I Choose You!

Chestnut hair cascaded down a young woman's shoulders, framing her distinctive facial features as she braided the luscious locks. Green eyes peered out the window of the taxi, scanning over the local fauna and nature's features as a large clearing came into view. The driver peered into the rearview mirror, stating they were now approaching New Bark Town. This was to be the girl's destination.

She tugged at the straps to her over shirt. They had a bad habit of slipping down her shoulders, revealing the noodle straps of her bras or bathing suits, depending on the season. Still, it was her favorite shirt and she wasn't going to let such a quirk stop her from wearing it. As she tied off the second braid, her hair was finished off in two braids, resting against her collar bone. Her bangs frayed about, too short to tie back, so they just framed the side of her face.

She reached her arms up, pressing against the cab ceiling above her head as she stretched. It had been a long journey from Goldenrod, but she managed pretty well. She began to gather up her small personal artifacts as they prepared to land, the young woman about to take her first steps into a Pokémon Journey. She had spent nearly all her savings on provisions, but she thought it worth it to get away from home.

"New Bark Town..." The girl read the name on the brochure she had obtained through the mail. She had paid for a starting trainer kit, and had been promised a starter Pokémon through the internet. She really hoped that the lab was real, and that she hadn't just been scammed out of her money. Still, they did send her the cab, so she figured it must be real.

"Alexis Printz, present this voucher to Professor Elm at the New Bark Town laboratory to obtain your starter kit, and choose your starting Pokémon..." She read aloud, walking through the quaint village. She took her first steps outside, raising the brochure to guard her eyes from the suddenly bright sunlight. She had moderate length jean shorts on, as well as hiking boots for comfort. She figured she would be walking a lot, so thought her current choice of attire would be appropriate for the walk.

Opening a complimentary map, she marked her path to the lab. "This way looks like it'll get me there the fastest," the girl muttered to herself, chewing on the back of one of her many pencils as she walked on. She was quite self absorbed, tunnel vision as she ignored everything going on around her. She still grumbled, not having enough money to blow on a fancy lunch.

A grueling walk later, Alex found herself at the doors to the lab at last. She was probably older than the usual starting trainer, but just as determined. She stared up to the building nervously. Her palms were sweating, brochure clutched tightly in her grip.

"Okay, this has got to be it..." Alex muttered, taking a wary step forward. The doors slid open smoothly, the building was clearly very high tech and well maintained. She stepped into the large entrance hall, book shelves lined up in rows with research podiums scattered about. She took a few steps in, heart thudding loudly as she prayed she was in the right place.

Her mind raced with what kind of Pokémon might be available for her to choose. She hoped it would be something cool, but cute. She liked things that were aesthetically pleasing, but could pack one hell of a punch. Kind of like herself, really. She thought about some of the Pokémon from Johto she used to see on television. Cyndaquil, Larvitar. Either could make a good partner. Oh, but there were just so many in this wide world, how would she ever be able to make any decisions?!

She paused, taking a breath as she felt dizzy suddenly. She had to stop working herself up like that, it could not be good for her. She would just take this one step at a time, like any trainer had to. "Umm...hello? I have this voucher, I'm here to pick up my starter kit..." Her voice echoed through the place, making her feel a bit uneasy and nauseated.

Alex was a bit surprised when one of the lab assistants popped up, seemingly from nowhere. Though startled, she seemed to have little to do with the sudden onset of motions. She handed over the voucher, and was whisked away down the hall. She tried to take in everything as they walked by, but there was more research in those halls than she could probably absorb in her life!

Finally they reached the back room, the girl stumbling up the shallow steps at first. She lacked grace sometimes, able to trip over carpet if she stepped just right. Still, she was now presented to the Professor, shaggy hair and thick glasses being the key features she picked out. She smirked a bit. He reminded her of a friend she once had when she was young. One of the few friends she'd ever really had, but still.

