"What were you thinking?"

Maya was furious with her brother, and honestly, I could empathise with her. Whilst the initial confrontation between the guy and girl had gotten some attention from the people around them, Austin's antics had drawn an even larger crowd. I was pretty sure this meant that the news of his declaration would have spread through the city by nightfall, especially considering how many people were recording the situation on their phones.

Afterwards, several people had even come up to me to say how they were looking forward to my performance. It was starting to make me feel very uncomfortable, especially with the stares I was getting from some of the people around me. The Rockruff in my arms however was basking in the attention we were receiving.

Austin on the other hand, was blissfully unaware of the chaos he had wrought.

"Aww, don't be mad sis. That guy's so full of hot air, he'll be easy to beat."

"And how exactly were you planning on beating him?" Maya asked. I didn't need to hear the false sweetness in her voice to know that she was getting progressively more annoyed with her brother.

"By battling him of course. It's not like it's that different from regular battles."

I have to say, his confidence was pretty inspiring to watch. Even if I couldn't help but feel it was misplaced.

Next to me, someone groaned.

"He can't be serious, can he?"

I jump at the questioning voice beside me. Standing there was the brown-haired girl who was being bullied by the stuck-up guy. Now she was closer and in front of me, I am able to get a better look at her. She had long, mousy blonde hair under what looked like a woven hat, and was wearing a t-shirt with what looked like a glaring Eevee underneath a black jacket, the same colour as her jeans.

She also looked around the same age as Maya and Austin, although she seemed slightly older. Maybe eighteen or nineteen.

Her sudden appearance didn't go unnoticed by the twins, as their conversation immediately stopped at her question.

"Hey!" Austin was immediately in front of her, holding out his hand for the girl to shake. "Pleasure to meet you. My name's Austin, and this is- GAHH!"

I winced as Maya pulled her brother away from the girl, apparently not done with speaking to him. The girl looked slightly concerned at the display, a small frown forming on her face.

"Sorry about him. He was only trying to help" I apologise to the girl. She turns slightly to me, her gaze dropping when Rockruff lets out a happy yip.

"It's ok. I wanted to thank you for your attempt to intervene, and to let you know I wouldn't need your assistance in the contest."

She pauses for a moment, looking toward Maya and Austin.

"Although, I would have thought you three would be more capable considering your friends declaration."

I can't help but laugh a little bit at her statement.

"Austin means well, but he tends to act before thinking. As for this contest, I don't have any Pokémon to enter it with."

The girl tilts her head, looking at me with confusion.

"Really? But what about that Rockruff you're holding?"

"Ruff. Rock, Ruff!" the Pokémon barks happily, twisting in my arms so they can rub their scruff against my chest.

"They're a lost Pokémon. I was going to speak with Nurse Joy about it before… you know…" I tell her, nodding my head towards some people who were trying to sneakily take photos of our interaction. She hums to herself, before reaching out a hand towards Rockruff, stroking the Pokémon's head. From my position, I can see their tail start wagging as they relax into the attention from the girl.

"You know, it's weird. Someone as old as you usually has at least one Pokémon."

Wow.

That was a bit rude.

Although judging by the small grin on her face, she's most likely joking. Well, might as well play along.

"Wow. I'm hurt. Did nobody teach you to respect your elders?"

"Only those who've earned my respect" she quips back immediately, before slowly removing her hand from Rockruff's fur. "It's a shame. The little guy seems really attached to you."

I look down at them and am greeted by the large puppy eyes of the Pokémon in my arms, before they take the opportunity to lick my cheek.

"Well, I need to go. But it was nice meeting you, Mr…?"

"Ashworth. Sam Ashworth."

"Alix. Alix Bell" she replies, before giving me a curt nod and walking away. The moment she starts moving, I hear the chatter around me start to rise, people no doubt gossiping about what we might have been talking about. Considering how she looked and the way she held herself, she was probably a popular trainer.

And Austin had just put me on people's radar by making me interact with her.

