Hello, and welcome to my first ever Pokemon Fanfiction! :D I've read a lot of them and had my own idea for a story for a while now, and i thought i'd give it a shot and submit my own! This is the first story of any kind i've EVER written, so bare with me while i'm in my novice state. :P I welcome any constructive criticism or suggestions to the story, and hope to learn a lot about story writing to create a great Saga!

Before we begin, i'll just say that i do not own Pokemon, not even in my dreams.

"Freedom! Ahahaha!" Over the sounds of the waves crashing into the large boat, a young new trainer's eagerness can be heard from the deck. "Erick calm down, we're still 2 hours away from the mainland." A black haired boy said, annoyed by his cousin's outburst. He understood, however. After 2 years abroad attending a mandatory Pokemon Academy, it felt great to finally be able to start a journey into the large Region they called home, the region of Solacia.

"Come on Marek, we're finally away from that boring island school! Have a little fun!" Responded Erick. Marek continued to just lean against the railing, content on feeling the ocean spray and celebrating inwardly. Yes he was practically bursting with joy, but he couldn't show it, he was the calm one. To join Erick in his celebration would be to go against his nature. He was Marek, the calm, rational kid while his cousin was the loud, reckless one. He was content to just stare out into the sea, watching and smiling at the Mantine and Seaking that swam close to the boat. Erick continued,

"I mean, We both passed the final exams, so we'll get our Mystery Pokemon as soon as we get to the Dock!" Solacian Trainers got their Starters a little different than in the other regions. After passing the final exams and ensuring that they'll survive traveling across the Region alone, they are randomly given a Pokeball with their Starter inside. However, the 3 Starters from every region method was still in use in a few Labs throughout the Region. "And from there, we conquer the Solacian League." Said Marek, smiling at their long term goal. 'Baby steps cousin, there are many things to do before we get there.'

xXx

"Alright, Trainers #27, 28, and 29, the moment you've been waiting for is here." Professor Emmanuel Grove, a man who appeared to be in his late-40's and was wearing the standard lab coat over khakis, dramatically said to the awaiting Trainers. Marek stood on the Prof.'s left, letting only a smile through his calm demeanor. He had now changed into his Trainer clothes, which consisted of a black bandana folded on his forehead, a gray jacket, red hoodie and shirt, gray cargo pants, and red High-Top Sneakers. Erick was in front of the Professor, barely containing his excitement, wearing a deep green vest over a white long sleeved shirt, with gray jeans and green sneakers similar to Marek's. Trainer 29 stood a good distance away from the 2 cousins and looked at them with disinterest. He had his black hair in a greaser hairstyle, and was wearing a black windbreaker over a white shirt, jeans, and black slip-on shoes.

"Well boys, you've been patient enough, so I'll give you what you came for. Let's see... Marek, you come up first!" Marek's heart pounded as he neared the professor. With a shaky hand he reached out as the older man took the Pokeball out of his coat pocket and handed it gently to the new Trainer. Marek stared at the sphere, taking in it's weight and appearance before deciding to call out the Pokemon within. "Pokeball, go!" With a flash, his new Pokemon materialized from the red light. It stood at about a foot tall, had mostly brown fur with a cream colored furry collar and tail tip. "Ahh, you got an Eevee! They're such an adaptable species, with so many different evolutions to choose from." Admired the Professor.

"Mine Next!" exclaimed Erick, receiving an elbow jab and a shush from Marek. "Oh! Of course!" chuckled the Prof, and handed another Poke Ball to Erick. As soon as the capsule dropped into his palm Erick enlarged it and released his new Pokémon. This one was about twice as big as Eevee, with shorter black fur, a red underbelly and muzzle, and what looked like ribs around it's midsection.

"Well Erick, you've Got a Houndour! They're very intelligent and great at teamwork, making it a good addition to the team of a novice Trainer!" The Professor turned from Erick, who was marveling at the canine Pokémon, and turned to Trainer 29.

"Ok... Oziel, yours is last." Oziel's expression remained mostly the same, only standing up straighter as he was handed the Pokeball. Pointing it to the space in front of him, the third Trainer sent out his new Pokémon, which was a primarily white with red arms and a zigzag across its abdomen, with two wickedly sharp claws on both front limbs. Seeing the two other Pokémon, it quickly switched to a bipedal position and tensed up.

"A Zangoose." said the Professor, with a worried look on his face. "I'm not sure if this is a good choice for your starter, as they are temperamental and difficult to control for beginners. Would you like a replacement?"

"No thanks Professor Mangrove, I'm sure me and Zangoose will get along perfectly." Responded Oziel, for the first time having a small smile. The Cat Ferret Pokémon examined it's new Trainer before bowing, finding him as a suitable partner. "Well, now that you all are familiar with your new Pokémon, there's something else I must give you." Mangrove said to the Trainers, opening a metal briefcase on his desk.

