Despite having completed Underdog nearly two months ago, I'm jst now writing the author's note because of both procrastination and lack of time.

I have so many people to thank! Of course, number one has to be Kelsey (@TR304_), but coming in a close second are @RavenTheKitteh, @Red_Rockett and @Crowbar_. All four of them supported me greatly throughout the writing process! And they are not the only ones. I want to thank all  of my fans for their continued dedication to my story and me. Seriously. You will never know how grateful I am- hell, I got fanart! I never expected that!

Onto the story itself...just wow. Writing it was a blast, even if it made me want to scream in frustration when I got Writer's Block. I absolutely love this story. Even if it's just a fan fiction, I put so much effort and heart into it that I can't help but be proud of it, even if it's not exactly the best-written story out there. The characters were my favorite part, although plot comes in as a very close second. But with characters, I got to use other people's characters and mold them to fit the plot. Luna was RavenTheKitteh's character, Kimi was Crowbar's, and Gold and Reid were TR304_'s. Jared and Seth were my own OCs, and although Falkner and Bugsy are canon I still really liked writing with them. I grew to like Falkner at the end, even- which is probably not a good thing. Moving on. I liked the plot because I added a lot of ideas into it from roleplay. TR304_ and I are inspiration conductors for each other. We roleplay Pokémon a lot, but focus more on the plot than the Pokémon. That my friends, is where the idea for the clones came in. I want to tell you the story because really, it's quite interesting.

The two of us used to roleplay Warrior cats together when we were younger, and eventually started doing Pokémon as well. Then we kind of went our separate ways for a few years before reconnecting back here on Wattpad. Sometime in late June or early July 2013, she began writing the masterpiece known as Silver on Edge. She (with my permission, of course) used a few characters that we'd role used in Pokémon roleplay so long ago. This got me thinking about the old times, and I decided to remodel an old Website of mine to start the roleplay back up. We really got into it- the plot was much darker than before, as you can ell from Underdog and SOE if you've read it. Basically, Ashy and Silver were the children of Giovanni, and they were twins. Their father used to abuse them, so they ran away from home. But he wanted them back to rule Team Rocket with him (and he's a psychopath, I mean come on this is Giovanni we're talking about here). Anyways, we continued the roleplay, Ashy and Silver manged to escape Giovanni's grasp once more, blah blah blah. Then the storyline kind of got boring, so we decided to spice it up a little. You guessed it- the clones. I'm not sure who came up with the idea first- I think it was TR304_ because she's really into sci-fi stuff- but the idea was implemented that Team Rocket had created nearly indestructible killing machines to track down Ashy and Silver and bring them to Giovanni- or kill them if they resisted. We're pretty warped. Anyways, we originally referred to them as the Twins more than clones, because the idea was that they were counterparts, like opposite twins. It started out with Gold and another name I mentioned in Underdog, Icelia. Gold was Silver's counterpart, and Icelia was Ashy's. Ashy turned into a crazy revengeful bitch later on and teamed up with her even scarier father, but that's besides the point. Then Andrew and Veronica were introduced- Veronica being my OC Gabi's counterpart, and Andrew being my OC, Cast's (weird name considering that he's a bookworm, but it's a whole mess of dark past storyline that will be resolved later on in the roleplay. Muahaha). So yeah. The four musketeers had genetically enhanced killing machines after them who lived for the sole purpose of taking them down. Fun times. But Gold came to realize (through many conversations with Cast and Silver and his own guilt) that killing a young boy for Team Rocket probably wasn't the best choice. So he refused to do so. What did his lovely sister Icelia do? She freaking stabbed him. Nothing like the love between siblings. Obviously he survived and not long later met- wait for it- Seth the Arsonist, who was ever so sympathetic and spent their first few weeks together stalking Gold through the woods, eating his food and slapping him with the Great Red Headband. About the repeatedly mentioned arson, theft and vandalism. When Gold started thinking for himself, he decided to burn down Giovanni's old house which happened to be owned by a current gym leader, and of course Seth loved this idea. Yeahhh. They bonded through the destruction of property. It's just like a fairy tale, huh?! So that's the long, drawn out story of how the clones came to be. And that was only part of the plot!