"Professor Elm? My name is Alexis Printz, and yes I'm here to start my journey with Pokémon. But erm-" Alex paused, looking down to the three balls presented to her. Through the translucent shell she could see what each one was. Cyndaquil, the fire mouse. Totodile, the big jaw water type. Chikorita, the leaf Pokémon.

"I was more hoping to get a Pokémon who would suit me...as a person, you know?" She asked, looking at them. They were all adorable. Both Cyndaquil and Totodile looked like they could be pretty badass, too! "Something that isn't too excitable, but has a strong passion," she said, looking back up to the professor.

"You do know their personalities, right? I mean- I've seen same species act entirely different before. No offense, but a sluggish Pokémon, or one that's too hyper I don't think I could handle." Truthfully she meant deal with. She just was too pessimistic about most things that weren't a happy medium.

She didn't want a Pokémon that was too much slower than her where she had to prod it to work. At the same time, a Pokémon she couldn't keep up with would be no good. She could just imagine a hyper Totodile, rushing off and causing trouble if she should turn her back.

Alex sighed a bit, relieved she hadn't offended someone of such high rank. She usually got along splendidly with higher-ups, and wasn't too keen on changing that trend just yet. Surprised that Elm opted for a different pokéball than one of those provided, she couldn't help but to lean in and try to get a closer look. She was less than impressed, though, once handed the ball containing a mere Cyndaquil.

She thought it was going to be some epic Pokémon he'd been storing away for a special occasion! But no, instead just another little fire shrew. Elm's words seemed to pass right through her ears at first, as she mindlessly brushed a stray hair back out of her face. Fruitlessly, I might add, as the damn thing refused to stay behind her ear.

"Wait..." She groaned, looking up to Elm as though he had lost his mind somewhere along the line. It was very possible, it wasn't as though he looked to be socially healthy or anything. His words sank in, Alex trying to make sense of them. "What do you mean he told you?"

She eyed the Professor warily, irises swirling an unsure hazel in color. She glanced down to the translucent shell, before tossing the ball to an open spot on the ground. Bursting open in red light, the Cyndaquil manifested before her. He looked rather ordinary. He was average size, ordinary colors, what was so special about this one?

He shook his tiny body before stretching with a wide yawn as he awoke from sleeping. "Hmmng? Oh hello, Professor!" Cyndaquil chimed in plain English. His voice was somewhat sweet, and clear as a bell. He sounded like a young boy, but had mature undertones. "Hm? Oh, a Trainer! Hello! I'm Cyndaquil, nice to meet you!" He smiled through his eyes, looking up to Alex sweetly.

Alex, on the other hand, was dumbfounded. She'd heard of rare cases where Pokémon could speak. However, most of them were Psychic types,like Slowking! Of course, Pokémon learning human speech wasn't entirely unheard of, but it was so rare that Alex merely gawked for a few moments, changing her glances between Cyndaquil and Professor Elm.

"Mhm!" Cyndaquil said, nodding enthusiastically. "Slept perfectly fine, Professor!" he chimed cutely, sitting rather quietly while Elm spoke. Alex couldn't believe her eyes - or ears, for that matter. He was relatively well mannered, which came off as a shock in and of itself. A polite Pokémon, she could just imagine. Excuse me, Pidgey, but do you mind if I battle you, and my trainer captures you? It was almost laughable.

"Alexis, huh? That's a funny name for a human," the fire shrew noted, tilting his head. It was only to be expected, he grew up with Elm and his assistants, most of whom were male.

"You can just call me Alex..." Alex trailed, mildly off put by the sudden abrasiveness. Still, he was just a young Pokémon, right? And when else would she get such an opportunity - to have a Pokémon partner whom she could communicate freely with! He wasn't all that bad, anyway. He was still one of the preferred species that Elm had offered, anyway.

"Oh, I like Alex much better!" Cyndaquil said, smiling and seeming not to really understand Alex's facial expression. He turned, looking up to Elm, "I think a new adventure would be great, Professor! I think I like this human, can I keep it?"

