Hi, everybody! So I've been reading fan fictions for years, and I recently decided that I wanted to write one. Conveniently, around the time that I came to this decision, I was beginning to get back into the Pokemon Anime, specifically the DP Series, since that was the series from my childhood. That was when I came to the decision to write a story featured my OC, Casey, as she travels through Sinnoh with Ash and the Gang. I really liked the sound of that idea, which is why I decided to start this story.

When it comes to writing chapters, as there is so many episodes from the Anime, I have decided to write specific episodes if they fit one or both of the following criteria:

- The episode interests me: Some episodes from the Anime interest me more than others. If the episode interests me, I'll write it. It's that simple.

- It's integral to the series plot line - Episodes featuring Team Galactic, Evolutions, Newly Caught Pokemon, Cynthia etc. All of those episodes will be present so that the plot line of the story makes sense.

Slight disclaimer, my character is NOT the same Casey from the Johto seasons of the anime. My OC is different, I just chose to call her Casey because I like the name.

Another disclaimer - I don't own Pokemon, but I wish that I did.

So that's all I have to say. I hope that you all like the chapter! Reviews are appreciated, so please leave one if you like the chapter and want more! Thanks, everybody! Enjoy!

This is it! This is it! This is it!

"Are you the Oreburgh City Gym Leader?"

Casey comes to a sudden stop when she reaches the doors of the Gym, breathing heavily in an attempt to catch her breath. The people stood by the doors, and their Pokemon for that matter, are looking at her with bemusement. Casey would probably do the same thing if she was in their shoes. She's breathing so heavily as she's just ran halfway across the city to get to the Gym. It's rather late right now, to the point where the sun is beginning to set, and Casey is just itching to battle. This will be her first Sinnoh League Gym badge, and it feels as if it's been a long time coming.

A man with reddish-brown hair, clad in mining gear, turns to address Casey, a warm and welcoming smile on his face, "That's right. How can I help you?"

"My name's Casey!" Casey holds up her fist and smiles eagerly, "And I'd like to challenge you for a Gym Badge!"

"And I'll be happy to accept your challenge."

Casey's face lights up at his response. She's finally going to get to battle a Sinnoh Gym Leader! She's hoping for a very different challenge compared to what she's experienced in the past.

Casey's face drops, however, after his next few words, "But I'm sorry to say that it'll have to wait until tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!"

"Yes. You see, my Pokemon just finished up battling with Ash here," The Gym Leader motions to a raven-haired boy stood to his right, complete with a Pikachu perched on his shoulder, another slightly taller boy and a girl with blue hair stood next to said boy, "And they really gave it their all. It just wouldn't be fair to tire them out again, especially when they haven't fully recovered just yet."

Casey sighs defeatedly. The Gym Leader is right. If what he's saying is true, it's simply cruel to make his Pokemon battle again so quickly after their previous. Casey knows that Pokemon have a limit, and that limit is something that you simply don't cross. Casey has to admit that whilst she's disappointed that she doesn't get to battle right now, she respects the Gym Leader for his decision.

"I understand. It looks like we'll have to come back tomorrow Mon-." Casey's eyes go wide when she turns around, only to find that her partner isn't there, "Monferno! Oh, no! Monferno!"

"What's wrong?"

Casey turns back towards the Gym Leader and the others as Ash speaks up, the panic on her face growing by the second, "It's my Monferno! I swear he was with me just a second ago! This has never happened before! What am I gon-!"

Casey stops her hysterical shouts when she feels the ground beneath her crumble, a glowing fist rising up and striking her in the gut before she can fully react. She goes flying up into the air before coming back down again, landing a good few yards from where she was with a loud thud.

"Pika-pi!"

She feels somebody grab her by the arms, helping her sit up from the ground. She looks around, seeing that the Gym Leader as well as Ash and who Casey presumes are his friends are sat around her, concern written across all of their faces, "Are you all right?"

Ash whips his head around and faces Casey's 'attacker', glaring sharply in their direction, "What did you have to go and do that for? That wasn't nice!"

"Mon-Monferno!"