As you can tell, Underdog is my pride and joy. I feel so happy whenever I see that someone has voted, commented, or even just added my story to their reading lists. I always respond to comments because I know that I'd never get anywhere without you guys. Thank you all so much!

~The Ever Grateful Doxie

PS- Originally, this was meant to be a trilogy between me and two of my friends, but that clearly never came to fruition. I myself have a sequel started, but it's highly unlikely that I'll ever complete it.

[11/1/14] Also, now that it's been nearly a year since completing Underdog, I'm realizing how childish and farfetched a lot of this book seems. To be fair it was my first time journeying into the realm of Pokémon fanfiction, but yeah...there are a lot of scientific inaccuracies that I'm sure you've noticed (I.E. If Gold has clear blood, he shouldn't be able to blush, and Jared healed rather quickly from his fractured ankle). I was debating on going through and editing it to make more sense (going along with the previous example, I probably would've had Gold react differently to a situation that made him blush, or maybe mention that Team Rocket screwed around to make him able to produce colored blood as a self-defense mechanism in case his hurt himself in the presence of a normal human), but I don't have the time or motivation, so that probably won't happen any time soon. So...yeah.

If you DO want to read something that has to do with characters from Underdog, my friend @TR304_ and I are slowly writing a collaboration fic called Sentiment. It has mentions of Jared and his story, and Seth and Gold are hugely important characters in it. The story is on our collab account @Team_ASGC and focuses primarily on A. The existence of a new disease that is wiping out Pokémon across the regions, and B. The clones and how they fit into all of this. Our other big reason for writing it is to fully explain the backstories of our other OCs and stuff. But the fic isn't updated regularly (for now anyways, but that might change later on), and it's completely up to you guys if you want to give it a shot or not. If you do, I hope you like it!

I will post the first few chapters of the sequel, "Under the Radar", below, but it's doubtful that I'll ever work on it again.

Prologue

            There's nothing quite like finding yourself buried up to your neck in sand with the waves of high tide starting to roll in mere inches away from your face. How I'd managed to get myself into this situation was beyond me, but judging from salty water that sprayed my face every few seconds, I was as good as dead.

            Let me start out by saying that I was not challenging Kimi when I told her that I'd rather be buried alive than go to a place called Lavaridge Town. Seriously, it's named Lavaridge. Who in their right mind would want to go to a town at the edge of a freaking volcano? Kimi, apparently, and since I refused to put up with the possibility of being burned alive, I was now faced with the prospect of the opposite- slowly drowning on Slateport Beach while six year olds threw stones at my head.

            Sometimes I think that my life is just too typical. If I ever have children, I hope I don't pass on the bad luck, because they'll hate me. That is, if I don't end up accidentally dropping an anvil on my future spouse. "Speaking of which, where's Luna?" I muttered, trying to move my limbs. No such luck. Sand was much heavier than it looked. I saw the sun sinking below the horizon in the west and sighed. Great. If I didn't drown, I'd be immobile for the next eight hours while everyone in the city was asleep.

            "Hey, mister, you might want to hurry up and get out of there! High tide's coming in! You don't want to drown, do you?" A boy stood a few feet away from me, chuckling.

            "Yeah, it'd be nice to get out of the sand, but I kind of can't move my arms," I muttered, shaking the sand out of my hair. "Mind helping me out?"

            The boy roared with laughter and turned towards the beach, where most people were packing their things and leaving for the night. "Good one, pal! Hey guys, check this out, we have a joker over here! He thinks I'm gonna help him."

            I scowled. "Sadist."

            He shrugged, flinging a towel over his shoulder and starting to walk away. "Have fun dying, pal."

            "I will! I'll have so much fun dying, I'll make life look like sitting through a marathon of reality TV!" I shouted back, receiving no response. I growled in annoyance. "My comeback skills really need work."

