Leaving the hotel, I headed straight for the Gym, using our morning rush to get us right back on 'Victory Road.' I was met by a friendly fellow who gave me some advice about what Pokemon to take against Gardenia, and to be honest I think I was setting myself up for a fall with having only one Pokemon with a move effective against grass, Royal's Pluck. This was made even more difficult by the fact that he had a weakness to the type!

Then again, what would be the fun storming the place and defeating everyone easily? It would be there, but not enough to slate me and my challenge lust. Besides, going in, I thought using their type disadvantage to my advantage would make them work harder and appreciate the strategy I provided to the team. Maybe that'd knock them off their high horse, eh?

Well, I'm off track. Ok, so I'm in the Gym, and, right before I get into the first room, lo and behold the leader herself was standing in the doorway. I knew it couldn't be that easy, so I told her about my challenge, and she seemed... a little too happy. She told me about how much fun she was going to have, then informed me of the rules before trotting off.

I had to find her other trainers in her vast arboretum, and, once I defeated them all, I would face her head on. I thought it would have been taxing, all that walking, but the air was so fresh, the leaves were so green, and everything was so peaceful and calm that I forsook my strategy of surprise to let all my Pokemon out to walk with me. I spent a long time walking around, the trainers obviously hiding from me, but I wasn't really too interested in looking for them. This kind of scene was something I could totally get into!

Eventually, either by accident or by them being tired of waiting, I fought my first trainer. I let Serena watch as I decimated my opponent by using Cole, combining his Focus Energy with Karate Chop to overcome the resistance grass types have against his attacks. It worked, very well I might add, and they were down and out in no time flat. Other trainers soon followed, each one ratting out the location of the next one I had to beat. Soon, they all were done, and all that stood in my way was Gardenia herself.

I must say, for someone who acts so childishly giddy about her battles, she is amazingly strong. I used Cole first, but the fact that he's not effective until he powers up proved to be his downfall. He got one good strike in, but despite his focus, it was not a critical hit, and he was hit twice with strong grass type moves, one of them even healing my opponent! It was good, then, that Sarah picked up the slack, following my commands to use Charge to increase her defense against Special attacks and following it up with a powerful Spark attack. She sustained minimal damage and was able to take out the first and second Pokemon in this way. I gave her a rest as the third was called out and summoned Prinplup, thinking that he's all I'd need to get that badge now!

I was wrong. Well, no, perhaps it wasn't that I was wrong, but that I was careless. Royal would have won, but there was one fatal flaw.

My Prinplup had turned into a total douchebag.

I ordered him to use Pluck first turn, but as he was rushing forward, he got tripped up by a move I've never heard of before. Gardenia's Pokemon, something called a Roserade, hit him with something called Grass Knot. It used his size and weight as a disadvantage, making him slam face-first into the ground. I tried hard not to laugh, but Gardenia did so in such a way that I didn't really feel offended. It was like fighting a child! But the Roserade was playful in a different manner, saying something possibly demeaning as it patted Royal on his head as if to say 'nice try.'

It was the chance to strike, and I ordered a quick Pluck to surprise him. But remember, he turned into a douche, so instead of using Pluck and possibly ending the fight, he used Metal Claw as a more personal tool of vengeance. He scratched the grass type's face, who seemed almost horrified that he was injured in such a way, and struck Royal with a devastating move called Magical Leaf, one that couldn't be avoided.

He was out.

As the Roserade healed itself with the Sitrus Berry it held (one that, I might add, would have healed Royal if he was smart enough to do what I said), I summoned Sarah, who seemed very miffed about Royal being knocked out. I tried to tell her to keep calm, but she would have nothing of it, ignoring my commands to use Charge and Spark and instead trying to Bite her way into Roy's attacker's head. In her weakened state, she was tripped up and leafed down, leaving me with only one option.

I raised my hand to forfeit.

The last thing on my mind was using Serena. I didn't capture her so I could summon her to battle, which is what I told Gardenia when she asked why I wouldn't call out my last Pokemon. She was hurt when I found her, and I was caring for her to keep her safe. With the rest of my team sitting bruised and beaten in their balls, I stood by with my Buneary preparing to leave and try again another day.

But Serena objected.

I'll never forget it, even though I'm writing it down, it'll always be committed to memory. She walked into the circle of her own accord, and the match was set to continue. I hadn't even bothered looking at her attacks then! I almost dropped the Pokedex in order to check on them, asking her if she was sure she wanted to do this and getting a string of impatient 'bun's as a reply. As I found out her rather....eh... unimpressive attacks (one of them was splash...) and much lower level, Gardenia had healed her Roserade with a Super Potion. I was not looking forward to having to heal Serena again. Images of her burned and brutalized body kept flooding back into my head, and it was very tempting for me to recall her and declare my forfeit official...

But I didn't.

I ordered out a Pound attack, seeing as how the only other effective move was Defense Curl, and none of those would be effective now. I was also thinking that, if she hits as hard as she hit my nose, the Roserade would be in big trouble!

I had no idea...

Gardenia commanded Grass Knot, but I told Serena to jump, and she leaped high above it, coming down and crashing hard into the Roserade. She must have held back something when she hit me, because Roserade went flying! I ordered another Pound, and, when Stun Spore was called, I told Serena not to breathe it in. I thought she was going to jump over it again, but she went through it! Coming out of the orange, dusty cloud, she showed that she had covered her mouth and nose with her ears, popping them out with another wound-up Pound attack. Another Pound against Magical Leaf, and I knew she couldn't avoid this attack, so I told her to endure it and strike head on. She turned her ears into shields on either side of her, diverting the attacks to her sides and delivering another Pound into the freaked-out Roserade's face.

And... that was all it took.

Three Pounds from a Buneary at least ten levels below the Roserade, and it was done. The battle was over, and I had won.

No... she had won. She has moves, and very strategic ones I might add. Not only that, but... it could have been the virus, but she was both stronger and faster than the Roserade. Either that, or the grass type was a weenie, but hey, either way, who cares?

We won!

I celebrated by picking up Serena and swinging her around a bit.

This is when I figured out that Stun Spore sticks to fur, but can easily be shaken free by spinning around a bit.

After I recovered, I was presented my badge, opening my box and pausing before I put it in. I thought it was a bit silly to be carrying them around in a tin, as badges were meant to be shown! Without thinking twice, I stuck them both on my beret, making the awesome hat that much awesomer by displaying my prizes.

Now that I had the badge, I asked her if she could teach me how to use Cut outside of battle, and she said I already learned. She saw 'something' in me that made her think I was a nature enthusiast, so she told me what nests looked like and which kinds of vines were safe to cut and I was good to go! Also, she gave me her Gym's technique, the one that I feared and revered. Grass Knot. Powerful against bigger enemies, but even if it had managed to hit Serena, it would have done minimal damage. She's just so light and huggable.

Not to mention dangerous. As soon as we get back to the Pokemon Center, she's getting a bath to get all of that Stun Spore out of her fur. Until then, though, I'm content to sit in sweet, waning paralysis in the meadow of the arboretum, Serena sitting in my lap with something similar to smugness playing across her face as Cole sits beside me peeling berries for our ceremonial 'feast.'

Roy and Sarah are getting some treatment (read: the chance to lie down and think about what they did with a berry for each of them), but Serena and Cole are the only ones enjoying one of the several jars of honey with me, Gardenia, and her Roserade. I hope those two insubordinate soldiers see what happens when they disobey as opposed to when they listen to me and reap the delicious rewards. I am back in control, and, as before, the honey makes the victory taste all the sweeter.

Two down, six to go.

I woke up with Sarah clinging to my arm, requiring a healthy shake before she would rouse and release me. She yowled out a long yawn, giving me a rather hearty whiff of her fishy breath, which nearly knocked me out.

Of course, she took one look at me and went back to sleep, turning over in the bed and curling up to ignore me. I used this newfound freedom to roll and look down at Serena off the edge of my bed. She was sleeping, but she seemed to be doing so uncomfortably, panting out of her mouth and rolling back and forth along the bedskirt. I moved myself off of the bed and sat on all fours, leaning over her.

I didn't regret what I did, I simply regret being born with a nose. To comfort her, I put my hands on her face, feeling the almost burning hot fur for only an instant. I never saw it coming. It was her ear, something that I thought would be soft and cuddly. It bashed me so hard in the nose that I can still feel it as I write.

I think I yelped, I dunno, but something snapped everyone back into consciousness. I was nearly crying with the pain, holding my nose and wincing, but it soon passed, and through watery eyes I saw Serena looking up at me with a touch of guilt and fear. Honestly, that felt worse than my nose.

She was afraid to let me pet her, but I did so anyway, finding out that she was sweating beneath her fur. She cringed a little, but she seemed to cool off a bit after a while.

While she was relaxing, everyone else took the opportunity to wake up properly. They had been startled by my yell, but now that the danger was over, they all returned to normal. Sarah stretched her lithe body and my Prinplup stood up and shook out his feathers. Cole was the only one to wake enthusiastically, immediately beginning his morning workout routine once he was up. I felt so energized just watching him that I would have joined him if I wasn't holding onto Serena.

Breakfast is coming up soon, and after that, we're going to take on the town's local gym. I have Serena across from me on the bed now, still unsure obviously.

I just asked if she liked the name Serena, and she gave me a look. I'm not an expert at figuring out Buneary facial expressions, but I think it said something along the lines of "Call me whatever the fuck you want, I don't care."

So I guess she liked it!

Anyway, the food should be here any minute. When next I write, I should have the badge in my clutches. Until then!

I decided that I didn't need to go to the gym just yet. It was more important that my team got to know the new girl. I didn't think it'd take this long, but I'm enjoying the break. We've come a long way, and I shouldn't press my team too hard, else they start disobeying me sooner...

Next to the Pokemart was a hotel of sorts, and I used some of my cash to spend the night here. For all their hard work, I believed my trio needed some quality rest and relaxation. I went to my room, ordered room service, and released everyone to get to know the Buneary.

She was less than thrilled, I could tell, looking at all of us with the meanest scowl I've ever seen on such a cute thing's face. She was quiet in her little corner, staring at all of us with her little paws crossed and her long ears tensing.

Everybody in the team tried to call her into their little circle, but the room was much too expensive to be soaking with Water Sport. Instead, they sat around talking, sharing experiences as if they were war veterans. It sounded interesting enough, but I wish I knew what they were saying.

When she wouldn't get involved, I felt a bit of helplessness. I couldn't make her join them, but I was hoping that they could get to know her more, maybe find out what happened. It's not like they could tell me what they found out, but if they knew, that would be enough for now.

It wasn't until the food came did the Buneary show any other emotion. Thinking on it, of course she was hungry. Who knows how long she had been in the woods? Room service delivered a plate of food for everyone.

Cole was the one who offered some to her, Sarah feeding her 'king' by slicing his fruit and plopping it into his open beak. Of course, I noticed the fruit she was about to feed him was extremely bitter, probably for his transgression of leaving her to go walking with Cheryl. Poor fellow.

While his face scrunched up, I looked to see the Buneary rejecting the offer of fruit. Cole dejectedly agreed to leave her be. I didn't know what made me think that I'd have a better shot at it, but when I set a pile of fruit down in front of her, she started eating, as long as I wasn't watching her do it.

It didn't matter. As long as she was eating, yeah?

The sun sank a bit more, and soon it was time for everyone to turn in. I told them my intent of conquering this gym, but it was to my trio, and I think the Buneary knew it, because she kept on eating ravenously.

After my talk, they all started to head off to sleep, my Prinplup's spite childishly keeping him away from a much-too-happy Luxio, who hopped up onto the bed trilling her content and curled up beside me. Cole, on the other hand, was still trying to get the Buneary to join them. I had to admire Cole; he was just as distraught about this as I was. He was normally a happy guy who tried to keep everyone else in a good mood, but this girl must have been torture to him. He tried a few tricks, trying to juggle the silverware and clown around a bit. She might have smiled, but I didn't catch it.

I had actually gone to sleep for a while before waking up to write this thing, and luckily I haven't woken up the Buneary with my scrawling. She's sleeping off the edge of my bed, still alone, but in a much more comfortable place. Seeing her like this made me see how docile she was. So calm, peaceful, serene.

Serene.

Serena.

