Thread: Heart of Crystal

Welcome, one and all, to Heart of Crystal, a fictionalized version of a nuzlocke challenge of Pokemon: Crystal I am currently doing. If you are unfamiliar with the rules of the nuzlocke challenge, they are quite simple.
1. You may only catch the first pokemon you encounter in a route or area.
2. If a pokemon faints, it is considered dead and must be released or permanently boxed.
3. All pokemon must be nicknamed.
Even if you are unfamiliar with the nuzlocke challenge, I still hope that you enjoy this story, and I appreciate the time you took to read it. With that, welcome once again to Heart of Crystal.


Chapter 1


Two towers stood. One golden as the sun, the other silver as the moon, or so the legend went. But only the silver tower still stood. The golden tower gleamed too brightly, and its brilliance was finally melted away until only ruins were left. Or so the legend went.

But something was stirring. Eddies formed in sea and wind, unnoticed and soon forgotten. But something was happening, and the restless earth seemed to sense it.

Archer cared not for legends and stories. At the moment, he cared only for three things. The first was the glass of wine in his hand. The second were the three others sitting at the table, waiting for him to speak. And the third…he gave a tiny smile and set his glass down on the table. The third was what he had called his former cohorts here for. The third would bring him everything he deserved, and restore everything he had lost.

“What’s this all about, Archer?” Proton asked, sounding slightly irritated as he ran his thumb over the blade of an elegantly crafted knife made out of a Seviper’s tail Archer had had imported especially for him. He had used it as incentive for Proton to actually show up this time, and he was pleased to see that it had worked. “None of us have heard from you in over three years.”

“Patience, my friend.” Archer said, raising a hand. “Did I not promise I would explain everything to you once you were all here?”

“Well, by my count, no one’s missin’.” Petrel interjected. “So what’s the deal?”

Archer folded his hands together and leaned forward. “Gentlemen, lady,” he said, giving a polite nod to Ariana, “I have a proposal for you.”

----------

“Kris! Get out of bed this instant! It’s one thirty in the afternoon!”

Kris groaned and rolled over in her bed, pulling her blankets closer around her. The harsh winter light streamed in as her mom threw the curtains open. She continued to pace about the room, picking up clothes and scolding Kris for being so lazy all the time and never doing anything but sleeping as Kris slowly oozed out from under the blankets and rubbed her eyes until they stayed open.

“You’d better get ready quickly. Mrs. Lowe is coming over in a few minutes, and Professor Elm called for you about an hour ago.”

“Huh?” Kris muttered sleepily, blinking in the light. “What does Professor Elm want with me?”

“He didn’t say, and if you’d been awake at a reasonable hour, you’d know for yourself.” her mother snapped, tossing a pile of clothes at her. “Now, get dressed, and if I don’t see you downstairs in five minutes –“

“I’ll be down, mom.” Kris answered, giving a jaw-cracking yawn and stretching her arms over her head. “Promise.”

The doorbell downstairs rang, and Kris’ mom ran downstairs to answer it. Kris gave another yawn, then pulled the clothes over and began to get dressed. She could hear her mother happily greeting Mrs. Lowe downstairs and rolled her eyes slightly. Maybe she did have a bad habit of sleeping in, but so what? It’s not like there was anything better to do in New Bark Town. Kris had planned on going to Cherrygrove that day to do some shopping, but apparently that was going to have to wait. What could someone like Professor Elm want with her? She sighed, rubbing her temples slowly in an effort to get rid of her throbbing headache. She knew it would be in vain – she’d had it for the past couple months – but today it seemed especially achy. Kris shook her head, trying to get her mind off of it, and went into the bathroom to brush her hair and teeth.

Kris finished cleaning herself up and fixed a small hat on her head. Satisfied that the mirror didn’t reflect an unwashed bum, she made her way downstairs, hopping down two at a time. Bits of the conversation between her mother and Mrs. Lowe began to drift into focus.

“…absolutely terrible. Who knew Sentrets could be so violent?”

“Such a shame. I’m glad he managed to get away!”

“Me too. But he told me that this isn’t the first time this has happened. Apparently, pokemon all over Johto are becoming more – oh, good afternoon, Kris!”

Kris smiled politely. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Lowe.” she said, heading into the kitchen and making herself a sandwich.

“Oh, Kris!” her mom called. “Your pokegear came back from the shop today! Do you need me to read the instructions to you?”

“Thanks, mom, I’m good!” Kris called back as she put the food back into the refrigerator.

Her mother, interpreting Kris’ response as affirmation, continued to read anyway. Kris gave a tiny sigh, ignoring her and knowing that her mother couldn’t see her in the kitchen. It didn’t take long for her to finish, and Kris walked back out into the living room, holding her sandwich in one hand and chewing the first bite. “Did you get all that, hon?”

Kris swallowed and smiled. “Yep. I’m going to head over to the professor’s now, okay?”

“All right, dear. And be careful if he sends you out, all right? Mrs. Lowe was just telling me that her son Ethan was attacked by a wild Sentret the other day. His Marill is in Cherrygrove Pokemon Center’s urgent care, but we don’t know if he’ll make it.”

Kris winced. She’d heard stories about pokemon becoming more violent recently, but she’d never quite believed it. “I’ll be careful, mom. I promise.” she said, nodding.

Her mother nodded as well. “All right. If you’re going to be back after dark, call me, okay?”

“Will do. Bye mom!”

Kris shivered as she stepped outside. It was always windy in New Bark Town, and most houses had windmills on their roofs to capitalize on it. But the wind today was especially strong, and it bit into Kris’ skin even through her coat. She hurried in the direction of Elm’s pokemon lab near the entrance to town, head bent down against the cold.

A sharp gust of wind blew her cap off her head, and Kris chased after it with a cry. It blew around the corner of Elm’s lab and she rushed to grab it.

“Hey, watch it.”

Kris fell backwards with a small ‘oof,’ clutching her hat in one hand and rubbing her head with her other. She looked up and saw something she rarely saw in New Bark Town – someone she’d never seen before. “Sorry. Who’re you?” There was a small crate behind him, under one of the windows. Was he spying on the lab?

“None of your business.” the boy snapped.

“No need to bite my head off.” Kris grumbled as she stood up. “It’s not often there’s a new face in town, that’s all.”

“Well, I don’t like people staring at my face.” he said angrily. “So go away.”

Kris scowled. “What are you doing back here, anyway?”

“I said go away!” the boy snapped, stepping forward and shoving Kris back.

Kris stumbled back out onto the main street, then glared at the boy and placed her hat defiantly back onto her head. Without a word, she turned up her nose and marched inside the lab.

Inside, the professor’s assistant was scrambling around, climbing up and down ladders to put books back on shelves or take them off according to what Professor Elm called out. The professor himself was sitting at the back of the lab at his computer, occasionally calling out the name of a file or book he wanted his assistant to get for him. When the door opened, he looked up and pushed his glasses back to their proper place on his nose. “Kris? Is that you?”

Kris pushed the door shut and turned back around. “Yes, professor, it’s me!”

Professor Elm smiled and stood up. “Mr. Lowe, could you fetch that thing we were talking about?” His assistant set down his tower of books and rushed into the back room, and Professor Elm turned to Kris. “I’m glad that you could come over on such short notice, Kris. I have a favor to ask of you. You see, I just got an email from my friend, Mr. Pokemon. He says he’s made a serious discovery, and I think he really means it this time. The problem is that, well…” He waved a hand around his lab. “As you can see, with just the two of us here, it’s rather busy. So, I’d like you to pop over to Mr. Pokemon’s house and see what all the fuss is about.”

Kris glanced back outside, then pulled her jacket a little tighter around her. “But Professor, what about the wild pokemon?”

