"Ilana, come quick! Professor Juniper's on the TV!" Mom yelled from downstairs. Professor Juniper? I wonder what it could be… With great haste, I ran down the stairs to the couch where my mother was; her eyes were glued to the television set.

"And, so, in order to further my Pokémon research, I will be visiting AnvilleTown to find aspiring new trainers!" The television blared. On screen, Professor Juniper waved at a large crowd of people. My heart beat quickened. Professor Juniper, the Professor Juniper was coming here to AnvilleTown! This was my chance to finally become a trainer!

Mom flipped the television off and stood up. "How about that? I can finally see my old friend, Aurea. How long has it been, I wonder…" She started to trail off. My mother used to study Pokémon with the famous professor, but that was years ago, before she'd met my father. I'd only met the woman once, when she visited ten years ago.

"Do you think she'll give me a pokedex?" I ask. I was filled to the brim with excitement! A normal kid would have already had their first Pokémon by now; in fact, I hear you can get your first Pokémon when you turn ten. However, here in AnvilleTown, no one trains Pokémon so no one really knows how to capture one. So I've never had a Pokémon.

"If she decides to make you a trainer, I guarantee she'll give you a pokedex!" my mother said proudly. "And I just know she'll make you a trainer; you're just like your father."

I smiled. My father was my hero and one of the greatest Pokémon rangers out there. But, sadly, he was rarely home because of this. However, when he did come home, he would tell me all about the Pokémon he met; we would keep a record of them in a diary. I always loved to watch him sketch each Pokémon with such delicate grace that it seemed as if they would come to life. That diary is the one thing I would die without.

Just then, the video-phone began to ring. "Yes? Hello? Oh!" Mom said as she put the headset on. On the screen, Professor Juniper appeared and the two began to talk as if no time at all had passed between them. "Sure, you can stay with us! No, no, he's still in the Almia region. Yes. Well, we do have a spare room and Ilana's been dying to meet you! She has gotten so big; she's sixteen, you know!" I decided to let the two of them talk. I signaled to Mom that I was leaving and she nodded her approval.

AnvilleTown was very small, close-knit town. The only thing of interest we had was the train station, and, even with that, we had very little to offer. On weekends, the flea market opened; collectors would show off their goods, entrepreneurs would get businesses started, and all of our delicacies were sold. I loved going to the flea market, there were always exciting new things to look at, and on occasion, buy.

I headed down to the train station, where the flea market was held and began to browse. Every once in a while, the ground would rumble and a train or a subway would pull up, allowing the market to fill up and bustle. Different aromas filled the air, incenses, poffins, and berry perfume. There were scarves, shirts and even pokedolls. People from all over traveled here on the weekends and showed us what their regions had to offer.

"Mystery boxes! We've got mystery boxes, here!" A man yelled from his booth as I walked past. "Young lady, for you I will lower the price to only 100 poke! How about it? Would you like to purchase a mystery box?" He asked me. There was something unsettling about his appearance; thick stubble wrapped itself around his face and bags drooped from his dark, empty eyes. I took out my meowth change purse and counted my savings. I had 300 poke; surely I could allow myself to splurge.

"Sure, I'll take one." I said to the man. He held out his hand as I placed the 100 poke into it. In return, he handed me a dilapidated old box. I thanked him and went to look at other wares.

"I don't even know what's in some of these boxes, folks! Let's just hope you get lucky!" His voice mixed with the collective sound of the marketplace. I just hoped that he didn't rip me off.

After browsing for what seemed to be a good three hours, I decided to head back home. I pulled the box out from my duffle bag and shook it and a large clunk reverberated in my hands. I wanted to wait until I got home to open it, but I could hold myself back no longer. Without any hesitation, I carefully removed the lid and peered inside.

"A diary?" I mumble to myself. It was a diary, and an old one at that. I picked up and discarded the box. There was an odd shape engraved on the leather cover, it appeared to be some sort of Pokémon. Gingerly, I opened the book and began to read:

Diary: July 5

Guyana, South America

A new Pokémon was discovered deep in the jungle. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It kept its distance, but it seemed to call out to us. We are going to follow it and see where it may reside. Hopefully, it will be useful to our research.

Odd. A new Pokémon unlike anything ever seen? I wonder what it is.