of Chikorita or she will be confused and not wish to go.” Professor Danvers explained. We crouched in front of Chikorita and I took her PokéBall. The message was immensely clear. ‘You belong to me now.’

“Good. Now, Tod, here, will be your mentor until he deems you ready to take on the world by yourself. Oh, and I am also giving you this Tailow. He will come in handy when you wish to send your unwanted Pokémon back here, as well as exchanging letters with family and friends. Just send him back to me and I will distribute the letters.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, Professor.” I said, bowing my head in respect and appreciation. While I petted Chikorita and Tailow, Professor Danvers talked to Tod, the assistant who had Tailow on his shoulder.

“Now, do you have any more questions, Kiara? No? Then off with you! You have a long way to go and only so much time.” He said, all but shoving the four of us out the front door. Tailow was almost locked in the building behind us!

He flapped onto my shoulder and squawked a protest to almost being left behind.

“Well, then maybe you should keep up next time.” I said, gently chastising him.

“We should tell our parents of what’s happened. Meet back here in one hour?” Tod said, establishing the pecking order from the get-go. Fine by me!

“Good idea. Mother would have a heart attack if I vanished. Oh, wait until everybody hears about this!” I started walking to my house at the end of the street in the back of the town.

Fifteen minutes later, I was closing the door to my house and answering questions by my large family. Three sets of twins, six boys and three girls and myself and Mother and Father. Sixteen children all together. I am currently the oldest child in the household, while my older brothers and sisters have married and moved out.

Mother demanded the explanation, the children asked me questions non-stop and Father just sat back watching it all. Tailow was shaking and hiding in my hair from the massive commotion. I opened the door, offered my finger as a perch and whispered to him “Tailow, why don’t you go wait for Tod?” He took off like an arrow, he was so eager to get away from my crazy household.  I didn’t blame him, either.

Before I knew it, I was trying hard to get away, claiming my hour was up and I had to meet Tod. I told everybody to writ e me letters as much as they pleased, to forward them to Professor Danvers and I would send Tailow back here every so often with a few letters of my own. That seemed to keep them quiet because the children raced upstairs to start their letters while Mother and Father gave me some items, like extra tennis shoes, a few thousand Poké, many Berries for Poffins, and Mother’s insistence that she would save money for me. She would put some of the family’s earnings aside, and would add what money I sent with a letter to the pot. Father gave me his old fishing rod so I can catch Water-type that never left the water on their own.

I thanked them, hugged them, kissed each parent on their cheek and left the house.

I sprinted to the meeting spot with Tod, knowing I was going to be late.

At last, out of breath and about to collapse, I stumbled to Tod and explained why I was late.

He seemed to understand about the delay.

He let me regain my breath a little before turning toward the gates of town.

“Are you ready to go?” He asked. What a stupid question!

“Definitely!”

“Then let’s go.”

And so I left Coldriver for the first time. My journey had begun.

Chapter Two

I was awakened at dawn by three very insistent Pokémon. They probably have to use the bushes. I thought, opening my eyes and reaching for the tent zipper. All three rushed out, but Ponyta tried to shove me outside. They were giving me a wake-up call.

“Okay, okay, Ponyta. I’m up. Good Pokémon.” I groaned, standing on my feet and stepping toward them to pet them. I yawned and stretched out my arms. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I went back to my tent to change out of my PJs and into my day clothes and boots.

When I exited the tent, my bed all rolled up, I was surprised to see Tod already changed, tent packed and tied to his backpack, and training his Pokémon. These were new Pokémon, so I inched forward.

“What Pokémon are these, Tod?” I asked, tapping him on the shoulder so I wouldn’t scare him.

“I’m currently working with a Charmander. Next will be Marill, the blue Pokémon that looks like a ball. And the yellow one with the stripes on his back and with the lightning-shaped tail is Pikachu.  You might want to get their information into your PokéDex. Umm, you did get one, didn’t you?”

“I don’t think I did, no. But I do have a camera and a scrapbook. Which reminds me! I still need to take Ponyta’s, Rita’s and Tailow’s pictures and put them in the book! Can I take a picture of your Pokémon, too?”

“Sure. But it’s a lot easier with a PokéDex. I think I have an extra.” He said, digging in his pocket. “Ah! Here, Kiara.” He exclaimed, producing a gadget and holding it out to me.

I debated between which of the two systems I would go with. If I took a picture, I would have it planted firmly in my mind, but if I use the PokéDex, then there would be no guarantees as to my memory.

“No thanks. I’ll stick with my camera. Thanks, though.” I said. I rushed back to my tent to get the camera. I found it by my rolled up bed. I checked to make sure it has film before taking it outside. “Ponyta, Rita, Tailow, come here, please!” I called them. They came and I singled out Rita. She was confused, but she stood still while I took her picture. The picture slid out of the slot so I carefully I grabbed it and put it aside. “Good girl, Rita. You can go back with the others. Ponyta, you’re next.” I said. The two Pokémon did as I said. Ponyta stood like a statue as I took her picture, but she had her chest sticking forward and head held high. She was very proud.

Next, was Tailow. For his picture, I had him sit on a branch of a nearby log. He cowered as I focused the camera on him and he refused to stay still. “Tailow, if you stay still for just a minute I’ll give you a Berry.” I said, sure that bribing him would get him to stay still. It worked. I gave him his Berry and got the pictures of Tod’s Pokémon. I trained with my Pokémon while the film dried. I was starting to like Rita, but Ponyta’s majestic power was also calling to me.  I definitely would not be sending these two home.

Before long, it was time for us to start on our way. Tod and I shouldered our backpacks and the eight of us headed out.

“Hey, Tod, what town are we going to? And how far is it?”

“We are going to Nutmeg City. We should get there sometime tomorrow. And, if you’re interested, it has a Pokémon Gym. If I’m not mistaken, it’s a Grass-Type.”

“Really? What’s a Gym?”

