Hi, this is the author, writing my first authors note (Yay) sorry about the last episode I forgot to add the name of the series in the To Be continued section. It’s not like anyone cares but sorry again, thank you and on with the story.

~Two~

~Pressure~

(Location: Some random forest)

Men in black clothes surrounded them, the contorted rustling sounds filled her ears as the men drew guns from their capes. A gunshot filled the air and she felt something fall to the ground.

A black streak. Then the sharp sound of a kick. Silence.

She woke up with a start, beside her she felt the warm body of her cyndaquil, Mix.

“Quil?” it asked her, it still had the dull wittedness of someone who had just woken up.

“It’s nothing Mixy, you can go back to sleep,” she said and flopped back onto her sleeping bag.

Mix curled up beside her again, and she stroked its head, absent-mindedly.

Outside she could hear someone stomping around, the crackle of a fire and the delicious smell of breakfast.

After a couple of moments she decided to get up. It was uncomfortable business trying to get dressed inside a cramped tent and she had to move carefully to prevent herself from stepping on Mix.

Once she’d managed to clothe herself she zipped open her tent and proceeded to fold it up and put it in her bag.

She turned around.

“AAAH!” she stumbled backwards.

“Who the hell are you?” she stammered.

“I’m Brock, but enough about me who are you, beautiful?” A tall boy with strange slit eyes was holding out his hand to help her up.

“Valeri. What are you doing here?” she grabbed his hand and he pulled her up.

“Didn’t Ash tell you? I’m travelling with him. He didn’t tell me you were this beautiful.”

“Uh thanks. Can you let go of my hand now?”

Brock dropped her hand but not before he ran his fingers over them.

“Would you like breakfast, my love?” Brock showed her a pan filled with bacon, eggs and a small carton of orange juice.

“Sure thanks,” she took the food gratefully.

“So how did Ash manage to convince a babe like you to travel with us?” Brock asked.

“He didn’t want me to come at first but I suppose Pikachu must have convinced him,” Brock looked scandalized.

“That’s why he doesn’t have a girlfriend,” Brock shook his head.

“Do you?” Valeri asked.

“I’m still looking for my perfect lady but you come pretty close, oh and Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny,” Brock’s face took on dreamy proportions as he imagined his two “perfect women.”

“Why do you travel with Ash? Are you a trainer?” She asked, as she tasted some of the food.

“I met Ash in Pewter City a long time ago, we’ve been friends ever since. I’m a pokemon breeder, I want to help pokemon find their inner strength, help them become what they’re meant to be. I try really hard to get them to be the best they can be.”

“That’s a very noble thing to do,” Valeri pulled her hair out of her face.

Someone yawned really loudly behind them.

“Mornin’ all,” Ash slouched to the campfire, helped himself to breakfast and sat down heavily beside Brock.

“Aw, I forgot to tell you about Brock,” Ash slapped himself on the forehead.

“Don’t worry I only got the fright of my life,” She said sarcastically.

Ash didn’t have the energy to reply.

“He’s always like this in the morning, just ignore it. What other pokemon you got beside this little guy over here?” Brock was tickling Mix on the stomach.

“Only a Milotic.”

“Those are pretty rare, do you mind if I check it out?”

“Nah,” she drew a newly painted silver pokeball and released the Milotic, Rime.

The serpentine pokemon rose up, its long flowing ears rose slightly creating a mystical look. It brandished its fan like tail.

“It’s beautiful, do you enter it in competitions?”

“No I’m not into beauty I’m into strength. That reminds me, I need to go train these guys, see ya later,” She withdrew Rime, and then Mix and walked away into the shrubbery.

They were in light forest, sun shone through the trees, pidgey, spearow and taillow sang in the trees and they passed many different pokemon, rattata, sentret, wurmple and sometimes a butterfree or beautifly.

She released her pokemon. A red flash and a cyndaquil and Milotic appeared before her.

“Right. You pokemon have never felt the meaning of torture. You do not know true hard work or true strength. You do not have an inch of muscle on you or I would not have been able to capture either of you yesterday. You’re weak, and I don’t want weak pokemon. From today onward we are training harder than anyone has ever trained before. You have to give me your word that you’ll put your mind to it fully, and stretch your strengths to the limit. If you do not then leave now,” she gazed calmly at the two pokemon.

“Furthermore we need to strengthen your minds. At the end of each training we will spar amongst ourselves, and finally we will meditate at the end of each session. Do you understand me?”

Cyndaquil nodded. Milotic nodded but after hesitating.

“Let’s start by taking a jog,” Valeri began running, Mix started after her and Rime followed.

After an hour or two they were still jogging and their legs were cramped except for Valeri who was not even panting and Milotic who didn’t have legs but all the same it felt the pain too.

“Okay that’s about enough for today.” Valeri turned to look at her trainees. They were lying on the ground completely exhausted.

“You guys are unfit but not bad for a first training. Now its time for practising our attacks and formations, then sparring and meditation, and that’s it, not long.”

The pokemon were not cheered by the news.

