Hoo-boy, I've got some explaining to do. Thank you to everyone who messaged me and you guys who were stupidly patient, I can't thank you enough :) After the release of B2/W2, came reports from school. And...yeah you know where I am going with this.

In retrospect I should have left a message, detailing what's been happening, but in all truths I forgot (due to my extensive studying this year in 12th year) until I received messages of people wanting to know where my story had gone. I was touched, thank you for that.

But I could not write another chapter, not until I received some better grades. I had to put you guys on hold, and I'm sorry for that.

But FEAR NOT! Grades are back, I'm doing exceedingly better, not to mention it's one of the few holidays at the moment I could relax; work is nearly complete. So, what better way to relax than write a chapter? XD

In any case, thank you all for being patient, and let's go.


It was relatively warm that day on Route 19. The sunbeams cut through the canopy and were absorbed by the golden leaves, like ink in a sponge. A light breeze blew across the fair grass and disturbed a particularly edgy pack of Patrats. A Purrloin clambered atop a rock and mewed before flopping down for a snooze.

All in all, it was an expectedly calm day that washed over Route 19.

Hence why, it was completely unexpected for that Purrloin to be flattened by a very heavy torso. A definitive thump boomed through the trees, sending the particularly edgy pack of Patrats into an anxious frenzy.

'Are you okay, Ash?'

Ash groaned and curled himself into a sitting position, spine popping the entire way. 'Besides a dislocated back, yeah, I'm fine.'

Anabel, up in the tree that Ash had fallen from, laughed and went back to rummaging through the leaves. 'Well, I'm going to continue up here.' She looked back down and smiled. 'Your first Pokemon has got to be special!'

The raven-haired boy rubbed his head and slapped his cap back on top of it. He wasn't aware of an angry mewl and staggering footsteps that led back into the nearby bushes. 'Anabel, this is your second start.'

Her lilac-hair popped out from the branches. 'Yes, so?'

'This is my...whatever-start.'

'Yes?'

He frowned. 'I know how to catch a Pokemon.'

Anabel frowned back. 'As do I.'

'I don't know,' he said, with a tone one uses to get one's face slapped, 'you spent your life in a tower.' A mental image of Anabel with football field-length hair popped into his head. He bit back a snort.

'What's that meant to mean?' She stood defiantly on a tree branch, face bright-red.

Ash stood and held his hands up.'Nothing. I'm just saying that maybe-'

'Maybe what?' Anabel snapped. Ash struggled to keep himself from laughing.

'That when it comes to catching Pokemon, I...' She was simmering now. '...as a Pokemon Master...' Boiling. '...would have more years in the field...' Frothing. '...and, in turn, when it comes to Pokemon...' Erupting. '...have more experien-'

Strangling.

'Oh I see,' she growled through gritted teeth. 'The Great Pokemon Master is better at catching Pokemon than I?' She let him fall to the ground. 'That's fine! Let's have a competition then! First person to snag their Pokemon, wins!' Anabel, in a huff, straightened her clothes and stormed off into the woods.

Ash, in the happiest voice (post asphyxiation,) called out: 'Okay, honey! Best of luck!'

'HATE YOU!' was the explosive reply. He merely laughed.

The particularly edgy pack of Patrats was delirious at this point.


Anabel's hands carved through branches and leaves like swords through butter. Unfortunately, a non-buttery branch snapped back and whipped her already-red face, causing her to screech and wrench said branch into submission. This continued on for a little while, attracting the attention of a few concerned Pokemon.

It was during the reverse elbow-lock-crunch that her common sense decided to speak up.

Anabel...it's a tree branch.

She stopped immediately, allowing herself a couple of breaths.

Silence.

'HOW DARE HE SAY I CAN'T CATCH POKEMON!'

And back to the tree branch she went.

'Just...because...' she growled between breaths,'...I never...felt the need...to start...again...does not...mean...I... am incompetent...at...' She spun her head sharply, startling the onlooking Patrats and Purrloins. She almost forgot about her telepathic abilities.

Funny what tree branches can do to people...

'Shut up.' Anabel reached into her pocket without taking her eyes off of the shaking Pokemon.

