Melissa's Pokémon Journey

By: Mewshura@aol.com E-Mail: Mewshura@aol.com

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CHAPTER ONE It was only 6:00 in the morning and I lay in my bed awake. "Time goes by slowly when you're waiting to become a Pokemon trainer." I said to myself. I tossed and turned but finally got to sleep. When I woke up it was an hour later. "Yes! It's 7:00! Time to get going so I can get my first Pokemon!" I jumped out of my bed, (already dressed completely) headed out the bedroom door, through the kitchen, and out the front door. I ran the whole way. When I reached Prof. Oak's labratory I was totally out of breath. I knocked. When he opened the door he said, "Melissa? You're here already?" "Sorry sir, I couldn't sleep! I was too excited about becoming a Pokemon master." "Now hold on, there are other Pokemon trainers that could be a lot tougher than you are." Prof. Oak said sternly. "Well, I wouldn't want to be called tough because if I was tough I'd be too hard on my Pokemon." I replied. Prof. Oak grinned. "You'll do fine." he said. "Now," he said, acting more serious, "Let's see what Pokemon we have for you." He led me to a table that had 6 Pokeballs on it. I knew immediately which one to pick. "I want that one!" I yelled. I grabbed a Pokeball with a stone on it. I threw the Pokeball and the Pokemon I had wanted came out. "Eevee!" The Pokemon squealed. "Yes! I got Eevee! Pokemon world, watch out!" CHAPTER TWO Well, I was on my way. Actually, the first time I walked out the door Prof. Oak stopped me. "Melissa, wait! You still haven't gotten your Pokedex and Pokeballs from me yet!" "Oops, sorry." I said as I headed back out the door. This time I really walked out the door, my Eevee walking by my side. First, I walked home so I could gather clothes. I ran upstairs in my room. "I need to get some clothes that will last, but I want to wear clothes that I like." I picked up a beige sweater. "Definitely a fashion crime. What do you think Eevee?" I looked down at the brown furball that was shaking its head and sticking out its tongue. I made a face as I tossed the sweater aside. I picked up my shirt with a Squirtle on it. "This should last." I picked out a few more clothes that would fit in my backpack. "That should do it." I went downstairs. I felt something blast me in the back with such a force that made me fall. "Growlithe!" I shouted. The overgrown puppy was on my back. It licked me several times before jumping off and trotting off. "That pup's getting too big." I went into the kitchen and grabbed a few sandwiches and a water bottle. I went into the living room and said goodbye to my mother and father. I scratched my mom's Persian behind the ears until it sounded like there was a machine in its throat. I looked at my parents one last time before walking out the door. I walked a few yards and then looked back at my house, vowing I would come back someday. "Well Eevee, we're off to become Pokemon masters." I smiled. We walked through a field. I saw hundreds of Pidgey fly up as we walked by. I saw a Rattata scamper at my feet. "Thousands of Pokemon and I can't pick!" I thought for a moment. "I guess I'll just walk on." I suddenly felt something scratch my back. I turned around and to my surprise, there was a Fearow squawking madly. "A Fearow!" I gasped. "Eevee go!" I shouted. "Eevee!" The Pokemon squeaked. "Eevee, Sand-Attack!" Eevee began to kick up dirt at the Fearow. "Fearow!" The bird screamed in rage. The Fearow dove at my Eevee, and used Peck. Eevee lay still. "Eevee get up!" I screamed. The Fearow dove down to use another Peck, but it missed and landed beak-first in the dirt! "The Sand-Attack must be taking effect! Come on Eevee, get up! Please!" Eevee slowly got up. "Eevee, use your Tackle attack, while the Fearow is down!" Eevee charged at the Fearow. The Fearow screamed in pain as Eevee tackled it. "Pokeball go!" The Fearow was sucked inside the Pokeball. The Pokeball shook several times. I stayed in the position from where I had thrown it. I couldn't help but wonder why this felt so familiar. "Duh!" I thought. "I'm acting just like Ash!" I shook out of it and realized that the Fearow had escaped and was trying to fly away! "What?! Eevee Sand-Attack! Then give it your best Tackle!" Eevee used Sand-Attack, then tackled it with such force that the Fearow flew several feet. "Okay, here goes again." I said as I threw the Pokeball. This time, the Fearow was caught and stayed caught. I smiled and went to retrieve my Pokeball. "We did it Eev..." I stopped what I was doing when I saw Eevee lying on the ground, totally exhausted. "I worked you too hard for the first battle. I'm sorry." I picked up Eevee and started to run. I found a bird trainer on the side of the road. It was starting to get dark. "Sir, do you know the way to Viridian City?" I asked. "You'll never get there before dark." he replied. "Do you have any Flying Pokemon, young lady?" he asked. "Yes, a Fearow, just caught it." "Here then." he said, handing me a bag. "This is the Fly HM. You can teach it to your Fearow and make it to Viridian City faster." "Thank you, sir." I smiled. "Fearow, go!" I gave Fearow the HM and it learned Fly! I gave the HM back to the man and grabbed Eevee. "Let's go to Viridian City, Fearow!" And with that, I was on my way. CHAPTER THREE When we were airborn, I could see Viridian City lit up like a Christmas tree. I searched for Eevee, then found it hiding in my backpack. "Well, look who's all better. Hey, you're afraid of hights?" I asked. The Eevee looked at me, then nodded its head vigorously. "Scaredy Pokemon." I teased. I looked ahead and didn't keep my eyes off Viridian City. "Wow," I thought. "I thought I would never see this place again." Just then, a Scyther whizzed by. "Scyther!" it screamed. I was practically knocked off. When we landed, I got off slowly. I was a little wobbly from being in the air so long. "Fearow, return!" The Fearow was zapped into the Pokeball. I raced to the Pokemon Center, hoping it hadn't closed yet. When I got to it, I was relieved. "Good, it's still open." I walked in and went up to the counter. "I'd like to revitalize my Pokemon please." I told the Nurse Joy. "Okay, it'll be just a minute." She said cheerfully. I went and sat at a table and got some soup. When I finished, Joy had already healed my Pokemon. "Your Pokemon are all finished." Eevee ran up to me and jumped into my arms. "You're feeling even better now, good." I smiled and gently set the Eevee down. Then I fell asleep. CHAPTER FOUR I opened my eyes and got up. I looked at the clock. It said 7:37 A.M. I picked up my Eevee, who was half asleep, and walked out of the Pokemon Center. I walked to the Pokemart. "Hello! What would you like to buy?" The clerk asked. "Three Pokeballs, 4 Potions, and two of each Heal." I said. "Okay, here you go." I paid for all of it and walked out. I continued until I saw a sign that said Viridian Forest. "Geez, I'm here already." I thought. "Well Eevee, let's go." We walked into the Forest. I saw a Caterpie chewing a leaf on a tree. Suddenly a kid jumped out in front of me. "Do you want to battle?" he asked. "Sure!" I said. "Go Caterpie!" He threw a Pokeball and out popped a Caterpie. "Go Fearow!" I threw my own Pokeball and out came Fearow. "Fearow!" it squawked. "Caterpie, Tackle!" "Fearow, Peck!" Fearow ignored me and dodged Caterpie's attack. "Fearow, Peck!" I repeated. The kid started to laugh. "You can't even control your own Pokemon!" "I'll show him. Fearow, return! Go Eevee! Show him who trains their Pokemon better!" Eevee ran straight at the Caterpie and Tackled it. That was the end of the match. The kid stopped laughing. "Caterpie!" he sobbed. "How could you lose?" "I