Alex scratched at the back of her head, but found it impossible to resist laughing. She burst out, clutching her sides suddenly. She couldn't help it! He seemed smart enough, but he was still so naive and cute! Cyndaquil merely tilted his head curiously at Alex when she laughed, mildly confused.

"Yes, Professor Elm. I think he would make a great partner," Alex finally said, once she had calmed down. She let out an audibly exhausted sigh as she tried catching her breath, placing one hand on her chest as her heart beat slowly returned to normal.

Cyndaquil squeaked a "Quiiil~" in excitement. Alex took it as his version of a girl squeaking noises when overly happy or seeing something too cute. She smiled gently at the creature, before she turned back to Elm. Taking Cyndaquil's pokéball, she minimized it, clipping it into the small section of her belt denoting a team leader. She then happily tossed the few empty ones into the mesh outer pouch of her bag, where they would be easy to access when she needed them.

"I really can't thank you enough," Alex began, taking the Pokédex in hand. She'd learned the basics of them in her extracurricular classes, but most of them were emulators. It was an awesome feeling to hold this one, and know it was attuned to her, and only her. It would serve as her ID, source of information, and even transport system for Pokémon. It was amazing how far technology had come.

"I don't think I have any other questions, but if I can think of any I'll be sure to get ahold of you, yeah? Oh, did you want my PokéGear number?" Alex pulled out a pen and tore off a small piece of paper from one of her notebooks. She swiftly jotted down her contact information, handing it over to Elm. "You know, since Cyndaquil is so close to you. This way you can check in on him whenever you want!"

Alex knelt beside Cyndaquil, who was minding his manners while the humans spoke. He was respectful most of the time, but every once in a while his excitement just got the better of him. He was essentially a kid, after all. A very smart, super powered one, but a child nevertheless. She placed her hand on his head gently, the blue and tan critter smiling back up at her.

"Nope, I don't have any other questions. I'll be going now, I'm sure you have plenty of research to do. Besides, I have an adventure to start. Uhm, I mean...WE have an adventure to start, right Cyndaquil?" Alex asked, standing up and looking down to her new partner.

Cyndaquil leapt up excitedly, "That's right!" he cheered, Alex barely catching him in her arms. She stumbled back a bit, catching herself on the steel desk behind her when she bumped into it. She chuckled a bit, hugging the warm fire type close.

After a few words were exchanged, and goodbyes were said, Alex and Cyndaquil set off on their journey. Theirs was a bond that would be hard to break, as though they had both just met, they already felt a deep connection to each other. The rest of the day was spent stocking up on supplies, and exploring the town. Besides getting used to everything, Alex had taken Cyndaquil out for lunch and ice cream as a treat.

A short while later, she could be found lazing about on a bench just on the outskirts of town, down Route 29. Her sun-kissed skin glistened under the afternoon light. She sat with one leg crossed over the other in a nonchalant fashion, much of her legs being shown off thanks to her blue jean shorts. She tugged mindlessly at her black tank's strap again, pulling it up to cover her bathing suit underneath. Her other hand held a vanilla ice cream cone, which she lapped at contentedly.

A bit got on her nose, eyes an emerald green in her good mood wincing at the cold sensation. "I've got it!" The young male's voice chimed. Her young Cyndaquil sat beside her, jumping up onto her lap and licking the frosty treat off the tip of the woman's nose. She laughed, playfully pushing the Pokémon back onto the bench seat.

"You already had one!" Alex teased playfully. They had finally left the center of town with their cones. Well, Alex had anyway. Cyndaquil scarfed his down fairly quickly. Apparently Pecha flavored was his new favorite. The two shared a good laugh, and Alex finished off her cone in a short period of time, especially since Cyndaquil 'volunteered' to help.

