As The Journey Continues
"Pika Pi! Pika Pi! Pika-"
A young boy slowly opened his eyes and lazily shut off his alarm clock. His parents had given him that stupid Pikachu clock for his eighth birthday. He hated it, but still kept it because he knew his parents had put a lot of thought into it. And that thought was probably "What can we do to torture our son the most?"
Wait… Birthdays… That's right! It was his birthday today! Today he was turning ten years old! "Yes!" He shouted, fully awake now with excitement. "I can finally become a Pokemon trainer!" He leapt out of bed and hurried to get dressed, then ran downstairs.
"Hey, son, where are you going so fast?" His dad asked, reading the news as the boy ran through the kitchen.
"Yeah. You don't want to miss your birthday breakfast, do you?" His mom asked, putting the last of a stack of chocolate chip pancakes on a plate.
"Sorry. Can't wait! Gotta get to the lab! Love you guys! Bye!" The boy said hastily as he ran out the door. His parents sighed. He was always so excitable.
The boy ran as fast as his feet could carry him. Thank Arceus for those Running Shoes his parents had given him earlier. He finally got to the Pokemon Lab. "Professor Oak! Professor Oak! Am I late?"
"Nope. Right on time." Professor Oak said. "And I keep telling you: you can just call me Gary."
"Sorry, Profess- Uh, Gary." The boy said. "So, what Pokemon am I getting? A Bulbasaur? Charmander? Squirtle?"
"Actually," Gary said, "I had something else in mind for you." He went over to a table and picked up a Pokeball. "My research partner told me you said you wanted to become the strongest trainer in all of Kanto. That's why I decided to give you what I think is the strongest Pokemon in all of Kanto. Eevee, come on out!" He threw the Pokeball and out of it popped an Eevee, which landed in the boy's arms.
"Eevee!" The Eevee said happily, snuggling up to the boy.
"I love it! Thanks, Professor!" The boy looked at his new partner and smiled. "We're gonna enter the Pokemon League," he said to Eevee, "and we're gonna win! Because we're partners now, Eevee! So, are you ready?"
"Eevee!" The Eevee said excitedly.
Gary smiled. "I have some stones with me now in case you want to evolve it." He said. "That's what makes Eevee so powerful: all the possibilities that come with it. So, what do you want? A Jolteon? Flareon? Vaporeon?"
The boy looked down at his new Eevee and smiled. "I don't want any of those." He said. "I like him just the way he is."
Gary shrugged. "Suit yourself. Good luck on your journey."
"Thanks, Professor!" The boy said as he ran out of the lab. "Just wait! One day, I'm gonna be a Pokemon master!"
Gary smiled as he watched the boy run out to begin his own Pokemon adventure. He reminded Gary so much of his old friend. So energetic and optimistic. Gary knew that this boy had a bright future ahead of him, wherever his journey may take him.
…
"She's been so happy the last few weeks."
"I know. She's been carrying that egg around with her everywhere."
"She has your enthusiasm. I just hope the Pokemon she gets out of it will share it too."
"Mom! Dad!" A ten-year old girl rushed into the room, running with a Pokemon egg. The egg had a crack in the top of it. "It's hatching! It's finally hatching!"
She set the egg on the table. More cracks formed at the top as the egg shook and the Pokemon inside it struggled to break out of it. "What do you think it'll be, sweetie?" Her father asked.
"I don't know, but I'm gonna love it no matter what!" The girl squealed excitedly.
Finally, the egg gave one last shudder and broke open. In its place stood a little Mime Jr. The newly-hatched Pokemon struck a pose and let out an enthusiastic "Mime Mime Mime!"
"Oh, my gosh! It's so beautiful!" The girl squealed, picking up her new Pokemon and holding it close. "I love it so much! I'm gonna call you Mimey! Do you like that name?"
"Mime! Mime!" Mimey replied happily.
"Congratulations, Love Bug." Her father said. "You're finally a Pokemon trainer!"
"Do you want to call your sister and tell her?" Her mother asked.
The girl shook her head. Her sister was in the Alola region participating in contests there right now, having already won in Hoenn and two other regions. "Nah. I don't want to bother her." The girl said.
"So, what are you going to do now?" Her mother asked. "Challenge the Pokemon League? Try to fill up the Pokedex?"
The girl shook her head again. "I wanna be a Pokemon Coordinator!" She said confidently. "Just like you guys and Patty! I'm gonna win contests all over the world and become a big star!"
Her parents smiled. In their youths, they too had been Pokemon Coordinators, and were both quite famous for it too. Their contest wins from all over the world were some of the most celebrated in every region, and their eldest daughter, Patty, was already successfully following in their footsteps.
"We're behind you 100 percent, Love Bug." Her father said proudly. "We'll be sure to watch you at the Grand Festival this year."