won my first Pokemon battle." I said triumphantly. I knelt down to Eevee. "Good job." I smiled. Eevee licked my face. I shook the kid's hand. "Good try." I said. We walked on. I continued looking at the Pokemon all around us. Then Eevee stopped. "What is it Eevee?" It just continued looking at a bush. I looked too. Out popped a Pikachu. "A Pikachu! It's so cute! I'm going to catch my next Pokemon! Ready Eevee?" "Eevee!" it said. "Eevee, Tackle!" The Pikachu dodged Eevee's Tackle and did Thundershock. Eevee was electrocuted. "Eevee! Do your Sand Attack!" The Pikachu coughed as Eevee kicked up sand. "Tackle it!" Eevee tackled the Pikachu. "Tackle again!" Eevee tackled again. "One more time!" Eevee Tackled the Pikachu one last time. The Pikachu collapsed. "Pokeball, go!" The Pokeball shook once. . .twice. . .three times and the Pikachu was mine! "I got Pikachu! Thank you, Eevee!" Eevee stood proudly. We walked farther and farther, battling many trainers as we walked through the forest. By the time we had gotten out of the forest it was dark. I was left with only 2 potions from the 4 I had bought. My Pikachu and Eevee battled hard. Fearow still wouldn't obey me. I walked to the next Pokemon Center, asked Nurse Joy to revitalize my Pokemon and fell asleep. The next morning I would go to the Pewter City Gym, to battle Clint, Brock's father, in my first Gym battle. CHAPTER FIVE The next morning I woke up at 9:15. "Wake up Eevee!" I said as I pulled my sleeping bag off of the small Pokemon. Eevee yawned and stretched, then smiled and said, "Eevee!" "Excuse me." A voice said from behind me. I turned around and saw Nurse Joy standing there. "Are you by any chance Melissa Eileen Leon?" I grimaced. "Yes, and please, just Melissa Leon thank you." I said. My father loved to make fun of my middle name. "There's a phone call for you from Prof. Oak." she said pointing to a video phone on the counter. I thanked nurse Joy and walked towards the counter. Eevee followed and jumped onto the counter. I picked up the phone. "Hello Prof. Oak!" I greeted. The Prof. was turned around and making a pot of tea. "Uh, Prof. Oak?" I said. "Oh," he said turning around. "Hi, Melissa, how are you doing? I was just making some tea." "I'm fine. Everything has been going good except that one of my Pokemon won't obey me." "Oh, you've caught a new Pokemon? Which one?" "I've caught two actually, a Pikachu, and a Fearow." "A Fearow? However did you get such a strong Pokemon so fast? I bet that that's the one that won't obey you." "Well, how'd you ever guess?" "By the way, how's Eevee doing?" "It's doing fine." "Eevee!" Eevee said with delight. "It looks like it's very healthy, you've been taking very good care of your Pokemon, Melissa." "Thank you Prof. Oak. Why did you call me anyway?" I asked. "Oh, right, you had left so fast that I wasn't able to tell you anything about the gender of your Pokemon, the name of your Pokedex, Pokemon nicknames, and your rival." "My rival?" "Yes, but I'll get to that later, first the gender of your Pokemon." I looked at Eevee. "I hadn't even thought about that." "Well, take out the rest of your Pokemon and I can tell you if your Pokemon are female or male." "Really? You can do that?" Prof. Oak laughed. "Yes, now take out your other two Pokemon." I searched my backpack and found the two Pokeballs that contained Fearow and Pikachu. "Go Pokeballs!" I threw the two Pokeballs in front of the counter and Pikachu and Fearow came out. "Pikachu." Pikachu said. "Fearow!" Fearow squawked. "Ah, yes, that Pikachu is female, and so is Eevee." "What about Fearow?" I asked. Fearow squawked madly and started to peck me. "Return Fearow!" Fearow was zapped back inside the Pokeball. "Only the male Fearow has an attitude like that." Prof. Oak said. "What's this about nicknames?" I asked. "Oh, yes. You can give your Pokemon nicknames. But, no matter what nickname you give them, they will still say their old names. For instance if you had a Clefairy and called it 'Powderpuff', it wouldn't say 'Powderpuff', it would still say 'Clefairy'." "I don't know what nickname to give my Fearow or Eevee, but for my Pikachu, I've always been fond of the name 'Kaze'." "Well then, your Pikachu's new name is 'Kaze'. Now, about your Pokedex, its name is Dextra." "A Pokedex with a name? That sounds crazy, but okay." "Now about your rival." "Yes, yes! Who is my rival anyway?" "He got there before you did unfortunately for you. Your rival is Joel." "Joel?! But he's my best friend!" "You both love Fire Pokemon so that makes him your rival." "All right." "Good, I wish you luck. Goodbye Melissa." "Bye, Prof. Oak." The video phone zapped off. "Well, no use complaining about it." I said to myself. "Might as well get to the Pewter City Gym. Come on Eevee, Kaze. When I walked out of the Pokemon Center I headed directly to Pewter Gym. When I got to the door, I hesitated. "I think I just realized something you guys." I said to Eevee and Kaze. "I DON'T HAVE ANY POKEMON THAT ARE GOOD AGAINST ROCK OR GROUND POKEMON!" Several people turned around and looked at me. "Uh, sorry, I didn't mean to shout." I managed to say. "Let's go and see if we can find some wild Pokemon." Eevee, Kaze and I walked just outside of Pewter City looking for wild Pokemon. "Eevee, can you help me?" I asked. Eevee nodded her head and started searching. I was looking through the grass when I came across a boy. "Do you have any Pokemon?" he asked. "Yes, I do, but if you want to battle you're going to have to wait." The boy frowned. "You're just a girl anyway. You're not worth my time." "What did you say?" I asked, my anger rising. "I said you're just a girl and you're not worth my time." he repeated. "Eevee! Come here! You too Kaze!" I called. Kaze and Eevee ran up to me. "You want a battle, you're going to get one." I said. "From a girl?" The boy started to laugh. "Don't underestimate me." I said even angrier than ever. "Whatever. It will be a three on three battle. You, of course, do have three Pokemon right?" "Yes, I do, and for your information they're going to defeat your Pokemon!" "We'll see about that. I choose you, Lickitung!" The boy said as he threw a Pokeball. Out came a strange pink creature with a very long tongue. "Licki!" it said. "Lickitung?" I pointed Dextra at the strange Pokemon. "Lickitung, the licking Pokemon. It can extend its tongue like a chameleon's. It leaves a tingling sensation when it licks enemies." "Hmm. Okay, go Kaze." The little yellow mouse walked out in front of the Lickitung. "Pikachu!" she said. "Lickitung Stomp!" the boy commanded. Lickitung started to stomp around trying to step on Kaze. Lickitung only succeeded in stepping on her tail though. "Kaze Thundershock!" I ordered. "Pikaaaaaa, CHUUUUU!" Kaze's cheeks sparked as she let out a burst of electricity at the Lickitung. Lickitung was shocked but not hurt badly. "Lickitung! Wrap!" Lickitung extended its tongue and wrapped it around Kaze. "Chaaa!" Kaze said as the Lickitung squeezed her tighter and tighter. "Uuuh, Kaze Thundershock it again!" I screamed. "Pikaaa! Pika, CHUUU!" Kaze shocked the Lickitung's tongue and the electricity surged through its entire body. When Kaze finally stopped, the Lickitung let go of her and slowly fell to the ground. "Licki." it said weakly. "Yeah! Good job Kaze!" I said as I walked over and hugged her. "It's not over yet. We still have two more Pokemon to go." the boy said. "Return Lickitung!" Lickitung was zapped back inside of its pokeball. "Go, Diglett!" He threw another Pokeball and a small brown Pokemon with two small eyes and a big nose popped into the ground. "Diggel!" it said cheerfully. I pointed Dextra at it. "Diglett, the mole Pokemon. They live most of their lives