            "I'd say." I looked to my left to see Kimi sitting down on the sand next to my head.

            "Here to watch me die a slow, painful death?" I snorted, looking away.

            She shrugged. "Depends."

            "On?"

            "Whether or not I'm in a murderous mood."

            I rolled my eyes. This girl was impossible. "Can you please dig me out now?" I pleaded. "Seriously, the fear tactic is one thing, but you're starting to freak me out now."

            "That was the point," Kimi remarked, swatting me upside the head. I sighed. Clearly, I had an affinity for pissing girls off and near death experiences. Unfortunately, neither of those skills were very useful. Especially not when the girls happened to enjoy watching me go through terrifying situations.

            I clamped my mouth shut as a wave washed up, splashing my face. When it rolled back towards the sea, I quickly said, "Kimi, come on. This isn't funny anymore."

            "D'aww, it's okay, Jack-Ass. I'm sure that Arceus will forgive how many times you screwed up when you die." Kimi patted my head in what I assume was supposed to be a comforting fashion. Except that it wasn't very soothing considering that I was approximately ten minutes away from being vulture food.

            I gritted my teeth as another wave came up, this time washing clear over my head.

"I'm sure he's merciful, but I'd like to live past sixteen, please."

            Kimi ignored me and rolled over onto her back, staring up at the fading sunlight. "What do you think heaven is like?"

            "Rainbows and lollipops and angels and shit. I don't know. Do I really look like the religious type to you?"

            She sighed. "That was a serious question."

            I glanced away. "I hope it exists," was all I said. There was a still silence as we remembered Johto, and then I cleared my throat. "Can we have this conversation another time? Like, when I'm not two minutes away from joining the deceased in question?"

            "Right, right," Kimi responded, starting to dig up sand around my neck. For a minute, she almost got my left shoulder uncovered, and then a wave washed up, covering it in water and mud again. Kimi paused, then tried digging up the sand again, only for another wave to ruin her efforts. "Um." Kimi laughed nervously. "Don't panic, but, uh, I don't think I can dig you out."

            "What?!" I exclaimed, my voice raising a few pitches higher than it should have been capable of.

            A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead as she started scooping sand away frantically. "Uh. Well, I think I may have misjudged the timing of high tide slightly…the water keeps washing in more sand."

            "Kimi," I said, struggling to keep my voice calm. "Please tell me that this is a joke."

            "Uh…sorry, but no."

            There were a few moments of silence, and then I freaked out. "I am buried up to my neck in the sand, Kimi! How the hell am I going to get out?! I don't want to drown! At least let me die in a more manly way!"

            "I'm trying to get you out!" she insisted, scraping away dirt as fast as she could, while trying to hold the waves back. "It's just…not working."

            "I swear to Arceus if I die because of you I'm haunting your ass!"

            "Stop panicking, it's distracting me!"
            "I have a right to panic! I'm going to die! Damn it, I haven't even gotten a chance to marry or have a job yet!"

            Despite the circumstances, Kimi snorted with laughter. "Because those things will happen even if you live."

            "Just get me out this freaking sand, woman!"

            "I'm trying!" she repeated, her voice tight with worry. "Just don't haunt me!"

            I struggled to push some of the sand off of my body, which was difficult to do considering that I was vertically placed in a five-foot deep hole. "Are you implying that I'm totally screwed?"

            "Um…"

            "Oh my Arceus." I let out a whimper of despair. "I can see the headlines now: Boy Drowns in Slateport; Girl Convicted of Manslaughter."

            Kimi glared at me, working frantically to unearth my body. "They can't convict me if they don't know who did it." My mouth dropped open and she grinned. "Just kidding."

            I ground my teeth in frustration at her, and to my relief I could move my arms. After a few moments, the sand crumbled and fell away, splashing me with mud. I sighed, praising whatever divine entity was out there. "That was seriously close."

            Kimi eyed me warily as I hauled myself out of the hole. "You're not going to murder me for nearly getting you killed, right?"
            "No promises," I grunted, flopping down on the ground.