Five minutes later they were on their feet again, Valeri ordered them to stand with the correct ‘battle’ posture, she commanded them to each attack her using an attack combo.

She stood with her arms in front of her, guarding her face and upper body.

“Try and land a blow on me if you can do that then we’ll move on to the next section, you may use special attacks as well,” she braced herself.

Mix went first as usual.

It started off with a quick attack, Valeri predicted exactly where the attack would hit, she blocked it easily. Mix proceeded to use agility to confuse her. She closed her eyes as cyndaquil ran in circles around her, she waited for the tell tale sign that it was about to strike, pokemon always slowed or picked up speed just as they were about to strike.

Just as expected the pokemon hurtled towards her but she stepped out of the way.

“You’re not thinking,” Valeri said. “In a real battle, a well trained pokemon can tell what you’re going to do.”

Cyndaquil kicked off of the ground, it did a somersault in midair, just as it was about to use ember, she snatched it out of the air and spun it over her head like a wrestler then tossed it in the bushes.

“Once again I predicted your every move,” she said, with her hands on her hips.

A fiery red blast came from the bushes, a full blown flamethrower.

Valeri jumped out of the way just in time.

“Sneaky, that wasn’t bad but it’s a resolve for the desperate,” she examined her singed clothes.

Mix stepped out of the bushes, it had bruises all down its side, and small cuts on its face were leaking blood.

They stared each other down.

A shower of stars erupted towards her and next thing she knew Mix was in her face and its fist connected with her face. The stars hit her one after the other in a well executed Swift attack. She fell to the ground. Finally the cyndaquil ended the match with an ember attack, which she narrowly dodged.

While panting on the ground, she said, “Now that was a good battle. I haven’t had that kind of fun since…” she was going to say Vale but kept her mouth shut.

“You really planned that well, distracting the opponent with a Swift attack, using a quick attack, you got close enough to hit me, which stunned me temporarily which gave you open goals to hit me with your swift attack then the finisher, the ember attack. Brilliant! A pokemon needs a good mind to be a good fighter.”

She turned to Milotic, and nodded.

The Milotic glided into place.

The pokemon lifted its head. For a few seconds all sound stopped and then, rain came down in one heavy swoop. A melodious scream filled the forest as Milotic began glowing, it lowered its head and glared at her, inviting confrontation.

She lifted her arms into position, “Attack me.”

Milotic flew at her but at the last moment pulled back and begin firing pulsing water missiles at her.

She hadn’t expected the twist added to the tackle attack but she sidestepped the missiles easily.

Her legs were suddenly snapped close together. Milotic was wrapping itself around her. She tried to move but she was trapped. She squirmed but it was useless the pokemon had her.

Milotic smiled triumphantly and gently poked her in the stomach with its head.

Then she toppled to the ground as it released her.

“That was fast. You won’t need to pace yourself if you can end all your battles that quickly. That first dummy tackle attack was brilliant, and the water pulse missiles could use work but that wrap attack had me, you’re good already we just need to smooth out the edges,” Valeri concluded.

She clapped her hands.

“Now its time to spar, my favourite part of training session,” she smiled. “Whoever wins this battle will get double helping at dinner tonight, and seconds, and tomorrow you can skip the first ten minutes of training.”

The two Pokemon’s expressions immediately became determined and they stepped away from each other, both settling into battle position.

Valeri stepped away. “I’m not going to give you any help, do this by yourself, okay begin.”

Cyndaquil started off the battle by attempting a quick attack, it hurtled towards Milotic, who easily blocked it with its tail.

The serpent Pokemon batted Mix away easily and charged itself up for a hydro pump, Mix executed a swift attack but Milotic dodged it and used the hydro pump. Mix narrowly missed the attack and used flame thrower. It hit Milotic full on but didn’t do much damage except to make Milotic really angry. “Milotic!”

In three fluent movements Milotic wrapped Mix in its coils, whacked it angrily over the head and hit it with a hydro pump, needless to say Cyndaquil lost the battle.

Valeri sweat dropped at Milotic who turned her head away in anger.

“Uh okay Milotic you win, you okay Mixy?”

“Cynda quill?” Cyndaquil asked.

“Yes you can, Mixy. Now it’s time for meditation.”

It was about ten o clock by that time, the sun was only getting to the centre of the sky, and more pokemon were coming out. Valeri saw a herd of stantler, a zigzagoon and even a couple marrill.

“Meditation requires total relaxation of the mind and body. It will clear your mind and the more you meditate the better your battle strategies will become, as well as your body’s fluency in movement, and accuracy.”

Valeri sat down on the floor and neatly crossed her legs. The pokemon copied her example.

“Now just relax. Don’t think about anything and the thoughts will come to you,” she closed her eyes.

About a half hour later the three of them returned to camp. Brock was tending to his pokemon, Ash was playing with Pikachu, and a cyndaquil and his bulbasaur.

“You have a cyndaquil as well?” She asked him.

“I didn’t even know you had pokemon at all, no less a Milotic!” Ash stared at her pokemon, who were looking slightly haggard from the training.

