No Matter What
By: Topaz and EmeraldDragon


	The darkness around me was all consuming.  I couldn't feel my body; it was like 
my whole body was nothing but energy. I desperately tried to use my senses, but they 
refused to cooperate. With no physical body site, smell, taste, and hearing were out of the 
question. My sense of feel, however, seemed to be working, though in a strange sort of 
way. I couldn't feel my self, but I could feel vibrations from the world out side my 
spherical enclosure.
My world suddenly exploded into a burst of red light. I relished my freedom, 
greeting it with enthusiasm, barking happily. I scoured this new setting. Starch white 
walls decked with pictures of various fellow Pokemon and bookcases crammed with tasty 
books. I enjoyed ripping out their pages one by one but my last master berated me each 
time.
"Oh wow! A Houndour!" laughed a new voice. I turned towards the laugh to see a 
14-year-old human girl. Her hair was the color of lava and eyes of emerald. She had a 
strange look on her face that I can only guess to be joy. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank 
you! I'll take good care of it! I promise!" She squealed and tried to hug me. I jumped 
back in surprise.
She was a human and the only one I'd met other than my other master. My 
mother said to be weary of them. She had many masters in her time and was very wise. 
"I know you will, Kathy. We got him from Professor Elm. He's only level eight 
but he already knows bite growl and ember so he'll be ready to go with you on your 
journey tomorrow," said the woman standing behind my new master. "So, what will you 
call him?"
"I'm not sure, let me think…How about Cerburus!" My new master said. I cocked 
my head in confusion. "Oh, you like that do you? Cerburus it is then." Now I was really 
confused, what was this cerburus she spoke of. "Come on Cerburus, let's go out side and 
play!" My master called as she ran outside. I didn't feel like being left while she played 
with this cerburus thing, so quickly followed.
"Oh we'll have so much fun! We'll defeat all the Johto Gymleaders and catch 
new friends and become the greatest Pokemon Master of all time! What do you say 
Cerburus?" I looked around. I wanted to meet a Cerburus, they sounded fun! "No you 
silly" she laughed. "I'm Kathy, your Cerburus! You're a Pokemon, I'm your trainer! 
Now lets see what you can do!" The Kathy declared throwing her at a Pidgey. She was 
most strange.
I stood about 10 yards form a small, dirt brown bird. It's scent wafted up my 
nostrils and made my stomach growl. Remembering what my mother had told me, I 
crouched low in the tall grass. I held perfectly still except for one nervous lick of my 
nose. I trained my eyes on the quarry that had yet to see me. Suddenly I darted forward; 
the Pidgey took panicked flight. I leapt. There was a snap of teeth and a flurry of feathers. 
I missed. The pidgey landed in a near by tree and twittered mockingly and me. In 
frustration I shot an ember at it. I missed again.  
"No! You have to listen to me and what I say, silly.  First Growl."
I cocked my head but did anyway. A low growl rumbled from the bottom of my 
chest. The Pidgey let out a squawk and tumbled from its perch in surprise. It spread it's 
wings just before hitting the ground and beat it's wings frantically conjuring a whirlwind 
of dust. It swirled inside my nose and mouth, gritty and tasteless. 
"Now Ember!" Kathy yelled. A flame blossomed in the back of my throat and 
with a flick of my tongue, the fireball hiccuped from my mouth and through the swirling 
dust. 
There was a pain filled squawk as my ember meet its mark. The dust settled to 
show a slightly charred and scared pidgey. 
"Cerburus, Bite it!" I was only half-sure as to what she meant; either way I ran up 
to the bird and clamped my teeth around it and gave it violent shake. 
With a final "Pidgey!" it fainted.  
"Ohhh," Kathy moaned. "If only I had a Pokeball! Oh well, I bet there's ton more 
Pidgey out there. We'll leave tomorrow!"
Kathy fished a berry out of her pocket and scooped up the Pidgey. I growled. That 
bird was vicious! Who knew what it would do to my master. Without fear, she popped 
the Berry into the Pidgey's mouth. It swallowed and awoke with a flutter of wings. 
"Come on Cerburus, let's get ready for tomorrow." She said as she moved 
towards the building we had exited earlier. I quickly followed at her heels as she went in 
and ascend a narrow jagged slop. Next she entered a cubical den. The 'room' as she 
called it had a layer of soft moss on the ground. The walls were coated in a strange grass. 
It was hard, flat and tasteless. A soft, flat ledge jutted from one of the wall on the far side 
of the 'room', Kathy called it a bed.    
"Hmmm," Kathy murmured. "For tomorrow, I'll be an official Pokemon trainer 
and I'll become the world greatest Master! With her faithful Houndour at her side of 
course!" She added as an after thought. I liked the sound of that!
"But it'll be hard." I felt my face droop. My mother always said I didn't like 
work. "But we'll do it together and a whole lot of new friends along the way!"
She pulled of her colorful skin and put on some different ones. She pulled back 
the bed and climbed in. With a happy bound I hopped in after her. She laughed!
"No Cerberus! This is my spot. You can sleep at the end!" My face fell. "OK but 
only for tonight. Tomorrow we'll be in sleeping bags."
Kathy pressed the room and the light disappeared. I whined and snuggled closer. 
Kathy giggled. "Who ever heard of a Dark type afraid of the dark!"