Prologue

Aaron

Bzzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!

There goes the alarm clock. As always, I drowsily make my way to it to turn it off. I never was much of a morning person. After getting out of the shower, I finish drying off and glance into the mirror to make sure my short red hair is presentable. I give myself an approving nod, and throw on some jeans and a t-shirt. I make my way down the stairs.

Of course, Skyla's already up and raring to go. Honesty, if it weren't for the resemblance, no one would know we were brother and sister. I sit down and she promptly shoves a plate of eggs and toast in front of me.

"About time you got down here, Aaron," She says with a hint of urgency in her voice. "We need to get going pretty soon if you want to make it in time." She smirks. "That is, unless you want to make Iris mad by being late."

I look at the clock…

"Oh, crap!" I exclaim. I lost track of time and Iris's crowning as Champion is today! I suddenly feel like an idiot.

If I'm not fully awake at this point, that certainly does the job. I start eating more quickly. I've managed to stay on Iris's good side for a couple of years now and if what Skyla tells me about how she was when dealing with Team Plasma is true, I want it to stay that way. Skyla sees me eating faster and laughs. As soon as I finish eating, I stand up.

"You just said that because you wanted to see how I reacted, didn't you?" I ask her, realizing how ridiculous I must look and trying to stop myself from laughing.

"You know it!" She says, grinning. She picks up her bag. "Ready to get going?"

I throw on a jacket and pick up my backpack. "Yeah," I tell her. "Let's go."

I step out of the house and see the familiar runway of Mistralton City. The smell of last night's rain is still in the air, but the sky is practically cloudless. My sister's familiar cargo plane is in the middle of the runway and ready to go. I can feel myself tensing up, wishing Skyla had a plane meant more for passengers. Ah, well. No point in arguing. If I want to see my friend crowned champion, I need to get on that plane. Skyla, as if sensing how nervous I am, places a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"C'mon, Aaron," she says, smiling, "You'll be fine. Have I ever let you get hurt on my plane before?"

I sigh. "Let's just get this over with," I reply, and walk onto the plane.

For all the times I've been on this plane, I've never gotten used to it. It's obvious just by looking inside that it was meant for cargo and not passengers. The crates and metal floors don't make for very comfortable seating. I look around and settle on a place near the door to the cockpit, and sit down against the wall. I pull a Poke Ball from my jacket pocket. Now's as good a time as any to let him fly around.

"Alright, Talon," I say, smiling. "Why don't you stretch your wings a little?"

My Rufflet materializes from the ball, cawing happily. One positive about being in a cargo plane; it gives Talon plenty of space to fly around. Talon takes to the air while I pull out a book and start reading.

Thankfully, we don't run into much turbulence on the way. Skyla lands the plane near the Pokemon League Headquarters, and I return Talon to his Poke Ball. Skyla steps out of the cockpit, and we walk off the plane into a part of Unova I've seen pictures of, and heard about from my sister, but have never actually been to.

I walk out to a sea of sand and rocks. I look to the south and I swear I can see the entirety of the Unova region over the cliff. I see Opelucid City not too far off, its ancient looking buildings standing out. Skyla once told me this was a style choice, meant to preserve the region's past. The buildings, while they look like they came from the distant past, actually have all the amenities of any modern structure.

We make our way toward the Headquarters, and I wonder why the Unova League couldn't have picked a spot with more life to it. I've seen pictures of other regions' League buildings, and they all seemed more enjoyable to visit, especially Hoenn's. I turn to my sister.

"Why'd they pick such a brown spot? You'd think the Pokemon Association would be able to pick a place with more..." I try to think of the right words, "More life to it."

"Your guess is as good as mine." She replies, with a look on her face that makes it obvious that she's thinking the same thing. "Maybe they were going for the 'imposing' feeling," she adds as we walk past the doorman into the building.

The conference room looks more like a school auditorium. The lights are dim, but just bright enough that I can still see where I'm going, and the velvet seats are almost all full. As Skyla and I take our seats, I smile as I think about how lucky we are that it's not cold season. The lights dim all the way, and Grimsley makes his way to the stage. Now, I've never met the guy, but from what I've heard from other people involved with the League, he's a pleasant enough person once you get past his somewhat strange speech pattern. Thankfully, he's speaking plainly for this.

"As you all know," he begins, "The previous Champion, Alder, along with several Gym Leaders, has stepped down. This has left a vacancy in their positions. Vacancies we intend to fill today."

I take a look at the rest of the stage and see Iris, along with a young man in semi-formal wear, some guy with a serious tan, and…..wait, what's Roxie doing here? She didn't tell me anything. I turn to Skyla, and she just grins. Guess I'm the last to know.

Grimsley continues speaking. "First order of business: We'd like to announce the opening of three new gyms in Aspertia, Virbank, and Humilau cities. We have selected the following trainers to be the leaders of these new gyms. For the new Aspertia gym, we have chosen Cheren, specializing in Normal-type Pokemon."