Casey thanks Ash for his concern, but reassures him that there's no need to yell at the Pokemon that attacked her. She manages to stand up from the ground, a wince crossing her face as she does, and stumbles over to Monferno, smiling down at her companion, "Sorry about that, pal. Did I rush off too quickly again?"

"Monferno!"

"Okay! Okay, I'm sorry!" Casey can't help but smile at her partner's response. He can be quite fussy at times, but he sure is strong and loyal, not to mention her best friend, "It looks like we're going to have to wait just a little bit longer before we get our first badge, Monferno."

"Mon-Monferno!"

Casey sighs. Monferno's really fired up and pumped to battle. It's just a shame that he'll have to wait a little bit longer. Casey suspects that her other Pokemon will be just as disappointed, unfortunately.

Casey's snapped out of her thoughts when she feels somebody walk up from behind her. She turns around as the blue-haired girl directs her Pokedex towards Monferno, the robotic voice of the Pokedex reciting it's Pokedex entry moments later.

"Monferno, the Playful Pokémon and the evolved form of Chimchar. Monferno launches aerial attacks off of ceilings and walls, and its fiery tail is used as one of its weapons."

"So that's a Monferno, huh?"

"Sure is." Casey smiles confidently, "And Monferno's my powerhouse, ain't that right, pal?"

Monferno yells loudly and thrusts his fists into the air, the flame on his tail flaring viciously as he does show, further exerting his power. Of course Casey is proud of all of her Pokemon for even more things than just their power, but she'd say that Monferno is her strongest Pokemon, at least physically.

"I'm Dawn."

Casey looks away from Monferno as the blue haired girl introduces herself, offering a smile to Casey similar to that of the one the Gym Leader gave her as she introduces herself and her partner Pokemon, which just so happens to be a Piplup. The taller boy quickly introduces himself as Brock shortly afterwards; he is quickly followed by Ash, who gives himself his own formal introduction and introduces his own partner Pokemon, Pikachu.

"It's nice to meet you all." Casey looks over to the Gym Leader, a hint of uncertainty in her voice, "So, is it okay if we come back tomorrow?"

"Of course it is. I'm looking forward to it."

Casey nods respectfully to the Gym Leader and decides that now is best to make her leave. She wants to get back to the Pokemon Center before it gets too dark. It's not that she doesn't like sleeping outdoors (she's done that hundreds of times on her travels), but she figures that if there's a Pokemon Center nearby, it is far better to spend the night there, especially right before a big battle.

"Mon-Monferno!"

She stops when she hears her Pokemon's indignant shouts, turning towards Monferno with a confused look on her face, "What is it, Monferno?"

Monferno makes a punching gesture with his fists and continues to shout; it doesn't take long for Casey to figure out what he's trying to say, "I know that you want to battle, Monferno, but the Gym Leader can't right now. His Pokemon are exhausted. It just wouldn't be fair."

"Mon-ferno! Mon! Monferno!"

"Come on, Monferno! Please don't do this! You know that I would do something about this if I could!"

"I know what you can do."

Monferno and Casey abruptly stop arguing when Ash speaks up. They both look over at the boy in confusion, Casey quick to question what in the world he's talking about, "What are you talking about, Ash?"

"Battle us!"

Casey likes that idea. She hadn't even thought about that. He there is, a Trainer right in front of her, and she hadn't thought to ask him to battle. Sometimes her forgetfulness surprises even herself. She looks down at Monferno, who glances back at her with a certain look in his eyes. She recognises that look, and she doesn't even have to ask to know what his response to Ash's proposal is.

"Okay, we're in."

"The battle between Ash and Casey is about to begin. Each side will use three Pokemon, and the battle will be over when all of one side's Pokemon are unable to battle. Let the battle begin!"

Casey expects Ash to reach for one of the three Pokeballs that are clipped to his belt, so she's surprised when he instead looks down at his Pikachu, sending it out onto the battlefield instead. His voice is brimming with confidence, "I'm going to start out with Pikachu, okay?"

"Sounds good to me, Ash. In that case, I'm gonna go with Monferno." Casey glances down at the Playful Pokemon stood by her side, "Ready, pal?"

