The Hoenn Adventures: The Black Evil (PROPER VERSION)

[Draco Malfoy]

This is my first ever fanfiction! I hope everyone likes it! My story is set in Hoenn and when Brendan and May start their journeys. (I believe Brendan has BLACK hair and the white thing is a bandana) Although sounds more like Ruby/Sapphire Pokemon Manga Special (Adventures), the plot is completely my own, different from the TV series's or the manga's plots. Here I go!

Prologue- The Beginning of True Evil

(Kanto, Cinnabar Island. 1000 years ago)

A young girl walked on the Eastern shore of Cinnabar Island. She knew Kanto was to be doomed. She looked into the sky. Her brown auburn locks whipped against her cheek as the sea breeze sprayed sea water onto her face. The sky was dark, cloudy and stormy; it reeked of malevolence and unnatural intervention. The waves of the Cinnabar Sea crashed and heaved wildly as the rain lashed against it. The end was going to come very soon.

Then out of the dark waters, came out a mysterious black figure; it was him! The creature had no particular shape or figure, it had no expression, no body, no emotions but you felt a particular evil emitting from it yet the girl could not pinpoint where. The girl screamed and called for the other residents of Cinnabar Island. Her azure eyes filled with fear and hatred as the black figure moved near her. She thought it was the end of her now. She closed her eyes and braced herself. Then a brilliant intense light shined upon her face. The girl opened her eyes. There was a pink luminous light coming from a spherical shining force field. It was Mew! It’s normally naïve smiling face now had an expression of pure anger and anxiety while it’s pink hair covered torso and tail was scarred from ancient battles from the past.

Mew knew the other legendary guardians of pokemon had been imprisoned inside that black figure. He concentrated and fired a cerise Psychic attack at the black figure. The beam of concentrated psionic energy blasted brilliantly towards the hideous black creature. The black figure dodged it and used Transform. Its genes mutated and its body made repugnant sounds as it transformed into a Walrein. The stout sea lion pokemon that this creature had turned into was no normal Walrein. Its skin, unlike a normal Walrein was tinged with indigo, and that evil glint in its eyes made the girl shudder in fear. In simple words, the Walrein looked disgusting and spiteful; an abomination of a Walrein, not a Walrein itself.

The Walrein conjured a fierce snow storm using Blizzard and even froze the sea surrounding Cinnabar Island. The water froze and the girl shivered; suddenly everything felt cold and it wasn’t entirely because of the Blizzard. An eerie yet ominous chill crept into the girl’s heart, she felt cold; it froze all her warm emotions and her heart. Mew knew this transformed Walrein was not its original form and all of the Black Figure's transformed forms were much stronger than the original pokemon. A normal Walrein couldn't freeze the entire ocean. The Walrein then fired an Aurora Beam at Mew. This time a cascade of colours, brilliant and spectacular yet with an almost evil surreal quality to it, spiralled towards the legendary pokemon. Mew barely managed to counter it by setting-up a pink Barrier attack.

The Walrein then transformed into a Charizard. The fire breathing dragon was like his Walrein counterpart, its skin was tinged a dark maroon, almost black and it’s eyes were filled with pure hatred and evil. The Charizard blasted a Fire Blast, a large stream of intense fire shaped like the kanji character for large, towards the pink pokemon. The Fire Blast was so intense that it melted the ice back into water. Mew dodged it and fired an orange Hyperbeam towards Charizard. The shear power of Mew's Hyperbeam forced Charizard back into the black figure; his original form.

Mew took his chance and filled the air with a melodious Sing. The figure just used Hypervoice, a loud hideous array of sounds, to knock out the melody of Sing out of the air. The black figure then summoned a Meteor Mash. The sky started to fill with fiery disastrous meteors which started to barrage the pink legendary guardian and the Cinnabar Area. Mew dodged most of them but he cried in pain as a few meteors bombarded his skin, scrapping it, damaging him so much until he was forced to give up. But Mew knew he couldn't give up, the other legendaries such as his best friend the indigo DNA pokemon Mewtwo were imprisoned by that "thing". The black figure turned to the young girl.

The thing was about to destroy the girl and the whole of Cinnabar like it did to the great port of Vermillion, the powerful city-state of Saffron, the outpost of Celadon, the villages of Lavender, the trading centre of Fuschia and the newly instated outpost of Pallet. But then from behind the hideous dark creature, Mew rose up staggeringly and fired a final Psychic attack. The blast of extrasensory energy exploded into the black figure; the light created by the explosion clearing up the stormy Cinnabar sky and filling the Island with mystical luminous light. The figure howled in pain until it broke up into eight pieces and flew into eight different directions. North, North East, East, South East, South, South West, West and North West. The weather then cleared up and the seas settled down, calm and tranquil once more. Suddenly a great surreal light eloped from the Cinnabar Sea. From where the light came from, the legendaries guardians escaped with their cell, free once more to bring justice to the land. The girl sighed in relief and people then opened their doors once more and rejoiced as freedom and come again and the Black Evil had been defeated. Even the other legendary guardians were relieved and the great Latias and Latios themselves joined in the celebrations.

Only Mew was unhappy, concerned, worried. For he knew, although he defeated the figure, he had only broke it up into eight pieces, he didn't destroy it. He knew the thing would be back and he feared for the future generations to come that would have to face its wrath once more.

[Draco Malfoy]

Chapter 1- New Intentions

(Hoenn, Littleroot Town. Present Day)

"Hey, Mum! I'm home!" yelled a fourteen-year-old boy as took off white bandana, revealing his black hair. His mother spun from the sink and greeted him.

"Hello darling! Today’s the day! You do remember?"

"Er..... No... well, I uh..."

"You HAVE forgotten," sighed his mother. "I better tell you. Today, we're getting new neighbours."

"Really? I guess I have forgotten. Ha, ha. Well, I’ll be in my room"

"Boys,” muttered his mother.

Brendan ran up to his room and shut the door. He dumped his backpack onto the floor. He HAD forgotten he was getting new neighbours today. Brendan’s last neighbours were an elderly couple who couldn’t even muster the strength to hold a kettle. There was no one his age in Littleroot. Everyone who came to Littleroot either came for a peaceful existence or was escaping from something. Brendan Birch yearned to have an adventure in the outside world. He didn’t want to rot and die in the idyllic Littleroot where nothing happened. He was tempted to take his Mudkip, Muddy, and run away from home.

Just then a moving van was heard. Brendan looked out the window. The van stopped in front of the house next door and Two Machokes stepped out, along with a woman and a small boy.

"Typical, there’s no one my age," sighed Brendan.

Brendan looked away and sat down on his bed when he heard:

"Mum, are we here?"

Brendan dashed over to the window and saw a girl about his age. She wore a red bandanna with a white poke ball symbol on it that covered her brown hair. She also wore a red collared shirt, and black shorts. Overall, she was quite pretty.
"Hey, who are you? I thought I was the only teenager in this town," called the girl.

Brendan blushed. 'Damn, why am I blushing?' thought Brendan.

"Come down, I don't feel comfortable talking from down here while you're up THERE," said the brown haired girl.

Brendan didn't move. He was still having a mental debate about the girl and why he was blushing a moment ago.

"FINE YOU SELFISH IDIOT, DO WHAT YOU WANT," shouted the girl and she walked off.

Brendan noticed she was gone. He hit himself for being such an airhead.

'I shouldn't have let her off. Jeez Brendan, get a life!' thought Brendan

'I better find her and apologise. She's probably the only teenager I'll meet in this town and she looks nice enough. And I better find her pretty fast'

The teenage boy grabbed his bandana, put it on and he raced down the stairs. He whizzed past his mother at the speed of light while she seemed to say something among the lines of "Honey, have you met the neighbours yet?"

"Sorry Mum, no time for chit chat! Gotta go!" Brendan said as he paused at the door for a moment. He then went off.

"Oh, I wish that son of mine will slow down. He always seems to be in a rush. It must be because of puberty again, I suppose," sighed Mrs Birch

Brendan sprinted towards the moving van. Just then he heard people talking nearby. He hid behind the van and listened carefully. This girl was sure interesting.

"Mum, do I have to be here? I met this really strange boy who seems to be deaf and it seems he's the only teenager around! Plus I miss Goldenrod and Johto!"

It was the brown haired girl earlier. Brendan listened more carefully.

"May! You haven't forgotten your promise have you? What about your father!"

So her name was May. Although Brendan was fuming when May called him deaf which he wasn't he listened some more.

"Any way, honey, I think you've met Brendan Birch. He's not deaf and he's Professor Birch's son. I heard he's popular with the girls."

Brendan still haven't believed his father told May mother about his time at Rustboro Trainer's School. Yes, he was VERY popular with the girls at Trainer's School and any other girl on that matter, but those girls at Trainer's School were one of the reasons why he quit and he was doing correspondence school. He's father was going to have a lot to answer for this.

"Okay. I have to admit he DOES look okay but still, that doesn't mean I'm a least bit interested." replied May stoutly to her mother

Brendan then leaned forward. This was a big mistake. His mother was right behind him. She then said "Why, what are you doing Brendan?"

Brendan nearly had a heart attack and he swore loudly. May and her mother turned around to see Mrs Birch and her son, Brendan, having an international argument that could have even scared a Loudred.

"Hello Jane! Long time no see. So this is your son Brendan! He is indeed quite handsome. A good match for May," said May's mother

"You two know each other?" said Brendan and May in disbelief

"Of course, we were best friends, so were your fathers before May's parents had to move to Johto," replied Mrs Birch.

"Why don't you two go off and introduce yourselves to each other while Mrs Birch and I talk?" said May's mother.

"But-"

"No objections. Now go off."

Brendan and May reluctantly walk off together while their mothers caught up with each other. May stopped.

"Although we met, we didn't have a proper introduction. My name is May Maple. My dad's Norman, Gym Leader of the Petalburg Gym. And you are-"

"Brendan, Brendan Birch. Sorry I was being an airhead before"

"That's okay. I forgive you."

"Hey, what are your ambitions, your dreams?" Brendan asked

"My dream is to become a great pokemon trainer and an equally good pokemon coordinator"

"Well, I dream to become a great pokemon trainer as well but my current ambition is to leave this town."

May laughed.

"Come on, let's go back," said Brendan

"What pokemon do you have?" asked Brendan

"None. My only pokemon, a female Clefairy named Fairclef, and I gave her to the Goldenrod gym leader, Whitney, as I thought it will be better to start all over again and Fairclef would have a better life with Whitney as Fairclef hates travelling. I still have my still valid trainer I.D, pokebelt and a stock of spare pokeballs. What about you?" May asked

"I have one pokemon. I'll show you. Come out Muddy!"

Brendan took out a pokemon and let out his Mudkip. A mudfish pokemon whose skin was blue and had a peculiar antenna on his head emerged from Brendan’s pokeball.

"Hey Muddy! This is May, my new neighbour and a new friend."

May blushed when Brendan said friend.

Brendan went on. "Muddy say hi to May, May say hi to Muddy."

"Hi Muddy"

"Mud (Hi)!"

Brendan smiled as he looked at Muddy and May. ' At last some good company"

"HELP!"

Brendan and May stopped. Someone was screaming. A little boy ran towards them. "Someone's being chased by a wild Poochyena!"

"Let's go then!" said May as she beckoned to Brendan

Brendan nodded and followed her. True to the little boy's word, a wild Poochyena seemed to be chasing-

"DAD?" asked Brendan in confusion

"Yes it's me and now somebody please help me!" screamed Professor Birch

Brendan was about to order Muddy to tackle the Poochyena but May told him not to.

