All Alone (BEING EDITED)

Chapter III (EDITED)

Chatot broke the silence.

"Have you thought about which starter you want to choose?" I nodded.

"Yeah." The question has already passed through my mind several times. He cocked his head.

"So....who then?"

"Well, I want a pokemon that is light on its feet. That way if we need to run, it won't be hard," I replied. "I don't really like grass types. Not that I'm biased, but I just don't like the number of weaknesses they have. So, that leaves Torchic. Torchic reminds me of Piplup anyway," I added. Chatot chuckled, and I glanced at him. His eyes glinted in the light, and he leaned in.

"Are you sure it's not because of Paul?" He teased. "After all, he does have a Torterra, which is a grass type." I knocked his head and shot him a glare.

"No! It's not because of Paul! He has nothing to do with it!" Chatot just chuckled and rubbed his head.

"If that's what you say." He smirked. I growled, and he plastered an innocent smile on his face.

"This is just my revenge," He explained.

"For what?"

"You snore," He laughed. He spread his wings and flew up into the sky.

"Why you....," I trailed off and sighed. He is so annoying at times, but at least he makes the journey interesting. I cast one last glance at him before turning my head to the road. Maybe he is right. Maybe Paul is part of the reason. I have wanted to prove my strength ever since I met him six years ago. I'm just not ready to admit it yet, especially not to Chatot. If you think he's cocky now, just wait until he finds out he's right about something. I felt pressure increase on my right shoulder.

"I saw the lab. It's just up the road," He said.

"Good," I sighed. "I can't wait to meet Torchic." My pace sped up, and five minutes later I was standing outside the lab. I took one quick glance around before I pushed the door open and walked inside. In the lab, I was immediately greeted by a mass of beeping machinery and glitching screens. Wires snaked across the floor, attempting to trip me with every step. Bookcases covered the right wall. The whole place was washed with white: no color whatsoever. In the center of the room, a woman was standing and looking down at a clipboard while mumbling to herself. I carefully tip-toed my way through the wires, came up behind her and poked her shoulder. She jumped and whirled around to glare at me. I coughed quickly and introduced myself.

"Hello. I'm here to collect my starter Pokemon." My voice sounded a bit off, but it was enough to resemble a boy's. The woman narrowed her eyes and adjusted her glasses.

"You must be the boy Prof. Birch told me about. He's not here at the moment, so he told me to give you your pokemon. Right this way please." She led me over to a cart, and I followed, keeping my hands stuffed in my pockets. She pressed a button, and three pokeballs popped up. The screen behind the cart buzzed to life, and the three starters appeared behind their designated pokeballs. I took one glance at the screen and snatched the middle ball off the cart.

"I choose Torchic." I weighed the ball in my hand and smiled.

"Good choice. Now please leave. I have a lot of work to do," The woman ordered. I rolled my eyes and mumbled a quick "thanks". She just turned around and glared at her clipboard again. I turned on my heels and headed out the door, careful not to bump into anything important or expensive.

"Friendly," I muttered once outside. Chatot bobbed his head.

"At least your impression has gotten better," he snorted. "I remember when it used to sound like you had a disease." I scowled at him and smacked him round the head.

"Be nice, or else you won't meet Torchic," I snapped back. He just huffed and ruffled his feathers. I shook my head and wandered into the nearby woods. I came across a decent clearing and took the ball out of my pocket. After clicking the button, I tossed it out in front of me. It popped open, and a bright light flowed out, turning into a small, chick-like pokemon. Once the light disappeared, Torchic stood before me and ruffled his little wings.

"Hi there," I greeted. I pulled back my hood to reveal my face. He looked up at me as I knelt down to stroke his head.

"Are you my new trainer?" He asked.

"Yup," I replied. He frowned and cocked his head.

"You can....understand me?"

"Yeah. It's an....ability I have." I smiled.

"Oh." He said. Chatot jumped off my shoulder.

"Hi! I'm Chatot!" He greeted. I stood up and walked over to a tree, letting the two get to know each other. A breeze wove through the forest and lifted the hair off my shoulders. I smiled and leaned against a trunk, watching as Chatot and Torchic played a small game of tag. Light filtered through the trees, and I glanced at my watch. The time lit up and displayed 5:45. I frowned and walked up to my two pokemon.

"It's time to go," I interrupted. "We need to make it to Oldale Town before nightfall." The two stopped their game and glanced up at me. I picked up Torchic and scratched his head. He sighed and snuggled into my chest. I smiled softly and took out his pokeball.

"Return." A red light engulfed the fire pokemon, and he disappeared into the ball. I clipped it back on my belt and picked up Chatot. He sat in my arms and just blinked slowly. He yawned and laid his head against my chest. I stroked his head, pulled my hood up and started the walk back to Oldale Town.

So far, everything seemed okay. Hoenn didn't seem like that bad of a region. In fact, this was the best start to a journey I've had in awhile. I sighed, smiled and glanced down a Chatot. He was snoring softly with his head tucked into my jacket. I chuckled and held him closer. Not only do I have him, but I also have Torchic, who I know is going to be a great friend. I smirked and glanced up at the sky.

Watch out Hoenn, 'cause we're coming for you.