“A Pokémon Gym is where you can get a Gym Badge if you beat the Gym Leader. For most Trainers, it’s a symbol of strength and power. For others, it’s just something to carry around. The rest of the Trainers don’t care at all. Me? I want to challenge every Gym, just for fun.”

“Okay. Are all Gym’s Grass-Type? And what do you mean?”

“What I mean is, each Leader likes a certain type of Pokémon. And every trainer in the Gym uses the same kind as the Leader. It’s really good practice. You see, Kiara, there are many types of Pokémon.  Grass, Fire, Water, Electric, Psychic, Ghost, Poison, Normal, Flying, Dragon, Steel, Ice, Fighting, Bug, Rock, Ground and Dark.  And each individual Pokémon knows several moves that match its type. The trick to being a good Trainer is knowing what type the opponent Pokémon is, using a Pokémon who’s type is super effective against the opponent and having your Pokémon use moves that matches your Pokémon’s type. Like…I have a Marill, a Water-type. She is super-effective against your Ponyta, a Fire-type, if she uses a Water-type move, like Water Gun. However, if she uses a Normal-type move, like Tackle, she won’t inflict as much damage. And Ponyta is super-effective against Chickorita if Ponyta uses Ember, a Fire-type move.  And your Chikorita is super effective against my Marill if she uses Razor Leaf. Do you understand?”

“I think so. So, to achieve super-effective, my Pokémon herself and the move she uses has to be of a type that is super-effective to the opponent Pokémon. Fire and Ember against Grass. Water and Water Gun against Fire. Grass and Razor Leaf against Water. Right?”

“That’s right. Now, those are just the three basic Types. It gets a lot more complicated. Grass is weak to Fire and Ember, as well as Poison and Sludge, Bug and Bug Bite, and Flying and Wing Attack. Oh, you might want to write all of this down. It’s a lot to remember.” He said. We stopped long enough for me to dig out my notebook and pen. Then I shouldered the backpack again and we started walking again. “Now, try to write it down. Grass is weak to Fire, Poison, Bug and Flying.” He summarized and I tried to figure out a good writing system that would make it easy to understand and would not require so much writing. In the end, I decided to just write it in pure words. ‘Grass weak to Fire, Poison, Bug and Flying,’

“Normal is weak to…” Tod continued. And that’s how the rest of the day went. Tod told me all about Pokémon types, their strengths and their weaknesses and how to know which Pokémon to use to achieve super effective. He also told me how to know which Pokémon is which type. The Fire was usually either red or orange. The Water’s had only two options: Blue color or a fish-shaped body. Grass was usually green. Bug was a little more difficult. If it didn’t have the body of an obvious Bug, then it had claws. Flying types were real easy. Wings.

We stopped many times throughout the day. Either to engage a wild Pokémon in battle or to rest or to pick some Berries off the trees. By the time I had slipped into my bed, I had six Pokémon in my tent. Ponyta, Rita, Tailow, Skitty, Ratatta, and Geodude. It was going to get difficult training six Pokémon now, but I don’t want send them home already.

In the morning, I was up and ready to go earlier than I was yesterday. I spent the extra time filling in my scrapbook. The pictures I had taken yesterday were still blank so I wrote each Pokémon’s name in the space below the picture before sliding the picture into the book. When I had all of the pictures filed away, I had to put Skitty, Ratatta and Geodude in their PokéBalls and put the Balls into the drawstring pouch. Then, I started writing to my family about my adventure thus far. I had so much to tell them already. I told them everything, including the effectiveness of a certain Pokémon against another. I had to refer to my notebook often, but it helped to plant it even more into my brain. I can’t be checking the notebook during every battle when I challenge the Gym.

When I was finished, Tod finally woke up and he gave me the promised quiz while I helped him pack. I wanted to get to Nutmeg City as soon as possible for many reasons. Mostly because it was the first town since I left ColdRiver, also because I needed to stock up in PokéBalls, letters, Berries, Potions and get my team rested at a Pokémon Center. I also needed to buy more pens. I had a feeling I would need them in the future, a lot, so I figured I should stock up while I can.

Tod taught me more on the way to Nutmeg City. He gave me advice on how to know which Pokémon I should keep in my team and which ones to send back home.  I got most of the important stuff down in my notebook.

After a few hours, the Pokémon started getting antsy, racing ahead then racing back to us, then ahead again and back.

“What’s the matter, Tailow?” I said, scratching his chest. He did Wing Attack at a passing tree and I got the message.

“Hey, Tod, have you noticed the Pokémon are getting anxious? I think they want to battle.”

“Well, it’s possible. The probably want to see how strong they are because of all the training their getting. So, should we divide them into teams or should the battle be between you and me?”

“I don’t know. You’re the expert.”

“I’m no expert. But you do need to know how to battle another Trainer.”

“Okay.”

He nodded then whistled, loud and shrill, through his teeth. All of our Pokémon rushed toward him, ready to hear his instructions.

“Now, Kiara, because you have six and I have three, we should even out our numbers.”

“Good idea. Here, I’ll loan you Rattata. Since I haven’t had time to train her, Skitty will sit out.” I said, digging the PokéBall out of the drawstring attached to my jeans belt loop. When I found it, I tossed it at him and the two sides drew to opposite ends of the clearing. Rattata didn’t understand and stuck with me. “Rattata, go with Tod. It’s only for a little while, boy. It’s okay.” I said, pointing to Tod and his team. He went and I summoned poor Skitty back into her PokéBall.

“Okay, I’m ready!” I shouted at Tod.

“Now, since I challenged you, I’m going to send out one Pokémon, then you.” He replied. “Marill, you’re up!”

So, you’re sending out Marill, huh? Then I’ll have to send out Rita. “Rita, go!” I commanded, and Rita bounded into the intersection, right across from Marill.