            It had been three months since Kimi, Luna and I had arrived in Hoenn. It was early April now, and other than almost drowning, we'd actually had a good run so far. The weather was significantly less crappy than Johto's, hence why we could enjoy the beach in mid-Spring. We hadn't left the Slateport area yet, which seemed both unsurprising and shocking at the same time, in some backwards logic. In a way I was confused that we hadn't started traveling yet, but then I remembered what happened last time and decided to just enjoy the downtime. I wasn't very keen on a repeat of my sixteenth birthday.

            The sun had almost completely faded, and this time I joined Kimi in looking up at the sky. Stars slowly appeared, twinkling against the dark backdrop of night. Now that I wasn't on death's door, I could admire the transition from dusk to night. "Hey, do you know where Luna is?" I asked, staring up at the sky.

            "I think she's in the hotel," Kimi murmured. "We should probably head back there before she starts getting worried."

            I nodded in assent and sat up, looking around at the desolate beach. I shuddered at the thought of meeting less-than-savory people in a place like this. You're letting him get to you, Jared, I thought to myself. Move on. It's over.

            On the way back to the hotel, Kimi and I chatted about Hoenn so far. The mood was light and cheerful, and the conversation was friendly. But it inevitably turned to the topic I'd been dwelling on in recent weeks. "Jared…I don't want to rush you, but should we start traveling soon? I know you don't want to be a Pokémon trainer anymore, but there are gyms for me to challenge and contests for Luna to take part in."

            Before last fall, Luna had been a casual trainer, working to become stronger before she decided to take on any gyms. I think I ruined the experience for her, though, and now she had decided to try her luck with Coordinating. I couldn't help feeling guilty, but she assured me that it had nothing to do with past events. I didn't know if I believe her.

            "I guess we may as well," I replied, shrugging. I realized how boring my life was becoming. After I'd given up the dream of succeeding Falkner, there wasn't much left going for me. Bugsy had called me with news that Lance wanted me to work under him in the Kanto police force, but I couldn't do that until I was of legal age, which was nearly two years away. What would I do until then?

            Kimi pushed open the door to the hotel lobby. After singing in, we headed up to our room, which was actually more like four rooms and a kitchenette. While having a convicted felon on the run for a brother does have its flaws, the fact that he sends me sympathy money to pay for a deluxe suite room makes it better. Somewhat. Either way, it meant that the hotel room we were staying at was like a small apartment, with a living room and kitchen, plus a bedroom for each of us. It was like the Pokémon Center in Goldenrod City, but on crack. And without the bullshit.

            Luna was passed out on the couch when we got to the room, and I smiled before putting a blanket over her. I would've tried moving her to her bedroom, but the last time I attempted to do so she woke up, called me a pervert, and beat me over the head with her backpack. So that was out. Kimi glanced and me and snickered, probably thinking about that event.

            I walked over to the kitchenette and made two cups of hot chocolate while Kimi flipped the TV on, setting the channel to a talk show about the Hoenn region and its best travel destinations. I made sure to once-over the cocoa powder before mixing it with milk-- Seth had ruined food for me permanently. I checked and double-checked everything I ate nowadays.

            After the drinks were warm, I shut off the stove and carried one over to Kimi, who was sitting in an armchair, and sat down on the edge of the couch with my own. Making sure that the television hadn't woken Luna up, we both turned our attention to the travel segment.

           ”Here in the Hoenn region, many trainers start out their journeys in Littleroot Town, where Professor Birch provides them with one of three starter Pokémon-- Mudkip, Treecko, or Torchic. Hoenn is well known for its coordination contests and nature-based towns, such as FortreeCity, which is composed of tree houses in a forest."

            "Tree houses? Oh hell no," I said, reaching for the remote to flick off of the TV.

            Kimi grabbed my hand. "Just watch the show. Maybe it'll give you an idea of where to go next."

