A/N: So about seven years ago, I wrote a story similar to this one and then rewrote it a few years ago. The plot was all over the place, so I decided to start again from scratch. Let's see how well it goes!

The Arrival

- Welcome to Pewter City

Logan Martin sighed in relief as he read the sign. After days of trekking through Viridian Forest, he had finally arrived in Pewter City. Shaking the sweat, twigs, and leaves out of his bushy dark hair, the fourteen-year old reached for his waistband and retrieved a poké ball.

"Alright, Mawile," the boy called out as he tossed the ball in the air. "Come out and enjoy the view."

The moment she had been freed, the small pokémon began running in circles around Logan's feet. Unlike her trainer, the days spent in the forest had not drained any of her energy. In fact, she seemed even more energetic than she had been before they had left Viridian City. Logan decided to let her run around for a few more seconds before picking her up in his arms.

"Maaaa!" she pouted as she stared into the light brown eyes of her trainer.

"Hey, you can run around all you want as soon as we get something to eat," he said clearly. "Come on, climb on my back."

Mawile quickly made her way onto Logan's shoulders. Pulling a skateboard out from his large bag and setting it firmly on the ground, Logan thought about wearing his helmet. His older sisters would often reprimand him for not being safe whenever he and his pokémon participated in any kind of sport and he would usually ignore them...until he came home with bumps, bruises, and scrapes. He knew they were in the right, but being told what to do all the time exasperated him.

"The twins aren't here now though..." Logan said to himself with a smile. "But knowing them, they probably have little spies all over Kanto."

His mind drifted to the expedition that he would be attending for the next several years. The Louhearst Expedition was its name and both his parents and older sisters had gone on several. The group had originally traveled all over Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh and spent each year in one of those four regions. They would spend about a month or so at one city or town before moving on to the next one, but would specifically focus on the important landmarks in each area. Logan would often hear stories about the expedition from his sisters when they were at home during the summer. From what he had gathered, the expedition seemed like it would be a fresh start for him. To make it better, the expedition was expanding to Unova, Kalos, and Alola as well. The last one particularly excited Logan since he had family in Alola that he had not visited for some time.

"Alright, Mawile, let's find a restaurant!" he said eagerly as he hopped on the skateboard and began speeding down the sidewalk. He resisted the urge to show off some tricks to the little kids and the older girls that he had passed by and managed to find a small restaurant a few minutes later.

The restaurant itself was a small stone building, like many other constructions in Pewter City. It had a serene feel to it and Logan instantly relaxed upon finding an empty booth. He quickly began placing his bags and his skateboard on the seat and had instructed Mawile to keep an eye on their belongings while he went to get them some food.

"Welcome!" the cashier greeted as Logan approached the counter. "May I help you?"

"Yeah," Logan replied. "Can I get two tofu dogs and two small fries."

"Coming right up," the cashier said, staring at Logan for a moment. "Haven't I seen you somewhere before? You look really familiar..."

Logan's eyes widened, but he quickly regained his composure and shook his head.

"I uh…get that a lot..."

The cashier simply shrugged her shoulders and dropped the subject. After receiving his food, Logan immediately made his way back to his seat. Mawile had started jumping up and down and it was obvious that she was getting restless. Logan picked her up and tossed her in the air a few times until she was content. Once they began eating, Logan remembered that he had promised the twins that he would call them the moment he arrived in Pewter City. Pulling out his phone, he called home and waited for an answer.

"It took you long enough to call!"

"Calm down, Coco."

"I'm Riri! Get it right, brat!"

"Yeah, it's definitely you. So, is there someone more pleasant that I can talk with? Like Coco or Mom...or anyone else on the planet?"

"Watch it, baby bro. That mouth of yours will end up getting you in trouble at the Louhearst Expedition. You never know what kind of characters you'll end up running into. It'll make what happened to you at the Pokémon League look like nothing..."

"Thanks, for bringing that up...again. You know, it would be nice if I could go a day without someone mentioning it. Even the cashier at this restaurant almost recognized me. Look, just tell Mom and Coco that I'm in Pewter and that I'll call when I get to the hotel."

"Alright, love ya, bye..."

Logan hung up the phone and continued eating. Pewter City's tofu was surprisingly delicious to the point where he believed it could even rival Viridian's. He would have to keep that in mind whenever he visited the city in the future. When he finally finished his food, Logan noticed Mawile gazing happily at him. She had long since finished her own food and was waiting for her trainer to give notice to her, most likely to give her permission to cut loose.

"Let's make a promise, Mawile," he told her instead.

"Maaawile?" She cocked her head.

"We should make these next few years on the expedition the best years of our lives. What do you think?"

Mawile smiled and began jumping up and down. Logan took her reaction as a definite yes and smiled in satisfaction. There were a few more errands he needed to run before heading to the bus station that would take him to the hotel where the Louhearst Expedition would be meeting up. Wanting to get the errands over as soon as possible, Logan recalled Mawile to her poké ball and wondered what he should do first on his list. He sniffed himself and almost gagged on the smell. The decision was made immediately.