“Well, of course I wouldn’t send you out there by yourself.” Professor Elm said, leading Kris over to a table with three pokeballs on it. “Not with the wild pokemon becoming so violent. Here are three pokemon you may pick from to accompany you on your journey. You’ll be their first partner, but I assure you, any of them will be fine protection.”

Kris looked curiously at the balls, each with a little picture on the table in front of them showing what the ball contained. “A pokemon? For me?”

“That’s right.” Professor Elm answered, smiling. “For you. I know you’re responsible enough to care for it, and…well, to be honest, I just have a good feeling about it.”

‘A good feeling, huh?’ Kris thought, looking over the pictures. ‘Well, worse decisions have been made on less, I suppose.’ She ran her fingers gently over the pictures, thinking about the pokemon she would choose. ‘Well…if we’re going on feelings, I’ll take this one.’ she thought, grabbing the ball. ‘It’s winter and cold out, and this one will keep me warm.’

“Ahh, Cyndaquil! Excellent choice!” Professor Elm exclaimed. “Would you like to release him from his ball and say hello?”

Kris was already in the process of doing just that. As her new Cyndaquil emerged from his ball, Kris knelt down and offered her hand to him. “Hey there little guy…I’m your new trainer. My name’s Kris.”

The Cyndaquil looked up at her for a moment, then smiled and nuzzled into her hand. Professor Elm also smiled and Mr. Lowe came up to them. “Here, Kris – a Potion for your trip.” he said, offering the small purple bottle to her. “In case things get a little hairy.”

“Oh! That reminds me.” Professor Elm said, digging through his pockets. “Here, let me give you my phone number. If anything happens, call me, all right?”

“All right, Professor.” Kris said, handing him her pokegear. As the professor entered in his number, she turned back to her new Cyndaquil and pet his head. “Now, what should I name you? Hm…what about Teddy? Do you like that name?” He nodded, and Kris pulled him into her arms. “Teddy it is, then.” she said as she stood up.

“Here’s your pokegear back, Kris.” Professor Elm told her, handing it back. “Now be careful, all right? If anything happens, you can come back here and heal up Teddy on this machine.”

“I’ll be careful, Professor.” Kris promised, heading towards the door. “And I’ll be back soon, don’t worry!”

As she left the lab, she shivered again and held Teddy closer to her. “Burr…it’s getting really cold. You okay to stay out of your ball, Teddy?”

“I’m fine.”

Kris nearly dropped the tiny pokemon out of sheer shock. “Did…you just talk?”

“I’ve always been able to talk. You’re just the only human who’s ever talked back.” Teddy said frankly, tilting his head at her.

“Wait, so does this mean you actually have a name? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I like the name you gave me better.”

“Well, I mean…how come I’ve never heard any pokemon talk before? Can you all talk? Do you just not talk around people? Is there some great advanced society of pokemon that you keep secret from us? How come no one has ever been able to understand any pokemon speech and now – “

“Shouldn’t we get going?” Teddy interrupted. “It sounded like we were going a long ways away.”

“Well, not terribly far.” Kris said, setting Teddy down. “But it will take us a while…would you mind igniting your flame? It is kinda cold out here.”

“Sure thing.” Teddy answered, giving a small smile. “But to answer all of your questions, I have no idea why you can understand me and other humans can’t. Maybe you’re just special.”

Kris sighed, rubbing her forehead again. She’d never been able to understand any pokemon before, and it didn’t look like she would get any answers. She decided it was probably best for her to keep it a secret for now. Professor Elm was nice and all, but who knows what kind of experiments she’d have to go through once he got word out to the scientific community? She smiled back at Teddy, relieved at the warmth the small pokemon was giving out, and decided not to worry about it any further. It was kinda cool, being able to understand her pokemon like this. “Ahh…that feels nice. All right, Teddy – let’s go!”

That's a really great start to this! I really enjoyed reading it. ^^

And I love your Cyndaquil's name. X3

I like it so far. Eagerly waiting for more!

@Octy Thank you! He was originally going to be Theodore, but I liked Teddy better. I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

@Articuno's Frost Hope this was worth the wait!

Chapter 2

It didn’t take the pair long to reach Cherrygrove City. Kris guessed an hour, at the most. But it took significantly longer to get to Mr. Pokemon’s house than she anticipated. Kris had never been on Route 30 before and didn’t realize that she had picked the incorrect of the two paths on it to follow until she happened to glance down and see a house that looked just like Mr. Pokemon’s at the end of the other path. By the time they finally managed to make it to the house, even Teddy was starting to get a little impatient.

“Sorry, Teddy – I’ll try and make this quick.” Kris apologized as she rang the bell. A tall elderly man opened the door and started at her for a moment, then smiled and opened it wider.

“Ah, you must be Kris! Professor Elm emailed me about you. Come in, come in!”

Kris gladly took the man up on his offer, hurrying into his home with Teddy hot on her heels. She rubbed her arms, trying to get some feeling back in her fingers as she looked around. It was a tiny home, and another old man was sitting nearby, looking over some notes. She smiled at him when he looked at her, but she was interrupted by the first man, who she could only assume was Mr. Pokemon himself. “This is what I wanted to show to Professor Elm – I think it’s a pokemon egg!” he exclaimed, thrusting the egg into Kris’ arms. “Please, have him take a look at it!”

Kris looked at the thing in her arms, completely puzzled. She’d never seen an egg this big, nor one with such strange patterns on it. Small red and blue triangles were all over the shell, and the egg itself was warm to the touch. Somehow it just felt alive, even though Kris knew the statement was redundant.

“Young lady…Kris, was it?”

Kris turned, seeing the other man had made friends with Teddy. “Yes?”

“This is your Cyndaquil, correct?”

“Yup! His name’s Teddy. I just got him this afternoon from Professor Elm.”

“Just this afternoon?” the man repeated, raising an eyebrow. “That’s rather surprising – he seems to be very close to you already.”

Kris blushed and put a hand behind her head. “Oh, thank you, Mr…”

“Oh my, how rude of me.” the man said, walked up to her and extending his hand. “My name is Oak. I’m a professor from Kanto.”

Kris shook his hand firmly. “I’ve heard of you…you’re the one who developed the Pokedex!”

“Yes, that is correct.” Professor Oak said, nodding. “Actually, I would like to speak to you about that.”

“What? Why?”

“Y’see young lady,” Mr. Pokemon cut in, “Professor Oak is a great judge of character when it comes to potential trainers. Every kid he’s handpicked to give a pokedex to has gone on to do great things.”

“I’m not some sort of clairvoyant, Mr. Pokemon.” Oak protested. “I just recognize when trainers care about and have bonded with their pokemon. And I can tell, Kris,” he continued, turning to her, “that your Cyndaquil is already very close to you. And for having only received him this afternoon, that’s quite impressive.”

Kris put a hand behind her head and blushed. “I haven’t done anything special.” she protested.

“Regardless, I think that you have a lot of potential as a trainer, Kris.” Oak said, holding out a small red device. “I would like to give you a Pokedex.”

Kris hesitantly took the small device. It shook slightly in her hands as she stared at it in awe, and she glanced back up at Professor Oak. “A P-Pokedex?” she stammered. “For me?”

Professor Oak nodded. “Yes, Kris. For you.” He smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I know it will be useful to you. Now, if you both will excuse me, I must go to Goldenrod City. They’ve put me on a radio show, and it’s not much good if I’m not there for it.”

“Right, then.” Mr. Pokemon said, getting up. “I’ll show you out. Kris, thank you very much for stopping by.”

Kris nodded, carefully placing the egg in her bag and making sure it was padded. “I’m sure that Professor Elm will be really interested in this.” she said, smiling. “I’ll get it back to him now. Goodbye!”

“Goodbye, my dear. And don’t hesitate to stop by any time you like!” Mr. Pokemon offered. “A friend of Professor Elm’s is a friend of mine!”