            I gave a resigned sigh and looked back at the screen, promising myself that I was not going to ever step foot in a place where people live high off the ground. Even this third floor hotel room gave me the creeps. "There are many vacation destinations in the Hoenn region for trainers hoping to take a few days off their journeys. For the outdoorsy type, Petalburg Woods is a great place for a camping trip. If you like the beach, SlateportCity and DewfordTown are great locations to visit. And for the ever-adventurous mountain climber, be sure to check out Mt.Pyre!"

            I raised an eyebrow at Kimi. Nothing so far seemed to be thrilling, just suicidal. And I'd had plenty of danger in the past year, thanks very much. "Adventurous? Dense woods? More beaches for you to bury me in? No thanks."

            Kimi rolled her eyes. "Stop being so close-minded and try to find something you'd like. Enough with the moping already, we have to do something if we're going to move on."

            While she could have used a lighter tone, I had to admit she was right. "Fine," I sighed. "But I'm not taking advice from a talk show." I clicked off the television. "You tell me where you think would be a good place to go."

            After a moment of thought, her eyes light up. "Oh! I know the perfect place. Trust me, you'll love it."

            "Oh, really? It's that good? Alright, where is this?"

            Kimi gave me a mischievous smile. "First you have to promise that you'll go there."

            I frowned. "That makes me feel like I won't want to go there. Kimi…what are you up to?"

            "Promise!"

            "Ugh…okay, whatever, I promise. Now tell me!"

            She grinned devilishly. "Professor Birch's lab."

            I felt my stomach flip in anxiety. "But didn't the TV say that he was in charge of giving trainers their Pokémon?" I asked, my heart rate quickening.

            "I thought you didn't trust the show," she snickered. "But yes. And you promised, so there's no backing out of it now!"

            "But Kimi," I pleaded, becoming desperate as I realized the situation. "I don't want to go through that again. I don't want to lose more friends!"

            Kimi frowned at me and stood up, pointing her finger in my face. "Drop the attitude this instant, Jared Wilson. Get over your fears, because we are going on another Pokémon journey!"

            I didn't have time to respond, because Luna jolted awake at the sound of Kimi's raised voice and swung her arm out in a reflex, smacking me off the couch. "Stranger danger!" she shouted in her sleep-filled haze. Then, blinking, she looked down at me, sprawled on my back on the floor. "Hey, why are you the floor?"

            "Good question," I groaned, feeling my head throb with pain as Kimi grinned down triumphantly at me. It wasn't difficult to tell what she was thinking: You aren't weaseling out of this one, boy. Get ready for Hoenn.

            Yep.Jared the Punching Bag was back in business.

Chapter One

            I stood in the doorway of the building, marveling at the pandemonium my mere existence could cause. "Kimi, I hate you."

            "No you don't. You hate my decisions and the fact that I make you go out of your comfort zone."

            I looked around Professor Birch's lab, where people were screaming at the sight of me and hiding behind desks. One scientist even grabbed every Pokéball in sight and clutched them against her jacket. "Out of my comfort zone? More like you strapped a rocket booster to me and sent me into another dimension without hope of ever returning to my comfort zone."

            Kimi smirked and walked past me, ignoring the casual chaos. "You deserve it."

            I sighed and followed her, sending a forlorn look at Luna, who shrugged and gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. We'd both resigned ourselves to the fact that Kimi was a bulldozer when it came to getting what she wanted. People flinched away from me as I walked past, and I guess I couldn't really blame them. After all, I'd robbed Professor Elm less than a year ago. They probably expected me to repeat myself in Hoenn.

            Between me and Falkner, my parents must be thrilled with the new generation.

            At the back of the lab, Professor Birch was talking to Kimi, seeming unconcerned about my presence. "So, do you have a preference on what starter to get?" he asked her.

            She looked at our group and smiled lightly. "Well, we've definitely had our dose of abnormal, so I think we'll go with the basic starters this time around."

            "Good choice…just don't pull out any needles." He winked and shuffled into the back room, sending me into a wave of déjà vu. I appreciated the light mood, though. I could still hear shrieking from the lobby, and what sounded like someone dispatching the police.