"Leave this one to me," whispered May

"Okay Professor Birch how could I help you?" asked May

"Do you see that yellow bag over there near those ledges? That's mine. The inside is mostly some research material but in there are three pokeball. Inside those pokeballs are three pokemon I caught a few minutes ago before this crazy Poochyena wanted to take a bite out of me. Use of them and fast!" shouted Professor Birch as he started to climb up a tree while the Poochyena tried to pull him back down.

May smiled and started rummaging through the yellow bag.

"It's been a while since I've been in a pokemon battle. I'm still a rookie but this might be the start to my pokemon trainer career I wanted! Here I go! Go pokeball!" said May as she threw a random pokeball.

A red chicken pokemon with short stubby legs but looked adorable otherwise appeared. The chicken pokemon, revealed to be a Torchic, looked at May and chirped happily. She obviously liked her "replacement" trainer better than the person who caught her a few minutes ago.

May smiled and said "Okay Torchic! Let's show that Poochyena what we're made of! Scratch attack now!"

Torchic ran as fast as she could with her small legs and she scratched the Poochyena. The Poochyena howled in pain and leaped back from Professor Birch. The Poochyena then ran towards Torchic, trying to tackle it using Tackle

"Torchic dodge it and use Peck!"

The little fire chicken swiftly dodged the attack and pecked the Poochyena hard on the head. The Poochyena stopped suddenly then fainted

"Yeah! Horray! Go Torchic!” said May as she returned Torchic into the pokeball and put the pokeball back into the bag.

Brendan clapped in congratulations and laughed as Professor Birch sighed and slowly climbed off the tree.

"Thanks for saving me from that Poochyena right then. So you're my neighbour May. I see you have been acquainted with my son Brendan. In a way of expressing my gratitude, I want you to keep this pokemon. That pokemon likes you a lot more than me any way," said Professor Birch as he handed May a pokeball.

May smiled. Inside the pokeball was the Torchic she used earlier. "I'll name you Flare!" said May joyously.

Brendan grinned. “Plus, now you’re an official pokemon trainer, because you have a pokemon and still have your trainer gear (trainer’s I.D. etc.), not a girl with a pokemon pet! You can leave Littleroot and get Gym Badges!”

“Aren’t you a pokemon trainer as well?” May asked

“Of course I am!” said Brendan as he showed May his Trainer’s I.D.

Professor Birch beckoned them. “I have something to give both of you in my lab.”

Brendan and May followed Professor Birch into the Pokemon Lab.

“Here you go!”

Brendan and May received the red machine from Professor Birch. May was the first to notice what they were.

“Wow! These are pokedexs! Only specially selected trainers receive them! These are really high tech. Red, Blue, Green of Pallet Town, the famous Elite Trio and winners and runner-ups of the Indigo Pokemon League and Gold, Crys and Silver, the Johto trio who are national heroes who helped resolve the Ice Mask Incident last year all have one! Wow!”

Professor Birch chuckled. “Professor Oak, the creator, said you two were trainers of the Hoenn region to receive one. Remember, three pokedex for every region.”

Brendan curiously examined his. “Then what happens with the other one?”

“That’s for me to know and you to find out. Brendan! You want to become a great pokemon trainer and explore the Hoenn Region? Go ahead. You may pack your backpack and leave. Remember to contact your mother and I regularly. But I have one more favour, May also wants to become a great pokemon trainer and explore the Hoenn Region. May’s father, Norman, told me it’s safer if you, Brendan, travel with May. So you two will be travelling together.”

“WHAT!” cried Brendan and May

“Either that or no adventure for both of you!”

Brendan resigned. “I better go and pack my bag. Meet you at the front of the lab!”

May nodded and went to pack her bag.

A few hours later, May and Brendan, all ready for an adventure, met in front of the lab with their mothers crying in joy.

“Hey May, it’s time!” grinned Brendan

“I know.”

Professor Birch took out a map. “It seems if you want to get your first Gym Badge, you will have to head of Rustboro City and Roxanne, the Gym Leader. Norman’s in Johto helping Whitney of Goldenrod sort out her pokemon.”

Brendan grinned “Then, Rustboro here we come! Bye Mum! Bye Dad!”

May smiled “Mum, take good care. Don’t try and call me everyday!”

Brendan looked at May. “Let’s go! I’ll race you to Oldale Town. Loser has to do something the winner wants him to do! Come on Yam, isn’t that your name backwards!”

May fumed. “My name ISNT Yam and your name is Nad Nerb backwards! See you at Oldale!” said May as she ran past Brendan

“No fair! I didn’t say start!” Brendan complained

“Slowpoke!”

“Here I come you, Snorlax!” and May and Brendan ran into the distance.

[Draco Malfoy]

Okay. Here’s the second chapter

Chapter 2- First Steps

It was another idyllic day at Oldale Town; peaceful and serene. A bandana wearing teenage boy walked his way into Oldale Town. As he looked around he thought it was like one of those typical quiet towns. The golden sunset looked truly magnificent. The touches on orange and red lit the sky; dancing around happily. There were people finishing their business and going back home. A few kids were playing also were roused back home by their parents. Oldale was truly a charming town with beautiful scenery. But the night was coming. The teenager took a few moments to admire the scenery before him before moving himself.

"WAIT!"

The boy spun around. A young teenage girl with a red bandanna and a red collared shirt complete with black shorts ran towards him. She panted as she mustered the energy to go on.

"Where was I? That’s right! Brendan Birch! Next time don’t run off without me while I’m battling wild pokemon. You have the map! I’ve could have been lost!"

As the girl raved on, Brendan silently started to walk around town, he passed by the Mart then a few houses and eventually he arrived at the place he was looking for, the Pokemon Centre.

"BRENDAN! COME BACK HERE!"

Brendan turned around and stuck his tongue out."
“I still won the race from Littleroot to Oldale so what do you owe me? Five pokeballs, not a lecture, YAM!"

May fumed. "You wait Mister Birch. The day will come when you will fall over on your knees and beg me for mercy!"

Brendan decided to tease her some more. "You’re just in love with me and you don’t want me to pay me those pokeballs! Do you want a kiss little Maple berry?"

May shrieked. She pulled Brendan by his black hair and dragged him all the way to the Pokemon Centre.

May addressed the startled Nurse Joy while still pulling Brendan’s hair. "My vulgar friend here and I would like to heal our pokemon and stay here for the night"

Nurse Joy smiled. "Please show me your trainer IDs and pass me your pokeballs"

May and Brendan flashed the Nurse their IDs and handed the Nurse their pokemon, Flare and Muddy. The Nurse received them with great care and addressed May and Brendan whose hair was still being pulled by May.

"The trainers' dormitories are on the third floor. The girls' dormitory is the the one on the left and the boys' is the one on the right. Good night."

May thanked the Nurse and pulled Brendan up the stairs. Brendan yelped in pain and pleaded May to let go but May shook her head.

"The way you treated me today isn't a good way to address young ladies like myself. You need to be punished more! Ha!"

"Come on May! I'm sorry but it's not like you're a real lady-"

WHACK

May hit Brendan's head with her bag with frightening accuracy.

"In three weeks time, catch as many pokemon as you can, maximum six, train them well and face me in battle! One on one match! And I am a real lady, and I don't think you want to see the proof! See you tomorrow! We have to leave for Petalburg!" May said

Brendan smiled. It was a long time since he had a good rival who was also a nice friend. That is without her temper. Brendan really liked May. She was a good friend to have. "Okay, good night!" replied Brendan as he closed the room of the boys' dormitory, smiling.



(The Next Day)

Brendan Birch always woke up early. He was a morning person. Brendan was already eating in breakfast in the Pokemon Centre dining room when May yawned as she went to get some breakfast.

"Good morning Yam!"

"Good morning Nad Nerb!"

May put down her tray next to Brendan at sat down. It had toast with honey and some slices of bacon. "Today, I'm planning to catch a new member for my pokemon team. I'm thinking among the lines of Wurmple!" said May as she chewed her toast.

"I thought girls were scared of bugs!"

"There're a lot of things you will never know about girls, Brendan!"

Brendan shrugged. "Whatever"

May beckoned. "What about you Brendan! Any pokemon you have in mind?"

Brendan paused then answered. "How about a Poochyena?"

May giggled. "Nice choice! But I don't think your dad will agree!"

Brendan laughed with her. "Yeah! Dad will never agree after THAT incident!"

"What about those pokeballs you owe me?" asked Brendan cheekily. Brendan already had pokeballs. He was only trying to anger May.

May put five normal pokeballs on the table. "Here you go!"

Brendan was shocked. He never expected them. He didn't need them either.

"But May-"

"Just use them. Thinks of them as a gift from me"

Brendan felt overwhelmed. "THANK YOU SO MUCH MAY MAPLE!"

Silence. Brendan thanked May so loudly the cafeteria became quiet.

"Ha, ha! Carry on eating people!" said May nervously.

The people paused for another moment and went back to what they were doing.

WHACK

Off went May's bag, hitting Brendan hard on the head.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"Don't cause such a havoc! I'll be catching Wurmple in Petalburg Forest!"

Brendan stood up. "I'm finished. Let's go together!"

"Okay, meet me at the MART"

(Later)

May waited patiently at the MART. Brendan was five minutes late. She adjusted her red bandana. In the distance, she could see Brendan running towards her.

"Okay, sorry I'm late! Let's go"

May nodded and they were about the head off when someone tapped her shoulder.

"Who is it?"

"I work at this MART and we want to give you this potion as a free sample for buying all those pokeballs! You too boy!"

May and Brendan gratefully accepted the potions. "Thank you"

"No problem. Visit the other MARTs as well!"

"Let's go May!" and they headed off.

(Later)

Flare and Muddy were socialising very well as the fought off a pair of twins in a double battle.

"Tor, Torch, Chic! (So, how's your trainer?)"

"Kip, Mudkip, Mud (He's fine, he's pretty cool. May's nice as well)

Flare chirped in agreement as May told her to burn the enemy Seedot with Ember. The chicken burnt the Seedot into barbequed seeds while Muddy continued on.

"Kip, Kip, Kipmud (I have this gut feeling Brendan has that extra 'something' for May)"

"Chic, Torchic, Chic (I don't know. Brendan likes getting on May's nerves)"

Muddy dodged the attempted Absorb attack from Lotad and tackled the offender, fainting it.

"Mudkip, Kipmud! (We never know, we never know!)"

The twins, Liv and Farah gave Brendan and May the prize money and left with their fainted pokemon. Brendan peered into the map. "That's strange, we were meant to be in Petalburg City by now!"

May stopped abruptly. "Don't tell be we're lost!"

"We're not! I just need to-" Brendan was cut off suddenly

A large blood curling howl filled the air. May screamed and pointed behind them. Brendan gasped. Behind them were a pack of twenty Poochyenas, howling and barking. One of the Poochyena was the one that tried the disfigure Professor Birch.

May whimpered and asked Brendan, "What's plan A?"

"Stay here and fight!"

"Plan B?"

"Run!!"

Brendan, May, Muddy, Flare all screamed and ran for their lives towards Petalburg.

"BRENDAN! WHERE THE HELL IS PETALBURG CITY!" demanded May as she sprinted for her dear life.

"I don't know! Wait a sign post! Let's see. It's south! That way!

The Poochyenas growled and howling as the chased after Brendan, May, Flare and Muddy.

