Shout Outs...

baba69: I try.

D.J. Scales: Sundance and Kidd have already mentioned a Calico and Jack being in Team Galactic. Not sure if I'll ever feature them.

Infinite Freedom: In all honesty, I imagine the anime did that to avoid having to come up with new character designs.

Aster's Descendants: I've yet to watch Fullmetal Alchemist at all, so no. I just wanted a collection of quirky characters as the Sub-Commanders in order to contrast with the more serious Commanders.

Dragonbonded: **Looks card over** ... What do I do with this? ^_^;;

Maxattack890: Old don't mean bad.

drake202: Thanks. Not sure if petting a pokémon ensure friendship, but...

marhaenaldi123: I honestly did try to capture the feel of the anime as much as I could. Glad to hear it's working.

Reviews are always welcomed, and criticism will be taken on the chin.

0-0

After a nights rest, our heroes finally gets to explore Floaroma Town and it's charms, as well as do the chores they all need to do...

"Okay, we all have our own things to do. Meet up for lunch at that cafe?" Jay asked, he, Dawn and Sami walking out of the Pokécenter, all in their usual clothing as opposed to their winter clothing. Omni was, as usual, on his shoulder. The Pokécenter was near the edge of town, near a large pond and a small forest. "Sound good?"

"Sure, works for me." Dawn said, nodding. "I still have to sign up for the Pokemon Contest in the Arena. Although it'll be six days from now... Ugh..." They had literally gotten out of the Police Station the same time the contest ended. It was annoying for her to have to wait for so long, although she knew she could use the time to practice.

"And I have to get this video up online!" Sami let off, looking excited. "I knew you'd have a good story to tell but... to pet a legendary pokémon!" She said, dashing to move ahead of Jay. "You really are something! Like... Like... A messiah!"

"Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa..." Jay let off, backing up and waving his hands, Omni waving his front paws as he sat on his back ones. "That's a bit far, don't you think."

"Yeah Sami, that's a bit much..." Dawn said, moving next to the boyish-girl. "I mean I know Jay is good with pokémon to the point they seem to have an instinctive liking for him, but messiah is a bit much."

"Instinctive is still a bit much, don't you think?" Jay let off, sighing deeply, Omni setting his paws down. "I mean it's not like if I spread my arms I'll be covered in pokémon." He let off, spreading his arms wide.

Hophophophop!

Flapflapflapflap!

Crawlcrawlcrawlcrawl!

"...Not. One. Word..."

In the span of five seconds Omni had been knocked off to the ground as a Starly perched on each shoulder, a Pidgey landing on his head. A Beautifly landing on one arm, and a Butterfree on the other. A Wurmple, Caterpie and Weedle had latched onto his legs, an Aipom clutching his side as a Swinub jumped on his foot. From the pond a Slowpoke emerged and started towards him as slow as it's name implied.

Dawn and Sami both fell over laughing.

0-0

"Zoey?" Dawn let off as she stood before the large Arena, Zoey walking out and lifting her head as she heard her name, smiling and waving her hand at Dawn.

"Dawn, nice to see you again?" Zoey chirped, smiling at her and stopping before the other girl. "Here to sign up for a contest?"

"Yeah, I am. You too?"

"No." Zoey said, shaking her head sadly. "I got trounced last two times I tried it here. It's a tough crowd, I have to say." She said. "I'm moving ahead to Eterna. I'm not going to wait around. I only need five ribbons, after all, not one from each city, right?"

"I guess..." Dawn said, frowning softly. "Was it really that tough here?" She asked softly, Zoey nodding.

"There are still two coordinators here that are really tough; Carl Hurtruth and Susanna Royal.

"Susanna Royal... That name sounds familiar for some reason..." Dawn let off, tapping her chin for a moment. "Anyway, good luck Zoey. Maybe we'll be at the Grand Festival together?"

"That'd be something." Zoey said, turning and walking once more. "See ya around, Dawn!" She let off before heading out, slipping a hand into her pocket.