As much as Alex wanted to laze about for a day or two in this place, she knew all too well that to be a good partner to her Pokémon they needed to venture out and bond. Not to mention the fact that she would never catch any Pokémon hanging around the city like that!

"Alright Cyndaquil, we should really get going before it's too late. We don't need to be an imposition on anyone!" Alex announced, as she stood from the bench and stretched out. "Let's get started to the next town. According to the map it's only a few miles up, and a pretty simple path to follow," she pointed down the dirt path they were on. "There's a little detour around some high ledges, but it's no real problem." Cherrygrove City, her old home town...it had been quite a few years since she'd been there.

Cyndaquil hopped down from the bench,taking a few strides down the path as he looked down where his Trainer pointed. "So we just follow the dirt road? No problem!" The young male began bounding down the path a bit, before Alex called out to him. He halted in his tracks, turning back to her. "What's wrong, Alex?"

"You can't just go running off like that!" Alex scolded, catching up to her tiny partner with a light jog. "Don't you know? Wild Pokémon can appear pretty much anywhere on routes like this. It's better if you stay with me. Besides, we can't run the whole way, we'll be exhausted then!" Alex explained to her young partner.

"Oh...I'm sorry, Alex. I promise to never leave your side again!" the determined young male said with great enthusiasm. A little over zealous, probably trying to impress Alex. She shook her head, but couldn't hide the smirk on her face. He was just so innocent and unknowing of the ways of the working world.

"It's alright, let's just keep going, okay?" Cyndaquil nodded in agreement, and the two pressed on down the path ahead. They didn't know what was in store for them, but Alex well knew it could be just about anything. Trainers and wild Pokémon often stalked areas like this, making it an excellent training ground for beginning Trainers.

As the duo walked on, Alexis tilted her head back into her hands, fingers interlocked at the base of her head and neck. Her eyes closed as sunlight flooded into them, darting around at the shadows cast by her semi translucent eyelid. It was like holding a flashlight to your palm, and watching the back of your hand as the light shone through. It made her wonder for a moment (in a rather ridiculous manner) if people perhaps had some sort of photosynthesis as well. After all, there was no way her skin could be protecting from too much light like that.

The moment was short lived as again Cyndaquil darted off. Alex halted in her tracks, head jolting up as she opened her eyes and quickly glanced about for her Pokémon. She let out a sound of relief as he had only gone a couple feet from her and the main trail. She jogged over to him, ready to scold once more, "Cyndaquil, what did I just get done telling you?!"

Cyndaquil was staring off intensely, though it was very hard for Alex to read his emotions this way. He then glanced up to her, smiling through his eyes. "It's a Pokémon, Alex! Don't you see it?" He looked back over to the Chimorita again, Alex following his gaze. "For a second I thought he might have been my friend. But I can see now it's definitely a different Chikorita," Cyndaquil nodded to himself.

Alex blinked in surprise. First that Cyndaquil noticed the small Pokémon when she hadn't, and second that he could tell the difference between same species Pokémon! If she hadn't known better, she would have thought the two were one in the same! "Wow Cyndaquil, that's amazing! How can you tell the difference? They all look kind of the same to me..." she admitted, trailing off. She hoped it didn't sound bad, but it was the truth. She hadn't been around enough to be able to tell the differences yet.

Cyndaquil merely laughed off his trainer's words. "You humans all look the same to us Pokémon too!" He jeered, though quite jokingly. "But trust me, we Pokémon can almost always tell the difference. Especially when it comes to our friends! Besides, take a closer look at it!" He looked back up to Alex, pondering lightly.

Alex's eyes widened as she realized. The subtle differences, how could she have not noticed before?! Could this really be one of the elusive shiny Pokémon? As her first encounter?! She gawked for a moment, slack jawed.

"So, what are you going to do now, Alex? There's a lot of courses a Trainer can take. You can befriend Pokémon through means of bribery and friendliness, or bond through battling. Or we could just challenge him to a fight, that's how most Pokémon get stronger, after all!" Cyndaquil went on, prodding his trainer to make her move.