"Put Flare in her ball! I'll put Muddy back in his!" cried Brendan as he fumbled with a ball

May and Brendan returned Flare and Muddy into their pokeballs as they ran with a pack of crazed Poochyenas on their trail. May ran ahead. She screamed.

"What's wrong?" asked Brendan

It was a dead end and the Poochyenas were in front of them ready to tear them into pieces.

"May, I'm sorry I was being a jerk to you and please forgive me!"

"Brendan, I'm sorry I was being a pest to you forgive me!"

"Good bye dear friend!"

"So long!"

Brendan and May closed their eyes, waiting for the impact. Suddenly they heard a sound.

"Go Vigoroth! Focus Punch!"

To be continued...

[Draco Malfoy]

Chapter 3- Poochyena and Gymleaders specialising in Normal-type pokemon

"Go Vigoroth! Focus Punch!"

Brendan turned around. May gasped then yelled in surprise. There, behind the two teenagers stood a man with black hair and a young woman with pink hair.

"DAD! WHITNEY! Thank God!" cried May

Brendan sighed in relief but he knew the battle was not over yet.

"Vigoroth, use Focus Punch on the Poochyena!"

The pokemon obeyed his master and attacked the Poochyena. Whitney also told her pokemon, Milktank, to use Roll out.

"May! Brendan! Use your pokemon as well!" Norman yelled as he punched a Poochyena himself

Brendan and May nodded. "Go Muddy! Go Flare!"

The two pokemon came out and ran towards the Poochyena and aided the Vigoroth and Milktank with Water Gun and Ember respectively.

"Mr Maple and Whitney of Goldenrod! How come are you here? I thought you were meant to be in Goldenrod?" asked Brendan as he ordered Muddy to tackle a Poochyena

"We got worried after we heard from Jane (Mrs Birch) that you two were travelling alone. We heard of rumours of crazed packs of Poochyena hunting in this area and we got worried" answered Norman as Vigoroth slashed another Poochyena.

“You know, you guys make such a cute couple!” interjected Whitney as she ordered Milktank to deliver another Roll Out.

“WE ARE NOT!” cried both Brendan and May, blushing furiously.

Whitney grinned. “But you two are so KAWAII!”

Brendan felt hot around his collar. May was as red as a tomato. Brendan then swore under his breath and said, “Muddy! Use Water Gun on those Poochyena!”

The Mud fish pokemon nodded and shot a jet of cold water towards the Poochyena. May decided to take more action as well.

“Go Flare! Use Ember and help out Muddy!”

The Chick pokemon blasted a ball of fire towards the Poochyena. Now there were only seven left.

“Hey! I think I know which one of those is the ringleader! It’s that biggish one over there!” cried Whitney as Milktank used Mega Punch on an unlucky Poochyena.

Brendan looked towards where Whitney beckoned. There, standing a rock platform, was big arrogant looking Poochyena. Brendan’s eyes flashed with excitement and determination.

“I’m going to catch that ringleader!” said Brendan and he turned to Muddy.

“Muddy! See that big Poochyena over there? Use Water Gun on it now!”

Muddy turned and obeyed his trainer and used Water Gun on the Poochyena Leader. The Leader jumped and dodged the jet of water and launched himself onto Muddy.

“Look out!” Brendan shouted as Muddy skilfully dodged the attack.

Muddy then tackled the Poochyena. The Poochyena growled and used Scratch on his adversary. Muddy yelped in pain then shot a jet of water towards the Poochyena. The Poochyena jumped quickly but not quickly enough. He got hit by the Water Gun and he got slammed into a tree. The Poochyena howled then he stayed still. Muddy cautiously moved towards the fallen Poochyena. “All right!” shouted Brendan. “I’ve caught a Poochyena, a strong one too.”

Brendan was badly mistaken. As Muddy sniffed the unmoving Poochyena, suddenly the Poochyena stood up and temporarily blinded Muddy with Sand Attack.

“Oh no! Poor Muddy, he can’t see while his opponent can! Brendan, just give up and let Whitney or Dad take care of the Poochyena! You can’t possibly catch it!” said May.

Brendan smiled mysteriously. “You still have a lot to learn about pokemon May! Allow me to demonstrate. Muddy use Water Gun on that Poochyena now!”

The Poochyena was by then a far distance away from Muddy. May thought, ‘How possibly could Muddy attack the Poochyena when he was temporarily blind and a fair distance away?’

Astoundingly, the Mud fish shot a jet of cold water towards the Poochyena and hit him incredibly accurately on his front legs. The Poochyena howled in pain as he tried standing up but fell down to the ground again.

Brendan grinned. “Muddy! Finish it off with a Tackle!”

Muddy sprinted towards the helpless Poochyena and went SMACK and tackled him. The Poochyena was still then he collapsed. Brendan checked his pokedex. Just as he thought, the Poochyena had nearly fainted but was still conscious, barely. Perfect for catching it.

“Go pokeball!” and Brendan threw a pokeball at the Poochyena. The Poochyena then disappeared into the pokeball and the ball started flashing red and then it stopped. Brendan had caught it.

“Yeah! Come on! I’ve caught my first pokemon since Muddy and since I started travelling for the Hoenn League! Whoopee!” Brendan jumped up and down with the pokeball. “Oh, and good job Muddy! You’re the best!”

Norman sighed while Whitney returned her Milktank. “No more Poochyena left! That’s a relief!” sighed Norman as he returned his Vigoroth.

May stood silently and thought deeply. Brendan fixed his bandana and approached May.

“Hey Yam! What’s the matter? Did I do something wrong?” said Brendan as he returned Muddy into his ball.

“No it’s just that, how the heck did Muddy’s Water Gun so accurate when he was blind and how did he tackle the Poochyena Leader?”

Brendan grinned as he explained it to her. “May, you have a lot to learn about pokemon. It’s about time a son of a pokemon researcher taught you more about pokemon. May, take out your pokedex for a second”. May took out her pokedex. Brendan took it and then went on as he explained it to May. “Look here May, I’ll read what the pokedex says about the pokemon, Mudkip. The fin on the MUDKIP’s head acts as a highly sensitive radar. Using this fin to sense movements of water and air, this pokemon can determine what is taking place around it without using its eyes. So that’s why Muddy was so accurate, he knows what’s going on and where with its radar fin. It’s like an extra pair of eyes.”

May gaped. She knew because Brendan was the son of Professor Birch, he would know a fair bit about pokemon but not this much.

“Knowledge of pokemon can help a lot in battles” said Brendan

“Come on you love birds! We’re leaving now! Gym leader Norman knows the way to Petalburg City!” yelled Whitney as she took out a pokeball from her pocket. “We’re going by air”

Whitney released the pokemon from her ball. The pokemon was a beautiful female Togetic. May said. “Whitney! She’s so beautiful! Look at those wings! There’s so pure looking! You’re so lucky!”

Norman took out a pokeball and released a large male Pidgeot.

“Climb on Brendan. May, you go with Whitney. Petalburg City, here we go!” said Norman and the two winged pokemon took flight with four trainers; two experienced Gymleaders and two trainers with great potential with a destiny which is to be fulfilled.

[Draco Malfoy]

Chapter 4- Petalburg; the Forest and the City!

It was another sunny day in Petalburg City; the morning sun greeted the people as it shined radiantly by the sea shore. The sea breeze whistled a cheerful tune through the grass and the pokemon and people went on with their daily business as usual. A middle-aged woman opened the window to her house as she looked out into the East.

‘Another typical day in Petalburg City’ thought the woman. ‘I wonder where Norman and that peculiar pink-haired girl are?’

She sighed as she closed the window and grabbed her coat and bag. ‘I better go to and buy some shoes for Wally, that rascal; I bought the last pair two weeks ago!’

The woman frowned and walked out of the house and locked the door behind. She headed East, where the shops where as she saw something flying from the distance. She looked carefully. It seemed that two flying pokemon where heading towards Petalburg City at a great speed as two trainers directed the pokemon while two other trainers hung-on tightly for their dear lives. The woman heard two pokemon trainers, probably teenagers screaming for their lives.

“HELP ME!”

“OH DEAR GOD! SOMEBODY SLOW DOWN THIS CRAZY PIDGEOT!”

“OH NO, NO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! WE’RE ABOUT TO LAND!!”

“SSSSOOOOMMMMEEEEBBBBOOOODDDDYYYY HHHHEEEELLLLPPPP UUUUSSSS!!!!”


SCREECH

Silence. The townspeople stood in silence. A Togetic and a Pidgeot stood there perfectly still while the Petalburg Gymleader and the pink-haired girl stood in obvious humiliation and embarrassment for such a barbaric landing. However, the two teenagers, one a young teenage boy with black hair which was hidden by a white bandana. He was wearing the Hoenn colours: A black shirt with red stripes at the sleeves. His pants were also black but at the ends were yellow and red. The other a young teenage girl with a red bandanna and a red collared shirt complete with black shorts were oblivious from the awkward silence they had caused.

“Hey May, remind me NEVER to trust Whitney when she says it would a ‘simple and leisurely trip across the countryside’!”

The girl called May grinned as she said, “Only if you remind me not to judge a book by its cover or in this case, a Togetic by her cover!”

“Deal!”

“Um, Brendan? Why is it so awkwardly silent here? I thought Petalburg would be buzzing with action at this point in time?” asked May

Silence

“THAT’S BECAUSE YOU CAUSED HAVOC! THAT’S WHAT!” yelled one the citizens.

“Wow! Calm down! It wasn’t our fault we screamed all the way down!” replied Brendan

“And plus, we didn’t mean it!” added May nervously.

The citizens pause and decided to get along with their own lives. But Brendan and May could still hear people mumbling “teenagers these days; they don’t have an ounce a respect left in them” and “The poor parents!” and “So rude!” and so on and so forth. May flushed in embarrassment while Brendan gritted his teeth in anger.

“It wasn’t even our fault that Togetic and Pidgeot were going so fast!” Brendan grumbled as he glared at Mr Maple and Whitney.

Norman sighed. He returned Pidgeot back into his ball and headed towards the Petalburg Gym.

“It IS your fault you two were acting like a bunch of maniacs. All of Petalburg City could have heard you two screaming and besides, you wanted us to get to Petalburg City as soon as possible”.

“DAD!”

“No May. I am deeply disappointed of you two, especially you May. As a father, I have to say you should be ashamed of yourself”

Whitney nodded. “Mr Maple’s right. You two should be ashamed of yourselves! Mr Maple and I will be in the Gym, getting ready to catch the ferry to Olivine City”.

Brendan turned around to May. “Okay, maybe we did draw a lot of unnecessary attention to us”.

May rolled her eyes as she walked towards the MART. “Nad Nerb, Nad Nerb, Nad Nerb. Sometimes you are very dense, my dear companion”

“Humph! Not as dense as you, YAM!”

“I am not a deteriorated food crop. My name is MAY. Unlike barbarian boys with white hair, I prefer PROPER English”

Brendan fumed and seethed. “I don’t have white hair, it’s just a bandana! Look!” Brendan removed his white bandana, revealing shampooed black hair. “And no fair! You called ME Nab Nerd!”

“Nad Nerb, you silly boy! You ARE thick!” laughed May as she ran as fast as she could towards the MART to avoid being clobbered by Brendan.

(Later)

As Brendan and May walked out of the MART, they were greeted by a middle-aged woman.

“Do you happen to be May Maple and Brendan Birch?”

“Um, yes”

The woman laughed. “Nice landing in the morning! I didn’t have such a nice laugh in seven years!”