On paper, it writes very well. I'll have to ask her how she likes it in the morning. I wouldn't risk this view of her for the world. It's like staring at a wild Pokemon, really.

Like that Buizel.

I wonder how she's doing...

Harder to write. Feline now digging claws into shirt and hugging arm.

Sleep now.

I'm keeping the Buneary.

Before you go saying I'm being selfish or cruel, I have something to say. Write, rather.

She has Pokerus. Well, had it. Her tests came back positive for the antibodies, and the only way to be immune to the 'rus is if you've had it before.

According to my father's research, the Pokerus is a strange ailment, a virus passed through physical contact from Pokemon to Pokemon. It's extremely rare, and, though it's not known exactly how, the virus attacks the body's mutation energy reserves. Instead of depleting them, however, it just messes with the output. Normally, when a Pokemon fights, they get a little stronger, and, when they level up, it all comes to the surface.

But when the Pokemon is under the Pokerus, their energy goes haywire. It thinks it's doing a lot more work than the Pokemon is actually performing, so when it levels up, massive changes in strength, speed, and whatever else they were trained in while under the influence.

All of my Pokemon are still in their balls, and I'm staring at the Buneary's ball on the table in front of me. I also learned it was a female. I still didn't know the whole story, but I was determined to treat her good. Besides, it was the nurse's idea that I continue to monitor her, just to make sure that the Pokerus had no ill effects.

That... and something told me there was more to her story. I wasn't the best in picking out what Pokemon were saying, but I needed to find out what had happened to her before I found her in the woods.

Oh, and I need to pick out a name for her.

I wonder which one she'd like?

There is only one way to find out.

I learned a lot on my walk.

Exiting the Pokemon center, I took my time and walked around, but something quickly caught my attention. A huge tower jutted out of the ground along the north side of the town. It had a great-big "G" attached to the front.

'Gee, I wonder what that building is,' I wondered quietly to myself, the condescending sarcastic tone prevalent in my mind. It seems this is the place Galactic set up shop. The front of their building, however, were covered with thick vine. However, it was woven in an intricate web... I had no doubt that it was set there on purpose.

Why keep it locked from their own teammates? Maybe they had their own way, but it was more likely that the team didn't care about the other members. If the Windworks were any indication, they weren't exactly the best kind of people to rely on when the chips were down.

I studied it for a while, but I didn't want to get caught, especially without my Pokemon to back me up. Besides, as much as I hated Galactic, I had no reason to run up in their house and invade. They were probably heavily fortified. Instead, I continued moving along the north city walls. I saw a huge statue of a Pokemon in the distance, and I wanted to investigate.

But I didn't get far before someone stopped me. I was expecting a Galactic grunt, so I turned rather threateningly towards them. Of course, my worries, though sound, were unfounded.

It was a woman. A tall, older woman. Late teens, lovely, long, blond hair, and...

I'm going to leave the rest to the imagination. You'll need to see her for yourself if you want to experience this kind of sexy.

Anyway, she asked me why I was staring so intently at Galactic's HQ for so long. I told her that if she wanted to know, then it was story time, and we needed to sit down. We found a bench, and, sitting beside her, I was alerted to how short I was compared to her.

Shaking that out of my head, I told my tail about my past run-ins with Galactic. She turned out to support my rather hateful ideas, but also told me that there are more things to see in this ancient town than something to inspire hatred. It was a pretty wise thing to say, considering how young she was. Yes, I was younger, but still, you notice these things.

I noticed the Pokeballs on her hips. Not that I was staring, mind you, and asked if she was a trainer. She giggled and said yes, asking if I was one as well. I told her that I was, and I'd battle her if I had my Pokemon with me, but she told me that she's here to relax and investigate the ruins, not fight. Then she reminded me that a trainer is never, ever supposed to be without their Pokemon, even if they're healing in the Pokemon Center. I'm supposed to stick by just in case there is something they need to tell me about my Pokemon.

It made me feel bad, but when she asked me why I was without 'mon, I told her the situation in the woods, and what I had to do. She was really easy to open up to. Maybe it was because she was a trainer, or because she was was a hot girl.

Either way, we sat in silence for a bit after that. Then she said some things that really lift me up. She told me that what I did was exactly what any trainer should do in that situation. We are told that helping Pokemon should come before personal beliefs, because how could we expect Pokemon to follow us if we're not willing to do all we can to help them? She made me think about how my trio would have taken it if I had scared the injured Buneary off instead of trying to help it. Even if I accidentally scared it off, our thoughts would have been on that Buneary's condition for a very long time, perhaps forever.

It wasn't a pleasant thing to think about, and she realized this, patting me on my shoulder and telling me something else. There is no such thing as a wild Lopunny, the evolved form of Buneary. They can only realize their potential if they are raised with kindness by a trainer. She asked me that, if I decide to take care of it, it wouldn't take long for it to warm up to me, considering how kind she thought I was.

My cheeks are still red, and she's already walked away. She said the next time she sees me, she wants me not to be so gloomy. I don't know why she thought we'd meet again, but I wouldn't mind if we did.

A shame I didn't get her name. It would have helped return the HM Cut she left on the bench. If she's so sure we'll meet, though, then I don't mind holding onto it until then.

Besides... I could use it after I crush this gym. I still want to see what that chateau in the forest is all about!

Anyway, it's time to head back to the center and check up on the Buneary. I'm sure they've found something out by now.

Eterna is a strange place. It has the feel of both the past and modern times. Bright and colorful shops and tall towers are amidst overgrown foliage and cracked, ancient buildings.

Before going exploring, though, I had something else to take care of. I went to the Pokemon Center and asked for a heal on my whole team. Cheryl accompanied me this far, but said that she had something to take care of in the town. She gave Royal and Cole a quick pet, one that they seemed to enjoy very much, and smiled as she walked away. Royal must have stared for an instant too long, though, because he got a tail full of electric pulses as my Luxio 'gave him a message.'

I put them all back in their balls and gave them, Buneary included, to the nurse, asking her to find out all she could about the Buneary. I explained my curiosity, and she seemed to understand, telling me that it'd take a bit longer, but she'd be sure that I had all the physical data on my Pokemon, especially the Buneary.

I was relieved, but now I'm kinda bored. I could go tour the town, but I would hate to do it without my Pokemon. I suppose I could serve as an informed tour guide to my curious group, but I don't think I should be wandering around without them for too long. After all, I saw an unsettling amount of Team Galactic grunts on my way to the center. In fact, one of them walked up to me just as I entered the town, and I informed him politely that I wouldn't stand for any of his shenanigans.

Actually I didn't say anything at all. I was still feeling ill about what I had to do with Buneary, and all I really did was translate my mood into my eyes. My trio was quick to growl in a very convincingly life-threatening way, as well. He made the decision to walk away while he could still use his legs.

Writing that cheered me up a bit, but the anticipation is starting to get to me. I know that the Buneary is going to be ok, but that just means that my methods had good turnout. I'm still not happy with the means...

I'm going to go for a walk.

I woke up peaceably enough, a breeze or something blowing a bit of hair out of my face. I was staring at a noon sun shining through trees staring down at me. A rustling in the bushes beside me caught my attention, and I sat up, waking up a rather disappointed Luxio who was trying to sleep on my lap.

A minute or so later, Cheryl returned to the rock with my males. They seemed happy, pleased in fact, and so did she. I would too if I got to have a walk with someone like her. After waking up my dear little kitten, I decided to continue our way through the woods. I reached for my pack, but lo, fate had decided to shaft me quite heartily. My pack was missing.

I asked Cheryl about it, but she didn't know what happened. Neither did Sarah, who was still waking from her lazy stupor. I had been robbed, and I wasn't feeling too good about that.

I was distraught, but I wasn't helpless, and there were dragging tracks about the size of my pack. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. While I followed them, I remembered thinking how silly it was for the thief to be dragging my stuff around. I mused that they were either really weak or were only about a foot tall.

I didn't imagine that both could be true.

We followed the trail until its end amidst several bushes. Several of my articles were scattered about, and I soon learned why.

A furry cottontail was poking out of an otherwise unfurry backpack. Royal shouted his trademark challenge, announced with a bit of a Prinplup trill, and that tail froze and the rest of the body quickly crawled out of the pack, dropping the potion it was holding in its paws.

It was a Buneary. I could have been angry, and I'm sure any other trainer would have been angry, but I actually found the whole scene cute.

That is, of course, until I found out why it was in my pack. The Buneary stood in defiance, guarding my pack as if it owned it, but that's when I noticed something off, something that Cheryl was quick to point out.

It was hurt. Badly. I couldn't help but wince at what I saw as it growled at me. I stopped my Pokemon from growling back, knowing that it was no threat to me. Cheryl offered to summon her Chansey to use Softboiled and cure the Buneary.

I stopped her as well, because throwing out another Pokemon would no doubt scare the Buneary into a state that its body couldn't handle right now. I wanted to help, but I couldn't I heal it without getting too close.

That's when I remembered what I kept attached to my belt. I carried six balls with me at all times, even if they weren't full. It made me look tougher so that the weaker trainers usually didn't challenge me. It was more for their sake than mine, I assure you.

I knew a way I could save it, but there was something I had to take into account first. It knew to go to a backpack, and it knew what a potion was. Either it had spent a lot of time spying on trainers that had entered the forest before, or it was already someone's Pokemon, in the latter case I would not be able to capture it to begin with. I knew that if it failed, then my ball would not only be wasted, but I would definitely encourage her to run. In her condition...

That was another thing I had to look at. It had Poison Sting wounds, Bite marks and even something that looked like a burn. The Buneary had been in a large battle with a trainer not too long ago, as fire types didn't normally frequent forests. The burn looked old, and it probably didn't bother it so much as those poison tracks, which looked fresh, and unhealthy.

Everything happened in such a short span, but I remember it so clearly. I took a step forward, my hand by my belt, fingers rolling over the capsules I kept until I rested on the one in the far back. No doubt it would hate me for what I was about to do, but I'd rather a Pokemon live and despise me than suffer when I had a chance to save it. The last ball on my right side was that Heal Ball I acquired earlier, and that particular capsule and a disposable battery pack with enough juice to serve as an immediate Pokemon Center touch-up to the one I catch with it. If it worked, the Buneary would be healed with a little time spent in the ball, and I could release it back into the wild when I got to the Pokemon Center. It was the safest place to do so, as they could free the Pokemon in a condition and area more fit for survival, or even put it up for adoption for someone who wants to care for one as a pet. I don't know what happened to this little one, but it didn't look like it had ever seen a Pokemon Center.

That was about to change. Crossing my fingers in one hand, I used my other to withdraw the ball. I apologized for what had to be done, and hurled the Heal Ball. It tried to jump out of the way, but it yelped and tripped, and ended up being taken into the sphere. This meant that it was either wild or released, and the orb struggled fiercely with its new occupant. I could have rushed to grab my pack, but my legs were dead, and my eyelids stapled open. Even Cheryl gulped unpleasantly behind my back, my senses so keen at this point that I could have heard a cloud move in the sky.

The struggling eventually ceased, a resounding 'ding' ringing my victory. I was glad I was able to help, but even now I still feel my gut wrenching at the thought of having to capture a Pokemon like that. I'm sure I could have talked to it, maybe reasoned with it, to ask if we could help it, but it held such spite in its eyes, and I knew it would not have listened to anything I or my Pokemon said.

I'm writing this before we move on, but since capturing the Buneary, we've made considerable progress through the forest, partly in my haste to get free of these woods. I can hear the faint buzzing of the Heal Ball working its technological magic, and I know that normal wounds would have been healed by now. Whatever was wrong with it was serious, and I keep telling myself that I did the right thing. I had calculated the risks and took a chance, but I was willing to bet on probable victory rather than total defeat.

Bah, anyway, we stopped short of the exit to admire something in the distance. A house of some sort, very run down, very old, and the path leading to it absolutely covered in thick vines. Before the Buneary incident, I would have been excitable and ordered Royal to try and cut through the vines with his Metal Claw, but I knew better. This would require another Hidden Technique, Cut, and mastery of its field use so I don't accidentally destroy a Pokemon habitat or otherwise harm the ecosystem.