0-0

"It's quite amazing... This is one of the most important finds of the century!" Professor Rowan declared through the pokétch's speakers and screen. Jay had gone to the local post office that morning. He set the Articuno feather into a thin bubble wrap lined bag, put that into an envelope and mailed it to his benefactor.

For some reason, all the envelopes in the post office had some sort of pokémon based print on them. He used a Turtwig one with a Roserade themed stamp. After mailing it Jay had moved to the cafe and spoke to the man over his pokétch.

"I know it's sort of a big deal, even if not how much. I just hope it helps you out somehow." Jay said, Omni nibbling on some sort of pokémon treat on the chair next to him.

"The first recorded, honest and confirmed sample of a legendary pokémon's DNA?" Rowan chuckled, smiling at him over the screen. "Jay my boy, I'll have Professor Oak himself jealous and wishing he was here! In fact, he may come in person just to have a look at it! I haven't been this excited since I won my first gym badge!"

Jay didn't know much about this 'Professor Oak' beyond he and Rowan were friends, playful rivals and that Oak was considered the foremost expert on pokémon; even over Rowan. That told Jay more then enough of how smart this Oak must have been.

"Just don't try anything weird, like cloning. In the movies it never turns out well." Jay chuckled. "For anyone."

"True. I'll leave you be for now." Rowan said, nodding once. "Good bye, and good luck." He said before hanging up.

Jay sighed softly as he reached over to pet Omni. A few moment later Dawn would come into view towards the patio he was seated at. "Were you waiting long?" She asked, sitting down across from him.

"Nah, not at all. All done?" He asked her as she nodded.

"Yup. I am ready to win a ribbon!" She said, pumping at arm. "Where's Sami?"

"Dunno." Jay said, looking about.

0-0

"Look at the views..." Sami let off, giggling as she looked at the views on her video go higher and higher, looking at the screen at the internet cafe. "Look at them."

An older, heavyset man with a t-shirt advertising a store with propane and propane accessories looked at her through the window, adjusting his glasses on his nose before walking off with a long, drawn out sigh. "Something's not quite right about that boy..."

0-0

"Anyway, mind if I ask something, Dawn?" Jay asked as a waitress came over to pass them menus, giving them both a wide smile.

"Sure, what is it?" Dawn replied, smiling warmly at him as she opened her menu, Jay doing likewise.

"How did you end up assisting Professor Rowan, anyway?" Jay asked as Omni finished his treat and jumped into Jay's lap. Jay starting to pet the pokémon as Dawn smiled.

"It's... A little bit of a story..."

0-Flashback-Sandgem Town-0

I was like anyone else! On my tenth birthday I got my postcard in the mail to go to the lab in Sandgem Town and get my starter pokémon! So I rode my bike over to there as fast as I could and went to the lab. I was still unsure of which of the three starters to choose. After all, they were all so cute and all of them would have been a good pokémon to partner with.

Anyway... It didn't take long at all for me to find the lab!

"Where's the lab!?" She let off, riding her bike quickly around the town, looking about. "It's not in the south! It's not in the east! Not in the west! Not in the north! Is it like south-west?" She let off sounding more and more panicked as she rode about.

Sandgem Town is hard to get lost in, you know? It's not hard to find anything there!

"I'm so very freaking lost..." Dawn said, walking her bike about as she sighed, head held low. She was in her winter clothing, some snow scattered about the ground as a bit more fell around her. She could see houses to the right of her, more houses to the left and some shops further left down the street of the town, but no pokémon laboratory. "Who knew a lab could be so hard to find..."

"Well, hello there young lady." She heard, jumping slightly. Approaching her from a side street was an older man with white hair and a moustache. He wore brown pants and shoes and wore a knee length coat that was dark brown, carrying a briefcase. He stopped before her, looking her over from head to toe for a long moment. "I don't think I've seen you around before, but I've been gone a few years. Are you new to this little town?"