“Now, I’ll attack. Then it will be your turn. We continue like that until one of our Pokémon faints. You can track your Pokémon’s HP on your PokéDex, which I placed in your key items pocket of your backpack.” Tod said. I dug in the pocket, pulled out the PokéDex, flipped it open and pointed the identifying laser at Chikorita. A bar and her picture came up. The bar was currently green, filled and bore the numbers 20/20 and ‘Level 5’ was in one of the corners.

“Are you ready? Kiara?”

“Yeah!”

“Marill, use Tackle!” Tod shouted. Marill didn’t hesitate. She bounded forward and slammed right into Chikorita. The bar on the PokéDex’s screen went down and the numbers changed from 20/20 to 15/20.

“You know, you can have Rita avoid the attack!” Tod said, telling me of an option I didn’t know about. I waved in thanks before sending Rita out with Razor Leaf. When Marill was in one place long enough, I pointed the laser at her and her information came up. Level 7,  18/25, one section of the bar missing.

“Marill, Water Gun!” Tod shouted, claiming his turn.

“Get out of the way, Rita!” I yelled. To my surprise, Rita jumped straight up just before the torrent of water could slam into her. She landed to the right of the stream and I didn’t hesitate in shouting her attack orders.

And so the battle progressed. Rita was close to fainting only once, and I sacrificed my turn to heal her. In the end, Rita won against Marill and round two was soon underway. Between the two rounds, I healed Rita again and gave her a Berry as a treat for her hard work.

Round two saw “Tod’s” Rattata against Ponyta. Most of the stats were similar, so the winner would be so only by using strength. Ponyta won, but it was a close one. She almost fainted only one time, and that was her final turn after Rattata attacked. I could see how weak Rattata was HP-wise and I had Ponyta attack instead of healing her.

Round three was so easy. Pikachu against Rita. Poor Pikachu was done in three moves.

Three down, one to go.

Round four, Tod sent out his last Pokémon, Charmander.  I sent out Geodude. Needless to say, we dominated the field with Rock Blast.

After it was over, Tod returned my Rattata and summoned his defeated Pokémon back into their PokéBalls so they can rest. I did the same with Rattata and gave Rita, Ponyta and Geodude a Berry.

“Well done, you three. Very well done!” I said, patting each Pokémon as added encouragement. “That was fun, Tod!”

“Yeah, you fought well. Phew! Oh, here.” He said, reaching into his pocket. He tried to hand me some money, but I refused.

“Tod, I can’t…”

“You have to. Rules of the battle. Besides, if you never accept your reward, how can you afford to buy more stuff for your Pokémon?”

I wrinkled up the corner of my mouth in a sign of dislike, but I accepted his money. Six hundred fifty Poké.

After that, only two Pokémon were still energetic, so I had them battle each other. I gave no orders, healed no one. This battle was like the ones they had experienced when they were wild. But I still gave them Berries for work and effort.

It was just starting to get dark when lights started to make themselves known over a hill not too far ahead.

“What’s that, Tod?” I asked, not used to seeing lights at night.

“That is Nutmeg City, Kiara.” He said as we came to the summit. Directly below us was Nutmeg City, a huge expanse of lights, buildings and people.

“Come on!” I yelled as I took off running all out for Nutmeg City. I was here, the first town I’ve ever been to besides ColdRiver.

“Kiara!” Tod shouted, but it was too late. I was beyond slowing down. The next thing I know, Ponyta is blocking my path and I’m too close to her to stop or go around. So, I tripped.

“Kiara, now will you listen?!” He shouted as he jogged up beside me.

“Yes, Tod. I’m listening.”

“You can’t just go running into a town. Having Pokémon, you mature. You’re not a little kid anymore. You have to act like an adult.”

“But why?”

“Because taking on such a huge responsibility is not for children. It’s a job that only adults can handle. Would Professor Danvers have given you Rita and Tailow if she thought you couldn’t handle it? No! You have her full trust and that is, not only an honor, but something to never break. And how can you prove to her that she can trust you? By taking good care of your Pokémon. And the only way to take the absolute best care of them is for you to grown up and stop acting like a child.”

I sighed, sad that the price for being a Trainer is having fun.

“Well, I suppose I understand. If children were able to take proper care of Pokémon, Professor Danvers would have to deal with requests from toddlers. Okay, so please explain how to be an adult, Tod.”

“It’s not something that happens overnight, but you can help it along by not running into towns, stop jumping up and down at the sight of a treat, handle situations with logic and not desire. Now that alone is a good jump. The rest is up to how much you mature.”

“Okay.” I said, getting off of poor Ponyta. She only came up to my hips, but I was sure she couldn’t hold my weight for long. As I stood, I straightened my back, took on a calm posture and energy and waited for Tod before moving toward the gates to Nutmeg City.

Chapter Three

Nutmeg City looked so much bigger when up close and personal. There were a lot of people, buildings with different colors and sizes, Pokémon running alongside their Trainers, children playing and this was only the southern quadrant!

“Come on. I’ll show you around.” Tod said, making me jump. I had forgotten about him.  I nodded, still too shocked for words. “Tailow, you might want to stay on my shoulder, boy.” I whispered to the Pokémon. He had been flapping by my ear, but he landed. I scratched him gently as I followed Tod. Ponyta, Rita, Geodude and Skitty kept close to my side, probably scared by the sudden change in scenery and level of commotion.

“This red building over here is the Pokémon Center. Almost every town has one. In the ones that don’t I’m sure someone will let you use their beds.”

“What does a Pokémon Center do, Tod?”

“Well, I’ll show you.” He said, walking toward the door. As he approached, the doors opened to reveal a welcoming area. People and Pokémon were everywhere, greeting us and talking with each other. There was a counter up ahead, and a woman with pink hair and a white apron and cap with a red + sign. Tod was still walking, so I continued to follow him.

“Kiara, this is Nurse Joy.”

“Welcome to the Nutmeg City Pokémon Center. Would you like to heal your Pokémon?”’

