Jessica Jameson's Story

The battle was fierce. Ryan knew Jess was a beast, but she was pretty brutal there. He watched the Cueball stumble into the wilderness... Poor guy. Even though he was a thief, he still felt bad. No one should have to lose their Pokemon. He couldn't look away from the sad sight.

He could see through the grass that the man had stopped. Ryan was not sure what was going on. Something may be wrong, or the man might just be mourning. The others were pre-occupied with caring for Honey, and congratulating Jess on her victory. They wouldn't notice if Ryan snuck off to see what was up with Cueball.

He made his way towards the man, but as Ryan reached the tall grass the man fell onto the ground unconscious. Ryan picked up the pace and stopped at his side. Ryan jabbed the man's shoulder. No response. He flipped the man over, he was clearly not well. The man was sweating, badly. Ryan put his ear to the man's chest. No heart beat...

He stood and looked down on the man. He was dead. How? The man was a poison trainer... maybe his Pokemon attacks backfired or something. Could it be that Pokemon attacks were lethal to humans as well? This was unheard of.

Ryan sighed and pulled Constantine's ball from his belt. He released the Quagsire, who quickly got wind of the situation. "Bud, I'm gonna need you to use dig." Constantine nodded, losing his usual smile, and began to dig a grave for Cueball. Ryan eyed the bag on Cueball's shoulder. It might be a bit disrespectful, but they needed any supplies they could get.

While Quagsire dug the grave Ryan poured the contents of the bag onto the grass. One TM. He couldn't tell exactly which one though. He'd find out later. A few Potions, a Burn Heal. There was also a Pokeball. Ryan picked it up and looked it over. Why wouldn't he use this Pokemon in the battle with Jess? He pushed the button out of curiosity and was greeted by a distraught Grimer. Ryan sighed. This must be a very young Grimer, for Cueball not to use it in battle. "Return" He choked out. This was a hard thing to watch.

"Quaaag...siiiire" Ryan turned to see Constantine placing Cueball in the grave. "Good work bud."

Ryan and Constantine buried Cueball, then they headed back to the group, carrying with them all of the loot from Cueball's bag. When they got there Ryan pulled the Grimer Pokeball out of his pocket and held it out the the group.

"guys, uh... This Grimer belonged to that trainer..." He had thought about telling them that the guy was dead, but changed his mind. Not important to their mission. He couldn't be sure the Pokemon move killed him. "He uhh..dropped his bag when he ran off." He looked down at the Grimer. "Guess one of us will have to raise it from now on. He's just a baby, we can't leave him out here to die." He made eye contact with all three of them, hoping one of them would take the responsibility of this Grimer.

Jack watched as Jessica squared off against the Cue Ball watching as his friend and her Pokemon put their lives on the line to defend all of them. No matter how violent and gruesome the battle scene got Jack refused to look away. 'This is what we have to stop. This is why we're here to save the Pokemon.' Jack winced as Jessica took out the Muk quickly returning Lucas to his Pokeball. As the pokemon slumped lifelessly to the ground Jack stepped forward but stopped knowing there was nothing he'd be able to do to save the Muk. The Cue Ball yelled something as he released two Pokemon this time a Weezing and an Ekans. Jessica sent out her newly evolved Arcanine and her Larvesta. 'Two fire types against two poison types... no real type advantage. Good thing Jessica is a really skilled trainer when it comes to battling.' The next part of the battle began with Honey and Elizabeth using a combined fire attack hitting the pair of poison Pokemon hard. As the Enemy Pokemon attack Elizabeth was able to dodge the ball of sludge that the Weezing launched at her. Honey on the other hand got hit by Ekans's poison sting and by the sound of her shout Jack could tell that she'd gotten poisoned. As Jessica launched er dual fire attack again the Cue Ball's Pokemon fell to the ground once again defeated. As his Pokemon fell to the ground the Cue Ball turned and left stumbling into the forest. "Hey Jack, can Karma do anything for Honey? If not would you mind giving her an Antidote for the poison?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah we can help all of your Pokemon who got hurt just give me a second... It was just Honey and Lucas who got hurt right?" As Jessica nodded her confirmation Jack reached to his belt pulling out another Pokeball releasing Nami. "Nami, Honey got poisoned in her last battle think you could use refresh to cure her?" Nami nodded to Jack before lightly coiling herself around Honey as she started to glow. After a moment the glow faded and Nami uncoiled herself from Honey who looked much better now that the poison had faded. "Good job Nami. Karma could you use Heal Pulse on Honey and Lucas a few times make sure their back to full health?" Karma nodded spreading her arms sending a pulse of healing energy toward Honey and Lucas. As Jack watched their wounds from the battle healed and they both stood a bit more solidly. "Alright how are you guys feeling now?" Honey and Lucas stretched letting everyone know that they were healed. "Alright Jessica Lucas and Honey are up and ready to go." Jack smiled to his friend returning Nami to her Pokeball. As Jack finished helping Jessica's Pokemon Ryan walked up to the group looking rather somber.

"guys, uh... This Grimer belonged to that trainer... He uhh..dropped his bag when he ran off. Guess one of us will have to raise it from now on. He's just a baby, we can't leave him out here to die." Jack nodded slowly as he looked down at the tiny Grimer. 'I wish I could help but I'm not very good at training poison type Pokemon I wouldn't be the right match for him...' Once the matter of the Grimer had been taken care of Jack followed Ryan off away from Jessica and Rya. "So, Ryan why don't you tell me what you wouldn't tell Jessica and Rya? That Cue Ball didn't really drop his bag did he?" Karma followed close to the pair never being more than a step away from Jack.

