The Torchic Named Torchyana (The Friend I Fell In Love With) edited version #1

Steph fire put her PokeNav back in its place in her pack and looked at Steven, wondering what to do next. It was getting late.

"I overheard some of the citizens talking about the tunnel being incomplete." Steven commented after a while of the two of them just standing outside together.

"Why won’t they complete it?" she tilted her head to the side, and in doing so tilted her Tailow, who had perched there, to the side.

"The machines they were using were disturbing the pokemon and causing them to go into an uproar." Steven explained.

"Oh." her head came back up and her Tailow shuffled his feathers in annoyance. "What of it?"

"Follow me." he turned and began wailking, so of course she followed as well after returning her bird.

It took only a few minutes to reach the tunnel entrance and then a few more minutes of walking to lead to the area that a few very thick boulders blocked the way. Wild pokemon had scurried away throughout the tunnel as they made their way, and Steph realized why they hadn't continued. Seeing that there was no where else to go, Torchyana looked at Steven curiously.

"May I borrow Torchyana for a minute?" Steven turned to the young girl and asked politely.

"Yes." she replied, seeing no reason why he couldn't.

In response, the fire/fighting type walked over to the silver haired teen and Steven knelt down to the pokemon's level. Steph stood back, leaning against the cave's wall as she watched the teen talk to her pokemon.

She wondered to herself lightly of what he was explaining to Torchyana. After a short amount of time, Steven stood and looked pointedly at the wall with Torchyana.

"Steph, have Torchyana use rock smash on the wall." his hand slid into his pocket and then emerged with a pokeball.

She complied to his wishes, "Torchyana, use rock smash."

The fire/fighting type leapt at the rock and slammed his feet into it, one after the other. Slowly, cracks made their way throughout the boulder before it finally chipped apart and left a pile of debris. Placing her hand on the pokemon that now stood between her and the boy, she shot a smile over at Steven.

"Rock smash will be very useful on your journey." Steven explained his reasoning. "Almost a necessity." he pushed in the button on his pokeball and then released an Aggron. "I will see to it that the rest are cleared." he turned away from Steph, "Aggron, rock smash."

The pokemon moved swiftly, almost too quickly for its size, and smashed away the boulders with a few well aimed strikes. When the job was done he returned it to its ball and put it away, turning to the girl.

"Thanks!" she smiled and then squealed when Torchyana pulled her down again.

He dug throug her bag whilse she sat there with her legs crossed, an aggravated expression dancing across her face. Steven just watched with an almost incredulous look on his face. After a moment or two, the pokemon emerged with the berry that it had found in Rustboro and then walked away, slowly eating it as he led the way out of the tunnel.

Steven offered a hand to Steph and helped her to her feet.

Steph followed after him and Steven followed her, "You know... you could always tell me if you want something. You don't have to pull me down."

"Com bus." replied nonchalantly.

They made their way to the Pokemon Center and decided that they would share a room.

Steph laid awake for a while, laying on her side and staring at the wall as thoughts ran through her mind. Torchyana and her Tailow were being treated by Nurse Joy and kept over night for when she was going to leave that morning, but now she had someone else to keep her company. Now the alarm clock and her pillow weren't her only companions, but Steven Stone: son of the president of the Devon Corp.

A smile found its way to her face as she slipped into sleep.

That morning Steven woke her. Well, he woke her after the third try. Groggily, she got out of bed and went about her morning routine. She wasn't a morning person and really did not remember the other two attempts he claimed to have made to wake her. Once she finished, she found Steven waiting for her in their room and then they walked out into the main room of the Pokemon Center to fetch her pokemon.

Steph decided that she would leave her bike there and retrieve it if the chance ever occured and then the two new companions set off on their walk to Mauville. An hour or so passed and they came across a little pond near the road, so, seeing that it would be a while longer until they would make it to Mauville, they came to the decision that they would rest beside the pond.

Steph sat beside the pond and Steven took a seat near her. They hadn't spoken much. The two ate an apple and then just sat there as the wind blew in their hair. Boredly, the girl picked up a flat stone and skipped it across the pond's surface. After the next two skipped, Steven joined in.

"How is it that there are overweight trainers?" Steph asked quite randomly.

His silver head twisted about and he looked at her, the thought running throug his mind for a moment before his grey eyes widened and he chuckled softly.

"I mean, with all of this walking, every trainer should be lean and muscular." she shrugged and went back to skipping the rocks across the pond for a few minutes.

"How much have you trained your pokemon?" Steven questioned.

"Usually everyday for at least an hour." she replied.

"I'll train with you, then." he replied.

She smiled at him, liking the idea of having a sparring partner. Especially one with a stronger team. It would allow her pokemon to grow.

They continued their walk a little while later and after a few more hours they made it to Mauville, found a place two eat, and then continued North out of the city.

The two trainers talked a little bit about what Steph had already been through on her journey as they traveled up route 111.

Two trainers, a boy and a girl, saw them coming and made their way to stand in the road until they had come close enough to hear the boy's challenge, "Want to have a double battle?"

