"Vulpix! Flamethrower! Cook that clam!" With practiced agility, Vulpix pivoted its position against its opponent and ignited the air around it. Shellder closed its shell tight to block the explosion, but to no avail. The Pokemon was blown backward toward its trainer, defeated.

The Vulpix's master let out a hard laugh. "My fire type just destroyed your water type! Wow! This isn't even a fair match. Feel free to use all the Pokemon you got. My Vulpix could use the light workout!"

Gwen returned Shellder to its ball. "Thanks for trying, buddy," she whispered to it. She thought about just walking away. Heal her Pokemon and try the next rout. Might find less experienced trainers. She had one Pokemon left...but it was risky.

"Well, how 'bout it, Girly? If you need a minute to dry your tears, I'll wait. Ya know, you can pay for real trainers to raise your Pokemon for you. You obviously don't have what it takes."

Part of being a Pokemon trainer is knowing when to take risks. She tugged at the bill of her cap, and drew the next Pokeball. "Exeggutor! I chose you!"

Exeggutor's goliath form took shape in the grass. Its three faces had a relaxed, jubilant glow to them. Gwen's foe was briefly impressed at the site of the Pokemon. "HA! No matter how big and goofy that thing looks, my Vulpix is always stronger than grass types! You really need to do your homework, Girly."

"Exey! Hypnosis!" Gwen commanded. The beast's eyes went hazy as it glared at the smaller Pokemon, but it seemed to have no effect.

Vulpix shook off the tiring effects, and began running circles around Exeggutor. "That's it, Vulpex! Just like we practiced! Now burn that dumb looking tree to the ground!"

Gwen felt the air turn hot, and getting hotter. She hesitated her next command. Exeggutor's three faces looked queasy. She was about to lose if she didn't react. "Exey! Stomp!"

It heard the call, and began teetering back and forth on each foot, building momentum. The ground vibrated with each foot dropping, then it began to feel like a small Earthquake. Gwen readjusted her stance to keep from falling. Vulpix moved in closer, but was caught with a wild kick from Exeggutor's thrashing. Stunned, the fox wavered, but never lost its movement. It went in again and was struck by another kick. Now the Exeggutor had his enemy in his sites and went after her. He trapped Vulpix under its feet and trampled it mercilessly.

The other trainer's smug attitude had turned to astonishment, and then fear. "Vulpix! Remember your agility! Get out of there!" The beating continued until Vulpix had fainted and gone limp. "Okay! You win! Vulpix return!"

The Pokeball's return beam shot toward Vulpix, but Exeggutor kicked the other Pokemon out of the way, and continued the beating. The three faces now expressing a gleeful rage.

"Exey! That's enough!" Gwen called out.

"Hey! What are you doing? Stop it already! We give up!" the Vulpex trainer shouted.

Gwen cursed under her breath. "Exeggutor! Return!" The Pokeball's return beam landed on the giant, but it resisted.

"Vulpix! It's gonna kill her!" The trainer launched two Pokeballs from his hand. "Machop! Butterfree! Save Vulpix from that thing!"

The two new Pokemon raced to save their teammate. Exeggutor let out a flurry of razor leaves to keep his new opponents away, as he continued to kick and stomp at Vulpex's limp form. Machap and Butterfree caught in the whirlwind of shards and quickly stunned.

Gwen ran toward her Pokemon, sharp leaves and grass scraping the sleeves of her jacket, and forced herself between Exeggutor and its plaything. "Exey! Stop it, right now!"

Exeggutor stopped at the sight of its trainer. It huffed and puffed with all six eyes on all three faces wild and feral. Gwen stared hard in return. Her heart thumped. Would she be able to calm him this time?

The Vulpix trainer ran to his Pokemon's side, and took its body in his arms. It was breathing, but barely. "That thing's crazy! Kid, if you can't control your Pokemon, then you don't need to be training them!" He ran away toward the nearby village with his Pokemon, tears rolling down his face.

Gwen continued to lock eyes with at least one of Exey's faces. Slowly, it calmed down. Its features relaxed, its posture slumped. Exeggutor became his easy jovial self again. Gwen felt her own heart rate starting to calm. She let out a sigh. Exey mewed a sound, aware that she was upset with him. She touched him with one hand. "It's not your fault, pal." Exey mewed a sad sound. "It's just the way you used to be trained...we gotta break those old habits." She held up a Pokeball and returned Exeggutor to it.

Later, in the next town, Gwen sat in a Pokemon Center, chewing on a protein bar. Her attention was fixed on a television mounted on the wall showing highlights from a local battle tournament that just recently concluded. She studied the trainers. The way they commanded their pokemon. Their confidence. Their focus. Their strategies. The looks on their faces as they won or were beaten.

The roar and adulation of the crowd in a packed stadium.