Rya didn't really have time to catch up with what was happening. The group had been here all of five minutes and they were being attacked.

Of course Jessica could handle herself so there was no need for Rya to place any of her own Pokemon in trouble. In fact she felt pretty useless in the situation because she was no help at all.
'Officially' Rya had never had a real Pokemon battle, yes she had trained. Hell she had trained with other trainers but never against someone who wanted to steal her friends.

She couldn't imagine how Jessica was feeling right now, especially since Honey took some damage.
' Are you ok, Jess? You did really well!'.

Rya had nor noticed Ryan following Cueball. She had been far too focused on checking to see of Jess and Honey had recovered.
It was not until he returned that she noticed him. He held out a pokeball, claiming that it was dropped, though Rya did not really believe him.
Inside it held a Grimer, a baby one. Rya had no intention of taking on another Pokemon, she doubted she really had time for another Pokemon. Especially a youngling.

But...

It couldn't hurt to have a look at the little guy she thought as she took the ball from Ryan's hand. He walked away and she released the purple blob from it's home.
It was a strange creature, looking up at her with confused eyes. The poor thing had no idea what was going on. It slumped forward onto her leg.

Rya bent down and the Goo Pokemon pressed its tiny body against her.
How could she say no...

Ryan gave a brief smile to Rya as she took the Grimer from him. She seemed a little reluctant. Rya was never a huge deal into battling. Sometimes he wondered if she would do alright out here. Her Pokemon were certainly strong enough. Ryan shook the thoughts out, of course she'd be fine. She was the best person to get the Grimer, he would do well under her training.

Jack pulled Ryan to the side and called his bluff. 'dammit...' he cursed in his head. The two stopped in a small clearing. Ryan's gaze dropped to Karma, who was standing faithfully by Jack's side. Ryan sighed.

"No, he didn't drop the bag." He put his hands on his hips. "Something must've happened during the battle." He looked in the direction of the grave. you couldn't see it from where they stood, but he knew where it was. He wasn't sure if he'd ever forget. "I found the guy suffocating on the grass. He was dead by the time I got there." His eyes dropped. "I think it might have been a backfire or something from one of his poison attacks, but I'm not sure what happened. All I know is that he died."

"I didn't think it was important so I didn't want to tell you guys, It would be better if we didn't dilly-dally here. We need to get a move on."

Ryan looked at his friend. He raised an eyebrow. He was tearing up with fear. In all honesty this made him a little angry. Of all the selfish... Did Jack honestly think that there would be no danger in store for the four of them? Did he intend to let his Pokemon die, thinking that he was in no real danger. It was always obvious to Ryan that the four of them would not leave this journey unscathed, maybe the thought simply didn't occur to Jack. He was a little headstrong sometimes... Maybe he got excited by the thrill of adventure and forgot to think it all through. This is the same kind of realization that could crush the fighting spirit of the others, though he was absolutely sure Jess wouldn't stop, and also that she probably understood the dangers. Rya might not be so fired up though.

Jack returned his Kirlia and asked Ryan what to do. Ryan sighed. This was why he didn't want to tell the others. Now the thought of his own mortality would be in the back of Jack's mind for the rest of the mission. It sucks, but what are you gonna do? Ryan didn't want to be a leader. He didn't even want to be here, he'd much rather be cloud gazing with Constantine, or playing fetch with Dio, but sometime you've got to do what you've got to do. And Ryan was certain that this was something he had to do.

"Look Jack. We need to just keep this between us, can you do that? The girls don't need to know about this until it is absolutely necessary." He fingered the Pokeballs at his waist, thinking about what could happen because of their secret. Even if anyone was to be affected by a Pokemon move, they all had more than enough medicine to fix them up. The Cueball didn't. It's harsh karma, but it seemed like the guy might have deserved it. It hurt Ryan's heart to think something like that. That someone deserved to die. But in a world like this, it's kill or be killed.

He put his hand on Jack's shoulder. "C'mon bud, lets go hook back up with the girls. We'll head to Viridian ASAP. And yeah, we should tell the Professor eventually, but not yet."

Rya returned her new pokemon. He was only a level five but she knew he would learn and become strong.
She would introduce him to the others when they stopped.

Part of Rya could not help but feel she still hadn't earned her place in the group.
Jessica was strong and had willpower, Jack was fierce and proved to know his way around a battle and Ryan was smart.
So what was she?

Yes she knew she loved her Pokemon and she cared about her friends but she had always held back when it came to battling. She, herself was not really sure what she could really do.

Rya indicated to Jess to step aside with her. The boys were talking privately so know seemed like a good time to talk.

' Jess... This may sound weird but do you think you could help me out?.... I would really like to battle you when we stop.... I need help and the boys might think I am weak if I ask them.... I think I held back because I have already lost one pokemon but I just can't keep holding back! '.

She just hoped that Jess understood she was asking for help to improve upon the strength she had.