            One thing about my brother: he'd had a huge impact on this aftermath, but I wasn't sure whether or not to be grateful. On one hand, he killed my starter Pokémon and let his friends pseudo-murder an innocent child. On the other, he got my friend back and actually tried to make the situation better. I knew that in some twisted way he was trying to make up for everything, but at this point it was futile. Besides, so far people had reacted one of two ways to this situation.

            The first one was obvious. They freaked the hell out and called me a psychopath, and at this point I believe that the statement might actually have some validity. They demanded that I be placed under arrest for all the crap I'd done. I called bullshit, my asshole of a brother paid my bail months ago. With money that was likely stolen from victims of Team Rocket.

           The second way people responded to me was kind of unexpected. Like Professor Birch, they sympathized with me and joked about it. Even if it made me kind of a hypocrite, I questioned their sanity. Who in their right mind would feel sorry for me? I suppose if they knew the whole story it would be reasonable, but from their perspective I was simply a delinquent whose stolen Pokémon died recently. I've completely given up on trying to understand society.

            Birch shambled back in with three Pokéballs, and I looked uneasily at Luna. "Is it just me, or are we making a huge mistake?"

            "I'm going to refrain from commenting," she replied, taking my hand and smiling wearily.

            Kimi looked at us and scowled. "If you two get anymore PDA, it's going to be hammer time."

            "Your kindness and support for my relationship is an inspiration to us all, Kimi."

            She held up three fingers. "Read between the lines, Jack-Ass." Some things never change.

            Professor Birch surveyed our group, as if reassessing whether or not we were competent and responsible enough to care for Pokémon. I had to wonder myself. Wait, scratch that: considering my last one died, I think I know the answer to that question. "Who wants to pick first?" He placed the red and white spheres on a table to our right, motioning for us to follow him over. Gesturing to each one successively, he said, "The one on the left is Torchic. Mudkip is in the center, and Treecko is to the right."

            "Well, I already have a Combusken, so I'll let one of these two have the Torchic. I think I want to try Treecko, I don't have any grass types yet." Kimi reached forward and picked up the Pokéball on the right. Professor Birch nodded in agreement with her decision.

            "Ladies first," I told Luna. She rolled her eyes but grinned, picking up the Torchic's Pokéball.

            "Alright, well, I only train fire and dark types, so this is the obvious answer for me." She pressed the button, shrinking the sphere down to miniature size and putting it in her pocket.

            "Guess that leaves me with Mudkip," I said nervously, grabbing the Pokéball. "Are they, um, volatile by nature?" I asked Birch.

            The professor chuckled. "No, no. They're actually very docile Pokémon. Probably a welcome relief for you, if the media is correct."

            "Oh, it's correct all right," I said under my breath. The most unfortunate part about my return to the real world was that 'the media' actually made an effort to be truthful this time around. At first I was glad that they were getting the facts straight, but then they started digging up stuff about Falkner and I that I'd have preferred to keep hidden. They even mentioned an instance from my childhood where Falkner locked me out of the house for an entire weekend while my parents were gone. How this was relevant to the actual story, I had no clue, but the tabloids were eating the rivalry right up.

            By the time we'd thanked Professor Birch, left the lab, and headed for Odale Town, the sun was high in the sky. I was ninety percent sure that none of us had any plan of action for the coming months, but Kimi marched through the forest as if she knew it like the back of her hand. She probably did. If it weren't for the terrible reception and lack of topics to discuss, I'd have thought about calling Bugsy to break the awkward silence, but he was probably busy anyways. Considering how much impact today would have on my life for the next few years, it was pretty mundane. I realized with a shudder that I was actually bored without some lunatic chasing me around every five minutes, and resigned myself to the fact that I had spent way too much time around Falkner the past year. I really needed to get away from the family more often.

            Leaves crunched under our feet as we walked on, leaving Littleroot Town and my sanity behind. In a way I was glad to be doing something other than sitting around in misery and self-pity. Hopefully traveling again would make me stop acting so pathetic. "How long does it take to get to Odale?" I asked Kimi.