"Oh, umm... Something like that..." Dawn replied sheepishly, digging the toe of her boot into the ground. "I'm actually from Twinleaf Town, so I only come here to shop and do errands for my mom."

"Hmm... Lost then, are we?" The man said, stroking his chin softly with a hand. "I see. It happens, you know?" He said, smiling warmly. "Well, what are you looking for, young lady?"

"Ah, well..."

"Relax now. No shame in asking for help when you need it. Best to seem like a bit of a fool now, then a very large fool later."

"...I'm looking for the Pokémon Lab. I'm supposed to get my starter pokémon from there." Dawn admitted, blushing hard, rubbing the back of her head with her hand. "I just... Can't find it is all..."

"Yes, the lab is a bit out of town and not really on an obvious route. More then a few people get lost on the way." The man admitted, nodding once. "I almost couldn't find it myself when I got back."

"Do you work at the lab, sir?" Dawn asked, looking him in the eye finally blinking for a moment.

"You could say that. I do own the lab, after all." The man said as Dawn gasped lightly. "I am Professor Rowan, at your service young lady."

"Pr-Professor Rowan! O-oh!"

"Indeed!" He said, starting to walk once more. "This way, young lady. Do you have a name?"

"O-oh! Yes! It's Dawn!"

0-0

As it turns out, though, by the time I got there things had apparently gotten... Hairy...

"Here we are." Rowan said, opening up the door to the lab, the girl standing her bicycle on it's kickstand before following him in.

"Wow..." She let off, looking about. The reception area looked clean and well kept with potted plants about and a few paintings. A woman nodded to them behind a desk, giving them a short wave before turning back to her work.

Then they got to the main lab and ducked as a large bird pokémon suddenly flew overhead. "Staraptor! Staraptor! Calm down! Chatot! Ease it up! Piplup! Chimchar! Knock it off over there!"

The scene was, quite simply, chaos. Tables were knocked over, papers spread about the floor and over surfaces, a cracked monitor flickered data and some equipment was knocked over. A Piplup was firing off a Bubblebeam at a Chimchar who was bouncing about the room. One of the aides was trying to grab hold of the Piplup, another chasing after the Chimchar, constantly reversing direction as the monkey pokémon leapt around overhead, bouncing off walls, shelves, equipment and railings on a higher level of the lab. The Staraptor had flown out of the lab, a pair of Starlys flapping around at random. Chatot was screaming at the top of it's lungs while hovering over the ground.

Turtwig, meanwhile, was at an open bag of poké-chow that spilled on the floor behind a table and was busy eating, ignoring everything else going around like a duck in the middle of being watered.

"What is going on?" Rowan demanded, looking over the havoc calmly as Dawn hid behind him. "Enough!" He said firmly, raising his voice slightly.

Rather then listen the Chimchar fired an Ember attack at a window, breaking it before leaping out, the Piplup pulling out of the grasp of an aide who finally grabbed it to chase after the monkey leaping outside after it. Sighing, Rowan walked up to a table, lifted his open hand and slammed it to a table. Everyone left in the room, human and pokémon alike turned to look at him.

"Behave." He said firmly, the Starlys moving to land on another table, the Chatot joining them. The aides gulped, all four of them moving to stand before Rowan, all looking nervous as they stood in a line. The Turtwig kept eating the food... Until Rowan cleared his throat. The grass-type looked up to see the professor looking sternly at it and moved towards the table, hopping onto it, head lowered and looking guilty. "What. Happened?"

"...We're... not fully sure..." The first aide, a young woman with blonde hair done up in a bun behind her head with a set of square-rimmed glasses on her nose. "One minute we're testing how the starters were reacting to the new poké-chow formula, Carl was bringing the Staraptor and Starlys down for a comparison, Sandra was getting ready to teach Chatot to speak and then... Well..."

"We turned our backs on those three for one minute, and all of a suddenly Piplup was screaming at Chimchar!" Carl, a lanky man with a scruffy goatee said. "We have no idea what happened between them, but Chimchar just kept taunting Piplup and, well..."

