Arc of a Traveler Chapter 1: Undella Town/Departure

Hey, readers! I promised a Pokémon story, and here it is. Well, the first chapter of it anyway. As easy as it would be, I'm not going to use "Saga" in the title for the sake of a play-on-words. On that note, Saga's name is borrowed from the 2001 anime A Little Snow Fairy Sugar. Correction: I know I said I wouldn't use her name in or as the title, but I ran out of options, and time. A.O.T., the original title, can be found at the top of the chapter page. not that I'm proud of it, but I'm an uncreative person.

And yes, I know that I run the risk of turning Saga into a Mary Sue, being a FC (I will attempt to use the term FC, for "Fan Character," from this point.). But remember: at its core, a Mary Sue is a character who is inexplicably skilled at anything and everything with little to no justification or explanation. So much so, that whatever "story" is left feels empty and forced. There are a lot of additional elements to that description, and I do mean a lot, but that information can be found by referring to DeviantArt user HatedLove6, who I want to thank for providing great insight in Mary Sue matters.

Well, that's that. I hope you'll stick with Me and Saga all the way to the end, 'til she meets her goal. Enjoy! - d.a.w.i.c.f. (Yes, now you know. My handle is an acronym)

"Hey, so, dad? You already know, don't you?" I ask him sheepishly over breakfast.

"About you leaving tomorrow? Of course. You haven't done a convincing job of hiding it. As much as I want to stop you, I know I can't. You turn 11 tomorrow. You're old enough to make your own decisions in this matter."

"I wish I could stay, too, dad. I love it here, but the world isn't in a textbook."

"True, but knowledge is always important. Since the time you started to read to now, you've probably read more books than I have."

"You're exaggerating. I'm not that big a bookworm." I laugh him off. "Am I?"

"Maybe," he answers, smirking. "And it's more than just legends. You've probably digested more information than most Professors."

"Yep, and it's all been for this."

My dad considers himself more of a plain scholar than an actual Professor, but I've seen plenty of people call him up for help with myths and legends; he considers that his area of expertise. I want to do the same: travel to other regions and learn about their history and Pokémon. Legends have always fascinated me. How powerful were they, the Pokémon of old? How awe-inspiring was their power that tales survive to this day? Even here in Unova, we have plenty of legends. The history of the heroic brothers, the myth of the desert ruins, and the spirit of victory, and those are just the few I know.

"So, Saga, where were you thinking of starting? Here?"

"Tempting, but no. I was thinking of starting in Hoenn, of maybe Johto."

"Well, if you can't make up your mind…" I hear a woman behind me say, "you could try Alola."

"Mom! I thought you couldn't get off work 'til tomorrow."

"I appealed for today. Anyway, I was just saying, why not try Alola?"

"Alola? Where's that?"

"A region far west of here. You'd like it. Nice beaches, great people. Kind of like here, but more tropical."

"It does sound nice. D'you know what kind of Pokémon are there?"

"Not a lot, no. I did see something odd, though, the craziest thing. Look at this photo I took when I visited last year."

She hands me a photograph. I take one look and have to restrain myself from laughing. It doesn't work, and I barely manage to breathe out, "What is that?"

"Something the locals call a 'regional variant.' I'm sure you know that it's an Exeggutor, but as you can see, its neck is…"

'Girafarig has some real competition now. I'm sold. I'm going to Alola."

"I thought that might sell you, so I asked someone to come help get you to Alola."

"And that's my cue! Alola, cousin!"

"Saga, meet Professor Kukui, regional Alola Professor."

He's not wearing any shirt, I think, slightly unsettled by his choice of apparel. "Nice to meet you, Professor."

"You, too. But in Alola, we greet each other with a hearty 'Alola!'" He waves his arms in a motion clearly intended as a greeting. "But if regional variants are what you're into, you'd dig Alola. I spent plenty of time in Kanto, and we have so many unique Pokémon not found anywhere else."

"Does that include myths and legends?" I ask excitedly.

"So that's your field? Yeah, we have plenty of stories like that."