"Thanks, daddy!" The girl replied. "I'm gonna start training right now!" She ran out of the room with Mimey still in her arms. Her parents both smiled as she left.
"She's gonna make it big some day." Her father said.
"She'll be even bigger than us, I bet." Her mother replied.
A girl's dream has begun, and it will take her far to stardom.
…
"Any luck over here?"
"None so far, dad."
"Dang! This area must be tapped out, then. I say we move on!"
"Dad! Grandpa! Look what I found!"
A 10-year old boy was running to his father and grandfather, a bright orange stone held carefully in his hands. "Whatcha got there, son?" The boy's father asked.
"I think it's a fossil! I found it over there!"
"Let me see that." The boy's grandfather said. The boy handed over the fossil and his grandfather examined it closely. "Dear Arceus! This is an Old Amber! And it's gotta be the most perfectly formed Old Amber I've ever seen! We need to add this to the collection!"
"But, grandpa, can't I restore it instead?" The boy asked.
"Wha- Well, I suppose…"
"Please, grandpa?" The boy begged.
"Come on, dad. Let him restore it." The boy's father said.
The boy's grandfather sighed and smiled. "All right. We can take it up to the lab right away."
"Yay!" The boy squealed as he hugged his father with joy.
"Don't know why you'd want to restore such a perfect fossil, though." The boy's grandfather added quietly under his breath.
The next day, at the Oreburgh City Mining Museum, the boy, his father, and his grandfather all waited for the restoration process to finish. "Okay, that should do it." Said the scientist in charge. "Ready to meet your new Pokemon?"
"I sure am!" The boy said excitedly.
The scientist pressed a button on the restoration chamber's control console, the chamber opened, and inside it was an Aerodactyl.
"Aerodactyl!" The Aerodactyl roared.
"Whoa! It's amazing!" The boy exclaimed. The boy ran up and hugged the ancient Pokemon.
"Dactyl?" The Aerodactyl said, confused by the affection it was being shown.
"We're gonna be best friends, Aerodactyl! I just know it!" The boy said.
"So, what are you going to do now that you're an official Pokemon trainer?" The boy's father asked him.
"I already know!" The boy said. "I'm gonna catch one of every Pokemon in the whole entire world!"
"That's a pretty big goal to have, boy." The boy's grandfather said.
"Yeah! And I'm gonna do it!" The boy replied enthusiastically. "Come on, Aerodactyl!"
The boy's father and grandfather watched proudly as the boy raced out with his new Pokemon. "He's got your enthusiasm." The boy's grandfather said to his son.
"Yeah, but he's also got your obsessive tendencies." The boy's father replied with a smug grin.
"Aw, shut up, Roark." Byron said with a laugh. "Still. That kid of yours is going to do some great things one day."
"I know, dad." Roark replied. "I know he will."
…
It was getting late. The sun was just about to to go down. It really was true what people said: there isn't any sight in the world as beautiful as an Alolan sunset. Some people saw it never, some people saw it only once in their entire lives. But, for one ten year old girl, she got to see it every day of her life.
Her day had been like every other day she'd lived. She woke up in her room at the Aether House, sat alone while the other children there played with Pokemon and with each other, and then, just as the sun was going down, she joined her caretaker, Acerola, on a trip to the Thrifty Megamart.
Acerola was humming a tune, but the girl with her stayed silent as they walked along the black, sandy beach leading up to one of Alola's sacred Trial sites. Both of them had bags of Pokemon food that they were going to leave for the Megamart's resident Pokemon. It was a job they did every night. Acerola always asked if any of the other children would be willing to accompany the two of them, but it was always just her and the girl. None of the other children wanted anything to do with the Megamart and its terrifying Ghost Pokemon, and they also didn't want anything to do with the girl with a curse over her head. A curse that was about to play out just like it always did.
As the girl walked with Acerola, she looked out over the ocean to catch a glimpse at the sunset. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. However, something else caught her eye in the water. A small Pokemon was bobbing just in front of the shoreline. A Goldeen, its scales glistening in the light of the sunset, was sitting there in the water looking at the girl. The girl, in a moment of forgetfulness, smiled and waved at the little Water Pokemon. The Goldeen, however, did not respond kindly. It leapt up out of the water, firing a Water Pulse attack at the girl. The girl screamed as the glowing blue ball of aquatic energy flew towards her. She was saved, fortunately, by Acerola, who pulled her out of the way of the attack just in time.
"Hey, you!" Acreola yelled at the Goldeen. "Don't attack her! She isn't hurting anybody!" The Goldeen glared at the girl, who was cowering on the ground behind the Trial Captain, then swam back out into the ocean. "Sorry about that." Acerola said to the girl. "Goldeen are usually so nice." Acerola's comment was met with the sound of sad sniffles. The girl was crying. Acerola knelt down next to her. "Hey," Acerola said gently, "come on. Please don't cry."