“Just do as I do, Kiara.” He whispered to me before addressing Nurse Joy. “Yes, please. Pokémon, return.” He said, pulling out his used PokéBalls and pressing the buttons. His three Pokémon returned to their PokéBalls, and then he handed the Balls to Nurse Joy. She placed them on a pad with a screen behind it. The three Pokémon were registered, their pictures and status appeared. Three clicking sounds later, all three of Tod’s Pokémon’s HP bars were filled and Nurse Joy was handing the Balls back to Tod. Tod called them out again and they were rearing to go.

“Okay, Kiara, you’re turn. Call your Pokémon back into their PokéBalls.” Tod instructed.  I did as he said. “Now, hand them to Nurse Joy.” I hesitated. No one has handled the PokéBalls besides me and Tod. But this was her job, and really, what could she do? I handed them over and watched as all six Pokémon were healed.

“Thank you for visiting the Nutmeg City Pokémon Center. Please, come back anytime.” She said, handing the Balls back to me. I pushed the buttons on the Balls and the Pokémon appeared.

“Now, on to the Pokémon Mart! This way, Kiara.” Tod said, already turning toward the doors.

I followed him outside. Right across the street was a blue building with a similar style.

“The blue roofed one?” I asked, already guessing at where this was headed.

“That’s right, Kiara. The blue building is the Pokémon Mart. Now, come inside and I’ll get you started. Oh, you do have a shopping list, don’t you?”

“Yes, of course. I don’t go anywhere without my notebook and a pen.”

“Good. You should pull it out now.” He said before stepping forward to enter the building.

I dug in my bag for my notebook and a pen before following Tod into the Pokémon Mart.

 

The Pokémon Mart was different from the Center in more ways than just the main color. In a Center, there would be a counter no more than thirty paces ahead, whereas the same distance led only to a wall with Pokémon Battle items and Accessories. In a Center the directions left and right led to only a wall and people to talk to. In the Mart, however, there was a counter to the left and people and more shelves and a few vending machines and a couple cooking pots to the right as well as a few more shelves straight ahead.

“Kiara, over here.” Tod beckoned. “Excuse me, sir, could I please have a pricing list for my friend here? Thank you.” He said, turning to the clerk. After receiving the list of items and prices, Tod handed it to me. I accepted it and figured out the most important items I should buy and how many with about three thousand Poké.

Tod gave me some advice and I decided to buy only Potions and Berries.

“Um, excuse me, miss? I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear. You are a new Trainer, right?” came a new voice. It was a woman with silver hair and looked pretty old.

“Yes, that is right, ma’am. May I help you?”

“Actually, dearie, you can. Here, I have several planting pots, the perfect size for growing Berries either at home or on the move. I used to garden with my husband and he has recently passed so getting these away is a help in itself and I want to make sure they go to someone whom will use them as much as I did.”

“Berry Pots? Oh, that’s perfect, ma’am! I am sorry about your husband.”

“Thank you, child. Here you go! Five pots in this cube here and if you come to my address, I will sell you some Mulch or additional Berries.” She explained, handing the cube over.

“Tod, how does this work? It looks like a regular PokéBall, only it’s a cube and it’s smaller.”

“This isn’t a Pokémon item, but the manufacturers thought people would buy it if it resembled a PokéBall. See the color pattern? Now, this is used to store items so the backpack won’t be so heavy or full. It’s perfect for a Trainer because you can keep any item in here and increase the packing capacity.”

“Oh! Okay. Cool! So, I push this button and ….” I pushed the button and five pots came spilling out I grabbed one, Tod grabbed two and a few nearby people helped as well.  “Now, hold it down to suck the items in.” Tod explained and I did so, moving the laser over each pot.

“Wow. This is amazing. Thank you, ma’am!”

“No, dearie, thank you! Oh, goodness me, I forgot to give you my address! Here it is.” She said, pulling out a notebook and pen. She scribbled her address down and handed me the piece of paper.

“I’ll be sure to drop by for a chat, ma’am. Thank you again.” I said. A few minutes later, the old lady, Meggie, said goodbye and left the Mart.

“Wow. Talk about a lucky break.”

“No, I think that was awfully nice of her. She didn’t have to do that.”

“Well, at least you can grow your own Berries so you won’t have to spend as much money. Okay, go grab a cart and start shopping.”

 

An hour later, I was standing second in line, waiting to check out. Tod was in front of me, paying the clerk and gathering his bags. Finally, I was up. I put everything on the counter and got out my wallet to pay.

After paying for everything and gathering the bags, I followed Tod outside and we sat at a nearby bench to put the items in their respective pouches.

“Here. I bought these for you.” Tod said, handing a bag out to me. I looked inside. They were the same as those cubes he was talking about earlier.

“Tod!” I gasped, accepting the bag. “How much do I owe you?” I said as I counted how many cubes there were. Thirty. I started sorting every item in my backpack and compiling everything.

“Absolutely nothing. You’re going to need those and I already have about a hundred back at home. I don’t need any more and you need them, so consider them a gift.”

“An awfully expensive gift. Okay, how about if I battle off the debt? Every battle you win, you can take a hundred Poké off my tab?”

“No tab, Kiara. No debt. We can battle as much as you’d like, but there isn’t a tab to pay off.”

“Sure there is! I’m not going to let you just give me these cubes for free! I’m going to work it off. And there is only one way to do that: Battle.”

Tod sighed and put the rest of his purchase away.

“Umm, do you think you can make me a list of every move Ponyta, Rita and Tailow know? I want to start branching out to get them ready for the Gyms.”

“Sure. I thought of that ahead of time, when Professor Danvers decided to make me your mentor. I wrote these out, one for Rita, one for Ponyta and one for the Seel you looked at.” He said, digging into a pocket and pulling out a cube. He pressed the button and a packet of papers came flying out. He handed them to me and I looked them over. “I didn’t know which one you would choose, so I made three lists. And beside the names, I put the rating of that move’s strength. Ten stars is the strongest, but they aren’t ready for the moves past twos. You can start preparing now.”

“Okay. And one for Tailow?”

