DPA: Rivals

*Daryon's Pokemon Adventure: Rivals* is the first installment of *Daryon's Pokemon Adventure*, and tells the story of Daryon Redic and his friends as they travel throughout the Kanto region.

## Receiving Starter Pokemon

The story begins with Daryon and Cameron at Daryon's house during a sunny day in Pallet Town. The two are watching a battle on their television between an Onix and a Gengar, with the Onix narrowly taking the victory. Tomorrow they would be receiving their starter Pokemon from Professor Oak. They discuss which type Pokemon they would like, with Cameron stating his preference for Water types, before being interrupted by Daryon's mother Teresa, who urges them to go to bed.

Waking up the next day, Daryon and Cameron discover that it is late afternoon, and that they had overslept. They quickly get dressed and rush to Professor Oak's lab, hoping to obtain starter Pokemon. Professor Oak tells them that all three starter Pokemon have already been chosen, but that he has two Pokemon left over for them to receive. The Professor gives Cameron a Mudkip, and Daryon a Pikachu. These two Pokemon don't immediately get along, but Oak is able to calm them down.

Oak gifts each of the new trainers a Pokedex and five Pokeballs. Daryon and Cameron both decide to have their starters outside of their Pokeballs. As the duo leave the lab, they are approached by Cameron's parents and Daryon's mother, who emotionally see them off on their journey.

With their newly received Pokemon, Daryon and Cameron decide to have a battle, which Pikachu, having a clear type advantage, easily wins. After this, Professor Oak sets them with the task of retrieving a parcel of his in Viridian City. The two trainers agree, and head off.

## First Captures

As the pair travel on Route 1, they approach a wild Spearow, minding its own business. Cameron suggests Daryon capture it, and Daryon agrees, sending Pikachu off to battle it. A single Thunder Shock and a Pokeball later, and Daryon has captured his first new Pokemon.

The two continue along the path of Route 1, until Daryon is surprisingly attacked by a wild Weedle. Daryon gets ready to capture it, before Cameron loudly interrupts him, exclaiming that he wants to be the one to catch the wild Pokemon for himself. Unlike Daryon's newly captured Spearow, this Weedle is determined not to be captured.

A powerful String Shot on Weedle's part completely immobilizes Mudkip. Cameron, thinking on his feet, uses the Weedle's next move, a Horn Attack, to his advantage, by getting Mudkip to jump into the oncoming attack and using the sharp horn to slice through the sticky webbing. Mudkip uses a Tackle, and Cameron throws a Pokeball, which after three shakes manages to lock and capture the opposing Weedle.

## Delivering the Parcel

Shortly after, the friends arrive in Viridian city, where their first decision is to stop by the local Pokemart. They collect Oak's Parcel before deciding to have a foot race as to who would make it back to Pallet Town first. Daryon wins this, although Cameron playfully suggests that he cheated.

Entering the lab to deliver the Parcel, they are introduced to Skye and Max, siblings. Skye is a new trainer with a shiny Dratini, while Max is her younger brother, a 7 year old boy. As Daryon introduces himself, Skye begins to tell Daryon she finds him cute, before Max interrupts her, dragging her off to the side, to which she protests.

Daryon, mildly confused, delivers the Parcel to Professor Oak, who introduces Max and Skye, who had recently moved all the way from the Alola region. Max starts to introduce himself before Skye shoves him out of the way, shaking Daryon's hand.

As the four characters share introductions, they are suddenly interrupted, as a Poliwag had knocked something over, grabbing their attention. Skye explained how earlier she had battled the Poliwag in the wild, but felt bad for it, and brought it back to Professor Oak to be healed.

Oak asks Cameron and Daryon where they plan to go, to which Cameron nervously replies that he doesn't know. Oak recommends the Pokemon gym challenge. Skye and Max, being from Alola, where there aren't any Pokemon gyms, ask for more information. Daryon explains that there are eight gym leaders in the Kanto region, and defeating each one grants entrance into the Kanto League Tournament.

Daryon and Cameron agree to do the gym challenge. The attention shifts back to the Poliwag, which Max asks if he could have. Skye explains that he is technically too young to have a Pokemon, but offers to capture the Poliwag for him and hold onto it until he becomes of age. Max runs off with "his" new Pokemon, and Skye soon follows.

Daryon and Cameron bid Oak farewell, and run off into the world of Pokemon.

## Boyfriends, Bulbasaurs, and Battles

As Daryon and Cameron began travelling through Route 1 again, on their way to Pewter City, home of the first gym challenge, it's revealed that Skye and Max had joined the two on their adventure, forming a group of four. Skye continues to rave about potential boyfriends before her Dratini, annoyed, uses its tail to cover her mouth, silencing her.