It was easy to picture herself on that stage. Battling in the Pokemon League Championship finals. Ever since she could remember, all she wanted was to be the world's strongest Pokemon trainer. A champion.

"Are you Gwen?" an old voice asked.

It startled her and she grabbed at the bill of her cap and pulled it closer to her face. "Uh..yeah. I'm Gwen. Who are you?"

An elderly man with a white mustache and thin blue glasses looked at her and frowned. He wore blue coveralls with a stitched name patch that said 'JOE'. He held a mop that he used to push around a yellow bucket with wheels. "Kid, they been calling your name for five minutes. Your Pokemon are ready."

"Oh. Right. Thank you." She put the protien bar in her backpack and hurried away from the man to the nurse Joy at the front counter.

"Gwen?" Joy said, smiling. "Your Pokemon are-"

"Yeah. Thanks." Gwen scooped up her three Pokeballs in her arms and hurried into the bathroom.

Inside, she dropped her Pokeballs on the counter by the sink. She leaned leaned against it, breathing heavily. Her legs were jelly. Gwen Gwen Gwen Gwen Gwen. That is your name. That is who you are. This is your life now. Sometimes she forgot that. And that could be dangerous for her.

She told herself that she was fine. That she is safe. In a safe place…but for how long?

Gwen ran water over her face and through her newly cut and colored hair. She was still getting used to it. The chin-length cut was fine. But the bright blue was a shock every time. She no longer recognized herself, save for the unique birthmark under her left eye. It always gave her the appearance that she had just been given a good punch and had a black eye. She tried covering it with makeup, but between sweat and the occasional rain, it wore off quickly, so bought a cheap pair of thick black rimmed glasses from a costume shop to cover the mark. It wasn't completely hidden, but far less noticeable.

The credit transfer from the Vixen battle wasn't much. Technically she won the battle, but wasn't proud of how she did it. She hoped Vixen was okay. But as guilty as she felt accepting the credits, maybe she can get a decent meal soon. She had lost weight. Maybe took much. The only thing she had eaten had been the free protein bars that Pokemon Centers hand out to traveling trainers.

And a shower wouldn't hurt either.

Gwen placed her Pokemon back on her trainer's belt, tucked her head and hurried for the exit of the center. She passed by a community corkboard, where a flyer caught her eye.

"Poliwag! Tail Whip!" a young trainer commanded.

"No, no, no! Stop!" Ara walked to the young trainer. He wiped a hand across his mouth and took a breath. The young Poliwag trainer looked up at him discouraged, but Ara returned a smile. "Tell me what you did wrong."

His student sighed. "I called for the wrong move."

"That's right. At this point in the battle, a tackle or water gun could finish your opponent, giving you the victory. A Tail Whip would have only a minor effect."

"I'm sorry, Ara."

"Don't apologize." He kneeled down next to the girl. He carried a large imposing frame, sturdied by a long career as a pokemon trainer, though his warmth came through in his generous and helpful teachings. Once upon a time, Ara was ranked one of the top 30 trainers in the region. After he was defeated in the Pokemon League, he chose to follow his passion to teach and mentor new trainers. And one day, open his own Pokemon League certified gym as its leader. "You just gotta keep studying, and getting to know your Pokemon."

She smiled.

"Now head out into the fields and keep practicing." Ara reached into his pocket. "And take this potion with you, just in case." The girl took the potion, thanked him, and was off.

"You're a lot more patient than I would be."

Ara turned and saw is partner, Leo. "Well, you always did prefer Pokemon to people." They took each others hands. Ara inhaled the spring afternoon air. Around their ranch, a dozen trainers worked with their Pokemon, running excersized, planning strategies, exchanging breeding tips. The property wasn't much more than an old barn, a simple house, and plenty of fields, but it was alive with people passionate about Pokemon. "I really think what we're building here will be beautiful."

"I think so too," Leo said. "As long as we can continue to afford it."

"Once we get commissioned by the League to be a proper gym, then our members will grow. We'll attract new trainers, sell more trainer supplies."

"Speaking of new members, who is that?" Leo nodded his head in the direction of the gate near the edge of the property. A blue haired girl in a cap and jacket was watching the other trainers and taking in the atmosphere of the ranch.

"Hi, there!" Ara said as he approached the girl.

Gwen flinched at the shout. She tucked her head down, and peered out from just below the bill of her cap. When she saw the face she was looking for, she relaxed. "Ara? Leo?"

"That's us," Ara said. "You've heard of us then? See, Leo. We're already expanding. What's your name?"

"Uh...Gwen." She shook hands with both of them.

"Have a little accident?" Leo asked, pointing to his eye.

"Oh, no. That's been there since I was born."

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry." Leo blushed.

"It's okay. I get that all the time."