Purrloins looked at Patrats and Patrats looked at Purrloins as the lilac-haired human crept its way closer. They all nodded.

Anabel stared in disbelief as the Pokemon split up in different directions.

'Oh, no you don't.'


Ash, in the meantime, had navigated his way further into the trees. With each step he took, he made a quick sweep with his foot in the undergrowth, making sure he was not going to turn a Pokemon into a pancake.

'There's gotta be one around here somewhere...' His foot caught on something, prompting him to look down.

Or rather, something had caught his foot. An entanglement of purple paws had ensnared his leg.

'Well, hello there,' grinned Ash, stroking a Purrloin that seemed to be hugging his ankle. "Who are you? Have you seen a Sni-"

There were two things currently in Ash's mind. One: the sadistic smile that had carved itself across the purple Pokemon's face. And two: the claws that had sunk through his pants and began to inject themselves into his calf muscles.

Needless to say, the particularly edgy pack of Patrats was seriously reconsidering their habitat.


'Gotcha!'

Anabel dove like a professional footballer and snagged a mound of dirt with her face. She could feel the amused stares of many Pokemon looking down upon her. She lifted her head to the green canopy that hovered above.

It seemed that every Pokemon (except for a very clingy Purrloin) had escaped to the tree tops. Many of them balanced on top of each other whilst others were hanging off the edges of buckling branches.

Anabel was perplexed, to say the least. However, she shook her head and smiled.

'Do you think you're clever? Well, you have trapped yourselves, I hope you realise.' She dashed over to the nearest tree and began to shimmy her way up the rough bark. She was about to grasp the lowest branch when something struck her pale skin.

'Ouch!'

She glanced up, only to have something else smack her on the forehead, causing her to lose her grip and plummet down onto a pile of leaves. Seething, she threw an icy glare towards the Pokemon in the branches, only to have her mouth drop open as she saw that each of the hundred creatures held a nut in their hand or paw.

The onslaught had begun.


Ash leaned against a boulder, chest heaving. He glanced towards his leg and cringed at the ravaged sight.

That's gonna need a bit more than a band-aid.

Thankfully, Ash managed to lose his purple pursuer by applying his expertise in running from furious Pokemon; for once in his life, Ash was relieved to be the victim of many Beedrill attacks. However, it did not close the open wounds that dressed his leg. He dug through his backpack, throwing aside sandwiches, Pokeballs, canteens, everything except the one item that he needed. Ash frowned and dug through the empty pack once more, but again, he came up short. Then it dawned on him.

Anabel has the first-aid kit.

He dead-panned.

Ah.

He began to stuff the discarded items into his pack, but not before giving his head a shake and his lungs a sigh. Guess I better apologise.

He stood up, and almost immediately fell back down. Did I stand up too quickly or...? Ash's leg gave out and he slumped to his side.

Nope. Blood loss, definitely blood loss.

'I have to apply tension to the wound,' he muttered breathily. He swept his raven hair from his vision as he eyes glanced around the small alcove he had hidden himself in. A blob of green etched itself into his blurry vision; he lunged forward and snagged it before quickly tying it tightly around his throbbing leg. Satisfied with the tension of his make-shift bandage, Ash collapsed backwards and allowed his mind to settle as the world faded to black. But before it did, he had one last wavering thought:

Hopefully, that leaf will hold until Anabel gets here. Our link is strong, she'll find me in no time.

Then: Huh...deja-vu...


Unfortunately for Ash, Anabel was also lying down... counting to ten... and failing. For the Pokemon around her it was like watching a ticking time-bomb made of incendiary razor blades: dangerous to the point of overkill. Her battered body, speckled with coin-sized bruises, lay heaving on the ground, hands on face, struggling to keep itself down. It was taking all of Anabel's mental capacity not to send out a psychic wave and knock the pesky Pokemon off of their perches. It was also taking all of her mental capacity not to do so in fear of hurting them.

After several attempts of convincing herself to scale the tree once more (and ultimately failing,) Anabel let her arms flop outwards, revealing her red, flustered face to the world. She sat up, crossed-legged and with her hands by her sides, palms resting on the leafy ground.