Daryon and Cameron discuss battling in the Pewter City gym, and Skye asks to watch their battle, to which they agree. Skye, elated, runs ahead. Max and Poliwag run to catch up. Behind by quite a bit, Daryon and Cameron talk about Skye, Max, and Cameron's stutter, which seems to be lessening.

Daryon and Cameron catch up to the siblings, and are about to continue on their walk when there is a sudden rustle in the bushes. A Bulbasaur waddles out. Daryon immediately goes about trying to catch it, sending out his Spearow. After a short back and forth, Daryon manages to catch the Seed Pokemon, adding it to his roster. Skye congratulates him with a hug, when suddenly a voice from behind draws their attention.

They are greeted by the sight of a young girl, about 15, who introduces herself as April, carrying with her an Eevee. Daryon, thinking April wants to battle him, takes a defensive stance, but she brushes him aside, wanting to battle Cameron instead. Cameron reluctantly agrees, and sends his Mudkip off to battle.

Mudkip performed a series of Tackles and Water Guns, over and over again, until it knocked Eevee out. Now confident in his abilities as a trainer, Cameron celebrated his victory, congratulating Mudkip. April, in good sports, congratulates Cameron on the win, before leaving, Eevee in hand. Daryon, wanting to battle April, is clearly irritated that she left before he had the opportunity to fight her, but Cameron calms him down.

## Hide-

Nearing Viridian City for the second time, Daryon asks Skye what her plans are. Skye replies that she doesn't have any definite plans, but is considering doing the gym battle and seeing how she felt afterwards.

The group arrive in Viridian City, taking a stop at the nearby Pokemon Center to heal up and rest. They meet Nurse Joy and her Chansey for the first time, who takes the Pokemon to be healed using the Pokemon Center's state of the art tech.

Outside of the Pokemon Center, Max and Poliwag are playing a game of Hide-And-Seek. Max ends up playing the Seeker, while Poliwag is supposed to hide. Unsure where to hide, Poliwag runs up the trail leading into the Viridian Forest.

Max begins looking for Poliwag, first behind a tree, and then inside the Pokemon Center. After rummaging through Skye's bag and not finding Poliwag, he begins to panic. At that moment, Nurse Joy approaches, returning each Pokemon to their trainers. Max, still worried about Poliwag, runs off, and the others chase him, straight into the Viridian Forest.

Meanwhile, Poliwag is walking through the Viridian Forest, now lost and scared. Hearing a sound, Poliwag begins to panic, ready to run away as an unknown person approaches. The person, a young trainer named Logan, is travelling through the forest with his own Pokemon, Oshawott. Seeing the scared Poliwag, Logan calmly kneels down and comforts the scared Pokemon.

## -And-

Daryon's group is searching through the Viridian Forest, looking for Poliwag. Max is in a state of panic, and Skye has to stay with him to calm him down.

As the group are walking, two wild Pokemon, a male and female Nidoran, can be seen in the distance. Daryon, being the trainer that he is, immediately goes about trying to catch one. He decides to go for the male Nidoran, and sends out his Bulbasaur to attack. After a very brief battle, he defeats the wild male Nidoran and captures it. The accompanying female Nidoran, whom Daryon learns is the male Nidoran's mate, decides to stay with its partner, and is willingly captured by Daryon.

Continuing their search for the missing Poliwag, the group suddenly stumbles upon something else, a small orange-red object. This object can speak, and introduces itself as Vince the Rotom Pokedex. Daryon and Cameron don't recognize the object, but Skye excitedly explains that the Rotom Dex is essentially a Pokedex that is inhabited by a Ghost Pokemon named Rotom, and is a common occurrence in her home region of Alola.

Vince explains that he was abandoned by his trainer because he could talk, and has been wandering for a long time before Daryon's group found him in the Viridian Forest. Cameron offers Vince a place in their group, and after some initial hesitation, he eagerly accepts.

## -Seek

The group eventually manages to stumble upon Poliwag, who is playing with Logan's Oshawott while Logan quietly watches. Max immediately runs over to be reunited with Poliwag. Logan, upon learning that Max had lost his Poliwag, scolds the younger boy. He then turns to the rest of the group and begins insulting them.

Daryon, standing up for Max and the others, and angry about being insulted., challenges Logan to a Pokemon battle, to which Logan accepts.

This battle is significantly more difficult than any of the battles Daryon had been in up to this point, with both Pikachu and Oshawott using their full strength. During this battle, Pikachu and Oshawott activate their Static and Torrent abilities, respectively, for the first time. And just when Pikachu seems to be about to lose, it learns Electro Ball, and is able to hold its own against Oshawott. After a few minutes of back-and-forth blows, the two Pokemon knock eachother out, ending the battle in a draw.

Logan and Daryon begin to argue, and this argument drags on for a while. So long, in fact, that both Pikachu and Oshawott wake up from their KO'd state, and begin playing during the dispute. Eventually, Logan and Oshawott leave, muttering incoherently.