Kris smiled again. “Thank you very much.” she said. “And thank you too, Professor Oak.”

“It was my pleasure.” Oak assured her. “Now, I really must dash.” With that, he pulled a pokeball out of his coat. He released an Abra from it, then took it’s hand. “Teleport, please, Abra.” he said. “To Goldenrod City.” And in a moment, they were gone.

Kris looked down at Teddy. “Well, we’d better get back too.” Teddy nodded, but they hadn’t taken a single step before Kris’ phone began to ring. “It’s Professor Elm. I hope I didn’t take too long getting here.” She quickly flipped the phone open and held it to her ear. “Sorry I took so long, Professor, but –“

“There’s no time for buts!” the professor nearly shouted. He sounded positively frantic. “You must come back to the lab immediately! A pokemon has been stolen!”

“What?” Kris yelped. “Stolen?”

“Yes! There’s no time to explain any further – please, just get back here as soon as you possibly can!”

“Yes sir!” Kris hung up and scooped Teddy up in her arms. “Sorry, Teddy, but we have to hurry! A pokemon has been stolen from the lab!”

Teddy looked worried, but he nodded. “I understand – let’s go!”

Kris ran back toward Cherrygrove as fast as her legs could carry her, and she reached the city within half an hour. She sprinted through the streets, not stopping for anyone until she neared the entrance to Route 29. She skidded to a stop, seeing a familiar mop of red hair coming towards the city. “You don’t think, Teddy…”

“Maybe.” Teddy whispered. “Didn’t you say you saw him sneaking around outside the lab?”

“Yeah. There’s only one way to find out.” Kris said. Steeling herself, she walked briskly towards the route, her head held high. She could feel Teddy shaking slightly in her arms, and she held him a little tighter. They mustn’t be afraid. This was, after all, a public thoroughfare.

Kris didn’t get to say anything before the red haired boy stopped in front of her. He glared at Teddy, and Kris could feel him begin to shake harder. “You got a pokemon from the lab?” he spat.

“What of it?” Kris demanded. “I’ve got just as much a right to have a pokemon as anyone.”

“I just can’t believe a weakling like you managed to get a pokemon.” he sneered. “Look at it – it’s trembling so hard it can’t even walk.”

“His name is Teddy, and he happens to be shivering because he’s cold.” Kris shot back.

The boy raised an eyebrow. “A fire type? Cold?”

“I don’t have time to deal with you.” Kris snapped. “Let us pass. The professor asked me to come back to the lab.”

“No doubt to help solve the case of the stolen pokemon.”

Kris froze, and she could feel Teddy tense up as well. “How do you know about that?”

“The whole town is abuzz about it.” the boy said, casually taking out a pokeball and bouncing it lightly in his hand. “All ten of them. They can’t believe something like this could happen.”

Kris focused on the small red and white ball in the boy’s hand, then glared at him. “Where did you get that?” she demanded.

The boy caught the ball and gripped it tightly. “I’ll tell you what.” he said, his voice suddenly serious. “If you can beat me in a battle, I’ll tell you my name.”

“I didn’t ask for your name, I asked where you got the pokeball.” Kris spat.

“Send out your pokemon. Or is he too scared to fight?”

“K-Kris,” Teddy whispered, “I know that pokeball. That’s Toto’s – this boy stole Toto!”

Kris grimaced, but set Teddy down on the ground. “Sorry, Ted – looks like you’re going to have to battle.”

The boy sneered. “Apologizing to your pokemon for making it battle? You are weak. I’ll show you real power! Go, Totodile!”

“Teddy! We haven’t got much choice – you have to battle!”

Teddy held his ground as the boy’s Totodile emerged. Kris thought that it was a mean-looking thing, growling as it came out of its pokeball. She’d heard most Totodile were playful and fun-loving. This one was obviously an exception.

The Totodile snarled again. “Oh, this will be good. I get to battle you and that stupid killjoy of a professor isn’t here to hold me back.”

Teddy’s whole body was trembling so badly that Kris was ready to call off the match. His flames ignited, but they were weak and sputtering. “I don’t want to fight you, Toto.”

“You never did! You knew I’d always win!” the Totodile shouted, lunging at Teddy claws first. “And this time, you can’t run away!”

“Teddy, use Smokescreen!”

Teddy quickly spat out a cloud of black smoke. Totodile landed and scratched fiercely, but Teddy had used the smoke as cover to get out of the way. He appeared out of another part of the smoke, tackling Totodile and catching it off guard.

“Scratch again. And don’t miss this time.” the boy ordered.

Kris shuddered when she looked at his face. He was so serious, so focused on the match, that his face barely looked human anymore. It was like he was a demon, concerned only with raw power.

Teddy cried out as the Totodile’s claws raked across him, and he used another Tackle to push him off. It had landed a good blow, and Teddy seemed to be out of breath. “Kris!” he called out. “I c-can’t beat him!”

“You can do it, Teddy!” Kris called. “Use Smokescreen again!”

“Oh no you don’t,” Totodile growled, “you’re not getting away this time!”

Teddy blew out another cloud of smoke, but Totodile got in another Scratch before Teddy could disappear. Teddy shoved back with another Tackle and escaped into the smoke.

“Where are you?” Totodile muttered, trying to see.

“Come on, you weakling.” the boy snapped. “It’s in there somewhere, just Scratch it!”

Kris’ hands balled into fists at her side. “We’ll show you who’s really weak! Tackle again, Teddy!”

“Behind you, Totodile!”

Totodile whirled around, claws out, but Teddy ducked under them and delivered one final Tackle attack. Totodile reeled backward, thrown off balance, and finally fell down on its back. As the smoke cleared, Teddy was badly scratched up, but standing victorious over the Totodile. Kris was already over in front of the boy, grabbing him by his jacket.

“All right, out with it,” Kris demanded, “who are you? Where did you get that Totodile?”

“Get off of me.” the boy growled, shoving her away. “I earned that Totodile, it’s mine. Why would I steal a pokemon so weak it would lose to an even weaker pokemon like yours?” he reasoned, calling back the Totodile.

“How can you call Teddy weak after we beat you?” Kris asked, scooping up Teddy in her arms. “And you still haven’t told us your name. Those were your terms!”

The boy grimaced. “Right. My name was the only condition, and not a scrap else.” He crossed his arms. “Silver.”

“Silver? What kind of name is –“

“I’ll be leaving now.” the boy – Silver – interrupted. He pushed past Kris and began to continue on his way.

Kris watched him go, seething. “Oooh, that guy makes me so mad!”

“K-Kris?”

Kris looked down and her mind immediately turned away from Silver. “Oh, Teddy, I’m sorry! Let’s get you to the Pokemon Center. Then we’ll head back to Professor Elm’s lab as quick as we can.”

Teddy nodded, then rest his head against her chest. He still seemed worried, but Kris was glad he was finally able to relax. She quickly healed him at the Pokemon Center, then carried him back to New Bark Town.

“Professor Elm!” she called out as she ran back into town. The professor was standing outside his lab, wringing his hands as he spoke with a policeman. The professor’s face brightened when he saw Kris, but the policeman’s brow furrowed.

“Who are you? The culprit come back?”

“It’s all right, officer!” Professor Elm quickly assured him. “This is Kris! The girl I told you about!”

The officer’s face immediately softened, and he tipped his hat at Kris. “My mistake, miss. The suspect is a trainer about your age, you see.”

“A trainer – does he have long red hair?”

“Why, yes.” Professor Elm said, blinking in surprise. “But, how did you – ”

“I battled him in Cherrygrove! He said his name was Silver, but he took off.”

“Silver, eh?” the policeman said, rubbing his chin. “No last name?”

“Not that he gave me.”

“Well, it’s more than we had to go on before.” the policeman sighed. “Thank you for your information. I’ll head back to the department and see what we can find. Can’t be too many kids around with a name like Silver.” With another tip of his hat, he walked away, leaving Kris standing with the professor outside his lab.