Brendan and May flushed with embarrassment. “Well, it wasn’t the best of our landings…”

The woman laughed heartily then stopped suddenly. “Sorry, how rude of me. It was just that it was so amusing; I wish Wally could be healthy like you two. I came to ask you if you can help my son Wally catch his first pokemon. He is moving to Verdanturf Town this afternoon. He was always a frail sickly child and the clean soothing air of Verdanturf might do wonders to his health. He always wanted a pokemon companion.”

May dabbed her eyes. “We’ll be delighted to help, Mrs -,”

“Mrs Wood”.

“Yes, Mrs Wood, we would be delighted to help”

“But May, what about our trip to catch some Wurmple in the Petalburg Forest?” Brendan objected.

“THIS is much more important!” hissed May. “Don’t be so rude”

Then May turned around grasping Brendan’s hand with a steel grip and said, “How could we be of assistance?”

(Later)

“Are you sure your dad would bring Wally here?” asked Brendan for the umpteenth time

May sighed loudly as she stood up and walked across to Brendan. “YES, Brendan! So stop complaining!”

Brendan grumbled something inaudible which sounded uncannily like, ‘I have better things to do’. May was fed-up. She was about to clobber him with a broom when the Petalburg Gym doors opened. There emerged two males, one Norman Maple, the other a frail sickly boy around Brendan and May’s age. He was slightly taller than May but a little shorter than Brendan. The boy had green hair.

“Am I interrupting anything May?” asked Norman as he raised his eyebrows.

May gave Brendan a death glare then spun around to her father with a plastered smile.

“No dad. No, you’re not”

Norman sighed. “Good because I have someone to introduce to you. Wally, don’t be shy, come out”

‘So that was the infamous Wally Wood. Mmm, he will pay for interrupting my private time with May, not that I foster more-than-friends feelings towards May’ thought Brendan.

A very shy Wally Wood appeared from behind the Gym doors. He smiled nervously. "Hi, I'm Wally, um, nice meeting you, um, I hope we can be good friends!"

"I'm not!"

"BRENDAN!" May glared. She then spun to Wally and smiled.

"Hi I'm May Maple and over there is the ugly and frumpy Brendan Birch".

"Hey! I'm not THAT bad-looking! For you to know, I was very popular with the female population"

May snorted. "I doubt it, and don't try and pretend you know girls because you don't and you never will. And Wally, what's the matter? Do I have something on my face?"

Wally blushed. He was caught red-handed staring at May's beautiful exterior. He never felt way towards a girl before. Whenever he looked at May, he had his warm bubbly feeling in his chest. Brendan growled as he caught Wally staring at May. Norman chuckled as he saw this rather amusing scene. It seemed a love triangle was emerging. Although the final result would leave only Wally heart-broken. Norman decided to bring the teenagers back to Earth.

"Brendan, May, could you go and take Wally out to the Eastern Fields so he could catch his first pokemon before he has to go? Oh and Wally use this Zigagoon to capture a pokemon. Good luck!" said Norman as he passed a pokeball to Wally.

"Let's go! I know a good place to start!" said May as she took Wally's hand.

SNAP

Off went the broom Brendan was holding. He was red with rage and he shaking violently with rage. 'How dare he touch my May. What the! What was I thinking! She's not 'my' May. She's in perfect liberty to like anyone she likes but why am I so angry?'

"Brendan, are you okay?" asked May, clearly concerned.

Brendan calmed down and smiled. "Yep, I'm fine. Let's go and catch some pokemon!"

(Later)

Wally smiled as he picked up the pokeball. Inside was a Ralts, the very first pokemon he ever caught. May ran up to Wally and congratulated him. “Congratulations! Well done! You’re really good for a beginner!”

“He’s not really that good,” mumbled Brendan.

“Mud, Mud, Kipmud! (I think somebody’s jealous!)” said Muddy

“Chic, Chic, Torchic. (It’s kind of obvious)” said Flare

“I am not jealous!”

“Mudkip, Kip, Kip, Mud, Kimudkip. (And he’s also jealous because that the pokemon Ralts is rare in this area).

Tor, Tor, Tor, Chic, Tor, Chictor, Torchic! (And he’s jealous that Wally is receiving a compliment from May; something he doesn’t usually get!)

“STOP IT YOU TWO!”

May turned around to find a very frustrated Brendan Birch. Wally seemed to be surprised.

“You know Brendan, if you really didn’t wanted to help Wally, you could have just said” whispered May in a worried voice.

“Not you, THEM” Brendan pointed at Flare and Muddy.

“Oh, okay then. I think it’s time for Wally to go now, the bus is here!” murmured May as she returned Flare into her pokeball.

Brendan nodded and returned Muddy into his ball as well. Brendan, May and Wally walked back together to Petalburg City. There, was the bus and Norman, waiting patiently for the three pokemon trainers.

“I want to return your Zigagoon back you now Mr Maple,” said Wally Wood as he handed back a pokeball.

Norman thanked Wally and helped him onto the bus. Norman checked the list in front of him.

“Wally, this bus terminates in front of the Rusturf Tunnel. From there, as the tunnel isn’t complete, you’ll have to take the dangerous hike through the mountains. Don’t worry, your parents and your relatives in Verdanturf have organised you a reliable group of hikers to help you across. Your luggage would arrive in Verdanturf around twenty days after you arrived as they have to get the Verdanturf via Slateport and Mauville. I wish Roxanne would confirm the date the tunnel would be finished.”

Wally smiled and climbed onto the bus. “Good bye May, I’ll really miss you, sob, please call me, sob, I enjoyed meeting you, sob, sob, sob”.

May grimaced and said good bye and the bus and a sobbing Wally took off for Rustboro City.

Brendan laughed as May came back. “You hate him, don’t you?”

May frowned. “I’d rather say dislike. He was sobbing and stumbling over words too much. When Verdanturf turns him healthy and normal, I think he’ll be a real nice guy”.

Brendan laughed. “Come on, we forgot to say good bye to your dad and Whitney!”

(Later)

Brendan looked on the map. “I’m sure I got it right this time! This is the entrance to the Petalburg Forest!”

May turned around; she was listening to Brendan and finishing off her battle with Harriet the Battle Girl at the same time.

“Go Makuhita! Vital Throw! Now!”

The gutsy Sumo pokemon charged towards Flare, with his arms about to catch and throw Flare.

Brendan grinned. “I’ll buy you a Wailmer doll if you win this battle”.

May stuck out her tongue. “Although you may be better at pokemon battles than me, I’ll show you! Flare! Quickly dodge Makuhita and use Peck on his back!”

The Torchic swiftly evaded the attack and manoeuvred herself behind the Makuhita and using her sharp beak, pecked the Sumo pokemon. The Sumo pokemon stood standing for a moment, and then he fainted. There was a deep gorge in his back. May smiled smugly while Brendan stood in shock.

“I thought, you being a beginner and all, would use a fire attack on Makuhita” stuttered Brendan

“But fire attacks won’t cause any damage as Makuhita has this ‘Thick Fat’ ability” finished off May.

“I’m impressed! You are improving. Maybe what Mr Maple said before he left for the next ferry to Olivine City was right, may be I should consider you my rival!”

May huffed “I’m already am!”

Brendan looked at the map. “Okay, according to this map, if we keep following these series of trees, we would arrive at the Pretty Petal Flower Shop in twenty minutes. That is, if we actually ENTER the forest”.

Brendan looked up from the map. As Harriet paid May the prize money and left with the fainted Makuhita, May shuffled her feet and looked at her shoes.

“What’s the matter?”

“Well, um, your map reading skills aren’t really that “profound”, the last time you read the map we, um, nearly, well, DIED!” May spluttered out aloud.

Brendan laughed. “Boy, May, you make me laugh so much. I never laugh so many times in my life. Do not fear, last time I misread Route 103 for Route 102. This time I’m positive this is Petalburg Forest!”

“Okay Map Boy. I trust you. Let’s go in” said May as she returned Flare to her ball for her well deserved rest. For now.

Brendan nodded and he folded the map and put it in his pocket. Then an idea popped up in his head.

“Hey Yam?”

May halted and faced Brendan. “Yes, Nad Nerb?”

Brendan had a roguish grin on his face and his piercing ruby eyes had a mischievous glint to them. May gulped. She knew Brendan Birch well enough that when he had that look, he was planning something and most the time it wasn’t good.

“Hey May, let’s have a race. See that the path now divides into two. You take the right and I’ll take the left. The first person to arrive at Pretty Petals Shop wins. But here’s the twist: you must catch that Wurmple you wanted and I have to use my newly caught Poochyena in a pokemon battle against another trainer. There are heaps of bug trainers in these woods so it isn’t unfair. Loser has to versus Roxanne FIRST”.

May thought about it carefully. She was certain she would win this race and the fact of able to jeer at Brendan as he lost against Roxanne was too tempting. “I accept”.

(Later)

May walked slowly through the damp forest grass. Ten minutes had past since the beginning of the race and she hasn’t even seen as much as an antenna of a Wurmple. “

“This forest is very dark," observed May as she shivered. "Not to mention cold as well…”

May paused. She swore she saw a Wurmple around five meters a head of her, in the long grass.

“Hold it there Wurmple, I’m going to catch you!” whispered May as she silently crept towards the Wurmple.

(Somewhere else in the forest at the same time)

Brendan whistled as he leisurely strolled through the Petalburg Forest. He decided he would call his Poochyena, Hyene after one his ex-neighbours pet dogs. Brendan releases Hyene from his ball and walk with him there. Then he heard a scream. Brendan ran towards the source of the scream. There was a man who was on the ground, lying with clear shock.

“Are you alright?” asked Brendan

“Yes, but the Devon Goods…”

Brendan beckoned the Devon man to go on.

“See, I work you Devon, and I was returning from Petalburg City with the urgent parts for the Devon Goods. A man who lives in Petalburg City had finished them and informed Devon that the goods were finished. The finished Devon Goods I was carrying are vital for Stern’s Submarine and the new S. S. Tidal. But, then two men, one in red carrying a symbol which seems to look like a mountain but with a hole at the bottom, the other in black, carrying a symbol that looks like a Black “M” came out of no where and stole the goods off me! Oh no if the President hears about this…”

“So you’re basically implying that those men must be stopped and the goods must be reach Rustboro City in good condition?” Brendan inquired

The man nodded furiously.

“You stay here, I’ll be right back” shouted Brendan and he was off.

(Somewhere else in the forest)

May edged closer towards the Wurmple. She slowly took out a Flare’s pokeball and got ready and spun.

“Go Flare! Use Focus Energy!” said May as she allowed Flare out of her ball.

Flare closed her eyes and concentrated. A red aura started to form around the chicken pokemon.

“Now Flare! Scratch Attack! Go!”

The Torchic then unleashed her saved energy in one fierce and quick scratch. The Wurmple tried to turn around but it was too late. It was a score. The Wurmple was in perfect condition for catching.

“Go pokeball!” and May threw her pokeball at the Wurmple. The ball moved and flashed a bit then it lay still.

“Yay! I caught my first pokemon ever! And a Wurmple too! I think I’ll name you Beau because you’re a boy and beau means beautiful in French for males!” said May as she smiled and attached Beau’s ball to her trainer’s belt. ‘I wonder what Brendan’s doing’ wondered May as she continued walking towards the exit.

(Somewhere else in the forest)

Brendan saw a man in red clothes running a head of him. Brendan quickly took out Hyene.

“Hyene! Tackle that man now!” commanded Brendan

The wolf pokemon ran towards the grunt with his teeth showing. The Grunt saw what was chasing him and took out his own Poochyena to protect himself.

