Chapter 1: Brendan

"Oh, isn't it wonderful?" His mother, Lisa Davis, admired the new humble abode that stood before them. After living in a cramped apartment in Goldenrod for ten years, she was relieved as she now finally had space and a true home to call their own; and by golly, they even had a garden! The walls were newly painted beige, complementing the strong roof of brown that withstood hurricanes for years. It wasn't big, but it wasn't small either – it was just right for a family of three yearning for a quiet life in a serene village.

"Yeah," Brendan impassively answered, shrugging. He wasn't that keen on the move in the first place. Life was perfect in the exciting city of Goldenrod; he liked how every convenience from hospitals to radio stations were just there and not too far. He liked the amazing sights and especially the seaside view on the edge of the city – whereas Littleroot was just surrounded by trees. He liked how it was easier to meet interesting new people… the people in Littleroot are probably just a bunch of white picket fenced Joe's and Jane's. Littleroot wasn't bad, but he liked the thrill and adventure of a city.

His mother frowned at his indifference and went on. "Well, why don't you come inside?" She opened the door, the smell of fresh paint was evident. Brendan followed his mother, nose twitching at the scent.

"It's much bigger than what we had back in Goldenrod!" His mother exclaimed, trying to capture his enthusiasm. "The kitchen will go over here, and we can put the new oven your dad got us!" She clapped her hands together. One may call her over-emotional, but she's just really excited finally for a new home. Brendan's expression didn't change – it still remained as a neutral stare.

"This is not going anywhere," His mother thought. "Why don't you go up to your room and unpack your stuff while I take care of matters down here?" Without saying a word, Brendan went up the stairs.

Soft bells chimed as he trod through the arch once he ascended the stairs. The wooden floor silently creaked as he walked through the hallway. It was nice, but it didn't feel like home to him. Somehow he was more used to the honking of the cars than the rustling of leaves. He missed the skyscrapers and buildings that scattered across instead of trees and bushes. Sighing a bit, he finally found the door to his room – he could tell by the "Police Line Don't Cross" taped up across the door. It was definitely his.

The scent still remained up to his room. It was empty, except for a comfortable single bed placed beside the big glass window and a pile of boxes clumped against each other on one corner of the room, and also unbelievably large. What he considered as his room back in Goldenrod was a mattress planted across the tiled floor in his mother's room, so this was a welcome change to the teenage Brendan who needed his own privacy and alone time here and there.

Brendan opened one box first, with the word "clothes" written on all capital letters with a permanent marker. He began to sort them one by one and placed them in the built-in closet that conveniently was near the boxes.

"Brendan! Brendan!" He heard his mother call from downstairs. Hastily, he opened the door to the hallway and raced himself through the stairs. There, he saw his mother, eagerly standing in front of the television. "Typical for mom that the television would go first," Brendan playfully sighed at himself, chuckling. His mother was a television addict, always in front of the television from morning to night… when she's not at her garden, at least.

"What, mom?" Brendan slowly moved towards the couch-less living room.

"...And we bring you live here from Petalburg City Gym." A charismatic voice was heard from a young male interviewer in the TV, before quickly switching to a commercial.

"Aw, we missed it. Too bad." His mother frowned.

"Missed what?"

"Your dad was on TV! He was interviewed after being promoted as the gym leader in Petalburg."

"Petalburg?" Brendan repeated the unfamiliar word. "Where's that?"

"It's just a small town nearby." His mother answered, although she herself didn't know where exactly it was either. "Hey, why don't you visit our neighbors? Surely they'd be happy to see you."

"Oh, I can't." While Brendan wasn't shy, he didn't feel like starting all over when it comes to his friends. "I still haven't finished unpacking yet."

"Oh, you should! I'll take care of that. Why don't you explore our place?"

"Fine," He gave in to the suggestion, but it felt more like a demand to him.

His mother smiled, watching Brendan moving to the front door. Of course, he wasn't fully adjusted yet, but she believed this would get him somewhere. After all, he was labelled as the "popular one" when he was in school back in Goldenrod.

Brendan breathed in and out. He noticed a sense of freedom living in the country, how the children freely ran and played around as opposed how they weren't allowed to live out of their parents sight in the city. It felt free, yet safe at the same time – something he would have missed from his childhood. Everyone seemed visibly happy in the small town, stopping to smile as he passed by, then they would continue back to what they were doing, and it wasn't stuff like building a house, talking on the phone… no, it was different. They were raking leaves, picking apples from the trees or just feeding the Tailow from the bench, there were smiles planted on their humble faces. Brendan appreciated it; it seemed like they really were enjoying themselves. This isn't the life Brendan wanted, though. Their serene lifestyle was appealing, but he always wanted something else. Something thrilling, something that would make his heart pop out of his chest. It was adrenaline. He longed for adrenaline.

Knock knock.

"Huh?" The door slowly opened. "Ah, good morning! You must be the new neighbors, huh? We haven't had anyone living on that house for quite a while. What's your name?"

Brendan couldn't help but smile at the friendliness she had, it was different compared to the gruff nature people from the city had. "I'm Brendan. I came from Goldenrod."

"I'm Mrs. Birch. That's awful far. Glad you came here safe. Why don't you come in? We have a daughter the same age as you… maybe you guys would hit it off! She's upstairs, I think."

"Thank you. She seems like an interesting person."

Both went in, with Brendan directly going upstairs while the other continued to brew a cup of tea.

Knock knock.

"Wait, mom!" A young feminine voice calmly directed.

"Oh, uh.." This is awkward, he thought. Luckily Brendan was no stranger in social situations like these. His voice remained confident as he tried not to stutter. "Oh, I'm not your mom. I'm your new neighbor… your mom told me to see you."

"Ah! Come in, then. I'm quite busy at the moment."

He entered the room, revealing a young girl around the same age as his. Her hair was brown and reached to her neck, it didn't seem like it was taken care for religiously but it didn't give a sign of messiness. Her eyes were silver gray, sort of like lightning; they were bright and shining. It made her seem sharp and spirited. They were large but they were far from disproportionate, instead, they fit her face like a puzzle piece. Her skin was pale, a bit sandy as well, with a few scars on her skin and small, easily unnoticed freckles decorated her face. There she was, in front of a computer as she read a book. She wasn't perfect, but she was beautiful even so.

"Uh, hey. I'm Brendan. Brendan Davis." Brendan's eyes widened.

The girl typed for a while and stopped, closing her book. "Hiya! I'm May Birch."

Earth to Brendan, Earth to Brendan… he told himself, trying to snap himself back to reality and drop back down from the clouds. "I-I'm new here, I came from Goldenrod. Ever been there?"

"Oh, not yet unfortunately. I've only ever traveled as far to Oldale. It's a small town just close by here, in case you were wondering."

"Interesting." Brendan nodded his head, trying to think of anything worth conversation. "Do you happen to know where Petalburg is? My father's a gym leader there."

"Norman?" May's eyes widened. "You're the son of Norman?!" May was shocked. Littleroot was the only place she ever known since she was a child, and it was a shock to find someone noteworthy on the sleepy village. "Petalburg is also just close by, but you need to pass by one small route, then Oldale, then a long route full of trainers. Do you wanna go there?"

"Ah, yeah, it'd be cool! What about all the trainers and the Wild Pokemon?"

"It's fine, I've got a Pokemon of my own. Let's go!"

Just as the two were about to leave, a loud cry of help was heard. "HELP!"

May gasped. "That sounds like my father! Let's hurry!"