Hello all . This is my debut piece on the Serebii forums . It started off as a fun little idea , then became a vast storyline , and I felt compelled to share it . Shawn ran . He knew his pursuer wasn 't far behind him , out of view somewhere . Shawn couldn 't hear or see him , but he knew he was there . The trees flew by him . He narrowly avoided hitting a couple of branches . He was breathing hard now , his legs started to hurt , but he couldn 't stop . Not yet . Finally , he found a break in the trees , a small clearing . In front of him , the land sloped gradually downward . He could see for miles and miles . The forest extended down the gentle slope and into the distance , and beyond the forest was a great marshland , dark and mysterious . The light of the setting sun cast a deep red hue over the marsh , giving it an ominous , captivating glow . He had paused a second too long . Something collided with his ribs and he fell to the ground . Rolling over he saw a flash of sharp white teeth and heard a low growl . The small gray dog barked happily and licked Shawn 's face . He laughed and pushed the Pokémon away . He stood up as Poochyena hopped around at his feet , and he looked out at the distant marshland again . He loved coming here at the end of the day . The view was magnificent : the green forest sweeping down the side of the ridge , sloping down away from him , with the glowing red marshland in the distance beyond . It was that glow , in fact , that gave the marshlands their name : the Blood Marsh . Past the Marsh lay the vast , sparkling blue ocean , stretching out and away to meet the sun at the horizon . Shawn had never been to the Blood Marsh . He didn 't know anyone who had . That region was supposedly dangerous , full of wild Pokémon and harsh terrain . There were stories of people traveling into the Marsh and never coming back , though Shawn didn 't know how many of those were actually true . And of course , the ominous name of the marshlands did not help their reputation . But despite all of this , Shawn still loved to look at it . He found the dark mystery of the marshlands exciting and enchanting . Poochyena seemed to think so , too . He stood next to Shawn , staring out at the grand view , seemingly lost in similar thoughts . Shawn could tell the small Pokémon would love to go exploring the wilderness before them . Something in the way the little dog stared , the way his eyes gleamed , the way his legs tensed up as though he were about to charge down the ridge , told Shawn that he dreamed of adventure . But the setting sun , slowly disappearing over the ocean , taking the daylight with it , reminded them of the time . It was time to go back home . Shawn 's mother would be furious if he stayed out past dark . " Come on , Pooch ! " Shawn called . He turned and ran back through the trees again . Poochyena barked and chased after him , nipping playfully at his legs as they ran . By the time they reached the edge of the trees , they were both panting happily . They walked out of the trees and back into town . Loland Town was fairly small . Mostly everyone in town knew each other . A few people waved courteously at Shawn as he walked by . He would give a small nod in return . Shawn was not very close to any of these people . He didn 't exactly dislike them , he just didn 't really get along with them very well . Shawn was already standing up from the table with his empty plate . " I get hungry running around town all day , " he explained as he went into the kitchen to wash his plate . Poochyena was finished eating as well . Shawn and Poochyena had a playful tug - of - war with the food dish until Shawn finally won , cleaned the dish and put it away . When he came back into the dining room , his mother was on the phone . " Are you sure you can 't come back just for a couple of days ? " she was saying . He knew who she was talking to without asking . " Well , what are you going to do then ? . . . Of course I can 't send him , he can 't go alone . . . . There isn 't anyone . Almost nobody makes that trip these days . . . . I 'll ask around , I suppose . . . . I 'll see what I can do . . . . Of course . And I 'll let you know . . . " " He meant to , but the workload has been immense this week . He says he won 't be able to get away . He 's sorry , but he thinks he should be able to break away and come home in a few weeks ' time . " Shawn 's father worked for the trade and travel business in Blueport City . His job was apparently very important , as he organized a good deal of the products and people that came in and out of Meridian Island . Shawn wasn 't really surprised that his father wouldn 't be coming back tomorrow . His job kept him so busy that he only came home every few weeks at best , and usually only for a few days at a time . Shawn didn 't bother arguing any further . He knew his mother had made up her mind , and he wouldn 't be able to change it . " So what will we do ? " he asked . Shawn headed up to his room , wishing he could come up with an idea . The truth was , he knew it would be dangerous to make the trip alone . When he was younger , he and his mother used to travel north to Blueport City to visit his father rather often . Blueport was almost all the way on the other side of Meridian Island , but it used to be fairly easy to hitch a ride with someone heading up there . By car , it was only a day 's travel . His father forgot things almost every time he came home , and when Shawn had gotten a bit older , his mother would let him go off to visit his father while she stayed home , so long as he was riding up with people she knew . But these days were different . Over the past couple of years , the roads had grown increasingly worse . Now and then , stories came to their small town of strange occurrences . Freak storms would cross the roads , making travel difficult , and some people even reported being attacked by violent wild Pokémon . Nobody was sure what was causing this strange behavior , although they storms and the attacks were probably related . And besides that , there were even rumors that small groups of bandits had been taking advantage of the recent chaos , and that some people were known to have been confronted and robbed while on the road . Stories like this were still relatively rare , only happening from time to time - it wasn 't like the island was in chaos - but it was just enough to make people reluctant to travel . People rarely ventured outside of Loland Town these days , and those who did usually went only to Treline Town , not too far away . Product shipments from the bigger cities in the north came