After treating Jessica's pokemon Jack walked away to talk to Ryan and Rya walked up to Jess with an interesting question, "Jess... This may sound weird but do you think you could help me out?.... I would really like to battle you when we stop.... I need help and the boys might think I am weak if I ask them.... I think I held back because I have already lost one pokemon but I just can't keep holding back!" Jessica took a deep breath before speaking, "Rya, you're asking a lot of me. I'm gonna tell you a story and I hope it helps you understand why I fight so fiercely. When I was young I heard stories about the great trainers of Kanto and Johto, Red, Blue, Green, Gold, Silver and Crystal. They all had something special about them that made them pokemon masters. I wanted to be one of them. As skilled as them so I studied. I studied day and night to learn everything I could. Then I met Alder, former Champion of the Unova league. He trained me. As part of his training we had a battle, a real battle, the deerling I had befriended and was training with... was defeated by his Volcarona. My friend did not survive that battle. That battle taught me the most important lesson my mentor could teach me, it is my responsibility to keep my friends safe. I could have saved my friend if I had been paying more attention. I learned quickly and my skills improved. I'll never forget my friend, and it is in his memory that I train and fight. I can teach you battle strategies and techniques. I can teach what you need to know to be a good trainer, but I can't give you the drive you need to succeed. If you are holding back because you lost a pokemon, I can't help you. Instead of allowing that pain and hurt to consume you, you need to harness it, use it. You aren't the only one to lose a friend, and if we continue this journey, you won't be the last. We will all lose pokemon on this trip, I do n't want to, none of us want to, but it is the unfortunate truth of the risks we take. We need to step forward and keep moving to honor our fallen comrades. So if you are prepared to move on and work harder than you have ever worked before, I can teach you how to battle." Jessica felt a little bad about how she reacted to Rya's question and the harshness with which she answered. But she knew exactly how tough it was to be one of the great trainers and if she was going to help Rya, she needed to understand that this wouldn't be easy, and it most certainly wouldn't be safe. Jess took a deep breath, "That being said, the most important thing is to remember how much we love our pokemon, that is what separates us from the monsters that use their pokemon as tools, we don't lose, because we can't afford to." After she finished her lecture Jessica gathered up some firewood and made a fire, with Elizabeth's help, it was getting late and the group would need to rest here and continue on to Viridian city in the morning.

Jack nodded in agreement with Ryan as he explained his plan. "Alright I won't tell the girls about it and Red can wait, but if it happens again I don't care we'll have to tell them. If we don't understand this then it'll just make this that much more unlikely that we'll be able to succeed." Jack smiled as he put his C-Gear away. "I'm sorry that I broke down I expected things to be different here but I wasn't expecting this." Jack followed Ryan back to the campsite that the girls had set up while they had been talking. He took a seat on the ground near the fire thinking. No matter what happens I'm not going to let any of my friends get hurt. I don't care what happens to me but as long as I'm here they will be safe. After he settled his internal panic and steadied his mind he looked up at his friends. "Lets as far as we can tomorrow. I looked over my map earlier today and I think if we hustle we'll be able to reach Pewter City by tomorrow night... pending we don't have any more run ins with hostile trainers." Jack smiled as he talked with his friends around the warmth of the fire.

The next morning Jack was early to wake up right as the sun was poking over the horizon. He stood and stretched being careful not to wake the others. He walked off a bit making sure he was in a large clearing so no one would be able to sneak up on him or his partners. He reached to his belt and released his Pokemon letting them all stretch in the early morning light. Jack turned to Ken. "So you feeling up to another sparring match Ken? Wouldn't want you to get rusty." Jack laughed as Ken took a stance across from him. "Everyone else please make sure that no one sneaks up on us if you see anything odd make sure to interrupt us." Once his other Pokemon nodded in agreement he turned to Ken and lunged in starting their sparring match waiting for the rest of his friends to wake up.

When Ryan woke up there was one person missing from their camp. Jack must have run off training somewhere. He rolled over and pushed himself lazily from the ground. "Gruaahh" he groaned. "this whole sleeping on the ground thing may not work out." he grumbled a bit more and finally rose to his feet.

He dug into his bag and retrieved his Pokeballs, sending them all into the air with one throw. "C'mon out guys, time to get up" The four Pokemon materialized in front of him. Dio sauntered about silently yawning, while Hector stayed put, with just his head popped outside his shell, tasting the morning air. Constantine fell onto his back, spread eagle, while Chloe took perch onto his belly, refusing to wake up. Ryan stared down at his boorish partners with a smile. "Come on, buck up guys. we gotta hit the road, can't laze around all day."

Ryan shook his head and turned back to the camp. The girls were still asleep. He walked in between them and kneeled down, rubbing their shoulders. "Wakey wakey ladies." he mumbled. "We've got to cover some ground."

Jack must be around here somewhere. Ryan left the girls as they groggily acknowledged him. He walked away from camp, with Dio in tow. The other three were goofing off back where he left them. Dio flared his mane every couple steps, he had recently evolved and sometimes, when he wasn't concentrating very hard, he had difficulty controlling his flame. It was something Dio and Ryan had been working on.

Ryan eventually found Jack training in a nearby clearing.

"YO!, were heading out, get back to camp when you're done and we'll hit it" He started heading back to the girls.

----Time Skip----

Viridian City, circa: an hour and a half later.

The City was... Well you could hardly call it a city anymore. It was more of a Factory. That must have been what was causing the stale, hefty air that occupied the region. The whole city was one factory after another, billowing out fumes from every orifice. There were no clouds, just a large blanket of grey. Dio slid closer to Ryan's leg and doused his fire. Ryan had always told him to douse his flames around gasses. Ryan was sure these gasses weren't inherently flammable, but it couldn't hurt to be cautious.

Rya nodded at Jess' response. At least the girl agreed to help, she could of just laughed in her face.