"I see." Rowan said, sighing. "Well, we should be glad we still have Turtwig here." He said.

"Sir?" Dawn said, moving to look up at him. "Shouldn't we be looking for them? I mean, we can't leave them out there, right?"

"You're volunteering?" Rowan asked, turning to look at her, the girl nodding.

"Well, I have to start somewhere as a trainer, right?"

"Indeed. If you catch up to them, kneel to be closer to their eye level when you address them. Don't worry about Staraptor. He can be a little excitable, but he'll be back once he's calmed down. The other two, I can't be so sure about..."

"Right."

0-0

I saw their tracks in the snow leading to a forest out back, so it wasn't too hard figure where they were going. Really, catching up was easy!

"Slow down!" She had spotted the two starters not long after going into the forest after following their tracks, but still had yet to catch up to them. She could tell Chimchar was going from branch to branch, and Piplup was clearly firing up at it, but she could mostly only make out the attacks being flung about, not the pokémon themselves.

Although once I did, Piplup was being a bit difficult...

"Hold on!" She let off, panting hard once she finally caught up to Piplup, falling to her hands and knees. Chimchar had gotten away, and Piplup was hopping from foot to foot, fighting mad and crying up at the branches. "P-Piplup, c-calm down..." She let off, panting deeply as she moved closer to the penguin pokémon. "What's wrong?"

"Piplup!" The pokémon let off, pointing with it's flippers to where Chimchar was. "Pip, pip, pi, piplup, lup, lup pip!" It made motions of scooping to it's mouth. "Pi, pi, pi, pi, piplup, lup, pip!" Then a swiping motion to the side. "Pi, pip, piplup!" Before finally hopping from foot to foot for a moment before moving it's flippers to it's hips.

I think we had a connection from the start!

Human and pokémon gazed at each other for a long moment.

"I didn't get any of that." Dawn admitted after a moment, the water type falling onto it's face.

Then a soft growl could be heard from the stomach of the pokémon.

"I guess you didn't get enough food, huh?" She let off, slipping a bag off her back and opening it up as Piplup stood up once more. "Let's see, I should have... Ah ha!" She let off, pulling out a bag. Opening it up she dug out some brown pellets. "Here! I have some food you can have." Piplup looked at the food offered.

The it turned it's beak up and away with a huff. "Lup!"

"Hey! Don't be like that!" She let off, huffing herself as she looked down at the pokémon.

"Lup." The Piplup huffed once more before jumping at the girl shoving her over, making her yelp out as the bag spilled over.

"Char! Char! Char!" A sound came off from a distance away, Piplup growling before dashing off to the sound.

"Hey! Wait!" Dawn let off, getting up and charging after the pokémon, shoving the food bag back into her knapsack.

The thing is, well, Chimchar wound up getting someone else... angry...

Dawn panted as she chased after the Piplup, following it's tracks.

"Char!"

"Lup!"

"Oh no!" Dawn let off, gasping at the sight as she finally arrived on the scene. Before her was a pokémon with a head like a venus-flytrap, a set of long leaves under it like arms, a series of vines under it. "A Carnivine!" The plant pokémon had Chimchar in it's giant maw, swinging it's head about before throwing it into a tree, knocking it out.

"Piplup..." The penguin pokémon let off as it tried to stand. It looked roughed up as it tried to stand, the Carnivine closing in on it. Reacting before she could think of what she was doing, Dawn dashed in and move between the two pokémon.

"Carnivine! Hold it! Stop right there!" She cried out, holding her arms wide, Piplup squeaking behind her as the plant pokémon stopped moving, tilting it's head to one side. "Stop picking on them! It isn't nice!"

"Vine?" The plant pokémon let off before dashing in slightly and opening it's maw wide as it loomed over her. "Carni!" It was then she noticed it was about six feet and change in height; almost two feet taller then the norm for the species. Gasping Dawn stepped back, her mouth falling open before the pokémon lunged for her. "Carni! Vine!"

