Private/Closed Sinnoh: Two Years Later

[Blxckwolf]

"Dusknoir, use Will-O-Wisp and burn that Gym to the ground!" a mischievous voice commanded. The Dusknoir obeyed the trainer's command and launched three ominous purple spheres from its stomach towards the foundation of the Gym Leader, the building quickly engulfed in flames. There was chaos in the city. People were screaming and running away. In the middle of the smoke stood a visible silhouette of a trainer, next to the Dusknoir, laughing maniacally. And then, it all went black.

Roman quickly sat up, sweating from this horrible nightmare. He took a minute to catch his breath. This was the fourth time he's had this nightmare, each time progressing a little further. He looked at the clock on his bedside cabinet, which read 9:47AM. Almost time to get up anyway.

Roman crawled out of bed and stood in front of his mirror, sighing at himself. He got dressed, finishing his outfit off with his trademark cap, and left his room. When he came downstairs, his father had already left for work in the Oreburgh Mines. His mother was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for him and his sister.

"You're up early, dear. Another nightmare?" She enquired, worried about how quickly this is escalating. See, it all started with only seeing the Gym on fire. Now, he could see a trainer as well.

Roman munched his way through the two pieces of toast his mother had made for him, and grabbed the sports bag he had prepared for himself. "I'm off to the lab, I'll see you later!" He said before rushing out the door, and making his way to Sandgem Town. His sister and him had made a bit of a path through Route 1, so that he could easily avoid the tall grass.

He quickly reached the Sandgem Lab, and took a second to admire the big, techy building. He took a step forward, the mechanical doors sliding open. This was it. This was his moment.

 

[Tyler Oak]

"Torterra! Use Earthquake!" The Pokemon glowed yellow and reared back before slamming down on the ground. A shockwave ripped apart the stones Marcus had set in place for training his Pokemon. "Good job. Now return." Torterra flashed red and disappeared into its Pokeball. Marcus looked up into the bleak sky. He had been training all day at the foothills of Mt.Coronet. It was a place of meaning for him. It was where he had lived for 2 months after losing in the Pokemon League. Out in the forest subject to natures torment. Cold winds from Snowpoint and heavy rains which soaked him to the skin. It was here he had mapped out his life and made clear his goals. Now he trained daily in preparation for another round of Gym Challenges. After speaking with Pokemon League Officials, Marcus had been granted permission to battle the leaders once more. Since he had all 8 Badges he would not receive anything for his victory however he would gain experience which will help him in the League. His Pokemon were moderately strong. He had slacked off after beating the first 4 gyms with ease. This caused him to grow lazy and resulted in his loss against the first member of the Elite 4. He collected his equipment and called out Yanmega. It hovered in the air before picking him up and flying towards Sandgem Town. Today was the day his younger cousin would begin his Pokemon Challenge and his aunt had requested that he be there to support this momentous occasion. As well as this, he had been asked to look after his younger cousin on his journey. He would let him fight his own battles, but he had to visit the Gyms again anyway and what better way to spend time than with his family. In return, his uncle had left him his grandfathers prized Pokemon. A powerhouse that he had been seeking to obtain since his Grandfather first introduced him to it. It was considered one of the family's most important possessions, although Marcus didn't see it that way. Pokemon were not objects, they were allies. This ally would bring him good fortune on his journey.

--

Isaac rubbed his eyes. He had not slept well last night. The noise of the city was something he was accustomed to however what had kept him up was the anticipation of the beginning of his very own Pokemon Journey. He had long watched his older cousin Marcus in battles and seen how much fun it was to be a trainer. To form a bond with Pokemon and dominate others with superior strength and tactics. It had always been his dream and now it was coming true. Isaac got dressed and walked downstairs to say goodbye to his mother and sister. "Don't you want breakfast dear?" his mother asked him. "Thanks but I'm not hungry," Isaac replied. "Before I forget, take this with you to Sandgem - Give it to your cousin." Isaac's mother handed a small parcel with an envelope attached. "I will, goodbye." "Good Luck!" She called out to him as he ran out the door. They lived in a small house on the outskirts of Jubilife City. He had to cross through the city to get to Sandgem Town. He took his bicycle out of the garage and began to pedal as fast as he could. Isaac raced down the sidewalk through Jubilife. It was mid morning but the city was bustling with people and Pokemon. As he cycled, the city fell behind and Isaac entered Route 202. It was a swift downhill ride to the Town and it took him little time to reach it. Unlike Jubilife, Sandgem was small and quiet with a beautiful seafront view. It was also home to the Pokemon Research Lab owned by Professor Dawn. Isaac parked his bicycle outside and was about to rush inside when he heard the buzzing of wings. He looked up to see Marcus descending on his Yanmega. "Yanmega, return." he said as he landed. "Look at you Isaac, you're about to become a trainer. I'm so happy for you." Isaac ran to hug Marcus. They embraced and then he remembered the package he was to deliver. "Here Marcus, this is from Dad." Isaac produced the package from his backpack. Marcus rushed to open it. He first read the letter -

My dearest Marcus,

I cannot tell you how proud I am of what you have achieved in your time as a trainer. You trained your team to the best you could and I found it hard to believe when your mother told me you had lost to the Elite 4. This is why I want to pass this Pokemon on to you. I raised it on my journey and it was strong back then. When I could no longer continue with my travels, I felt terrible that I could no longer satisfy its lust for battle. You are well aware of its power but do not exaggerate it in your mind. It still has room to grow and I'm hoping you can train it like one of your own. I am ashamed I cannot be here to give this to you myself but just know my thoughts will always be with you.
With love,
Your Grandfather, Abe.

Marcus wiped a tear from his eye as he folded the letter and put it in his backpack. He then lifted the parcel. He undid the string and tore open the paper revealing a box. The box opened to contain a Pokeball. "Isaac, watch this." Isaac watched as Marcus threw the Ball into the air and it popped open. The air was suddenly alive with electricity as the newly released monster let out a thundering roar.

 

[PKMN Trainer Sedna]

Nancy stood in front of the mirror in her room, almost sizing herself up as if she was checking out someone else. Within a few moments, She began stretching with her silky hair falling to either side that she leaned while easing her body for her morning jog.

Well. It was a little different today.

Free pokemon to the trainers who were embarking on their first journey in the Sinnoh region meant Nancy was going to be jogging to Sandgem Town from Jubilife City so she could gain access to her first pokemon. Internally, She had already decided on Piplup and if she was going to lose that pokemon soon she would need to pick up the pace.

Grabbing her sports hat, the hat that has no top to it and merely just keeps your hair back, and yelled a goodbye to her mother, not giving the woman a chance to even reply to the words of Nancy before darting out of the apartment and down several flights of steps.

"Today is the day!" Nancy chirped as she strolled down the streets with her jog. It was early in the morning so she would likely get there around 11 AM. This way, she could almost ensure her choice of pokemon.