            "About six hours if we keep this pace. But we'll probably be stopping for lunch soon, so we might end up setting up camp in the woods for the night."

            I had a brief flashback to Ilex Forest and shook my head. "Let's hope we make it to civilization before nightfall."

            She grinned. "What, is little Jared afraid of the Boogeyman?"
            "Boogeyman? No. Getting mauled by wild animals? Yes." I didn't want to admit that what I was actually terrified of was losing more friends. One glance at Luna told me that she felt the same way. But I let the conversation drop and retreated back into silence while the girls chatted about attack combos.

            Hoenn was a nice place. The weather was wonderful for the most part, though prone to sudden storms and natural disasters. But all of the towns were very eco-friendly, and the Pokémon were fascinating to someone like me, who had never ventured out of his home region. It was quiet and peaceful, something that was definitely good for me. I clearly needed to be in a relatively stable environment. The downside to this was that there wasn't much to do. Kimi assured me that the cities would be exciting once we got to them, but everyday life had lost its glamour for me. Maybe it was a good thing that she was forcing me to journey again. If I thought any more about this stuff I'd start painting my nails black.

            I watched a pair of Zigzagoon traipse through the undergrowth, squealing and yipping with excitement as they chased each other. Taillow clung to trees, studying the nearby Wurmple with greedy eyes. Kimi tolf me that these Pokémon were nothing special, just Hoenn's version of Sentret and Caterpie, but it didn't matter to me how rare or interesting a Pokémon was. It was the companionship that I cared about, and I knew that Kimi did too. I think she was just trying to keep my mind off of Gigi. It didn't work.

            A drop of rain splashed down on my nose and I wrinkled my nose. Not again. "Hey guys-" Thunder boomed, echoing throughout the forest, and within seconds we were being soaked. "Dammit."

            "Alright, take shelter!" Kimi lifted her backpack and held it above her head to shield some of the water. She raced for a nearby tree with an exceptionally large canopy, Luna following suit.

            "Didn't you pay attention in school? You're not supposed to hide under trees during thunderstorms!" I shouted, but ran after them anyways. I knew that there was no point in arguing, I just wanted to make a point. I was not going to be blamed if we all died in a fiery explosion.

            Kimi didn't miss a beat. Still jogging with the backpack over her head, she called back to me over the pounding rain. "We're surrounded by trees, so we're equally screwed no matter where we stand. At least this way we'll stay dry." I had to admit that she made a good point.

            We stopped under the tree and, partially shielded from the rain, Kimi started setting up the tent. "There's no way this is clearing up before nightfall, and it's probably almost sunset anyways. We may as well put up the tent and get something to eat." Great. The exact situation I was trying to avoid. Still, I helped her set up the tent while Luna got out sleeping bags and flashlights.

            Once we were settled in, we spread out blankets and ate dinner, chatting lightly. It was almost like a camping trip, except that this one was permanent. "Should we tell scary stories, or would that be too cliché?" Luna joked, turning off all the flashlights except one and pointing it under her chin.

            "Oh, let me start, I have the most terrifying story ever." I took the flashlight from her hand and aimed it at my own face. Pausing for dramatic effect, I whispered, "The public school system."

            Luna laughed, but Kimi grinned and grabbed the light. "Please, that's nursery school compared to mine." She widened her eyes, glancing around in an exaggerated act of fear. "Once upon a time, there was a boy named Jared."

            I waited for her to go on, but she didn't say anything more. "Care to continue?"

            Kimi blinked. "What, that wasn't horrifying enough for you?"

            I rolled my eyes and snatched the flashlight, passing it to Luna. "Next!"

*

            When we'd finished laughing and telling ridiculous stories, Kimi picked up the Pokéball containing her Treecko. "I think that now is a better time than ever to get to know our new Pokémon, don't you?" Without waiting for an answer, she pressed the button and, in a flash of white, a green gecko-like Pokémon appeared.