"Um." Steph arched her eyebrow, thinking of how odd it must look to challenge another trainer. "Okay." she shrugged it off and called out Torchyana.

The boy sent out a Sandshrew and the girl sent out a Roselia. Steven came to his companion's side and with a flash called out his Skarmory.

"Torchyana, use flamethrower on Roselia!" she began.

"Sandshrew, use rock throw on the Combusken!" the boy attempted to rescue his partner's pokemon.

"Skarmory, use steel wing!" Steven ordered.

As Torchayana sent the stream of flame in Roselia's direction, Skarmory flew over his head, eliminating the rocks flying at the Combusken and then slammed her steel hard wings into the Sandshrew.

Both of the trainers called back their pokemon and walked away from the victors of the battle. Torchyana eyed the Skarmory until Steven called her back.

"Well, that's the first double battle I've had." Steph remarked as they continued traveling.

"Really? Couples and sibling are rather common." Steven commented.

She shrugged, "Never came across any of them."

They walked for a while more and then a house came into sight, just a short distance off the path. They were going to walk by it, but a boy was standing in the middle of the road, staring at the house.

Steph stopped at his side and looked at the house with him, wondering what was so amazing about it, but she didn't have to stand there for long before the boy turned and faced her.

"So.. what's up with that place?"

He blushed slightly from embarrassment, "I challenged the Wincstrate family, but four matches in a row is tough going… They destroyed me."

"Oh. How far did you get?" she wondered aloud, earning a slihgtly puzzled look from Steven. Asking a trainer how horribly beaten he or she was wasn't the politetest thing

to do.

"I got to the second one. I almost won, but..." he trailed off. "I should be going to the pokemon center to get my pokemon healed. Bye." he walked away, heading in the direction of Mauville.

She looked over at the house with a curious glint in her eyes and a pokeball in her hand.

"Are you going to challenge them?" he inquired and she glanced over at him.

"...Yeah." she replied and let the way over to the house.

She made her way over and saw that a man, around middle age, was standing in front of the house. He seemed to have been watching for trainers to come and smiled when he noticed the two approaching youths.

"Hello!" he called and she waved back at him. "I take it you're a traveler?" she nodded. "What do you say to taking on our family of four in a serious of battles?"

"Sure." she brought smiled. "That is why I came over here."

"That's the spirit! I like you!"

He pulled out a ball and called out a Tailow, so, wishing to see if her pokemon was the better, she called out her Tailow.

"Tailow, use steel wing!" she began.

"Tailow, use wing attack!" he countered.

The two bird types flew at each other, their wings stretched out, prepared for the attack, but Steph's was the quicker and landed it's blow first. He nearly knocked his opponent out of the air.

So, before it had time to recover, "Quick attack!"

"Tailow, peck!"

Her Tailow complied to her order and slammed into his opponent, knocking it to the ground. The man, determining that his pokemon couldn't take anymore, called it back and then called out a Zigzagoon.

"Tailow, wing attack!"

"Zigzagoon, tackle!"

Tailow closed in low, going at a fast speed and began to beat the brown pokemon with his wings a few times, narrowly dodging the Zigzagoon's attack.

"Tailow, use steel wing!" She was having fun ordering her pokemon to use steel wing.

"Zigzagoon, use quick attack!"

The Zigzagoon knocked her Tailow to the ground a few feet away from it, but he recovered and brought his steel hard wing down on the top of its head, knocking to to the ground.

After a moment of it not moving, he called it back and gave her an impressed look.

"You're a lot stronger than I expected!" he complimented.

He then briskly turned around, opened the door, and yelled into the house: "Hey, all! I've found a pretty strong trainer!" he entered the house and a woman came out.

"Oh, my goodness! Aren't you young? You must be quite the trainer to beat my husband, though." Mrs. Winstrate spoke quickly. "It's my turn to battle now!"

With a flash, a Roselia appeared in front of them.

"Tailow, wing attack!" =)

Tailow swept down at the Roselia and struck it with his wings, leaving the Roselia lying on the ground, unmoving.

Both trainers just stood there for a moment, awestruck by how quickly it had ended. But, then she got over it and called her Roselia back.

"There's a strong trainer here, Vivi! This one's really strong!" Mrs. Winstrate yelled into the house and then entered.

A young girl walked out. Steph noted that she had long, black hair, and that she wore a white shirt with a black miniskirt.

Upon realizing that she had immediately checked to see if the girl was better looking than her, Steph mentally sighed: 'Vanities, vanities. Always vanities.'

"You beat Mom?" Vivi snapped her out of her little self pity trip. "But I'm strong, too! Really! Honestly!"

"I get it now." Steph informed her as politely as she could, not really caring if she hurt her feelings or not, but hey... "You can stop now."

The girl frowned and called out a Maril.

"Marill, use water gun!"

"Tailow, quick attack!"

The bird type knocked the Maril back, "Peck!" and then began pecking the creature's face. I tried to regain control and fire a water, gun, but another call from the bird type's trainer goaded it to slam a steel hard wing into its face, knocking it out.

Vivi glared at Steph and called out a Shroomish.

"Tailow, wing attack!"