So, She rushed through route 201.

~~~

Derek and his Larvitar were already on route 201, training up for their adventure. The day prior, the man had received his pokedex and five pokeballs from the professor so he was set for a while. Jubilife was a couple hours of a walk so he could just head there if he desperately needed it. For now, he was just focused on his training with Larvitar.

"You ready to get this going, Larvitar?" Derek chirped to his pokemon with an enthusiastic smile. Larvitar jumped up but quickly caught sight of a girl bolting through the treeline and into Sandgem Town. Must be another trainer looking for a pokemon.

 

[DragonFlye]

"Caspar!" Arienne's voice pierced his pleasant sleep-state, her fist banging on the door. "Cass, I know you're awake, come see this!"

Well, yeah, now he was awake, and the neighbors probably were, too. His sister's voice carried rather impressively when she made an effort, after all. He threw on some clothes and descended the stairs to see Arienne practically glued to the television.

"Come on, don't tell me you woke me up to watch some...sitcom...again..." His voice trailed off when he saw the news report she was watching. The camera was focused on a faraway view of Canalave Harbor, police cars scattered about. The camera zoomed in on one of the ships, which was stained black in certain spots, as though it had caught fire.

"They're saying it was a gas leak," she filled him in. "They're not letting anymore ships in or out of Canalave. Including yours."

"What? Was anyone hurt?"

Arienne shook her head. "They're saying it was really early this morning, before working hours. But come on, a gas leak?"

Cass furrowed his brows. "What? Is that weird?"

"It was obviously something else. Like, I dunno, intentional sabotage?"

Cass rolled his eyes. "Are you saying that terrorists are attacking passenger liners now? Come on, Ari, that sounds like a movie plot." Arienne sputtered indignantly, the drama queen. "Either way, it looks like I'm not going anywhere soon."

"Hey, since you're kinda stuck here for the foreseeable future...Professor Dawn's been looking for capable trainers recently for a project. You know, giving them Pokémon, a Pokédex, sound familiar?"

"Ari, I have a Pokémon. Look where that got me."

"Yeah, so do I," she patted the Pokéball at her hip in emphasis. "But neither of us have a Pokédex, right? Besides, you and Totodile need some..." she fumbled for a word, picturing her brother's bitey little partner. "Bonding time. There it is."

Cass rolled his eyes, but he knew that there wasn't much he could say. Oh, he and the little beast had bonded, alright, and he had the nasty bite marks and torn clothes to prove it. "...but I haven't eaten yet," he tried once more.

Arienne took that as an agreement and beamed, grasping her brother by the arm with a grip that Cass swore was supernatural. "Food is for the weak," she told him as they left the house and made their way to the lab. It was much larger than the one Cass had seen briefly in Johto, and truthfully, he was excited to see the inside. He wouldn't give Ari the satisfaction of knowing that, of course, but her attention was elsewhere as they approached the building to see two trainers standing in front of the doors already.

 

[PKMN Trainer Sedna]

Nancy dashed into Sandgem Town with her heart rate up due to her jog to said town. It felt great, the wind in her flowing blonde hair as well as the breeze that was tugging at the leaves on the trees so beautifully. A slight dew was on the grass and the path that lead her along route 202, the light from the sun occasionally shimmering off of the grass and into her eyes. The smell of wet grass was a smell she particularly liked as it reminded her of her two favorite types. Grass, and water.

"We're finally here!" Nancy exclaimed to nobody in particular, since she didn't have any companions yet. Her excitement didn't have a filter, though, simply too happy to be starting an adventure at last.

"Hey. You ran past me on route 202--"

Derek spoke to Nancy but was interrupted by her jump, as well as fear of talking to new people altogether. He was alarmed at her fright, and stopped, his Larvitar at his side with a bewildered look.

"Waaah!" Nancy jumped back, hiding her face before dashing away to the professors laboratory for her first pokemon and pokedex. She didn't know how she would handle the associating with the professor but... She would cross that bridge when she got there.

 

[Blxckwolf]

Roman stood in the lab, looking around at the tech in there. The assistants who were there were unfazed by his arrival, and continued their work quietly. In the back of the lab Professor Dawn was discussing something with Lucas, until Roman slowly approached the table in front of him. He had heard some fuss outside, so decided it'd be a good idea to use his timely arrival to his advantage and claim the first Pokémon.

"Ah, you have arrived. My name is Professor Dawn, and this is Professor Lucas." Dawn introduced herself, and Lucas. It was obvious Dawn was more talkative than Lucas was, as she immediately took control as Lucas sort of...awkwardly stood there. "As you may know, two years ago the two of us set out on a journey to travel the Sinnoh region and collect data on its Pokémon. We succeeded in that task." She began her speech.

"However, there has been a recent increase in immigration of Pokémon from different regions. As Professors it is our duty to collect data on those as well." Lucas contributed to her introduction. "This is too tough a task to complete for just the both of us, which is why today you are one of the trainers who will receive a Pokémon and an upgraded Pokédex, courtesy of yours truly, to help us fulfill that task." Lucas informed Roman of his task. It was a lot to take in, mainly because Roman figured he'd just receive a Pokémon without ifs, and or buts about it.

"In front of you are three Pokéballs. The left one contains Grass-type Pokémon Turtwig." Dawn pointed at the far left Pokéball. "In the middle is the Water-type Piplup. And finally we have the Fire-type Chimchar. Choose wisely." She took a step back, giving Roman the time to consider his choice.

Roman reached his hand out to the middle Pokéball, before changing his mind and picking up the left one. "I'll choose Turtwig."

 

[Vaporeonn]

Hurry up, Irene.

Irene couldn't believe she was late for something of this magnitude. But, her alarm didn't go off, and she had to wait for the water to get warm... It wasn't entirely her fault! She said bye to her little brother, then her parents, and dashed out of the house. Irene felt like she never ran as quickly.

The professor wouldn't mind, right? She would just be a little bit late. But, what if someone else takes the starter of Irene's choice? Irene wanted that Chimchar. She was out of Twinleaf now, and had to quickly run through this route, and she was going to be there. There were Starly's flying above her, and Bidoof's running to the side of her, and, although she was late, Irene felt at peace, at least for that moment. She was nearing Sandgem now.

Irene's feeling of guilt faded into excitement. She was going to get a Pokedex and a Pokemon, and gather information about all Pokemon. Every person's dream. And Irene was lucky enough to get an opportunity. And also possibly blow it. Irene looked at her watch when she got to the lab, all out of breath, and saw that she wasn't as late as she thought she would be. What a relief, she thought.

Irene entered the Lab, and saw one boy next to Professor Dawn and Lucas. Although relieved, her stomach knotted up. If he chose Chimchar...

Irene approached them. "Hello," she said. She was still gettung her breathing in order. Irene looked at the desk, and saw that the boy took Turtwig. She couldn't help but smile. Before taking it, she had to wait for Professor Dawn to speak to her.

 

[Tyler Oak]

Marcus stood outside and watched Electivire while Isaac walked into the Lab to receive his Pokemon. He entered the Lab and saw two trainers stood with two Professors. He recognized the Professors as Dawn and Lucas, they had appeared in many Trainer Weekly magazines. The trainers were obviously here for the same reason he was - to start their Journey. One was standing by the far left Pokeball. An image above it displayed a Turtwig, the first form of Torterra. The girl stood in front of Isaac was pacing anxiously next to the center ball. He assumed she was planning on choosing Chimchar. Neither of their choices mattered, as the third Pokeball containing Piplup was avaliable. Isaac aproached a Lab assistant. "Hi, my name is Isaac and I'm here for a Pokemon."

"Of course, right this way. Turtwig and Chimchar have already been selected. Are you OK with taking Piplup?"

"I am. I wanted to choose Piplup anyway so thank you." Isaac looked up at the little blue Pokemon displayed on the screen. He couldn't wait to start training it. He would build a team and beat Marcus in a battle. One day. "Hello sir?" Isaac looked back at the assistant. Here is Piplup's Pokeball. The other equipment you need is with the Professors. Dawn is busy now so Lucas will attend to you."

"Thank you very much." The assistant walked off towards Lucas. They exchanged words and then Lucas walked towards Isaac. "So you're the one who chose Piplup. Nice to meet you. I'm Lucas, I help Dawn manage the Lab. This is what I came over to give you." Lucas produced a sleek red machine with a glossy surface from his pocket. "This is a Pokedex. It automatically records the data of any Pokemon you have captured. If you like you can aim to complete the Pokedex. Many trainers end up filling most of it throughout their Journey. Here are 5 Pokeballs, you use these to capture wild Pokemon. Is there anything else you need or do you have any questions?"

"No, I'm OK thank you so much for everything." "Not a problem, enjoy your Journey!" Isaac ran out the Lab with his Piplup, eager to show his cousin.

--