Professor Elm sighed and groaned. “What a day.” he muttered, then he looked at Kris again. “So, Kris, what did Mr. Pokemon have for me?”

“Oh! Um, this.” Kris said, setting Teddy down gently and rummaging through her bag. She took out the egg and handed it to him.

The professor took it gently and examined it. “Hm…looks to be a regular pokemon egg to me.” he said. “But I’ll get back to Mr. Pokemon myse – Kris, what’s that?” he suddenly asked, pointing at Kris’ bag.

“You mean this?” Kris asked holding her pokedex out. “It’s a pokedex. Professor Oak was at Mr. Pokemon’s house, and he gave it to me.”

Professor Elm nearly dropped the egg in shock. “Professor Oak gave that to you? Kris, that’s amazing! Professor Oak is a flawless judge of character when it comes to potential trainers – he must see a lot in you!”

Kris scuffed the ground with her foot. “Yeah, that’s what Mr. Pokemon said.”

“Kris, I think you should take the Gym challenge.”

Kris blinked. Even Teddy stopped in his tracks and looked up at the professor. “What?”

Professor Elm nodded. “I think you may just have what it takes. You’ll need pokeballs, of course – but that can wait until morning. It’s getting dark. Why don’t you come back to my lab tomorrow and you can begin your journey?”

Kris looked down at Teddy, who looked back up at her. She couldn’t gauge Teddy’s reaction, but Professor Elm was right about one thing: it was getting dark out. “Come on, Teddy. Let’s go home.” Kris said. “Thank you, professor. We’ll consider it.”

“All right. Good night, Kris.”

“Goodnight, Professor.” Kris said, heading back towards her house. Teddy followed closely at her heels.

“Gym challenge? That sounds dangerous.”

“It could be.” Kris admitted. “But you know…we’re never going to accomplish anything in this town. That kid – Silver – may be a jerk, but he was right about one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“This is a really small town.” Kris walked past her house and on to the small beach that formed the town’s eastern border. She stood on the sand with her hands behind her back and stared out over the water. “I’ve always wanted to get out – to see the world, go to new places, meet new people. I know there’s more to the world than this.”

Teddy came up beside her and also looked out over the water. He was silent for a while, then looked up at Kris. “If it’s what you want, then I’ll go too.”

Kris looked down at Teddy and smiled gently. “Thanks, Teddy.” she said, turning back. “Come on, let’s get inside. I’m sure Mom can’t wait to meet you.”

Yay. I'm glad Teddy is alright. :D Another great chapter. =)

I never could do a Nuzlocke, but I applaud the fact you are doing yet another one :) Your writing style is as great as ever. My job as critic boyfriend is boring indeed. Both chapters were excellent.

Great second chapter! ^^

Just to point out that I will happily be reading more.

...mostly because I suck at giving any actual commentary.

@Octy I'm taking good care of Teddy, don't worry Thank you!
@Ryuutakeshi *kiss* Thanks, love. I'll try and make your job more interesting in the future
@Articuno's Frost Thank you!
@Baron Dante Hehe, I'm a sucker for comments, even if they really don't say anything. spams links everywhere to get people to read what advertising no of course I'm not advertising

Chapter 3

Kris stood outside Elm’s pokemon lab with the professor and his aide. It was a little warmer today, but not much. Teddy stood next to her, slightly behind her leg. Professor Elm smiled at her. “So, Kris,” he said, “have you made your decision about taking the gym challenge?”

Kris looked down at Teddy once more, and he nodded slightly. Kris nodded back, then looked back at Professor Elm. “Yes, Professor.” she said. “Teddy and I are going to take the gym challenge.”

Professor Elm nodded, and his aide stepped forward. “Then you’ll need these pokeballs.” he said. “They’ll help you catch pokemon on your journey. And a potion,” he continued as his aide produced a small purple and white bottle, “will help you get to the next city. You can buy more supplies there.”

“I have to warn you, Kris,” he continued as she solemnly accepted the pokeballs and potion, “traveling these days is pretty dangerous. I don’t know what’s gotten into the wild pokemon for a while now, but they’ve been getting exceedingly violent. If you are attacked, the only way to stop the pokemon will be to catch it.”

“So I should buy lots of pokeballs and catch every pokemon I see?” Kris asked. The professor shook his head.

“Not quite. You see, pokemon have very keen senses. If they see or smell that you have caught a pokemon in the local area, they seem to become enraged. They will fight so hard that they will not be caught in a pokeball. They seem to think that humans are stealing their friends and family from them, and try to get them back. In these situations, it is safest to run away or make them faint.” Professor Elm looked Kris in the eye and said slowly “They won’t hesitate to seriously injure Teddy, or any other pokemon you may catch. He may even get killed.”

Kris felt Teddy’s grip on her leg tighten slightly, and Kris looked down at him again. He looked back up at her, then nodded again, and Kris looked back at Professor Elm. “We’ll be careful.” she said. “Promise.”

“Then good luck, Kris.” Professor Elm said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Incidentally, there have been rumors of pokemon that are…oddly-colored. They’re quite rare, by all accounts, but, should you happen to find one…”

“I’ll do my best to catch it.” Kris said, nodding her head.

The professor gave another nod and straightened up. “Then good luck, Kris. Make sure to call your mother and I every now and again to let us know how you’re doing, okay?”

Kris smiled. “I will.” she promised. “Mom loved Teddy – it’d break her heart if anything happened to him.”

Professor Elm gave another smile, this one much friendlier than his earlier ones. “Then take care of him, and yourself too. Now – off you go, to Violet City and your first badge!”

“You bet!” Kris said, heading toward Route 29 and waving over her shoulder. “Bye, Professor!”

The professor and his aide waved at her as she left. “Goodbye, Kris!”

Kris stepped out onto Route 29, Teddy close behind her. She stretched her arms above her head, then let out a satisfied sigh. “This is it, Teddy! We’re on our way to becoming Champion of the Pokemon Lea-“

“Look out, Kris!”

“Huh?” Kris turned her head and suddenly, something big and pink collided gently with her face. “Gyah! Get it off!” She flailed backward, trying to push the mysterious thing off of her face.

“Oh goodness! I’m so sorry!”

Teddy dove at the thing to tackle it, but a light gust of wind blew it away from Kris’ face. “I-I’m not gonna let you attack Kris!”

“Attack her? Goodness no!” the pink thing said, sounding worried. “I was just floating on the breeze, like any other Hoppip.”

Kris scooped Teddy up in her arms and pat his head. “It’s all right, Teddy,” she cooed, “I was just startled. I’m not hurt.”

Teddy gripped Kris’ arm and nuzzled it softly. “But…but it’s my job to make sure you don’t get hurt.”

“And you did a fine job protecting me.” Kris said, smiling. She turned to the Hoppip and looked at it. “Sorry about that. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“Oh my, that’s fine, that’s fine.” Hoppip answered. “I can’t do much more than drift on the breeze, so things like this happen sometimes.”

Kris nodded, then set Teddy back down on the ground. “That sounds troublesome.”

“Oh goodness, I’m not one to complain…”

“You don’t have to.” Kris said. “Why don’t you come with us? That way, you’re not always drifting around bumping into things.”

“Come with us?” Teddy repeated, looking up at Kris. “But, Kris…”

“Oh goodness! Do you really mean it? Oh, I would love to!” the Hoppip exclaimed, swirling around Kris. “Oh goodness, it’s all so exciting!”

“Then it’s settled.” Kris said, pulling out a pokeball. “Welcome to the team, Cotton.”

“Cotton! I like that name!”

Teddy hesitantly tugged on Kris’ sock. “But, Kris, why do we need more team members?” he asked sadly. “I can be strong! I can protect you!”