"Why does this always happen to me?" The girl sobbed. "Why do Pokemon hate me?"
Acerola hugged the crying girl. She hated seeing her like this, but it happened all the time. Whenever this girl was around Pokemon, they would attack her with everything they had. Pokemon just seemed to hate her for some reason. "Shhh. It's okay." Acerola soothed the girl. "It's going to be okay." She helped girl to her feet. "Come on. Let's go drop off this food, then maybe we can get a malasada on the way home."
The girl wiped her eyes and gave a small smile. "Okay." She said. She and Acerola kept heading towards the Thrifty Megamart.
When they got to the Megamart, Acerola led the way inside, making sure to keep an eye out for any Pokemon that might want to attack her companion. The two of them made their way through all the mess and clutter that was inside the destroyed shopping center, and poured their Pokemon food into some bowls kept by the back wall for the Pokemon to eat at. "There we go. All done." Acerola said proudly. "Now, let's get you that malasada!"
The girl and Acerola were about to leave when they heard a loud, distressed cry. "KYUUUUU!" Acerola ran towards the source of the cry, followed by the girl. The two of them ran around a stack of boxes to see a Gastly, a Haunter, and a Gengar shoving around a poor Mimikyu. The Gastly blasted the poor little Pokemon with Night Shade, then the Haunter hit it with a Shadow Ball, and finally the Gengar slashed at it with Shadow Claw, which tore the Mimikyu's costume.
Acerola stepped out from behind the boxes. "Hey! Leave him alone!" She shouted. The trio of Ghost Pokemon all saw Acerola and fled the scene, but the Mimikyu was left alone and badly damaged. Acerola knelt down to get a closer look. The girl who had came with her came out from behind the crates and saw that Mimikyu's costume had gotten torn.
"We should help it." She said. The girl, knowing full well that the Mimikyu would definitely attack her even if she helped it, ran off to find supplies in the Megamart. Fortunately, since the building was once a superstore, there were plenty of things within it that could certainly help the poor Mimikyu. The girl came back with a few Potions and a needle and thread she had found and went to use them on the Mimikyu. The little Ghost Pokemon stayed still long enough for the girl to heal it and fix its costume. The girl then quickly backed away from it, knowing it was about to attack her. However, something unusual happened.
"Kyu." The girl felt a long, cold hand wrap around her leg. She looked down to see that the Mimikyu was hugging her with its one, long, black hand. The girl was stunned, and Acerola was just as surprised. This had never happened before.
Acerola finally shook herself free from the shock of this moment, and walked up to the girl and the Mimikyu. "Looks like it likes you." The girl was still too surprised to respond. "Here." The girl looked over and saw that Acerola was offering her a Pokeball. The girl was still hesitant, though.
"I'm n-not sure." She stammered.
Acerola took the Pokeball and gently placed it in the girl's hands. "Everyone deserves the chance to become a Pokemon trainer." She said. "Go on. You can do it."
The girl hesitated a bit more. She looked down at the Mimikyu. She couldn't see behind its disguise, but somehow she knew it was smiling up at her. She bent down and gently touched the Pokeball to its head. The Pokemon went inside, and the ball dinged instantly, confirming the capture.
When the girl and Acerola left the Thrifty Megamart, the girl was so happy she was practically jumping up and down with joy. Not only had she found a Pokemon that didn't hate her, she had actually caught it. "Just you wait." Acerola said as they walked back to the Aether House. "I know that you and that Mimikyu are going to become the best of friends!"
…
"Eevee, use Shadow Ball!"
"Dodge it, Alakazam!"
But the order came too late, and Sabrina's Alakazam fainted after a direct hit from the super effective attack.
"Alakazam is unable to battle!" Announced the referee. "Eevee is the winner, which means victory goes to the challenger!"
"Yes! We did it!" The boy shouted triumphantly.
Sabrina returned her Alakazam to its Pokeball and walked over to the boy. "You battled very well. You and that Eevee sure do make a great team. Although, I don't think I've ever seen a trainer with an Eevee who doesn't want to evolve it."
"Yeah, I hear that a lot." The boy replied. "But I like Eevee just the way he is. Right, buddy?"
"Eevee!" Eevee replied.
"Okay then. Here's your proof of victory here at the Saffron City Gym: The Marsh Badge." Sabrina handed over the badge and the boy happily added it to his badge case.
"Thanks for the battle, Sabrina! I gotta get moving, though. I'm trying to get to Fuchsia City by tomorrow to get my next badge!"
"Well, good luck to you." Sabrina said. She smiled as she watched the boy leave.
"You look pretty happy despite losing." The Gym referee said. "What is it?"