The Shroomish was unconscious before it had the chance to attack.

Chirping victoriously, the pokemon flew over Steph's head and began to glow. Looking up with a large smile on her face, the brown haired girl watched at her Tailow evolved into Swellow.

Vivi was gradually getting angrier at her opponents fortunes and sent out a Numel. Shrugging, Steph returned her Swellow and released Torchyana.

"Numel, use firespin!"

"Torchyana, use slash!"

The fire/fighting type tore into the Numel with his razor sharp talons until the fire type was unconscious.

Vivi returned her pokemon and turned away from the two teens, "This stinks..." she muttered and sniveled. "Grandma Vicky!" then she ran into the house... crying...

An old woman came out, an extremely angry expression contorting her face, "How dare you make my granddaughter cry! For that, I'm going to smack you! Prepare to lose!"

With a flash, a Meditite appeared.

"Meditite, High jump kick!"

Meditite jumped into the air and then dove down toward Torchyana, using its fall to add to the power of the attack.

"Torchyana, step out of the way and use flamethrower!" Steph ordered calmly.

Torchyana barely dodged the attack, and because the Meditite had nothing to cushion its fall, it slammed into the ground. Torchyana fired his flamethrower and it met its mark directly on the back of the injured pokemon. It struggled to stand to its feet, but the intensity of both attacks were too much for it and Vicky was forced to return her pokmeon.

Now seeming to be a lot more level headed, "You are one of the few trainers that has beaten us." she bowed her head. "If you like you can visit us anytime you want."

"Alright then." the old woman entered the house.

"Good job."

Steph turned about and smiled at her companion. What right had he to say good job? She had seen two of his pokemon and they were by far more powerful than hers, but, she decided that perhaps it was because he viewed her as little more than a rookie. In that light, she supposed, she did do a good job.

"Thanks."

"We should find a good place and set up camp." Steven commented, bringing to her attnetion that it was almost dark out.

But, their plans were disturbed by a man's yell of, "AAAAAAHHHHH!!! GET AWAY FROM ME!!!"

Steph and Steven turned on their hills and ran to where the cry had come... just to see a fisherman, stuck in a tree, trying to escape a little blue Horsea that was floating in the pond that he seemed to have been fishing in.

The two companions looked at each other and contained a laugh. Sighing, she walked over to the tree to see what was wrong. Maybe there was something more serious about the situation that what she could tell by just viewing it.

Seeing her approach, the man seemed to be slightly more relieved that he was before.

"You! If you get rid of that thing, I'll give you something!"

Steph figured that it must've been important to him if he had immediately tried to bribe her to get rid of it, but when she glanced at the Hosea, she couldn't help but wonder what exactly he feared so much about it.

"It's just a Horsea. What could it possibly do?"

A growl was the only warning she had of the oncoming wave of water that left her laying on the ground, soaked. Once she had found her feet again, she called out her Swellow.

"Swellow, peck!" It was going to pay.

Swellow closed in on it and began to pelt it with its beak, but the Horsea was able to counter with a water gun that pushed the bird type back.

"Swellow, use gust!"

Flapping its wings vigorously, it created a powerful gust of wind that knocked the Horsea onto the land, but then the Horsea shot a stream of bubbles that pelted into the bird type.

"Swellow, use wing attack!"

Once again the bird type closed in and began to flog the water type. The pokemon seemed pretty battered, so when Swellow stopped beating it, Steph Fire tossed a pokeball. It struggled for a few tense moments, but soon the girl held her new pokemon in her hand.

"Finally!" the fisherman fell out of his tree. "That menace is gone!"

Standing, he made his way over to her.

"I said I'd give you something, so here." he placed a... tooh? in her hand.

"What exactly is it?"

"It's a deep sea tooth." Steven explained for the man.

"Now!" he settled down beside the pond and casted his line. "I can start fishing again!"

Seeing no need to stay there any longer, the two trainers went off and found a nice place to camp. Steven gathered wood and Torchyana started a fire over which the teens cooked some coup and Steph dried beside.

"You don't battle like a rookie trainer." Steven commented as he rolled out his sleeping back on the ground.

"My dad is a gym leader, so I've had a lot of experience with pokemon."

"Oh?"

"Zack, my dad, taught me a lot about pokemon and so did my brother, Seth." she went into further depth.

"Your dad is Zack?" he seemed surprised. "He's one of the strongest trainers in Hoenn."

"Yeah. Surprising isn't it?" she almost insulted herself.

"What about your brother?" Steven pursued, a curious look on his face.

"Well. He beat the pokemon league in Hoenn and then he was..." she thought of a word that could describe it. "Invited," found it. "To Kanto. There he ran into Team Rocket and now mostly all he does is fight with them."

"You have a lot of talented trainers in your family." she thought that she saw a hint of recognition in his grey eyes, but decided against pushing it.

Instead she sought information about her companion, "What about you, Steven?"

He thought for a moment, considering his words, "I don't have any brothers or sisters. My father is the president of the Devon Corp., as you know." he paused. "and my mother passed away a long time ago."

"Oh..." a wave of compassion washed over her. 'Poor Steven.'