"Time to find a shower..."

"Mr. Clarke, we have arrived in Pewter City..."

Shane Clarke opened his eyes and sat up in the back seat of the luxury car that he was currently riding in. He had momentarily slipped into a light daze after Sableye had curled up next to him. Fixing his dark blond hair, the young man cleared his throat and prepared to give his orders to his driver.

"Milton, send word to my father..."

"Yes sir!" the driver replied earnestly. "I am also pleased to inform you that your mother has sent you a gift. We received it before we left Celadon, but Mrs. Clarke was adamant about not revealing it to you until we reached our destination."

A small black box was carefully pushed through the partition window and Sableye swiped it with interest. A quick but stern look from his trainer made the pokémon hand over the present without hesitation.

"A gift from Mother?" Shane questioned as he examined the box. "Wonder what it could be? Hopefully it's something that will allow me to survive in this dreadful city..."

He opened the box and saw an expensive looking black and green tracksuit folded neatly inside. It did not look half bad to him and he figured he should wear it, if only to show his appreciation for his mother and promote her clothing brand. He would certainly make sure all his friends did the same. Underneath the tracksuit was a small note and Shane could recognize the smell of her expensive perfume on it. He opened it and skimmed the letter that was inside.

Dear Shane,

I know your father and I gave you plenty of gifts before you left home, but here is something just from me. I'm sure it will help you when you're out in the wilderness. I hope you like it and I hope you have fun on the Louhearst Expedition. Just remember that not everyone you meet there will be as civilized and sophisticated as we are, but I am positive that your father has spoken with you about that already. He wants you to know that you're representing the family name while you are on the expedition, so be sure to remember that. Take care, darling.

Love,

Mommy

Shane rolled his eyes and stuffed the letter in his back pocket. He loved his mother, but she could be entirely too doting at times. However, his feelings about his father were a bit different. Shane's father was the type of man that he could only hope to be like when he grew up – or at least that was what he believed when he was younger. As he got older, Shane became more determined to surpass his father and ultimately carve out his own name and legacy. Despite what he thought of the expedition itself, Shane believed that it was really the best place for him to accomplish that task.

"Milton," he called out. "I'm starving and I'm quite sure Sableye is as well. Find a restaurant for us to eat. I have to meet my friends so we need to be quick about it. They should be arriving in Pewter shortly..."

Shane relaxed a bit and let his mind wander as he passed by the sights in the stone city. Truthfully, it wasn't too bad even if it was old-fashioned, but the fact that he would have to live in Pewter for at least a month was not very appealing. At least he would have his friends to be miserable with.

"Saaaa..." Sableye suddenly hissed distastefully as he glanced out of the window.

Shane shifted his attention to the view outside to see what Sableye found troubling. Outside were a few beginning trainers walking down the sidewalk with their garden variety pokémon, nothing of real interest to the teenager. The dull stone buildings did not help matters. Just when Shane was about to let the window up, he saw a person exit a restaurant and speed through the sidewalk on a skateboard. His eyes only caught a glimpse of the skater's mawile clinging on to the back of a mass of bushy brown hair, but Shane could quickly deduce that the trainer was not one of the locals. While he was slightly interested, Sableye seemed more irritated than anything. However, Shane simply assumed that he was just throwing a fit about not being around the gems that were abundant back home at Clarke Mansion.

"Calm down," Shane ordered. "Yes, this place is...not what we're used to, but we'll make it. Deal with it..."

Sableye huffed for a second as he settled down. Shane, however, seemed to be suspicious of his own words. He did not know what the future held regarding the expedition. If there was one thing he did know, it was that he was going to take it by the reigns and that everyone would remember Shane Clarke.

After taking a shower, putting on fresh clothes, and shopping for some last-minute supplies, Logan found himself at the Pewter City bus station. He found it easier to keep Mawile inside her poké ball while he ran his errands and decided that it would be best to let her out after he arrived at the hotel where the Louhearst Expedition would be meeting.

"Hmm..." Logan said to himself as he noticed the bulletin board by the entrance. "What's going on in Pewter City?"

"Challenge Brock, the Rock-Solid gym leader, today!" - Pewter Gym

"Try our new fire blast sauce! It'll put a blaze in your kick!" - Cinna Burgers

"We will help you find the love of your life!" - Luvdisc Dating Services

Most of the posts were either silly or of little interest, but there was one that caught Logan's eye. It did not contain any catchy phrases or goofy pictures to draw people, just a simple white paper with black letters typed on it.

"Salvage your soul, destroy your hindrances, and enter a brand-new world..."