Alex scratched the back of her head, looking down to her small partner, then up to the Chikorita again. Her partner seemed to be teaching her a lot more than she was to him. Then again, growing up in a lab, that was probably rather inevitable. He was bound to pick up on a lot there. Apparently he had been rather observant and absorbed plenty from the Professor and his lab assistants. She briefly wondered if the Pokémon had even learned to read the Human language while there. No, can't get distracted.

She focused, determined eyes set on the Chikorita. "Well, how about we see what he wants to do, first? I mean, it wouldn't be too nice to just attack him if he didn't challenge us first, right?" She spoke aloud, more to herself than her partner. Still, he seemed smart enough, she figured he would have input regardless.

"That sounds like a great plan!" Cyndaquil chimed, jumping a bit in excitement. "I think you'll make a great trainer with that kind of compassion! It takes more than just brute strength to make a Pokémon Master, after all!" Cyndaquil cheered, ecstatic more than ever that he had been chosen by Alex. Chosen to be her partner, from now until the end.

Alex nodded, slight smile on her face as she felt a flutter in her heart. This was her first encounter with a wild Pokémon as a Trainer. It was exciting! Her body buzzed as she took a few deep breaths to calm herself before approaching the wild Pokémon. Cyndaquil stayed close to her side, to protect her in case things were to get dangerous. She stopped a few feet from the Pokémon, well within talking distance while not posing too much of a threat.

She again scratched the back of her head, somewhat embarrassed as the situation seemed awkward to her. Did she just...talk to it, like she would a human being? She was used to relying on food and gentle animal calls to try getting stray cats and the like to come to her. However, with Cyndaquil there that felt a bit demeaning.

"Um, hey there, little Chikorita!" Alex began, voice a bit higher pitched and softer than normal. It was her natural reaction when talking to animals of all sorts. "You look like you're really enjoying yourself, err..." This was just awkward, trying to make small talk with a random wild Pokémon. "Cyndaquil and I just noticed you over here, and we were wondering if you were hungry or anything. Or maybe if you wanted to have a battle?"

As Chikorita rambles in its native tongue, Cyndaquil was paying attention and translated for Alex. "Chikorita says he's hungry, and that he'll battle afterward!" The young make chimed sweetly to his trainer. He could tell Chikorita was a bit stuck up, but he didn't mind too much. He'd seen plenty of different attitudes come from Pokémon growing up with Elm.

"Oh? Alright, then," Alex said, shifting her pack from her shoulder. She gently set it in a patch of grass, fishing through for some of the supplies she'd brought along. "Here we go! It's the PokéChow I made before I left home," she said, bringing out a small tupperware container. She'd learned all the basics while at one of her old jobs, and hoped that Chikorita would like it.

She popped open the seal, taking a few of the kibbles in her hand and offering them to the wild Pokémon. "Here you go, try this!" Alex smiled, hoping the Pokémon would take it. "It's just a general pokéchow, so it should be alright for most Pokémon's tastes," the young woman noted, not that the Pokémon would care much about the process or anything.

"Oh neat, I didn't know you could make food, Alex!" Cyndaquil cooed, looking over the Pokéchow himself. Alex rolled her eyes with a smile, handing him a couple pieces from the bin. "Quiiil~" he squealed happily, nibbling on one of the pieces as Alex went back to her task at hand. She motioned forward with her hand, trying to beckon Chikorita to come and take some.

Alex was mildly enjoying watching the Pokémon eat, though the Chikorita didn't seem to fond of human made food. Still, he was eating it, and that was a good sign, right? Alex assumed so, as she turned to retrieve some more from her pack. However it was then that Chikorita decided to make its move, being the sneaky little bastard it was!

"Alex!" Cyndaquil shouted, his flames igniting in an instant. He was very perceptive, and had been watching Chikorita closely. His body was quickly surrounded in white streaks, the air around him seeming to propel him. He literally flew through the air at an incredible speed, slamming into Chikorita to defend his trainer!