There was a silence amongst the Pokemon up in the canopy, half of it through guilt, the other half through waiting for her next move.

This stillness was broken by a sudden intruder into the area. As if watching a Mexican-wave, hundreds of Patrat and Purrloin leapt from their places in the tree and flew into their respective homes, all reeling in fear. Anabel detected this anxiety and closed her eyes to focus on it.

It's as if there's something out of place, all of a sudden. Something unusual to this route, something that none of these Pokemon have ever seen before.

Then, she felt a sudden snap of cold. A feeling that no matter how many times she felt, it shook Anabel to her core.

Ash! He needs help! I've gotta sa-

Then, an eerie smile swept across her face.

But perhaps, he could save himself...? She began to giggle. I wouldn't mind...

Anabel felt as if her head was soaking in ball of calm, warm water. Any concern she felt for her boyfriend seemed to melt away. What is this feeling...? I-I've never felt anything like it. It's so relaxing, yet so fluid. I have to remember how to tap into this. This is wonderful. She hummed, low-key, allowing this feeling to take over her being. She was in pure bliss.

How can anything be better th-

'Sol!'

Sol?

Anabel's eyes opened and immediately widened to their limits. The world in front of her was a mess of garbled greens and yellows, the trees and surroundings all galvanising and congealing into one another, as if someone had trapped her in a surreal world made of jelly. Then a face emerged into her view, less than an inch away, beige-coloured and smiling.

'Sol!'

Anabel's scream sounded like a Jellicent's mating call, and startled the face in front of her, causing it to squeal in return. She threw her hands towards the thing encompassing her head yanked with all her strength, pulling it off her head with a massive schloooooorrrrrrrrp! Panting hard,Anabel's vision returned to normal, allowing her to analyse the green blob bouncing away from her; she cocked an eyebrow.

'It's as if someone shoved a giant grape inside of a giant ball of jelly.' She closed her eyes once more and sent a telepathic link towards the creature. A link was made immediately.

Ah. So you're a psychic type. And your name... Solo...sis... Solstice...? Oh! I'm sorry, Solosis.

She opened her eyes and watched the green ball hover towards her. 'Solosis, huh? That's a nice name.' The Pokemon cooed in response. 'But, you're not from here are you? Your energy is different from the other Pokemon in this route.' Solosis sunk sadly into Anabel's lap. She smiled and rubbed its gelatinous body. 'It's okay. I'm not from here either...so I guess we're in the same boat... Being lost in the unknown, and all. Say,' the Pokemon looked up, wide eyed, 'would you care to join me? I appreciate you calming my anxiety.' She chuckled. ' A bit unorthodox but effective nonetheless.'

If round, gelatinous bodies were capable of hugging, Anabel would have been unconscious out of oxygen-deprivation. Solosis positively slammed itself into her body, toppling the trainer onto her back. She laughed and hugged her new-found friend.

A moment later, after being let up by the excitable Psychic Type, she reached into her pocket and held up a familiar, red ball. 'Let's make this official, yes?' Solosis needn't be asked twice; it practically hurled itself into the ball she dropped. A few short clicks and a familiar red ding later, Anabel gently picked up the Pokeball and stared at it affectionately.

Welcome to the family, Solosis, my friend.

The ball rocked, seemingly happy with this notion.

Say, Anabel.

Hmm...?

It's getting mighty cold, what do you think?

She glanced fearfully towards the bushes.

'Oh no! Crap!' She launched herself through the dense mass of shrubs and plants.


'Confirmed, sir, it's that woman. Permission to neutralise?'

'No. No, no, no, no, no, of course not, boy. Do you know nothing of the art of manipulation? It was a common Pokemon anyway, negligible at the most. Lower your weapons.' Several rifles dropped at once. 'Besides,' the man didn't bother hiding his smug grin, 'she's better alive to me than dead, anyway.' He watched a head of lilac hair disappear into a growth of trees.

'And, judging from what our Intel has collected, I'll have some use for her, all-too-soon.'


Ash awoke groggily, in an odd mixture of pain and warm comfort. His body went through its regular check-up upon waking and detected an injury in his right leg.

Ah. Right, that Purrloin. Which means...

Hey, Ash. How are you feeling?