Monferno bounds onto the battlefield, letting out a similar battle cry as he did earlier before getting into a battle stance. He sure is pumped to battle.

"You can have the first move, Ash!"

Ash looks a bit bemused at Casey's willingness to give up the first attack, which in many battles give the respective trainer the upper hand, but he seems to brush it off within a matter of moments. That's exactly what Casey wanted. He points forwards as he yells out his first command, "Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"

Pikachu surges towards Monferno with impressive speed. Casey smirks at this. It's exactly what she needs, "Monferno, up!"

Monferno leaps into the air as Pikachu comes to a sudden stop back down on the ground, Monferno's sudden movement catching both Ash and Pikachu off guard. Casey even hears Dawn gasp in shock from where she's watching. Brock remains surprisingly calm about it all, although from what Casey's gathered so far, he seems to be a rather calm guy.

"That was fast!" Ash looks up at Monferno, who is still high up in the air, with awe for a few moments, but is quick to compose himself and focus on his Pokemon, "Quick, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pi-ka-chu!"

The powerful Thunderbolt surges directly upwards and towards Monferno, who is just beginning his descent back towards the ground. Casey wastes no time in countering Ash, commanding Monferno to use Flamethrower directly at the Thunderbolt. The two vigorous attacks meet each other in the middle and cancel each other, causing a huge explosion to erupt and cloak the battlefield in thick, black smoke, the force of the attack propelling Monferno further into the air.

"I can't see a thing!" Ash gasps, covering his mouth to avoid any of the smoke going into his airways, "Pikachu, keep an eye out for Monferno."

"Pi-Pikachu!"

"Do you know where Pikachu is, Monferno?" Casey calls out to her companion, who gives her a slight nod to confirm her suspicions, "Okay, then let's do it! Quick, Monferno, use Mach Punch and then dig underground!"

Monferno's fist glows brightly as he charges up his power, plunging down into the smoke and towards his target with a battle cry.

"Pikachu, dodge it!"

The smoke is stripped away from the field just as Monferno dives deep underground, the impact from his last attack sending Pikachu flying back towards Ash, who calls out in concern for his Pokemon, "Pikachu, are you okay?!"

"Pi-." The electricity on Pikachu's cheeks fizzles as the Electric Mouse Pokemon struggles to stand, clearly having taken a lot of damage from Monferno's attack. Casey's not surprised. It was a direct hit, "Pika!"

"Are you good to keep going, Ash?"

Ash smiles confidently over at Casey, "We sure are. Ain't that right, buddy?"

"Pikachu!"

"Good. Because I've been waiting to try this next tactic out." Casey smirks confidently, preparing to initiate the brand new manoeuvre that she and Monferno have been working on, "You know what to do, Monferno!"

Everything is silent for a few seconds, everybody waiting in anticipation for Monferno's next move, even Casey. She doesn't even know if this'll work. She just hopes that it does.

She knows that it's worked when Pikachu suddenly leaps up in the air, letting out a cry of discomfort. Casey smiles. The initial part of the manoeuvre has worked, now all they need is for the second part to follow through, "Okay, Monferno, Pikachu's up in air! Do it now!"

The ground cracks as Monferno jumps up from underneath the dirt and right below where Pikachu is, in the form of a flaming wheel. Casey calls it the Flame Wheel-Dig combo. She knows that it needs a better name, but it'll do for now.

"Pikachu!" Ash cries out as Monferno makes yet another direct hit, this second one knocking the Electric Mouse Pokemon out cold. The raven-haired Trainer quickly rushes towards his Pokemon and lifts Pikachu up into his arms, congratulating it on it's willpower throughout the battle.

"Your Pikachu sure is fast, Ash." Ash glances over at Casey as she speaks to him from over on the other side of the battlefield, Monferno having already returned to her side, "If it wasn't for the smoke, I'm sure that Pikachu would've dodged our attacks."

"Thanks. But don't forget, this battle is no where near over just yet!"