Marcus examined Electivire's Pokeball. It looked the same as his other ones but it felt heavier and it buzzed with energy. "MARCUS, MARCUS LOOK!" He turned and saw Isaac running out of the Lab, he had a Pokeball in his hand. "I got my Piplup!" Isaac raised the Pokeball and called out Piplup. It appeared in a flash of white. It was a very unimpressive Pokemon. Even Marcus's Turtwig back in the day had produced more splendor than this creature. Yet, so long as it made Isaac happy, who cared what it was. "Congratulations Cuz, you're now officially a trainer." Piplup looked up at its new Trainer with a smile on its face. It wasn't a happy smile at all. It was more of an oblivious smile, as if Piplup new something good was happening to it, it just didn't know what yet. "Come on Marcus, lets battle! Your Electivire against my Piplup." "OK then, you're on." Both trainers drew back as their battle began. Isaac started, "Piplup, I choose you!" Piplup ran forward, battle face ready and, fell face first into the ground. It got back up and shook itself off, then it growled. "Electivire, Come out!" Marcus launched his Pokeball high into the air and it burst open. Electivire appeared and dropped to the ground. It tilted its head upwards and unleashed a devatating battle cry which shook the field and blew back Piplup. Once again it got up, ready to begin the fight. "Piplup, use Bubble!" Piplup opened its beak and a single Bubble floated out. It flew at Electivire and burst on its chest. Electivire laughed and roared again, sparks flying from its antennae. "Use Thunder Punch!" Marcus cried, the battle was his. Electivire shook its fist and it began to glow, frying the air around it. It then flashed and suddenly its entire arm was coated in electricity. Electivire howled at the sky and then turned and punched Marcus in the stomach. Marcus flew back and landed away from the field. Electivire sneered at him. It jumped into the air and its arm began to heat up, a blaze starting in its fist. As it dropped, its arm gained momentum. "Come out, Drapion!" Drapion popped out of its ball and launched its pincers at Electivire, halting its fall and suspending it in midair. "Use Iron Tail!" Drapion's tail swung back and forth, taking on a steel like coloration. Drapion then swiped its tail upwards and brought it crashing down on Electivire;s head. It crumpled to the ground. "Thank you Drapion." Marcus said as he returned both of his Pokemon to their balls. Isaac came running over to him. "What just happened?" "It would seem Electivire is more powerful than I thought it would be. It does not yet recognize me as a worthy trainer which is why it struck me." Marcus winced as he felt his ribs. They ached a lot but they would heal. "Come Isaac, lets put it behind us and progress with your journey. The first gym belongs to Roark in Oreburgh City. Let us go there." Isaac and Marcus began their walk back to Jubilife City, where Isaac would say his final goodbyes before beginning his actual journey.

 

[PKMN Trainer Sedna]

Nancy waited by the door, almost contemplating how she would even get in there. Nevermind the fact that she was afraid of new people, She had to talk to them to get her own first pokemon. A Piplup was on her mind, the cute water type pokemon that she would choose so long as there was one remaining. Soon enough, Nancy thought to herself as she gulped.

"Why are you so afraid to go in there...?" Derek asked as he picked up his Larvitar, who jumped up onto his shoulder and hung onto the back of Derek's trainer hat. "You ran all the way here just to stalk the professors?"

"Hey!" Nancy bit back, irritation overcoming her fear of this boy. "I'm just... uh." Great. Now I don't know what to say. "Waiting for my body to... be ready?"

"You need your body to... be ready to talk to a professor who's only a couple of years older than you?" Derek said before scoffing. With that, He grabbed her hand and placed his other hand on the door knob before pushing it open and dragging Nancy inside, who's face was blossoming like a tomato. Rarely did she get this close to a boy nevermind actually holding hands.

"Hey-- wait!"

"Professor Dawn! This lady is here for her FIRST pokemon!"

 

[Vaporeonn]

Irene ran a hand through her short hair, putting it in place. It was warmer inside the Lab, so her red jacket was around her waist, her white t-shirt with the Hoenn region displayed now in plain sight. Irene wasn't sure why she wanted Chimchar so badly – yes, she loved fire Pokemon a lot, which had something to do with her family being from Lavaridge Town – but this was silly. It was embarrassing, but she knew she'd be jealous if any other trainer took the Chimchar.

Another boy walked in after Irene, but got out quickly, too soon for her to really take any notice. He took the Piplup, was given a PokeDex, and quickly dashed out. Irene was trying not to be impatient, but she really wanted to start her journey now. She fiddled with the rubber bracelet around her wrist, trying to calm her nerves. Irene was told that not being patient is very rude, and she wanted to make a good impression now. Both boys took their respective Pokemon, so Irene deemed it alright to take her Chimchar, too. She was overflowing with excitement. She was a moment away from the biggest journey of her life.

---

It took Oscar some time, but he was finally nearing Sandgem, and the professor's Lab. He had many things he wanted to discuss with the current Professor, like how the newly immigrated Pokemon could adapt to the diverse Sinnoh climate, and so, if region variants could be possible in the future. It was so exciting. Oscar even noticed how his Abra could produce a weaker form of Confusion if necessary, but only as a last resort.

Finally, he saw the entrance to the town, and could already smell the sea. Oscar smiled, feeling as if his journey had just begun.

 

[DragonFlye]

"Come on, already!" Arienne grouched, nearly dragging Cass by the arm through the heavy doors. There were lab techs milling about inside, looking at figures and scenes, not to mention several teens already talking to the Professor, and Cass felt the tips of his ears grow hot as they entered the lab with less grace than he'd have preferred.

"It's a good thing we don't need new Pokémon from the Professor," Arienne told her brother in a hushed voice. "These guys are all here for their firsts."

"Recognize any of them?" Cass asked. He was unsurprised when Ari shook her head. Though she'd been in Sinnoh longer than him, it had still only been a few months.

 

[Vaporeonn]

Irene heard hushed voices behind here, and saw two more trainers standing behind her. She smiled at them, but felt bad that they were too late to get a Pokemon of their own. Too bad, she thought. Still, the "three starters only" rule wasn't quite fair, even in her mind.

Irene was tired of waiting, and decided to send the Chimchar out. She kneeled down to meet him as soon as she sent the little guy out, and the Chimchar was confused. Irene smiled and held her hand out, waiting for the Pokemon to understand and take her greeting. It took him a moment, but Chimchar sniffed her hand and deemed it alright for Irene to pet him. She laughed, being relieved that her new Pokemon didn't hate her. Quickly, the Chimchar got used to her.

Irene thought about possible names for it. The only one she could think of was Hugo, since that's what her father named his Blaziken a long time ago. It fit, she thought. Both evolved into a fire/fighting type, and that Chimchar even looked like a Hugo. It was settled, then, and all it took now was for Chimchar to get used to his new name. She'll ask her dad for help. Now all that was left was the PokeDex...

Suddenly, the door opened again (how many visitors could there be in one day?), and a tall boy walked in, looking surprised that the Lab was full.

---

"Oh, I'm sorry," Oscar said, feeling strange that there were people other than the Professor in there. Of course, Oscar thought. It was trainer season. "Trainer season" was what Oscar called the period when new trainers were given Pokemon and a Trainer license, in hoped of defeating the League and becoming a champion.

"I'm looking for the Professor," Oscar said. "Is she here?"

 

[Blxckwolf]

(OOC: I'm very sorry to not have been able to reply sooner, I had to go to my dad's yesterday, which is a two hour drive, and couldn't find the time to be online until now. Thank you for taking the initiative and controlling the Professors and the assistants to progress further!)

BIC:

Dawn was overwhelmed by the amount of trainers that had gathered in the lab. She looked down at ther notepad, with names and times next to them, before ripping the paper out and throwing it in the bin next to her table. When she saw that the girl had let Chimchar out of its Pokéball, she felt like her job had just become a little easier. "I suppose you heard my speech earlier. And it seems like you made your choice, and he made his." She smiled at the young girl playing with Chimchar.

Meanwhile Lucas had helped the boy and his Piplup on their journey, so made time for two trainers who very vocally let their presence know. "Unfortunately Professor Dawn is occupied currently, but I could be at your service. My name is Lucas." Lucas formally introduced himself, holding his right hand on his chest and bowing down a little. Was it humour? Was it mockery? Who knows with him.

When the overload of trainers were in the lab, a familiar face came to the rescue. "Hello there, it is very nice to meet you. My name is Rowan, however everybody calls me the former Pokémon Professor. How may I help you?" He very politely asked Oscar, who stood just inside the lab, patiently waiting for the Professor. "If you need Professor Dawn specifically, I fear you might have to wait a while. In the meantime, I would be glad to assist you." Rowan told the aspiring trainer. "Tell me, what is your name?"

~~

Roman had left the lab, just in time apparently, and was on his way to show off his new Pokémon to his mother and Selena. On his way towards Route 201, he noticed a strong looking trainer battling...himself? Turtwig was following closely behind him, enjoying the breeze of fresh air. The poor Pokémon had only seen the garden of the lab, where the Pokémon would roam freely for a few hours everyday.