The Next Morning

After being woken by Ryan, Rya shot up. Rubbing her eyes she gave out a small yawn followed by a stretch. She released Ziphona who began to chomp on the surrounding grass making her usual huffing noises.
She decided against releasing the others for now because they needed rest and had eaten Rya's special Poffins that often tided them over to the next meal.

She placed her hand onto her Ponyta's back. Today was going to be hard but she knew that with team work they would be ok.

Time Skip

Viridian City

Once a truly beautiful place or so Professor Redwood had described it. Rya remembered reading about the Team Rocket conspiracy here, how it used to be home to the final Kanto Gym.. the one right before the League.
It was such a shame.
She hopped down from Ziphina, who automatically copied Dio's example by putting her flames down to a minimum.

' I can barely see ' Rya coughed, holding onto Ponyta for support.

THE NEXT MORNING

"Wakey wakey ladies, We've gotta cover some ground." Jessica heard as she was rudely jarred awake by Ryan. "What the hell man?!" she said as she batted his hand away, "It's too damn early." Jessica groaned as she got up and Ryan seemed to run off. "Eh whatever." She said to herself as she walked a bit a way from camp where no one could see her and she changed her clothes. After that she opened her bag and grabbed her pokeballs, releasing her friends, "Good morning guys, hungry?" she said grabbing some pokefood from her bag and divvying it up among her companions. She then got some food from her bag and had some breakfast herself, it wasn't much just a few berries and an apple, but it was food and it was fresh.

- POST TIME SKIP -

They arrived in Viridian City, the place was horrible, smog so filled the air one could barely see a few feet in front of them. Jessica returned all of her pokemon to their pokeballs to keep them from breathing the horrible air. "This place is a shit hole." Jessica blurted out. "We should probably move right through and make our way to the forest. The air here sucks and I'd like to meet up with our contact in Pewter as soon as possible." She said hoping others agreed. She felt something rattling around in her bag when she opened she saw it was a pokeball, Smugleaf's ball. She grabbed it and let him out. Upon being released he held his nose in the air making it quite clear he felt the area around him stank, but when Jess suggested he return to his ball he shook his head and climbed up onto her shoulder. He was determined to make it through this hell with Jess, so that she knew how much her pokemon cared for her as well. Jessica was comforted by the gesture and whispered to her friend, "Thank you, you've always been there for me. I won't let this horrible place hurt you." After which she turned back to the group. "So guys, did you have any business here or do ya'll wanna just the hell out of here?" She said suggesting yet again that they move on out of this horrible city.

Jack stopped mid punch as Karma made a noise signaling someone was approaching. He turned to see who it was and saw Ryan walking up to him. "YO!, were heading out, get back to camp when you're done and we'll hit it." Jack nodded. "Alright I'll be there in a bit!" Turning to his Pokemon he addressed them. "Great job everyone. Ken you just keep getting stronger and we'll save everyone in no time." He smiled and returned his Pokemon to their balls. Once everyone was secure he jogged back to camp and smiled at his friends. "Sorry to keep you all waiting. I'm ready though so let's go!" Once everyone got packed up they headed off making quick work of the road to Viridian City.

Time Skip

Jack kept his mouth shut as they walked into the smog filled town. Nodding in agreement to Jessica's complaints. He kept his Pokemon in their balls saving them from having to deal with the smell of the air. After a while wandering through the town he spoke up. "Do you think we'll be able to find a Poke'mart here or should we just continue into the forest?" After a short discussion Jack agreed with Jessica. "We have enough supplies for now plus my Pokemon can heal yours if we get in trouble. We should just move into the forest and get to Pewter as fast as we can. Brock will be waiting for us."

The group had begun moving through the once vibrant city. Everything that was once there was now nothing but industry and grime. They would have to get out of here quickly, Who knows who or what could be lurking around. The four of them walked silently down the street, or alleyway in between two factories. They all had gigantic letters from top to bottom spelling out, "Daemon Corp." Every single factory had these words... How could the man, who promises to protect the people of Kanto, pollute the crossroads of all Pokemon training? Just.. how?

Jack had spoken up about a Poke'mart, Ryan quickly shot him down. Theres none of that anymore, It'll all probably be Daemon Corp, and we dont wanna support this. We'll just have to do with what we have."

The four of them walked through the alley in single file, with Pokemon by their sides, all except for Jack. His pokemon were all either too big, or unable to withstand the fumes. Dio was used to smoke, and he was sure Rya's Ponyta was as well. Jess's Snivy was impressing him though. Her Pokemon were tough as nails.

-------

"Hey Mac, you see what I see?"

"yeahh... I do.. Whadya think theyre doin around here?"

"Think we should call the boss?"

"Good Idea..."

The two factory workers stood on the roof, on their smoke break. As if the air needed more smoke. One turned away and produced a cell phone. He dialed the phone number and held it to his ear, sharing an uncomfortable glance with the other worker.

"Hello?"

"Uh, yeahh boss I think we may have a problem"

"Is it serious?"

"ehh... not particularly... no?"

"Then stop wasting my time and deal with it you impotent monkey!"

The worker closed the phone and returned it to his pocket. He didn't understand why the boss had to be such a jerk all the time...

"Hey Mac!, Grab two of the guys and follow me. Were gonna nix these punks."

------

Ryann gazed up at the buildings. They needed to get out of here quick. Nothing good could come of them being in here much longer.

