EVERYONE: Pokémon Earth and Sky Book 1: The Journey Begins (Fan Series)

[Poké Gamer Boy 17]

This short book series follows Billy and his friends across the Unolas region. With lots of new Pokémon, a new evil team, a ton of references, and loads of excitement, this fast-paced story will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end.
So far, I have 1 book completed and am currently working on the 2nd. I plan to finish off the series at 3 books.

Here's the prologue of the first book. I'll also post the first few chapters in this thread, and possibly the rest of the book later on. I also have a full Pokédex describing each new Pokémon I made. I'll add that to this post as soon as I finish it.

Spoiler: Prologue

Once, there was war. The Unolas region was a wasteland of people and Pokémon battling fiercely against each other. The people managed to capture the legendary Sukaizen, forcing it to fight. The Pokémon asked the legendary Asusuneku for help, and it agreed. Sukaizen and Asusuneku battled against each other, and, in the end, the two legendary Pokémon fled the wasted area in different directions, exhausted.

After decades of fighting, the people found that nothing was happening in anyone’s favor. They made friends with the creatures, engaging in battles with other Pokémon in friendly competition. Just as the people and Pokémon were starting to get along, a mysterious group of Pokémon Trainers began to steal other people’s Pokémon. Their leader was very strong. No common Trainer had beaten her, no matter how hard they tried. She was a good match for even the Champion.

People would say that if they could somehow convince the legendary Pokémon to help like they had done before, then the evil organization might be outmatched. Who will defeat this mysterious group, once and for all?

Spoiler: Unolas Regional Pokédex

The Pokédex is currently unfinished. I'll post it here when it's done.

 

[Poké Gamer Boy 17]

Spoiler: Chapter 1

Billy laid in bed in his hometown of Sheamor, unable to sleep. Tomorrow, he turned ten, meaning that he would receive his first Pokémon. Here in the Unolas Region, new Trainers could choose from three Pokémon: Tritops, a Grass-type, Flalf, a Fire-type, and Taray, a Water-type.

“Which one should I pick?” Billy asked himself. He had been thinking about this ever since he knew that he would receive a Pokémon. He loved the bulk of Tritops, the power of Flalf, and the speed of Taray. “I’ll just pick when I get there,” he decided.



Billy woke up early the next morning, so excited that he almost left the house without getting ready. Once he was ready, he rushed over to the Pokémon lab, eager to see his options. When he arrived, he saw that his lifelong rival, Josh, had already received his Pokémon.

Billy and Josh were the same age and turned everything into a competition. Josh was always just a little bit better than Billy at everything they did, so Billy was always looking for a chance to beat him. This journey would become their biggest competition of all.

“You’re late,” said Josh as Billy walked over. “Typical Billy.”

“I’m not late!” Billy retorted. “I woke up early just so I could beat you here.”

Josh snickered. “Not early enough, I guess.”

“So, what is this Pokémon that you got up so early to get?” Billy asked.

“Why would I tell you? It’s not like you would know what to do with that information.”

Josh scoffed as Billy barged past him into the lab. His anger quickly turned into excitement as he saw Professor Hickory coming around the corner with two Pokéballs in her hand.

“Hi, Billy!” she said. “Are you excited to meet your partner?”

“You bet,” Billy answered. “Can I see them?”

“Sure.” Professor Hickory tossed the Pokéballs in her hand and out came Tritops and Flalf.

“So, Josh picked Taray,” Billy ventured.

“You would be correct,” said Professor Hickory. “Which one do you want?”

“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time now, and I still don’t know which one I want.” Billy thought for a moment. “I’m thinking I want Tritops because Josh picked Taray, but I don’t want that to be the reason I pick…” He thought another moment. “I think I want Flalf,” he said finally. “I choose you!”

“Flalf!” The little Fire-type looked excited to be chosen.

“Good choice,” said Professor Hickory. “Take these, then you should go see your mom before you go.” She handed Billy some Pokéballs and a Pokédex.

