Hello everyone. This is my first fanfic. It will be set in the anime universe a few years after what I assume the XY saga ends.

I don't think I have as much to say here because I don't know what anybody thinks of my writing but I hope that you all find this somewhat pleasing. I actually rewrote this once because I wasn't too happy about it, but I think this version will be appropriate setup.

Enjoy!

...

Aurora Sapphirus

By The Mew in a Chair

Chapter 1

...

Seven months of my life were spent travelling with two men who changed my life. I learned the meanings of both defeat and victory. They were great teachers. I saw my dreams come alive in front of me and also vanish. The allure of the Grand Festival's stage brought me to my highest point. I embraced it and loved every second of it. Just as quickly as that faithful battle with my good friend began, I was shattered by the harsh reality of defeat. Having been so close, but falling so far. That was for me, the end of my first journey, but all I felt was proud of what I and my Pokemon had accomplished.

My second journey would be by myself. I would grow a lot more as a person and learn more than I ever thought possible. The best part about having Pokemon at your side is that you will never stop learning. It's the greatest feeling in the world. Hoenn was so different than Sinnoh and I enjoyed every minute of my time there. I travelled across beaches, forests, caves, and mountains. This Grand Festival, I finally got to taste victory. It was surreal, a rush, and an exhilarating excruciating journey. After almost a year and a half on the road I had gotten to fulfill my dream.

I spent the next five months doing fashion work for some friends of my mother's after that. A sort of break that I needed and my Pokemon and I deserved. It was one of my hobbies that I realized that I could turn into a real career. The window was always open for me.

Afterwards I had the urge to keep going with my travels. I had been to Unova briefly but I decided that I would compete in contests there. Coordinating there was a rather new thing, so having had two regions worth of experience; I found it to be much easier than previous journeys. Nonetheless I was still proud. Top 2, three Grand Festivals in a row, it was amazing.

I decided I wanted to take a break from coordinating. Designing clothes was always a thought of mine and the window of opportunity one day happened to open up to me again.

It's been four years since I started training Pokemon, and now I was in for a brand new experience, in the most beautiful region in the world of Pokemon.

My name is Dawn Platina Bertliz, and I was going to live the dream that has yet to come true.

...

A crisp breeze went through the air as a young man sipped at his drink. His left hand rested on the table, staying at ease with the rest of his body. He took his mouth away from the edge of the glass to admire the view of the dock he was sitting on.

His appearance was rather plain. His hair was shaggy purple with uncut eyebrows that were turned permanently downwards giving his face a rather dark and solemn appearance. His clothing was dark blue and black, a purple scarf wrapped around his neck.

"Sir, your check."

The young man, Paul Shinji, looked to the side as a waiter placed a piece of paper next to him. He took out a small bill and placed it on top.

"Keep the change." He muttered with a plain voice. The waiter took it and walked off.

Looking into his cup, Paul saw his dark onyx eyes looking back at him in the water's reflection. Every time he did he saw the same thin, his own face, unmoved by his life experiences.

It had been three years since the conclusion of his faithful journey across Sinnoh where he met that man. That man who had questioned his way of battle and reevaluate him. Never had he had a battle that fierce, and he had never had one like it since that day. The day he lost to Ash Ketchum in the Sinnoh League.

"Three years" He thought. The breeze suddenly picked up. Paul's face turned slightly as he saw the dock ready to accept a new arrival. A seaplane was docking, propeller still turning. He took another sip of his drink and let the breeze wash over him blowing a few strands of hair into his eyes as the door opened and passengers started flowing out.

As the mess of people began to disperse, he spotted one lone passenger, raising an eyebrow when he noticed her.

She had grown since he last saw her, not by much, if he had to guess maybe two or three inches. Her arms and legs were slightly thicker and her body had begun to develop more curves. Her navy blue hair was tied backwards in a ponytail, accented with a pink bow between it and her head. She wore a black jeans jacket vest, pink shorts, and pink boots with knee high blue socks. Her wrists were addressed with a Poketch on her left and a purple bracelet on her right. Her left ear was adorned with a Diamond earring, while her right was adorned with a Pearl earring.

On her shoulder was her partner Pokemon, a small blue penguin Pokemon. He was slightly amazed that she had gone almost five years without evolving her Piplup.

"How troublesome…" Paul thought to himself as he finished off his drink, watching the girl walk while staring at her wrist, obviously looking at an app instead of where she was going.