Kris looked down at Teddy, then hurriedly tapped a pokeball on Cotton and let it catch her. She kneeled down beside Teddy and pet his head. “Teddy, I promise, you will never be replaced.” she assured him. “But the more team members we have, the safer we all are on this journey.”

“But…”

“Teddy,” Kris said, smiling gently, “it’s not that I don’t trust you. I do. I believe that you’re strong. But as a team, we’ll all get even stronger, and we’ll be safer that way too.”

Teddy nuzzled into her hand sadly. “Okay…”

Kris gently tilted Teddy’s head up to look at her. “You’ll always be my partner.” she assured him. “I know you’ll come through for me when it counts.”

Teddy seemed to brighten at that, and he nodded at her. “I will.”

“I know you will, Teddy.” Kris said, standing up. “Now, Cotton seems a little weak. Would you like to help me train her as we go to Violet City?”

“You bet!”

----------

“Archer, we seem to have run into a small issue.”

Archer set his glass of wine down. “Were it anyone but you saying that, dear Ariana,” he said, smoothly turning around in his large chair, “I would not be so inclined to listen to them.”

“I suppose that’s why I’m telling you.” Ariana answered without missing a beat. “We seem to be in need of some additional funds for our project. We’ve established ourselves in Mahogany Town, but if we want to use Goldenrod City –“

“Ah…I see your point.” Archer said, lacing his hands together. He closed his eyes and pressed his head against them, deep in thought. Ariana knew better than to interrupt him, and after a moment, Archer opened his eyes. “Proton has been getting bored recently, has he not?”

“When you consider his idea of fun, that’s probably a good thing.”

Archer smirked. Ariana was the only one who would dare take such a tone with him, and her previous position warranted it. After all, Archer thought, before Giovanni had foolishly thrown away everything he’d had because of one child, Ariana had formally been his equal in rank. In practice, she had been second only to Giovanni himself. “I seem to recall a place called Azalea Town, located between Union Cave and the Ilex Forest, having a particularly high population of Slowpoke. Is this correct?”

“So what’s your point?”

“My point, my dear,” Archer said, leaning forward slightly, “is that I think it’s time for Proton to pay Azalea Town a little visit.”

----------

“That Joey kid sure was full of himself.”

“You said it, Teddy.” Kris said, stretching her arms above her head. The pokeballs on her belt became slightly exposed, and she looked down at them. Five were now filled: one was Teddy’s, one belonged to Cotton, and the other three were pokemon she’d found on the way to Violet City. A Pidgey on Route 30 and 31, and a Geodude from when she’d curiously ventured into Dark Cave. She hadn’t stayed in there for very long.

“Helloooo! Pokeballs at your belt I see, mini lass! A trainer is you?”

Kris froze in place as a large, fat man in a tutu twirled towards her. His face was dominated by a rather impressive moustache, and Kris couldn’t stop staring at him. “Are you scared too, Teddy?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Hoohoo!” the man exclaimed as he finally came to a stop in front of her. “What you want to know? Want to be a winner, is you?”

“Er…”

“You is trainer lucky! Earl teaches you is good! Academy is his, over there! Come, follow Earl!” The man gave another excited hoot, then twirled off towards what Kris could only assume to be his academy.

“The big city sure has some weird people…”

“What’s that place?” Teddy asked, pointing his nose to the north.

Kris looked where he was pointing. Behind the skyline, a large pagoda tower rose above the buildings in front of it. “I don’t know.” she said, looking at the map on her pokegear. “But according to this, it’s a place called Sprout Tower. Hm…sounds like a good place to train up a bit. I think Walter is a little behind you guys.”

Teddy nodded. “It looks like a pretty place.” he agreed.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Kris asked, grinning. “Let’s get going.”

Slowly, but surely, Kris navigated her way towards the tower. She and Teddy were both looking around excitedly as they went – neither of them had ever been around this many people before. Violet City, she’d been told by a man in Cherrygrove, was the second-biggest city in Johto. If this was only the second biggest, Kris couldn’t even begin to imagine what the biggest would be like.

“Look at the bridges!”

A series of thin, elegant bridges arched over shallow reflecting ponds, connecting small islands covered in cherry trees. On the largest of these islands, in the very rear, stood the tower they had seen from the city. They both stared up at it in awe, and Kris gripped the rail of a bridge excitedly. “Let’s go inside!”

Teddy bounded over the bridges ahead of her, and paused to let Kris open the doors. Kris scooped him up again and placed him on her shoulder before they went in. A few other visitors were milling about on the bottom floor, but otherwise, the inside of the pagoda was virtually silent. A giant wooden pillar in the middle of the room creaked and groaned softly as it gently swayed from side to side. A monk stood by a set of stairs near the back of the room. “Looks like we’ve got to stay on the first floor.” Kris whispered.

“Do you wish to ascend the tower?”

Kris jumped slightly – another monk had come up behind her, almost silently. “Oh, um…I mean, if it’s allowed…”

The monk nodded. “Our elder tests the bonds between trainers and their pokemon. Ordinarily, access to the upper floors is not allowed, but for trainers, this is a place to test their mettle.”

Kris brightened up. “Really? How cool!” she exclaimed. Teddy also smiled from her shoulder, and Kris smiled up at the monk. “Thank you very much for telling us!”

“It is not a problem.” The monk nodded and returned her smile. “The elder rewards trainers who prove themselves to him with a helpful item, so many trainers come here to test themselves. It surprised me that you did not know.”

“Eheh…well, I only just started my journey.” Kris confessed.

“Then I wish you the blessings of fortune.” the monk said, motioning to the other monk by the stairs to let her pass. “Now, go and test yourself against our elder.”

“Thank you again!” Kris said, waving back at the monk and nodding at the one by the stairs. “Wow…” she said as she emerged on the second floor, “this place is kinda creepy when there’s no people around.”

Teddy gave a tiny shiver. “Let’s get through here quickly.”

Floor by floor they climbed, challenging monk after monk. Slowly, the team grew, and each Bellsprout went down a little bit faster. Finally, they made it to the top floor.

“Man,” Kris muttered, “if we never battle a Bellsprout again…”

“Look!”

A cloud of dust was settling in the room ahead, and Kris’ fists clenched when she noticed that one of the trainers had red hair.

An old man on the other side of the room stood up. He had a stern look on his face behind his neatly trimmed grey beard, and his bald head shined in the sunlight that came in from the windows behind him. His robes were much more ornate than those of the other monks – this must be the elder, Kris thought. “You are indeed skilled as a trainer.” he told Silver. “As promised here is your HM. But let me say this,” he continued as Silver coldly walked up and took the device out of the old man’s hands, “you should treat your pokemon better. The way you battle is far too harsh. Pokemon are not tools of war –“

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Silver snapped, pocketing the HM. He turned on his heel and walked away without another word, stopping only when he saw a livid Kris in front of him. “Hmph. So you’re here for the HM too? I’m amazed a weakling like you managed to get here.”

“Shut up!” Kris snapped. “How dare you talk like that to an old monk!”

Silver scoffed. “He claims to be the elder, but he’s weak. It stands to reason; I’d never lose to fools who babble about being nice to pokemon. I only care about strong pokemon that can win – I really couldn’t care less about weak pokemon.”

Kris stood stunned for a minute, trying to let his words sink in. Her hands shook, her eyes widened, and she could do nothing but stare at him. How could anyone say such things? Pokemon were living beings too! She could feel Teddy quivering with rage on her shoulder, and she reached up to put a hand on his head. “You…” she finally said, “are a monster.”

Silver shrugged and turned around, pulling a pokeball out of his pocket. A Gastly emerged, looking freshly caught, and slowly began surrounding him with its mist. When he was completely covered, the mist sank down into the floor, taking Silver with it. Just before he disappeared, he said “I’ve been called worse.”