fairly infrequently and only delivered essentials . People in the small towns of Loland and Treline were very busy these days working to provide for their own towns and families , and had little time - or desire - to worry about travel . Poochyena trotted into Shawn 's room and looked up expectantly at him . The small dog knew the boy was thinking about adventure , and was excited by the idea . Shawn smiled at the Pokémon , " Sorry boy , looks like we won 't be going anywhere anytime soon . " Poochyena whined in disappointment and nuzzled Shawn 's arm . Shawn petted him on the head . Shawn hadn 't traveled outside of Loland Town in well over a year now , and it was starting to wear on him . He didn 't mind the people here , but it was a small town , and he got bored of the same old day - to - day process , and sometimes he just needed to get away . Staring at the Blood Marsh and daydreaming could only satisfy him for so long . And he could tell Poochyena felt the same way . Back when they used to travel , they would have a great time watching the road go by as they drove , and running around the streets of Blueport City while Shawn 's dad yelled after them . He could tell that Poochyena was thinking about it , too , missing the relief of getting away for a while . Poochyena was by far Shawn 's best friend ; he shared a bond with the little dog that he had never felt with any other Pokémon or even human . He could tell what Poochyena was feeling , what he was thinking . They could communicate wordlessly , reading each other 's expressions and body language . Even when one of them felt like being off alone for a while , the other would understand , and so they would split apart until it was time to come back and spend time together again . No one understood Poochyena like Shawn did , and vice versa . They were an inseparable pair . As the small Pokémon curled up next to Shawn , the young boy let himself get lost in daydreams about travelling together across the island . Someday soon , he thought , we 'll get back on the road , and out of this town . Someday soon . The next morning , Shawn found his mother in the garden behind the house . Her Pokémon Budew and Lombre were beside her , helping her tend to the vegetables . " Oh good , you 're up , " she said , seeing him coming near . " I need you to head over to the market and pick up some things . " She handed him a small crumpled piece of paper with a short shopping list on it . " And while you 're there , tell Mrs . Whetley that our cucumbers and peppers are growing very well . We should be able to get a good price for them this season . " She directed Lombre to spray a line of plants with a sprinkle of water . " And I 've got some new recipes to try out once these vegetables are grown . I think we can look forward to a delicious year . " At Shawn 's feet , Budew waddled over and looked up at him , smiling in the bright morning sunlight . Shawn often saw his mother stroke the little Pokémon 's petals , which Budew seemed to like a lot . Shawn figured it was hoping he would do the same . It stared up at him expectantly , and he stared back . " Well , get going , " his mother urged him from across the garden . Shawn left Budew and walked across the yard and began heading down the street . Poochyena wasn 't with him , but he had known before leaving the house that the little dog didn 't want to get up just yet ; he was still curled up sleepily on Shawn 's bed . The boy looked back at the house as he walked away , in case his friend had changed his mind , but the little Pokémon didn 't emerge , and so Shawn walked on . Even this early , many of the townspeople were up and about , working and shopping . Mr . Coleman the electrician waved to Shawn as he hoisted a tangle of cables from the back of his truck . Farther down the road , Mr . Stepford called to him , " How 's your mother like those new shoes she bought from me ? Tell her she can get a second pair at a discount ! " When Shawn reached the market , he was met with the teasing aroma of dozens of fresh foods . He walked to the back , where he found Mrs . Whetley . " Hello Shawn ! What can I do for you today ? " Shawn handed her the list and she shuffled off , gathering up the items he needed . As she packaged the food , she said , " You know , something 's been getting into my berry patch recently . It 's not that little pooch of yours , is it ? " " Oh good ! " Mrs . Whetley said . " I can 't wait to get them in . Your mother 's vegetables sell very well in this store , young man . You should be proud . " She handed him the bags of food and leaned in close , " When you get home , maybe check the dog 's teeth for berry juice , hm ? " Shawn took the food from her and walked out . He knew Poochyena hadn 't eaten Mrs . Whetley 's berries . She loved to blame the Pokémon for her misfortune . A number of people did , actually . For some reason , they found it hard to trust the little dog , or to like him . It wasn 't surprising that Poochyena didn 't want to go on errands like these . Sure , some people were nice to him , but the way people like Mrs . Whetley looked down at him , it was enough to make anyone want to stay at home . Shawn returned to his house and started unpacking the groceries . Poochyena ran into the kitchen holding a ball in his mouth . Shawn reached down and wrestled it from the dog 's mouth . " You wanna play ? Is it time to play ? You want this ball back , I know you do , " Shawn waved the ball high in the air as Poochyena followed it with his eyes , bouncing back and forth with excitement . Shawn 's mother 's voice came from outside , calling him . He sighed , " I guess we 'll have to wait a little longer . " He tossed the ball into the air and Poochyena caught it deftly in his mouth and rolled over . The Pokémon dropped the ball on the floor sadly as Shawn walked outside . Shawn knew the name . Carrie was a girl about his age . She lived in Treline Town , but he 'd seen her on the occasions when the Loland and Treline schools had cooperated in field trips or other activities . He didn 't know Carrie very well . " Mrs . Donner was just telling me about these flyers she saw around town . Carrie is apparently an experienced adventurer and traveler , and she 's advertising her services to people who need to go places . She can take you to Blueport to see your father ! " Shawn was not so excited anymore . He didn 't like the idea of traveling across the island with a girl he barely knew . On top of that , if they were walking , it would take them several days to get to Blueport City . Why couldn 't he just go alone ? Just him and Poochyena ? " She 's a few months older , " his mother argued , " and besides , she comes from a very impressive family . Both of her parents are doctors . The girl must be very bright . I 'll feel much better having her go along with you as a guide . You 'll be much safer . " Shawn was torn . On the one hand , it looked like he had gotten his wish to get out of town and travel again . But on the other hand , he 'd have to deal with the company of another person , someone he hardly knew . And he could tell by his mother 's face that she was about to make up her mind for good . If he was going to convince her otherwise , he 'd have to do it right now . But he couldn 't think of anything to say . His mother looked thrilled , " Well , according to the flyer , Carrie is here in Loland Town now ! She 's staying with Mrs . Beadle down the street . I called up the house and spoke with Carrie and she said she 'd be ready to leave tomorrow ! Hurry inside and pack up for your trip . Make sure to bring plenty of clothes and water ! I put your backpack out by the stairs and left some money in it for you . I 'll call your father and tell him you 're coming . Oh , but first bring out a bag of fertilizer for me ! " He saw Carrie walking up the street toward his house . She seemed to have a lot of energy for this time of morning , her round face was set in a big smile , and her curly brown hair bounced as she walked . Her backpack looked very heavy . His mother rushed out of the house to meet the girl , greeting her and thanking her repeatedly for her help . " Oh it 's no problem at all ! " Carrie said happily . " Thank you for calling me , Mrs . Downes . " She turned , " Hi Shawn ! " " Hi , " he said unenthusiastically . His spirits rose a bit when Poochyena came bounding out of the house , leaping up and down on Shawn 's legs . Shawn smiled . The little dog 's excitement was contagious . " Yes I am , " Shawn said firmly . His mother shook her head , " You just can 't separate that boy from his dog . I 'm afraid you 're stuck with both of them , dear . " Shawn 's mother hugged him and bid him goodbye , reminding him that he needed to sleep right , not push himself too hard , be careful - as though he didn 't know these things . " Goodbye Mrs . Downes ! " Carrie waved . " We 'll be back in no time ! " Shawn walked ahead of Carrie as she continued to shout back to his mother . He was already feeling apprehensive about this journey , but Poochyena hopped along next to him , barking happily , and Shawn couldn 't help but catch some of the dog 's excitement . He decided to look on the bright side : they were leaving Loland Town for a while . Finally , they were heading back out on the road again . North was actually the only way to go . Loland Town sat nearly at the southern tip of Meridian Island . Shawn knew that Meridian Island was nearly two hundred kilometers long , running north to south . The road they were on was Main Ridge Road , so named because it followed a high ridge that ran along the center of the island , from the southern shore all the way to the mountains in the north . If you strayed far enough to either side of the road , you would see the land slope gradually downward off of the ridge , just like it did back home where Shawn liked to stare out at the Blood Marsh . Shawn had only traveled across the island on foot once before . Several years ago , he had gone on a class trip with school . They had first walked to Treline Town , where they had met up with the Treline school , and then trekked three days north to Mountain City , learning about the environment and geography and wilderness survival the whole time . Shawn knew that Blueport City would be only a days ' travel from Mountain City . So , if all went well , they would be in Blueport in just five days . " Those berries on that tree are great for cooking , " Carrie was explaining . " My mother uses them in stews all the time . But don 't eat them raw ! They 're toxic , and they 'll put you in bed for days ! And those leaves there are very special . They turn yellow in the winter time , but no one is quite sure why … " She was a bottomless pit of useless knowledge about the plant life . When they had started out of Loland Town , Shawn thought for sure that she would run out of things to say soon , but they had been walking for over an hour already , and she hadn 't let up yet . He felt like he was on another school trip . Poochyena didn 't seem nearly as perturbed by Carrie 's lectures as Shawn was . The little Pokémon was running around , sniffing trees , barking at rustling leaves , jumping around at Shawn 's feet . As Shawn watched , Poochyena charged forward and tripped over a branch , tumbling into a pile of leaves and grass . Shawn laughed as the dog attacked the leaves in revenge , tossing them here and there . His laughter interrupted Carrie in the middle of an explanation about tree bark . She watched the Pokémon for a moment . " Does he always stay out of his Pokéball ? " " Yes , " Shawn said . He had Poochyena 's Pokéball in his bag . He knew many people kept their Pokémon stored inside the small balls and released them when they were needed , but he also knew many who didn 't . He had always liked having Poochyena around , so he rarely returned the dog to his ball . " I think a Pokémon should have a nickname , " Carrie said . " Otherwise how can you tell one Poochyena from another ? " She adjusted her backpack on her back . Shawn thought her bag didn 't look very comfortable . " How many books do you have ? " " Let 's see , " she counted on her fingers . " I 've got the Field Guide to Fruits and Berries ; the Field Guide to Island Trees ; the Field Guide to Pokémon of Meridian Island ; the Field Guide to Bird Pokémon … " They kept up a good pace for the next few hours . Around midday they decided to stop for lunch . Shawn walked off the road to find a good spot to sit . Carrie hurried after him , shouting about how he shouldn 't wander too far from the road . They found a nice flat patch of grass and settled there . Shawn thought it was a great spot ; they were only several meters from the road , which made Carrie happy , and it had a decent view of the forest running down the western slope of the ridge . Carrie immediately pointed out several species of tree . Shawn ate his lunch quickly and then got up to play with Poochyena . He snapped a branch off of a tree and waved it around as the Pokémon leapt up , trying to grab it with his teeth . Finally the dog got fed up with him and tackled him hard , sending them both rolling to the ground . Carrie shook her head , " How silly . " Shawn ignored