“Poochyena! Use Sand-Attack to stop the kid’s Poochyena from tackling me!”

The foe nodded and sprayed sand into Hyene’s eyes. Hyene growled as he tried to see what was going on.

“Now Poochyena! Bite the adversary!”

The enemy bit Hyene. Hyene whimpered in pain as the other Poochyena bit his neck.

“Hold on Hyene! Use Howl to scare the Poochyena for now!”

Hyene let off a blood-curling howl. The other Poochyena barked and got confused.

‘Brendan think, Brendan think’ Brendan took out his pokedex as he kept on thinking ‘Brendan think, Brendan think’. “Let’s see what attacks Hyene has. Tackle, Howl, Bite, Iron Tail- Hold on a sec, Iron Tail? Rayquaza, what happened here? Hyene is one weird pokemon. But I think I now have the perfect plan of winning this battle.” Brendan exclaimed.

“Hyene! Tackle those trees around the Poochyena!”

The wolf pokemon starting knocking down trees all around the Poochyena, making a wooden cage.

“What’s happening?” the Grunt asked in panic

“Go Poochyena! Use Sand-Attack!”

Brendan smiled. “I think I won this battle, Hyene! Finish him off with Iron Tail!”

While the enemy tried desperately to escape the cage, Hyene rapidly gained speed, and using a standing tree, he struck the foe with his hardened tail, fainting it.

Brendan walked to the Grunt made him face Brendan, whose ruby eyes had twin fires in them.

“Who are you and where are the Devon Goods? Answer me or Hyene eats you for dinner!”

“I, I’m from Team Magma. Don’t kill me, it isn’t my fault. That Laura from Team Black had infiltrated Team Magma and now Team Black has complete control of Team Magma! Don’t hurt me, please!” cried the Magma Grunt

“Where are the Goods?” asked Brendan in his fiercest voice

“Ha, Half of them are with that Team Black Grunt who accompanied me. With Maxie didn’t fall for that Laura’s trick…” said the Magma Grunt

“And the other half?”

“Here! Take it and your prize money! Leave me alone! Wahhhh!” cried the Grunt who dumped the objects, grabbed his pokemon and ran

Brendan picked up the goods and the money as he pondered aloud: “I’ve heard of Team Magma before, they caused the Groundon Catastrophe a year ago and they could have destroyed the Hoenn region if Team Aqua didn’t save the day. But who are Team Black?”

(Later at the Pretty Petals Shop)

The Devon man thanked Brendan for the parts. Although half of them were missing, all the necessary one were there. Brendan sat by the exit of the Petalburg Forest, waiting for May when-

“Brendan Birch!”

Brendan turned his head around to find a very triumphant-looking May Maple standing there with a pokeball in her hand.

“Look! I caught a Wurmple! I named him Beau! And it seems you must face Roxanne first!” said May with a smug look on her pretty face.

Brendan laughed. “But I won a pokemon battle with Hyene AND got to this shop before you so technically I win!”

“No fair! I got lost!”

“And you complain about my map reading skills? You are so funny YAM!”

“Well that was a stupid race, let’s have a PROPER one. For example, a race to Rustboro City and the loser really DOES have to face Roxanne first!” replied May and she then pushed Brendan into a muddle puddle. “The race has just started! See you in Rustboro City, Nad Nerb!”

“No fair! I’m coming for you Yam!”

‘I’ll worry about this later. For now, I’m going to enjoy what I can!’ thought Brendan as he ran after a certain chestnut –haired girl in the sunset horizon.

(Author’s notes: Yay! I’m sorry I used the names Muddy and Flare for the starters. I didn’t know they were Breezy’s! At least I made up the names Beau and Hyene (Like in Hyena, get it?)

[Draco Malfoy]

Chapter 5- The First Challenge; Tests and Battles!

It was a perfect day. The sky was cloudless, the sun was warm, and the breeze was just cool enough to make the day look promising. A teenage girl with chestnut-hair yawned as she opened her eyes. She drowsily grabbed her PokeGear and checked the time. It was nine past seven in the morning; time to get up. The girl reluctantly forced herself out of her bed opened her door. Other trainers in the female dormitory were waking up. They were all heading towards the Pokemon Centre cafeteria for breakfast. The chestnut-haired girl walked into the cafeteria looking for her traveling companion. Not that she wanted to see him anyway.

“Hey May! Over here!”

The girl turned around and sat next to the teenage boy. She grumbled as the boy initiated a conversation.

The boy smirked. “Look’s like somebody isn’t a morning person!”

“Shut up, Brendan. Can’t you see I’m tired! Oh, I wish I didn’t get lost in the Petalburg Forest yesterday! If it wasn’t for that I wouldn’t be so exhausted,” snapped May impatiently.

Brendan smiled. “At least you won the ‘official’ race. I have the face Roxanne first, remember? Just because you cheated and pushed me into a mud puddle which gave you a head start!”

“You have to face Roxanne first, you have to face Roxanne first!” jeered Mat lightly.

“I thought you were meant to be fatigued?” questioned Brendan as he raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

“Oh I forgot I am! Because I’m so ‘tired’, being the gentleman you are, would you get me some breakfast?”

“Come on! Good radiance! Can’t you walk over there YOURSELF?” Brendan complained.

“No”

“Why should I get you breakfast anyway?”

May thought carefully then she answered him: “Because I’m a frail sickly girl and unless you’re a vulgar barbarian I suspect you are, you would get me breakfast.”

Brendan raised his hands in defeat. “Okay, I’ll get you your ‘well deserved’ breakfast, my regal lady!”

May laughed and smiled in triumph as Brendan walked across the cafeteria and grabbed two plates; one for May and one for himself.

“I’ll have a giant piece of toast with jam, two hard-boiled eggs, a sausage and that muffin. Oh, and add bacon to that list as well!” directed May playfully.

“Fat pig,” muttered Brendan as he grabbed what May wanted.

As Brendan busied himself with fulfilling May’s hunger, May stared at Brendan. Brendan had the softest looking black hair which was usually hidden by a white bandanna. He had a nice well-sculptured body which girls drooled over. But it was his eyes that got May the most. His eyes were a red with tints of brown; they were like rubies, so piercing, so admiring and so sincere.

“Hey May, what are you staring at?”

May blinked then she shook her head. Her delicate porcelain-like cheeks were tinted with red. ‘Urgh! What’s wrong with me? I was daydreaming and fantasising about Brendan Birch! And nearly got caught too! Maybe a caught a cold or something!’

Brendan raised an eyebrow as he sat down with their breakfast. “No, I was admiring, um, how tasty the food looks, oh this cafeteria is really good, hee, hee, ha, don’t worry!” May replied nervously, hoping Brendan would accept her answer.

Brendan just shrugged his shoulders and he took a bite into his piece of toast. “Dig-in, you’ll need your energy for today. You’ll have to face Roxanne as well if you want the Stone Badge”,

May nodded as she dug into her food. ‘May be travelling with Brendan Birch isn’t as bad as I thought…’

(Later)

Brendan sighed as he walked out of the Rustboro City Pokemon Centre. He was used to this city. He once went to school here. And the school left him a very bad impression of Rustboro City. For Brendan, after he received the Stone Badge, he would quickly flee from the city to either Mauville City or Dewford Town, both towns complete with a pokemon gym where he could get his next badge. Brendan sighed as he adjusted his bandana as a certain brown-haired girl with a red bandana exited the Pokemon Centre.

“Well, are you ready May? Are you sure you can really get this badge? I’m warning you, you would not like this gym,” Brendan warned as they got closer to the Rustboro Gym.

“Of course I am! Shouldn’t you be worried instead? You are going first!”

“But I know this place better than you do. I went to school here once!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll do just fine. You just promise you’ll get the badge so I have some motivation to get mine as well!” May assured firmly.

Brendan nodded. “Okay, here we go!”

Standing in front of the Rustboro Gym Entrance, May puts on a confident grin and opens the doors. May was about to declare a challenge against Roxanne when she finds a lecture theatre, complete with its own podium and whiteboard instead of the traditional pokemon battle arena she had expected. May turned around confused saying, “Brendan, what’s happening?” when she finds her male companion isn’t there.

“Brendan? Where are you?” called out May when all of a sudden, pokemon students, lecturers and all sorts of nerdy people came rushing into the Gym. They all sat down to their desks in a hurry and started opening their textbooks and notepads. May ran outside to check if she was in the right place and Brendan didn’t play a nasty trick on her, sending her to a pokemon school instead of a Gym. The sign read ‘Rustboro Gym’. May walked back in, wondering if she was in the right place. Then suddenly, she heard a feminine voice. “Quiet down people. Turn to page twenty six. The pokemon Skitty may learn the attack Heal Bell, if in special circumstances-”

May looked at the female lecturer. She had straight black hair tied by a red bow. The lecturer was dressed in a grey school uniform. She looked around sixteen or seventeen. The lecturer went on. “And when you allow a Skitty to touch a Moon Stone, the Skitty would evolve into a graceful Delcatty. Any questions? Good. Now could you two hand out the test papers? After you have received one, please put your name on it and wait for my signal.”

May looked confused and she started to get really baffled. She then looked up and saw a familiar looking boy with soft-looking black hair. It was Brendan and he was putting away his textbook and putting his name on the test paper.

‘What is he kidding? Filling out tests while we need to get the Stone Badge? Does he even want to participate in the Hoenn League?’ thought May as she clenched her fists. She stomped all the way to where Brendan was sitting.

STOMP, STOMP, STOMP, STOMP

Everyone looked up from their test papers and looked to who was causing the chaos. Brendan looked up from his paper and grinned as he saw May.

“Nice of you to join us May. Please take a seat and stop stomping around the place. Your stomping is so loud it might even awake the extinct dinosaurs from their slumber!” said Brendan, grinning.

“Hey Brendan! I have a question to ask you. DEAR RAYQUAZA, WHERE ON EARTH ARE WE!” May bellowed fiercely, causing Brendan to flinch.

“Excuse me Brendan, who might this young lady be?”

May turned around it was the lecturer. Brendan smiled as he introduced May to the lecturer.

“Roxanne, this is May Maple, my unfortunate travelling companion. May, this is Roxanne, the top scholar of Rustboro Trainers’ School, one of my best friends and Gymleader of Rustboro City Gym”

“WHAT!”

Everybody winced as they heard May’s high-pitched, almost supersonic scream.

“It, it can’t be, but this isn’t a Gym, it’s more like a classroom!” May spluttered

Roxanne laughed. “This is a classroom AND a Pokemon Gym. Trust me on that. I trust you wanted to challenge me to a pokemon battle and try and win the Stone Badge?”

May eagerly nodded while Brendan tried to contain his laugh, as he knew what May’s reaction would be like when she hears the truth.

Roxanne beckoned to a desk. “Then sit down and get ready for the test”

May shock her head and thought again. ‘Did I hear that correctly? Roxanne wants be to do a test instead of a pokemon battle! This isn’t a Gym! It’s a classroom!’

“Um, I’ll just go outside for a moment. Maybe I should try just Pokemon Contests! Um, I’m bad at tests so excuse me! Ha, ha!” excused May as she headed towards the doors.

Brendan suddenly laughed. He couldn’t help himself. It was just too funny. “May, you are so funny! You are really dense, YAM!”

“Am not, Nad Nerb!”