I quickly glance over to him and his sister. She was still talking to him, although they both looked pretty deflated from their conversation. Not wanting to spend any more energy attempting to make them make up, I make my way into the medical area of the Pokémon Centre.

The corridors are empty, the majority of the workers already having gone home for the day, and the ones who were left were probably busy working or getting ready for the night shift. Nurse Joy was sort of in that category, as she was in charge of the centre's operations. This meant that if she wasn't in her office, she'd be in her private quarters trying to get some sleep.

Thankfully, I can hear voices from her office, the door slightly ajar. Knocking on it, the conversation ceases.

"Come in."

I push open the door and see Nurse Joy sitting at her desk. Next to her was her Chansey, and standing on the opposite side of the desk was a young, brown haired woman I recognised as Doctor Jill, her glasses glinting slightly as I entered the room.

"Sorry to bother you, but we found this Rockruff outside. We think they've wandered off from their trainer."

I wonder if I did the correct thing coming to Joy about this, watching as she exchanges a look with Doctor Jill. It makes me wonder if I was supposed to bring the lost Pokémon to someone else.

"Sam," Joy spoke. "That Rockruff isn't lost."

Well that wasn't true. Austin's phone said it belonged to somebody. And since they weren't around, that meant that the Pokémon was lost.

I look over to Jill, only to see her shoulders shaking slightly.

"Guess he couldn't wait to meet his trainer, huh?" she said to Joy, confusing me further. Did they know whose Rockruff this was? And why was Jill finding the situation so amusing?

"Sam, we were going to wait until your documentation came through, but we were going to give you this Rockruff as your first Pokémon" Joy explains. "But considering he's already introduced himself, I suppose it's only fair that you keep him with you."

Wait. What!

"Ruff!"

I look down at the Pokémon and am immediately greeted with a flurry of licks. He's apparently very happy with the news, as he's begun wiggling so much I'm forced to put him down onto the floor.

"Really? Are you sure?" I ask tentatively, stroking him as he rubs against my knee.

"Of course. It would be good to have a Pokémon help you acclimatise" Joy tells me as she begins to stand. "I'll go get his Pokéball, and then you can purchase some supplies for him. Get to know each other a little better."

"And while she's doing that," Jill says, holding out her hand to pull me up from my kneeling position, "I'm going to give you some vaccinations. Lord knows you need them."

Oh. I hadn't thought about that. It was definitely something that I should have thought about though, especially since I don't know if some of the illnesses here are the same as from back home. And wouldn't that be a testament to my luck. Died of a preventable illness before I could investigate a way back.

Dr Jill proceeds to take me into her office, Rockruff happily circling my legs as we moved.

The vaccinations are carried out mostly the same way they were done back home, except that instead of just the one injection, I end up receiving four.

"We don't usually do this," Jill explains as she puts the last syringe into the bio-waste bin, "But sometimes parents don't want their kids to be vaccinated. But you need to be in order to qualify to be a trainer. So the GMC designed a plan where they can get all the required inoculations."

As I rub over one of the plasters, a piece of paper is waved in front of my face.

"Take this to the chemist when you get supplies for the little one. Take one in the morning, one before bed."

I nod, taking the slip of paper from her before making my leave, thanking them as I go.

As I make my way back to the communal area of the Pokémon Centre, I see Nurse joy waiting for me. Standing next to her was an Indeedee, a Pokémon I hadn't seen before coming here, which probably means that they were going to be introduced in the upcoming games.

I thought they were quite interesting, a normal and psychic type that were very helpful around the Pokémon Centre, always doing what they could to lighten the load of the people around them. This particular one looked like a male, their ears turned upward and the fur on its body mainly black. It was also holding one of the trays we used to put trainers Pokéballs on, although this one only had one ball in the tray's slots, a belt, and what looked like a phone.

"Oh Sam. Everything ok?" Joy asks as I approach them. I nod, pausing when the Indeedee steps in front of me, holding the tray up towards me.

"Deedee!" it calls out, the smug look on its face looking up at me. I glance toward Joy, who just gives me her usual smile.

"These are for you," she explains, waving her hand over the tray before picking up the ball.

