Prologue

Pokémon.

A word that ignites a spark in every person's heart, be they young or old, boy or girl. The union of people and Pokémon is among the most precious things life has to offer, a deep-seated trust and friendship that has been forged over the eons. Conflicts between people and Pokémon are a thing of the past. Now, we live alongside one another. Whether we battle with them as Pokémon Trainers, safeguard them as Pokémon Rangers, show off their spectacular performance abilities as Pokémon Co-ordinators, or simply work with them for the betterment of society, people and Pokémon are together always.

The ultimate dream of any fledgling Trainer is to become the Champion, the best their region has to offer.

And for a young boy and a young girl of the Taioh region, known for its diverse roster of indigenous Pokémon from all regions, such an adventure is about to begin…

1: The Journey Begins

It's today!

Alvin's eyes snapped open as the morning sunbeams tickled his eyelids from his bedroom window. In just a couple of seconds, despite only having just awoken, his bare feet were on the soft carpet of his room and he sprung from the bed with all the vigour of an excited child.

"Today's the day, Chespin!" he yelped, startling the Pokémon - a Chespin
- on the chair next to his bed. "Today's the day we challenge the Pokémon League of Taioh! Are ya ready?"

"Pin, pin! Chespin!" Chespin cooed affirmatively with a grin of anticipation and excitement.

"Alright then…" Alvin released his other two Pokémon, Yanma and Staravia, from the Poké Balls around his waist. Staravia trilled and Yanma buzzed with excitement, fully aware of what their day entailed. "Everyone, let's go!" Alvin took one stride toward his open bedroom door before he stopped dead.

"…After I get dressed," he murmured, embarrassed at having nearly embarked upon a region-wide adventure in his pyjamas. He quickly pulled open the top drawer of the chest of drawers situated beside his bedroom window and picked out a forest green tank top and black shorts.
He also grabbed a camo-coloured cap and pair of green trainers with silver laces and black streaks on the sides - his only shoes - and shoved them into his bag, a silver satchel with a Poké Ball decal starting on the flap and extending to the surface of the bag, with a white clip connecting the flap to the bag, so that when it was open it looked like there was an open Poké Ball on it. Besides his shoes, he had packed as much medicine as he could, and food: a box of poffins and berries for his Pokémon and four sandwiches for himself, as well as a flask of water and some spray to repel wild Pokémon if necessary, although he preferred to meet Pokémon rather than scare them away.

"Okay, now let's go!" he announced once again before making a headlong charge down the stairs.

"Alvin, won't you put your shoes on? You can't go gallivanting around in your bare feet all the time; you'll cut yourself!" Alvin's mother sighed, ever concerned for her son's welfare.

"Ma, we've had this conversation like a thousand times, stop nagging me about it, okay? I don't like wearing shoes – that's just how I am. Only if the floor is icy or if there's dress code or something, then I'll put some shoes on. Really, Ma, you don't have to worry about me!" Alvin replied.

"But, honey-" his mother began to present another argument, but was cut off by her son.

"Ma, stop!" he groaned. "I'll be fine! Every time I go out you bombard me with 'Alvin, remember to bring food for your Pokémon!', or 'Alvin, don't forget your phone!', or 'Alvin, don't travel barefoot!' Seriously, I'll be fine!" He smiled, reassuringly but his mother, sat at the table in the centre of what was both the living room and the kitchen, didn't look so sure.

"…You're not just going out to train and pick berries with Rachel this time, though, are you?" she murmured uneasily. "…Today's the day you challenge to Pokémon League, isn't it?"

"Uh-huh!" Alvin nodded, still perky, smiling.

"You will be careful won't you?" she asked him.

"Of course I will!" he replied, but his mother still didn't look convinced. Alvin scratched his head, puzzling for a moment, before coming to a conclusion. "Alright, how about this?"

Alvin wrote down something on a piece of paper and gave it to his mother, who studied it carefully.

"It's my phone number. If you're feeling worried, you can call me any time you want? Sound good?"

"…Alright, honey," his mother acquiesced with a smile. "Go on, now!"

"Okay. Bye!" Alvin waved from the doorway, picking up a light jog.

"Stay safe!" his mother called to him, but her son was already too far off to hear her.

Alvin, Chespin, Yanma and Staravia stood - or hovered, in Yanma's case – at the start of a well-trodden path leading away from the little hamlet he lived in, the entire Taioh region just waiting to be explored. Alvin rocked back and forth on his heels, the earth like velvet against his soles, as he studied his map of the region.

"Alright! Next stop: Yoseo City!" Alvin declared, pointing forward.

"Yan!" Yanma buzzed.

"Chespiiiin!" Chespin yowled.

"Starrr!" Staravia chirped.