underground. Digletts join together instead of changing form when they evolve." "A Diglett, huh? Go Eevee!" "Eevee!" Eevee walked up to the mole Pokemon and looked at it confused. "Don't let your guard down! It may attack while you're inspecting it!" "Diglett Scratch!" "Scratch? This I gotta see. How is it going to Scratch without any other parts of the body except for the body itself and the head?" The Diglett went underneath the ground. Eevee looked around confused. Then the Diglett came up and shoved a rock against Eevee. Eevee fell down. "No Eevee!" I ran over to her side. "One Pokemon left to go." The boy said, smiling. "Oh no." I thought. "My last Pokemon doesn't listen." "Return Diglett! I choose you! Squirtle!" The boy threw his last Pokeball and out came a small blue turtle. I pointed Dextra at this Pokemon too. "Squirtle, the tiny turtle Pokemon. After birth, its back swells into a hard shell. It powerfully sprays foam from its mouth." "Go Fearow." I threw my last Pokeball and Fearow came out. "Fearow, give it your Fury Attack." Fearow fell asleep. "Squirtle, Bubble!" Squirtle fell asleep too. "What?" I said. "My Squirtle doesn't obey me. I can't figure out why she does it. For some reason, girl Pokemon don't get along with me." The boy confessed, looking down at his shoes. "I can see why." I said under my breath. "What?" "Nothing. My Fearow doesn't obey me either. He is so stubborn. I guess we'll call it a tie." "Hey, I have an idea. Do you want to trade Pokemon?" "Trade Pokemon?" "Yeah. Just follow me to the Pokemon Center and I'll trade you Squirtle for Fearow." "Well okay." We returned our Pokemon and I followed him to the Pokemon center and we placed our Pokeballs on a strange machine. The boy pushed a button. The Pokeballs that contained Fearow and Squirtle were sucked into a weird tube. Fearow and Squirtle appeared on a screen. They switched sides. The tube spit them back out. "Fearow is yours now, I guess." I was unsure about trading my Fearow. "Why don't we let them out and see how they react?" the boy suggested. "Okay." We threw our Pokeballs and let our new Pokemon out. "Squirt." Squirtle said. "Fearow!" Fearow screeched. "I'm your new owner Fearow." The boy said to the Fearow. Fearow went and flew to the boy's shoulder. "Hello Squirtle. My name is Melissa and I'm your new trainer. This is Pikachu, and this is Eevee." I said bending down to the tiny turtle Pokemon. "Squirt!" she said again. "Eevee!" Eevee squeaked. "Pi Pikachu!" Kaze said with a smile on her face. They were welcoming the Squirtle to their group. "Squirt Squirtle!" Squirtle smiled and hugged them. "It looks like our new Pokemon are getting along fine." the boy grinned. "All right! I got a Fearow!" He walked happily out of the Pokemon Center. "Well, Squirtle, let's go." And I returned Squirtle to her Pokeball. "You too, Pikachu." I returned Pikachu also. Then I realized something. I had a Water Pokemon! "Now I can finally go and battle the Gym Leader! Let's go Eevee." CHAPTER SIX I walked up to the gym door. It was the first time I'd realized how big the gym actually was. "Eevee!" Eevee exclaimed in amazement. She looked up at the gym. It looked like a bunch of rocks crammed together. I just stared at the rusty-red door. When I finally touched the knob, I yanked my hand away. The knob was freezing cold! I finally managed to open the door. I took a step forward. Everything before me was pitch black. I took another step forward. The door slowly closed behind me. It shut so loud that it made me jump. It was now pitch black all around. I tried to hide that I was afraid. I didn't want the Gym Leader to think that I was weak. "My name is Melissa Leon from Pallet Town! I've come to challenge the Gym Leader!" I said, trying to stand tall. I heard a soft chuckle. "There are no Gym Leaders here, little girl." said a twisted, evil voice. A spotlight came on, aimed at a man. He was on a pole that was hanging across the ceiling of the Gym. Eevee hid behind my leg in fear. The man had black gloves and boots, and a dark blue uniform with a ruby red "R" printed on it. The rest of him was not visible. "Oh, man." I said to myself. "I remember this somewhere..." Then I remembered. "Please, don't tell me you're going to do a motto or something like that." "Shut up, little girl." The man said curling up his fist. "Oh, like you're really going to hurt me." I muttered. "Prepare for trouble!" The man said. Another spotlight came on besides him. A woman jumped down from the ceiling right next to him. "And make it double!" She continued. "To protect the world from ruination!" "To bring together people from every station!" "Their motto is even worse than Jessie, James, and Meowth's!" I continued to mutter. Eevee covered her ears with her paws. "To pronounce the evils of truth and love!" "To reach as far as the stars above!" I slapped myself in the forehead with my hand. "Matt!" The man jumped down from the ceiling and did a pose. "Naomi!" The girl jumped down from the ceiling. She landed besides him and also did a pose. "Team Rocket, gust off with speed and might!" "Give up now!" "If you don't, take flight!" I continued to slap myself in the forehead. "Did they have to add to it?" I asked myself. "You will not win over us!" "You will surely lose the fight!" From the ceiling, a blue light shone bright, and a Pokemon came down and landed between Matt and Naomi. "Kadabra!" It said. "A Kadabra." I said as I took out my Pokedex. "Dark Kadabra, the Psychic Pokemon. This Kadabra is said to be as powerful as the good one, maybe even stronger." "Wait, a Dark Kadabra?" I asked. Matt and Naomi started to walk up to me. "Well, I'm not going to take flight, and I'm not going to lose the fight!" I said, standing tall. "That's what you think." Matt said. "Hand over your Pokemon." "Never!" I shouted. They walked right up to me. I backed up against the wall. They continued to walk up to me. I could see their faces now. Naomi had long silver hair, with peach skin and blue eyes. Matt had peach skin that was darker than Naomi's and green hair with purple, piercing eyes. Matt put his hand over my shoulder and against the wall. He did the same with the other hand. I was paralyzed with fear for a second. "I'm not going to ask you again." He whispered. "Hand over the Pokemon." "Eevee run!" I shouted. Eevee started to run around the gym, avoiding Naomi's grasp. Matt looked back at Naomi. I made my move and knocked his legs out from under him. I jumped over his fallen body and ran to Eevee. I grabbed her. "Go back in the Pokeball for now." I said as she was zapped back into the ball. Matt got up and nodded at Dark Kadabra. Dark Kadabra's eyes started to glow. I was then being lifted up into the air by a psychic attack. I was tossed right into the wall. "I told you, you would lose." Matt grinned evily. The first week of my Pokemon journey and already it was going all wrong! "No one wins against Team Rocket!" Naomi folded her arms. I got up and went for the door. I tried to turn the knob but it wouldn't budge! "Give us your Pokemon or Dark Kadabra will do that again." Matt growled. "What did you do with the Gym Leader?!" I demanded. "He's taking a break. You will too if you don't cooperate!" My back was leaned against the cold door. I looked around, then shrugged. "You talk tough, but how are you in a battle?" I asked. "Trust me, you don't want to battle with me." Matt said. "Don't I?" I grinned. Matt laughed. "You will pay for your foolishness." Matt withdrew a Pokeball. "I may be a little girl, but I can be a master if I try." I withdrew my Pokeball too. "Go Pokeball!" Matt dropped his Pokeball in front of him. A two headed bird with no wings popped out. I took out Dextra and analyzed