"This is Rockruff's ball" she says, the ball expanding before a red beam shoots out of it. From where he was leaning against my leg, I can feel Rockruff's weight disappear as the Pokémon disappears into the ball.

She hands the Pokéball over to me, the object surprisingly light for its size. I give the ball a small throw, and in a burst of light and sound, Rockruff was back. As the light and sound faded, I'm surprised when the Pokéball slowly flew back into my hand.

"This belt will let you keep your Pokéballs safe and easily accessible" Joy continues as she hands me the belt. "And this," she picks up the phone, "Is a Rotom Phone."

The case is purple, with what looks like a sleeping face printed on the back of it. I take the phone and take a closer look at it when-

"HELLO!"

"GAHH!"

I flinch, dropping the phone as the eyes on the back snap open. But before it could hit the floor, it stops, floating several centimetres in the air before rising up to face level.

Dammit, how could I have forgotten? Rotom can inhabit technology. They'd even inhabited Pokédex's in the Sun and Moon games. They must have developed a way to let them inhabit phones as well.

"Sorry for dropping you. Are you alright?" I ask. The phone just floats in front of me, and I feel a sense of dejection rise in me. It probably hates me now that I almost dropped it.

"Rotom phones aren't as chatty as Rotom Dex's. So don't feel too bad" Joy tells me, patting my shoulder. I feel slightly relieved at her words, plucking the phone from the air to get a better look at the screen.

"With this you can do everything a regular smartphone can do, but it will also allow you to access the International Pokédex, view information on the Pokémon you have, and access the Rotomi devices."

"The what?"

She point's over to the wall mounted computers with what looked like white Rotom Dex's mounted above them. I'd seen several trainers using them during the last few days, but I myself hadn't been near them yet.

"They're an information service run by Macro Cosmos. If you have more than six Pokémon, the service can send any you don't have with you to care facilities. There's even a service that lets your Pokémon do jobs for corporations or educational facilities."

That was a surprisingly good idea. Also explained where Pokémon in the boxes went when you weren't using them.

"You can also use it to give your Pokémon a nickname," she says, looking down at Rockruff. I follow her gaze down, the Pokémon sitting by my foot.

"Should I give you a nickname?" I ask. I was never good at nicknaming Pokémon in the games. But looking at this little guy, it seemed like a logical choice to give him one. I mean, he isn't just a bunch of ones and zeros. He's a living being.

The little guy also seems to think it's a good idea, as he jumps up, his front paws landing on my knee as his tail wags excitedly behind him.

"Well, why don't you get some supplies and dinner and think it over. And if it is possible, could you do me a favour tomorrow?"

I nod. With everything that's been going on and the amount of trouble I've put her through, it would be really rude to say no.

Going through the small shop felt odd, trying to organise and figure out how to accommodate the Pokémon I'd just received. It wasn't like I was looking after a dog, as Pokémon were, at least in the anime, generally shown to be smarter than most animals from my world. Which means that he could judge me for making a poor decision.

Fortunately Mr Sherwood, the man who runs the Pokémart, had somehow heard the news about me receiving my first Pokémon. Unfortunately, this meant I was stuck listening to him tell me about the different varieties of Pokémon food for half an hour.

It wasn't that I was ungrateful for his help, I just didn't know what to say half the time and ended up standing there looking ridiculous as he spoke.

In the end I managed to get some decent food for Rockruff, and something Mr Sherwood called the Beginners Special. It contained several Potions; some Antidotes, Awakenings, and Burn Heals; ten Pokéballs; and one Premier ball.

I also decide to grab a bristle brush and collar for him, as I enjoyed brushing my dog's hair when I was younger, and it was an easy assumption that Rockruff would enjoy it as well.

After we ate, I'm proven right when I sit the Pokémon between my legs and start to brush his fur. He sort of leans into the motions of the brush, his tail happily thumping on the floor as I drag the bristles through his fur.

"You know" I start saying as I finish brushing him, "I think I should give you a nickname."

"Ruff! Ruff!"