“Thanks,” said Billy, opening the Pokédex.

“That Pokédex can scan a Pokémon and tell you what it is. You can also look up a Pokémon and check the moves of one you see.”

“Cool!”

“Flalf, the Fire Calf Pokémon,” said the Pokédex. “This little Fire-type is very cute, but it packs quite a punch.”

“Great!” Billy held out a Pokéball. “Flalf, return!”

“You should go say good-bye to your mom before you leave,” said Professor Hickory.

“Ok,” said Billy. “Bye!” Before Billy could take two steps out of the lab, his mom came rushing towards him with a bundle of things in her arms.

“Billy! You forgot some things!” she called.

“Maybe I just left them because I didn’t want to bring them,” Billy muttered to himself.

“I have your soap some underwear and your lunch for tomorrow—”

Billy snatched only the lunch bag and ran off. “Bye, mom!”

“You can never be too prepared!”



Billy and Flalf walked side-by-side along the road, eyes peeled for wild Pokémon.

“Why haven’t we seen anything yet?” Billy wondered. “We’ve been walking for a while.” He pulled out his Pokédex, hoping it knew something.

“Wild Pokémon are found in the tall grass and in trees. They rarely venture onto the path. Be sure to keep the path in sight, or you’ll lose your way.”

“That makes sense. Come on, Flalf!”

Billy ran into the tall grass and, almost immediately, a small brown bird Pokémon came into sight. “Gotcha,” he said under his breath. “Go, Pokéball!” The Pokéball hit the little Pokémon and it went inside. “Alright, I caught it!” Billy exclaimed. As he reached down to pick it up, the Pokémon broke out and flew away. “Ah!” Billy shrieked and stumbled backward. “What happened?”

“In order to capture a wild Pokémon, you must first weaken it in battle, then throw a Pokéball,” said the Pokédex.

“That makes sense,” said Billy. “Let’s do it right next time!”

“Flalf!”

“I wonder what that Pokémon was?”

“Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. Among all the Flying Pokémon, it is the gentlest and easiest to capture. A perfect target for the beginning Pokémon Trainer to test his Pokémon skills.”

“A Pidgey, huh? Let’s find another Pokémon!”

As if at a signal, a small, purple rat Pokémon came out from the grass.

“Rattata, the Mouse Pokémon. It likes cheese, nuts, fruits, and berries. It also comes out into open fields to steal food from stupid travelers.”

Billy was so intent on watching the Pokédex that he didn’t notice that the Rattata had gotten into his bag and taken his sandwich.

“Flalf! Flalf!”

“What is it, Fl—? Hey, that’s my sandwich! Give it back!” Billy and Flalf chased the Rattata through the forest. “Flalf, use Ember!”

“FLALF!” Hundreds of tiny sparks shot out of Flalf’s mouth and headed straight for Rattata.

“Rat-tata! Tata! Tata!” Rattata ran so quickly that Billy could barely see it, dodged the attack, and charged into Flalf.”

“What is that?”

“Quick Attack is one of Rattata’s attacks. The user charges at its opponent at such a fast speed that it becomes almost invisible.”

“Cool,” said Billy. “I wanna catch it. Use Tackle!”

“FLALF!”

“TATA!” Rattata countered with a Tackle of its own, but Flalf pushed it back. Realizing it couldn’t win, Rattata fled with the sandwich.

“Use Ember one more time!”

Rattata was hit hard, knocking the sandwich out of its jaws. It fled before Billy could do anything else.

“Drat, I wanted to catch it!” Billy said. “Oh well, at least we got our lunch back!” Billy tore off a large piece of the sandwich and handed it to Flalf. “You earned it.”

“Flalf!”

“Let’s eat!”

Billy and Flalf enjoyed their lunch and were about to leave when they realized they had no idea where they were.

“Flalf, would you happen to know which way is the path?” Billy asked.

“Flalf.” It shook its head.