her . He was having fun . Suddenly there came a roaring sound from the distance . Looking down the slope , they could see a small group of Pokémon making their way through the trees . They were too far away to notice the adventurers at the top of the ridge . Carrie already had her book out . " Those are Vigoroth , " she said . " The book says it 's pretty rare to see them so close to the road . " The Vigoroth were covered in white fur and had long arms . They leapt from tree to tree , swinging on the branches or jumping around on the ground , making a lot of noise as they did . Shawn and Poochyena stopped playing to watch them ; they were quite a sight to see , and besides , Shawn figured it was best not to attract their attention by making noise . " The road ahead leads to Hiland City , " Carrie said . Shawn knew this . " But we don 't have time left today to make it there , so we 'll take the path to the right , which leads to Treline Town . " Shawn knew this , too . " Treline Town is where my family lives , " Carrie said . " It 's a very nice town . As we follow the road , we 'll be walking down the slope off the main ridge . You 'll notice that the forest on the ridge is fairly open , but if you go far enough down the slope , you hit a point where the trees quickly become denser . Treline Town sits right on that transition . In fact , that 's where it got its name - the town that sits at the dense tree line . The denser forests of Meridian Island haven 't been explored very much , so … " It didn 't take them much longer to get to Treline Town . By this time , the sun was beginning to set over the ridge behind them , and Shawn 's feet were starting to hurt from walking all day . Treline Town had the same small town feeling that Loland Town did , except that it lacked the ridge - top view that surrounded Loland . Treline instead had forest all around it , denser to the east . Shawn wasn 't sure he liked being surrounded by trees like this . As they entered the town , Carrie was greeted by several people , and she cheerily waved back at all of them . Shawn felt somewhat liberated being in a town where nobody knew who he was . He didn 't have to force a smile at anyone or promise to tell his mother anything . " Oh , Cheryl ! Hi ! " Carrie called to a girl standing outside a nearby store . " Shawn , come meet my sister ! " She led him over to the store - a bookstore , by the look of it - and introduced him . Cheryl was tall , with curly hair just like Carrie 's . Shawn guessed she was a few years older than her younger sister . On her shoulder sat a big , colorful Pokémon , which Shawn recognized as a Beautifly , with big blue eyes and bright multi - colored wings . Shawn didn 't like the Beautifly . They way its antenna twitched slightly , the way its long proboscis extended and curled slowly ; Shawn felt uncomfortable looking at it . " Cheryl is a teacher at the Treline school , " Carrie explained . " She 's a very good teacher , too . We 're all very proud of her . " Carrie turned to Shawn , " Matthew is our brother . He 's sixteen , two years younger than Cheryl . He 's a Pokémon trainer . When he was fourteen , he took off for the Sinnoh region , promising to be a great Pokémon battler . Last time we heard from him , he said he had earned two gym badges already ! We 're all very proud of him . " " Cheryl and Matthew each caught a Wurmple when they were younger , " Carrie explained to Shawn . " But Matthew 's evolved into a Dustox instead of a Beautifly ! Isn 't that strange ? " Carrie smiled , looking embarrassed for some reason , " No , not just yet . " She suddenly got more serious , " But anyway , it 's getting late . Shawn and I should find some dinner and get some rest , don 't you think , Shawn ? " " Oh , no , " she said quickly . " Wouldn 't it be nicer to sleep out under the stars ? That 's how true adventurers do it , anyhow . I know some wonderful places just outside of town where there is soft grass and some really neat trees . " Shawn wondered for a brief moment why Carrie would want to sleep outside instead of at her own home , but he pushed the thought aside . After all , if that was " how true adventurers do it " she was probably used to it . He was relieved actually . It meant he wouldn 't have to force pleasantries with anyone . Sleeping outside in the woods , away from the townspeople , sounded just fine to him . " Even though Treline Town is located close to Loland Town , they weren 't founded anywhere near the same time . Loland Town was founded much earlier . In fact , it wasn 't until most of the northern cities already existed that people decided to put a town here . " They had gotten up nice and early that morning to get back onto the road , and Carrie was just as verbose as ever . Apparently her expertise extended to useless historical knowledge as well . Neither Shawn nor Poochyena was much of a morning person ( or Pokémon ) , but they were feeling pretty good this morning . Sleeping on the soft grass had been wonderful ; it really made them feel like they were traveling , like real adventurers . Even Carrie 's lectures seemed slightly less boring today . They followed Treline Road back up to Main Ridge Road and continued north . It was a great day for travel , Shawn thought . The sun was bright ; they could hear birds chirping in the forest all around them . Shawn took out Poochyena 's ball to play with . He would toss it down the road ahead of them , and Poochyena would run and tackle it , then carry it back . Shawn even caught Carrie smiling at the dog 's antics . When the sun was directly above them , they sought shade under some trees and ate lunch . Carrie took out a book to look up a nearby berry that she couldn 't identify . Shawn looked into the distance . Far away , over the tops of the trees , he saw an area where several trees were swaying , and leaves were flying into the air in some kind of miniature whirlwind . He felt a moment of concern , remembering the stories he had heard about dangers on the roads , but then the strange phenomenon had ended . He stared at the spot , wondering if it had been just some wild Pokémon . He decided not to worry about it . After all , they had gotten through all day yesterday without any trouble . Maybe the stories were exaggerated . His mind turned to other things . " Carrie , you said your brother is a trainer , right ? " " You don 't know how Gyms work ? " she asked . " Well I suppose it makes sense , since we don 't have any here on Meridian . Well , in a lot of regions , there are Pokémon Leagues . Each League has eight gyms . Each gym is headed by a Leader , and they