The salty smell of crashing waves against worn down rocks wafted through the air that blew Avery's soft light brown hair back in an aesthetic spin. Her mother liked to put it in a small bun for her, on that still let her long hair flow down her back. She loved to sit atop the red railings outside the Vista Lighthouse every morning and watch the dark shadows of blue and pink Shellos slowly slither along the seashore, making their way home. The lunar light of the moon always felt so nice against her skin mixing with the mild breeze that blew through her favorite grey sweatshirt. She was enjoying the moment before an old voice called out from behind her.

"It's unsafe to sit on the railing, you know. The wind could blow you away." He croaked. Turning her head, Avery met the bright blue eyes of a smiling old man who seemed to be in his 60s. His brown trilby complemented his brown vest and almost completely bald head.

"It's unsafe for you to even be up here, old man. The wind could break your back." She giggled and the old man laughed hysterically. The kind elder was the owner of Vista Lighthouse, and well deserving of it. He was a nice man who would always let her visit the lighthouse whenever she wanted and in return he told her stories about his adventures. The old man stepped over to where Avery was sitting, his cane tapping along the outside porch of the lighthouse, that of which he Avery suspected had just newly built for her. She always talked about wanting to be able to stand outside the top of the lighthouse. The old man looked at her in such a way, that was both sad and sweet. His eyes were filled with the remains of past memories. He did this often, with a sad smile always ending up on his lips.

"You remind me of my son, Cyrus.. He would always come up here late at night and watch the sea. Well, before his obsession with machines of course.. Maybe that's why he dyed his hair blue.."

The old man continued, going on about his dream obsessed son and how he regrets not being there for him. She felt bad for the senior. Apparently one day, his son picked up and left from home, driven by his faciniation, until he supposedly dying the year after Avery had been born. She wanted to know more about who this man was and why he was so obsessed with machines. What drove him? Avery opened her mouth to ask old man more about Cyrus, but never got the chance to speak as she was interrupted by a familiar voice calling out to her from the base of the lighthouse.

"Avery! It's getting late you need to come back home!" Yelled the a woman with long red hair that seemed to fade into a brown color, "If I don't come get her she'll be up there past midnight..." She muttered under her breath.

"Can't I stay, mom? I'm almost 10 now, old enough to travel the world!" Avery called down to her mother, slipping her legs between the chilly railings beneath her and letting her arms fly free into the air.

"No, and stop that! If you fell I'd be devastated!" The young mother huffed, "Avery Maverick Yurick get down here this instant!"

"Yes mother.." Avery drooped. She turned herself around and dropped down onto the deck from the railing, the force making a loud thump. She slid her into her feet into her black kitten heel shoes like butter. As she slid her feet into her shoes she felt something warm on her shoulder. A wrinkled old hand with black spots on it.

"Be safe out there, kiddo. The world of Pokémon is not only wonderful, but it can be dangerous." The old man teased, "They say Spiritomb come out at night time and eat away at your dreams." But Avery just giggled and waved the old man goodbye. She wasn't afraid of Pokémon. After all, they were just like her! She continued on thinking about the harmony and bonds that wove between Pokémon and humans as she slid down the railing of an oakwood staircase. As she slide down, she ran her hand along the rough dry marble walls of the lighthouse that secluded her from the outside world.

She was eventually led to the entrance where her mother stood with crossed arms, tapping her foot frantically. Ever since she was little, her red eyes always somewhat scared Avery, yet when she looked at Avery they lit up with joy. It reminded Avery of the cute Umbreon she saw on T.V. who protected a little boy from Team Rocket grunts that were trying to steal his Pokémon.

Avery's mother thanked the old man for letting Avery stay at the lighthouse, then grabbed her daughter by the hand as carried on their way. Treading along a paved rocky terrain they approached the bridge that connected the lighthouse to their house. The sleek blue panes those of which were guarded by railings, allowed her to lean over and see the water below her feet without the risk of falling in. Tentacool's spun in circles while breaching the surface near a various assortment of rocks in the water where Geodude's occasionally dwelled.

Avery's mother held her hand firmly, taking lead of their small Poochyena pack of two. As they grew closer to their house Avery wondered if her mother knew anything about the old man's son, since she so rudely interrupted their conversation earlier. She was hesitant to ask at first, feeling a lump in her throat that made it hard for her to speak. She didn't talk to her mother all that much, but maybe this would be a good time for them to bond.

"Mom?" She asked, looking up at her mother, slightly distracted by her hair's beautiful combination of red and brown in the moonlight. Not only was her mother's hair beautiful that night, but so were the stars.

"Yes, honey?" Avery's mother replied, pulling her close to her as they walked. Avery's cheek was pushed into the side of her wool coat.