“Well, we’ll just have to look for it.” Billy hesitated. “Maybe this way?” The two of them set off.



“We’ve been walking forever!” Billy complained. “Where is the path?”

“Prepare for trouble!” said a woman from the forest.

“And make it double!” a man continued.

“To protect the world from devastation.”

“To unite all people within our nation.”

“To denounce the evils of truth and love.”

“To extend our reach to the stars above.”

A woman with long, pink hair wearing a white uniform with a big red “R” jumped into the open. “Jessie.”

A man with long, blue hair wearing a matching uniform followed her. “James.”

“Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!”

“Surrender now or prepare to fight!”

As if this wasn’t weird enough already, a Pokémon came out and said, “Meowth, dat’s right!”

Billy hesitated, looking confused.

“Don’t just stand there!” Jessie yelled.

“At least pretend to look scared!” said James.

“Who are you again?” Billy asked.

“That was the entire point of the motto!” Jessie yelled.

“Do we need to recite it again?” James demanded.

“No, I’m good. What do you want?”

“Ain’t it obvious?” asked Meowth. “We want that Flalf o’ yours. We hewid it evolves into a very powerful Pokémon!”

Billy pulled out his Pokédex.

“Meowth, the Scratch Cat Pokémon. Meowth loves to roam at night to gather coins and other objects that sparkle, but it spends most of the daylight hours sleeping.”

“Dat’s not true!” said Meowth. “I’m as active as dey get! I’ll prove it to you!” Meowth pulled out a bazooka-like thing and fired a net at Flalf. “Nighty-night!”

“Flalf, use Ember!” Billy called.

“FLALF!” The net was burnt to ashes.

“What are you doing, Meowth?” Jessie demanded. “Shoot another net!”

“But we don’t got any more!” Meowth answered.

“Why didn’t you buy more than one?” James asked.

“We couldn’t afford more dan one!” Meowth said.

“He’s got a point”, Jessie said.

James took out a Pokéball. “We’ll just have to do it the old-fashioned way!” he said. “Victreebel, come out and fight!”

Instead of preparing to battle Flalf, Victreebel turned around and encased James’ head with its mouth.

“I said fight, not bite! Razor Leaf!”

“Lickitung, come out and use Slam!”

“Flalf, use Ember on Victreebel, then Tackle on Lickitung!” Billy ordered.

As Team Rocket’s Pokémon pushed through the attacks and knocked Flalf away, a young boy stepped out into the open. “Hey, two-on-one isn’t fair!”

“How long were you standing there?” Jessie demanded.

“Long enough to know that you want to steal this boy’s Flalf,” he answered. “I’m Joey.”

“Billy.”

“I’m helping Billy. Rattata, I choose you!”

“Hey, you have a Rattata?” Billy said. “A wild one almost stole my lunch earlier.”

“Less talking, more battling,” Joey said. “Use Quick Attack!”

“Flalf, use Tackle!”

“Victreebel, use Double Edge!”

“Lickitung, use Stomp!”

The attacks collided, sending all four Pokémon backwards.

“Meowth, get in there!” Jessie yelled.

“Alright, here comes da Fury Swipes!”

“Flalf, use Ember!”

“Rattata, use Bite!”

“Yowwwwwwwwwww!” Meowth screamed. “Meowth is unable to battle! Flalf and Rattata win!”

“Lickitung, use Wrap on Rattata!”

“Victreebel, use Take Down on Flalf!”

“Use Double Tackle!” Billy and Joey said together.

The attacks collided, but Lickitung and Victreebel were knocked back into Jessie, James, and Meowth, sending them high into the air.

“We should’ve stuck with the Pikachu!” Jessie said.

“We give up on the tweips so we can stop blasting off and guess what happens!” Meowth shouted.

“Looks like Team Rocket’s blasting off again!” they all shouted as they flew off into the distance.

“That was weird,” said Billy.

“I think I heard from somewhere that Team Rocket is always causing trouble in the Kanto region,” said Joey. “What are they doing here?”