are all really strong Pokémon trainers . If you can defeat the Leader , he 'll give you a commemorative Gym badge . Eight badges means you can challenge the Pokémon League , a team of the strongest Pokémon trainers in the region . " " Really tough . Only the strongest trainers can do it . Defeating all eight Gym Leaders , the Elite Four , and the League Champion is a huge accomplishment . My brother can do it , though . He 's a really skilled trainer . " Shawn thought about this . He wondered what it would be like to travel around battling with Pokémon . He 'd sure like the travel part . " Does the rest of your family battle ? " he asked . " Mostly it 's just my brother . My sister used to battle a bit when she was younger , but now Beautifly is just around for show , really . Do you battle with your Pokémon ? " " No , " he said . " I mean , me and Poochyena used to have little practice battles with other kids in town , but I never really got into it . Never really saw the appeal . I think my dad used to , though . " Shawn looked at Poochyena . He knew the little dog knew a couple of attacks , but had never seriously thought about battling , and Poochyena never seemed to want to battle all that much . Although , Shawn remembered , the few times they had battled , Poochyena had been really excited . Maybe someday they could learn how to battle . Maybe someday they could even battle Gym Leaders . After another couple hours of travel , Carrie informed Shawn that they were getting close . " You see that big tree with the black leaves ? " she said . " That means it 's only a little bit farther to Hiland City . " Shawn was excited . It had been a long time since he had been in a bigger city . He remembered running around the streets with Poochyena . There were lots of hiding places in a big city , and their hide - and - seek games could go on for hours . " Well , back when Meridian Island was first settled , " Carrie went on . " The first settlement was called the Low - Land settlement , because it was at the lowest point of the ridge . Later , they built a second settlement farther up the ridge , and called it the High - Land settlement , since it was the higher of the two . Today , we still call those two settlements Loland and Hiland . The history of the island is very - Shawn , what are you doing ? " He was staring at the big tree with the black leaves . " I thought I saw something moving in the tree . I can 't see anything now though . " " Well , I didn 't notice anything , " Carrie said . " I can 't even hear any birds chirping in that tree . " Carrie screamed and Shawn rolled away , bouncing to his feet . Poochyena was barking angrily at the attacker . They watched as a huge snake lowered itself out of the tree . It was dark with bright markings , and it held both its head and its tail a few feet above the ground . Two red fangs , almost comically long , stuck down out of its mouth , and its tail ended in a large , deadly - looking blade . All in all , the snake must have been twice as long as Shawn 's entire body . Shawn stared at the snake , and it stared back . Its thin red eyes were mesmerizing ; Shawn found himself fixated on them . He couldn 't look away . Carrie yelled at him , urging him to move . He took a tentative step , but his body wouldn 't listen to him . He couldn 't stop staring at those eyes as the snake swayed slowly side to side , and slithered slowly closer . Suddenly , Poochyena charged forward and tackled the snake , and Carrie threw a large rock at its head . The snake recoiled from this double attack . Carrie grabbed Shawn 's arm and pulled him along , " Come on ! " Shawn overcame his strange paralysis , and the three of them ran off the road and into the forest . They could hear the snake hissing angrily behind them . They ran through the trees until they couldn 't hear the snake anymore , then Shawn pulled Carrie behind a big tree . Breathing hard , leaning up against the bark , he whispered , " Now would be a good time to send out your Pokémon . " They both screamed as the bladed tail of the snake sliced into the tree trunk next to them , sending splinters and dust flying . They ran again , back toward the road this time . They shot across the road and dove into a shallow ditch on the other side . Shawn tried to calm his breathing as he lay in the ditch , trying to remain as still and silent as possible . They could hear the snake slithering onto the road behind them . Carrie was shaking beside him . What to do … He could hear the snake hissing softly as it scanned the trees , looking for them . Shawn nodded . Poochyena was extremely good at running away from people . They would often chase each other around for fun , but when the little Pokémon really wanted to escape someone , no one could catch him . They waited for many excruciating seconds . They couldn 't hear the snake moving anymore . Was it closer ? Was it right above them , ready to strike ? Shawn was too terrified to look . And then , a distant howl , coming from the forest south of them . Immediately they heard the snake 's hiss . Shawn was horrified to hear how close it was . And then they heard it slither off quickly down the road . They waited a while to be sure it was gone , then Shawn very slowly raised himself to look at the road . There was no snake . They got back up and stepped onto the road . A few minutes later , Poochyena reappeared , bounding out of the forest . Shawn grabbed him in his arms and hugged him tight . " Good job , " he whispered . " Great job , Poochyena . " Shawn rounded on her , so quickly and angrily that she recoiled from him . He had a lot of things he wanted to say to her , but with much effort , he stopped himself . Now wasn 't the time . Now they had to keep moving . " Stay close , " he said . " And don 't talk to me . " They walked down the road in silence . The forest that had before seemed so majestic and wonderful was now positively frightening . With every minute that passed , Shawn expected some monster to leap out at them . None did . The rest of the trip to Hiland City was silent and terrifying , but uneventful . When they reached the city , Shawn made a beeline to the Pokémon Center . Hiland City was actually one of the few places on Meridian Island that had a true Pokémon Center . The smaller towns had no need for them . Shawn knew that the Pokémon Center would have spare rooms for travelers to spend the night , and more importantly , a nursing staff to check on tired or hurt Pokémon . Once inside the Center , Shwn immediately took Poochyena to the counter to have him looked at . He wanted to make sure his friend hadn 