Kris stared at the spot where Silver stood moments ago, then stamped her foot. “Ooh! One of these days I’ll –“

“Calm yourself, child.” the monk said, sitting back on his mat. “It is no use getting angry at those who are ignorant. Those who argue with fools are but fools themselves. Now, come forward. You wish to challenge me as well, yes?”

Teddy nudged Kris’ cheek, and she stepped forward with a deep breath. “Yes, I would.”

“Splendid. It is so good of you to come here.” the elder said. “My name is Li. I am the elder of Sprout Tower.”

Kris nodded her head in greeting. “My name is Kris. I’m a trainer from New Bark Town.”

“Then you have come to the right place. Sprout Tower is a place of training. People and their pokemon test their bonds to build a bright future together. I am the final test. Please,” he said, releasing a Bellsprout from a pokeball, “allow me to test the ties between your pokemon and you.”

“Of course. Go, Florence!” Kris called out a Pidgey from its ball, and he landed in front of the grass type.

Florence calmly preened a wing. “Another one of you?” he sighed. “My, my. You monks have no variety, do you?”

“Florence, use Gust!”

“Bellsprout,” the elder called, “use Growth!”

Florence flapped up in the air and whipped up a small dust cloud. Bellsprout sunk its roots into the floor and endured the hit, growing larger as it did.

“Now, Vine Whip, Bellsprout!”

“Another Gust, Florence!”

Bellsprout raised one of its legs, readying its attack, but Florence knocked it over with another attack. “How dreadfully boring.” he said, landing on the ground next to the fainted Bellsprout. “Why, this reminds me of when my dear great aunt Mathilda –“

“Florence, that’s enough.” Kris interrupted, calling him back. The elder, looking unfazed, sent out a Hoothoot, and Kris chose another pokeball from her belt. “Walter, it’s your turn!”

A Geodude came out of Kris’ ball and stretched his arms. “Finally my turn, huh? ‘Bout time. C’mere, ya lump o’ feathers. Lemme give ya a hug.”

“Tackle, Walter!”

“You Tackle as well, Hoothoot.”

Hoothoot flew up into the air as Walter dove for his attack, dodging it. Walter went skidding across the floor, and Hoothoot slammed into him. Walter barely seemed to notice and grabbed the Hoothoot by its leg, pulling himself towards it for another Tackle attack. This time, Hoothoot went flying. It circled around Walter, trying to gauge where best to attack.

“This ain’t fair. Come down ta earth, featherbrain! I got a present for ya.” Walter called, breaking off a small piece of himself and hurling it at Hoothoot. Kris cried out in horror, but the stone hit Hoothoot square between the eyes and sent it plummeting back down to the floor.

“Walter!”

“S’all right, lass!” Walter called back to her. “It’ll grow back, don’t you worry yer pretty little head about that!”

“I see you were not expecting your Geodude to learn Rock Throw.” the elder commented coolly, sending out another Bellsprout. “Now, here it is. My last pokemon.”

“Get back here, Walter,” Kris said, recalling him, “and don’t you ever scare me like that again! Now…Florence has gotten pretty strong, so…Teddy?”

Teddy looked away and shook his head. “I…I don’t know a fire move…”

Kris smiled at him and pet his head. “It’s all right, I know you will soon. For now, Ramón! Use Gust!”

Another Pidgey flew out of Kris’ ball, and soared around the Bellsprout, taunting it. “Ay, this place está infestado! Look at all the weeds!”

“Bellsprout, let’s not waste time. Vine Whip!”

“Your aim is way off there, chico!” Ramón taunted, whipping up another Gust attack. “Come back in a million years!”

The Bellsprout swayed, but could not stand the attack and fell over. “Ah, excellent.” the elder said calmly, recalling his pokemon as Kris also recalled Ramón. He was smiling at her, and stood from his mat. “You and your pokemon should have no problem using this move. Take this Flash HM.” he said, handing her a small disk. Kris thanked him and accepted the disk, though Teddy looked confused at it, and the elder continued talking. “Flash illuminates even the darkest of all places. But to use it out of battle, you need the badge from Violet’s gym.”

“What does it do in battle?”

“It flashes a blinding light at the opponent, distracting them and reducing their chance to hit you.”

Kris smiled and pocketed the HM. “Thank you very much for the battle.”

“Please, do not thank me.” the elder said, giving her a small bow. “It is obvious you and your pokemon have a very strong bond. I believe that, together, you will achieve wondrous things.”

Kris was surprised for a moment, then bowed slightly back at the elder, careful not to send Teddy toppling off. “You are very kind, Elder Li.”

“Thank you, my girl. Good luck on your journey.”

Kris smiled at the old man and turned back towards the stairs. She thought it was her imagination, but she could have sworn she heard the elder mutter “I must call Morty.”

Teddy poked his head out to look in her pocket as they left the tower and headed back to the pokemon center. “How are we supposed to use that?”

“I’m not sure, Ted.” Kris said. “We’ll figure it out when we need it. And Teddy? Don’t feel bad about not being able to battle up there.” she said, petting him again. “We’ll be doing lots of training before going to the gym.”

Teddy looked into the waters of the ponds that surrounded the tower, staring at the wavering rainbows the light formed on the surface and watching them disappear as the wind made small whirlpools in them. “I promised I’d be strong for you.”

“What was that?”

Teddy shook his head and nuzzled Kris’ cheek. “Nothing. Can we go back to the pokemon center for tonight?”

“Of course.” Kris said. “We’ll get a little training in before sunset, and tomorrow, we’ll take on the gym.”

Aww, Teddy was feeling little jealous of the new members. X3

I love the fact you have two Pidgey. I like their names. XD

It was a great chapter! ^^

I like your Geodude's personality.

@Octy Florence and Ramón are quite the pair, aren't they? To be honest I kinda just pulled their named out of my ass late at night.

@The Spaceking Thank you! Walter gets a bit more screentime in this chapter, so I hope you like seeing more of him!

Chapter 4

Kris sat in her room at the pokemon center, with Teddy on her right leg. Walter, Florence, Ramón, and Cotton were all settled in a circle in front of her, all looking very somber – except Ramón, who was continually pecking Florence and pretending that he hadn’t. “Ramón, knock it off.”

“Ay, chica, you need to get that stick out’chor ass and lighten up a little.”

“This isn’t the time for that. If you keep it up, I’m going to put you in the box.”

“Fine, fine…”

Kris shook her head and sighed softly. She’d deal with Ramón later – right now, she had something to talk to her team about. “Well, guys, today’s the day we try for our first gym badge. Nurse Joy told me that the gym uses flying types, so I think Walter would be –“

“I want to do it.”

Everyone looked at Teddy, who stared only at Kris. He had a determined look on his face, and his voice held none of the waver it had previously. Kris blinked, then pat his head. “Teddy, Walter’s got the advantage. It’s safest to –“

“I want to earn you your badge, Kris!”

Everyone jumped, especially Kris. She’d never heard him yell before. She slowly took her hand away from his head, then looked at the rest of her team. Cotton was hiding behind Florence, who looked as though Teddy had just insulted his mother. Walter shifted around on his hands uncomfortably, and even Ramón was stunned into silence. “Teddy, m’lad,“ Walter started, “it ain’t nothin’ personal – “

“Now see here!” Florence chirped, hopping towards Teddy and placing his face very close to Teddy’s. “That was quite rude! You should realize that she is only looking out for all of us, and –“

“I don’t need to be babied!” Teddy snapped, jumping off of Kris’ lap. “I can be strong on my own!”

“Guys!” Kris yelled, “That’s enough!”

“No!” Teddy bristled. “Kris, I know you’re worried, but I can handle it, I promise!”

Kris sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Then how about this, Teddy. Walter can clear out the trainers in the gym, and you can take out the leader’s strongest pokemon. How does that sound?”

“Works fer me.” Walter said, looking over at Teddy. “How’s it sound ta you, Ted?”