"You're right about that." Casey reaches for her next Pokemon, who is inside of one of the Pokeballs attached to her belt, "But, I warn you, my next Pokemon is just as determined as Monferno. Lets show them what you've got, E-!"

"Hold it!"

Casey stops mid-sentence as Brock's voice cuts over her own, both Casey and Ash turning to look at him with uncertainty, "Brock, what is it?"

"It's getting late. Your Pokemon aren't going to be at their best if they're tired. I say that we pick this up again at a better time."

Ash looks slightly disheartened at this, but he relents and agrees with what Brock is saying. Casey agrees with him too. Monferno does look rather tired, and he didn't go through too much exertion throughout the battle, which only further reinforces the point that Brock is trying to make.

"Besides, I'm sure that all of that battling must've worked up quite the appetite." Brock kneels down beside Monferno, playfully stroking the top of his head, "Isn't that right, Monferno?"

"Mon-Monferno!"

Casey smiles as Monferno cheers excitedly at Brocks proposal. She has to admit, she could probably eat something herself. She skipped lunch today, and she's not the greatest at cooking, so unless she's at a Pokemon Center she doesn't really have a good meal. Most of the stuff that she tries to prepare just comes out burnt.

"Let's eat!"

"Right, so let me get this straight. Ash, you're training to take on the Sinnoh League whilst Dawn is competing in festivals to try and become a Top Coordinator and Brock, you're trying to become a Pokemon Breeder?"

Casey looks at her newfound friends sceptically, not entirely sure if she's got all of her facts straight. They're all currently sat inside of the Pokemon Center, Ash, Dawn and Casey sat at a table whilst Brock stands at another, preparing the food for everybody. Apparently he's quite the culinary genius.

"That's right." Ash says, "We've all got our own separate dreams, but by travelling together we can help each other become stronger and more skilled."

Casey nods. That seems like a smart idea. Even though they all have different ambitions, there's probably a lot that they can all learn from each other.

"So, what about you, Casey?" Dawn asks with interest, "What made you interested in Gym Battles?"

"Judging by the strength of your Monferno, I'd say that you have experience in competing for badges."

Casey looks over at Brock and offers him a nod before looking over at Monferno, a smile crossing her face as she watches him play around with Pikachu and Piplup, "That's right. You see, I'm actually from Pastoria City."

"Pastoria City?"

Casey turns back to face Ash and Dawn, who are listening to her with intrigue, and nods, "Yep. In fact, there's a Pokemon Gym there too. Crasher Wake's gym."

"Oh, I've heard of him." Brock says as he continues to put together both their food and their Pokemon's, "Doesn't he train Water-Type Pokemon?"

"Right. And he sure is strong." Casey says, taking pride in the fact that she comes from a region with such strong Gym Leaders, "I lived in Pastoria City with my Grandfather. He used to be a Pokemon Breeder back in his time, and even now he still loves to care for Pokemon. In fact, my other Pokémon are being looked after by him right now."

"Other Pokemon?" Ash's voice is full of confusion, "You have other Pokemon?"

"Of course I do. You see, I've actually travelled through both the Kanto and Johto regions before I decided to take on the Sinnoh League."

"What made you decide to do that?"

"Monferno did." The others all make confused sounds at Casey's statement, so she is quick to interject and clarify what she means, "I actually helped my Grandfather raise Monferno back when it just hatched from an egg and into ka Chimchar. I really wanted to take on the Sinnoh League with Monferno, but back when I was just about ready to start out on my journey, Monferno was still too little to go out on such a big journey."

The others all make small hums of understanding, signifying that they are following along with what Casey is explaining.

"That's when my Grandfather suggested that I travel to Kanto and Johto, so that I could still go out on a journey but I could save my Sinnoh League challenge for when Monferno was ready. So, that's exactly what I did. I travelled through Johto and collected all of the badges, before heading over to Kanto and challenging the Gym Leaders there. My grandfather even sent Chimchar over to Kanto for the final part of my journey there, and it was then when he evolved into Monferno."

Ash smiles over at Casey, "From what I hear, it sounds like you and Monferno have a really strong bond."

