Chapter 1: Battle Serum

Author's Note: Hey guys! I have always favored the Hoenn Region over the others, so I decided to write a fanfic about the adventures that a new trainer had encountered as he began his journey through the Hoenn Region. I hope you all enjoy!

*DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Pokemon Franchise, nor am I making a profit off of this story*

As Lance stepped into the lunchroom of the Petalburg Trainers School, he caught a glimpse of his best friend Livia, she was a short and petite girl with stunning bronze ringlets that fell ever so carelessly around her heart shaped face. As she looked up, her vibrant green eyes lit up at the sight of Lance! She quickly waved him over to the vacant seat next to her.

As Lance sat down, Livia asked, "So, how do you feel about going through the Battle Serum today?" The Battle Serum is a substance that Max, the current Petalburg Gym Leader, concocted. He spent years undergoing ground breaking research of what a Pokemon endures when battling. He had traveled through every region of the Pokemon world, and has endured every Pokemon attack known by mankind; in order to compile a theory that Pokemon should not be used during the Worldwide Pokemon Trainers Schools' Final Exam. In the past, when students were getting ready to obtain their trainers license, they had to choose random Poke Balls that contained fully evolved Pokemon in them, and go into a battle with one of their schools administrators, but with Max's research the Pokemon League deemed it to be abusive for an inadequate trainer to battle with a Pokemon in it's final evolution. Therefore, there was no way for anyone to recieve a trainers license. So, Max spent three years in a laboratory at the Hoenn Region's Pokemon League Headqauters, coming up with an alternative way to test a person's ability as a trainer. After countless failures he was overjoyed by his success in the Battle Serum. When a person is hooked up to the machine known as the PokeReader and are injected with this serum they are sent into a simulation, in this simulation they are placed in a Pokemon Battle Arena with two Pokeball's in their possession. There is no Simulation that is the same as another, therefore there is no way of knowing what Pokemon they will receive. Once the student releases the two Pokemon he has in his possession an opponent will appear across the arena from them, and a Double Pokemon battle goes underway. While the battle is only happening within the students mind, the PokeReader projects the battle for the Pokemon School's administrators to watch. Every year the graduating class is ranked by the administrators based on how well they student handled the Pokemon they obtained within the simulation, and the top three ranked students are issued a trainers license, while every other member of the class are then able to go and enter the Pokemon World Workforce.

"Well to be honest, I'm scared out of my mind! The fact that I have to give up on my dream of becoming the Champion of the Hoenn Region if I don't get ranked as one of the top three students in our class, is nearly unbearable for me to comprehend. I mean we already know that the top two spots will be filled by you and Keith, so I have to get ranked third at least," Lance answered.

"What makes you say that?" Livia countered.

"Come on Livia, your mother is May, one of the most talented Contest Cooridators in her day, and Keith's Father is Max, the creator of the Battle Serum, he probably knows anything and everything about how this serum works, and with your mom teaching you everything she knows about battling, you are bound to come out of the simulation with flying colors." Lance responded. He sat there with his head hanging hanging between his shoulders with no self confidence in the world.

Livia wrapped her arm around Lance and pulled him in for a hug, "It's all going to work ou..."

Livia was cut off by a Keith's bold laugh, as he sat behind them eavesdropping, "How touching!" he sarcastically mocked Livia and Lance.

"Who asked you?" Livia popped off to her cousin.

"What's the point in comforting a no body Livia, you and me could join forces and become the strongest duo of all time!" Keith retorted.

"Oh yeah well I would rather join forces with someone who has a conscious that tells them right from wrong, than travel with you."

"Psh, your loss! He doesn't even have a chance to make it in the top three, so you're going to be stuck traveling alone!"

Keith smirked at Livia, as he turned on his heel and walked across the lunchroom!

"Don't listen to one word he says, you have just the amount of chance as making it into the top three as anyone here," Livia told Lance.

"No he is right I am a nobody, no one in my family has ever been a Pokemon Trainer, and I have no chance of being the first. You should go side with him so that you can have someone to travel with when this is all said and done." Lance informed her.

Before Livia could respond, Nurse Joy walked into the cafeteria, and motioned for everyone to take their seats.

"Hi my name is Nurse Joy and I would like to welcome eah of you to the Final Exam of the Petalburg Pokemon Trainers School! This year the ten of you will be graduating and setting out on the journey of your lives! But, before you get to set out on your journey you have to undergo the Battle Serum, this is considered your Final Exam. Now I'm sure all of you have heard of this, but let me go over the process. When you are called you will follow me to the PokeReader room, once there I will connect one suction cup to your forehead, which has a wire that runs to the PokeReader Machine. Once I have done that I will inject you with the Battle Serum, within fifteen seconds of releasing the serum into your bloodstream the simulation will launch itself. You will imagine that you are in a Pokemon Battle Arena with two Pokeballs. You have spent the past five years learning about how to battle with Pokemon and now is your chance to unleash all of that knowledge! Once the battle is over you will come come back to reality. The PokeReader will project your entire battle for the administrators to see and you will be ranked based on how you handle your Pokemon in the simulation. Only the students that are ranked as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd will recieve a trainers license. And the rest of you will enter into the Hoenn Region's Work force. Good Luck to all of you! First up is Lance, please come forward and follow me."

Author's Note: I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter to my new fanfic! Please let me know anything you feel I should change, or simply let me know if you enjoyed my chapter by leaving me a review! I look forward to getting my next chapter posted! I know this chapter may be on the short side, butbi wanted to get some feedback on things you all think I should change before I progress into the story line!