I'm pushed back slightly as he jumps up excitedly at me, rubbing his nape against me once more. According to the Pokédex, this was a sign of affection from him. And whilst I was pleased he was happy with me, I had to push him back slightly as the small stones in his ruff were starting to itch.

As I hold him still he starts staring up at me, his head cocked slightly. It's quite adorable. But I know what this puppy can evolve into. Which is why I know what I'm going to call him.

"If it's ok, I'm going to call you Lupin."

He tilts his head even further, before jumping back up at me. Honestly, I should have expected it. But he seems happy with the new name, so I guess I'll let him have this. I reach around him to pull him into a hug, before falling back onto the bed. As Lupin makes himself comfortable next to me, I drift off, slightly less anxious then I had felt in several days.

"You two have a good night's sleep?"

I've not even managed to reach the front desk before Nurse Joy asks me the question. She wasn't there when I came down earlier, which means that she arrived whilst Lupin and I were eating.

"Yeah, Lupin dropped like a stone when we got to bed."

From my feet, Lupin yips happily as if to confirm what I'm saying, gaining the attention of the nurse.

"Lupin? You gave him a nickname already?"

I nodded, looking down at him as he walked over to another person's Pokémon, happily greeting them.

"Well, if you're ready, could I ask you to do something for us?"

I nodded in confirmation. It was why I had woken up earlier today. I didn't know what Nurse joy needed me to do so I thought it would be better if I woke early and did the job as soon as possible.

I watch as she walks behind the reception desk, reaching for something out of my view. When her hand comes back into view, she's holding a Pokéball, which opens to release the Pokémon inside.

"Hoo."

It was a Hoothoot. It looked quite pretty actually, with its round body and wide eyes. But there was a bandage wrapped around one of its wings, causing it to wince slightly when it moved it.

"This is Mrs Bloom's Pokémon" Nurse Joy said, patting the Pokémon on the head. "She was brought in a few days ago with a broken wing. We managed to splint it, but Mrs Bloom isn't able to pick them up. Her daughter was meant to instead, but we got a call yesterday saying that she won't be able to do it today."

And since the wing is out of commission, the owl Pokémon would not be able to fly back home itself. Meaning it was stuck here.

Like me.

"Now, since you now have a Pokémon with you, I was wondering if you would be able to bring her back home. Usually one of us would do this but…"

She gestured to the trainers around us. It looked like there were even more than yesterday, and from what I've overheard some of the centre staff saying the last few days, they were being kept busy with the influx of work.

"That's… fine. But won't you need help here?"

She waves one of her hands dismissively at me as she uses the other to pick up the Pokémon, the bird perching on her arm.

"Honestly, it would be more helpful for you to do this for us. That way we don't need to worry about her straining her wing because of all of the chaos here."

I'm about to ask again just to make sure when Joy raises her arm to my shoulder, the Hoothoot hopping onto it before I can say anything else. My cheek is immediately warmed by the Pokémon's feathers, the Pokémon's body surprisingly rigid.

"Now," I feel Joy hand me the Hoothoot's Pokéball and an envelope, "Mrs Bloom's address is on that envelope. Make sure she reads it so she knows what Hoothoot is allowed to do. And you," she starts addressing Lupin and Hoothoot, "Are to make sure Sam stays safe. Ok?"

Lupin starts making enthusiastic noises from between my legs, excited at the idea of and the Hoothoot gives the nurse an affirmative hoot, the noise vibrating against my cheek.

Apparently happy that I would be safe with the two Pokémon, she says she'd see me later before disappearing back into the medical centre. Taking a deep breath, I input the address into my new phone before exiting the centre.

The city is as nice as I remember from yesterday, the mechanical sounds of the gears sounding strangely relaxing. Lupin was excited about being able to see the area, as he kept on running around to sniff people and Pokémon we were passing before bouncing back towards me. It was really endearing, and made things feel slightly more… normal.

We had been walking for about fifteen minutes, closing into the location marked on the map when something stopped us from progressing.

"Centi!"