the Pokemon. "Doduo, the twin bird Pokemon. It makes up for its poor flying with its speed." "What would be good against Doduo?" I thought. I grabbed a Pokeball from my backpack and tossed it a few feet in front of me. "Pikachu." Kaze said in delight. Matt didn't hesitate for a second. "Doduo! Fury Attack!" Doduo pecked Kaze repeatedly. "Kaze, Thundershock!" "PIKACHU!" Kaze blasted Doduo with electricity. I wasn't about to let Team Rocket win. I had to do something. CHAPTER SEVEN "Your Pokemon will pay for its trainer's mistake." Matt said. I had to find a way out. But it was too dark and I couldn't see a thing! "Kaze! Continue Thundershock!" I shouted, trying to think of a plan. I could almost see Naomi who was leaning against another wall. On the wall I could see stairs that led up to a window that had its shades down. "Yes!" I thought. I turned my attention back to the battle. Kaze was in bad shape. "Oh! Kaze return!" Kaze was returned and Matt stood there looking at me with satisfaction. He returned his Doduo. "Now it's your turn." He grinned. That's when I bolted for the stairs. "Stop her! Don't let her get away!" Matt shouted to Naomi. Naomi tried to grab me but I was too fast for her. I ran up the stairs and opened the shades. I looked out the window and found that I was very high up. Matt and Naomi were coming up the stairs, and fast. I was afraid of the immense height but I had to do something. Without thinking I took a step back, closed my eyes, and ran right at the window. BAM! The next thing I knew I was laying flat on something steel beneath me. My head felt like I was having a migraine. I opened my eyes and saw a cracked window before me. To my right I heard Naomi and Matt coming up the stairs. "Uh oh!" I thought. I quickly got back up. The window was cracked so hopefully this time I would be able to crash through it. I took a few more steps back this time. I ran forward and ran into the window. The window did shatter this time. But, instead of falling down and crashing into the ground, I felt someone grab my ankle and I was lifted right back up through the window. "No one escapes Team Rocket!" Matt growled as he grabbed my shirt and shoved me against the wall. I was in serious pain. I would have definitely rather have fallen than be in the position I was now. Matt grabbed my right arm and forced it behind my back. I gasped in pain. He started to force me down the stairs. Naomi followed. I felt like I would burst into tears any second from either the pain, or the fear. Matt brought me to the center of the gym. He pushed me so hard from him that I fell on the ground in front of him. I stared up at him. His eyes scared me. "Now you will pay dearly for your insolence." He said fiercely. I started to shake with fear. This seemed to amuse him. He cocked his fist in preparation. All of the sudden the gym door burst open. The real gym leader, Officer Jenny, and a few other male officers walked in. "You're under arrest for stealing Pokemon!" Officer Jenny yelled. Matt looked at Officer Jenny, then back at me. He shouted in anger and kicked me in the stomach. I curled up in pain. He looked at me angrily, then said, "Come on Naomi. We'll get her back for what she did. Team Rocket always gets its revenge. Come on Dark Kadabra!" Matt gave me one last angry glance before he threw down a strange ball. When it hit the ground, it made a huge blast of smoke. Across the gym I could hear the officers coughing, and Officer Jenny yelling orders. "Open those windows! Put on the air conditioning! Open the other side of the door!" When the smoke finally cleared, Officer Jenny noticed me. "Oh my gosh! There's a girl lying on the ground! She's hurt! Call the hospital! Tell them to send an ambulance!" Officer Jenny ran up to me. "Just lay still!" She said, still yelling. "I'm okay, really." I said weakly. Man, I had been in some pretty intense challenges, but this was the first time I had ever really gotten hurt. "You are in no condition to argue!" She yelled. The gym leader walked up beside me and knelt down. He had on a hat that covered his eyes. "You are a very brave girl." He smiled. "Thank you, uh, uh..." "Flint." He finished. Flint? I always thought his name was Clint! That's when I realized I was fading out of consciousness. I tried to stay awake, but it was no use. The last thing I heard was the siren of the ambulance coming up to the gym. CHAPTER EIGHT I slowly opened my eyes. "Where am I?" I thought. "You are in a hospital." A strange high-pitched voice said. I looked all around and saw no one. "Freaky." I thought. "The nurses are coming. You are to be let out today. You will battle the Gym Leader. Then you are to go to Mt. Moon. But I warn you, it will not be easy. You have a new enemy and they will stop at nothing to get revenge. They are coming! I must go now." The voice continued. I was really becoming confused because there was no one in the room. I decided that I had just taken a serious beating from Matt and it was making me hear things. Two nurses walked into the room. One with short curly blonde hair said, "Okay, dear. You are free to go now." I got off the bed. "How long have I been out?" I asked. The nurse looked at me and smiled. "You were only unconscious for two hours. You have quite a bruise on your head. What did you do?" "I ran into a window two times trying to escape from Team Rocket." I answered. "Oh, you poor dear. I'll tell you, those Rockets will do anything for the sake of money. You were very brave." I shot her a thanking glance and walked out. The sun was bright and I put my hand over my eyes to see. I walked back up to the gym. I shivered at the thought of what just happened and opened the door. Finally, after all of the delays, I would finally battle the Gym Leader. But was I good enough? Could my Pokemon match up to his? What kind of Pokemon would he use? What was that strange voice in the hospital? What did it mean about Mt. whatever? Would Matt and Naomi take their revenge on me? Would I get the Boulder Badge? Would I shine through and become a Pokemon Master? Would I catch any rare and powerful Pokemon on the way? Could I take the challenge, beat all the odds, cherish every moment of it, and become the ultimate champion? Was I ever going to open the door? I held my breath, and opened the door. And there, sitting before me, was Flint. For the first time I could see the whole gym. It was outlined with huge boulders. Then, I turned around, and went back outside! CHAPTER NINE "Why can't I just go in?" I said as I punched the wall. "I survived my first encounter with Team Rocket members! Well, sort of. This world is just so different! The strange thing is, I'm loving every moment of it! I really want to get some fire Pokemon though. And what of my favorite Pokemon? I heard it is impossible to catch. Maybe I can change that. What the hey? I'll go in and win my first gym leader battle! But first I think I'll go change my clothes." It was the first time I had really noticed my shirt. It was filthy with dirt and I could see a shoe mark on it from Matt. I ran to the Pokemon Center and ran to the bathroom. I searched my backpack and found a light blue tank-top with a Charizard on it. I put that on with black bell-bottoms that had red flames on the bells. I took my scrunchie off and brushed my brown hair. I put my scrunchie back on and smiled at how much I loved fire Pokemon. I came out of the bathroom and looked at Nurse Joy, who was busy signing papers which a Chansey kept on bringing to her. She looked up at me and smiled. "My, that sure is a nice outfit." I smiled back at her. "Thank you." I walked out of the Pokemon Center and laughed softly, thinking about how many Officer Jenny's and Nurse