*Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon
AUTHOR NOTES:
Surprise! This is not Chapter 1! And Next Chapter isn't Chapter 2! – hint (character profiles)
As you will see I am going to be trying out a few new things with this fic. Since Stand by You was my first story ever, I am still fairly new at this whole writing thing:) For this fic most events will all take place around the same time, within a few hours of each other. I am going to label 'Day 1, Day 2, Day…' to help keep track. There are a few time skips so this will hopefully help with organization. I WILL NAME THE CHAPTERS THIS TIME even though I am not very good at it. I will also do the "In The Next Chapter' transition thingy from Heroine starting around chapter 4-5, once the story gets kinda moving a bit more. My goal is to publish as often as possible, for me that means everyday starting today or at the very least, every other day. There might be a few days in a row that I won't be able to publish but I will let you know ahead of time so that y'all don't have to check to see if a new chapter is up.
You will notice a shift in some of the characters. By the time the events in Heroine were finished, most of the characters had grown a bit since the last few chapters. Some have abandoned old interests and taken up new ones. Others learned important lessons. All of them have experienced lots of drama. And then of course, there is growing up (puberty and the like). Naturally they will be a bit different, so just to remind you:
June and Takeshi became this somewhat secretive, still awkward, experimental couple. Takeshi is no longer infatuated with older girls, and June is no longer shy and obsessed with Takeshi. June is still a bit of a girly-girl, and she is still nice. Takeshi is still naïve. Not many scenes focus on them, as I mentioned on my profile Jezz, Annastasia, Michio, Rita, Jay, Amber—this fic is mostly about them, though I do talk about the others and have some important parts with them in it.
Rita got to know the group in the last fic; before Heroine she didn't know them that well because she had only worked with Annastasia and not her extended family and friends. Rita didn't change much, but there are dimensions of her character that I wanted to add from the beginning but they only came out briefly in Heroine.
Before Heroine Soledad was like a slightly older sister of Jay since they were the only two members of the group to actually be classmates/neighbors in Pallet (other than Nolan, Lexi, and Annastasia) She proved to be the most independent and perhaps the most mature kid because she was able to break away and do her own thing without feeling guilty or depressed about it. Anika became Soledad's new best friend, and they still do the Geo-catching together along with Anika's older cousin Tobie, her little sister Gracie, Flare, Carol, Tomoko, and a few others as you will see. She and Tamaki also become close, even though they have some conflicting character traits.
Lily and Logan are no longer the pranksters they had been growing up. Logan is still very childlike, but with some new wisdom. Lily is not necessarily smarter than her brother, but she still acts like she is. Maya helps to balance her out so that she isn't as rough as she had been before. Maya has become much more comfortable around people. She is at peace with herself and her past no longer dominates her life. She is wise and always chooses her words carefully, and she is very loyal in her relationship with Lily.
Jay's internal character traits haven't changed much at all, but he has discovered new things about himself and unlocked some inner confidence. Amber becomes more empathetic, particularly towards Jezz. Jezz was only briefly introduced, but as this series goes on he will experience a lot of character shifts.
If Jezz would be considered the main character, Michio and Annastasia would probably be second and third (but that is up to you to decide I guess). So yeah, Michio is still all 'I hate most people unless they like me first' and he still obviously hates Sandshrew and is ambiguous in his feelings towards Rita, Jessie, and anyone else who he hasn't quite figured out. Since the kids are more accepting and Rose and Silver are infants, he feels more comfortable with them so he spends most of his time either with Annastasia or just chillin' with the younger crew.
Annastasia seems, at least to me, more serious in this fic than in Heroine, probably because there is more 'disasters' in this fic, starting once they get to Alola. Like Jay, her internal character hasn't changed much, even though they both had to toughen up for Alola. As far as Annastasia and Michio's relationship goes, I do not clearly define it because I think that is kind of a dumb thing to do. They are both very 'let's just be us' type characters, so it's not like they are the type of people to hold hands and kiss in public or call each other 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend'. Their relationship is platonic, but like intense platonic I guess you can call it if you want to name it. Seen from the outside, their relationship appears childish and not likely to last and no one other than Annastasia's friends and the kids actually thing that it will work out. And it might not work out:(
Sandshrew, like Lucario, Mewtwo, and Michio, has been softened up a bit due to Annastasia's gentle personality. Sandshrew is not as intrusive and more willing to 'go with the flow' than it had been in previous months, though it is still kind of an asshole sometimes. Mewtwo and Lucario have basically become Jocelyn's slaves but in a good way. They won't be mentioned that often so if you are wondering where they are during most of this fic just think of Jocelyn taking them shopping or making them play games with her. Sandshrew stalks Annastasia from a distance and isn't as intense about the whole 'justice for all Pokemon', mostly because when he gets to Alola he notices that most people act just like Michio did in the beginning of Heroine. He feels it a waste of energy, and backs off a bit.
Nolan and Lexi are minor characters in this story. There are a few scenes with them and they are somewhat important to the main storyline but not by much. As far as their relationship goes, they continue to maintain a close friendship with one another and decide to travel together again. However, without Annastasia acting as the third member of their life-long trio (due to her decision to go to Alola), there will naturally be more intimacy between the two of them.
Next 'chapter' has the updated character profiles, which might be helpful for reference if you want to say, remember the name of someone's parents or sibling or you want to know what they look like. I put them all in the same chapter this time:) the third chapter is when the story actually starts.
That is just about all I need to say. So I hope you enjoy this peculiar and beautiful disaster of a fic:) Let me know in comments/PM if you have any questions or suggestions.