“Guys! Calm down. May, I understand you were expected a battle arena, not a lecture theatre. But don’t misunderstand! I’ll explain. See, I teach at Trainers’ School every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. I close the Gym during those days. On Saturdays, I either practise with my pokemon in this Gym or I go outdoors and train with my pokemon at the Meteor Falls. I rest at home on Wednesdays. But everyday Sunday, trainers may challenge me to a pokemon battle for the Stone Badge. But because so many trainers challenge me, I cannot face all of them. So I give all the challengers a test and the top scorer gets to battle me!” Roxanne replied happily pulling out a test paper. “Now take this test paper and enjoy the beauty of studying!”

May grumbled as she grabbed the test paper and sat next to Brendan. Brendan tried to suppress a laugh as he saw May complaining and mumbling about the test paper.

Roxanne looked at her PokeGear’s watch. “Okay you may begin your test!”

Everyone flipped their tests over and the test began.

Brendan grabbed his pen and started filling in his answers with ease. He looked at May. She seemed to have trouble even completing the first question. Brendan smiled as he continued answering the questions. This was going to be easier than he thought.

(Later)

The trainers chatted casually when suddenly a Gym assistant rushed out from the backdoor and whispered something in Roxanne’s ear. Roxanne gasping as she walked onto the podium and started addressing the trainers.

“Attention trainers! The results are out. I have them in my hand right now, but there is something more important to attend to first. For the first time in five months, not one, but TWO people have received one hundred percent! This is a great achievement!”

The trainers clapped in applause and allowed Roxanne to continue. But one nerdy looking trainer raised his hand.

“Yes?”

“But that means two people are tied in the test! What are you going to do? Are you doing to make a tie-breaker or battle them both?”

Roxanne thought carefully then answered the trainer’s question. “Yes, I would battle them both. And the two lucky trainers are,” said Roxanne as she tore open the folder. “Brendan Birch and May Maple!”

Brendan raised an eyebrow as he looked curiously at May. May sighed deeply in relief as she laid back and relaxed, avoiding Brendan’s stare.

“How did you, in the name of Deoxys, manage to get one hundred percent!” hissed Brendan.

May looked at her shoes. “Well, the test was kind of easy once you got the hang of it. In fact my dad already taught me everything on that test when I was twelve. But, well, the reason why it was hard at first was, because, um, I was really worried I would fail!”

Brendan smirked as he taunted her. “Ah, little lickle May was so afrwwaid she would fwail the test! I’m impressed you even managed to hold your pencil correctly, YAM!”

“For your information, I managed that test better than others. In fact I managed to keep my dignity along the way as well!” pouted May.

“Attention trainers!”

Everyone focussed their attention back to Roxanne.

“Brendan Birch! You will face me first!” shouted Roxanne and she pushed a large red button and the podium. Suddenly, the seats in the room started to move to the sides, revealing a hidden Battle Arena. The Battle Arena had an abundance of rocks, boulders and dirt. Roxanne swiftly jumped from the podium and landed gracefully in the Gymleader’s platform. A Gym assistant stood on the Referee’s Stand.

“Brendan Birch”

Brendan beamed and quickly jumped from the seats and landed in the challenger’s platform.

The Referee stated the rules clearly: “Each trainer can use a maximum of three Pokemon each. No time limit. The challenger can switch Pokemon at anytime, while the gymleader cannot. The first pokemon to faint is the loser. Commence battling!”

“Although you’re one of my best friends, it doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on you!” Roxanne cried. “Go Graveler!" she threw a pokeball and a Graveller emerged when the white light died down.

“All right! Let’s get this party going! Go Hyene!” Brendan yelled as he threw the pokeball and released the Poochyena.

Hyene snarled at Graveler as his fur bristled.

“Go Graveller! Use Rock Blast! Go!”

The Rock pokemon started to pick up huge boulders and throwing them at Hyene with his four arms with intense power and velocity. Hyene yelped as he tried dodging the attacks but no avail; on numerous occasions, he got severely hit by the flying boulders and stones.

“Hyene! Are you okay?” Brendan asked, very worried.

Hyene nodded.

“I’m so sorry Hyene; I think you deserve a rest. I’ll let Muddy take over from here. You did a good job,” smiled Brendan and he returned a battered Hyene into his pokeball.

Roxanne looked with her arms folded at Brendan as she commented: “Are you finished yet? Have you realised you cannot beat me?”

Brendan turned around fiercely as he enlarged a pokeball.

“Nope, I’ve just started. Go Muddy! Show that Graveler what you’re made of! Tackle that Rock Golem!” Brendan cried as he released Muddy from his ball.

The Mud Fish pokemon sprinted and lunged at his foe, but Graveler quickly moved out of harms way.

“My Graveler is too fast for you, you’ll never manage to hurt it!” yelled Roxanne.

“We will see about that! Go Muddy! Wet that piece of rock with Water Gun!” Brendan ordered.

Muddy opened his mouth and started to launch a watery assault on Graveler.

“Graveler! Dodge it and use Magnitude!”

Graveler replied obediently and he put his four arms on the ground and then suddenly the ground starting to shake violently.

“Watch out Muddy! Jump! Get off the ground! It’s a Magnitude six!” said Brendan in a frantic voice.

The Mudkip jumped in the air while the earth was violently shaking. The Graveler was still concentrating on making the ground shake with Magnitude.

“Now Muddy! Use Water Gun!”

Muddy shot a jet of water, aimed at Graveler but Graveler quickly dodged the attack once more.

“You’ll never hit my Graveler! Admit it Brendan, you lost this battle!” said Roxanne triumphantly.

Brendan grinned. “I wasn’t aiming at your Graveler. I was aiming at something else! Look at the ground surrounding your pokemon!”

Roxanne peered on at the earth. She gasped. The earth surrounding Graveler had become wet, due to the various Water Guns and had become muddy.

“Now Muddy! Use Mud Sport! Now!”

Muddy started to spray mud everywhere, making the whole Gym covered with mud.

“Now use Mud-Slap on Graveler! Go!” Brendan commanded and the Mud Fish jumped in front of the Rock pokemon and slapped Graveler with mud, weakening him and blinding him temporarily as well.

“Go Muddy and finish that weak blind Graveler off with a full Water Gun!”

Muddy leapt behind Graveler and prepared to launch a powerful Water Gun.

“No! Graveler use Defence Curl! Graveler!” Roxanne ordered frenetically at her helpless Graveler.

Graveler, in one last futile attempt, tried to protect himself with Defence Curl but it was too late, the Water Gun blasted Graveler across the room and he lay there, in a fainted and tired state.

“Graveler is unable to battle, I declare Brendan the winner!” declare the Referee.

Roxanne was silent for a moment. Then she looked up and congratulated Brendan.

“Hey Brendan! Nice match! I must say, Muddy has improved a lot. I, Roxanne of Rustboro City, award Brendan Birch with the Stone Badge!” and Roxanne handed Brendan a grey-coloured badge

Brendan beamed as he received the badge and attached it to his bag. He turned around to Muddy and returned him to his ball. Brendan revolved around to May and said: “Hey May! I got the Stone Badge! I think it’s your turn!”

May scowled at Brendan. Brendan grinned nervously as May edged closer to him. She was covered in mud from Muddy’s Mud Sport and so was everyone else in the Gym. May’s sapphire eyes gleamed dangerously as she gritted her teeth as she spoke to an unfortunate Brendan.

“Oh Brendan, did you ever give a second thought that I was in this Gym AS WELL! THIS WAS MY BEST SHIRT AND BEST SET OF PANTS AND SKIRT! OH, BRENDAN BIRCH, YOU BETTER PAY FOR THESE OR ELSE!” bellowed May furiously.

“Well, um, I’ll try! So don’t kill me!” Brendan said very timidly, afraid May would personally crucify him.

May’s eyes flashed even more dangerously. ‘On second thought, I’ll kill you anyway!” and she shrieked and lunged at Brendan. Brendan screamed and ran for his life while Roxanne and the others in the Gym laughed at this curiously funny sight.

‘Professor Birch is right; they are funny to look at! Mm, I better call Brawly and Wattson. They need to be prepared for these two as I got a gut feeling they have the potential to gain all the Hoenn League badges and further…’pondered Roxanne as she dialled the two Gymleaders on her PokeGear…

(Later)

A very satisfied May and a very battered Brendan exited the Rustboro Gym. After May thumped Brendan for running her clothes, she challenged and beat Roxanne’s Nosepass, thus gaining the Stone Badge. She cheerfully retold Brendan how she won her battle.

“And then I told Flare to use Ember on Nosepass. Obviously Nosepass couldn’t move because Beau used String Shot to bind the Nosepass tightly. And the string around Nosepass contributed in burning the pokemon and it burnt off the only part of Nosepass which could be melted off; the Magnetic Nose! And then Nosepass fainted and I won!”

Brendan massaged his black eye while only half-heartedly listening to May.

“Is that so? Well, if you finished, could you next time remind yourself NOT to go all berserk over your clothes? It hurts!”

‘And man, I now being a boy and all I’m stronger than her but man! I underestimated her! She’s stronger than I thought! She’s one strange her. One moment she looks like she’s going to kill me and the next, she is cheerfully retelling how she earned her first badge!’ thought Brendan as he winced as he touched his black eye.

May stopped suddenly. “What’s wrong?” asked Brendan in a concerned voice.

“Can’t you hear something, like a roar?” whispered May.

“No”

“Okay, maybe I was just imagining things,” May sighed as she continued walking.

ROAR

“Hark! Help Brendan! What was that?” asked May as she jumped into his arms.

‘Man, she smells good. It must be the perfume she uses. Wait, she doesn’t use perfume much! I must be sick or something!’ thought Brendan as he inhaled in May’s aroma.

“What did you say?”

“I said that-”

ROAR

“About what was that roar!” squeaked May in a frightened voice.

“Awe, lwittle May was fwrightened of a rwoar! Should I give her a bed time story and a pacifier to calm lwittle May down?” jested Brendan.

WACK

May’s bag met its target once more; Brendan Birch’s head.

“Ouch! That hurts!” whined Brendan

“Then don’t make me do that again!” said May in an angry voice.

ROAR

“Okay, this is getting serious now. Where is that roar coming from?” said Brendan in a stern serious voice.

Then Brendan and May suddenly heard a scream from the northern side of town.

“HELP ME! BAGON ATTACK!”

[Draco Malfoy]

Chapter Six- The Britney, the Bagon and the Introduction of Team Black

“HELP ME! BAGON ATTACK!”

Brendan spun around and started running to the northern part of Rustboro City.

“Come on! Let’s go May!” beckoned Brendan as May nodded and started to sprint towards where the scream came from.

Brendan looked around. It was getting very serious; people were screaming and running south as blood curling roars filled the city. Brendan sniffed the air carefully. The air smelt a lot like burnt wood. The Bagon seemed to cause serious damage. While May checked her pokebelt her pokemon, Brendan looked at his PokeGear’s watch; it said eight past two.

‘That’s weird; Bagons live in the deepest caverns of Meteor Falls, Bagon Cavern, and that much closer to Fallabor Town and they usual come out at night. Why would there be a Bagon at this place, at this time of the day?’

The two pokemon trainers ran past the Devon Corporation Headquarters and found a man in a Devon Researcher uniform crouching down, hugging the Devon Goods tightly. He looked very frightened and taken-back. He had a good reason to do so to. Behind him was a dark-blue pokemon which resembled a miniature dragon. He had no wings but a very tough rock-hard head. He had two fangs coming out from the sides of his mouth. The rock-head pokemon could only be-

“IT’S A BAGON! RUN!” yelled Brendan and the Hoenn duo screamed and ran for their lives.