Rya was right. Daemon was destroying the region. The rest of the region was just too caught up in the 'paradise' that was the walled portion of the region. None of them knew what was going on here. He would make sure that they all learned what was happening.

He heard a sound and realized that Rya had released her new Grimer. Good idea. He would love the smoggy air. Hopefully he wouldn't be too weak to withstand whatever may happen here. He just wanted them to get out of here as soon as possible, but there was this air of.... danger that wafted around the city. Something not good was gonna happen.

------

"Mac, you take the girl with the Grimer. Al, the kid in front is all yours. Hank, take out the other girl. The last guy is all mine." The four factory workers leaped from the fire escapes they were stood upon. They split up and each took one of the kids. "Ok Kiddies!, It's time for you to find a new playground." The leader threw a pokeball, releasing a quite happy looking Koffing. "Let's go!"

-------

Suddenly there was a voice, and then four men hopped from the fire escapes and split the group up. A tall, skinny, older man took on Jessica. A smaller bald man took after Rya. They must have figured the girls would be easier opponents. Big mistake fellas. Another man, dressed in black leather attacked Jack. The last one, probably the leader, attacked Ryan. This man looked miserable, and how could he not. They lived here, worked here, ate here. These men can't possibly be in good health. Regardless. They were being attacked, and self defense was a necessary evil.

Ryan tapped Dio on the head. "C'mon bud. You've got this guy!" The Pokemon grumbled in agreement and stepped forward, squaring up on the enemy. Ryan pointed at the trainer. "Maaan have you guys screwed up royally this time." His gaze dropped to the Quilava at his feet. He looked back to the opponent and smiled.

"Dio.... Flame Wheel!!"

Jack looked at the guy who had lined up across from him. He doesn't look like much and if his Pokemon look anything like him this is just going to be sad. The man reached to his belt and held out a Pokeball. Jack scoffed at the man. "How about we move our battle a bit I'd hate for someone else's pokemon to get caught in the crossfire." The man stood his ground looking shocked at the fact this kid wasn't afraid of him. Jack started to walk a few blocks to the north calling out to Ryan. "We're gonna give you guys some space I'll meet you at the gate to the forest!" With that Jacked walked off into the haze the grunt following him closely.

"You'd better not try to run away kid. We'll find you even if you do."

At this Jack started to laugh. "You should run away I don't want to hurt you or your Pokemon, but if you release one this will be a battle and I don't intend to loose." Jack stopped and turned to the man a fire in his eyes. "Make your choice! Let's go!" The grunt hesitated for a second before throwing his pokeball into the air releasing a Grimer. Jack reached to his belt and threw out his partner best suited for fighting off the poison types of Kanto. "Karma Go!" Karma lept out of her Pokeball and spun as she landed dancing around. Once Karma had settled down he looked at the Grunt. "Well let's begin. Karma! Double Team!" Karma began to dart around the alley way making doubles of herself as she went. When she was finished there were 5 Karmas standing in the alley way all looking at the Grimer.

"Y-you can't beat me with tricks like that. Grimer use Mud Bomb." The Grimer launched a giant ball of mud at one of the nearest Karmas but it just passed through as the Karma faded. "What? I was sure that was the right one!"

Jack frowned. "Don't underestimate my Pokemon. Now this is your last chance. Let me and my friends pass." The man didn't move though he looked even more unsure about himself than he had previously. Jack just looked to Karma. "Alright then. Karma Confusion." The 4 remaining Kramas lowered their heads and folded their hands focusing on the attack. After an instant the Grimer was struck by a wave of psychic energy and slumped to the ground. Jack looked at the man's face. There was no emotion, no regret for having lost a partner he just reached to his belt and pulled out another Pokeball, and tossed it into the air releasing a Muk. "Karma can you keep going?" She turned to Jack and nodded a fierce look that matched his in her eyes. "Alright then use Double Team again!" Karma began to dart around the alley again trying to confuse the Muk.

"Muk use Sludge Bomb!" The Muck lifted its arm launching a ball of sludge that splashed in the center of the Kirelias hitting them all.

As the copies faded Jack looked at Karma noticing that she was Poisoned. "Karma are you alright?!" She nodded and stood back up. "Alright then use Confusion then get ready to dodge his next attack!" After she released the bolt of energy she jumped into the air flinching as the poison caused more damage.

"Muk Disable!" The Muk shot a beam at Karma and connected the hit.

"Damn I have to switch out. Karma return!" As he replaced the ball he muttered. "Karma you did amazing thank you so much." He looked at the Muk across from him. "Alright Nami let's finish this up." As Nami hit the ground she stretched out before coiling up getting ready to attack. Muck got the first attack off launching another sludge bomb. It hit but luckily didn't poison. "Alright Nami Water Pulse!" Nami launched the pulse of water hitting Muk squarely in the face. Just by looking you could tell that it was confused. Jack decided to give the Grunt another chance to leave before he lost all of his Pokemon. "Just call your Pokemon back and leave."

The grunt shook his head. "I can't leave I'd rather die than have to face Daemon after just letting you pass I don't care how many Pokemon I loose! Muk use Mud Bomb!" Muk looked around trying to find his target. After a while it launched the Mud Bomb Straight into the air causing it to fall on top of its self. Muk slumped to the ground the super effective attack on its self being to much. The grunt was beside him self in anger. "There's no way I'm going to loose to you! This ends NOW!" He reached both his hands to his belt pulling out 2 Pokeballs releasing a Koffing and a Zubat. Neither Pokemon looked to be in the best of shape probably not having been healed from their last battle.

