I looked to the beautiful evening sky of the coming sunset. It was red and orange with clouds of a purple shade. It was perfect for an evening with my friends on the Royal Unova. The Royal Unova was a ship in Castelia City that would go around it, passing under Skyarrow Bridge, which was the passageway most people used to get to the city. In order to get on the Royal Unova, you had to take on the Gym Challenge and defeat the Elite Four. All my friends and I have successfully done that, and not only was this our first time on the ship, but our first time all together.

My elbows were resting on the railing of the outside of ship as I was peering up at the sky until a voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"Hey Amy!"

I turned to see that the voice had belonged to my best friend, Jen. Jen was the only one out of us who did not complete the Unova challenge. In fact, she never completed any of the regional challenges, due to the fact her psychotic mom never let her go anywhere, and it took the help of Jen's older sister for her to escape on her eighteenth birthday. Of course, Jen's mom stopped at nothing to track her down, and with Team Rocket constantly getting in the way, she never found the time to finish her journey across Kanto. At least she earned half the Gym Badges from there.

However, our friend Red was with us. Red was the League Champion in Kanto, and since Jen was his cousin, she had a free pass. I was surprised the captain of the ship believed Red, considering Jen's platinum blonde hair and Red's jet-black hair.

"What's up, Jen?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Libby's having a celebration party for us in her room! Wanna come?"

"Sure, I'd love to!" I made my way back to the inside of the Royal Unova, following Jen.

Libby was Jen's older sister by five years. She lived in Nimbasa City, which was north of Castelia following Route 4.

"It better not be a formal party, though," Jen muttered. "Everyone knows how much I despise those."

I laughed as Jen knocked on Libby's door.

"Whooooo iiiisssss iiiitttt?" a voice yelled. Libby was known for her loud and fun-loving personality, which explained why she chose to live in Nimbasa, the city where all the amusement parks and sports games were.

"It's me!" Jen answered.

The door swung wide open, and there stood the energetic, brunette-haired girl.

"Yay, you made it!" Libby exclaimed as she pulled Jen into a tight hug. After she let go, Jen and I walked inside Libby's room. One look told us what kind of party it was. Jen sighed in relief.

"Thank God you didn't make it a formal party, Lib."

Libby giggled. "Why would I do that? There's no way you'd stay if I did."

Even though the ship's title sounded formal and only the best trainers were allowed on, Libby still managed to make her party look just like any other, minus the fancy food and champagne glasses. As ironic as it was however, we were all in formal attire. Jen didn't like skirts or dresses either, but she knew it was best to dress nice for the Royal Unova.

I looked over to see Red sitting at the table, wearing a black tuxedo. We've been friends ever since we met after I had defeated the Elite Four in Kanto. He was sitting with Lacy and Bianca, the other two who also took on the Unova Gym Challenge.

"Hey, Amy," Lacy chirped. Her green-bobbed hair was looking great along with her black dress. She was part of the Jenny family, and she had been on Team Rocket for some time in order to spy on the villainous organization. She had a Zangoose, which was playing with everyone else's Pokemon.

"Hey, Lacy," I smiled back. She, Bianca, and I pulled into a tight hug, as we haven't seen each other for a while. Jen, Libby, and Red came over and joined in. Once we were done, Libby pulled out and began pouring our drinks.

"Alright, I am twenty-three years of age, so I'm the only one that can drink the champagne," Libby stated whimsically. "The rest of you can have the sparkling juice."

After she finished, we all sat down in a circle around the table. Libby held her glass up, and the rest of us followed suite.

"Here's to a toast to the trainers who won the Unova challenge!" She exclaimed. We clinked our glasses together, and then took a long drink.

"But I didn't!" Jen protested.

Libby giggled. "You have Red with you! He was the reason you were able to get on here in the first place!"

Jen sighed. I knew how much she had wanted to win the Unova challenge, or any challenge for that matter. She had never been able to go anywhere, and was always on the run from Lucy. The only thing she had was four badges from Kanto. Lucy would stop at nothing to find Jen and bring her back to Pallet Town, keeping her cooped up there for the rest of her life, and who knows where she could be now.

Libby noticed Jen's saddened expression.

"Tell ya what sis," She chirped, "You can start over in this region tomorrow if you like. There's a boat here that leads to Virbank City. However, you have to go to Aspertia City if you want to receive a starter, that is, if you really want to make this a challenge."

"Thanks, Lib!" Jen smiled.

"Ooh, you're going to love Aspertia City!" Bianca chimed. "I am Professor Juniper's personal assistant, which means I'll be the one to give you your starter! There's a trainer's school there in case you forgot about some things you need to know, but the best part is that the gym leader there is Cheren, my childhood friend! He uses normal types, by the way."

"Well Bianca, I'll take your word for it. Though, I can wait a little longer. I want to finish this vacation first." Jen took another sip.

"You know, Jen, I was just like you," Bianca continued. "I had lived in Nuvema Town all my life. When I was fourteen, Cheren, Hilda and I were excited to receive our first Pokemon from Professor Juniper and go on our own adventure across Unova. My mother supported me all the way through, but my father did not want me to go. He said that it was too dangerous and that I could get hurt. I will admit, one time, my Munna was stolen from me, but Hilda helped me get her back. When I arrived in Nimbasa City, I unexpectedly encountered my father. I didn't know how he knew I was there, but he said he had come to take me home. But then Elesa, the gym leader, convinced my father to let me keep going, and he finally realized his mistake and agreed. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have Hilda and Elesa. Jen, one day, the same will happen to you. Lucy will realize that she's being overprotective and that you need to have your own life. It worked for me, so I'm sure it'll work for you, too."