I did make a mental note to revisit, though. After all, with so much greenery around, it would make sense if the next Gym taught their trainers how to safely traverse it with Cut. If I was lucky, I could pick up the information I needed, as well as the Hidden Machine to do it.

But yes, I've written enough, and quite frankly, I still feel a bit ill. Trainers capture Pokemon all the time, but not like this, not when they're already weak, searching for a way to mend themselves, having to rely on learning how to use a potion because we were greedy with our berry consumption.

My head hurts.

And my wrist is tired.

Upon entering the forest, I met a young woman named Cheryl. She's very pretty, smart too, and I'm not just writing this just in case she looks over to see what I'm doing.

I swear.

Anyway, she asked me if I would escort her through the woods. Naturally, I agreed without hesitation, for what am I if not a man of chivalry?

A short ways through the forest, we came across this large, moss-covered rock. It feels cool to the touch, and the greenery about it doesn't rub off on my back, so it makes a great place to prop myself up on as I write. Now I can watch Sarah jump around with her new mastered attack.

I had noticed that, during our previous battles, she had been trying, in vain, to pump electricity into her Tackle attacks. Recently, though, it succeeded, and after a few more trial attacks, I gladly announced that she had learned Spark! Cheryl seemed impressed, which made my balls feel bigger for a bit, and Royal psyched himself up to learn a move himself!

Of course, the one next on his agenda was the technique Bide. I was not thrilled in having a move where I order him to endure attack after attack just to release his vengeance. It's not a bad move, its just that purposefully letting him get attacked is not my idea of a tried and true method of battling. I told him to focus on mastering Pluck, as there were plenty of grass and bug types to use it on. He reluctantly agreed.

Cole wasn't thrilled about his next move, either. Seismic Toss, while effective at higher levels, just wasn't going to cut it for him now. I told him he was better off focusing on aiming his Karate Chop attacks to surer, critical attacks, and he conceded. I could already sense the tension, how they subtly felt that they knew more about their abilities than I did. It was not a happy feeling.

Luckily, Cheryl's Chansey was there for us. She made us all treats and recovered our wounds after every battle. I suggested that we rest here before continuing, and Cheryl agreed, napping on the other side of the rock. The bushes around us rustle occasionally with lively grass Pokemon, but the area around the rock is a safe clearing. I'm going to take a nap so that the noon-day sun will rise up and provide better lighting for us.

Our training had led us to a small house just outside of the forest. A kind woman let us rest there, and I enjoyed some good cooking for the first time since I left home. After taking a few tips on how to prepare berries and fish to be more palatable to humans, I rested there for a time.

When I woke, I saw that my face was on the television. It's very hard to describe the feeling you get when someone starts spouting out how exemplary you are, and how powerful a trainer you happen to be, over national television. I felt unworthy, actually, at the excitable trainer in the house with the woman. He called me a celebrity, but really, I was just happy to see Roy and Sarah in their original states, my Luxio's past probably dragged up from the man who happened to be filming my battle against Team Galactic. I know it hasn't been long since their evolution, but it was still nostalgic, exemplifying how quickly Pokemon change, adapt, and grow to their conditions.

But does that mean I'm pushing them too hard? I haven't even aquired my second gym badge yet, and already my trio can easily take down all of the trainers on this road. They don't need training so much as instructing, and this makes me feel a bit left out.

Part of me wishes I would have somehow captured that Buizel. At least then I'd have someone else to train while my private army breaks through anything in our path. I feel powerful beside them, yes, but a trainer should feel powerful standing with their Pokemon, not next to them like an ornament with an awesome hat.

I've noticed that they are predicting my commands just a second before I say them. I thought this would be a good sign of myself growing as a trainer and the bond between us becoming stronger, but I know that can't be right. Me and my Pokemon are friends, but in battle, I can feel this tension growing, like they know what they should be doing and don't even need my guidance anymore. If a Pokemon grows too fast for their trainer, then its only a matter of time before that Pokemon starts to disobey their master. I can't imagine any of them going against my orders on purpose... but maybe, if they believe that they can see another way of winning, a way that I have already discovered would lead only to defeat, and they take action themselves instead of listening to my command... I can't help but be reminded of Galactic's Mars. If there was one error in that battle, one mistake, one miscommunication, it would have ended much worse. I can't let that happen.

I need to show them that I'm still a strong leader, and that, though I am their ally, they need to respect me as their master.

But I've waited long enough to enter these woods. Standing at the open maw of the forest. Eterna lay just beyond these trees, and through them, I shall find the next gym.

Within those walls, I hope to gain respect. I just hope it doesn't cost the friendship of the three at my side.

Well, I decided that if I don't use the TMs, then they'll just sit in my backpack and take up space. I'll put thought into who gets what, and I'll train one at a time, but all-in-all, I think it'd be fun to see what sort of moves my Pokemon could learn with a little extra training and these devices.

So I taught Royal Pluck. Well, in the process of teaching it to him. Apparently, the TMs only help them to unlock the knowledge of how to access the attacks. I need to go through the process of refining it to use it in battle. I can't just fill his head with knowledge of a move and expect him to do wonders with it. It takes training.

But I'm also training Cole. He's good, but he could be better at avoiding attacks. However, me and my brilliance (sorry, a phrase I picked up from my dad) have come up with a strategy for this.

I took several berries, tied them to several strings, and tied the strings to several places on Cole's body. No, not there. But pretty much everywhere else. It was Royal's job to use his new move to accurately target the berries on Cole, training the pin-point accuracy the move would need. It was Cole's duty to defend those spots, increasing his defensive capabilities and further strengthening his resistance to flying-type weakness he has.

I'm watching it take place with a pretty good deal of success from both sides. Cole has taken several juicy losses to his limbs, but his chest and back have been very well defended so far. Sarah is cheering them both on, sending electrical pulses to her tail and flashing it out in tandem with every one of Roy's hits. It made me think about teaching her Flash the next time we had to explore a dark cave.

It couldn't hurt!

TMs, Techinal or Technique machines, are really odd things indeed. By using the data contained in each disk, one is able to unlock powers within Pokemon that they didn't know they had. Of course, every TM doesn't work on every Pokemon. They have to have an energy path within them that leads to the particular move. It's what makes Normal Pokemon so valuable; their type energy contains several spectrums that lead to many odd and powerful attacks. With it, you can make a Normal Pokemon a dangerously unpredictable weapon, and it lets you make Pokemon of other types even stronger by showing them how to better control their own powers.

The only reason I'm even bringing them up is because it helps to see my father's lectures on paper when I make a decision. I have a lot of TMs, but I've kept myself from using them for several reasons. One of them is that they're valuable, and in a pinch I can sell them. They break once I invoke them, and most are too rare to come by more than once! And finally... I don't know, I guess I am just afraid that using these things will hurt my Pokemon in some way. Probably not, I know, and there has never been an instance where a TM has done anything more than what you expect it to do, but still...

But I recently got one for Pluck. I'm about to enter the nearby woods, and I know there is bound to be bug and grass types. In order to be affective against them, my Prinplup will have to be in top form, and the only effective move against the green ones will be his newly aquired Metal Claw, which I discovered he had when he quartered one of our berries to share with everyone. He's loving his new body, I can tell, but Metal Claw won't be that effective against Bugs.

His Peck will... but Peck isn't all that powerful. Pluck is better, and has the added benefit of stealing the opponent's berry. With his newfound fruity lust, I think he'd appreciate it! Pluck is powerful because it is a directly targeted Peck, capable of hitting something as small as a berry on a Pokemon's body.

I'll talk to him about it later. For now, I have to make it to the forest, and Cole is getting restless. Apparently, he's wanting to evolve too, what with Sarah and Royal taking their forms up to the next level so early in our adventure.

Time to get to work!

Until I get back from work, here's a fun little treat for you all. A meme!

Found dis one in another journal. I probably broke the rules by not waiting to be tagged, but let's be honest, who'd ever tag me for anything?

Exactly.


Character Questioning

1. choose a few of your own characters. Five at the most.
2. make them answer the following questions.
3. then tag three people. (Which I won't do. Take it if ya like, I don't want to touch you. No offense, you dirty, dirty individual.)

Characters:
Zack Stone, Pokemon Trainer
Artimus Blackthorne Sendant, Draconic Overlord and a really kinky guy
Doctor Matt, Multidimensional Madman of Mystery. He hasn't made an appearance in a story (yet), but it is an ongoing, put-to-paper tale that I have and decided, for obvious reasons, not to put online.



Questions:

How old are you?

Zack: 16, though I was more mature than you at around 10. It's how things work here.

Artimus: Older than you can imagine, older than I care to explain, and older than you'll ever live to see.

Dr. Matt: Depends on the legal drinking age in the dimension I'm in.


What's your height?

Zack: Shit, I dunno... five six?

Artimus: Even in this bipedal form, I have to reach my neck down to snap your head off. It's not too much of a hassle, though...

Dr. Matt: I'm like three midgets standing on each others shoulders! Except for the one on the bottom. If he was standing on someone's shoulders, then it'd be some sort of odd Escher painting or something.


Are you a virgin?

Zack: Haa... This question shouldn't really be on here.

Artimus: Not a night goes by when I wonder what life was like before my first mating. I was very young, after all. Of course, I ponder these things while chaining someone to my thighs, so no, I am not.

Dr. Matt: If I am, does that turn you on? I'll be more than happy to let you be my first. I've been told I'm very good at it.


Do you have any kids?

Zack: No.

Artimus: Yes, and my daughters all make very good bed mates.

Dr. Matt: I sure hope not! I'm sure they'd be pretty miffed to know that their father travels dimensions and hasn't sent them any child support checks.


What's your favorite food?

Zack: Rare meat, a hard-to-find commodity the day and age in my world.

Artimus: Rare humans, especially those of royal descent. Their blood is so rich in salts and fats that it seems a shame that they only carry so much in their pudgy, gorged bodies.

Dr. Matt: Paranoia nurtures me!


What's your favorite ice-cream flavor?

Zack: Pecha, with little pieces of the fruit inside.

Artimus: Hm? Frozen cream? What sort of spell do you use to create that?

Dr. Matt: I'll eat any flavor, so long as I get to partake of it off of a woman's naked body. As long as they don't have fur. No offense, but the last time I tried that, I was plucking vanilla-flavored hairballs out from between my teeth for a few days.


Have you killed anyone?

Zack: No, but I almost did. You'll get to find out about it if my damn author starts writing my story again.

Artimus: Well I can't let them all live, you understand. Everybody has a role, a usefulness to fulfill, and once that is lived out, they are better off as meat.

Dr. Matt: Oh, several. Some with my Final Fantasy gun-blade, X-Caliber, others with the Death Note I found locked up in a vault run by some white-haired freak child that I wanted to kick in the head.

So I did.

Haha, he fell down! I think one of his dominoes got stuck in his eye~

What a weenie.


Do you hate anyone?

Zack: Anyone who would abuse others for their own gain, and those who restrict the freedoms of living creatures deserve my contempt.

Artimus: I used to. They're dead now.

Dr. Matt: This asshole who calls himself "The Doctor." I'm like, "Doctor who?" And he's like "Exactly," and that pisses me right the fuck off! Fucking phone-booth-driving prick. I got the one-up on him in a poker game, though, and scored this totally sweet screwdriver.


Have any secrets?

Zack: Well, I suppose the fact that I have sex with my Pokemon would be a bigger secret if you all weren't reading about it.

Artimus: My mate tells me that my heart is warm beneath the cold stone that barely beats around it. I... highly doubt it.

Dr. Matt: Yes, but none of my own. They belong to other people, I just happen to have them stored in my noodle.

For instance, did you know that Zack fucks his Pokemon? Like, almost all of them. I don't blame him, either, there are some really sexy beasties in that dimension. Then again, I've had catgirl, cabbit, android, furry, scaly, leathery, fleshy, upholstery(don't ask), and gooey. I could go on forever. And I would, if there weren't more questions to be answered. Onward!


Do you love anyone?

Zack: I love all of my companions as though they were part of me, and a good trainer knows that is as much a fact as anything else. Though my Absol, Katherine, holds a bit of a special place. I did have a human crush... but you won't know about that until the author decides to write more.

Artimus: You call one your true mate, you give love to those you care for, and you share lust as freely as you would water. Such is the creed of the Sendants.