“I’ll work on that tonight. Now, I’m going to hunt up some Trainers for us to battle. You need to start getting familiar with battling strangers and not just me. If I’m not back here by sundown, set up camp outside of town and away from the craziness. Tailow can’t take much more.”

“Okay, Tod. I’ll be waiting!” I said, getting on my feet to wave him farewell. When he turned the corner, I hunted up my letters to my family and Professor Danvers and the pouch for the three PokéBalls I would be sending home. I put the letters and Balls in the pouch, closed it and attached it to Tailow’s foot.

“Fly home, Tailow. But come back when Professor Danvers attaches the pouch again, okay?” I said and he took off, heading south toward ColdRiver.

Rita and Ponyta were staring at me, confused. I petted them and continued my organizing.

An hour later, my backpack was sorted and I had nothing but my purse to carry, which contained the cubes and my wallet and PokéDex. I looked at the lists Tod had given me and started making a new list, one that says which moves Ponyta and Rita were ready for. I would use that later tonight. I dug through the cubes and found the one with the pots and Berries. I pressed the button and the objects landed on the bench. I grabbed an Oran Berry, put in the soil, covered it and watered it. I repeated the process with the other four pots and four Berries I grabbed at random.

I put the five pots in the sun and started another letter to home while I waited for the Trainers or Tod.

Sometime during the seventh paragraph, I looked up to see Rita and Ponyta still standing an staring at me.

“You two should get comfy. We could be here a while.” I advised. They looked at each other, and then settled themselves under the bench and at my feet.

A while later, someone cleared their throat. I looked up.

“Hello, sir.” I said. “Am I in your way?”

“No. You are Kiara?”

“Yes.”

“Tod sent me.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you, sir, for coming out here.”

“It’s no problem. Are you ready?”

“Yes. Ponyta, Rita, come.” I said, walking out to the center of the plaza, where nothing can be damaged.

“Only two?”

“I sent the others home. My Tailow should be coming back tomorrow.”

“Okay. Now, since I challenged you, I’ll throw out the first Pokémon.” He said, claiming a spot several yards in front of me. He reached into his pocket for a PokéBall, pushed the button and threw it out.

What came out looked like a Water-type, but I was not familiar with it. I pulled out my PokéDex and read the name ‘Golden’.

“Rita, you’re up!” I yelled and she bounced into action, standing a yard in front of me.

“Smart move. Goldeen, Water Gun!”

“Dodge it, Rita!” I yelled, moving to the side to avoid the blast of water. She dodged perfectly. “Use Razor Leaf!”

The move hit, claiming ten HP from the Goldeen.

“Goldeen, Ice Shard!” My opponent yelled.

“Rita, dodge!” I shouted, terrified of what the strange move would do to her. She dodged easily enough but I had a little trouble avoiding the ice spikes that were hurtled my way.

“What are you trying to do, kill me?” I shouted to my opposer, furious by the lethal move he had used. If I had been any slower, I would have been shish-ka-bob.

He didn’t respond, waiting for my move.

“Rita, let’s try a new one. Leaf Storm!”

Surprisingly, Rita responded and the move hit, putting the opponent’s HP down to five from twenty.

 

In the end, I had to use both Rita and Ponyta and both won. They did a marvelous job and I was proud of them.

When the battle ended, I had two thousand Poké in my wallet and a win to my name.

We walked to the Poké Center to heal our Pokémon, but we were silent. His eyes were still furious so I kept quiet. When his Pokémon were healed he stormed off, throwing a hell of a tantrum.

 

I was sitting on the bench when another opponent walked up. I accepted his challenge, keeping my ego low. This was my third battle and I was still vulnerable to losing.

This guy was nice. He kept his moves to the weaker ones and didn’t throw a tantrum when he lost. He kept giving me pointers on my technique and explaining these when I asked. He congratulated me and gave my Pokémon praise for their efforts. I got his name, Jay, and registered his number in the PokéGear Mother had given me.

But Jay wasn’t the last of the battles I fought that day. By the time Tod appeared again, I had twenty thousand Poké in my wallet, Rita and Ponyta were both to level nine and I had won seven battles, and five names and numbers registered in the PokéGear.

“Tod!” I shouted, rushing to him. I hugged him and he stumbled back a step, but he gained his footing and balance again.

“Umm, Kiara, what are you doing?”

“Thanking you for sending the Trainers.”

“Oh! How’d you do?”

“I won all seven battles.” I said, releasing him. Growing up with brothers, I knew that he wasn’t comfortable with hugs.

“Good job! And with only two Pokémon? I’m impressed. You’ve got talent.”

“No, I’ve just got an awesome mentor.”

He blushed and ruffled my hair.

“Come on. Show me how much stronger you’ve become, Kiara.”

“Okay!” I said. I turned and raced to the spot I always claimed when I had battled the others.

And like all the others, this battle was easy. Ponyta and Rita were getting strong and I was growing as well.

“Good job, Kiara! Wow. That one beat the first one by a milestone. Well done!” Tod said, making his way to me after the battle. He forked over three thousand Poké while we walked to the Center. The sun was starting to set so we healed our Pokémon, then set up camp outside of the city gates. Poor Rita and Ponyta were wiped out, and so was I, so we headed straight to bed.

Chapter Four

We stayed in Nutmeg City for three more days. During that time, Tod would scout around the city for Trainers and I would battle them, getting ready for the Gym. Between battles, I had Rita and Ponyta practice the new moves and doing practice battles. During the training period, I would continue to write home. Tailow came back on the morning after I had sent him out, but I allowed him to rest. He had to fly a long way and he was sure to be tired.

By the end of the second day in town, Rita and Ponyta had won every battle I put them in and I was getting more and more confident about our skills. I had won ten battles today and I now had thirty thousand Poké in my wallet.  Rita and Ponyta were now level fifteen and very strong for their levels.

When Tod came back at sunset, we battled and he congratulated me. He handed me two thousand Poké and the list of the moves Tailow knows. I would start Tailow’s training tomorrow.

