The girl entering Route 1 blinked and then sighed, being twelve years of age and only having one pokemon at her disposal, this kind of fresh start wasn’t going to be easy. Especially with Team Rocket running about Kanto like it was their playground. Her father, Professor Oak, and her grandfather back in Mahogany warned her to be careful as they popped out when one least expects on just about anyone.

And since she’s a new trainer, they might want to take her pokemon while they’re still at a low level and train it for their needs. Not like she was going to have that happen.

Her name was Ivory, a small girl for her age with gray hair in two braids and bangs down to her eyebrows. Her eyes shined of brilliant azure and among her figure she wore a pair of black work jeans, a black jacket over a blue tube top with a black choker around her neck. Slung around her left shoulder was her multi-pocket gray emo bag. Even for the decoration she wore tied a black bandanna to her head.

I’m sure you would be thinking that Team Rocket was always trouble and someone always came along and foiled his or her plans right? Well, that was before they began taking small yet powerful steps to taking control of the world. By taking over Kanto first by using pokemon for their bidding in more events and controlling their systems. Therefore most of everything was ran by Team Rocket. There was hardly any freedom now a days, and in fear of facing a strong trainer that might oppose them, they forbid any new trainers unless they vow in their alliance.

So Ivory was a secret new pokemon trainer that Team Rocket was not aware of. Happily, gym leaders all around still had their gyms open, no organization had been able to control them as of yet as the trainers loyal to those gym leaders had grown more powerful over the two years since the last Pokemon champ was proclaimed. Fortunately, none of the gym leaders have been overthrown and therefore, they still welcomed any trainer willing to challenge them. Good news to trainers like Ivory.

But there was one problem…and that involved getting caught.

Broadcasts helped tell the whole region that if anyone broke the laws they set for them then they would be given firm and possibly cruel punishments. That’s why it took two years for Ivory to convince her parents that she was ready. And that took two years of convincing over cleaving over all pokemon studies and honing survival and martial arts skills. Being only twelve too, it took some of Professor Oak’s help too. Despite the dangers he still had new pokemon shipped to him in case of any new trainers that wished to continue raising pokemon, even if it was now illegal. He has yet to be caught and he hardly had any investigations.

Since Team Rocket took over, Professor Oak had his lab swept of any pokemon and devices, he relied on making his own and catching pokemon himself. Not only that, even Deelia Ketchum, a neighbor and mother of the present and in hiding Pokemon champion, Ash Ketchum as well as Tracey Sketchit, Prof. Oak’s aide went in to help in whatever way they can. Mae, Professor Oak's other grandchild other than the new Viridian gym leader Gary Oak pitched in to help in whatever way she could as well. When Ivory and her father, Dale Koguu moved into Pallet town, he took in whatever job he could, as he was a great anti-Team Rocket supporter.

No one could blame those who hated the team though; they got so out of control with dealing with the public of Kanto, even all members of the Elite Four and Kanto Battle Frontier leaders went into hiding. If they actually did something to stop these evil doers people might still be breathing in free air…

"What am I getting so worked up about anyway?" Ivory muttered as her poke’ball spun on her right index finger, then she stopped and caught it. "I’ll be too powerful for anyone to mess with when those Rocket guys even know I exist,"

"Pidgey!" The bird pokemon started flying out of the treetops as she approached them, she smirked.

"Why not get some training down eh Kameko? Tackle!" She threw a poke’ball and a small blue turtle jumped out.

"Squirtle!"

Evening came upon the land as Ivory tiredly walked into Viridian; with a worn-out squirtle and a new pokemon – a spearow she nicknamed Aldara – all three ready to collapse. Without looking around she instantly recognized the Pokemon Center, still fortunately working through the region along with the Pokemon marts and gyms. Yet they were only suppose to support Team Rocket, but the Nurse Joys were still the generous women they have been since the beginning of their bloodline.

"Full restore please," Ivory said as she handed the two poke’balls to the salmon-haired nurse.

"Good evening Miss-" she greeted, smiling.

"Just Ivory,"

"All right then Ivory, would you like a bed for the night?" she asked as she handed the two balls to a nearby chansey. "Restore these please Chansey,"

"Chansey," it cried happily as she waddled away.

"One just for me please," Ivory answered; Nurse Joy typed away on her computer. "Is there any major Rocket activity nearby? Just so I know." Nurse Joy looked up in thought as she pressed ‘Enter’.