He grunted and turned his head away, admiring the piece of paper he had sitting next to his drink. It was a paper for Pokemon trainers like him and the whole reason he was in this region.

Before he could pick it up, a smell washed over him from behind, a smell of blueberry. A hand darted out in front of him and snatched the paper.

"Hey!" He yelled in an annoyed tone as he whirled around to face the girl, who had snuck up behind him and was staring at the paper. He tore it out of her hands and was met with a crystal blue gaze.

"Paul! It IS you!" she said joyously. He grunted in reply, still annoyed that the pesky female had to intrude on his business. Piplup's face tightened and he huffed.

"You're so troublesome." He muttered. The girl fumed at him.

"IT'S NOT TROUBLESOME!" She shouted "MY NAME IS D-A-W-N!"

"I thought it was immature." Paul replied as he stood up.

He had grown slightly over the years as well and was nearly a full head taller than Dawn. They actually ran into each other every few months but only for brief moments at a time. He disliked socializing with people such as her. They had personalities that were a bit too bubbly for his taste.

"What are you doing here in Kalos?" Dawn asked in a demanding tone as she smirked and crossed her arms "I thought for sure you would be taking that spot you won in the Sinnoh Battle Frontier last year, at least that's what Maylene told me."

A grunt left the plum haired trainer's lips as he looked away.

"I still never defeated him. I've trained for too long but it's been a long time since the last battle I had with him. I don't want to take the spot until I feel that I'm strong enough." He replied.

Dawn's eyes widened.

"Him…You mean Brandon?" She asked.

Paul chuckled a bit at her reply. Memories started to flood into his head

"No...I defeated him quite a while ago actually. It took a few tries but finally...I did it" He laughed before turning to Dawn "I'm talking about Ash"

The blunette went silent. She hadn't actually known that Paul had defeated Brandon. The last time she had actually heard of the Pyramid Master was a rumor that after the Sinnoh League of her first journey, he had battled Paul for a second time and had defeated him. She had heard that he had knocked out two of Brandon's legendary Regi's so that was progress on Paul's behalf. And now here he was.

"I beat him because I was inspired to surpass Ash. He's a trainer like none I had ever met. I've been waiting a long time to battle him again." He explained.

"So why don't you just call him for a battle?" Dawn asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Don't be stupid" Paul said sternly "I'm not openly pursuing him. I'm waiting until we cross paths again when neither of us is prepared. It will be the true test of how much we've grown in the past four years."

Dawn winced, slightly annoyed with Paul's tone. He really hadn't changed since he had last met Ash. Four years didn't do that much to a person she guessed.

"I'm here for the Champion League" the plum haired man continued, snapping Dawn out of her stupor. She gasped.

"You…qualified?" she stammered.

"Mhmm. First place in Kanto two years ago plus the Sinnoh Battle frontier was enough to qualify. It's being held here in Kalos this year" Paul explained.

"Congratulations!" Dawn said with a light in her eyes. Paul narrowed his and the light went away. Dawn frowned at him "Why do you always have to look so glum?"

"Ash will be here. I know it. I'm itching to battle" He said "Troublesome people like you are going to distract me."

Dawn growled and turned away with a huff.

"Well fine! I didn't want to be a bother anyway." She said as she started to walk away.

The blunette walked ten paces away before Pauls voice cut through the air to her again.

"What brings you here?" He asked coldly "You know there aren't any contests in Kalos this year and don't you have a title to keep?"

"I wasn't aware you kept up with me." Dawn replied, not turning around.

"As little as I care about trivial things like Pokemon contests, it's hard to ignore news like Top Coordinator, especially one from my home region." Paul said with a smirk. Dawn turned around.

"I…I was asked to do modeling and fashion shoots here in Lumoise for a few months. It's a job." She said nervously "I'm really nervous since I haven't done any yet. But my Pokemon have been in a few shoots."

Paul laughed. It wasn't a mocking one that Dawn was used to hearing out of him, which caught her off guard slightly. He waved his hand and turned around.

"You, nervous? Don't make me laugh. You'll be fine. Just stay out of trouble."

And with those words, and Dawn's eyes widening, Paul walked off.

"…Bye?" The blunette forced out of her mouth. She looked at Piplup. "Well…I guess it's time to go meet our boss."

...

The streets of Lumoise city were astonishing to Dawn. She thought Slateport City in Hoenn was heaven but Lumoise must have been in an even higher realm, if that had even been possible. Billboards lined the buildings, stores lined the sidewalks, and Pokemon walked alongside people at every turn. It was the busiest most developed city she had ever seen.