The fact that the post did not have a signature at the end made it stand out even more. Logan wondered what it meant and thought of his mother as he tried to interpret the post. She was the one who always told him to think outside of the box if he was struggling to figure something out. After a few moments of thinking, he still could not find anything that was actually significant in the post, but it still made him curious.

"What does that even mean? Ugh, this city..."

Logan turned his head in the direction of the voice. He had not noticed that there was someone standing a few feet from him, reading the exact same sign. It was a boy who appeared to be about his age with grayish-blue eyes and neatly kept dark blond hair. His skin was fair and he was slightly taller than Logan with a noticeably athletic build. However, it was the boy's clothes that really made him stand out. His shirt, pants, shoes, and jacket came from a brand that was widely known to be extremely pricy. Logan estimated that the shoes themselves were probably more expensive than the rest of his outfit combined. The boy turned to face him, staring for a moment before deciding to speak.

"Have I seen you before?" he asked curiously. "You look vaguely familiar..."

"Um..." Logan started, already certain what the young man was referring to. "I-"

"That's right," the boy interrupted. "You're the skater that I saw leaving that restaurant earlier. I don't blame you. I just finished eating and I can tell you firsthand that the food here is as dull as the rest of the city. My driver was such a toady that I just couldn't take it anymore and decided to come here to wait on my friends. Otherwise, I wouldn't have stepped out of the car. You clearly stand out though. I can already tell that you're not from here."

Logan nodded his head, slightly unsure of what to make of the boy engaging him in conversation.

"I'm from Viridian City. I'm here because I'm going on the Louhearst Expedition and Pewter City is where everyone's meeting up."

"I figured that much," the boy replied as he extended a hand. "I'm going on the Louhearst Expedition as well. My name is Shane Clarke."

"Logan Martin," Logan said as he shook his hand. "Wait a minute...no way. This might be a weird question, but are you related to Samuel Clarke? You look just like him, it can't be a coincidence."

Shane nodded his head. "He's my father."

"Dude, do you know who your dad is?!" Logan said excitedly. "He's one of the richest and most well-known pokémon trainers in the world. Probably the second most famous Samuel after Professor Oak. I swear, your dad and Gyarados are almost unbeatable as a team."

"He doesn't do much battling anymore," Shane explained. "He focuses more on the business aspect of being a trainer. He has people under him who do all the battling now. As for me, I'd prefer to do the battling myself, but you just can't tell him anything."

Logan focused on the logo on Shane's jacket. It had the letters 'L' and 'C' in Old English with an image of Milotic coiling around it. "I just realized it! If Samuel Clarke is your dad then that means that your mom is Laurina Clarke the designer, right?"

"Correct again, Martin," Shane answered. "Laurina Clarke is my mother. Her clothing brand is top of the line stuff. I'm sure you've purchased some of her material."

"Well, I have a few shirts that my parents got me," Logan said. "But not a whole closet full. No offense, but your mom's stuff is kind of pricy."

"None taken. In fact, I take it as a compliment. My mother wouldn't want just any run-of-the-mill trainer wearing her clothes. It's designed for the best after all. My girlfriend actually called me while I was at the restaurant and told me about the kind of kids she saw on the plane. From the way she described them, they must make the Pewter City residents look like royalty."

Shane let out a laugh, but Logan did not know exactly what to do. He was half certain that Shane was just joking, but the other boy's tone did not suggest it entirely, making Logan feel a bit uncertain of what to think.

"Hey, tourists!"

The two teenagers looked over to see who had called them out. The two twin boys approached them seemed to be about a year or two younger. They were virtually identical even down to clothing. The only difference was that one had an orange hat on while the other wore a purple one.

"Can we help you?" Shane asked dismissively.

"Yeah!" the twin with the orange hat shouted as he pointed at Shane. "You think we haven't been listening to you dissing our hometown?!"

"Your point?" Shane asked with a shrug.

"W-well, it's not like we're gonna let you get away with it!" Orange Hat said.

"Hey, bro," the twin in the purple hat interjected as he locked eyes with Logan. "Isn't this guy the kid who-"

"Listen," Shane interrupted. "I suggest you Pewter boys head on home before you get embarrassed in front of all these people."

"What's wrong?" Orange Hat taunted. "Too scared to battle us?"

"You wish," Shane said.

"Two-on-two?" Purple Hat suggested.

Logan glanced at Shane who seem to be pondering over if he wanted to accept the challenge or not. He did not seem to register the fact that his condescending remarks about Pewter City were responsible for this situation. There was also the strong possibility that Shane just did not care.

While he had enjoyed battling in the past, Logan had been reluctant to participate ever since his humiliating loss at the Pokémon League. However, he knew the only way to move past it was to start winning battles again.

"I'm up for it," Logan decided. "You in, Clarke?"

"Fine," Shane said with a sigh. "It'll at least be something to past the time…"

A/N: Will this unlikely alliance emerge victorious in their double battle? Two different personalities, but hey, anything can happen. Stay on the lookout for the next chapter!