“I don’t know,” said Billy. “Hey, do you know which way Hauleamora Town is?”

“Yup, it’s this way,” said Joey. “Rattata, good job! Return!”



“We’re almost there,” Joey said after a while.

“Great, then I can challenge the gym!” said Billy.

“There might be a problem with that.”

“What’s that?”

“There isn’t a gym in Hauleamora Town.”

“Aw, I wanted to have a gym battle!” Billy complained.

Joey hesitated. “I know, you could battle me!”

 

[Poké Gamer Boy 17]

Spoiler: Chapter 2

“Really?” asked Billy.

“Well, we just battled Team Rocket, so we’ll stop at the Pokémon Center first. But we’ll have our battle right after that.”

“Great!” said Billy. “I get to have a good battle after all!”

Billy followed Joey into the Pokémon Center. “Nurse Joy,” Joey called. “Can you take care of our Pokémon?”

“Wait, you can just ask, and she’ll do it?” Billy asked.

“Yup, and for free, too. You just put your Pokéballs on a tray and Nurse Joy heals them.”

“Great!” Billy said. “Flalf, return!”

“Prepare to lose!” said a man from down the hall.

“Tighten your shoes!” a woman continued. This did not sound like those idiots from the forest. They sounded like worse idiots.

“To defeat the people who get in our way.”

“Those who interfere will surely pay.”

“Zachary!” A man wearing a black shirt with a yellow “B” with a lightning bolt through it slid out from around the corner.

“Avery!” A woman wearing a matching outfit followed.

“Team Bolt zooms by like lightning!”

“It’s time for you to leave the building!”

Avery paused. “We really need to work on that motto,” she said.

“Yeah,” said Zachary. “It’s terrible.”

“Did somebody say they needed help with a motto?” said a familiar woman’s voice.

“We’ll take you down to the grotto!” a man continued.

“To protect the world from devastation.”

“To unite all people within our nation.”

“To denounce the evils of truth and love.”

“To extend our reach to the stars above.”

“Jessie.”

“James.”

“Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!”

“Surrender now or prepare to fight!”

The room was silent for a moment.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have a motto in the first place,” said Zachary.

“Hey, our motto isn’t that bad!” Jessie yelled.

“It took years to come up with that!” said James.

“From what we just heard, all mottos are terrible,” said Avery.

Let’s just do what we came here to do,” said Zachary, pulling out a Pokéball. “Go, Jolikal!”

“Electrike, you’re up!” called Avery.

“Jolikal, the Zapping Pokémon. It stores electricity in its cheeks and releases it when threatened. Electrike, the Lightning Pokémon. Using the electric charge stored in its fur, it can run faster than they eye can follow.”

“Hey, I know what you’re going to do!” said Jessie.

“And those Pokémon are ours!” said James. “Go, Weezing!”

“Arbok, you’re up!”

Billy stepped between them. “Hey, what are you doing?” he asked. “The battlefield’s outside!”

“The battlefield is wherever we are, twerp!” said Jessie. “Use Poison Sting!”

“Weezing, use Tackle!”

“Charge Beam!” Avery called.

“Shock Wave!” said Zachary.

“What are they fighting about again?” asked Joey.

“I think I heard them say, ‘those Pokémon are ours!’” said Nurse Joy nervously. “We’d better make sure the Pokéballs are safe!”

“Good idea,” said Billy as he followed Nurse Joy to a locked room. When they opened the door, Meowth was shoving Pokéballs into a bag.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” asked Joey.

“Um,” Meowth said. “Meowth?”

“We know it’s you!” said Billy. “You weren’t with Jessie and James when they quoted their motto!”

“Alright, you got me,” said Meowth, raising his paws. “And you also got my Fury Swipes!” Meowth scratched everyone on the face and fled with the bag of Pokéballs.

“Flalf, I choose you!” Billy called.

“Go, Rattata!” said Joey.

“I’ll join in too!” said Nurse Joy. “Go, Chansey!”