"There's just something interesting about that boy." Sabrina said, still smiling. "Almost like I've seen him before."
"Heh. Whatever you say, Sabrina." The ref said. "Want me to bring in the next challenger?"
"Sure. Just let me go heal my Pokemon."
Sabrina headed to the Pokemon store room in the back of the Gym. I know I've seen an aura like his before, she thought. When she got to the store room, she was greeted by a hug and a large tongue licking her face happily. "Haun Haunter!" Said Haunter.
"Heh heh. Hi, Haunter." Sabrina said. Then it hit her: who that boy reminded her of. "I can't believe it's been so long." She said to herself. "Almost 15 years since that day…" She smiled again. "That boy's going places."
"Haunter?" Haunter asked.
"It's nothing, Haunter. Just a reminder of an old friend." She put her Pokemon in the healing machine. "It's funny. The faces change, but the people don't. It's been 15 years since I've seen someone with that sort of spirit."
The machine finished restoring her Pokemon to full health. Sabrina picked up her Pokeballs and went out to face her next challenger. That boy is definitely going places, she thought.
…
"Combusken, use Flamethrower!"
"Dodge it, Mimey, and use Teeter Dance!"
The Mime Jr gracefully dodged the attack and started dancing. The Combusken he was facing started doing a sloppier, clumsier version of the same dance, now confused.
"That Mime Jr is moving beautifully, but I don't think the judges will appreciate the way Combusken is acting now." The MC commentated.
"Snap out of it, Combusken, and use Brick Break!" The other Pokémon Coordinator commanded.
"Com… Bus… Ken…" Combusken slurred, raising its fist and hitting itself in the face instead of its opponent.
"Now, Mimey, use Psybeam!" The girl commanded.
"Mime Miiiiime!" Mimey said, firing a beam of rainbow energy and hitting the Combusken, knocking it out.
"And the battle is over!" The MC announced. "Which means the winner of the Slateport City Pokemon Contest is this girl and her Mime Jr!"
"Yes! We did it, Mimey!" The girl said happily. She went over to the MC, who presented her with her ribbon.
Later that night, the girl called her parents from the Slateport City Pokemon Center. "Mom! Dad! Look! I won my first ribbon!"
"Congratulations, sweetie!" Her mom said.
"Your sister, Patty, wanted us to tell you that she won the Grand Festival in Alola and that she'll be coming home to watch you compete here." Her dad said.
"That's amazing! It'll be great having all of you in the crowd when I'm at the Grand Festival!" The girl replied. "I'll see you guys soon." She turned off the video phone and went up to her room in the Pokémon Center for the night. Mimey was busy practicing his Teeter Dance moves on the bed. "Looking good, Mimey!" The girl said. "We're definitely going to keep winning!"
"Mime Mime!" Mimey replied enthusiastically.
The girl crawled into bed with him. "Goodnight, Mimey. Tomorrow, we're going to Verdanturf Town for the next contest!"
The girl and her Mime Jr drifted off to sleep, with thoughts of more victories to come on their minds.
…
"Uh, son, I think we need to talk."
"Sure, dad. What's up?"
"Well," Roark said, "it's just that you're catching so many Pokémon…"
"I know! I'm almost halfway through the Pokedex here in Sinnoh!" The boy said excitedly.
"Yes, but the sheer amount of Pokémon is taking up too much space here at home. Grandpa has to share his room with your Yanmega and Kricketune now, and you know how much he hates Bug types."
"So, what are you saying?" The boy asked. "Do you want me to stop catching Pokémon?"
"I'm not saying that at all." Roark said lovingly to his son. "I'm just saying that this dream of catching every Pokémon might be a bit too big. Try starting out with an easier challenge first, maybe. Like winning the Pokémon League, or becoming a Pokémon Coordinator, or maybe you could-"
"Become a Gym Leader like you and grandpa!" The boy interrupted.
Roark chuckled. He loved his son's enthusiasm. "Yeah, you could do that, but you'll have to work hard at it. The easiest way to become a Gym Leader is to have a Gym handed down to you, but neither me nor grandpa is just going to give you one of our Gyms. So, the next best way would be to win eight badges from eight separate regions. Only then will the Pokémon League give you a Gym."
"Okay! I'll do it, dad!" The boy replied with fire in his eyes. "How about I start by challenging you? Aerodactyl and I have been training super hard, so we're ready for it!"
Roark smiled proudly. "All right, if you think you can beat me."
"I will, dad! You'll see! I'm gonna make you proud one day!"
You already have, son, Roark thought. You already have.
…
"Elekid, use Thundershock!"
"Dodge it, Mimikyu, and use Shadow Claw!"