"Lup, lup, lup, lup, lup!" Piplup let off, moving to Dawn's side as it fired a stream of bubbles into the plant, pushing it back.

"T-that's scary!" Dawn said, gasping loudly as she stumbled back.

"Vine!" The pokémon let off, two vines emerging from it and lashing out at the penguin pokémon, Dawn gasping before tackling the small creature away, the attack smashing into the ground.

"Keep firing!" Dawn said, holding the pokémon to her chest, Piplup firing over her shoulder as she ran. She couldn't reach Chimchar, but hoped the Carnivine would chase them.

Her plan was quick to bear fruit as the Carnivine rushed after her, crying out as it launched vines at them, trying to strike them. She panted as she ran as fast as she could, jinking side to side to be a harder to hit target.

Eventually however she felt a vine wrap about her ankle and yank, pulling her off her feet, her grasp on the pokémon faltering and sending it sprawling to the ground and towards the shore of a lake as she hit the forest floor. The vine tightened and pulled her back to the pokémon. "Piplup! Run!" She let off, kicking at the vine, clawing at the ground as she tried to fight back.

"Viiiiiine..." The grass-type let off, reeling her in.

"LUP!" The penguin let off alarmed, watching the human be pulled back... Before charging, firing it's Bubblebeam once more, striking the thing in the face. "LUP, LUP, LUP, LUP, LUP!"

"Vine!?" The plant let off, growling before lifting up a second vine, about to strike. "Carni-"

"Raptor!" A new cry sounded out as the plant was dive-bombed from the side.

A four foot tall, black and grey bird pokémon with a piercing look and a red-tipped crest on it's head, turned in mid-air, crying out as it slashed at the vine holding down Dawn with it's talons, freeing the girl before turning to face the plant. The Carnivine leapt at Staraptor only to meet it's wings flapping at a rapid rate... Which send a blast of spiralling wind at it, making it cry out as it soared through the air, over the tops of the tree and off into the distance.

"Staraptor! Thank you!" Dawn said, standing up and walking to the big bird and giving it a hug around the neck after the bird pokémon landed on the ground, Piplup moving next to her and looking up at it.

"Star." It said, patting it's chest with a wing once Dawn let go, as if smiling to her.

"Piplup, pip!" The penguin added.

"Hey, are you going back to the lab?" Dawn asked, the Staraptor nodding once. "Chimchar got knocked out down the path over there. Can you take him back with you? Please?" The Staraptor patted it's chest with a wing once more, as if to say 'leave it to me' before taking off, moving down to where the fire-type was. "Man, what a trip..."

"Lup..." Piplup let off, sighing deeply.

Grooooooowwwllll...

"Still hungry, huh?" Dawn said, kneeling down and reaching back into her knapsack, pulling out the bag of pokémon food and gasping. "Crap... Most of the food must have been knocked out of the bag back there..." After digging into the small container, all she had to pull out was half a handful of pellets.

"Lup..." The pokémon let off with a guilty tone, moving over to pat her forearm once before moving it's beak down to eat from her hand, making Dawn gasp softly before smiling to it.

"Ha... You know, you're a brave little guy, huh?" She said, patting it's head once it finished it's food before picking it up and holding it to her chest. "Let go back, okay?" She said, standing up.

"Piplup!" The pokémon said, happily before looking to the lake, gasping. "Lup?"

"Huh?" Looking herself she gasped, seeing the water swirl in place for a moment before seeing something. It was like the light bent in the air in the shape of something. It was a foot tall with two, long tails with shaped tips, and something hanging off the head. She couldn't really make out the shape before it just suddenly moved. She wasn't able to track where it went, making her look about. "What was that..?"

"...lup..."

0-0

"If I had to guess, what you saw there was Mesprit, also known as the Being of Emotion. It's one of three legendary pokémon known as 'The Lake Trio.' I built my lab here to have a chance to just see it..." Rowan let off as he cupped his chin. She had returned to the lab after the Carnivine had been dealt with and the strange sighting at the lake, the three starters on a table before her. The lab had been cleaned up, the aides busying themselves around the place. The broken window had been boarded up for the time being. "I wonder what it saw in you that it decide would reveal itself, even in such a strange manner."