The Bagon turned his head around and faced towards the direction May was running. He growled and shot a ball of fire towards May.

May ran as a ball of fire headed towards her direction. May’s hand groped around in her bag for a pokeball. May sighed as she found what she needed and she released her trusty Torchic from her pokeball to protect herself. The things of the all the City of York. Goths had Germanic Citizens

“Go Flare! Use Ember to cancel out that fireball!”

The chicken pokemon breathed a ball of fire and disintegrated the Bagon’s fire.

The Bagon narrowed his eyes as he examined his new adversary carefully. Flare glared back at the Bagon as she prepared to launch another attack.

“Go Flare! Double Team! Surround Bagon!”

Flare focussed her speed and she started to run around in circles around Bagon. Flare and her Multiple Clones soon surrounded the Rock-Head Pokemon.

May grinned. “Let’s get this rolling! Flare! Peck him!”

Flare and her clones nodded and all the Flares disappeared except the on from behind Bagon. The chicken pokemon then hard slammed into the Bagon with her beak, delivering damage.

“Well I just can’t let you have all the fun, Muddy come on out! Use Water Gun!” Brendan said as he released Muddy from his ball.

Muddy fired a powerful Water Gun at the Rock-head pokemon. But this time, the dragon was prepared. He turned around and countered the Water Gun with a –

“HYDRO PUMP?! That’s impossible!” yelled Brendan and May as Muddy struggled against Bagon. In the end, a Hydro Pump ALWAYS beats a Water Gun and Muddy was blasted into a near by Telegraph pole.

“Muddy!” yelled Brendan as he ran towards the mud fish pokemon.

“Flare! Ember Attack on Bagon now!” May commanded

Flare launched a powerful ball of fire from her mouth but the Bagon but the wild pokemon quickly spun around and countered the fire ball with a fire ball of his own. Brendan and May gasped. That Bagon was much stronger than they thought.

“Hyene! Come out and help Muddy and Flare! Iron Tail him!”

“You too Beau, use Poison Sting, go!”

The two young trainers released their pokemon, Hyene and Beau, to help Muddy and Flare. Hyene’s fist glowed with metal steel energy and tried to swipe the rock head pokemon with Iron Tail while the Wurmple filled his tail with poison and attempted to Poison String the Bagon. But Bagon was too fast; he summoned a deadly Twister which blew all four pokemon before they could attack.

“We need to think of a plan, FAST. Or else that Bagon is going to destroy Rustboro City,” said Brendan coolly.

“But the question is HOW?” hissed May as her eyes flickered towards the raging dragon who was now personally trying to set the Rustboro Gym on fire.

“Roxanne might be able to help but where is she?” May asked, now looking very desperate.

The teenaged trainer replied nonchalantly. “She’s said she was going to the Rusturf Tunnel to make sure Wally Wood is well on his way to his new home over the mountains. She had lent me this pokemon just in case something bad happened in Rustboro City”.

“Then use it!” cried May urgently. Brendan then threw the pokeball in the air and released the pokemon inside it. The pokemon was a –

“CRADILY?” Brendan and May cried in disbelief.

“Latias, how did she get her hands on a Cradily?” murmured Brendan in mutinous fashion.

“Must be from helping out the Devon Corp for a long time. Now use the pokemon Brendan!”

Brendan nodded. “Cradily! Use Ancientpower on Bagon!”

The Fossil Pokemon summoned a few rocks and showered them down on Bagon. The Dragon-Type cried in pain as the rocks belted him hard, causing many bruises and much damage.

May then saw her chance. “Flare! Use Flamethrower on Bagon!”

The Torchic took a deep breath and then unleashed a long powerful stream of fire onto the Bagon, causing the Bagon much pain.

“Muddy! Help Flare and Cradily out, Rock Tomb Bagon!” ordered Brendan.

The Mudkip stomped on the ground, and summoned the ground to surround Bagon in rocks which emerged from the ground. The rocks hit Bagon hard, causing even more damage. Then Bagon used his last strength to hide behind the pile of rocks the Rock Tomb had created. Brendan grinned and threw pokeball at the Bagon. The Bagon entered the pokeball and the entrance continued to flash red until it stopped, showing that the pokemon had now been captured.

“Oh yeah! I could a Bagon! Yes!” cried Brendan in joy as he held his newly caught pokemon in his hands. May grunted. “I could have caught that but I left my spare pokeballs at the Pokemon Centre,” she muttered angrily and returned Flare and Beau back into their balls. Brendan smirked. “You’re just jealous that I have a rare Bagon and you don’t!”

“Am not!”

“Am so!”

“Am not!”

“Am so!”

“Help me! Please!”

Brendan and May suddenly stopped their bickering to find the Devon Corp Worker Brendan had encountered the day before, sobbing idiotically on the ground.

“What’s wrong?” asked Brendan and May with genuine concern.

The Devon Corp Worker sobbed some more and then answered, “The Devon Parts, they’ve been stolen! That Magma Grunt from the Petalburg Woods stole them!”

Brendan groaned. ‘Not that guy again’ he thought

“Where did he go?” asked Brendan almost exasperatedly.

“Hush Nad Nerb, calm down, relax. I know you are mentally unstable but you don’t have to go beserko, right?”

Brendan chose wisely to ignore this comment for May’s sake but he smiled while he mentally planned to diabolically dissect May with a spoon. “Don’t worry May, at least I’m so fat I needed oil to get out of the swimming pool.”

May shrieked and unlike Brendan, tried to dissect him in real life but Roxanne’s Cradily held May off. “Obviously Roxanne thinks of everything,” muttered May angrily as the Cradily let her down again.

“Now where were we? Oh yeah, I asked you where the Grunt went. So?” inquired Brendan.

“Over there! He ran off toward the construction site for the Rusturf Tunnel! Please! You need to get them back!” pleaded the man.

May had then returned to her “normal” attitude again. “Of course, we will DEFINITELY get the parts back RIGHT BRENDAN?” asked May sweetly.

But when May turned around, Brendan had already started walking towards the Rusturf Tunnel.

“Hey wait for me!” May cried as she ran towards Brendan.

“Young couples these days,” muttered the Devon worker as he watched the two young trainers ran off into the distance

(Later)

“Muddy! Use Water Gun! Flare! Use Ember!”

The Mudfish pokemon and the chicken pokemon both shot their respective attacks at the enemy Pluse and Minun. The electric mice pokemon then fainted from the attacks. Their owners, John and Michael, then paid Brendan and May their money and left with their fainted pokemon.

“I swear this is getting easier everyday,” said Brendan as he patted Muddy. He then looked at May who was patting Flare. Brendan stared at May. May had the softest looking chestnut-brown hair which was usually hidden by a red bandanna. Her shapely body had the right curves at the right place; boys couldn’t resist her. But it was her eyes that got Brendan the most. Her eyes were cobalt with swirls of cerulean in them; they were like sapphires, so gentle, so sweet, and so caring.

“Hey Brendan, what are you staring at?”

Brendan blinked then he violently shook his head. A deep crimson blush started to creep up his cheeks. ‘What’s wrong with me? Jeez, I was daydreaming and fantasising about May Maple! Get a grip of yourself Brendan, this is May! May Maple, you can’t possibly fall for her! No way, this isn’t true, I’m probably tired from all that battling, that’s all.’

May raised an eyebrow as she returned Flare back into her pokeball. “No, I was just looking at the bushes behind you! I thought I saw a, um, a Skitty there just a moment ago!” replied Brendan nervously, hoping May would accept his answer. All of a sudden, May looked excited.

“A Skitty? A real live Skitty! I MUST catch one! There are so pretty! Where are they? Where?” asked May eagerly.

“Over there, it went to your left”

Then May thought for a second. “Then how about this! See that pathway over there? It now splits into two pathways, one’s going left while the other goes right. I’ll take the one on the left, while you take the one on the right. Both lead to the Rustuf Tunnel. So yes?”

Brendan thought carefully before answering. “Okay, but don’t get yourself lost Yam, I don’t wanted to lose you.”

May looked into Brendan’s sincere eyes that were filled with genuine concern.

May then sighed. “Okay, I promise”

(Later)

Brendan walked along the grass pathway. ‘I hope May’s doing alright… Why am I thinking of her so much, why?’ he thought inquisitively. Then suddenly, Brendan saw a bug pokemon with whiskers who looked very dull, a Nincada, emerge from the ground. ‘I’ll distract myself from my thoughts on May by concentrating on catching that guy,’ thought Brendan decisively as he enlarged a pokeball.

(Somewhere else on the other pathway at the same time)

May Maple grinned excitedly as she looked carefully for any Skitties in the area. She always wanted a Skitty, with its cute pink fur, adorable little face, kawaii stubby legs… May kept on daydreaming when she saw a flock of Tailows fly above her head. May gasped. A Tailow! She always wanted a Tailow as well, with its cute beak, pretty black feathers… May grinned as she enlarged a pokeball.

(Back to Brendan)

Brendan looked at the pokeball. It was the Bagon he caught before with Roxanne’s Cradily’s and May’s help. “I’m going to call you, Rocky. ‘Cause you have a rocky looking head and a thick skull, not literarily though,” said Brendan as he released Rocky from his pokeball.

“Go Rocky! Dragon Claw, now!” commanded Brendan to the blue skinned, titanium headed, dragon pokemon. The Bagon grunted and his paw glowed with Dragon energy as he ran towards the Nincada, striking it down with his Dragon Claw. The Nincada cried in pain but retaliated by Slash-ing Rocky.

“This is going to be one long battle, Bagon! Dragonbreath!” ordered Brendan.

Rocky fired a powerful breath of a greenish blue flame, laced with Dragon Energy at Nincada but Nincada then used Safeguard to protect himself. Nincada then opened his mouth up and sunk his teeth into Bagon, using a-

“LEECH LIFE? This is going to be bad! Bagon! Headbutt Nincada into a tree!”

Bagon Headbutt-ed Nincada into a tree, as he was told to, nearly fainting the bug type pokemon, making it perfect to catch. Brendan sighed in relief as he threw a pokeball at the Nincada, thus catching it. “Well was nice, hey Rocky?”

(Somewhere else at the exact time)

“Beau! String Shot on Tailow!” cried May.

The Wurmple shot a stream of string at the Tailow, who got tangled up, but angry now the less. “Good job! Return Beau! Come on out Flare! Ember Tailow!”

Flare emerged from her pokeball and she fired a ball of Ember at the String, burning all the String off but burning Tailow as well.

“Go pokeball!” May said as she threw an empty pokeball she picked up from the Pokemon Centre after the Bagon Ordeal. The pokeball’s entrance turned red while it beeped wildly then it stopped; it had been caught.

“Yes! The second pokemon I have caught! Yeah!” cried May as she did a small victory dance with Flare and Beau.

“Now let’s meet you properly, shall we Tailow?” asked May as she released the tiny black bird pokemon. The Tailow chirped happily and suddenly flew around in the air, very energised, at a fast speed.

“Wow! You’re a fast! I’ll call you Swift, is that okay?” May asked. The Tailow chirped in agreement. Then Flare saw a pink cat like pokemon move into her sight. Flare urgently chirped at May. May noticed as cried out loud, “It’s a Skitty! I must catch it! Swift! Use Gust while Flare, you use Ember!”

The respective pokemon launched a windy and fiery assault respectively at the Skitty who cried in alarm and Safeguard-ed herself. The Torchic and the Tailow looked at May.