The girl watched as her Mimikyu jumped out of the way of its opponent's attack, then slashed at it with a glowing, black claw. The Elekid went down, fainting after getting hit by that. "Yes! We did it! We won!" The girl jumped up and down with glee. Her Pokemon was so happy about its victory that it ran over and leapt into its trainer's arms. "You're amazing, Mimikyu!" The girl said."
Acerola came over to the girl and her Pokemon. "Looks like you and Mimikyu are making quite the powerful pair." She said. "Do you think you'll wanna take the Island Challenge?"
The girl thought for a moment. "I don't know." She said. "It sounds like fun, but… I don't think that's what I want to do."
"Well, what do you want to do then?" Acerola asked.
The girl thought long and hard for a moment. What did she want to do? She didn't feel like she wanted to become a battling champion, or even compete as a Pokemon Coordinator. The only things she really knew she liked was reading books and learning more about Pokemon, even though she could never get close to any besides her Mimikyu. Then it hit her. "I want to be a Pokemon Professor!" She said. "I wanna travel the world, learning all I can about every single Pokemon there is!"
Acerola smiled. "Well, maybe I can help with that." She said. "Prof. Kukui's old assistant just left for another region. Maybe I can convince him to hire you to be their replacement."
"You really think you could do that?" The girl asked excitedly.
"Definitely." Acerola replied. "I'll go make the call right now."
The girl was practically dancing with glee as Acerola went off to call the Professor. First she had found a Pokemon that actually liked her, and now she might get her first job as a Pokemon researcher. It seemed like everything was finally starting to fall into place.
…
"Come on, Eevee! Stay strong!"
"Machamp, use Focus Blast!"
Eevee cried out as he was hit by a powerful blast of energy. Despite this, he managed to stagger to his feet. "Vee!" He said strongly.
"That's the spirit, Eevee!" The boy said encouragingly. It was the final round of the Indigo League Conference, and both the boy and his competitor were down to one Pokemon each. The boy had his Eevee and his opponent, a girl his age named Jackie, had her Machamp. Both their Pokemon had taken significant damage during the battle. They both knew that the next hit would most likely decide the whole thing.
"Machamp, use Dynamic Punch!" Jackie commanded.
"Eevee, use Take Down!"
Both Pokemon rushed at each other, but Eevee managed to get under Machamp's arm and hit his directly in the gut. "All right, Eevee!" The boy yelled. Machamp stumbled after taking such a big hit, but it was Eevee who fainted first. "What?! No!"
"Eevee is unable to battle." The referee announced. "Machamp is the winner, which means the victor is Jackie!"
"Eevee!" The boy rushed out onto the field to pick up his unconscious Pokemon. "What happened out there? You hit him! Why did you faint?"
"Ee… Vee…" Eevee said weakly.
The boy smiled and took Eevee up in his arms. "It's okay, Eevee. You take a nice rest. We'll win for sure next time!"
Jackie walked out onto the field to shake the boy's hand. "That was a tough battle." She said. "It was fun, though. Sorry you lost."
The boy smiled and shook Jackie's hand proudly. "Yeah, it was fun." He replied. "Good luck with the Elite Four." Jackie smiled and left to accept her trophy for winning the competition.
The boy returned home to Pallet Town later to drop off his captured Pokemon at the lab with Prof. Oak. "I'm going to keep training," He said to Gary, "and, someday, I'm going to come back and win the Indigo League."
"I'm sure you will." Gary replied. "Are you sure you don't want to take any of these Pokemon with you to… Where did you say you were going?"
"Unova." The boy responded. "And, no. I want to start fresh in a new region. Just me and Eevee. Right, Eevee?"
"Vee!"
Gary chuckled. "Okay, then. Good luck."
Gary watched as the boy walked out back on the trail to a new region. "Just like Ashy boy." He said to himself. "Good luck, kid."
…
It was finally time for the Hoenn Grand Contest Festival! Everyone was excited, all except for one person. A girl sat in the audience with her mother, father, and sister, woith her ribbon case in her hands with only four ribbons in it.
"I'm sorry you aren't going to be able to compete." The girl's mother said to her.
"It's okay." The girl said. "I'm gonna keep trying. I'll make it to the Grand Festival one day!"
Her mom smiled down at her. "You know, the Kalos Contest season is about to start. Maybe you could go there."
The girl smiled. "Yeah… Maybe."
As the opening ceremonies started, the girl started planning her journey in her head. I'll go to Kalos, she thought, and I'm gonna win every contest there! Me and Mimey are going to make it to the Grand Festival someday, somehow no matter what!
…
"Aerodactyl, use Flamethrower!"
"Dodge it, Luxray, and use Thunder!"
"Luxraaaay!" Luxray roared as it fired a bolt of lightning at Aerodactyl, knocking it out of the sky and causing it to faint.
"Aerodactyl! No!" The boy cried.