Teddy glanced over at Walter, then looked back up at Kris. “You promise?”

“I promise, Teddy.”

Teddy stared at her for another moment, then settled down next to her. “Okay.”

Kris relaxed, glad that the feud was over. But she could tell Teddy wanted to be alone for a while, so she stood up and grabbed her jacket. “I’m going to go downstairs and eat something, okay guys? Be good while I’m gone.” There was a general murmur of agreement from her pokemon, and Kris hesitantly left.

“…In other news, a record-sized whirlpool was recorded today in the Whirl Islands…”

Kris emerged downstairs into the main lobby of the pokemon center, and saw some other trainers milling about. They were eating and chatting freely, but Kris took the complementary breakfast and sat apart from the others, near a large television on the wall showing the news. She munched on her cereal in silence, Teddy’s words still echoing in her head. Had she really been babying him? With Teddy’s aversion to battling against Silver, she hadn’t thought so. Maybe he had something to prove, but to whom? Kris trusted him, surely he knew that. To the other pokemon on the team, maybe?

She frowned, then pushed her cereal away. Her headache certainly wasn’t helping matters, and she needed to concentrate on her gym battle to concentrate on after she left. She stood and disposed of her leftover food and slowly climbed the stairs back to her room.

She turned the knob slowly and re-entered her room, feeling somehow more tired than she had when she had woken up. Teddy hadn’t moved from his position on the bed, but Cotton had floated over to him and appeared to be consoling him. Ramón was busy harassing Florence again, the pair flying around the room as Walter practiced his aim with by lobbing tiny rocks at them. Everyone but Teddy turned to look at her when she opened the door, and she took a deep breath, getting their pokeballs. “So, are we ready for a gym battle?”

----------

“Are you certain?”

“Quite. The girl responded to her pokemon as if they were speaking back to her. I may be old, Mortimer, but I know what I heard.”

“I’m not doubting you. I’m just having a hard time believing such a thing is possible.”

“All things are possible, dear boy. Did I teach you nothing as a child?”

There was a short pause on the line, but Elder Li could picture the small smile on the other man’s face. “You taught me many things, father. But you can’t deny this is a bit of a shock.”

“True, it’s not something I expected to ever encounter.”

“I meant you actually using a telephone and calling me.”

“Stop your sass, boy. You would have heard it from Falkner soon anyway, I’m sure. She’s challenging him today.”

“Oh? She’s taking the gym challenge? Hm…that’s very interesting.”

“Do you think she could be…”

“It’s possible, but I won’t be able to tell for sure until she gets here.”

“I have a feeling that she’ll make it sooner than you think.”

“Then I’ll be waiting for her. What was her name again?”

“Kris, I believe.”

“Kris, huh…I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for her.”

----------

“So, your name is Kris.”

Kris stood before the end of the gym, Walter and Teddy standing on either side of her. She nodded, worried that if she spoke her voice would shake as badly as her hands. The young man before her, clad in a blue traditional practice outfit, stood coolly in his position. His hair swept over his face, but he seemed more confident that anyone Kris had ever met. Kris bit her lip and hoped she wasn’t blushing; he was more handsome than anyone she’d ever met, too.

“I’m Falkner, the Violet Pokemon Gym Leader.” he said. If he noticed Kris’ awkwardness, he didn’t make note of it. “You are here to challenge me for a badge, yes?”

“Y-yes.”

Falkner’s one visible eye darted to her side, staring at Walter. “I see you have a Geodude.” he said curtly. He turned his head back to Kris and took out a pokeball. “Do you think you have this battle won simply because you have a pokemon with a type advantage? It’s dangerous to underestimate me – I am a master of flying type pokemon, and I will not allow any insults to them!”

Kris flinched when he yelled, but she felt Teddy press against her leg reassuringly, and she looked back up at him. “I’ll fight as hard as I can with my pokemon!”

Falker finally cracked a small smile. “Perfect answer.” he said. “Come on, then! I’ll show you the real power of my magnificent bird pokemon!”

“Go, Walter!”

“Pidgey, go!”

Walter snorted as Falkner’s Pidgey came out of its ball. “One o’ you? I thought this was s’posed to be some big, impor’nt fight.” Calmly, he broke off another small chunk of himself and hurled it at the Pidgey. “Get outta here!”

The rock struck Pidgey square in the beak as it dive-bombed Walter, sending him hurling back through the air. He crashed to the floor, out cold. Falkner scowled as he recalled his first pokemon. “You may have won this round, but let’s see how you’ll handle my next pokemon! Pidgeotto, go!”

Kris tensed up. That was a big Pidgeotto – was it a good idea to send Teddy in? Maybe Walter should weaken it first. But Walter was coming back to her of his own accord, and both he and Teddy looked up at her expectantly. “Walter, I didn’t –“

“You promised, Kris!”

“Aye, y’did make a promise.” Walter said, calmly. “Y’can’t be scared. We all know what could happen, but y’gotta trust the lad. He won’ let ya down.”

Kris looked down at Teddy, who was frowning at her. His face was determined, and it slowly dawned on Kris that nothing she could do or say would stop him from going up against Pidgeotto.

“What are you waiting for? Send out your pokemon!” Falkner called. “Or do you forfeit the challenge?”

“Teddy?”

“What?”

“Be careful.”

Teddy nodded. “I will.”

Falkner tilted his head curiously as Teddy took the field. “Your Cyndaquil? Are you patronizing me?”

“Teddy is strong!” Kris said, balling her fists as Teddy’s back flared up. “And we’ll show you! Use Ember, Teddy!”

Falkner snorted. “Pidgeotto, blow those little flames away with Gust.”

Teddy took in a deep breath, then released his flames straight toward Pidgeotto. Pidgeotto was unfazed, and calmly flapped his wings. A powerful gust of wind not only put out Teddy’s attack, but buffeted Teddy, too. He was sent skidding back, but he determinedly charged forward, firing off another Ember attack.

“Tackle it, Pidgeotto.”

Pidgeotto folded in its wings and sped toward Teddy. It gracefully dodged Teddy’s Ember, but Teddy quickly launched another attack. Pidgeotto dodged the first wave of flames, but couldn’t quite get past the second. The embers landed in its face and Pidgeotto screeched in pain. It flapped wildly around, trying to claw the smoldering flecks from its beak.

“Great shot, Teddy!”

“Pidgeotto, land!”

Pidgeotto screeched again, tumbling down toward the floor. It couldn’t control its landing, however, and crashed hard on the floor. It seemed to crumple before their eyes, and lay still. Only the slight raising and lowering of its feathers showed it was still alive.

Teddy smiled proudly as he looked at his defeated opponent. His grin faded and he let out a cry as he slowly began to glow a blinding white. His body grew and elongated, becoming sleeker and smoother. When the glow faded, Teddy looked completely different. He turned back towards Kris, a tiny smirk on his face, and finally opened his eyes to look at hers. “I told you I could do it.”

Kris squeaked and clapped her hands happily. “Teddy, you evolved!” she said, running over to him and giving him a hug as Falkner let out a small sigh and recalled his Pidgeotto. Kris was grinning from ear to ear. “I’m so proud of you.”

“My dad’s cherished bird pokemon…” Falkner muttered under his breath. With another sigh, he turned around and opened a small box next to his seat and pulled something out. “All right. Take this.” he said, walking over to Kris and holding something out to her. “It’s the official Pokemon League Zephyr badge.”

Kris stood, still smiling, and accepted the small badge. It was shaped like a pair of bird’s wings swept back in flight, and she stared at it in silence. Her hands began to tremble slightly as the light shone off of it, and she knelt back down and held it out to Teddy. “Look, Teddy. Our first badge.” She smiled and put her other hand on his head, gently petting him. “And you earned it all on your own.”