't been hurt . The nurse assured him that Poochyena was fine , exhausted by the excitement , but otherwise alright . Shawn thanked her gratefully and took Poochyena back . The dog licked his face happily . Carrie was sitting in a chair with a book open on her lap . As Shawn approached her , she said , " According to this book , that was a Seviper . This says they 're only ever seen by the Swamp . I know that in Loland Town , you call it the Blood Marsh , but this book calls it the Southwestern Swamp . I wonder what it was doing so far away from there . " " Yes you ! " He nearly screamed . " What do you mean you don 't have any Pokémon ? How are we supposed to protect ourselves ? What kind of guide are you ? How many times have you even made this trip ? " He was beyond enraged . He wanted to scream and yell , but no words came to him . He mouthed silently for a second , then turned around and walked quickly toward the door of the Center , shaking in rage . He slammed the door open , nearly running over a young woman making her way inside . " Excuse me ! " she shouted . Shawn didn 't answer . He didn 't care . He was so angry . Poochyena wasn 't following him . Good . He wanted to be alone with his anger . He stalked around the outside of the Pokémon Center , talking to himself . " She lied to me ! She lied to my mother ! How could I have trusted that idiot ? No Pokémon ! We could have been killed ! To think of all the danger we were in with every step we took ! " By the time he had made one lap around the Center , he was cooling off a little . He was thinking a bit more clearly . It was obvious that he was going to have to take things into his own hands . Carrie plainly had no idea what she was doing . He couldn 't go back home , his dad needed him . But he couldn 't go on like this , without any security . The next wild Pokémon attack could do them in . He saw Poochyena waiting for him outside the door to the Pokémon Center . The little dog had done a great job saving them from Seviper , but he might not be so lucky next time . Shawn needed more help . What was she going to do ? She had failed at her job . She was supposed to guide Shawn all the way to Blueport City , but … how would she do that now ? Carrie shook her head , " I couldn 't . I don 't have any Pokémon . My friend had his Poochyena distract it , and we got away . But now he 's mad at me and I don 't think he 's ever coming back . I was supposed to be his adventure guide and I messed it up . " She took a deep breath and stared at her lap , trying to hold back a sob . " Sure . Boys are like that . They get themselves in a huff and storm off , but they don 't hold grudges very long . " Her smile was reassuring . " I was wondering where you saw it . I didn 't realize there were any on Meridian Island . I was hoping to find one to battle , maybe even capture it . " Shawn wasn 't exactly sure how to catch a Pokémon . He had never done it before . Poochyena had been a gift from his parents when he was younger , and he didn 't have any other Pokémon . But people caught Pokémon all the time . Supposedly you battle a wild Pokémon , and then when it 's weak enough , you toss the Pokéball and if you 're successful , you capture it . He had bought some Pokéballs at the store in Hiland City . He had Poochyena with him . Now he needed to find a wild Pokémon . He wandered around the forest just outside of the city , looking in the trees and the bushes . He saw a couple of bird Pokémon , but they flew away before he even got a good look at them . Poochyena had picked up on how serious Shawn was , and had dutifully set himself to the task at hand for a while , but was starting to get bored of snooping around . He tugged at Shawn 's leg , hoping to run around a bit . Shawn wouldn 't have it . " You have to be in top form to battle for me , " he said . Poochyena whined in protest . " Sorry , Pooch , but we need some more help if we 're gonna make it to dad . Carrie sure isn 't any help to us . " With a rustle of leaves , a small tan - colored Pokémon waddled out of a bush in front of them . It looked like a strange , plump mushroom with green spots . It didn 't look very impressive , but it was the only Pokémon they had gotten close to all night , and Shawn was determined to catch something . The mushroom Pokémon got to its feet and charged forward . It ran up to Poochyena and pushed up against the dog with what looked like a small spout at the top of its head , and for a moment it seemed to suck the energy right out of Poochyena . The little dog yelped and leapt back . Shawn had no idea what kind of attack that was , but he didn 't like it . He sent Poochyena forward again . This time , when Poochyena tackled it , a small cloud of purple powder burst off the tan Pokémon 's body and clung to the little dog 's fur . Shawn barely had enough time to wonder what it was before the mushroom tackled Poochyena , sending him falling to the ground . As Poochyena stood back up , he shuddered a little , and looked like he was in pain . That powder was poison , Shawn realized . Poochyena 's poisoned . He couldn 't give up now . " Tackle ! " Poochyena tackled the other Pokémon again , but his opponent immediately jumped back up and used its energy - sapping attack again . Poochyena stumbled backward and shuddered violently as the poison worked at him . Shawn was worried . Poochyena was barely standing , but the other Pokémon looked like it was doing okay . He had to do something . Another hit - another second , even - and Poochyena would be down . They could run … but Poochyena had tried so hard to help him catch this Pokémon , and Shawn knew that poisoning effect would be extremely useful to have on his team . He knew that a Pokémon had to be weakened before it could be caught . Was this Pokémon weakened enough ? The ball hit the mushroom Pokémon on the head and sprang open . There was a flash of light and the plump Pokémon was absorbed into the ball , which fell to the ground . The Pokéball wobbled back and forth as Shawn and Poochyena watched tensely , and then , it stopped wobbling and lay still . In the Pokémon Center , there was a spare room set aside with a row of beds for travelers to sleep in overnight . Carrie was the only one in there . She claimed one of the beds by placing her bag on it , and walked back out to the lobby . She saw Shawn waiting by the counter and slowly made her way towards him , wringing her hands . Shawn didn 't answer . He stared silently for a moment , his dark eyes fixed on a point just beside Carrie , a flicker of uncertainty on his face . Then he snapped back to attention , turned