Style was clearly something people valued in the Kalos region. Clothing was clearly less plain, flashier. Boutiques were topped with one single piece of clothing on a roof, symbolizing the specialty of each building's type of sales.

"This place is amazing Piplup!" Dawn said, flabbergasted at the massive amount of stores that lined the sides of the streets. Her boots clicked against the cobblestone walkways as she admired the other sights, such as people riding scooters and Segway's with small Pokemon out.

Of course when she walked past certain alleyways, people were out relaxing with cups of coffee while watching Pokemon Battles. One trainer ordered his Hariyama to throw out an Arm Thurst attack, only to have it countered by a Pinsir's horn smashing into its hand. The spectators clapped at the spectacle.

"There are even Café's for Pokemon battles. Just like the one in Mauville City!" The blunette said to her partner Pokemon.

"Piplup!" The penguin chirped with joy as they walked on.

"Now let's see…The Cloud Nine Store is supposedly on the next street." Dawn mumbled as she turned a corner.

*WHACK*

Dawn held her head as she looked on to who she knocked into.

"Oh my apologies…I wasn't watching where I was going." A male voice said.

The male was a young man probably no older than Dawn herself. He had brown hair that reached past his ears and a red hat with sunglasses. His outfit was completely blue and he had Pokeballs at his side.

"My bad" Dawn said.

"It's fine" the male said "Sorry I'm going to be late for something."

He walked off in a hurry, leaving Piplup to pat Dawn's forehead.

"Oof…Busy city means busy people I suppose…Oh wow…" She said as she looked on ahead of her. Piplup turned to see what his trainer was looking at and the penguin Pokemon's eyes nearly popped out in shock.

It was a MASSIVE building, bigger than any store (as the giant DEPARTMENT sign that adorned the top of it) and colored light blue, almost a teal pitch. There were fluffy cloud patterns all around the edges of the wall and a large poster of a young woman dressed in the same shade of clothing as the building (albeit very revealing), surrounded by the wings of an Altaria. The building itself reminded Dawn of the sky.

"I feel like this is our stop" She told Piplup.

"Lup!" The penguin chirped happily.

Walking to the front entrance, the sliding glass doors on the front slid open and Dawn walked inside. A pair of girls walking past the entrance turned and noticed her.

"Oh…my gawd!" one of them said, triggering both girls to run up to her "It's Dawn! Can I have your autograph!?"

Dawn blushed as they both handed her a pad of paper and a pen. She signed her name on them and handed them to the girls.

"The gals are gonna be SOOO JEALOUS!" They said as they ran off to the store. The outburst caused several more people to notice and applaud the blunette Coordinator. She blushed harder.

Despite having won two Grand Festivals in a row, Dawn was still not very comfortable interacting with fans. She didn't feel she was old enough to maturely handle it like a senior such as Wallace. She enjoyed the attention, but it did make her feel nervous even today.

She drew a lot of strength from Piplup's confidence. The Penguin Pokemon released a small Bubblebeam, filling the air of the store with the clear watery orbs. The onlookers clapped as Piplup made a small bow. Dawn smiled and her blush faded.

"I'm looking for Lisia? The owner? I'm here on business" She finally said as the bubbles all popped around them.

One of the clerks behind the desk of the floor she was currently on pointed Dawn to an escalator and told her to head to the fourth floor. She thanked him and walked on up to it.

"Haha…even in Kalos people know me. I guess I shouldn't be surprised I bet most of the people here are vacationing from other reasons…This is a touristy region" She thought.

Letting out a sigh of relief, she stepped off the escalator and widened her eyes. This floor wasn't a store. It was a giant showing area. A large stage was set up at the front and several rows of plastic chairs were arranged in rows in front of it. The walls were completely glass giving the spectators not only a view of the stage but a view of the city if they walked up to them.

Behind it were souvenirs on sale and several people bustling around the room. Some Pokemon were on the stage performing, an Elekid, Smoochum, and Magby. Some people clapped as they all released an attack of their respective type and watched them crackle on contact with each other, releasing a large array of colored light.

"Wow…Pretty!" Dawn remarked.

"They are quite good!" She heard a voice behind her as the Pokemon's trainer led them off the stage.

Turning, Dawn found herself greeted by the same girl that was on the poster. She was about as tall as Dawn but she noticed a blue, rather sharp accessory in her hair, adorned with a beautiful rainbow colored stone with what looked like a DNA pattern. Something that caught her off guard was her eyes, which were so green they shinnied like emeralds.