            Luna shrugged and released her new Torchic, and with a resigned sigh I let out the Mudkip. I was going to regret this, and I knew it. While the two girls tentatively talked to their new Pokémon, I looked away from the water type and said quietly, "If you want to leave now, I don't blame you." I told it quietly. The Mudkip looked at me blankly.

            "Mudkip."

            "Uh, right." I took that to mean that it didn't want to leave, but I wasn't completely sure. "Do you want to meet the rest of my team?"

            "Mudkip." Helpful.

            "Okay, well, then let's go outside so Pyrois doesn't light the tent on fire." Kimi and Luna were still preoccupied with their own new Pokémon, which I was thankful for. While talking to Pokémon was common among trainers, it wasn't normal to have conversations unless the two were very close. And I wasn't exactly breaking the awkwardness barrier here.

            I picked up the Mudkip and slipped outside the tent, releasing Romeo, Ring, and Pyrois against my better judgment. Seconds later, a Pidgey swooped down from the trees and landed on my shoulder. "Dammit Zephyr," I muttered, batting my hands at the bird Pokémon. My only response was a loud caw in my ear and a peck to the hand. Falkner's Pidgeot, Aeolus, had evidently become a father last month, and for whatever reason my dumb ass of a brother thought it would be a great idea to send me the two offspring. Now I was stuck with Zephyr and Flight- two seriously annoying twin Pidgey. Flight was the female, and as of late she'd disappeared. See, I never actually caught the birds because I was one hundred percent sure that they were chipped, and I figured that if I ignored them they'd go away. That notion was wrong, and the pair had been following me around incessantly ever since they arrived in Slateport in a cage with a bow.

            I set my Mudkip on the ground and watched him bounce around, enjoying the rain. It had eased up a little bit, and now it was only a drizzle. After a few minutes, I gestured to the Mudkip, and he bounded over towards me. "This is Romeo," I motioned towards my Smeargle, "And the shiny Umbreon is Ring." The water-type tilted his head, seeming quite interested. I patted my Ponyta's neck, praying that she wouldn't activate the flames like last time. "This is Pyrois. She's a fire type, but I'm sure you'll get along." The Ponyta, distressed by the rain, snorted smoke out of her nostrils, and Mudkip shied away. Zephyr let out another cry, and I winced at the loud sound. "Oh yeah, the Pidgey is Zephyr. He's a pain in the ass, and so is his sister Flight." The Pidgey seemed unconcerned about my opinion, and proceeded to pluck strands of my hair out of my head. It was uncanny how much acted like his former trainer.

            "So…" I crouched down next to the Mudkip and held out a hand. "Do you want to be a part of my team?" I always asked Pokémon their opinion, with the sole exception of Ring. And he only tried to escape because he's a little shit who loves causing problems.

            In response, the Mudkip nodded happily and let out a little cry, leaping forward onto my head.

            I was sure that my heart stopped for a moment, and a scream ripped from my throat. I scrambled backwards, accidentally knocking the Mudkip and Zephyr off. I lay on the muddy ground, breathing hard and staring wide-eyed at the water-type. Not a single Pokémon of mine had sat on my head except Gigi. I'd even refused to wear any hats since then, fearing that the weight on my skull would remind me of her. The new addition to my team blinked at me, looking confused and distraught. "Kip?"

            I forced myself to calm down, swallowing hard. "Sorry," I whispered. "You just scared me, that's all." The lie tasted bitter on my tongue.

            The Pokémon seemed to understand, and he sat quietly while I composed myself. I noticed that he wasn't interacting with any of the other party members, who were all silent as well. I think they understood why I was so freaked out. "Right. Um. How do you feel about the name Kip?"

            He let out a cry of assent, and I returned the other Pokémon as the situation diffused. It was going to be a long few months.

^^^ And yeah...that's all I ever got done for the sequel. My plan was to have him travel around Hoenn for a while before working under Lance as a police officer in Kanto, but uh...yeah. I guess canonically that's what happened but I don't know if I'll ever write the sequel to document it.