"Why yes, just yesterday a house was being raided for suspicions of breeding ratattas, shame really. They didn’t find a thing and left the house in ruins, poor Richard, he was pretty heartbroken, as he was tight on money before they arrived. He might have to move out and possibly live on the streets." Nurse Joy said sadly. "Then there’s a look-out around Route 2 and quite a few squads down in Route 22."

It turned out that there was indeed a few Rockets wandering about on Route 2 or so Ivory noticed the next morning with Kameko and Aldara clipped to her belt. She quickly retook her steps and reappeared in Viridian for perhaps another day.

"Let’s check out the gym," she decided after lunch and hurried out of the Pokemon Center, sadly, only to find it closed.

Doesn’t Prof. Gramps grandson fight as the gym leader here? Gary was it? Ivory thought, recalling the day she asked about it.

"Yes, that’s why he’s no longer there. He’s very powerful for a fifteen-year-old, intelligent at that. Also since he was the original rival of Ash Ketchum, Team Rocket thought he would be perfect for enhancing and wanted him on their side. Unfortunately for them he got wind of this and fled. Sadly, that’s not really his style but his once arrogant self had somewhat transformed into wisdom and he thought it would be better leaving than fighting a whole crew of Rockets." Professor Oak explained.

Professor Oak laughed with that, but she didn’t find it quite funny. Not at all. He must have been so sad the day that Team Rocket took over, like everyone else however, he had suffered some sort of loss. Now none of them know if Gary Oak is alive, a member of Team Rocket, or even in Kanto. In fact, on the day Ivory left Pallet, he looked like he was remembering something as he handed a Poke’dex to her, saying that they were the world’s most advanced pokemon encyclopedia.

Ivory asked for opinions from those that knew him in Pallet, Deelia clearly stated confidently that Gary Oak would die fighting against Team Rocket if it came to that, Mae proclaimed that he was a survivor and wouldn’t fall to the hands of such evil and never stays down for the count. As for words from Professor Oak himself, he said that Gary would never be a traitor and leave him and the rest of the Pallet citizens behind to suffer alone.

Their only theory was that Gary was somewhere still in Kanto, possibly suffering more than they were as he was trying to stay out of the sights of Team Rocket.

Either way, Ivory did wish to find him. It was possible, but it was by all means a very slim chance if he was as clever as they say he was. She wanted to see him, the great Gary Oak everyone in Pallet spoke so fondly of next to Ash Ketchum. To at least see if he was thriving to report to everyone back at home, to at least see him. But right now, she needed to get stronger so she could be of some help when the time came to overthrow Team Rocket.

"Aw lass, I’m sorry to disappoint you but the gym leader here has been gone for quite sometime, even the inside tells you so. So dusty it is, and it’s locked up tight. It’s quite useless," It was an old man, a white mustache with real bushy white eye brows. She wondered how he could see with it all in his way.

"I know he’s gone, I just wanted to see for myself if it were true." Ivory replied as she ran her fingers through her gray locks. The old man nodded sadly.

"Shame it is too, we were once a hustle-bustling town when it reopened with Giovanni as leader, but then it closed down again and then young Mr. Oak took over, then after some time he took off. It makes you think if the position is safe, but it was once ruled by Team Rocket,"

"Eh?"

"What? You didn’t know lass? Indeed, Giovanni, our original gym leader, is in fact the founder and boss of Team Rocket." The old man said, Ivory sighed with relief, for a moment there she was thinking he was talking about Gary.

"Let me warn you lass, if you do come across Team Rocket’s path, do be wise and do what they tell you to. It’s useless to run, once they see you, you’re as good as a marked man. Now do come with me, we can talk over a cup of tea. My name is Richard by the way, Richard Hardy." Ivory smiled.

"Ivory Koguu," she replied in return as she followed the short old man.

He led her to a fairly small little house not far from the gym with nicely trimmed bushes and a few flower patches. His windows weren’t open.

"Every spring and summer I would have always left the windows open and prop up a flower pot with a pansy or a tulip of some kind on the window sill, but no more had I done that since that day." Richard said as he opened the door after entering three keys into three different locks. "I’m sorry for the mess lass…"

Almost instantly Ivory gasped, the house was practically in ruins. The cabinets were emptied and their contents lay in shatters on the floor, cloths and other fabric were torn, pictures were shredded, and food and wrappers were everywhere. Even wood from the floors was scatter across the small house. Even the table was over-turned. She felt sick…

"Don’t be sorry sir, I kind of heard…" Ivory managed as she cleared her throat.