The next day went by much as the previous two did; only the Berry plants were finally ready to be plucked. Because I had watered them so much, I picked a total of twenty-five Berries. I finished my letter for the day and sent Tailow home again with the letters for each individual member of the family as well as one for the whole family. I also included a letter for Professor Danvers telling her of my improvement and growing strength.

When the sunset came and I was writing my letters for the day, I checked each Pokémon’s levels. Ponyta and Rita were at level nineteen and Tailow was at level eight. I was going to have to ask Tod for extra battles to help Tailow along.

 

Day four in Nutmeg City dawned bright and I was getting quite nervous. I was strong with Ponyta and Rita and I am going to challenge the Gym today. Because of this, Tod stopped scouting for other Trainers so I could do some last minute training with my Pokémon.

Because of the great leap of level differences between Tailow and Rita and Ponyta, I focused on Tailow, letting him do the three star moves. This also helped Rita and Ponyta save their energy for the Gym challenge. They understood and spent the day sleeping.

Sometime in the afternoon, I woke them up and walked into town for the challenge. I stopped at the Center, and then walked to the Gym.

Outside of the Gym, I stopped to admire the building. This was my first Gym challenge and I was getting kind of nervous. But I shook it off and walked inside. 

The inside was beautiful, an indoor garden. Rose hedges formed a maze and the intent was clear. I was going to have to find my way through the maze to find the Leader, and battle any other Trainers along the way.

I turned a corner and saw a Trainer backed up against the dead-end. I stepped forward to challenge him and he stood.

“Welcome to the Nutmeg City Gym! I am the first of five Trainers you’ll find in this maze. Come, let us begin! Budew, let’s go!” He said, throwing a PokéBall into the air. I took this time to get out my PokéDex.

“Ponyta, you know what to do!” I retaliated and Ponyta came bounding up to take her place.

“I’ll go first. Budew, Leaf Tornado!”

“Get away, Ponyta.” I ordered, dodging the leaves as well. She got away and I didn’t hesitate before taking my turn. “Ponyta, Fire Storm!”

I shielded my face from the heat of Ponyta’s attack and glanced at my PokéDex to determine the damage the move had inflicted on the Budew. Half of the HP had been claimed. This one was going to be a snap.

“Budew, don’t lose hope. Use Leaf Tornado again!”

“Dodge, Ponyta!”

And so it went. Ponyta battled four Pokémon from that Trainer and came out victorious with little damage. I healed her with a Potion and an Elixir and continued on down the maze.

…

The end of my fourth battle came and I was now heading for the fifth and final Gym Trainer before challenging the Leader. It was easy enough to find her. She had been patrolling along a hedge of Electric Blue Morning Glories.

She saw me first and soon the battle was underway. She sent out a Roselia and I sent out Ponyta. This Roselia was tougher than the other Trainers but Ponyta handled the battle with ease. Roselia turned out to be the only Pokémon there, so I collected the Trainer’s five thousand Poké and continued down the maze from the door she opened. It led to the Leader. I took a moment to heal Ponyta before turning the corner and locking eyes with the Leader, whom sat on a flowery pedestal of rose, Morning Glory and Marigold petals. A very colorful ensemble.

“Welcome, Trainer! You have made it far and I’m glad. You are tougher now and I like a good challenge. I am Sora, master of the Grass-type and Leader of the Nutmeg City Gym.”

“Hello, Sora. I am Kiara from ColdRiver Town just three days south of this city. My Pokémon have trained hard for the last two weeks in preparation for this battle. I also enjoy a challenge and that is why I am here. My mentor told me nothing but good can come of challenging each town’s Gym and I believe him. My Pokémon love to battle because they know it pleases me when I battle, and I only because it is fun. I come before you merely to seek fun and strength so I can make my family and Professor Danvers proud.”

“A very honorable quest, young Kiara. I started out much the same way. I do not believe you are a strength-obsessed Trainer like others I have met. You are just one to have fun and battling is truly one of the best sources of that. Come, we battle! If you win, you can have a Rose Badge and a few TMs along with some Poké for your win. There is no penalty for losing here. And you can challenge me as much as you like. Shall we begin?”

“Yes, we shall.”

“Roserade, let’s go!”

“Ponyta, you’re up!”

“A very wise choice. You have learned much in such a short time. You are undoubtedly aware of the effects of the Super-effective.”

“I have a good mentor. Without him, I am nothing.”

“Admirable. You are loyal. I like loyalty. Roserade, Magical Leaf.”

“Dodge, Ponyta, and retaliate with Fire Blast!” I said, avoiding the multi-colored leaves and opening the PokéDex to check the stats of the Pokémon.

“A good move, Kiara.” Sora said, opening her own. “Roserade, Magical Leaf again!”

“Get out of the way, Ponyta!” I yelled, staying up against the Morning Glory hedge and well to the side. “Fire Blast!”

I watched as the Roserade’s HP dropped to zero from thirty and it fainted. “A good match. But we are not done yet. Rose, come on out!”

In the end, Ponyta battled seven Pokémon and won the match. She leveled up twice, now to level twenty-seven, and I gained the Badge, ten thousand Poké, two TMs, a Berry pot and a Berry.

“Thank you, Sora. That was a fun battle. I’ll be sure to come back when I am in town again!” I said, collecting the prizes and turning away to leave. It was dark now and I had to find my way back to camp.

“Anytime, Kiara. I’m always here and I’d love battling you again. Good-bye!”

 

I burst into camp, yelling out Tod’s name. But he was not outside. Probably asleep. I would tell him in the morning. Now, I gave Ponyta three Berries for a job well done and Rita and Tailow one for being so good.

Next, I lit a torch with Ponyta’s mane fire and wrote a few letters home, telling the recipients of my victory over Sora and how much I had learned. Then, I counted my Poké and planted the Berry as well as five others. I wanted to keep the flow of Berries growing to keep the stock from hitting zero between towns.