"When can we get there?"

"If we leave in the next hour, we can get there by morning."

"Just let me finish packing and I'll be ready."

"No hurry, cousin!"

I go back to my room and review my choice in clothing. Mom said it's really tropical, so heavy clothes are out. She also mentioned beaches, so I should pack a swimsuit or two. Looking over my new ensemble, I can only hope I'm ready. Now for one last thing.

"Hey, dad," I call, walking back into the living room, "have you seen Rue? I can't find him any–" I stop when I feel a tap on my shoulder. Turning, I look into a mirror reflection, except for one difference; my mirror is grinning. "Dang it, Rue, I told you not to do that, especially when we have company."

"Is this a Pokémon?" Kukui asks.

"Yeah. Okay, you've made your point. Now come on, introduce yourself properly. This is Zorua, and he's my partner."

"You already have a Pokémon partner? Great, but I don't recognize this one."

"I'll tell you about him on the way."

"Alright! So, are we ready to go?"

"Now who's in a hurry?"

"Actions speak louder than words! I'll tell you about Alola on the ride there."

"Then let's go. But the airport's on the other side on Unova."

"Actually, I came here by boat. My speedboat should get us there by tomorrow, but it'll be a non-stop ride."

"I can deal. I've pulled all-nighters over textbooks before."

"Well, if you're ready, then. Let's get moving."

"Oh, wait, hold on. There's one more thing I need to do," I say before running off. I step outside and rush over to the cliff near our house. "Best seat in the house," I say to myself, sitting down. "Huh. Now I'm not so sure about all this."

"Never known you to be a doubter, Saga."

"Cynthia! I didn't know you'd be here today!" I say excitedly, turning to face her. A few years ago, I met Cynthia when she came by to ask my dad about a few legends she was curious about. I didn't know who she was at the time, but she was the best chance I had, so I took the opportunity to ask her to teach me how to be a Trainer then and there. She was reluctant at first (I was only 9), but she gave in, and I've been practicing with her (When she's here) and by myself for the last year-and-a-half.

"Well, I am on vacation. But back to you. You said you wanted to start exploring by 11, right?"

"And I still do. It's just…you were right. It's a big decision, and when that moment finally comes, well, it's a lot to take in."

"It's not to be taken lightly," she responds, nodding solemnly. "But if it's you, I have a feeling you'll work it out. So, where will you start your grand adventure?"

"I was unsure at first, but now I've settled on Alola."

"That's a ways off from here. When do you think you'll come to Sinnoh?"

"Not for a while. And I don't plan on challenging you."

"Why not? You've got the talent. It's why I agreed to teach you."

"And here I thought you were tired of me pestering you."

"That was a part of it, too. But you're right. Wait a few more years; you're still young. But we'll see how you develop."

"Hey! Are you ready?" Professor Kukui asks, walking out. "Wow, this is a nice view!"

"It really is. I love coming out here. Nothing quite like it all of Undella Town. Just wanted one last look at it before I leave. …I'm really gonna miss home."

"Sure you don't wanna wait, cousin?" Professor Kukui asks.

"No. If I wait much longer, I'm not gonna leave. So let's go. Cynthia! Since you seem to believe in me so much, I take back what I said. I issue a challenge to you right now. And when we battle, I'll win."

"I accept. I'm always ready for a challenge."

"When you say Cynthia, do you mean the Sinnoh region Pokémon Champion?"

"Yep! I'm already challenging Champions, and I'm not even 11 yet. Dream big, right?"

"Someone's getting ahead of herself. Saga, you're at least 5 years out from challenging me."

I merely grin. "Ready, professor?"

"Whenever you are. To Alola!"

"See you, Cynthia!" I wave good-bye to her before following Kukui. "Hey, Professor, how do you know my mom?"

"That's a story. I actually traveled the Kanto region a few years ago, challenging the Gym Leaders, and while I was passing through Saffron City, I met her. She was an employee of Silph Co., and she commented how she had never seen Pokémon like mine. Well, not exactly. Meowth, Vulpix, Sandshrew, Raticate,…"

"Exeggutor?" I jump in, remembering the picture mom showed me.