"I appreciate the sympathy from the youth, but do not worry about me. This is all replaceable." Richard said as he hobbled in and shut the door.

"Did you…did you have a few pokemon here?" she asked, trying to sound calm as she tried to make her way through everything.

"Yes, but it was a while ago. In fact, I did have a ratatta, his name was Taki, and he was a small and spunky little guy. Yet on the first day of the broadcasts, I hurried off to the Pokemon Center, where I contacted my sister in Goldenrod and told her to take care of him. I sent him to her, knowing full well that Team Rocket couldn’t have taken over Johto if they just now took over Kanto. But if not, it was a chance I was willing to make." Richard explained, silently she looked around; eyeing the place as Richard looked through everything for tea possibly.

"Oh dear they might have all been poured out…I’m sorry lass-"

"Hey! This place needs a bit of a fixer-upper don’t you think?" Ivory suddenly cried, the man jumped and turned around.

"Oh no, that won’t be ne-"

"Oh come on, what could it hurt! You invited me over for tea, I need to do something in return right guys?" Ivory asked as she called out Kameko and Aldara. Richard gasped.

"You’re a pokemon trainer?" Richard asked.

"Yep, that’s why I went to see the gym," Ivory said. Richard looked at her astounded.

"But you could be arrested!" he cried out.

"Why?"

"It’s now illegal!"

"It’s only illegal if you’re caught," Ivory said with a mischievous glinting in her eyes, he looked shocked for a moment than smiled. "But anyway, guys, this is Richard Hardy, Richard, this is Kameko (Squirtle!) and Aldara (Spearow!). We’re gonna clean this place up all right you two?" Ivory asked, winking at her pokemon, they looked around nervously, Kameko nodded and Aldara shrugged.

"How about you Richard?" Ivory asked.

"Let me assist you in whatever way I can," Richard said with a grin.

And so, they began.

"This shouldn’t take too long with all four of us working together ne?" Ivory said as she grabbed a broom from Richard as he dug around for a dustpan. "Do you have any garbage bags? We’re gonna need some,"

"Sure do, they should be somewhere around here…"

"Kameko, can you try fixing up the the living room, you know, sweep the junk in a pile in the middle of the floor and rearranging the furniture – you know what scratch that, just sweep stuff up and I’ll take care of the rearranging ‘kay!" Ivory shouted, Kameko nodded and grabbed another broom that Richard dug out. Ivory turned to Aldara. "All right, I want you to help sort out what’s broken and what’s still in one piece all right?"

"Spear!" Aldara flew towards Richard as he dug out a box of GLAD Garbage bags.

"Found ‘em!" Richard cried.

About an hour later did the place look half-good and half-bad. Kameko had managed to get more than half the living room cleaned, and a small amount was still usable and gathered by Aldara. Richard began to get his grandfather clock moving again, which was thrown to the floor and miraculously survived the crash. It still however, adorned a crack across its face, but worked just fine.

The plumbing wasn’t damaged by all means, good news to them all. Most of the food was spoiled and had to be thrown away, the cloths and fabrics were mostly shredded and beyond repair but Ivory began sewing various ones together creating a table quilt if you may. She was certainly not at all going to waste something that didn’t need to be thrown away. It also did add a but more color to Richard’s home.

And finally, with a few more touches and throwing the full GLAD bags away and into the front yard, the house was done. It would have taken longer if he had a basement or an upstairs, which fortunately, he didn’t.

Tiredly, Ivory fell down on the sofa with Kameko on her right and Aldara on her left. Richard, unlike the threesome, happily bounced about, still full of energy. Someone switched the elderly and the youth around apparently.

"I don’t know how to thank you for all you have done! I never had the motivation of cleaning it myself till this afternoon but oh thank you so much!" Richard cried happily, tears now running down his face as he bounced around anymore.

"Dear lord Rich, calm down before you have a heart attack," Ivory moaned. "You still need food though, a refrigerator was invented for a reason." Ivory stood up. "I’ll go and get some, return!" She pointed the poke’balls at her tired turtle and bird, the two were sucked into their balls for a good night’s rest.

"No, you can’t go outside with it so dark out, not in Viridian City!" The man said, obviously trying to distract her from exiting.

"What are you going to eat for breakfast than?" Ivory asked, still sounding tired.

"We’ll get it in the morning, but now is when they scout the area! Stores won’t close of course since they always investigate them before they turn the lights off but-wait!" Richard shouted as she headed for the door. "I beg of you!"