"Aerodactyl is unable to battle." The referee announced. "The winner is Luxray, which means victory goes to the Gym Leader, Volkner!"
The boy rushed forward to help his fallen Pokemon. Volkner walked up to him. "You're a decent battler, but you overthink your tactics too much." Volkner observed. "I'm sorry you didn't win today, but, even if you did, there's no way you would be able to make it to the Sinnoh League Conference. It starts tomorrow. You'd never make it to the location on time."
"I wasn't going to enter the Conference." The boy replied glumly. "I just wanted to earn eight badges. But it looks like I won't be able to do that now."
Volkner looked at the boy and felt sorry for him. He placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry, champ. There's always next year. And, besides, the Pokemon League in Johto is supposed to start in just a few days. Maybe you could head there to get some badges."
The boy sniffled and smiled. "Yeah… I think I will!"
The boy walked out of the Gym with his Aerodactyl feeling confident as ever. He took out his badge case and wasn't even bothered by the fact that he had only managed to acquire seven badges. I can still do it! He thought. I'll get eight badges from eight regions and become a Gym Leader! Maybe not from here, but I'll get them somewhere! "Come on, Aerodactyl! We're going to keep training and get even stronger!"
"Dactyyyyl!" Aerodactyl roared confidently, flying after his trainer.
…
"Ow! Ow! Ow!"
"Just a few more minutes. There we go. All bandaged up." Prof. Kukui stood up, just now finished patching up his young assistant after a run in with a swarm of Ribombee they had been trying to study. "Sorry that happened to you, cousin." He said. "Ribombee are usually so peaceful. Never seen them just attack somebody like that."
"It's okay." The girl said glumly, rubbing her aching, bandaged arms. "I'm used to it."
Prof. Kukui could tell that it wasn't okay, though. In all his years as a Professor, he had never seen any one person that every Pokemon seemed to just universally hate. It made him sad to watch this girl get attacked again and again every time they tried to go out on a research mission.
Suddenly, from the girl's pocketed Pokeball, her Mimikyu popped out and snuggled up to her. The girl patted her Pokemon's head sweetly, causing Kukui to smile. "You know, Pokemon have a way of sensing certain feelings a trainer might be having." He told her.
"Really?" His assistant asked.
"Yeah." Kukui replied. "They can sense when a trainer's happy, or angry, or sad. Kind of like what your Mimikyu just did, coming out of its ball like that." The girl looked down at her Mimikyu and smiled a little. "Pokemon can also sense when a person is afraid of them." Kukui went on. "That feeling can actually cause them to attack you more. Maybe that's why Pokemon are always going after you. Maybe they can sense your fear of being attacked, and they just go right at ya."
"Maybe." The girl said, though she highly doubted that was why she kept getting attacked.
"You know, maybe you could try getting some field experience with non-Alolan Pokemon." Prof. Kukui suggested. "My friend up in Hoenn, Prof. Birch, is needing a new assistant. Maybe you could travel up there and try working for him for a while. Get some time with Pokemon that aren't from Alola."
The girl took a while to respond to this suggestion. Finally, she looked up at Prof. Kukui with a small smile. "Okay." She said. "I guess I could try it."
"Great!" Prof. Kukui said. "Why don't you head home and get some sleep. You can set sail for Hoenn first thing in the morning."
The girl left Prof. Kukui's lab and started walking towards the ferry station in Hau'oli City to get a ride back to Ula'ula Island. For some reason, she had a good feeling about her new journey to a new region in the morning, and she knew that, no matter where she went, it would always be amazing as long as she had her Mimikyu.
…
"Make a wish, sweetheart."
"Dad, I'm not a little girl anymore!" A girl sat at a table with her father. In front of her was a birthday cake with 16 candles on it. It was her 16th birthday today.
"I know, darling, but a father can pretend, can't he?"
The girl smiled. "Yeah, okay." She closed her eyes, made a wish, and blew out the candles.
"What did you wish for?" Her father asked her, cutting her a slice of cake.
"The same thing I wish for every year." The girl said a little stiffly.
"Well, I think you'll be happier this year with how it turns out."
"What do you mean?"
Her father reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a Pokeball. "Happy birthday, princess!"
The girl gasped and took the Pokeball. "Oh, daddy! You're the best!" She hugged her father.
"Anything for my little girl."
"Yeah, it only took you six years." The girl said sarcastically, throwing the Pokeball in the air. Out of it came a female Nidoran.
"Nidoran!" The Nidoran squeaked.
"Oh, daddy, I love her!" The girl squealed. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
"You're welcome, princess." The girl's father felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. "Excuse me for a moment, won't you?" He left his daughter to play with her new Pokemon and went into the next room to answer his phone. "This better be good."
"Sorry, boss. Am I interrupting something?"