Brock picked up her cyndaquil and examined its cuts and bruises.

“What happened to you guys?” he asked.

“I told you we were training, those cuts are reminders that we need to train harder,” the boys stared at her.

“What kind of training do you do?” Ash asked suspiciously.

“We jog, we practise attacks, we spar and we meditate. Any other questions?”

“How did Mix get so hurt?”

“During our combo practise, I asked them to try to lay a hit on me, Mix didn’t succeed at first because he used a predictable attack which allowed me to attack him easily so I did and that’s how he got those cuts,” she said it as though it was simple mathematics.

“You attack your own pokemon?” Ash asked, shocked.

“I don’t hurt them badly it’s only so they know what to expect when we battle real trainers.”

“I think pokemon respond better to love, friendship and a kind trainer,” Ash responded.

“That isn’t how it’s going to be when you’re at the pokemon league and you have a well-trained Charizard breathing down you’re neck,” Valeri retorted.

“If that’s the case lets have a pokemon battle, Brock you’re ref,” Ash said.

“Deal,” Valeri withdrew her pokemon.

“Let’s find a battle field.”

They were standing on the foot of a small hill, Valeri examined the field, it was hard, perfect for Mix’s battle style, there were also rocks which could aid Mix as well.

“So it’s 2 pokemon right?” Ash asked Valeri.

“Yeah now lets start!” She smiled at Mix’s pokeball.

“You’re up first Mixy.”

“This will be a two round match, if both of you’re pokemon faint you lose the battle, let’s begin.”

Pikachu I choose you.

The small yellow pokemon walked proudly onto the field.

In that case, Milotic show them what you’re made of.

Milotic glided gracefully onto the field, it lowered its head slightly and glared at Pikachu.

Ha! Electricity beats water I have the upper hand, Pikachu use agility!

Pikachu dashed towards Milotic then darted from one side to another as it came.

Milotic watched Pikachu’s movements looking for a pattern.

Pikachu kicked off of the ground and came hurtling towards Milotic.

Wrap attack now!

Milotic moved a little bit to one side and let Pikachu fall a little bit more than necessary, it caught the pokemon just before it fell and wrapped around it quickly.

Thunderbolt Pikachu!

Pikachu’s cheeks began to spark, it screwed up its eyes as it super charged electricity.

Milotic use recover as it hits, then twister!

Pikachu released its energy and Milotic was electrocuted. As the bolts of electricity skipped over Milotic’s body, penetrating its muscle, it used recover. A bright light overpowered the electrical glow, and Milotic was completely healed. It immediately launched a Twister attack and Pikachu was blown away.

Finish it with Hydro Pump

Milotic released a blast of water, it hit Pikachu full on. It fell to the ground, with a thump.

Ash ran and picked up his fallen comrade.

Treeko, do what you gotta do!

A green gecko pokemon appeared on the field in a flash of ruby light. It had a twig in its mouth, and large slightly creepy yellow eyes.

Milotic return. Mixy go get ‘em

Cyndaquil got into battle position.

Tackle it now Treeko

Treeko hopped from rock to rock then leaped for Cyndaquil. Just before impact Mix used a new attack, Flame wheel. A swirling inferno engulfed the cyndaquil like a huge protective flaming force field.

Treeko was thrown back as the intense heat from the attack burnt at its skin.

Nice job now use fire blast

Mix looked confused, it turned to ask Valeri what fire blast was, Treeko hurtled out of nowhere and attacked the pokemon.

Aw damn you don’t know fire blast yet

So I guess you don’t train your pokemon as well as you think!

Suddenly there was an explosion and a huge burst of flames erupted in the field where Treeko and Cyndaquil were fighting.

“Quiiiiiiil!!” Cyndaquil was using a massive flame thrower attack.

What were you saying Ashy boy?

Treeko jumped over the flames, and turned to counter.

Bullet seed now Treeko

The gecko pokemon spat large tree seeds at Mix who was recovering from the flame thrower.

They all hit their target and Mix was in critical condition. If they didn’t end the match now they’d lose.

Treeko pinned Mix to the ground and readied itself for the finishing move.

Mix you have to use Fire Blast or we lose! It’s just an intensified flamethrower but bigger and stronger and hotter! Now!

The flames on Cyndaquil’s back blazed forth, it opened its mouth, the largest flame Valeri had ever seen erupted from the mouth of the tiny cyndaquil.

It was bigger than any flame Pyro had ever breathed and she had trained Pyro mercilessly to get a big flame.

Just as quickly as it had appeared, the flame disappeared. Cyndaquil lay limply on the ground and Treeko had fainted.

The match goes to Valeri and Cyndaquil!

Valeri ran to her pokemon, who was lying half dead on the ground. She picked it up, and stroked it gently to try and get it to wake up.

Ash ran over.

“It looks really beat up. We should get it to a pokemon centre urgently,” He said.

To Be Continued

Does Cyndaquil survive the trip to the Pokemon centre? Do Ash and Valeri ever sort out their differences? What is up with Brock’s eyes?

Find out in the next episode of The Evolution Gene.