"And more. Alola has quite a few regional variants of Kanto Pokémon you might be familiar with. The two of us started talking about the differences between them, and then you came up a few times. She mentioned a daughter who can never seem to pull her head out of a book. I told that when she, or you, were old enough, you should come to Alola, see what it's like."

"So the two of you planned this?"

"Not so soon, but we talked about it. We actually had another chat about it a few months ago. I heard you were planning on maybe Hoenn or Johto first, so I hope you don't mind this wrench in your plan."

"No way, this is fun! What's an adventure if not new experiences? But what's Alola like?"

"That'll take a while, so I'll explain on the ride there. Well, this is it: my ride." It's a regular speedboat, but it got him here, so it's got the power, at least. "Well, climb aboard. We'll have to stop when it gets late, so we can sleep, but we can be in Alola tomorrow morning," he explains, firing up the engine.

"Just in time," I voice my thoughts aloud.

"Right, you said you turn 11 tomorrow. Funny, you'll also be old enough to do the Island Challenge."

"'Island Challenge?' What's that about?" I ask as we pull out into the bay.

"It's not too different from other regions' Gym Challenge. Young Alolan Trainers travel to each of the four islands, facing various trials that test their abilities. At each island, they face a Grand Trial, which I guess is like an Elite Four battle."

"Huh. Sounds adventurous. And there are four islands, you said?"

"Yep! Melemele, Akala, Ula'Ula, and Poni. 1 Grand Trial per island. And that's pretty much the long and short of it. Now I'm curious. Your partner there, Zorua, you called it?"

"Yeah. Rue's my partner. Almost 4 years ago, we, my parents and I, went to Nimbasa City. On our way back, we passed by Illusion Forest. We of Unova call it Illusion Forest because rumors say it's different every time someone sets foot inside, a new illusion each time. But no-one knows why. Sorry, I shouldn't've said 'everyone.'

"After some…okay, a lot of research, I found that a Pokémon known as Zoroark has the ability to create illusions and mirages to fool humans. There's no proof to this claim, but rumors say that a single Zoroark can create such a powerful illusion that it can an entire city, or can hold up for 10 years. I'm getting off-topic.

"On our way back home, I wanted to explore the Forest, so I did. Once I was inside, I lost track of the main road outside, like I'd stepped into another world. Luckily my parents were still with me, so I wasn't too scared. But it was so surreal. The Illusion Forest lived up to its name.

"When I went deeper in, I heard rustling in the bushes. I was scared that maybe a wild Pokémon would attack me, so I backed away. Then I saw it: a small Pokémon hiding in the bushes. It was shivering, looking at me with fear in its eyes, like it believed I would attack it. It was cute, so I wanted to get closer, but I didn't want to scare it much more, so I dropped to my knees, and crawled over to it. It seemed like it wanted to run, but couldn't. Then I saw its leg was hurt. I couldn't leave it alone. I was careful not to scare it; I knew to be gentle, or I risked getting hurt, or hurting it any more. I reached out to it, wanting to help. And from there…it may surprise you what happened from there."

"A story of helping Pokémon. And now the two of you are so close."

"Oh, not at first," I respond, smirking. "When I did a little more digging, I found out the Pokémon I found was called Zorua, and that it's a pre-evolution to Zoroark. We took him back home, where he could recover in a peaceful, quiet, not-so-wild environment, but he seemed intent on returning to his home. Not that I could blame him; he was in a weird place, surrounded by people he didn't know. In spite of that, I told him he couldn't leave until he was healed. And that took 5 months. It'd have taken 3 if he hadn't stressed his injury as much as he did," I say, shooting Rue a glare.

