Prologue: Second Chance

(Note: This is a song fic. All the chapters in this story will be. Most of the songs I picked are just there, because they sound cool, to me. But a few here and there have some meaning to them. The song I picked for this chapter is called Second Chance by Shinedown. I picked it because it has some meaning to the original character, and to myself. I'm from Scotland, which is what the Scotia region I created is based on, and I've been backpacking and working around Australia for the past six months. I'm hoping when I go home next year, I'll have grown as a person, myself. Oh, also, this is the only chapter where a character talks to you.)

Hey. How's things? My name is Seth. I'm a seasoned Pokémon Trainer. You name it, I've been there. From Kanto to Kalos. With my Partner, an Arcanine named Opie, we've won countless battles, challenged Gym Leaders, caught Hundreds of Pokémon beat veteran trainers and earned the respect, admiration and friendship of all we've encountered, human and Pokémon alike.

I come from an Island called Scotia. It's a nice place, full of heather covered hills, vast forests, endless rivers and some of the must beautiful sights one can imagine. Hills are topped with castle ruins, the towns and cities are littered with both old and new architecture. It's great and by now you're thinking there must be a downside, right? I'm going to level with you, it's neither the warmest or, driest, country in this world. In fact, it does rain a fair bit, here. But it's my home.

As far as Pokémon are concerned, because of where Scotia is, a lot of Pokémon have migrated here from Kanto, Johto and Kalos. Some from Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova were introduced to the Island. Which sounds great, but we don't have any Pokémon of our own. We have no Legendary Pokémon, or at least, we haven't discovered any yet. Which most people who come here from other places consider odd, to say the least.

I suppose the weirdest thing about Scotia is it isn't recognised by the Pokémon League as an official Region, yet. So we have no gyms and no Elite Four to speak of. So we don't have a massive influx of Trainers from around the world coming over to fill their Pokédex, for example. We're pretty closed off from the rest of the world, in case you haven't figured that out, already.

That said, however, we do have a tournament of our own, known as the Scotia Pokémon Classic. The first one hundred and twenty eight Trainers sign up and register their team of six Pokémon go into a single Pokémon battle. Once your team is registered, you can't change it. You're then entered into single Pokémon battles inside and outside the arena. The winners move on, the losers go home, cutting the number of trainers in half.

Sixty Four of the country's best Trainers enter into groups of four. Those four trainers face each other in a series of one-on-one contests, using only two Pokémon, with the winner earning three points. The top Trainer from each of sixteen earns a place in the Qualifying Round. In the rare case of a tie, the two Trainers must face each other again. The Winner moves on.

After that, there are sixteen Trainers left. Their names are put into a machine and are drawn randomly. Once all the names are drawn, the hardest part of the tournament begins. Each Trainer gets to choose three Pokémon to use, the eight winners move on to the quarter finals. Then they get four Pokémon, winners move on to the Quarter finals. Those Trainers get Five Pokémon, winners advance to the Grand Final, where the final two trainers get to use their whole team. The winner becomes the Scotia Classic Champion. The first Champion received an amazing Title Belt. This became the tradition of the tournament for the forty years that followed.

Now, with that part out of the way, are you sitting comfortably? With a bowl of fries and cheese? Maybe a soda, or a beer? That's good. Because it's story time, boys and girls! So reach down between your legs, ease your seat back and get ready for the most amazing cruise down Memory Lane you've ever heard. This is a story about my friends, a ten year journey and how we got to where we are today.

When I was a kid, this was always my dream.

I always wanted to get myself a partner Pokémon, go out across Scotia and catch Pokémon with my best friends: Garret, Gomez, Karhl and Marcus. The five of us called ourselves "Team Epic." We were going to enter the Scotia Pokémon Classic together. We'd support each other from the sidelines. Help each other pick Teams, based on our opponents. And the best of us would go to the final and win that belt. All the while, we'd stay true to our own personal Motto: Compete, without being competitive. Acknowledge each other. Acknowledge our opponent. And, above all else, always be Epic. That was the plan. The key word in that last sentence is "was."

The five of us were the only kids in our town, Rose Mount Town, that were interested in becoming Pokémon Trainers, at the time. We all waited for the day that Professor Pine came to visit. Professor Pine lived in his van and studied Pokémon behaviour. He also traveled from town to town, talking to everyone he could about Pokémon, and also campaigned to get the Pokémon League Officials to Recognise Scotia as an official Region. But I digress. When my friends and I went to see the Professor, he told us about the five Pokémon he brought with him: Spheal, Eevee, Gastly, Mareep and Growlithe.

I was first to choose and, for me, there was no need to think about it. Every time I saw an Arcanine, I was mesmerized. I knew that I had to get a Growlithe to get one, so I instantly picked Growlithe and named him Opie. Marcus chose Eevee, because he loved how versatile it was. His brothers both have Eeveelutions, Glaceon and Vaporeon, so he had a really good idea of how to handle one. Garret picked Mareep, for no other reason than he liked Electric Pokémon. Karhl went with Gastly, knowing that Ghost Pokémon were rare. And Gomez was left with Spheal. Which he was okay with because he wanted a water Pokémon, anyway.