Jack reached to his belt. "Alright Ken let's finish this you and Nami end this." Ken jumped onto the field bouncing on his feet. Nami lifted herself as her leftovers healed some of the damage she'd taken from the Muk. "Nami use Aqua Tail on the Koffing! Ken Ember the Zubat!" Karma slammed her tail on top of the Koffing dealing massive damage as it slammed into the ground from the force of the attack it slowly floated back up barely holding on. As Ken launched his Ember at the Zubat it flew up dodging the attack.

"Koffing! Selfdestruct!"

"Nami! Ken! Defend!" Nami coiled herself tightly so her tough scales would deflect most of the dammage and Ken pressed his arms covering his vital areas. The Koffing closed its eyes as it began to glow brightly before exploding in a bright flash. Nami and Ken were both blown back by the attack. Thankfully they had defended well enough for both of them to survive the blase. The Zubat hadn't been able to put enough distance between itself and the Koffing before the blast and fell to the ground. Jack looked at the grunt. "We're done here. Your out of Pokemon. Now leave. Get out of here now.

The grunt sank to his knees slowly. "All of that. After all of that I wasn't even able to stop one of your Pokemon. I-I can't believe it. How are you so strong?"

Jack shook his head. "It's not me who's strong. My Pokemon are the one's that do everything. Nami, Ken, return." With his pokemon safely stored out of danger Jack walked towards the gate waiting for his friends. He reached to his belt. "Karma, Nami, Ken, Toph come out." His pokemon stood around him. "Nami use refresh on Karma please." Nami nodded and carefully warped herself around Karma glowing as she healed the poison. "Thanks. Karma Heal Pulse." Karma released a pulse of energy to all of his team healing the damage they took from the battle. "Toph, I'm sorry I didn't let you battle, but the poison type pokemon here would do to much damage to you." Toph nodded and lowered his head to Jack and nuzzled his cheek lightly. "Thanks for understanding. Everyone you did great." With that he called everyone back to their balls but Karma stepped out of the way of the beam and walked over to stand beside him. "Thanks Karma." Jack smiled and pat her lightly on the head as they stood waiting for the rest of the group to join up at the gate.

The rolling inferno hit the Koffing dead on, but didn't take it down. Koffing bobbled in the air a bit, seeming dazed. It's trainer winced. "Koffing, snap out of it and use Sludge Bomb!" The purple pollution machine replied with a simple grumble as it opened its mouth and fired a purple blob the size of a basketball at Diocletian. The Quilava tried to leap to the right, but the ball was too big to dodge and he was hit. He made it through and got back to his position in front of Ryan. Dio gave a snort to tell Ryan that he was ready to go.

"Alright bud, Use Smokescreen!" Dio leaped toward Koffing, loosing a plume of smoke from his mouth, enveloping the battlefield. Ryan couldn't see Dio, but they'd practiced this before, so he knew where his Quilava was. Quilava would be silently stalking around the Koffing, who probably could see, due to his own familiarity with smoke, but his trainer wouldn't know what to do.

"Koffing, use tackle!" Yup, this guy had no clue. Ryan and Dio had the upper hand. The only thing Ryan and the other trainer could see was the smoke moving round as the Pokemon dove around within it.

"Dio, Quick Attack!" Ryan and Dio built this strategy when Dio learned Smokescreen, it was basically the rope-a-dope maneuver. Dio would fill the area with smoke, and then quick attack around the enemy to tire it out. Once the other Pokemon was tired Quilava would loose a Flame Wheel and take the enemy out. They hadn't had much practical practice, but Ryan was sure it would work.

Inside the smokescreen Koffing would descend upon Dio, who would dodge quickly and come back with an attack, slowly whittling down Koffing's health. Koffing was becoming tired, and his attacks were becoming slower. Dio was still in Quick Attack mode and was almost ready to take it out.

"I've had enough of this. Koffing!, Explosion!!!"

Ryan's jaw dropped. "What the hell are you doing, you'll kill us all!" With all these fumes around, and these factories there was no way the explosion would stay contained.

The Koffing started to shake and glow. Ryan had to do something. "Dio, Return!" The red beam withdrew Quilava, and Ryan quickly tossed another ball. "C'mon out Constantine!" The large water pokemon took Dio's place in the smokescreen. Constantine wouldn't know what to do in here if Ryan didn't give him specific instructions, but Constantine wasn't out there just to battle.

Koffing was violently shaking and was now turning white, he was about to burst. but then... nothing. Koffing's Explosion just kind of... petered out.

"What the hell? Why didnt that work!!" The trainer complained.

Ryan smiled. "You need to do your research pal. Constantine's ability blocks self-destruction" He looked into the smokescreen. "Constantine!, use Surf!" He heard a loud. "SIIIIRRE" from the middle of the smoke, which was quickly followed by an eruption of water from all around the area. The huge wave quickly overtook the smoke and swept the area clean. Ryan was pushed back by the force of the surf. He caught his footing and held his hand in front of his face, blocking the water.

Once everything had settled down Ryan looked up to see his Quagsire happily standing in the middle of the arena. Koffing was nowhere to be found. Ryan assumed it had been swept away. That was sad, though it was probably better than exploding for no reason.

A quick survey of the area showed that Jack had either moved his fight further than Ryan thought, or the battle was over. Rya's also seemed to be over. Jess's battle was still going just like Ryan's. That was good, they were doing ok. This was just a small hiccup.