Alex fell back, being caught by the brush of the attack. She squealed a bit, her Pokédex falling to the ground as it analyzed the situation. "Cyndaquil's Aerial Ace. A flying type move which is highly accurate and speedy. It cannot be avoided unless the foe is flying too high in the air, or underground. While performing the move, Cyndaquil can fly through the air."

Cyndaquil growled at the Chikorita, clearly upset that he had attacked Alex. However, Cyndaquil was sure that the attack must have hurt the grass type. "What's the big idea?!" Cyndaquil barked, standing his ground between Alex and the foe.

Alex quickly gathered her Pokédex and bag back up, scooting back from the battle. That was so close! A tackle attack from a wild Pokémon was likely to hurt, it probably would have bruised the woman's ribs had Cyndaquil not stepped in. She stared at the enemy in horror  shaking a bit as Cyndaquil stood bravely.

"Cy-Cyndaquil! Are you alright?" Alex stuttered, still shaken from the close call. Cyndaquil nodded silently, glaring at Chikorita to watch his every move carefully. Alex's eyes swirled colors as her emotions rocked her body, unable to comprehend how to really feel in the situation.

"Alex, you're my trainer. Normally I follow your commands in battle. Now give me a command!" Cyndaquil demanded, refusing to take his eyes off the foe. He didn't trust Chikorita as far as he could throw him, which with his stubby little arms wasn't far. Unfortunately, Alex was still somewhat shellshocked, and barely made a peep as she clutched her bag tightly to her chest.

Alex was still cowering, shaking even as Cyndaquil defended her. The Pokémon watched, horrified as the ball of energy rushed at him. He let out a shriek of pain, Alex wincing and even feeling tears form in her eyes. She couldn't use her legs, she couldn't muster the strength! What was happening? First experiences weren't supposed to be like this!

Cyndaquil got back to his feet, though it was clear the hit had done a good deal of damage. He grunted, looking scuffed already from the battle. "Alex...you have to give me a command...please!" the Pokémon pleaded, as he began to dart back and forth to try making himself harder to hit. Realizing his trainer was in no situation to be helping him, he opened his mouth, black smoke piling out to lower Chikorita's accuracy.

He rushed around the cloud, spewing spit fires into it. He hoped to strike the Cikorita with his Ember attack, but was somewhat fearful of getting too close. He hit hard, and he didn't know if he could take too much of that. "Please, Alex!" he pleaded, still sprinting about. How long he could keep it up was yet to be seen.

The powder scattered, Cyndaquil getting an unfortunately strong whiff of it. He coughed and choked on the toxic substance, feeling his energy begin to slowly drain. He felt sick, and was beginning to grow weak! "Alex...please, I need you..." he sputtered, trying to keep up his pace anyway.

Alex stared on in horror at what was happening. This was why she never felt a strong draw to Pokémon battles! That feeling, the possibility of losing someone. It was overwhelming. She got to her feet, tears somewhat blurring her vision. She took one arm and wiped the, from her eyes, the other still clutching to her bag mercilessly.

"I'm here, Cyndaquil! Tell me what to do, please!" The woman pleaded, too distraught to really handle this on her own. She thought this was going to be a friendly battle, or at least one that most beginning trainers might have. Not this, this was just horrible!

Weak and unsure if he would be able to continue bellowing out smoke, Cyndaquil resorted to another tactic. "The Pokéballs, Alex!" Cyndaquil shouted, feeling more of his energy drain with every move. Alex's eyes widened, clearing a bit. Her hand shot for the mesh pouch as she swiftly retrieved one of the empty balls.

Of course! If Chikorita was contained, he couldn't harm Cyndaquil anymore! She pressed the center button, the ball expanding to about a fists size. "Go, Pokéball!" She called, tossing the ball at the wild Chikorita. She merely hoped it would work, as Cyndaquil was looking awfully tired.