Max and Poliwag reunited, the whole group continue their journey through Viridian Forest, and eventually make it out to the other side, arriving in Pewter City.

## An Ominous Threat

The next day, after a good night's rest, the group travels to the Pewter City gym, intent on fighting the gym leader for the Boulder Badge. Upon arriving, they encounter Brock, the Rock type gym leader. He is in mid battle against another trainer. The trainer returns a knocked out Sandshrew, and sends out a Torchic. Brock, using his Geodude, knocks it out using a single Rock Throw, ending the battle. He then congratulates the trainer, Evan, on a good match, before turning his attention to Daryon's group.

Skye, in typical fashion, swoons over the newly encountered gym leader, to which Max, as usually, responds by tugging her to the side by the ear.

Just as Daryon starts to request a gym battle, a younger person, who Brock later confirms as his younger brother, bursts in through the front doors of the gym. Said younger brother, Forrest, loudly exclaims "they're back" before leaving the gym as fast as he had entered. Brock tells the group that he has some business to attend to, and will have to delay the challenge until afterwards, before pacing out of the gym.

Evan begins to leave before turning to the group, joking about how they "distracted me" and how "I'll smell ya later." He laughs at his own joke, mentioning that he heard that a trainer named Blue used that as his catchphrase. He then walked out.

Daryon and the rest of the group leave the gym, only to stumble on a Pokemon battle between Brock and two other individuals, dressed in black uniforms with red R's featuring prominently on the torso. Brock was using his Geodude against eight Rattata and four Zubat, and was doing very poorly.

Daryon calls the mysterious figures out for using more than one Pokemon at a time, to which they laugh. They introduce themselves as Team Rocket, criminals, and tell Daryon to "get lost, kid" before continuing to beat down on Brock. Daryon, Evan, and Cameron all step in, while Skye pulls Max aside to a safe distance.

Cameron uses his Mudkip, and Evan his Torchic. Cameron advises Daryon to use his Pikachu, but Daryon shrugs it off, and, wanting his male Nidoran to gain some levels, sends it out to battle. For some unknown reason, Nidoran refuses to attack, forcing a frustrated Daryon to switch out to his Pikachu. Pikachu wipes out all four Zubats using a single chain Thunder Shock, eliciting a "my Arceus, that's epic," from Evan, whose Torchic takes out the last remaining Rattata. The two Team Rocket grunts, disgruntled, return their Pokemon to their Pokeballs and run off without a word.

Brock, appreciative of the help, lets Daryon and his friends know that the gym is open for challengers after they heal their Pokemon.

## Rock-Hard Will

After a healing rest at the Pokemon Center, the group enter the Pewter City gym for their first gym challenge. After a short discussion, everyone agrees that Cameron is the first to compete, and steps onto the set battlefield ready to battle. Brock sends out his Geodude from earlier, and Cameron sends out his Weedle, much to the surprise of everyone.

Brock pauses for a second, taken aback, before moving forward with his first attack, a Tackle, which Weedle takes the brunt of. Geodude rolls a few feet back, preparing for another Tackle, as Cameron orders his Weedle to use String Shot. Geodude is entangled in the webbing, but is focused, about to continue its attack when Cameron, without pause, orders Weedle to use the String Shot like a rope, swinging Geodude around the field and bashing it into the ground several times before Weedle let go. The Geodude, flying through the air, collides with the ground hard enough the make the ground rumble. Geodude is clearly knocked out.

Daryon's group cheers. Cameron goes about cheering his Weedle when suddenly it begins to glow, energy forming around it and taking a cocoon like shape as it evolves into its next stage, a Kakuna, a moment which causes audible gasps from everyone in the room.

Brock congratulates Cameron on the clever use of strategy as he returns his fainted Geodude to its Pokeball, and warns Cameron that his final Pokemon was going to be much tougher. Brock releases an Onix, which he immediately orders to bring down a Rock Throw. Cameron orders Kakuna to Harden, and Kakuna does so before taking the brunt of the Rock Throw with very little damage. This continues for a while, Kakuna using Harden and Onix using Rock Throw, before Cameron switches it up, ordering Kakuna to use Poison Sting on the unsuspecting Onix, who is unable to avoid the attack and is poisoned.

Cameron returns Kakuna to its Pokeball before sending out his Mudkip to attack. Onix, weakened from poison damage, is unable to properly defend itself against a barrage of Water type attacks that knock it out cold.

Daryon, Skye, Max and Vince erupt in applause, celebrating Cameron's victory as Brock, clearly impressed, hands Cameron the Boulder Badge. Cameron stutters a thank you before retreating to rejoin his friends.

## Rock Beats Paper

A short recess is taken so that Brock can heal his Pokemon. Daryon, the next in line to compete, is preparing his Pokemon. Cameron reminds Daryon that the Grass type is super effective against both Rock and Ground, so Bulbasaur would be a good pick. Pikachu, Nidoran and Spearow, being Electric, Poison, and Flying, respectively, wouldn't be very effective, Cameron notes.