I jumped. I had been so engrossed in watching Lupin gallivanting around that I almost ran into a Pokémon.

Looking up at it, I shudder slightly as I'm greeted with the sight of a giant centipede glaring at me. It was red in colour with yellow circles on its stomach, and had fire emanating from its head in the shape of an X.

"Erm, hi…"

The centipede-like creature continues glaring at me for a moment, before rearing up slightly, giving me a better look at the circles on its underside.

"Scorch."

Well that was weird. It didn't appear to be aggressive, as Lupin and Hoothoot weren't reacting negatively to the Pokémon's behaviour. Lupin in fact had moved closer to the Pokémon, happily barking up at it in order to gain its attention.

"Well he seems fired up."

I jump as once again, someone appears next to me.

Honestly, do people here have to sneak up on people?

The man seemed uninterested in my surprise, as he continued to survey the Pokémon in front of us. He looked like a slightly older gentleman, with silvery hair adorning his head. But despite his greying hair, he looked quite handsome, with sharp facial features which made him look a bit like he was glaring, and from what I could see he was very toned.

But what was most peculiar was what he was wearing. The man looked like he was wearing a football uniform, several logos displayed on his shorts and top.

"I'm sorry" I tell the man, leaning down to scoop Lupin up off of the floor and out of the way of what I assumed was his Pokémon. When I stood back up, I notice the man was now watching me.

"Can I help you?" I ask the guy.

"You are the faller Samuel Ashworth, correct?"

I freeze. How the hell did he know that?

"My name is Kabu" he informs me, giving me a slight bow. "I am the Gym Leader of this city. I've been meaning to speak with you for a few days but didn't have the chance. So when I saw you over here, I thought it would be appropriate to come and see how you were acclimatising to your situation."

I think my brain short circuited for a moment. This guy was the Motostoke Gym Leader? I mean, it would explain his odd attire.

"Although it appears I didn't need to worry. Less than a week here and you already have two partners" he tells me, looking down at Lupin who was now sniffing the fire centipede's antennae, before looking back up towards me. Or more precisely, the owl on my shoulder.

"Actually, this isn't my Hoothoot. Nurse Joy asked me to bring it back to its family" I explain to the man. His expression doesn't change for a moment, and I start to shift uncomfortably as he stares at me.

"I apologise" he finally says, giving me another slight bow. "I assumed incorrectly and got in the way of your work."

"Uh, that's ok. I mean, you were needing to speak to me right. And I was only on my way to Mrs Bloom's house, so you're not interrupting anything."

"Then allow me to take you there," he says, raising back up. "It will let us speak as we go."

I nod, continuing along the path that the phone had given me. As I walk, Kabu starts doing a jogging motion next to me whilst keeping pace with me. Moving towards the river that ran through the city, he starts asking me a few questions. How was I feeling? How was I liking the city? Was I eating enough?

I answer him in short sentences, not really sure how to talk to the guy. He seemed nice enough, but I was never sure how to talk to strangers, so the small talk made me feel a bit uncomfortable.

He was still jogging by the time we arrived at Mrs Blooms home. And judging from the movement in my peripheral vision, he didn't stop when I handed Hoothoot and Nurse Joy's letter over to her. The elderly lady didn't seem to mind though, smiling softly as she thanked me for coming all the way to her, and handing me a box of biscuits to give to the Pokémon Centre staff as thanks.

It was as I was walking away from Mrs Blooms front door when Kabu stopped jogging on the spot.

"Sam, what do you plan on doing?"

I pause, confused at the question.

"I mean, I was wondering if you had any plans for the future. I understand being in a new region can be overwhelming, but there is a lot you can do in the city if you are looking for something to do. Apart from entering the upcoming contest, that is."

Damn it Austin. Even the Gym Leader heard about his declaration.

"I'm not entering the contest," I inform the man. "I don't even know how to battle."

Kabu hums, raising a hand to his chin.

"A shame. I did a few contests back in Hoenn before I was asked to be a Gym Leader here. I thought participating in it would help take your mind off of things."