“Use Ember!”

“Quick Attack!”

“Egg Bomb!”

“Ah!” Pokéballs scattered everywhere as Meowth fell to the floor.

“Finish this with Tackle!”

“Use Bite!”

“Dynamic Punch!”

“Meowth is blasting off again!”

“Huh?” said Jessie. “Meowth?”

“Meowth blasted off without us!” said James. “Weezing, return!”

“Arbok, return, too!” said Jessie. The two of them ran after Meowth.

“Jolikal, use Flash!” called Zachary.

“Ah, I can’t see!” said Billy.

“It’s too bright!” said Joey.

“Ba-bye!” said Avery.

When the light finally went away, Nurse Joy noticed that the bag was gone, along with the Pokéballs. “Hey, they stole the Pokéballs!” she cried.

“They have to be around here somewhere,” said Billy.

“They couldn’t have gotten far,” Joey continued.

“We’ll help you look for them!”

“Oh, you will? Thank you!” said Nurse Joy.

“No problem,” Billy responded. “Flalf, return!”

“You too, Rattata!” said Joey.



“Hey, we did something right for once!” said Avery.

“Let’s get these Pokéballs to the boss!” said Zachary. The duo hopped onto a black chopper with the Team Bolt logo on it and flew away.



“Meowth!” James called.

“Meowth, where are you?” Jessie yelled.

“I’m up here!” said Meowth. Jessie and James looked up. They saw Meowth in a tree, his fur snagged on a branch. “Would you mind gettn’ me down from here?”

“Arbok, let’s go!” Jessie called. “Use Wrap to get Meowth down!”

“Charbok!” Arbok reached up into the tree and grabbed Meowth, bringing it down to the ground.

“Tanks, Jessie,” said Meowth.

“What was that?” Jessie demanded. “I give you a perfect diversion, and you still blast off! Did you get the Pokéballs?”

“No, dose Team Bolt maniacs took ‘em!” Meowth said.

“Well, then get them back!” Jessie ordered.

“Why don’t we all just calm down,” said Meowth. “So, dey outsmarted us this time. But dere’s always a next time, right? Why don’t we just follow the old tweips to Johto and leave this dump to Team Bolt? Who wants a weak little Flalf and Rattata, anyway?”

“I guess you’re right,” said Jessie. “To Johto!”

“Many more Pokémon to know!” James chimed in.

“Here we go!” said Meowth.



“Where did those thugs go?” Billy wondered. He was about to suggest a plan when he felt a strong wind blow on his face. He looked up and saw a black helicopter with a familiar logo on the side. “That symbol…” Billy thought for a moment. “It’s Team Bolt! The Pokéballs are in there!”

“We need to get up there,” said Joey.

“Chansey, get them to that helicopter!” Nurse Joy called.

“Chansey!” Chansey threw Billy and Joey up to the aircraft.

“Flalf, come out and use Ember on the wall!” Billy said.

“Flalf!” Flalf kept pushing its ember until the wall got red hot.

“Keep going, Flalf!” Billy encouraged.

Avery looked at the security monitor. “Looks like we’ve got visitors,” she said after seeing Billy and Joey.

“I’ll take care of them,” said Zachary. “You drive the chopper.”

“We’re almost there,” said Billy. “Just a little more, Flalf!”

“FLALF!” The Ember melted a hole in the wall of the helicopter just big enough for the kids to slip through.

“Alright!” Billy exclaimed. “Great job, Flalf!”

“Let’s go find those Pokéballs!” said Joey. Walking into the Helicopter, they see Zachary blocking their path with Jolikal at his side.

“Nice of you to drop in,” he said. “Use Charge Beam!”

“Block it with Ember!” Billy called.

“Rattata, come on out and use Quick Attack!” Joey said.

“Thunder Fang!”

The colliding attacks caused the helicopter to start to smoke.

“This thing’s gonna blow!” Joey cried.