"Boys, here are your brand new Pokédexes!" the devices looked similar to a smartphone, consisting mostly of a 5 inch touchscreen in the front, with a camera, Pokeball logo, and a small solar panel on the back. These looked much different from the old Pokédexes. The backs were color coded for each Trainer; Red for Marek, Green for Erick, and Black for Oziel.

"These handy devices contain knowledge gathered over time about every Pokémon native to our region, as well as a map, other features that I'll let you figure out on your own." with a smile, Professor Mangrove handed each of them their devices. "Each Pokédex is registered in your name, and you can access your trainer profile through it!" The Professor said as he stood in front of the Trainers. "I'm not one for long speeches, so I'll just make this short. Each of you have a task, of catching and training your Pokémon, and whether you're aspiring to challenge the Pokémon League, or pursue a career in the fields of science, it is important that you raise your Pokémon not as tools, but as friends and partners. And as partners, they have just as much to do with your achievements as you do. Now, get outta here! Go start your journey across this beautiful region!" With a grin ,the Professor ushered the three boys out of his office, preparing for the next trio of trainers.

xXx

"Hey! Oziel was it? Wanna have a battle?!" proposed Erick, eager to test the strength of his new Pokémon. The taller Trainer accepted the challenge with a simple "Sure." With each trainer standing at one side of a small field in the back of the lab, Marek took the time to test his new Pokédex. "Houndour, the Dark Pokémon. It uses different cries to communicate with others of its kind while pursuing it's prey. This Pokémon has the ability Flash Fire and knows the moves Ember, Smog, Howl, and Bite. It's power level is 10." informed the Pokedex, with a robotic voice that sounded vaguely like the Professors. Doing the same with Zangoose, Marek learned that it knows the moves Swords Dance, Scratch, Quick Attack, and Leer. Once both Trainers were ready, The battle began.

"Houndour/Zangoose, go!" both Pokémon were released in a flash of red light. "Zangoose Quick Attack!" before Erick or Houndour were ready Zangoose launched forward with surprising speed slammed it's shoulder into the small dogs side, who was pushed back into the ground with a yelp. "Houndour! You okay?!" the Pokémon stood back up and gave a loud Howl. "Get him back with a Bite!" "Counter with Scratch!" Houndour lunged forward to bite it's opponents leg, but Zangoose pivoted to the side and raked it's sharp claws across the same side he hit with Quick Attack.

"Ember!" "Scratch one more time!" Taking the Ember at point blank, Zangoose again utilized it's sharp claws, to attack the tired dog. Houndour, having endured a good deal of damage, collapsed. "Houndour is unable to battle, which means Zangoose and Oziel are the winners!" announced Marek. Both trainers recalled their Pokémon, with Erick visibly disappointed in losing his first battle. Before any of the Trainers could say anything, a voice called out from the Lab.

"Ozzie!" it was the voice of a male, who was coming towards the three boys with a girl. The boy was a year older than the 15 year olds Marek and Erick, and was wearing tan cargo shorts, a black shirt, and black shoes. The girl seemed 14, and had long black hair, with tight black pants, a white shirt with a pink hoodie, and white shoes. Each hand a Pokeball in their hand. "We just got Our Pokémon! Ready to go? " new Trainer asked. "I'm Carlos, and this is Lucy." he said as he introduced himself and the girl to two cousins. "We're gonna challenge the Pokémon League as soon as we have all 8 required badges!"

"I'm Marek and he's Erick, and we're challenging the league too!"

"It was nice meeting you two, maybe we'll bump into each other again sometime!" Carlos said, before he turned to his traveling companions. "we better get going guys. We should make it to the next town by nightfall if we hurry." with a wave, Carlos left for the City's eastern gate, followed by Lucy and Oziel.

"Are we leaving too?" asked Erick. "Not yet, we've gotta pass by my house first. My mom said they were waiting for us." responded Marek, and with that the two cousins left the lab and headed to the northern side of the city.

xXx

That's it for now! Let me know what you think, what you liked or disliked and why, or just leave a review! for the next chapter i might need some OCs, so if you have a character you'd like to submit just send me a PM. i'll need:

2-3 low leveled or first evolution Pokemon, since the cousins are just starting out.

Name, appearance, and personality of your trainer.

Where they're from. (Since i haven't gotten to mentioning many cities yet, any city/ town from any region [or possibly your own region if you feel like having your protagonist show up in my story] are welcome. or, you can just have me pick one of my cities for them.)

Anything i left out or forgot to mention.

If i like your OCs and decide to use them, i might send you a message, whether to tell you ill use them or to ask any questions.

Thanks for reading guys!