"Damnit..." the other trainer cursed. how could this stupid punk beat his Koffing so badly. Didn't matter, He wouldn't be able to take out the next one. His next Pokemon was given to him by the boss specifically for situations like this. This kid was gonna regret taking him on.

"You done!?" Ryan shouted. "Just walk away!" Ryan didn't want to hurt anymore innocent Pokemon. This guy didn't deserve to have Pokemon if this was how he treated them.

"Not even close kid!" Something was up. The trainer was more confident than he was during the first battle. Something not good was gonna happen.

"Go NIDOKING!!"

Oh Shit...

A tall skinny old man, approached Jessica, "Well honey you wanna battle or are you gonna give up your pokemon and run away?" he said, clearly he had no idea who he was messing with. "Oh you wanna battle me? Picking on pretty young ladies? What are you some kind of pervert?" She said, and he was quite angry, too angry to react. "Anyway, if you want to battle lets at least make it interesting, how about a double battle, we each send out two pokemon at a time and they work in tandem to defeat the enemy? It's much more interesting than your standard one on one, plus it'll get this over with quicker and I wanna get out here, I feel like I need shower just standing in this god forsaken town." She said, again the old man seemed quite upset. "Alright I'll agree to your request, go Forretress, go Nidorino!" He screamed releasing his pokemon, "haha, this is gonna be fun", she said to Smugleaf, who was still perched on her shoulder, before she reached into her bag and pulled out two pokeballs, "Elizabeth, Lucas, you guys got this." She said releasing the two pokemon. "I'll let you make the first move, that is if you pokemon can land a move." She said cockily, although she'll never admit it, Alder alcways said her greatest problem was over confidence.

"Forretress Mirror Shot! Nidorino Horn Attack!" The man screamed, Forretress generated a shining silver ball and shot it towards Elizabeth, big mistake, Nidorino was charging right at Elizabeth as well and Forretress's attack hit, Nidorino. The tough little pokemon bounced right back, but Jessica knew right then that she was going to have the upper hand throughout the entire battle. "Alright, my turn." She said with a smirk, "Lucas, Swords Dance, Elizabeth, keep them off him with a Flame Charge!" She said, Lucas began the mesmerizing dance that massively raises the attack power. Elizabeth was busy, she coated herself in a thick layer of flame and was now charging at both enemy pokemon, She barreled into Nidorino, knocking him into a wall. She bounced right off and ricocheted right into Forretress. The Forretress did not survive the hit. Elizabeth stopped right next to Lucas who had finished his preparations. "What I can't believe it! You killed Forretress in one shot how did you do that?" the pervy old man screamed, "It's a little thing called type advantage, maybe you've heard of it?" She retorted with a laugh. "I'm not gonna let you get away with that, go Beedrill!" he screamed releasing his final pokemon. "That's enough Elizabeth, I know that move takes it's toll on you. You were great. It's your turn honey!" She said, returning her friend to her pokeball and calling out her Arcanine. "An... an Aracanine! Where the hell did you find one!" the old man said shocked, "I'll never tell." Jessica said with a wink. She was clearly having way too much fun with this. By this time the Nidorino had recovered from his earlier mishap and was now ready to continue fighting. "Beedrill! Pin Missile on the big one! Nidorino, Horn Attack on the other one!" he commanded, "Honey, dodge and then Crunch! Lucas Quick Attack!" Honey stepped out of the way of the first jab from the Beedrill and chomped down hard. Unfortunately that didn't stop the Beedrill from finishing the move, he stabbed the poor Arcanine three times before the Cruch attack took it's toll, ending the poor bugs life. Lucas was able to attack before the Nidorino could react, dealing a lethal blow. The time he had spend powering was clearly worth it as his attack was clearly more than the small pokemon could handle. "Great job guys I'm proud of you, Honey we'll get you all healed up once the other's win their battles." Jessica said no doubt in her mind that her friends would also win. I can't believe you beat me without losing a single pokemon, I just can't believe it!" The man screamed before running off. No doubt trying to be gone before his boss finds out he lost to an innocent, cute little girl like Jessica.

Ryan's jaw fell before the massive purple beast in front of him. He'd never seen a Nidoking before, let alone battled one. The monster practically cracked the ground when it walked. Ryan had his work cut out for him. He looked around for his friends, the were nowhere to be found. The sound of the machinery and the heavy smog that filled the air made it impossible to see past the little battle arena he'd created, so there was no way of knowing exactly where they were, but he was sure they were doing fine. He really only had to worry about himself right now.

Nidoking was busy stomping about, and the enemy trainer was busy admiring his Pokemon, but Ryan was surveying his pokemon and deciding on strategy. "Lets see," he whispered to himself. "I've got Chloe, Constantine, and Hector. Dio's probably tired from the first battle, so I'll let him rest, I'll have to make it work with the others." He checked over their attacks. "Hey, that would work... I think." He nodded to himself. He had a plan.

"Alright you big purple bastard, lets see what you've got!" He reached for his belt, retrieving the last two Pokeballs. "C'mon out guys!" He shouted as he tossed Chloe and Hector into the fray. It was dangerous sending out Chloe against this mountain of a Pokemon, but he'd need her.