Dr. Matt: Love's a funny word. I'm never in a dimension long enough to really love anyone, and my crew is mostly male. I suppose my engineer, a fox chick named Miles Prower is pretty hot... kinda cute, too. I don't know if it's love, tho-

Hm? A dude?

...Are you sure?

...You lie...

...But... it felt just like a woman!

Damn it that's the last time I drink an alcohol named after the destruction of a planet.

...Maaaybe the second to last time.

I did like those tails of hers. His? Oh, right, it's a guy.

...Are you sure?



What is your job?

Zack: Professional Pokemon trainer and amateur coordinator. People also call me a hero, but I don't really deserve it. After all, Aqua was just in my way at the time.

Artimus: Job? An occupation? That would imply that I had to work. The reason I fuck these royal harlots is so that they can provide an heir for me to control without having to do anything.

Dr. Matt: Ridding the multiverse of the scourge of the Blight, a manifestation of biotic, self-aware nano-machines. I also fight against a chaotic mage going by the name Magus, who travels the multiverse seeking to corrupt those once considered on the side of light and order to join him in his dark crusade.

He's a real douche-bag. His only real successful turn was a guy named Lloyd Irving. Still, that guy's enough trouble on his own.



Boy or Girl?

Zack: I'm a guy, if that's what you're asking.

Artimus: I prefer females, but I don't mind taking a male to my chambers, especially if he was a knight foolish enough to... oh, did I interpret this question wrong?

Dr. Matt: I call my penis Shen-Long, but you don't need balls to call him out. In fact, I'd prefer you didn't have any!

Unless you have a really cute butt. All butts are the same doggy-style.


What do you do to relax?

Zack: After a really intense battle, that's when I catch the most z's. Otherwise, I use my Skitty's Heal Bell to provide a sweet chime to chill by.

Artimus: It's hard not to relax when you have two very fine furs worshipping your flesh as if it was their God. Even harder if those two turn out to be your daughters.

Dr. Matt: Damn, Artimus... oh, anyway, yeah, I go to the pub I have on my multidimensional phase ship, the Cameo. There is also a 3D hologram room that I visit... occasionally.


What do you think your life expectancy is?

Zack: I'll go when I go. Until then, I keep walking.

Artimus: Barring catastrophy, my blood will allow me to live eternal.

Dr. Matt: Tonight! That way I won't be surprised, and I get a lot more done if I think that I'ma die as soon as I shut my eyes.


What is your favorite song?
Zack: Fort Minor's Remember the Name

Artimus: Hmm... this is a very pleasing song...
Inkubus Sukkubus - Reptile
It's easy to imagine it going through the heads of one of my pets. I should probably get one of them to sing it for me...

Dr. Matt:
Ladies and Gentlemen please,
Would you bring your attention to me!
For a feast for your eyes to see.
An explosion of catastrophe
Like nothing you've ever seen before!
Watch closely as I open this door,
Your jaws will be on the floor.
After this you'll be begging for more!

Welcome tooo the shooooow
Please come insiiiiide (heh)

DO YOU WANT IT?
DO YOU NEED IT?
LET ME HEAR IT!

Ladies and Gentlemen good evening,
You've seen that seeing is believing.
Your ears and your eyes will be bleeding.
Please check to see if you're still breathing.
Hold tight because the show is not over.
If you would, please, move in closer.
You're about to be bowled over,
By the wonders you're about to behold here!

Welcome tooo the shooooow
We're glad you came along
Please come insiiiiide (that always gets me)


And that's it! Thank you all for your cooperation.

Zack: No problem... does this mean you'll write more about me now?

Artimus: I was promised an elven female for my trouble...

Dr. Matt; So was I! What the fuck, man?

So long, folks! New Diamond Journal up after work!

Dr. Matt: I will murde-*transmission end*

I think I just felt myself grow a little older.

I woke up just before the dawn, watching all of my Pokemon sleeping soundly around me. Sarah was curled around Royal, who was leaning up against the tree beside me. Cole was on the other side, head propped up against the tree with his hands. I wish I had a camera. I should probably get one, now that I think about it. Little snapshots would go a long way to making this journal complete.

Anyway, I was awakened by the breeze, the winds from the windmills tussling my hair. It was really quite the sight to see all those pinwheels spinning in the breeze, granting their natural energy to power everything around them.

But not as wonderful as what I noticed when I woke.

A Buizel was in my lap, female by the markings on her back. I remember feeling my body shake softly with this wild Pokemon slumbering so peacefully against me. It was perplexing, moreso as to why my other companions hadn't alerted me, but it was not unpleasant. Far from it, in fact.

I pet her, and it was amazing. She just shifted in my lap as if she belonged there, but I hadn't caught her, unless the honey caused me to trip my balls off and go on a capture spree. After a few pets, though, she awakened and seemed a bit frightened. I soon found out why.

She had honey all over her face, and in my lap was an empty jar.

Apparently, she had eaten herself to a lethargic state. I couldn't blame her; not only did the honey taste good, but the smell was so sweet an intoxicating that I was surprised that more wild Pokemon didn't crawl out of the nearby grass to partake. Maybe it was the sleep-inducing effect of a good meal that dulled the senses of my other Pokemon.

In any case, I calmed her down with a few more pets. A part of me wanted to capture her, to have this cute thing travel alongside us, but I already had a water type, and though the Gym Leaders were the pinnacle of their specific types, I didn't want to take on another Pokemon without giving them a part to play on my team. It would fill up a vital spot on my roster, and they would end up feeling or being useless, so nobody wins. My father taught me to always keep my team open to new opportunities, and only catch the ones that I needed.

She was cute, though.

Sarah started shifting in her sleep, and I could tell the Buizel was getting a bit anxious about potentially having to fight an electric type, so I smiled and bid her away. She nodded and sped off back into the grass, and I recall feeling a sense of pride in myself. I did the right thing letting her go, and it wasn't as if I wouldn't be back. This place is an amazing spot to catch my bearings, and I have a feeling that I could stay here forever. But I have a journey to return to.

Maybe, someday I'll find a spot for that Buizel on my team, and, if I'm lucky, she'll want to join me. Until then, I'm content to having a friend in the wild.

Now, to get some more of that honey. I've never found a more satisfying way to sweeten a victory than with something so delightfully sweet.

Team Galactic can suck my balls.

Seriously, just suck them. For long amounts of time.

Looking back on the last page, I noticed that i was about to write that nothing could spoil that perfect moment. I thought you only invoked the wrath of cosmic laws if you said it out loud.

Apparently not.

Anyway, let me write about what the fuck just happened.

I was sitting in that glade when, mid-sentence, a girl comes running up to me. She seemed out of breath, and when I asked her what was wrong, she told me a little story. She had gone to where her father works, the nearby weather institute, to visit him, when a strange man wearing white clothes stopped her from entering, threatening her. It didn't seem right, and I definitely didn't like the idea of a man in white clothes, so I followed her there.

Turns out, it was a Galactic grunt. Apparently Team Galactic had taken residence in that place for reasons I was not paying much attention to. I told him the story of the girl, and he told me to get lost. I got mad, but he seemed unphased, thinking he could just scare me off with his Glameow.

Not so much when his Pokemon was face-down in the dirt under an indignant Luxio paw. The guy freaked and ran inside, locking it and leaving his Glameow outside.

I... was surprised, actually. What happened to the days of my father, where if you beat someone in a Pokemon battle they make your life easier and help you towards your goals?

Apparently, though, the semblance of those ancient days was not lost on him, and he accidentally told me where to find the only other key to the door, in Floarama's Meadow. Sarah released his Pokemon, who walked up to the door, scratching it frantically. I told the girl to wait there, and she nodded, sitting by a nearby tree as I moved to the meadow.

It didn't take me long to get there, and I found two Galactics harassing a dude. It seems to be a past-time for them. Cole and Sarah obliterated their Pokemon, and they dashed away, leaving the key behind. Before I ran back to the institute, though, the man saw fit to thank me. He gave me a jar of honey, which I graciously accepted, but then hurried away. There was work to be done!

When returned, I found the girl petting the Glameow, who wasn't entirely thrilled with her trainer once I opened that door. She chased him throughout the facility, and they were waiting for me by the time I made it further inside. Again, my two Pokemon crushed theirs, but then someone else stepped into the fray.

It was a woman with sharp red hair and a mildly charming disposition. She had a fantastic ass, not to mention the amazing curves of her body. She was pretty sexy.

So she had to be evil. It's just how it works. Luckily Dawn just has a nice butt.

The battle with her, though, was extremely tough. She only had two Pokemon, but her Zubat worked Cole over pretty hard, leaving him a poisoned wreck before I could recall him. Sarah was able to take it out, but when she called out that other Pokemon, both of us were a little shocked.

A Purugly... it lived up to its name. The evolution of Glameow, it held only the color and general shape of its counterpart. It was a fat mass of fur and disgust, but it Faked Out me and Sarah by letting her get close, thinking it was too slow to react. Flinching from the blow, my Luxio was put to sleep, and brutally Scratched. She yelped out, and apparently Royal didn't care for his partner being attacked like that. He burst out of my Pokeball... but didn't fare much better.

That is, until the Purugly went after Sarah again while I was trying to heal her wounds.

I didn't think something that fat could fly that far away.

But I figured it'd make a loud thud when it landed.

And it did.

So funny.

Royal wasn't laughing though, shouting his challenge. I ordered him to strike, and he did, only to get knocked away. He avoided Hypnosis, though, by sliding underneath her stubby legs and letting loose a frenzy of Bubbles, sliding out the other end before she fell on top of him. He danced on flippers and feet, striking with Pecks and Bubbles, until the fat cat let out a loud yowl and fainted.

The victory was mine.

The woman, Mars her pseudonym, started to say something, but was quickly silenced by Roy, who let out an indignant cheep and began to glow. As if he believed her to still be a threat to us, he quickly demonstrated the same power that these people sought, and evolved.

He was a Prinplup. A pissed Prinplup. The Galactic members quickly withdrew. I met the father, just when the daughter came in holding the Glameow in her arms, cuddling the content kitty. She'll probably make a better trainer than he did.

I learned very little more about Galactic from the scientist, though I did discover that there was a Pokemon that came by once a week, and now that the windmills would be put back online, it was bound to be drawn back. I was curious... but tired as well. Running back and forth really wore me out.

I left the center after bidding them a fond farewell, where I noticed this rather large tree right outside the institute. I'm sitting against it now, calling out all of my Pokemon to re-indulge ourselves in the relaxation. It is dusk, and I hand out all the berries I have left. Royal, my new Prinplup, splits his Oran with the much-more-damaged Sarah, who nuzzles his new frame adoringly while Cole looks on, munching on a Pecha to cure the Toxic attack he suffered.

I just had a neat little idea.

And it worked!

The honey does make the berries taste so much better.

Floarama is simply beautiful.

I spent so much time getting interviewed around huge television screens that the whole world started to seem a little artificial. Despite the attention I and my Pokemon were receiving, I'm glad to have left Jubilife, especially now that I'm in a town that completely contradicts that place.

The first thing I noticed, before even arriving in the town, was the gentle, yet potent scent of flowers. Thousands of them littered the land, nearly blinding me with their vivid colors. I can't truly describe it other than to say that my mind was completely blown by the entire spectrum of nature itself.

Several trainers were sitting, playing, and talking with their Pokemon in the peaceful glades peppering the town, but I had a feeling I would not see Tyson amongst them. After all, stopping to smell the roses would mean he would actually have to stop, and, seeing as this town doesn't have a gym, then his impatient ass wouldn't bother to even slow down for a quick sniff. A pity; something like this would change him, or at least improve what I am sure is his borderline health.

I made my way to the nearby, and perhaps only notable building in this town, seeing people picking and planting berries. Every trainer was taught, myself included, that to take a berry, we must plant one in its stead, meaning that an entire grove could sprout from a group of trainers taking one berry and planting another. This was especially true at the patches of loamy soil that teemed with rich nutrients for plant life, all but ensuring a tall tree's growth so long as it was watered properly. I think it keeps us rooted (no pun intended, future wife) in our tribal roots, where humans, Pokemon, and even the world we lived in shared such a sweet symbiosis.

Good times.