Suddenly, Roman stopped in his tracks and squatted down, turning the face his new partner. "I will name you Twigs." Roman smiled, to the delight of the Grass-type Pokémon. It wiggled its two leaves on its head joyfully, and the two continued on their way home. They quickly reached Twinleaf Town, by jumping over the ledges and avoiding the tall grass that was filled with Starly's and Bidoof's, but lately some other Pokémon have been spotted there as well.

Roman barged in the door, startling his mother who was cleaning. "Mom, this is Twigs!" Roman excitedly said, the Turtwig cheerfully posing for Roman's mother. While his mother and Turtwig were getting used to eachother, Roman ran up the stairs to Selena's room, only to find a tidy made bed and an empty room. "Mom, where is Selena?" He asked, a frown on his face.

"She is at the lake, dear. Go find her, I'm sure she wants to see your Pokémon too!" She smiled.

Roman followed her advice and started making his way towards Lake Verity, their usual hang-out location.

 

[Vaporeonn]

Oscar felt himself growing star-struck when Rowan spoke to him. He was the Pokemon researcher in Sinnoh. Oscar read some of Rowan's works while he was in Eterna, on his break. And, if anyone could help him get started, Rowan was the man. "Uh, no, sir, you're the one I was looking for, actually." Oscar adjusted his glasses, which dropped lower on his nose. He hated them, but they helped him see. "I came with the intention of asking for some help. See," Oscar said, now feeling more comfortable to walk, as he usually did when he spoke. "I am working on putting together the clues we have in our folklore, and science, into writing out the history of Sinnoh. But, I cannot do it by myself. Which is why I planned on consulting you, sir." Oscar hoped he didn't sound as crazy as he thought he did. "Since you have experience with writing long works, I was hoping you could give me some advice?"

---

Irene was happy that Hugo took a liking to her. She couldn't wait to show him to her family, and go on an adventure with him, and get all information of the new Pokemon with his help. Irene strolled slowly back home, enjoying the nature even more. Then it hit her – wasn't this route packed with Pokemon? She could start getting information now! Irene took her PokeDex out, with the plan on finding every Pokemon hidden in this route, and out their information in.

Hugo looked curious, and Irene realised she hasn't even put his information in. "Alright, Hugo, stand still," she said, pointing the PokeDex at him. She squealed when she saw the species name listed, the average height and weight, and a small block of information appear on screen. "Once I get to know you better, I can add more to this!" Irene said, and Hugo smiled and nodded.

She took her time on the route, scanning a Bidoof and Starly, debating on catching either. Irene saw how the PokeDex didn't list the height or weight, or anything other than the name, and she realised that she would have to catch them if she wanted the information. "Once I get more Pokeballs," she told herself. Hugo followed right behind Irene, memorising the route.

When Irene got near Twinleaf, she saw the boy from the Lab, who picked Turtwig, walk towards the lake. The lake was pretty, but Irene could never stay too long. It was a secret, but much water scared her. She didn't even know how to swim! Irene contemplated saying hi to the boy, and asking for his name, then decided it wouldn't be a bad idea. They both have the same goal, and she could get the Turtwig information from him.

"Hey!" Irene shouted hoping that the boy heard her, though they weren't too far apart. "Weren't you at the lab, too?" She asked, although she knew the answer - but she needed a reason to say hello to him.

 

[Blxckwolf]

Rowan was impressed with the young boy, his interest in reading and writing from a young age reminding him of his own younger years. "Very well, come with me, please." Rowan escorted Oscar into his own office, a neat looking office with a large oak (Ironic, I know.) desk and many bookcases. They were filled with books about Pokémon, the history of Sinnoh, even the lore about the Legendary Pokémon of the region.

Rowan sat down behind his desk, offering the aspiring researcher a seat across him. "When one writes a book, what is very important is experience and knowledge. See, in order to write my book about Sinnoh, I spent three years travelling and registering all of my findings in a journal. Which brings me.." Rowan stopped his conversation and opened the bottom drawer of his desk, taking a spare navy journal and sliding it across the desk.

"After your journey, we'll meet again." Rowan simply said, a kind smile on his face. He could see the potential in Oscar, and didn't want his own ideas to clash with Oscar's, hence the little advice.

~~

Roman was already at the Verity Lakefront, when he heard a voice behind him. He turned around to find a trainer panting to catch up with him. Roman recognised her face, but couldn't pinpoint exactly where he knew her from, until he saw the Chimchar hiding behind her leg.

"I was indeed, and I suppose you were too?" He said, looking at the Fire-type Pokémon. Turtwig waddled over to the Chimchar, a reunion between the two Pokémon. "My name is Roman. You are?" He said, holding out his right hand to her.

 

[PKMN Trainer Sedna]

Nancy followed Derek out of the building, disappointed that there were no starter pokemon left. It's the way life went. She would have to go home now, which meant another jog to Jubilife City. She loved the run but hated the fact that she wouldn't be able to start her adventure off.

That is, until Derek stopped her.

"Look, why don't I just catch you a pokemon and you can adventure with me? I've seen how you act with other people and... I hate to say it, I can be within two feet of you and not get attacked or fled from." Derek said before rubbing the top of Larvitar's Head. "Besides, it'll help me fill out my pokedex."

At first, Nancy was going to decline. She wasn't going to just LET someone catch a pokemon for her, that made her look weak and incapable. But, She didn't know how to catch a pokemon at all... so, it was probably for the better.

"Uh... well, I can do it! You don't have--"

"You don't even know how to use a pokeball... Do you?" Derek mumbled under his breath, surprised when he noticed that Nancy heard him and almost smacked him.

"Ex-cuh-USE ME!?"

Nancy may be getting mad here and now, but she was totally wrong. Nancy knew so little about catching pokemon or even using one in battle. She truly was the uneducated runt of the duo. Derek was going to teach her yet she was getting attitude.

But, he deserved it.

"Come on. I'll be waiting on Route 202." Derek said, waving and turning at the same time before returning his hands into his jacket pockets, pacing back to the route he was just located in. It didn't take Nancy that long to follow when she noticed that she was indeed all alone. Once she followed her new "friend" back to route 202, she stopped several feet behind him as he stood in the tall grass, his back to Nancy as he tossed a pokeball up and down in the air, catching it.

"So, you ready to learn how to catch a pokemon?" Derek asked as he partly turned around to face Nancy and smirked. Nancy couldn't find the words to speak and instead just gave him a hard nod. The man returned to what was in front of him.

A Shinx, an electric type pokemon.

Larvitar plopped down from his shoulders and landed in the tall grass, biting at the grass around him to clear it up a little bit. Obviously, with the small mouth of Larvitar it would take a while.

"You ready, Larvitar?" Derek said it his pokemon as it gave him a nod, gritting it's teeth at the Shinx who stood in challenge to Derek. Suddenly, the Shinx kicked off of the ground and hurtled it's small body at Larvitar. Since it was a slow pokemon, Larvitar took the tackle but wasn't really injured from it at all. "Screech!" Derek ordered as Larvitar took in a deep breath...

Before screeching out a supersonic sounding pitch which hurtled the Shinx back a little. Just the sound alone made Shinx lower it's defences and that's when Derek saw his entrance.

"Now! Use Bite!"

Larvitar followed the orders from its trainer and hopped over to Shinx who was just now recovering from the attack on the ears. In a quick motion, Larvitar bit into the Shinx and burrowed his Rocky feet into the ground, before rag-dolling the Shinx dramatically back and forth, and throwing it high up into the air.

"Woah..." Nancy mumbled as she covered her chest with her right hand. "That looks painful... I hope the Shinx is okay...!"

Grabbing a pokeball from his hand, he tossed it over to Nancy who instinctively flinched and nearly dropped the pokeball into the grass below.

"Here. Throw this at the Shinx and time it perfectly to hit!"

It was the heat of the moment that forced Nancy to do it. She couldn't over think now, this was going to he her first Pokemon ever. If she messed this up, She couldn't call herself a pokemon trainer ever because nobody else would do this for her. So, she held her hat down to cover her eyes, cocked back, and threw the pokeball as hard as she could. Spinning incredibly fast, the ball actually curved to the right and impacted the Shinx while it was three feet above the ground. Sucking the pokemon into the red and white pokeball, they watched in angst as the ball began spasming over and over.

One.

Two.

Three...

A click followed by shimmering effects came off of the pokeball as Derek jumped up with a balled fist and shouted his celebrations while Nancy instead just walked over to the pokeball and looked it over. She was ashamed that another trainer needed to weaken her pokemon first but atleast next time, She would have a pokemon to do just that. This was the very first step.

 

[Tyler Oak]