"That's right." Casey nods confidently, "Me and Monferno are a team. I can count on Monferno and, at the same time, Monferno can count on me."

"That's just how it should be."

"Dinner is served!" Brock proclaims. He begins to set down bowls of mouth-watering soup on the table before he sets down numerous bowls of Pokemon food on the floor. It looks like there's enough to feed thirty Pokémon which sure is a good thing, especially when Ash, Dawn and Brock let their numerous Pokémon out of their poke balls to eat.

"Dig in, everybody!"

The Pokemon all let out cries of excitement. Some of them begin to eat right away, whilst some of them look up at Casey either curiosity. Ash is quick to notice, and wastes no time in reassuring the Pokemon on who exactly she is.

"Hey, everybody! This is Casey and her partner, Monferno! Why don't you all say hi?"

The Pokemon all let out welcoming cries, well, all of them excluding Brocks Croagunk, who sorta just stares at Casey silently. She has to admit that it's kinda creepy.

"Hey, Casey." The sound of Dawns voice catches Casey attention; she turns to face the Coordinator, "What about your other Pokémon?"

"Oh, right!" Casey reaches for the two occupied Pokeballs attached to her belt, tossing them up into the air with gusto, "Let's go, guys!"

Her other two Pokemon burst out of their Pokeballs, making their presence known by crying out as they appear. Ash, Dawn and Brock look at her Pokémon in awe, the first of the three the most excited.

"Cool, you have an Elekid!"

"And a Dratini!" Dawn reaches down and picks up Dratini, hugging it tightly and speaking in an overexcited voice, "It's so cute!"

Dratini coos excitedly in Dawn's arms, the sight of it making Casey smile. Dratini loves it when she gets loads of attention. She never really tries to get it, but she sure does love it when she receives it nonetheless.

"Dratini, the Dragon Pokémon. Dratini sheds its skin as it grows, often doing so while hidden behind large powerful waterfalls."

Casey turns towards Ash as he pockets his Pokédex, having just scanned Dratini into it. Casey actually has her own Pokédex, but she hasn't made much use of it since arriving in Sinnoh. She's already seen a lot of the Pokemon that she's founds in Sinnoh so far, and as of such their entries are already logged in her Pokédex.

"Elekid, Dratini. I want you two to meet Ash, Dawn, Brock and all of their Pokémon. Monferno and I met them outside of the Oreburgh Gym."

As Casey mentions the word 'Gym', both Elekid and Dratini gain serious expressions on their faces, both of them as eager to battle as Monferno was earlier. Casey smiles at their enthusiasm, "We'll be battling first thing tomorrow, guys, so don't you worry, and I know that all three of you will give it all you've got! So let's make sure that we're well fed and rested for it, okay?"

All three of her Pokémon cry out in approval; they move to go and eat alongside the other Pokémon, Elekid and Dratini quickly making friends with them all much like Monferno already has.

"Hey, Casey." Ash says, Casey directing her attention towards him as he speaks up, "About your battle, I'd really appreciate it if you let me watch your battle."

His suggestion catches her off guard, "You want to watch my battle?"

"I sure do! I really want to see how strong Elekid and Dratini are as well, especially after battling against Monferno! I think that it'd be awesome to see!"

Casey ponders on his words for a few moments. She's watched other people battle certain Gym Leaders before herself before, and all of which were exhilarating to watch, but she's never stayed around to watch somebody else battle once she's gotten a particular badge. It's not that she's disrespectful, it's more that she just wants to get out and earn her next badge as soon as possible. Nevertheless, she figures that there's nothing wrong with Ash's proposal, and accepts it without any more deliberation.

"Sure, Ash. Why not?"

Ash cheers at her response, his overexcited reaction making everybody laugh. Casey has to admit, he sure does love Pokemon, "I can give you some pointers on how to defeat Roark." Ash says, excitement still present in his voice, "His Pokemon sure are strong."

"That sounds great, Ash. Thank you."

Casey smiles over at her newfound friends and simply spends the next hour talking to them and eating some of Brock's delicious food, exciting in the fact that by this time tomorrow, she would've taken on her first Sinnoh Gym Leader.