The garden group welcomed me with a watering can and some of the orchard's finest. Needless to say, I accepted and happily called out my Pokemon to share in my bounty. I've found a flower ring to write in as I watch them munch on the fruits that I gave them. There were legends of fey creatures using these circles as portals from their world to this one, and it makes me smile to think that somehow Pokemon traveled here through some mystical means themselves. Only a paradise like this could make me start getting philosophical.

Nothing could spoi

I'm happy.

I probably shouldn't be, but I am.

When I left the cave and returned to Jubilife, the first thing I noticed was a commotion on the North side of town. Two freaks in white coats and with blue hair were harassing Professor Rowan and his lovely assistant Dawn. I didn't hear what they were talking about before I arrived, but I did catch one of them threatening Dawn. That was pretty much all I needed to unleash Royal.

To my surprise, Dawn actually joined the battle with me. Working alongside another trainer in battle is a little confusing, but I wasn't complaining. We both knew what we were doing, and Roy was more than happy to work with her Chimchar. By work with, though, he mostly just kept pecking the poor Wurmple one of them had before using a bubble to knock it into the other's Zubat. After he pulled off that once-in-a-blue-moon technique, he struck a valiant pose, as if it was intentional, to impress Dawn some more.

I'm glad Sarah didn't see this shameless flirting.

The punks ran after we smashed all of their hopes and dreams of victory and I asked who they were. Apparently, they were members of a new group called Team Galactic, who, according to the professor, study the unique energy that a Pokemon gives off when it evolves. It intrigued me, to be honest; after all, remembering what my Shinx used to look like, her evolved form was such a drastic change that occured in an instant. That mystical energy, if it could be harnessed...

But that's what those dickheads were after. I told the two scientists that one of my Pokemon recently evolved, so I could understand what they were going on about. They asked to see it, and I looked to where Royal was: right at Dawn's feet, looking up her skirt like an innocent penguin shouldn't. I knew it was going to end bad, or horribly, but I did it anyway, perhaps out of jealousy that my aquatic companion had seen more than I had.

Wow, writing it like that makes me seem a bit perverted. Anyway, I called Sarah out, who emerged with her new cry. When she materialized, Dawn approached her, saying how beautiful she was. She struck a prideful pose, one that seemed like wordless bragging as she swung her tail from side to side as if to say "Of course I am, silly hooman, I am superior to the round, soft, pink little thing you call a body."

As expected, Sarah didn't take the perverted Piplup's transgression of adultry. She was a clever lass, though, and, rubbing herself against Dawn's pets, she curled around her body and gave Royal a frightening look. I didn't see it myself, but with the way my blue buddy returned to my side to be recalled... well, let's just say that I have never seen a penguin run, and it was hilariously pitiful.

Of course, my Luxio wasn't done yet, and she gave Dawn an electrical shock by touching her claw 'innocently' against the human's thigh. I watched the other trainer jump up and saw her... well, everything give a little bounce. I recalled my smug feline partner and apologized, saying that she didn't know how to control her new powers yet. Dawn understood, and both of them told me to be mindful of Team Galactic and then walked off.

I was watching them leave very intently, I'll leave you to guess why, when someone interrupted my field studies on the human booty. A man who had watched my fight thought that I would make a good face on the Sinnoh TV network. That made me smile; according to my mother, I had a touch of my father's pride, so getting the chance to be on television was something that I would jump in to given the chance. And I did.

I got to the station and they asked me a bunch of questions about Sarah, saying that it's odd for a trainer to have an evolved Pokemon this early on. I told them how I caught her, that I only had to use one ball, and all that fun stuff. They said they'd prepare it and run it by their producers and see if they couldn't put it on the air later this afternoon. I had a building full of TV to watch until then. Granted, there was no Wii, but sacrifices must be made.

Before I sat down for a quick brain-rotting session, someone told me about the room on the second floor that I could make a portrait of my Pokemon. I called out my Piplup and went into that room, where a portly man obsessively greeted me and told me of his profession. He wanted to take a picture of Royal, and I let him. I set him on a pedastal and gave him an earthy backdrop before his young Piplup self was forever immortilized in portrait form. I wish I could describe the joy on his round little face. It was as if an ancient king had just had his statue erected in his honor. This boosted the little puffball's ego by about one-hundred-and-seventy points, and we went back downstairs to watch some TV. I would have made portraits of the others, but they gave me limited decorum to work with, so it was actually a bit pointless to have them all look the same. Besides, I didn't have anything on my save for bits of fluff and a few feathers to dress up Cole or Sarah, nothing that actually captured them, so to speak.

Regardless, I am thinking more on Galactic as I write, which is inbetween commercial breaks. I thought it was interesting how part of me wants to see where this team would go if I joined them. I am scientifically curious about this power as well, and I am sure that I could bring more to the table than those two rude grunts that I fought. Maybe they're not all that stuck up?

On the other hand, they sound an awful like Team Rocket. If my father heard about me joining a group like that, he'd go on another 'extermination' run. After he, Red, and Mr. Oak took down the Rocket main forces, he joined forces with Johto's Champion Krystal to hunt down stragglers. Some say he still didn't get them all, but I haven't heard of any activity from them lately. Still, if Galactic turns out to be more like Rocket than I thought they were, then I'd rather not be hunted down by someone as crazy powerful as those guys. As a matter of fact, I might have to toss that team down a peg myself.

That made me smile. Now, part of me hopes that they are some evil corporation. I want to beat on them a little. I'm sure they're not all as easy as the trainers I fought, but that's why I get stronger, isn't it? I'll sit back and watch for now, but if they get in my way, or go to harm my companions, then we'll see how they like facing the son of one of the Pallet Town Legends.

Who knows, I might get some more air time out of it!

Sarah was the one to wake me up from that sleep at the center, her claws, though still a bit tiny, carrying a jolt of electrical energy that made me leap from the seat. After telling her never to do that again, I stopped my Piplup from laughing and recalled them both. It was a bit harsh, but after an awakening like that, you can't expect me to be less than groggy.

I ate the free lunch they served and was informed that my Pokemon had already eaten their fill while they were being healed. My heart was still pounding from the electric jolt when I left the center, but it gave me enough energy to put my running shoes to good use. I headed North towards my next destination, Eterna City, but I reached an obstacle not five minutes out of town. There was a slop, one that I thought I could climb up, but it was covered in loose rocks, dirt and debris that made it impossible. If I could get enough speed, I'm sure I could make it all the way to the top, but not even my running shoes could carry me that fast. I would have to find a way around.

I walked through the grass to find a path or something, but another five minutes of trudging through the underbrush afforded me nothing. I tripped over a couple of empty Pokeballs and pocketed them, but it wasn't until I decided to head back to Oreburgh that I encountered some wild Pokemon.

Well, encountered is the nice way of putting it. Actually, I tripped over them. Geodude look exactly like boulders whenever they're curled up, and the grass is too tall to see them all. I must have stumbled over three of them, and my Piplup was eager to dispatch of them with some well-placed Bubbles. All the commotion attracted a different type of Pokemon, a Machop, who seemed interested in testing his skills.

I called out Sarah and prepared to do battle with the small, grey humanoid, but it had other plans. It grabbed the three Geodude that we had fought and, much to my team's amusement, began juggling them. It was actually a pretty good show, considering how big they were compared to his smaller frame. It told a great deal about his strength and skill as well. I decided to turn it into a capture battle, telling Sarah to weaken it instead of knocking it out cold.

Despite its show of strength, it was still at a lower level than my team. It tried to use a Low Kick to trip my Luxio, but she simply leaped over him and landed on his head with her evil little grin, which was even moreso thanks to her new little fangs. When he went to make some striking remark, she bit him on the nose. As he flinched, I had her Tackle him.

I reached for one of the balls that I found on the ground, then stopped as a sudden feral conversation broke out. The Machop said something that made Sarah stop, and I waited for them to be finished before I interrupted by inflating the capture capsule. The Machop turned to me and, surprisingly, nodded. I caught him and took him to the Center to patch him up. When I took him out to get a good look at him, he looked back at me expectantly. I wish I could understand these creatures better.

I thought of a name for him; Cole. It'd remind me of this place when I used him, and it also gave me another thought: Maybe he was interested in my Luxio's strength? There was a role he could fulfill right now that none of my other Pokemon could, and it would make him stronger in the process. I could teach him Rock Smash.

But first I'd have to go to a place where there were plenty of rocks to smash. Maybe some calculated, yet somewhat mindless destruction would help me think about how to proceed. The answer crashed into me when I was heading to Oreburgh Gate. Bitch careened into me as he ran into the cave, stopping just long enough to tell me that he was heading the long way around to Eterna City through Floaroma Town, and, at Eterna, he could pick up a Bicycle. That was it! I let him barrel past me, then continued into the cave.

Once there, I showed the Machop to the two safe-to-destroy boulders not far from the entrance. I pulled the HM out of my backpack, stuck it to his curious head, and pressed the button in the middle of the disk. It spun of its own accord, which was fascinating to watch, and when it stopped, it remained stuck to his head. A normal one would have broken, but Hidden Machines use very little energy to teach their techniques to the Pokemon. After all, they're just filled with knowledge of something the Pokemon, deep down, knows how to use already, unlike a normal Technical Machine, which dregs up powerful moves that the Pokemon's ancestral counterparts used to know, but evolved out of.

Teaching it Rock Smash was easy, and he enjoyed every second of it. Cole broke the two boulders beside us like they were nothing, already impressed at himself. However, instead of jumping for joy, he was calm and relaxed, taking a laid-back approach that was very refreshing to me. I showed him to the boulder that impeded further progress through the cave, and he smashed through it.

We went deeper, and, to my surprise, we found an underground lake. It was more remarkable than the upper level, the darkness shrouding the cave making the water seem like black glass than the clear blue of the outside sky. It was alien, and though it is beautiful, it keeps us from going any further. That's alright; it'll keep us from getting too distracted from our goals.

I let my Pokemon out for dinner, realizing that I had lost track of time training my new addition. Cole was powerful and he kept a level head, finding his own amusement in juggling and doing other tricks with the stones he destroys. Royal is endlessly amused with his new jester, and Sarah is using her new claws to fish, waiting by the calm river's edge for a hapless aquatic denizen to poke its fishy head up high enough to get a heart-stopping jolt from my feline friend. She may not be able to use those dangerous claws in battle, considering how most Pokemon would be unaffected by such unfocused attacks on their energy-type barriers, but it did make a good tool.

I just had to turn her latest catch down. It was a fat silverscale, a generic, non-Pokemon fish that most people used for food, but I just couldn't find it appetizing. I am petting her every now and again as she eats, her deeper purring adding another tranquil element to the scene. I think she's warming up to me. That's good; it'll help any other new Pokemon I capture see how healthy and powerful my companions are. It might have helped catch Cole!

Anyway, I am getting a bit hungry. I'll dip into my ration stash and head back to Jubilife before sundown. I may have to wait until Sarah goes to sleep, though; I could hurt her feelings to spurn her generous gift and then eat something else. I think I might, anyway. The possibility is enough to make me not consider it. Until then, I guess I'll just enjoy Cole's show, with him juggling Roy and the Piplup adding his own Water Sport attack for dramatic effect. I didn't think Pokemon Contests were for me, but my Pokemon seem to be somewhat built for showing off. I'll put some more research into them when I get back to a computer.

Today's been so exciting that I nearly forgot I had a journal! So many things, I don't know where to start.

I left the Pokemon Center and entered the mines. It was dimly lit, but I could still see the work that was going on. Miners were picking through the walls with pickaxes while their Pokemon, most of them Machop, helped them shatter the larger boulders. It was pretty cool to see people working with Pokemon in a profession that wasn't battling, but that didn't stop some from challenging me. Roy was happy to oblige them, and Sarah, when she could, helped bring down the non-Rock types, and even managed to fell an Onyx on her own! It gave me as much confidence as I felt it gave her; I knew for sure now that I didn't need to capture another Pokemon in order to face this Gym. After all, I don't want to draft a wild one without a cause in mind. It'd be a bit pointless.

At the back of the large mine, I met Roark, who was practicing his Rock Smash technique. I was pretty impressed at how flawlessly the move was performed. He offered to show me how it was done, but, after looking at my Pokemon, he told me that neither my Piplup nor my Shinx was able to learn the move.