It was a three on one battle. Nidoking vs Chloe, Hector, and Constantine. The odds were in Ryan's favor, but he had never battled Nidoking before. He wasn't sure what moves it had and even what level it was at. "Nidoking! Use Hyper Beam!" Nidoking reared his head back, charging up the beam. "Constantine! Mud Bomb!" Constantine fired his shot just as Nidoking fired his Hyper Beam. The two attacks collided in the middle, exploding on contact. Chloe ducked behind Hector, who had receeded into his shell, as the concussion of the explosion spread across the field. Once the dust cleared Nidoking stood opposite Constantine, neither one willing to submit. "Keep him busy Constantine!" Ryan shouted. The Quagsire nodded and charged off to the left trying to lead Nidoking away from Hector and Chloe.

Hector had come back out of his shell and was trying to calm down Chloe, who was hiding behind him in fear. Ryan crouched down next to the two. "Ok guys, this is what I need you to do. Just listen to me, do what I say, and don't be scared. It will all work out, I'll keep you safe." Chloe and Hector nodded silently. "Get ready guys."

Constantine was having a hell of a time. Nidoking was right on the Water Pokemon's heels as he trotted around the arena. "Constantine!!! Return!" The Pokemon was pulled away by the red beam right as Nidoking pounced on him. The beast turned back to Ryan and focused his attention on the last two. It headed toward them with murder in his eyes. "Chloe! Use Fake Tears!"

The bear Pokemon, sat atop Hector, began crying loudly. As the Nidoking approached the Teddiursa it seemed to slow a bit. Ryan could tell it didn't want to attack the poor crying Pokemon. But it had to follow his trainer's instructions. "Nidoking! Use Hyper Beam on Teddiursa!" Ryan gritted his teeth. What kind of monster... "Hector! Use Bide!" Hector nodded and pulled his extremities in as the Nidoking charged up the deadly attack. Chloe rolled off Hector's back and hid behind him. Ryan clenched his fists in anticipation. 'I hope this works!'

Nidoking gave a loud roar and then sent the screeching beam toward Ryan's Pokemon. Ryan had never seen a Hyper Beam before. It was the brightest thing he'd ever seen. He turned away to shield his eyes as the beam connected with Hector. The impact caused a massive cloud of dust to spring up, cloaking the arena. Ryan couldn't see what was happening. The fear of his Pokemon's death dropped into his stomach. Could this be it?

The smoke slowly cleared. Ryan peered in, he could only see shadows and silhouettes. The two figures were still there, but were they alive? His thoughts were interrupted by a tremor. He looked toward the source t see Nidoking had dropped to it's knees. The Hyper Beam must've taken a lot out of it.

"Teddi?"

The small voice somehow made it through the commotion. That was Chloe! She was alive! The smoke was finally dissipating and he could see his Pokemon. He only had a little time left to finish this up.

"Chloe, Use Lick!" Chloe hopped over Hector, who was still storing energy, and charged at the fatigued monster. She reached it and dove onto its face, licking every square inch. Once the Nidoking had recovered from the Hyper Beam Chloe hopped off and ran back to Hector's side.

"Nidoking! Use SuperPower! Wipe that punk off the map!" Nidoking began to use the move but stopped in it's tracks. Ryan smiled. "Nidoking! What's Wrong!!" the enemy shouted.

"It's Paralyzed." Ryan cheekily retorted. "And Just in time for my Bide attack to connect." Almost on cue Hector extended from his shell and fired a Hyper Beam back at Nidoking, at double the power.

It was over. Nidoking lay on the ground, smoldering from the attack. Ryan glared at the opponent. "Get lost" The man was speechless. He dropped to his knees and pounded the ground in anger. Ryan turned his back and walked away. "C'mon guys, you deserve a rest" He returned his Pokemon to their balls and left the area.

After a little bit of a walk he saw the entrance to Viridian Forest, and all of his friends standing together, reveling in their victory.
"Guys, I think it's time we set up camp. I'm sure we all have some wounds to mend." Hector must be in some serious pain from that Hyper Beam. At least that was over though...

Jack stood up and greeted his friends as they trickled towards the city exit. As each one arrived he had Karma heal their wounded Pokemon each time saying. "No need to thank me. We have to help each other when we can." Ryan was the last one to arrive. Jack got his Pokemon out and prepared to heal them as he had the rest. "Ryan what happened? Your Pokemon look they got hit by a Hyper Beam or something! This is gonna take some time to heal. Karma, Nami do you best to get them back to full health."

As his Pokemon went to work healing Ryan's Pokemon he heard Rayn say that they should set up camp for the night. "I'll help you guys set up camp, but I don't want to stay in this city any longer than I have to. Once camp gets set up I'm going to start working my way through the forest. My Pokemon are back at full health already we can make it through the forest before night fall and Pewter is just beyond the forest." Of course his friends didn't agree with his plan at first favoring that the group stay together. "We won't be able to stay together through the entire thing. We'll have to split apart at some point. Whatever has been causing this I can't believe that it's coming from a single source. Brock is our first lead but there will be more. We have to solve this before it affects the entire planet."

'One way or another I'm going to leave this city today. I need to keep moving forward.' Once camp was set up and Ryan's Pokemon fully healed Jack stood returning his Pokemon to their balls. "Stay safe everyone. I'll see you all in Pewter City." Jack turned and walked through the city gates going into the forest.

Before the door could close behind him he heard someone running up behind him. It was Jessica. "I'm coming with you. I can't stay in this city another minute."

He turned and looked at her. "Alright. Teams it is then. Ryan you take care of Rya." He smiled to Rya. "Rya make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. See you guys on the other side." Jack turned with Jessica following him closely as they stepped into Virdian Forest.