I finished the letters, put them in Tailow’s pouch with the others for tomorrow’s flight and called everyone inside, dousing the torch by putting it in a hole I dug on the first night of my stay in town and filled the hole with dirt. No oxygen, no flame.

I crawled into bed and fell asleep.

Chapter Five

I did not wake up until late morning, tired out from yesterday’s battling. Immediately, I sent Tailow home with the letters and some of the money I’ve collected for the pot Mother had offereed. I looked at Tod’s tent, wondering if he ever came back last night. I mean, now that I’ve beaten Sora and I know how to battle Trainers and capture a Pokémon, I don’t really need any more tutorage. I think. I didn’t want to be over-confident but it would make sense that Tod wouldn’t be needed now that I know about the Super-Effective and how to battle, right?

Slowly and quietly, I crept over to his tent, pulled back the flap and sucked in a breath. Tod was asleep, curled into a ball with his head resting on one hand. He was shirtless, surrounded by his Pokémon and absolutely beautiful. I stared at him for a little while longer, replaced the flap and took my Pokémon into Nutmeg for a quick shopping errand before I pack up camp.

When I returned, the essentials replenished and put away, I was surprised to see Tod had already packed up his half of the campsite. His tent was gone, his backpack was resting against the table and he was training with his Pokémon.

“Good morning!” I greeted him, rushing over. He turned to face me and grinned at me. “Good morning, Kiara. How’d you sleep?”

“Like a rock. The battling really took a toll on me.”

“Yeah. So, how many Trainers?”

“At the Gym? Five Gym Trainers and Sora, the leader.”

“How’d you do?”

“It was easy! The Trainers didn’t have a chance, but Sora was a bit tougher. But I won!”

“Alright! Congratulations!”

“Thanks.” I said, blushing and looking at the ground.

“So, I assume you used Ponyta?”

“Of course! I’m so proud of her. She fought bravely. She didn’t hesitate on attacking or dodging. She never missed and she obeyed!”

“You got a good one. Most Ponyta are stubborn and won’t obey the Trainer. It takes a long time and a lot of persistence to get a Ponyta or Rapidash to obey their Trainer.”

“Rapidash?”

“Oh, the evolution of Ponyta.”

“Oh, okay!”

“So, we should get going. The next town, Hydrum, is about a week away. Do you have enough healers?”

“Yes. I bought some on our first day here, then again a few hours ago.”

“Good. Pack up and we’ll get going. Oh, you shouldn’t send out Tailow until we get there. If he misses even an hour of travel, he won’t know where we are and he’ll get lost.”

“Oh, okay.” I replied. I moved over to my tent and started the de-construction process.

“Can I borrow your PokéDex for a second?”

“Sure. It’s in my bag. When you put it on, it’s in the pocket closest to you on your right side.”

“Thanks, Kiara.”

“Hey, Tod, why do you want to use my PokéDex? What happened to yours?”

“Nothing happened to it. I just want to check on your Pokémon’s levels and mine can’t read yours.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“Because yours is a newer model than mine, it picks up other Pokémon’s levels. Mine doesn’t. The technology wasn’t advanced enough when mine was made.”

“Oh. Okay. Well, help yourself.”

“Whoa! Ponyta’s a level twenty-seven! Incredible, Kiara. Rita isn’t far behind. She’s a level twenty. Tailow is a level eight. He still has a long way to go before he’s battle ready.”

“Yes, I agree. I’ve been giving him extra lessons. Say. Is it okay if he and one of your weaker Pokémon battle every night?”

“Of course. Ponyta and Rita are far too advanced for him. He wouldn’t stand a chance. In fact, I just caught a Pokémon a few days ago. I’ve been trying to train him, but he won’t listen. You have the Badge. Maybe he’ll listen to you. Here, I have his PokéBall here.”

“What are you talking about, Tod?” I asked, backing out of the tent to look. I saw Tod pull a Ball out of his hand, push the button and a weird Pokémon emerged. It was a Dark type, definitely.

“What…”

“It’s a Poochyena. Dark-type. Loyal, fearless, stubborn, powerful. A good starting Pokémon. Here. Catch!” He tossed the Ball my way and, out of instinct, I caught it. The Poochyena was now mine.

“Okay. Can I have a list of his moves?”

“Of course. I was meaning to give him to you anyway, as a gift for beating Sora.” He said, digging in his pocket for a folded up packet of paper. He handed it to me and I started getting familiar with the moves.

“Thanks. Can I have my PokéDex?”

He handed it to me and I checked the Poochyena’s level. Level  Ten. If I wasn’t careful, Poochyena could take out Tailow, which would defeat the purpose.

“Are any of these special attacks? I mean, will any of them not inflict damage?”

“Yeah. There’s Defend, Protect, Growl, Double Team. I marked them in red.”

“Oh, I see. Okay, great. Umm. Poochyena, use Tackle on that log!” I ordered. He obeyed. He charged right at it, headfirst. “Good boy.” I said, throwing him a Berry. I didn’t want to risk getting down on his level to pet him yet.

“Maybe you should nickname him. It’s a difficult name.” Tod suggested, petting the Poochyena.

“Yeah, I think so. It’ll take me a few days, though.”

“Of course.”

A few moments of silence.

“Hey, we should get going. The sooner we leave, the farther we can get before sundown.”

“That’s true. Mind if I help?”

“Not at all.”

I reached back into my tent for my folded up bed. But then I had an idea. What if my tent cube sucked up the tent, fully pitched and ready for use? I reached for my bag, pulled out the proper cube and held the button to activate the suction laser. The ten was swallowed and I put the cube back where I had retrieved it from. I sucked the last few things into cubes, then I was putting my purse back in order and gathering my Pokémon.

 

We stopped in town for a few last minute things before heading out.

“Tod?”

“Yes, Kiara.”

“How old are you?”

“Eighteen. I’ve been training for seven years so I can help Father until he gives his laboratory to me.”