"Then something happened. Somewhere in the time he stayed with us, something changed. He stopped resisting the healing, stopped being scared of us. I figured he had just resigned himself to the healing, but it was more than that. Even after he recovered, and he left, he came back now and again. It got to the point he would stay for whole weeks at a time. So we gave up, and I think he did, too. Zorua began staying with us permanently, but I still hadn't officially captured him. Cynthia fixed that by offering me a Poké Ball, and with that, that's the end of my story."

"From his color, can I assume that Zorua is a Dark-type?"

"He is, yes. Zorua and Zoroark can use illusions to mimic the appearance of anyone they choose. Show him, Rue." To prove my point, he transforms into a mirror image of the professor. "But there's a small problem with Zorua's illusion." To illustrate again, he does a quick spin, revealing the dead giveaway. "See it? Zorua can't hide their tail. Also, they're unable to speak, so they usually take the form of small children. But it's always the tail; that's the clue. But a Zoroark…it's almost magic. Other rumors say that their disguises are so strong and complete, they can function perfectly in human society with no telltale signs they're a Pokémon."

"They sound like a very powerful Pokémon."

"They are. As amazing as I think it would be if Rue here evolved, I love him as he is, 'cause he's so cute. It's nice for a Pokémon to be both cute and strong, I believe."

"I know you already technically have a partner Pokémon, but if you would like, you can choose a beginners' Pokémon from Alola."

"Are you serious?!" I ask, shocked. "I mean, only if you're sure that it's not a problem. I don't want to get anyone in trouble."

"It's fine. I'm the Professor, after all. Well, here they are: the starter Pokémon of the Alola region!" He pulls three Poké Balls out of one of his coat pockets, and out pop three Pokémon. "Here they are. This first one is Rowlet, a Grass-and-Flying-type."

"A Flying-type starter?! Get out! I know Charmander evolves into a Flying-type, but it doesn't start as one." In response to my admiration, Rowlet lifts its head proudly.

"The second one here is Litten; a Fire-type, as I'm sure you can tell."

"Also cute, also cute."

"And this last one is Popplio, the Water-type starter."

I take a few seconds to answer, but I'm certain in my choice. "I choose…Popplio. Man, this hurts."

"Is it really that hard for you to make a decision?"

"No, no, not like that. I knew right away I wanted to choose Popplio, but I meant that it hurt for Rowlet and Litten," I explain, petting the other two. "They're all so cute, it hurts to just pick one."

"It's just the first of many choices Trainers have to make on their journey."

"I guess, but still…Okay, Popplio, you're with us now! Should I give you a nickname? Professor, what does Popplio do?"

"Popplio are able to create balloons made out of water. With enough practice, they can even create balloons big enough for a full-size person. And it only gets better when they evolve. A fully-evolved Primarina can create balloons of all sizes and colors, and it uses its voice to create a myriad of different effects with them. In battle, it launches these balloons at opponents, and detonates them like small bombs."

"That is…awesome! In that case, I'll name you Ring!" Popplio claps its fin, happy at its new name. "Oh, uh, also, what gender is it?"

"That Popplio is female. It's also special, as it has…" he seems hesitant to continue.

"What? What makes her so special?"

"Usually, we Professors are provided Starter Pokémon sanctioned by the Pokémon Association, but those three are all unique, as I captured them in the wild, for research purposes. I wanted to see what Hidden Abilities these three have, and how those Abilities might affect their moves; after extensive research, I received my answer. That Popplio has the Ability Liquid Voice, which turns all of its sound-based moves into Water-type attacks."

"You lucked out, huh, Ring? So, sound-based? Like Uproar, Hyper Voice, Sing?"

"All Water-type," he confirms. "Your nickname is unique. Why 'Ring?'"

"A Pokémon this adorable can be this strong, too? And I named her 'Ring' because of how you described her abilities. Doesn't it sound like she'd make a great ringleader? Like in performing? You get it?"

"It is appropriate when you put it that way. But your Pokémon can't always stay cute. We all grow older with time, even Pokémon. We can't stay young forever."

"Borrow that line from Diantha?"

"Nope. It's just something you learn, especially in Alola."

"How far out are we from Alola?"

