New Friends, New Foes

[It took some doing, but I got Misty back in a good mood.] Ami smiled as she walked alongside her master.

"That's good." Ash smiled as Tintri bounded aboard his shoulder. After the encounter with Suicune the night before, the evening had gone without incident--they had eaten dinner, while Brock had shared some of the millions of stories he had learned from books and people from around the world that had visited Pewter Gym over the years.

"So, what was the Crystal Onix?" Brock's question snapped Ash back to reality.

"Exactly what it says on the box--a special Onix with a body made out of glass crystal." Ash continued his story. "A little girl named Marissa was the one that wrote the message. She wanted to find the Crystal Onix to help her brother, Mateo, find the inspiration to make glass Pokémon statues. Mateo told us about how his grandfather discovered the Crystal Onix, and then was able to make extraordinary sculptures for years afterwards--and one of those sculptures included the Crystal Onix itself."

"I hate to interrupt the nostalgic story, but we're here." Misty interrupted, pointing out a signpost in the distance.

Brock hurried on ahead and examined the sign. "Welcome to New Bark Town--the town where winds of a new beginning blow....I'd say we're here."

"I can see why it's called that." Ash smiled as he looked out on the rooftops of the buildings and the many Cheri trees that lined the streets, sending cascades of pinkish white petals twirling to the ground. Lush green mountains loomed over the town, giving off both a sense of the familiar and something totally new.

"Wow...it's beautiful...." Misty smiled as she and Ash caught up to Brock, allowing them to see the town in the distance.

"And that huge red domed building on that hill to the west might be the local professor's lab--let's go see if he's here!" With that, Ash was moments away from dashing off towards the building until he felt a familiar hand pulling him back. "What the?"

"Easy, cowboy--I know you're excited about this whole new world we're going to see here, but first impressions still count." Brock reminded his excited companion. "So let's go there together." Ash just sighed in reply.

After making their way up the hill to the domed building, Ash balked when he saw a boy with long red hair pacing the grass near the western end of the building. "I wonder who that is?" he wondered as the boy paced back and forth, periodically looking in the windows or musing to himself.

Misty reared back at the red and black shirt the boy was wearing, complete with jeans that nearly looked purple and matching red and black shoes. "I don't know, but he looks like bad news to me!"

"So this is the famous Elm Pokemon Lab..." the boy mused before noticing Ash and the others staring at him. "What are YOU looking at, hat-boy?" he growled at Ash. "Go on! Get lost! Shoo!"

"Okay, okay, we're going..." Ash sighed before he motioned for the others to follow him inside the lab.

"I'd love to give that jerk a piece of my mind..." Misty grumbled as the group made their way inside the lab's main room, where the professor, a bespectacled young man will dull brown hair, was in the middle of speaking to a black haired boy wearing a gold and black cap, and a brown haired girl wearing a large and puffy white hat.

"...So while all three can be equally helpful to you, choosing the one best suited to your abilities will help you dramatically on your adventures." the professor explained before he noticed Ash. "So this must be the famous Ash that my colleague Professor Oak was telling me about!" he smiled. "Allow me to extend a hearty welcome to Johto to you and your friends."

"The pleasure's all mine." Ash replied before giving Dexter and his trainer card to Professor Elm to update. "These are my companions, Misty..." Misty waved hello before shepherding Ami by her side. "and Brock." Brock waved hello before leafing through a bookshelf for a guidebook of the region.

"These two are Ethan and Lyra--they're about ready to leave on their own journeys." Professor Elm went on. "It may be a good idea for the three of you to share your experiences so they know what to expect on their travels."

"Well, for one thing, never leave a bike unattended around an electric type!" Misty began.

Everyone roared with laughter as Ash turned beet red with embarrassment. She has no idea of how many lawns I had to mow and how many times I had to clean the bathroom to pay her back...

"Second of all, know thy type chart and know it well." Brock added as he finally pulled a suitable guidebook from the bookshelf.

"And third, if you run into a boy and a girl in white garb with red R's on them and a talking Meowth, run FAR away in the other direction!" Ash warned. "They'll steal any Pokemon they can get their hands on, and are STILL chasing me for my Pikachu!"

"Believe me, we heard about Team Rocket and the Mewtwo incident." Ethan assured Ash. "But we'll keep our eyes peeled for those goons anyway."

"They've chased you across Kanto?" Lyra gasped. "That's dedication...but don't worry--they won't find you here."

"Now then...shall we let you two choose your starters?" Prof. Elm offered as he led Ethan, Lyra, and the group over to a platform where a green creature with a leaf on its head, a tiny porcupine creature with flaming quills, and a small blue alligator creature milled about on a platform.

"Aw!" Lyra gasped when she saw the green creature. "I want this one!"

"Chikorita...good choice." Prof. Elm smiled as he watched Lyra cuddle with the Chikorita.

Piqued, Ash decided to read up on the tiny leaf creature:

"Chikorita, the leaf Pokemon. Its pleasantly aromatic leaves have the ability to check humidity and temperature." Dexter explained as Prof. Elm left Lyra a Pokedex of her own and a string of five Poke Balls, not wanting to interrupt the intimate moment between trainer and Pokemon.

"I'll call you..." Lyra thought for a moment for a suitable name for her new Chikorita. "Hana!"

"Good choice..." Brock smiled. "and a very appropriate one should it evolve to its final form, since it means 'flower'."

He was about to show Lyra a picture in the guidebook when Lyra politely waved him away. "Um, that's okay! I want to see all Hana's forms for myself."

Just then, a huge crash surprised everyone. "What was that?" Ethan gasped before looking towards the door and gasping.

Ethan's gasp spurred Ash to look towards the doorway--only to find the same red haired boy he had encountered before!

Professor Elm was equally horrified by the boy's appearance. "Kamon...I thought I said you were not leaving on a journey this year! Not until you learned to treat Pokemon with respect!"

"Pfft...who cares about respect?" Kamon replied as he sauntered into the room, making Hana shudder in fear as he approached the table with the two remaining Pokemon. "If this is the only day I can get a Pokemon, then I'm gonna get one!"

The porcupine creature angrily displayed its fiery quills as Kamon reached out for it, making him reconsider. The alligator creature growled as Kamon's hand approached it. "Feisty little guy, aren't we?" Kamon sneered as he reached to take the tiny blue alligator in his arms.

"Kamon, no! I wanted Totodile!" Ethan pleaded. "Besides, if the professor said you couldn't have a Pokemon this year, that's a rule!"

"So? Rules were made to be broken." Kamon chuckled before grabbing the Totodile and bolting for the door.

"After him!" Lyra called as she heard the Totodile's fearful squawk.

As Ash, Misty and Brock followed Lyra down the path, Ash silently hoped that they could catch the red haired delinquent and give Ethan the Pokemon he had wanted...

TO BE CONTINUED...