"I... I dunno..." Dawn admitted, squirming on the spot as Rowan looked her over. "I honestly don't..."

"Hmm... Anyway, you've had quite the interesting day, haven't you? Spotting a legendary pokémon, dealing with a wild Carnivine, chasing down misbehaving starters... You are made of sterner then normal stuff, I'll credit you with that. I assume you're planning to wait until the summer to head on your journey?"

"Yes. I was going to train my pokémon at home for a bit until it was time to go." Dawn explained, nodding once.

"A wise choice. The weather will be much better in two and a half months time, less snow and cold. Until then, why don't you work with me?" Rowan offered. "I have a large amount of pokémon being shipped in from other regions. You've proven to be able to come to an understanding with unruly pokémon, and the experience here could prove valuable to you later on during your journey."

"Wait, really?" Dawn let off, smiling up to the man.

"Of course. You'll be a personal assistant to me and learn some things you won't see on TV." Rowan said, lifting up a finger. "What new trainers think pokémon training is, and what it really is tends to be two very different things." He explained. "It will help you keep from make the usual rookie mistakes I hear of all the time." He said, chuckling for a long moment. "Seriously, how many trainers don't catch a thing by the time they get to Jubilife..."

"I... I accept! If you'll have me, that is!" Dawn said cheerfully, pumping an arm as she smiled to him.

"Done! And now, what you came here for!" Rowan said, all three pokémon perking up. "It is time to choose your starter pokémon, young Dawn! Each one is a good choice for any rookie trainer like yourself! We have the fire type, Chimchar!"

"Chimchar!" The Chimchar hopped from foot to foot, hands in the air as it cheerfully cried out. It looked as if it had been well healed after the earlier fight.

"The grass type, Turtwig!"

"Turt! Turtwig!" The turtle like pokémon let off, smiling up at her. Compared to the fire type it seemed calm and at ease.

"And finally the water type, Piplup!"

"Piplup!" The penguin pokémon let off, flippers on it's hips as it puffed up it's chest. Like the Chimchar, it seemed to have been patched up after what had happened to it that day.

Dawn smiled at all three of them. "You know... I was torn which one I'd pick, even when I first came in here. But I know what pokémon I'm picking now." She said, moving towards the Piplup, smiling as she set her hands on it's shoulders, the Chimchar yelping and falling onto it's face. "We went through a lot today, huh buddy? We had a rough start, but I know we'll do great together!"

"Piplup!" It let off, hopping up to hug her about her neck.

"A fine choice!" Rowan said, picking up a pokéball, waiting until she set the pokémon down. "Here's Piplup's pokéball. You'll need to take good care of it now!"

"I understand." Dawn said, smiling as she took it looking over the ball before holding it up. "Ready to go home?"

"Piplup!" The pokémon said before being recalled.

0-End Flashback-0

"Wow, that's quite the adventure." Jay said. During the tale the two had a chance to eat lunch; sandwich for both, a slice of cheesecake for Jay and bowl of ice cream for Dawn.

"I know." Dawn said, giggling. "But yeah, it was wild. But... I think it's why me and Piplup get along so well. I know he has my back, and I have have his." She said, nodding to him.

"Guys!" They heard, Sami let off laughing a bit as she sat down next to them, giggling. "The video is getting a lot of hits! It's amazing!"

"Aren't you worried Jay? I mean... This will get you more unwanted attention..." Dawn said, looking at Jay who only pointed to Omni in response.

"I think it's too late for that." He said, shaking his head before stiffening up.

"What's wrong?" Dawn said as she looked over the table... And blinked.

There was a Slowpoke that was hugging him now on his side. Like the other pokémon form that morning. Which was three hours ago.

"Sssssllllloooowwww... ppppooookkkkeeeeeeeee..." It let off as Jay blinked at it.