"Have you ever heard the name Cyrus before?" Her cheek had already been warmed up by her mother's body heat. Her mother froze at the name 'Cyrus' and stopping dead in her tracks. She bent down and placed a freezing cold hand on Avery's cheeks, sucking away the warmth that is had previously contained. Her mother's eyes were widened like that of a Dusclops as she gave her a terrifying look.

"Did you just say 'Cyrus'..?" She looked at Avery concerningly.

"Yeah..?" Avery answered in a confused tone her voice quivering. Her mother's eyes started to scare her more now than ever before. What was she going to do to her? Can she even trust her own mother?

"Please, for the love of Arceus, never say that name again. Can you do that for me?" Although Avery didn't fully understand why, she could tell her mother was serious. She looked away and nodded, shielding her face from the spine-chilling grasp of her mother's face. It was as if she used to be part of some evil organization.

They walked the rest of the way home with a blanket of silence covering them both. All the houses in Sunyshore looked like castles, including hers. It stood right next the to colorful blue pokemart, which stuck out like a sore thumb in the medieval themed town. Then again, blue was kind of an odd color for a bridge too.

It wasn't until they got home that night did Avery start questioning why people would sometimes graffiti their house, throwing paper towel rolls and etching the "G" symbol into their door. Her mother would always just put it off. "Stupid uppity brats.." She'd always say, "Everyone should step back and view things from a bigger perspective." What did she mean by that? Avery never found out anything about her mother before she left on her mission to be a Pokémon trainer, maybe she never will..

Ding, dong!

"The ferry has arrived at its destination! Welcome to Sinnoh!" A cheerful female voice rang into Avery's ears, reviving her senses. She sat under the lower sheave of an old beaten down crane on a patch of pillow-soft snow. Her eyes followed the ridges of the rocky mountains that lined the dimly lit sky as they towered above the beautiful dark blue ocean. Chunks of ice, both big and small floated lazily across the surface of the water, occasionally bumping against a blue and white ferry that sat in the harbor. The ferry's color scheme was like that of a Wailord with blue on the top part of the boat and white on the bottom. The ferry also seemed to have tiny white eyes on the bow, but Avery couldn't tell if it was her imagination or not. The relaxing beat of a drum and soothing hip hop filled her ears with mellow sounds that calmed her mind, but it started to make her dizzy. Lazily, she plucked out her earbuds as a salt filled breeze stuffed her nose, sending a slight chill up her spine. Even the green parka she wore with warm fluff insides couldn't protect her from the fierce snowfall of Snowpoint City.

"Zzt-zzt! Wake up, Avery!" An electric voice rang from Avery's rPhone that attached to her wrist like a watch, "The ferry'zzz about to leave!"

"A-ah!" Avery frantically picked up her jet black bookbag and slung it around her shoulders as she ran into a fierce snowfall that lightly attacked her face in swarms. The silhouette of what seemed to be a rather tall teenage girl came into view as Avery reached the ferry. Her dark brown hair hung above her shoulders, shaking slightly as she shivered in the frigid conditions of Snowpoint. This coupled with the lack of a coat or any warm clothing worsened her freezing shudder. Despite the her looks, Avery couldn't help to wonder about the strange vibe that the girl gave off. She didn't want to get involved of course, but it didn't help drown her curiosity when she saw a small green Pokémon trailing behind the girl like a Greninja. As sneaky as the Pokémon was, it couldn't hide the foul odor it gave off as it wobbled passed Avery's feet.

"Excuse me, ma'am." A deep male voice politely interrupted her thoughts, "Your ticket, please?"

"Oh, right." Avery took a neatly folded ticket out of her pocket and handed it to a man wearing a white and blue sailor uniform. He was a very large man with short black hair and biceps like a goddamn Machamp, no exaggeration. It was of no surprise to her why the owners had this guy blocking the entrance to the ferry. There was no getting past this man without a ticket… except that little green Pokémon. The man took her ticket and gave a cute smile, tipping his sailor hat.

Avery brushed past him and continued onto the ferry, walking across a small bridge with nicely painted light blue wood flooring and metal railing that connected to the back of the ferry. The end of the ferry was also blue with a door left open right in front of her. The green Pokémon she saw earlier stood beside the open door and occasionally peaked into the room. Avery walked closer to the green Pokémon to get a closer look at what it was doing. When she got close to the Pokémon she bent down and tried to pick it up by the.. ears?

"Are you a garbage bag or a Pokémon?" Avery asked the Pokémon, but as she touched it's plastic ears, it slapped her hand away with it's.. hands? She almost puked at the feeling of the Pokémon's abomination of an arm touching her. Avery looked at her hand, noticing a plethora of random disgusting items had accumulated, stuck on by a sticky sludge like substance

"TRUBIISH!" The Pokémon screamed before it burst into the room it was once looking in, toppling over tables and smashing plates. Avery grit her teeth, her eyes shaping into a sharp glare.