Teddy put his front paws on Kris’ leg and took a closer look at the badge. He was smiling too, and he looked back up at Kris happily. “I knew I could.”

“You did wonderfully, Teddy.”

Falkner coughed, snapping Kris’ attention back to him. “As I was saying…the Zephyr badge raises the attack power of pokemon. It also enables pokemon to use Flash, if they have it, anytime.” He fished around in a pocket for a minute, then handed Kris a small disk. “Here – take this too. It’s the TM for Mud Slap. It reduces the enemy’s accuracy while it causes damage. In other words, it’s both defensive and offensive. Use it well – unlike HMs, TMs can only be used once.”

Kris nodded, pocketing the TM. She carefully pinned the badge to the lapel of her jacket, then looked back up at Falkner. “Thank you very much for the battle.”

“Don’t mention it.” Falkner said, pocketing his pokeballs. “I’m a gym leader. Accepting challenges is what I do. It’s my training to become the greatest master of flying type pokemon.”

Kris tilted her head. “Is that your goal?”

“Of course it’s my goal. If I didn’t have a goal, it wouldn’t be fair to me or the pokemon I train with.” he said, looking curiously at Kris. “What’s your goal?”

“Um…”

“You mean you don’t have one? Then why did you challenge me?” Falkner demanded.

Kris rubbed her arm slightly and Teddy growled softly at Falkner’s tone. “Well, Professor Elm recommended that I take the gym challenge…I guess I wasn’t thinking about much besides just getting out of New Bark Town.”

Falker stood in silence for a moment, then crossed his arms. “The League and the gym challenge are not to be taken lightly, Kris.” he finally said. “To not know your destination is one thing, but to not even know the next step on the path is quite another.” He opened his eyes and looked at her sternly. “To see the world is not a bad desire, but it is not a goal in and of itself.”

Kris looked back down at Teddy and Walter, who had come up behind her and was congratulating Teddy. They looked up at her, but their faces were blank. Kris bit her lip. “Um…I guess…to beat all the gyms in Johto.”

Falkner nodded. “There is nothing wrong with small goals, so long as they combine into bigger ones.” he assured her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “If you wish to continue challenging gyms, then your next destination is Azalea Town in the south. The gym leader’s name is Bugsy. You will need to get through Union Cave to get there.”

Teddy raised himself up and braced his front legs against Kris’ thigh. “Another gym? Can we, Kris, please?”

“Aye, I wouldn’t mind doin’ another gym.” Walter added. “I know the rest o’ th’ team wouldn’t mind either.”

Kris nodded. “Azalea Gym it is, then.” she said. “We’ll go get – oh?” Kris’ phone was vibrating in her pocket, and she looked back up at Falkner. “Excuse me. Thanks again for the battle.”

Falkner nodded. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

Kris quickly left the gym and answered her phone. “Hello?”

“Ah, Kris, glad I caught you!”

Kris smiled. “Hello Professor. What’s up?”

“Well, it’s a bit of a surprise, but I have something for you. Mr. Lowe is waiting to deliver it to you in the pokemon center in Violet City.”

“A present?”

“Of sorts.”

“Wow, thank you, Professor!”

Professor Elm chuckled. “Don’t mention it. Mr. Lowe will tell you all about it in the pokemon center.”

“I’m headed there right now. I got the Zephyr badge!”

“Did you really? Good for you, Kris! I knew you could do it!”

“My pokemon worked really hard. And Teddy evolved!”

“Teddy is a Quilava now? My goodness, you’ve had an eventful day.” the professor remarked. “Well, go rest at the pokemon center and collect your surprise. I’ll go and tell your mother about your day.”

“All right. See ya, Professor!” Kris chirped, snapping her phone shut. “Come on, boys, back to the pokemon center!”

Teddy nodded and Walter reached up to let himself back into his pokeball. The sun was beginning to set over the city, bathing the olden style buildings in a pink and gold glow. Kris hadn’t realized how much time had passed while she was in the gym – she supposed that she had gotten lost on her way there for longer than she had thought. She and Teddy walked slowly back towards the pokemon center, and Teddy seemed strangely silent. Kris didn’t pressure him, however. She was too busy enjoying the evening. She took a deep breath and let out a satisfied sigh. Maybe city life wasn’t so bad after all.

“Kris, long time no see.” Mr. Lowe called as Kris and Teddy passed through the automatic glass doors of the pokemon center. He was carrying a large bag slung awkwardly over one shoulder. He waved and came up to her, passing a small group of trainers crowded around a small boy sobbing about his Rattata. “Poor kid…” he said when he was close to Kris. “His Rattata got beat up pretty bad by a wild one, from what I could hear. Last I heard them say something to him, it was in emergency surgery.”

Teddy pressed up against Kris’ leg worriedly, and Kris lowered her head. “Poor kid.” she agreed softly.

“Oh my, your Cyndaquil evolved!” he exclaimed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t notice before. Anyway, Professor Elm sent me to give you something.”

“He told me. What is it?”

Mr. Lowe reached down to unzip the bag, then carefully removed the egg she had delivered from Mr. Pokemon to them. “You see, we did some research on this egg, and we discovered that a pokemon will not grow in its egg and hatch unless it is around other, active pokemon.” he explained. “You’re the only one we can rely on, Kris. Would you take this egg and call us when it hatches?”

“Of course.” Kris said. “I’d be happy to.”

“Then I leave it in your care.” Mr. Lowe said, gingerly handing the egg over to her. Kris cradled it in her arms, and Mr. Lowe zipped up the bag. “Now, I really should get back to the lab.” he said, revealing a pokeball. He pressed the button on it, releasing a small green pokemon.

Teddy instantly froze at Kris’ side. “Flora?”

The Chikorita stopped and stared at Teddy. “Wh-what –?”

“It’s me! I’m called Teddy now – don’t you recognize me?’

The Chikorita stared for another moment, then slowly smiled and jumped happily towards Teddy. “Oh my gosh! I didn’t recognize you! You got big! But I thought – ?”

“I had a reason.” Teddy said quickly, nuzzling her head. “You’re looking pretty good yourself.”

Chikorita giggled. “Thanks! The Professor’s been spending lots of time with me since you and Toto left. But we really do need to get back.” she pouted. “Come back and visit sometime, okay? It’s lonely.”

“I have to go where Kris goes.” Teddy said. “I promised I’d protect her.”

Chikorita looked a little hurt, but she eventually slowly nodded. “I understand.”

“Come on, Chikorita.” Mr. Lowe said, patting his leg softly. “We need to get back to the lab.”

Chikorita followed Mr. Lowe and turned around for one last moment before they went back through the doors. “Bye, Teddy!” she called happily. “I’ll see you sometime!”

Teddy smiled and stood on his hind legs. “Bye, Flora!”

“A friend of yours, I presume?”

Teddy dropped back down to all fours and blushed. “Flora was a really good friend back at the lab. We would play together all the time, and…”

“She defended you from Toto?”

Teddy’s blush deepened and he turned his head to look behind Kris at the crying boy. “Hey Kris?”

“Yeah?”

“You know that we’ll all protect you ‘till the end, right?”

Kris paused for a moment, then said quietly “I really hope it doesn’t come to that, Teddy.” She turned around and tilted her head slightly. “Come on, let’s go back up to the room so I can put this egg down. Then we can rest for the night, all right?”

“Okay.” Teddy said, following her up the stairs. Just before their view of the lobby was gone, Teddy noticed Nurse Joy coming out from the back of the center with fresh tearstains on her apron and walking towards the little boy.

Another great chapter! :D I love the cute TeddyxFlora moment. :3

However, just a small typo, but other than that, I didn't see anything out of place. :)

“Teddy, Water’s got the advantage. It’s safest to –“

There's the Typo. ^^;

I love it. Great story. Walter the Scottish Geodude is cool too.

Keep it up, it's a great read :)