And with that, Alvin took to a run, feeling totally free with the gentle wind against his face and the soft earth under his feet…

Until, that is, he fell flat on his face, tripping over. Confused, he looked over his shoulder to find his left ankle bound by a large green vine protruding from the grass. Suddenly, another piece of marauding countryside wrapped itself around his other ankle, yanking it to the ground, forcing him onto his back. He tried pulling his legs towards him, but the greenery was stronger than he was and kept him pinned firmly in place.

Even more confused now, Alvin searched frantically for his attacker, or something, when a shade of a young girl, around the same age as him - fourteen – in a pink, short-skirted dress decorated with blue flower prints came stalking towards him angrily, an adorable Munna floating along by her side.

"Rachel!" Alvin exclaimed, somewhat surprised. In that instant, the vines' grip on his ankles tightened, so much that it hurt. Alvin gasped and winced. "Ow! What the hell, Rachel! Are you doing this?"

"Keep going, Munna," Rachel hissed, her voice quivering with rage, glowering at Alvin with furious blue eyes, her long blond hair being tugged gently by the breeze.

"Ow! Lemme go, you're hurting me!" Alvin squirmed, leaning over the force the green shackles off of him. As he did so, more green appendages, sprung up from around him and tied his wrists to the floor, their grip also tight and painful. He couldn't even feel his feet anymore.

"And don't you "Rachel" me, you dummy!" Rachel screeched.

"What are you on about? Why are you doing this to me? What did I do?!" Alvin squealed. Another vine came out of nowhere and stuck him across his cheek, leaving a big red mark.

"OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" he shouted, a little angry now.

"Because, you idiot, you left on your journey without me! In fact, you didn't even come to say goodbye! I had to catch the word off your mother!" Rachel shrieked, irate, her eyes like daggers. "You know I wanted to come with you! I told you ages ago! IDIOT!"

"Okay, alright, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Now can you please let me go? This really hurts, and I won't be going anywhere tied to the ground!" Alvin yelled through gritted teeth, his eyes squeezed shut.

"Not without me you won't, no!" Rachel grunted, lifting her leg up. Alvin's eyes bulged open and he cried out in sincere pain with the little breath he had left, as the rest had left him with the impact of Rachel's heavy brown boot on his stomach. As his restraints released him, he clutched his stomach, rolled over and curled up into a ball.
Munna, no longer having to concentrate on keeping Alvin in place, turned to Rachel, her eyes filled with a "you've gone too far" look.
"Muuunnn…!" the Pokémon chimed gravely. Rachel seemed to snap out of her anger-fuelled frenzy.

"Yan! Yanma yan! Yanma!" Alvin's Yanma seemed to be chastising Rachel and although she didn't understand the words, she understood the general tone. Staravia and Chespin threw Rachel angry eyes and frowns as they stood next to Yanma, all of them staring the girl down with judgemental leers. Rachel let out a small, regretful moan, watching Alvin lie almost still on the floor, sobbing quietly as a few stray tears trickled down his cheeks. Rachel knelt down beside him and squeezed his shoulder.

"I'm really sorry. Are you alright?" she probed gently, expecting him to shout at her. He didn't say anything for a while, but he spoke eventually, although she could tell it hurt to do so. She waited for a response, but none came.
Rachel was afraid that she'd really, genuinely hurt him, but her worries were put to rest when Alvin suddenly sprang to life clutching his stomach not in pain, but in laughter, as he laughed until his abdomen ached and his throat was sore. Rachel growled under her breath, thinking what a fool she was for letting herself think she'd actually hurt Alvin so easily. He was a strong, healthy kid, outside climbing trees or running around practically every day. If Rachel was honest, it would probably hurt more if he kicked her in the stomach, and he wasn't even wearing shoes.

"Am I alright?" Alvin gasped amidst his guffawing. "I can't believe you took that seriously!"

"Oh, you!" Rachel huffed, folding arm arms. Munna frowned disapprovingly.

"Oh, relax!" Alvin said, dusting himself off as he got to his feet. "Look, I'm sorry I left without you! I just kinda…forgot," he said, laughing nervously, afraid of Rachel hitting him again.

"You really ought to work on your memory, Alvin. Remember last week, when you came to try and catch a Pokémon that had been stealing food from your house and you forgot to bring Poké Balls?"

"…Yeah…"

"And the time you went camping in the forest and you forgot to pack food?"

"Yeah…!"

Rachel listed several other instances of Alvin's forgetfulness before he finally cut her off.

"Okay, okay! I get it! I'm really forgetful! I'm soooooooooory! Now can we please, please, please get going? I can't stand just…well, standing around!" he implored her.

"…Alright, fine. Let's get going!" Rachel consented, somewhat cheerfully.

"Great! Race ya!" Alvin shouted, his voice already somewhat distant as he zoomed off, already far ahead of his childhood friend. Rachel sighed exasperatedly under her breath before she, too, broke into a run, trying desperately to catch up with him.

"Wait for me!" she called after him, her voice vibrating as she ran, her footsteps heavy because of her boots, her small, almost purse-like bag being tugged along in her hand.

Their journey had only just begun.