Marcus and Isaac were walking back up Route 202 with Isaac's Piplup sat on Torterra's back. It was playing around the rocks and in the tree and it was amazed it had its own little garden to play in wherever it went. Torterra seemed content with having Piplup on its shell and it lumbered along beside its trainer. Yanmega buzzed on Marcus's shoulder and it watched Piplup with curiosity. The cousins spoke as they walked. "So what kind of Pokemon will Roark use?" Isaac asked Marcus. "He uses different Pokemon for different levels of ability. As an example, he will use higher leveled, evolved Pokemon to battle me and lower leveled Pokemon to battle you. That makes the battle fair and an accurate display of skill which determines whether or not he gives you a badge. As for his specialty, he uses Rock types so choosing Piplup gives you a good chance. I had Turtwig which is also a great option. Arceus help anyone with a Chimchar. If you like I can train you."

Isaac thought for a moment. "OK then, train me." Marcus stopped and dropped his backpack. Torterra sat down next to him. Piplup jumped off its back and into its trainers arms. "First we need to teach you how to battle. Watch this." Yanmega began beating its wings and it flew off towards a patch of grass. It scouted the area then hovered above one small patch. It used Sonic Boom and the grass rustled. A Bidoof jumped out in fright. "Pay attention," Marcus told his cousin. "Yanmega use Ancient Power!" Boulders formed around Yanmega and then flew at the Bidoof. The rocks crushed the Pokemon and when they disappeared, Bidoof had been knocked out. "See what just happened?" "Not really, it all happened so fast." Isaac replied. "OK then, watch this. Come out, Luxray!" Marcus tossed one of his Pokeballs into the air and Luxray leapt out. It crouched on the ground in front of Marcus and Yanmega advanced to face it. "Yanmega use Sonic Boom and Luxray use Swift!" Yanmega produced a wave of energy from its wings which flew at Luxray. Luxray drew its tail in front of it and Stars flew from it back at the Sonic Boom. They collided in midair and both Pokemon backed away from each other. "See now? Battling is an exchange of moves until one Pokemon cannot battle. Now there are other principles such as dodging and move combinations but are you ready to give it a shot?" Isaac sent Piplup out in front of him. "I'm ready, lets go." "Who do you want to battle against?" "Yanmega please." Luxray prowled around Torterra, its glowing eyes focused on a group of Bidoof huddled under a tree. Yanmega hovered in front of Marcus. "You can start Isaac." "OK then, Piplup use Growl!" Piplup shrieked at Yanmega. It was a painfully annoying noise. "Yanmega use Sonic Boom!" Yanmega fired a wave at Piplup, who danced around in panic. "Isaac tell it to dodge." "OK, Piplup dodge!" Piplup face planted into the ground in front of it and the Sonic Boom passed over its head and exploded in the grass behind it, some Starly and Shinx ran from the grass and away from the fight. "Good, now attack," "Piplup use Bubble!" Piplup opened its beak and a single bubble floated out and lazily bobbed towards Yanmega. Yanmega whipped its tail and burst the bubble then hissed at Piplup. "Thats enough for today Isaac. You're learning well but its no good continuing like this as your Pokemon wont gain any experience. You need to battle with trainers of your level and wild Pokemon. That way you develop and learn on your own. I will always be there with you but I made a promise to your mother i'd only assist you and make sure you are safe while traveling. Apart from that its all on you. For the first Gym, watch me battle Roark. That way you can decide if you want to challenge immediately or if you feel like you want to spend some time training Piplup. Its all up to you and I'm willing to help in any way I can." "Thanks Marcus." Isaac hugged his cousin. He was lucky to have people to support him and even luckier to have his experienced cousin with him to guide him and offer wisdom. He couldn't feel happier that he had been given this opportunity.

 

[Vaporeonn]

Oscar was speechless. The amount of books there were in Rowan's Lab was... Overwhelming. He could stay there for days, until he read them all. But, Oscar knew that wasn't everything there was to research, and he was lucky enough to be reminded of that by Rowan himself. The best thing was to explore the region, speak to locals and hear the tales they have to tell, and get as much information first hand. Well, it wasn't exactly first hand, but it was the closest thing to it.

Now, Oscar just stared at the notebook the Professor gave him, and wondered what to do with it. It seemed so special, yet it was an ordinary notebook all around. He flipped through the blank, yellow pages. There was quite an amount in there. Oscar's task now was to fill it up with every single piece of information he came across. That would take some time, but at the same time, it was exciting.

Oscar's Abra was resting, leaned on a near wall. Oscar went to call on her to get going, then laughed. "Come on, Abby. We'll have time to rest soon." He knew that Abra wasn't the most active Pokemon, but if Abby wanted to stay out of the PokeBall, she might as well do more moving than the average Abra. Oscar didn't know where to go next, but decided to backtrack to Jubilife, since he forgot some important things there and wanted to pick them up. There he saw two trainers, which he recognized as some of the kids from the Lab. A boy and a girl. The boy had a Larvitar, and it seemed like the girl just caught a Pokemon. Oscar never saw a Larvitar in real life before, and wanted to see what they were like. He approached the duo hesitantly.

"Hey, could- that's a Larvitar you have there right?" Oscar stumbled over his words a bit, but thought he found stable ground when he continued. "They aren't native to Sinnoh. Where'd you find one?"

---

The boy, now known to Irene as Roman, held his hand out to her. Irene was hesitant, but then shook it, offering the boy a grin. "I'm Irene! And this little guy is Hugo," she said, nodding at Chimchar. He seemed to be getting along with the Turtwig. "Anyway, I was wondering if I could get any information on your Turtwig, since I'm trying to fill out the PokeDex." Irene shook the red PokeDex in her hand.

"And also, since I'm departing on a journey," she continued, placing one hand on her hip. "I wanted to ask if you were going, too. It'd be a drag to go alone, after all." Irene shrugged, as if what she said wasn't a big deal.

 

[PKMN Trainer Sedna]

Phasing out of his focus on the girl he just taught on how to catch a wild pokemon, Derek turned to the boy named Oscar, whom he didn't notice or recognize until he matched his face with the boy in the laboratory. Larvitar turned to face the boy, standing in front of Derek still triumphant over the battle he won against the opposing Shinx. There, the Larvitar stood with a champion look on his face, flexing a couple of muscles in awe.

"Yes, this is a Larvitar. If you have a pokedex, why not enter the information? They aren't native to Sinnoh, but I hale from Johto." Derek said with a wave of two fingers. "The name is Derek!"

Seeing the boy approach was a little flustering for Nancy who was snatched out of her celebration for her first catch quite abruptly as she spun and saw the boy with his pokemon. Oh, boy...

Nancy did the only thing she saw fitting and that was to hide behind Derek, bounding behind him and death gripping the back of his jacket while doing her best to hide her face. However, the flowing blonde hair coming out of her head was a clear giveaway if the quick movement to hide wasn't a dead sign already.

"Wah! A new person!" Nancy whined as she hid behind Derek. Confused as ever, Derek sweatdropped and chuckled nervously.

Clearly, she can't be like this with everyone...

"Nancy, you should really try to talk to new people." Derek muttered as he pulled her away from his back like trying to pull a cat off of a toy. Nancy faught it the whole way and it wasn't until she was standing clear out in the open that she decided to do something about her embarrassed appearance.

Pushing her hat upwards and pressing her two index fingers together over and over, nervously as ever, Nancy lowered her head and spoke softly. "H-Hi...! My name is... N-Nancy!" After she finished speaking, she gulped down a swallow of pure dread and struggled to fight the urge to make a leap of faith behind the back of Derek, who stood with one hand on his hip and other in his pocket. Surely, this boy was getting quite the kick out of her embarrassment.

 

[Vaporeonn]

"Johto? I've read about Johto," Oscar remembered. "Yes, it has rich history. I'd love to visit someday." While Oscar was talking, Abra was slacking off, stealing every moment possible to rest.

"Oh, right! I'm Oscar," he said, forgetting to introduce himself. He offered both a kind smile, but the girl seemed to be intimidated by Oscar. Well, that's a first, he thought. Maybe it had something to do with his height, as he was basically towering them both, but Oscar looked way too awkward to look scary. "There's no need to be shy, really, I-" Oscar tried comforting the girl, but he felt bad to have caused such a reaction.

 

[Blxckwolf]

Professor Dawn and Lucas were relieved the trainers had all left the building, that is until they saw two trainers near the door, almost hesitating to enter.

"Hello, you can come closer." Dawn kindly said, the pair slowly approaching the table. "As you might have heard already, my name is Professor Dawn. Next to me is Professor Lucas." She introduced herself, then pointing at Lucas, who gave the pair of trainers a quick wave.

"I'm afraid that our three starters have been chosen already. But if there's anything else we can help you with, we'd be more than happy to." Lucas continued her work. The pair of Professors worked together like clockwork. It seemed just like yesterday that they stood on the opposite side of the table, and now they were helping young trainers commence their journey into Sinnoh.

~~

Roman smiled down at the Chimchar after he shook Irene's hand, the pair of Pokémon seemingly getting along great. "Oh you're more than welcome to! Can I do the same then?" Roman asked before answering his own question and taking his Pokédex out of his pocket, scanning the Fire-type Pokémon next to Turtwig.