Alex became excited as the pokéball made contact, absorbing the grass type inside it. She subconsciously held her breath, watching as it rocked. However, when it broke free she hissed angrily. She retrieved the empty ball as it popped back to her feet. Cyndaquil on the other hand was still being slowly drained, even his attack lowering as the Chikorita growled

"Alex, he's not weak enough, yet..." Cyndaquil panted, glaring at his foe. "Try another attack first!" The youngster announced, prepared to go down to protect Alex. His tiny legs shook a bit as he grew tired.

"Cyndaquil..." Alex whispered faintly, looking out to her partner on the battlefield. He was just so brave, and so far she had shown only cowardice. She put on a face, nodding seriously as she pulled out her Pokédex. Surprised at what she found for Cyndaquil's moves, she hoped it would be enough.

By this point she was determined to catch Chikorita and teach him some manners. Even if she knocked him out now, it would only ket him recover to harass another trainer. She couldn't have that now. "Cyndaquil, quick use Extrasensory!"

She figured another ember or aerial ace might knock Chikorita out, she just needed him weakened. "Then smokescreen!" She'd heard wild Pokémon were easier to capture when their stats were temporarily lowered. Accuracy, attack, defense, any of them should help. Accuracy was Alex's target, wanting to keep him from hitting her partner if at all possible.

Cyndaquil glared at Chikorita, using a mysterious unseen power to attack with. Extrasensory was an odd psychic move, as Alex could see on her  pokédex screen. It had the potential of making the foe flinch if it was successful. That could give her the advantage she quite required. Cyndaquil then began to bellow smoke once more at Chikorita, Alex preparing another Pokéball before hurling it at the foe!

Alex clutched the ball in her hand, waiting for the right moment to strike. However, what caught her truly off guard was the small grass type rushing straight at her! As Chikorita lunged, Alex could feel time itself slow down around her. One foot shifted back, eyes widening before she clenched them shut, turning her face as she braced for the worst.

"Alex!" Cyndaquil called, though to the girl it sounded drawn out. He threw himself between them, taking the hit for her. Hopefully the angle he sank in at would knock the Chikorita off kilter as well. However, he was on the ground, shaking as he tried fruitlessly to get up "Do it..." he uttered weakly, collapsing again.

Alex opened her eyes as she heard the collision, watching as her Pokémon fell to the ground. Hearing his words, her body buzzed angrily. The adrenaline began to pump, and she quickly turned to the wild Pokémon, hurling the ball at him. "Pokéball, go!" she growled angrily, feet firmly planted with a now much stronger and confident stance.

Alex again found herself holding her breath, though this time it was far more urgent. When the ball came to rest with a light click, she let out the air in a sigh. It was relief, and the young woman fell to her knees shaking. She felt a little sick, looking over to Cyndaquil. He let out a weak cry, closing his eyes unable to move.

Alex again felt tears come to her eyes. It wasn't supposed to be this way. She was supposed to be stronger than this! She punched her fist into the packed earth, feeling small rocks dig into her as some tears fell to the dirt. She retrieved Chikorita's Pokéball, shakily clipping it to her belt before she stood, staggering over to Cyndaquil.

His body was limp, but warm. He wasn't dead, thank goodness for that. She held him close, sobbing into his fur a bit. Her knees were scuffed, hands and legs filthy. She began walking, her bag hanging from her shoulder loosely as she headed toward Cherrygrove. She had to find her energy again, she had to get Cyndaquil to a Pokémon Center.

She had troubles at first, thinking over the whole scenario and blaming herself time and time again. It actually managed to enrage her, thinking of the different potential outcomes. The things she could have - SHOULD have done as a trainer! She began running, faster and faster as she went on the path to Cherrygrove. She hoped she wouldn't get caught by any wild Pokémon, as hers were in no condition to battle whatsoever.