Healed and ready to go, Brock invites Daryon to battle. Daryon steps into the stadium, and the battle begins. Brock sends out his Onix first this time. Much to Cameron's dismay, Daryon, hoping to get his disobedient male Nidoran under control, sends it out to battle. He tells it to use Poison Sting, but Nidoran refuses, just staying still, obstinate. Onix uses Tackle, sending the Nidoran flying across the room. Angered, the disobedient Nidoran attempts to Tackle the Onix, but Onix responds with its own Tackle, slamming Nidoran against a wall and knocking it out.

Daryon, irritated, returns Nidoran to its ball and sends out his Bulbasaur. He orders Bulbasaur to use Tackle, causing Cameron to audibly groan. The attack does very little damage, and Onix retaliates, knocking it out. As it is a two-on-two match, Brock wins, but before he can congratulate Daryon on the good battle, Daryon storms out of the gym.

## If At First You Don't Succeed...

Daryon, after healing his Pokemon at the Pokemon Center, took his time meandering back to the gym, pondering over what it is that went wrong and what he could've done differently. After a few minutes of thought, he began sprinting back into the Viridian Forest to test out a theory.

When he finally returned to the gym, a little less than an hour later, Skye was putting her fainted Dratini back in its Pokeball. Brock graciously congratulated her on the good fight. Skye blushes as she leaves for the Pokemon Center.

Brock acknowledges Daryon's return and asks if Daryon wants a rematch, to which Daryon replies with a yes. After a short break for everyone to be healed and ready, the match begins, Daryon sending out his male Nidoran. Brock, confused, inquired as to why Daryon would send out his Nidoran again. Daryon replied by simply opening his backpack. Daryon's female Nidoran popped its head out, growling a noise that was clearly directed towards the male Nidoran on the battlefield. The male Nidoran nods, clearly willing and ready to battle.

Brock smiles as he releases his Geodude, ordering it to use a Rock Throw, but misses as Nidoran charges towards the Rock Pokemon, landing a super effective Double Kick that immediately knocks the rolling stone out. Cameron, yelling from the bleachers, praises Daryon on his use of the female Nidoran to encourage the male Nidoran.

Brock, unfazed, returns Geodude, sending out his Onix. Daryon, intending to use the same strategy as he used with Geodude, commands another Double Kick. Onix, however, is able to use Dig to avoid the attack, and Nidoran is unable to avoid the brunt collision as Onix emerges from the ground, sending Nidoran flying, fainted.

Daryon thanks Nidoran for the effort as he swaps out the KO'd Poison type for Bulbasaur.

Onix attempts to go for another Dig, but Daryon doesn't give him the chance. Deciding to learn from his friend, he turns and winks at Cameron before bringing his attention back to Bulbasaur. Following Daryon's orders, Bulbasaur uses its Vine Whip to grab Onix and send it flying to the other end of the room, smashing it against one of the walls, only a few feet from Vince. Daryon apologizes with a laugh as Bulbasaur continues to smash Onix against various points in the building: walls, ceiling, floor, ceiling again, until finally letting Onix go to fly and smash against a column. Onix, very clearly out cold, is returned to its Pokeball as every one of Daryon's friends leave their seats to surround and praise Daryon for his creative victory.

Cameron tells Daryon how brilliant a move that was. Daryon attempts to give Cameron the credit, but Cameron interrupts, explaining that he tried that strategy with a Geodude, not a 28 ft. Rock Snake Pokemon.

The attention shifts to Brock, who is standing with a clear sense of pride. He thanks Daryon for the wonderful experience, and gifts him the Boulder Badge. Daryon thanks Brock, and the group says their goodbyes to Brock before leaving the gym, off to their next adventure.

On the way out, they bump into Evan, who quickly makes a remark about Daryon's Pikachu before running into the gym.

## Have A Nice Trip...

The group of five, after having rested and stocked up on supplies at the local PokeMart, continued their trek to their next destination: Cerulean City, location of the second Pokemon gym and, therefore, the second gym badge. Just beyond Pewter City stood the grassy, rocky wilderness of Route 3.

Just as the group left the city, they were interrupted by a stranger, who introduced himself as Michael, a deliveryman with a package from Cameron and Daryon's parents. The package contained custom running shoes designed for a journey of long distance. Daryon, whose shoes were beginning to fall apart, thanked Michael, who, giving them a note from the parents, left to deliver his next package.

The note told the boys how proud their parents were that they made it as far as they had and wished them the best of luck, and also contained some money for supplies and other necessities. Daryon folded this note up and kept it in his pack.