"Lisia!" She gasped.

"In the flesh!" The girl said with a smile. She flashed Dawn a peace sign, spinning her body around as she did so "And you, little miss, are the up and coming, glamourous, and let's not to mention FASHIONABLE, coordinator, Dawn!"

The blunette was a little overwhelmed by the laundry list of adjectives that she was just described with, but she reached her hand out to shake with Lisia's, to which she eagerly took and shook with extreme vigor.

"I'm sooooooo excited that you came to Kalos! It's an honor!" The teal haired girl grinned, showing off a set of pearly white teeth.

"It's an honor to meet you too! You're even more beautiful in person than on TV and in the magazines!" Dawn eagerly replied.

"Oh hush you! I could say the same to you. And your Piplup is even cuter in person!" Lisia said.

"Pip-Lup!" The penguin Pokemon raised his flipper in a proud salute.

Lisia was a Top Coordinator who had been dominating the Hoenn and Kanto Circuits for five years, as well as a famous Pokemon Showcaser in Kalos. She had popped onto the scene at the age of 12 and was a sensation. Her immense talent was no surprise to anybody since her uncle was the esteemed Champion and Top coordinator Wallace, and thus would infer that talented coordinators simply oozed out of her family.

In the last two years, she had begun marketing herself and delved into the fashion world, where her bright personality and unique sense of fashion went over really well with her fans, as well as girls everywhere. Cloud Nine was her branch, as her main outfits were themed after her favorite Pokemon, her Altaria that she called Ali.

Recently Lisia had contacted Dawn, who had been working with the famous Sinnoh fashion model Paris on and off over the years and asked over video phone if she would be interested in shooting some photo sets with her in Kalos. While they talked, Dawn learned that Lisia was quite the fan of her having seen her in even her first Grand Festival, and what drew the model to Dawn was the blunette's sense of as she called it…

"…You're a diamond that shines smoother than a pearl!" She exclaimed as Dawn sweatdropped at the analogy.

"Thank you. Lumoise City is beautiful!" She said.

"Well thank you! I was born here actually so I've always wanted my face somewhere on this city, but it took a long time for me to get a location down here. Slateport City is very busy as you should know so it's a lot of work to keep a spot down there, but I can do it!" Lisia exclaimed.

Dawn turned back to the stage and closed her eyes, remembering her first time on the coordinating stage, where she had lost her first contest, but gained knowledge that would stay with her for the rest of her life, as well as a love for the stage. She attributed that quality to her mother.

"Of course I put on small performances her every once in a while but they got so rare that I decided I would let other trainers appeal here. It's so fun to see what kind of people come by. You never know, Dawn, the next top coordinator could be right under our nose!" Lisia continued on.

"It is a good idea." Dawn said.

"Yeah isn't it!? It's gotten even busier with all these people who are coming to see the champion League in two months!" Lisia buzzed with enthusiasm "My uncle will be competing too and AAAAH! I'm so excited….Oh yeah, his best friend Steven is going to be competing too."

"Steven…?" Dawn asked.

"He was the champion of Hoenn before my uncle but he decided to step down because of his research. He's the son of , the president of Devon Corporation." Lisia explained "They've been rivals and friends since they were little kids."

The blunette vaguely recalled passing by a building known as Devon Co. when she was in Hoenn and staying in Rustboro city.

"I've also heard other conference winners will be competing as well so I'm super stoked for that. Actually the Kalos Champion shops here frequently so I'm stoked for her. Maybe you'll get to meet her!"

"Diantha…" Dawn murmured "I've seen her movies!"

"She's gorgeous isn't she? She could easily be a top coordinator but alas she's always busy with her films and battling. Boo! I would love to see her perform." Lisia said with a frown "But the fact that she comes here is a blessing because it's a testament to how far I've come and how hard I've worked!"

"That's the spirit!" Dawn said with her fist pumped into the air.

"Come on! Why don't I show you around Lumoise! You just got here and I don't want you to immediately feel like you have to flood yourself in work. Think of this as a pseudo vacation!" Lisia said as she grabbed Dawn by the wrist and before she even knew what was happening, the two of them had dashed down the escalator and out the doors in a flash.

...

Meanwhile on the outskirts of Kalos, a giant form lurked under the water. A swarm of remoraid passed it without a care in the world. It was a massive submarine that was currently stationed. The metal was black and polished and the side was adorned with a circular mark with legs and a sharp point on top.