and walked away . Posts 7 Finally , he found a break in the trees , a small clearing . In front of him , the land sloped gradually downward . He could see for miles and miles . The forest extended down the gentle slope and into the distance , and beyond the forest was a great marshland , dark and mysterious . The light of the setting sun cast a deep red hue over the marsh , giving it an ominous , captivating glow . This is very good , it gives a very good feel of what the area looks like . As a whole I would say you are very good at describing areas and painting a picture in the mind . One thing you could improve upon ( unless its deliberate ) is giving a description for the main character . Maybe I am being dumb and missed it , but I don 't think you included one . Anyway , other than that , this is very good , so good luck with this fic ! Posts 10 Thanks for the review , Jamusio ! It actually did occur to me recently that I didn 't include a description of the main character . That wasn 't necessarily intentional , but I think I 'll leave it like that for now . Lets the reader imagine what they want . Posts 10 Happy holidays everyone ! I 'm back with the next chapter ! It 's a bit longer than usual . Think of it as a last - night - of - Hanukkah present . Chapter Six They headed out shortly after breakfast , taking Main Ridge Road as it passed straight through Hiland City and continued north outside of the city . Today would be a short travel day . Shawn remembered the stops they had made on that school trip to Mountain City . They had gone from Loland Town to Treline Town to Hiland City , and then they had stopped at a place called the Outpost . The Outpost was a building that sat alongside the road about one - third of the way between Hiland and Mountain City . The trip between the two cities was generally considered too far for a single day 's walk , so a local family had set up the Outpost ; they lived in the building , but had plenty of spare rooms where travelers could rest and recuperate overnight . They would even offer food if their guests hadn 't brought their own . Carrie was silent as they walked away from Hiland City . Good , Shawn thought . This is her fault , after all . They walked for a while , until the city disappeared from view behind them . Then she finally spoke . " I just … I wanted to help . I wanted to do something important . " Shawn didn 't say anything . He didn 't want to hear about her feelings . Poochyena walked quietly beside him . The Pokémon seemed to pick up on the tension , and kept calm and silent . They walked for a while without talking , listening only to the leaves rustling in the wind and the sound of their own footsteps on the road . Even in the bright morning sun , Shawn found himself projecting horrors into the trees around them . Every rustling leaf could be a creature stalking them , though he couldn 't see anything nearby . Finally , he found the silence unbearable . He needed something to distract him , even if it meant talking to Carrie . Shawn looked at the page , " Yeah that 's it . " The guide listed attacks that a wild Shroomish might know . Tackle . Absorb . Absorb . That must be the attack it used to suck energy from Poochyena . It sounded useful , but according to the book , Absorb doesn 't poison Pokémon . So how had it done that ? Shawn would have to find out . It wasn 't long after lunch that the Outpost came into view . A three - story building standing alone by the side of the road . Main Ridge Road continued straight past it , but another road branched off and went straight to the west , disappearing over the ridge and into the forest . " That 's Westedge Road , " Carrie offered . " It leads to Westedge Town . Westedge Town is supposed to be all the way on the west coast of the island . People from there rarely ever interact with the rest of the island . That town is almost entirely isolated . " Shawn wondered what the west coast looked like . It was no wonder people never went there , he thought . He wouldn 't want to take a road that went all the way through the forest . Who knows what you might run into on the way ? It was only the afternoon , and it was a clear , sunny day , so there was no warning for the sudden storm that kicked up a second later . The wind swirled viciously around them , whipping up sand and pebbles that stung the bare skin of their arms and faces . The air was soon so filled with sand and dust that they could barely see . Shawn heard Poochyena yelping in surprise . " Let 's get to the Outpost ! " Shawn shouted over the wind . He coughed and spat out sand as they ran , covering their faces against the stinging wind . They were almost at the building when the sandstorm subsided , disappearing as quickly as it had sprung up . The air was clear again . " I don 't know ! " Carrie said . " I 've never heard of a sandstorm coming up out of nowhere like that ! " " Oh well . Let 's get inside before it happens again . " There was a large sign hanging on the door . In big red letters , it said CLOSED . Looking in the windows , he could see that all the lights were off . There didn 't seem to be anyone there . This was bad . He hadn 't counted on the Outpost being abandoned . This meant they couldn 't spend the night here . But if they went back to Hiland City , it would be well past dark before they got there , and they 'd still have to find a way to Mountain City , which was an entire day 's travel from the Outpost . " Oh no , what will we do ? " Carrie said , wringing her hands and echoing Shawn 's thoughts . " This is bad , Shawn . Where will we stay ? I mean , I think we could make camp nearby , but is it safe to - " She stopped abruptly . Shawn turned and immediately saw why : four Vigoroth were emerging from the forest at the edge of the road . They had wide white eyes , and each had a blood - red patch of fur on its forehead . They approached slowly and calmly , but were clearly full of energy . One of them swayed back and forth , two of them bounced slightly up and down , and another dragged its long arms to and fro on the ground , leaving gouge marks in the dirt with its claws . They all bared their teeth and hooted softly , staring menacingly at the humans . Poochyena growled threateningly , but Shawn stopped him . " You stay back , Poochyena ! " He pulled Shroomish 's Pokéball from his pocket . I hope you can do it , he thought . He threw the Pokéball , and the mushroom Pokémon appeared in a burst of light . The Vigoroth seemed undisturbed . " Alright Shroomish , I need you to poison those Vigoroth , okay ? " Shroomish stared back at him blankly . Did it not