Cameron, now decked out in his top-of-the-line kicks, began to run, racing through the tall grass of Route 3, his feet feeling cool and free, when suddenly he tripped on something, knocking him flat on his rear. Turning to see the obstacle he had tripped on, he discovered a Pidgey, which he had straight up knocked out by accident. Shrugging, he clicked a Pokeball against it, catching it instantly and registering it in his Pokedex.

Over the next two hours, the group took the long walk along Route 3, battling trainers and wild Pokemon along the way, until they arrived at the base of Mt. Moon. A Pokemon Center stood just outside, and there they decided to take a rest.

While there, a shady man with a thin pencil mustache approached Daryon, offering him a powerful Pokemon capable of leaping mountains, for only 500p, or 500 Yen. Daryon, having just been given a boost in money thanks to his mother, accepted the offer, and was given a shiny Pokeball. Opening it, he released a Magikarp, which began flopping about. He turned back to thank the salesman, but the salesman had disappeared mysteriously.

## ...See You Next Fall

Upon entering the cave, everyone is taken aback by the sheer number of Pokemon in the cave, with wild Geodude and Sandshrew and Paras and lots and lots of Zubat. While staring at all the wild Pokemon, Cameron notices a light in the distance.

As he begins to walk towards the light, the light starts moving away. So Cameron moves faster. The light moves faster, and soon a chase begin, with the light in the lead, Cameron following, and the rest of the group behind. The group soon nears a waterfall, and the light begins to move faster.

Cameron, thinking on his feet, sends out his Pidgey. He tells Pidgey to pick up Mudkip, and to fly closer to the light. The light stops and turns around, and Cameron recognizes it as a Charmander. Cameron orders Pidgey to toss Mudkip into the waterfall, which Pidgey does before getting hit with an Ember. Cameron catches the falling Pidgey, before directing his attention back to Mudkip.

Mudkip, swimming through the force of the waterfall, follows Cameron's next order, using a Water Gun that has been powered up by the force of the rushing water. This massive Water Gun slams into Charmander, knocking it out immediately. Cameron throws a Pokeball, catching the wild Charmander.

After a brief moment of cheers from the group on the newly acquired Fire type, Daryon points out that they are now WAY off the official path, and are lost in Mt. Moon.

## A Breath of Fresh Ero

Three days later, the group finally manages to find their way to the other side of Mt. Moon, exhausted. After thousands of Zubat encounters and a battle with some maniac over a cool looking rock, which Daryon won, they all were excited to see the sun again.

Just a few feet ahead, Skye notices a rustle in the bushes up ahead. A pack of four Meowth appear, walking and interacting with eachother. Daryon, switching to stealth mode, quietly creeps forward before throwing a Pokeball at one of the Meowth, catching it immediately. As he walks over to pick it up, he is surprised by the impact of an unknown object hitting him in the head, knocking him off his feet.

Slightly dazed, he sees the object, a Pokeball, had ricocheted off his head and smacked into another one of the Meowth, catching it. A man popped out of bushes, picking up the foreign Pokeball and then turning to help Daryon to his feet.

The man, about 19 years old, introduces himself as Ero. Max asks him if he is a Professor because of the labcoat he is wearing, to which he replies yes; he is a Pokemon researcher. He apologizes for hitting Daryon, explaining that he was in the middle of a research project on the Kantonian Meowth. When Daryon asks what Ero means by Kantonian, Ero explains that Pokemon can be different depending on what region they are found in, a subject called Regional Variation. Ero notes that he is from the region of Galar, and that Meowth look a lot different there. He then takes out a PokeBall and sends out a Galarian Meowth.

Skye asks if the Galarian Meowth, which Ero had nicknamed Spikes, was Ero's starter. Ero says no, and then shouts for Sweety and Tarts. An Appletun, Sweety, and Flapple, Tarts, run to meet him, the Appletun jumping into Ero's arms and knocking him off his feet. Tarts simply watches the group quietly, unsure.

Daryon attempts to send out his Meowth, but finds that he can't-the PokeBall is locked. Ero explains that due to Pokemon League standards and regulations, a trainer can't have a party of more than six Pokemon with them at any given time. Ero then pauses for a moment before offering to store the group's excess Pokemon at his ranch back in the Galar region.

Cameron asks what the catch is, to which Ero states that he wants to observe the groups' Pokemon as they travel from place to place, battle, and evolve, and note the differences, for his research. The group take a moment to talk, and agree. Ero uses his smartphone, which acts as both a functional Pokedex and a PC, to transport the Pokeball containing Meowth to his Galar Ranch.

Daryon shakes Ero's hand, welcoming the new group member, and the group continues on their way to Cerulean City.

## The Cool Lake Breeze...

After taking several hours to rest at the nearest Pokemon Center, the group decides to meander about the area and explore. The sun is starting to set, so they decide to do the upcoming gym battle the following day.