"What can we do for you? Looking to start your Pokemon journey?" Ara asked.

"Well, not exactly." Gwen removed her cap and scratched the top of her head with it, and put it back. "I've been training for...awhile now. But heard you guys were pretty good trainers, and I have a Pokemon that I'm having trouble...controlling."

"Obedience issues, eh? Got a Pokemon with an attitude?"

"Not so much that it misbehaves. It's a good Pokemon, but it has trouble with self control during battle, and gets a little over excited."

"Well, let's have a look," Leo said. "This is a safe place for all your Pokemon to rest as well as train. Lets see what you've got."

Gwen released her Shelder and Diglett. She hesitated on her third Pokeball, but finally released Eggsecutor.

Ara and Leo immediately appreciated Exeggutor. It was a much larger breed than average. "Wow. You catch this fella in the Safari Zone?" Leo asked.

"Um...yeah," Gwen said. She scratched her head again.

The couple complimented the blue of Shelder's shell. A sign of a healthy water type. Diglett was showing sprouts of hair on its head. It should go on to have a great mane of hair. Gwen described the issue with Exey, specifically the early battle with the Vulpix trainer. Ara and Leo shared concerned looks. Exeggutors are docile creature. It's not in their nature to be violent. Perhaps a result of living in the feral Safari Zone.

"This is quite the odd situation," Ara said. He smiled. "But I think we can hel-"

"Help! Heeellp!" A girl screamed from the distance. Ara and Leo ran toward the sound. Gwen returned her three Pokemon to their balls and followed. From the fields ran the young Poliwag trainer, tears in her eyes. "Ara! Leo! They took him!"

The girl crashed into Ara, sobbing. "What happened?" he asked.

"Poliwag! They stole him!"

"Who stole Poliwag?"

"Oh no," Leo said. "Ara." His gaze cought three figures approuching. Two males and a female, all wearing similar uniforms. Long black clothing with a red 'R' emblazoned on their chests.

Ara's features turned to stone. "Leo, get all the trainers inside."

"Ara, you can't-"

"Just do it, Leo."

Leo took the girl and ran back to the ranch, urging the trainers into the barn.

"It was only a matter of time before they found us, I guess." Ara said. "You've heard of Team Rocket, right, Gwen?"

Gwen was frozen. The color drained from her face. Her heart slammed around in her chest. Her eyes wouldn't leave the image, not even to blink. The crimson 'R'. They were coming.

"Gwen, you're Pokemon look strong. I think together we can run these thieves off like the losers they are. What do you say?"

"I..." Her stomach fell and her legs began to quiver. "I..I'm sorry." Gwen turned and sprinted off in the opposite direction.

Ara let out a breath and steeled himself. He didn't blame Gwen for her choice. Not all trainers had the spine to deal with Rocket thugs. "Three on one, then...should be fun."

Every step Gwen took felt like thunder coming from the ground to electricute her. She relized she hadent take a breath and gasped and choked and started to slow down. She was far from the ranch now, somewhere in the woods. Her body was pins and needles. Tears welled up at her eyes as she heaved in deep breaths. She dropped against a tree and curled up, burying her face in her knees. "Just gotta keep running," she whispered to herself between sobs. "Just keep running."

Epilogue.

The brisk air conditioning of the Pokemon Center cooled the sweat on the man's brow as he entered. It was a little warm for a suit and tie, but that was part of the job. He wiped at his forehead, slicking back his hair.

"Welcome," Joy said, bright smile intact. "May we heal your Pokemon today?"

The man smiled back. "That would be lovely, dear. Thank you." He handed her a single Pokeball from his belt.

"You look like a man who could use a cool drink," a friendly voice said. A janitor with thin blue glasses and a white mustache offered the man a cold Lemonade.

"And you would be right, my friend." He took the drink. "Thank you."

"Not a problem," said the old janitor. "Say, if you don't mind me asking, are you with the force?"

He took a long sip. "How could you tell?"

The janitor laughed. "Oh, I think I know a law man when I see one. Use to mop floors at the precinct in Saffron."

"No kidding." This delighted the man. "I cut my teeth up there."

"What brings you down this way? Got a lead on a case?" The janitor became eager for details. He once fantasized about being a hard boiled detective, but instead took over the family costodial buisness. Even still, he loved living vicariously through true crime stories.

"Why yes it does, actually. Tell me, friend." He pulled out a piece of paper from his jacket pocket and unfolded it. "Have you by chance seen this person around?" He held up the paper.

"Hmm." The old man took a careful look. "Ya know...I want to say I have...but I just can't place it."

WANTED was printed at the top of the sheet. Below it was a photo of Team Rocket member wearing the signature uniform and a wild, confident smile. She was thin with blonde hair cascading around her. And a unique mark below her left eye.

CONTINUED...