"No, it's fine." Giovanni replied. "Proceed with your report."
Five years later…
A boy and his Eevee were walking down the road to Pallet Town. It had been five years since they had been back to Kanto, but they were tired from travelling so much and needed a few days of rest at home. However, home was not where they were heading. First, they had to go to the Pokemon lab. He knocked on the door and Prof. Oak answered. "Hey, Prof. Oak!" The boy said. "I wanted to see my Pokemon real quick before heading home. Where are they?"
"They're all out back." Gary replied. "Come out and see them. I know they'll all be excited to see you."
The boy rushed to the back of the lab and burst through the back door. "Hey, everybod- Whaa!" He yelled as he was swarmed by seven regions worth of Pokemon.
There was his Beedrill, Vileplume, Jigglypuff, Rhyhorn, and Magmar from Kanto, his Croconaw, Xatu, Snubbull, Scizor, and Houndour from Johto, his Swampert, Mightyena, Loudred, Grumpig, and Tropius from Hoenn, his Infernape, Roserade, Bronzor, Snover, and Yanmega from Sinnoh, his Servine, Simipour, Gurrdurr, Venipede, and Chandelure from Unova, his Delphox, Florges, Doublade, Trevenant, and Bergmite from Kalos, and his Rowlet, Bewear, Lycanroc, Charjabug, and Alolan Ninetails from Alola.
"It's great to see you all again!" The boy said as he was happily nuzzled, licked, and/or hugged by his many Pokemon.
"Is that our boy I hear?"
The boy looked up to see that his parents had arrived at the lab to see him. "Mom! Dad!" He got up and ran to hug them.
"You've grown so much! I can't believe you're already 15!" His mom said.
"So, what brings you back, son?" His dad asked.
"I thought I'd come back and hang out with you guys for a while before going off on my next big adventure."
"Any idea where you'll go next?" His mother asked.
"No idea." The boy replied. "I've been trying to decide on that for a while now."
His mother and father shared a look. "Maybe we can help you with that." His father said slyly.
"What do you mean?" His father pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to the boy. "Wow! Is this a ticket for the SS Anne?"
"Sure is!" His father replied.
"It's docking in a few days and we could only afford one ticket. Prof. Oak told us you were coming back to town, so we thought we'd buy the ticket for you." His mother added.
"Wow! Thanks, you guys! Thank you so much!" The boy hugged his parents again. "I'll miss you when I leave again. I love you."
His mother smiled. "We love you too, Ace."
…
A 15-year old girl and her Mime Jr walked into a Pokémon Center in Vermillion City, yawning tiredly. "Ugh…" She grumbled. "Another day, another stupid Contest lost. What's wrong with me, Mimey?"
"Mime Mime Mime." Mimey said comfortingly.
The girl smiled. "Yeah, I guess it wasn't too bad of a loss. We'll win for sure next time!"
The Center's Nurse Joy walked up to her. "Excuse me. Are you Cammie Pinkerton?"
"Yeah." The girl replied. "What's up?"
"There's a video call waiting for you. A girl named Patty."
Cammie groaned. What did her stupid sister want this time? Probably calling to brag about another one of her many, many Contest victories. Ugh. Cammie shuffled over to the video phone and picked up the call. "Cam-Cam!" Her sister said on the other end. "How are you?"
"Greeeeaaaat." Cammie lied. "I'm doing great. What's up, sis? Win another contest?"
"Well, yes, but that's not why I'm calling." Patty replied. "Mom and dad and I are all coming to visit you in Kanto tomorrow! Hey, by the way, how'd you do in the Contests there?"
"Oh, I did all right." Cammie replied. "Didn't win much, but still. Why are you all coming down?"
"To see you, of course, you silly goose!" Patty replied. "And to give you a little present to lift your spirits after all your terrible losses."
It took all of Cammie's willpower not to rip the video phone off its console after that comment. "What's the present?" She asked, managing to keep a straight face.
"They bought you a ticket for the SS Anne. It's supposed to be a secret, so try and act surprised when they give it to you tomorrow."
"Oh, my Arceus! That's amazing! I've always wanted to go on a cruise!"
"See you tomorrow, sis." Patty said, hanging up.
Cammie went up to her room with Mimey more excited than she'd ever been in the past few years. Finally, it looked like things were starting to go her way.
Meanwhile, at the video phone next to where Cammie just was, a 15-year old boy was on the phone with his father, Roark. An Aerodactyl stood next to him. "So, yeah," he said, "I couldn't get enough badges in time. Only got four this time around."
"Yeah, those Kanto leaders are tough." Roark replied. "But I got good news. I sent you something in the mail. Should arrive sometime tomorrow."
"What is it?"
"A ticket for the SS Anne. It's this big cruise ship that comes to Kanto once a year."
"Wow! Sweet! Where's it going?"