Taking time to practice for the battle against Cerulean City's gym leader, Daryon and Cameron take turns sweeping through the long line of trainers scattered along Nugget Bridge, which bridged the distance between Cerulean City and Route 25, over the large body of water the locals call Psyduck Lake due to the massive population of Psyduck that roam through its waters.

After five rough battles against formidable trainers, the group continues wandering through Route 25, enjoying the beautiful sunset. Skye catches a wild Pidgey, and Ero, in an attempt to finish his Kanto collection of the Eevee evolutionary tree, catches a Vaporeon from the lake, which he nicknamed Finn.

Just as the group decides to head back towards Cerulean to rest for the night, they are interrupted by a loud noise. They turn their attention to a young woman, a little ways off in the distance, training with an Oddish. This particular Oddish, who had just smashed a rock to bits using the leaves on its head, seemed to be dressed up. Its leaves shined silver, like the blades of a sword, and one of its eyes was obscured by a decorative eye patch.

The group approached the trainer, Skye taking the lead, interrupting what was clearly a training session to meet the mysterious individual. The woman, who introduced herself as Rachel, called over the Oddish, explaining that she was preparing for the Ocean Cup Pokemon Contest. The group, having never heard of Pokemon Contests, inquire further, and Rachel explains that Pokemon Contests allow a special type of trainer, called a Coordinator, to show off a Pokemon's visual appeal and personality, in categories that range from Beauty to Smarts.

Rachel herself had been in the middle of training to enter the Coolness division. Since the Ocean Cup is themed around everything nautical, she and Oddish decided to go with a pirate aesthetic. Skye continues to try and pry more information from Rachel before Max, in his usual fashion, pulls her away by the ear, reminding her that Rachel needs to finish training before dark. After a short goodbye, the group returns to Cerulean, where they are able to find an inn to bunk for the night.

## ...And A Soft, Gentle Mist

The following morning, the group, after checking out of the inn, take the short walk towards the Cerulean gym. Cameron, so excited, begins to sprint, and in all his excitement, collides with another trainer. After coming to his senses, he realizes that the trainer he has run into is Evan, the trainer who had assisted them in defeating Team Rocket back in Pewter City.

After getting up and brushing the dust off, the group and Evan catch each other up on everything that had happened up until that point. Ero introduced himself to Evan, the group showed Evan all their new Pokemon, and Evan talked about a Squirtle that had been following him, but he had been unable to catch. Ero notes that Squirtle have a tendency to be incredibly shy at times, and Evan is a loud person.

Conveniently at that moment, Squirtle's head pops up out of a nearby bush. Ero hands Evan an Oran Berry, and advises him to be quiet and gentle. Evan takes the hint and approaches the Squirtle carefully, holding out the berry, which Squirtle takes and eats. After a moment of pause, the Squirtle waddles over to Evan, and takes his hand. Evan removes a Great Ball from his pocket and touches it against the Squirtle's forehead, capturing it.

Evan thanks Ero for the advice, and runs off to the Pokemon Center, wanting to make sure the Squirtle was healthy enough to battle against the Cerulean gym leader.

## Waves of Pain

After the encounter with Evan, the group enters the Cerulean Gym.

With the exception of two platforms on either side of the gym and a small walkway leading to a few benches for spectators, the Cerulean gym is essentially one giant, deep swimming pool. There are giant screens on the walls that project what goes on below the surface. Scattered above the water are floating wooden pallets decorated to look like lily pads.

Waiting on the platform on the other side of the gym, feet, dipping into the pool, and dressed in her bathing suit, is the gym leader, Misty. Seeing the group enter, she notes that it's obvious they are there to challenge her to a gym battle, and while she thinks they'll lose easily, she accepts, all before anyone else can say anything.

Daryon shrugs before stepping up to the platform, the group having decided that Daryon would go first this time. The others sat down on the benches to Daryon's left. Misty, with a full body spin, sends out her first Pokemon, a Psyduck. Daryon sends out Bulbasaur from its PokeBall, and it lands on one of the wooden pallets.

Misty orders Psyduck to use Screech. Psyduck emits an ear-piercing cry that causes everyone to cover their ears. Daryon tells Bulbasaur to retaliate with a Vine Whip. Bulbasaur delivers one strong slap that flings Psyduck across the room, knocking it out immediately.

Suddenly Bulbasaur begins to emit a shining white light, as energy wraps itself around Bulbasaur, forming a cocoon that begins to change shape. There is an audible gasp from everyone in the room as the light dissipates, revealing that Bulbasaur has evolved into Ivysaur.

Misty returns Psyduck, seemingly unaffected, as she sends out her next Pokemon, a Starmie. Daryon asks his newly evolved Ivysaur to dish out another Vine Whip, which it does, slashing at Starmie. Starmie quickly retaliates with a Facade, knocking out Ivysaur immediately, to Daryon's surprise.