“Let’s find the Pokéballs, and quick!” Billy said. The two of them ran past Zachary and into every room they could see until they found the bag of Pokéballs.

“Let’s get out of here!” said Joey as Billy grabbed the bag. They ran to the hole and jumped out as the chopper exploded above them.

“Why does this happen?” Avery cried as she and Zachary flew off into the distance.

“Blasting off is for Team Rocket!” Zachary complained.

“Thanks, Nurse Joy,” said Billy, landing on a cushion that Nurse Joy had laid out. “Here are the Pokéballs.”

“Oh, how could I ever thank you?” said Nurse Joy. “Here, let me take care of your Pokémon for you.”

“Thanks,” said Billy, bringing Flalf to the Pokémon Center with Joey close behind.



“Billy, Joey,” Nurse Joy called. “Your Pokémon are back to full health.”

“Thanks, Nurse Joy!” said Joey.

“No, thank you. If it weren’t for you, those Pokéballs would still be with Team Bolt.”

“No problem,” said Billy.

“We’re always happy to help,” Joey added.

Just as they were about to leave, Billy remembered something. “Hey, we never had our battle!” he exclaimed.

“I completely forgot about that!” Joey said.

“You could battle here,” said Nurse Joy. “The battlefield is always open.”

“Great!” Billy said. “Let’s go, Joey!” Billy rushed outside to one side of the battlefield while Joey ran to the other.

“I’ll referee!” said Nurse Joy.

“Good luck, Joey!” said Billy.

“And to you, too!”

 

[Poké Gamer Boy 17]

Spoiler: Chapter 3

“This will be a one-on-one battle!” said Nurse Joy. “The battle will be over when either side’s Pokémon is declared unable to battle! The first attack will be decided with a coin flip!” she paused and pulled a coin from her pocket.

“I’ll take heads!” said Billy.

“So, I’ve got tails!” said Joey.

Nurse Joy tossed the coin. “It’s heads! Billy will have the first attack!”

“Go, Rattata!”

“Flalf, I choose you!”

“Begin the match!”

“Alright, Flalf, let’s start this off with Tackle!” Billy called.

“Intercept with Quick Attack!” Joey countered. The attacks collided, neither side giving an inch.

“Let’s keep this going with Ember!” Billy said when they split.

“Dodge, then use Bite!”

“Dodge it, quick!” Rattata clamped its teeth on air. “Now, use Tackle!”

“You use Tackle, too!” The two Pokémon collided again, this time trying to push each other back.

Billy grinned. “Now use Ember!” he called.

“Rattata, look out!” Flalf landed the close-range Ember, sending Rattata flying backwards. “Can you still battle?” Joey asked.

“Rattata!”

“Then use Quick Attack!”

“Intercept with Tackle!”

Joey smiled. “I knew you would do that,” he said. “Use Hyper Fang!” Rattata slammed his teeth onto Flalf, knocking him down.

“Whoa, that’s a strong move!” said Billy. “Are you okay, Flalf?”

“Flalf!”

“Rattata, use Quick Attack!”

“Use Ember, then Tackle!” The Ember stopped Rattata in its tracks while Tackle hit it hard.

“Use Hyper Fang!”

“Dodge, then use Tackle!”

“Rattata, jump!”

“Use Ember!”

“Deflect it with Hyper Fang!” The attack sliced through the Ember, pushing the sparks apart. “Now use Quick Attack!”

“Use Tackle!” The attacks collided, both Pokémon still standing. “Finish it with Ember!” Billy called.

“Dodge, then use Tackle!” Joey countered.

Flalf started glowing a bright red. “What is that?” Billy wondered. “I feel like I’ve seen that move before…” Billy tried to remember. “That’s it! It’s Flame Wheel! Do it, Flalf!”

“Dodge it, Rattata!” Joey called. Rattata tried to get away, but the Flame Wheel landed a direct hit, knocking Rattata out.

“Rattata is unable to battle!” said Nurse Joy. “Flalf is the winner, which means Billy wins the match!”