understand ? " Can 't you … ? " Shawn began . " Alright then , an attack . Use Absorb ! " The Pokémon hesitated a moment , staring at the intimidating Pokémon team in front of him . " Go on ! " Shawn urged . Shroomish set itself , then charged forward . It stuck the top of its head into the belly of the nearest Vigoroth and drained at its energy . The Vigoroth stared down at it for a moment , and then snarled and swung its claws viciously . With two swipes of its arms , it sent Shroomish skidding across the road . The little Pokémon did not get up . " Oh … " Shawn said . The Vigoroth all started growling and flexing their claws . The battle - if you could call it that - seemed to have invigorated them . Shawn called Shroomish back into its Pokéball , and said " Run ! " He , Carrie and Poochyena ran for the door to the Outpost . Please be unlocked , Shawn begged silently . Please be unlocked . It was . Shawn tore the door open and they all dove inside . Turning , he had a brief glimpse of the wide , angry eyes of the charging Vigoroth before he slammed the door shut . He could hear the Vigoroth crash into the door and begin beating and clawing at it , trying to make their way inside . The door seemed to hold firm , for now . Carrie ran around the lobby , making sure the windows were all closed and shutters drawn . The building was dark and cold . All of the chairs were stacked upon the tables , and the furniture was covered with a fine coating of dust . The place was abandoned . They headed up to the second floor and found one of the spare bedrooms . There were two beds in the room , but they had no coverings , just bare mattresses . They sat down on the floor , pressed up against the wall , listening to the sounds of Vigoroth attacking the building from outside . They could hear the Pokémon beating at the windows and climbing up the walls . Shawn knew it couldn 't be very long before they managed to find a way inside . And what would they do then ? " Shawn , what if they never leave ? " Carrie said , her arms wrapped around her knees . " What if they break in ? What will we do ? " She had her eyes clenched shut as if she were trying to close out the image of the attacking Pokémon . Shawn didn 't answer . He looked at Poochyena . The little dog was crouched low to the ground , standing at the door to the bedroom , teeth bared and ready for an attack . Just the thought of battling the Vigoroth made Shawn feel ill . They had defeated Shroomish with hardly any effort at all , and Shroomish had nearly beaten Poochyena the day before . Shawn was sure Poochyena wouldn 't last long against them , and he didn 't want to put his friend at risk . Carrie shook her head , her eyes still clenched shut , " I don 't have a Pokégear or anything . They 're very expensive . I don 't know many people who have them at all , but oh , I should have begged my parents for one . An adventure guide really should have one ! Oh , now we 're - " They listened . Outside everything was silent . The banging and hooting of the Vigoroth had stopped . Even the wind seemed to have died down . After listening to the din of the Pokémon for so long , the silence was eerie and uncomfortable . Neither of them got up . From downstairs , they heard the sound of the front door opening . They sat perfectly still . Who could have come inside ? They hadn 't seen another person on the road the whole time they had been traveling . Had the Vigoroth figured out how to open the door ? Shawn thought with a shudder . Despite his fear , Shawn pushed himself to move . He stood up slowly , and crept out into the hall , as silently as he could . Poochyena and Carrie followed close behind him . Peering down the stairwell , they couldn 't see anything , but they heard the front door close , and then footsteps walking around the lobby . " It 's a person ! " Carrie whispered excitedly , and before Shawn could stop her , she called out , " We 're up here ! " Shawn silently cursed her . What if this person were a bandit or something ? She could be endangering them all . Again . She knows this person ? Shawn thought . He looked at Poochyena , but the Pokémon looked as confused as he was . So he went downstairs to meet the new arrival . Reagan was a tall girl who looked to be a few years older than Shawn . She had long , straight brown hair and wore a relaxed , confident grin . Shawn thought she seemed oddly good - spirited for someone standing in a cold , abandoned building on the side of the road . " Yes , " Reagan said . " You nearly ran me over coming out of the Pokémon Center in Hiland . The pleasure was all mine , I assure you . " Reagan smiled again , " No harm done though . " She gave a friendly wave to Poochyena , who eyed her apprehensively . She then turned to look at the front door . " I saw the Vigoroth run off into the forest as I walked up the road . They left a whole lot of scratches on the walls outside , though " " I might as well , " she said . " It 'll be dark out pretty soon . We can head for Mountain City all together tomorrow . Have you guys eaten dinner ? " " Well it 's a good thing I 've brought plenty . " She opened her bag and pulled out a couple of packs of food . " Hungry ? " Shawn , Poochyena and Carrie all felt a bit better after eating . By now the shock of the Vigoroth attack had worn off and it looked like they would have a place to stay after all . Shawn still wasn 't quite sure what to make of their new friend , though . Reagan stood up and stretched her back , " If you 'll excuse me . I 'm going to see if the ladies ' room still works . " She walked off . " Um … " Shawn was caught off - guard . He wasn 't very good at guessing people 's ages , and he didn 't particularly care . " She 's a little older than my brother then , " Carrie observed . " I bet they 'd be great friends . Reagan is a Pokémon trainer , just like him . " Reagan looked at Shawn , her question still hanging in the air . He sighed , " They came out of the woods at us . I tried to fight them off , but my stupid Shroomish couldn 't hurt them at all . " " No . They looked really strong , so we ran into the building . They must have been banging on the walls for an hour before you got here . " Reagan nodded and gathered up the packaging for her food , putting it neatly back in her bag . Carrie walked back into the room , yawning . " Reagan , you 're a Pokémon trainer . Does that mean you can protect us from wild Pokémon like those Vigoroth ? " " Well , let 's leave that to tomorrow , " she continued . " For now , why don 't we curl up on some nice empty mattresses and get some rest . It 's a long way to Mountain City . "