Misty explains that her Psyduck was only sent out to use Screech, which drastically lowered the then Bulbasaur's defense, guaranteeing that Starmie's Facade would deliver massive damage and eliminate Ivysaur from the battle.

Daryon, now upset, returns Ivysaur, and nods to his Pikachu, who enters the battle, jumping onto one of the pallets. Pikachu throws a Thunder Shock, which Starmie easily dodges before hitting Pikachu with a Water Pulse.

Pikachu begins to wobble back and forth, clearly disoriented. Misty points out that Pikachu is confused, before barraging it with several more Water Pulses, knocking Pikachu around the room.

Daryon, worried, begins to think about what Cameron would do, when an idea hits him. As the next Water Pulse is flying through the air to hit Pikachu, Daryon tells Pikachu to use a Thunder Wave directly at the Water Pulse itself. Pikachu does so, sending electricity through the water all the way back to Starmie. The water combined with electrical energy creates a cloud of steam that blocks everyone's view.

After a moment of intense quiet, the steam clears. Starmie is knocked out, at the bottom of the pool. Pikachu is standing, barely, and about to collapse, but still standing. Daryon has won.

Misty shakes her head, and then smiles to herself, as she thanks Starmie for the hard work, returning it to its Pokeball. In one fluent motion, she reaches into her pocket, pulls out a Cascade Badge, and tosses it across the pool to Daryon, who just manages to catch it. She tells Daryon he did something really clever "for a kid" and congratulated him for earning his second gym badge.

## Which Came First?

The group leaves, giving Misty a chance to heal and rest before the next gym battle. Skye and Max join Ero as he runs an errand at the local bike shop, Evan and Cameron split to explore a nearby cave Cameron had noticed when he first arrived at Cerulean, and Daryon decided to go on a walk with Vince.

As Daryon traversed through the fields south of Cerulean, he noticed a small farm, with dozens of Pokemon frolicking about, blissfully unaware of Daryon's presence. Vince notes that the farm showed all the signs of a Pokemon Daycare, convincing Daryon to go inside and say hello.

Upon entering the farmhouse he was greeted by an old couple, who introduced themselves, and offered to give the duo a tour, which Daryon accepted. They were shown dozens of Pokemon from around Kanto, and some that were from other regions, even some Pokemon Daryon had never seen before.

After being shown the open range where all the wild Pokemon were kept, he was led to the hatchery, where Pokemon eggs were stored. The old man noted how while he knew that the eggs came from Pokemon, noone has ever witnessed a Pokemon lay an egg.

Daryon, noticing a bright orange egg on one of the highest shelves, decided, out of curiosity, to pick it up. The egg, being incredibly hot, burned his hands, forcing Daryon to drop it. Everyone in the room shared a collective gasp as the egg fell.

Pikachu, being a quick thinker, leaped from Daryon's shoulder to the ground, and managed to catch the egg-but the bottom of the shell still managed to hit the ground, cracking. There was an awkward silence as the small crack began to grow, bigger and wider, until the shell split in two.

A very, very small Charmander rolled out of the cracked egg shell, and looked around the room for a second before seeing Pikachu. It crawled over to the Electric Mouse Pokemon, grabbing a hold of its tail.

The elderly woman in charge of the daycare ranted at Daryon, angry, about how reckless and irresponsible he had been, and how, had the egg been less developed, the Charmander wouldn't have survived. Pointing out that the Charmander had clearly imprinted on Pikachu, she told Daryon she had no choice but to leave it with him. The old couple then promptly kicked Daryon out of the daycare.

## Do Not Enter

Evan and Cameron arrive at the Cerulean Cave, soaking wet; of course, they had to swim in order to get there, as the cave was surrounded on all sides by the Psyduck Lake. A sign stood outside the cave, warning all who approached the cave not to enter, due to the incredibly powerful Pokemon that resided there. Evan went inside anyway, and Cameron, always the people pleaser, followed suit.

The two were amazed by the sheer number of Pokemon inside. Jinx, Parasect, Arbok, Dodrio, Chansey, Rhydon, and many other Pokemon of all shapes and sizes wandered about. Evan, impulsive and rambunctious as always, immediately started stalking a wild Kadabra he had spotted from a distance. The two traversed deeper and deeper into the cave.

An hour later, no new Pokemon added to either trainer's roster, and both trainers were spent. Almost all of both teams were knocked out, save for Evan's Squirtle and Cameron's Charmander, whose tail had been the light source that allowed them to travel deep into the darkness of the cave.

Suddenly, something in the corner flitted by, catching Cameron's eye. He turned around, to find that he was staring directly into the face of a Pokemon he had never seen before. Tall, pink, menacing, Mewtwo (although neither knew that was its name) glared down at the trainer. Then the mysterious Pokemon vanished, out of nowhere, without a trace.