"Relax old man, I’ll only be gone for some twenty minutes. I’m only staying in Viridian till I figure out how to get past those darn Rockets and get into the forest and hopefully get into Pewter City in one piece!" That made him shout louder, obviously mentioning in all high hopes of not getting hurt burst his bubble.

"Are you crazy you’ll be killed or worse! Be persuaded into Team Rocket!" Richard cried as her hand made it to the knob.

"What’s the worst they can do?" she asked dully, he went silent, she looked at him and nearly jumped with fright with how seriously – not to forget horrifyingly – serious he actually looked.

"They’ll do whatever it takes to get rid of obstacles, anyone that disobeys Team Rocket, is an obstacle do you hear me? I’m not letting a youngster like yourself getting hurt!" Richard said quietly.

"You’re just being stubborn,"

"Oh am I? Because I’m not the only one!"

"I actually don’t want to live my life in fear of some group pathetic enough that they need to travel in groups! Heck! If they’re so great than why didn’t they get any of the gym leaders on their side huh? Or why they haven’t found Gary or any of the Elite yet? Tell me that?" Ivory retorted.

"Why do you think their whereabouts are unknown?"

"Their in hiding, that’s the whole point of it all! Not having someone know where they are!"

"Correct, but if Team Rocket were weak compared to them all, why didn’t they take them on when they first started broadcasting? Than we wouldn’t have to deal with this all right? Think girl! In this world you not only need strength, you need your smarts!" Richard growled. "They didn’t go in hiding for no reason! It was all unexpected! Days and maybe weeks before Team Rocket took over Ash Ketchum was said to have put an end to them all! Then he vanishes and suddenly they roar back up and claim Kanto as their own! They were powerful! Strong! Possibly their strength together was equal to that of the Elite Four and the Viridian gym leader’s! Then where is Ash? I don’t know, but if Team Rocket weren’t so great, they would have been sent back to the dirt where they belong far long from now! But guess what! That hasn’t happened yet if you haven’t noticed! You are forced to be a trainer in secret! Avoid them all you can and here you are forcing yourself into their hands! It’s like your asking for it all to happen to you!"

Richard took in deep breaths and released them; Ivory’s right hand was still clenched onto the knob with Richard clinging to her left sleeve.

"Then what am I suppose to do?" Ivory asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Hm?"

"I suppose me ‘asking for it’ is possibly heading into danger right? Well, at least it’s something, and that is sure better than nothing. Now if you don’t mind, you’re already skin and bones." Ivory said as she turned around and left. Shutting the door securely behind her. Richard stood there, as if paralyzed.

"I wonder…" he muttered as he began to walk towards his sofa.

"Let’s see, so far nothing out of the ordinary." Ivory said aloud as she entered the Pokemon Mart. The lights still on and the doors still unlocked, there were no customers other than her, but there was a cashier, and he stood there, staring at her as if she were a ghost.

"May I help you ma’am?" he asked politely. She smiled back lightly.

"Just for the pay, it shouldn’t take me too long and I’ll be on my way." Ivory said as she walked down an isle. About ten minutes later her basket was full, thinking it was enough and the old man wasn’t too far from the place she wandered to the counter. "This’ll be all sir," Ivory said as she placed it on the counter. He began pricing it quickly.

"You do know they’ll be here any minute right? And you being out so late I have to question your safety," the cashier said, he was no older than eighteen with nicely-combed brown hair and large hazel eyes, obviously concerned to someone who was a stranger to him.

"No need to worry, I’m quick on my feet. Besides Richard would starve himself if I didn’t get all of this." Ivory stated, he stopped for a moment and then continued.

"Richard? As in Richard Hardy? Wasn’t his house ransacked?"

"Yeah, I helped him fix it up a bit so it was livable again, thankfully everything damaged was replaceable." Ivory said as he told her the price and she searched her pockets.

"Take it, all on the house." He said.

"What!?"

"Take it, and this too," he handed her a small white bag. He smiled, "It’s the last of the Poke’Mart’s original products, since we haven’t actually had a trainer here with no alliance to Team Rocket there was no use selling it, and then with prohibition on becoming a trainer inside Kanto without their approval and the new trainer’s vow to the organization well…people like you are just hard to come by," She looked from the bag and free bags of food. Silently she took them.

"Thank you sir, good night and good luck." Ivory said as she walked towards the automatic doors.

