Doot. Doot. Doot.
An alarm clock blared as the morning sun began to filter through the windows onto a young man's bed. The bedsheets wriggled for a few moments, before finally being fling off the bed entirely, revealing the groggy form of A.J. Downey.
"Urgghh..." groaned the teen. Was it really the morning already? He briefly considered going back to sleep as per usual, but after seeing how bright it already was outside, he resigned himself to wakefulness, and begrudgingly began to get dressed.
A few minutes later, the half-asleep form of A.J. eventually managed to find its way down the stairs, and into the kitchen.
"Oh, A.J," marveled Ms. Downey as she looked up from her morning cup of tea, "You're actually up on time today! What's the occasion?"
"Nothing special," replied A.J, already making a beeline for the toaster. "The sun just felt like being extra bright this morning. Not sure I could get back to sleep like this," he continued, yawning, "though I'm still considering trying."
Ms. Downey simply chuckled and allowed her son to carry on with his breakfast.
As he munched on his toast, A.J. began to let his mind wander. It had been a few months since he had beaten Red on the summit of Mt. Silver, and ever since, his habits had become rather lax. Perhaps as a side effect of staying awake for days on end, he now found himself sleeping through most mornings, and even the early afternoons as well.
He hadn't spent much time with his Pokémon, either. Only Lazorgator, his first and most trusted 'mon, tended to spend much time outside his Poké Ball and with A.J. these days. He hadn't even called Joey for months. A.J. frowned. Everything had just felt... off lately, like something was wrong.
A.J. swallowed the last bite of his toast and returned to his room upstairs. There, on his desk, were the Poké Balls of his trusty 'mon; Burrito, Brian, Katie, Solid Snake, and of course, Lazorgator.
As he looked over them, memories of the times they spent together came rushing back into his mind. From traveling Johto and battling the gym leaders, to conquering the Elite 4, to even scaling Mt. Silver itself. How could he have cast it all aside? It wasn't like him at all.
"Can't be a Pokémon Trainer if you never train your Pokémon," he muttered to himself, as he reached for his Poké Balls and placed them on his belt. Already he felt more at ease, as if a crucial part of himself had suddenly clicked back into place. Feeling renewed, he headed back downstairs and made his way towards the front door.
"Oh, are you heading out, dear?" queried A.J.'s mother.
"Yeah mom, I think I'm just gonna go for a stroll down Route 29, maybe up to Cherrygrove. Got some stuff on my mind."
"Well, don't be out too long! Or at least let me know before you head off on another two week trek across Johto and Kanto."
"Haha, alright, I promise," laughed A.J, and headed out the door.
The air in New Bark Town was fresh, and a particularly strong breeze threatened to wrest A.J.'s hat from its perch upon his head.
As he took a whiff of the fresh scent of the outdoors, and headed towards the way to Route 29, he heard a voice call out to him.
"Good morning, Ethan! You and Marill be careful of the Cherubis out on Route 29, alright?" chirped a cheerful girl from the house nearby.
"Good morning to you too, Aoi! And don't worry, we will!" replied A.J, as he turned to leave town.
Ah, that was Kris, the new girl who had moved into town a few months ago. Things had been a lot more lively around New Bark ever since she... since she...
...
...wait.
"...What... what the hell?"