Joy's there were. When I got back to the gym I took a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothing." I walked in and stood smiling. Flint was in the same place he was five minutes ago. "My name is Melissa Leon from Pallet Town! I've come to demand a battle with the gym leader!" I said it like I had done it many times before, and I was proud of myself. "You're...that girl aren't you?" He asked in a deep, serious voice. "Sir?" I asked, confused. "That girl who defeated Team Rocket. That was you, wasn't it?" His voice softened. "Oh! Yes, sir that was me. But I wouldn't really say I defeated them." He stood up. "You may have defeated Team Rocket, but you are no match for me. Since you're a girl and this is your first battle, I'll go easy on you." I could have sworn I saw him smile a little. "Thank you, sir." "Please, call me Flint." "Yes, sir! I mean, no sir! I mean, yes Mr. Flint!" I was totally embarrassed. He gave a soft chuckle, then said, "Just Flint." The sides of the gym started to come closer and closer around the middle. I screamed as half of a huge boulder almost crushed me. It was coming back together with it's other half. When the gym finished coming together, it was battle time. My heart was racing and I began to feel like someone else was in there...just watching me. "It will be a two on two battle. Unless you don't have the courage to go up against me." Flint was definitely getting on my nerves. "I'm ready. Let's begin." "I like your spunk. Let's make a bet. If you win, I'll give you one of my Pokemon." "And if you win?" I asked, crossing my arms. "You have to scrub the whole gym and polish the rocks." "Sounds like my mom giving me chores." I thought. "Okay. It's a fair bet. I accept." Flint grinned and grabbed two Pokeballs from his jacket and threw the jacket off. He threw a Pokeball. It shot out a huge snake-like creature that looked like a bunch of boulders placed after one another with a head. I took out Dextra. "Onix, the rock snake Pokemon. The longest of all the Pokemon, this powerful snake can crush a Pokemon's bones with it's tail." I gulped. "Squirtle go!" I threw my pokeball and Squirtle came out. "Squirtle!" She said. "Onix Tackle!" I just stood there for a second. This was the first time I noticed how much I loved my Pokemon. I had to shake out of it pretty soon or there wouldn't be very much to love of my Squirtle. "Squirtle Watergun!" Onix bashed Squirtle with it's head. She was thrust up into the air where she hid inside of her shell to prepare for landing. When she hit the ground, she wasn't injured. She popped out of her shell and shot a water blast right on Onix's head. "OOOOOOONNNNN!" Onix roared. "You're very smart using strategy like that. Onix, Bind it!" Onix grabbed Squirtle with its tail. "Squirtle, go into your shell!" I ordered. Squirtle went inside her shell. Onix squeezed as hard as it could but couldn't crush Squirtle's hard shell. Finally it gave up in frustration. "Squirtle Water Gun!" Squirtle shot water at Onix once more and it was defeated. "Onix return!" Flint zapped Onix back into the ball. "Squirtle return!" "Very good. But you're still no match for me. Go, Pokeball!" "Go, Pokeball!" We both threw our Pokeballs. Out of mine came Kaze, and out of Flint's came a flying Pokemon that looked somewhat like a Pterodactyl with razor-sharp teeth and an arrow tail. I pretty much bent down and grabbed Dextra out of my backpack and pointed it at the strange Pokemon without even knowing what I was doing! Now I automatically knew what to do when encountering a new Pokemon. "Aerodactyl, the Fossil Pokemon. Has lately been cloned in the Pokemon Labs on Cinnabar Island and has a lower temper than it used to have." "Aerodactyl Agility!" Aerodactyl flapped its wings as fast as it could and flew in the air. Kaze stared up with her eyes wide with fear. "Kaze Thunder Wave!" Kaze crunched up and sent paralyzing waves to Aerodactyl. Aerodactyl froze in the air and fell to the ground, paralyzed. "Kaze Thundershock!" Kaze sent a bolt of electricity surging through Aerodactyl. Aerodactyl didn't move. "NO! It can't be! I've been beaten by a girl!" Flint cried. "Aerodactyl return!" I ran up to Kaze and grabbed her in my arms. "Good girl Kaze!" I scratched behind her ears. "Chaaa!" She squealed contentedly. I stared up at a window near the ceiling of the gym and thought I saw a shadow of something looking at me, but it disappeared too quickly for me to be sure I saw anything. I grabbed my other two Pokeballs and sent out my other Pokemon. I set Kaze down and picked up Squirtle. I hugged her shell tightly. I set her down. Eevee jumped into my arms. I scratched her behind the ears. "You should be proud Eevee. They took your example." Eevee licked my face. "I must say, you are good as a trainer. Here, your prize for winning. The Boulder Badge and my Aerodactyl." Flint handed me the badge and Pokeball. "Aerodactyl?! Why are you giving me that one?" I asked. "He's just a young one. That's why he was defeated so easily." "Well, I thank you." I searched my bag for a Paralyze Heal and pulled out a spray bottle. I threw Aerodactyl's ball. He came out, crumpled. "Oh, you poor thing." I said as I sprayed the heal on him. He sprung up immediately. I went over and hugged him. "Well, Aerodactyl, you're mine now." "Aero!" He sat back and looked at me, confused. "My name is Melissa, Aerodactyl. I am your new trainer and will help you to become more powerful and smarter." I said joyfully and went up to hug him again. Aerodactyl looked confused for a second, unsure of what was happening, then wrapped his gigantic wings around me as if he was hugging me back. I smiled. The rest of my Pokemon stood around Aerodactyl squeaking and barking at him. "You're very good with your Pokemon." Flint complemented. "Thank you," I paused for a moment, "Flint." Flint smiled at me. "Okay, everyone back in your Pokeballs except Aerodactyl!" Every one of my Pokemon except Aerodactyl jumped back into their Pokeballs. I picked up my backpack, thanked Flint, and left. CHAPTER TEN It seemed a little odd to people around me that I was walking with an Aerodactyl.I didn't care. Aerodactyl walked around with his wings and claws. He looked funny. "Hey!" A strange kid shouted as I was walking out of Pewter. He ran up to me. He had black hair and turquoise eyes. "Cool Aerodactyl! I'm Travis! What's your name?" I wasn't ready to tell my name to a total stranger, but hey, what harm could it do? But just to be completely safe, I sent out the rest of my Pokemon. "Wow! Look at all those Pokemon! You must be a really good trainer! What was your name?" All of my Pokemon growled at Travis. I scolded them and said, "My name is Melissa." "Are you heading to Mt. Moon?" He asked. "I think so." I said, unsure of what he was talking about. "Cool! That's where I'm heading! Listen, do you want to travel with me for a while?" He asked. Now this is where I had to think a lot. Telling him my name was one thing, but travelling with him? Oh well, he said it was only for a while. "Sure!" I said, brightening up. "Oops! I forgot something back in Pewter! Meet me outside of that mountain straight ahead!" He said as he ran towards Pewter. My Pokemon growled at him as he left. "He seems nice enough, but..." I trailed off as I saw Travis run on a side of bushes in the other direction towards a huge mountain. "What was that all about?" I asked. "Eevee?" Eevee said turning her head in confusion. "Oh, well. He was a strange kid." I took out my Pokedex and looked at it. I fiddled around with it a bit before shouting out suddenly, "Aha!" All of my Pokemon jumped. "Dextra has a built in map! Now I can get anywhere! Hmm." I thought for a bit. "I'll go to this