Still, that didn't stop him from giving me lessons on the subject. I needed to know it in order to get my badge from him, and it would help in teaching any new additions how and when to use the move when and if I needed to.

He left for the Gym, and I did a little bit more exploring before following him. The thought of capturing an Onyx was tempting, but watching my companions dispatch them so easily made me think against the idea. They wouldn't do good against other Rock types, anyway.

When I left the mine, I took a good look at all my Pokemon. It was just past noon, and the bright sun really shed some light on how dirty being in the coal mines made us. My Piplup looked like he had on a tuxedo, and my Shinx was completely dark. I thought it was hilarious, until the people around working the dig site asked me if I wanted tissues to wipe my own face off, and recommended that next time I wear a lotion or something to keep it from clinging to my skin. A quick stop at the Pokemon Center to clean us up and return them to peak condition and we were on our way to the now-occupied Gym.

It was a little dim, and it smelled much like the coal mine. Similar sounds as well, rocks being broken and metal crushing stone. At the other side, waiting for me, was Roark, standing atop a huge stairway overseeing the training being done by those who came into his Gym to learn his techniques.

I was greeted with enthusiasm by someone who seemed to be generous about tips for the Gym. I thanked him, but his information was relatively worthless to me. In retrospect, I could have been a bit cocky then, but I would attribute it to confidence instead. I'm a young rookie just starting out on my own. I should be cocky while I can; once I'm a master, being cocky will just make me look like a douchebag.

With my two Pokemon, I faced two of the Gym Leader's entourage head on. The first was an Onyx that, to my surprise, fell impressively to Sarah's fangs. She latched onto his horn and drove him into the ground with her tiny body, standing on top of the serpentine stone with a pleased grin. Before the battle, I remember hearing someone looking from the overhead balcony that I was crazy for sending an Electric type, but I was counting on two things: One, that they'll be too low of a level to use actual Ground or Rock based attacks, and Two, that Sarah was driven to prove herself. Thankfully, I was right on both counts.

The second trainer had a Geodude that managed to get a single tackle attack off on my Piplup before he drove into a rage at the injustice, smashing him with a fierce Bubble attack and threatening to do it again while he was on the ground. I had to pinch his little beak shut to avoid another blast, which caused tiny bubbles to spew out of his little nostrils. His indignant peeps, nearly squawks, sent both me and Sarah laughing, and I gave them both a quick Potion touch-up before climbing the pedestal to where Roark waited.

On top, I could see the entire Gym. People were training their Pokemon hard, teaching them the Rock Smash technique and participating themselves by digging through the stones with pickaxes. It was an old adage that most decent trainers abide by; don't ask your Pokemon to do something you're not willing to do yourself. Granted, they were physically superior to us, but if we can't picture ourselves in their shoes doing what is being commanded of us, then we become little more than slave drivers.

Then, me and the Leader fought. My Shinx wanted to go first, so I had let her, and faced a Geodude who knew a move I wasn't familiar with: Stealth Rock. It surrounded Sarah with sharp, floating stones that didn't do any damage, making me wonder what they were there for in the first place. They didn't interfere with her series of Bite attacks, making the Geodude flinch time after time, until he avoided being chomped once and released a Rock Throw. I remember wincing; it was the first time she'd been hit by an attack that was effective against her. I could tell it really drained her stamina, but she braced to attack again, and the Geodude was out in the next round of combat.

When Roark sent out an Onyx I recalled Sarah, knowing that she would have been pretty beat after the Rock Throw assault. Roy stepped in, challenging the rock snake with all the confidence in his little blue body. He was interrupted, though, by those damn floating rocks. They sliced at him as he made his entry, injuring him slightly until he had gained a pattern of avoiding them, much like Sarah had done without thinking about it. It seemed that Stealth Rock wasn't meant to hurt the Pokemon fighting the user, but the one who came after.

The Onyx was powerful, but had no chance against Royal. I had him use Water Sport to make the ground wet, and, as the large, bulky, super-slow thing tried to catch him, Roy slid along the ground, as was his way. When the Onyx thought he had the Piplup pinned, Roy released a devastating Bubble right into the serpent's face. It gave an ear-piercing Screech that made my head feel like it was being torn off, and, though my Piplup hadn't suffered any wounds other than that Stealth Rock, I could tell that the Screech threw him off his guard, and he was still reeling when I saw the next Pokemon that Roark sent out. To be honest, I was reeling, too. It was the prehistoric Pokemon that had been revived at the museum: Cranidos.

This Pokemon was a small, blue thing with a large, heavy head rimmed with bony spikes. It was clearly from another time, and, though it was small and a little bit cute, had a touch of viciousness to it. I didn't have time to admire it, and Royal was suffering under the effects of the prehistoric creature's intimidating Leer as he blasted it with a Bubble. It reeled, but reciprocated with a massive Headbutt attack, made even more powerful due to its large cranium. Hah, cranium, Cranidos. I just got that.

Anyway, Royal was out, and all I had left was a half-healthy Shinx. It made me second guess my methods of only bringing these two along, and, when I called Sarah out, she seemed just as worried. After all, if something effective couldn't beat it, then what chance did she have. I must have sounded a bit silly giving her words of encouragement, and I do remember my cheeks feeling a bit warm from the attention I was getting, but there was the chance of coming out of it victorious, and we took it.

She met him head on with a Tackle, and, though she was hit with a bad Headbutt, she wasn't weakened by a previous Screech and Leer. She held up alright, and it set the Cranidos up for what we had planned. As it charged her for a second Headbutt, it slipped on the Water Sport puddles that Roy had created. Just as it fell, Sarah was upon it, jumping on his large head and grabbing him by his tail with her teeth like the naughty little thing she is. She jumped off of him, tail still in her mouth, and flung him away, his head slamming into the wall and knocking him out. The game was ours. We had won.

I rushed to Sarah's side to congratulate her, but was blinded by what I thought was her joyously flashing fur. I came to realize it was something much greater. With a loud, musical cry, I heard her cute vocals deepen, and saw, through the piercing glow, her body changing. She had evolved into a Luxio.

As my father's son, I know a bit about Pokemon evolution. Just as they level up to grow stronger in tougher environments, they also take on new forms to suit those places. Some transform by exposure to certain types of concentrated radiation, others by simply bonding with a human trainer, holding true to the adage that only together may we go stronger. Most still evolve through gaining experience, fighting until their bodies realize that they must take a new form in order to compensate. Just like she had.

I couldn't help but give her warm new body a firm hug, releasing Royal to have a look at her himself. He was still beat from the battle, little scuff marks marring his body, but he was equally ecstatic. She was purring the whole time, rubbing back against us and wrapping her new, longer tail around my leg. I had almost forgotten that we won a Gym battle.

But we had won, and for our efforts, we received the Leader's Coal Badge. He also gave me the TM Stealth Rock, which was, as he explained, the true art of his Gym. Every gym had a technical art that they pass down as well as the knowledge of a Hidden Move, and it made me think that, if I tried, I could create a team with arts from every Gym. What better way to remember our struggles then by using the moves we had fought and won so hard against?

I bid the Leader a fond farewell (He was a pretty cool guy, after all) and left the Gym, heading back to the Pokemon Center. Royal was still injured, and I knew, despite her new form, Sarah was tired from the battle as well. I admit, my nerves were still shaking from the victory, and I occupied my nervous twitch by polishing the new badge until it shone like a star. Roy rode on my Luxio's back all the way to the center, proud of his powerful, noble steed. It made it just that much funnier when she rolled him off and picked him up in her teeth to present his battered form to the nurse. She seemed disappointed when I told her she'd have to be healed, too, but I'm sure she'll feel even better once she's been through the revitalizing medial station.

I could use the rest, too. As a matter of fact, this book looks like it could be a mighty comfortable pillow, given the circumstances.

When I had entered the cave, I hadn't walked a minute in before a jolly fat man gave me a present. It was a very generous one, too: a HM. Number 6, to be exact, the one that teaches the technique Rock Smash. They're called hidden machines for an old reason, but I'll get to that in a little bit. I still have thirty minutes until my team finishes resting.

Traveling through the cave wasn't difficult at all. It was only a thirty-minute walk, maybe not even that long, but the trainers and wild Pokemon along the way made it seem a bit longer. There were plenty of Geodude around, which made me itch to teach Rock Smash to Sarah, but seeing how my Piplup admirably (and somewhat arrogantly) dispatched the living stones with Bubble attacks reassured me that, in a pinch, I can release him. After all, I can't focus on raising just one of them, right?

Sarah continued to use Charge throughout the cave, providing some light, though I didn't really need it. The exit to this cave faces East, and the rising sun did wonders to guide my path. It also lit the place wonderfully, giving a very haunting appearance to the whole scene that I took my time to admire. If I could have sketched it, I would.

Near the end of the cave, though, I met a trainer with a Psyduck. My Shinx, though her type was effective against the duck, was still frustrated at her lack of electrical attacks. She did take home another move, though: Bite. I didn't think she'd ever let go of that Psyduck's tail. At least she didn't aim for the head; I heard that those aquatic birds may seem goofy at first, but a headache sparks some sort of psychic reaction in them.

Besides, I doubt her fangs could have latched so well onto that round skull.

When we left the cave, a guy called me a noob for not having any gym badges, and offered to show me to the Gym. I had just gotten out of the cave and my Pokemon were tired, but it was on the way, and I got to meet Bitch again, who had already received his badge.

Badges... this whole tradition of traveling the continent and defeating Gym Leaders was based off of ancient times, where humans, seeking to prove that their style was the greatest, would go to the dojos of great masters and humble them and their students, taking the sign off their front porch as a trophy of their superiority over that style, eventually taking the signs of all the dojos in the land and becoming the true master. Signs were a bit heavy, though, and every Gym had its own thing to teach, so no one style could ever really be considered better than another after all. Maybe it took the partnership with Pokemon to understand that?

When Gyms were substituted, the leaders started taking in trainers, providing a unique way of training in each establishment and daring all to pass their tests and prove themselves worthy of taking their 'sign,' or in this case, a small, case-friendly badge. I had eight to defeat, eight empty slots on the small tin my mother gave me. I'm not sure that I would use it, though; I might just wear them on my jacket! They're badges, after all.

This Gym, I learned from the jolly man, taught the effective use of the Rock Smash move. It is considered a Hidden Move because of another throwback to old days. Dojos would normally have a signature style or technique, one that you couldn't use correctly without proper training in that place. Now, though, it wasn't just 'something to do' to learn a Gym's technique. It was law. Using Rock Smash outside of battle is dangerous, and it is very possible for me to cause great distress to the environment and the Pokemon who live in it. Sure, I could teach Sarah the move and use it against another Pokemon, but if I use it to clear a path for myself without knowing exactly what I was doing, I could create a cave in, or worse.

The point is that I need to get this badge and learn about the Rock Smash technique in order to continue my journey. There were places I couldn't explore inside that cave because boulders of impassable magnitude blocked my way.

Another obstacle stood before me now. The Gym Leader was out, gone to the local coal mines, according to Tyson. I decided to kill time before his return, so I treated my Pokemon to the local cuisine. Everything was grilled with coal, giving it a nice, smoky flavor. My Piplup grudgingly ate the food that he didn't catch, sneaking bites when he thought I wasn't looking. Sarah had no shame in showing off her new attack, though, using Bite to completely demolish the meal before turning her attention to her male's plate, giving him little cute noises that I could only assume meant "Are you going to finish that?"

After that, I looked around and noticed that there weren't many exciting attractions around here. There was the museum, and, though it was nice seeing the tools we used in the past, I was far more interested in what one of the receptionists had to say. He was using information he garnered from Kanto and Hoenn to research reconstituting fossilized DNA. He had already turned a lump of coal back to the plant it had been in prehistoric times, and it was alive. He even just recently revived a Pokemon, one currently in the Gym Leader's care! Sorry, but this kind of stuff intrigues me.

I left that with interest in what that Pokemon was, and it had me returning to the gym with a smile. It had been hours since I left, and he still wasn't back, so, borrowing a bit of impatience from Bitch and Royal, I went into this Pokemon Center to put my team in top form. I'm going into that mine to find the Leader.