"Wait, Hoenn?" I ask. He nods at me.

"Yes, I grew up there. Chairman Rose offered me a spot as a Galar Gym Leader, and because I was a well-known trainer, the Galar Trainer Association had no issue giving me a Galar Trainer Pass."

Huh. That was interesting. Joy had told me about the Trainer Passes a few days ago when training me on the front desk. They were what allowed trainers to use the Pokémon Centre facilities, and could only be used in the region that issued them. I didn't however know that you could get a pass from another region.

Something started pressing against my leg, and looking down, I see Lupin looking up at me. Reaching down, I pluck the Pokémon up off the floor, and as soon as he's in my arms I feel the itchy scratch from his scruff as he happily rubs against me.

Which is when an idea forms in my head.

"Mr Kabu, could I get an Alolan Trainer Pass if I do some contests?"

"Perhaps," he tells me, "You would need to do well enough in them to prove you wouldn't be a liability to the region. Alternatively, you could do well enough in the contests to get an endorsement to the Gym Challenge, which would have the same effect."

I think about this news. I could use the contests and gyms to prove myself, apply for an Alolan Trainer Pass. When I'm there, I would be able to get to the Dimensional Research Lab and Professor Burnet. I could learn more about the wormholes, maybe even get back home or send a message.

But there was just one problem.

I don't know how to battle.

I'm pulled out of my thoughts by a beeping noise. Looking up, I see Kabu looking at a red Rotom Phone, a slight frown on his face.

"I apologise, a situation has occurred that requires my attention. Will you be ok making your way back to the Pokémon Centre?"

I nod, and with that confirmation Kabu is off, his centipede Pokémon scurrying after him. Taking a deep breath, I focus on the cobble street in front of me, planning my route back.

"You're sure you want to enter the contest?"

I sigh, looking up towards Nurse Joy as she sat across from me, a biscuit in her hand hovering above a cup of tea. After getting back to the Pokémon Centre, I'd spent some time running some errands for the staff until Nurse Joy asked to speak with me. I'd told her about my conversation with Kabu, and my plan to go to Alola.

She just sat there listening to me, before setting her cup onto the table.

"It's a plan, yes. But you can't apply to enter the contest yet. Your documentation won't be ready for a few days, and you need two Pokémon to enter. One for the Performance Stage and one for the Battle Stage."

I feel myself deflate slightly at her words.

"Not to say that you won't be able to enter. You just need to wait for the documents to officially come through. And while you're doing that, you can look for a second Pokémon."

I can't help feeling a little bit excited at the prospect. I already had Lupin, but the idea of going out and getting another Pokémon was exciting.

"Where would I get them from though? Do I just go outside and throw a ball at the first wild one I find?"

She shakes her head at the question.

"You could. But Pokémon you catch will be like a part of your family, your friends. They might not want to stay with you if you just randomly start grabbing them off the street."

"So, what should I do?"

She takes out her phone, tapping on the screen for a few seconds. From my pocket, I feel my phone vibrate before. Taking it out, I see a message from Joy on the screen, an image of what looks like the city next to a green area past the city border.

"That's the Wild Area. There's a lot of Pokémon out there, so you'd have a lot more options on what to catch. Also, since you'd probably need to fight them, any Pokémon you did end up catching would probably be easier to befriend. They'd be more inclined to trust you."

Looking at the map she'd sent me, it looks like the Wild Area is surrounding parts of the city. It looks pretty big too. So plenty of Pokémon to look for.

"If you go here you can get some camping gear from The Camping Shop, and if you travel here," she continues, pointing at what looks like a station several miles away from the city, "You can catch a train back. It'll only take about a day and will give you time to train and bond with Lupin as well."

I smile, putting the phone down. I have an idea of what to do now, a plan.

So this should be easy.

Right?

Sorry about the delay to this chapter. It's taken a while due to me having to focus on uni work. I should be freer in the next month or so, so please bear with me.

I would once again like to give many thanks to Cavik for betareading this chapter. We can both be found on The Fanfiction Treehouse discord server at: 9XG3U7a