mountain right here since it seems to be on the way there. Maybe I'll catch a rare Pokemon." Aerodactyl looked at the Pokedex with curiosity. I laughed as he took it with his wings and bit it, causing him to shout out in pain. "Pokedex's aren't for eating! They're too hard for you, anyway." I said as I took Dextra back. Aerodactyl rubbed his snout. Eevee, Kaze, and Squirtle laughed at Aerodactyl who gave them a "you better stop that or else" look and they immediately stopped laughing. Suddenly I had a powerful urge to exercise. "I feel like running. You can go back into your Pokeball for now." I returned Aerodactyl. "Hey, who wants to race to our next destination?" I asked looking down at my Pokemon. Eevee and Kaze nodded, but Squirtle crossed her arms and shook her head. "Okay then Squirtle, you're going to have to run now. My Pokemon need to exercise once and a while and you seem to not like running." I said. Squirtle's mouth dropped open. "Here, I'll show you how to get to like running. I'll go slow since this will be your first time." I started to jog in place. Eevee and Kaze did the same but on all fours. Squirtle started to move her legs up and down and swing her arms. "Okay now! Jog!" I started out at a slow jog so my Pokemon could keep up with me. Kaze jolted ahead of Squirtle and Eevee and jogged at the same pace as I did. "All right now, let's see what you're made of! I'll race you to that mountain!" I said as I broke out in a full burst run. I ran as fast as I could. When I got to the mountain I was out of breath. I leaned up against the mountain and slid down to the ground. I surprised to see that Eevee and Kaze tied in for second and Squirtle got third. "Wow," I said, "I'm faster than my Pokemon. Don't worry, with practice you guys..." I stopped because Kaze and Squirtle were folding their arms and Eevee had her snout raised to the air. "Oh, I'm sorry. With practice you GIRLS will soon get better and faster than I am." They returned to their cheery faces. "Now, we are going to have to go through this mountain in order to get to Cerulean City." I walked around the mountain searching for a way in. When I came to an entrance, there was a big sign in front of it that said "Mt. Moon". "So that's what Travis meant by Mt. Moon." I said. I looked at my Pokemon who were playing around. "Everyone back into your Pokeballs except Eevee!" I ordered. Eevee stood up as her two friends were sucked into their Pokeballs. She walked over and rubbed against my leg. I picked her up and she rubbed her head against my cheek. I sighed and started to walk into Mt. Moon. It was pitch black in there and I was getting uncomfortable. I set Eevee down and kept on walking. I felt something brush against my hair. "What was that?" I asked. "Eevee!" Eevee said. Suddenly I felt something brush against my hair again, then thousands of things flew over my head! "Aaaah!" I screamed and started to run deeper into the cave holding my head. I had enough sense to feel around in my backpack for a flashlight. I took it out and turned it on. I pointed it all around the cave and found Eevee running towards me. "Eevee! Are you okay?" I asked happily. "Eev eeeveee evee!" Eevee reassured. I pointed the flashlight at the ceiling. What I saw made me scream. Right above me was a group of Zubats chattering nervously. I pointed my Pokedex at them. "Zubat, the bat Pokemon. When a bright light hits the wild Zubats, they often blindly attack the source of the light. Because of this, many wild Zubats often die when they go out into the sun." "Maybe I'd better turn my flashlight off then!" I said as I quickly turned my flashlight off. "But I'm not leaving without capturing one." I felt around my backpack for Kaze's Pokeball. I found a Pokeball and with a lucky guess I threw it and Kaze came out. I couldn't see her but I recognized her cheery voice. "Kaze Thundershock!" I commanded. I looked as the darkness before me sparked and electricity flew at the ceiling making everything around me visible for a second. I watched as a Zubat fell to the ground. I grabbed an empty Pokeball and threw it. I heard it wobble then stop. "Kaze, did I catch it?" I asked. "You sure did." laughed a voice. "Matt!" I said recognizing it instantly. "Well, well, well. Look who we have here." Lights on the ceiling turned on a few feet above me, lighting just that one spot. Matt was standing next to Naomi leaning against the wall of the cave. I took a step back and glared at him. "Look what I found." He said, swinging my backpack. "You better give that back to me." I growled. "Finders keepers. Oh, and speaking of that, look who else we have." Naomi walked out of the light and back in carrying two tied up Pokemon. "Give me back Kaze and Eevee!" I shouted. "Yeah, like we're really going to do that." Matt smiled. I thought I heard someone laugh softly from behind me but I didn't make any movements to show that I had noticed it. "You came in to our trap so easily." Naomi said. "She is an easy girl to trick isn't she?" Matt laughed. I narrowed my eyes at Matt. "That may be but there's one thing you don't know." I smiled. "Besides that you are a foolish girl who has just lost all of her Pokemon what else is there to know?" Matt got off the wall and stood straight. "Well, for one I haven't lost my Pokemon yet and I love them very much." I said. Matt rolled his eyes. "And for second?" He asked. I took my scrunchie off to let my hair hang loose. Matt cocked an eyebrow. Suddenly I turned around and grabbed hold of a Team Rocket member. I swung him over my shoulder at Matt's feet. Then, I stepped on the fallen Team Rocket member and kicked Matt in the jaw. He fell back against the wall. Naomi gasped. "For second, I was trained to defend myself very well." "But how well exactly?" she asked snapping her fingers. More lights came on and showed Team Rocket members in black suits with red "R's" on them. "Oh no." I thought. "What am I going to do now?" TO BE CONTINUED..... CHAPTER ELEVEN I watched silently as Naomi helped Matt up. "Oh, I'm sorry did that hurt?" I said. He looked at me and growled. "Why you little punk. When these guys finish with you I'm going to personally deal with you myself. Get her boys!" The Team Rocket members surrounding me started to move in. I looked for the smallest members. When I found the two smallest members I ran at them and pushed right by them like they were nothing. "Don't just stand there get her!" Matt shouted. I had to find some way to escape and at the same time get my Pokemon back. I looked back at the Team Rocket members following me. They were breathing heavily and slowing down. I smiled and increased my speed. In a few minutes I had lost them. I slowed down to a walk to catch my breath, in case they came back again. The only problem was it was dark and I didn't know which way was the right way out of the mountain. And I didn't know that I was being watched. Matt took out a device from his pocket that looked like a mini television. The screen turned on and showed me walking through Mt. Moon. "She's a smart one, this one." He said to Naomi. "She's not smart enough to outwit you though." Naomi said and hugged Matt. Matt didn't look at her but just stared at the screen. "She's getting closer to the first trap." He said like no one was there. I felt like someone was watching me suddenly. And in fear I started to run again. Stupidly, I didn't watch where I was going and tripped on a rock. I rolled a few feet and then laid flat on my back. I looked at the wall of the cave and saw a very small video camera. I got up and walked to it. I picked up a rock and smashed the camera with it. Then I turned and ran again. "She's almost there. What? She tripped right under it! I