I visited the school, where, as expected, I met Bitch. He asked if I came to study as well. Dumbass; I knew what I was doing. I hoped so, anyway. I gave him the Parcel, which turned out to be a town map. There were two, possibly because his mom was as hasty as he was, and he gave me one. He left for Oreburgh, with an arrogant tone about him.

Well, while I was there, I battled with the trainers in the school. The two I faced both used Abra, which I thought would be easy to beat, given that they don't normally learn moves other than Teleport until they evolve. However, both me and my companions were shocked when we were attacked by a move called Hidden Power. It was impressively tough. Both of them were nearly strong enough to defeat us, but we won, and gained a TM10 for our trouble. It contains Hidden Power, and, after seeing how tough it was, I thought that maybe I should teach it to one of my Pokemon.

Then, I looked at the TM, realizing I could only use it once before it would just be a blank, useless disk. I decided against it. My Pokemon may have had trouble with the move, but they overcame it with their own power. TMs, to me at least, seemed a little unnatural.

As I pondered this outside the school, a man approached me, calling me an inferior being for not having a Poketch, or Pokemon Watch. They are a neat commodity, but I always thought they were a bit expensive. However, he said that I could get one for free! All I had to do was talk some vouchers out of three clowns.

...

I had to weigh my options at first, but eventually decided the risk of speaking to some fat, face-painted freaks was worth the payoff. When I found them, which took a short while, they asked me inane questions. I swear, do I look like that much of a newbie?

When it was all said and done with, I was the proud owner of a new Poketch. It's a neat device: it has a calculator, counter, a screen displaying my Pokemon's health, and it even tells time!

I stopped by the Mart and refilled my supplies, buying a neat new Ball that they had on sale. A Heal Ball, which instantly recovers a Pokemon after I capture it. It seemed like a bit of a waste, seeing as how I could just take ten minutes to make the trip back to the Pokemon Center, but the novelty was fun, and it was pink, so I thought it would make a neat ball for a female or a cute Pokemon.

Even my dad had a 'pet' Pokemon; a Zigzagoon named Ziggy. Sure, it knew a move normally restricted to the Arcanine species, but Extremespeed was just that much cuter when something like Ziggy creates a sonic boom. It was like Red's Pikachu and that dangerous Thunderbolt. I figure that, when all of my Pokemon WEREN'T cute and cuddly, I'd still have to keep one small and female friendly. It might as well know how to fight!

I met Tyson as I was leaving Jubilife to try my new ball out. We had a battle, and I finally got the chance to knock the smugness out of him. It felt great. It really did. His Starly and Turtwig were strong, sure, but my Piplup was still sour from the insult back at the lake, and he unleashed that feathery fury on his two Pokemon all by his lonesome. Sarah was very impressed. So much so, in fact, that her fur started sparking. The little furball put on quite a show. Apparently, she learned Charge, and, fighting more Shinx along the way, I noticed her use it at every opportunity, even though it did her little strategic good. I suppose that a Shinx that was a high enough level to use that move was fairly rare in these parts.

However, as we battled our way through the trainers and the Pokemon, I noticed her growing increasingly frustrated. She would charge, then run in to attack Pokemon weak to electricity. Of course, she has no electric attacks, so her tackles do just as expected. My Piplup sensed it to and tried to cheer her up, but she continued to stare off into space. I am writing this entry in the morning, because last night I had a miserable Shinx curled up in a fuzzy ball beside me. She still hasn't warmed up to me that much, but she didn't mind me petting her and giving her little reassuring phrases. I didn't know if she could understand me, but she seems a lot more eager to fight today, and, while I write, I see my Piplup using his own method to cheer her up.

He was using Water Sport, a move I didn't realize he learned. Of course, I had no reason to use it, seeing as how it only reduces the efficiency of fire attacks, but he was creating a Piplup fountain out of himself. Sarah is jumping back and forth over him through the water, getting her fur wet and eliciting little sounds of delight.

We have a cave to get through, but at least I'll be going in with two happy companions by my side.

Apparently, the fact that I'm a trainer is very easy to spot. Maybe I shouldn't walk with my little pack trailing by my sides, but I don't feel like putting them in their balls if I don't have to. They have no strategic value as of yet, so it's not like I could surprise someone.

From Sandgem to Jubilife, I must have encountered three trainers, battling and defeating them all with little damage done to myself. Of course, there is the Rule of Contact, where, in the event that two trainers lock eyes, then they have to battle. It's a silly little thing that isn't really taken seriously by most trainers, but when someone approaches me and asks for a battle, I can't bring myself to refuse. Must be the Champion bloodline I have. Besides, I'd never turn away from a challenge, especially when it presents an opportunity for me and my new companions to grow stronger.

Speaking of which, Royal learned his first water-type attack! Sure, Bubble isn't the strongest or most impressive move, but it looks pretty, and it packs a mean punch. At least, that's what the trainer told me when it misfired and smacked both his Starly and his face.

I really hope he doesn't press charges.

He wasn't the only one to improve, though; Sarah learned Leer! At least, I think she did. I met Dawn at the entrance to Jubilife, and, when she asked to see the Pokemon I had, my Piplup struck a proud, strong pose for something his size, puffing out his little chest and giving her a confident chirp. The look Sarah gave both him and Dawn seemed to qualify as a Leer. Hell, it's probably the textbook definition.

Dawn didn't notice it, it seemed, and told me that I'd probably be more comfortable with more Pokemon. I saw where she was coming from, but I gave my creatures a pet and told her that they were just enough for now. After all, if I catch too many Pokemon, how could I keep up with them? My father had friends that would watch over his, but I like keeping close to the ones I have. If I end up getting more than six, that means I'd have to put one away. It'd be hard to choose.

Anyway, I remembered the Parcel, and asked her if she'd seen Bitch. I had to correct myself when I saw her blushing, asking her if she'd seen Tyson. She seemed a little more fidgety at that, telling me that she saw him at the trainer school in this city. She also wondered why I called him Bitch. It was a tale as old as time, but one left from this documentation. Basically, I just have very little respect for him as a human being.

Even so, I do have to give him the package. After Roy and Sarah finish healing up at this Pokemon Center, I'll go hunting for his uppity ass so I can put this chore behind me and focus on my adventure.

It's a little past noon. I'm sitting on Sandgem's beach right now, looking out over the ocean as Roy and our new addition play in the sand. Another load of bullshit happened on my way here, though. When I woke up, Bitch's mom came by and asked me to deliver a package to him because his uppity ass forgot about it.

Super. The first step of my journey, and I'm already nothing more than a glorified errand boy.

Ah well, at least I'm glorified. I heard that my father had to do a lot of this kind of thing when he was starting out, too. I snagged one of his pictures from the album; I'm sure he won't mind. He's all the way in Johto right now, after all.

It's the one of him and his two friends when they started off for the first time. He was on the far right, a young kid with a Charmander sitting on his shoulder with both giving a peace sign. The one on the left is now a great professor and Pokemon breeder, though my dad still calls him 'that douchebag.'

The one in the middle probably makes this picture worth a fortune. The ten-year-old version of the legendary Red, the only trainer to retire as an undefeated champion. Normally, you have to be knocked off the pedestal by another trainer, but he never lost. That Pikachu sitting indignantly in his arms, neck noosed by a rubber leash, is known worldwide. My dad calls it "The Beast" with a dramatic flair every time. I thought he was kidding, until he visited and had a battle with my father for old times sake. I didn't think a Thunderbolt could rip up the ground and uproot a tree.

It was funny, though; after the battle my mom had them both, and their Pokemon, fix the yard. Even if Red is undefeated, he is no match for my mom, champion Human trainer.

Hah, I'm sure I'll smash him someday, too. For now, though, he's my bookmark. Enough about him, though; I mentioned earlier that I caught my first Pokemon. When I was heading to Jubilife, Dawn came up to me mid-route and offered to show me how to catch Pokemon. My father already gave me all that info, but she insisted, and at the end of the lesson, she gave me my first set of Pokeballs. This reminded me that I should have bought some potions and antidotes back in town.

I didn't get four steps back before Royal started peeping in pure outrage. I turned around and saw him dashing for a group of Pokemon. They were Shinx, little baby lions with blue and black fur. I knew they were electric type, so it probably wasn't the best plan to have him go in there alone.

I heard him spouting the same challenge as he had with the Bidoof from yesterday. Two of the three Shinx turned to him, and, though their fur sparked, they didn't release that energy, making me think that they were not a high enough level to use electrical attacks. At least that was good news.

The third Shinx, I noticed, had shorter head fur. Seeing as how the other two seemed to be fighting before my penguin companion intervened, I assumed it was some sort of territorial dispute. They both seemed tough... so I decided to catch one of them. I pulled one of my new pokeballs out and prepared it for the right moment as the two kittens converged on the my lone soldier.

A round of cute Growls and Pound vs. Tackles and they fled, running away before I could throw the ball. Roy and I looked at the last one, ready to make this one count, when the cub went up and started rubbing against my Piplup. I found out later, when I took Royal to the Pokemon center for a touch-up healing, that it was a female, and it wasn't a territory dispute the males were fighting over. It was her.

Roy had inadvertently won the courtship rite, which turned out great for me. The little beastie went into the ball without a fight and I caught her, much to the penguin's chagrin. A good reason why just happened a few seconds ago; Roy had popped up from the ocean with a silver fish in his mouth, and the Shinx leaped over his head and snapped it out of the air as he went to eat it. She thanked him with a purring nuzzle, but he, of course, is still hungry.

I just offered him a bit of food, but he reluctantly refused. He had tiny penguin pride to withhold. I watch him dive into the water, then watch the female happily eat what her male had brought for her.

She often pauses between bites, though, seeming to stare out into space for long periods of time. I suppose it's going to be hard getting used to not being a wild critter anymore, but my Piplup at least made the transition a pleasant one for her.

Roy had to fight her off of his second fish, though, eating it in a corner by the sea where she couldn't leap over him without falling into the water. Dejected, she ran over to me, apparently tattling. Was this what having kids was like? I offered her a piece of my biscuit, but she used my outstretched hand as a bridge to nab the whole damn thing. I had almost finished it anyway, but damn.

Ah well, lunch time is about over, anyway. I think I figured out enough of her personality for now. Enough to work with her, anyway. Once my Piplup returns, we'll continue on to Jubilife. This parcel isn't going to deliver itself.

Oh, I almost forgot. I named her Sarah. It's nothing of special meaning, but I had to come up with something on the fly. Besides, it kinda sounds wild and kitty-like. I liked it. I think she does too.

You know, I always wanted to be a trainer. I did the research, I attended the free classes, I even snuck out from time to time to see if I could spy a few Pokemon playing along the edge of the grass outside of town. My mother would always warn me that I shouldn't go in, though. "If you had your own Pokemon, it'd be okay, but you don't, so..."

I felt like that was a burn on me or something. From my own mother!

What a bitch.

Though I guess I can't knock her for being worried about me. She did buy me that Wii not too long ago. I had just finished watching a special about the Red Gyarados in Johto and was about to start up the little white box before my mother called me downstairs. Apparently, my neighbor stopped by to tell me something, but was in such a god-damned hurry that he left without saying it. It was my friend Tyson, but I prefer to call him Bitch.

It was about a five minute walk to his house to see what his message was, and I was greeted at his door by being bowled over by the blond Bitch himself. He said something about a lake and a fine if I was late, but I tuned him out. He ran back inside, forgetting something, and I followed him, looking to his mother with pity in my heart. She returned my look with one of understanding. That poor woman.

She told me he was upstairs, but instead of his name, I imagined hearing only the word Bitch. It made me chuckle. When I got up there, he had finished packing, and ran past me again. I met him again at the entrance to town, where he unveiled his grand scheme.

He had also seen the Red Gyarados special, and it reminded him of the Pokemon that is said to live at our own Lake Verity. He wanted to see it, and to be honest, so did I. I went to the lake often when I was younger, and it often calmed my emotions to watch the Pokemon there play in the water and in the nearby tall grass. Everything always seemed so balanced there, so I agreed to go with him, if for nothing else than to enjoy the scenery once again.

On the way, without me having to ask, he told me of his goal to be a Pokemon trainer. I personally feel bad for any Pokemon left in his care, but he wasn't a bad guy per-se. He said if he saw one while we were searching, he was going to catch it (somehow) and make it battle for him like a trainer should. I called him a noob and smacked him in the back of the head. My father trained Pokemon, after all, so I knew more about the trainer-Pokemon bond than most new trainers did. If you have to make a Pokemon fight with you, then you're doing it wrong.