Chimchar, the Chimp Pokémon. It agilely scales sheer cliffs to live atop craggy mountains. Its fire is put out when it sleeps.

The mechanic voice read out the description as he scanned Chimchar, who looked up with a tilted head, almost as if it knew he was the topic.

Roman then remembered Irene's second question. "I will gladly join you, but I have to visit my sister first. You can come, if you want." Roman politely said before making his way further to the lake. When he navigated through the trees, he found his sister training with her Lopunny near the water. They didn't defeat wild Pokémon, but mirrored eachother's movements to train. Roman waited in silence until she finished her current routine, the two perfectly in balance in their stance, slowly swaying from left to right.

 

[Vaporeonn]

Irene was excited that she had a person to go on a journey with. She hoped they would become friends, but for some totally odd reason, none of her friendships ever lasted very long. Maybe Roman would end up being a good friend, Irene thought. She scanned his Turtwig, and found out that if it's thirsty, the leaf on its head wilts. It seemed like the Turtwig was alright, though.

"Yeah, I can come with," Irene said, forgetting about showing Chimchar to her family. She could always do it later. Plus, the road to the lake, and the lake itself, were beautiful, and Irene thought Hugo should see it. It started getting chilly near the lake, so Irene put her jacket on. She wondered what Roman' sister was like. Was she a trainer like them?

Her question was answered soon, as she saw a girl with a Pokemon Irene never saw before. "How cool! What Pokemon is that?" She asked Roman.

 

[DragonFlye]

"Oh no, we're not here about that," Arienne assured. "We'd heard about the recent immigrations of foreign Pokémon from other regions to Sinnoh. We're getting ready to travel and are very interested in learning more about them...but we don't have anything to document the data with."

Cass winced slightly at his sister's rude lack of greeting. Well, it was far too late now, so he'd have to grin and bear it. "Thank you for the offer," he tried instead. "You're very kind."

 

[Blxckwolf]

The pair of Professors were astounded at how direct the two trainers were, and were left stunned for a few seconds. "What're your- So you don't-" Dawn struggled to make full sentences, which obviously amused Lucas, who had already taken two Pokédexes. "There you go. Don't hesitate to show us your progress every once in a while!" He said as he handed the trainers a Pokédex each, leaving Dawn red-faced.

~~

"That's a Lopunny. It evolves through happiness, so she has a very strong bond with it." Roman informed Irene. Selena and Lopunny finished their routine with the two of them attempting a high roundhouse kick, which the Lopunny flawlessly executed, whereas Selena lost her balance and fell to her knees. Again.

Selena hopped back onto her feet and noticed Roman standing near the entrance with another trainer. She grinned at her younger brother, the sight of him with another trainer, specifically a female one, not common for her. "I see you got your Pokémon. Are you leaving for Jubilife today?" She enquired, wiping off the sweat of her forehead with a white towel she wore around her neck.

"We are, yes." Roman replied, looking back at Irene, who still looked impressed with Lopunny. "With a bit of luck we could even make it to Oreburgh City tonight, and face our first Gym Leader." Roman added, full of optimism. He had all the qualities to become a good trainer, but patience was not one of them.

 

[PKMN Trainer Sedna]

"Johto is A pretty cool place!" Derek said as he watched the awkward encounter between Nancy and Oscar, seeing that Nancy had no intentions of sticking around any longer and simply took off towards Jubilife City, not wanting to stick around this area any longer. Besides, She needed to heal her pokemon.

Derek, however, stayed behind.

"I see you have a psychic pokemon. I never see new trainers with those!"

 

[DragonFlye]

"Thank you very much, sir. Ma'am." Cass said with a slight bow. He elbowed Ari in the arm, and after a moment of hesitation, she did the same.

"Smooth," the younger boy remarked with a voice dripping sarcasm as they left the lab through the same doors they had entered through. At her questioning look, he continued. "Those were two of the most respected people in the region. Celebrities, just about. And you couldn't be just a little polite?"

"My life would be so slow and boring if I let you run it for me," Arienne told him with a shake of her head. They headed north out of town without prompt, in sync despite their bickering. "They were busy. I'm not gonna waste their time and mine with casual small-talk. See? I'm bored with this conversation already." She threw him a side-eye. "Hey, speaking of starters, you haven't brought your new Totodile out in awhile. You two are never gonna bond if you keep it cooped up all the time, you know."

Her brother's face twisted for a moment as he suddenly remembered the little blue gremlin. "I guess I could...the little guy could probably use some exercise. I'm taking some precautions, though." He diverged from the path, leaving her waiting, to rummage around in the bushes for a few moments. Finally, he dragged a branch from its spot and stomped on one end to break off a thick, leafless piece about the size of his forearm. It was only after that he took a breath and tossed his only Pokéball into the air.

Totodile came out of the machine in an eager burst of red, looking a bit confused. It lasted only briefly, though, before the small Pokémon made a sound reminiscent of a cackle and snapped its jaws in the trainer's direction. Cass, expecting this move by now, raised the branch with both hands in defense. Totodile wasn't quite strong enough yet to snap the branch, so its teeth clamped the wood to form deep indentations as it threw its head back and forth. Cass realized, with surprise, that it was trying to wrestle the branch from him in a sort-of game of tug.

 

[PKMN Trainer Sedna]

Meanwhile, after Nancy adventured back to Jubilife, she arrived with a broad smile on her face. She didn't know if that smile was more influenced from the escape from communicating with more people she didn't know or if she was glad to be able to finally embark on her adventure. Nancy would, of course, need to attend more time with her Shinx if she even dare challenge any sort of gym leader or anything of the sort. She wanted to challenge Derek and his Larvitar but... that boy showed up.

Still, she had tons of pep in her walk as she walked through the streets of Jubilife.

"Shinx!" Nancy called out with her high pitch and soft voice before grabbing onto her pokeball and throwing it up into the air with force. "Come on out!"

In an explosion of light, her electric pokemon appeared before her, standing and staring back up at her with curious eyes. Last time the Shinx was outside of a pokeball, it was being attacked by a Larvitar under the ownership of a totally different trainer and now, it was controlled by some girl? Still, she seemed to look at him with adoration so the Shinx was way more than happy to come along with Nancy as she scooped up her electric pokemon.

 

[Vaporeonn]

"Oh. Well, I wouldn't call myself a trainer," Oscar said. He wanted to make it clear he didn't battle other Pokemon with his Abra. "Abby is more like my assistant. A very lazy assistant," he said, making sure his Abra knew that he noticed her slacking, again.

"But, yeah, Psychic types can be useful when you're in a library jam-packed with books, and need help sorting them out," Oscar said. "And it gets lonely when you're on a journey as long as mine, so Abby keeps me good company, too."

Oscar noticed the girl's absence. "Are you sure your friend will be okay? She seems very timid around new people, and Jubilife is quite lively..."

---

Although seemingly clumsy, Irene thought Roman's sister was amazing. She knew some Pokemon evolved when happy enough, but heard it was tough. To be able to do so meant Roman's sister was a great trainer. No wonder Roman wanted to take on the first gym today, Irene thought. He must've gotten that spirit from his sister.

The Gym. Irene hadn't given that enough thought. But, the sight of the Lopunny and the trainer sparked something up in her. She wanted to be an equally good trainer, and have the same bond with her Pokemon. Irene looked over at Hugo, and saw that the Chimchar was equally as impressed by the duo. Maybe she could take on the Gyms and complete the PokeDex. That seemed even more challenging, but Irene was ready for it. But, not in the first day.

"Are you sure we'd be able to get there in one day?" Irene asked. It wasn't a short stroll, if she remembered correctly. That reminded her of what she came to do. She facepalmed.

"I have to let my parents know where I'm going, too. I'll be back shortly." She turned to Roman. "Wait for me at the entrance to Twinleaf if I'm not here soon. Bye!" And with a wave, Irene and Hugo were off to Twinleaf.

 

[Blxckwolf]

Roman nodded in agreement, waving off Irene and her Chimchar. He stayed behind near the lake, scouting the area for Pokémon. until he heard a rustle in the tall grass. Roman held his Pokédex out, aiming it towards the hidden Pokémon which was bound to jump out any second. Turtwig stood firmly on its feet, readying itself for a battle, when a wild Starly joyfully hopped out of the grass.

Roman held up his Pokédex and scanned the wild Pokémon.

Starly, the Starling Pokémon. Usually with a large flock, it is barely noticeable when alone. Its cries are very strident.

The mechanical voice read out the description of the wild Starly, which startled the lone Pokémon. It let out a high-pitched growl, which prompted three other Starly's to jump out of the grass and start flying around Roman's head. He stood rooted to the spot, uncertain of what to do. He knew Turtwig had a type disadvantage against it, and much more so against four of them.