thought I told them to make sure that those traps were flawless! Travis is going get it!" Matt yelled. Naomi rubbed his back lovingly. "Don't worry honey, she doesn't know we're watching her." Matt turned to her. "Then tell me this, if she doesn't know we're watching her, how come she just smashed one of the camera's with a rock?" "WHAT?!" Naomi yelled suddenly. Matt covered his ear. "Don't be so loud." He whispered. "Besides, she's bound to trigger the next trap and we have more cameras." Naomi nodded slowly. "You're right. She can't escape." I continued to run. My hair got in the way of my face and I put my scrunchie back on. I climbed on a rock blocking my way and jumped as far as I could. The landing wasn't very pleasant but I had to keep on going. I had to. "She's almost there." Naomi said excitedly. "SHE JUST JUMPED RIGHT OVER IT!" Matt yelled and punched the wall. "Matthew calm down!" Naomi put a hand on his shoulder. "She can't possibly get past the next trap." "Naomi?" Matt said, still looking at the screen of the device. "Yes Matt?" Matt turned to look at her. "She just got past the next one." How long could I hold out? I was starting to get tired and my side ached. I took a hard left and almost fell again. "Got to...keep on...going." I said between breaths. That was when I saw the exit to Mt. Moon. It was about seven hundred yards in front of me. I tried to speed up again but I was too weak. "I wish I had this much adrenaline in gym class." I thought. Something in Matt's pocket beeped. He smiled and took out what looked like some sort of walkie-talkie. He pushed a button and held it up to his ear. "Travis what took you so long?" He demanded. "And I thought those traps of yours were supposed to be flawless!" "I'm sorry sir but I've got Melissa in my sights. She's coming up and is extremely tired." Matt smiled. "Good. We'll be right there." Matt put the walkie-talkie away. He looked at Naomi. "That Travis is shaping up to be a pretty good Rocket member indeed." Travis put away his walkie-talkie and looked at his group. They were some of the toughest boys in Team Rocket. "Okay guys, she's getting closer. When she gets to the entrance, we jump her." He said. One of the boys with black hair and brown eyes spoke up. "Isn't that a little harsh? I mean, she is just a girl. If she was a boy I'd understand." "Look, I may be new, but it makes me sick to see a new member of Team Rocket be so weak like you. Now, when she comes we'll get her. That is, if Mr. Soft Spot For Girls doesn't have any objection." The boy shook his head. "Okay then, get ready, here she comes!" I was ready to drop now. The first thing that I would do was go straight to Officer Jenny and hopefully get help to get my Pokemon back. I thought I was out of danger. That's why I was surprised when some boys came out from behind a rock and started to punch me hard. I tried to fight back and kicked one of them in the stomach. He backed off but I couldn't do anything about the rest of them. It felt like a century before they finally stopped. I fell to the ground and looked up at one of them. He smiled at me and said, "You girls will believe anything." "Travis?" I thought. My mother always told me to not talk to strangers. It would have saved me a lot of pain if I had listened to her advice. "Hey Travis," One of the boys said, "Mr. Soft Spot For Girls here didn't join in any of the pounding." Travis looked over at the boy who didn't want to fight. "Do you think I was too hard on her?" Travis said pointing at me. "I let her off easy. You don't want to know what usually happens to the other people I'm sent to deal with." He walked over to me. "Are you too chicken to do this?" Travis kicked me in the stomach. I coughed weakly. "I was right. You're not Team Rocket material. Prove yourself to Team Rocket by coming over here and finishing her off. Or are you just a scaredy, good-for-nothing baby?" Travis put his hands on his waist and leaned slightly to the left. The boy just stood there. I could see the hate in his eyes. I knew his eyes from somewhere. Travis was getting impatient. "Well, are you going to do it or not Joel?" He asked. Joel? My rival was part of Team Rocket? Joel nodded and walked up to me. He turned to Travis and punched him extremely hard in the stomach. Travis clutched his stomach and Joel elbowed his neck. Travis fell down, still holding his stomach. Joel turned and walked away. He turned his head and looked at Travis and turned his head back again. He started to laugh. "Me? A good-for-nothing baby?" He continued to laugh until he was out of site. Travis was about to tell his group to go after Joel when Matt stepped in. "Travis, Travis, Travis. You lost one of your members." Matt looked down at Travis who was still holding his stomach. Matt helped Travis up. "I'm so sorry sir. But we got Melissa." Matt looked at me and smiled. His expression quickly turned solemn. "Pick her up!" He ordered. One of the bigger boys roughly grabbed my arms and pinned them to my sides and forced me to stand up. My legs were wobbly and I could hardly support myself but the boy held me up. Matt walked up to me. He was a good eight inches taller than I was. He squatted down so he could see me at eye level but I just stared at the ground. Matt took a single lock of hair that was dangling in front of my face and put it behind my ear. He put his hand on my chin and forced me to meet his gaze. Then he punched me in the face. "Oh, I'm sorry did that hurt?" He mocked. Suddenly the wall of the cave burst and fell in. Many of the members were practically crushed. The boy let go of me and ran. My back was facing the wall so I couldn't see what was going on. But I did see the huge shadow of the strange creature that burst through the wall. I heard Naomi scream for Matt to run. There was a huge roar and a Team Rocket member flew past me and into the wall. He layed there and didn't move. Then everything was silent. I could hear the creature breathing behind me and I felt its hot breath. I gasped as a claw grabbed my waist and lifted me up. The claw brought me around the body with my back to it. Then it set me down before two kids. One was a black haired kid with a flattop, and the other looked like a really smart girl with glasses and red hair. That's when I turned to face the beast. Incredulously I looked up, right into the whirling eyes of a golden dragon. CHAPTER TWELVE I felt like I would scream so loud my lungs would jump out from my throat, but I held it in. What was I thinking? This huge dragon just saved my life so there was no reason to be afraid of it. I swallowed hard and managed to speak. "Hello." I said to the huge golden dragon. I was aware that the dragon's eyes were narrowed on me and I started to feel nervous. There was no response from the dragon so I slowly turned around. The boy and girl were still there and the boy seemed to sigh in relief. I smiled as Eevee and Kaze ran up to me carrying my backpack in their mouths. They dropped the backpack and jumped into my arms. I hugged and kissed them lovingly. "I'm so glad you're unharmed. You've had enough excitement for now." I said as I recalled them into their Pokeballs. I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists. "I am going to get Matt." I growled. I looked at the boy and girl who were standing next to what looked like a Rapidash with wings. "I'm sorry I hadn't really noticed you before. May I ask what your names are?" I asked, calming down. They just stared at me for a moment. "Uh, excuse me?" I asked. The girl with red hair and glasses put her hand behind her head and laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry! My name is Lucca, that's Jose," she said, pointing at the boy. "That's