Chapter 1

In the Kingdom of Rova, there is one event that supersedes all others. Hundreds of elite members of society come to Trale, the capital city, to enjoy the festivities. The week before the celebration, there are parades through all the different areas of Trale, a nightly firework spectacular across the city skyline, and many tournaments where the best trainers in Rova compete to earn one of the coveted Trale Medals. All of these events pale in comparison to the grand finale of the week, the New Year's Ball.

The Ball takes place at Castle Trale, an ornate palace that lies at the edge of the sparkling, crystal clear waters of the Arching River. The castle towers above the surrounding Blon Woodlands, a monument to the beauty of Rova. Adorned in the resplendent Rovian national colors, bright green and a deep scarlet, the castle represents the power of the Good King Harold Redmond.

Well respected royalty, powerful trainers, and leaders of industry come from all over Rova to attend the New Year's Ball. It is a time for all the leaders of the States of Rova to come together and celebrate the possibilities of the year to come. The elite gather to dazzle each other and the nation, each one trying to outdo the other with their ensemble and their wealth. Paparazzi photograph every inch of the entrance for the event, capturing every angle of the high fashion looks as they enter the venue. Which is why Alex and I were obsessing over every little detail of our outfits.

I tried to tie my tie for what felt like the hundredth time, but it just did not seem to work. Meanwhile, my best friend Alexandria Rodriguez was touching up her makeup in the mirror next to me and she looked unbelievably gorgeous. Her black hair was parted in the middle and pulled back into an intricate bun on the back of her head. From the back it looked like she was wearing a purple floral print ball gown with a tight top and flowing skirt that looked amazing with her tan skin. But, when Alex turned around and you could see the front of her outfit, she was actually in a tight black jumpsuit with the floral "gown" flowing out from her waist. Alex was beautiful in a way that caught your eye. Her physique was athletic, her face was sharp and interesting, and her skin was a gorgeous olive tan. People wanted to look at Alex and she wanted to make people look, at least for tonight. She was fantastically put together, and I was having trouble properly putting on a tie.

I was wearing a light gray suit that Alex helped pick out for me. It fit properly on my body and I actually felt good about the fit and how it looked against my skin tone. My dark brown hair that looked almost black, was long on top, cut short on the sides, and styled to let my hair curl in a controlled way on on top to contrast the shaved sides of my head. I felt I looked pretty good for me, I wasn't a model but my face was at least cute I guess and my body was toned from swimming. My button down shirt was the same black material as Alex's jumpsuit and my tie was the same purple floral print as her skirt so we could match. Now if only I could get the tie to actually knot the way it was supposed.

"Just come here, Finn! It seems like you might need a little help" said Alex, lightly laughing at my failure.

I sighed in joking frustration and said, "Well at least I tried. Maybe next time I will actually able to work out the complicated art of tying a tie."

Alex chuckled and finished pulling the tie in ways that I just could not fathom. Finally she finished and stepped back so I could look at myself in the bathroom mirror. Standing next to each other, we cut a striking figure.

"Calm down. You look great" Alex says as she tries to reassure me.

But I was still nervous. Alexandria and I were rather new to Rova and the only friend we would know at the Ball was… um… personable. I doubt he would have time for us.

Still, the Rovian New Year's Ball is a world renowned event. We wouldn't miss it for the world. Especially because Alex and I have only been in Rova for about a year. Both of us have traveled and journeyed through several regions. We both began our careers in Hoenn but we didn't actually meet until we were both traveling through Sinnoh. She became my rival after a tournament in Jubilife and we had heated battles all over the region. Eventually we became fast friends because of our mutual need to challenge ourselves and each other. We originally came to Port Upring in Rova to compete in a double battle tournament and have a little vacation before we traveled to another region. But then we met Duke Conrad Hapsburg.

Conrad was one of those social butterflies. He loved parties and knowing more than the the people who are in the know. After Alex and I won the tournament he simply had to have us at his next event. Conrad befriended Alex and I and sponsored us to compete in the elite tournament circuit of Port Upring. The circuit battles were some of the most electrifying battles I have ever taken part in. My team and I felt rejuvenated and challenged in ways we never have before. Alex and I lost that day, but we knew that we needed to stay in Rova. These Rovian trainers were not messing around, and we wanted to compete with these incredible opponents. Over the past year, Alex and I have exploded onto the Port Upring scene and have become great friends with Conrad. Which is why Conrad invited us to the biggest event in the country. Also maybe to show off that his sponsored trainers are kind of killing it right now.

"Are you nervous?" I asked Alex.

Alex nodded, grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

"Of course, but let's show these Rovians that we know how to have a good goddamn time, Finn" Alex said, emphatically.

I squeezed her hand back as we smiled at each other. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Alex and I let go of each other and I went to open the door only to see an extremely handsome 25 year old man with a shock of brown hair, deep brown eyes, and a muscular physique leaning confidently against the door frame. He winked at me immediately and said, "well, well, well look at how handsome you are. You're almost my type when you clean up."

I brushed him off by chuckling and saying, "Thanks Conrad, I thought maybe I would try tonight."

Conrad laughed and pushed past me into my guest room at his summer mansion in Trale. He looked hot, I'm not gonna lie. His suit was navy with a gold trim and it was tailored precisely to his body. His shirt was white with a gold and navy tie to match the suit. His flirting was part of his charm and he did it with everyone. He also just plain did it with everyone, but that's besides the point.

"You checking out my butt? Because I wouldn't blame you" Conrad teased me.

I teased him right back and confidently said, "Yeah, and?"

Conrad laughed and yelled into the bathroom where Alex was adding small details to her makeup.

"Let's go Alexandria! We're going to be late!"

"Hi Conrad! Also back off, we'll be fashionably late" Alexandria yelled back at Conrad.

"We're already fashionably late!" Conrad exclaimed.

Alexandria walked out of the bathroom, turned in her outfit and said, "Fine, how do I look?"

"Amazing! Stunning! Gorgeous! I'm the luckiest Duke in all of Rova! Now let's head on out," Conrad said.

He put his arm around both of us and led us out the door.

Oh god, here we go.

Author's Note: Hey everybody! So I had this idea of a battle scene in my mind and I kept expanding it and adding to it until I basically started creating a story. So I thought why not write it out? So I have this whole story planned out and the world basically built. It takes place in Rova which is a Kingdom in the Pokemon world that has many modern elements but also old school royalty and all of these other things I can't wait for you to see. There will be more Pokemon stuff in the future! But right now I just wanted to introduce the main characters and the setting.

Please remember to rate and review!

Thanks!

The Author.