He smiled, eyes still shut.

A little bit lonely, to be honest.

Ash felt the light, fluffy feeling of a pillow smack him on the nose. He chuckled whilst opening his eyes.

'Still not out of the metaphorical dog-house, huh...?' He spotted Anabel watching the news in the corner of the room, back facing him. She didn't move.

'They've got a surprisingly good television for a Pokemon Centre, don't they?

Ash rolled his eyes and sat up to inspect his leg. It was so neatly wrapped, that Ash could have mistaken his leg for a Christmas gift if it weren't attached to him. He thought back to the incident three years ago when he was brutally attacked by a swarm of irate Beedrill.

I shouldn't have expected any less.

With a bit of experienced manoeuvring, Ash swung his legs out of bed and gingerly hopped towards the lilac-haired girl in a lone chair.

'I just want to say: sorry. I shouldn't have-'

Anabel waved a dismissive palm. 'It's fine, really.'

Ash sighed and leant on the back of Anabel's chair. 'So I guess we're at it again tomorrow, huh?'

'Wrong.' Anabel flicked a ball from her chair and in a bright, red flash, a new entity was in the room.

'A Solosis? How on earth did you find one here?'

Anabel chuckled knowingly. 'I have my ways. Say "hi."' Ash did so, tentatively, as to not scare the gelatinous ball. A few rubs and a swift one-sided conversation later, the two became acquainted, and Solosis disappeared back inside its Pokeball. Ash scratched his head.

'So, I guess you win the bet. I guess I'll search again tomorrow.'

Anabel held up a finger. 'Wrong, again.' She motioned with a flick of her wrist for Ash to peer over her shoulder. Obliging, he veered his neck over her shoulders and spotted a lump of green resting on the couch beside her. His mouth dropped.

'A Snivy?!' Anabel nodded. 'How...where...'

'Well, I found him when I found you, he must have been there the whole time. So, therefore...'

'I won the challenge!' Ash fist-pumped the air and had to restrain himself from jumping with two legs, voting to hop instead. 'What do I win? What do I win?'

Anabel stood up and walked slowly towards the door, allowing her footsteps to resonate within the small room. She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

'Au contraire, my dear Ashy-boy.'

Ash gulped, wondering where she was going with this.

'Where's that Snivy's Pokeball?' He began to sweat, hoping that what he thought she was implying wasn't what she was actually implying. He watched her as she opened the door, a large grin emerging on her features. 'See, when I found that Snivy with you, he was captured, but not in the way you'd think.' She let out a burst of laughter.

'Oh, Ash, whatever did you think was tied around your leg?'

He knew exactly where she was going with this.

'I win the challenge, you will owe me a night out with a fancy dinner. Oh and...' She pulled a Pokeball out of her pocket and tossed it to him; Ash barely snagged it. He looked up, just as her eyes flashed with a hint satanic disposition.

'It's still wild.'

Ash paled white as he glanced at the time bomb sleeping nonchalantly on the couch.

'But it should be no problem for you,' she smiled, 'as a Pokemon Master...' Wickedly. '...who has more years in the field...' Psychotically. '...who, in turn, has more experience when it comes to capturing Pokemon that you twist around your leg, cover in blood and give asphyxiation to, now, should it...?'

Ash squeaked louder than he would have liked.

'Can I make suggestion...?'

Ash was already hopping away at the speed of light. Anabel's face twisted into a demonic sneer.

'RUN.'

She slammed the door, setting off the Poke-bomb.


Although Ash's blood-curdling yells and shouts drew attention from many of the tenants in the Pokemon Centre, causing many of them to stick their heads outside their quarters, Anabel couldn't resist proclaiming her coup de grace.

'Okay, honey! Best of luck!'

'HATE YOU!' was the explosive reply.

She merely laughed.


As always, R&R, criticism is always welcome (and in this case, angry letters. Once again, apologies.) I took inspiration from all your team suggestions, and ultimately decided on two teams that incorporated most of your suggestions. Apologies, if I could not include your favorite.

Oh, and, If you can't guess Anabel's mono-type team theme, then...

Anyway, thanks for reading, And for one final time, APOLOGIES!