"I don't know, but I know, wherever it is, you'll do great there. Chris, you're going to become a Gym Leader. I just know it. And wherever this ship stops is going to be the first step to getting there."
Chris smiled. "I know, dad. Thanks for the ticket. I gotta go." Chris hung up and turned to his Aerodactyl. "This is it, buddy! This time, we're going to get those eight badges!"
"Aerodactyl!" Aerodactyl said confidently.
"Come on. Let's go to bed. We've got a big journey ahead of us."
Chris and his Aerodactyl went up to their room to sleep for the night. In the room next to them, a girl and her Mimikyu were making a call to home. "Hey, Annie! It's great to hear from you!" Acerola said on the other end of the line. "How's working for Prof. Oak working out?"
"Okay, I guess." Annie replied. "I did manage to gather some data on a group of Digletts and not get attacked. Though, that was probably because of all the Max Repels I was wearing."
"Hey, buck up there, champ!" Acerola said. "I have just the thing to cheer you up! Prof. Kukui and I pulled some strings, and we got you a ticket for the SS Anne!"
"Really? Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Annie said excitedly.
"Yep. The ticket should arrive tomorrow. Let me know how the next leg of your journey goes."
"Okay, thanks! I will!" Annie hanged up the phone and went to turn the light off in her room. As she got under the covers, she felt a long, black hand wrap around her followed by the gentle sounds of her Mimikyu drifting off to sleep. Annie closed her eyes as well, dreaming of what new adventures would await her in this new region she was travelling to.
…
Giovanni sat at his desk, patiently waiting and stroking his Persian next to him. He was waiting for someone. She would arrive at any minute.
There was a knock at the door. "Enter." Giovanni said.
A 21-year old girl entered. She wore the classic black Team Rocket uniform, having just finished her training at a remote Team Rocket base. She stood at attention and saluted him. "Operative Lucy reporting for duty, sir." The girl said.
Giovanni stood up. "Cut the formalities and come give your father a hug." He said. Lucy stayed standing still at attention, ever the excellent Team member. Giovanni smiled. His daughter never failed to impress him. "Very well, then." He sat back down. "I have your first assignment, Lucy."
"I'm ready, sir." Lucy replied. "I live to serve Team Rocket."
Giovanni smiled. He pulled an envelope out of his desk drawer and set it on the desk. "Inside this envelope is a ticket for the SS Anne. It's heading for a region called Insmou, which is famous for its wide variety of Pokemon. Your job is to go to Insmou and obtain as many Pokemon from that region, and from the SS Anne, as you can by any means necessary."
"Yes, sir. I promise you that I will complete this mission for the honor of Team Rocket."
"Excellent. And, Lucy?" Lucy looked at her father. He stood up again. "Be safe."
Lucy smiled and broke out of her formal stance to hug her father. "I love you, dad." She said.
"I love you too, princess." The hug ended. Lucy saluted again and turned to exit. "One more thing, Lucy." Lucy stopped and turned back to her father. "Just as a precaution, I'm assigning you a partner for this mission."
"A partner? Sir, with all due respect, I do not need a partner!"
"Regardless of your needs, I'm assigning you one." The door opened and in stepped a man with long, blonde hair that contained far too much hair gel. He also wore the typical black Team Rocket uniform, but his uniform consisted of a tank top instead of the usual long-sleeved shirt of male agents. "Meet Charles. He'll be your partner for the mission."
"Nice to meet you." Charles said, extending his hand to shake. Lucy didn't take it, instead choosing to step forward and get up in his face.
"Let's get one thing straight, Charles," She growled, putting extra malice into saying his name, "I'm in charge here. You listen to me. Got it?"
Charles smiled annoyingly. "You? Ordering me around? Pfft. Yeah, right. I'm always on top, princess. I don't care that you're the boss' daughter. Nobody orders me around."
Lucy narrowed her eyes. "We'll see about that." She stepped back and drew out a Pokeball. "Nidorina, come out now!" She threw the Pokeball and out came her Nidorina, a Pokemon that she'd had for five years. "If you think you're so tough, prove it. Battle me. Now!"
Charles looked unimpressed by Lucy's Pokemon. "All right then. Magnemite, I choose you!" He tossed out his own Pokeball, sending out a Magnemite.
"Magnemite." The Magnemite said in a deep, machine-like voice.
"Sir, do you mind if we battle here real quick?" Lucy asked. "I promise this won't last long."
"By all means." Giovanni said. His daughter made him prouder and prouder every day. He just hoped that she could handle the mission he had assigned her. Insmou had a Team of its own, and it was a dangerous one. But, if anyone could stop them, it was Lucy.
Four different paths heading in the same direction, all with different goals in mind. What will become of our new heroes and villains? We'll find out as the journey continues!