The well dressed young man stands from his chair, making his way to the center. Skyla mentioned this guy once. He once challenged her and apparently gave her quite a battle. He was also pretty heavily involved in the whole Team Plasma thing last year. Guess the League liked what they saw.

"To lead the Virbank City gym, we have chosen Roxie, specializing in Poison-types."

Roxie shoots up from her seat and takes her place in the center along with Cheren. She looks in my direction, grinning. Clearly, the reason she never told me was so she could surprise me with the good news. Considering that Skyla also knew, there's no way she just forgot. My phone vibrates, and I see a message from her saying "We'll talk after the ceremony."

"And finally, as the Humilau City Gym leader, specializing in Water-types, Marlon"

The surfer-looking man stands up and moves to the center. I've never even heard of this guy before. I find myself wondering why the League picked him. He seems like he's more interested in catching a big wave than Pokemon battling. He holds up a Poke Ball and gives a "hang loose" sign to the crowd.

"And finally," Grimsley begins to raise his voice. "The time has come to crown our new Champion. It was not an easy process, but we feel confident in our decision, and we hope you are too. Now, Iris, will you please come forward?"

As Iris stands up, I notice she's wearing a pink and ivory dress that sort of poofs at the bottom. She also has her hair done differently from usual, now in more of a ponytail. I'm not going to lie. She's really pretty with this new look.

Grimsley continues, "Iris, do you accept the title of Champion, and all the responsibilities that go with it?"

Iris nods and replies, "I do"

"Do you promise to not only test trainers' worth, but help them grow as both trainer and Pokemon alike?"

Again, she nods, "I do."

"Then the Unova League accepts you, Champion Iris."

The crow applauds approvingly, and I can see that Iris is struggling to contain her excitement. I feel my phone vibrate and look to see another message from Roxie.

"Meet me in the lobby," it says.

Everyone exits the stage, and the lights come back on. I turn to Skyla to tell her I'm meeting with Roxie, then get up and start making my way to the lobby. I was in a hurry before, so I didn't notice how nice the lobby really is. Polished marble flooring and an ornate fountain in the middle really make it stand out. I also notice that there are assorted plants along the perimeter. Once I'm near the central fountain, it doesn't take long to feel an impact from behind me and a familiar pair of arms choking me.

"Guess who?" I hear my friend say in a playful voice.

"A gym leader who never tells me anything," I reply, in an equally playful voice.

Roxie lets me turn around and return the hug. "Congrats, Roxie! I didn't know you applied to be a gym leader."

"Sorry about that. I wanted to surprise you. You have no idea how hard it was to get your sister to keep it quiet." She smiles, seeming satisfied with my reaction. "It's been a while. We really have some catching up to do. Luckily, I asked Skyla to give me a ride back to Virbank, so we'll have plenty of time."

This may require some explanation. Roxie's been my best friend since I met her about six years ago. I guess going through the awkwardness of early adolescence together (among other things, but this isn't the time for that.) brings people close like that. Her dad took a job in Virbank last year, so we haven't been able to see each other as often as either of us would like. This is the first time I've seen her in three months.

Skyla catches up to us and we begin to make our way back to the plane. As we step outside I notice that the sun is starting to go down. It makes for a really good sunset view from here.

"Of all the places I've seen a sunset," Skyla says, smiling, "this is one of the best."

After spending roughly two minutes looking at the view, we board the plane, and Roxie and I walk into the ever uncomfortable cargo area. We sit down at the same wall I sat against on the way here, and I could swear that the metal is colder than it was earlier. Well, at least this time I have Roxie to talk to.

"So," I say, "When did you apply to be a gym leader?"

"A couple of months ago. I realized just how much I love being with my Pokemon and having battles, so I want to help other trainers find the same joy I do."

I smile, "Kind of funny, coming from the bassist of a punk rock band." I feel her lightly punch my upper arm.

"What? I'm not allowed to have emotions?" She laughs. "Speaking of Pokemon, how's that Rufflet of yours?"

I rub the spot where she punched me. I really need to have a word with her about her definition of "love tap" one of these days. I reply, "He's fine. Seems perfectly content to just fly around and eat what I feed him."

"Have you ever considered training more extensively?"

"I've thought about it, but I don't know. You and I both know battles have never been my strong suit, and I'm not exactly….outdoorsy."

I hear the speakers make a sound, and Skyla says "Hey Roxie. It's getting dark. Would you mind staying the night with us? I can fly you back to Virbank tomorrow."

Roxie replies "Sure thing. I can wait."

I feel the plane start to descend, and within a couple of minutes, we've landed back in Mistralton. We exit the plane, and walk back to the house. We grab a pizza on the way home, and Skyla and I continue to catch up with Roxie. When the time comes to go to bed, I show Roxie to the guest room (It still feels weird calling it that.) Roxie turns to me, and smiles.

"You know, Aaron. I think you'd make a great trainer if you let yourself. Think about it."

"Maybe I'll try training Talon a little more." I return the smile. "Good night, Roxie."

"Good night."