The stage was set. We had our first Pokémon. It was time to travel across Scotia and catch more Pokémon. We barely spent any time in towns and cities. We would camp in forests and fields. We would fish in big rivers and drank from tiny streams. All the while, we would help each other become better Trainers, by comparing notes about strategies and moves, then battle each other to make our Pokémon stronger. We would even catch multiples of each Pokémon to try and find the best of the bunch.

When the sun went down, we would sit by the fire, eat a metric tonne of Onigiri, sausages and donuts while telling dumb stories we made up. Gomez went nuts one night, probably because of how much sugary snacks and drinks he consumed. He climbed up a tree, swinging back and forth and screaming how he, Gomez, The King of Nature, was going to win the Scotia tournament and solidify his stance as the best Trainer in Team Epic. It didn't take long for Garret to shoot him down, however, by pointing out Gomez beaten any single one of us, yet. Gomez fell from the tree. Thankfully, he landed in a pile of leaves.

Eventually, we accomplished that goal. We were about to enter the Scotia Classic but... Something didn't feel right. Although we had become great trainers, we didn't have much to show for our efforts. So we sat together and tried to come up with a plan. That's when we were rudely interrupted by a trainer from Kanto, who bragged about his gym badges, how he was a former Kanto Pokémon League Champion and how he became a Gym Leader in Viridian City. None of us minded the ego, he'd earned his place, clearly. That said, however, the "Smell ya' later" line that followed was a bit obtuse and uncalled for.

He did give us a foundation for a new plan, at least.

We all wrote notes to our families, left early in the morning (like, took an overnight bus at 1am, early) and made the trip to Glasport City, the only city with a ferry port. We decided where we were going, paid for our tickets with the money we won in Pokémon Battles, placed our left hands together, recited our Motto one last time and went our separate ways. Garret headed to Unova. Marcus left for Kalos. Gomez went to Hoenn. Karhl got on the Ferry to Sinnoh. And I took a boat to Johto.

Our new goal was a tricky task, but not impossible. We only took bare essentials and our Starter Pokémon. We could only catch Pokémon we didn't already have, challenged the gym leaders, earned the badges, leave without challenging the Elite Four and move on to the next region, depositing all our Pokémon, except our Starter, when we make port. Lather, Rinse, Repeat, until we earned all the badges, then come home to take part in the Scotia Classic.

Fast forward to a week ago. Nearly ten years have passed, since that day. I'm definitely a little wiser from my travels (but just a little). I accomplished the goal. Forty eight Gym Badges in possession and I have the best team I've ever had. My entry battle was way too easy (Top percentage Ratatta? Really?). Anyway, My group Stage was hardly a cakewalk, mind you. Especially with trainers coming from all other regions. I got May from Hoenn, Serena from Kalos and Hugh from Unova. As good as it was to catch up with them, I had to put them out of this tournament to move on.

Thank Arceus that part is out the way. Now, I have the hardest part of the tournament to focus on. I haven't seen the guys yet, but I know we're all in the top sixteen. I heard over the tannoy that Gomez eliminated last years champion in the qualifying rounds. It seems we've all grown stronger since we went our separate ways. I'm not a stupid kid, anymore. I know I'm in for the greatest challenge of my life as a Pokémon trainer. Team Epic both is, and isn't, a team.

This is going to be interesting. I know we'll continue to support each other from the sidelines, but that's it. We've prepared our teams in secret, to prepare for the inevitable event that we'll have to face each other. We're best friends, and will continue to be after this is over. But we're also competitors. If we have to face each other, we're not going to hold back. This is one of most overused Cliches ever, but, we're going to give it our all, and then some more. No matter who our opponent is.

I also heard over the tannoy that there was a package for me at the information desk. I got over there and the woman smiled at me. "This is the fifth package I've given to a returning hometown hero today." She said to me. I told her that I think I know the other four, thanked her for getting this to me and opened it. Inside the box was a short sleeve black shirt with a huge knitted patch on that covered ninety per cent of the back. The design was pretty appropriate, too: a Quick Ball and an X made of fire behind it. Below it was my name. Above it was the words "Team Epic." A smaller version of the same patch was on the front chest pocket. What amazed me was the size, while a tad too big, was actually close to being a perfect fit. There was also a note wrapped up in the shirt.

"Compete, without being competitive. Acknowledge each other. Acknowledge our opponent. And, above all else, always be Epic. This was your Motto, right? We all knew you'd do this. We were upset, not to mention a little angry, you all felt you couldn't tell us, or say goodbye to us all. But we also understood how much this meant to you all. That's why we waited for you to enter the tournament to get these little gifts to you. That said, ten whole years is a long time, so you'd better be prepared for a scolding when you get home. XD

We love you. We missed you.

The mother, and supporters, of the worlds greatest team."

Geez. I hadn't even given any thought to going home. I just got off the Ferry and went to enter the tournament. It also comes as no surprise this shirt was designed this way. Opie came to me in a Quick Ball. I wonder if the other guys shirts are similarly accurate?

Oh right, I got distracted. Dammit, Mum... Anyway, this tournament means too much to me. I didn't travel through six different regions, catch and evolve over Six Hundred different types of Pokémon just to fall on my face, now. I know my friends feel the same way I do.

I think Garret said it best about our adventures, the last time we saw each other: "This truly is an epic trek."