"Same to you, oh by the way, name’s Will!"

"Ivory Koguu," Ivory answered back with a smile. The doors closed behind her.

The walk back to Richard’s house wasn’t all that hard, but bypassing Rockets made her hide a few times in the dark, especially those heading to the mart. When they vanished behind the automatic doors, she hurriedly ran for the house. She knocked on the door quickly, and just at the same speed did Richard open it and allow her inside.

"Wow! You gathered a feast!" Richard cried, "I hope you didn’t have to pay too much with the prices nowadays…"

"Actually…" she told him what happened as she helped put the food away, leaving the white bag on the table.

"Really? Will’s a kind lad, I believe he still owns a dodrio he calls Feathers," Richard said as he placed a bar of butter in the refrigerator.

"Feathers?" Ivory asked with a grin.

"Hatched it from an egg when it was a doduo when he was five, they’ve been together for years! It’s funny really, it gained the habit of climbing onto the roof and crowing every morning, wakin’ all the folks of Viridian. Than it came to when it evolved, and when an extra head came in, the crowing only got louder and there was no need for an alarm clock anymore. Then the whole darn Team Rocket ya know came over yadda yadda yadda…never knew I liked that noisemaker till it was making no more sound every morning…in fact, a lot of people had been getting up late, sleeping in even with an alarm clock blasting in their ears…not the same…not at all…" Richard said as he put the last loaf of bread away.

"Where is Feathers now? Is Will hiding it somewhere?" Ivory asked, Richard looked suddenly grave.

"He was taken," There was no question of who did take the dodrio, Ivory closed her mouth quickly. Richard however, just as quickly broke the silence.

"Now let’s see what the lad gave you," Ivory stuffed the bags in one and hung it on a doorknob and took hold of the small white bag and tipped it. A few items fell out of it.

"Let’s see…two potions…good, an antidote, a few more special cures oh! Poke’balls, you’ll need those." Richard said happily as he collected the stuff back into the bag and Ivory slipped it into her emo bag. "Now, how about some dinner? Know anything good to cook?"

"Eh? Shouldn’t I be getting back to the Poke-"

"Causwallop! You’re staying over tonight! The sofa has a pull-out bed anyhow!" Richard exclaimed as she sweat-dropped.

Indeed she slept over; she pulled out the bed from the sofa and placed sheets on it. Having fed the whole household everyone was full and happily – yet tiredly – Richard went off to bed. Kameko and Aldara happily took a part of Ivory’s bed and closed their eyes.

"Hope no Rockets come bargin’ in through the door…we would have…a bit of explaining’…to do…huh?" Ivory said with a yawn, before tucking herself in and falling asleep.

"Thank you so much sir, but I need to get going," Ivory said the next morning as she shook hands with Richard.

"Please do come back soon all right, I can’t shop by myself all the time ya know? Oh yes, here, I wanted to give you something…" Richard said, pulled her by the forearm back into the house and slamming something into her palm.

"What in the…world…?" She looked at it.

"Team Rocket must have dropped it when they raided my house, I believe it is called a poke’gear, ever since well, everything that has happened any kind of Pokemon devices like the ones in Professor Oak’s lab were taken and illegal to use. But as you told me he has been making some right? Tell him he’s mighty clever next time you see him ‘kay? Anyway, this is how you use it. This is how you turn it on, yes; it beeps to let you know. It doesn’t need to be charged which is good…and it instantly reveals what time it is and where you are yadda yadda yadda. The good part is it can be used as a phone as well and yeah, that’s it – oh my… these names look…awfully…"

She stared at the list of names and their numbers.

Wait! Professo Oak? Elm? They looked over it again, yes, that was it.

"…familiar…"

"You don’t think that Team Rocket came across something of Ash’s?"

"No…I don’t believe he owned a Poke’gear…but maybe, he could have gained one over his travels or came across one himself when he was in hiding…" Richard said.

"But…how many people would have these names and numbers on them?" She asked as she scrolled down the names of some woman named Lilith Dani, and a few others that she never heard of or knew from some other town…

"I can think of only one, and that is not Ash, he knew the two professors I know for sure but no idea on the others, but let’s check his/her location. Every poke’gear has its designated owner’s whereabouts on it. Maybe that’s why it was in the possession of Team Rocket." Richard stated as she clicked for the map. It gave off a blurry screen and a fuzzy noise. She quickly turned down the volume, but the name was revealed in the left upper corner.