“Alright, we won!” Billy cheered.

“Rattata, return!” Joey called. “Great battle, Billy!”

“Thanks! I agree!”

“I should take Rattata inside,” said Nurse Joy.

“Good idea,” Joey agreed.

“Can you take Flalf, too?” asked Billy.

“Sure. I’ll be back in a while,” said Nurse Joy. “You should wait in the lobby.”

“Thanks!” said Joey.



Nurse Joy walked out with Flalf and Rattata. “Your Pokémon are back to full health,” she said.

“Thanks!” said Joey. “Rattata, return!”

“Hey, Nurse Joy?” Billy began. “Do you know where the nearest Pokémon gym is?”

“Yes, it’s in Houlo City,” she responded.

“Thanks!” said Billy.

“But be careful,” she continued. “Mt. Houlo is between here and there. Make sure you’re prepared for a long journey.”

“Thanks,” said Joey. “I’ll go to the Pokémart and stock up.”

“Make sure you buy some lunch, too,” Billy said.



“Bye, Nurse Joy!” said Billy.”

“Bye!” said Joey.

“Good-bye!” Nurse Joy responded. “Good luck!”

Billy and Joey leave Hauleamora Town, ready for their next adventure in Mt. Houlo.

“So, where is this Mt. Houlo?” Billy wondered, pulling out his Town Map. “Shoot, I just realized I could’ve used this when I got lost yesterday!”

Joey laughed. “Well, at least you’re here now,” he said.

“Where’s Mt. Houlo…?” He searched through the map, looking for the mountain. “There!” he said. “This way.” Joey followed Billy along the path towards Mt. Houlo. “Wait, I can see the mountain from here,” said Billy. “I didn’t need to use this!” he put the map back into his bag.

Joey laughed again. “Ya know, you really are something else,” he said.

As the two of them continued towards Mt. Houlo, Billy was looking for wild Pokémon. He finally found a small, gray bird Pokémon in the trees.

“Chirper, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. This curious little Pokémon pecks at anything new it sees. It is very energetic and stubborn. It looks different based on the gender.”

“So, it’s a male Chirper,” Billy said. “Flalf, let’s go!”

“Flalf!”

“Use Ember on that Chirper!”

“FLALF!”

“Yeah, a direct hit!” Billy cheered. But it wasn’t over. Chirper came swooping down with its wings glowing.

“That’s Wing Attack!” Joey said.

“Dodge and use Ember again!” Billy called. Flalf landed another direct hit, sending Chirper to the ground. “Finish it with Flame Wheel!” The attack kept Chirper on the ground for a while, giving Billy the opportunity to catch it. “Go, Pokéball!” Everyone waited for the ball to stop shaking. When it finally clicked, Billy got excited. “Yeah, I caught a Chirper!” he cheered.

“Flalf!”

“Congratulations,” said Joey.

“Chirper, come on out!”

“Chirp! Chirper!”

“Welcome to the team!” Billy said.

“We should keep going,” Joey said. “We want to get through the cave before nightfall.”

“I don’t think that’s gonna happen,” said Billy, looking at the sky. “The sun’s going down right now.”

“You’re right,” said Joey. “We should camp out tonight. But I at least want to get to the entrance first.”

“Good idea. You two should return for now,” he said to Flalf and Chirper as he recalled them into their Pokéballs. The two set off once again for the mountain that stood between them and Billy’s first badge. “Hey, I just thought of something,” said Billy. “Are you challenging gyms, too?”

“No,” he responded. “I’m just a wandering Trainer looking for good battles, and I found a Trainer who gives me good battles. So, this is where I’ll be for a while.”

“Great!” said Billy. “I enjoyed our battle. We could be training partners!”

“That sounds like fun,” said Joey.



By the time they reached the foot of Mt. Houlo, it was already dark. The only light they could see was coming from a Pokémon Center near the forest.

“Let’s stay there tonight,” said Billy.