Before I could explain this to Bitch, though, we arrived at the lake. Verity was as calm and peaceful as I remember, and the water was so still that anything that moved along the entire glassy surface could be spotted easily. However, there was something different there.

Two figures stood in the tall grass, a tall, intimidating man, and a girl. I couldn't hear what they were talking about, but when they started coming towards us, I froze. The girl was cute, but the man stared into your very soul. I shouldn't have been afraid, but I was. Bitch was, too, but, you know, he's a bitch, so I expected as much. He told us to step aside with a polite 'please' and we did. Free from his gaze, I happily watched him... or rather, the girl leave. I don't know if she knows, but she has a very nice ass.

Bitch said something was in the grass, but I was tuning him out until I couldn't see dat booty shake no mo. When I turned around, he was already waist deep in the grass. I tried calling him back, but he was running, and I had to do the same. When I caught up with him and began unleashing my impressive repertoire of insults, he told me to relax, that we weren't going to be there long enough to get attacked by Pokemon.

He should have told that to the two Starly that started attacking us. They seemed to think we were in there just long enough.

A couple of the little birds blazed into us. Bitch hit the dirt to avoid it, but, in my stupidity, I tried to calm the birds down. They decided not to accept my offer and slammed into me, and as I hit the ground, my head knocked into something hard. I was having such a great day.

I remember hearing a click and feeling a small gust of wind as what I had hit turned out to be a briefcase that my impact had opened. Turning my head to the side, I could see a few pokeballs, and, as my head was still spinning, I grabbed one and stood. I wasn't really thinking about the consequences of using someone else's Pokemon at the time. I cried havoc, and, flinging the orb into the air, released the dogs of war.

In this case, that dog happened to be a penguin.

A Piplup materialized, and was just as surprised to see me as I was to see it. I knew I couldn't take both Starly on by myself, so I told Bitch to grab one. As soon as he did, I focused my attention to my opponent. Glancing back to the case, I saw, where the Piplup's ball had been, the attacks that it could use. It was a low level, but it was so peaceful around here that the Pokemon attacking us were probably lower.

I ordered the Piplup to attack, but it didn't seem to listen to me. The proud penguin defied me up until the point where it was struck by the Starly's Tackle, sending him bowling into my shin. Now that we shared the same pain, he seemed to cooperate. I think I might have given him a little pep talk, but my head is still hurting, so I can't remember it all that well. Suffice to say, it must have worked, because the Piplup wielded its little flippers in surprisingly powerful Pound attacks. The Starly didn't last long, and I had enough time to look over and see Tyson and his chosen critter Turtwig chase off the other wicked bird.

We had held. Bitch made a snarky comment about his Turtwig being better than Piplup, and the tiny titan seemed suddenly pissed off. I lifted the blue bird into my arms to restrain his micro-rage just as that girl from before entered the clearing. She seemed absolutely freaked out that we were using those Pokemon, but she left with the briefcase, not asking us to return them or anything. I was confused, of course, but I figured that there was only one way back to town, and that intimidating old man would be waiting for us along the route.

On our way home, I continued to keep the Piplup up, his claws perching on my forearms like a balcony as his head bobbed with every step. He was a cute little thing. Strong, too. I wondered how much I'd have to beg to get to keep him, and, from what I could tell, Tyson was thinking the same thing. A Turtwig is an odd choice for someone as active as he was, though. Or maybe it was the perfect one.

When we met the old man on the way, all he asked was to look at the Pokemon. After studying them for a bit, he gave a short nod and started walking away. I was pretty confused at that point, and Tyson recommended that we both head home for now. It dinner time, after all, and I knew my mother would know what to do.

Of course, she did. As the Piplup pecked at the pile of spaghetti noodles offered him, my mom told me that the man was probably Professor Rowan, who was rumored to have returned to his lab in Sandgem. It was a thirty minute walk, but she told me that it was best if I went as soon as I could to apologize and explain myself. I probably should have done that at the route, but he was too scary to get a word in around his paralyzing gaze.

After enjoying the dinner, I took the Piplup with me into the route on the way to Sandgem. Now that I had a Pokemon, I found myself going into places deeper than I had ever gone to without my father or mother and their Pokemon to protect me. The Piplup plodded happily by my side, though, pecking at the occasional strand of grass that tickled the nostrils on his tiny beak.

I had just picked him up again to spare him the green grasp of the offending foliage when we heard a shout. Rushing to investigate, we found a man being accosted by a hilarious pack of Bidoof. He apparently had no Pokemon of his own, yet he carried a large satchel around his shoulder. Without my command, the Piplup lept from my arms and into the fray, challenging the rodents to honorable combat. I joined the battle just before the Bidoof decided to gang up on him. Despite his stout frame, the creatures found a hard time trying to hit Piplup, and he improvised his Pound attacks into a spinning move that gave all three of the buck-tooth beavers a smackdown. As he defeated him, I saw his little body flash as his naturally changing body, like all Pokemon, increased in power as it was made to fight more. He leveled up. Score.

When they ran, the man thanked us and revealed his identity as a Pokemart salesman. He gave us a free potion sample of his goodies, as well as a convenient medical starter kit when he learned that I didn't have one. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I wasn't officially a trainer.

When I arrived at Sandgem, I was greeted by Dawn, who led me to the nearby lab. When I reached the door, I was again bowled over by Bitch, who spouted something about Professor Rowan and having to be somewhere. I sighed and entered the lab myself, where the intimidating man indeed seemed a lot less scary.

He looked over the Piplup again and, with a smile, issued me something that I thought would give me a heart attack. It was a license to handle and train Pokemon for battle. He told me that he found my application online and, despite me not having completed the several hours of supervised field experience, processed it and gave it to me. With that, he also led me to his computer, where his Piplup was displayed, as well as a name-entry bar.

He explained that he could see a bond starting to form between me and the Piplup and willingly transferred the trainer rights to my new record. The Piplup was mine, and I knew just what to name him.

For his princely attitude, as well as his color, I dubbed him Royal. Roy for short. He crossed his flippers and announced, in his peeping language, that it was acceptable, so I finished the registration and had my first Pokemon. I can't really describe, in words, how it felt, so I won't bother. This journal shouldn't be read by other people, anyway.

Now that that was done, though, Rowan had another task for me. He presented me with a Pokedex. Like the task my father and two of his closest friends had been given, I was told to collect information on all the local species of Pokemon. Sinnoh was a big place, but it gave me a reason to explore it all with my new blue buddy. I graciously accepted, knowing that, if I had refused, he probably would have just stared at me until I caved.

With that, he bid me luck on my journey. As I left, Roy waddling by my side in content satisfaction, I met the girl again, who introduced herself as Dawn, the Professor's aide. She offered to show me the Pokemon Center and the Pokemart. What I heard was "Would you mind staring at my butt as I tell you things you already know?"

This was agreeable with my interests as a new trainer and a budding youth.

When she finished swaying -I swear that skirt did nothing to hide it- She mentioned that I should head home and tell my mother that'd I'd be traveling. I had to ask her if it was okay, of course. That, and it was getting late. Tomorrow was another day, and though Tyson knew only rushed impatience, I could stand to rest after today. My body was still hurting from the Starly attack, after all.

Taking a shortcut over the ledges, I commented on Dawn's curvy features to Royal, to which he replied with a wolf-whistle in his cheeping language. That was when we bonded, not as trainer and Pokemon, but as guys.

When we got home, I explained everything to my mother, who was surprisingly ecstatic. She had already packed all the gear I would need, having been told by Rowan over the phone what he had planned right after I had left to go see him. She gave me this journal, too, and told me to write in it every day, not sparing a single detail. She wanted to read it when my journey was completed, and, she offered, that it would make a great gift to the girl I wanted to marry later, hinting at what my father had done to woo her. Of course, the only girl I could think of was Dawn, and letting her see how much I liked her rump was probably not the most romantic way of going about things.

A man can dream, though.

Anyway, I'm sitting up in my bed right now, watching my Piplup helplessly fail at Wii Sports. The only thing he was good at was baseball, because the swinging motion was easy for his round little body to accomplish. Still, flippers made it hard to hold, and more than once during the writing of this log have I stood from my bed to re-tie the band around his tapered arm. I'm not loosing a TV to his slippery little body.

Alright, I'm getting tired, and my wrist is getting sore from all this writing. I hope that none of my other little entries run this long. I'd hate to bore my 'future wife.'

=============

What did you think? This is what happens when I get inspired, it seems. All I did in the game was the initial start-up dealies, and came up with this. I will incorporate the attitude and such that my Pokemon have into the story, of course. For example, Royal is a Hasty Piplup who gets angered easily, according to his status page. I fought three Bidoof in a row on my way to Sandgem, as well. I think that this is going to be pretty fun! I might post again tonight depending on how much farther I get.

Oh, and yes, I did name my rival Bitch. I can not be the first one who's done this, and I will not be the last.

I'm planning on starting a new Diamond game. In my last trek through the game, I had played it with brains, but, remembering how awestruck I was with seeing a picture of Charmander in an issue of Nintendo Power when Red and Blue was being announced ages ago, made me wonder if I was really playing the game with the same wonder that I had before.

Of course, I'm a bit older, and now I would be quicker to sex said Charmander, but to be honest, I'd like to enjoy it as I had before. However, I now enjoy things by creating situations on how simple things in-game, such as how a TM works and what exists inside a Pokeball. So, I have decided that I will create a journal.

Every day, after playing Pokemon, I will write about the exploits in a more dramatic fashion. For instance, while most people just walk around for thirty minutes in the grass fighting Ratatta or Zigzagoon, I always entertained that my training would be more unique. While working under the premise that I'm playing the game normally(in game I'd still be grinding Pidgey after Pidgey), I'd describe such training in detail. If, for instance, one day all I could do was some training, then I'd describe it like this:

"My Torchic nearly fried my ass last time she tried to Ember a Wurmple, so I decided to train her. I set up several small, grass dummies and had her aim her shots carefully. Of course, she was out of energy before they were all torched, but I gave her a Pokeblock for her efforts. She seemed pleased, even though, after sneaking a taste of it myself, found it a bit dry.

The night crept up on us, so I made camp, but just as I went to light the fire, she popped up and ignited the tender. I was so proud... but then she begged for another Pokeblock, seeming dejected when I didn't have any left. In a fit, she kicked sand onto the fire, trying to snuff it. She didn't know Sand-Attack... but damned if she wasn't learning quickly.

Before she could condemn my 'ungrateful' self to the cold, I showered her in praise, calming her irrational rage with promises of more treats when I could make them. I had created a demon, but she was content with my humble offering and slept beside me near the fire with a chirp of pride that could stem only from showing me who the true master was in this relationship. At least she wouldn't torch the hand that held the blocks, right?

...Right?

Ah, fuck, I really need to get more blocks."

That's how they would look. I'd be playing Diamond (or my Leaf Green game, I can't decide), speaking as a real trainer would speak, if that trainer were me, 'cause they are. Things wouldn't happen exactly as they do in the game, but for creative flavor, I like it better that way. It would add a story to even the tedious parts of the game.

What do you all think? Would you be interested in such a thing? I think the posts would be daily, or at least, whenever I got a chance to play the game, and I'm still not going to stop writing my other stories. I just want to have some more fun with the game, 'sall.

Will it have sex? Perhaps. Though most people see 'putting yourself in the story' a little cliche' and a sure sign of a newbie author, it doesn't stop me from fantasizing, and it isn't as though I haven't written tales like that before (You'll note that the first chapter of MoaT never mentioned Zack's name, and was written in the first person. Hah... yeah, a porn fast will do that to ya).

If I feel comfortable writing about it, then I will. Either way, it should be fun! For those who don't frequent my Fur Affinity (They will be posted in the Journals section, not in the stories,) I'll make chapters out of several days. Maybe weekly! What do you think?

I play City of Villains now. It's great-tastic. If you do, too, look me up on Virtue. I'll be the big, red, scaly guy going by Artimus Blackthorne. I'll be willing to go on a quick crawl, as well as RP with anyone who thought Artimus from my story was a very appealing character...