"SIR!" One of the occupants that was inside the massive sub yelled "We are nearly to Kalos! We should arrive within the next three hours!"

"EXCELLENT!" A voice boomed over the sub "GREAT WORK MEN! Once we get to shore there will be further orders!"

The source of the voice stood up, reveaing a dark sinned man with a blue bandanna tied over his head. He wore a black lab coat and blue boots with no shirt underneath the coat. In front of his chest dangled a large anchor with the same rainbow gemstone Lisia had in her hair on the accessory.

"That great beast is apparently sleeping here. I hope it's doing well, even after all the trouble I've caused it before." The man said.

The sub lurched forward and slowly began to move towards Lumoise. As it drifted, clouds above it began to materialize, casting a dark shadow over the water. Thunder began to rumble as the storm drifted over the sub.

...

"Lumoise City has come really far over the years. Most of that comes from our gym leader, Clemont." Lisia explained to Dawn as they walked through the streets "All of the lights in the city are powered from a single source and everything is extremely ecofriendly. At night the gym lights up the entire city. You can see it there actually."

"It's so tall!" Dawn remarked seeing a giant tower centered smack in the middle of the city. "It's so cool how this city is a giant loop with that beautiful tower to bring it all together."

"Yep. The lights from Prism Tower as we call it were also designed by Clemont." Lisia went on "He's a brilliant inventor and an even better trainer."

The sun had already begun to set on the city and the stars had started to reveal themselves.

"Oh this is the best part!" Lisia noted. "Watch this!"

The sun vanished on the coastline, taking away the last daylight. As the town began to become drafted in Darkness, all the streetlights began to flicker on before suddenly enveloping the whole city of Lumoise in a bright light.

"Ta-Da! Day night sensor lights. All across the city as well!" Lisia remarked.

"So cool…Did Clemont make them too?" Dawn asked.

"Yep!" Lisia replied

A gust of wind blew across the girls faces.

"Oh a shame…It looks like a storm is rolling in. Oh we better hurry! The Prism Tower will be lit soon!" Lisia explained as she pointed to it. "Let's go up close! This is always the best time of the night."

The girls changed course towards the center of the city. The centerfold streets were all actually concrete bridges over water. Inside the water a school of Luvdisc swam by, as well as a large Clauncher. The shimmering lights reflected the scaly backs of Feebas that stayed in the darkness of under the paths.

As they reached the center, Lisia took the time to point out every single café on the street to Dawn who was amazed that there were so many different cafes so close together, each specializing in their own drink or food.

"Of course the ones that receive the most attention are the ones that offer Pokemon Battles for free meals and drinks." Lisia made sure to point out. Piplup's beak began to drool at the thought of the cuisine that awaited him in this city.

"Wow this is like a girl's paradise." Dawn said "It's so beautiful and so clean. So much to take in! My mom would love this place."

"You should bring her down here during the spring. It's our least busy time of year and so relaxing." Lisia suggested.

Dawn looked at her wrist at her Poketch. It was something that had stuck with her since she had started being a trainer. It had never once failed her over the years and she always loved reminding herself of the good times she had with Brock and Ash on her first journey. It was currently 8:57 PM.

"So what time does this tower light up?" Dawn asked.

"Usually at 9!" Lisia said with an excited pitch to her voice.

They took a seat on a nearby bench. Piplup jumped off Dawn's shoulder and sat on the ground, ready to watch the spectacle. Another gust of wind suddenly swept across them and then a crackle of thunder.

"Oh man that doesn't sound like a friendly storm. It's moving so quick too!" Lisia remarked as she looked at the sky as the stars began to vanish behind the stormy cloud.

The time on Dawn's Poketch hit 9:00 and suddenly before she could open her mouth, a flash of lightning crashed across Lumoise City and struck the top of the Prism Tower.

Then the lights throughout the city all went black.

"…Uh…Oh…" Dawn said nervously.

"Lup…?"

...

Next Time

Dawn and Lisia are in the dark, literally. As they go to investigate the source, a mysterious group arrives in Lumoise. And what's with that strange storm? Could they have the answers?

I hope you all enjoyed the first Chapter. I'll ask for reviews on what you liked and how I could adapt to make the next chapter even better for you guys to read. I'm still pretty new to this n_n and of course if you have questions I'll see if I can answer them!

So yeah, Read, Review, and stick around, because I have so much more planned for this fic!