“Professor Danvers is your father?”

“Yeah. And as his son, I’ve had a very Pokémon-based childhood. I was learning about the Super-Effective before I was four, learning about each Pokémon breed in detail when I was five, learning each Pokémon’s moves when I was six, helping to tame wild ones when I was seven and battling when I was ten. When I turned eleven, Father sent me out into the region to gain skills and data.”

“Didn’t you have any friends to play with?”

“I never played. School was too important. My friends were Pokémon and my notes.”

“That’s terrible!”

“It’s how I was raised. Without my mother, Father didn’t know how to handle a newborn son on his own, so he raised me through the only thing he knew. He raised me to be the best Trainer who ever lived, cutting out all childhood necessities to make room in my days for learning. I was literally born and raised to take over for my father.”

“You poor thing!”

“Now don’t go pitying me, Kiara. My childhood is in the past and it cannot be changed, so why dwell on what’s behind instead of looking to the future?”

“But to never know the values of friendship, to never have fun, to never play, it’s not natural.”

“You’re right! It’s not natural, but it’s what happened and I’m who I am because of it.”

I was silent, shocked because Tod had raised his voice to me. It’s understandable. He had a painful past and I was probably getting close to a nerve that he would rather be left alone.

“So, what happened to your mother?”

“She died a few hours after I was born. She had lost a lot of blood and it didn’t stop. She was too weak from a day and a half of labor to survive.”

“I’m sorry. That is just…horrible!”

“I managed without her. Father’s assistant took pity on me when I was still a baby and took me under her wing. She was the one to keep me fed, to let me know of a mother’s touch, a woman’s kindness and pure heart. She gave balance to my life. I love her like I am sure I would have loved my mother if she had lived. Arabella is my mother in all ways except by blood.”

“Well, that’s nice. At least you had that natural balance, even if you were being schooled.”

“Yes. She made those years bearable.”

We were silent. I had run out of topics to introduce and I liked looking at him. He glowed when he had talked about Arabella and it lessened the hardness of his features from years of the hard tutorage that had robbed him of a normal life.

“But what about you, Kiara? I’m sure your childhood wasn’t as terrible as mine.”

“My upbringing was pretty normal. I played with the other kids, I cared for the babies, I played referee.”

“How many kids?”

“I am the third child of twenty-one. Six sets of twins and nine single-borns. I was two when Maybeline was born.”

“Twenty-one! My God!”

“Yeah. It was mayhem every day. But it was good training for when I settle down.”

“Yes, I’ll bet it was.”

For the rest of the day, I looked at the scenery. Trees were everywhere and we were walking on a thin grass path that ran down a kind of aisle between the two sides of the forest.

After a while, Rita started whimpering. We stopped so I could see what she wanted.

“What is it, Rita?”

She nudged something into my hand and I took it from her mouth.

“Tod, what is this?”

“It’s an HM. She found an HM disc in the grass.”

“What’s an HM?”

“It’s similar to a TM, only it can be reused as many times as you like. This HM teaches Cut.”

“What’s Cut?”

“It’s a move that a Pokémon can use to cut down thin trees. Like that one over there.” He said, pointing to a tree just behind me. It was smaller and thinner than the others.

“But can’t Rita just use Razor Leaf or Magical Leaf to cut it down?”

“No, they aren’t strong enough. And only HM-taught moves can affect objects outside of a Pokémon battle.”

“But why?”

“Because Pokémon can handle only other Pokémon and water. Trees and rocks are too tough for their moves. The moves have evolved so they only affect other Pokémon.”

“Oh. Okay. So, who should I teach this to?”

“I would say Rita, because she has the leaf necessary and you won’t be sending her back to Father.”

“How do I do this?”

“Take the disc, put it in your PokéGear.” I got the PokéGear out and slid the disc into the appropriate slot, which Tod pointed out. Immediately, the PokéGear registered it and a laser appeared. I pointed it at Rita and the PokéGear beeped. Rita barked and the PokéGear said ‘Chikorita has learned Cut’.

“Oh. That was easy.”

“You should keep it. Who knows what could happen.”

I put it in an empty cube and marked the top ‘HMs’ before we pressed onward. All day long, I had Poochyena and Tailow battle. I restricted Poochyena to his special moves so Tailow could win every time and grow strong.

After a while, I let Tailow rest and had Poochyena battle Rita. This time, Poochyena could use all of his moves that were below three stars.

By the time we made camp, Tailow had become a level ten and was strong enough to take Poochyena’s attack moves. I let them attack each other as much as they liked, giving each Pokémon a Berry when the round was over as well as a Potion and an Elixir to heal their HP and Power Points.

In the meantime, I trained Rita and Ponyta for the next Gym challenge. I was sure it was a Water-type gym, but I need to have both at around the same level so one can jump in to win the battle if the other faints. Tailow and Poochyena could cover each other, too.

Just before I was to turn in for the night, Tod requested a battle. I couldn’t refuse. I healed up Poochyena and Tailow and soon the battle was underway.

Tod had been doing some serious training in the last few weeks and his Pokémon showed it. Pikachu was almost the downfall of Ponyta but I pulled out her strongest move to finish off his HP, then gave her a Potion before the beginning of the next round.

In the end, I won and I was starting to feel bad about it. Tod had been in training school since he was a baby and I had never lost to him. I was younger, less experienced and still a novice Trainer and still I won. Maybe I should fight but let him win. I can see that all of his losses to me were starting to affect his ego and confidence and I didn’t like it.

Impressum

Texte: I really dont know who this belongs to. The Pokemon phenomenon goes to Japan, I think, becuase their the ones who created it, and i came up with the plot and altercations so i have no idea who this goes to.
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 24.07.2011

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Widmung:
This book is based on the Pokemon TV anime and the games. Please note that I have added/changed a few things as I think it will help explain many of the inexplicable things in Pokemon, or if it will help the story. I do not own anything and I wrote this book simply for fun I hope you enjoy it!