"Lopunny, Jump Kick!" a voice shouted from behind him. In a flash, the Lopunny leaped over his head, striking one of the Starly's in mid air and dropping it to the ground, which caused the others to flee. Lopunny stood over the Starly proudly, as Selena ran up to Roman. "Are you okay?" She asked Roman, who was visibly shaken up by the whole ordeal.

"I was, until your Lopunny nearly kicked my head off." He retaliated. He approached the Starly, which had taken a lot of damage from the attack. Turtwig looked up at Roman with worried eyes, the poor Starly unable to fly away. "Hand me a Pokéball, will you." Roman commanded his sister, the only solution to help the poor Pokémon being to catch it and bring it to a Pokémon center.

He pressed the button of the Pokéball against Starly's head, catching the Pokémon with a bright red beam. One. Two. Three.

The ball jiggled three times, and then clicked, successfully capturing his first Pokémon.

 

[Vaporeonn]

Luckily, Twinleaf was near the lake, so Irene didn't have to walk too far. Upon entering, she saw some young children stare at her Chimchar, though he didn't seem to notice them. One of the kids ran up to Irene, asking if she could pet Hugo. "Pet him? Sure," Irene said.

"Awww, he's so cute," the girl said, petting a startled Hugo. Irene chuckled. She didn't pick a Chimchar because it was cute, but, she had to admit that he was. As much as it's final evolution looked tough and scary, Chimchar was a tiny furball.

When Irene got home, her parents called Hugo cute too. Wait until I evolve him, Irene thought. Hugo seemed to dislike all of the petting, and Irene noted that. She'll keep her hands to herself from now on. Irene looked at the time, and saw that she was already home for twenty minutes. She didn't want to keep Roman waiting for too long.

The talk about her journey went relatively well. Her father was worried, but her mother insisted that, since she was sixteen and had someone to travel with, Irene would be fine. It took some more negotiating for her father to finally approve of it, but then, Irene couldn't be happier. She wanted to say bye to her baby brother, too, but he was asleep, so she couldn't wake him up just to say something he didn't understand.
"Make sure to call!" Her mother instructed when Irene was off to leave.

"Yeah, yeah," she said as she walked away from her house. Hugo followed right behind her. He grew quite fond of Irene, since she didn't show affection the way other people did. The Chimchar didn't enjoy cuddles, and he was glad that his trainer understood that. And so, Hugo and Irene both got to the meeting place, but didn't see a trace of Roman, or his Turtwig.

"Maybe they're still at the lake," Irene said. "Let's go see?" She told Hugo, and he nodded in response.

 

[PKMN Trainer Sedna]

Derek raised an eyebrow and brought a hand behind his neck. "Library? Woah, you're not a pokemon trainer?" He said, still surprised that this guy wasn't a trainer but had a pretty rare psychic pokemon as his partner. Maybe he was a researcher like Dawn and Lucas?

"As for Nancy... I haven't known her very long but she seems to be very afraid of new people. Don't take it personally~" Derek responded again with a chuckle. "I think she ran all the way home. Who knows? I'll find out the next time I'm in Jubilife City which should be later if not, tomorrow."

 

[Vaporeonn]

"Yeah", Oscar said. "I'm a researcher, in a way. I'm gathering all the knowledge about Sinnoh history, at an attempt to collect to all into one work." He fiddled with the notebook Rowan gave him in his hands. Abby was still leaned on a nearby tree.

"As for Jubilife, if you're going in that direction, I'd be happy to keep you company. I'm heading that way myself," Oscar said. He saw some Shinx run towards Abby, curious about what she was. Like the prankster she was, the Abra teleported away from them, now near her trainer, and left the Shinx confused. Oscar chuckled at the sight.

 

[Blxckwolf]

Roman rushed over to Twinleaf, hurrying his way with his new Pokémon in his hand. Halfway there he encountered Irene, and remembered his rendez-vous with her. "We need. To go to. A Pokémon Center." He said between deep breaths, exhausted from the run. He saw the confused look on Irene's face, and decided to explain later.

Together they made there way back to Sandgem Town, finally reaching the Pokémon Center. When Roman gave his Pokéball to Nurse Joy, he sat down in the lobby of the Center and explained the hurry.

"I was attacked by a flock of Starly. My sister used Lopunny to scare them off, but she hurt one of them. So I caught it." Roman summarised the story. Just a few moments later Nurse Joy returned with the Pokéball on a tray, and wished the pair a good day.

Once outside, Roman threw the Pokéball in the air and released his Starly, which sang cheerfully and flapped its wings, before landing on Roman's shoulder and softly pecking at his neck.

 

[Vaporeonn]

Irene had so much to ask. What happened? Why did Roman need to get to a Pokemon Center so quickly? Without time to ask, though, she ran behind Roman, until they reached Sandgem. He seemed very worried, and Irene hoped he let her know why. She looked over at Hugo, who seemed to have good enough stamina and speed to endure the run.

Soon, the boy explained the situation. He had to rush to heal a hurt Starly. Now she understood it. Irene would have probably done the same. Poor Roman looked exhausted from all that running, and Irene was struggling to catch her breath, too. The break they had while they waited for the Starly to heal up was enough for them to rest, though.

After the Starly for better, the duo walked out of the Center. "So, are we heading towards the next town now?" Irene asked.

 

[Tyler Oak]

Marcus had lead Isaac past Jubilife and onto Route 203. They were approaching the base of Mt. Coronet. On the other side was Oreburgh City. Marcus had kept an eye out for Trainers for Isaac and Piplup to battle but the only one they had found had been a Trainer with a Staravia at the end of Route 202. Apart from that the Route was seemingly empty. Marcus turned to his cousin. "Do you feel like you want to train against any wild Pokemon?" "I'd like to watch your Gym battle first. Then I'll decide." The pair climbed a set of stairs in sight of an ominous cave. It was a short cave but dark and gloomy nonetheless. Zubat could be heard shrieking inside. "Go, Luxray," Luxray sprung from its ball and prowled into the cave. The cousins watched as the cave lit up with electricity along with Luxray's mighty roar. The Pokemon then turned to them and beckoned for them to enter. They did and walked through the cave with minimal effort, Zubat lay around hissing them with smoke rising from their bodies. They exited the cave and gazed down at Oreburgh City. It was a typical mining town with houses for the workers and an excavation site. Smoke was rising from the chimneys and Starly were circling it causing the smoke to take on different shapes. They walked down the hill and arrived at the Gym. "Ready?" Marcus asked. "Of course! Lets do this!" Isaac replied. They walked in.

--

The room was dark when they entered. They looked around, the room lead upwards, like a cliff. Fitting for a rock type gym. They ascended the stairs to the first level and the lights flashed on. "Greetings Challengers, welcome to the Oreburgh City Gym!" The man greeting them had dark red hair and wore workers attire and a miners helmet. His glasses glinted as he raised his head. "I am Roark, the Gym leader." Isaac greeted him, "Hi Roark, my name is Isaac and this is my cousin Marcus." Marcus raised his head to acknowledge his name. "Ah, a past challenger. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Marcus walked up to Roark and handed him a letter. Roark read over the letter before turning back to face Marcus. "Very well I accept your proposal. Which of you will battle first?" Isaac pointed to his cousin "I've never battled properly before so Marcus offered to show me how its done." "Come this way," Roark said as he gestured for them to follow him. At the top of the set of stairs was a large battlefield Roark walked across and a man appeared from a door, standing at a podium near on the edge of the field. Isaac watched him as he took a seat in the stands, the man spread his hands as if to make an important announcement. "The Oreburgh City Gym Battle between the Leader Roark and the Challenger Marcus is about to begin. Each side may use three Pokemon and the battle is over when all of either sides Pokemon are defeated. Let the battle begin!" Roark lifted a Pokeball in his hand and threw it into the air, "Go, Tyranitar!" The Pokeball burst open and Tyranitar crashed to the ground, shrieking out and whipping up a Sand Storm in the arena. Marcus tossed his own Pokeball out, "Torterra, I choose you!" Torterra landed in front of Marcus and roared at the Tyranitar. "You may have the first move," Roark told Marcus. "Torterra use Seed Bomb!" Marcus commanded. Torterra launched a series of explosives at Tyranitar, causing it to drop to one knee. "Tyranitar use Fire Fang!" Tyranitar glanced up at Torterra, a ferocious glint in its eye and reared back, engulfing its mouth in flames before biting Torterra's shell. It lifted it up and shook it before sending it flying back towards Marcus. Torterra was injured yet it stood up shaking, giving Tyranitar a determined look. "Use Earthquake!" Torterra glowed yellow and leant back before slamming down on the ground sending tremors throughout the arena. They struck Tyranitar and this time, when it fell, it did not rise again. "Tyranitar is unable to battle, the winner is Torterra." As Roark recalled his Pokemon, Marcus congratulated his Pokemon over its victory. Isaac watched with wonder, so this is what battling is really like, he thought to himself. Roark called out his second Pokemon, "Golem, I choose you!" Golem grunted and stared at its opponent. "Torterra, use Seed Bomb!" Torterra once again launched green spheres into the air. "Dodge and use Stone Edge!" Golem rolled effortlessly to the side before punching the ground, sending shards of stone up at Torterra, they struck in and launched it into the air before crashing down in a cloud of dust. "Torterra