"Well, like I said, we'll have to stop for rest, so we still have quite a ways to go. Why don't you play with Popplio, get to know her better? She is your new partner, after all."

I take his advice, and play with Ring for a while. I invite Rowlet and Litten, too; I still feel bad for only being able to choose one. The three of them seem nervous to get close to Rue, but after Ring makes a few brave attempts, they're all playing together. "It's nice to see everyone so close like this," I can't help but comment.

"Friendship is a wonderful thing, Saga," Kukui adds, still piloting the boat. "Even among Pokémon, it's not hard to find."

The ride to Alola is peaceful, but boring. Then I remember a question I really wanted to ask Kukui. "Professor, what kind of legends does Alola have?"

"I remember you getting excited about that earlier. Well, we've reached a good stopping point for today," he says, the sun starting to set. "Alola has quite a few, but the most common is the Island Guardians."

"'Guardians?'"

"Each island of Alola has an Island Guardian serves as a kind of deity to its culture. Tapu Koko is the Island Guardian for Melemele, Tapu Lele for Akala, Tapu Bulu for Ula'Ula, and lastly, Tapu Fini, who watches over Poni Island. The Island Guardians watch over the Trainers who take the Island Challenge, and even watch their battles. Not that I've ever seen it for myself, but more than a few people have told me about it."

"They must be very busy, then, watching so many Trainers."

"True, but for them, I imagine it's almost like a game. It also helps them keep an eye on potential challengers; the Guardians are very fickle, and they like to take an active role in the Challenge themselves, in their own way."

"One for each island. Huh. This Island Challenge is sounding like more and more fun every minute, right, Rue? You in, too, Ring?" The two of them cry affirmatively.

"There's also the Sunne and Moone Pokémon?"

"Sun and Moon?"

"Right, but it's written like this." He takes a small paper from a pocket, and a pen from another, writing out "Sunne" and "Moone." "There's Solgaleo, known in legend as 'The Beast That Devours the Sun," and Lunala, 'The Messenger Who Calls the Moon."

"Sounds like the cycles are important in Alola."

"That's putting it mildly. In Alola, we live in harmony with every aspect of nature. Even the cycles of the sun and moon."

"It really does sound like a nice place."

"Wait 'til you see it, cousin. Now, it's late, and you want to rest for tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't know if I can sleep."

"You'll figure it out. Here," he says, tossing me a blanket from beneath the seat. "The ocean air can get pretty cold if you're not ready."

I said I couldn't sleep, but the gentle rocking of the boat, and the warmth of having my two partners next to me knocks me out real quick. Then I fall into this weird dream…

…I see a stadium. It's too hazy, and I can't make out the details. I walk closer to it to get a better look, and when I step onto it, the fog clears some, and I hear the deafening roar of a crowd. Across from me is a walkway with a black curtain hanging down. The curtain shifts, and someone walks out from behind it, to another cheer from the invisible crowd…

SAVE FILE? Yes. . .

. . .FILE SAVED

Okay! And that's Ch. 1! In the matter of Popplio having its Hidden Ability, I have a working theory about it, that I will explain in my next chapter. But remember, those three were not given to Kukui default by the Association, so it follows a different line of logic.

The world setting: I'm using the anime as the source for the universe, for one main reason: there's way more detail. The cities look like actual cities, not just stripped down to a Center, Mart, and occasional Gym with one or two houses to arbitrarily say "people live here." I will also be removing the 4-move cap for this world. HOWEVER! It is merely a 1-move increase, from 4 to 5; if I went any higher, I would have too much fun and readers would have my head, calling me a GodModder, and Arceus knows we can't have that (yet). (Yay! I made a Poképun.)…Okay, I'll stop now.

Now, for the big source of contention: Two starters?! Yes, two, technically. And while I do feel slightly bad about giving her two Pokémon to work with, for now, it had to be done. And besides, not to call out anyone, but you guys would probably do way worse than what I'm doing, given the chance, with way more overpowered Pokémon.

So, for now, hope you enjoy reading about a budding trainer and her new adventures. Alola!