“Good idea,” Joey agreed. The two walked into the Pokémon Center, and immediately Billy recognized someone.

“Hey, Nurse Joy!” Billy ran up to her. “Remember me from Hauleamora Town?”

Nurse Joy hesitated. “Um, I was never in Hauleamora Town,” she said. “You must be thinking of my cousin.”

“But you look exactly the same.” Billy was confused.

A strange man with spikey black hair heard what Billy said and ran over, obviously angry. “That is NOT true!” he said. “Each Nurse Joy is unique in her own way, and while they all look similar, there is always a noticeable difference between them. This Nurse Joy is obviously more beautiful than the one in Hauleamora Town.” He got down on one knee. “Nurse Joy, I long for your heart. I—” he paused, looking at her left hand. On her finger was a wedding ring. “NO! WHY? EVERY TIME!”

“Well, that was…” Joey paused, searching for the right word to describe what he saw. “…special.”

The man had already recovered. “Well, all Nurse Joys are special, married or not,” he said.

“Hi, I’m Billy.”

“And I’m Joey.”

“Nice to meet you,” said the man. “I’m Brock, the Pewter City gym leader in Kanto.”

“Kanto?” Joey echoed. “What are you doing over here?”

“I wanted to see what the Unolas region was like before I went to Johto with my friends,” he said. “I was planning on leaving tomorrow.”

Billy thought for a moment. “Hey, since you’re a gym leader, can we have a battle?”

“Sure,” Brock said. “My rock-solid Pokémon are always up for a battle. It’ll be two-on-two. I’ll meet you on the battlefield out back tomorrow morning.”

“Great!” said Billy. “See you then!”

Joey thought for a moment. “Brock said his ‘rock-solid Pokémon’…”

“Does that mean they’re Rock-types?” Billy asked.

“Maybe. If they are, you’re in trouble.”

“Why is that?”

“You have Flalf, a Fire-type, and Chirper, a Normal- and Flying-type,” Joey explained. “Both are weak to Rock-types. And to top it all off, Normal-type moves like Tackle or Quick Attack won’t do much damage, either.”

“We don’t care,” Billy said. “We’ll win anyway.” He hesitated. “Wait, if I beat him, will I get a badge that I can use to enter the Unolas League?”

“No, but you will get a badge you can use to get into the Indigo League,” Joey responded. “So, if you ever go to Kanto, you’d already have a badge, and you’d only need to earn seven more.”

“Cool!” said Billy. “But I won’t be going to Kanto anytime soon. I still have the Unolas League to win.”

“And I’ll be with you the whole way,” said Joey.

“Wait, I thought you were just staying with me for a while,” said Billy.

“That’s what I was planning on doing, but I’ve decided to travel with you on your journey. It’ll help me grow as a Trainer.”

“Well, I’m glad that’s what you decided. I was hoping someone would travel with me.” Billy paused. “Since you’re travelling with me, you should probably know about Josh…”



“So, Josh left on the same day as you on an adventure with a Taray as his partner, and he’s your biggest rival?” Joey asked after Billy explained.

“Yup,” Billy confirmed. “And I’m gonna beat him in the Unolas League.”

“We should get to bed,” said Joey. “You have a big battle tomorrow.”

“You’re right,” Billy agreed. “Good-night!”



“Alright, it’s battle time!” Billy exclaimed.

“Wow, you’re certainly excited,” said Joey.

“Yeah, I’m battling a gym leader,” said Billy. “I’m psyched!”

“Well, you’d better get out there,” said Joey. “It’s already ten thirty.”

“Ah!” Billy ran outside to the battlefield where Brock was already waiting. “I’m here!” he said.

“Great, let’s begin.”

“I’ll referee,” said Joey. “This will be a two-on-two battle! The battle will be over when both of one trainer’s Pokémon are declared unable to battle! Also, only Billy will be allowed to substitute Pokémon! Billy will get the first attack!”

“So, we’re going with gym battle rules,” said Brock. “Fine by me.”