May bit her lip before ordering, “Swift! Flare! Both of you use Peck!”

While Swift dived down at Skitty, beak first, Flare ran at Skitty with her beak out in front. The Skitty yelled in pain as both pecks hit her back.

“Now Swift! Use Wing Attack! Flare, use Body Slam on Skitty!” commanded May, now with a slight boast of confidence.

Swift hit Skitty hard on the face with his wing, sending Skitty flying a good few metres before she gains her posture again. Then Flare tried to Body Slam Skitty when the pink cat pokemon used Fake Tears, crying wildly, making Flare and Swift stop in their tracks and feel sorry and more vulnerable. Then Skitty grins and slaps both Flare and Swift with her tail via Double Slap, sending THEM flying a good few meters.

May gritted her teeth. She couldn’t lose. She couldn’t stand the fact that Brendan Birch, her crush, would laugh at her. ‘Just a minute, my crush?’ thought May. ‘No way is that insensitive idiot MY crush, not in a thousand years!’ May then looked at the Skitty and then formed a plan.

“Swift, return! Beau! Come on out! String Shot Skitty!”

As the Tailow returned, May’s Wurmple appeared and fired a surprise String Shot at Skitty, tying her up.

“Now Flare! Finish this off! Flamethrower! Go!” commanded May.

The Torchic took a deep breath then fired a great stream of fire, a Flamethrower, at the tied up Skitty, nearly fainting it. May then grinned and threw a pokeball at the Skitty, catching it.

“Yeah! I caught a Skitty! Two pokemon in one day! What good luck!” said May as she pocketed the Skitty’s pokeball and ran towards the Rusturf Tunnel.

(Somewhere else at the exact time)

Brendan looked up and saw the construction site in the distance. He started to run towards the Rusturf Tunnel Construction Site, as he spotted two familiar figures, one with a red uniform on, the other with a black one. Brendan raced towards them, while enlarging a pokeball.

“Go Muddy! Use Water Gun on those guys!” ordered Brendan.

The blue water pokemon launched a Water Gun at the two figures, blasting the red one, who was now on the ground while the black one remained unharmed and continued to escape. The man with the red uniform gasped as he released a pokemon. “Go Poochyena! Use Poison Fang on Mudkip now!”

The Poochyena’s fangs glow with poison energy and it bit hard on the dorsal fin Muddy. Muddy yelped in pain but luckily, he wasn’t poisoned.

“Okay Muddy! Use Tackle on Poochyena!”

“Counter it with a Tackle of your own!”

The two pokemon tackled each other, growling angrily. Then Muddy took the initiative and fired a Hydro Pump at Poochyena, blasting it into a telephone pole, fainting it with a powerful stream of water. Brendan then walked up to the Magma Grunt.

“Where are the Devon Goods? I know you have them, tell me now,” hissed Brendan as he held the Magma Grunt by the neck.

“The other guy as them, the Team Black Grunt…” choked the Magma Grunt who then fainted from sheer exhaustion. Brendan then heard a scream. He turned around. There stood a man, well into his seventies, bald and judging by his old fisherman’s clothes, was a veteran from sailing and fishing, crying loudly.

“What’s wrong?” asked Brendan gently.

“That guy in black stole my beloved Wingull and took it into the unfinished Rusturf Tunnel with him!” cried the man.

Brendan smiled. “Don’t worry old man. I’ll get your Wingull back for you”

The man had stopped crying but Brendan wasn’t quite sure if it was because Brendan promised to get his Wingull back.

“WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN OLD MAN? ARE YOU CALLING ME OLD?” bellowed the man.

“No,” answered Brendan nervously. “Well you’re not exactly well, at your best”

“Who gives you the authority to decide that?! I am much younger and healthy than you are, you old white haired man!” shouted the man. Now it was Brendan’s turn to get angry.

“Me? OLD? For your information, it’s a BANDANA, NOT white hair! And I’m only fourteen so I have MUCH longer time than you do, OLD man!” replied Brendan in an equally as agitated voice as the man.

“You insolate brat! Where have you learnt your manners, SNOWFLAKE?” shrieked the man, waving his fist in the air.

“I AM NOT SNOWFLAKE! It’s a bandana you crippled old man!” screamed back Brendan, who had already lost his patience. If he was old, which was true, why didn’t he just accept it?

“GET AWAY FROM ME SNOWBALL!” screeched the man

“WHO ARE YOU CALLING SNOWBALL, YOU OLD, SELFISH, CRIPPLED-”

“BRENDAN BIRCH! WHERE ARE YOUR MANNERS!”

Brendan paused and looked behind him. There stood May Maple, who had now, Brendan noted, two more pokeballs by her waist. He was dead now.

“Well, um, well-” stuttered Brendan.

“APOLOGISE! NOW!” commanded May.

The old man tried to hold back a laugh. May turned to him as well. “YOU APOLOGISE TO BRENDAN AS WELL!” The old man quivered as he faced May’s true wrath.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called you an ‘old man’”

“No, I’m sorry for calling you ‘snowball’ and ‘snowflake’”

May’s attitude suddenly changed. “Good,” she smiled warmly. “Now we can all be friends!”

‘Sometimes I really don’t understand her,’ thought Brendan. ‘One time she’s do gentle and naïve, you can honestly go and hug her. Other times, she is like Hell’s Empress on Earth’

“Anyway, I’ll go and get your Wingull, Mr-”

“Mr Britney”

“Yeah, I’ll go. I have some business to take care of anyway,” said Brendan as he headed towards the inside of the tunnel.

“I’m coming too!” cried May as she clinged onto Brendan’s arm. Brendan blushed when he saw May cling on his arm but he ignored it and walked into the Tunnel with her.

“It’s pretty dark in here,” May said as she observed her surroundings. Brendan nodded as they continued into the darkness of the cave. Then they saw a man wearing a black uniform consisting of a black short sleeved shirt with the symbol “B” in the middle, a pair of black cargo pants and a silver belt. Also, the man wore a bandana, much like May’s but black in colour of also having the letter “B” in the middle.

“How did you get here?” asked the man.

“We walked,” said Brendan simply while he enlarged a pokeball.

“Don’t expect me to hand over the Devon Goods! That measly Magma Grunt may have failed and handed them over but I, a Team Black Grunt, will NEVER hand them over!” cried the Team Black Grunt.

“Then I have no choice, go Rocky!” shouted Brendan as he released his Bagon.

“Go Snorunt!” cried the Grunt, throwing a pokeball, releasing a triangular shaped Ice Pokemon.

Brendan checked his pokedex for information on Snorunt.

SNORUNT: SNORUNT live in regions of heavy snowfall. In seasons without snow, such as spring and summer, this POKÉMON steals away to live quietly among stalactites and stalagmites deep in caverns.
“Okay, this is going to be a tough match, Bagon, use Dragonbreath,” shouted Brendan.

“Snorunt, Powder Snow!” ordered the Grunt.

Rocky fired an incredible breath of Dragon Energy at Snorunt who dodges it and uses Powder Snow by spraying a freezing snow from its mouth, covering Bagon lightly. The snow did little damage, but it chilled Bagon extremely.

“Bagon! Use Headbutt!” commanded Brendan

“Snorunt, Ice Beam!” screamed the Grunt.

Bagon tried to Headbutt the enemy Snorunt but the Ice Pokemon fired a dazzling Ice Beam at the pokemon, freezing it into a block of ice.

“Yes!” hissed the Grunt. “I have won now, Bagon cannot battle now”

Brendan smiled mysteriously. “Really? Are you sure? Rocky! Flamethrower!”

Suddenly an orange light shined from the frozen Bagon and then after a bright flash of light, Bagon was unthawed and ready to fight some more!

“Now finish Snorunt off with Headbutt!” said Brendan.

Rocky lunged at Snorunt and his owner, head first, smashing them into a wall and fainting both of them.

“Wow Brendan! I wish I was good as you,” commended May.

“Thanks May but you’re pretty good as well,” smiled Brendan. May’s face flushed red and she avoided eye contact. Brendan then saw a gagged Wingull, picked it up and tried to pick up the Devon Goods when-

“EARTHQUAKE! EVERYBODY RUN!” shouted a construction worker.

The earth shook violently and the cave started to collapse. “Quick! We got to get out of here!” cried May urgently. “The whole Tunnel is about to collapse!”

“Take the Wingull then!” said Brendan, thrusting the Wingull to May.

“But the Devon Goods-”

“We got to go now!” said Brendan and they rushed out of the cave. Everybody stood in horror as they saw the whole Tunnel collapse, with the Devon Goods inside. The Grunt was still inside as well. Everybody just stood in awe and disbelief.

“What do we do now?” cried a worker in anguish.

“We’ll have to close the Rusturf Tunnel Project. This project is too dangerous; we never knew this area was Earthquake Active,” answered another worker.

“Brendan, what about that poor grunt, however as much as a jerk he was, he’s got trapped under there!” cried May, sobbing wildly.

Brendan held her in his arms and let her cry. “It’s alright, it’s alright,” he said, trying to comfort her.

May then pushed herself away from Brendan and wiped her face. “I have to do something,” she said smiling. May walked up to Mr Britney and handed him his precious Wingull.

“Oh thank you, young girl! You are MUCH kinder than your boyfriend over there-”

“HE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND!” May screeched, so loudly that Mr Britney swore that reached the Supersonic Level.

Mr Britney smiled then asked May, “Is there anything I could do for you?”

“I don’t think so, anyway, Brendan and I can’t be wasting time, we have to get to Dewford Town or Mauville City to challenge either Brawly or Wattson,” chortled May in a cheery voice.

“Dewford you say? Across the sea? Well I am a retired sailor but if you want, I can get you and your friend across the sea by my boat. It’s at Petalburg,” the old man suggested.

“You really can do that! For us! Then definitely!” said May happily.

“I’m not going on any boats with that old man,” commented Brendan, calmly chewing on an apple.

“I AM NOT AN OLD MAN, SNOWFLAKE!” retorted Mr Britney.

“WHO ARE YOU GOING SNOWFLAKE YOU SENILE OLD-TIMER!” shouted back Brendan.

“This is going to be one long trip,” sighed May as Brendan and Mr Britney continued to argue all the way back to Rustboro City.

A young woman wearing a black uniform consisting of a black short sleeved shirt with the symbol “B” in the middle, a pair of black cargo pants and a silver belt watched Brendan, May and Mr Britney. She wore a bandana, much like May’s but black in colour of also having the letter “B” in the middle. But unlike the Grunt, she was an Admin and her clothing differed from the Grunt; her shirt had indigo strips incorporated with them and she also wore a grey Admin’s Vest. Her auburn hair went to her shoulders and her eyes were ice-blue; sharp and cold. She took out a pokeball and returned an enormous hog like pokemon, a Pilloswine, back into her pokeball.

“Good job Pilloswine in causing that Earthquake so we can get those Devon Goods later, I knew that miserable slim Rodrigues wouldn’t be able to do it,” she said as she returned her pokemon. Then she took out her PokeGear and answered it. “Hello Laura here. Yes John, I’ve taken care of it. Don’t worry about it. Could you cover up for me, I have some business to sort out,” she answered. Laura then released a Murkrow and it grabbed her shoulders. “Dewford City Murkrow,” she said and she flew into the distance…

[hypershadow995]

I'm really surprised that as well as this story is done, and the differences in all that I'm the first review. I really liked the story and happily await the next chapters!

[qwerqwer]

not emerald, but still pretty good. well job done. Just some grammar mistakes and more description but other than that, it good