The entire cave began to shake. Cameron and Evan began to make their way to the entrance, trying to not get caught up in the pandemonium, Pokemon running chaotically in every direction as rocks began to fall from the cave ceiling.

Approaching the entrance, the two seemed to be safe, when a large boulder came down, smacking Cameron broad in the shoulder. Falling to the ground, Cameron found himself pinned down by a large stone, unable to move.

Evan sent out his Squirtle, and told it to use a Rapid Spin to try and break the rock, which Squirtle successfully managed to do. Evan helped Cameron up, and Cameron, arm over Evan's shoulder, limped with Evan out of the cave just as the entire natural structure collapsed.

Both dropped to the floor, out of breathe, staring out at the sunny sky, as Cameron saw a glimpse of the mysterious Pokemon floating away.

## Fighting Against the Current

Back at Misty's gym, Cameron, still injured but more focused than ever, is in mid-battle with Misty, returning his Kakuna, who had been knocked into the water by Psyduck, unable to continue. Cameron sends out his Pidgey, who immediately fires off a Gust, not against the poisoned, and therefore weakened, Psyduck, but at the water around it, causing Psyduck to get stuck in a miniature whirlpool.

Without pause, Pidgey fires off several Quick Attacks, the last of which delivered enough force to send Psyduck flying out of the water and at Misty's feet, knocked out. To everyone's surprise, the victorious Pidgey suddenly found itself surrounded by light, which quickly morphed its form as Pidgey evolved into the bigger, stronger Pidgeotto.

Misty sends out her Starmie, who is immediately barraged by a series of Quick Attacks, unable to move and fire off some form of counter. Pidgeotto seemed as angry as Cameron was, and this showed through the relentless blaze of slashing talons. A final blow sent the opposing Starmie flying through the air, colliding with the ceiling before hitting the water and sinking to the bottom of the pool.

Stunned, Misty tossed the Cascade Badge across the water without a word. Cameron, clutching his shoulder, simply put the badge in his pocket before joining his fellow group.

## Ride On

Three days have passed since Cameron's battle with Misty. During this time gap, Evan has defeated Misty and received his own gym badge. Rachel has won the Ocean Cup, Cool Division first place ribbon. Cameron's shoulder has begun to heal. And Ero's order of five bicycles have arrived at the local bike shop.

Ero introduces the group to the specialty, one-of-a-kind bicycles, fully functional, but capable of folding up to the size of a water bottle. Skye, amazed, points out how each bike must cost at least a million yen a piece, which Ero acknowledges, leading to the group realization that Ero is incredibly wealthy. Ero explains that his family invented a special device called the Technical Machine, which allows trainers to teach Pokemon brand new moves.

After stocking up on supplies and healing every Pokemon to full health, Daryon, having finished the Cerulean gym challenge, decides that it is time to move on, to which the rest of the group agrees. Thus, on their new bicycles, the group moves forward, ready to face whatever is next.

As they ride on, Cerulean City becoming a distant blot, Cameron is unable to shake the image of what he saw in Cerulean Cave.

## Ain't No Mountain High Enough

It's midday, about a week since leaving Cerulean City. Daryon and his group are traversing through Route 5. While not a particularly long route, everyone has been taking it slow, taking their time, focused on becoming stronger, before they move on to Saffron City.

Daryon, wanting to train up some of his newer additions to his team, decided it was about time to test out the peculiar Pokemon that he had received from the mysterious salesman not too long ago. Releasing Magikarp from its Pokeball, Daryon scanned the rookie Water type with Vince, to try and understand its moveset. To his chagrin, the only move the Fish Pokemon knew was Splash.

Putting Magikarp to the test, Daryon decided to battle Cameron's Kakuna, an opponent that wouldn't be able to do much in the way of physical damage.

Magikarp made the first move. After two flops, and to the surprise of everyone, Magikarp bounced into the air, with the grace of a ballerina. It continued to soar through the sky, higher and higher, until nothing more than a glint in the sky. Then, nothing.

Daryon turned to Cameron, who shrugged, before both looked up to see Magikarp falling, gaining momentum, faster and faster, a comet of orange scales. Finally, a full minute after Magikarp's initial jump, it hit the ground-specifically, it hit Kakuna.

Daryon and Cameron were blasted several feet back by the concussive shock wave created by the impact, dirt and grass flying every. Daryon got to his feet, vision obscured by a cloud of dust. As his vision adjusted and the dust cleared, where Kakuna has been now stood a massive crater. Bits of Kakuna's shell were scattered in every direction. Magikarp, off to the side, continued to flop about as though nothing had happened.

Cameron, stunned, staring at the wreckage, was startled by the buzzing sound that snuck up from behind. Looking at the source of the surprise, he grinned. Kakuna hadn't been shattered. Rather, it had emerged from its shell, evolved, into a stronger form, no longer Kakuna, but Beedrill.