is unable to battle, the winner is Golem." Marcus recalled Torterra, you tried your hardest, he whispered to it. "Drapion, I choose you!" Drapion scuttled from its Pokeball onto the arena, it bared its fangs at Golem and made its body bigger to intimidate it. "Drapion use Iron Tail!" Drapion flicked its tail and coated it in a silver substance before swinging it at Golem, it struck its side and send it flying into the wall of the arena. Golem rolled back in front of Roark and faced off against Drapion, "Use Stone Edge!" Golem sent pillars of stone erupting from beneath Drapion. It lowered its head before roaring upwards and glaring back down at Golem. "Finish it with Brick Break!" Drapion snapped its pincers and they began to glow. It ran at Golem and brought its arms down on Golems back. A crack sounded throughout the arena and as the dust settled, Golem was down and out. "Golem is unable to battle, the winner is Drapion." Roark smiled as he sent out his last Pokemon. "Your battle ends here, go Rampardos!" Rampardos emerged from its ball, snorting and shuddering. It began pawing the ground in anticipation. "Drapion use Cross Poison!" Marcus commanded, "Rampardos counter with Zen Headbutt!" The Pokemon clashed center stage, despite Zen Headbutt having no effect on Drapion, its stopped its Cross Poison right in its tracks. "Now use Earthquake!" Rampardos slammed its head into the ground, sending out a shockwave that tore across Drapion. It shook and collapsed in a heap on the ground. "Drapion is unable to battle, the winner is Rampardos." Rampardos snorted and glared at Marcus. Isaac watched with eagerness, who would his cousin choose last and would he be able to win? "Come on out, Electivire!" The Pokeball burst open and Electivire appeared, crouched on the floor. Electricity began to surge from its body as it rose up and roared. Its eyes blazed with anger and it turned to Marcus, tense with rage. "Electivire please, beat me up later. Just focus on taking out Rampardos." Marcus pleaded with his Pokemon. Electivire glanced over its shoulder at Rampardos, which was sneering at it. Electivire snorted back and rubbed its hands together, walking back onto the arena to face Rampardos. "Electivire, use Ice Punch!" Electivire leapt onto the side of the stands and then jumped at Rampardos, its fist blazing with fire. It unleashed a series of punches before leaping back to a safe distance. Fire wasn't very effective against a rock type like Rampardos, but when it stood up again its face displayed one emotion, pure rage. "Rampardos use Avalanche!" Rampardos roared and an avalanche cascaded from the ceiling above Electivire. It brushed it off and jumped towards its foe. "Use Ice Punch Electivire!" Marcus commanded, but once again his Pokemon refused to obey, slamming its Thunder Punch into Rampardos's head. It then turned one fist to Ice and the other remained Electric and pummeled Rampardos until it couldn't bear the pain any more. It then raised Rampardos above its head and charged up a Thunderbolt. It arched back, its body screaming with voltage and zapped Rampardos, causing it to cry out in pain. It then dropped to the floor and Electivire sneered over it. "Rampardos is unable to battle, the winner is Electivire and the victor of the match is Marcus." Marcus called back his Pokemon the second the referee had finished his sentence. Isaac's thoughts were running wild, what had happened with Electivire, was Rampardos OK, was any of that legal? One thought remained prominent, if every battle was like the one he had just witnessed, this journey would be the greatest adventure of his life. Marcus approached Roark and he handed him something. Then Marcus and Roark signalled to Isaac, his battle was about to begin...

 

[DragonFlye]

Cass, still wrestling the Totodile for the branch that was now scarred with vicious teeth marks, looked up as he heard the odd sound of a machine booting up. His confusion turned to mild irritation when he saw Arienne beaming and messing with her brand new Pokédex. Really? That's what she had wanted from this? His thoughts were interrupted by a feminine voice.

"Totodile: the Big Jaw Pokémon. It has the habit of biting anything with its developed jaws. Even its Trainer needs to be careful."

Cass raised his eyebrows. "Huh. If that isn't brand new information."

"At least you know it's not personal," Ari pointed out. Cass shrugged and returned his attention to the small Pokémon. He let go of the branch, and Totodile fell on its rear, looking puzzled for a moment before waving its little legs in joy at having won.

"Hey, little guy," Cass said suddenly. "How'd you like to try some sparring? I'm sure Ari's 'little angel' wouldn't mind being thrown around a little."

Arienne finally looked up from her Pokédex, eyes narrowed. "Excuse me? You think that tiny anklebiter could throw my Chatot around? Ha!"

Cass snickered at the older girl's scrappiness as she retrieved the Pokéball from her hip and tossed it into the air. The colorful Flying-type appeared mid-flight with a squawk, and once its eyes landed on its trainer's brother, its eyes narrowed.

Yeah, I don't like you either, Cass thought with ire. The bird took after his sister in their haughtiness, which was possibly why he'd never gotten along with it. Besides, the thing just gave him a weird feeling, especially when it talked. "Totodile, you ready?"

 

[Blxckwolf]

Roman captured the Starly back in its Pokéball, and put it away in his backpack. "That's right, we're going to Jubilife City!" Roman excitedly said, leading the way for the two trainers.

When they reached the beginning of Route 202, there was another pair of trainers getting ready to battle. Roman didn't want to interrupt, but he couldn't help but wonder what Pokémon that was in front of him. "I've never seen that before." He quietly said to himself, Turtwig sharing his ignorance and staring at the Totodile in front of him. He took out the Pokédex, and scanned the Pokémon, covering the speakers of the Pokédex to prevent the trainers from being startled by it.

Totodile, the Big Jaw Pokémon. It has the habit of biting anything with its developed jaws. Even its Trainer needs to be careful.

The mechanical voice was muffled, but still provided Roman with the information he wanted. "A Pokémon from the Johto region? That's rare." He remarked to himself. He looked over at Irene to see her reaction, which was similar to his. He had heard that there were Pokémon in the region that weren't indigenous to this region, but Johto Pokémon were very uncommon.

Together, Roman and Irene decided to wait and approach the trainers after their battle.

 

[Vaporeonn]

Irene followed Roman to Jubilife. He seemed to know the area better than her, even though she travelled Sinnoh up and down. But, Irene was more familiar with the cities - routes, not so much. The boy also seemed confident, so Irene was alright with following him around this time. Suddenly, they came across two trainers, around their age, battling with two odd looking Pokemon. The first, a blue one, Irene found out was a Totodile, while she had to she her PokeDex to find out that the other was called a Chatot. She was surprised to see that the later was from Sinnoh, since she never encountered one before.

Together with Roman, she waited until the pair finished battling.

 

[DragonFlye]

"Ouch," Cass winced as Totodile was struck by yet another Peck attack. It appeared that Totodile didn't know any Water-type moves yet, so the most damage they could do was with its sharp claws. However, one thing he'd failed to consider was that even though Arienne hadn't done a lot of competitive battling yet, her Pokémon was still slightly more experienced and had the advantage of flight, able to stay just out of reach while teasing its opponent with its insufferable cawing. In all honesty, it kind of reminded him of his own childhood. Regardless, while he and Totodile hadn't gotten off to a great start, they'd still had a moment back there, and watching the little guy get dive-bombed by his sister's demonic Chatot was just too much.

"All right, I think that's enough," he called finally, and Arienne pouted. "Come on, Totodile, I think we've gotta do a little more training before we take on those two."

The tiny crocodilian Pokémon retreated back to stand behind its trainer's legs, startling the boy. Totodile seemed too tired to bite, though, simply hugging Cass's left leg. Meanwhile, Chatot landed happily on its trainer's outstretched arm, and Arienne gave it a scratch on the underside of its beak. The break didn't last long, however, interrupted by Chatot's cry of "those two! Those two!" in an obnoxious imitation of Cass's earlier words. The two siblings looked over to what the Flying-type was fussing at, and saw a pair of trainers waiting in the path.

Cass flushed, a bit embarrassed that not only were they taking up a huge section of the path, but the two had also probably been standing there while they'd essentially gotten their tails handed to them. After a moment of consideration, however, he realized that at least one of them looked somewhat familiar, as though he'd seen them in passing. "Hey! Weren't you guys at Sandgem Lab earlier?" He asked, finally placing both of their faces.

 

[Blxckwolf]

Roman almost felt betrayed by the Flying-type, who so rudely gave away Roman and Irene's position. He attempted turning his head and evading Cass' brief look, but failed and made eye contact with the trainer. Upon being caught, and Cass' question, he had no choice but to talk to him.

Roman held out his hand to the approaching trainer, offering him a handshake. "Indeed we were. The name's Roman." He introduced himself. "This little guy is called Twigs." Roman added, looking down at the Turtwig between his feet. Turtwig was trying to catch a glimpse of the Totodile, who was shyly hiding behind Cass' leg.

"Where did you get that Pokémon?" Roman curiosly asked the trainer. Even though Johto Pokémon were becoming more common in the region, starter Pokémon were still very rare, and Roman knew there was practically no way he caught that particular Pokémon here.