Pegachu, and that there behind you is Varena," "You're covered with bruises. You got beat up pretty bad, didn't you?" Jose said. "I guess so. But, I'll live. I can take almost anything." I looked at Jose. "You know, you look awfully familiar to me." I said. "You probably saw me when I was spying on you from the roof of the Pewter City Gym." he replied. Lucca smacked her forehead. "Real smooth Jose, real smooth." I put my hands on my waist. "That was you? You were making me nervous throughout the whole battle! Besides the fact that I have to learn about other types of Pokemon besides fire, I was doubting that I was going to win!" Jose took a step back and laughed nervously. "W-well, you won, didn't you? I mean the way you used your Pikachu..." "Kaze." I interrupted. "Bless you." Jose said. "No! Kaze is my Pikachu's name!" Jose paused for a moment. "Oh. Well, anyway, the way you used your Kaze and Squirtle seems like you had no trouble at all." "That was real good grammar, Jose. Next time say, the way you used Kaze and Squirtle. Not the way you used your Kaze." Lucca said. Geez, they sure argued a lot. "Well, I thank you for saving my life." I smiled. "Oh, it was nothing. Varena was the one that saved you." Lucca said pointing behind me. I turned to Varena. "Wow, she sure is big!" I exclaimed. "Not that I mean that in a bad way. Thanks for saving me." I went over and hugged Varena's leg. I looked up at her and her eyes turned from blue to pink. I was a little bit startled when a voice inside my head said, "You give off a lot of love." "Did you say that?" I asked Varena. She smiled and nodded. "Well, in this world I'll believe practically anything." I walked over to the Pegachu. He neighed happily and rubbed his horn against my cheek. I suddenly felt renewed. "What happened to your bruises?" Jose asked. "What do you mean?" "Well, a second ago you were covered with them. Now, you don't have a spot on you." I looked at my arms and felt my head. My head didn't hurt and there was nothing on my arms. "Like I said, I'll believe anything in this world." "What do you mean by 'in this world?'" Lucca asked. "I'm from a different planet where Pokemon never existed. Just forget about it. You know you look so familiar." I said, staring at Jose. "What's your favorite type of Pokemon?" "Water." "Who's your favorite Water types?" "Squirtle, Wartortle, and Blastoise." "That's all the information I need." I said. I'd know this kid anywhere. He used to be my best friend back when we lived on Earth. I called him Junior. "All the information you need for what?" Lucca asked. "All the information I need to know that this boy is my best friend." "Come on. You can't determine that." Jose said, folding his arms. "Oh yes I can, JUNIOR!" Jose gasped. "No one's called me by that name for over a year! How do you know it?" "Because I am one of the ones who used to call you by it! I'm Melissa! Remember? Long brown haired girl that loves Fire Pokemon and always taught you how to use strategy in the Pokemon games we used to play? And then there was the day when I cut my hair with scissors and I had always said that I had gotten into a fight with scissors and lost." Jose gasped again. "Wait. How do I know you're really Melissa?" I walked up to him and elbowed him in the shoulder. "Ow! What did you do that for?" he asked angrily, rubbing his shoulder. "Remember that? The habit I formed? When I hit you whenever you did something stupid or annoying?" Jose's eyes widened. "It IS you!" I nodded and smiled. We ran and embraced each other. That day we talked and talked about all of the times we had together. Junior told me about his sister, the corn field, Varena, Lucca, Pikachu, and Pegachu. I told him about my journey so far while feeding my Pokemon. But, sadly we had to leave each other again. Junior had to go get his revenge on Team Rocket and I had to continue on with my journey. I remembered that my Uncle George lived in Cerulean. He has some sort of machine that I never found out what he used it for. All I knew was one time I got close to it and it started to beep like crazy. The same happened when Junior got close to it. But that was when we lived on the old Earth. We spent the night in the woods. In the morning we parted ways, but not before I vowed our paths would cross again. Junior and Lucca rode on Varena's back arguing the whole time. I was getting a little protective over him. I guess that I'm afraid our friendship will be lost to him and Lucca. Oh, well. If that did happen, I'll know that our friendship wasn't for real. I have to admit though, I loved seeing him again. CHAPTER THIRTEEN I walked through the woods with mixed feelings. It was a shock seeing Junior again. It was an even bigger shock to see him leave. I forced it out of my mind. I had to keep on with my journey. That's when I realized that I was lost. I felt something click in my mind and I turned around to punch a bush. Out of the bush a Nidorino that was about to attack me falls back and runs. What was that click? It's almost as if for a moment I was...OH SHOOT! I run as fast as I can to Cerulean. I just keep on running, never stopping. It can't be. Please tell me it's not what I think it is. I run and run. I think I just might have found out what that machine my Uncle George uses is for. I see the entrance and I run past it. I'm exhausted but I don't care. I have to know if I am what I think I am. I try to remember his address and run to it. I knock on the door, panting. I am greeted by a my Uncle George. He has red hair and black eyes. "Oh! Hello, Melissa! I haven't seen you for a while." he says, scratching the back of his head. "Uncle George! I need to know what that machine is used for!" I yell. He gives me an odd look. "What machine?" "The one that beeped like crazy when I got next to it!" "Why would you want to see that for?" he asks nervously. "Because I need to know something." He looks at me again, his face expressionless. "No, I am not crazy!" I yell. He backs up. "I didn't say you were crazy." "Yes, you did! You said it just now!" I insist. He shakes his head. "Melissa, I didn't say anything. I only th..." He trails off. "What?" I ask. "I only though that you were crazy. I said it in my head." he said, pointing to his head. I run down the hall, ignoring his protest, and run into his basement. The machine is there. It has a screen that has a straight line on it. I take a deep breath and walk up to it. The line starts to go up and down slowly. When I touch it the line goes up and down so rapidly I can't keep my eye on it. And, that beeping. That beeping is getting annoying. I grab my ears as the beeping gets louder. I stare at the machine and all of the sudden it explodes. I am thrown back into a wall. My Uncle George runs in and gasps. There is no fire but there is smoke everywhere. He offers his hand to help me get into the living room. Once there I ask, "Uncle George, what is that machine used for?" I demand. My back hurts but the pain goes away quickly. Uncle George took a deep breath. "I first built that machine when you were about a year old. You got close to it and it gave off the same reaction you got in there. Your old friend Jose made it do that, too. I tried to hide it from your parents and you. You have never been inside of this house before and you knew exactly where it was hidden." "Uncle George, what is that machine used for?" I repeat. "Melissa, that machine WAS used for scanning a person and seeing if they have a certain ability until you blew it up." I'm afraid to ask, but I do anyway. "What was that certain ability?" My Uncle George takes another breath. "Psychic powers." TO BE CONTINUED....

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