Later that night

I stood in the changing room, taking off my fiery red dress. The clothes we wore on the Royal Unova were borrowed from the Pokemon Center's secret boutique, which was of course, available only to the trainers who defeated all eight Gym Leaders and the Elite Four.

After I hung the dress back up on the door, I put my clothes back on. I walked out of the changing room and put the dress back where I found it. I then went downstairs to see the others sitting at a table.

As I sat down, Bianca was the first to speak. "So we were thinking about heading over to Cafe Sonata on Narrow Street. Do you want to come with us?"

"Sure," I replied. "I'd love to."

"Great!" Jen chirped. "Besides, Kenji and Aipom will be there."

Kenji was actually the Legendary Pokemon Mewtwo, and so Kenji was the human form Mewtwo took on whenever he was around other humans so he wouldn't have to be alone all the time. His older sister, as well as the Pokemon he originated from, Mew, also had a special ability. She could disguise herself any Pokemon she wanted to be, and was usually an Aipom whenever Mewtwo was Kenji.

Long story short, when Jen was three years old, she had been injected with a serum that contained the DNA of both Mews. At that time, she had an unknown disease that had put her into a coma for over a year. Her mom injected her with the serum, believing it could save her life (which it obviously did), although she did not know what it was. Jen's father, John, was a scientist for Team Rocket at the time, and Lucy, his wife, did not know about it. When she noticed the serum John was holding, she demanded that he give it to her. John was reluctant though, as he was afraid of it killing Jen. However, not only the serum saved Jen's life, but it also made her part of the Mews. It also explained why her hair and eyes were the way they were.

"Are you ready to go?" Lacy asked.

"Sure!" I replied as I took two Pokeballs out of my bag, releasing Haze and Mystic. Hopefully there would be something at the cafe for them.

"Great!" Bianca chirped. "Then let's go."

The six of us exited the Pokemon Center and stood on the sidewalk, looking for any signs of a yellow car.

"We're going to take a taxi, but only three of us can fit," Jen pointed out.

"If we have to make groups, that's fine with me!" Libby exclaimed as she put her arms around Lacy's and Bianca's shoulders.

"I guess that leaves us then," Red said.

Libby extended a hand out, waving for a taxi to notice her and stop at her side. A few seconds later, one pulled up and she opened the door, hopping in with Lacy and Bianca following her. The chauffeur drove off, giving them a head start to Cafe Sonata.

I put my hand out and began doing the same as Libby did. Eventually, another taxi came. Red and Jen were the first ones to get in. I sat down next to Jen with my Vulpix on my lap while my Gastly floated beside me. The driver took off.

"So what should we do tomorrow?" Red asked. "I would like to explore this region more."

"Maybe we could all go to Nimbasa City's amusement park for a day," Jen suggested. "What do you think, Amy?"

I thought it over. I lived in Saffron City back in Kanto, along with Aunt Evelina. I've been living with her ever since I was born. My father was dead, while my mother was not able to care for a child on her own. I had been in Unova for two days now, and my vacation was supposed to last for a week, so I had plenty of time to do whatever I wanted.

"I'll need some more time to think it through," I replied. The taxi stopped right in front of Narrow Street.

"Go on ahead," he ushered. "There's no way I'm going down that shady street."

The five of us got out, and as we looked ahead, we noticed that the others were not there, which meant they were waiting for us inside the cafe.

Red and Jen opened the red door and went inside. Before my hand could touch the knob, however, a hushed voice called out to me.

"Hey, you there."

I looked around and saw a man who looked like a traveler.

"I see that you have a Vulpix there." I looked down at Haze, and she looked up at me, worried. "I collect evolutionary stones and sell them. I have a fire stone that could be yours for only two dollars. What do you say?"

I could tell that he wanted Haze to evolve into a Ninetales, which I knew she did not want.

"Thank you," I said, "but that will not be necessary." As I turned to leave, I noticed two suspicious-looking men in black outfits on the opposite side of the cafe.

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" One man asked the other.

"Of course!" The other snorted. "Selling and eating Slowpoke tails is completely legal in Unova! Besides, we're gonna make a profit off of this!"

Those men had to be from Team Rocket, who were known for cutting off Slowpoke tails and selling them. With my day going so well, there was no way I was going to fight them, so I shrugged it off and went inside the cafe.

"There you are, Amy!" Libby exclaimed. "What took you so long?"

"Oh, some traveler just stopped me and said he wanted to give me a firestone. I declined, of course." I didn't know if it was a good idea to bring up Team Rocket. I went up to the bar and sat on the chair between Red and Jen. A few minutes later, a waiter walked up to us.

"May I take your order?" he asked, notepad and pen in hand.

I picked up the drink menu and took a quick look.

"Strawberry lemonade!" Libby chirped.

"I'll have green tea," Red requested.

I looked up from the menu. "I'll have a lemonade."

After everyone finished putting their orders in, the waiter went to the back of the cafe.

"I wonder where Kenji is," Jen wondered, breaking the silence. A hand tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and saw a boy with dark brown hair and grey eyes.

"I'm right here," Kenji said as he took a seat next to Jen.

"What made you late?" Jen asked, playfully hitting him.

"Oh, there was a bothersome traveler outside the cafe. He was trying to sell me some evolutionary stones, but I said no thank you," he casually replied. I wondered if he saw Team Rocket also.

"Are you okay, Amy?" Lacy asked. She had a look of concern on her face. Everyone else looked at me.

I didn't know what to say or even if it was really necessary to bring up Team Rocket, so I just said, "Nothing, I'm fine."

The waiter came back with our drinks. I took a sip of my lemonade and brushed the incident off.