"So much for being a sneaky Pokémon.." She muttered under her breath angrily. Getting up, she sprinted after the Pokémon, deciding that she was gonna teach it a lesson for slapping her hand away and making such a huge ruckus in what seemed to be the dining room of the ferry. As she began running, her rPhone lit up on her wrist, displaying the time with a Rotom-like face on the background.

"Trubbish, the trash bag Pokémon! Inhaling the gazz they belch will make you zzzleep for a wee-" Avery instinctively pressed the large "mute" button on the phone's screen with her pointer finger. The Rotom face on the screen opened its mouth and widened its eyes, surprised and offended.

"Not right now, Rotom." Avery sighed, rolling her eyes at the digital Pokémon. She loved her rPhone, but the problem with having a Pokémon that powers it is that you never know if you might anger it to the point where it runs away or attacks you. You have to befriend the Pokémon and make sure it's content with the way it is inside your phone.

"Excuse me! Ah, s-sorry!" Avery panicked as she ran through a museum of angry faces and unsatisfied customers. Some of them covering their noses and getting up from their seats. One woman wearing an expensive looking white Furfrou fur coat screamed as a table toppled over her, throwing silverware and a variety of accustomed cuisine all over the restaurant. A glass full of Grepa Wine shattered on the floor right next to the lady, soaking her coat. Another table clapped as Trubbish ran under their table and pulled the cover out from under it flawlessly without moving anything that sat atop. The white snowflake patterned table top cover followed Trubbish as it ran past the kitchen entrance and down a flight of stairs.

Avery proceeded to follow the Trubbish as her legs pumped vigorously, sending her bounding with every step. She was small and had waitressed a couple times in her life so she was practiced in the art of weaving through a crowd at reasonable speeds without bumping into people, especially in a restaurant. She rushed up the oakwood stairs, extending her arm down to her waist while she ran as she gripped the pokeball that clipped was to her belt. It was as cold as an ice cube and it sent a chill up her spine every time she grabbed it. At least it didn't freeze her entire hand like did to 5 years ago when she first got it. She remembered crying for an hour as her mother ran her hand under warm water as she attempted to dethaw her daughters fingers.

She unlatched the pokeball with a light click from her belt, holding it out in front of her. She dug her pointer and middle fingers under the ball, flicking it up with her nails and the slight upward movement of her arm. The ball soared into the air up the stairs in the direction of the Trubbish, opening up into a blinding flash of light. As the ball fell back down again, Avery caught it with the swift swing of her arm. An icy blue colored Pokémon appeared from the ball standing on all four paws. It's ears and tail came to a sharp point much like an icicle.

"Glaceon! After that-"

"TRUBBIISH!" Trubbish interrupted.

"Yeah, that.." Avery sighed unenthusiastically.

"Glay." Glaceon nodded, her completely white pupils giving off a very cold and serious look before she glanced away from Avery. Her voice sounded feminine and mature, but also reserved and sharp like that of an ice queen. With Avery close behind, Glaceon followed Trubbish's stench all the way to the top of the stairs where it took a right down a long corridor. The Trubbish had left a trail of assorted condiment packets while it ran, making it generally pretty easy to track down.

"There! Ice beam!" Avery ordered, pointing her finger down the wine painted walls of the corridor. Glaceon stopped in her tracks and planted her legs firm into the ground. She opened her small mouth where a little ball of light started to form. The ball got bigger and bigger, but before it got too big for her mouth, she crushed it with her teeth. This made a sound much similar to that of shattering glass as a icey-cold beam of energy was launched at the terrified Trubbish. The trash bag screamed and unrealistically jumped into the nearest open room, nearly escaping the deadly beam of ice that was hurtling toward it at a high velocity. The poor unfortunate soul inside the room shrieked in pure adult-rated terror, which sounded like a scream from one of those horror movies.

Avery rushed into the room as quick as she could, almost stumbling into the girl that appeared in the doorway of the suite. The girl was about her height, being taller by only a few inches. She had brown hair that reached to her shoulders, as she wore a white jacket over a tightly-fit blue t-shirt with a small blue bag thrown over her shoulder. Avery noticed a small detail that caught her attention- a couple of faded red stains on the PokéBall, oddly in the shape of a handprint.

As soon as Avery saw the blood on the Poké Ball, she slammed the door behind her shut with a loud bang. Turning to Glaceon, she found it was growling at the Trubbish which clung to the mysterious girl's left leg.

"Glaceon." Avery cautioned, "Seal the door with Ice beam, I don't trust any of this." Avery's tone became serious and cold, much like that of her Pokémon. The shape of her eyes began switching from a sweet and innocent round to a sharp and pensive glare as she looked over at the girl.

"Who are you?" She asked as the frosty breeze from Glaceon's ice beam produced goosebumps along the length her arms. She had already heard about the terrorist attacks that had been going on in Johto. And she was not about to let somebody as shady as this girl get away on a trip there without some kind of questioning...